Robin III Part 6: Batman #442 (December, 1989)

Tim proves first-hand that Batman needs Robin.

I have this issue in the A Lonely Place of Dying Trade Paperback.

Tim and Alfred are in the Batcave, worrying about what may have happened to Bruce and Dick. Unable to sit by and wait, Tim suits up as Robin and has Alfred take him to where Dick’s tracking signal stopped. They arrive just as Two-Face blows up a building with Batman and Nightwing still inside. Two-Face fights him, believing his foe to be the previous Robin, but notices enough differences to suspect the truth…he faces a different kid.

Tim dodges enough attacks and gets in a few shots before Alfred steps in, trying to protect the boy.

Two-Face runs off, and Tim finds a way into the demolished building – a coal chute too small for anyone but him to fit through.

He finds Batman and Nightwing pinned under some crossbeams and manages to clear enough debris for them to get out. Batman, seeing a boy dressed as Robin, takes the mask off Tim’s face and tells him there is no Robin anymore. Tim shouts after him that he knows who Batman and Nightwing really are…and what happened to Jason.

Back outside the building, Nightwing recovers as Alfred tells Bruce about how well Tim fought against Two-Face. Dick mentions Tim’s detective instincts. Alfred comments on Tim’s acrobatic ability. Bruce then loses his cool and questions their thinking. He’s not willing to put another child’s life in jeopardy after Jason…but then Tim speaks up. He tells Bruce that Robin’s existence is as essential as Batman’s because the Boy Wonder is a symbol that needs to show the world that justice can’t be stopped.

With Two-Face still on the loose, they put the discussion on the back burner. Tim tells them that he slipped a tracer on the villain while they fought, and they follow the signal to a junkyard. Tim helps out a little, but mostly stays out of the way while Bruce and Dick take Two-Face down.

Bruce, Dick, Alfred and Tim return to Wayne Manor and continue the Robin debate. The only one dragging his feet on the idea is Bruce, but he comes to the conclusion that Tim is right.

Robin is a symbol…one as powerful as Batman…that needs to continue.

Notes of Interest:

1) At this point, Tim knows that Bruce is Batman but not why he became Batman.

2) It isn’t said outright, but it appears that Two-Face overhears Alfred call Tim by name.

3) Tim tells Bruce that he’s become more violent ever since Jason’s death, and needs a Robin around to make him “slow down just a bit and wonder what could happen”.

WTF? Moment: This whole issue shows off how cool Tim is. Sure, he goes toe-to-toe against Two-Face, but more importantly he stands up to Batman. Not Bruce…Batman. That one panel with Tim standing bright and colorful in front of a shadowed Batman – pointing a finger at him no less – speaks volumes.

WTF? Moment #2: Tim gets the nod of approval from both Dick and Alfred. This was done mostly to appease the readers, but still makes perfect sense.

WTF? Moment #3: Just to be clear – from the beginning of this storyline, Tim’s goal was to reunite Batman and Robin by convincing Dick to become Robin again. Dick refused, saying that he’s an adult now and being Robin again would mean going back in time (roughly four years) and be a kid again. Since Tim was convinced Batman needed a Robin in his life, he had to take up the mantle himself. It’s the support of Dick and Alfred, along with Bruce’s willingness to try, that convinces Tim that he could do it.     

WTF? Moment #4: Is there a better way to get new readers invested in the Post-Crisis DC Universe than to introduce a new Robin? No, there isn’t.