#Benjamin Percy

[galaxymagitech]

"[Dick Grayson is] just this incredibly positive, pure force of good, and I wanted to show that to the world as well." — Tom Taylor

"Nightwing is…incredibly vital to the whole DCU and adaptable. He knows everyone. He’s served as a follower, and he’s served as a leader. He has connections to the Teen Titans and the Titans and the Justice League and the Bat-group… So, he’s facing the dark web, but he’s at the center of his own web." — Benjamin Percy

"In many ways, even more than Superman or Batman, Nightwing is the soul, the linchpin, of the DCU. He's well-respected by everyone, known to the JLA, the Titans, the Outsiders, Birds of Prey—everyone looks to him for advice, for friendship, for his skills. He's the natural leader of the DCU." — Phil Jimenez

"No matter how much he’s tempted to the dark, to vengeance, he always soars above." — Steve Orlando

"As Bruce's closest ally besides Alfred but somebody who Bruce probably pushes away more than any other person…Dick Grayson…is [Bruce’s] greatest tether to humanity. Dick's the person that would pull him back from the edge…Dick is an integral part of the Bat mythology and an endlessly interesting character." — Scott Snyder

"To me he's kind of the heart of DC Comics...he can be the heart and soul and carry the entire DC Universe." — Tom King

Dick Grayson: The Heart & The Soul

(according to his writers, his artists, and Bruce Wayne)

Panels: Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Scorched Earth | Batman: Wayne Family Adventures (S3) Ep. 137 Compromise | Infinite Crisis #4 | Infinite Crisis #3 | Batman (2011) #11 | Titans (2016) #19 | Batman: Wayne Family Adventures (S3) Ep. 155 Trust

[evilhorse]

I’m better off in their company, even if they aren’t in mine.

(Wolverine #48)

[bozemane]

Ghost Rider (2022) Issue #13

Cover by Bjorn Barends

[one-bat-day]

Idk what came after the last panel but this so sad :( I think there was one time in the 90s/2000s that Bruce attended Tim’s bday and that’s the only time I can think of 😭 he is so bad at being a dad dc write him better

GOD “My father has many priorities. Unless I get in his way, I’ve never been one of them” I will cry

[doctorofmagic]

See, this is like... the third time Percy writes Stephen and once more I have an issue with his writing/characterization.

Stephen is supposed to be a doctor, an empathetic one. And I could throw endless panels proving my point. He's not just some scholar. Yes, he loves books and often finds anwers in them. But he isn't one to ignore a patient right in front of him. I just talked about this yesterday.

He's portrayed here as depressed because he lost his mantle, but even so, this is no excuse for him to be THIS miserable, let alone this distant and patronizing. Worst of all, treating Akihiro this badly.

I need Percy far from Stephen ASAP forever. More than that, I need Akihiro safe from him as well because someone who still calls him "D*ken", even though it's considered a japanese slur, shouldn't be writing his very book.

Awful. Awful, Marvel. Shameful even.

Hellverine #1 (2024)

[avengerscompound]

Venomverse Reborn (2024) #1

[rei-ismyname]

For your choose violence ask game, 1 and 12, please!

Hey there, this is fun!

1. Character that everyone gets wrong. Funnily every ask has included this, but I'm not going to repeat myself. Instead I'll find a different way to vagueblog about certain of my fellow X-Men fans.

Hank McCoy, aka the Beast, specifically his tenure as Director of X-Force. One group of people simply choose to ignore the run entirely (which is valid - if you don't enjoy then ignoring it can be healthy,) and many reduce him to war crimes memes, which is also valid. I'm definitely not defending his actions at all, but I don't often see the complicity and accountability of the Quiet Council and his subordinates mentioned. Ben Percy's choice to reboot him from factory settings was one I found unsatisfying as it short circuited any kind of trial or reckoning - and everyone else's guilt has been forgotten.

There was a teeny bit of subterfuge

Firstly, every single member of the Quiet Council was there for X-Force's formation and received reports. His first act was torturing a prisoner. There's no arguing that Krakoa needed some kind of security apparatus, but they failed to provide any guidelines, zero checks and balances. They told Hank to protect Krakoa by any means necessary and handed him a morally blank check. He chose to do the things he did but he was enabled by those who knew even after he left Krakoa. They chose to keep him out in the world as a deniable asset. Again, not to diminish his culpability but the monster that was Hank McCoy had many parents. The simple fact that he wasn't very effective at protecting Krakoa should have been cause for review, even if the ethical calculus is non existent.

His team didn't have all the information but they had enough to know better and were involved in the team in the first place. 'Just following orders' should be odious to modern readers, and even Jean chose to quit while leaving the system in place rather than do anything about it. They eventually moved to a better model, but after genocides were met with light scoldings I wasn't surprised at the degree of sunk cost fallacy Beast fell into. I wish we got a serious meditation on how you can't be the director of the CIA without damaging your soul irreparably, but I think we got enough to illustrate my point. I often wondered how he felt about everything - during the first Hellfire Gala he asked Xavier if he'd disappointed him and heard 'not yet' back - I got the impression he was outsourcing his morality and it's unsurprising that he was able to reconcile it with his actions.

Solicits for X-Men #8 show the President of Terra Verde at Graymalkin to see Beast punished for his crimes. It's a shame he can't remember any of it because it was done by someone else. There's no Quiet Council or Krakoa to punish anymore, and I'm disappointed that accountability never came for any of the guilty people.

12. The unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them.

EXODUS, baby. Two of the big themes of Krakoa were compromise and community, and Exodus' previous publication history showed he was not well suited to either (except for that bizarre time he worked for SHIELD but I ignore that.) Up to that point he'd been an obscenely powerful religious fundamentalist and mutant supremacist but hadn't had enough page time to explore that in any depth.

Seriously, his style is out of this world.

When he arrived on Krakoa and was given a seat on the Quiet Council he was absolutely both of those things, though he proved himself committed to good governance without any agenda. By being part of an ostensibly egalitarian community for the first time he became a true believer and slowly ditched his old methods of blunt force for community-building and fiercely protecting it from outside threats. He compromised while looking fabulous.

Exodus had frequent campfire educational sessions with kids, he rewrote scripture as his theology evolved (Jesus as the Nazarene Mutant is everything to me,) he put his faith in Hope and Krakoa as a polity but moreso as a people. He tried to convince Doug to die temporarily so he could take his place in X of Swords, risking permanent death. His labelling of Wanda as The Pretender was pretty uncomfortable, but after The Trial of Magneto he invited her in to tell her own story.

Then Immortal X-Men began and the 3 event comics put him through the wringer. First was Judgement Day where he fought and killed towering death machines while simultaneously leading the psychic countersiege on the Uni-Mind. He was tested by the Progenitor with a public simulation of his old boyfriend in hell. He stuck to his code and passed, but he also bumrushed a demon to free Garrington from his grasp. Exodus objected to humans being resurrected, but he still accepted Nightcrawler's argument. When Syne the Memetaur was resurrected for the last time, he rushed to fight her but lowered his fists when she started to talk about poetry. He ended up collaborating with this cthulhu that had torched Krakoa and killed countless mutants to fight a celestial and save the world for everyone. Compromise.

After Sins of Sinister, he accepted his capacity for evil and submitted to very unpleasant measures to ensure Sinister's influence was purged. When the fight kicked off he stuck to the agreement and didn't join the fight, even at Hope's request. His breakdown after he tried to kill the very obvious bad actor Selene highlighted the flaws of Krakoa's government, and played a crucial part in transition to democracy.

Fall of X prevented that being implemented, and after thrashing a ton of sentinels he pivoted to the safety of everyone else, especially The Five. When the Krakoan diaspora ended up in the desert of the White Hot Room, he wore a midriff and stepped up for 250K scared and leaderless mutants - choosing to inspire and protect instead of his old methods - he'd come full circle. His actions after that are a whole other post, but I hope I've made my point. I don't trust religious fundamentalists, generally speaking. My kneejerk reaction to Exodus was 'fuck, he's going to ruin everything' but he avoided the hypocrisy and selfishness, the refusal to allow change that underpins my experience with IRL fundamentalism. He compromised and grew, and definitely walked the walk.

Is he unhinged? Yes, fortunately. Does he have some bizarre beliefs? Absolutely, but they weren't based on nothing and he ended up being right. When Hope was prepping to sacrifice herself to rebirth The Phoenix he begged to die in her place. He was the only adult to level with Kafka and be honest with him about the reality of the White Hot Room. More than most he committed to the promise of Krakoa and put everything into making that a reality. He's also not fooling anyone with his vow of celibacy not being related to his true love dying 900 years ago.

[nickfuryagentofsword]

Red Hulk 1 (2025) by Benjamin Percy & Geoff Shaw

Cover: Adam Kubert (variant)

One World Under Doom

[bringbackwendellvaughn]

[smashpages]

It’s open season on super heroes in ‘Predator Kills the Marvel Universe’

Benjamin Percy and Marcelo Ferreira continue the hunt across the 616 in August.

cover by Leinil Francis Yu

[evilhorse]

That’s why we got to look after each other.

(X-Force #47)

[studyofx]

If there's something we've been enjoying immensely in our reading of Wolverine it's been the panelling and action shots. Creative, gorgeous, and easy to follow along with!

From Wolverine #9-10 by @Benjamin_Percy and drawn by @AdamKubert

[geekcavepodcast]

Black Panther Faces Off Against The Predator

Marvel Comics has announced a new 4-issue limited series that will see the King of Wakanda face off against the Yautja. Predator Vs. Black Panther hails from writer Benjamin Percy and artists Chris Allen, Sean Damien Hill, Craig Yeung, and Lee Ferguson.

"When a young Predator with something to prove comes for Wakanda’s Vibranium, the Black Panther faces an enemy whose resources rival those of his great nation. Who will prove stronger?" (Marvel Comics)

Predator Vs. Black Panther #1 (of 4) goes on sale on August 21, 2024. The debut issue features a main cover and variant cover by Ken Lashley, a variant cover by Pete Woods, a variant cover and virgin variant cover by Philip Tan, a design variant cover by Chris Allen, a variant cover by Skottie Young, a variant cover by Leinil Francis Yu, a variant cover by Edwin Galmon, and a blank variant cover.

(Image via Marvel Comics - Ken Lashley's Main Cover of Predator Vs. Black Panther #1)

[rosemaryentombed]

faggot (affectionate)

[absencesrepetees]

cover art by stephen segovia for wolverine #44 (ben percy, victor lavalle/cory smith, 2024)

[comicbookclub]

Read a preview of Deadpool / Wolverine #3 from Marvel Comics, written by Benjamin Percy with art by Joshua Cassara.