SupermanHawaii.com

by Keona Tang

One of the most important things in a person's life is family. From the beginning, your family can be your main support, a lifeline in an uncaring world. Whether they're your blood relatives or a close group of friends, your family can be a great source of hope, love, and encouragement. Sometimes, it can also be a source of great pain, such as when bitter disagreements occur. Throughout life, our interactions with family members can influence us in many different ways; perhaps even to the extent that we may not be fully aware of how deeply they've affected us.

Which brings me to the subject of this article, the sidekicks and proteges of Batman (Bruce Wayne), commonly called the "Bat-family," which is how I'll refer to them in these columns. Now, I'm a big fan of the Dark Knight himself, but I've always found his sidekicks and supporting cast to be just as interesting and complex as he is. So, over the next few months, I'll be profiling a few members of Batman's inner circle that I've come to know and love over the years. Of course, I don't have the space to cover all of the events in the lives of these characters in a single article, but I will highlight the plot developments that stand out to me personally.

Origins

First up on the list is Timothy Drake, the third Robin. Originally created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Pat Broderick in 1989, during the aftermath of a storyline called "A Death In the Family," which detailed the demise of the second Robin. In order to fully understand how he came to be Robin, we must take a look at the origins of Batman's first partners.

The first character to call himself Robin was a circus acrobat named Dick Grayson. He first appeared in May 1940, in an attempt to make the comic more kid-friendly. He was created as a counterpoint to Batman himself; Robin injected some humor into the book, while Batman remained serious and stoic (for a time, anyway). Children also found the character appealing, as Grayson was someone they could relate to and idolize. Over time, Grayson grew so popular that DC moved him out of Batman's shadow and gave him his own superhero identity (Nightwing), as well as his own monthly comic series.

So, Robin was no more, until Wayne came across a headstrong street kid who had tried to steal the tires off of the Batmobile. That was Jason Todd in a nutshell: Stubborn, gutsy, a little unstable, but also resourceful and motivated. Batman saw these traits in the boy, and decided to harness them for the greater good of Gotham City. After much training, Todd became the second Robin, but his career as Batman's partner would not last long, as he was killed in combat by the Joker. His death devastated Batman, who vowed never to endanger another child. (Recently, Todd's death has been undone in comics, but I won't go into that here.) However, there was one young man who would convince him otherwise: Tim Drake.

Beginnings

Drake already had a connection to the Bat-family, as he was a fan of the Flying Graysons while he grew up. A very intelligent and perceptive child, Tim once saw Batman and Robin on the news fighting one of their many foes. He saw Robin do an acrobatic move, one which he recognized as something that Grayson used to do in his family's circus acts. He correctly guessed that Robin was Grayson in costume, and that Batman must have been Bruce Wayne, billionaire and Grayson's legal guardian. With that in mind, Tim followed Batman's crimefighting exploits, and eventually learned of Jason Todd's death and the effect it had on the Dark Knight. He observed that Batman had grown more violent and obsessive without Robin. His despair over Todd's death was driving Wayne to the breaking point. Batman needed a new Robin, Tim realized. Then he took it upon himself to prove his theory.

In the storyarc entitled "A Lonely Place of Dying," Drake stole a Robin costume and enlisted the aid of Alfred Pennyworth, Wayne's butler. Together, they searched for Batman and Nightwing, who had been captured by Two-Face, an insane crook with a horrifically scarred face and a shattered sense of justice. They managed to help Wayne and Grayson escape and defeat their enemy. Drake had proven invaluable in their victory, and while Alfred and Nightwing accepted him, Batman himself was reluctant. Drake soon proved his worth yet again when he saved Wayne from another enemy, the Scarecrow. Wayne's common sense prevailed, and Drake became the third Robin.

Solo

In 1991, DC Comics published two mini-series starring the new Boy Wonder. The first detailed Robin's overseas training, which quickly turned into a battle for his life against King Snake, a master martial artist and leader of a gang known as the Ghost Dragons (he also happened to be blind). Robin, the master assassin Lady Shiva, and a DEA agent teamed up to defeat the organization. Afterwards, Drake is further trained in combat by Shiva herself, and he returns to Gotham to become Batman's first full-time partner since Jason Todd's death.

The second mini told the tale of the new Robin's first battle with the Joker, the same insane criminal who'd killed his predecessor. Batman was out of Gotham at the time, so it fell on Drake's shoulders to defeat the villain on his own. Robin and Alfred managed to outsmart the madman and take him down. Needless to say, Batman was impressed.

The following year, a third mini starring Robin was released, which chronicled the return of Robin's old nemesis King Snake, as well as his problems with his father (he had to lie to his dad whenever he went out as Robin, in order to avoid compromising his secret identity). The Huntress, a more extreme vigilante who roamed the streets of Gotham, guest-starred in this mini, and together, the two of them took down King Snake yet again.

It's interesting to note that all three of these minis were done by the same creative team (writer Chuck Dixon and artist Tom Lyle). The consistent tone and fast-paced storytelling won over many fans, and DC realized that this new Robin was resonating with its audience. So, in late 1993, they decided to publish a monthly comic featuring Tim Drake as the main character. Dixon launched it as the writer and Tom Grummett took over the art chores on the book, which is still being published today.

Twilight

Ever since the monthly book began, Tim's had to deal with a lot in his life. He's had problems with his father, relationship issues, and general high school hijinx to deal with, on top of a large group of villains who want him dead. One of these villains was the Cluemaster (Arthur Brown), a criminal who left clues for the police to find after he committed a crime, similar to the Riddler, but not as sophisticated. Drake confronted him on numerous occassions and took him down easily most of the time. But there was another interesting connection between the two of them: The Cluemaster's estranged daughter, Stephanie Brown, was the love of Tim's life.

Steph had rejected her father's lifestyle and decided to devote her life to fighting crime. She became the vigilante known as the Spoiler. She'd known of Robin for a while and eventually, the two became romantically involved. Batman, however, disapproved of her, and she remained an unsanctioned member of the Bat-family for a long time. When Tim was forced to quit being Robin due to extenuating circumstances, Steph volunteered to take over and was given the job, much to Tim's surprise. This caused some tension between them, but her tenure as Robin would be short-lived. During a city-wide gang war, which she inadvertently started, Steph was brutally tortured and killed. The news hit Tim hard, but poor Steph's death was just the beginning of a dark period in Tim's life.

In the following months, more people close to Tim died. Tragically, Tim's father, Jack, was the first casualty (after Spoiler). He died in a confrontation with one of the Flash's old enemies, Captain Boomerang. Soon after, another mentor to Tim, Ted Kord (the Blue Beetle), was executed by the leader of a rogue organization called Checkmate. Later, a group of supervillains called the Society dropped a sentient radioactive blob on Tim's adopted city of Bludhaven, killing thousands and contaminating the disaster site. Tim's stepmother, Dana, had been living there, but her fate remains a mystery, though it seems likely that she died in the blast. Soon, tragedy would strike again, as two of Tim's closest friends were killed in combat. The first was Superboy (Conner Kent), and the second was Bart Allen, formerly known as both Impulse and Kid Flash before he became the Flash for a short time. Both of them died saving the world, but that was a cold comfort for Tim. Indeed, Tim was emotionally devastated, and his life was in turmoil.

A Brighter Future

After all the suffering he went through, Tim earned some measure of happiness. First, Bruce Wayne legally adopted him as his son. Second, he began attending school once again, where he met Zoanne, a tutor who has become a romantic interest in his life. He rejoined a very different Teen Titans squad and Wonder Girl, another longtime teammate, became a close friend. As you can see, while things have invariably changed, there is still that thread of hope, a little glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel for Tim, and for fans as well.

In 2008, a rather surprising change is in store for Robin fans, though this one will make most longtime fans happy. Chuck Dixon, the man who defined the character, is returning to take over the writing chores, while Chris Batista will handle the art duties. This news has created good buzz for the series among fans, and I'm extremely happy about it. I couldn't even begin to guess what the future holds for Tim Drake, but with Dixon and Batista taking over, it does look bright, indeed.

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In Memoriam

Before I finish, I'd like to dedicate this article to a man whose work I greatly enjoyed and admired. Mike Wieringo, artist extraordinaire, passed away on August 12, 2007. He worked on many books for the major comicbook publishers, such as Fantastic Four, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the Flash, Tellos, and many others. He even worked for a time on Robin. He was a truly gifted artist, an awesome storyteller, and, from what I've heard and read about him, a great person as well.

Rest in peace, 'Ringo.

June 24, 1963 - August 12, 2007

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