#better than anarky honestly

[kryptonbabe]

Mischievous Krypto disrupting military tests and having fun with it was the anarchist icon we didn't know we had in the 1960s

From Adventure Comics #269 (1960) by Jerry Siegel & George Papp

[arobinwithoutbatman]

((Alrighty! I drafted this like a week ago but I have fuck all to do today while at the library so lets go!

We said... Robin solos for this time round, didn't we?))

Ah, I see we're starting off strong with Moneyspider/Anarky

Oh wow, I really should've bounced here ages ago cause this is right after Azrael let a guy fall from the roof

Okay Anarky, go off on the diamond man

...ooooooor not. Tim's on the case and apparently these black diamodns contain an evil spirit... awesome

Lonnie... Lonnie no. Don't give this runkard one of those stones. Don't do it

...Lonnie... was your password for your computer serious 'codeword'

I mean... those are excellent goals and frankly, I agree with you, dude but I don't think the mayor agrees with you, unfortunately

I stand corrected! This is during the initial breakout from Arkham!

I can see why people ship them together; both geniuses, both raised rich and both wanting justice for those who have been wronged and going about it in different ways

Oof, nasty hit Tim just took

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Sudden style change, not sure I like it

A fight in a sauna? Bad idea Tim

Oooooo Commissioner Gordon is cleaning house~

Snrrrkkkk perfectly timed fortune, random person in the chinese restaurant

Awwww Tim slumping against Gordon. Poor boy is exhausted after that

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Okay that's one hell of a wake up for Tim to get. In GCPD headquarters as a dude with a fucking swastika on his forehead is dragged in

Oh honey... Tim, you're smarter than this, you know they need evidence

Hooooo buddy, you are not having a good night

Timothy Jackson Drake, you better not be letting a fucking assassination attempt go through on you just to catch this asshole in something!

It's adorable that you doodle while on the phone tho

...do you really think telling Bruce this was a good idea?

Okay Bruce ended up disguised as the second gunman just to make sure he was there to handle things if it went *really* bad

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Ooooooooo teaming up with Nightwing this time~

Still uhhh... still settling into a style, huh Dick?

Aaahhhh so Dick's been in Keystone helping Flash

...wait... is this after Bruce heads off to do his training? Cause they're pretty openly talking about Jean-Paul being Batman. Or maybe this is just before Jean-Paul goes off the deep end?

And we're dealing with Bracuda again

Okay maybe I'm too used to the Wayne Family Adventures and Gotham Knights designs for Dick but he really doesn't look all that great here

Damn, they still don't have a great reputation with the police no matter where they go

"Turns out we're not faster than Big Chulo but we sure are dramatic" Yeah you and Dick come by it honestly

Both of htem just casually passing the fuck out on the pier

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Ooooo both of them teaming up with Green Lantern this time!

And Tim is getting a lesson in handling conversations with the police

Wow, this guy really just threatened to arrest them both and insulted the Titans in one go

Oooohhhhhh weren't quick enough to stop Chulo committing murder? Was it someone you knew?

"Okay so you remind me of myself when I was Robin... maybe you're even better than I was... and as well as Bruce handled me, I know what it's like to be treated as a kid, something I don't want to do to you..." "But the urge is there" "I'm not you anymore. I'm in Bruce's boots now- the one who's responsible. On the other hand, after blowing it with the Titans, maybe I'm in no position to guide anyone." Dick... honey...

Ah okay, it's towards the beginning of everything with Jean-Paul. Also I feel lied to from the cover because Green Lantern didn't turn up at all

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Starting off strong with Robin taking a huge fall and looking absolutely terrified

"How am I doing so far? Well, I just got thrown off the thirtieth floor of the Keysler building and I'm heading past the twentieth. So I'd have to say 'so far so good'." *T I M*

I'm sorry, the MO for this string of murders he's investigating is *WHAT*

...talking to himself in the mirror... Tim you absolute dork

Okay, his dad is away and Tim's been staying in the penthouse in the city for the summer and Bruce and Alfred are still away

And he's recently bene kicked out of the batcave

Huh... people breaking into Wayne Tower

Someone wants Wayne Enterprises satellite transmissions? Why? And these are kids, not much older than Tim. What on earth have they gotten themselves into?

Tim that disguise is awful

Okay so the girl now has blades for arms and the dude is stuck in cyberspace so... this bug things that's draining people of their spinal fluid... if it doesn't kill them, it gives them powers?

Oh good he did get saved by the girlie with the blade arms

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Opening up with Tim getting choked! Wonderful

Yup, Tim just immediately cuts his losses and gets the fuck out. "Part of me is sad to be leaving the Batcave for what might be the last time but without Bruce it's not the Batcave. It's just a hole in the ground. A grave full of memories"

Ah okay so car thieves, possibly parts thieves and while Tim's trying to have a date with his girlfriend

Tim... Tim that was dumb. You didn't have to snap at her over that. I know you're a very stressed 13/14 year old who nearly died by strangulation and your emotional regulation is basically shot rn but that was dumb and you should apologise

...have we just cut to Cluefinder?

And this trigger happy cop has decided that Robin fits the bill for the car thieves when his mask looks nothing like theirs. Dude. Details

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Right, this is when Tim's dad is still missing

...have I read this already? I feel like I've read part of this already

Yeah, I've definitely seen this before so Imma skip ahead a bit

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Sudden time skip to Christmas

Oof, you're not helping the cheating allegations... and you're not even doing the actual cheating yet

Stephanie!!!! My girl! My daughter!!!!

Yeah the vigilante life is a hard one, Tim

Robin and Spoiler meeting?????

Robin and Spoiler meeting!!!!! Or I guess reunion given that her dad just broke out

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He knows her name and she doesn't know his... good grief

They're hiding under the beds, adorable

Steph used flirt. Robin was confused

They're working together and Steph is falling for the mystery of Robin

Oooohhhhhh I know what this leads to. Both Tim and Arthur get stuck in this truck with little air and Steph comes to the rescue

OH DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE FUCKING CONCRETE

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Steph, honey, you are absolutely a vigilante

Oooooo got her own bike~ Now come on, hun, you're smart, you've got this

Steph is crushing big time and a cut right to Arianna right as she asks if Robin is single

Damn, really thought about killing Cluemaster to preserve what little air is left

Oh wow, Tim got *really* close to dying of asphyxiation

There's the adrenaline fuelled "holy shit I'm alive" kiss *when he's currently dating someone*

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Okay so that was... issue 1-5 of Robin's solo stuff. I believe I still need to do the rest and then bounce back to... either Knights End or Prodigal

[benbamboozled]

Okay as someone who only tangentially knows about nightwing, I enjoyed the grayson series. I'm a whole-ass lesbian but watching him walk shirtless through a desert carrying a baby? I suddenly understood the whole "being straight" thing. Grayson cured my heterophobia lololol.

ANYWAYS it seems like you've actually read other nightwing comics so I was wondering what your take on the grayson series is? Is it OOC? If not, do you have any other comic recs where I can 👀 that 🍑?

Lol I actually haven’t read Grayson! Because…lol, okay, THIS IS STUPID I AM FULLY AWARE OF THAT, but because I resent the idea that Dick Grayson needed a series where he’s ALSO a super cool hot spy who’s a badass hot spy. ~~~OOOOH GOOD FOR YOOOOOU!!!!~~~

(Yes this is one of my personal foibles, sometimes I resent things for existing because I am odd and petty.)

I’ve thought about reading it for The Pretty, but I know certain fandom circles are, uh…less than enthusiastic about it, and certain other character fans are less than enthusiastic about it (*cough* Midnighter), so I just haven’t decided that I’m open to potentially being grumpified in favor of The Pretty yet.

Basically, I absolutely cannot speak on how IC or not it is. 🙃 I do know that I’ve read two things by Tim Seeley—one I like that a lot of people don’t (Robins) and one that was ABSOLUTELY ATROCIOUS LIKE TERRIBLE ON EVERY POSSIBLE LEVEL GAG VOMIT UGGGHHHH (Countdown to the Wedding: Red Hood vs Anarky—do not punish yourself with this it is so bad).

Sooooo I have no idea what that says about whether or not I’d appreciate Grayson!

Honestly, though, my Dick Grayson absorption is all over the map, so I’m not so much a great person to give recs I think.

Like, my foundational Dick run (hm) was Devin Grayson’s Nightwing run and, uh, that run is CONTROVERSIAL (to put it mildly), for some reasons that I agree with and some that I don’t. It also left me with a…very particular set of preferences when it comes to Dick Grayson In Comics.

(You know how 1984 starts with “imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever”? Yeeeeeahhhh.)

If you’re in just for the pretty, the current Nightwing run—Leaping Into the Light (kind of a soft-reboot of the premise starting with #78 of the 2016 run)—is REALLY gorgeous. Like…wow. Not so much on a beefcake level necessarily, but like…gorgeous man f-i-n-g-e-r-s-t-r-i-p-e-s acrobatics long legs strong back mmmmmmmm. (I cannot be more coherent than that, just…guh.)

(I do NOT keep up with this book for the plot. The plot is…sigh. Lackluster. And the characterization is…kind of generic. AND IT TOOK NIGHTWING #93—A CONTROVERSIAL YET IMO GROUNDBREAKING ISSUE—AND BASICALLY RE-DID IT IN A WAY I FIND FRANKLY PRETTY OFFENSIVE BOTH TO STORYTELLING IN GENERAL AND THE WAY IT TREATED THE ISSUES ORIGINALLY HANDLED IN THE COMIC. ANYWAY like I said, I’m shallow and into it for the pretty pictures. Also it’s DC, and my evergreen tag “comics are bad and I hate them” is evergreen for a reason.)

I’m certain that other people who follow me have better recs/suggestions, so if anyone who follows me has insight on Grayson or feelings about good Nightwing runs for (*cough*) 🍑-purposes and wants to chime in, feel free! Reblog, reply, whatevs!

(Just, you know…if you have STRONG feelings, try to remember the “don’t yuck someone’s yum” principle. Criticism/analysis+discussion is great, but I try to keep things not suuuuper OTT negative. I don’t want anyone to feel bad about liking things.)

(No yucking anyone’s yum unless it’s Tim Seeley writing Red Hood vs. Anarky. I will never be nice about that comic and nobody can make me.)

Hopefully you’ll get some better info, anon!

[thattimdrakeguy]

I liked Alan Grant’s work with Tim (specifically Batman 457, it’s still one of my favourite Tim stories) but yeah Dixon’s early stories (especially his 1st miniseries) were some of the best Tim writing. Lewis had a few good Tim moments, mostly with his relationships with Dana and Steph, but I felt like Lewis preferred Steph’s character over his, since she had a lot of focus in his run. I can’t remember much of Willingham’s run (also according to him, Tim kept journals of his time as Robin? 1/2

I can’t remember the journals appearing beforehand) I felt like Beechon made Tim more angry than he’d normally be, but he was a relief after the last 2 writers. His stories (evil Cass who?) were decent. Brandon Thomas wrote one issue (167) and it was a bit angsty, but not too overbearing and it had a hopeful ending (Jack wasn’t a good dad tho). Dixon’s second run was disappointing (I think he called Ives Martin?). Fab Nic’s was a mess. Yost was not bad, but his Tim could be OOC at times 2/2+

+ I wish Yost stayed on as Red Robin’s main writer tho. Bringing back Cass, RR 16 (I think(?) where Anarky tries to find out RR’s ID) and the Teen Titans crossover were the only positive things about Nic’s run. Funny how TT!Tim was more broody than solo!Tim and RR!RR is more broody than TT!RR. I knew Tim as RR first, so reading backwards, his earlier stuff were definitely more well written. It’s why I love your blog, since early Tim is the best Tim and your analysis is spot on +

I think Alan Grant’s work is very undervalued, because alongside Marv Wolfman and Chuck Dixon, he’s another writer that brought us a fully fleshed out Tim Drake during his first year of existence. He helped bring us a lot of good Tim moments too, and honestly some of his better ones from his pre-Robin days as well, and after he was Robin too of course.

Dixon in his early work did amazing work and taking all that we learned about Tim and putting his character to the test in so many fun and interesting stories. At least until his decline where he comes off as too self-obsessed and became known as the jerkface we think of today, cause with the internet coming in--he's more bigoted views came out. And makes some hindsight stuff even more obvious.

John Lewis though I don’t honestly like. The most I can say for him is that he had good Tim moments where he understood Tim’s dorky nature, but overall he wrote him to be a pretentious, judgmental, boy genius, that just seemed so off the mark for the meek-ish, insecure, but super clever, and slowly forming confidence Tim that we saw just before. He made Tim kind of a jerk, like all of Tim’s worst moments, but except if Tim was always like that and not just in the moment when he’s having a difficult time or put on the spot. So I really can’t like his run because of that. His stuff with Steph too, was just really forced, and simply continued all the forced stuff Dixon did with her. Lewis besides some good moments has a lot of the worst stuff Dixon did with the romances, plus his own weirdness and lack of understanding.

Late Lewis and Willingham though, is were you really get the sense that editorial (namely Didio as this was when he gained more power in the company. And the storyline where Batman put Tim through a test that gave him paranoia came from) wanted to make Tim tougher, and edgier, because he was too soft before. He had “war journals” even though I don’t believe Tim ever spoke about having any, nor thought in a way that would have him calling them “war journals” suit him. They made him more conventionally cool, and rebellious (this was also happening in Teen Titans at the time). He had a motorcycle over a mildly dorky, tiny sized car (like pretty much only Tim can fit in the Redbird comfortably). He was becoming more Batman-esque, and there was angst about how that was happening. It was just all about changing Tim into something he’s not simply because people with power didn’t like him as he was.

Beechon I think did really good though with Tim, because he wrote Tim after Tim’s months of having people he loved die. So I think being angrier made sense. Although I remember it being more frustration and desperation. But he also wrote him in a way that showed an idealistic spirit in him, and a heart that pushed on that kept it feeling like Tim. It felt like Tim dealing with his loses, much more than Geoff Johns’s over the top melodrama. Evil Cass though--can’t deny that’s Beechon, ain’t gonna, but at least he attempted to make it up by writing a Batgirl mini too mixed reception.

Dixon’s second run really showed just how bad Dixon got. Like you’d think a break might have him get his head back into it. But it was all just about bringing Steph back and shoving her in, because he became borderline obsessed with his OC like that. He just wrote things with no regard to how other things were. Wrote Zoe, who was a very sweet, but awkward, understanding, independent, and unsure kind of girl, exactly how he wrote Ariana, just a romantic plot device to be frustrated at Tim to give Tim boy-angst, instead of like she’s a real person with her own issues like how Zoe actually was. COULDN’T EVEN REMEMBER SEBASTIAN IVE’S NAME. And sometimes wrote Tim more like he was in the mind zone of writing Dick versus actual Tim. It was a trainwreck that at one point I loved cause of rose tinted glasses, but now, it’s entirely obvious how far he had fallen. Everything going sour towards the end of his original run times 10. Awful stuff.

FabNic though. I just really don’t like FabNic’s run. He made Tim a cold, caluclating, somewhat apathetic-ish (not fully, but in ways), angsty, edge lord. He didn’t resemble Tim to me. But sort of represented the final position of Johns’s and Didio’s, and others transformation of Tim into something not recongnizable through contrived deaths and situations, that wouldn’t have happened under writers who could write a competent story.

Yost was okay though, but still pretty mixed for me. I recognized Tim more in him, but there’s still a lot of moments where it just didn’t feel like Tim at all. Like I can’t picture Tim punching Damian in the face, I can’t picture Dick just giving away Robin when he knows more about Tim than anyone, and I can’t picture Damian just acting like a stereotypical bratty kid, he’s a total jerk, but not how he wrote it, he just wrote a random kid, not Damian. But there’s more moments of genuine Tim-ness then there was with FabNic. I’m not an honest fan of Yost’s run, but comparatively, it was superior. And while a lot of his writing for it was awful in spots, his story was at least one that was interesting and worth reading just for premise, but shouldn’t be held highly on characterization.

That’s my feelings on it anyways. I’m really glad to hear you enjoy my blog, and I appreciate your compassion about it too. I needed another smile today. it genuinely means a ton to me.

[thenamelesszero]

I watched the new Batman movie the other day and I gotta say it was ... ok nothing special honestly. I don't really regret watching it, but I probably wouldn't watch it again, I'll actually probably forget most of it by next week. Penguin was just some dude, like nothing about him said penguin to the point that why would he even have that nickname in this movie. Riddler was the same he felt more like Jigsaw than riddler he probably would have been better off made into Anarky to be fair. Batman himself was pretty boring I'm pretty sure his voice stayed the same monotone all the way though other than maybe 1 or 2 spots at most. I love me some Andy Serkis and even he was barely around as Alfred he had 1.5 major moments. I feel like after this I'm kinda Bruced out when's there going to be something actually new like a Batman Beyond movie.

[ravenswood]

today in the denny chat we all found out that rey teaming up with anarky and his Crew to rescue kara is basically gonna be the climax of shrek 2 and honestly it doesn’t get any better than that