Today in Comics History, March 20: Happy birthday, Robin I (Dick Grayson, Post-Zero Hour)!

Hey Batman, what day is it?


from "A Little Nudge" in Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 one-shot (DC, May 2020), script by Marv Wolfman, pencils by Tom Grummett, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Adriano Lucas, letters by Tom Napolitano
Batman, you're a bad dad, because today's the birthday of your faithful ward, Dick Grayson, aka Robin I! But: only the post-Zero Hour hero. It's November 11 in the Pre-Crisis days and October 24-ish post-Crisis. Geez, Dick, pick one birthday and settle on it!


from the impeccably researched The DC Universe Calendar
Anyway, we're gonna celebrate today.



So, whatcha givin' your bestest pal for his birthday, Bruce? AW GEEZ BRUCE NO


from "The Isle That Time Forgot!" in Batman (1940 series) #10 (April 1942), script by Joseph Greene, pencils and figure inks by Jerry Robinson, background inks and letters by George Roussos
And then Batman reveals a fabulous huge birthday cake much too big for two bachelors living together (it's still 6 issues until Alfred shows up). So...you lit the candles before you put the cloth over the cake, Bruce? YOU ARE AN IDIOT


To be fair, Robin's gift that year was also his own freakin' plane, which they take out that night on a test run. Every pre-teen's favorite gift!


Uh, Bruce, you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Even in period lingo.

Well, the plane is cool and all, but can it compare to the wonder of a later birthday gift Batman gave the young Robin?

IT CANNOT:


from "Specialists in Crime!" in World's Finest Comics #18 (DC/World's Best, Summer 1945), script by Don C. Cameron, pencils by Dick Sprang, inks by Norman Fallon
Years later, when the Boy Wonder has become a Man Wonder dressed in a disco jumpsuit, he regales Jericho, son o' Deathstroke, about his birthday origins. Jericho was nice enough not to interrupt Robin at all during his comic-length saga. BECAUSE HE CAN'T.


from "The Secret Origin of Nightwing" in Secret Origins (1986 series) #13 (DC, April 1987), script by Dan Mishkin, pencils by Erik Larsen, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by John Costanza;
Oh, and did I mention he's havin' his birthday on an alien planet this year? BECAUSE STARFIRE.


None of Robin's birthdays, however, can beat the surely canonical time all his li'l pals made pointed comments about how he was way too old to wear li'l green shorts.



from "[Happy Birthday to Robin!]" in Tiny Titans #17 (DC, August 2009); co-script, pencils, inks, colors and letters by Art Baltazar; co-script by Franco Aureliani
But my favorite of Robin's birthday stories — and in fact porobably my favorite Robin: Year One comic book — is Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's Robin & Batman, which is full of little beautiful moments that will make you giggle and tear your heart out. Issue #2 takes place on Dick's 12th birthday, not long after he has begun his training under Batman:


from Robin & Batman #2 (DC, February 2022); script by Jeff Lemire; pencils, inks, and colors by Dustin Nguyen; letters by Steve Wands
What's Batman got as a present for the young hero? It surely can't be as good as that plane, huh?


Robin. Gets to meet. THE JUSTICE LEAGUE.


(All joking aside, I always love when an artist can give the Elongated Man an actual visual excuse to stretch his neck and see something. This one's blocked perfectly.)

Also on the same night, he meets the Teen Titans (well, they're not called that yet, but soon...)


Yeah. That's even better than the Bat-Poon.


So, a very happy birthday to the guy with the best rear end in the business, Robwing!! I mean Nightson. I mean Dick. Have fun on the first of your three birthdays this year, ya brightly costumed target, you.


from Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1