Tim Drake is the preferred Robin of many modern Batman readers, and although he’s taken more of a backseat through DC’s New 52 and Rebirth, Tim was Robin from the 1990’s through the 2000’s.
Below you’ll find a complete chronology of Tim Drake’s appearances in Batman comics, and ultimately in his own ongoing as Robin, as well as team-ups with Young Justice and the Teen Titans.
Related Reading Orders:
A Third Robin – Enter Tim Drake (The 1990’s)
Collects: Batman #455-457, Detective Comics #618-621, And Robin #1-5
The first collection of Tim Drake, Robin, stories begins with his trials in Batman prior to Chuck Dixon’s 1991 solo Robin series.
Collects: Batman #465, 467-469, Robin II #1-4, And Robin III #1-6
The second collection of Tim Drake’s early 90’s Robin appearances is perhaps most notable for the inclusion of the second, four issue miniseries known as “Jokers Wild” (not to be confused with Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild
Collects: Robin #1-5, Robin Annual #1-2 And Showcase ’93 #5-6 And #11-12
Marks the Robin ongoing launched in 1993.
Collects: Robin #0, #7-13 And Robin Annual #1
Collects: Young Justice: The Secret, Jla: World Without Grown-Ups #1-2, Young Justice #1-7, Young Justice: Secret Files #1
Young Justice (launched by Peter David and Todd Nauck, and finally getting the reproduced collections it deserves) actually launched in 1998, but makes the most sense in connection to Tim Drake, since this is his version of the Teen Titans.
The Bat Family Deals With No Man’s Land (Mid to Late 1990’s)
Collects: Batman #553-554, Detective Comics #719-721, Shadow Of The Bat #73-74, Nightwing #19-20, Catwoman #56, Robin #53, Batman Chronicles #12, Blackgate: Isle Of Men #1, Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma #1
The Batman No Man’s Land saga begins here, and includes various tie-ins with Robin and Nightwing ongoings.
Batman: Road to No Man’s Land Vol. 1
Collects: Detective Comics #722, #724-726, Batman #555-559, Batman: Shadow Of The Bat#75-79, Robin #54, And The Batman Chronicles #14
Collects: Batman #567-568, Detective Comics #734-735, Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #119-121, Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #87-88, Batman Chronicles #17, Robin #67, Nightwing #35-37, Catwoman #72-74, Azrael: Agent Of The Bat #56-57 And Young Justice: No Man’S Land #1
Collects: Batman #569-71, Detective Comics #736-738, Azrael: Agent Of The Bat #58, Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #122-124, Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #90-92, Robin #68-72, And Batman: No Man’S Land Secret Files #1
Collects: Batman Chronicles #18, Batman #572-574, Detective Comics #739-741, Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #125-126, Robin #73, Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #93-94, Azrael: Agent Of The Bat #59-61, Catwoman #75-77, Nightwing #38-39 And Batman: No Man’s Land #0
Robin Unmasked, A New Teen Titans, and Identity Crisis (Early to Mid 2000’s)
Batman: Bruce Wayne – Murderer?
Collects: Batgirl 24, 27, Batman 599-602, Batman: Gotham Knights 25-28, Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure 1, Birds Of Prey 39, 40-41, 43, Detective Comics 766-767, Nightwing 65-66, 68-69 And Robin 98-99
Followed up by Bruce Wayne, Fugitive
Teen Titans Vol. 1: A Kid’s Game
Collects: Teen Titans #1 To #6
The Geoff Johns run on Teen Titans begins, with Tim Drake taking on the role of Titans leader once assumed by Dick Grayson during the 1980’s run on Titans by Marvl Wolfman and George Perez.
Collects: Robin #121-125
Released towards the beginning of 2004.
Teen Titans Vol. 2: Family Lost
Collects: Teen Titans #7 To #12
Collects: Detective Comics #790 To 796, Robin #126 To 128
Notable as Stephanie Brown makes her DC Comics debut as Robin.
Collects: Complete Event
Identity Crisis hits a fair amount of the DC Universe hard, but it may well hit Tim Drake the hardest. Unfortunately, the hardships facing Tim aren’t a primary focus of the event, but they certainly have an impact on Robin for years to come.
Teen Titans Vol. 3: Beast Boys and Girls
Collects: Beast Boy #1 To #3, Teen Titans #13 To #15
Batman: War Games, Act One – Outbreak
Collects: Detective Comics #797, Batman #631, Legends Of The Dark Knight #182, Nightwing #96, Gotham Knights #56, Robin #129, Batgirl #55, Catwoman #34
Batman: War Games, Act Two – Tides
Collects: Detective Comics #798, Batman #632, Legends Of The Dark Knight #183, Nightwing #97, Gotham Knights #57, Robin #130, Batgirl #56, Catwoman #35
Batman: War Games, Act Three – Endgame
Collects: Batman #633, Batgirl #57, Catwoman #36, Robin #131, Batman: Gotham Knights #58
Collects: Robin #132-133 And Batgirl #58-59
Tim Drake, Robin in the Mid 2000’s
Collects: Robin #134-139
Teen Titans Vol. 4: The Future is Now
Collects: Teen Titans #16 To #23, Titans/Legion Special #1
Teen Titans/Outsiders: The Insiders
Collects: Teen Titans #24-26 And Outsiders #24, 25 And 28
Robin: Days of Fire and Madness
Collects: Robin #140-145
Teen Titans Vol. 5: Life and Death
Collects: Teen Titans #29-33, Teen Titans Annual #1 And Robin #146-147
Collects: Robin #148-153
Part of the “One Year Later” DC chronology after Infinite Crisis.
Teen Titans, Vol. 6: Titans Around the World
Collects: Teen Titans #34 To #41
Part of the “One Year Later” DC chronology after Infinite Crisis.
Collects: Robin #154 To #162
Grant Morrison Batman Introduces A New Robin, Damian Wayne
In all likelihood, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne have the most contentious initial relationship of any of the Robins. Damian brings unparalleled bristle to the Bat family, and as the current Robin when he arrives, Tim represents the truest challenge to Damian’s role as heir apparent.
Batman: Batman and Son (New Edition)
Collects: Batman #655-658, #663-669 And #672-675
Teen Titans, Vol. 7: Titans East
Collects: Teen Titans #42 To #49
Collects: Robin #163-167
Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow
Collects: Teen Titans #50-54
Batman: The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul
Collects: Batman #670-671, Robin #168-169, Detective Comics #838-839, Nightwing #138-139, Batman Annual #26 And Robin Annual #7
Collects: Robin #170 to #174, Robin/Spoiler Special #1
Collects: Teen Titans #55 to #61
Collects: Robin #175 To #183
A functional follow-up to Morrison’s Batman: R.I.P
Collects: Batman: Battle For The Cowl #1-3, Gotham Gazette: Batman Dead? #1 And Gotham Gazette: Batman Alive? #1
In the wake of Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones DC Universe event, Final Crisis
Red Robin! (Late 2000’s, Early 2010’s)
Collects: Red Robin #1 To #5
Tim Drake continues his investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Bruce Wayne.
Collects: Red Robin #6 To #12, Batgirl #8
Collects: Red Robin #13 To #17
Collects: Teen Titans #88 to #92, Red Robin #20, Wonder Girl #1
The Teen Titans try out Damian Wayne for the team (hint: he’s not your father’s Titans material). Note that there’s some overlap between this and the subsequent Red Robin series of comics.
Collects: Red Robin #18-21, #23-26, Teen Titans #92
Collects: Teen Titans #93 to #100
New 52 Tim Drake, Robin Comics
For a complete view of how all these Robin comic book fit within the DC Universe as a whole, I recommend Comic Book Herald’s complete DC New 52 reading order.
Teen Titans, Vol. 1: It’s Our Right to Fight
Collects: Teen Titans #1 To #7
Tim Drake stars in Teen Titans as Red Robin.
Teen Titans Vol. 2: The Culling
Collects: Teen Titans #8-12, #0 And Dc Comics Presents #12
Teen Titans Vol. 3: Death of the Family
Collects: Teen Titans #14 To #20
Teen Titans Vol. 4: Light and Dark
Collects: Teen Titans #18 To #23
Teen Titans Vol. 5: The Trial of Kid Flash
Collects: Teen Titans #24-30 And Teen Titans Annual #2-3
Teen Titans Vol. 1: Blinded by the Light
Collects: Teen Titans #1 To #7
New 52 Teen Titans reboot with a new #1 and a creative team of Will Pfeifer and Kenneth Rocafort.
Teen Titans Vol. 2: Rogue Targets
Collects: Teen Titans #8-13, Teen Titans Annual #1
Batman and Robin Eternal Vol. 1
Collects: Batman And Robin Eternal #1-13
Batman & Robin Eternal Volume 2
Collects: Batman And Robin Eternal #14 To #26
Collects: Robin War #1-2, Robin: Son Of Batman #7, Grayson #15, Detective Comics #47, We Are Robin #7, Gotham Academy #13, Red Hood/Arsenal #7 And Teen Titans #15
Robin War Reading Order:
Robin War #1
Grayson #15
Detective Comics #47
We Are Robin #7
Red Hood / Arsenal #7
Robin: Son of Batman #7
Gotham Academy #13
Teen Titans #15
Robin War #2
Robin: Son of Batman #8
Teen Titans Vol. 3: The Sum of It’s Parts
Collects: Teen Titans #14 To #19
Teen Titans Vol. 4: When Titans Fall
Collects: Teen Titans #20-24, Teen Titans Annual #2
DC Rebirth, Tim Drake Robin Comics
In DC Rebirth, Tim’s a part of the all-new Bat-team assembling in the pages of Detective Comics. You can see how Tim Drake fits into the overall DC Universe as part of Comic Book Herald’s complete DC Rebirth reading order.
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen
Collects: Detective Comics #934-940
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: The Victim Syndicate
Collects: Detective Comics #943-949
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 3: League of Shadows
Collects: Detective Comics #950 to #956
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 4: Deus Ex Machina
Collects: Detective Comics #957 to #962
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 5: A Lonely Place of Living
Collects: Detective Comics #963 to #968
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 6: Fall of the Batmen
Collects: Detective Comics #969 to #974, Annual #1
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 7: Batmen Eternal
Collects: Detective Comics #975 to #981
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 8: On the Outside
Collects: Detective Comics #982 to #986
DC Pride: Tim Drake Special 2022
Collects: #1 to #10
I would add Adventure Comics #3 from 2009 and also Batman Blackest Night to read after Red Robin 1-5 as they both are mentioned later in the series
The reading order starts with the Robin Reborn TPB but in it Tim is already living with Bruce Wayne, just hasn’t yet taken the Robin mantle.
It should probably start with “A Lonely Place of Dying” which is the actual intro to Tim’s character:
Batman #440 — Part One: Suspects
New Titans #60 — Part Two: Roots
Batman #441 Part Three: Parallel Lines
New Titans #61 — Part Four: Going Home
Batman #442 — Part Five: Rebirth
Is there no more story for Tim Drake continued after detective comics?
Check out “A lonely place of living.”