Dunking on the Darkish Knight for being an emotionally constipated stick within the mud is virtually a nationwide pastime. I embody myself in that, as a result of critically, have you ever seen the man? However that’s not solely truthful. Within the 80-plus years since his debut, Batman has gone by many artistic groups, every of which had a distinct idea of how Batman ought to be. Some incarnations are higher adjusted than others, particularly in terms of how Batman treats his ever-growing variety of sidekicks/adopted youngsters. In honor of Father’s Day, I’m looking again at a narrative from Batman #20, which exhibits off the Caped Crusader’s softer aspect.
Revealed in 1944, this story has the unwieldy title of “Bruce Wayne Loses the Guardianship of Dick Grayson!” I ponder what the plot may very well be?
By some means, Batman’s first transfer is to not examine the holy heck out of those individuals. It’s not his second, third, or fourth transfer both. Actually, we by no means see him do any detective work of any kind on this problem. As a substitute we get this subplot a few gangster named Fatso Foley who has it out for Batman as a result of causes. However we’ll get into that later.
As you might think about, Dick is disinclined to go reside with these weirdos, so George and Clara drag ’em to court docket. Cue the dramatic testimony.
“He solely made me eat rats one time!”
Class ID: 1074
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Additionally, if trendy Batman tried to point out that a lot emotion, he’d in all probability escape in a rash.
Regardless of this outpouring of emotion, the decide isn’t impressed with Bruce’s playboy repute and awards custody to the Graysons. It’s genuinely upsetting. Right here’s this child who was traumatized by the lack of his mother and father and located a brand new function with individuals who genuinely care about him, however now he’s yanked out of a bizarre however loving residence into one other unstable scenario.
Batman isn’t dealing with it effectively, both. He nearly will get clobbered by some mooks earlier than Robin, having snuck out of his new residence, involves his rescue. Talking of Dick’s new residence, all isn’t effectively on the Grayson family.
You’d suppose that is main as much as a reveal that George and Clara are impostors, however apparently not: so far as we’re ever instructed, they’re Dick’s precise aunt and uncle. They’re simply horrible individuals. However in that case, why is Clara carrying an previous girl wig and glasses? Would her crimson hair mark her as a wanton vamp ill-suited for motherhood?
George provides to promote Dick again to Bruce Wayne for one million . When Bruce “calls” his “good friend” Batman about this, George contacts Fatso Foley to come back and kill Batman for him. How George obtained his deal with isn’t defined. It wouldn’t shock me to be taught that Gotham has a villain listing so that each one the dangerous guys can discover one another at a second’s discover.
Luckily, George drunk-dials Wayne Manor to brag about Batman’s imminent demise. This permits Alfred to alert Robin to allow them to go on a rescue mission.
Try Alfred with the sick burn there.
The decide provides custody again to Bruce, as a result of even a flighty playboy looks like a superb mother or father in comparison with the man who tried to ransom his personal nephew. Bruce then actually boots George from the courthouse, by no means (?) to be seen once more. That appears authorized!
Sure, this was fairly foolish, and Batman’s failure to research the Graysons in any respect is fairly dangerous. However I can’t assist liking the story anyway. It’s a uncommon early glimpse into the non-public lives of the Bat household, and possibly essentially the most emotional I’ve ever seen Batman in any medium, ever.
This isn’t the one time Batman was a superb papa to his chicken brood, although you could possibly be forgiven for not realizing that. Examples of him being horrible have extra web endurance—we’ve all seen that panel of Bats smacking Robin whereas screaming about his useless mother and father, haven’t we?—and clearly allowances need to be made for the truth that he’s mainly operating a toddler military, however that’s comics for you.
My level is, Batman isn’t all the time the heartless son of a bat that sure writers prefer to painting him as. When Dick went away to school in Batman #217, Bruce had the Bat model of a midlife disaster, closed up Wayne Manor and the Batcave, and moved right into a Gotham penthouse. However I feel the comics based mostly on Batman: The Animated Sequence are essentially the most adept at acknowledging he’s a father and exploring how he handles that (and ripping my coronary heart out within the course of). I can suggest Batman: Gotham Adventures #22, the place Batman finds Dick’s teddy bear simply to make him really feel higher, and #44, the place he agonizes over his determination to depart an injured Nightwing’s aspect, though it was the one solution to save lives.
As for Batman #20, it might not maintain up so effectively, however the Darkish Knight’s fatherly devotion to his first son makes it price a glance.
