Some thoughts on Batman Year 3 1-4 (Batman #436-439) from 1989 because I found some old comics in my grandfather's house and got excited!
The storyline is a very bittersweet reflection on Dick's origins after Jason's death with a focus on Bruce and Dick's relationship.
In #436, Dick says that he thought Alfred's worries for Bruce were exaggerated, but when he visits the manor, he finds all traces of Jason wiped away. He knows that Bruce would never talk about it as father and son, so he approaches the problem like a case.
Bruce is increasingly violent and undisciplined in his endeavors as Batman. Dick finds him easily by following the wreckage through Gotham's streets. When he finds him, though, Bruce rejects his help and pushes him away.
Parallel to Dick's struggle with worries about Bruce, Alfred worries about what Dick will do when Anthony Zucco is released from prison on parole. Bruce has lost all sense of logic and moderation, beating thugs bloody and working with crime bosses in his search for who is killing members of organized crime.
The difference between Bruce and Dick becomes visible when Zucco is released and subsequently killed, as Dick does not falter from the code and logic that Bruce taught him to follow as Robin. Bruce is violent and erratic in his grief.
Bruce rejects Dick's help and companionship, afraid of losing him just like Jason. The differences between them are highlighted even more, as Dick explains how Bruce and Alfred's love shaped him despite his parents' murders. He says that Bruce didn't have that.
This storyline is interesting because it parallels and contrasts Bruce to Dick instead of Dick to Jason. Post-Jason's death, Bruce isolates himself while Dick reaches out. Bruce's actions are motivated by fear, while Dick's are motivated by love and care. Alfred worries for them both, but only Dick comes to confide in him while Bruce dives into Batman work.
Overall, this was a devastating storyline that really hammers home the impact of Jason's loss on the family.
