The Beginner's Guide to Bernard
If you're at this community, there's a pretty good chance you've heard of Bernard. But even if you have, well, you may not have read the issues he was in. I mean, there weren't many. So, for your viewing pleasure, all the appearances of Bernard Dowd, ever!
We start in Robin #121, when Tim Drake is starting at a new school.
The next page is mostly irrelevant, but we do get Tim's reaction to Bernard.
"It looks like I've made my first new friend at the new school. Luckily, I don't share many classes with Bernard. On first impression, he seems the type I'll prefer in small doses."
Later that day, Tim leaves school in a rush. He wants to get back to hunting criminals like a good little Bat.
Ah, Darla Aquista.
Later still:
I'd like to take a short break to point out some things about Darla.
1. She is very hot. This has been established. Personally, I don't see the attractiveness, but then again, this art makes everything hideous.
2. She's completely unattainable. As the jocks say, "Darla don't date nobody." We'll find out why later.
3. She has absolutely not an iota of interest in Bernard Dowd.
Now, if you're Bernard Dowd and you are completely, flaming gay but entirely closeted, who better to say you like? You've got no chance with her, but a completely believable crush. Great cover. Anyway, on with our plot!
Steph Brown, Tim's girlfriend. Tim's mentioned her before, but Bernard, well, see for yourself.
And that is our community motto!
In other news, I really, really, really hate the art on this page. That expression in the last panel? Ugh. This is why we don't have nearly enough Bernard/Tim icons. As in, there is only one.
Now, there's a lot of stuff I'm not showing here. Tim accidentally sort of kills a guy who doesn't actually die but Tim doesn't know that, he starts having doubts about being Robin, stops having doubts, gets discovered by his dad who makes him quit, and voila, we've got Tim Drake: Regular Kid Who Isn't Robin. And a new artist. Still not my favorite, but a lot of people like him.
This part's a little weird. Especially considering Bernard's mom. But it does get established that a) Bernard has no tact at all and b) Bernard is a bit obsessed with Batman and Robin.
Later, at school.
I love this. Bernard's just spouting off bullshit without realizing that Robin himself is right in front of him. I maintain that Bernard would have figured out that Tim is Robin if Bernard had stayed a member of Tim's supporting cast.
ETA: Thanks to the wonderful iesika, we now have an idea of what Bernard was doing during War Games! See, Bernard's beard love interest is all dying, and that's happening in Robin, but at the same time, they are continuing the story in Batman.
...yeah, secret identity? I think that's a little bit gone now. This is very pretty art.
Bernard disappears for a while, but he shows up again after Steph and Tim's dad have both died and Tim is living in Bludhaven.
This is probably my favorite take on Bernard, even though Tim doesn't interact with him at all here. Also, the art is pretty.
And that is sadly the last we see of Bernard. Though I did mention him to Fabian Nicieza, the new writer on Robin. Maybe he'll include him in an issue or two. That would make me deliriously happy.
However, there is more to the Bernard mythos than appears in canon. I'm also going to introduce you to the woman I usually cast as Bernard's mother. Her name is Nina Dowd.
We meet Nina at an archeological dig fairly close to Young Justice headquarters.
Later, Young Justice shows up to help and Bart sticks his head into the crystal cocoon that has encased Professor Dowd.
Later, when she's in custody:
Now, it never proves definitively that Nina Dowd is Bernard Dowd's mother, but it never disproves it either. And I prefer to think of it as true. Because it really explains so much. And the world where Bernard's mother is a failed supervillain with...huge tracts of land is so much better than the world where she isn't.
I shall end with a dirty limerick.
There was a man called Bernard
Who learned that his friend Tim was scarred.
He touched them with care
And thought it unfair
That Robin could make him so hard.
We start in Robin #121, when Tim Drake is starting at a new school.
The next page is mostly irrelevant, but we do get Tim's reaction to Bernard.
"It looks like I've made my first new friend at the new school. Luckily, I don't share many classes with Bernard. On first impression, he seems the type I'll prefer in small doses."
Later that day, Tim leaves school in a rush. He wants to get back to hunting criminals like a good little Bat.
Ah, Darla Aquista.
Later still:
I'd like to take a short break to point out some things about Darla.
1. She is very hot. This has been established. Personally, I don't see the attractiveness, but then again, this art makes everything hideous.
2. She's completely unattainable. As the jocks say, "Darla don't date nobody." We'll find out why later.
3. She has absolutely not an iota of interest in Bernard Dowd.
Now, if you're Bernard Dowd and you are completely, flaming gay but entirely closeted, who better to say you like? You've got no chance with her, but a completely believable crush. Great cover. Anyway, on with our plot!
Steph Brown, Tim's girlfriend. Tim's mentioned her before, but Bernard, well, see for yourself.
And that is our community motto!
In other news, I really, really, really hate the art on this page. That expression in the last panel? Ugh. This is why we don't have nearly enough Bernard/Tim icons. As in, there is only one.
Now, there's a lot of stuff I'm not showing here. Tim accidentally sort of kills a guy who doesn't actually die but Tim doesn't know that, he starts having doubts about being Robin, stops having doubts, gets discovered by his dad who makes him quit, and voila, we've got Tim Drake: Regular Kid Who Isn't Robin. And a new artist. Still not my favorite, but a lot of people like him.
This part's a little weird. Especially considering Bernard's mom. But it does get established that a) Bernard has no tact at all and b) Bernard is a bit obsessed with Batman and Robin.
Later, at school.
I love this. Bernard's just spouting off bullshit without realizing that Robin himself is right in front of him. I maintain that Bernard would have figured out that Tim is Robin if Bernard had stayed a member of Tim's supporting cast.
ETA: Thanks to the wonderful iesika, we now have an idea of what Bernard was doing during War Games! See, Bernard's beard love interest is all dying, and that's happening in Robin, but at the same time, they are continuing the story in Batman.
...yeah, secret identity? I think that's a little bit gone now. This is very pretty art.
Bernard disappears for a while, but he shows up again after Steph and Tim's dad have both died and Tim is living in Bludhaven.
This is probably my favorite take on Bernard, even though Tim doesn't interact with him at all here. Also, the art is pretty.
And that is sadly the last we see of Bernard. Though I did mention him to Fabian Nicieza, the new writer on Robin. Maybe he'll include him in an issue or two. That would make me deliriously happy.
However, there is more to the Bernard mythos than appears in canon. I'm also going to introduce you to the woman I usually cast as Bernard's mother. Her name is Nina Dowd.
We meet Nina at an archeological dig fairly close to Young Justice headquarters.
Later, Young Justice shows up to help and Bart sticks his head into the crystal cocoon that has encased Professor Dowd.
Later, when she's in custody:
Now, it never proves definitively that Nina Dowd is Bernard Dowd's mother, but it never disproves it either. And I prefer to think of it as true. Because it really explains so much. And the world where Bernard's mother is a failed supervillain with...huge tracts of land is so much better than the world where she isn't.
I shall end with a dirty limerick.
There was a man called Bernard
Who learned that his friend Tim was scarred.
He touched them with care
And thought it unfair
That Robin could make him so hard.