Quote Originally Posted by Fergus View Post
My mistake. You are right. While Dick did has solo adventures in the Golden Age [in star Spangled Comics] Like all GA titles at the time it featured other characters so not exactly a solo.

Tim was the first to get a solo and it ran for like 200 issues. That is impressive but again that doesn't make him the greatest Robin. it makes him the Robin to have the longest running solo Robin series.

Is ir a big deal in Universe? Don't recall characters marvelling at that or bringing it up much.

Point is Tim wasn't a brain so the story wasn't a showcase of his great intellect/detective skills. If that's what readers took away then they didn't get it.

All the Batson's repair and build their own tech

Nightwing built his vehicles and Jason builds his own tech.

During their Robin tenure? Damian did all that aside form the multiverse trek though he has saved brought Bruce back to live and saved timBat.

Robin Damian built a flying Bat mobile.
Hacked Tim Drake, The Bat Computer and lex Luthor at age 10.
He's even solved Black Case book files [cases that Bruce couldn't]

As for Tim being a viable seller. He was back when he was only option, Batman 89 exploded all things Batman related and the comics market was experiencing a ridicules boom.

A lot has changed since then. 2 new Bat boys were introduced, the comic boom is over and the readership has declined. There's also the easy and availability of numerous piracy sites.

The market trend has also changed with characters with some edge, flaws and cads seem to be getting more popular.

Tim's RR had decent sales I think, It had similar numbers to RSOB I think

YJ by Bendis didn't perform well despite heavy promo and featuring a beloved group of characters with established fan bases. [The core4 like Tim had great sales back in the 90's but that has changed significantly]

TT by Lobdell also had poor sales
Batman Beyond had low numbers
Robin Eternal like all FS titles went to 2nd Print however actual numbers was one of the Lowest selling Fs titles
Tim's Pride special debuted at #144, which is abysmal
Dc: YJ had very figures and TDR was an embarrassment beaten in sale by jace and punchline.

Tim's figures aren't what they used to be . It's not that he's never sold. It's that he hasn't in a while. A lot of characters thrived in the 90's. Everything thrived in the 90's [heck even Liefeld''s ridiculous ripoffs made so much bank back then]

DC keeps investing and his figs keeps declining.

FYI when Bruce was thought dead and Tim kept saying he was alive. That wasn't anything to do with detective skills . He said it was a gut feeling. He had no proof. lets stop doing this.
Dick in London with squire and Knight were the ones who got the proof that showed that Bruce was alive.
Tim found the symbol on the cave that proved his gut feeling. Started with a feeling, found evidence. No one else even bothered.

And Red Robin did sell well, but so did Lobdell's Teen Titan's actually. It was one of the longer lasting titles in the New 52 and its own spinoffs and events.

And Batman Beyond and Young Justice which each took Tim but changed him in ways the fans didn't like, so yeah no surprise that didn't sell.

So if you want to hang your hat on the fact that the last terrible series, which launched from a poorly received thinly veiled attempt to diversify the brand from a poor selling backup with even more terrible art somehow didn't manage to set the charts on fire then you're free to do so. I just think there's a little more to it than no one wanting to read Tim stories.