#dark times for teen titans fans

[lunanova99]

My favorite dc girlies!!!<3 I love starfires curly 80s hair so much so I just had to add it even if drawing curls is a pain for me, despite that tho raven actually took longer to draw cuz I was figuring out how to add the hood stuff and all that, but I love my space queen and my goth queen so muchhh!

[ID Start: three images with drawings of raven and starfire from dc teen titans.

Image 1: starfire floating in space with an amgry look on her face her eyes are glowing green and she's using her powers of green fire balls or whatever it is I don't know she has extremely long curly red hair that fades into orange midway and then yellow at the ends whoever she's staring at is in for a world of pain.

Image 2: raven floating somewhere she's wearing her hood up and has a very disinterested look in her eyes she's also using her black magic powers

Image 3: it's the same as image 2 but raven has her hood down showing off her jellyfish haircut because I have free will and I like that haircut

:End ID]

[raeedioheadd]

500 gigawatts of the power of God.

summary: you're the only one in this godforsaken family who isn't apart of the night crew that cleans up gotham every night. you didn't hate it, but you didn't like it either. that was until jason died. now, you had to learn how to cope, while simultaneously trying to warm up to your new brother– or jason's replacement.

pairing(s): all platonic/familial, mostly dick and jason

word count: 2.0k ish

warning(s): antidepressants are brought up like twice or thrice and its a bit obvious reader is very upset lol

authors note: heavy mouthwashing (game by CRITICAL REFLEX on steam) fixation rn, so yes, the title is from the game. go play it! this isn't really canon following, so sorry if it doesn't exactly follow the comics canon. I tend to jump around a bit, so sorry lol

objectively, living with bruce wayne seemed like one of the best things that could ever happen to well, anybody. he was rich, seemed kind, and provided a roof over your head. that’s all you needed, right? you needed to be grateful for everything he gave you— he took you in and put a roof over your head. that was what really mattered.

you were bruce wayne’s first kid. coming right before dick grayson- the soon to be boy wonder-you were the light of his life for a few years before the golden boy came along. you held no grudges against him since, well, he was basically older than you, and he doted over you all the time. he was the perfect ray of sunshine the dark walls of the wayne manor needed. as time passed, and the dynamic duo formed, attention shifted from you and more onto the crime ridden streets of gotham. you helped in the background sometimes, patching your brother and father up when alfred had his hands full and, before barbara gordon came around, told them where in gotham crime spiked the most. it was an odd dynamic at first, but you grew used to it. even if it wasn’t normal family bonding time, it was something. you enjoyed being around them anyway.

and then jason todd came along. upon being caught stealing the wheels of the batmobile, bruce took him in. he was apprehensive, a bit violent and a little too carefree. but the two of you clicked. he would come to you to escape from bruce, even though the old man knew where he would go every single time. dick grew to like him as well. gothamites loved the three of you, deeming you all the only things that could keep bruce wayne single. the three of you took this and ran, making sure to act like spoiled brats in front of him at galas. before jason came around, you were the peace bruce needed in life. now, you two got into trouble at every turn.

months passed, and bruce kept fighting crime with a robin as he had always done. dick had moved on to become nightwing— leader of the teen titans along with kori, aka star fire. it made you happy to see that your older brother was making a name for himself outside of the caped crusader, though you didn’t know if you were necessarily a fan of the spandex. while you weren’t in ‘the life’, it didn’t worry you any less when any of the boys got hurt, and it didn’t worry you any less when jason had snuck off one night, his robin suit missing. from what you knew, bruce and jason were on patrol a few nights ago when they got into an argument; after that, he was on a patrol ban. for a while now, jason was growing more agitated— more reckless. he wanted to bring things that batman didn’t agree with in the mix, like death and violence. of course, this caused a lot of arguments and disagreements, but at the end of the day, they were fine, right? they always bounced back. he was his son, after all. and while he had some.. unorthodox forms of raising his kids, he loved them. he just didn’t realize he never said it enough.

you didn’t know the exact timeline of how things went down that night, and you didn’t really want to. from what alfred told you, their argument from the night prior escalated to heights that they hadn’t really seen yet. in a blur of rage and revenge, he snuck out of the manor to find the joker and avenge his mother, not knowing she was the one who ratted him out. you didn’t want to know anything else after that, since you knew both of them had met their untimely ends. 

after that, it was like a hole formed in your heart and your world got a little bit dimmer. you had taken off the rose colored glasses, and faced the real brutality the life gave your family. 

the funeral was hard. only five people attended including yourself, those people being alfred, bruce, commissioner gordon and his daughter, barbara. they even had the audacity to bury him next to his mother. dick didn’t show up because he was off planet, and didn’t know jason died. he didn’t know for a month. when he did find out.. it was bad. days were filled with dick and bruce arguing, and he even managed to get you to stay with him in blüdhaven for a bit, which was well needed. but you knew, despite how much of an asshole bruce was being, he needed someone other than alfred right now. so, reluctantly, you returned to wayne manor. as for the media’s reaction to jason’s death, bruce said he died in a terrorist attack while searching for his mother in ethiopia— he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. a casualty of circumstance.

the first year was harder than you could have imagined. it got harder and harder to get up every morning. you always had to walk past his room on the way out of your own, and you slowly stopped responding to dick’s texts. alfred, finally deciding to intervene, managed to get you to see a doctor and got you put on anti depressants. it didn’t really help, but you were still alive. the urge to take your own life and join jason was still there, but the whispers weren’t as strong. sometimes you felt like alfred needed the help more. one day he had told you that the curtains had closed on their own, despite the windows being closed and the wind being nonexistent. you entertained the idea of jay watching over you all, and promised alfred you wouldn't tell your father. the old man needed to indulge in something every now and then, too. it secretly comforted you too.

despite your growing disdain for vigilantism, you ended up becoming the new batgirl. you weren’t nearly as smart or tech savvy as barbara gordon, but you could fight, and that was what mattered. you tried not to patrol with bruce as much, but when your patrol hours overlapped, you would notice him following you deep in the shadows sometimes. as overbearing as it felt, it comforted you to know that he was watching. you hoped he was proud of you to some extent.

jason’s death changed the trajectory of batman’s meaning and life. so when you became batgirl, he had a few.. choice words and a lot of rules, but sometimes alfred would help you sneak out without bruce knowing. one time, you even ran into dick while on patrol. to say he was shocked would be an understatement.

“so you decided to join the fight, huh?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the building you were sitting on. “yeah, i guess you could say that.” you murmured, looking down at the liveliness of gotham at night. it was silent for a few moments, and for once, the gotham night was silent. no screams, no gunshots, and no laughing. your older brother finally spoke up, a sigh falling from his lips as he glanced at you. “how have you been?” he asked, taking off his domino mask to actually look at you. you took off your cowl, letting the cool air hit your face as you looked up at the night sky. “alfred is making me pop pills now, and i wouldn’t be surprised if dad was watching us have this very conversation right now,” you sighed, looking over at dick, “i haven’t really been happy, but i don’t think anyone can really be happy in gotham.” 

dick laughed, looking down at the street below. “i don’t think i’ve ever heard anything more true.” he spoke, intertwining his fingers in lap. “you should come live with me. i know it doesn’t erase what happened, and it doesn’t change really anything at all, but i think a change of pace will be good for you. and don’t start with that ‘dad needs me’ bullshit. he barely pays attention to you as is.” he says, grumbling the last part under his breath. he had a point; bruce was either keeping up his billionaire playboy persona that was also the ceo of wayne enterprises or cleaning up the streets of gotham at night as batman. you let out an exhale, watching as your breath vaporized in the air. “i’ll think about it. is that good enough?” you offered, giving him a small, yet rare smile. he immediately grinned and wrapped his arm around you, his blue eyes lighting up ever so slightly. “that’s more than i thought i’d get!” he exclaimed, his laugh booming through the air.

four more years passed, and while you hadn’t moved on yet, you were getting better. that was before a boy named tim drake came waltzing into your life. at the ripe age of fourteen, he had saved batman and successfully been enlisted as the next robin. in your eyes, even though you’d never say it out loud, he was jason’s replacement. tim’s arrival brought emotions you had long buried rushing back, and it was then you finally decided to consider dick’s offer of moving in with him— either as his new ‘protege’ or as a titan. you started taking ‘medicine’ again, and slipped off one night after putting a note on alfred’s nightstand. 

there was nothing wrong with tim. he was smart and outgoing— he almost reminded you of your older brother when he became robin, and he had smarts that rivaled that of barbara’s when she was batgirl. hell, his first interaction with bruce was him telling him that he knew he was batman, you were batgirl, and that dick was nightwing. he also knew that jason todd was the previous robin before him. you had to give him credit; he didn’t want to be robin. he only wanted to help. but bruce was the one who pushed him to become robin, thus replacing his late son— if he even considered jason that at all. tim tried talking to you before you moved out, and even offered to leave because he thought he was the reason you were leaving. he was nice to talk to, but you really couldn’t help but feel like he was a painful reminder of what had came before him. you just couldn’t take it in the manor anymore. there were too many lingering memories.

moving in with dick helped a lot more than you thought it would, even though you’d never tell him that. you later found out that kori was the one who pushed him to push you into moving in with him. she wanted to help you heal, and form a sister relationship with you that she never got with her own. you appreciated her, and was happy she was around. when her and dick were doing titan business or off planet, you took care of haley. you continued being batgirl, and life was.. calm. you were as happy as you could get yourself to be for the moment, and you had people around you who loved you.

it was a quiet night. that was what you loved about blüdhaven over gotham— there were more quiet nights in weeks than there were in a year in gotham. dick and kori had been off grid for a bit, leaving tim to lead the titans for the time being. some new faces had appeared in wayne manor, like the appearance of bruce’s cousin kate and the rescue of cassandra from the league of shadows. other than the few international incidents that the justice league would cause, things were peaceful. you were currently sitting on one of the gargoyles gotham characteristically had. it was jason’s favorite, and it was where you went after his death. you weren’t a fan of going to his grave, since the last time, you had an epiphany. you had felt it. 500 gigawatts of the power of god. it was then you decided to shape up, and live for jason. 

just as you were starting to relax against the wall behind you, a voice sounded from above you. 

“my favorite gargoyle, huh?”

[maria-from-ga]

Cyborg, the Greatest Titan

(Titans (2023) #7- Cyborg shows why no one can bring him down)

So there was once a seemingly innocuous question asked on Titans Twitter:

Though some used it to prop up their faves, it turned into a serious and big discussion: Who is the Greatest Titan, epitomizing what it means to be a Titan the most?

There were a variety of answers, majority being one of Dick, Donna, Starfire, Raven, or even Wally. But what I noticed was the surprising lack of one answer: Cyborg.

One of the most popular Titans, whom DC clearly sees as one of the Titans Trinity (upper right corner):

(The Promotional Art for DC Comics' Dawn of DC Initiative by Dan Mora. Cyborg was to chosen to represent the Titans along with Nightwing and Starfire)

Whose removal from Titans lore caused a massive fan uproar, yet among Titans Twitter, probably the most dedicated of Titan fans, Cyborg's name was barely mentioned as a candidate to be the Greatest Titan:

Victor Stone who at his lowest, found the Titans, a team who became the family he needed who loved him without judgement:

(New Teen Titans #1 - Cyborg meeting the Titans for the first time)

(Teen Titans 5x10 "Go" - The prequel episode where all the Titans meet. Cyborg is ashamed of his cyber-mechanics but Beast Boy repeatedly assures him that they are cool and shouldn't be hidden)

The man who took what the Titans did for him and made it his mission to be that for others.

(New Teen Titans #22 and Titans Vol 2 #21 - (Left) Cyborg realizes the Titans mean so much to him because they are his friends who helped him not feel alone & (Right) Cyborg's internal monologue about how Titans taught him being part of team and accepting help from others was a good thing)

(Teen Titans 5x10 "Go" - Assured by Beast Boy, Cyborg tell an ashamed Raven she's a freak among freaks and fits in just fine, a nice callback to his NTT origin)

(Teen Titans (2003) #1- Cyborg relaunches the Teen Titans to include the upcoming generation of teen heroes so they can have a place to grieve Donna's death & find acceptance)

(Teen Titans 3x12 - "Titans East" - Cyborg helps establish the first off-shoot of the Teen Titans: Titans East)

He transformed the team from simply being a group of former sidekicks to a safe haven for all teen heroes

(Teen Titans #100 and Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Last Stories of the DC Universe: Together - showcasing the multi-generational roster of Titans that Cyborg helped establish)

(Teen Titans 5x12- Titans Together - The global roster of Teen Titans that Cyborg helped to create that expanded from the initial off-shot of Titans East also started by Cyborg)

The Titans Are About A Team of Teens That Grew Into A Family

(Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Last Stories of the DC Universe: Together - Donna talking about how much the Titans grew from a team of 5 into multi-generational families)

A Family of Teenagers that not only help each other in the struggles of being a hero but also the struggles of being an adolescent, having turbulent emotions in a turbulent world

(Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Last Stories of the DC Universe: Together - Donna talking about how much the Titans had it tougher than the League because they had been facing Justice-League-level problems since they were kids, and yet every time still came out on top)

And who has committed to this mission more than Cyborg?

Victor who fought for the team when everyone including past leaders like Dick and Donna walked away:

(Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day and Titans (2008) #21 - Left: After Donna's death, Dick decides to disband the Titans and everyone walked away. Right: After Final Crisis and Prometheus' attack on Roy, nearly all the Titans have left the current Titans roster, but Cyborg stayed fighting for the team)

Why: Because he knew how much future teen heroes needed the Titans. To guide them and give them a home as the Titans did for him long ago

(Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day and Titans East Special- Left: After Donna's funeral, Cyborg sees members of Young Justice, especially Cassie, not handling Donna's death well and generally feeling worthless and he decides to restart the Titans. Right: Cyborg tried to convince the New Teen Titans and Roy to start up a new team of Teen Titans to help more teen heroes, but they all refused)

Stubbornly keeping Titans alive when everyone else wouldn't, allowing Titans to reach their greatest potential: a global network so any teen of any generation can find a home

(Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Last Stories of the DC Universe: Together - Titans across generations have gathered to join the fight against Batman Who Laughs)

A man who because the Titans gained utter defiance in who he is, saving not only himself from despair, but also became devoted to giving other teens that same courage, inspiring them to show that they are not freaks nor they are ever alone, thus changing so many lives (go to 2:38 for the start of the iconic speech, but I recommend starting at 2:17)

(Teen Titans 3x13 - "Titans East" - Cyborg's defiance in who he is prevented him from falling to Blood's mind control, defeating Blood saving his fellow Titans, and thus saving the day)

Victor is not only a candidate to be the Greatest Titan, but ultimately is the Most Deserving.

Cyborg is the Greatest Titan, the Lynchpin, without whom the Titans will not work and ultimately cannot because he believes in it the most and thus embodies its ethos the best

(Teen Titans #20- Tim Drake realizing how essential Cyborg is to the team and how he changed Tim and helped Tim after the death of Donna)

The Greatest Character in Fiction, An Inspiration, A Legend: BOOYAH!!!

[zeroducks-2]

Do you have an essential Dick Grayson comics reading list?? Especially sladick related 👉👈 I feel like I’m always hearing about fun interactions between them, but no one ever lists from what comics 😭🥺

Of course!

You can find lots of good stuff in Devin Grayson's Nightwing 1996. I suggest taking a look at #80 to #83, Dick and Slade have iconic interactions in those issues. Like this one!

(from #82 specifically)

There's also the whole "renegade arc" which spans from #110 to #115, and it has stuff like the Message Received in Dick's bathroom, and "Nightstroke". I feel we don't talk enough about Nightstroke lol.

I really recommend Nightwing 1996 in general anyway. Not all of it is good (we could really do without the racism), but it does have some of the most Iconic Dick Grayson Moments, and it's really fun and engaging. The whole Tarantula thing happens in that one btw.

For some of the more Old School flavor of both characters, I suggest reading some New Teen Titans issues from the 80s, especially The Judas Contract (yep the one with Tara), since it has Slade's first apparition and some really badass moments.

I personally am a big fan of that brief but memorable time where Dick was Batman and Damian Robin - I feel Dick's storyline really peaked with that arc and we never got even close to that ever again (it would be Batman & Robin by Grant Morrison, and I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND Black Mirror by Scott Snyder). Slade and Dick have a couple of memorable interactions during that run but nothing too significant.

For something with a more modern flavor, unfortunately there isn't much except Dark Crisis. You know, from where the whole "You were always the trophy, Grayson. Why would I waste my time with anyone else?" gayass speech comes from.

(this one, from Dark Crisis #2 specifically)

And then there's also that whole part with Dick and Slade fighting as their selves from pre-N52 and all that. I mean I'm not a fan of Dark Crisis, but at least Joshua made it gay and I love him for it.

I wouldn't be able to tell you with absolute certainty what are the "essential" Dick Grayson comics to read though, because unlike characters such as Barry or Clark, Dick has changed SO MUCH post reboot, especially when it comes to Tom Taylor's run. And as much as I tend to shit on Taylor's run and many more modern comics, I can't in good conscience call out of character the past 15 years of Nightwing/Dick Grayson. I recognize that Dick is sadly not the same character he used to be preboot, so most of what you read from before the N52 is essentially obsolete when it comes to Dick's personality (also his competence and the respect the superheroes community had for him tend to be spotty at best).

But yeah my point is that my "Dick Grayson essentials" are oldies, but they're still some of my favorite stories and I would highly recommend reading those over the modern slop that has been the Nightwing comics for a while now.

So to make a quick recap, for any Dick Grayson fan I would suggest reading Devin Grayson's 1996 run, The New Teen Titans by Wolfman and Perez, and Batman & Robin by Grant Morrison. Black Mirror by Scott Snyder is my all time favorite Dick Grayson comic.

[youngbounty]

I don’t think it should be a hot take when I say that Jonathan Kent should never have aged up. This isn’t about who is shipping whom, because I’d be genuinely surprised if even JonJay fans disagreed with me on this.

Let’s actually consider this: if Jon had not been aged up, how would any of his storylines and adventures have changed overall? Sure, yes, there would be a few tweaks, but would Jon’s age have prevented the events of The Legion of Super Heroes, Superman Son of Kal El, Dark Crisis and storylines afterwards. I dare even say it would have made those storylines and Jon’s character so much better.

Let’s go on this rabbit trail here for a second. Even if you liked Son of Kal El and maybe even shipped JonJay. If Jon had never aged up, stayed on Earth age 10, maybe grew to be 11 and met Jay at that point in time, it can go two ways: either Jay would be written the same age as Jon (11 years old) or Jay would still be 18ish and Jon would just have a one-sided crush on an older guy. Either way, the idea would have been more interesting in exploring Jon’s sexuality at a time when he’s just starting puberty. Because he’s young, it would have given room for Jon to grow and develop. Even the Teen Titans under Damian explored his sexuality despite his crush being terrible imo. First love’s are likely to work better if the character is still a child or minor.

The problem comes down to Jon aging up to seven years in a few days. His character is now a shell of what he once was. Jon was already strong and developing. He was becoming his own little person separate from Superman. Hell, if we’re going to talk about making Jon diverse, he was already diverse and dealing with discrimination for being a mixed Kryptonian and human. He was hunted down by a Kryptonian clone of his dad to eliminate any “human impurities.” He was tricked and betrayed by his own hometown, who used alien cow’s milk to “protect him” from needing to be Superboy and as a result had hindered his powers from activating. Evil Tim’s Batman hunted him down to kill him because his human and Kryptonian genetics clashed hard enough for Jon to create a solar flare that was capable of destroying a part of the world. These are issues Jon deals with that are the equivalent of what children of mixed races go through such as health conditions, their own being skeptical of them because of the other half of their race from both sides and often being belittled for being a “half-breed.” Until Jon was aged up, he had to be checked by Batman himself because the Fortress of Solitude and regular human doctors weren’t capable of checking a half Kryptonian and Human child. Then, Jon got aged up and his health concerns and the discrimination conflicts from his own were thrown right out the window.

My point is that Jon’s character arc and conflicts were thrown out the window the moment he aged up. Sure, there are some good comics with Jon here and there like Tom King’s Super Sons’ Adventures in Babysitting, but for the most part, Jon’s character has been reduced to a clone of Superman. Whatever happened to Jon’s personality that came from his mother like his stubbornness, tamper and sassiness? Whatever happened to that Jon that led a bunch of demon dogs he rescued to save his parents? Whatever happened to the boy that went Emo over accidentally frying his pet cat to ashes?

I guess Jonathan Kent truly died in that volcano when he was sucked into a wormhole.

[umbrellajam]

Anyway, as I'm going back and reading a period during which the Teen Titans and other heroes were highly visible and active with the public, including Batman to a certain extent, and with camera!Tim and the idea of reconciling incompatible timelines on my mind -

I feel like the camera!Tim fanon where Tim follows Batman and Robin around in person for years could be (among other things, such as wanting him to interact with/admire Jason and encounter/join the Batfam early, etc.) partially a result of the retcon that B&R are shadowy, unconfirmed urban legends, and not public figures. Even for people who haven't read this retcon in the comics themselves, the "B&R as urban legends" world-state is still very popular, well-known, and often used in fic and fandom.

So during the 1994 Zero Hour event, there were a bunch of time anomalies and various adjustments to the canon, including (re-)establishing Batman (and Robin) as a hushed, menacing ~rumor~, more phantom and myth than man, as a matter of Bat policy. No public appearances. No clear photos, no hard facts.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #0

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #0

We even have Dick relaying a slightly tweaked version of his origin, implying that Batman did not swoop down and publicly comfort Dick Grayson in the circus ring after his parents' murder (as was shown to have happened in Batman: Year Three and A Lonely Place of Dying back in 1989 - and which served as the initial reason Tim started admiring Batman!), and in fact Dick "...didn't believe the stories about the Batman" until months after he moved into the Manor, when Bruce told him the truth and showed him the Cave:

Robin (1993) #0

And of course the many subsequent instances afterwards of the existence of Batman, Robin, Nightwing, etc. all being kept on the down-low:

Young Justice (1998) #52-53 - Tim creating his Mr. Sarcastic guise to avoid being on-camera as Robin.

Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #727 - Bullock and Montoya being true Gothamite bros to the Bats.

And many more, etc.

All of this is obviously incompatible with the prior era and many events where Batman and Robin were very well documented as heroes, including Tim's origin in Batman: Year Three and ALPoD, as mentioned above.

As Tim related, he followed them mainly in various news media, and it was in fact on TV that he fatefully saw Robin's quadruple flip, years later:

Batman (Vol. 1) #441

By contrast, the 2016 recap of Tim's origin in A Lonely Place of Living, which restored his pre-Flashpoint backstory, does have Batman appearing at the circus again, and even taking Dick with him, but it doesn't include anything about Tim following Batman and Robin in the news, clipping articles, etc. It doesn't even mention when or how Tim saw Robin performing Dick Grayson's quadruple somersault in order to piece things together:

Detective Comics (2016) #965

But okay, if Batman and Robin were subsequently retconned into shadowy urban legends that didn't regularly appear in newspapers or on TV, how do we reconcile that with Tim's backstory as a fan who stalked followed them super closely?? His creepy cute scrapbook of newspaper clippings and Moment of Revelation from watching them on TV can't exist in the same form anymore, it's incompatible.

We can fudge an in-universe explanation covering most of the retcon, like it was a policy change that Batman instituted early in Tim's Robin tenure, and say Oracle went back and scrubbed photos, videos, records etc. from existence. We'd probably have to lean into the sliding timescale of comics and pretend all of this happened in a more digital era, though, because otherwise there are all of those pesky physical records...

We can cover the gaps by handwaving that the 'shadowy urban legends' cloak of secrecy was never foolproof, and hard evidence of B&R's existence did exist here and there, but was limited and hard to find. This jives fairly well with the actual 'urban legend' era post-Zero Hour; they couldn't avoid being witnessed or interacting with people all the time. Kid Tim would just have to do more involved digging than snipping articles out of the daily paper. Maybe the hidden security camera footage of Robin's flip that was shown on the evening news was much more shadowy and ambiguous than in canon, and it's because of Tim's special interest that he was even able to recognize B&R, and what was going on? I like this one, personally.

But alternatively. We do know that he followed Batman in person and took pictures at least in Batman #440. We're pretty sure that he had to have followed Dick/the Titans around in New York before, given that he'd memorized the Titans' schedules and knew the locations of both Kory's and Dick's apartments (also Batman #440; Tim, pls...).

It seems like extending these instances into a more regular pattern of Tim following the Bats around, and gathering photo evidence for his scrapbook by taking pictures himself, and witnessing Robin!Dick's flip in person, is one possible way to reconcile the inconsistency. And one even more likely to be used by people with only more general fandom knowledge, who are used to the 'urban legend' world-state but want to have Tim stalking the Bats at length anyway. (Which, along with New 52 Tim, is part of how we get baby super-hacker and electronic stalker extraordinaire Tim fanon, as well, I'm sure.)

[queerryan]

>My< ideal Batman Cinematic Universe

Batman: Year One

Batman the Long Halloween

Batman and Robin (TV Series) Season 1 (Dick Grayson) — Establishing the villains and other heroes even

Teen Titans origin movie.

Batgirl Movie

World's Finest 1

Batman and Robin Season 2 ending with an 3 episode arc of Robin becoming Nightwing

Nightwing Solo movie, moving to Bludhaven with Titans cameos.

Batman and Robin Season 3 (Jason Todd)

Batman: the cult

Batgirl 2 (introducing the Gotham Sirens)

Batman and Robin Season 4, ending with a Death in The Family Arc

Dark World's Finest 2 (Clark trying to help Bruce deal with Jason's death as they solved a mysterious crime)

Another Batman movie introducing Cassandra Cain, but not including her as a recurring character yet.

Gotham Sirens Movie

Batman and Alan Scott team-up movie (because I think this would be interesting since Alan Scott was Gotham's first hero)

Batman Death of the Family

Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying (Movie)

The Oracle Movie with Black Canary (foundation of the Birds of Pray)

Batman and Robin Season 4 (Tim Drake) — in the mid season establish Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown as a recurring character. End the season with an Arc leading to No Man's Land.

A Young Justice 98 show set in between Tim's season.

Oracle and Bagirl (Cassie) movie set a few days before No Man's Land

No Man's Land 1 (Batman Focused)

No Man's Land 2 (Robin, Stephanie and Oracle Focused)

No Man's Land 3 (Batman and Batgirl Focused)

Batwoman Movie

Batman and Robin Season 5 — First 3 episodes is Tim's parents finding out he's robin and forbidden him of continuing,then the rest of the season would be Stephanie’s Robin arc, with batman training her and Cassie. Ending with Stephanie faking her death.

Batman and Robin Season 6 — Tim Drake again. Stephanie's comeback midseason.

Under the Red Hood movie

Red Hood: The lost days mini series.

World's Finest 3

Batwing Movie

Batman Solo mini series: Bruce Wayne Murderer and Fugitive.

Batman Vs the Court of Owls (Part 1)

Nightwing Vs the Court of Owls (Part 2)

Red Hood and the Outlaws 1 season. (Preferably Artemis and Bizarro, but it would be fun to include Roy too)

Batman and Red Hood Team-up movie

Robin Solo movie — Tim Drake's losing his Parents (not by Captain Boomerang but by another villain), being adopted by Bruce

Red Robin movie

Batgirl (Cassie) Solo Movie

Birds of Prey Movie (with Cassie as a member)

Batman Vs Two Face (Helping and Saving Harvey)

Batfamily final Movie Part 1

Batfamily final movie Part 2

No Damian Wayne content because I hate him.

In no particular time period but other 2 titans movie can happen in between all of this. Obviously characters aren't stuck to appear In their solo projects, they can be secondary characters or cameos in other projects. Some Characters not mentioned like the villains, Talia and the League of Assassins would appear in the Batman and Robin series.

This is MY personal ideal universe, I obviously have some preferences in characters like every fan, don't take it too seriously.

Also Cassie and Steph would date and Tim could have a mini arc in that Boarding School where he also flirts with his male classmates and even other villains. No Bernard because I think he's boring.

[echoarts03]

My Favorite Batman Villains and Why

(In no particular order)

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As a cartoon/movie/video game Batman fan, let's go over some of my favorite villains, shall we?

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1.) THE JOKER

Is this a basic answer?

Sure, but I don't give a shit! I really enjoy the Joker! I think he's hysterical in most of the Batman adaptations I've seen (yes, INCLUDING the LEGO Batman movie,) and there's just something about villains who are absolutely bonkers-crazy that really catches my attention.

2.) SCARECROW

BRO. IS. COOL.

His gimmick is FEAR, and if that isn't a really fucking cool concept then idk what is.

DOCTORS THAT TURN INTO VILLAINS HAS GOT TO BE QUITE POSSIBLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE TROPES.

#PutScarecrowinmoreshows2024

3.) TWO-FACE

To be fair, I have no clue what drew me in to Harvey's character.

Maybe it's the idea of him once being such a respectable guy, and then one nearly-fatal accident turned him into a shell of his former self, or maybe it's just because mob bosses are awesome fuckin' characters, imo.

Or maybe it's just because I like his designs.

Who knows, man? XD

────────────────────────────

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

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THE PENGUIN

A funny little penguin man running a mob is honestly kinda funny to me.

Also, I loved how much of a goblin he was in the 2004 cartoon, and I think we need to manifest more of that side of him into media, lol.

(I also plan to watch "THE PENGUIN" soon, but I'm currently watching 2 DC shows at once so I gotta finish at least one of those first XD)

SLADE/DEATHSTROKE

BRO IS A MENACE.

I ADORED THIS MOTHERFUCKER SO MUCH IN TEEN TITANS (2003) IT AIN'T EVEN FUNNY.

That version of him was by FAR one of the best-written villains of all time.

The only reason I put him in "honorable mentions" is because I don't see him as a Batman villain. I grew up watching him fight the Teen Titans, so to me, Slade is the Teen Titans' villain.

Also, yeah, I'm calling him Slade because that's what I grew up calling him. So just don't go expecting me to call him Deathstroke every single time I'm talking about him, alright? XD

BANE

I mean, he isn't my FAVORITE, but I do like him a lot- ESPECIALLY in The Dark Knight trilogy. They kinda did bro dirty in BTAS, but I guess they can't all be bangers!

Also, I will protect THQS Bane with my LIFE.

────────────────────────────

But yeah, here's my list of my big favorites :D Hope you like it!

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[hood-ex]

Why Slade has such interest on Dick? What's their past? Do they hate each other? When did this all begin?

I've answered this to some degree through other asks before, so I'll link them. Note that in the first one (which I wrote back in 2018), I just did a quick summary of some key interactions between them, but there were other times they interacted, and other important events (Joey's death being one). Also, Dick and Slade's interactions in the recent Dark Crisis event are relevant to today, but it's not covered in either post since I wrote these some time ago.

Also, I wrote in both posts that Slade was interested in Dick because Dick evaded him, and in Slade's own words, "Blast! Never let anyone escape me before." But now that I'm revisiting the issue real quick, Slade simply thought Dick was the best of the Titans.

"Funny. Of all the Titans, the one without powers proved the hardest [to catch]. Mebbe not so funny. Grayson’s their leader because he’s the best. Powers augment a person, they don’t make ‘im." - Tales of the Teen Titans #43

So that's more so the reason.

[iris-m3ss4g3s-0447]

reasons why i dislike caleo

(but it's actually (mostly) well put together, and not just mindless hate !)

while analyzing this ship, i came down to three points why it is problematic .

age

power dynamic

general compatibility

and in this post, i will be breaking down these three, and explaining how if it was different, it would be acceptable.

disclaimer ; though this is all based on the actual books and mythology, it is also based on my explanations and knowledge. if you don't like it, just scroll. no one is forcing you to read/reblog/comment your nasty comments.

anywho, let's get into it !

1. age

while a lot of people argue that calypso is an acceptable age for leo, due to a comment made by percy in botl (or the battle of the labyrinth) in which he said, "she was.. fifteen, sixteen?" this comment was made entirely off of looks. he had absolutely no confirmation that she was actually that age. similar to artemis, he said she looked 12, but we all know very well that artemis was thousands of years old.

alongside that, some calypso / caleo fans like to compare the relationship to hazel and frank, or to nico and will. i dismiss the comparation, due to one simple factor. time perception. it is very obviously stated that when nico was in the lotus casino, time seemed to go by much faster to him. similarly, when hazel was in the fields of asphodel, time felt slowed. while it is often stated that time felt swifter for leo, calypso was well aware of how much time had passed. hence, she is aware of how old she is.

finally, lots of caleo fans will state that rick's series are not fully accurate to the myths, so calypso could very well be younger. and while i agree to an extent, when has rick ever made ages inaccurate, especially relating to the gods ?

2. power dynamic

alike the first point i made, this one is also somewhat related to calypso's age. due to the fact that she is a titan (older than apollo (4000 years, mind you) and he is a demigod (15 in blood of olympus) there's a huge power dynamic. due to leo constantly being treated like shit by adult females in his lives (his family, hera, etc.), it's very easy to realize that he would seek out comfort from other older females in his teen years. essentially, he wasn't in love with calypso, he loved that he had an older woman to love him. 3. general compatibility shortest section. a lot of y'all don't wanna admit it, but calypso genuinely treats leo like shit. i don't even have the energy to go point out where. just go reread the dark prophecy. please. anywho,,, yeah. there u go

[richincolor]

We're nearing the end of 2024, so in preparation for our hiatus, our schedule will be changing slightly. Today we will have all of the November 2024 releases, and this Friday will be all of the December 2024 releases. After that, our team will make their individual favorites lists for the year before we go on our break. So without further adieu, here are the books coming out this month:

November 5th

Batgirl: Possession by Jade Adia, illustrated by Charly Palmer Penguin Random House

Batgirl™ is on the case when strange attacks start happening at Gotham Academy. The long shadows of Gotham City stretch deeper than she imagined when evidence points to black magic and something more sinister still in this original suspense novel!Thanks to a scholarship to the prestigious Gotham Academy, Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, gets to experience how some of the city’s wealthiest teens live with fast cars, expensive clothes, and more. But when these advantages and luxuries are not enough, Barbara discovers that the some of them have turned to dabbling in black magic to get their kicks . . . setting off a series of strange events and deaths. Batgirl quickly steps in to investigate, but finding the killer proves to be more difficult than usual. The prime suspect’s brother is an irresistible distraction from the case at the same her growing relationship with Robin, the Boy Wonder, is hitting an all-time low. If all that wasn’t troubling enough, the hard facts aren’t to be lining up. Batgirl isn’t one to believe in black magic, but there seem to be forces in Gotham City’s shadows growing hungrier and stronger, and if she doesn’t find a way to shed some light on the case soon, the creeping darkness just might take possession of her . . . forever!Batgirl and supernatural thriller fans will love the mystery and horror lurking in this action-packed original novel!

Streetlight People by Charlene Thomas Dutton Books for Young Readers

For most, Streetlight is a dot on the map you pass on your way to somewhere else. But if you live there, you’re either a Have-Not, like Kady, or a Have-Lot like her boyfriend, Nik, who also happens to be a member of the exclusive social club, The IV Boys.

Known for their powerful families and the coveted ball they host for a selective guest list, The IV Boys have always refused to accept Kady regardless of how much Nik loves her. All the Boys except for Aaron, who didn’t grow up in Streetlight and is one of the few who knows that life—real life—exists outside of it. But his stepmom has the kind of wealth and power even IV Boys can’t resist.

With Nik at college, Aaron stands by Kady’s side. But all Kady really wants is Nik, and when a chance encounter on Halloween hands her the power to twist and hold time, she doesn’t hesitate. Now she can keep Nik close for as long as she wants.

While Kady tries to relive her best moments with Nik, the IV Boys have her in their sights. A rumor’s spreading that Kady and Aaron are much more than friends—and not even twisting time is enough to defend against the power that the Boys were born with.

The more Kady changes the clock, the more dizzying reality becomes, until she stumbles upon a truth darker than anything she could have imagined. Streetlight is filled with monsters—and maybe she’s always been one, too.

Teen Titans: Starfire #5 by Kami Garcia, illustrated by Gabriel Picolo DC Comics

Kori Anders’ summer job at a ritzy Santa Monica beach club is fun, but she doesn't feel like she belongs there. She never breaks the rules, she doesn’t care about keeping up with the current trends, and she can’t be bothered rushing around to make an appearance at all the parties—in fact, Kori avoids rushing at all costs because of her Ehlers Danlos Syndrome diagnosis. What she does feel is an inexplicable draw to the stars.

Her older sister, Kira, on the other hand, is the most popular girl around. With the hottest clothes, an even hotter boyfriend (the Tate Fairweather), and a take-no-prisoners attitude, she’s Kori’s opposite in every way. Sadly, Kori doesn’t think Tate is a good fit for her sister, and nothing she says will convince Kira to break up with him.

The summer heats up when Tate’s uncle, Lynch Fairweather, CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, asks Kori and Kira to participate in a clinical trial designed to advance treatments for EDS. During treatment, Kori begins to discover some strange powers that she has never had before…and she might not be the only one.

Can Kori uncover the truth about her powers and find a way to persuade her sister to trust her before it’s too late?

Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile #2) by Isabel Ibañez Wednesday Books

The stunning conclusion to the story that started in What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!

1885, Egypt

Inez Olivera is left reeling from her cousin Elvira’s murder, and her mother’s betrayal, and when Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.

Marriage to Whitford Hayes.

Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.

November 12

Fortune's Kiss by Amber Clement Union Square & Co.

The legendary Fortune’s Kiss has returned to Ciudad Milagro for the first time in ten years. The magical gambling house shows up twice a year in a new city during the solstices to lure those worthy enough to wager their souls for wealth, the realization of their greatest desires, and, even, immortality.

Known by many names throughout the years, it returns to Milagro as El Beso de la Fortuna . . . and the game is Lotería. And best friends Mayté Robles and Lorena (Lo) de León are determined to change their lives, escape the dangerous men who threaten them, and gain riches.

Mayté, the sole daughter of the disgraced Robles family, wishes to leave her family and become a successful painter, while Lo suffers at the hands of her powerful and abusive father and seeks to find her mother, who escaped to Fortune’s Kiss years ago but never returned.

When Fortune’s Kiss finally returns to their city, the pair follow on their childhood blood pact to enter the gaming salon. But once inside, Mayté and Lo quickly realize that beneath the marvelous glamour, the salon is hiding dangerous secrets and the house always wins. And the game of Lotería is not the children’s game they grew up playing—it is a deadly lottery of chance.

With the help of a young, handsome croupier, the girls embark on a mission to unravel the mystery of the salon’s magic, find Lo’s mother, and try to win a nearly impossible game as their friendship is put under the greatest of tests.

Greater Secrets by Ananth Hirsh Random House Graphics

In a family gifted with the ability to see a mysterious light in the distance, one teen embarks on a fantastical journey to find her missing sister, and finally answer the question: is this ancestral gift a blessing or a curse?

Maya’s family is cursed.

Or blessed, it depends on who you talk to. For as far back as anyone can remember, her family has had to ability to see a mysterious pillar of light in the distance. Those who have tried to find it have never come back. Maya has no idea what you're meant to find if you follow the light. Adventure? Destiny? But what if your destiny isn't a good thing?

Maya’s sister left to follow her light…and has been missing ever since.

That’s how Maya finds herself on a surreal road trip with two people she barely knows, headed towards a ghost town where her sister was last seen. Unfortunately, the closer Maya gets to her sister...the closer she gets to her own pillar of light. Maya doesn't know if she's ready to face her destiny but if it means finding her sister then she'll do whatever it takes.

Heist Royale (Thieves' Gambit, #2) by Kayvion Lewis Nancy Paulsen Books

The high-stakes sequel to Thieves' Gambit, for fans of Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Ally Carter.

It's been six months since the end of the Gambit. Instead of winning an impossible wish, Ross has the threat of her family’s execution hanging over her head. Devroe, the only person Ross thought she could trust, could wish the Quests into oblivion at any time. Shockingly, despite his betrayal, Devroe is still making a play for Ross’s heart as the two work together pulling jobs for the Organization. But Ross has learned her lesson: A Quest can only trust another Quest.

When Ross finds herself at the center of a power struggle within the Organization, she sees her chance to change her fortunes. As a new deadly Gambit develops for control of the criminal underworld, Ross strikes a risky deal to guarantee protection for herself and her family.

In this final clash, Ross will square off against a ruthless opponent who will stop at nothing to seize power, and in their corner will be not only Devroe but his mother, who wants to destroy the Quests at any cost.

The new Gambit takes Ross and her crew into the intoxicating casinos of Monte Carlo and across treacherous snow-covered slopes in Antarctica as Ross competes against Devroe in a fight for her life. Loyalties will be tested, backs stabbed, hearts broken. May the best thief win.

I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call (I Feed Her to the Beast, #2) by Jamison Shea Hot Key Books

Monsters and mortals, rejoice! Acheron is back . . .

Though Laure has tried to close the lid on her ballet shoes and the feelings she once held for dance since the Palais Garnier incident two months ago, Laure is spinning out. Between partying, drinking, and avoiding anything and, well, everyone, she has no time to be anything but a monster. But when Laure stumbles across a mysterious dead body during one of her nights out, she’s forced to notice the cracks stretching beyond herself.

Below the streets of Paris, Elysium is dying, and Acheron and Lethe’s influence is spilling into the streets like a blight. Laure isn’t the only of Elysium’s beasts to rise from the ruins of Palais Garnier, and someone is mobilizing an army of monsters with plans greater than Laure, Andor, and Keturah could have ever guessed. While Laure is warring between her wants and Acheron’s ever-demanding appetite, she and her circle of monsters are left to reckon with a not-so-simple question: how do you save yourself from oblivion?

Jamison Shea's sharp and unflinching voice will bring readers to terrifying new heights in this vicious sequel to the "relentlessly gory and almost euphoric in its embrace of the horrific" (NPR) I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me.

Midnights with You by Clair Osongco Disney-Hyperion

“Where were you thinking of going?” “Nowhere.” “Great,” he says lightly, putting the car in gear. “Then we’ll go there.”

Seventeen-year-old Deedee’s life is full of family ghosts and questions she can’t ask. She longs for an escape, but guilt holds her back—that, and the fact that her strict Filipino single mom won’t let her learn to drive. But one sleepless night leads Deedee down a road she never thought possible: secret driving lessons with the new boy next door, Jay, whose turbulent family life also keeps him up until sunrise.

As midnights stretch into days, Jay helps Deedee begin to unravel her past, and as shared secrets blossom into love, Deedee starts to imagine a life where happiness is possible. But the deeper she digs into the trauma that has shaped her, the more that trauma threatens to tear Deedee and Jay apart. Together, these two must decide if the pain they’ve both inherited has the power to choose their fate, or if they have the power to choose for themselves.

More Than This (The Davenports, #2) by Krystal Marquis Dial Books for Young Readers

Like the blazing Chicago sun, the drama is heating up for the Davenports and their social set. Before the summer of 1910 drops its last petal, the lives—and loves—of these four young women will change in ways they never could have imagined:

Newly engaged Ruby Tremaine is eagerly planning her wedding to the love of her life when a nasty rumor threatens her reputation and her marriage. Olivia Davenport has committed to the social justice cause and secretly hopes she’ll be reunited with dashing lawyer Washington DeWight—until her parents decide she’s to marry someone else. Amy-Rose Shepherd is making her lifelong wish of owning a salon come true, but when an incident forces her to return to Freeport Manor, she’s back in the path of John Davenport, who still holds her heart. Helen Davenport is determined to get over her own heartbreak and bring the Davenport Carriage Company into the new century, even if it means teaming up with a thrill-seeking racecar driver who just loves to get under her skin.

Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, More Than This is the second book in critically adored Davenports series, following four empowered and passionate young Black women as they navigate a rapidly changing society and discover the courage to steer their own paths in life—and love.

Rani Choudhury Must Die by Adiba Jaigirdar Feiwel & Friends

In this sapphic dual POV Young Adult romance by Adiba Jaigirdar, Meghna and Rani (ex-best-friends-turned-rivals) realize they're dating the same guy, so they team up to beat and expose him at a big science competition!

Meghna Rahman is tired of constantly being compared to her infuriatingly perfect ex best friend now rival. Everyone, except, at least, her boyfriend Zak, seems to think that Rani Choudhury can do no wrong—even her own parents! It doesn’t help that Rani is always accepted into the Young Scientist Exhibition, while Meghna’s projects never make it. But this year, she finally has a chance at defeating Rani in something.

Rani Choudhury is tired of feeling like she doesn’t have much say in her life—not when it comes to how her mom wants her to look and act or how her parents encourage her to date incredibly charming close family friend Zak. She would much rather focus on her coding, especially once she places high enough at the Young Scientist Exhibition to go on to the European Young Scientist Exhibition

When Meghna and Rani figure out that Zak has been playing them both, they decide to do something no one would see coming: they team up. They’ll compete in the EYSE as partners, creating an app that exposes cheaters and a project that exposes Zak. But with years of silence and pressure between them, working together will prove difficult. Especially once each girl starts to realize that the feelings they had for the other may have been more than platonic...

Hey, no one ever said science was easy!

November 19

Serpent Sea (The Spice Road Trilogy #2) by Maiya Ibrahim Delacorte Press

Imani is a magic-wielding warrior sworn to protect her land from the monsters that roam the desert. But an even worse enemy now threatens the Sahir. As the powerful Harrowlanders march south with their greatest weapon—spice magic—Imani knows it’s only a matter of time before their invasion of her land begins . . . and it will be a losing battle for her people.

But Imani also knows that one way to fight magic is with monsters. If she can restore Qayn’s stolen powers, together they can summon a supernatural army to defend the Sahir from the Harrowlanders. Forming an alliance with a djinni king is risky, but Imani will do anything to save her people, even embarking on a dangerous quest beyond the sands to find the magical jewels of Qayn’s lost crown.

As Imani journeys far from home, she will discover monsters that warriors have only heard about in myths . . . monsters that can strike at any moment. Meanwhile, her rival, Taha, has been captured and is on a dangerous mission of his own.

One wrong move could cost them their lives—and everyone they love. But they may find that there is more than meets the eye crossing the Serpent Sea . . . and betrayal cuts deeper than any dagger.

Sophomore Year (Briarcliff Prep #2) by Brianna Peppins Disney Hyperion

Amelia Westlake Was Never Here meets an empathetic exploration of anxiety at historically Black boarding school Briarcliff Prep. Love triangles, friendship breakups, and slice-of-student-life are balanced with a thoughtful discussion about mental health, all in a love letter to Black girls.

Avielle LeBeau is beginning her second year at Briarcliff Prep, and she's got big dreams. Top of the list? Starting her own student life magazine and rooming with her besties Rhyon and Zazie. But a housing mix-up splits Avi from her friends—and to make matters worse, she's rooming with her rival, Fallon Walsh, instead.

How does one girl juggle school, a fracturing friendship, living with a mean girl, and getting caught in a potential love triangle between the ex she can't move on from and a friend who’s becoming something more? It's a lot. Made even harder by the panic attacks Avi has been experiencing lately.

If one thing is true about the LeBeau family, it's that they’re always there for each other. But with her older sister Belle away at college and her brothers preoccupied chasing their own dreams, Avi must learn how to find support in new (unlikely) places.

Will Avi finally find her voice? Or will her dreams be drowned out by everyone else?

When Mimi Went Missing by Suja Sukumar Soho Teen

Shy, nerdy Tanvi has always thought of her perfect cousin Mimi as her sister. Not only did Mimi’s family raise Tanvi after the tragic death of her parents, fierce Mimi has always protected Tanvi at school. At least until Mimi fell under the spell of their flawless, rich classmate, Beth . . . Tanvi’s biggest bully.

Fearing another terrible year, Tanvi decides to take a desperate, preemptive strike—and captures an incriminating photo of Mimi and Beth at a party. When Tanvi wakes up the next day with a bump on her head, scratches on her leg, and no memory of what caused her injuries, Mimi is gone.

When the investigation for the missing girl takes a dark turn, Tanvi begins to fill the gaps in her memory, hoping to bring her cousin home alive. She questions Mimi’s friends and enemies—including Mimi’s shady boyfriend, who refuses to answer her questions, and Beth, who catalyzed the split between the once-close cousins. Meanwhile, the cops announce that they are now hunting a murderer—are they hunting Tanvi?

To preserve her family and find the truth, Tanvi must revisit the worst night of her life and the darkest parts of her past to discover if she’s capable of murder—and the truth of what happened to Mimi.

November 26

Heart-Shaped Lies by Elizabeth Agyemang Delacorte

Kiara, Priscilla, and Nevaeh have nothing in common—except they just found out that they’re all dating Tommy Harding, the internet’s most famous teen prank star.

KIARA is the girlfriend who the cameras know and love, the academic star who Tommy parades around in public to keep his image in check.

PRISCILLA is Tommy’s co-star. As a beauty influencer and an accomplice to Tommy’s notorious antics, she’s always known that the two of them could be the Internet’s power couple—if only he would confess to his girlfriend what really goes on during their ‘rehearsals’.

And NEVAEH is the good girl, the pastor’s daughter who’d never dream of dating a boy who’s already taken.

When a viral post from Tommy’s social media account exposes his cheating ways during their high school class trip to Florida’s biggest theme park, the girls are crushed—and furious. Tommy claims his account was hacked. Now, Kiara, Priscilla, and Nevaeh want him out of their lives. Forever. After all, Tommy doesn’t just hold their hearts—he holds their secrets, too.

But when Tommy’s body is found the next morning, their so-called wish becomes a twisted reality. Because Tommy may be gone, but the internet is forever. And the girls are about to go from strangers to suspects….

[zee-rambles]

To celebrate the one year anniversary of the Rise of TMNT Movie, what is something you love the most about it that you don’t see anyone either talking about as much, or at all?

LONG POST COMING! Two things really…

1. The Lack of Romance in it.

I’ve seen one too many great shows be ruined by shipping, and one thing that annoys me more then anything is when you have a girl/woman and they’re almost always relegated to a love interest role. Almost every kid’s TV show (and a LOT of adult oriented ones) has to have a romantic element in it, but I’ve yet to see a single one that actually has a good one (besides Kim Possible, but that’s only because we were allowed to see the characters in a healthy, stable relationship). The fact that neither April, Sunita, Casey, Karai, nor Big Mama had to be pigeonholed into a romantic interest role is such a big plus for me. Even though Big Mama was later revealed to have had a relationship with Splinter, she was set up as a character first. Not only that, but each of the women are unique, funny, allowed to be a part of the action without anyone else telling them to step back, and have interesting or strong bonds with the group they are part of. If they do ever bring Rise back, I hope they continue to not focus on romance at all, straight, gay, or otherwise. Even though I joke about the boys falling for someone and Leo being bisexual, I wouldn’t want it. The focus on family, on brother/sisterhood, is so healthy and wonderfully depicted in this show. It’s rare to see something that reminds you that love doesn’t have to be romantic to be powerful.

2. The fact that the show is silly.

TMNT has always been silly. Even back in the first comic, though things were a lot more violent, it was clear that this was a spoof to make fun of how comically (pun intended) dark certain comics were at the time. Nowadays, a lot of people believe that for a show to be worth something it has to be serious in order to be taken seriously. I think that’s a load of baloney. The whole reason why the Marvel cinematic universe did so well is because it isn’t serious. It’s full of goofy jokes, characters, and moments where the heroes rise up regardless of their numerous failures. Avatar is one of the most beloved shows out there and its main character is a goofy kid, a overly logical genius that couldn’t’ get anything right in the beginning, and a sarcastic, hopeful stick in the mud. The first few episodes talks about a war and then shows a single kid literally prancing his way out of a dangerous predicament. The best shows are the ones that understand that balance. That life is, for the most part, light hearted and full of silly, often ridiculous moments. These shows also realize that when the threat is real, it’s time to get serious. Rise has that balance, just like the original Teen Titans did. Older TMNT fans really went against the one thing that is this show’s greatest strength. Stories that endure the longest, are the ones that are fun, but know how to affect you emotionally. That’s why TMNT is still a thing after all this time. And Rise handles the emotions well, only because we’ve seen the characters at their happiest. Because then, when things get real, we’re heartbroken that they don’t succeed, that they’re suffering. We want them to be happy again, just like we do in real life when times are tough. It’s no wonder so many people love Rise and say that it got them through tough times. The show knows what it’s doing.

AND IT DESERVES TO COME BACK!

[blackbatcass]

hii linden! i kinda needed some help

so, i wanna read some comics based on:

donna troy, cass cain and wally west

but i have literally noo idea where to start 😭 ofc ik the basics but i was hoping you could suggest something?? thank you so much if you do and have a wonderful day!

yeah i gotchu!! those are literally my besties lol i can definitely give you some recs. i'm not sure what you'd consider to be the basics so i'll just include all the big stuff to be thorough

donna troy:

first rec is always new teen titans as you probably would have guessed lol. it is a very long and arduous undertaking though so some more specific recs would be vol. 1 #38, #50, vol. 2 #18-21, #50-55.

i've gone into more detail on her appearances in darkstars, green lantern etc but honestly though they are important to understand the status quo & what was going on with her, i don't think they're very good comics to just read for donna. my next rec would probably be wonder woman (1987) #126-136, which is a VERY important arc for her. it goes into more detail on her origin, reconnects her to the amazons & diana, and i believe is where she officially passes on the wonder girl mantle to cassie. and she appears frequently throughout the rest of that wonder woman run after the arc if you want to continue on!

titans (1999) is another big one, beloved beloved comic. lots of good donna content.

titans/young justice: graduation day #1-3 YIKES! unfortunately pivotal to her story lol

dc special: the return of donna troy look. i know I gush about this comic like it's my full time job. but honest to god i adore it to pieces, it's a love letter to donna and her history and it's one of my favorite comics of all time despite only being 4 issues. begging everyone on the planet to read it rn

cass cain:

cass was famously introduced in batman: no man's land! now that event is very very long so it might seem tempting to skip straight to bg 2000 but i'm here to tell you to not do that. if nothing else it is PIVOTAL that you read her introduction issues (mark of cain pts 1 & 2), batman #567 and detective comics #734. probably the coolest most metal introduction of any comics character in history, it's that good. if you're interested in cass's role in nml but not the whole thing, here's a list of her appearances:

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #56

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #57

Batman Chronicles #18

Batman #569

Detective Comics #738

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #124

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #92

Detective Comics #739

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #93

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #60-61

Detective Comics #741

i think nml is essential reading for cass and it makes me sad that a lot of people skip it.

next is, of course, batgirl (2000). it's her character bible it's god's (kelley puckett's) gift to mankind it's maybe the best comic ever written. what more can i say

she's also a fixture in gotham knights! cass was a part of most batfamily events in the early 2000s, ex. officer down, joker's last laugh, war games, bruce wayne: murderer? and bruce wayne: fugitive. it's pretty easy to find them since they mostly cross over with her batgirl run.

detective comics #790 is only one issue but it's. ough.

aaaaand then we get into the evil cass arc stuff which just sucks and isn't worth it. she's pretty much written out of the story for a while, other than red robin #17 & #25.

she does show up as black bat in gates of gotham! i really enjoy that story, and it's only 5 issues.

that gets us to new52. i would completely disregard her rebirth and batgirls appearances honestly. she is a part of the current birds of prey ongoing! and while i am not kelly thompson's biggest fan i do think she gets a lot of cool moments and for the most part she's done right.

she is also featured sporadically throughout ram v's gotham nocturne storyline (it started way back in detective comics #1062 if you want to read the whole arc, it's VERY good). i have to give a special shoutout to #1084, which has a backup story that's focused on cass and it legitamately blew my mind. like i couldn't believe my eyes when i was reading it, maybe it's because cass has been done so dirty over the years that anything makes me happy but to get a cass-centric story featuring shiva that cares about her as a character in 2024 was crazy 2 me i will rave about it forever. thank you alex paknadel.

wally west:

the good news is my wally reclist is WAY less complicated. as is predictable for me, pretty much the only wally rec I have is flash volume 2 (1987). it is for all intents and purposes The Story of Wally West tm. it's his character bible it follows him throughout nearly a decade of his life. because it's so long my specific rec would be to read waid's run on it, from #62-142. if you want more context to his life at the time you can start earlier in the comic, i think #31 is a good jumping on point if you want to experience some messner-loebs but not too much messner-loebs lmfao.

he's featured in titans (1999) until about issue #20, iirc. wally is just fated to quit titans teams lol. there is some good stuff with him up until that point though!

that is honestly about all i got until you get to more modern flash comics. after rebirth he's reintroduced in flash vol. 5, and #768-800 is the jeremy adams run.

he's also the main focus in si spurrier's flash vol. 6! aka the current flash ongoing. which... as i have often said, i am a big fan of.

AND THAT’S MY LIST!!! i hope it helped you out at least a little lol!

[jalapainio]

As I've been reading Comics, I've slowly been assembling a Batman readthrough Timeline, which encompasses the full scale of Batman. So far, I have only gathered the first ten years. I put the canonized Comics in Trade Paperbacks, as they sometimes throw in an extra issue or two of another comic run and it is easier for me to keep track of them that way.

Here it is! The ultimate Batman Timeline (years 1-10)

Batman Year 1: 21 year old Bruce (first of many soft head cannons) becomes Batman. Many early villains of Batman pop up, including Joker, Catwoman, Mad Hatter, Riddler, and Calendar Man. Canonized Comics include Batman: Year One, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Batman: Zero Year.

Batman Year 2: This year is dedicated entirely to the Long Halloween, which also introduced Poison Ivy, Solomon Grundy, and most famously, Two-Face. Canonized Comics include Batman: The Long Halloween.

Batman Year 3: Much like Year 2, Year 3 is dedicated to its sequel, Dark Victory. In it, a new serial killer known as the Hangman has started killing cops in Gotham. This year sees the end of the classic Mafia in Gotham, and ten year old Dick Grayson being taken in by Bruce Wayne. While he does put on the Robin colors and even goes out with Batman, he is not Robin just yet. Canonized Comics include Batman: Dark Victory.

Batman Year 4: This year gives the main focus towards training Dick. We can also assume that the Justice League, or at least a version of it, has been formed during this year. In addition, Killer Croc is introduced. Canonized Comics include N/A (seriously, I need something here. Anyone rec a solo Batman story that might fit in here?)

Batman Year 5: While most of the year is like the one above, a calm year for Batman, at the end of year, 12 year old Dick wears the Robin suit for the technically second time. He is the one who makes his suit, angry at Bruce for forcing him through constant training as a stall to prevent Dick from going out. Canonized Comics include Robin and Batman.

Batman Year 6: Dick goes through his next big villain during the spring of this year, facing off against Two-Face. After a brief moment when he is fired as Robin, he returns to the Cape, this time with a new perspective on his role. Canonized Comics include Robin Year One.

Batman Year 7: Dick, while working with Batman, notices Bruce's strange behavior. Collaborating with his other teen heroes he met in Year 5, he figures out that the entire Justice League is acting weird! Together, the five (Robin, Speedy, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Wondergirl) team up and work together to take down the Justice League! They called themselves the Teen Titans. Canonized Comics include Teen Titans: Year One

Batman Year 8: Barbara Gordon, 17 years old and an accelerated graduate of College (she has to be not on a normal track, or else her entire relationship with Dick would just be so weird) puts on a bat themed costume to spite her father, and ends up going against Killer Moth. Batgirl, as she's newly christrained, is supported by Robin (but not Batman) to become a superhero. Firefly takes up the costume with Killer Moth, and Batgirl takes them down. Canonized Comics include Batgirl: Year One

Batman Year 9: Batman and Superman work together to defeat the Devil Nazha, which ends up with Dick being stuck in time. Bruce rescues him, and the rest of World's Finest goes on. Canonized Comics include Batman/Superman World's Finest: Devil Nazha, Batman/Superman World's Finest: Strange Visitor, and Batman/Superman World's Finest: Elementary.

Batman Year 10: 17 year old Dick and the rest of the Teen Titans fight off a rabid cult of fans! Canonized Comics include World's Finest Teen Titans.

[localebra]

Hench Women of Riddler

Echo & Query

Technically fist appearing in Secret Origins Special Vol 2 #1 1989, but under the names Query and Probe. We will have to discuss all the different names before going into them as individuals.

Detective Comics Annual #8 1995 is the first time they are who we truely know today as Query (Diedre Vance) and Echo (Nina Damfino). At the time working at a sex club called Pandora, they were petty crooks who decided to rob the Riddler after a heist. He was not only able to convince him to not Rob him, but to become his hired help.

Quiz and Query help him with his game show host astetic in Batman: Riddler 1995.

Along with dark skined twin version of Quiz and Query in The Batman and Robin Adventures #3 1996.

Not a woman, but I must mention Kwiz Kid from Teen Titans Go! #15 2003. The Rival to the Robin and boyfriend to Kitten. He is rather a fan, apprentice or spn of the Riddler.

Enigma the Riddler's daughter (Allegedly) first apeared in Teen Titans #38 2006 Joining the heroic team before shortly making an appearance in Gotham alongside her father to carry out his crimes. Eventually betraying the Titans along with Joker's daughter to Teen Titans East. Until being doubled crossed by Joker's daughter and losing to the Titans. Shortly afterwards while working with her father she was killed by him. Dark Crisi she was named Quinn Nash appearing in the Arkham Academy program inside Batman urban Legends 21 2023. Were it is stated father would go on to be mentally abusive. Pushing her to be just as smart as him, when she failed to show this, Riddler tried to kill her for not being as smart as him. Next appearing in DC's 'Twas the 'Mite Before Christmas (2023) #1 where she goes on a date with Batwoman and helps her unravel her father's plans.

Quiz real name Miyu Tangram from Legends of the Dark Knight #2 2021. Marketed as Riddler's Punchline she sent him a riddle which led to an easy bank robbery. He had the wrong code for the safe and she revealed her self from the hostages in told him the code and to take her with him. A massive fan of his work and later on his lover.

Miss Tuesday the Riddlers short lived sidekick in Batman: The Audio Adventures (Podcast) 2021.

Enigma real name Evelyn Rhyme and actual daughter of the Riddler in Batwoman season 2 2021. In which she is a master hypnotist who worked for Black Mask and made Kate Kane think she was Circe Sionis. She effected many other but was killed by Ocean to prevent her from reversing her work on Alice.

For thoughts I feel a story from the perspective of Query and Echo could be very interesting into aspects. Not only would it give us the inner workings of The Riddlers work, but a unique view as a henchmen. At no point of a stepped on or looked down upon unlike other henchmen. They are the lowest of below but they're on top of the Heap. In regards to the various children, partners and fans I think actively bringing them together could be something interesting. Maybe Riddler actively puts a test out there to attract people who are the same level of intelligences him. Trying to build a team to take over Gotham through brains instead of brawn. Project Daedalus it could be called and each of the characters could have a different specialization.

[nitewrighter]

My "favorite" memory of someone asking about getting into comics was a Teen Titans cartoon fan asking me what Starfire was doing in the comics and if she should check it out. At that time, Starfire was part of the Outlaws and trying to sleep with Jason Todd and Roy Harper at the same time. So immediately steered her to the older stuff.

Ohhhh man I remember there was a fan comic a while back that was like "This is Amy--Amy grew up with the 2003 Teen Titans and her favorite character is Starfire! Now Amy's older and wants to read about Starfire in the actual comics!" And then it cuts to Red Hood and the Outlaws Starfire going 'I'm bored. Show me your penis.' Amy goes 'This is garbage' and decides not to read the comics." Although i also know a solid number of fans who like RHATO Starfire because "Omg polycule energy!"

Tbh it is kind of wild how much mainline continuity comics can differ from their cartoon contemporaries. Like I'm reading comics that were coming out around the same time as BTAS right now and like, this is absolutely the time when millions of kids were falling in love with Batman because of BTAS--and like, I can't make a full judgment because this is Bruce as he's showing up in other heroes' titles and big crossover events and not his solo titles, and it may also be my residual "sick of his ass" from Dark Nights Metal talking, but a lot of the time it's like, "Wow Bruce is kind of an asshole, huh."

BTAS Bruce is my dad because he raised me and he loves me. Comics Bruce is my Dad because he has significant control and communication issues.