I always think itās really interesting when people say that the Drakeās appear to be a happy family at the circus, because maybe itās the lens of time (these comics were released 10 years before I was even born), maybe itās my own personal bias (I love my mommy and have issues with my dad), maybe itās a mixture of the two or something else entirely, but Iād love to talk about my reading of it, without trying to insist mine is the correct one and anything else is invalid, because I donāt even think that. (Nooo this has nothing to do with a larger post thatās been sitting in my drafts progressively getting worked on for over a week, why would you say that)
For our first look at the Drakes at the circus, we have Batman: Year Three Part One, Batman #436. In the first panel they speak in, Tim is entranced by Dick and his acrobatics, Janet does the classic parent āyou can be anything you put your mind toā encouragement, and Jackā¦.shuts this down, for some reason. Is it likely for Tim to become an acrobat with skills on par with Dick Grayson? No. Does he need to tell Janet not to tell Tim to dream? Also no. Yes, theyāre smiling, and heās likely teasing and being lighthearted butā¦it just makes me really uncomfortable.
We do see their reaction to the Graysons falling, and I will say that they are both obviously upset and horrified by this turn of events. Janet is even crying.
Janetās first thought is immediately of Tim, though. Sheās holding him, telling him not to look, and telling Jack they should leave and bring Tim home. Jack, while he does put his hand on her shoulders, seems almost fixated on the spectacle. I will admit this could absolutely be projection on my part, but notice how he, like most of the rest of the crowd, is staring at whatās happening in both panels while Janet is looking away.
The more concerning dialogue, in my opinion, is when we get the recollection from Timās point of view in a lonely place of dying part three, Batman #441.
Yes, I will admit, all three of them have huge smiles. They look happy. But again, the dialogue stands out to me. Apparently, taking Tim to the circus had been a debate between the two of them, and Janet tells Jack that he had been right and Tim appears to be having a great time. Jack pats himself on the back for being right, causing Janet to have to justify why she had been nervous, even pointing out that itās a motherās job to worry about their kids. Jack says what basically amounts to āgirls are scared of everything and boys are brave so you had no reason to worry about Tim.ā Which yes, you can argue that the dialogue is just dated, but Janet points out that heās being sexist. Jack apologizes, but itās a very placating one. āOkay, okay. Iām sorry. If youāre SO WORRIEDā¦ā is how it reads to me. Yes, this entire exchange is very jokey and lighthearted, but as a nanny, I canāt tell you how many times I watched parents fight like they were joking in this exact manner even down to how one of them ends up apologizing in an over the top placating way because they were fighting in front of their kid and didnāt want them to catch on. Again, might be projection due to my life experiences lol.
So, some people read this as a happy family, but for me, I very much see the beginning cracks in the marriage that overtime became much more obvious and gaping, leading to them gallivanting around the world trying to fix it. We donāt see Janet with Tim very much, in fact I think this might be the only times we see them together before she dies, but, while sheās guilty of the same emotional and physical absence Jack is, she comes off as a much more attentive and devoted parent, and I honestly think things wouldāve been a LOT different for Tim had she been the one to live and get a second chance with him.
