Romance has been a big part of comic books since the very beginning. Even in Action Comics #1, Clark Kent tried to win the affections of Lois Lane, only for her to rebuke him to chase after the unattainable Superman. Will-they-won’t-they dynamics, marriages, dating, failed relationships, all of these are emotional parts of everyday life that transfer perfectly into fictional drama. Drama sells, and few things generate drama as effectively and consistently as romance. One of the best examples of that is none other than one of DC’s biggest characters: Dick Grayson. The guy is known for having a whole slew of love interests, and now, he has one more.
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Dick Grayson has always had more than his fair share of potential love interests, from the all-time greats like Starfire and Barbara Gordon, to the underrated classics like Helena Bertinelli and Shawn Tsang, and that one time we all want to forget with Helena Wayne. The point is that Nightwing has plenty of people he could be in a relationship with, but DC just gave us a brand new one that could blow all the other ones out of the water. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #44 gave us Robin Dick Grayson and Supergirl together, and they might be DC’s best pair in years.
A Match Made in Neron’s Bathroom
For the entire series so far, Robin and Supergirl harbored some serious animosity for each other. It stemmed from their cataclysmic attempt at a first date, catalogued in issue #12, which ended in the two never wanting to see each other again. Unfortunately for the two of them, they were forced to once again work together without their respective superhero mentors to balance the scales. While Batman and Superman were busy dealing with their own villains, Robin went to investigate a factory operated by Lex Luthor, and Supergirl was sent in to assist him. Robin inevitably got in over his head and was captured, and so did Supergirl when it was revealed that Luthor’s goons were manufacturing fake Kryptonite.
They were trapped together and constantly accused of dating by Luthor’s goons, who were celebrating capturing two of his worst enemies. Although they repeatedly insulted and expected the worst of each other, the two found they made a really good team. Their insults slowly turned more flirtatious, until it culminated in destroying the factory and flying away while they kissed. Later, their makeout session accidentally triggered Robin’s proximity beacon, which was only meant to be activated in apocalyptic emergencies. Batman broke into the Batmobile to find the teenagers insisting they weren’t dating. Kara flew off, leaving Robin embarrassed, and Batman and Superman utterly baffled.
The Girl of Steel and the Boy Wonder
As we’ve previously established, Dick Grayson has more than his fair share of love interests, and as much as she insists that she isn’t one, Kara has entered the big world of people Dick is interested in. With how many characters that list includes, it takes a lot for a new character to differentiate their dynamic with Dick, but Kara has something that nobody else has. All of Dick’s other relationships are built on a pretty standardized dynamic of a very strong emotional bond, usually built up from an unsteady beginning. Kara and Dick do not have that.
Oh, they have a very rocky start, all right, given their disastrous first date. However, where Dick managed to grow past that with the rest of the people he’s been with, his and Kara’s relationship is much, much more volatile. They constantly bicker and fight, and while there is a clear amount of respect for each other and attraction, it’s a lot more based on how they clash rather than fit together. They’re both a lot more immature than when they would normally get into a relationship, so they’re always at each other’s throats.
Dick’s usual relationships are built on romance, while his relationship with Kara is built entirely on the idea that opposites attract. It’s a lot simpler, but also really cute, and frankly, their dynamic is endlessly funny and entertaining. I’m not sure if this is enough to sway fans of Dick and Starfire or Dick and Barbara to a new relationship, but for this period in Dick’s life, this type of relationship really is great. Dick and Kara have a fantastic dynamic, and I would love an entire series dedicated to these two working together and jumping between being smitten and completely done with each other. I’ve fully become a Robin and Supergirl shipper, at least for this series.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #44 is on sale now!
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