Scott Lobdell and Brett Booth on TEEN TITANS

Teen Titans writer Scott Lobdell and artist Brett Booth talk about the upcoming relaunch of the series (I have to admit, this is the series that I am most concerned about).

THE SOURCE: What about DC’s new 52 titles excites you the most?
SCOTT LODBELL: Seeing what everyone else is doing! There are so many books that I can’t wait to read — and that’s just as a fan! I haven’t been at DC long enough to know if you get free books as a writer, but that’s how excited I am that I’m even going to shell out money for every one of the titles. Everyone, after all, deserves a look!
BRETT BOOTH: I think it’s actually getting in and reading things from (or close to) the beginning. Plus I might get a chance to draw the original Batgirl!
How and why are you shaking up the series’ status quo?
SL: I find myself trimming mostly. While there are certainly some changes, I really want the first issues to FEEL like first issues… not, say, issue 101 of TEEN TITANS. Brett Booth and I want any new or lapsed readers to be able to pick up issue one and feel like they aren’t walking into a story somewhere in the third reel.
What new characters will debut in the series?
SL: In RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, Kenneth Rocafort and I will be introducing a young African-American who takes the name Crux — he’s made a lot of sacrifices in his effort to become the first best line of defense against hostile alien life on Earth. But all his previous notions of the dangers of aliens are challenged when he meets and almost defeats Starfire.
BB: Lots! We have some new heroes but mostly villains. TITANS has sort of only had a few notable bad guys – Trigon, Deathstroke – we’re trying to come up with a whole new pantheon of evil! MWAHAHAHAHA! Plus the bad guys are just plain fun to draw. I’ve been sworn to secrecy … but the name Bugg has been mentioned.
Will we see new character designs?
SL: Will we?! Anyone who has seen the TEEN TITANS promo-art knows that Brett and I are the “worst offenders”. But you know, when you have a team where a Robin grows into a Nightwing and Thug Superboy finds his way to getting a decent haircut and isn’t wearing a T-shirt from Hot Topic… TEEN TITANS is a book that has always been changing and redefining itself. We’ll see a lot of that in oft-changing costumes. How many teenagers do you know who wear the exact same outfit every time they go out on the street or to a club? Why should these kids be any different?
BB: I don’t think we kept any of the old ones, just hints and references to them here and there. So maybe.
What’s the first line of dialogue in the first issue?
SL: I’ll let you know! Unlike, I think, most of the other writers, the way I work is: I’ll plot an issue, the artist will lay it out and then I add the script only after the pages come in. I find it the most organic way to tell a story… and it also means I get excited and inspired almost daily as Brett, Kenneth and RB Silva are constantly turning in new work!
What’s the biggest surprise you’ve had working on this character/book?
SL: I’m surprised by how much I like Jason and Roy in RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. Yeah, they can be a bit rough around the edges but their hearts are in the right place. Part of me wants to give them a hug and just reassure them that everything will be okay. (I don’t know that it will be okay, but that’s why I am a writer and not an Outlaw!)
BB: How easy Bart is to draw, character wise. He just sort of plops out!
What’s the unofficial tagline for this series, in your own words?
SL: “Read me!”
BB: “LOBDELL!” But you have to yell it like Kirk does Kahn in Star Trek 2!
What were your thoughts about the day-and-date digital announcement?
BB: Great!

DC The Source

Arkham City's Tim Drake Robin concept

"We wanted to create a Robin that players would identify as a contemporary character and move away from the traditional “Boy Wonder” image that most people know. Our vision of Robin is the one of a troubled young individual that is calm and introverted at times but very dangerous and aggressive if provoked. The shaved head is inspired by cage fighters, because we thought that Robin might be doing that in his spare time to keep him on his toes. Still, we kept all the classic trademarks of Robin’s appearance, such as the red and yellow colors of his outfit, the cape and the mask.
We really hope that people will discover our Robin as one of their new favorite characters in the Batman universe. He is back and he means business." KAN MUTFIC, JULY 2011

Source: Batman: Arkham City Community

For some reason I can't respond to my comments, so here is my reply to the question below:
Generally I'm happy with it. If I were to nitpick though; I don't like the cape, I'd want a floor length cape for Tim Drake. The exposed thumbs provides a massive security risk (thumbprints). I'm not a big fan of the hood either. The reasoning behind a buzz cut is nulified by a hood. Enemies can't pull his hair, but they can easily grab a hood.

This is a page from Robin 22 (so Tim would be about 13/14). In the story he goes undercover to join a 'summer camp' that is training 'ninjas'. It's basically a recruiting ground for thieves. The leader is a grown man who beats the kids up during the training sessions; a bully. Tim, usually level headed and calm, sees red and kicks his arse.

Compare this with Rocksteady's description:

"calm and introverted at times but very dangerous and aggressive if provoked."

Sounds like Tim Drake to me. If you are one of many for whom the cage-fighting doesn't sit well, just pretend that, like in this story, Tim is undercover in order to break up illegal activity.
I just hope that we see his intelligence reflected in the gadgets that he can use in Predator challenges (perhaps even a timed detective element to one of his exclusive maps?).
As I said, though, I think that generally it looks pretty good.

Scott Lobdell Talks Teen Titans

Here are some snippets from an interview with the writer of the relaunched Teen Titans, which has calmed my worries about some things and made me concerned about others!

Follow the link at the bottom for the full interview.

Here’s an example (and I promise to get back to your questions in a moment)… in issue one Tim and Cassie share a good part of the issue together… the plot calls for this, that and this, and based on what happens in issue one, I know that they have to be together again in issue two. But then the art comes in on issue one and their interaction with each other is so vivid and has so much energy and is so dynamic that it can’t help but change what I had in mind for their interactions in the next issue. Same with issue three and so on.

(It is like meeting someone for a first date: hardly anyone thinks “I am going to meet this person for drinks and then we are going to hit it off and have lunch tomorrow and then dinner on Friday and we’ll spend the night making love and I’ll move in on Saturday morning and she’ll get pregnant and we’ll get married and have three kids and then get divorced and I’ll make a fool of myself at her second wedding and two of our kids will stop talking to me.” At least I hope people don’t think that way. No, you go out on a date and you see what happens! That is mostly how I approach working on a monthly title.)

So the round about answer to your question is I don’t know, not exactly. Right now, it feels to me that if you read TEEN TITANS #1 and SUPERBOY #1, they serve two masters at the same time: if you are reading the characters for the very first time you should feel like you haven’t missed a thing… and if you’ve been reading the characters for the past 15 or 20 years you’ll be surprised to discover most of what you know about the character is there… just tweaked.

(Sort of like the way you read a favorite book and then it becomes a movie. An actor is going to bring his or her talents to the role, and it is going to be different from what you’ve had in your head. Same character for the most part, just different choices, perhaps, in interpretation.)

Tim Drake is a perfect example. Yes, he figured out Bruce’s secret identity and yes he became Robin and yes things happened in his past that prompted him to move on from that role and become Red Robin. How long ago was that? What brought him from there to issue one of Teen Titans? I’d like to leave it vague enough that long time fans can take comfort in knowing a lot of the stories they loved still happened…and a lot of new readers (or fans who haven’t read the book in five or ten or twenty years) can sit down with issue one and feel they haven’t missed out on several decades of continuity with these characters and this world.

Similarly, Superboy comes to Teen Titans and his own series with a lot of his D.C.history in place. He still showed up shortly after the Death of Superman, he is still the clone of Superman and Lex Luthor. How we reconcile his past with the opening issues of Teen Titans and Superboy? That, I’m afraid, has to remain vague for now (it is bad enough if someone in the audience shouts out the ending of the movie — imagine how much more depressing it would be if the writer shouted out the end of the movie four months before the movie was released!).

Are there changes and trims and tweaks — in some cases total re-imagining of characters? Yes. But, you’ll find, even with those characters, 95% per cent of them are totally recognizable. (Bart isn’t a serial killer sentenced to the present from the 30th Century. Cassie is still the daughter of archeologist Helena Sandsmark.)

Regarding tight continuity between the titles, absolutely. While it won’t be a sneeze in one book and a “God bless you” in the other, the actions in both books will impact on the other. I was originally asked to write another title besides Superboy, but when Eisner-nominated Jeff Lemire opted not to relaunch Conner again so shortly into his own run, I jumped at the chance to writer Superboy.

(My favorite comics have always been ones that felt like they were taking place in the same world with stakes for both books. Like if I’m reading Teen Titans with Superboy, and Superboy was trapped in the 30th Century for a year in his own book, I would have to make a choice which story is “real”… and I always hate that.)

We seem to have a relatively diverse cast – 7 people, three women, three from ethnic minorities. Is this kind of mix important to you and what kind of stories does it suggest?

I’ll say this: if the comic industry never created another young white male super hero, we’d be okay. Not that I have anything against them, but I don’t think the over abundance of them reflect the world we live in.

So yes, the three characters who are not the Core Four are “diverse” — even the villain in the second issue is Samoan, and the forth member of the Outlaws is a young black man.

What kind of stories does that suggest? It almost sounds like a trick question, LOL. I think it suggests stories that take place in a “real world” where not every president or pop star or neighbor is a young white male. But I don’t think there are inherently different types of stories that are told because there are black or Japanese or Mexican super heroes fight alongside Robin and Wondergirl.

Over the years I’ve shared in the creation of a handful of super heroes that have been “diverse”… Skin, Mondo, Cecilia Reyes, Synch, the unfortunately named Maggot, Noir over in Wildcats, Puck’s daughter, Centennial and M to name a few. Do I do it on purpose? Honestly, yes… because I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be to pick up a comic book and not see “yourself” reflected on the pages.

At Marvel I used to argue you can’t have a team sub-titled “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” and then have no people of color represented. “Really? Seven billion people on the planet and you can’t find one of them that isn’t white to put on a team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? On Earth. On all of earth?” One editor even told me “Vision is red!” Seriously.

Okay, so what’s the real hook do think is going to make people pick up this book, when we have 51 other issue ones from DC in the same month – including two of your own?

Now. It is all happening in the moment. We’re seeing a team — a new generation — of young men and women with abilities and powers coming together for the first time and trying to stay alive and even flourish in a very hostile world. I am almost hesitant to call them “super heroes” at this point in the series, because I think that is a role you grow in over time based on your experiences and the choices you make.

Honestly, how many sixteen year-olds know what they want to do with their lives? How many change their minds along the way?

I think Tim Drake is a fascinating character because unlike Dick or Jason or Damien, he’s never seen himself on a career trajectory to someday grow up to be Batman. So if he’s Red Robin until he’s twenty and decides to go to college and become a heart surgeon, would that be so crazy? The world can always use a good heart surgeon as much as they need another super hero.

Relax, Tim’s not going to quit the Titans to be a doctor! I’m just saying, these kids are young and they should be free to make any future choices based on their experiences — this notion that every young person who calls themselves a Teen Titan is destined to grow into a full-fledged super hero with membership in the Justice League or Outsiders some day? That idea should be put to bed right now, otherwise we’re just watching kids going through the motions on the road to Destiny instead of living their lives in the now.

So how much input did you have on the new designs for these characters?

Lots and lots! LOL! Brett said on another site that “the battles between me and Scott were epic!” And they were. We would go round and round about Red Robin, for example. Brett didn’t want to change him at all — and I wanted huge steam-punk wings that would allow him to get from place to place without being cradled in Wondergirl’s arms or riding Superboy piggyback. (I’m sorry, but Starfire cradling Robin in her arms while he’s shouting out orders to the team is one of those images you just never forget.)

I felt really strongly that Red Robin has to be different from Robin who has to be different from Nightwing and Red Hood and Batgirl and Huntress and everyone who puts on a mask and becomes part of the “Bat Family”. Tim has to be more than just another teen detective in an ever revolving domino mask — and part of the way to do that is for him to adapt to his environment. When he’s leaping from roof to roof with Batman, he can function like a Batman. But when he’s running around with guys that can topple buildings or speed around the city in ten seconds, he needs to adapt in ways that don’t make him a liable to the rest of the team.

Brett would write to me and say “Robin is named after Robin Hood, not the bird. No wings.” I would write back and say “Let’s just TRY the wings, see how they look.” He would write back “I sketched out some wings. They don’t work.” I’d say “Can I SEE the wings and we can DISCUSS the different looks?” and he’d write back and say “Fans don’t want to see Red Robin with wings. I know, I am a fan. They won’t accept him with wings.” LOL! This went ’round and ’round and ’round until he relented and showed me the wings and then we all got really excited because Red Robin looks so great with those wings! They say “Yeah, I’m a teen detective — but I’m smart enough to know what I need to kick your ass!” (Storywise, how he came by those wings in continuity and the other additions to his “utility belt”, is so exciting I want to blurt them out right here! And when you look at the character’s history, he grew up around a guy who had bat-mobile, a bat-copter, a bat-boat, a batcave, and the most expensive toys in the world. This notion that Red Robin wouldn’t similarly use today’s technology to help him in his own fight against crime flies in the face of everything we know about the character.)

Brett saw himself as a vanguard for what is traditionally the Teen Titans. But it was always a matter of philosophy. He felt we shouldn’t change the look that much…that Robin and Wondergirl and Kid Flash and etc were iconic. I had a totally different view:

Of all the teams in the D.C. Universe, none of them have been more about change than the Teen Titans. Dick Grayson is maybe the first character I can think of who “graduated” from being a sidekick into being his own superhero, lets start there. Donna Troy started out as a mod girl in essentially Wonder Woman underoos, into that red jumper, into losing the name Wondergirl completely, into being one of the most respected super heroines in DCU. Wally eventually became Flash. Speedy and Garth waded off to parts unknown (and even they came back as Red Arrow/Arsenal and Tempest at some point) with the second relaunch of Teen Titans, their seats replaced by a cyborg, an orange pin-up model in a purple armored bikini and a woman in big black cape (and you know, those three went on to become the superstars we know and love twenty years later).

Eventually entirely new people took over the roles of the Titans: Tim Drake became Robin, Cassie Sandsmark went from geeky tagalong to Wonder Woman to the hot kick ass in the T-shirt and fashion plate she is today, Bart, formerly Impulse, became Kid Flash, and Superboy joined the team — and even the notion of a Superboy went from the original younger Clark, to a clone in a leather jacket and maybe the worst hair cut in the industry, into the drop dead sexy T-shirt wearing beefcake we’ve come to know and love. And that’s not even counting the two dozen other characters who have come and gone over the years in all the incarnations of the Teen Titans.

To me, the most iconic part of the Titans, is that they change.

Source: Bleeding Cool

Fabian Nicieza on the end of Red Robin

Fabian has been a great creator, who took the time out to talk to fans on the DC Comics message boards. Today, he had this to say about the changes to DC Comics:

Now that the info is officially out from DC, I can say two things:

1) I am incredibly disappointed that my run on RED ROBIN is over. Tim Drake is one of my favorite characters in comics and getting to write him (again) was a real pleasure for me, as was working with artists as talented (and professional!) as Marcus and Ray each and every month. I've watched Marcus grow from a good artist to a GREAT artist and I can't wait for the chance to work with him again!
The editors I've worked with on the title, Mike, Janelle, Sean and now Rachel & Rickey, have been consistently supportive of everything I wanted to do and always smart about how to make things better.

I wish Tim well in the future. I know how excited Scott is to write Teen Titans and I expoect that'll be reflected in the new title. Besides, Scoot and I go way back and he knows that if I'm not happy with what he does with Tim, I'll fly out to L.A. on a moment's notice and kick his ass in. Which I can do while my hands are busy working on a Legion Lost script...

2) As for my new assignment, well, I was fully prepared to say, "No Thanks" to any offer DC made once they told me Red Robin was ending its run. Comics are just a very small part of a very large workload for me now (the kids sports-themed virtual world I've been working on for 3 years launches a free preview next week! TV commercials and everything! www.fungoplay.com --- check it out starting June 15th!).
I have to be emotionally engaged to whatever I write. Comics writing has to be a pleasure for me, not necessarily "commerce."
So, I was ready to say "no" and they said... Wildfire? Dawnstar? Timber Wolf? Trapped in the present? You tell us why....

So far this is the biggest disappointment of the whole affair, not only have they cancelled the best book and split the best creative team, but it looks like they are going to ignore all the good work that they did on the book as well.

DC's young super teams for September's reboot

Seven heroes from the 31st century have traveled back to the present day. Their mission: Save their future from total annihilation. When the future tech they brought with them fails, they find themselves trapped in a nightmarish world and an ultimate struggle to survive. LEGION LOST #1 will be written by Fabian Nicieza and illustrated by Pete Woods, fresh off an acclaimed run of Action Comics.

In the 31st century, the Legion of Superheroes is reeling from the loss of seven of their finest — and trying desperately to keep their youngest recruits alive against a series of terrible new threats. LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #1 will be written by fan-favorite Legion writer Paul Levitz and illustrated by Francis Portela.

The Next Generation of Justice

Tim Drake is forced to step out from behind his keyboard when an international organization seeks to capture or kill super-powered teenagers. As Red Robin, he must team up with the mysterious and belligerent powerhouse thief known as Wonder Girl and a hyperactive speedster calling himself Kid Flash in TEEN TITANS #1, by Scott Lobdell and artists Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund.
Promo art to the left, actual cover to the right.

Virgil Hawkins has been gifted with incredible electrical powers. Adopting the persona of Static, he faces super-powered street gangs, raging hormones, homework, and girls in STATIC SHOCK #1, co-written by John Rozum and Scott McDaniel, with McDaniel also illustrating along with Jonathan Glapion.

It’s up to the living avatars of war and peace to root out the hidden forces who look to plunge the country into a deadly civil war in HAWK AND DOVE #1. The exciting new series will be written by Sterling Gates and illustrated by legendary superstar comics artist Rob Liefeld.

Source: DC Comics Blog

Smallville replacement for WB

I'm joining the bandwagon in speculating on what could replace Smallville's 10 year reign. The difference is that I thought that Smallville left ALOT to be desired. Whilst there were glimpses of good things (President Lex, JSA, use of John William's score), you had to wade through alot of waffle and crap to get to them.

Anyway:

1- Hogwart's
How this isn't already a show, I have no idea. Seven seasons have already been laid out! There is loads of stuff in the books that fans have bemoaned were left out (for time & structure) and loads more stuff that could quite easily be fit in. Obviously you wouldn't be able to use the movie cast, but shift Potter & co to secondary characters and focus on the adventures of students from a different house; Ravenclaw perhaps? This would be a much better idea than the rumoured three subplot movies.
Quidditch, spells, mischief and romance. Surely the recipe for something magical?


2- Gotham Heights
The Graysons was a pre-Robin show that was announced and cancelled before pilot that would have starred Dick Grayson before he met Batman. Yeah, I know. Pointless, right?
What could work though is a High School show (think early Buffy or -yikes- Smallville) based upon Tim Drake. Why have a Robin series if Batman is around? Well, start the series at the beginning of Knightfall and Robin is forced to work by himself as Bruce Wayne takes time away to heal. The more independent Robin would have to sneak around his dad, lie to his friends and let himself get pushed around to be able to operate in a Gotham without Bruce Wayne. The show could feature Batman villians, the descent to madness of replacement Batman, Jean-Paul Valley and even Grayson as Nightwing.

3- Teen Titans
Can you see how we're moving here? Obvious things that really make you think 'Why haven't they done that?' Wanting to steer clear of Smallville and if the Bat-embargo hampers the above idea, why not head up a live action Titans with Wonder Girl, Beast Boy, Ravanger, Kid Flash and Blue Beetle? The cast can grow as needed and the roster can change as necessary. Pop them into a San Francisco high school, make them parts of different cliques (which they have to maintain to protect their identities) and bang. Got a show.




4- Lara Croft, Tomb Raider
Apparently WB own the rights, so why not have a treasure of the week action adventure show? Take a tack from the new game and set lara's age around 19. The first season would look at her initial mistakes, how she learns from them and develop rivalries that become deadly as we approach the finale. Give her a crew to ship/jet her around and we immediately have a supporting cast and possibly a love interest (maybe a rival treasure hunter?).

If you have any more ideas, share them below.

Tony Daniel art preview from Batman 713

Right, try not to get too excited, but Tony Daniel just previewed this page on his blog.

That's right, both Batmen, Red Robin and Robin team-up!

Here is what he had to say (it's brief):

Cover for Batman 713.



Working on my next story. Can't reveal much, but at least I have some new art.

Batman Movie franchise after Nolan

If you've been following my twitter feed, then you know that after The Dark Knight Rises the Batman movie franchise will be rebooted. Produced by, yet seperate from, Chris Nolan.

The question is where to go?
In my opinion, another origin story would be redundant. Bring in Robin. Not Grayson, not Todd. Tim Drake.

Keep the stigma of Batman and Robin distant with a Robin that mainstream audiences aren't familiar with, but that still plays the familiar role (albeit with a modern edge).

In 2002/3, I began to write my own screenplay for a Batman movie which would feature the death of Jason Todd and how that affected the relationship between Bruce and Tim. I included Dick as an after thought and had made notes upon how to include him more fully in the next draft. I stopped writing it purely because Batman Begins was announced, but now that we are in a Batfilm-void situation again (or soon will be) should I have a bash at rewriting?

The first two-thirds of the very rough first draft can be read on the Writing Showcase page or downloaded directly here.

Let me know what you think, shall I give it a rewrite and send off a sample?

Red Robin strikes out

Newsarama seem to have a jones for Tim Drake at the moment. Here is a great interview with Red Robin writer Fabian Nicieza interspersed with the preview for Red Robin #21.

Newsarama: Fabian, now that Batman Inc. has been established and fans are beginning to understand the role of each of the Batman characters, how would you describe Red Robin's mission?

Fabian Nicieza: Red Robin's mission remains, what I would call, "synergistically independent" of Batman Inc. The goals of the characters in both books are similar and can overlap, but Tim had already begun doing — on his own level — the same things Bruce intends to do. I think we pretty clearly established the parameters for the characters in Red Robin #17. Bruce apprehends criminals on a worldwide basis using a network of operatives, Red Robin investigates international crime on a more covert, comprehensive level while his Neon Knights social organization tries to keep young people away from a life of crime before they begin.

Nrama: We're coming out of the Teen Titans crossover, and next month, the series will be part of another crossover, this time with Gotham City Sirens and Batman. Is this a case of you loving to collaborate with other writers? Or is there an effort in the Bat-office to make sure these characters are interacting with others in the DCU?

Nicieza: I think it's a combination of lots of things, including those you mention. The Titans crossover happened because both J.T. Krul, and I wanted to see Tim involved with the Titans characters again. The "Judgment on Gotham" story came about because David wanted to flow things he'd been doing in Azrael into a larger Gotham-based story, so it made sense, based on the approach to the story, that Tim could serve an interesting role in the proceedings.

Sometimes it comes from writers, sometimes from editors, sometimes from larger publishing initiatives.

Nrama: The Teen Titans crossover brought together Tim with Cassie and Conner, which was a great reunion for readers. But how do you think Tim has changed since the days when he first formed those friendships? What's the nature of the friendships now?

Nicieza: I think he's changed a bit in that he's gone through a lot of hard times and come out of it with a healthier perspective on the fragile nature of life and death for metahumans and humans, along with a slightly darker Machiavellian though-process about how crime can be prevented by understanding the patterns of behavior criminals take and then knowing how to control those patterns.

But how it affects Tim in Titans is honestly more J.T.'s province than mine!

Nrama: In March, you'll be finishing up the story of the Unternet and the Mad Men. What was the theme you were exploring with this story, and how does it play into what's coming up?

Nicieza: Blah blah blah the writer is going to talk about oh-so-important themes in his superhero comics. If I have to tell it to you then I didn't do a good enough job writing the story!
I will say, a lot of what I try to do with Tim is about him learning now so that he can become a world-class borderline dictatorial control freak when he's an adult. "The Rabbit Hole" storyline shows Tim learning that he can't control all aspects of free-form information flow and that even when he can. it's not always a good thing.


Nrama: What's the story behind Red Robin #22? And how does it speak to the core of Tim's character?

Nicieza: Oh, even though it's part of the larger "Judgment on Gotham" storyline, it's a great "self-contained" issue that I think shows Tim at his best, facing countless obstacles and managing to figure out how to overcome all of them, until the final obstacle he can't overcome to win the day is the stumbling block called: the truth.

Nrama: That all gears up the series for the "7 Days of Death" story in May. What type of story can we expect, and what will Tim be facing?

Nicieza: Red Robin goes on an international chase to figure out the depths of a worldwide Assassination Tournament, which is a lot deeper than Tim first thought, combined with being the object of that tournament when he becomes a target for assassination. Lots of twists and turns, some unexpected guest stars, an unexpected death and issue #24 contains the single best cliffhanger I've ever written.


Nrama: What's coming up for Red Robin this summer?

Nicieza: Well, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but in issue #26, I hope we'll finally have the confrontation between Red Robin and Captain Boomerang that I've been foreshadowing for a while, but it won't be like any confrontation you could expect.

Nrama: What does Marcus To bring to the Red Robin comic? How does he add to the tone we see each month?


Nicieza: He brings the sexy. Seriously, I mean, month in and month out, he keeps getting better. His storytelling has always been a tremendous strength for him, but now he is also improving his anatomy, figure drawing, facial drawing, shading, everything. Check out the details in #21 this week, the facial drawings, the background details, the panel compositions — all technical stuff that a writer really appreciates.
I've been so lucky writing Tim in that I've gotten to work with Freddie Williams II when we did Robin together — and having him draw issue #22 was a blast and a half — and now Marcus. Great guys who produce consistently strong monthly work, and believe me, that's not to be taken for granted in our industry!

Source: Newsarama

Why Tim Drake endures.

Newsarama have posted a great article on Tim Drake's continued popularity and touch on many areas that I have covered in my previous posts. Tim will always be my favourite Robin, probably because he is so cautious and was introduced to be a thoughtful detective that hangs out in the shadows to listen rather than burst through the door and start throwing punches.

"Tim Drake, the former Robin now wearing the mantle of "Red Robin," is a rarity.
Created in 1989, he's one of the few characters introduced during the Modern Age who are still popular with comic fans. In fact, he's among the most beloved heroes in the Batman universe, appearing in multiple titles each month, including the current crossover between Red Robin and Teen Titans.
"I think, given everything that's been done to him, he's exceeded all expectations," said Chris Yost, who launched the Red Robin title in 2009. "Tim Drake carried several Robin mini-series, his own title for well over 100 issues, [and] is currently in a Top 50 book 20 issues in."
But his introduction came at a time when the idea of a new Robin was far from being popular. In the '80s, original Robin Dick Grayson had "graduated" to an adult role, wearing the mantle Nightwing. Batman readers were given another Robin named Jason Todd, whose existence was markedly unpopular — so much so that readers voted to have him killed.
Marv Wolfman, the writer who created Tim Drake as Robin in the pages of Batman, said he thinks it was important that DC successfully restore the Robin legacy after Jason Todd's death. "Nothing was wrong with Jason except that the fans didn't take to him," Wolfman said. "He was a fine character, but during that time period in comics, the idea of a snotty, possibly criminal Robin could not be accepted. But look at Damian today. I had nothing to do with Jason so I could come in and create a Robin the readers of the time would like as a person."
Denny O'Neil, the Batman editor at the time, initially wanted to wait awhile before introducing a new Robin. "After we bumped off Jason, I thought eventually, we'd need a new Robin, but I thought we'd give it a year," he said. "But word came down from on high — I mean, higher than Jeanette [Kahn, then DC president] — no, we need a new Robin right away."
Yet O'Neil made sure the character was introduced slowly, something Fabian Nicieza, who currently writes Tim's character in Red Robin, noticed as a reader. "By developing the character slowly, making it obvious he would eventually become Robin, but not putting him into costume too quickly, fans got a chance to see the character's foundation," Nicieza said. "As a reader and rookie writer at the time, I remember thinking that Denny O'Neil's writing group was doing an excellent job of defining Tim's strong moral underpinning, and most importantly I think, the fact that he never became Robin for selfish reasons, he did it because he knew Batman needed it, and he knew how important Batman was."
O'Neil also had to face a new challenge, particularly after the death of teenager Jason Todd. Because stories were becoming more realistic, the editor felt like he had to come up with a reason why Batman would put another child in danger, something "they didn't think about in the early days, when they made the first Robin character," O'Neil said. "But we had to think about that, because of the realism we were using at the time in the industry. It was a different time. I even hired somebody to design a costume that would afford maximum protection, thinking it might be acceptable to put a child in harm's way if he was well protected. We used almost none of that design, but we did think about those things at the time."
To explain a child's presence in brutal battles, Tim Drake's character had to be developed in a way that made him an asset to Batman in the field, which the writers accomplished by making him a great detective and supportive presence for Batman. "We waited several months before we actually had Tim in danger," O'Neil said. "At first, he was the guy who did reconnaissance from across the street. This is not real life. This is fantasy melodrama, so eventually, the stories put him in danger. But we didn't want to be callous about it. And we wanted to establish that this child was more than just a kid that Batman decided to put in danger. Tim Drake was an asset."
O'Neil also wanted to eliminate the idea of Robin that was established in the old Batman television show, as a sidekick that said "golly!" a lot. And he credits Marv Wolfman with accomplishing a whole new level of intelligence and heroism in Tim Drake.
"Simply, with the end of Jason Todd, I was asked what I'd do to create a new Robin. My thoughts were that this Robin should want to be Robin and not Batman," Wolfman said. "That he have parents, to differentiate him from all other kid partners, and that he not only be a good athlete, but incredibly bright and intuitive. To accomplish some of that, I had him at the circus, as a very young child, when [original Robin] Dick [Grayson]'s parents were killed; I thought that would be something he'd never forget and would cement the memory of Dick's performance in his mind. The rest followed out of that."
Nicieza said the character seemed to be introduced as a likable character from the beginning. "Tim seemed specifically developed to counter the difficult creative position DC had been put in after what had happened with the 'marketing death' of Jason Todd," Nicieza said. "I imagine half the audience was happy with Jason's death and half weren't, so whatever you did with the next character to assume the mantle of Robin had to be smartly designed enough to keep your divided audience satisfied.
Wolfman decided to make the character very moral, and Chuck Dixon further developed that feature in subsequent comics featuring the character. "I think that he's good, bright, and though he figured out who Robin really was, he never said anything, [and that] meant he was honest," Wolfman said. "That he had a family and a background that fleshed him out before he became Robin helped. And that his ties were directly with Dick Grayson — being there for the death of his parents — gave him a heritage."
"I think that's a pretty hard foundation for fans not to embrace," Nicieza said. "They might not like his personality or the role of Robin in general, but you can't deny that it was hard not to respect Tim Drake."
Soon after his introduction, Tim Drake starred in several mini-series by Chuck Dixon that sold well and created industry buzz. "I think new readers were taken by Chuck Dixon's take on the character, which very smartly combined aspects of 'the making of a hero' arc with 'teen angst' that wasn't too dour, but gave Tim conflict in a fun way," Nicieza.
The character is also different from a lot of other heroes because he has faced a lot of adversity, but did so without becoming bitter or "dark," something that's a particular aspect of many other Batman characters.
Brad Meltzer, the best-selling novelist and comic book writer, was given the task of putting Tim Drake through a horrific experience in the mini-series Identity Crisis. "Full credit to [then Executive Editor] Dan DiDio, who knew that Tim's dad was about to be killed elsewhere, and said to me that if I could make it work with the plot, I could do it," Meltzer said. "And since Identity Crisis was about death in all forms — from death of family, to death of self — it worked perfectly for what we wanted. Plus, it was the kind of death that mattered — one that would impact the character forever."
Soon after losing his father, Tim also lost two of his best friends, Superboy Conner Kent and Kid Flash Bart Allen. Yet the impact of all the deaths was not a particularly negative one for the character, making him even more heroic and familiarly human for having experienced those things.
"He's embraced Batman's world, been put through hell, and come out the other side emotionally OK, in ways that Batman still isn't. He's still human in a way that Batman really kind of isn't," Yost said.
By the time Bruce Wayne was assumed dead, Tim Drake had evolved into one of the more respected heroes of the DCU. And with Bruce gone, his ascension from the title "Robin" was something most fans saw as fitting. "I have to believe that since Tim was in serious contention as someone who could take over for Bruce, seeing him evolve from Robin was inevitable. Tim still has lessons to learn, but they're different lessons now. Damien Wayne needed the role and lessons of Robin more," Yost said.
That's when Tim Drake began wearing the costume of Red Robin, a mantle that was first introduced in the DC mini-series Kingdom Come, which told of a future Robin-turned-Red Robin. So the costume and look were somewhat familiar to readers.
But what wasn't familiar was Tim Drake as an adult superhero, something writer Chris Yost had to establish. "Tim was in a horrible place when I got to him, having lost pretty much everyone he loved. Mom, Dad, Conner, Bart, Bruce... it was a rough patch. And Robin was always supposed to be the light in Batman's world," Yost said. "So honestly, I really wanted to bring the light back, to see Tim through the tunnel to the light at the end, and making sure it wasn't a train. I like that he can operate like Batman, be the detective, crack skulls, and still have a life. Still smile. He can be serious like Bruce, and enjoy it like Dick."
The other aspect of Tim Drake that has helped him endure is the role he filled in the Batman family as someone who thinks before he acts, mirroring his mentor Batman, but in a more caring and healthy way.
"I think he considers himself the spinal column of the Bat-family," Nicieza said. "His arrival brought Bruce back into the light, brought Dick back into the fold and in many ways, that status as a thematic lynchpin continues to this day, even now that he's on his own a lot more."
Now that Bruce Wayne has returned, it's unusual that the other players in the Batman family have not returned to their old roles, with Tim Drake continuing as Red Robin. Whether that lasts into the future is anybody's guess, although some fans have voiced a wish that he would someday become Batman.
"I hope he'll never be Batman," Yost said.
"Seriously, as a result of everything that's happened in the Bat-family the last few years," Nicieza said, "I'm kind of burned out to the whole on-going — never-ending it seems — conversation about 'who will this character become?' Will Dick go back to Nightwing? Will Tim become Batman? Or Nightwing? Will Bat-Mite become Sugar & Spike?
"How about if Tim is Red Robin?" Nicieza said.
For Meltzer, the most important thing for Tim's future is that he's handled with the same type of care he's experienced since his introduction 22 years ago. "I think the strength of Tim Drake has been the strength of the many writers and artists who treated him as Tim instead of just as Robin. That's why he endures," Meltzer said. "We all knew what Robin did. We now know what Tim would do as well. No small task.""

Source: Newsarama

Respect for Robin

If you are under 10, then you are already aware of what only a relative handful of your elders know: Robin can be really cool.

Kids love Robin for two reasons:

1- He is more relatable to them than Batman. They can find it easier to imagine themselves going on adventures with Batman than actually being him.

2- They aren't embarrassed about liking Robin. By the time teenagerism kicks in most people become so self-conscious that they would claim to dislike oxygen if the other kids at school thought it was lame. So how are they going to react when Robin is treated as a joke by sitcoms, magazines and the general public? Unfortunately this attitude sticks with them, probably until they have kids themselves.

Robin & me: a brief history
My first experience of Robin was Burt Ward in the 1960s Batman TV series. At three or four years old I was hooked on Batman and Robin. Every day at play group (nursery/pre school) my friend and I would play as Batman and Robin. This is one of my earliest memories - watching the show, playing the game, getting in a scuffle because some kid took the 'batmobile' from us.

I saw the Burton movies probably far too young (got turned away at the cinema for Returns, but saw it on VHS as soon as it was out).
I can still get upset when I think of how my little sister sat on and broke the leg off a Batman figure.
The Animated Series had me glued to the TV for half an hour each week. Here Robin is shown as a young college student who is smart and capable. The episode that highlights his origins was excellent (Robin's Reckoning).

I collected the Batman Returns action figures (including Tim Drake Robin!) and dipped into the Animated Series figures for the villians. My sister and I would spend hours making up stories with these figures, often with Robin as the hero, as an essential part of Batman's arsenal.

By this time I was living in the states (for a year) and would stand in the supermarkets and pharmacies reading comics (something that we never had in the UK stores) and Robin had his own comic! My prized possession book was the junior novelisation of Knightfall and the issue of TV Guide that had a Batman run down (must have been 55 year anniversary), including a whole page devoted to the three Robins (4 with Carrie Kelly).

We moved back to the UK and Batman Forever came out, again showing Robin. Even at 11 though, I knew that this version of Robin wasn't quite what I wanted, needed or expected.
Then, in 1997, came Batman & Robin. Following this farse I had a couple of years in which I didn't look for new Batman. I still watched the Burton movies, but that was it. Until 1999ish when I picked up Batman vs Predator III. Wow. This is what I'd been missing. Not a fully grown Chris O'Donnell, not a Holy-tights Burt Ward, not a child, but a competent, a strong, smart, independant teenager who was an apprentice to the Batman. This triggered my love of comics and I soon grew my collection. As I went to university and had my own income, this collection grew exponentially as I started buying the single issues each month as well as catching up on collected editions. Robin has also been featured on Teen Titans, The Batman and Young Justice TV shows and the awful video game Batman: Dark Tomorrow.

Where does the hate come from?
The problem is that for most people, my first experience of Robin is their only experience of Robin. As I grew and matured, I found other sources to feed my love of the characters, but most people have only ever seen the Adam West show and the (currently) 6 movies released since 1989 (of which Robin only featured in the worst two). Thus their view of Robin is somewhat skewed toward the camp and the buffoonish. The whole 'Robin is gay' joke that has been strung along in sitcoms like Friends, is one that has become cliche, but still damages public perception of the character. This of course stems from the 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent by American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham. Here he, essentially, suggests that all modern media is being created to warp children's mind and that violent and sexual themes have been hidden within the pages of comics and storybooks. He has created an idea that Batman & Robin are in a gay relationship and that Wonder Woman is a lesbian. His own pre-occupation with homosexuality in a time of repression aside, this is exactly the type of thinking that leads to claims of Marilyn Manson causing the Columbine shootings or Grand Theft Auto being responisble for car crime. Ill-informed, extremist scape-goating, yes, but damaging nonetheless.

More recently, I have been on message boards where people say that the love Batman, but hate Robin. How can you possibly hate a character that has been part of the mythos for nearly the entire publication history? Batman was first published in 1939. Robin was introduced in 1940. This is like saying you love Reggie Jeeves, but hate Bertie Wooster. You love Sherlock Holmes, but hate John Watson. To say that you find him uninteresting or irrating, fine, but hate? I think you might have only watched Burt Ward and Chris O'Donnell, little troll. Try reading some actual source material.
To use a very British comparison; to say that you hate Robin after only watching the '60s TV show or The Schumacher Batman movies is like saying you hate Miss Marple after only watching the new ITV series. You need to watch Joan Hickson or actually read some Christie to appreciate it.

Tim Drake
To my mind, Tim Drake has revolutionalised Robin. Don't get me wrong, in the 1970s and 80s Dick Grayson was doing alot of good things as Robin, but he didn't really flurish until he became Nightwing. Since 1989, when, at 13, he first revealed that he had deduced the identity of the batman, Tim Drake has grown as a character. He was never reckless like Jason, nor a dare-devil like Dick. Tim has been something else, rather than contrast Batman, Tim's Robin compliments him. He is happier to hold back and use the shadows to pick his moment, he is first and foremost a detective and we have seen that he doesn't mind getting his hands a little dirty to acheive his goals. Over the last few years, he has undergone personal tragedies that have forced him to become more serious about his chosen vocation. His evolution has taken him from a self-concious Peter Parker to a chess grandmaster crossed with Batman. Tim started out as the kid who played Dungeons and Dragons in his friend's basement and couldn't talk to a girl without going a bit funny. Now he is the teenager who struggles to maintain friendships because 110% of his time is dedicated to 'the job'. This is a character who has starred in his own ongoing series and mini-series for over 200 issues. Who has supported, not just in Batman and Detective Comics, but in Young Justice and Teen Titans as well as the whole host of Bat-books.

The Future
Now we have real opportunites in significant media to promote this 'new' style of Robin (that has been developing since the 1970s).

Arkham City and The Dark Knight Rises are coming out in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Both have rumours of a Robin inclusion. I doubt that we will see Robin feature in the main story for either of these, but as a side-line? Easily.

Could we see a turn from Robin in a co-op mulitplayer for Arkham City?

Just a glance at some of the websites devoted to videogames and you can tell thatthere is a buzz question. Will we see Robin? If there is co-op multiplayer for the Challenge Rooms, it seems obvious that Robin would be included, doesn't it?
UPDATE (21.06.2011): It has just been announced that Tim Drake's Robin and Red Robin costumes will be playable in Batman: Arkham City's Challenge Mode. He will have his own gadgets and combat moves. The first image is on the right. This is definitely a step in the right direction. Now everyone who plays Arkham City (and that'll be a lot) will know how cool Robin can be.

 

 

Could we have a visit to Haley's Circus to see the Flying Graysons as the epilogue to The Dark Knight Rises?
After all, Nolan apparently put the Joker card at the end of Batman Begins, simply as a way to raise excitement at the end of the movie and to hint that it really was just the beginning of his career as Batman. This was before he knew that he was going to make the sequel. He could very well do the same with the end of his swan song. As Bruce and Alfred settle down in the Batcave at the end of the movie the latter could hand an invitation to a charity bash at Haley's Circus starring the Flying Graysons to the former. What would get people more excited, what would symbolise the next step in the Batman's career more, than a hint at Robin?

Can we start getting some respect for Robin from the general public, will he stop being seen as a joke? I hope so, because, Goddamn, is some respect due his way.

Recommended reading:
Dick Grayson
Batman: Dark Victory, Batman: The Gauntlet, Robin: Year One

Tim Drake
Robin: A Hero Reborn, Robin: Flying Solo, Robin #116-120, Robin: Search for a Hero