Robin’s Blog

Bruce Wayne, upon Alfred’s request, opened the webpage and began reading.

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Entry 1:

You know, I've been thinking - had it not been for Bruce, I would have been the one Stan Lee created first. Nowadays I'm only thought of as the sidekick, but times have changed, I don't need Bruce anymore; I'm a free bird. So let the rumors swirl - blah, blah, blah - that's the reality of it; but people forget, the bat only comes at night, and a robin soars in the daylight. If you're wondering about Alfred, he's gone too. It's only Bruce and his cave now, good riddance. Alfred grew tired of the "Bat Show" much like the rest of us. I mean, bats? Really? You're afraid of bats? Ha! You don't see me cowering at the sight of a robin, now do you? It's time for a hero the people can relate to, who doesn't have to hide in the shadows, or in a big, pretentious mansion that daddy built - I know I'm being a little brash, but hear me out. Yeah, sure, the costume's cool, but let's be honest, it needs some pazazz, a little color - the red, green, yellow combo my suit has is sick, right? Exactly! And with ol' Brucey taking the night shift, I'll finally be able to give the people what they want - a young, ultra cool, devilishly handsome, daytime superhero they can connect with. Yeah, you heard me! I'm talking conventions, autograph signings, school visits - the possibilities are endless!

Entry 3:

Note to self: The east coast is too crowded, Alfred was right. Yeah, that's right, Alfred's with me now. Want to know what else? We're moving to the west coast - better weather, booming crime. The east has Superman, Spiderman, you name it; lest I forget, Bruce. There's just not enough crime for a young abiding hero like myself to go around. Hell, it's too bad I can't breathe under water, Aquaman has the whole ocean - that's a lot of real estate. Regardless, the west coast is where I need to be. I can't believe I hadn't thought of this sooner!

Entry 7:

The first autograph signing was a fluke. Had I known Bruce was meeting in L.A. the same day, I would've postponed. They flocked to him like white on rice, it was absolutely ridiculous. He didn't even wear the bat-suit. He paid me a visit at the booth - even asked for an autograph! - like he didn't know me. He said he was a fan. Maybe he was just being nice, like when your mom buys the first cup at your lemonade stand. Needless to say, he did bring a crowd. I ended up losing count of how many things I signed. I guess in part it was thanks to Bruce, but I'm not giving him any more credit than that! Perhaps the west coast hasn't been filled-in on the work I did in the east, but I'll get there! Watch!

Entry 9:

Saved an old woman from two thugs in an alleyway today. Felt good to punch some jaw. The woman was sweet, thankful, but didn't know my name. I told her to tell her friends about me - realizing halfway home that her "friends" were probably all dead. Shit. Maybe tomorrow I'll hang in the younger side of town, I need the youth to spread the word.

Entry 10:

When I was walking down Sunset, a bird decided to do its business on my shoulder, right above the 'R'. I ducked my head into a sandwich shop for a napkin where a line of people all turned and faced me. "Who's he supposed to be?" a little girl asked her mom. "That's Robin." the woman said in return. Bingo! Ha! Eat it, Bruce! I'm staking my claim! But on a serious note, I do have some exciting news - the freakin' Justice League reached out! I have an interview next Tuesday in D.C. - Bob Dylan was right, "For the times they are a-changin'"! Woo!

Entry 13:

Peter Parker's in high school - How am I too young? I felt the meeting went well, until we stumbled onto the "Sidekick" questionnaire. And I knew Bruce was watching in another room, I just had that hunch. I had to sit there like a dildo and talk about every villain we defeated - I felt like it held weight, but seeing as though Bruce was fighting crime well before I entered the picture he still had the experience as a solo artist. Very. Very. Stupid. I mean, come on, they pretend like I'm not ready for this type of action, yet leave out the fact that Kato was more of a hero than Green Hornet. If anything, Green Hornet was Kato's sidekick! I digress.

Entry 16:

Bruce reached out today. He offered to take me and Alfred back. We said N-O. I'm not a damsel in need of saving, I'm perfectly fine on my own, occasionally asking Alfred for assistance (but rarely!). I told him I tuned my bike so that it can ride at superspeed thanks to a chance meetup with the Flash. Been able to fight 10x the crime. The nerd forums on Reddit now have me tied with Thor in popularity voting. And Bruce, if you're reading this, don't think I don't see your name up there - I'm coming for your spot, dude.

Entry 21:

I was sworn in yesterday in front of a live crowd, it was nuts. The Justice League Headquarters was relocated to the east-side of D.C. facing the Atlantic and my room has a seaside view. With how badly they wanted me this time around, I told them Alfred comes or no deal. They accepted. I could've remained in L.A., my superbike can get to D.C. in under a minute, but hey, rent's getting too expensive and thought free room-and-board sounded pretty good - I never went to college (although college room-and-board is no free picnic). Bruce opted to stay in Gotham, he'll commute; which is nice considering I'd rather not share cereal with the guy. That night I got drunk. Oops. Not my finest hour. I ended the night setting Superman's cape on fire; Lois was pissed. We have our first meeting tomorrow and I'm looking forward to showcasing what I can do.

Entry 22:

Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Freeze. There's a blast from the past! How exciting! Hopefully it's not really Arnold Schwarzenegger under all the headgear and that clunky ice-suit. Chances are he's trying to save his wife again, poor guy. An update on his file points to his succeeding in generating a super serum he plans to use on mass quantities of people. Yikes. Intel miscalculated just how powerful he's become, turning much of his henchmen into damn-near super-soldiers. There have been rumblings that he and his crew are new-aged Nazis - staging an effort to take over the world. Double yikes. Nobody likes Nazis, let's be clear, and I don't think Freeze plans on killing anyone, but if he pulls this off he'll manage to plunge Earth into a deep, icy hell with us as his mindless idiots. Wish us luck!

Entry 25:

I'm embarrassed to say, Bruce saved my life. Why does this always happen? Let a brother die a hero, would you! But anyway, yeah, Bruce saved the day once again, yippie and all that jazz. You should've seen me though, boy was I something. I took down these two henchmen, right? Burly and big as bears. There they were, guarding Freeze's wife, all stupid and stuff. I took the first one by surprise, kick his leg backward at the knee and he buckled. An elbow put him to sleep. Then I used a summersault spin kick on the other guy, we'll name him Gary - he looked like a Gary. The other guy was definitely a Greg. Anyway, I was about to pull the Mrs. from her machine when Freeze froze my feet to the ground. Have you ever fought someone without using feet? Hard! He didn't get close enough to hit, but managed to freeze my ass solid. How embarrassing. That's when Bruce and Clark showed up. Bruce used his little thawing laser thing and melted me free. I should probably reach out to him, it was kind of nice fighting with him again, kind of!

Entry 29:

I guess I will forever be known as Bruce's sidekick, and I'm okay with that. He took me in when I was just a boy. When my family died, he and Alfred became my dad, mom, sisters, and brothers. I guess I've been so hard up on removing myself from his shadow I forgot what he actually meant to me, a friend. I can't get myself to move back in to Wayne Manor, but I do appreciate the Robin signal that shines next to his in the sky at night. So thank you Bruce, thank you Alfred, this is Robin signing off. Peace.

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Bruce snapped the laptop shut and peered at Alfred, “Dick really is a fitting name.”