The Jason Todd Reread (pre- and post-crisis)

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Preview (Batman #363):

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Detective Comics #530: "Passion Nocturnale"

(collected in "Tales of the Batman: Gene Colan Vol. 2")

Summary:

Batman races against the clock to capture the villain Nocturna--all in time to testify in the trial of Night-Thief.

creative team:

Writer: Doug Moench

Penciler: Gene Colan

Inker: Dick Giordano

Colourist: Adrienne Roy

Letterer: Ben Oda

Editors: Len Wein, Nicola Cuti

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Preview:

[Zaresh]

It's interesting that, no mater the continuity, Jason's themes seem to share some traits. Here, parental love. I sometimes think that he would've ended under similar circumstances as his post-Crisis self is now, somehow.

I think I can find some time this weekend for catching up. I really want to read this arc; I've been interested in reading it since a long ago but never found the right time. And it's by Moench, and I liked his Moon Knight a lot.

[Aahz]

I still not that fond of Nocturna and the Night Thief. And unfortunately those two will be around for a good part of this run.

[Sergard]

I'm a little late to the discussion. But before I update the thread I just wanted to say that I love pre-crisis Nocturna. I don't think her character would work that well in current continuity but within the pre-crisis universe she fits perfectly. Nocturna has her flaws, first and foremost her obsession with luxury - and her flaws make her character shine bright like a diamond. She is so passionate in her actions, that really catches my attention in a positive way.

The conversation between Bruce Wayne and Natasha Knight at the gala in Batman #363 was well written and created a beautiful tension between those two. It had such a good flow to it.

The short encounter between Jason and Nocturna was also nice. So Nocturna won't be a complete stranger to Jason when she returns. I hope he'll recognize her.

Even if this Nocturna works best pre-crisis, I wonder how her relationship with post-crisis Jason would have looked like since the backstory of post-crisis Jason compared to pre-crisis Jason is closer to Nocturna's own story.

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This time (11 May - 24 May) we discuss Batman #364 and Detective Comics #531.

Batman #364: "The Man of a Thousand Menaces"

Summary:

Batman joins the circus incognito to help Jason Todd track down a disguised thief called Chimera.

creative team:

Writer: Doug Moench

Penciler: Don Newton

Inker: Alfredo Alcala

Colourist: Adrienne Roy

Letterer: Ben Oda

Editors: Len Wein, Nicola Cuti

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Preview

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Detective Comics #531: "The Face of the Chimera"

Summary:

The villainous Chimera has impersonated a circus performer, but can the Dynamic Duo figure out which one?

creative team:

Writer: Doug Moench

Penciler: Gene Colan

Inker: Alfredo Alcala

Colourist: Adrienne Roy

Letterer: Ben Oda

Editors: Len Wein, Nicola Cuti

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Preview

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Sorry for being late. But here is my two cents regarding the two issues above.

I really enjoyed the short circus story, especially since it is Jason's first criminal case.

The writer did a good job creating a scenario in which Jason has an advantage over Batman since it was more obvious for him to find the parallels between the circus schedule and the time and location of the burglaries - even if Chimera was clever enough to use different disguises and names. So there’s also an explanation why Batman didn’t immediately see the connection.

But since Jason is still new to all this detective stuff, it’s natural that he sometimes doubts his own intuition and conclusions. The chasing scenes between Chimera, Batman and Jason are a little too slapstick-y sometimes but they still have a nice flow to it.

I’m surprised that I liked the lion scene that much. But it represents a core element of Batman’s character: his strong willpower. The arc also balanced Bruce’ two main focuses at the moment – crime fighting and protecting Jason – well. It’s always nice to see bat dad Bruce.

And there was one moment that really made me chuckle – when Batman confronts Chimera for the first time and Chimera is completely puzzled why Batman has suddenly appeared out of nowhere – even asking why Batman is here and how he knows about Chimera’s plan of kidnapping Jason. And for obvious reasons Batman can’t tell the truth, so he’s all mysterious. “The night holds no secrets from me” and so on.

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This time (25 May - 7 June) we discuss Batman #365 and (no Jason in Detective Comics #532 - but issue will be listed for completeness) Batman #366.

Batman #365: "Ruins"

Summary:

Vicki Vale is captured in a village in Guatemala.

creative team:

Writer: Doug Moench

Penciler: Don Newton

Inker: Alfredo Alcala

Colourist: Adrienne Roy

Letterer: John Costanza

Editors: Len Wein, Nicola Cuti

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Preview (Batman #365)

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(listed for completeness, issue doesn't contain Jason)

Detective Comics #532: "Laugh, Killer, Laugh!"

(collected in "Tales of the Batman: Gene Colan Vol. 2")

Summary:

Vicki Vale is tied to the train tracks in Joker's amusement park from hell. Can the Caped Crusader free himself in time to save the woman he loves from a horrible fate?

Preview


creative team:

Writer: Doug Moench

Penciler: Gene Colan

Inker: Bob Smith

Colourist: Adrienne Roy

Letterer: Ben Oda

Editors: Len Wein, Nicola Cuti

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Batman #366: "The Joker Is Wild!"

Summary:

As rebels and government forces clash in Guatemala, Batman battles the Joker alongside a brand new ally: Jason Todd who debuts as the new Robin!

creative team:

Writer: Doug Moench

Penciler: Don Newton

Inker: Alfredo Alcala

Colourist: Adrienne Roy

Letterer: John Costanza

Editors: Len Wein, Nicola Cuti