DC Comics reviews 10/20/20 – Batman #101, The Robin King #1

Dark Nights Death Metal The Robin King #1

I’m not the biggest fan of The Robin King. He’s a boring cheat code of a character with a weapon to kill every hero, yet he lacks any of the sinister creepy nature of The Batman Who Laughs. It’s no fun watching an unstoppable villain just decimate character after character and never lose a fight.

A Death Metal tie-in featuring the character is largely more of the same. Robin King fights the remaining heroes on his Earth and kills them without so much as a scratch. Death Metal has been about the heroes fighting through the crushing oppression of darkness and clinging to the last glimmer of hope. Robin King just comes off like an Internet troll to smash up all that hope. No matter if he’s fighting heavy hitters like Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Firestorm or the trinity, Robin King has a counter for everything.

Peter J. Tomasi writes a solid story of despair, but there’s little substance when the featured character is such a spam unbeatable force.

Riley Rossmo’s art is incredible this issue as his lively and energetic style works well with a character full of flair. Colorist Ivan Plascencia keeps the pages looking vibrant as well.

This is a skippable Death Metal tie-in unless you’re a fan of The Robin King. Otherwise just hold out until the next regular installment of Death Metal.

Rating: 5 out of 10