This is mostly to clarify something I discussed in my first Batman review, because I don't think I made it at all clear then: I actually do love the idea of a Bat-Family.
It's the perfect arc for Batman. He starts out as a dark, brooding loner whose parents' murder drives everything he does and who never really had a family since then. Once Robin was introduced into the comics in 1941, Batman transitioned from a shadowy loner into a strong, reliable, brooding-but-also-with-a-sense-of-fun, father figure and role model. And the newcomers to Batman's life didn't stop there. A year later, Alfred was on the scene, and the Bat-Family grew. So why stop there? Why not let Batman's supportive new found family keep growing?
And Batman is obviously a great teacher. Robin learned from him in just a matter of months, and not only that, we see Batman inspiring all the other young boys he comes into contact with during his crimefighting missions. (I've never seen him inspire young girls in the early strips, though that would have been nice.) It almost doesn't seem fair to let Batman's influence stop with Dick Grayson. There must be many other kids out there ready to become crimefighters, just waiting for the right teacher. There are so many more people Batman can spread his anti-crime message to. And Batman would probably become a little lighter and happier with each new person to join his Bat-Family. I would absolutely love to read a series of comic books that focused on Batman, Robin, and their ever-increasing found family, sharing fun times and exploring their different dynamics together as they fight crime. (Can you tell I just love the found family trope??)
Now, I do understand that eventually, Dick Grayson will have to grow up. Even if, in a comic-book world, the characters are eternal and never age, it somehow stretches credulity more if a child or teenager, whose growth stages are a lot more obvious and who has birthdays and future milestones mentioned, never grows up even after thirty years of the strip's being around. (At least, it does in a more serious comic strip like this one; a gag-a-day strip could probably get away with it.) I understand Dick's eventually growing up, and I understand that for a lot of people, the fun, playful Robin costume feels like something only a child or a teenager could wear. Which I don't agree with; I think a lot of our ideas of what children vs adults can wear is based on harmful, faulty perceptions of what attitudes children and adults should have towards life (adults can never play, etc). And it does kind of bother me that Dick Grayson, a character whose playful nature has always provided some much-needed balance to the more serious Batman, would suddenly don an equally dark persona when he grows up.
I don't mind the idea that Dick takes on the new persona of Nightwing. Not really. If people who knew him as Robin are still thinking of this grown adult superhero as “the Boy Wonder”, I can totally understand where he'd think he's due for a rebrand! And I can almost see the idea that the next boy would become Robin and it would be like passing down the torch. Now Dick has graduated, he's a full superhero who can fight crime alone, and now the next lucky boy will take up the mantle as Batman's companion. There's almost something sweet about it when you look at it that way.
But whenever I do look at it, I just end up feeling sad.
To my mind, the identity of Robin belongs to Dick Grayson. It's not just a costume that can be simply passed down from one person to another. Robin is Dick's identity. It's him. Dick never put on another persona when he donned his superhero costume the way Bruce did. That's just who he was. The iconic duo of Batman and Robin wasn't just about the dark brooding guy dressed as a bat, and his teenage companion in bright colours and short shorts. It was about that particular bond between Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, which should always remain no matter how many other superheroes Batman becomes a father figure to. Besides, any other companion Batman fights crime with will have a completely different origin story, completely different way he or she met Batman, completely different personality, and Batman would have a completely different dynamic with each of them. It feels a little weird having all these unique individuals, instead of creating their own superhero personas which reflect them, all trying to be Robin.
If Robin is anyone other than Dick Grayson, it means Batman and Robin ended. Worse, the dynamic ended, it didn't just grow up along with Dick. If Dick's new persona is as much about darkness as Batman's is; there's nothing more about him being the light to Batman's dark, the playful to his serious, the one who brings out his more human side. Did Dick see one too many dark crimes, and now instead of helping Bruce become lighter, he became as dark and serious as Bruce??
I don't know how many comics played up on the family aspect at all, which to me is the main appeal of having a Bat-Family. Dick could still be around and helping out with all the new superheroes' training, like that cool older brother who's living on his own. I don't know if there are Batman strips focusing on the growing family angle, but most of what I've seen of later Batman strips feels darker, grittier, and lonelier, as though Batman lost the light that Robin once gave to his existence, rather than found even more of it. Rather than constantly being with his new apprentice of the day, and frequently going to see Nightwing and joining forces, Batman often seems to be completely alone.
And what's the point of having a Bat-Family if they can't always be there for each other??
Maybe what I really don't like is the comics getting too dark. You can probably tell from my descriptions of what makes a Bat-Family so appealing that I love the interpersonal dynamics in any story (especially ones that are otherwise filled with action). Thar's one of the main reasons Batman is my favourite superhero in the first place, because his dynamic with Robin is such an important part of the strip.
And maybe that's what I'm trying to say. That I actually do love the idea of a Bat-Family. That I would love to see a strip that focuses on increasing Batman's circle more and more, rather than playing up on how dark and lonely his life is. And at the same time... I would really like to see the adult Dick Grayson completely owning that red, green, and yellow costume with the short pants. This is who I am, take it or leave it. Whether you think adults should be bright and colourful or not.
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