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Guys, you must look at this

He looks so happy, I'm so not ready for the next episode 😭

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I am never going to be over these panels from absolute power. For all of Batman’s strength and skills, he’s never been the inspiring leader. Sure he can give tactical commands but he’s never been one to truly inspire the people he works with. So imagine how it feels for him to watch his son, his boy, bring hope to everyone in a dark moment. Imagine what it must feel like to dedicate your life to trying to bring hope to the world by being its protector and then watch as your son becomes the embodiment of that hope. Imagine. How. Bruce. Feels.

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There's something so fascinating about how earlier Jason thought to himself that Bruce only took Dick on as Robin to save himself from madness, now here he is, in a really bad place, asking Dick to be his Robin this time. The original, the one he thinks saved Bruce from madness. Jason is dressing it up as winning this fight and being the victor here, but you wouldn't have to take that huge of a leap to see it as some part of Jason wanting to be drawn back into the light, because he thinks Dick Grayson can do that for him, too.

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rotating dick grayson in my head like a rotisserie chicken...

returning to this post for a moment — it's intriguing how nightwing is popularly & textually perceived as a beacon of faith, hope, light, redemption, etc, not only in contrast to batman, but also by those whose lives he touches (eg superman: american alien #4, “darkness needs light; fear needs hope”) (eg detective comics #1000, “he will be better. a hero forged in the light”) (eg nightwing vol2 #99, which i personally feel is a must-read, “ever since you were a child, i have seen in you such luminosity of spirit... it was truly almost visible—/ ...but of course he has optimism! he has had you”) (eg justice league of america (2007) #11, one of my favorite comics ever — roy harper & mari mccabe trapped beneath a rapidly flooding building... & then swimming toward the light, “like dick taught me/ ... everything we need—it’s all within us”) — you get the picture — and yet simultaneously the corners of dick’s mind pre-taylor run are often pulled taut between anxiety, adrenaline, doubt, despair, & sheer desperate bone-headed willpower (eg new teen titans, titans (1999), nightwing (1996-2009, sans tomasi's run maybe), outsiders (2003), batman/nightwing: bloodborne, etc)...

there is such an impressive (?) schism between the self as perceived by the self vs as received by others, like even in spite of his insufferable, high-handed, hot-then-cold dick graysonisms, even for people for whom he exists as a fallible person & not (purely?) an uncorrupted ideal, he's still associated with hope & perseverance... in a way i feel that grayson #5 (the famous dick-in-the-desert issue, one of my favorites from that run) & nightwing vol3 #30 (“we fall because someone pushes us. we get up to push back”) kinda-sorta scratch the surface of it — that dick keeps moving not because his faith in (insert whatever core value the comic wants to explore here) is unassailable, but because — & i'm spitballing here, so maybe there is a better way to phrase it — someone must (gotham knights # “dick, leave it alone”/“i can't, you didn't teach me how”)... it's almost like a childlike denial? it must be so, it must be this way, i refuse to heel... but personally speaking i think that must mean so much to other people, in a way that's probably incomprehensible to dick himself (in part because he knows very acutely when/where he's faltered...)

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Dick watches Bludhaven burn

Teen Titans Vol. 3 Annual #1

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its been 2 years since i last indulged my perennial love for the gothest superfamily in dc comics

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“Dick has so many connections to other characters. In many ways, even more than Superman or Batman, Nightwing is the soul, the linchpin, of the DCU. He’s well respected by everyone, known to the JLA, the Titans, the Outsiders, Birds of Prey – everyone looks to him for advice, for friendship, for his skills. He’s the natural leader of the DCU.” - Phil Jimenez

~Casually reminds people that Dick Grayson is both The Heart and The Leader of the entire freakin’ DCU and if you don’t think that’s awesome then frankly I don’t even know what to do with you~

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I don’t know if its just me, but I am kind of frustrated at the status quo that has developed with Dick and Bruce’s relationship. I know that Dick is an understanding guy and Bruce is always really struggling with opening up, but can we please have just one moment of Bruce having to actually explain his actions, acknowledge how they might be hurtful, and apologize or at least make it right somehow, instead of Dick just being like “oh I forgive you” and justifying it for him?? 

New Titans #55

Like, did Bruce ever apologize for this punch??? No. And then there was that whole thing where Bruce gives Jason the Robin mantle. Not only does he not even let Dick in on whats happening with the superhero identity he created (using his family colors and the personal nickname his dead mother called him even) Bruce also takes Jason in after forcefully firing Dick with the excuse that he couldn’t handle the responsibility of a young sidekick:

Jason is even younger than Dick!! That is called being a hypocrite kids. Dick comes to talk to Bruce about it, and Bruce doesn’t even think he deserves an explanation:

Then Bruce tries to bullshit it and lie to Nightwing about why he took Jason in several times before he sends him off without even trying to apologize, like this whole drama is somehow solely Dick’s fault: 

And right after this argument, Dick goes out and, because he is a good guy, gives Jason his blessing to be Robin. Even though Bruce did nothing at all to apologize or fix the situation, Dick puts his feelings to the side and does what is right for Jason: 

Batman #416

And then Bruce is just like “thanks for doing everything for me, Dick, you’re a good guy” and lets Dick do all of the emotional heavy lifting as per usual. And Bruce never actually has to say sorry to Dick at all, or really confront this problem again ever. Even when they are actually on good terms Batman can never just take the emotional leap, and Dick has to make it easier for him: 

Gotham Knights #17

I thought this was a cute moment too, but can we please have some sort of scene where Bruce just straight out says what his feelings are for Dick are instead of this whole “i know you love me” thing that Dick does where Bruce never actually has to step out of his comfort zone? Dick is always jumping in and neglecting his own feelings on an issue in order to make sure Bruce never actually has to do anything ever. Bruce does this with everyone in the Batfam really, but its just been on my mind lately since the Nightwing vs. Hush issue. It was a really good comic, but that end with Superman being the best man…Dick seems genuinely upset. 

He figures out that Superman is the best man and he actually puts his head in his hands.

And he looks sad here. 

And then Batman is just like “oh…errr tradition you know!! wish i didn’t have to choose…” and then Dick explains it away for him and pushes his feelings to the side and offers a solution so that Bruce doesn’t have to do crap like always. I don’t think Batman even has a full sentence of explanation or really does anything to make Dick feel better about it. And why didn’t Bruce just let him know that he choose Clark as a best man before this, like a mature adult??? Ugh. 

I am just frustrated by this right now. 

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If I had a nickel for every time my favorite character

- had the last name “Grayson”

- dark brown/black hair

- started out their vigilante life with red and yellow in their costume

- complicated relationship with father

- started out looking up to/idolizing their mentor/father figure but ended up separating themselves from them

- when forging a new identity away from their father/mentors shadow, donned a black & blue & yellow suit (and at some point getting rid of the yellow)

- accidentally beats an enemy to death in a moment of blind rage (bonus: it was after the enemy severely harmed their close family)

- been on a team with other teenagers

- red-head love interest

- orange skin alien friend

- had their reputation tarnished and had to briefly fly under the radar (dick accused of murder, mark being (sorta) blamed for the destruction of chicago)

- accidental brother aquisition

I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but its weird that it happened twice right?

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Was Dick ever mean to Jason when they first met? Because I’ve seen a lot of fanon where it’s implied/shown that he was, but I haven’t seen anything to prove that it’s canon (and I’m happy you’re back even though you weren’t gone long I love your blog)

Aww thank you!!

Ugh I don't know where fanon keeps getting the idea but Dick was never mean to Jason as Robin.

Let's start with the erased version, otherwise known as pre-crisis.

Jason Todd was born to acrobatic parents and also performed in the circus. Here's the interesting bit: it wasn't Bruce who found out about them, it was Dick who was at the circus and cheered them.

Batman (1940) Issue #357

Where was Bruce? He was busy becoming squid food in Gotham.

Anyway Bruce escapes and meets up with Dick who is still Robin and helps him solve part of the crime. As he's discussing the case with Dick, Dick mentions that there may be a connection to Bruce's case and something Trina Todd said.

Yup! Dick becomes friends with Jason's mom <3

Batman (1940) Issue #358

Bruce doesn't trust her but Dick does and Bruce trusts Dick so he accepts.

So Dick goes to meet Trina and her husband but they've already left to sneak into the villain's lair and get caught by Killer Croc. So he chases after them. Barbara joins in as Batgirl but Batgirl and Robin are too late because Killer Croc has already fed Joe and Trina to crocodiles.

Batman's still fighting his own case while all this is happening.

Waldo the Clown takes Jason to the manor and while Jason's in the kitchen looking for food, he finds the door behind the grandfather clock open, goes inside, and finds the batcave.

He finds a trunk of Dick's old suits as Robin and that's where the iconic pre-crisis Jason Robin scene comes -

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #526

Which first of all Jason why are you wearing other people's clothes without their permission? But anyway Jason hears people coming and finds Batman's busy grabbing information with Selina and so he hides in the trunk of the Batmobile. Robin Dick and Batgirl solve the case on their end and find out there's a trap for Batman so they come in and save Batman and his allies. Jason sneaks out of the car and finds his parents are dead so he tries to kill Killer Croc but Dick and Barbara stop him.

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #526

Dick's just like "oh, you sweetheart."

Dick wants to adopt him but Bruce is like mine because they're both like "It's my fault his parents died, I should take responsibility."

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #526

Dick was really nice to Jason.

Batman (1940) Issue #529

Dick is Jason's idol. He and Dick have a great relationship, so much so that Dick actually passes on the Robin name and suit to Jason.

Batman (1940) Issue #529

I could make a meme out of the handshake scene with Bruce being one hand and Jason being the other and in the middle the hands meet is "idolizing Dick Grayson".

So Dick and Jason had a fantastic relationship.

And then some things happen where this Jason wasn't well-recieved by the audience because of the way writers handled the transition from Dick's robin to Jason's so DC realized that they need to make Jason into his own person with his own personality, looks, and story.

So they magic marker erased the previous timeline and now we have the actual Jason Todd that's actually relevant to every comic that comes after.

Yet in this current timeline too, Dick treated Jason sweetly.

Here Dick's first meeting with Jason, he actually saves Jason from the hands of drug dealers.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

He let go of his hiding spot to get the new Robin out of trouble.

Jason is not at all happy about this.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

And Dick's pissed off because he found out there's a new Robin through a newspaper and he just lost a drug deal he's been waiting on to bailout the new Robin.

So Dick storms off and Jason asks Bruce about Nightwing

Batman (1940) Issue #416

And I'm going to reiterate parts of this post for this part (people please please read this post because tumblr has an image limit and I've explained it in detail there but I can't here)

Dick had no idea Bruce passed on the Robin costume. He finds out through the newspaper because Bruce is pissed at Dick. Like he's so mad that when he told Dick to leave, Dick actually left.

You know how there's a saying about not being able to take back words of anger? Bruce is feeling that heavily. He already had suspicions that Dick wanted to leave but before Dick could tell him, he fired him so he wouldn't have to hear those words. But Bruce is super mad that Dick left anyway. So what does he do? He makes the first boy he sees Robin.

And Jason finds out Dick was Robin when he confronts Bruce why Nightwing knows Bruce's identity. And that gets Bruce more mad because he's now feeling guilty which is when Dick comes to confront Bruce.

After meeting Bruce, Dick talks about what he's been up to since he left and put Bruce in a good mood before he starts tearing into him.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

Bruce looks so wrecked. The guilt and sorrow is tantamount to his pain.

Then Dick asks Bruce why he choose someone new.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

So Bruce tells him. But Dick and Bruce's relationship go way deeper than just friends or family. They know each other. They revolve around each other so Dick calls him out, and out comes the truth

Batman (1940) Issue #416

But here's what it means in terms of Dick and Jason's relationship:

Instead of letting Jason become some sort of spite move, Dick becomes the bigger man and decides to turn Robin into a legacy.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

He passes it down like it was meant to be passed down. Because let's be honest here. The Robin name and costume is Dick's. If he wanted to, he could've taken it back, Bruce be damned. And that was one of Jason's fears.

It's Dick's approval of Jason and them catching the drug dealers together at the end that cements Jason as Robin. It's his acceptance and good will toward Jason that Bruce is grateful for.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

Dick also validates and praises Jason in the comics whenever they meet.

The New Teen Titans (1984) Issue #31

He's basically, "Don't worry about Bruce, if you get in trouble, I'll take care of it."

The only problem is they didn't meet a lot but when they did it was good times all around.

The third version of Dick and Jason's meeting.

In this version holy honking heck. First of all it's a flashback when Bruce fires Dick because he feels like he's too busy with other duties to be with Batman and then after a series of events in present time, it shows that Bruce literally kidnapped Jason and gagged and tied him to a chair. And Alfred's like WTH BRUCE?!

Even more things happen on both sides (curse you 30-image per post tumblr limit) and Bruce essentially makes Jason watch all the videos of Dick and sets Jason's gauntlet test to be a game of tag with Dick.

Dick is completely unaware of all this happening because he's just having fun busting up thugs and playing with Barbara, having no clue that Bruce and Jason are literally watching him livestream through his bike dash cam.

Nightwing (1996) Issue #105

Jason literally shows up while Dick's pondering on a rooftop and is like who're you? Oh wait you're him lol. Move over there's a new robin in town! And Dick's just like WHAT?! He such a little shit about it.

Dick's immediately like okay I'm upset at Bruce but I have to help this new kid out. There's no hesitation, no regret, no anger towards Jason at all. Just pure desire to see him succeed.

Not gonna lie, Jason's just awful towards Dick because he thinks that Dick is his test or something Dick's just like, "can you cool it for a sec?" They soon find out about a huge crime drug activity going on and Dick sorta mentors Jason through it while on the case. I'm not gonna include the panels but it's just Dick and Jason working together. It's fun to read and cute because Dick's protective of him and Jason's like a little bird following a bigger scarier one.

At the end the crime is solved, Jason and Alfred go home, and Dick calls Bruce to tell him this -

Nightwing (1996) Issue #106

Nightwing (1996) Issue #106

He was so, so nice to Jason. Actually it's impossible for anyone to treat Jason better than Dick treated him, not even Bruce was this nice to Jason.

In Nightwing (2016) Annual, there's another story of Dick and Jason's meeting. In this case Dick comes over after Alfred calls him and Jason's sulking in his room because Bruce grounded him. He pulls Jason away and they go on a Nightwing and Robin adventure where Dick talks to him, teaches him, and lifts his spirits.

Nightwing (2016) 2021 Annual

Dick being mean to Jason is pure fanon, it's so fanon that there isn't even a single comic panel that can be used in support of that horrible idea. He never ignored Jason. Dick makes it very, very clear that his problems are with Bruce won't interfere with his relationship with Jason. He treats Jason as an independent person with his own personality and genuinely looks after and cares for him in every retelling. The only thing is they didn't meet very often but when they did, Dick was such a good brother.

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rogue fans and nightwing fans need to unionize bc i truly cannot stand the inordinate obsession with their asses anymore. we need to start killing people

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Bro turn off the shoujo filter he’s gonna pass out or something…

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im fully convinced that every single member of the wayne household has a very distinct laugh.

Bruce has the billionaire chuckle it's unfortunately super effective on anyone who has a net worth lower than 50 million. Even the members of the JL (that one rare time they managed to make The Batman laugh) get psychically airdropped stock images of private jets and yachts (the only one who knows how to counter it is Oliver).

Just with his smile Dick's can warm your heart, imagine him full-on laughing. It doesn't change even when he's out as Nightwing: many civilians who experienced the vigilante laugh reported feeling comforted and safe even in highly stressful situations.

Jason has the most devilish cackle any human has ever heard. He sounds like he's kicking the curb a second time and unfortunately for anyone around him he's a Hitter: im talking shoulder slaps, shoving and arm-punching.

Tim inherited a watered down version of the billionaire chuckle. If something makes him laugh and he's in front of strangers he'll just let out an amused huff, not giving the person the satisfaction of making the CEO of W.E. laugh. Mainwhile with his friends and family he's less cagey and will let out a bunch of soft giggles on occasion.

Damian looks constipated. That small child is trying so bad to show some decorum by stopping his laughter that he looks like he's about to implode. The very rare times he loses composure he'll let out a mortifying snort, followed by a grimace aimed at himself.

Steph's laugh is very similar to Jason's, so they're extremely dangerous together for anyone in their vicinity. However Jason lacks the wheezing part that Stephanie has.

Cass has a very silent laugh often just showing her amusement by smiling, while Duke's is full of adorable giggles and snorts.

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bat study: toon style

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  JLA/Titans issue #1