#5
Tim Drake is back under the Bat Editorial board for this issue, and as per his usual luck with female peers, he pretty much crashes into Harper and uncovers the nano-virus mentioned in the flash forward issue. This subplot seems disconnected from the previous issues, with the antagonist the weird techno-gadget guy from Zero Year's flashbacks. It seems this will be the main Sci-Fi story in comparison to next weeks more mystical fare and the previous issues' noirish themes.
Vicki Vale also makes her first major appearance here, with cajones the size of wrecking balls and her own expy of Jimmy Olsen. It seems that while our Interim Commisioner may be keeping the gang war under wraps, even he can't shut down the press. At least, not yet.
Harper herself remains a largely self-developed vigilante, and her brother succumbs to the same techno-virus Tim's tracking, probably due TK the signal Tim sent out himself. Tim's usage of his New 52 wrist guards already shows more creativity than in the entirety of Teen Titans vol. 1, and the shout out to Young Justice the TV show is nice.
Still, this issue was more like three plots that just happened to intersect here than any organic plot. No doubt these subplots will receive more coverage in a month. Personally, I'm hoping for some more retro-Tim Drake characterization and plotting and they avoid confining him to the "smart Robin" role. A major appeal to his solos were his times outside the mask, and with both Harper and Spoiler on a collision course with him, hopefully we get to see the awkward geek again. However, his own paranoid nature actually lines up well with his last book. Is it too much to hope for some soft-retconning to bring some of those elements in?
