#Batman: Dark Patterns 1 Review | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

why-this-kolaveri-machi · 4 years ago

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chin fucking up, amigo.

Titans 3.02

... eh?

SPOILERS ahead.

1. you know that music video for billie jean where michael jackson would dance along the pavement and the tiles would light up under his feet in different colours? yeah? me too.

titans hasn’t met a table top or a support arch that it doesn’t want to light up in a headache-inducing blue like the world’s most boring nightlight. i mean, i’m not an expert on lighting or cinematography or just... colour by any means, and the quality of the video i’m watching is poor given that i can’t access hbo max, but all the orange and teal and neon is making it very difficult to really differentiate between say, the batcave and the gotham police department and hell, the titans tower. i feel like there’s oftentimes a gap between idea and execution with titans, with gotham being this almost otherwordly hellscape with an aesthetic pulled from a gothic horror novel, but the colours and design just... leave it flat and dark and dull.

1.5. like what really frustrates me is that titans has a delightful mix of tones--the fights often remind me of schumacher-era batman camp, with the contrived quips and the start-stop rhythm and krypto just sallying in and ending the fight with a fucking SuperBark (tm) but in the same episode you have red hood just casually pulling out severed heads out of a duffle bag and desperate people blackmailed into killing themselves out of drug overdoses. I MEAN. it’s wonderful! but it looks all the same. it sounds Absolutely Bonkers on paper but on screen both Quip and Murder happen in the same washed-out blue and i wanted to be excited about the batcave, dammit!

2. things re: red hood have happened at such a breakneck speed that it feels like there’s so much that’s happened off-screen that we’re not privy to. a real proper mystery!

things that are intriguing about the red hood arc so far:

a) what was that chemical he huffed just before going to fight the joker? is it a regular old performance/adrenaline booster or is it something more lazarus-juice adjacent? if it’s the latter, i can’t imagine he got that much information from a lone chemistry textbook. and where is he getting the resources to set up his little chemistry lab? is somebody else orchestrating things behind the scenes?

b) the red hood persona, costume and mask, plus the elaborate plan he’s putting in place to both string along gotham’s rogues and enact his revenge against the titans seems too... fully-formed and elaborate to have been concocted in just a few days. how long do you think jason’s been planning this? just... stewing in resentment and building rage, dismissed and passed around and underestimated and realising that the power he thought he would get by being robin is no power, no protection at all, but something that’s left him even more vulnerable than before?

c) do we think that the scarecrow is at least partly behind this transformation? because yes, it was batman that set up this whole hannibal lecter-esque situation with him, and he would be irresponsible enough to have jason-as-robin go talk to him regularly regarding “~profiling~” criminals. it’s not too far of a leap to assume that scarecrow could’ve been manipulating jason at a very vulnerable time, and that he could’ve passed along some of his chemistry know-how, too.

d) ... or fuck, i wouldn’t put it past titans to introduce ra’s al ghul in a fucking ten second aside

e) anyway, the thing that won’t leave me alone is jason seeking out the joker not necessarily to fight him, but to orchestrate his own death. the whole thing has to have been part of a bigger plan. he broke batman with it, after all. and he’s starting to break the titans, too.

f) i love it! i mean, it does re-tread some of the storybeats we had with deathstroke last season (turning the titans against each other as revenge, etc) but it’s... tighter, this time, and at least for now seems better-executed. and as a red hood story it’s different enough to be really interesting, and i appreciate the ways in which its reframed the revenge story to focus on the titans rather than just the batman. like fuck everything up, i say! turn it on its head! slash the innards out of that sacred cow and strew it like garlands in the path of the Story You Want To Tell!

(and yes i am fully aware that by the time i post this review, there will be a whole lot more information out but if i come across like a fool then goddammit i will be a fool!)

2. i love how every season of titans starts off with, ‘oh dick, you thought you were settling into a role and a life and a pattern of relationships? well fuck you, here’s a terrible and traumatic thing, tons more responsibility, and circumstances that will lead you to uproot your entire life and move somewhere else.’ and dick’s just like, ‘well, ok. fuck you, but all right’.

can you imagine? the man was just settling into leading a team in sf and smiling for the first time in years, and now he has to deal with jason’s death, bruce experiencing a full fledged breakdown, coming back to a city that represents more bad memories than good, red hood, and a frightening new case that seems to be targeting him and his team. it’s a testament to dick’s growth that he’s not reacting to this stress like he did last year, shutting everybody out, making irrational decisions and experiencing sharp, short bursts of anger. (not to mention a full fledged psychotic episode.)

2.5. but i’ve also talked about dick performing a fair amount of unwarranted emotional labour for his team(s) in that he just lets them take out their frustrations on him and... does nothing. be it his team exploding at him for jericho (both in flashback and present-day) or donna and hank needling him for handling deathstroke poorly or barbara berating him for not handling the bank situation as well as she thought batman would though just the previous episode she had talked about how fucked up it was that bruce just expected dick to step up and replace him in gotham without any real notice. i mean it’s all perfectly understandable and sympathetic from their end--and i’m not trying to bash them here!--but hank, my man, the same chin you’re asking your amigo to keep up is the one that you punched last year and never apologised for. just sayin’.

2.75. @superohclair did a wonderful breakdown of what the ‘fear’ contract could imply here and there’s not too much i could add to that. it’s just really interesting that fear ended up being such a defining feature of their lives, albeit it’s the fear of seeming less than invincible in the face of bigger, more tangible fears. am i making sense? dick feared loss, and abandonment, and the more existential concept of turning into something that he didn’t want to. bruce so feared being alone that he’s scouting kids to replace robin within days of jason dying.

it also goes some way in explaining the tense sort of... restraint that bruce and dick show in the wake of loss and tragedy, like anything less than complete control of your emotions can lead to tragedy. it’s conditioning that dick couldn’t shake off when he was at his lowest in detroit, hating his legacy but unable to let it go either.

2.775. but i definitely appreciate the softness that dick displays with his team now, checking on them after a mission-gone-bad, welcoming back old members with no caveats or resentments (and kory’s delight in seeing hank back! hank and dick hanging out together and hank trying to prop dick up!), and appreciating their teamwork in solving cases. that’s always been the essence of dick as a person, and the beating heart of this show: flawed and traumatised people coming together to a place that will always be open to them, where they can be their worst and be supported still, allowed to make mistakes and grow from them. that’s family.

2.8. coming back to bruce for just a sec, it’s interesting how that gotham rogue was so certain when he said that ‘batman doesn’t kill’ but it’s not a rule that either jason or dick put much store by when they were robins. the ‘no-killing’ rule clearly didn’t mitigate dick’s fears about turning into batman and jason’s never been seeing giving two shits about it. it seems to me of a piece with bruce’s distant, second-hand sort of parenting that we see in dick’s flashbacks from s1 where the fear was never about personally disappointing batman, but taking lessons from him on finding a place in gotham’s hellish ecosystem and surviving.

3. kory having waking flashbacks! i don’t buy the bullshit parasomnia episode explanation from fake!HPG (because c’mon, justin has to be some sort of tamaranean ruse) because for one, you have to be actually asleep for that diagnosis.

(and here i was, hoping against hope that HPG would actually end up as the team’s therapist)

curiouser and curiouser! i wonder if these flashbacks are from the time between kory landing on earth and the beginning of season 1, when she was completely amnesiac? it’d be cool if the show was considering repercussions from that time, and if kory hasn’t gained all her memories back.

4. i just love the vibes between gar and conner and kory. gar Having Things To Do is only one part of my wishlist for him, however: other parts include having an actual story arc, and actually bonding with members who are not conner and kory. (dick! dick! hank! dick!)

anyway. time to move on to watching ep3 and seeing this family bond and nothing terrible and tragic happening at all, nope, nosiree.

#titans #titans spoilers #meta #dick grayson #jason todd #red hood #koriand'r #garfield logan #bruce wayne #his name is justin.#a byronic cupcake #a tragic jalebi #badass strawberry truffle #manic pixie pop tart

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dispatchdcu · 5 months ago

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Batman: Dark Patterns #1 Preview

Batman: Dark Patterns #1 Preview #BatmanDarkPatterns #DCEU #dccomics #comics #comicbooks #news #dcu #dcuuniverse #art #info #NCBD #amazon #comicbooknews #previews #reviews #batman #darkknight #capedcrusader #brucewayne #detectivecomics #batmaninc

Batman: Dark Patterns #1 Preview: Set during the early years of Batman’s career, Batman: Dark Patterns delves into four mysterious cases as he attempts to cement his place as Gotham City’s protector while the city itself ﬁghts back against him. This is the Dark Knight Detective at his most stripped-down core, a man relying on his wits, his skills, and little else as he tackles some of the most…

#batman #Batman: Dark Patterns #Batman: Dark Patterns 1 #Batman: Dark Patterns 1 Preview #comics #DC Comics #DC Comics Previews #Previews

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sunnydaleherald · 5 years ago

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, August 26 - Thursday, August 27

GILES: This Saturday's going to need a great deal of preparation. WILLOW: Well, we'll help. XANDER: Yeah, I'll whittle stakes. WILLOW: A-and I can research stuff. XANDER: And while I'm whittling, I plan to whistle a jaunty tune. GILES: Yes, your help will be greatly appreciated, but when it comes to battle, Buffy must fight alone. You are, after all, the Slay... (sees Snyder in the hall) ...slay-ve. Slaves. You're, you're all slaves to the, uh, television. JENNY: Yes. GILES: Young people nowadays.

~~School Hard~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for an editor to take Tuesdays or Wednesdays! Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! For more information, send us an ask (on Tumblr) or post a reply to this post (on Livejournal or Dreamwidth)! You can also message Rahirah directly.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Gone (Buffy, Joyce, PG) by badly_knitted

Formerly MIA (crossover with Batman, Buffy, Dawn, Suitable for people over 13) by Beriaearwen

Blood Isn't Thicker (crossover with MCU, Buffy, FR-13) by mmooch

Peacekeeper Tara (crossover with MCU, Tara, FR-13) by mmooch

Let's Dance (crossover with Criminal Minds, Buffy, Gen / Teen) by 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions)

i'll show you every version of yourself tonight (Tara/Willow, G) by sapphicwillow

Rock the Cradle (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by MissLuci

[Chaptered Fiction]

Immortal Kelvin Slayer, Part 21 (crossover with Star Trek, Buffy, PG/FR13/K+) by hermione2be

Day 25 - Contact and Day 26 - Mammoth Falls (crossover with Doctor Who and Mad Scientists Club, Joyce, FR-15) by acswatwst (acs)

The Redemption of Lucius Malfoy – Aftermath (crossover with Harry Potter, Hank, Buffy, Suitable for people over 13) by Beriaearwen

Taking Chances, Chapter 6 (crossover with NCIS, Buffy, Gen / Teen) by 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions)

Family Confidential - The Final Quarter: A New Beginning, Chapter 1 (Tara/Willow, M) by Laragh

Daughter of Aurelius, Chapter 13 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by Loup Noir

Death Wish, Chapter 22 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by Sigyn

More Than A Crush, Chapter 24 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by all_choseny

Promise Me, Chapter 17 and 18 (Spike/Buffy, PG-13) by Lucky_19

These Violent Delights, Chapter 21 (Spike/Buffy, Adult Only) by Touchstoneaf

It Travels With Redheads, Chapter 4 (Willow, FR15) by Traszgo

Darkness Rising, Chapter 13 (crossover with Anita Blake, Buffy/Asher, FR18) by Deesse

Echoes of Beljoxa, Chapter 4 (Spike/Buffy, M) by myrabeth

[Images, Audio & Video]

Video: SF98 Recreates ft Tom Lenk and Summer Bishil: Softer Side of Sears (Cordelia, Willow, worksafe) by Slayerfest 98, Tom Lenk, Summer Bishil

Vidlet: Mr. Right (crossover with Treasure Planet, Jim x Faith, worksafe) by Rorobunnie

Vid: Damaged (Drusilla) and multiple other vids uploaded by AstarteVids

[Reviews & Recaps]

Out of Mind, Out of Sight by JustDaggers

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Vinimates Review by NerdNewsToday

The Wish by Knicks1986 and others

My complicated relationship with Ted by xmjones100 and others

PODCAST: Buffy Boys 081 - Two Drops of Water (S05E03 The Replacement)

PODCAST: Buffering the Vampire Slayer 5.22: The Gift

PODCAST: Angel on Top S2E22 There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb

[Recs]

Buffy&Joyce double drabble "Gone" by badly_knitted recced by petzipellepingo

Stargate SG-1 crossover "Worth Fighting For" by Eleri_McCleod recced by beatrice_otter

Stargate SG-1 crossover "Bridges" by Tassos recced by beatrice_otter

[Community Announcements]

Trapped Challenge: signup for authors has opened, and signup for banner artists will open on September 12th at Elysian Fields

[Fandom Discussions]

All of the Scooby Gang have 2 love interests that follow a particular pattern by ageofgeek

What if Wesley had never kidnapped Connor? by Anyanka Bunny Slayer and others

Illyria taking over the body of somebody else (rather than Fred) in the Buffyverse by spikenbuffy and others

When Giles asks Buffy in the library, "Will he rise again? The boy.."... by telperion66 and others

Would Buffy have been able to kill Angel in the early years? (cont'd) by Ann, Myheadsgonenumb

Is Angel right to be jealous of Buffy and Spike? (cont'd) by Ann, Myheadsgonenumb, white avenger

Dawn's biological parents by Anyanka Bunny Slayer and others

Show Criticisms You Don't Agree With [These things do not make a TV show dated.] by HardlyThere, TimeTravellingBun

What was Angel's plan in Sanctuary? by TypicalPsychology6

Wild At Heart-Oz's Departure From Buffy by xmjones100

Who Had The Deepest Relationship With Tara Apart From Willow? hosted by Salvatore-Charmed

So What if Willow Said to Kick His Ass? by Moon_Logic

Is there any music (not including songs from Once More with Feeling) that makes you think of Buffy? by ragekage42069

Tell me interesting buffy facts hosted by tikitytok

Was it ever revealed who the mysterious group is that infiltrated W&H in “Lineage”? hosted by dude19832

Was Mayor Wilkins stronger in his human form? by SirOGU

When you see someone in an early episode who becomes a major character down the line. hosted by derstherower

Who Did Willow Have The Best Chemistry With? hosted by PlayedThisGame

Giles an alcoholic by Season 4? by Willdon231

Why did Tara go along with Willow's plan in Bargaining? by What-The-Heaven

Buffy unpopular opinions post by Diccy123 and others

Examples of poor writing in BTVS Season 7 by Kryptin

Which character would you date on Buffy and why? hosted by fanaticnotfanatic

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series

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shauhank · 6 years ago

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Christopher Nolan: A visionary director with beautiful combination of complexity and perception

· What is complexity?

The state of quality or being intricate or complicated.

· What is perception?

The way in which something is regarded, understood or interested.

Complexity and perception are the two different and simultaneous phenomena occurring at any instance of life i.e. complexity can be occur with anyone, in any form and up to any extent and how you relate, understand or take interest to go through that with your perception that’s what defines you.

So, basically these two objects are the strength of Hollywood’s London native director who is none other than Christopher Edward Nolan. He has directed some magnificent cinemas and gifted them to the world in which these two objects were his secret ingredients. He has revolutionized the concept of the cinema, film-making, character portrayal, filming techniques, story-telling and many other aspects revolving around a film.

His notable work in the cinema is as mentioned below:

1) Following (1998)

2) Memento (2000)

3) Insomnia (2002)

4) The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012)

5) The Prestige (2006)

6) Inception (2010)

7) Interstellar (2014)

8) Dunkirk (2017)

Let us discuss his beautiful cinema work one-by-one:

1) Following (1998)

Well, this was the first break-through of its kind in the era of late 90’s and early 2000’s. It was the first major film directed by Christopher Nolan and in addition to that, it was a neo-noir crime thriller (like “No Country for Old Man”) in black & white picturization in which a person follows some strangers around the streets of London and ultimately it drawn him into a criminal underworld when he fails to keep the distance.

The important facts regarding to this movie are the film was decided to make in very limited budget. The unavailability of money was such that the scenes of the film were heavily rehearsed so that it requires only one or two takes to complete and this expense was bared by Nolan himself from his own salary. He mostly used available light as they were unable to afford professional lighting equipment. In addition to that, to reduce the manpower expense, Nolan contributed himself in writing, photographing, editing and production.

After that, when the film was released it was greatly praised by critics, reviewers and audiences.

2) Memento (2000)

Success of the film “Following” had driven Nolan to the great Hollywood where he directed his first Hollywood movie with big production company of Summit Entertainment.

This was also neo-noir thriller but in psychological genre. This film featured “perception” object of the Nolan’s strong-holds. In the movie, the black & white event series is shown in forward direction whereas the color event series is shown in reverse chronology and both the series met at the end of the film. Therefore, this results at a point where same scene is shown from three to four perceptions and the way it bends your mind is phenomenal.

Thus, this movie marked the first step forwarding into the Hollywood for Nolan.

3) Insomnia (2002)

It is the moment of success for Nolan that after making only two films, one of the biggest studios of Hollywood, the Warner Bros. collaborated with Nolan for the very first time and he directed his third film ‘Insomnia’.

Also, it was his first film in which great actors like Al Pacino and Robin Williams played lead roles and delivered their wonderful performances and made the film memorable. It follows the story of two homicide detectives who were investing a murder. Note that, this was also neo-noir thriller in mystery genre. This is the only film of Nolan in which he was not credited in story writing for the film.

It was the first commercial success of for the Nolan and critically it was well received also.

4) The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012)

There was a time when superhero movies were heavily backlashed by critics, audiences and reviewers because they were lacking heavily in the areas of story, character portrayal, flamboyant costumes, proper cast and above all a pinpoint direction of the film.

It was the period where previous Batman movies were furiously rejected by public and reviewers because they have not portrayed the characters as they originally were and then Nolan helmed this very difficult task to direct superhero movie of Batman and his other characters. He nailed this job so much efficiently that this trilogy is now considered as the best superhero movies of all time.

It contained magnificent music work of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard with magnificent performances of all the actors like Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Fox, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Michale Caine, Cillain Murphy and many others. The movie ‘The Dark Knight’ so effortlessly pictured as it marks all-time, evergreen performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker and embarked him as the greatest super-villain performance of all time.

This trilogy has proved that superhero movies can be made in depth, they too have proper story, character portrayal, engaging music and sound. It was the first time that Nolan’s film has crossed the mark of 1 billion USD which shows that how well it was received by the public and this trilogy also grabbed many awards too including Academy Award for Heath Ledger (as the Joker) for his magnificent performance.

5) The Prestige (2006)

In the continuing flow of his work, he then directed his first science-fiction film in psychological thriller genre which followed the story of two rival magicians in the 19th century, who were obsessed with creating best stage illusion and engaging in competitive one-up man ship which ended in tragic results.

This film is perfect mixture of complexity and perception as how magicians and their tricks plays with our minds and how to unfold them, are some highlighting features of this film.

6) Inception (2010)

What happen when you come to know that a film can be made only on one part of your body and it can be linked with science with grand scale which leaves you in series of questions? If you want to know then watch ‘Inception’.

A great film about mind, dreams and its strength to whatever decisions we are taking in the life and how it affects them. The story follows about how an idea can be inserted into someone’s mind through complex events and paradox loops of the mind and how the idea can be implemented to anyone which defines his rest of the life.

This was the first film of Nolan who single-handedly won four Academy Awards and marked one of the finest creations of Nolan.

P.S.: If you watch this movie, you will have a series of questions in your mind which no one can answer.

7) Interstellar (2014)

As there was a journey inside our mind in the film ‘Inception’, similarly ‘Interstellar’ movie has shown a beautiful ride in the inter-galactic space, higher dimensions and above all a great bonding between father and daughter which was strong enough to survive thorough the toughest time.

It follows the story of a group of astronauts who travel through wormhole in search of a new home for humanity. After showing all the space concepts, mind-blowing visuals of black hole, higher dimensions which were not discovered till today and amazing cinematography at the ground level it was centered on the relation of a father with her daughter as he was in the quest for returning to his home and reuniting with his children in the entire film.

There is one dialogue in the movie itself which summarizes the film:

“Love can transcend space and time.”

Understand this sentence; you will understand the true message of the film automatically.

This was the second film of Nolan, in which he did not contribute in the writing of the film and it was entirely done by his equal genius brother Jonathan Nolan with the help of physicist Dr. Kip Thorne.

8) Dunkirk (2017)

After directing many films in the genre of science-fiction and neo-noir with mixture of psychological, murder mystery and non-linear cinema, Nolan finally got his hands on the actual history incident and marked his first film based on any true story or incident.

Dunkirk follows the story of the evacuation of the Allied forces from the beach of the Dunkirk town and how they faced difficult situations created by German Forces. Nolan successfully portrayed the entire scenario so flawlessly that even world war veterans got mesmerized after watching this film.

One of the few points, which I observed that in any cinema direction, cinematography, sound mixing and recording, music, editing, screenplay are the essential and crucial elements besides performances of the actors. This film marked all the elements of film-making and every element was clearly identified amazingly. Also, this movie follows the same story-line convergence pattern of the typical Nolan style which was an additional feature to this movie.

This movie grabbed three Academy Awards and many other awards with embarking itself as one of the most accurate world war movie with highest grossing world war movie achievement.

In the end, the world is mesmerized by his films and he created his own fan following by his unique film-making style.

(P.S.: We are eagerly waiting for “Tenet”.)

Interesting facts about Christopher Nolan:

1) He directed only 10 films (as of 2019) in his career.

2) He contributed in story-writing of the all films he directed except Insomnia and Interstellar.

3) He collaborated with musician Hans Zimmer in 6 of his films.

4) He also collaborated with Sir Michael Caine in every movie since Batman Begins.

(P.S.: He had given only voice-role for the first time in the Dunkirk.)

5) Though directing such wonderful films, Nolan has never received the Academy Award for Best Director category.

6) All the 10 films directed by him till now is featured into Top 250 movies of all-time by IMDb.

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comicbookclub · 5 months ago

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The Stack: Ultimate Universe One Year In, Batman Dark Patterns, And More

On the Stack podcast for the week of December 11, 2024, we've got new comic book reviews for Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1, Batman: Dark Patterns #1, and so many more!

On the Stack podcast for the week of December 11, 2024, we’ve got new comic book reviews for Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1, Batman: Dark Patterns #1, and so many more! SUBSCRIBE ON RSS, APPLE, ANDROID, SPOTIFY, OR THE APP OF YOUR CHOICE. FOLLOW US ON BLUESKY, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, AND FACEBOOK. SUPPORT OUR SHOWS ON PATREON. Powered by RedCircle Full List of Comic Reviews for December 11,…

#BOOM! Studios #Dark Horse Comics #DC Comics #IDW #Image Comics #Marvel

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graphicpolicy · 5 months ago

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Mini Reviews: Ultimate Universe: One Year In, Toxic Avenger #3, Batman: Dark Patterns #1, Dazzler #4

Mini Reviews: Ultimate Universe: One Year In, Toxic Avenger #3, Batman: Dark Patterns #1, Dazzler #4. Four reviews! #comics #comicbooks

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for. These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations. Logan Ultimate Universe: One Year In (Marvel) – The Ultimate Universe One Year In comic from…

#ahoy comics #comic books #Comics #dc comics #featured #marvel

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comicbookclublive · 5 months ago

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Batman: Dark Patterns #1 Review: An Impressive And Disturbing Debut

Batman: Dark Patterns #1 delivers a disturbing and intriguing mystery from Hayden Sherman and Dan Watters that will appeal to acolytes of David Fincher in particular.

#Batman #Dan Watters #DC Comics #Hayden Sherman

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katie-dub · 8 years ago

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The Masks We Wear (9/?)

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

AO3

Thanks to my superstar beta Shelby with her shiny new URL @apromisednightcap (previously @coffeewithcaptainswan) - the Robin to my Batman and creator of this awesome character aesthetic for this fic!

And while we’re talking lovely artwork by lovely shipmates, have a look at the amazing image set and the super cute drawing Monica @acaptainswaneternity made!

Anyway, without further ado...

Previously on The Masks We Wear…

Emma Swan AKA The Saviour and Killian Jones AKA Hook AKA The Survivor are in love. They just don’t know it yet. Emma has discovered The Survivor’s true identity, but she knows that means bad news for the love of her life. He is currently being tortured by The Dark One and she needs to save him.

“He was in terrible danger.”

“I will always find you, Killian.”

Emma stared hard at the mask as the reality of the situation sank in. Of course Killian was The Survivor.

What at first seemed like insanity now felt so obvious. The way she was drawn to Hook, felt so connected to him from the moment they met. She hadn't felt that way about anyone else but Killian. And Killian with all of his clumsy sweetness could always make her melt with his seductive insinuations.

God, they both have one hand! Talk about a flashing neon signpost, it was hardly a common trait.

She tried not to beat herself up for missing the glaringly obvious. Because, really, what were the chances that two undercover superheroes would happen to meet at work? And to have a third superpowered person as their boss? It was contrived and ridiculous and if this were a TV show, she would tune out.

Or would she?

She always used to love The New Adventures of Superman as a kid, despite all her yelling at Lois Lane.

And now she got it. She never expected Killian to be more than what he seemed. So she didn't examine their similarities, instead seeing the difference in speech, accent and how they carried themselves.

Logically, she knew that The Survivor probably had some sort of day job - even superheroes have to pay the bills - but the honest truth was that she never thought about it. He was in the part of her life firmly marked “superhero”. She liked the clear separation. Everything was neatly segmented to keep nice, clear boundaries. The way Hook had wormed his way into her heart had thrown her organised existence into chaos. She didn't ever want to make it worse by trying to find his alter-ego.

Now she could see that the separation was a fiction she'd invented to keep herself safe. The truth was closer to a venn diagram and her brain had rejected it. No matter how much it made everything in her life so much more logical. Of course she'd fallen so hard for The Survivor, she was already in love with him. Now all she had to do was tell him and they could live happily ever after.

Fuck.

She knew it was the logical next step, but she was scared. What was it The Survivor said to her? “People only see what they want to see.” She’d never felt the truth of those words before. But now? Now she was faced with telling her love the truth and getting everything she wanted and the idea was crippling.

She had honestly thought that she just wanted to protect Killian and that’s why they weren’t together. She hadn’t stopped to consider how her own self preservation instinct might be at work.

The irony of the lie-detecting superhero who cannot recognise her own bullshit was not lost on her.

At least I know that I can stop worrying about him becoming the damsel in distress in this scenario. She shook her head, laughing at the ridiculous worry that had previously consumed her. You can’t kill an invulnerable superhero. The sound of his screams that had woken her from her dream echoed back to her. You can hurt them though.

Fuck.

Killian was hurting and she was too busy fretting and angsting to do anything about it. She grabbed her Nevengers phone and dialled.

“Belle? I’m sorry to wake you, but I need your help right now.!

“What’s wrong?” She loved that she could always rely on Belle to help.

“Call Henry. I need you two at HQ. Now. Tell no one else.”

“Of course, but what is going on?”

“The Survivor’s in danger.”

“We’ll see you there. Don’t worry, Saviour, the clue’s in the name, he’ll get through this and you’ll rescue him. It’s what you guys do.”

Emma wasn’t entirely sure that she believed her, but after the delay her freak out had caused already, Emma knew there was no more time to waste.

“Are you going to tell us what’s going on, Saviour?” Belle asked, eyes wide with concern. Emma knew that she must look a state, vibrating with magic as she was, and stalking up and down the room.

“My friend who just took off on vacation?” Belle nodded, clearly not quite following Emma’s train of thought. “The more I thought about it, the more wrong it felt for him to just leave. He’s never let me down before and I … I went looking for him and now I know he's him and as soon as I realised I knew that Gold must have him - ”

“What?” Belle interrupted, looking confused.

“My friend is The Survivor. I didn’t know. I -”

“Killian?” Belle spoke sharply, clearly terrified by the implication. Emma felt a rush of jealousy at the idea that The Survivor - that Killian - had shared his secrets with her. “Gold has Killian? Saviour, we have to get him out. You don’t understand what Gold will do to him.”

“I know!” Emma wailed, stopping her trek up and down the room. She took deep breaths to try to calm her heart rate.

“No. You don’t.” Belle’s voice was flat and emotionless but her eyes betrayed her distress. “He will torture him and he will kill him.”

“He’s not dead.” Emma whispered to herself. She didn’t know how she knew it, but she just felt it. It was like he owned a piece of her soul and she would feel it if he were truly taken from her.

“Not yet.” Belle agreed, a grim attempt at a reassuring smile stretched across her face. “But we have to move fast. Henry, let’s get to work.”

Emma paced and tried to calm herself while Belle and Henry lept into action.

She wanted to think of a happy place, but they all revolved around and featured Killian. On his boat, smelling the salt in the air and feeling the breeze on her skin while the waves gently lapped around them. Snuggling on Killian’s couch with hot chocolate and cinnamon. Laughing with Killian as they watched the water from their special spot on the beach while the sun warmed their skin and rum warmed their bellies.

She wasn’t sure she could ever be happy again if he died. She closed her eyes, trying to shake that thought. But visions of what might be happening to him right now burst into her mind. She couldn't bear to think about how Gold might be hurting him.

It was ridiculous to suggest that knowing that it was Killian Jones who had been captured made the situation so much worse. And yet, it did.

Killian was just so much softer than Hook, more vulnerable and in touch with his emotions. It shook her to learn that Hook’s devil-may-care attitude, endless supply of innuendos and razor sharp wit, were as much a part of his disguise as the mask that hid his face. Knowing that the traits that made him a fighter, that made him The Survivor, were hiding such a tender underbelly terrified her. She needed to rescue him. Now.

“Saviour? Earth to Saviour!” Henry’s voice snapped Emma out of her panic. He and Belle were both looking at her intently. “You still with us?” His eyes sparkled with mischief as he watched her with a raised eyebrow. “Right. I’ve got us into their security systems and we’ve located Hook. I can deactivate the alarms in the room and feed them a loop of security footage so they don’t spot you. But you haven’t got long.”

“Right.” Belle confirmed with a nod. “I’ve been reviewing the security footage. He’s never left alone for more than 15 minutes at a time. It seems to be part of Gold’s … experiments.” She broke off, looking to Emma nervously, clearly dreading her reaction.

Emma was too focussed on the mission to let anything get to her. Crying wasn’t going to save her man, so she nodded at Belle to continue.

“We’ve got Regina’s cuff for you to wear, but it’s the only one we have. You’ll have to go in alone.”

“Good. The less people involved the faster I can work.” She looked up at Belle, challenging The Librarian to contradict her. No one else cared about rescuing Killian like she did. She couldn’t worry about anyone else in this situation.

Belle eyed her warily but wisely chose to ignore this statement. “OK, well, there’s no pattern to when Killian is alone so we’ll just have to watch and wait. Put on the cuff and a earpiece now so that the second the coast is clear we can get you in.”

Emma did as instructed, then settled in to watch the security screens. She fiddled with the standard-issue Nevengers earpiece in her ear nervously, she found them kind of uncomfortable, but better that than losing contact with the team while out on a mission. She allowed her eyes to blur so she didn’t have to watch the minion wreaking havoc on Killian. She hated herself for not being able to even watch his torment when he was there, living it.

Just hold on, I’m coming for you. She thought desperately, closing her eyes and imagining herself in the room with him. She hoped that he would somehow just feel her love, that he would know she would save him.

“Get ready, Saviour!” Belle brought her back to the room. “Henry’s just disabling everything, on his signal, 3… 2… 1…”

Emma poofed straight into a sterile white room, counters covered in a variety of implements of torture lined the room. But she didn't notice them, transfixed as she was by the sight of Killian strapped to a table in the middle of the room.

He looked like a corpse, lifeless and skin tinged with grey. Her worst fears had come to life. She felt like she had died at the sight.

“Wouldn't The Survivor be the perfect guy for you, then? Maybe you hadn't noticed, but he's a little hard to kill. It's kind of his thing.”

She couldn’t help but remember Henry’s words as he had encouraged her to pursue The Survivor. They felt like a bitter taunt. She was on the verge of collapse when Killian mumbled something incoherently.

“Killian!” she cried out in delight and relief and ran to his side. She couldn't help but reach out and stroke his cheek, needing to touch him, to feel that he was real. He slowly opened his eyes, staring dully up at her and subconsciously nuzzled against her palm. She smiled, overjoyed to see that he was holding on to life, and tried to hide her terror from him. It was all going to be ok now, they were together and she could save him.

She waved her hand to release his restraints. Nothing happened. She tried again and was hit by a terrible realisation: her magic didn’t work on them.

What was she meant to do now? How was she going to save the man she loved? How could she ever stand against Gold if some basic cuffs had her beaten?

She knew that her anxieties were quickly spiralling out of control, but she couldn’t see a way out of this situation. Leaving without Killian simply wasn’t an option, but how could she take him with her?

“Panel -” the stuttered word from Killian stunned her and for a moment she couldn’t understand what he meant. His eyes were fixed behind her - she looked over her shoulder and saw what he meant at once: a keypad that surely held the secret to releasing him “- there’s a code.”

While his words couldn’t completely calm her fears, knowing that he was still fighting Gold, still working with her, filled her with pride. If he could rise to the challenge then so could she.

She pressed her finger to her earpiece to activate it. “Belle,” she said, trying to sound calm. “I need a code to release Killian. Get Henry to figure it out.”

“Teacup.” Belle’s response was automatic. “832287”

A part of Emma wondered at the certainty of Belle’s instantaneous response, but she didn’t have time to question it. She smashed in the code and breathed a deep sigh of release when the bonds sprang open.

“Thanks, Belle,” she breathed, already rushing back to Killian’s side.

She pulled him into her arms and attempted to magic them back to HQ. Nothing happened. Her grip tightened on Killian, part of her appreciating the reassuring warmth of his chest while the rest of her was busy freaking out.

“Guys … My magic’s not working,” she hissed into her earpiece, while running her hand up and down Killian's back to soothe him.

“Shit, fuck, shit shit shit.” Emma almost laughed at Henry's reply, but her chest felt on the brink of exploding with the strength of her heartbeat.

“Henry!” Belle scolded. “He's already on it, Saviour, inputting that code seems to have triggered a failsafe in the security system to block powers… and the frequency is not overridden by your cuff.”

“But he can fix it, right?”

Killian whimpered and Emma realised that she was digging her fingers into his skin. She had to force herself to loosen her grip, reminding herself that she was hurting him.

“Of course I fucking can, Saviour, I'm The Author. I got this.” Henry's cocky reply actually managed to make her laugh this time. He'd been spending too much time with The Survivor.

“Saviour… Sorry to worry you but…” Belle’s voice broke in hesitantly.

“What?” If Emma thought she was panicking before it was nothing to how she felt now.

“... You're about to have company.”

“Fuck.” Emma jumped away from Killian and looked around the room for weapons. She prayed that whoever was coming didn't have a gun.

“I'll have you out of there in a minute, Saviour. Just hold em off til then.”

She grabbed a long knife from the counter, ignoring the blood stains along the blade. She moved to place herself between Killian and the door.

Repressing a shudder, she tried not to think about how that knife must have been used on him. She tried not to panic that he hadn't yet moved to defend himself.

He doesn't have any wounds, she told herself. He can still heal. He's just tired.

Her muscles were locked and tense. She was trained for this, but still… No one wanted to face an enemy without their superpowers.

She heard the sound of footsteps in the corridor.

“Come on, Henry,” she whispered.

The door opened. “What the -” She stabbed out at the shocked guard on the right. He staggered back in shock as his partner stepped forward to take his place.

“It's done. Get out of there,” came Henry's voice in Emma’s ear.

She whirled around to grab Killian's hand. She heard a click behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. The guard had a gun. It was pointing right at them.

She heard the bang as the room dissolved into fog.

Killian's legs buckled as they arrived in the sick bay at headquarters. She guided him backwards to the bed, landing awkwardly on top of him as they tumbled down.

She felt a warmth seeping into her shirt. Oh god, the gunshot. She raised herself up on her elbows to look at him, feeling the panic rising as she looked for a bullet wound.

His shoulder - his powers were working, but painfully slowly. He wasn’t healthy and healing himself was taking too much effort. His eyes were closed and he looked so sickly and pale. She poured every part of her soul into ensuring his well-being.

You’re safe, she thought, willing him back to life. You’re loved, as her magic flowed from her and into him. I need you.

His eyes fluttered open. He couldn’t seem to see her and her heart nearly broke, but recognition swept over him and he beamed up at her. Despite all the exhaustion he must have felt, the only thing that she could see in his eyes was pure happiness. Could she really be the cause of that?

She felt her frown melt away and couldn’t help but reflect his smile. It was time to reveal everything.

“I have to tell you something.” She grabbed his hands and pulled him upright, sitting back on her heels. He held on tightly to her hands, clinging to her for dear life and attempting to look encouraging. Her heart swelled with happiness, and she could feel a lightness spreading through her whole body at the thought of telling her secret and setting down her burden.

“I -” am Emma Swan. The words were right there. It should be so easy to say them, but her throat closed up. An inexplicable terror had gripped her heart and a thousand “what ifs” swarmed up in her brain. It all felt too much like an admission of love and she knew she wasn’t ready to be that vulnerable. He had rejected her. Killian had. The Survivor had. She didn’t know why.

What if he didn’t care for her in that way? What if he didn’t want this life? What if she wasn’t enough? What if it was all too much?

She was drowning in anxiety and she didn’t know how to control it. He winced as a spark flew from her fingertips and concern crumpled his brow.

What if..? What if..? What if..?

She glanced at her fingers in horror. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t hurt him. So she managed it the only way she knew how - she avoided the issue. She swallowed to ease her dry throat and forced a smile.

“I’m so glad that Gold didn’t kill you.”

***

“Killian!”

He started from a dream. No, wait, he must have been awake and dropped into a slumber, for The Saviour was here and she knew his name.

But - hadn’t they just been together - or was that Emma? He strained to recall where he had just been, what had just happened, but it was so hard to be sure. The line between reality and hallucinations was blurring. Everything was foggy and uncertain, even The Saviour before him seemed insubstantial, like a ghost of a dream of a memory long since forgotten.

His head ached with the effort. Perhaps Gold had finally won and he had lost his mind, hallucinating visions of loveliness.

Oh, and how lovely she was! If this was madness, he wasn’t sure that he wanted sanity. She was beaming at him even as terror and concern filled her eyes. He wanted to speak, to tell her how happy he was that she was there. But it was ok, he knew that she knew.

As the vision swarmed in and out of his sight he realised that she was going frantic. He lifted his head as far as he could, confused that she wasn’t radiating calm and warmth and love like she normally did. Dimly he realised that she was trying to free him. “Panel -” he murmured weakly, looking towards the keypad that she needed to use to free him “- there’s a code.”

He fell back, exhausted by the effort.

This wasn’t right. He still felt pain, that was true, but it was supposed to be fleeting, not this empty haze. Perhaps he was broken. Would he stay that way forever? Could The Dark One torture him endlessly? Should he just let go?

Warmth surrounded him. It felt good and right. Reassuring. Safe.

Until it wasn't.

He could feel The Saviour tense. She was frantically talking but he couldn't follow what she was saying. He let her words wash over him, lulling him briefly.

Her grip on him tightened more and more. Until he couldn't help the whimper that spilled from his lips. He felt frail. Insubstantial.

She released him and he fell back against the table.

There were noises. The Saviour's hand grasped his own. There was an earsplitting bang.

The fog returned, denser and more terrible than before.

When the fog cleared he was standing and there was nothing but pain. His knees gave out and he stumbled backwards.

He landed on his back with something soft behind him and a comforting presence above. But it was hard to focus on anything good through the agony. He didn’t know what had happened, just that it was wrong. He’d been rescued, why wasn’t everything better now? He could feel his powers struggling to work, to make things right. The pain was receding but slowly, far too slowly. Maybe this was his end. Maybe Gold had finally broken him.

He felt happiness and security and love rushing through his veins, bringing him back to reality.

He blinked his eyes open - it was her, the Saviour. His Saviour. She had really found him. But she looked sad, worried and desperate.

As he smiled up at her, the distress on her face turned into pure happiness. Was that for him?

“I have to tell you something.” She pulled him upright and he held onto her hands tightly. Perhaps too tightly, but she was real and she was here and he never, ever wanted to let her go. His heart swelled at the love he believed he could see shining out from her, and he waited, desperate to hear what she had to say. Perhaps she would reveal her true identity - or her true feelings for him.

He nodded at her to talk, not trusting his own voice yet.

“I -” he could feel it, her love. She was glowing with it and it was all for him. She loved him and he loved her and everything would be perfect -

“I’m so glad that Gold didn’t kill you.”

Killian hadn’t realised that he was holding his breath until he heard her words and felt himself deflate. Of course. Of course she didn’t love him. How could she? She could barely even look at him now. She scrambled away, muttering about finding Belle and having him checked over, leaving him cold and alone.

What a fool to have hoped for so much more. How could she love him after every terrible thing he had done? She was the happy ending that he truly did not deserve.

Still, her unwillingness to at least share her real name left a bitter taste in his mouth. His secrets were all laid bare for her to see, and yet she was still so secretive. True, he hadn’t ever had the courage to unmask himself, but what need was there for pretense now? Surely he had to know her or why else would she care?

The image of Emma soothing him through his torment sprang to mind, but he cast it aside. There was no way he could be that lucky. And really, what were the chances that two superheroes were working alongside each other in blissful ignorance? The Regina-as-Evil-Queen-as-Bitchy-Boss reveal was unbelievable enough.

No, that couldn’t be it. Surely they hated each other in their real lives and The Saviour was reconsidering having ever been close to him at all.

She was probably the blonde bakery owner who made the amazing frosting that Emma adored. He’d always suspected the girl had a bit of a thing for Emma. She always had a flirtatious smile and a wink for his best friend while her behaviour towards him tended to be rather... icy. The blonde who ran the ice cream store was similarly always happy to see his Swan, while seeming rather cool towards him.

But then, he could hardly blame anyone for warming to Emma, she was like a ray of sunshine and so delightfully unaware of how much she affected those around her. It was all part of her adorably insecure charm.

Shut up you bloody wanker!

He was barely done bemoaning the fact that The Saviour wasn’t baring her soul to him when he was lost in lovesick mooning over Emma. He didn’t deserve The Saviour’s secrets, and he certainly didn’t deserve her love.

Belle was poking and prodding at him, checking for signs of lasting damage from Gold. He had tried to protest that he felt fine, and there were more urgent matters at hand. But The Librarian made it clear that she was going to check him, even if she had to tie him down to do it.

If she noticed the way that he shuddered at the thought of that, she made no comment.

So instead he lay back listlessly, allowing her attentions and getting lost in the horrific memories that he couldn’t escape from.

It was the mental torture that was the worst. The pain he could handle, but the psychological tricks were getting to him and he was losing his battle to stay - or at least appear to be - sane.

“Well dearie as you and I have had so much fun with my Dagger, I thought I’d share the good news with you. On Wednesday there is going to be a press conference to unveil my latest philanthropic endeavour to the world.” He spoke these words with a flourish, brandishing the Dagger, gleefully delighted with himself. “This Dagger is going to change everyone’s lives for the better!” Killian blinked but otherwise remained impassive - and Gold’s impish grin dropped into a snarl. “Aren’t you going to congratulate me, dearie? Afterall, you’re my oldest friend, I thought you might be pleased.”

“Congratulations.” Killian’s intoned dispassionately, little caring what the lunatic said. He had lost all sense of time in Gold’s lab. He might have been there for weeks or merely days. “Wednesday” meant nothing to him, but he struggled to retain that information. Perhaps if he were to escape he could use it to help Emma.

“You haven’t asked what my plans are - worried about spoilers?” More like tired of your voice, Killian thought, but said nothing. “Well I’m going to share them anyway - I’m too excited not to! During the press conference the Dagger is going to go online and everyone will be under my control.”

“Why?” Killian couldn’t help himself, he had to know what the point of it all was.

“Why? Well, why not?” Gold asked, wrinkling his nose at Killian in disgust. “Humans cannot be trusted to take care of themselves and thanks to me, they won’t have to. I will make them eat a proper diet and exercise when they need to. They will all get the vaccinations that they need. I’ll solve the problem of climate change in an instant - no need for anyone to adopt greener habits, they will just have them.”

“Are you honestly trying to tell me that you’re doing all of this so that people will turn off the lights and eat their veggies like good little boys and girls? I must say, I’m almost disappointed, Gold.”

“You have no vision, Lieutenant. That’s just the start! Soon we’ll be able to ensure that only suitable candidates procreate -”

Killian could taste the bile in his throat at this banal statement. As if controlling people’s rights to have children was in the same league as going for a daily jog. “Wait. Who’s going to decide on their suitability? You?” he sneered incredulously.

“Why not me? Sometimes it takes a visionary to see what must be done. There would be rigorous genetic testing, considerations of family assets and psych evaluations.”

“You really think that you can say what it takes to be a good parent? Tell me, how long is it since you’ve seen Baelfire? Do you know where he is these days?”

He knew full well that Baelfire’s disappearance had destroyed Gold.

Gold conjured up a knife and drove it deep into Killian’s heart. He shrieked in pain as his tormenter bent low over him, his face a mask of fury. “You are not worthy to speak his name. Baelfire will return to me.”

Blood gushed from Killian as the knife was withdrawn. He gasped, surely he was going to die - not even he could survive thi- the bleeding stopped. He had healed. Killian still felt dizzy and sick from the sudden and extreme blood loss. His face was clammy. He took deep breaths to calm himself.

“Is that really what this is all about? Manipulating your son into loving you again? That is, assuming he ever did love you.”

Killian braced himself for a blow that never came. Instead Gold bent down to his ear and murmured in it, almost sweetly, although his words were laced with venom. “I expect you’d know all about that. How old were you when your father sold you? Don’t you think the world would be a better place if men like your father simply didn’t want to breed?”

Killian shut down his emotions and focussed on sarcasm. “Why, then I wouldn’t be here to taunt you, would I, Gold? Whyever would I want that?”

“Do you really think that the world needs more people like you? You're nothing but a one handed traitor with a drinking problem - hardly a great role model.”

“I’m sure that Milah would have said it does.” Killian taunted with a smirk, ignoring the whispers within him that agreed with Gold. They told him how worthless he was, how the world would be better off without him, reminding him of all the people he’d hurt, all the lives he’d ruined…

“Such a shame that my dearly departed wife cannot speak for you then, isn’t it, dearie?”

“So I’m guessing that as I don’t fit your new world order, I’ll be the first to go when it arrives? Why not save me the wait and get right to it now?”

Gold gasped in mock horror, clutching a hand to his chest. “And make you miss all the fun? Oh no, no, no. I want you to watch as my vision comes to life. I want you to see how happy I make the world so you know how wrong you are. I want to hear you weep to know that you are powerless to stop me.”

“I won’t give you the satisfaction.”

“I’m sure if I continue to do this you will.” Gold jabbed his knife into Killian’s arm, causing him to cry out in pain.

“Not sure that counts, Gold,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. “And you may think the people are happy, but that’s because you are delusional.”

“Oh Killian, when will you understand? People are sheep. They just need a shepherd to guide them to the light.”

Gold beamed at him beatifically, as he stabbed him over and over again, preventing him from dismissing his messianic rhetoric as bullshit.

“Killian, are you alright?” He looked up at the sound of Belle’s voice. “You look upset, do you want me to get The Saviour? She’s worried sick about you.”

Killian had to force down a smile at this sign that The Saviour did actually care about him. He had to focus. “No. Belle, you need to assemble the Nevengers. We’re running out of time to save the world.”

Chapter 10

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aion-rsa · 6 years ago

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The Many Origin Stories of The Joker

https://ift.tt/2OhrRwu

The Joker has had many different versions of his origin told over the years, including in the new movie.

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This article contains some spoilers for the Joker movie. We have a completely spoiler free review right here.

The Joker is probably the most recognizable supervillain in the world. Loosely ased on famed German actor Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs, the Clown Prince of Crime’s unique look and penchant for elaborate, themed murder has left a giant mark in the public consciousness. His real world origins are in dispute - Bob Kane claims the Joker was his creation, but Kane was so full of it that Jim Steranko, the legendary artist behind the groundbreaking Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD, once went upside Kane’s head because Kane patted his face like some nobody kid. The general scholarly consensus is the Joker was created by Jerry Robinson and Bill Finger rather than Kane.

And while the Joker’s real world origins are disputed and nebulous, his in-continuity origins are generally pretty thematically consistent. The real variation comes from a creator’s fundamental view of the Joker: is he a character within the Batman universe? Or is he a primal force standing in opposition to what Batman represents? Or are you...whatever the hell Gotham was? Let’s take a look.

THE RED HOOD: VARIATIONS ON A THEME

Most Joker origin stories hit several of the same notes. A man is involved in a crime in a chemical plant, falls into one of the tanks, and comes out a crazed psychopath with chemically bleached skin and a shock of green hair, often with a permanent smile of some kind.

In most of those, the man involved is a flamboyant criminal known as the Red Hood. While the Joker’s first appearance was in 1940’s Batman #1, his actual origin wasn’t fleshed out for more than a decade. In 1951’s Detective Comics #168, it was revealed that a dapper master criminal in a domed red helmet was planning a heist at Ace Chemicals. He was caught in the act by Batman and Robin and dove into a catch basin full of chemicals to escape them. Those chemicals deformed him, turning him into an evil-looking clown, so he leaned into the gimmick and became the Joker.

This origin is the foundation for a lot of variations. In Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s The Killing Joke, the unnamed man who becomes the Joker was originally a lab assistant at Ace Chemicals who took up the most dangerous job known to man, stand up comedy, to make extra money to support his pregnant wife. When that didn’t work, he then signed up with some mobsters to rob his former workplace as the Red Hood. After his wife died and he was forced to stick with the robbery anyway, he jumps into a chemical vat to escape Batman, with the usual results.

read more: Every Batman and DC Easter Egg in the Joker Movie

And in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s “Zero Year” from 2013, the story is basically the same, only with the Red Hood being a gang of criminals instead of just one. It’s the mysterious Red Hood One, the leader but possibly one of any number of rotating primaries, trying to escape Batman by jumping into a vat of chemicals as a planned heist of Ace goes wrong.

There are small differences to each of these origins, but they’re all fundamentally the same - one bad day turns a regular person into a super-psychopath. It’s worth noting that two of the four modern movie interpretations of the Joker also go roughly down the “chemical bath” route. While we never learn the exact details, it’s a safe bet something along these lines happened to Jared Leto’s nameless Joker of the DCEU before Suicide Squad. But other big screen Jokers took a slight detour...

JACK NAPIER

Tim Burton's Batman from 1989 followed a similar premise, only without the Red Hood aspect. Jack Napier was set up by Carl Grissom, his immediate supervisor in the mob, to die in a robbery at Axis Chemicals. Napier caught on to the setup and killed Grissom, but falls over the side of a catwalk and is accidentally dropped into a vat of chemicals by Batman, who was trying to save him. There, we get the added bonus of a bullet ricochet scarring and paralyzing the facial muscles of the vain and handsome Napier, hence the permanent grin.

read more: What the Joker Controversy Gets Wrong

This is also pretty much what his origin was in Batman: The Animated Series. Jack Napier is referred to by name several times throughout the series, and a gangster who Bruce is convinced eventually becomes the Joker is responsible for the death of Andrea Beaumont’s father in Mask of the Phantasm. However, this takes some piecing together, because to the best of my knowledge, it’s only ever referred to and not directly shown.

WANNA KNOW HOW I GOT THESE SCARS?

Not every origin story for the Joker follows that pattern. Or any pattern at all, really.

Heath Ledger’s Joker is probably the one that is most solidly planted in the current popular consciousness. Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight very pointedly did not give a clear origin for the character, opting instead to present him as a force of chaos, a kind of psychotic antibody to the Batman’s rigid order. He gives two vastly different (and terrifying) origin stories at different points in the movie, one where his father carves up his face because he’s a violent drunk, and one where he does it to himself to make his wife happy after she gets her own face disfigured by bookies. We’re never told if either is true, but that’s the exact point the movie is trying to get across - it doesn’t matter where he comes from, just what he’s doing. The Joker in The Dark Knight is less a character, and more an elemental reaction to the existence of Batman.