I’ve read some complaints here and there about how in All Star Batman and Robin, Batman grabbing the recently-orphaned Dick Grayson and informing him that he’s “been drafted…into a war” seemed to be a little on the abrupt side. So the kid’s parents are killed, and Batman just up and decides to make him his sidekick, just like that? Well, it’s not too far off from the original Robin origin way back in 1940’s Detective Comics #38.
First, Dick’s parents fall victim to tampered-with trapeze wires:
Following the “accident,” Dick overhears the miscreants responsible, but before he can act:
Bruce Wayne, who was in the audience that evening and witnessed the murder, shows up as the Batman and dissuades young Mr. Grayson from contacting the authorities:
He immediately shanghais the kid from the circus in the Batmobile, away from all the authorities that probably would have some small amount of concern about a recently-orphaned child:
After about a panel or two’s worth of convincing on Dick’s part, Batman decides to make the child his partner in crime-fighting, making him swear an oath that very evening:
…and then the training regimen begins (“As far as swinging ropes go, you can probably teach me a trick or two,” says Batman to the young trapeze artist), and by the end of the page, Dick’s in his Robin costume, ready to strike fear in the hearts of people easily startled by boys in chainmail shorts.
So, basically, Miller’s take on the origin, at least as it seems in that first All Star issue, is more or less on par with the original. Well, maybe with a few more shots of gals in underwear, but some advances in storytelling must be allowed for, surely.
Which reminds me…it’s a comic by Frank Miller and Jim Lee, and people are surprised by the presence of scantily-clad women?
I noticed this blurb on the cover of the new Invincible Ultimate Collection hardcover yesterday:
“Collecting the first 13 issues of what is probably the best superhero comic book in the universe.”
Oh, c’mon, what’s with this “probably” crap? Fake humility ain’t gonna get you anywhere! Stan slapped “The World’s Greatest Comics Magazine” across the top of Fantastic Four, right? Go ahead and put “the best superhero comic book in the universe” on the cover without qualifiers…that’s fine with me. Or even “screw you, Superman! Our comic rules, your comic drools.” Whatever. Why be shy?
One of the most linked articles on this site is this one about the story explaining how Superman’s glasses and his power of super-hypnosis protect his secret identity. Well, here’s an interesting discussion that spins off from that post, in which it’s postulated that such extreme means probably aren’t necessary in protecting his secret.
