Batman #457 (1990) and 35 Years of Tim Drake as Robin

In the over 85-year history of Batman, there have been many partners who have taken on the identity of Robin. While the original, Dick Grayson (who was introduced only a year after Batman himself), will probably always be the most well-known (despite now having spent almost half of his existence with a different identity entirely, that of "Nightwing"), the third Robin, Tim Drake, may well be the next-most popular. Tim's tenure as Robin, itself, is now 35 years old,^* and it's time to recognize this achievement.

Now, I should at this point recognize that Tim Drake, himself, had already been in the comics for over a year at this point. And, technically, he'd even shown up as Robin a year earlier (in Batman #442), although that really just signaled the writers' intentions. They were in the process of a slow build-up, not just introducing a new character in the role, but demonstrating why the new character deserved to be the new Robin. He had the natural talent, honed through extensive training, and most importantly, was the best detective of any of the Robins, before or since.

Which brings us to Batman #457. A wave of killers wearing skull masks has been terrorizing Gotham for the past couple of issues, with no apparent common factor connecting the killers. Indeed, they all seem to be random people with no previous record, who have all suddenly started committing murder on a whim. Batman has gone out to try to tackle the situation alone, and Tim has been ordered to stay behind. Not only is Tim's training considered incomplete, but he's recently suffered the loss of his own mother, and Batman is concerned that Tim's grief will affect his judgement. Although Tim insists that he can handle it, Batman's word is unambiguous: "Disobey me, and you can forget about ever being Robin!" So Tim stays behind at the Batcave, continuing to work on the mystery, and ultimately figures out what the Batman himself has missed: the mastermind behind this killing wave is, in fact, the Scarecrow, and Batman is walking into a trap! Finding himself with no choice, Tim goes out to save the Batman, knowing that he is throwing away any chance of being Robin by doing so.

Tim successfully rescues Batman, and although he is ready to accept the consequences of his actions, Batman explains that Tim has learned an important lesson, not just about accepting and following rules as laid down, but also knowing when to break them, acknowledging that if Tim hadn't broken the rule about going out after him, Batman would now be dead. Thus, Tim is given the right to become the new Robin, but not before Batman presents Tim with an all-new Robin costume: a first in the then-50 year history of the character (not counting alternate universe versions of Robin, of course).

While Tim, himself, has taken on other identities in the years that have followed, none has lasted for more than a few years. Unlike Dick Grayson's Nightwing, Robin seems to be the identity that Tim Drake has been meant to retain, even if he has to share it with other Robins these days. But even as one of many, Tim Drake retains a distinctive personality that continues to make him a favorite. Here's to many more adventures!

---

^*We've missed the anniversary of this issue by a couple of weeks, as Mike's Amazing World suggests that Batman #457 was published on October 23, 1990.