DC’s Absolute Batman #23 is out now: Dick Grayson ranks last, Tim Drake first

Absolute Batman #23 is out now, and DC’s darker Absolute Universe slips in a pretty wild Robin ranking: Dick Grayson lands at the bottom, while Tim Drake takes the top spot.

If you’ve always seen Dick Grayson as the definitive Robin, the one who grew into Nightwing and became one of DC’s most lasting heroes, that switch jumps off the page right away. Tim, on the other hand, gets crowned “the heart(throb) of the team” in the issue.

That ranking comes out of DC’s darker Absolute Universe, where familiar characters are getting remixed into stranger, harsher versions of themselves. Here, it shows up in a story where the Robins aren’t backing Batman. They’re fighting him.

In Absolute Batman #23, the Joker has manipulated a group of young people into a paramilitary force called the Robins, and this twisted version of the team even comes after Batman in oversized mechs, so the offbeat poll fits the issue’s whole tone.

And if you’ve followed Tim Drake over the years, seeing him come out on top carries a little extra weight. Tim was once a huge fan favorite and led a solo series for more than 180 issues in DC’s lineup, even if plenty of readers feel DC hasn’t used him well lately.

If you keep up with Batman books, Absolute Batman #23 is one to grab. The issue is written by Scott Snyder, with art by Nick Dragotta, and it’s available now from DC Comics in print and digitally.