If there is one comic book character that had trouble finding its identity, it’s Stephanie Brown. She was Robin, one of many that you may not have heard of. That may be because of the confusion of her also being the villain called The Spoiler, and later the hero known as Batgirl. Stephanie Brown was also killed in comics, just to return later with the claim that she never died. The confusing diversity of her character has created an identity that nobody can describe easily. Or in other words, she became the Robin that nobody cared about.
Stephanie Brown first appeared in Detective Comics 648, appearing on the first page while vandalizing the side of a building with a message. Later, we discover that she is the daughter of the villain Cluemaster when Tim Drake (Robin at the time) discovers that she visited her father at Blackgate Prison. As the story continues, she teams up with Batman and Tim to track her father.
Since her first appearance in 1992, it wasn’t until over ten years later in July 2004 do we see Stephanie Brown as Robin. In issue 126 of the comic book series “Robin”, we see that Tim Drake had retired from being Batman’s sidekick. We also see that the two of them are in a relationship, as Stephanie gives him a big wet kiss after not seeing him for three weeks.
While investigating why he had been distant, and her dressed as The Spoiler, she sees a girl from school kissing Tim in a cliché misunderstanding. She decides to deal with her sulking by sewing together a new costume, sneaking into The Batcave, and confronting Batman about being his new sidekick. Incredibly, Batman gives no resistance whatsoever to this bold move. In this single comic issue, Batman intensely trains her and decides that she is ready to patrol Gotham with him.
Fast-forward to December 2004 and not only do we no longer see Stephanie Brown as Robin, but she dies in Batman issue 633. The story arc is called War Games, and is an all-around trash heap of writing, so it’s hardily even worth describing. After the villain Black Mask shoots Spoiler in the shoulder area and kicks her down a flight of stairs, Oracle helps Batman locate her and gives her medical treatment. Unfortunately, she does not recover. While on her deathbed, Stephanie explains how she was sorry for starting the gang war.
So it’s clear that Stephanie Brown’s career as side-kick was short-lived. (Pun intended.) Within five issues of the “Robin” series, she is not only back to being Spoiler, but she found dying on a rooftop. If you are a fan, I absolutely recommend grabbing issue 126 of the series. Not only do we see Stephanie Brown as Robin for the first time, but we get to see some of her relationship with Tim Drake, including locking lips. The artist Damion Scott is particularly talented, especially when depicting Stephanie’s curves. The issue is also not expensive at all, so there’s really no reason not to pick it up and give it a good read.
What do you think of Stephanie Brown?