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Filthpig
Posts: 3
Hey guys,
I am going to try my best not to rant, because I have 1000 questions. As the title says..I am a late bloomer and my bread and butter right now is Batman. When I finished Dark Victory I wanted to read more Robin (Dick Grayson) stories. Are there some good trades that I should read to get a better feel for the character. I would like to make the transition to Teen Titans and Nightwing but I might be getting over my head lol. Also, When is the Jason Todd Robin introduced and again are there some need to read trades to read (if you hadn't guessed I try to stick to trades unless it's not an option). I want to try my best to keep the different Robin stories separate. Anyway I am probably asking a lot on my first post so Ill stop while I am ahead. Any help would be great. Thanks!
-Seth
I am going to try my best not to rant, because I have 1000 questions. As the title says..I am a late bloomer and my bread and butter right now is Batman. When I finished Dark Victory I wanted to read more Robin (Dick Grayson) stories. Are there some good trades that I should read to get a better feel for the character. I would like to make the transition to Teen Titans and Nightwing but I might be getting over my head lol. Also, When is the Jason Todd Robin introduced and again are there some need to read trades to read (if you hadn't guessed I try to stick to trades unless it's not an option). I want to try my best to keep the different Robin stories separate. Anyway I am probably asking a lot on my first post so Ill stop while I am ahead. Any help would be great. Thanks!
-Seth
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Justin_TheBuck
Posts: 253
Here are a few sites that you will find useful in finding out origins and back history and first appearances.
comicvine.com/
comicbookdb.com/
I can't really give you must reads for TT or Nightwing since I don't really read those titles but I did read Teen Titans:Games and that was really good.
Welcome and don't fear questions questions around here we're pretty helpful. I'm sure you will get a ton of replies to your TT must read question. -
KyleMoyer
Posts: 727
The problem with your question is that it all comes down to which version of the story you want. DC Comics treats their continuity quite loosely.
Here's a few suggestions -
The New Teen Titans - The Judas Contract - I haven't actually read the entire thing (just bits a pieces), but from what I know of it, this is the transition from Robin to Nightwing. Or at least the original version
Nightwing: Year One - This is the updated version of the transition from Robin to Nightwing. They're both good stories, but Judas Contract is a classic as opposed to just a good story. And since DC continuity was screwed with yet again, who knows what's in continuity anymore so you might as well go with the better story, which is The Judas Contract. They're both good though, so if you're looking for multiple trades, get both. Just be prepared for some contradictions.
Now Jason Todd is where it gets complicated. The reason I say that is because while the Robin/Nightwing transition stories have differences, the pre-Crisis and post-Crisis (and I'm assuming you're familiar with what pre-Crisis and post-Crisis mean, but if not, I'll just sum it up as a massive continuity change in DC in the mid-1980s) Jason Todds are completely different characters. The pre-Crisis Jason Todd is basically a Dick Grayson clone and really not that interesting a character. While I don't find him a very interesting character, I will admit that I do like a lot of the stories from that time period. It's good reading as far as I'm concerned, but I don't think any of it is in trade paperback (and whatever from it is is just random issues, not complete storylines). That Jason Todd first appeared in Batman 357, then next in Detective Comics 524 and from there just keep alternating issues of Batman and Detective to get his origin story. He's not in every single issue after that point, but it's all one ongoing story (at that time, Batman and Detective were written by the same author and were basically one book published twice a month) and his origin gradually unfolded over a year or so.
The Post-Crisis Jason Todd is probably the one you're more interested in as the pre-Crisis Jason Todd never really went anywhere and pretty much ceased to exist. This is a little bit easier to follow as at this point, Batman and Detective were separate books and Detective did not feature Robin very often, so you really only need to follow Batman. I do have a vague memory of there being one Robin-centric issue in the 570s or so, but I know it's not all that important. And once Alan Grant takes over Detective in the 580s, Robin virtually disappears from the title (great stories that I definitely recommend if you're looking for good Batman stories, but this is a Robin post). The bad news though is that very little of it is in trade.
So first off, the origin of the updated Jason Todd Robin goes from Batman 408-411. This story is not reprinted in trade anywhere. 412 and 413 are just standard Batman fights the bad guy stories. 414 seems like the same on the surface, but it sets up something that affects Robin later. 415 is part of a crossover and makes little sense on its own. Only buy if you're following the Millennium crossover or if you're a Batman completist. 416 - if you're interested in the Robins, definitely hunt down this issue. This is Nightwing first meeting Jason Todd (granted, he met the old Jason Todd, but those stories no longer happened and it's best not to think about that), confronting Batman about taking on a new partner and other goodness. Highly recommended, but not in a TPB anywhere. Following that, 417-420 is Ten Nights of the Beast. Robin is barely in this story at all. It is a good story in its own right, although definitely dated. The KGBeast looks like he stepped out of a bondage nightclub. And of course, they're the first issues in this list that are collected in a TPB and are ones you don't need for what you're interested in. 421, 422 and 424 are when you start to see a shift in Jason's personality (423 and 425 don't have much to do with Jason). Then 426-429 is the infamous Death in The Family storyline where Jason dies. That is available in TPB and if you get the most recent version, it also includes A Lonely Place of Dying, which I'll get to soon.
Following the Death of Jason, 430-435 are Batman solo stories, some of them (like the excellent 432) deal with Bruce mourning Jason, some are just Batman solo stories. Then comes 436-439, which for reasons I can't explain are not available in TPB. The good news though is that it's very easy to find in back issue bins. There were a lot of copies of these issues because this was the summer of 1989 when the first Michael Keaton Batman movie was huge so there were a lot of copies printed of these issues. On comiccollectorlive.com, they're all under a dollar. This is the first appearance (in cameo) of Tim Drake and is largely a flashback to the origin of Dick Grayson as Robin. I can't keep track of how much of the flashbacks are still canon anymore, but I know the present-day stuff is still relevant and I would recommend hunting that down. Then that's followed by A Lonely Place of Dying, which is included in the recent printings of Death In The Family, but is also available very cheaply in back issue bins. This is Batman 440-442, crossing over with New Titans 60-61 and also deals with Nightwing and Batman's relationship. Recommended if you're following this story.
From there, Tim becomes the new Robin, but quickly goes to the background as he is "in training" and doesn't become Robin officially for another year or so. If you're interested in his development as Robin, after A Lonely Place of Dying, read Detective Comics 618-621. These issues are reprinted in the Robin Tragedies and Triumphs TPB, although that TPB is the TPB that reprints the SECOND Robin miniseries and we haven't even gotten to the first yet, so don't get too confused, especially since you can probably get those issues cheaper out of a back issues sale. Following Detective 618-621, read Batman 455-457, immediately followed by the first Robin miniseries. These are reprinted together in a trade called "Robin: A Hero Reborn." From that point on, Tim becomes a major character in the Batman universe, so if you get interested in him, just keep reading. In my personal opinion, he really became a strong character once he got his ongoing series by Chuck Dixon.
So to summarize....
Batman 408-411, origin of Jason Todd, not reprinted
Batman 414, not reprinted
Batman 416 - also not reprinted, but I'm including it separately because I think you'll want this issue
Batman 421, 422, 424
Batman 426-429, reprinted in A Death in the Family
Batman 432, not necessary, but if you see it for cheap, I think it's a good post-death of Robin story
Batman 436-439, Year Three, not reprinted
Batman 440, New Titans 60, Batman 441, New Titans 61, Batman 442 - reprinted as A Lonely Place of Dying or included in the more recent A Death in the Family printings
Detective Comics 618-621 (reprinted in Robin: Tragedy and Triumph along with another story that is jumping ahead chronologically)
Batman 455-457, first Robin miniseries, reprinted together as Robin: A Hero Reborn
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