Tim Drake

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Tim Drake
Robin v2 150 art.jpg
Tim Drake as Robin. Artwork for the cover of Robin vol. 2, 150 (Jul, 2006 DC Comics). Art by Patrick Gleason and Prentis Rollins.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance As Tim Drake
Batman #436 (August 1989)[1]
As Robin
Batman #442
(December 1989)[2]
As Red Robin
Red Robin # 1
(August 2009)[3]
Created by Marv Wolfman (writer)
Pat Broderick (artist)
In-story information
Full name Timothy "Tim" Jackson Drake[4]
Team affiliations Batman Family
Teen Titans
Young Justice
Wayne Enterprises
Partnerships Batman, Nightwing, Stephanie Brown
Notable aliases Tim Drake, Robin, Tim Wayne, Red Robin, Alvin Draper, Mister Sarcastic, Batman, Todd Richards, Gary Glanz, Caroline Hill
Abilities Outstanding athlete, martial artist, acrobat, and detective; Genius-level intellect; access to highly sophisticated weaponry and gadgets

Timothy "Tim" Jackson Drake (also known as Tim Wayne)[3][5] is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media. The character was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick. From 1989 to 2009, he was known as Robin in the Batman comics, becoming the third character to take up the identity. Tim Drake made his first comic book appearance in Batman #436 in a flashback as a child who was in the audience when Dick Grayson's parents fell to their deaths. Following the events in Batman: Battle for the Cowl, Drake has taken up the identity of Red Robin.

Contents

[edit] Publication history

Tim Drake was introduced in 1989's Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying, in which he first introduced himself to Dick Grayson and impressed the former Robin with his skills. This led to Grayson and later Alfred Pennyworth to support Tim's request to be Batman's new sidekick. Dennis O'Neil hoped that Grayson's approval of Drake would ease reader acceptance of him. Evidently, this approach was successful with Tim Drake being so accepted by readers that, after three successful miniseries, the character had his own 183-issue series from 1993 through 2009.[6] Mike Mullins on Newsarama has stated:

Throughout [the entire Robin series], the character of Robin has been captured consistently, showing him to step up to greater and greater challenges. Robin is a character who shows initiative and is driven to do what he views as right. He knows he is living up to a legacy left by Dick Grayson and strives to not disappoint Bruce Wayne, Batman. Tim is a more natural detective than previous Robins and is talented with computers, which allows him to stand in his own unique spotlight. Unlike his predecessors, Tim is not the most proficient combatant and has had to really work on his fighting technique, taking up the bo staff to give him an edge that Batman doesn’t need. Tim almost always seeks to analyze a problem and to outthink his opponent but has shown the ability to win a fight when necessary.[7]

As Robin, the character has also been featured prominently in the Young Justice and Teen Titans series, and, as of June 2009, Tim Drake/Wayne took on the new identity of Red Robin, starring in yet another series by the same name.

[edit] Fictional character biography

[edit] Introduction

Tim Drake is the son of Jack and Janet Drake, coming from the same social class as Bruce Wayne.[8] When he was a young child, he visited the circus for the first time with his parents. The Drakes asked the Flying Graysons for a photo together, resulting in a momentary bond between Dick Grayson and Tim Drake as they met for the first time.[9]

After reaching the age of nine, Drake deduces the identities of Batman and Robin as Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson after witnessing a gymnastic move by Robin that Grayson displayed while performing with the Flying Graysons. Noting that Batman has grown reckless and violent following the death of second Robin Jason Todd, who was murdered by the Joker, Drake decided to intervene and Batman eventually enlisted him as the third Robin after the death of his mother and crippling of his father. Jack Drake also appeared in Identity Crisis. When Jean Loring sent him a gun he used it in self-defense and killed Captain Boomerang, but at the last second Boomerang threw a boomerang that killed Jack Drake. As a result Tim became an orphan, continuing the long held tradition that Robin is an orphan.[6][10][11]

[edit] Robin (1989–2009)

Tim Drake's first Robin costume designed by Neal Adams.
Cover of Robin vol. 2, 0 (Oct, 1994). Art by Tom Grummett and Ray Kryssing.

Before joining Batman as the new Robin, Tim Drake was given a modern redesign of the Robin costume and sent to train abroad with numerous masters.[12] When Bruce Wayne retires after Knightfall, Robin goes solo to defend Gotham. Robin would eventually go on to co-star with other teenaged superheros in Young Justice and Teen Titans. He also made guest appearances in other DC comic books such as Nightwing and Azrael.

Following the deaths of his father in Identity Crisis (2004), his girlfriend Stephanie Brown in Batman: War Games (2004–2005) and his best friend Superboy (Kon-El) in Infinite Crisis (2005–2006), Drake was relocated to Blüdhaven for a period of time in order to escape the "ghosts" of Gotham City and to stay close to his stepmother Dana Winters who was admitted into a Blüdhaven clinic after going into psychological shock over the death of Jack Drake,[13][14] was given another redesign of the Robin costume in the colors of Superboy's costume[15] and was formally adopted by Bruce Wayne as his son.[8][16]

After Batman's apparent death in Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis, Bruce Wayne's biological son Damian Wayne takes up the Robin identity while Tim Drake, believing that his mentor is still alive, assumes the identity of Red Robin and leaves Gotham City to go on a worldwide search for Bruce Wayne.[17][18][3]

[edit] Red Robin (2009–present)

Tim Drake-Wayne as Red Robin. Cover from Red Robin #6. Art by Marcus To

Red Robin, which was launched in late 2009, depicted Tim Drake's search to find evidence that Bruce Wayne was still alive after cutting himself off from the rest of the Bat Family. He was approached by Ra's al Ghul's assassins, who were also interested in finding out what happened to Batman. At the same time, Tam Fox, Lucius Fox's daughter, has been sent to find Tim Drake-Wayne to bring him back to Gotham. Tim goes to Iraq and manages to discover definitive proof that Bruce was alive and lost in time, but was ambushed by an assassin from the Council of Spiders. He manages to drive himself and Pru to Tam Fox's hotel room, and they promptly get abducted by the League of Assassins. Although initially reluctant, he entered into an alliance with Ra's al Ghul nearly bleeding to death due to their encounter with the Council of Spiders. He was put in charge of the League of Assassins by Ra's al Ghul, and used the time to simultaneously plan how to stop the Council of Spiders and destroy the League of Assassins. After failing to foil all but one of the Council's assassination attempts, Tim realizes that the Council will be attacking the League's base, and realizes that he left Tam Fox in danger at the base. Rushing back to base, he simultaneously manages to delay the Council of Spiders, blow up the League's base, and escape with Tam.

After crippling Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins, Drake returns to Gotham City to overthrow Ra's plans to use Hush, who was surgically-altered to resemble Bruce Wayne, to gain control of the Wayne family resources by becoming the CEO and controlling shareholder of Wayne Enterprises in accordance to Bruce Wayne's will. Ra's al Ghul plans to destroy all that Batman held dear, and begins directing his assassins to target all of the Batman's associates. Realizing that these attacks are a smokescreen and that the real target is coercing Hush to sign away Wayne Enterprises, Red Robin decides to confront Ra's al Ghul head on. He calls upon all of his friends to protect the various targets. He distracts Ra's al Ghul from stopping Lucius Fox from making Drake the controlling shareholder of Wayne Enterprises. Realizing that Red Robin has bested him, Ra's al Ghul commends him, calls him 'detective,' and launches Tim out of the window. Tim is happy that he was able to achieve victory without any compromises, and is saved from falling by Batman, Dick Grayson. Drake has since moved back to Gotham City and reestablished ties with his family and friends. After Bruce Wayne's return, Tim begins to aid his plans for expanding their mission globally with "Batman, Inc."[19]

[edit] Skills and abilities

[edit] Combat Skills

Tim Drake has been trained by Batman and other instructors across the world, including Lady Shiva. In Red Robin #8, Tim was able to fend off several notorious assassins from the Council of Spiders at once while protecting Tam Fox and also in the end game of his plan to destroy several League of Assassins bases; earning commendation from Ra's al Ghul himself who was watching the fight from afar. He was also able to briefly hold his own against Dick Grayson as Batman during their encounter prior to his leaving Gotham. Grayson also has recognized him as an equal.[20] His combat style is a reflection of everything he learned from the masters, Bruce, and his own incredible intelligence deducing weak points in moments and targeting them with a variety of combat tactics.

[edit] Intellectual, deductive and leadership skills

Comic book writer Fabian Nicieza commented:

He is “the smart one” of the Bat-family, the thinker and planner. I mean, of course Bruce Wayne/Batman is what he is, and Tim isn’t quite there yet, but Tim at 17 has a more developed intellect than Bruce at 17 did. That’s not to say Dick Grayson or Barbara Gordon are dumb, of course they’re not, but Tim’s level of thinking is a bit... thicker... than theirs. For me, Dick is about superior reflexive thinking, Barbara about superior operational thinking and Tim is about superior comprehensive, or all-encompassing, thinking. What I love about Tim is that he shares some of the strongest traits of various Bat-family members. The intellect and detective skills of Bruce, the ability to lead others and be a friend to others like Dick has and even the ability to make cold, harsh decisions like Jason does.[21]

At the age of about nine years old, Tim Drake was able to deduce Robin's secret identity as Dick Grayson when Robin performed a quadruple somersault, in which Grayson was only one of the three people who could perform such a flip. This deduction also allowed Drake to deduce that Grayson's guardian Bruce Wayne was Batman.[9] Drake's intellect has allowed him to deduce a majority of other heroes' identities including Flash and Superman. In addition, after defeating Ra's al Ghul's master plan to assassinate everyone Bruce Wayne cared about and ruining the Wayne Family fortune, Ra's has addressed Tim as "Detective", a title the villain once only reserved for Bruce Wayne.[22] His intellect has enabled him to excel in computer science and a grasp of assorted scientific techniques, including biology, engineering, and genetics, which he has been shown to use in his attempts at re-cloning Superboy.[23]

Drake, like Dick Grayson, has served as leader to Young Justice, the Teen Titans, and even being placed in charge of the rescue efforts of Blüdhaven by Superman, following the attack made by Deathstroke and his fellow villains.

[edit] Costumes

Tim Drake's original costume was different from that of his predecessors to give him a measure of increased protection, which included an armored tunic, a cape colored black on the outside and yellow on the inside, and green leggings. Other details include an armored gorget, jika-tabi style boots, an emergency "R" shuriken on his chest in addition to the traditional batarangs, and a collapsible bo staff as the character's primary weapon. Following Infinite Crisis, Drake's costume was modified to favor a black and red color scheme and included long sleeves.

The Red Robin costume consists of a long-sleeved red tunic, along with black boots, tights, gloves, cape and cowl. It also includes a black-and-gold utility belt that carries Drake's weaponry such as his bo staff and throwing discs. After Drake's confrontation with Ra's al Ghul in Red Robin #12, the costume was slightly altered.

[edit] In other media

[edit] Animation

Tim Drake as Robin in The New Batman Adventures.

After Dick Grayson, Tim Drake is the second Robin to make the most appearances in the DC animated universe (DCAU). Drake made his animated debut as Robin in the animated series The New Batman Adventures, voiced by Mathew Valencia. His characterization was changed to blend in Jason Todd's.[24] In addition to continuing to appear regularly on The New Batman Adventures, Drake also made guest appearances on the 1998 Superman: The Animated Series episode "Knight Time",[25] and two Static Shock episodes: "The Big Leagues" and "Future Shock".[26][27] He also made two cameo appearances in the Justice League episodes "The Savage Time" and "Hereafter".

The fate of Tim Drake in the DCAU was revealed in the 2000 animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, set in the chronological future of the DCAU. In a flashback sequence, the Joker kidnapped and tortured Drake to the point of insanity. The demented Drake reveals a sliver of his original mind when he kills the Joker. The new Batman Terry McGinnis confronted the resurrected Joker, revealed to be the 52 year-old Tim Drake transformed through a microchip containing the Joker's memories, personality, and DNA. In the 2003 animated film Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, Drake appeared in a supporting role as Robin.

[edit] Video games

Tim Drake as Robin appears in Batman: Dark Tomorrow, Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, Lego Batman: The Videogame,[28] and DC Universe Online.

[edit] Other appearances

Drake has appeared as Robin in two fan films, Patient: J and Batman: Legends, by Bat In The Sun Productions played by actor Robert Tovani.[29]

[edit] Collected editions

In 1993, a few years after his debut as Robin, DC launched a monthly solo series featuring Tim Drake's adventures as Robin, with Batman appearing as a supporting character. The series ended in February 2009 with issue #183 following the events of Batman: RIP and Final Crisis. As of August 2009, Drake is the star in a new series, Red Robin. He has also starred in some miniseries and one-shots. This material has been collected as follows:

Year Title Material collected ISBN
1993 Robin: Tragedy & Triumph Detective Comics #618–621; Robin II #1–4 SC: ISBN 1-56389-078-X
1998 Robin: A Hero Reborn Batman #455–457, Robin (1991 miniseries) #1–5 SC: ISBN 1-56389-029-1
2000 Robin: Flying Solo Robin #1-6; Showcase '94 #5–6 SC: ISBN 1-56389-609-5
2004 Robin: Unmasked! Robin #121-125 SC: ISBN 1-40120-235-7
2005 Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood Robin #132–133; Batgirl #58–59 SC: ISBN 1-40120-433-3
2006 Robin: To Kill a Bird Robin #134–139 SC: ISBN 1-40120-909-2
2006 Robin: Days of Fire and Madness Robin #140–145 SC: ISBN 1-40120-911-4
2007 Robin: Wanted Robin #148–153 SC: ISBN 1-40121-225-5
2007 Robin: Teenage Wasteland Robin #154–162 SC: ISBN 1-40121-480-0
2008 Robin: The Big Leagues Robin #163–167 SC: ISBN 1-40121-673-0
2008 Robin: Violent Tendencies Robin #170–174; Robin/Spoiler Special #1 SC: ISBN 1-40121-988-8
2009 Robin: Search for a Hero Robin #175–183 SC: ISBN 1-40122-310-9
2010 Red Robin: The Grail Red Robin #1-5 SC: ISBN 1-40122-619-1
2010 Red Robin: Collision Red Robin #6–12, Batgirl (vol. 3) #8 SC: ISBN 1-40122-883-6
2011 Red Robin: Hit List SC: ISBN 1-40123-165-9

[edit] See also

Comics portal
Speculative fiction portal
Superhero fiction portal


[edit] References

  1. ^ Wolfman, Marv (w), Broderick, Pat (p), Beatty, John (i). Batman 1 (436) (August 1989), DC Comics
  2. ^ Wolfman, Marv (w), Aparo, Jim (p), DeCarlo, Mike (i). Batman 1 (442) (December 1989), DC Comics
  3. ^ a b c Yost, Christopher (w), Bachs, Ramon (p,i). Red Robin 1 (1) (August 2009), DC Comics
  4. ^ Thomas, Brandon (w), Williams II, Freddie E. (p,i). Robin 4 (167) (December 2007), DC Comics
  5. ^ Nicieza, Fabian (w), To, Marcus (p), McCarthy, Ray (i). Red Robin 1 (15) (October 2010), DC Comics
  6. ^ a b Tipton, Scott (2003-12-17). "Heroes and Villians: Batman, Part IV". Comics 101 Archive. http://www.comics101.com/comics101//?mode=project&action=view&project=Comics%20101&chapter=56. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
  7. ^ Mullins, Mike (2009-04-26). "Reminiscing About Robin: A Look Back in Wonder". Newsarama. http://www.newsarama.com/comics/040926-Robin.html. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
  8. ^ a b Porter, Alan J.; Chris Roberson, Jake Black (2008). Dennis O'Neil. ed. Batman Unauthorized: Vigilantes, Jokers, and Heroes in Gotham City. Smart Pop. p. 142. ISBN 978-1933771304. 
  9. ^ a b Wolfman, Marv (w), Aparo, Jim (p), DeCarlo, Mike (i). Batman 1 (441) (November 1989), DC Comics
  10. ^ Grant, Alan (w), Breyfogle, Norm (p), Mitchell, Steve (i). Detective Comics 1 (621) (September 1990), DC Comics
  11. ^ Grant, Alan (w), Breyfogle, Norm (p), Mitchell, Steve (i). Batman 1 (455) (October 1990), DC Comics
  12. ^ Johns, Geoff, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid (w), Giffen, Keith (p), Mitchell, Steve (i). Batman 1 (457) (December 1990), DC Comics
  13. ^ Willingham, Bill (w), Scott, Damion (p,i). Robin 4 (132) (December 2007), DC Comics
  14. ^ Willingham, Bill (w), Scott, Damion (p,i). Robin 4 (134) (December 2007), DC Comics
  15. ^ Robinson, James (w), Giffen, Keith, Joe Bennett (p), Brado, Belardino (i). 52 1 (51) (April 2007), DC Comics
  16. ^ Robinson, James (w), Kramer, Don (p), Faucher, Wayne (i). Batman 1 (654) (August 2006), DC Comics
  17. ^ Daniel, Tony S. (w), Daniel, Tony S. (p), Florea, Sandu (i). Batman: Battle for the Cowl 1 (2) (June 2009), DC Comics
  18. ^ Daniel, Tony S. (w), Daniel, Tony S. (p), Florea, Sandu (i). Batman: Battle for the Cowl 1 (3) (July 2009), DC Comics
  19. ^ Red Robin #17 (Jan. 2011)
  20. ^ Yost, Christopher (w), Bachs, Ramon (p), Major, Guy (i). Red Robin 1 (4) (November 2009), DC Comics
  21. ^ Siegel, Lucas. "New Writer Nicieza Says RED ROBIN is "The Smart One"". Newsarama. http://www.newsarama.com/comics/Red-Robin-Nicieza-100512.html. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
  22. ^ Yost, Christopher (w), To, Marcus (p), McCarthy, Ray, McKenna, Mark (i). Red Robin 1 (12) (July 2010), DC Comics
  23. ^ Johns, Geoff (w), Daniel, Tony S. (p), Conrad, Kevin, Thibert, Art (i). Teen Titans 3 (34) (May 2006), DC Comics
  24. ^ "Trivia for The New Batman Adventures: Sins of the Father". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0519704/trivia. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
  25. ^ "Knight Time". Writer: Robert Goodman, Director: Curt Geda. Superman: The Animated Series. The WB. 1998-10-10. No. 43, season 3.
  26. ^ "The Big Leagues". Writer: Len Uhley, Director: Dave Chlystek. Static Shock. The WB. 2002-01-26. No. 14, season 2.
  27. ^ "Future Shock". Writer: Stan Berkowitz, Director: Victor Dal Chele. Static Shock. The WB. 2004-01-17. No. 40, season 4.
  28. ^ Game Informer features a two-page gallery of the many heroes and villains who appear in the game with a picture for each character and a descriptive paragraph. See "LEGO Batman: Character Gallery," Game Informer 186 (October 2008): 92.
  29. ^ "Bat In The Sun Productions". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/company/co0121052/. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 

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