Holy Hypertime! Three Robins for the price of two!
By WALT GROGAN
Whenever I see the grown-up Boy Wonder of Earth-2 getting some love from amazing artists, I always do a double-take. This time artist Steven Butler turns in an absolutely amazing trio of Robins — you’ve got the Earth-1 Robin and a couple of Robins from Earth-2!
Sure my favorite is the Earth-2 Robin in his Batman-inspired duds, but Steven really gives the Neal Adams red-yellow-green costume its due and you’ve got to love that George Pérez/Romeo Tanghal-inspired Earth-1 Robin!
Whenever I see a jaw-dropping piece like this that I want to color, my wheels start to spin. I ask myself what’s the story depicted in the art? And then I start thinking about the format of the image. Would it make a better cover or splash page or house ad? And if I can come up with an interesting enough angle to match the majesty of the art, well I just can’t wait to color it!
In this case, Steven’s art got all of my creative juices bubbling. I mean look at that piece, it’s perfect! Based on the layout, it just wasn’t suited for either a cover treatment or splash page. It had to be done up as a house ad and in the nebulous period after Crisis on Infinite Earths and prior to the New 52!
I really like that Steven has the Robins bursting out of the background panel. I’ve always seen Robin as a bright, happy kid and lug (that’s my nickname for the Grown-Up version) and decided that all three of them should be jumping into the light where they belong!
Mike Grell
And that’s when it hit me! How could all three of these Boy Wonders exist at the same time? Well, during the Crisis, of course. Yeah, I know that both Earth-2 Robins are the same person but I’ve always thought that when Robin in 1975 joined the Super Squad in that Adams-designed costume some previously unnamed version of Hypertime must have deaged and thinned him out a bit! So I had to include a Hypertime callout even if it’s long before that concept sprang out of Grant Morrison and Mark Waid’s imagination!
So, here’s my coloring and trade dress! When I look at pieces like this when they’re done (are they ever really done?), it makes me smile to think of what might have been!
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MORE
— THE DYNAMIC DUO OF EARTH-TWO: The DC Series That Should Have Been. Click here.
— ROBIN DIES AT DAWN: Dig This Homage With an EARTH-TWO Twist! Click here.
October 29, 2024
I would have loved to see this! Hmmmm… “Earth 2” and “Earth Two.” Implying that they are two different places…Hmmm….
October 29, 2024
OOPS! Forgot to add: Thank you for sharing this!
October 29, 2024
Now THIS is a mini-series I’d buy! Beautiful art, and the coloring is fantastic.
October 29, 2024
Walt, great job on the house ad! Steven did a great job on all three versions of Robin too! Nothing against the Neal Adams design of Earth 2 Robin, but I prefer the original adult Earth 2 Robin costume on the left. It blew my little mind when I first saw the cover of Justice League of America #55 on the spinner rack when I was about 6 or 7 and it’s been a favorite ever since.
October 29, 2024
That’s all kinds of awesome. Love the art and the colors! And thanks to Mr. Butler for drawing my favorite version of the red/green Earth-Two (Earth-2?) Robin costume.
October 29, 2024
We need a verbal spoken version of the terms. Earth-2b (as in “2b or not 2b”), Earth-2, and good old Earth-1?
And then there are all those other alternites laying fallow after All-Star Squadron was canceled from my life. (weeping shamelessly)
October 29, 2024
This is great! I love that you added the color tab at the very top of the page.
October 29, 2024
Nine-year old me wouldn’t have been able to sleep until I had that issue in my hands.
October 29, 2024
I really really REALLY want to read this!! Triple Crises on TRIPLE ROBINS!!!
October 29, 2024
I’m glad to see someone acknowledge that the Robin in the Batsuit has always looked older than the Robin in the Neil Adams costume. Like you said – he looks like he somehow became younger and thinner.
October 29, 2024
Wait – “Len Wolfman” wrote that?
I could have sworn it was written by Thomas Roy. 😉
October 30, 2024
Naw. That was written by Conway Gerber.