Tim Drake is an example of a legacy character that works beautifully. The third character to take up the mantle of Robin (fourth if you count the out-of-continuity Dark Knight Returns), Tim was accepted by fans whereas his predecessor, Jason Todd, was killed by them (literally, they had the choice of calling one of two numbers to decide whether Jason would live or die). Superboy was a product of the Reign of the Supermen event in the early 90s that followed the Death of Superman. A teenage clone of Superman, Superboy was basically a smart-mouthed punk with a bad attitude in his early appearances, but slowly evolved over time. The two young heroes were paired up in the Young Justice series (alongside the Flashs sidekick, Impulse). Here, Superboy and Robin developed a great friendship that lasted throughout the entire series and then into the successive Teen Titans book. Following Superboys death during the Infinite Crisis event, Robin even altered his costume to be red and black, a nod to the colors used by his fallen friend. Both characters provided a bit of contrast to their mentors. Robin wasnt as stoic or as grim as Batman, but Superboy was completely different from Superman. Their interaction provided some great moments, such as Superboy wearing a bag over his head with taped-on bat-ears and speaking in an Adam West-esque manner to taunt Robin.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
