Does anyone care for The Boy Wonder?

[The Black Hand ®]

I noticed an undercurrent of negativity towards Robin The Boy Wonder on these boards and would like to encourage people to come forward with their thoughts on him. Do you or don't you like him and why. Personally....he gives me the creeps, but what about everyone else?

[adamstrange]

I got no problem with him but his appearance cut short the more moody, violent, and magic-oriented story-lines in the pre-Robin Tecs. I also happen to be a fan of the early 50s stories and Robin fits right in with those.

[jimm]

Much less lame one he moved out and became Nightwing

[seank]

If I had to choose between Robin and Alfred, I'd go with Alfred.

 

Nonetheless, I think that Robin provided a counterpoint to Batman that kept him from being a one-note and forgotten character. Without Robin, it's likely that Batman would not have survived the 1940s and definitely not past the Comics Code.

 

Alfred, the modern Alfred at least, is a great character. He's really the only person who can tell Batman he's being a *spoon*head and have it mean something. He is, in a way, Batman's connection to the sane and civilized world. Compare him to Robin (any Robin) who is an accomplice to Batman and plays along with the quest to rid the world of crime.

[tth2]

Personally....he gives me the creeps, but what about everyone else?

Why, because of the whole man-boy thing? I think that's applying a post-modern (or at least post-Brat Pack or post-Michael Jackson) sensibility to these kinds of things. I prefer to think that the character was created in a more innocent time and was done for one primary reason: to create a youthful character which the kids reading the book could more easily relate to. It must have been a pretty successful ploy, since so many successful GA superheroes were given kid side-kicks.

 

The side-kick I always found really creepy was the little kid who hung out with Uncle Sam in National Comics. Seems like he's always manning a machine gun and enthusiastically gunning down people.

[The Black Hand ®]

Personally....he gives me the creeps, but what about everyone else?

Why, because of the whole man-boy thing? I think that's applying a post-modern (or at least post-Brat Pack or post-Michael Jackson) sensibility to these kinds of things. I prefer to think that the character was created in a more innocent time and was done for one primary reason: to create a youthful character which the kids reading the book could more easily relate to. It must have been a pretty successful ploy, since so many successful GA superheroes were given kid side-kicks.

 

The side-kick I always found really creepy was the little kid who hung out with Uncle Sam in National Comics. Seems like he's always manning a machine gun and enthusiastically gunning down people.

 

 

Actually it was his early cover renderings that creeped me out,with that grin of his. To be honest I always thought it was a smart move to create a boy sidekick to atract kids and give them a character to identify with. The work in the mid 50's was some of my favorite.But I must mention that I never liked the goofy sidekick, It usually meant the death of creativity in a comic. Needless to say, as far as kids go, Robin and Bucky and Roy the Superboy served their purpose quite well. I do find it interesting enough , that the best of them all, was Airboy, who didn't need a parent or guardian and did just fine all by his lonesome.

[adamstrange]

Personally....he gives me the creeps, but what about everyone else?

Why, because of the whole man-boy thing? I think that's applying a post-modern (or at least post-Brat Pack or post-Michael Jackson) sensibility to these kinds of things. I prefer to think that the character was created in a more innocent time and was done for one primary reason: to create a youthful character which the kids reading the book could more easily relate to. It must have been a pretty successful ploy, since so many successful GA superheroes were given kid side-kicks.

 

The side-kick I always found really creepy was the little kid who hung out with Uncle Sam in National Comics. Seems like he's always manning a machine gun and enthusiastically gunning down people.

 

 

Actually it was his early cover renderings that creeped me out,with that grin of his. To be honest I always thought it was a smart move to create a boy sidekick to atract kids and give them a character to identify with. The work in the mid 50's was some of my favorite.But I must mention that I never liked the goofy sidekick, It usually meant the death of creativity in a comic. Needless to say, as far as kids go, Robin and Bucky and Roy the Superboy served their purpose quite well. I do find it interesting enough , that the best of them all, was Airboy, who didn't need a parent or guardian and did just fine all by his lonesome.

 

Or you can look at Capt Marvel where the hero is his own boy sidekick, or something like that.

[Scrooge]

The side-kick I always found really creepy was the little kid who hung out with Uncle Sam in National Comics. Seems like he's always manning a machine gun and enthusiastically gunning down people.

 

Who? -

[mr.schomburg]

From what I have heard and read, the Side Kick was infact a tool to promote not only sales in superheroes, but also a War time support base. To influence patriotism in America's youth, and give them a identifiable persona inwhich they could relate and emulate. For what its worth, I even for my love of Cap, really don't care much for the Bucky character, but I am not 11 yrs old in 1941. The country needed to believe in a savior, and Cap, and others met a small portion of that. They needed a figure to stand behind, and that figure needed a way to conect with youth, thus Robin, Bucky and so on. Many of our Golden age sups, helped sell bonds, collect paper, and tin all to help the War effort. For their piece in history, they are very important, campy but important.

[Mad Dog]

Robin is gay

[showcase4]

Robin is gay

 

I think this very elegantly and with great sensitivity towards political correctness, touches on a concern many of us have that may be effecting this characters collectibility and desirability. Well said Mad Dog

[Norrin_Radd]

I noticed an undercurrent of negativity towards Robin The Boy Wonder on these boards and would like to encourage people to come forward with their thoughts on him. Do you or don't you like him and why. Personally....he gives me the creeps, but what about everyone else?

 

Yeah, there's a level of hatred on these boards for Robin usually reserved for Barney the Purple Dinosaur. They love the pre-Robin Tecs and blame Robin for changing the nature of the Batman comics.

 

As cool as the pre-Robin Tecs are, the comics that came after are much more numerous and fun to read with appearances of the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Two-Face, Riddler, etc.

[jimm]

True Norrin but we still coulda done without him for another 50 issues

[Mad Dog]

Robin is gay

 

I think this very elegantly and with great sensitivity towards political correctness, touches on a concern many of us have that may be effecting this characters collectibility and desirability. Well said Mad Dog

 

I just provided the executive summary

 

and if in doubt, I trust below interior pic (cant remember the issue) will provide clarity to those who seek it

 

[The Black Hand ®]

Thread.......getting....away...from......me.....uhh.......must.....regain.........control of.......it........uhh..... Oh hell, that last shot of robin almost popped my stiches.

[Sid]

I think Batman would've been much less popular/boring without Robin. I always thought of Robin as the opposite of Batman making the mood less dark and gloomy. Colorful costumes, smirking always, and among the big super-heroes finally a young kid who doesn't always have a serious tone. I wouldn't have been able to watch and read some of the Batman books just because he is and rightly very shadowy, quiet and always serious or in my mind good to look at but boring to read.

[The Black Hand ®]

As great a start as Batman got off to, I think it would have gone downhill quicker without Robin. Most GA had a creative spurt(see illustration a few post up) that lasted 10-20 issues and then faded. Robin and the string of great villains slowed the decline down a bit. An interesting thought, some of the great golden age characters, like the Hangman, ended so abrubtly and at their peak, that they never had a chance to decline. Batman was one of the few, lucky, enduring heroes and even though Robin never was a problem for me, he does seem rather superfluous since Batman stands quite well on his own. All you Batman scholars out there will have to forgive my little musings, since I'm not all that well informed on The Batman. I just love comics.

[Norrin_Radd]

As great a start as Batman got off to, I think it would have gone downhill quicker without Robin. Most GA had a creative spurt(see illustration a few post up) that lasted 10-20 issues and then faded. Robin and the string of great villains slowed the decline down a bit.

 

For me, the stories get very repetitive in Detective after Robin is introduced. It's not until the Penguin appears in #58 and a second Joker appearance in #60 that the series starts to pick up again. The villains really make the series.

 

I think most other superhero titles didn't have the quality of writing/art to deliver great, memorable villains.

[rjpb]

As great a start as Batman got off to, I think it would have gone downhill quicker without Robin. Most GA had a creative spurt(see illustration a few post up) that lasted 10-20 issues and then faded. Robin and the string of great villains slowed the decline down a bit.

 

For me, the stories get very repetitive in Detective after Robin is introduced. It's not until the Penguin appears in #58 and a second Joker appearance in #60 that the series starts to pick up again. The villains really make the series.

 

I think most other superhero titles didn't have the quality of writing/art to deliver great, memorable villains.

 

I agree - reading those stories in the Archives was a real chore.

 

Once Batman got playful and goofy in the 50s, Robin fit right in. Personally I find some charm in the giant prop/sci-fi/oddball villain and costume era of Batman, especially the Sprang stuff, but I understand why "Dark Knight" fans hate that stuff. For me, not only does the boy sidekick idea work against the crime and mystery setting of early and later Batman, but the primary colored, elf shoe, jacket and underpants look really clashes with the whole strike fear in hearts of criminals motif Batman was going for.

[*paull*]

I never cared for Robin, but Sprang's Robin was good enough to make me like him. What a tremendous artist who doesn't get mentioned enough.