Jason and Me

Fanfiction
Title:	"Jason and Me"
Author(s):	David Hines (hradzka)
Date(s):	16 April 2004
Length:	6183 words
Genre:	Drama
Fandom:	Batman
External Links:	FanFiction.NetArchived Archive of Our OwnArchived
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"Jason and Me" is a 2004 Batman fanfic written by David Hines (hradzka). The story follows Stephanie Brown, recently appointed as the latest Robin, interviewing her colleagues about the life and death of Jason Todd, the disgraced predecessor to whom she is often compared.

Overview

Blurb

Stephanie Brown investigates some old history. Spoiler for Robin 125 and on (but if you read Wizard or the like you already know); destined to be jossed in short order.

Newly appointed Robin, Stephanie Brown investigates some old history. (Written before Robin #125.)

Story

• Stephanie Brown

Reviews and Comments

This was a lovely story. Let me first state that. I started reading BATMAN comics when Tim took up Robin, and he led me to read about Jason Todd.

Jason Todd was a lot of things. He was a brat and a jerk. He never listened and was brash and he was as Steph enterpreted from Oracle and Asshole. And that was what killed him. But he was ROBIN. And he was Bruce Wayne's son. His time left a mark on the Gotham Knights forever.

The characterization to each Gotham Knight was flawless. The pain and feeling they feel for Jason and towards Stephanie was dead on. No one exactly hates Steph, but they don't much like her either (Dick, Barbara and Alfred being the later).

Your portrayial of them were a 100 times better than the way that Bill Willingham, writes them. In fact, the current writer of ROBIN never even picked up an issue of ROBIN until he was given the job. (Needless to say, I hate his writting.)

When I found out that Tim Drake would retire as Robin and Stephanie Brown would replace him, I was furious. Mostly because Tim has been the best Robin. He took a character who was nothing more than a sidekick and turned him into a hero of his own right. Dick was the first and he made Robin into a symbol. But Tim made Robin into a hero.

And frankly I hate Stephanie Brown. She's selfish, annoying and has caused Tim nothing but pain and heartache.

And that is why this story was so good. Because Stephanie is exactly like Jason. Right down to the bone. They're adrenaline junkies who think they are better than they really are. They don't think. They look at Robin, as nothing more than a game.

One was destroyed because of it. The other one is probably on a road to destruction. I hope that Stephanie quits, before that happens.

But again, this was a great story. The Christopher Robin reference was a great addition, that really made me think. You should be proud of what you wrote.

I *like* this. A lot of writers gloss over Jason and dismiss Stephanie as a Mary-Sueish character, but the fact of the matter is, just because they made mistakes doesn't mean they weren't *Robin*. Yeah, they made fuck-ups (who in the Batfamily hasn't, except maybe Alfred?) and weren't always bright, shining beacons of goodness, but they *tried*. And while the road to Hell may be paved to good intentions, there really isn't anyone in Heaven who didn't care and/or try to do their best.

I *like* this. :) Because of the fact that it foreshadows Stephanie's death in such a way as to show that making mistakes doesn't draw away from everything *good* that she did.

And Jason, too. *salutes you*

This is some fine post-foreshadowing.

My whole take on the Stephanie Brown character was the antithesis of the Batman.

See, to me Batman is the finest of iconic superheroes. All his supporting cast is a reflection of the facet of him:

Dick Grayson-devotion to the mission

Barbara Gordon-making the impossible possible despite no powers

Alfred Pennyworth-the mentoring

Tim Drake-the detective

Cassandra Cain-immaculate talent

Azreal-the psychotic obssessiveness

Huntress-the anger/righteous fury

Jason Todd-the audatiousness which was once very prevalent and relevant and is now gone/dead

Stephanie Brown reflected nothing of what makes the Batman. As soon as she was pregnant by some random guy, I knew she had to die. She was something I think writing the Batman had to communicate to the audience, "Us normal people aren't these superheroic people.". It's too easy for people to overidentify with Bat characters as opposed to S-shield or Flash characters because they don't have powers. Stephanie Brown was a very poor Bat-clan character but a very good "You can't do what they do." character. Real people have real problems and real capabilities to handle them with and often fail. Steph had real capabilities and real problems and tried to handle Batman level issues, hence died.

Spoiler was useless and rather irrelevant. The little Robin that couldn't was probably neccessary.

Now you got me thinking of all the Robins. Dick Grayson to me is the "Adventures of Batman and Robin" one. Jason Todd is the ghost as I've only read the death, the stealing of the tires, this whole Red Hood remake and maybe a little by accident. I really appreciated the Robin of DKR...until DKR2 which ruined just about every character in it. Tim Drake of Young Justice retains my agreement with Batman's choosing him as the proper heir to the mantle. Stephanie Brown's place is now proper.

Jason and Steph are two of the hardest characters of the Bat-verse for me to connect with - they both seem like "object lesson" characters most of the time in canon, more plot devices than people. This story showed me why I should love them, and what Batman sees in them.

Steph and Jason have a fire in them, the one that the more deliberate of the Bat family have carefully tended and fueled to burn low forever, and the way the two even Robins let their fire flare up makes them IMO more psychologically ...normal (and, in any other line of work, more healthy) than the others. Which is maybe why Steph can see that it wasn't some fatal flaw in his vigilante methods that did Jason in any more than the Batgirl persona was responsible for getting Babs crippled.

Summary: well told, with great character insights, as appears to be standard for your stories!

I've always liked the Stephanie character and her tenure as Robin was so quick, I missed it. But I am glad she got to be Robin for a while, though I am puzzled why DC Comics is so adamant about not recognizing her as one.

Thanks for an insightful read. Stephanie's character traits shined here and I felt myself walking with her as she discovered Jason and compared him to herself. Very solid treatment of all the characters you wrote to the point I felt like I could see them as the conversations unfolded.

Leslie's segment is prophetic in how Stephanie's "death" plays out later, making it more believable that Leslie would trick Batman the way she had. You made me agree with Stephanie a little that Leslie isn't all loving matron. ;)

And I much prefer Stephanie's attitude at the end of your story. Self-aware but optimistically so. Let's hope the New 52 plays out to eventually include Stephanie back in. :)

I've been coming back to this fic since I started reading online, my older cousin has been reading it even longer. It's amazing to see a fic that is so old, so far back, so far forgotten for so many yet is exactly what I keep coming back to read. It deals with real problems that are rarely addressed.

Tim will always be my favourite, but Steph as a character, will always hold a special place. The makers of DC never saw the potential she had as a character as a jumping off point for something amazing.

She is a foil to Jason if it was written properly. The comparasions and the realizations could have made an amazing arc. Although she was barely around for more than a little and than forgotten by DC [and honestly disrespected] she could have had an amazing arc. This fic gives me an itch to go and find a fic that would give more of this feel.

To the fic that has become a constant in my life and that constant being the highlight to many low points. Thank you for this fic and for it staying up as long as it has.