Red Robin #18

Review: This issue begins in Moscow as Red Robin meets with former Teen Titans teammate Red Star to alert him that he was going to be trying to learn more about the Unternet, which is basically the super-villain Internet. Tim has some suspicions that Russian billionaire Viktor Mikalek could possibly be involved with the proliferation of the Unternet, and as such has set up a meeting with the Russian(as Tim Drake)in order to plant a bug in his computer which would let him know if Mikalek had done anything illegal. Why alert Red Star to anything you ask? Because Tim didn't want to step on Red Star's toes since he was basically Russia's meta-human protector. Red Star seems intense, but fine with Tim's business in Russia. He does caution Tim to tread lightly when talking to Mikalek before leaving though. From there, Tim meets up with Mikalek and near the end of the meeting, the festivities are broken up by a gun-totting woman named Promise. The woman shoots several of Mikalek's men with rubber bullets, and before she can make a move towards Mikalek himself, Red Star enters the room. Figuring Promise had some information on Mikalek, Tim “accidentally” gets in the way, allowing Promise the chance to escape. The following night, Tim(as Red Robin)heads into the Russian night and tracks down Promise at a warehouse. Promise tells Tim that Mikalek had done several illegal things, but before she could elaborate, Red Star enters the warehouse looking to take Promise in. Tim gets information from his planted bug from before that Mikalek had indeed been using the Unternet, which he shares with Red Star. Red Star says that he already knew that, but since Mikalek was helping the Russian economy, he was fine with it. Realizing that Red Star was in Mikalek's pocket, Tim gives Promise a communicator, tells her to run and engages Red Star in battle. Tim leads Red Star away from Promise and eventually makes his way onto Red Star's spaceship, where he finds a whole mess of missiles. However, Tim's communicator becomes corrupted by the Unternet and knocks out everybody who was using one, including Tim, which ends this issue.

Thoughts: Um, this issue was okay, I guess... It was a bit confusing at times, but since it was the first part of a story, I can understand that. I was a bit disappointed by Red Star's apparent villain turn, but with all the crap he's been through since Infinite Crisis, I wouldn't be surprised to see him go kind of crazy. Besides that, I really don't have much to say about this storyline yet. I'm sure things will become a bit more clear come next issue.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.You KNOW Dick Grayson would have hopped right in that shower!