The original "Batman and Son" and an early Elseworld.. or perhaps a "What if...?"

[icon_uk]

A few weeks ago, "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" featured the story "The Knights of Tomorrow", which details an imaginary story written by Alfred which postulates what happens when Dick takes over as Batman, and Bruce and Selina Kyle-Wayne's son Damian becomes the new Robin...

It is in fact an amalgam of the current Batman story, and one from a loooooong time before, April 1960 to be precise, Batman 131, which is the first of two stories I know which feature the concept. I'll post the second one soon, and if there are others I'll try and find them.

The story is also notable for yet another "Context is for the weak" panels reflective of a more innocent time and before the meaning-shift of a few words...





The cover does much of the exposition for us... The big II's on their costumes are a rather blatant touch, a shame perhaps that Dick wasn't able to work something like that into his Batman costume in Morrison's arc.



We start with a memoir



Bruce Jr? A mite egotistical there Bruce, though at least it wasn't another Thomas I suppose.

Kathy is dead set against it as a plan, but when Bruce and Dick promise to train him thoroughly before allowing him out, she relents, a little...



I like Dick realising "Oh GOD! I've got a kid to look after, and it's Bruce's KID! If anything happens to him Bruce will KILL me, and that's if Kathy doesn't get to me first!!"



Gee, Bruce Sr is looking like a REAL geezer here, given he shouldn't be much more than about 40.

Alas for Junior, he lassos a movie propr to swing on, not realising that it's only papier mache and won't bear his weaight. The whole thing collapses allowing the criminals to escape. It was an honest, rookie mistake, but Dick's reassurances don't make him feel much better.



So, Dick grew up to be a reporter, Clark would be so smug proud!

Later, Bruce Jr shows up to a lunch meeting with Dick, but he's not around and has left a clue for him, which tells our new young Robin where he's gone. Dick has crossed out some of the letters on a coin - "One Cent - United States of America"

So, with "On (s)cent - Ted Tate Mica" he races back to the Batcave and heads out to Gotham's mica quarry.



That's okay Kathy, I imagine Bruce is in a corset which would make Shatner envious.

Bruce Junior finds the hideout and gets past the guards where he finds Dick in a position one might have thought he would outgrow as Batman, but lets be honest, you can take the Boy out of the Hostage, but you can't take the Hostage out of the Boy... or Man.







And so it was... at least in Alfred's story, which we then find out isn't a memoir, but a piece of speculative fiction that Alfred has been writing to wile away his free time. Sure, the only ones who can be allowed to read it are Bruce and Dick, but Alfred feels that he may write another one someday....

And so he did.... Coming soon; "Batman II meets - The Son of the Joker"

Comments

[joasakura]

The roman numerals on their costumes are just SO ridiculous XD

[thelazyreader]

I loved it. Is this collected in a trade?

[icon_uk]

Sort of... it was reprinted in the 1964 Batman Annual, and the 1977 collection album "Batman from the Thirties to the Seventies".

Nothing more recent it would seem though.

[star_of_airdrie]

There is a TPB DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories Featuring Batman and Robin Volume 2 published 5/2010 that lists that it includes stories from Batman 131.

[fredneil.livejournal.com]

I have both of those and each time I've read the story I've wanted to scream;

" 'HOW ABOUT A TAP ON THE PATE,TATE,' IS NOT A PUN."

Thank you for letting me get that out of my system.

[crinos]

Is it really necessary to put a big roman numeral II on the costume.

Also, Alfred is kind of a weird guy. I mean I brought this up in the Batman B&B episode this helped to inspire, but who the hell writes stories about the potential future of people they know in real life. (I mean besides Daria Morgandorfer)

[auggie18]

Daria was forced into it, though.

The big numbers are pretty freaking stupid. I mean, jeez, how dumb did they think kids were?

[icon_uk]

Less dumb than when they changed from Dick to Jason in the comics and most of the Gotham population apparently DIDN'T spot a difference between a 5' 10" studly 19 year old and a 5'2" preadolescent 13 year old.

[icon_uk]

Isn't "Where do you see yourself in 10 years time" a fairly standard essay question?

[crinos]

Yeah, but it wasn't the question posed to Daria; her only instruction was "write a story that somehow incorporates a card game."

And Alfred doesn't even have the excuse that this was prompted of him; He does this as a HOBBY.

[icon_uk]

Given the likelihood of Bruce and Dick's life ending violently and gruesomely at the hands of a criminal lunatic at any time, Alfred writing a HAPPY ending for Bruce, and Dick becoming a grown up hero seems to be to be excellent therapy.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Personally, I see it as sort of an acknowledgment of the legacy aspect of the situation. In other words, he can't be just plain Batman, because there was ever only ONE true Batman - if he's wearing the costume, he's got to show that he's only carrying the torch.

[icon_uk]

The TV broadcast Bruce gave probably ensured most people already knew that.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Well, yeah, of course - I don't mean he's doing it for informational purposes, I meant he's doing it as a gesture of respect for his mentor; i.e, 'I can wear your costume, but I can never fill your shoes, so I'm going to put this numeral 2 on my chest to remind people of the legacy which I represent. They may learn to respect me as Batman 2, but by doing so, they will always acknowledge that there was first a Batman 1 - and that was you.'

[aaron_bourque]

Where did the red hair come in?

[icon_uk]

Probably better not to think about that too closely. But red hair can skip generations, so maybe from Kathy's side of the family.

[auggie18]

...Jimmy Olsen was their milkman/pool boy. That is my theory and I'm sticking to it.

[superfangirl1]

I like your theory and want to subscribe to it! :D

[werehawk.livejournal.com]

Dick "Sure...I made plenty of boners when I was Robin didn't I, Bruce?"

Did boner not have its other slang meaning in the 60s? No wonder people got on comics case. And Bruce Jr totally dissed his mom at the end "Three Musketeers" - his mom was kicking ass right over his shoulder.

[icon_uk]

I don't think it did, boner as a term for a blunder derives from "boneheaded" I believe.

[blackruzsa]

.... boners. OH GOD.
XD
Also, since when could a black haired guy and black haired woman get a redheaded son? And don't tell me about genes along the family line, I distinctly remember learning that of all the hair color types, black or dark brown is always dominant.

I honestly honestly prefer Damien.

[icon_uk]

since when could a black haired guy and black haired woman get a redheaded son? And don't tell me about genes along the family line, I distinctly remember learning that of all the hair color types, black or dark brown is always dominant

Red hair can skip generations*, so as noted above, it's possible that Kathy has red hair in her family line.

* Iit has in my family for example, my father's family has red hair in it though he didn't, my siblings and I don't but I have nephews and nieces with reddish hair, in a couple of cases very VERY red.

[blackruzsa]

Did your father have black hair?
And hm.... I might have gotten that mixed up with eyes... either way, I'm pretty sure it was still dominant.

[icon_uk]

Yes, my father had black hair, his sister was a redhead though.

[arysteia]

Doesn't matter if it's hair or eyes, you're not remembering your punnet squares correctly. Dominant just means it will overrule a recessive gene, but two recessives can still combine. BB and Bb will always give you BB. But Bb and Bb have a one in four chance of giving you bb. (Their hypothetical kids: BB, Bb, Bb, and bb). In that case the first three all have the dominant colour, but two of them will have the recessive gene to pass on.

[arilou_skiff]

Black/dark hair is indeed dominant, so in order to get a red-headed child, both Bruce and Kathy has to have some red-haired ancestor somewhere.

That, or a mutation, which does happen occasionally with eye-color. Not so sure about hair though.

[werehawk.livejournal.com]

And, as a biologist, I can say that hair color is a very polygenic trait, meaning that there are many genes, at least a dozen, that affect hair color so really, anything can happen.

[lilacsigil]

Black is dominant, hence Bruce and Kathy could each be carrying a gene for black hair and a gene for red hair - they'd both have black hair and have a 25% chance of a red-haired kid. Even with the Jimmy Olsen theory (and Bruce Jr does sort of look like him) Kathy would have to have a red hair gene.

[darkblade]

Since black hair is always dominate it is possible that both Bruce and Selina also carry the genes for red hair which is dormant in them because they also have the dominant black haired genes.

When their genes combined to make Bruce Jr, he just so happened to recieve the red haired genes and not the black haired ones from both parents.

[psychopathicus_rex]

This is pure speculation, but possibly Kathy has very DARK red hair that reads as black when transferred to a comic page. Or perhaps she dyes it...?

[blackruzsa]

Perhaps. The other explanations might have made sense but all that I've seen of the Wayne family shows absolutely no red hair so he couldn't have inherited twice recessive if Bruce doesn't carry it.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Well... genetics are weird.

[icon_uk]

Except we've only ever really seen the MALE Waynes, we've never really seen the mothers of the line.

[bluefall]

Poor Helena Wayne, can't catch a break even in an alternate continuity.

Interesting, though, that Kathy mentions herself screwing up as Batwoman and Bruce having to help her out as a parallel to young!Robin's situation. That basically frames then-present-day Batwoman as "on her way to being awesome and integral to the crimefighting team" rather than "nuisance in over her head who ought to go away."

[psychopathicus_rex]

That does improve matters somewhat, yes.

[arilou_skiff]

So alfred ships Kayne eh?

[cypherfdp]

"Sure--And I made plenty of boners when I was Robin... Right, Bruce?"

[jlroberson]

"Sure did, old chum. And no hiding them in THAT outfit. Say, son, could you write something on the blackboard?"
"Sure dad, I'll-aw nuts."
"HO HO HO!"

[darkblade]

So Bruce + Selina = Archie Andrews?

[jelly_ace]

Can't get over the big yellow "II". Looks like it was painted on as an afterthought.

[jlroberson]

"No, Alfred, no matter how old and frail you get, YOU MAY NEVER RETIRE, OLD MAN.

"Not while I still have the pictures of you and Mother. Pearl necklace indeed. Now fetch my bat-slippers."

"Yes--KAFF KAFF!--master Bruce."

[citygod]

Alfred wrote fanfic? Wow. And sorry to see that he broke his arm when he said "Give him a jolly good poke."
Wait - he said what? That, and the boner comments... are we sure this is subtext?

[junipepper]

His name is Bruce Jr., isn't it?