(I am in the middle of yet another head cold, so if there happens to be an error here or there, I blame the sleep deprivation.)
It's been a while since my last entry in this series. Gotta get better at updating more frequently.
I love this issue, and I'm not entirely sure why it seems to stick out amongst the other stories of his I've read. Maybe it's because this is his first official outing under the Robin mantle, or maybe it's because I adore the way Jason is drawn here. But I think my affection comes down to the fact that this issue allows Jason's real personality to shine. In the previous issues, Jason was stand-off-ish and snippy because he didn't know or trust Batman (or any of the adults in the story, to be honest), but here Jason is adjusting to his new life with relative ease. He's curious, intelligent, and not afraid to throw out a few quips here and there. If anything, this issue encompasses all of the things that writers tend to miss whenever they take on Jason's character--all of the good, heroic things that he was capable of and instead focus on the sassy attitude we got in the previous two issues. And of course, they don't seem to understand the context of that attitude, and so he comes off as a little prick.
The story starts out with a small montage of Jason's first six months of training with Bruce, covering the basics of what he went through while supplying general commentary on Bruce's training methods. There's no real explanation of how Jason was shown Batman's identity; it's just kind of assumed that he knew it once Bats took of the cowl. It's a bit of a missed opportunity, I think, as someone like Jason would be a perfect foil for Bruce and their first few days together as father and son/teacher and mentor would have some amazing story possibilities. Oh well.
Jason asks what the giant coin in the Batcave is for one day during training, and Bruce replies that a "certain party" attempted to crush him and the previous Robin underneath it before they found a way out. Jason, after being educated in all of Batman's Rogue's Gallery, remarks that it must have been Two-Face, since the coin was meant to be a giant replica of the one he flips. Bruce says that yes, it was, and Jason asks him why they never went over Two-Face's file in the six months that he had spent researching every villain Batman faced on a regular (or not regular) basis. Based on the information we received last issue via Gordon, it's pretty clear Batman is playing one of his oldest cards: he's keeping the details about Two-Face from Jason on purpose as a means of protecting him, as Two-Face was responsible for the murder of Jason's father. Bruce gives Jason the basic back story of Harvey Dent and how he used to be one of Batman's allies and Bruce's good friend until a mob boss (who apparently has some amazing skills at hiding deadly weapons) threw a vial of acid on him during a court room interrogation and forever scarred his face.
Regardless, he's the main villain in this story, so it's important to set him up as a character that Jason will be facing. It's hard for me to say whether I agree with Bruce's decision not to tell Jason about his father considering that he's so young. Information like that would be hard for anyone to process, let alone a child. At the same time, Jason does have a right to know what happened to his parent, even if that means that the truth hurts. So it's a tough decision.
Jason says that Two-Face must be unpredictable because of his need to flip his coin before deciding if he will even commit a crime, but Bruce replies that he's quite predictable. Two-Face, as I said above, does everything in a way that involves the number two. Jason says, "That doesn't sound like much to go on," but Bruce replies by saying Robin was always able to see the pattern before he did.
Two things I'd like to mention here:
1. I'm not sure if this was Collins' intention, but the reference to Robin's ability to see the patterns before even Bruce reminds me a lot of the 60's television show. If there's one thing Robin made himself known for there other than his beautifully ridiculous "Holy ______, Batman!" lines, it was his ability to solve riddles thrown at them by Joker and the Riddler. Considering how much comic fans hated that show on the whole, this is both a funny and bizarre reference. I could be looking at things too deeply, but it made me chuckle nonetheless.
2. Here is where we begin to see one of the biggest mistakes that Bruce makes as both a father and mentor: he compares Jason to Dick. I don't think this was intentional on Bruce's part, but it's certainly something that becomes apparent and that contemporary writers love to take and run with. Alfred even mentions, in the conversation between he and Bruce that follows, that he should probably refrain from mentioning the previous protégé as often as he has been, since he thinks it will stand in the way of the progress that Jason has made over the last six months. In typical fashion, he's right, but his thoughts are brushed over by the writers and by default Bruce, who hands Jason the Robin costume without even acknowledging Alfred's complaint. From the get-go, it's clear that Jason has big shoes to fill. Dick as Robin had been such a success--both in the comics and in the minds of readers--that Jason inevitably had a huge shadow to walk under. That isn't to say either Dick or Bruce wanted Jason to fail. In a later issue, Dick even gives Jason his blessing and considers him a worthy successor. But despite good intentions, that pressure to be as good as Dick would always be there. It didn't mix well with Jason's personality. He already saw himself as someone with a disadvantage because of his background, and his need to prove his own worth exacerbated the problem. It would also be unfair for me to say that Bruce didn't have moments where he reaffirmed Jason's worthiness as Robin (he says that the suit "does belong to the real Robin," referring to Jason), but that personality flaw would be something that haunted him throughout his time beside Batman and after his death. I think it's a compelling flaw that a lot of people have; it humanizes him more, and it's realistic given his circumstances.Phew. That was long-winded. Back to the story.
After the bat-signal appears in the sky, Batman and Robin meet Gordon and Batman introduces Gordon to his newest protege. I'm assuming that Gordon was the only other person--besides Bruce and Alfred--who knew there was more than one child who donned the Robin persona, but it's not made entirely clear. Gordon is surprised, as Batman had sworn never to endanger another child again. Batman tells Gordon that "this child is older than both of us--not to mention tougher," which I think is another way of Bruce justifying his decision to take Jason in but also an interesting perspective on Jason as a character. Gordon hands Batman an envelope that was addressed to the police station and finds inside it a hand of playing cards, Poker specifically. Jason asks what it means and Batman asks what he thinks it means. Jason replies that he believes it might have something to do with Two-Face, since the cards in the envelope contain a two-pair. Gordon backs up his claim with photographs of two different sets of twins who had been spotted in Gotham, leading Batman to believe that Two-Face is assembling a gang.
Batman decides that Two-Face will strike that night, and the next panel is Two-Face and his new set of cronies standing outside of a Lucky Dollar casino. An armored police car drives up to the casino and several guards hop out. Two-Face explains to one of the pairs of twins that his plan is to follow the guards into the casino and wait until they have the vaults of cash to pull out guns on them and demand the money. The trick is that, because they will be inside a crowded space with hundreds of innocent people, the cops won't shoot while Two-Face and his men collect their bounty and leave. They do just that: Two-Face confronts the cops and the money, and when one of the cops gives him a hard time, he shoots and kills him. The other set of twins drive up to the casino in another armored car and Two-Face tells his men to load the money onto the truck.
Before they can get away, Batman and Robin show up. Batman beats the crap out of Two-Face for a little bit, while Robin, in one of my favorite string of panels ever, goes to town on the twins:
Two-Face asks how Batman figured out where he would be, and Batman says to ask Robin, since he was the one who suggested the casino. Jason explains that Lucky Dollar is the largest casino in the area and was worth a look. But Two-Face pulls a move over on the Dynamic Duo and reveals a second gun in his shirt sleeve, grabbing a bystander and threatening to shoot her. Batman offers himself up as a hostage, but Two-Face declines as he is too powerful and dangerous. Jason, in one his bravest moments, tells Two-Face to take him instead. "I'm just a kid...you can handle me," he says. Jason also points out that he's the second Robin, adding to the allure of him as a hostage. Two-Face gives in and takes Jason out of the casino, showing him his car: a "customized two-door" that's painted half orange and half purple. He asks Jason what he thinks and Jason replies snidely, "It's too much." This whole panel reminds me of a scene that appears in a later comic, although that one isn't fondly remembered by many...
Two-Face, because he's an idiot, doesn't do anything to restrain Jason in any fashion and instead sits him in the passenger seat of his car while pointing the gun at him and telling him not to do anything stupid. Jason slams on the breaks (because apparently the breaks in his car are on the passenger side) and opens the door, sending himself flying out onto the grass. Two-Face decides not to go back and put a bullet in Jason's head and drives off. Batman pulls up in a random pink car where Jason is casually sitting in the grass against a tree. He remarks that the car doesn't look like the Batmobile and Batman says he snagged a civilian car so that Two-Face wouldn't recognize who was driving behind him and decide to shoot Jason in retaliation.
The two return to the Batcave where Alfred commends Jason's job that night and asks Batman about Dick. Bruce says that he's in New York and hopes to speak to him after "things have cooled off a bit." This part of the story doesn't make a whole lot of sense, as I think it's mixing Pre and Post-Crisis continuity a little. The last we saw Dick, their "break-up" as a team ended on relatively peaceful terms. Dick was mad at first, yes, but he seemed to be cooled off by the time the issue ended. Regardless, Jason walks over and asks if the state police have found Two-Face yet and Bruce tells him no, reprimanding Jason for his "foolhardy" decision to make himself a hostage. Jason sheepishly asks if he failed the test--which I guess is referring to whether or not he passed his first outing as Robin, since no specific test was mentioned earlier--but Bruce assures him that he didn't. "The other Robin would've done the same thing," he says. This naturally makes Jason happy, and from the look on his face it's clear that Jason is proud of himself. He asks "Mr. Wayne" if he can stay up a little later and get some homework done. Bruce says to call him just "Bruce" after telling Jason that he can.
I'm not sure if Bruce insisted all of his Robins called him by his first name when not in the field. I mention this detail because later on in Hush, where Jason's resurrection is first brought out onto the table, Batman mentions that he knew the person posing as him was fake since Jason always called him "Bruce" and the person he was fighting kept calling him "Batman." Judd Winnick later brings that element into play in Under the Hood as well. It became a defining feature of his character. But I find it hard to believe that either Dick or Tim would call him "Mr. Wayne" outside of the field, and obviously when they're on patrol they would call him Batman. This just seems like a bit of an oversight to me, though I haven't read enough to know if my assumption is correct.
The comic ends with Jason discovering, through exceptionally convenient computer search methods, that Two-Face is the suspected killer of his father.
My general thoughts on this issue:
- As I mentioned above, Jason's heroic attributes shine here. He demonstrates not only his ability as a detective (albeit through a simple and contrived plot, but hey, it counts) but also as a fighter. He takes out two criminals by himself and then has the audacity to offer himself up as a hostage, knowing full-well how dangerous Two-Face is. One could argue at the end of the issue he makes a dumb move going against Batman's back and searching more information on Two-Face (a decision he makes twice, as we'll see at a later date), but it's important to remember that Jason is still a kid, and sneaking around places he shouldn't isn't anything unsual. Not to mention he had access to those files; the comic doesn't specify that Bruce locked them or kept that information stored away in a secret space on the computer so that Jason had to break into them. They were open for him to look at. How was he supposed to know what information he would find there?
- The artwork in here, as dated as it can be in places, works well for me. I love how Dave Cockrum made Jason look like an actual child, with a round face and wide eyes. For me, the artwork on kid characters in the 80's was inconsistent; they would look like a child in one issue or even one or two panels and then turn into miniature adults in others. I suppose it matches with the fact that Jason is the youngest here and he grows older the longer he's Robin. Even so, I prefer the innocent look on the character as it exemplifies the Robin persona to me. But that's just a personal preference.
- Batman refers to the Robin costume as a "blouse." And it is hilarious.
*I recognize that Batman: The Animated Series as well as The Dark Knight's interpretations of Harvey Dent are largely praised and loved by many. I don't have much of an issue with him in other media, but I find when he's written in the comics that his appearances are tedious, predictable, and boring. There's something about him that doesn't get treated as seriously as other adaptations and maybe that's why I don't like him. Regardless, this is just my opinion, and if you happen to like Two-Face, that's awesome.
