Robin is not a character but a role, run successively by several young people. Its collection feature is unique in the catalog: the fate of one of them was decided by a reader vote, in 1988, and the issue concerned still bears the trace.
A role that is passed on produces a very different file structure than a single character: multiple beginnings, multiple endings, and markets that do not overlap.
The first: the invention of the role
Introduced in 1940, it created an entire category, that of the young partner, which would be taken up by the entire medium for decades.
It is the oldest and most expensive key in the file, and its value does not only depend on the character: it also depends on the fact that it inaugurates a convention.
Collection side: issue from the golden age, with all the risks specific to this period: undeclared restoration, cut coupons, missing pages. Gradation is essential.
It will then leave the role to take another, which produces a second key, distinct and much more accessible.
The second: the number decided by the readers
This is the most singular episode of the file, and it has no equivalent.
At the end of the 1980s, the publisher submitted the fate of the current bearer to a telephone voting readers. The result determines what the rest of the story will contain.
This corpus emphasizes what this represents. An issue of comics whose content has been arbitrated by the public is a unique editorial object, and it documents a state of the medium: one where the publisher sought a direct link with its readership.
Collection side: the numbers in this sequence belong to the late 1980s, a well-preserved period. The supply in good condition is abundant; only the high rank counts.
⚠️ The character returned much later, which did not devalue the sequence: because we don't collect a death but a decision.
The third: the role made methodical
The next bearer transforms the function: he does not inherit it, he request, arguing that it is necessary.
He is the first to obtain a long series in his name, which shifts the file into another category of collection: that of series to follow rather than isolated issues.
Period from the early 1990s: very minted, therefore abundant and cheap.
The fourth: the break in tone
The most recent bearer of the great eras reverses the logic of the role: where his predecessors moderated, he worsened.
Its first appearance dates back to the 2000s, an abundant period, and its demand is driven by a popularity that built slowly.
⚠️ Beware of alternative coverage, which is numerous during this period.
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A general observation, applicable to the many comparable cases in the catalog.
When an identity passes from hand to hand, it produces a series of staggered first appearances: 1940, late 1980s, early 1990s, 2000s in this specific case.
These keys belong to completely different market regimes: authentic rarity and risks of authenticity for the oldest, overproduction for the recent ones.
Two practical consequences.
A “Robin key number” means nothing. Always ask which carrier it is: the price differences are orders of magnitude.
The file is modular. Each leader constitutes an autonomous project, with its own budget. This is good news: you can finish one without ever touching the others.
This corpus recommends starting with a recent carrier: affordable, documented, and sufficient to judge whether the role interests you enough to go back to 1940.
What this environment changes when purchasing
The keys are cumulative, they cannot be replaced. The arrival of a new carrier does not devalue the previous ones: it adds an entry to the list.
Transitions are poorly indexed. The numbers where the role changes hands are more decisive than many numbers sold as keys, and they do not appear in any list.
The 1940 segment is the only one at risk. Everywhere else, the supply is abundant and the price modest.
As always, condition and gradation determine value; relying on real recent sales is strongly recommended.
Find the complete selection in our key numbers et the first detailed appearance.
Track related characters and spot missing numbers with our collection management application.
Frequently asked questions
It is a role held in succession by several young people, which produces multiple debuts, multiple endings and markets that do not overlap. A "Robin key issue" therefore means nothing: you must always ask which holder is meant.
His fate was decided by a reader telephone vote in 1988, and the issue concerned still bears the mark of it. It is a unique editorial object that documents the era when the publisher sought a direct link with its readership.
It is a Golden Age issue, with all the risks of that period: undisclosed restoration, clipped coupons, missing pages. Grading is essential, and it is the oldest and most expensive key of the file.
He asks for the role instead of inheriting it and gets the first long series in his name, which shifts the file towards series to follow rather than isolated issues. Issues from the early 1990s had large print runs, so they are plentiful and cheap.
With a recent holder: affordable, well documented, and enough to judge whether the role interests you enough to go back to 1940. Each holder is an independent project with its own budget, and you can finish one without touching the others.