#captain boomerang: *exists*

[thenewgirl76]

Halfa Dc hero/vigilante + one too many hits to the head via the Fenton Booo-merang = triggering of epic proportions upon the inevitable showdown with Captain Boomerang.

Ok DpxDc fans. Go crazy.

[why-is-it-always-autumn]

currently thinking about the fact that the guy who killed tim drakes dad canonically had sex with bart allens mom and those two facts are not related in any way

[karagwolf]

Captain boomerang (digger) haters I have news for you: liking a problematic character doesn't make you problematic

AMAZING! I KNOW!

[gothamcityneedsme]

i would accept the joker if like, the brainiac brainwashing unlocked the joker locked in batman's mind though. a jokerfied batman is right there. then you don't even have to kill him. that'd be a blast.

[it-is-i-zim]

People have informed me that Jack Drake's death was not an accident, but Captain Boomerang was actually hired to kill him. Which makes absolutely 0 sense with Captain Boomerang being a Flash Rogue. You know, the folks who have a specific rule against the killing of civilians, which Jack Drake was for all intensive purposes in this scenario, a civilian.

I would also point out that Captain Boomerang is usually either held at Belle Reve Penitentiary, which is in Louisiana, which is stated to be near Houma, or is in Central City, Missouri. And Jack Drake lives in Gotham City. Which is canonically in New Jersey. Captain Boomerang is never stated to have a car or any vehicle or transportation. He literally got to Central City by plane. The Rogues always got around through Mirror Master's mirror dimension. Before the Rogues he was essentially just some toy mascot, traveling with the man who was apparently his biological father.

Basically, There is 0 explanation for how he actually got to Gotham to even begin with and it makes no sense why he was there in the first place while simultaneously trying to shoe-horn in the fact that he just suddenly has a kid now that was explained as a time travel baby of sorts (again with 0 explanation for how Boomerang got back with his son seeing that he didn't even time travel by his own accord. He was just kinda zapped into the future because of something that didn't even happen yet) a year later.

Even worse, because of Knight Terrors: Robin. This story is still canon minus the inclusion of Owen Mercer, son of George Harkness aka Captain Boomerang.

Solving DC's Identity Crisis (2004)

Back in 2004, DC Comics teamed up with novelist Brad Meltzer to deliver one of the most controversial comic stories ever printed. Identity Crisis has many criticisms, but one of them is despite Meltzer's pedigree as a mystery writer, they say you CANNOT solve the mystery at the center of Identity Crisis.

Who killed Sue Dibny?

I am here to present the evidence that you COULD possibly put together the twist ending before it's revealed in the final part of the story.

Let's look at the evidence starting with the crime scenes:

The Four Incidents

The first detail that should be pointed out is how startlingly different each "attack" was: Sue was burned. Jean was strangled. Jack took a boomerang in the chest, and Lois did not actually get attacked.

Despite the fact that Lois received a note threatening "You're next," she was not the next victim, it was Jack Drake. Why wasn't Lois attacked? Let set that aside.

Dependencies in the Modus Operandi

Speaking of notes - there were four incidents, but only two notes. Why did Lois and Jack Drake get a warning when the others did not?

Maybe, because by then people were looking for the killer. They were set to terrorize the hero community, and by sending notes, they could make a name for themselves. Make sure people know all the attacks are connected.

But, consider the contents of the notes - Lois's letter was clearly threatening, while the note Jack Drake received said "Protect yourself." (And a gun) What sense does that make? I thought, this person was a killer?

Remember, Lois was never attacked, and the note to Jack seems to imply they didn't want Jack Drake to die.

Consider the Victims

Let's look at the "victims" together.

Nothing happened to Lois

Jack Drake possibly died by accident.

Sue did die.

Jean survived her attack.

Two survived and two died. But, if Jack was not supposed to die, that would make it three living victims, and one dead. Why did Sue have to die?

This leads me to consider that what we have here is ONE real crime, and three follow up incidents to confuse things.

Look again at the Death of Sue Dibny

Sue was killed inside her own house. The killer managed to get inside without triggering the advanced security system. Then the body was burned

If we consider the preliminary findings of the autopsy, we know that Sue was dead before her body was burned. So, her exact cause of death can be called "unknown."

The body was burned after Sue died, why? Maybe, to obscure the cause of death. Could Sue Dibny's death also have been an accident?

Then, why? If you accidentally kill someone, why create three more crimes to muddle things up? What is the real motive?

Who benefits?

They say if you want to solve a crime, you have to ask yourself, "Who benefits?" Who benefited from these attacks?

Nothing happened to Lois.

Jack was probably an accident, there were no benefits.

Jean survived. She and the Atom are getting back together, despite their messy divorce.

Sue was quite wealthy, and left behind a massive inheritance to her husband.

So, it could be either Ralph or Ray.

But, which of those two is capable of sneaking past of the JLA security systems? Ray Palmer has both the means and the motive to being the attacker.

The last detail...

However, there is one flaw in that conclusion. Are we supposed to believe The Atom accidentally killed someone? Ray has been a hero for a long time, he's got complete mastery of his powers. He would never make such a critical mistake.

Then who could have done it? Someone who could get in and out like the Atom, and also stands to benefit from all the fear in the hero community.

It could be Jean Loring.

As established, she directly benefited from her attack. She could have staged it.

It is easy to predict that Ray would call her when she returned from work to check in on her. (Especially if he's been doing that every day since Sue's attack.) She could have timed it so that Ray rescue her before it was too late.

That would help bring them together, if that was her goal. Also, by making herself a victim, most people would discount her as a suspect.

How did she have access to the Atom's tech?

Everybody in the world knows, Jean and Ray had a big, public, divorce. Jean, being a lawyer, managed to keep their old house as well as half of Dr. Palmer's patents.

It is easy to believe somewhere in the couple's house there is a size changing belt that's been unaccounted for.

Here's what happened...

Jean and Ray had just finished their messy divorce, however Jean has been unlucky in love recently.

So, she starts wishing things would go back to the way they were, but after a public divorce, Jean cannot simply tell Ray her feelings. That's likely when she finds a spare Atom suit, and a scheme starts to form.

If she could fake an attack on one of the JLA's loved ones, then the Hero community would come together, and she could use the hysteria to draw closer to Ray.

Sue makes the easiest target because Ralph's secret identity has been known for years.

She would use the Atom suit to sneak past the houses' security system, then Jean could knock out Sue, and start a fire. The fire would trigger the security system. Ralph or the JLA would rush over, with just enough time for Jean to disappear into the phone lines again.

But, what Jean could not count on is that size changing can be disorienting. (The Atom would not make this crucial mistake)

Jean accidentally killed Sue, and burned the body to throw off the investigation, and then had to set up the other attacks.

She set up a fake attack on herself to throw off suspicion, but it also make logical sense since she and Ray's identities were publicly known just like Ralph and Sue.

That might have been enough, but to try ensnare Ray back, the attacks had to continue a bit longer. So, Jean created the other two incidents.

She sent a threatening letter to Lois, never intending to follow through. Then she set up the attack on Jack Drake. Being a lawyer, she was able to set up a fake ID, and untraceable Bank Accounts, to hire Captain Boomerang and essentially pin it all on him.

The biggest tell was the last attack. If the attacker was trying to kill hero's loved ones, why did Jack Drake receive a warning note as well as a gun?

Jean's plan must have been for Jack to shoot Boomerang, the threats would stop, and the whole incident would be considered wrapped up. The heroes would be drawn closer to their loved ones in the aftermath, and she could get back together with Ray.

Jean Loring killed Sue Dibny, and then tried to cover it up. She had the means and the motive, and she almost got away with it.

(With some extra investigations, you could find who hired Boomerang, and you'd find it coincides with similar activity in Jean Bank Account. Even if she created fake accounts, there has to be a paper trail somewhere. It'll be easier to find, once you know where to start.)

With the evidence laid out before you, I hope you now understand that the mystery of Identity Crisis can be solved. Let's call this case closed.

[rogues-the-fanzine]

Transcript

Catie: Do you think the henchmen need to unionize?

Cato: actually….if they HAVE to, but, I don’t think they-

Ed barges into the door with a BAM and angry footsteps 

Edward: YOU TWO HAVE DONE IT THIS TIME!! 

Catie and Cato: wait what?-

Edward: you’re going to explain to me why you’ve been in the Rogues! The Podcast fandom for HOW LONG and yet you NEVER talk about me even though I’m the main character!

Catie: have you like actually seen my content? I talk about you like exclusively 

Edward: (sticks his hand up to silence Catie) Oh we all know what happened to your “content” while you were in England. 

Edward: AND YOU…you’re a TRAITOR! You wear that symbol and color with SHAME!

Cato: Pink and Green are complementary colors, I have a brand to keep up with. 

Edward: That is NOT an excuse. The idea that you are that good at drawing Jonathan Crane is vile. And now…you’re going to make it up to me. 

Cato and Catie: Wait what? (Huh?) 

Edward: You are going to tell ME about the spectacular, well thought out plan YOU have CREATED. To apologize to ME for your atrocious lack of Riddler themed content

Edward: So what is it?? What’s that great master plan of yours? I’m listening and awaiting an answer. 

Cato and Catie fumble a bit as they try to speak on their behalf. This could be improvised between Catie and Cato while recording. 

Catie snaps her fingers at a probable solution.

Catie: The Zine!!! We have a zine. 

Cato: You are the main character in our upcoming Zine.

Catie: a big art collaboration featuring 36 fantastic artists, all drawing YOUR likeness. 

Cato: including an exclusive interview with-

Edward: wow! Don’t care, tell me the parts about ME. 

Cato: well… It features many illustrations, writings, and Comics from various moments from the hit ‘ROGUES! The Podcast’ 

Catie: it features mainly you, and plenty of background characters such as Jonathan Crane, Oswald Cobblepot, Laura Cameron, Query and Echo, and more! But it’s all just for highlighting your existence and greatness as The Riddler.

Edward: …. You’re just kissing my ass aren't you. This zine isn’t just about me! You’re lying! 

Catie: Actually statistically you’re featured in 25 pieces while Jonathan Crane for example is only in ____ pieces which is like a ___ difference.

Edward: Do I look like someone who doesn’t know basic arithmetic?

There are some strong knocks on the door

Cato: I’ll get it. 

Cato opens the door revealing Jonathan Crane

Jon: Well well well I knew I heard a narcissist and my favorite overreacter! Have any drawings of me yet? You know people go crazy when you draw me (Jon chuckle) 

Cato: (forced laughter) HAHAHAHA! I'm gonna go to the other room now. 

Catie: (forced laughter) HAHHAHAHAHA. You’re gonna sit down. HAHAHAHAHA

Cato: (forced laughter turns to defeat) OK OK. 

Edward: No no! They’re not drawing you! They have a lot of drawings of ME to catch up on since this little Zine project isn’t even centered around me!

Jon: Of course it’s not all about you Ed. It’s Rogues! The fanzine not Riddler! The fanzine

Catie and Cato: that's right!

Catie: it features almost everyone that appears in Rogues! the podcast!

Cato: including iconic scenes from all the seasons and special events like Lockup’s Lockdown and murder in the house of mystery

Captain Boomerang for some reason: am I in it?

Catie and Cato: NO

Edward: You know. This could be a good thing. More people would see how much better I am.

Jon: You are insufferable, you know that right?

Edward: And I’m in more zine pieces than you. That means some people find me charming.

Jon: you two. When is this zine thing out?

Catie: January 31st!

Cato: and it’s free so you don’t have to pay to see it

Edward: Ah, perfect. People don’t even have to pay to see Jon’s ugly mug

Jon: Oh you're funny. That was funny.

Cato: you know what would be funny? If you guys left right now.

Catie: yeah you interrupted Cato’s vampire Jon drawing time 

Jon: Vampire Jon?

Edward: And that is our cue to leave! You two need to feature me more! 

Catie/Cato: yes sir will do!

Jon and Edward leave

Cato: I’m killing you

Catie: WHAT DID I DO!?

[zahri-melitor]

Thinking about the shape of A Lonely Place of Living in relation to Tim's story and what Tynion was trying to do with it, and it's interesting to me, as I don't think it's his most successful story in terms of a narrative beyond re-establishing and re-centring a character, but he's once again playing with a lot of Tim's storylines and echoing various things (and not just ALPOD though obviously ALPOD, it's in the name).

Like you cannot get around that the story is about Gun Batman, because Gun Batman is right there. But the shape of how that works: it's a recapitulation of Red Robin themes. Because Tim's trapped, and Tim strategises a way to escape from his prison, and he has to cooperate with his enemy somewhat to achieve his goals, and as soon as he gets out the first thing he says to his family, to those he's closest to - is to warn them that Gun Batman is coming for them and particularly for Batwoman. It's SO Yost arc coded.

Gun Batman and Tim's discussions over whether the ends justify the means, and whether killing is acceptable echo through a lot of stories where Tim faces that and refuses to do so (The Young El and Dava arcs in Robin around #50 are always worth pointing out, because people don't know they're there, but of course also Red Robin #26 and trapping Captain Boomerang), but it's interesting here, as the story also establishes...if Tim doesn't even remember who Conner is, this Tim also may not remember having that fight with himself and redrawing that line, and then he gets to do it all over again.

And then we also get to do a Brother Eye aspect of the story, with the intertwined narrative of Bruce's paranoia, Tim's growing paranoia over the years, the echo between those all the way back for Tower of Babel when Tim tells his friends he'd never go so far as to have protocols like Bruce, but we know by 2010 he does have protocols as the life he's led has brought him to that, and what Brother Eye in itself says about Bruce's paranoia and that whole arc of Infinite Crisis and ongoing, about programming and about watching and observation and about control and about the overwriting of control of Brother Eye over the years (want to talk about OMACs and REMACs? there is stuff here to dig out about both) and about the similarities that exist between Bruce and Tim for Gun Batman to be able to exploit this faultline.

And also: you have Bruce's guilt threaded through all of this. Because the last 25 issues have been about Bruce mourning the loss of Tim in his heroic sacrifice, but interestingly in a way that is not like he mourns Jason and not like he mourns Damian, but in a way where he refuses to lose control.

In ALPOD the reason Tim approaches first Dick and then Alfred and then Bruce is because Bruce is losing control as he doesn't have a network. For Tynion's run, Bruce DOES have a network; and not only his family, he has all the other allies that Tim specifically recruited and anchored and befriended and he helped design and set up the Belfry for - a system that Tim sees as greater than himself and that he hopes can sustain things if he is selfish and steps away for his own purposes. But while it works, it's also shaky, because part of what made the post-Crisis Bat family and Gotham network function was Tim's presence as an anchor and a recruiter and a linchpin holding people together, and Tynion is saying things don't work as well without Tim's actual presence, and repeating the narrative that Tim learns over the years - he can't retire, he cannot step away, because when he tries to bad things happen.

Bruce can avoid losing his mind with grief because Tim built him a network (like he did while initially mourning Jason). But Bruce also doesn't allow himself to try to resurrect Tim after his sacrifice; whereas Bruce had to be talked through the 5 stages of grief by family members after Damian's death and then set out on a quest to alternately protect Damian's corpse/find ways to resurrect Damian (it ping ponged back and forth) when it was Damian who was dead.

And Bruce is so mad at himself when he realises that by allowing himself to process his grief like he did with Jason and live through having a dead son, every day, and remember his sacrifice...he's left Tim trapped, thinking people were searching for him and coming for him, when...they weren't. And he starts working to try and find Tim. Especially as Tim lived through Jason's death and Damian's death and Bruce's under-reaction to Dick's 'death' and he knows how Bruce reacted - and he's waiting for rescue. He could expect Bruce to come for him and storm the Gods themselves to get Tim back: because that's what Bruce so recently did for Damian.

Tim came looking for Bruce, because he didn't believe Bruce was dead. But Bruce didn't come looking for Tim, even though he's fought to resurrect another son, and realising that you haven't gone searching for the son who searched so hard for you when you were lost and believed dead? Yeah. Ouch.

And so Tim has to rescue himself and find his own way out - but he comes back still full of belief and forgiveness for Bruce. I also think there's something here in an inflection where Bruce gets the alert as they ARE now looking, and he storms into a hospital to get to Tim, as opposed to Jason's unknown, unrecognised resurrection and HIS hospital stay in Gotham.

The layers are there! There's a bunch of interesting themes! I just really wish it wasn't held together by Gun Batman. Though admittedly it's interesting to me that Tynion's version of Gun Batman posits that this is a universe where Damian was still Batman!666 and Tim had to kill him for it. AND that it can't be the future, because Gun Batman is being torn apart by the timeline, because of the changes made. He's not Tim's future. He's a nightmare, instead.

[cryptocism]

So, out of curiosity (AND a slight fear of messing with what you've laid out so clearly in Frequency, which I see as the most reasonable and rational explanation to Thad's character inconsistencies basically, ever), I am wondering if this version of Inertia from Flash #760 fits into the Too Many Thads AU anywhere? From what I can tell, he's the only one not mentioned in your very thorough (and impressively detailed, he was at boomerang's funeral, excuse me sir why are you here???) timeline of Thad appearances. Would you consider him one of the clones we get from the AU, like Six? Or maybe just Thad himself given he's sort of just... chilling in the Speedforce lol. Or did you just not consider him given it's yet another instance of Thad appearing, doing something wild, then disappearing as quickly as he came haha. (Also, I just noticed he says vibrational FREQUENCY, nice👏)

i did... kinda include this iteration. but admittedly it's pretty brief, and the bits of story that take place in the speed force sit in dreamy abstraction rather than solid prose

start of chapter 2 when Thad is running thru the speed force:

He thinks he sees the Flash, once or twice. Tick tock tick tock. You’re running out of time, Barry. But he often thinks he sees lots of people. Once, he thought he saw Max. But the memories exist in his mind the same way a daydream would, and he can’t be sure if it was real.

The "tick tock tick tock" line is taken directly from #760

compared to the other threads of canon that Frequency is written around, it's definitely more on the borders of believably. The "tick tock" line and the bit where Thad threatens to snap his fingers and "blast Barry's mind to pieces" harkens back to the Kid Zoom era and Rogues Revenge, which fucks with my attempt to differentiate this Inertia as a separate person from Kid Zoom. but the hiccup feels minor enough that i think it still works

(and on a tangential note the whole "i'll snap my fingers and blast your mind to pieces" line straight up doesn't make sense to me because YES Kid Zoom famously snapped his fingers and exploded a baby, but he accomplished that by fast-forwarding that baby's timeline so quick that its literal molecules shook apart under the stress. Barry is a speedster and would not respond to timeline manipulation in that way - if at all - because his molecules are already used to that kind of shit. it's a weird and out of place threat to make and i think Williamson may have gotten the impression that Kid Zoom acquired the power of spontaneous combustion which he Fucking Did Not ok rant over)

the general idea i was going for was: Thad is running on rage, sees Barry, has the brief confrontation in #760 where Barry mostly just feels bad for him, and then disappears back into the storm. Implication being that Thad has actually had a couple different interactions with people during his 5 years in the speed force (Eobard, Max, Barry, etc) who try to convince him of things or promise him things, but staying for that long in the speed force (without being dead) fucks with perception a little bit, especially perceptions of Time. so when he's out and looking back on it, Thad can't totally discern what happened, what didn't, or in what order.

also the attendance at Captain Boomerang's funeral gets a shout out near the end of chapter 8 when Bart is going through Six's collection of Four's old stuff:

Some of the items on the shelf he didn’t recognize. A shot glass. A funeral pamphlet for one Digger Harkness. Several empty syringes and auto-injectors all meticulously arranged. A variety of small gadgets and devices that Bart couldn’t place.

because the funeral is technically Inertia's return after the events of Mercury Falling, I translated that as Four's first appearance in the 21st century

[gee-arid]

ok, sorry if question is a bit long and if you have answered, please put the link for me to see please. Well... what are the names of the heroes? What was each heroe's first choice? (I mean the ladybug and cat holder). I know that Marinette is with the Fox and Ivan with the turtle, but for some reason I think that if they swap it would combine more (I speak more in symbolism, ivan who cannot lie with the "miraculous of lie"). What is the weapon of each carrier? About the turtle and Ivan, I think a purplish blue would match more (that leatherback turtle). What are the camouflaged forms of each miraculous? Do you have the reason why every person has every miraculous?

A big ask, but thats okay! I'd love to answer! Note that some answers like names and weapons are subject to change, im not great with names and im less familliar with some characters than others so, opinions and other ideas are awesome :)

Names and weapons, left to right:

Aliase Rouges (red wings), Cartoony sledge hammer

Veilluese (night light), Grappling hook

Bison? Hyland?, Guitar- its electric but doesnt have to be plugged in..

Adora (play on Adore), Frisbee

Ouroboros, Mirror shield (play on the medusa myth)

Tack (to temporarily fasten something together), Big Needle

Captain Stinger (shortened to Sting), Cutlass

Jockey?, Reins? maybe a whip

Alectryon, rooster body (i guess?)

Jack Rabbit (shortened to Jack), Pickaxe

Ridley (a type of turtle), Detatched shields- Bonus purpley-blue version: honestly it works just as well.

Tora (Japanese for tiger, i think), Sythe

R.A.T (acronym for Rodent Assist Team? idk, funny bit based on pokemons F.E.A.R strat lol, also sounds like a dj name??. also based on his purpose being mostly assisting pedestrians), Glow sticks (almost like a pair of lightsabers, without the deadliness. Basically glowing battons)

Boar, Boomerang (shaped like boar tusks).

Cirrus (a type of cloud, Aroure and Mirelle share the name and the miraculous), Lightning rod/ wind sock

Caprix (Play on Caprine), Chunky roller blades

Gibbon? (a type of monkey), one of those silly stretchy sticky hands

Reasons for each holder are here!

First choices are also listed there, if there isnt an alternative listed, they either had the same idea or no strong preference for a different holder. Regarding swapping holders based on symbolism (i.e. Ivan with the fox, Mari with the turtle) that would be super cool and i may draw them at some point in the future, but wouldn't fit with my au. This is because my bug and cat holders choose them based on preexisting relationships, traits, and talents.

Camouflaged forms are these:

Struggled with Alyas rabbit miraculous tbh, it doesnt quite fit with my au for it to stay a pocket watch anyway (the Rabbits power being swapped from Burrow in a time sense, to Burrow in a dig way) so i guess its normal activated form would be some kind of keychain? Alyas disguise currently is a tamogachi :)

Nino wears the mouse necklace wrapped around his wrist like a bracelet.

Max's snake bracelet turns into a smart watch.

Markovs claw connects to his existing claws, and mimics what claws he already has.

Mirelle and Aroure have similar chokers with the charm changed. Aroure has the lightning bolt, Mirelle has the rain drop. They have the chokers replicated by comission with Marinette so they can swap the actual miraculous between them when needed.

Sabrinas sunglasses are prescription. They could also be just normal glasses, no black tint, when appropriate.

Marcs ring, where rainbow, is iridescent!

The butterfly and peacock are still unavailable to our heroes.

[cookeybg]

The Colony Possessed - Chapter 2

Title: The Colony Possessed

Main Characters: Gotham, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne

Narrators: Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, will add others as chapters progress

Honorable Mentions: Wally West

No romantic relationships

Stuff to Know: Cryptid Batfamily, maybe a bit spooky, Hopefully a bit amusing, Gotham LOVES Batman and she always will, it's concerning

[The Colony Possessed Table of Contents]

Chapter 2 - Barry knew he couldn't outrun his shadow

“Uncle Flash,” Wally jumped when an empty cardboard box fell to the ground, “I really think we should leave!”

Barry looked around nervously the hairs on his skin standing on end. He never even liked hearing about Gotham much less stepping foot in the accursed city, but here he was in his flash costume scoping out an abandoned warehouse that he knew was being used by Captain Boomerang. He just needed to find proof, which was proving to be difficult, what with all the spookiness the warehouse provided. How anyone in their right mind would live in this city, he did not know. Wouldn’t the rumors of bats personified and dead children protecting the weak be enough to rule this place out as reasonable living? They heard another echo of something falling and both Barry and Wally hugged each other, a squeak escaping their lips.

“Maybe we should come when there’s more light out,” Barry whispered.

Wally shook his head in the affirmative.

“Are you looking for this?” A clear voice echoed from the rafters.

“Who, who’s there!” Barry exclaimed.

A lithe figure somersaulted into view, landing precariously on a stack of boxes in front of them. From the little they could see of his face, he was extremely pale, black hair that blended with the darkness surrounding them, he was shapeless, shadowy, like a specter. Until he moved to stand up, his black cape, because that is what had been covering his body, revealed a bright yellow lining and his red and green clothes were so bright in contrast to their surroundings that it made the pair flinch. The maybe teenager, Barry realized he was young, lifted a boomerang to the meager light coming from a broken window.

“There’s rarely any sun here, so you would have to wait a while and by then all evidence would be gone. I’m Robin by the way.” Robin said casually, a wide smile appearing on his face, it gave Barry the creeps.

“Uh, yeah we were looking for something like that.” Wally said, slowly extricating himself from Barry.

“Where is Captain Boomerang now?” Barry asked, placing a hand on Wally’s shoulder to prevent him from walking any closer to Robin.

“Isn’t it rude to not introduce yourselves?” He pointed to Barry and then to Wally, “Flash, Kid Flash, it’s also rude to not send advanced notice of your coming.”

“We, weren’t even sure you existed.” Wally said, taking one more step forward.

Robin jumped off the the tower of boxes, they didn’t even teeter, he landed gracefully on his tiptoes the floor seemingly cushioned just for him and he bent towards Wally, his face mere inches from his.

“And now you do.” Robin’s smile widened further, his teeth looked human at least, no fangs.

Robin brought the shadows with him, their surroundings become darker, the figure blurrier, if he focused too intently on him, blackness and color fused like watercolors . Barry’s heart beat an even more rapid pace than it normally did, he wasn’t sure if he should pull his nephew away or push the colorful shadow, either way he was afraid that the thing might find it rude. He apparently already offended the thing, he didn’t want to make things worse. Robin shoved the boomerang to Wally’s chest and then threw a flash-drive towards Barry, who caught it with ease.

“Now leave,” Robin bent backwards slowly, looked at them through his legs, “Gotham doesn’t like trespassers,” He lifted his legs above his head effortlessly and threw himself into the air, the shadows coalesced around him and then his voice came from the rafters, “even less when they’re metas.”

Barry heard laughter to his right making him twist around, were there more of those things? He felt watched at all angles, it was unnatural. Wally on the other hand seemed entranced by the being they just met, he clutched the boomerang to his chest like one would a bouquet of flowers. Barry pulled Wally away and they rushed out of there as if the city had burned them. The shadows were alive in Gotham, a full body shiver ran down him, because there was one thing he knew for certain and that was that he couldn’t outrun his shadow.

[thatpersonwhosaidtheywouldnt]

What do you think of these Absolute Flash previews?

Alright I'll got through them one by one.

The first image is gorgeous. I love the way the artist draws the Speed Force (I am assuming it is the Speed Force, admittedly). The typical lightning is not any different but the rectangles are what really make it for me. They drive the perspective of the piece and Wally's motion really well.

Now, getting into the actual pages that were revealed. It is interesting to me that he is in the desert. It makes me wonder if this Wally might not live in the Midwest. The image is giving New Mexico vibes to me but really, could be anywhere from California to Nevada to Utah to New Mexico. Of course this could be a reach. Maybe he ran really far with his new powers, considering the shock on his face, that is just as possible. Something that really interests me is how we keep seeing Wally drawn with the lightning. Not only does he have the lightning around him but also this secondary red image. Perhaps this is just a stylistic choice but to me, it reads as either him being in pain (which would be an interesting choice, hearkening back to the many times Wally has dealt with his powers causing him pain) or as another being grabbing at him. I am wondering if because of the nature of the Absolute Universe, the Speed Force is poisoned in some way. But I am getting into wild speculation territory so lets get to the next page.

The Rogues! Okay, man, do they have a different vibe. Seems pretty likely to me that these Rogues are working with the government. What would make sense to me is that they are perhaps made in particular to go after Wally, a bit of a twist on them developing their weapons in response to him to acts as thieves. Alternatively, they are already an existing government squad that goes after powered individuals. Now the Rogues themselves... it seems clear to me that we have Captain Cold, Golden Glider, and Captain Boomerang. I am unsure who they are going for with the guy in that back. My immediate guess is Trickster, but it could easily be a few people. As to who they are... They could easily be who they are in the main verse, but it is interesting to me that Cold so closely aligns with Rudy West's typical design. I think it isn't much of a stretch to say it could be him (and a number of people have been noting that as well). If he is Rudy, it makes it pretty likely to me that Golden Glider is Iris but that might be a stretch. I am excited to see them, though, and what direction Lemire goes.

Alright, the final page. This one is honestly the one that has me the most pumped. We are getting to see a lot into who Wally is and his family life. I think it is pretty safe to say that he is living with his grandfather, Ira West. His design is basically a one-for-one with his appearances in the mainverse, and he seems too old to be Rudy. Wally living with Ira is honestly a brilliant move, in the least suggesting Wally's parents have remained not the best people in this world. Ira has not been seen in so long, too, so I am excited for the potential. Is he still a scientist here? Maybe he is how Wally gets his powers? Honestly so many cool possibilities. Now as for Wally... Him be a musician is super cool to me. I am really enjoying the vibe we are seeing for him here. Teen Wally in mainverse was written sooo long ago and is obviously very dated and very much obsessed with the Flash. But this is a world without a Flash, so who is Wally without his idol? What is he into? Him playing the guitar with headphones on really reminds me of how teen Wally in the main universe was described as having his head in the clouds. It seems that is the case with this Wally too. I assume the posters and art around him are band posters but I hope we get more of an answer to that when the book comes out.

Overall... I am pumped, honestly. Most looks back at teen Wally we have gotten have been Teen Titans Wally, who fills a specific archetype. I am excited to get a take that is more nuanced. I really hope we have him meeting Linda and Piper and Chunk as a teenager. There is just so much potential for this and I have high hopes.

[princess-of-the-corner]

In regards to Miraculous Gaang animals:

-Sokka: I was thinking just Captain Beetle, especially since it sounds vaguely close to Captain Boomerang, which is an appropriate title for Sokka but also not because it's also the name of a DC villain who killed Tim Drake's dad (and it doesn't have ladybug theming). I definitely think use Captain though, because I am now attached to Sokka having Cap as a nickname.

-Katara: So there are actually several species of big cats that like and excel in the water. One of them is the jaguar, and black jaguars do exist. Jaguars also have lots of night and water symbolism associated with them. I'm not the best with names, but I think Midnight Jaguar, Black Jaguar, Painted Jaguar, or maybe Inky Jaguar could all work for her. (Also, look up fishing cats. They're useless for this au because they don't come in black, but they're a cross between otters and bobcats and they're insane).

-Suki: ML got it right here actually because very many species of vipers are blue or teal, so I'd stick with that. For some reason my brain is getting stuck on Viperious (instead of imperious), but some other half baked options could he Velvet Viper, Silk Viper, or Vypertime (instead of hypertime),

-Zuko: Seriyu is the blue dragon spirit of Japan that represents the east and springtime. Spring represents new beginnings which is fitting for Zuko, and could provide a fun connection/contrast with Iroh's whole Dragon of the West thing. Otherwise I got nothing.

-Toph: I like the Blind Tiger too much to come up with anything else, lol. My brain said "yup that's perfect the naming machine is now off for her." Sorry if you were hoping for more options.

-Azula: I think her blue flames are significant, so I think basing her off an arctic fox, a silver fox, a blue morph fox, or maybe even a cross fox. Actually, yeah screw it, cross fox Azula. Duality, being split between red and dark gray/blue coloring as she's conflicted with her loyalty to Ozai/the fire nation and her own unique individual wants and needs. Being part blue connects her to Blue Dragon!Zuko too. I'm thinking that her costume is similar to the one in the show but if it was more flowy and elegant and less armory and intimidating. So like, the layered panels thing she has going on can stay, but more thick cloth traveling layers and less rigid armor. Instead of the big leather flaps she has like a poncho or a shawl. She's already got the cross fox coloring motif of big black middle panel and red side panels, and we obviously have to add her skirt tunic being pulled back into a coat tail. Keep the loose pants and the pointed boots for the theatre vibes. I'm thinking her mask is sort of like a masquerade/theatrical fox mask that covers the whole top half of her face and has fox ears but leaves the bottom open. Names. . .uh? Yeah I'm bad with these. Vixen?

-Yue: Also nothing, so sorry.

-Jin: Homegirl appears in one episode, we can go hog wild with her (pun intended) and do whatever we want. I'm thinking basing her off a wild boar and not a farm pig. I want her whole "chipper jubilant" hero thing to be more "Feral joy that one gets from running through an open windy feild at night and screaming at the top of their lungs." I like the idea of keeping her spiky, messy, wild hair in her costume. Like, let that go nuts. Pigella also has ballet inspo, so I think Jin should get, like, festival revelry dancing inspired costume and makeup, but also in more muted earthy tones. Names. . .maybe Babirusa? Type of Indonesian wild boar. My only other ideas are just straight up using Wild Hog or Hogwild.

-Ty Lee: I like the idea of her costume being very circus themed. Like, she looks like a trapeze artist. Lots of glitter and "look at me" kind of details on her costume. Tight, but with just enough loose flowing bits to look cool when it moves around. You could even keep the crown thing because my girl is a queen after all. I think we name her something like Sticky Sweet, Sweet Stinger, or Honey Stinger. Something that emphasizes the "looks like a cinnamon roll, could kill you" thing she has.

-Mai: Hear me out---rat instead of mouse. Mai is always down to pick a fight and is a lot meaner than your average mouse, and this way, her costume could have, like bandit/thug inspiration and she could just look so menacing. The only names that come to mind are Rat-Attack-Tat, which doesn't exactly roll of the tongue or Swarm, which brings more bug than rat.

Also. Eagle!Jet because Freedom Fighters and also Jet with guns sounds like a dangerous and amazing combination. That's it.

Anyway, I gotta go find everything on the Avatar!Ty Lee AU now because I didn't know you had that and HELL YEAH!

Oh! Okay so!

I love the Captain name for Sokka. Also I am double laughing at the Captain Boomerang reference because I have heard him called 'discount Sokka' once before. May have to hammer out the exact ladybug reference with it. A previous ask mentioned Harmonia and Harlequin.

Jaguar is perfect for Katara. I think I gotta go with Painted Jaguar because gotta love the reference.

Something viper themed is good, but I'm not sure exactly what. Vipertime makes me laugh but idk if it fits.

Seiryu is great actually.

Blind Tiger is also perfect lmao.

Okay so Azula! So like. Technically this is a no Bending au. Or else there'd be too much going on to have both atla's plots and the au's. So there's no reason to have a fire theme. BUT. I can't resist bringing back the wordplay that is Vulpyro.

rip Yue I got nothing either.

'looks like a cinnamon roll but will kill you' is the best description of Ty Lee. So yeah one of those Honey Stinger ones is great!

Rat time!! I like it. No idea on names.

Jet with the Eagle is a terrifying but perfect combination. Not sure what his plot will be in this au considering how different the plot is? Like obvs I want to parrallel ATLA's plots but I think a lot of him is hard to translate.

[shadedheart138]

The Blood We Shed, It Never Dries

His hand cradled the back of his brother's head, gentle and firm and there. He whispered a curse, a prayer, a promise of love. His voice wavered, broke. He began to cry, soft at first and then louder, louder, until he was crying and sobbing and holding his brother like the most precious of treasures, the most holy of all holy things. Cradling him as of he were a child, something sacred, something to be cherished. Should be be cherished? Did he deserve it, after all this time?

His brother certainly seemed to think so, whispering how he was so sorry, he was so, so scared, and how much relief he had felt to see him alive. Alive, alive, alive.

He didn't feel alive. He felt hollow, he felt small. He was small, in his brother's arms. Something fell out of his limp hands as his brother sank to the dusty, bloody ground with him in his grasp. He didn't look at it, it didn't seem to matter. Was he alive? Did he deserve to be?

He blinked slowly, hearing his brother's sobbing through water. His head hurt. He was thirsty. He wanted to cry, but he was too tired. He wanted to wrap his arms around his brother, this man, this simple, loving, amazing man who was larger than life, who was his rock, his shelter, his home. But his arms were too small, made of lead. He couldn't even lift his head.

Was his breath getting shorter? Or was he just tired? Was it evening into sleep, or was he dying? He couldn't tell, and that made him panic. His breath sped. Good, not dying.

But once it sped, it didn't slow. His brother gave him a worried look, then a soft call of his name. A firmer hug. His breath continued to speed, gasping like a fish out of water. Maybe he was dying. Maybe this was it. Why when he realized it, was there such a profound fear? Did his friends feel this fear when they died? His eyesight was blurry- ah, there were the tears he'd been too tired to cry.

" ... 'M dyin'." He slurred quietly, chest shuddering- was it with final breaths, or sobs?

"Oh, honey. You're not dying." His brother said, with a teary laugh. "Not dying at all. You had me convinced you were going to, but you didn't. You're safe and sound right here."

He looked to the side, and could catch a glimpse of blood and a limb and someone's face, a bandanna, a boomerang, an eye - before his face was gently directed away and back to his brother's chest, holding him there, caging protecting him.

"Who-?" He croaked, bringing hands up to grasp at his brother, his rock, his lifeline. His parent.

"No one you know. Not one of us. Not Tune, not me. Not Tune, not anyone you need to worry yourself with." Names. Oh, those existed. Kokiri didn't bother with names, they only had them when Link was there.

He wasn't Kokiri anymore. And he wasn't Link.

"... T'ne's 's safe?" Mask slurred, blinking slowly, grasping a little less tight at the Captain's shirt. One hand lost its grip and fell, before Mask sluggishly tried to get it back up and latched onto the Captain again.

"He's safe." His brother easy lied, keeping this child, his child, his brother, his son, in the sweet and blissful dark. Mask didn't need to see the Sailor yet. No one did. No one would see this field but Mask and Captain Link, Mask made sure of that.

"Good." Mask whispered, eyes fluttering. He was so, so sleepy. For once, he didn't snap at the Captain for holding him so dearly. He was tired. It felt nice. Tune was safe. Where was he?

"T'ne?? Tune?" Mask whispered, mouth full of cotton, as he tried calling for his brother. Wars gave him a sad look, with both joy and grief in his eyes. Who was the joy for, and more importantly, who was the grief for? "Shhhh, dear. He won't answer right now."

Mask shuddered. There was something the Captain wasn't telling him, wasn't there. He knew that look, that crinkle in his brow. He could see early gray hairs at his right temple, and he reached to touch. His hand was covered in blood. Was it his own???

Mask startled and pulled his hand back, leaving a very small, bloody handprint on the Captain's face. He was about to whisper an apology, but Captain Link cut him off. "Shhh, shh. Shh. It's not yours, it's not mine. I've got you. How about you take a nap, hmm? I'll get you all washed up and you can sleep?"

Sleep sounded phenomenal. But there was a part of the Captain missing, it was clear. Maybe multiple parts. At least a single visible one.

"... Sc'rf?" Mask fingered the edge of Captain Link's collar, leaving blood there. "You wouldn't want to see it now. All dirty. I'll get it cleaned."

"Mom?" Mask whispered, sniffling. "Wh'r's T'ne?" He wanted his brother. Tune's hands were warm and his hair smelled like salt and his eyes were sea green. Captain's were cold, too big, gripping tight, as if afraid Mask would disappear. Tune would know what to say.

"Don't worry, honey. Just sleep, okay? Just take a nap. We can worry about it later." Treating it as if it were another bloody spot on his tunic. Mask wanted to ask more, wanted to cry, to call out for Tune again... but his eyes closed. "L've you Mom." He whispered quietly, not noticing the way The Captain looked over the destruction before him. "I love you too, Mask. Get some sleep."

The Captain laid his son, his brother, his kid down on the dusty ground and moved to his other one. The one that wasn't moving, and wouldn't. Only sixteen. A giant scarf draped over him, like a burial shroud. Warriors held a limp hand, the only part of his other kid he could bear to look at.

"I'm so, so sorry, Tune. So sorry. I love you. Mask loves you, and he's sorry. He won't know how you died. Only I will. And I'm sorry for that. But he doesn't need to kill himself to attempt to make it right. I can't lose both of you. Losing you is hell enough. I love you." And he kissed the place where Tune's forehead was supposed to be, covered by bloody cloth.

Link went back to his currently sleeping child, hands curled up, only nine, unaware of the grief and destruction around him. Link stepped on the cursed, bloody, wooden mask as he went by, cracking it clean in two and then picking up his child. It wasn't Mask's fault. It was his namesake's.

He didn't hear the god scream in pain from it's vessel being broken. Mask curled up tighter in Link's arms and started to whine, covering his ears. He could hear. Link helped cover them.

Then he carried him home.

fin.

[maxwell-grant]

Glad to know you like suicide squad, did you ever finish reading JLI?

I have a lot of respect and love for the creative team but, sorry to dissappoint, I found JLI fucking unbearable and could not finish it. I gave it 25 issues and powered through after dropping it and didn't enjoy one single moment of it and I don't think this is magically going to become tolerable when it's time to bring in Despero and the Global Guardians and the character with a slur for a name. I guess I could say it was a good comic of it's time that I just didn't vibe with and leave it at that, or I'd say I think the humor drags down the good parts, but to be honest I'm just not seeing the good parts here either. The best things I can say about it is that it's well-drawn and that Max Lord is a decently compelling puzzle/central figure to pin this enterprise on, a twist on Ozymandias for a different context, I get why fans are upset on him being turned into a clear-cut villain, although Amanda Waller he ain't. And of what I've seen that's kinda it actually.

It is kind of weird that this exists in an opposite world situation to Suicide Squad, where Suicide Squad is the more traditionally-drawn book about rejects banding together under hardship to deal with troubled international quagmires and find their own bonds to humanity and each other amidst chaos, and Justice League is the slick colorful book about rejects being funnyman bastards doing violent pantomine routines 24/7. You'd think it was the other way around. You'd think Guy Gardner wouldn't be more unbearable than Captain Boomerang given he is technically a more moral person, but when Boomerang's being misogynistic, he eats shit for it, where as when Gardner pretends to fall atop Canary so he can grope her, it's played as a gag (and god you could not ask for a starker difference than the treatment of their female characters between these two books). But as is, I am not remotely impressed by characters acting like funnyman bastards for 90% of any given story, and then punctuating their moments of seriousness by constantly reafffirming that they aren't one-bit jokesters.

Did you catch that the first time? Can't you see how they are more than just funny jokesters, let's repeat that again for emphasis, don't you get the nuance on display here, don't you get there is more to Blue Beetle and Guy Gardner than being unbearable pieces of shit, in case you don't let's have Hawkman's every single goddamn line be about how he's a big old stuck-up meanie harping about the old days who is wrong for not accepting the new way of doing things (and please do not take this as me being upset about the sanctity of fucking Hawkman, it's just one more horribly grating thing in a comic full of them). I get why these characters have big followings, but I'm at a loss to understand why said followings would originate from this, it seems like all of them surely must have acquired whatever nuance or likeability they have later.

You know that thing people complain about regarding vapid cliche lines like Well that just happened / It's not what it looks like / That's gonna leave a mark / Uum he's right behind me isn't he, that kind of stuff? JLI feels like the birth of those, it feels like the real version of the thing that people who exaggerate MCU quips complain about, because oh my god every fucking page is littered with those, they can't get through anything without doing an insufferable bit. Every character is the suffering straight man or trying to be the funniest person in the room in an interminable Mad Magazine skit. They never shut up and never stop making jokes and they NEVER make a single one of them funny and everybody talks the same, everyone makes the same jokes, everybody has one trait and that's their joke, and my god you guys I gave this thing 25 damn issues of a chance and I hate even thinking about it, and if a single one of you tries to get me to read one more comic with G'nort in it I swear I'm going to -

So, yeah, wasn't for me. Credit where credit's due though, the one funny joke I've seen in this constitutes an all-timer Batman moment.

[zeroducks-2]

I'm confused about this new ship because I keep seeing the claim it's actually canon. Wouldn't that be like if Dc made Tim, and Captain Boomerang canon? Thawne killed Barry's mom?

Lol who claimed that, of course it's not canon.

What's canon is that Eobard has a fixation on Barry. As I mentioned before, it's a mix of wanting to kill Barry, have Barry's attention all to himself, and literally be Barry, and the result is a cocktail of stalking, violence, psychological warfare and these two chasing each other through time, killing the other then bringing him back, and ending up being essential to each other's very existence.

Barry tried to extend sympathy, compassion and forgiveness to Eobard but it didn't work - there are instances in which they cooperate and don't try to kill each other, but they aren't destined to last. Barry feels for him in the way that he feels for every person who's suffering, and you can be sure that Eo is suffering greatly; his erratic, violent behavior stems from a deeply rooted childhood trauma and the inability to conceive love in its genuine, unconditional form. He was never loved by anyone growing up, and his only solace was the parasocial relationship he had developed with his childhood idol - the Flash.

So, in short, the canon part lies in Eobard's twisted feelings towards Barry. Joshua Williamson writes him as in love with Barry by his own admission (again, a twisted and insane form of love), but he's not reciprocated and Barry would rather be left alone, or anyway find some way to help him and make him stop trying to ruin his and his family's lives. Not gonna happen unfortunately, not long-term anyway.

[pixie-mask]

This issue is so weird and just an odd sort of treat cause it's just an odd Captain Boomerang solo adventure. But either way I love this little confrontation.

The bit of hurt Boomer shows, then the clear pain and frustration Owen shows in the panel right before just cuts to the core o Own's problems.

But I just love how Boomer's retort is punctuated by that expression. He's looking at a young man that's his son whose pissed at him for things out of either of their control. Yeah he might have been hurt a little in the early part of Owen's rant but he's otherwise unimpressed. He’s been through this himself with the difference being that Boomer was abandoned by his father as opposed to Owen whom Boomer didn’t even know existed.

But also Owen is fucked up. He set up a convention to kill a shit ton of arms dealers, killed (as for this issues) a good friend of Boomer's and has been treating him like shit from the get go. That's not to even mention about how he tried to kill him starting in the next panel.

Like I have limited knowledge, but I know this is a different version of Owen Mercer and that he and the relationship between him and Boomer is very different, but still I kind of like this.

Edit: I am just now realizing that I forgot a damn panel🤦🏽‍♀️ Added the panel