Warning: Contains spoilers for Batman ’89: Echoes #4!The Keatonverse version of Robin Has just graduated to Nightwing Status, with an incredible costume made his debut. Helping Batman with his great escape from Arkham Asylum, Drake Winston is officially eligible for the help. Blending design elements from Batman’s iconic legacy characters from the past, the bold new costume solidifies Winston as a powerful hero to join Bruce Wayne as the saviors of this version of Gotham.
Featured first on Joe Quinones’ cover for Batman ’89: Echoes #4 – By Sam Hamm, Quinones, Leonardo Ito, and Carlos M. Mangoal – The upgraded costume maintains Robin’s established hood with a new hood and a sleek red and black suit. The interior of his cape also reveals vivid red wings, along with spiky fins on the arms to match. The costume officially debuts in the interior of this issue when Winston emerges on a rooftop.
The costume has aspects reminiscent of various versions of Robin and other Batman acolytes, but maintains enough originality to stand apart as a new look. This version of the psychic is ready to take on Gotham as its own hero.
Drake Winston officially levels up to Nightwing in Batman ’89
Main Cover by Joe Quinones
Drake Winston made his first official appearance in Batman ’89 #1 by Hamm and Quinones and has continuously proven itself since then as a worthy successor to Batman and one of the strongest new additions to the Keatonverse. Following Winston’s evolution from a masked vigilante to one of the best versions of Robin, Quinones has revealed designs that indicate thatDrake’s new costume signifies an official Nightwing debut. With the subtitle of the current comic series being EchoesThe new Nightwing could take over as the main hero of Gotham as a reflection of Batman as the series comes to a close.
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Created as a tribute to Marlon Wayans’ unfulfilled Keatonverse casting, Drake Winston quickly became one of the most important figures in the Burton sequel comics. The first Batman ’89 Miniseries saw Drake’s transition from a young man who worked as a name vigilante to an official Robin and friend of Batman, who was also gifted his Batcycle. As Drake officially ascends from Robin to Nightwing with a whole new costume, this version of the character takes his rightful place as Bruce Wayne’s official hero successor in Tim Burton’s Batman universe.
The Robin of the Keatonverse is a brilliant amalgamation of Nightwing and Batman Beyond
But Drake Winston is still standing
The look of this brand new version of Nightwing seems to be Inspired by characters like Nightwing and Batman BeyondWith the hood retained from Drake Winston’s original Robin costume. Drake Winston’s new suit resembles both Terry McGinnis’ Batman Beyond and Dick Grayson when, in the New 52, Nightwing has a red and black costume. Drake worked as an original amalgamation of many of the Batman legacy characters that came before him, with his first name being a reference to the original 1989 Robin, Tim Drake. As Batman’s heroics continue to echo in his universe, Drake’s possibilities as a hero are endless.
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The mantle of Nightwing has been used by a few characters other than Dick Grayson over the years in DC Comics and its Elseworlds. Drake is just the latest of many DC heroes to officially suit up as Nightwingincluding Batman Beyond’s Terry McGinnis and Bruce Wayne himself as his own legacy character. With respect to his published predecessors that came before him, Drake Winston was a perfect amalgamation of the Robins’ best qualities while still being a creative, brand new take on the character, and his Nightwing will continue to flourish as Batman ’89: Echoes comes to a close.
The New Robin-to-Nightwing transformation makes DC history
Marlon Wayans’ Batman character is finally getting the respect he deserves
The Batman ’89 Comics do a wonderful job of highlighting characters and casting choices that aren’t given their due in the movie franchise, and Drake Winston as a unique version of Robin based on the casting of Marlon Wayans is one of the best examples of this. Although Wayans was officially cast in and got paid for 1992’s Batman ReturnsHis version of the Boy Wonder was unfortunately shelved in pre-production. As one of the strongest characters in Batman ’89 And these Echoes Following up, leveling up to solo hero status, the multi-hyphenate comedian version of Nightwing is finally getting well-deserved recognition.
With Drake Winston finally leveling up and letting Bruce Wayne free from Arkham Asylum, the last two issues of Batman ’89: Echoes Will see even more Nightwing action. As Scarecrow, Harley Quinn, Catwoman and more villains run amok, Gotham will need all the help it can get as the latest incarnation of the Keatonverse story reaches its grand finale. When the Wayans-inspired version of Robin Officially becoming the world’s first Nightwing and flies through Gotham to battle Batman’s rogues gallery, the DC Multiverse adds an incredible new hero to its ranks.
Batman ’89: Echoes #4 is available now from DC Comics.