So who is the new Robin going to be? We know that there WILL BE a new Robin.....after all, they haven't announced a cancelation of the Batman and Robin title. Lots of speculation flying around. Here are the leading theories, in no ranking order, but starred for clarity. Pro's and cons after each one.
* Tim Drake. Lots of fans love Tim! He was Robin for like, 20 years!
Pro. Lots of fans like Tim. Pro. The current Teen Titan's is a crappy title. Keep Tim around. reassign the others.
Con. Same ol' Same ol'.
* Stephanie Brown.
Pro. The writers have pretended to forget Stephanie. It's like she hasn't happened in the New 52.
Con. I don't see a con to this one. A blond girl Robin.....I LOVE IT!
* Harper Row
Pro. She's "current...."
Con. Is she really a "fan favorite?" Or is that a load of hype?
* Harper Row's brother (Andy? Don't have the book handy for reference)
Pro. Once again, he's "Current"
Con. I see no appeal so far. He hasn't done anything except be a victim.
* Damien Wayne
Pro. I miss him already. So do other people.
Con. Can the story grow? How soon? Will the rest of Batman and Robin for the next year be devoted to his resurrection? That would be fitting for Damien.
Con. The writers say they don't have current plans to bring him back.
* Jason Todd/ Red Hood
Pro. This would be interesting. It would be a way for Batman and Jason to BOTH get one over on the Joker.
Con. Would we lose the Red Hood?
My thoughts.
Of the above, I hope the whole Harper Row and her brother thing becomes it's own separate story arc. But neither of these seem to be Robin worthy. I hate Harper's design. I don't care for the Bull Nose Ring she has adorning her boogers. Hey, I had pink hair once. But her purple hair (his too) just detracts from the character. It is distracting. An even worse move would be to make her brother into Robin. This would SURELY grab headlines. A gay Robin. Oh yeah. This is EXACTLY what I am afraid they are going to do though, for shock value, and publicity. They are going to hurt Harper, or kill her, and Andy will step up and avenge her by becoming Robin. He has been a victim so far, so they have plenty of room to develop him. Think I am being unfair? Just look at what happened with Miles Morales. They chose an "ethnic" Spider-Man for the headlines. But the Gay angle might not even work out as well. We already have a gay Green Lantern in Earth 2, and a Batwoman. (Look how well these two are loved...they aren't) Harper has a real Lesbian vibe, this hasn't been explored, but so far the brother has been confirmed homosexual. I like their two stories. I even like their characters. I just don't want to see either one of them fill the hole that is left behind after the great job Damien did.
Most of all, I hope they bring Jason Todd back as Robin. Again, this would be a great joke on the Joker! Maybe he wouldn't even have to stop being the Red Hood. He has already put on a "Wingman" costume, apparently in Batman Inc. He would slide right into the role, with demons to fight similar to Damien's. He would be edgy as well. Batman would try and reign him in, and probably be successful. Did anyone else read "Red Hood and the Outlaws" #18? I read that thing three times. Bruce's fatherly embrace of his adopted son was heart wrenching. Here we have two family members torn apart by tragedy, being brought back together by more tragedy. And Bruce was showing real love here. He could have only learned that by raising Damien. He could only show this in the context of losing Damien and having a severely wounded Jason. This would be a true continuation of Jason Todd's story. And maybe many people who were so torn up about this back in the early 1990's would come back and listen. We could see a Batman who has grown from losing two Robins, both of them his sons. But he gets a second chance with one. For real.
What about the others? I don't know why the writers are so allergic to Stephanie Brown. I fear it is because she is the "anti-Harper," if Harper is to become the next girl Robin. This could be a chance to bring her up to date, though. They could have retconned her existence for a reason...They wanted a re-do. Like all of the other heroes pretty much got. She's cuter than Harper. She doesn't have an innocent background, though, with the whole "teenage pregnancy" scandal.
And what about Tim. I just don't see it happening. I see Tim becoming like Dick. He will be his own hero. Sort of like he has been as Red Robin. I think some people would like it. I liked Tim as Robin, in the few books I had of Robin back in the 1990's. I also liked him in the cartoons.
Hey, it could be somebody else. Who knows. Maybe more flashpoint timewarps will happen, and Dick will be it. Maybe all the other Bat Family will disappear into a fog. I don't want to see this. But hey, it's comics.
So in order, my favorite to least favorite picks for a new Robin
1. Damien Wayne
2. Jason Todd
3. Stephanie Brown
4. Tim Drake
5. Harper Row
6. "Brother" Row
7. A combination of the twin Rows, both as Robins. (Didn't mention this above. It could happen.)
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