Robin III Part 30: Detective Comics #635 (Early September, 1991)

Tim makes a brief appearance but plays a big part in saving Bruce’s life.

I have this issue.

Tim is in the Batcave playing a videogame when Batman returns…wounded…and recognizes a creature on the screen as the beast that hurt him.

Notes of Interest:

1) To my knowledge, this is Tim’s first appearance in Detective Comics following the Robin mini-series.

WTF? Moment: Let me see if I got this – Tim’s returned from Paris and Hong Kong after stopping a major plague from being released and preventing a powerful drug lord from moving to Gotham, and has already made his first public appearance as Robin – only to be playing a videogame…in the Batcave…ON THE BAT-COMPUTER…instead of out on patrol?

BULL…F**KING…S#!T

There is absolutely no way Tim would waste time in the Cave like that. If he was there using the Computer, it’d be work-related.

I understand that the game is a major plot point, but here’s how the story should have gone:

Bruce gives Tim the night off, and he’s playing the game in his room. Alfred brings the boy his dinner and watches him play for a bit until Bruce returns. Alfred tends to the wound while Bruce describes what happened. Alfred recognizes the creature as one from Tim’s videogame…and the story continues.

This just tells me that writer Louise Simonson had no idea what to do with him.

WTF? Moment #2: I will say that I like how Bruce refers to Tim as Robin during the fight with the bug-robot.