#The trend of dc writers back in the new 52 and rebirth days

[aingeal98]

The funny thing about the canon Tim fans is that they will do all this . . . then blame Jason and his fans for like Didio's stuff because Jason was reintroduced around the time Didio took over. Like, Jason fans not focusing more on Helena, who hasn't really interacted with Jason, is misogyny but their centering Helena's relationship with Tim over her actual character and their treatment of stuff isn't. The misogynistic writing around Jason is on Jason but misogynistic writing around Tim is on the women around him. This fandom is a kingdom of misogynistic glass houses.

"This fandom is a kingdom of misogynistic glass houses." is so real like every fanon batman and batboy fan will end up accidentally taking from female comic book characters in an attempt to make their 1 dimensional fanon faves more interesting 😭 happens with Jason, with Tim, with Bruce, with every fandom focused on male characters to be quite honest. I don't think fanon stans deliberately steal these traits they just think "wouldn't it be cool if my fave did this" and don't realise that there's a story out there of a female character doing exactly that, which they're of course never going to read because it's a female character.

In terms of canon I'd say the two female characters most harmed by Jason are Starfire in rhato which thankfully didn't stick the way Roy's flanderisation did, and Mia because while her initial confrontation with Jason was very much centered around her, with Jason acting as her villain/narrative foil, batfandom took it and ran with it to the point that there were way too many accounts referencing Mia for the first and only time just to use her own suffering for Jason angst. Which was very nauseating to witness I can't lie! You only care about this female character and her arc about living with HIV because of the headcanons it let's you project onto your male fave? Yeah never mention her again thanks.

(note I'm specifically talking about the general batfam/dc fandom and not Jason fans who've read the comics and have interesting thoughts and analysis on the two of them. The former is more frequent than the latter the same way fanon content is more frequent overall than canon in this fandom.)

And then meanwhile with Tim there's Cass there's Steph there's Cassie there's his treatment of Prue and his girlfriends and just generally pre New 52 if you were writing a story involving Tim and women and it didn't have any sexist bullshit designed to prop him up at the expense of female characters then it was a small miracle. And he's not even the worst offender by a long shot when Bruce exists!

I think the only batboy who's genuinely exempt from this is Duke and in my opinion that's largely because he is not only black but also too visibly Not White to work as the white male power fantasy some writers project on Bruce, Tim, Jason, Dick and even Damian. With Dick they can ignore his Romani heritage with Damian they can vilify his Asian side of the family and throw a bunch of misogynistic writing at Talia but with Duke any bigoted writer who gets to write him isn't going to be able to ignore how visibly black he is in order to project their misogynistic and racist power fantasies on him. And so he gets ignored instead the same way the girls do, because far too many people can't imagine characters having rich internal lives and personalities worth exploring if they don't already fit the pale skinned male character mold.

[zahri-melitor]

i mean identity crisis was 2004 but I'm not certain i follow the rebirth thing...

then again I haven't read much new 52

and also I feel like there's always grey areas (legion of superheroes is less episodic than the main superfam titles in the later pre-bronze silver age for example. Like it's the first resurrection of a character in Superhero comics and they dealt with the death for at least a few issues IIRC, "the atomic age's" whole existence, plus some crises affect other franchises more than others (looking at you superman...)

but then again i like talking about those weird grey areas

Honestly my 2004 pins are actually:

Parallax Yellow Space Bug Retcon

War Games sweeping the girls out of Gotham

Didio’s promotion in November 2004

It’s about the particularly Didio and Johns-led push to roll back a bunch of story progression that eventually culminated in n52.

(I can also talk about how Spider-Man: One More Day relates similarly to this trend over in Marvel, but I’m not particularly across wider Marvel to give you more detailed pointers and they had their own separate incoming problems, like MCU synergy)

New 52 is interesting to talk about! Seventh Wave (that is, issues #31-34 of n52) is marked by NINETEEN title launches. Ninth Wave (issues #41-46, just after Convergence, and the rebrand as DC You) had TWENTY TWO title launches. This is significantly more than the cancellation/relaunch cycle for any preceding wave since First Wave and the establishment of n52.

That period marks an inversion point in what DC was trying to accomplish with n52 and is when you see the editorial mandates starting to disappear. Big changes in direction for titles are allowed (Grayson. Burnside. Jim Gordon!Batman. Gotham Academy. I haven’t touched many non - Bat n52 books but I know Superman equally was grappling with a strong redirection around Convergence).

Basically, it was the point when n52 seriously started unravelling and the push towards progressed storytelling and writers trying to return to pre-Flashpoint characterisation picked up. It was also a period when DC started throwing everything and anything against the wall to see what stuck and a lot of what was sticking was both newer more diverse characters and stories, but also a lot of the characters who got swept away by Flashpoint.

[dorizardthewizard]

Misconception: Hal Jordan is an idiot

Okay this might be part of a series of Green Lantern posts I’ve been writing when bored, because hey you read some youtube comments and suddenly you’re an essay writer. It’s just gonna be me rambling about Hal’s character lol

So we’ve all made dumbass jokes, me included, but honestly? Hal’s not stupid, he can’t be. It takes a lot to be a test pilot, including a degree in the engineering/physics field, and most likely military service. He wouldn’t have gotten as far as he did if he wasn’t smart enough.

It might not always seem that way though, but that’s because he excels in thinking on the fly, which is so important when you’re dealing with intergalactic crises springing up every Tuesday. He’s the guy who will jump right into danger and trust that he can get himself out afterwards. We’ve seen him think his way out of tricky situations before, even if in his own crazy style like jumping out of a plane to recharge his ring from the head of a Manhunter. In some circles he’s kind of gotten the reputation of being the lame one in the Justice League, which can’t possibly be true when he has a ton of amazing feats to him like defeating Sinestro multiple times, killing Krona despite the fact that a GL ring shouldn’t be able to kill a Guardian, controlling the death entity Nekron to defeat the reality-bending First Lantern, making a ring out of his own willpower… etc.

So if he isn’t actually an idiot, where did this reputation come from? The ring chooses according to willpower and technically, not being bright shouldn’t make anyone less worthy, but this trait has kind of been blown up over the years to the point where some people are getting “dumbass energy” mixed with “actual dumbass”. Going back to the silver age, Hal definitely had a clumsy streak – we’ve all laughed at the panels like him slipping over in the shower and knocking himself out. It was pretty endearing though, watching this walking disaster still manage to save the day.

I feel like some of that was lost in later comics as he grew up, and when Johns brought him back even later, he was more like the cool, cocky pilot type (although still a disaster in other areas lol). The thing is, because of his nature of jumping into danger it sometimes seems like he really can’t think for himself, but that’s not the case. It’s just his style to go in guns blazing, shining bright and attracting all the attention away from whoever’s he’s saving and onto him. It’s true that it doesn’t always work out as well as he hopes, and that makes for some fun stories, but other times his quick instincts are lifesaving.

It wasn’t until the New 52 where this really got blown up though – while the GL comics continued mostly the same as before, other characters got rebooted so we got a whole new Justice League dynamic. A lot of people unfamiliar with GL know his New 52 version through the animated movies, and booooy…. this guy is basically Guy Gardner but less lovable, more insufferable and way less competent.

Of course this isn’t just limited to him, a lot of the Justice League members seem to be caricatures of themselves in this movie but I feel like he’s gotten it the worst. The Batman Syndrome doesn’t help either, where everyone’s dumbed down and nerfed to make him look like the biggest BAMF on the League. You have a guy who literally works with aliens everyday but of course only Batman’s tech can identify an alien device as a bomb! There’s also the ring-stealing gimmick, which is stupid because a Green Lantern is always bound to their ring through concentration – to remove it they literally have to disengage their minds from it first. I don’t know, maybe there’s a retcon or something but it’s still dumb. He even does this to John Stewart in JL Dark – that’s crossing the line :’P

Of course you could say JL War was early days and he hadn’t been a GL that long, but it doesn’t get much better in the other films and it’s no excuse for crossing into annoying asshole territory. It’s a difficult balance to strike and boy can you tell when a writer only has surface-level knowledge of his character...

Yikes. Sure he can be a cocky flirt – so was Han Solo – but he was actually likable!!

Sadly this trend of making Hal more and more of a comic relief man-child outside of comics continues, you’ve got kids watching him in DC Superhero Girls thinking that’s the definitive take on him, and we’re not getting a new GL movie any time soon to really delve into the character, whether animated or live action. Thankfully the animated series portrays him in a more positive light (although maybe they went a bit too far in flattening out his flaws, but that’s a post for another time) but that got cancelled so :/ Again I’m not well-versed in New 52 and Rebirth comics outside of GL yet but I have seen snippets of Justice League comics where it seems like he’s grown more into his old self, my favourite being his Darkseid War tie-in, which I really hope to see animated someday. Speaking of movies, the 2011 one certainly didn’t do him any favours – I actually think Reynolds did okay as Hal but when people look back on it, all they see is the Deadpool guy.

Anyway this is kind of going off on a tangent but still, it’s sad seeing so many comments joking about him being dumb and incompetent and that they should have used another lantern instead (I agree we need more of the other lanterns but not because Hal sucks), just because bad writing made him a caricature of his worst traits. When this happens to characters like Batman, tons of fans complain and come to his defence by calling out the writing, yet for Hal many just assume this is how he always is. In a world where Aquaman is actually getting some love, I really hope we can get a good adaptation for Hal soon.

TLDR;

Me: Oh Hal you dumbass

Someone: Ikr he’s such an idiot and a jerk I hate him

Me:

Me: What the fuck did you just say

[hellyeahheroes]

Bendis is moving to DC y’all

DC has Marvel’s highest seller writer, Brian Michael Bendis, the mind behind Marvel hits like Modern day Spider-man and Peter Parker, Jessica Jones, and the revival of Luke Cage. Miles Morales, and Riri Williams.The man that weave interpersonal and intense storylines such as Peter’s first and failed attempt at tacking the Kingpin and Avengers spending most of their time playing poker.Love him, hate him, or wish he would stop dragging on arcs, this is undoubtedly big news in comic circles.

Now, I have been a big follower of Bendis. I have read all 160 issues of Ultimate Spider-man and the 40 plus issues of Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-man. I read Daredevil, Moon Knight,Guardians of the Galaxy and stopped reading Guardians of the Galaxy, regrettably Civil War II, Age of Ultron, Alias, and so much more. So I know Bendis’s strengths and weaknesses as a writer. I know his quirks and tendencies.Like how random characters who have up to a point have been depicted as protestant or non-religious just randomly start using Yiddish slang(Peter Parker and fucking Mary Jane randomly say tuchas a lot). 

With that said, the question on everyone’s mind is what is he going to write?  As a connoisseur of Bendis’s bullshit, I can say that Bendis specializes in grounded characters. “A super hero that is grounded? What sense does that make?” I know right, but he has been kicking DC’s ass for nearly two decades so it is something of a speciality of his that people are willing to consume in bunches. And quite frankly, it is a good hire because DC, in general, when it comes to heroes, they write heroes as symbols and not heroes as ordinary people. Marvel writes heroes as people and because they are people, they become symbolic if that makes sense. 

What I mean by grounded, I mean characters with daily middle to low class lives. People on their grind trying to work a 9-5 in the day and put on costumes and beat up thugs during the night. He is also great a noir and crime fiction, gritty or not so gritty. So the type of Superheroes that fight crime on a relatively low level. Street crime fighters.

We did some discussion and agreed Jaime Reyes would thrive under Bendis’s pen because he is pretty much Peter Parker except instead of Spider-bite, dude gets a hostile alien implant. It has been said that the character has been struggling and sales so Bendis’s name recognition would work.

Batman? Sure. Bendis did make a great Daredevil run, some would say it was his magnum opus, and Batman is Daredevil without the idealism and riches. Honestly, the only Batman I accept is DCAU and has nothing to do with Kevin Conroy as it does have to do with people writing the character as this infallible borderline sociopath that just does not kill. The problem with this is that Bruce Wayne is rich and you can just glance at Bendis’s Invincible Iron Man run and see how quickly he ditched the character in favor of a more down to Earth Riri Williams.

Now honestly, I think Superman is a bad idea. Bendis likes personable characters and Superman is a symbolic character. A symbol whose significance worn thin because he was supposed to be emblematic of American immigration in that even with his homeworld destroyed and essentially being an alien, he is still American as anyone. Yes, Bendis being Jewish and Superman being derived from Hebrew mythology would make you think it’s a match made for heaven, but the issue is that in spite of Clark’s mundane life, Clark Kent’s life is modeled after trying to be Clark Kent, a normal person, and less like Superman. If Superman gets pissed and has a bad day, we got Injustice like totalitarian rule. Superman’s entire struggle is that he has so much power that in everything he does, he has to walk around eggshells. It’s a world of cardboard for him. And that is okay. I am not knacking him, but in terms of superheroes, Bendis is out of his element. or would be.

Bendis is not great with narratively busy comics. I know this because if there are too many plots going on at once, he starts making characters talk in his voice, and so they are out of character. He does not explain things and just wants to get to the next moment. Read Civil War II and Age of Ultron for examples of this. These events are emblematic to why you should not give this man very complicated and heavy stories. Do not give him Justice League. It is a bad idea. 

So we have narratively condensed, everyman characters with an aspect of crime noir. These are what brought Bendis to the dance.

@ubernegro

While I’m not as much a Bendis connoisseur, he’s been always around at Marvel, shaping it whenever he went, around the same time I came back to comics as a teenager. In fact, he’s been such a stable of Marvel for so long the sudden news he is jumping ships sounds so bizarre to me I’m half expecting to find out somebody spiced my coffee with drugs and this is all a hallucination. This is not the first time a writer unexpectedly jumped ships but might be the largest one since Grant Morrison had enough of being treated like shit by X-Men editorial and that one even Joe Quesada didn’t see coming before they announced it. It makes me worried how bad exactly are things at Marvel that even a company powerhouse like Bendis is leaving. 

I’ve been checking out other sites and aside 4chan tearing itself over like they always do, it’s also trending on Twitter, with people like Tom King openly welcoming him with warm arms while others, like Gail Simone, are making their own guesses what he will get. In fact, here is hers:

Which is as far away from everything said above as possible. I mean, nothing speaks “grounded” like a team of aliens in far future.... buuuut apparently Bendis once admitted he would want to write a Legion book one day. I’m almost hoping DC really got Hickman, with whom they were apparently in talks, to do a Legion book instead and I’m not a fan of Hickman.

Back to the predictions, I agree that Batman might not be the best fit for Bendis. But I also think that one of his strengths is how rich the setting and supporting cast he provides. I could totally see him on a book about one of more grounded Batfamily members, like Red Hood and the Outlaws or maybe someone who don’t have a book right now (Azrael or Batwing?) or maybe even one of the villains. I could actually see him try Nightwing at some point, if given good editor it could be a midpoint between his Spider-Man and Daredevil books.

Gotham also proved it can be a solid backdrop for a series about normal humans in an absolutely batshit, no pun intended, setting. Gotham Central and Gotham Academy, with solid, beloved runs, really prove it. And while I wouldn’t trust Bendis with Renee Montoya or Maggie Sawyer, I could see him taking over Rebirth of Gotham Central, especially as he always got along with Ed Brubaker, one of its original co-creators. On the other hand, they might try to give him some street-level character like the Question, whom they messed up in New 52, to Rebirth.

Jaime is also a possible choice, as his book has been struggling to have good sales and seems to be sadly heading the way of Superwoman, with a writer change that in the latter’s case was followed by cancellation announcement. Bendis is the kind of writer who could bring to Jaime numbers Dan DiDio would want right now.

Which brings me to I think an important question - who managed to catch him? If Dan DiDio, then Bendis might join crew working on his pet project, Dark Matter imprint. And considering how much people compare Teriffics to Fantastic Four, Damage to Hulk and Sideways to Spider-Man already, this would be a whole new level of sticking it to Marvel. ESPECIALLY if he gets on Sideways, whom DiDio is co-writing with different writer every arc - first being Justin Jordan, second the abovementioned Morrison.

On the other hand, Bendis is friends with Geoff Johns, who, according to rumors I heard, is apparently in a bit of a power struggle with DiDio and had gotten an upper hand thanks to Rebirth. And when you consider what project Johns is working on right now. And what characters will it likely introduce to DC Universe. And who in comics inevitably come to mind when you think of terms like “grounded”, “narratively condensed”, “flawed”, “everyman” and “crime noir”.

- Admin

[aspiecrow]

All the DC asks :P

1. “Duet” from the Flash or “Mayheim of the Music Meister” from Batman the Brave and the Bold?

“Mayhem of the Music Meister”. “Duet” pissed me off so much on so many different levels. The fact that they think making an original character whose powers aren’t even music-based and just slapping the name “Music Meister” on him is enough to make fans of him happy, as well as the fact that it has Kara and her abusive dickhead boyfriend Mon-El get back together after a day of being broken up (for VERY good reasons) just made me furious enough that I couldn’t enjoy one single part of it.

2. Do you like the arrowverse? If so what’s your favorite show?

Nope. I loved the first season of Supergirl (in spite of a few problems), but then the CW got its hands on the show and completely destroyed what it was.

3. First comic read?

A UK reprint of Batman. It was already about halfway through “Hush”, but I followed along relatively easily and really enjoyed it.

4. What introduced you to the DC universe? Was it a show, comic or movie?

I think it was the New Batman Adventures cartoon, but it might have also been the 60s show (which got repeated a lot on TV over here).

5. Favorite character?

A three-part tie between Batman, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown.

6. Favorite cannon ship?

Tim/Steph.

7. Favorite non-cannon ship?

Raven/Cassandra Cain.

8. Pre-N52 or N52?

Pre-N52, of course. Anything good in the N52 (of which there were very few) could have happened without the N52 (and, in some cases, like the basic story of the Court of Owls, would have been better if they had).

9. Rebirth or N52?

Rebirth. There’s still a lot wrong (the treatment of Cass and Steph, for one), but overall, it’s most definitely a step in the right direction.

10.  Death in the Family or Death of Superman?

Hmmmm, both have their good and bad points. “Family” paved the way for Tim, but “Superman” paved the way for Steel and Superboy. I think I’ll go with Death of Superman, though, purely because Death in the Family had the whole “vote to kill or save Jason” thing, which was quite the hot mess.

11. Favorite live action movie?

Batman (1989)

12. Favorite animated movie?

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (also my favourite DC movie overall)

13. DCEU or DCAU?

DCAU, definitely. However, while I hated Man of Steel and Suicide Squad and really didn’t like Dawn of Justice, I loved Wonder Woman, so I’m hoping we’re on track with the DCEU (though I still refer to it as the DCCU, because I’m pedantic).

14. Favorite member of the trinity?

I love them all, but Batman has a slight edge.

15. Dark trinity or trinity?

Trinity.

16. Outsiders or Titans?

Titans.

17. Teen Titans or Young Justice?

Young Justice.

18. Favorite animated show?

A tie between “Batman: The Animated Series” and “Justice League/Justice League Unlimited”.

19. Favorite superhero family?

Batman Family

20. Young justice(show) or Teen Titans(show)?

Teen Titans.

21. Do you watch Teen Titans Go?

Hoo, boy, that’s a can of worms. Initially, yes. I actually didn’t mind it. It was a goofy show that wasn’t meant to be anything other than that. It sucked that it was on and Young Justice (which had gotten a lot better with Season 2) was constantly sidelined and then cancelled, but I tried not to let that affect how I watched the show. Then they started insulting fans of the old Teen Titans show and getting progressively more mean-spirited. I dropped it like a hot potato the second that happened.

22. Favorite Robin?

Tim Drake.

23. So you prefer Superman and Wonder Woman, Batman and Wonder Woman, steve Trevor and Wonder Woman or does it even matter?

I’m okay with Batman and Wonder Woman, but honestly, I’ve never been a particularly big fan of any of them. The Superman and Wonder Woman pairing needs to die in a fire, though.

24. If you had total control what would you change?

Oh, God, what WOULDN’T I change? This’ll probably have to be its own post, honestly.

25. Batgirl or Oracle?

I’m assuming this is which mantle I prefer Barbara Gordon as? In that case, Oracle, no question.

26. Whos your favorite Batgirl?

Cassandra Cain. I love Steph, but she REALLY shouldn’t have been Batgirl.

27. Batgirl and the birds of Prey or Red Hood and the Outlaws?

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, because as far as I’m aware, it’s not written by a disgusting human being.

28.  Favorite comic run?

Scott Peterson, Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott's run on Batgirl.

29. Favorite comic artist?

Alex Ross or J.H. Williams III. I really like Jim Lee too, but just as an artist.

30. Favorite comic writer?

Gail Simone, Greg Rucka, Paul Dini or Dan Jurgens

31. Do you like The Joker?

When he’s written well, yep! Of course, that goes for more or less every character.

32. Who do you think is the most overused or overrated characters?

Harper Row. In her first few appearances, I really liked her and she definitely has a lot of potential. However, throughout “Batman Eternal” and “Batman and Robin Eternal”, she was shilled constantly, especially at the expense of Stephanie and Cassandra, and it’s infuriating.

33. Batman the animated series or Superman the animated series?

I love Superman: The Animated Series, but Batman: The Animated Series is just amazing.

34. Legion of Superheros or Batman Beyond?

Batman Beyond. I never really watched Legion of Superheroes.

36. Justice league or Justice league Unlimited?

Both.

37. The Batman or beware the Bat?

Neither. I hated both of them.

38. Who do you think is the most overlooked or underused character?

Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain.

39. Do you watch Gotham?

Yep, but it’s awful and like watching a trainwreck. Season 4 is marginally better (props for actually getting someone who isn’t white to play Ra’s al Ghul, even if they’re still butchering the pronounciation), but it’s still a dumpster fire.

40. Do you like marvel?

Mostly. I’ve hated what they’ve done with Spider-Man ever since One More Day (which turned Peter into a villain, because only villains makes deals with the devil, especially once that erase a child from existence), and the whole “Jubilee’s a vampire thing” is crap (Jubilee is my favourite character, and the fact that she lost her powers but freakin’ Peepers got to keep his is atrocious), and let’s not even get started on Nick Spencer and his bullshit. But there’s still a lot I do like.

41.  Jon kent or Damian Wayne?

Jon Kent. Damian has grown on me (even if there’s been this disturbing “Damian is Bruce’s one true son” trend in the comics lately), but Jon is just adorable.

42. Renee Montoya or Vic Sage

Both!

43. Kate Kane and Renee Montoya or Apollo and Midnighter?

I’m a firm Kate/Maggie shipper, so Apollo/Midnighter.

44. Barry Allen or Wally West?

Wally West. Barry Allen has two modes: mind-numbingly dull or “Let’s steal Wally’s personality”.

45.  Kara Zor-El, Stephanie Brown or Cassie sandsmark?

Stephanie Brown

46. Kord Industrues, Wayne Tech or Lex Corp?

Wayne Tech

47. If you could have any characters powers who’s would you have?

Superman’s

48. Favorite villain?

Constantly changes, but as of me writing this, The Riddler.

49. DC Bombshells, Injustice or Kingdom Come?

Haven’t read DC Bombshells yet, and I hate Injustice, so Kingdom Come.

50. Injustice or the Arkham games?

The Arkham games.

51. Justice League or League of Assassins?

Justice League.

52. Are you excited about the upcoming Titans show? What about Young Justice?

Sort of. I’m cautiously optimistice. Definitely happy that Steph’s finally getting to appear in an adaptation (just worried that she’ll not be handled well, especially since Young Justice Season 2 ended with Tim and Cassie getting together for literally no reason). With Titans, I’m quite bitter that we’re probably not getting Cyborg, and I’m worried about the age difference between Raven’s actress and the rest of the cast (they should all be the same age).

[aion-rsa]

Emiko Queen Returns, Becomes [SPOILER] in Green Arrow #15

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers for “Green Arrow” #15, on sale now.

Star City is positively crawling with archers, especially now that the Dark Archer Merlyn has returned in order to frame Oliver Queen for a series of murders and attacks. Luckily for Green Arrow, he’s got at least one bowslinger watching his back — or at least, he usually does; his history with sister Emi is a bit complicated, after all. In “Green Arrow” #15 by Benjamin Percy and Juan Ferreyra, Emiko Queen takes an important step toward becoming Ollie’s official partner, whether he likes it or not: declaring herself the Red Arrow.

Who is Emiko Queen?

Introduced during Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino’s New 52 run, Emiko Queen is the daughter of Robert Queen (Oliver’s father) and the assassin Shado, though she was raised by yet another villain, Komodo. By the time Rebirth launched, she had seemingly come over to the side of angels and was living with her brother in Star City. However, she betrayed him by the second issue as part of a long-game strategy to save her mother from the Ninth Circle. This plan eventually worked out for everyone, more or less, but still — trust is going to be hard to rebuild.

EXCLUSIVE: Green Arrow Writer Ben Percy on Oliver’s Potential New Recruits

Emi might have earned a few points toward reconciliation this issue, though, by saving Ollie from Sergeant Notting, a disgraced police officer who now leads a squad of vigilantes called the Vice Squad serving as judge, jury, and executioner — but mostly just executioner — to the city’s criminals.

Shot through the hand, and you’re to blame

The story of Emiko Queen blends elements of many previous Green Arrow partners, and adopting the role of Red Arrow, a nom de guerre last held by original sidekick Roy Harper during his Justice League days, would continue that trend. In addition to bringing Roy’s “troubled youth” aspect to the partnership, there are also similarities to Connor Hawke, Oliver’s son in pre-“Flashpoint” continuity who eventually took on the mantle of Green Arrow himself.

Like Connor, Emi is a long-lost relative, though this time a sister rather than a son; she also once tried to claim the Green Arrow name, but was shot down. And, if the hero-sidekick dynamic can be viewed in terms of family — Roy was Ollie’s “ward” but was very much a father figure, while Oliver was literally Connor’s dad, though an absent one — his relationship with Emi may track more closely to that his pre-Flashpoint self held with Mia Dearden, who took up the mantle of Speedy. As he did with Mia, with Emiko Green Arrow will likely see himself as big brother, mentor and protector, a father figure to a strong young woman who isn’t necessarily looking for such.

If the newly-dubbed Red Arrow is following in Roy Harper’s footsteps — let’s hope not too closely — she could find herself a place on the new Teen Titans. Roy was a Titan during his Speedy days, and now as Arsenal serves on the grown-up team of Titans led by Wally West. Of course, if Emiko does join the Teen Titans, she could pose a threat to Damian Wayne’s leadership, matching him in wits, fighting skills, and ruthlessness. But if that group could work together, they could become DC’s most formidable team.

The post Emiko Queen Returns, Becomes [SPOILER] in Green Arrow #15 appeared first on CBR.com.

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