#pointing at pages over my brother's shoulder 'love that...so cool...look how pretty that is...' articulating WHY makes me sound insane😭

[batbabydamian]

The Boy Wonder #1 by Juni Ba rambling about why every time i open this book, i stare in wonder...HAHA and ofc!! how cute Damian is!!

Juni Ba’s style is so absurdly effective in telling a fairy tale for the ages. It’s a stunning blend of simplicity and complexity I'M GRIPPING THE PAGES AGAINST MY EYES…

Before getting into the interiors, THE COVER!! It associates autumn leaves to Damian's Robin title through the iconic cape shape/color; and on top of that, for a Robin going through a big transition in his life...a season of change one might say...Juni Ba your brain...

Damian and the leaves being the only colored parts of this cover is nice in focusing on those elements, but i also like to think by not coloring the background it prepares you to expect impressive inkwork in this book.

On that note, the interiors!! Starting off with Ba's backgrounds of Gotham as it establishes the strange new world that our young hero has been thrust into:

We get a neat tracking shot following a champagne glass that gives us a glimpse of Gotham from the upper echelons to the downtrodden in "Underwell"

This opening sequence quickly lays out the environment Damian will be traveling through in this series! It also sets the tone for some silliness with the cute zoom on the champagne glass before it BOKs the robber lol. Along with Ba's inks, O'Halloran's colors makes every part of Gotham pop - especially love the golds of the higher society shifting into the blues of the underbelly!!

Besides Damian’s personal conflict, Gotham feels like its own entity that he has to contend with. The dialogue speaks for itself, but within the art as well!!

"This city of ours swallows and crushes everything it can" -> a gargoyle's beak over Damian, crowds of people, and walls of advertising

"You've seen it too...the way it coils around one's mind from below." -> bridges and a passing train on a rail viaduct towering over a civilian

"A dark voice calling as if to say..." -> literally, "FEED ME"

LOVELY SHOT OF MOVEMENT... and i love how Damian's venture into Gotham opens with him passing a tree - its branches and leaves are the most organic element on the page before getting into the gritty details of the city! Some yammering because the inks are. so cool: the delicate lines of the leaves in the tree to the thicker/bigger lined ones closer to the camera on the right; the background inks allowing space around Damian's form + the fine line of his grapple!! More O'Halloran praise - PRETTY, and love his coloring over Ba's bg lines, particularly here, keeping the leaves darker on the right.

It's not only a pretty page it's just a really clean layout!! Ba exhibits this throughout the book but i really enjoy it here - from Damian nyooming, we head into these last 3 panels. his cute lil "Robin" shape easily draws the eye to the tops of the panels as we take in Gotham's liveliness alongside the lettering/narration

and the "Robin" shape?? SO CUTE. it's instantly familiar to us as Robin!! bold outline and filled with yellow...it's a Robin in movement!!...AN AUTUMN LEAF IN THE WIND... yeah, still not over that 😭

Damian's inciting incident is introduced in the former panel with a gorgeous backdrop of Gotham in the distance (plus itty bitty Trinity cameo haha). The shot parallels!! beautifully!! in the final page!! Damian is now in the depths of Gotham, his objective out of reach. The colors are of note too, where the familiar yellows of Gotham are suddenly a startling green after the demon makes its appearance. The Gotham land looks even more unfamiliar, which prompts Damian to seek help.

Some speculation, but the green could also be associated with the more mythical side of demons and such (like the ghost?? of the thief), but it could even imply there's a connection to the Al Ghuls themselves as it's the only other time green is so prominently used.

Now that the land of Gotham is established, popping in other fav bgs!

More lovely mix of Ba's inks and O'Halloran's colors!! especially allowing some of the brush/marker strokes to show faintly as part of the twinkling sky...STUNNING!! 😭 i love this whole page but this panel gets me weepy, SMALL DAMIAN IN THE VAST UNIVERSE COMBINED WITH THIS LINE "He knew he could be great. How unfair of the world to make him feel so small." KICKS MY ASS... i need to lie down

YAPPING AT MORE WONDERFUL INKING: the suggestion of windows offscreen from the frames casting these thick lines over the walls and stairwell; the minute shadow details over the railing; the hatching on the suits in the portrait; the framed portrait being its own panel!! cute hooded Damian in the gutter space looking in on the portrait/panel!! CUTE HOODED DAMIANS!!

SPEAKING OF PANELS, along with general effectiveness and efficiency, there's more whimsy in others!! like this kickass page of Nightwing whipping his escrima from first panel -> afterimage lines going POWPOWPOW hitting demons from a distance to ones closer to the camera -> and back into his hand!! IT'S SO GOOD AND SO FUN!!

Ba's action employs more diagonal panels, and characters are less restrained within boxes - there's more energy and freedom across the page!

not necessarily focusing on the action for this one, but THE WHIMSY!! the border itself is goop!! Also gotta point out that looming hammer shape!!

Nightwing's critical hit spans the entire page!! from silhouettes of a flip -> flashy stomping pose/Clayface -> to a distant shot of Dick landing

and a smooth finisher page!! love the motion lines on Dick's arms and waist + his head and arc effects popping outside of the borders; then the smaller panels for quick activity, and the final WOOB WOOB WOOB LOL i can hear this sound effect just as much as i can see it

Along with O'Halloran on colors, Aditya Bidikar on lettering works seamlessly with Ba's vision!! The text boxes for the fairy tale narration are like strips of yellowing pages from an old storybook!! Had to look up the term for this lol, but also reminiscent of those storybooks, there's even a use of "drop caps" - the big fancy capital letter!

Smaller things of note, but the bit of "Weakness" text from Ra's has a kind of. grandiose feel to it. Then the cute B< Damian behind the window!! Love how the bubble and text are faded behind the glass too! The end of the bubble tail is a nice touch as it matches well with Ba's bg inking :0

Otherwise, it seems Ba has done a majority of the lettering - dropping a couple of my favs below!!

also just this whole page: the very loud AAAH! text draws both Damian's and the reader's attention to the panel below!! it's a cool transition to a new shot where you can see Damian's silhouette on the building! The final panel is cartoony violence off-page through the bold POW BOOM SLAM haha + DAMIAN'S LIL FIST!!🥺 and the guy's tooth RIP

Pure speculation - Juni Ba's concept art included Carrie Kelley, so i'm wondering if the hostage in the beginning could be her and we'll be returning to this moment in time by the end. The worn Robin colors are similar to the design + their head is conveniently covered.

In terms of story, I'm obviously heavily biased, but the initial read got me rolling in emotions with how it has you caring for Damian. Damian as a character is so fantastical in essence - it’s part of his individual charm in the batfam cast! an heir of two kingdoms, born and raised with great expectations suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar land. he has a sword. he has a dragon bat for a companion. he is haunted by the sins he has committed. he is two apples tall. he's truly fairytale material!!

LIKE...past the panels of only his silhouettes, this is our introductory appearances of Damian. It's laid out clearly in the narration, but this parallel is SO GOOD: from the powerful and ornate visuals of Damian and the Al Ghuls -> to a simple panel of Batman's shadow behind a boy littered in scars, stripped of his home and status

Damian is out of his element and proves himself in the way he knows how!!

just kick me down a flight of stairs why don't you. i don't know which messes me up more, the top 3 or bottom 3 panels. His facial expressions!! his expectations for approval dashed!! Damian's hand reaching for his father!! only to be left alone with the body. The page after this is the final nail in the coffin in feeling just how lost he is in the world before he acts on it. And you root for him the entire way!!😭

Despite Damian's fanciful background there's so much heart to be shown in his struggles and discoveries - and this classic form of a fairy tale lays it out so brilliantly!! It's shaping up to be an amazing balance of heavier elements and whimsy based on this first issue, and it leaves you wanting more!!

Besides being a thoroughly enjoyable read, it's inspiring work!! i've ordered Juni Ba's other books to consume more of his storytelling, and here's the ones i've found so far if you're interested in checking them out as well!!

Mobilis: My Life with Captain Nemo

Monkey Meat

Djeliya: A West African Fantasy Epic

The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber

okay shockingly, i didn't blab about how cute Damian is as much as i thought i would, but i think the collage at the top speaks for itself lol

this is all you need to know how cute Damian is in this!! his cheeks are so pinchable, it was done on page!! 🥺 these panels obliterate me

[missjanjie]

Take Me Back to the Start | (9/10)

Title: Take Me Back to the Start Summary:   Everyone remembers their first love. Not everyone carries those feelings from childhood to senior year. Yet Brock is starting his last year of high school while still longing for the relationship he lost five years ago. Meanwhile, José is at the top of the food chain and seems to have it all together. But maybe their story isn’t over yet. Word Count: ~3.1k (this chapter) / ~28.4k (total) Relationship(s): Branjie (Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo), Sportsdoll (Jan Sport/Nicky Doll) Rating: E

Read on AO3

Nine Years Ago

José was the type of kid that looked forward to recess more than any part of the day. He needed that time to run around and be loud, burn off some of that energy so he could at least try to sit still during the rest of the school day. His ADHD and general personality already made that an uphill battle for any teacher.

But after a good few minutes of running around on the playground, he found himself bored. Or at least, bored enough to notice a kid sitting by himself with his face buried in his notebook. Occasionally he would look up and around, like he was contemplating getting up and playing, but would end up only curling further into himself.

It took a split second, but José recognized him as the new kid. He was introduced to the class that morning but, even with the teachers’ encouragement, he didn’t have a whole lot to say. José was pretty sure half of the class would need to be reminded of his name before the day ended, and that just didn’t sit right with him.

Because on the other hand, José did not have a problem talking or remembering faces. No, he had an endless capacity to talk to and meet new people, so he sat right next to the shy blonde boy. “Hi! You’re Brock, right?”

Brock looked up, closing his notebook and setting it aside. There was a split second of hesitation before he answered him. “Um… yeah, hi,” he replied, shifting his legs so he was sitting with them crossed instead. “What’s your name?”

“José. Whatcha doin’ sitting by yourself?” He frowned, tilting his head. “Recess is for playing, you look like you was doing homework,” he observed, cocking his head the other way, towards the notebook at Brock’s feet.

“It’s not homework.” He shook his head, then thought for a beat. “Actually… I guess it is kind of like homework. But it’s not for school, it’s for my ballet class.”

José perked his head up with curious interest. “You do ballet? That’s so cool!”

Brock blinked in surprise. “You think it’s cool? Most people think it’s dumb, that boys aren’t supposed to take ballet,” he explained.

“Well, they’re wrong then. I think it’s cool. You should teach me something from your class sometime.”

“Yeah!” Brock beamed brightly, the excitement of having finally made a new friend bubbling over. Even then, he knew it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Present Day

Brock woke up with a broad smile on his face. He glanced down. José was clinging to him like a koala, still sleeping soundly, and it was the most beautiful damn sight he had ever seen. It was hard to believe last night – the entirety of the previous day, really – actually happened. It felt like he was finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, like he was finally getting where he so desperately wanted to be for the longest time.

José yawned, his eyes squeezing shut before opening them. He slowly tilted his head up, smiling sleepily when he saw Brock watching him. “You watchin’ me sleep, B?”

“Just a little.” He chuckled, raking his fingers through his thick, brown hair. He gently scratched his head and laughed softly because José let out a noise that sounded like one of his cats purring.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” he assured, kissing his forehead. “You’re just cute.”

José picked his head up, smiling at him before dropping back down to his chest. “You still corny as hell,” he murmured with a subdued laugh.

Brock smiled, squeezing him close. “Maybe so, but you’re the one that’s a sucker for it,” he retorted. The calm contentment didn’t last much longer as his upcoming schedule crept up on him. “You know I have to get down to the studio today. I wanna get in one last solid rehearsal before the competition tomorrow.”

“Alright,” José agreed. “But I’m going with you to make sure you keep that shit short and sweet. I’m not finna let you overexert yourself and wind up with sore-ass legs the morning of. And you better bet I’mma make sure you eat all your meals today.”

Brock blinked, taken back by the sudden assertiveness in the smaller teen’s tone. Though at the same time, he was touched. He thought it was sweet that he jumped right into making sure he took care of himself, he’d come to realize that was how José expressed affection. His mother was like that too, but it was especially endearing with him. “Okay, okay, I’ll try to prioritize self-care in the midst of this very important competition,” he told him.

“I’m just not ‘boutta let you psych yourself out,” he replied simply. “I know you’d do the same for me.”

Brock smiled, squeezing him close. “You’re right,” he leaned down and kissed his forehead before actually getting himself to sit up. “Is there any point in taking a shower if I’m gonna get all sweaty and gross in the studio?” He watched as his boyfriend lazily shook his head. “Alright, breakfast it is.”

José pushed into an upright position as well. “Yeah? Whatcha making me?”

“Cereal.”

------

Everything was business as usual when Brock and José entered the studio. But as Brock was warming up, José guided his coach off to the side for a moment. “Listen, we probably already on the same page for this, but I just wanna be sure. I don’t want him to push himself too hard today, ‘cause he’s gonna burn the candle on both hands and I want him to have energy and strength tomorrow, you know?”

Anna chuckled, clasping her hand on José’s shoulder. “I appreciate your concern, hon. And you’re not wrong about him. But it’s my job to keep him at his best, not just pushing him to his limits.”

He nodded, feeling a bit silly for going out of his way to say that – she was right, it was her job. But he couldn’t shake the need to take care of Brock. Maybe, he thought, it was because he wasn’t able to protect him from Kyle, and now he had to make sure he never let him get hurt again. Especially not because of him. “Right, yeah. You guys do your thing, I’ll just… be over there.”

“Hey.” She stopped him right before he could slip away. “He’s lucky to have a boyfriend like you.”

José opened his mouth to correct her, but then stopped himself and just smiled. “Thanks,” he said as he walked off to the side. Hearing Brock referred to as his boyfriend sounded like music to his ears and made his heart swell in his chest. He knew eventually they would have to put some sort of label onto whatever it was they had – he was never a fan of ambiguity. But he had also come to realize that talking about their feelings was like pulling teeth, so he had to broach the subject delicately.

Maybe that was why dancing came so naturally to them. José watched as Brock moved with such grace and ease, while still able to convey depth and passion that words could never capture. Words could get muddled and mixed up, the movement was straightforward and fluid, there was nothing to be miscommunicated.

Brock took a deep breath when he finally finished for the day, chugging down almost an entire bottle of water in one go. “That felt good. It felt solid.”

“You are gonna eat that shit up tomorrow,” José said with certainty. “Now c’mon, sweaty. You gotta hit the showers,” he added, walking with him into the locker room. “Oh, uh, my mama texted me during rehearsal. She wants to know if you wanna come over for dinner. And listen, you totally don’t have to if you just wanna rest up and take it easy or–”

“Are you kidding? I’d never turn down your mom’s cooking,” he said as he undressed and stepped into the shower.

“It’s not that, it’s um…” José was glad Brock was in the shower and not watching him shift and fidget awkwardly. “My older brother’s already home for Thanksgiving, and when he’s with my younger brother, they’re still a little, you know… rough around the edges.”

Brock shrugged, stepping back out and drying off shortly after. “I’m not worried about them. They can’t scare me off that easily,” he said, getting his clothes on and gathering his belongings up in his bag.

“That’s kinda hot,” José remarked with a smirk.

He laughed and threw his arm around the shorter teen as they left. “That’s the spirit. And hey, if they give us shit, we can just have loud sex in your room to get back at them.”

José looked up at him, admittedly a bit surprised that he was able to talk like that after just one time together. “Can… we do that even if they don’t?”

Brock snorted and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Yeah, even if they don’t.”

They went back to Brock’s house for the rest of the afternoon. After a light lunch, they retreated to the bedroom to watch TV. And they sat in relative silence until José cleared his throat. “I know we’re still shitty at talking about how we feel and all, but…” He gestured vaguely as he tried to figure out how to phrase it. “Anna called me your boyfriend and I really liked how it sounded. But I gotta know where you stand on that.”

Not unexpectedly, Brock didn’t know how to answer and sat silently for a few moments. In actuality, he knew exactly where he stood, he’d been standing there for eight years. But even knowing how José felt didn’t quell his fear of coming on too strong or taking it too far. So, just like always, he chose his words slowly and carefully. “I also like the idea of you being my boyfriend. I have for a while now. And… I see us together, not like the way we used to be, a better version of us together.”

Instead of a verbal response, José simply tackled Brock onto the bed and kissed him deeply. He couldn’t have articulated how he felt if he tried. There was happiness, relief, nerves, a little bit of arousal, just so much hitting at once. “Guess it’s official, then,” he murmured against his lips.

“It’s official,” Brock confirmed, holding him close and covering his face in small kisses. “We’re boyfriends again,” he beamed.

“Dinner’s gonna be a little more interesting now,” he mused, then glanced over and saw the time on his phone. “Which we better start getting ready for. She wants us there at six.”

Brock nodded, reluctantly untangling himself from José to change into a button-down shirt and jeans. He fixed up his hair and dabbed on a bit of cologne as well. “Alright, we good to go?”

José gave a thumbs up and the two of them left hand-in-hand, the same way they walked into his house. They looked around, his mother was in the kitchen and his brothers were on the couch, watching sports. “Don’t be fucking rude, say hi to Brock,” he said to them.

The two brothers looked up, nonplussed, and offered casual greetings before their attention completely refocused on the screen.

Realizing that that would be the extent of their interaction, Brock and José went and said hi to Anabel before going up to José’s bedroom. There, they waited idly until everyone was called in for dinner.

“So, what, you guys are dating again like when you were kids?” one of José’s brothers asked.

“You know what the difference is,” the older brother chimed in.

“Haha, gross.”

Their mother glared at them. “Ambos cierran la boca antes de que lo haga por ti,” she snapped in a firm warning that swiftly silenced them.

Brock and José didn’t do much but shift awkwardly. They weren’t completely wrong, in all fairness, but Brock definitely understood what José had meant by ‘rough around the edges’, and luckily they were able to make it through the meal without further incident.

When everyone was done and about to retire to their respective rooms, José’s older brother guided Brock off to the side. José noticed this and immediately went over to them. “Yo, I dunno what shit you’re about to pull but–”

“It’s okay, babe,” Brock assured. “Go upstairs, I’ll meet you there.” Then, he turned back to face the brother, standing in a way that he was taller and couldn’t be easily intimidated.

“Look,” he started, “I’m only saying this ‘cause I care about my little brother. I just think this shit’s weird. Not even ‘cause of the gay thing. But it’s just like… this childhood fantasy thing. How’s that ever gonna be a real love?”

The answer came surprisingly easy to Brock. At least, it must’ve, because he answered without his usual hesitation. “Yes, I fell in love with him when we were kids, that’s how I know it was real. Nothing else is as pure, as sincere. When you’re a child, you love with your whole heart, because that’s all you know how to do. That’s the type of love that stays with you forever. And that’s why I never fell out of love with him.”

José had been standing just out of their field of vision, listening in, in case he needed to step in and defend his boyfriend. But what he’d heard had caught him utterly by surprise and touched him in a way he’d never felt before. He didn’t hear how his brother responded, he rushed upstairs before either of them could notice.

Brock slowly opened the bedroom door, letting himself in. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” he said as he shut the door behind him. He didn’t get a verbal response, though. Instead, as soon as he was in his reach, José pulled him into a deep kiss that he melted right into. He fell back on the bed with him, refusing to be the first one to pull away.

Reluctantly, José pulled back when the urge to breathe beat out the desire to keep kissing. “I heard what you said,” he confessed, still breathless from the passionate embrace. “I heard what you said and I realized I love you too. I love you in a way I ain’t never loved before. And I don’t know what that means but I know it means a fucking lot.”

“I…” Brock’s head was spinning and his heart was pounding a mile a minute. He needed a moment just to take that all in – José had heard him admit his feelings, not only that, he reciprocated them. Their relationship had jumped up so many levels so fast, but at the same time, it felt like the natural progression – they were supposed to be in love, it’s what they were destined for. “God, it means everything to me to hear you say that.”

He smiled and kissed him again. “This has been one fuckin’ day, huh?”

“Yeah,” the blonde exhaled, laying down on his back with an arm wrapped around his boyfriend. “Dunno how I’m supposed to calm down and relax for tomorrow,” he remarked with a laugh.

Suddenly, José perked up with a smirk. “I know what to do about that,” he said and got up, pulling Brock along so he was sitting on the side of the bed.

Brock sat with his feet on the floor and watched while the shorter teen sunk to his knees. “Oh, I think I know where you’re going with this,” he grinned, carding his fingers through his hair.

“You’re just so smart,” José teased as he undid Brock’s jeans, tugging them down to his ankles with his boxers following suit. He looked up at him, making heavy eye contact as he spat on his hand and wrapped it around his length, stroking slowly and steadily.

It didn’t take much for Brock to start to get hard. He bit down on his lip, gaze fixated on José, who had built up his pace as he jerked him off, then teasingly lapped at the head of his cock.

José smirked to himself, then focused his attention exclusively on the task at hand. He dragged his tongue from the head all the way down and back up. Then, with one hand resting on Brock’s thigh to steady himself, he took his length in inch by inch, occasionally flicking his eyes back up to him.

“Shit…” Brock grunted softly, eyes fluttering shut and head tilting back. His breathing grew heavier and he bit down on his lip. He tangled his fingers through José’s hair, gripping just a bit.

After another moment, José had managed to get Brock’s length all the way down his throat. His forehead rested against his lower abdomen as he focused his breathing through his nose. The hand on his thigh grabbed tighter while his free hand wiggled into his jeans so he could get himself off as well.

Brock was struggling to keep himself still and quiet, unsure if he was able to do both. The hand that wasn’t tugging José’s hair was clamped over his mouth to stifle his moans. As much as he tried to keep his body planted firmly on the bed, his hips rolled up every now and then.

José didn’t mind it. In fact, he thought it was hot that he could get him to lose control like that. He bobbed his head faster, with more fervor, eager to get him off.

And it was working. It was working very well. Brock was moaning louder, his hips were jerking erratically. He was cursing under his breath and all but yanking José’s hair. He tried to get out a warning, but when his orgasm hit, all he could do is cry out his lover’s name in a heated moment of pleasure.

José was ready, picking up on the physical cues and relaxed his throat in anticipation. He swallowed his load, lingering until he was certain his boyfriend was fully spent, then slowly eased off of him. In that time, he’d gotten himself off as well, making quick work of cleaning off before he stood back up and kissed him. “You relaxed now?”

Brock needed a moment to catch his breath. “Oh yeah.” He nodded. “I’m gonna sleep like a baby tonight.”

José grinned in satisfaction, getting in bed, pleased with a job well done. Their day may have been a rollercoaster, but they were ending it in each other’s arms, so it was all worth it.