Five Robins unite in a new title to hunt down Batman's first, secret sidekick

Batman has had a Robin by his side pretty much non-stop since Dick Grayson debuted in 1940's Detective Comics #38, and now five of those sidekicks - the aforementioned Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, and Stephanie Brown - will come together in a new six-issue Robins limited series that will introduce a new villain who claims to be the original, forgotten Robin.

Over the decades, Batman has had several sidekicks take up the mantle of the second half of the Dynamic Duo, but it seems that Robins will shed some light on a hidden chapter from Batman's past that may change the entire history and legacy of Robin as we know it by introducing a character who may predate Dick Grayson in the role.

Written by Tim Seeley with art from Baldemar Rivas, Robins was initially included in DC's Round Robin project in which the publisher asked fans to vote via social media on a variety of possible projects, with the bracketed vote coming down to two separate concepts that fans then decided between.

Ultimately, Robins is the project that made the cut, though it wouldn't be particularly surprising for some of the other concepts to eventually see the light of day.

The introduction of a possible secret, original Robin who predates Dick Grayson isn't the only recent major development in the world of the Robins. In Batman: Urban Legends #6, Tim Drake - the third Robin - agrees to go on a date with his friend Bernard, opening Tim to questioning and exploring his sexuality beyond his previously shown romantic relationships with Stephanie Brown and other women.

Robins #1 is due out November 16. Stay tuned for DC's full November 2021 solicitations, coming later this month on Newsarama.

The five characters in Robins are only some of the best Robins of all time.

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)