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Before Tim Drake made waves when he deduced the identities of Batman and Robin, his first appearance was much earlier and more tragic.
Tim Drake is one of the most popular characters to take up the mantle of Robin. After the death of Jason Todd in “A Death in the Family,” it was clear that Batman needed a Robin and Tim was available to fill the void. He believed in the Dynamic Duo’s partnership so much that he sought out the Dark Knight, deducing his identity, and lobbied for the role. Using incredible powers of deduction worthy of the World’s Greatest Detective, the new Boy Wonder made an unforgettable entrance into the Bat-Family although his debut as Robin was not his first appearance.
That happened a few issues earlier in Batman #436 by Marv Wolfman, Pat Broderick, John Beatty, John Costanza and Adrienne Roy. This issue saw the beginning of the “Year Three” storyline that ran for four issues, showing a wayward Batman and a worried Nightwing in the present, while simultaneously recounting their first meeting ten years earlier.
During a parole hearing for the killer of Dick Grayson’s parents, Tony Zucco, Alfred recounts how Dick came to be the person he is today. The issue shows the happiness Dick experienced as a part of Haly’s Circus, as well as how he and his parents were adored as the Flying Graysons. Among their admirers is a young boy whose name soon wouldn’t be forgotten.
In a flashback sequence, the Flying Graysons are interrupted by another family who are taking their son to the circus for the first time. The acrobat troupe pose for a photo with them, unaware that the child is a young Tim Drake, who would one day become Dick Grayson’s adoptive brother. This also means that the photo he took with the Flying Graysons is the last photo Dick has of his parents before they died, forever etching him into the history of the Boy Wonder before either one of them became Robin.
Tim’s presence in this story doesn’t just stop at a single meet and greet. He is also witness to the worst day of Dick Grayson’s life. Tim is in the audience with his parents (and notices Bruce Wayne) when Dick’s parents plummet to their deaths. A lot of the wonder of the acrobat troupe’s performance up to that point is shown through Tim’s eyes, and the same goes for the tragedy of their deaths.
This day not only left a lasting impression on Dick Grayson but on the young Tim Drake as well. Despite being very young at the time, Tim vividly remembered the whole experience, especially the moment when Batman swooped down to comfort the orphaned Grayson. Everything he saw would one day help him deduce Bruce Wayne’s secret identity.
Batman #436 is filled with a number of major historical moments from the lore of the Dark Knight. This issue not only includes the first appearance of Tim Drake and the death of the Flying Graysons, but also the fatal confrontation between Tony Zucco and the circus’s owner, Mr. Haley, and the murderer’s history leading up to that moment. With everything that happens, it can be easy to glance over the fact that this is also the first meeting of Batman and Dick Grayson.
Tim Drake wasn’t someone who just happened into the Dark Knight’s life out of nowhere. He was there for a number of major milestones in the Caped Crusader’s history. “Year Three” establishes the third Robin deep in Batman lore before his more formal introduction, not only to show the small role he played in one of Dick Grayson’s worst days but to show how deeply the Dark Knight impacted his life as well.
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