#varian is small

[incorrect-virian-quotes]

Varian: Do you ever wish I was taller?

Violet: Pfff no??? Short people are literally labeled “fun sized” for a reason

[theatricalmage]

oh to look lovingly (when they aren't annoying the living hell out of each other)

Also bonus doodles on the concepts app!!

[magpielark]

I HATE backgrounds KILL backgrounds FOREVER

[pennylime]

blind hugo and medusa varian au <333

fanart of @rynnbug 's au!!! I saw it and my brain rotted so i had to sketch some things :)))

ty for sharing it with the world

[druidonity2]

It was surprisingly hard to develop a chibi style.

[toasty1snake]

‼️‼️INACCURATE TRANSLATION ‼️‼️‼️‼️

This looked way cooler in my head 😭

Anyways never animating again my god I hate it 😭

BUT I AM STILL POSTING IT CUSE IT TOKK WAY TO LONG TO MAKE HAGAHAGAGS

Also the flipaclip watermark coming to ruin my life

I love how you can slowly see me put more effort as it goes lmao

[gayleafpool]

varian would love cheesy romance novels

[medusamagic]

So you want to know more about Big Barda

As Tumblr's resident expert on all things Barda, and as Kelly Thompson's Birds of Prey run brings far more attention to the character, I figured it was high time someone stepped in and gave the tumblr world a primer on DC's biggest and boldest heroine.

The Basics:

Introduced in Mister Miracle #4 by Jack Kirby, Big Barda was once the leader of Apokolips' premier death squad, the Female Furies. Trained from birth for a life of violence by Granny Goodness, Barda spent the first 250 years of her life as a living weapon. This all changed when she met Scott Free, a gentle Parademon-in-training with a mysterious past and a knack for escapes. Eventually, she and Scott both escaped to Earth, where they fell in love with both the Earth and each other. She's a lover, she's a fighter, she's a Pokémon card expert, but most of all, SHE BIG.

Barda's signature defining attribute is her raw strength. Her raw muscle allows her to keep up with heavy hitters like Wonder Woman. This isn't to suggest that she's a simple-minded brute, however-- Barda has centuries of military experience under her belt as leader of the Female Furies. She's mastered multiple weapons, including spears, swords, and her signature Mega-Rod.

Below are some reading recommendations for anyone interested in Big Barda:

Essential Runs:

Mister Miracle Vol. 1 #4-18 by Jack Kirby (1971-1974)

This was the run that introduced the world to Big Barda, as well as the Female Furies. If you want to know the basics of Barda, there's no better place to start. This run is collected in a trade, as well as a part in The Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 1.

(NOTE: Even though Barda doesn't appear until issue #4, I suggest you start with Issue #1. It'll help you get acquainted with the rest of the mythos.)

Justice League International #14-24 by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis (1988-1989)

Big Barda was on the JLI! She plays off the other characters as well as ever, and a lot of what's great about her in Jack Kirby's original run is still here! Definitely check this one out if you want to see her in another team setting. This has been collected in this omnibus.

(NOTE: Once again, I recommend you start from issue #1.)

Popular Runs:

Mister Miracle Vol. 4 #1-12 by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (2017-2018)

Yeah, I know.

Listen, Tom King is a writer with... idiosyncrasies to put it nicely. The characters in the periphery of his stories tend to act really out of character, and his dialogue can be clunky at times. That being said, The Scott/Barda dynamic in this book is excellent, and this book has some of the best art that the Fourth World has seen since the 80s. The series has been collected in a trade.

(NOTE: Did you know that the CIA has over 2003 files on Tom King? Look up "Tom King CIA 2003" for more info!)

Mister Miracle: The Great Escape by Varian Johnson and Daniel Isles (2022)

If you're at all interested in the idea of a Young Adult reimagining of Mister Miracle and Big Barda's origin story with an all-black cast, this book was made for you. It's a bit heavy on the YA tropes, but the Scott/Barda dynamic is really solid. It was released as a standalone graphic novel.

Birds of Prey Vol. 5 #1-??? by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero (2023-)

Admit it, this is the reason you're here. The Cassandra Cain & Big Barda is so instantly iconic, I'm surprised no writer has paired them up sooner. It also helps that this book has the single best Barda look since Jack Kirby's original run. Plus, she gets to throw down with Wonder Woman! What's not to love? This run is still ongoing, but the first 6 issues should be getting a trade pretty soon.

(NOTE: I started writing this before BOP #8 dropped, I had no idea about that thing that happens in the newest issue.)

Stories to Avoid:

Action Comics #592-593 by John Byrne (1987)

This is not a comic book-- it's an infohazard designed to cause pain and suffering to anyone who knows of its existence. Its premise is vile and disrespectful on the surface, and it becomes more insidious when you learn the context of its creation. This pair of issues is profoundly evil, rivaling even Avengers #200 in terms of loathsomeness.

For those who dare to investigate this, Content Warnings for rape, mind control, and human trafficking.

Anyway, let's end on something a bit lighter, shall we?

Remember that Mister Miracle YA graphic novel I mentioned earlier? Barda is getting a graphic novel of her own this summer! It's not out at the time of writing, but the preview pages look promising!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that introduction to one of my favorite superheroes ever. Please get back to me on this, I have no one else to talk to about Fourth World stuff.

[agopestkus]

just Varigo

[frederickkreibug]

Re-entering this fandom by giving A tier list based on how/if these vat7k characters would fuck up a 20 piece buffalo wing

Free for debate

[ruuari]

this is how older anduin looks in my head

[fixateandcreate]

"Yeah, no... She did blink too much."

Let's go, Actor AU!!! This was a vent art that I turned to an AU art. I realized that I am not ready for angsty art. 😅

[eryanlainfa]

Second part of that request- Hugo and Varian as Harley Quinn and Joker!

(Put the ref under the cut)

I was looking for references and stumbled onto this :

And I LOVE annoyed Varian and Hugo being a bother so this was too perfect.

[antiquepearlss]

Tangled The Series would have been very different if Varian were voiced by John Mulaney, huh?

[pennylime]

I was bored and I have little time to draw nowadays, so I've been chipping away at this for a while!! I just wanted to draw my favorites. I have more but there were only six slots and I wanna move on to other things now :3 it was so hard to choose ngl

Also click for quality

[druidonity2]

King