Carrie Kelly

I am not currently reading Batman. I'm not reading anything at DC, partly because I can't afford it, partly because I prefer the Marvel Universe, and partly because I a miffed with the policy at DC of changing continuity so often that most of my favourite characters do not exist, or are changed beyond recognition - and sometimes I don't even know which.

But today A headline caught my eye: Carrie Kelley Returns? DC Tease a New Robin.

I knew they were going to do away with Damien as Robin - not a good move, in my opinion, because I've loved Damien's Robin over the past while. When I was reading Batman, Damien was the reason for it. Assuming that Dick Greyson is out of the running to be Robin because he's Nightwing, and adult, my choices as Robin would be:

3. Tim Drake
2. Damien Wayne
1. Stephanie Brown

So now they pull Carrie Kelly out of the hat. If you don't know, Carrie was the Robin who accompanied the aging Batman in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. An alternate future story. As far as I know, she's never been in regular continuity.



She isn't Stephanie Brown - but then, she hasn't been messed with until she was hardly a character any more. Stephanie was manipulated and then sent away by Batman, tortured, killed, reborn, rebooted, renamed, and switched around so often I lost interest: she was too many things, and she had been perfect as Robin.

Could Carrie Kelly take her place? Sure, of course, yes. It would be fun to see her in regular continuity. Regular Batman readers may already have done so; I don't know.

Frankly, if we can't have Stephanie, I'd rather they kept Damien. I know change boosts sales; I don't have to like the atmosphere of constant change in comics. I'd rather get to know, love, and stick with the characters we have.

Also: They aren't saying Carrie Kelly is going to be Robin. This is a tease, not a return... so far.

I suppose I might be happy with an entirely new Robin. Selina Kyle's daughter? Yeah, I know, her baby was retconned away along ago and Helena Kyle doesn't exist, but in this new world, anything is possible.

Or: a child of Damien, come from the future. Or a child of Dick Greyson, or other Bat-related character.