InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "tell me how bad I am!"

Rhythm Bandit (rhythmbandit) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-11-05 22:37:00

Current music:	Cornelius - Gum
Entry tags:	char: robin/red robin/tim drake, char: spoiler/robin/batgirl/steph brown, creator: chuck dixon, creator: rafael albuquerque, publisher: dc comics, title: robin

Robin Spoiler Special, 8/2008

Woo! First post on the new S_D here at IJ! I've finally got a scanner, so expect more comics in the future! Since you guys introduced me to Tim Drake and Spoiler back in the day, I figured the Robin/Spoiler Special from August 2008 would be a good way to start.

I used to love Robin (the series), but stopped following it after a while. Grumpy Tim, no Steph/good supporting characters, wonky art, etc etc. So when I found this in the backissues box a few weeks ago I thought, "Chuck Dixon and Rafael Albuquerque?! This is gonna rule!" And so it did.

The first story, "Puddles", is 22 pages. Written by Chuck Dixon, art by Rafael Albuquerque, colored by Cris Peter, letterer Sal Cipriano, editor Jeanine Schaefer. I didn't include the cover since you can find it online. Only posted 6 pages in case someone has a request for one or something.

This takes place after Steph "comes back from the dead"/Africa (insert Dave Chappelle joke here). We start off with Spoiler and Robin on patrol. It's just like old times with Robin, Spoiler tells her diary. But things are a little different between her and Tim Wayne...

Oh yeah...Zoanne.

Really Tim? Cloverfield?

So Tim and Steph go to an abandoned engine plant to meet up with her friend Bailey. Aparently "creeping" is what all the cool kids are doing these days? Tim, of course, is having nothing of it, and is being a pouty goodie-two shoes. Oh Tim. Steph tells her diary she's trying to help Tim have fun, "keep away the darkness". Brian, someone from her crowd, starts a water gun fight. These kids are so wild! Bailey goes looking around and finds a doll.

I love the little angry cloud over Tim's head.

The three of them drive away in the Redbird, but another car follows them and shoots at them. They make it safely to Bailey's house, to figure out what happened. Watching the news, they see a 5-year-old has been kidnapped. Her mother is a witness in a murder investigation, and it turns out the doll Bailey found belongs to the girl. Tim tells Steph he has her gear in the car, then tells Bailey to stay in the room.

"Hey, Bigfoot--"

"You're out of this game." Gas in the face!

I love the way Tim and Robin are drawn! He looks so wicked in that last panel!

They track down the kidnappers, who are holding the girl hostage.

Cue fight scene! They somehow use their bat-grappling hook things to pull down stacks of paper on the bad guys.

And that's it! I really liked it, hope you did, too. Hope I did a good job, let me know if I need to change something. The second story is written by Dixon with art by Victor Ibanez. It fills us in on what Steph and Dr. Leslie were doing in Africa and why she came back, which is nice, but I didn't think it was that great.

Anyone know if there was much interaction between them after this? I know Tim's gone off on his own and Steph's Batgirl now...I guess things will never really be like they used to, but this was like a nice trip down memory lane.

(Post a new comment)

	killermoth1 2009-11-06 05:23 am UTC (link)
	Words cannot describe my love for both Steph and that costume, it's awesoem, purple and MAKES SENSE. Thanks for the post, though I become sad whenever I see a Steph appearance, like Cass, since I realise how much DC screwed her over. (Reply to this)

oath5
2009-11-06 05:38 am UTC (link)

I feel Albuquerque is one of or even THE best at drawing teenagers out of most of DC's artists. He just seems to GET how they look. Clothing too, most people are terribly outdated and are still plastering early 2000's clothing on girls. He also draws most of his TEENAGE females, such as Steph without a terrible amount of cheesecake. She's pretty, but she looks capable and not overtly busty or ridiculous. Athletic, in proportion. Costumes are another strength, he makes them look rather practical, which is so hard to do. He does this red (no pun intended) Robin costume of Tim's with the outside underwear very flattering...despite the underwear. I'd like to see his take on his current RED Robin costume, I'm sure he'd make it look much much better......

His Tim is pretty close to what I'd call ideal, just like his Stephanie here. I'd never see Tim as very big, he's always been short. The build he draws for Tim is perfect, and it's very striking how sheepish and WASPY Tim looks out of costume, kinda a pretty boy, but how eager and GRRR he gets when IN costume. That's always been Tim, he's just so damn eager to BE Robin. Did I mention Stephanie's eyes? Cause they're also epic here too.

Just Albuquerque is epic.

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toasty_fresh
2009-11-06 05:56 am UTC (link)

I normally love Albuquerque, but . . . he drew Brenda in Blue Beetle as being very conventionally "hot" and wearing belly shirts. Belly shirts. Now, I suppose that people in El Paso maybe wear belly shirts (despite the fact that they are horribly out of fashion and stupid-looking), but Brenda? Not in a million years. Totally out of character for her. It was just another example of how girls have to be pretty and in order for Brenda to be a sympathetic character, she needed to be drawn like every other girl ever . . . and it was so disappointing because I loved everything else about Albuquerque's run on BB.

Why yes I am bitter how could you possibly tell?

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	panicbelle 2009-11-06 10:27 am UTC (link)
	Cully Hamner drew her wearing belly shirts too, it's nothing Albuquerque started. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	toasty_fresh 2009-11-06 04:52 pm UTC (link)
	She appears to be wearing a shirt that sneaks up on her midriff from time to time in #1 (and not in any of the other ones Cully drew, unless I'm mistaken), which is entirely different from an all-out belly shirt. Compare this: to this: Not the same thing at all. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	panicbelle 2009-11-06 05:17 pm UTC (link)
	Deleted the comment, my bad. Different artist. You're right. :( (Reply to this) (Parent)

	deepspaceartist 2009-11-06 01:26 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah, I just checked it, and Brenda's showing belly button in Blue Beetle #1, her first appearance.It's kind of hard the look a character has in their first appearance to be OOC, especially when the charcter was only created in 2006. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

toasty_fresh
2009-11-06 04:57 pm UTC (link)

On the belly shirt, see http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/1198695.html?thread=35360103#t35360103 Really not the same thing at all.

especially when the charcter was only created in 2006.

So if I had a character who I wrote as being extremely religious and prudish in 2006 and wrote her that way consistently for two or three years, and then suddenly had her desecrating crosses and whoring herself out on the streets in 2009, you wouldn't consider that OOC? jw

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deepspaceartist
2009-11-06 05:11 pm UTC (link)

That's a fair point about the shirt difference. But still, it shows that she doesn't really seem all that bothered about her belly showing.

And I was refering to clothes, not charcterisation. What you said would be out of charcter. Wearing clothes similar to one's first appearance isn't all that OOC, especially if the character is relatively young and fashon hasn't changed like it has since, say, Superman'e first appearance.

But, as you showed, ths sclothes are not the same. I was never bothered by them personally (If there is anywhere in the US where belly shirts are practical due to heat issues, Texas is one of them), but yeah, I can see why someone would dislike it.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	toasty_fresh 2009-11-06 05:49 pm UTC (link)
	Ah, okay, I misunderstood you. My bad. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	panicbelle 2009-11-06 05:21 pm UTC (link)
	I think that's a pretty unnecessary comparison considering the context of the conversation. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	toasty_fresh 2009-11-06 05:51 pm UTC (link)
	I misunderstood what deepspaceartist was saying-- I thought he was referring more to overall characterization, instead of just clothes (which I still kind of disagree with, but-- yeah, totally not the same thing so my comparison is kind of out of left field) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	arilou_skiff 2009-11-06 09:45 am UTC (link)
	Agreed, I love the Spoilersuit. (Reply to this) (Parent)

(Anonymous)
2009-11-06 10:21 am UTC (link)

Most superhero comic artists can think up a pretty cool costume, but man, very few can make good looking civvies. David Brothers from 4th Letter had this post about how awful Jakeem Thunder's clothing was. So many artists, even ones as talented as Dale Eaglesham, just opt for GENERIC BLANK SHORT SLEEVE T-SHIRT and GENERIC JEANS and sometimes even GENERIC BLANK BASEBALL CAP for clothing. It's like a PSA commercial from the 90s.

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	pmagod 2009-11-06 03:44 pm UTC (link)
	Agreed, he also draws a mean Batman. I love the creases that run down the chest in the batsuits (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2009-11-06 05:52 am UTC (link)
	I love the art but why is Steph screaming in the car? (Reply to this)

	jelly_ace 2009-11-06 06:02 am UTC (link)
	I spy with my little eye a dark haired man driving a convertible with a red-haired woman. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	hearthemvoices 2009-11-06 06:18 am UTC (link)
	What's the significance? o: (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	oath5 2009-11-06 06:44 am UTC (link)
	Thats a Paco and Brenda cameo! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	rhythmbandit 2009-11-07 01:36 am UTC (link)
	Is that their car? Nice catch! (Reply to this) (Parent)

(Anonymous)
2009-11-06 06:13 am UTC (link)

Yeesh. Second page, last three panels. Stephanie goes from smirking smugly at him to what, shouting at him in an all-out rage and back again?

Seriously, that open-mouthed yell just screams... well, scream. There's even little "scream lines" coming from her mouth. "So you downloaded a movie on the sly?! Huh?? HUH TIM??!"

Come on now. Even if one -doesn't- have a knack for facial range, a little common sense could apply here that this look does not go with this conversation's tone.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	rhythmbandit 2009-11-07 01:41 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, I noticed that, too. I thought maybe they changed the writing, since her hand gesture in the last panel doesn't really fit either. But you're right, such a quick change in emotion just doesn't make sense. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	psychop_rex 2009-11-07 07:21 am UTC (link)
	See now, I didn't read that expression as screaming. The way I read it, she's teasing Tim about being a goody-two-shoes, so she puts a depraved expression on her face and gets all faux-tough. She's not screaming, she's just making a weird face. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	khamelea 2009-11-06 07:14 am UTC (link)
	Pretty, pretty art. (Reply to this)

	requiem2adream 2009-11-06 11:49 am UTC (link)
	I love love love this story. As far as I recall, it's the last time we see Steph and Tim together like this. And by 'like this' I mean fighting crime together without Tim telling Steph that she's not good enough. After this I think we got the 'Steph pays supervillains to fight Tim cause Bruce told me to' storyline. facepalm (Reply to this)

	nezchan 2009-11-06 01:10 pm UTC (link)
	Okay, and how long would it have taken to Google what SCHOOL LOCKERS ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE? Cripes, it's that sort of glaring stuff that takes me out of a comic. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	rhythmbandit 2009-11-07 03:04 am UTC (link)
	They need the huge lockers for bullies to cram nerds into! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	nezchan 2009-11-07 03:09 am UTC (link)
	Our school is well equipped. Extra large lockers permit bullies to stuff as many as five, or even six, nerds into them. (Reply to this) (Parent)

jaybee3
2009-11-06 01:23 pm UTC (link)

I wasn't reading Robin but did Steph realize exactly how much she hurt him with all this "Year in Africa" stuff while he sincerely mourned her as dead and was all angry at Bruce. In the few times I've seen them together since (BfTC or RR) she just doesn't seem to get why/how he would be pissed at her. Even here it's "just like old times" in her mind. I know Miller has introduced a new "possible love interest" (really, that's how described the guy in an interview) for Steph in Batgirl but has there really been closure between her and Tim (especially now that she and Babs are now seemingly occupying Bruce's cave under Bruce's house for their HQ - something I don't think Bruce would EVER agree to and Tim is all about Bruce these days).

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triss-neya.livejournal.com
2009-11-06 02:10 pm UTC (link)

She didn't have much say in going to Africa though. And I don't think she was in any condition to come back for awhile there. Probably had to deal with PTSD (since she seems just fine these days) before she could come back to the place where all the bad stuff happened to her.
She came back and he was the first person she approached.

And then he tells her not to wear her own costume...

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	icon_uk 2009-11-06 09:28 pm UTC (link)
	She came back and he was the first person she approached. Was he? I thought she was operating for some time before they met up again. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	freddylloyd 2009-11-06 10:23 pm UTC (link)
	Plus Steph “approached” Tim by beating him up while remaining invisible (as Nicieza eventually reconciled a couple of competing stories). (Reply to this) (Parent)

	sistermagpie 2009-11-06 03:51 pm UTC (link)
	Nope. They seem to continue to live in different universes with slightly different continuities and tone. (Reply to this) (Parent)

mysteryfan
2009-11-06 11:35 pm UTC (link)

From what I've read, doesn't look to me like she has realized and there's been no closure.

The BG book's new love interest is so far presented as a guy who apologizes for his current girlfriend--who's a college-age mean girl--when she knocks books out of Steph's hands on purpose, same prize of a guy tells Steph his current girlfriend's a bitch and puts said girlfriend down with a 'time of month' joke to Steph. Who wouldn't want to be *that guy's* possible love interest? What a catch!

(And I think it's silly that they're in the batcave.)

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	iondan 2009-11-06 02:47 pm UTC (link)
	I also did not like the Africa story as much as this one, but I'm not necessarily the biggest Spoiler fan, so I wasn't really enthralled in a story that was mainly Spoiler character devolpment. (Reply to this)

	ex_darkblade992 2009-11-06 04:19 pm UTC (link)
	"You never bent the rules?" "Well I do physically assault criminals on a daily basis." (Reply to this)

	nevermore999 2009-11-06 05:09 pm UTC (link)
	Woo, someone finally posted this part of the story! I never could, because I posted the other half. Much love. (Reply to this)

retro_nouveau
2009-11-06 09:07 pm UTC (link)

Good times!

Anyone know if there was much interaction between them after this?

Yeah, I've been following Red Robin and Batgirl. Steph shows up (his book) in one of Bruce's safe house kind of places that he's using in his search for Bruce. She gets in and sneaks up on him undetected (yay, Steph got skillz!) but gets a kick in the gut. She asks for a hand up, and Tim declines. Steph gets up by herself with a little sarcasm and tries to tell him she's worried about him. Tim shuts her out so she leaves.

Now some GCPD badge is sniffing around in her book. How old are police detectives, compared to college freshwomen? Grrr. DX

So it will be a while before Steph/Tim resumes. :(

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	jlbarnett 2009-11-06 11:03 pm UTC (link)
	the police detective was intro'd as a potential love interest for Babs. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	rhythmbandit 2009-11-07 03:05 am UTC (link)
	That sounds...ridiculous. And to think I was considering picking up Red Robin. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	faile_neume 2009-11-08 07:44 am UTC (link)
	I really really loved this issue. I'm usually meh about Albuquerque's art but I really love it here, mostly because they all look so damn normal. Steph is really pretty and Tim is adorable and kind of small. Plus I think the story is pretty cute, it'd probably work better pre-Steph's death but it was still nice to see Tim and Steph hanging out without any bullshit between them. (Reply to this)