#and this is just the start of a lot of other issues with modern retellings

[tleeaves]

”this book is a reimagining of hades and persephone as-” it’s the final month of 2023 as a society we need to move on and fast.

[genericpuff]

Are there any other LO-critical projects like LR?? Doesn’t have to be comics, I like fanfic(critic-fic?) too, I’ve been really interested in reading stuff like LR

Sure is! The list I have here are just the ones I know of, there are definitely more out there if you browse the #antiLO #lo critical tags or filter your searches on fanfic sites like AO3, but I hope this gives you a good start into finding more works that scratch that itch!

Lore Asgard (AO3) - Briefly in the original LO, Persephone jokes about running off to the Norse Pantheon; Lore Asgard is what would have happened if she actually went through with it.

Lore Mictlan (AO3) - Also plays with the question of "what if Persephone ran off to the Norse Pantheon", but instead she winds up in the realm of the Aztec gods.

Pomegranmints (AO3) - Re-imagines the plot of LO if Persephone and Minthe kissed instead of fighting over Hades ٩(♡ε♡)۶

Survive the Night (Tumblr) - Not sure how long this project is planned to be but it's basically a re-imagining of LO that further explores all the deeply-rooted issues of Hades and Minthe's relationship. Very tense and emotionally raw dialogue scenes, Minthe gets a lot more agency and character exploration here.

Desire for Peace (Webtoon) - Though it's an entirely unique work separate from LO (it's not a fan comic or retelling), the creator was compelled by a distaste towards modern Greek myth retellings to create their own Greek myth comic, starring Ares as the main protagonist. It has both beautiful and unique art, and it presents a writing style that isn't as watered down and simplified as so many popular commercial Greek myth retellings tend to be. The creator is very cool and has done an amazing job at creating a true Greek myth retelling comic, without all the bells and whistles and crutches of "modernizing" the stories.

Theia Mania - Also not at all related to LO, it's just a great comic series that covers all sorts of different myths and tales, but it's most famously known for its ongoing retelling of Hades and Persephone in Queen of the Dead. Like the creator of Desire for Peace, the creator of Theia Mania is someone who Gives a Shit™️ about the source material they're writing about and does a great job at both presenting the culture of Ancient Greece at the time (so again, no modern 2000's stuff here) but also putting some of their own unique twists on an old tale. And the best part? No Demeter scapegoating to be found here <3

Lore Valhalla (Youtube/Patreon) - A brief one-shot that remakes the first episode of Lore Olympus, but with Norse gods instead of Greek. This isn't an ongoing series, just a fun project that Youtuber Crown Obsidian challenged himself to make after he read (and did not particularly enjoy) Lore Olympus.

[kryptonbabe]

Ahhh Alright I will admit it! I haven't read any Superman comics yet.

I'm taking this as a cry for help, I see you friend and I'm giving you my hand, it's always time to start reading Supes. I'm not good giving recommendations because everyone enjoys different things, but there are a few comics that come to my mind when talking about good Superman starting points. I'll try to be super brief.

Golden Age

To answer your other question, you don't have to start from the very beginning, but you totally can start from there if you so desire. Golden age Superman got me into pre-code comics, they are, in my biased opinion, one of the best golden age comic series, the stories hold up incredibly well for their age. This Superman is still developing, a lot will change yet, but the core traits of what makes him special are already there: the compassion, the defense of the oppressed, the double identity, the importance of his journalism career and Lois Lane. The main villains of these early stories are structural oppression, the government and mobsters - so yeah, I'm a big fan. He is wild and sometime scary, but always kind.

Now for something completely different (modern compilations)

American Alien: all issues are written by the same guy with beautiful art by different and talented artists, this book compiles loosely interconnected stories centered around different periods of Clark's early life, one of my favorite Superman books, this one presents several aspects of his lore in a light but engaging way, everyone is here, Lobo is here, Batman, young Dick Grayson, Lex Luthor, Abin Sur (!)

Red and Blue: every story here has a different writer and artist, the collection highlights the idealistic and emotionally moving traits that are essential to Superman, short stories representing why this character is so dear to us

Miniseries

For all seasons: a moving character study focusing on Clark as a person, it's a beautiful book if you like Tim Sale's style, with gorgeous coloring by a team of people. The story is simple and grounded, narrated by different important characters of Clark's life, warm and melancholic, less action focused and more reflective. This has the feel of an old-school Superman, but still soft and emotional

Birthright: a retelling of Superman's origin story, this time while the emotional core of the character is there in the importance of Clark's family and friends there's a more thrilling plot. Character dynamics are the best thing here and when this is combined with the respect Waid has for this character and his ability to write fun moments the result is a really nice lively read

Recent runs

Patrick Gleason / Peter J. Tomasi (2016-2018): post-New 52 Superman, family man Clark, married with Lois and with a kid Jon to take care of, I love this era for how action packed, but still warm it is. It showcases a different Superman dynamic, a more intimate and accessible take on the character while he lives lots of different adventures with his family, you don't need to have read the New 52 stuff, just jump on this and you're good to go

Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Warwolrd Saga): another stellar and very recent run that you can jump in knowing that now Clark and Lois son is grown up and Clark is travelling to Warworld, planet of Mongul, to rescue the enslaved people he keeps there. This is a long arc and Superman is depowered for most of it, while there's not a lot of specific Superman lore regarding his origins, recurring characters and everyday life, this is a completely independent adventure that recontextualizes the core ideas of what makes Superman Superman. It's such a different scenario that you can read it without worrying about being familiarized with the characters and settings, it's all new, just enjoy the jouney, the fantastic art and the beefcake of gladiator shirtless Kal-el

This is all for now, I have lots of other Superman comics I'd like to put here, but they can be hard to navigate (like most of the arcs on the triangle era and post-John Byrne Superman, or bronze age stories that haven't been collected), or they have very specific tones that might be an acquired taste (like silver age comics, and more bronze age stuff). This is also a very personal selection, there are other good Superman comics out there, but these are my choices. I really hope you enjoy it if you decide to read any of them. Message me if you have any other question about this!

[kirkwallguy]

the percy jacksonification of dragon age is so reallll like this is not what dragon age is about is it. i think what would make things better (and to redeem the story after what ir became since inquisiton) is that solas isn't fen'harel and fen'harel's place in the story is same as the other elven gods; dalish stories. they're not super duper mages who owned slaves and deemed themselves as gods but just what they meant to be; mythological figures in dalish stories and belief.

solas could just be what original solas is pretending to be. a really apostate (who's apparently a city elf) mage. and to spice things up, has a tension with the pride demons (i was really expecting veilguard to at least touch on that. or maybe they did but i missed it whilst i watched it) and man that would change a lot of things. his character, his knowledge, dialogues, interactions, his opinions on the dalish. his future. im kind of like mourning this idea of solas cuz he will never exist in the story lmao

so, the story of inquisition would start and continue on a different road. no personificated elven gods stories, but focus on what makes dragon age, dragon age. and by god let the elven pantheon be where they're meant to be; to belong in tale-like stories and in dalish worships in the game. the only thing that is interesting that is more than that is mythal-flemeth at least

im just sitting here with a big ass "why" on my face for end trespasser events.

it really is percy jacksonification LOL, solas/mythal is like hades and persephone to me. compelling the first time you hear the myth but then you find out the person telling it writes fanfic about them and is working on a modern retelling and it gets weird. then again i have this same issue with a lot of fantasy media lol, making gods or 'higher beings' tangible characters is the most boring thing you can do with fictional religion imo

their biggest mistake really was making solas an Actual God, it feels like a twist that was floated in the writer's room that everyone was kind of into and then they just kept bending the story around it without really looking at what they were doing. because if you say "hey, what if the people who have been historically oppressed for their religion and aren't allowed to worship it in some human cities are actually wrong about their gods and they're just evil slaver ancient mages (these people are also currently oppressed by evil slaver human mages) <3" it sounds like you're being evil on purpose. and i know it was a room full of white canadians doing this but surely someone would have been able to realise that it sounds bad right.

and god yeah. demons and spirits that feed on / perform strong emotions are SOOOO underutilised in dai and dav. imagine if solas was a pride demon! the very first big thing we fight in inquisition AND in veilguard! then they could have their hubris storyline and eat it too! but no instead we get uhhmmm...compassion is there to further varric and solas' character arcs and spite is there to do a silly voice and maybe make lucanis sad at some point. AURGH. where is justice can someone bring him home to me.

[hexhomos]

HI! hope your day is treating you well, i’ve been interested in doomreed for some time but cape comics are sort of daunting to me just because there’s so much content and i really don’t know where to begin. what do you suggest? thank you!

STRAIGHT OUT THE GATE ill say, read [ "My Dinner With Doom" ] (this is a rly high-qual upload, open it up on desktop!)

It's a key issue oneshot with a lil bit of backstory retelling, featuring a private dinner that happens in the 00's - a good entrance point if you're curious about doomreed in summarization + generally speaking a Real Good Comic overall.

LONG POST INCOMING THIS IS A LONG POST / click readmore

the fantastic four are one of marvel's darling old founding teams so there is pretty much... endless archival, ongoing, multimedia and games content popping up all the time.

They are also kinda one of the rare teams where the growth of the characters is consistent? The kids are allowed to grow older and events from every major run are carried/referenced by the next author so if you want to do chronological there's a lot of incentive and fun stuff.

If you wanna dip your toes into the F4 as a concept, check out:

*the #1 issue of Fantastic Four By Waid & Wieringo (1997) *Mythos: Fantastic Four (2007) [ *The FF (1994) movie that is up for free on youtube!! ] *Fantastic Four (2022) by Ryan North as the current ongoing!

(Some) Singles centered on Doom/Doomreed:

*Fantastic Four (1961) Annual 2 is Doom's original backstory issue *Marvel Two-in-One (2017) by Zdarsky issue #11 & Annual #1 are both crazy good but they spoil big events/conclusions from previous runs if u care abt that!!! (My current fav fic came from these issues.) *Doomgate (novel) by Jeffrey Lang is a good option if you want something that is mostly prose, instead of a comic or movie

NOW BEFORE YOU JUMP AHEAD WITH ANYTHING I *am* following [ this reading guide ] which breaks down specific issues relevant to their relationship as a line through all the different authors over the years.

[ There's also this 2021 guide w/ a few other story/AU highlights! The author said u can send the blog questions and theyll answer too ]

The 'Modern era' (late 90s/00s/10s/Now) Starts with Waid and McDuffie's stuff. The latter wrote My Dinner with Doom!

If you're scared by all the names, don't be - when searching for the issues, just pay attention to the year, # number & author/artist creds.

What I'm reading/liveblogging rn is Hickman's Secret wars era, generally regarded as yaoi ketamine; It's a good epic narrative entrance point if you want to jump into it, and it eventually led into this huge marvel event that changed the multiverse and even brought miles morales into the main timeline, so its BIG and it happened in multiple books - the best way to go about it is;

Pre-hickman:

Fantastic Four (1961) #551 #552 #553 ➡️ (these introduce main ideas we will touch again in secret wars)

Fantastic Four (1961) #558 to #562 ➡️

Doom appears in these too, first/last issues more heavily. Stuff here will be ref'd during the next era.

If you're having fun and want to keep reading you can! Just know that the next storyarc has gathered a largely mixed response bc..... its Millar going hammywammy....... not that necessary.......

anyway when you see hickmans name in the cover STOP and

Jump to actual Hickman secret wars era:

Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman: The complete collection➡️

(optional, side plot) If you like Val + Doom, read specifically; *Fantastic Four (2014) #3 & #5 + Fantastic Four Annual (2014) #1 *Agent of Asgard #6 & #7 *Avengers World (2014) #15 & #16

New Avengers (2013) ➡️ check issues on picture, or, if you're a completionist, look for 'Avengers by Jonathan Hickman; complete collection' and skim for the doom/reed relevant bits. There's a lot of characters here but this is a buildup to the big secret wars. Secret Wars (2015) ➡️ (All issues!) Infamous Iron Man (2016) ➡️bendis' doom writing is not very good but hang in there because right after him: Marvel 2-In-One (2017) ➡️ (All issues!) is a banger. Yaoi btw.

You can basically read all the future/past ones as listed, or starting from the beginning of that author's period without worrying, bc they aren't as indebted to each other storywise.

You can also start somewhere else if you want or check out other single issues on the reading guides; It's not a crime! There's a lot of stuff with different takes and genres, I'm slowly chipping away at the secret wars era bc its just very thick and like a serious television drama attempt, except its also insanely funny sometimes.

(I'm still making my way through it so that's what I have at the moment!)

[positivelybeastly]

I'm new to comics and love beast. Is there any comics with beast that you'd recommend? There's so many xmen comics and idk where to start.

Hello there, friend! Getting into comic books is damned hard, but, thankfully, resources like Reddit, Tumblr, and Marvel Unlimited (or your pirating site of choice) all make it a lot easier to get into them these days without having to worry about being confused.

Well. You'll still be a little confused. Comic books are convoluted. But at least you'll be able to engage with them on your own terms. :) And, it's worth it. Mostly.

I'll tell you straight out that if you want some good entry points, like, this is my first X-Men comic, what do I read, I'd recommend the following:

X-Men: First Class (2006)

X-Men vol. 2 (1991)

New X-Men vol. 1 (2001)

Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 (2004)

X-Men vol. 6 (2024)

As for Beast specific recommendations? I have a ton!

For Beast as a character, being examined in his own right, I would recommend the following:

X-Men Origins: Beast - a retelling of his origin, updated with modern art and writing. Written by Mike Carey, whose work you should generally look into if you like X-Men - he focuses a lot on characters like Rogue and Xavier, but also on Beast, which is handy for our purposes!

X-Men: Unlimited vol. 1 #10 and vol. 2 #10 - so, this may be somewhat confusing to a new comic reader, but comics have volumes. This is when a comic of a certain title ends, and it's then relaunched with a new creative team, usually with a very different story.

So, X-Men: Unlimited is an anthology series that tells unconnected stories that fit in other places, between other comics, and there were two different volumes of it, one in the 90s, and one in the 00s. Both volumes have an issue #10 that focuses on Beast, and I'd recommend them both! Vol. 1 #10 especially would be, in my opinion, required reading if you really want to get into Beast.

Amazing Adventures vol. 2 #11 through #17 - the first stab at giving Hank his own solo series, from back in the 70s! Don't let the age get you down, I find this series to be actually fairly modern and easy to get into, and it's a nice sort of superhero/horror blend of tones that I find really effective.

X-Men: Endangered Species - this is a Beast solo story dealing with the aftermath of the Decimation, the event where Scarlet Witch removed the powers of 99% of the world's mutants. It's quite dark, but I think it's probably one of the best examinations of the character in the medium, and it works as an excellent sequel to Unlimited vol. 1 #10. Most of the context you need is given to you in the comic, which is handy. :)

X-Men: S.W.O.R.D vol. 1 - this is kind of a team-up comic, kind of not? The context for this is reliant on reading another run that I'll be recommending, but trust me, it's worth it. This is an outrageously funny book with a good emotional core, and it really captures Beast's essence, as a dual sided goofball jokester with a heart of gold and the intellectual moralistic do-gooder who can't leave well enough alone. One of my favourite comics of all time.

For Beast as part of a team, I would recommend the following:

X-Men: First Class - a prequel book set during the days of the Original X-Men, this series bounces between Cyclops, Angel, Iceman, Marvel Girl and Beast a fair bit, but even in issues that don't focus on Beast, he's still a part of the story and quite well written. Very slice-of-lifey, with a lot of charm to it.

X-Men: Season One - a retelling of certain stories from the original 60s run of X-Men, this is a pretty good one-and-done graphic novel that does change a few things, but keeps the spirit intact and tells you a lot about these characters and how they relate to one another. Just watch out for Iceman's Bieber hair.

Avengers vol. 1 #137-211 - this is a pretty long run of comics that features Hank's initial tenure on the Avengers, and will occasionally require a bit of reading around to make sure that you're reading the Annuals in the right place - usually, the comic will tell you to go read Annual #6 or whatever, but if you find a lot of stuff has happened and the story jumped ahead without you, chances are, it's in an Annual. Very variable in quality, but if you want to see classic Beast in all his glory, there's some really good stuff here, especially the foundation of his lifelong friendship with Wonder Man.

The Defenders/New Defenders vol. 1 #96-152 - probably one of my actual favourite run of comics ever. Beast joins the team a little later than #96, but if you jump in when Hank does, you'll be just a little confused, so it's best to start at #96 and go from there. Especially once Hank reforms the team to the New Defenders in #125, he basically becomes one of the very main characters and gets a lot of focus. Absolutely love this comic.

X-Factor vol. 1 #1-70 - the first six or seven issues of this are pretty bad, but it really comes into its own once it starts being written by Louise Simonson, who makes it much more soap opera, more character driven, gives all the characters a lot to do. There's a lot of crossover with other books, but usually it'll just tell you what to read if you want to know more about a part of a story in little editor's notes!

X-Men vol. 2 #1-95 - the classic 90s run; not my personal favourite, because it's pretty confusingly plotted, but if you want something that hews extremely close to the 90s cartoon, this is that to a tee, to the point where a lot of stories and characters were adapted to and from the comics directly!

New X-Men vol. 1 #114-156 - a landmark run on X-Men by Grant Morrison, this evolves Beast into a new form and changes up his character in a new, tragic manner that, personally, is my favourite iteration of the character. Very high concept sci-fi, occasionally quite confusing and problematic, but extremely good stuff, imo, and essential for getting into modern X-Men.

Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 #1-35 - a sort of sequel to New X-Men, this is again an extremely good entry point into modern X-Men, and it's very, very classic while still progressing the story. Just a note - when you read issue #24, do NOT go to issue #25, you need to go and read Giant Size Astonishing X-Men instead, THEN go to #25. I know, it's confusing, I'm so, so, so sorry, comics are just like this. This is the comic that leads straight into S.W.O.R.D pretty much.

Wolverine and the X-Men vol. 1 #1-42 - a more zany, school focused book, Hank is part of the wider cast here, but he does get some spotlight issues, and I do enjoy him here, especially his relationship with Broo. There are crossovers with Avengers vs. X-Men and other events in here, but those events are kinda sort skippable because they're bad. If you feel confused, you can read them, but I don't necessarily recommend them.

X-Men vol. 6 #1-ongoing - the current run of X-Men, written by Jed MacKay! To put it very bluntly, Beast went through about a decade of being quite badly written and slowly turned into a scummy villain through the recent Krakoa era, which I was not a fan of. There are individual issues between 2013 and 2024 that I can recommend, but if you like Beast, I would not recommend reading them, because I think that they are pretty bad and not fun to read. This is me being kind. But the new series picks up after that's all fixed, and Beast is getting a lot to do in this series, so I'd recommend it!

X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comics #15-18 - a supplementary comic that focuses on Beast, best read alongside the above X-Men run I recommended; it can give you all the context you need for where Beast is at, and why he's feeling the way that he is. A very, very good read, way exceeded my expectations, and I'm really pleased I can actually recommend modern comics for Beast again!

These are the main runs I would recommend! There's a lot more, if we want to get esoteric, and I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot of material - Beast has been around for 60 years, he's been in a LOT of stories - but if you want to get stuck into X-Men comics and really immerse yourself into the world and the stories, there's a lot of really good material here!

Welcome to the X-Men comics, friend! Hope you survive the experience!

[brw]

do you have any reccs for antman and wasp comics? seeing you post abt them has made me interested in getting into their stuff :)

Hi anon! I'm really glad you got interested in them via my posts! I'm going to focus on Hank and Janet together as a specific duo with a certain branding, theme and vibe, rather than them as separate characters, or even as a specific timeline on their relationship, but if you want something more like those then let me know and I can write something out!

Tales to Astonish #27 is the debut of Hank Pym, with #35 being the first official appearance of Ant-Man and Janet debuting in #44. If you like 60s comics and themeing, and are endeared to the LeeKirby style, start here. You can basically read this series consistently from these issues on to #52, or #70 if you don't mind the A-stories featuring the Hulk. If 60s comics aren't your speed though...

Avengers Origins: Ant-Man and the Wasp. A single issue retelling of their origin, which is a perfect modern jumping off point if you aren't up for the original comic run.

I won't recommend too many Avengers issues because there's a lot of moments interspersed in the original run, but Hank and Jan are in #1-#16, and return in #26 and appear pretty consistently from there. They're married in #59-#60, which is a weird arc I have a lot of thoughts on, but there you are.

Marvel Team-Up #59-#60 is a team-up series with Spider-Man which is weird but fun, which to my knowledge is the only time Claremont has ever written Janet and he immediately tries to give her more powers which I find funny.

Marvel Feature #4-#11. A series that attempted to recreate the vibe of Tales to Astonish and reestablish Hank and Jan as solo series that didn't quite pan out, but I find it a very endearing little series. They have a dog!

Tales to Astonish V3 is a strangely endearing series post their divorce, which I have a lot of affection for. It is really weird, though.

Ant-Man's Big Christmas probably isn't strictly canon but it's probably my favourite Hank and Jan issue ever, I reread it every Christmas because it's just so fun and sweet.

Avengers Fairy Tales #2 is an AU but I think it's cute, so I'm rec'ing it as a little extra thing you may have fun reading.

Aaaaand you can probably read the Busiek run of Avengers (volume 3), which is #1-#56 of the run. Hank and Jan are sharing space with a lot of other characters (Wanda is really the driving force of this run, if you're asking me), but Janet and Hank get their own arcs throughout so if you're jonesing for a longer run, this is it.

Hope this is what you're looking for! Let me know how the reading goes :333

[sineala]

Hi there. I just got interested in 616 Steve and Clint dynamic recently, and I wonder if you can recommend some titles highliting their relationship? Thank you. 🥰

Steve & Clint's friendship is seriously one of my favorite things about Avengers comics. We start out with Clint annoying the fuck out of Steve, and over a period of years we evolve to Clint continuing to annoy the fuck out of Steve except they care deeply about each other now. Clint learned how to be a leader from Steve, is extremely, extremely loyal, and will defend Steve in basically any circumstance. This is not to say that they don't disagree, because man do they ever disagree. But they're good friends. I think Steve likes having friends who aren't afraid to disagree with him.

(I didn't know until I read Young Avengers v1 for the first time last week that Kate became Hawkeye while Clint was dead, because Steve gave her the name, because he was impressed by how she stood up to him. You might have thought Clint would have given her the name after he came back to life, but no. Whoever annoys Steve the most gets to be Hawkeye. Apparently that's the rule. What's really funny is that Steve also does this again to someone else in the current miniseries Avengers Twilight, for the same reason. Who gives him the most shit? You're Hawkeye now! It's great.)

So! A list of Fun Comics About Steve And Clint!

The obvious starting place is the Kooky Quartet era of the Avengers. This begins in Avengers #16 when Clint joins the team. For those of you who don't have this issue memorized, in Avengers #16 Steve is off fighting villains by himself in another country, when the rest of the founding Avengers decide they need a break. So Steve finds out when he gets back that they're all leaving, that he's the new leader, and that his new teammates are Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye, none of whom he knows, all of whom are former criminals and/or villains. I don't know when the Kooky Quartet era officially ends, but I can tell you that the team mostly contains Pietro and Wanda until #47, so I suppose that's the end of the Quartet. I read up to #35 relatively recently so I can tell you there's good Steve & Clint stuff up to at least that far, and probably farther. You get to see their relationship evolve into them deciding that maybe they actually like each other.

There are also a lot of retellings of early canon (and newer stories set in the past) that will give you glimpses of the Kooky Quartet era with a more modern sensibility. The thing I'm thinking of here is Avengers #1.1 to #4.1 by Mark Waid, which was a miniseries released in 2017 as part of Mark Waid's Avengers v7. I think the wiki lists it under v7; it was released in trade with the title Avengers Four, which isn't confusing at all. Anyway, it's all Kooky Quartet and it's great. You know how Waid's Man Out of Time series kind of rewrites and expands Avengers #4 to tell a new story? This is like that but for Avengers #16.

You might also consider series that are entirely early-canon retellings like Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (the miniseries, not the cartoon); I know that definitely goes up to the Quartet and beyond. There are two volumes of this series.

I unfortunately can't tell you what happens in most of v1 off the top of my head, but I can give you a list of Avengers v1 issues in which both Steve and Clint are on the team, because I have a big list of team rosters. After Avengers #62, Clint changes his codename to Goliath for a bit, but he's still there until #111 (mostly with Steve also on the team), then #142-147, then #172-177, then #181-182, then #221-232. This takes you up to the mid-1980s. After that, except for a few scattered issues, Clint and Steve aren't both on the Avengers again until volume 3, in 1998. (You will note that this is also true of Steve and Tony, and in fact it's for the exact same reason -- both Clint and Tony are on the West Coast Avengers, in California, for pretty much the rest of v1. Clint's other Avengers v1 appearances are #305, #309, #313, #397-401. So it's not a lot there.)

But, don't worry, Clint also has several cameo appearances in Captain America v1. Unlike Avengers, I don't have a handy list of these, so you can probably just go through Clint's appearances list on the Marvel wiki and see which ones are in Cap comics. I can tell you the three that stick with me, though! Two of them are Cap #316 and #317, where Clint and Bobbi come back to New York for a visit, and Steve and Bernie break up so that Bernie can go to law school in Wisconsin, and Bernie throws a party on her last night there that Steve is supposed to attend, except Steve fucks off to go superheroing with Clint. They talk about their love lives and Clint gets to use Steve's shield and Steve gets to use Clint's bow. Steve gets back to find out that he has entirely missed the party and Bernie has finally left him. Can't imagine why.

My other pick is Cap #401, which if you are a Steve/Tony fan you will know is the issue after Operation Galactic Storm where Tony finds Steve in a bar to apologize for everything he's ever done. But the reason Steve is in the bar in the first place is that Clint got sick of Steve sulking and came and jumped on his bed until Steve gave in and went out for a drink with Clint.

Clint does then of course make him talk about his feelings. It's a very sweet interlude of Clint cheering Steve up in his own unique way.

Volume 3 is the next time Steve and Clint are together on the Avengers since Clint left for the West Coast -- and, I mean, it's a good read anyway. This is when I set the one Steve/Clint fic I actually wrote, so here we see my biases. Clint starts out on the team right in Avengers v3 #1, and he stays there until #10, which is when he leaves to lead the Thunderbolts. (Note to self: read Thunderbolts.) You'd think at this point that Clint wouldn't be back with Avengers for a while, but he immediately comes back in #12 and brings his new Thunderbolts and gets into a fight with Steve about whether the T-Bolts can be trusted. Clint later pays the team another visit in the Avengers/Thunderbolts crossover "The Nefaria Protocols" (Avengers v3 #32-34, Thunderbolts v1 #43-44 -- but, you know, in more of an interspersed order) which is a lot of fun and I'm not just saying that because I have a 160,000-word Steve/Tony WIP that is set during it. Anyway. Kurt Busiek started out writing both Avengers and Thunderbolts in this era of canon, but by the time this crossover happened, Fabian Nicieza had taken over Thunderbolts.

There is also a second Avengers/Thunderbolts crossover during this timeframe, the 2004 miniseries Avengers/Thunderbolts #1-6, by Busiek and Nicieza. I haven't actually read it because I wanted to read more Thunderbolts first, but I can tell you it does have both Clint and Steve in it, although it's set after Clint has stopped leading the T-Bolts and has returned to the Avengers.

Yes, Clint does actually rejoin the Avengers proper toward the end of v3 -- he's there from #75 right up to #503 (it renumbered to #500 after #84), although I suspect that that's when he actually dies, because that's Avengers Disassembled. The only Steve & Clint interaction in that time period that really sticks in my mind is Avengers v3 #77, in which Clint takes it upon himself to give Steve some romantic advice that Steve definitely isn't asking for.

(If you've seen any of this issue at all, it's probably an out-of-context panel of Steve telling Clint he didn't say he wanted a woman.)

Once again, Clint also makes some cameos in Steve's comics, in Captain America v3. The one that's memorable to me is in the Capmania arc of Cap v3, which is the very first arc, #1-7. The TPB version of this appears to be called To Serve and Protect. Mostly I remember Clint giving Steve shit about Captain America's new, massive popularity (which turns out to be an evil Skrull plan).

So after Avengers Disassembled, Clint is dead until after Civil War, at which point Steve is also dead, so they're, uh, not interacting much. However, even though Steve is dead, you probably want to read Fallen Son (specifically #3), which is the issue where Tony learns that Clint is alive again and then immediately tries to get him to be Captain America because Tony only has the best and healthiest coping mechanisms when Steve is dead. Clint tries out the shield and uniform and then basically tells Tony to go fuck himself. So that's a no from him. While he's running around dressed as Captain America is also when he meets Kate for the first time and finds out that she's Hawkeye. Everyone is very angsty about everything because that's just what Civil War comics are like.

(I guess I should have known after reading this comic how Kate got her name, but, as I said. I hadn't read Young Avengers until last week, so everything the Young Avengers did in this comic didn't really register.)

The next time Steve and Clint are both alive at the same time is Avengers v4. Clint is on the team for the whole run (#1-34). Technically Steve is Commander Rogers of the Secret Avengers up until after Fear Itself, so he doesn't actually rejoin the team until #18, but he spends a lot of the first half of the run hanging around the Avengers anyway for some reason (it's because he's deeply weird about Tony). So you might as well start from the beginning because Steve's there a lot despite technically not being on the team. I can't say that Steve and Clint have any memorable moments in v4 that are coming to mind right now, but they are both there and it's a reasonably fun run.

Speaking of the Secret Avengers, Steve runs the Secret Avengers until #21. Clint runs them from #22 onward (Steve stays for the first couple issues of Clint's tenure, #22 and #23). Don't ask me how Clint can lead the Secret Avengers and be on the regular Avengers at the same time when Steve apparently can't do this, but this seems to be a thing Clint can do. It's probably because Clint's not weird about Tony. Anyway, the issue you actually want to read is Secret Avengers #21.1, where Steve actually hands the Secret Avengers over to Clint and they do some superheroing together, just like old times.

Clint was on the Avengers during Hickman's run, as was Steve, because pretty much everyone was on Hickman's Avengers at some point (seriously, have you seen those team rosters?) but I don't know that Clint and Steve had any really good moments. There was that bit in one of the Original Sin tie-ins (#30) where Future Clint told Steve he should kill Tony but I don't think that was a very good moment. I'm not sure that Steve and Clint have been on a team together since then because I honestly don't think Clint's been on the main team since then, though they've both shown up in events and so on. I guess you could read Avengers Millennium. That had both of them and it had some fun moments for them, by which I mean that one panel where Clint watches Steve punch out a lion.

In terms of Clint's cameo appearances in Cap comics of this era, I know Clint's been in Brubaker's run, although the only moment with Steve I can honestly remember is when he gets mad at Steve for not telling him Bucky was the Winter Soldier, in the Trial arc. And -- not by Brubaker but at the same approximate time -- there's a Captain America & Hawkeye series (#629-632).

It's part of the same series of Cap team-ups that includes One Night In Madripoor (Captain America & Iron Man #633-635), and in fact these are the issues that are right before One Night in Madripoor.

It's fun. Steve gets turned into a dinosaur.

So you might wonder at this point whether Steve appears in any of Clint's solo comics, and sadly I can't really answer that because I haven't read a lot of Clint's solo comics and the ones I did read didn't have a whole lot of Steve that I remember. Mostly I've read Fraction and some of the really early Hawkeye minis. @blossomsinthemist recommends the miniseries Hawkeye: Blindspot (2011), which I have not read but which does have Clint and Steve on the cover, which seems promising in terms of its potential to contain both Steve and Clint.

I looked at the beginning and it appears to be set in early Avengers v4. You see what I mean about Steve just hanging around the team. This is apparently following on from the events of the 2011 miniseries Widowmaker, and it's about Clint going blind. All the angst.

There are probably more Hawkeye solo comics that feature Steve but I don't know what they are.

To recap, in list form, vaguely ordered by Avengers comics in an era and then Cap comics in the same era:

Kooky Quartet: Avengers v1 #16-47

Avengers Four (Avengers v7 #1.1-4.1)

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes v1 & v2

Avengers v1 #48-111, #142-147, #172-177, #181-182, #221-232, #305, #309, #313, #397-401

Captain America v1 #316-317

Captain America v1 #401

Avengers v3 #1-10, #12

The Nefaria Protocols: Avengers v3 #32-34, Thunderbolts v1 #43-44

Avengers/Thunderbolts (2004) #1-6

Avengers v3 #75-503 (esp. #77)

Captain America v3 #1-7

Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #3

Avengers v4 #18-34

Secret Avengers v1 #21.1 (and #22 and #23 if you want)

Avengers: Millennium #1-6

Captain America & Hawkeye #629-632

Hawkeye: Blindspot #1-4

I hope that gives you someplace to get started!

[incorrect-green-lantern-quotes]

I've come to realize from going through your blog that I know very little about the Green Lanterns (curse of being an arrowverse into a batfam fan apparently) and I really wanna know more. From both a writing perspective, because I don't want to do them dirty when using the JL for something, and also because they seem like really interesting characters?? And I've never heard most of their stories.

So what would you recommend as the entry point to getting into them?

Ough that's a difficult one to answer because with seven (eight including Alan and nine if you count Keli) Green Lanterns from Earth alone, there's a lot of different places you can start. Like I personally started reading comics just before the New 52 reboot in 2011, so everything before that I've picked up via collected TPBs or wiki summaries or sheer osmosis from the Internet lol

I'll go in reverse order, because the more recent additions have the clearest starting points. They're pretty easy to catch up on since they don't have as much history as the others.

For Jo Mullein, Far Sector (2019) serves as both introduction and solo run, and it's essential for establishing her character before tossing her into the mix with the other Green Lanterns in Geoffrey Thorne's 2021 run and Jeremy Adam's current run.

Keli Quintela (aka Teen Lantern) debuted the same year as Jo in Brian Michael Bendis's Young Justice run, but unfortunately got lost in the shuffle of juggling an ensemble cast, most of whom were already established fan favorites. So her origin story is honestly half-baked. Keli played a small part in the Thorne run but was dropped into a coma and has only just woken up. Poor girl desperately needs a good writer to give her some depth.

Simon Baz came in with the New 52 in 2011 and Jessica Cruz arrived a few years later in the Forever Evil storyline of Justice League. Core aspects of both characters were established in those comics, like Simon's cynicism and Jessica's anxiety. Personally however, I consider Sam Humphries's Green Lanterns (2016) to be where the two of them actually got character development and focus, which is why I've put the two of them together.

Kyle Rayner is where things start to get complicated, because he and the older Green Lanterns have a lot of history that predates Geoff Johns's work that, for better or worse, basically is the start of the "modern era" of GL comics. While Johns's Emotional Spectrum saga does effectively become the new foundation for the characters going forward, the first story in it is Green Lantern: Rebirth (2004). Which was written for an audience who's already familiar with the GL mythos, so it's not an ideal place to start with if you don't already know the characters.

Rather, I think the most efficient* starting point is the Emerald Twilight storyline, which begins in issue #48 of Green Lantern Volume 3 (1990). It's Kyle Rayner's origin story, so it's not hard to find collected TPBs of it, and he starts out knowing basically nothing about Green Lanterns so it's a good jumping on point for new readers.

However, Kyle's origin is inseparably tied with the fall of Hal Jordan and the Corps, so if you prefer to have more context for those characters, you might want to read Emerald Dawn I (1989) and II (1990) beforehand. A lot of the stuff from them get retconned in Johns's retelling of Hal's origins, but they're still worth a read.

With John Stewart and Guy Gardner, a lot of their characterization from the 20th century is notably different from how it is today. Part of it is the way that Geoff Johns rewrote them, part of it is how popular the JL/JLU cartoon was. This is a large reason why I'd suggest the Emotional Spectrum saga as a starting point for understanding the modern versions of these characters before going back to their older stuff from the 80s and 90s.

Hal Jordan's history makes me want to beat my head against a wall. He's been around since 1959 but so much of his early stuff is still a blur to me. Someone's probably gonna scream at me if I don't mention Hard Traveling Heroes and his friendship with Oliver Queen. A lot of his Parallax and Spectre era material doesn't take place in actual GL comics but I don't know where to read it other than Zero Hour and Final Night because those were the only TPBs available to me.

Alan Scott, being a Golden Age hero, is largely a supporting character in the JSA, though he does sometimes show up in GL stuff. He did get a miniseries recently, Alan Scott: The Green Lantern (2023), that rewrites his past as a gay man in the Cold War era.

*I say efficient because I could list a bunch of miniseries and debut issues that are historically important for each of the characters but that would make this already lengthy post at least twice as long.

Alternatively, get the 80th anniversary special from a few years back and chug that shit

[icaruslamenting]

⌗ !! ꒰ 31 days of helpol ꒱ 🏛️

(i’m so sorry y’all, i’ve been sick and had some health issues going on [both mental and physical] but im working on it and hopefully i should be able to start posting more frequently!! catching up for the 18th-21st)

day eighteen - “how can you best describe your relationship with each of your deities?”

honestly, i don’t exactly know how to describe my relationship with them. a lot of people see them in a family sort of way, but it just doesn’t feel like that to me. not right now, at least. it’s tricky to describe😭 but i hold a lot of respect and love for them, and i know they share that love with me as well <33

day nineteen - “if you had to assign one song to each of the deities you worship, what songs would you choose?”

(you’ll notice a theme in each one lol [music recs btw])

Lord Apollo - Haunted by Laufey, ICARUS by Tony Ann, Icarus & Apollo by Ripto, Arsonist’s Lullaby by Hozier, Talk by Hozier, Sunlight by Hozier, Work Song by Hozier, Take Me to Church by Hozier (lotssss of hozier)

Lady Aphrodite - Spanish Doll by Poe, Fade Into You by Mazzy Star, Medusa by Kaia Jette, Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey, Salvatore by Lana Del Rey, Brooklyn Baby by Lana Del Rey (and lotssss of lana del rey)

Lord Hermes - Headlock by Imogen Heap, Taking What’s Not Yours by TV Girl, Only You by Portishead, Glory Box by Portishead (really just a lot of imogen heap and portishead for Lord Hermes)

Lord Dionysus - Cheri Cheri Lady by Modern Talking, Out of Touch by Daryl Hall & John Oates, A Question of Time by Depeche Mode, Strangelove by Depeche Mode, Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode (can you tell i like depeche mode?? i love depeche mode)

day twenty - “do you have a favorite aspect of hellenic polytheism?”

really how beautiful and ancient the religion is. like… you’re telling me that people thousands of years ago loved the gods like i do?? that people thousands of years ago would see the same sun as me and have the same thought of Lord Apollo as i have had?? that people thousands of years ago longed to see the beautiful statues of Lady Aphrodite like i want to?? it’s so insane and really cool!!

day twenty-one - “are there any retellings/adaptions of greek mythology that you like? why/why not?”

a bunch!! i love all the percy jackson series’ (pjo, hoo, toa, all those), circe and the song of achilles (both by madeline miller), epic the musical, hadestown, and hades (the game, it’s super fun to play!!). i probably forgot one or two, so sorry about that!! but yeah, i love all of those. i’ll give my opinion on blood of zeus eventually, but i’m only just now starting and i want to try and rope my family into it too. but as for why i like them, i just think they’re cool!! i’m obviously always gonna be a massive fan of the classics like the iliad and the odyssey, but i like the other ones too :)

[hondafuckingodyssey]

X-men comic recommendations

The other day I went on a rant about how nobody should attempt to read all of the x-men comics in order because if the x-men have no respect for the spacetime continuum, you shouldn't have to respect reading their shit in order.

So here's a list of comics series, some that I've read and some that are on my to read list. Mind the authors and the dates, Marvel likes to recycle titles so sometimes you'll accidentally pick up something that's a completely different story from ten years later.

If you're going to getting your comics from the library and different sources (cough archive.org cough), or skipping around to different eras, I recommend an app like Comic Geeks where you can track which issues you've read. As a bonus, you get a satisfying little dopamine hit every time you check off a comic you read.

The original silver age comics from 1963 Stan Lee and Jack Kirby These are fun, but they kind of suck. I believe X-men was one of their worst selling titles for many years. They are campy fun though, like that island has a giant acme magnet on on top of it, I wonder if that's Magneto's secret base, hmmm? I'm kind of working through these when I just have my phone because they're easier to read on a smaller screen than the new stuff with full page spreads.

Chris Claremont's classic X-men run, starting in 1975. This is the classic starting point I hear recommended again and again. You start with Giant Size x-men number 1, and then go to X-men issue 94. This is where all the classic x-men are introduced. You got your Dark Phoenix saga, and Days of Future Past, and a lot of the storylines that were used in the 90's animated series. Everybody should read some of these. But Chris Claremont was writing the X-men for FOURTEEN years. Do not attempt to read all of these before you move onto the modern stuff.

The Dark Phoenix saga, 1980 Chris Claremont, issues 129-138 Ok, I just finished these last night and they're so good that I want to make a special call out for them. I jumped ahead to read them and I'm so glad I didn't wait. I can't figure out how the movies sucked so bad when they had this source material to work with. We could have had an epic moon battle? If you don't read anything else from this era read these. Pro tip: get the epic version of like a prayer stuck in your head right before starting on issue 137. Really adds to the atmosphere.

X-men Season 1 by Dennis Hopeless, 2012 This is a graphic novel (so published altogether instead of in individual issues) retelling of the original silver age comics. It's mostly from Jean Grey's point of view. It's very fun.

Children of the Atom, 1999 by Joe Casey, 6 issues Sort of a prequel, explains how Charles Xavier recruited a bunch of teenagers. This looks good, but it started out with mutants being lynched, and with the way I always compare being a mutant to being queer, and the election and project 2025 looming, I decided this one was too much for me right now.

X-men First Class, 2006 by Jeff Parker, 8 issues I read the first four of these and they were cute. Bobby is writing home to his parents about his time in school, Scott and Jean go to the beach. Lots of fun character stuff. Originally 8 issues but it looks like they immediately did another run of issues the next year.

New X-men, 2001 by Grant Morrison his run starts with issue 114 This is a great place to jump in if Deadpool & Wolverine got you interested in x-men comics, because it's got Cassandra Nova in it. She's doing her weird finger thing! Supposedly this is one of best places to jump into modern x-men. I've read about 6 of them, so far so good.

Astonishing X-men, 2004 by Joss Whedon This is supposed to be the best x-men run ever. It continues directly from Grant Morrison's run. I'm saving it for next time I have a mental breakdown a rainy day.

All-New X-men, 2013 by Brian Michael Bendis This is what I'm reading the most of right now. Cyclops is being an asshole, and Beast decides the best way to solve this problem is to go back in time and bring the original teenage x-men from '60s back with him to confront him. This works particularly well as a jumping in point because they keep explaining backstory through the kids finding out all the ridiculous things that have happened. Like, poor Jean asking how she died, and they're is like, um which time?

[sigyn-foxyposts]

My personal thoughts on "Twilight of the gods season 1"

Before reading I just want to say that these are my opinions alone! By no means am I saying this show can't be your thing, it just wasn't mine when it came to certain parts! Also what I'll be covering can be a bit of a sensitive topic to some. Such as race and sexual topics, I'm here to defend not hate 💚

Art by my darling @sparrowmp4 💚

Pros:

Starting off with the best is the animation and art style! It's smooth and full of movement, absolutely breathtaking! It will truly keep you watching, just to enjoy it. Character design's are pretty good too, though some could've been done better and were in general a bit bland.

It felt boring In a way when you could've done more but I understand it would be hard on the animators. The scenery they chose fits the with the setting of the story they're trying to tell. In all honestly done very well, excellent!

I really appreciate the references to actual mythology and my culture! There wasn't much culture other than how things looked in certain villages but things such as the retellings of the stories we got from written and oral traditions, it made me very happy seeing them here!

I also heavily appreciate the inclusion of Loki's struggles amongst the gods, with himself struggling being "a scapegoat god" and the focus on him trying to save his children from their fate. As well as the portrail on how not even gods are perfect!

They clearly did their research on Loki's character and knew what the fans wanted! I just wish we got even more, but it was rushed and in conclusion a bit shallow. Still, the effort is there & i eat what I get!

I love the representation of minorities in the series. Such as people of color and their different or even mixed heritages! Same goes for different identities and sexualities. They weren't afraid to shy away from bisexuality and transgender representation, which was very common back then and throughout history!

I did enjoy certain characters like the Seid Kona, Egil, Leif and Loki's development throughout the story and how they were written! But again was all bit rushed..

Cons:

They missed out on showing us a lot more gods and how Ragnarok actually went down, even if most of us know by now..where was fumbulvinter for example? And I don't like when people take certain mythology media as fact, it's the biggest issue I have when it comes to modern media taking on mythology and folklore in general.

Do it right, if not then let it be!

While I love the representation we got of POC people, the way it's ONLY set in a norse setting bothers me. Yes, the story is centerd around the norse but like..we could have had more representation of other cultures too just saying! They were traveling so much, even a reference would've been nice.

No what we get instead, which yeah can work since the vanir are magic and nature based is plant people (I get the thought behind it!) They make the representation we want plant people. Where only two vanir members that look human.. are people of color. What was the point of all that seriously!

Where are the other people of color..?

Now don't get me wrong, Tyra makes sense in this case because we don't know where she came from and that leaves thing for interpretation, I absolutely love that! What's very icky was that Freyja who is presented as a black woman here, is Tiwaz's sister (Basically Freyr idk why his name is a rune now..) and called herself a slave when talking about how Odin married her for her magic... Yikes!

I didn't appreciate how Fafnir was slain either and the fact Sigird killed Baldr when Hodr could've been included so easily in the battle. I honestly think Freyr, Hodr, Hoenir and many more deserve justice, especially those who were completely forgotten like Idunn, Nanna, Forseti, Thrud ect.

Oh and dont get me started on Angrboda and Sigyn here, I'm just happy Boda even got an appearance in the first place, but that isn't enough to be honest! Like all she did was be the poor mother who couldn't protect her children, nothing more to her character even though she's from the ironwoods that we saw in this series.. where was she after those events?! Most likely dead, which would add up. Let's hope Sigyn gets a better appearance!

I don't mind original characters but..when it comes to the point in retellings, do it in a way that makes sense please!! Make the original characters for example meet Sigurd, Fafnir's slayer instead of killing him off! What would their interaction be like? While I understand the main plot and focus was on Sigird taking her revenge on Thor.

It felt a bit boring.. Like yeah, girlboss with a tragic backstory and she can't cry. It feels a bit Mary Sue of her, not only that but they're a bit over powered too!

Here comes another part I've been dreading..the "interesting" interpretation of Jormi and Thor's fate to kill each other at Ragnarok. It felt very forced and weird making them have a sexual relationship, like sure it's a creative twist I guess but..the way the prophecy claimed that Ragnarok would end the gods if Jörmungandr would spill Thor's seed. That's not at all the case and just disgusting!

What hurts me the most about this topic is Loki's attempts to take her place, but how the prophecy wasn't meant for him. Killing Thor was the only way to free their family, so even if it meant death, she did what had to be done. Worse, she was only a child when Thor physically beat her when she tried defending her family..i didn't need that!

This plot felt more like an excuse to add in more sex to a show with too many of those scenes already! Than giving the representation that matters, people forced to do these things just to help their family.

I'll admit Thor's portrayal was somewhat accurate, it just wasn't done the way I had expected it! (Take that as you will)

Yes he has flaws and the gods aren't perfect! Yes, he is a brute who murdered many jotuns and drinks lots of mead with an appetite. Yes, he has anger issues.. And yes he cheated on Sif. That doesn't mean he has to abuse his own kid or have his marriage with Sif go that low. What's worse is when you realize Sif knows he is activity cheating and letting herself be insulted by Thor. When she literally wants Thor dead, she admits she also needs him for the sake of her purpose.

Now, toxic relationships are real and this is a great example but keep in mind that in actual mythology he was willing to break every bone in Loki's body for him simplely cutting off her hair! And he has a tendency to be over protective of his family like in the story where Alvis purposes to Thrud, his daughter! His characterization is certainly something and I hope we get more because when he started crying over his issues and actions.

It screamed, toxic masculinity in my face.

I don't know what was happening behind the scenes but the relationships were developing a bit fast and while I don't mind starting a story on a relationship, the way things were going between Leif and Sigird didn't make me feel much for them in the end. Yeah it's not easy to be a perfectly functioning couple after you lost your whole family because you two were getting married. But when he comforts you, saying you're allowed to grieve and follows you on your revenge trip even though he didn't want to but did it for you!

Also I love my poly rep but making Thyra be a part of their already dysfunctional relationship was a bad move. Thanks for the fake hope you gave Leif actually living a better life with just her. It was so obvious she was into women from the start..why??

I had to sympathize with Leif even more when Sigrid physically hurt him, all because he opened up about what he felt and was done with her crap. Sadly that sympathy went away the moment he decided to waste everything on a woman that cared more about revenge then him.

Finally last point, I very much dislike how characters we were supposed to bond with get killed off so suddenly? Not only weren't they fully developed like Ulfr and Anvari but they had to die for what? Do they come back for the plot later on because I'd certainly hope so!

I don't know if they'll make up for all of these plot lines but since it landed on a cliff hanger, it's definitely coming back. Let's cross our fingers for season 2 to be better and clear things up!! Thank you for reading 💚🤞

[murdockmeta]

What dd run do you recommend for someone who wants to get to know Matt as a character?

Or better question; what issues?

"get to know Matt as a character" hm. fantastic question. I personally read volumes 3, 4, and 5 first before going back and reading some of the older stuff in volume 1. and it's really only been recently that I'd say I have a good grip on Matt's character.

Important parts of Matt's character are his resilience and integrity, his insistence on fighting for others' fair treatment, his admiration for the value of all life, his compassion for others no matter their situation, and his dedication to those he considers family.

Other important parts of Matt's character are his pride, his impulsivity, his lack of regard for his own safety/well-being, his destructive tendencies, and his poor coping mechanisms (which are plentiful in number; most notably perhaps being how he isolates himself from others).

These all tend to feed into one another. I'm going to try and suggest what I think showcases these parts of him.

fair warning: I definitely haven't read everything, namely volume 2 and a large bit of Miller's run, which most people consider very important.

if you're looking for a specific volume that's beginner-friendly, I'd say volume 3 is a good place to start, but if you want (in no particular order) a list of specific issues--

Daredevil Volume 1 issue 1 (Lee) - this one I have to rec out of pure respect. it gives you Matt's origin story and shows you a lot of his values that are still present in the modern-day character. though, if you're really not into older comics, I could say it's probably safe to skip until you feel more comfortable with the character

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1-5 (Miller) - this is probably considered the most iconic daredevil arc ever written, and for good reason. as many issues as I have with miller, he's a fantastic writer, and this retelling of matt's origin is gold.

Daredevil Volume 3, issues 28-36 (Waid) - waid just really Gets matts character, we get to see matt beat up bigots and really show off his positive traits while combating the more negative ones

Daredevil Volume 1, issues 301-306 (Chichester) - Re-introduction of the owl in a compelling way, slice of life interactions, spider-man crossover. what's not to like. chichester is excellent at highlighting matt's endless compassion and value for life while also remembering matt's destructive tendencies

Daredevil Volume 4 issue 000.1 (Waid) - showcase of matt's compassion and impulsivity; probably one of the best attempts by ANY writer to capture what matt's radar sense is like

Spider-Man: Daredevil (Matthews) - kinda shows off the inherent Weirdness that comes with matts abilities, I love how this issue gives you a good glimpse at Matt and Ben Urich's relationship, and it really just hits the nail on the head for matts characterization while giving you enjoyable slice of life moments

Daredevil Volume 4 issues 11-12 (Waid) - again, shows off matt's compassion (that's his most admirable quality imo), shows him combating his pride so he can help others, and displays how his willingness to see the good in people can be used against him

Daredevil Volume 1 issues 609-612 (Soule) - imo the best dd arc ever written, right next to miller's tmwf. just. perfect, no notes. i tear up and get chills every time I read it. Ill cry thinking about it right now. it sums up everything matt is and represents as a character, the good and the bad, and i could gush about it all day

If I had to suggest any kind of reading order, save v1 #609-612 for last. it's called "the death of daredevil" for a reason. it's not gonna have nearly as much impact if you don't already know something about the character.

thank you so much for the ask!! I really enjoyed replying to it and I hope this was helpful :)

[toomanythoughts2]

Piggybacking a bit off of your Murderface Agere

When he’s Agere and watches the shows he’ll start mimicking the characters for a bit during and after he watches an episode. If he’s with Toki especially he’ll try to do the ‘thundercats ho!’ Or try to set up an elaborate prank like Hawkeye and BJ. Personally (since I’m the most familiar with tmnt, thundercats, and MASH) I think his favorite characters would be Leonardo and Raphael, Lion-O and Panthro, and BJ and Hawkeye. That being said I think from MASH he subconsciously leaned onto the Winchester himself and occasionally goes around saying “A Murderface would never do this” while doing exactly that <- (projecting). If we’re going with him watching these shows growing up he most definitely did it to seem more put together and classier at school. Like a defense to be alone. “A Murderfasche would never schtoop to schuch pompousch activitiesch” or “Muschic like this would never be worthy for repugnent earsch schuch asch yoursch” Very defensive very holier than thou but as we know very sensitive and at the core very heroic. Mr. Winchester often did heroic things simply because they were right, not because he wanted reward. I think Murderface took on that "Dont see me be genuinely good" act but because it was a show still wanted a bit of recognition. I’m loosing the plot a bit but im basing this a lot off of his one liners and his wants to be like a movie hero, so I think him projecting and favoring the leaders specifically would be huge, but drawing from characters like Charles Winchester III , Raphael and I think Tigra is more subconscious.

Also on the which MASH era was better debate he’d definitely enjoy both eras for different reasons so don’t ask him to choose. And for TMNT he’d prefer the 80s cartoon but has no issues with the live action movies with the puppets (maybe the bay movies but it depends on the day I’ve never watched them so I can’t say how well they hold up) Thundercats tried and true with the original version as well BUT he discovers the 2012 version at some point and enjoys the more modern retelling.

AAHHH! These are all really good! I'll admit, I've never actually watched any of these shows (I know, I'm lame ;P) but I absolutely see your vision with him favoring the leaders! That reminds me of all the times in the show he wants to be or take on the role that Nathan has. That's why I think he tries so hard to get writing credit or song credit because, hey, that's what Nathan does, and he's the leader, and he's cool. Except, they all know him, so they know he's full of shit. And that's where the regression happens again, where he wants to be this cool dude who does cool things, but he's only able to see it from a child-like mind. Ugh, you provided so much more context to my little HC, I LOVE IT!

Murderface being a cartoon connoisseur would be hilarious though, because it's just right up his alley of niche interests with a very heated community of loyal fans. He's on Chitter in heated threads with other fans, defending his stances, but also causing mayhem and discourse. Lol.

[the-badger-mole]

The Romance is Dead

I've always had an issue with Romeo and Juliet as a love story. Don't get me wrong, I love a good "starcrossed lovers" romance as much as the next obsessive fangirl, but R&J never really made sense to me as a romance. The more I learn about the story, the more I realize, duh! Of course it's not a great romance story. it's a tragedy. It's right there in the title, Badger! I know, and smarter people than me have pointed all of this out already, but for my entire life every treatment of this story has been presented as if it were the height of romance. Especially if it's a reinterpretation. Most retellings of the story miss the point, though. By a lot. A LOT.

Here's the thing...Juliet was really young. She was 13. That went over my head for a long time, but the mention of her age in the play was deliberate. Shakespeare makes it a point to tell us, the audience, how young Juliet is, which I don't believe he does for characters in his other plays (but don't quote me). In fact, I think Juliet is the only one given a specific age in this play. Juliet's father says in the play that he thinks she's too young to marry and thinks she should at least get a say in who she marries (at least until Tybalt dies and he decides that marrying a man twice her age is the cure to her grief. The crap???). Juliet's nurse has a whole monologue about Juliet's age.

The reason I think this went over my head for so long is that I didn't have the historical context. None of my literature or theater classes spent much, if any time on the historical context of Shakespeare's plays, and I'm just now starting to realize how much that has affected how I, and I guess the average Hollywood writer understand the story. There's this idea that people- girls, mostly- were married extremely young all the time in Ye Olden Days of Yore. What I learned years too late for it to make a difference to my grade is while it was legal for girls around that time to be married as young as 12, it wasn't as common as we modern day people seem to think (or in the case of several states, as common as they hoped). Which is why when Juliet's mother comes to talk to her about the marriage proposal Paris (who was probably at least 25, based on his being Italian) presented to Lord Capulet, Juliet says she hasn't even thought about getting married.

The people Shakespeare actually wrote the story for would have had all that extra context and would have understood why Shakespeare took extra special care to make sure they knew exactly how old Juliet was. They would have had the context to really grasp the tragedy of Juliet's story (and it is now clear to me that this was very much Juliet's story). Me, a sap who grew up with romantic retellings, and the Claire Danes version of the original play, didn't have all that context when it mattered, so now that I do have the context, I want to make it everyone's problem share what I've learned with you, my friends. If you're still in school, and they still aren't giving deeper historical context behind this particular play, just know, Romeo and Juliet isn't a romantic story of true love. If this story wasn't a tragedy, Juliet probably wouldn't have married Romeo at all.

[thenixkat]

they got Booster to the hospital and find out that he's dying. His crew also somehow fixed his suit or got him one that looks like the real one

Local Asian dude directing the local STAR labs was able to repair a lot of Booster's suit and Skeets

Folks get told that Booster's from teh future which may give hints to why he's stick and how to help him. Man fixed half of poor Skeets

a mob is attacking the hospital to attack Booster Gold b/c the public hates superheroes

Booster got another haircut and also lost weight due to his illness

local nurse admonishes Booster for being a public superhero and donating money to charity instead of helping people anonymously and I gotta ask lady do you have the same feelings for regular actors and other rich people?

The person running the hospital wants to throw out Booster who is deathly ill and still injured b/c he's a 'disruptive element'

meanwhile the mob breaks into the hospital to attack an ill and injured man

Trixie is pressured to put on the costume that STAR labs made to go rescue Booster

the crowd is literally trying to murder Booster. With the logic that no superheroes means no supervillains. ANd like, yall could take that energy and try to murder supervillains instead of just…assuming that supervillains would just retire if there were no superheroes around to stop them

pork queen. pork queen. Man comics hate fat people. Like just utterly laothe fat people existing

ok Asian dude's name is Jack heh Booster punches security

how the fuck did the security for an airfield not owned by the military get a fucking sonic canon for the security guards to use?

Jack fumbles a bit on Skeets prononus but remembered

ok looks like were gonna get Booster telling his story from his perspective

ugh the way its phrased

I assume the writer just kinda hates poor people. To phrase Booster not wanting to wait another year being poor as shit b4 he could begin supporting his family with his career as 'wanted to be rich and famous as soon as possible' damn.

damn the whole squad looks disappointed to hear that Booster's a criminal from the future. Like their respect for him for all of his heroic deeds just took a nosedive find out he did some crime

but also how they keep describing Booster's turn to gambling as just being impatient wanting fame and fortune and then spending mush less panel space explaining how his family was poor as shit and he wanted to support them is just such an iffy way to tell his story

…is Ripley Hunter…Rip Hunter?

yes that is the Rip Hunter. Just chillin in the past going to university and inventing a time machine

yeah like perhaps not wanting his family to starve for another year was something he wanted. (also a later retcon that retells Booster's origin also has his mom with a heart condition that he wanted money to fix) also I have to imagine given his father was a gambling addict who ruined the family, and something his mom hadn't been shy talking about, that the decision to start gambling wasnt a lightly made one

so if Booster, who used a finished version of this very time machine to come back in time helped with the final touches to make the time machine more like its supposed to be would that not be a fucking paradox?

Granted he's also apparently Rip Hunter the inventor of the time machine he used dad so who the fuck knows. I dont belive in the stable time loop there's too many fucking variables

apparently Gotham cleans up its industrial pollution issues several hundred years in the future

what do you mean that Booster's forcefield was constantly on protecting him from fucking bacteria.

like what does that mean for Booster's gut flora and other symbiotic bacteria if he was eating modern day food? also no! that's a silly explanation b/c we know that Booster took his costume off sometimes

also… past food should have given Booster hell of diarrhea until his system adjusted to it

so after Booster ran away his mom got sick and died and his sister had to move b/c she couldnt afford rent

but also sir yer really surprised like you werent the breadwinner until you dipped