I’ve probably said it before but I love sketching characters over time and I’m a bit of a DC Fanboy. And I got to thinking about the only three people who were Robin and how their costumes change over time.
Dick Grayson – He starts with the acrobat costume with the tights and the pixie boots. I never thought about it until I heard it in a podcast several months ago, but I like the “nylons” theory for why Dick had the short shorts. Thus, I tried to indicate that in the images. As time goes on Dick Grayson incorporates the full pants and black outside cape. The cape being the biggest symbol of growth based on that one comic that postulated that Bruce puts Robin in bright colors to be a target for the bad guys. Hence, Nightwing’s lack of any cape once flys-from-the-nest.
Jason Todd – I am a ginger-Todd person. So as you move down the image I tried to redden up the hair a bit to show that progression of Jason wanted to be Dick,the slowly giving that up. I feel like the Bruce’s soldiers mentality towards a sidekick would really start with Jason, hence the “tactical” boots and the eventual psychological demise of this Robin. I am cribbing the pre-crisis Earth-2 Grayson Robin for much of this look with all the yellow. Going back to the Robin-as-distraction, I feel like Jason would get some satisfaction out of his ability to beat people up this incorporating the large swaths of yellow. And, to cover my bases with some made up color theory, a dash of yellow as a color of warning.
Tim Drake – This would have been my Robin had not nearly all of his iconography been placed on the Dick Grayson Robin in the media of my youth. Given the Tim is from the action-toy era, I tried to show that he has a constantly evolving costume. Being the Robin that figured out Bruce’s secret identity and Tim’s proposal of being the sidekick Batman needs, I like to think the he chooses to pick up where Dick left off. Tim Drake would start of with the three Robin colors of red, green, yellow, but as time goes on he becomes more monochromatic like Bruce. I see Tim using the Robin persona as stepping stone towards being Batman. Hence, Drake’s Robin utilizing the Batarangs, scallops on the gauntlets, and eventually adopting the cowl under the Red Robin persona. I also see Tim as the Robin that does the most code-switching, this also goes toward the various costume tweaks.
And that’s it that’s all the Robins.
Yes I know about Carrie Kelly, and Steph Brown, and >inhale< Damian. But, the Carrie was created of the last Batman story. Stephanie was created to be killed shortly after being a ‘Girl Wonder.’ And, Damian died in the “Death OF the Family” storyline and has definitely never came back.
