#riko sheridan

[incorrectbatfam]

Damian & Duke Bonding? There are not enough of those in the world. Maybe this planet would be a better place if there was.

Duke: I'm heading out.

Bruce: Where?

Duke: Just hanging out at the museum with my friends.

Bruce: Good, then you can take Damian.

Duke: What? Why?

Damian: I have a paper due on Friday.

Duke: Ugh, fine.

Bruce: And remember, Duke, you're older so it's your responsibility to keep him safe.

Duke: Whatever.

[at the museum entrance]

Duke: You know the deal. Just stay out of my way.

Damian: Not to worry, I don't need anyone to supervise me.

Damian: *snatches his ticket and walks away*

Duke: That's a relief.

[dinosaur exhibit]

Duke: ...Yeah, then the principal said—

Duke: *sees Damian climbing a T-Rex skeleton*

Duke: Hey, look over there!

His friends: *look the other way*

Duke: *flips over the dinosaur and grabs Damian*

Duke: *puts Damian down and runs back to his friends*

Duke: Whoops, thought I saw something. Guess I was mistaken.

[solar system exhibit]

Dre, snickering: Uranus. Get it?

Riko: Oh yeah. Hilarious.

Duke: *sees Damian dangling upside-down from a planet on the ceiling*

Duke: I'm getting a phone call, one sec.

Duke: *grabs a ladder and meets Damian*

Damian: Can I help you?

Duke: *sighs and slings Damian over his shoulder*

[biodiversity exhibit]

Izzy: ...So I told my brother that, but still...

Damian: *leans over a railing*

Duke: *slips away and pulls Damian back before he falls*

Duke: You're lucky that shark's not real.

Duke: *goes back to his friends*

Damian: I would have simply adopted it.

[engineering exhibit]

Dax: Guys, check it out.

Dax: *launches a baseball catapult*

Duke: *catches the ball before it hits Damian*

[bathrooms]

Duke: *leaves the bathroom*

Duke: *sees Damian entering an exhibit under construction*

Duke: This kid just can't quit.

Duke: *tackles Damian away from a falling beam*

Duke, annoyed: You're welcome.

Damian: Tt.

[food court]

Duke: I'll take a ham sandwich and a cookie.

Steph, the cashier: Here you go.

Duke: *sits down by his friends*

Steph: Next!

Damian: I will have a vegan burger, apple juice, and cookie.

Steph: Sorry, kiddo, we just sold our last cookie.

Damian, disappointed: Oh, alright. I'll just take the burger and juice.

Duke, to his friends: I'll be right back.

Duke: *hands Damian the cookie*

Duke: How's the paper coming?

Damian: I believe I've gathered what I needed.

Duke, ruffling Damian's hair: Cool, just stay out of any more trouble.

Damian: Tt.

Duke: *goes back to his table*

Damian: *pulls out his notebook*

Damian, writing: Of the many things at the Gotham Museum, the one that stood out the most is my big brother...

[himejoshiangels]

we are robin

[bookburners]

Everyone else leave Duke Thomas is officially my favorite Robin!

[mattiebluebird]

Yk that post that's like ‘signal is the spiritual successor to nightwing’ bc I DO & IVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT NON-STOP.

And the comics pretty much confirm it (To Me) in Grayson #15.

So in this issue each of the Robins, minus Steph (RIP Steph) get paired off with one of the We Are Robin gang and give them their own advice on what it means to be Robin.

Tim—whose main problem with this whole thing is that they don't know these kids, how can they trust them?—gets paired with Andre Cipriani, a mob kid whose dad was murdered by a rival gang when he was eight years old. Tim trains Dre by having him fight blindfolded. He tells Dre that being a Robin is about truth and investigation, which makes sense, right? Tim became a Robin by figuring out Batman and Robin’s secret identity (keep this in mind, all the Robins’ advice links to their origin).

To be a Robin, you have to understand what you don't know. And then you must seek to know it. You must always ask: how can I see into the dark? Batman once told me, being a Robin can be summarized into one word: investigation.

These two were an interesting choice to pair up. I would've thought they'd put Dre with Jason, given their violent tendencies—Dre is smart, but at this point in the comics doesn't strike me as particularly investigative. Then again, right after this arc he goes undercover in a gang, so maybe he learned something?

Speaking of learning something: at first I thought they should've paired Dre with Steph (#teamcriminaldads lmao), and while that would be an interesting team, Dre did learn from Tim. If Riko were present in this issue, she would've been a good fit for Steph, as she idolizes the Batgirls and Steph was both a Batgirl and a Robin. Plus, Steph and Riko are both brave & have mean streaks, something that Riko has trouble showing because of her shyness. Steph’s advice probably would've been along the lines of “being a Robin is about defiance”.

Besides, if Tim and Dre weren't paired up, we never would've gotten this interaction.

— You like Liszt.

— What?

— Franz Liszt. The composer. You play the piano. I looked you up. People who play the piano like Liszt.

Points to Tim for the most autistic small talk ever. ‘You like this, which I know because I researched you in a totally non-creepy way.’ Amazing. 10/10.

Dax gets paired with Jason. They're interesting parallels. Dax is the inventor/mechanic of the team, but also sort of the wild card with very strong morals, like Robin!Jason in a way. Like Jason, Dax’s father is (implied to be) a crook, though they took different moral directions because of that—Dax is completely opposed to gun violence.

Anyways, Jason's main reservation is that you can't have Robin without Batman. And I guess he decided to solve this issue by just becoming Batman & making the WAR crew relive his origin story by stealing tires from the mob.

Y'know, kid, Batman once told me, being a Robin comes down to one word: confidence.

Jason Todd, the Crime Alley street kid who had the balls (and the skills) to steal Batman's tires and get away with it. Sort of. Confidence, indeed.

Damian's problem with the Robins is, of course, that they're weak, and strength (according to him) can't be trained; you either got it or you don't. He gets paired with Izzy, who probably has the toughest home life of the WAR crew. Her brother's in a gang (that he regularly beats her up for not joining), and she's failing all her classes because she's too busy working night shifts at her mom's restaurant to sleep or do homework.

So Damian's advice to her is pretty apt:

Batman told me that there is one word that captures the essence of being Robin. Suffering.

Damian and Izzy are both outwardly surly, stubborn characters who have had to fight to survive. Notably, Izzy is the first of the crew to almost resort to killing/guns (in WAR #6). She's also probably the best fighter in the WAR crew after Dre and Riko. She does dancing, gymnastics, judo, and kick-boxing.

And, finally, we reach the point of this whole post: Dick & Duke.

Duke deduces Dick's secret identity in like .5 seconds.

— I've solved a lot of hard in my time. This ain't hard.

— No. No, it wasn't hard. Not for you. Again, Duke Thomas?

Dick: You discovered my secret identity!

Duke: What? Like its hard?

After scoping out their strengths and weaknesses, Dick sends the Robins on individual assignments: Dre and Tim to investigate, Dax and Jason to cause a distraction, Izzy and Damian to apprehend Robo-Batman/Gordon.

Dick brings Duke on to a roof for a stake-out, where they have this exchange.

— You think only the originals understand how to be Robin?

— Nope.

— Yeah. Me neither.

Then it turns out that Dick actually turned them all in to the cops because he wanted them out of harm's way. He's been watching Duke for a while and he knows he's scared of heights, so he led him onto a roof he knew he couldn't get off of. Just before they part ways, Dick imparts his Crucial Robin Advice:

Batman once wais to me that being a Robin is about one thing. Family.

(I find this whole thing super ironic considering Dick's whole aside concerning the Robins was the fact that it doesn't matter if people know you're manipulating them as long as it works.)

The point of Robin? Family. Dick and Duke are alike in this way. Dick only became Robin to get justice for his parents’ murder. Duke only joined WAR to find his parents.

Their origins and motivations are similar, and so are the characters themselves. Dick is often called the world's second-greatest detective next to Batman himself. Duke is a child prodigy—one of our first introductions to his character is when he tried to solve the Riddler's riddles in Zero Year. He loves puzzles. He's an amazing detective.

And, of course, one of the things we know and love about Nightwing is his inherent kindness, something that's present throughout Duke’s entire character arc. Even their hero names, Signal and Nightwing, are parallels of each other (light and dark). Batman’s first sidekick and his last. And, like Nightwing, Signal formed his own team (WAR) with no help from the others (except Alfred ig).

Of course, the entire point of Signal’s character is that he's not just a Robin. He's something different. It reminds me of that post that's like—’poor dick grayson, originator of a legacy he never meant to be a legacy, crushed with guilt and jealousy when he looks at all those who came after’. To me at least, it makes sense that Nightwing’s successor would've never been a Robin at all.

[leoruby-draws]

Just some cute little doodles of Jason and Cass hanging out with Duke, Riko, and Dax. Hope you like it!

[aliteralchicken]

i like how the we are robin members took bird names, duke being lark before signal, Riko being rook and Darcy being sparrow

[mostsanescarletspiderfan]

While I do like Maps robin costume I wish they went with a different approach.

The idea that she slowly started making it as other heroes started giving her parts of it was cool, Gotham academy kind was doing it by making Damian give her a mask and Riko Sheridan suggesting that she could contact a friend of hers to help with the costume.

My headcanon goes that the belt was from Red Robin since they met during an investigation (he has way to many of them anyway), the cape is one that Steph gave her (she replaces Barb in the Batgirl vol 4 annual #3), the black parts are from Cass, the mask still from Damian and the tunic & gloves from the we are robin kids while the gadgets where a gift from Colton for her first outing.

[pool-of-gwens]

idea; Duke is really bad at giving dating advice

Duke: have you tried mutual trauma?

Steph: you literally have more partners than all of us combined how are you so bad at dating advice? (also yes)

Duke: have you tried starting a revolution together?

Steph: ...

Steph: actually that might work

(spoiler; it doesn't)

-

idea two; Duke has the best (or the weirdest) date ideas

Izzy: so what's the plan for tonight?

Duke: we're gonna go to every restaurant that had a lobster tank in the city and see if we can swap the lobsters without getting caught

Riko *with hearts in her eyes*: have I ever mentioned how much I love you

-

idea three; Duke never explicitly told anyone who he's dating and there's a shared list of theories on how many partners Duke has

Tim: so how was your date with Dre last night?

Duke: I was out with Dax last night

Tim: !? you and Dre broke up?!

Duke: no??

Tim *secretly adding to the list*: is it possible Duke is dating a gender fluid person with multiple names?

(other items in the list include:

- he is making up random partners as an elaborate prank to get back at dick

- his partner just has a lot of nicknames

- he is dating at least 10 people and many of them have the same name

- are we sure that his partner isn't just code for going out as the signal?

- he's secretly gotten really into figure skating and he's actually referring to his skating partner)

and when Duke finds the list;

Duke: have you never heard of Polyamory??

Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian: ...

Jason: y'kno this makes a lot of sense now thinking about it

-

idea four; Duke never told the batfam he's queer and just assumed they knew

Duke: my boyfriend's band has a show tomorrow and-

Tim *lost his gaydar with his spleen*: boyfriend?!

Duke: Dax? yeah he's in a band called frown clown, they're not that good but I think that's the point,, anyway Steph said you had her pink eyeliner

[we-r-robin]

AU where instead of being evil or whatever the WAR kids become their own superhero team in the Narrows. Maybe Riko and Duke are dayshift together, then Dax and Dre are nightshift. With Izzy in the Hatch?

[dailydccomics]

We Are Robin #1-3 variant covers by James Harvey

[strawberrytalia]

“Lark?” Izzy repeated, brows furrowed as she paused spinning in the desk chair. “Where’d you get that from?”

“I don’t know, it’s just an idea,” Duke replied, feeling his ears burn slightly. He wiped the rag over his helmet a tad bit more aggressively than before, frowning at the streaks forming on his visor.

“You know, the whole bats and birds theme they have…it kinda makes sense.”

She quirked one pierced eyebrow. “I guess, but you gotta have meaning beyond just ‘it fits the theme.’”

Duke rolled his eyes at her unflattering imitation of his voice before dropping the rag and lifting the helmet high, in an unnecessarily Hamlet-esque manner. “Whatever, it works for the time being. Besides he picked it out.”

He turned towards Riko, who’d been sprawled out across the floor scribbling furiously in her notebook. “What do you think about all this?”

She perked her head, squinting at him. A smudge of red marker was smeared on her cheek, and all over her fingers. “If your name is Lark, then why don’t you have any bird connection to your outfit at all?”

Duke’s jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m serious.”

“The yellow and black, helloooooo? That’s what a lark looks like.”

Riko shrugged, a mess of dark multi-colored bangs shadowing her eyes. “That’s just my opinion.”

Duke scowled and brought his helmet back down, cradling it against his chest. “Don’t listen to them.”

Izzy stared incredulously. “Are you talking to your helmet?”

“Yes. Leave me alone.”

Riko chewed thoughtfully on her pencil eraser before speaking. “Your helmet looks like a cat.”

Duke whipped his head at her. “What?”

“Yeah, it looks like a little kitty, not a bird,” she continued, deciding to just continue on rather than take back her statement.

Izzy burst into laughter, swinging her feet onto his desk. “I see it!”

He narrowed his eyes briefly at the sight of her sneakers on his workspace, but turned back to Riko. “It’s supposed to look like a bat.”

She thrusted her marker in his direction with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Meow-Man! That shall be your new codename!”

“Hell no.”

“Yes!”

“Since Catman is already taken,” Izzy chimed in, blinking innocently when Duke rolled his eyes.

“You guys are so unserious. I don’t even know why I invited you over.”

Riko didn’t let it go. “Why would you have a bat helmet anyways if you’re a lark? Like there’s no connection.”

“The connection is that Batman hired me-” He stopped and sighed. “You both are so annoying, you know that?”

A huge shit-eating grin adorned Izzy’s face. “But you love us anyways.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

Riko tossed another rag, aiming for Duke’s head even though he caught it easily. “Well, finish polishing your outfit, Meow-Man. Aren’t you scheduled to leave in a half hour?”

Duke groaned, glaring at the ears on his helmet that, for the first time in his mind, really did look like they belonged on a cat.

He was definitely going to have a chat with Bruce later on patrol.

[incorrectbatfam]

[We Are Robin sleepover]

Troy: Hey, you awake?

Dre: Yeah.

Riko: Guys, be quiet and go to sleep.

Dax: What is life?

Izzy: Shut up.

Duke: Everyone shh, my dad's gonna hear!

[weirdo-from-bonesborough]

Polyamorous We-Are-Robin drawing straws for who has to be Duke’s plus-one to a gala

[emilyarmadillo]

A mysterious, villainous father?

A metahuman mother with a secret past?

Former friends turned enemies?

Three excellent reasons DC should give Duke a new ongoing series.

[mattiebluebird]

I keep seeing a lot of posts saying that Duke started a gang, but like. No He Didn't. The Robins existed before Duke ever joined them -- and Duke only joined because of Alfred's interference. The We Are Robin comic starts with Duke searching for his parents and stumbling onto a Court of Owls meeting, then the Robins show up and save him at Alfred's behest. Duke didn't start a gang, the gang found & adopted him.

[leoruby-draws]

Its Birb time! There sure are a lot of bird named heroes in the DC universe, tho I guess we should blame Robin for starting the trend in 1940 lol. Half of these are non-canon, obviously, tho a couple do share names with canon heroes (like the Jays, and the Starlings down there). There's only so many bird names you can use tbh.

I like to imagine this to be a kinda 'club' for bird themed heroes, maybe Robin started it with his siblings as a joke (bats not allowed! thats means you bruce lol). Looks like it expanded, and now Dove is currently president to Nightwing's confusion. I liked Dawn, tho she got 'killed' off way to early before she could make her stride (she got brought back, in a really weird way).

I had a lot of fun drawing this, everyone's got something funny going on, my favorite is with poor Blue Jay there. Kinda wished to add in more heroes, like Hawkman/woman but it would've gotten too cluttered. Look at the Canary's at the bottom, Dinah's so happy she got a sidekick (Red Canary aka Sienna ?) of her own. Here's a couple of extra doodles of her:

Red Canary is fun to draw, esp the hair! Love drawing long hair. Also here's a bonus Speedy II, aka Mia Dearden. This doodle is part of a larger set of more doodles featuring Mia but I can't show it for now.

Anyways, here's a bonus comic featuring the Starings:

Looks like Evelyn lost that battle, Steph's just too powerful! Or maybe kids are more powerful than adults in this world lol.

Well, hope you like all that!