DC seems to have taken the path to acceptance and inclusion this year with the depiction of healthy queer couples on screen and on page. This week the big news broke, after almost a decade of teasing their readers about Tim Drake’s bisexuality, the third Robin finally comes out as queer. Tim Drake’s Robin inflamed the internet after a story in Batman: Urban Legends #6 in which Tim happily agreed to go on a date with his old friend Bernard.
The third part of “The Sum of Our Parts” a story by Meghan Fitzmartin, Belén Ortega, Alejandro Sanchez, and Pat Brosseau, follows Tim as he fights to come to term with his life and find what he truly wants. Because of his past dating life where he was romantically involved with women most notably with Spoiler (Stephanie Brown), a former Robin and Batgirl, the third chapter of “The Sum of Our Parts” appears to confirm Tim’s bisexuality. Despite the fact that Meghan Fitzmartin, writer of Sum of Our Parts stated that “our third Robin has not labelled his sexuality yet”, the news that one of Batman’s most sidekicks, Robin was officially a LGBTQIA+ person made waves among DC fans.
As is often the case in comics, Batman: Urban Legends, “The Sum of Our Parts” has been built on years of comics history. Whereas Tim’s most prominent relationship has been with a female character, Stephanie Brown. Tim has also been close to Conner Kent, Superboy, making provisions for a coming out story. While the exact nature of their relationship has been mostly speculation for fans, creators have confirmed that their relationship went above and beyond the dominion of friendship.
The Sum Of Our Parts depicts a coming of age Tim struggling with self reflection and brushing over feelings that will ultimately lead to change. Tim never really explored his feelings in the past because in doing so he might put things in motion, things that can not be changed. At the end of the third installment we see a new Tim, one who came to terms with who he is and his feelings towards Bernard and his past with Conner. Robin going on a date with Bernard is vital because it reestablishes how he communicated his feelings in the past and how being a member of the Bat Family changed him.
Tim’s depiction in Batman: Urban Legends #6 has been consistent with his character development over the years.
Young Queer Alliance
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