#happy 85 years of Batman

[mikyapixie]

🦇HAPPY BATMAN DAY🦇

Happy 85 years of Batman

V2

I made this while listening to The Future by Mystery Skulls, unexpectedly it was good motivator!!!

[02png]

Happy 85 years, Batman!

X | instagram

[stazjohnson]

For Batman Day, 85 years & still going strong. Happy birthday big guy.

[yutaan]

Holiday sale!

Hey there, my lovelies! Once again, the end of the year is fast approaching, which means we’re all hunting around for gifts for our loved ones (or to keep for ourselves - after all, you deserve gifts too, my lovelies). And what’s a wonderful present for a fandom-savvy giftee? That’s right, it’s ART!

My INPRNT shop is back open, and all items there are 10% off for the entire month of December with the code "FZE4NF"! And below, we have a wide array of beautiful papercraft originals, pre-made, packaged, and ready to be shipped to YOU! Happy holidays, my lovelies!

(Please note that due to tumblr’s image resizing, the artworks are not necessarily displayed at an accurate size in comparison to each other.)

~

BUSTS (approx. 4″ tall)

Harrowhark (The Locked Tomb) - $70 each [BOTH SOLD]

Lady Amalthea (The Last Unicorn) - $65 [SOLD]

Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) - $65 [SOLD]

Jasmine (Aladdin) - $50

Mirabel (Encanto) - $60 [SOLD]

Meg (Hercules) - $50

Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho) - $55 [SOLD]

Liu Qingge (SVSSS) - $70 [SOLD]

Katara (Avatar: the Last Airbender) - $70 [SOLD]

Ed (Fullmetal Alchemist) - $75 [SOLD]

Yugi & Yami Yugi (Yugioh) - 8" wide - $210

Jiang Cheng & Jin Ling (MDZS/The Untamed) - 6" tall - $200 [SOLD]

~

FULLBODIES (approx. 6″ tall)

Aerith (FFVII) - $85

Kagome (Inuyasha) - $75

Sakura (Cardcaptor Sakura) - $85 [SOLD]

Yor (Spy x Family) - $85 [SOLD]

Reigen (Mob Psycho 100) - $80 [SOLD]

L (Death Note) - $75

Vash (Trigun Stampede) - $95 [SOLD]

Howl + Calcifer (Howl's Moving Castle) - $95 each [BOTH SOLD]

Haku (Spirited Away) - $90 [SOLD]

~

MINIS (approx. 3-3.5″ tall) - $30 each, three for $80, five for $125

Jin Ling, Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng (The Untamed/MDZS) [ALL SOLD]

Batman (DC), Anya (Spy x Family) [ALL SOLD]

2B (Nier: Automata), Chat Blanc (Miraculous Ladybug), Hunk (Voltron)

Sailor Moon, Dark Lady (Sailor Moon), Pikachu (Pokemon) [ALL SOLD]

Bakugo (BNHA)

Nezuko (Demon Slayer) [ALL SOLD]

MINI SETS - $60 each

WangXian (MDZS/The Untamed) [ALL SOLD]

Yunmeng Shuangjie (MDZS/The Untamed) [ALL SOLD]

Jin Ling & Jiujiu (MDZS/The Untamed) [ALL SOLD]

HuaLian (TGCF) [ALL SOLD]

BingQiu (SVSSS) [ALL SOLD]

Crowley & Aziraphale (Good Omens) [ALL SOLD]

~

SIMPLE PAPERCRAFT (approx. 5" tall) - $20 each

~

ZINES (5x7")

TALL ♥ small - 20 pages, handmade, personal illustrations, all-ages - $10 [SOLD OUT]

Battle Damage - 28 pages, pro-printed, multiple artists, teen and up - $15

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are interested in purchasing any of these artworks, please email me at yutaanchan23@yahoo.com with the subject line “Holiday Sale.” In the body of the email, please include:

Which piece(s) you wish to purchase

Shipping address (please note that shipping outside the US may cost extra)

Preferred email address for Paypal invoice

If you have a tumblr username and would like to include it so I can recognize you, you can also do that! :D But it’s not a requirement.

~ 

Pieces are first-come, first-served, so be quick! (Likewise, please note that I cannot reserve a piece for you indefinitely unless you are able to pay for it or place a down payment on it at the time you contact me. Thank you for your understanding!) This post will be updated throughout the month to show which pieces have been sold.

Happy gifting, lovelies!

[detectivereads]

Happy Batman Day!!!!!

85 years of the Cape Crusader, the Dark Knight, the Batman.

Looking back where Batman started from and seeing the new comics that are coming out today, Batman and the Batfam as defiantly came a long way.

I am hoping to see 100 years of Batman and what else can be brought to the table.

I also hope that we get to see a new Batman game series, that is on point with the Arkham series (I love Asylum, City, Knight.) I would like to see a switch release of Origins (I love what they did with the crime scenes that are sprinkled throughout the game).

I love City and Knight a lot because they introduce some of my favorite villains. But Origins was on point with Joker, Harley and Mr. Freeze. Maybe Harvey Dent origin story. Better yet why not have a game for the Long Halloween comic.

But, over all I want a Batman game that includes the whole Batfam, I would like to see a game where we can play as Batman and Bruce Wayne, that Bruce must make appearances in daytime and that opens several mysteries, and we play Batman and solve the mysteries. Also, I would love to play as some of the other members of the Bat family as well.

For this special day I got some new comic books that I am very happy to add to my collection, I am hoping to collect so much more in the future.

[zahri-melitor]

I so really really hate when people reduce each Robin down to a single personality element and act like that’s the only thing true about them.

Because whether it’s like the Joker summary in Robin #85:

Or the weirdly popular fanon ‘Dick was super super angry and Jason was a happy sweet bouncing baby’ version.

It’s more a case of “all of Dick, Jason, Tim and Damian have a bunch of overlapping personality traits, some of which they all have, some of which only some have and a handful that are particularly strong only in one of them” and in an argument to find ‘what makes them different/distinct’ turns into flanderising them all down to non-existence and makes them all extremely dull.

Also in terms of Dick’s time as Robin, I would be so confused how people keep saying he’s the ‘angry Robin’ when we currently have the longest-running Dick as Robin series since the 1970s currently coming out (World’s Finest), we have an origin story currently in print (Robin & Batman) as well as TWO OG Teen Titans series in print (WF Teen Titans and Teen Titans Year One), and it’s never been easier to get your hands on Dick as Robin content, but I’m aware people firstly don’t read comics and secondly think over correcting is a funny joke or something.

[nightlybirdie]

Happy Batman Day 2024! I actually was reminded this year before the actual day so I threw together a blue scale sketch 💙 Happy 85 years to my first favorite character. Btas inspired ofcourse. I'm headed to watch Mask of the Phantasm to celebrate

[heavenboy09]

Its that time again. For you all your Batman Fans out there.

Today is Batman Day. So go out there and celebrate the Dark Knight of Gotham City.

For 85 Years

DC COMICS GAVE THE WORLD 🌎

WITH THE BIRTH OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST DETECTIVE 🕵️‍♂️ OF ALL TIMES

In The Dark Nights 🌙 In The Bustling Depths Of The Streets Of Gotham City

One Man Stands Alone In The Crime Wave Of RAVAGED CHAOS

One Man Skilled In The Many Ways & Forms Of Martial Arts Throught The World 🌎 to Hone His Physical Strength & Stamina against The Evil & The Corrupted. As His Body Is Now Honed to be A Ultimate Weapon Of Fighting.

One Man Armed With An Arsenal Of High Tech Array Of Gadgets & An Incredible Combatant Vehicle of Ultimate Non Lethal Weaponry

In The Darkest Hours Of Gotham City, He Will Be The Light That Shines Through.

I AM VENGEANCE... 😠

I AM THE NIGHT... 🌙

I AM

BATMAN 🦇

Happy Batman Day 🦇 85 Years and Going Strong

#BatmanDay #BatmanDay2024 #Batman85 #LongLiveTheBat #Batman #TheDarkKnight #TheCapedCrusader #WorldsGreatestDetective #IAmVengenace #IAmTheNight #IAmBatman #DCComics

[kstarlitchaotics]

Happy 54th birthday, Alex Ross 🦇🎂

Born in 1970, ever since he was three years old Alex Ross began to draw exactly what he saw in the real world. Characters such as Spider-Man and Superman, with their bright colors and heroic deeds, spoke to him as something he would want to portray on paper. He believes "superheroes are a mixture of every form of fiction – myth , science-fiction, mystery and magic – all in one giant pot. The best characters embody virtues we may try to find in ourselves." Due to this philosophy, the art of Alex Ross is rejoiced throughout the comic book world for its realistic style; That hyper realistic quality that inspirations such as Salvador Dali and Norman Rockwell possessed always wanted to permeate through Ross' comic book medium art, starting with his groundbreaking miniseries "Marvels" from 1994. Alex Ross has heavily contributed to the Batman and DC Universe In works such as Mark Waid’s Elseworlds “Kingdom Come”, “Batman: War on Crime”, Paul Dini’s tale “Case Study” (Batman: Black and White #2) and the cover series in Grant Morrison’s “Batman R.I.P”., becoming a memorable part of the visual evolution of the Caped Crusader in the character’s 85 year mythology.

Part of Alex Ross’ cover art to 2008-2009’s Batman #676-686 published by DC.

[inglesfantasma]

85 Years! Happy Birthday Batman.

Working on this in spare time between renovations, childcare and work...

[blastovkatamarinecromancy]

Batman is officially 85 years old on March 30, 2024. Say happy birthday to this overworked single dad.

James Gordon not only deputed in that same issue, he was also in the very first panel. He was literally there from the start.

Original comic parodied here is from Hark a Vagrant web comic by the talented Kate Beaton, which I am not realizing is a huge influence on my sense of humour.

[professorambrius]

Happy Birthday, Batman

Detective Comics

Batman

90s Batman films

Happy Birthday to Batman who appeared for the first time in Detective Comics #27, 85 years ago today.

Here are just a few of my favorite Batman comic covers.

[dailycass-cain]

My Top 10 Favorite Cass Stories

Just last year ago I gave a list of my ten favorite Cass stories on Twitter (and here’s the 2020 edition. The funny thing is, not even a year later I look upon the last list (along with the bad) and my thoughts on some of these stories have changed. 

Not to mention, we’re only two months into 2023 and we’ve already got a Cass story that already makes this list for me. 

So I figure it’s 2023 and I haven’t posted my favorite Cass stories here. Let’s change that. So here are my Top Ten Favorite Cassandra Cain stories. You may not agree with them. Maybe you will? Just that these are my opinion. 

The thing about me and lists. They always mostly change. You compare my lists from years past. They may not completely match up (or in some places they will). Change always occur. 

That said. Let’s start with my honorable mentions. 

Honorable Mention #1: Detective Comics #790

-  It's just a dark uneasy tale due to Pete Woods' art and Andersen Gabrych's story. Bruce is a little more unnerved than usual (Jason's anniversary) and Cass is brought in personally to steer him back.

Why? Because of all the people of the Bat-Family, she understands him best. The dynamic between Bruce/Cass here. Teacher/heir is just so all over this story. You can tell Bruce really wants Cass to truly be his heir.

If there are any issues I have with this being better is well it’s the prelude to “War Games” and I’m not really fond of the negative talk Bruce has with Cass regarding Stephanie Brown.

Ironically, for a while the last good main Batman book story Cass had for awhile until...

Honorable Mention #2: Detective Comics #950, 955

- Until this one. Though I’ll be honest “Night of the Monster Men” is a FUN story too that has Cass, but Cass really isn’t central to the plot in that.  These issues were the first “main book” story that focused on Cass since-- 2004. 

What truly keeps this book low for me being an honorable mention are the same flaws that pop up in my “worst list” of Cass stories. If you take these two issues alone? The story is absolute gold. 

The full arc? (#950-956) are the reasons it got knocked down. Still, Marcio Takara and James Tynion IV together make the most of this story even with the hurdles higher ups (and Tynion’s own juggling the massive cast this run had) stall it.

I still think the arc would be more favorable if it ended with Bruce/Kate taking Cass to see Christine and well just a happy ending. Not to mention we get mostly zero fallout from what occurs here (the subplot of Ra’s here is tossed out due to Tynion having to leave the comic so he could go onto Justice League Dark).

What still hits hard about these two issues IS Takara’s art.  As those who are currently reading the Poison Ivy series, Takara can do some banger spreads. We have a few here with an "Old Boy" homage Takara throws in with Cass for good measure. 

Takara’s art and just the emotion he brings is why this story is STILL lingers.

Honorable Mention #3: Superboy #85

- Yes, the villain for this comic is all too forgettable. That’s really why it’ll alway be here. But why it remains always is the banter. Between the team-up of  Cass/Kon (also the opening/closing Tim/Kon segments) that truly shines here. Much like Batman, you throw Cass with a character outside her zone, MOMENTS HAPPEN.

Boy we get some hilarious moments that are truly chuckle worthy. There’s just something natural seeing the heroes here interact with one another. Something that feels kind of missing mostly in DC Comics nowadays (save in the Flash recently with its “Dark Crisis tie-in”. What we had there was absolute GOLD). 

I love me Batman having Batdad shenanigans over Tim/Cass and the rebellious Conner clashing with him. I know some might not like Cass/Kon, but the dynamic between the two in this issue is GOOD.  The dynamic is SOOO good between the two. It's truly a pity Cass wasn't allowed to show up outside her book in Kon's again. Because this issue still hits home for a lot of folks to this day (as we see TONS of fanart of them. Also for canon covers still acknowledge this issue, along with the “eh” one over in Batgirl Vol. 1).

But for me, it's just the emotion both light and dark that writer Joe Kelly just handles well here. Why I keep coming back to this darn issue. The character dynamics are just soooo good.

Honorable Mention #4 Batgirl Vol. 1 #50 "Tough Love"

-  It's Cass vs. Batman. The fight by Rich Leonardi is an epic one with Bruce/Cass going all Anakin/Obi-Wan by just changing the fighting venue every page. Looking for that opening.

You have some nice gremlin moment from Tim to get a cure to them both (given they're "fighting" due to a drug thrown at them by Dr. Death). If anything there's to knock on this is Nightwing being tossed around like a ragdoll by the two of them.

But really it's the ending of the fight that still resonates hard. Bruce being his most batdad again, but also just wanting to know where Cass's loyalties lie. Her answer is a good moment 

So wait this is an honorable mention now?! Yeah it kind of is. See, the one problem with writer Dylan Horrocks is that usually bits of his run ages like milk. Not very good. I get that he tried new things with the character, and went in different direction than the past writers. But.. his stuff ages the worst. 

Also listening to Batgirl to Oracle’s podcast when she reviewed the issue. She brings up some the things we often overlook for the amazing art and the stuff above. 

Basically, the whole subtextual issue between Bruce/Cass that’s at the core of the story. Horrocks’ coda for his series up to this point was Cass growing older and trying to answer if she’s attracted to men (or now realizing how certain males view her via her body reading abilities). Dealing with the complications of guys being into her (Black Wind, Superboy), Bruce being EXTREMELY overbearing (hence the fight), and you get stuff like this:

It’s stuff that Freud and any fan in the present going 😬😬😬😬

Yeah, this is the stuff that doesn’t age well at all. Why suddenly it’s been knocked down this low. 

So with these four out of the way. ONTO THE LIST...

10.) Batgirl Vol. 1 #2

-  To those critics against Cass who say she never loses. This issue is the textbook answer. She loses and hard, but learns an emotional lesson about why words mean so much. Why writing and art are so powerful in a tale with no real title (literally the credits are at the very bottom of the last page).

This story is a gut punch (the first of many) Kelley Puckett would deliver on the book. Though he did slide in a better one later on this list still, this would be stable for his and Damion Scott's run.

Besides the pathos Puckett brings, Scott equally just wraps an emotional ringer. Cass barely says anything in the issue but conveys SOOO much emotion in her eyes thru the mask (probably the biggest answer many on the “pro-black lenses can give over the white ones she currently has”).

Just the one-shot character of John Robinson just sticks with you even after it. Just a good man, being thrown the curveball that Gotham City gives. The impact of his story just still resonates with me.

9.) Batgirls #14 “The Rest is Silence...”

- Yup. It’s a 2023 entry. I told you something made me start to question things and this story (while not concluded) I’m putting here on the list just for the sheer performance artist Jonathan Case pulls with this issue.

We’ve all wanted a unique Cass story (and boy howdy did we get some bangers in 2021 more on those later) and this is the first Batgirls story that feels true to the character of Cass. Anyone who is a harsh critic of this book has nothing to complain about. The narration (that’s not Cass/Steph/Babs) that can dull the comic’s better moments. It’s not found here. An older teen Cass is drawn here (not a preteen one that many have hated). Plus the dialogue by the writers Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad. That’s not here, but they do cheat (but it’s a cheat I’m going to allow). 

Again, this is Jonathan Case’s world and we’re living in the gorgeous art he’s doing here. There are SEVERAL pages that are just awing to read and look at. Just so much 

If there’s any negative well... this is new. So I figure this is the best place to put this issue. Will it remain (as there are two more issues of this arc in Batgirls)? Who knows. But right at THIS MOMENT and this issue alone. It earns a spot on my list.

8.) Batgirl Vol.1 #60-62 aka "The Hood" arc

-  What I love about this story are two reasons. #1 Cass by herself while trying to navigate the city of Bludhaven by establishing herself (with no Bruce or Babs). #2 Cass fighting unique foes with unique skill sets i.e. the Brotherhood of Evil.

From them just handing Cass her butt, to her rising back up and kicking them. It's a nice little "underdog" story showing just how far Cass has come as a fighter along with showcasing her "Batman' side. By doing her homework, prep timing, and wrecking the Brotherhood.

This is probably my favorite complete arc by Gabrych. He's got both Pop Mhan and Ale Garza backing him on the story and they all deliver high here.

Add the nice intro of Brenda and the gut punch of seeing Stephanie again (even if she died at the time period). This arc just has so many GOOD things that were promising. Pity, the later half Gabrych gave us wasn't classic as this was.

7.) DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1  "Sounds"

-  Oh yes! We got a 2021 story here.  Introduce Cass to new audiences? Showcase why fans enjoy her. Yes, it tempts me to put a certain arc of WFA up here. Here is one thing this has over that, Marcus To drawing Cass as Batgirl.

I always wanted it. To made the Black Bat costume better and gave us Ninja Gaiden Cass. But we all wanted him to draw THE costume.

I mean it's just everything. Add the small bits of actions we're given, bits of her origin, and the entire plot of Cass trying to find her "voice". Writer Mariko Tamaki just packs SOOO much in here and begins the call for many to have her write Cass more. This is the story where that all began. Tamaki just GETS Cass as a character. 

Everything is just top-notch in this story. You can tell the entire creative team It's a nice reintroduction for new readers for Cass. Along with giving older fans well something we'd never thought to see again. 🥺

The story just feels unreal to see happen. After ALL DC did in the past with the character. This story hits, but not as harder as my #1.

6.) Batgirl Vol. 1 #7-9

- Now I'll admit looking over this list. I was like, "Wait why didn't I include #9 with this arc?" So it's time to correct that mistake!

There's no real "name" for this arc but it is just three stories that have the debut of a certain someone to the series.  Cass's opposite. Her reflection. Lady Shiva.

Everything between these two is laid perfectly in "conflict"  and for what is to come by Puckett and Scott. The 😮when Shiva shows up in the first panel and Cass is like, "I've got to fight that."  he expressions. An appetizer for what is to come with these two.

Add the bookend pieces of #7 (of Batman/Shiva against Cass), along with just SOOOO much good lines by the two uttered in these issues. I mean there are some good quotes here. So many good scenes.

But again, this is a teaser for what's to come. What an amazing setup these three issues are.

5.)  Batgirl Vol. 1 #19 "Nobody Dies Tonight!"

-  Remember what I said earlier of Puckett/Scott delivering banger single issues? Here's another! On the anniversary of something near to Cass's mind, she tries to make sure for one night, nobody dies tonight!

Seeing the morality of the lesson played out here is more gut-wrenching than #2 given Cass is the focus here.  She's doing her thing while the whole piece is her seeing someone being put to death tonight, and well her proclamation is tested hard.

Along with her mantra on everyone can change. You have all that, and the shadow of what is looming more and moreover her. The story is so good, to this day I ain't even gonna post it. This is one story you gotta track down and see for yourself.

Even if it is one more piece to a larger puzzle Puckett/Scott put to lead into #25.

4.) Batgirl Vol. 1 #21 (Last Laugh Tie-In)

-  This is still my most favorite issue not shared by many of the Puckett/Scott run. It just goes to show you just how good this run is. There are SOOOOOOOOO many issues that can show up on a list for fav Cass stories.  This is just mine.

Reasons why I enjoy this issue in particular among others is #1 the way it starts off with Cass's training montage which has Scott just go to town so much. You can tell Scott probably watched A TON of Bruce Lee movies as the homage is strong in the opening pages.

#2 Cass/Steph get a really important moment that furthers their friendship. I mean sure this isn't the issue they become really good friends, but this is the issue where the foundation keeps getting added (#20 started that).

Besides the moment at the end, there's the other moments of Steph's quirky persona that just win you over with the character.

#3 the fight between Shadow Thief/Cass. When you see Cass smiling in her mask if I were a villain, "running would be a very good idea." The moment is so shōnen and Scott just goes balls to the wall here with how he draws Cass dominating Thief.

This leads into #4 the outcome (but ties into #2). Like literally the fight switches in a heartbeat from 😁 to 😨in a single panel. Just seeing the look of broken horror in Cass's face realizing she might have taken another life makes my eyes water.

And here comes Steph to save the day. Dang, does she do some good friend stuff here. Just saving Shadow Thief and being there for Cass before the later scurries off.

3.) Batman: Urban Legends #7 "The Hunter... or the Hunted"

-  A unique tale starring Cass by Guillaume Singelin takes Tec #955's concept of a long action sequence but goes harder. No dialogue or text. Just action. All action.

It's a real pity this story came way after the "Future State" event, as the story does a way better job showcasing how worse Gotham has become. There's a clear homage to so much in the story.

Singelin's art is something I haven't seen since Batgirl Vol. 1. Just the crispiness and layout of the fight sequences. The fact that this showcases why Cass is just a character quite unique. You can throw a writer/artist with a unique style. Just watch them go to town.

It's one of the things I always wished we could've seen with again Cass in Vol. 1. The closest we got was with Damion Scott in Solo #10, but it's just so wondrous to see Cass in a tale that feels like something that NEEDS to be animated again.

Every time I read this story there's just so much to just look at even if the story moves at a rapid pace from the action. It's just perfectly choreographed with Cass coming up on top.

2.)  Batgirl Vol. 1  #25 "I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds"

- The crescendo of the Puckett/Scott run delivers so very much in this issue. From the literally EPIC  brawl, Cass/Shiva have in this issue. To the little moments with Cass/Babs and Cass/jumper. This is the creative team as the seeds planted bear glorious fruit.

There's just so much about this issue that can be dissected and taken apart. Everyone is an all-star this issue as Scott is at the literal height of his art giving us (for me) the greatest comic book fight EVER.

From the set-up of the final round to the way, this is Puckett/Scott's opus. A slobber knocker. You feel the other's blow when it connects. Often imitated. NOTHING can ever top the OG brawl Cass/Shiva had in this issue. Nothing but one thing...

1.) Shadow of the Batgirl

-  It's still the champ of my heart! Writer Sarah Kuhn takes all of what has happened with the character. Seen what worked and what didn't. Adds her own spin on what quite possibly is the best Cass story of them all.

From the very cover alone, before I opened the book this story hits a raw nerve for me. It opens an emotional flood gate.

Kuhn just crams so much of Cass stuff into this graphic novel it just is utterly amazing at how much she puts in here. She delivers so much that literally and hits so many things... dammit thinking about the graphic novel suddenly my eyes are watering... AGAIN.. wrassin frassin.

Adding to that is Nicole Goux's art which like Scott is so darn expressive and perfect for Cass. You don't need words when Goux perfectly captures what is going on in Cass and what Cass see's of the world around her.

I feel like a broken record on how much this story smacked me in the head. I was going to like it, but love it this much? Was like, "How?" But the emotion the creative team pours into this character you truly get how much they love Cass.

And this is the best intro story to get others interested in the character.  Like literally, there are so many dang moments in this comic that are just SOOOOOOO good. And dangit thinking of these moments... freaking heck. Like literally..

.. when the comic hit me across the head with just so much emotion and I've read it numerous times over already. The fact that it is still doing this to me. Yeah, it had to be my #1.

So there's my list. Yes, I know I left out some choices that are like, "WHY?" But this is my personal list. The thing about it is-- IT ALWAYS CHANGES! So do you agree or disagree? What’s your favorite Cass stories? I’d love to hear them! 

[misstergrayson]

Happy Batman Day!

A lot has changed in 85 years, huh?

And isn’t it weird to think how someday no one will be older than Batman, and only very, very few people who remember when it started are alive?

[arunneronthird]

on comics the secret is, I've been into comics for... coming one 20 years now? and none of us have read everything, thats 85 years worth of books no one has time for that, so we all have little corners of the comics universe we really love, areas we oddly know a lot about, like me for example, my childhood comic shop had a ton of back issues but like... random as fuck so I think I read every issue of the Detroit Justice League, an era everyone else would rather totally forget. it's why the only Marvel comics I've ever read were Speedball, Wonder Man and West Coast Avengers.

any ways, point is read in any order its what we all did, ignore what you hate, love what you love even if other people don't know about it or care, and have fun its only worth it if you're having fun.

oh also canon is a fucking joke, this is comics, we invented reboots, recons, alternate time lines, evil twins, mirror universe, "no I didn't die" and the goddamn multiverse and again comics are 85 years old now, all the original writers are dead as fuck and the characters are being written by people who's parents weren't even alive when Superman and Batman were first published so the only difference between fanfic and published comics is those writers get paid by Warner Bros

hahah this made me v happy! thank u! i gotta say its been a challenge coming from manga which is written by one (1) person who generally knows what they are doing

as much as i complain about things though, im having lots of fun, i reeeeally like 90s batman and most of the new batman too, i really like all the cartoons and sometimes i like reading things i know i wont like and then being mad for a bit

[zahri-melitor]

Tom King's Batman (#1-85 2016)

And done.

I have a lot of thoughts about this as a contained run, because King clearly had some overarching goals and plotlines he wanted to tell through all of this, but equally I often had a difficult time trying to keep track of which plot he was working on and whether the story he was busy telling actually had direction.

Because one side of it was King having a lot of fun writing Bruce/Selina, and considering it in terms of their longterm relationship, all the way back to the Golden Age, with lots of references to previous events that may only be of dubious canonicity now, to pull out old events and point to them again, to show why they would reach this point that they might consider getting married.

And then dealing with the fact that editorial wouldn't let him have Bruce & Selina get married, because we were still firmly mired in Dan Didio Doesn't Believe Superheroes Should Have Permanent Happiness, but decidedly not actually breaking them up and having them just have a separation on page for a year or so (half of it in Batman spent in the middle of dream sequences revolving around the wedding) until people stopped breath down his neck, then... having Bruce and Selina running around like a couple again together.

And on the other hand, he is writing an over-complicated plot where Bane once again compares himself to Bruce and sets himself up in opposition; but this time he does it using, among others, Bruce's failures (and perceived failures) over handling Henry and Claire Clover (and their parallels to Bruce's origin story) as well as Flashpoint!Thomas Wayne (and bringing all of the Flashpoint and associated sequels storytelling into this) while not digging into the old Bane Half-Brothers story but existing in a universe where I had to wonder if Flashpoint!Thomas Wayne did know about the Bane Half-Brothers theory in his own universe.

And lining these two overarching plot threads up against each other: I think King had a bit of trouble navigating keeping both plots moving forward, particularly given the fact he really seems to enjoy telling nonlinear stories. He loves jumping around the narrative and hiding things and then showing them to you later too much.

Which can be interesting! Dropping people into the narrative and bypassing the setup and showing it later, using different styles of storytelling (flashbacks, dream sequences, asynchronous storytelling) can have fun effects in moderation, particularly in how it allows him to conceal things characters know and set up issue cliffhangers for effect. But I found it overused in the run, to the point when I had a number of occasions where I had difficulty picking up what had just happened, and why we were now in a 7 issue dream sequence.

It also slowed the story down significantly, in terms of moving the plot forward.

The other thing that really jumps out to me about the run is King's fondness for repurposing stories and mythology and setting up parallels. He likes referencing and adapting material and using it for the story he wants to tell, in what felt to me like quite a transformative-fandom style approach to storytelling. Examples of this included:-

Henry and Claire Clover's childhood shooting v Bruce's (and their similar yet different reactions to it)

Batman #38, aka "Tom King redoes Gotham Knights #1' and the child who killed his parents

Batman Annual #4 2016: where Everyday is just another version of Gotham Knights #32's 24/7 and what Batman does with his time

Batman #9, where he lines Bane's childhood up with its appearances in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1

Batman #36 & #37: the Bruce/Selina and Clark/Lois double dates, which very much felt in conversation with their Hush appearances among others and I swear the elevator scene is a reference to an event during post-Crisis where Selina arrives on the scene in a Justice League story via the elevator shaft, but can I remember where?

The Animals in the Pit by Nikolaevich Afanasyev, which originally appears in Batman #57 and then continues appearing sporadically throughout

Batman #51-52 Cold Days, the jury trial two parter, which not only felt to me like King arguing with the perception that vigilantes contaminated evidence and his view that if Bruce sees Batman as above the law he cannot do the work, but also felt in conversation with Bruce Wayne: Murderer in a number of aspects

Rules of Engagement, Batman #33-35, which was not only the Selina v Talia face off and the kids dealing with the fact that Bruce was getting married, but also felt in conversation with a lot of the classic movie and novel depictions of the Bedouin that King was clearly drawing from in his perception of Ra's and the League (and say what you will, acknowledging the Lawrence of Arabia links to Al Ghul storytelling and the literary tradition surrounding it is better than shoving them in a drawer and ignoring it)

Overall, I think my perception of the run as a whole is 'bit off a bit more than it could chew' and 'needed a more linear plotline'. There are a lot of stories and arcs within it that I either enjoyed or appreciated the intent and references (even if I thought the story had been done better elsewhere). My major problem was that the connections between storylines were not solid enough despite having a through plot, to the point I found myself lost on a number of occasions where I felt I'd missed an issue confirming how we got from A to C.

A lot of the stand alones and two parters are solid in a way that you can pull them out and hand them to someone who doesn't want to get invested in 85 issues of storyline. It's not quite the level of 'writing for social media panel sharing' that you see pop up more frequently in recent years, but instead feels more like allowing casuals to drop in for a story at least once a year when they heard the hype.

I think I would recommend taking a look at the run under a qualification that it is absolutely worth dipping into for the bunch of the storylines that do not involve Bane or Flashpoint!Thomas Wayne plots. There are scattered issues in the Bane arcs that I do think were interesting, but generally that storyline I found less riveting and more 'waiting until we got back to the interstitial other stories'.

I actually think it would be one to pick and choose what stories you think sound interesting and drop in for them, because while you might end up a bit confused about the overarching arc, reading the whole thing doesn't necessarily fix that as a problem.