SPOILER WARNING for Batman Secret Files: The Signal #1!
Tim Drake is widely considered to be the best Robin amongst DC fans and apparently Batman agrees. Though the Dark Knight has taken several sidekicks under his wing, none of his crime-fighting partners have taken to the role quite like Tim. Still, Bruce Wayne hasn’t given up on training young heroes, and he believes that the Signal could be one of his best Bat-Family recruits yet.
Robin is a name that’s belonged to several DC characters over the years, with Tim Drake being the third person to don the mantle. He took this role after the first Robin, Dick Grayson, moved on to become Nightwing, and the second Robin, Jason Todd, was killed by the Joker, only to return years later as Red Hood. Although the Caped Crusader was hesitant to let another child him in his adventures after Jason’s death, Tim proved himself a natural crime fighter, and Batman allowed him to the team. Overall, Tim’s intelligence was really what made him shine, with strong skills in detective work and computer science. This alongside months of training with Batman, Nightwing, and Alfred prepared him for almost any threat, and when he finally began his stint as the Boy Wonder, he made a name for himself. Eventually, Tim would leave the role, making way for Bruce Wayne’s son Damian to become Robin, but since then, Tim has retaken the name.
In Batman Secret Files: The Signal #1, by Tony Patrick, Christian Duce, and Luis Guerrero, Batman is working on training Duke Thomas as a hero. While preparing to go out on a solo daytime patrol, Duke has a flashback to a conversation he had with the Dark Knight at the beginning of this phase of his training. During their talk, Batman explains that the Signal represents the best of Gotham and describes how his former apprentices deviated from the bright future he sees for Duke. He says, “I failed Jason. Damian requires continuous supervision. Dick had to leave to find his own identity and city. But you? You represent Gotham’s best.” After this, Batman gives the Signal some material to study up on and runs over some general protocol before the flashback ends.
On top of showering Duke with some major praise, Bruce’s statement here makes it clear which Robin he thinks is the best. While he points out how Dick, Jason, and Damian all failed to follow the ideal path toward becoming a hero of Gotham, Batman has no criticisms to offer about Tim Drake. This may seem a bit unfair to the Dark Knight’s other protégés, but to be honest, there isn’t much to complain about when it comes to Tim. Not only does he have the skills needed to be a hero, but he’s also a team player and he’s always looking to make the world a better place.
Interestingly, Batman isn’t the only member of the Bat-Family who has trouble finding anything bad to say about Tim. In the recent Nightwing #80, Dick Grayson also discusses his successor, claiming that he understands why everyone seems to think of Tim as the best Robin. Despite all of the amazing qualities that Batman’s past sidekicks have shown, it seems like nobody can sur Tim Drake’s greatness, which means the Signal has a lot of work to do. Batman Secret Files: The Signal #1 from DC Comics is available now in stores and online.
