Preferred duration of Dick Grayson's Robin career?

[FS7]

It's also pretty interesting to think about how Tim Drake fits into all this, at least in the Pre-Flashpoint continuity. Bruce started training Tim when he was 13, and Dick was at least 21 at the time. Which means that Dick would be like 8 years older than Tim.

Thing is, Tim saw the Flying Graysons' fall to their deaths. That's how he was eventually able to figure out Bruce was Batman. So then Dick couldn't have become Robin when he was 8. Tim would've been a baby back then, heck, he might not have even been born yet. Now, Tim's age when Dick lost his parents was never stated as far as I know. I saw in some website that he was supposed to be 3 at the time (but who knows where they got that from). That would mean Dick would be at least 11 at the time. Personally, based on the way Tim looked in A Lonely Place of Dying, he seemed to be 4, maybe 5 or 6.

[Aahz]

It's also pretty interesting to think about how Tim Drake fits into all this, at least in the Pre-Flashpoint continuity. Bruce started training Tim when he was 13, and Dick was at least 21 at the time. Which means that Dick would be like 8 years older than Tim.

Thing is, Tim saw the Flying Graysons' fall to their deaths. That's how he was eventually able to figure out Bruce was Batman. So then Dick couldn't have become Robin when he was 8. Tim would've been a baby back then, heck, he might not have even been born yet. Now, Tim's age when Dick lost his parents was never stated as far as I now. I saw in some website that he was supposed to be 3 at the time (but who knows where they got that from). That would mean Dick would be at least 11 at the time. Personally, based on the way Tim looked in A Lonely Place of Dying, he looked like he was 4, maybe 5 or 6.

IIRC in Batman Year Three (the story arc before A Lonely Place of Dying, and also written by Marv Wolfman) it is said that his parents died 10 years ago.

[dietrich]

I think it does, since no one ever wrote a comic with Dick being Robin at that age, and you will also find plenty of comics were they give an older age for him starting as Robin.

What age were we told the last time? Not in Robin Year 1 or anything just the last time a title mentioned it? Does anyone know? Anyway i prefer he start at 10.

[Starrius]

Yup. She was in Congress (minimum age of 25, that's why they actually gave her an age in that panel) and he was a freshman in college.

yep
she was Dr. Barbara Gordon ,the head Librarian of Gotham City Library
she had a Ph.D.

then later on, she was elected as a U.S. House Representative

Dick was her assistant
He was also in a relationship with fellow Hudson University student Lori Elton when he and Barbara were appearing strongly in the Batman Family comics

[FS7]

IIRC in Batman Year Three (the story arc before A Lonely Place of Dying, and also written by Marv Wolfman) it is said that his parents died 10 years ago.

Yeah, but Wolfman also wrote Nightwing's Who's Who entry that said he was 9 when his parents died, so who knows.

Funnily enough, in Teen Titans #1/2 there's a flashback to John and Mary's deaths that is said to have happened... also ten years ago.

[Güicho]

Permanent.
Like Batman he shouldn't be aging.
Remain the definitive Robin. None of the derivative Robins have added anything, and the only thing ever interesting about Nightwing is he was Batman's Robin.

By all means have story arcs, where Robin(Grayson) opts out, and new Robins are introduced for a stint. Yet after their arc he's back, and spin them out into their own identities and grow the universe.

Also makes the OP's and DC's problem, moot.

[byrd156]

Permanent.
Like Batman he shouldn't age.
Remain the definitive Robin. None of the derivative Robins have added anything, and the only thing ever interesting about Nightwing is he was Batman's Robin.

By all means have story arcs, where Robin(Grayson) opts out, and new Robins are introduced for a stint. Yet after their arc he's back, and spin them out into their own identities and grow the universe.

Tim's solo series is a major counter to this statement.

[babybats]

My timeline if I was writing it

Age 12: becomes Robin / Bruce is 24
Age 18: becomes Nightwing / Jason (12) becomes Robin / Bruce (30)
Age 21-22: Jason (15) dies / Tim (13) becomes Robin / Bruce (33-34)
Age 24: Jason (17) returns as Red Hood
Age 26: becomes Batman / Damian (10) becomes Robin / Tim (17) becomes RR /Bruce (38) dies
Age 27: returns to Nightwing

So Dick is Robin for 6 years, Nightwing for 8+, and Batman for one. Jason is Robin for 3, and Tim for 4. Barbara is in there somewhere and she's older than Dick.

[oasis1313]

Tim's solo series is a major counter to this statement.

If I was in charge, I'd just say, "It never happened. Tim Dreck doesn't exist and never did exist in DC History." DC does that stuff all the time and we're supposed to just accept it.

[byrd156]

If I was in charge, I'd just say, "It never happened. Tim Dreck doesn't exist and never did exist in DC History." DC does that stuff all the time and we're supposed to just accept it.

I will never understand how you can hate Tim so much and love Dick so much. They are very important characters to each other that compliment each other so well.

Have you only read Tim post New-52? If so I can understanding hating that version but Tim overall is great and is a Dick Grayson fanboy like the rest of us.

[oasis1313]

I will never understand how you can hate Tim so much and love Dick so much. They are very important characters to each other that compliment each other so well.

Have you only read Tim post New-52? If so I can understanding hating that version but Tim overall is great and is a Dick Grayson fanboy like the rest of us.

Enthalpy and Entropy are two immutable Laws of Thermodynamics. Oasis despises the paper Tim is printed on. Same price.

[CrazyOldHermit]

The simple way I look at it is that five years of publication time equals one year of story time, in broad strokes.

Dick Grayson was Batman's sidekick from 1940 to 1969, when he went to college at age 18. That gives him six years of service starting from when he was twelve. After three years of being a solo Robin he adopted the Nightwing identity and passed Robin off to Jason, who died a year later and was replaced by Tim, who was Robin for four years. Then Damian become Robin and Dick served as Batman for six months or so.

[TheRay]

I prefer the idea of Damian being the go to Robin, and therefore using the name the longest so that the public has his likeness in mind when they think “Robin”.

So, I would prefer the others have short tenures before they grow into their true roles. I’d like to see Dick become Nightwing relatively early, maybe 14 so that he gets sometime leading the Teen Titans and then really comes into his own as Nightwing in Bludhaven.

[oasis1313]

The math will NEVER work out; it's another "suspend your system of disbelief" thing.

[Ascended]

The math will NEVER work out; it's another "suspend your system of disbelief" thing.

This. You really have to be elastic in your thinking because none of it will hold hard numbers.

Thematically I think Dick needs to be longest tenured Robin. It fits the publication history, it fits the idea that Dick was the "best" Robin and the ideal the others still follow, and it fits with Dick "aging out" of the role, breaking with Bruce, and wanting to establish his own mantle and name as Nightwing.

I'd have Dick lose his parents somewhere around the age of 11-12, become Robin officially around 13-14, and remain in the role until about 20-21. It's still a fairly young age to start as Robin, but not as young as Damian (who is startlingly young by design). And staying in the role until he's out of his teenage years and old enough to drink sells the idea that he really has grown out of the role. I think 18 is still too young for him to leave Robin behind; that's the age when a Robin should start considering the next step and part of the tension between Bruce and Dick was that Dick felt he was well beyond sidekick status. And then I'd have him as Nightwing for about 5-6 years, making him currently around 25-26; old enough to be well on his way into "proper" adulthood but still young enough to have fun.