Spoilers! Batman and Robin #5

[mysteryfan.insanejournal.com]

Enjoyed parts of the issue, but I'm wondering why it's apparently important for Dick to be suddenly proclaiming himself 'not so smart with business', these last two issues, even though he's able to be a great detective and grew up with Bruce from the age of 8 or 10. Also, is this Jason Todd 1 or Jason Todd 2?

Edited to add: Just FYI, I was commenting on the dye job choice. Pre-Crisis Jason Todd did not have red hair. He had blond hair.

Comments

[harmoner.insanejournal.com]

The faces on the 3rd scan are freaking me out.

Damian looks like an old lady and Dick's eyes give me the creeps!

Also Jason has red hair? Never knew that.

[alschroeder.insanejournal.com]

In his original origin, by Gerry Conway, he was a circus acrobat who also lost his parents, and had BLONDE hair. Later he dyed his hair black. Then, when Max Allen Collins invented a new origin for him, making him a street tough who was trying to steal the Batmobiles' tires, he was always dark-haired. This is the first time he's ever been potrayed as red-haired.

[foxhack.insanejournal.com]

I don't think that's the real Jason Todd.

Morrison could be working some Lazarus Pit side effects into this, though. No exposure to the pits == increased degeneration?

[sistermagpie.insanejournal.com]

Interesting new facts entered into (or re-entered into) the Batverse here.

In the last issue when Dick claimed he didn't know money, I thought he was playing dumb like Bruce Wayne. Does Grant Morrisson honestly expect me to believe that Dick the detective is too much of an airhead to be able to follow shady goings-on in the finances of a business? Or that he's too stupid to listen to his advisor when he tells him something like that is going on? Yes, Dick, you hired Lucius to oversee the business. That's what he's doing.

And given my issues w/this series, can't resist wondering if Dick can't follow it because he's got circus tent in his blood, as opposed to Damian's blue-money blood that instinctively understands Dad's business. (Btw, Dick mostly grew up with Bruce. He was pretty young when his parents died. By the time he was at the age to take an interest in business he'd have been all Wayne.)

And then there's the even more remarkably return of red-headed Jason who now blames Bruce for his hair loss amongst other things. Um, what kind of dye was Bruce using on your hair, Jason, that it's making it fall out years later? (And why have you only stopped dying it now?) I would think Bruce would buy only the best, and dying your hair brunette can make your hair quite healthy. It's got to be Jason 2 since he's the one who got killed by the Joker (Jason 1's parent were killed by someone else and did not lead him to his death) and he's the one who had the conflicts with Bruce and was in any way overly violent. But he was never a red-head.

I do wonder if the phone poll mirrors Jason's own phone poll results. I don't mind the idea here, though, that Jason's plan sounds good in the abstract but will only lead to more trouble. He wants to defend Gotham like it's the old west, where as long as Gotham has the biggest bully no one will mess with her. Dick represents the position that the law is more powerful than a bully, even if the law needs strength and the threat of punishment to back it up.

[schmevil.insanejournal.com]

I've been dying my hair for thirteen years and I've had no problems. Unless Jason's been relying on cheap dyes, overbleaching, or has a preexisting sensitivity or autoimmune condition, he should be fine. And he most definitely shouldn't be experiencing male pattern baldness.

Besides which, if he's been through the Lazarus Pit, shouldn't ~whatever~ have been fixed?

My advice to Jason: go cold turkey with all potentially harmful hair products and treatments (dyes, styling products, perms, blowouts), start deep conditioning and hair repair treatemnts, and GO TO THE DOCTOR. Shit ain't normal, dude. [/internet doctoring]

[bluejaybirdie.insanejournal.com]

For some reason, the idea of Damian doing Wayne finances cracks me up. As for the rest of this, though...bleh.

[shadowvalkyrie.insanejournal.com]

Where I am concerned, the little brat can do the Wayne finances for the rest of his life. I hope he likes it enough and devotes all his time to it, to the point where he eats, sleeps, and, eventually, dies in his office. (Actually, that would be a good thing. Even more amusing and permanent than Talia dragging her misbegotten offspring back home.) Whatever, as long as we don't have to deal with him any more.

[stig.insanejournal.com]

Also, heh, the "Dark Night". So obvious, no-one thought of it before.

Reminded of the fact that Sexton is English...I still say he could be the Joker, but is it possible he's the even more elusive Spring-Heeled Jack, the one Club of Villains member who never appeared? It'd explain why B&R head to London in the upcoming Cameron Stewart arc...

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

Sigh, dislike the "I know nothing about business/Grew up in the circus" bit from Dick (No you weren't, you lived with a millionaire for most of your formative years, you learned all KINDS of things from Bruce, and did manage your own investments from time to time) only slightly less than yet another sodding addition to "Oh I can do that" bits from Damian.

[chipsnopotatoes.insanejournal.com]

i was going to say, didn't dick grayson go off to college somehow? in earth-2 he studied to be a corporate lawyer. what did this earth's version of dick take up before he became a policeman?

[heat16.insanejournal.com]

Oh, how I long for the day a crocodile will throw a hippo in a tutu on Damian's head.

[halloweenjack.insanejournal.com]

Killer Croc would do it. Croc would eat his own leg if you put hot sauce on it.

[(Anonymous)]

I know the red hair shouldn't piss me off, but it really does. Why was his hair black in the grave then, and during the time he spent with Talia al Ghul? Was he just dyeing it himself all through Battle for the Cowl? It's just so STUPID. It's a small detail, yes, but then why bother to change it at all?

Also, someone above me said this, but brunette hair dye very rarely IF EVER has the effect of making your hair fall out.

[stig.insanejournal.com]

Ooh, clever! The breakfast interviewer is called Mo G.

[bazor.insanejournal.com]

Am I going crazy or did the artist/colorist confuse Jason Blood for Jason Todd?

[mullon.insanejournal.com]

Jason Todd must be Jason Blood's long lost son! That would be interesting.

[stig.insanejournal.com]

I feel more and more that Red Hood is being built up as a walking parody of the grim-and-gritty-this-is-really-happening style of writing currently used as a base template for stories by Marvel. The Punisher-esque logo, the use of slogans such as "Scourge of the Underworld" and "Who Can You Trust", the cunning Marketing ploys...and now, the propensity for painting things red...

[queenursula.insanejournal.com]

Good point; Morrison's been known to turn characters into parodies before.

Jason Tood or Jason Blood?

[robogeek.insanejournal.com]

Or maybe he's Jim Corrigan with amnesia & painted-on freckles. :)

[kusonaga.insanejournal.com]

Looks more like Jason Blood.

[daggerpen.insanejournal.com]

... wait, what?

[daggerpen.insanejournal.com]

Seriously- even when we ignore the hair, it doesn't look anything like Jason. I've always been a fan of the white streak, but... what?

[lipsofpoison.insanejournal.com]

I really don't think that's Jason. Either it's someone being an imposter or possibly the Earth 2 version.

[daggerpen.insanejournal.com]

I sincerely hope so.

Moreover, I sincerely hope that we can retcon it so that every appearance of Jason since- oh, Countdown's a good switchover point, even if it sucked- was Earth-2!Jason.

[lencannon.insanejournal.com]

I honestly don't think this is supposed to be Jason at all.

[lipsofpoison.insanejournal.com]

I don't either. Damian calls him on it in-issue.

[richiedaley.insanejournal.com]

Forget the Red Hood and the business stuff. There's actually a scene of removing the "spirit gum" that holds Robin's mask on. That impresses me.

[faile_neume.insanejournal.com]

I always assumed it was some sort of adhesive that required a spray to peel it off. But it's possible I learnt that from fandom not canon.

[kingrockwell]

Wait, so now Jason's literally the red-headed stepchild of the Batfamily?
Man, I really have trouble getting excited about this series now that Quitely's gone.

[toasty_fresh.insanejournal.com]

Ikr? I'm actually amazed at how attached I got to Quitely's art in just three issues . . .

[jaybee3.insanejournal.com]

Red-haired Jason doesn't work for me. Never mind that he's never previously had red hair - according to the story Winnick used to bring him back, he rose from the dead with black hair, spent all that time as a vegatable with Talia and Ra's with black hair, planned his revenge with black hair. I highly that if this is indeed Jason that Bruce had anything to do with any hair dye.

Also, since when doesn't Dick know about business? He bought Haley's Circus with investments made just from his parents insurance money and even though he might not have Tim Drake kind of money, he's independently wealthy without Bruce and it's been said he was always involved with Lucius in his own portfolio. Come to think, when did Lucius start calling a man he's known since he was a child, "Mr Grayson"? Previous to this it was always just "Dick". I hate it when Morrison just ignores other writers characterizations whenever he feels like it.

[lencannon.insanejournal.com]

When you own the company, you are referred to as Mr. Grayson.

[darkknightjrk.insanejournal.com]

"And this grey streak I've had since I crawled out of the Lazarus Pit after being dead."

Part of me wonders if this is a bit of a retcon on Morrison's part to take out the idea that Todd was ressurected by Superboy Prime punching a hole in reality?

As for Dick's "not knowing anything about business," has he ever said he had any interest in it? I can't recall him ever saying that, so maybe it's less that he CAN'T run Wayne Enterprises, but that he doesn't necessarily WANT to run it.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

No, because both already happened. The SBP brought him back to the living (no white streak IIRC) but in a near-catatonic state, it was the plunge into the Lazarus pit which brought his consciousness back online.

[idreading.insanejournal.com]

This art is making me laugh like crazy. Damien looks like he's halfway to turning into Gollum here.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

Leaving Dick's sudden lack of smarts to one side, why is Lucuis contacting him, when as far as Lucius is concerned Bruce Wayne is still around and still head of Wayne Enterprises? (Though we, of course, know it's really Hush)

[bunniegrrl.insanejournal.com]

I think we're seeing the New Grant Morrison that doesn't alter his stories just because of "current events" in other books.

Morrison's explanation for Bruce's absence is "he was upset by the faked pictures about the Waynes and now he's off sulking", and he's damned if he's going to alter his plots in the slightest just because someone on another book has Hush playing the part of Bruce Wayne.

[espanolbot.insanejournal.com]

Considering Morrison's "everything's canon" approach, personally I think that it's a neat touch that possibly is meant to hide the fact that he'd gotten a new Robin, so that Commissioner Gordon wouldn't have to investigate him for DickRobin's disappearence or something.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

Except you can't really conflate the two characters like that. Jason 1.0 being a strawberry blond who dyed is hair is fine, but Jason 2.0 never dyed his hair, so it's a pointlessly contradictory comment.

[oath5.insanejournal.com]

Why is Jason so old? How OLD exactly should he be? I know he was killed at what, fifteen and was retconned into being resurrected shortly thereafter and was Talia's bitch for a while ya? Artists make him look like he's fucking Bruce's age when what, he should be like, 20, 21?

[jaybee3.insanejournal.com]

He's younger than Dick and older than Tim, I'd say no more than 22 AT MOST. But you're right, since his return except for the petulant child part he's been written and drawn as if he was Dick's age or older.

[ladymirth.insanejournal.com]

...

Just...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGH! YOU COULDN'T JUST LEAVE HIM DEAD, COULD YOU? GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY JASON YOU @#$%^&!!!!

Bad-at-math!Dick Grayson! Jason Todd with red hair and pimples and male pattern baldness! Damien looking like Nobby Nobbs!

Also, "Batman made me dye my hair to look more like Grayson"? Good freaking grief, are they trying to give off wrong creepy pedo vibes?!

Just...what IS this shit?!

*is dropping B&R like a hot potato*

Does this mean Jay has a firebush?

[benicio127.insanejournal.com]

Good freaking grief, are they trying to give off wrong creepy pedo vibes?!

Yeeaaaaah. The only explanation I can think of for this is Bruce wanting to keep the Robins looking the same... I don't even know ...

BUT WTF! The red hair bugs me something fierce. Jason Fucking Ginger Todd. Red hair also =/= badass. It just makes me think: FIREBUSH.
And I LOL at the thought of Jason buying acne cream.
And the "She's not my girlfriend!"
And the fucking Yoda rendition of: "Shot! I've been..."

Good lord. Tan couldn't even draw Jason's face. I mean even w/o the red hair, his face doesn't look like that. It's much more square/broad.