#guide to jaybin

[galaxymagitech]

Pre-Crisis Jason Todd, you are an utterly incomprehensible child.

Your compulsive acrobatics are adorable. Your ability to imprint on Bruce and call him your new father within a month is impressive. Your cute child powers are so strong that Man-Bat tried to adopt you. Your ability to phrase things in the weirdest way possible is matched only by Pre-Crisis Dick Grayson, and even then, you have proven yourself his equal in that regard.

You’re insane, and I love that for you.

[jayladfanpage]

JASON TODD MUST-READ COMIC GUIDE :]

ROBIN

Batman (1940) #408-411, #416

Detective Comics (1937) #569-574, #580 & #581

Superman (1939) Annual #11

New Teen Titans (1985) #20, #21

Batman: The Cult (1988)

Batman (1940) #422, #424, #425

Batman: A Death in The Family

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000) #43-45

RED HOOD

Under The Red Hood & Red Hood: Lost Days (I recommend reading Lost Days first, but it's up to you)

Nightwing (1996) #118-122

Green Arrow (2001) #69-72

Batman: Battle for the Cowl & Battle for the Cowl: The Underground (2009)

Task Force Z (2021)

Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing (2023)

[littlefankingdom]

I kind of agree with this, but I want to add to it.

People acts as if calling Jaybin "reckless" is the worst insult that has ever been, when it is not? And pointing out that he was reckless is blaming him for his death, when not at all? Being reckless comes with being a teenage vigilante. Recklessness and braveness are two sides of the same coin, which Jaybin was. He is described as both reckless (and, seriously, when did flying solo to Israel at 15 isn't reckless?) and "braver than a man" (Bruce in Knightfall). The whole Batfam is reckless, because they are brave and tends to put their wellbeing behind other's, Jason was the same.

In Gotham Knights, Bruce explains how each of his kids tend to be reckless and not follow his orders, and why each of them is like this. For Jason, he points out that the reason was that he was headstrong and rebellious individuation, which is a self-discovery process. Rebelling in the goal of self-discovery is peak teenager behavior, and Jason was a very emotive teenager that has been through shit. In the same comics series, he is also described as a very emotive teenager, and a lot of his behaviors are linked to teenagehood. Jason, even today, is still a very emotive person, his emotions win against his logic and judgment. He tries to kill Two-Face because he learns he may have killed his dad, in a flashback he is shown again trying to kill Two-Face after the rogue nearly shot Batman in the head... He becomes violent because he cares a lot and his emotions get the best of him, which is in conflict with how Batman is supposed to work, by using logic and not his emotions. Jason is a basic angry teenager, and he makes mistakes because he is a TEENAGER, hurt by life.

And this where the issue is most of the time and what scares me about the summary we were given: Batman's relationship with Jaybin. I don't trust DC with their relationship, I can't trust them to not damage their characters and relationship to be classist af. Bruce loved Jason post-crisis. He took him in because he was lonely and the kid was capable to make him LAUGH on his parents' murder anniversary, in the alley it happened in. NOBODY has ever succeeded in making Bruce forgets his trauma enough on this day and at this location to make him laugh, but Jason did. Bruce was charmed by Jason's character, by this kid that was reckless/brave enough to steal from Batman, insult him and hit him. And I have already talked about this before, but DC has kept rewriting this first meeting by making Bruce a bitch to this kid, in a way to argument their classism more. Bruce didn't take Jason in to save him from crimes, or he would have to take all the kids at Ma Gunn, he took him because he loved him. And Jason was also a fighter before he met Bruce, I'm tired of him being painted as being forced to be Robin, he was going to fight Ma Gunn and her team on his own.

They keep writing Bruce being like "I know from the beginning Jason was going to be a criminal, he was born in it, and I needed to save him", and proving this right, and I hate it. Because, like I pointed out, Jason is just being a teenager that has been through trauma so he is hurt and angry. AND WHO HAS BEEN WRITTEN TO BE EXACTLY THE SAME AS A TEEN? BRUCE. Bruce was an angry teen, he was already described as an angry teen when Jason was Robin. A teenager that would get into fights because he was hurt and wanted to hurt others. Because he saw life as unfair because of his trauma. He has even tried to kill a bully, and he was for killing criminals. THE PARALLELS BETWEEN JASON AND BRUCE. Bruce loves Jason, but he keeps seeing himself in him and he is scared. He is scared because he wants nothing more than the best for Jason and for him to be a better man than him, and he is scared because he doesn't know if he is good enough to make it happen. It's not Jason and his origins that should be the problem, it's Bruce and his self-esteem. There's a kid just like him, and Bruce is afraid he doesn't have the capacities not to make him worse than him, or at least like him. And the tragedy is that he was never able to give Jason the future he deserves, because the boy he loved, even with his flaws, was taken from him too soon, in circumstances outside his controls.

But nooooo, DC prefers to be like "See how Jaybin is angry and violent? That's in his DNA from being the child of a drug addict and a criminal. Bruce didn't take him in because he was suffering from empty nest syndrome, he took him in to save him, without realizing you cannot save the doomed dirty poor from their destinies."

TDLR: Jason being an emotive reckless kid isn't a bad thing, and it doesn't mean he is a bad Robin, he is just a teenager. Actually, it creates a connection not only with who he is now, but also with Bruce. The issue is that DC cannot handle this correctly and keep being classist, while destroying the characters' personalities and relationships.

the uproar caused by the recently released synopsis for jeff lemire and dustin nguyen's sequel for robin & batman, describing jason as angry and impulsive, has left me very... eeeehhh.

"eeeehhh" as in, i don't think people are wrong for being mad and upset at jason being described like that, but i also don't get the fixation with the whole "jason was the happy and whimsical robin" fantasy.

let me break this down: pre-crisis jason was happy to be robin and volunteered himself for it, yes. but dc had no prospect for a higher role for him in batman's mythos and his backstory was a literal copy of dick's backstory; no traits that composed jason from 1987 influenced his character back then. not catherine, not willis, not sheila haywood, not an impoverished upbringing, not faye gunn, nothing.

only from the crisis on infinite earths on these traits were added as jason was reworked. and, from then on, his personality was changed: he still found enjoyment in being robin, but he was also troubled by his upbringing -- much like d¡ck became troubled by the murder of his parents -- and those troubles manifested at first with him trying to kill two-face (who was the cause of his biological father's death) and, later on jim starlin's run, an open-ending story where jason may or may not have killed a criminal, which (if he was lying) he feels no visible remorse over.

while the changes in his temper make sense with his new flawed, less-than-ideal upbringing, the classism that motivated those changes should be called out. all those changes were used to play on the population's already existing disliking of jason at the time, and after he got killed off, the "solution" to the "problem" jason was taken as was his complete antithesis: tim was marketed for being moderately wealthy, educated and highly intelligent boy. tim drake was used to "correct" all the flaws of jason.

the problem is, while the changes made on jason have dubious origins, they're the only reason he's still around. the story of jason todd (as in, his death and how affected the narrative for the time he was dead, plus his revival and everything from then on,) was only capable of existing because of the jason made by max allan collins and jim starlin. everything that is liked about jason came from that rework.

so, why the outrage when this is the version of jason that new works are based on? it's the one who formed the one who he was for a long time and is today; angry jason is the jason that makes sense to become red hood later on, because red hood jason was based on angry jason.

bringing back the first paragraph, i do find reasonable not liking angry jason because it is rooted in classism. what i don't get is insisting on acting like angry jason is "just a mischaracterization" or that it was something brought later on, and that the fantasy of a whimsical, happy jason that never existed after he got his own individual story could be a good thing.

two things can be true at the same time: angry, irrational jason was a bad change for its roots, but it did and does constitute what jason was and is.

[batsandbirdsandothers]

(:

What if Bruce could see Jaybin?

Weeeeeell the thing is that Jaybin aka ghost!jason is only visible to the current Robin(s). I like to think that Jaybin guides the Robins through their journey and helps them find their own meaning of "Robin." Hence it wouldn't make sense if Dick, whos now nightwing, and Bruce to the see Jaybin right?

But a lot of people are requesting for Dick and/or Bruce to see Jaybin. So lets say... if this post gets 100 notes, I'll draw a little something of Bruce and Jaybin interacting?

[vintagerobin]

Alright I've seen some people getting confused by this so let's have a quick guide to classic Batfandom suffixes! Because unlike some other superheroes these guys have a longstanding tradition of shuffling names and costumes around like they're playing a really elaborate game of musical chairs. Or perhaps hot potato. Anyway.

"Bin". The one you're most likely to have heard. Affixed to the end of any former Robin's name when you need to differentiate one from the other Robins or specify that you're talking about them as Robin versus one of their other aliases. Eg. "Dickbin", "Jaybin".

"Bats". Like above, affixed to the name of anyone who's been Batman to specify that you're talking about them as Batman - except for Bruce, because he's the default. Eg. "Dickbats", "Azbats".

"Girl". Same as above but for Batgirl. Used somewhat less often but I still see it. Eg. "Babsgirl", "Stephgirl".

In principle you can apply this to nearly any other Batfamily alias, eg. "Brucewing" and "Jaywing" to refer to instances where Bruce and Jason briefly wore the Nightwing costume.

[tjmsteph]

hi! ^_^

i was wondering if you could help me get into dc comics! i’ve always leaned more towards the movies/shows, video games, and fanon content.

if you have any reading guides at your disposal, i’d really appreciate them! even just naming a few starter comics would be cool.

i hope you don’t mind me asking this of you! i discovered your acc on tiktok and your edits made me wanna get more into the comics when i was formerly disinterested. your characterization takes are also pretty spot on!! :D

thank yew

IM GONNA CRY AND PUKE THANK YOU OMG getting into dc is not difficult but its also pretty challenging depending on which era you wanna read and which family you wanna get into. unfortunately im mainly a batfam-head so i have mostly suggestions about batfamily characters, i hope you wont mind :3

batman: year one is a must in my eyes but i dont see batman: ego advertised nearly as much and it pains me, its a very interesting read on the duality of bruce wayne and batman and an excellent analysis on purpose and motivations

after that, if you wish to continue reading batman related things, i suggest reading about the robins!

batman: year three (batman #436 to #439) serves as a retelling of dick and bruce’s first encounter and its the most used retelling, since it also introduces tim drake but i digress

year ones are your friends! robin: year one and robin/batgirl: year one are stories you should check out but, for the love of christ, keep AWAY from nightwing: year one. i dont know what they were thinking there. if you liked reading these, dick grayson could be the guy for you but, warning i guess, he has lots to read about so make sure to find a good reading guide for him.

after dick quits and becomes nightwing, jason todd is next and luckily the easiest read since he didnt do much except for dying (rip). he is super straight forward, batman: #408 to #425 and detective comics: #568 to #582. a good read for jason and bruce is also batman: the cult!

alas jaybin must die and so here comes a death in the family, batman: #426 to #429. im not a red hood fan personally but batman: under the red hood is kinda a must read. if you liked jason todd, i’m really sorry you’ll never see good writing again

after a death in family, you can read a lonely place of dying when that freak tim drake appears, batman: #440 to #442 alternating with new titans #60 and #61. TOOOOO GOOD. sorry.

tim drake is kinda complicated because the 90s were annoying but you can read detective comics: #618 to #621 and then after batman: #455 to #457 for the important things and him becoming robin most of all. after that the three robin miniseries, robin (1991), robin: the joker’s wild and robin: cry of the huntress are next and finally theres a big one, robin (1993)

if you like tim drake i plan on making a proper reading guide #soon so stay tuned i guess LOL. you cant have tim without stephanie brown, which kinda appears shortly after tim’s initiation as robin. detective comics: #647 to #649 are her origin story, showcase ‘95 #5 is a really underrated stephanie story and then you can just read robin (1993) since she is in there a lot.

i have a stephanie brown reading list ready to be reposted so trust it will be soon! finally damian wayne :3 read batman: son of the demon since its a way better origin for damian over the racist ‘talia is abusive and a r@pist’ morrison retcon.

damian is a really difficult character to get into cause unfortunately most of his stories are racist dogshit but the good stuff is GOOD. robin: son of batman will change your life 5ever. another fun read is robin (2021). to get hooked on daminika.

on the topic of batman’s supporting cast lets go with the batgirls. acknowledged as batgirls, we have barbara gordon tho she is largely more interesting as oracle! i wish you no harm so please don’t read the killing joke, it’s such a lame story and downright misogynistic towards babs.

just let it know that (sigh.) the joker left barbara gordon in a wheelchair. batman: chronicles #5 is genuinely one of the best stories ever, will make you weep and choke and die. after that, birds of prey (1999)’s yuriful antics will charm you.

the current batgirl, cassandra cain, is currently having an ongoing serie! her origin story is in batman: #567 and detective comics: #734. warning: she appears right in the middle of an event called batman: no man’s land so i suggest looking up batman: no man’s land reading guides if its too confusing for context. im really sorry. after that PLEASE read batgirl (2000). too good.

stephanie cheated and managed to be both robin and batgirl so you should read batgirl (2009) which is fairly context-less? or better, they explain most of the context in-comic so it should be fine.

these are the main batfam characters but, throughout reading, you might meet some new and maybe lesser known characters like azrael, huntress, anarky etc. etc.

a read that kinda exists outside all this is also gotham: academy which is quite new reader friendly and genuinely very fun.

hope you have fun :)

[haithhegimp]

Jason & The Jasons Names (masterpost)

Author's Notes:

this one is 20yo jason pov. wowzers! our first piece of writing for Jason & The Jasons! it's not the first, but its pretty early into the story. the scenes i release will be disconnected and non-chronological. anyways, hope y'all like this! writing under the cut :)

---

Jason’s hand twitches as he watches the teenage version of himself gently guide the slightly older one to sit on the couch. The youngest of them has comfortably taken residence on the arm of Jason’s own armchair.

He frowns a little, trying to make sense of his own sentences. The youngest catches his eye and gives him a wry grin. 

“It’s funny, we don’t look nothin’ alike anymore, but I can still tell what you’re thinkin’. It’s what to call us, right? That’s givin’ me trouble too,” he says carefully. Jason remembers being that age, speaking slowly and exaggerating his accent to hide the lisp that wanted to shine through and highlight how young he was. 

“I’ve been callin’ ya Shrimp,” Jason hasn’t, but he takes a small joy in watching the youngest’s face morph into indignation, “it’s the other two I’m strugglin’ with.” 

“I ain’t no shrimp! You’re just a fuckin’ giant!”

Before Jason can give a snarky response, a voice, with a practiced deliberation and propriety, cuts into the conversation. “We could come up with nicknames to differentiate ourselves?”

Jason swallows dryly, and tries not to stiffen as he looks back to the version of himself clad in a Robin suit. He’s not sure if he succeeds, if he’s gotten better at hiding these kinds of things, because he can clearly make out the lines of tightness in his younger version. 

“I call dibs on Jay,” their smallest blurts out, breaking the tense silence. 

With a fond look, his Robin self says, “Sorry, but I don’t think that’ll work. All of us–” he pauses a little, glancing at the version that’s slightly older than him before continuing “–get called Jay way too often for it to be yours. How about, uh, Jayjay?” 

Pouting, Jayjay responds, “I c’n tell you’re givin’ me a cutesy nickname ‘cause I’m the youngest. I’ll let it slide, but you ain’t allowed t’ treat me all baby-ish, got it?”

Both Jason and his younger self nod indulgently. They meet eyes for just a second before awkwardly looking away at the second oldest of the group. They’re all quiet for a minute, not quite sure what to do, and Jason finally speaks up.

“I think he’d recognize the name– ‘least a little– if he’s heard it a lot before. Jay’s off the table, but Jayce?”

All of them take note of the vague alert look that momentarily passes through dull eyes as both names are said. Jason tries again, “Jayce.”

Jayce blinks with a small and dampened recognition. That’s settled then.

Jason finally makes uncomfortable eye contact with his yet-unnamed younger self. They stare at each other, and Jason’s hand twitches again. 

The Robin suit his younger self wears is rather pristine, taken care of and cleaned meticulously by Alfred. Even if it wasn’t, Jason doubts that there would be bloodstains on it– unlike the armour adorning his own body.

Jason Todd, he thinks to himself, was a boy who liked fighting, ice cream, and books. He was a boy who was loved and taken care of. And he died in a warehouse at fifteen.

So, ignoring the way his hands keep twitching, he states, “I can be Red Hood. You can just call me that–”

“No,” Jayjay cuts in sharply. “You’re Jason– just as Jason as the rest of us.”

The breath catches in Jason’s throat, and he can't seem to get it back before his younger self says, “He’s right.”

Jason turns to look at him and is startled by the ferocity in his expression. “You’re not just Red Hood. You’re- you’re us. Jason.” 

Jason pretends that his voice doesn’t tremble when he whispers, “Okay.”

After a moment, JayJay suggests, “How ‘bout Jayhood? For Jason and Red Hood.”

Jason considers, and nods. His younger self chimes in, “Then I can be Jaybin! For Jason and Robin.”

Both Jason and Jayjay agree easily. 

Suddenly, Jayce curls in on himself a little, clutching his waist and catching the attention of the others. 

“Fuck, is- is he okay?” Jaybin’s voice is faint and face is a little pale. Jason feels a pang of sympathy and swiftly reassures him.

“He’s fine, Jaybin,” it feels distinctly odd to say that name, but not weirder than calling him Jason, “He’s hungry, I think. I’ll get somethin’ and you two stay with him.” 

Jaybin gives a hesitant, “Alright,” and Jason moves to the kitchen to make dinner for the group.

[galaxymagitech]

As I’ve been reading old Jason comics, I’ve sometimes kept a running commentary in my Notes app. Here are some of the funniest/strangest/most out-of-context notes:

Dick canonically says “Good Gosh” at 19.

Upon meeting Robin…Jason immediately asks about Wonder Girl. Dick’s response? “You’ve got taste.”

Okay what the heck is this page it weirds me out so much.

Guess I’m subtracting a parenting point.

Jason says Batman is like a father to him. He has known Batman for one (1) month.

Jason kicks Alfred in the shin really hard.

Jason wants to see a 3D science fiction movie. Nerd.

Vicki and Jason should fistfight each other in a Wendy’s parking lot.

Okay wow that is pretty creepy.

Bruce is apparently not officially Jason’s legal guardian yet. So he plans to retrieve Jason without contacting the authorities. Does this count as kidnapping?

[galaxymagitech]

One of the hardest things to get over in old Batman comics is how much time the characters spend wearing their costumes in the Manor.

Jason stores his costume in his room. Bruce literally comes upstairs and enters Jason’s room dressed as Batman. Instead of changing in the cave, Jason just…puts on the Robin costume.

They treat their costumes like another piece of clothing, one they wear for their night jobs. Not like a closely guarded secret. And it’s so different from what I’m used to that it surprises me every time.

[galaxymagitech]

I have come to the conclusion that Fanon Tim is actually Pre-Crisis Jason.

Explanation to follow. Eventually.

[galaxymagitech]

So, this is probably where the idea that Bruce gave Dick’s room to Jason comes from.

(EDIT: There is also a panel in the New 52 where Jason was given Dick’s old room without Dick’s knowledge or permission, which is probably where the fandom got the idea. I think it’s possible the writer was drawing on this panel, but also possible they just happened to make it up. Yet another thing that was originally sweet or friendly but became a cause for angst in a later timeline. Oof.)

Batman #526

This is a Pre-Crisis panel. Shortly after Jason’s parents die, Dick decides to adopt Jason, but Bruce decides to adopt him instead. Dick tells Alfred to “open up” his old room, presumably so Jason can sleep there.

I don’t know if Jason getting Dick’s old room is carried over into Post-Crisis. If it is, Dick…did not make that suggestion. And would in fact be pretty upset about his room being given to his replacement. EDIT: It definitely leapfrogged into the New 52, though, resulting in a fight.

But originally: Yes, Jason got Dick’s childhood bedroom—because Dick suggested it himself.

[galaxymagitech]

Guide to Jaybin: Thief of the Night

Pre-Crisis - Detective Comics #529, Batman #363, Detective Comics #530

Summary: Batman battles a night-themed pseudo-incestuous criminal duo. Meanwhile, Jason runs away to rejoin the circus, meeting his clown friend Waldo at the docks. No, I am not making this up.

Jason's Personality: Jason still desperately wants to fight crime with Batman, and he will follow a villain on his own to try to track her down and help. Eventually, he chooses to run away and return to the circus with Waldo.

Bruce's Parenting: Uh. Not the best. Despite going to one (1) movie with Jason, and being pictured on the trapeze with him early, he doesn't pay much attention to Jason. Jason may be a priority over Vicki to him (as is...pretty much everything else), but not over Batman.

Jason views being Batman's partner as the only way he can get attention. I thought from the trapeze moment that precrisis would be different, but apparently not. He knows that his home isn't dependent on being a vigilante, but he still believes that being a vigilante with Bruce is the only way he can have his father, and Bruce is offering nothing to disprove that. And eventually, Jason feels neglected enough to run away.

Oh, and apparently this entire time, Bruce was not officially Jason's legal guardian because the paperwork hasn't gone through. So he's just had a kid at his house without legal permission for at least a month, although Jason was going to school somehow. Oh, and after Jason runs away, Bruce decides to track Jason down himself without involving the authorities because he's not actually Jason's legal guardian yet.

Bruce is not in favor of child vigilantes, which is always a good thing, but he is clearly failing at actually parenting. Holy Kidnapping, Batman!

Notes:

Bullock is still around causing problems.

Nocturna is Natasha Knight, although her name will eventually be retconned to Natalia Knight. [EDIT: Apparently “Natasha” is a nickname for Natalia, despite being shorter. Okay then. Sorry about that.]

Vicki seems to think Bruce is cheating on her and was lying about cancelling their date to go to the movies with Jason. She makes her publisher reassign her to the field in some random country because she wants to leave Gotham.

Selected Panel(s):

Jason's bedroom at Wayne Manor (unusually clean for a preteen boy, but he has books!) and Jason using the "holy [insert thing here]" phrase in the Robin tradition.

[galaxymagitech]

Precrisis Jaybin read is…going. I’m starting to think I should get a water bottle and play a drinking game: every time the narration or a character says something unfortunately phrased by today’s meaning of words, I should take a sip.

I’ll actually be properly hydrated for once in my life.

Like. I know none of this was intentional, and was perfectly innocuous phrasing at the time. The Joker’s boner was the Joker’s mistake and nothing more. But I am doing so many double takes.

[galaxymagitech]

Guide to Jaybin: When Riddled by the Riddler...

Pre-Crisis - Batman #362

Summary: The Riddler stages of a robbery of a riddle game show while Bullock tries and fails to outwit Gordon. Gordon threatens Bullock out of accusing him by sending him an egg with a threat and a piece of Swiss cheese. Holy Witness Tampering, Batman!

Sadly, this comic is Jaybin-less. We do learn that Batman is still officially "fully empowered" by the GCPD to "serve as a special upholder of the law." Also we get a backstory for the Riddler: He cheated on a puzzle in school, and then gained a taste for it. He ran rigged games at a carnival for a while before he got bored and decided to do crime. Iconic.

Selected Panel(s):

Stripper cake Riddler.

[galaxymagitech]

Jungle Jeopardy (Guide to Jaybin)

Pre-Crisis: Batman #365, Detective Comics #532, Batman #366

Summary: Girlboss Vicki Vale (she's grown on me...) gets captured while investigating the Guatemalan Civil War. Bruce leaves Jason at home alone and goes to save her. Turns out, the Joker wants to take over the entire country and turn it into Joker-land! Jason gets bored alone, steals Dick's Robin costume and some of Bruce's money, buys a plane to Guatemala, and then saves Batman at the last minute.

It's the 1980s...Everyone's kinda racist. Bullock says a slur. Vicki gets literally tied to the train tracks. The writers use Batman for a (very understandable) social justice agenda instead of taking the official US standpoint about the Guatemalan Civil War, though, so...could be worse.

Jason's Personality/Morals: Jason continues to be extremely insane. Like, Fanon Neglected Tim levels of insane. Not only does he go snooping in Dick's room (which apparently, he didn't end up getting, despite what Dick said) but he dyes his hair black, steals Bruce's money, and takes a plane to San Mateo, Guatemala to help Bruce save Vicki.

Bruce's Parenting:

Oh boy, here we go...

Bruce is genuinely unsure if he agreed to make Jason his partner to convince Jason to return home, or if Batman just needs a new partner now that Robin's busy with the Teen Titans. Honestly, I think it's both.

Bruce kinda just...left Jason home alone, for an unknown period of time. He knew Alfred was off in Europe, and didn't have any return plans. And yet, he leaves the kid who ran away because he was lonely...alone.

He's pretty dismissive of Jason, in my opinion, but I might just be reading too much into it.

He does react with understanding instead of anger about Jason literally stealing from him and flying to San Mateo...so...maybe points there?

Bruce emphasizes that Robin is Dick's identity, and Jason can't just take it, so good job, Bruce!

Overall, he avoids two major mistakes from his Post-Crisis years...but he has plenty of his own problems.

Sideplots

Commissioner Gordon is still in a coma from his heart attack. Bullock feels guilty for causing it.

Alfred Pennyworth's secret daughter, Julia, needs his help, so he's left Wayne Manor

Selected Panels

Jason: It was [a promise] when you wanted me to come back here. Bruce: Do you want to leave again? Is that what you're saying? Jason: No, of course not, Bruce, but--

It's probably an overreaction, but something about these two panels just feels the slightest bit uncomfortable to me. Bruce is correct not to take Jason to Guatemala, but the way he just turns Jason's words into something they're absolutely not and then cuts Jason off when he tries to explain bothers me. And it's important to note that what Bruce is doing is essentially leaving Jason at home alone, with no adults. Jason doesn't want to be lonely. And here Bruce is, leaving again...

On the plus side, here's some of Vicki being awesome:

She's crazy. I love her.

[galaxymagitech]

Buddy, I don’t think you can blame the shadows for this one.