#azrael: death's dark knight | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tiredofsatansbullshit · 1 year

Text

Jason Todd Reading List

Pre-Crisis Robin

(this includes his origin, how he becomes Robin, and what happens to this version of Jason in the Pre-Crisis Timeline)

Batman #357-399 (1983-1986)

Detective Comics #524-567 (1983-1986)

Batman #400-403 (1986-1987)

Crisis on Infinite Earths #5, #9, #11-12 (1985-1986)

Post Crisis Robin

(includes his origin, how he becomes Robin and his death - i tried to have this chronologically according to when these events take place so that means the publishing order is a bit weird)

Nightwing #103-106 - Collected as Nightwing: Year One

Batman #402-403, #408-425, #430-431

Batman Annual #10-12

Tales of the Teen Titans #86-91

Legends

Detective Comics #575-578

Batman: Full Circle

Superman Annual #11 (1985)

Blue Devil #19 (1986)

New Teen Titans #18-31 (1986-1987)

Action Comics #556, #594

Batman: The Cult

Batman: A Death in the Family

Post Death Mentions

(includes any mentions, memories or appearances of Jason's "ghost" after his death. honestly, you don't need to read these to follow along for Jason's storyline but they show how those who cared about him dealt with his death.)

Batman #432-435, #496 (1987-1993)

Detective Comics #606, #609 (1989)

Underworld Unleashed #2 (1995)

Batman/Demon (1996)

Nightwing #10 (1997)

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #100 (1997)

Nightwing: Secret Files and Origins (1999)

Jokers Last Laugh (2001)

Joker: Last Laugh Secret Files and Origins (2001)

Deadman: Dead Again (2001)

Batman: Gotham Knights 16, #34, #43-45 (2001-2003)

JLA Avengers #2 (2003)

Batman: Gotham Country line (2005)

Detective Comics #790 (2004)

Batman #620-630 (2004)

Red Hood

Red Hood: The Lost Days - This is before Jason returns to Gotham as the Red Hood. It shows a bit of what he did after coming back to life

Hush/Batman #608-619 (2002-2003)

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Teen Titans V2 #29

Nightwing V2 #118-124 - collected in - Nightwing: Brothers in Blood

Outsiders V3 #44-46

Outsiders V3 Annual 1

Green Arrow V3 #69-72

Countdown to Final Crisis: Countdown to Final Crisis #51 (2007) Teen Titans #47 (2007) Countdown to Final Crisis #50-33 (2007) All New Atom #13-15 (2007) Countdown to Final Crisis #31-1 (2007-2008)

Battle for the Cowl: Robin #177, #182-183 (2008-2009) Azrael: Deaths Dark Knight #3 (2009) Batman: Battle for the Cowl (2009) Batman and Robin #3-6, #23-25 (2009-2011)

New 52 Red Hood

Batman #0

Secret Origins #5

Red Hood and The Outlaws V1 #1-14 (2011-2015)

DC Universe Presents #17 (2015)

Batman: Death of the Family: Batman #13-15 Red Hood and The Outlaws #15 Teen Titans #15 Batman #16 Red Hood and The Outlaws #16 Teen Titans #16 Batman #17

Red Hood and The Outlaws #17 (2013)

Batman and Robin #10-12, #17 (2012-2013)

Batman Inc (2012-2013)

Red Hood and The Outlaws #18 (2013)

Justice League #19 (2013)

Batman and Robin #20 (2013)

Supergirl #35 (2014)

Batman/Superman Annual 1 (2014)

Action Comics #34 (2014)

Action Comics Annual 3 (2014)

Batman and Robin #33-37 (2014-2015)

Red Hood and The Outlaws #19 (2013)

Red Hood and The Outlaws Annual 1 (2013)

Red Hood and The Outlaws #20-40 (2013-2015)

Batman Eternal #10-12,#15 ,#18-20 ,#25 ,#26 ,#28 (2014-2015)

Grayson #12 (2015)

Deathstroke V3 #15-16 (2014)

Batman/Superman #25-27 (2014)

Red Hood/Arsenal #1-6 (2015)

Batman and Robin Eternal (2015-2016)

Robin War: Robin War #1 (2015) Grayson #15 (2015) Detective Comics #47 (2015) Red Hood/Arsenal #7 (2015) We are Robin #7 (2015) Robin: Son of Batman #7 (2015) Robin War #6 (2016)

Red Hood/Arsenal #8-13 (2015-2016)

Rebirth Red Hood

(current continuity)

Red Hood and The Outlaws V2 #1-6

Batman #16

Nightwing #15 (2017)

Trinity Annual 1

Trinity #12-15 (2017) - This and Trinity Annual 1 is also known as Dark Destiny Arc

Red Hood and The Outlaws #7-18

Red Hood and The Outlaws Annual 1

Batman #33 (2017)

Detective Comics #967-968 (2017)

New Talent Showcase (2017)

Batman and The Signal #1, #3 (2018)

Batman: Prelude to the Wedding: Red Hood vs Anarky

Red Hood and The Outlaws #26-31

Red Hood and The Outlaws Annual 2

Teen Titans #22 (2018)

Teen Titans Annual 1 (2019)

Red Hood: Outlaw #31-36 - Continuing on from the Red Hood and The Outlaws comics but Jason is on his own now.

Red Hood: Outlaw Annual 3

Event Leviathan #2-3 (2019)

Harley Quinn: Villain of the Year (2019)

Red Hood: Outlaw #37-47

Batman: Alfred R.I.P #1 (2020)

Robin 80th Anniversary (2020)

Joker War: Nightwing #72 (2020) Red Hood: Outlaw #49 (2020) Batman #100 (2020)

Detective Comics #1030-1033 (2020)

Teen Titans #45 (2020)

Red Hood: Outlaw #50-52 (2020)

Batman: Urban Legends #1-6

Truth & Justice #10-12

Batman Secret Files: Clownhunter #1

Robin #5 (2021)

Nightwing Annual 1

Detective Comics #1041-1043, #1052, #1057

Task Force Z #1-12 (2021-2022)

The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #2-10 (2022-2023) - This is still ongoing, I will update when new issues that Jason appears in is published - in 6 and 7 Jason is only there for a few panels

Batman: Legends of Gotham (2023)

Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution (2023)

Batman 136 (2023)

Knight Terrors: Robin (2023)

Gotham War: ongoing

Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Prelude [2023] Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Battle lines[2023] Catwoman 57 [2023] Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Red Hood #1 [2023] Batman 138 [2023] Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War:Red Hood #2 [2023] Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Scorched Earth - releasing 31/10/23

Nightwing 107 [2023]

Future State

(I'll be honest, I don't understand Future State vs current continuity so I can't explain much for this but it's a possible future timeline I think. Jason is undercover as a cop in this btw)

Dark Detective

Future State: Gotham #1-18

Alternate Universes

(can chose what among these you want to read. none of this affects the current continuity)

Batwoman #6 (2017)

- In this comic, Batwoman travels to an alternate universe where we see a Jason Todd who was never taken in by Bruce Wayne and ends up becoming a priest

DC Universe Legacies #5,6

Batman The Brave and the bold #13 (2012)

Li’l Gotham #2, #10, #12, #17, #20, #21, #24 (2012-2013)

- This comic is adorable

Tiny Titans #23, #29, #33, #39, #45, #47 (2010-2012)

- This comic is also adorable

Convergence: Batman and Robin (2015)

Arkhamverse: (these tie in with the Batman: Arkham Knight video game)

Arkham Knight: Genesis

Batman: Arkham Knight - the game picks up right after the end of this comic

DC Comics’ Bombshells #46, #60, #62 (2015-2016)

Bombshells United #18-24 (2018)

The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade #1 (2016)

Injustice: (these tie in with the Injustice video games)

Injustice - Gods Among Us: Year Five #38 (2016)

Injustice 2 #2-3, #5-7, #13, #18-20, #46-49 (2017-2018)

Injustice Vs. The Masters Of The Universe (2018)

Beware the Batman #11 (2014)

Batman: White Knight #7 (2018)

Mother Panic: Gotham A.D #2-6 (2018)

Batman Beyond #25 (2018)

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #5-6 (2019)

Titans Giant #1-4 (2020)

DCEASED: Unkillables (2020)

DCEASED: Dead Planet #2-5 (2020)

Batman the Adventure Continues (2020)

Batman: Three Jokers #1-3 (2020)

Suicide Squad: Get Joker! #1-3 (2021)

Titans United (2021)

- This was to promote the Titans HBO show (even though it does not tie with the show)

DC's Round Robin - Robins (2021)

DC vs Vampires

Dark Knights of Steel: (Ongoing, I will update as they are posted. Medieval AU, the Robins are all younger and met each other before they met Bruce)

Dark Knights of Steel: Tales from the Three Kingdoms

Dark Knights of Steel #1

Batman vs Robin (2022)

- Some more honesty, I haven't got a clue as to what this fits in with so I can't help much with this but I do know that it will be 5 issues, finishing in 2023

Batman - Beyond The White Knight #1, #4-8 (2022) (ongoing)

Batman White Knight Presents: Red Hood #1-2 (2022)

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures (Ongoing series on Webtoon.)

Red Hood: Outlaws (Ongoing series on Webtoon)

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1, #4 (2023) - at the end we get to see an alternate universe where young Jason and Dick are brothers and first meet Bruce

Other Media

TV Shows

Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Season 2 Episode 19 - In this universe, Dick Grayson is the only Robin but in S2 E19, "Emperor Joker" features a scene in Bat-Mite's extra-dimensional museum where Bat-Mite has a statue depicting Jason's death. Bat-Mite then breaks the fourth wall and tells Batman that readers voted for Jason to die.

Young Justice - S2 E8, S2 E9, S2 E20, S4 E19 an image of Jason as Robin is seen with other memorials for heros. - Jason is also thought to be the Red Hooded Ninja who appears in S3 E6, S4 E5, S4 E8

Titans - Seasons 1 and 2 with a short cameo in season 3 of the HBO show

Movies

Batman: Under the Red Hood - Animated movie that changes the storyline of Jason's death, resurrection and return to Gotham

Batman: Death in the Family (2020) - This is an interactive film involving the events of Batman: Death in the Family comics.

Lego DC Batman: Family Matters (2019)

Video Games

Batman: Arkham Knight - Arkham Knight: Genesis and Batman: Arkham Knight comics are set before the events of this game.

Injustice: (these tie in with the Injustice comics listed above under Alternate Universes) Injustice: Gods Among us (mentioned) Injustice 2

Gotham Knights - The Batfamily (Dick, Barbara, Jason and Tim) protecting Gotham, as well as dealing with the death of Batman. This was very recently released and I haven't played it so I can't tell you much.

I just want to add the following: I cannot guarantee that this is 100% accurate or up to date. I will do my best to update when we get new Jason content. I have not had any help with this and got the information from multiple other sources. Because I've had no help, no one has proof checked this so there might be some errors.

If you notice any errors or know of anything I've missed please let me know and I will fix the error as soon as I can!

Last Updated: 25 October 2023

#jason todd #red hood #robin!jason #reading order #reading list #jason todd reading order #jason todd reading list #red hood reading order #red hood reading list #batfam #batfamily #comics #dc #batman #q's stuff

433 notes · View notes

batbunker · 6 hours

Text

Azrael Death’s Dark Knight #3

#dick grayson #talia al ghul #batman #dc comics #nightwing

28 notes · View notes

dailycass-cain · 1 year

Text

Cassandra Cain Reading Guide Part 1: General

So you want a reading list for Cassandra Cain? I'm gonna split this into various sections. So, if the urge increases of "I WANT TO READ MORE!" Then there are other tiers to help feed that great need.

And it all begins with this one.

Part II reading guide (Modern) you can find here.

Part III reading guide (Random) you can find here.

Part IV reading guide (Alternate versions) you can find here.

Part V reading guide (PAIN) you can find here.

The starting point is No Man's Land particularly these issues.

Batman #567 + Detective Comics #734 - Mark of Cain aka Cass's first appearance and her intro arc (Puckett/Scott/Peterson).

Legends of the Dark Knight #120 - First as Batgirl.

Batman #569 - first solo story

Azrael #56-57, #60-61

Gotham Knights #2

Batman Chronicles #18

Robin #73

There are more appearances of Cass in No Man's Land than these and the one above, but these are highlighted by her interactions with Jean-Paul Valley, Bruce, Tim, and Leslie Thompkins.

Batgirl Vol. 1 #1-11, #13-25

The first half of the Kelly Puckett/Damion Scott run. If you're wondering why #12 isn't mentioned, it's a crossover issue for Officer Down (basically Jim Gordon is shot, and the aftermath is him stepping down as Commish). It's totally up to you completist wise if you want to go into that story.

For key portions, #7 is Shiva/Cass meeting for the first time, #11 is a spotlight on David Cain, #18 & #20 are her first actual team-ups with Tim & Stephanie, Not her first meetings (she first met Tim in #120, and Stephanie in Robin #88).

During #24 we have another crossover, this event being Bruce Wayne: Murderer? This leads into the next crossover which hits in #27 & #29 Bruce Wayne: Fugitive. Bruce is the main suspect of a murder leading the Bat Family to investigate it. It is optional BUT--

The primary antagonist of the crossover has a critical role in Cassandra's life. So if you want-- Batman #605 (reveal of the antagonist of Bruce Wayne: Murderer?/Fugitive) Batman #606-607 (aftermath to the reveal) Cassandra only appears in #605 and has a two-panel cameo in #607.

Batgirl Vol. 1 #26-37

The second half of the Puckett/Scott run. Again, #27 & 29 are x-overs. #30-32 is an arc drawn by Scott but written by Chuck Dixon. #33-37 is the closeout of the run.

For issues going on while this run, there were four specials published that featured Cass.

DC First- Batgirl/Joker #1 (Cassandra fights the Joker.)

Batgirl Annual #1 (one linear story of Cass/Bruce on an adventure)

Batgirl: Secret Files & Origins #1.

Batgirl/Ghost: The Resurrection Machine #1-4.

It's up to you if you want to read the last one. It's Cass's only crossover comic, But yeah.. I’m not particularly fond of the story.

#38 features Stephanie exiting the supporting cast and features the first Batgirl issue by Andersen Gabrych.

Superboy #85 is where you need to read next. It has Cass teaming up with Conner Kent/Superboy. This issue helps leading into----

Batgirl Vol. 1 #39-57

Dylan Horrocks’ run.. #39-42 deals with Superboy and a villain called Black Wind (#39-40). Black Wind shows up again in #43-44 with Cass also tangling with an OLD Batman villain Dr. Death.

#45 is when Rich Leonardi arrives as artist for the comic. This is also the same issue Cass dons Babs' Batgirl costume. #46-49 continues the build-up of tension Cass has with Bruce (starting in #39) which leads to #50 Cass vs. Bruce! Horrocks/Leonardi's crown jewel of their run.

#51-52 Cass takes on Poison Ivy. #53 Stephanie returns to the comic as Robin. #54 sadly is when Barbara exits the title as a supporting character. #55-57 is War Games x-over resulting in Stephanie being killed off, and Barbara leaving Gotham, gutting Cassandra's supporting cast.

During this near the middle of this run, another maxi-series is published by DC that features Cass:

Justice League Elite #1-12

- Kasumi (Cass in disguise and spying for Batman). If you're looking for Cass tangling with threats beyond her usual street fare than by all means.

Nightwing #81

- features Cassandra's first encounter with Deathstroke the Terminator. A gorgeous choreographed fight by Devin Grayson and art by Rich Leonardi.

Detective Comics #790 - a War Games prelude with Cass helping Bruce on a mission while both reflecting on Stephanie Brown who is at a crossroads.

Robin #132

Batgirl #58

Robin #133

Batgirl #59

- the Fresh Blood story which features Cass teaming up with Tim both reeling from the fallout of War Games crossover event and their new status quos.

- #58 is the start of Andersen Gabrych's run on the comic.

- An epilogue to this story occurs in Batman Allies: Secrets & Origins #1 in a tale (written by Gabrych).

Batgirl Vol. 1 #58-73

#60-62 is Cassandra's new status quo. Ale Garza/Pop Mhan provide art for most of Gabrych's run (save one issue). These three issues have Cass tangle with the Brotherhood of Evil and a "ghostly" Stephanie continues to shows up too!

#63-64 is Cass having a rematch with Deathstroke who brings Ravager along for the ride. This is basically Gabrych tying up a subplot introduced in Teen Titans comics happening at the same time period (i.e. Rose posing as Cass), but you don't really need to read that to understand the why. So I’m not going to give the issue # to that.

#65-73 is the Destructions' Daughter arc. Everyone who has history with Cass shows up in this arc. Bruce, David Cain, Babs, Black Canary, a few villains of her past (Shrike and Alpha), and of course Lady Shiva in #68.

It's here Gabrych has to juggle a lot of tie-ins. Infinite Crisis was looming on the horizon and Cassandra was dealing with parts since the beginning of her run. #66, and #69-70 are considered the "lowest" points of the run and the Vol. 1 series.

#71-73 is when the action ramps up again with Gabrych having to speed his way to the ongoing's conclusion in #73.

I know I left out appearances (Supergirl, Batman/Superman, Harley Quinn, Young Justice, Birds of Prey, Robin, and Gotham Knights). Also a mini (Batman: City of Lights). But they're just sprinkles. Added goodies to the toppings that is this entire run. Okay, save the last one and maybe Batman/Superman... You will see them on other lists I have for Cass (mostly part 3 and 5).

DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1

- contains TWO stories centered on Cassandra. Along with this neat variant cover by Artgerm. "Sounds" literally feels like a story during or just after the Puckett/Scott run (#37) written by Mariko Tamaki and drawn by Marcus To.

"What's in the Box?" is the other story that features Cassandra written/drawn by Dustin Nguyen. Though shorter than the prior one it is still a gorgeously drawn story. Not mentioned, but alluded based on the art/timeline Cass is in her Black Bat attire. So you can place this story after Gates of Gotham in the old canon.

Batman: Urban Legends #7 (Hunter or Hunted...)

- The story/art by Guillaume Singelin provides a truly UNIQUE tale starring Cass. The action is top-notch, we're given probably the best fight sequence from start to finish involving the character in a LONG TIME. The story is a literal feast for the eyes.

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures Episodes 32-33 "All Seeing"

- The second major arc that focuses on Cass showcases the many qualities of the character on why there are so many passionate fans of hers. A good starter or introduction for new readers on the character.

All season 1 episodes of WFA are free and available here:

Episodes 90-91 "What I Want"

- The third major story arc focuses on Cass's comic origin while also giving us a team-up gone awry between her and Damian Wayne. Gives new readers a further understanding of Cass building upon Episodes 32-33.

Shadow of the Batgirl

- a Young Adults graphic novel written by Sarah Kuhn and drawn by Nicole Goux. Kuhn gives Cassandra a modern origin taking elements from Puckett and James Tynion IV/Scott Snyder’s Batman & Robin Eternal origin to give us something newly unique on it’s own.

A highly recommended story!

Batgirls #14

- The best issue of the Batgirls ongoing series. Artist Jonathan Case pulls off a masterclass of art, inking, and coloring in this special “silent” issue. There’s no need to read any prior issues. You can go in without reading the prior two arcs (Batgirls #9-12, 2022 Annual, and #13), but it adds to the payoff of this issue.

Yes, writers Michael Conrad and Becky Cloonan cheat in the format, but the way they sneak the dialogue in is absolutely perfect. After years of being denied the special format, Cass gets it and showcases WHY the character just works so well.

#reading guide #cassandra cain #dc comics

191 notes · View notes

edgelord-battle-bracket · 2 months

Text

THE OFFICIAL EDGELORD BATTLE BRACKET 2024!

The first round will be released in two parts, the first being the pairs on the left, and the second being those on the right. The polls will last one day. The polls will be released tomorrows!

Bracket pairs:

Part 1

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) vs Accelerator (A Certain Magical Index)

Specter Knight (Shovel Knight) vs Gladion (Pokemon)

Ayato Naoi (Angel Beats) vs Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Metal Sonic (Sonic) vs Guts (Berserk)

Matthew Patel (Scott Pilgrim) vs Zato-1 (Guilty Gear)

Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way (My Immotral) vs Bakugo (BNHA)

Ryunosuke Akutagawa (Bungo Stray Dogs) vs Shay Obsidian (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic) vs Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)

Part 2

Mapleshade (Warrior Cats) vs Death the Kid (Soul Eater)

Dark Pit (Kid Icarus) vs Error!Sans (Undertale AU)

Elric of Melnibone vs Scourge (Warrior Cats)

Robbie Valentino (Gravity Falls) vs Espio the Chameleon (Sonic)

Azrael (DC) vs Hamlet

Gerard Keay (TMA) vs Flowey (Undertale)

Trafalgar D Water Law (One Piece) vs Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars)

Fakir (Princess Tutu) vs Vintage (Splatoon)

#edgelordbattlebracket #edgelordbattlebracket2024 #announcements #sorry for taking so long!!!!

13 notes · View notes

mydarlingbat · 9 months

Text

I will surely give you a lovely list of comics the joker appeared in. Batman adventures continue #12 Batman the max. Arkham dreams #2 Batman confidential #11 batman ninja turtles 3 # 5 hitman #3 Batman The shadow #4 league of justice. Tales from the dark multiverse / the death of Superman #1 Batman #353 Batman #7 Batman #1 Batman adventures #16 the Batman strikes #9 Batman fun house of evil. Batman death by design. The batman who laughs #1 the Batman who laughs # 2 Batman secrets. Batman cacophony #3 legends of the dark Knight # 200 Batman legends of the dark Knight # 145 Batman Gotham Knights #73 Batman dredd / die laughing. The Joker mask. Batman Gotham adventures #31 detective comics annual #5 Batman vs the punisher. two face year one #2 Batman #544 Batman Arkham unhinged #29 #30 Batman unhinged # 28 Batman 1992 annual. Batman Arkham knight. Batman #649 Batman #719 batman Europe #2 legends of the dark Knight #195 catwoman #63 legends of the dark Knight #16 batman adventures #1 Batman adventures #3 Batman adventures #30 Batman 2016 48# batman the white knight #7 the spectre #51 batman annual #1 Joker switch. Wonder woman #165 #167 elseworlds finest. Batman Gotham after midnight #8 dc super friends. Batman / Harley and ivy #1 Batman #146 batman #37 the Joker last laugh #6 Batman legends of the dark Knight # 10 Batman last knight on earth. Batman legends of the dark Knight #50 batman Odyessy # 6 #2 injustice ground zero #6 Batman ego.Batman Europa 1#2#3#4 # Dc challenge #12. the Batman strikes #28. The heart of hush. The Joker 80th anniversary 100 page super. Mother panic Gotham ad. The last knight on earth. JLA Justice League of Arkham. Batman legends of the dark Knight #22. Batman rebirth #48. Joker advocate. Death of the family. Batman endgame. Batman confidential # 11. The man who laughs. Batman cacophony # 3. Batman #650. Batman the Prince charming #2. The Batman who laughs #4. Detective Comics #1008. Batman legends of the dark Knight #19 and 20. Batgirl #1. Catwoman #63. The Joker's apprentice. Killer smile. Batman zero year one #25 #23#22. Batman damned. Doomsday clock #6. Batman legends of the dark Knight # 105. Justice League annual issue #2 1988. Outsiders #3. Batman Arkham City #1. azrael #53. Batman the white Knight issue #1 detective comics #625. Detective Comics #729.

/ load of batjokes comics ;)

#batman x joker #batman and joker #comics #batjokes #batman #comic books #dc comics #the joker #batmm #dcedit #my edits #list

28 notes · View notes

lordsothofsithicus · 5 months

Text

A Serious Review of Knight of the Black Rose, Cont.

Strahd just will not cut his losses with Lord Soth. Despite Soth literally hacking his way out of Castle Ravenloft, killing Strahd's pet Red Dragon in truly epic fashion (the narrator makes a point of noting it's the most astonishingly badass thing Magda has ever seen) and before that taking a detour through Strahd's pantry to KILL ALL HIS FOOD Strahd just thinks he can keep yanking Lord Soth's chain. Dude, Strahd, even Azalin didn't stop to kill all your food on his way out the door.

So basically headed into the second half of the book we have an acknowledgement that Soth is really too powerful to be controlled and too dangerous to safely be handled. This is a guy who knows when he's being manipulated and he... doesn't like it. He's also growing increasingly frustrated with the futility of the whole thing; after the SECOND portal in Gundarak turns out to be a dud that takes him back to Barovia Soth goes on a murderous rampage. Which Azrael approves of.

Magda continues to grow in courage and bravery, until finallly she becomes brave enough to - just leave. Given how relentless he is, it's a given that Soth could catch her but instead he lets her go, and the narrator notes he's a little disappointed to lose her. I'm not sure if Lowder decided her competing narrative was too much to continue with or not, but I know she reappears and figures prominently in Spectre of the Black Rose. It's an interesting arc through it ends abruptly.

Azrael's not a deep character, but you can only do so much with a guy who considers killing people to be his greatest talent and whose response to the discovery that he has no soul is happiness because he gets to duck punishment for all the terrible, awful things he's done. He's quintessentially chaotic evil.

The creepiest scene in the book was Medraut Gundar playing Snakes and Ladders with people he'd Reduced as the playing pieces. That's messed up. Duke Gundar himself is an uninteresting character - another ho-hum vampire - which is probably why Gundarak was cycled out when the Ravenloft setting was revised via the Grand Conjunction.

So as we wrap up the plot, Strahd realizes he has only one thing left to lead Lord Soth around by, and that's Caradoc. Strahd might be powerful enough to destroy Soth in a fight but it's obvious he's not confident enough that he could pull it off to take the risk. So instead he plays his last card pretty cleverly, by revealing Caradoc to Lord Soth but promising to protect him, discerning pretty astutely that Caradoc will go neener neener neener at Soth from what he perceives as a position of safety. Which he does. Then Strahd kicks Caradoc out. And since Caradoc was one of the two things he wanted all along, Soth goes right after him, chasing him all the way into the Mists before he gets his hands on him.

How much must you hate a guy to actually physically strangle his GHOST to death? Because Lord Soth hates Caradoc that much plus one.

The ending of the book is the Dark Powers taunting Soth with an offer of salvation they know he'll never take - this is noted as Soth "Failing his Final Test" but really there are sinister overtones to the whole thing that make it pretty clear he was being set up to fail. The Dark Powers in Action I suppose. This segues into the formation of Sithicus, with Soth in power and Azrael as his hatchetman while he scours the domain looking for Magda and Kitiara.

Final thoughts: I need to read more of the Dragonlance novels to understand Soth's fascination with Kitiara, but it's not a focus of this book anyway. It's the least of his three motivations, those being "Return to Krynn", "Throttle Caramon" and "Possess Kitiara". It's easy to have sympathy for Soth, because juxtaposed to Strahd he's a straight-shooter and much less self-aggrandizing. But while he lacks bloodthirst, he's also a vicious, remorseless killer with an icy nasty streak. I think the reason Magda chooses to leave is because she comes to understand that he's a vicious killer and that the only way she's likely to survive his conflict with Strahd is to get out while she can.

Final thoughts: Knight of the Black Rose is one of the better Ravenloft books. It stands out as unique among them because the main protagonist matches or exceeds the power level of all the antagonists. Its flaws are that Lowder decides to excise the character he was using to ground the story and more clearly define the horror element of what was happening before the end of the book, and there are a few bumpy elements to the plot. Soth is shown to be powerful, dangerous but also understandable in his towering sins; Strahd is decadent, cunning, and knowledgeable. He ultimately rids himself of his Death Knight problem because he understands what will happen when something that evil with a will that strong walks into the Mists.

It makes me wish that somehow, Soth had met Azalin; I bet that would've been fun.

#ravenloft #lord soth #dragonlance #dungeons and dragons #darklordreviews #dnd #knight of the black rose #darklords

7 notes · View notes

siiinfully · 6 days

Text

continued from this with @thehavsofblvck

Azrael had not felt this riled up in a long time. The one person he had been avoiding in the city of Gotham had finally caught up to him: The Batman. The man they called the Dark Knight has sniffed out who was behind the sudden deaths of several high profile mob bosses and criminals in the city. The two had met face to face for the first time and it frustrated him greatly that he couldn’t escape his eye. Thank goodness for Harley, she was the only woman on the planet who could calm him down. She offered herself to him to help him relieve his stress. The demon pulled Harley over to a nearby alley and threw her against the wall, within moments having both their pants at their ankles and Azrael ravaging her from behind with his hand wrapped around her hair in a ponytail.

Aside from killing, this was what she was good at. Being fucked and used like an overgrown sex doll. Azrael’s sex doll, to be precise, because if anyone else tried touching her like this, then she would have slit their throat or bashed their brains in. But with her lover the one plowing her from behind, pushing her partially exposed body against the dirty wall, she took the fucking like a good girl.

Harley would have thanked Batsy if he was there because it was because of him that prompted Azrael to claim her like she was nothing more than a couple of holes to be used, to be filled and spread apart. The thick slicking noises that her cunt made each time he thrust in and out told her that she was dripping wet, and it was the frequent strike of his tip against her cervix that showed her just how badly he needed this sexual outlet. Harley pushed her ass back as much as she could – hard to since he kept pushing her back against the wall – to try and keep his cock lodged inside her for longer.

#harley quinn ( thread )#azraelblack #queue are my fantasy ( queued reply )

2 notes · View notes

bess3714 · 8 months

Text

At the end of the second issue of Azrael: Death's dark Knight, there's a page of Dick and Barbara, and Babs asks Dick if he wants the good news or the bad news first. Dick says "Always good first" and I think that's such a Dick Grayson thing to say. He wants to focus on the good, on hope, on better days. (Yes I am talking about Dick and hope again, I like recurring themes, okay?)

There's also this interesting thing Barbara says about herself

I don't know enough about Barbara's character to say if this is something, but I want to keep it somewhere for future reference

#dick grayson #barbara gordon #oracle #nightwing #battle for the cowl #azrael: death's dark knight #azrael: death's dark knight 2 #babble for the cowl #comic thought bubble #the pythia #dickey bird

11 notes · View notes

saint-of-ossaville · 3 months

Text

Oh we just remembered that the last thing Bruce said, at least on-page, to Jean-Paul and Azrael was no more deaths (see below cut), and then chronologically Arkham City: The Order of the World happens, and The System has Azrael go on this holy mission and…

— Arkham City: The Order of the World Vol 1 #2-3 (Jan-Feb 2022; 2021, DC Comics) by Dan Watters (W), Dani (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Aditya Bidikar (L).

(Under cut is Batman telling them no more killings, assuming that Azrael was the one to do them. Saying this again to avoid confusion: The below panels are prior to the above ones.)

— “Dark Knight of the Soul, Part One” of Batman: Urban Legends Vol 1 #8 (Dec 2021; 2021, DC Comics), reprinted in Sword of Azrael: Dark Knight of the Soul Vol 1 #1 (Aug 2022; 2022, DC Comics), by Dan Watters (W), Nikola Čižmešija (A), Ivan Plascenia (C), and Ariana Maher (L).

#comics #dc comics #dc #jean paul valley #azrael #bruce wayne #batman #batman: urban legends #batman: urban legends (2021)#sword of azrael: dark knight of the soul #sword of azrael: dark knight of the soul (2022)#arkham city: the order of the world #arkham city: the order of the world (2021)#dan watters #dani #nikola cizmesija

61 notes · View notes

asarlaiochtsystem · 1 year

Text

Branches of a Wreath (A Day In the Life of a System)

The body lays in the bed, sprawled out in the mangled manner it was accustomed to as a child. It’s always hotter in the body’s room than everywhere else in the domicile, always too dry and the body doesn’t intake enough water. The body awakes and now it is a girl, 18, normative.

Sara shook her head and grabbed her phone, flipping through the messages from her friends, letting them know that she was the one in front today. How did she know it was her? For Sara, the question was one that elicited anxiety and unease for she didn’t know the answer. She just sort of knew, something about it being her and her memories in this body. It was her likes, she had her own wants and problems compared to the others who shared the body. It was her beliefs, different from the others and realistically it was improbable that someone would fake seven different personalities with their own backgrounds, desires, likes, relationships and even involuntary reactions to stimuli. It was her, for better or worse.

Sara pulled up the document with all of the notes:

8 desires white hair dye

Ark Server needs updating: Talk to Jackie

Homework done, please edit writing

Azrael needs more feathers to fix wings

Elaine needs more glue for the latex ears

SWP Table at 2:00p

SWP table? Wait, when did we… oh gods damnit Ginevra! Sara pulled her hair back and stretched, “Just what I wanted today. If she wants to help the socialists so badly she can do so on her time.” She knew that was a ridiculous proposition: they shared the time. Morning rituals and purifications were complete, it was time for breakfast.

“Morning Mike.”

“Morning mom.”

That wasn’t her name. It wasn’t even the name of the body. The body hadn’t used that name since middle school. The body’s name was Vanessa and her name was Sara. It wasn’t her mother, Sara’s mom was probably long dead by this point. Old age and drugs do that to someone. This woman was the body’s mother. You’d think a mother would know the name of their child, alas the sins of modern suburbia are endless and constant. This body would always be a “baby boy”, “Son”, “brother”, the stain of a false masculinity (or perhaps a denied femininity).

Sara liked driving to school, it was 30 minutes of alone time where it was just her, the road and the radio. They all had their own playlists: Death Metal for Azrael, Dark Synth for 8s, Punk music for herself, etc. We don’t have many friends… or any. I’d settle with being seen as an effeminate gay man at this rate. I get it, I’ll never look like the punk-y queer I imagine myself to be, but at the very least I want people to just know I’m not straight. Sara sighed, her hands sliding down the side of the wheel, “Your tells are so obvious, shoulders too broad for a girl.” Laura Grace spoke to her in these songs, there were few pieces of media that appealed to her dysphoria in a way that provided a sort of comfort. It didn’t make her feel better, it didn’t make her sadder, it was just comfortable.

**********

Azrael was in the car at the church when she woke up. She didn’t remember driving, must’ve been someone else. First things first, throw on the jacket, wipe off that shitty white girl makeup, grab your cigarettes in the glove box. What class did they have today? She grabbed their phone and flips through their schedule: “Workshop #2” in big letters. Oh for fuck’s sake. It wasn’t that Azrael was against interacting or writing, it was just uncomfortable for her. It felt like a knight without armor or a snake without scales: she didn’t feel safe. Have you ever had that feeling where you wish you had a weapon, not because you were going to use it, but because you wanted to just have it on you? She was feeling it right now.

She kicked open the car door… well okay she didn’t kick it open, she pushed it open after opening it. The parking space dips over a bit, it’s hard to get up when you’re already 45 degrees inverted. When Azrael had finally made it to the front gates she heard someone come up behind her.

“Azrael, I know you didn’t pack your filth with you.”

She didn’t need to turn, she knew who it was, “Sara… bash our head into any walls again? Or were you weeping about how our daddy beat us as a child?” Azrael didn’t see her, but she felt the gritting of teeth, the redding in her face, the irish curse on her lips, “Relax, I’m just playing. Yeah I got my medicines, I’m not a fan of being in front for this sort of stuff”

“One, go hifreann leat. Two, SWP table today remember? Gotta get Gin out for that. Three, if you’re so nervous just don’t go,” Sara twirled her hair, some stupid thing she does to feel less dysphoric, “Besides, it’s just reading stories and responding, just following the patterns. Use our autism to our advantage.”

“You know,” Azrael began, “you don’t have to be so hard on yourself. Being a punk is overrated and just because mom and dad are shitty doesn’t mean you need to take it out on others. You’re not defined by their bigotry.”

Sara started to fade away, “Just,” she did that thing where she tries to say something, but wants to say it in such a way it doesn’t seem hypocritical, even though it is, “don’t worry about it.”

Azrael decided to not go to class, she spent the time instead smoking while she waited for… something. Loneliness, that’s the feeling that drives her up the wall. They didn’t have friends, not really. They walked to and fro, spent their time talking to themselves about nonsense, about what it meant to be a schizo like them.

“That’s rich coming from you. You spent all that time criticizing me about not defining myself by the bigotry of others, and here you are calling yourself a schizo,” Sara sat on the wall above Azrael, at least that’s how she imagined it.

“Why are you pestering me today? Don’t you have some racist ML to fuck or something?” Azrael took a drag, “Why can’t I deal with 8’s or Gin something?”

Footsteps, like actually real footsteps, not the ones she imagined when her sisters spoke, “Hey Vanessa!”

“Hey”, oh right, they didn’t tell anyone yet. What was this woman’s name again? Carol? Siobhan? Some Irish or Scottish name, the ones mothers give their children to make them seem mystical and mundane at the same time.

“You weren’t at class today,” the girl looked at the cigarette in Azrael’s hand, “I didn’t know you smoked.”

Right, people don’t really see her, “Only once in a blue moon, when my anxiety acts up bad,” Azrael could see she was upset, “It’s… herbal. Not like I’m chain smoking Marlboro reds.”

“Are those bad?”

“Reds? Yeah they’re like what soldiers and rockers smoke. They taste nasty.”

“And what about Herbals? Do they have nicotine in them?”

“Of course, but it’s not tobacco. It’s usually rose petals.” There was a pause after Azrael spoke.

“Can I ask you something?”

When people ask that, it’s always the kind of question that tends to offend people,“Sure?”

“Why do you always seem so far away from everyone?”

Azrael looked at her, Grace, that was the name, snuffed the cigarette on the wall and crushed it, “Elaborate.”

Grace was a bit more timid now, “Well… you don’t interact with people, not really. Most of the time you sit on benches, you’re alone, you only walk from your car to class and back. You don’t really seem to do anything.”

She’s got our number… “Well, truth be told I don’t really do anything. I’m kind of scared to do anything honestly.”

“Too scared?”

Ah fuck that was the wrong answer, “Yeah. I’m kind of agoraphobic and get bad social anxiety. Ask anyone who’s ever had a class with me. I’m kind of scared of showing myself to people.” Well shit, all in now, “If I’m being honest, I feel like the less of me I show to people, the better their opinion of me will be. Not even the people I am organizing with really know what I’m like; I don’t even think the people I hang out with online know what I’m like.”

“Oh…”, Grace grabbed her arm, “Doesn’t that get lonely?”

Yes “No, not really. I just prefer my solitude is all,” Azrael shrugged, “Any other questions?”

Grace shook her head, “Alright well, take care Ness…”

When Grace had finally gone out of sight, Azrael smashed the back of her head on the wall, “Fuck me, why couldn’t I tell the truth?”

**********

Elaine rubbed the back of her head, “Yep, that was Azrael.” Elaine smirked, pulled her hair back and folded the jacket and cigarettes up. She clicked her heels and started to walk towards the University Greens. Elaine always liked to lilt while she walked, today it was Nancy Mulligan, tomorrow it would be Star of the Co. Down. Everything was brighter to Elaine than it was for Azrael or Sara, physically and emotionally. Elaine was the ‘flower girl’ of the system, she always picked up flowers while walking and stuck them into her hair, dancing and skipping all the way to class. Elaine knelt down under a tree and started to pick the dogwood flowers on the branches, placing them one by one into her hair until she had a line of them in her braids. She sat down at the greens, looking around for the table she was to sit at, yet no tell-tale signs of socialists, least of all those she recognized. Hmm… oh the oak tree!

“You and your fucking oak trees,” Azrael was glaring down at Elaine.

“Oak trees are important,” Elaine retorted, “Oak, Ash and Thorn are the sacred woods. You of all people should know that.”

“I gave up on that nonsense about the same time Van gave up on leftism.” Azrael was being venomous, when she gets like this she lashes out at everyone. She usually only becomes this curt when someone else is upset.

“Who’s upset?”

“What?”

“Who. Is. Upset? You don’t get this way unless someone’s upset.” Elaine looked up towards Azrael, her dark hair and bright red eyes trying to hide the truth from Elaine.

“No one…”

Elaine sighed, “Don’t lie to me. I know you… well we both know each other better than anyone.” Elaine started to shape the branches around her into a crown, little pieces turned into something rugged, poorly made, and yet beautiful all the same.

Azrael sat next to Elaine sighing, “Sara’s still upset about that girl on twitter I guess.”

Elaine’s ears twitched, dropping the half-made crown, “Gehenna? We don’t even know her.” She knew that didn’t mean anything, when any trans woman dies they all feel it deeply. Least of all in cases as publicized as this.

“It’s not just that… it’s what it represents.” Azrael fell to the grass, looking up at Elaine, “Van’s mom still calls us Mike. Van’s mom still sees us as a boy. Van’s mom doesn’t even know about us, or even her own daughter. The killings only heighten the subtle kinds of transphobia. The deadnaming, the misgendering, etc. Those are, usually, borne of ignorance rather than cruelty, and ye-”

“And yet, they cut all the same. Death by a thousand plus one cuts,” Elaine placed the crown upon Azrael’s head: a little crown of thorns for the protector.

“Yeah. It all adds up right? What’s that Haywood quote? ‘I’ve got the marks of capital all over my body’? In our case, we have the marks of… a lot of different things on our body. If we were to take our internalized pain and wear it on our flesh we’d look something more akin to St. Bartholomew’s corpse rather than a person.”

Sara sat down next to them now, her hair was covering her eyes, makeup running down her cheek, “It’s just so tiring. I’m tired of martyrs, of eulogies, of the anemoia, of the slaughters and purges. Is this how Sun Yat Sen, Marx, Lenin, Goldman and others felt? Is our lot to suffer? To always desire change in a world that fundamentally hates us for what we are?”

Elaine sighed, “Martyrs die. That’s what makes them Martyrs; a personal sacrifice of some kind. There’s a difference between martyrdom and murder though. A martyr has to willingly give themselves up. It’s this submission to belief that martyrs them. People murdered in oppressive systems are victims. They didn’t ask for it, they didn’t deserve it.” Elaine closed her eyes and let the sound of peers laughing, birds chirping and the feeling of the sun fill her, “Anger is just a type of sadness. You feel powerless, you want to fix it, make it hurt less. It’s like a gaping wound with blood pouring out, nothing works to fix it and so you panic.”

**********

I wake up on the grass. I have flowers in my hair, my head is banging and I am alone with my siblings.

#DID #Dissociative Identity Disorder #plurality #multiplicity #system #fiction #realism

13 notes · View notes

the-metropolis-marvel · 4 months

Text

Beware the Bat character drop: Azrael

Voiceclaim/Fancast: Joe Keery

Jean-Paul Valley's origins are rooted in a lineage of assassins associated with the secret society known as the Order of St. Dumas. After the murder of his father, Jean-Paul is thrust into the mantle of Azrael, a mystical and formidable warrior.

As Azrael, Jean-Paul is granted enhanced strength, agility, and combat skills, augmented further by a high-tech suit of armor. Initially a reluctant and conflicted hero, Jean-Paul's journey takes a significant turn when he assumes the role of Batman after Bruce Wayne's supposed death. However, his methods become increasingly brutal and excessive, leading to a clash with the original Dark Knight upon his return.

@standard-human@sleepymilkcarton@mjtheartist04@gay-trashcan-cat@littlemissatlas@sleepymilkcarton

#beware the bat #batman #beware the bat au #titanoverse #titanoverse character drop #beware the bat character drop #azreal dc #jean paul valley #Azrael batman

3 notes · View notes

murderbirds · 3 months

Text

GOTHAM: DECAY

So. Guess who is making another AU

Gotham: Decay is an AU that diverges from the actual show around season 2, but properly starts in season 3. In this version, after killing Theo Galavan with Jim, Oswald decides to leave Gotham with one specific goal in mind, try to find a way to bring back the dead.

With Penguin away, there is no one there to protect Bruce from Azrael, which leads to Tabitha getting killed, Jim dying as well, and Alfred sacrificing himself to protect Bruce. Bruce, blinded by rage, tries to kill Azrael, but fails, however, before Galavan can finish him off, the League of Shadows steps in and takes Bruce under their wing while Galavan is killed once more.

Bruce starts his training under Ra's to become his apprentice, his dark knight and the one that he chose to become the next Demon Head. Bruce agrees under the agreement that they bring back Alfred. Him, Selina and Ivy began searching for Bruce in whatever way they can with Jim's help who, due to his injury, can no longer continue his work in the GCPD, so he becomes a bounty hunter instead.

Lee eventually has her son, James Junior, with whom she lives Gotham. The Riddler finally makes makes his debue, but without Jim around, no one is able to stop hom, so he is able to continue his job in the GCPD and outsmart Gotham's greatests, with Butch and his men being his favorite victims.

Without Jim around, there is a break out and Arkham explodes, leading to a lot of deaths, including Firefly and Fries. Fish manages to escape along with a handful of metas.

Meanwhile, with Oswald gone, Butch is still the king, but Barbara is not too happy as she starts making movements to try and take over his power. A war starts brewing in Gotham, and feeling that this is her fault, Silver decides to take her uncle's title as Azrael and becomes a vigilante using the training she received from Tabitha.

The Arkham break out does happen, however, without Jim there, the subjects are quickly retrieve and some end up getting killed. The only one who remains at large is Fish herself and the court of owls is hunting her like a hawk. With Ra's having his apprentice, the Court is left on her own devices. Due to how many people were lost during the attack, Edward becomes one of their scientists instead and is officially released.

A year passes. Gotham is divided between Gilzean and Kean. The war that they bring is far bloodier than anyone has ever seen. Oswald finally returns along with a book written by one Aleister Crowley. The elections are around the corner and Oswald wishes to run for mayor, and so he leaves to recruit one Edward Nygma to join his side. Edward is torn at first, after all, he has a pretty nice thing going on. In order to get him by his side, Oswald reveals to him that he has an advantage since he can now control the dead. He only wishes for Edward to act as his spy within the GCPD, nothing else.

Edward is skeptical at first, after all, ghosts don't exist. Oswald shows him how they very much do by bringing back his own army of the undead, which includes Jerome Valeska, James Gordon, Firefly, Freeze and every single person who died in Arkham as well as tabitha, much for Edward's surprise. Oswald reveals that she simply hasn't suffered enough for his mother's death. He did speak to her afterwards, and still does occasionally, but he won't put her through the pain of living again.

Oswald can give those that he brings back a corporeal body once again, however, they can only maintain this body for as long as they obey him. Now, he no longer goes by the Penguin. He is now the Vulture.

With his army of the undead, Oswald begins combating the gangs in the city, granting him the public love he needs to run for mayor with a chance of winning.

The AU's main story starts during the mayoral campaign, with Edward being torn between helping Oswald and risk going back to being subservient to someone else or continuing doing his own thing and risking making Oswald his enemy.

(Doodle oncept of what some of the designs might look like)

#gotham #batman #dc comics #dc #penguin #riddler #gotham:decay

1 note · View note