I am a passionate Batman graphic novel, one shot and trade paperback collector. I have everything that is worth having to create a decent timeline with more than 100 Batman paperbacks (TPBs or Trades) plus crisis ones, Batman centred Superman's like Emperor Joker or GL's like Blackest Night and many others that fill in continuity gaps or explain relationships between characters. From Batman Year One through to Dark Knight Returns. With everything inbetween from rare books like Shaman, Snow, Four of a Kind, Ten nights of the beast, Contagion, Legacy, Cataclysm, Tower of Babel, Devils Advocate, Death and the Maidens etc to classics like The Long Halloween, Killing Joke, Knightfall, Hush and the Grant Morrison run etc and now New52 trades that add to my overall story but dont spoil my (well DC's original) continuity.
You will find that every Batman trade paperback / graphic novel collector has a gap in there reading order / continuity and that gap is Jason Todd.
Every collector will go from....
Dick Grayson as Robin
Batman: Dark Victory
Robin: The Gauntlet
Robin: Year One
Batman: Haunted Knight
Batman: Faces
Batman: Fortunate Son
Batman: Tales of the Demon
to....
Dick Grayson as Nightwing and Jason Todd as Robin
Batman: The Killing Joke
Batman: Ten Nights of The Beast
Batman: The Cult
Batman: A Death in the Family
without any books showing this transition and how and why it happened or explaining who Jason Todd is and what he is about.
Now, back to my title subject.
I have the definatative Jason Todd TPB..............
'Batman: Just Another Kid On Crime Alley'
'Batman: Just Another Kid On Crime Alley'
This trade paperback is over 160 pages and collects Batman issues #408 #409 #410 #411 #416 #424 #425. The missing issues!
Batman #408 - #411
This is Dick Grayson leaving his post as Robin to become a hero in his own right. Batman meeting Jason for the first time when he catches him stealing the wheels off the Batmobile, him eventually taking him into his care, training him and then giving him the mantle of Robin and there first mission together as Batman and Robin. These 4 issues give you an idea of who Jason is and what he is all about.
Batman #416
This is the transition of Dick Grayson from Robin to Nightwing and the resolution of the problems in Dick's and Bruce's relationship.
This is where Dick meets Jason for the first time and eventually excepts him as his replacement as the new Robin and welcoming him into the 'BatFamily'.
Batman #424 - #425
This is the 'did he or didnt he?' 2-parter where we see what Jason is really like and the foundation of what will make him The Red Hood in the future. Part1 Did he push the rapist off the balcony or did he slip and fall? Part2 the consequences of his actions.
Take a look at the pictures i have attached (flickr address below)
What do you think?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88151615@N08/
