When I first heard that DC was going to be giving their continuity a reboot, I thought that it would be the perfect chance to simplify the history of the multiple Robins. Instead, it just made matters more complicated, keeping all the Robins around and condensing the timeline. While I do like all the characters that have taken on the title, I still believe that so many Robins just serves to dilute the concept. Now they have even thrown Carrie Kelley into the present day mix! This is definitely a job for a time-travelling Kitty Pryde!
My vote is that Jason is the one they're looking for. (Or is that too obvious? I suppose Damien could easily end the world as well.)
ReplyDeleteDick Grayson originally stood for hope and joy -- a contrast to Batman's dark brooding. Why did subsequent Robins have to get do dark?
I'm with Dr. OTR in one thing: Jason's the most likely candidate. That means it's probably Carrie.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you about the problem of so many Robins in such a short time. The way it stands, Batman goes through Robins the way Spinal Tap goes through drummers. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'd rather they left Bruce Wayne as the original 1938 Batman, then let Dick Grayson take over the mantle when Bats was murdered in the 60s (a story I've never gotten to actually read), and so on until Tim Drake becomes the current Batman.
Teenaged Kitty Pride as the role of time-traveler is an interesting choice -- and I notice she has her dragon (whose name I forget) with her as well. I personally would have thought of Jubilee as the best choice to go back, but given Kitty's determined personality, phasing and energy-disruption powers, and that dragon, she'd probably be Professor X's best choice.
On the whole, another dead-on cover and story idea.
Is that Robin drawn by Dick Giordano (my second favorite DC artist after Jim Aparo)? Ross, you've given tributes to Perez, Aparo, Kurbert, Adams and Kirby. Now how about a tribute to Dick Giordana, truly an unsung hero in the industry responsible for DC's bronze age commercial look!
ReplyDeleteYup, it's Giordano, as is listed in the labels below the cover. Click on the label and it will take you to a bunch of other covers where I used Giordano Art. You are right though, I still haven't done an all-Giordano cover yet... then again He did the bulk of his work for one company so there isn't as much crossover potential as with other artists.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Jason. That whole "punched back into reality" thing, nothing but trouble.
ReplyDeleteAww... no Stephanie Brown. You now, the DCNu has much to answer for. Trying to pretend that decades of continuity happened in a mere 5 years is just such a poorly thought-out plan. and Tim Drake never being an official Robin? What? Geez.
Sorry, Starting to rant. Stopping now.
-Mea
I am one of the few who think Dick Grayson should always be Robin. Dick as Robin is the legend, probaby only behind Bruce Wayne/Batman and Clark Kent/Superman in terms of recognition by the general public. I always felt (although I know many Grayson fans feel otherwise) that putting him in the Nightwing guise, a C-list character from the silver age Superman mythos at that, is a big insult to the character. He is Robin, he should always be Robin, and all the replacements and wannabes should be erased from official continuity. That's my 2 cents.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least we now have "Batman '66", and hopefully Dick won't become Nightwing in that continuity.
@Bob Greenwade: The golden age Robin became the Earth-2 Batman when his Bruce retired in the 60's. I think he actually kept the name Robin but wore a silly amalgamation of their two suits for a while, then replaced it with a full-legged costume similar to Tim Drake's. The Earth-2 Bruce was then murdered (along with Selina) in the 70's. Part of the story is in Batman #300 and the rest is in the origin of the Huntress (which might be an issue of DC Super-Stars).
ReplyDeleteThe name of the dragon was Lockheed. Shortly after joining the X-Men, Kitty spent Christmas eve alone in the mansion when one of the N'garai things attacked. Still untrained in using her powers offensively, the only way to save her life was to incinerate it using the exhaust flames of the Lockheed jet in the mansion's hangar. A year later she told the (then) much younger Illyana a fairy tale starring herself and a pet dragon named Lockheed. A year after that story, she actually met a fire-breathing alien that looked like a small dragon while the X-Men were in space fighting the brood. It was too much of a coincidence so she named the real 'dragon' Lockheed, too.
@Bob Greenwade: Kitty Pryde (at that age) is the perfect choice to interact with young Dick Grayson, based on the legendary DAYS OF FUTURES PAST storyline in Uncanny X-Men 141-142.
ReplyDeleteI do remember all that about the Earth-Two Batman and Robin (note that the "Two" was spelled out in those days). I don't think Dick ever took on the name of Batman, though -- he was always Robin. (He did have the coolest Robin costume ever, though.)
ReplyDeleteI thought Batman's murder (and the solving thereof) was in one of the JLA-JSA annual team-ups, though.
I also remembered the story behind Lockheed the dragon, including the source of his name. I just couldn't remember what that name was. (It's been a while.)
And I do remember the Days of Futures Past storyline.
My vote is all of them. The fact that there are multiple Robins is what causes the undoing of the universe.
ReplyDeleteDick should be the one true Robin.
I say it's Carrie Kelly. Niece of the mutaphobic Senator Robert Kelly!
ReplyDelete