#I now desperately want scenes of the two sparring with Babs in her chair

[zahri-melitor]

Carrie Kelley, in 1986, was the first Robin to have an iconic weapon (her slingshot).

Tim Drake, in 1991, was the first main-line Robin to have his own distinct weapon (his bo staff, though he ALSO started out with a slingshot as a secondary).

Dick Grayson got his escrima sticks as Nightwing in mumblety 1995-1997. The first ART you could say they appear in is Nightwing vol 1 #2 (his first page in the Blue Fingerstripes outfit).

They are drawn in at least once more in the miniseries, in #4, but Dick never draws them or acknowledges them.

The first time he holds them is the cover of Nightwing Vol 2 #1: however they don’t appear inside.

As far as I can tell the first time Dick FINALLY uses his new weapons is #5. Lady Vic gets the honour of being the first rogue smacked around with them.

What’s the point of tracking all this down and establishing the 18 month long process of Dick actually USING his new weapons?

Well, mostly because I just read Oracle Year One again, and just gonna put it out there, but Richard Dragon gave Barbara Gordon escrima sticks and lessons to defend herself in Batman Chronicles #5 in June 1996, several months before we ever see Dick drawn holding his.

Yeah yeah later Year One stories like Robin and Nightwing Year Ones will flirt with the escrima coming earlier for Dick, but the fact that in our timeline the development of Babs and Dick both using escrima sticks in their fighting styles occurred in an overlapping period is fascinating to me.

Of all the weapons to pick for them both. Dick, after returning to work in and near Gotham, picks up the fighting style that Babs acquired to allow her to fight in her wheelchair.