Note: This was written before Tom had read the latest Newsarama interview with DC Comics Executive Editor Dan DiDio.

Longtime readers know that Nightwing — and specifically, DC’s continuing struggle to do right by the character — has been a reliable source of blogging fodder (blodder?) for this column.

Why, just last month I wrote that Mr. Grayson should

embrace fully his ties to the Wayne family and to Batman. Nightwing requires a lot less explanation next to Batman (or even next to Robin) than he does out on his own, so if he’s there all the time, it might cut down on all the existence-justifying contortions.

If that means cancelling his solo title in favor of making him a regular supporting character in Batman and Detective (and Titans, of course), so be it.

And, uh, well … I’m sorry–?

Still, though, let’s be honest: who here thinks that Nightwing and Robin are gone for good? (We’ll get to Birds of Prey later.) These cancellations look awfully temporary to me, lasting only until all the Bat-shuffling has died down and everyone’s back in his own costume.

When that happens, I expect Dick and Tim to have their solo features restored. Nightwing and Robin had been selling solidly since their respective Clinton-era debuts. They’ve demonstrated staying power, outliving Batman-family cousins like Azrael, Batgirl, Catwoman (twice), Gotham Central, Gotham Knights, and Harley Quinn. Thus, it’s not unreasonable to imagine their current fanbases waiting patiently for all this to blow over.

In fact, even if Dick spends some (more) time as Batman, I expect Nightwing to come back with the same basic problem from which it currently suffers: finding the right distance between its star and his mentor. Dick Grayson could be a jet-setting playboy, traveling the world for Wayne Enterprises by day and busting heads after dark — but nooo, he has to be his own man, making an honest living like decent people (Dick the Curator?). Robin, though, has a chance to address its own issues with “distance,” and to resolve them in a way which may actually serve the character’s future needs.

Without diving too deep into the choppy waters of decades-old fan arguments, it’s safe to say that in the late 1980s, “Robin” was a controversial figure. One group appreciated the idea of a Dynamic Duo, while another felt that Batman was too mature for a brightly-colored, short-pantsed associate. On October 18, 1988, Jason Todd’s death in Batman #428 seemed to settle matters, at least for a while. Nevertheless, eight issues later, another Robin rollout began with toddler Tim’s retconned introduction via “Batman: Year Three.”

DC took its time with Tim, whether out of respect for Jason’s memory, the need to get fans used to a new Robin, or some combination thereof. He donned the (original) Robin costume for the first (and only) time on Halloween 1989 in Batman #442. While I don’t think these events were intentionally on an October schedule, Tim’s probationary period lasted until the end of October 1990, when issue #457 hit stores.

Instead of settling into the Batman books, though, Tim immediately left the country for European training in the first Robin miniseries. His solo career continued in two more minis and a couple of Annuals, published over the next few years alongside his appearances in the Batman books. Eventually, in the aftermath of 1993′s “Knightfall,” Tim graduated to the current ongoing series; complete with his own headquarters, supporting cast, and personalized gear.  For good measure, Jean-Paul Valley kicked him out of the Batcave. Thus, from the moment he traded up to long pants, Robin III was being established as a standalone character, affiliated with Batman but not dependent upon him.

This process of dissociation left Tim about as far removed from Batman as Nightwing had gotten — and at the time, Nightwing was governed by another editorial fiefdom. While it might have been an appropriate distance in terms of marketing and/or “saleability,” it cut against Robin’s role as Batman’s partner. I mean, “Nightwing” exists solely to divorce Dick from “Robin,” and by extension from Batman — but historically, traditionally, and arguably by design, Robin has complemented Batman. Indeed, to get the job in the first place, Tim originally argued that “Robin” exists primarily to keep Batman mellow. (Not like that!!)

Consider: Bruce and Dick helped each other cope with their respective family tragedies. So did Bruce and Jason, under different circumstances. Originally, though, Tim offered to help pull Bruce back from the brink of crippling angst in exchange for fulfilling a childhood (and, it must be said, Mary-Sue-ish) dream. Still, it didn’t quite work out that way: Tim got the superhero career, and Bruce got only a nominal amount of relief from the angst. Only recently, after Tim’s dad was murdered, have Tim and Bruce forged the same kind of emotional bond.

All this means I have mixed feelings about the end of Robin. On one hand I’ve always thought that Robin should be inextricably tied to Batman; and I tend to support whatever facilitates that relationship. On the other hand, though, this development comes just as Tim approaches adulthood, when you’d expect him to strike out on his own (as Dick did).

And, of course, we’ve seen how Dick has fared independent of both Batman and the Titans. I won’t go into that yet again … but it’s worth repeating that there’s only so far an ex-Robin can get from Batman before the connection becomes rather superfluous. Jason Todd was Robin for five years — through Crisis On Infinite Earths, Legends, and Millennium, not to mention saving Superman from the Black Mercy — but for the bulk of last year’s Countdown, it was like he’d only been through the superhero equivalent of summer basketball camp.

These days, it’s not a big deal to have Batman’s ear. (Booster frickin’ Gold has that.) What’s important, and what the Robins share, is a special “sidekick no. 1″ status.  There’s a down side, of course:  an acknowledgment that, no offense, you’re a good kid, but is Batman around? Art Garfunkel is famous because of Paul Simon, Ed McMahon’s career was helped greatly by Johnny Carson, and Audrina Patridge just happened to be living in Lauren and Heidi’s building.

Indeed, what about Stephanie Brown, Kon-El, Bart Allen, his schoolmates, and all the other Teen Titans and Young Justicers with whom Tim has shared adventures? What about all the character development Dick experienced in the post-high school, pre-Nightwing days? Shouldn’t Tim have some of that? Shouldn’t he be more than just Batman’s number-one sidekick?

Yes and yes.  These are all valid concerns — but Robin should be Batman’s sidekick first.  That’s what Sidekick No. 1 means.  Batgirl, Batwoman, Oracle, Nightwing, Huntress, and even Azrael, are franchisees. Robin is upper-management training.

Fortunately, with Bruce adopting Tim, and with Robin apparently ready to do more with Batman (whoever Batman and Robin may be), the foundation is being laid for Tim to embrace his junior-partner status. This is not necessarily a demotion. Instead, it acknowledges that Tim is the heir apparent to Batman; and perhaps to Bruce Wayne as well. (Can’t remember who gets what — it’s been a while since I’ve looked at Bruce’s estate planning.) If DC commits Tim to a good college education, and maybe some quality grad-school work, that would allow him to age at a reasonable pace (how long did Peter Parker spend at ESU?) while preparing to take over completely for Bruce. Do you like the adult Robin from the Earth-2, kids? In a few years we could have one of our very own–!

Naturally, the best part is that this lets Dick keep working at whatever rewarding career he fancies this month….

* * *

Meanwhile, the news that Birds Of Prey has been cancelled is a little harder to figure. I had cooled to the title since Gail Simone left, and I really started thinking about dropping it once Nicola Scott and Doug Hazelwood departed. The book basically had only two writers (Chuck Dixon for the first 46 issues, plus a miniseries and assorted specials), so over the course of four years Ms. Simone had basically made the title her own. Tony Bedard and Sean McKeever couldn’t help but invite comparisons, unfair or not.

Since BOP was never a part of “Batman R.I.P.,” I presume that its cancellation isn’t part of some overall “R.I.P.”-related plan. (SPOILER! Babs has a brief “R.I.P.”-referencing scene in Nightwing #150.) Even so, I suppose one Bat-related consequence of this cancellation could be Huntress and Oracle returning to Gotham City, and Oracle resuming her old gig as Batman’s info-dumper.

Clearly, this would be a giant step backwards. Unlike a Robin, Oracle/Barbara Gordon does not need to maintain a close (familial) connection with Batman. Barbara is her own person, having created both the Batgirl and Oracle identities on her own terms. Moreover, “Batgirl” is far enough in her past that any attempt to “rejuvenate” Babs with that identity — like Alex Ross’ and Paul Dini’s “Batwoman” pitch, for example — would be a jarring repudiation of everything which had been done with her in the twenty years since The Killing Joke.

Accordingly, I expect the Birds Of Prey to continue, even though Black Canary is leading the Justice League and Misfit might be shipped off to the Teen Titans. The idea of an all-female rotating-cast superhero book is quite high-concept, but it’s too good to waste — and by the same token, it’s too good for a merely nominal effort. Better to relegate the Birds to occasional guest-spots than to maintain them in a subpar ongoing.

There’s another aspect to BOP’s cancellation, although I’m not sure how to articulate it: I wouldn’t want Birds Of Prey to exist solely to meet DC’s diversity needs. In other words, I don’t want a nominal version of BOP on DC’s schedule just so the company can say it publishes a women-centered book. If the title must be cancelled, the least DC could do is replace it with a new female-oriented title. That would be something of a net gain, since the Birds would still be available for guest appearances.

To sum up, then: DC shouldn’t rush to “uncancel” Nightwing and Robin. (I suspect they’ll still be in their respective Titans books regardless.) However, if it’s going to axe Birds Of Prey, it should get cracking on a female-centric title that’s just as good.

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