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What if we all just collectively burned down DC Editorial?

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people will just make adult dick live in the manor like that wouldnt be some kind of horror story

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no you don't get it I like superhero comics in a smart way. their long publication histories and self-conscious positioning as a deeply usamerican art form allows them to act as a fascinating time capsule for the cultural history of the united states. you pick up a superhero comic from even just a few decades ago and you get a snapshot into that time period's prevailing views on gender and race relations, nationalism, individualism, environmentalism, views on children, the contemporary relationship between writers/artists, their editors and the reading public, etc. and superhero franchises are so prevalent in usamerican children's media that they act as a shared cultural touchstone of childhood on a scale that few other things do, which results in them being loaded with all these frenetic youth interpretations that are later canonized as young readers become adult writers. it's the adolescence of a thousand people that has since become the thought experiment of a thousand adults. it fascinates me. also it has people in themed skintight spandex/leather outfits beating the shit out of each other which I like for sex pervert reasons

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yuuji and megumi are so madoka and homura coded it's not even funny anymore

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Ohhh [fictional character with worse mental health than me] save meeeee from this cruel world.

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Gojo and Megumi exist as wretched mirrors of each other; you are all I could've been and you are all i might be.

how their characters and their narrative arcs are foils of each other, a post:

1. Intro

Gojo and Megumi's origins start off pretty similarly: they were born from the 3 major clans, and they inherited the prized technique and let that dictate their lives, for better or for worse.

The divergence in fate starts when Gojo chooses to take Megumi in instead of letting him be subjected to the Zenin Clan's whims, i.e making him go down the same path Gojo had been born into and end up isolated and alone just like he was before Geto.

Here is where the first key component that separates Megumi entirely from Gojo fundamentally and the fate Megumi would've eventually found himself trapped in:

2. Tsumiki

Here, when Megumi is asked what he wants, he asks about Tsumiki, about her happiness. Megumi has someone he cares about and someone that cares about him from a young age, something Gojo didn't have yet.

Tsumiki was the reason he chose to go with Gojo. Had she not existed, Megumi wouldn't have taken Gojo's deal and probably dismissed him as he would've gained nothing from going with him, which would've ended with him with the Zenin Clan per Toji's deal.

in fact, she's the reason why Megumi turned out so differently despite being under Gojo's tutelage. Because of her, Megumi had someone to ground him, someone to connect him to non-sorcerers and "weak people", something Gojo didn't have. Because of her kindness, he had made it his

ideal to save people. there's an emotional weight and connection because Megumi grew up surrounded by non-sorcerers (went to a normal middle school) and was influenced heavily by them (Tsumiki).

So despite his grievances with people in general, he gets it. he understands where they're coming from, he despises it exactly because he grew up in it, and he sees it reflected in himself. but his sister changed him and showed him that some people are worth saving and fighting for.

unlike Gojo when he was a teen who, because he didn't have any connection to non-sorcerers or "weak" people growing up, viewed himself above them and saw that saving them was an unnecessary chore. and even with Geto, he was still indifferent.

it wasn't until Riko and Geto's defection that he saw value in saving these "weak" people too, but even then, there was still a sense of detachment from everyone else. a duty he had to carry out.

But because Megumi had earthly attachments (Tsumiki) he wasn't able to awaken or reach enlightment the way Gojo was able to in HI. in that moment of awakening, Gojo had momentarily let go of everything— Riko's death. Of course, Riko and Tsumiki are completely different in regards of how much they mean to Gojo and Megumi respectively (one is someone gojo knew for a few days at most while Megumi grew up with Tsumiki) but the point is Gojo had a separation from everyone else since the start (barring Geto), a separation Megumi never had because he had someone to tether him to the "world", so to speak, and that was what Sukuna exploited to completely destroy him.

3. Connection

Because Megumi was more "grounded", he was able to connect and interact with his classmates and upper classmates in a way Gojo wasn't able to before (barring Geto). Megumi didn't separate himself from the people around him, and spoke to them very respectfully.

he speaks to his upperclassmen formally using polite speech and honorifics, he still considers himself part of them, not a higher being or anything. Hell, he even trains with them (Maki), and heeds their advice well.

And while at the start he had an aloof air about him, he's quick to form bonds with Yuuji and Nobara, and by CH. 58, he was able to share a vulnerability with them and trust them to help him save his sister. Hell, as early as CH. 10, they had already impacted him hard enough for him to honor their wishes.

Gojo never had that with anyone before Geto, and he never had it with anyone else other than him.

This isolation Gojo felt is because of being The Strongest, but it's also because he grew up alone in the Clan, so it was what he was used to, unlike Megumi who grew up with Tsumiki.

4. Techniques

Their techniques and the way they work reflect their characters and contrast each other. Limitless is a very strong offensive Technique that requires precision to master, and it's one that works best alone. Its destructive power doesn't allow for any team-ups, and Infinity only protects him from any dangers, so it's isolating in nature. That's why Gojo works best alone. it doesn't allow for cooperation.

Contrastingly, 10S is a very versatile technique that has many uses besides offensive, and it is one that relies on cooperation because you can use many shikigamis at once, and it's one that doesn't isolate the user because you can utilise it in team-ups, too. its strength is in numbers. That reflects on their characters, their insecurities, and flaws.

Limitless sacrifices companionship for strength, and 10S sacrifices strength for companionship.

Likewise, Gojo loves the strength that comes with it yet he loathes the loneliness that it subjects him to, and Megumi loves the companionship that comes with it yet loathes the inadequacy he feels that comes from not being strong enough to protect the people he cares about.

10S is a technique that works against the user because you have to put your life on the line for the rituals, but you have your shikigami to aid you. while Limitless is one you can train freely with little to no immediate danger on the user, but you have to do it alone.

Gojo grew up being told he is strong while Megumi grew up being told he could be strong. That's why Gojo thrived and Megumi didn't. Gojo was constantly assured he was The Strongest every step, while Megumi was pushed to grow faster despite his efforts.

5. Dreams

Gojo had always loved Jujutsu, and he preferred his death by Sukuna's hand over something "boring" like dying of old age. He doesn't like simplicity. while Megumi wanted that. he never liked Jujutsu and would've preferred he lived a quiet and peaceful life.

6. Conclusion

Megumi exists as a harsh reminder for Gojo: He is all he could've been—able to connect with the people around him and have empathy for those who are weaker than him, and Gojo exists as a harsh reminder for Megumi: you are all i might be—powerful, but alone.

6.5. Prediction

this is just a prediction, a theory if you will, but there is a chance that Megumi could have his awakening in Chapter 271, surrounded by his friends, as opposed to Gojo who had his alone and detached from everyone else. who's to say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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3 apples tall

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Im sorry for drawing this

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superheroes are often used as storytelling devices to carry fascist messaging but they don't gotta do that. and they didn't 100% always do that. because even the big ones have changed hands and artists and writers so many times there's a whole lot out there. much of it bad. but not all of it. they represent what you make it, if you're the one telling the story. we've just had a lot of instances of the big and popular heroes being pretty explicitly fascist, representing protection of a status quo through violence against anyone perceived as other. it sucks. it's there. but I still love superheroes for what they could be (and very occasionally are). I won't tell you you have to like it, but I just have never been able to give up on a lot of these characters for the times they have been something interesting, something compelling; I still have an emotional attachment there despite all of the times they've been something I detest.

and, additionally, sometimes you will like a story that has elements you don't agree with. It would probably be better without them, but it doesn't mean you didn't enjoy it as a story, you know; sometimes comics are just.....very flawed. A mixed bag. Neither the masterpiece for the ages nor total garbage you stop thinking about. Idk. Comics and superheroes are far from above criticism I just think there is nuance I guess, it still can be a place for meaningful art, it just often isn't.

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i don’t think dick gets excluded enough! we need full page batfam spreads with every possible member except him. we need a titans story where they keep saying they’re glad the whole team is together but they don’t even mention dick. we need nightwing comics that he’s not in.

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Are you fucking kidding me Joanne

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stephanie and damian will forever be the most interesting yet underrated robin duo due to their shared themes of inadequacy and worthiness. people do discuss legacy in relation to ‘robin’ but no one juxtaposes these two together often enough when they’re perfect character foils.

stephanie, who despite her best efforts and earnest belief in ‘robin’ falling short of ‘worthiness’ to that mantle due to her singular disobedience compared to damian. someone who initially dismisses the mantle as anything but an extension of inherent ‘worthiness’, yet is granted grace again and again. but even that’s a grace initially given by dick and alfred more than anyone else.

i think ‘robin’ exposes their insecurities and failures so starkly compared to dick or tim. and i think it’s their shared themes despite the diametric opposition that makes them so interesting together. they can probably see through each other in a way otherwise limited to a select few, merely through happenstance. their experiences are just so bitterly human in the sense that their appeals to the fickle higher power that is ‘batman’ fail against the regrettable, flawed humanity of bruce. and i personally think they should be able to bond over it more.

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people who say it's difficult to get into comics are weak and won't survive the winter. you pick a random comic, google "read online free" and then you read a hundred issues of a run you'll like well enough but realize really sucks like two years later.

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Cass is so fun as a character because she fulfils the 'gruff but with a heart of gold' trope in a way that normally is exclusively used for male characters. Cass can be abrasive, and asocial, and off-putting. She is better than everyone, knows it, and she is not afraid to say it loudly to your face. She tried to help Babs feel better after seeing her cry, and decided the best way was to simply throw Nightwing out of a window (it's okay, he was fine).

But Cass is also someone who loves deeply and cares so much. About everyone. She has strong moral convictions to never kill not because she's scared it would push her over the edge but because she values people's lives so much. Because she believes everyone can choose to be better, and they deserve the chance to make that choice.

She isn't sweet and friendly and someone who always manages to get on with people, but she also isn't a cold ruthless assassin. She is a tough, broken person who finds something to protect in everyone. Someone who can frankly be a jerk (and can be difficult for some people to get along with) but who would risk her life time and time again if it meant helping someone. Cass is a hero through and through.

Anyway, I just love Cass.

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DAVID CORENSWET on the set of Superman (2025)

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yeah yeah yeah, so-and-so is your favorite Robin, but who's your second favorite Robin?

see personally, i don't think knowing someone's favorite Robin really tells me all that much about them. but if you know their top two? now that, that tells you everything. and the order matters too, a dick (#1) and dami (#2) stan is not the same as a dick (#2) and dami (#1) stan.

with this hypothesis in mind, i have put together this questionnaire, so that i may gather data and see if there really are more commonalities depending on an individual's top two Robins. like, do X stans really, typically read less comics? do X stans really, typically think their favorite Robin is the best Robin, like best at fulfilling the role? do X stans really, typically believe Batman should kill?

findings will be presented with flourish and analysis!! (no judgement tho, this is not an attempt to grade people on whether or not they are "good"/"real" fans, but rather to see where the common ground lies amidst all the differences.)

in the mean time, here's a poll to give us some surface level insight:

please reblog with who is your #1 + #2!! predictions/hypothesis/explanations are also welcome!!

(maybe i'll do this again with more batfam members?? baby steps, cue, baby steps)