#selina gets a really nice role!

[donnatroia]

real talk though shoutout to the current tec run for actually letting often ignored or villainized asian women have a voice

[apatheticsunday]

Henchmen for Hire

AKA "Danny is employed as one of the Rogue's henchmen and he's doing so well at being discrete, none of the Bats even know he's committing crime! (They absolutely know.)" prompt idea!!

Y'know what would make this funnier?? Is if Selina Kyle, Catwoman and hoarder of strays, immediately Work Mom'd this kid.

Imagine Danny gets dumped into Gotham by himself. Except there's, like, no ectoplasm - not nearly enough to sustain his Ghost. So, his Ghost form slowly peters out and he's left penniless and powerless on the streets of Gotham. Obviously, the next step would be to find money. But how?? He can't go invisible, intangible, or Full Ghost to help him out here. And there aren't a lot of stand-up places that hire kids younger than 13, so ultimately he's forced to apply for henchmen positions. He doesn't actually find Catwoman's ad. No, she hears through the grapevine that this actual child is applying to be a drug runner for the Penguin or - oh, shit, the Joker??

Absolutely not. Selina is no saint, but she's not going to let another kid be beaten to death by the Joker. Maybe she talks to Harley and finds out where the kid's going, or maybe she just puts in an ad and hires him on the spot. To be honest, she doesn't really expect to particularly like the kid - she'll have him pick up her coffee or something, pay him at the end of the day (standard henchmen pay periods since it's likely they won't live through the end of the week), and clear her conscience.

Except Danny is a little shit.

Danny, for his part, doesn't necessarily want to be a henchman but he figured it'd be more than getting some lady's coffee, right? He imagined an evil man twirling his extra long mustache and smoking a cigar, or mobsters hunched over a gambling table grunting about... playing cards or something, he doesn't know. Instead Danny's told to pick up Catwoman's dry-cleaning. It's almost an insult when he knows she's planning a heist that includes stealing several very expensive items from a museum during an evening showing. Without him, her only henchman!! (So what if he snooped in her office? It's not like it's ghost-proof; she should've expected Bad Behavior from the Very Bad Criminal in her house.)

Selina finds out very quickly that Danny is akin to a rambunctious kitten chewing through her phone charger cable and clawing at her favorite muslin blanket (the one Bruce gifted her from one of their dates). And she's so exasperated that she agrees he can be involved. But only as a distraction and he's told that he needs to scram once the police come because she's not bailing him out of juvie if he gets caught. (She wouldn't, but she could make Bruce do it. Her lover would take one look at Danny's watery doe eyes and cave like he's already experiencing Empty Nest Syndrome.)

So, Catwoman and her littlest henchman plan to rob the Gotham Museum. She buys him a cat-themed facemask (in case things get sticky and he needs a quick anonymous getaway) like ones from Party City, it has little ears poking out from the top and it's adorable. And then it's go time.

Danny's role is to distract the crowd by pretending to be a lost kid and distract Batman if he shows up. Selina will take care of the rest - disarming the alarms, timing the museum workers' shifts, bribing the West Entry security guard, frame-freezing the surveillance cameras, smuggling in the forgery and smuggling out the original, and - well. It'll be nice not to deal with the Big Bat if he shows up, but Selina is used to doing this on her own.

She should've expected that Danny doesn't do what's expected.

Because Danny does his part as the crying, screaming child whose mother is lost amongst the chaos once the museum's power shuts off. He distracts the guards easily. Selina hides away the art, replaces the forgery on the wall, and goes to find her little stray. And Danny is clinging hysterically to The Batman, refusing to be pried off by security guards and museum workers. He's straight up sobbing. Talking about how he loves Batman and Robin, his family is dead, he wants to be Robin, did you know you should be able to see Ursa Major from Gotham but you can't because of the smog, do you think Poison Ivy can just make a lot of trees to unpolluted the air, Nightwing is his favorite superhero, do you think he'll sign an autograph-.

It's astounding how fast that kid can speak while also smearing green snot onto Batman's cape. Danny proves himself to be even more unexpected when he goes off-script, eyeing her and screaming, "Mom!" And Batman's eyes catch hers. Shit. How can she explain a tiny child calling her mother in front of her lover? That'll be an awkward conversation.

Catwoman doesn't take Danny to outings after that. Instead, she has Harley and Ivy take turns "babysitting" (i.e., using Danny as Batfam distractions) while she's at work, kind of like having the fun aunts take you shopping. Danny can do whatever he wants!! With the exception that he needs to be wearing his cat-mask at all times, to properly conceal his identity (neither woman knows he'd already thrown himself at Batman without his mask).

So, while Ivy is destroying a toxic power plant, Danny is stealing Nightwing's escrima sticks, clinging to him, "accidentally" tripping him, doing the Koala-leg thing. He goes all out when Nightwing actually does trip on him - he shrieks that he broke his arm, which forces the vigilante to pay attention to him. Sobs, clings harder, and endures the trip to the hospital on the back of Nightwing's motorcycle with a shit-eating grin.

Harley is beating the hell out of some of Joker's gang. Red Robin is doing surveillance and coordinating with GCPD so they can get the whole circus to Arkham. Except Danny is calling out where Red Robin is hiding with the glittery pink microphone that Harley bought him (originally to sing Doja Cat and Chappell Roan in her car). Joker gang's priority will always be the Batfam because of Joker's obsession with Batman and Danny uses the distraction so Harley can get a couple good swings of her bat in. He cackles maniacally when he hears a muffled, "C'mon, kid!!" from Red Robin.

And the Batkids are just like, Jesus, this kid is literally a nightmare. But they can't do anything! Are they going do arrest a kid? No. Are they going to arrest Batman's lover? No! So, they're stuck dealing with this.... absolute gremlin of a child!!

Danny, of course, is very pleased. The Bats have no idea who he is because of his little cat-mask, he's getting paid literally several grand per week, and Selina - who he's been living with ever since she realized he was homeless - even got him goldfish!

(Bruce is in his office, eyes crinkling in that iconic Dad-Smile, scrolling through candid photos Selina snuck of Danny's chocolate-smeared face while the kid was passed out on her couch. There's a fake ID under the name of Danny Fenton and several pages of foraged school records in a pile on his desk. Bruce eyes his desk drawer where several emergency adoption papers are tucked away.)

[seleneprince]

(Fake) Incorrect Quotes Catgirl au (featuring The Signal)

Duke: "Since you're the next Catwoman now, I have a question."

Catgirl: "I'm not fooling around with the next Batman."

Duke: "...I was going to ask if you're going to join the Sirens too, but that's also good to know."

Catgirl: "........"

Duke: "But really? Nothing at all? I mean, having a sexually charged situationship with a vigilante is part of the role—"

Catgirl: "I'm going to stab your neck with my heels."

Catgirl: "Well, this is a nice change of scenery."

Duke: "This is a prison."

Catgirl: "I was being sarcastic."

Duke: "........."

Catgirl: ".........."

Duke: "So, should we call anyone?"

Catgirl: "Usually I would call Selina or my Ma but I feel safer here."

(In an argument after getting caught in a heist)

Catgirl: "Oh, fuck you, you asshole."

Red Robin: "Later. Now listen here, you little—"

Duke: "I'm sorry WHAT?"

Duke: "That's the craziest and most reckless idea I've ever heard."

Catgirl: "...So, you're in?"

Duke: "Of course I'm in."

Catgirl: "Is there a particular reason why you always have to go behind me?"

Red Robin: "To make sure you don't run off and do something stupid."

Catgirl: "Aww, that's almost sweet of you."

(Later)

Catgirl: "He's staring at my ass, isn't he?"

Duke: "I swear, he doesn't even blink."

Catgirl: "I'm not really a thief. I just enjoy interior design and helping people decorate their houses."

Batman: "You emptied a whole vault and left a pepper bomb inside."

Catgirl: "I was redecorating it. The money didn't fit the aesthetic of the vault."

Duke: "Should I ask why you have a taser in your purse?"

Catgirl: "It's an electrified wip, actually. And no, you shouldn't."

Catwoman: *proud auntie noises*

Batman: "You promised to stop doing this."

Catwoman: "No, you said 'Don't let me catch you doing this again'. No one promised anything."

Catgirl: "And we haven't let you catch us again since then, so technically, we're following the rules."

Catwoman: "Let's say, hypothetically, your daughter got into some major legal trouble with a powerful person while she was assisting me. What would you do?"

Mrs Wayne: "Well, I’d kill you and feed you to my dogs. Hypothetically."

[roobylavender]

have been talking with oomf about this but as someone who's mostly been away from comics twt / fandom for years now it really does get to be so frustrating to see the same arguments peddled over and over about "competing" love interests (as if it is right to even call them that in the first place). like i'm increasingly perplexed by the idea that talia and selina in particular have to compete over anything and that if one occupies a certain space with respect to the mythos or bruce then it says something less of the other. it wouldn't make sense for them to occupy the same space or role because they're characters who are distinct of each other and they have distinct conflicts with bruce that make each of them interesting. i like that talia is (or should be) a sort of worldly figure with a larger than life mission who has to navigate what duty means to her personally and what this says about her relationships with others. and i like that selina is (or should be) a localized character who can nonetheless act as a reflection of anyone trying to survive poverty, violence, etc., because of her grounded background in sex work. these experiences give them personality and color that can fill independent spaces in the mythos if writers and fans alike focused more on them as individuals and less on them as women competing for the same position, esp when that position is one that neither of them can actually fill. talia's mission is larger than what being bruce's wife can give her, and selina's righteous anger isn't something that bruce's compassion alone can resolve. it would be nice to be able to read more stories about their endeavors and worldview where they got to be wholly themselves rather than someone shaped or molded to be compatible with bruce to the extent the fans relentlessly argue about it

[seilnakyle]

Idk if this has been asked before, but what do you think of Anne Hathaway's Catwoman?

It had been awhile since I’d seen tdkr so I did a rewatch and took some notes, I remember even back in 2012 being extremely impressed with the way Anne performed that first transition from innocent girl to sly badass,

“Whoops…nobody told me it was uncrackable” 😏

she’s just truly a phenomenal actress who really TAKES ON a character in a role, she pays attention to her facial expressions, acting not just with with her eyes and lips but even her breathing and voice. She switches between personas easily and gets herself into and out of trouble with brilliant manipulation, slinking in and out. You can definitely tell she worked on her Selina voice, and changes it up to more high-pitched innocent sound when she’s putting on an act, and then lowers it when she’s in the mask. It reminds me of Bruce’s description of her voice in Dark Victory #5

I love the aesthetic of Anne’s Selina, it’s a shame we only had her for one movie bc her Selina would be perfect for a “When in Rome” Catwoman film, they were clearly leaning into the Audrey inspiration with her civilian wardrobe

Anne put in a lot of hard work and physical training in for her role, and did as many of her own stunts as possible. We do get to see her in action, even fighting side by with Batman, which is AWESOME but I definitely prefer the way Selina’s fighting style is portrayed in The Batman 2022, with the emphasis on her kickboxing and grappling moves, (PLUS Zoë actually get’s to use a whip and claws) I think the problem also comes from Nolan’s insistence in making the action sequences “grounded”, so Anne’s Selina unfortunately isn’t really doing any acrobatics aside from that scene where she backflips out a window and that one where she does a cartwheel and breaks a dude’s wrist. But that’s a problem I have w Batman 2022 as well! I’m no choreographer but NEED more acrobatics in her fighting style, I think Michelle’s Catwoman wins in that area

Also, while the Knife heels undoubtedly serve cunt, could she not have just…had claws? THAT was too comic-y for them???

The costume is disappointing in general, especially since this version of Selina is supposed to have been doing this for a couple years when we first see her. I see that it’s supposed to be a modern and trendy, high-tech take on the 60s tv costume, but it’s like it’s afraid of being recognizably cat-themed at all…the goggles looking like ears from certain angles isn’t enough! JUST COMMIT!!

I fear the costume department just did not understand Catwoman:

DUUDE “why would a man who is sort of modern and trendy and cool go around wearing Bat-ears?” If you can accept a 40 year old in bat themed armor and a flowing cape then you should be able to accept a 29 year old woman in a cat themed stealth suit. Don’t pmo…Selina is silly and enjoys humbling men and stealing shit in her unashamedly cat themed costume!!!

They were cooking w the test footage, all they had to do was put together a high tech head band/head set/open cowl with cat ears and we would have been gold!

Personality and characterization wise, I think they did pretty good for the time that they had to flesh her out. Anne actually read a few Catwoman comics to prepare for the role, and apparently really enjoyed Catwoman Annual #2 (TASTE!!)

We don’t have much at all on this version of Selina’s backstory besides that she escaped from Women’s Correctional when she was 16, and has a record she’s trying to clean. But we get little hints from her dialogue here and there “I started out doing what I had to. Once you do what you had to they never let you do what you want to.”

And they gave her a Holly Robinson/Arizona type character in “Jen” which is nice. I also love the scene where she saves a young thief and calls it HER neighborhood!

And I like the way Bruce is shown to see the good in her, and remind her about it when she’s trying to ignore it. The way she tries to protect him by telling him he doesn’t owe anyone anything, he’s given the world enough, but in the end she still goes out of her way to help Bruce.

Anne and Christian seemed to have great chemistry, though not quite as electric as Rob & Zoë or as…spicy as Keaton & Pfeiffer, but that’s not on Anne, and I still think the ballroom scene is 🔥

And of course! That ending 💞 As much as I don’t think Catwoman’s ending should involve leaving Gotham, this is an exception, I love a happy ending :’) they deserved it, just wish we had more of this version of Selina.

In all, I’d say her Catwoman portrayal ranks second for me with Zoë’s in first. Mostly taking in to account the actual characterization of Selina Kyle, since Anne was never referred to as Catwoman, and Zoë is still in the “year one” era of her role. I would put Michelle first in the costume category, but third for Selina characterization.

[zahri-melitor]

Newish Comics:

Absolute Flash #4: Things are heating up! (okay bad pun out of the way) We have a Linda! And we have Ralph and Sue! That makes two current extant universes where Sue is still alive.

I really love the dynamism of this title and it just keeps delivering in terms of making the Speed Force feel terrifying and new.

Batman and Robin: Year One #8: This really remains more of the same. It's cute, it's nice to see Bruce and Dick working together in the early days, but I remain confused about why this has so many issues as I'm not sure the story it's telling really takes up that much space.

Catwoman #77: and that’s the end of this storyline. I’m not going to lie, while I enjoyed the prequel material this was dragging by the end, and I want to get back to some time with Selina in a costume, in Gotham.

Detective Comics #1098: in good news here is Tom Taylor writing Barbara as Oracle (which: he actually started out his Nightwing run with her back as Oracle - he was originally one of the people working her back into the role! I think he just likes using her in whatever he finds convenient for the plot). In terms of the rest of the plot - absolutely not pitched for me. The combination of characters in this storyline just isn't particularly of interest.

Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1: First of all, I am a slave to Jae Lee’s covers and I’ve been staring happily at this one ever since solicits came out. Secondly: the lettering in this comic is on point. There’s a very specific system of character case, font and colour being used to distinguish between what Krypto does and does not understand. I think there were a couple of slip ups – there’s one technical explanation section I don’t think he would have followed – but it’s subtle and clever. And thirdly – I’m coming back to read the next issue. This is an animal comic written in a way that I enjoyed.

In terms of details: love how active Lara Lor-Van is in this; I enjoyed Jor-El actually holding his kid (and then frantically handing him back to Lara in a ‘he needs a feed’ manner), and Krypto was acting extremely doggish.

The New Gods #7: this just remains really stunning in terms of art, and interesting in terms of who Ram V. wants to pull in to tell stories. I really enjoyed that John Stewart got an "I'm an architect" moment, and I also am never going to stop snorting to myself whenever Ram sets something in India. It's just such an amusing reframe of American centrism and he's absolutely allowed to do it.

Nightwing #127: I think the thing that I most appreciate about Watters’ run is how much time he’s spending picking up existing situation stuff and pulling out the implications. We’re doing terrible things to Nite-Mite? Oh am I ready for this. (I frequently dream of it in fact). This issue felt like a lot of set up but I can’t wait for the payoffs to start.

Superman Unlimited #2: most importantly, Knockout was in this title! Hi Kay! I don’t actually know why you were jobbing for some Intergang goons, but it looked like you were bored and wanted some action. It was nice to see you around, hitting things. Also we had ourselves Jack Ryder being his usual uncomfortable self and participating in Gollum/Smeagol coversation, Kon making a “you have too many special powers” joke (says the TTK boy), Clark doing awkward fact checking, the “my goats eyes are MORE green”… I actually think I enjoyed this comic more than Waid’s Action story. So maybe I stick with this for a bit (even though I’m not wholly convinced the actual main plot is particularly interesting).

Zatanna #5: honestly this just remains a very Zatanna focused story, busily wrapping up for the end of the mini. We finally get Zee pull herself together and reframe herself and her story.

The Warlord #102: this week in Skartaris, it feels like the new run under Michael Fleisher really gets underway. And you can tell he's read back to get a handle on what the run's about.

A dramatically wild claim about Travis only having one bullet left enters the arena! It’s been 102 issues plus specials, Travis, you used up your allocation a LONG time ago.

So he travels back to see his crashed plane! And retrieve some bullets! And uses up that last bullet (to get more bullets)!

But oh no! That's the last box in his stash!

I'm actually personally quite amused we are resetting to make 'there's only so many bullets left' a thing again. Good fun, I'm sure we'll use them up too fast.

Anyway, that damsel in distress tied to his plane to get sacrificed is Zupara of the Q'enaras, a tribe of Amazons who fled to Skartaris to avoid the world of men. No, they're not one of the official tribes, but if you wanted to you could probably call them inspired by the Bana-Migdall?

As you can see, they ride triceratops.

Travis cannot resist a hot woman in distress so he escorts her home to her Amazons, while they get captured by slavers along the way. This allows for the return of our favourite recurring Warlord trope: bondage.

Here's Travis being caught in a net!

Here he is tied up with Zupara around a fire!

Here he is captured by the Amazons for daring to be a man!

All in all it's a very classic issue of the Warlord and a nice relief from recent plots.

[pyroreadscomics]

What are your thoughts about Howard's Catwoman run?

The run being really gay doesn't save the writing from being really mediocre.

(More nuance below the cut)

Well that was snappy, unfortunately my thoughts are many and complicated and probably won't be entirely ironed out until a few months after she leaves the book or I reread the run again, or both. That phrase was something I said while reading through the series for the first time a some months ago that I still mostly stand by, but now feel the need to caveat and add nuance.

(Also, it feels weird that, because I put off answering this for months, the end of Howard’s run is just a few months away now, but I’m just going to assume the ending is neither so good it retroactively makes everything better or so bad it tanks the run with guilt by association)

When I say mediocre, I very specifically don't mean bad. I'm using mediocre to mean it's average, ordinary, of moderate quality. Not bad enough to hate, or even particularly dislike, but not good enough for me to shed a tear if it was suddenly canceled (which… seeing as it’s end is now on the horizon… I’m actually filled with anticipation as to what comes next.)

And like many multi-year runs, Howard's Catwoman has had it's ups and downs while it's low points are i think widely known: Her dialogue tends towards what i can only describe as AO3 generic, the plotting itself is sub-par, Gotham War disappointing even though there was no way to go into it with high expectations (joint effort i know, but even taking only half blame for it Tini Howard doesn't come out of that event looking remotely well), and I have an entire rant ready for how I dislike how Black Mask is used in that series.

1. The reintroduction of Eiko

But, that said, at this moment I do feel like calling out some highlights of Howard's run (or at least, the bits of it I really liked.)

Also yes, alot of this could be considered fanservice, but I’m at least acknowledging that things that make me happy don’t inherently make a run good. (but at least more enjoyable to slog through than Tom King’s batman or most of her New 52 stuff)

Okay, let me be clear, Eiko in this run is a shadow of her debut in Valentine's run but Selina's supporting cast has a worrying tendency to disappear without a trace after one, max two runs, so damn if it wasn't nice to see Eiko suddenly reappear in a major role in the Catwoman run after a 6 year absence and not have her confined to the dustbin of comic history alongside other Catwoman supporting cast members such as Gwen, Alice, Zee, Clutterbuck, Wilder, Arizona, and Cassandra Cartland (If you knew every single person i mentioned without having to check, I like you, and you like me also know too much about Catwoman)

If nothing else, if Eiko's appearances in this comic, and her guest appearances in other current Gotham stories (like Punchline: Gotham Game or Ram V's excellent Gotham Nocturne) manage to cement her as a persistent part of Catwoman's cast, this run will have done enough for me to earn a passing grade.

Also I like Eiko's new catsuit and not just because it makes it easier to tell her apart from Selina

2. Catwoman #43 & #44 (The Harley Quinn two parter)

Judging by the mood in the room, If anything gets me an angry response it's going to be this.

It's fun, it was a fun two parter, and honestly there are times when I wish more writers would stop trying to do the high drama stories they're kinda bad and instead write fun inconsequential side stories.

Also yes I do ship it. What of it?

Actually speaking of

3. The queerness.

It’s not a lot, but for a character who’s been out as bi since 2015 Selina is never written that way (at least in the main comics, I understand the HQ show and the recent movies have either explicitly or implicitly had bi Selina). Like it’s so bad Selina doesn’t even get pride tie in stuff, no appearances in the pride anthologies or even pride variant cover. JFC Nightwing gets one every year and last time i checked he was still canonical cishet. And… a bit like Eiko, but less important, it’s nice to have another run where Catwoman is canonically queer. Selina acknowledging Eiko as an ex, flirting with other women, that Selina and Harley sharing a bed scene. It’s just nice to have that part of Selina’s character acknowledged.

Also it’s so minor but the gay bar called Conroy’s got me just a bit.

4. Knight Terrors

On balance, despite me having criticisms of it, I did like it as a version of “What does Selina’s worst nightmares look like”. It’s not quite as good as Devin Grayson’s take on the matter (and ain’t that a sentence) but I’m a big fan of Selina’s mind dark fears conjuring force a lot of catholic imagery and doing something actually interesting with the Sister Zero concept. (It’s really just a shame that this story is clearly setting something up for Gotham War that never actually gets paid off, which is wild considering that was literally the month after Knight Terrors)

Lastly:

5. Valmont

Look, I really liked Valmont for two reasons, one of which is superficial, one of which actually had thought put into it.

Superficially: Selina deserves a whipped subby bisexual twink, as treat. Sure he's a cocky asshole, sure he looks like pirate au ghostmaker, sure he's ready to murder anyone who looks like a threat to his dom love (and honestly anyone in general), but honestly that's all part of the charm.

Because Bruce, as the whole wedding thing shows, is big on these concrete declarations of affection, even as he’s really bad at actually expressing his affection in more casual ways. And Eiko, as she says, is “comfortable with these declarations, names. Things like titles and vows.” So in dating either of them Selina would be consenting being put into a box and labeled, even if it's a box as unconstrained as “dating” and a label as loose as “girlfriend”.

But, putting a bit of thought into things, Valmont has this really interesting role in the story. He's the obviously incorrect choice in a love triangle, but also the one who Selina would pick anyway.

Like, the issue before he dies the story teases a bit of romance with Bruce and Selina, and earlier there were some teases (or.. maybe acknowledgement is the right word?) between Selina and Eiko. There's two existing love interests for Selina, Bruce, who's the moral and safe choice, the wedding bells and gaggle of step kids choice. And there's Eiko, who's a major crime lord, one who's conducting business with some of the worst in Gotham. If it was just the two of them (especially if Eiko was closer to her Valentine personality), it'd be a pretty classic "the good boy and the bad boy girl" love triangle but Valmont is here, and he adds an interesting angle onto that love triangle(?) (is it still a triangle when there's three potential lover interests?).

(A reversal on Eiko and Selina’s very undefined relationship in Valentine’s run, which could be seen as divergence for the character but also kinda makes sense. With Eiko ending that run by shedding Catwoman (and identity that embodied personal freedom and also rebellion against her father) to become the head of the Hagisawa family (an identity marked by responsibility to the family and her place as her father’s heir) that going forward she’d be a lot less likely to engage in a nebulous undefined relationship when her life is now, by choice, very defined. It’s still however one of those things that assumes a non-zero amount of character development happened off screen.)

But Valmont? Valmont doesn’t ask anything *of* Selina.

Sure he does initially, “hey here’s this cat, I know where you live, join my thieves guild”. But this tactic gets him shot down by Selina and at best relegated to “untrusted ally” status (and more likely “useful but dangerous”). But after this, and after a brief break during the CatQuinn two-parter, Valmont’s back with a new tactic called “I’ll do literally anything you ask of me, including stopping killing people, and ask for nothing in return.” Which… with Selina being somewhat adverse to long term commitment (or commitment in general depending on the writer) this works.

Valmont’s hardly a healthier romantic option (he might not be the worst person Selina’s ever dated, but he’s still at the end of the day an arrogant invasive assassin) but he puts a spin on himself that makes Selina let her guard down around him and they do eventually become some vaguely undefined item.

And then in his final issue, Bruce accuses him of still being loyal to the league of assassins and of manipulating Selina. Then he kills again in the process of undoing a problem he caused, and gets in a big fight with Bruce about it. And when Valmont goes to kill Bruce, she kills Valmont which… It’s a weird moment for Selina, she’s normally very reserved about killing people and while yes needing to save Bruce could theoretically push her far enough. But also, it’s the best thing this run could do with Valmont.

Because Bruce’s accusations (along with Valmont’s general sketchiness) lead to this question with Valmont: does he genuinely love Selina, or is he using her for some unknown end? Because he know what he’s naturally like (down with murder) and we know he’s changed his behavior, but we don’t know whether it was because he wanted to be with Selina enough to change himself for that chance (which… understandable) or, if he was on some deep cover mission to manipulate Selina towards and he changed behavior in order to further his own covert ends. And… imo the possibility of it being one or the other is more interesting than any story you could get out of committing one way or the other.

And by killing Valmont, the run gets out of having to answer this question, which, again imo, is the most intelligent narrative decision this run made aside from bringing back Eiko.

That said, If in the last two issues Howard answers the question of “what really was up with Valmont” I’m retroactively taking back all of this praise and will be downgrading this run to "of poor quality but at least Eiko's here"

[yeyinde]

lev… if you’ve seen it I have to know your thoughts on the penguin finale because… 😵‍💫 I’ve been thinking about it nearly nonstop for the past three days

heartbreaking, actually.

i kinda understand why it had to happen, but ultimately, i just wish they did something else. i rambled so much because i was so excited for what it could have been, so spoilers under the cut.

it's hard, too, when you put a villain in a leading role because at a certain point, the audience forgets they're suppose to be evil. that Oz is, essentially, a Big Bad for Batman when he comes back. but having him as the star, you root for him. especially when it's presented like this.

in the comics, he's ruthless. and there are a lot of parallels between him and Batman (which obviously is a bit underplayed in the television series), but Oz's greed and lack of a moral compass is what really sets them apart. there's a fundamental disconnect there that disallows them to be two sides of the same coin.

but this series was different. a different take on the Penguin. i kinda understand why they made the choices they made. people need to see Oz as a villain. i can understand that, but.

i kinda wish they didn't. i wish that instead of drawing such a brutal and blunt line of utter psychopath in Oz's character, they let it stay grey so we always have that note of sympathy for this man when he's facing off against Batman because it's so much more engaging when the villain is sympathetic and/or relatable. it makes a great dissonance between Tragic Rich Guy makes himself the moral authority and Tragic Poor/Bad Guy who circumvents this idea.

now, any argument Oz tries to make is going to be overshadowed by this choice. we, as the audience, cannot trust him. it almost negates the sympathy we felt.

it was also setting itself up as an interesting dynamic. Oz and Vic are, essentially, cut from the cloth but where Oz cheats, lies, steals, manipulates, and kills to his own way, Vic doesn't. it could have been a nice antithesis to Oz's character, and it could have also given us a different perspective;

how far would you go for loyalty or to survive?

ahhh. i just feel like. Vic would have been such an interesting character to play off of Batman and Oz. technically, he's condoning bad things but he's not inherently evil. he's a good guy in a bad situation. i think, with Batman being in his infancy, this could have set up so much of the groundwork for the strict rules he follows.

and even on his own, Vic, as a character, had so much potential.

the reason i understand why they did it is because there's no coming back from this. Oz made his choice. it's a heavy blow to the audience because it reminds them of why he's evil but i wish there was more buildup to it. i wish it wasn't over something so flimsy. like maybe he felt himself wavering or maybe Vic reminded him too much of what he could have been that he can't stomach what he does when he looks at Vic. the jealousy-sorrow angle would have been more understandable.

i want to get deeper into Oedipus Oz's head than what we got in the sparse moments following the end.

and Sophia. i loved her to pieces but what more can she do? team up with Selina? become more of the Hangman than what we sorta saw?

i just think, and it might be a little controversial, that it would have been way more interesting if Vic had to kill Sophia to protect Oz. or something like that.

loved the show, though!!! i will def be doing a rewatch for hidden things i missed in the first run-through.

[wesavegotham]

Suprised by how much I liked the first issue of Batman and Robin (2023) considering how I could never warm up to Robin (2021) by the same writer.

The art is gorgeous, I just wish Damian would look more like Damian and less like Tim. Plus the fight scenes can get a bit confusing, I wasn't always sure where the characters were in relation to each other or what they were doing and had to look at the panels longer than probably intended.

After a short fight sequence to kick off the story we spent about half the issue on Damian moving back in with Bruce and them trying to figure out how they want to life together, with Bruce seemingly longing for a bit more normalcy after all the chaos they went through, but being unsure how to reach Damian like Alfred did, and Damian being fully focused on the mission (cutting his talk with Bruce short to get enough sleep for crimefighting, getting up on time to make breakfast, not wanting to go to high school to have more time for the mission etc.) and not overly enthusiastic that his father wants him to have the teenage years he himself didn't get to have.

I think spending so much time on this was the right decision after they barely got to talk in private in Shadow War and not at all in Batman vs Robin.

Damian also gets to talk a lot more in general than he did in Robin #1 and I feel Williamson really held himself back with Shush's introduction, making sure we focus on the titular characters first instead of some new characters.

I also liked that we got an entire issue of Damian being competent this time. I expect Damian to run into bigger challenges and problems in the following issues so it's nice to see him get a few wins first. In fact it felt like Williamson let Damian shine more than Bruce in this issue, showing that just because he's back as Batman's Robin he hasn't suddenly lost all his skills to elevate Batman's role in the book.

Actually I was a bit suprised to see just how chill Bruce was this issue. He praised Damian for his work in the field, let Damian cut their conversation short, let Damian teach him how to make tea and allowed Damian to drive them to the crime scene in Damian's own car instead of the batmobil.

I understand that Bruce is low on allies in Gotham right now and that he's probably just happy to have his son back with him and is thus probably willing to put up with a lot for the moment if it means Damian won't run away again, but...isn't Bruce completely losing his mind in Gotham War right now? This issue even makes several references to Gotham War, Damian talks about how Selina still has control over the henchmen in Gotham, but that there is other crime not under her control that needs to be stopped. So why does Bruce act so relaxed and happy in this?😅

And how did he regrow his hand?

Anyway, aside from my questions about how this fits together with Bruce's solo books I enjoyed this issue, I hope it continues to be fun.

[gamesception]

Sception Reads Cass Cain #29

Robin (1993) #86 writer: Ed Brubaker art: Jacob & Arnold Pander

Birds of Prey (1999) #27 writer: Chuck Dixon pencils: N. Steven Harris

Catwoman (1993) #90 writer: Bronwyn Carlton pencils: Mike Lilly

Last time we looked at Batgirls sort of stand alone tie in to the Officer Down crossover, which ended with Cass abandoning her solo detective efforts on the case to meet up with the rest of the clan. This time we see her showing up as a side character in the crossover proper, already in progress. She doesn't have too big a role in things, though, so I think it's fair to cram her remaining Officer Down appearances into a single post.

Robin 86 covers the bat crew learning about Gordon being shot and collecting at the hospital to comfort Babs and start to plan. Batman gets real grumpy about it, attacking a random thug when he first hears about Gordon, hitting Dick when he tries to hold Bruce back, and then just brooding over Gordon's unconscious body while the rest are sent out to actually catch the shooter.

Cass is there for some of that, but not really saying or doing too much, so we're mostly looking at the art. Iirc, the Pander Bros are new artists to this retrospective. So how's their Cass?

Remember last time how I mentioned how depicting cass as a shadowy silhouette or trying to convey how she moves was more effective at making her spooky and intimidating than emphasizing the stitches in her mask or just giving her an angry face or whatever? This is the kind of stuff I was talking about there. Not enough to have stitches over the mouth, the Panders make her entire suit stitched together, like Catwoman in Batman Returns. They also drop her chunky yellow utility belt - and frequently also the yellow bat-symbol on her chest, though that might be a colorist issue.

I don't think they do a bad job exactly, apart from their super angular cartoony style not really clicking with me, but that's an aesthetic preference, not a judgment on quality. But the lack of facial expression in their Cass really hurts here.

I mean, at least there's some body language & physicality put into comforting Babs here, and it's nice that Babs looks to Cass in this one panel/moment here.

And I also like this bit, where Cass is the first to notice that Bruce is already in the room with Jim.

...

So Catwoman was seen at the scene where Gordon was shot, and they were feuding recently, so she's the prime suspect even if gun murder isn't really her style. The bat crew, minus Bruce, try to track her down, eventually leading to them interrupting a museum heist, but it turns out to be Harley Quinn running interference for Selina.

I like N. Steven Harris's general style more than the Panders, but he makes some weird decisions with Cass.

Combat Heels? Really?

This is a writing thing, so more on Dixon than Harris again, but...

has the memo not yet gotten around that Cass can talk now? She could just ask 'where is Catwoman'?

are we supposed to believe she can write the word 'woman' but not the word 'cat'? The cat part she has to draw?

This is kind of silly and ridiculous.

Mostly she's just kind of standing around in group shots in this one, and she looks fine.

The only real character beat Cass gets in this one is this extra and unnecessary kick at Harley Quinn at the end. Kind of mean spirited, which doesn't exactly fit Cass's usual character, but she's frustrated and her friend is hurting so I can't exactly say lashing out like this is exactly out of character either.

...

The last issue with Harley Quinn was mostly just spinning wheels to spread the crossover to one more title, Catwoman 90 actually advances the plot with the crew tracking Selina down, capturing her, and getting her version of the story - that another cop shot the commissioner.

Is Mike Lilly also a new artist for Cass? 3 for 3 new artists this week? I probably like his version of Batgirl the best out of the three today, but it does suffer noticeably from 'only knows how to draw one body type for female characters' syndrome.

It's a cute line I guess, but Selina has met Cass before. They had a whole little side adventure.

That's-not-Cass body measurements aside, Lilly does a great job of portraying just how athletic and acrobatic Cass is in just a few panels, how overwhelming her skill is in a physical confrontation. Selina pretty easily slipped past Dick, Tim, and Jean-Paul before this, but she just can't shake Cass.

Later on Cass is also the one who retrieves the shooter's gun from the vent Selina stowed it in:

Nice to see her and Jean-Paul working together in a nod to some of the No Man's Land stuff.

....

Overall three new artistic takes on Cass-Batgirl, and while I have my gripes about each none of them are bad exactly. It's nice that she's here for the crossover event, not left out entirely, and the writing teams remember enough of her character that she's making a show of consoling Barbara, or just naturally teaming up with Jean-Paul. It's also nice that she's treated as the most physically adept member of the bat team.

On the other hand, I'm not sure word has gotten around that she can talk now? The whole point of making her able to talk was so that she didn't fall into the vaguely racial trope of the silent faceless ninja, but that's still very much the role she's filling here.

I'd also mentioned earlier in discussing No Man's Land and more broadly the characterization of Bruce at the time kind of fell into a recurring rut. Something bad would happen that would remind Bruce of how little control he really had over the random injustice of the world, something that would put him back in the headspace of that little boy watching his parents murdered in front of him, and in response he would emotionally seize up and push his surrogate family away, only to later re-(re-re-re-)learn that he can't just do everything on his own and isolating himself only makes things worse and found family is good and he needs to rely on his friends, etc etc.

Officer Down is the start of another of these cycles, and while Gordon survives his injuries, he does retire. And Bruce's behavior towards the others while he's afraid Gordon will die is obnoxious enough that Alfred quits? To teach him a lesson by isolating him? Seems suspect, but whatever. Bruce just in general gets more grumpy and obnoxious for a while in a way that feels pretty repetitive with No Mans Land, a rut that continues to repeat going forward well after the writers seem to have tired of it.

And as a Cass fan it's kind of frustrating, because, again, her entire character concept was designed in dialog with exactly this version of Bruce, and the arc that it felt at the time she was building towards would have given the writers a natural way to write Bruce out of this rut.

It sort of writes itself - something happends that forces Bruce to acknowledge Cass's murder - maybe she finally breaks down and confesses it to him directly. He doesn't take it well, it leads to conflict between them, expanding out into conflict with the rest of the team. Eventually this conflict forces Bruce and Cass to confront and overcome their internalized guilt issues together, probably while physically fighting each other. The resolution of this forces Bruce to acknowledge that it's unprocessed guilt - not anger - that's been driving him to push everyone away. In offering Cass the forgiveness she needs he also learns to forgive himself, and comes out of the whole thing as more mellow and better-socially-adjusted batman, one who at the very least turns to his found family in a crisis instead of always reflexively pushing them away.

Bits and pieces of this narrative show up here and there going forward, but the whole arc never really coalesces. And while eventually there was a shift to a less grumpy and self-isolating Batman, I don't remember any particular catharsis bringing him to that point - though to be fair I wouldn't have seen it if it didn't involve Cass, so *shrug*.

[toyahinterviews]

TOYAH ON BBC 1 BREAKFAST TIME WITH SELINA SCOTT, FRANK BOUGH AND RUSSELL GRANT 28.3.1983

SELINA SCOTT: She has a demanding role which has required her to learn wrestling and as if acting wasn't enough she has her own rock band called Toyah, and many chart successes to her credit  A clip from the Ulster Hall 8.4.1981 gig plays SELINA: Strange looking back at three years ago TOYAH: Cor, a chubby thing SELINA: You're not TOYAH: (That was) wonderful. That was in Ireland (below). Great audience. Later that night I fell in into the audience and they ripped my costume to pieces. It was one of my favorite costumes as well SELINA: Oh, surely you had something left underneath? TOYAH: Oh, yeah, a sort of dress but they nicked the best bit of it, which is the painted part SELINA: You're the girl that Terry Wogan has described as "looking like an unmade bed" TOYAH: Apparently that's supposed to be a compliment SELINA: Was it? TOYAH: But my mum's after him for that. That really upsets her

SELINA: These men pass around comments about girls getting up in the morning looking the way they do and really they have no right, have they? TOYAH: Oh, no. Not at all FRANK BOUGH: My mum is also after Terry Wogan, who's said nasty things about me SELINA: What has he said?

FRANK: I can't remember, but he's always knocking me

TOYAH: We should form a society. "Rock Against Wogan" (laughs)

SELINA: I'd love the cameras to pick up the back of your hair because it's fascinating. It looks like little weasel tails, doesn't it? Look!

TOYAH: It's supposed to be like animal skin

SELINA: Why did you go and have that done?

TOYAH: Well, one of my hairdressers called Robert Lobetta was nagging me to grow my natural color back, which is black. One of the only ways to introduce my natural coloring is putting it in the ends as well, so it won't look too bad when the roots grow back

But another reason is it's very animalistic and the part I'm playing at the moment, "Trafford Tanzi", is quite aggressive. I thought it'd be nice if, while she's flying through the air and fighting men, the hair looks like an animal as well. I'm trying to introduce that instinct into the play SELINA: Do you find that many children follow your style to the letter and will go out and get their hairdressers to do that?

TOYAH: Not so much children because I always advise that young kids should not go about dying their hair. It's not good for you, really. But a lot of teenagers, say, from about 15 upwards kind of copy me. But I think you should create your own look because this is part of my personality. This is part of me. It's not a contrived thing at all

SELINA: But you have a tremendous following and also therefore a tremendous responsibility to the teenagers who are copying you TOYAH: I'd never encourage anybody to damage themselves in any way. This machine is so important to us all and we must love and respect it

SELINA: OK, Toyah, we'll come back to you. We're going to talk about your new “Trafford Tanzi” play

FRANK: Can I ask you - don't you get doors shut in your face when you appear in places looking like that? You say you don't dye your hair. You once changed your hairstyle and coloring every day for a week. Do some people say "go away, you can't come in here" TOYAH: Not so much in England. In foreign countries I've actually had harassment from the police because of the way I look. They just think I'm up to no good, which is quite frightening when you're in a country where you can't talk the language and heavies with guns drag you away at an airport. It terrified (me) It's usually because of the way I look

FRANK: You should wear a suit like me. Nobody harrasses me

Later in the programme

SELINA: Toyah Willcox is our guest of the day and she's been listening to you (astrologer RUSSELL GRANT) with rapt attention, haven't you? TOYAH: Oh, yeah

SELINA: Do you believe the things that Russell says? TOYAH: Oh, yes but most days I don't even read a horoscope in case it's bad, (then) I'll believe it's bad and things like that

SELINA: Can you guess Toyah's birth sign? RUSSELL: Well, Taurus – Toyah Taurus! Now that was a faux pas. But it wasn't, actually. I always think that Toyah reminds me of a lump of wholemeal bread

TOYAH: (sarcastically) Nice!

RUSSELL: Well, it is. Secure, a mouthful is all you need because it fills you up. There is this wonderful earthiness about you. So there's no doubt it's Taurus as far as I'm concerned

SELINA: Is that right?

TOYAH: It is

RUSSELL: The security factor, I believe, is important to you simply because there is a need to have that security around you. Do you find that? Especially on material things? TOYAH: Yes, I find that within this profession I'm in you need the security of knowing that you've got work the next day. I find that's very important. As for emotional security ... I'm quite a jealous person

RUSSELL: It can be a possessive sign

TOYAH:(I have a) terrible temper when it goes. I am definitely the bull in the china shop FRANK: You hit the nail on the head when you talked about having energetic - I mean, she is an immensely energetic lady

RUSSELL: (There's) a very tremendous amount of power as Taurus. It can go on. It's like a marathon runner of the zodiac. And it's very sensual. It loves to touch (and be) tactile. Very often its relationships are just touching someone without anything else. There is this need to be very close to people. And the loyalty factor -that must be important to you?

TOYAH: Oh yes, I am loyal but I haven't noticed I need to touch people RUSSELL: The last two and a half years have been a very important transforming time, in fact. Now, Toyah, over the next year you can do your own thing. But I would suggest that come 1984-85 when Saturn begins to oppose your your sun sign, it's a very, very good time then to live off of what you have been doing. So I would build now for 1984-85

SELINA: Yes, I was going to say let's take a look at Toyah acting. She's currently starring in “Trafford Tanzi” at London's Mermaid Theatre. But as though acting isn't demanding enough, she also has her own rock band Toyah and many chart successes to her credit. And here she is now

A selection of music clips play

SELINA: I wonder why you bother acting when you can sing like that

TOYAH: Oh, acting fulfills the soul

SELINA:Does it?

TOYAH: So does music ... I suppose (laughs) I'm just greedy SELINA: But everyone there was looking at you, reacting with you, being with you TOYAH: The audiences can be so wonderful. I spark off the audience. I get my energy from the audience reaction SELINA: What kind of age groups are you talking about? TOYAH: Everybody. I mean we get we get kids about five. We even had a guy called Raymond who followed us around, who must have been quite near 40. He was quite stunning. They all bop along in the audience. It's lovely to see people enjoying themselves. The atmosphere is great SELINA: I was wondering if you belong more to the punk cult looking at your hair and your dress and everything TOYAH: Not really, not anymore. I started off in that field. Punks are very proud people and their music is quite political. My music is based in fantasy, really, and my politics are quite bizarre and quite naive. So I'm not really a serious punk person

SELINA: You just sound so mature too, don't you? (Toyah laughs) We'll come back to you later on

Later in the programme FRANK: Toyah has been performing prodigious feats of strength on the stage and here in the studio. Hey, show us your muscles

TOYAH: Oh, my mum will kill me. This is what's happened to me in two weeks (rolls up her sleeve and shows her arm muscles)

SELINA: Oh! How did you get that?

TOYAH: Picking up men (laughs) FRANK: I told you if you said that the press would say "Toyah Willcox picks up men". That's what they do

TOYAH: Right. Right on

FRANK: It must be making you feel terrifically well

TOYAH: Very well indeed

FRANK: I have a vague memory of days when I was fit. You do feel much better

TOYAH: Oh, yeah. I must say the whole cast have been through what I've been through. They're wonderful people to work with. I enjoy it so much. I never like to leave the theatre each night because they're such great people

SELINA: But do they enjoy being jumped on by you? 

TOYAH: We jump on each other. It's wonderful. It's such a good play. It's a brilliant play FRANK: Does it all take place in the wrestling ring?

TOYAH: Yes, in the round (ring) so that you're surrounded by the audience. But the play carries itself. It's so exciting. It's for the whole family, really. The language is a bit strong here or there -

FRANK: But what does it say? I mean it's a curious allegory, isn't it? To use a wrestling ring?

TOYAH: Well, for me it's about a woman who's so gullible she's taken in by her husband. The husband's having an affair with her best friend and she turns around and says "why should I take this? I'll get you back at your own game". He's a wrestler so get I him back by wrestling him. Not through strength but through speed and being quick with the brains

FRANK: There's argument wrestling -

TOYAH: She wins. She catches him out because she's quick and he can't get hold of her, as it were

FRANK: You're a very articulate lady and you've packed a tremendous amount into your life so far. You're 24, no more than that. Is that a bit like you? I mean are you argumentative and determined to say things and have a strong point of view about anything?

TOYAH: Only when I'm being used. I hate being used and I hate being lied to. The profession is still a very male profession. The one thing I won't take is having wool pulled over my eyes. I'm not so much argumentative. I stick up for myself rather than remain silent

FRANK: You don't trust people too much, do you?

TOYAH: Oh, I do. I do. But once lied to ... then I don't trust people

Watch the interview HERE

[fictionadventurer]

Actual January Reads

Rhododendron Pie by Margery Sharp: A solid light read with a likable and relatable main character and some good exploration of the intellectual/artistic realm vs. ordinary life. Good start to the year.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: I liked this much more the second time. I found a lot to enjoy, and it's a classic for a reason, but I still think Jane and Rochester both get away with a lot that isn't questioned by the narrative because they're "soulmates".

"The Old Nurse's Story" by Elizabeth Gaskell: I don't read ghost stories, but I liked the style and the story here enough to keep reading. I love how Gaskell used the ghost story format to explore themes of regret and compassion that would fit into her realistic stories. However, the danger to the child was chilling, and it still haunts me, so I kind of regret reading.

Matched by Allie Condie: This reread didn't hit as hard as it did during the pandemic, but the "fighting for human creativity in a world where technology creates everything" is more relevant than ever in a world with AI.

Crossed by Allie Condie: My first time rereading, because I didn't like it the first time. I liked it better this time. I always like a travel story--the desert atmosphere was immersive. The side characters made more sense. But I'm still not convinced there was a point to this book--it'd be pretty much the same story if they found the rebellion right away.

Reached by Allie Condie: I'm really glad I didn't reread this one during the pandemic--somehow I'd completely forgotten that the whole story is a medical thriller about a pandemic. I was pretty impressed by the virology--it was detailed and mostly hung together. (Though anything would be better than the Lunar Chronicles' "people drank the vaccine to cure the disease). (And the Mormon symbolism in the cure amused me.) The only things I had remembered about the story were some details I thought were stupid--it turns out I'd misunderstood them and they made total sense. I liked the "find a third option" approach to rebellion. The unresolved government situation both made sense and disappointed me.

The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting: A cute enough story, except for the blatant, over-the-top racism that provides major plot points for a huge section of the middle. I'm used to a certain level of racism in old books--this went well beyond that. And overall, I like the story less the longer I think about it. I'm never much one for animal narratives, though some of the animals here were cute. As for Doolittle--there's a difference between "unworldly and innocent" and "complete irresponsible idiot", and Doolittle has way too much of the latter in him. (I would be interested in the story from his sister's POV, though--imagine one day your brother gives just adopts a million pets and starts making weird animal noises and gives up his medical practice. How do you deal with that?)

So Big by Edna Ferber: The best book I read this month. I started out unsure of the story--it had a bit too much of the cynical trying-to-impress-the-literary-elite vibe that I associate with American literature of this era--but it became a really lovely exploration of what it really means to live a good life. Selina is a masterful character, and I loved getting her story, and the contrasting stories of the two boys she helped to raise. A few bits of content that went a bit beyond what I like, but overall a very good book.

The Home-maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher: I loved the premise, kind of hated the first three sections where everyone hates their lives and the husband can't do anything right, and then adored the fourth section. Possibly the best exploration of gender roles and child-rearing that I've ever seen in fiction.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse: A nice little story full of fascinating historical detail, psychologically-rich characters, and a heartwrenching story. I'm not sure that the free-verse structure added anything to it, but it's nice to add another one to my list. Initially, this story left me going, "Yeah, it's good, but nothing special," but the more I think about it, the more impressive I find it.

Red Palace by June Hur: The worldbuilding here was more intricate and unfamiliar than like 95% of the fantasy novels I read. I loved it. (And it turned out I'd seen just enough k-drama gifs to envision some of the outfits). Unfortunately, the intense worldbuilding on top of a murder mystery plot was a bit too much--it got overwhelming to piece together the worldbuilding when the heroine's understanding of the truth was constantly shifting. I ended up half-skimming to survive. But I did like the story and the depth to the main character, so I'd like to read more by the author.

Deathmark by Kate Stradling: My most relaxing read of the month. Once again, I liked a Stradling book better on reread. I didn't mind that it was barely a Blue Castle retelling. The story was relaxing, the romance was cute, the hero's tragic past compelling, the turn into darkness just a bit too dark, and the hero's parents amazing. Unfortunately, it did my least favorite Stradling thing of ending with a huge, complicated infodump about backstory + the magic system. I can never explain just why I like these books so much, but finishing one of her stories always leaves me wanting to read another one.

Potential January Reads

A Brilliant Night of Ice and Stars by Rebecca Connolly

Rhododendron Pie by Margery Sharp

So Big by Edna Ferber

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Vibrant Paradoxes by Bishop Robert Barron

The Diary of a Country Priest by George Bernanos

Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope

Katherine Wentworth by D.E. Stevenson

[toulousewayne]

How Batfamily Members Spend Valentine’s Day

Bruce Wayne:

Bruce doesn’t make a big deal out of the day and typical will give find ways to show his appreciation instead of outright saying it. Like the WatchTower needs it’s technology updated to the lastest Wayne Tech operating Systems, and when J’onn comes in it’s all brand state-of the art technology and state of the art systems.

Alfred brought up a small cas iron pan he liked. He finds a brand new set of cookware from the catalogues he was eyeing.

Ace and Titus have chewed up all there toys. Damian goes to let them out but there two busy chewing on Green Arrow and Green Lantern plushies that squeak.

Alfred Pennyworth:

Alfred unlike Bruce will outright show others how he appreciates and loves them. He will be sure his family will know just how much he cares and loves them.

He starts by making a large plate of heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes, with fresh whipped cream, Canada maple syrup (The imported fancy stuff.) And fresh cut strawberries.

He also makes his famous Chocolate Cookies to go with dinner. (See Jason.)

Dick Grayson:

Let’s be honest this man is a little bit of Casanova. He buys box chocolate, and teddy bears for all his partners;past, present and alleged. (*Cough Wally *Cough)

For his siblings however they get his full attention for the day. No matter if he really just wants to be alone he pushes that to the side for one day. Damian wants to feed the ducks, Dick and him are at the park at 6 a.m. just to feed them.

Tim has been distant and threw himself into work, Dick drags him to a nice lunch where the two can push work aside and catch up. He even searched months with Babs help found a rare limited addition of different old English books and gifted them to Jason. Who nearly crushed Dick in a hug and told him to never speak of this again or he would shoot him in his knees.

Barbara Gordon:

Babs always gifts her Father the same thing every year. A pack of his favorite coffee, a brand new travel thermos, and a handmade card It’s a tradition. But for her siblings she’s a little less planned out but none the less it’s still thoughtfully.

Duke has been getting behind in night classes due to Daily Patrol but refuses to tell Bruce in fear he’ll be disappointed or bench him. Barbara comes up with a new version of his helmet that while he is busy fighting or even patrolling it is programmed to go over his notes for him as well as play his lectures from the previous class to get him prepared for the next test.

Cass really wants to audition for a lead in Gotham Ballerina production of Black Swan but she’s self doubting herself. So Barbara has the dance room in Wayne Manor cleared and has Cass practice along with her while also giving her pointers and giving her words of encouragement. Cass tries out and lands the role of the Black Swan.

Jason Todd:

Jason would never admit it but he sees Valentine’s Day the same way as Bruce. He doesn’t make a big deal out of and he specifically tries to avoid it. Of course he fails. Jason would rather jump into Killer Croc’s cell than tell his family how much he loves them,but they now that he does and won’t say it unless someone is on Death’s front door.Everyone loves his food and that’s just a given. The few days prior to Valentines Day Stephanie noticed a Tuba-ware container of her favorite food on her dresser. There isn’t a note she knows who it’s from and she’s just excited she doesn’t have to eat canned ravioli for the third time this week.

Selina comes to her apartment after being out of town and without mentioning she’s coming home to find a warm plate of Chicken Florentine in her microwave which makes the whole apartment smell heavily.

It’s not a surprise to anyone that Alfred requests everyone come to the Manor for dinner the eve before Valentine’s Day. A large feast of different foods. From Asian, Italian , Indian,etc. everyone is digging in and it’s all amazing and is homemade. Before dessert everyone in unison thanks Jason who blushes tells them it was all Alfred which they know is BS.

Tim Drake:

Tim is a man of few words but it’s not due to him not knowing what to say. He just lacks the ability to put it into terms of endearment.

He finds Kate lingering around the manor and outright tells her that she gives good advice. Kate thanks him but is taken a back because she never saw herself as such. And after a quick chat with Alfred she finds Tim and tells him she appreciates him telling her that and she understands he means in terms of her giving him advice about coming out.

He finds Dick in the gaming room and when he noticed him he asks him does he wanna play a few rounds of Smash Bros he joins in. And after a few moments Tim turns to Dick and tells him he understands why he replaces him with Damian. Dick immediately stops and begins to tell Tim he didn’t replace him,but Tim tells him that he gets he sees him as his equal, his brother. He did it so Damian can grow and not be stuck not experiencing a normal life. Dick hugs Tim and tells him he’d never hurt him but most of all he’s stuck with him for his life.

Damian Wayne:

Damian has always struggled to express himself. The only form he’s able to take to show his care is through art.

To say that when Barbara entered her apartment to find a handmade colored sketch of her first appearance as Batgirl was an understatement. She didn’t know that there was another drawing of her from her time as Oracle in her bedroom along with a small note stating that she was a hero weather she wore a cape and a symbol, or was overseeing several monitors at the same time. She has more than earned respect and her place as a member of the Batfamily. The next time she saw him she hugged him to death and everyone else was confused more so that Damian wasn’t fighting to be released.

He spends most of the afternoon training with Bruce. And usually Bruce is pushing everyone to their limits and then he makes them give him more. But this time it’s almost as if Damian is intentionally causing himself to fail in order to get Bruce to demonstrate. It’s only about the eighth time that it dawns on Bruce what he’s doing. “Honestly Father for being such a highly acclaimed detective you sure lack the ability to detect someone faking it.”

Tim is nearly hospitalized from a heartache when he finds a oil painted portrait of him as a young boy his parents Janet and Jack in his room. It’s not because Damian hasn’t made his brother art before, it’s because the photo which the painting was referenced from was lost the night Tim’s father was killed and he never found it once the house was abandoned. But Damian managed to not only find it and place on his bed but give him a large version of it too.

Stephanie Brown:

Steph is by far a great gift giver even if she can be a extra about it.

Bruce was a man that didn’t need really anything. He could buy the world and be satisfied by the time Breakfast was severed. For years Bruce struggled with his parents murder everyone knew that. But what most didn’t know was he had spent years trying to restore his Mother’s necklace,as a piece of her no matter how morbid. He found a box titled here you go, you psycho. -SB . And it was her mother’s necklace completely restored with every single Pearl in place.

Dick had been so busy that he neglected to clean his apartment before Kory came over for a date. He had spent most of the morning returning to Bludheaven stuck in traffic, then he ran errands to get flowers, find the cologne of his she liked him wearing on their dates and some small stuff. But he knew he needed to clean. Imagine his shock to a head to toe clean Apartment. He sat the stuff in the kitchen and got two texts from Stephanie.

Text Message:

Don’t mention, Ik I’m your fav sista 😝

P.S Grayson for the love of god do your laundry I should not have to walk around with your old boxers everywhere 🫤😵‍💫

Cassandra Cain:

Cass reminds me of a cat. I feel like she would just pop up and give her family gifts or advice.

Jason about to start preparing dinner for tonight. He opens the pantry to find Cass. He nearly returns to his grave in that moment. She hands him some low sodium salt.”Dad, not need normal salt.” And she take a bag of Doritos and leaves the kitchen.

Duke is about to take a shower and before he can pull back the curtain Cass is there with a big smile holding several bottles of hair products.

“These are natural. Good for you.” She hands them to him and walks away like he isn’t just shocked his big sister saw him in a Dragon Ball towel.

Alfred has no idea why his fine China has been removed and is on the dinning room table polished to perfection but decides not to question it and resume with his daily routine.

Duke Thomas:

Duke tries to do things that his siblings need not necessarily wants or expensive gifts more so practical.

He knows Damian wants him to get him the pet tiger from the Zoo that is going extinct. But rather than getting mauled or worse getting chewed out by Bruce he opts to get Damian new shoes. Damian finds the gift confusing because he can buy his own shoes but these shoes are specifically for training something Damian does at minimum twice a day. In the end he thanks Duke because now he isn’t sliding around as much.

Tim has been begging for weeks for this fancy expresso machine and no one wants to feed into his obsession of coffee especially,but they been toying with the idea since Tim doesn’t ask anyone for anything. And for Valentines Day Duke bites the bullet and get him something. Tim isn’t ungrateful about his gift from his brothers but he knows it’s not at all what he wished for. Instead Duke got him a pair of Bluetooth headphones with cushions ear muffs. At first Tim puts them in his backpack for class but between the Young Justice Teams long flights and the constant noise at the manor he can play his favorite songs while also canceling outside noises and attempting to relax.

Dick comes home to find two large gallons of detergent, a half gallon bottle of softener,two packs of stain remover sticks, and $100 dollar gift card to Wash Lands which is directly across the street from his apartment. He’s not surprised Steph told the others he’s just hopes Alfred isn’t aware of this.

[thisiswhereikeepdcthings]

Jason back talking to Diana: so ya anyway back to our conversation from yesterday: Last night, dad came over to the manor for family dinner and—

Bruce: stop calling him your father! He isn’t!

Jason: you don’t get to decide that for me

Dick: I think it’s good for him. I’m proud! Jace latches on to so many maternal figures, it’s nice to see he finally has an older man in his life that he trusts and looks up to. Plus, Hal is stepping in to fill that role so naturally and incredibly, it’s admirable. You know after the long, terrible, messy history Jason has been at the brunt of with so many, I never thought he’d be able to do or have that again

Jason: B, please don’t do this in front of mom. Can we please discuss this later? It’s okay if there’s trouble in paradise, but your other half seems so happy right now, so if you’re unhappy you should go discuss it with him rather than vaguely dragging everyone around you into the drama. We all just want what’s best for the both of you, and communication is key

Dick: it’s putting so much stress on the family. I don’t know how much longer we can keep the ship afloat. Try couples therapy if it’s really that bad. Jason and I both really like Hal, and we would be so disappointed if we didn’t have this immediate connection anymore.

Bruce through gritted teeth: I’ll talk to him about it

Jason: thanks, B! Anyway, mom, how do you feel about dating both Talia and Selina? They’re both such strong, powerful, convicted women! You all have so much in common

I’m kinda going off on this idea because I love it so much. Whoops. I just think it’s really funny. Just hal going “hey, kiddo” and ruffling hair while he and jay look so, so smug, and Bruce concussing himself by putting his head through the wall in the background; it’s evokes a beautiful image tied to a beautiful feeling

I love this so much. Dick and Jason teaming up against Bruce is such a powerful combination, Bruce doesn’t stand a chance. I picture all the other batkids following Dick and Jason around while they take notes because these two together are unstoppable.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hello friends I am sorry to report that I have once again succumbed to Gotham's siren song. let's see if season 3 can get any better, or at least more interestingly bad.

(thanks as always to @petersthree for the banner)

Gotham 3x13

David Dastmalchian remains hot in a rat way idk. horrifically negated by his being horny for the Joker though barf gag

"Makenzie they were never allowed to call either of Cameron Monaghan's characters the Joker so actually -" shhhh. shhhHHHHHH.

I feel like the show is really unaware of who the average Joker enjoyer is. certainly not a racially diverse group of downtrodden goths with cool hair.

Barbara refered to Oswald's hair as a "disco vampire thing" I love her. I want to kiss her your honor.

this thing with Selina's mom feels like such an obvious scam but idk sometimes on this show stupid shit happens like Kringle 2 where there's actually no twist to figure out it's just something really silly meant to be taken entirely at face level

lmao get peeled idiot

oh wait I've been Cameron Monaghan baited again

um okay I've decided to start trying to say nice things about this bad show so. I think it's cool that Jerome's groupies wear black and red it feels like a cool nod to Harley. I hope there's never a Harley on this show because they don't deserve her at all but it's a nice touch.

GET HER ASS OSWALD BITE KILL MAIM!!! MLM/WLM HOSTILITY 🔥🔥🔥

oh nevermind he's just getting played like a cheap fiddle I hate it here

anyway it's so funny that in literally every episode Jimbolini is once again SHOCKED AND APPALLED to discover that the GCPD is corrupt somehow

oh my god... Lee badass era??? 👀

David Dastmalchian really put his whole Dastmalussy into this two episode bit role good lord. he's too good for this show, is what I'm getting at.

okay so. this scene with Jerome and Lee is the best-written part of this season and maybe the entire show. this is why I like Cameron Monaghan I'm never bored when he's here

Bruce is so eyebrows it's so cute

this is actually a more effective use of the Joker's face getting peeled and stapled back on than anything that happened in comics

god fuck it all we almost made it a full episode without Ed

Donal Logue is being so profoundly wasted this season. he's tired I'm tired we're all tired. please Cameron Monaghan you're our only hope

[dchuntress]

ALLLLLL OF THIS!!!! YOU TOOK THE EXACT WORDS OUT OF MY MOUTH SO MANY THOUGHTS BREWING IN MY MIND BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO BE A WEIRDO IN YOUR INBOX IN CASE WE DIDN'T SHARE THE SAME OPINIONS 😭

but honestly this comic series was such a dark and gritty take on the catholic and mafia aspects of helena's characterisation, that it was absolutely hilarious to see her beat up bruce twice—once as batman, once as bruce—and them bicker so pettily about who dresses better, helena and barbara immediately becoming obsessive rivals during their first meetings both in and out of the suit, AND SELINA JUST BEING SO CURIOUS LIKE 👀👀 AND GETTING HERSELF INVOLVED LIKE 'HEYYYY DON'T START THE PARTY WITHOUT ME 🤭'

also selina is so real for being such a supportive figure here, helena has been FIGHTING for her life and catching hands the very moment she returned to gotham so it was nice to see someone besides sal on her side 😭 selina's role is so important to me, especially because i think she's definitely inspired helena a little bit at least, and this entire exchange is so good

( something about helena b saying selina reminds her of a mother-like figure is pretty amusing to me considering like. helena wayne. if that makes any sense )

i really like the last panel too and how it features bruce, selina, sal, and god. i think there's definitely a metaphor in there about how these four represent important parts of helena's story (off the top of my head — bruce represents law and order, selina represents moral greyness, sal represents family, and the fourth is of course her faith)

hi!! i don't mean to bother but i just wanted to drop by and say that i LOVED selina's appearance in huntress: year one :) i liked their conversations, them kinda being on the same side but also not, and it really balanced out the overall story

LISTEN Every second of Selina in Huntress: Year One is Perfect 😭

Helena impresses Selina immediately when she witnesses Huntress jumping Bruce and Batgirl at a gala Selina is attending as his date, which also gives us this glorious panel, haha idiot

The entire confrontation between Hel and Bruce is so good and dramatic 😭 these assholes

SELINA serving as usual 🥂

Bruce becomes pissed that Helena dog-walks him and Babs at the gala (and her vengeance crusade) so he confronts her as Batman, Selina, hilariously, gives Helena invaluable tips to hold her own against him and escape, which gives us a really great moment between them on the roof

And Selina supports her soooo much like she really really wants her to get her vengeance and make it in this city without having to lose her independence to the bat!

Angel and Devil on Helena’s shoulder be like:

Selina: Slayyy