COMICS: Scott Snyder Coy On Harper Row Rumors

Will she or won't she? Writer Scott Snyder isn't giving precise answers on the question of whether Harper Row will be the next Robin following the death of Damian Wayne.

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By Mark Julian - 3/13/2013

The cover and solicitation to Detective Comics #21 definitely has Scott Snyder creation Harper Row in a costume and seemingly fighting beside the Caped Crusader but Snyder downplays talk of her assuming the mantle of Robin in an interview with MTV Geek.

"I'm not going to give away what happens…whether she would BE Robin or not. I feel badly that everybody is assuming that just because she's there right afterwards, we were trying to position her as the new Robin. But I can tell you honestly, everybody reading this…she's not designed to be Robin."

Personally, I don't think Snyder would do something quite so obvious as have Harper become the next Robin. His history as writer on Batman leaves a trail of left turns and surprise revelations. Plus, for a comic book writer, introducing a new character that can stand the test of time and have a bit of longevity is the ultimate coup. Having her become Robin would seem like a fickle decision. Also, if you look at her 'costume', it's something more closely akin to Catwoman, who may be the next auxiliary Bat-character to step into the spotlight if the clue on the cover to Justice League of America #5 isn't a red herring [9 rose petals on the coffin=9 lives?]. Hat-tip to @wadeAconway. Either way with Batman having a series of team-ups in Batman and Robin for the next 5 months and a year long origin story set to play out in the titular Batman title starting in July, we'll have to see exactly where the Harper Row saga truly begins. Does it indeed occur in Detective Comics? Would be an odd place to start considering it's Snyder's creation.

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19 Comments

	indigobolt956 - 3/13/2013, 12:14 AM Login to report abuse FIRST whhooo
	TheFox - 3/13/2013, 12:18 AM Login to report abuse Damn. I REALLY wouldn't mind if Harper Row became Robin. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of a female Robin, and since Stephanie Brown is nowhere to be seen (thankfully-- I didn't like her Robin, short-lived as she was), Harper seems like the best choice available. I just hope we don't have a big lull between Damian and the next Robin. Frankly, the sooner all trace of Grant Morrison's Batman run is brushed aside and forgotten, the better. Z
	Jodez99 - 3/13/2013, 12:22 AM Login to report abuse Harper Row is lame, who cares about her family drama "oh no my dad is in prison and me and my brother get picked on"
	OtakuPapi - 3/13/2013, 12:28 AM Login to report abuse Why does everybody like Harper Row so much based on her few interactions with Bats i haven't gotten the obsession with her, id prefer Helena Wayne to give up on The Huntress stic and become Robin again if anything! Given she claimed Damien as her not so Brother it would make better sense!
	indigobolt956 - 3/13/2013, 12:31 AM Login to report abuse ^ huntress isnt related to bruce on this earth she is on earth 2 i believe
	indigobolt956 - 3/13/2013, 12:32 AM Login to report abuse but i just KNOW they are going to turn her into a great supporting character i actually like every member of the bat family bats has a wonderful supporting cast
	OtakuPapi - 3/13/2013, 12:39 AM Login to report abuse Helena Wayne in the New Earth 2 is Robin...But She And The Supergirl of Earth 2 are Powergirl And Huntress in the mainstream timeline
	ItsATrap - 3/13/2013, 12:53 AM Login to report abuse oh oh oh, pick me pick me! what about the idea of a "Robin Academy"? America's Next Top Robin The Young Robin's Wolverine and the Robin-Men West Coast Robins. seriously though. trial periods and training through Batman Inc. to become the next Robin.
	indigobolt956 - 3/13/2013, 12:55 AM Login to report abuse i havent read any new 52 worlds finest so im pretty much huntress n powergirl ignorant please elaborate for me
	IronManny819 - 3/13/2013, 4:27 AM Login to report abuse I like Harper, but I'm hoping she becomes an Oracle of sorts, rather than a Robin.
	longbowhunter - 3/13/2013, 5:50 AM Login to report abuse Harper, like all recent characters, seem to have a polarizing effect on people. Its always love or hate with not much wiggle room in between. She's had what 2 appearances? Its hard to judge either way. I think its pretty tacky that people would even think that right after his son dies Batman is going to be in the market for a new Robin. Especially when he still has 3 left. I dont think Harper will be Robin. I dont know if anyone will be. One thing I do know is we dont really need another.
	Icemanisthecoolest - 3/13/2013, 6:49 AM Login to report abuse Make Tim Drake Robin again. Done deal. You're welcome.
	DangerDuck83 - 3/13/2013, 7:12 AM Login to report abuse I really can't see Harper as Robin. It's such a shame Damien had to die. He was one of the most interesting characters in the Bat family to me. I would love to see Cassandra Cain returns as Robin!!!
	SUPERSHADOWBAT - 3/13/2013, 9:08 AM Login to report abuse Batman should be without a Robin for a year or two. It would make for some great stories where a team up is necessary.
	storyteller - 3/13/2013, 9:27 AM Login to report abuse I feel that a female Robin is basically just Batgirl. Robin is typically assumed to be the person who could become Batman. Well a female robin can only become Batwoman. Also having more Robins isn't what Batman as a comic needs. I honestly can't get behind having another Robin when you have someone running around calling himself Red Robin.
	Kaiser679 - 3/14/2013, 8:03 AM Login to report abuse I like Harper. I really do. And if she DID end up becoming a character that would be the focus of a title (either as Robin in Batman & Robin or Catwoman in... well, you get it) I would instantly add that title to my pull file. That being said, I can see points in favor of both ideas. On one hand, it doesn't make much sense to have a title CALLED 'Batman & Robin' if there's no Robin, and short of bringing Tim back into the role and dropping the god awful "I so badly need to be Robin cause I have no other identity, so I just added 'red' and tweeked the costume" identity, I can't really see who else it would be. It would also have me quite excited in terms of having sort of punky looking girls pulling out Robin cosplays at cons and the like cause... yes... please. On the other hand, Catwoman does make sense with her costume (and would look badass if she kept letting the blue streak in her hair hang out the front like she did in Batman #18. The downside being I just can't make myself care about the Catwoman role. Maybe she could change that... I doubt it, but maybe. Just get her into SOMETHING central. I love this [frick]ing character and want more of her like... yesterday.
	Scabsallover - 3/14/2013, 8:39 AM Login to report abuse While it was incredibly selfish of Grant Morrison to kill off Damien for the sake of boosting book sales (I wasn't reading Batman inc, where you?) there's no denying that Batman&Robin#18 has to be one of the GREATEST batman books of all-time and certainly the best of the New52! I think Harper Row will be the new Spoiler
	Geektality - 3/26/2013, 3:13 PM Login to report abuse Harper Row is the best ORIGINAL supporting character for Batman since the early 2000's. She's got wit, she's got a desire to help Batman without becoming a "sidekick", she's god an awesome younger brother, she's got an interesting past, and she's got no desire to find out Batman's identity. She's a proxy for the fans, a character we can look at and say, "I wouldn't be a superhero like Tim Drake or a Barbara Gordon if I were in Gotham, but I COULD be her". It's the same reason that Jimmy Olson has a decent fanbase. People, especially people who look up to these characters, like proxy characters that they can look at and admire. I honestly do look up to superheroes, especially and almost exclusively DC characters. However, I LOVE it when there are characters at ground level who can act as outsiders looking in on the scenarios and lifestyles of these heroes and offer something of a deconstruction of them.
	Geektality - 3/26/2013, 3:20 PM Login to report abuse Kaiser679 Red Robin was a character from the DC Magnum Opus "Kingdom Come". Writers didn't just decide to go "Hmm. He can't be ROBIN, but he CAN be RED ROBIN!!!" Red Robin has been around for years. Although he was originally Dick Graysonin that story, Tim's role as RR isn't some half-assed editorial mandate. Writers wanted Tim to still be relevant to comics even though he wasn't Robin and to also allow Tim to distance himself, albeit slightly, from the mantle of the Bat. They wanted to prove that the name doesn't make the hero, and that just because Tim had a Robin suit that he was a good character. He was a good character AND a good Robin. The fact that Red Robin survived the reboot says that writers like Tim as RR and want him to continue to be a separated entity from Batman. Tim has outgrown the mantle of Robin. He isn't Robin. He's the Red Robin.

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