For the primary time since 2011, Tim Drake is starring in his personal ongoing collection. Tim Drake: Robin follows the following section of the Boy Surprise’s life as he finds a brand new residence, faces new enemies and navigates his new love life. Meghan Fitzmartin, who started Tim’s daring new course within the pages of Batman: City Legends, will probably be joined by penciler Riley Rossmo because the artistic duo chronicle the following chapter of Robin’s life. We lately had an opportunity to talk with Fitzmartin, who answered some burning questions, teased some upcoming developments, and shared her love for all issues Drake.
It’s been a very long time since we’ve seen Tim Drake because the protagonist in his personal ongoing collection and fandom has quite a lot of questions on him. For instance, the place is he dwelling?
On a ship.
Tim WOULD dwell on a ship.
I do know, it is truly sort of excellent. That is kind of pulled from life as a result of generally I dwell on a ship. I believe that it is such an fascinating house, and the extra that I used to be occupied with poor Tim, the extra I used to be like, yeah, this makes a lot sense for Tim to dwell on a homicide shack boat, which is what we have kind of lovingly been calling it. Riley Rossmo has completed such an incredible job with the design of it. Tim has been dwelling on a ship—he is obtained his personal place. We have not seen a marina in Gotham, however it is smart that there can be a marina as a result of it is surrounded by water.
It seems like it could be the setting for a closing battle on Batman: The Animated Sequence or one thing.
However these have been all the time on the docks. It is a marina the place the weirdos of society dwell. Marina persons are a number of the most fascinating, fantastic folks that you do not actually ever get to see.
Oh my god, Tim goes to have yacht pals.
A yacht is good. I mentioned it was a homicide shed, only a reminder. (laughs) There are boats the place it appears to be like like a shed was glued to a rowboat. It was actually enjoyable after I was speaking to my editor about developing with this marina house. It is enjoyable to discover a distinct a part of Gotham with Tim and making this house his personal.
Which model of Tim’s backstory are we utilizing? The New 52 established that his mother and father have been alive within the witness safety program, however it looks like we’re going again to him being an orphan. What’s the standing of Tim’s mother and father?
They are not alive. We’ve got sufficient historical past with the mother and father. They’re not with us, and he’s adopted by Bruce. That’s the timeline at current.
Final yr you electrified fandom along with your Batman: City Legends storyline which had Tim discover some questions on his sexuality. What made you select Bernard for that storyline, versus one in all Tim’s different pals like Ives, or an authentic character? Did one thing in these previous Bernard subplot pages bounce out at you?
Yeah, I needed it to be any person from his background. I did not need it to be an authentic character. I keep in mind these comics. I keep in mind studying them after I was a child and the way impactful that was to me. I really like these runs. I really like with the ability to see Bernard and Tim in these instances and areas, and so to kind of give a brand new tint to what was happening there may be actually fascinating—with the ability to have a look at the canon and go, “So that is what was occurring, however we did not have this info, or this shading.” That was actually enjoyable. Bernard got here to me as a result of he was a personality that felt right after I was occupied with who it could be. He was a personality that was expensive to my coronary heart and it was enjoyable to have the ability to deliver him again.
Going by means of his appearances in the course of the Invoice Willingham Robin run, I used to be shocked to see all of the hints to Bernard’s sexuality…
Like I mentioned, there’s a lot that you could return to and go, “Oh, okay, that is why.”
…like in Robin #122, Bernard threatens to sneak into Tim’s room at evening to sure and gag him.
He was in a ache cult…so I imply…
Continuity!
I believe the way in which that I write and the way in which that I have a tendency to maneuver by means of story is thru emotions, and I kind of examine that feeling after which it results in the remainder of it. So right here it was like, “I believe it is Bernard.” After which the extra that I went into it, I used to be like, “Yeah, it is Bernard!”
Will there be every other deep cuts from Tim’s historical past in your run?
I believe proper now I am targeted on the current and transferring ahead with Tim. I believe it was actually necessary to lean into the deep cuts for the City Legends stuff as a result of I believe that was about id. That was about Tim’s particular understanding of himself, and the way in which that we perceive ourselves is we return in our personal historical past. That was why I believe it was necessary for me to have somebody like Bernard, somebody from his previous that he was connecting with. Now transferring ahead, desirous to create new areas for him, and new villains, and new adventures is extra of the precedence now that he is sort of understood his previous and understood who he’s within the current.
How does Bernard match into this new current, and how much relationship will he and Tim have?
I imply, each hero wants a damsel and Bernard is an ideal damsel. I positively need to have Bernard round. I believe it is necessary for him to be round. I believe it is necessary too for Tim, to kind of push the query inside himself, which is, given his monitor report and relationship, it isn’t been nice and I believe Tim actually needs this to go properly. I believe that is actually necessary to Tim. He is all of us in these moments in relationships, the place we’re like, “I believe that is actually good, however I’ve messed this up many instances earlier than.”
I do not suppose that he’s going to mess issues up once more, however I believe he is fearful about that. I believe that will get in the way in which of the connection with Bernard generally. Bernard is like, “I am simply completely happy that we’re right here. It is a enjoyable time. I believe that you simply’re nice. I am not fearful.” I’ve talked to my editor and I do not need to play the “what’s your secret id?” factor, however I do not need Bernard to know but, so we’re dwelling in that house.
We’re not doing the drama of “you left our date to combat crime” or different stuff we see from teenage heroes?
Precisely! We’re not doing that. I believe Bernard is a really understanding one who is like, “That is high quality, no matter, I belief you, I really like you, no matter that is, I am high quality with it.” I believe Tim is extra like, “WHAT?! What does that imply? Does he hate me?” And Bernard is like, “At no level did I say any of these phrases.”
I believe that is kind of the conundrum that we’re dealing with proper now with Tim and Bernard. Tim remains to be attempting to settle into the truth that that is secure and that is good.
In the course of the DC Pleasure: Tim Drake Particular #1, there’s a second the place Tim and Conner Kent are holding fingers. So, the query is, are you attempting to electrocute Twitter?
(laughs) I imply, who would not love setting a hearth beneath Twitter? That is positively one thing that I’ve heard about and am conscious of and it is going to be extra of a dialogue level in later problems with sure comedian manufacturers which are occurring proper now.
That is going to be the road that everybody screencaps and places on Twitter. You talked about new enemies. What sort of enemies are we speaking about?
Tim Drake at his core is a detective. Each detective wants a Moriarty. I believe that is kind of what we’re going for proper now.
What are the dynamics of sharing the Robin identify with Damian?
Damian resides his greatest life. Nicely, it isn’t his greatest life. He is dwelling his life proper now and it’s a catastrophe differently than Tim’s is a catastrophe. I believe that is a part of the query that Tim is presently dealing with—he is the Robin who’s held the title for the longest, so what does that imply for him? What are the following steps for him? Are there subsequent steps for him? Ought to he keep or ought to he go, like the way in which that the track goes?
It’s a query I believe that he’s having to face with himself. And that is a part of the id search that I believe he is going by means of. Now that I’ve realized these items of who I’m, how do I transfer ahead? What do I do now? I believe that’s the core of this explicit run of Tim Drake. I’ve some concepts on the place I need to take it, however in the end, I am very feelings-led and I am very Tim-led. And so, a part of that’s simply feeling out what Tim needs and the way he’ll get there.
The character sort of dictates the story.
Yeah, completely! He is such a particular character to so many individuals, however particularly to me. He is so necessary to me, and so the way in which wherein I need to honor him is by letting him kind of run the story. Generally he wants some assist and so generally, we assist him lots. Finally, I believe feeling out what the character is doing and wanting and transferring in that course is one of the best ways of going about it.
You’re additionally writing Darkish Disaster: Younger Justice, which has reunited Tim together with his Younger Justice teammates. Will they be stopping by the collection to verify on their buddy?
That may be a query of the place they’re all going to finish up on the finish of Darkish Disaster: Younger Justice. The place we’re at proper now with them is that they are pals, however there are some fractures blooming and the query will probably be, what’s Younger Justice going to appear like by the top of this? I believe we have all been by means of these friendships, the place we have been pals with somebody for endlessly, however we’ve not actually touched base with them shortly.
Tim Drake: Robin #1 by Meghan Fitzmartin, Riley Rossmo and Lee Loughridge is now obtainable in print and as a digital comedian e book.
