I'm back. A lot has changed while I was gone. I have been reading ALL of it. Dick Grayson is Batman. I love it. I love the way they did it. I love all the writers and artists that have contributed to it. They have done a great job. Honestly I hope Bruce Wayne NEVER returns as Batman at this rate.
Damian Wayne (Bruce Wayne's Biological Son that he fathered with Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Ras Al Ghul) is now Robin. He is nine years old, he was raised and trained by the League of Assassins, he has a tendency to kill, he is a brat, he is impulsive and doesn't listen. He is great. I love him. I love that Dick feels that he must take over raising him after Bruce's "death". I love the fact that Dick's way of raising him is the only way Dick knows how, the same way Bruce raised Dick: as Robin. I think it shows that the Dick's upbringing was awesome but at the same time a warped vision of childhood and his relationship with Damian mirrors his own relationship with Bruce, when Dick was the same age. However I feel the truth of the relationship is closer to Bruce's failure with Jason Todd. I hope Dick can succeed where Bruce failed.
Tim Drake is now Red Robin. First the Red Robin persona was seen in Kingdom Come (a alternate future version of the DC Universe) and his secret Identity was Dick Grayson. Later, as with so many of the popular designs from the Kingdom Come story, DC tried to introduce Red Robin into current continuity. First the resurrected Jason Todd obtained the outfit from a Batman on an alternate earth. Lame, I know. Then some Robin villain named Ulysses Hayden Armstrong got his hands on the outfit shortly before he took the identity of Anarky another long-time Batman extreme vigilante/villain. Even lamer? Yes. When Tim learns that Dick wishes to disobey Bruce's order's by becoming Batman after his death, that Dick intends to replace Tim as Robin with Damian and that Dick does not support Tim's belief that Bruce isn't dead, Tim takes on the persona of Red Robin. He feels that since his mission to prove that Bruce is still alive is a dangerous one that may put him at odds with many known heroes, he would take on a persona that would not be associated with Batman or Robin.
Batgirl is revealed to be Stephanie Brown: the daughter of the Batman and Robin villain The Cluemaster, she was a vigilante for quite some time as The Spoiler and was Tim Drake's long-time girlfriend. She briefly took on the role of Robin when Tim quit the role after his father's death. Batman quickly fired her though, when she deliberately disobeyed a direct order of his during her training period. He asked that she not return as Robin, or Spoiler for that matter. She eventually put into action a Gang War in Gotham when she attempted to gain favor in Batman's eyes by enacting one of his famous contingency plans. The plan backfired and put Black Mask into a position of power. Stephanie was tortured by the Black Mask. It had appeared she had died in a hospital. It was later revealed that her death was faked with the help of Leslie Tompkins to insure her protection after her identity had become compromised.
Now Stephanie Brown is Batgirl. Honestly this news is barely a few weeks old. I know that Pat just wrote on this site his dis-pleasure at this news. I will have to agree with him that I also wish that Barbra Gordon could don the Batgirl outfit again too. I think they could come up with great storyline to get her out of the wheelchair too. I also agree that all other Batgirls, long-time and short-time have been stupid. But I think that Stephanie Brown was a great choice. As a long-time Batman reader I was really afraid that when I found out who the new Batgirl was, it would be someone of the caliber of Huntress, Casandra Cain, or Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, whoever the hell that is. I really do wish that Barbara Gordon was the choice but I was afraid that they would never do that. So with all the possible outcomes this was something I never considered and I am very pleased with it. It could have gone MUCH worse. I am interested in seeing where the writers take it.
That sums up quite a bit. There is quite a bit more though. Kate Kane the new Batwoman is the star of Detective Comics. Black Mask has returned to Gotham. Riddler is masquerading as a hero Private Investigator. Catwoman, Posion Ivy and Harley Quinn live together. In last week's Batman Two-Face successfully broke into the Batcave and scarred one side of the giant penny. I could go on, but let's get to this weeks release:
Red Robin# 4
Written by Chris Yost and Penciled by Ramon Bachs
This month in Red Robin Tim continues his quest to prove that Bruce Wayne is still alive. For anybody that has been reading we all know that Bruce Wayne is indeed alive but it's pretty ambiguous. We saw him die at the hands of Darkseid, we know that the heroes buried his body but we also know that Bruce is alive. This is because Darkseid's Omega Sanction beam that he shot Batman with, gives the victim "death that is life". At the end of Final Crisis we see Bruce in what appears to be the early history of man writing on a cave wall the symbol of Batman.
Now Tim is in Iraq and working with the help of Ras Al Ghul and his resources in the League of Assassins. He has found a valuable clue to Bruce's fate: the same symbol we see Bruce drawing on a cave wall at the end of Final Crisis.
The issue also gives some insight into the falling out between Dick and Tim via flashback. It shows an argument between the two before Tim leaves the country as Red Robin. At the end of the argument Tim asks that Dick not allow Damian to ruin the good name that they had built as Robin.
This issue was a good read. I really enjoy everything I'm reading now. Every Batman title is a gem. Batman and Robin, Batman, Batman: Streets of Gotham, Detective Comics, Red Robin, Batgirl, and Gotham City Sirens! Man they are all awesome! For next week: Batman and Robin, Batman: Streets of Gotham, and Batgirl. I can't wait!
Tune in next week. Same Bat-time, same Bat-Channel.
Mattman
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