Stan Lee has often mentioned how he created Spider-Man as an answer to Robin and the other teen superhero sidekicks, figuring that kids wanted to envision themselves as the hero and not just the junior partner. While there is certainly truth to that, and it was a huge element in Spidey's success, I definitely think the hero/sidekick mentor relationship lends itself to a lot of interesting stories. That was part of the appeal for me when it came to Tim Drake, I really enjoyed the relationship between his Robin and Batman. The interaction between the two of them as well as characters like Alfred and Nightwing made for a lot of engaging comics, and I am sorry that he has become somewhat redundant since the introduction of Damian Wayne.
By the way, this story is not over, so stay tuned for Part Two tomorrow!