Greetings comic lovers and welcome back to casually comics the channel where we chat
all things comics from reviews of comics new and old to history to anecdotes to really
wherever our whims take us.
I’m Sasha and today we’re going to meet Jason Todd again.
We’re going to look at his second origin post crisis the non dick origin Dick grayson
that is.
Little gutter humour to start your day off right.
We’ve talked about how he died we’ve talked about how he came back we’ve talked about
why people hated him and came to love him now let’s look at the story that at the
time set the hate train rolling all aboard.
If you like looking back at the tangled web that is comic book history hit that like button.
So this is Batman 408 titled the new adventures of Batman this happened post crisis on infinite
earths the massive dc wide even that at the time collapsed the multiverse folding all
of dc into one universe in an attempt to clean up continuity, a failed attempt.
They would also use this as an opportunity to sneak in some retcons which is what happened
with jason who woulds find his origin retold despite only having appeared in batman 357
and only being robin since 366.
Also fun fact this issue followed directly after frank miller’s batman year one a gritty
retelling on batman’s first years which people loved so dc was thinking ok they like
the grit more grit.
Give the people what they seem to want.
This cover is now iconic Batman coming upon a young jason stealing the tires off the batmobile.
I love this cover what can I say.
It’s simple but signficant.
Our comic about meeting jason todd opens on batman fighting the joker with dick grayson
with the issue being called did robin die tonight.
Just full punch of dark to the face.
The joker has stolen a diamond necklace which he’s wearing it looks nice by the way and
while bantering with batman he turns around and shoots Robin through the shoulder who
falls off the building.
Batman manages to catch him with his batrope.
Batrope what am I the adam west series.
And Batman is really concerned but also wants to stop the joker can you hang on son I have
a mad man to deal with.
Don’t call him son where people can hear.
It doesn’t matter though joker is waxing poetic about he if he shot him who would he
play with.
Batman takes out the joker but robin was more hurt than he was letting on and has collapsed
on some scaffolding.
A helicopter was filming all of this an their takeaway is hey did robin just die?
If it bleeds it leads news at 11.
And so launches a media frenzy about whether robin died and the ethics of batman having
a kid sidekick.
Well teen dick is in the teen titans now more like the adult titans though most are in their
twenties like 2 years in.
Anyway bruce is concerned about what happened to dick and for some reason this is the straw
that breaks the camels back and he’s like what I do is no place for a child and dick
gets his feelings hurt cause he’s all I’m a man and bruce is all Son i’m sorry you
are a man now man enough to accept my decision use ohh footage
He then basically tells him he can’t be robin anymore and we get a cool panel foreshadowing
nightwing for non titans readers.
The thing is they don’t leave it terribly here like bruce encourages him to do his own
thing but this this would be an open wound for some time for dick and fans.
So batman keeps fighting crime without robin which further fuels the rumours that he’s
dead.
Commisioner gordon is even like sooo is he dead and he;s all literally no but figuratively
yes I work alone.
We then get some bruce dating Vicki Vale stuff which was a thing at the time which I only
bring up cause she says some awful things to him like I think a man who was orphaned
by gunfire only to inherit a fortune built on munitions has a right to feel a little
guilty.
Firstly munitions I;m not up on that part of wayne tech history or did Vicki think she
was on a date with tony stark also telling a man who’s parents were murdered in front
of him as a child that he should feel guilty about it.
Dump her now you’d be better off dating one of your rogues.
I’m so offended on his behalf.
She also disses batman why are you with her.
Anyway none of this has to do with jason except that it amplifies bruce’s guilt complex
and gets him thinking about crime alley and wishing despite all the chairties he’s on
that he could do more for the lower income areas of gotham and sets him about admiring
people who do.
People like ma gunn who set up a school in crime alley.
Ma Gunn’s school for boys 100% legit nothing to see there.
That night he goes to crime alley and it’s his parents deathsiverary so Vicki said that
to him on the day his parents died.
Ima need a minute.
Batman is depressed wondering why he comes back to the alley every year Does it really
honour my parents memory after all the next day the next night crime returns to the alley
while I’m busy fighting larger evils.
Again he admires people who make a more permanent difference so he goes to visit ma gunn to
admire her school before patrolling which leads to one of my favourite panels Hiya Batman
nice night for a stroll gentlemen.
It’s so good.
Oh look Batman.
None of that is he an urban legend happening on this street.
When he gets back to his care he sees the wheels have been stolen and it’s so absurd
he starts laughing Jason who was jacking the tires returns for the last one only to be
confronted by an amused batman so jason whaps him with the tire iron.
Try to catch me ya big boob.
Batman follows him and finds he’s living alone in a run down apartment he forces him
to give the tires back and in the process comes to like jason massive chip on his shoulder
and all he even says I’m my own man concerned he takes the boy to ma gun’s only for after
he leaves for it to be revealed shock aw she’s a bad person and the school is a front.
No say it ain’t so.
Meeting jason part two just another kid on crime alley.
Jason tries to escape from the house but to no avail meanwhile bruce can’t stop thinking
about jaosn and decides to investigate his mom who jason said was dead but he’s not
so sure.
While leaving he runs into vicki who proceeds to be awful to him asking him to pose for
pics for her human interest crime alley story she’s a reporter by the way.
Bruce refuses going besides I don’t like to play up my role down here it’s private.
Because your parents were killed in this area.
Do you hate him?
Who talks to their kinda boyfriend like this.
Back to the school ma gun is teaching them to be hoodlums all about guns drink the booze
the whole shebang so Jason manages to escape meaning while batman is still looking up jason’s
family and finds that his father seems to have been murdered by two face.
While patrolling batman sees a man who's tires were jacked that's Todd’s move he knows
he left so he goes to confront him in his apartment.
But Jason tells him while he’s returning the tires cause batman made him that ma gunn
is training criminals and they;re planning a hit.
Batman checks it out and ends up getting overwhelmed but jason tales him and helps him out Batman
is really impressed and Jason is happy that he listened to him cause he was coming to
try and stop the crime with or without batman.
The two leave together and he offers jason a ride
You know if you turn me over to the social workers well the chances of a kid my age findin’
a decent home are slim to none . don’t bet on it robin.
Robin?
Robin.
So he’s robin now after one team up fight.
Ok real talk this story has some highs and lows but I like this origin for jason it makes
him different from dick and it sets up a new dynamic and also lays the groundwork for him
going too far later like he was an impulsive poor choice for robin but a genuine one and
I like that but at the same time in context at the time man did they stack the deck for
people to hate him.
Firstly by taking him on as robin it completely undermines why he got rid of dick oh it’s
too dangerous for my 19/20 practically grown robin but this legit teen I found on the street
perfect.
It’s kind of a slap in the face like Dick meant nothing and dick was really popular
so this did not play well.
Also the tude that jason had rubbed many at the time the wrong way they were all we don’t
need this bratty robin they felt that a criminal shouldn’t be batman’s partner.
And I can see that bugging people I get.
Also it’s really abrupt he’s barely in 408 only slightly more in 409 and by the end
he’s robin and deal with it.
I still feel like people were too hard on him though but hey different times different
perspectives.
I think what I like the most about this are the little things like how jason makes bruce
laugh in crime alley on maximum brood night that’s a big deal i also like that he genuinely
wants to help him it brings back out that softer human side and adds to the tragedy
as he starts to see that jason isn’t dick and maybe he’s not helping him at all which
he starts to ponder even before he dies.
But yeah I acknowledge the secret crime school is kinda weak and Bruce needs to dump vicki
yesterday.
So what did you think?
Do you like this origin?
Or is it not for sure?
#notmyjason?
Tell me all your thoughts and feelings down below.
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