tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post5106306515899163608..comments2024-03-09T05:53:59.542-05:00Comments on Oz and Ends: A Real Young Circus FlyerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-28420998702014783722014-02-10T10:08:00.782-05:002014-02-10T10:08:00.782-05:00Well, yes, if we take the approach that Robin isn&...Well, yes, if we take the approach that Robin <i>isn't real</i>, then the costume was designed for its graphic effect on the page. Back in 1940 he wore red, green, and yellow because those colors stood out from Batman in black and blue. He wore shorts and short sleeves because they symbolized he was a kid. And once the character became popular, then that was the costume eveyone expected. <br /><br />As fashions changed and superhero comics became more realistic and less cartoony, the costume seemed to require more in-story justification. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-79034995852510825372014-02-10T09:54:12.317-05:002014-02-10T09:54:12.317-05:00Not to be a doofus, and not to lower the tone here...Not to be a doofus, and not to lower the tone here, but I always thought that the reason Robin is drawn with the costume that he has is that readers liked looking at him. The rationalization is way after the fact.Fashion Mavennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-85518688184762328052014-02-09T20:09:44.709-05:002014-02-09T20:09:44.709-05:00As far as I can tell, no one in DC Universe hinted...As far as I can tell, no one in DC Universe hinted that the Robin costume made no sense until the 1970s. Nor was there much discussion about where it came from. As you note, one story said Bruce designed the costume for himself as a boy and then totally forgot about it—and everyone then seemed to totally forget that story. <br /><br />More recently, there have been steady efforts to justify the multiple colors, the bright cape, the bare legs or tights. Most recent retellings of how Dick Grayson became Robin, such as <i>Dark Victory</i>, say that he insisted on that outfit. Some of those tales connect parts of the garment to the Flying Graysons' costumes. Juvenile taste is almost the only plausible explanation.<br /><br />If the colors and details aren't Dick's own choice, what benefits do they provide? One story with Tim raised the possibility that Robin is supposed to distract bad guys' eyes so Batman can swoop in. The cape might provide warmth, but so would sleeves and pants legs. I suppose Dick could realize that as Robin he wouldn't have a catcher like his dad, and therefore didn't need to dress that way, but there are still a lot of flaps and flares whose only purpose is to look good in a comic book.<br /><br />The recent <i>Batman and Robin Annual</i> goes a different direction. Dick wants to wear a costume very much like his family's with a mask added; Bruce tells him no, go put on "the first one" or something like that. So Dick ends up wearing the new variation of the old outfit. At least one aspect of that moment definitely makes no sense: Dick's Flying Graysons outfit is all blue-gray, good for night camouflage, yet Bruce says it's too flashy—and orders him to wear the red, green, and yellow. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-5861186254234898012014-02-09T17:10:28.854-05:002014-02-09T17:10:28.854-05:00Hmm. Doesn't it seem like you've found a ...Hmm. Doesn't it seem like you've found a springboard for a pre-Silver Age-style flashback story about Dick's initial reaction to the Robin costume? Many of these issues would also apply to situations where Robin is fighting crime with Batman, so imagine Dick secretly thinking "Gosh! This costume is all wrong! We'd never wear anything like that! Does Batman really know what he's doing?" Then in the course of events, Robin learns that the features which seem to be liabilities from the POV of a trapeze artist turn out to serve some beneficial purpose in a fighting situation.<br /><br />(Of course at that point Robin wouldn't have discovered Bruce designed the costume to wear himself when seeking tutelage by Harvey Harris, but that could be worked into the script in a framing sequence...)Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01714171897239398438noreply@blogger.com