I don't find the plot all that compelling, as we've seen plenty of stories that involve the hero being framed. However, what Fitzmartin gets right is the various characters and relationships that Tim has weaving in and out of the book. Read Full Review

Tim Drake: Robin #2 lures in readers with a distinct and vivid look, then hits them with a wonderfully constructed detective story. Read Full Review

With a masterfully written second issue Tim Drake: Robin has cemented itself as a serious contender for readers' attention. Fitzmartin isn't playing around when it comes to putting Drake front and centre in the spotlight. Read Full Review

Tim Drake: Robin #2 has a lot of youthful energy to it, but sometimes it feels a little too young. Tim's in danger of coming across as someone new to the superhero role. However, the artwork's charming, the momentum of the plot is growing and it ends on a page that begs to be followed up on. Read Full Review

I like the overall thrust of the series and the storytelling, including Tim's character. But there are a lot of moving pieces in this issue, and not all of them move in a way I like. Read Full Review

I am falling out of the story, and I am focusing more on the design of the characters. The design is not helping me stay in the story but is creating a sensation that I do not care about. I am growing more and more disappointed in the direction of this story, and I am so hoping for an improvement. Read Full Review

While Tim Drake: Robin #2 is a marked improvement over the first issue, it is still something of a mess. Read Full Review

While I continue to love Tim Drake, I also continue to hate this series. My favorite Robin deserves better art and stories while being featured and nothing about this book is doing this hero any favors. We've got a convoluted mess to read and look at throughout this book and I can only hope that these are growing pains that will eventually work themselves out as the series progresses because if things keep up the way they are this book is doomed to end real quick. Read Full Review

I get why people are disappointed. I'm disappointed. Even if I ignore the history of Tim Drake this comic is still just an inconsistent reference making machine and manages to grind everyone's gears. I want this story to develop, to find its own footing, to tap into its source material more rather than the source material of detective stories in general. When this series manages to do that, and those who not only stomach Rossmo's style but actually enjoy it stick around, then I feel like this series will be grand. But boy does it have a lot to make up for Read Full Review

I don't want to say the art is bad, it's just not for me and I don't think it really works for this type of book. The writing however is another story.

I’m still not enjoying this. The montage thing was supposed to be a fun thing I guess but I found it really confusing because everything else is all over the place with the action and Tim’s thoughts. It made things seem more scattered instead of pulling it together. He also seems to contradict himself. Saying or thinking one thing then thinking something completely else a page or two later. And the whole detective story this time felt pointless. Like we had the whole hologram thing but then nothing here for the *murder mystery*. There’s like too much going on but the things actually being said don’t make any sense. It feels like fitzmartin’s interviews where she says a whole lot of nothing but damn were some words said.

And I don’t know why tim feels like no one supports him in his life except for bernard. We barely know this kid but tim talks about him like he’s marriage material. I know that’s probably not the intent but the writing is so weird still that it’s like fitzmartin doesn’t even know what she is trying to say or imply. What happened to the batfam or his young justice bros?It’s such a confusing mess of a story. Tim spends more time whining about his life and how he’s some sad boat urchin now than some well trained batfam member. Can he still even do the detective thing? Because he doesn’t seem as capable as before. Like this tim is the one you’d pick last out of the batfam if shit needed to get done. If fitzmartin wanted to write some teen drama romance maybe they should’ve given her other characters. I still feel sorry for tim that this is the story he gets. At least the dialogue wasn’t as cringe as before but it’s still a confused mess. I hate it here. Tim used to be so cool. more

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SomeRandomSmartA55 - Oct 27, 2022 (edited)

I can barely call this guy Tim Drake, he acts nothing like him at all! Tim is the kind of person who would be surrounding himself with his loved ones, NOT cutting them off! And this story isn’t even a story, it’s just a groups of random scenes piled together with barely any cohesion.

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This gets the Fitzmartin rating.

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SomeRandomSmartA55 - Oct 27, 2022

Lol

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Where do I even begin?

Challenge for Fitzmartin: stop taking the plots of other detective comics and making it seem like you did anything with them. This is just lazy writing. The fact that I knew what story she would use next based on the preview talk of a stolen diamond and framing someone, given her previous history with other old detective stories, made this as lame as the previous issue. Nothing of value again was added to the use of this older story, and instead of seeming "cute" of the villain (because it sure isn't "smart"), it plays off as something amateur. It doesn't even come off as a villain teasing Tim, but yet again reads as someone who thinks she is writing something smarter than she really is, and in the process, ends up dumbing down her lead character. I'm once again wondering how the hell Tim is supposed to be the "smartest" Robin when he couldn't figure out the story right away, and yet, I could based upon the villain's previous use of a certain type of story and the immediate clues left in the broadcast. I thought he was a detective story fan? To not even see what the trend here was, and instead, spend more time wondering "oh is it this" or "is it that" comes off as a pointless waste of time for a set-up that was equally as pointless save for providing more angst fodder. There was an obvious thread here, and Tim couldn't figure it out. This is boring. I'm not at all in awe of Tim's detective skills, and I should be. And anyone with any sort of literary knowledge, or basic reading comprehension and a computer, could have figured out what the next detective story ripoff was going to be before Tim got there himself.

And this isn't even getting into how much time Tim spends questioning his place in the world, to the tune of 'I have no family and no support, only Bernard and my detective skills' (which have already been shown as lackluster at best by the actual detective work happening here). How is Bernard the only person Tim feels he can rely on, that he wants to be with, who truly gets him when we have seen now not only Bruce being supportive of him but also, supposedly if one believes her YJ run, his old YJ friends? But somehow the only place he belongs on is a boat and with Bernard. This is a complete slap in the face to the Batfamily and his other friends. Fitzmartin makes it sound like Tim got kicked out because of who he was only to turn around and say he wanted to distance himself from Bruce while also saying Batman needs Robin. So, what is it here? (And I get Tim will get something new here for that, but also this comic is titled Tim Drake: Robin.) And how exactly did Tim "ruin" things with Steph? He broke up with her. She didn't dump him, and again, if we're to believe the Pride special stuff, Steph was ecstatic over Bernard (and no we're not getting into how badly written that was here). I fail to see how anything was ruined unless we are once again supposed to imagine a lot of drama that isn't being shown.

Then, to make things worse, Tim admits the Wayne family has "a stalker" to try and convince Bernard to step back, but he shows absolutely no concern about letting the rest of the Batfam know about this breach. His identity has been compromised, and his first thought is whether he's a bad boyfriend to Bernard and not about the potential jeopardizing of every other superhero associated with him. Which is such a complete and utter contrast to what we've been seeing in Zdarsky's Batman. I don't know who this Tim Drake is.

I honestly don't even know what story Fitzmartin is trying to tell here. Half of it seems to be creating drama for the sake of drama while elements of the same story and others, including ones she herself has written, directly contradict what Tim is battling over in his thoughts. I have wanted so badly to believe in having something good with a bisexual Tim, but the stuff Fitzmartin writes completely destroys my faith in getting to have that. I have never felt more like a token sell-point than in the way Tim continues to spend more time wondering about Bernard and his relationship than in the real problems surrounding him as a superhero. I wanted a good detective story. I wanted to see Tim Drake at his absolute best. Instead, I'm getting cheap angst and a detective who can't seem to solve his way out of a paper bag.

Oh, and I'm not even touching on the "cliffhanger" ending, but really? That's who you want to demonize at the end of this?

(Also, it's Larry, Curly, and Moe, not Curley.) more

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SomeRandomSmartA55 - Oct 27, 2022

The highlight of this series has been reading your reviews. It just lets me know I’m not insane, and there still are sane people out there.

LoveAndLoss - Oct 27, 2022

I'm glad to know you take some sort of comfort from them! It's been horribly disappointing, and I hate seeing artists who are actually quite good in their own right take the majority of the blame for an absolutely terrible script. Her bad writing is dragging down so much, and it's a shame to see so many people bypass the problems with her writing to focus on the art, when it's the writing that's really killing this series and its characters. Convenient scapegoat for Fitzmartin though.

SomeRandomSmartA55 - Oct 27, 2022

Hey, I’ll take whatever positive I can get at this point. We will get a new artist a few issues from now, so let’s see if people will blame the art then too.

LoveAndLoss - Oct 27, 2022 (edited)

It'll be interesting to see the reactions. I'm still not entirely sold on the general feeling they seem to be going for with this as it seems ill-suited for a serious Tim Drake solo. That being said I could have done Rossmo's art if the story was spectacular, but Fitzmartin has already shown us her inability to tell a story regardless of who her artist is or the characters she gets to handle. If they want a good Tim solo, they need to ditch her first.

SomeRandomSmartA55 - Oct 27, 2022

Oh absolutely they need to get Chuck Dixon, James Tynion, Chris Yost, Fabian Nicieza, or Devin Grayson to take over the writing

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Unreadable. The awful Rossmo stick drawings continue.

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SomeRandomSmartA55 - Oct 27, 2022

Don’t blame it on Riley, he’s working with a bad script.

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