Review: ‘Tim Drake: Robin’ #5 Finds An Archnemesis For Our Hero

Since this series launched, Tim Drake has been plagued by a villain that’s been three steps ahead of him. In Tim Drake: Robin #5, he comes face to face with him, and he’s endangering everything Robin holds dear.

Megan Fitzmartin, Riley Rossmo, Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, Lee Loughridge, and Josh Reed introduce the Moriarty to Tim’s Holmes, literally.

Tim is face to face with the villain calling himself Moriarty. Now he has mere minutes to save his neighbors and destroy Moriarty’s monsters before the creatures tear the marina apart. Can he save the day before Bernard is in danger as well?

Fitzmartin’s script is a lot of fun. It’s a superhero action story, and it’s written really well in that way. However, it’s also based in Tim outthinking the problems. Yes he’s fighting through the monsters, but he’s coming up with the most efficient and effective ways to fight them as he goes. 

The problem here is that Fitzmartin is creating yet another archnemesis for Tim. Tim has more solo comic appearances in the Bat-family than anyone other than maybe Catwoman, and he’s had numerous arch-enemies in that time. Moriarty is an interesting villain, but framing him as the ultimate counterpoint to Tim doesn’t ring true.

Rossmo and Ortiz share the art duties through the issues. The change works pretty well, with Ortiz taking over as the fight starts. He has a fantastic sense of energy, and he lays out the fight in such a way that it feels like Tim is truly jumping across the page. It looks great, but at several points we’re supposed to recognize him in disguises, including as Bernard. The art switch does that plot point a disservice, as it takes the dialogue pointing it out for us to recognize the disguise.

This continues to be a fantastic series, even with some bumps along the way. It’s an addition to the Bat family that I think we need, and I can’t help but love.

Tim Drake: Robin #5 is available now from DC Comics.