Jack Drake

Creation

Jack Drake was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick. He first appeared in Batman #436, in a flashback He doesn’t appear in the present day until Batman #455.

History

Jack Drake spent most of his comics existence unaware of his son’s double life as Robin. In the early stories of Tim Drake‘s Robin, Jack was often just a hair away from discovering who his son was. Eventually however, Jack put it all together and realized what had always been right under his nose. He stormed the Wayne Mansion and actually talked his way into the Batcave, where he threatened to expose everything if Tim didn’t quit his life of crime fighting immediately.

Tim did quit and had every intention of staying retired to protect Batman and all of his allies’ identities. In that time, Stephanie Brown briefly took up the Robin mantle. But when Gotham City was plunged into a gang war, Tim returned to the Robin mantle, with his fathers blessing – who inspired by his son -volunteered helping Leslie Thompkins with her clinic.

Jack died soon after in the pages of Identity Crisis, when he was turned into yet another victim of Jean Loring‘s scheme. She put out a hit for Jack through the Calculator, which was picked up by Captain Boomerang. Jean also discreetly sent Jack a gun to defend himself. Jack, home alone on the first night of Tim going out on patrol, heard boomerang entering the house and called Oracle. She patched him through to Batman and Robin, and Jack told Tim how proud he was and told Tim that it wasn’t his fault. He was then killed by one of Boomerang’s boomerangs through his heart but not before shooting the villain in his own heart.

Death wouldn’t be the end of Jack, as during the Blackest Night event he was raised from the dead alongside his first wife Janet Drake. Dick Grayson discovered the graves and called Tim back to Gotham. The Drakes soon joined up with the undead Flying Graysons, as well as an assortment of deceased Batman villains, who were reanimated by Black Lantern Rings. The parents soon attacked the boys, preying on their issues, before the boys were rescued and saved from death at the hands of Mr. Freeze by not giving off emotions while frozen.