Week of Wonder - The first introduction of Jason Todd

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This is essentially, the introduction of Jason Todd to the Batverse, showcasing his introduction to the world of Robin-ness, reveal how pre- Crisis Batman handled so many things differently from his Post-Crisis self, and also highlight the gorgeous, rich artwork of the late, great Don Newton (inked by Alfredo Alcala), one of the most under-appreciated Batman artists ever IMHO.



This sequence is the culmination of a long (for those days) story arc, about a new, super-smart, super-vicious crimelord rising in Gotham, determined to “break the Bat”.

No, not Bane, but the initial appearance of Killer Croc.. who was so much more than the mindless reptile man he later became. To finance his plans he's been extorting a couple of circuses (As a former sideshow freak, he has it in for circuses) and Batman asks Dick to check things out, using his circus contacts at the Sloan Circus, where his old childhood friend "Waldo the Clown" is still working

So, a brief intro to Jason from Detective 525;



Yes, Jason 1.0 (soon to be Robin 2.0) was indeed blond when introduced (And had fluffy 80's hair to boot!). I'm not sure whether to be impressed by Jason's powers of observation here, or worry about Dick's apparent unconcern about spooking an aerialist in mid performance, that's how accidents happen you know, and you weren't too pleased about the last one....



Isn't Jason just the cutest little thing? (And Giordano drawn Dick!Robin ain't bad either!) It's a nice little moment between them, but given events between Donna and Jason 2.0 in Countdown, slightly creepy perhaps... What the heck though, they've both been dead since then...



Ooooh.... Foreshadowing! That rarely ends well....

A short time thereafter (In the Batman issue between this Detective issue and the next one) Joe and Trina decide to surreptitiously follow someone they believe is Croc, but are discovered and... well, it doesn't end well for them....Most of this post though, comes from Detective Comics 526, the anniversary issue of Batman’s first appearance in the title.

I start with this lovely two page spread of Gotham’s LEAST finest… the line up here includes; Penguin, Gentleman Ghost, Two-Face, Captain Stingaree, Talia, Mad Hatter, Killer Moth, Mr Freeze, Clayface 2, Tweedldee and Tweedledum, Riddler, Scarecrow, Black Spider, The Spook, Catman and the Cavalier… Whew! I show it for no other reason than to showcase the lovely, lovely art.



The Joker is out in the audience, as he’s the one who called them there, as part of a plan to double cross Croc and take over from him once he’s dealt with Batman. I also show this next page for the art alone, that’s a lovely Batman training sequence right there. Newton always drew a terrific, dynamic Batman, solidly built, but never over-muscled. "Sleek" if you will.



The noise Alfred hears turns out to be Talia and Catwoman, both coming to warn Batman of the Joker’s scheme and some incidental sniping at each other.

Dick meets Waldo and Jason who chased after him with a bit of info that they felt he needed to know. Dick is worried, but leads them to Wayne Manor so they are at least not driving through the rain at night.

As it turns out it’s Batgirl, and it’s at this point that she reveals she again knows Batman and Robin’s ID, some time after they had removed that knowledge from her, with IIRC her sort of approval (Long story, don’t ask, it’s silly, and IIRC posted somwhere on here already)



This being the age of proper detective work… remember when they looked at clues and made deductions… They deduce the Penguin is involved too.

Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Jason is more than a little bored, and having weird dreams… so, since this is his first time ever in a mammoth mansion, he goes exploring.



And look what he finds! “Big trouble” indeed! I like the fact he doesn’t immediately think “Ohmygod! He’s Batman”, just “He’s a rich and very eccentric guy who keeps a robot dinosaur in his basement” and THEN finds the Batcloset!



Meanwhile, Robin and Batgirl track the suspicious car to the Zoo, and find a deeply nauseated Gordon waiting for them, the reason for his upset stomach is soon clear. The bodies of Joe and Trina Todd have been found dead in the Reptile House, and Gordon’s comment that he can only hope they were dead BEFORE Croc threw them to his friends is more disturbing than anything graphic they could possibly show now.




It's an odd moment to point it out, but I should also add that I love Newton's way with fabrics, he gives them a thickness, and a realistic drape, which is particularly noticeable on things like capes, and Robin's multi-layered costume. The tunic is distinct from the T-shirt and the cape is over that...

Dick REALLY freaks out, these aren’t only civilians, but personal friends that HE asked to help Batman. He is NOT a happy pixie boot wearing sidekick by any means…

Another brief interlude showing Croc (in the nude in a steamroom) confronting the Joker. I love the interaction here as the Joker runs the emotional gamut without meaning any of them other than “Scheming bastard” in the last panel.



Jason meanwhile has found the costume chest in the Batcave… why there IS one there is a question for the ages. He also uses the costumes to make the assumption that Bruce is Batman, rather than just assuming he’s rich, weird and kinky as heck… Ah, such naivete…



At any rate he decides “What the heck, if he can wear freaky costumes, so can I dammit.“ and spontaneously puts together a revamp of the Robin costume that actually looks not bad at all. Long leggings, colour variation from the original (sort of) long sleeves and a Kid Flash style cowl to differentiate him from the original. It also suits his blonde hair.



Disturbed by the arrival of the Batmobile, and not wanting to get into THAT much trouble, he hides, but can’t resist the urge to sneak into the trunk of the Batmobile and be killed by carbon monoxide fumes go on an adventure!



Robin and Batgirl are tracing a lead of their own… Clearly we have a somewhat myopic villain here, as it takes a lot to confuse Batman and Batgirl back in those days. And, oh, I've said it before, I'll say it again; Don Newton, how we miss you. Cute gals, sexy thighs guys, and dynamic posing.

See, it IS possible to look menacing when wearing pixie boots. Just threaten to drop someone off a tall building and you’ll be amazed at how much eccentric clothing choices enhance your apparent unpredictability.



Again some neat cape-drape on Dick and Babs here.

Next stop for the Men’s Club that Croc has been using as a base, and an excuse for a beautifully dynamic action sequence, as Robin loses his cool completely, which does not bode well for anyone picking a fight with him.



Rather a lot of scans of Robin and Batgirl kicking butt and taking names, and I make no apology for them. They look AWESOME!

So now the Dynamite Duo (Yes, the team of Robin and Batgirl had their own nickname back then) know that it’s all going down at the Adams Brewery… (I’m sure that Dick is probably secretly wondering if, once they stop the bad guys he can sneak a couple of kegs out for his next party at Hudson U!)



Jason meanwhile has emerged from the Batmobile to find that everyone has already gone off to… do stuff. So he decides to have a look around on his own. Fourth panel is a little bit of a woobie inducing moment, since his Dad is currently occupying bits of a slab down at the morgue and he doesn’t know.

And then, as so often happens in such cases, he notices some supervillains showing up, and rather than thinking “Oh crap, supervillains! HIDE!” realises that they must be preparing to sneak up on Batman, tries to work out a less obvious way into the brewery. Give him credit for the gutsy move of trying, bless ‘im.

These panels highlight why I still argue that a smart acrobat is going to be way ahead of any other kind of person on the Robin-learning-curve. Love his little backflip on the ledge there.



Meanwhile, Batman, Catwoman and Talia have been caught by Croc. The ladies are tied to the outside of a brewing vat that’s set to explode with blistering hot steam.

Croc decides that he has to prove that he is stronger than Batman in a “fair” wrestling fight, and rather than leave Batman to parboil too, decides to challenge him to a bit of alpha male supremacy testing. If Batman can win at hand to hand, he and the ladies go free, if he loses, well, that’ll be a moot point. If he can’t defeat Croc in time, the ladies go boom anyway. Methinks he planned to cheat.



Jason shows that he is a smart little cookie… though perhaps worryingly familiar with how a brewery works for a kid his age.. but let’s not argue with results! He manages this without being seen by anyone (Well, there’s a lot of billowing steam, and people in Gotham seem to not find kids in red, green and gold that noticeable)

The Joker realises that things aren’t going too well, so gets ready to make a quick exit, only to find that Robin and Batgirl have already arrived and are blocking his exit, having already taken care of Two Face, Killer Moth and Clayface II. Nowadays that would be a six part crossover in and of itself, but in those days, we could take it as read that good WOULD triumph because good can kick ass and take names.



Backing away from the terrifying sight of a redhead in a cowl and a seriously sexy bare legged guy, the Joker meets a suitably ironic fate of being hit by a swing from Croc after Batman ducks.

And then, with no one even aware he’s in the room Jason hears Killer Croc drop the bombshell about his parents and he understandably goes a little nuts.

I like the way they manage to give him a means to hurt Croc without punching him, which would have been a little implausible. Causing him to drop the massive metal pipe he was swinging on himself is a much more reasonable approach.



And Batman sees the similarities between Jason’s pain and his own and Dick’s. I wonder where he sees this ending?

Luckily a combination of the falling pipe, plus Batman’s rather smart uppercut, means that Croc is out like a light (as is the Joker) before Jason lets slip that the Todd’s were his parents, though you can forgive him losing his composure.

Dick giving Jason a reassuring hug as he apologises is nice, without being creepy, and if anyone wants to read anything into the last panel where Jason melts into Dick’s arms, probably sobbing heavily, well that’s up to you. Personally, I think it’s rather moving and not at all slashy (And I can read slash into almost anything)

Some time later, after returning to Wayne Manor and seeing Talia and Selina off the premises. Dick want's a chat, and Bruce knows what it will be about...

Remember that the clown in full makeup is NOT a tasteless notion from Alfred to try and amuse the depressed Jason, he’s Waldo the Clown, an old friend of both the Grayson and Todd families (I’ll post Dick and Waldo’s first reunion sometime)

I like that Dick wants to adopt Jason though I couldn’t imagine it happening easily, since Dick is still legally a ward of court himself (that expires are at 21, not 18 IIRC).

But Bruce, past master at shouldering guilt, takes responsibility and a new cycle begins.

Say what you like, I love this final image

Comments

[leahandillyana]

I haven't read anything pre-Crisis other than New Teen Titans because the in-house storytelling style did not agree with me, so the story was a first on many levels. I was surprised to see Barbara as Batgirl here, as I for long time forgot that she was a heroine before The Killing Joke. Proto-Jason's first costume is silly, but you can see Tim's future costumes (his two Robin suits and his first Red Robin suit) in it. BTW, what comes tomorrow - Jason take two or Tim?

[icon_uk]

Probably Jason 2.0