#huntressposting

[dchuntress]

[dchuntress]

i'm so glad i found you at the right time, because i love hearing your thoughts about miss wayne so much! and i particularly enjoy brainstorming hypothetical what-if's to, ironically, further my understanding of how things have gone and are going for her currently, because i feel she is a very purposeful person and there is conviction in everything she does

i think you nailed the difference between pre-crisis helena and n52 helena quite well; i think that juxtaposition of helena knowing only the civillian side of her parents vs helena being born into the vigilante-civillian double life from the start is significant, she definitely finds her calling in heroism and doesn't seem like she'd be all too happy in any other field of work even if she still is making a difference there, i.e., lawyering. the thing you said about perfectionism is so on point, because yeah, she is hella stubborn and one way or another, she will find a way to vigilantism (or at least something adjacent to it), even if it likely wouldn't be as straightforward or emotionally impactful if it doesn't involve a great loss in some form, because either way, helena is quite determined and dedicated to finding justice the right way, as well as blazing her own trail.

again, YES: maintaining batcat's legacy is what sets helena apart because she just isn't bruce's kid, she is selina's too! there is no other way helena would've come to exist. truthfully speaking, i was inspired to send this ask because i was reading the catwoman 80th anniversary special, and the "helena" story where we see selina's thoughts on motherhood and helena is just so significant to me, especially showing how helena is a reflection of both her parents in her own way. i like that this relationship is conflicting for selina but at the same time, she's so proud of her little kitten. i like that helena strives to be like selina too. and i like the conversation they have at the cemetery where bruce is buried, which made me think: if batman had died instead of catwoman in an alternate reality, could helena still be huntress and get to spend time with selina? actually, could she be huntress and carry on the batcat legacy without having to lose her parents the way batman did? so much richness to explore. thank you for entertaining my silly ponderings as always <333

hihi just doing some brainstorming!

do you think one or both of her parents dying is an imperative canon event for helena wayne to become the huntress? and if so, do you think that parent has to be selina each time or would it have the same effect on hel if bruce died instead?

i know for some characters, their trauma is significant for their origin story. but miss wayne's backstory has been changed quite a few times and she usually had a pretty stable life up until the point she needed to step in as huntress, and i usually want her to have a close relationship with her mom even if earth-2 selina usually dies untimely, so i'm curious if you have any thoughts on this matter

Oooh.... you caught me on my lunch break 😁

Last question first, I don't think it particularly matters which parent dies, but I do think it's very nice that the "Huntress" moniker is always chosen to respect both of her parents' legacies, rather than just Bruce, which is what a lot of writers have been pushing her towards recently (as of 2016 anyway).

Now the first question I have some thoughts on and this might be controversial - I think it solely depends on when Helena comes around in Bruce and Selina’s life. I have a separate post where I go into detail about this, but I think the New 52 having batcat be pretty young parents and them mentoring Helena in a very active way makes all the difference. In that scenario I can definitely see her become the Huntress as and when she grows out of Robin. She's born for this, and she says so herself.

In any other reality though, where Helena supposedly comes along when both her parents "retire", and they actually hide their identities from her, I think it would take something exceptional to propel her down that path. Can I really say that pre crisis 23 year old Helena would become the Huntress if Selina was never murdered? I'm not sure. Especially as she hides this from Bruce and doesn't quite have Dick's "approval".

But I think the inclination is always there, especially as she learns the truth about her parents and knows vigilanteism is always an option. It would probably take a case going really wrong, or multiple cases ending on unsatisfactory terms, for her to go and seek out a way to bring justice on her terms, particularly if the victims are women. But if she feels like she's doing "enough" in her day job as a lawyer, then I don't think she would. (But she's a Wayne and perfectionism and weird vigilante behaviour is in her blood, so she probably would end up doing some extra curricular activities, even if it's very occasional and for certain cases)

I know that's not a cut and dry answer, but I like to think it's true to the character!

[pooty2t]

huntressposting 

(original leafeon comics by boxhead/king_horrible)

[dchuntress]

"how do u tell the difference between helena bertinelli and helena wayne" U just have to listen to the stars in the sky and the songs of your heart and this gut feeling that you've known both women for a thousand lifetimes and you're cosmically bonded and u'd never fail to recognise either of them even in an ocean of purple comic brunettes. those were Ur marriage vows. remember her, karen. remember Her

[dchuntress]

this is me by the way

[dchuntress]

this is definitely a fear and i absolutely relate to your situation. with that being as someone who's reading for both huntresses i can reassure you that you'll have a good time with them for the most part! there's the bad yes but in my experience, there's a lot of good you can get out of reading their comics

for helena wayne? her comics in the golden age and new 52 are pretty great! i loved the worlds' finest series with power girl, and she got me into the jsa. here's a pretty solid reading list for her!

for miss wayne particularly i recommend the blog @helenawaynehuntress + that blog has their own website by the same name! and also my hel wayne mutual @whywhywhymoney <3

for helena bertinelli, some stuff for her is an absolutely treasure that holds up even to this day. there's the justice league unlimited show which is my favourite adaptation of her. there are also justice league comics with helena.

i started with huntress: year one, huntress (1989), and huntress: cry for blood, which made me fall in love with her. for longer reads: the birds of prey series (vol 1 - 1999) and (vol 2 - 2010), and the no man's land arc are amazing too. i personally didn't enjoy new 52's take on helena bertinelli much. however i personally LOVED helena in detective comics (#1034-#1058 - 2016) and lazarus planet: dark fate. there are plenty of reading lists about helena bertinelli, and also plenty of people post screencaps on here too; helena bertinelli is the gift that keeps on giving.

i would personally recommend checking out @armed-with-a-waffle-iron's blog for their beautiful takes and analyses about helena + reviews of hel's underrated comics <3

if there's a dc character you already like and there's any chance they have interacted with huntress, that's also a good place to start!

finally, crossbow at the crossroads is a good series but i made the mistake of reading it first before i knew either helenas well... so i recommend reading it after you have gained a decent idea of both huntresses!

God I need to get into Helena Bartenelli and Helena Wayne but idk if I can handle loving another female character when DC hates me so

[dchuntress]

at actually my sister's wedding now so i'm gonna do it.

huntress

[dchuntress]

they call me user dchuntress because of the way i'm huntressposting on the day of my sister's wedding

[dchuntress]

@goddessofwind8water thank you for your amazing tags! 🥹🩵

helena isn't the oldest if we consider all the bat-siblings (in the golden age, dick is her older brother), but she isn't the youngest either — she and damian does meet and she calls him little (not) brother!! in general i feel like helena's integration into the bat-siblings shouldn't be treated as a straightforward process; she grew up practically as an only child for the most part, earth 0's batman isn't her father exactly, and the bat-family is already full of complex, not-100%-wholesome dynamics; her entering the family at such a later age is possible but not easy. and again, she might not consider herself fully a batfam member and have her own thing going on, either as a solo hero or as a jsa member. regardless of what she does ultimately, it's a pretty emotionally heavy decision. i think "helena being damian's little sister" stems from people imagining helena being born in earth 0 and coming after damian? stillll. she should at least nearer dick or barbara's age imo and again, i don't prefer her being born in earth 0 cause that could create more paradoxes and possibly put her at a risk of being erased or declared uncanon because dc is less likely to risk batman and catwoman's characterisations to preserve helena's

thank you so much!! i care because helena wayne is such a fundamentally important character even if she's not so well known. she is the first huntress in terms of creation, if she didn't exist helena bertinelli wouldn't have existed either, helena wayne is an important part of the jsa and infinity inc, and helena wayne is such an important earth 2 character to me as well. i feel like earth 2 has a lot of potential as a setting because it's supposed to be similar to earth 0 yet have its own distinctions, so dc could always experiment with alternate storylines, dynamics, or characters here without messing up their mainstream continuity. the new 52 storyline is so iconic for helena wayne and karen starr, i just hope we can have something like that again :( because see, karen and helena have history in the golden age comics too, and like! they are truly superbat for girls!

also i gotta shout out @whywhywhymoney for being one of my few yet active hel wayne mutuals!! their comic opinions and ideas are AWESOME 💜💜💜

i will read it but i refuse to accept the canon that hel wayne is from a future like no. her being from earth 2 as the daughter of batcat at the same time as power girl has been significant for several continuities!!! HER BEING FROM EARTH 2 WHERE BATCAT RETIRE AND HAVE JUST ONE KID IS SO IMPORTANT YOU CAN'T REPLICATE HEL WAYNE'S BACKSTORY ON THE MAIN EARTH AND SHE CAN'T BE THAT FAR INTO THE FUTURE IF SHE'S STILL GONNA BE BATCAT'S DAUGHTER BECAUSE BRUCE IS ALREADY MIDDLE AGED AND ALSO THIS CREATES A SORT OF PRESSURE FOR BATCAT TO BE INEVITABLY CANON IN SOME DEGREE IN THE FUTURE AND ALSO HEL WAYNE BEING THE YOUNGEST OF THE BATKIDS AND EVEN THEN IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE FOR BATCAT OF THIS WORLD TO SETTLE DOWN NORMALLY LIKE EARTH 2 BATCAT DO AND ALSO HEL WAYNE JOINS THE JSA AFTER BRUCE SEMI RETIRES FROM IT IN THE GOLDEN AGE CONTINUITY AND JUST OR LIKE SHE WAS ROBIN HERSELF IF WE GO WITH THE N52 CONTINUITY AND JUST UGH UGH UGHHHHH HAVE HER REUNITE WITH KAREN STARR ALREADY ENOUGH OF THE "THEY DON'T RECOGNISE EACH" OTHER SHIT

[dchuntress]

thank you @batboopp for inspiring this heh

my brain is too huntresspilled i fear