JayToddz for the masses

Jason Todd’s First Appearance

People often ask: what was Jason Todd’s first appearance?

Technically, it was Batman 357 in 1983, in which he appeared as a circus acrobat. His parents, Trina and Joe Todd, were later killed by the gangster Killer Croc. This is the Jason who had strawberry blond or red hair. He initially had a different outfit. He was very much a Dick Grayson clone and was a happy go-lucky kid. He officially became Robin in Batman 368 in this incarnation. He was adopted by Natalia Knight (Nocturna) and had a girlfriend, Rena. He also dyed his hair black to play the Robin role. He appeared in both Batman and Detective Comics during this time. This is called his pre-Crisis origin, as it occurred prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The 1986 event Crisis on Infinite Earths allowed the DC editors to change and shift things around. One of those things was Jason’s origin. This new origin appeared on March 12, 1987 in Batman 408. As written by Max Allan Collins, Jason became a cigarette smoking tire thief. His parents were Willis and Catherine Todd (stepmother). Willis was a small-time criminal who ended up working for Two-Face and was murdered. His stepmother, Catherine, was a drug addict who overdosed. His biological mother is Sheila Haywood, who betrays him to the Joker.

It is a re-introduction as though his original incarnation had never appeared before. He appeared in most of the Batman issues between 408 and 426, which is roughly an 18-month real-time period leading up to his death in Batman 426. This new origin was actually referenced in Detective 574 two weeks prior to being introduced in Batman 408. He appeared in very few Detective Comics at this point in time and when he did, was written at odds with his new origin (ie. very naive and innocent; such as asking for a glass of milk at a hardcore bar with prostitutes and drug dealers). This was the new Jason Todd and this was also the Jason who was killed and resurrected. You can also check the Wikipedia article on Jason.

Next, we’ll answer all your questions about the Red Hair conundrum! Any other questions, just ask!