Tim-21

Tim-21 is a child-model android who serves as the central figure of Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's critically acclaimed science fiction saga published by Image Comics. His first appearance in Descender #1 (March 2015) immediately captured the attention of readers and collectors alike, arriving in a universe where robots have been hunted to near extinction following a catastrophic attack by massive mechanical beings known as the Harvesters. Tim-21 awakens alone on a remote mining colony, unaware of the decade that has passed or the dangerous galaxy that now surrounds him — a galaxy where his very existence makes him a target.

What sets Tim-21 apart as a character is the emotional core Lemire builds around him. Despite being a machine, he radiates innocence and longing, searching for the boy he was programmed to serve and care for. His journey across the stars draws in a ragtag cast of allies, mercenaries, and enemies, and his mysterious connection to the Harvesters becomes one of the driving mysteries of the entire Descender run. Nguyen's watercolor-style artwork gives Tim-21 an expressive warmth that made him one of the most visually distinctive characters to emerge from Image's mid-2010s golden era of creator-owned comics.

The Descender series ran for 32 issues and was followed by the direct sequel series Ascender, which picks up years later in a world transformed by magic rather than technology. Tim-21 remains a pivotal presence across both chapters of the story, and collectors who followed the full arc were rewarded with one of the most complete and emotionally resonant creator-owned epics of the decade. The series was also optioned for film adaptation, adding an extra layer of long-term appeal to key issues.

For collectors, Descender #1 is the cornerstone book — a low print-run debut from a then-emerging Lemire-Nguyen collaboration that has only grown in reputation. First prints, variant covers, and the oversized hardcover collections are all worth tracking down. As creator-owned Image titles from this era continue to be reassessed by the back-issue market, Tim-21's debut issue stands as one of the most significant robot character introductions in modern comics.