I own some of Tiny Titans and Mini Marvels in trade
I’m considering picking up Lil Gotham
I DO own all of the Power Pack reboot in trade
I’ve got Billy Batson and the Power of Shazam! on my shopping list.
I’m not opposed to owning cute, light and fluffy comics in trade. Heck, I’ll especially point to Power Pack for a moment, which was a successful tonally light reboot that only had shared premise with the 80s run, and they got about a dozen minis out of the reboot. I’m pretty sure there’s a small contingent of Power Pack fans who feel about the Gurihiru stories like I do WFA. It was very much an adaption for a new audience.
On the other hand: everything I’ve listed above was optimised for existing comics fans, either as ‘light and funny relief comics’ or specific kid-friendly adaptions for under 10s. WFA instead feels very much like outreach for a different market.
When I think about the WFA episodes that stick with me the most, they tend to be ones where I can either slip it straight into my mental map of comics storylines (baby Robin!Dick getting eaten by a flower could be a Silver Age comic), or they’re making interesting commentary on New Earth/Prime Earth storylines and I can footnote them myself.
Not just references. Commentary. And I think that’s where Lil Gotham feels more comfortable to me than WFA. Nguyen is adapting and riffing stories and characters he loves and knows well. WFA tends to feel like it’s adapting and riffing background default canon and fandom’s favourite talking points. It’s (here’s an OLD callback) Casstoons v Tiny Titans.
I smiled and laughed at Casstoons back in the day. I bought Tiny Titans.
Thanks for the info about Harley Quinn. I was like dude, they did NOT reverse Uno card us. (Or they read CassToons.) I mean l, they already had Dick just meet Damian, when canon is SO much funnier.
Hello?? That’s so weird I’m so glad I’m not watching the show honestly it seems very mean spirited/misinformed/disingenuous about what it’s “parodying”
(Cass and Steph are standing together, grumpy as heck.)
Cass: "It's stupid."
Steph: "I know. I mean-Gagh! (facepalms) No matter how hard we try, our fanbase is the most toxic, most unpleasable, most horrendous-"
(Morty walks in)
Morty: "I know how you feel."
(Rick walks in)
Rick: "Welcome to the club, kids."
(Rick points his arm in the direction to the disappointed group of people on the corner. The group is made of Pinkie Pie, OG She-Ra, OG He-Man, OG Lion-O, OG Michelangelo, Bumblebee, Goku and Naga the Serpent (representing anime/manga), Aang, Stan Marsh and Butters Stoch, TT '03 Robin, Old Man Luke Skywalker, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), She-hulk, Mario, Cloud Strife and Doomguy (representing video games). They are all shaking their heads).
"I have tits now!" Sounds like CassToons. Tim's a sexual deviant there. Funnily, he's one of the few people (along with Cass) who hasn't raped his brother at some point. (Supergirl did several hundred times in front of Cass tho.)
Tagged by this babey sheep @lelly-art and just making a separate post because of course I do. Aaand imma tag @plaguedcount @gdrawsthings @humaineimparfaite and @casstoon
1] What’s the last thing you did that made you feel proud of yourself?
Finally understanding some chemistry problems ú-ù
2] What was your last inner chuckle about?
Dark humor
3] What’s your favourite flower?
Orchids and hibiscus (but tbh I think all flowers look nice if in the right place)
4] A thing you accomplished today?
Christmas shopping 👌
5] What’s the most beautiful word in the English language?
Uhhhh I don't usually think about words on their own but "seldom" was the first that came to mind
6] Favourite way of dancing?
Waltz or ballet (I don't know how to dance tho but I like watching these two)
7] If a rogue managed to unlock access to the secret chamber of your home/lair/mansion, what would they find?
A lab and a bunch of weird oddities like a mutated chicken in a jar
8] What’d be your perfect sleep accommodation?
Lots of pillows and blankets with fairy lights hanging above the bed and candles around the room and my gf
9] Favourite fruit?
Watermelon WATERMELON WATERMELON WATE-
10] If you could grant one wish to another person, who would that be?
I'd probably end up making an intricate plan with my bestie to make sure we end up conquering the world
11] One thing you like about your physical appearance?
Idk i kinda like my body as a whole but if I gotta choose mmmm eyes
12] One personal trait you like having?
Loyalty
13] What happened the last time you got goose bumps?
Cold. I get cold easily lol
14] What’s a movie you feel deserves more love?
White God (don't recommend it if you can't watch animal abuse tho) and the guardians of ga'hoole or smt... the one with owls dammit it's nice af
15] What’s a song you need people to hear at least once?
Free by Mother Mother
16] If you were a dragon what would you horde?
Home decor
17] What Olympic sport would you love to excel at?
Gymnastics
18] What do you think is the worst kind of minor inconvenience?
Slow people
19] What’s your favourite natural phenomenon?
Thunderstorms baybey
20] Favourite childhood TV show?
I will die loving Scooby doo. I also loved that cartoon with robot monkeys SRMTHFG
21] Which televised stereotypical high school group would you belong to; jock, cheerleader, goth, band geek, nerd, punk, prep, other?
Okay, but Bruce and Dick meeting at 8, not allowed. De-ageing Bruce is the whole (Flash)point. BAWK! BAKAWWW! (Anyone who remembers CassToons will get this.)
Good One LMAO
Oronically it was Linkara’s Cassandra Cain Retrospective that point me to CassToons but what can you do :-/
(Cass and Steph follow in, they close the door, bolt it with wooden planks)
Cass:(looks at the three guys)"Okay, why do they want to-"
Voices outside: "SYNDER! TYNION! YOU HACKS! CREEPS! YOU MADE CASS A KILLER! WELL WE'LL-"
(The three guys are revealed to be Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and Joshua Williamson)
Scott Snyder: (sighs, talks to both Cass and Steph) "It was yet another comic reboot so we wrote you another origin story-"
James Tynion: "-yet we still kept the spirits of your original characters alive and well for new and old readers alike-"
Joshua Williamson: "-but these guys? They accuse us of "destroying you even more" and with every new story, we're quote-on-quote "sodomizing your corpses."
Cass and Steph:(wincing)"EEEEYISSHHH!"
Joshua Williamson: "And now-"
Voices Outside: "WILLIAMSON! YOU STOLE CASS' TOURNAMENT ARC! GAVE IT TO DAMIAN! SPAT IN OUR FACES! WE'LL KILL YOU! RIP YOU LIMB FROM-"
Steph: "Ugh! These delusional jerks! They think all these authors have "secret agenda," that all companies work "the Image Comics way," that The Big Two have been infiltrated by "fascism apologists" who insert pro-Nazi messages everywhere!"
Cass: "WHAT.IDIOTS. Glad we got Marguerite Bennett and Vita Ayala out of here. Sure, they knew very little about me but they did their best."
(Forces bang hard against the door. Cass, Steph Snyder, Tynion and Williamson push back against the door.)
(Rick and Morty join in to help)
Morty: "Oh Cass, sure wish more fans shared your attitude."
Rick: "Yeah! *BURP* (shouts at the fans) KEEP DOING THIS AND YOU'LL MAKE OUR FANS LOOK LIKE SAINTS!"