In honour of St Valentines Day, Jason's first crushes....
These two instances both refer to Jason 1.0, the circus performer, not the street-punk revamp.
This first one is from 1983's "New Teen Titans #33"
I have to preface this one with "Meanwhile, in stately Wayne Manor..." (Sorry, they're rerunning the 1960's Batman series here on weekday mornings, I LOVE that show)
This predates Jason even being Robin properly, as you'll notice he hasn't started dyeing his hair black yet.
Yeah, opening the front door to find myself eye to.. well, bust of an exotic alien supermodel just might have robbed me of coherent speech too,. Jason sweetie... And try not to remind yourself too often that "SHE is Dick's GIRLFRIEND?? ALL THE TIME??"
It's a cute little moment though, and I suspect he may well have imprinted on her quite significantly....
And from Detective Comics 561 in 1986 comes a 15-page story from Doug Moench and Gene Colan which has been messy to cut down because it covers two interesting plot strands in one story and I'd love to showcase both; Bruce and Jason discuss drug use, and Jason gets a girlfriend. I veer more towards the latter than the former given the theme, but I thought it worth mentioning the other too...
We open with Jason (Who has now been Robin for a couple of years (publishing time) and has indeed started dyeing his hair)
Slightly stilted (or adorkable, depending on your take on it) dialogue to one side... (I mean "Electrofrying"? Really?) I LOVE Jason's face in that last panel, it's so expressive.
We find out she's writing a note to Jason which reads "High, Want to get hi tonight?"
Oh dear....
I had to cut a full page splash of Dick and Bruce starting an exercise session featuring a shot of Jason doing leg swings on the bar. Sorry about that, but he IS 13 so whatever you're thinking s_d, stop it right now.
Rather than rake over the still slightly contentious relationship that Jason was having with Selina, since Catwoman is now working on the side of the angels, Jason wants to talk about something else...
"Even if there are GOOD shortcuts as well as bad ones, by definition, they're ALL off the beaten track, and there's usually a good reason why most people don't take them"
I like Bruce's logic here, he's not preachy, Jason asked him a straightforward question, and he's giving him a reasoned argument which works in context with his approach to life*, and it's an argument that I pretty much subscribe to myself.
* This story far predates the retconned in "Venom" story which had Bruce take Bane-steroid Venom early in his Bat career.
Jason asks, hypothetically of course, about how Bruce would feel if he knew a school where a LOT of people were taking shortcuts. Bruce notes that such a school would have problems, and offer's Jason any help he might need, but Jason declines, he wants to do this himself and Bruce doesn't force the issue, trusting Jason to call on him if he needs assistance, with the unspoken subtext of "Bust some pushers tonight kid!"
Jason meets up with Rena in the park after dark, hoping he'll find the right magic words to impress her. She admits she's waiting for her connection (three of them in fact) to show up. She asks if Jason wants in and he say's no. He wants to get to know her, but wants to remember it too. She asks him if he's ever even tried drugs....
Again, this is an interesting approach Jason tries (and third panel coming up, smoooooooth Jason baby, real smooth. Dick would be VERY proud of you...)
She admits it's an act, though she does intend to try them tonight. She explains that she's tired of the fact her dad's job means she moves town at least once a year, hardly getting to make friends, and certainly not keep them. She's always being "the new girl", she wants to fit in, and if that means trying drugs, well, she'll try it. Jason counters her comments...
Of course it's at this point that Rena's connections show up... Of course, the law of Chekhov's gun means that it's Shane Rivers from the first page, and a couple of his buddies, who are there for some fun. Their connection has fallen through, meaning they won't have anything available until the following night, but he has an idea where to get some tonight.
Shane accuses Jason of simply being a coward, but, again in a nice little touch the guys with him don't agree, they LIKE Jason, he's a good guy, and they'd like him to go with them, but he says no. Rena on the other hand, is still on the cusp of her decision, and agrees to go with them.
Of course, Jason has his own methods of dealing with competitors for the girl he likes (and I suspect he's been taking lessons from Uncle Clark)
Sadly I have to cut the scene which follows where Shane and his gang try to break into a drug store to score some drugs of their own (Slightly irritatingly, there's never any mention of what type of drugs they're after, the generic term "drugs" is used throughout). Rena makes up her mind and decides she may be a little uncertain about drug taking, but she has no intention committing break and entering and robbery and leaves them to their own sordid devices (Whilst a jubilant Robin watches from a nearby rooftop, commenting that she has "Great moves").
I also have to cut the take down as Robin wipes the floor with the Shane and his mates, though Shane manages to get away by pushing selves and the like into Robin's path whilst he makes a break for it. It's a lovely scene with Gene Colan firing on all cylinders, but alas...
Anyway, Rena is several streets away when Shane locates her and offers to share the one bottle of tablets he manages to snag, whilst boasting about he managed to beat and evade Robin himself to get them. Rena has other ideas....
Yup, Robin has been watching this encounter and his sudden appearance puts the fear of... brightly coloured acrobatic crime fighters I guess... into Shane.
A job well done, but....
Isn't he cutest little thing there?
Alas I think this was last we ever saw of Rena, and the Jason 2.0 introduction did away with much of his past (and it seems unlikely Jason 2.0 would have been quite so unaware of drug use) and it's likely Rena was a casualty.
Bat Valentines by ~Sidekick-Clecle on deviantART
This first one is from 1983's "New Teen Titans #33"
I have to preface this one with "Meanwhile, in stately Wayne Manor..." (Sorry, they're rerunning the 1960's Batman series here on weekday mornings, I LOVE that show)
This predates Jason even being Robin properly, as you'll notice he hasn't started dyeing his hair black yet.
Yeah, opening the front door to find myself eye to.. well, bust of an exotic alien supermodel just might have robbed me of coherent speech too,. Jason sweetie... And try not to remind yourself too often that "SHE is Dick's GIRLFRIEND?? ALL THE TIME??"
It's a cute little moment though, and I suspect he may well have imprinted on her quite significantly....
And from Detective Comics 561 in 1986 comes a 15-page story from Doug Moench and Gene Colan which has been messy to cut down because it covers two interesting plot strands in one story and I'd love to showcase both; Bruce and Jason discuss drug use, and Jason gets a girlfriend. I veer more towards the latter than the former given the theme, but I thought it worth mentioning the other too...
We open with Jason (Who has now been Robin for a couple of years (publishing time) and has indeed started dyeing his hair)
Slightly stilted (or adorkable, depending on your take on it) dialogue to one side... (I mean "Electrofrying"? Really?) I LOVE Jason's face in that last panel, it's so expressive.
We find out she's writing a note to Jason which reads "High, Want to get hi tonight?"
Oh dear....
I had to cut a full page splash of Dick and Bruce starting an exercise session featuring a shot of Jason doing leg swings on the bar. Sorry about that, but he IS 13 so whatever you're thinking s_d, stop it right now.
Rather than rake over the still slightly contentious relationship that Jason was having with Selina, since Catwoman is now working on the side of the angels, Jason wants to talk about something else...
"Even if there are GOOD shortcuts as well as bad ones, by definition, they're ALL off the beaten track, and there's usually a good reason why most people don't take them"
I like Bruce's logic here, he's not preachy, Jason asked him a straightforward question, and he's giving him a reasoned argument which works in context with his approach to life*, and it's an argument that I pretty much subscribe to myself.
* This story far predates the retconned in "Venom" story which had Bruce take Bane-steroid Venom early in his Bat career.
Jason asks, hypothetically of course, about how Bruce would feel if he knew a school where a LOT of people were taking shortcuts. Bruce notes that such a school would have problems, and offer's Jason any help he might need, but Jason declines, he wants to do this himself and Bruce doesn't force the issue, trusting Jason to call on him if he needs assistance, with the unspoken subtext of "Bust some pushers tonight kid!"
Jason meets up with Rena in the park after dark, hoping he'll find the right magic words to impress her. She admits she's waiting for her connection (three of them in fact) to show up. She asks if Jason wants in and he say's no. He wants to get to know her, but wants to remember it too. She asks him if he's ever even tried drugs....
Again, this is an interesting approach Jason tries (and third panel coming up, smoooooooth Jason baby, real smooth. Dick would be VERY proud of you...)
She admits it's an act, though she does intend to try them tonight. She explains that she's tired of the fact her dad's job means she moves town at least once a year, hardly getting to make friends, and certainly not keep them. She's always being "the new girl", she wants to fit in, and if that means trying drugs, well, she'll try it. Jason counters her comments...
Of course it's at this point that Rena's connections show up... Of course, the law of Chekhov's gun means that it's Shane Rivers from the first page, and a couple of his buddies, who are there for some fun. Their connection has fallen through, meaning they won't have anything available until the following night, but he has an idea where to get some tonight.
Shane accuses Jason of simply being a coward, but, again in a nice little touch the guys with him don't agree, they LIKE Jason, he's a good guy, and they'd like him to go with them, but he says no. Rena on the other hand, is still on the cusp of her decision, and agrees to go with them.
Of course, Jason has his own methods of dealing with competitors for the girl he likes (and I suspect he's been taking lessons from Uncle Clark)
Sadly I have to cut the scene which follows where Shane and his gang try to break into a drug store to score some drugs of their own (Slightly irritatingly, there's never any mention of what type of drugs they're after, the generic term "drugs" is used throughout). Rena makes up her mind and decides she may be a little uncertain about drug taking, but she has no intention committing break and entering and robbery and leaves them to their own sordid devices (Whilst a jubilant Robin watches from a nearby rooftop, commenting that she has "Great moves").
I also have to cut the take down as Robin wipes the floor with the Shane and his mates, though Shane manages to get away by pushing selves and the like into Robin's path whilst he makes a break for it. It's a lovely scene with Gene Colan firing on all cylinders, but alas...
Anyway, Rena is several streets away when Shane locates her and offers to share the one bottle of tablets he manages to snag, whilst boasting about he managed to beat and evade Robin himself to get them. Rena has other ideas....
Yup, Robin has been watching this encounter and his sudden appearance puts the fear of... brightly coloured acrobatic crime fighters I guess... into Shane.
A job well done, but....
Isn't he cutest little thing there?
Alas I think this was last we ever saw of Rena, and the Jason 2.0 introduction did away with much of his past (and it seems unlikely Jason 2.0 would have been quite so unaware of drug use) and it's likely Rena was a casualty.
Bat Valentines by ~Sidekick-Clecle on deviantART