#the rest of those books i've recommended (and the one movie and the comic series and the manga/anime) really are good for the things i've m

[brokentoys]

Speaking of the good comics, which ones are those or what ones do you recommend?

Okie! ✌️ I'll list my absolute favorite ones!

Batman Chronicles #3 (1995) / Riddle of the Jinxed Sphinx.

This one is actually a mini-story in a comic filled with three mini stories. (The other two being about Zsasz, and Croc) - but that doesn't matter. Despite it being a short story, you get a good look in Ed's head. This is actually a take on the "Eddie tries to give up leaving riddles behind". Which there's been at least three of those I can recall. Most people know of the one based on the Animated Series / New Adventures of Batman & Robin. And while that one's good. This one's the best because it focuses on Riddler more rather than Batman and Robin trying to figure out if Eddie's actually giving up riddles or not. It's also more realistic to OCD compared to the other one(s) which does it in a sillier manner. I'd go into depth as to why, but I don't wanna spoil anything.

That being said...

Batman Gotham Adventures #11 (1999) / The Oldest One in the Book!

Even though, imo, it's not as good as above, I still recommend reading it regardless! It has a very emotional ending, and it still has some characterization points I like. (Dealing with Ed's shame regarding his mental illnesses). Which is funny, given that I actually dislike most of the Gotham Adventure comics with Eddie because they also watered down his character to be a money grubby thief and nothing more. (When that goes against everything about Animated Series Eddie from the beginning - who didn't care about money / tried to kill a greedy CEO)

Batman #23.2 (2013) / Solitaire

May be my FAVORITE Eddie comic. Maybe. Also you'll notice it's one of the few recent / post New 52 comics I'll add to this list. It's such a satisfying read.

DC Strange Love Adventures (2022) / Dinner for Two

EDDIE IS CANONICALLY BISEXUAL HELL YEAH. A short story in a comic with many short comics (most of them are Movie Baits) but this one is so so so so fucking good. Probably the best Riddler comic in the last nine years or so (at its time). Which is sad. But it's a comic that truly understands what a lonely person Eddie is. Which I wish more comics would acknowledge that. Amazing read. It's the last one in the book, though.

BATMAN #608-619 (2002) / HUSH

If you read this one expecting Riddler - just know you won't see much of him. But by god, the moments you DO see him? Totally worth it. Jeph gave a new concept for Riddler, and how he could be a WONDERFUL villain. Unfortunately DC discarded all of this.

Batman Confidential #26, #27, #28 (2009)

A Batman and Riddler team up comic! Although there are parts I've felt were contrived, this is a VERY enjoyable one that's three parts. Eddie and Bruce's dynamic is just so fun and hilarious (in a good way!) And Eddie's characterization is also entertaining as hell. It helps show how Bruce and Eddie can help each other, too.

The Brave and the Bold #183 (1982) / The Death of Batman

ANOTHER Batman and Riddler team up comic, though older! This one's also a blast just because, again, Eddie and Bruce's dynamic is so entertaining. But Bruce's patience seems to be much thinner in this one, because he snaps at Riddler A LOT. They also share some pretty hilarious back and forths.

Detective Comics Annual #8 (1995) / Questions Multiple The Mystery

In this one, Eddie finally opens up to an Arkham psychiatrist, and tells his story. Whilst this one, unfortunately, goes with the "Eddie is a cheat and cheated in school" concept - the rest of it makes up for that. I also feel it has some good depictions of his psychosis. May even been the first comic to show him struggling with psychosis? But I can't quite remember that.

Gotham City Sirens #3 (2010)

About a reformed Eddie. And man, he just has some good development in this is all.

Gotham City Sirens #9 and #10 (2010)

This one has many reasons why I love it - like how I love most of these, it's another comic that gets deep into his psychology. And for once, depicts Eddie as beating himself up / talking down on himself rather than the generic "I'm THE GREATEST PERSON ALIVE-" I guess what I'm saying it also feels like a more realistic depiction of NPD.

HONORARY MENTIONS

BATMAN ZERO YEAR (2013) ... YEAH THIS ALSO WENT ON FOR LIKE 12 FUCKING ISSUES

I didn't love this comic. And frankly, it was definitely dragged out waaaay longer than it needed to be. That's because they literally wanted this to go on for a year (as comics release monthly) But imo, it took way too long to start and takes many issues in before it gets actually interesting. But I bother to mention it here just because it's one of the very, very, very few events where Eddie's the main antagonist. (Other than the War of Jokes and Riddles - but you'll never see me recommending a Tom King book) So props to him. And it still has some fine moments.

Batman Legends of the Dark Knight #185-189 (2005) / Riddle Me That

EMO PLASTIC SURGERY RIDDLER. MY BELOATHED. I literally have a love/hate relationship with this one. Riddler's design, and his characterization was just... okay???? And it's way longer than it should be. This was an attempt to rebrand the character to Appeal to the Modern Kids - and kinda spat on Eddie's old design, plus everything Jeph Loeb did with Hush. Which all failed. However, there are still some things I really enjoy in this comic. For one, it MIGHT be the first to retcon the "Eddie's a cheat / Eddie cheated in school" and instead changed it to that he was a victim of gaslighting by jealous parents. I would say it may be the first time Eddie was depicted as an abuse victim - but I don't know if it's credited to this comic, as it seems like that's just an idea DC must've had in general. As Alex Ross' Justice also mentioned him being beaten by his father for "cheating/lying," and Batman 2004 cartoon also depicted Eddie with a bad father (though the abuse was watered down due to being a kid's show) so it seems like that's just something DC told everyone they were doing with Ed's character or something. Anyway, despite having several glaring issues - there are still moments I love in this comic, regardless. Read it with caution, I guess.

JUSTICE #2 (2005)

While part of a short series, I've only ever read this one. It's an enjoyable one! Ed's intelligence is also credited in this one. However, I like it for it also mentions the abuse Eddie went through. It's also where I got my URL from.

Catwoman: Lonely City (2022)

A Catwoman comic? Why? Because Eddie's drug abuse is mentioned (also since it's a future, it's revealed he got clean <3) and he also fucks Catwoman. What more could you want?

There are more I could recommend. But these are, imo, the very best ones. Of course, I will also recommend watching the Animated Series (he was only in three eps </3) as well as checking him out in Arkham City and Arkham Origins - as those are my fav Eddies in those games.

[mixingpumpkins]

Have you read the sandman comics? I haven’t read them (graphic novels are not my favorite genre) or watched the show but have been considering doing both, and was wondering if you would recommend reading the books first? I’m the past, if I’ve read the book before the movie, I tend to be a bit more critical of it (don’t get me started on the Ella Enchanted movie) than if I watch the movie first, but by doing it that way I sometimes miss some nuance/importance/Easter eggs. What do you recommend?

Oh god, the Ella Enchanted movie. 🙃

I have read the comics! I just finished rereading them before watching the series, which was why I didn't binge it immediately on release day. That said:

Watch the series. (Run, don't walk. Seriously.)

Like, I'd encourage you to read the Sandman comics as well, but don't wait to do that to watch the series, especially if you don't really like graphic novels. Tbh, I wish I hadn't bothered finishing my reread before watching - because it was that good - and it's probably one of the only adaptations I've seen where I wouldn't be explaining nuances if I were watching it with someone who didn't know anything about the source material.

You won't miss anything, except maybe the occasional "oh hey, that shot is the same as the comic panel" or the more frequent "oh hey, that line is a direct quote from the comics." And those are just as easily enjoyed as "oh hey, those panels look almost the same as that scene," imo.

Maybe controversial opinion, but I enjoyed the show even more than the comics, and it's been one of my fave graphic novels for decades now. The series fleshes out things I wish had been explored a little more in the comics, and cuts the things (like some other DC character cameos) that I didn't particularly enjoy when I read them.

Every single "major" change so far, like John Constantine -> Johanna Constantine or Lucien -> Lucienne, or Dream's eyes looking human rather than solid black with stars, is an upgrade that works so well. The things in the comics that felt a bit "ick" to me in terms of story, subject matter handling, tone, being dated, etc. have been upgraded too.

I honestly can't remember seeing another adaptation where I didn't want to nitpick against the source material and I actually feel like every single change works better than it was originally written. And you certainly don't need to be familiar with the original version to appreciate how good these elements are.

The other thing I'll say is ... mind the warnings. It can get really dark, and going into it thinking it's another fun series like Good Omens just because it's by Neil Gaiman is a shortcut to a rude awakening. I cried. A lot.

And don't let the gory horror show that is Episode 5 turn you off the rest of it, especially since Episode 6 is up there for one of the most beautifully done episodes of TV I've ever seen.

Enjoy! God, I'm so jealous, I wish I could see it for the first time again.

[erroramended-blog]

I set out to do a lot of reading in 2023 in hopes of varying my pool of inspiration. Here are my rankings of those books/comics/ manga. The faded ones are re-reads, the rest are first time reads. I had a hard time charting the comics/manga series, because I continued reading some (Witch hat and Something is killing the children) but I stopped after the first volume on others (Harrow county, Ghostlore) Maybe next year I'll have a better system. At some point I also wanna post about games, shows and movies I consumed last year but I will do that later.

I'm also gonna take this opportunity to ramble about what I liked below the cut!

I specifically went after stories of witches and magic, not only because I love them, but to help inspire my own witchy tales and characters.

Witch Hat Atelier has got to be one of, if not THE best things I picked up this year. Its art, worldbuilding and storytelling are all so beautiful and fascinating. I'm not fully caught up yet, but I am loving the journey so far. Highly recommended.

Hooky also caught my heart with its fun and lovable characters that go through so much across the series. I could ramble about this one for a long time, but I'll keep it short. Highly recommended.

My third witchy standout takes a tonal turn. Slewfoot was a fascinating journey with an ending that was both horrifying and satisfying. Great fall read that I will be visiting again.

Other standouts include my re-read of Genderqueer. That graphic novel continues to hold a very special place in my heart. I can't even put into words how much it means to me and how it made feel.

Tiger Tiger's art style is beautiful, fun and so expressive. I've only read the first volume so far, but I intend to continue, and I am excited to see where the story goes.

The adventure zone comic series continues to be fantastic, and I can't wait for the next installment.

Thats all I'll say for now, on to 2024!

[words-writ-in-starlight]

thank you so much omg Name of the Wind is SO FRUSTRATING, I tried reading it and just did NOT like the protagonist or the writing style or ANYTHING, and people KEEP RECOMMENDING IT TO ME

mhmhmhMHMHM you have come to the RIGHT PLACE

Okay, so first, a disclaimer: I read Name of the Wind four and a bit years ago and, despite my usually excellent memory for plots and characters, retained exactly jack and shit of the whole thing except for the arguments I wrote in my head about my frustration.  But like...I’ve been holding onto those for a long time, so just.  Sit tight and listen to me complain for a minute, I deserve this.

First and foremost, it’s pitched as this revolutionary take on...something, and if my life and the lives of everyone I love depended on it, I couldn’t tell you what it’s supposed to revolutionize.  It’s not even a particularly well-executed piece on Magic Has A Price, which is what I usually hear about (what with the very academic, scientific take on magic), the fucking early Dresden Files are better at that.  (Shit y’all, remember Toby Daye, the series I haven’t shut up about?  Magic Has A Price masterpiece right there.)  I mean, goddamn, @Patrick Rothfuss, I’m really sorry, but you’re never going to do Magic Is A Science better than Fullmetal Alchemist, which basically invented equivalent exchange, so just put that one to bed.  For actual revolutionary takes on various genres, I’d suggest Imperial Radch (scifi), The Wrath and the Dawn (fairy tale retelling), Stormdancer (steampunk/fantasy), Sunshine (paranormal urban), and Kencyrath Chronicles (epic fantasy).

Second, the main character is not likable.  There.  I said it.  I found Kvothe absolutely fucking insufferable in every way.  His “modern” self telling the story was, like, a little more tolerable, but for the majority of the novel he’s an arrogant twit too convinced of his own cleverness to drag his head out of his ass for long enough to actually get anything done.  It’s possible to do a very self-confident, clever character in a way that their arrogance is actually charming--King Arthur: Legend of the Sword comes to mind.  Shit, son, so does Roy Mustang, and half the other characters in FMA.  In books, I’d rec maybe Captive Prince (Laurent).  It’s important, if you’re doing that, to make sure that the character can actually put their money where their mouth is and do the thing they’re bragging about, or else make it a Learning Experience that sticks with them.  Kvothe ain’t that.  Kvothe is just completely baselessly sure that he’s going to be the best from the very beginning, despite evidence to the contrary, and I found it intolerably annoying.

Third, the universe is interesting, the magic is kind of a neat concept for all that it’s (from what I can tell) an Eragon bootleg, which is, of course, the child of LOTR and Star Wars almost exactly. But the writing style was like a fucking textbook.  I mean.  Goddamn.  Not exactly sweeping me away into the infinite Imagisphere with that.  And I’m not--my standards for evocative prose are not that high, the Animorphs books were written for thirteen-year-olds, but fuck me NotW was not remotely achieving it.  If you’re going to frontload that kind of technical jargon, you need to make it the point of the book, like The Martian, which is very up front about being a science ramble that enjoys what it’s doing, or else find a good balance like Sabriel, which is heavy on the technical angle of Abhorsen magic and glyphs and shit without sacrificing the characters.

Fourth, I dimly recall a girl who’s there for like a hot minute as a love interest?  I don’t think I remember any others?  So, you know...points off for that one.  It’s the 21st century.  Women, POC, the homosexual agenda, they should all be in there.  Thanks.

Fifth, the whole urban setup gets a lot of time and attention, but it’s just not...well done?  It’s just not.  It does not give a cohesive sense of place, nor an emotional connection to the people in that place.  Please, for the love of God, Jesus, and any other deities you want to throw in there, read the first book in the Kencyrath series, it is called God Stalk and it’s very good at this.  I’d also say Toby Daye, but that’s about a real place (San Francisco) rather than a fantasy setting, like NotW and God Stalk.

Sixth, and this is a writerly complaint, not an opinion, but: right, so, in the “modern” day when Kvothe is telling the story, some grand disaster is underway, right?  Am I making that up?  See, I’d never know if I was making it up, because it does not get a single goddamn mention in the main bulk of the novel.  That is a clear and evident sign that you need to critically reevaluate what part of the timeline is the main novel.  I’m not saying that your novel necessarily needs to be the worst day/month/week of your character’s life, but if you could have included the entire text of the novel in a page or two of emotionally laden dialogue or memories, you probably should have.  And don’t come at me with “Oh, Name of the Wind is the first in a series, things get underway later in the series” because if your FIRST BOOK does not grab me, I’m absolutely not giving you ANOTHER BOOK to get it done.  You want to set up some kind of heartwrenching Things Were Different Once arrangement?  Make me care about your characters and then drop bits of backstory as we go, or include a prologue, or get over your fear of flashbacks and use them judiciously. Crucially, give them a relationship to The Way Things Were and then use that relationship to make your reader upset for them.  Again, Toby Daye is a great example.  So is the Imperial Radch series by Anne Leckie.

Which brings me to seventh, which is that I am APPALLED that over the course of that entire goddamn book, there was not one single interpersonal relationship I ever came to give a damn about.  I think there was the girl, I think Kvothe might have had one (1) friend, I think there was a teacher?  And there was the kid Bast in the “modern” day, who I retained more of than literally anyone/anything else because he was the only person I gave a flying fuck about.  Again, I, the writer, am horrified about this, far more so than I, the reader.  The main thing that original content creators should take away from fanfic culture is that your readers will almost universally care more about the relationships between characters than anything else.  You are going to need a pretty balls-out crazy good universe and plot to smooth over a general lack of engaging relationships, and NotW just isn’t that good.  So, like, let that be a lesson.  I’m not recommending anything for this because this should be obvious.

EIGHTH, what...was the plot of the first book?  No, seriously, I was asking this when I finished it, too.  The only plot points I recall now are Kvothe deciding that he wanted to do The Magic, Kvothe conning his way into The School For The Magic (in, if I recall correctly, kind of a FMA ripoff?), something about a library for The Magic, a bunch of technical stuff about The Magic and Kvothe being an arrogant twit, and Kvothe getting whipped.  From what I remember, the entire book basically seemed to lead up to Kvothe getting whipped and ended shortly thereafter.  And, uh...how should I put this.  That’s.  Not a plot.  Again, that’s maybe a couple paragraphs of conversation between Kvothe and someone he cares about regarding the scars on his back, not an entire fucking novel.  Again, this should be obvious, I’m not recommending anything.

Anyway, TL;DR, NotW is ultimately a forgettable fantasy novel without anything in particular to distinguish it from a myriad of other unremarkably flawed fantasy novels, and I wouldn’t have any opinions on it whatsoever if people didn’t keep pitching it to me as the Second Coming of Tolkien, leGuin, McCaffrey, and fuck knows who else.  

A collection of the content I recommended here and why I recced them, plus some others:

Imperial Radch, Ann Leckie (unique scifi, excellent example of emotionally resonant flashbacks)

The Wrath and The Dawn, Renee Ahdieh (unique fairy tale retelling)

Stormdancer, Jay Kristoff (unique steampunk fantasy)

Sunshine, Robin McKinley (unique paranormal urban fantasy)

Kencyrath Chronicles, PC Hodgell (unique epic fantasy, well-executed fantasy cities and colleges)

Fullmetal Alchemist, Hiromu Arakawa (magic with a price, scientific magic, charmingly arrogant characters) (manga or Brotherhood anime)

October Daye, Seanan McGuire (magic with a price, emotionally resonant memories/prologue, well-executed urban locale)

Captive Prince, CS Pacat (charmingly arrogant/engagingly arrogant characters, well-executed political scheming)

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, dir. Guy Ritchie (charmingly arrogant characters, concise worldbuilding)

The Martian, Andy Weir (technical frontloading without being unreadable)

Sabriel, Garth Nix (technical magic and worldbuilding without losing character engagement)

Source and Shield Series, Moira J. Moore (unique urban non-Earth fantasy, charmingly arrogant characters, emotionally resonant conversations about the past)

Temeraire Series, Naomi Novik (technical worldbuilding without being unreadable, having a fucking plot in each book even if your overall plot is extremely big-picture and doesn’t show up until later)

The Wicked + The Divine, Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie (unique folklore retelling/urban fantasy, charmingly arrogant characters, having some fucking diversity)

[fairymascot]

i've never been a fan of DC comics and all that but all the content on your blog about poison ivy and harley make me wanna read them all

Please Don't. comics are Bad. very few are actually worth it

for anyone looking to get into harley's character and her relationship with ivy, here's my recommendation list, in order:

WATCH:

*harley quinn tv

very violent and edgy adult humor, so proceed with caution if you're used to more wholesome cartoons. but if you vibe with the style, it's a really great show, containing some of the most respectful and loving depictions of those characters, hilarious humor, touching drama, and of course, textual, central-stage harley and ivy romance.

*birds of prey and the emancipation of harley quinn

no ivy in this one, but it's an awesome movie, the only all-female superhero ensemble on the big screen. features a cast of wonderful, unique female characters, great humor, amazing action, and margot robbie's positively iconic depiction of harley.

READ:

*harleen (stjepan sejic)

a one-shot book exploring harley's life up to her entering her relationship with the joker. extremely mature, nuanced and insightful look into her character, beautifully drawn and written, a must-read all around. focuses primarily on harley and joker, but ivy plays a small yet lovely role as well.

for more of his take on harley that didn't make it into print, i highly recommend checking the harley quinn tag on his blog (watch out for the occasional nsfw).

*harley quinn: black+white+red, issue #1 (stjepan sejic)

the rest of the issues in this series are all by an assortment of different writers and artists, mostly just goofy shenanigans that i could leave or take. but the first issue fits into the harleen 'verse and is as delightful as the book preceding it.

*harley quinn & birds of prey (jimmy palmiotti & amanda conner)

little to do with the film, this series is a continuation of palmiotti and conner's previous solo harley titles from 2014 and 2016. while it includes nods to those titles, they're fairly minor, and makes an easy starting point for new readers. only a few issues out right now, but so far it's fun, it's gay, it's got a whole lotta women, and i'm having a good time. harley and ivy are going through a breakup in it, which has so far been explored pretty nicely-- i just hope they get to actually work through it and it isn't merely used as an excuse to remove ivy from harley's life due to shitty dc exec demands. time will tell, i guess. [EDIT: now that it's been wrapped up, i can assure you it ends with harley and ivy happily together, BUT the last issue does predominantly consist of harley being gruesomely tortured by joker awaiting ivy's heroic rescue, which i personally found quite tacky and unpleasant. read at your own discretion.]

*harley quinn & poison ivy (jody houser & adriana melo)

a one-shot book picking up from the main dc continuity where, i dunno, some big clusterfuck event happened and ivy died before reincarnating. genuinely from the bottom of my heart, i have no idea what's going on in the main dc continuity and i don't care. thankfully, this book doesn't require that of me, focusing simply on harley and ivy and the trials their relationship goes through in the aftermath of ivy's death and rebirth. really dig the characterization and art, all in all a great read.

*batman: harley quinn (ty templeton & rick burchett)

some nice oldschool harley stories in the style of the batman cartoon, with ivy being a consistent presence throughout. characterization differs somewhat from modern takes on the characters, but it's still a good time.

THEN if you've read all this and are thirsty for more harley content, give palmiotti and conner's harley quinn (2013/2014) a try. it's detached from main dc continuity, which is nice, and is overall pretty fun and funny. harley and ivy are girlfriends in an open relationship in it, and while ivy isn't always around, they have a lot of sweet moments. that said, it's a mixed bag quality wise-- some of the humor is way too try-hard, the story often segues into pointless shenanigans, and there's a massive amounts of new original supporting characters that are frankly just not very interesting. if you find yourself enjoying it, great news, the title got renewed in 2016 and there's a shitton of issues to read. definitely don't try the 2016 run before the 2014 run, though, because you'll have no idea who any of those assholes other than harley are.

anything else... honestly not worth bothering with. especially avoid gotham city sirens (a pile of horny misogynist garbage) and harley quinn: breaking glass (bizarre YA slice of life take that seems more concerned about appearing 'woke' than capturing any of what made those characters interesting). i've seen a lot of people recommend dc bombshells because harley and ivy are very happily together in it, but i found the writing and characterization of ivy in particular to be totally unpalatable. she speaks exclusively like a bad love interest from a cheesy purple prose romance novel. it grates. still worth a try, i suppose, since it's standalone and so many fans are into it.

good luck! being a fan of female comic book characters is suffering!

[moghedien]

Hey, I'm a big wot fan and I've read the big names like asofi and lotr but not a lot more as far as fantasy is concerned and I wanted your recs as far as major big works are concerned...

Ok I’ve been thinking about this for a day or so and I’m not completely satisfied with what I came up with but I got some recommendations. I’m gonna try to mix this with big, more obvious series and also some newer stuff that definitely deserves attention. 

The first thing that comes to mind is Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. If you haven’t read any of Brandon Sanderson’s books outside of the WoT books he’s written, then I’d definitely suggest those. The Cosmere consists of multiple series, so there’s a ton to read there. Elantris (standalone), Mistborn Era 1 (trilogy), Mistborn Era 2 (currently a trilogy), Warbreaker (currently a standalone), and The Stormlight Archive (currently three books, fourth coming out this year) are the books in the series. There’s also White Sand which is a comic series (and honestly isn’t very good) and a few novellas and short stories. If you want to get into the Cosmere, start with either Mistborn Era 1 or Warbreaker. Most people would suggest Mistborn Era 1, but I just prefer Warbreaker and it is a standalone so that would be my personal suggestion. Just don’t do what I did and foolishly start with The Stormlight Archive because those books are like a million words a piece and require a lot of trust. I love the books, they’re probably my favorite Brandon Sanderson series, but they are a bad starting place.

The Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemisin is my next suggestion. The series comes with big ol’ content warnings for like, everything. Like literally everything, but its all very, very intentionally handled. It’s not intense and rough for shock value, its like that to make a point and I think it does so well. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot or inciting action, but basically, it’s a world in which there is magic that is related with geology (as in rocks) and also the world is ending and also the main character needs to find her daughter that her husband kidnapped. Also every book in the trilogy won the Hugo for Best Novel, and this is the only series that has ever done that. The first book in the trilogy is The Fifth Season.

Next recommendation comes with a little disclaimer because I’ve only read the first book so far, but I intend to read the rest and it is sorta a classic in fantasy, I believe, and that’s The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. The first book is the Assassin’s Apprentice and like I said, that was the only one I’ve read in the series, but I liked it and intend to read the others eventually. I believe that Robin Hobb’s other series all take place in the same world too, and there’s quite a few of those, but I’m pretty certain that the Assassin’s Apprentice is the place to start.

And here is another series that I’ve only read the first book for so far but enjoyed a lot. It’s also a much newer series: The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee is a sort of combination of a mafia movie and a martial arts movie, but actually it’s a book, takes place in a fantasy world, and there’s magic. The first book is Jade City and I enjoyed it a lot when I read it, but just haven’t gotten to the sequel yet though I’ve heard great things about it. The third book isn’t out yet and I’m not sure if that is the conclusion of the series but I think it is.

Obviously I can’t make one of these lists without mentioning the Witcher Saga by Andrzej Sapkowski. So the Witcher Saga is technically “The Witcher Saga plus two short story collections and also another book now.” If you watched the Netflix series and thought, “you know, that was somewhat confusing but I’d like to be much more confused just in general but also have in depth knowledge of seemingly random things,” then this series is for you! Ok, so I really do love the Witcher books and that sounds like I’m being harsh on it, but I just think its important to note that the writing style isn’t really traditional. Point of view jumps can seem weird and random and disjointed at times, but it does have a point to it all. If you’re going to read the Witcher, I’m going to just go ahead and give you the reading order because its unclear where you should start and in what order you should read it all. Start with the short story collections, beginning with The Last Wish, then Sword of Destiny, then you read the Saga, beginning with Blood of Elves and going in order from there. Read Season of Storms after the Saga. Also, the entire series in general deals with fairy tale retellings, but the short stories are MUCH more so. 

The last thing I’m going to suggest isn’t a series but a standalone book, though it is big enough that it could be a trilogy of three books rather than one massive book. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon came out last year and was one of my favorite books I read last year. I don’t really know how to describe it, but its told over multiple POVs and multiple cultures and has a genuine slow burn f/f romance that was definitely a highlight of the book for me personally. The author has said that she wants to write more in the world eventually, so there may eventually be a sequel, but at the moment, the book doesn’t require one and is a genuine standalone. 

Some fantasy authors who I don’t really have a specific work of theirs to mention but who I think deserve mentions because I’ve liked their books I’ve read: Mary Robinette Kowal, Naomi Novik, Sarah Gailey, Seannan McGuire, Rebecca Roanhorse

Also I just want to note that there are some gaps, as there are some major series I’ve never read that I know have huge followings like Malazan Book of the Fallen and pretty much every YA fantasy series ever. I don’t really want to outright recommend them because I have no experience with them whatsoever, but there’s a ton out there that’s widely loved that I just haven’t read. I could also make a long list of fantasy “classics” I would actively tell people to avoid, but that’s a whooooole other thing...

[gffa]

Hi! Sorry to bother you, but I saw there's an entire section dedicated to the SW novels on your page, so I figured you are the best person to ask this to. While I've watched the movies I must admit I'm a newbie in regards to any work that expands the canon universe, but I'm particulary interested in the prequels and especially in learning more on Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship, so I was wondering if you might be so kind as to give me a few suggestions on which novels I should read? :)

Hello!  That’s absolutely not a bother, I clearly love talking and I enjoy doing recs for things as well!  :D  Keep in mind that I haven’t read everything, so I may be missing some things, but I can absolutely at least get you started!Canon hasn’t explored Obi-Wan & Anakin much in the novels yet (though, I think we’re starting to explore that area), but if you’re okay with reading comics, the Obi-Wan & Anakin five issue mini-series and Age of Republic comics (or at least the Obi-Wan one and the Anakin one) are both really fantastic for exploring them.I would also suggest the Dark Lord of the Sith comic from Charles Soule, which is set post-Revenge of the Sith, it’s about Vader, but he is still very much Anakin Skywalker and it’s a 25-issue long look at his shitty choices, his attempt to deny that he had other paths he could have chosen, and still chose this, that he was too afraid to look at what he’d actually done, so he just keeps going.  (The first Darth Vader comic by Kieron Gillen is also really good, probably one of the best of all the comics, but it’s more centered on the OT and the events that happen there.  Still a fantastic look at his character, but if you’re more into the prequels, Dark Lord of the Sith is more focused on that.)Canon also has Choose Your Destiny - An Obi-Wan & Anakin Adventure by Cavan Scott, which I’m not fond of the CYA style, but I loved that book very much, it’s such a delight and has Anakin being an absolute human disaster, it has Obi-Wan and Anakin struggling to learn to work together, and, best of all, because Palpatine isn’t around at the moment, they actually have a chance at working things out between them here!In the anthology novel From a Certain Point of View, you should at least read Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray, Time of Death by Cavan Scott, and There Is Another by Gary D. Schmidt, which all are really good for those characters, and Obi-Wan and Anakin especially.  The rest of the book can be hit or miss (and that’ll depend on who you ask, but I think An Incident Report by Daniel Mallory Ortberg is also a must-read, it is the funniest thing pretty much ever) but those three are really worth reading.The Ahsoka novel is definitely about the titular character making her way through the galaxy during the time of the Empire, but there are some QUALITY flashbacks and thoughts about Obi-Wan and Anakin, so I would absolutely recommend this one, too!  Same for Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, it’s not really precisely about Obi-Wan and Anakin, but they get moments in it, and it’s a continuation of TCW and adapting a story that was going to be part of the show.For Legends, I like Wild Space a ton, it’s not quite a coherent plot (it’s more like two books stitched together and it doesn’t really earn its ending, imo) it’s the single most quotable book I have ever read and I love it because it’s so over the top while still remaining fun.  It’s HIGH FUCKING DRAMA, everyone is dialing it up to like a hundred, Obi-Wan and Anakin can’t go five damn pages without thinking of the other, even when Anakin should be thinking about Padme or Obi-Wan should be focusing on getting out of a jam.  It’s just an absolute scream.  I haven’t read Miller’s other two books, but they’re probably pretty good, too.I also like Labyrinth of Evil (though, I haven’t finished it) by James Luceno, Kenobi by John Jackson Miller (it’s a very slow read with the non-Obi-Wan parts on Tatooine, but the Obi-Wan parts are nicely ouchy about his relationship with Anakin, even after everything that’s happened).  Yoda: Dark Rendezvous is good as far as I’ve read it, though, more focused on Yoda and Dooku, but if you’re interested in the prequels, it’s a great book to read!It’s been awhile since I’ve read the Jedi Apprentice books and they’re very, very obviously written before all of the PT movies were made, much less before The Clone Wars was made, and so I’m not sure I recommend them or the Jedi Quest books (I also have trouble getting into the author’s style), so you can’t really take them for their worldbuilding or that these events happened (because they’re contradicted by stuff that comes later), but I do find that Jude Watson can really write a quotable as hell turn of phrase when she’s on.  So, it’s a half-rec, just with some caveats!  (I would anti-rec anything by Karen Traviss, who has said some pretty awful things IRL, but also clearly haaaaaates Obi-Wan and all of the Jedi, so when she wrote about them, it wasn’t very much fun.)The novelization of the Revenge of the Sith movie by Matthew Stover is also no longer canon, but is an absolute MUST READ for Obi-Wan and Anakin feelings, because they are WILDLY INTENSE in that book and it’s a really fascinating look at both of the characters, Anakin especially.  Shatterpoint by him also gets a rec just for being by the same author!SHORT VERSION:  Start with the Revenge of the Sith novelization and Wild Space, both of them aren’t canon (and often are contradicted by canon) but are FANTASTICALLY ENJOYABLE reads, then the Choose Your Destiny: An Obi-Wan & Anakin Adventure and the From a Certain Point of View short stories, then Labyrinth of Evil, and then maybe some comics and go from there!  ♥

[jonathanrook]

I've always been hesitant about ttg just because one of my favorite things about the original series is when it got really serious, and ttg just seems like the antithesis of that. What's the draw off ttg for someone who was really attached to the original series?

i originally decided to watch it as a way to kill time and because i’m in love with scott menville’s voice AH-HEM. i’d just finished rewatching the ‘03 series with my roommate immediately after rewatching it on my own time, so i figured, if i was in the mood for teen titans, the closest to new content i’d get was watching go!

but, as i got into the first season a bit more, i realized it’s, at least in the beginning, clearly satirizing the fanbase of the ‘original’ series. the more interested in the fan side of things you are, the funnier it is, imho. it’s less a spinoff/remake of teen titans as it is a riff on interpretations of teen titans. fan theories taken to the wildest extremes and ran with (however, i can only speak for the first two seasons, as that is as far as i’ve gotten).

the most obvious way to explain this is by examining the relationship dynamics in ttg. for instance, a common complaint i see regarding r/obstar in the ‘03 series is that it’s apparently “one sided.” well, if you want one sided, ttg is going to give you one sided. additionally, bbr/ae, which is arguably more popular in fan circles than r/obstar, is heavily played up. it even becomes canon in ttg.

if, in general, you’re not a fan of comedies, you’re probably right in thinking you wouldn’t like it. a lot of the slapstick and “toilet humor” is played up for younger audiences, too. however, references to the ‘03 series and even the comics are frequent and enjoyable. it’s not always laugh out loud funny, and some episodes are pretty bad, but i like it enough.

if you’re gonna watch it, i’d recommend starting with ttg!ttm. it’s a little less goofy than the rest of the series, and since it’s a theatrical release movie, it’s got a stronger plot, too.

if you don’t really have time for that, here’s a list of my favorite episodes to get you started (in no particular order):

colors of raven (return of the famous ‘emotoclones’)

books (which is actually more of a commentary on how over-analyzing stories can detract from their entertainment value, so, fuck me i guess)

in and out (i can’t believe scott did his red x voice for, like, 2 seconds and i cried)

mas y menos (pretty self explanatory)

dreams (contains my favorite joke in the entire series [you’ll know it when you see it])

pirates (aqualad! i love some chaotic wil wheaton)

so far i’ve watched through ‘robin backwards.’ and most episodes have their moments, but those are, as i said, my favorites.

[revchainsaw]

Gargoyles: Wings of Darkness (2004)

Salutations children and welcome to todays service at the Cult Film Tent Revival. Today's feature is the 2004 B Movie, Gargoyles: Wings of Darkness. Alright, let's knock this stinker out.

The Message

In the 1990s there was a wonderfully dark and complex animated series on the Disney Channel called Gargoyles, featuring Shakespearean allusions, comic book action, and a gothic style coming hot of the tail of the Tim Burton Batman movies and of course Batman: The Animated Series that just spoke to the youth of the time. I was all about it. So when in the early 2000s I was perusing the stacks of local video stores I would see this film on the shelves and think to myself "awesome, more Gargoyle content" but it looked scary and I would put it back in favor of something more along the lines of an X-Men or Jurassic Park. It would not be until my 30s that I will realize how wise that decision was. If my love of Disney's Gargoyles had not tied this film to my memories I doubt I'd have been inclined to even give this film a shot, but when scrolling my Hulu queue I was immediately met with the memory of a curiosity unsated.

A teenager at a blockbuster in 2004 may have been intrigued by the box art on this film, unable to discern between a cheap hack job and a bad ass monster poster, I was absolutely fascinated with this gnarly looking Beast on the cover. In 2021 however, this box art screams at me exactly what to expect going in. This is Scifi channel quality, however, that still might mean fun for an audience. In a post Sharknado world bad acting, poor CGI, and a barely existent plot is not an immediate death sentence for a creature feature, in fact all of those things can bring joy to the viewer. I've said it before but a bad movie is always preferable to a forgettable one.

You may have noticed I have not spoken to the plot of the film. Set somewhere in Eastern Europe, an ancient Gargoyle that had once been defeated by, I think it was a sacred crossbow, has returned and is wreaking havoc on the city. The poorly rendered CG monster has allied itself with a corrupt Priest to drop people onto church steeples and attack women in zoos upsetting all the poor monkeys. There's a bunch of goopy gargoyle eggs, and I forget the rest. Honestly, if you're here for a good story you are going to be disappointed, that is unless you google the horror stories the cast tell of being frequently attacked by wild dogs in Romania. If you want effects, you will also be disappointed. If you are looking for pure shlock that is not so bad you get angry, well, you've come to the right place.

The Benediction is going to be tough, let's attempt

Best Aspect: Holiday in Romania

According to some of the cast, the film was a cash grab and costs were kept as low as possible. Hence why filming happened on location in Romania. The catering provided was simply apples most days, and according to my reading these were often used as projectiles to fend off packs of wild Romanian dogs more often than enjoyed as healthy refreshing snacks. While the cast and crew may not have enjoyed their time abroad, Bucharest and the surrounding countryside are absolutely beautiful. The unfortunate political and economic conditions of such a place can not take away the appeal of such an old city, and the natural beauty of it's outdoor spaces. I wish more of those dogs had made it on screen.

Worst Aspect: Competent Incompetence

The actors are giving a commendable performance. The cinematography is lazy but not unskilled. The script is likewise a by the numbers lazy monster story but not so dumb that it can be enjoyed ironically. If you are going in expecting pure unadulterated crap that you may be surprised by the passing grade that the film receives for it's budget. The only thing that can be derided is the effects, which are so cheap and inconsistent, and honestly, just ugly. If the film had put money into practical effects it might have left the audience with at least a cool monster to remember. If the movie had been worse in all other categories it may have been so bad it's good. But as is, it's not SO bad, it's just generically bad, and for that reason utterly forgettable. Without googling information the only two things I remembered off hand were the body impaled on the church steeple, and the ugly cg gargoyle reenacting Sia's Elastic Heart Video at a Zoo.

Summary

In conclusion, the only way I could recommend Gargoyles: Wings of Darkness is as background imagery. Maybe at your next Halloween party you could throw it on so that everyone can ignore it. You may even get more out of it than if you actually paid attention. This films biggest sin is that it is utterly forgettable. There's a wannabe Glen Danzig in this movie, I forgot about him. There's scenes I thought were in this movie that I made up (the before mentioned body impaled on a steeple is only mentioned never seen). I'm calling it now, it's doodoo y'all. Strangely enough, I didn't hate my time with Gargoyles. My expectations were low, and this movie knew what it was. I really wanted to include a Most WTF Moment category in my Benediction, but this film contained a total of zero WTF moments. I would like to give it a D, since I generally reserve F's for movies that I HATED, but unfortunately I don't think it has any qualities that can save it. If only it had been better, if only it had been worse.

Overall Grade: F

[vampykitty-kun]

Hi! I'm really interested in reading comics/graphic novels about or featuring the Batkids, and you seem like you know about that kind of thing (or at least more than I do, although it's a low bar), so do you think you could give me some suggestions to get started with? Also, I've seen some DC stuff at the library with "Death of the Family" on it but some is Batman and some is Batgirl and I think I saw a Teen Titans one and are they all connected or something? I'm confused. Thanks!

Yes! I do know quite a bit about comicsin the BatFam area, I just unfortunately can’t recommend anythingthat came out in the last 2 years as I’ve not read it. But 1989-2015I can give LOTS of recommendations.

For the most part any title can be astandalone, but titles do unfortunately get wrapped up in companywide events at times. But if you read the GN rather than theindividual comics they try and keep events to their own combo storybooks and character titles to their own.

This is such a huge list that I’mputting it under the cut so you click to read it instead of everyonegetting spammed with a HUGE list of things…

Here is what I’d recommend:

-Jason Todd as Robin II (Later known asRed Hood): It seems as though the majority of Jason writers presentday neglected to actually read his original issues, because they basetheir knowledge and opinion of him on what readers in the 80’sTHOUGHT of him, and unfortunately at the time many people hatedJason. Much of the hate was for a Robin in general as at the timeplenty of people thought Bruce should be on his own. No Batgirl (seethe Killing Joke) and no Robin. So the hate was for the role ingeneral. And then you had Robin fans that hated him just because theydidn’t want anyone trying to replace Dick’s role even though Dick hadmoved on to Nightwing. Jason as Robin issues are Batman #408-428, andNew Teen Titans Vol2 #19-21, 24, 28-31. I’m sure there were issues ofDetective Comics, but I have no idea which. In recent years much ofthese issues are in GNs but some of the issues are not, so you mayhave to look those up individually to read online or buy them instores with older issues. These GN are- Batman: Second Chances(Batman Issues #402-403, 408-416, and Annual #11), Batman Ten NightsOf The Beast (Batman Issues #417-420), DC Comics Classics Library:Batman- A Death In The Family, Hard Cover (Batman Issues #426-429,440-442, New Teen Titans Vol2 #60-61). this edition of “A Death InThe Family” contains both the death of Jason and the introductionof Tim, which was a story focused around Jason. So it’s a 2-for-1deal. There’s also a GN called Batman: The Cult and Jason’s the Robinwith Bruce in that story as well though I’m not sure where to placethat in the chronology.

-Tim as Robin III (Later known as RedRobin): Tim had an excellent run as Robin. He had 3 mini-seriesbefore he had an entire run of his own that spanned 183 main issues,not counting team ups or annuals. All while also appearing in theother Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl titles. Plenty of issues werecompany wide tie-in issues but the rest were all put into their ownGNs. Robin: A Hero Reborn (Batman #455-457, Robin Mini-series1 #1-5),Robin: Tragedy & Triumph (Detective Comics #618-621, RobinMini-series2 #1-4), Robin Mini-series3: Cry Of the Huntress #1-6 isnot in a GN that I know of, then the rest of his main run in FlyingSolo, Unmasked!, Fresh Blood, To Kill a Bird, Days of Fire andMadness, The Virtual Cell, Wanted, Teenage Wasteland, The BigLeagues, Violent Tendencies, and Search for a Hero.

Likewise…

-Dick as Nightwing in his solo title(Vol2): 153 issues not counting team ups or annuals. Like with Robinmany of these issues are tied in with company wide events, and therest are in their own GNs. I recommend the 2014-present editions asthey have a bit more in them, better paper/graphics, and are wayeasier to find, but they haven’t remade all of them yet. Nightwing:Blüdhaven, Nightwing: Rough Justice, Nightwing: False Starts,Nightwing: Love and Bullets, Nightwing: The Hunt For Oracle are thenew editions. Continuing from there the older editions are:Nightwing: Big Guns, Nightwing: On the Razor’s Edge, Nightwing: YearOne, Nightwing: Mobbed Up, Nightwing: Renegade, Nightwing: Brothersin Blood, Nightwing: Love and War, Nightwing: The Lost Year,Nightwing: Freefall.

-Batman Knightfall: One of the classicBatman stories, in which the main bad is the villain Bane, whoseriously injures Bruce. This story spans three GNs: Broken Bat, WhoRules The Night, and Knightsend

-Batman Cataclysm: Another classic. Amassive earthquake hits Gotham and decimates the city. This can befound in one GN, thought look for what I think is the 2012 edition ofthe book not the one one as they included a lot of previous cut storyin the newer edition.

-Batman No Man’s Land: FollowsCataclysm. Essentially Gotham is covered in rubble and a massiveterritory war breaks out between BatFam, GSPD, and several separategroups of Gotham’s baddies. It spans 4 super thick GNs in the 2012newer edition (don’t bother with the older editions) but also has areally enjoyable novelization if you would prefer to read it inwritten format!

-Batman Hush: Essentially Bruce vs Hushand sometimes Clayface, and a story that unintentionally set up JuddWinick to bring Jason back to life lol…one GN in more recenteditions but was previously 2 smaller GNs. I do not know if there isa difference but generally larger book versions have a bit extra inthem.

-Batman Under the Red Hood: Jasonreturns as the Red Hood, sending Bruce on an emotional rollercoaster, while Joker and Black Mask end up roped in. Lots of peopleinvolved. Like Hush this come in one or two book format. I have thesingle book format. This story was adapted into an animated movie,one that also takes a few moments from “A Death In The Family”,but the beginning part was highly modified to make it a stand alonefilm, so several key details are removed. I do recommend watching themovie, but after reading both “A Death In The Family” and thecomic version of “Under The Red Hood”, so you get the fullexperience.

-Batman War Crimes, War Drums, and WarGames (WG is three GNs long): this connects into both Robin and RedHood. This is unfortunately where Stephanie (Spoiler, brief Robin IV,Batgirl) “dies” and there’s a massive war against Black mask.It’s five GNs total.

I pretty much have to recommend anyBatman Titled GN that comes after that as it goes more into Hush,Damian comes in and there’s a lot of plot to cover there, Bruce“dies” and the mantle is picked up by Dick, and it was a heck ofride until the reboot happened.

Outside of main Batman titles aroundthat time I have to HIGHLY recommend the following:-Batmanand Robin: Basically Dick and Damian’s team-up book series. Itspanned three GN with Morrison, and one after him totaling four. Wealso got more Jason here, and his sorta Batgirl type sidekickSasha/Scarlet. Admittedly it was weird because Morrison thought itwould be fun to give Jason red hair (something the main version ofJason never had, but had in issues for another version of Jason thatwas scrapped before any issues I mentioned in this post) and bulk himup. But if you can gt around that the actual plot on the Jason endwasn’t too bad and had some gems. But the Dick and Damian interactionand banter is the treasure here.

-Batman Streets Of Gotham: Again moreof Dick and Damian as Batman and Robin. But here we get Thomas Elliot(Hush) who surgically had his face changed to look like Bruce, and hefill Bruce’s public role under very close watch. We also get Damian’slittle friend Colin Wilkes (Abuse) who ends up close to him. He turnsinto a giant bulky rage man good guy :)

-Red Robin: Tim’s new solo series thatstarted after Damian took up being Robin and Dick went from Nightwingto being Batman. It’s 4 GNs long and was amazing. I can’t stress thatenough. I still mourn it ending. You get Tim on his own, you get himgoing up against/working with/outsmarting/impressing Ra’s al Ghul.You get Prudence Wood, one of Ra’s assassins that ends up liking andworking with Tim. You get Tam Fox, and Stephanie, and Conner Kent.

-Batgirl Vol3 (Stephanie Brown asBatgirl): Stephanie came back from faking her death, took back upSpoiler, only for Tim to demand she stop being Spoiler. He shouldhave been more specific, and she DOES drop Spoiler but then becomesBatgirl with previous Batgirl’s (Casandra) blessing lol. Spanned 24issues in three GNs but they are hard to find. Obviously there isCasandra’s run as Batgirl but i’ve never actually read it so I findit wrong of me to suggest it before I have so it’s up to you if youwant to hunt those down as well. But Casandra’s run was 73 issuesVol-1 (7 GN) sand 6 issues Vol-2 (which is in a single GN)

-Teen Titans Vol3 (Tim, Conner, Bart,etc) spans twelve GNs and had its ups and downs, but if you’re a teamfan this is a good series to read.

-Catwoman: A few different runs, andsome stand alone books. They’re all good pre-reboot. Read them ifyou’re a Catwoman fan :)

Now as far as books NOT in the main runof pre-reboot comics I also REALLY need to recommend the following:

Batman Year One: Bruce’s first year asBatman. Also Gordon’s first year on the job. One GN. Awesome and alsoadapted into an animated movie.

-Robin Year One & Batgirl Year One:These come in separate books or both in one big book. The Robin inmention is Dick and the Batgirl is Barbara. Both are fantasticstories.

-Huntress Year One: Huntress’ originstory. This is the Huntress that is NOT Bruce’s daughter from anotherEarth, this is the Mob associated one that was also featured in theTV series Arrow.

Superboy / Robin World’s Finest Three:two tiny GNs that tell the story of Tim and Conner’s first meeting.They end up going against Metallo and Poison Ivy.

JLA: World Without Grown-ups: This is astory spanning again two tiny GNs. Where Tim (Robin), Conner(Superboy), and Bart (Impulse, later known as Kid Flash) team up whensuddenly all the adults are in one dimension and all the underagepeople are in another.

Red Hood: The Lost Days: the story ofwhat happened between Jason’s resurrection and when he came back toGotham in Under The Red Hood. It’s one GN.

There are also some alternate universe stories that came out pre-reboot called Elseworld’s stories. Here are some good ones:

Batman:Brotherhood of the Bat: Alternate Universe what-if type story. Thisstory is if Talia had joined Bruce in Gotham and abandoned her fatherRa’s and his ways. The story is centered around their son, TallantWayne. This was an AU created before Damian entered the comics andthus one of many stories where Bruce and Talia’s son had a differentname. Bruce is dead and Tallant has to face his grandfather. This wasone thin GN but did have a sequel…

Batman: League ofBatmen: takes place after the above and spans two GNs to finish thestory.

Thrillkiller Batgirl & Robin: 3 issue AU where Barbara and Dick are the first vigilantes in Gotham in the 1960′s and go up against a FEMALE Joker. Bruce is a legit Detective. Every bit of this story is PAINTED and it’s amazing. It is followed up by a sequel.

Thrillkiller ‘62: Takes place where the above left off. But now Bruce is Batman alongside ‘Batgirl’. I won’t spoil the events of the above to give goo detail here lol.

Superman: Speeding Bullets: AU where Baby Kal-El crashes into Earth, where he is discovered by Thomas and Martha Wayne. The couple decide to adopt Kal-El, and name him Bruce. Fuses the two characters together. Thomas and Martha still die. “Bruce” becomes a flying Batman and later Superman.Batman: The Dark Knight Returns: Pretty much the most popular and longest AU that DC did. Spans 1 thick GN or multiple tiny ones. Not the greatest of art/setup but still good. Think of this as an AU Future Fic taking place after Jason died and Bruce retired instead of Tim coming along. Then he comes out of retirement to be a total badass. I do NOT however recommend any of the sequels or prequels because they are just BAD. This was adapted into TWO animated films which I honestly think I recommend more than the GNs due to the art.Post Reboot we hit the New 52. It had its up and downs. Nothing BatFam was particularly terrible but very little was amazing. personally the first 4-6 volumes of GNs for any given series was worth a read but not necessarily a buy. I read all the BatFam titles and the only ones that were MEH for me were Catwoman and Teen Titans. Red Hood and the Outlaws wasn’t for everyone, but I personally enjoyed it other than some details like Jason suddenly having magic??? and Kori having some personality issues but I was glas she wasn’t ditzy if that makes sense, and I really loved her character design even if I wish she at least had a touch more clothing on (once she was in a space suit and it was amazing). Suicide Squad isn’t technically BatFam but it had Harley in it in the New 52 and it was amazing even if I hated her visual re-design. Talon was a branch off of a Batman story line, and a specific character got his own title that spanned 2 GNs and was enjoyable.

Past that any Gns involving Batman The Animated Series are great, so are the Young Justice GNs.

I also have a huge love for the Batman Beyond show and Comics, but after the reboot they messed that up too.