Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
I'm really into tracking timelines in comic books, and Jason's one of my favorite characters, so there's a ton of information in my brain about his. Jason's a very old character, and his continuity can be pretty difficult to follow unless you're deliberately trying to track it. I see a lot of confusion over Jason's age in the fandom, and I wanted to provide a sort of walkthrough for how it changes in canon. For the purpose of this post, Iām weighing sources roughly by their canonical and probative value: on-panel comic evidence first, then contemporary editorial statements, then contemporary external material, and finally later external publications.
I'm going to mostly be focusing on post-Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985) (COIE) continuity, since that's the area I know the most about, it's the continuity most of the fandom uses for timelines, and its continuity seems to have been mostly restored in modern canon. Additionally, you'll notice I'm breaking post-Crisis continuity into pre- and post-Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! (1994); this is because Zero Hour was a time crisis, meaning it reorganized the overall DC timeline to squeeze what was then the modern age into roughly ten years, which naturally affected Batman continuity pretty significantly. The changes Zero Hour made are particularly relevant when discussing Jason's age and overall timeline, so I'll be interpreting material from both continuities independently from one another at first. Then, I'll go through where they contradict each other, as well as a few different ways these contradictions can be reconciled.
Also, before we actually get into anything, I'm not going to be using the death certificate from The Batman Files (2011), as per the criteria I outlined earlier, it carries no real weight as a source; I'll come back to this at the end, but for right now I'm going to move on.
Crisis on Infinite Earths to Zero Hour (1986-1994)
NOTE: If you're seeing this, then this post is still a WIP; this part only covers pre-Zero Hour continuity.
Age at Death + Starlin's Run
Every source I've found relating to pre-Zero Hour continuity points to the same conclusion: Jason was 12ā13 years old when he died in Batman: A Death in the Family (ADITF). I know this sounds crazy and wrong, and probably goes against everything you've ever thought, but let me explain before you click off.
SOURCE ONE: Batman Annual (1940) #12
In The Back-Up, which was included in Batman Annual (1940) #12, Jason is explicitly stated to be a 7th grader. On that same page I linked, Jason references KGBeastāa character who did not exist until the storyline Batman: Ten Nights of the Beast (Batman #417ā420)āmeaning Batman Annual #12 must take place after Batman #417ā420. From there, Jason runs away in Batman #426, and is dead by Batman #428. It's obvious that multiple years didn't pass from Batman #420 to Batman #426; neither the comics nor editorial give any reason to believe otherwise...but I promised a full walk-through, so here we go.
The in-universe timeline of Jim Starlin's entire run on Batman (Batman #414ā430) can be tracked pretty easily. The goal of tracking Starlin's run is to demonstrate why it cannot take place over multiple years; if Jason is a 7th grader after the KGBeast arc, he cannot plausibly have aged into another grade by ADITF. Batman #414 begins Starlin's run as well as the "Dumpster Slasher" trilogy, which then continues in Batman #421 and concludes in Batman #422. On page two of Batman #421, weāre told that since Batman #414, the total number of victims has increased to ten, and that the killer has since developed a pattern of killing once a week, skipping the third. Subsequently, on page three of Batman #421, we're told that Kate Babcock was Victim #5. As we were shown another victim after Kate in Batman #414, we can derive that the pattern started with Victim #6 at the end of Batman #414, and we can simply follow the pattern therefrom:
As you may have noticed, I included a āVictim #11ā despite earlier stating there were ten victims. This is because on page two of Batman #421, Bruce says to Gordon that there should have been an eleventh victim that week and is then informed that they havenāt found a body, yet. Read the issue if you want to know what I mean by that "yet", as it's not relevant for timeline stuff, but this tells us that everything from Batman #414ā421 happens within two months, including Batman: Ten Nights of the Beast, which, as the name suggests, takes place over ten nights. Furthermore, the end of Batman #421 flows directly into the beginning of Batman #422, and in the middle of Batman #422, there's a 3-month time skip. Therefore, everything from the end of Batman #414 through the end of Batman #422 happens within ~5 months.
Unfortunately, after Batman #422, I've been unable to find anything that tells us how much time passes within Starlin's run, but I can estimate from looking at the art and the pacing of the actual story. I donāt think any significant amount of time passes from Batman #422ā426, and then Batman #426ā430 seems to take place over a few weeks, so, to err on the side of caution, Iām going to call it roughly 1ā3 months. This means that Starlin's entire Batman run, excluding the last few issues where Jason is dead, takes place over roughly 6ā8 months, but that's not allāI can also tell you what time of year it takes place.
Detective Comics (1937) #581 takes place around the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution, which was signed on September 17th, 1787. The following issue, Detective Comics #582, is a direct tie-in to Batman #415, meaning we can reasonably assume Starlin's run begins in early fall; add 6ā8 months, and we end up in the spring for ADITF (well, isn't that a satisfying coincidence?). From there, we can reason that Starlin's run takes place within one school year. Ergo, if Jason was in 7th grade in Batman Annual #12, which, as I've already established, takes place after Batman #420, then he must also have been a 7th grader when he died.
Jason didn't have a birthday in the 80's, so we can't pinpoint an exact age just off pre-Zero Hour continuity, but 7th graders are 12ā13 years old, which means Jason was 12ā13 years old when he died. This is an absurd level of detail to track a comic book timeline down to, but I didn't want to leave room for anyone to be like "Wait, but a summer could have passed, which would put him in 8th grade". So...there you go.
SOURCE TWO: Letter Columns of Batman (1940) #413
NOTE: Transcribed this one in case the links break, since I know finding letter columns can be a pain.
In the letter columns of Batman #413, a reader wrote in, asking about Jasonās age:
My one complaint about this otherwise excellent two-part story concerns the ambiguity of Jasonās age. The way Chris Warner Drew him in #408, he looks to be about ten years old, which would be right if, as Denny OāNeil says, the story occurs about three years ago. But in #409, Jason looks like he could be thirteen. Tom Mandrake had him looking about fifteen or sixteen (see the portrait in WHOāS WHO). Klaus Janson did the same in DETECTIVE #568. And in BATMAN #402 he could be about eighteen or twenty. However, according to the tombstone at the end of DETECTIVE #571, he is twelve!
Letās have a ruling. Once and for all, how old is Jason Todd?
I think a lot of people read the first couple of sentences of this question, skip straight to the answer, and then end up confusedācough, DC wikiābut the reader explicitly mentions that Batman #408 happens in the past, and then goes on to discuss comics that, at the time, were taking place in present continuity. It is pretty clear, at least to me, that what theyāre confused about is the fact that Jason seemed to have multiple present-continuity-ages, and they couldnāt even estimate his then-current age based on what he looked like in Batman #408ā409. In other words, it is more reasonable to assume the letter is asking āHow old is Jason in present continuity?ā rather than āHow old is Jason meant to be in Batman #408ā409?ā. The response to the reader's question makes this interpretation difficult to dispute:
OK, Iām going to go right to the sensei on this one:
āOh great Denny-lama, just how old is Jason Todd?ā
āAh, weed-hopper, he is 12. Now quit bowing to me and take that silly turban off your head!ā
Whether or not you interpreted the reader's question as āHow old is Jason in present continuity?ā, I think itās pretty clear the editors did. I donāt see a case for arguing that this is not an explicit answer for how old Jason was in present continuity at the time.
Alternatively, if that's not a good enough reason for you, we've established that Jason is a 7th grader in Batman Annual #12, which takes place after Batman #420, and that Batman #414ā422 take place over ~5 months. In addition, we know that Batman #408ā409 take place about 3 years before then-present continuity (see sources five and six for details). Therefore, to claim this response is stating that Jason was 12 in Batman #408 instead of present continuity, you must also claim that Batman #414ā422 happened about 3 years in the past, which would be...untruthful.
Batman #413 directly precedes Batman #414, which means Jason was ~12 at the beginning of Starlin's runāthe beginning of the school yearāreaffirming Jason being in 7th grade throughout.
SOURCE THREE: Detective Comics (1937) #571
In Detective Comics #571, we're shown Jason's birth year (1974) and the current year (1986), which would put Detective Comics #571 in the year Jason turns 12. You might be wondering why I didn't list this source earlier, and that's because it's more difficult to place in overall continuity than Batman Annual #12. Mike W. Barr's run on Detective Comics ('TEC) was essentially responsible for reestablishing the dynamic duo in post-Crisis continuity. It was released alongside Batman: Year One (Batman #404ā407) as well as Jason's origin retelling (Batman #408ā411), and had a flashback story of its own, making those first few issues comparatively self-contained, given that they were the primary source for Batman and Robin's present continuity at the time.
They're still fully canon, but they're difficult to decisively place in Jason's overall post-Crisis timeline, so I think 'TEC #571 is best used as secondary, rather than primary, evidence to strengthen the claim made with the first and second sources.
SOURCE FOUR: DC TTRPG Card From 1989
This is a DC TTRPG card from 1989āright after Jasonās deathāwhich lists Jason as 13 years old and deceased. 7th graders are usually 13 by the spring, so this card placing him at 13 makes sense and lines up with everything we've established so far. It should be noted that this is licensed by DC, rather than being from an actual comic, creator, or some other form of official material; thus, I wouldn't use it as a standalone source. However, since the card matches up with every other source from the time pretty nicely, I think it's useful as additional proof, much like the third source, as it makes the claim feel a bit more solid.
Meeting Bruce + Debuting as Robin
If you made it through the last section, this one should be easy. The evidence I have for this section is much more straightforward and easier to interpret, especially now that we've established Jason's age following COIE. From the information I've gathered, Batman #408ā411 take place ~2.5ā3 years before the fall of Jason's 7th grade year, meaning Jason was 9ā10 years old when he met Bruce and became Robin. I'd ask you to hear me out again, but if I did my job right, then the last section should've been enough for you to already be doing that.
SOURCE FIVE: Batman (1940) #416
Batman #416 is a flashback set one year in the past from present continuity, which, as I just established in my explanation of source one, would at this point be the fall of Jason's 7th grade yearāmeaning he'd be ~12 in the "present", and ~11 in this flashback. This issue is a retelling of Dick and Jason's first meeting, as Jason's revised post-crisis origin story rendered the original story obsolete. On page ten of Batman #416, Bruce says to Dick that he hasn't heard from him in eighteen months, which we can assume is referencing when Dick was fired in Batman #408.
Bruce meets Jason in Batman #408 weeks after Dick leaves; since there's only "weeks" between Dick leaving and Jason popping up, I think it's acceptable to use ~18 months for how long it's been since Bruce met Jason as well. I mean, it's a comic book timeline, we're lucky if we can get it down to a specific season, let alone specific weeks.
Anyway, that means that, according to Batman #416, about ~2.5 years pass from when Jason meets Bruce in Batman #408 to the present of Batman #416, or the fall of Jason's 7th grade year. Therefore, if Jason is ~12 in the fall of his 7th grade year, we can derive Jason is about 9ā10 years old when he meets Bruce in Batman #408.
SOURCE SIX: Letter Columns of Batman (1940) #412
NOTE: Again, transcribed this one in case the link breaks, since I know finding letter columns can be annoying.
In the letter columns of Batman #412, a reader wrote in, asking why Jason was getting an origin story when he already had one and had been Robin for years. An editor, Johnathan Peterson, replied:
The reason Jason Toddās origin is being reintroduced, David, is because DCās hit mini-series CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS completely wiped out his earlier origin, namely the one in BATMAN #368. Actually, a few people wrote in expressing their similar confusion over the situation. So, letās set the record straight. The events in BATMAN #408-409 chronicle the one, true, post-CRISIS origin of Jason Todd in Batman continuity. Also, this story takes place about 3 years ago. Thus, we are not denying Dick Grayson quit Robin to become Nightwing. It's just that we're not chronicling in depth Dick's decision to leave and his subsequent solo adventures in our current run of stories.
This one kind of speaks for itself. I mean Peterson literally explicitly states that Batman #408ā409 took place ~3 years ago, ergo, if Jason was ~12 in what was then present continuity, then Jason was ~9 when he met Bruce in Batman #408. I would've included this source first because it's so easy to follow, but it's from the letter columns so I figured I'd prioritize the comic-based evidence.
SOURCE SEVEN: Robert Greenberger's Guidebooks
NOTE: You guessed it. Transcribed for your convenience. Also, if you're wondering why I'm including a post-Zero Hour source in this section, it's because the book seems to use Jason's pre-Zero Hour timeline. I can elaborate on what I mean by this in the replies, but basically, it's a guide, not a comic, meaning it goes in the same section as the material it's based on.
In his book The Essential Batman Encyclopedia (2008), Robert Greenberger explicitly claims that Jason was 9 years old when he met Bruce:
In the wake of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, Batman was once again a loner after Dick Grayson moved out of the manor. While visiting CRIME ALLEY, he discovered nine-year-old Jason Todd in the process of stealing the BATMOBILE's tires. Batman was impressed by the youth's moxie and took him to MA GUNN's School for Boys. The facility, though, was a front for a criminal operation that used the boys as thieves. Once Batman and Jason helped put an end to the scheme, the Dark Knight realized that he could mold the impetuous boy and decided the time had come to take on a new partner.
Furthermore, in another of his books, Batman: 100 Greatest Moments: Highlights from the History of The Dark Knight (2019), Greenberger repeats this detail:
After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was decided to revamp Jason. Incoming writer Max Allan Collins made him a nine-year-old street urchin, first found in Crime Alley trying to rip off the Batmobile's tires. He explained that his criminal father was dead and he believed his mother was as well, so he had learned to fend for himself.
It should be noted that these excerpts are from guidebooks, meaning they aren't necessarily canon material or direct contemporary statements from the creators, and they serve best as secondary, rather than primary, evidence. For this very reason, I usually avoid guidebooks for continuity research; compiling decades of comic book history into one coherent narrative inevitably leads to errors. This is especially true for comic book timelines, which are infamously difficult to track, let alone when trying to balance multiple characters across various titles. However, it's important to look at evidence from every angle before you disregard it, and I think Greenberger has the history to make his word on this topic worth further consideration.
In 1984, Robert Greenberger was hired as an assistant editor to help Len Wein and Marv Wolfman. In case you're not particularly well-versed on the internal bureaucracy at DC, a core part of an editor's job description is maintaining continuityāit is literally their job to track the timelines, histories, and ages of characters across multiple titles.
I'd like to emphasize the fact that he worked alongside Len Wein and Marv Wolfman of all people, who were almost entirely responsible for coordinating and establishing post-Crisis continuity in the 80's. What's more, he's credited as both an editor and a writer for COIE and Who's Who, two projects that served as the foundation for post-Crisis continuity and characterization; his work during this period was so vital that he was promoted to editor only a year later in 1985. This guy is more than qualified to speak on continuity details from the mid-80's, especially for a character as integral to the DC mythos as Robin.
If that weren't enough, Greenberger wrote The Back-Up, which, in case you forgot, is literally the story in Batman Annual #12 that establishes Jason as a 7th grader. So he isn't just an accredited writer and editor who worked around the time Jason was Robin, he was directly involved with writing Jason Todd and the creator of one of the most straightforward sources for gauging Jason's age I've personally come across. If that doesn't make him worth listening to, then I don't know what else would.
Personally, I actually think it's really interesting that he claims Jason was 9 of all ages, since that's not necessarily the most intuitive option just going off the comics. From Batman #416 alone, you could easily argue that Jason was 10, while 9 only becomes the sole option if you exclusively go off Peterson's claim of "about 3 years" from source two. The fact that after twenty years, he included this age in his Batman encyclopedia, and then reaffirmed the detail ten years later in a second guidebook, makes me think it's an age for Jason editorial actually had written down somewhere and he personally remembered, rather than being something he independently pieced together years down the line.
Ultimately, I'm not going to claim these statements should be used as definitive sources, as, in any case, they're statements from guidebooks, rather than comic books, but I think they can tenably be used as additional evidence. Given that Greenberger's assertion fits perfectly within that 9ā10-year-old range the previous two sources established, I think placing Jason at 9ā10 years old when he met Bruce is more than reasonable when discussing pre-Zero Hour continuity.
SOURCE EIGHT: Batman (1940) #410
Batman #410āthe first part of a two-part retelling of Jason's first outing as Robinātells us on page one that it's been six months since Bruce took Jason in, ergo, six months pass between Jason meeting Bruce and his first Robin outing. Since, again, we didn't have a birthday for Jason in pre-Zero Hour continuity, there's no way for us to know if his birthday passed within those six months. Therefore, if Jason was 9ā10 years old when he met Bruce, he was also 9ā10 years old when he made his post-Crisis Robin debut.
On page two of Batman #410, we're told by the narration that Jason is a "fifth-grade dropout"; considering fifth-graders are 10ā11 years old, this would expand the 9ā10-year-old range the previous three sources established, making Jason 10ā11 years old when he met Bruce in Batman #408. However, I think this source can reasonably be labeled as an outlier, as three sources (a comic, a contemporary editorial statement, and a repeated claim from a credible writer), should probably be taken over one source (a comic).
Moreover, I think it's important to remember the context in which these comics were being written. Batman #408ā411 were released as countless changes were being made to the overall DC continuity, and they may not have yet fully established an internal Batman timeline for the new post-Crisis continuity; notably, this age lines up suspiciously well with the pre-Crisis Batman timeline, which makes me think this may have actually been the case.
Also, the actual phrasing of "fifth-grade dropout" is kind of vague. You could argue this phrasing implies he dropped out of fifth grade, but it could also be interpreted as Jason currently being a fifth grader, as well as a dropout, placing him much closer to 10, or even 9 years old, six months earlier when he met Bruce. I'm not saying either of these reasons are enough to completely disregard this source; what's most important is that there are more sources it contradicts than it affirms, but, like I said earlier, it's best to look at a source from every angle before deciding it should be disregarded.
Regardless of the contradictions, it's there in the text, and I feel the need to include it here so you guys get the full picture. Even so, when tracking comic book timelines, there are going to be places where you just have to choose something to use and something to lose. So, as much as I hate disregarding on-panel evidence, one piece of evidence isn't enough to outweigh the broader evidentiary pattern that's been established through the other three sources. Therefore, for the purpose of this post, I'm going to set this source aside and keep the cleaner 9ā10-year-old range.
TL;DR
From what I can tell, the pre-Zero Hour consensus was that Jason was 9ā10 years old when he met Bruce and debuted as Robin, and 12ā13 years old when he died. I'm going to refrain from definitively narrowing those age ranges down to single ages, as without a canonical birthday for Jason in pre-Zero Hour continuity, I can't claim, with complete certainty, whether or not his birthday had passed before those three events took place.
If there's any piece of evidence relating to this topic and era of continuity that I didn't include, please let me know. There's always a chance I forgot something, didn't write it down, or just haven't personally seen it. Likewise, if there's something you noticed in this postālogic, reasoning, counterarguments, etcāthat I didn't account for, tell me, and I'll try my best to adjust or clarify as needed.
Anyway, that's pretty much everything I have to discuss, like I've covered all the relevant material I know of, as well as the analysis attached to it. This era, specifically the 80's, has the most material regarding Jason's age and continuity as Robin, which makes it annoying to go through, but also probably the most comfortable since there are multiple sources to support each claim.
Following Zero Hour and even Flashpoint, the timeline gets compressed, stretched, and so on, changing Jason's ages with it, but these ages are, from what I can tell, what he was originally intended to be read as. Comic books in general don't have completely linear timelines. It's just the nature of the genre; you can't have reasonably paced stories while also keeping characters the ages you want them to be over decades of publishing.
In my opinion, you're better off reading characters as the age intended in whatever comic you're reading, rather than aging them up or down in accordance with later continuities and retcons, meaning you should use these ages for these events in Jason's life. However, I do understand the need to organize it all into one coherent timeline, evidently, which is why I'm going to go through different ways to do that after I go through post-Zero Hour. Still, I think you should at the very least keep these ages in the back of your head when reading material from the era, especially Jason's original Robin run. It's important context for meta-discussion, as well as the actual stories and Jason's characterization within them.
I'm leaving off here for now because I'm still working on the other parts. I was originally going to do one big post/reblog chain all at once, but lowkey, this is taking forever, and I needed the dopamine hit from posting something before I lost interest and "took a break" (gave up). The other parts will be shorter and less intense, cause there's just not as much stuff to go through, so you don't have to worry about this already long post getting that much longer. Ideally, they'll be posted in the next few days, so...yeah.
Next part is post-Zero Hour. Spoiler alert: there are fewer changes than you'd think! Not much else to add from me. I think I've finally out-yapped myself. There's a first time for everything, I guess.
You know for all that a certain kind of fans love to claim that ppl keep giving Jason other batboys' traits, in a way it is kind of hilarious how DC seems obsessed with doing the opposite
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
JASON BEING 15 AT THE AGE OF DEATH IS RETCON FROM LONG AFTER HE ALREADY DIED IN COMICS
Jason was NEVER in his original run claimed to 15. At the CLOSEST there the panel from one of his teen titans teamups where he says something along the lines of "I can't wait until I'm 16", but I stand firm that that's just a sorta milestone age to him, not the upcoming.
So how old IS he? Really? What was his age at the time of death? Well,
He was 12 to 13 years old.
It was established several issues prior to aditf, in Annual 12, That Jason was in the 7th grade. And this comic is close enough to aditf that it's very safe to assume he's still in it, especially with how long some comic years can take.
Jason would've been 12 in seventh grade, unless you opt into the idea the he was held back a year due to dropping out of 5th and needing to catch up, then he would've been 13.
As far as canon material at the time goes, the only time his age at death is outright stated is in the DC Heroes RPG, now, this is an official product, but it's not necessarily canon. However, it's honestly about as canon as the famous death certificate is. And is closer to the time.
It says Jason is deceased, and that he was 13.
Now. I DO hear questions. First and foremost, wasn't Jason 12 when he BECAME Robin? Wouldn't saying he died at 12 give him absolutely no time at all for his run? Wasn't it sorta implied by Dick soon after Jason's death that Jason had at least been Robin for 2 years?
And you're right! So what's the deal?
Well, pre-crisis Jason was 12 when he was adopted. And that usually gets adapted for post, but we never actually get a direct in comic confirmation that he's 12 at the time of his new origin. What we do have is that he dropped out of 5th Grade to take care of his mom.
Taking a look at Batman #408+409. Catherine died in February of the year Batman found Jason. School generally starts in.. let's say August (though can vary depending on your school district and area). I think it makes alot of sense for Jason, age 10, to drop out of 5th grade to help Catherine due to her worsening health, and for her to die that February. I can also imagine her dying when Jason should've been in 6th grade instead as well, making him 11 and having spent more time caring for her. Ultimately that more goes down to how long you want his run to be or if you have extra information from tracking the timeline thoroughly.
You actually go younger if you take info from outside of the comic stories themselves. Like the little qna section at the end of comics. They imply Jason could've been 9 at time of adoption there. Wild stuff
But ultimately, his age around is death is what we have the clearest information on, due to Annual 12 stating the 7th grade. And the game starting 13. He really does rather crisply leave him at, canonically, something close to 12 or 13 at the time of death. Nowhere near 15, and certainly not 16, no matter how much DC tries to age him up or retcon it to be something different, I think it's very important we let him keep that original age he had.
Funniest part about Robin Jason canonically going to heaven is that it implies either 1) Jason didnāt kill Felipe and Bruce completely blew up their relationship for no reason or 2) youāre allowed in heaven after killing someone as long as that someone really deserved it, which would then imply that heaven itself is on Jasonās side in the Jason vs Bruce conflict.
Some core dates for the passage of time for Bat characters in the ā80s. Since the Bat comics often declined to specify inter-issue temporal changes, I have pieced this together by extensively mapping the passage of time which appears in the New Teen Titans series (1980-1996) and coordinating it with Pre-Crisis + Post-Crisis events.
You can find my issue by issue breakdowns on LOCG here: 1, 2, 3, 4 are completed so far.
Late Spring/Early Summer (Dick is 17), Dick drops out of Hudson U before his first year is finished. He falls out with Bruce.
December (Dick is 18), Raven calls the New Teen Titans together. They have their first encounter with the threat of Trigon.
Spring (Dick is 18, Vic turns 19, Kory was 12 when she was taken into slavery 7 years ago which makes her 19 likewise).
Next June (Dick is 18, Jason is 12 Pre-Crisis but 11 Post-Crisis ā this discrepancy can be put down to a changing birthday and/or change of the exact month in which they met), Post-Crisis Jason meets Bruce on the anniversary of his parentsā deaths. The Titans have their first encounter with Brother Blood.
July/August (Dick is 18, Jason turns 12), the Titans spend the summer on Tamaran/in the Vega system. By the end Dick + Kory start dating. Meanwhile on Earth, Jason trains to be Robin.
Fall - Terra joins the Teen Titans; sheās almost 16.
On New Years Eve/Day, the Titans deal with the Brotherhood of Evil (who in turn are fucking up the Brother Blood Church of Zandia). Afterward, Kory goes to Wayne Manor to find Dick but is surprised to see just Bruce + Jason inside. Dickās wiling away his time with Adrian Chase instead.
The following January, Tara has her 16th birthday + the Titans team up with the Outsiders (Batmanās team), where Dick tells Bruce that heās 19 & no longer a kid. THIS is the moment that Post-Crisis Batman references when Dick has his famous āIām 19 + not your partner anymore?ā speech. It was reformatted from a moment where Dick declares his independence to a moment where he accepts the shove to grow up, + I really hate it. Here, Dick explains that he wants to end the Batman & Robin partnership, + not the Bruce & Dick relationship as Bruce believes he does. Here, Jason asks to become Robin (implying he isnāt yet ā which lines up with how heās nearing the end of his Robin training). Here, Dick tells him that he isnāt giving up Robin, the title heās had since he was 8. Wolfman will later extensively retcon this figure of 8 to 12/13, so that is the digit I usually follow. But for now, this is how the fallout goes: amicably.
That January (itās a very busy time), the Titans take on the Brother Blood Church of Zandia, + Dick is made under brainwashing to nearly kill the Titans. Shortly afterward, the Judas Contract begins, which as we know leads to Dick (whoās currently without a mantle) adopting Nightwing. Jason appears at Taraās funeral in the Robin regalia, so it can be assumed that Dick bestowed him with the suit at this time. Once again, this lines up with the Post-Crisis expansion of events
March - the H.I.V.E. come more to the foreground before their leader awkwardly commits a mass-group suicide.
Spring - 19 year old Donna is married. Bruce talks about Natalia Knight adopting Jason out from underneath his nose (thereby dating the Batman chronology to TEC #543/4 + BM #377/8 at this time). Dick asks why he wasnāt adopted. Youāve all seen the panels.
Late Spring/early summer - Slade is sentenced to a year in jail for gun ownership but otherwise evades legal consequences for the people heās killed/the Judas Contract. Joey joins the Titans + the Trigon-fuelled Apocalypse arc kicks off. This turns the skies all red across the world, + can be linked to the final Nocturna arc which features a preponderance of red skies. She floats off in a balloon at this time. Meanwhile the Titans emerge as the saviours of New York, but Raven also floats off. That was the done thing.
That July, the Crisis takes place + toward the end, Dick & Kory hit a major relationship obstacle for long-running reasons as well as her getting wedded to another man on Tamaran. Dick turns 20 off-planet sometime in the Fall. Meanwhile, Jason has turned 13 that August + he enters his final year at school.
I would personally concentrate Starlinās issues here, between the September when Jason goes back to school + his death that next April (e.g. Dumpster Killer / Garzonasā Case / the Cult).
And so, Jason dies in April whilst Dickās off planet helping Donna learn more about her Titan Seed heritage. He technically reaches out to the Titans base at this time, + you can decide for yourself whether that was a routine call or a last-ditch request for help before he boarded an airplane out of Gotham. I conclude here by saying that Jason dies at 13 years + 8 months if you opt for him joining at 11. If you insist that 1990-2003 can happen in two years then Jason dies at 14 years + 8 months after joining at his Pre-Crisis age of 12. This latter date means that Tim had indeedāas he claimedājust turned 13 in ALPOD, which takes place a little while after his July birthday.
In conclusion ā there is a timeline for 80s Batman, you just have to count every single mention of time passing in the NTT series to be able to construct it. Luckily for you, I am that nerdy.
TL;DR. Jason meets Bruce at 11, turning 12 shortly afterward. Then Dick turns 19, + this is where the Pre-Crisis speech that heās independent now / not going to be Robin anymore collides temporally with the Post-Crisis firing retcon where Bruce decides Dick wonāt be Robin by his side anymore + the cross-Crisis moment where Dick decides to go on a soul searching adventure (TEC #337-9, Nightwing: Year One) + become Nightwing.
Jason dies at 13. Dick is 20. If you really believe that the Batman comics published between 1990 + 2003 can happen in 2 years, then Jason met Bruce at 12, was Robin at 13, + died at 14, allowing Tim to have just turned 13 in A Lonely Place of Dying which takes place some months after A Death in the Family. ā¤ļø
@cologona I can work on a merged visual timeline for you if you want but for now, this is what I work from concerning the New Teen Titans run (Vol. * referring to the paperback NTT books from the 2010s, I provide the issue numbers if needed):
December Y9 - Vol. 1 (DC Comics Presents #26 + New Teen Titans vol. 1 (1980-4) #1-7): the Titans form.
Spring Y10 - Vol. 1 #8 (Day in the Titans' Lives) to the end of Vol. 2 (aka #16)
Late Spring to Early Summer Y10 - Vol. 3 (#17-20 + the Tales of the New Teen Titans #1-4)
Summer to Early Fall Y10 - Vol. 4 (NTT vol. 1 (1980-4) #21-7 + Annual #1)
Fall to Winter & New Years Y10 - Vol. 5 up to #32.
January to February Y11 - Vol. 5 #33 through Vol. 6 (NTT vol. 1 (1980-4) #35-41 + Batman and the Outsiders #5)
February to April Y11 - Vol. 7 (Tales of the Teen Titans #42-8 + TT Annual #3) to Vol. 8 (TotTT #49-58).
June Y11 - Vol. 9 (NTT vol. 2 (1984-8) #1-9).
June to July/August Y11 - Vol. 10 (NTT vol. 2 (1984-8) #10-15 + NTT vol. 2 Annual #1).
Vols. 11-14 (NTT vol. 2 (1984-8) #16-49, NTT vol. 2 Annual #2-4, TotTT #84-8, The New Titans (1988-95) #50-5) take place between August Y11 + April Y12, but I havenāt typed up those notes in detail yet, so I canāt confirm the precise months at the moment. I hope to get onto it shortly, but for now, thatās the timeline.
And then under the read more is my rough outline for Jasonās Robin stint. Please excuse how messy it is, I copied it straight from my notes sheet.
June Y10
11 year old Jason + Bruce meet on the anniversary of his parentsā deaths: Batman #408-9 / Batman 357 + TEC 524 + Batman 358 + TEC 525 + Batman 359
July Y 10
TEC 526 - impromptu Robin Jay; Batman 360 - savage skull; heās put to the Manbat test; TEC 527 Batman 361
August Y10
TEC 528-9 - savage skull; + Batman 362
Jason turns 12.
September Y10
Batman 363, TEC 530 - nocturna
October Y10
Jason runs away - BM 364, TEC 531, returns in 365
Saving Vicki TWC 532, BM 566 (scolding)
November Y10
Babs saves Gordon 533
December Y10
Jasonās 1st patrol in Gotham as Robin. (Batman #367 Sep 1983) & Batman #410-11. TEC 534 & crazy quilt in TEC 535
January Y11
Jason (& Batman + the Outsiders). Jason goes to Terraās funeral. I would put a merged version of the Dick & Jay mantle talk from Batman #368 & Batman #416 somewhere here or in late December. Julia BM 369. TEC 536
February Y11 (my past self forewent issue numbers here)
Jay faces Dr Fang + One-offs (catman, boxer, etc.) Batman #373⦠& Detective #471 MAYBE?
March Y11
Child Custody arc - Batman #376-8, TEC #543/4. Donnaās wedding takes place sometime in early Spring, where Bruce is wrestling with Jay getting placed with Nocturna.
Mad Hatter #378-9
Dr Fang & Bullock #380, Night Slayer #380-1
April Y11
Darkwolf & Catwoman TEC #382; Sleep #383
May Y11
Dr Fangās big plan vs. Bruce (Batman #384, TEC #551, BM #385)
June Y11
Blsck Mask rises (BM #386-7); Mirror vs Boomerang BM #388
July Y11
BM #389, TEC #556, BM #390 +#391 = the crisis!
August Y11
BM #392, KGB - #393, 4, BM #395-6 film baddie, BM #397 2Face!, BM #398 - 2F, Circe & Batcat drama
Jason & Rena BM #399 followed by the Conclusion to Pre-Crisis Batman #400
Jason turns 13.
September Y11
LEGENDS: BATMAN #401 & TEC #568; BM #402, BM #403 - Batman copycat; at the very end: BM #414 - Starlinās run begins, with the dumpster killer case taking months to unfold.
TEC #583/4 scar face and fever, TEC 585/6 rat catcher, TEC 587-9 - who is terrorizing the homeless, TEC 590 Batman stops terror attack in London; BM #572 - Xmas detective issue also set in England; TEC 591, 592/3 the fear, 594 mass murderer.
January Y12
- The Cult
February Y12
The Cult
March Y12
TEC 595 / INVASION event; Garzonas case in Batman #424-5
April Y12
The Killing Joker + A Death in the Family BM #426-9.
Iām attached to the whole āJay died at 13ā thing for a lot of reasons (absolute canon complicity above all else), but one of them is definitely the inevitable conclusion that Jason Todd died before he could graduate middle school. Guy of all time.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
You should really ask yourself why it's so important to you that Jason, and only Jason, among the Bats should be the only ugly one. The terribly scarred one with no idea for wound care.
No matter what they say about robin jason, his death is always going to be Bruceās fault. And not in an abstract ābatmanās greatest failureā way. I mean you canāt have a kid die, violently, from a threat the parent knew about, and it not be their fault. Its negligence. Itās a failure of care. And yes, Sheila is responsible, the joker is responsible, but Bruce was his legal guardian. If it was a school teacher who told him āhey Iām leaving but thereās a serial killer around, so donāt get into troubleā then came back to a corpse, that teacher would be super duper liable.
Its just funny to me, we cut batman more slack than we would a regular parent who isnāt a genius super ninja.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming