#It's kinda funny how many people mention DC vs. Vampires

[allineedisonedream]

absolutely obsessed with how you draw vampire dick [and with the titans? it’s the story we deserve but will never have]

aww thank youuu! something about him as a vampire gives me the sillies happy to hear you like it!^^

[ectonurites]

thoughts on todays releases?

OKAY I'm a bit behind on a few books so I don't have commentary for everything but to go over what I did get a chance to read [spoilers ahead!!!!]

Aquaman: The Becoming #4 - Admittedly I've been going into this book with very little knowledge of recent goings on with any of the characters, so it's been a lot of just taking things at face value (which is def different than me approaching Bat comics where I may notice inconsistencies with recent things more) but I thought the lore stuff about Jackson's mom today was really interesting. I'm not the biggest fan of the 'surprise sibling' trope which was how the last issue ended, but it is nice having like, his mom as part of this so we know yes Delilah is in fact his sister it's not a fake-out or anything, and seeing how that plays out. I also just... love complicated family dynamics, so this is interesting and tense in a way that appeals to me. I'm curious how Lucia's side of the story might differ though based on how she said Meeka was twisting things.

Detective Comics #1046 - WE LOVE TO SEE STEPH REFERRING TO HERSELF AS BATGIRL! Like I know she is officially one of 'The Batgirls' but getting to see her use the singular 'Batgirl' for herself just... feels so good. Also getting to see her interact with Helena! We love purple girls, and just the way Steph is always trying to help. In general Helena's stuff in the 'tec run has been really interesting so far, the visions as a lingering side effect from the Vile stuff is really cool and I'm glad they've kept it going. I'm super looking forward to Shadows of the Bat also, which this kinda helped move pieces into position for that since it starts next issue. While I do think that the concept of Arkham Tower- putting a version of Arkham in the middle of the city- is just absurd in so many ways (when I first mentioned to my mom that was a thing she burst out laughing because how the hell does anyone in-universe think that's a good idea) I'm still really curious to see how it's all gonna play out.

DC Vs. Vampires #3 - Hal basically being just the [gunshot warning in video] Eric Andre: Who Killed Hannibal? meme about Barry's death has been too funny ever since the preview dropped. Overall I'm so along for the ride with this, it's just vampire chaos. ALSO ZATANNA.... QUEEN.... queen. Adore her design here. The ending was a fun thing too, I think Hal & Diana choosing Bruce of all people to frame for Barry's murder is gonna be a fascinating choice when we get to the start of the next issue, just seeing the discussion that brings. The guy with the biggest thing against killing being framed. It's bold. Daring. OH also Dinah, Roy & Ollie having their little group... love it. Like last issue we saw the Bats together as a family unit so I'm glad we can see other hero families having a similar idea.

Robin #9 - We love the power of friendship and teamwork! Truly embracing the shonen anime vibe of this whole run so far. Alfred's ghost's presence in the book has been something I've loved so far, and the way he was used in this issue I especially liked. Altho I really dislike Rose being like 'stop flirting!!!' when Damian and Flatline just talk to each other like sgdfhgfh they will just be having a normal conversation and everyone's like 'ugh get a ROOM' like. I'm tired. I hope that stops soon, because otherwise I do really like Flatline & her interactions with Damian. I don't even mind it being a romantic thing between them (like, Damian's 14 now, that's when Tim was having all sorts of romance plots back in his Robin solo) but having others comment on it that way makes it feel forced when there is an interesting dynamic forming there that doesn't need that. Also the ending was such a cool OH SHIT moment I'm so so so curious to see where things pick up with that next issue, and how he's gonna get back to the present/what new things about Ra's he's gonna find out in the past.

Task Force Z #3 - Bringing up Jason's thoughts about killing in direct relation to Alfred's death? Which provides some reasoning that actually... makes his choice to stay away from killing for the time being make a bit more sense for him, connecting it to his own guilt and loss? Then having Hanna suggest he forgive Bane for what he did... and him at the first available opportunity where he knew it'd actually mean something basically saying 'fuck forgiveness' and pushing Bane off a building for what he did to Alfred? Telling his higher-ups that Bane's gone- attempting to ensure that he won't get more Lazarus Resin to come back to life so essentially trying to re-kill him? HELL. YEAH. (solicits for future issues do let us know that Bane's def not staying dead, but hey, Jason tried) Again, I wouldn't have gone down this 'no killing no guns' path with Jason in the first place, I still don't like it as a general direction, but this is at least going down that path in an interesting way. We love revenge, revenge is a very Jason thing. Also the ending! I really hadn't been thinking all that much about who Crispin might be so him actually being Two-Face was a fun reveal. In hindsight, the pair of twin scientists was probably a clue. Like we knew he'd be involved in the book from solicits for future issues but this wasn't the way I expected it.

Teen Titans Academy #10 - So as a whole, I've definitely thought the strongest parts of this book have been focusing on the new students/new characters, and this issue had some Dane & Red X stuff that I thought was at least like, interesting. Dane saying his father is 'The Dark Lord'/Dane being called the Antichrist plus his physical similarities to how DC's Lucifer has been depicted (especially with his wings now like. come on) is just making me 👀 like are they gonna namedrop him? And of course, there's the main reason I'm still reading this book, I am curious what the deal is with Red X. I liked him in this issue being less of the just mysterious shadowy figure and a lot more of a vulnerable kid, plus him choosing not to leave Dane when he could have. I really didn't like the bits with the senior Titans in this issue though, idk. As a whole them being teachers and shit in the first place still feels so weird to me, it's super just not my ideal dynamic for a version of the Titans. All the 'Mr.' and 'Ms.' usage with their hero names just sounds so silly every time. The bit I disliked the most though was Roy misgendering Stitch like.... I get the reasoning, Roy only just got there and hasn't really met them before this moment, but hghghgghhh just didn't like it!! Did not think it was necessary.

so ya! my disjointed thoughts.

[roguish-gallery]

Did you ever make that joker tier list, I always like seeing what people think of all the different ones. Though if they put Romero last I can no longer respect them.

LMAO I DID! I think I’ve made it kind of obvious in this blog but I... don’t... particularly... care... for... the joker.... unless he’s, y’know, fun to watch. Cause he’s a clown, and clowns are supposed to be entertaining. But since you politely brought it up, and and because I have a deep respect for mutual Romero-lovers, I guess this would be a good time to explain my rankings and just discuss my general thoughts on each clown:

General Thoughts:

For the most part, I don’t really care for the Joker. This is hardly an uncommon opinion here on tumblr, but I definitely fall on the side of the fandom that feels that he gets too much attention from DC. I get WHY they use him so often for films and comics, and I don’t have anything against *most* folks who consider them their favorite Batman villain, but at this point he’s used more for shock value and as a crutch instead of anything interesting. Like, instead of giving attention to the other Rogues, writers (at least for the comics) will try and make up some bullshit story that they can shoehorn the Joker into, ‘cause it sells. It’s tiring, and I feel like the character has lost his meaning; I can only read so many stories about the Joker, I don’t fucking know, wearing a suit made from dead babies and Jason Todd’s flayed corpse before I get sick of it.

I’m at the point where I’ll like any Joker who’s just fun to watch. I genuinely respect those who prefer darker interpretations of the character, but that isn’t me; I vastly prefer the lighthearted takes on him, because... at this point... writers who use the “cleaner” version of him tend to be more creative, since they actually have to write a Joker story that doesn’t rely on gore/torture porn.

TIER ONE:

Joker Baby: Self explanatory. Joker Baby is thematic, thoughtful, and intense. Everytime I watch this video, I shiver with fear and pleasure; something primal in me awakens whenever Joker Baby runs his fingers through his spray-on dyed hair, and ends up smearing green paint on his forehead- it represents the inner turmoil, the chaos, that resides within the disturbed body that is Joker Baby. Nothing can ever hope to top the artistic and cultural impact Joker Baby has had on society.

TIER TWO:

Batman Ninja: I genuinely believe that Batman Ninja is one of the most fun, organic, and creative things to come out from the Batman side of DC comics in like... hmmm... a decade, maybe (I could talk for hours about how much I love this movie but that’s something for a future post). This Joker is easily, and unironically my favorite interpretation of the character, period. I love his energy, his design, everything. This is the most fun I’ve ever had watching a Joker on-screen, and for that I’ve gotta give the film credit where it is due.

Batman ‘66: I looooove Caesar Romero. Batman ‘66 in general is one of my favorite pieces of Batman media, and I absolutely adore this Joker. The show is pure, genuine fun, and it’s nice to turn my brain off and watch a show where the entire cast was allowed to goof around. This Joker is just a cute, goofy little clown-man who likes to commit crimes, go surfing, turn Gotham’s water reserve into gelatin, and have wild orgies with Penguin, Catwoman, and the Riddler. I massively appreciate the hustle. I love his little mustache and his facial expressions. I’d give him a chaste little kiss on the cheek if I could.

The Batman: EXTREMELY CONTROVERSIAL TAKE BUT. I think TB!Joker is better than what people will give him credit for. I can only imagine how stressful it must have been to be the first Batman cartoon to follow BTAS and the writers for this show knew they were gonna be fucked no matter what they did with the Joker, so they just decided to try something completely different with him. Personally, I appreciate the new direction- he has a fun, unhinged energy. I’ve placed him higher than BTAS/BTNA!Joker simply because The Batman was the show that got me into the Rogues in the first place, and I’m just a bit closer to this Joker because of it. Also his vampire form was cool as FUCK in Batman Vs. Dracula and the scene where he gets drenched in blood at a blood bank is fucking awesome.

Batman the Animated Series/The New Adventures: Everyone loves BTAS’s Joker, and I’m no exception. Mark Hamill is fucking great, and the writers clearly knew the character well enough to create a version of him that can be fun and threatening. As an aside, I unironically like his redesign in BTNA- I remember Hamill mentioning somewhere that he thought it was neat that this Joker looked more like a shark (I’ll see if I can find a source on that... I think he said it in an interview with Kevin Smith?) and I kinda agree with him. the redesigns in the final season are hit or miss, but I didn’t get why so many people bitched about the Joker’s new look.

Batman Unlimited: Hear me out... Hear me out... Clown... funny... and cute... He wears a little crown and gives Solomon Grundy a little smooch on the cheek and it is as delightful as it sounds. Yes the Batman Unlimited films literally only exist to sell toys but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy them on some ironic level.

TIER THREE:

Lego Batman: He’s a gay icon. He has the range. Enough said.

White Knight: This is just a genuinely good, original take on the character, and the art in White Knight is absolutely gorgeous. 

Arkham: My friends and I joke that this Joker is basically a more unhinged version of BTAS! Joker and... yeah. I’m glad Hamill and Paul Dini got to fuck around with the character more, but I never really dwelled on the Joker parts of the games like I might have for other characters. I definitely liked him the most in Arkham Asylum, as he was more fun to watch. Arkham City was fiiiiine, but I think I replayed the game so much that I kinda got fatigued with everything about it. Genuinely hated his part in Origins, and I was pissed that he stole the attention from Black Mask and Bane (who’s the best fucking part of Origins IMO). I’ll admit that I... Haven’t... played... Knight yet (I have it on PC but my laptop is too wimpy to run it) but like... He’s dead at that point, so I’d assume he isn’t the main point of that game anyway. I love Mark Hamill and the fact I can personally beat the shit out of this Joker, so he’s ranked up pretty high for those reasons.

TIER FOUR:

Batman ‘89: TBH this Joker should be a rank higher, but I’m too lazy to hop onto PicsArt to change it. NIcholson was an excellent choice, and I apprecaite how this Joker makes use of the playful and unhinged aspects of the character. Also, his outfits are cute, and I love the museum scene.

Brave and the Bold: Technically this Joker SHOULD be ranked higher since he’s literally based on the more lighthearted comics in the 60′s but... ehhh... I haven’t really watched BATB so I don’t have any strong opinions on the show and how it handles the character. he’s ranked this high through beause I appreciate what they were going for.

Golden Age: The quality of comics are always subjective, based on the creative team behind them. Some I’ll like more, others less so, It’s kind of hard to rank the pre-52 comic version of the Joker because of this.

TIER FIVE:

Killing Joke: Read it, didn’t care for it. I acknowledge how massive the impact this comic had on... everything, but just because I recognize how important this graphic novel is, doesn’t mean I have to like it.

The Dark Knight: Ledger did an excellent job with the role, but uhh... I’m kind of sick of the alt-right chuds who are out there sucking this Joker’s dick. The fanbase definitely ruined the character for me.

TIER SIX:

99′: Eh

Endgame: No

Suicide Squad: NO

Death of the Family: Hate him. Despise him. Lame stupid dumb little edgy bitch.

Gotham (Jeremiah): I don’t particulary care for Gotham in general, but the only reason I ranked this Joker over Jerome is beause I thought it was kinda funny to see that they made him a little rat-man, and I liked watching all the fujoshi on here cry and complain that they can’t ship this version of the joker with the pre-pubescent Bruce Wayne in the show bc he’s too ugly.

Gotham (Jerome): stop shippping this freak (who is fucking eighteen years old) with a literal twelve year old child. what the FUCK is wrong with yall.

UNRANKED:

The Joker (2019): I don’t plan on watching this film, nor will I ever. I know this is ironic, coming from someone who runs a Rogue blog, but stuff that focuses primarily on a character’s deteriorating mental health makes me reaaaaallllllyyyyy anxious (it’s kind of a phobia) and considering that I don’t particularly the Joker, I have no reason to watch something I know will only give my dumb ADHD-ass intrusive throughts.