#including danny and he knew tim would keep trying to bring him back which would cause this whole scenario to repeat an more people will die

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

"Why?"

That one word sent a shock through Danny's system, like he was back in the portal being electrocuted all over again. Still, he knew what was at stake, so even though that look on Tim's face made him want to fall to his knees and explain everything, he knew he couldn't.

Instead, he raised his gun as the portals filling the sky multipled and merged together as the ghost zone tried to absorb their reality. Channeling his inner Dan, he gave Tim a mocking smirk, What? You didn't think all that was real, did you?"

"You...you're lying!"

Danny tilted his head at an angle he knew would look as smug and condescending as possible, and judging by the burst of rage he felt coming from Nightwing a few rooftops over, it worked. "Tim, you know better." He said in Bruce's voice, It was the exact thing Bruce had told them when they were starting thier relationship.

Everyone had disapproved when he had brought his new boyfriend home a few months after meeting at the skatepark. Bruce hated Danny from the get-go, more suspicious of him than he had been with any of the batkids' previous partners.

Danny opened his mouth to mock him more but was quickly cut off by a punch to the face, not by Nightwing, or by Robin, who was still racing towards him at seemingly Mach speeds. Nope. It was Hood, who looked madder than Danny had ever seen him, surprising both Tim and Danny alike.

"You did all of this just to steal our souls and trap us in some weird afterlife dimension as your slaves?!"

Danny had no idea where the slaves thing came from, but it sounds villainous, so Danny's gonna go with it, "Of course!"

[comicsnsuch]

Tales from the Dark Multiverse

Hi! Thanks for finding this tumblr. The plan is to share and write about comic books, comic book art, other things that interest me and such, thus the name of the tumblr. Maybe you share some of the same interests, or maybe you’ll discover something new.

I’m going to try to post as frequently as possible, but that frequency will vary depending on what real life is like week to week. On slow weeks, there will be more stuff, on busy weeks less.  You get it.  Hopefully if you check in now and then you’ll find some new content.

I work (worked?) in a comic book shop, but as I have been recently reminded, due to the COVID-19/Coronavirus epidemic, I am non-essential.  Thanks State Government! Always good to have a self esteem boost! 

Anyway… I love comic books, reading them, talking about them, (thinking about) making them and so on. Always have, always will. I wanted to have an outlet for sharing that while I can’t be in the shop doing it face to face with customers and random strangers. 

I’ll be writing short reviews for what I’ve been reading, new stuff, old stuff, posting pics, etc.  

 Feel free to comment, but please keep it friendly. Assholery will not be tolerated.

To start with I just finished reading all of DC Comics Tales of the Dark Multiverse one shots. 

                                     I made this in MS Paint!

These started coming out in 2019 and the last one was released in early 2020. The idea behind each is Tempus Fuginaut, a sort of Watcher type character for the DCU (who I think debuted, or at least I fist remember seeing in the Sideways ongoing, a Dark Nights Metal spin off) observing the multiverse and introducing a story that takes an important moment in DC history and asks “what would have happened if things had gone differently?” DC’s version of What If?  in a nutshell.

       That’s Tempus Fuginauts big ol’ head in case you were wondering

 As the “Dark” in Tales of the Dark Multiverse might imply, these are not happy stories.

The first one shot that was released was Tales of the Dark Multiverse Batman Knightfall by Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgens with art by Javi Fernandez.  

This was probably my least favorite of the five issues. Since the “No Justice” mini series event I’m over Scott Snyder. I feel he has so many ideas rattling around in his head that he begins one story, gets too excited about the next one and leaves you underwhelmed with the current arc but dying to read the next. (That being said I of course checked out Batman Last Knight on Earth, having read his and Capullo’s entire New 52 Batman run I didn’t want to miss their “final” word on Batman, but have not read his just wrapped run on Justice League which I hear was quite good). 

I read this one right when it was released a few months ago, so my memory of it might not be the best.  

This one centers around the Knightfall event where Bane breaks Batman’s back and Jean Paul Valley/Azrael takes on the role of Batman. In this reality Bruce never recovers and Jean Paul remains Batman becoming Saint Batman, a Bats Azrael mash up. Javi Fernandez does a great job on the art and Snyder loves chopping people up. 

                                                      Gross.

Definitely worth the read if you’re interested in it or are a fan of Batman or just the Knightfall era. If you grab this series in collected format it’s not so bad that I recommend skipping it, just not my favorite from this batch of books. 

Next up is Tales of the Dark Multiverse Death of Superman by Jeff Loveness with art by Brad Walker and Andrew Hennessey. I really enjoyed this one, it was a good quick read and had a nice arc to it. One of the better issues from this series if you’re asking me.

Right after Superman dies defeating Doomsday in the Death of Superman story arc, the rest of the Justice League shows up, literally as the blood is drying.Ten seconds too late. Lois Lane blames Supes’ death on the heroes for not being there to aid him. 

She makes her way to the Fortress of Solitude and thanks to the Eradicator gets herself all the powers of Superman. She then goes about dishing out justice, with extreme prejudice, to the villains the heroes normally let the revolving doors of the DC justice system handle. This involves a couple of great scenes with Batman and Lex Luthor. Loveness nails the dialogue and the character arc he puts Lois on is great to read. 

                                  Walker and Hennesey do it again!

There’s more to this story than I’ve put here, but I don’t want to say too much and ruin your enjoyment of it if/when you read it.

Special shout out to the art team of Brad Walker and Andrew Hennessey. I feel like they don’t get enough love. They killed it on the Demon Hell is Earth mini, and from what I can tell are crushing it on Detective Comics. Dudes can draw. Spread the word!

Then we move onto Tales of the Dark Multiverse Blackest Night by Tim Seeley and Kyle Hotz. 

This one was a bit wordy, but a lot of fun! I would put this one in the middle of the pack. 

Seeley brings together an interesting bunch of characters including Sinestro, Dove, Lobo and the New Gods! The plot is a little complex, but basically after the Color Corps lose the battle against Nekron in Blackest Night, Sinestro is looking for a way to undo the damage done and becomes a pawn in Scott Free’s plot to do the same. 

Give Seeley a Lobo book or a Hawk and Dove book, or a Mister Miracle book!. He gives each character a unique voice which makes their joint travels through the plot that much more fun to read.

Kyle Hotz’s  art in this issue reminds of a 90’s Image Comic in the best possible way. Lots of detail and cool poses. I also see a lot of Bernie Wrightson in there with Hotz’s heavy use of black and the sinewy musculature of the characters. The book is worth the price of admission to see his renditions of Dove and Mister Miracle. 

                                                          kewl!

 I’m glad to see Hotz working more or just seeing more of Hotz’s work. I don’t know if he fell out of the industry after drawing the original The Hood mini for Marvel with Brian K. Vaughan, working with Eric “The Goon” Powell on Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Odditys, doing art on Carnage Mind Bomb and more I’m sure ( I just can’t remember it all), or I just wasn’t paying attention to what he was working on. If it’s the later, shame on me, if it’s the former, welcome back Mr. Hotz, you’re crushing it and I look forward to seeing more from you. Check out more Kyle Hotz work by following him on Instagram @kylehotzcomics.

Let’s not neglect the oft overlooked inkers! I’m not sure who inked what, but on a guess, Dexter Vines and Walden Wong brought a smooth, cleanness to the proceedings with lots of nicely tapered lines. Again just guessing here, because I don’t know for sure, but Danny Miki used a finer line bringing a scratchy-ness the others didn’t but also amazing detail and clarity on some of the portraiture in the later half of the book. 

Who’s next? Why it’s Tales of the Dark Multiverse Infinite Crisis!

This one may have been my favorite. When the original Infinite Crisis series came out it was a period  where, due to personal lack of enjoyment, I wasn’t reading much of DC’s output, but I did read the Countdown to Infinite Crisis one shot this issue takes as it’s jumping off point. After having read this issue, it makes me want to go back and read Infinite Crisis. I would say that’s the sign of a good issue.

In this alternate reality Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, kills Maxwell Lord instead of vice versa, making himself the head of Checkmate. He then goes about trying to prevent the coming crisis. It’s kind of a tale about absolute power corrupting absolutely, it’s also an underdog tale about getting in over your head.

                Sorry if these images aren’t the best, I’m new at this!

James Tynion IV does a great job catching you up on any old DC continuity plot points you may have forgotten or never knew about in the first place.If you’re reading Tynion’s current run on Batman, or his work on Detective Comics and Justice League Dark, you know he can handle a complex plot like this and does a great job condensing it all down to a single issue.  Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan handle the art and they do a great job. Always happy to see Lopresti’s name on a book I want to read.

Bonus points: You can never have too many Ted Kord, Blue Beetle comics, especially when Booster Gold pops up, even if only momentarily. 

If this series leaves you wanting more Blue and Gold action may I direct you to Booster Gold (2nd series) #32 thru about 38ish for some quality comics.

Final one, Tales from the Dark Multiverse the Judas Contract!

I’m not as old as my writing may imply so I had to read the Judas Contract in collected format about 20 years after it was originally released and after having seen it on many a fanzine’s (Wizard) best of list.  When I finally got to read it I wasn’t super familiar with the Titans of the era and already knew the big twist in the story, so it just washed over me without any great effect. None of the shock that someone who was reading it fresh in the 80’s might have experienced. 

I ended up liking this twisted take on the Judas Contract much more than when I read the original. “Sacrilege!” I know, I know, but like I said there was no surprise when I first read it, while this one zigged instead of zagging multiple times and kept upping the ante in scale. 

Kyle Higgins and Matt Groom do a great job reinventing a classic that I’m sure many people had high expectations for. This was a fun faced paced tale.  I enjoyed the hero moments Dick Grayson and Wally West were given. Like the Knightfall one shot Higgins co-wrote with Snyder there’s no shortage of dismemberment and disfiguration, which is neither a plus or minus in this situation, just thought it was worth noting.

Tom Raney handles the art chores here and he does a fine job.  Some of the figures seem a little squat, and their heads are too big in certain panels. Could I do better? No, so who am I to say anything? I just noticed it, here and there, it took me out of the flow of the story every now and then. That’s all. Big fan of his work on Stormwatch and Outsiders with Judd Winick. I also hear he’s super nice, so if you’re ever at a convention where Tom Raney is, seek him out! 

                                      They seem squat, right?

It’s worth mentioning these books are all done in DC’s prestige format and are extra long at about 48 pages each. All covers are by the fantastic Lee Weeks. A nice way to spend the afternoon.

There’s the first post. A little longer than I thought it would be. If you made it this far, I hope it was clear and you understood what I was saying and I hope you liked it and want to return for more. 

Until next time!

[chronicbatfictioner]

Theater of the Soul - Chapter 16

So this is home, he thought to himself. There was a nice bed that smelled like his. Felt like his. He was still a little scared until the bird boy sat on it, patted the bed, and proceeded to sleep on it.

The place was huge, but familiar and strange at the same time. There were images in the back of his mind, blurry images, that led him to know where the bathrooms were at; or where to go when the bird boy said 'dinner time'. But otherwise the place could just be one of the other alleys that he would need to re-orient himself in.

Regardless, the whole place has roofs and walls and heaters. Fine by him. Plus, the bird boy didn't seem to mind his following him around.

There were other people: the red lady who seemed to live there, too. And there was another guy who looked older than he was but kind of looked like a mix between the big guy and the bird guy. He was loud, fast, but strangely felt somewhat safe and non-threatening to him - even if the loud guy had wrapped his arms around him for a good amount of time once he stepped out of the car when they arrived.

There was an old man with kind brown eyes and receding hairline who visibly dabbed away some tears when he arrived. He wondered briefly if the old man was his father, or anybody's father for that matter. He should be someone's father. If the loud guy had appeared a 'little less' threatening, the old guy looked downright safe.

And then there were other people whom the bird boy didn't seem to feel threatened with, and thus he, too, deemed as okay. They did not violate his personal space, he wouldn't do that to them, either.

There were rooms. A lot of rooms. He wanted to peek through the rooms one by one, but alas, the bird boy seemed to know what's in which room and didn't indulge him. They had walked outside the place, and it was massive. But the surrounding area felt just as safe as the insides. Everyone looked... happy?

He wondered if he, too, will ever be happy.

Through the week that followed, Tim-- felt like he was being... well, shadowed would be the understatement of the year. With Jason still following him everywhere Tim went, he was obviously being followed. But Dick Grayson had decided that he should keep an eye, too, on both of them, while Jason got himself reacquainted with the theater. Thus Tim ended up with not one, but two metaphorical stalkers.

In the past few months, the Kane House had decided to merge with the Wayne house - what with them being related by blood, anyway. It was also more economic to merge the two businesses, with Kane House as the subsidiary of Wayne Entertainment Inc. The first results of the merger was that there were a whole load more people in the main Wayne House than ever.

The second result of the merger was that Dick was given higher responsibility as the production manager of the multiple productions that were ongoing. While this freed him from the daily chore of rehearsals, in Tim's less-than-favorable view, this gave him too much time to shadow Tim and Jason as they went around Gotham.

Okay, so they didn't really go around Gotham. Tim was 14, after all, and did not have a license and Jason couldn't really drive in his present condition. But even around the block, Tim could sense Dick's presence.

The surgery on Jason's legs would take place by the next week, by an expert surgeon from Washington called Dr Pieter Cross. The following psychiatric treatment was to be a Dr Kent Nelson, referred by Dr Cross. Tim thought he was more nervous than Jason, who would need to have both legs re-broken. Or maybe Jason was just not realizing it, yet.

On the Western -as in Western Coast - front, they had received a somewhat morbid news. Agent Diana Prince, Dinah's friend who had started the investigation on Jack Napier, has found him. Tim did not even know why Agent Prince was investigating Napier at all, since technically - as far as Tim knew - Napier didn't commit any crime. Any visible crime. Except maybe abandoning Jason, who was technically a minor. Still, since they could not speak to Jason, and thus technically has no case against Napier.

That is, until Tim overheard Barbara telling Dick that Agent Prince had found Napier dead.

Tim was thanking high heavens that he - for once in the past few weeks - had managed to lose Jason (to Alfred's care - he's not that annoyed with Jason, yet!) when he stumbled upon Barbara and Dick.

"...Prince wanted to know if... Jason has bruise marks on his fists." Barbara ended her report just as Tim walked in.

"He'd been on the street at least three months before we found him; Danny said so! If there are bruises, it would be from more recent fights, Babs!" Tim blurted, and then cringed when he realized he was a little too curt. "I can't believe they actually thought that Jason had done this!"

"Tim," Barbara was visibly trying to compose herself. "She'd found a decayed corpse. It is still going through an autopsy, but the FBI has confirmed the identity of the corpse as Jack Napier. They calculated that he would have been dead for at least six months."

"Jason was missing for a year, Babs!"

"Slow down, Timmers... I'm not going to be blaming Jason even if he had bludgeoned Napier. Obviously Napier had prevented him from calling us. But we'll need--" Dick started. Tim cut him off.

"--to protect Jason at all cost! Come on, you guys! Jason is a kid! Napier was an adult! Furthermore, he'd had broken legs - plural! - that were not set properly. He can't even run!" Tim snarled.

"--that was exactly what I have in mind. But I'd like to have all facts laid out before me before laying out my own plan of action." Dick said calmly. "At the moment, we know that Napier had died of blunt force trauma - he has more broken bones than if he'd been tossed into the dryer with rocks. He was presumed killed six months ago. Jason was presumed to be on the streets at least six months - if not more. Jason exhibited PTSD and/or trauma-related catatonia, which could have come from-- please hear me out first, Tim." Dick rose a hand to stop Tim as Tim started to sputter.

Tim huffed, but conceded.

"Okay... As far as I know, Jason has had his days of living on the streets of Gotham before Bruce adopted him. He is no stranger to fighting and stuff. He could have bludgeoned Napier. But, he would have to had a really good reason."

"If Napier had imprisoned him, I'd say that's a good enough reason." Barbara chimed in.

"But really, Babs, if Napier had Jason imprisoned, who's to say he didn't have people guarding Jason while he was there?" Tim finally got a word in. "I have footage from news outlets showing him here at the Harley club. I'll look up his last date of appearance. And the time he'd gone back to LA."

"Okay, great. That's in the to-do list. Now, assuming - we're gonna assume the worst for now and that Jason did bludgeon Napier; why didn't he call us, immediately afterward? That is presuming that Napier did not have guards who were keeping Jason imprisoned." Dick said.

"Scared?" Barbara suggested.

"...of pummeling someone who's been keeping him - effectively kidnapping him? Scared of us?" Dick countered.

"No, Jason would have called someone he knew. Especially if he was still hurting. At least he'd call Dr Thompkins." Tim pointed out.

"Already in shock?"

"I remember him telling me he'd pummeled someone who'd tried to rape a friend of his back then. He was like, ten years old. I didn't sense fear or regret then. And that was not his first punch-outs." Dick said. "He's not... I don't know. I guess it's different when-- you're out there on your own. Fear is subjective. Jason's level of fears are different than ours."

Tim suddenly saw Dick as more than just the perpetually-happy-go-lucky performer from the circus who was adopted by a billionaire actor. If anything, he saw that Dick had cared a lot for Jason, as he does for Tim. Regardless of the three-years of age difference, Dick had tried to assure the street kid that he has a brother. Like he has been trying to convince Tim by calling him up every other day. Or by including him in every 'adult' conversation.

And now, Tim mentally added 'perceptive' into his mental checklist about Dick. Maybe a little savage since Dick have noticed right away that Jason's idea of 'fear' would differ than theirs simply because Jason was more used to violence than any of the three of them would have.

"Okay, so... theories?" Tim asked. "Drugged, maybe? Danny did say he thought Jason had 'snorted some bad drugs' - I'm assuming he was like, high or something."

"Okay, he was drugged, pummeled Napier, ran away..."

"Where'd his people go?" Barbara pointed out. "There are a number of drugs that could render someone unconscious and/or amnesiac. I know there have been cases of drug-induced catatonia as well. But that would not pan out with the theory that Jason had��escaped after bludgeoning and/or punching Napier. And then if Napier had guards, I personally doubt Jason could take more than one adult person."

"Okay, so the prosecutor would have more than one hole in this theory. That is... good for us, I suppose." Dick stated cheerily. A little too cheerily.

Tim understood the fake-cheeriness all too well, though. If Jason had not been drugged and willfully bludgeoned Napier, he would have been tried for murder - even if tried in absentia, without his presence and/or presence with full faculties due to his catatonic state.

"Right, I'll find the evidence of Napier's whereabouts in the past six months. You guys?" Tim decided. "Let's not bring this up with Jason present, yeah?"

"I agree." Dick agreed a little too quickly. But Barbara nodded, too.

"I'll keep this between the three of us, too. Diana or Dinah will feed me more info, and I'll share it with you two." Barbara said. "My heart does not believe Jason did this, guys. But I'm not liking where the evidence showed so far."

"Doesn't matter. We protect our own." Dick gritted his teeth.

For a fleeting moment, Tim wondered what would've happened to Napier if he'd been alive, and Dick would find him. Or Bruce.

Or both.