Tim Drake's Robin becomes first LGBTQ member of the Bat Family since Batwoman in new comic

DC Comics made history Tuesday with the reveal that Tim Drake's Robin is bisexual. According to Polygon, which was one of the first outlets to report the news, he is only the second immediate LGBTQ+ member of the Bat Family since Kate Kane/Batwoman first made her debut back in 2006. 

This momentous development took place in the latest issue of the Batman: Urban Legends anthology (Issue #6, to be exact). Wrapping up the third and final segment of their "Sum of Our Parts" story arc, writer Meghan Fitzmartin and artist Belén Ortega have Tim asked out on a date by his friend, Bernard. "Yeah...," Drake replies in the pages below. "Yeah, I think I want that." The story will eventually continue in Batman: Urban Legends #10.

"I confess that at the beginning, I didn’t know exactly what Meghan Fiztmartin and our editor were planning for the character and until now, I didn’t realize how important this could be for so many people," Ortega wrote in a statement to SYFY WIRE. "I’m receiving hundreds and hundreds [of] comments full of love and gratitude for this, and it’s overwhelming! All I can say is thanks to DC for trusting me to draw this iconic moment of Tim Drake in my first series ever with them. Meghan was really brave to step on this; she was so sensitive with the dialogues [and] she did a great job. Also Alejandro Sanchez with colors and Pat Brosseau at lettering — this whole team is a dream team."

“This is a story about Tim Drake," added Fitzmartin. "[Urban Legends editor Dave Wielgosz], Belén, Alejandro, Pat, and I set out to craft the best Tim Drake story we could, with all the love and care for a character that means a lot to us. I could (and have) waxed poetic about how much I love this team, from Belén’s brilliant art, to Alejandro’s gorgeous colors, to Pat’s pitch perfect lettering, all helmed by Dave’s careful eye, it feels like a godsend. And what’s beautiful is to see that it’s resonating with others. The messages have broached my heart, and I’m so grateful, but what has mattered most to me is that the care and love we have given to Tim, has allowed others to feel cared for and loved."

Speaking with Polygon via email, Fitzmartin recounted pitching the story to Urban Legends editor, Dave Wielgosz. "We talked about where Tim Drake has been vs where he was at the time and came to the conclusion that it needed to be a story about identity and discovery. What was next for Boy Wonder?" she said. After mulling it over for a few days, the writer landed on the idea of a coming out moment for Tim. “[I said,] 'Look, I don’t know if this is something that can happen, but this is the story, because it’s the only story it can be.'"

She added that while Tim also has feelings for Stephanie Brown, he's "still figuring himself out. I don’t think he has the language for it all... yet."