In Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 Years of Robin, Nightwing and Batman, editor Kristen L. Geaman argues, "The character can...serve as a lens for viewing the world outside of comics, whether it be moral development, the homoerotic, or gendered readership. Dick Grayson is not simply a one-note sidekick but one of the most complex and developed characters in comics" (p. 2). Her objective in compiling the volume is "to begin a scholarly dialogue about Dick Grayson" since most academics focus purely on Batman as a lone character (p. 2).
The book is organized into five sections. In the first, authors look at Robin as a character. Essays examine the character's genesis and costume design among other topics. In the second, the relationship between Robin and Batman. The authors of the three essays in this section evaluate Batman and Robin's relationship through the lens of parent/child, comrades-in-arms, and through a gay subtext. The third focuses on Nightwing and Dick Grayson's solo career. These essays look at the evolution of Dick Grayson as a character and his role in the larger DC Universe, both pre- and post-New 52. The fourth, Dick Grayson's relationships with family and friends. Most of these essays focus on Dick Grayson's relationship to other Robins and members of the Bat-family. Finally, the fifth section contains interviews with comics writers such as Dennis O'Neil and Marv Wolfman.
Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder reflects the scholarship of other McFarland Press volumes, such as Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero and The Ages of Superman. While certainly not exhaustive, it is an extensive first examination of Dick Grayson/Robin as an academic subject. The scholarly texts reflect the most recent scholarship, but will also help long-time comics fans better understand the significance of a character they may never have considered from an academic perspective. ( )