Robin III Part 57: Detective Comics #648 (Late-August, 1992)

Tim makes an impact on a girl, who winds up making one right back.

I have this issue.

Labor Day Weekend approaches and someone’s taken the time to paint clues all over Gotham. Tim and Bruce figure out Arthur Brown has become Cluemaster again, and is planning a big score. They track Brown to his apartment, but let the Gotham PD go in to make the bust (which backfires and sets off a bomb). As they do, Tim notices movement a few rooftops away. Thinking they’re part of Cluemaster’s gang, Bruce lets Tim go after him.

He takes the costumed perp down and discovers that he is a she…then gets clocked in the face with a brick.

Later, Tim’s back at the Cave going over the spray-painted clues when Bruce arrives to put the final piece together and identify the intended target: the grand-opening of Castle-Land Park Mall in Evanstown, where there’s going to be a charity telethon ending on Labor Day Sunday.

After a little research, Tim tracks down the girl he fought: Stephanie Brown - Cluemaster’s daughter. Tim tells her that Arthur Brown might not have died in the explosion and learns that if he is still alive, the robbery’s still on.

Tim brings her to meet Batman, and together the three of them decide their next move.    

Notes of Interest:

1) It seems Tim needs to work on his “rooftop pursuit technique” a little more.

2) Isn’t that a nice shot when Tim sees Stephanie’s face for the first time? Priceless.

3) Oh yeah, this is the first time Tim meets Stephanie Brown, who calls herself The Spoiler.

WTF? Moment: I’m not sure if this is true for every copy, but mine has a misprint. The page where Tim talks with Alfred in the Cave about Cluemaster having a visitor while at Blackgate comes after the page where Tim finds Stephanie’s house. It took me a second to catch the mistake though…I mean Tim’s a great detective, but he still needs a lead before he can act on it.