Before we get the Batman: Return of Bruce #1, we need to let you know about Fabian Nicieza talking to Newsarama on his upcoming run on Red Robin starting with issue 13.

Newsarama: This isn't your first experience with Tim Drake. He's been through a lot in the last year though; do you think all those changes are surface-level or has the character changed more fundamentally?

Fabian Nicieza: I think that Brad Meltzer’s Identity Crisis series started Tim on a direction towards very fundamental changes, which, by the nature of what he has been through, required growth, maturation and progress for the character. It was a road written by various writers across various titles, but I think the bigger picture is only now starting to become clearly defined.

When you run the litany of that Tim has gone through, it sounds more than a bit depressing, even by comic book soap opera standards! His father is killed by Captain Boomerang, followed by losing Kid Flash and Superboy, thinking his girlfriend Spoiler is dead, a year away from Gotham, his stepmother becoming a victim of Bludhaven’s destruction, Batman starting to go crazy, Batman dying, the Battle for the Cowl vs. Gatman and Tim’s unshaken belief Bruce Wayne was still alive when no one else would listen.

Now that one paragraph took place over the span of several years of publishing time, but in character-time it was a lot less. That’s quite a load to put on the shoulders of any teenager, even one as intelligent and capable as Tim Drake.

The last time I wrote him to close out the Robin series, Tim had to be in a much darker place than I prefer, but it was all part of a larger plan and the natural progression readers have gotten to enjoy in the first year of Red Robin under Chris Yost’s keyboard. Now, I’m very happy to be resuming the writing responsibilities with Tim in a better place and moving him forward into young adulthood.

Nrama: What differentiates Tim from any of the rest of the bat-family? How does he stand out from the pack?

Nicieza: First and foremost, Lucas, I think it’s his intelligence. He is “the smart one” of the Bat-family, the thinker and planner. I mean, of course Bruce Wayne/Batman is what he is, and Tim isn’t quite there yet, but Tim at 17 has a more developed intellect than Bruce at 17 did. That’s not to say Dick Grayson or Barbara Gordon are dumb, of course they’re not, but Tim’s level of thinking is a bit... thicker... than theirs. For me, Dick is about superior reflexive thinking, Barbara about superior operational thinking and Tim is about superior comprehensive, or all-encompassing, thinking.

What I love about Tim is that he shares some of the strongest traits of various Bat-family members. The intellect and detective skills of Bruce, the ability to lead others and be a friend to others like Dick has and even the ability to make cold, harsh decisions like Jason does. I’m not sure Damian has “best traits” yet to emulate. I kid, I love Damian.

For the full interview click here...

(Source - Newsarama)