Tales of the Robin # 2 (Batman #465)

by Mark Rodriguez

We already had an issue that dealt with the second Robin, Jason Todd. Now we'll move on to the third Robin, Tim Drake. And yes, I know that as of Teen Titans # 0 they went back and made it seem that Tim was never a Robin and was Red Robin from start... I don't give a damn. Since the New 52 started, there was already a panel showing Tim as a 'former Robin/now Red Robin' and the whole battle of the Robins in the Batman and Robin arc included Tim as one of the former Robins. So screw you New 52. SCREW. YOU.

Tim Drake was a former Robin, Tim Drake was never a Robin... in only a few issues time. Go home New 52, you're drunk

Well anyway, as you'd expect when Batman lost Jason, he was an emotional wreck and becoming sloppy in his crimefighting. Enter junior detective Tim Drake that figured out that Bruce Wayne was Batman. He was a kid when he saw Dick Grayson perform a quadruple summersault that ONLY the Flying Graysons could so... and he came to that conclusion when he saw Robin use that same move to take down the Penguin on TV.

After that, it was a matter of tying together several coincidences. Bruce adopted Dick. We have Robin. Dick moved out of Wayne Manor. Robin is gone and Nightwing is seen. Bruce adopts Jason. We have Robin again. Bruce declares Jason died in some accident. Robin is suddenly gone again.

Even though it took some convincing, Batman finally realized that he did need a Robin to keep him in check, but it still wasn't going to be so easy. Tim was to stay home and train and exercise his mind and deductive skills as well. So Batman would continue to fight crime while Tim would stay home, but still be seen in a few issues here and there.

Until now! Today we're looking at Batman issue 465 as we see Tim Drake's first night on the town as an official Robin!

 Oh, and also special thanks to Steve Riddle from Velvet Underground which is where I found my copy. It's autographed by... um... whoever drew the cover!! Yeah, sorry, couldn't quite make it out unless it's Norm Breyfogle, but who signs with just their last name? I checked the credits but aside from editors, pencilers and what-have-you, nowhere does it say 'cover by....'

This issue is properly named 'Debut' as Batman and Robin swing across the rooftops looking for crime to fight. Batman feels that he would never see the day he's be out on patrol with Robin again, but he feels that he was missing something, and now it's back. Just then they spot a couple of teens trying to break into a place with a crowbar. Batman lets Robin decide what to do now. Tim figures they're young and nervous so it's probably their first crime. He thinks just swinging past them should be enough to scare them off.

Batman and Robin do just that, scaring the teens off since they heard of how Batman beat up several Street Demonz members before. Batman seems upset since he recognizes the kids as being part of a schooling program named IHAD that Bruce Wayne sponsors. Batman wants to look into this and asks Robin if he'll be alright by himself. Robin says Bats still has a party to attend as Bruce Wayne, and an extra half hour alone won't kill him.

Piss off Batman and he moons you. I really don't see why they just had to draw that particular angle, but ok?

Robin realizes what he just said and wishes he could bite his tongue. Bats tells him to not take any risks and swings off. Robin thinks this night is harder on Bats than he thought since he still has the shadow of Jason Todd on his back.

Tim goes off on his own and sees a random blonde woman about to be bothered by some random drunk. Robin jumps in to stop anything before it starts. The drunk asks if Robin's gonna make him stop.pulls out a collapsible staff and breaks a statue's head off. The drunk decides he's better off sleeping it off.

Tim Drake was the Robin that brought in the bo staff

With the drunk gone, Robin makes sure the lady is alright. Her name is Ginny Gray and she's crying about her boyfriend cheating on him. Robin tries to calm her down, but she suddenly slaps him saying that he's like every other man, a liar and a cheat. The woman takes a cab and leaves. Tim rubs his cheeks and comments that something Batman never covered in training.

PWNED!!!!

In the Batcave, Harold is watching a soap opera called Calistoga, and is angry by the show's villain. Alfred says he shouldn't be upset over a fictional character, but also gets angry as the character plans to kill the woman that loves him.  Batman shows up in the Batmobile, and his pet dog Ace comes to greet him. However, Batman is too busy and had business to take care of.

And who is Harold you ask? Well, there was a 3-part story called the Penguin Affair a while back in which the Penguin finds Harold, a hunchback mute with a flair for technology and uses him for his schemes. After Batman defeats the Penguin, Harold is gone. However, later on in another issue, Batman finds him in an abandoned church and decides to take him in to work in the Batcave.

Now that we explained Harold's role in the comics, let's continue with the story

Robin swings across the rooftops until he finds some thugs attacking a police officer. Tim decides to be cautious and tosses an R as if it were a batarang and it tears down a tent that was above them. Robin drops down and quickly takes the bad guys down while they're being confused by the tent.

Commissioner Gordon is driving around with his main squeeze Sarah Essen when they get a radio call from Robin to pick up two muggers and the guy they attacked needs medical attention. Gordon soon shows up and asks Robin where he's been (since he doesn't know Jason and Tim were two different people). Tim says he's been away but he's back. Sarah starts to ask Robin exactly what happened and how he tapped into the police radio, but our young hero is already gone. Sarah is confused and Gordon tells her she'll get used to it. 

Elsewhere, the punk kids from earlier are watching the same soap opera (cause we all know how teenage gangsters love to watch soap operas, right?) when they get a knock at the door. It's none other than Bruce Wayne, but Chico isn't happy to see him. His friend explains that they got money problems since Chico's dad came in to take their welfare money and leave. Now Chico has to deal with his sick mother and his two sisters all by himself. Bruce tries to comfort him and tells him that he feels his pain since he saw his parents get murdered.

Meanwhile Robin is swinging around, enjoying the freedom of the nightly sky. He drops by to visit his father in the hospital for a few seconds before heading off to his next adventure.

Bruce Wayne hires the boys for market research on the weekends. Later on, Bruce shows up at the party he was attending which is having a live showing of apparently everybody's favorite soap opera in all of Gotham City. There he meets Vicki Vale and apologizes for being late, but explains that he was helping out some troubled youths. 

Robin is looking over the woman he rescued earlier, who is still upset and deciding what to do. She finally makes up her mind and walks of, leaving a curious Robin to follow her. He uses a new mini-modem that Harold invented to tap into the Batcave's computers from a payphone (....huh?) and finds out that this woman has a police record. 

At the party, one of the female celebs is all over Bruce and asks Vicki to take a picture of them together. A jealous Vicki tells her she loved her first movie, Summer Girl, which debuted in 1978 (the comic was made in 1991). 

Outside, Ginny heads towards the party. The doorman tells her it's a private party, but she pulls a gun on him. Inside, Bruce is announcing that the soap opera Calistoga has raised half a million dollars for charity. As Bruce holds up the big check, he notices his watch is blinking, which is Robin's signal. Bruce pretends to be ill so he can leave.

Just then Ginny comes in, crying and with a gun, ready to shoot 'Duval Pesney' the two-timing cheater from the soap opera. The actor, Bob Dane tells her that he's just the guy that plays the role. Ginny tells him she knows he's not real, but still thinks he came on to, and now if she can't have her, noone will. Bruce has to act fast and pretends to be a jealous husband angry at the Duval character and punches him out. Robin is trying to hurry inside since Bruce didn't respond to his signal. 

As Ginny drops her gun and cries over the injured actor (weird since she was just about to kill him, the woman's a wackjob), the police come to arrest her. Vicki is excited for her next big headline 'Bruce Wayne socks Bob Dane'.

Outside, Batman and Robin chill on a rooftop as they talk about star-stalkers. It seems Ginny has been hounding Bob with fan letters for the past three years and has been taken to court three times because of it. But before they can contemplate it any further, they see the Bat-Signal and head off to investigate.

For once it's good news, as Gordon tells the Dynamic Duo that Sarrah has accepted his marriage proposal. Batman is happy to hear the news. Meanwhile, Alfred also hears good news about Tim's father finally waking up in the hospital.

The issue ends with Batman and Robin swinging off into the night. Batman thinks that Tim did good so far, but it is only their first night, and time will tell how things will work out.

I loved this issue. It was a funny and entertaining first night out for Robin. Sure, the story didn't have any super villains, just random thugs for Robin to fight and Ginny the crazy stalker, but it was still a fun read and just good to see some happiness in Batman's life.

Maybe it's cause I'm a fan of the old 60's show, but I just love seeing Batman with a Robin. Batman is one of the last remaining superheroes that still has the young sidekick, and I don't know, I just love seeing the teamwork dynamic between Batman and someone else. As awesome as he is by himself, the extended Bat-Family of Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl and Red Robin, who is what Tim will eventually become, is one of the things I like about the character.

It's also cool to notice that Tim went for a new look with the character. Jason was forced to wear the exact same outfit Dick used (at least before the New52 gave Jason some all-new outfit whenever they show flashbacks as his time as Robin), I guess so noone would notice it was a different Robin after Dick became Nightwing. Nice to see Tim has his legs covered in this version, and the staff was a good addition. I like how the Commish thought he was the same guy, as if Jason took a vacation or something. I guess during the time of Dick, Jason and Tim, they could be mistaken for the same guy, but it was obviously a lot more different when Steph and pint-sized Damian took the role.

Part of me will always love the older 90's comics before Bane came in with the super-long KnightFall/KightQuest/KnightEnd storyline, and the ones after that. The villains were still crazy murderers but they still weren't as dark as they are now, and Tim was the perfect Robin for this era. Not as cheesy as Dick, not as rebellious as Jason, not as dark as Damian, but still modern with the technology at the time, and bringing in something new to the table with a brand new outfit and the bo-staff weapon. And he did come in a good time since it was up to him to defend Gotham City with a new Batman during the time that Bane broke Bruce's back. No matter what the New 52 says, I'll always consider Tim Drake as the third Robin.