Clyde has pushed everything but vengeance aside. Shiva is a homocidal maniac. At least she has an excuse. 
- — Robin
Robin #4 is an issue of the series Robin (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1991.
Synopsis for "Strange Company"
Robin, Clyde Rawlins and Lady Shiva arrive at the port city of Kowloon in Hong Kong. They stalk the streets until they find members of King Snake's Ghost Dragons. Shiva is prepared to kill all of them, but Robin convinces her to allow him to interrogate one of the Dragons, asking him where Snake is having the plague weapon delivered. The gang member tells them about an airfield where the plague is being delivered.
They stake out the airfield and follow the trail back to King Snake's penthouse in the central district of Hong Kong, despite Robin's urging that the plague is more important than Clyde or Shiva's vendettas. After surveying the estate, they retreat for the evening to one of Lady Shiva's safe houses.
The following morning, Lady Shiva decides to give Robin some pointers on combat techniques. Robin thinks Shiva is a homicidal maniac, but respects her martial prowess. She offers him his choice of a weapon from her own private collection. He chooses a collapsible battle staff, despite Shiva's urging that he should choose a more lethal weapon.
The two spar, but Shiva easily beats him. Later, Robin carves notches into the tip of the staff enabling it to generate a whistling effect whenever he swings it. He uses it during their next sparring competition and the distinctive warbling distracts Shiva long enough for Robin to get the upper hand.
That evening, the mercenary, Henri Ducard, arrives in Hong Kong. He stakes out King Snake's operations by the shipyard and prepares to make his move. Ghost Dragons in disguise as police officers discover him and attack him inside of their car, but he fights back and succeeds in killing several of them.
Meanwhile, King Snake looks down upon the city from his penthouse suite. Using the newly reconstructed Moorish water-clock that he bought in Iberia, he plans to release the plague so that the city of Hong Kong will be a wreck before it falls into the hands of communists.
Appearing in "Strange Company"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Henri Ducard
- Bobbo
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in the Robin: A Hero Reborn trade paperback and in Robin: Reborn.
- This is often considered the first appearance of Robin's Battle Staff as it provides an origin story. However, Tim Drake had already used a battle staff prior to becoming Robin in Batman #457.
Trivia
- One of the Ghost Dragons refers to Robin and his friends as "Fan-Gwailo" - a Chinese insult loosely translating to "barbaric foreigners."
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Robin Recommended Reading
- Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying
- Batman: Dark Victory
- "Batman: Year Three"
- Batman and Robin (Volume 1)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 2)
- Batman & Robin Eternal
- New Teen Titans (Volume 1)
- Robin: A Hero Reborn
- Robin II: The Joker's Wild!
- Robin III: Cry of the Huntress
- Robin (Volume 2)
- Robin (Volume 3)
- Robin: Son of Batman
- Robin: Year One
- Robins (Volume 1)
- Teen Titans (Volume 3)
- We Are Robin
- Young Justice (Volume 1)
- Young Justice (Volume 2)