The internet was buzzing when Tim Drake, the third Robin, came out as bisexual in the pages of Batman: Urban Legend #6. A major character in the DC Comics lineup being openly queer was big news to many queer fans, but not everyone was sure this wasn’t simply an act of exploration or if this was Robin officially coming out.
In the scene, Berard says to Robin, “Tim Drake…do you want to go on a date with me?” to which he responds, “Yeah…yeah, I think I want that.”
In a statement on Wednesday written by Alex Jaffe, it was officially confirmed that Tim Drake is bisexual. “As of August 10th, 2021, your headcanon is real: Tim Drake dates boys,” he wrote for the website. “If you’re a member of DC’s significant queer community, then you already understand why this is a big deal. In fact, you’ve probably been waiting for a moment like this for a very long time.”
“…Despite a multitude of new Robins, each with a parade of their own heteronormative partners, queer readers have continued to see a piece of themselves within the Boy Wonder… All the way back in 1940, Robin was created with the intention of being a reader surrogate — a character who readers could project themselves onto, fighting crime across rooftops under the enigmatic Batman’s wing. There have been female Robins, Black Robins, rich Robins, poor Robins. Why would a queer reader, especially one overtly ostracized by comics culture itself for so many decades, feel any less worthy of that same surrogate relationship?”
He also discussed the issues with queer coding in comics. “Queer coding in comics, the idea of expressing your true self through a colorful costume as you hid your dual identity from the world, was once considered too scandalous for a largely homophobic nation. As queer kids were finding a piece of themselves in characters like Robin, judges and psychologists and even the comic book publishers themselves, wary of a culture turning against them, did everything they could to censor queer themes from comics for decades to come. But even as those themes were stifled, speculation on Robin’s sexuality has never stopped.”
Mehghan Fitzmartion, who wrote Batman: Urban Legend #6, also issued a statement about him coming out on Twitter. “My goal in writing has been and will always be to show just how much God loves you. You are so incredibly loved and important and seen.”
This doesn’t seem to be the end of Robin’s exploration either, with Alex Jaffe saying, “This isn’t the end of Tim Drake’s self-discovery. We’ve only just reached the beginning. And you can be sure that in Batman: Urban Legends #10, we’ll all be there to follow this personal journey wherever it goes.”
Batman: Urban Legends #10 goes on sale in December.
Source: DC Comics
