Kyle's Funnybook Corner (KFC) is a new regular blog section that will cover comic books and the subsequent entertainment inspired by them. All geeks (this isn't an insult, as I am one as well) who are as mild-mannered as Clark Kent, clever as Reed Richards, or as flexible with their opinion as Plastic Man is with his buttocks, are welcome.
The character of Robin has, in recent years, became the stepping stone to some of the most important characters in modern comics. Dick Grayson, who debuted in 1940, is still the most known Robin, spending decades in tights. He's since moved onto Nightwing, a fan favorite character who's earned the respect of the collective DC universe. His replacement, Jason Todd, was infamous for bad mouthing Batman every chance he got, sparking fan outraged that eventually led to his death, sparking even more fan outrage (if interested, look up his recent history; because no good comic character can stay dead). Tim Drake, or Robin the III, displayed a superior intellect to many of his counterparts, setting himself up as a great standalone hero, Red Robin. Sure, there was Stephanie Brown, but she wasn't around for too long.
Anyways, Damien Wayne, for those who don't know, is Batman's most recent Boy Wonder. For those with savvy detective skills, one may deduce that Damien is in fact Bruce Wayne's son. If casual fans were alerted to this, I feel certain that they would be surprised and outraged. Although it does seem like a silly idea, so far, from what I've read, it's been a dynamic take on such an established character. The relationship between Bruce and Damian is only now being explored, and is leading to some compelling drama. And most of that conflict comes from Damian himself.
Damian is the lovechild of Bruce and Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ras al Ghul. These two have had an on-again-off-again relationship over the years that has lead to conflict between the Dark Knight and the leader of the League of Assassins. Grant Morrison conceived the character when he took over writing for Batman in 2006, making Damian central to his overall story. Damian was trained personally by the League of Shadows, making him a formidable fighting force against nearly any non-meta-human or alien in the DC universe. Oh, and with his grandfather being Ras and his dad being Batman, he may have a few smarts to meet his psychical prowess.
As a result of being indoctrinated for over 10 years by Ras, his mother, and the League, he shows no restraint during a fight, seemingly showing himself as a cold blooded killer, even if he's taking down a bad guy. However, Bruce, Dick, and Alfred have all shown concern for the boy and are trying to curb his murderous rage that may inflict "justice", but takes the lives of criminals, something that Bruce has always been totally against doing. Progress has been made, but he still has a long way to go. But never fret: comics move at a pace that's perfect for character development, as long as writers are on track with the ones who preceded them.
In Batman #666, a possible/alternate future shows Damian as the new Batman, still killing criminals. However, he does it with slight guilt and regrets that he doesn't have the dignity to fight crime like his father did. I would love to read a series that takes place in this timeline and explores a future Gotham, not dissimilar to the acclaimed Batman Beyond animated show. Damian certainly has the credentials to be a great Batman. The most natural is his bloodline. The other is both his training by the Dark Knight himself and the League of Assassins. Plus, in the alternate story, he sold his soul to the Devil so he could fight crime like his father couldn't: with blood-lust and an extended life. Think of all the cool stories that could focus on a war between Batman and Satan himself.
Whether any of this would will happen is all up to how DC will continually evaluate the direction they plan on taking. As a character, Damian is still very young and open to numerous paths of interpretation. Wherever it goes, I will be watching it with great interest. I'm just so glad the publisher is using the idea of Robin with such effort and bringing the role to the forefront like never before.
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