#batman: li'l gotham

[laufire]

april reading meme!

BOOKS

We Will Devour The Night by Camilla Andrew. The version I read is available in the author's ko-fi (aninkwellofnectar), and the final version will come during fall of this year. I've talked about this saga before (The Essence of the Equinox), and I still recommend it to those of us who like complex characters (especially female characters), gothic horror, and lush prose. This is a sequel, and I like it even more than the first instalment. It gets deeper into the darkness of the world and it's an amazing read. The third and final part has started been posted on ko-fi as well, for anyone interested.

Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by Lundy Bancroft. I wish I could make everyone read this book. It wouldn't fix everything, because it runs against a lot of people's deep-seated belief systems, but maybe it would make SOME of them start second-guessing those beliefs... Anyway. A MUST read in terms of abuse and intimate partner violence.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I read the book for the first time about 15 years ago, and only reread it now. I loved it even more than the first time. The atmosphere, the revenge tale, the love story between Catherine and Heathcliff, all the ways these families' lives affect the others, how you have to parse through Nelly's account of events... I still wish I could hit Lockwood in the head with a stick lol. Just once. Not even too hard! But hit him in the head, I would xD

COMICS

Batman: Huntress/Spoiler - Blunt Trauma. One of those "it could've been so good if it was good" comics. It would've had to NOT been written by Dixon, of course. His ideas about these two characters are palpable here. He's met real women and girls, I know this, but he's completely failed to take anything from these meetings into account to understand them as people. And boy, does it show in his writing.

Green Lantern: Willworld. I've had this comic in my list for aeons and I moved it up when I found out its author would be writing Jason's upcoming ADITF "what if" story starting July. I really liked this one, and how it showcased Hal's character. It's not a guarantee I'll like his Robin Lives run, because comic writers have biases and blind spots and huge gaps in their knowlege regarding certain characters, but "he seems to be a good writer" is already a huuuuge leg up compared to most modern Jason content lol.

JLA: World Without Grown-ups. This was interesting because I've watched the Young Justice (cartoon) version of this premise, which is VERY different, from the villains to their goals to the handling of the crisis (since the cartoon had an established teen team), down to the emotional beats (the Zataras). They're too different to be compared, tbh. This one was quite fun though, and it made me feel very fond of Bart. Also Tim's parasocial relationship with Jason's memorial made an appearance LOL.

Colin Wilke's appearances. I am MOURNING this kid. He has like 9 appearances (and a couple of them are barely a few pages) but each one is gold. Bring him back. Make HIM Damian's best friend. Integrate him in the storyline!! His character and his dynamic with Damian had so so much potential. I am definitely going to include him in my fics.

Batman: Li'l Gotham. (plus the two stories introducing it in Batman Annual #27 and 'Tec Annual #11). A couple of things conspired (including me finding out there's a version of Colin in this lol) and I ended up reading it while I was sick. It's mostly fun fluff (as opposed to just corny fluff) and a quick read without much meat in it, but a few things nudged the inspiration muscle and Dustin Nguyen's art is adorable.

Batman Tales: Once Upon a Crime. I liked this one more than the above! It follows in that universe (a Gotham where everything is smaller and cuter lol), mixing it with some fairy tale vibes. Pinocchio!Damian is A Concept. Although my favourite story was "The Snow Queen", with Mister Freeze. The art goes into a whole other level in all of these, but especially that one.

Batman: The Chalice. Bruce Wayne receives the Holy Grail. I read this one in my list of Talia appearances and hers is the part that interested me: Ra's wants the Grail to make her immortal, like him, and Talia tells him that she has no desire to live forever. Her words are "Having lived my life in your company, the prospect of eernal life is not the attraction for me it might be for another." There are A LOT of things you can read into that sentence, and one of them, to me, is the idea that death to Talia would be an escape from Ra's, which is... interesting. Sidenote: this one was written by Dixon, who once in a while gets his wired crossed and is not wholly terrible with female characters xD

Ghost/Batgirl. I hadn't heard of Ghost before but I'm kinda curious after reading this mini run. I found a lot of the concepts it worked on (resurrection, mind control, etc.) quite interesting, although I ended up feeling the execution didn't delve too deeply into them. It's an story I might want to reread and pick apart at some point, though.

JLA: Tower of Babel. Yeah, THAT arc lol (also part of my Talia-reading). I also read JLA Secret Files and Origins #3 (in May, though), which shows Talia's whole thoughts on it as she steals the plans + some of the consequences the whole thing has for the other bats whose teammates no longer trust them (Dick, Tim, Barbara) + the wording of Bruce's contingency plans (which btw includes acceptance of lethal methods against Clark lol)... he certainly got off easy after this añsdlkfjasdf. Honestly, imo, the most selfish, cowardly thing he did was walking out before the JLA could tell him they'd voted him out. I know he and the comics probably won't frame it like that afterwards, but that's how it felt to me. The very least he could've done is face his teammates.

[violent138]

[ghurab-alzilal]

At the Zoo XIV

8 y/o Damian, in front of the herpetarium : Ew...

Bruce: I don't understand how you hate snakes so much even though you're an animal lover.

8 y/o Damian: *flashbacks to that time when he was three years old and Jason almost died (again) from saving him from a huge anaconda constrictor during a LoA's mission *

8 y/o Damian: Irrelevant grounds. It is merely because they look scrawny like Drake.

Tim: Hey!

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13

[flowersxann]

selina kyle/catwoman li'l Gotham icons 🤍

+ Gotham sirens/batcat/brucelina matching icons 💗 I LOVE HER

[twcfaces]

🎃 HALLOWEEN IN LI'L GOTHAM 🎃

[rockingthegraveyard]

Reading Li'l Gotham and at first I thought to myself that this suited man looks like Death from Supernatural

and then I realized it fucking was!

[tiger-in-the-flightdeck]

Oof

[dracaelus]

what a freaking nerd, he should have ended as the weirdest professor of the most useless subject in gotham uni

[angstandhappiness]

Adorable

What happens when these two team up…

[batbabydamian]

A Quick Guide to Damian’s Furry/Feathered/Scaled Companions

LEFT: R:SOB #1 Cover RIGHT: R:SOB #6

GOLIATH THE BAT DRAGON

Introduced in: ROBIN: SON OF BATMAN (2015) #1

DAMIAN'S BABY AND BEASTY BESTIE!! On a mission during the Year of Blood, Damian kills the family of bat dragons guarding his objective. Goliath, despite being the youngest and last of his kind, forgives Damian. Goliath goes on to become one of Damian's most loyal companions, even featuring beside him in Batman Beyond (2016) #10, #11, #43-#47!

LEFT: B&R #13 RIGHT: B&R #4

TITUS THE DOG

Introduced in: BATMAN AND ROBIN (2011) #2

A Great Dane gifted to Damian from Bruce as an effort in fatherhood. Funny enough, Damian finds him a nuisance at first and briefly refers to him as "Dog". Titus is a good boy that follows Damian's every step, even joining Bruce on his mission to resurrect Damian!

LEFT: Batman Inc #1 RIGHT: Batman Inc #7

BAT-COW THE COW

Introduced in: BATMAN INCORPORATED (2012) #1

Bat-Cow, branded with a star signifying which cattle were contaminated, was saved from a slaughterhouse to run some tests (which they do find of a mind control variety). Damian declares himself a vegetarian, and calls her Bat-Cow! She also sorta has a running gag of literally standing in the face of danger to save the day.

LEFT: Batman Inc #6 RIGHT: Batman Inc #7

ALFRED THE CAT

Introduced in: BATMAN INCORPORATED (2012) #6

Considered a "hopeless case" by the animal shelter, Alfred gifts him to Damian. The cat is a bold lil guy, which Damian takes an immediate liking to, and names him Alfred (likely because tuxedo cat = butler lol). After hours of chicken, playtime, and scratches, Damian and Alfred become friends! He makes his first appearance alongside Damian’s first appearance as Batman in BATMAN (1940) #666

LEFT: Batman: Li'l Gotham #2/#1 RIGHT: Batman: Li'l Gotham #23/#12

*JERRY THE TURKEY

Introduced in: BATMAN LI'L GOTHAM (2012) #2 (Digital) #1 (Printed)

The Penguin unleashes an army of turkeys at the Gotham Thanksgiving parade which Damian turns into his own li'l turkey march by playing the trumpet. He ends up bringing one of them back for Thanksgiving dinner (as a friend), and Jerry becomes a fairly regular appearance in the world of Li'l Gotham!

*WIGGLES THE DRAGON

Introduced in: NIGHTWING (2016) #42

A sort of filler issue where Damian has been kidnapped for his blood by the "Crimson Kabuki" in Tokyo, and Dick goes through a series of boss battles to save him. The dragon's blood has been the group's main source of power, so it ends up teaming with the duo, and returns home with them.

Wiggles was originally named by a fan, "Shanootnoot" on Twitter!

*Goliath, Titus, Bat-Cow, and Alfred the cat have been Damian's main canon cast of furry companions, but SUPER-PETS SPECIAL: BITEDENTITY CRISIS (2024) may have just added Jerry and Wiggles!!

[gaslightgatekeepgotham]

Sorry him calling her Li'l Ruthie is so sweet?? Mrs. Ruthie is doing fine, she asked my cousin's friend if she knew who he was so she could send him cookies. My cousin suggested just leaving them in the sewers? If you knew a place they could leave the cookies at for him that'd be sweet. I told her that he's really tall and muscular and her reply was 'Goin to need more yarn then..' She's awesome.

ohhhhhmygod???? that's so sweet...

yeah, he still travels via sewer most days now that the rain's cleared up! if you drop them off at the manhole in the 12th W Street and Hamilton Ave intersection, he'll get them.

[violent138]

The fact that the GCPD uses whatever shambles of a budget they have (or worse Gordon pays) for that massive bulb is hilarious.

[ghurab-alzilal]

Damian Wayne "The Robin of Pets"

Just as Bruce seems to have a compulsion to adopt children, Damian seems to have inherited that gene but when it comes to pets, which are quite numerous and of all sizes and colors which are:

🐶 Tɪᴛᴜs ᴛʜᴇ Gʀᴇᴀᴛ Dᴀɴᴇ

To strengthen their father-son bond, Bruce adopted a puppy as a gift in an effort to instill empathy for others in Damian. Although Damian was initially less than enthusiastic about the idea and was even distant simply calling him "dog," over time they became very close and best friends, eventually naming him after the Shakespearean literary hero.

• First appearance: Batman and Robin #2 (2011)

🐭 Sᴘᴏᴛᴛʏ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴀᴛ

Spotty is a small spotted mouse who lives in the sewers of Gotham and Damian greets him every time he visits those places.

• First appearance: Batman and Robin #13 (2011)

🐮 Bᴀᴛᴄᴏᴡ

After a mission in a slaughterhouse, Damian decides to adopt his peculiar bovine friend and even after witnessing the cruelty in those places he decides to become a vegetarian.

• First appearance: Batman Incorporated #1 (2012)

😺 Aʟꜰʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ Cᴀᴛ

Pennyworth adopted this one for Damian from a shelter. Damian was somewhat skeptical as he believed he could not keep it for long, but upon seeing the kitten's personality he was captivated and named it after the person who gave it to him.

• First appearance: Batman Incorporated #6 (2012)

🦃 Jᴇʀʀʏ ᴛʜᴇ Tᴜʀᴋᴇʏ

Batman and Robin ruin the Penguin's attempt to ruin Thanksgiving thanks to Damian's trumpet. That's where he meets his feathered friend, who under the name of Jerry joins the Batfamily dinner. As a invited, not as the main course, don't worry.

• First appearance: Li'l Gotham #2 (2012)

🦇 Gᴏʟɪᴀᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ Dʀᴀɢᴏɴ-ʙᴀᴛ

During one of the League of Assassins' tests in the Year of Blood, Damian is sent to exterminate a population of Dragon-bats and just when he is finishing the objective, a small puppy moves Damian to the core because the little one, instead of hating him for what he did, it tries to console him. That's how he decides to keep him as a "trophy" and his most loyal pet.

• First appearance: Robin - Son of Batman #1 (2015)

🐉 Wɪɢɢʟᴇs ᴛʜᴇ Jᴀᴘᴀɴᴇsᴇ Dʀᴀɢᴏɴ

During a joint mission with Nightwing in the country of the rising sun, Damian meets a dragon that helps them defeat criminals. Upon returning to Gotham, this huge friend ends up in the Batcave with Goliath and Batcow. Wiggles does not have a name during the course of the adventure but in an interaction between one of the writers and a fan he ends up being named as Wiggles the Japanese dragon. (click on the underlining text for context)

• First appearance: Nightwing #42 (2016)

[skylie-spiderlillis]

A list of all of Damian Wayne's pets but they are just getting bigger:

1. Alfred Pennyworth the cat (named after Alfred the man of course)

Alfred found him and brought him to Damian! He said he reminded him of Damian.

Edit: it happened in batman incorporated volume 2 if you want to read it! He appeared in issue 6.

2. Murder King (Wayne Family Adventures universe)

His birthday present from Bruce.

It's free on the website Webtoon! Wayne Family Adventures chapter 13.

3. Jerry the Turkey (li'l Gotham universe exclusive)

I don't remember the details but Damian encountered a pack of turkeys while on a mission and he just kept him after that.

4. Titus

I unfortunately haven't had the chance to read Titus's comics yet, I think Bruce got him to Damian?

Edit: I recommend reading the super sons annual, it's a one shot of Titus and the other super-pets as the league of super pets.

Anyway he's a very good dog.

5. Batcow

Rescued from a mission on a slaughterhouse! When Damian saw what the place did to animals he declared he adopts batcow and as of now he's vegetarian.

Edit: again, I recommend supersons annual if you want to read about her! She's a member of the league of super-pets as well. The origin comic is batman incorporated volume 2 issue 1.

6. Goliath the Dragon Bat

If you're Damian Wayne's fans I really recommend reading Robin Son of Batman! It's where Goliath was introduced, in general I consider it the best Damian Wayne comic ever.

To short things up, Damian found him at his time with the League of Assassins while on a mission, and brought him back with him. Later on Robin Son of Batman he also brought him to Gotham to be with the other pets.

Bonus pics

Isn't he the cutest? He's my favourite (shhh don't tell Alfred).

And 7, the newest member- Wiggles!

Appeared in nightwing volume 4 issue 42. He just appeared and Damian adopted him and took him to the cave with the other pets.

Comparison of Wiggles near Goliath-

That's my presentation for today. Goodbye.

[gffa]

I adore your batman stuff very much. I recently read the Wayne Family Adventures, and now I really want to read some more. Do you have recommendations on comic lines to follow?

Hi! I'm glad you're having fun with getting into comics and enjoying the posts around here, it's always nice to have new blood (or returning blood, in my case)! <3 I would give a gentle caution in that Wayne Family Adventures is sort of in a class of its own in a lot of ways, the characterization is much softer and fluffier, while the mainline comics are darker and messier, the characters are definitely not always as nice as they are as in WFA. That's no shade on either of them, just that I want to give a quick warning that if you're stepping from one to the other, the culture shock can sometimes be more than you're expecting. (And also keep in mind that comics are a shifting landscape, there's no one "true" version of many of the landmark moments of characters' lives, you'll see events often retold, you'll see comics that later get retconned, you'll see comics that are in different continuities/set before or after a universe-wide reboot, etc. Don't worry about it, just recognize that you're reading a story to enjoy that story, not as Hard Continuity!) That said, some of the lighter comics that I think would be fun if you're looking to come over from WFA are:

Li'l Gotham is a cute parody series that's super adorable, has some lovely art, and is nice little self-contained stories that are humorous. It's not in mainline continuity and it's even softer than WFA, but it's deeply charming and it's a fun, quick read.

Super Sons (2017) by Peter Tomasi is in mainline continuity and it's focused on Damian Wayne and Jonathan Kent becoming friends, bickering all the while, and getting into hijinks. It tends to lean more humorous and cute, so it's a nice stepping stone up to regular comics.

Robin and Batman (2022) by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen is a good litmus test for whether you might like regular comics--it's a short 3-issue mini-series focused on Dick's early days as Robin and the complicated, thorny relationship he has with Bruce about it. It's one of my favorite, it balances what a terrible gremlin he was with what a little angel he was and the emotional beats are painful in the best way.

Robin: Year One (2000) and Batgirl: Year One (2003) by Scott Beatty/Chuck Dixon and Marcos Martín/Javier Pulido are good places to start for both characters, and hold up okay considering their age. The art is a bit stylized in a way I really like, it lends it a charming old-fashioned vibe while still being pretty to look at, and there's some solid character moments in both.

Nightwing (2016) by various (starts with Tim Seeley, but it's been several authors by now) is one of my go-to recs, I think it's a great jumping on point, has a lot of really nice art, and often tells fun stories, as Dick has some of the best connections to various other characters in the universe.

Nightwing (2016) by Tom Taylor starts with issue #78 and is a great jumping-on point and Taylor's writing is just very light-hearted, action-packed, quippy, and fun. Starting here saves you from having to slog through some of the worse arcs of Dick's series, you get Bruno Redondo's fantastic art, and you can feel the affection for the character, the author and artist love this character and want to make him very cool, as well as they love his relationships with other characters, so you get good Bruce guest appearances, Babs appearances, Damian appearances, Wally appearances, Jon appearances, etc.

Robins: Being Robin by Tim Seeley and Baldemar Rivas was a fun self-contained mini-series that had all the Robins working together and I don't think it should be taken super seriously as a case story, but it had some quality banter, some hilarious moments, and a great look at these chaotic gremlins all shoved into a mini-van together to go solve a case.

Batgirls (2022) by Conrad Michael W./Becky Cloonan and Jorge Corona is focused on Babs, Cass, and Steph as a trio and being adorable together, with some humorous moments, cool art, and fun Batfam moments. It's nice that they get the spotlight and the chance to shine (it's their book, so they get the majority of the cool moments) and it's not super-long and you can jump right in.

Batman: The Knight by Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico is a "Bruce travels the world to learn the skills he needs to become Batman" and I'm really in love with the way Zdarsky writes a Bruce who is deeply complicated, messy, coming from a place of loving deeply, but also this man has twenty seven different flavors of fucked up trauma going on in that hell brain of his. Zdarsky's current run on the main Batman title has been my jam, but that's a bit of a darker leap than this one, and I think this one is a great way to get to know Bruce Wayne as a character.

Batman: Urban Legends volume 5 has a story called "The Murder Club" that is basically "Thomas and Martha Wayne are time traveled into the future and see what's become of their son, they're not thrilled about it, but come around when they see the people that love him so deeply--primarily Dick, Damian, and Alfred." and was an absolute BANGER for me for feelings, gorgeous art, and some great character moments.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest (2022) by Mark Waid and Dan Mora is an absolute knock-out, it's Bruce and Clark in their early days of their friendship, where Waid is one of the best writers in the industry for how fun his stories are but also how well he knows the characters, Mora's art is often THE portrayal I think of when I think of the characters, and there's a ton of bonus guest appearances from various characters across DC's universe. Also, I am biased, Dick tags along a lot, as he's still Robin at this point in time, and it's a great dynamic between the three of them.

Batman: One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze by Gerry Duggan and Matteo Scalera was easily the standout of the "One Bad Day" stories for me, it's set in the early days of Bruce & Dick as Batman & Robin and it has ADORABLE sunshine gremlin baby Dick Grayson, a genuinely touching story about Mr. Freeze and his wife, and some beautiful art.

Year One: Batman/Scarecrow (2005) by Bruce Jones and Sean Murphy is a fun look at the early days of Scarecrow, but also has absolutely banger baby Dick Grayson content, there's a scene where Bruce literally just grabs him by the scruff of the neck to haul him out of the way of a crowd about to stampede and it's the funniest thing because that 12 year old could destroy your face with his fists but also Bruce can literally pick him up one-handed. There's some great banter in there and it's just a super fun dynamic.

As you make your way through this list, keep the author/artist and year listings in mind, as often times there are multiple series under the same title and some are more relevant to what you're looking for right now than others. Like, there have been three different volumes of "World's Finest", but I want to direct you specifically to the 2022 version because I think that'll work better for you. Similarly, Nightwing 1996 is one of my faves, but I think the 2016 version will work better at drawing you in right now. This is definitely biased in favor of my faves, but I honestly think they work for good jumping on points for someone new to comics and who's coming from WFA and might not want to get into the messier stuff of the mainline comics right away. Hopefully, you'll enjoy these and anyone else who wants to transition from WFA to reading mainline continuity comics, feel free to join us! Yeah, comics fandom can be a bit of a pill sometimes, but genuinely there's a lot of really fun moments to love and the characters are so much more fun when you're reading their stories with all the history and depth behind them!

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

I feel like I owe you an apology. Every time you brought up batman fanon or WFA, I thought you were just being a grinch.

I haven't really looked into the fandom since I was in an obsessive comic phase like ~15 years ago, and one of my favorite Batman comics is Li'l Gotham, so I just assumed it was the familiar "how dare you like goofy baby stories more than the dark serious stories?" sentiment I often got from Hardcore Batman Fans, as if liking it meant I couldn't enjoy the other comics, too.

But I happened to browse some tags recently and…oh my god. OH MY GOD? I can forgive the strange overwhelming amount of WFA-esque content- people like what they like. I can't forgive the people making meta posts over "proper characterization" sourcing their own ass? To argue Bruce is only ever written well when he's portrayed as a good dad?? To insist Dick is always the loving supportive big brother who does no wrong? Where is all this coming from?? I love lighthearted, silly side content stuff, but I thought it was widely understood these clowns are walking disasters, when did that change? I truly, honestly thought the "never reads comics" talk from people was just a way to belittle others' preferences, but I really… don't think they DO read any non-WFA comics to have some of these takes. Wow.

I'm so sorry for doubting you.

listen. I appreciate your honesty here. I AM frequently a grinch for no reason except the perverse pleasure that it brings me to be a grody little hater.

but I am no remotely goofing about the severity of the disconnect between the people who are fans of Batman comics and people who are fans of a made up version of the Batfamily born from incorrect quotes blogs and AUs where the Bats recognize that they have mental health problems and actually deal with them.