It’s not that they are always writing Dick badly, really, it’s just that he’s not special either. Thinking back I feel like Judd Winick was practically the only guy who seemed to have an idea of writing a story for Dick!Batman rather than just Batman who’s not Bruce.
Very much agreed. And that was only for a brief, brief early span.
Often they seem more interested in any character in the book other than Dick--Damian's the one with the arc in B&R and Streets of Gotham, Tony Daniel's Batman was crowded with people, with Dick not much more important than anyone else.
Yes. That's the way it appears to me as well.
Thinking back over the year, it seems like there’s been endless references to Dick being not good at things, but without the satisfying payoff of how he's uniquely good regardless.
This! And a payoff would be satisfying, so I don't... get why it feels like we won't see it. Or, if we do, that it'll be saved for the very end and have to do with (in B and R) the difference in something... small and not particularly canon-related, like some artificialish 'Dick has different timing issues than Bruce' thing. Which... I guessing--won't be enough of a payoff to me to justify the goofifying of Dick. I just absolutely don't think GM is a Dick fan.
And in Batman, what would the payoff even be? He's pretty much just a guy playing Batman dress-up. Not terribly, but it's... I don't know if he even has an emotional arc in that book. So how can we get excited about the guy that's pretty much being Batman moderately well though occasionally getting berated by Robin. (Which drives me crazy.) And just... doing stuff. Too many people in that book!
I am very happy for Tim to get a good story arc. But also disappointed for Dick. It feels to me, as you point out, that Daniels or Morrison want it to be that Bruce is just not replaceable, and/or--depending on the writer, that they aren't all that interested in writing Dick as Batman. It IS a huge contrast to the ways that the other characters get to shine. Dick's hardly allowed to be himself. I mean, honestly, that he's at times almost unrecognizable as say, the leader of the Titans, in B and R. Or in Batman. I feel that sometimes in B and R, he's written as some kid who grew up in the circus (when in fact, he did more of his growing up in a mansion) and then got to be Robin and now he's Batman. And kind of a goofus who's all: Team-Up! Sweet! Let me go use a Lazarus Pit! (What? I didn't use to like those? GM doesn't care!) I don't know how to do math! Good thing Damian's around to pick up the pieces for me! (that last goes for B and R and plenty of Batman by TD, too.)
And it's weird to me for several reasons, not the least of which is that Dick has been Batman before. But no one is currently interested in showing us any kind of truly successful, exciting moment where Dick truly shines. We haven't seen it and I don't know if we will. It's possible that GM is building to that, with 'Dick's different from Bruce b/c of his timing' issues, but I don't know. And I don't know that it will be nearly enough, especially since he's writing B and R now with what I see as a lack of understanding of Dick and lack of respect/love/concern/understanding of and for the character.
At any rate, he's hardly the focus of any story, although he's starring in two big books. Focus on Damian's largely to blame, and like you, I think TD's book is way too crowded.
Heh on your J. Peterman quote. Yes! And this made me laugh--so true. (Poor Dick.) It’s more just like, "I figured it out. Finally. Often while doing oddly reckless things along the way." It's exactly like that.
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Great Post--well said! Also, I wrote like a novel here.
Date: 2010-05-06 12:07 pm (UTC)Very much agreed. And that was only for a brief, brief early span.
Often they seem more interested in any character in the book other than Dick--Damian's the one with the arc in B&R and Streets of Gotham, Tony Daniel's Batman was crowded with people, with Dick not much more important than anyone else.
Yes. That's the way it appears to me as well.
Thinking back over the year, it seems like there’s been endless references to Dick being not good at things, but without the satisfying payoff of how he's uniquely good regardless.
This! And a payoff would be satisfying, so I don't... get why it feels like we won't see it. Or, if we do, that it'll be saved for the very end and have to do with (in B and R) the difference in something... small and not particularly canon-related, like some artificialish 'Dick has different timing issues than Bruce' thing. Which... I guessing--won't be enough of a payoff to me to justify the goofifying of Dick. I just absolutely don't think GM is a Dick fan.
And in Batman, what would the payoff even be? He's pretty much just a guy playing Batman dress-up. Not terribly, but it's... I don't know if he even has an emotional arc in that book. So how can we get excited about the guy that's pretty much being Batman moderately well though occasionally getting berated by Robin. (Which drives me crazy.) And just... doing stuff. Too many people in that book!
I am very happy for Tim to get a good story arc. But also disappointed for Dick. It feels to me, as you point out, that Daniels or Morrison want it to be that Bruce is just not replaceable, and/or--depending on the writer, that they aren't all that interested in writing Dick as Batman. It IS a huge contrast to the ways that the other characters get to shine. Dick's hardly allowed to be himself. I mean, honestly, that he's at times almost unrecognizable as say, the leader of the Titans, in B and R. Or in Batman. I feel that sometimes in B and R, he's written as some kid who grew up in the circus (when in fact, he did more of his growing up in a mansion) and then got to be Robin and now he's Batman. And kind of a goofus who's all: Team-Up! Sweet! Let me go use a Lazarus Pit! (What? I didn't use to like those? GM doesn't care!) I don't know how to do math! Good thing Damian's around to pick up the pieces for me! (that last goes for B and R and plenty of Batman by TD, too.)
And it's weird to me for several reasons, not the least of which is that Dick has been Batman before. But no one is currently interested in showing us any kind of truly successful, exciting moment where Dick truly shines. We haven't seen it and I don't know if we will. It's possible that GM is building to that, with 'Dick's different from Bruce b/c of his timing' issues, but I don't know. And I don't know that it will be nearly enough, especially since he's writing B and R now with what I see as a lack of understanding of Dick and lack of respect/love/concern/understanding of and for the character.
At any rate, he's hardly the focus of any story, although he's starring in two big books. Focus on Damian's largely to blame, and like you, I think TD's book is way too crowded.
Heh on your J. Peterman quote. Yes! And this made me laugh--so true. (Poor Dick.) It’s more just like, "I figured it out. Finally. Often while doing oddly reckless things along the way." It's exactly like that.