Your DC-Only controversial opinions (part II)...

[Flash Gordon]

But isn't the main reason we think that because the mantle was passed down to another kid, thus keeping the "Robin must be the kid partner" thing alive? Had Dick remained Robin as an adult but continued not being Batman's partner, who knows what the expectation will be.

Dick-as-Robin was becoming more of an independent operator in the Bronze Age was less likely to do as he was told by the NTT days. He stands up to Bruce a couple times in the first few issues alone. The reason he gave up the identity was more due to the Bat-office wanting the Robin identity back, not as much of a reason in-universe that Robin has to be Batman's subordinate any longer

Totally. The only real reason 'Robin' is associated with being a kid is because there's been a parade of children filling Dick's boots ever since he became Nightwing. Had he always been Robin, I think 'Robin' would mean something much different. Robin is Dick's identity, and nothing about it demands that it be a child's identity. It's supposed to be in the vein of Robin Hood, a swashbuckler- which Dick surely is.

Batman is free to have other associates but they don't need to be kids and they don't all need to be called Robin. Hell, Dick being a grown up Robin out on his own would lend extra gravitas anytime he teams up with Batman again- BATMAN AND ROBIN, the band is back together.

[Flash Gordon]

I think Tim and Jason being young informed a lot of their experience as Robin because it became about them growing up and bringing their youth and inexperience to the table as Batman's partner, in different ways. You don't really get that with adult partners.

Neither of them grew up, though. Jason died horribly and Tim has been in and out of limbo. Unable to forge an identity. An adult can also be inexperienced and need Batman's guidance, very few people are as capable as Batman.

Jason could have been a troubled young man who Batman helps but who eventually becomes the Red Hood on his own (either through a 'death' or through an ideological shift). Tim could be any age really and work.

It would be nice to see Batman work with adults instead of children. The only real reason he's become this weird tutor figure is because of a weird need to always fill Dick's shoes and not let the role and the title change.

[SiegePerilous02]

It would be nice to see Batman work with adults instead of children. The only real reason he's become this weird tutor figure is because of a weird need to always fill Dick's shoes and not let the role and the title change.

Yes I could happily live without this weird thing where Batman collects kids to indoctrinate. It wasn't really bad back when it was just Dick as a one-off thing and the universe was generally more fantastical and less grim, but with how dark the Bat-Mythos can get, expanding the number of kids (despite any trauma they may sustain) doesn't really mesh with that

[Gaius]

If anything devalues the Robin identity it was when all those kids were calling themselves Robin during WaR. It's why Damian hated them initially.

Dick's character would be much weaker thematically if he kept being Robin indefinitely in my opinion.

Idk, like others have said “Robin” being seen as a kid mantle comes from DC reinforcing it into one because of all the ones who followed Dick. If Dick still got the Nightwing outfit but still kept the monopoly on the Robin mantle, I think it could have led to Dick being a stronger character in his own right.

Granted there’s also stuff that would have be done, like Dick probably being in a book that’s not under the Bat-office domain would probably help him.

[Hi-Max]

Yeah, from a narrative perspective, I think this whole Bat-family thing is really dumb, and somewhere around the level of Scrappy-Doo. I'm okay with with Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon, but beyond that, it's jumping the shark. I thought that even as a kid. When Tim Drake showed up on the Batman cartoon, I was like,"...uhh...I don't think I like this."

[Gaius]

Tom Taylor’s main DC works are derivative and cliche-ridden and when he actually has to play characters straight, he overall writes characters rather shallow when he can’t make them irredeemable monsters or get cheap feels when they slaughter some C-listers.

[TheRay]

I feel like Superman is way closer to Metropolis than Smallville. He should have at least one villain based in Smallville.

[DrNewGod]

I feel like Superman is way closer to Metropolis than Smallville. He should have at least one villain based in Smallville.

Not too many world beater villains hangin' out in Corn Country (I know, I've lived there). The snark aside, especially in these times, a threat in his rural home does lend itself to something like a Proud Boys analogue.

[Robanker]

Not too many world beater villains hangin' out in Corn Country (I know, I've lived there). The snark aside, especially in these times, a threat in his rural home does lend itself to something like a Proud Boys analogue.

Yeah, seeing bigotry in the heartland of America would be a good way to get Clark stepping in to fight injustice from a young age.

[Tzigone]

I feel like Superman is way closer to Metropolis than Smallville. He should have at least one villain based in Smallville.

I feel like Superman is supposed to closer to Metropolis. I really don't like his Smallville past in his present-day and prefer it as part of his past. Metropolis his home now, especially if you go older route where his parents died before he became Superman. Full caveat here that I'm not fond of Clark-as-Superboy existing, rather preferring the golden age setup in that regard - where his parents died after he was absolutely a grown man, but before he became Superman. Though I do have a fondness for silver-age Pete Ross, one-note as he was, and deeply dislike him always being made a less-impressive person since the bronze-age.

[BooCoo]

Saw the preview pages to Flash #763. Art is definitely different and takes some getting used to. Once again Iris is front and center, as story padding and a crutch. And once again, mention of the anniversary of Barry's mother's death. This is what bogged down the series before. We get it we get it! For crying out loud can we get through ONE STORY LINE without constantly seeing Iris for every dumb reason? And ENOUGH about Barry's mother! I don't think even his father obsesses to the degree he does. Its beyond tiresome at this point.

The story about Barry's ring seems fun and interesting. They need to stop relying on Iris to be the 'voice of everything since she has no power' just to find reasons to stick her in stories. If it isn't that she's dressing up like some tagalong action junkie or yelling about being carried to safety. She musta been in like 90 percent of the series before and it seems like this new team is picking up where it left off. So much for Barry moving on from "Mom."

[PCN24454]

I feel like Superman is supposed to closer to Metropolis. I really don't like his Smallville past in his present-day and prefer it as part of his past. Metropolis his home now, especially if you go older route where his parents died before he became Superman. Full caveat here that I'm not fond of Clark-as-Superboy existing, rather preferring the golden age setup in that regard - where his parents died after he was absolutely a grown man, but before he became Superman. Though I do have a fondness for silver-age Pete Ross, one-note as he was, and deeply dislike him always being made a less-impressive person since the bronze-age.

Yeah, definitely in the same way that Nightwing is closer to Blüdhaven than Gotham.

[Guy_McNichts]

Whenever the topic of DC Comics meeting/fighting the Dragon Ball characters comes up, as much as everyone focuses on Goku against Superman (and for good reason given how similar their origins have become) I feel like Wonder Woman is the DC character who'd best fit in with the Dragon Ball crew.

Also uber-strong, actually knows martial arts, enjoys a friendly spar as much as Goku & co.
And if you go back to the Golden Age explanation for her powers, it doesn't sound far off from raising/lowering power level via training.

[Vordan]

Whenever the topic of DC Comics meeting/fighting the Dragon Ball characters comes up, as much as everyone focuses on Goku against Superman (and for good reason given how similar their origins have become) I feel like Wonder Woman is the DC character who'd best fit in with the Dragon Ball crew.

Also uber-strong, actually knows martial arts, enjoys a friendly spar as much as Goku & co.
And if you go back to the Golden Age explanation for her powers, it doesn't sound far off from raising/lowering power level via training.

Wonder Woman vs. Vegeta would be fun as hell given how uptight Vegeta is.

[Frontier]

Totally. The only real reason 'Robin' is associated with being a kid is because there's been a parade of children filling Dick's boots ever since he became Nightwing. Had he always been Robin, I think 'Robin' would mean something much different. Robin is Dick's identity, and nothing about it demands that it be a child's identity. It's supposed to be in the vein of Robin Hood, a swashbuckler- which Dick surely is.

Batman is free to have other associates but they don't need to be kids and they don't all need to be called Robin. Hell, Dick being a grown up Robin out on his own would lend extra gravitas anytime he teams up with Batman again- BATMAN AND ROBIN, the band is back together.

One of Robin's main epithet's is the "Boy Wonder" and a common visual is him together with Batman in a young form. I don't think it's just because of the mantle having young successors.

Nightwing feels more appropriate for an adult swashbuckler in a world that Dick experienced in the NTT and we get the band back together whenever Batman and Nightwing team-up.

Neither of them grew up, though. Jason died horribly and Tim has been in and out of limbo. Unable to forge an identity. An adult can also be inexperienced and need Batman's guidance, very few people are as capable as Batman.

Jason's experience with Joker was part of how he ended up the way he did as an adult, and Tim grew up plenty during Post-Crisis. The only time he was really in limbo was when Tynion wrote him early into his 'Tec run.

It completely shifts the dynamic if they're adults having to basically function as Robin's within Batman's orbit and their youth characterized a lot of how they acted during their periods as Robins and how they imprinted onto Batman.

Jason could have been a troubled young man who Batman helps but who eventually becomes the Red Hood on his own (either through a 'death' or through an ideological shift). Tim could be any age really and work.

So still "young" .

Tim was in high school and had his dad so you kind of need him to be a teenager.

It would be nice to see Batman work with adults instead of children. The only real reason he's become this weird tutor figure is because of a weird need to always fill Dick's shoes and not let the role and the title change.

Batman works plenty with adults. Jim Gordon, Huntress, Azrael, his adult sidekicks, the adult Superhero community.

I wouldn't say it's just the need for Batman to have a Robin but for the paternalistic tendencies Batman exhibits and his desire to have a family.

Yes I could happily live without this weird thing where Batman collects kids to indoctrinate. It wasn't really bad back when it was just Dick as a one-off thing and the universe was generally more fantastical and less grim, but with how dark the Bat-Mythos can get, expanding the number of kids (despite any trauma they may sustain) doesn't really mesh with that

I mean, even in the 90's the only kids were Tim and Cass. Bruce had nothing to do with Steph as Spoiler. It's because of the reboot de-aging everybody and adding new characters that it seems like Batman collects a flock of kids when it was really a more natural progression originally.

Heck, Babs wasn't even a kid when she first became Batgirl but has retroactively been made into one.

Idk, like others have said “Robin” being seen as a kid mantle comes from DC reinforcing it into one because of all the ones who followed Dick. If Dick still got the Nightwing outfit but still kept the monopoly on the Robin mantle, I think it could have led to Dick being a stronger character in his own right.

But then you wouldn't have gotten the other Robins, who all have their own fans.

Saw the preview pages to Flash #763. Art is definitely different and takes some getting used to. Once again Iris is front and center, as story padding and a crutch. And once again, mention of the anniversary of Barry's mother's death. This is what bogged down the series before. We get it we get it! For crying out loud can we get through ONE STORY LINE without constantly seeing Iris for every dumb reason? And ENOUGH about Barry's mother! I don't think even his father obsesses to the degree he does. Its beyond tiresome at this point.

The story about Barry's ring seems fun and interesting. They need to stop relying on Iris to be the 'voice of everything since she has no power' just to find reasons to stick her in stories. If it isn't that she's dressing up like some tagalong action junkie or yelling about being carried to safety. She musta been in like 90 percent of the series before and it seems like this new team is picking up where it left off. So much for Barry moving on from "Mom."

I don't like how the Flash Ring is apparently his mother's wedding ring. Can we please move on from this aspect?