Robin #101

World Without Young Justice Part 3: Redone by the Vandal(s) of Time

A Lewis/R. Woods/Schubert/Giddings/DigiCham/Wright/Idelson Production
With special thanks to Esther Newlin

Our cover by Humberto Ramos and Wayne Faucher shows this reality's version of Robin, Stephanie Brown, with her reflection showing the Robin we all know and love, Tim Drake. Like all these World Without covers, I love the concept ... just not the execution. All the characters on these covers are too blocky and angular for my liking. Oh well.

Our story is essentially split in two parts, with the first half taking place in the normal world and (I assume) wrapping up some loose ends from Robin #100. But we're only interested in the second half, which abruptly changes to the new reality Bedlam created.

Tim Drake is a normal, skinny teenager, who has been kidnapped by a brainwashed cult called Priestoids. As they lead Tim into a large, diabolical machine, he wishes he had studied judo or something to be able to fight his way out. Luckily, he is rescued by Batman and a female Robin. And even though Tim can't fight, he reveals he is still smart by telling Robin how to destroy the machine, which releases all the Priestoids from the mind control.

We later learn that Tim is happily living with both his parents, and he has correctly deduced that Batman is Bruce Wayne and Robin is Stephanie Brown. He finds himself wondering if he could be a Robin like her, figuring he could pick up the physical aspect through some training, but doubting he'd have the necessary motivation, as he hasn't experienced any major trauma in his life.

While eating out with his parents, he spots an Impulse scout zipping by. This is the sixth one Tim's seen today, and it takes him a minute to remember what he's called — Impact? Pulsar? Impulse. When he gets home that night, he sees another scout put something in a tree in his front yard, so Tim decides to go check it out. He finds one of the spherical cameras that Bedlam is using to monitor his progress of altering reality, and Tim actually briefly sees Matthew Stuart in the lens of the camera. Tim decides to examine the camera closer in the garage, but as he walks toward it, he notices the resolution on the lens gets worse. When he turns around and walks in the opposite direction, the image becomes crisper. So Tim throws his common sense out the window and keeps walking in that direction to try to figure out what it is he's seeing.

The further Tim walks, the more reality warps around him until he's essentially walking in a living cartoon world. He also sees a few more Impulse scouts zoom by, and he realizes that none of them are the genuine Impulse. Tim then comes across a few Impulse scouts that look old and withered. Suddenly, Bart calls out "—YOU?" Tim looks up and expresses relief at seeing Kid Flash. Bart says, "No. Tim, it's me — Impulse!" Tim asks Impulse how he knows him, and Bart says, "C'mon, Boy Wonder, I don't feel like kiddin' around."

Bart tells Tim about Bedlam and how he's using his scouts to alter reality. Tim is vaguely familiar with the name Bedlam, and he asks Impulse if he can control his scouts. Bart says he can't, although he probably could reabsorb them, but he's hesitant to do so. Tim feels like he's living in a dream, where everything is nonsensical, yet still sort of makes sense in its own way. So he decides to play the part of Robin and asks Impulse to lead him back the way he came to meet Bedlam. Tim begins sneaking around Bedlam's base, turns a corner, and shouts out, "—YOU?!"


This issue wasn't too bad. I just wish we had more time in the alternate reality. For one thing, it was difficult to determine what Tim knew from the altered world and what he was remembering from the real world. Like when he addressed Bart as Kid Flash. The most interesting part to me, though was what immediately followed — Bart calling Tim by his real name. "Officially" none of the members of Young Justice know who Robin is. But Bart get to know Tim right before he met Robin on their ski trip way back when. Maybe Bart has always secretly known Robin's identity, but just decided play along with everyone else out of respect for Robin. Or maybe the writer just made a mistake.

Next time, we'll hit World Without Young Justice Part 4 in Superboy #99.