#say what you want about the writers and how steph is treated( the hypothetical you is right) but tim himself is so loved and understood in | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thattimdrakeguy · 2 years ago

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I don't want to lament Fitzmartin's poor writing too much, but literally the interview with her in today's issue makes it seem like she thinks Tim discovered Batman's identity because he was looking to be Robin??

(Not to mention she seems to have those mainstream fandom ideas with Tim stuck as a perpetual teenager)

I know it's a small detail, but after her writing full of inaccuracies and errors in YJ, I can't expect much of her writing on a character who doesn't even know his origin correctly.

Sorry I got very long-winded since I haven't been on Tumblr much for months now.

A.K.A. in my months away I still haven't found a way to be quick about my thoughts, because I keep overthinking things. Yipee, yipee. Howdy-Hi-Hi-Ho.

Oh she entirely doesn't really get Tim as a character. She doesn't even get Bernard as a character. Not even Steph who she shoved into Robin Eternal upon her own desire.

She shows some superficial knowledge on Tim, but I think she's quickly shown that she really doesn't know what she's even talking about. Which is scary for any fan, who has to see their fav subjected to that kind of writer.

People stuck on Tim being a teenager for so long also numb me. Because he was 17, yeah, I think you know this at least, reboot happened, everyone's deaged besides the younger characters who wouldnt even be involved if they were any younger. So he's younger. I don't think it's this complicated or that important that he's a teenager anyways. If anything I think he might be more boring, because he’d just be stuck redoing stuff Dick has done. If they even choose to give him a personal life that consists of anyone more than one or two people.

The whole age thing, it's an issue made up, just to complain about something. And people will keep echoing it because they don't have an opinion of their own, or they assume there's merit to it, when really I don't think there is.

There's a difference between 'I want this' and 'This is an actual issue with the writing'.

But anyways, when I read an interview, she essentially just kept going "OH HE'S THE SMARTEST ONE, HE FIGURED THIS OUT, AND HE'S A DETECTIVE AND blah blah blah."

Super super thin, stuff. Like a piece of computer paper would look thick in comparison. It is worrying to me that that's what she's chosen to say.

And don't misread why I'm saying this, I'm not wanting to be harsh or anything of course, I have nothing against Fitzmartin as a person, I do not know her as a person. I only know her as a writer, so I can only talk about how she comes across through her writing. And all I can do is talk about the vibes, also because I don't know her. I likely don't need to specify that, because most people get that, but you'd be surprised and all that.

But if that's why she think Tim Drake's great, ignoring the part where she doesn't know what Tim's origin was to begin with, by itself it just that focus on his intelligence already shows she does not honestly understand him as a character.

That's the same kind of stuff that a person who doesn't really know much about Tim, but has heard stuff would spew about Tim Drake.

People really overestimate how important Tim's brain is so badly in my opinion.

He's a freaking idiot at times.

I can't even think of any classic Tim stories (As in 90s. The main Red Robin story highlighted it, but I don't like Red Robin so meh meh meh and hehehehe) that involve his detective skills with such a highlight to them. His grounded nature, and insecurity, and strain with his personal life was the focus. He was still a great detective, there were still plenty of stories focused on it. But there aren't many were it's treated as his best characteristic.

I don't care about what Tim is good at compared to who Tim is as a person.

If you think someone's skills are their most important aspect, I am IMMEDIATLY worried about that hypothetical person's capability as a writer. That is so dry. So damn dry.

I'd rather read a comic that understands Tim as a character, that never has a detective story in it, than read a comic that just focuses on how smart they believe Tim to be.

I'd even rather read a comic that treats Tim as mostly incapable and needs help all the time, over Tim's personality being misrepresented, because of people just pasting their desires over top of him.

Much the same way I'd expect any fan of Jason to freak out if his latest hypothetical writer started going "OH HE'S SUCH A GOOD AIM. AND TALENT WITH WEAPONS. DOING STUFF THAT THE BAT'S DON'T DO", because that's such a narrow, superficial analysis of a character study, that I can hear the canned in studio audience laughter, because its so ridiculous.

My expectations for the Tim Robin solo are incredibly low. They instantly went super low when I saw panels from the added Sum of Our Parts epilogue. But it's only gotten smaller. Like an atom couldn't see my expectations, because it's so insanely tiny. Tinier than Tim is even, just to really remark on how small my expectations are, because you know that's serious.

It seems like Fitzmartin doesn't know Tim found out who Batman was when he was 9, by noticing details almost by happenstance that he even remembered the Flying Graysons at all, going off of how she worded it. And I add that last part, because maybe she was describing two different things and put it together awkwardly closely. Not to get into semantics and what not. It's simply that, that is possible.

And I presume she has no idea that the first crime mystery Tim tried to solve, he completely got the answer wrong and would've sent an innocent man to jail as well. Since she has such a focus on his intelligence and detective skills.

She also doesn't seem to know that he asked DICK TO BE ROBIN, which is incredibly important detail, because it really highlights the humbleness the original Tim has at his true heart.

In fairness she seems to try to be saying Tim has integrity, but without knowing the level of it, you can still easily get a total different character out of there.

You think Tim automatically tried to be Robin, whether when he found out, or after Jason died, and you automatically can get the character very wrong. It is a very important distinction for him and how he feels about himself and the role he eventually signed up for.

But also within Dark Crisis Young Justice, it appears she doesn't know Tim doesn't want to be Batman, except--some other time it seemed like she sort of knew? I don't know if it's weird writing or what. And overall just ugh anyways. Tim shouldn't be in contention to be Batman, simply because he doesn't want to be. I don't know why this is such a focus. Tim shouldn't be in that discussion.

It is very lazy drama.

The Bat-Family when written well aren't robots that are pre-programmed with this idea that oh they all must want to be Batman, because I certainly know Tim didn't want to be. Marv Wolfman has said that in several interviews I'm sure. At least one. These characters are supposed to be written like real people. That's how you get invested. It's hard to get invested in lazy, ham-fisted, forced drama, that doesn't happen anywhere organically.

I'd rather someone think Tim is an idiot and get the rest of his personality perfect. Because I think the second someone focuses on his brain, they always tend to get Tim wrong.

Hardly anyone that liked Tim back when he was an actually successful character liked him specifically because he was smart. I'm sure it was an aspect at times, but I'm almost positive for the majority of people that was hardly the main reason.

They liked him because he was a small-fry, underdog, that didn't always make the right decisions, but still got up by the seat of his tights and tried again. They liked that he was empathetic, and a genuinely good soul, and a freaking geek, that had some really socially awkward moments, with a good assortment of insecurity they could relate to.

Ignoring the times Dixon made Tim come off like a middle aged grump, because Dixon himself is a middle aged grump anyways.

Sum of Our Parts, I think was a fluke, just made good because she actually read some classic Tim comics before writing it. So it came out extra good. Because Robin Eternals, and the added epilogue made the year after the original release for Sum of Our Parts, as well as Dark Crisis Young Justice have all been super thin, kind of embarrassing reads. That read like something I'd see on AO3, but nothing that has many views or anything, because it isn't that good. But maybe like, some curiosity reads, y'know?

The constant focus she brings on "I NEED TO BREAK OUT ON MY OWN" with Tim I think also, is a very worrying sign.

Because it reads to me, that we shouldn't expect a Tim comic that actually represents Tim well as a character.

I want to read about a comic that uses Tim as himself, and finds interesting situations to put him in that elevate his character. Not stuff to make excuses to mold him into what ever they want.

That's why I can't read anymore Batman comics, because it seems to be all anyone ever does. I'm not attached to the character's names, I got attached to who they are. Being a somewhat funny moment isn't going to make me enjoy it, or if it's cute. If it's going to be funny or cute, I want it to be because the character would naturally do that. I don't want cheap, easily made garbage, made with very little imagination or creativity.

Seriously, I don't want to read a character that's going to be different writer from writer. I'd like to read a character that changes naturally, not just because some writer or editorial dunce at random decided "I'D RATHER THIS HAPPEN". Good writing doesn't come from that mindset, and it's lazy.

So often with Tim I think I hear a writer in some way, whether outright saying it, or implying it, with "OH TIM WANTS--" it's always just what they want to write or were told to write, nothing that I've actually seen come from something that's a natural continuation of anything. Like it's just something they or someone pulled out of their ass.

With Tim's new Robin series I think we should be more so expecting a comic where Fitzmartin is going to put her desires in it. The same way she shoved her message in Young Justice, when Young Justice wasn't the comic to put it in. Or have Tim, Steph, and Bernard all get along, in the most fan ficcy way, possibly possible.

If I hear about it being a surprise joy I'll dive into it, but at the moment, I'm not keen to read a series written by someone who has done nothing but show she has no idea what she's writing, and is more focused on the superficial trait of his brain that's she's painfully exaggerating already, and the fact she made him live on a boat.

She wrote Tim to have a coffee addiction.

And I've seen people complain "UGH WHY DO PEOPLE HATE THAT SO MUCH".

It's because it shows she doesn't give a single fuck about taking any care into writing him, if she's just going to steal fandom ideas that came from no where, and put them into her comics.

That's a painful sign of a crummy writer, doing stuff just because they might get a pleasant reaction from a section of the fan base. And again, it's super fucking lazy.

The same way Tom Taylor will constantly write stuff, that isn't even good, but he knows it'll get a sort of "YAAAY" reaction. It's corny it's lame, it's uncreative, and you're probably not going to get very good character writing, when most people read about a certain character to get that character.

Like I still don't fucking care Tim and Dick were on a train again. Yes, I remember they were on a train once in an issue, I actually loved that issue besides a few sentences, but they already used it for lazy, crummy fan service in one thing, I don't need it done again. I want new stories where they do something fun that feels like a them thing.

I'd rather see them eating chili dogs at a racecar event or something, to show that they hang out often doing something they'd do. That's the joy of seeing these characters come together. You want to see them do something new to make paying for some new worth it. Something that makes you like this character specifically or this pairing specifically, because it's such a them thing, not a random generic thing that may not even fit. Doing something so lazy makes me feel nothing. I'm not going to make myself act like I care about something because it referenced a thing I like. I'm not that desperate.

Basically in long-form writing, what I'm saying is, there are so many signs that Tim's first ongoing Robin solo in over 20 years is going to suck ass, and it is a major sadness, and pain in the ass, because I really love Tim, but he seems to never get a break. And I'm not going to force myself to like anything anymore, just because I hoped for something, when I'm not actually getting it. Though I don't remember the last time I've done that anyhow.

As much as I hated the 'Drake' thing, and the TimSteph crap in Bendis' Young Justice, Bendis still understood at least enough of the basics about Tim for me to be happy most of the time (Even if ultimately I wasn't because boy did that TimSteph and 'Drake' stuff suck tremendously). Bendis knew that he was a friendly, helpful kid, that had a positive mind-set, the way Wolfman intended. It was such a breath of fresh air after James Tynion IV seemingly had Tim confused with Ultimate Reed Richards in the way he approached writing him.

I'm sure Fitzmartin was probably saying "Killed our childhood" in some relation to something like that. But I really don't think asking for basic quality assurance is the same thing. Like I didn't even grow up with Tim to fucking begin with anyways. Like for fucks sake, that's such a strawman argument.

I just want some freaking quality once in a while. I haven't even read new comics in ages past two freaking issues of Batman 'cause quality is so hard to come by. Even Spider-Man currently sucks from what I hear.

Bendis was at least someone who understood how Tim would act MOST OF THE TIME, even if he'd slip in some awful awful flaws. Like what kind of language he'd used, what his actual relationship with Steph was like, and I'm still pretty sure he was forced into that 'Drake' stuff since he still had people call Tim Robin anyways, and even sometimes just making him the generic leader because he put far too many characters into one comic for a spell there.

I'm not here trying to act like Bendis was perfect, but I am trying to say, that things just don't seem to be getting any better for Tim.

I love that he's Robin again. I don't really care about the people that act like every Robin has to be the same about getting a new role, like they're robots that have that made-up rule programmed into them. I'm a thinking human being. I can come up with my own view on things. But past him being Robin again, which happened 2 years ago now I think, I can't think of many positive things about him lately.

Because if I have to read another comic that's trying really hard to pretend it knows what it's talking about with stuff that I love, I am going to hate it.

I don't think I ask for as much as some people act like. Like seriously, asking for a character to stop being treated like a piece of clay so they can be focused and themselves again isn't that much of an ask.

I don't give a shit if they get a few minor things wrong. I just want it to mostly be right. But for some reason it's really difficult to get even that.

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