#C.R.C. pAYNE

[a-ramblinrose]

The Comic Book Mood Continues...

I devoured Tim Drake: Robin Vol. 1 today (it was delicious 😋) and found I was still hungry for more Batfam Adventures & Shenanigans! Luckily, I've had way to much fun at the comic store lately and this lovely volume was waiting on my tbr!

[prospectivehero]

BATMAN: WAYNE FAMILY ADVENTURES VOLUME 1- Written by C.R.C. Payne, Illustrated by Starbite

Usually when I think about an analysis of anything I'm reading I ask myself, "How did this story make me feel?" There have been several comics I don't write anything about because the story did nothing for me good or bad. But if a story makes me feel good or bad, I want to discuss why. While I felt many things as I read through these quirky, disconnected stories, I was struck by a theory about Batman/Bruce Wayne's writing that I've been building recently.

As a Batman enthusiast with an associate degree in Batmanology, I love exploring Bruce Wayne's character. He is a man with no superhuman abilities. Yet, he has the experience and intelligence to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a demigoddess and an alien who pulls his punches. He takes on the burden of Gotham City's future, alone if he has to. It's easy to characterize Bruce as only dark, brooding, broken, and unfixable. But, as I've argued before, the best of him is his mercy, humanity, and compassion. Wayne Family Adventures highlights this through the scope of fatherhood. Instead of focusing on the streets of Gotham, the reader is shown the domestic scope of Bruce Wayne's life through the stories of his adopted family. This is truly a story about the batfamily as a whole, but the fact that they are a family is crucial.

In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Bruce reflects briefly on his current protege, Carrie Kelly, as Robin. In this comic, Bruce is aged. He is aware that his limited time on earth is shortened further by his antics. The future of Gotham wouldn't matter to him after he passes, but this young woman who was inspired to take the Robin gauntlet has a future ahead of her. And here we have Bruce's motive. He doesn't fight crime to save the now. He does it to save the future of everyone in Gotham. His adopted family is emblematic of this. Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, Damien Wayne, and Katherine Kane all have a future. Because of Bruce's compassion and personal code, many citizens of Gotham, even villains that he's refused to kill, have an opportunity for hope. In the same way, he's changed the futures of lost and scared children by being an example of humanity.

I can't say enough good things about this comic. It embodies all of the things I often defend in Batman stories. It's a charming and empathetic look at redemption and hope in very diverse characters. It's one of the best examples of the good that can come from Batman, the superhero.

TRIGGER WARNINGS (with potential spoilers) -

1) Warm and Fluffy - This comic spends little time on Gotham streets and focuses instead on interpersonal conflicts and their resolutions. There are more hugs than punches, which may be frustrating for those looking for more crime-fighting and action.

2) Blatant Flanderization - There are many quirky character moments inspired by sometimes brief moments in related comics. While this is done for character flavor and humor, it could be frustrating if that isn't your mug of Mountain Dew.

[shsenhaji]

📚 May Reading Round-Up 📚

I finally can say that I've read LOTR! Or, at least, the first book (I've also read The Hobbit). May was a good reading month, in which I was once again able to get to some of my long-waiting TBR, and where I also decided to re-read The Greenwing and Dart series by Victoria Goddard (which is delightful as always).

- The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (the audiobook by Andy Serkis was amazing; liked the first half better than the second, made more sense than the movies but was less emotional, didn’t love the narration style or some of the themes, loved our best boys and more of Bilbo... Boromir 😭)

- Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher (Good, funny, loved the romance, great ending, didn’t feel like there was a final character resolution but there was growth, definitely setting up later books)

- Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly (Good, somewhat unrealistic, loved the messages and themes, binged it in a few sittings)

- Calamity by Constance Fay (Very funny, intriguing worldbuilding, cute romance, didn’t love the take on this trope but didn’t hate it)

- Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas (Read it in one sitting, beautiful, bittersweet, cute, a fun read, really loved this take on Neverland and Peter Pan)

- Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (Fun, really enjoyed the middle, liked the characters, compelling, didn’t love the ending or how the romance was resolved, great worldbuilding)

- Stargazy Pie by Victoria Goddard (Re-read, a fun emotional ride, noticed even more hints and details, loved it)

- Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard (Re-read, the emotions didn’t quite hit me as much this time, loved it, heartwarming and validating)

- Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard (Re-read, ending got me all emotional, such fun)

- Blackcurrant Fool by Victoria Goddard (Re-read, not too intense, emotional ending, really enjoyed the plot and the characters)

- Love-in-a-Mist by Victoria Goddard (Re-read, delightful, fun, heartwarming, didn’t like Master Boring as much)

- Far From the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson (Compelling, great worldbuilding and interesting characters, felt a bit let down by the resolution/ending)

- Batman: Wayne Family Adventures Vol. 3 by C.R.C. Payne and Starbite (Got very emotional, a fun read)

[a-ramblinrose]

A Weekly Reading Journal 4.14.24

Once more the bookworm has been distracted by fanfiction...

Currently Reading:

Fiction:

Guardian Vol.2 by Priest

Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories by GennaRose Nethercott

Poetry:

The Book of Songs translated by Arthur Waley

The Collected Poems of Sara Teasdale

Rilke: Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke

War of the Foxes by Richard Siken [RR]

Nonfiction:

Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya

Eros The Bittersweet by Anne Carson

Graphic Novels:

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures Vol. 2 by C.R.C. Payne

Weirdos from Another Planet! by Bill Watterson

Just Finished:

Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver [RR]★★★★★

A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian ★★★★

General Reading Thoughts:

The distraction is real! It took me days to get through a 100 page novella. How? What? Why? I am making progress on my many poetry reads which is lovely. Having a multitude of very different poets/collections going at once really feeds the word loving goblin living in my brain! XP

Happy Reading!!!

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