DC Is Giving Tim Drake's Robin His Very Own Sidekick

Batman isn't the only member of the Bat-Family to have a sidekick fighting alongside him. Tim Drake was the third young man to take on the mantle of Robin, following Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. Whether it's as Robin, Red Robin, or simply "Drake," Tim has made a name for himself as a vigilante crimefighter. While he's fought alongside his former girlfriend Stephanie Brown/Spoiler, Tim has never had a sidekick to help train in the ways of being a hero. That's all about to change in the release of his new ongoing series.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Tim Drake: Robin #1. Continue at your own risk!

Tim Drake: Robin #1 is by the creative team of Meghan Fitzmartin, Riley Rossmo, Lee Loughridge, and Tom Napolitano. It's the start of a new status quo for Tim Drake. The new Batman creative team of Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez has Tim Drake in a starring role alongside the Dark Knight, but Tim Drake: Robin #1 relocates him to a boat docked at the Gotham City marina. After going on a date with his new boyfriend Bernard, Tim is surprised to find his potential new sidekick, Darcy Thomas, waiting for him at his boat.

Darcy Thomas, Tim Drake's New Robin

Darcy Thomas starred in the We Are Robin ensemble series, which saw Duke Thomas and a group of Gotham teens dressing up in homemade Robin costumes. Tim took on a mentorship role with Darcy, and readers of Future State: Robin Eternal will also remember seeing an older Darcy in that series as well, which also happened to be written by Fitzmartin. After catching up with each other, Tim and Darcy hear someone scream. They go outside the boat to find two of Tim's neighbors dead. This leads to the duo changing into their superhero costumes to join the police investigation.

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(Photo: DC)

Tim Drake has his Robin costume on, which he may be upgrading in the near future, while Darcy changes into a sweater and Robin mask. When Detective Williams asks Darcy who she's supposed to be costumed as, Darcy calls herself Sparrow, sticking to the bird motif. The cause of their murders is tied to another case Tim Drake and Young Justice were a part of.

Having Darcy Thomas operating as a sidekick separates Tim Drake: Robin from some of the multiple Batman-adjacent comics already being published. It would have been easy to bring Spoiler into the story to have her and Robin team up once again, but it also could have overshadowed Tim's new relationship with Bernard. Meghan Fitzmartin has obviously been planting seeds for Darcy's larger role in Tim's life, and working as Sparrow is the next progression of her crimefighting career. All she needs is a better costume.

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