Normally I don’t like multiverse stories, I think they are overdone and O feel the multiverse needs to come to an end, but damn Chip you got me hooked! I know this is blasphemy to say….but I like Hawthorne’s artwork more than Jorge’s ( starts dodging tomatoes ) Sorry, not sorry. Just something about it feels more Batman-y to me, I don’t know how else to put it. I cannot wait to see where Chip is gonna take it from here. Also sassy skeleton Jim Gordon, is my new favorite character. I finally found the character that resonates with me the most. I need an on-going spin-off stat! Now onto the Tim story: THANK GOD!!! Someone who actually knows how to write my boy!! Chip has his character down, unlike that other book. I finally recognize the kid with a big brain and an even bigger heart that I know and love. That. Being. Said……I was very disappointed with this story. First off, wasn’t Dick captured by Failsafe in Gotham? How did he escape? Is Gotham still under Failsafe’s control? Why is Tim teaming up with Jon instead of Conner, his best friend? Where is Conner anyways? Why does DC keep teaming Jon up with every Robin except the one we actually want to see him team up with? The art by Mendosca is great, but I really hate how Tim’s hair is being drawn in this run, I know it’s an odd thing to harp on, but I just don’t like how it looks. Now, don’t get me wrong, this story is not bad by any means. I’ve just seen it done before already…and done significantly better in “Red Robin.” Seriously if you enjoyed this story, please go read the first 12 issues of Red Robin, and Adventure Comics #3 by Geoff Johns while you’re at it. It is the exact same plot. C’mon Chip you could’ve come up with something else.

Who greenlit this?

Cringey dialogue, confused artwork, a lackluster plot, horrible characterization, blatant queerbaiting, unsubtle meta commentary that misses the mark, and a tie-in that is in its penultimate issue and has yet to tie into the very event it is a part of, all combine to make such a waste of everyone’s time

(This should be considered a review of the entire mini-series) I see you writing this crap with the team I love And I'm like, "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh) You tried to blame homophobes and misogyny I'm like, "Forget you and DC, too" Tried to give you credit, you're still new at it Ha, what is this shh? (What is this shh?) And although there's pain in my chest I still wish you the best With a "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh) Where do I start The way you write Tim, Kon, & Bart It's clear you didn't do any research Made Cassie a pain, you write Tim not Bi but Gay And Cissie's a "See You Next Tuesday" I pity the fool that falls that thinks this book is good (But hey, Braga's still good yeah) Well (maybe give her some more work yeah) Ooh, I've got some news for you Yeah, no one likes what you were doing here I see you writing this crap with the team I love And I'm like, "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh) You tried to blame homophobes and misogyny I'm like, "Forget you and DC, too" Tried to give you credit, you're still new at it Ha, what is this shh? (What is this shh?) And although there's pain in my chest I still wish you the best With a "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh) Then you put Empress, with the bad guys Why didn't you use Bedlam? Well your argument, falls apart Cause You’re guilty what you accuse Mickey of I pity the fool that falls that thinks this book is good (But hey, Braga's still good yeah) Well (maybe give her some more work yeah) Ooh, I've got some news for you I think I'd rather read A.S.B.A.R. I see you writing this crap with the team I love And I'm like, "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh) You tried to blame homophobes and misogyny I'm like, "Forget you and DC, too" Tried to give you credit, you're still new at it Ha, what is this shh? (What is this shh?) And although there's pain in my chest I still wish you the best With a "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh) Now baby, baby, baby, why's the, why's the, why's the writing so bad? (So bad, so bad, so bad) I thought this really had some potential but This is just making me sad (So Sad, So Sad, So Sad) Yes, it is And I was like, uh Why? (Uh) Why? (Uh) Why, DC? Oh, I love you Oh, I still love you, oh I see you writing this crap with the team I love And I'm like, "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh) You tried to blame homophobes and misogyny I'm like, "Forget you and DC, too" Tried to give you credit, you're still new at it Ha, what is this shh? (What is this shh?) And although there's pain in my chest I still wish you the best With a "Forget you" (ooh, ooh, ooh) Seriously, this mini sucked!

So ADORABLE 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

We never once see Robin in costume during this issue and I love it for that! Stephanie’s story is so heartbreaking and I just love how they kept things vague with Cluemaster. It make the reader wonder if Arthur Brown actually does care about his daughter. And Tim just proves to be such an amazing boyfriend.

This may be one of the single greatest comic book issues of all time! Tim’s conversation with that guy in the roof is just so powerful. I’ve been in that guys shoes and I really needed a Tim in my life during that dark period of my life. Anyone who feels they are lost and alone just know there is always someone willing to talk things out with you. You are not alone.

My god that ending just brings me to tears every time

I want to preface this by saying I am a long time Tim Drake fan, who happens to be bisexual. I harbor no ill will to any of the creative team on this book….but I have read porn parodies that are more engaging, have better understanding of Tim’s character, and a better understanding of being bisexual! This character is not Tim Drake, this is a straight woman’s yaoi fanfic version of Tim. The way the writing refers to any previous relationships he had as “settling” is insulting to fans, it’s somewhat misogynistic, and makes Tim come across as gay instead of bi which (which unintentionally contributes to bi-erasure). The art is also not helping, Rossmo is not my style but it is nowhere near as bad as Fitzmartin’s writing.

So I’ll start by saying this is much better than the previous issue…that being said, I still can’t say it’s all that good. The more I look into it the more issues I find with it. This is without a doubt the worst characterization Tim has ever had, since the New 52 altered his origin. Take this quote for instance: “There are only a few places I belong. With Bernard. On the boat. And solving mysteries” None of that makes any damn sense! He belongs with the Batfamily, because it’s his family! He has so many people to turn to in the Batfamily, or Young Justice, or the superhero community in general. If he’s Robin, then belongs with Batman, because that’s what Robin is supposed to be; if you want him away from Batman then Tim can’t be Robin. Everytime they mention how much Tim wants to be with Bernard it feels so forced. Why a boat? (Seriously that makes zero sense). If they want to have Tim be away from the family, then why didn’t they follow what Rebirth set up and have Tim go off to college? That makes way more sense for Tim. Solving Mysteries is the only thing that fits, but there is so much more to Tim than being a detective or being in a romance. Bernard looks more like a girl than Darcy does. I won’t gripe too much in Rossmo, I’m just not a fan of his style. I think Belen Ortega should be the artist instead. And Fitzmartin needs to be removed, because her writing is what is holding this book back. I’m really sick of all the thought bubbles just cramming up the screen. Fitzmartin just feels the need to explain every little thought and detail instead of letting the reader figure it out for themselves. She has to learn to SHOW DON’T TELL! Honestly, we don’t need an entire explanation of what book this is referring to, just have him notice that book in the library and it sparks an epiphany moment. There is no cohesion to the story it’s just random events happening, it has no natural narrative flow. Then there’s this whole “Scooby-Doo” vibe. I get what the creators are trying to do, quirky teen solving mysteries, but I don’t think this is a good fit for Tim, in fact it’s character regression not progression, mostly because we’ve seen it done before: Loved one who doesn’t know his other life, which he feels guilt about having to lie (Ariana, Stephanie, Zoanne, Young Justice, his Dad!) Working with a single police officer/detective (Shotgun Smith, Sgt. Harper, Jason Bard) Cops chasing after Tim after being framed (beginning of Beecham run) Lady sidekick/partner (Stephanie, Bluebird, Pru) Solving crimes (does it all the time) The only thing new this series brings is the gay factor, and that’s the least interesting aspect of this series so far. Bernard is just so kind and understanding of being stood up by Tim over and over again. The girls Tim dated let him have it 10x’s over by this point. When are they gonna give him a goddamn personality?! I could go on and on, but I feel it’s moot at this point. I really miss the Tim Drake I know and love, the person isn’t acting like Tim at all. If this were a brand new character I would just think it’s a poorly written mediocre story, but it’s a character with so much history, and seeming him act so OOC is frustrating to say the least. DC really needs to take a hard look at their writers and editors, if they want this book to succeed, they need a major creative shake-up.

Okay, who exactly is this made for, because I am a massive Tim Drake fanboy & I’m bi and I can tell you it’s certainly not made for me, and if it’s not made for me then who is it made for? It’s be one thing if this was a brand new character, but this is a character with over 30 years of history, with a clearly defined personality and character traits. Would love if this book incorporated those character traits instead of this Tumblr fanfic version. Alright, positives first, this is probably the best issue Fitzmartin has written so far, but there’s still a lot wrong with it. This story is actually kind of interesting, and it felt like a natural progression instead of random events happening. And the art is much better this time around. And I am curious to see who the bad guy is, we meet this Colonel guy, so right now I’m leaning towards The General as the main bad. I think I figured out the Riley Rossmo situation. Rossmo’s art isn’t that bad, his backgrounds and the way the characters move across the page are actually quite dynamic and engaging. But, the character designs are what bring it down. If they can tweak the way the characters look, then there would be improvement. While it is cool to see Tim take down these faux-Robins, it is brought down by the over abundance of narration. I don’t think there was a single panel in this comic that didn’t have any dialogue in it. Comics are a visual medium, let the art do the talking, Show Don’t Tell. Also Tim seemed to show more remorse beating up Damian or Jason than he did Stephanie……deep breath….anyways. The humor here, just does not land. There is a moment where they do “the high ground” meme and it just feels like “how do you do fellow kids.” Now talk about Bernard. I kept confusing him for a her, because quite frankly Bernard looks like a lesbian. He looks more and more feminine with every issue, even, are we sure Tim is dating a guy? It just feels like Fitzmartin’s gay fantasy. Also they are implying that Bernard’s family doesn’t approve of him coming out…groan really, you’re doing this cliché? It’s a good thing to tackle, important even to show how families are not always supportive, but it’s just so overdone. Can’t we just have it be Bernard is also experimenting discovering something about himself, but instead it feels like that “I like men now” moment from the Simpson’s movie. Now let’s talk about how Tim follows Bernard to his boat. Tim is trying to avoid Bernard in order to keep his identity in tact, but as soon as Bernard says the word boyfriend, Tim instantly perks up, forgets everything, and follows Bernard like a little puppy dog………no, No, No, No, NO, NO, NO!!!!!!! Tim has always, ALWAYS prioritized keeping his identity a secret from those he loved, yes he hated having to lie to his loved one, but he understood his responsibilities and took every measure to keep it safe, whether it was from Ariana, Stephanie, or his own Father. WHY ARE THEY MAKING TIM A SIMP FOR THIS MANIC PIXIE FEMBOY?!?!?!?! This just reeks of Straight girl’s Yaoi Tumblr fanfic. Start writing Tim instead of this Gay Fantasy Lookalike, give Bernard a f@#king personality, and show us why the hell Tim wants to date him already!!!! I’m still growing more convinced that Bernard is the villain, because how else was Bernard able to sneak up on Tim the way he did. That prospect is frankly what I’m looking the most forward to. TL:DR Plot is okay, too much narration boxes, art is better but still needs work, Characterization AWFUL

(*In old-timey announcer guy voice*) Previously on “Thanks I hate it” Starring Timblr & Bernard as the “Manic Pixie Femboy”. Timblr acted so out of character, after taking down a squad of fake Robins. But Bernard is now Tim’s boyfriend so it makes it all better. Will SmartA55 be able to make it through this issue with all his hair attached to his head? (We now return to your regularly scheduled smarminess) Alright let's get all the usual complaints out of the way: *Tim looks like Sid from Toy Story *Ber-Nard, Ber-Nard, Dude looks like a lady! *Tim is acting incredibly OOC & is acting like an idiot *Narration boxes, over-narrating everything *Bernard dressed up in a ridiculous outfit *Tim being written as Gay not Bi *Rossmo’s character designs are unpleasant to look at *Blah, blah, blah, TUMBLR, blah blah Positives first, I gotta say, the coloring in this series has been pretty good throughout. So thank you Loughridge, you have been the one consistently good thing throughout this book. *sigh* And onto negatives: Tim, CLOSE YOUR DAMN CURTAINS!!! Tim is supposed to be someone who takes every precaution to keep his identity safe, but he leaves his windows wide open where a drone can easily view him?! I remember during “Knightfall” when Bruce scolded him for eating in costume in a room filled with windows. Seriously, this is supposed to be the same guy who once faked an assassination attempt in order to keep his identity intact, yet he doesn’t even use any form of security measures on his boat?! I really don’t like this Marina setting, it makes zero sense for Tim, why a boat?! Then, Bernard gets all in a huff about that one guy getting fired and being called a degenerate, the same guy who in the last issue admitted to peeing in the Marina. Why would Tim want to live here of all places? Why did he ever leave Wayne Manor? Why doesn’t he go live with his friends? Why doesn’t he rebuild the place they used at the end of Red Robin? Oh and then Bernard calls Tim “Superboy’s Biggest fan……..Alright that’s it! *grabs keys, stomps out of the room, starts up car, screeching down the street.* *About a half-hour later* *Car comes screeching back, door slams, runs inside, stomps up the stairs* Okay! *takes off earrings of freshly pierced ears* ENOUGH WITH THE TIMKON QUEERBAITING!!! It’s abundantly clear that this is the real reason why they decided to make Tim bisexual, not because of Bernard (and I’ll get to him soon) but because they just want to get to TimKon. It has been not so subtly teased ever since the Tim Drake Pride special, and it just continues here. If the plan was to have Tim admit his feelings for Conner, then why not do that in the first place?! I may think TimKon is the wrong route but it makes far more sense that his current relationship. It just makes Bernard all the more superfluous. I really cannot stand Bernard. He serves no purpose to the plot but being a kind and supportive cute little boytoy to be Tim’s little cheerleader,, and someone for Tim to just fawn over and protect. I joked before, but Bernard is literally a “Manic Pixie Femboy” he serves no purpose. He’s just there to be cute, to boost Tim’s mood, and steer him in the right direction. He’s not even that cute! He doesn’t resemble the character he’s supposedly based off of in the slightest. Bernard used to be filled with personality, acting weird (albeit somewhat annoyingly), outgoing, and snarky. Here, he’s not a character, he’s a walking gay caricature. This isn’t even about Stephanie, I’m fine with Tim dating someone other than her (it’s not preferred but I can live with it) but all of his other previous relationships, while I wasn’t fond of most of them, all of them were characters that had characteristics beyond being a love interest. Take his first girlfriend Ariana. Ari was the daughter of immigrants, who lived with her aunt & uncle after her father was murdered, and had dreams of being a fashion designer. Now some of you may say “SmartA55, be fair they’re only 4 issues in” well all of those facts about Ariana were established in 3 issues of a 6-issue mini and the first issue of the Dixon “Robin” run. If this were about two brand new gay characters, I would think it was cute but mediocre. However, these are two established characters who are now bisexual. Bernard is written like a precious little puppy dog that needs to be protected, and not someone who has already gone through traumatic events, like say, a gang war taking place in the very school where Tim & Bernard first met. We could have had a story about two guys reconnecting after years apart only to realize that there is a growing attraction between them, something that neither of them had expected and yet it felt right despite it being something that neither one of them considered an option. But no, instead of a nuanced portrayal of the complex situation of realizing one’s sexuality, we just get basic ass gay romance between a one-dimensional sack of cardboard and a beloved character reduced to a parody of his former glory. Tim’s identity is exposed, and instead of immediately jumping into action, he has to cuddle with Bernard. PRIORITIES TIM!!! Then he goes to ask the Batgirls for help, and we don’t even get one awkward moment between him and Steph, not one?! That is a goldmine for character moments and you don’t use it!!!! Then they have to fight a giant goldfish. Which reminds me, that was part of the solicit for the previous issue and the solicit for this issue spoils the ending! What the heck DC?! There’s so much more I could say, but honestly I’ve written enough as it is. I know this sounds harsh, but it's just how I feel. If you guys like this, I’m happy for you, but I think you deserve better. Maybe it’s because I recently reread “Red Robin” before reading this, and let’s just say that’s kinda like watching the Nolan trilogy followed by the Shumacher movies. I really want Tim to have his own book, but this, this isn’t it. I wanna see this turn around, I really do, but this direction is all wrong. Now, we’ll just wait til next time when Tim faces off against Maximillian Pegasus….yay?

This book is crap, because of TimBer What does Tim, see in him? It’s not because Bernard’s a guy. I will take anyone else. Pleeeaaasssee (Please go away), Just make him ple-ease go away (timber), Plleeeaaaaseee (timber) Wooooah (timber), anyone else (please), wooooah (this book is crap) Alright one of the first things we see is Rossmo drawing Nightwing……shudders. This comics starts in midst of the search for Bernard and Dick tries to calm Tim down, and Tim slaps his hand away. Now, it’s no secret I’m no fan of Bernard but the way Tim acts here is character regression. He has gone through helping saving people in danger several times, loved ones have been kidnapped before, including Bernard! Tim did show plenty of concern in the past for those put in danger because of him but he always maintained a cool demeanor while on the inside he was filled with self-doubt and guilt. This Tim is a whiny little bitch complaining about everything. Tim, you have saved Bernard before, you’ve saved other from far more dangerous circumstances, you’re more confident than this! Then Dick starts talking to Tim how it’s always difficult starting a new phase in life…Tim knows this…he’s done it before! Several times in fact. Tim’s keeps doubting himself and how he has “imposter syndrome” about being Robin. My god, he grew past that self-doubt YEARS AGO, this isn’t pushing Tim forward it’s just bringing him backwards. Then he finds Bernard and someone sneaks up on him again. So much for being trained by Batman, considering how often people keep sneaking up on him. But then something happens…Tim wakes up and he looks…different. gasp A new artist, that doesn’t draw Tim like a 14 year old with a thumb for a head! Someone splashed some water on his face as he hangs upside down chained up and bruised. And the reveal…GASP THE VILLAIN’S BERNARD!!! Oh my god! This is SO interesting!! It changes the whole dynamic between them. It make Tim question even more while he’s in the confusing time of his life! Bernard actually has a personality, and is starting to become compelling! And his godawful portrayal of a queer character was all a facade to hide his true intentions. Aaaaaaaannnnnnddd it’s not actually him….it’s an illusion caused by the real villain…James, Tim’s landlord……. ARE YOU F@#KING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! YOU HAD SOMETHING GREAT THERE, BUT INSTEAD YOU GIVE US THIS BORING PREDICTBLE PLOT?!?! That means the portrayal of Bernard in all of the previous issues was all genuine. Y’know it’s sad that I have far better and far more nuanced portrayals of queer characters in “The Golden Girls” a sitcom FROM THE 80’S than a comic made in 2023! Okay…where was I…oh yeah. So while the art is a massive improvement, the writing still sucks. This guy is obsessed with being Tim’s nemesis and throwing all these illusions at Tim. And Tim escapes them by literally throwing up on one of them…..honestly kind of how I feel about this book most of the time. Then the bad guy reveals his name as “Moriarty”…..wow….how original. You had a decent concept going on here, but leaning into the obsession with detective novels is bringing this down. You’re trying to push this drag Queen version of one of the greatest literary antagonists of all time, and want him to be Tim’s new nemesis. Hate to break it to you Morty, but Tim’s already got The General, Anarky, King Snake, Lynx, The Council of Spiders, Scarab, Jaeager, Johnny Warlock, and plenty of other villains who have more of a grudge with Tim than you. But then at the final page Rossmo returns to draw Bernard bound up and gaged in chains, like the “perfect damsel” he is. This is one of the most frustrating issues so far….and it is sadly also the best issue so far.

Tim Drake has never, ever, Ever, EVER wanted to be Batman!!!! IT’S BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF HIS CHARACTER SINCE HIS CREATION!!!!

You can put glitter on a turd all you want, it’s still a turd.

Okay, Nikola Cizmesija should have been the artist from the get go. This art style is much more fitting to Tim’s character and better communicates the “puzzle” element of the paneling. I finally understand what Riley Rossmo was trying to do in the first arc. While Nikola is no Belen Ortega, it does feel very reminiscent of the Urban Legends tales where her artwork shined. And I will give credit to Fitzmartin, there is actually a plot here, and I am genuinely curious to see how this will end. I was thinking maybe I finally have most good things to say…..but sadly I started thinking some more and noticed all the flaws. So we start on the boat where Darcy & Bernard are wondering why the hell Tim lives on a boat (I’ll get to that), Tim thinks to himself that it’s not the type of life for a person who makes rational decisions and how it’s the hardest place he’s ever lived. Then Bernard and Darcy do the “it’s a bird, it’s a plane..” bit when Batwoman crashes onto the boat. Darcy decides the best way for Bernard to leave is to remind him of a soufflé he needs to make. Tim notices blood on Kate’s glove and she has partial amnesia. ….where the hell do I start? Firstly, Tim is easily the most rational of ALL the Robins. Him making irrational decisions is the last thing he would do, but then again we’ve established Fitzmartin doesn’t understand Tim (see my issue 6 review). Second, Tim has not once ever shown any interest in boats, he’s been on boats a few times but nothing to indicate he would want to live on one. I always felt that was such an odd setting choice, that is until I discovered on an interview where Fitzmartin mentioned how she lived on a boat once. Then it made more sense why she chose it, but it still does not fit Tim’s character. However I had an epiphany, the boat house should have been Bernard’s home. Boat life is framed as a life for the oddballs, which Bernard was originally framed as being a conspiracy nut and all. It would make sense why he would want to live on a crappy boat given his family situation and you could incorporate his love of cooking by having him work at a local restaurant. It’s like no thought was put into any of this. A boat being the hardest place Tim lived? Yes Tim comes from an Uber wealthy family even before Bruce adopted him, but he once lived on his own in BLÜDHAVEN of all places, not to mention trotting around the globe dealing with the League of Assassins, and the time he had to leave Gotham behind to live in Keystone City during No Man’s Land while his friends and then pregnant girlfriend stayed behind. Tim is more than capable of handling a boat. Now as for Batwoman’s entrance, why would you use a Superman reference for Batwoman? And it was so poorly executed. Like when Bernard & Darcy notice something in the sky, neither one of them are looking up in the sky. Bernard is the one to notice something instead of Tim, unintentionally making Tim look incompetent. Then Darcy pulls Bernard away by reminding him of a soufflé to make. I feel like a normal person would have called the paramedics. No wonder Bernard figured out Tim’s identity. He’s making zero effort to maintain it. Oh and having Robin & Sparrow in costume on the boat, with Kate in costume but no mask WHILE THE CURTAIN IS WIDE OPEN!!!!! PUT SOME GODDAMN EFFORT INTO KEEPING THEIR IDENTITIES A SECRET!!!! They all look like morons! Then we establish the old cliche amnesia plotline, Kate saying how she doesn’t the pasts few months so Tim reveals all the things that happened. And those things that happened SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK!!! This was a problem back in Urban Legends, all the important character moments and moments to establish this setting all happen off-panel. Tim’s struggles with his sexuality, coming out to his family, moving to the marina. Those are NECESSARY steps to take, but instead this books skips past all of it. If that wasn’t bad enough. In one panel we show that Kate took Tim & Bernard out to celebrate his coming out along with Batgirl. It’s not established which one, but we see the Batgirl and it is either Barbara or Stephanie. If it is Barbara it is the fault of the art and coloring that makes it difficult to tell, if it’s Stephanie then it’s a huge writing problem. I am inclined to believe it is Stephanie, considering her portrayal in the Pride special, establishing how totally okay she is with being dumped and having her ex date a guy. It’s out of character and incredibly unrealistic. DC you are allowed to show Steph not being okay being dumped, if it’s better that you do! Short personal anecdote, when I was going through my questioning phase I came across stories of guys coming out, one was of one guy coming out as bi to this girl he was getting serious. He felt that he was comfortable finally telling her, but not long after she called it off. She later revealed to him that the last guy she was with realized he was gay and dumped her. She still wasn’t over it and didn’t want to put herself through something similar again, despite the fact that the main was bi and not gay. By having Steph be okay with this, it’s sets unrealistic expectations to people going through this, and it also removes so many potential character drama that could be used for plotlines.As Sophia Petrillo once said: “You’re heart is in the right place, but I don’t know where the hell your brain is.” Back to the issue at hand, I do think there may have been a communication error between Meghan & Nikola, because when we get to the Chaos Monster fight, the paneling feels off. Like I can’t tell which panel I’m supposed to read first at several instances. There is one moment where the team is rushing on their motorcycles, stop to get off to talk to Detective Williams, then the next panel they are on their bikes again. It felt very jarring. Just like when Darcy got stabbed. It just came out of nowhere and quite frankly I don’t really care about her. We never established how she knows Tim personally, she was retconned to be part of “We Are Robin” which Tim did not really interact with a lot. We don’t know why Darcy is allowed to know Tim’s identity, the comic constantly forgets she supposed to be deaf, and lastly she’s a cheap stand in for Stephanie Brown, blonde hair, purple hoodie and all. She’s completely pointless, why not just have it that Detective Williams gets shot instead? But to be fair I think it’s just a bait and switch and Darcy will be fine *Sigh* There is improvement here, but it’s still not enough to save this whole set up, because there was no set up. I’m not angry with this book anymore, just profoundly disappointed that DC gave a book to someone who did not have the proper experience to handle this task, despite her best intentions.

deep breath Only two issues left, only two issues left… Alright let’s get to the positives, this intro is actually kinda good. There is a decent narrative flow, Tim using his analytical mind that’s communicated in a visually interesting way. The art looks good throughout, and the final scene is really haunting and has great use of imagery. That out of the way, this book is still frustratingly infuriating. After the intro with Batwoman, she acts OOC, granted most of my Kate content comes from Tynion Tec, but here Kate feels much angrier than normal and acts incredibly irrational. Also the way that she escapes the grip from the Cult leader felt rushed and convenient equally convenient was how he escaped. Then we go to Bernard, and Tim sees him shirtless which his thoughts are like “Abs, abs, abs, arms.” Now I now I like to play up my thirst for certain characters for you guys, I mostly do it for humor, so I know this may be rich coming from me. But Tim has more control than that. Granted that could just be my disdain for Bernard, Tim has fallen for feminine wiles on a few occasions. However, Bernard is shredded?!?! What the hell?! I hate saying this, but THIS IS FANFICTION LEVEL writing. A few issues back Bernard was more “twinkish” and looked like he could barely lift a barbell, now he’s jacked?! And that begs the question, if he was training himself to fight hand get in shape, WHY DIDNT HE TRY TO ESCAPE WHEN HE WAS CAPTURED INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR TIM TO COME AND RESCUE HIM?!?! All of Bernard’s dialogue feels forced and unearned. I don’t feel the emotional connection they are trying to convey. Tim has helped his love interests through trauma and difficult life events before both as Robin, Tim, & Red Robin too. This aspect of his character is something that I will admit Fitzmartin does understand well, but the way it’s written here feels like gaslighting us into liking Bernard. I’ve seen Tim connect with people who went through trauma already from Ariana telling him about nearly being sexually assaulted, to Tam dealing with being held captive by the League of Assassins and nearly killed several times, to Tim helping Stephanie through a pregnancy, her father’s death, and telling him about how she was nearly molested, to a complete stranger who was just having a very bad day and wanted the pain to end. I felt more of an emotional connection with Tim and that stranger than anything with Bernard whom he allegedly loves with all his heart. I get what they are trying to do, it’s part of why I love Tim as a character, it’s just not done well, because it’s literally just Bernard venting and Tim think “Poor Bernard”, telling us what to feel instead of showing us. Then Kate interrupts and tries to interrogate Bernard which leads her and Tim to fight. And the writing improves because Tim has his doubts that things in his life really improved after dating Bernard, and Kate was spitting facts that Bernard is a “dime a dozen.” After that scene Tim thinks about visiting Bernard as Tim……what happens next was probably most irritating thing I have read of this series so far. Tim lands on top of his boat IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, one of his neighbors spot him, Tim changes out of his uniform, and for the third time in a row in this series HAS THE CURTAINS WIDE OPEN, then his neighbor (who we only met this issue, yet he and Tim are so close) spots Tim’s Robin suit SITTING ON THE TABLE, and assumes that Tim is cheating on Bernard with Robin. Jesus fucking Christ, WHY ARE YOU MAKING TIM SUCH AN UTTER FUCKING MORON?!?! He’s more worried about feeling sad for Bernard. I’ve was more protective of my internet history as a teenager than Tim is with his identity in this book! Tim is supposed to be one of the smartest members of the Batfamily. He once faked an assassination attempt on himself, and pretended to be crippled for a year so that one of his foes wouldn’t think he was Red Robin. Tim also had a pocket in his clothes that had his costume inside the pocket so he wouldn’t be caught wearing his costume. Now yes, Tim has had a few close shaves, Tim overslept one time early in his career but was lucky enough to put on his robe before his maid noticed him costume, there was another time when his roommate at boarding school got super drunk and found his costume while Tim was severely sleep deprived so Tim lucked out there, and the only time he was caught was when his father ransacked his room when caught Tim in a lie and it led to Jack confronting Bruce and led to Tim having to give up the role of Robin to keep his father’s mouth shut. Needless to say it was a BIG DEAL. Here, this guy spots Tim getting changed and practically catches Tim in his costume, but then thinks that Tim is being unfaithful. I overreacted at first thinking that they leaned into the “cheating bisexual” stereotype, which I don’t think they did, but it’s still fucking stupid. Okay so what happens next? Does Tim follow the tracker on the Cult Leader that he placed onto him? Does he go to check on Bernard as Tim like he said the scene before and came to his boat in order to change into civilian clothes? NOPE, he goes to Batwoman’s house as Robin in broad daylight. So much for the decent narrative flow. Look if you like this, more power to you. But this is just infuriating to me. This series is more concerned at giving Tim & Bernard cute moments, than actually making Tim comes across as competent and smart. You can do both! I am so glad there is only one issue left of this and I hope writers of the future completely ignore it.