Kevenn T. Smith 8/26/08 Kevenn T. Smith 8/26/08

Stephanie Brown: Spoiler/Robin IV

I was a fan of the DC Comics character Spoiler from the first time I read a comic with her in it. I believe it was Robin #3. Since then, I tracked all three of her previous appearances in Detective Comics #647-649, where her first outing as a costumed vigilante was told. Spoiler is pretty much the only non-powered teenage vigilante that wasn't a derivative of anyone; especially not a male hero. I created this visual Costume History of Spoiler as my own entry in the grassroots online support to bring the character back from her apparent death in the War Games storyline. This piece shows the evolution of her costume through the 90's and into the present decade, including many of the looks that artist Pete Woods gave her during his lengthy and classic tenure on the Robin title.

Spoiler was always a favorite character of mine. She is determined, headstrong, fun, and comes from a blue collar background. She doesn't have millions of dollars and isn't one of the privileged rich kids living off of Bruce Wayne's money. Her dad was a supervillain, the Cluemaster. Her tenure as Robin was brief, but memorable. I am happy that DC Comics has brought her back from "the dead" under the pen of her creator, Chuck Dixon, and I hope her character continues to shine in comics for years to come.