New Code-Names for Kon El and Tim Drake

[lemonpeace]

Tim is only 16 now. Not sure about Kon.

I honestly don't buy that, that choice always felt more like Tynion regressing the character to fit his story taste because he was still supposed to be going off to college in that run. Regardless, Tim is still too old to be Robin especially when looking at all his development, he should've left the role a long time ago (and he did for a bit until they regressed him) but some people at DC and certain fans don't want to let him grow up because they're too stuck on the "good ol' days" when Tim was Robin. I don't care much for Tim Drake but I do recognize that it's more detrimental to the character if they keep trying to pretend it's still the 90s and that the role of Robin still fits him; it does the character and his development a disservice.

As for Conner, he's grown ass man with a wife and kids but hey I bet some writer at DC is gonna say he's like 17 because that's how old Superboy "should" be.

[MajorHoy]

I honestly don't buy that, that choice always felt more like Tynion regressing the character to fit his story taste because he was still supposed to be going off to college in that run. Regardless, Tim is still too old to be Robin especially when looking at all his development, he should've left the role a long time ago (and he did for a bit until they regressed him) but some people at DC and certain fans don't want to let him grow up because they're too stuck on the "good ol' days" when Tim was Robin.

Tim was de-aged (along with the rest of the Bat-family) for the New52, so around 16 isn't illogical. Going to college before one has turned 18 isn't all that unusual if a person is smart enough: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) is said to have done the same thing in current continuity.

As for Tim being "too old" to still be "Robin", that's a mater of perspective. Dick kept the Robin identity back when he went to college in the old (last century) continuity, and the old Earth-2/Golden Age Dick Grayson never gave up the identity when he was well beyond college graduation.

I do think current Tim is too old to be going back to being just plain "Robin", but only because he hasn't been identified by that code-name for quite a while now. He essentially let Damian take it over.

[Lee Stone]

I think Red Robin is good.
I liked the costume that reminded me of Dr. Mid-Nite.

Superboy could become Kon-El, Valor or Triumph.

[lemonpeace]

Tim was de-aged (along with the rest of the Bat-family) for the New52, so around 16 isn't illogical. Going to college before one has turned 18 isn't all that unusual if a person is smart enough: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) is said to have done the same thing in current continuity.

As for Tim being "too old" to still be "Robin", that's a mater of perspective. Dick kept the Robin identity back when he went to college in the old (last century) continuity, and the old Earth-2/Golden Age Dick Grayson never gave up the identity when he was well beyond college graduation.

I do think current Tim is too old to be going back to being just plain "Robin", but only because he hasn't been identified by that code-name for quite a while now. He essentially let Damian take it over.

I'm not saying it's impossible for him to be 16 and going off to college (fun fact that's actually the age my mother started college back in the day) but my point is when the New 52 started yes he was supposed to be around 16, and Damian was 11, but by Tynion's run the New 52 wasn't all that new and Damian had already aged up 2 whole years; Tim shouldn't still be 16. Especially when considering we had reached the rebirth era when they started rolling back changes from the New 52 and reestablishing a lot of things from pre-flashpoint. That's what I mean by regression, Tim was already moved on by being Red Robin so why try to make him roll back to Robin when people in his position like Dick and Jason have shown you can mature and grow and be your own man? In this day and age Tim shouldn't be written like a teen, he's a young man now at minimum and should be treated as such. He's not a boy wonder no more.

[Lee]

people in his position like Dick and Jason have shown you can mature and grow and be your own man?

Jason Todd called himself Red Hood and started wearing a Batman emblem.

In this day and age Tim shouldn't be written like a teen, he's a young man now at minimum and should be treated as such. He's not a boy wonder no more.

Nah. 18 year olds have more in common with 16 year olds than they do 25 year olds.

[godisawesome]

I think the resistance to turning Tim to 18+ comes from higher up than any single writer; most comic mathematicians realized Tim should have been 18 for quite a while by the time Red Robin came out, but Fabian Nicieza was apparently told he was still only 17 and he voiced some doubts he’d be allowed to have the 18th birthday issue he planned even before the Flashpoint.

Then the New 52 happened and Tim was deliberately de-aged and has remained in stasis there... even as other writers clearly wrote him as being older in personality.

I think it’s just the same policy that makes Dan Didio dislike guys like Wally and Dick: older sidekicks = older superheroes = not what Didio believes is a sustainable strategy.

[lemonpeace]

Jason Todd called himself Red Hood and started wearing a Batman emblem.



Nah. 18 year olds have more in common with 16 year olds than they do 25 year olds.

I'm not following your point on that first part but ok. Red Hood has been operating outside of Batman for how long now? 3 times his time as Robin? Bat on his chest or not (because it's not always there) he's done what Tim has failed to be allowed to do, progress pass Robin. If they treat Red Hood like Tim then after Under the Hood he would've been reformed and basically become a taller version of Damian Wayne's take on Robin.

An 18 definitely has more in common with a 20 year old that a 16, and definitely has more in common with a 25 year old if they are an alleged super detective who's been fighting crime for a sizable amount of their adolescence. He's not a teeny bopper anymore, people need to let that idea go or let that boy just retire because he's never gonna win being Damian's understudy for the role of "boy wonder". It's like, I can play with my action figures in my feety pajamas watching Blue Clues at noon on a Wednesday all I want but at a certain point (around puberty) it stops being cute and starts to look kinda funny or pathetic. Why? Because it's indicative of a lack of progress.

I mean y'all gonna have to get over it because Bendis has come and that the boy won't be Robin for long.

[Kon93]

SCION for kon. Have his friends and family call him Conner, his public name( regular folk on the street and associates not close friends) kon, and official superhero name SCION. He doesn't need to use SCION in every sentence, he can still go mostly by Conner and kon duh.

Tim either needs a cool bird name or something like NIGHT Watchmen as his name

[MajorHoy]

. . . Tim either needs a cool bird name or something like NIGHT Watchmen as his name

[lemonpeace]

That looks suspiciously similar to his Red Robin cowl. Fate?

[Lee]

I'm not following your point on that first part but ok.

Jason Todd isn't the best example of someone becoming their own man, since he took the Joker's old identity and later started wearing Batman's emblem.

An 18 definitely has more in common with a 20 year old that a 16, and definitely has more in common with a 25 year old if they are an alleged super detective who's been fighting crime for a sizable amount of their adolescence.

Do you have any 18 year old relatives or neighbours? It's not the threshold of maturity you're making it out to be.

[MajorHoy]

That looks suspiciously similar to his Red Robin cowl. Fate?

Probably coincidence.

The character was first used in a published story back in 1993.

[Masterff]

That looks suspiciously similar to his Red Robin cowl. Fate?

I have to say IT looks close to Batman, just without the ears..

[theoneandonly]

also brings space ghost to mind.

[Shamrock Holmes]

I think the resistance to turning Tim to 18+ comes from higher up than any single writer; most comic mathematicians realized Tim should have been 18 for quite a while by the time Red Robin came out, but Fabian Nicieza was apparently told he was still only 17 and he voiced some doubts he’d be allowed to have the 18th birthday issue he planned even before the Flashpoint.

Then the New 52 happened and Tim was deliberately de-aged and has remained in stasis there... even as other writers clearly wrote him as being older in personality.

I think it’s just the same policy that makes Dan Didio dislike guys like Wally and Dick: older sidekicks = older superheroes = not what Didio believes is a sustainable strategy.

Given that some of the most popular and iconic mini-series published since the original Crisis - particularly DKR and Kingdom Come - leverage an 'older generation', and that JSA as a popular standalone had only two "in their prime" heroes in their enduring roster - Mr Terrific (legacy) and Power Girl (legacy) - and at least the reason that one bought the books was for Jay, Alan and Ted, I've never been particularly convinced by that arguement (though I agree that the PTB seemto believe it).