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<< BACK TO POP CULTURE | TIM DRAKE BOOK COLLECTION >>
April 4, 2025:
So what's all this about? Tim who? Let me catch you up if you’re not a Tim Drake fan. Tim is the third Robin, sidekick to Batman, assuming the role after Dick Grayson and Jason Todd left for various reasons.
Tim first leaped off the comic book pages in 1989, captivating readers with his genius-level intelligence and unparalleled ingenuity. Taking on the role of Robin with determination and compassion, Tim intervened to save Bruce Wayne from deep depression after the tragic murder of Jason (more about that here). Tim is also the only Robin who actively applied for the position by making an impassioned argument that Batman was not Batman without a Robin.
Impressed by Tim's intelligence, resourcefulness, and dedication, Bruce adopted him as he had Dick and Jason. Tim was warmly received by DC fans, especially compared to his immediate predecessor (Jason), who had been controversial from day one. Despite his youth, Tim's detective skills were exceptional, and he eventually rose to lead the Teen Titans when Dick stepped away to venture out on his own as Nightwing. But it's probably safe to say that Tim was never as beloved as Dick, and later he would be overshadowed by the introduction of Bruce Wayne's biological son and the fourth Robin, Damian Wayne.
Despite a few appearances, Tim’s character languished for years. So when DC decided to re-introduce him in 2022 "with a storyline on his own," it was a big deal for Batman's fans. Even more so because Tim, who had previously been in a relationship with Stephanie Brown, came out as bisexual and entered into a relationship with a friend from school named Bernard Dowd. He would also move out of Wayne Manor and take up residence on a houseboat in the Gotham Marina, thereby following (at least symbolically) in Dick’s footsteps as he had similarly left Batman’s side to go to college and find his way in the world.
For those of us who have been following Batman and Robin for decades, Tim’s coming out symbolically squelched old, ugly rumors as to who Robin was in his relationship with Batman. Vulgar jokes about the secret and inappropriate relationship between Batman and Robin go back to the 1950s, and can be mostly traced to one source: Dr. Fredric Wertham’s 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent.
In the 1950s, many American parents were downright hysterical that comic books were leading to their children’s moral degradation. These attitudes were spurred on by religious bigotry and now discredited "psychology." Dr. Wertham was a leading culprit of the latter. Read more about this here. While Dr. Wertham had issues with comic books in general, he took particular exception to Batman and Robin — a comic book series about an unmarried man adopting a teenage boy (Dick Grayson). During an era when it wasn't considered "manly" to care for children — even children in crisis as Dick was — let alone adopt them without the assistance of a wife, Wertham concluded that Batman and Robin were little more than “a wish dream of two homosexuals living together.” Among the evidence he presented for this was that Wayne Manor came with a butler and was decorated with large vases filled with flowers... because you know, nothing says "queer" louder than a butler and flowers! And thus, the idea of the "Gay Robin" was sealed in popular culture. Let the jokes commence...
However, in making Tim Drake bisexual and showing his struggle with those feelings outside of his relationship with Bruce Wayne, DC Comics reclaimed the idea of the "gay Robin" as a positive. It is perhaps somewhat akin to gay people reclaiming the word queer, once a derogatory term for an entire community.
And the fact is, the strategy worked. Tim Drake’s 2022 coming-out story was told in three parts within the Batman: Urban Legends anthology series. Entitled “Tim Drake: Sum of Our Parts,” the story was incredibly popular, and it was later reprinted in DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1. This solidified Tim's position as a queer icon for millions of comic book readers, alongside other DC characters such as Kathrine Kane (Batwoman), Midnighter, and the third Aqua-Man, Jackson Hyde.
While it’s unlikely that the new Tim Drake will forever squelch the homophobia around Batman and Robin, it has been gratifying to see him claim his rightful place in the Batman Family while empowering the gay label.
Critics be damned.
RELATED: Batman Collection | Nightwing Collection | Damian Wayne Collection | Red Hood Collection
April 4, 2025:
So what's all this about? Tim who? Let me catch you up if you’re not a Tim Drake fan. Tim is the third Robin, sidekick to Batman, assuming the role after Dick Grayson and Jason Todd left for various reasons.
Tim first leaped off the comic book pages in 1989, captivating readers with his genius-level intelligence and unparalleled ingenuity. Taking on the role of Robin with determination and compassion, Tim intervened to save Bruce Wayne from deep depression after the tragic murder of Jason (more about that here). Tim is also the only Robin who actively applied for the position by making an impassioned argument that Batman was not Batman without a Robin.
Impressed by Tim's intelligence, resourcefulness, and dedication, Bruce adopted him as he had Dick and Jason. Tim was warmly received by DC fans, especially compared to his immediate predecessor (Jason), who had been controversial from day one. Despite his youth, Tim's detective skills were exceptional, and he eventually rose to lead the Teen Titans when Dick stepped away to venture out on his own as Nightwing. But it's probably safe to say that Tim was never as beloved as Dick, and later he would be overshadowed by the introduction of Bruce Wayne's biological son and the fourth Robin, Damian Wayne.
Despite a few appearances, Tim’s character languished for years. So when DC decided to re-introduce him in 2022 "with a storyline on his own," it was a big deal for Batman's fans. Even more so because Tim, who had previously been in a relationship with Stephanie Brown, came out as bisexual and entered into a relationship with a friend from school named Bernard Dowd. He would also move out of Wayne Manor and take up residence on a houseboat in the Gotham Marina, thereby following (at least symbolically) in Dick’s footsteps as he had similarly left Batman’s side to go to college and find his way in the world.
For those of us who have been following Batman and Robin for decades, Tim’s coming out symbolically squelched old, ugly rumors as to who Robin was in his relationship with Batman. Vulgar jokes about the secret and inappropriate relationship between Batman and Robin go back to the 1950s, and can be mostly traced to one source: Dr. Fredric Wertham’s 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent.
In the 1950s, many American parents were downright hysterical that comic books were leading to their children’s moral degradation. These attitudes were spurred on by religious bigotry and now discredited "psychology." Dr. Wertham was a leading culprit of the latter. Read more about this here. While Dr. Wertham had issues with comic books in general, he took particular exception to Batman and Robin — a comic book series about an unmarried man adopting a teenage boy (Dick Grayson). During an era when it wasn't considered "manly" to care for children — even children in crisis as Dick was — let alone adopt them without the assistance of a wife, Wertham concluded that Batman and Robin were little more than “a wish dream of two homosexuals living together.” Among the evidence he presented for this was that Wayne Manor came with a butler and was decorated with large vases filled with flowers... because you know, nothing says "queer" louder than a butler and flowers! And thus, the idea of the "Gay Robin" was sealed in popular culture. Let the jokes commence...
However, in making Tim Drake bisexual and showing his struggle with those feelings outside of his relationship with Bruce Wayne, DC Comics reclaimed the idea of the "gay Robin" as a positive. It is perhaps somewhat akin to gay people reclaiming the word queer, once a derogatory term for an entire community.
And the fact is, the strategy worked. Tim Drake’s 2022 coming-out story was told in three parts within the Batman: Urban Legends anthology series. Entitled “Tim Drake: Sum of Our Parts,” the story was incredibly popular, and it was later reprinted in DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1. This solidified Tim's position as a queer icon for millions of comic book readers, alongside other DC characters such as Kathrine Kane (Batwoman), Midnighter, and the third Aqua-Man, Jackson Hyde.
While it’s unlikely that the new Tim Drake will forever squelch the homophobia around Batman and Robin, it has been gratifying to see him claim his rightful place in the Batman Family while empowering the gay label.
Critics be damned.
RELATED: Batman Collection | Nightwing Collection | Damian Wayne Collection | Red Hood Collection
Read More About Tim's Coming Out Journey
PURCHASE THE BOOKS:
- Tim Drake: Robin Volume 1: Mystery at the Marina: A mystery over a year in the making takes shape, as a new villain who’s been hounding Tim from afar decides to take things up close and personal, putting Bernard and everyone else Tim cares about in peril as things go from bad to worse for the world’s oldest and canonically tallest Robin (no, I will not be fact-checking that). All that and Tim finally carves out a corner of Gotham City just for himself, and sets up shop in his very own…murder shack boat?
- Tim Drake: Robin Volume 2: A Case for Chaos: There’s a sense of calm in Tim’s new stomping grounds of the Gotham Marina—but that’s not going to last long. But first: date night for Tim and his boyfriend Bernard! Then, it’s a full-fledged team-up as Batwoman shows up with a mystery only the world’s best Robin can solve—if they can learn to work together, that is. They better figure it out fast if they’re going to free themselves from the Chaos Monsters!
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