The Members of Haly's Circus - Part 1
Originally posted here: https://nightwingology.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-members-of-halys-circus.html
Some folks have asked me to do a rundown of the various members of Haly's Circus over the years! I love Haly's Circus, I think it gives Dick an almost fairy-tale like backstory. Circuses may not be as common today, but there's a certain nostalgic romance to them, and it creates a warm, happy time in Dick's life before Bruce took him in. I'll be breaking this up into two parts: Pre/Post Crisis and Post-Flashpoint.
To start out, obviously Mary and John Grayson are two thirds of the Flying Graysons. Their backstory is pretty vague pre-Crisis, but post-Crisis John's family history is filled in to include Romani ancestry. While the comics at the time were pretty culturally insensitive, the idea of Dick having Romani ancestry is not a bad one.
The third mainstay of Haly's Circus is of course, Mister Haly. His name full was not revealed at first, but he's been called C.C. Haly pretty consistently (the name of the circus is C.C. Haly and Norton Bros. Circus). Over the years, Dick returns to the circus at various points, and his interactions with Mr. Haly are similar to that of an uncle/nephew relationship. Interestingly, Mr. Haly is one of the few people to figure out Dick's identity as Robin, and later Nightwing.
Next is Sando the Strongman. Sando is one of the first members of Haly's Circus that readers encounter outside of the Graysons and Mr. Haly. He is friends with Mary and John, and often played tug-of-war with Dick as a child. When he is falsely imprisoned, Batman and Robin help clear his name.
When Dick was a child he made friends with all sorts in the circus, including the clowns. One of these was Waldo the Clown, who Dick ran into several more times in his life as Robin. Waldo didn't stay with Haly's, but he did continue to work in other circuses.
Another clown that Dick befriended was Harry. Harry and Dick would often hang out after shows and go to the movies together. Along with Harry, Dick was also friendly with Margie, the Tattooed Lady. Tattooed Ladies fell out of popularity once television became a thing, but for a time they were performers who defied gender norms by showing off their bodies (and tattoos) in scant clothing.
Some characters from the circus only appear in one issue. Haly's has had at least two jugglers, one when Dick was a child, called Palmer, and another named Paolo who Dick recognized when he returned to the circus after quitting as Robin.
Star Spangled Comics #114
The Flying Graysons were the most popular act in Haly's Circus, but they were not the only acrobats in the troupe. For a time, a solo act by the name of The Prodigy traveled with Haly's. He was older than Dick, and treated him like a little brother. His career ended however when he was beaten by local boys in one of Haly' stops, and he could no longer perform his act.
After the death of the Graysons, Haly's needed to replace its aerialist act. Several performers stepped up over the years, including a new family who used the stage name "The Flying Graysons" in honor of the originals, as well as a young woman named Alyssa, and Cleveland Brand (Deadman's brother). This wasn't the last time Deadman/Boston Brand would be connected to Haly's Circus.
During Tim Drake's debut story, A Lonely Place of Dying, Dick returned to Haly's for a time. There, he reconnected with old friends like Harry the clown, Jaques, and Soose, who appear to be in charge of the roustabouts and circus workers. Dick also meets Samson the Strongman (not to be confused with Sambo) and Pedro "the dwarf." Samson and Pedro try to frame Harry for the death of another member of the circus, Wilhelm the Lion Tamer. Thankfully, Dick is there to set things right.
There are other members of the circus who either are unnamed or have minor appearances. At one point Haly's had a Fortuneteller and Fat Lady, who felt close enough to Dick to call him family. Lorna Hill was in charge of hiring new talent during the period when Dick was no longer Robin, but before he was Nightwing. Mr. Poteet was another member of the circus during Dick's first year as Robin, possibly in charge of the workers. Another member of the circus who Dick seemed to know was Irving, who worked for Haly's after Dick was already Nightwing.
Haly's Circus also boasted an impressive collection of animals, some of whom are named. There were at least two elephants, Elinore and Zitka, both female, and friends of Dick as a child. They also both remembered him when he visited later as an adult. Zitka even saved him from a burning tent.
Haly's also had several lions that Dick knew as cubs, and two of whom Dick had to tangle with as an adult. Their names were Gunther and Kimba.
Finally, Dick was also friendly with a monkey named Jimmie.
