The following article contains spoilers for Batman #128, on sale now from DC Comics.
Batman gives Tim Drake the highest praise -- and the biggest responsibility -- he could ever bestow upon one of his Robins in the pages of Batman #128.
In the issue, Batman tells his third sidekick as he entrusts a wounded Superman into his care and prepares to jump out of the Justice League jet, "You're Robin. You'll save him. I'm proud of you, Tim. Of the man you've become... Don't worry about me. I'll survive this." Bruce then plunges into the ocean, confident in the knowledge that Tim will pilot the jet to the Fortress of Solitude and save the Man of Steel. Bruce also knows that leaving Robin is the only way to shake the deadly robot Failsafe from their trail. Failsafe was originally created by a younger Batman as a contingency plan to defeat himself if he were ever compromised. The robot also contains Bruce's knowledge on fighting the Justice League and, at the start of Batman #128, Failsafe tricked Superman into close combat, stabbing the Man of Steel with a kryptonite shard.
Tim Drake's Evolution
Tim Drake has taken center stage in writer Chip Zdarsky's run on the Batman series, despite suffering a grievous injury when he was shot in the neck in Batman #125. As a desperate Batman raced him to the hospital, Bruce ruminated on how his war on crime had taken a toll on his allies. Nevertheless, Tim remained committed to his work after recovering, and he joined his mentor in fighting Failsafe after the deadly mechanical creation came alive.
"Tim is, in my mind, the Robin who worked his butt off to be Robin," Zdarsky said prior to the release of his Batman run. "Not to say the others didn’t, but it was a mission for Tim right from the start. Bruce respects his work greatly, even if he doesn’t show it all the time, and he’s proud of the man he’s become. And Tim will always be the Robin who has the most concern for Batman’s mental state."
Despite serving in a solo series that spanned nearly 200 issues from 1993 to 2009, Tim Drake's prominence in the Bat Family arguably decreased after DC's New 52 reboot of 2011, where his characterization as an "everyman" Robin was changed into a teen genius. Tim would bounce between several different identities over the next few years, calling himself Red Robin and even "Drake" before he finally went back to the title and costume that made him popular in the '90s. Recently, Tim has begun exploring his bisexuality by dating a new boyfriend named Bernard, starring in 2022's DC Pride: Tim Drake Special and once again headlining his own solo series dubbed Tim Drake: Robin.
Batman #128 is written by Zdarsky, illustrated by Jorge Jimenez, colored by Tomeu Morey and lettered by Clayton Cowles. The issue boasts covers from Jimenez, Jock, Gabriele Dell'Otto, and Ryan Sook & Francesco Mattina, and is on sale now from DC Comics.
Source: DC