Super Sons/Dynomutt Special #1 by Peter J. Tomasi, Oclair Albert and Fernando Pasarin just retconned a Hanna-Barbera character into the roster of Batman Incorporated. The superhero franchise has welcomed into its hallowed halls Blue Falcon and his faithful robot dog Dynomutt, both from the Saturday morning cartoon Dynomutt, Dog Wonder. The union is an appropriate one, as the animated series followed the exploits of the bumbling Dynomutt and his owner, Blue Falcon, whose design and moral compass was heavily inspired by Batman. Sadly, the story that leads the duo to their place in Batman Inc. is surprisingly bleak.
The crossover begins with Superboy ditching a funeral with Robin to go check out Big City, Blue Falcon’s old stomping ground. As it turns out, Blue Falcon was perhaps even more prolific than Batman in his day, having effectively wiped out crime in Big City, a feat Batman hasn’t even come close to accomplishing in Gotham City -- which makes what happens next even more heart-breaking. A damaged and dying Dynomutt appears suddenly, begging the boys for help. As Dynomutt recounts his tale of woe, he reveals Blue Falcon has gone mad and tried to kill him.
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On the way to Blue Falcon’s headquarters (and Dynomutt’s salvation), Robin explains the Hanna-Barbera hero’s long, retconned history with Batman. The Boy Wonder says that Blue Falcon is actually Radley Crowne, a billionaire vigilante like Bruce Wayne. The two apparently hit it off, because Batman invited Blue Falcon to join Batman Inc. Blue Falcon accepted and fought alongside Batman and other franchisees to thwart global threats like Leviathan, the criminal organization founded by Talia al Ghul. Rumors in Batman Inc. circles said that Blue Falcon had designed a way to reanimate genetic imprints using technology, and that Dynomutt, Blue Falcon’s ever-faithful sidekick, was a reanimated family pet -- which is completely true.
The Batman Incorporated comic series was created by Grant Morrison and followed the Caped Crusader’s efforts to create a superhero franchise around the symbol of Batman. Those franchising efforts weren’t just limited to Gotham City, though. Batman took his endeavor worldwide, bringing in heroes from all over the world, like the North African Batwing and Nightrunner, who acted as a representative for Paris. Dynomutt wasn’t the only animal on the team, though. Batman Inc. had some… eclectic ideas about recruitment. That’s how Bat-Cow, a cow destined for slaughter and saved by Robin, made its way onto the team. Other notable members include Wingman (actually Jason Todd) and Gaucho, a millionaire who took up the superhero cause.
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It sounds like Blue Falcon had a decent run as a member of Batman Inc., enough to clean up Big City, but all things must come to an end. Super Sons/Dynomutt Special #1 reveals Blue Falcon’s fall from grace and how he eventually turned away from the only thing he ever cared about: his best friend.