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DC Comics is Gonna Do a Cool Flash Forward Event Next Year!
Once upon a time, there existed a plan at DC Comics to make a big shift in their comic book status quo. It was going to be called 5G and it was going to jump the universe forward about five years, so that the younger heroes would step up and be the new lead heroes, while the main guys would step back. Or maybe none of this was going to happen and Bleeding Cool was just pulling rumors out of its butt. Hard to say.
Well DC has announced that they’re going to do a small future event in January and February in which all DC comics will jump forward about 5 years to show off some ne looks, new status quos, new heroes and new adventures. It’s gonna be called Future State.
And I think it looks cool! I’m all in favor of fun little stunts like this, like the Age of Apocalypse for the X-Men back in the 90s. Marvel got so much mileage out of that story.
So yeah, all our families heroes are going to get new status quos and new adventures. Superman is going to be exiled from Earth, so he’s gonna fight space bad guys. Bruce Wayne is…believed dead? I think? And there are a couple of new Batmen. Gotham City is going to be under a police state.
Tim Drake is going to be Robin in his own little adventure Robin Eternal.
There are a lot of little comics here and there. Justice League, Teen Titans, Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad; there appears to be something for everyone! Batgirls, Grifters.
Here are a ton more details at this link. Tons of comics, tons of covers, tons of story details. Click away and enjoy the madness that is to come!
I’m just pleased that Tim Drake is Robin in the future still!
The event is only going to last for January and February and then go back to regular comics for March. Sounds fine to me!
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I Think Tim Drake is Robin Again…For Now
Something is happening at DC Comics regarding Robin and I’m not sure what. They haven’t made any formal announcements. They haven’t done any big events. The status quo is simply and quietly changing.
Just last week, Damian Wayne, the current Robin, made a big show in Teen Titans Annual #2 that he was finished being Robin. I made a blog post about it just yesterday!
Well today, in Young Justice #18, it looks like Tim Drake is going back to being Robin.
A year ago, it seemed like Tim had graduated to a new identity: Drake. That seemed pretty permanent. Why wouldn’t it be? DC had been struggling for years as to what to do with Tim Drake, and giving him a new identity seemed like the most logical solution.
But a lot has changed in a year. Dan DiDio was fired. That rumored “5G” project was cancelled. A lot of other people have been fired. Warner Bros is tightening their belts. A new video game was announced with Tim Drake as Robin.
What is happening? Are we really living in a world where Damian Wayne is no longer Robin and Tim Drake gets to assume the mantle again? Are we living in my dream come true?
I guess we’ve just got to take this one step at a time. I’ll stay with this story all night if I have to!
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We’re Getting a Robin Video Game (Among Others)!
Holy guacamole! I wasn’t sure how I was going to share the various DC FanDome trailers we’re going to get today. Do I flood my blog with trailers? Do I space them out over the next few days so that I can digest them all? Well there’s no point in holding onto this one because I’m freaking out.
Gotham Knights is the next game in the Arkhamverse series and it will focus on the Bat-Family: Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl and Robin! I’m getting a Robin video game!
This is beyond my wildest dreams. I love the Arkham games, and Batman is great…but a game that focuses on the Bat-Family instead?! A game where Robin and the former Robins (and Batgirl) are the stars? Where you get to play as all of them throughout the game?!
Here’s some gameplay footage from an early build of the game! It’s got two-player co-op!!!
I am salivating. This is a dream come true. I was so prepared for another game where Arkham Batman fights the Joker. But a game where Robin and the Family have to take on the Court of Owls?! Are you kidding me?!
Somebody pinch me.
Now all I need is confirmation of Tim Drake as Robin and not Damian. He looks short and young in the trailer, but he’s taller, seems older and is dressed as Red Robin in the gameplay footage (though is called just “Robin” in the HUD). Could Red Robin just be a skin? Alternate costumes seems like a pretty common thing in these games.
UPDATE: Robin has been confirmed as Tim Drake!
Here’s the flavor text for all of the characters:
- Batgirl, also known as Barbara Gordon, is a determined fighter and a skilled hacker. As the daughter of deceased Gotham commissioner, Jim Gordon, she had helped Batman as Oracle in the past. Now, after years of recovery and preparation, she is ready to step into her new role, wielding her melee tonfa, and harnessing her training in kickboxing, capoeira and jiu-jitsu.
- Nightwing is Dick Grayson, the first Robin, who was Batman’s protégé before becoming a hero in his own right. He’s a natural leader and the eldest and wisest member of the Batman Family. Nightwing’s mastery in acrobatics is complemented by his expertise use of his signature dual Escrima Sticks, making him proficient at taking out enemies.
- Red Hood, formerly known as Jason Todd, is an intense and volatile anti-hero, which stems from his death and forced resurrection by one of Batman’s most dangerous foes. Red Hood has trouble keeping his temper in check but will not hesitate to step into the line of fire when a friend is threatened. His training has given him peak human strength and proficiency in multiple combat techniques with all manner of weapons – both traditional and high-tech.
- Robin is Tim Drake, the young prodigy and genius of the team, who is a master of deductive reasoning. As a true believer in Batman’s mission, he is motivated by the conviction that Gotham City needs protecting and hopes to be the type of hero Batman personified. An expert fighter armed with his collapsible quarterstaff and skilled in a variety of stealth techniques, Robin also possesses a background in combined psychological warfare and behavioral sciences.
Anyway, game is due out in 2021. Looks like this might be my Playstation 5 upgrade game.
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Everything We Know About Tim Drake’s New Identity
I’ve put off writing this article for a long time. It’s a tough moment, but one that has been coming for years of fits and starts.
Tim Drake will soon finally graduate from being a Robin.
Thanks, I hate it
This has been a very long time coming. Damian Wayne, the current Robin, debuted all the way back in 2006. It was a tough pill to swallow at the time, but I think 13 years is enough time to accept that Tim Drake isn’t Robin anymore. It didn’t help that Tim “graduated” into being “Red” Robin for those past 13 years, while reverting to just Robin again only recently (maybe?).
What can I say? Tim Drake is the best Robin and my favorite Robin. He arrived on the scene in that cool new costume just as I was really getting into comics on my own. And with a love for the character already brewing from the old TV shows and the 90s cartoons, Tim was my Robin.
I’ll be OK.
Tim’s new name is going to be “Drake”. He gets it from an alternate dimension version of himself in Young Justice #8, out this week.
Respect the mighty male duck
Obviously it’s his last name, but a drake is a male duck, and ducks are not to be messed with (I guess? Are we sure Bendis isn’t thinking of geese?). So I suppose it’s fine. It’s still a bird name, which is OK. Batman has a lot of bird allies these days.
And at least he can keep the cool name icon
I will make my peace with this over time. I think that new costume is pretty ugly, all browns and grays and unnecessary lines.
It’ll be OK. The only constant is change. Hopefully this will all work out for the best.
Now if only we could get a new Robin to replace Damian…
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I Love Me Some Robins!
Longtime Henchies know that I’m a big fan of Robin. He’s one of my all-time favorite superheroes. And now animated fun guy Noah Sterling has used his nifty YouTube channel to run through the history of all the Robins. Fun times!
Yeah, the history of the Robins is weird. But fundamentally, Robin is awesome. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Also, since this video was made, I think DC is retconning their retcon and Stephnie Brown did serve as Robin. It’s confusing, but important to note.
Double also, while I’m on the subject, I’m starting to wonder if my disinterest in DC Comics as a whole these days has anything to do with the lack of a fundamental Robin. The team of Batman and Robin hasn’t been a thing for a while now. Damian Wayne is, technically, the current Robin, but he hasn’t been his father’s sidekick for years. He’s off running the Teen Titans and hanging out with Superman’s son. Tim Drake has been retconned back to being Robin, but he’s also been his own man for a while, and now he’s running Young Justice. Duke Thomas became Batman’s new partner, but DC went and gave him super-powers and made him The Signal instead, and now he’s a member of the Outsiders.
So DC simply does not have a Batman and Robin team, which is really disappointing. As much as I love Robin, I mostly love him in the context of being Batman’s partner. So I dunno, I think I’m just griping. Fun video, at least.
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