#cry for blood

[theresistanceneverquits]

My current favorite Catholic disaster

[madcapberry]

Screaming into the void about Nightwing and Huntress. They’re two of the most wholly, almost religiously, dedicated people to the cause. One is ostracized for her methods and is often alone, the other is trusted and beloved by nearly the entire vigilante/hero community (and by Bruce). Still, they are both lonely. Neither of them have faith in the other. Neither of them will change their core beliefs. They can’t talk for long without arguing. Batman hangs around both their necks like a rosary or a chain or an omen. They clash and bicker exhaustively. They care so much it’s painful. It isn’t enough. They’re drawn to one another and it means something but it doesn’t matter because they will each always be more devoted to something the other is not fully privy too. They know this. They know this in the same way they know they can look each other in the face, orphan to orphan, and find the same steely resolve reflected there. It isn’t enough.

They’re buddies though.

[armed-with-a-waffle-iron]

In one part, Batman inspired Helena Bertinelli to become the Huntress, and as Vic Sage points out, this greatly informs Helena and Bruce's relationship. "As with all parents you struggle against him, seeking both approval and liberation." It's a nice little homage to The Huntress's publication history, as the identity was originally written for Earth 2's Helena Wayne, the Earth 2 Batman's daughter, a decade before Bertinelli was created.

Wonder if it's intentional that Vic's drawn to look similar to the Phantom Stranger in that last panel, looking directly at us, the reader.

Huntress: Cry for Blood #4

[tbcanary]

one thing that did stand out to me while i was going back through cry for blood is how often we don't get to see helena's face.

it's a little thing, but there are so many panels -- especially when she's just received news of something, or is in emotional turmoil -- where she hides herself. she turns away, she bows her head. it's interesting, particularly because comics do so often show us those big dramatic facial expressions. but helena curls inward when upset. i think about these two panels a lot:

there's a note from stephanie hans in the backmatter of an issue of die that i think of -- about how in comics, how much space something takes up indicates how important it is -- and yet, somehow, whenever some new information comes up, helena makes herself small, minimizes her own emotional displays.

now, given, she does hold herself in a very particular way as a default state. head tilted down, no eye contact, etc:

but that's exaggerated when she's upset. often, she even takes the pose of a prayer. like the specific thing i'm referring to is either sitting with her head bent toward her clasped hands as if she's praying, or turned away toward a window or mirror that frames her like an altar. like so:

there is, in fact, an entire page where we don't see her face. while she's recuperating after all of the drama of the first half of the arc, she won't look anyone in the eye at all. instead, the framing moves around her and shows her, bent forward and hidden, from different angles:

i just think it's a nice little touch. a good display of who she is and how she responds to troubling situations, which makes perfect sense given what we learn about her during this arc. like, you know, if you're always at least somewhat at someone else's mercy -- be it batman, the other families, the people training her -- you'll want to minimize the outbursts and hide vulnerabilities, and she has a specific way of doing that. it often resembles prayer, because of course it does. she doesn't compare herself to a nun for nothing.

also, for a fun (?) bonus. this doesn't happen as often in the huntress costume… unless she's confronted with family. and then it creeps right back in:

anyway. helena bertinelli i care you.

[mintchocochipsposts]

Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood #4

[alexrusso-]

Huntress: Cry for Blood

I'm now in the early 2000s of my Batman/Batfam read through, and got around to reading Huntress Cry for Blood for the second time - I like it even better now.

I first read it back in like 2017, I think, when I first got into Batman and DC comics. I had zero context for Huntress outside of loving her in Birds of Prey. I didn't realize how much I was missing from 90s Batman content, and that added context just makes me love her even more, holy shit. What an underrated character.

Huntress's rage is such a deeply rooted characteristic of hers. And when you get her full backstory, you understand why. Rucka basically took her original backstory from her 1989 miniseries and ramped it up to an 11. I liked seeing her rage explored, loved seeing her work on trying to find calm and peace outside of it and her thirst for vengeance.

I know very little about Question tbh, especially Vic Sage's Question. But he gets a million brownie points from me for treating Helena decently.

I adore Tim's relationship with Helena. The sibling dynamics are lovely, and they're on full display here: Tim checking up on her once she's back in town, raiding her kitchen, questioning who this guy is that's with her. Not to mention his refusal to believe she's guilty (listen, I love that his argument is basically "if Helena was gonna kill someone, she wouldn't be dumb about it"), and his determination to clear her name. I just love Tim in general, he's a good egg.

I find Dick's relationship with Helena fascinating. Not so much in that I actively want them to be together as a couple (I'm into it more on a platonic level). I just find their interactions interesting.

Now to get to the Batman of it all... Listen, I love Batman but I really wanna punt him into the sun every time he interacts with her. His behavior toward her is so fucking hypocritical when juxtaposed with how he treats Azrael. Around the same time Cry for Blood was being published, there was an arc in Azrael’s comics where he gets framed for murder, with an actual “witness,” not just “oh these are Huntress’s crossbow bolts.” Az is being framed, but Huntress doesn’t believe him and wants to bring him in. Batman’s the one who sticks up for him, and orders Huntress to back off.

Where’s that faith with Huntress? Especially after the events of No Man’s Land, and her getting shot by Joker. Which don’t even get me started on Helena’s stint as Batgirl and how fucking terrible Batman is to her then.

To be clear, I understand why Bruce doesn't trust Helena at first. I get that Batman has a code. My issue is that he's not consistent in how he treats people who violate it. It's an even bigger issue when you take into account that during No Man's Land, when Batman was gone, Huntress was abiding by his code. She's shown she's capable of doing it, but Bruce still treats her like shit. I guess I just fail to understand why when it comes to Huntress, there's no winning with Batman.

[somewherefornow]

“You just spout zen at passing drivers?”

“Only the ones that stop to listen.”

HELENA BERTINELLI & VIC SAGE in BATMAN/HUNTRESS: CRY FOR BLOOD

[algumaideia]

I realized what was bothering me about Vic from Huntress:Cry for Blood.

He is not angry. I do not feel the violence that is such a big part of the character like I do in The Question (1987).

I'm not saying this is a bad thing and I didn't finished reading his story in 1987.

I just noticed it.

[sadclowncentral]

cannot stop thinking about the french man who during dinner responded to a person asking "should we be naughty and get desert" by pulling a face and going "naughty? it is chocolate, it is not an, uh, threesome"

[girlatrocity]

it's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter

inspo credits to "Veil" by @/_K0TTERl_

toga ver

[checkadii]

Luckiest guy out there on the tulpar

[lovl3igh]

"Rhaenyra tried to put bastards on the throne"

[armed-with-a-waffle-iron]

"Nightwing and I? It's over and done. Anyways... It was a mistake..."

"...Bad for both of us..."

Quote: Huntress: Cry for Blood #5. Panels: Huntress: Cry for Blood #2

[b0bbynash]

2.14//5.16

[roninreverie]

Im still kind of confused on why Q is so mad at this part. Like my guy, what did you THINK was going to happen here after the wedding? I get you're trying to save her from murdering because.... morals? But like... ???

PLEASE COME BACK VIC PLEAAAASE

[raphaerolo]

Get this man medical attention and a hug