This week's list is going to be a little different than usual. Normally I use my extensive nerd knowledge to create a decent list that uses character attributes, stories and background to round out a list, plus a lot of research on the interwebs when that knowledge fails me and I'm left singing happy birthday to myself in the corner. But that's neither here nor there. No for this week even though every list is Weird Science opinion based, this one has to be the mother of all opinion based Top 5's. We'll be looking at all the Robins and I'll be deciding which New 52 costume I like the best of all the sidekicks. Now on other lists you guys could totally call shenanigans, but I'd have some info to back up my claims. Here it's right out in the open and you might think I'm a lunatic for choosing the costume I chose, but it doesn't matter because I have an asshole or however that saying goes. So let's jump into this lunacy as we check out the Top 5 Robin Costumes In The New 52.
#5. Helena Wayne
Helena Wayne hasn't always been the purple clad night stalker we've seen her as in Worlds' Finest. No back on Earth 2 she was the first and only Robin, accompanying her father Bruce Wayne on his nightly activities. Even though I really prefer Helena as a Robin instead of her own persona Huntress, I have to say that this is the weakest Robin costume in the New 52. It's a strange mix of the New 52 Dick Grayson and Jason Todd Robin outfits, with a little sprinkle of the old Tim Drake's from the old DC Universe thrown in for good measure. Now while that amalgam sounds badass, I just don't think it really works here. While we'll probably never see Helena sporting the red and green again, I'd just like to say that seeing her in action in Worlds' Finest makes me think that she isn't ready to be a hero of her own yet and should go back to being a sidekick. Yeah I know, not very likely but with her now returning to Earth 2, a fanboy can dream.
#4. Tim Drake
Growing up, this was always my Robin. Ever since I can remember reading Batman, Tim Drake was Robin and I loved him. The only exposure I had to Dick Grayson at that point was Super Friends cartoons and Burt Ward from Batman '66 and you know what? He wore a speedo and fairy booties and didn't hold a candle to what I knew as the modern Robin. I would eventually get exposure to modern Dick..... Ha ha. When Batman TAS came out and with the Robin action figure from Batman Returns and it seems that Bruce Timm and Kenner thought the same thing I did because he was given a very Tim Drake looking costume for both. But as much as I love Tim Drake, I hated the Red Robin costume of the old universe and I'm not really a fan of the New 52 style. Even this early New 52 Tim Drake costume is less impressive than the rest of the male Robins and even though it's cool, it doesn't really have that badass oomf factor I'm looking for. Seeing Tim smile in this picture here, where he's a part of the Dynamic Duo makes me wonder what happened for him to be the emotionless figure head of the Teen Titans today. Dear DC, go read you're old comics from the 90's and give me my Tim Drake back.
#3. Damian Wayne
While a lot of people will bitch about all the things the New 52 has done wrong, one of those will never be making Damian Wayne into a likable character. When he was first introduced, I hated Damian. I hated him with a passion and thought he was one of the worst things to happen to Batman. But during Tomasi's Batman and Robin run, I found a shimmer of light in this dark character and eventually found myself loving this little pumpkin headed boy. Now for those of you who have been following the site for awhile, you'll know the extents that I've ranted about my love for Damian Wayne and it seems that I've tricked you into thinking this was about costumes so I could do it again. I'm sorry, I just get carried away when it comes to this character. Anyway I really dig this new Robin costume, from the black hood to the stylized R on his chest and feel it really suits Damian's demeanor. Somehow they took the bright and flashy costume and altered it just slightly enough to make it a little more menacing. Especially when you add swords. As much as I like the costume here, the New 52 has revamped everyone's costume and the last two's alterations just make them a little more badass than little Damian's.
#2. Jason Todd
I'm telling you that this was a hard damn choice. Up until I wrote #2, I had this as the best Robin costume, but it looks like this misunderstood Robin gets the shaft again. Growing up I didn't really know much about Jason Todd except that he was some sort of urban legend about what happens to comic book characters if they're snarky little snots. Times were tough without the interweb's ultimate knowledge and the fact that there wasn't a comic book shop near my area, or that comic shops were hard to come by in general back then, left me knowing very little about Jason except that the Joker killed him. Even though Jason Todd didn't make #1, I really like this redesigned costume. The short yellow cape of Robin's past is made into something really impressive here and while it seems like a strange bold choice to go with, this long yellow cape really works for Jason. It's just the slight changes that make this costume stand out, like the red domino mask, the yellow pieces down his upper torso, to the aforementioned flowing yellow cape. I really dig this and hope we can go back and discover more of Jason's past as Robin.
#1. Dick Grayson
The thing that really tipped the scale in favor of Dick Grayson here is the fact that this Robin costume looks so much like Tim Drake's of the old DC Universe. I don't know who originally came up with the idea to give Robin a cape with yellow on the inside and black on the outside, but it was genius. With the exception of not having a utility belt, this costume looks just about perfect. No exposed skin on the body, doodads that come down around the arm that just look great even though they probably have no functional purpose. It's just perfect and I'll never get tired of looking at it. Like I said for Jason, hopefully we'll get more stories like Batman and Robin Annual #2 and see Dick Grayson back in the role of sidekick where I love seeing him. Don't get me wrong I love Nightwing, but I've had a real fascination with sidekicks since I was a kid and don't know if they're just easier to picture yourself as, or if younger heroes are just more appealing to me. Either way I love Robin and it seems that like years past, Dick Grayson is on top.
That's it for this week's Top 5 Fridays, and like I said in the beginning this might be the most opinion based list I've ever made and I'm sure a lot of you out there might not agree and to you I say...... "Calm down it's just a list" and shoot me your list in the comments below. Going with the whole opinion aspect of this list, I have to say one more thing.
NO DC! NO! Yeah it's a big joke bringing Carrie Kelly into Batman and Robin, but keep her out of my stories. She doesn't belong in this timeline and or universe and I don't like the feeling of dread that I had thinking that you might make her the new Robin. Just no! That is all.
Hope you have a hell of a week and keep Robin in your hearts and minds and remember, whenever you put a child in danger you're one step closer to being Batman. See you in seven. Boosh!
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