#I think guardianship Chris would look a little different from canon Chris when he's an adult

[littlecrittereli]

Where'd all the time go?

I'm not much of an animator but I had this little interaction in my head and a comic wouldn't do it justice...

[northoftheroad]

The two Jason Todds

Have you ever been confused by the different portrayals of Jason Todd in canon as well as in fanon and fanfic? Was he a sweet little ray of sunshine who loved being Robin and was never the angry Robin, how dare you?! Or the, you know, angry and violent Robin that Bruce tries to save from a life in crime?

(And I'm not even talking about how he was changed by dying and coming back to life because of an alternate version of Superboy punched holes in reality, and being dipped in a Lazarus pit…)

That's because there are basically two different Jason Todds. Pre and Post ”Crisis on Infinite Earths”. His background was retconned ”live” and you’ll find his different origins in Batman # 357-359 and Detective Comics # 525-526 (1983), and in Batman # 408 (1987), respectively.

When DC first decided to let Dick mature from Robin, and give Batman a new partner, they came up with (Golden age) Dick clone Jason Todd.  

Circus acrobat who's parents are murdered. Loves being Robin. Does his homework, is good in school. Jokes while he’s fighting crime. The occasional date. Black hair (dyed to look like Dick, though) with Dick’s old trademark double cowlick. Bruce loves him like a son in, like, three weeks; and he had to fight to keep custody of the boy.

Homework comes before Robin.

Batman # 395, by Doug Moench, art Tom Mandrake.

Detective Comics # 355, by John Broome, art Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella.

Robin: School is great!

”Robin studies his lessons” by Joseph Samachson, art Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. Batman # 18.

”Menace of the Motorcycle Marauders” by Mike Friedrich, art Chic Stone and Joe Giella. Batman # 202.

Batman # 371 by Doug Moench, art Don Newton and and Alfredo Alcala. 

”Return of the Flying Grayson”, by Elliot S Maggin, art Irv Novick and Frank McLauglin. Batman # 250.

Batman # 413, by Jo Duffy, art Kieron Dwyer and Mike DeCarlo. (Note that this is after Jason’s reboot).

No fighting crime without jokes.

”Bruce Wayne loses the guardianship of Dick Grayson” in Batman # 20. By Bill Finger, art Bob Kane and Jerry Robinon.

Batman # 370, by Doug Moench, art Don Newton and Alfredo Alcala.

Batman # 398, by Doug Moench, art Tom Mandrake.

Bruce has to fight to keep his Robin(s).

”Bruce Wayne loses the guardianship of Dick Grayson” in Batman # 20. By Bill Finger, art Bob Kane and Jerry Robinon.

Batman # 376, by Doug Moench, art Don Newton and Alfredo Alcala.

This was 1983–1986(ish). It’s also the years when the paid circulation of the Batman title was the lowest in decades, according to comichron.com. 1983 to 1986 Batman sold less than 100 000 per issue. (1966, the year of the Batman tv show, Batman sold in average almost 900 000 per issue.)

No, I’m not saying the poor sales are Jason’s fault. I think there are a lot of bad Batman stories in this period, for instance with Bruce Wayne and Batman being involved with four women at the same time. Personally, if I read anything DC at the time, it was New Teen Titans. 

Still, I do think it was a bad move to make Jason a clone of Dick Grayson. One is enough (multiversal constant and all that...) And besides, a child of the 40s should be different from a child of the 80s, shouldn’t he? 

Eventually, DC thought the same and with ”Crisis on Infinite Earths” they took the chance to retcon the second Robin. 

Batman # 408, by Max Allan Collins, art Chris Warner and Mike DeCarlo.

Jason 2.0 lives on the streets, his parents are gone, Batman busts him stealing the wheels of the Batmobile. 

A lot of people claim that Jason was not the angry Robin, Dick was. But Post-Crisis Jason would, at times, use excessive violence and could be very angry (while Golden/Silver age Dick wasn't – that’s also something that was reimagined in the 80s.)

Batman # 411, by Max Allan Collins, art Dave Cockrum and Don Heck.

So, while street kid Jason might not be a whole lot more angry than the reimagined DickRobin he definitely was partly furious and violent. 

That’s not to say that he was never portrayed with some of his earlier traits, such as enjoying school. Post-Crisis Jason seems to vary a lot between writers, as far as I can see. (Or possibly the different writers were simply puzzled about what kind of Jason they were dealing with, since he was changed so suddenly.) 

Because, confusingly, it was not until Batman # 408 (June 1987) that Jason’s new origin story was told (the issue starts with Dick being shot by the Joker and fired by Bruce) but DC worked with his new origin earlier. 

In DC # 574, ”My beginning and my probable end” (May 1987) Batman says about Jason: ”For the boy I saved from a life of crime... the boy who saved himself.” 

”My beginning and my probable end”. By Mike W Barr, art Alan Davis and Paul Neary. Detective Comics # 574.

”Crisis on Infinite Earths” happened 1985-1986 and I don't know exactly when Jason’s past was retconned. 

Pre-Crisis, Dick was the one who originally wanted to take care of Jason when his parents were killed. He gave Jason the Robin suit and name. Oh, and Jason was even on a mission with the New Teen Titans, on the Brother Blood case. 

The relationship between the original and the second Robin changed too, of course, with the retcon. Batman retires Dick because being Robin is too dangerous for a 19-year-old, and a few months later picks up a younger teenager as the new Robin without even bothering to tell Dick. Yes, Dick is angry and disappointed in Bruce. Who can blame him?

But the one time Dick and Jason interact before Jason’s death (Post-Crisis Jason didn’t have a lot of time as Robin before he was killed in December 1988), Dick at least tries not to let his issues with Bruce go out over Jason. He gives the new kid his old Robin suit and phone number. 

Fanon tends to exaggerate the problems between the first two Robins a lot.

Batman # 368, by Doug Moench, art Don Newton and Alfredo Alcala.

Batman # 416. By Jim Starlin, art Jim Aparo and Mike DeCarlo.

Of course, if you (like me) like to take the best of two worlds, you’ll just merge these two Jasons into one. The street kid who Bruce took in and who had some anger issues, but who also loved being Robin (”I’m Robin, and being Robin gives me magic” in Batman # 385) and going to school. End of problem. 

And if someone else makes a different blend of the two Jason Todds to their liking – well, that’s how it works.