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Batman and Robin History From the Future

July 10th, 2009 by | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Between Batman & Robin and Batman, I realize that while I do enjoy Dick Grayson as the newly-christened Dark Knight, what really seals the deal for me is his relationship with Damian Wayne. The big selling point is that now the roles of Batman and Robin are reversed. Batman is now the light-hearted one mentoring the brooding, moody badass. Without even mentioning him, Damian is the best use of Jason Todd since his resurrection, as Dick is trying to make sure that, against all odds, Damian doesn’t end up either corrupt and crazy (like Jason) or dead (also like Jason). I feel that the Dick/Damian dynamic is what’s going to define this episode of Bat-history and may ultimately make it one of the more interesting duo dynamics in comics, alongside Cage/Iron Fist, Booster/Beetle and Wolverine/Cyclops.

Then I remembered something. This isn’t the first time the two of them have crossed paths in comics. In fact, they helped lead to one of the few bright points of the Kingdom Come sequel Kingdom. More specifically, Kingdom: Nightstar, written by Mark Waid and drawn by Matt Haley ten years ago. Following up on the plot thread shown only in background shots from Kingdom Come, Nightstar — the daughter of Dick Grayson and Starfire — has a romantic relationship going with Ibn Al Xu’ffasch — son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al’Ghul. Bruce, being a delightful asshole in this continuity, decides to let Dick know.

There you have it. The next time Robin gets all indignant at Batman, imagine that inside he’s thinking, “I’m so going to nail your daughter in an alternate timeline for this, Grayson…”

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Posted in brief bits by Gavok |

8 comments to “Batman and Robin History From the Future”

  1. I’m counting the days until Morrison actually uses that line in a story.

         by Paul Wilson July 10th, 2009 at 07:22 --replyReply to this comment

  2. Aw, yeah. He might be 11, but he damn well knows good jailbait when he imagines it in an alternate continuity.

    Paul is right, also. That line is pure Morrison, akin to “I’ll Do What I Can To Plug The Hole In Forever” and “You Ever Wonder Why We Fetishize Our Garbage In Shiny Vinyl?”

         by Stig July 10th, 2009 at 08:03 --replyReply to this comment

  3. superman is still cooler:
    http://www.nypost.com/seven/07102009/news/regionalnews/biff__wham__pow__178573.htm

         by edc July 10th, 2009 at 12:27 --replyReply to this comment

  4. My first thought, when I just looked at the panels, is “Alfred is still alive? And he’s half android?”

    Then I read your summary thought, ‘if that is what it takes to get Bruce to lighten up, so be it.’

    In conclusion: HA!

         by Esther Inglis-Arkell July 10th, 2009 at 12:31 --replyReply to this comment

  5. Those three panels of Dick and Bruce are like something out of Space Ghost: Coast 2 Coast.

         by david brothers July 10th, 2009 at 12:35 --replyReply to this comment

  6. ahahaha

         by Nathan July 10th, 2009 at 12:46 --replyReply to this comment

  7. I loved that comic

         by Will Emmons July 10th, 2009 at 13:16 --replyReply to this comment

  8. @Esther Inglis-Arkell: There was a scene in Kingdom where old Batman ends up meeting the Batman of the present via time travel and tells him that he really needs to lighten up and smile once and a while.

         by Gavok July 10th, 2009 at 17:34 --replyReply to this comment