With June being Pride Month, DC Comics has assembled a special issue around Tim Drake. Aptly named DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1, this 72-page book takes us into the ever-shifting world of one of Batman’s Robin/Not Robin crimefighters.
For those of us, like me, not familiar with Drake’s back story, he first appeared to readers in Batman #436, in 1989. Okay, so over thirty years ago! Wow! Tim Drake, or Tim Wayne, is the third Robin, goes by Red Robin, and is a martial arts master. Oh, and also an escapologist, with a gifted intellect, this master detective. (According to his Batman Fandom Wiki)
The Tim Drake Special then collects stories from Batman: Urban Legends #4, #5, #6, and #10, plus a brand new story. Writer Meghan Fitzmartin pens a multivoiced, multifaceted tale, Sum Of Our Parts, with plenty of time jumps. You know what I mean, the type of story that starts ’some time ago’, then jumps to ’now’, then ’two days ago’, and so on. It’s meant to maintain tension, cut out the in-between dull hours. But unfortunately, combined with Tim’s internal dialogue that is shown in red captions, plus a voice from Oracle over the headset that’s shown in green, plus ‘in-scene’ dialogue in word balloons, it’s a LOT to digest. Forgive me for wondering every three panels as to what in Sam Hill is going on! (Pat Brosseau on letters)
But clearly, there have been kidnappings, and soon, a friend of Tim’s is in danger too!
Tim, meanwhile, is torn. He’s having dramatic mood swings, questioning himself, questioning his romantic connections to two people. Is he a cad, or egad, is he just a normal guy, unable to follow his heart? Stay tuned.
Artist Belén Ortega (Alejandro Sanchez on colours) draws attractive people, dramatic leaps from buildings, and nicely angled dark alleys and torture chambers. Villians snarl into their scenes and deliver their lines with powerful body language. Everyone is rather young and well, super attractive. It’s win-win!
It’s an uneven collection, with a Christmas tale buried in the middle, illustrated in a completely different style by Alberto Jimenez Albuquerque (Nick Filardi colours), but all the divergent pieces fit neatly into this Pride Month title. A sure-fire adventure lineup for Tim Drake fans of all sorts!
DC Comics, DC Pride Tim Drake Special #1, assume $5.99 for 65 pages of content, Teen rating
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