dragonflight203 - Tumblr blog

dragonflight203 · 8 hours ago

Text

So, by sheer luck I happened upon a copy of Second Chances at the big second hand book store.

Considering I’ve read Jason’s resurrection, his death, and his replacement it only felt right to read his origin next.

Comic

Title: Batman: Second Chances. Pages 1 - 122

Author: Max Allan Collins, Jo Duffy, Jim Starlin

Artist: Jim Starlin, Ross Andru, Dick Giordano, Kieron Dwyer, Mike DeCarlo, Norm Breyfogle

Year: 1986, 1987

Overall Opinion

“Fine” isn’t a great descriptor but it’s how I feel about Second Chances so far.

There’s nothing outstandingly good or outstandingly bad about it. The stories are a good read and resonate but I wouldn’t consider any of them exceptional.

And that’s fine because the stories aren’t the attraction here. The main point it to learn about Jason’s time as Robin, and it does that well.

That would be my recommendation to pick it up or not – if you’re curious about Jason, it’s a must buy. Otherwise, get it cheap or from the library.

General

-A factor people rarely discuss about Bruce’s no kill rule that’s apparent in issues #402-403: It’s critical to working with the GCPD.

If Bruce kills, he’s just another murderer.

The cops could overlook that – just like they could overlook one of their own killing someone.

That’s the very corruption Batman opposes. If he kills someone, the GCPD should arrest him.

Bruce wants to improve Gotham; that includes cleaning up the GCPD. So if Batman is going to work with him – which he frequently does for the good of the city – he needs to be someone they can trust.

Batman killing is antithetical to his goal.

-The tone of Jason’s origin story in issues #408-409 is off.

At the start, Bruce fires Dick as Robin after he nearly dies fighting the Joker. Bruce’s reasoning is that vigilante work is too dangerous for a child.

There’s little follow up on this on a personal level; no introspection on Bruce’s decision, nothing about how it impacts Bruce’s relationship with Dick, nothing about Dick’s future.

Instead Bruce latches hard onto Jason in that same issue and makes him Robin in the following one. Why Jason isn’t too young to fight crime compared to Dick is not mentioned.

It doesn’t even feel like Bruce is treating Jason like a replacement goldfish. That would require him to care about the original goldfish.

It’s a shame because the actual tale of Jason becoming Robin is fine. However, it feels discordant when prefixed immediately by Dick’s firing with no explanation why Bruce has suddenly changed his position.

This is addressed somewhat in #410, but that does not make any #409 any less disconcerting on a first read.

-Bruce’s awkwardness as a father is already on display here.

He’s clearly trying and he does frequently get it right, but he struggles to treat Jason independently from Dick.

Not surprising when Dick was an ‘only child’ for so long (and Bruce was one himself), but still not the best for Jason.

Plot

Batman 402

-Using ‘Dick’ as a name for a random civilian sure is a choice. Did that not strike anyone as odd in editing?

-Aw. Bruce trusts Gordon completely. When Gordon calls for him he answers.

Narration: “Three A.M. – Late for the familiar yellow to pierce the sky - - But the Batman doesn’t think twice, when summoned by his old friend. He doesn’t even think once. He just goes.”

-Gordon returns Bruce’s trust.

He assumes Batman isn’t the murderer; it must be an impostor and he’sfurious that the Deputy Commissioner used him against Batman.

Gordon: “They took advantage of our friendship – They lured you with the signal, the symbol that stands for our trust.”

-Bruce is firmly against killing, but is still grateful when certain people die.

Jason’s more open to the idea.

Jason: “What would be so wrong if you did?”

Bruce: “I’m not a murderer, son. Murder is the line we must not cross - - ”

Jason: “You’ve killed before -- ”

Bruce: “In self-defense. Jason, you’re well aware that we play a dangerous game… A game I perhaps should not have involved you in.”

Jason: “Sure, you should!”

Bruce: “Listen, son, if we’re no better than the lice who snuff out human life like it’s worth nothing at all, then, well -- -- Then it’s time I hung up my cowl.”

Jason: “I guess. But I’m still glad those guys are dead.”

Bruce: “Me, too, Jason – But I’m not proud of it.”

-It’s a bit funny that fake Batman stole all the Batman costumes available for rent.

He’s that confidant that whatever comes next he won’t be able to repair them.

-Bruce is seeking to increase the penalties on violent offenders. Or at least that’s what he tells a widow he’s trying to coax information out of.

Odd. Modern Bruce is often presented as championing reform.

-Bruce will not permit Jason to come along on dangerous missions.

Jason’s fearless, and Bruce attempts to redirect him – vigilantism is about justice. Violence is merely one of the tools they use.

Jason: “Why can’t I go along?”

Bruce: “The one’s too dangerous, Jason.”

Jason: “The name is Robin – And dangerous is what my job’s supposed to be about!”

Bruce: “Not danger, Jason. Justice. Let’s not confuse the ends with the means.”

-Fake Batman is Tommy Carma, a former police officer who snapped after his wife and daughter were killed by the mob.

-The page where Bruce meets the Carma’s mother is heartbreaking.

She’s lost her sister in law, her granddaughter, and her son has snapped and is killing people.

Poor woman is grieving the living and the dead.

-Bruce sees far too much of himself in the Carma.

That’s what Bruce fears – how easy it would be to cross the line from vigilantism into insanity.

His sanity is hanging on by a thread and he’s pursuing a man whose thread has snapped.

Bruce: “As much as I want to nail this impostor, I pray it isn’t Carma – I’d rather this be some devious underworld attempt to blacken my name – Anything, except a decent man gone over the edge-- A cop turned crazed crusader.

“I’d have to stop him – Even though, as Jason instinctively seems to know, our missions differ only slightly...”

-Bruce identifies hard with Carma to the end. He’s well aware of how easily their places could be swapped.

Bruce: “Robin, somehow it was hard to swing at him. After all, who am I but just another guy who thinks he’s the Batman?”

Batman 403

-Wayne Manor and Arkham Asylum are close to each other.

Carma: “He knows the Manor is somewhere near Arkham, out beyond the edge of the city…”

-Bruce’s sympathy continued after Carma’s arrest. He looked after him in the judicial system as well.

Vicki Val: “Because it’s a fascinating human interest story – How you stepped in to get Carma top-flight legal representation, and the finest psychiatric evaluation possible --”

Which ended with Carma in Arkham Asylum. Gotham really needs more mental health centers.

-Batman’s public image isn’t the best at this point.

Vicki disapproves of his methods; she thinks Batman doesn’t care about the criminals. She likes Bruce because he does.

Vicki: “He’s not a hero. He’s a brute. A fascist in a ridiculous costume! You – you’re a real hero, Bruce. You have compassion for the Tommy Carmas of the world.

“Think of the harm Batman’s done, working outside the law. Think of the good you’ve done, working for social change through the Wayne Foundation.”

-The downside of the Batcave sprawling deep and far: It’s possible for people to find entrances to it by accident.

Such as an escaped inmate from Arkham Asylum.

I suppose it’s insanely good fortune that none of the Rogues have just happened across one.

Only a broken man who believes he’s Batman.

-Carma also managed to steal the Batmobile.

I’m disappointed in the Rogues gallery, really. Are they even trying?

-Gordon blames Bruce Wayne for Carma escaping – obviously being in the same location as the Joker and Harvey wouldn’t do anything good for his sanity.

Oops.

-Detective Lewis says that imitating Batman makes for a poor cop – Batman’s behavior results in many cases being thrown out.

A valid point, and one reason why Batman must stay anonymous. As a vigilante Batman is inherently at odds with the law.

That’s why he can do what the cops cannot – and that’s why the cops cannot imitate him.

Detective Lewis: “Funny. He just wanted to be like you -- -- If he hadn’t idolized you, he’d have made a fine cop.

“But he’d brace hoods, knock ‘em around, couldn’tna cared less about procedure and civil liberties -- -- And, so, a lot of good busts went down the tubes, accordin’ly.”

-Collins considers both Batman and Bruce’s public persona to be two aspects of the real Bruce Wayne. They support each other.

Narration: “Vicki Vale may think that the Batman and Bruce Wayne are two very different people… But the avenger within the Batman co-exists with the compassionate man.

“Batman is indeed two men… ...And both are Bruce Wayne.”

Batman 408

-I do enjoy Joker choosing not to kill Batman because he doesn’t want to end the fun.

Joker: “But if I shoot the Batman, who would I have to play with?”

-Bruce takes full responsibility for Robin. If Robin dies in the field, it’s his fault – not the fault of the one that physically killed him.

Bruce: “You almost did die tonight, Dick – And had you, the Joker would not have been responsible. I would.”

-Dick has been Robin for how long? Dick is how old at this point?

It’s a bit late for Bruce to decide he’s too young to be a vigilante.

Or to treat him as a just a tag-along. This is as much Dick’s work as Bruce’s.

Dick: “Are you saying it hasn’t been great? That I haven’t been your strong right arm?”

Bruce: “You have, son – But we’ve been lucky. In what I do, there is no place for a child.”

-Oddly enough, Bruce seems to agree. He gives Dick his blessing to pursue his own path (implied to be as a different vigilante).

So what’s his deal? He thinks Dick is safer out on his own than with him?

This whole conversation is just odd. Dick accepts having Robin taken away very easily, and if Bruce’s goal is to keep Dick safe than he handles Dick striking out on his own (where Bruce cannot protect him!) too readily.

Dick: “Fine. If you want Robin to stay dead, that’s okay with me. But you’ve trained me too well – Made me what I am. You can’t keep me from pursuing my own destiny -- ”

Bruce: “That’s one thing I’ve learned Dick – A man might as well pursue his destiny… Because it’ll catch him, if he doesn’t.”

-Gordon is team ‘Robin is too young’. He approves of Bruce benching him.

Gordon: “I can’t say I disagree with your decision to go solo – the dangers of working with a youth, even as able a youth as Robin, outweigh all advantages.”

-It’s canon that Bruce is heavily involved with charity.

Bruce: “I serve on the boards of any number of socially concerned organizations -- ”

Vicki: “And you’ve invested much of your money in hospitals and free clinics around the city. You’re a humanitarian.”

-The Wayne fortune was built on weapons? That’s new to m.

Vicki: “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.”

-So much for the playboy facade!

Bruce notices a pickpocketing when out with Vicki, chases down the thieves, and fights them. He doesn’t remember that it’ll look suspicious if he does well until halfway through.

Still got the wallet back, though.

-There’s too much crime in Gotham for Bruce to stop all of it.

As such, he has to pick and choose what he deals with.

He lets lesser crimes go to stop larger ones.

Bruce: “Why do I feel compelled to return here on the anniversary of that dark night? This pilgrimage, this obsession to rid Crime Alley of crime for this one night each year...

“Does it really honor my parents’ memory? After all, the next day – the next night – crime returns to the Alley, while I’m busy fighting larger evils?”

...

Ma Gunn: “I wish you’d come down here more often, friend.”

Bruce: “I wish I could, Mrs. Gunn – But Gotham is a big place, and cleaning up Crime Alley is a full-time job.”

-Bruce is aware that fighting crime directly merely deals with a symptom of a greater problem.

To prevent crime, you need to fix society’s ills.

He credits a teacher in Crime Alley as being more effective than him.

Bruce: “Ma Gunn is doing more good in Crime Alley than I’ll ever do – she’s a day-in-day-out combatant in this neighborhood’s war!”

…

Bruce: “I for one admire what you’re trying to do. The only way to turn Crime Alley around is by helping the next generation. Good luck to you.”

-Jason has never known fear.

Get caught stealing the tires off the Batmobile?

When Batman asks what the tire iron is for, hit him with it and run off.

Batman follows you home?

Try punching him.

-Jason did not know his father was dead when Bruce first found him. Just that his father was gone.

-Bruce is respectful of Jason desires despite his circumstances and age.

Jason doesn’t want to involve social services, so Bruce compromises – he’ll go to Ma Gunn’s school and stay with her.

Jason: “I don’t want to wind up in some crummy orphanage, or some foster hom where I’m somebody’s pet charity case. I’m my own man! Me, Jason Todd!”

…

Bruce: “Okay, we’ll make a deal… No social workers. No cops. But you have to go to school...”

-From the sound of it, Jason was his mother’s primary caretaker while she was sick.

Was his father already gone by then?

He might also blame himself for her death.

Bruce: “How long was your mother sick?” Jason: “Over a year – I found her food and stuff – kept her warm – and alive… Long as I could.”

Batman 409

-Jason is already a very good fighter.

Ma Gunn orders the pupils to kill him (because this is Gotham, so of course she’s not a benevolent teacher) and he handles himself well enough that she decides to keep him instead.

-How times change!

Bruce asks someone – presumably a receptionist in one of the free clinics he runs – to check if Jason’s mother in their records.

Once he has a lead, he asks for the information on “Catherine Todd” that they have.

This issue was written in 1987. HIPPA (which controls how health information can be distributed in the US) was not passed until 1996…

-Jason left Ma Gunn’s because he’s not interested in a life of crime. He just wants to get by.

Jason: “Hey, I don’t wanna learn to be no crook. I just boost what it takes to survive…”

-Jason intended to stop Ma Gunn’s heist on the museum by himself.

His courage can’t be doubted, but I do question how he intended to do so.

I’m also curious why stealing tires is fine but a jewelry heist is over the line.

-And an issue after firing Dick because being a vigilante is too dangerous for a child, Bruce takes on Jason as Robin.

There’s not even an indication of internal conflict from Bruce. It comes off as a snap decision.

If the story had started with Bruce meeting Jason, this would be fine… But with the prelude of Bruce firing Dick because being Robin is too dangerous, this does not flow.

Batman 410

-Bruce trains Jason to be Robin for six months.

This includes firearm training.

-Bruce has discussed every rogue with Jason except Harvey Dent.

When Jason pushes, Bruce does not start to go over Harvey with him… by describing him as sympathetically as possible.

Bruce: “Two-Face is a tragic villain – greed isn’t the root of his evil… He’s motivated by madness in every sense of the word...”

-Dick had a knack for figuring out the logic of Harvey’s crimes that Bruce did not.

Bruce: “A lot of times I didn’t see the pattern right away – But Robin could always pick up on it.”

-Alfred points out the inconsistency of Bruce taking on Jason after firing Dick.

Bruce justifies it because he’s saving Jason from a life crime.

In all this seems like a poor reason to take in a child and make them your partner in crime fighting. Does Jason really need to be Robin to avoid being a criminal?

He said he only did what he needed to survive. If Bruce gave him what he needed, survival would no longer be an issue.

Alfred: “You’re protecting the boy… And yet you plan to make him your new partner, after you swore you would not endanger another child.”

Bruce: “Alfred, this ‘child’ is already a streetwise adventurer – who left to this own devices would undoubtedly go down the same criminal road that took his father to an early death.

“I intend to channel the skills Jason brought with him, combined with what I’ve taught him to send him down the right path…”

-Alfred also tells Bruce that by too frequently mentioning the former Robin, he may be making Jason feel insecure.

Bruce’s solution is… to officially make Jason Robin.

Sigh. At least Collins seems to be aware that Bruce is in the wrong here.

Bruce, showing Jason the Robin costume: “Try this on for size.”

Jason: “Is this the real Robin’s costume?”

Bruce: “Not the original, but an improvement – the blouse is soft body armor, for instance --

“But to answer your other question, it does belong to the real Robin.”

-Gordon also calls Bruce out on taking out a new Robin after firing the old one for child endangerment.

Does Bruce realize that by calling Jason tough he’s implying that Dick wasn’t tough enough?

Gordon: “You swore you’d never pair up with a child again.”

Bruce: “This child is older than both of us – not to mention tougher.”

-Harvey’s plan is once again terrible. He’s relying on Casino security not shooting because of all the civilians present.

I’m starting to think in this era Harvey was just not a good planner.

-Jason outright tells Harvey he’s the second Robin.

Jason: “And better still – I’m the second Robin – think of it! It’s so fitting…”

-Now it’s Alfred’s turn to put his foot in his mouth. He describes Jason’s first night on the job as almost as good as Dick.

Alfred and Bruce both need to learn to stop comparing them.

Alfred: “Master Jason did well… Almost as well as Dick. Speaking of Master Dick -”

-Present Dick is also finally mentioned. Things are still tense between him and Bruce.

Bruce: “He’s in New York. Maybe we’ll talk… After things have cooled off a bit.”

Characters

-Wayne Manor is referred to as a ‘suburban mansion’. It’s also nearby Arkham Asylum.

-Bruce has killed in self-defense.

-Jason dropped out of school in the fifth grade – so around 10 years old.

Bruce does put him back in school; he mentions homework at one point.

-In this timeline, Harvey’s coin is from the criminal that scarred him.

It wasn’t scarred by the acid. Harvey carved up one one of the faces to make the coin like him.

#dc #dc comic reviews #batman: second chances #batman #bruce wayne #jason todd

15 notes · View notes