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JUST IMAGINE STAN LEE WITH JOHN BYRNE CREATING ROBIN
Not Recommended (2/10)
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DC Comics
Main story
Writer: Stan Lee
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Terry Austin
On the Street...
Writers: Michael Uslan & Stan Lee
Artist: John Severin
Letters: Bill Oakley
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Editor: Mike Carlin
Price: $5.95 US/$9.95 CAN |
Main story: "You sure got a gift for saying what everyone can see." That's one of the title character's lines in this book, and it certainly seems to apply to the writer as well. Clunky dialogue, awkward pacing and a forced plot make for some arduous reading. The art is light and fun, but little more.
Rev. Darrk has used his powers to force a gifted young orphan -- named Robin because one landed on his crib as an infant -- to commit crimes on behalf of his church. Among those crimes is the attempted murder of the Batman, who holds his own but finds the kid is too much for him to handle. He does, however, help Robin see the light, and together, they break into Darrk's church.
It's always a treat to see John Byrne working with inker Terry Austin; the classic Uncanny X-Men art team usually meshes well together, and this is one of those times. Mind you, since the story isn't all that engaging, the art doesn't seem to be either. Furthermore, given the simpler tone of Lee's script, the darker color scheme that Sinclair employs here doesn't work all that well.
In the end, this is a story about an angry young man who doesn't know where he belongs in the world, and it's the kind of subject matter that Stan Lee just doesn't convey well. His dialogue is clunky and inconsistent, and the same can be said about characterization. A character who never talks to other people can't understand why he gets tongue-tied around a woman he finds attractive? That's just one example. On top of that, Lee's tongue-in-cheek references to mainstream DC continuity never blend well with the story and take the reader out of this Stan Lee Universe.
On the Street: It's a treat to see John Severin's art in this backup story, but this stands out as one of the weakest "On the Street" features of the series so far. Too bad, given that these brief stories tend to be stronger than the leads.
Some of the holes from the first story are filled in when Beth, the young woman drawn to Robin, visits his old home and discovers the orphanage is owned by Rev. Darrk's church. Furthermore, it's run by one of his mystically empowered agents, Madame Xanadu, and it boasts two other "special" residents: Mark Merlin and Tommy Tomorrow.
Severin's art is a little loose, but it certainly conveys a much stronger sense of realism than Byrne's work in the main story. Sadly, Uslan's scripting, which is usually a little more plausible than Lee's efforts in other books, is just as stilted as what's offered in the first segment.
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