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Bruce: "It's not that I don't think of you as an adult, Dick. It's -- "
Dick: "That's just what it is, Bruce. You can't get over thinking of me as a kid, as Robin, the Boy Wonder. Well, I'm not a boy wonder anymore, Bruce. I'm a full-grown man, a detective, just like you." (Batman # 331)

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Fighting alongside Batman was exciting and rewarding to Dick and he thrived. Together the two sought justice on the man responsible for the Grayson's death -- 'Boss' Zucco. And in short order the dynamic duo managed to hunt down the crimelord, cornering him. With Batman's help, Dick captured Zucco though the man would die before he could face justice himself. But Bruce liked what he saw in Dick. He conquered his anger and his desire to see Zucco suffer. He was justice, tempered with compassion. And so Bruce decided that Batman could use a partner on a permanent basis. For his part, Dick was more then willing to serve in that role. While his parents may have been avenged, there were still others like Zucco out there who would deny a child his or her parents for their own gain.

Dick excelled in his role as Robin, a natural counterpoint to Batman. But the time was not without trials for the growing boy. Early in his crimefighting career, Two-Face managed to capture both Batman and the Gotham District Attorney. No longer able to rely on the Batman to aid him, Robin attempted to rescue the pair himself -- and failed with tragic consequences. The DA would plunge into the icy waters he was suspended above and Dick would receive a savage beating from Two-Face that would traumatize him for years to come. In the end, Batman managed to free himself and capture Two-Face, but it was a grim reminder for both of them of just the sort of dangers they placed themselves in. And not for the first time Bruce would have to question the wisdom of having a young partner -- no matter how gifted�

A few years later as Dick grew from a boy to a young man, he encountered other young crime fighters much like himself. For the first time, Dick was exposed to perspectives similar to his own, rather then merely that of the Batman. With them, he was an equal -- no longer just a junior partner to be ordered about. Instead, he was more of a leader, guiding others rather then being instantly expected to obey the Batman's. For Dick, this was a revelation -- and a welcome one. While he remained Batman's partner, he would often team up with these other teenaged superheroes -- Kid Flash , Aqualad, Speedy, and Wonder Girl being the most notable - in a sort of junior version of the Justice League of America known as the Teen Titans. And much like Dick couldn't have possibly imagined what a role Batman would play in his life, his early adventures with his fellow teenaged friends were merely a new step on an ever changing road from the young crimefighter�

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"With you guys, it seems like I'm hot stuff � a know-it-all � but I've been back with The Batman again, and next to him I feel like I'm a stupid kid repeating fifth grade � for the third time." -- Robin (New Teen Titans # 20)

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The Teen Titans grew and their roster changed frequently, and increasingly Dick found it a tremendous distraction to be concerned with both them and his work with Batman. So when the Titans finally disbanded, he was finally able to turn his attention to working with his original partner full time. But Dick Grayson was no longer the young boy he had been when first becoming Bruce's partner in his endless fight. The Boy Wonder was gone, and in his place stood an increasingly confident young man nearing eighteen years of age. Still, the duo functioned just as well as before, even if Dick increasingly found his 'junior partner' role restrictive. But all of that would come to an end too.

Perhaps the greatest of Batman's foes would have a key role in forever altering Batman and Robin's relationship. In a dangerous confrontation, Dick was shot by the laughing madman. All of Bruce's concerns about endangering his younger partner came flooding back, stronger then ever before. While Bruce was more then willing to toss himself and his body into danger, he was no longer inclined to allow Dick to do the same. While the close call may have troubled his mentor, it did not have the same effect on Dick. Instead, he was eager to get back into the role he had grown accustomed to, and when Bruce forbade it, the two had their first true falling out. Robin was forcibly retired, and Dick Grayson resented it�

Now eighteen years of age, Dick decided it was time to live on his own for awhile and he left Wayne Manor -- his home for the past nine years -- to attend Hudson University in New York. Despite Bruce's many concerns, Dick eventually began to don his Robin costume once more while living in New York. Once more he found himself free of Batman's long shadow -- and Dick liked it. But while he may have enjoyed the freedom to be Robin again, he found university life less engaging and after less than a year as a student, he quit his studies. For a time, Dick drifted aimlessly, working alone as Robin. But fate did not intend that for Dick Grayson yet and he would soon find his path steered back towards an old group he thought himself to be finished with�

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