Birds flyin' high you know how I feel
Is everybody done freaking out about the deletegate or baahletetions or whatever it is the cool kids are calling it? Sort of? Good enough. Don't get me wrong. All the fuss was massively entertaining and really drove home how much I love fandom and how much it's become a part of my life and daily routine (for better or worse). I mean really. It's not possible to read things like this Fandom/LJ BDSM porn or this Six Apart/LJ slash and not think that fandom is the bees knees is it? It can't be. We're far too amusing.
Lord and the outrage. The sweet, sweet outrage and indignation. The hundreds of HOW DARE YOU CALL US PERVS AND TALK SMACK ABOUT OUR PORN YOU SOUL SUCKING CENSORING FASCISTS! FIGHT THE POWER!! posts. I know we're an excitable bunch by nature but damn. Let's put some of that on the back burner and simmer down huh? Nobody's gonna be able to take the porn away from us.
And okay. I admit to having something of a panic attack at the thought of a mass exodus and losing track of people. Even thinking about it now is making me itch to hunt every single one of you down and beg you to hand over your email addresses just in case. But we're mostly done freaking out right? And everybody is back to porning and gleeing and fighting amongst themselves yeah? Please?
Man. Amusing isn't the half of it. I LOVE YOU FANDOM. Please never leave me ♥
Moving on. I promised isilweth way back when that I would scan all of the awesome Tim freakiness there is to be gleaned from the current One Year Later Teen Titans stuff since I can't honestly say that as a whole they're worth seeking out. But Tim. In his words-can't-convey-the-hotass new uniform (No joke. That shit will fill your mouth with drool and make your chair rock. Alright maybe it's just me, you blind losers who don't agree) being all Batish and heartbroken over Kon? NOT TO BE MISSED. You people (especially you SV people) who have no idea who Tim Drake is? I weep for you. Please see me if you would like help sorting out your current Tim-less humdrum life. I want to help.
Spoilers for TT issues #34-46.
So we open and it is you guessed it - one year after Infinite Crisis. Cyborg is just waking up from hypersleep or drive or whatever he was in. Apparently he got really badly torn up during the Crisis and has been out of action ever since. I don't remember what the hell happened to him so who knows. Anyways, they've fixed him up and we see some flashbacks to scenes that took place around him during his absence - a tender scene between Gar and Raven, a bunch of misc. Titans fighting, Gar saying goodbye - and bam! Cyborg's up and at em.
The first people he comes into contact with are Ravager (Remember her? Deathstroke's daughter Rose? The one who stabbed out her own eye out trying to be like pops?) and Kid Devil (aka Eddie this kid who looks like a demon and sidekicks for Blue Devil. Don't even ask who Blue Devil is. No idea).
Cyborg wigs out and starts attacking them because the last time he saw Ravager she was trying to kill the Titans. After a scuffle, things are set straight and why hello there good lookin'! Look who it is.
Hey, hey, hey um what's happenin'! (Just for you, Gill)
The first good look at the new uniform. Note the length of the cape - you can't tell in this picture but there is Batlike fringe at the bottom of it - the new mini Bats gauntlets, and the colors. KON'S COLORS. Yeah. You have drool in your mouth yet? You will. Just wait.
Tim fills Vic in on where the old team members all are - Kory is missing, Mia/Speedy is back with Green Arrow, Bart is sort of retired (he's since become the Flash), Raven quit -
and Kon. Kon died and left us all bereft and pining for him.
Before they get a chance to really cry, news comes in that something has been stolen from Star Labs. All 4 of them (Robin, Kid Devil, Cyborg, and Ravager) head out to take care of it. When they get there who should they meet but Cassie/Wonder Girl. She hugs Vic, Ravager and her bicker, and Tim tells her he needs her.
Aww poor Cassie. She must have built up a pretty thick shell because only someone with heavy armor could resist Tim in that uniform telling you he needs you.
She takes off in a huff, they head back to the tower, Tim assures that he's just fine and dandy thank you very much.
He's a Bat so it's a safe bet that he's pretty fucking far from okay and the next two pages confirm it.
Mmmm hmm. Building a secret high tech Robin lair underneath the tower and obsessively trying to re-clone your dead friend is one way to handle it. While it's tempting to let the GREATNESS of Tim trying to make his own Kon overshadow it, let's not forget what's there on the left side of that panel.
HE. MADE. A. KON. CASE.
Go ahead and keyboard smash. It'll feel good. FAJDLAKJLDAKJLDAKJFALKLDSJALJALFKJALKFJALFKJDALFJAKSLFJWLIAQEJRQKLWADFJASOFEI.
The more Batbooks you've read the more that will resonate for you so a little back story.
Once upon a time Batman fired his first Robin, Dick Grayson. Dick Grayson became Nightwing and Batman was lonely so he went out and found a new Robin. A punky, angry, little street Robin named Jason Todd. The fanboys missed their Dick and weren't too fond of Jason the usurper so DC came up with this plan - 'We'll have a vote! Let the readers decide whether Robin lives or dies!' they said. And behold the fanboys spoke and Robin #2 died a brutal death at the hands of the Joker. Poor Batman was distraught. He emo'ed around in the cave and built himself a case in the cave to remember Jason, his good soldier, by. Jason's case became the thing to remember about the Batcave. Sure there's the giant penny and the dinosaur, the computer, and the Batmobile. But what really matters is Jason's case. It has it's own presence, it makes an appearance in just about every Batman story ever since. One could even say it has personality. Young Tim here would certainly say so. In his early days, he was practically friends with it.
I'm getting ahead of myself. So, Batman was angry and grieving and he vowed to work alone from now on. Fortunately for him, there was another punk kid. A punk kid who worshiped the idea of Batman and Robin (especially Robin) more than anything. A punk kid with balls enough to actually stalk Batman and Robin enough to discover their secret - who they were beneath the masks. As if that wasn't gutsy enough, this same kid had it in him to tell Bruce flat out that 'Batman needs a Robin.' and that if it took him putting on the mask to get Batman and Robin together again, then that's what it took.
Why yes, TIM DRAKE IS SUPER RAD.
Naturally, because he came after Jason - The Case occupied a lot of Tim's thoughts. He would talk to it. Bruce would remind him of it. It was inescapable. Just a couple of looks -
Sound familiar? Tim's always fine and dandy. That's after hearing that his parents have been kidnapped overseas. Later that issue -
TIM, TIMMY, TIM. He really is something isn't he? His freakness isn't anything new.
Anyways, that was supposed to be a little backstory. The point is - TIM'S A FREAK and Bruce has done a real bang up job teaching Tim about loss.
Back to One Year Later. Next issue starts with Tim leaving his Robin lair in the wee hours of the morning only to find -
Rose in his bed! Trying to rub her naked self all over Tim and his uniform! Can anyone in their right mind blame her?! I DON'T THINK SO.
Sadly for her, Tim is gay and still in love with Kon besides. Notice that the picture by his bed is of him and Kon?! ♥
HANDFRIGGIN'CUFFS AND THE UNIFORM. IT'S SO VERY HARD TO TEAR MY EYES AWAY.
Handcuffs + those Bat gauntlets = Me open mouthed.
HANDCUFFS. NAKED RUBBING. BLUSHING. God damn but Tim has never looked this good before. It distracted me the first time I read it and it's distracting me now. I can't even figure out why they were interrupted.
Oh right, right. Cassie broke into the tower to I don't know what. Probably reconsider her response to Tim's need.
She fights with Rose, Rose snarks about how Cassie's new uniform is familiar. (Jeans and a t-shirt? Tim's not the only one who got a Kon makeover). Cassie, Tim, and Cyborg have a talk. Then they all head to New York where some villanious things are happening.
Blah blah fighting, Tim looks hot tied up, Eddie gets hurt, Rose freaks out -
Tim's neck is beautiful and necessary for you to see plot and importance be damned! Tim is such a pretty little go-go boy. Soooooo pretty.
The Doom Patrol and Gar show up to help. The gang flies off to Prague and the Doom Patrol's funky chateau headquarters. They find out that Brain and Mallah are the brains (heh) behind all the dastardly crap that's been interrupting Rose's Tim seduction and the rest of the soap opera drama. Brain is a brain in a jar and Mallah is a gorilla by the way. They are gay for each other and French. In other words, best villains ever.
Oh and this particular scheme has to do with cloning a new body for Brain so that Brain and Mallah can be together at last. No, I'm not reading too much subtext into that. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING. You'll see. Subtle parallel from Mr. Johns right?
Yada, yada, Tim detects that Doom Patrol Leader is up to no good. Kid Devil gets taken care of, he's going to be okay, Tim is nice to him. Rose and Cassie bicker some more.
Tim's crotch vibrates.
The fact that it was his phone doesn't diminish the beauty of it. See my icon and my out of control hard on for the OYL uniform.
They find Brain and Mallah's lair, Tim desperately wants to know how they are managing cloning so he can you know, bring Kon back and kiss him a lot and hold his hand. Like best friends.
Brain and Mallah pop up out of the shadows and Gasp! Brain has a body. They've succeeded.
Much fighting. Brain's new body starts to fall apart.
You see the lack of exaggeration? He wants Mallah to kiss him!!
Brain's body breaks apart completely so Mallah throws it off the Eiffel Tower (which is where the Titans ended up chasing them). Tim is upset that the cloning technology he was pinning all his hopes on didn't work. Mallah and Brain are still in love anyways. And will be forever. Tim should take notes. He and Kon can still love each other. Death is no stop to them! Ask Bruce and Jason.
They escape through the sewers and talk about Nietzsche. Technically that doesn't have to do with Tim but there's madness in love. Get it?
Ahh you can't go too far wrong with Brain and Mallah.
Also over in The Outsiders we got to see them sleeping in the same bed. It was classic.
Bunch of boring drama with the Doom Patrol. Titans go home. More flashbacks to things Cyborg recorded while he was out of it.
Things get interesting when Cassie goes to look for Tim. As in, she walks in on him having a complete meltdown.
I'm sure you can see how wretched and shattered poor Tim is and how mind blowingly slashy that kiss is all by yourself. It practically has a neon flashing TIM MISSES HIS BOYFRIEND sign.
Issue #38 is a lot of ugly art and crap I don't care about. There's some noise about a traitor in their midsts and something missing from Titan's Tower. To change things up, Rose and Cassie fight some more. Cassie tries to confront Tim about the kiss. Tim blows her off. 'It was a mistake.' The crap I don't care about has to do with Raven. They go to look for her.
Issue #39 is more boring crap. They meet Zatara the teenage boy version of Zatanna. They also meet Miss Martian. Tim is hot and his uniform is PORN. More fighting. Rose is openly accused of being a traitor.
Issue #40 is yet more boring crap with a couple of cool things thrown in. Buttloads of fighting about Rose and whether she's a traitor. Cassie catches a plane and it's awesome. They find Raven. She brings back Deathstroke's son, Jericho. (Remember him? He can take over people's body and they stored him on a computer disk back in a Kid's Game. I think it was a Kid's Game anyways) Ravager is not the traitor.
Issue #41 - damn there is no noteworthy Tim in this issue either. Fighting with whatevercakes people. Rose doesn't kill. She's really not the traitor. Jericho and Rose meet for the first time. Family reunion! Sort of. It's sweet. Diana makes a brief appearance. The art hurts my soul after all the HOTASS I've gotten used to on this book. They head back to Titan's Tower.
Issue #42 - Kid Devil backstory. It's enjoyable but no Tim so we'll skip it completely.
Issue #43 - finally more Tim.
Oops that's not Tim. That's DICKIE ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Isn't he the most beautiful ever?!
Back with the Robin we're supposed to be focusing on - Tim tries to talk Raven into bringing Kon back the way she brought Jericho back. She has fabulous glowing earrings. I want a pair.
They are interrupted by Bart's lameass clone, Inertia, and the rest of the Titans East - Match (Kon's evil clone) and Deathstroke included.
There's fighting. Match is for some reason exactly like Bizarro.
They really wasted potential with that. It would have been much more traumatizing and delicious to have Match act the way Match used to act and you know, actually resemble Kon. Oh well.
The second Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, is there to kick Tim's ass and tie him up. (Don't ask why she's a villian right now, it's fucking painful)
We see further evidence of Tim's freakshow. The Kon Case is no longer alone. He's added some.
Cases for his mom and dad and his girlfriend that died, Stephanie/Spoiler/the 4th Robin. You can't see it that well in the scan but HIS DAD'S SHIRT HAS BLOOD ON IT. Blood. Daaaamn, Tim.
Slade monologues, turns out Cassandra/Batgirl is being drugged and that's supposedly why she's gone all apeshit and murderous and left the Batfamily even though she was more loyal to the Bat than any of them, we get a closer look at Tim's cases.
Cassandra takes a break from being crazy to hit on Tim and we get an even better look at the cases. I'm a firm believer that this is one of the few times in the last year that Cassandra hasn't been out of character. NO ONE CAN RESIST TIM'S NEW UNIFORM.
Fighting, fighting, fighting. The cases get broken. It is tragic. Kid Devil is a regular kid for a minute. Then he's not. Tim thinks Bizarro!Match sounds exactly like Kon.
Which is hysterical. Me thinks someone is reaching a bit far. It's all going to be okay soon though because he is going to meet Jaime Reyes and the pain will be eased some.
Or maybe he'll go on a private cruise with Dick again. It did wonders for Bruce's mood. Maybe the second time is the charm for Tim.
More fighting and the rest isn't worth mentioning because any art that makes Dick look like this -
makes me sad and I'd like to forget it exists.
Bart also shows up to be a grouchy face and not Bartish. Bad dialogue. Punching. Titans East are defeated. Turns out Slade did all of that in order to unite the Titans and prod them into fully making Rose and Jericho a part of their family. I laugh and say uh huh.
And that's OYL TT. Coming up next - Sean McKeever and a good freaking issue? We can only hope. Keep your fingers crossed.
Any and all boring moments were worth it though for Tim and his cloning and his cases. I'll stand by that and I'd read 10 more mediocre issues if I could have more cloning adventures. IN A HEARTBEAT.
One last Tim thing and then I'm shutting up. Scary Bat/Tim hugs. I dare your Xmen to top that, isilweth. BATFAMILY WINS.
This post was brought to you by Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good' which glossing put on her Dick fanmix but which strikes me as 100% Timothy Drake. There's a powerful sad undercurrent there beneath the optimism. That's Tim for you.
Lord and the outrage. The sweet, sweet outrage and indignation. The hundreds of HOW DARE YOU CALL US PERVS AND TALK SMACK ABOUT OUR PORN YOU SOUL SUCKING CENSORING FASCISTS! FIGHT THE POWER!! posts. I know we're an excitable bunch by nature but damn. Let's put some of that on the back burner and simmer down huh? Nobody's gonna be able to take the porn away from us.
And okay. I admit to having something of a panic attack at the thought of a mass exodus and losing track of people. Even thinking about it now is making me itch to hunt every single one of you down and beg you to hand over your email addresses just in case. But we're mostly done freaking out right? And everybody is back to porning and gleeing and fighting amongst themselves yeah? Please?
Man. Amusing isn't the half of it. I LOVE YOU FANDOM. Please never leave me ♥
Moving on. I promised isilweth way back when that I would scan all of the awesome Tim freakiness there is to be gleaned from the current One Year Later Teen Titans stuff since I can't honestly say that as a whole they're worth seeking out. But Tim. In his words-can't-convey-the-hotass new uniform (No joke. That shit will fill your mouth with drool and make your chair rock. Alright maybe it's just me, you blind losers who don't agree) being all Batish and heartbroken over Kon? NOT TO BE MISSED. You people (especially you SV people) who have no idea who Tim Drake is? I weep for you. Please see me if you would like help sorting out your current Tim-less humdrum life. I want to help.
Spoilers for TT issues #34-46.
So we open and it is you guessed it - one year after Infinite Crisis. Cyborg is just waking up from hypersleep or drive or whatever he was in. Apparently he got really badly torn up during the Crisis and has been out of action ever since. I don't remember what the hell happened to him so who knows. Anyways, they've fixed him up and we see some flashbacks to scenes that took place around him during his absence - a tender scene between Gar and Raven, a bunch of misc. Titans fighting, Gar saying goodbye - and bam! Cyborg's up and at em.
The first people he comes into contact with are Ravager (Remember her? Deathstroke's daughter Rose? The one who stabbed out her own eye out trying to be like pops?) and Kid Devil (aka Eddie this kid who looks like a demon and sidekicks for Blue Devil. Don't even ask who Blue Devil is. No idea).
Cyborg wigs out and starts attacking them because the last time he saw Ravager she was trying to kill the Titans. After a scuffle, things are set straight and why hello there good lookin'! Look who it is.
Hey, hey, hey um what's happenin'! (Just for you, Gill)
The first good look at the new uniform. Note the length of the cape - you can't tell in this picture but there is Batlike fringe at the bottom of it - the new mini Bats gauntlets, and the colors. KON'S COLORS. Yeah. You have drool in your mouth yet? You will. Just wait.
Tim fills Vic in on where the old team members all are - Kory is missing, Mia/Speedy is back with Green Arrow, Bart is sort of retired (he's since become the Flash), Raven quit -
and Kon. Kon died and left us all bereft and pining for him.
Before they get a chance to really cry, news comes in that something has been stolen from Star Labs. All 4 of them (Robin, Kid Devil, Cyborg, and Ravager) head out to take care of it. When they get there who should they meet but Cassie/Wonder Girl. She hugs Vic, Ravager and her bicker, and Tim tells her he needs her.
Aww poor Cassie. She must have built up a pretty thick shell because only someone with heavy armor could resist Tim in that uniform telling you he needs you.
She takes off in a huff, they head back to the tower, Tim assures that he's just fine and dandy thank you very much.
He's a Bat so it's a safe bet that he's pretty fucking far from okay and the next two pages confirm it.
Mmmm hmm. Building a secret high tech Robin lair underneath the tower and obsessively trying to re-clone your dead friend is one way to handle it. While it's tempting to let the GREATNESS of Tim trying to make his own Kon overshadow it, let's not forget what's there on the left side of that panel.
HE. MADE. A. KON. CASE.
Go ahead and keyboard smash. It'll feel good. FAJDLAKJLDAKJLDAKJFALKLDSJALJALFKJALKFJALFKJDALFJAKSLFJWLIAQEJRQKLWADFJASOFEI.
The more Batbooks you've read the more that will resonate for you so a little back story.
Once upon a time Batman fired his first Robin, Dick Grayson. Dick Grayson became Nightwing and Batman was lonely so he went out and found a new Robin. A punky, angry, little street Robin named Jason Todd. The fanboys missed their Dick and weren't too fond of Jason the usurper so DC came up with this plan - 'We'll have a vote! Let the readers decide whether Robin lives or dies!' they said. And behold the fanboys spoke and Robin #2 died a brutal death at the hands of the Joker. Poor Batman was distraught. He emo'ed around in the cave and built himself a case in the cave to remember Jason, his good soldier, by. Jason's case became the thing to remember about the Batcave. Sure there's the giant penny and the dinosaur, the computer, and the Batmobile. But what really matters is Jason's case. It has it's own presence, it makes an appearance in just about every Batman story ever since. One could even say it has personality. Young Tim here would certainly say so. In his early days, he was practically friends with it.
I'm getting ahead of myself. So, Batman was angry and grieving and he vowed to work alone from now on. Fortunately for him, there was another punk kid. A punk kid who worshiped the idea of Batman and Robin (especially Robin) more than anything. A punk kid with balls enough to actually stalk Batman and Robin enough to discover their secret - who they were beneath the masks. As if that wasn't gutsy enough, this same kid had it in him to tell Bruce flat out that 'Batman needs a Robin.' and that if it took him putting on the mask to get Batman and Robin together again, then that's what it took.
Why yes, TIM DRAKE IS SUPER RAD.
Naturally, because he came after Jason - The Case occupied a lot of Tim's thoughts. He would talk to it. Bruce would remind him of it. It was inescapable. Just a couple of looks -
Sound familiar? Tim's always fine and dandy. That's after hearing that his parents have been kidnapped overseas. Later that issue -
TIM, TIMMY, TIM. He really is something isn't he? His freakness isn't anything new.
Anyways, that was supposed to be a little backstory. The point is - TIM'S A FREAK and Bruce has done a real bang up job teaching Tim about loss.
Back to One Year Later. Next issue starts with Tim leaving his Robin lair in the wee hours of the morning only to find -
Rose in his bed! Trying to rub her naked self all over Tim and his uniform! Can anyone in their right mind blame her?! I DON'T THINK SO.
Sadly for her, Tim is gay and still in love with Kon besides. Notice that the picture by his bed is of him and Kon?! ♥
HANDFRIGGIN'CUFFS AND THE UNIFORM. IT'S SO VERY HARD TO TEAR MY EYES AWAY.
Handcuffs + those Bat gauntlets = Me open mouthed.
HANDCUFFS. NAKED RUBBING. BLUSHING. God damn but Tim has never looked this good before. It distracted me the first time I read it and it's distracting me now. I can't even figure out why they were interrupted.
Oh right, right. Cassie broke into the tower to I don't know what. Probably reconsider her response to Tim's need.
She fights with Rose, Rose snarks about how Cassie's new uniform is familiar. (Jeans and a t-shirt? Tim's not the only one who got a Kon makeover). Cassie, Tim, and Cyborg have a talk. Then they all head to New York where some villanious things are happening.
Blah blah fighting, Tim looks hot tied up, Eddie gets hurt, Rose freaks out -
Tim's neck is beautiful and necessary for you to see plot and importance be damned! Tim is such a pretty little go-go boy. Soooooo pretty.
The Doom Patrol and Gar show up to help. The gang flies off to Prague and the Doom Patrol's funky chateau headquarters. They find out that Brain and Mallah are the brains (heh) behind all the dastardly crap that's been interrupting Rose's Tim seduction and the rest of the soap opera drama. Brain is a brain in a jar and Mallah is a gorilla by the way. They are gay for each other and French. In other words, best villains ever.
Oh and this particular scheme has to do with cloning a new body for Brain so that Brain and Mallah can be together at last. No, I'm not reading too much subtext into that. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING. You'll see. Subtle parallel from Mr. Johns right?
Yada, yada, Tim detects that Doom Patrol Leader is up to no good. Kid Devil gets taken care of, he's going to be okay, Tim is nice to him. Rose and Cassie bicker some more.
Tim's crotch vibrates.
The fact that it was his phone doesn't diminish the beauty of it. See my icon and my out of control hard on for the OYL uniform.
They find Brain and Mallah's lair, Tim desperately wants to know how they are managing cloning so he can you know, bring Kon back and kiss him a lot and hold his hand. Like best friends.
Brain and Mallah pop up out of the shadows and Gasp! Brain has a body. They've succeeded.
Much fighting. Brain's new body starts to fall apart.
You see the lack of exaggeration? He wants Mallah to kiss him!!
Brain's body breaks apart completely so Mallah throws it off the Eiffel Tower (which is where the Titans ended up chasing them). Tim is upset that the cloning technology he was pinning all his hopes on didn't work. Mallah and Brain are still in love anyways. And will be forever. Tim should take notes. He and Kon can still love each other. Death is no stop to them! Ask Bruce and Jason.
They escape through the sewers and talk about Nietzsche. Technically that doesn't have to do with Tim but there's madness in love. Get it?
Ahh you can't go too far wrong with Brain and Mallah.
Also over in The Outsiders we got to see them sleeping in the same bed. It was classic.
Bunch of boring drama with the Doom Patrol. Titans go home. More flashbacks to things Cyborg recorded while he was out of it.
Things get interesting when Cassie goes to look for Tim. As in, she walks in on him having a complete meltdown.
I'm sure you can see how wretched and shattered poor Tim is and how mind blowingly slashy that kiss is all by yourself. It practically has a neon flashing TIM MISSES HIS BOYFRIEND sign.
Issue #38 is a lot of ugly art and crap I don't care about. There's some noise about a traitor in their midsts and something missing from Titan's Tower. To change things up, Rose and Cassie fight some more. Cassie tries to confront Tim about the kiss. Tim blows her off. 'It was a mistake.' The crap I don't care about has to do with Raven. They go to look for her.
Issue #39 is more boring crap. They meet Zatara the teenage boy version of Zatanna. They also meet Miss Martian. Tim is hot and his uniform is PORN. More fighting. Rose is openly accused of being a traitor.
Issue #40 is yet more boring crap with a couple of cool things thrown in. Buttloads of fighting about Rose and whether she's a traitor. Cassie catches a plane and it's awesome. They find Raven. She brings back Deathstroke's son, Jericho. (Remember him? He can take over people's body and they stored him on a computer disk back in a Kid's Game. I think it was a Kid's Game anyways) Ravager is not the traitor.
Issue #41 - damn there is no noteworthy Tim in this issue either. Fighting with whatevercakes people. Rose doesn't kill. She's really not the traitor. Jericho and Rose meet for the first time. Family reunion! Sort of. It's sweet. Diana makes a brief appearance. The art hurts my soul after all the HOTASS I've gotten used to on this book. They head back to Titan's Tower.
Issue #42 - Kid Devil backstory. It's enjoyable but no Tim so we'll skip it completely.
Issue #43 - finally more Tim.
Oops that's not Tim. That's DICKIE ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Isn't he the most beautiful ever?!
Back with the Robin we're supposed to be focusing on - Tim tries to talk Raven into bringing Kon back the way she brought Jericho back. She has fabulous glowing earrings. I want a pair.
They are interrupted by Bart's lameass clone, Inertia, and the rest of the Titans East - Match (Kon's evil clone) and Deathstroke included.
There's fighting. Match is for some reason exactly like Bizarro.
They really wasted potential with that. It would have been much more traumatizing and delicious to have Match act the way Match used to act and you know, actually resemble Kon. Oh well.
The second Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, is there to kick Tim's ass and tie him up. (Don't ask why she's a villian right now, it's fucking painful)
We see further evidence of Tim's freakshow. The Kon Case is no longer alone. He's added some.
Cases for his mom and dad and his girlfriend that died, Stephanie/Spoiler/the 4th Robin. You can't see it that well in the scan but HIS DAD'S SHIRT HAS BLOOD ON IT. Blood. Daaaamn, Tim.
Slade monologues, turns out Cassandra/Batgirl is being drugged and that's supposedly why she's gone all apeshit and murderous and left the Batfamily even though she was more loyal to the Bat than any of them, we get a closer look at Tim's cases.
Cassandra takes a break from being crazy to hit on Tim and we get an even better look at the cases. I'm a firm believer that this is one of the few times in the last year that Cassandra hasn't been out of character. NO ONE CAN RESIST TIM'S NEW UNIFORM.
Fighting, fighting, fighting. The cases get broken. It is tragic. Kid Devil is a regular kid for a minute. Then he's not. Tim thinks Bizarro!Match sounds exactly like Kon.
Which is hysterical. Me thinks someone is reaching a bit far. It's all going to be okay soon though because he is going to meet Jaime Reyes and the pain will be eased some.
Or maybe he'll go on a private cruise with Dick again. It did wonders for Bruce's mood. Maybe the second time is the charm for Tim.
More fighting and the rest isn't worth mentioning because any art that makes Dick look like this -
makes me sad and I'd like to forget it exists.
Bart also shows up to be a grouchy face and not Bartish. Bad dialogue. Punching. Titans East are defeated. Turns out Slade did all of that in order to unite the Titans and prod them into fully making Rose and Jericho a part of their family. I laugh and say uh huh.
And that's OYL TT. Coming up next - Sean McKeever and a good freaking issue? We can only hope. Keep your fingers crossed.
Any and all boring moments were worth it though for Tim and his cloning and his cases. I'll stand by that and I'd read 10 more mediocre issues if I could have more cloning adventures. IN A HEARTBEAT.
One last Tim thing and then I'm shutting up. Scary Bat/Tim hugs. I dare your Xmen to top that, isilweth. BATFAMILY WINS.
This post was brought to you by Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good' which glossing put on her Dick fanmix but which strikes me as 100% Timothy Drake. There's a powerful sad undercurrent there beneath the optimism. That's Tim for you.