#I've only drawn one other comic and that collection of one off fights + the first one BUT she finally won 😭✨🫰💜

[qaanngi]

get ready... fight! 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛ [full comic under cut; 12 pages/long post]

[thattimdrakeguy]

Welcome To The BEST Climax Of Any Batman Story EVER

Not Batman Year One, not Dark Knight Returns, not Hush, not Death in the Family, not the Court of Owls (which I've never even read), and certainly not that, or that other thing.

UNDER THE HOOD!

The drama, the suspense, the action, the character work. I can't think of any Batman story, or damn it, I can't think of any comic that has a better climax to this. This is a long ass story by comic book standards, and it never feels like it doesn't deserve to be as long as it is. It understands you have to earn your goals, and give people's their money's worth every damn time you can.

AND BOY, DO THEY DO IT.

It's late at night, but damn my blood is pumping just from READING.

THAT DON'T HAPPEN TO ME.

Love is in the air. And it's me and this gorgeous story. I have to buy it a drink after this. You only get this kind of climax from a damn good hook-up.

THE SETTING!

Even the setting of it is genius! Crime alley! Where it began, and began again. The symbolism of it. They couldn't fight in a better location!

This shit cooks, and leaves no crumbs, I'm telling you.

And one of the most underappreciated things, is how the goal Batman has, IS SAVING JOKER. How twisted and disturbed is it, that Jason Todd actually managed to make Batman care about Joker's life? Not because he doesn't want him dead, but because he's trying to save one of his son's souls.

The grit, and power of that story idea. It's gripping! The grip is so tight it's about to break my feeble wrists with the strength it has.

We finally get Jason Todd snapping too.

They could've blown their load at so many points before this. It would've been so easy. So many would've done it 'cause it'd be so easy...The wait though...it makes it so much better. Makes the climax all the more engaging and kinetic.

His plans are finally coming together.

And the calm, collected anti-hero is finally blowing his lid off.

IT'S EARNED.

If you've been following my posts you've probably seen me talk about earning stuff a few times, and this is exactly what I mean by it. Takes it's time, uses character work, builds it up, expertly crafted. EARNED.

Gotta love Jason's fearlessness too. One of his best attributes too. Adds to how horrifying he really is.

Batman's greatest strength is his ability to put fear in them. Jason Todd has no such weakness. He doesn't see Batman. He sees his adopted dad. And that's what has Jason Todd finally begin to lose his stability the more it goes on. The feelings and emotions it brings out is raw and dangerous.

Yet he still uses his cunning intelligence, and knowledge of Batman's own playbook to work against him.

He never stops being one of the most dangerous people Batman have ever encountered. No one up to this point has ever been able to read Batman like a book like this. Once one of his most important allies, becomes one of his most fierce opponents.

This is the first son Batman couldn't save in time.

The thought of how much this must pain Bruce to do this also adds to the intensity and almost sadness to this oddly satisfying fight scene.

He's Batman. Not a man that shows his feelings. You can feel them though.

Those words.

Those words hit the nerves more than any bullet ever could.

The expectations we've had set aside for something much deeper, and heartful.

A sappier writer (which really wouldn't have worked for this story, even though I do enjoy some good sap) would've had this be the moment Jason's hardened heart goes soft.

Nope.

It's better than that.

It's still hardened as ever...

Only now exposed...

Curious if Jason was intentionally drawn a little more boyish here compared to how he's entirely masculine in every other panel. Like Bruce can only see what he lost before, not what's in front of him.

The way these words must've echoed across Bruce's mind too, his inner psyche, his most personal thoughts, deafening him to the outside world for an instant.

If Jason's words were already hitting hard--

--this is the knock out blow that sends someone to the emotion hospital for the emotionally damaged.

I bet you, while hearing Jason Todd continue to go on, and while Bruce is still listening--

I can't help but feel this is all he's still hearing.

There's no pride in Bruce for having not killed Joker. There's no sense of Bruce feeling morally superior in anyway for having not done it. There's shame drawn right on his face. Almost disgust in himself no matter how loyal he is to his code. This is one of his sons saying this to him. Not a judgmental bad guy. Someone that lost their own life and never got avenged for what happened to him.

It's as personal as it gets.

The tears...this isn't melodrama...this is EARNED drama.

This story made it so it deserved those tears in every way possible.

And gosh, the pain Bruce must feel in himself.

Imagine it, truly, imagine it, having to hurt your son, that came back from the dead, the one you've never stopped mourning, the sight of his corpse that you'd never forget, back to life...and you have to hurt him...And for what? A murderer?

How much pride can Batman truly have left in his moral code if any remains?

Plus, who doesn't love a good cliffhanger?

[airandangels]

Thoughts upon Asterflix (episode 1)

While I pay for a Netflix account for my household, I decided to download the episodes from I'm sure a totally law-abiding source so I would be able to actually take a fucking screencap if I want to. First off I mistakenly downloaded one that was only in Russian, Ukrainian and some other language I forget (and don't speak). Now I've got one that is in Italian, French and English and it started playing in Italian first, so as you can imagine, things are going splendidly.

However!

I like how they kick right off with the silly names, and two Gauls called Prefix and Suffix disputing who goes first.

I also enjoy the shimmering multicoloured hues of the magic potion.

Okay, this decurion (I can't recall his name) right here? This fella?

This is precisely how I have always imagined Fred Colon. He's not quite armour-accurate, because Colon's armour features impressive embossed pectoral muscles into which his actual tummy fits like jelly into a mould, but otherwise he is the character for me, anytime I imagine anything involving the Ankh-Morpork Night Watch. If you give me long enough combing through various legionaries, decurions and centurions, I'm sure I'll find models for every one of 'em.

Loving the English accents for this btw. They feel far better than the American ones in the recent CG Asterix movies - which I believe have the same director as this one, who also does Asterix's voice in French. I'm glad the dubbing was handled differently for this one. I just don't want characters in a time before even the name America was coined to have American accents.

The battle scene feels very true to form, taking advantage of the ability of 3D animation to be more kinetic, preserving the French percussive sound-effects in Batman-style onscreen text, and I think we have a new nickname by Vitalstatistix for Impedimenta, Pidi-ped, which is cute as heck.

The use of a jaunty Italian song behind this battle is confusing to me, but I don't object.

I appreciate the women of the village being involved in the fighting, which happened only in the later books iirc - OBELIX IS COLLECTING HELMETS. I mean of course Obelix is collecting helmets, it's just a satisfying thing to see.

I always imagine Asterix and Obelix going to Lord of the Rings and when Legolas and Gimli have their running kill count game going, Obelix grumbling "You never want to do that with me."

TCHAC! BLOING! SPLATCH! SPLOTCH!

and we have our first "These Romans are crazy," and here I just need you to pause and imagine the elation of the Italian translator(s) of the comics when they realised "Ils sont fous, ces Romains" could be rendered as "Sono pazzi, questi Romani," and the initials of that are SPQR. Consequently, I know SPQR stands for "the senate and people of Rome," but I will never remember the Latin words it stands for because obviously, it's "Sono pazzi, questi Romani." Sometimes a work finds its truest form in translation.

All onscreen text and titles are preserved in French, it seems.

my GOD this forest is BEAUTIFUL

interesting choice to set the flashback to the heroes' childhood in autumn

I like that the title of the show, by the way, says "Asterix and Obelix." It is only fair. And I'd forgotten that they share a birthday and the little wooden figure of the two of them that Obelix carved is adorable. I don't remember Obelix ever being shown to carve anything but stone in the books but I really enjoy his carving being shown as something artistic.

As a child in New Zealand in the 1980s I had exactly zero context for what a "menhir" was and nobody explained it to me. I don't remember ever trying to look it up in a dictionary because my experience was you could usually figure out words from context. I only found out years later through reading about history and archaeology and shit. Probably from the National Geographic. Which had an issue about the Celts with special Asterix strips drawn for the occasion. What a collab!

truly not loving the use of pop songs on the soundtrack but prepared to tolerate it because everything looks so perfect

Getafix has always been old, Getafix will always be old.

this WILLOW tree my goodness EXQUISITE

someone really said "Okay we're making a show about Asterix and Obelix, but as well as making it funny and true to the spirit of the books while making the most of the different possibilities of our animated medium, we're going to make it FUCKING BEAUTIFUL"

aw, Impedimenta and Vitalstatistix are just the big kids in their school! (In the books, Vitalstatistix was already a young chief at this stage of Asterix and Obelix's life, but this way is clearly cuter.)

Obelix's stage fright of course being well established in Asterix and the Cauldron, and may I just say, if they get the nod to make another series of this, can they please do Asterix and the Cauldron? It is my all-time favourite. It's got a clever plot, it's a Great River of Commerce story, it really shows how strong the devoted bond between Asterix and Obelix is under pressure, and they try to rob a bank.

You can't just deploy George Thorogood and the Destroyers in ancient Gaul.

apart from anything else that's Megamind's song

who's this ballchinnian?

I don't feel like they need to introduce Cassius Ceramix as a child to give the story weight.

the A-frame of the druid's hut makes it look like the Mystery Shack

this heavy a fall of snow in autumn when the leaves are still all red on the trees? okay I'll allow it, but only because it's really pretty

Why does Getafix have so many chains hanging up in his house? I mean I understand why he has shitloads of antlers everywhere. He's a druid.

I do like the idea of Getafix trying to develop a magic potion for defence because he's aware of the rise of Caesar and what it could mean for them - that he foresees it could spread even to their idyllic little corner of Armorica. In the book, the conflict with the Romans is already in progress with the magic potion an accepted part of it, but this way is more engaging and points up Getafix's wisdom.

However making Ceramix a childhood bully to the main characters elevates him above his real importance. He's just a dickhead who shows up for one book. The village is self-sufficient in bullies, they don't need to import one.

a) I like how Obelix can apparently survive being BOILED b) it kind of seems like Obelix is the secret ingredient to make the potion work, just throw a child in the pot

endless stream of pork products

Ce passage met en scène un trouble alimentaire qui peut choquer. Surtout si vous êtes un sanglier. Rendez-vous sur sanglier-danger.com pour des ressources d'aide.

sanglier-danger.com is indeed a website

in fact it's "Un site tenu PAR et POUR des sangliers" and features a shout-out to "Nos amis les végans."

I like how Obelix's super-strength has never made him a superhero. He's just "our friend who lives in our village and is very strong."

just revisiting How Obelix Fell Into the Magic Potion When He Was a Little Boy and Asterix's narration "I had lots of little friends. There was Cacofonix, who wanted to be a bard when he grew up. Unfortunately, he achieved his ambition," is lethal.

okay, check, Copacetix is the character who is wrong about everything always (and is presumably dead, probably as a result of saying something like "Don't worry, men, they couldn't hit an elephant at this dis -")

and the whole first episode was devoted to establishing the magic potion, which I guess you have to do for the sake of new audience members

Somebody called Clotilde Angelini was "Cheffe Hair et Fur," which required two assistants and a team of four artists, and honestly, not surprising.

[istherewifiinhell]

while im here, lets get this out the door. this one... is weird

[ID: An artificial life form that its in the shape of a large golden women's head declares herself. "...I am Auntie!" END]

tfuk arc Raiders of the Last Arc! getit? huh?? issues 18-21 early summer 1985.

Script: Simon Furman Art: Mike Collins and Jeff Anderson Colours: Gina Hart Letters: Richard Starkings (18,20,21) John Aldrich (19) Editor: Sheila Cranna Original Series Edits by Shelia Cranna and Ian Rimmer, Editorial notes and assistance by James Roberts, Collection Edits by Justin Eisinger and Alonzo Simon, Collection Design by Shawn Lee

my eyes may be skimming the preambles at this point but i caught glimpse of something like "weird they never reprinted this one" bud. ill tell u why. its not very good. its not, horrid. its pretty much just. oh yeah. this is a marvel tf comic...

which, if you trying to make the argument that all tfuk are unique and sophisticated and BETTER than the US ones, or just tryna make a dollar on the iconic stories.... you skip this one!!!

but in this house, we support preservation and revisiting of ANY art. including if it flops. and today that means you'll get a few black and white panels. huh? isnt that neat. you excited???

we'll get to it all. But first. Lets check out the funny pages.

[ID: The back part of a panel with crudely drawn Autobots and Decepticons floating about, being restrained. Its charmingly goofy. END]

[ID: Jazz firing off his flamethrower and saying "Let's see if Jazz can make things hot for you Soundwave!" Soundwave, a little singed but unbothered replying "Very impressive,but my armour's more than a match for your weapon…a pity the same cannot be said of yours..!" END]

are you two... flirting?

anyway, ill bite. who's autie...

As her troops fell, the computerised brain of the Ark swung into operation… Auntie, as she had been nicknamed, evaluated internal defences, calculated probabilities and finally arrived at the only logical course of action…

oh...

[ID: Optimus looking towards an Ark security camera thinking "It would be another matter if the ark's defences were active, but Auntie controlled those directly…" He opens the door to a dark room, declaring to himself "Auntie! Of course! Until now, we've merely used the basic computer functions of the ark, but Auntie was far more than that… She was the Ark! If I can get her to even a fraction of her operational capacity… END]

oh. the space ship is a woman. right

[ID: Caption box: And if Windcharger could have seen the tableau unfolding in the nerve centre of the Ark, he might have felt his fears justified. Auntie, who in scale is at least twice the height of Optimus or Megatron, using an unseen force to hold them captive. Optimus pleads reason: You must believe me Auntie, you brought us here from Cybertron and you were damaged in the battle with those murderous Decepticons... Megatron lying: No! That isn't what happened. As I've already told you, we were on a mercy mission. The traitorous Autobots sabotaged it - Forced you to crash. END]

correction. the spaceship is now a crazy women who might kill them all. awesome. lol. THANKS TF <3 what i always wanted >_>... (even if i do like the chance to see my guy's rhetoric strategies)

anyway pause all that we have a buddy cop adventure (no 20)

[ID: Splash page that includes the arc title and creative credits. Windcharger and Ravage walking the halls of the arc, arguing. Caption boxes: Alone, Ravage And Windcharger Are unaffected by Auntie's magnetic force… They eye each other suspiciously, each suspecting treachery, each distrusting the other they are sworn enemies these two… But today they are Allies! Ravage: This goes against my every instinct! I dislike working with others at the best of times... But to have to fight alongside a puny Autobot..! Windcharger: Silence, you aggravating creature! I'm as unhappy with the situation as you… but for now it's unavoidable. Just keep those sensors of yours alert for… END]

they really like ravage in these comics lmao.

[ID: Ravage gloating, with destroyed machinery flaming and smoking in his mouth, one paw raised to hold it. He looks over his shoulder to Windcharger saying "There, impressed?" Windcharger looks aggravated. END]

SMUG BEAST. are YOU flirting.

[ID: B&W panel. Both reacting to something unseen, Ravage in a ready stance, possible aggressive or alarmed. Windcharger, slightly behind him looking scared/startled. END]

he said NO PICKLES!

okay back to the hostage situation

ID: B&W panels. Optimus and Megatron still surround by a field of energy restraining them. Optimus his eyes glowing, says "You fool, Megatron! Do you think for a moment that she'll let one of us just walk away? She's playing with us. Unless we break free she'll slaughter us all!" Megatron has a brow raised: Oh… I see. Yes, you could be right. Well, in that case… I may be able to set us free! END]

ACTUALLY. hysterical. sorry i see any extremely funny megs moments and im like. how beast wars of him. i like other meg's too but. fgsdj. well...

btw he has a connection to a black hole? always has?? its from the toy box or smth idk

[ID: In colour again. Caption boxes: Optimus Prime and Megatron await the judgement of Auntie. But, while she considers her verdict, Megatron concentrates... A strange, unearthly energy flows around him, threatening to engulf him... But he is Megatron, and he will make the power serve him! In full body, Megatron is tensed in effort, teeth grit. A dark and sparkling energy wreaths around him.

ENTER: his dark magical girl era....

[ID: Caption box: Megatron lands well, Optimus Prime does not! Smaller drawings, Megatron lands daintily on the point of one foot, his arms raised above his head, somewhat like a dancer. Optimus plummets like a heap, landing on his side, thigh and forearm slamming into the ground. END]

LOOK AT THIS SHIT. lol

[ID: Tiny drawing. Megatron hands still raised, gracefully. One hand wreathed in glowing energy, being directed near Prime, still on the ground. END]

hes a beauty, hes a grace, he wants... to melt your face.

oh yeah anyway ravage gets auntie

[ID: Caption box: But Ravage is faster... Ravage leaping passed or perhaps INTO Auntie's open mouth as she screams "Nooooo" Ravage tearing into whatever golden mechanical workings make up her physical being. Caption box: And Auntie 'dies' for a second time. END]

cool. i love what we did here today. really valuable addition to the lore. and a win for feminism

and then windcharger launched megatron out of the arc thru the volcano and into space. no yeah. he can do that i guess.

its dumb, tho also funny. it hates women. its comics. GOODBYE.

[ID: Tiny drawing of Ravage pouncing. END]

[blackjackkent]

Shoutout to @genderdotcom for letting me know that Jaheira doesn't take up a standard party slot so we can still bring her along with us! I have reloaded and added her into the party. :D

Jaheira gets a badass pre-battle speech, because she is amazing.

"At the ready, Harpers! In this light, there will be victory! In this light, we will avenge the fallen!"

Lots of cheering from the onlooking Harpers.

"The time has come. Ketheric will taste of death at last."

Somewhat comically, after this dramatic setup, literally nothing happened; presumably the game is waiting for me to take the lead and push forward, but it was pretty funny to see all the Harpers cheer and then everyone just stand perfectly still.

Jaheira did have another ambient line afterwards:

Hell yeah. \o/

We're able to loot some more bodies here, some of which have more tadpoles to steal. I've got a collection of eight of them at the moment beyond the ones I already had Hector consume; need to sit down and figure out what other skills are worth spending a worm on.

Quick chat with the quartermaster who is also here and apparently brought her whole stock to the battlefield, and then we're off up into the tower!

We've got what looks like a boss fight coming up straight in the door, as Disciple Z'rell is already set up with some mirror images and some guards. And Mig!

I'm legitimately kind of bummed about this; I felt like we bonded with Mig over being the only people who knew about the meat in the walls. But I guess we have to fight her too. :( Sad times.

Z'rell is pretty ticked off:

"You dare show yourself here, after all you've done? You have betrayed me! You have betrayed General Thorm! You have betrayed our god!"

One could, perhaps, make the argument that she doesn't know we betrayed anyone; all she knows is she sent us off to help Balthazar with Aylin and then Aylin was free. For all she knows we didn't even get there, or got knocked out by a Justiciar on the doorstep of the temple.

Maybe I just suck at my job, Z'rell. Did you ever think of that?

"And for what? These Harpers? Moonrise will be their tomb, and in death, you will all serve the Absolute!"

Hector has three available conversation options here (besides just attacking immediately):

Generally speaking, #2 is the most Hector-ish response; he's not a fan of killing even though he's had to do a lot of it, and for a lot of the people duped by the Absolute, he would be willing to allow them a peaceful surrender. But his first experience with Z'rell was watching her explode all the blood vessels in someone's head with a snap of her fingers for funsies, and to be honest, she's not really going to recover from that in his estimation.

So we're going to go with #3.

"I've looked forward to killing you since the moment we met," Hector tells her coldly.

Z'rell grins. "You hid it well. I thought you'd be another notch on my bedpost, but instead I'll make a trophy of your bones."

Hector stares at her. Notch in your bedpost? The idea makes his skin crawl.

Z'rell's grin widens, seeing his discomfiture, and she pulls the blade from her back, turning the point in his direction. "Boys, make this traitor bleed!"

------

"Hec," Karlach says dryly as she brandishes her blade and the battle lines are drawn. "We have got to have a talk about the effect you have on people."

"I'm not doing it deliberately!" Hector says, somewhat strangled. "We talked to her once! I think I *glared* at her! You know, when she killed someone with her mind?"

"I mean you are pretty hot when you're angry."

"We are not having this discussion right now."

[chococookiez]

I FUCKING MISSED 4/13 I COMPLETELY FORGOR BUT IM POSTING ANYWAY

i was holding off on posting it until i had more content but i did a fantroll :]

some other art/shitposts i did with it (+ my other ocs)

and here's bonus ooc shitty doodles i did for my dying tiktok account

i haven't properly drawn anyone other than aradia and sollux (and eridan partially but i've only done march eridans for some reason) and the one with all of them was . the first time i drew any of them other than eridan please forgive me

words under the cut. i must ramble

so . homestuck huh

how did i spend my first 4/13 you ask? got up at 5am to fuck around with my (slightly drunk) friend on vrc until we got tired, had various revelations, a whole crisis that i do not wish to unpack... im forgetting something

oh yea

dumb of ass moment: i played that one fucking solkat vn literally just for the hell of it

I haven't read the comic yet BECAUSE im planning to binge read the entire fucking thing over the summer with my friends and i am fucking HYPED i have the unofficial collection downloaded on my pc already in preparation and we're planning on doing a massive party once we're done we are going to have a fucking ball with this . technically i've only been properly interested in homestuck since february which i find really funny cause my brain made the switch so fast it gave me fucking whiplash. i've literally never had an interest hit me THIS HARD in my life especially with how little canon content i have to work with currently since im saving it all for the summer (the restraint is so hard y'all have no idea)

highlights of shit i've done to do with homestuck other than art so far:

made 2 extended zodiac pins out of pre-existing pins i had, one for myself and one for my irl friend

said irl friend had to suffer through a 2+ hour long infodump where i just showed them all the main characters i had knowledge about (beta/alpha kids/trolls, ancestors and cherubs), did a hussie and had The Quadrant Ramble™, shittily explained classes and aspects and tried my best to explain The Weird Time Bullshit™ (it was very fun for me . he also said it was fun but i have my doubts)

speaking of quadrants i've made 4 quadrant keychains (erisol spade, cronkri heart, meowrails + kurtuna diamonds) (currently only displaying 3 of them since the meowrails one fucking SELF DESTRUCTED as in the paint fucking peeled itself off and ive been too lazy to remake it rn) and i've been slightly tempted to add a solkat one but i have no clue what quad i'd put them in tbh and that's the only thing stopping me (oh and a meuloz heart . just because)

very very vaguely hinted at this once before but i made a shitty character playlist. not linking it or saying who it is. y'all can just guess

i made... an eridan osu skin. out of one i had already that i liked. and i've been tempted to make a sollux one. did you know im mentally ill (something did spark this: i had a map of eridan's theme that had a skin on it, so decided to make a full one out of it to fuck with my friend who likes him)

im planning on cosplaying A Troll but have no sodding clue which one. my internal options rn are kanaya, vantases (have their outfits/something like them on hand already, plus vantases have easy horns), leijons (associate myself with them a lot (one of my favourite vrc avatars to use rn is a meulin edit even), especially considering im a leo myself), eridan, aradia and feferi (they'd be hilariously fitting for reasons i wish to not explain, especially eridan)

am probably gonna land myself with a pile of homestuck merch, either from birthday gifts or my own stupidity

so yea, just a few words. i couldn't fight the homestuck

[wri0thesley]

1/?>> So... your askbox is always open, yes? I just... look. I loved P3. And I've just been thinking a lot about a chivalrous mom friend that joins the crew and just... takes care of these dorks. Like Kakyoin was going crazy over that evol baby? Someone please put an arm and hold this boy and listen to him for a bit even if you don't believe him but make him cALM. Or Polnareff and his brash attitude? Tell him you care for his well being and show him how to keep your cool. Jotaro and his awkwar

“-awkward self? Gently nudge him to get out with y'all and buy him nice food and enjoy the quiet and your surroundings. Talk with Avdol and his homeland and his language and just - more Avdol??? idk?? Avdol is so cool. Joseph seems like that cool gramps that has a lot of wisdom but can be a perv but he’s ok and you actually have a lot of comic talk and his adventures and– story-teller, this dude. But really let me have a polite frend in that crew that puts themselves in front of dangerfor these dudes because they have a stand that protecs, they want to protec, and they believe they’ll be ok in the end - and even if they don’t get out of this - they can pave way for these guys and save someone - Holly, an innocent bystander - and know they did the right thing. Lemme have a pal that bursts into singing and fencing matches with Pol Pol, or someone who teaches Kak too about other cultures and languages - actually just lemme have this calm, motherly pal to go along with them.   and I ranted a lot and Idk what I was asking for in the first place. maybe just. protector frend in the crew…? and maybe hcs of who falls for ‘em or becomes besties??? idk man. i just want to protect the whole crew and let them have a bright future and happines. oh. and Iggy. let them have the doggo nap on their lap, bond with them through trial and error, defeating enemies. … phew. lot of ranting. i just want some slow burn ok. srry but ur a cool approachable person so i ranted 

MOM FRIEND HEADCANONS BENEATH THE CUT!!! (also i’ve been saving this ask bc i knew i’d have fun writing it, i love you friend!!! <3)

(First Impressions)

Jotaro has a mother, and despite outward appearances he’s very fond of her. It will take him a little while to warm up to anyone who reminds him of her; he’s on this mission for her sake, so liking somebody so much like her will make his heart ache. What if it feels like he’s replacing her? On top of that, he ordinarily can’t stand being fussed over. Kakyoin is drawn to people who make others smile, and that’s one thing that this particular friend is good at. He feels warmed by their easy nature, but still, frightened. He has seen first-hand what DIO can do, and he fears that their friendly nature will put them at a disadvantage when it comes to battle.Joseph likes that this friend of Jotaro’s is polite and well-mannered, that they speak to him with a respect that he deserves! Jotaro gets a lot of pointed looks and comments about kids these days. The ways in which the friend reminds him of Holly are numerous, but unlike Jotaro these just bestir Joseph to want to take care of them and make sure they’re safe. Avdol’s profession means he reads people well; if their stand doesn’t tip him off that they’re a protector, the aura around them will. He’s calm and collected and, as one of the more serious and pragmatic of the crew, is glad to have them around because a healer will be useful. Polnareff starts off with flirting because that’s what he’s used to doing; but, spending time with them and realizing that they genuinely care about what they’re doing and believe in the SDC as a whole will make affection swell up in him. He’s on this mission for his sister - everyone but the motherly friend is here for someone, and Polnareff respects that 

(On the Road)- MomFriend (hereby referred to as m/f) notices that Jotaro is awkward around other people, that he hides his eyes behind his hat and seems at a loss for what to do when not fighting. It’s m/f who slides in beside him; after ascertaining that he does not do small talk, they walk in companionable silence and Jotaro is glad for the company. As time wears on, they make sure to include him when the group is bantering, to pull him along when they go out for food - Jotaro rolls his eyes and yare yare dazes, but he’s glad to be involved. When m/f holds up the camera to take a Polaroid of all of the boys together, he’s glad that in ten years he can look back on his memories with a smile. - In the case of ‘BABY STAND’, m/f is outnumbered when they try to convince people to at least listen to Kakyoin and try and figure out what he’s trying to say - it’s they who sit with him and apologize for the rash decision, and Kakyoin is comforted that even though m/f clearly doesn’t believe him, they’re willing to try. They smile and clap their hands in delight when he drops out a new piece of cultural information, and Kakyoin finds himself driven with desire to tell them more - when they match with facts of their own that Kakyoin didn’t know, he’s delighted. He wants to talk with them forever and work out all of their secrets. He’s never had friends before, but now he has a group of them, and he can’t remember a time in his life he’s ever felt less lonely. - Joseph loves to tell stories about his past; sometimes they are deeply boring ones about real estate, but sometimes they are genuinely interesting ones about the time he defeated a group of Aztec Gods or the time he saved himself and his rich uncle from plane hijackers - Jotaro has heard the stories before, a million times, but m/f is fascinated and Joseph is glad for the rapt attention. Yes, he has a tendency to flirt - with winks and risque jokes - but he’s doing it for the blush on m/f’s face and not for any real interest in betraying Suzie, and m/f can tell. They sometimes even flirt back just to see Joseph’s face, much to Jotaro’s abject horror. - Avdol is the quietest on the trip, preferring to speak only when necessary - m/f, when approaching him, is careful. They know the least about Avdol - he seems entirely self-possessed and dependent, but who knows what kind of temper he might be hiding? M/F, then, is delighted to find that Avdol’s serious demeanour hides someone who cracks jokes at the same pace as Joseph, even if his are many-layered. M/F begins to understand why Joseph and Avdol get along so well - and when m/f begins to ask questions about Avdol’s home, he’s only too quick to answer. He’s proud of his heritage, and of his little fortune-telling business, and as the others listen to the pride glowing in his voice they feel bad that they have never bothered asking. - It becomes clear to m/f that Polnareff is a goofball whose chivalrous demeanour can easily be derailed if one tells him a good enough joke, and it becomes somewhat of a game among the more fun-loving of the group (everyone aside from Jotaro) to see who can make him laugh at the most inopportune moments. When he puts on the radio and begins to bounce excitedly, m/f is so pleased to see him grin that they join in, much to Polnareff’s delight. He still flirts relentlessly with them, but m/f is now able to see that it’s just part of Polnareff’s charm - he barely even realizes he’s doing it, it’s so much second nature to him. When m/f heals him after a particularly harsh fight, he feels so grateful to them he almost cries. 

(Various)- It takes Iggy a while to warm up to them, as it does for him to warm up to any. He’s perturbed by how much m/f seems to like Polnareff, but he soon learns that m/f is a soft touch when it comes to anyone in their team, and he begins to slumber by their side and come barking at them when he runs out of chewing gum. He’s even more devoted to them after they heal his leg after the fight with Pet Shop - part of the reason he defends Polnareff so viciously and single-mindedly in the fight with Vanilla Ice is because he knows it will make m/f sad if he perishes. - If m/f lives, the most likely romantic link-up between any of the characters is Polnareff. He has no family, and during the time on the road he and m/f grow closer until the idea of being without them makes his heart hurt - m/f likes taking care of him, likes the goofy smile that blooms across his face whenever they tell him he’s handsome. They like how oblivious he seems when he’s being a dork. It’s a happy relationship. - They keep in contact with Joseph and Jotaro; Joseph excitedly invites them both to visit New York and meet Suzie. He doesn’t flirt quite so hard when they do - m/f can see why. Suzie is a formidable woman. 

(Extra)- In an AU in which everybody lives, it’s entirely likely that m/f could end up with Kakyoin. He’s reassured by their presence, likes the way their smile lights up the room, likes that they take care of him and everyone else. He thinks about spending the rest of his life travelling the world with them, soaking up knowledge and trading bits and pieces of trivia. He’s never had friends before, but with m/f he feels like he’s found another little piece of his soul. - Whatever happens, whoever it is that m/f ends up with, Iggy will want to follow them. Not just because they feed him gum and make a fuss of him (though that’s important to him too) - their presence calms him, and Iggy feels as though he’s had enough adventure in his life. He’d like to settle down and sleep in front of a fire. 

[majingojira]

Hi there! I've been following your blog for a while now and i see that you are clearly an expert on the Runaways. As someone who know's the absolute basics of one of those characters, where (what) would you suggest i start reading to get a solid foundation of the group? Any recommendations would be great! Thank you!

I really need to codify my Runaways Recommendation list. 

Thankfully, Runaways is mostly Self-Contained and therefore easy to get into.

Start with Runaways Vol.1 #1-18.  This is collected in the first “Complete Collection” and also available from Comixology.  This is the cast’s first appearance and first major story.  It’s basically the likely blueprint of Runaways Season 1.

Runaways Vol. 2 #1-24 is the second “Season” under its original creative team:  Brian K. Vaughn (Saga, Y: The Last Man), Adrian Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa (Ms. Marvel’s current artists).  It wraps up many plots, but ends on a cliff hanger.  This leads into:

Vol. 2 #25-30.  This is the one story Joss Whedon wrote for the Runaways.  He’s a big fan of them and he and Brian did a trade where Joss did a Runaways story and Brian did a Buffy story.  The art is great, but delays caused a relaunch and some people don’t like it.  Personally, I think it’s fine.  Not as good as what came before, but not bad at all.

During this run, there are several tie-ins to other stories that were published.  One is Free Comic Book Day 2006.  This takes place between Vol.2 #9 and #14.  It’s the Astonishing X-Men vs. the Runaways because Molly is a mutant and, because of mutant politics at the time, they want her in the school.  violence happens, but the leave peaceably. 

After that, there’s the Civil War crossover (titled: Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways) which occurs after Vol. 2 #19.  The Young Avengers and the Runaways battle pro-registration forces that use an alien prison and a mind-controlled Noh-Varr to do so. 

If you’ve ever wondered why some people were weirded out by how Kate and Noh just hooked up out of the blue, this will tell you why.  Noh wasn’t always an Earth Hipster.  

The art is pretty gritty, but the story is solid enough. 

In a bit of a flashback, set when Nico was in foster care, there’s a one-shot from the Mystic Arcana miniseries simply focused on Nico. It’s not bad, and has her use the spell “Deflector Shields”.  Which is just great to have.  

Finally, after #30, there’s the second Young Avengers crossover, this one for Secret Invasion.  Titled, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers. it’s written by Chris Yost, and drawn by Takeshi Miyazawa.  It’s short but sweet.  The main interaction is between Billy, Teddy, Tommy and the Runaways.  The others show up, but other titles had tighter mits on them at the time.  Sadly.  

This brings us to Runaways Vol. 3 which is . . . not very good.  It was lead in with a catchup book called “Runaways: Saga” which was framed by the gang finding Molly’s diary and reading it.  It’s cute, but superfluous.  There is one bit of need to know info from it (the character of Xavin is forced to leave in . . .a not very good retelling of the third Young Avengers story arc.  I’m not kidding), but it can otherwise be skipped almost completely. 

Almost.

Vol. 3 #10 is absolutely worth reading.  It’s two stories: one by Chris Yost, one by James Asmus.  The former is the better of the two, as Molly battles the now San Francisco based X-Men again.  Lots of cuteness and sadness and Molly finally bonds with Wolverine. 

After decking him through multiple stories three times. 

Following that was the cut off setup for more by Kathryne Immonen.  It ended at #14 on a bizarre cliffhanger.  The original plan basically boils down to “Alternate Universe Shenanigans” but it’s later handwaved away.  

But this is the time that the Runaways entered Limbo.  Comic book limbo, not the place.  They have cameos/guest appearances in several books: 

Breaking into Comics the Marvel Way 2010 - A cute story where Molly and Chase get magically sick.  It’s called “It’s Not Lupus” and set during Volume 3. 

Daken: Dark Wolverine #17-19 - Daken uses the Runaways as soldiers to fight his war.  It’s not worth reading, to be honest other than have Chase answer Daken’s question “Weren’t you hit by a car?” with “I got better.”

Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age #1 - Molly vs. the X-Men round 2 in the wake of “No More Mutants”, and before she’s asked to join them in San Fransisco.  This time, she punches Beast in the face.  This was before he became a total tool, but it’s still nice to see.

Ultron AU #1 - In the Age of Ultron Alternate Reality, Victor Mancha tries to save people, and . . . everyone else is dead.  It’s really, really sad and well done.

Avengers Academy #27-28 - The Runaways visit Avengers Academy in order to bring back one of their number.  It’s fun, but a little overstuffed with characters.  I liked it!

What If The Runaways Became the Young Avengers? A What-IF Story that’s pretty fun to read.  It was a backup story in an otherwise lame What If series, but it’s included in the last volume of the Complete Collection (along with most of the other odd one-shots), and worth reading.

After that . . .  we have to deal with the horror that is Avengers Arena and Avengers Undercover. 

These books are flat out terrible.  Racist, sexist, ableist, and misogynist.  The first one is the worst sort of Hunger Games/Battle Royal cash in, mostly because the writer has no idea how the genre works, or the nature of the characters he’s chosen to work with--to the point where some aspects of Nico are diametrically opposed to her prior appearances.  All you need to know about this is that several kids died, Nico died but got better and in the process gained a magical prosthetic. 

I could go on, but that’s another thing.

In this time after Arena/Undercover, some writers like to imply that the Runaways broke up offscreen despite them being more a family than a standard superhero team.  Especially stupid when you remember that they’re all HOMELESS.

Anyway, there are a few cameo's here and there.  But nothing too substantial. The biggest is Avengers A.I. where a later addition to the team, Victor Mancha (a creation of Ultron) is recruited by Hank Pym into a team to battle A.I. Threats and help them out.  It’s not a great book, and Victor’s not quite himself, but there are highlights.  Like a Doombot working for the forces of good but still being a full Doombot.  And Vision, Thor, Victor Mancha, and Captain America in an A.I. landscape forming Not-Voltron!  That series lasted 10 issues. 

After that, Victor was seen looking for an internship with Stark in the 2015 Ant-Man series in a few panel cameo.

After that, we have the Secret Wars event.  Only two things are needed from here: Runaways Vol. 4, and A-Force

The Runaways series has a group of new kids (and Molly) on the run from Doom’s Elite School when they find out that it’s culling anyone who ‘fails’ its exams.  It’s a little sketchy on the art side, but it’s a decent read IMO.  The cast is drawn from all over the teen scene at Marvel. 

A-Force is an Avengers Team set in the near perfect realm of Arcadia.  It’s an all-female team where Nico is a proud member of it along with Medusa, She-Hulk, Dazzler, Captain Marvel and others.  It’s a decent read, though some people were angry that a Loki in it was evil. 

I wish I was kidding.

A-Force got an ongoing series that lasted another 10 issues before Civil War 2 basically wrecked the entire team.  The last story focuses on Nico as she’s targeted by the pre-cog fascists. 

The way it ends leaves me cold because I know that it’s not going to be followed up with despite Carol and Jennifer Walters having ongoings right now dealing with those consequences. 

Finally, there’s Vision (2016).  This is a divisive moment.  For one, it really is a good read, but for another, Victor is killed after being revealed to have developed a ‘Vibranium addiction’ which basically acted like a painkiller addiction.  Some feel that besmirched his character, but it is a very sympathetic death scene for him.  I’m honestly on the fence about it myself.  But it is a good series otherwise and probably worth a read.  There are 12 issues overall.

And that’s is!  That is literally the every Runaways speaking appearance. 

The easiest way to read it would be to get the print “Complete Collections”.  That covers everything from Vol. 1 to the crossovers, the what if, and one-shots, and ends before Vol. 4. 

Then I’d add A-Force, Vol. 4, and the Avengers Academy crossover.  Of the later suff, that’s the best.  It’s in the shadow of the original, but I like ‘em.