#midnighter and apollo 2016

[3amdrabbles]

Midnighter and Apollo: A (slightly in depth) comic breakdown by someone who originally misunderstood the themes.

While I have always adored this comic, there was something that always bothered me a bit. But having re-read the series now that I am older and better understand media / media literacy, I can firmly say I was wrong about being bothered, and this comic deserves more praise and recognition.

Spoilers for a decade old comic

First things first, the part that made me uncomfortable when I was younger: The fact that Apollo ended up in Hell in the first place.

One of the few openly gay characters in DC gets killed and sent to Hell, pretty unceremoniously and suddenly. And while it worked from a narrative standpoint, having Midnighter go to Hell for his love, it did strike me as uncomfortable as a young queer kid struggling with my self-worth because of being queer.

And it’s implied, if not outright said at times, that it weren’t Apollo’s ‘normal’ sins that brought him to Hell. Pride, Murder, that kinda stuff. Yes, this is mostly said by Apollo himself, but the comic frames him as being in the right about this, and so we as an audience are pushed to believe this.

So then, why did he end up in Hell?

And that is where I originally went wrong. I shouldn’t have felt uncomfortable about the fact DC sent one of their only queer characters to Hell. Because that was the whole point of it. It wasn’t condemning and it wasn't some thoughtless, empty decision that just happened to have some negative connotations attached to it.

This comic is a beautiful, metaphorical representation of the queer experience

This story is one of love and accepting those around you (and yourself) as who they are, while helping them be the best version of themselves.

Apollo talks about how he has already gone through his own kind of Hell before, many times. From how he got his powers to his unaccepting father. Yet he persisted. He stayed true to himself, he didn’t break and he didn’t give in to what people wanted of him. Apollo being in Hell is nothing new, this time it's just more literal.

And we see that he persists. We see him fight and overcome because he knows that he deserves better than the sentences and punishments pushed onto him by other people. He knows that he doesn’t deserve this Hell of someone else's making.

And while he can survive, or even escape this Hell, on his own, it becomes easier with someone there at his side. Someone willing to risk anything, because Apollo is his everything.

In the beginning of the story, Midnighter refuses to accept Apollo is gone. He knows there must be something he can do, something to try or someone to beat up to get his love back. While Apollo is in a literal Hell, Midnighter goes through a personal one. The worst kind of Hell for someone like Midnighter; he feels helpless. He wants to protect the man he loves, but he simply can't. He doesn't know what to do.

And where Apollo's side of the story deals with being sure of who you are and persisting through the bad times, Midnighter's side is about the consequences that come with being who you are.

An enemy from Minighter’s past wanted to hurt him, and did so by way of targeting Apollo. The hate and anger pointed at Midnighter is what killed Apollo.

Apollo became a victim for loving Midnigher.

At the end of the comic, Midnighter explains to Apollo that he is, and always will be, a killer. That he is sure of himself and he hopes Apollo can accept. This scene, while likely not intended as such, reads so much as a way of coming out.

I know I probably read too much into it, and that Steve Orlando likely just wanted to write a fun and heartfelt story reminiscent of Greek mythology between these two lovers.

But to me, this story really represents the queer experience. The Hell forced upon you by others, watching those you surround yourself with get hurt because of who you or they are, but also the steadfastness of knowing who you are, the love and support that comes with being yourself, and knowing there's always the light to pull you out of the dark.

While I firmly believe Midnighter and Apollo were at their best in the old Wildstorm/Authority comics, this run has really become a favorite of mine that I highly recommend to anyone even remotely interested in comics or these characters.

And I hope I managed to portray my thoughts semi-cohesively.

[htmlerror]

It was the story. Hyacinth, Apollo's lover. He knew Hyacinth was doomed, but refused to let Hades claim him. So he turned him into something better. ...I know who you are. And even if you think you're doomed, I refuse to accept that.

If you're going to reference Greek mythology I genuinely do not understand the desire to rewrite it. Orlando either had/has no understanding of the myth or wasn't willing to engage with it or its context. I can be sympathetic to that second possibility to a point in this instance, but to avoid any unsavory interpretations just use a version without those elements or choose a different myth.

Steve Orlando was always going to end up on my shit list the Hyacinthus stuff just sped things along

[draganwhorror]

Master List of my Ted Raimi gifs

Movies & Short Films (in order of release)

It's Murder (1977)

Acting and Reacting (1978)

Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except (1985)

Evil Dead II (1987)

Intruder (1989)

Easy Wheels (1989)

Shocker (1989)

Darkman (1990)

Lunatics: A Love Story (1991)

Eddie Presley (1992)

Clarissa X (1992)

Patriot Games (1992)

Candyman (1992)

Army of Darkness (1992)

Inside Out IV (1992)

The Finishing Touch (1992)

The Fountain Clowns (1992)

Skinner (1993)

In This Corner (1994)

The First Man (1996)

Apollo 11 (1996)

The Shot (1996)

Wishmaster (1997)

Freak Talks About Sex (1999)

Iggy Vile M.D. (1999)

The Attic Expeditions (2001)

Spiderman Trilogy (2002/2004/2007)

Fatal Kiss (2002)

Between the Sheets (2003)

Red Zone/Players (2003)

Tales from the Crapper (2004)

The Grudge (2004)

Illusion (2004)

The Man with the Screaming Brain (2005)

Freezerburn (2005)

High Hopes (2006)

The Damned Thing (2006)

Reign Over Me (2007)

My Name is Bruce (2007)

30 Days of Night: Dust to Dust (2007)

Millennium Crisis (2007)

Planet Raptor (2007)

Diamonds and Guns (2008)

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

Angel of Death (2009)

Videodome Rent-o-Rama (2010)

Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader (2012)

Semblance (2014)

Darkness Rising (2017)

Deadwax (2018)

Warpath (2020)

Red Light (2020)

Failure! (2023)

Dante's Hotel (2023)

TV Episodes (in order of release)

Alien Nation (1989)

A.L.F. (1989)

Twin Peaks (1991)

SeaQuest (1993-1996)

Xena: Warrior Princess (1996-2001)

American Gothic (1996)

Hercules (1997-1998)

Invader ZIM (2002)

Odyssey 5 (2002)

CSI: NY (2005)

Supernatural (2008)

Legend of the Seeker Season One (2008)

Ash vs Evil Dead (2016)

Buddy Thunderstruck (2017)

Creepshow (2021)

Miscellaneous (no particular order)

The Quarry

Alone - Music Video

The Scariest Stories Ever Told

Random Ted Raimi Roles

Random Voice Acting Roles

Letterboxd Reviews

Ted Raimi Alphabet

Behind the Scenes (no particular order)

Millennium Crisis - Behind the Scenes

Skinner - Behind the Scenes

Eddie Presley - Behind the Scenes

Diamonds and Guns - Behind the Scenes

Darkman - Behind the Scenes

Morbid Minutes - Behind the Scenes

A Powerful Rage - The Grudge Behind the Scenes

Intruder - Behind the Scenes

The Thick Brown Line - Tales from the Crapper Behind the Scenes

Swallowed Souls - Evil Dead II Behind the Scenes

Medieval Times - Army of Darkness Behind the Scenes

Interviews/Documentaries (newest to oldest)

Chew on That Podcast (2025)

HorrorHound Weekend (March 2024)

Meet the Filmmakers (2024)

Steel City Con (December 2023)

Survival of the Film Freaks (2018)

From the Mouth of Babes (2016-2019)

Fanalysis (2002)

[kit-williams]

Masterlist

Hi decided to actually make a masterlist because it's probably for the best.

Things to know: I will write from a mainly female pov/perspective and it will for the most part be monogamous hetro relationships (in the terms of genitals) I won't do fxf or mxm or trans because that's not how I grew up and I'm god awful at writing homosexual sex (genderbend I can do) Another no: Adultry/cheating/spouse(or partner) thievery

Asks are open

Come buy me a coffee

Number of asks waiting to be answered: 15

My Ao3 (I havent updated a story on there since like 2016 I'm scared to even let ya'll see it but I might post the AU on there)

So I mainly write Halo, Runescape, and Warhammer 40k but here I've only been posting my Warhammer 40k and D&D au

So expect a lot of polls because it helps focus my ADHD ass

Also Fanart is ALWAYS allowed! Just Tag me!

PLACE WHERE YOU CAN ASK TO BE PUT ON TAG LIST

Poll Storage Pheromone Spray part 2 First Kiss part 3 WIP poll Help momrad focus on what to write Ones ready to be typed Adhd helper poll

WIPs

Stuff that's not on the masterlist will usually be listed with #momrad's drabbles or #momrad's blurbs

Warhammer 40k

The D&D AU

The Yandere Black Templar and Flesh Tearer

The Yandere Space Marine Masterlist

Story Vault until I know where to put these stories/how to categorize them

This is not Canon mini masterlist

Primarchs masterlist

Leandros

Eyes of the Emperor

Alone Together

No Prayer at Midnight

Warhammer Fantasy

Dangerous Druchii pending

Warhammer 40k & COD

The COD Integration mini-masterlist

Demon Prince/Bloodthirster Graves

The 40k au

How does Horangi spend the thrones? Horangi focused

Lieblings König focused

Spirit Halloween Ghost focused

Hey Kiddo Price focused

Where do babies come from reply

Hail to the King Black Templar König

Everyone is space elves

COD

The mud pit cope fic

Hot Chocolate cope fic König focused

Missing the Bairn cope fic Soap focused

Zombie cope fic Ghost focused

He scares me Nikto focused happens before the Soap one

It's a wonderful life CODHoliday2023 fic angst-comfort Ghost

Age hcs/boys ages

Random romantic thing I wrote

Tanz mit mir Regency Au songfic

Halo

Most of it is on my Ao3

Random

The eventual bringing over that one non con I wrote pending

I have to edit it

The #I wrote something for my tumblr can help too

Sentience base off of lancer but I really just like the Balor

Baby fluff

barn anon/Tales from the Barn/Space Marine Husbandry Sentience

I will rename this when I can sit and think of better titles for them

Space Marine Husbandry Sentience Plot Beats

Space Marine Husbandry Sentience Mini Master List

51 more Space Marine Husbandry Sentience & Tales from the Barn

Hey Look another Space Marine Husbandry Mini Masterlist

A Salamander's hoard 2

Lorgar in Husbandry

Palion Dancing

Of the same coin

Reverse Husbandry AU

Reverse Husbandry Gabriel

Reverse Husbandry Headcanon

Reverse Husbandry Emperor

Sanguinius and Glitter

Gabriel and his sick human

Human Husbandry?

Primarchs in the reverse world

Gaius flees

Judgement from the Lord of Iron

Seeing things

Konrad Returns

Aurora and Guilliman

Funny stuff/Fan art

Ovaries Stolen meme

Fan art by bispecsual

Blood Angel Gabriel meme

ZUL by moodymisty

Angron Post Surgery expression

Fan art by c-u-c-koo anon of Plague Witch

Apollo and Dodgeball

Plague Witch part 2 by c-u-c-koo anon

Apollo by greenarsonist

Aurora by greenarsonist

Marine Meat Monday Zul by moodymisty

Penelope and Peterbunbun by Egrets-not-regrets

Fluffuary

Fluffuary master list

Fluffuary rules

MerMay

Story list

Living Waters au fic

[cafenostalgique]

My ultimate film watchlist (2010s)

1930s-1940s | 1950s | 1960s-1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s

Welcome to the final part of my ultimate film watchlist! If you haven't familiarized yourself with the intro of the first part, please see it under the 1930s-1940s link above. Otherwise, we'll jump into the next list, of which I've seen many movies, and intend to watch even more. Enjoy, and as always, let me know if anything should be added to this list.

watched | loved | wouldn’t watch again | holiday

2010

Alice in Wonderland

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Black Swan

Clash of the Titans

Date Nights

Dear John

Despicable Me

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Easy A

Eat Pray Love

Grown Ups

How to Train Your Dragon

Inception

Insidious

Little Fockers

Megamind

Salt

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Secretariat

Shrek Forever After

Shutter Island

Tangled

The Book of Eli

The Expendables

The Karate Kid

The Last Song

The Other Guys

The Runaways (I have a special love in my heart for Joan Jett)

The Social Network

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Toy Story 3

TRON: Legacy

True Grit

2011

A Dangerous Method

Bad Teacher

Bridesmaids

Cars 2

Contagion

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Footloose

Friends with Benefits

Hugo

In Time

Kill the Irishman

Kiss Me

Megan is Missing

Melancholia

Midnight in Paris

No Strings Attached

Paul

Rango

Scream 4

Shame

Sleeping Beauty

Soul Surfer

Source Code

Super 8

Take Shelter

The Adjustment Bureau

The Artist

The Cabin in the Woods

The Descendants

The Help

The Muppets

The Skin I Live In

The Thing

The Tree of Life

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

We Bought a Zoo

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Winnie the Pooh

2012

Chernobyl Diaries

Excision

Frankenweenie

Hotel Transylvania

Iron Sky

Lincoln

Magic Mike

ParaNorman

Pitch Perfect

Prometheus

Rock of Ages

Ruby Sparks

Sinister

Ted

The Campaign

The Looper

The Lorax

The Master

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Raven

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

The Woman in Black

Wreck-It Ralph

2013

12 Years a Slave

About Time

Carrie

Don Jon

Frozen

Her

Inside Llewyn Davis

Insidious: Chapter 2

Lovelace

Monsters University

Nymphomaniac: Vol. I

Nymphomaniac: Vol. II

Parkland

Safe Haven

The Bling Ring

The Book Thief

The Conjuring

The Great Gatsby

The Invisible Woman

The Last Days on Mars

The Purge

The Railway Man

Warm Bodies

We're the Millers

What Maisie Knew

2014

A Brilliant Young Mind

American Sniper

Big Eyes

Big Hero 6

Boyhood

Gone Girl

Interstellar

I Origins

Labor Day

Maleficient

Oculus

Serena

The Captive

The Fault in Our Stars

The Giver

The Lego Movie

The Signal

The Theory of Everything

Unbroken

2015

50 Shades of Grey

Amateur Teens

Blush

Chappie

Green Room

Into the Forest

Kept Woman

Krampus

Maggie

Pitch Perfect 2

Poltergeist

Room

Spy

Summertime

Ted 2

The Diary of a Teenage Girl

The Lure

The Martian

2016

10 Cloverfield Lane

A Wish for Christmas

Before I Wake

Blair Witch

Brain on Fire

Devil's Bride

Finding Dory

Friend Request

Grease Live!

Hounds of Love

Loving

Moana

Ouija: Origin of Evil

Passengers

The Birth of a Nation

The Boy

The Conjuring 2

The Receptionist

Train to Busan

Zootopia

2017

1945

50 Shades Darker

A Quiet Passion

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story

Dolores

Get Out

Frantz

It

Kedi

Lady Bird

Lady Macbeth

Land of Mine

Lucky

Mudbound

Prevenge

Raw

Step

The Florida Project

Their Finest

Thelma

The Lost City of Z

The Shape of Water

2018

50 Shades Freed

Annihilation

A Quiet Place

A Star Is Born

Bohemian Rhapsody

Book Club

Crazy Rich Asians

Halloween

Hereditary

Insidious: the Last Key

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

The Grinch

The Kissing Booth

The Meg

The Nun

The Post

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

2019

Ad Astra

Amazing Grace

Apollo 11

Booksmart

Child's Play

Doctor Sleep

Hail Satan?

High Life

It Chapter Two

Judy

Little Women

Midsommar

Nightmare Cinema

Parasite

Ready or Not

Rocketman

The Highwaymen

The Sisters Brother

Toy Story 4

Us

[androxys]

Androxys' 2024 Comics Wrapped

Tis the season for reflection and reminiscing and big lists, so I guess it’s time for me to review what my year of comic reading looked like! As always, this list is not guaranteed to be 100% perfect, as I’m only human, and keeping a big spreadsheet and LOCG sounds great until you mark one and forget the other.

Per my tally, I read 836 comics in 2024. If we assume each comic is 22 pages long, that’s 18,392 pages of comics. Of course, some issues are oversized, but some issues were also originally backups that were later collected, so I’m assuming it all comes out in the wash.

Top 10 Characters/Teams I read for…

The Legion of Super-Heroes: 116

Batman (Bruce Wayne): 77

Supergirl (Linda Danvers): 46

Wonder Woman: 42

Nightwing: 41

Amethyst: 39

The Dreaming: 32

Poison Ivy: 24

Batman (Dick Grayson): 20

JLA: 19

Top 5 Titles:

Legion of Super-Heroes (2004) - 50 issues

Supergirl (1996) - 46 issues

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes (1949) - 35 issues

Detective Comics (2016) - 32 issues

Wonder Woman (2016) / Nightwing (1996) - 30 issues each

If you want to see my full 2024 reading, check below the cut.

Absolute Power: Origins (2024) #1-2 [2]

Action Comics (1938) #858-863 [6]

Alan Scott: Green Lantern (2023) #1-6 [6]

Amethyst (1983) #1-12 [12]

Amethyst (1985) #1-16 [16]

Amethyst (1987) #1-4 [4]

Amethyst (2020) #1-6 [6]

Amethyst Annual (1984) #1 [1]

Anarky (1997) #1-4 [4]

Anarky (1998) #1-8 [8]

Aquaman (1962) #40-48 [9]

Arkham City: Order of the World (2021) #1-6 [6]

Arkham Reborn (2009) #1-3 [3]

Batman + Arsenal (1997) #1 [1]

Arsenal Special (1996) #1 [1]

Batgirl (2024) #1 [1]

Batgirl Special (1988) #1 [1]

Batgirl: Girlfrenzy (1998) #1 [1]

Batman and Robin (2011) #1-8 [8]

Batman Incorporated (2022) #1-12 [12]

Batman: Batgirl (1997) #1 [1]

Birds of Prey (2023) #5-14 [10]

Birds of Prey: Batgirl/Catwoman (2003) #1 [1]

Birds of Prey: Catwoman/Oracle (2003) #1 [1]

Black Lightning Year One (2009) #1-6 [6]

Chase (1998) #1-9, #1,000,000 [10]

City Boy (2023) #1-6 [6]

DC Universe Legacies (2012) #1-10 [10]

Dead Boy Detectives (2014) #1-12 [12]

Dead Boy Detectives (2022) #1-6 [6]

Death of the New Gods (2007) #1-8 [8]

Detective Comics (1937) #644-653; #846-850 [14]

Detective Comics (2011) Special Edition #27 [1]

Detective Comics Annual (2021) #1 [1]

Detective Comics (2016) #1034-1065 [32]

Far Sector (2019) #1-12 [12]

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds (2008) #1-5 [5]

Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville (2023) #1-6 [6]

Batman/Catwoman: Follow the Money (2010) #1 [1]

Gotham Academy (2014) #1-18 [18]

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy (2016) #1-6 [6]

Gotham City Sirens (2024) #1-4 [4]

Hawk and Dove (1988) #1-5 [5]

Huntress Secret Files (2021) #1 [1]

Jay Garrick: The Flash (2023) #1-6 [6]

JLA: Incarnations (2001) #1-7 [7]

JLA Year One (1997) #1-12 [12]

John Constantine: Hellblazer (2019) #1-12 [12]

Justice League Elite (2004) #1-12 [12]

Kingdom Come (1996) #1-4 [4]

Batman: The Last Halloween (2024) #0-2 [3]

Lazarus Planet (2023) [7]

Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods (2023) #1-4 [4]

Legion of Super-Heroes (2004) #1-50 [50]

(Superboy &) The Legion of Super-Heroes (1946) #234-268 [35]

Legion of Super-Heroes in the Silver Age [24]

Man Bat (1996) #1-3 [3]

Man Bat (2006) #1-5 [5]

Midnighter (2015) #1-12 [12]

Midnighter & Apollo (2016) #1-6 [6]

Millennium (1987) #1-8 [8]

New Krypton (2008) [13]

Nightmare Country (2022) #1-6 [6]

Nightwing (1996) #71-100 [30]

Nightwing (2016) #110-119 [10]

Nightwing Annual 2024 #1 [1]

Our Worlds At War [9]

Poison Ivy (2023) #1-18 [18]

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death (2016) #1-6 [6]

Prez (1973) #1-2 [2]

Ragman (1991) #1-8 [8]

Ragman: Cry of the Dead (1993) #1-6 [6]

Ragman: Suit of Souls (2010) #1 [1]

Resurrection Man (1997) #16-17 [2]

Robin Argent Double Shot (1998) #1 [1]

Robin Plus Impulse (1996) #1 [1]

Saved by the Belle Reve (2022) #1 [1]

Stargirl and the Lost Children (2022) #1-6 [6]

Stargirl Spring Break Special (2021) #1 [1]

Steelworks (2023) #1-6 [6]

Strange Adventures (1950) #205-213 [9]

Streets of Gotham (2009) #1-14; 16-21 [20]

Supergirl (1996) #1-43; #1,000,000 [44]

Supergirl (1996) Annuals #1-2 [2]

Swamp Thing: New Roots (2020) #1-9 [9]

The Brave and the Bold (2007) #1-6 [6]

The Cult (1988) #1-4 [4]

The Dreaming (2018) #1-20 [20]

The Dreaming: Waking Hours (2020) #1-12 [12]

The Hawk and The Dove (1968) #1-6 [6]

The Long Halloween (1996) #1-13 [13]

The Question: All Along The Watchtower (2024) #1 [1]

Titans (2008) #1-11 [11]

Titans East Special (2007) #1 [1]

Two Face: Year One (2008) #1-2 [2]

When In Rome (2004) #1-6 [6]

Wonder Woman (1987) #36-48 [12]

Wonder Woman (2016) #1-30 [30]

World's Finest (2009) #1-4 [4]

Young Justice (1998) #13-14 [2]

I also read a few of the DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, which I’ll include here as relevant. As an overall series, I’ve gotten the impression (and been told) that the characterization and intention of the books can wildly vary–one book can be intended as a serious, main-continuity story of a character while they were a young adult, while others are AUs or what-ifs that take characters and change them or their surroundings. I found all of these to be enjoyable reads for what they are, recognizing that I am not their target demographic. (Bad Dream, I have to say, was probably my favorite) 

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld (2021)

Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story (2024)

Barda (2024)

The Oracle Code (2020)

This Land is Our Land (2024)

[buds-and-baubles]

how did you get into dc? who was your first favourite character? when did you start to like apollo?

ooh yay this question! so my actual journey to be into dc was a long one. i had little blips along the way of interest, but it took until recently to get in into it.

blips of of being like;

- how my first exposure to dc was action figures from the 90's my brother had of batman, robin(tim), nightwing, batgirl (babs), and deathstroke. long story short everybody beat up the deathstroke action figure, especially nightwing.

- me watching all of the teen titans show and movie! this introduced me in a capacity to the teen titans, albeit the show didn't have the teen titans roster. you know what i mean, yeah? yeah. this is where i first saw dick as robin. this is also where i fell in love with all the characters shown. i even remember the garth episode. me who was obsessed with sea creatures thought about that episode a lot.

- now ghost town writing forum people roleplayed on. here was where i was introduced to some members of different families. i rarely stuck with a character i wrote as, because the character i wanted to write (tim) an ex-friend wouldn't let me because she was tim and said i'd suck at it. the only characters i remember writing as was dick, damian, and later apollo for a different ex-friend (though he was more wildstorm in his depiction).

this is where i began to enjoy these three characters. i can't remember much bat-wise besides that i wrote about damian's love for animals. people there were creepy towards dick and downright hateful to damian so i eventually stopped writing as them.

a different ex-friend is who asked me to write as apollo. he wrote as midnighter and this was around the time of midnighter and apollo i think? but he insisted on 'the old origins way'. i didn't exactly have access to comics so i just went along with it. looking back, i didn't do too bad just working off his wiki but i never really forgot apollo after that.

during this whole phase is where i had seen my first ever comic panels. i probably saw panels for midnighter and apollo, but i distinctly recall seeing a panel of kon and tim during teen titans 03 and also some of red robin. like i said i didn't have access to comics at all during this time due to money and also i doubt anyone would buy them for me so this was as good as i could get.

what had actually got me deep into dc was a server i used to be in for writing dc characters. i had been lonely before that just talking about dc to friends and i had wanted to find a place i could talk. i had really gotten into the thick of it then, but it was 2023 that kicked everything off with me reading comics.

and y'know who i had been talking about reading for because i never forgot them? apollo and tim.

i bounced back and forth between reading for tim and apollo. when reading for dixon became too difficult, i doubled down and started to move through reading every comic for the authority team.

it's really branched out from there. i've got 50+ characters i wanna read for, am a slow dyslexic reader, and am chronically ill but reading comics is a treat for me!

who was my first favorite character? it's hard to say, i always felt bad picking favorites cause i thought it would make other characters sad.

i'm pretty sure it was just dick grayson in general, though. robin, nightwing, dick grayson in general!

when did i start to like apollo? hrmm that's probably around 2016 or 2017 i think. but i didnt get in into his character until 2023 aka when i started to read for him.

[here-comes-the-sun-king]

RULES & INFORMATION;

as stated in the tagged post, this is an independent and selective portrayal of pre-new 52 wildstorm apollo, a character from wildstorm/dc comics.

mun/writer's name is florian and goes by he/him pronouns. mun/writer is over twenty one years old and has been writing for over fifteen years.

mun/writer has read every comic series mentioning/featuring apollo and the rest of the authority.

this roleplay blog doesn't follow back automatically due to a mix of shyness and seeing how much interaction apollo can have with a character.

wildstorm/the authority roleplay blogs will be higher on the order of who gets replies but this is nothing personal! dynamics there are already established so it's easier to interact for mun/writer.

activity level: this is a low activity roleplay blog due to mun/writer having a busy schedule, being disabled, and generally taking a long time to reply.

character summary;

apollo was bio-engineered/built as superhuman by henry bendix alongside the midnighter, maintaining retrograde amnesia regarding his creation and life before his first and only mission as a member of stormwatch zero.

he is a former member of stormwatch and present member of the authority, although the latter has entered a semi-retired state after transferring to this new world following their (earth-50's) world's end.

the sun king is a majestic-class/alpha-level sunpowered super with full-combat training on a similar power scale to superman and mister majestic, thus should in no way be underestimated.

he is a polite, kind, and mild-mannered man. however, this isn't entirely correct or always the case. this interpretation is due to a mix of his relationship and/or close proximity to his husband, the midnighter, and their daughter, jenny quantum.

apollo is easy-going and even-tempered in virtually all situations, able to let most things go due to his mindset shaped by his experiences. in the uncommon event that this slow to anger man is angry, you better have an escape plan in place.

above all, apollo is an incredibly selfless person who will do whatever it takes to protect others, especially the ones he loves, and to make a better world.

interpretation and reading;

apollo's interpretation is based off these comic book series:

- stormwatch vol 2

- the authority vol 1 and 2

- the authority: coup d'etat

- the authority: revolution

- the authority: world's end (issues 1-17 only)

- the midnighter vol 1 and 2 (2000 & 2015)

- midnighter and apollo (2016)

additional note: other comic series that are not listed will be utilized and/or acknowledged in a minor capacity and are not seen as canon events unless stated otherwise.

interpretation notes:

this roleplay blog does not utilize or acknowledge certain areas of the new 52 retcon of apollo or the midnighter during stormwatch vol 3 (2011), nor the iteration of apollo in the wild storm (2019).

however, this blog does utilize and/or acknowledge some portions of the midnighter (2015) and midnighter and apollo (2016).

wildstorm (earth-50) to dc transfer summary:

the following takes place after issue number 17 (2009) of the authority: world's end (2008-2010).

jenny quantum with the doctor (habib bin hassan) and the carrier's help, transferred all of wildstorm to dc (before flashpoint), thus characters from wildstorm are not reset to become their new 52 retcons or erased from continuity.

the authority post-transfer entered a semi-retired state still with their chaotic neutral/good structure, with them only all coming together for world/multiversal ending threats.

the authority members still proceed on solo or small group/group missions (whether with fellow members of the authority or others) for things they feel strongly about doing and/or particularly want to help on.

the quantum family (apollo, midnighter, and jenny quantum) presently live in their apartment that can be located in any city, though primarily is located in san francisco. they still spend time in the carrier as well, but the shiftship is no longer their primary residence.

unfamiliar with/never heard of apollo? check out this masterpost of a reading list! also here and here!

roleplay rules;

- this roleplay blog for apollo interacts on a multi-verse oc/self-insert friendly basis, though the multi-verse part applies only to comic fandoms closely aligned to wildstorm/dc's (ex: vertigo, image, top cow, selectively marvel, etc).

- multi-muse blogs welcome, come on in!

- this is a roleplay blog that writes in past third-person perspective in the form of paragraphs. occasionally there will be one-liners, but it is not the default writing style.

- apollo will not answer to the name andrew pulaski or to the midnighter being called lucas trent, as those were new 52 retcons.

- apollo is on a single-ship basis with the midnighter (this goes for all midnighter roleplay accounts), so do not assume any kind of pre-existing romantic relationship. others are allowed to flirt with apollo, just don't expect interactions to go anywhere beyond flirting (or for apollo to flirt back).

- characters of the authority may assume friendship, but those outside of the team should message the mun/writer regarding interpersonal dynamics.

- do not try to godmode against apollo, who is functionally a god. just don't.

- apollo is not perturbed by acts of violence and/or triggering situations, thus will not falter from enacting graphic depictions of violence on those he deems necessary. if you wish/intend to write something triggering with apollo, please message mun/writer.

- with the above in mind, nsfw and triggering situations will be tagged and placed under a "read more".

- do not try to roleplay nsfw with apollo if you are under the age of eighteen. this is a firm rule of mine.

- any roleplay involving homophobia needs to be spoken about with mun/writer first. there needs to be communication between writers about what is in versus out of character.

- if you're against the lgbtqia+ community and are here to be homophobic, then just go.

- apollo in canon is a rape/sexual assault survivor and torture victim. in the event this part of his past is discussed in roleplay or in a reblogged out of character post, it will be tagged for triggers. if you yourself are a rape/sexual assault survivor and you need someone to listen, talk to, and/or understand, apollo is always open to discuss this in asks.

tags for the blog;

#called and answered (asks)

#solar soul: headcanons (apollo headcanons)

#musings (mun/writer's apollo thoughts)

#sun king's galleria (apollo fanart/fan edit reblogs)

#thread: insert name here (roleplay thread)

#open starter (open roleplay prompts)

#closed starter (threads written for specific roleplay partners)

#suns out | guns out: nsfw/graphic violence (nsfw and/or graphic depictions of violence roleplay threads/posts)

#trigger warning: rape/sexual assault (discussions of apollo's nativity/g-7 comic arcs and/or other comic characters' comic arcs)

[karlamon]

Decided to give Topsters a try and listed my 25 favourite films, shows, games, and albums.

Starting off with Topsters list for my 25 favourite movies:

Airplane! (1980)

Apollo 13 (1995)

Balto (1995)

Bolt (2008)

Children of Men (2006)

Finding Nemo (2003)

Gravity (2013)

The Iron Giant (1999)

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

The Lion King (1994)

Migration (2023)

Nimona (2023)

The Prince of Egypt (1998)

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Ratatouille (2007)

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Sing 2 (2021)

Surf's Up (2007)

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

United 93 (2006)

The Wild Robot (2024)

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Zootopia (2016)

Next is my Topsters list for my 25 favourite shows:

Aggretsuko (2018 - 2023)

The Angry Beavers (1997 - 2003)

The Angry Video Game Nerd (2004 - Present)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005 - 2008)

Band of Brothers (2001)

Bluey (2018 - Present)

BNA (2020)

Chernobyl (2019)

Digimon: Digital Monsters [Adventure (1999), Adventure 02 (2000), Tamers (2001)]

Ed, Edd n Eddy (1999 - 2009)

Green Eggs and Ham (2019 - 2022)

Mayday [aka, Air Crash Investigation] (2003 - Present)

Mythbusters (2003 - 2016)

Primal (2019 - Present)

Regular Show (2010 - 2017)

Robot Chicken (2005 - Present)

Rocko's Modern Life (1993 - 1996)

Seconds from Disaster (2004 - 2018)

The Simpsons (1989 - Present)

South Park (1997 - Present)

SpongeBob SquarePants (1999 - Present)

Thomas & Friends (1984 - 2021)

Untalkative Bunny (2001 - 2003)

We Bare Bears (2015 - 2019)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (2000 - 2004)

Then it's my Topsters list for my 25 favourite games:

Alan Wake (2010)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

Civilzation VI (2016)

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017)

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (1997)

Day of Defeat: Source (2005)

Destruction Derby Raw (2000)

Digimon: Rumble Arena (2001)

Dust: An Elysian Tail (2012)

Euro Truck Simulator 2 (2012)

Fallout 3 (2008)

Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)

Grand Theft Auto V (2013)

Half-Life 2 (2004)

LEGO Island (1997)

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (2002)

Papers, Please (2013)

Portal (2007)

Ratchet & Clank (2002)

The Simpsons Game (2007)

Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018)

Super Animal Royale (2018)

Team Fortress 2 (2007)

Tekken 3 (1997)

VRChat (2014)

And finally, here's my Topsters list for my 25 favourite albums:

Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports (1978)

Poets of the Fall - Carnival of Rust (2006)

Have a Nice Life - Deathconsciousness (2008)

God Is an Astronaut - The End of the Beginning (2002)

Failure - Fantastic Planet (1996)

Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile (1999)

Shihad - The General Electric (1999)

Björk - Homogenic (1997)

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (2000)

Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

Sigur Rós - Kveikur (2013)

Talk Talk - Laughing Stock (1991)

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)

Swervedriver - Mezcal Head (1993)

Massive Attack - Mezzanine (1998)

Solar Fields - Movements (2009)

Mogwai - Mr. Beast (2006)

Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998)

David Gray - A New Day at Midnight (2002)

Jon Hopkins - Opalescent (2001)

Meniscus - Refractions (2016)

Jakob - Solace (2006)

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood (2006)

Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place (2003)

Deftones - White Pony (2000)

Feel free to create your own Topsters list here:

[arunneronthird]

hi hello!! i'm super interested in getting into midnighter comics, do you have any recommendations for where to get started?? your recs have been so helpful for my comics journey so far, i truly owe you my life 🙏 just read the knight thanks to your suggestion and LOVED it, court of owls is up next

well okay this ask just made my whole day what the hell, this is what i like about comics the most, just sharing and talking about them

anyway, from the top, theres this superhero team in a world without jl, they work for the un and they are called stormwatch!

the first stormwatch comic is stormwatch 1993, i tried to read it and its genuinely awful, BUT some time after it starts, warren ellis takes over and hes genuinely a new type of god and fixes the whole thing but full disclosure i havent read it properly cause the start is so bad

the second stormwatch is stormwatch 1997, also written by ellis (saver of worlds) where midnighter and apollo (do not separate) make their first appearance! its an incredibly solid introduction and it goes from chapter #4 to #6, u can skip the rest, wont lose much context

now we start with the big guns, stormwatch is dismantled and the authority is created, a superhero (antihero) team working outside the law, and it starts with the authority 1999, where midnighter (and apollo do not separate) are finally main characters, i genuinely loved this comic so much SO MUCH

the story continues with the authority 2003, which im currently reading and is not by ellis (patron of writers), so i cannot tell u yet how itll work out but im enjoying it thus far

then (cause i havent read more stuff in between yet) comes midnighter 2007, this one is complicated? the first 10 chapters are extremely fun and enjoyable, basically episodic, mostly written by garth ennis (not quite as godly but pretty nice), then a new guy picks up the series, makes a whole saga with no apollo in it and its terrible so just... just drop it on chapter 10 ill allow it

then the n52 happens and its v confusing and scary

but then we have midnighter 2015, i have good and bad news, the bad news is its a grayson 2014 spinoff so u may be a bit lost on some context but the good news is this comic is REALLY good, its fun, its a finished story, its midnighter learning to be a person and not a killing machine, and its one of my favorite comics as of rn

lastly theres midnighter and apollo 2016 and like... i went to my bookstore to order a physical copy yesterday i am so in love with it, its aesthetically beautiful and the story is insane, basically midnighter goes to hell to save apollo but apollo is already doing a pretty good job cause hes freaking apollo

as a bonus, there are three small stories, the authority: kev, the authority: more kev and the authority: the magnificent kevin all written by ennis about a guy called kevin who actively sucks as a person and how he manages to fuck up everything all the time and piss off midnighter to no end, they are hilarious

as a disclaimer of sorts: midnighters stories, specially the ones by ellis and ennis, are comics for adults in a way batmans arent, batman is dark and sometimes scary, but these comics talk about sex, drug adiction, racism, bigotry and make fun of them, i do bow for them though, they are gritty and pretty edgy but not tasteless

[taylorhawkins]

All of Taylor Hawkins’ musical projects: a comprehensive list since Wikipedia is incomplete with links!

• ANYONE

- The Sylvia Sessions (recorded 1993, released 2022)

• SASS JORDAN

- Live in New York Ninety-Four (1994)

• ALANIS MORISSETTE

- Jagged Little Pill, Live (1997)

• FOO FIGHTERS

- There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999)

- One by One (2002)

- In Your Honor (2005)

- Skin & Bones, Live (2006) [w/ video]

- Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007)

- Wasting Light (2011)

- Medium Rare (2011)

- Sonic Highways (2014)

- Saint Cecilia (2015)

- Concrete and Gold (2017)

- Dee Gees (2021)

- Medicine at Midnight (2021)

• TAYLOR HAWKINS & THE COATTAIL RIDERS

- Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders (2006)

- Red Light Fever (2010)

- Get the Money (2019)

• COHEED AND CAMBRIA

- Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV Vol. II: No World for Tomorrow (2007)

• THE BIRDS [Chevy Metal’s original music]

- Self-titled (2014)

• SOLO

- Kota (2016)

• NIGHTTIME BOOGIE ASSOCIATION [project with Matt Cameron]

- Long in the Tooth/The Path We’re On (2020)

• NHC [project with Dave Navarro + Chris Chaney]

- Feed the Cruel/Better Move On (2021)

- Devil That You Know/Lazy Eyes (2021)

- Intakes and Outtakes EP (2021)

• SESSION APPEARANCES & OTHERS:

- Somewhere Anywhere Everywhere - Globe Surf DVD (2007 I think) [video]

- Help Wanted - Eric Avery [tracks 1, 3, 6-8] (2008)

- Wicked In Rock - Kerry Ellis (and Brian May) [“Defying Gravity”, “I’m Not That Girl” & “No One But You”] (2010)

- Crucify the Dead - Slash & Ozzy Osbourne (2010) [Taylor credited with backing vocals]

- Tie Your Mother Down - Queen ft. Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl [Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Compilation] (2011)

- Sound City: Real to Reel - Dave Grohl (2013)

- Rush 2112: 40th Anniversary (2016) (“Overture” with Dave Grohl & Nick Raskulinez)

- I Refuse - Timothy B. Schmidt (2016)

- Butt Call - Derek Smalls [ft. Taylor and Phil X] (2018)

- Holy Man - Dennis Wilson demo, completed alongside Brian May and Roger Taylor (2019) [Taylor sings]

- Too Much For My Own Good - Phil X & The Drills (2019)

- We Could Have It All - P!nk (2019)

- Night Crawling - Miley Cyrus (2020)

- E-Ticket - Elton John (2021) [+ Eddie Vedder!]

- Turn Over the World - Perry Farrell (2021)

- Mend - Perry Farrell (Kind Heaven Orchestra) (2021)

- Party at the Angel Ballroom - Nancy Wilson (2021) [ft. Taylor + Duff McKagan]

- Patient Number 9 - Ozzy Osbourne (2022) [“Parasite”, “Mr. Darkness”, “God Only Knows”]

- Shame On You - Richard Marx (2022)

- Guess I’ll Go Away - Edgar Winter (2022) [Taylor sings and absolutely blows doors]

- Every Loser - Iggy Pop (2023) [Taylor credited with drums and piano on “Comments” + “The Regency”]

- Ian Hunter - Defiance Part I (2023) [Taylor is on “Angel,” “Kiss N’ Make Up,” and “This Is What I’m Here For”]

[kaiyves-backup]

Happy 22nd* Birthday, Jack Lousma!

*88th

So far the only astronaut to be born on Leap Day, Jack R. Lousma was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on February 29, 1936. He was selected as an astronaut at age 7 (30), worked in Mission Control during the Apollo 13 crisis at age 8 (34), made his first spaceflight to the Skylab space station at age 9 (37), and piloted the space shuttle at age 11 (47)!

In 2016, aged 20 (80), he shared 29 facts about his life and career with the Detroit Free Press.

"It’s quite a good deal," Lousma told the Free Press, "Usually — three out of four years — I celebrate on March 1. It goes by in a split second at midnight."

[the-ghost-of-jason-todd]

Last Line Tag

I was tagged by @stars-remain2 (sorry I've been dicking around and forgot to make a post but THANK YOU FOR THE TAG OMG)

I've actually been mostly working on outlines for a comic I want to do for practice?? It's a Midnighter/Apollo Knight Terrors thing, which is pretty ambitious for me but hey! You know how it goes XD

(...I guess ideally I would be working on the chapter of DFTR I wanted to get up tomorrow but, well...)

So anyway, here's some of that:

Page 1: 5-7 panels. Note: Borrow some style from Midnighter (2016?) comics. Post-fight/mission. Panel 1: long shot, full body. Night-time, windows dark, maybe lit with city lights and some gentle interior lighting. View of the city through the window? Midnighter stands in full costume at the sink in his apartment, turned or mostly turned away from the viewer. Panel 2 (insert?): birds eye view (slanted?) of his bloody gloved hands, blood dripping down the sides of the sink. Panel 3 (insert?): close up of the gloves, as he pulls one off by a finger to reveal the blood got inside somehow. Panel 4 (insert?): Midnighter’s smirk, the edge of his mask, maybe splattered in blood. Midnighter text box(es?): I would say it looks messier than it is, but that would be a lie. It’s real damn messy. What can I say—I like to get my hands dirty. Panel(s?) 5-7: Apollo’s hands wrapping around Midnighter’s waist from behind. He peers over Midnighter’s shoulder and reaches for the soap. Leans in close to M’s ear, suggestive. A: Busy night, huh? Midnighter text box: It’s nice to get some help with the clean-up, though.

I'm no-pressure tagging: @hogans-heroes @skyyguy @goldkirk @the-backspin-alchemist @charlezarrd @wafflehousepancakes @em-gray

Also if you want a tag drop me a line, for real I'll tag you next time 👀

[litmajorjasontodd]

🌛(URLs: trans-shatterstar -> litmajorjasontodd)🌜

🌘Currently Reading: Nightwing (1996), Batgirl (2000), and Cable & Deadpool (2004), Gotham Nocturne, Batman: Court of Owls, Batgirls

🌑Reading Up-Next: The Authority Vol. 1, Outsiders (2003), Watchmen, Excalibur, & about six-hundred issues on my reading spreadsheet 🫠

🌒Recent Reads: DC vs Vampires, Midnighter & Apollo (2016), All-Star Superman, Batman: Last Knight on Earth, Far Sector, Green Arrow: Stranded, Stormwatch Vol. 2, Batman: Black Mirror, Batman: Creature of the Night

⭐️All-Time Favorites Hall of Fame: Hellblazer (1988), Fraction’s Hawkeye, Hickman’s X-Men, Batman/Nightwing: Bloodborne, Batman: Year One, Batgirl (2000), Far Sector

[pageandpanel]

Or, A Retrospective Quest to Find my Favorite Book

(originally posted @ Page and Panel on wordpress)

For anyone who considers themselves a “reader,” there is a single question that we all dread being asked but secretly love answering. What is your favorite book? Do you have a few books on hand to rattle off at a moments notice or do you shrug and say that you don’t have one? Do you tailor your answer to the person asking the question or you have a single, absolute, definitive favorite that you sing the praises of any time you’re given the chance? I, like most people I’m sure, have given different variations of these answers over the years along with dozens of others. Realistically, if you ask me this question my answer will change given the time of day, my mood, and the direction of the winds. And that’s totally fine. But I’m trying to generate content here so I want to interrogate this question a little. Or a lot.

Baby’s First Bookstagram Post ^

I started actively tracking my reading in 2017 on Instagram. Scroll all the way down on my page if you want to see some truly uninspired photography, but also if you want to be shocked at how consistently I posted when I was using that as my primary tracking method. I have a nearly infallible log of everything I’ve read in the last five years. According to Goodreads, I’ve read a total of 688 books between January 1st, 2017 and December 4, 2021. That’s absolutely more books read in the last five years than in the entire rest of my previous 25 years of life. That’s a lot of content to condense into such a small span of time and I already know my brain hasn’t retained all of it.

Running the numbers like this has left me with two questions I want to explore:

How many of these books do I actually remember?

Which of these books is actually my favorite?

And that’s what this series of blog posts is going to explore. I am going to be re-examining books I’ve read and logged, maybe dipping in to re-read or skim a few here and there to see if my opinion has changed. I want to see how actively I have been reading over the years, or if I’ve truly gotten sucked into the social media gamification of reading where I’m just burning through books to hit a goal. And, because I love a list, I’m going to be ranking the books I revisit in a quest to figure out which is my definitive favorite. Or if such a thing even exists.

Where was I in January of 2017? Well, let’s check the caption on my very first official “bookstagram” post:

“2016 was a trash fire in the middle of a shit storm for me. So one of my goals this year is to read more and to read every day. Earlier today, I decided I might as well chronicle this effort on Instagram. So here is the pile of stuff I read yesterday.” (JANUARY 2, 2017)

Yeah so that about sums it up. I was struggling to recover from the gut punch that was the 2020 election (still recovering), dragging myself through my last two semesters of college (remember not having student loan payments?) , and working full time at my local comic store (still the best job I’ve ever had). I think it hit me that over the previous few years I had only really been reading books for class–English Major life–and comics because that was my life at the time. And I really wanted to expand my reading life. Thus, I started logging my books and trying to read a little every day. The first few books I finished that year were actually comics so bare with me.

Book One: Midnighter and Apollo

written by Steve Orlando with art by Fernando Blanco.

Let me start off by explaining that the way I’ve tracked my comics over the years is by bundling single issues (aka the 20 page floppy magazine style books that come out every week) as they are released in trade paperbacks (aka graphic novels that collect 5-7 single issues in a single bound book). i feel like doing it this way gives me a more realistic number at the end of the year, given I read hundreds of 20-ish page comics a year.

Midnighter and Apollo is Steve Orlando’s follow up miniseries to his run on Midnighter (Vol 2 2015-2016). I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a big DC comics reader. I have a few characters that I like to dip in and out of whenever they show up in books, but I grew up on Marvel and never really made the jump to being a fully dedicated DC fan. However, this was an era of DC comics that I actually really loved and Midnighter is one of those characters that will always get me to pick up a book. The incredibly reductive elevator pitch for Midnighter as a character is that he’s Gay Murder Batman. And if you’re not on board with that, then you’re on the wrong blog, my friend.

I absolutely loved Orlando’s run on Midnighter and this miniseries was just as thrilling. The basic plot, without giving too much away and without digging into all of the minutiae of a character written inconsistently for the last 11 years, is a To Hell and Back For Love kinda story. Apollo is abducted and Midnighter has to fight his way through literal Hell (fire and brimstone actual Hell, not metaphorical hell) to get him back.

The book reunited the couple who had been married in 2002 but separated and largely absent from comics for the last few years. Coming off a run of comics that I loved, I think I was a little annoyed by the reunion and then unceremonious shelving of these characters after this series. Particularly because 2015 had been kind of a good year for gay comics. Midnighter was having a good active run, consistently showing up in Grayson (Nightwing’s comic when he was a spy for a minute) as well as having his own title. Over at Marvel, Iceman would come out as gay in November of the same year. Not quite as groundbreaking as back to back bisexual Robin and Superman 2.0 announcements, but we were still begging for crumbs in mainstream comics back then. It was fun to pick up a comic every month and watch a gay man have to leave a Tinder date to go murder a bad guy. But Midnighter and Apollo reset the character to a status quo with most queer characters of the time.

Instead of letting a queer character be single, date around, and live their lives like many straight characters are allowed to do, gay characters in superhero comics tend to be coupled up and desexualized to the point that their can easily be overlooked by people who don’t want to see it. Northstar of Alpha Flight and X-Men was married to his partner, a human dude named Kyle, in Astonishing X-Men #51 (2012) in the first gay marriage in superhero comics. Post-wedding, the two rarely appeared in comics until very recently. Additionally, everyone’s favorite gay couple at Marvel–Wiccan and Hulkling–have been together since their very first appearance in Young Avengers Vol 1 in 2005. After their initial appearance in that series, they wouldn’t be seen again with any regularity until Young Avengers Vol 2 in 2013. Consistently, gay men at the time were coupled up and pushed out of major story lines to cater to an assumed straight male comics readership.

Obviously I’m never going to be mad about happy gay couples living their happy gay lives, but this desexualization of queer men to make them more palatable felt like a step back for the direction Midnighter had been going in his own series. I also think that it’s important to note that Steve Orlando is a queer man who has written almost exclusively queer comics. I also don’t know how much publisher influence there was over the decision to put the couple back together verses how much Orlando actually wanted this couple to be together. Regardless of my skepticism and whatever decisions were made by who, I did end up loving this six issue run of comics. I was already pretty committed to reading everything Orlando wrote, but this cemented it for me. This isn’t the last of his comics that will pop up throughout this project. I am also always on the look out for new Midnighter content. In 2021 he found his way back to the spotlight in at least two comics: DC Pride #1 and Midnighter Annual #1.

When I read this originally, I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads and I think that’s still a pretty solid rating. I know it’s going to rank somewhere in the middle of my extremely top heavy list. Overall, I highly recommend this series to anyone interested in getting into queer DC comics, but I would also advise starting with with the original series, Midnighter (2015) as well as Grayson (2015) by Tom King, Tim Seeley, and Mikel Janín. I definitely want to carve out some time to revisit both of these series in the very near future to see how they hold up and where they will rank on the list.

BOOK TWO: SHADE THE CHANGING GIRL

written by Cecil Castellucci with art by Marley Zarcone

Unlike Midnighter and Apollo, this is an ongoing series rather than just a mini-series. As I said earlier, for the purpose of logging comics, I bundle them in as they’re collected in trades. So, Midnighter and Apollo is issues #1-6 for the complete story. Most comics on this list are going to be broken up into similarly sized chunks, but will have multiple volumes. So, Shade the Changing Girl has a Volume 1 (collecting issues 1-6) and a Volume 2 (issues 7-13). For the purposes of this project though, I’m counting all 13 issues as a single story, and will treat most runs of comics the same way. Every new #1 is a new story, etc etc. Hopefully that’s enough explaining my own process for this post.

Cecil Castellucci draws just enough from the original series to capture the utter madness of Milligan and Bachalo’s Shade, but create such a fascinating character in Loma that you don’t actually need to read the original series to get deeply invested in this new one (which is probably for the best because I doubt Shade the Changing Man holds up). And Marley Zarcone’s art is beautiful and creates the perfect atmosphere to tell this weird ass story. I can’t tell you how many times I sat down with these issues and ended up just staring at the art. And in Volume 2, there’s a breathtakingly beautiful issue drawn by Margurite Sauvage, one of my all time favorite artists.

I honestly don’t think Loma has popped up in any comics since the sequel to this series, Shade the Changing Woman (we’ll get to it), which is a shame because I would buy literally anything else with her on the cover. I also really miss this era of comics. Vertigo has made every attempts at a comeback since the glory days in the 90s. Young Animals, I think, is the closest they ever got. After a first phase of comics (they’ll all be on the list at some point) that all lasted about 12 issues, a cross over event, and then a second phase of 5-6 issue mini series, the entire Young Animal imprint was scrapped and DC attempted to revitalize the Vertigo brand. None of those books ever took off (and none of them were very good) and DC has since scrapped the entire like altogether in favor of their “Black Label” imprint. In my opinion, Young Animal is the closest DC ever got to the classic Vertigo books I was obsessed with in high school. But money talks and sales for his books never really took off. I think we sold 5 or 6 issues of Shade ever week, despite my best effort to hand sell it. So pour one out for Gerard Way and his weird comics.

Unsurprising, I gave both installments of this series 5 stars and I stand by that. I can’t recommend this highly enough and it’s definitely getting ranked above Midnighter and Apollo. Seriously, I’m sure you can find the back issues of this so cheap in any comic store dollar bin or on Comixology for a discount. Even if you’re not a big comic reader, this one and it’s sequel are perfectly self-contained stories and absolutely worth checking out.

BOOK TWO: ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Finally! An actual novel. I promise the comics thin themselves out in 2018 when I stop working at the comic store.

What is there to be said about Aristotle and Dante that hasn’t already been covered by anyone who has ever read a book? Seriously, you’ve all read this right? I don’t need to talk you into it. Somehow I had made it to 25 without reading this absolute classic of a Queer YA novel. I’ve actually been meaning to reread this one all year and haven’t quite gotten around to it. Maybe it will be the next book I pick up and we can end this year on a high note.

Aristotle and Dante is the story of two very different boys from two very different backgrounds. And against the odds, they form an incredible bond, becoming close friends and eventually something more. One of my favorite things about this book, and one of the things I think about constantly when I read other queer stories, is the relationship between Aristotle and his parents. Aristotle is going through a turbulent time of self-discovery, trying to figure out the kind of person he’s going to be. And there is never a point in the story in which his parents, specifically his father, abandon him in that journey. It’s exhausting to see queer teens in stories abandoned, neglected, or abused by their families. Seeing that love on the page remain strong and unquestioning, especially as they come to a collective realization about the person Aristotle is growing up to be, is deeply affirming and refreshing.

I didn’t grow up with ready access to a lot of queer media, especially media aimed at younger audiences. I learned about gay things like every other middle school kid in the early 2000s: on Degrassi: The Next Generation and roleplaying X-Men characters on Xanga. And as an adult, I don’t read a ton of YA but I will almost always pick up anything queer. I love that these books are available to kids as they learn about themselves. And more than anything I love the care with which Sáenz handles these characters and their lives. You can feel his affection for Ari and Dante in every word. This is a book that is swelling with emotion invites readers to really feel their own vulnerability along with these characters.

I have this as a 5 star read. Fantastic call on my part. Of the books entering the list today, this is the one that I feel the most emotional attachment towards so I’m slipping it in at the number one spot. I wish I had more to say about this book except that I absolutely adore it and I can’t wait to read the sequel (waiting for the paperback release so my books match is so stressful). If this has been sitting on your TBR for a while bump it up to the top. For now, I’ll leave you with a quote I took a picture of for instagram that I do think about pretty regularly. It feels like a fresh gut punch every time I read it.

WRAPPING IT UP

Okay so the fun part of all of this is coming out with a ranked list of books I’ve read. Okay maybe that’s just fun for me. I’m going to keep a running google doc list and insert the books I talk about wherever I think they should go on the list. This one is going to be pretty easy, since the only books entering the list are the three I talked about in this post.

There’s not a ton to wrap up on the first installment in this project. Nothing super controversial here. Just one popular YA book that everyone has read and two comic series no one has read. I’m excited to see how this pans out and where I land on books I haven’t thought about in a while. Next time I have two more comic series and one of my all time favorite novels to add to the list. The next few posts are going to be pretty comics heavy, so hopefully no one is totally put off by that content. I promise, they fade out by the end of the year.

[six-paths-of-jeanmarco]

Eurovision 2016 vs 2017

Albania: Fairytale vs World Armenia: LoveWave vs Fly with Me Australia: Sound of Silence vs Don't Come Easy Austria: Loin d'ici vs Running on Air Azerbaijan: Miracle vs Skeletons Belarus: Help You Fly vs Story of My Life Belgium: What's the Pressure vs City Lights Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ljubav je Bulgaria: If Love Was a Crime vs Beautiful Mess Croatia: Lighthouse vs My Friend Cyprus: Alter Ego vs Gravity Czechia: I Stand vs My Turn Denmark: Soldiers of Love vs Where I Am Estonia: Play vs Verona Finland: Sing It Away vs Blackbird France: J'ai cherché vs Requiem Georgia: Midnight Gold vs Keep the Faith Germany: Ghost vs Perfect Life Greece: Utopian Land vs This Is Love Hungary: Pioneer vs Origo Iceland: Hear Them Calling vs Paper Ireland: Sunlight vs Dying to Try Israel: Made of Stars vs I Feel Alive Italy: No Degree of Separation vs Occidentali's Karma Latvia: Heartbeat vs Line Lithuania: I've Been Waiting for This Night vs Rain of Revolution Malta: Walk on Water vs Breathlessly Moldova: Falling Stars vs Hey Mamma Montenegro: The Real Thing vs Space Netherlands: Slow Down vs Lights and Shadows North Macedonia: Dona vs Dance Alone Norway: Icebreaker vs Grab the Moment Poland: Color of Your Life vs Flashlight Portugal: Amar pelos dois Romania: Moment of Silence vs Yodel It! Russia: You Are the Only One vs Flame Is Burning San Marino: I Didn't Know vs Spirit of the Night Serbia: Goodbye (Shelter) vs In Too Deep Slovenia: Blue and Red vs On My Way Spain: Say Yay! vs Do It for Your Lover Sweden: If I Were Sorry vs I Can't Go On Switzerland: The Last of Our Kind vs Apollo Ukraine: 1944 vs Time United Kingdom: You're Not Alone vs Never Give Up on You

2016: 28 vs 2017: 14