Of Bats And Birds

Middle age Scandinavian female. I do have other interests but this blog is almost exclusively dedicated to bat-stuff in general and Dick Grayson, the first Boy wonder, in particular. If you follow me from an empty blogg, expect to be blocked and reported as spam.

[northoftheroad]

For reference

Hi, and welcome to my Tumblr blog! If you're interested in Dick Grayson, one of the 80+-year-old characters in DC comics, you've come to the right place. For your convenience (and mine), I've made a master list over my more informative blog posts.

Dick Grayson – history since 1940

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/183939499595/variations-of-dick-graysons-and-robins-origin

Dick Grayson’s origins part 2

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/622539911996801024/the-origins-of-nightwing

https://at.tumblr.com/northoftheroad/ten-ish-panels-to-sum-up-dick-grayson/e475zkd7d69t

More about Nightwing origin stories

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/172691578935/canon-proof-that-dick-grayson-knows-how-to-cook

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/176809880510/canon-proof-that-dick-grayson-knows-how-to-take

A timeline with Dick's appearances in different media

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/184639887555/the-owls-in-dick-graysons-life

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/182449252625/dickrobin-being-on-the-small-side-cant-rely-on

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/621441850823393280/dick-grayson-80-years-of-hairstyles

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/619163285567242240/lets-try-a-new-job-this-week

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/173516638080/replacement

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/611726015467765761/why-is-robin-red-green-and-yellow

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/174297899875/back-to-the-circus-2018-marks-the-250th

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/185137130885/of-course-dick-loves-robin-hood-batman-legends

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/615674314145120256/dick-grayson-the-boy-hostage-not-so-much

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/631605554346934272/up-to-date-with-the-trends-if-you-dont-mind

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/641137705163603968/the-original-boy-tech-wonder

Fanon hug-happy Dick is an exaggeration

Dick and chandeliers

Dick as Batman

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/653147245497253888/hi-can-you-please-tell-me-how-many-people-or

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/654353465848496128/hi-i-was-wondering-what-was-dick-like-in-school

https://at.tumblr.com/northoftheroad/some-of-dick-graysons-relatives/pwqhpie6em5j

Dick’s deaths

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/667307837433823232/theres-this-idiom-in-swedish-it-goes-something

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/673533957383634944/from-what-i-can-tell-both-dick-and-jason-are

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/671546005193441280/do-you-think-dick-is-a-perfectionist-i-dont

The superhero community about how awesome Dick Grayson is

https://at.tumblr.com/northoftheroad/dick-graysons-progeny/w6j67rn196c3

Dick feeling inadequate

Glimpses of an adult Dick in older comics

Dick was not out to kill Tony Zucco

Dick Grayson’s love life

Suits and equipment

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/183612268440/dick-graysons-robin-suits

https://www.tumblr.com/northoftheroad/707152864984842240/dick-graysons-robin-suits-part-two

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/618292087194025984/dick-graysons-nightwing-suits

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/667745519104409600/dick-graysons-nightwing-suits-part-two

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/627704953007407104/electric-nightwing

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/183335630595/the-origin-of-nightwings-eskrima-sticks

More about Dick’s suits

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/658243787514150912/1-favorite-all-time-suit-dick-wore-as-either

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/666136625933336576/the-proto-robin-suit

The costumes of The Flying Graysons

Reading recommendations and review-ish posts

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/620336340461060096/recommeded-reading-for-dick-grayson-robin-and

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/623453162904371200/dick-and-tim-brothers-in-arms

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/667482272267714561/robin-and-batman

https://www.tumblr.com/northoftheroad/713431332049633280/dick-grayson-in-the-new-52?source=share

Rebirth and forward

Dick's relationship to Bruce Wayne and other characters

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/182869936950/nightwing-son-of-batman

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/183674718275/nightwing-son-of-batman-part-2

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/184155422075/nightwing-son-of-batman-part-3

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/643984599601627136/the-familial-duo

Early comics when Dick thought he was being replaced

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/182493404900/how-did-bruce-wayne-and-dick-grayson-see-their

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/190474671300/adoption-angst-caused-by-marv-wolfman

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/175978536130/batman-parenting-lesson-101

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/638679986575998976/was-there-any-moment-in-the-comics-that-bruce

Dick talking what Bruce did for him

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/185403918185/hits-and-hugs

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/184900991455/dick-grayson-the-bat-family-punching-bag

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/185766023550/when-jason-replaced-dick-as-robin-the-abridged

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/185748467540/dick-grayson-bat-fanboy

Dick and Jason’s relationship

Romantic relationships

About different creators

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/629052627294044160/if-wolfman-had-written-the-fired-retcon-we

Marv Wolfman

Devin Grayson

George Pérez’ inspiration for the New Teen Titans characters

Chuck Dixon

Posts about characters besides Dick Grayson

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/186739855095/playboy-batman

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/185957848140/the-wayne-family

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/184323757200/the-very-large-extended-bat-family

Wayne family age differences 

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/180898913720/bruce-wayne-not-fit-to-be-a-guardian

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/173708468165/the-trials-and-tribulations-of-being-a-guardian

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/182299855105/ok-we-all-know-oliver-queen-is-the-social-justice

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/185200084235/all-about-alfred

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/182997516785/the-two-jason-todds

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/187961572025/the-death-and-resurrection-of-alfred-pennyworth

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/180715229020/doctor-leslie-thompkins-is-a-bronze-age-addition

The original Batwoman and Batgirl

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/179690378905/catwoman-costumes-these-days-selina-kylecatwoman

Doctor Simon Hurt

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/182245531555/scarecrow-made-his-debut-in-worlds-finest-comics

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/672295771014578176/opinions-on-the-character-of-nightstar-aka-mari

https://at.tumblr.com/northoftheroad/some-wayne-ancestors/wdrnb2i4zadn

Miscalenous

Tea

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/178984730830/why-the-bat-utility-belt-is-a-miniature-tardis

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/175362090691/a-bat-without-a-cave-a-butler-or-a-robin-some

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/186348961795/robin-a-child-labourer

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/623143263685214208/bat-cereal-then-and-now

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/631046730692067328/whats-in-a-retcon-anyway

https://northoftheroad.tumblr.com/post/663397703844347904/hi-i-am-a-pretty-big-dick-grayson-fan-and-i-like

Healing Dick’s amnesia in 2020

The Superman radio show where he first teamed up with Batman and Robin

More about Superman and Batman and Robin on radio

https://www.tumblr.com/northoftheroad/706041964904267776/all-those-other-robins?source=share

Why I like Dick Grayson

Dick being carried

Dick and the circus

Favourite quotes

Easter Eggs in a Batman/Scooby Doo comic

Other bloggers and resources

There are a lot of good Dick Grayson blogs out there, and I'm not going to try to collect every insightful post I've ever seen. But here are a few posts I've interacted with or just don't want to lose sight of.

Trapeze artists - improvising versus planning

Dos and Don'ts with the Nightwing suit for an aerialist

A spreadsheet of Dick’s different origin stories. 

Reminder that it was Alfred who gave Damian the Robin suit, and gave Tim the  idea to become Robin

https://at.tumblr.com/northoftheroad/now-that-you-mention-it-you-could-argue-alfred/37qa3kt90upm

Dick and Barbara’s relationship

My fanfiction on Archive of our own

https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northoftheroad/works

[madkoka]

the baby that some dc writers still try to villianise.

[wesavegotham]

Damian is a disney princess. In one Rebirth Nightwing issue he even befriends a dragon.

[northoftheroad]

And that was such a fun issue of Nightwing too! I wish they would give us more stories with Wiggles the dragon.

[victusinveritas]

Please go learn how time works.

[wisegirlandseaweedbrainforever]

Damian is muslim headcannons are okay, but y'all need to give me a better reason for him to be one other than he was raised that way because you can NOT convince me either Talia or Ra's are muslim of any tradition we know about!

Now if you come up with a real functioning religion that can actually fit the cult that is the organization Ra's rules that'd be cool!

[titans-thoughts]

I mean, there was a sect called the Assassins, but that's really not enough to go by.

For Ra's, it's simple: Religion has nothing to do with the League's ideology (which makes sense; Islamic terrorism just relates to where Sykes and Picot drew the new borders after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and immortals would no doubt consider borders petty); Denny O'Neil was taking the zero population growth movement to the logical extreme.

[starburstpaladin-96]

@titans-thoughts @meara-eldestofthemall

Pretty much, combining that with the classic Fu Manchu archetype and wrapped up in Middle Eastern aesthetics far as I can tell

[titans-thoughts]

You forgot that Bruce is 007. Talia is a Bond girl, but which one depends on the writer. (Ever since Grant Morrison, they've decided on the double agent trope.)

Kathy Kane is the woman in a refrigerator. What's interesting is, that stayed canon even after Crisis on Infinite Earths; Bronze Tiger is actually haunted by her murder (which he committed).

[starburstpaladin-96]

Wait a minute Kathy is a different character from Kate Kane aka the modern Batwoman right?

@titans-thoughts

[northoftheroad]

@starburstpaladin-96 I wrote this some years ago. No guarantees that DC hasn't changed the backstores of Kate and Kathy again, of course…

Post by @northoftheroad · 6 images

💬 0  🔁 6  ❤️ 34 · The original Batgirl and Batwoman · Fun fact, for those who don’t have a doctorate in Ancient Batman: Barbara Gordon was n

[nattousan]

ok so, I approached my local library with a proposal to donate a mural as a way to A: build portfolio/gain practical experience and B: give back to a beloved public institution. The director was very enthusiastic about it and i've been working on it since the beginning of March. Come with me as I endeavor to paint what is in all honesty an excessive amount of birds

I wanted the birds to look like they were actually in the space so first thing after doing the draft was to do a lighting study

after that I covered the walls in letters in lieu of a projector/vr headset bc i have neither of those :) Then i take a picture of the section of wall and superimpose the lineart over top of it so I can pencil in the lines

et voila

and that was a whole week on it's own so next comes the paintin' >:)

[nattousan]

and now, the birds

Birds 1 and 2/14: Red Winged Blackbird, Male and female, Agelaius phoeniceus

[nattousan]

Bird 3/14, American Robin, Turdus migratorius

[nattousan]

hoo boy, ok *out of breath*

GIVE IT UP FOR BIRD NUMBUH 5, THE CANADIAN GOOSE, Branta canadensis!!!!

this guy took me about 4 days to completely finish, all of those freakingk coverts were a bear to render

[nattousan]

speaking of obnoxious coverts:

bird 5/14, Bluejay, Cyanocitta cristata

the friggin stripes almost got me chat, i may not make it

[nattousan]

Madam....

[nattousan]

birds 6 and 7: American Goldfinch, Spinus tristis, male and female

pleasantly simple to paint! next is the flickerrrrr

[nattousan]

*melts into goo*

BIRD NUMBER 8, (yellow shafted) NORTHERN FLICKERRRRR, Colaptes auratus

genuinely made me start questioning my sanity around day 3, it's half the size the of the goose, WHY did it take me 4 days to finish??

nothing but pain and suffering, i'm sure hope the next bird will be much easier and with FAR less barring :)

[nattousan]

in other news, I am losing my mind hairline

[nattousan]

SHE'S DONE!!

Bird number 9: Red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis

my chains are broken i am FREE. although i did have a great deal of fun with this, the barring on the wings itself took me like four days and i am READY to move on

this was a week and a half of continuous work so please excuse me for getting a little emotional in the bg 🙏

[nattousan]

*does a little jig*

BIRD NUMBER 10!!! The Male Mallard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos

the male and female ones are gonna be posted separately bc they're taking a lot longer lol but yea! super happy i was able to capture the iridescent green of the head, i found metallic green and blue paint at a craft store that really made his head POP. it looks better in person i promise

ALSO!! As this is the 10th one, BIG announcement. The end is in sight!!!!! I plan to finish within the next 3 weeks and there will be a small dedication ceremony/ unveiling happening at the library to commemorate its completion on the 16th of May. If you live in the Western New York region and want to check it out for yourself shoot me a dm!

Also thank you everyone for your kind words and support throughout this whole process, it's been a genuine treat thinking there are potentially thousands of you out there cheering me on while I paint this 🥹

[nattousan]

aaaand another one bites the duck,

we're movin right along with bird numero 11!! The lady Mallard!! Anas platyrhyncos

the 16th is looming in the distance so i'm trying to get thru these as quickly as i can so i can have as much time for the GBH as possible. i still need to do the names next to all of them so i've got about a week and a half to finish everything which is GREAT because i have adhd and nothing gets my ass in gear like a fuckin deadline, let me tell you

[nattousan]

power couple that they are, here's bird number 12 and 13,

the Northern Cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis

and NOW that they are complete, ITS GO TIME, in the next five days (library's closed for mother's day 😭😭) i need to have the GBH fully rendered, the names of the birds vectored, weeded, masked, applied to the wall, and then painted, plus additional cattails throughout. I may be able to get away with just getting the GBH done in time for the unveiling and then just have the names and cattails added later, but i'm gonna really try to get it all done in time. BUT, i have a plan. Part of why i take so long on these is because i really am just figuring it out as I do it lmao. there have been many a time where i am sitting on top of the ladder googling "how to paint birds" but I think if i take the time tomorro to do all that figuring out how to approach it beforehand, this will go a lot faster. I may also recruit some of my artist friends to help with the placing of the names... hrmm we'll see.

Anyways, shout out to the librarian who tracked down exactly the thing i needed so i could figure out where to place the highlights in my birds eyes, ur the real mvp

[nattousan]

thanks for the reminder, kid

[nattousan]

at long last, we've reached the end...

Bird number 14 out of 14,

The Great blue heron, Ardea herodius

thank you to everyone who reached out or got excited about this project, it genuinely gave me the fuel i needed to keep going. In total, the 480+ total hrs it took me to cover this wall pales in comparison to how long its expected to spend on there, hopefully imparting a sense of beauty and love for the natural world to the next generation and here's hoping i'm only getting started with these.

i'll see y'all soon :')

[ramen8008]

I think sometimes the family forget that Bruce and Dick were there for Gotham's darkest. When Batman and Robin first came to be in this city referred to as Crime City. A Nightmare out of Metal and Stone. A Sewer of Corruption. A Hell Hole. Before it was the Dark Knight's city it was Gotham.

They've been through horror movie level booby traps together. They are painfully and nostalgically trauma bonded and neither admit to the fact how traumatic some experiences were.

I just think the family forgets that until Dick and Bruce recall some memory with nostalgia and have a laugh and it's just the most horrifying traumatic thing ever

---

Dick: Oh remember the time I had to stab myself so we could distract the bad guys and you could take them out? I had to get the angle just right to make sure I don't die

Bruce: Ah yes. You almost did die. Thank God we got you care fast enough

Dick: Pretty sure the speed you knocked those guys out was a new record. It was fun though. Took away my fear of being stabbed. You get used to the pain after a while

Bruce: Yeah, I wanted us out quick. Though I also remember Alfred yelled at us and we decided to hide away from him and watch a movie

Dick: oh yeah! We watched Brave for the first time!

Bruce: *smiles* Yeah I remember. It was nice

The rest of the family: ...

---

Nightwing: [kicks body he just knocked out ] you know what this reminds me of?

Batman: [punching criminals] Spring of 92?

Nightwing: [Bomb blows up empty base] EXACTLY!

Batman: Good times huh?

Nightwing: yup

Everyone on comms: ???

---

Red Robin: it's quiet tonight...

Nightwing: don't say that!

Batman: damn it *grumbles*

Red robin: what? I just said it was qui-

Nightwing: you'll jinx it!

Robin: you don't actually believe that nonsense, do you?

Signal: yeah that seems a little much even for you

Nightwing: Just ask B. He'll back me up

Redhood: *snorts* yeah right. B isn't one to believe in jinxes

Nightwing: oh no jinxes are very real. We found out the hard way

Spoiler: right. And what would that be?

Batman: *gruffs* 10 months

Red robin: what?

Batman: 10 months of not a single quiet night because robin decided to jinx it

Nightwing: I said I was sorry! I regret it. I will never do it again

Red Robin: 10 months? You can't be serious

Red hood: yeah there is no way there was no quiet night for 10 months straight

Nightwing: [shrugs] what can I say? Old Gotham was something else

Batman: *sorrowful* 10...months... *shudders*

---

Robin: Nightwing! You got hit with fear toxin. We need to get you to the cave now!

Nightwing: *sniffs* hmm nah this is an old formula. I'll be good

Red Robin: yeah the scans say it's an old batch some lousy gang got their hands on an- wait how'd you know that?

Nightwing: the new toxin smells kinda like lemon mixed with chlorine. The old one smelled like-

Batman: warm pineapples

Nightwing: exactly!

Spoiler: wait is that why you two don't go near pineapples

Nightwing and Batman: [nod]

Robin: that does not matter. Nightwing you still need an antidote. Father you must make Nightwing get proper treatment against the toxin

Nightwing: don't worry baby bat. Like I said it's an old toxin, I have built immunity

Everyone: what?

Nightwing: we didn't have an antidote back in the early days so we needed to make sure the toxin wouldn't immobile us

Batman: Yes. With lack of proper masks, since most couldn't stop the toxin, and Scarecrow finally perfecting his toxin we needed a solution

Nightwing: so we built immunity

Red hood: wait on purpose? Intentionally?

Batman: yes

Black bat: but for that you'd have to-

Nightwing: be exposed to the toxin in small doses repeatedly and consistently. Yes

Everyone: ...

---

Red Robin: Damn it's cold out

Red hood: Patrolling in the winter sucks man. Gotham winter is so wet.

Nightwing: yeah the built in heat system in these suits is a life saver.

Red Robin: yeah literally, I don't think you could actually survive hours of patrol in this weather without them

Nightwing: eh you could

Red hood: it's in the negatives here, Wing. It snowed 5 inches last night. Without the heating system we'd be goners.

Batman: Yes however if you were to keep moving and take calculated breaks with a warm beverage patrol would be manageable.

Red Robin: I guess but who'd be stupid enough to ris-

Red robin: ....

Everyone: .....

Red hood: YOU DIDN'T EVEN WEAR PANTS WHAT THE FUCK

Nightwing: we didn't have all this advanced tech in our suits back then it's not my fault

Batman: though the pants issue is one I argued on more than one occasion

Nightwing: I needed my freedom!

Batman: It was -5°C, you needed your legs attached to your body

Nightwing: I made it out fine

---

Dick: I got here as fast as I could

Bruce: Thanks. Here's the files

Jason: did we really need to call Dickie bird all the way from Bludhaven? This doesn't seem all that big of a deal

Tim: yeah we could probably handle this on-

Dick: oh come on! Not them again

Bruce: yeah I thought so. I was just hoping it wasn't

Tim: ah so it's an old case? That's why you called Dick?

Damian: was it really that bad?

Bruce: not bad in the sense they were difficult to catch per say...

Dick: It's a group of maniacs obsessed with horror movies who last time we encountered them tried to re-create SAW

Jason: ....you're kidding

Dick: Nope. How do you think I lost my finger

Everyone: .... You WHAT?!

Dick: you guys didn't know? My left pinky finger is fake *detached and reattaches finger*

Jason: argh gross

Dick: yeah had to cut it. Nothing compared to Bruce though he had to-

Bruce: alright that's enough

Dick: come on!

[papayafromtv]

genuinely the funniest fucking thing to me right now is the knowledge that Jason Todd wasn't even the first Red Robin, because before the Countdown series Red Robin was actually first introduced a little over a decade beforehand in the Kingdom Come series where Dick Grayson was Red Robin, so technically it can be said that he nicked that title from Dick as well. there's also Brothers in Blood, where the entire premise is Dick just trying to exist in Bludhaven when Jason shows up and steals the Nightwing suit and refuses to stop fucking following him. I'm fucking crying Jason what's your problem. how is there not a comic scene of Jason complaining to Dick about Tim stealing Robin from him while Dick just. takes a deep breath and tries not to slap him in the face with a beer bottle.

[crocincrocsart]

unpopular opinion: Vimes is kind of drama queen

[mangaluva-deactivated20220930]

Sam “held a burning hot coal until it nearly took the skin off his hand while maintaining perfect calm and eye contact with the asshole in need of intimidation Just Because” Vimes? Sam “sitting on the stoop with a mug of cocoa and a cigar, cautiously aware of every inch of the scene he’s building” Vimes? Sam “could just tear his sleeve to show the mark of the Summoning Dark but instead tears off his whole goddamn shirt” Vimes? A drama queen? Reaching a bit don’t you think

[thestuffedalligator]

Yep, certainly doesn’t seem to describe Sam “pretends to eat poison as a power move” Vimes. Not Sam “buries an axe in the table in the Rats Chamber” Vimes.

[mangaluva-deactivated20220930]

I mean are we really talking about Sam “yes a whole room full of candles with wicks dipped in holy water is the best way to beat this vampire” Vimes, here? Sam “has fought bad guys on top of a speeding train AND a riverboat during a flood” Vimes, really? Definitely Sam “nearly gets shot in the head by a crossbow bolt that shatters his shaving mirror and then uses the bolt to prop up a shard of said mirror to finish shaving” Vimes we’re discussing here?

[davetheshady]

excuse me?????

vimes did not resign from his post in protest, observe the rest of the watch resign from their posts in protest, recruit them into a militia, sail to the country they were at war with, and attempt to arrest two different armies for disturbing the peace so you could sit here and call him a drama queen, as though drama was some myffic quality bestowed by an accident of birth and not the inherent right of every creatively petty and histrionic citizen of ankh-morpork 

vimes is a drama public employee

[discworld-heritage-posts]

Discworld Heritage Post

[movalise]

[northoftheroad]

[northoftheroad]

A nice cup of tea in the Batcave

Detective Comics # 523, by Gerry Conway, art Gene Colan and Tony DeZuniga.

For a man who dresses up like a bat to fight crime, Bruce Wayne has a very unimaginative taste when it comes to tea. There are thousands of different teas out there (all from the same plant, Camellia sinensis), but he seems to be stuck on Earl Grey, which has to be one of the most common teas in the Western hemisphere. At least, Earl Grey is what Alfred usually serves, on the rare occasion when the reader gets to know what’s in the teapot (Detective Comics # 523). 

Nightwing # 102, by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, art Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens.

Batman’s old pal Superman is no better. When he serves a cup of tea to Dick Grayson, who has recently shed the costume of Robin (in Nightwing Year One #2), it’s Earl Grey. Made with a teabag, no less – Alfred would surely not have stooped to that back in Wayne Manor.

Batman & Robin Adventures # 13, by Ty  Templeton, art Brandon Kruse and Terry Beatty. 

There are a lot of Batman stories out there, and I haven’t read them all, but there are a few exceptions from the Earl Grey rule. In Batman & Robin Adventures # 13 Alfred tries to tempt Batman with Dijon chicken with pasta and Darjeeling tea. Batman, recently under the influence of Scarecrow’s fear gas, refuses. 

Batman v 2 # 3, by Scott Snyder, art Grep Capullo and Jonathan Glapion. 

Likewise, he turns down Alfred’s black tea with medicinal (something) in Court of Owls. He says that it’s because he’s on his way out; it could, of course, be because it’s not Earl Grey…

Batman Year One, by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, art Javier Pulido and Marcus Martin.

Darjeeling tea also plays a small part in Robin: Year One # 1, when Robin throws a tea caddy to make the goons look the other way.  

Batman # 698, by Tony S Daniel, art Guillem March.

Batman has been seen drinking green tea on a few occasions, outside his own home, for instance in Detective Comics # 383 when the Caped Crusaders have dinner in a Chinese restaurant. And there is that time when Dick Grayson is Batman (Batman # 698) when Alfred offers him a cup of detox tea after one of Hug Strange’s concoctions.

“The Super-Newspaper of Gotham City” in World’s Finest Comics # 80. By Edmond Hamilton, art Dick Sprang and Charles Paris.

A cup of tea can also be useful to uphold Bruce Wayne’s facade of billionaire playboy. In World’s Finest Comics # 80, when he works as a journalist at the Gotham Gazette together with Clark Kent and Lois Lane, Bruce celebrates that he has managed to write an article with afternoon tea.

Aunt Harriet in the TV show from 1966–68 has a bit more fantasy when it comes to choosing tea. In the episode The Thirteenth Hat she asks Bruce Wayne for advice on whether to start with Oolong or Pekoe at the Gotham City Gourmet Society tea tasting. Wayne manages to sneak away without giving his opinion since he is called away to the Batphone.

Even something as nice as a cup of tea can be used for nefarious means. In July 1943 Bruce Wayne was drugged with tea in the radio show The Adventures of Superman (story: The Super Sleuth). Retired Scotland Yard detective Herbert Kawkins is in the USA to prove that Clark Kent is Superman and is determined to search Kent’s flat. When Bruce Wayne is in his way, the detective disposes of him with a cup of drugged tea.

– No offence you know, but you Americans really don’t understand how to brew tea properly, said Kawkins and puts the kettle on.

At least, Bruce Wayne had time to compliment Kawkins on the first-rate tea before he succumbed to sleep.

Luckily, the incident doesn’t seem to have put even the paranoid Batman off tea altogether for the future.

Convergence #2, by Jeff King and Scott Lobdell, art Jason Paz and Carlo Pagulayan.

Updated with the observation that Earl Grey seems to be the preferred tea in the Batcave even when it has visitors from other dimensions. In this case, Dick Grayson of another world where he’s never been Robin or Nightwing (but will become Batman, if I remember Convergence right). 

Now, I’m not convinced that Alfred’s personal choice of tea would be Earl Grey. I’ve seen him drink Darjeeling tea while waiting for some Bat business or other to be concluded (in The Batman Strikes #43). And a fellow tumblr pointed out to me that he chooses Assam once, visiting a café with Cassandra. Both Assam and Darjeeling are good choices, in my opinion, albeit quite different from each other. 

I’m holding to my belief that Alfred serves Earl Grey in the Batcave because that’s what Bruce, and Dick, prefers. (Or indeed because Earl Grey is a widely known tea that would be an easy choice for any comic creator.) I only wish he had tried to learn them to appreciate a wider variety of teas…

And of course, as I was reminded from a Dick Grayson and tea-post recently, in his flat in Blüdhaven there was a time that the only thing he had in his cupboard was herbal teas. 

Nightwing vol 2 # 11, by Chuck Dixon, art Scott McDaniel and Karl Story. 

Batman vs Robin # 1 (2022). Writer Mark Waid, art Mahmud Asrar , colour Jordie Bellaire.

And as of Autumn 2022, Bruce Wayne has progressed from Earl Grey to Oolong tea in Batman vs. Robin # 1. Well done!  (Edit. In # 3, Bruce discloses he used Oolong as a trap, to make certain this Alfred is an impostor … 🙄 Because Alfred despises Oolong. I’m not sure I buy that Alfred has such poor taste in tea…)

[northoftheroad]

Always reblog on International Tea Day

[hood-ex]

DC announces ‘Batman & Robin: Dynamic Duos’ as Waid and Samnee return for new maxiseries

'Batman & Robin: Year One – Dynamic Duos' #1 arrives in comic shops on August 12, 2026.

[northoftheroad]

Nice 🎉

[pelld-blog]

@queen-of-andor @iconuk01 @hood-ex @bluetrapeze @nightwingology @seekingxanadu @allovesthings @fantastic-nonsense @northoftheroad @three-semicolons Dick Grayson is the Giving Tree of the BatFamily. He gives so much of himself to others, puts their needs and feelings before his own, drops whatever he’s doing to be there for them, will offer a chance at redemption to anyone who he feels deserves one, and doesn’t immediately give up on someone the moment things are difficult or if that person makes a mistake.

This is including, but not limited to: Bruce, Jason, Tim, Damian, Barbara, Jon Kent, the Teen Titans, the Justice League, the citizens of Gotham and Bludhaven, and many more. To the younger generation of superheroes, Dick is a mentor, a role model, and a surrogate big brother who they look up to and want to emulate. To the older generation, Dick is a surrogate son/nephew/little brother who are proud of how much Dick has matured into an incredible hero in his own right. He is universally respected and beloved by the entire superhero community for his compassion, selflessness, and courage to the point where SUPERMAN and WONDER WOMAN vouch for him and look to him for leadership in a major crisis.

However, there is a downside to Dick’s position as the Giving Tree. His efforts often go unappreciated and he frequently gets taken for granted, mainly by Bruce, Jason, Tim, and sometimes Barbara. He gives so much of himself, including his leaves, his apples, his branches, and even his trunk, until he has nothing left to give, and they’re still not satisfied. They will set extremely high expectations for him, and when he fails to meet those expectations (almost always due to factors beyond his control), they lash out and berate him. If he doesn’t something they disapprove of, they will criticize and berate him. If there is a misunderstanding or miscommunication between Dick the others, it’s Dick who’s often made the scapegoat.

Dick is sometimes treated like a punching bag by Bruce and his brothers. Bruce punched Dick in the face and pushed him away when Dick tried to comfort him over Jason’s death, he literally beat Dick into submission to get him to join SPYRAL, and there are multiple other occasions where Bruce gotten violent with Dick when he’s angry. Jason and Tim both punched Dick when he came back from SPYRAL because they were angry that he faked his death, even though Dick was forced into it by Bruce. Even Huntress has assaulted Nightwing with no provocation and blamed him for her problems at one point.

When Dick lost his memories and became Ric, nobody made any real effort to be there for him and help him gradually regain his memories. Jason outright said that “Ric” isn’t a part of their family. Bruce showed him clips of Dick getting shot in his Nightwing costume in the hopes of triggering his memories back, because “they needed Nightwing”, showing no concern for Dick’s trauma or emotional wellbeing.

And after that, when Dick is overwhelmed and decides to distance himself from Bruce and the others, no one makes any effort to check up on him or help him get back on his feet. They don't seem to care about Dick's vulnerable state because all they care about is getting Nightwing back. It isn't until Dick is brainwashed by Joker into "JJ" that Bruce, Jason, Tim, and Barbara make any real effort to help him. I know that Damian wasn't really in the picture here, but I give him a pass because at the time he was a grieving 13-year-old boy who was blaming himself for Alfred's death and it wasn't really his responsibility to try and bring Dick back into the fold.

Even when Dick regains his memories and breaks free of his brainwashing, Barbara holds a grudge against him for things he did while he was brainwashed (thus not acting of his own free will), even though she knows his actions weren't of his own volition and there was no lasting damage that was done. She essentially victim-blames him for being brainwashed and manipulated by the Joker into becoming JJ.

The most painful part is that Dick rarely, if ever, fights back or actively protests against this mistreatment. Considering that Dick has a planet-sized guilt complex and blames himself for everything, I wouldn't be surprised if Dick was convinced that he did something to deserve it. They never apologize to Dick for treating him like crap or blaming him for their problems or acknowledge their own mistakes. It's as though Dick is always expected to reach out to apologize or reconcile with them, rather than the other way around. His inability to set boundaries with them has become detrimental to himself, and no one seems to understand how much pressure Dick is under to try and be there for everyone as much as he can.

Ironically, the person who is least likely to mistreat Dick or take him for granted is Damian. Damian started out as a violent, angry, arrogant child who was all too quick to resort to killing his foes and lashed out at anyone who he deemed to be a threat to his position as Bruce's son. When Dick became in loco parentis of Damian following Bruce's absence, he was initially frustrated by Damian's behavior and didn't think he was equipped to be a legal guardian to someone as temperamental as Damian.

But over time, as Dick learned more about Damian's toxic upbringing and how it influenced his behavior, he understood Damian better and was able to provide the boy with structure and stability that he desperately needed, along with allowing Damian to have a childhood and be able play and have friends his own age. He was extremely patient with Damian and didn't give up on him, and he reassured him that he would never throw him away if he made a mistake or didn't live up to some impossible standard as Robin. This was extremely beneficial for Damian, because not only did he choose to turn his back on mother and grandfather's toxic ideology and refrain from killing, but he also reawakened his long-buried empathy and compassion that had been forcefully stifled and discouraged by his teachers throughout his early childhood.

Damian wasn't inherently evil; he was a lonely, traumatized, little boy who wanted his father's approval and was insecure about his place in the family. But Dick, and later Bruce, reassured him that he doesn't have to prove himself and become antagonistic towards his brothers to be loved. And that in turn led to Damian being nicer to Tim and actually getting along with him. Dick wasn't just his Batman; he was his big brother, his mentor, and his role model. Dick loves Damian like a little brother, and he's so proud of how his little Robin has matured. Damian has so much appreciation and respect for Dick that he tells his pets how cool his big brother is.

TLDR version: Dick Grayson is a loyal, self-sacrificing sweetheart who does so much for his family and friends. He doesn't deserve to be treated like crap by his own adopted father and brothers for making mistakes or not living up to their unrealistic expectations or blamed for something that was beyond his control. I wish writers would have Bruce, Tim, Jason, and Babs actually appreciate Dick and apologize to him for all the times they mistreated him. Is that so much to ask for?

[asinglebluefeline]

The UTRH Bruce and Dick team-up is so funny 2 me, because first we have Bruce's internal monologue:

"And tonight... it's also about the company I keep.

It's different with him out here. I think about when he was younger. When I was younger. It was a different time. Simpler. And... I miss it. I miss those days. For that... it's hard to be around him."

- Under the Red Hood (part 2)

And I've seen this posted a lot and it's great, HOWEVER

the very next issue we've got Dick's POV, while they're fighting Amazo:

"By the time I think, "this is bad"... he's already airborne and on the attack. Even after all these years, I'm still amazed by him."

- Under the Red Hood (part 3)

And it's so great bc from the outside they're fully locked in, annihilating multiple enemies or winning against a robot that has all of Justice League's superpowers, and that must mean they are just focused on tactics, or thinking about every little movement they make in order to stay alive, or analysing their enemies' weak points, stuff like that, right?

WRONG, they're just:

[infinityinc4ever]

Round-Robin Crisis! Fake ad

[northoftheroad]

I sure would have bought it!

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

do u have a fav robin? (dc) or do u prefer Batman solo?

yeah batman definitely worked better before robin got added to the mix. he was really good from march 1939 to april 1940 and it's all been downhill since then.

[gonsplode]

[a-book-of-creatures]

Mutuals feel free to pick me up and drop me off in front of prime real estate that’s all mine

I will be scared but I will appreciate it

[emjoy398]