Dick Grayson tries to be what people need him to be

A post was going around about Dick being happy and social-able when it comes to the batfamily but more serious when with others but I think he changes based on the people he’s around and the situation.  

He is what they need him to be whether it be 

a partner

[Under the Red Hood]

a brother

[Young Justice: Secret Origins 80-Page Giant #1]  

a friend

[New Teen Titans #14]

a leader

[Teen Titans (2003) #22]

a mentor

[Batman and Robin (2009) #22] 

a mediator

[Young Justice]

a shoulder to cry on

[Nightwing #147]

[Nightwing #139]

an open ear

[Robin (1993) #61]

[Year One: Batman/Scarecrow]

a supporter/encouragement

[Teen Titans (2003) #33]

a ‘fool’

[Nightwing #50]

a ‘bad guy’

[Nightwing #113]

or a sacrifice

[Forever Evil]

He changes his demeanor in order to best accommodate the people he’s working with/for and that’s why he gets along so well with so many different vigilantes.  He’s very aware of their positions versus his own.

I’ve said this before as well but when Dick has an issue with one other vigilante he tries really hard to be a partner and if he needs to be then a mentor, when it’s a three person or more issue then many times he feels the need to lead.  It all depends on who he’s with.

I would even argue that when he has conflict it’s mostly because he’s stretching himself too thin when trying to fulfill all of these roles at once, or when he has to pick one role over another.  

[Teen Titans V3 #6]

When he was the leader of the Titans and it conflicted with his partnership with Bruce that was when they really started having problems, when Dick had to become Batman and watch Damian there became a rift between him and Tim, when Jason was killed he was angry at himself for being away with the Titans instead of with the batfamily, etc.  All people do this to a certain extent but many superheroes actually don’t or don’t do it as well as Dick does.  Dick has many, sometimes conflicting, roles to play in many peoples lives and he tries his best to accommodate for those roles.

I think he’s probably not very conscious about the way he acts too much but it’s just very ingrained in Dick’s personality that he assesses what the people around him need and his relationship to them and then he molds himself and his behavior to best suite the people around him in his own way, whether it be to balance out the dark grim outlook that some of the batfamily members have or to tone down the eccentrics of a young team when necessary.

This just proves how important he is in the fandom and the DCU.

@princess-unipeg

Makes sense.

(I recall reading a fic that had such a character, who was the DCU version of Phil Coulson)

I would love to see a story about some WayneTech accountant who figures out who Batman is and has to decide what to do with this knowlege.

Maybe this story already exists. I haven’t read Batman in years.

Wasn’t that a subplot in The Dark Knight?

Invincible (2021 - ) I 2.08 I Thought You Were Stronger

You got to love how Mark says this when there are heroes in his world named: Robot, Dupli-Kate, Red Rush, War Woman, The Immortal, Green Ghost, and Martian Man.

Every time I hear someone say Superman is a boring character I have to stop and remember that most of the time they're talking about how he's portrayed in the movies or in other media in the last decade or so.

Zack Snyder and co. have done some serious damage to my boy Clark's good name and I want to set it right. Superman is a very good character, but I will admit he's often very hard to write. However there's three incredible examples of the Man of Steel at his best. They're pretty popular ones but I honestly don't really care, they're still great.

1. Superman Smashes the Klan

This 2019 comic was actually based on a radio drama from the 40s of the same name, and it really captures that golden age pure heartedness with a hearty dose of humanity from Clark relating his own experience to the plight of the immigrant family that he helps take down the KKK. Also he beats the shit out of white hooded bastards so that's honestly worth the read on its own.

2. Comfort and Joy - Justice League Unlimited

He isn't the focus of the episode but he's definitely the star of it overall. It's honestly a pretty standard holiday episode but it really does a lot to show that while he may be an alien with godlike powers but deep down he's just a kind dude from Kansas who still believes in Santa Claus.

3. All-Star Superman

This is honestly the best Superman story period. It's the ultimate example of Superman being well...Superman. Him being the absolute best he can be with the limited amount of time he has left and doing everything in his power to make sure his home planet, as well as the people he loves, are safe even if that means giving up everything.

honestly saying Snyder had done some serious damage to Superman is not having really paid enough attention to the films. I’m not contradicting anything op says I’m just pointing it out

I believe Snyder made the fundamental mistake of having Superman act like some emotionless god instead of a kind, likeable human being like he was raised to be by Ma and Pa Kent. Superman is at his best when he's a beacon for hope and kindness, as well as justice.

actually I don’t see how Superman in his films is an emotionless god. he is kind, loving, warm. he’s just not smiling like all the time? he’s not as talkative as some other iterations before him, but his emotions were still conveyed through. a lot of his ideologies were spoken through his actions. instead of telling he went ahead and did it

yeah he was serious but only when the situation called for it. he had been helping people even when people treated him like he was anything but a person who had simple intentions and goodwill, and that’s what kindness is

I respect your take on Snyder's Superman and I acknowledge that the innate good will of Superman was there to some degree, but I feel that Snyder focused more on his issues of the vast power he has rather than the more human issues that Superman often faces.

I want more superhero movies that aren’t set in the present (like Wonder Woman and Captain America: The First Avenger).

I want a live-action adaptation of DC: The New Frontier that deals with the Cold War’s effect on people’s view of superheroes (and heroes’ views of themselves) in the 1950s.

I want a Justice League International movie set in the late 80s. Give me the big hair, the great music, and the messages about nuclear disarmament.

I want a Fantastic Four movie that’s grounded in the space race of the early 60s. Give me all the Cold War undertones.

I want a Superman Smashes the Klan adaptation that directly addresses racism and xenophobia in post-WWII America while also paying tribute to the evolution and legacy of Superman’s character.

I want a John Constantine movie that navigates his identity as a bisexual man during the AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s.

I want a Cold War era spy thriller about Black Widow where she defects from the Soviets to the U.S.

Give me more period superhero films.

Commission for @DreamingGumPop on Twitter. Anyone remember Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders? The commissioner, lovely lady btw, really loves all those retro sparkly magical girl shows from America and overseas.

Do you think Clark Kent's first few major articles were about the continued presence of lead pipes in parts of Metropolis' water system

(Average Metropolis reader after investigative reporter C. Kent's 452nd article on yet another case of landlords/business owners/factories' continued use of lead pipes/paint/gas/glass knowingly exposing the public to dangerously toxic lead levels) what the fuck happened to this guy

One day Bruce Wayne mentions in an interview that heroes like Superman are overrated, as the most effective way to reduce crime is to provide public resources and improve local infrastructure, then cites how neighboring city Metropolis has effectively lowered their violent crime by 13% after addressing their outdated water system and investing low income housing. the reporter conducting the interview suddenly starts looking a little uncomfortable

To be clear, Clark is still a fantastic investigative reporter. He still has to track down the sources to prove all this shit

"Who, Clark Kent? Yeah, we're pretty sure he's a Meta. Is he a superhero? Like what, "Lead-detector guy"? "Captain pipes?" Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy and it's a handy trick, but it's lead detection, not laser vision. He's not about to go running around in tights any time soon."

Rest in peace to Kevin Conroy. (1955-2022) You will go down as one of the most legendary voice actors in history. Thank you for being Batman to us all.

Nightwing #153

If I had to pick one issue to sum up Dick Grayson it would be this issue.

This is the last pre52 issue of Nightwing before he became Batman.  It emphasized a lot on the traits that make him different from Bruce, the traits he gained from Bruce, and also just the things that make Dick Grayson himself.

The issue opens with Dick emptying his base to move back to Gotham.  Dick is the type that calls on his friends when he needs them.  He get’s his friends to help him move out of New York and back to Gotham.

Rather than take a plane or get help from Wally he would rather take the train home because he wants to be among the people.

Dick cried openly with Alfred about Bruce’s death and they cried together.

Dick with his arm around Tim and Alfred after coming back to the Batcave and helping fix it up.

Dick repaired the light Bruce’s parents died at and then lit the candle that he and Bruce had lit when he had first become Robin and was giving his oath to always help people.  Dick himself represents light to Bruce’s darkness and in turn Dick see’s Bruce as his own light.  I love when writers/artists emphasize this through symbolism not only in this issue but throughout comics.

Overall this issue was really good at showing a lot of different aspects of Dick Grayson’s character and ended Nightwing on a strong note as he transitioned into Batman.

It’s BATMAN DAY! and I have a special extra fancy announcement. My FIRST (!!!) academic publication, Bats and Mitzvahs: Judaism in Modern Batman Comics will be released at the end of the month in the book Jews in Popular Science Fiction: Marginalized in the Mainstream, and I’ve got picture of my copy to show you all.

So if you like Judaism and Batman, Superman, golems, or Star Trek, you can preorder from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or dm me to see about getting yourself a signed copy! (psst it’s more money for me this way, so do this) Unfortunately as an academic publication it is pricy at $110 USD but I wanted to share my success with tumblr even if I don’t end up making any sales here.

Kevin Conroy is writing a piece for DC Pride! I’m so excited - he’s the best!

@thefingerfuckingfemalefury have you seen this yet?

AHHHHHH AWESOME :D

Didn’t know that about him. Good for him.

Today’s character of the day is: Elodie from OK KO Let’s Be Heroes

Today’s character of the day is: Batman aka Bruce Wayne from Batman franchise

Action Comics #27 - “The Vanished Explorer” (1940)

@nightcrawler-fan