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Duke Thomas Gets to be Robin…In a Cartoon About a Talking Batmobile?
Exciting news, Robin fans! DC and Warner Bros are going to make Duke Thomas into a real Robin! He’s not going to be cast to the side as just The Signal. Duke Thomas gets to really be Batman’s sidekick Robin.
And it’s going to happen in a cartoon about sentient Bat-vehicles! Because that’s the world we live in.
So the show is called Batwheels, and it’s going to basically mash-up all the Bat-vehicles with the movie Cars…though not officially, obviously. They’re just getting the Cars treatment. We’ve got the Batmobile, Batgirl’s motorcycle, Robin’s Redbird car, the Batwing, and a Batman monster truck, because monster trucks are cool.
You can read more about the whole thing, and the voice cast, here.
I’m mostly interested in the fact that Robin will be Duke Thomas in this show. Not Redbird, but Robin. Because Batman and Robin are regular in this new cartoon, it’s just that their vehicles are going to…come alive, maybe? Or are secretly alive, like Toy Story? I do not know.
But yeah, check it out, Duke Thomas as a kid Robin, in full costume! And that’s Cassandra Cain as Batgirl, so kudos on that as well. I’m just excited at the new Robin. I’m ready for Damian Wayne to move on and for someone else to assume the mantle. Hopefully this is a sign of changes to come elsewhere. Granted, the comic book Duke Thomas might be too advanced in his superhero career to be Robin? The Signal is working for him, I guess?
I dunno. I just think it’s neat. I want a new Robin!
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Duke Thomas’ New Costume! I Don’t Like It
I try not to get all comic book crotchety too much on this blog. That’s not what I’m about. I’m a happy and positive guy! But I am a big stickler for what becomes of Batman’s sidekicks, and man, DC keeps screwing over Duke Thomas.
Revealed yesterday was his new costume as The Signal, the daytime operative of the Bat-Family. It stinks.
He’s Batman, but yellow
It’s basically just a modified version of his already Yellow Batman costume. It’s going to debut in Batman & The Signal, which is either an ongoing or a mini-series. It’s coming out soon.
Basically, to reiterate my point, this whole thing sucks. Duke Thomas earned the right to be the new Robin. Nobody will ever remember or care about The Signal. It’s a dumb superhero name and it’s completely forgettable. Whereas Batman & Robin are iconic the world over. Remember know and care about them.
So why not have Duke Thomas make history and be the first black Robin? Is Damian Wayne really still that important as Robin? Why not have him graduate to a new identity and let Duke be Robin. Let Duke have a part of the legacy!
Let Duke Thomas be remembered!
Also, while I’m at it, why wasn’t Harper Row made Robin? Remember Harper Row? Of course not, because DC sidelined her with the unmemorable Bluebird identity and then got rid of her.
Man, I just want a cool Robin again…
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They Picked a Bad Name for Duke Thomas
After giving up his Robin gang, during which he was particularly awesome in Scott Snyder’s Batman, Duke Thomas was officially recruited into the Bat-Family in a golden yellow Bat-suit. And for reasons that never really went explained, he did not get a codename to go with his outfit.
Seriously. How does Batman not give Duke a new codename? Aren’t those things necessary in the field? What did they expect Commissioner Gordon to call him?
Welp, DC and Snyder have finally revealed Duke’s name: The Signal.
He’s also going to get his own comic, from Snyder, called Batman: The Signal. Duke’s role is going to be the Batman-of-the-daylight. They’ve done this very concept before with other characters, but now it’s gonna be Duke’s thing. Aaaaaand I don’t like it.
I still like Duke Thomas, for sure! But what kind of superhero name is ‘The Signal’? It suffers from the banality of modern superhero naming conventions.
Nobody ever has the guts to name their new character something like ‘Batman’ anymore. It’s all about trying to be cool and hip, even though superhero comics were built on the backs of heroes with dorky names.
Plus, an argument I’ve made before, nobody is going to remember The Signal. Batman and Robin are the Dynamic Duo. They are household names. Grandmothers have heard of Batman and Robin. Whereas nobody has ever heard of Huntress or Azrael or Batwing or Onyx or The Signal. These hangers-on don’t matter, not in the long run. There will come a time when nobody cares about Duke Thomas anymore. But there will never come a time when nobody cares about Batman and Robin.
Not making Duke into the real Robin is a mistake.
Though I will definitely buy and read Scott Snyder’s Duke Thomas comic!
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/11/17
Comics! Uhn! Whaa-aat are they good for? Absolutely everything! Say it again! Yep, still reading comics over here. And this week I kind of went overboard on the reviews, since a lot of my favorites came out, like Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Detective Comics and Power Man and Iron Fist!
Comic Book of the Week goes to Nova #4 for another delightful issue! I haven’t been a Nova fan since Annihilation, but oh boy, this new series has been a blast! I’m even enjoying Sam Alexander for the first time ever!
And his sister!
Meanwhile, I was really on a tear about the X-Men this week. I don’t know what came over me, other than a combination of nerd rage and disappointment. The X-Men franchise needs a proper reworking after years of wheel spinning, and I fear that ResurrXion is not the answer.
Comic Reviews: Detective Comics #952, Jessica Jones #6, Justice League of America #2, Mosaic #6, Nova #4, Power Man and Iron Fist #14, Silver Surfer #9 and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #18.
And So There is a Duke Thomas Action Figure I Gotta Have
Toy Fair was this past weekend, and while once again I did not attend, I could very much salivate over all the pictures and good action figure news I found online! Among the good news was this stellar Duke Thomas as Robin action figure that I now gotta have.
As a major Robin fan, I’m so far OK with Duke Thomas as Batman’s new partner. I’m not thrilled that he’s Yellow Batman Junior instead of Robin, but I’m hoping DC and their creative people go somewhere good with this. He’s Robin in everything but name.
Fortunately, DC decided to make an action figure of Duke in his badass, helmeted Robin costume instead of his Yellow Batman Junior jumpsuit.
You may recall that I ranked this costume as my third favorite Robin costume of all time! There’s just something about that awesome helmet/jacket combination that tickles my pinks. It’s a perfect modern Robin costume, though I’ll admit it probably doesn’t go as well with the classic Batman costume as the regular modern Robin costume does. But it was great for Duke Thomas and We Are Robin, so I’mma gonna get it.
I’ll try to find this sweet Batgirl action figure too.
I’m a little disappointed in myself that I don’t yet have a sweet Batgirl of Burnside action figure. I love that comic.
Courtesy Comics Alliance for the Toy Fair pics.
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Henchman-4-Hire 