There are always new developments in the Bat-family, as DC Comics releases multiple Batman books every week. An event could include a tragic death, the introduction or removal of a member of the Bat-family, or as in this weeks Batman: Urban Legends #6 by Meghan Fitzmartz, Beln Ortega, Alejandro Snchez and Pat Brosseau, someone who reveals a new aspect of their identity.AdvertisementThe Robin-focused Sum of Our Parts story, which was featured towards the end of Urban Legends #6, sees a solo Tim Drake fly into action to rescue Bernard, a friend of his who isn't yet fully informed about the secret identity. This chapter begins immediately following Urban Legends #4, where Tim and Bernard's reunion was abruptly interrupted by Chaos Monster. Chaos Monster is a new Gotham villain wearing a horrifying mask and attacking people with chloroform powder. Tim wakes up in a daze after discovering Bernard kidnapped. He quickly changes his costume and tracks down the new villain to a lair, where he and some of his followers have tied Bernard to an altar.Although there are many other kidnapped victims held in cells by Chaos Monster, Tims' attention was on Bernard while he takes on the villains head-on. You can see that Tim was not explicitly telling Bernard that he is one of the Robins that are running around Gotham. However, the pregnant pauses in their dialogue immediately suggest that Tim knew. It is clear that Bernard hopes that Tim will allow him to end his date with him, and Robins self-confident smirk in reply.Some may object to Urban Legends establishing Tim Drake's canonical queerness and/or the fact that he and Spoiler, Stephanie Brown, have split upthese elements are aspects of the characters' story that the creative team invested a lot of thought and care. Fitzmartin revealed that the path she chose for Tim was a result of her reading through previous arcs. Fitz Martin stated that [Sum Of Our Parts] was the result of Tim being who he is. This character is a favorite of mine. As I reread the book as many times as possible to give Robin justice, I realized that this was the story Tim wanted to tell.Polygon points out that Tim has had a more mysterious identity in the last few years than Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Red Hood(Jason Todd), or the newest Robin (Damian Wayne). This new development opens up a side of his identity that is open to exploration. Fitzmartin clarified that Tim's decision to come out does not change or diminish his feelings for Spoiler. Fitzmartin stated that sexuality is a journey. His feelings for Stephanie and Bernard are 100% real. Tim is still trying to figure himself out. He doesn't have the language to do it all, I think.AdvertisementThere will be Red Robin-Spoiler-shoppers and homophobes who will be outraged at the news that another Bat member is coming out (see: Batwoman), but these late-in-life queer experiences are an important part of the queer experience and are worth highlighting. They can also be a way to add new dimensions to fictional characters. Now that Tim's queerness is out there for the public, the question now is how DC will address it.AdvertisementTim Drake does not need to be the queer Robin, any more than Kate Kane did to be the lesbian Batwoman. It has been the same for Tim in the past and will almost certainly continue to be so in the future. Tims queerness is an important part of his identity, and he should embrace it because it is part of who he really is.Batman: Urban Legends #6 now in stockAre you curious about where our RSS feed went. The new one can be found here.
