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CBR NEWS

DC FLASHBACK: DICK GRAYSON, PT. I

With the disappearance of Bruce Wayne at the end of Grant Morrison andTony Daniel’s "Batman R.I.P." storyline,DC Comicsfans have been left aworld without a Batman. Coinciding with the conclusion of “

R.I.P.,

” DCannounced the cancellations of “Robin” (with issue #183),“Nightwing” (with issue #153), and “Birds of Prey” (with issue #127), andwill launch in March “Battle for the Cowl,” a three-issue miniseries featuringBatman’s many protégés and associates fighting it out for the mantle of theBat.Could Dick Grayson be the new Batman? Come along with CBR for partone of a two-part examination of the life of the original Boy Wonder, theheroicNightwing, and the man called Dick Grayson. In the beginning was the Batman. He was a dark figure that struck fear inthe hearts of evil. The Dark Knight was a millionaire, a vigilante, and adetective without peer. The character was an instant success, but the Caped Crusader needed something to makehim more human and toappeal to a younger audience. Batman needed a light to balance his darkness. Batman needed youthful vitality tobalance his pathos. Batmanneeded Robin.

Brian K. Eason

, Contributing Writer

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http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19222

Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Dick Grayson made his first appearance in the pages of "Detective Comics"#38 (April 1940). The look and the name for Robin were, according to Bill Finger, an amalgam of Robin Hood andthe American red-breasted Robin. This was accentuated by details that tied the character to the name. DickGrayson was born on the first day of spring, and the Robin is traditionally considered the herald of that season,hence the red-breasted costume. The character of Robin was an aerialist and acrobat with a swashbuckling style,echoing the medieval hero, Robin Hood.It all began with the C.C. Haly’s Circus. Dick Grayson and hisparents, John and Mary, were acrobats performing as "The FlyingGraysons." Little did the family know that crimelord Anthony"Boss" Zucco had a mind to lean on the circus owner. One night,before a show, young Dick overheard Zucco threatening some ofthe performers in an attempt to extort money from Haly. WhenHaly refused, Zucco tampered with the trapeze ropes to show thecarnies he meant business. That night, as John and MaryGrayson performed their act without a net, the rope broke and thepair fell to their deaths. Dick could only look on in horror as thelives of his parents were snuffed out. This story of tragedy mighthave gone a number of different ways, but in the audience wasmillionaire Bruce Wayne, the Batman.After the death of his parents, Dick found himself removed from the circus by the authorities and adrift in the juvenile care system. However, Bruce Wayne, who had also lost his parents when he was a boy, moved to haveDick placed in his custody, as his legal ward. While Wayne hoped to shelter Dick from the loneliness that heexperienced as an orphan, his nocturnal activities as the Batman took much of his time away from his youngcharge. Frustrated by the lack of attention and driven by the need to avenge his parents' death, Dick would sneakout of Wayne Manor at night, seeking the justice that he craved.On one such night, Dick Grayson encountered the Batman, who also worked to close the case of the Graysons’murder. Together, Batman and Dick confronted Zucco, but justice was denied when Zucco appeared to have afatal heart attack.The errand of justice completed, Batman revealed to Dick his identity as Bruce Wayne and explained that he, too,had lost his parents at thehands of a murderer. Wayne offered the boy a chance to make a difference and becomethe Batman's partner. Dickmade his decision quickly and accepted the offer. Dick trained in the skills of hand-to-hand combat and criminology beside his mentor and created another winged creature to join the Bat in the skiesof Gotham, Robin the BoyWonder.After his initial appearancein the pages of "Detective Comics," Robinbecame a regular fixture inthe life of the Batman. Throughout the 1940sand 1950s, the Dynamic Duo were inseparable. Rarely was Batman seenwithout Robin, though the Boy Wonder did appear in solo stories from1947 through 1952 in "Star-Spangled Comics." Robin, like the Batman,was a hit. While Red Ryder's sidekick, Little Beaver, predates Robin as thefirst boy sidekick, the Boy Wonder was easily the most popular and mostrecognizable in the long line of sidekicks that followed. Robin held aunique role in the Batman stories, acting as an everyman for youngreaders that could identify with or fantasize about being the sidekick to theDark Knight.Like Batman, Robin branched out into other media. In 1943, Batman madehis first foray to the big screen with a 12-part serial simply called "Batman,"and Robin came along with him. In the story,the part of Robin was played by Douglas Croft. In a second 12-chapter serial in 1949, Johnny Duncanreplaced Croft as the Boy Wonder. Even on the big screen, Robin playeda more positive counterpoint to the dour Batman.In the early 1960s, Dick Grayson took on a role that separated him from other sidekicks and allowed him to stepfrom the out of the shadow of the Batman, taking on the role of leader. With the success of the Justice League of America in "The Brave and the Bold #” 28 (February–March 1960) and their later ongoing series, it was decidedthat the sidekicks of those heroes would makea good team. In the pages of "The Brave and the Bold" #54 (July1964), Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad teamed up to fight the villainous Mr. Twister. While the team had no name,they continued to adventure as a sort of Junior Justice League until Wonder Girl was added to the roster in "TheBrave and the Bold" #60 (July 1965). From then on, the youthful group was known as the Teen Titans. While otherteam members would come and go, Robin stood at the center of the teamfor nearly two decades, remaining theleader of the team until they disbanded in "Teen Titans" #53 (February 1978.) Dick Grayson had proven that hewas no longer a supporting character, but a star in his own right.

Burt Ward portrayed Robin in thepopular 1960s "Batman" TV seriesand movie

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In 1966, Batman and Robin made their debut on the small screen with thetwice-weekly "Batman" television series. Burt Ward portrayed the part ofDick Grayson, who attended Woodrow Roosevelt High School and lived inWayne Manor with Bruce Wayne, their butler Alfred Pennyworth, and Dick'sAunt Harriet. The show was very popular and ran for two-and-a-half years,counting many Hollywood luminaries as guest stars. The Dynamic Duowas played for laughs on the show, which was high camp. Ward'sdialogue as Robin was no exception and often punctuated the humor withone-liners that made the character famously quotable. In each episode, itwas a guarantee that Robin would spout off with an oath beginning with theword "holy." Memorable quotes included "Holy Benedict Arnold," "Holysemantics," and "Holy astringent plum-like fruit!" To this day, such oathsare used by pop culture magazines in reference to the character of Robin.The “Holy-fill-in-the-blanks” oaths were even lampooned in 1995 film"Batman Forever" by Chris O'Donnell (as Robin) and Val Kilmer (asBatman) :

Chris O'Donnell played Robin in the1990s films "Batman Forever" and"Batman & Robin"

Robin: Holey rusted metal, Batman! Batman: Huh?

Robin: The ground, it's all metal. It's full of holes. You know, holey.

Batman: Oh.

Burt Ward also played Robin in the 1966 "Batman" feature film that spun-off of the series and went on to voice thecharacter in the 1977 "The New Adventures of Batman" cartoon series, as well as a 2002 episode of "TheSimpsons." The camp nature of the 1960s “Batman” series spilled over into the Batman comics, helping to boostsales to all time highs. With the cancellation on the television series in 1968, sales of the comic books tanked anda new direction was called for.In 1969, Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams took over as thecreative team behindthe Batman. The pair decided thatin order to reinvigorate the character, Batman needed togo back to his roots as a creature of the night. Such ahero would have no need for a brightly colored sidekick,so Dick Grayson wasallowed to finally grow up andwas shipped off to Hudson University. Fortunately forRobin fans, beginning with "Detective Comics" #394(December 1969), Dick received his own solo feature inthe back of every issue, written by Frank Robbins andillustrated by the legendary Gil Kane. While Dick did gethis own feature, this spelled the end of Bruce and Dickas a regular team.With "The New Teen Titans" #1 (November 1980), writerMarv Wolfman and artist George Perez were tasked withgiving the team of young heroes anew lease on life. The pair had noidea the level of success they would achieve. The book re-introduced the DoomPatrol's Beast Boy as Changeling,and three new creations by Wolfman/Perez: an alien named Starfire, an empath named Raven,and a cyborg named, well, Cyborg. Added to this roster were Wonder Girl, Kid Flash and Dick Grayson as Robin.The Titans' storylines were layered, dealing with complex villains, romantic relationships, teen angst and even the deaths of teammates. The Titans were a success, both critically and financially. The only problem was that the leader of the team, Dick Grayson, was still known principally as Batman's sidekick. Wolfmanand Perez approached DC with an unprecedented idea: to give Dick Grayson a new costumed identity.

Robin led the Teen Titans to great success in the1980s

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