McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Damien Wayne - Teen Titans

 There have been many Robins over the years, but four stand out namely: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne. I like Dick Grayson better as Nightwing, Jason better as Red Hood, which leaves the other two. I really like Damian Wayne. Is he somewhat sociopathic? Sure, but that's because he was raised by Talia and his grandfather, Ra's Al Ghul. I think Tim Drake is still the best Robin on paper though. Smart, tech-savvy, excellent detective, and a really good leader. 

This is a pretty good scale and look for robin. He's got the yellow fringe and red, the nice black cape, hood, and long green gloves and boots. Everything you need! He also has the green mask, something that is standard for Damian as opposed to the other robins. I like his somewhat surly downturned mouth look, captures that contemptuous nature of Damian. What I'm not fond of is his sword. It's really supposed to be Deathstroke's sword but I would've much preferred Robin's katana. This one is too long and it's almost everyone's reviews and pictures I can see --including my own-- it's bent like crazy. 

DC Icons - Blue Beetle

Just like many characters in the comic book universe, there have been a few different Blue Beetles. This one is the latest, first appearing in comics in February of 2006. Previously, the Blue Beetle scarab has a magical artifact discovered by the first Blue Beetle, an archaeologist by the name of Dan Garrett. They have retconned all this and now the Beetle scarab is alien tech from the Reach, a group of marauders who themselves have gone through a few changes over the timeline. Oh wait, they retconned that in the DC Rebirth and Ted Kord, formerly a Blue Beetle in other timelines, has investigated the Scarab and determines that it is once again magical in nature. Oh, comics. 

Jaime Reyes is a young teenager who quickly bonds with the Scarab and over the course of the first year learns to control its powers. From this, the Scarab acts a lot like Cyborg's tech in that it can create a lot of different items to help Jaimie fight villains: energy weapons, a sword, wings, communication satellite etc. 

This figure is a super well-styled and looks a ton like the comics. He's got the standard first-generation wave of DC Icons articulation but comes with a few really nice accessories. Overall, I really like this figure and got him for a steal on Amazon. 

DC Collectibles Superboy - New 52 Teen Titans

Another New 52 Teen Titans character, Superboy is a name taken by quite a few characters. Most recently in the DC Rebirth, it is Jon Samuel Kent, but in an alternate New 52 universe, he was Kon-El. He is a cloned creation from the DNA of Superman, Lois Lane and Jon Lane Kent. 

I got this figure because 1) Love the suit design and really shiny red lines against black and 2) Super cheap deal. Just like a lot of the New 52 DC Collectibles, the articulation is always different, and usually poor! His hair is fine, but his face sculpts and paint leaves something to be desired. The face looks almost pudgy or perhaps it's the high cheekbones. Either way, not very comic book accurate. He looks more like an adult rather than a teen. 

DC Collectibles Red Robin - New 52: Teen Titans

I personally enjoy narratives where heroes either pass on the mantle to their children or heirs to lead a new generation of heroes. It shows a development, a passing of time and a fresh perspective on the abilities and backgrounds of those heroes and their families.

Teen Titans was one of those. First appearing in comics in 1964, the original team had three members: Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West) and Aqualad teamed up to defeat Mister Twister. Since that appearance, they have had nearly as large of a rotating roster as the Justice League. Though I am not a great comic book aficionado, a really good animated version of the Teen Titans is a show called Young Justice. Check it out! A third season is supposed to be on Netflix sometime this year or next.

Red Robin is technically named Tim Drake (but it turns out that's a pseudonym). He is called Red Robin as the character's way of leaving the Robin mantle behind after Jason Todd's death (who was the second Robin after Dick Grayson). From 2009 to 2016, he had a falling out with Batman and formed his own team of teen heroes, alongside Wonder Girl and Kid Flash.

I got this figure in the hopes of forming the entire Bat-family. It's an ongoing process, but I wanted to get this one to have another take on Robin that I thought was aesthetically interesting. He's got a lot of straps and bands and sports a mostly red and black flight suit, coupled with rocket-powered wings designed by a fellow Teen Titan, Static. The New 52 figures generally don't have great articulation, but they have a nice palette of bright colours and fairly good comic book looks.