#bedlam reads comics

[bedlamsbard]

ah, comics.

[greykolla-art]

I was rereading Skulduggery Pleasant and realised it was a goldmine for cute Alastor & Charlie moments.👌

I’m gonna project genuine friendship onto these fuckers and you can’t stop me!

[peacerisendove]

Young Justice 80-Page Giant Vol 1 #1

Nothing can ever succinctly or accurately describe how much I love this part of the 80-page giant, but god nothing compares to how much I love it when characters, who are not human, become so deeply enamored by humanity and its unique properties and desire it for themselves. It will never not touch my heart.

[konbartzine]

Kon and Bart's long-standing and evolving friendship from 1994-2020 spanning multiple runs. Together they experience many joys, and tragic losses and challenges - but no matter what they find each other again. Here's a proposed reading list for fans of the duo!

Zero Hour #2

This is the very first time they see each other and are on the same page with each other. They do not interact in any meaningful way, but this is their first passing awareness that the other exists. 

Superboy and the Ravers #7

Their first official meeting and team up where they interact, and race each other. 

JLA: World Without Grown-Ups

They team up alongside Tim as they navigate the magically altered world of Bedlam. Many key moments include how they work together and their endless banter. This is also their inspiration for starting Young Justice. 

Young Justice (1998)

Almost every single issue they are present together will have some GREAT chemistry and moments showing their friendship, but the following stick out for the listed reasons. Issue #1 - The first issue, Kon protects Bart from being shot along with lots of banter that sets the tone between them for the rest of the series. Issue #7 - Bart and Kon banter during their Camping trip, highlights include Kon complimenting Bart’s hair and enthusiastically encouraging him for chasing off hunters with Secret. Issue #9 - Bart and Kon play chess together, showing that when there are downtimes in Young Justice they play games with each other. Issue #22 - Bart tries to help Kon get his powers back with comical results. (Note: this may be THAD but because publication time is not linear to comic in-world time, this is unconfirmed and it must be assumed that this is Bart.) Issue #31 - Bart tries desperately to get Kon to hang out with him, Kon is too busy watching TV. Issue #33 - Kon reaches out to Bart to have a hypothetical conversation but sadly did not compensate for Bart’s autism taking him literally. Issue #45 - Bart and Kon talk about comics and make sandwiches together. Issue #53 - Bart and Kon play Random Trivia, a game exclusive to them. 

Young Justice: No Man’s Land

Lots of banter and chemistry as they convince Tim to go to Gotham against Batman’s orders. Kon gives Bart his jacket for safekeeping. 

Young Justice #1000000

It’s the 853rd century and although Young Justice is no more, a new version of Impulse and Superboy are just as close as their original selves.  Impulse (1995)

Issue #47 - Bart seeks Kon out to ask him about the worrying behavior Superman is displaying. Issue #77 - Bart’s clone is killed on Apokolips in front of Kon - this is a catalyst to Kon’s many issues of depression. Issue #78 - Bart says goodbye to Kon when he quits Young Justice due to PTSD, Kon pets his head. 

Superboy (1994) 

Issue #83 - Bart tries to help Kon get his swagger back, even to the point of obtaining the Backstreet Boys chemical breakdowns bc he cannot see Kon like this. 

Issue #90 - Kon has a soft moment with Cherub who he is attracted to, it is revealed that Cherub is a clone of BOTH Tana and Bart. Issue #91 - The aftermath of Bart’s clone dying on Apokolips pt.1 - Kon reveals he feels it’s all his fault and has resigned that while Bart is in a coma, he is going to die. 

Issue #92 - The aftermath of Bart’s clone dying on Apokolips pt.2 - Once back home on the Kent farm Kon, obsesses over Bart’s “death” and current coma to the point of exhaustion and sleeps for 20 hours. Highlights include Bart implying he is wearing a Playboy Bunny outfit, and that Kon has subconscious bi-sexual feelings towards Bart. Issue #99 - Bart as Kid Flash risks death to save a de-powered Kon during the World Without Young Justice arc.

Teen Titans (2003)

Same as with Young Justice, there are a lot of interactions that show they are friends and have a long-standing dynamic even though Geoff re-worked both of their characters into entirely new people. The following are moments when they are alone and show blatant friendship. Issue #25 - Bart tries to get through to Kon during his possession, and refuses to fight him. Issue #82 - Kon protects Bart from Holocaust’s blast, then Bart beats the hell out of Holocaust for barely tapping Kon. Issue #83 - Kon seeks Bart out and talks about his relationship with Cassie. Issue #88 - A quiet moment between Bart and Kon as Bart reveals he is forgetting the future they were resurrected in. Issue #90 - Bart and Kon play pingpong, once again showing that they like to play games together.

Infinite Crisis

Issue #7 - Bart goes ballistic on Superboy Prime after he kills Kon. 

Countdown #43

Bart’s funeral and he speaks directly to Kon, sadly Kon never got to hear it because he was dead at the time as well. Final Crisis Legion of Three Worlds

Issues #4-#5 - Bart and Kon reunite and are resurrected together after dying.

Superboy (2011)

Issue #3 - Kon reaches out to Bart to propose a charity Race to benefit the Smallville community. Bart agrees. Issue #5 - Bart and Kon race and take time to catch up and talk.

Kid Flash Lost

Issue #1 - Bart talks about Kon and their movie nights. 

Young Justice (2019) 

Bart and Kon reunite in Young Justice after being in comic limbo since 2011.

Issue #1 - Bart and Kon are reunited after the reboot. Issue #2 - Bart and Kon’s continuing reunion. Issue #14 - Bart rallies Young Justice and many other heroes together to save Kon from Dr. Glory. Issue #15 - Bart reveals what happened to Kon and why he did not reboot. Issue #16 - Bart and Kon have a revealing conversation about the time they lost and Bart reveals how he ‘broke time’ to try and find Kon. Issue #17 - Bart films Kon beating Lex Luthor with Tim’s phone bc he knew Kon would want to see it, Kon hugs Bart. 

[duke-nitro]

I can't stop thinking about Dark Crisis Young Justice, it's bad in a truly fascinating way. It's a book trying to critique a beloved comic, which normally I'd be down for, but the author seemingly hadn't read past (at least part of) the first issue and based all the critique points off of the covers of the first five issues.

Like Cissie's explanation for leaving the team being that she (and the other female characters) were totally overshadowed by Robin, Superboy, and Impulse, which is funny bc that's true in the fandom, but in the actual book she's arguably the main character. I'm fairly certain that bit is based on a combo of fandom and the "no girls allowed" cover, which is just a joke bc they let them in the team immediately in the actual issue.

Other things of note being the villain of the mini being a Mr Mxyptlk callback who is the only antagonist to be on the cover of the first 4 issues, the lack of even a passing reference to any of the other teammates, Mighty Endowed being painted as a generic sex appeal character and not an obvious parody of them, and my personal favorite, Baron Bedlam's cameo courtesy of googling "young justice bedlam" and seeing the version him from the cartoon.

The most interesting part, though, is that Secret and Harm are on that first set of covers... but if you haven't read the series, you couldn't be blamed for thinking they were one-off characters bc they'd never really done anything after that run, and the fandom is tends to be pretty Core Four (read: Tim and Kon) focused so that wouldn't help you learn about Secret's plot or literally anything about Empress.

Now, the original run has it's fair share of problems that I'd love to see addressed in a comic but it's gotta be by someone who's invested in it, and not bc they got saddled with it since they're writing the Tim Drake ongoing and got handed the keys for the rest of the set.

[docgold13]

What are your opinions on Jesse Bedlam from X-Men comics? If you know who that is, he's pretty obscure lol.

Jesse and his brother showed up in a run of X-Force that I didn't read, or at least don't recall reading. So my main recollections of Bedlam are from the second Deadpool movie where Terry Crews portrayed the doomed member of Wade's X-Force.

'Bedlam' is a cool name for a character. There's a DC Comics villain named 'Baron Bedlam' which I gotta admit is even cooler.

[astraldraco]

Book recs! I saw your comic and that you were welcome to taking recommendations, so I wrote a couple out for you :)

So this one’s really good - The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.

It’s about a timeloop where Harry August repeats the same life over and over. It’s so cool; it’s written in such an interesting way with constant flashbacks and flashforwards but still easy to keep up with and it’s clear what’s going on. Wonderful writing style! Definitely can’t recommend it enough.

And then Sherlock Holmes, if you’ve not read any before!

If you aren’t familiar with the stories you’ll have a completely different idea of Holmes, but I assure you that Holmes is one of the kindest most compassionate characters and GOD he’s just absolutely lovely. Not at all like what you see him as in pop culture. He and Watson have such a close, caring relationship and he’s canonically aroace!

And then there’s The Bedlam Stacks! I LOVE Natasha Pulley, she’s such a wonderful writer and all her books leave me stunned. Beautiful and I MEAN beautiful imagery, lovely relationship between the two main characters and a really intriguing mystery at the heart of it.

I’ve also got The Three Dahlias for you - fun little murder mystery at a country house, but it’s set at the house of a world-famous deceased author who wrote about a detective called Dahlia Lively. The detectives are the three actors who have portrayed Dahlia in adaptations! I liked it very much, whole cast of interesting characters.

And my second favourite book EVER, Piranesi! It’s about a man living in a house, but the house is infinite - think really huge, white halls, Ancient Greek or Roman statues, lots of marble and wreckage, birds and mysterious tides that flow through the house. Shan’t say more or I’ll spoil it. It’s really beautiful and also has a lovely mystery at the heart of it all; I’ve read it three times now in the past year.

(This one does have mention of rape though, even if not very graphic and something which does not happen to the main character. Just a warning.)

Anyway, no pressure at all to read but if these sound up your alley then I suggest you go check them out!

Oooh thank you!! I haven't read much mystery before (at least not since encyclopedia brown in elementary school) but a lot of these look great!! I'll definitely check them out :)))

[radioactive-earthshine]

im sorry i am an idiot. i have read these comics multiple times through. but maybe i read to fast. when did bart tim and kon meet before young justice? i know tim and kon did in world's finest but i mean like all of them together? sorry im just shit at retaining anything.

Hello.

Do you mean three of them together and interacting and not just being in the same proximity?

That would be JLA: World Without Grown-Ups which essentially is their launchpad to creating Young Justice. This is their main and most significant team up that is specifically about them and they all interact together to bring down Bedlam.

They also interacted with each other in Legion of Super-Heroes #99-#100, however Bart and Tim interact more directly than with Kon. They all are present and are in very close proximity with each other here.

Prior to this you have one/one adventures, and proximity issues where they technically could have interacted as they were in the same place/time, but aren't shown actually talking or interacting with each other.

Proximity issues such as in Genesis (1997) #3 & #4 where Kon and Bart both were together when they went to the Source Wall (and Kon yelled at Darkseid). And the issue of Green Lantern #81 where they went to Hal Jordan's funeral. There are other instances, however these are the ones I can recall easiest.

One/One Direct Interactions can be found in the below comics.

Tim and Kon of course had their meet up in Superboy - Robin World's Finest Three special as you pointed out.

Tim and Bart got to meet up and interact in the Robin + Impulse special which is a delight.

Kon and Bart had their first proper introduction in Superboy and the Ravers #7.

[trufflesandbedlam]

I keep trying to dodge making a Darth Sidious bookmark.

I know eventually it'll happen, but I hate the guy (I say as I'm reading Plagueis right now and maybe I'll walk away from the experience feeling like he's fascinating in a horrifying sort of way. We'll see.)

This collection is a bit of a weird mishmash of Legends/EU characters from various sources including the video games and the comics and the novels, and you know, I'm good with that because I develop obsessions with the Sith in little bursts whenever I stick my hands into the EU and close my fists around them.

Maybe we'll end up with Naga Sadow or Sorzus Syn one day just for fun. For the moment, the Dark Lords of the Sith includes Darth Bane, Darth Talon, Darth Nihilus, a fem! variant of Revan, and Darth Malak as a five-bookmark collection offered in mini and mega sizes.

We've got a slew of other Sith Lords and Legends and canon characters on the site if that's your jam, so feel free to explore the GFFA. :)

⁠– Truffles & Bedlam Website | Etsy | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Instagram

[mz-elysium]

vtm: wormwood ; clan bingos of povs

[link to blank bingos]

Monroe

Ashley

Hawthorne

Charlie

Jack

Lex

Masika (new!)

rest of the bingos and commentary under cut bc uh this got kinda long lmao

Monroe

ofc Monroe got a bingo. God Complex might be strong, but definitely Saviour Complex. Does wayy too much shit. Also, had a weird bit where he genuinely had quite a bit of respect for LaCroix as an enemy...before he was killed. Shame. Also, had a lot in common, as disgraced childer of unsuccessful military backgrounds.

Hard no’s: *claps hands*, Loyalty > Approval (Monroe not-so-secretly craves being admired), Owns a Crown (but he DOES own a sword...), Undisputed (uh yeh, very in dispute)

Ashley

b-b-bingo. Maybe a bonus bingo, since he does eat food in text sometimes, but I never gave their char sheets merits. 

Hard Yes: Red Lipstick (any colour, dark or sparkly preferred), Never Makes Art (comically useless at it), Siren, Narcissm, Would Sparkle, Anne Rice (literally Spike and Lestat)

Hard No: Humanity 8 (cackles in Humanity 4, which is him on an upswing), Rotten at the Core (...maybe, but he does have some redeeming factors)

Hawthorne

Unsurprised that she got no bingo, and was denied by Leather Jacket! ahh loser. Atypical Brujahs don’t get bingos. Urban Ventrue ghouls don’t make good Brujahs, who figured.

Hard No: Leather Jacket, Motorcycle, Good Music Ended in the 90s (um, actually the 80s, but she would listen to almost anything), Respects Smiling Jack, Brawl 5 (not anymore), Bros Before Sects/Obvious Anarch (fuck the Anarchs)

Charlie

Bingo, and not even a free-space one. Probably the hardest one to fill out, though. Charlie’s Cobweb radar is decent and she can sorta make sense of it sometimes or use it to harvest info, but never that useful.

Also, her Great Ideas are mostly unrelated to her Malkavianisms and mostly due to just being a wiseass and smart guy.

Hard Yes: Paranioa, PREMONITION, “Did anyone else hear that?”, Don’t “ugh, a Malkavian” me!

Secretly, she likes that Bedlam calls her a fish. She knows its true. She just grew legs one night and crawled out onto the shores, but she has a natural habitat somewhere that she can’t go back to. Not that anyone wants to hear stuff like that.

Jack

Jack’s earliest drafts were Brujah and that might still show a bit. He’s not as rough and tumble wilderness dude. More City Gangrel. He has the leather jacket and wants a motorcycle.

But he is a dirt boy animist and part-time rock sorcerer in love with his shapechanges, so maybe he’s Gangrel enough.

Hard No: No Driving License, Becketts (Jack never knew Beckett enough, but he would probably be put off by his obnoxious snide British-isms), Smells Funny (he bathes!), Survival 5

Hard Yes: DONT pet me (sore spot, as a Gangrel), Wants a House in the Woods (kinda has that...), Hell yeah NATURE

Lex

Ahhh, a better Brujah gets better shapes and multi-bingos AND doesn’t need the free-space. Such a Brujah. Very Brujah. Too poor for a new leather jacket and probably burned their old one 8yrs ago.

Hell No: Surprisingly High Humanity (middling, at best), Quotes Philosopher (you kidding me, they can barely quote themself), Motorcycle (lives in SOMA)

Hell Yes: Everything is Political (risks them friendships), Fuck off (just...everyone), Band T-shirt, Good Music Ended in the 90s, Starts Combat, Obvious Anarch (see above)

Masika

New POV. A very Tremerey Tremere, apparently. Very excite about her.

Hell Yes: Smartass (more of a deadpan), Getting Lost (new girl!), Secret Reads (probably, but more of a Discworld and Dark Tower girlie), Absolutely Terrified of Fireball (zero combat exp), SUSPICIOUS (fellow Tremere are always up to something, but not her!), Misses the Pyramid (Tremere loyalist)

Hell No: Oops, Forgot to Ward (never forgets, never oops), Secretly Wants a Gargoyle (a WARCRIME? a breaking of the sacred montmartre pact??? never!), Guilty of Most Things (has never done anything wrong in her entire life)

[bedlamsbard]

I don't want What If to give us more zombies, I want What If to give us the man, the myth, the legend

[nightmarecountry]

GET TO KNOW ME BETTER!

repost / don't reblog

ALIAS / NAME: Wilds is our collective name and it's what I prefer atm since it doesn't make assumptions about who's fronting, but if you want to be super specific you can call me (the one you're usually talking to/the host/the main writer here) Coyote, or pretty much any canine or corvid or other animal-you-feel-is-appropriate themed nickname you can come up with. I can never fully settle on something for myself so. SHRUGS. I don't really have a name of my own as far as I'm concerned. Everyone knows me as different things and I like it that way.

BIRTHDAY: It's in February!

ZODIAC: Pisces

HEIGHT: 5'3. I'm not quite pocket-sized but I'm very easy to hold. Hold me. Please. I make a really good blanket.

HOBBIES: Hmm. I play ukulele (badly) and write poetry and songs sometimes. I sometimes mod breedfiles in a virtual pet game from the 00s for fun. I don't have much in the way of hobbies aside from writing/RPing/character creation otherwise, because I never have... energy...

FAV. COLOUR: Gold but I'm particular about the hue. I like oranges, reds, and yellow-greens too. This of course varies tremendously between system members so I'm very much just speaking for myself here. ☕ likes purples, blacks and greys a lot, for example.

FAV. BOOK: The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley.

LAST SONG: Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

LAST MOVIE / SHOW: Succ.ession. I'm on like episode 4 or something. I think I had to take a break because it shows some stroke recovery stuff and that's tough for me to watch given what happened with my partner.

RECENT READ: Uhhh I last read The Wake in the mansand series, I think... WAIT no I guess technically it's the Near Dark script LMAO.

INSPIRATION: I'm inspired by music and other people's writing a lot. Poetry and screenplays tend to really spark my muse for some ungodly reason. I don't know man. Really depends on who's around. My system also inspires our writing A Lot TM in ways that are fairly obvious once you get to know us.

STORY BEHIND URL: I knew it was a Corinth.ian centered comic so I stole the title before I'd even read the damn thing. Now I'm super glad I did because that comic is VERY apt for my Corinth in particular. Every time they release a new issue I become more canon.

tagged: @ohsunshine my beloved.

tagging: everyone i know is doing it already let me rest

[risenwraith]

#56 Twelve things that will get me through Chemo (because I say they will.)

So, the doctors would like me to do six sessions of chemo, but they say depending on how I react (if badly) it may only be four or even two – which obviously is far less satisfactory in the ‘never having to worry about this shit again’ stakes. That means this is going to be an endurance game. I am going to win because my reserves of spite and bloody-mindedness are deeper than the Mariana Trench. Also, because I’m not above cheating, I have a list of charms that will get me through...

Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate Little Bars. (Thin milk chocolate that tastes like childhood.) Do I even know if I can eat these when ill? No idea. Will the simple thought of them sustain me? Yes.

Several audio books, including: The Locked Tomb Series (utterly mental, only just stared it and it's insane but good), Sandman (amazing AF - the audio is as good as the comics and and better than the NF series, that's saying something), Johannes Cabal (really good fun pulp fiction), Piranesi (so dreamy and strange AF), A Darker Shade of Magic (doom upon magical world-walking doom), Nettle & Bone (not read yet but sounds great), and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel (Regency magicians. A little Austin, a little historical, a little faerytale, a long read or listen but it will enchant you either way and you'll never be free.)

Ginger chews for sugar and anti-nausea properties. Also they are tasty and the packaging rocks.

Anti-nausea wrist bands. It's very basic acupuncture / pressure point without needles, but it works very well.

Warm socks and flompy comfy clothes (Yes I have those slippers, no I probably won't take them to hospital, but you get my point.)

Cats, and plush purple cats. Only the small purple ones can come to the hospital, obviously, but I know the real ones will sleep on me as soon as I’m home. (This isn't Spindle or Treacle, I feel I should start some sort of call for all the little Bang On The Door purple long legged cats so I can give them more siblings - seriously please give me all the little purple long-legged idiots.)

My Spell Coat scarf and paper stars. (If you don't know about Spell Coats, watch the Jim Henson's Storyteller for the aesthetics or read Diana Wynne Jones - you may know her from Howl's Moving Castle, but definitely read The Dalemark Quartet.) The point is, you can weave a story to make it true. This masterpiece was made by the amazing Cassandra-Kate. I shall wear the scarf and hand out the paper stars she crafted to anyone who looks like they need them.

Protein drinks. Since I have no idea how ill I may feel or how up to eating actual food I will be, I’ve ordered some vanilla flavoured protein powder in case there are days where I have to rely on milkshakes.

Creativity. When I can paint or write I will. When I can’t, I shall just splat and read or watch films. (I picked the first pic that came up on my hard drive to represent this and I do not recall what sketchbook that came from or wtf I was doing - I don't even think I have it here - but I guess it's sort of valid? Half-dead-alive-girl. Shit.

Love Nikki Dress Up Queen. A free phone game where you pass challenges by styling different outfits. Very anime cute and pretty. (I’m Bedlam in game if you want to be friends, and my styling association is Witch House which you’re very welcome to join.)

A new wig or possibly two. Two, in fact. One thanks to Kal and one thanks to DT - I am very grateful for beautiful feathers!

Coconut water. It tastes like the essence of liquid biscuits - Digestive Biscuits - which if you aren't from the UK won't mean much. Let's say 'healthy cookie water' to you heathens I apparently live with now.

[hittheredline]

  HIT THE RED LINE.

v. to give something high effort or do it quickly or both; lit. to gun your engine or drive at such high speeds that the MPH reads in the red zone of a speed gauge; "floor it", "give it all you've got"

an independent roleplay sideblog for canon & original characters set in the concept of Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. heavily headcanon reliant; not comic compliant. plot driven & verse locked (no AUs) follows & asks come from @ru5t !

[CARRD] for full info, character list/short bios below.

Sunny Rabbit

The eponymous "Girl". Zone born, orphaned by Better Living, given family again in the form of the Fabulous Four. She's still trying to work out, who, exactly, she is, if a person even is a something other than a person. It's confusing when her face from childhood is often used as a symbol and yet, if she's on her own, none of her brothers close at hand, no one seems to recognize her anymore...

the Kobra Kid

The youngest of the desert's "princes", public enemy no. 03. A number of years into his second life, as it were, he's in no rush to loose it all again. You'd never know it, with the way he chases everything dangerous enough to give him some kind of thrill. Any kind of thrill. Any kind of feeling.

Zilch

Guard dog of Vivarium, a greenhouse settlement in Zone 02. With no compass of his own, he borrows purpose from defending the only people who have ever treated him with decency after seeing his true nature. If his nonchalance in regards to killing doesn't deter attackers, the smiler that heeds his command does.

Bedlam's Belfry

A self-declared madman woven deep into the information trade and musical scene of zones 03 and 04. He keeps the zones appraised of danger and ahead of patrols, spreading word like he was born for it. When not paving the way for the big concerts or ruining Better Living patrols, he works a lot with El of the L-E-N, a broadcast station and hub of rumor-reports on the odd phenomena of the zones.

Redeye Rush + the Weasel

Scavengers and traders who, along with Vivace (former leader of girl gang the Sugar Babies), run the Wind Stop trading post, a converted gas station in Zone 03. Red is an easygoing mechanic and musician, often the friendly face of the trio at the front of the shop. Weasel is a sharp-tongued weapons modifier gifted at irritating people and procuring rare and/or obscure supplies. They talk big (that is, the Weasel does) but cut incredibly forgiving deals for the desert's less fortunate more often than not. (Listed together because the odds are good if you encounter one then the other is very nearby, if not directly present.)

the Man They Call Merit

Leader of a small crew of motorbabies who've recently popped up protecting the roads to Ashtap and its sister-settlement, Jasper. He's the oldest of his crew by a decade, maybe even two – a rare relic of the old desert, but don't bother trying to ask about it. He's made it this far by knowing when to keep his head down. Whoever he used to be, Merit is all that remains. A reminder, maybe, of what it is he's aiming for by sticking around so long. His little pile of pups are called Jitterbug Jane, Rumble Strip, Mile #57, and Pot Shot Pedal.

Embalm & Embed

A pair of tech-savvy killjoys who do all things as one. Part of the network that keeps zone 03 as lively as it is, they hail their fleet of paper boys from an old water tower lost somewhere in the wasteland – which, a rumor says, they never come down from. Though, rumors are rumors. "Which is which?" They are both, one name for two of them. If you must distinguish, call the tall one E, the blonde one Em.

GUEST / NPC MUSES

Vivace — The third piece of the Wind Stop. Former leader of all-girl gang The Sugar Babies, she's as vivid as her name suggests, with hair like bubblegum and a pocket full of sweet talk. She's also a shameless fighter, not inclined at all to take shit from anyone (particularly men) who cross her path. Not technically a character of mine, so I don't write her independently, but she might poke her head into threads with her boys (Red & Weasel) now and then.

Regal Riotess — Queen of the Battlegrounds, a sparring and entertainment venue in northern zone 03. A capable rebel in her own right, she's an entertainer at heart, and so devotes most of her time to keeping things fun. Her place is a great one to learn how to fight and try your skills against unfamiliar opponents: everything in good sport. Happy to do radio calls and put her in the background of things! but no solo threads (for now?)

I-Know U-know, Slightly Supertonic, Cuddle Bug, High Hand, and Toodle-ew — Other members of the network that Bedlam and Embalm & Embed all belong to. They're not a Crew-crew, so they don't all fall under a single banner or answer to any one 'leader', but they regularly call on each other in the process of getting word across the zones. All pieces of the old-school word-of-mouth chain that runs alongside and in tandem with Tech's signal system. Might pop up in threads with Bedlam and/or the twins, none of their own. Also if you wanted to yoink one of their names and make a new kid lmk!

Jitterbug June, Rumble Strip, Mile #57, and Pot Shot Pedal — Merit's little litter of sandpups. Rumble's the oldest, then June, then Mile. Pedal's the littlest and the only one blood related to Merit, but they're all his kids. They see each other as siblings and behave accordingly, deep affection at war with daily squabbling and all. Every single one of them are mechanics and skilled motorists, though they draw to different parts of it. (Mile's the savviest mechanic; June's the best driver.) They know each other well and are an effective team, great at diverting patrols into empty chases, losing battles, and the various hazards of the zones. Squid is picking up June so actually I will not be writing her but I'll probably throw her name around sometimes because, crew gonna crew. Otherwise they're likely to pop up in Merit's threads, none of their own(?)

[guessimabasicnerdgirlnow]

I also just realized I never made my Venom War: Spider-Man post. So here we go

So I know Symby is 40 this year, and it is also the anniversary of them and Peter, and this comic is a celebration of that. As is Spider-Man: Black Suit and Blood (didn’t read this week’s btw). But Black Suit and Blood celebrates it by more often than not leaning into the corruption view of things, while this one… this one just decided to go full on shipping??? And yeah, this energy has been here from the start, but I really believed that was just letting Peter see the character development Symby had after all this time. And then I thought he was showing signs of corruption/addiction.

But this. There’s no non alien fucker explanation for this. I literally thought he was talking about MJ for a minute here…

I love it. We probably will never see anything like this again so let me enjoy it while I can

(Please let Peter not be a hater again next time… let him see Symby as a person not a monster… it’s all I need)

Also I find the way Peter puts their different goals here funny. He says that Symby wants to save the world while he wants to save MJ. Makes himself almost sound selfish. When in reality Symby seems to be thinking also about saving the people they care about most of all, the rest of the world is just a consequence

This guy really caught a serious case of the Slime Fever, what would 2017!Peter say?

(From Venom Inc: Alpha, aka one of the funniest moments of Venom history imo. He was literally reacting to Eddie and Flash at peak “Slime Fever”)

Anyway

“Ancient megaklyntar”. And my beloved, too! I am really stealing All-Hunger/Arachniote for myself, because if no one will explore their existence as a Klyntar/Klyntar doomed love story, then I will

This line was so funny

But also the way All-Hunger just murdered Peter like this. Cast-off, rejected, worthless. He is already suffering for having lost MJ and having Symby rub it on his face, for now having lost Symby too (and oh the irony that Peter is the rejected one now, when Symby spent a good part of these 40 years hurting and being shaped by being rejected by Peter back then…) and now he has to hear this

“So, as tends to be the case with symbiotes, we’re gonna have to do something really dumb.”

All I could think was…

A call back to Dylan saying that Eddie would do something dumb? Except phrased in a way that excuses Eddie for it, it’s not his fault, it just happens when symbiotes are involved?

Nah, this is just the Slime Fever

Symby is. Literally fighting Bedlam with their husband and son. Maybe already seeing Flash the other love of their life. And he still spared a piece of them to watch over Peter. Validate his feelings. And doing all this despite Eddie not wanting to let them leave a piece with Peter (though of course, due to the nature of the triple bond both Eddie and Dylan must know)

Also. Venny.

Remember how scared Symby was of All-Hunger when they met them earlier? And now that they are “safe” and far they are all brave lol

Anyway, cute

Look at him, he’s the face of rejection. I shouldn’t be laughing but it is so funny that they really decided to portray Peter like this, the hurting ex, in this story of him and Symby. Tables turning and all that

Tbc

[geekcavepodcast]

Marvel Comics Reveals 2024's Halloween Trick-or-Read Titles

Marvel has released the five titles releasing in October 2024 for Trick-or-Read. Participating comic shops will be able to giveaway these special reprints, similar to Free Comic Book Day.

Fantastic Four: The Dinosaur Fantastic Four #1 is a reprint of Ryan North and Iban Coello's Fantastic Four (2022) #13. Cover is by Alex Ross.

Spider-Boy: The Web-Less Wonder #1 is a reprint of Dan Slott, Paco Medina, Ty Templeton's Spider-Boy #1. Cover is by Humberto Ramos.

Venom: Bedlam #1 is a reprint of Al Ewing, Cafu, and Pere Perez's Venom (2021) #21. Cover is by Bryan Hitch.

Star Wars: Kylo Ren - Age of Resistance #1 is a reprint of Tom Taylor, Bryan Young, and Leonard Kirk's 2019 one-shot. Cover is by Phil Noto.

Spidey and His Amazing Friends #1 is a collection of new stories and activity pages based on the cartoon.

(Images via Marvel Comics - Alex Ross' Cover of Fantastic Four: The Dinosaur Fantastic Four #1, Humberto Ramos' Cover of Spider-Boy: The Web-Less Wonder #1, Bryan Hitch's Cover of Venom: Bedlam #1, Phil Noto's Cover of Star Wars: Kylo Ren - Age of Resistance #1, and Cover of Spidey and His Amazing Friends #1)