#i originally play to do this for all core batman stories

[gothamexhibit]

Story Journal | Batman: Year One

"Without warning, it comes ... crashing through the window of your study ... and mine ... I have seen it before ... somewhere ... it frightened me ... as a boy ... frightened me ... yes. Father. I shall become a bat."

Batman: Year One (Four Issues)

Written by: Frank Miller

Illustrated by: David Mazzucchelli

Colorist: Richmond Lewis

Letterer: Todd Klien

Editor: Denny O’Neil

Overview

In a story that clearly belongs to Jim Gordon, this early days of Gotham’s new face builds a strong foundation of what’s to come. The ever encroaching new age of Gotham. It shows motivation and growth of how these characters become who we may know them to be, but also who they used to be. 

Gordon’s mentality that eats him away, but still keeps him moving forward. A disillusioned man who, by all accounts, has completely given up on everything, but he still pushes forward. His personality is nonchalant and gives the impression that he doesn’t care. And yet, he throws himself into the fire if it means he can make a difference. Of course he’s not perfect. Far from it. But Gotham can take what it can get. 

Bruce not only constantly messes up, but it nearly costs him his life and his identity each time. He’s not the world's greatest detective, or the legendary Dark Knight. He’s simply a man with money and training, but no experience. He’s reckless and risky and, as he states again and again, lucky. A lucky amateur that believes in an ideology that leads him to become one of the world’s greatest superheroes despite being an ordinary human. 

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Art Analysis

The art fits the story perfectly. It leans into the mud that is Gotham City, while allowing scenes to breathe. 

It conveys motion in a way that makes the reader feel like they get glimpses of the action. It doesn’t linger on a fight that doesn’t need to be detailed. It tells the story of what’s happening around it and how. 

It paints Gotham with both a crowded, claustrophobic atmosphere and a spacious, lonely city. There is a distinct understanding that Gotham will suffocate you without a moment to spare, but the city can leave you in a sea of emptiness as well. 

Color is purposeful. As detailed as scenes can be in one scene, a simple one-color background conveys shock, terror, or focus. With shadows not just showing mystery and confusion, but boldness. 

A direct reference to the Nighthawks by Edward Hopper with the diner that Gorden and Essen frequent (not only is the diner referenced here, but it also can be seen to be referenced in the recent film The Batman). 

The art shows clear direction. And it is through this art that not only elevates the narrative, but the characters and setting as well. Gotham feels alive. 

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Narrative Analysis

Right away we get the juxtaposition between Gordon (not yet commissioner) and Bruce as they both enter Gotham city. Each preferring to enter the city the other way. Not only does it show how different their perspectives are, it sets up the interesting dynamic between their future relationship, before they even meet for the first time. 

It may be important to note that Bruce is 25 when he returns to Gotham. Additionally, this story is a Year One story that leads up to his Batman persona. As such, he would begin being the Caped Crusader at 26. 

With a 12 year hiatus from Gotham, that would make him 13 when he left. It’s interesting to see how Gotham doesn’t see a poor young boy being gone for so long seemingly by himself, but instead views Bruce Wayne as more of a Gotham attraction instead of a real person. This dissonance towards “figures of the public” may also lean towards how Gothamites don’t seem bothered enough to care when young Robins start to appear. 

Not only is there a small line prior about Harvey Dent, we see Selina Kyle for the first time. We don’t just enter Gotham through the return of Gordon and Bruce, we enter into the inception of the Gotham we come to know later. An unsaveable city overrun with crime enters an attempt to save it by The Batman. 

Although not yet the Caped Crusader, Bruce still makes his first mistake. A risky play that could’ve left him discovered if he didn’t barely get away. Batman’s reputation paints the picture of an intense, methodical vigilante that looks into the eyes of gods without flinching. But the first mistake Bruce Wayne puts him on the edge of unconsciousness and at a risk of bleeding to death. A mistake that shows a legend like Batman can be clumsy and reckless. 

Without panic, without emotion. Jim Gordon issues payback on Flass who had recently assaulted Gordon. He understands the city and its rules and wastes no time to send his own message. This one moment gives plenty of insight into the kind of man Gordon can be. And will be. A man that sees corruption and takes matters into his own hands. The same very man that will not only support the vigilante Batman, but work side-by-side with him. 

He understands that the city has a sickness, and Batman is the only antibody Gotham can produce.

We are constantly reminded that the biggest problem is corruption. The city may be rotting, but an infected bandaid will only make things worse. With eccentric villains to sprout later on, the root of Gotham’s inability to change for so long before Batman was the authority “sworn to protect.” The biggest gang in Gotham are the cops. As Bruce tries to save the city by targeting criminals, Gordon saves the city from within one of the biggest poisons in Gotham.  

We see Gordon’s conflicting mindset. Something in the city must be calling to him. A savior complex or simply the inability to leave his new home and his job. He hates what he does and yet he pours his heart and soul into doing it the right way. He regrets bringing his son into Gotham even when he’s capable of leaving the city behind. 

He’s self aware, but just can’t stop. 

The city needs to be fixed and his subconscious is itching to fix it. Unbeknownst to him, it mirrors Bruce’s ideology. 

More mistakes. Bruce is an amateur and even admits it. While attempting to stop teenagers from stealing, he almost kills one and barely makes it out. Clearly in over his own head, but he believes in what he’s doing. And believes Batman can make a difference. 

Batman hid behind Harvey Dent’s desk while he and Gordon were talking.

I don’t have anything to say here. I just thought this was funny. 

Although they still haven’t met since their first fight in the street, Bruce and Selina are seemingly connected. Just a simple yet effective comment on the siamese gives so much information on not just their connected understandings, but how, at the core, they are meant for each other. They are from completely different worlds, but can still meet each other halfway and see themselves in each other. 

Even with gunfire lights up the building Bruce is trapped in, he still protects the cat. Even when it pains him, when it's unwise, when it makes no sense to do so, he still protects The Cat. 

Even when he should run away, he runs forward. The man who is known for being concentrated on “the mission” and doing the best thing in the moment. Waste precious time to inflict retaliation on the SWAT member who targeted the cat. 

The very act connects Bruce to Selina. Figuratively and literally.

The idea is mentioned by Gordon twice now. Even as early as Year One, he suspects Bruce of being Batman. Although Bruce has a clear alibi, Gordon doesn't seem convinced, but he doesn't push it either. Almost as if he doesn’t care. To Gordon, it doesn’t matter if Bruce is Batman or not. 

It’s what he’s doing that matters. 

One of the most crucial things to understand about Jim Gordon. He’s not just. He’s no superhero. He’s human. Very human. 

If Jimmy Olsen views the world with optimistic wide-eyed wonder, Jim Gordon sees it with nihilistic mundanity. 

He cheats on his wife with Detective Essen while his son is almost born. The opportunity was in front of him and he took it. 

Gordon is one of the best people to help save Gotham. 

But the bar is set incredibly low.  

We even see this tear him apart. He understands his actions like he always has been. He hates the city, hates that he’s cheating on Barbara, and is conflicted on talking Batman down. 

He’s lost. He knows he can’t keep cheating. But he just can’t stop. 

Lost to a point where he contemplates suicide. He’s not a hero. Not anything special. 

He’s human. Very Human. 

In Year One’s final issue, we not only see Selina suit up for the first time, but we see Alfred finally. One of his first remarks points a nod towards Superman. 

As Gordon’s son is almost taken as a hostage. Bruce dives off the bridge to save him. With Gordon following suit. 

This very moment seeds many things. Although his son is incredibly young, this could inadvertently lead to change in his psyche. His son doesn’t exactly turn out to be the best young man and this incident could be a building block in that. 

Jim may also be lying about his eyesight. Even with blurry vision, he could very well put in the effort to make out Bruce’s face in front of them. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe he doesn’t want to confirm his suspicions. Maybe he doesn’t need to. So maybe he doesn’t try. 

It wouldn’t change his opinion on the vigilante regardless. 

As Year One ends, we get a glimpse of the Gotham we clearly know. With Gordon working with Batman instead of against, with criminals getting more eccentric. 

A city of grim corruption and rampant crime seemingly will only get worse before it gets better, if at all. 

#thanks for coming #i originally play to do this for all core batman stories #so thats like 80-100 of these lmao #but im not sure if theres a demand and this is exhausting #i'll see what i can do if people are interested tho!! #batman #bruce wayne #jim gordon #selina kyle #alfred pennyworth #gotham #batman year one #catwoman #dc #dc universe #dc comics #frank miller #David Mazzucchelli #joker #dc batman

[gffa]

Hi there! I’m someone who’s been following you for Star Wars for a while but I’ve become really interested in your DC comics posting recently, and I was wondering - since the franchise has been going for so long and has so many instalments - what you would say to someone who wants to start reading these comics/watching the shows/movies but doesn’t know where to start? Have a lot of the comics been retconned? Is there a particular order one has to read in? Where does one even find these comics…?

My interest in this franchise was literally sparked by the Jason Todd telephone poll so I’m definitely interested in reading more about him - he seems like a character I’d like - and the rest of like, the… Batfamily, I think they’re called? I just have no idea where to start lol - my knowledge of DC is limited to seeing bits of Teen Titans GO when I walked past my little brother watching TV, and watching the Lego Batman movie with him xD

Also! If I’m correct, after observing the fandom, Talia seems like an interesting, complex female character (with some bad writing), like Padmé or Bo-Katan? I always love those kinds of characters, just wondering if I’d got the right impression of her.

Hi! You've got a solid idea of things so far, so hopefully, this shouldn't be too hard of a climb to get used to the structure! And I'll do my best to explain the structure of comics without getting too lost in the weeds about it. 😂

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW: In my view, comics aren't meant to be a single coherent whole and it's helpful to drop that idea before you get started because otherwise you'll drive yourself around the bend in a fruitless attempt to make everything line up neatly, when it just never will. There is no one single "true" version of the characters, there is no one single creator who is the highest authority on a character, no matter who created the character or even who is most famous for writing them, these are shared characters being written and drawn by a multitude of authors and artists who all have varying takes on them. The characters should stay true to a core personality and traits, but the flexibility of an author to write a character differently from the last person who wrote them is a feature not a bug imo. I like to think of comics as stories being told by different authors playing with action figures and we're in the audience enjoying these stories, regardless of how some authors fit really well together and others completely clash with each other. You can try to make them mesh (sometimes that's fun!) or you can just shrug your shoulders and pick what you like out of the pile of comics that have been handed to you (you'll probably drive yourself less over the edge this way!). Jason is particularly difficult on this aspect, because he often doesn't have a regular book to be written in and his overall place/point in the Batman comics is murky at best somedays and so he is wildly different from author to author. I personally enjoy this, because I think it works for Jason as a character who has some core beliefs, but also is kind of a mess who doesn't really know what he wants, so he veers wildly from one reaction to another. You can read comics in a variety of ways, but I genuinely do not recommend trying to read "in order" because it's a nightmare to try to keep track of everything once it's been a few years and the numbering of these series is the most confusing thing you'll ever meet. Instead, I think it's better to focus on picking up trades (collections of comics that originally came out in single issues, but are put together in a single volume that tells the whole story of that particular run) that sound interesting or come recommended. (And, honestly, it's not even satisfying even if you did do all the work to read them in order. Throw out the idea that comics have a coherent timeline, because they do NOT.)

CONTINUITIES AND DIFFERENT ERAS: The ONLY context I think you need (other than a general sense of the Batfam, we'll get there in a minute) is to understand that there are sort of four "continuities" that you're likely to run into, and this is EXTREMELY simplified/streamlined, so nerds don't come for me on this unless you have a better streamlined and simple version. 😂 - Anything published before 1985-1986 is all "Pre-Crisis" and while reading a lot of the older comics can be super fun, they're generally not super relevant to current comics - In 1985-1986, there was a comics event (an event is where multiple different comic books are all written to be part of a bigger storyline, whereas normally, they don't cross over that much, each book usually has its own self-contained storylines) called "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (which is different from "Infinite Crisis") that was basically a way for DC to streamline all the different versions of the characters running around into one manageable universe. This ran up until about 2011 and I'll often refer to it as the "preboot" or "post-Crisis" continuity. (This is where Jason's death happened, in the storyline "A Death in the Family".) - In 2011, DC wanted to reboot their entire universe with an event called "Flashpoint", with the purpose of creating an all new lineup of 52 comics that new readers could jump right into, which isn't a bad idea in theory. The problem was that people were really attached to the preboot versions of the characters, a lot of the Nu52 comics were really badly written, and there was almost no collaboration. You expect a certain amount of contradiction just by the nature of comics, but there were major issues with "nobody is talking to each other, so everything is a giant mess".

- In 2016, for a variety of reasons (probably including that sales for Nu52 had dipped back down pretty far again), DC rebooted their universe again, with "Rebirth", which is the continuity we're in now. I'm still catching up (I left when Nu52 happened) but I think a lot of preboot events are leaking back into the continuity, but that's not the same as saying it's equal to the preboot continuity in total. This is also the era that I generally talk about the most because I've found it genuinely the most engaging to get back into! Generally, as long as you understand those four eras of continuity, I think you'll be fine in understanding how things are put together. If you want to know where something falls, just check the date and that'll tell you! But, honestly, yeah, background details change all the time, so even within a single continuity there will be retcons--just that there are MASSIVE differences in the Nu52 era that might confuse you if you're unaware of the reboot shenanigans. (Or if you want to understand how Jason returned--like, preboot continuity has the explanation that Superboy Prime (don't ask) punched reality so hard that it shook Jason back to life, even if they never found out about it, that's what happened. I think Nu52 said Talia dug him up and put him in the Lazarus Pit? Don't quote me on that. I flamed out hard on Nu52. Rebirth continuity, they have no idea what the hell happened and I'm not sure there's an explanation. I just assume the Reality Punch leaked back in or something.)

SO, LIKE, WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THESE CHARACTERS? AS SHORT AS I CAN MAKE IT: - Bruce Wayne witnesses his parents being murdered in front of him and this traumatizes him so badly that he withdraws from life to obsess over it, eventually travelling the world for several years to learn every kind of skill he can, until he comes back to Gotham at, like 22 years old or whatever and becomes Batman to fight crime. The only rails on this ride is his butler Alfred who basically raises him from the time he's eight and Alfred is working MIRACLES here, but there's only so much even he can do. He is absolutely Bruce's father figure, even if they rarely frame it in those terms, because Thomas Wayne (Bruce's father) is such an important figure in their lives and because Alfred is extremely British. - Bruce is Batman for a few years, usually depicted as being super grimdark because he's shut his heart against loving anyone ever again because the pain is too much. But then one night he's at a circus performance and there's a terrible "accident" where a little 9 year old boy (shhhh we ignore any other versions than that he was nine, dammit, it's important for the thematic parallels!) witnesses his world-class aerialists parents falling to their deaths. Dick Grayson's grief and loss spark something in Bruce and he takes on this grieving, angry, brilliant little boy as his ward. Now, not even God can stop Dick Grayson, who is going to get justice for his parents' murder, so eventually Bruce reveals that he's Batman and Dick basically barges his way into creating his sidekick persona, Robin. Bruce is not a fan of this, but seriously. He couldn't have stopped that kid, he tried. He could only put a leash on him. Dick brings light and joy back to Wayne Manor and they have the most fascinating relationship--they're father & son, they're brothers, they're best friends, they understand each other like no one else does, they fight like no one else in that family does, they love each other, they're so angry at each other, they're co-dependent and absolutely batshit about each other, they basically raise each other from the time Dick came to Wayne Manor. - Dick eventually grows up and starts clashing with Bruce more, especially as he gains his independence. Different versions happen differently in different continuities, but eventually it hits a boiling point and either Bruce fires him as Robin or Dick quits because he can't deal with this. He goes off to become Nightwing, while Bruce eventually meets another kid who (in the most common version) tries to steal the Batmobile's tires because he needs the money. Circumstances happen, Bruce eventually ends up adopting Jason Todd, who becomes the next Robin. Things are relatively stable for awhile, until Jason learns about his birth mother and runs off to try to reconnect with her, except the Joker's got his sticky fingers all up in this situation, and it results in Jason dying in the exploding building.

- Bruce is Not Doing Well after this, so in comes our favorite horrible little stalker gremlin Tim Drake, who hunts down Dick Grayson and says, hey, you gotta become Robin again because Batman's going to get himself killed if you don't. Dick is like, no, I fucking do not. Tim responds with, well, guess I gotta do it myself then and basically barges his way into being the next Robin. He bonds with Dick as a brother (who is far and way Tim's favorite, imo), he does his best to be as good of a Robin as he can be. - Things are better after that, they're fairly well into Batfamily territory by this point. Jason comes back and, originally, it was supposed to be a trick, it was a villain pretending to be him, but was later retconned to actually be Jason who came back and... it's complicated. I don't think they really knew what to do with him once he came back, so he kind of ping-pongs around with varying levels of villainy for awhile. - Then we get to the time around Batman R.I.P. where a lot of shit happens all at once, especially for Tim. Bruce dies fighting a Justice League villain, Tim also has his bio-dad die around this time, his relationship with his ex-girlfriend/good friend is kind of going to shit, the boy he's in love with (not canon at the time, but current day storylines basically confirm it was true) also died and it wrecked Tim, like he lost his MIND over Conner Kent's death, there's this annoying little shit Damian Wayne who has showed up as the bio-son of Bruce, and then suddenly Bruce also dies. And Dick has to become Batman because Gotham needs Batman and he's in mourning and dealing with Jason being back and everything OFF THE RAILS as various people are like, "No, I'M going to be Batman now!" and Dick has to shut all that shit down and take up the mantle himself despite that he doesn't want it AND deal with Damian being an emotionally traumatized 11 year old baby assassin who has been abused into being a killer his entire life (I mean, it's comics, don't take it too seriously) and he needs something to hold onto or he's going to leave and go back to killing, so Dick and Alfred give the Robin mantle to Damian, which pisses Tim off because he's not doing well and sees it as a betrayal (while Dick was asking for his help as an ally, that he was ready to graduate to being more than just Batman's sidekick) because he's lost so much. - So we have Dick & Damian as Batman & Robin (THIS ERA WAS SO GOOD), Tim as Red Robin (fandom way overplays Tim and Dick's tension, they come back together after their dramatic few months), and eventually they find Bruce who was lost in the time stream (don't ask) and then, WHAM, Nu52 happens. But basically, that's the Robins timeline. I'm skipping over Steph's turn as Robin because it was so short and it was clearly set up just to knock her down, as well as not touching on Cass much because this is long enough as it is and I'm trying to circle back to focusing on Jason-friendly stuff.

WHERE TO START: Ask a dozen different people where to start and you'll get a dozen different answers! I think starting anywhere is fine and it's going to depend on what you like--for example, I'm personally not that into the animated DC movies (not enough of my Blorbo) but "Batman: Under the Red Hood" is generally very well-regarded as an updated version of Jason's return and is nicely self-contained if you want to watch it without much other context. I also think watching the Justice League animated series from 2001 is fantastic if you want a funny, charismatic, streamlined adaptation of what the Justice League is like. (Batman: The Animated Series was groundbreaking at the time and a really good adaptation, but very dated by this point in time, so I hesitate to recommend it too much, even though it's beloved to me.) The Wayne Family Adventures is an absolutely adorable, delightful webtoon adaptation that is very light-hearted compared to the mainline comics! I like recommending it to new fans because I think it's super easy to start reading without too much extraneous context and gives you an idea of the characters' relationships to each other, so long as you understand that it is EXTREMELY soft and is much in the vein of LEGO Batman content--you're not supposed to take it super seriously, there are times it's deliberately crossing into something like parody territory, but that doesn't mean it's not genuinely funny, charming, and a great read. @fantastic-nonsense has an incredibly thorough list of recommendations for comics by character here, and you can scroll down to the Jason Todd section and start reading there! Or you can check out the "A STARTING POINT: BATMAN IN OTHER MEDIA" section because I pretty much 100% agree with everything she says about the various adaptations. I like recommending "Young Justice" as an introduction to DC, so long as you understand that it's a loose adaptation and that the team compositions and various relationships are not always going to be accurate to comics dynamics. I have my own comics recs tag, but I'm more Dick-focused, so your mileage is going to vary on how useful you might find my recs! But basically, you can't go wrong with starting with "A Death in the Family", then "Under the Red Hood" (movie then comics) and "Red Hood: The Lost Days". Basically, anything by Judd Winick has a good chance of being a solid read for him. It's hard to recommend Jason comics, because so many of them are either not great or require knowledge of the events that are going on around the same time--but, honestly, once you're familiar with the set-up, I do think you can pick up almost any trade and pick up context along the way. I personally also loved "Robins: Being Robin" series, because all five of the Robins working to solve a case together and being unhinged weirdos at each other is my jam. (But I like pretty much anything Tim Seely writes!) I also always recommend the 2016 Nightwing series because Dick is my Blorbo, but I also think "Robin & Batman" by Jeff Lemire is a fantastic story to understand who baby Dick Grayson is and his relationship with Bruce, and both "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" are some of the best Batman comics I've ever read, but they can be tough to get through if you don't like Tim Sale's very stylized art.

WHERE TO FIND THESE THINGS TO READ? The movies and animated series should be on HBOMax and/or Netflix, and comics I always recommend hitting up your library to see what they have--so many libraries have a ton of comics available, especially digitally! And, if you have a library card, it's very possible that your library partners with Hoopla, where they have a ton of Batman comics! You can also check out DC Universe, which has almost all DC comics if you get a subscription.

TL;DR: If you want bigger context on how all this stuff works, start with either "Justice League" or "Young Justice", they're really cute, fun adaptations. If you want to get straight to the Jason stuff, start with "A Death in the Family" --> "Under the Red Hood" --> "Red Hood: The Lost Days" --> "Batman: Urban Legends vol. 1". (And, yeah, you have the right impression of Talia! She often gets written as a villain, but she's also often a lot more complex than that, it really depends on who you get to write her. The corner of fandom I hang out in is generally more generous to her, but some of the actual comics can be kind of rough. But she's complex and has a lot of sharp edges, so, you know, I love her, too. 😂)

#lumi.txt #dc #batfam #jason todd #comics recs #long post

[comicaurora]

Do you know of any other good cartoons, especially if they don't end on a cliffhanger?

Is it my birthday already?

ReBoot (s1-3)

You've already all heard my pitch for this, but TLDR it's set inside a computer, the heroes defend the integrity of their home system by battling viruses, playing games and defeating The User, a godlike being outside their comprehension (aka us). Evolves from episodic pop-culture referential humor into an incredibly immersive and fraught character drama unpacking the nature of heroism, family, growing up and losing who you used to be vs growing up and not losing yourself, and what it means to become a monster to defeat a monster. A series technically canceled that ends on the mother of all cliffhangers, but the season that was canceled was the bonus season they weren't expecting to get anyway, and also it sucks. Watch the first three seasons instead, they form a cohesive overarching narrative and end incredibly satisfyingly.

Batman Beyond

50 years after Batman: The Animated Series, hooligan with a heart of gold Terry McGinnis becomes the new Batman, quippier, capeless and a bit more irresponsible than the old one, guided by an old and reluctantly retired Bruce Wayne. Basically "what if Batman were Spider-Man", but somehow really good. Like most DC cartoons from that era, ends with a loose "and the adventure continues" vibe. Highly episodic, a couple two-parters sprinkled in there for flavor. Also has a few follow-up comic series, some of which are even good! As a corollary, the other DC cartoons in this zone are also good - Justice League, Batman: The Animated Series, etc.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

The best version of The Avengers. A team of colorful superheroes slowly assemble over the course of the first half of the first season, fighting a very large rogue's gallery and occasionally each other. Contains the best version of Thor ever written and an astoundingly good portrayal of Captain America, but the entire core cast are well-written and have solid interpersonal dynamics - half the fun of each episode is just seeing what unique friendships every random subset of The Avengers have with each other. Having recently rewatched some of it I can say I actually think the first season is the best it gets, and the second season struggles in places - a few episodes become full-on idiot plots to facilitate certain plotlines (Hulk vs Red Hulk being the worst offender) but the second season has a nice conclusive finale and a few bright spots of characterization. Captain America's writing is rock-solid all the way through, which it needs to be to make the Secret Invasion plotline work. The first season is incredibly good.

Transformers: Prime

Robots in disguise etc etc, a crack team of autobots live in hiding on Earth fighting decepticons and occasionally ferrying their three human friends to school. Good team dynamics, a fantastic portrayal of Optimus Prime as a rock-solid paragon hero, a team dad and a millennia-old warrior of incredible skill who is very, very tired. Great versions of Megatron and Starscream, lots of other fun secondary characters. Three seasons, portrays a very slow war very well - ground is gained and lost from episode to episode, big battles feature every single asset the heroes have managed to scrape together in previous arcs, etc. Also portrays how fucking terrifying it would be to be a squishy human child underfoot during a giant robot fight. Dwayne The Rock Johnson is in the first five minutes of the show until he gets killed for being too expensive. The 3D animation takes a little getting used to, and I say that as someone who genuinely likes how ReBoot looks.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

preaching to the choir with this one here on tumblr.hell, but this show slaps. A reboot of the 80s cartoon, but the kind of reboot that's basically the story someone would make up when playing with the original's officially licensed action figures. Loyal horde soldier Adora learns to her shock that she's actually on the bad guy side (and also can transform into a magical warrior with a fancy sword) and immediately defects to team good guy, which is seen as the ultimate betrayal by her best friend/repressed childhood crush Catra, who doubles down on the bad-guy thing super hard for four seasons. Characters written with a surprising amount of emotional depth who often react to things more realistically than one might expect - frustration, lingering anger, calling people out for mistreating them, etc. Shouldn't be a high bar, and yet so many shows just use characters as emotionless props incapable of advocating for themselves ever.

Castlevania

Dracula's wife is killed by the church and he sets out to exterminate all of humanity in retribution. He's opposed by three heroes of varying levels of heroism - his half-vampire son Alucard, the speaker magician Sypha, and Trevor Belmont, last son of the family of monster-hunters who dedicated their entire existence to fighting Dracula. Animation is absolutely gorgeous but very not kid-friendly. Ends on a completely satisfying and happy note, which is shocking considering the tone of the show leading up to it.

Hilda

A very, very cozy and adorable urban fantasy slice-of-life story about Hilda, a little girl from the wilderness who moves to the big city with her mother after their house is accidentally crushed by a giant. Features a lot of scandinavian folklore. Got two seasons and a movie that wraps everything up pretty solidly. Absolutely incredible aesthetic with occasional moments of abject horror, just how I like it.

Dishonorable mentions, aka shows I watched but can't 100% recommend because of Grievances I Will Enumerate:

Centaurworld

A warhorse from a war-torn world falls through a portal and gets isekai'd into a brightly-colored magical bubblegum dimension where everyone is a boggle-eyed magical centaur. First season has incredible musical numbers, like broadway level stuff, and it's got some appealing nightmare fuel, but the problem I keep running into is the silly elements are so over-the-top that they undercut the serious parts in a big way. Also, the appeal of a cohesive found family narrative is pretty seriously undercut when the entire found family is composed of joke characters that don't experience plausible emotional investment in their circumstances and don't act like people. The thing is, this isn't a mistake, this is very deliberate on the part of the show and it's doing what it's doing incredibly intentionally - I just don't think I like it.

Dota: Dragon's Blood

A dragon-slaying warrior gets whammied with a dragon curse that sometimes turns him into a monster, and also about a million other things happen. Not finished yet, so I can't guarantee it won't end on a cliffhanger. Based on a game series I'm unfamiliar with, and unfortunately, unlike Arcane (which I would whole-heartedly recommend, it just currently left off on a cliffhanger) it doesn't really seem to know how to stand on its own without the game lore. It jumps around a lot between a huge number of characters, and a lot of the time it's not clear why we're watching what we're watching. I do like the parts of it I've seen! I just haven't been able to stick with it because it feels so scattered.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

An anime based in the universe of Cyberpunk 2077, which is in turn basically just Shadowrun with none of the interesting fantasy elements. A gritty and unpleasant universe where everyone is a jerk, everyone is very narratively disposable and only bad things happen. Seems to have nothing an audience is supposed to get invested in - it gives us a colorful squad of found-family types but covers the entire friend-making in a dialogue-free montage and then kills all of them in like two episodes, it gives us a romance but undercuts it with a timeskip covering the actual getting-together part, it seems to have a theme about how believing you're special is bad but it also demonstrates at several points that the hero actually is kinda special, it has an extremely solid anticapitalist theme but because it's a cyberpunk dystopia nightmare there's nothing any of the main characters can actually do about any of it, etc. I watched it all in one go and the whole thing slid out of my head right after. Also this is a niche complaint but the use of futuristic cyberpunk slang nonstop in the dialogue might really grate on you. The animation is very nice, though.

Tales of Arcadia (Trollhunters, 3 Below, Wizards)

Urban fantasy series made in large part by Guillermo Del Toro, featuring a whole bunch of characters doing assorted fun things - some chosen by magical artifacts, some alien royalty on the run from a civil war, one the apparently-immortal apprentice of Merlin, etc. I whole-heartedly recommend all three of these shows! I do not recommend the grand finale movie, which feels like it was written by someone who read the script notes for the previous shows and nothing else. Ends with a timeline reset that completely undoes the entire timeline of the series. Because it ends with a retcon, the movie feels comfortable killing characters pointlessly and letting our heroes act totally out of character whenever convenient. A bafflingly terrible ending for a series I otherwise really, really liked.

#asks #not aurora #media recs

[grimmbitty]

Okay kind of a different post than my normal stuff but I did just want to put all of these in one place. These are my character analysis slides that I’ve been working on!

Breaking down the character of Billy Batson has been so fun for me, and its by far my favorite part of the writing process. So here’s what I have so far for my interpretation of the character.

Here is my first slide where I breakdown the basic overview of my story. Just outlining the basic plot summary, the story’s themes, and the basic character arc for Billy.

As you can see it’s very similar to the first movie I’ve just modified some things here and there to add my own fun twist to Billy’s origin story.

[ MORE SLIDES BELOW ]

In this slide is where I breakdown Billy’s passive motivation, something I see that is necessary for all superhero characters. Similar to Spider-Man’s “power and responsibility” thing, and similar to how Batman protects and values all life because his life was forever changed by a random act of violence.

I think Billy’s passive motivation to do good is really, deeply rooted in the injustice that he witnesses throughout his childhood. He’s especially receptive to the problems of children and other vulnerable groups because as a member of those communities, he knows they get overlooked often.

This next slide is my character breakdowns. This shows my main character and all my important side characters. They each have a lesson they inadvertently teach Billy, helping him along his path to become a good hero.

They each play a role on the team, giving them fun dynamics. This allows them all to have distinct personalities allowing for fun dialogue, banter, and character moments.

The only character you might not know on this list is Samara. She is my version of the character Cissie Sommerly. Cissie is a classic Captain Marvel character who’s most recent comic book appearance was 1978. Woof. So I thought it would be a fun idea to modernize her and bring her back into the spotlight, serving as a glimpse into the average Fawcett citizen’s reaction to the new hero, Shazam.

This next slide is a closer look into Billy’s character flaws. Showing how at first he is hesitant to being a brother and being a hero. It kinda explains the mistakes he makes at first that he has to learn to overcome, and shows how his introspection will help him accept his roles as both a brother, and a hero.

Next we have something that if I could add to the 2019 film, I would. I love love love the 2019 version of Shazam but if I could add a little more expansion of Billy’s mother into the plot, I would.

I think is really important to the core of the character. This next slide I like to call “The Dark Reflection”.

I think that upon meeting his mother, Billy realizes that they are scarily similar. That she was also selfish, careless, and only interested in meeting her own needs. This lack of compassion and responsibility from her are the reasons she ended up abandoning Billy, leaving him in the foster system once she was released from prison and having zero interest in raising him.

Billy sees the mistakes she’s made in life and realizes that he is making the same ones, prioritizing his own wants/needs over anything else, and being just overall emotionally detached.

This scares him into re-evaluating his own behavior and consciously choosing to become more compassionate for others and foster a real sense of responsibility to use his powers wisely.

Next up, we have what I like to call “The Pillars of Character”. These are the three main “pillars” I see that are most prevalent in Billy’s story.

It’s important to me that all three of these pillars intertwine with each other, hence why I wanted to explore a little more about Billy’s mother. Adding a little more flavor text to why she is Billy’s dark reflection really helped me keep a balance between these three aspects of his character.

I also just think having all three pillars effect each other keeps a nice balance between all the aspects of his character. Showing how his character flaws effect different parts of his life and how Billy learns to grow and change for the better.

In summary, this is what I have for Billy’s character breakdown, showing his character arc for his origin story and how he learns to grow into a hero. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed because I had a fun time making this! I also have a lot more to share like individual character sheets for Billy and all my side characters, Three act story structure break downs, and other stuff too. So if you like this one maybe possibly I could do a part 2 soon.

Okay byeeeee!! ⚡️💕

#billy batson #captain marvel #captain marvel dc #dc comics #fawcett comics #shazam #shazam 2019 #shazam: fury of the gods #Shazam:CoBL

[storm-leviosa-fanfics]

Fic Rec List

Third time's the charm, or so they say. Here's another fic rec list.

When in gotham: don't drink the water by @wesslan

This is pretty much crack but in the absolute best way. Gotham's tap water causes some...weird side effects when consumed by humans except no one told Tim that. He's doing his best ok?

My Eyes Are Fitted With Prison Bars (series) by TheFloof (@floof-writes)

neurodivergent yj! love this so much the vibes are impeccable. Tim and Bart have a super sweet relationship here, sharing all those nd traits and I just have loads of feelings.

Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans by Lilac_hyacinth

soft TimBer for the soul! Tim's alone at another school event and Bernard is a good comforting boyfriend (except they're not boyfriends yet shhhh). feat. good dad Bruce, Dana trying very hard, Tim being a photographer, all that good stuff.

Got Stepped on All Over by whaleofatime (@cetaceans-pls)

I have this fic saved as 'fics I would make fanart of if I could draw' and I am Right. It has all my favourite things but most importantly HORSES. Also just like...restores my faith in humanity a little it feels very real in a way I cannot quite explain. (Bruce and Dick race across Mongolia to stop an epidemic which suprisingly does not remind me of covid)

library card by mikkal (@wrencatte)

God I am obsessed with this fic. Libraries deserve all the appreciation and this fic has it in spades. I loved outsider POV fics sometimes and this is a perfect example of a really really good one. If you love Jason loving books and public libraries this fic is for you.

Consultation Work by Mouse_in_this_house

Feral core four, Jason trying his best, Tim being Tim, there is nothing I do not love about this fic. Really good at identifying the strengths and weaknesses of everyone based on their experiences and personalities which I Love.

An (almost) Foolproof Lie by HiddenDreamer67 (@hiddendreamer67)

Secret identity shenanigans + Tim joins the family early = god tier fic

(Tim, in a fit of youthful idiocy, tells Batman Bruce Wayne is his guardian. It all works out...eventually)

Declensions by dustorange (@dustorange)

You know when you think you know a character's origin story and it doesn't need to be told again? Yeah so I would trust dustorange with every character's done to death origin story after reading this. It's Dick Grayson like you've never seen it before and I love it.

miles and miles (in their shoes) by JUBE514 (@jube514)

Sometimes you need a bit of a shove to overcome your differences and Tim and Damian need even more than that. These kids are SO FUCKED UP but this fic is so sensitive about it and it's beautiful.

Black-Clad Bats and Making Money by Gray_Days (@cineresis)

That one fic about the Riddler if he were played by John Mulaney. I'm not normally a first person POV kinda person but this is the exception it is hilarious and also somehow relatable? idk what that says about me.

#fic rec list #batfam fic rec #is this going to be an annual thing now? #possibly #i'm gonna go back at some point and find the writers on tumblr to tag #but for now have this #edit: now with tumblr urls #only took me ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR

[jerseymuppet]

i might be stupid but. is the gothamverse a muppets batman au? is that what the thing in ur bio means? (either way plz do tell me abt it)

That would definitely be infinitely cooler than my idea! Gothamverse is the beautiful result of me playing arkham knight while waiting for an mcr livestream to start up and thinking ‘damn bitches from jersey are fucking insane! ....wait a minute’

It’s basically a silly little idea I came up last March with where all the mcr guys are from Gotham and what their villain origin stories would be etc. I followed the main Batman villain archetypes: extremist, anti-hero, camp, and serial killer, and I had a fucking blast! It’s very silly and just something I did for fun. I guess I can go a lil bit into it here.

full disclosure, I am psychotic and disabled and I do not believe in the vilification of mental illness or disability in media, all of these characters will eventually get the help they need. Batman at its core is about a mentally ill man helping others who have been failed by society and I will never forgive dc for making him into an overpowered, glorified cop.

Frank’s character (Francis ‘Frankie’ Stein) is the extremist (duh). He’s the son of a mafia boss who is steadily ruining their town with crime and Frankie just kinda snaps and kills him to take his place as the head of the family and try to undo some of the damage done. He has great intentions, he’s just very unyielding and kind of insane 💕 his moniker is Frankenstein! And his whole schtick is that he’s very hard (if not impossible) to kill. He’s also chronically ill and Jewish, these are not important to his character but they are important to me !

Mikey’s character (Micheal Way) is the serial killer. He’s a ‘sociopath’ (theres nothing actually wrong with him, people just suck and made him feel lesser and out of place :/) trying to fit in with everyday society but he always feels like something is missing and becomes a neuroscientist to try to find what exactly it is. He invents a machine (the empathsizer) that allows him to experience other people’s memories and emotions as though they are his own. From there he accidentally gets addicted to the chemical responses his brain has to doing that. And keeps doing it. Even after the testing phase is no longer accepting applicants. It gets worse after he experiences someone’s near death experience and starts chasing the high it gave him. Idk what his moniker is? It’s sandman for right now but that’s honestly so boring and uninspired.

Ray’s character (Raymond Ortiz) is camp but very loosely. He’s an engineer by day and a rockstar by night! He’s really only an engineer to save up enough money to pursue music full time but it’s hard because he doesn’t get paid that much. Winter hits and with it, cuts to his hours! So he’s forced to choose between rent and electricity. When he gets really sick as a result, he can’t afford a doctor. And when he wakes up with his hearing gone as a result, theres nothing he can really do but spiral into a depression. Until he realizes he’s a literal biological engineer. If he can’t fix his problem he can at the very least prevent it from happening to someone else! Research does cost money, so it’s very fortunate that Gotham has so many banks. His moniker is Dr. Megahurtz! His weapon of choice is his guitar, which has been retrofitted with sonic emitters to amplify and weaponize the hertz. Not enough to hurt, but enough to incapacitate.

Gerard’s character (Jules Moss) is the anti hero! She’s (yes I made Gerard’s character a trans girl, they took too long to make a trans character so I did it for them) has the same backstory as Gerard actually! On her way home from work she witnesses a terrorist attack, but instead of starting a band she decides to fight crime instead. She does so bad. Literally her first night out patrolling she gets killed by some priest who’s been driven insane by what he claims is an angel that’s ‘chosen him to impart gods will’ but it’s just a fallen star looking for a vessel to possess and the first guy it came across wasn’t dead lol. The star turns into a sword of pure light and that’s what Jules gets stabbed with, but also it fuses itself to her dna so she wakes up a few days later, schrödingers girl, with some scary new abilities and a voice in her head that definitely wasn’t there before. Her whole arc is her trying to find the guy that killed her and get revenge. Her moniker is stigmata! Because when she gets impaled it also goes through the palms of her hands and the wounds don’t heal.

but yeah that’s the bare bones of it all! I’m planning on making this into a comic series but the script is still being written at the moment! Thank you for letting me ramble about it 💕🥰

#Also worth mentioning that Raymond and Jules do eventually get together! #I didn’t mean for that to happen but like they are best friends and they are both trying to hide what happened to them from each other #like Raymond only being able to hide the fact he’s deaf from Jules because he knows her so well that he can just anticipate what she’s #going to say can only go so far before it’s like okay these guys want to kiss I think? These two are in love #ALSO WORM IS THERE!!! #hes jules’ guy in the chair and he goes by wyrm to fit her whole medieval/joan of arc aesthetic #ANYWAY #gv #< Gothamverse tag #Also yes I’m aware Jules’ arc is literally just fashion statement I didn’t notice until someone pointed it out #same with Micheals character being like if the song sleep was a person #totally unintentional but I’m working with it! #jude.answers

[dailycass-cain]

How do you take a minority character in Cassandra Cain, who had an ongoing series that lasted over seventy issues, was part of the core cast at the time, downgrade them from an "A-list" (to me she was) hero to D level, and her importance gone? DC Comics found a way. Tonight let's talk about it.

(2022 me: I wrote these series of tweets back in 2020. Originally, I posted my original essay of this in five parts waaaay back in 2015. Here’s part 1). 

Like many things, it wasn't just a singular major cut but several ones, and lots of smaller ones that ousted the character from said position, and probably ran the fandom for the character to other places.

The first big cut is THE story of Batman in the early 2000s, Hush. Many people's "go to" or favorite story for Batman universe. Why? because it features almost every single Bat-Family and major rogues at the time appeared in it. Save for Bane and-- Batgirl.

For Bane it's quite understandable, he was in a story at Gotham Knights at the time. So his story was "being played" out elsewhere. Cass however, the story is notorious for excluding her. I believe even to this day because of the lack of appearance is a key reason why we're here.

Everything "birthed" from Hush has ruled the Batman comics roost for years since it's publication. You might say even to this day, Batman comics cannot escape the shadow of the story or some of the bad characterization within it (2022 note: Oh how right I was back in 2020 when I wrote all of this. We’ve gotten yet another addition of this story, a new omnibus, published this year with a new five page story from the same creative team). 

Key among them is this mythical level that the story puts Babs' time as Batgirl. It along with the Tommy and Jason portions are given Bruce's justification for wanting to kill the Joker in it.

There is this thing. This myth that Barbara was the greatest Batgirl ever because simply, she was the one who was in  live-action. The one in Batman: The Animated Series. That she should still be Batgirl was played out by writers during this period.

As I said earlier today she was given this chance. Where as Cassandra never really has ever been given a chance save for cameos and some really bad video games. But even then, Tim was in those too? Yet how did he get a pass but Cass did not?

There also lies a rather confession from now former publisher at DC for his distain for legacy characters. How they "age" characters up. I believe this also pertains why Barbara is always Batgirl as well. Since it ages her and Bruce up.

.The irony is, we always get the Robins (save poor Stephanie) in media too. So it's rather-- hypocritical and kind of sexist really that all the boys get their time in the spotlight but the gals do not? Why is that? This myth for Babs as Batgirl and viewpoint on legacies already puts a great hinder on Cassandra as a character.  You already have factors going against the character. But wait there's more.

There-in lies the second big cut. A great famous comic writer once told me on a forum, if he didn't like a character he'd just ignore them. Better ignore than write them badly. This sort of thing does make sense but-- in Cassandra's case for one writer it was taken to an extreme.

After War Games event in 2004 does anyone want to play a guess how many times Cassandra appeared in the mainline Batman comics to the end of her ongoing in 2009?

The answer isn't much, just a handful. Not to mention the love affair over returning Jason as well was all over the place. Jason this and Jason that. A fact that this was so metaly pointed out in Batgirl Vol. 2 #1.

There-in lies a revelation tonight I had. I always wondered why the writer of Batgirl Vol. 2 wrote Nightwing so awful in it. Then it hit me across the face tonight: the book's writer at the time. The thing from 2006 to even now there's been an editor/writer who kind of obviously doesn't like the character of Cassandra. In fact his own contribution to this happened in Nightwing as Batgirl Vol. 2 was ending. The whole "family" subplot throughout his entire Batman run.

There in lies the second major cut, the ending of Cassandra's ongoing. Why was it canceled? Not due to sales. Other comics that survived/relaunched into OYL were selling worse than Batgirl. No it was canceled to make room for a Batwoman ongoing.

A Batwoman ongoing (by Devin Grayson) that would never see the light of day. The inker of #73 confirmed this because I guess one female Bat comic was one too many for that day and age. Oh, the sexism was high at DC.

Of course, the third major cut came not too long after. Turning Cassandra into a "dragon lady" villain.

So you take everything fans loved and adored the character. And take it into the trash to give us the worst stereotypical character ever. Worse, is the aftermath following in Robin #152.

Why is it worse? Because it downplays Cassandra's importance in the family to now being a "sad troubled" girl. .....

Fans didn't take well to this all at all during the time period. Cue this article from Wizard #182 (which came out October 2006) when fans were ticked and higher ups threw the Robin writer under the bus at conventions.

And that would come in Titans East over in Teen Titans in early 2007 where we get this crazy retcon to explain it all.

With some extra padding in some oneshots of 52 to show, "Hey Cass did good things in the missing year. Things we'll never see." Aka devaluing her story unlike say Tim who we got to see the complete tale of him at the time.

Back to Titans East, throughout the story neither Tim/Dick help Cass in her problems they instead hinder her more after learning the truth. Thankfully for Tim that characterization would later be course corrected. Dick-- not so much.

So DC said they had "plans" for Cassandra. After East we were teased things in Black Canary mini in the summer of 2007 that Cass had feld from her sect of the League of Assasins.

And as I let you all know here. Well, we all know where Cassandra ended up, as a supporting character in Batman & the Outsiders.

But this in line also ties into DC Nation blurbs where we were teased in Batman & the Outsiders #3 we would be getting a new mini for Cass.

So interesting to note during this period as you know Chuck Dixon was writing Batman & the Outsiders. He really laid out his plans for both this and Robin on podcasts (and one issue of Robin slipped into solicitations). 

When I personally attended the Wizardworld Chicago 2009, Dan DiDio said at the DC panel when the subject of why  eventual writer for Batgirl Vol. 2, Adam Beechen was person writing this comic. DiDio answered by saying Beechen was the only creative at DC giving him pitches on Cass. 

Turns out, DiDio lied as prior to that year in December 2008, Dixon went on the Word Balloon podcast and talked about a “filler” issue of Detective Comics that could include Cassandra Cain.

Of course, as we got said mini with one hand, on the other hand several Bat Family comics were winding down. Those included Robin, Nightwing, and Birds of Prey. And as #6 was closing things out so this was being teased in the final issue of Nightwing.

That is so not Cass, but Barbara as Batgirl kissing Dick in his current Nightwing costume. The heck? Well, at it turns out (as we later learn). Higher ups already were planning Cassandra's ousting from Batgirl even though they gave us a mini. So DC giveth and DC taketh away.

However, prelim hype around the book teased Cass would be Batgirl going in. Note the bulletin board on who was listed as Batgirl (courtesy of IGN, but here’s the Multiversity article on it). 

Of course, DC didn’t know WHO was going to Batgirl even at the time this article was posted as they were debating all over the place at this point. Much so in fact it made it to another DC Nation (after Stephanie was chosen):

"2010 will have big plans for our favorite non-lethal assassin".

Yes, we did get Cass in 2010 but just in Red Robin #17. Such a "big plan" that was. A single appearance.  Well, okay we did get the retcon on why Cass wasn't Batgirl any longer too. But there wasn't much at all.

So you have DC downplaying the character. And then you get Black Bat.

But as I said before a few days ago, any importance of Cassandra that was coming from the new Batman writer was short-lived as the New 52 rolled out fully on Babs back as Batgirl.  Many got their wish (higher ups included) Babs was back as Batgirl.  The "myth" was a reality again.

At the very least, Stephanie got one final adventure as Batgirl even if, plans were in place to make her Spoiler just in case her as Batgirl wasn't allowed.

What followed was an agonizing three years of DC downplaying the two characters completely. Why you ask? The easiest answer: jealousy and sexism. Look at how loyal we fans of the two characters are.  What if that love was directed at them instead of Babs.

I guess you could say now "two" female Bats were okay, but FOUR?! FOUR iS SIMPLY OUTRAGOUS!!!!

Course the controversy would be a embargo of the two characters by DC. Embargo that hit Stephanie more with the online Smallville comic and Lil Gotham.

I'm also reminded the mindset of DC higher ups at the time period post Battle for the Cowl as we recently learned from the SDCC: Batgirls panel (2020): Higher Ups: "Cassandra leaves." Writer: "WHY?!" Higher Ups: "Cause she just does-- so your book can exist."

Suddenly this begins to explain Lady Shiva and the lack of Cassandra Cain in Batman: Hush now.

That's the cruel mindset DC higher ups had with Cassandra and eventually Stephanie. So when you say, not to give either character a chance. This is what people you're defending.

So you add ALL OF THAT, four years is quite a long time. A long time for fans to move on or just forget DC Comics. But we Cass/Steph fans persisted. Better we did get them in 2014 even if it was an alternate reality (and Gail's final issue).

BUT... Cass in the main universe?  Yeah, Stephanie can be slotted in because she has the Spoiler identity to fall onto. But Cass? She was Batgirl. So what do you do when you have a Batgirl, but can't use Cass?

Simply you just create a new identity, Orphan. But by not making her Batgirl you take away three key things away from the character. #1 Who she's truly loyal toward.

#2 Who mentors her.

#3 Where she is in the Family order. By including Babs as the new "daughter" figure in Bruce's life. You take away Cassandra's. Why do you think a certain DC Direct statue with the family earns my ire anytime I see it? For that.

Babs is no daughter figure to Bruce, she's an equal. That's a downgrade to her role in the family. But it is rather curious two ongoings with Barbara and not a single appearance of Cass in them (so far). Makes you wonder?

So you take away Cassandra's importance in the family, you downgrade her identity, don't give her a bat symbol, take away her mentors. What does that leave you?

You wonder why. Why do I'd stick around? I mean honestly, there are probably really vocal Cass fans out there in this world still. One of whom did a retrospective multipart video earlier this year of Cass (and he comes to the EXACT same conclusions).

Because as I said quite recently, "What is the greatest lesson for Cass fans in Batman media given all the mess DC and Warner Bros. does in treating this character?

It took almost TEN YEARS to finally see Cass in her OG Batgirl suit earlier this year. Almost TEN YEARS to see a solo story which-- dammit was like the greatest gift to us. Like seriously to all those involved going thru all of this.

I really hope the creative team realizes just how special that graphic novel is to the fans. Like literally, it showed all the greatest things we love about the character. The fighting is just the added bonus. I bow and try not to cry at being so grateful to this creative team.

But this is the road we fans and the character of Cassandra Cain have to endure. So if you're wondering why we're ticked at the Gotham Knights video game (2022) not including her outright? This is our reason.

This is why I am still grateful for BoP movie. It may not have been the role I wanted to see of Cass as the damsel in distress, but goddammit we got so much Cass comic content this year because of it.  JUST FOR THAT ALONE-- I'm grateful.

That's why if any person in media can hear me. Just give Cass a chance. A short. A main role in the video game. Heck, an episode.  JUST GIVE CASSANDRA A CHANCE PLEASE! You might be surprised at what you get.

Just know that Cassandra will NEVER be a placeholder. She is Batgirl, and dammit she deserves that role and that role so BADLY.  I know Stephanie is too.

Gods I love Stephanie too. But I just always hate that DC did that to both characters. Pitting their fans against one another. It guts me. Like the lowest thing for DC to do is pit these two close friends against one another.

That's why it kills me. Part of me YEARNS for a new Cass ongoing, but goddammit Stephanie got screwed too in this. So if both get ongoing with Babs I am okay with this. Because dammit these characters need love, not freaking hatred.

DC really does owe it to both characters and their fans this. THEY REALLY OWE THEM for the hell these characters had to endure because of idiotic higher-ups who had horrible agendas and wanted to push a fast buck.

So now you know how DC did it. How they took this character who was a major fixture in the Batman comics and downplayed her SOOOOOOO much with bad storytelling and shuffling her off to be a side character.

I'm mentally exhausted worn now. I just hope you take these lessons to heart. To learn this shady stuff that DC Comics did and turned an amazing character-- to something less. How fans want more from that character again.

Update July 2021: Gail Simone’s tweet (that she deleted soon after) on this nugget of how the character of Cass was changed due to studio higher ups. 

Update September 2021:

.... 

Here I go again with an UPDATE. After all these years. Confirmation at last (even if they aren't mentioned).  We all know WHICH characters by now Dan DiDio is talking about here.

(You can read the whole interview here.)

#cassandra cain #dc comics #the tragedy of cassandra cain

[twistedtummies2]

Year of the Bat - Number 4

Welcome to Year of the Bat! In honor of Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and Richard Moll, I’ve been counting down my Top 31 Favorite Episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” throughout this January. We’re getting close to the end now… TODAY’S EPISODE QUOTE: “Gotham can be a Wonderland, Alice! Tonight, let me be your guide.” Number 4 is…Mad as a Hatter.

If you know me very well, this episode being in my Top 5 is no surprise at all. If you don’t, then you might be a little surprised. While “Mad as a Hatter” is certainly a well-liked episode, by all accounts, I doubt too many people would name it as being anywhere on-par with stories like “Mad Love” and “Heart of Ice,” two other villain origin stories that I covered in my past two entries. I, however, am not most people: while I love Harley Quinn, and I cannot deny the power of “Heart of Ice,” this story is something close to my heart in a way those two simply are not. This episode is the origin/first appearance of one of the Dark Knight’s slightly more unsung villains, the Mad Hatter. In the story, the Hatter is a highly repressed and socially awkward neuroscientist, by the name of Jervis Tetch. Jervis is an eccentric fellow, who has a bizarre obsession with the “Alice” stories by Lewis Carroll. The strange scientist has created a special headband and cards, which – via highly sophisticated nanotechnology – allow him to control other people’s minds. It’s then revealed that Tetch has unrequited feelings for his secretary (probably not-coincidentally named Alice Pleasance), and – when her boyfriend, Billy, seemingly dumps her – Jervis seizes the opportunity to use this newfound power to try and sweep Alice off her feet. At first, things seem to go well…but unbeknownst to Jervis, after he drops Alice off at home that night, she and Billy make up and even get officially engaged. This sudden development causes Jervis to snap, and he becomes the Mad Hatter: determined to claim Alice as his own, hang all the consequences, and willing to put half of Gotham under his thrall, if necessary, in order to do so. Naturally, Batman can’t allow this; he’s already on Tetch’s trail, after a (presumed) misunderstanding with some street thugs. Now, he must rescue Alice (and Billy) and stop the Mad Hatter before things get any madder.

The Mad Hatter has long been one of my favorite Batman Villains, and I am 99% convinced that the specific version found in the DCAU is the main reason why. In the comics, the Hatter has always been an…iffy character, to say the least, as he’s typically depicted as a rotten-to-the-core little creep with many perverse desires. He’s a villain who’s meant to just be punched in the face, so to speak. Other adaptations have gone in other directions, but I think the version found in the Animated Series handled it the best out of anybody. This is, without a doubt, my definitive take on the Mad Hatter. Part of the reason why is the character’s voice: he’s played by Roddy McDowall, and in fact, the Hatter would be McDowall’s last proper character, as his final appearance in the DCAU – a Superman crossover episode called “Knight Time” – was released posthumously to McDowall’s passing, and a somewhat earlier episode, “Animal Act,” was released not long before his death. This was quite the role to cap a career with, and almost seems an inevitable one: McDowall had previously played a somewhat similar character, the Bookworm, in the 1960s Adam West show. He also was the narrator for an abridged audiobook version of Tim Burton’s Batman (where I swear he plays the most polite Batman in the history of anything). Not only that, but McDowall also played the role of the March Hare in a 1985 TV Miniseries of “Alice in Wonderland.” With credits like these, and his mellifluous voice, he was absolutely perfect casting for the part.

The other reason, however, sits with his origins. This by far the most sympathetic and fascinating take on Jervis Tetch I think we’ve ever been given. It’s easy to relate with the idea of unrequited love as the cause for someone’s descent into darkness, and at the start of the story, Jervis is really very nice. He’s a bit odd, and there are some subtle hints that he’s already on a slightly uneven keel, but he doesn’t come across as truly evil. There’s also an interesting dichotomy with the way his alter ego acts in relation to the rest of his life; it sort of reminds me of Catwoman’s setup in “Batman Returns,” of all things. At the start, Jervis is awkward, shy, panicky, and keeps a lot bottled up. Once he dons the top hat and trenchcoat of the Mad Hatter, however, he becomes a whole different person: he’s more charismatic, more confident, more flamboyant, and – thanks the power of his control chips – he has absolute control, something we get the sense he hasn’t had a lot of in his life. It’s only when his advances are so brutally shot down – when he finds out Alice, after all that, is ENGAGED to Billy – that he REALLY goes off the deep end. There’s some ambiguity and unanswered questions with his background – we don’t know why he’s obsessed with Wonderland, why he’s created these control chips, or even whether or not he intended what happened with the two aforementioned street hooligans – but that actually only makes him more interesting, as it gives the audience a little leeway to come up with their own thoughts, while still presenting a comprehensive understanding of why this Hatter is Mad.

Being a Wonderland-obsessed oddball myself, I’ve always felt a sort of dark kinship, for lack of a better way of putting it, with the concept of Jervis Tetch. That character concept has never been so splendidly handled as in B:TAS, and “Mad as a Hatter” is a phenomenal first impression for the character. I need no other reason to place it so high in my personal ranks.

Tomorrow we move into the Top 3 of the countdown! Hint: “Look at us. We’re all freaks and monsters. And who made us this way? BATMAN!”

#list #countdown #best #favorites #new year's special #year of the bat #top 31 btas episodes #btas #batman: the animated series #dcau #dc #batman #animation #tv #number 4 #mad as a hatter #mad hatter #jervis tetch #roddy mcdowall #alice pleasance

[boyfridged]

Do you agree that Jason, as written by Winnick in UTRH and Lost Days, acts out of character post-resurrection if we take into account his post-crisis robin days? If yes, how would you have him act/react to stuff after he comes back from the dead?

tldr: i definitely agree. moreover, classism plays a huge role in it, and i don’t think that at this point the storyline could lose these implications, which makes trying to conceive what an “in character” (for robin jay) version of these events would be quite difficult. 

let’s just start from saying that i don't think it's a secret that i don't really like winick in general. despite his work being mad interesting on a conceptual level (and style-wise, genuinely well written!), he has no love for the characters he writes about. 

imo utrh shouldn't even ever make it into the mainstream batman timeline. i am aware that this is a radical opinion, but my take is that it would do best as an elseworld story (and in this version too it would need some tweaks here and there), because it made damage both to the mythos of batman and jason's legacy that can never be undone. the very premise of the story is so deeply disconnected from jay's original place in the narrative, and so classist at its roots, that there's not much room to truly fix it. 

(i want to say, preemptively, that i am aware that there are people who read utrh as a story of a revolutionary and a victim – and they have the right to do so, but ngl, my view has always been that it was never written as that. utrh reinforces so many stereotypes that it overshadows the revenge tragedy spirit of it all.) 

another disclaimer is that, to be honest, jay doesn't have a very consistent characterization even in his 80s run, and it also has some classist implications that ideally should be either erased or addressed in the text (that winick instead exaggerated and put at the very front of his storytelling.) starlin's writing is, at the end of the day and very much ironically, more sympathetic and gentler in evaluating jay (simply because at the time he would not get away with changes too blatant) but details such as jay saying that "all life is game" and his random nonchalant behaviour that has its origin in the very beginning of starlin’s run are already signs of it. some readers will trace jason's arrogance prevalent in his red hood era to these issues and say that his actions post-res are therefore a logical extension of his robin days, but i don't buy it. even if you want to lean into starlin-esque characterisation, if you consider the core problem of the garzonas plotline – which is power, jay shouldn’t look into the solution of anything in climbing to the top. and if he did, it would have to be written as a “becoming what you feared/hated most” kind of story, which i can see a certain appeal in (and which would at least acknowledge that it was not his initial personality), but which would go back to its classist assumption of cycles of violence and doomed fates.

so – how to make his post-res era more accurate to his post-crisis robin days (and least classist in the process)?

if we were to follow my fav iterations of his characterisation (barr’s detective comics and the ntt appearances) tbh I don’t think a lot would happen, because his personality is quite mild, and just so hopeful there that i wouldn’t expect any extreme actions from him – but then again, the circumstances that he finds himself in post-res, the trauma, and his sensitivity do warrant grief that should become a driving force in his life from now on. the question is, what to do with this grief as a plot device?

i know that plenty of jason fans hate this take but I actually think the concept of jason trying to be detached and cruel but being bad at it might be one of the least offensive to his 80s characterisation. it’s def not accurate to pre-52 canon (apart from countdown perhaps) but imo for jay to be authentic and nuanced he should be conflicted about his own actions. his overconfident behaviour should be a pose – just as his frantic acts in his origin story as robin were. (again, something that many readers don't take notice of – but reading the rest of collins' writing wherein jay quickly settles into being easy-going and even a bit shy is proof of it.)

these two points lead to the “no good deed” narrative that I often talk about - the reading that jason saw his intuitive and self-sacrificial kind tendencies as something that brought him pain and that never was quite efficient, and that post-res he intentionally tried training himself out of. there are some flashes of it here and there throughout the years of the red hood publishing history, but it never got a true spotlight. and if i were to write lost days, jason flinching at his own violence would be a focal point of the story. 

moving on to utrh; i have spoken about it at length before but I think if he were written 1. with more political sensitivity 2. to have retained the same maturity re: the social order 3. to have the same idea of morality, he should have followed more of actual revolutionary tracks and the whole “drug lord” authoritarian figure schtick along with the idiotic idea of “controlling crime” would have to be thrown out of the window. 

and, later on, forgiveness should play a big role in his story. he's so quick to forgive and justify everyone in his robin run – this is also why i reckon his team up with harvey in tfz was a wasted opportunity.

so, in conclusion – perhaps not that much would have to change re: his actions but definitely a lot should change regarding his emotional journey and his position. i would def throw out a lot of mindless violence and power posturing out of it though. and perhaps make him a bit more polite just for the sake of more consistency (this is not me taking a moral stance btw nor tone policing a fictional character. i just think it would be more faithful to his 80s writing unless you want to make him explicitly scared. and it would be funnier tbh.)

#i think i have written some about it on my old blog #but i'm too lazy to look it up and also i got a lot of hate because of that #i also had a longer post talking about how it can be fixed *now* #anyway i want to say. #i do enjoy jason acting feral i do. #and i do want to allow people to enjoy whatever they do #but you simply can't look at jason's characterisation post-res and lie and say it's not a classist caricature #so maybe i am judging people who don't see any problem with it a bit <3 #and despite my love for cyclic narratives #i do want better for him. and i do want him softer and more mild-mannered #not because i am tone policing people nor because i think anger is not warranted #but because i think it's clear that the source of it in his writing #is not anything revolutionary. it's the opposite #like idk make helena more full of rage or whatever #this was not jay's original place in the narrative. #it was the opposite actually. and i miss him so bad dear god i do:( #anyway i think it's hard to think of him post-res in character also because when i think of what is in-character #i also consider what (as i said) the place in the wider narrative was #and jay's death already ruined it mostly #for it to be regained he would have to start anew as a civilian OR as better batman in crime alley i think #sorry for so many tags. #this is such a delightful ask thank you <3 #dc #jason todd #jay.zip #jay.txt #outbox

[venturismcdonald]

Derek Venturi has ADHD, a fact we've all acknowledged. (Casey might too but that's for another day, said as an ADHD high achieving, type a girlie myself.) And in my making of a Derek Venturi Pinterest board and refining of the Spotify playlist, I have come to several conclusions about his hyperfixations, so here they are, organized by age.

Age 3: Hockey. Hockey sticks around forever, but when he's three is when Derek becomes permanently obsessed. It is, by far, the coolest sport ever. Nothing about hockey is lame. Unlike his parents, who do not properly appreciate hockey or Derek's genius to make a hockey rink out of the living room.

Age 5: Space. It's this vast, neverending thing and there's all these stars and constellations and it just clicks. Derek learns how to read because he wants to know about space. Planets and how they work and stars and their meanings consume his every waking thought for months.

Age 6: Greek gods/mythology. Look, alright, he's not a religious dude. It's weird. Not Derek's style. But gods are so cool and dysfunctional and everything that a good story should have! There are affairs! There's incest for some reason (gross!)! There's curses and everything that he loves! They have stories of stars and it's awesome.

Age 7: Norse gods. These are cooler than Greek gods (no offense to Zeus), because Thor is literally in Derek's comic books. Comics are obviously cooler than whatever the gods are. Not to mention, they have similar star amounts.

Age 8: Superheroes. Abby and George can't stop fighting and Edwin keeps crying and Derek hates everything, so he retreats to the world of his comics with Ed by his side. The comics are great! They're easy, stop tears from happening (which, by the way, is the only thing he cares about), and not to mention, fricking awesome. Superheroes are objectively the coolest. His favorite is, obviously, Batman. The dude has everything.

Age 10: Smarti. Look, alright, there's a baby and a dissolving family and the baby's the thing being used to try and cobble it back together? Fuck that! Derek loves his Smarti more than anything and he will not let her be a pawn in the dysfunction of the Venturi household, which leads him to essentially parent her when the parents are fighting. Someone pay him for his labor, he's literally begging.

Age 11: Girls. Derek is not a romantic, by any means, but he likes the attraction and kissing (and more than kissing, but that's after he's hit at least 14) and the game of dating. It's great. There's always girls lining up to be with him. He's never bored.

Age 12: Subculture history. How the fuck Derek Venturi ends up at a punk show is something even he doesn't know. But it's cool and he starts becoming obsessed with the bands and the history until his room is covered in posters and he's got CDs of them everywhere. He is, obviously, not a punk though, because Derek's cool. If anything, he's more grunge.

Age 13: Film. Being a director seems to bring all of Derek's best traits to the foreground, but if he's going to be successful, he needs to watch movies. So he spends every weekend watching movies with the boys before going to a party. At his core, he's pretty sure he turned into a film obsessed nerd for a year of his life. Thank god he's still Derek, god of everything.

Age 14: Music. He learns to play guitar for a girl, but decides to keep up at it because it's fun. Music is cool, it's a good way to vent his frustrations with everything. Did he mention that it gets girls?

Age 15: Casey. The alien specimen moved in and didn't only take over his house, she took over his brain! What a bratty princess. Was it not enough to have to share a room and legally bonded parents with her? It's so unfair. This hyperfixation sticks around forever, but it's also originally a hyperfixation.

Age 16: Pluto. When asked about the fateful weekend where Derek had his Casey induced breakdown (now he has feelings for her, which is so inconvenient, and why are they so strong?! He doesn't want that, he likes easy. Casey is not easy), he will say it was because Pluto wasn't a planet anymore, which is valid because it played a role too. The worst weekend of his life, by far, was that one. Because of Pluto, not Casey!

Age 16: Anti Football Propaganda. Derek's never liked football, but when he's 16, that hatred consumes him for several months. It dies when Casey and Max's relationship does. There's no correlation. Obviously. He just hates football!

Age 17: Love. For the first time in his life, Derek's in a (gag) serious relationship. And he's in love with Sally. Love is weird, though, because it feels like his brain normally does, just with more emotions he's acknowledging. Love is a hyperfixation, is it not? The devotion of keeping oneself in love with someone, putting them first, it's that. Obviously.

#dasey #life with derek #ry rambles #derek venturi #stopping at 17 because thats when the show does and im not creative enough to add more #but like. derek is so smart and definitely has a lot of random knowledge so he kicks ass at trivia.

[blazehedgehog]

i remember someone asking you how would you conceptualize a sonic tv show a couple of years ago and you said something about taking the core aspects of the characters and make them play out like with batman TAS. if so, what other ideas do you have about something like that?

Well, first we'd have to identify what the universal ideal of Sonic the Hedgehog is. That's what Batman TAS did -- it took every variant of Batman ever created and distilled them down into their purest essence.

So my first inclination would be to just start over and maybe retell the events of the Genesis games but with new context, but that's not what Batman did. I'm not even sure how long it took Batman TAS to retell Batman's origin story (judging by this list, maybe 26 episodes). It assumes you know who the character is and tells very simple, iconic stories regarding that universe.

So then you have to ask yourself: what does the purest essence of Sonic look like?

Is it Classic Sonic? Modern Sonic? Something in-between? The above two are Tyson Hesse sheets, and I use them because one, I like the way he draws Sonic, and two, he's kind of been the guiding force behind Sonic's appearances in 2D animation in the last decade. The boy draws a good hog.

And in that regard, I believe he drew this as his way of trying to blend Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic design sensibilities:

Short, scruffy, and a little athletic. But still identifiably the way Sonic has always looked.

Unfortunately, I think Eggman changes too much to really blend two aesthetics together -- again, we're not so much looking to create "our version of Eggman", we're looking to create The Ideal Eggman. So we could probably settle with Classic Eggman and leave it at that. It's a more simplistic design, if nothing else.

From there you just start... telling stories. Not necessarily origin stories, like I don't think we really need an episode where we see Eggman build Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic is just already there.

If you do tell an origin story, it has to be in service of focusing on a specific element of what makes that character sing. Like, I mentioned episode 26 of Batman TAS was probably where they finally touched on Batman's origin, but that's because it's an episode about Crime Alley, the place Bruce's parents were killed. It's not a story about Batman's origin.

So if we tell Metal Sonic's origin story, it has to be referenced within something else as a pillar to strengthen the story being told. It cannot be an origin story about Metal Sonic, because you have to assume the audience already knows who Metal Sonic is. Again, you're not here to show how your Metal Sonic is different, you're here to show the perfect, idealized, purest distillation of Metal Sonic. This is every Metal Sonic in one, shaven down and polished to a mirror finish.

So then, what's interesting about Metal Sonic as a character? Well, he knows, on some level, that he's Sonic. He has some awareness that he's a copy, and he both wants to make his creator (Eggman) proud and also become the one true Sonic (by incapacitating or otherwise destroying the actual Sonic). He is also a creation of Eggman, so there's some desire to subjugate and rule the world in there somewhere (to be evil, in other words).

This means we have a villain with confused goals. He is controlled but strives to break free of that control. But he still wants to be evil. Maybe for reasons he doesn't really understand.

So maybe we tell a story where Sonic's out on a run, looking for a Chaos Emerald. No particular reason, just he thought it would be a good idea to collect one or two to have on hand just in case. Make it so nobody could easily have all seven.

As he gets close to where he thinks an emerald is, he gets blindsided by Metal Sonic, and they have a fight. Sonic reaches under the cuff of his glove and pulls out a tiny communicator he uses to radio Tails with, asking if he's heard any movement from Eggman recently. Tails has not. Then why is Metal Sonic out here?

Tails has Sonic lure him close to the workshop, where Tails runs a scan on Metal.

Turns out: Metal Sonic had the same idea as Sonic. Because Metal Sonic is operating on all of Sonic's thoughts and memories (a good aside to establish here), he independently decided to go on a mission to gather up some (or all) of the Chaos Emeralds "just in case" with the idea of giving them to Eggman. Obviously both Metal and Sonic know they're doing the same thing, so there's no easy way to get Metal Sonic to just stop and go away, right?

So, Tails comes up with an idea: a fake emerald, for a fake Sonic. I don't know that we have to reference Sonic Adventure 2 here, but maybe there could be an offhand reference about how Tails has "always had the technology to synthesize a fake Chaos Emerald." The problem now is getting Metal Sonic to believe the fake emerald is real.

Maybe, for the sake of the plot, a real Chaos Emerald has to be within proximity to hide the energy signature of the fake more easily. So now we have our episode finale: Sonic has to let Metal attack him, they have to fight over the fake emerald, but oh no Tails gets dragged in, and there's a mix up. Who has the real emerald, and who has the fake?

Everyone involved knows one of the emeralds is fake, and Tails has a piece of technology that helps him identify the real one, but it's easy to get confused as to who has which one (by design, that's why there's a real Chaos Emerald here).

The episode ends with our heroes (presumably) having the real one. We see Metal Sonic return to Eggman's city (Scrap Brain Zone) and there's a POV shot where it says "Deliver Emerald To The Doctor" like a mission objective. Metal Sonic pauses for a moment, staring in to the Emerald, and we see the objective get minimized for a new one:

"Take The Untold Power For Yourself."

Metal Sonic's hand transforms, or his chest opens up, or something happens where he's going to use the emerald to power himself up. He starts to accept the emerald's energies, everything looks like it's working just fine, but there's an anomaly, the wavelengths go haywire, and the emerald explodes.

Our final shot is a severely damaged Metal Sonic limping into Doctor Eggman's lab, who is completely unaware of what just happened. He dotes on Metal, cursing what Sonic has done to him. And Metal Sonic just silently stares.

Now I'm no Bruce Timm or Paul Dini, but to me, that gestures towards the type of storytelling I think a TAS-style Sonic show would lean towards.

#questions #Anonymous #sonic the hedgehog #sega #sonic team #batman tas #tyson hesse

[aliceramblesonnerdity]

ALRIGHT BITCHES. WE BACK. HES BACK.

MY FAVORITE HERO IS BACK YALL

Off the bat, the cover is beautiful but the redesign SUCKS. It's just close enough to the original for the changes to just look wrong.

The cover IS a nice homage to his original mini, so I can't complain there, but redesigning a mask that has importance to his character is... Odd.

Perfect interior art imo. And Roubpheap is here and.. I definitely didn't shed a tear over Chord being dead... Nope...

Kicking screaming crying forgetting batman ever existed. The Taylor-Chord family never being used is why I settle for the Batfamily being my favorite. These pages are so good, I missed Dwayne, I missed Roubpheap, I'm glad they're dealing with Thrash's survivors guilt.

When this was announced I was terrified they'd assassinate the characters but so far Sil is as strong and badass as ever, Dwayne still is Dwayne at his best and worst... It's perfect so far.

Reading further ahead, a gang of kids rob a gentrified area of Harlem, Dwayne tries to catch them but the cops detain him because... Y'know ... He's black. And that's what cops do (hoping we see Midnight's Fire some how return but who knows) I do enjoy when Superhero stories tackle the themes of the struggles of the oppressed, from the perspective of the oppressed. I'm a huge Milestone fan and this makes me feel right at home.

Also this is what leads Dwayne to start considering not shutting down the Foundation, to be able to play the system against the cops and systemic issues THROUGH the foundation. Batman comics could learn A LOT from this book.

They've maintained Silhouette as a core character which I love. I love that she's as bad ass as the 90's made her, it really makes me mad that we don't get representation like her anymore. Tho on the next page Dwayne just starts listing off teammates who... Aren't in the picture? That pic is rage, Microbe, Sil, Thrasher, and Firestar. The next page he lists Donyell, Namorita, rage and microbe which... I mean sure, but the inconsistency is odd, and what about Speedball?

Rage is the BBEG! Interesting, he's not like... Evil evil. But he's the antagonist here which like... This guy was IMPORTANT to the original Warriors run.

The sins? Of his past?? IN THIS ECONOMY???

Ok ok, no onto the Sihloette back up!!!

It still hurts to see Chord like this, having grown up reading New Warriors omnibus from the library CONSTANTLY. I'm so thankful they're focusing on the family dynamics here.

That's basically all of the issue. It's everything I could have asked for. Everyone is here that should be, it's dealing with exactly the themes of hope for, and everyone is characterized perfectly. I adore this book. I'm definitely going to try to find more of Holtman's work in the future.

#new warriors #night thrasher #sihlouette #marvel

[azol-otl]

So I was rewatching season two of Young Justice (because I only kept up with the show while it was on television and it not existing for years meant I didn’t bother going back to it) and it seems like I still share my opinion from way back then.

Why did they use Tim and Cassie?

Like, don’t get me wrong it makes sense that a show called Young Justice would have them, but the show was already nothing like the comic. YJ!Superboy is nothing like comics!Superboy and he’s the only core member of the actual Young Justice comics to have been in season one. The show’s core cast has two gen one sidekicks, a gen three sidekick, a gen four (??? things get muddled as hell in the 2000s), a gen five sidekick, and a bit villainess. They are literally an elseworld.

Not only that, but Tim and Cassie were...pretty much non-characters during the season. Despite the time given to them, they weren’t very important to the overall arc and were wasted potential.

But you know who wouldn’t have been? Jason and Donna.

We already know the characters exist in universe. We see Jason’s memorial.

This is an unnecessary aside, but I am so sick of Jason’s death being the only thing we see of him in elseworlds. Even the ones where he’s alive they’re always like “And he’s evil because he was poor!” Like bitch do you not understand how to create a tragedy? You don’t just give us sad events you have to get us attached to the character first. This is a cartoon! It has a much wider audience than a comic! They won’t know major comic references because they are not informed! Why would the grotto scene work if we never met these people! Get us attached and then kill them off!

 But there is no point in knowing these characters exist if you don’t use them (or at least cameo them if they’re really niche), but with these two specifically they could have done something really interesting.

 They could have been Red Herrings.

Jason and Donna have both died in the comics. Their deaths were majorly important events to their respective IP’s (Batman and Titans). Not only that, but we already have Bart coming back in time to save a third person who had famously died, Barry Allen.

We know that Bart came back in time to stop the apocalypse. We know something happens to Jaime that turns him evil. We’re led to believe that Artemis dies (something that rocks Bart to the core because she didn’t die in his timeline). So we would suspect that Jason and Donna would be the first in line to die.

The Young Justice writers could even play into their reputations with what’s already present. They could have made Jason and Jaime (who are the same age in this universe) close friends. This could be used to give Bart anxiety because Jason, again, famously gets murdered as Robin and Jaime is supposed to become evil.

Hell if they made Jason take Tim’s place during the infiltration there would have been some serious investment when original Roy purposefully explodes shit and they fight Black Beetle because one of these characters has a history of being murdered. 

I would also like to push my YJ crackship of BlueJay (Jaime/Jason) because I am trash and will forever push Jason being queer.

Or with Mongul (who Jason has a major story with) you can push Jason almost dying again. And it would be through betrayal from someone who’s supposed to love you, just like in DitF. (Imagine the scene where Nightwing finds the batarang when you know that there’s a real possibility that this is how Jason dies in this universe).

On Donna’s end you can have her take more and more responsibilities after Artemis dies and she starts becoming more of Dick’s second in command with a penchant of shoving herself in front of attacks because she can survive things that others cannot (because Artemis “died” via stabbing and if you had Donna there, whoo boy that’s some guilt). So when the Bialya mission occurs and it’s the all-girls team (the all-girls team with two very squishy humans Barbara and Karen), they could just bring in a larger threat than the henchmen that are there then hey there’s more conflict and fear for comic fans. And again in Warworld where she can be fighting against Mongul and guess what there’s another squishy human there, Roy. Instead of being immediately knocked out she could have taken a blow for Roy.

Side Note: When Nightwing explains why it’s an all girl’s team being sent to Bialya (way to assume everyone’s straight Dick), Donna can have a snarky line like, “And Robin isn’t here why?”

For extra extra angst you can have both Jason and Donna reacting negatively to Artemis’ “death” and reaching out to Wally because of it. Jason because both he and Artemis are from the same place and have a similar prickliness that comes from how they were raised (we could have had an Artemis-Jason sibling bond and it would have been great), and his fury that someone who “got out” still died a violent death. Donna because of the guilt of Artemis dying but also because she’d be closer in age to Wally and Artemis so making them be friends just makes sense. And by putting more of the focus on their grief and Wally’s guilt the writers could expertly tie Wally into the “could possibly die” camp without making the audience worry about it.

And with everything that happens. With the two obvious targets somehow alive throughout the season, they still “kill” Wally West. All of the foreshadowing about sacrifice. All of the remarks about not being reckless (because this is still DC and they love blaming Jason’s death on himself). All of the near-deaths, it ends up being the person you don’t expect and it hits harder because of it (except for all the people who watched JLU who had pinged Wally dying pretty early on in the season) .

But yeah. If they were going through the trouble of confirming these characters exist, why not use them for the narrative?

#I can't believe I'm talking about Young Justice a whole ass decade after I stopped watching it #I like a lot of what Young Justice did and am really impressed by how many characters they shoved into it. #But there's a point where it's too much too quickly and they hit that pretty fast #Like I love cameos but I love the characters I like being utilized more #Me at Red Hooded Ninja: I love him and I want to know more about him #Show: How about we just give cameos about him and never utilize his potential #I get that a lot of people wanted the Core Four in YJ but wouldn't it be better if they actually had the chance to shine individually #instead of being shoved into a side role #Young Justice Cartoon #Jason Todd #Donna Troy #Sorry Donna fans I did talk about her but feel free to ignore this post

[ultrahpfan5blog]

The Flash - a fun but very messy movie...

This film has had a comically long path to release. I remember that The Flash movie was announced shortly after the The Flash tv show had launched in 2014. Its pretty hilarious that The Flash show run ended a month ago after 9 seasons and 180+ episodes, and the movie has only just released. Gives an idea to the amount of issues in the DCEU and for this movie. With all the controversy surrounding Ezra Miller, as well as the extraordinary reactions by the film, calling it one of the greatest superhero films of all time, I was curious to see this. Having seen it, the film's reactions were clearly spin on behalf of DC and WB to mitigate the damage from the Ezra Miller debacle. Judging by the BO reports, it didn't work. And frankly, the film isn't anywhere in the vicinity of the top superhero films. Its not even in my top 5 DCEU movies, let alone DC movies and superhero movies in general. What it is, is a pretty funny movie, with some good performances, but a very messy execution.

The film feels very frantic, a bit like the main character. There is a lot crammed into this movie. It can get a little confusing, the way they talk about time travel and multiverse at rapid pace. As a big comic book fan, I was able to keep up, but I have to believe that a layman might just get lost in the process. I do like the concept of the chronobowl and I like that the film has a new way of explaining the multiverse. The movie's biggest plus is that the humor genuinely works. This is a generally pretty funny movie. There are a lot of laughs spread out throughout the movie. And credit to where its due, Ezra Miller is actually quite good in this film. Its a very Ezra Miller performance. All of his nervous ticks are there, but he is playing opposite himself for a vast majority of the film and he's actually quite good in both roles. The older version is actually a more toned down version of Barry that we saw in JL/ZSJL. The younger version is initially very annoying but that is sort of the point, but Miller does a good job of bringing out the innate goodness of the character. There are definitely some cool moments of action, a lot of them coming from Keaton's Batman. It is fun to watch that version of Batman kick some serious ass. Supergirl is also quite badass, if a bit underdeveloped. The visuals of Flash running, with the lightning, is pretty neat. The movie also manages to deliver a Flash origin story without needing to do an origin story. There are also a few emotional moments towards the end of the movie that really click. There is one scene in particular between Barry and his mother, which is quite emotional.

However, like I mentioned, the film is very messy. The VFX work on a lot of the movie is very substandard. I don't really care for the explanation that Muschietti gave. It sounds like a lame excuse, but if it was a choice, it was a bad choice, because it took me out of the scene quite a bit. The film also isn't focused. The emotional core of the film is Barry and him dealing with the tragedy of his past, but the film doesn't focus on it enough. As a result, the film never has the emotional punch that it should. As someone who watched 9 seasons of The Flash tv show, that was one aspect that they actually nailed. There are moments like that, such as when older Barry vents his frustration on younger Barry about how he takes things for granted, or the above mentioned scene with Barry and his mother. There just isn't enough of it though. The film does feel more interested in handing out nostalgia. While it is great to see Keaton's Batman, he doesn't really serve a purpose outside of being an element of nostalgia. They kind of do a surface level bonding of Bruce bonding with Barry over the loss of his parents, but they never dig into it. Keaton's appearance is just there to delight fans, so we get to see the Batmobile, the OG style suit, the Batwing etc... without adding up to anything specific. They also made him fairly pointless in the final fight because he isn't really able to do anything. Additionally, despite being 70+, his Batman is treated as if he is still at his prime, which felt like a missed opportunity. Supergirl also is an underdeveloped character. It feels like an interest arc is basically snipped into a few scenes for her. It is also difficult to buy her adjusting to her powers so fast, when we saw how difficult it was for Zod. Also, the film kind of brushes over the explanation as to why Zod wants Kara. When it comes to Barry, it does have that very emotional climax with the two Barry's and the old Barry, and then Barry changing the past to let his mother die, but then it also undoes the lesson a bit by changing the history enough to his father goes free, despite the explanation of every change leading to a different timeline.

The film does feel like its coming apart in the climax. The film throws a bunch of cameos at the screen, none of it really works. It got me wondering about who this film is targeted at. The core audience group for CBM movies is under 30, but the cameos in this movie, like Christopher Reeve and Helen Slater, Nic Cage as Superman, George Clooney as Batman, and even Keaton as Batman, are things that only people well over 30 would really recognize and have nostalgia for. Keaton Batman movies are over 30 years old, and even Clooney's Batman movie is 26 years old. I felt that lack of recognition and a general WTF feeling in my audience. I am one of those who is a true CBM follower, so I recognized the call backs but I can't say that most did. I did grin at the Clooney cameo but that one felt like it was almost a joke from the makers, that they know there won't be another movie in this continuity.

The performances are solid. Whatever you may think of Ezra Miller or his version of the character, he delivers a good performance of his version of Barry Allen. Keaton is clearly having a blast on his return and he does go above and beyond what the role would have required. Despite a shortchanged role, Sasha Calle makes an impression. Ben Affleck has one excellent scene which again brings up regrets as to how he was never properly used. It was nice to see Jeremy Irons briefly back again as Alfred, again a case of great casting that got wasted. It may be our last looks at Affleck, Gadot, Miller, and Irons in these roles. Not sure whether Affleck and Gadot have guest appearances in Aquaman 2. Ron Livingston and Maribel Verdu are appealing as Barry's parents. Shannon pops up in the climax as Zod. Doesn't really have enough of a role to make an impression. I think Andy Muschietti does a decent job directing the film. I do film the film needed to either prune some subplots, like the Zod and Kara angle, or it needed to be longer so it could deepen the Barry storyline and give Keaton's Batman more purpose apart from just being there for nostalgia bait. All in all, enjoyable, but overhyped and definitely quite flawed. A 6.5/10.

#the flash #the flash spoilers #barry allen #bruce wayne #kara zor el #supergirl #batman #ezra miller #sasha calle #michael keaton #ben affleck #jeremy irons #gal gadot #flashpoint #dceu #andy muschietti #ron livingston #maribel verdú #zod #michael shannon #henry allen #nora allen

[musikat18]

DCEU Upcoming Slate: Films (The Final Countdown & The SafGunn Starter Platter)

The last time we all gathered here, I talked about my feelings on the DCEU in the last ten years because I felt like as the DCEU was preparing to come to a close, it was a good time to kind of look back before the new slate of content was announced.

There are, of course, four films left in what is known as the DCEU. I actually don't think people will stop calling it that? But I think, for me, the term DCEU really kind of goes along with this library of films more than whatever is coming next. "DCEU," just because of All The Everything, evokes a kind of messy feeling that I think will end up being replaced as the new slate starts releasing, and so I wanted to do a post where I could kind of talk about those last four movies as they get ready to come out and the five movies that were announced to start off what I'm calling the SafGunn Slate.

You may have noticed that the cover image for this post is a still of Florence Pugh at the end of Midsommar, which is of course not a CBM at all. But I do feel like the way that Midsommar is very much a cornerstone of Good For Her Cinema is a good way to summarize my feelings on the DCEU coming to a close and a new (mostly possibly we'll see) canon coming together, because to me Midsommar is very much a "You're Going To Suffer But It's Going To Feel Good Even If It Might Not End As Pretty As It Looks" kind of movie.

Also The Flash trailer dropped and I'd rather just get all the movies out of the way instead of doing a post about the trailer than the other movies so let's go.

Shazam: Fury of the Gods-- 03/17/23

I actually feel like, other than The Lost Kingdom, this is the franchise I'm kind of the most sad about seeing come to a close because the first Shazam was a movie that I think really captured the comic book-y feel that I've been wanting out of movies of this genre for a really long time. It really wasn't afraid to embrace the bright colors and goofy concepts and kind of playing-in-a-sandbox feeling that comes from a good superhero story. It was a world the directors were clearly very excited to play in and wanted to treat as a dangerous world without taking itself too seriously, because it is at the end of the day Big With Superpowers and that is a very silly concept.

But really, I'm soooo excited to see this one, even if it means there probably won't be any more of this Shazamily for a while. It's a fun set of characters and you can tell the creative team is so pumped to really dig into the magic side of the DC Universe, which is a lot more than I can say for other similar franchises and we won't talk about that right now.

The Flash-- 06/16/23

I'm not actually using a gif from the trailer here, because this one was actually there when I searched The Flash and I feel like this sums up my feelings about this movie best because Every Single Thing That Has Ever Given Me Pause About The DCEU & Even Some Parts Of DC Culture Has Touched This Movie and like. Okay.

*presses mouth to the microphone*

I'm going to see this movie because I want to see more non-Trinity content. I want to see Flash movies and Green Lantern movies and that Black Canary movie that I am fairly sure I am not getting anymore but I still want it I would like to see it I would like to have it. But I am not excited for this film and I want to carefully outline why.

I kind of want to start from the core of the Flash stuff outward and just come out and say upfront: Flashpoint is not a bad concept. But the original story did nothing for me and nothing for the mythos of The Flash or the DC Universe at large except make Barry Allen More Like Batman and Give Us The New 52 (which had a wonderful stellar Orm I adored but very little else). Also, the more I think about the Flashpoint story, the more and more not absurd but illogical it feels, not so much in that the characters are acting illogically but the writers are not thinking logically about how the characters should be in this situation.

Like, I do not see the logic behind Barry's mother being alive keeping Hal from the ring, or causing Bruce to die instead of his parents, or causing Superman to get locked up by the government. And I suppose you could make the argument that "well, Eobard made sure the timeline would break perfectly in a way that prevents the Justice League from coming together so no one could stop him" and???? I feel like Eobard as a villain works best when he's so obsessed with Barry Allen and so obsessed with the legacy of the Flash that from a big picture distance, his plans look airtight and foolproof, but when you actually dig into them, there are holes and flaws caused by sheer hatred-driven oversight and him not actually understanding what makes The Flash The Flash.

I also feel like it is a SHAME that the FIRST big-screen Flash solo film is Flashpoint, because Flashpoint is the kind of story that you need to be very emotionally invested in Barry Allen for. For Flashpoint to work, you need to be familiar with how Barry acts and thinks and feels, and between One (Two) Justice Leagues and no other appearances, I don't think this is a conflict that's been earned yet, so the movie hasn't really sold me on its basic premise.

I also am,,,,,,,,,,I don't want a Batman-heavy Flash movie. If I am seeing a Flash movie, I want to be there because the Flash characters are being done well. I don't really think having Batman there as a mentor figure for Barry does much other than exacerbate the Batman Content Loop DC is stuck in right now. So um. I'll be glad when this is over.

...Anyway.

Blue Beetle-- 08/18/23

As someone who has a deep fondness for the two most recent Blue Beetles, I'm so utterly DELIGHTED that Jaime is going to be introduced to a broader audience. I think there's a lot of fun you can have with his character because while he shares a lot of attributes with Billy Batson-- powers he didn't ask for, being the bridge between our world and a larger and possible more threatening force, having to grapple with regular teenage coming of age struggles and the very grown-up responsibility of protecting the world and his loved ones-- he has a very different feel than Billy.

Jaime has a blood family that he has a strong bond with right off the bat. He has a lot of different perspectives and ethos influencing him as he comes into being a hero. He very much does not have to CHOOSE to be a hero. And his powers don't come with the euphoria of sudden adulthood, but the dysmorphia of having an alien potentially taking over his body as a weapon if he lets it.

Not to mention, the film is definitely going to be touching on the legacy aspect of Jaime's chosen identity, if the inclusion of Victoria Kord (who JUST popped up in Blue Beetle: Graduation after just straight up never existing???? interesting) and the featuring of Kord Tech on the concept art aren't big enough hints. It all kind of dovetails into this really relatable story of struggling with identity and your place in the world that I'm SO excited to see come to the big screen.

Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom-- 12/25/23

You know what blog you're on.

And if not, you can have this: *presses mouth to microphone again* Fish Man Buddy Adventure Good.

And Now The New Stuff They Announced

Superman: Legacy-- 07/11/25

I feel like this is a very predictable and safe option to TRULY start the reboot with, and I'm not super pumped about having another Superman again. It doesn't really have as much to do with Henry Cavill as much as it has to do with the fact that we've had a LOT of movie Supermen over the years-- a LOT.

I do think if this movie took Superman: Man Of Tomorrow as a blueprint, they'd be on a really strong track to start off with. The title here makes me think of that newer animated Superman movie immediately, and when I actually went to watch it, it had just about everything I wanted out of a modern-day Superman movie.

My biggest concern here, I think, is that James Gunn is going to be writing it (I don't think I'd want him to take double-duty and direct, for that matter). James Gunn to me works a lot better with hard-to-empathize with, hard-to-like characters-- the Guardians, the Suicide Squad, Peacemaker-- they're his bread and butter. Superman is very much not that kind of character. He's an everyman, he's kind, he's selfless, he's a little dorky. It's not that I think James Gunn is incapable of writing such a character, but I definitely haven't seen anything by him that would suggest he'd be able to do well with a character like that, so I'm just going to have to wait and see.

The Authority-- TBD

All I could find in here were Wrestling gifs so have the villains from the second Scooby-Doo Wrestlemania movie ig

I'm not super familiar with the characters DC bought out from WildStorm, so I'm not really going to say much here except I would hope to see Apollo and Midnighter, and also if we're going to implicitly keep the Suicide Squad part of the mythos in canon, I don't think we need a second Secret Edgy Government team.

The Brave & The Bold-- TBD

So we're really doing Damian, huh.

I don't really have anything against Damian as a character, I just think starting out our Batman at a point where the first Robin we meet is Damian is a fairly risky move. It's really going to be hit or miss, especially if Morrison's work is going to be used as the main source for this to pull from. I love what Morrison did with Green Lantern and their work on that book, but I'm not overly familiar with or fond of their work on Batman barring their rework of Damian's origin that made me and a lot of other fans cry justice for Talia.

I think the only thing that interests me about this project is the potential to FINALLY see an extended Batfam in live-action. I think Batman in the wider cultural context has suffered without a lot of the other characters from his mythos around to challenge him and give him another perspective to bounce off of, so getting to see him with Damian and potentially other Robin and Batgirl alums will be a nice change of pace.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow-- TBD

I'm actually excited at the prospect of a Supergirl project so close to the start of things. I think for this to really succeed, they need to get as far away from the TV series as possible, and I mean that lovingly. The CW series and Melissa Benoist did a lot to bring the character to a wider audience, but I don't think it was a particularly good Kara or even one useful to the larger DC mythos.

I think for Kara to work best, she needs to be a foil to Superman in a way. What I like most about a Kara is when it's very clear that she doesn't have a lot of influence from human culture in the way Clark does. She's more brash, more arrogant, more rough-and-tumble. She is, in many ways, stronger than Clark, and the CW series I think leaned too far into making Kara more SIMILAR to Clark to get the audience to like her more. She's not without empathy and compassion, but she expresses it in a very different way from Clark, and I think that's important to show.

Also my greatest fear stems from the fact that this is supposed to be based on a Tom King work, and we all know how I feel about Heroes In Crisis. And how he writes my special boy. But we won't get into that here. We'll save that for next time.

Swamp Thing-- TBD

I'm one of those people who remembers when Swamp Thing came out and was really sad when it got cancelled even though DC Universe as a streaming service was always doomed to fail, so to see Swamp Thing included on the new slate perks me up a bit.

The magical corners of comic mythologies have always been some of my favorites, and I think Swamp Thing can really help open the doors to that for DC. Swamp Thing and John Constantine and the Endless are all very linked, and I know two of those are very widely beloved by comic fans, so this Swamp Thing project has the potential to either go really well or crash and burn horribly.

But this one seems to be the farthest off of the five films, so I'm not going to put too much thought into it now. Also, if they can get Guillermo Del Toro on board, we're set.

In Conclusion,

I think there's a lot of good things we're leaving behind for the moment, but frankly, there's a LOT of be excited about, and that's just on the film side. I think these last four movies are going to be a little bittersweet-- some more bitter and some more sweet-- but I think a year's break from some DC content is going to lead the way into some of the most promising years for the fandom in film to come, and I would rather be looking ahead, in the end, than dwelling too much on what we're losing.

Feel free to reblog and reply with your own thoughts below!

#musikat speaks #dceu #dc universe #dc comics #shazam fury of the gods #the flash #aquaman and the lost kingdom #atlk #superman #superman legacy #the authority #dc the authority #the brave & the bold #batman #bruce wayne #robin #damian wayne #supergirl #supergirl woman of tomorrow #swamp thing #dc multiverse #blue beetle #jaime reyes

[tsunflowers]

if you'll excuse me I'd like to complain about 01 for no reason

I'm reading this robot themed short story anthology and a lot of the stories are asking the question "what rights should sentient robots be afforded?" and me and many of the authors are like "all of them." so I got to thinking, maybe I just didn't like 01 bc it wasn't what I wanted out of a robot story. and that would be fine bc it's not just a robot story. it's not a thought experiment about robot rights like those stories I'm reading, it's a kamen rider show that happens to feature robots. I'm not judging wizard in the same way I would judge a fantasy epic just bc they both have dragons and spells. except I still don't think 01 works for me on the level of a kamen rider series either and it's bc aruto is the damn ceo!

the core of kamen rider, right, is that his powers come from the same place as the villains but he defies them in order to do what's right. that's been played with over the years of the franchise from the original having shocker experiment on hongo and him turning against them to revice having villains that are demons and a human partnering with a demon to stop them. in 01 the villains are robots made by hiden manufacturing and aruto has a suit made by hiden manufacturing, the company which he is the ceo of. where's the schism there where the hero vows to do the right thing using this power? what does aruto do to differentiate himself from his grandpa's legacy of making robots that became evil? he breaks with the company but like, halfway through the show, and not by choice. I spent that whole show waiting for him to either realize the company was bad and quit or turn out to be a secret robot. secret robot aruto in particular could have saved the show for me bc then it becomes "hiden manufacturing made both of us but I didn't become evil bc I have a just heart" but instead hiden manufacturing is neutral to positive throughout the show. it just lets him be batman and have a new power whenever he needs it

its like if takumi was the present of smart brain to me. and he was like ok I know this company made the evil belt that turns you to ash but they also made my belt so lets ignore that

I have to let all this go it's been like three years now. unfortunately as a scorpio woman I hold grudges for my entire life