Raffle K.

batman: under the hood - crucial red hood characterization, and... okay. i don't think either of them are comically evil in this one, though other people may disagree. i think that the dynamic is adversarial, sure, but ultimately well-written, even if both of the characters are pushed to their extremes to highlight their flaws. [note: when i say it is well-written i am Not talking about jaybin depictions the jaybin depictions are bad.]

countdown to final crisis issues #15-13 - this comic run is numbered backwards, so higher #'d issues should be read first. okay. the entire run is bouncing between other universes, so the bruce depicted here is not mainline continuity bruce. however, i think the way he differs from mainline continuity bruce, and how jason reacts to that, is absolutely fascinating, and gives a lot of insight into the jason & bruce relationship.

red hood and the outlaws (2011) issue #17 - i know this is a pretty granular rec but there's a scene with bruce & jason in this one that i really do like a lot and wish actually stuck around as a cornerstone of their dynamic. alas.

red hood and the outlaws (2016) issues #1-8 - this arc not very centered on the bruce & jason relationship, but iirc there are also moments more father-son-esque moments in there that i enjoy. it's been a while since i read it though, so take that with a grain of salt :p

honorable mentions:

red hood: lost days - not a lot of bruce, a decent chunk of how jason feels about bruce. also i just really like this run in general, besides the talia sleeping with jason thing at the end. which i simply do not respect as a writing choice. <- this is definitely a must read for red hood jason in general, imo.

batman: urban legends issues #1-6 - specifically, the story in there titled 'cheer.' it contains a jason & bruce relationship depiction that... has some pretty interesting moments? unfortunately i just really don't like how jason is depicted (as both red hood and robin,) so it's hard for me to recommend.

other jason recs:

task force z - many fun moments for jason!! some of the characterization is not my favorite but a lot of it is real & true

event leviathan issues #2-3 - the event itsellf is not about jason, but he is a prime suspect for a bit, and i really really really like this brief little spotlight he gets :)

joker: the man who stopped laughing - has many fun jason moments that i enjoy!!

Nigerian Pride 🏳️‍🌈🇳🇬

Miscellaneous dividers (idk what to call these)

On a serious note, though, there's a lot to explore with Tim and Jason. I've seen a good few people say that Tim feels bad for taking over as Robin, and while I think that's an interesting dynamic, it's just... not true. I don't think a guilty Tim would publicly shit-talk a tortured and murdered boy if he felt bad for replacing him. I think to suggest he does feel guilty is to weaken both Tim's character and he and Jason's relationship. A major trait of Tim's is that he is arrogant. Incredibly so. He knows he's smart, he knows he's strong, and he absolutely believes he's in the right. As OP said, he's a rich nepo-baby. Arrogance comes with the title. Obviously, there's the fact that Tim was a kid to take into consideration. The adults around him that DID know Jason and who he was should have intervened, should have preserved the image of this dead child. But man, that shit must sting. Imagine being Jason. You've been tortured and murdered, crawled out of your own grave, gone into a coma, ended up catatonic on the streets, only to end up realizing the man who caused all of that was spared by a man you considered your father. Not only are you left with this perceived abandonment, but you realize there's this know-it-all brat wearing an identical costume to yours (not even mentioning the fact that your costume is ON DISPLAY as a reminder of failure?), proudly replacing you, overshadowing your abilities, covering up any trace of your suffering and existence, side-by-side with the man that failed you. That is a series of gutpunches after gutpunches. Yeah, I think I would try to kick that kids ass, too.

Everyyy single time there's a specific event mentioned like the batarang or Bruce taking Jason to the place he died or Bruce beating Jason and leaving him bedridden for 3 weeks. and I always perk up like ohh? Focus on Jason and his feelings and his pov and how this was a completely fucked up thing to do? How this made him wary and its entirely justified that he is and the fam working to fix what they may have done and acknowledging Jason does In Fact have reason to think they dont care or want him around?

No. 😞

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