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popculturebuffet · 15 days ago

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Batman: No Man's Land Retrospective Part 1: Cataclysm

Hello all you happy people. This project's been brewing for a while now and i'm so happy to finally get to dive into it. For the next two years, i'm taking a look at one of the biggest and most influental batman stories ever. This is a story that's been adapted four times, introduced a batgirl, a story massive in scope that gives batman a problem that no amount of money, no amount of punching and no amount of batarangs can solve.

No Man's Land follows Gotham after it's utterly destroyed by a massive earthquake and the goverment "shockingly" decides rather than repair the crime pit, to let it burn and let anyone who can't afford to move or dosen't want to leave to fend for themselves. It puts Batman in his darkest hour: he failed his city, and now he and his allies have to find some way to save it. It's a massive story that i'll be reading as we go, reading each volume before I cover it. I know some spoilers, the story's 27 years old and a lot of it impacts later bat stories and i've read it's direct sequel new gotham, but as for the fine details and how things evolve.. that i'll be figuring out just before you do.

Before we get to the government abadoning Gotham like it'd later do with Riverdale, we have to get to the why: the massive and excellent event cataclysm. Yes there's an event that leads into the event.

Cataclysm is intresting in that while super villians do show up, this is gotham after all, their not the main threat. The main threat.. is simply a massive earth quake that most of gotham was warned about, but only Bruce took seriously. And even then.. i'ts not enough: While Bruce's holdings and headquarters are saved, most of gotham is totaled and the bat himself is left in the one building he couldn't quakeproof: his home. Our heroes are left desperatley trying to help or play catchup as the world falls apart and even as they try to save everyone they can the truth hangs ominously over them: Gotham.. may not be able to come back from this. So join me won't you for an epic unlike any other, a story of dread, hope, and quakemasters, this is Batman Cataclysm

We begin with Detective Comics and a prelude issue. As is standard for an event this size we're going to be jumping around a LOT of books today, along with three one shots. Every book in the bat family is touched and a ton of major bat writers left their mark on this one.

Unfortunately the one who does the most.. is Chuck Dixon

So for those less familiar Chuck Dixon is one of the biggest batman writers ever: He wrote Robin and Nightwing and defined Tim Drake and Dick Grayson as a result. His run on Nightwing is why I became a massive fan of the character and why I tend to prefer bat family books to the bat himself.

He's also a huge asshole. Absolutely giant in the industry of being a dick. I'd like to thank @brotoman-exe for the background here as while I knew Chuck Dixon was a conservative prick, he gave me some helpful info to explain why he became the bitter lemon he is now.

So Chuck as you can tell was a big writer: he wrote most of batman after all. He then got blackballed from the big 2 in the early 2000's. From his perspective, it was for being conservative and he went full right wing asshole before it was cool. In reality.. it seemed he was just a dick. He had a weird tirade about a tounge in cheek Marvel MAX, their mature leaders line, series about the rawhide kid that recast him as a macho camp gay man, and made the bold assumption the writer of the book, a vetran artist, was tricked into it. He sunk his own career and blamed the woke media for it. He bounced around in other companies, as early IDW apparently was fine with his bullshit, but eventually he ran out of options and ... well he made this

Yes that is Chuck Dixon, batman and gi joe writer making an off brand gi joe comic about Q from Qanon. I swear to god this is not something I made up. This.. this happened. You can even buy it on amazon

Look is it fun to dunk on Chuck Dixon making a comic about the quannon conspiracy starring the titular q as an action hero. yes. I mean I could do it all day. But my larger point is that Chuck Dixon sucks dirty ass in thunderstorms, is an objectively bad man. Not sex offender bad, but while the bar for being shitty in comics is high, it's not so high that "being mad a character was made gay and making action hero comics about an active and dangerous conspiracy" dosen't rate.

So I have the unfortunate duty of being objective about his work here. I do not like this man, but he was an objectively good writer. It does not, as he seems to thinnk, excuse him from being a piece of shit. I simply can't avoid talking about him as of the 7 batman titles at the time, he wrote three of them: The afformentioned Nightwing and Robin, along with detective comics.

Since I need to wash the taste out of my mouth and this will be easier than mentoining every writer as they come up, let's meet the rest of our writers room who as far as I know haven't written qanon: the continuing adventures. I wonder if the villian is joe biden as cobra commander. Perhaps bill clinton. Clinton Commander.

Writing the flagship Batman comic is Doug Monech, one of many longtime batman writers on this project. He wrote some in the 80's and what i've read of his run, which has sadly been undercollected or only half collected in the case of one collection I have as he wrote both detective comics and batman up to crisis on infinite earths, is excellent. Well done stuff that helps build up batman's world and his relationship with jason todd. I prefer post crisis jason, but he still does a good job with batman's struggle to let the kid in. He's also the one responsible for blessing the world with Harvey Bullock.

For Shadow of the Bat we have consumate Weirdo Alan Grant, a british writer who afraid to ask "You want nuts. Well let's get nuts". His stories i've read are decent and kind of weird, and fittingly he created my faviorite Batman Villian, Scarface, aka the puppet what bullies his owner/other personality. Grants work here is impecable, as is everyones even ass face and made me want to check out more of his 90's shadow of the bat run. He's got a weird poetic style to him.

For our spinoffs we have batman legend Dennis O'Neil, who with Neil Adams redefined the character. he was also editor and wrote large chunks of other bat mega crossover knightfall. He's awesome and I miss him dearly.

Finally we have Devin Grayson who wrote Catwoman and does a decent job with it. She's the only one besides Chuck Q Dixon to have a bit of infamy though rather than be for being a raging asshole, she simply wrote something what bad. She followed him up on nightwing and while the better person, decided to have Nightwing join the mob for a while, and had him get assaulted by fellow vigilante the tarantula and said assault not treated lik ea big deal because a woman did it.

She's fine here but it's hard not to think about that run so bad I refuse to ever touch it when bringing her up.

So with our writers room assembled let's talk about the issue. It's a fun one off as I said: a criminal brags to his buddies about beating up batman. It's also here where a fairly stupid choice by dc edtorial comes up: At the time batman was to be considered an urban legend by gotham. It's a period I mostly remember for getting mocked in the pages of young justice as Peter David has never met a stupid decision he couldn't take the piss out of and Linkara doing the same in his march of the titans retropsecitve.

Since this does come up with several citzens proclaming batman dosen't exist, I... have to dive into all the ways this is nonsense. So here we go: batman has been on at least three superhero teams, none retconned out by crisis on infinite earths; he was on the justice league of america, left tha tgroup to found the outsiders after political red tape prevented him from going on a rescue mission, and after leaving them rejoined the league as it's leader for the justice league international era. He left soon after to keep his profile low.. but waas still seen on news interviews and coverage and was still publicly on the roster for some time. And by this point he's REJOINED the JLA and was part of them thwarting an alien invasion, an invasion of angels and other very public disasters. On top of that his former sidekick Nightwing was famously part of the Teen Titans as robin, leading two incarnations up to this point. The New Teen Titans in paticular were a very public group, famous in new york and most notably saving the world from Trigon and getting a giant ass parade for it. He also operates as Bludhaven's hero at the time of this book and unlike batman isn't nearly as stealthy.

On top of this the Joker has been a very public meance, killing dozens, fighting the justicfe league a few times, fighting batman in a bi plane at new years and most notably after killing Jason Todd, he became ambassador to iran

The point of this long detour is that it makes zero sense that batman is seen as a "legend" at this point who "dosen't exist". While he does stick to the shadows and is defintely the most standoffish of the justice league any time he's a member, there's enough public tracks to make him being some sort of mythical figure laughable. I try not to be this pedantic in a comics review, writers slip up, canonical mistakes happen. Even now when you can google things. But this isn't a simple mistake this is a weird status quo shift that made things awkward for other books for no real reason. Batman's already feared as a larger than life figure. Just because crooks know he exists dosen't make him less terrifying or them less prone to exagerate.

Thankfully the bulk of attitude , at least for now, from most of the writers was

Most of it is lip service with only two big moments, this one and the other where it's relevant to the plot. Most of gotham tends to know batman and co are out there.

Okay now we can FINALLY get to the issue which again is fun: the criminal embellishes the hell out of the story and we see both his inflated version where it's an ocean's elven style heist and where he goes to to toe with batman.. and the reality: his crew was whoever he could get, he got the info from being a janitor, the heist went sideways fast and both batman nad robin tore his ass up. This is confirmed to his friends when batman swoops over and scares the shit out of the guy. A fun simple story.

The real meat though is in the ending: We meet Jolene Relazzo a character introduced just for this storyline for two reasons: to set it up and to serve as a plot point for the ongoing arc. She's a seismologist, one who warned Bruce Wayne about an inevitble disaster years ago: Gotham is on a fault line and while it hasn't had a quake in living memory, i'ts due and should. Given who she was talking to, Bruce set to work: as the issues after this reveal Bruce quakeproofed every wayne holding except the manor, and fired his board of directors when they all said it was too expensive. Is this a lot to just. .have on exposition? yes. But it shockingly works: I didn't realize Jolene debuted here till I looked it up as she feels like a natural fit: Bruce isn't stupid. He's batman. He prepares for shit. So it makes sense he knows a decent amount of scientests. As Homer Simpson will tell you bruce is one, but while he's a master of a lot of things, he specializes in forensics. He's not a super genius, and thus him listening to experts makes sense. And given his preparedness it makes sense his first action would be "quakeproof my shit". And given the cost he does so for the reasons he does anything: it's the right thing to do. It saves him money sure, but as we'll find out some of these holdings are apartments or hotels. Innocent people could get hurt. employees could get hurt. Bruce could never allow that if he can help it. And as the quake arrives.. Jolene can't reach bruce whose in his cave.

To the writers credit, paticuarlly alan grant who writes the explination there's a simple reason for why Bruce coudln't quakeproof the manor: the batcave. he coudln't risk someone finding out about it. As for "Why didn't he ask steel or another super hero to do it", Clark and Wally could probably speed read the info and john henry is a former construction worker, so it's possible .. but it'd draw too much attention. I'll see how plausable it is as we go as to why the rest of the league stays out, i'm betting not so much but here.. I get it. It's way too many questions to easily answer and might upset unions in town. Batman simply COUDLN'T get the mansion quakerpoofed. Now the fact he had no plans for if the quake happens is a little stretch.. but Batman has to plan for a lot. He probably thought he'd get forwarned or the cave would hold.

It does not. The mansion collapses bringing alfred down to the cave, trapping bruce and leaving Bruce's home gone> it's a truly shattering scene and well done by alan grant, underlying just how sudden this is: like any disaster it just htis and in a second everythings gone. Batman does wiggles his way out and trie sto go for the car or one of the exits but everything collapses. He's truly trapped.

Meanwhile Harvey Bullock was tailing a local criminal bamed "Billy Wildman" but the quake happens. He's forced to team up with Anarky, who as the name gives away is an angsty teen who dressed like an adult. They work together as Bullock quickly realizes he needs the help to help civilians. And that's the big part here: most of the hero work done.. is search and rescule. Batman's not above that and has saved many a person but their usually hostages or kidnap victims. This is the kind of emergency work brave first responders do every day and that while batman will do in a pinch is outside his element.. but he and the other heroes of gotham do. Anarky is a street punk.. but gladly helps.

Finally we have Barbra Gordon, at this point oracle, batman's eyes and ears who after being shot by the joker traded in her batgirl suit for being a computer genius and tech whiz for any hero who needs it, mostly the bat family. Her own Clock Tower base was shaken but is otherwise fine. Naturally it was one of bruce's quake proofings and Barbra presumably bought it from him. She goes to see what's going on but sees the situation as it is.. and takes command. While she takes a second to let her terror at what could've happened to her love ones out, she instantly takes charge of the police she finds, convincing them not to go fleeing for their loved ones; She's sympathetic: her boyfriend, dad, stepmom and batdad are all out there, but they need to help those who need it. So she gets what resources they have and gets to work. It's one of my faviorite scenes in this event: When crisis hits, Barbra is the first to respond and the first to make a dent in the nightmare Gotham is facing.

Batman is having less luck on his end. He does manage to pull a spider man, escaping the wreckage.. albeit instead of just with pure will expert timing. He reunites with Alfred.. but there's no exit. Their truly trapped. The only way out is a bunch of underwater currents Batman never mapped. And I do like this: yes you could say "this is the same man who quakeproofed a city, why didn't he map these tunnels or have an exit" And the simple answer given and one I accept.. is that he never got around to it. Batman has backup plans for his backup plans.. but I like this batman who simply, as a human does, lets things slip. The Quakeproofing was easier: It was an imminent threat, and something he could deligate. Batman really NEVER deligates batman stuff and until recently didn't have any full time staff for the cave itself. If somethings low priority like say exits on the offchance the quake does hit and he's inside or mapping the cave systems he'll ignore it. Batman's a workaholic with control issues: the only things bruce deligates in costume are the stuff Alfred and Barbra are better at, cleaning the house, cleaning wounds, and doing computer stuff. It makes sense SOMETHING would give.

So with no other option he plans to surface and if it exposes him so be it: there's no second guessing, no other option: he's going to save his dad. And as he dives.. he gets hit with an aftershock.

So while batman might be batdead in this 7 part event that has his name, let's check in on the rest of gotham. The first tie in was earlier and in the pages of Nightwing. It's an excellent tie in as Dick hears about the quake during his night shift at the bar he works at, working at a cop bar to get info.

At this point Nightwing is the hero of Bludhaven, which is gotham but worse. Which yes is possible. Less super crime at first, but more street crime. It's everything gotham was pre batman and our hero fights with no real allies and only the right thing on his side. Still he books it the second he finds out what's happening and TRIES to find Barbra and Bruce... but being the hero he is dick gets sidetrack, finding people in distress and putting himself at great risk to save every last person, including a mom who gets her daughter out but nearly dies. It's a heartwrenching issue as you follow these people from the start, and see just how far Dick will go. It's one of the big pulls i've mentioned of cataclsym: Seeing our heroes against impossible odds they normally don't face this way.

As Dick heads off to go find his dad and girlfriend, well sorta girlfriend I forgot it's more of a situationship at this point and we'll get to the actual hookup in this very crossover, but that's for later.

For now we check in on another hero: Azrael. For those less aware, Azreal was the center of one of batman's biggest events and one I might cover someday: Knightfall. To make a very long story short after loosing his first bout with Batman, super genius and roidy mcgoo Bane studied his foe, then released every villian in arkham and blackgate, arkham for the criminally sane, and let batman wear himself out. Then Bane broke into his house, broke his shit and then broke his back, and rather than choose his actual son, Batman choose Jean Paul Valley, a 20 something who he'd resecued from a cult. This.. didn't go well as Jean still hasn't fully got the cult out of his system and went all grimdark and 90's and didn't hand the mantle back when Bruce was better. Bruce kicked his ass, but still let Jean Paul operate once he was deprogrammed.

So JP is currently taking Bane back to the arms of Saran Essen and.. some other guy. Sarah is comissioner Gordon's wife and Barbra's step mom. With him is Nomoz who I had to google as.. he's an actual troll. He was in the same cult Jean Paul was and why he put on costume again but eventuallys witched sides. I think he's neat. It's just.. neat to have an actual troll in the middle of this pretty grounded story. Well grounded for a former cult member fighting a luchador pumped up on steroids.

Bane escapes and a chase insues, but Bane wants Jean Paul to rule with him as "we're not so diffrent you and me' Jean defies him and that's that for now. He just.. kinda vanishes for the rest of this part of the crossover. All it does is explain where Sara was. It's a solid issue and I like this kind of detour: seeing how the rest of the batfamily handled the quake and it's a neat way to weave it into what was going on with Azreal at the time.

Back at the main plot, barbra gets some good news as when Bullock gets back, he decides to go look for her dad when he finds out no one's been sent as what people they have are busy putting out fires in both senses as gas manes have exploded. But her quiet relief when Bullock goes says a lot as does his saving Jim. Babs and Jim's reuinon is also touching.. he tells her to keep working, as it's important.. but is VERY proud of her.

The next issue covers batman's underwater adventure, as he tensely navigates currents. While he's doing that, we get one of my faviorite plots as we follow the Huntress, who had the misfortune.

Huntress is another vigilante in gotham.. and one of the few not given the okay by Batman. She was the daughter of a mob family that got wiped out in front of her eyes and grew up to become both a dedicated teacher and a hunter. The problem is Helena will ABSOLUTELY go for the kill at this point in her life and Batman has a thing about that. Maybe you've heard. And look I can get tired of Batman's "YOU CAN'T OPERATE IN MY CITY WITHOUT MY SAY SO"

Shtick. It's mostly for Stephanie Brown, who we'll get to. But this is a plot i get and like: Helena wants to do the one thing Bruce just CAN'T allow. He can't have a killer in his city claming to do what he does.

This event adds a wrinkle to it though: how justified is his no kill code when there's no prison to take the villians to? When things are hardest how can he possibly justify this? The answer is that he has to, that it's who he is... but does EVERYONE have to stick to it?

In this case Huntress has to help a bunch of people on the same subway car, complicated by some asshole with a gun taking hostages not knowing how bad it is. She manages to rescue his hostage and save the day.. but an aftershock leaves the guy pinned. And she.. leaves him. In the clutch.. she can't hold up to some code she dosen't belivie in. I belivie in it, I get why bruce does, it's a good code.. but where's the line? It's a fascinating thing to dive into... why should Helena keep this up when things are this bad and one more criminal is not going to black gate, but is going to make things so much worse.

The answer of course is just becaue things are hard don't make it right, but I love this situation pushing that. While i'm in the court of heroes not killing unless it's absolutely necessary, I like testing them. Helena falling into it first makes sense but i'm curious as this goes how far batman can be pushed by the horrors that await.

Speaking of the Bat he emerges in teh bay.. and screams in horror, letting out a big no as he sees the full situation: his city is dying, on fire, torn to pieces, the skyline gone.. and there's little he can do.

Now for another interlude and a fantastic one. Catwoman was just casually robbing a department store for the thrill of it. She could just buy goggles but admits in narration ther'es just something about gotham.. something wild that makes someone want to do crazy shit. She loves this stupid city.

The quake hits and no one has any idea what's going on.. but Selina helps. it's a great show of her character: Yes she's a thief and this is long before her protector of those who society forgot schtick I love so much.. but she's a good person. She'll steal shit.. but she'll also help, guiding a group of survivors through the wreckage. She does try to bolt.. but when she sees her city torn to shit... she doubles back and helps and then goes and helps who she can. Despite her protestations... she can't help but to help either.

We then get Robin's tie in.. which is only a few pages long. Yeah Robin was overseas, throwing hands with a dictatorship apparently and at the tail end of this arc returns home.. just as shit gets real. Robin at this poitn is Tim Drake, the third robin and one of the best. Tim was made a contrast to the previous two robins: He wasn't an orphan, he has a family that apparently live right next to Batman at this point, and he leans more into the detective side having figured out who Batman and Nightwing were and urging Nightwing to become robin again in the wake of Jason Todd's death at the hands of Ambassador Joker.

So onto the next chapter, a one shot Blackgate: Isle of Man. We follow a death row inmate Jared Manx whose execution gets delayed.. by act of god. Jared says he's innocent, that he didn't do what he did and despite every attempt was still going to get the chair. He protects his lawyer and a nun brought ot comfort him as things go pair shaped and a riot breaks out with many a criminal escaping, including KGBeast, exactly what that sounds like, who kills whoever's in his way. It's a well done issue especially since it marks Batman's come back. Hearing what's going on Batman SWIMS OUT TO BLACK GATE despite everything he's just been through, and quickly goes john mclane on their asses when he gets there. A few do escape and we'll catch up with them later, but batman's able to help the police helicopters land and clean house. Sadly.. jared does not make it. He sacrices himeslf to save his companions and claims "actually I did do it". And I like the ambiguity left: was he lying the whole time or, and this is what i go with, was he just lying to save innocent people. He died.. but he got to go out on his terms saving innocnet people and wether he's a murderer or not.. he won't be forgotten for that.

Back to the bat proper and the next issue is another banger as Batman grapples with just how hopless it feels... he can stop criminals but.. this is something else. Alan Grant does a damn good job as he waxes poetic about the devistation and how batman feels.. and how he presses on anyway. Saving who he can. He does realize he can only do so much, and thus goes for help: From the Penguin. At this point Penguin's settled into his modern role as a fixer who keeps his hands clean and more brokers crimes and has his men do them than actually get arrested again or try and use a penguin blimp to blow up the Gotham mint or some such. Batman gives him an ultimatum: don't fucking loot, instead help whoever he can since he has the resources to. Given the circumstances batman has nothing to bribe Pengy with... but he can still do threats okay. If Penguin loots Batman WILL come for his ass when thigns are done and will not stop making his life hell. And since he became a shady mobster to avoid that Penguin agrees. His men would be shot on sight anyway and the faster things get closer to normal the better.

We catch up with Tim who can't get back into the city: Roads are blocked and while most would be fine with just having to lodge in Bludhaven, showing you just how bad things have gotten when that's the GOOD option, Tim has no time for that and steals a motorcycle leaving an iou and tearing it up to get back to the city.

Jolene is having a less rad time, as while her building is safe she wants to get to bruce to help.. and instead gets kidnapped by some shady crooks. and "coincidentally" right after things get worse as a mysterious villian calling himself the Quakemaster, real missed oppertunity to call himself the aftershockmaster but whatever, sends a message to the police and a tape to the media: He caused this, and he'll destroy what's left unless he gets his ransom.

We take a break from this newly introduced baddie who will surely last longer than the length of this review for an anthology issue. Batman Chronciles is a batman series I was unaware existed before reading this trade, a quarterly book to help add extra stories. This issues stories really hone in on this event's strengths that while , as always batman is the center, we get a lot of what the rest of gotham is going through, boots on the ground as everyday civilians and other vigilantes deal with this nightmare.

Our first story is the contract, an okay tale that features a kid who belivies in batman. You know batman leader of batman and the outsiders , the justice league, the league of international heroes. That mytholgical figure. It does have a fun twist on the kid waiting for batman to save them: he dosen't.. but a bunch of criminals contracted to do.. contracted by Bruce Wayne. It's a brilliant twist in an otherwise okay story.

The rest are all shorter tails either spotlighting various victims or setting up things to come: Ras Ah Ghul gloats in his evil lair that batman's lost the city.. and he will finally have him as his heir forgetting the no murder thing. The Penguin saves people... but only those he finds useful and only for a favor down the line. A man tragically calls out and is trapped... and is not found, robin finding someone else instead. Two Face's henchman plan to turn him in for reward money. It goes as well as you'd expect. And a little boy waits , having lost his parents.. but finds Dr Leslie Thompkins, who once again comforts a young orphan.

Onto Nightwing. Dick finally makes his way to the clocktower, where Barbra has returned to help cordinate things. The two are relived and as usual are adorable together. Before things can get a bit more serious Tim shows up to kill the mood. Babs is at least still happy to see him as, to my shock, they hadn't met before this. Neat little moment.. that becomes less neat when all involved realize NONE of them have heard from bruce.

Bruce himself is busy in a new identity: Detective Hawke. I love the look as Jim is naturally suspcious of a random officer showing up, the last thing he needs is a supervillian attack fucking now... until it hits him. He's been through so much and i'ts only getting worse so it's likely a huge relief to find that batman is back and doing all he can.

As Batman saves lives the rest of his team look for him.. but find the giant cratered manor, utterly horrifed. While it's not mentioned on text, the art does a good job showing how devistated dick is.. he's trying to hold it in but it's clear seeing his home for some long gone .. it's a lot. He goes in to check on the cave and Alfred, while Tim goes to check on his dad, who hugs him tight, a sweet moment and one of the few bits of hope we've gotten so far.

Dick finds more as Alfred is fine along with Harold, who came in with some digging equipment giving the two an exit now they have help. Harold is batman's mute tech man, forced into working for the penguin till Batman rescued him and gave him a home in his creepy basement. I mean granted who dosen't want to live near a giant robot dinosaur that was used to hunt men for sport?

The next issue deals with quakemaster; The police have doubts about his claims.. but are going to give him the money in case as there's no way in hell they can survive another quake. Batman does his thing investigating, going to find Joelne Relazzo... and finding she was kidnapped. Since Bruce is a distrustful batstard, he does check to make sure she's not a villian.. but isn't and comes to the correct conclusion: the quakemaster kidnapped her for her knowhow to make himself seem more credible.

Batman relays with Gordon and the two try to trap quakemaster.. but like any good villian he sent henchman to collect the money. They have no idea who the guy is and our heroes have no real leads.

So Batman goes back to the cave and brushes off his son and sidekick who were worried he might you know be dead, or lost. Same with his father. I get tensions are high but even for Batman this is a dick move. It's about an 8.. not quite "slapping robin in the face" or "war games" , a comfortable quiet or papa spank.

Batman does put together that Quakemaster is lying

The facts he has are all wrong.. which Batman reads as a clue. Jolene is feeding him bullshit to make it clear no one's in any danger. He still worries for HER, as kidnapped scientest is not a long lived profession.

Time for another side story, and this one is one of my faviorites. Sadly another Chuck Dixon joint but hey. This follows Huntress again this time with Spoiler

Stephanie Brown is the daughter of Cluemaster, aka tenmu riddler . When she found out what her dad was, she became Spoiler, determind to "spoil" his crimes by tipping off Robin. She soon became attracted to him and at this point is currently operating but only when he lets her as Batman is not a fan because "I DIDN'T TRAIN HER AND I'M NOT GOING TO YET BECAUSE BLURRRRRRRRRR". As you can probably guess by now I hate this look for batman. For chuck it was probably "Well it's his city of course he am the god he am the god". For me i'ts being a dick to a teenager who just wants to impress her crush and has a genuine talent for this and making Robin's life harder because shut up. Ther'es a line between "batman dosen't understand people's emotoinal and will often make decisions on pragmantism and not what''s necessarily the emotionally healthyc hoice " and "batman is a giant asshole who wants everyone else to be like him." and this feels like it's crossing it. Maybe it's better in the individual issues I don't know it just feels.. off to have Stephanie HAVE to get the permission of robin or feel like she needs it and I prefer the later her who when given similar dickish paramiters by Barbra when Steph became batgirl, instead just... proved her worng when she could. And Babs gets more of a pass as while she was being a tad condescending this was also after Steph's previous career left her seemingly dead. I put that "death" more on Batman than her, but tha'ts a whole other mess. My point is he had no reason to not take her in then and there, see if she had it then cut her loose like huntress. With Helena i'm more understanding as .. they can't kill people. That's a line they can't cross. I'm understanding in this circumstance, but in regular day.. no. They can't just kill people because their bad people.

It is neat to team the two up though: Steph tries to honor the code while Helena.. does not, but Helena also shows her a bit more repsect.. she's gruff but unlike Robin or Batman dosen't seem to dismiss her. She also relates to having a parent who sucks, as Steph has to confront cluemaster. Cluemaster DOES want to get money to treat Steph's ill mother.. but can't understand why this upsets her. That in the middle of a disaster when at the very least after escape he could've just... fucked off and gone on with his life or helped people.. he STILL chooose to steal money. Steph dosen't let Helena kill.. but still dosen't make it out of the situation cleanly, having once again been fucked up by her dad. It's deeply engaging and while a lot of i'ts probably just being a fan of Stephanie Brown's later apperances as Batgirl, it's still deeply engaging and since Steph was in a mall when the thing happened another nice boots on the ground story.

We'll finish the story in a second but for coherence sake i'm going to save the penultimate chapter of the quakemaster saga to do alongside the finale for Cataclysm as inbetween them are two unrelated side stories that just.. break the flow. Ic an't blame the trade for including them, but instead of moving them after the steph story for better reading their kept when they came out.. wedged inbetween a massive cliffhanger in the Quakemaster plot.

So i'm covering them here. First is catwoman which is.. not a great issue this go round. It should be, it has Catwoman fighting Poison Ivy who plans to retake the city for plants and is written okay, and has a good moment of selena going back to rescue her latest victim she honey trapped.. but it has a LOT of Catwoman slut shaming Ivy. I mean Ivy shouldn't kill and brainwash anyone of any gender, but the framing of it is just.. bleh. I do like Catwoman having to team up with Bullock and Ivy's own spores getting on her face.. and WANTING them to keep growing even if she dies, but this is forgetable and if I read this again, which I likely will, i'll defintely be skipping it over.

The next one's a bigger disapointment: the concept is brilliant: at arkham the power goes out... just as Killer Croc's cage is open so he escapes and Joker convinces him to let him out. He also lets out scarecrow , riddler and two new characters Vox and Witch.. who only show up here despite being given intresting backstories. THey kidnap an unfortunate guard and decide to play a game: whoever tells the best story kills the man.

Unfortunately, the stories are.. eh. Only vox and riddler's stories stick out, vox for her tragiclaly imitating her mom smashing her father in the head with a beer bottle on her brother and the freaky art style and Scarecrow for the fucked up ending where some puppies eat their owners alive. The rest are forgetable. It's a lesser attempt at the BTAS episode "Almost Got Em. The ending, joker delcaring they all one and all of them carving up the poor bastard and leaving him alive but his mind broken, is horrifying.. but the issue is a wasted opprutnity not helped by where it's awkwardly wedged in

So onto our finale: Robin investigates quakemaster as do Renee Montoya and Bullock. The latter two eventually find his hideout while Robin. .figures out who he is. I knew due to the guidebook I mentioned, but it's still a neat way as they give you the clues.. you just don't realize it. Quakemaster tends to do two things: pause mid sentence to rethink his words.. and not use any words with b in them.

While Jolene hopes her clues are getting through, Gordon goes to meet mayor Marion Grange, who seems to be one of Gotham's few competent mayors.. but is tired and pissed having to deal with 80 problems. And she gets an 81st as armed goons burst in to demand the ransom money. She informs them the city.. is broke, another devistating blow but understandable: gotham had two pandemics back to back before this.

As they prepare to kill her the rest of our heroes find quakemaster.. and his hostage, Mackinzie Bock, recurring detective the wiki didn't have much on.

So we come to the end of Cataclysm. Robin.. decides to mock quakemaster, daring him to say his name. Suprisingly this dosen't end in Bock's death, but in Quakemaster loosing his temper and going after our heroes. This allows the detectives to free bock and go fre relazzo whose greatful and gives harvey a kiss on the cheek. Awww.. now she has scabies.

Meanwhile Bock and Robin really rock tonight as they find the Quakemaster... and Arnold Wesker's hand up his ass. Wesker is the vintriloquist, a tragic supervillian and my favorite batman villian alongside his usual partner, Scarface, a chalk white gangster puppet and his other personality. Quakemaster is another of Wesker's personas, forcing him to do this scheme just like scarface.. nad not much else. It's a clever twist and I love the fact that the only super villian to have a major role in this .. was Scarface. The rest were one offs.

The two try to flee but BOck has a clever solution.. he won't shoot wesker.. while the issue is a bit iffy on Robin blaming wesker when he clearly has DID and his alters are the criminals, he doesn't want wesker killed. And neither doe sbock who instead shoots Scarface in the head while poor wesker calls for a medic. It's tragic as it is brilliant. He can't hurt an innocent.. but scarface isn't an innocent.

So with that the day is saved. Nightwing goes to save gordon, Wesker is taken in. Yet.. it's far from a happy ending. As Dick notes.. the city MAY not recover and while batman assures them it will and they at least won... it's very clear gotham.. isn't okay. They saved the day, prevented another disaster.. but like all the victims they've saved.. it's only so much triage. Gotham is bleeding out and there's only so much surgery batman can do before it flatlines.

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spectral-phases · 3 months ago

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Another thing I need people to stop just saying like it's the truth is that Bruce picked up Tim as Robin immediately after Jason died, or that Tim forced his way into being Robin.

Now, of course, there is the caveat that Jason can come back into town thinking that it was the case, he was dead and Talia informed him of the changes in Gotham, so we don't know how accurately he was informed. Another caveat is that Tim can grow up thinking he forced his way into it because he does argue for it at a point, but I need no one else who had a fully developed mind and was there saying it. Okay? Okay.

So, let's tackle the first one. Jason Todd gets an official death certificate in the Daedalus and Icarus Annual explaining how he came back showing his date of death as 4/27/19xx (since comics are always meant to be contemporary unless stated otherwise, we can just ignore the year). The DC Encyclopedia had a death certificate too, but it had a lot of odd details, not least his height and weight being more in line for a 10 year old than a 15 year old (the Titans comic put his height at 5'4" when he died), so I'm going to use the comics certificates over that when they conflict, but the Batman Annual also lists his date of death as 4/27 (why is it a Gotham City Death Certificate when he died in Ethiopia? I have no clue).

(Batman Annual 25)

(New Titans Vol 1 55)

(DC Encyclopedia)

Tim Drake appears after Jason dies when Bruce Wayne is going a little crazy as Batman. He specifically shows up during a break week from school.

(Batman 1940 #441)

Given that he could only have a Break Week feasibly in November for teacher conferences, December for Christmas/New Year's, or March/April for Easter, and the greenery outside show that it's neither November nor December, he's therefore shown up for his Spring Break. Since that would never be after April 27th, then he has to be there at least the first Spring Break following Jason's death, so about a year later.

He shows up and begs Dick to become Robin again to save Bruce from himself.

(Batman 1940 #441)

You see, this is interesting. He's explaining all his best qualities, not as a way to say "I'm right for the job" but to awkwardly (as only Tim Drake can) explain how much Batman and Robin mean to him, and how much they've influenced his life, to show how committed he is to this idea to back-up his assessment that Batman needs Dick as Robin again.

Dick is very adamant in his refusal to step back into the Robin role.

(Batman 1940 #441)

Both Alfred and Dick(Maybe? unless it's just Alfred being the drama again, but Dick did leave his old Robin costume out on the side before leaving) suggest Tim should pick up the costume. And he does only hours later, when Dick and Batman's signals have disappeared after going to confront Two-Face. Tim is feeling guilt over Nightwing possibly being dead because he got involved, he's worried sick about his heroes, and Tim has to go help because he is not built for sitting back and worrying.

(Batman 1940 #442)

At this point, he does start trying to convince both himself and Batman that he should be Robin, but only seriously after Alfred and Dick start hyping Tim up as well. Bruce is not having it. Like. At all.

(Batman 1940 #442)

They go to track down Two-Face and the confrontation ends with Tim nearly getting crushed to death as a pile of cars in the junkyard are toppled over onto the Batmobile, where he's been instructed to wait.

(Batman 1940 #442)

The confrontation ends with Bruce punching Two-Face and telling him that he can't kill Batman or Nightwing (Or Robin?) Or Robin!

Afterwards, after all the adrenaline has worn off and they're back in the manor in their normal clothes, Tim starts to back off of being Robin. He's still super stoked for having had the chance to fight criminals with his heroes, he's 13, give him a break. Please and thank you.

At this point it is Alfred, Dick, and Bruce who cement Tim going into training to become Robin. Yes, because of his logic, but also, like. I think Bruce knows deep down he needs someone to work with just as much as everyone else does. And Tim already knows his secret, and this is the easiest way to keep him quiet. Also, Bruce. Fucking. Communicate better. Jesus.

(Batman 1940 #442)

And then Tim's training begins, but he won't become Robin until the following Christmas. And only after he saves Bruce because he's been captured by Scarecrow and is being tortured with fear toxin with Vikki Vale. Tim was ordered to stay home, but again, he is incapable to standing back and not helping when he thinks there's a problem (this is a good and heroic character trait). This time, he doesn't wear the costume because he can't bear the idea of failing in it, so he dons a ski mask and comes in, gets dosed with fear toxin while saving Batman and beating Scarecrow and runs away before the cops show. Tim believes this means he'll never be Robin, that Bruce will fire him from training, but at least Bruce is alive. When Tim explains this all to Bruce, Bruce says the rules are there for a reason, but sometimes it's okay to break them when justified and gives Tim a new Robin costume.

(Batman 1940 #457)

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howardduck1490 · 5 months ago

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Teen Titans Go! Batman

Batman is the super-hero protector of Gotham City, a man dressed like a bat who fights against evil and strikes terror into the hearts of criminals everywhere. In his secret identity, he assumes the alias of Bruce Wayne, billionaire industrialist and notorious playboy; though "Bruce Wayne" is technically his real name, this Bruce Wayne is a disguise--that of the man he would have been had his parents not been murdered before his eyes when he was no more than a mere boy.

Although Batman possesses no super-human powers, he is one of the world's smartest men and greatest fighters. His physical prowess and technical ingenuity make him an incredibly dangerous opponent. He is also a founding member of the Justice League and the Outsiders. Dick Grayson, the first "crime orphan" to assume the identity of Robin and be nicknamed "The Boy Wonder," who currently uses the alias of Nightwing, is Wayne's hand-picked successor.

Batman was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, first appearing in Detective Comics #27. (1939) Since then, Batman has been one of the most well-known DC Comics characters rivaling Superman and Wonder Woman, throughout his entire publication history and even in other media. This also extends to his supporting cast and his rogues gallery, particularly his archenemy the Joker.

#mrhowardtheduck2016 #dc comics #teen titans go!#warner bros animation #warner bros #dc cartoons #batman #bruce wayne #cartoon network

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extremetimedchallengeexchange · 8 months ago

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What's in the tag set anyways?

Considering joining the exchange? The idea of 48 hours to make a gift for someone sound just painful enough to be awesome? Already super busy on the weekend of August 31st through September 1st, but you know, you figure you can do a doodle on your phone? Well, in that case, let's delve a little deeper into the tag set.

You want all the gory details including tags in, tags still to be seconded, and some stats? Well in that case, let me direct you to the live-updating spreadsheet.

The idea of looking through the 1748 tags seconded through already in 123 fandoms sound like kind of a lot, actually? You're not sure you love spreadsheets that much? Well in that case, here is a list of every fandom in the tag set with over 20 tags already sent through to the tag set, which this post is also tagged as.

3rd Life | Last Life SMP Series (87 tags)

Critical Role (Web Series) (35 tags)

Crossover Fandom (79 tags)

Dangan Ronpa Series (24 tags)

DCU (Comics) (47 tags)

Dimension 20 (Web Series) (57 tags)

Dream SMP (92 tags)

Empires SMP (64 tags)

Gravity Falls (22 tags)

Grishaverse - Leigh Bardugo (21 tags)

Hermitcraft SMP (69 tags)

His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (20 tags)

Homestuck (46 tags)

Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger (27 tags)

Lifesteal SMP (34 tags)

Original Work (60 tags)

Origins SMP (29 tags)

QSMP | Quackity SMP (55 tags)

Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater (20 tags)

Star Wars - All Media Types (31 tags)

The Magnus Archives (Podcast) (58 tags)

The Mechanisms (Band) (28 tags)

プロジェクトセカイカラフルステージ！| Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! (Video Game) (35 tags)

呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga) (32 tags)

魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù (28 tags)

If you are in any of those fandoms, there's a chance that your blorbos are already in the tag set! Check out our rules for more information or join our discord to be part of it! Tag nominations are open until Midnight EST on the 20th, you still have a chance to add your blorbo into the exchange before signups open!

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batmannotes · 11 months ago

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Batman (Detective Comics #27) Regular & Platinum Edition

Brand: DC Multiverse Genre: Comics Product Type: Action Figure Series: Platinum Edition BATMAN™ has dedicated his life to an endless crusade, a war on all criminals in the name of his murdered parents, who were taken from him when he was just a child. Since that tragic night, he has trained his body and mind to near physical perfection to be a self-made super hero. He’s developed an arsenal of technology that would put most armies to shame. And he’s assembled teams of his fellow heroes, like the JUSTICE LEAGUE™ and THE OUTSIDERS™. In the name of his murdered parents, BRUCE WAYNE™ wages eternal war on the criminals of GOTHAM CITY™. He is vengeance. He is the night. He is BATMAN™!

Video review below:

youtube

#batman #mcfarlanetoys #mcfarlane #toys #toy #action figures #comicbooks

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kitzatara · 9 months ago

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Hello! Sorry to bother but I can’t find any zatanna reading lists/recommendations, especially for early stuff, and I’d really like to get into her comics. Could you suggest some if that’s okay? :D

Zatanna’s search

When she Joins the JLA #161 to when she leaves #255 (she is in most of these issues but some she isn’t) DC Super Stars of Magic Zatanna

Hawkman #4 (1986)

DC Special Zatanna

Spectre #7-8

Secret Origins #27

Adventures Of Superman #522

Fate #10 Zatanna Come Together Day of Judgment

JLA Black Baptism

Obsidian Age

7 Soldiers of Victory

Reign In Hell

Gotham City Sirens (volume 2)

Her 2010 Solo

Black Canary & Zatanna Bloodspell Infinite Crisis Fight For the Multiverse (not canon) JLD both runs

Truth and Justice #7

Wonder Woman Agent of Peace #15 Knight Terrors

Zatanna Bring Down The House

My favorite Elseworlds with her are:

Bombshells, Zatanna and the House of Secrets, Zatanna and the Ripper, Smallville Harbinger, DCeased Dead Planet, and Zatanna and the Jewel of Gravesend

There is my Zatanna reading list, it is a mostly chronological telling of her story, with some stories being fun bonuses. There’s lots of other issues shes in but these will advance her canon, showcase her power, or have her present.

The elseworlds can be read whenever, and while infinite crisis for the multiverse isn’t strictly canon, you can pretend that it is. Like it would fit if we really wanted it to, and I really want it to lol.

Yojne!

#zatanna zatara #zatanna #dc comics #reading list #zatanna reading list

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drifting-pieces-blog-blog · 1 year ago

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Breaking down the comics: What big Teeth (Issue 29)

Moon Knight, Issue #29: Morning Star.

Enter WEREWOLF BY NIGHT.

We're going back to the start of it all.

Also, this cover? Fucking BANGER.

(This issue has two stories, but I'm going to cover the second shorter story in a separate post.)

Titles page reads:

"Jack Russell must reach Moon Knight before the full moon, before the change...And before the hooded figures can use him for their own terrible ends."

Yesss….. It’s time to fall back to the roots of it all. A horror story.

We open on a train yard.

"It has been said that the train, outmoded though it may be, functions as the nations lifeline.

But here's something else that's been said: 'As a viable mode of transport, the nation's once mighty rail system is dying a painfully slow death'

Take your pick....Then Decide where that leaves the nation. Or consider this: Here, in the twilight of an Omaha Freight yard, long lines of trains merely slumber.

Reassuring? Nope.

Because the peace of sleep is easily shattered."

We see a man running for his life as people fire on him.

"I could change... I could kill the man... But I don't want to..." He weaves through the train cars and tracks.

"Full moon rising... Soon I won't be able to control myself... Just a little longer!"

He jumps on a train that's starting to pull out.

But the train moves at a crawl.

The men move in.

But the moon is risen and full.

"Dusk dies. Leaving only a circle of silver to light the sky..."

And the monster is awake.

"First night: Darkness and the moon conspired with an ancient curse to answer my prayers --and to give me what I needed. From the shadows of the boxcar I reached out, seized the first man--and Squeezed.

He was surprised. I felt my talons flex under the pressure. Then puncture his flesh. Blood spurted. I bared my fangs and almost howled, but not yet...not yet.

True, I'd become the werewolf again and all awareness of my human identity as Jack Russell had gone the way of my flesh... Still, I was cunning.

Soon the hated man would be dead...But I knew there were three of them. Plenty of time to howl, so I snarled instead."

The wolf carries on. He rips into flesh then runs. The wolf knows it needs more time.

It makes a break into the night on the departing train.

The remaining men rush to the station and demand to know where that train is going.

New York City is about to get interesting.

Back in LA, we find ourselves in a satanic cultist curch where the leader, Schuyler Belial, who also calls himself Morning Star, is giving a midnight mass sermun.

It's typical satanist cultist stuff.

As part of his promise to his followers is that he produce the "Beast of the Apocalypse".

Which he was supposed to produce that night. That obviously is not going to happen.

"You promised you'd produce the beast tonight! That's what we came for! Where is he?"

"Ah, no--Not tonight--But soon. Soon the sign shall be manifest! And you shall see--"

Apparently he's been promising to deliver the beast for the past year.

It's hard to deliver a pissed off werewolf on a time schedule.

The congregation is pretty displeased and most of them leave. This leaves Morning Star pretty riled up.

He needs that beast and he plans to get it.

Time to head to New york.

You know who else is in New York?

This page is just….It’s the heart of this comic. Lockley chilling with his friends. You got Crawley and his flowery language and oddly high insight. Jake asking how Gena and the kids are doing. Flint contacting Moon Knight through Gena’s diner… It’s perfect.

Moon Knight meets up with flint. Flint passes along a letter marked "Super urgent" for Moon Knight.

"Moon Knight, for past favors, please meet me tonight before 6-- Jersey countryside, old house on Deer Run Road just off Routes 27 and 63. -Jack Russell"

Moon Knight has a flashback of him punching a werewolf.

Yeah...that...that sounds about right.

He makes haste but it's a half hour trip and it's already Five thirty.

Yeah that's pretty much how it went last time too.

"Moon Knight wasn't in time. I jumped all over him for it. When the moon is full, I have no control over myself...None! And then I splashed through glass into the night. "

Moon Knight has his own thoughts on it.

"Well, you may have transformed, Russell...But you sure haven't changed much since our last meeting... Still adhering to an altogether too hairy lifestyle."

"Too late by a matter of minutes--And now instead of merely containing him, I've got to capture him."

Moon Knight is not looking forward to this night. He's been faced with capturing him before.

The Wolf runs for freedom, knowing the Moon Knight is after him.

He's easily distracted at the sight of prey.

A large stag frozen in fear before him.

"And there HE was--A wealth of silver moonstuff itself."

Moon Knight bursts into the clearing and startles off the stag.

Russell gives chase. And so does Moon Knight.

There he goes…on the ground again. He has the worst luck.

And Moon Knight takes a hard blow to the head.

The attacker flees and calls up Morning Star to tell him the bad news. "Moon Knight the Avenging white angel" is after the beast.

Morning star elects to wait until Russell has changed back to human form when he is worn out and easier prey.

Speaking of prey, the wolf has taken his own prey down and feasted well. His rage and need for the hunt quelled, he heads to a stream to wash off.

And then the dawn broke and the man was left behind.

"I went to sleep on my feet--standing in water."

And just a few yards away, Moon Knight also awakens.

They’re doing great.

Moon Knight pulls Russell from the water. He and Frenchie take Russell back to Grant Mansion to let him rest.

He wakes from a nightmare.

Moon Knight asks him about the men following him. Russell believes them to be phantoms, since he can't seem to shake them.

"...But no matter how far or fast I go, sooner or later they always show up."

Moon Knight recalls how the cowl mic was filled with static.

He calls in a doctor.

Outside, down the road, the cultists wait for their chance.

After x rays are taken they discover a chip that has been implanted in Jack's head just under the scalp.

The doctor says he can remove it, but it will take time and time they don't have. He will have to wait till the next day to remove it.

Moon Knight explains to Jack how he's being tracked.

In the mean time, he does what friends do best.

"Strap you down, lock you up, and keep watch over you throughout your werewolf phase. Right here."

The moon rises and so does the wolf. He snaps the straps and is now loose in Grant mansion!

Yeah...Moon Knight didn't think this one through....

CONTINUED NEXT TIME!

I have to say, I love how when the wolf appears, we get the narration from the wolf’s point of view and it’s still in Russel’s voice, but more confused and more driven by the wolf.

On a different note, I was excited to see Marvel previews for other comics popping up in the back of this issue! It means that Moon Knight has broken into the big leagues at this point and now they are advertising the more mainstream events and comics.

There was ALSO a letter from the editor, Denny O'Neil stating that Ralph Macchio has been promoted and will be dancing up the Marvel food chain. It also talks about how the publishing schedule for Moon Knight is going to change. They can't give information yet, but the hope is to reach a larger audience.

It's heartwarming to see how this little obscure comic started to get such a following so early on and started to grow.

#Moon Knight #Moon Knight comics #Werewolf by Night #Jack Russell #Marc Spector #Steven Grant #Jake Lockley #They're friends #Everyone Moon Knight makes friends with started with a punch #Nothing makes me happier than Moon Knight having flashbacks to punching a werewolf #That first comic was something else #Let's get this bread #It's spooky time ya'll!#Analyzing the comics

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abrakuxas · 17 days ago

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Hey, hope this doesn't bother you, but i was wondering if you could recommend some batman comics? Im trying to get into them, but there is so much out there

Feel free to ignore this

Hey! No bother!

Fuck, look, I'd love to be concise but I'm the kind of crazy people that reads everything (I'll do my best)...

Little rambling before we start ao you know where I come from: Some people will tell you that you can get into comics at any point and that it's like modern myths and that stories happen kind of isolated from each other and can be read in any order.

I could not disagree more and to Batman comics I disagree even more, at it's best, Batman comics are very much a story that develops and evolves, while to me, to my taste, whenever it goes into full timeless status quo it's just... Fine. It can be very good at the right hands but if not it just feels samey and generic.

My reading method is going through DC database and taking notes of which issues were released every month of every year for every minimally batfamily related title (except for Justice League, I'm gonna do it in the future)

I'm currently at 2017 and my list includes: Batman, Detective Comics, All Star Batman, Nightwing, Titans, Batgirl, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans, Super Sons, Gotham Academy, etc...

That said I'll assume you're not as crazy as I am and try to be normal about it. (If you do want crazy version, you can DM me or ask me again lol)

For a start:

- You can go through Golden Age comics from Detective 27, they are very fun to read.

- A more normal route is Batman Year 1 but you don't need me to tell you to read Batman Year 1, the whole internet will tell you that. But yeah, all of those. Ideal order from here: Year 1, Shaman Legends of the Dark Knight 1-5), could add Mad Monk and Monster Men here, Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Robin Year One, Batman and Robin Year One, Robin and Batman. I think this is probably the safest start reading Batman guide.

- Before Crisis on Infinite Earths I'd recommend Neal Adams and Dennis O'Neil. Some faves include: Detective Comics 400 (first Man-Bat story); 405 (first League of Assassins story); 408 (great for some Batman & Robin drama); then I'd say go read the stories collected in tales of the Demon! Detective 457,

- Immediate post crisis Batman is my jam. The first post crisis issue of Batman is 401, his whole relationship to Jason is very fun. I honestly will have hard time recommending this because to me Batman from post crisis up to the end of the 90s is just the best and it's kinda sad to me but since I started reading 2000s up I just haven't had as much fun as I had during this era. If you like Batfamily, then this era with Dick as Nightwing, Jason as Robin, his death, Tim becoming Robin, Babs becoming Oracle, Spoiler and Huntress show up, Jean-Paul Valley taking over as an even more broken Batman and by the end you have Cassandra as Batgirl. Ugh, it's just perfect, my favorite experience for reading Batman. In terms of major stories: The Cult> Death in the Family > Killing Joke > Lonely Place of Dying > Sword of Azrael > Knightfall > Contagion > Batman Legacy > Cataclysm > No Man's Land

I cannot stress this enough, if you don't mind reading things for a long time and engaging in long stories with various arcs, this is just fucking great

From this era I'd also recommend Batman: Dark Knight, Dark city, a personal favorite of mine that can be read standalone

- Gotham Academy is not really Batman but oh my god is it fun.

- Batman and Robin vol 2 by Peter J Tomasi is the closest I've been to having fun like I did with 80s and 90s books

- The Batgirl book from the early 2000s with Cassandra Cain is excellent. I do recommend reading No Man's Land first, but you do you.

- The Batgirl book from 2009 with Stephanie is very fun

- If you're into Dick Grayson I recommend The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolffman and George Perez. Just do it, it's very good (until it isn't. You will know)

- If you're into Tim Drake I recommend his Robin book and his Red Robin book

- If you're into Jason Todd, I'm sorry. My favorite stories with him is his post crisis Robin stories and some aspects of Under the Red Hood but unfortunately he's rarely well written after that, it pisses me off

- Huntress Cry for Blood

- Batman and the Outsiders is very nice, I love everything Mike W. Barr writes in the 80s

- Batwoman comics by Greg Rucka!!!!!!!!! He's good.

- I'm really enjoying Absolute Batman!

I think these are my top picks. Honestly if you're a normal human being you could probably just read this stories in any order and be happy! I very much recommend going to DC Database and checking some stuff. If you do want a more deep reading.

If you do want like... Deep deep dive into Batman or just chat and ask stuff I'm always open to doing it!

I could do this for hours......

#dc comics #batman #comic recommendations

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kosmos2999 · 7 months ago

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The Last Starfighter: 40 Years Later

“GREETINGS STARFIGHTER! YOU HAVE BEEN RECRUITED BY THE STAR LEAGUE TO DEFEND THE FRONTIER AGAINST XUR AND THE KO-DAN ARMADA.”

With those two sentences that came right from the speaker of the cabinet of the – fictional -- arcade game Starfighter, an incredible adventure will began for Alex Rogan!

A young man living in a trailer park, Rogan has great expectations but his chances of success are against all odds. Just when his dream of a higher education was shattered, he received a chance of a lifetime. The Starfighter game was also a test to find those with “the gift” to be real starfighters by breaking the record on it.

And as the poet said, the rest is history...

"Welcome to Rylos, my boy!"

In 1971, the first arcade videogame was released, Computer Space. A decade later, arcade videogames became a pop culture phenomenon.

They were in every place, not only in bars, game rooms, bowling allies and amusement parks. They were also supermarkets, theatre lobbies and also in odd places like laundromats and funeral homes opened places for gamers eager to play them.

Arcade games became an icon of the 80s!

In that decade, a technological development was also creating a revolution in the communications industry, particullry the visual media, computer generated imagery, commonly known as CGI.

In 1982, Walt Disney Pictures released the first movie with an extensive use of CGIs, Tron. Two years later, the formely known a Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Lorimar Productions decided to take the CGIs out of this world with The Last Starfigther.

About the production:

While writer Jonathan R. Betuel was on his lunch break from his then regular job, he went to an arcade and got the first idea for The Last Starfighter. It was also heavily influenced by his reading of T. H. White's The Once and Future King. Hence, in the script, Grig tells Centauri about “the Excalibur trick.”

In the first draft, Alex Rogan was suppossed to live in a suburban area. It was changed in favor of a trailer park. Director Nick Castle made the change in favor of giving his film its own identity.

The Canyon Country, a neighborhood in Santa Clarita, California was used for the Starlite Starbrite Trailer Park setting.

With exception of the makeup and explosions, all the other special effects for the movie were computer graphics done by Digital Productions using the -- then powerful -- the Cray X-MP supercomputer.

27 of the 101 minutes of the film's running time were rendered by DP.

The Star Car was built by the famous car designer and builder, Gene Winfield. He also designed and built the Galileo 7 shuttlecraft for Star Trek: The Original Series.

About the legacy...

The Last Starfighter made 29 millon Dollars at the box office in North America, recovering its budget of 15 million Dollar but not quite a smash hit. Its producers consider it as “the most expensive B movie ever made.” It became a cult film, with an extensive following.

A musical adaptation was produced at the Storm Theatre Off-Off Broadway in New York City in October 2004. A recording of the performance was published in November 2005.

A novelization of the film was written by Alan Dean Foster. A comic book was published in issue 31 of Marvel Super Special by Marvel Comics. It was adapted to the format by writer Bill Mantlo and artists Bret Blevins and Tony Salmons. It was also available as a three-issue miniseries.

In the same year of its debut, producer of tabletop miniature war games, FASA, published three game based on the movie: Combat Game, Duel In Space and Tunnel Chase.

Videogame manufacturer, Atari Games, had plans to publish and arcade game and its conversions for their consoles and personal computer but neither of them saw the daylight as games from The Last Starfighter.

Only one console, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), saw an adaptation but it was only a renaming of a game Uriduim. Originally released in the Commodore 64 personal computer.

About the main cast:

Lance Guest: A graduate from a major in Theatre at UCLA. Guest made his debut in the movies with a supporting role in the 1981 film, Halloween II. His roles of Alex Rogan and the Beta Unit in The Last Starfigther were the most notable of his career. He later appeared in films like the 1987, Jaws: The Revenge, but later he becomes more involved in on ad off-Broadway theatrical productions.

Catherine Mary Stewart: She attended the Strathcona Composite High School in Canada and later moved to London to study dance and general performing arts. Stewart made her film debut in the musical science fiction cult movie, The Apple in 1980. Stewart was a well established actress on television before she landed for the role of Maggie Gordon on the feature film.

She had a vast career on both TV and film until mid-90s, when she made a brief retirement to raise her family. Later she returned to the show business as actress and director.

Robert Preston: He was a very acomplished stage and film actor. In 1957, the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in the stage play, The Music Man. His character in The Last Starfigther, Centauri, was modeled after his characterization of Professor Harold Hill. The one that made him worth of the award. He also won a nomination for the Academy Award for his performance in th 1982 film, Victor/Victoria. His role of Centauri in 1984 was his last appearance in a motion picture. He passed away in 1987 of a lung cancer.

Dan O'Herlihy: Although he was graduated in 1944 from a Degree in Architecture at University College Dublin, O'Herlihy pursuit a career in acting. He was successful on radio, TV and film. He won a nomiation for an Academy Award in 1954 for his performance in the lead character in the movie, Robinson Crusoe. Before his role of Grig at The Last Starfighter, he made a guest-appearance in the science fiction epic, Battlestar Galactica in the second part of the episode Gun on Ice Planet Zero as Dr. Ravishol. Another important appearances in sci-fi feature films for O'Herlihy were as The Old Man in Robocop (1988) and Robocop II (1990). His last performance in film was in the 1988 film The Rat Pack as Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. O'Herlihy passed away in 2005 due to natural cause.

Norman Snow: Graduated from a Bachellor of Fine Arts at Juilliard School, Snow was recognized by his fellows as an accomplished character actor. Most of his acting career was done on TV. One of his most reknowed performances on the small screen was in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation episode from season six, Rightful Heir, as a Klingon named Torin. On the big screen, his career was very sporadic. One of the most important moments was when he was cast for the role of the main villain in The Last Starfighter, Xur. Norman Snow passed away in November of 2022.

There is a cameo appearence by actor Wil Wheaton during the first minutes of the film.

About the (part of) production staff:

Nick Castle: Film director, and also he has been screenwriter and actor in many other projects. Many of them with his friend and classmate of University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, John Carpenter. The Last Starfighter was his second directional project. Castle's first film was Tag: Assassination Game in 1982.

Jonathan Betuel: Writer whose first novel, The Dogfighter was published whe he was 21. Betuel began to develop interest in screenplays while he was in NYU Film School. Then, decided to pursue a career in screenwriting.

Craig Safan: Composer for film and television. Since his early years, he developed an interest in and learned to play music. Graduated from Brandelis University from a major in Fine Arts. He won many ASCAP awards for his compositions. In addition to the music for The Last Starfighter, Safan wrote scores for many major movies such as Stand and Deliver, Major Payne, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, and music for the TV series, Cheers.

Ron Cobb: Film conceptual designer, and also Cobb was writer and cartoonist. Started his career working as an inbetweener/breakdown artist on the classic Walt Disney Pictures animated feature film, Sleeping Beauty. During his service with the U.S. Army, Cobb became a political cartoonist. His first job in a film was the design of a starship for John Carpenter's Dark Star. Eventually, Ron Cobb worked on the conceptual designs for films like Star Wars, Alien, Back to the Future, Aliens, The Abyss, Space Truckers, Titan A.E. among others. Cobb passed away on September 21, 2020.

40 years later...

I had the chance of watching The Last Starfigther when it made its debut in a double feature with Sixteen Candles. Not a contender to dethrone the Star Wars movie franchise. But indeed, it was more a motivational film for me.

It showed me that sometimes extraordinary things can happen to ordinary people, like me. When you came from places like a trailer park, or a public housing complex, you do not expect something wonderful to happen, but chances are.

Just listen to the words of advice from Otis – character played by actor Vernon Washington:

“Things change. Always do. You'll get your chance! Important thing is, when it comes, you gotta grab it with both hands and hold on tight!”

Enjoy the movie...

The Last Starfighter (1984 film)

Main cast:

Lance Guest as Alex Rogan

Dan O'Herlihy as Grig

Robert Preston as Centauri

Catherine Mary Stewart as Maggie Gordon

Production staff:

Directed by: Nick Castle

Written by: Jonathan R. Betuel

Produced by: Gary Adelson and Edward O. Denault

Cinematography by: King Baggot

Edited by: Carroll Timothy O' Meara

Music by: Craig Safan

Production company: Lorimar Productions

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

YouTube channel: Betelgeuse1209

youtube

#space opera #the 80s #80s aesthetic #80s sci fi #80s science fiction #the last starfighter #Youtube #The last starfighter: 40th anniversary

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androxys · 4 months ago

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Androxys' 2024 Comics Wrapped

Tis the season for reflection and reminiscing and big lists, so I guess it’s time for me to review what my year of comic reading looked like! As always, this list is not guaranteed to be 100% perfect, as I’m only human, and keeping a big spreadsheet and LOCG sounds great until you mark one and forget the other.

Per my tally, I read 836 comics in 2024. If we assume each comic is 22 pages long, that’s 18,392 pages of comics. Of course, some issues are oversized, but some issues were also originally backups that were later collected, so I’m assuming it all comes out in the wash.

Top 10 Characters/Teams I read for…

The Legion of Super-Heroes: 116

Batman (Bruce Wayne): 77

Supergirl (Linda Danvers): 46

Wonder Woman: 42

Nightwing: 41

Amethyst: 39

The Dreaming: 32

Poison Ivy: 24

Batman (Dick Grayson): 20

JLA: 19

Top 5 Titles:

Legion of Super-Heroes (2004) - 50 issues

Supergirl (1996) - 46 issues

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes (1949) - 35 issues

Detective Comics (2016) - 32 issues

Wonder Woman (2016) / Nightwing (1996) - 30 issues each

If you want to see my full 2024 reading, check below the cut.

Absolute Power: Origins (2024) #1-2 [2]

Action Comics (1938) #858-863 [6]

Alan Scott: Green Lantern (2023) #1-6 [6]

Amethyst (1983) #1-12 [12]

Amethyst (1985) #1-16 [16]

Amethyst (1987) #1-4 [4]

Amethyst (2020) #1-6 [6]

Amethyst Annual (1984) #1 [1]

Anarky (1997) #1-4 [4]

Anarky (1998) #1-8 [8]

Aquaman (1962) #40-48 [9]

Arkham City: Order of the World (2021) #1-6 [6]

Arkham Reborn (2009) #1-3 [3]

Batman + Arsenal (1997) #1 [1]

Arsenal Special (1996) #1 [1]

Batgirl (2024) #1 [1]

Batgirl Special (1988) #1 [1]

Batgirl: Girlfrenzy (1998) #1 [1]

Batman and Robin (2011) #1-8 [8]

Batman Incorporated (2022) #1-12 [12]

Batman: Batgirl (1997) #1 [1]

Birds of Prey (2023) #5-14 [10]

Birds of Prey: Batgirl/Catwoman (2003) #1 [1]

Birds of Prey: Catwoman/Oracle (2003) #1 [1]

Black Lightning Year One (2009) #1-6 [6]

Chase (1998) #1-9, #1,000,000 [10]

City Boy (2023) #1-6 [6]

DC Universe Legacies (2012) #1-10 [10]

Dead Boy Detectives (2014) #1-12 [12]

Dead Boy Detectives (2022) #1-6 [6]

Death of the New Gods (2007) #1-8 [8]

Detective Comics (1937) #644-653; #846-850 [14]

Detective Comics (2011) Special Edition #27 [1]

Detective Comics Annual (2021) #1 [1]

Detective Comics (2016) #1034-1065 [32]

Far Sector (2019) #1-12 [12]

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds (2008) #1-5 [5]

Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville (2023) #1-6 [6]

Batman/Catwoman: Follow the Money (2010) #1 [1]

Gotham Academy (2014) #1-18 [18]

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy (2016) #1-6 [6]

Gotham City Sirens (2024) #1-4 [4]

Hawk and Dove (1988) #1-5 [5]

Huntress Secret Files (2021) #1 [1]

Jay Garrick: The Flash (2023) #1-6 [6]

JLA: Incarnations (2001) #1-7 [7]

JLA Year One (1997) #1-12 [12]

John Constantine: Hellblazer (2019) #1-12 [12]

Justice League Elite (2004) #1-12 [12]

Kingdom Come (1996) #1-4 [4]

Batman: The Last Halloween (2024) #0-2 [3]

Lazarus Planet (2023) [7]

Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods (2023) #1-4 [4]

Legion of Super-Heroes (2004) #1-50 [50]

(Superboy &) The Legion of Super-Heroes (1946) #234-268 [35]

Legion of Super-Heroes in the Silver Age [24]

Man Bat (1996) #1-3 [3]

Man Bat (2006) #1-5 [5]

Midnighter (2015) #1-12 [12]

Midnighter & Apollo (2016) #1-6 [6]

Millennium (1987) #1-8 [8]

New Krypton (2008) [13]

Nightmare Country (2022) #1-6 [6]

Nightwing (1996) #71-100 [30]

Nightwing (2016) #110-119 [10]

Nightwing Annual 2024 #1 [1]

Our Worlds At War [9]

Poison Ivy (2023) #1-18 [18]

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death (2016) #1-6 [6]

Prez (1973) #1-2 [2]

Ragman (1991) #1-8 [8]

Ragman: Cry of the Dead (1993) #1-6 [6]

Ragman: Suit of Souls (2010) #1 [1]

Resurrection Man (1997) #16-17 [2]

Robin Argent Double Shot (1998) #1 [1]

Robin Plus Impulse (1996) #1 [1]

Saved by the Belle Reve (2022) #1 [1]

Stargirl and the Lost Children (2022) #1-6 [6]

Stargirl Spring Break Special (2021) #1 [1]

Steelworks (2023) #1-6 [6]

Strange Adventures (1950) #205-213 [9]

Streets of Gotham (2009) #1-14; 16-21 [20]

Supergirl (1996) #1-43; #1,000,000 [44]

Supergirl (1996) Annuals #1-2 [2]

Swamp Thing: New Roots (2020) #1-9 [9]

The Brave and the Bold (2007) #1-6 [6]

The Cult (1988) #1-4 [4]

The Dreaming (2018) #1-20 [20]

The Dreaming: Waking Hours (2020) #1-12 [12]

The Hawk and The Dove (1968) #1-6 [6]

The Long Halloween (1996) #1-13 [13]

The Question: All Along The Watchtower (2024) #1 [1]

Titans (2008) #1-11 [11]

Titans East Special (2007) #1 [1]

Two Face: Year One (2008) #1-2 [2]

When In Rome (2004) #1-6 [6]

Wonder Woman (1987) #36-48 [12]

Wonder Woman (2016) #1-30 [30]

World's Finest (2009) #1-4 [4]

Young Justice (1998) #13-14 [2]

I also read a few of the DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, which I’ll include here as relevant. As an overall series, I’ve gotten the impression (and been told) that the characterization and intention of the books can wildly vary–one book can be intended as a serious, main-continuity story of a character while they were a young adult, while others are AUs or what-ifs that take characters and change them or their surroundings. I found all of these to be enjoyable reads for what they are, recognizing that I am not their target demographic. (Bad Dream, I have to say, was probably my favorite)

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld (2021)

Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story (2024)

Barda (2024)

The Oracle Code (2020)

This Land is Our Land (2024)

#chit chat #androxys reads comics #androxys comics wrapped #dc comics

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sabrinasopposite · 5 months ago

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things you need to know about me; 💌

hi pookies! i am bored so that‘s why i am telling you some facts about me !!!!!

(if you guys read it- you are genuinely so cool)

1. my nickname is nellie

2. i can speak english, polish and german

3. i have a really unhealthy obsession with superheroes and nerd stuff- i really love marvel, star wars, dc and more.

4. i have a crush on peter parker since i am 3 years old

5. i am a cancer!!!!!!! an emotional bitch!!!!

6. i am a filmbro and love to spend my time on letterboxd

7. my biggest dream is to be an film director but i am studying social pedagogy

8. a lot of people are saying that i look like sabrina carpenter (it‘s feeding my delusions.)

9. i start writing when i was 15 :) but i prefer writing poetries and tragedies (i love romeo & juliet)

10. i have a thing for the first- love trope in super hero stories- i literally forget every time that mj watson is endgame and not gwen stacy

11. speaking of gwen stacy- gwen stacy is my favorite character of all the time. (the ORIGINAL gwen stacy- not spider-gwen)

12. i own a lot of comics

13. my favorite food is pierogi (polish dish)

14. i am 20!!!!!!!

15. i love classic book

16. as u can see in my account- i love sabrina carpenter

17. i met rooney mara!!!!!!!!

18. i am very active on twitter- and then i remember how toxic it is

19. my celebrity crush is tom holland- but i have way too many. i could write a list of it.

20. i love clark kent!!! who would have thought

21. my favorite movie is la la land because i love musicals

22. i have never been in a relationship and i think its for the better

23. my favorite city is london but i really want to visit NYC one day to fullfill my spider-man dream and broadway

24. i have a lot of phobias but the most ironic one is my arachnophobia

25. people call me that i am a sunshine and that i have a gentle and friendly appearance

26. i am a collector- i collect a lot of things which makes my mom mad lol

27. i own a lightsaber of ahsoka tano 😎

28. i really love the 60s fashion and i wish i could wear them more

29. i used to study product design but my teacher sucked so bad that i stopped it immediately

30. if i would be a rom-com then its how you lose a guy in 10 days

#random facts #facts about me #hi i am geniuely weird #get to know the author #clark kent!!!!!!

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popthebop · 5 months ago

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Batman and batfam taster packet reading order

(why is batman 1940 run called that? Because there was a hard reboot in 2011 that is the new 52, everything before that is part of the same 1940 run same for detective comics 1939)

Secret origins of the world’s greatest heroes (The first story which is a Batman story, you only need to read that one)

Batman Year one is optional* (if you wanna read it feel free to! it kinda makes no sense so don’t worry about it if you wanna skip it!)

*if you chose to read year one the next in the order is Long Halloween Batman: Dark victory (all 13 issues) Long Halloween: the last Halloween (not fully out yet but 13 issues) Robin year one Catwoman: when in rome (After this you can go straight into the rest of the reading order)

Batman year 2 (Joe chill and the reaper introduced)

Batman: full circle (The reaper is back!)

Batman: year 3 which is Batman 1940 #436 to #439 (Robin’s orign story + snippet of Jason)

Batman 1940 run’s #408 to #416 (Jason Todd is introduced!)

Detective comics 1939 #574 (Batman origin + Jason)

Batman: cult (Deacon blackfire introduced)

Batman: the diplomats son arc Batman 1940 #424 to #425

Batman: a death in the family Batman 1940 #426 to #429 (Joker becomes an Iranian ambassador in this one)

Batman: a lonely place of dying Which is Batman 1940 #440 to #442 (Tim introduced!!!)

Batman 1940 #443 to #447 (Batman meets KGBeast)

Batman: a penguin affair Batman 1940 #448 to #449 (This introduces Harold!!!)

Batman: night monsters Batman 1940 #458 (We skip to the future so we get more Harold)

Batman 1940 #450 to #451 (What joker’s been up to)

Batman 1940 #452 to #454 (Important riddler stuff)

Batman: identity crisis Batman 1940 #455 to #457

Batman 1940 #459 (Start of the Gordon health kick arc)

Batman: sisters in arms Batman 1940 #460 to #461 (Catwoman and Sarah centric)

Batman: spirit of the beast Batman 1940 #462 to #464 ⚠️ Warning ⚠️ this story has aged like milk with its portrayal’s of indigenous and Native American people (ACE THE BAT HOUND IS INTRODUCED)

Detective comics 1939 #635 to #637 (Gordon health kick arc continues. But Gordon is a gamer)

Batman 1940 #465 to #466* *466 is optional but a good Tim story (Batfam moments so many moments)

Batman: shadow box Batman 1940 #467 to #469 ⚠️ Warning ⚠️ this story has aged like milk with its portrayal’s of Asian culture and people (The Gotham city triads are introduced and king snake)

Detective comics 1939 #634 (A super cute palette cleanser for after shadow box)

Batman 1940 #470 (Maxis Zeus is introduced)

Detective comics 1939 #638 (Bomb is introduced)

Batman 1940 #471 (Killer croc get’s the lime light + ace moments)

Batman: the idiot Batman 1940 #472 Detective comics 1939 #639 Batman 1940 #473 Detective comics 1939 #640 (Queen of hearts introduction)

Batman: destroyer Batman 1940 #474 Legends of the dark knight #27 Detective comics 1939 #641 (Gotham city becomes more gothic in this one)

#Batman #Batman comics #reading order

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theinfiknight · 8 months ago

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ASKS BE UPON YE!!!!!

1, (post a pic of ur current favourite blorb) 4, 7, 11, 27, 35, 40, 49, aaaaaaaaaaaaand 56!

Ok ok I've put this off long enough

1) Selfie of me:

Me with the pals (the post never specified the selfie had to be irl)

4) What are you looking forward to

Weeerrllll, I might eat some real nice spicy korean noodles tomorrow and even better, I might get to read the Avatar Roku novel next week! Yippee!

7) What was your life like last year

Hmmmmmm, kinda bad actually. I had taken a gap year from college to try and start HRT but couldn't find a single psychiatrist willing to take me seriously. I was basically just rotting away in my room while also running around the city humoring people who were trying to psychoanalyse me with an archiac and invalidating framework. Things are a lot better now in comparison.

11) Are you listening to music right now?

Yeah! It's Keiran's theme from Pokemon scarlet violet. My favourite pokemon rival since N

27) Things I hate

Hoo ok. Brace yourself.

Power outages. Hot food that's gone cold. People who are thoughtlessly mean, people hating on something you like after you told them you like it. People who live entirely inside their own heads. Random old men for some reason being allowed to decide your life. The inevitability of entropy. The fragility of human existence. Stupidly low catch rates on pokemon (whyyyyyy does magby or mantyke or sudowoodo need to be nigh uncatchable). The after effects of colonisation that define my life. Planned obsolescence. Vanilla ice cream. The fact that anything you can think of has been done better by others before you. People who spread hate and fear on an industrial scale for personal gain. Stories that treat characters as archetypes or plot devices instead of people. Random old men for some reason deciding that people on the other side of the earth need to die and then directly causing their deaths and facing no consequences for it. Comphet. The way Fushiguro is being treated in jjk. The way Sasuke and Sakura were treated in Naruto. The trivialisation of super Saiyan god immediately after it was introduced. Wasted potential. Random chance. The lack of any sort of higher justice. The fact that you have to pay separately to access Nintendo online services. Paid dlc that costs more than the base game. The short lifespan of hard drives. Too much nutmeg. The fact that you can randomly lose abilities you've had all your life. The Police. JKR. The power parents have over children. The anime pervert trope. Gender essentialism. What the main continuity Marvel comic writers have been doing to Spiderman for the last few years. The inevitable enshittification to the point of unusability of every company we rely on for society to function. The stock market. The intricacies of punctuation. The desecration and reanimation of long beloved works of art for the sake of short term profit. Monopolies. Teachers who do not see students as people. Generative AI. The incredible height of the skill ceiling of today's industry standards. The power shareholders wield over public utilities. Authors who cannot or more often do not bother to write female characters as people. People who treat real world problems like thought experiments. The fact that scissors get gradually less usable with time. Doctors who can no longer see humans as anything but cases. The disproportionate power of the USA. Having to 2D animate. Guns(sorry, I know you like those). The oversaturation of absolutely everything. Surveillance cameras. Visas. The trend of making characters who had bad parents also end up as bad parents to their kids. People's egos. Games with chairs and benches that do not allow the player character to ever sit. Organised religion. The pokemon diamond and pearl remakes. Songs that require more than two hands to properly play on the piano. Airport security. Gender segregated queues. Things that were once free, now costing money. Social media algorithms. Myself.

So yeah. You asked.

35) Favourite subject

Mildly embarrassing because I don't have very much in depth knowledge on any one subject but I have surface level knowledge of many. So my favourite subject would be maybe Pokemon or well done high fantasy. Or really just any engaging story with characters that feel organic. Bonus points for a well thought out magic system, more points if the story actually has a message, and even more points if the writing is smart, funny and well thought out. Needless to say I consider Terry Pratchett to be the absolute peak of literature.

40) Favourite memory

Ooh this is a tough one. Hmmm.

The exact moment when you defeat Giratina in Pokemon Legends Arceus and you think the battle is over and then the flatline plays and the music changes into its Pokemon Platinum theme and it turns into its Origin Form and you're just there staring at the screen and physically yelling with excitement.

Apart from that I had some pretty good times back when I lived in hostel, staying up overnight playing smash bros with my two then best friends. I miss those guys and those times.

49) Where I want to be right now

Honestly I'd be entirely satisfied being exactly where I am now, only without the uncertainty ruling my life.

Aaaaaaand

56) Favourite foods:

Buldak noodles, naan and paneer butter masala, a good spicy burger with spicy mayo and jalapenos, anything chocolate based that's well thought out, chilli chipotle chicken rice bowl, nachos with salsa, a nice spicy paneer or chicken wrap, chilli mushrooms or baby corn, Lotus stem when it's prepared dry, underbaked chocolate cake with ice cream, a nice spicy salad, just chilli paneer/chicken in general. Also a decent pizza. Or a good spicy vegetable sandwich.

#phew!#thanks for the ask!!

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earth-18104 · 9 months ago

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Earth-18104 - 1990

Events that occurred in the year 1990, when the Avengers first appeared as a group of super heroes.

The stories are not complete or are summarized, and are inspired by other medias, like the movies, comics and series, but don't follow Marvel Canon or the time-line established so faithfully, and include stories of my OCs.

The (N) at the end of names serves to indicate character births and the numbers are their ages. I will include more events as I write more about the characters.

The Battle of New York, the event that marks the first apparition of the Avengers, is just a resume, I will put the whole thing in another post.

(Some characters have different stories from the comics. Dr. Octavius is a woman in this universe, and we got 2 versions of Nick Fury: Sr., who is part of the Howling Commandos, and is like the version of the comics; and Jr., who is the director of SHIELD and is inspired by the MCU version or Marcus Jonhson, the comic character)

List of Events of Earth-18104 (Resume)

Tw: Mention of suicide very early on.

1990 -

• (February)

• After failling to commit suicide, Wade Wilson (18) was invited by Francine Cavalcante (182) and Tereza Márquez (175) OC, heads of Sister Margaret's Home, where he was raised, to go back and join a clandestine group of mercenary assassins.

• Frank Castle (34) and his wife had a happy life together living in New York City. At some point he then went abroad and returned to meet his second son, Frank Castle, Jr. for the first time, discovering that he was already walking.

• Flint Marko (31) marries Alma Alvarado and shortly afterwards the two have a daughter, Keemia. (N)

• Patsy Walker (23) had a brief career as a model and married her childhood friend, Robert "Buzz" Baxter, who was on her old childhood show. After her marriage, Patsy spent the next few years of her life on Air Force bases as her husband was in the officer training program.

• Greer Grant's husband, William Nelson, was seriously injured during a police raid, dying in his wife's arms.

• Now alone, Greer (30) was unable to stay in her old home and moved into the apartment of an old friend, Dr. Joanne Tumolo, a university professor.

• During a physical examination, the doctor noticed some unusual bruising and lumps on Warren Worthington's (15) back.

• Worried that he might be removed from school if his parents thought he was being mistreated, Warren lied that he had injured himself during jumping practice.

• He kept the bruises a secret, in addition to the pain in his back that little by little began to get worse.

• One day, Warren woke up with severe pain and found a white feather in his bed. Over the next weeks, more feathers appeared and his pain increased, but he refused to go to the hospital, as his friends had suggested.

• (Earth's mightiest heroes)

• (April 1, Sunday)

• On earth, Nick Fury Jr (42), Maria Hill (25), Barbara Morse (24), Clint Barton (24), Phil Coulson (43), Henry Pym (27), Janet van Dyne (24) and Erik Selvig are called to the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility in the Mojave Desert, where Dr. Selvig is researching the Tesseract, which has recently begun emitting strange amounts of energy on its own, leading the facility to be evacuated.

• Aided by Thanos, Loki, the god of mischief, activates the Tesseract from within the Sanctuary, teleporting to the SHIELD complex.

• She steals the Tesseract and uses the Scepter given to her by Thanos to control the minds of several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, including Selvig and Barton.

• They escape and the Tesseract's energy destroys the base, starting the Chitauri Invasion. In response, Nick Fury Jr. reactivates the Avengers Initiative.

• In Asgard, Heimdall sees Loki on Earth with the Tesseract, and informs Thor and Odin, who sends his sons Tyr, Vidar, Honir, Balder and Thor to Earth to bring Loki back to Asgard for punishment.

• (April 5)

• The Battle of New York happens after Loki opened a portal to allow the Chitauri Army to invade Earth. The Avengers, Fantastic Four and other superhumans teamed up to protect the planet.

• After the Battle, the Avengers were recognized as "Earth's mightiest heroes".

• (Details of the Battle)

• After his return to the modern world as a renowned hero, Steve Rogers (70) is chosen to be the face of many campaigns.

• One, not long after the Battle of New York, includes a set of videos for students in schools. He films many videos, including a fitness challenge, a video for students in detention, and another on the importance of patience.

• Peter Parker (9) tells his classmates that he was saved by Captain America, but no one believes him, until Harry Osborn defends him, saying that he also saw Cap and the Wasp.

• (Wasp and Ant-Man vs. Egghead)

• Deciding to increase his powers to be more useful to the Avengers, Henry Pym (27) designed a growth formula. In one of his tests, he accidentally destroys the house's roof, scaring one of his neighbors.

• Maria Trovaya arrives and helps him free himself from the house. Henry explains that he was testing his new size-changing capsules. Giving her a demonstration, Pym grows to the height of 12 feet.

• Maria takes one of the pills and shrinks it to the size of a wasp and lands on Henry's finger. Bringing his girlfriend back to normal, Henry jokes that she would make a great partner.

• Maria smiles and then becomes serious as she remembers that he already has a partner, pointing to the window, where they can see Janet van Dyne (24) crossing her garden.

• Maria leaves irritated, leaving Henry to greet Janet. He takes her to her lab, saying he has a surprise for her: a new gun that shoots compressed air. Each "wasp sting" has enough power to knock over objects.

• In the kitchen, Maria angrily prepares food, throwing things across the counter with force while complaining to herself about the rich girl in her house.

• Meanwhile, Egghead, one of Ant-Man's new enemies, has decided that now is the time to launch his next attack against his nemesis. Using a transmitter implanted in a nearby anthill, he uses it to broadcast false messages about Ant-Man.

• Maria intercepts the transmitter signal and warns Pym and van Dyne, but refuses to join them.

• Deciding to get to the bottom of things, Pym, now calling himself Giant-Man, sends Wasp to locate Egghead and tells her not to attack him alone. However, when Wasp encounters the villain she is caught in his mind control and returns to attack Pym, while Egghead watches from a monitor in his hideout.

• Hiring a gang of thugs, Egghead plans a robbery, starting by calling the police and informing them about the battle between Ant-Man and the Wasp.

• While the police are distracted by the battle in the east end of the city, Egghead plans to rob an armored car in the west end.

• Taking a rented truck, they quickly take the armored car off the road and load it into the back of their specially equipped truck. The police, Giant Man and Wasp soon realize that they have all been tricked.

• Using Ant-Man's spy ants to track Egghead's truck, the two heroes follow Egghead to his secret hideout near the docks. They stop Egghead and defeat his gang of crooks.

• With all the bandits reunited and their loot returned, the two heroes return to Pym's house.

• (July)

• The Avengers helped the United States military recover a flying fortress that was stolen by Victor Von Doom (27), who had escaped from his prison.

• Fighting aboard the ship, the Avengers managed to stop Doom from recovering his ship thanks in part to Giant-Man using his newly developed powers.

• While the aerial fortress was destroyed, the Avengers were unable to capture Doom, who actually sent one of his Doombots to capture the fortress for him.

• (X-Men - Iceman)

• Bobby Drake (12) continued to train in using his powers.

• Upon discovering that his classmate Judy Harmon liked him, Bobby was convinced by his friend Tommy to invite her to the movies during Halloween, even if just to become friends, as he didn't reciprocate her feelings.

• When the movie ended, Bobby and Judy separated from their friends and were confronted by the school bully, Rocky Beasely and his gang. Fearing for Judy's safety, Bobby used his mutant powers to freeze Rocky in a block of ice, trapping him from the waist down.

• Horrified by what happened, the boys, Tommy and Judy fled the scene, leaving Rocky behind. Bobby tried to free the boy, but he had never tried to unfreeze objects; so he ran home to tell what had happened.

• Not long after, the local sheriff showed up to take Bobby into police custody. Believing he would get a fair trial, Bobby surrendered to the police. When the story hit the news, Professor Xavier and Scott went to visit Bobby to invite him to join their group.

• With the help of Fred Duncan, Xavier managed to meet with Bobby, but the boy refused to join him, shouting for Xavier to leave. His attitude irritated Scott and the two began to fight.

• Xavier separated the two and promised Bobby that he would use his powers to erase the incident from the memory of everyone in the city, showing that a mob angry with Bobby was forming outside the prison.

• Bobby asked Xavier to make sure Rocky and Judy weren't hurt and agreed to join his school. Xavier fulfilled his part of the deal and talked to Bobby's parents who at first didn't want to send him to Westchester, but in the end agreed to keep their son safe.

• Upon arriving at the Graymalkin residence, the first thing Bobby did was use his powers, happy to finally be somewhere where he could be himself.

• (The disappearance of Kevin Brashear)

• Kevin (20) and Adam Brashear (64), the former hero Blue Marvel, were on a mission together. They tracked Dr. Skorpion to Giza, where the villain planned to open a portal to another dimension, the Neutral Zone.

• However, if the portal remained open much longer, the feedback would destroy this dimension, and that was Skorpion's plan.

• Kevin attacked Skorpion and made him fall against the console that controlled the portal, randomly pressing buttons and causing a short circuit in the system.

• The portal expanded and transported Kevin to the Neutral Zone. Adam tried to reach the portal, but the difference between his super-powered nature and that of the Neutral Zone prevented him from getting within six feet of it.

• As the portal was also becoming unstable, Adam had no choice but to destroy it.

• The loss of Kevin tore the Brashear family apart, and Adam spent years investigating the Neutral Zone trying to get his son back while his son Max (17) distanced himself from his family, asking never to be contacted again.

• (December)

• Jean Grey is taken by Xavier to Graymalkin Lane, where she lives with Bobby Drake and Scott Summers, starting her training as an X-Men with the codename Marvel Girl.

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