#u know that one panel from the batman comics

[martyrbat]

favorite things - batman: legends of the dark knight #79

[ID: The cover for the above mentioned comic. In it, Batman is framed to be in the center of a wreath as he screams in agony. Surrounding him is fire. Following it is the subtitle page where we see the story's name (Favorite Things) and the creative team that created the story. It's shown with a peek of Gotham's horizon; where snow is elegantly falling in front of towering golden skyscrapers and tall, blue buildings. It settles on the rooftops of the last layer of the city, which consists of older buildings and water towers. A single gargoyle stretches into the panel in front of them all. END ID]

entire comic with ID below cut!

We fall with the snow, bearing witness to several vertical panels of random Gothamites that are outside on this frigid night. An older man clenches his newspaper in shock. A young couple drops the toys they just bought in fright, staring at an approaching golden light. In an alleyway, we see a cat jumping to a new trash lid to get away from what disturbed its rest – a peek of the corrupt far in the background. A young child with their mother points excitedly as their mother is still turnt away.

Finally, we see the cause for such reactions – the speeding, iconically sculpted car that's swerving between traffic effortlessly: the Batmobile!

Bruce Wayne, dressed as Batman, speaks into the extended microphone that's built into the car. He asks, “How's the party, Alfred? Anyone ask why I disappeared?” Alfred Pennyworth is shown talking into a revolving phone, smiling with slight amusement as well-dressed people dance and socialize joyfully in the background. Alfred reports back, “I told them you had urgent business upstairs, Master Bruce.” Bruce asks, “blonde or brunette?” Alfred answers, “Blonde, sir – I gather ‘gentlemen’ prefer them.”

However Bruce is unable to keep his own masquerade, his facade falling instantly. He rhetorically questions, “How could this happen, Alfred? I can't believe it.” Alfred gazes at an overhead window, the glass still shattered from an earlier event. He bon mots, “I'm afraid burglary is not an uncommon problem in Gotham City, Master Bruce. Even with our security. Perhaps we should invest in a large dog with a taste for the criminal classes.” Bruce remains unamused as he presses down even more on the gas pedal. He argues, “This is no joking matter. You know what they took. And you know why I have to get it back.”

He eventually enters a club just to immediately intimidate the party-goers. Underneath the sharp eye of the pink neon lights and glistening disco ball, he threatens, “I've already been to several clubs in Gotham tonight – you may have heard the ambulances. Save yourself some grief. Hand over Eddie Mulligan.” The crowd stares on until Eddie pops out! He announces, “Hi, Bats! Lookin' for me, big guy?”

Batman quips back, “Let's step into your office, Mulligan!” while throwing him through the door for the filthy restroom. He snarls at the two men still at the urinal to leave now as Eddie pleads for them to not leave him with Batman. They leave anyways as Batman yanks Eddie into a dirty stall.

Batman holds him by the collar and his head, forcing his head to hover over a toilet that has surely broken multiple sanitation regulations. He warns, “Talk to me, Eddie! Half of Gotham’s low lives come to you to celebrate a score. I’m after a gang who specialize in robbing big houses. Fill in the blanks or you and that drug store in your jacket are down the toilet.” Eddie swears, “I don’t know nothin', man. On my mother’s life–”

Batman calls out his lie as he shoves his head into the toilet’s bowl. “Your mother died when you were four, Mulligan – try again!” He lifts Eddie’s head, who still insists that he doesn’t know anything. Deciding the waste of time isn’t worth losing the convict’s trail; the Dark Knight storms out of the restroom, leaving the now dirty man on the even dirtier floor as he still murmurs his swears that he doesn’t know who's to blame for the robberies.

Fire blazes around a black bat emblem. We pull from it, revealing the incendiary weapon set to destroy a museum. Police Captain Jim Gordon murmurs, “Madness. Fire-bombing a museum… to call attention to this.” He asks if there's any witnesses to the accompanying cop. He answers, “A woman thought she saw a couple of Joy Boys running away from the blast.”

Gordon turns from the roaring flames and questions, “Joy Boys?” The cop explains, “Weird kid gang, Captain… Crazy about the Joker. Like to show how they hate the Batman, pullin' stunts like this. Or maybe they’re just celebratin' the season. Christmas comin' an' all…” Gordon mutters, “Just when I thought this place couldn’t get any sicker. Madness.”

Snow continues to fall outside a building, glowing signs advertising an adult-only cabaret named ‘Eye Spy’ and the promise of a live stage show inside. A middle-aged blind woman is shown in a brown, thin jacket over a semi-sheer cover that's attached to her short, pink dress. She climbs into a taxi's backseat as the driver teases, “Nice flowers, Tabitha. Got a secret admirer?” She laughs at her friend and tells him, “Hahaha! Not for a long time, Arnie. These're from the Batman. Had them delivered after my show.” He recoils at the revelation! “He's real?! What's he after?” She coyly smiles and dips her nose to the bouquet of red roses. She reminds him, “I got no eyes but I got good ears, Arnie. Batman wants to know what I've heard about these organized break-ins at all the city's plush mansions.” Arnie scoffs, “Typical. Superheroes always look out for the rich g–”

The start of his unimpressed rant is interrupted by a Joy Boy slamming his hand against the window! He and the rest of the Joy Boys have a mask on of the Joker's grinning face and purple jacket with green pants to mimic the villain's suit. He demands for Arnie to get out of the car as more of the posse circle the car. Arnie flees, leaving Tabitha to the mercy of the gang! She calls for him before suddenly being jerked out of the vehicle! She asks in a panic, “Who are you? What have you done to Arnie?” The leader of the gang speaks, “Good evening, madame. I can’t help noticing you’re blind. Never mind, my dear –”. One of the men holding her suddenly punches her, causing her to collapse! The man continues, “there are some things in life it’s best not to see.”

Batman drops down promptly, sending the abusers down into the snow as he lands on them! He growls, “And one has just dropped in on you. Joy Boys… Your choice of role models stinks!” He decks another member as Tabitha asks repeatedly what’s happening. The leader taunts, “You won’t catch me, Bat-slime! I’ve got the fastest legs in Gotham City!” Batman speaks into a hidden voice commander and calls for the Batmobile before muttering the three magic words: finish the job!

The criminal is caught in the glaring headlights of the Batmobile before it automatically drives! The man lets out a blood curdling scream. Batman reassures Tabitha as he helps her up from the snow, “Scared senseless more than hurt. The car caught him at a glancing angle. Let's see if we can salvage any of your flowers.” He cordially keeps an arm wrapped around her upper back and tucks a red rose gently in her blonde hair. “There's one. Pretty as a picture.” She looks up, revealing her bruising eye. She asks, “D-do I really still look pretty, Batman? After all these years?” He smiles down at her. “More than pretty, Tabitha. You look beautiful…” He starts guiding her away from the scene of the attack as he softly prompts her to tell him what she knows about the break-ins.

Afterwards, Bruce is back in the Batmobile as he reports back, “I've got a name, Alfred. Not much else. The outfit's called ‘the Chessmen’. Their leader calls himself ‘King’, apparently.” Alfred comments, “Really? A bit obvious, wouldn't you say, sir?” Bruce snaps, “Everything about them is obvious… except where they are now, dammit!”

Alfred continues ironing Bruce's cape in the Batcave as he calmly notes, “You sound a little erratic, Master Bruce. Might I inquire when you last slept?” He dismisses his surrogate father's concern, promising, “I had a nap, old friend. I feel fine.” But Alfred presses, “Tell the truth and shame the devil!” Finally, Bruce reluctantly confesses, “Two or three days ago. You know I can't sleep, Alfred. Not 'til I get it back.”

He swings onto the roof of GCPD headquarters, where Jim Gordon is already waiting for him next to the Bat-Signal. Gordon informs, “We got an anonymous call. A direct lead to the gang who robbed half the town's mansions.” Batman exclaims, “The Chessmen! Where–?” Gordon sighs. “It's gotten… Complicated. The chief saw headlines. Insisted on a swat team. They messed up. What should have been a simple raid has ended as a hostage situation – Dammit! If he'd left it to my men or you…” Batman at once leaps off the building, having all the information he needs. His cape flares out as he vows, “Leave it to me now, Jim.”

At the scene, we see the SWAT team waiting outside in utility body armour and holding assault rifles. The chief speaks into a megaphone, “Listen up, Chessmen! This is Chief Yeats! Release my two officers and we can negotiate a deal!” The leader of the Chessmen, King, is standing in the window with a handgun pointed at a cop's head. He has the design of the king chess piece tattooed on his forehead and a purple mohawk. He shouts back, “No deals, pig! Take one more step and I blow a hole in this babe's head! I mean it, Yeats! We already wasted her partner!” The second cop lays dead at his feet.

One of the Chessmen with a rook tattoo apprehensively expresses, “This is too much, King. I thought we said no one was gonna get hurt.” King demands, “Shut up, Rook! Do what I say or we're dead men!" A voice from above booms, “You're worse than that – You're mine!” Suddenly Batman drops down while throwing a smoke bomb! He moves in stealth, avoiding the blind, erratic shooting from the panicked men that's trying to kill him and knocking them all unconscious as they scream, “He's on his own–!” “Rush him!” “Can't see him! Where'd he go?” “Over there!” “Blow his head off, Bishop!” He cries out, “He's moving too fast! Like an animal! A damn ani– ungh!” The Caped Crusader takes him down.

The smoke starts to clear, revealing that Batman is the only other man standing as King holds the hostage in front of him. He warns, “Stay back, Batman! We just wanted to rip off some rich guys! Give ourselves a little Christmas present! We didn’t want anyone to get hurt!” Batman growls, “Tell that to the officer down,” as he opens a small department on his belt and clicks a mysterious button.

Suddenly, screeching fills the air before a frenzy of bats burst into the building! King releases the hostage as he immediately gets swarmed by the bats. He screams, “Get them off me! I can’t stand– AAAA! Please! For the love of god! Get them off me!” The bats eventually flee, leaving King on his knees and the reveal that Batman and the hostage are nowhere to be found. He stammers out for his already defeated backup. “Ch-Chessmen? Where are you, Chessmen? K-King under attack.”

Batman suddenly appears, making the obvious pun in his triumphant, “Checkmate, King!” He continues to be unfunny as he shouts, “Game over!" and punches the man, knocking him back on the ground. Batman stands towering over the defeated criminal as he finally gets to demand, “I'm out of patience, King. The loot. Where is it stashed? Talk.”

The bellicostic police chief leads the SWAT men up to where the hostage situation was taking place, warning them to be very careful. They finally reach the floor and burst through the door, announcing, “Police! Freeze!” But to their dismay, they see the five Chessmen tied up on the floor as King hangs upside down above them. Chief Yeats yells, “The damn bat! That damn bat beat us again.”

One of the SWAT officers points out a note attached to King. It reads: ‘Act like a police chief, not a publicity hound, Yeats… or I'll have to act. I won't always have more urgent business like tonight. B.’ — The chief warns the men, “You didn't see this… Get me? But… uh… tell any news teams to throw focus on… uh… the heroic officer-hostages… Hey… It's the holidays, right?”

We join a single father sitting in a squalid apartment with his two little boys. The children sit on the floor in front of a plugged in space heater as they watch a small television that’s sitting on top of a cardboard box. A clothesline hangs over their head as the despondent man sits in front of the window, somberly waiting for the Dark Knight's arrival. Without turning, he addresses Batman. “I knew you’d come. I’ve been waiting here for two days. Thank god it’s over.” The children turn with a shout, pointing at Batman before running to be held by their father.

Batman asks, “You’ve been holding stolen goods. Where are they?” The man answers, “I already gave them back, Batman. Honest.” Batman queries, “You gave them back?” The father bows his head as he confesses, “Yeah. I was paid to stash them until the heat cooled off. But… I couldn’t keep those things. They didn’t belong to me. Don’t throw me in jail, Batman. It was me who tipped off the cops. It was me who told Gordon where they could find the Chessmen.”

Batman gently questions, “Any particular reason?” as the man starts to weep. “I'm not a thief, Batman. I just needed some money to feed my kids. Please, Batman! Please don't throw me in jail! The kids need me, Batman! Little boys shouldn't be left on their own.” The children start to cry and stare up at the Dark Knight as he looks at the cordolium scene. He agrees, “Okay. Just don't do it again.” And with a swoosh of his cape, he's out the door. The father looks up in shock at his agreement but the only evidence of Batman's presence being a roll of hundred dollar bills that's now sitting on top of the table.

At the Wayne Manor, we're in a child's bedroom. Dolls are perched serenely upon a chair. A toy house that'll never become a home lays next to a small rocking horse who's riding days are long gone. In the center of the room is a circular train track, where Bruce Wayne sits in thought. Still half dressed in his costume, he stares at a bright toy train. Alfred softly approaches. “I see you managed to recover it, Master.” Bruce murmurs, “My favorite thing. The last thing they ever gave me, Alfred. The last present from my mother and father… and I almost lost it.”

Alfred reassures him, “Not to worry, Sir. It's safe and sound in your old bedroom now.” Bruce continues to look at the little train. “You're right, old friend. Right as always.” Alfred gently prompts, “It's getting late, Master Bruce. Almost dawn. Time for bed, I think.” Bruce shifts to his knees, finally prying his eyes away from the toy and the memories it holds to look at his lifelong friend. He quietly agrees. “Yes, Alfred. Time for bed.”

We end on a distant view of the Wayne Manor, the ombré pink and purple sky casting a light on the pure white snow. A promise of peace after a restless, cold night.

END ID]

[vechter]

Top 5 Dick and Bruce moments or things

it's gotta be what faith tells dick in JLA (1997) #73

just the implications of it all. how bruce recognizes he hurts people, whether its criminals or the people who have chosen to love him. but still. still. he is immensely and immeasurably proud of dick. he can never say it, he wouldn't know how to even begin to tell dick how much dick means to him. also the crazy thing- we all know dick is insane about bruce and how endlessly devoted he is to him. but bruce is equally insane about him in his own neurotic way. he puts dick on a pedestal (he is right to) but just how fucked up of him. bonus scene from the obsidian run (#76) that always makes me grin:

2. this one is from robin: year one (2000) #4

so bruce fired dick after two face nearly beat him to death with a bat and dick ran away and managed to end up joining a league of assassins vengeance school under this dude named shrike. i won't bore you with even more plot but something about this panel just kills me. they're both so lonely and desperate for each other's partnership. bruce knows he miscalculated firing dick even if it was for dick's safety- dick isn't going to stop being a vigilante just bc batman said so (bruce u fucking idiot) and i think this instance of firing, while glossed over later in favour of the whole two-face of it all did sth that changed their dynamic fundamentally and irrevocably. it is probably the catapult for all of dick's future doubts and insecurities about his role and place in bruce's life. meanwhile, bruce giving dick agency in what he wants to do next- he needs dick just as much as dick needs robin. it's incredibly sad because i think there is a part of bruce that believes dick is only coming back to be robin, a doubt furthered when dick eventually forms the titans and loses all semblance of a life outside the mask.

3. this one is from outsiders: five of a kind - nightwing/boomerang (2007)

basically, dick decided to hand over the outsiders to batman and this is owen boomerang, the son of the guy who killed tim's dad. this is post-adoption so dick is more secure in his role as bruce's son. and just sth about how dick won't stand for people criticizing bruce, even when he might be thinking unfavourably of bruce. bc he can do that. but other people? no dice. also the added angst from owen talking about his own dad and his own version of legacy. i like to think dick probably felt some type of way about owen yelling out 'he was my father' bc while dick probably hasn't ever verbalized that, he has probably felt similarly.

4. batman (1940) #636

bruce brooding over the past. little does he know his second son is back and ready to haunt him literally instead of metaphorically lol. but anyway, this always makes me froth at the mouth. both bruce and dick have a tendency to look back on those years very, very positively and something about how nostalgia warps your memories but also how much of it is nostalgia and how much is truth? bruce is forever living in the past. @nighhtwing summarizes one of bruce's core truths in their fic Hereditary beautifully: Bruce has lived with grief longer than he’s lived without. It’s easy, then, to mourn this moment even as it’s in front of him, alive.

5. basically all of the comic batman/nightwing: bloodborne (2002). one of the most stellar pieces of bruce and dick writing. the art's a little funky but the story is fantastic. the devotion dick has. it's debilitating, it could kill him. it should have (thinking about the blast dick took for bruce in infinite crisis and how it was supposed to have killed him). the same toxin and anti-toxin runs through their veins. something about the intimacy and inherent religious imagery and nature of sharing blood. but it isn't even a cursory thought to dick. of course he will put himself in death's way if it means being able to save bruce. dick's biggest fear: being unable to save bruce like bruce saved him all those years ago. the way it all takes place on the anniversary of his parents' death. fantastic, killer, devastating show-stopping even.

[alfredsolos]

hey, you know how you did a review (basically) of colin’s character and kinda outlined or corrected any misinformation ppl make ab him (like that he’s Jon kent 2.0?) (idk how to explain- character study??? u just explained him rly well with good textual evidence)

anyways~

do you think u could do something like that for Maya Ducard? like, clear up any misconceptions ppl have ab her character and such? i want to write her but i don’t have the ability to read the comics/don’t rlly want to anyways.

Alright! Before going into a character analysis, let's talk about Maya's story. Who is Maya Ducard?

Maya Ducard is a vigilante/hero called Nobody. She is the second person to take up that mantle. The first Nobody aka Morgan Ducard aka Maya's father, was killed by Damian Wayne in Batman and Robin.

Maya finds the remains of her father's corpse beneath the sea and watches the clip of Damian killing her father. So to take revenge, she goes after Damian to kill him.

But during that time, Damian goes into a redemption trip where he tries to undo the damage he did when he was an assassin.

During on of those missions, Maya and Damian cross paths and she tries to kill him. But when she finds out that he was on a redemption trip, she decides to go with him and ensure that he is doing what he's supposed to. And she tells him that in the end she'd kill him.

Damian let's her tag along and they go on adventures together, growing closer and closer. And in the end, Maya forgives Damian.

Now, going back to the topic. Coming across Maya fics are harder because there are too few. So I don't really know how the fanon portrayes her.

I do know that most of the time she is portrayed as a supportive big sister, which is true but she is also so much more. So in this post I'll give out some facts about her and explain her character using canon panels.

****

1. Maya does not like the idea of innocents dying:

Even when she was trying to kill Damian, she interrups her plans to save the innocent people. This tells us that she indeed has a pure heart. Along with her potential to be a hero.

2. She knows how to get inside someone's skin:

During the times where they have a temporary ceasefire, Maya does not hold back from hurting Damian with her words and trying to get under his skin. This tells us that whoever her target is, she will do proper research on them and make sure to know them on a personal level. Which makes her dangerous.

She has a sharp tongue, so don't forget to apply this trait of hers on your fics!

3. Abilities?

Maya does not have any super powers. But she does have a super suit with numerous abilities. The most prominent ones being: Invisibility, sonic boom devices that are built into her hands, a device that distorts people's eyesight. She is also a very skilled fighter.

Another very important thing to note is that, her father wasn't the one who taught her how to fight:

She learned how to fight by herself, watching her dad from the shadows. Which indicates amazing strategic and martial ability. Not to mention how she tracked down Damian and manage to hold her own against him.

4. At first these two did not get along:

And by that I mean, they did not get along.

They did not fight due to the ceasefire. But the things they said to each other? Ouch.

5. Maya loves Goliath:

Before and after trying to kill Damian, Maya always loved Goliath. She even tried to take him away from Damian at one point.

Goliath also loves Maya very much, risking his life for her countless times.

6. Along with her hate for Damian, she was also jelaous of him:

One, he had a family that gave everything to him. Two; while her father never taught her anything, he took in Damian and taught him special moves and trained him. And due to this she naturally had a bit of envy of him.

7. Maya was still adament to kill Damian when they started to get along:

This didn't last that much, but in her mind it was some kind of divine justice.

8. Damian saved Maya from Deathstroke:

After Maya quit trying to become an assassin and killing Damian, Deathstroke came after her. But Damian basically pays her off and gives Slade 5 million dolars to stop trying to kill her. Surprisingly it works.

But Maya doesn't understand why he did this. She calls herself worthless and with this, we can get that she has very low self esteem and self-deprecating thoughts.

9. She is more laxed, compared to Damian:

As you can see, she does not shy away from resting unlike other assassins who do not stop until they complete their plans.

10. She has never killed anyone:

Even before or after Damian, she has 0 body count. She never killed or kills anyone in the future. This fact is the reason why Damian let Maya come with him after she tried to take him on. He knew that she wouldn't be able to do it.

11. Damian has a habit of calling her 'chica':

It's obvious that he does this to annoy her. But we can use this in the fanon as Damian annoying Maya by calling her chica

12. Damian gives Goliath to Maya:

After the redemption trip and Maya forgiving Damian, he tells her to take Golaith with him. Maya refuses and tells him that Goliath belongs to him. But Damian answers with:

Goliath ends up staying with her.

13. Damian shies away from asking Maya for help:

After the redemption arc, Maya settles in and is actually happy. Damian sees this and hesitates to ask for her help.

As you can see, this happens multiple times. Which is cute, to see Damian being shy. Maya could be the only person who makes Damian feel like that.

14. Maya gains a brother:

After forgiving Damian for killing her father, she tells him that he has gained a new sister. Which means a lot because this shows that blood isn't what matters, but love. Seeing Damian accept and love her, destroyes the 'blood son' argument.

15. Maya hates the al Ghul's:

She tells Talia that she hates all the al Ghuls, besides Damian. She also goes on to tell her that she is a horrible mother. And by that, she really goes all out.

16. She kidnaps Jon Kent:

We all know that Damian met Jon by kidnapping him. But the thing is, he wasn't alone! Maya also helped him to kidnap Jon.

****

Anyways, these were my intrepretation of Maya Ducard's character from her canon interactions. If anyone wants to add onto these, please feel free and thank you for the ask!

[zeroducks-2]

Heyyyy zero.

Do u have any all time favourite dc panels?? Like from whatever comic that’s always suck with you?

(P.s it’s okay if you’re not a big comic reader)

I don´t know if I should consider myself a big comic reader, but I do like comics a lot :) I am in the comics fandom after all.

I debated which panels had to go first and I believe this one wins. It has been ever present in my mind since reading this comic, I don't think a single day passed without me thinking about it at least once Because I Am Normal Like That.

Barry being Eobard's Lightning Rod and bringing him back to life - all the while whispering to him softly and tenderly touching his corpse.

Running Scared by Joshua Williamson and Carmine Di Giandomenico

I have lots of panels that stuck with me since I was itty bitty, possibly most notably the ending of TKJ which I read at the ripe old age of 8 and it rewired my brain chemistry and single-handedly got me into DC comics.

The Killing Joke, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland

Jumping back to something recent, there's this amazing parallel between Flash and his Reverse in the 2016 Rebirth series (one of the few good things to come out of the reboot)

Lightning Strikes Twice and Running Scared, by Joshua Williamson and Carmine Di Giandomenico

Another of my all time favs also read when I was a kid is the climax of UTRH, when Jason reveals the hows and whys he's doing all of that and suddenly from fearless and ruthless mafia lord wannabe we have a barely adult child grieving the fact that his guardian abandoned him - and will abandon him again.

Under The Red Hood, by Judd Winick, Doug Mahnke, Shane Davis

Then there is this one. No notes. Perfection.

The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez

Honorable mentions:

Dick being too beautiful for this world (and very dramatic)

Nightwing vs Hush: Prelude to the wedding, by Tim Seeley and Travis Moore

Koriand'r and Donna being best friends

The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez

Darkseid would look like a librarian compared to Slade's lawyers

Deathstroke: Rebirth by Christopher Priest

I can't exclude Dick and Slade doing their equivalent of flirting. 10/10 immaculate dynamic.

Nightwing 1996, by Devin Grayson

And my favorite bad boys being silly

Nightwing 1996 by Devin Grayson, and Batman: The Button by Tom King & Joshua Williamson

[benbamboozled]

Thank you so much! Your answer was very helpful I appreciate it! I do have another question. How do u keep track of the new stuff coming out? I only know about these arcs cause everyone has been posting about them. I did check out the dc site but it wasn’t very organized and it seemed like I needed to already know what I was looking for. Is it just something you learn to figure out over time?

Okay sooooo…

I’m gonna also open this one to my followers—please drop a line if you have any good resources for staying up-to-date with releases!

For basic info, Tuesdays and Thursdays are when new issues come out. I might be wrong, but I think Tuesdays are usually reserved for the Big Titles (Batman, Nightwing, etc.—basically the stuff DC is certain will sell), and Thursdays are for the less prominent stuff (I’m…actually not following anything that comes out on Thursday atm, but when newest Batman Inc. was running it released on Thursday).

As for where I get info, I usually work from—

@why-i-love-comics —Who tends to release eye-catching scans of the most recent comics. I follow them both because “ooooh pretty art” but ALSO so I can see what’s out and if it looks interesting.

r/DCComics —I know, I know, Reddit. BUT! They have a weekly discussion post that drops on Monday that includes a list of the issues releasing that that week as well as ALL DC content releasing (so—TV shows, Webtoons, Trade Paperbacks, etc). (They also frequently have panel/page posts WITH sources, comic gossip, and sometimes have good discussions—although, since it’s Reddit, there is a lot of Classic Dudebro rhetoric.)

And also just people I know who are following stuff more closely than I am 🫠.

And if you want to read comics on the day, I would recommend googling something along the lines of Read Comics Online *cough cough*. Just make sure your Adblock is up. And robust.

[roobylavender]

im fairly new to batcomics so forgive me for this dumb ask/being uninformed, but do you ever have like. doubt in your reading for bruce as a character, or feel bleak about it (?) im aware you dont really like the reading of him as an abuser, but from what ive seen he most often does emotional neglect/distance and parentification of a child, which /are still/ abuse, and this happens very consistently. from what i can tell there is more evidence of him being a bad parent than otherwise. people often say hes incapable of having a child without messing them up beyond repair, and from what ive seen that rings true😭 i also know you said u dont like alot of his modern portrays, but these types of abuse also occur in older comics as well from what i can tell. i myself often have doubt (perhaps this is because i havent read everything yet and im still informing myself on his character)-that maybe this /is/ just his character, bc of HOW consistent the pattern is. idk if im really asking a specific question. im more so wondering what your thoughts are, like on parentificafion of his kids and emotional neglect/distance, would this be different if DC portrayed him more empathetically/based on your reading, and/or is he just fundamentally unable to parent someone without abusing them like some ppl say. i understand i may have just opened a whole can of worms lol but im so curious

you are totally fine! canon is quite overwhelming in both volume and scope, and conversations about bruce being an abuser definitely dominate at present (not wrongfully btw), so i don't blame people for ascribing to them early on. i will say at least from what i have read (and i will admit here that my pre-bronze age reading is not nearly as consistent as my post-bronze age reading so i have kept less track of specific writers and runs there) that i think the aspects that largely define present interpretations of bruce as an abuser tend to take from canon post-crisis onward. so that's probably why in a sense it looks like bruce has "always" been an abuser, bc realistically speaking if you're a new dc reader it makes most sense to start with the aftermath of the crisis and go from there. most conversations about "canon" tend to be about post-crisis canon (ie what has taken place on new earth/prime earth) and usually when you're looking up batman reading lists they will start with year one rather than with anything in pre-crisis. the crisis was nearly forty years ago after all! it covers a lot of territory and unless you're a really dedicated comic reader with a lot of time on your hands i don't think most people have the time or energy to go further back (to no fault of their own obv)

all that being said. pre-crisis canon is obv not monolithic in nature and there are definitely blogs out there who have dedicated themselves to compiling individual issues or moments they would personally interpret as evocative of abusive behaviors on bruce's behalf. i don't think that's inherently wrong to do per se and to each their own reading but my primary divide with that practice is that it's often performed within a vacuum. to me the most important thing when it comes to being a comics reader (or any kind of reader really) is taking into account real life context and genre conventions. how do the politics or culture of the time shape the way a given narrative is written and with what tone it's written? all of that is crucial to incorporate into an analysis. i'm going to use a pretty famous example of why. world's finest comics #153 (1965) is the origin of a pretty famous panel you may be familiar with:

on its face this looks pretty bad (and it'll actually factor into when i discuss parentification later) but contextually this issue imagined an alternate reality wherein superman was responsible for the death of bruce's parents and subsequently became the face of bruce's relentless revenge and pursuit of criminal activity. obv that's not a bruce who actually exists in reality and this was merely written for the sake of exaggeration and entertainment but it can also give rise to some interesting questions about what the writer here was specifically trying to satirize and why. primarily it's obv trying to poke some fun at the idea of bruce's crusade to begin with (which i am sure most people would agree was quite cartoonish in the early decades of dc despite the more layered portrayal and analysis it was afforded in later decades). but what's also pertinent here is the sort of "natural" exaggeration of bruce's dynamic with dick. in even as far back as the original bob kane comics, bruce and dick had a dynamic where dick was comedically portrayed as the more morally responsible one of the two. it wasn't much reason for concern back then bc the stakes weren't nearly as high and dick's tendency to question some of bruce's decisions (eg his tendency to always let selina go or to allow some villains to die horrifically) was almost always played off with a laugh. but the foundation was still there and you can recognize it in these panels despite that foundation obv being taken to an extreme. all of which is to say: the portrayal of bruce as an abuser largely depends on what a writer is willing to exaggerate, and why, and how. this issue was obv a one-off with no relevance to actual canon but it was nonetheless a peek into what that dynamic between bruce and dick could look like given a writer willing to pursue a darker tone and to explore the potential extremes of what was on its face merely a gag

the novelty of cape comics is that they are a place to explore anything and everything. extremes are possible bc no writer/artist and no editorial staff are ever on a book forever. what creatives want to explore with what they're given can hugely vary esp if a particular editorial staff is liberal enough to allow that exploration. and i think it's fair to say that a lot of writers are interested by the idea of that what if the above issue explored. not out of malice per se but certainly out of a growing curiosity as to how far disbelief with respect to the internal reality of cape comics can actually be suspended. the big question for batman in the 80s was whether having a kid sidekick constituted child abuse. this was primarily explored via the starlin run that ended in a death in the family. and obv following that we got the triple whammie of year three, a lonely place of dying, and knightfall. these arcs to me were what really cemented the foray into parentification in batman comics. the fledgling idea of it had always existed in a sense. dick was the more morally upright character of the two known for chiding some of bruce's decisions. he was the leader of the original teen titans, who historically demanded more respect and support of their mentors (i do not think it all inconsequential that dick and roy were developed so closely). and increasingly as we moved from the bronze age into the modern age we saw a dick who simultaneously desired to be independent of bruce and to be recognized by him. so the components to take that fledgling idea to its natural extreme were all there. editorial merely had to create the right circumstances to mesh those components together, and those circumstances were the buildup to and execution of the death of jason todd

i really do not think it can be underestimated in any sense what an enormous impact that event has had on the entire bat mythos at large. beyond utterly shattering the readers' suspension of disbelief wrt sidekicks' place in cape comics what a death in the family did was create an unavoidable void. this was not an event that could merely be skimmed over and moved on from. the aftermath and the consequences had to be dissected to their fullest extent otherwise batman editorial risked falling into the exact same problem the crisis was written to avoid: circular and aimless continuity. everything had to have concrete, forward moving direction and the consequences had to matter long term for there to be meaningful character development. so when you created the circumstances for a child dying bc batman had him gallivanting around as a masked vigilante, he had to retreat into his shell and utterly fall apart from the guilt of it all while everyone else fought like hell to keep him standing. it was pretty riveting and compelling. knightfall is probably one of my favorite arcs ever despite how utterly boring it is bc the introspection into bruce and his breakdown following jason's death was superb. but the circumstances it created for everyone else in bruce's vicinity to act like his emotional crutch while he took the next decade to recover obv had significant long-lasting consequences. dick had to be relegated to acting as the go-to family man rather than ever again pursuing his own dreams as he had in the 80s and early 90s. when jason came back he had to deal with all of bruce's grief and guilt being projected onto him while his own concerns went unheard. tim had to spend his teenage years deluding himself into believing he was the only one who could hold gotham together while bruce was falling apart. cass had to expend an enormous effort trying to prove herself to bruce bc all of the built up circumstances from the last decade drove him to insane paranoia about having sidekicks at all. and damian had to deal with whatever bruce had become by the time all of that was over

all of this to say: do i think bruce was always meant to become an abuser? not really. but did editorial avail themselves of and relentlessly pursue narrative circumstances that allowed that path to be realistically taken? absolutely. it's ultimately a debate of whether or not you agree they should have taken that direction long term. and i know it may look like i would probably be a hard no on that but personally i find myself more in the middle between these two imaginary camps. bc i'm not unsatisfied with what knightfall explored. i found it hugely interesting to explore the natural conclusion of bruce taking all burdens upon his shoulders and making himself highly vulnerable to collapse bc he refused to open up to anyone out of a fear of burdening them in turn. but knightfall was also followed by contagion and legacy and no man's land and murderer and fugitive. it was bruce taking one hit after another until he was utterly ripped to the core and had to start over from scratch and ig that's what i fundamentally disagree with. i don't think they needed to have gone any further than where knightfall took him and to me the end of knightfall should have signaled that bruce was ready to turn a new leaf where he could healthily balance his emotional commitments without letting them be guided by fear. publishing comics takes a long time so i think people often forget that despite there being a decade worth of comics between the events i immediately listed above what actually transpired in real time in the pages was two years or less. if we want to go all of the way back to a death in the family and account for that as well it becomes four years. four years isn't at all a long time nor is it unsalvageable. but by the time knightfall was over i truly think editorial was so obsessed with its own ideas on exploring bruce's collapse that it failed to see little else in the way of that. everything became about how people responded to him rather than about how bruce responded to the world. ironically by being the main character of his books he became the maker of his own demise. bc everything and everyone had to relate to him and his problems first before they could ever have any of their own. that is why keeping him in a perpetual state of emotional collapse has been so profitable. it is the easiest way to tell a story without ever having to make an effort on anyone else in it

note: one clarification i forgot to make earlier is that everything i wrote above is specifically with respect to bruce’s emotional abuse. i personally think there is zero justification for bruce’s physical abuse and that it can’t actually be extrapolated from anything about him as a character at the core, so whenever writers resort to it in the pages i dismiss it completely

[theofficialdailyplanet]

dc needs to have some kind of writing work shop with trans women, woc, and sa survivor authors cos they have so many writers that use rape and assault s fan service and it pisses me off to no end.

the latest panel i've seen with blue beetle mid-fight with bleez where she's on top of him and jayme loudly tells the stag he's not aroused. shes obs disgusted and in the next page the stag forms a literal penis underneath her.

and this with bleeze, the woman who's origin story is being violently gang raped and murdering her rapists when she recieves a red lantern ring.

not to mention the many other characters who've been assaulted from poison ivy to nightwing.

nightwing has been raped by multiple different women in the comics with no consequences for the women.

both drugged and assaulted by tarantula

the only thing time they mention anything later is when mirage shape shifts into starfire and tells dick in front of her it wasn't actually starfire. and yall know starfire's reaction? she -verbatim- calls dick a slut.

poison ivy gets abused and then these writers have the audacity to not only make her mind control only work through kissing (??) and on top of that in multiple iterations becomes a serial rapist with the men she's assaulted aka mind controlled.

one of the many, many men being batman who's been raped repeatedly in canon by talia, ivy, and im sure others. and they never delve into the repercussions it would have on him as a male rape survivor. the only time the writers reference it is for jokes like damian telling bruce to get better taste in woman and to "cover your drink."

as as for trans women:

the harley quinn the animated series comic had an entiresubplot regarding peach's missing sister miia- a black trans woman who was trafficked (whos only picture u see of her was pre-transition?)

and they make it a point to say "black trans woman," repeatedly only to make a joke out of it in the end with black mask calling himself an "ally"

i'm just constantly dissapointed with dc, i'll be so excited for a new run or film and then shit like this happens and just ruins it for me it makes me so sad

[umbershift]

can u pls share ur webcomic Lists

I'm putting together a proper List and it's taking way longer than I thought it would so I'm gonna go ahead and throw out my favorites with links to the About pages if I can manage it:

Midnight Furies: My current favorite comic, has been for a couple years now. Urban fantasy basketball. It’s got a shark lesbian and a Best Girl and a sorta himbo and just some SUPER cool art. Read it

White Noise: At least to me, this one’s got a strong focus on grief and community and relationships. And xenophobia. Lots of fantasy creatures and magic in a modern setting. A good comic if you like world building. It just finished its first story arc and has a big backlog, so this is a very good time to start reading!

Shot & Chaser: Tre and Olly, a matched set, go storm-chasing. I found this one because of a short sort of nsfw sketch comic that made me fall in love with Tre and Olly. I first read it less than a month ago and I’ve reread it in its entirety about four times

Check, Please!: This one’s completed! Eric Bittle (Bitty) is gay and just started playing college hockey, and the comic covers his years on the team! It’s very cute and sweet, and I love the support that Bitty gets from people around him throughout the comic.

O Human Star: This one’s also completed! It’s sci-fi, it's got robots and it discusses gender and queerness and being out and being closeted. The last pages make me cry every single time I read them.

Barbarous: I love love love the art and paneling and colors on this one. Percy is a super smart magic school dropout helping maintain/run an apartment building (I can't remember the job description) along with Leeds, a big monstrous-looking guy with, shall we say, some secrets. It’s got some really cool “who is the monster and who is the man” vibes

I'm trying to focus on non-webtoons here but I can't not recommend Lavender Jack. It's only on Webtoon, as far as I know, but I ADORE it. Think batman-style crime fighter but with Spider-man levels of banter, and also he's a 1910’s gentleman. This one's also completed!

Also, and I cannot stress this enough: if you like a webcomic, go follow the artists/writers on social media. They often share webcomics and creators they like, which leads you to more webcomics to read. I found out about a lot of these from artists I was following.

[fancyfade]

I think Batman is a great supporting character, if not one of the best supporting characters, if done right. Is batman showing everyone up "doing it right?" Hell no. Is, as in Wonder Woman #800, Batman sitting there talking to Diana and admitting that she is who gives him strength and is "always there when he needs someone most," "doing it right?" Hell yeah. Every comic fan understands who Batman is both in universe and to DC. Having him respect, be vulnerable, take orders from, etc a character is a great short hand for the public to know "dang, MC is cool" or "dang, MC is big leagues now"

Panels from Wonder Woman #800 below BC I love that comic so much. I stole it from a free site BC it was better than taking pictures of the physical book lol.

sorry for late reply; i did not have spoons to image this for a bit!

ID, then commentary:

a comic page showing Bruce wayne in his bed in his underpants, getting up. The setting is labelled "Gotham City. Bruce Wayne's bedroom" and an alarm is going off. Bruce says "Always the same. This time, though…" He puts his feet on the floor and says "Sigh. damn it, diana. Always there when I need you the most. Even in my dreams." he smiles slightly and stands up and looks out at the night sky, which has a bat signal on it. the narration at the end of this page, possibly in another scene, reads "Your friend… he is broken" another scene shows wonder woman/diana of themyscira. someoen off panel says "y-you said something replaces revenge." they grab Diana's hand and says "What? What will take its place?" the camera rotates to show a young Bruce wayne, crying. Diana says "Love. The pain will remain. But… you'll never suffer alone." she kneels down and gently holds him as he covers his face with his hands.

the last page shows bruce wayne as batman and an adult in the same scene with diana. bruce says "What could you possibly need from me?" Diana looks at her lasso and says "Oh, bruce. even though you hold yourself to the highest standard, you're allowed to make mistakes. But me? From me, everyone expects perfection. Even you." Bruce says "That's not what I -- " Diana says "You think I have nothing to learn? That I don't fail? That I don't' 'thave doubts?" Bruce says "I just meant… you're so much better than me." Diana shuts her eyes. Bruce grabs her hand. He says "I'm in pain all the time. And I look to you… Because you're my rock."

end ID, begin commentary

Yes, I do think Bruce can be really effectively utilized as a supporting character! I like lots of these panels, and it is SUCH a good point that like. Everyone expects perfection from Diana. Diana expects perfection from Diana. I got really into it here (link)! I'm glad it hasn't been forgotten

but also LMAO @ Bruce like. XD I think he slightly missed her point. Which is fine, no one's perfect, but when ur friend is trying to open up to u self depreciation is not the answer XD

ty for sharing!

[weird-dere-fics]

Some fun facts of my spidy lil dude:

-She wasn't bitten by a spider. Meaning she doesn't posses spider sense or strenght (yes, she's broken bones lol)

-She broke af too lmao her suit mostly consist of a sleevless black body suit, a hoodie, sneakers, and some googles (also one of those fabric mask that covers hafl of ur face, u know those that u use to protect from the sun and stuff)

-She only has the web shooters that she stole as her only spider-man qualification.

-She isn't part of the spider society due to being an "anomaly." Like my marvel story she was transported from the real world, giving her the ability to go through comic panels and break the forth wall.

-She has no world to belong to, so her going to world to world doesn't make her glitch

-She tends to struggle sometimes when getting food (she gets help later tho) and spends most of her time on her "void" which is just a white space outside the comic panels

-She doesn't consider herself a spider-man, due to being physicaly weak she has lots of doubts into being useful or considered a vigilant to any means

-gets hit on by hot dudes btw and I so respect her for that 😌💅

I am gently holding your little guy and kissing her little head so much 🥺.

I love that she’s unique in not actually having powers and that she’s just so determined 🩷🩷🩷. Absolutely based uwu.

It’s also really cool that she can just go wherever! Being able to hang around outside the confines of a comic strip is such a fun idea owo.

She is a spiderperson idc what she says. She is so real and works so hard U R VALID GIRLIE I PROMMY 🥹🫶🏾. She’s even cooler than Batman cus he’s doin it rich and she’s doing it poor. Not for some grudge bc of dead parents but simply out of the goodness of her heart 🫂❤️❤️❤️.

One of the hot dudes hittin on her has gotta be Hobie, I’m sure 😏.

Okay so like now I have more ideas sparked by your little guy’s story too 👀👀👀.

Maybe my little guy isn’t just connected to Wakanda but is actually from there or somewhere really close but goes there a lot cus of relatives or smth? 👀👀👀

Also from the real world like your girlie, but ofc Wakanda (or at least their power) is a secret [until it isn’t jaisizjz]. Unless u r also counting black panther story as (separate from spidey) comic n not real world then nvm lmao.

She grew up interested in astronomy and was studying to become an astronomer (n astrologer on the side) for the country. Maybe she was visiting a lab in or near the place and ended up getting bitten by not a radioactive spider, but one that consumed or was for a long time exposed to vibranium n survived 👀👀👀.

Thus became her own special breed of spider person.

Maybe she researches spider people trying to find others like her. Find the comics n reads all the ones she can find. Creates her own bracelet thingy trying to reach them (completely unaware of the society). She travels to a few worlds but doesn’t actually make contact with the spiders there, but notices they all have a similar signature. Maybe she travels to one world and finds two signatures and one is vastly different (but similar in a way to her own, as a real world girlie) and she finds ur lil guy 👀👀👀.

If this is at all encroaching on ur story I could totally scrap this n do smth else uwu. Just lemme know!

Ur spider guy is so precious tho I love her. Making her treats for each broken bone 💞.

[kerakeriza]

saw ur post about wanting to know about the "gay history" of Robin and Batman, and if ur genuinely curious, let me try to explain.

I remember learning abt this in depth a while ago, sorry i can't find a link to anything right now but here's what i remember; (WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS I DID FIND A LINK here u go https://youtu.be/FWzY5d9G5mI?si=3skV8YS4NaJoGPb this is abt the subversive queercoding in the lego batman movie, but it goes really well into the history of said queercoding)

Basically, Batman started out as a rather queer character. In the beginning, he gave 'gay vibes.' Grant Morrison says that "gayness is built into batman'. There were scenes in the comics of Bruce and Dick say; sharing beds, or saying things that could be very much taken out of context.

Around the 50s, parents were starting to catch on and this was when the Comics Code Authority was introduced. This is basically a massive censorship to 'protect the children.' like with; DnD, horror, being queer, etc.

I mean look at the Joker; he is framed as being obsessed with batman, right? and Batman continuously denies him. It's like joker is "in love" with him, right? So it was framed as the "bad" queer and "good" straight macho man is Batman. (Even tho batman remains... a very queer character.)

anyway, so,, yeah. It's just that they were in fact queercoded in the earliest batman comics. Theres references and stuff in the video if you're curious! sorry if im a bit unclear im just tryna fill u in real quick lol its like 4am i aint writing a good essay rn.

thank you for the link, i do appreciate that.

in the 50s, absolutely, i won't deny how gay it looked for bruce and dick to sleep so damn close to each other lol. i do still question that it was there in the *start* of batman & robin's dynamic though, since they kicked off in the 40s as legal guardian and ward, and i *have* seen some people seem to imply that it was in the very very beginning, or that the earliest comics neeever had bruce and dick's dynamic as something more akin to parent-and-child. if i could see more direct evidence in the early 40s of the same shit, like the beds-too-close thing, then i'd buy that it was literally baked into batman's character and not just appended to him 14 years after his inception.

i have yet to see evidence that goes *that* far back, to the actual beginning, and i'm a bit too busy to go looking for it myself when i've already promised to read some other comics first, hehe...

sooo, feel free to send me more of the brudick crumbs (as one may call it in shipping terms, i mean) from the 40s. i remain curious.

(here is the gayest panel i've been shown so far, and while i did initially think they were sharing a bed, as you've mentioned yourself, looking closely reveals they're actually in separate beds and just possibly sharing a blanket? lol. still gayer than may be acceptable. i found out it was from batman #84, as well. yay!)

[sl33pyperson]

marc and marlene are 1. trekkies and 2. do star trek sex rp

TRUNCHEON IS FUCKING BACK!,!! WE BACK IN BUSINESS BAEBYYYYY

kinda cute

this is the most comic bullshit i have ever seen.

this guy is the new editor and just………..,. Im Not Fond of this attitude? i hope its just big talk as a way of entertaining people, but just. eh

i understood the whole “oh mk is just marvels batman” in a Sense, but this is uh. a whole other level. limiting mk to gadgets? yeah ok that makes sense, hes not EXACTLY superpowered. him being a millionare?? i hate it being called spectors mansion but. whatever. him being a fucking business conglomerate and buying an entire block purely to hide away his hero toys because his house got bombed? bringing in random civilians? hes literally brooding in the corner. sir. sir how do u have the money for this still i thought ur accounts were fucked. sir have u given up the idea of a secret identity bc everyone already knows. sir this is just a huge fucking target i wish midnight was still around to steal from this place. sir. Sir,

dont talk to me about this panel. just. sigh. how dare u give him the hat.

GIVE FRENCHIE A FUCKING BREAK!!!!!,

LIKE! THIS IS ?? so stupid to me

fucking brooding ass motherfucker

my thoughts on this whole thing are: ugh why. yeah sure bring back some cult from before even tho like. its weird and probably problematic. yeah sure bring back randall then literally fuck him up in a way that is Not interesting what so ever. marlene got almost killed again so shes leaving Again. o7 for that one maam tbh

OH THIS LAST BIT

LIKE HUH?? whaT? are they trying to bring back mk’s avenger connections or something. idk whats going on here. mk’s new “suit of armour” is also tacky in theory, in practice its uhh a bit hard to see details bc its all white so i might have thoughts on that later. my current fav mk suit is the black/white one that looks like armour pieces tho sooooo i can see this new outfit leading to that one …. suffering. i miss jake

[the-cs-oc-archives]

Team Red OCs are pretty unique! And That Shadow the Hedgehog reference is Hilarious!

What is Deepa’s dynamic with Carmen like?

thank you thank you i borrow a few braincells to put together the unfunny jokes

deepas dynamic with carmen? something like

deepa: murder [or other such shenanigan]!! carmen: no!!

[bougenvilleeaa]

ROBIN #5 (2021)

here are some favourite moments!

that no one asked for, but i'm gonna do them anyway.

spoilers ahead, duh.

1. Trust

Damian values Dick's trust so much🥺

It kinda hurts to see him say "I wish you'd just trust me" HE DOES BABY I PROMISE YOU

2. Damian dissing everyone.

"Is that why you and Tim are on a break?"

Damian, your brother had an eye-opening discovery about his sexuality less than two weeks ago, give him a break.

"Are you sure you weren't raised by clowns, Ric?"

He was shot in the head, child. Have some respect.

"Et tu, Reject?"

JASON IS NOT A REJECT OKAY! I LOVE HIM!

also, Damian quoted Shakespeare here. Jason and Damian bonding over classic literature??? please???? DC i know u can hear me. give us more Jason and Damian bonding moments!

3. Damian hugs Jason.

You can't see 80% of Jason's face but you can tell he is absolutely freaking out inside.

"omg omg omg what do i do?"

Jokes aside, this was genuinely such a sweet moment. Jason and Damian finally got their sweet brotherhood moment (even if Damian used it to trick Jason).

And you know what? Yea, Jason is most emotional Robin.

4. Or not..

It amuses me so much that Damian uses sentimentality as a weapon. He was the killy stabby Robin for so long, everyone knew not to try anything with him.

It makes so much sense that sentimentality from Damian, of all people, would shock Jason (the other killy stabby Robin).

also, this is exactly why your brother has trust issues, Damian. shame on you.

5. Big brother Dick.

I can confidently say that no one was surprised to see that Dick was the one who made it through to Damian. He's always been closest to his youngest brother.

The gift itself is beautiful, not because of what it is. But because of what it means to Dick, and now to Damian as well. A solid reminder that Damian has his family backing him up, waiting for him to come home.

And a reminder of who he is: Robin, a brother, a son, a friend, a Wayne, an Al-Ghul.

I would have included the panels of the gift, but alas, Tumblr has a 10 images limit per post.

6. My Robin.

No, I'm not crying. You're crying!

Once again with the sentimentality, this time, Dick gets Damian with it. Damian values Dick's approval and opinion, seeing as Dick accepted Damian and loved him for who he is, without expectations or standards, something Damian wasn't familiar with at the time.

To know that Dick supports him must've given him that last boost of confidence he needed to get back to Lazarus Island and compete in the tournament with a newfound spirit.

batfam stans, how we feeling?

7. What do we tell Batman?

To put it more crudely:

Jason: he got you with sentimentality, didn't he?

Dick: bitch, that was you.

I'm glad they're all leaving Damian to his own devices, letting him (re)discover who he is. And they know that when Damian is ready to come home, they'll be there to welcome him with open arms.

I love that Dick acknowledges and brings up that they've all went through this stage, discovering themselves for who they are outside of being a vigilante. It's a tough life and they know it.

Bonus:

8. Artist appreciation.

I love the artist for this issue (no hate to Jorge Corona from the last issue, but his character design for Dick was ehhhhh...).

Moreover, I love that this artist applied the same design for Nightwing from the current run. Melkinov used the Redondo's design for Nightwing's escrima sticks (the grappling hook coming out of the middle of the stick) and also used a similar design to his suit.

It definitely sells the idea that all of these comics are happening in the same continuity. We've had many conflicting storylines over the years because the writers/artists of the comics hardly ever seem to be on the same page when it comes to the character design of the same character.

I know that Jason's still wearing his old suit instead of the new one Bruce gifted him in Batman: Urban Legends #6 (2021), but this is something that still makes sense to me for the following reasons:

Urban Legends #6 came out only two weeks before this issue, the artist could've been done with their art and didn't know that Jason would be getting a new suit.

Jason is gonna wear the new suit in for the first time in Nightwing Annual #4 (supposedly), which will be released in November of this year. I can only assume that Jason won't be ready to wear his new suit until the point of time in that issue.

Lastly, shout out to Luis Guerrero for the amazing colours in this issue! He captures the essence of each character so well with his colours, like how the light is more reflective on Dick's suit than anyone else's, showing that Dick is wearing a stretchy material since he's a gymnast.

The shading, the contours, the way the light falls softly on each surface, truly a work of art.

[penny-anna]

Heya! I was just wondering if you have any recommendations for Billy Batson (and friends, maybe) focused runs (or specific issues)? I'm trying to get a better handle on his character but there's like, 80+ years worth of content so I'm not sure which to start with. Are there any that you really like or think of as 'required reading'?

hello!!

so I'm also pretty new to DC comics & i haven't read everything I want to read yet - I'm currently working through the stuff recommended in this post.

however!! based on what I've read so far here are some recs:

Shazam! (2013): this is Billy's New 52 origin story & the arc the Shazam movie is based on. if you liked the movie version of the character this would be the starting point & it does expand on the movie plot quite a bit. that said personally I don't like it very much (I found both the art style & the characterisation kind of offputting) so if you've already seen the film I don't know if I'd recommend it. if you haven't seen the film I'd recommend watching that instead.

Shazam (2019): solo run featuring Billy & the Shazamily! if you like the movie this is where I'd recommend jumping in. mostly just whimsical adventures abt Billy & his many siblings exploring the 7 realms of magic. At one point they go to a dimension of only furries. Shazam teams up with Batman for an issue. Billy's estranged father comes back into his life & drama ensues!! not a huge amount of depth - it was kind of the reading equivalent of eating candy for me - but it was all a ton of fun & I really liked the way the arc w Billy's father played out.

Superman/Shazam: First Thunder: you might have seen a post going around w some panels feat. Superman calling out the Wizard Shazam - this is the comic that's from!! it's got some fun Superman & Captain Marvel team up action and then goes hard with the identity reveal. warmly recommended.

If you're interested there's also an animated short film loosely based on the above called Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam. It doesn't have the same emotional punch as the comic but it does include a straightforward and accessible take on Captain Marvel's origin story - it was my introduction to the character and I think it's a pretty solid intro!

Convergence: Shazam!: throwback to classic!Captain Marvel published in 2015. very enjoyable & w really nice art - it's where these panels are from. short & sweet. also warmly recommended!

& finally I'm currently reading The Power of Shazam from the 90s and while I'm not too far into it, in terms of post-crisis Billy content this is hitting all the right beats for me so far!! so if u want a Long Captain Marvel run to get your teeth into this would probably be the place to go.

(quick cw about the above, as it follows the classic origin stories of all the characters p closely it features Captain Nazi in a fairly prominent role, he shows up in issues 6 through 8.)

[ectonurites]

Ngl the thing that pisses me off abt Steph’s costumes is that she’s always very insistent that she’s wearing eggplant but in the art it’s never actually colored as eggplant. Literally every other shade of purple but never eggplant. Shits been straight up pink and they’ve had the nerve to call it eggplant

I mean to be fair off the top of my head (unless i'm totally blanking which is incredibly possible, im tired rn) the eggplant thing was really just referenced the one time, but it was such a fun iconic line it's stuck around with her even as her costumes changed

(Robin #104)

But it is true she's not... actually wearing what most would consider a shade of eggplant here.

Lets use pantone colors as our guide because that's ya know, a standard

this is how they define eggplant, altho it should be noted this is a color specific for textiles, they don't have a named 'eggplant' color in the regular formats for print, so we're just. gonna make do here. but anyways, this is the color:

Which like, there's definitely been times she's in colors similar to that! Probably always a bit more saturated just to make things pop on a comic page, but there's been times she's been in that general range for sure.

but what she's wearing above in a pantone color is approximately:

So yeah, not really eggplant!

(disclaimer tho that because these are scans, different scans might look a bit different colors-wise and it's all gonna look different than how it actually looks printed. I don't own this particular issue to compare irl but i promise you i did break out my pantone book for the sake of this conversation and i would compare if i could)

HOWEVER I think it's worth noting that colloquially, Eggplant usually just refers to darker/less saturated purples in a far less specific way which I think is probably more what the writer was going for with that line.

Basically just trying to have her say 'what? i'm not wearing this'

(anymore, because that's very similar to her original spoiler color!)

(Detective Comics #647, with a photoshop overlay comparing Pantone Purple U with a color picked from Steph's cape on the panel)

But anyways, I doubt it was why but they have had her specifically say 'purple' rather than 'eggplant' in the New 52, and since that's the more general term people are prob gonna be less likely to pull a 'hey that's not ACTUALLY-' with the colors now

(Batman & Robin Eternal #2)