aussieinnyc
Super Freak
I have to disagree with this.
A modern re-interpretation of the original source materials might reveal gay undertones. But read in the context of its creation, in the manner and setting in which it was created and originally read, there were no gay undertones (intentional or not) in the original source material.
Things have changed a lot in the last 70 years. What might have looked gay to us now was in fact rather innocent then.
I get where you're coming from, but meant simply if you wanted to put a gay reading on the material that it is very easy to do so, regardless of the author's intentions. I wasn't necessarily implying that at the time Robin was first introduced that there would be widespread application of "queer literature" theory (indeed since I think Robin's youthfulness was originally emphasised I would hope not), and in speaking of the source materials I was actually thinking of the whole comic catalogue right up to the time the movie was made. I'm fairly sure I remember reading somewhere that during the time of the TV series being made they were very aware of how that relationship might look, indeed that was partially the reason for the introduction of Batgirl.
In fact, we're actually in agreement I think - I was taking issue with the statement that Schumacher deliberately empahsised a gay undertone. I was saying that it's only there if you want to see it, just like you were saying it's only there if you want to see it in the comics.