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Robin (1991, 1993-2009) #1-3
Robin: Tim Drake Compendium One
After discovering Batman’s secret identity, Tim Drake has been accepted by the Dark Knight as his new partner in crime fighting. He must now endure months of intensive training on the path to publicly debuting as the Caped Crusader’s new partner.
Presenting Tim Drake’s first adventures, Robin: Tim Drake Compendium One collects:
—Batman #455-457, #465-469, #480,
—Detective Comics #618-621,
—Robin (vol. 1) #1-5,
—Robin II: The Joker’s Wild! #1-4,
—Robin III: Cry of the Huntress #1-6,
—Robin (vol. 2) #1-5,
—Robin Annual #1-2,
—Superman (vol. 2) #70,
—Superman: The Man of Steel #14,
—and stories from Batman 80-Page Giant #2 and Showcase ’93 #1-6, #11-12.
Presenting Tim Drake’s first adventures, Robin: Tim Drake Compendium One collects:
—Batman #455-457, #465-469, #480,
—Detective Comics #618-621,
—Robin (vol. 1) #1-5,
—Robin II: The Joker’s Wild! #1-4,
—Robin III: Cry of the Huntress #1-6,
—Robin (vol. 2) #1-5,
—Robin Annual #1-2,
—Superman (vol. 2) #70,
—Superman: The Man of Steel #14,
—and stories from Batman 80-Page Giant #2 and Showcase ’93 #1-6, #11-12.
1128 pages, Paperback
Published July 23, 2024
38 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Dixon
3,353 books1,025 followersCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 1, 2024
Campy and 90's as hell, it's exactly what I was looking for.
October 9, 2024
Solid, fun, and surprising. Didn't think I'd ever care for Tim Drake, but he might just be my favorite Robin as of right now. I think the first half (?) is so good. Alan Grant is probably my favorite Batman writer ever now and I wish I read his material sooner! He has a perfect Batman and Tim Drake voice as he is able to capture how badass they are, but also how caring they are.
That said, my momentum with this book slowed down tremendously when we got to the Superman issues. Very silly stories that just weren't for me and, unfortunately, it continued until the start of the Robin series with Chuck Dixon. Still had a good time, but it was such a big change going from stories that make you relate and love Tim Drake to stories about facing vampires in Metropolis.
I still recommend this though. If you want to read about a kid with impostor syndrome, girl issues, family issues, slight anger issues, but also happens to have a good heart...then read some Tim Drake.
That said, my momentum with this book slowed down tremendously when we got to the Superman issues. Very silly stories that just weren't for me and, unfortunately, it continued until the start of the Robin series with Chuck Dixon. Still had a good time, but it was such a big change going from stories that make you relate and love Tim Drake to stories about facing vampires in Metropolis.
I still recommend this though. If you want to read about a kid with impostor syndrome, girl issues, family issues, slight anger issues, but also happens to have a good heart...then read some Tim Drake.
November 27, 2024
If you love campy and cheesy in-your-face overaware 90s books, then this for you. Dear god it was a slug to read at times
May 27, 2025
Missed these old stories.
September 28, 2025
“I hope I’m more than just a Robin to you guys and also a great detective” -Tim, probably
Want to read
August 25, 2025Personajes pendientes de los tres primeros volúmenes de Robin (Tim Drake) y más.
November 2, 2024
Because of how long it was the quality fluctuated, but overall it did a good job of making me understand who Tim Drake is and what his struggles are, and it did endear me to him. Overall a solid collection of comics.
May 28, 2025
Since Tim Drake is my favorite Robin, I'd hoped I'd like this. Boy was I wrong.
Growing up until I was about 11 or 12, Tim Drake was still the prominent Robin in multimedia and some comic book projects. Sure, Damian was in the comics there's no denying that, but the Lego Games featured Tim, the tv shows featured Tim at times, the most used costume was the one Tim took on after the passing of Superboy, it was the default. So for me, I've grown very attached to this character even though I've only read a few of his stories where he's the actual main Robin.
Why is it then that I don't like this book? Surely it would be right up my alley as it feeds into my nostalgia for such an integral character to the Batman mythos?
Wrong. This book does an okay introduction to the character, but there's something about the 80s era of comics that just does not appeal to me. From about 1986-1994, few comics that I've read do what I need to actually capture my attention or intrigue me to the plot.
Comics were at a time where they were adapting to being more adult-oriented at the time. Oftentimes, this just was the equivalent of more blood, guts, guns, and boobs to make the story feel "gritted and grounded". I don't like that type of superhero story. Especially for characters that have an enduring legacy of being the opposite of that in their history. Marvel characters like the X-Men or even some of the Avengers I could've seen making the hard choice to kill (which is probably why Marvel was more successful at this point in time), but characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the league struggled to adapt to this era, with rare exceptions to that rule.
And here's not very different. Alan Grant is the one who wrote the debut of Tim Drake Robin, and he really takes his time with it. It takes forever. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, if the plot were interesting. The art also is not my cup of tea which makes it even less of an essential read.
Chuck Dixon at least tries to bring interest to this character in the Robin solo series. Its decent enough, albeit pretty trivial and standard superhero storytelling, but I do like that the bones to Tim Drake are there as he developed over the years. He's the weakest of the then 3 Robins, he has the least amount of experience, but he's the smartest of them. That makes for an interesting dichotomy between him and other Batfamily characters who follow in Bruce's footsteps.
But the stories just don't do anything particularly interesting that made me want to keep reading. The art, as I said before, is just not working for me either, and it just makes for such an ungodly and boring read that I could not finish it.
Growing up until I was about 11 or 12, Tim Drake was still the prominent Robin in multimedia and some comic book projects. Sure, Damian was in the comics there's no denying that, but the Lego Games featured Tim, the tv shows featured Tim at times, the most used costume was the one Tim took on after the passing of Superboy, it was the default. So for me, I've grown very attached to this character even though I've only read a few of his stories where he's the actual main Robin.
Why is it then that I don't like this book? Surely it would be right up my alley as it feeds into my nostalgia for such an integral character to the Batman mythos?
Wrong. This book does an okay introduction to the character, but there's something about the 80s era of comics that just does not appeal to me. From about 1986-1994, few comics that I've read do what I need to actually capture my attention or intrigue me to the plot.
Comics were at a time where they were adapting to being more adult-oriented at the time. Oftentimes, this just was the equivalent of more blood, guts, guns, and boobs to make the story feel "gritted and grounded". I don't like that type of superhero story. Especially for characters that have an enduring legacy of being the opposite of that in their history. Marvel characters like the X-Men or even some of the Avengers I could've seen making the hard choice to kill (which is probably why Marvel was more successful at this point in time), but characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the league struggled to adapt to this era, with rare exceptions to that rule.
And here's not very different. Alan Grant is the one who wrote the debut of Tim Drake Robin, and he really takes his time with it. It takes forever. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, if the plot were interesting. The art also is not my cup of tea which makes it even less of an essential read.
Chuck Dixon at least tries to bring interest to this character in the Robin solo series. Its decent enough, albeit pretty trivial and standard superhero storytelling, but I do like that the bones to Tim Drake are there as he developed over the years. He's the weakest of the then 3 Robins, he has the least amount of experience, but he's the smartest of them. That makes for an interesting dichotomy between him and other Batfamily characters who follow in Bruce's footsteps.
But the stories just don't do anything particularly interesting that made me want to keep reading. The art, as I said before, is just not working for me either, and it just makes for such an ungodly and boring read that I could not finish it.
October 14, 2025
Oh boy is this a long one!
I mean, it's a Compendium right? What are you expecting?
It's really tough to accurately review a 1,000+ page Compendium containing nearly fifty different comic books from different writers and franchises. There are some of the greatest comics ever made in here, and there are some mediocre slogs. It's just how it is with these collections.
As an introduction to Tim Drake... It's pretty good. It has some storylines missing that are so crucial it's baffling that they're not included (for example both Tim Drake's first appearance, and Stephanie Brown's first appearance are omitted from this collection). And instead we get some fun, albeit unnecessary, additions like the Superman Vampire story.
So even though the book advertises itself as a one-stop shop for getting into Tim Drake's tenure as Robin, you really do need quite a substantial amount of knowledge on the character before hand if you don't want to be lost. For a "Compendium One" it really throws you into the deep end.
The actual Tim Drake Robin ongoing (probably the reason you're buying this) doesn't even start until you're nearly 1,000 pages in either! Yep, you want to read the Robin solo series that basically redefined everything we know about Robin? Well, you only get the first 6 issues in this book! The book also lacks much context to the greater events happening in DC Comics at the time. You hit a point in the Compendium that becomes contemporary with the Knightfall arc (where Bruce Wayne temporarily retires from being Batman due to breaking his back) but the book really doesn't do much to offer context for that. It just assumes you're familiar with the arc. And, although that's fine for me, it's very off-putting for anyone who may be getting this book just to get into Tim Drake.
So, why hasn't that criticism lowered the rating at all? Honestly? Because it isn't really the books fault. That's just how comic books are. And especially with something like Robin's ongoing comic which is a direct result of Knightfall... I'm not sure how you could really add context to this book without just reprinting Knightfall ya know? I don't think it's fair to dock this specific book a rating because three decades ago DC editorial did a shoddy job in adding context to their books.
Overall, if you're willing to miss some context (or willing to quickly Google anything you're confused about), I highly recommend checking the book out. There's a reason that every interpretation of Robin from the 90s to now bases itself of Tim Drake. He's the quintessential Robin, and this book will show you why. I just hope DC continues releasing these Compendium's because it's criminal that they end just as Tim's actual ongoing begins...
I mean, it's a Compendium right? What are you expecting?
It's really tough to accurately review a 1,000+ page Compendium containing nearly fifty different comic books from different writers and franchises. There are some of the greatest comics ever made in here, and there are some mediocre slogs. It's just how it is with these collections.
As an introduction to Tim Drake... It's pretty good. It has some storylines missing that are so crucial it's baffling that they're not included (for example both Tim Drake's first appearance, and Stephanie Brown's first appearance are omitted from this collection). And instead we get some fun, albeit unnecessary, additions like the Superman Vampire story.
So even though the book advertises itself as a one-stop shop for getting into Tim Drake's tenure as Robin, you really do need quite a substantial amount of knowledge on the character before hand if you don't want to be lost. For a "Compendium One" it really throws you into the deep end.
The actual Tim Drake Robin ongoing (probably the reason you're buying this) doesn't even start until you're nearly 1,000 pages in either! Yep, you want to read the Robin solo series that basically redefined everything we know about Robin? Well, you only get the first 6 issues in this book! The book also lacks much context to the greater events happening in DC Comics at the time. You hit a point in the Compendium that becomes contemporary with the Knightfall arc (where Bruce Wayne temporarily retires from being Batman due to breaking his back) but the book really doesn't do much to offer context for that. It just assumes you're familiar with the arc. And, although that's fine for me, it's very off-putting for anyone who may be getting this book just to get into Tim Drake.
So, why hasn't that criticism lowered the rating at all? Honestly? Because it isn't really the books fault. That's just how comic books are. And especially with something like Robin's ongoing comic which is a direct result of Knightfall... I'm not sure how you could really add context to this book without just reprinting Knightfall ya know? I don't think it's fair to dock this specific book a rating because three decades ago DC editorial did a shoddy job in adding context to their books.
Overall, if you're willing to miss some context (or willing to quickly Google anything you're confused about), I highly recommend checking the book out. There's a reason that every interpretation of Robin from the 90s to now bases itself of Tim Drake. He's the quintessential Robin, and this book will show you why. I just hope DC continues releasing these Compendium's because it's criminal that they end just as Tim's actual ongoing begins...
June 2, 2025
4.25 stars. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would, and it shows why Tim Drake is such a good Robin. Nice writing by various writers and same with the art. Definitely made me a much bigger Tim Drake fan.
A lot of different stories in here and I like that there are some recurring villains who pop up throughout. Initial stories about Robin first putting on the costume and his parents being kidnapped, with his mother ultimately killed and his father left hospitalized, where throughout the book he makes some improvements but still isn't back to full health. This covers Tim's time oversees doing some training and he has this extended run in with King Snake, who shows up many times later. Tim allies with this other guy and Lady Shiva also shows up to help them. Another story about Robin taking down the Joker without Batman around. Excellent story about Robin teaming up with Huntress and getting involved in more gang warfare, including KGBeast. Love seeing the Huntress around. There is a team up with Nightwing in here and we also get a story where Robin and Spoiler cross paths, with Tim knowing that is Stephanie but she does not know him in return.
So much to like about this. Great stories, and I like that for the most part they are grounded and street level. Not a ton of Batman in here so it is nice Tim gets the focus and we can see him grow. Good action, good developments with the supporting case (such as his relationships with his dad, Alfred, schoolmates, Stephanie, others).
A lot of different stories in here and I like that there are some recurring villains who pop up throughout. Initial stories about Robin first putting on the costume and his parents being kidnapped, with his mother ultimately killed and his father left hospitalized, where throughout the book he makes some improvements but still isn't back to full health. This covers Tim's time oversees doing some training and he has this extended run in with King Snake, who shows up many times later. Tim allies with this other guy and Lady Shiva also shows up to help them. Another story about Robin taking down the Joker without Batman around. Excellent story about Robin teaming up with Huntress and getting involved in more gang warfare, including KGBeast. Love seeing the Huntress around. There is a team up with Nightwing in here and we also get a story where Robin and Spoiler cross paths, with Tim knowing that is Stephanie but she does not know him in return.
So much to like about this. Great stories, and I like that for the most part they are grounded and street level. Not a ton of Batman in here so it is nice Tim gets the focus and we can see him grow. Good action, good developments with the supporting case (such as his relationships with his dad, Alfred, schoolmates, Stephanie, others).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 27, 2025my attention span has been shot since the election, so it's mostly been superhero comics for me at bedtime. i adored chuck dixon's early robin comics when i was a kid and was curious how they'd hold up if i revisited them. there's some diminishing returns to them—the first miniseries collected here is terrific, and a great example of how to write a batman detective story (figure out the crime first, add batman and robin second), with a strong emphasis on character, and career-best work from tom lyle. the second one is similar, just... not as good, and then the third one is a bit wobblier still. by the time it gets to the first issues of the regular series, though, dixon seems reinvigorated by working with tom grummet and having the space to tell an extended story, and it's a lot of fun again. i haven't said anything about the alan grant/louise simonson/doug moench issues here because i'm trying to be polite and there isn't much nice to say. i will note that grant was very good at writing pages that norm breyfogle and jim aparo could draw the hell out of.
December 6, 2024
Art is decent throughout, the Chuck Dixon stories are excellent, the Superman story is absolutely awful, and a lot of the stories written by someone other than Dixon are quite subpar, additionally the book is just too large, it’s uncomfortable to hold a thousand page book this size and read it, like reading a telephone book.
April 6, 2025
This book was an absolute monster to get through, but it really made me like Tim Drake. I feel like some of the material is a bit lopsided, I liked the Alan Grant stuff better than the rest but it's all pretty good. Glad to have had this as part of getting into DC.
Currently reading
January 4, 2025Showcase '93 #1-6, ☆☆☆☆
Annual #2, ☆☆☆
Showcase '93 #11-12, ☆☆☆
Annual #2, ☆☆☆
Showcase '93 #11-12, ☆☆☆
June 17, 2025
tim drake so awesome
July 29, 2025
The ending series was the best to be honest, the intro was a hard hard read
September 21, 2025
Timbo stays the best robin, what more can I say?
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews