The exchange between the boys as they make their stand.
Damian: It's time for Robin and Superboy to take a stand! Jon: Why's your name first? Damian: I'm older. Jon: I'm taller. Damian:Shut up.
Talking about Damian's teaching credentials.
Damian: Oh, I have more than nerve, Jon, and I didn't make anything up. I could've had a doctorate in geology at seven years old. Jon: And why didn't you? Damian: Because my mother killed my professor and dumped him in the ocean. Jon: Ha, yeah right! [sees Damian's completely serious face and breaks into a cold sweat]...And when did you start driving huh, eight years old? Damian:[throws his teacher's mask at Jon's face]Five, actually.
Issue #2
Damian's "wut" face after Jon sifts through 175 hours of security camera footage in about five seconds.
Damian: Once we get up there I'll use my mini-acetylene and burn a— Jon:[points at the front door] Hey genius... details.
Issue #3
Damian's reaction to having his bike wrecked while he was looking away.
Damian:[stunned] ...I just finished customizing it...
The exchange when they're confronted by their duplicates after Jon spent the last three issues saying that they should get their dads' help.
Damian: I'll admit, maybe in retrospect we should have called our fathers. Jon:That's nice to hear, thanks. Damian: I said maybe.
There's something amusing about Damian's continual snooty demeanor as he rides on Jon's back and holds a robot's head as if he were examining a piece of art.
Issue #4
Alfred's reaction to discovering Damian's absence:
Alfred: Hnn, at least when Master Richard snuck out he had the decency to construct a pillow dummy.
Jon cutting in as Lex begins hamming it up to Kid Amazo.
Kid Amazo: Underneath that armor he's just Lex Luthor! We can break him! Lex: You can't break me! I'm more than Lex Luthor. I am SUPER- Jon:[suddenly punches Kid Amazo in the face, shattering his visor] Nah, he had it right the first time!
When Jon refuses to give Damian a piggyback ride back to Gotham, the Boy Wonder then reveals that he could've summoned a new bike whenever he wanted. Looks like someone doesn't want to admit something.
The boys coming home to a very angry Alfred and Lois.
Lois: You boys had better start talking, AND QUICK! Alfred:[standing next to her with his arms crossed] I believe ditto is the operative word.
Issue #5
Jon's reaction to being told to climb up the Batcave's dinosaur's rear end. Alfred's reaction is even better.
Even funnier? You can see Robin and Superboy's capes sticking out of said dinosaur's "buttocks"!
Alfred's complete deadpan to the boys' antics while treating them to dinner is golden.
Batman basically pulling the "I'm Batman" excuse over who would win in a fight between him and Superman.
Superman: Who do you think would win if we fought? Batman:[pouring himself a glass of water] Me. Superman: But I'm stronger. And I can fly. Batman: Um, me. Superman: I think your cowl's too tight.
Superman's realization after he gives Jon and Damian the go ahead to adventure and fight crime together.
Superman: Now I just need to sell that to Lois. Batman: Good luck with that, Kent.
Issue #6
Jon might have superpowers, but he still answers to his mom like any other kid.
Lois: Do you have your cellphone, Jonathan? Jon:[exasperatedly] Yes, Mom. I already told you, like a hundred times. Lois: Don't get short or I'll turn your Super-Butt around. Jon: Sorry, Mom.
Jon also fails at the "but Damian's dad let's him do it" excuse.
Lois: Remember, back by 10 P.M. on the dot. Jon:Aww, come on, it's Friday— Damian's dad let's him stay out all night. Clark: Damian's dad dresses like a bat and gets hit twenty-eight times every night. So maybe not the best argument. Jon:[as his mom kisses him on the forehead and passes him a "Super Snack"]Aw, okay, fair point, Dad. Lois:[smiling] My hero.
Damian being The Comically Serious as he accosts a man for jaywalking with a dog. Jon is completely unfazed at this point.
Damian: Stop transgressor! [grabs man by collar] Jaywalking is where it starts! Next thing you know you're knocking over liquor stores in Gotham Heights and working for pennies for scuzz like Two-Face! In my city, we don't put up with this! Jon:[playing with the man's dog] Sorry about my friend, he's wound a bit too tight. Damian: In my city, I stop crime at its- [gets shoved aside by Jon] Jon: Cross at the corners, mister. Keep your dog safe.
Starfire continuing the Running Gag of the boys being mistaken for siblings despite knowing very well that they aren't.
Starfire: Hi Robin... Is this your big brother? Damian: You very well know he's not, Starfire!
Issue #7
The Titans complaining about getting their butts kicked again while snarking at each other's expense.
Starfire: Well, that was embarrassing. Beast Boy: Oh, you mean getting our heads handed to us by three unknown weirdos? Sounds totally normal to me Starfire. Raven:Garfieldis being sarcastic, yes? Aqualad: Beast Boy's always a laugh-riot. Minus the laughs.
After Damian is rapidly aged by Time Commander, he begins suffering from all of the ailments typically associated with the elderly, including poor bowel control.
Starfire:[about Damian using the bathroom] Again? Aqualad: You've seen those old people in commercials, right?
Damian's poor attempts to maintain some semblance of authority in his current state.
Damian:[to Jon while leaving the bathroom]Not. A. Word. Titans! Time to go! We know where they are, and this time we're— "tt" [goes back into the bathroom] Not. A. Word. Jon:[busts out laughing as the door slams]
Jon's equally poor attempts to maintain his secret identity are nothing short of laughable.
Jon: You really don't mind? Damian: Right now, I'm way too old to care.
Damian feels his age as he tries to keep the privilege of yelling "Titans Together!" Also a Call-Back to the jaywalking exchange mentioned above, with Damian cutting off Jon mid-sentence by shoving him aside.
Beast Boy: Welcome to the Titans, kid. Wanna do the honors? Jon: Really? [raises his fist in the air] Titans... Damian:[shoves Jon aside] I may be old, but I'm not ready to retire. Titans... um... nnn... Jon: Together? Damian:[after already being picked up by Starfire while the others fly through the air] Together!
After being restored to his proper age, Damian still can't find time to celebrate.
Jon: Hey, you're you again! Damian: And you're you. Life is full of disappointments. Jon: Jerk.
After Raven uses her abilities as The Empath to reveal Damian's hidden respect for Jon, Damian tries to burst Jon's bubble.
Damian: Don't get too cocky. Her father's a Satanic demigod. Just so you know.
Jon copies Damian's snooty demeanor while bickering with him while Damian retorts with what amounts to a Your Mom joke.
Damian: Sorry, Kent. You're still in training. We didn't even get through out first session tonight. Jon:[shouting] Again! No one asked you to train me! Damian: It was implied. Jon:' No! You inferred wrongly! Damian:Implied! Jon: Yeah, by who?! Damian: By your moth- agh! [gets grabbed by a mechanical tentacle]
Issue #8
Damian is mistaken for being Jon's younger brother again.
Big Shot:[to Jon] Hurry—we need to leave before it returns. And tell your little brother to follow. Damian: Why does everyone assume if someone's taller they're older? Jon: And usually smarter.
Jon cheerfully titles Damian the "Robin of Gotham, The Rope-Slinger" after a comment from Big Shot.
Big Shot: Hopefully your skillset includes more than just barking orders and shooting rope. Jon: Robin of Gotham—The Rope Slinger! Damian: I regret giving you a translator.
The translation difficulties between the boys and the heroines of Eoroe.
Jon:[referring to Yggardis, the Living Planet] And you girls just live on him, like those birds that live on alligators? Hard Line: What's an alligator? Big Shot: And what's a bird? Damian: Sheesh.
Damian: So how are you two here? Shouldn't you be dead with everyone else? Jon:[elbowing Damian] Hey—nicer tone man.
Issue #9
Damian's ears turn bright red when Big Shot and Hard Line give him a last hug before shoving him and Jon through the portal back to the main DC Universe.
Superman gets in on the "teasing Damian over his height" gag.
Damian: Can I get a cup of coffee too, Superdad? Clark: Stunts your growth. Jon says you need all the help you can get.note This is largely a popular myth perpetuated by social media, as no major peer-reviewed medical study has come to the conclusion that caffeine intake can stunt your growth. Given that Clark likely knows this, it's more likely to just be a playful jab at Damian.
Damian has no power in the Kent household.
Clark: Can you guys hit the kitchen? A train just derailed in Philedelphia. Damian: I don't do dishes. Clark: You do here, son!
Damian's pancake is so saturated with maple syrup that he just watches it fall apart with the plainest expression on his face.
Issue #10:
Even Batman has only so much patience for Damian.
Bruce: Son, even I get tired of your cynicism.
Clark and Bruce banter about their day jobs after Damian talks about not needing to go to school.
Bruce: There's more to knowledge than knowing facts, Damian. Clark:Whoa! Who are you and what have you done with Batman! Bruce: It's your wife's influence. Maybe I'll become a journalist. Clark: Great, we'll switch places. Playboy billionaire can't be all that bad.
Alfred takes a moment to poke fun at Damian's height while speaking with Batman about fixing his uniform.
Alfred:[talking about Damian's Robin uniform] I could only find this one, but it's cleaned, patched, and pressed. The boy has several, but luckily, at the rate he's growing, he'll be able to wear them for the next two decades.
Alfred is also having none of the silent treatment from Batman.
Alfred:[handing the Robin uniform to Batman] Hmph. You're much ruder when you're dressed for work. Batman: Thank you. Alfred: Now was that so hard?
The boys have a brief spat over what to name their new base.
Jon: Take a break from the doom and gloom for five minutes and check this out! I've already named it Superboy and Robin's... FORTRESS OF ATTITUDE! Damian: We are definitely not calling it that.
The best thing about the Fortress of Attitude for Jon: the mini-fridge.
Jon: This is a job for Superboy!...and Robin. Damian: I hate you.
Issue #12
Jon and his dad's family dynamic while Damian tries to keep up his tough guy image.
Superman: How'd you get so smart? Jon: I guess by listening to you and mom all the time? Superman:All the time, hmm? Jon: Well, maybe most of the time. Damian: "tt" Tossing around all this sugar is turning me into a diabetic.
Issue #13
Jon is very proud of his "regular guy" act. In that he is very proud of the fact that he can complain about getting hit in the head with a ball.
Damien is still attending school very much under protest.
Damien: Tell father he will pay for this. Alfred: I tell him every day, as requested. His knees don't seem to knock as loudly as you assume they do.
Jon, on the other hand, loves having his reluctant friend at his school.
Jon: Meet you for lunch? Damien: How about no? Does no work for you? Jon: (waving happily) Great. See you at lunch.
Jon: He's not a weapon, he's my friend! Talia:[to Damian about Jon] Does he have an off switch?
When the two take out one of Talia's underlings:
Damien: Hello again, Ezar…I always said you were too easily distracted. Jon: Wait - you trained these guys? Is that why you always think I'm one of your students? Damien: Shh. Don't be an Ezar.
Issue #14
Jon's totally nonchalant reaction to seeing members of the League of Assassins come after him.
Jon:[sitting on the ground and blowing on his hand after catching that bullet as his knees steam from the air friction]Man... that did not tickle. [assassins show up] Oh. Hey. I'm guessing League of Assassins? You may know a friend of mine.
By contrast, Jon's face screams Oh, Crap! when his mom finds him when he's supposed to be at home studying on a school night, just as he was in the middle of bragging to a Gothamite he saved. TL;DR, he's more scared of his mom than ninjas.
Lady:[to Jon] For a boy your age, the way you handled these guys was amazing! Jon: Well, evil beware when your name's— Lois:Superboy.[cue Oh, Crap! face from Jon]
Jon tries to dodge his mom's passive-aggressive questions while keeping his identity a secret.
Lois: What brings you to Gotham, Superboy? Jon: I'm just uh... visiting from Metropolis. Lois: Same here, what a coincidence. Jon: There was a problem, so I just decided to uh... help. I'm not really Superman, this is an old shirt I found ... in the er... gar... bage. Lois: Uh-huh. So who are you supposed to be? Jon: ...Um... a friend? Lois:[gives Jon a "you're dead when we get home" smile] Nice to know. Well, good luck in Gotham, "friend." Don't stay out too late. I'm sure you have a mother worrying about you somewhere. [Jon flies out of there as fast as he can]
Jon dropping the tied up assassins right on top of Talia while she's in the middle of her Evil Gloating.
Jon wants to learn how to use a sword so he can be "Super-Ninja-Jedi-Boy".
Jon: So, with all your training, can you teach him how to use a sword? Damian:No. Jon: I was thinking I would look totally cool with a huge red-and-blue sword with like, a small "S" on the hilt. Damian: Absolutely not. Jon: I'm serious, think about it. "Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super-Ninja-Jedi-Boy!"
Damian's response is no-less fun.
Damian: Tell you what. You teach me how to fly, and I'll teach you how to use a sword. Jon: Aw, come on, that's not fair.
Issue #15
There's a takeout joint in Metropolis that's so good that a Lexcorp scientist named Dr. Weller wants to marry the stir-fry noodles. Just one page later, Jon is in a submarine eating the same noodles.
Dr. Weller: I think I want to marry these noodles. Jon: Damian, I'm never going to get married, but when I do, it's going to be to these noodles.
Both Batman and Jon have just stopped caring about Damian's Ineffectual Loner act.
Damian: I had you on mute. How did— Jon: Your dad taught me how to override, dude. He said you mute people a lot. Damian: The [grunts as he continues to bench press] two of you together are worse than the Injustice League, I swear.
Damian is annoyed with how social Jon is. Jon replies by using his Super-Strength to mess with Damian.
Jon:[stepping out of a pod] Hey, I thought you were going to wait for me after school? Damian: You take too long talking to teachers. Jon: I like making conversation. Damian: I know... nnn... It's the fourth-most-annoying thing about you. Fifty... [exerting himself more] Fifty... What the hell is... [looks to his left to see Jon pressing down on the barbell with one finger] Jon: You okay, little guy? Damian: Very... gnn... funny. [clearly trying very hard] Move your noodle fingers away from me...
Issue #16
Jon just can't turn off being raised well, even in the middle of a battle.
Damian: We did it! Multiplexing disrupted! You have eight seconds before it's able to reengage. Jon: And you catch Mr. Cyborg! Damian: You know he can't hear you being so respectful, right?
The one exchange that pretty much sums up Batman and Superman's respective philosophies towards being on a hero team.
Jon: Wait a sec, your dad has plans to destroy his teammates? Damian: Just in case. Yours doesn't? Jon: I mean, he has all their birthdays in his calendar.
