#the flash (1987) 64

[nighhtwing]

IRIS and WALLY WEST in THE FLASH (1987) #64

[wanderingmind867]

i probably haven't read enough Golden Age Comics to make this (I've barely read any, really), but I just spent the whole weekend making this list of birthdates for Earth-Two DC heroes and villians. I could've been working on my Christmas List! But no! My brain just had to get fixated on this. So here it is. This thing I didn't need to make, but my brain wouldn't let me stop working on. So here's a long list of names and birthdays. Nobody asked for this, and it was hellish to make. But my brain still expects me to make three more of these! sigh...

Superman (Clark Kent/Kal-L): 1916

Lois Lane: 1917

Power Girl (Kara Zor-L/Karen Starr): 1916 (Birth Certificate says 1956)

George Taylor: 1887 Died: 1955 (Age at Death: 68)

Jimmy Olson: 1928

Perry White: 1914

Lana Lang: 1920

Steve Bard: 1916

John Kent: 1875 Died: 1938 (Age at Death: 65)

Mary Kent: 1876 Died: 1932 (Age at Death: 60)

Samuel Lane: 1887 Died: 1973 (Age at Death: 86)

Ella Lane: 1889 Died: 1979 (Age at Death: 90)

Lucille Lane: 1920

Susie Tompkins: 1939

Batman (Bruce Wayne): 1915 Died: 1979 (Age at Death: 64)

Catwoman (Selina Kyle): 1920 Died: 1977 (Age at Death: 57)

Robin (Dick Grayson): 1933

Huntress (Helena Wayne): 1957

Batwoman (Kathy Kane): 1922

Alfred Beagle: 1900 Died: 1989 (Age at Death: 89)

Karl Kyle (Catwoman's Brother): 1924

Harvey Kent: 1912

Gilda Kent: 1915

Thomas Wayne: 1883 Died: 1924 (Age at Death: 41)

Martha Wayne: 1884 Died: 1924 (Age at Death: 40)

Phillip Wayne: 1885 Died: 1939 (Age at Death: 56)

Commissioner James Gordon: 1900 Died: 1976 (Age at Death: 76)

Julie Madison: 1915

Linda Page: 1919

Barbara Gordon (James Gordon's Wife): 1900 Died: 1981 (Age at Death: 81)

Anthony Gordon: 1931

The Flash (Jay Garrick): 1918

Joan Garrick: 1920

Winky Moylan: 1916

Blinky Boylan: 1915

Noddy Toylan: 1914

Green Lantern (Alan Scott): 1913

Doiby Dickles: 1896

Irene Miller: 1914

Harlequin (Molly Mayne): 1923

Wonder Woman (Diana Prince/Diana of Themyscira): 1920

Steve Trevor: 1918

Etta Candy: 1927

Paula von Gunther: 1907

Gerta Von Gunther: 1935

Phillip Darnell: 1903

Hawkman (Carter Hall): 1917

Hawkgirl (Shiera Sanders-Hall): 1917

The Atom (Al Pratt): 1921

Mary James Pratt: 1920

Joe Morgan: 1904

The Spectre (Jim Corrigan): 1900

Clarice Winston: 1908

Percival Popp: 1918

The Sandman (Wesley Dodds): 1913

Dian Belmont: 1916

Sandy the Golden Boy (Sanderson Hawkins): 1928

Lawrence Belmont: 1888 Died: 1974 (Age at Death: 86)

Hourman (Rex Tyler): 1913

Wendi Harris: 1936

Jimmy Martin: 1931

Thorndyke Thompkins: 1930

Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson): 1908

Inza Cramer: 1916

Johnny Thunder: 1917

Daisy Darling: 1918

Peachy Pet: 1935

Red Tornado (Ma Hunkel): 1901

Scribbly Jibbet: 1930

Mortimer "Dinky" Jibbet: 1933

Huey Hunkel: 1930

Amelia "Sisty" Hunkel: 1934

Starman (Ted Knight): 1915

Doris Lee: 1917

Woodley Allen: 1893

Doctor Mid-Nite (Charles Mcnider): 1915

Myra Mason: 1918

Wildcat (Ted Grant): 1919

Joan Fortune: 1913

Hiram Skinner: 1921

Mr. Terrific (Terry Sloane): 1920

Wanda Wilson: 1921

Black Canary (Dinah Drake): 1926

Larry Lance: 1925

Star Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton): 1927

Merry, Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks (Merry Pemberton): 1934

Stripesy (Pat Dugan): 1914

Giovanni Zatara: 1918

Sargon the Sorcerer: 1919

Rose Canton: 1924 Died: 1985 (Age at Death: 61)

Alexei Luthor: 1906

Ultra-Humanite: 1844

J. Wilbur Wolfingham: 1910

Colonel Future (Edmond Future): 1918

The Puzzler: 1901

The Prankster (Oswald Loomis): 1908

The Toyman (Winslow Schott): 1910

Metalo (George Grant): 1909

The Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot): 1907

Clayface (Basil Karlo): 1887

The Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane): 1904

Hugo Strange: 1889 Died: 1982 (Age at Death: 93)

The Cavalier (Mortimer Drake): 1915

The Wizard (William Zard): 1913

Brainwave (Henry King): 1910 Died: 1984 (Age at Death: 74)

The Gambler (Steven Sharpe III): 1910 Died: 1987 (Age at Death: 77)

The Thinker (Clifford DeVoe): 1905

Rag Doll (Peter Merkel): 1916 Died: 1986 (Age at Death: 70)

The Fiddler (Issac Bowin): 1915

Anaya Bowin: 1930

The Icicle (Joar Mahkent): 1913 Died: 1986 (Age at Death: 73)

Sportsmaster (Crusher Crock): 1921

Tigress (Paula Brooks): 1923

Silver Scarab (Hector Hall): 1958

Fury (Hippolyta "Lyta" Trevor): 1958

Nuklon (Albert Rothstein): 1960

Northwind (Norda Cantrell): 1958

The Lare (Olivia Corrigan): 1953

Brainwave Jr (Henry King, Jr): 1963

Harlequin II (Noel Loomis-Schott): 1965

Obsidian (Todd Rice): 1966

Jade (Jennifer Lynn-Haden): 1966

Wildcat II (Yolanda Montez): 1955

Hourman II (Rick Tyler): 1966

Starman II (Jack Knight): 1972

Doctor Mid-Nite II (Beth Chapel): 1959

Cyclone (Maxine Hunkel): 1964

The Warlock (Warren Zard): 1974

Hazard (Rebecca Sharpe): 1971

The Gambler II (Steven Sharpe V): 1975

The Fiddler II (Issac Bowin Jr): 1961

The Icicle II (Cameron Mahkent): 1959

Tigress II (Artemis Crock): 1958

Rag Doll II (Peter Merkel Jr): 1951

[the-flying-robins]

(The Flash 1987 #64)

😭😭😭

[it-is-i-zim]

So I've decided to make a Captain Boomerang reading list

Here it is I guess. I'm only doing a Post-Flashpoint reading list cuz I'm not a fan of Pre-Flashpoint content for Captain Boomerang. Especially in terms of the 1987 Suicide Squad. But I will I guess put down Identity Crisis, because while it's not a very good story for Captain Boomerang and he acts super out of character, it's still technically canon I guess???? With the exception of Owen Mercer???? It's weird. I guess it's not really a reading list though, just a bunch of comics he shows up in???? I will be completely ignoring some though just because I didn't like them very much.

Identity Crisis #2

Identity Crisis #3

Identity Crisis #4

Identity Crisis #5

Knight Terrors: Robin #1

Knight Terrors: Robin #2

(The above comics aren't great for showcasing his personality. In fact in Knight Terrors: Robin #2 I think he literally only shows up as just like... the legs of his corpse. Again. Not great. The below comics are a lot better for him)

Robin (1993) #62

Robin (1993) #63

Robin (1993) #64

Okay so I know the above comics are Post Crisis comics, but they still give him a better characterization than the 1987 Suicide Squad comics.

Suicide Squad (2011) #3

Suicide Squad (2011) #4

Suicide Squad (2011) #12

Suicide Squad (2011) #13

Suicide Squad (2011) #14

Suicide Squad (2011) #15

Suicide Squad (2011) #16

Suicide Squad (2011) #24

Suicide Squad (2011) #25

Suicide Squad (2011) #27

Suicide Squad (2011) #28

Suicide Squad (2011) #29

He was sort of in and out of the 2011 comics. Also I must point out that one of the writers in #27. That is not Owen Mercer. That's still Digger Harkness. Don't know how the writer made that mistake but whatever.

And now here is where he actually starts to show up a bit more. Personally I'd recommend reading all of the New Suicide Squad because it gives you just a bit more info but Captain Boomerang doesn't show up until the New Suicide Squad #5

New Suicide Squad #5

New Suicide Squad #6

New Suicide Squad #7

New Suicide Squad #8

New Suicide Squad #9

New Suicide Squad #10

New Suicide Squad #11

New Suicide Squad #12

New Suicide Squad Annual #1

The Flash (2016) #18

The Flash (2016) #19

New Suicide Squad #13

New Suicide Squad #14

New Suicide Squad #15

New Suicide Squad #16

New Suicide Squad #17

New Suicide Squad #19

New Suicide Squad #20

New Suicide Squad #21

By this point I will also state that it's a good idea to read Suicide Squad (2016) issues #3-#5 as well as #9, #23, and #24 in the order in which they appear (#3 after #47. I put #47 after #2 because of the little section within the last 8 pages of #2) (#9 is between #8 and Justice League VS Suicide Squad #1) (#23 you read after #22, and #24 after #23) (#26 you can skip. It's part of a different arc entirely and idk where it starts or stops) (And then wíth #45 and #46, while it is definitely part of the Suicide Squad story, you aren't hindered by ignoring it entirely and Captain Boomerang wasn't there at all)

Suicide Squad: Rebirth

Suicide Squad (2016) #1

Suicide Squad (2016) #2

Suicide Squad (2016) #47

Suicide Squad (2016) #6

Suicide Squad (2016) #7

Suicide Squad (2016) #8

Justice League VS Suicide Squad #1

Justice League VS Suicide Squad #2

Justice League VS Suicide Squad #3

Justice League VS Suicide Squad #4

Justice League VS Suicide Squad #5

Justice League VS Suicide Squad #6

Suicide Squad (2016) #10

Suicide Squad (2016) #11

Suicide Squad (2016) #12

Suicide Squad (2016) #13

Suicide Squad (2016) #14

Suicide Squad (2016) #15

Suicide Squad (2016) #16

Suicide Squad (2016) #17

Suicide Squad (2016) #18

Suicide Squad (2016) #19

Suicide Squad (2016) #20

Suicide Squad (2016) #21

Suicide Squad (2016) #22

Suicide Squad (2016) #25

Suicide Squad (2016) #27

Suicide Squad (2016) #28

Suicide Squad (2016) #29

Suicide Squad (2016) #30

Suicide Squad (2016) #31

Suicide Squad (2016) #32

Suicide Squad (2016) #33

Suicide Squad (2016) #34

Suicide Squad (2016) #35

Suicide Squad (2016) #36

Suicide Squad (2016) #37

Suicide Squad (2016) #38

Suicide Squad (2016) #39

Suicide Squad (2016) #40

Suicide Squad (2016) #41

Suicide Squad (2016) #42

Suicide Squad (2016) #43

Suicide Squad (2016) #44

Suicide Squad (2016) #48

Suicide Squad (2016) #49

Suicide Squad (2016) #50

I'd also read all of the 2019 Suicide Squad (below) but I didn't even really do that and I was mostly fine. Captain Boomerang only showed up in #4 and #5 but that story, as well as Captain Boomerang, continued on into The Flash Annual #3

Suicide Squad (2019) #4

Suicide Squad (2019) #5

The Flash (2016) Annual #3

Aquaman and The Flash: Voidsong #1 (the only modern comic that I've found so far where you actually see him fighting the Flash)

Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2023) #4 (not in but it's important. Also only the Harcourt story. Must read some time after Suicide Squad [2016] #17. Preferably after you read The Flash Annual #3 because it takes place some time after that)

Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2023) #5 (also not in but it's still important. Also only the Harcourt story)

Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2023) #6 (last issue so far, but he might show up in issue 7 cuz issue 6 leaves with a cliffhanger. Will update if he does show up. If he dies I will just get rid of this but entirely because fuck that. Also only the Harcourt Story still.)

Edit: He did not show up in issue 7. They, in fact, just ended it with a gun pointed to his head. Wtf. George deserves so much better than this. 😤

Below comics are just ones I enjoyed but idk specifically where they fit into the canon, not that canon even matters.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #16

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #17

Suicide Squad Special: War Crimes

Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot and Katana #1 (For Deadshot and Katana)

Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot and Katana #2 (For Deadshot and Katana)

Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot and Katana #3 (For Deadshot and Katana)

Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot and Katana #4 (For Deadshot and Katana)

Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot and Katana #5 (For Deadshot and Katana)

Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot and Katana #6 (For Deadshot and Katana)

Suicide Squad Most Wanted: El Diablo and Amanda Waller #5 (Amanda Waller Part Only)

Suicide Squad Most Wanted: El Diablo and Amanda Waller #6 (Amanda Waller Part Only)

(I know Captain Boomerang is in Suicide Squad Most Wanted: El Diablo and Boomerang #1 and #2, but he was not characterized very well in my opinion so for the life of me, I cannot recommend the comic at all.)

Comics he has 0 personality in but his design was so bomb that I cannot recommend it enough (someone please draw Captain Boomerang from Harley screws up the DCU. PLEASE!!! I'm on my knees begging. I don't care if you don't even remove the parasite on his face at this point. It's too much of a good design to waste)

Batman: Urban Legends #17

Multiversity: Harley Screw Screw Up the DCU #3

Multiversity: Harley Screw Screw Up the DCU #4

Multiversity: Harley Screw Screw Up the DCU #5

Multiversity: Harley Screw Screw Up the DCU #6

[radioactive-earthshine]

i hope this isn't too big of an ask but i have an idea for a fic with jenni and bart and i really want to get jenni right. is it possible that you could create a jenni specific reading list? i basically want to read only the comics she shows up in. im not saying that legion of supers is bad i just dont have the time to read everything for one person.

Post-Zero Hour Legion of Super-Heroes but it's only Jenni Ognats Reading List (you're still reading a lot of comics anon).

** NOTE ** Jenni is a reoccurring character in two comic series that run simultaneously for a long time; Legionnaires and Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) - you will be flipping back and forth between series. For my sanity, I am grouping the series separately and listing just the issues she appears in.

Suggested LOSH reading.

Legionnaires

#0 - Her first appearance #19-#27 #29 & #30 #35-#43 #45 #50 #53 #55 & #56 #58 & #59 #61 & #62 #64 & #65 #76 - #81 Annual #2 Annual #3 - Jenni centric, this is her journey back to the 30th century after she leaves Bart in Impulse #12

Legion of Super-Heroes (1989)

#62-#69 #72 #75 #80-#84 #88 #91 #100 #104-#106 #108 #120 #122 & #123 #125 Annual #6 - Her origin story Annual #7

Once these series end you will no longer be flipping back and forth.

Teen Titans/Legion of Super-Heroes: Universe Ablaze

#1 & #2 #4

Legion Lost (2000)

#1 - She doesn't really say anything or do anything so this may be skipped honestly.

Legion Worlds

#1 #4 #6

The Legion

#4 #6 #10-#18 #20 #22 & #23 #25 #27-#29 #32 & #33

Teen Titans/Legion Special

Single issue. The 'end' of her primary run where she and her team are flung into the Void to become the new Wanderers.

Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds

#1-#5 - Where Geoff Johns retconns her origin (it's his primary thing) and gets multiple things wrong but she does play an important role.

That is it for her primary 'team' appearances, there are many other comics however that she appears in!

Suggested Flash reading

Impulse (1995)

#9-#12

The Flash (1987)

#108-#111 #145 - #150

The Flash 80 Page Giant (1999) #2

Single issue. Jenni uncovers some history concerning Wally that leaves her hopeful...

Other suggested comics

Young Justice: Our Worlds at War Special

Single issue, not much happens but she does meet with Bart.

Green Lantern (1990)

#98 - Jenni meets Kyle Rayner and talks about how Green Lanterns and Speedsters go together, Kyle nopes out.

[dasmuggler]

Of all of Cobra Commander's outfits, his 1987 Battle Armor is my personal fave variant - first seen in Marvel's G. I. Joe #58, the battle armor has two differing origins, with the 1987 filecard citing Destro's armaments firm, M. A. R. S. (Military Armaments Research Systems) building it to enable Cobra Commander to fight 'in front of the action when his Eels and Siegies (Crimson Guardsmen) take on the G. I. Joe Team; the dossier notes its comprised of beryllium armor (the same material as Destro's helmet) and ballistic nylon, with the former able to sustain hits from a .50 cal. Browning Heavy Machine Gun, and the cloth able to take shots from a .357 Magnum. Unfortunately, Larry Hama never wrote a tale where Roadblock and Lady Jaye took on Cobra Commander in his battle armor- its also noted to be air conditioned/solvent and ray resistant (possible hinting it can take hits from Flash's XMLR-1A Laser Rifle, or Snow Job's XMLR-3A Laser Rifle. Its also rated to have life support systems and an integrated computer readout, with an anti tamper/self destruct system (similar to the basic battle helmet's as Cobra Commander revealed to Duke and Gung-Ho in G. I. Joe #24.

Ironically, given his high tech armor, Cobra Commander wasn't armed with a laser- instead, he sported a 9mm Auto-Assault Pistol.

In Marvel's G. I. Joe #58, the Battle Armor was the brainchild of Crimson Guardsman Fred VII, who would later assume Cobra Commander's role after shooting him in G. I. Joe #61, and with the connivance of the Baroness in G. I. Joe #64.

The only addition Larry gave it was that it enhanced the wearer's strength. Still, its light years behind Tony Stark's or Pepper Potts' Iron Man and Rescue armors in the Marvel Universe.

Unfortunately, Larry never had wrote a story where the Battle Armor was used and tested in the field by either Cobra Commander or Fred VII; a missed opportunity was during the Cobra Island Civil War in a one-on-one fight versus Serpentor, who conversely was supposed to have Storm-Shadow's physical skills as a ninja (the Windbag Master (?)).

For the toyline, the Battle Armor Cobra Commander was a good way to differentiate the 'Original Cobra Commander' from the Fred VII version if a fan was so inclined. Hector Garrido's action figure blister card arc even has the Commander as left-handed. And given the events in the comics, getting the new Cobra Commander was easily justified.

The 1987 figure was definitely an example where 'clothes make the man'.

[morkitten]

Cross-posting from Twitter to remind people that every classic Nintendo landmark release stands on the shoulders of a myriad of other games. That the impression of Nintendo as the stewards of game history has a lot to do with their aggressive marketing and with the fact that many of the games they were directly iterating on did not see a release in the US. Even when they did release in the US, they often did not have the same notoriety due to indirectly competing with the marketing might of Nintendo of America.

So if you're sick of this bullshit but you love Nintendo games, here's a list of games to try that will expand your world outside of that company:

If you like Pokémon

If you ask for a consensus of what RPG videogame is the best, Dragon Quest V will very likely be the answer if you're asking Japan specifically. It very directly inspired Pokémon. The DS version looks and plays amazingly and was the first time the game got localized in the West. Prior to DQ5 though, the mechanics of "monster taming" that DQ5 and Pokémon uses actually find their origin in the Megami Tensei series, of which Persona is a spin-off of. Other than those, there's Digimon Story Cybersleuth, the Monster Rancher games, and of course, DQ5 spawned a whole monster raising spin-off with the Dragon Quest Monsters series.

If you like 2D Mario

Super Mario Bros. was definitely a huge deal, and nearly all platformers after it were directly or indirectly inspired by its weight. However, games like Pac-Land and Ghouls'n Ghosts actually preceeded it, so it's not like scrolling platformers began their existence with Mario! With games released after Mario, there's the Sonic series, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (pictured), Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, Rocket Knight Adventures, Dynamite Headdy, Ristar, Rayman Legends, the Megaman and Castlevania games, and the technical platformer masterpieces Gimmick! and the Umihara Kawase series.

If you like 3D Mario

Jumping Flash! is a 3D platformer pioneer released a whole 2 years before Super Mario 64 and I honestly like it better! Jumping Flash! 2, the Ape Escape games (pictured), Penny's Big Breakaway, Chameleon Twist 1 and 2, the Ratchet & Clank games and Sackboy: A Big Adventure are all superb too.

If you like 3D Zelda

Megaman Legends is a fantastic 3D action and dungeon exploring game and actually released before Ocarina of Time, too. You also have the Ys series (started 2D back in 1987 but has a ton of fantastic 3D entries to this day!), Okami, the dot Hack series, Tail Concerto and Solatorobo.

If you like 2D Zelda

There's absolutely no shortage of great games in this category. Beyond the early Ys games: Beyond Oasis (pictured) is a beautiful top-down action RPG with beat'em up mechanics made by Ancient, the developers of Streets of Rage 2, and the company of legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro. It also had a sequel on the Saturn, with Legend of Oasis. There's also the Mana series (the first game, Final Fantasy Adventure on the Game Boy, I like better than Link's Awakening), Unsighted (developed by two brazillian trans women!), Crusader of Centy, Linkle Liver Story, Soul Blazer, Terranigma, Illusion of Gaia, Sylvan Tale and Alundra.

So there, please try some of these games out. I've not touched a Nintendo game in 10 months and I've cleared over 35 wonderful classic games in that meantime, some of which are listed here. Don't let the one company colonize your mind into believing that's where all the games you like come from, because they're the most well-known in the US, because Nintendo of America indoctrinated whole generations into mostly only consuming their stuff. My focus is on classic games because that's what I like, and also, because it feels like people remember less and less games from a decade+ ago that were not Nintendo.

Yuzu Pays $2.4 Million to End Nintendo Lawsuit

[green-arrxws]

📁| KIMIYO HOSHI/DOCTOR LIGHT II READING GUIDE

» READING GUIDE

ESSENTIAL READING

Crisis on Infinite Earths: #4-7, #10, #12

Justice League (1987): #1-4, Annual #1

Justice League International (1987): Annual #3

Justice League Europe: Annual #1, #19

Suicide Squad (1987): #52

Justice League America (1987): #54-56

Justice League Quarterly: #7, #11-12, #15

Justice League Spectacular

Justice League Europe: #37-50

Justice League International (1993): #51-52, Annual #1, #54-58, #60-64

Judgment Day (crossover storyline): Justice League America (1987): #89 / Justice League Task Force: #13 / Justice League International (1993): #65 / Justice League America: #90 / Justice League Task Force: #14 / Justice League International (1993): #66

Justice League Task Force: #15 / Justice League International (1993): #67

Justice League America (1987): #96

Showcase '96: #9 ("Illumination")

Doom Patrol (2001): #4-6

Green Arrow (2001): #54

Infinite Crisis: #5

Action Comics (1938): #877, #883-885

DC Universe Holiday Special ("Let There Be Light")

Justice League of America (2006): #27, #30-43, #47, #51, #56-59

Action Comics (1938): #877, #883-885

Supergirl (2005): #50, #53-55

Generations Shattered

Generations Forged

additional reading ↷

The New Teen Titans (1984): Annual #2

Justice League Task Force: #1

Showcase '93: #10-11

Bloodbath: #1-2

Justice League Europe: Annual #3 / Eclipso: The Darkness Within: #2

Wonder Woman (1987): #174-175

Birds of Prey (1999): #100

Booster Gold (2007): #9-10

Superman (1939): #688-690 #692

Justice League of America 80-Page Giant

Justice League: Cry for Justice: #6

Justice League of America/The 99: #1-3

» POST-FLASHPOINT

NEW 52

Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S.: #3

INFINITE FRONTIER

Dark Crisis (crossover storyline): Dark Crisis: #1, #3, #5, Dark Crisis: The Dark Army / Dark Crisis: #7

» OTHER MEDIA

ANIMATED

Justice League Unlimited: S2: EP13 / S3: EP8

Justice League: Gods and Monsters

LIVE ACTION

The Flash: S2: EP5-EP6 (Linda Park)

The Flash: S6: EP10, EP19 / S9: EP17 (Kimiyo Hoshi)

[mogwai-movie-house]

The 100 Best Sci-Fi Films Of All Time

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) ★★★★★★★★★★ 2. Blade Runner (1982) ★★★★★★★★★★ 3. Alien (1979) ★★★★★★★★★★ 4. The Terminator (1984) ★★★★★★★★★★ 5. Back to the Future (1985) ★★★★★★★★★★ 6. The Invisible Man (1933) ★★★★★★★★★★ 7. Star Wars (1977) ★★★★★★★★★★ 8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) ★★★★★★★★★★ 9. The Fly (1986) ★★★★★★★★★★ 10. Ghostbusters (1984) ★★★★★★★★★★ 11. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) ★★★★★★★★★★ 12. Being John Malkovich (1999) ★★★★★★★★★★ 13. The Thing (1982) ★★★★★★★★★★ 14. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 15. Videodrome (1983) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 16. Twelve Monkeys (1995) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 17. Timecrimes (2007) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 18. Aliens (1986) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 19. Planet of the Apes (1968) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 20. Frankenstein (1931) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 21. Her (2013) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 22. Starship Troopers (1997) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 23. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 24. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 25. Sleeper (1973) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 26. Time After Time (1979) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 27. The Matrix (1999) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 28. WarGames (1983) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 29. Men in Black (1997) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 30. Cold Souls (2009) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 31. Back to the Future Part III (1990) ★★★★★★★★½☆ 32. The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 33. Jurassic Park (1993) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 34. Time Lapse (2014) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 35. RoboCop (1987) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 36. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 37. eXistenZ (1999) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 38. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 39. Moon (2009) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 40. Minority Report (2002) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 41. Galaxy Quest (1999) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 42. Triangle (2009) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 43. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 44. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 45. Return of the Jedi (1983) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 46. The Truman Show (1998) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 47. The Survivalist (2015) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 48. Time Bandits (1981) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 49. Gravity (2013) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 50. Intacto (2001) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 51. A Scanner Darkly (2006) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 52. Alien³ (1992) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 53. Arrival (2016) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 54. Serenity (2005) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 55. Donnie Darko (2001) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 56. Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan (1982) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 57. Limitless (2011) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 58. A Clockwork Orange (1971) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 59. The Prestige (2006) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 60. The Lobster (2015) ★★★★★★★★★☆ 61. Brazil (1985) ★★★★★★★★½☆ 62. WALL·E (2008) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 63. Starman (1984) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 64. Men in Black 3 (2012) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 65. 2081 (2009) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 66. Ex Machina (2014) ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 67. Looper (2012) ★★★★★★★½☆☆ 68. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) ★★★★★★★½☆☆ 69. Code 46 (2003) ★★★★★★★½☆☆ 70. District 9 (2009) ★★★★★★★½☆☆ 71. Alien Resurrection (1997) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 72. Back to the Future Part II (1989) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 73. The Matrix Reloaded (2003) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 74. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 75. Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 76. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 77. Westworld (1973) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 78. Mars Attacks! (1996) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 79. Cocoon (1985) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 80. Monsters (2010) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 81. Stalker (1979) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 82. Logan's Run (1976) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 83. 1984 (1956) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 84. Escape from New York (1981) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 85. The Martian (2015) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 86. Midnight Special (2016) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 87. Vanilla Sky (2001) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 88. Passengers (2016) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 89. Under the Skin (2013) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 90. They Live (1988) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 91. Source Code (2011) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 92. A Trip to the Moon (1902) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 93. Metropolis (1927) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 94. Quatermass and the Pit (1967) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 95. Equals (2015) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 96. Inception (2010) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 97. Flash Gordon (1980) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 98. TRON (1982) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 99. Things to Come (1936) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 100. Until the End of the World (1991) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

[wallylinda]

🙋🏻‍♀️ question: what IS there to be said abt Wally being in the kid flash costume in particular?? I am attempting to learn more abt the flashfam and would love to read any rants you have abt them

So, Wally's been through a bunch of costume changes over the years. His wardrobe ranges from the standard red and yellow (and occasionally silver) variations to dark scarlet, gold, and blue. Some costumes are chemically treated to withstand his superspeed and others still are made from pure energy. He's got a wide closet. But in his first appearance, his costume was a carbon copy of his Uncle's. He literally just had the same design only in miniature.

Flash (1987) #63 Cover

The in-universe explanation for this phenomenon is that Barry was absolutely not prepared for his nephew to spontaneously get superpowers, and so, didn't have a handy dandy suit ready-made for him. However, you can't just let your kid run around in street clothes while fighting the forces of evil, and that's why Wally gets gifted Barry's refitted hand-me-downs and a ring to store the whole ensemble in. Now this works fine for Wally's first thirteen or so appearances before the people working on the series finally figured out that hey, it's kind of hard to tell these two apart! We should change that.

The way they decided to do that was, of course, by having aliens invade. The only way to stop these aliens was by using three inventions from a rival group of aliens. Honestly, that whole plot doesn't really matter. What does matter is that one of these inventions just so happened to be a mind-over-matter machine that allowed Barry to alter the look of Wally's costume with merry a thought.

Flash (1959) #135

And that's the introduction of Wally's yellow Kid Flash costume! Honestly, what I find interesting about it all is that, pre-Flashpoint, Wally didn't have a chance to chose what he looked like. Coupled with his confining home life, the lack of independence everyone gets as a child, and Wally's own adoration of the Flash, and he doesn’t really have that much personal agency. A lot of his identity in the early days relies on the Flash’s influence. Barry is the ideal, the paragon of heroism and goodness, and that hero-worship inadvertently stifles Wally’s growth under the belief that he simply can’t out-do the Flash. It’s not possible to be better than him. 

Symbolically speaking, the Kid Flash costume represents the idealism of youth and the belief that your parents are flawless and unbeatable, alongside a newfound, hesitant freedom that his powers give him. Wally has superspeed and he can do anything, go anywhere, but...well, it’s a bit daunting, isn’t it? It’s easier to stay as he is for now. He has time to grow up and he can always run to Barry if he ever needs help. It’s Barry, after all. 

Flash (2016) #64

And then, there’s Flashpoint! Nowadays, the origin of Wally’s Kid Flash costume is that he and Barry collaborated on it: Wally came up with the design and Barry helped with the finer details. The emphasis is on Wally’s personality here, with the need to move (“I like wind blowing in my hair”) and for his own agency outside of his parents (“it adds to fun of the powers”). The entire costume is really indicative of who Wally was as a child and it’s such a sweet moment to have Barry helping him create his costume. 

So yeah. The Kid Flash costume; you can read a lot into it if you want to. 

[nighhtwing]

WALLY WEST in THE FLASH (1987) #64

[roobylavender]

hi! sorry if this has been asked before but, do you have any all-time favourite dc runs/issues? of any character, really! im always looking for new stuff to read ☺️ thank you in advance and i hope u have a lovely week

sorry for answering this late! i wanted to have my laptop so i could reference issue numbers more easily. some of these i've grouped together bc they cover a story arc

the flash (1987) - in particular, #62-129, 142-160

catwoman (1989), detective comics #460-61, showcase '93 #1-4

lois lane (1986)

green lantern/green arrow (1983)

batman: full circle (1991) - this is a more polished sequel to batman: year two

young justice (1998)

impulse (1995)

jla: tower of babel (2000)

batman: legends of the dark knight #21-23

legends of the dc universe #7-9

the batman chronicles (1995) - in particular, #5 (oracle: year one), #8 (the prison), #12 (house of cards)

secret origins (1986) #20

batman: son of the demon (1987), detective comics annual #1, batman: bride of the demon (1992)

action comics #772-73

green lantern: emerald dawn (1989), green lantern: emerald dawn ii (1991), green lantern (1990) #48-50, zero hour (1994), green lantern (1990) #0, 60-64, parallax: emerald night (1996), the final night (1996), day of judgment (1999) - this is the parallax arc

the flash and green lantern: the brave and the bold (2001)

[chaisexuality-archive]

wally west got me fucked up

[batmansymbol]

why the mcconnell rule is invented, illogical, and inconsistent

this post has no action items. i am truly just ranting at this point, i just need to get this all down.

these days i feel like my head is spinning with misinformation. i haven’t seen a single well-cited post or article outlining every problem i have with the so-called “rules” mcconnell has invented. what i have seen are hosts of people defending him online based on scraps of unconnected, irrelevant information. even the people who have an issue with mcconnell’s actions rarely address every part of the problem.

so i’m just going to write the post myself, to feel sane again. i’m going to go through every reason that McConnell denying the Garland appointment, but pushing forward with a Trump appointment, is nakedly hypocritical and logistically contorted.

it freaks me out to see the Republican base accepting, for instance, this arbitrary idea that the Senate and presidency being of different parties should make any difference for a SCOTUS appointment—because if McConnell & co. can convince voters of this invented “rule,” what part of our (deeply flawed, but largely democratic) institutions will be next to fall at a moment’s convenience?

anyway. let’s go

The facts: after Antonin Scalia’s death in February 2016, Barack Obama nominated a replacement to the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland. He made the nomination in March of the same year, but Mitch McConnell and his Republican cosigners, acting in a Republican-led Senate, blockaded the nomination and refused to hold a vote, saying that “the American people should have a voice” and later referring to Obama as a “lame duck” at that point in his presidency.

McConnell’s original reasoning for the blockade cited what he named the “Biden Rule,” referring to a suggestion Biden had made during George H.W. Bush’s presidency in 1992 to delay a SCOTUS nomination until after the election. (Biden’s suggestion was hypothetical; there was no vacancy in 1992.)

Flash forward four years. After Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Sept. 18th, 2020, McConnell immediately stated that a Trump nominee would, unlike Garland, receive a Senate confirmation vote. In this statement, though, he declared new reasoning for the Garland blockade. He claimed that the blockade had been based in political precedent rather than on the "Biden Rule.” McConnell’s supposed precedent was that “since the 1880s, no Senate has confirmed an opposite-party president’s Supreme Court nominee in a presidential election year.”

In other words, his claim evolved in 2020 into the idea that a Senate of one party and a President of another represents a divided American opinion. Based on that premise, a Republican-led Senate confirming a Trump nominee while blockading an Obama appointee is, apparently, consistent.

So let’s start with that idea, McConnell premise #1: “The American people’s will is unclear when the Senate and President are of different parties.”

Yes, you could make this claim. But if the American people’s “unclear will” is really the point, then the Senate should blockade any presidential nominations by an opposite-party president at any point, not just in the year leading up to an election.

The Senate has never behaved this way—19 justices of the 114 in our country’s history were nominated and confirmed by different parties—so this can’t be the point.

Then how about McConnell talking point 2, a direct quote from his statement? “Since the 1880s,” he claims, “no Senate has confirmed an opposite-party president’s Supreme Court nominee in a presidential election year.”

This is plainly false. We non-politicians might even call it a “lie.” We only need to look back to 1988, when, on February 3rd of an election year, a Democratic-controlled Senate confirmed Republican Ronald Reagan’s nominee Anthony Kennedy by unanimous vote. McConnell blatantly ignoring this fact in his statement is particularly brazen.

“Yes, but Anthony Kennedy was nominated before an election year! He was nominated in 1987, only confirmed in 1988!”

OK. Let’s give McConnell the benefit of the doubt and say that he mistyped. Let’s assume he meant to say, “Since the 1880s, no President has successfully nominated a Supreme Court justice in an election year.”

McConnell is clearly namedropping the 1880s to make the practice seem shockingly out of date. Don’t buy it. SCOTUS appointments are lifelong, which means replacements are infrequent by nature. While 12,348 people have served in U.S. Congress over the course of our history, only 114 justices have served on the Supreme Court, ever. And of those 114, only 64 of those justices were confirmed after the 1880s.

Out of 64 people in 130 years, is it a real shock that none of their confirmations met the narrow criteria of McConnell’s rule? Let’s look at it mathematically. Criterion 1: their nomination would have had to arise in an election year, one of 32 such years since 1890. Criterion 2: the confirmation would have to happen under divided government (when the Senate and Presidency are led by different parties), one of 36 such years since 1890.

I’ve cross-referenced the years. There are only 13 years since 1890 that meet both of these criteria.

And then there’s Criterion 3: the vacancy would almost certainly have to be a death rather than a retirement, because Supreme Court justices often tactically retire when someone they trust to replace them is the President. I’m not at all surprised that, of the 13 election years since 1890 when the country had a divided government, there were no voluntary retirements or sudden deaths among a court of 9.

My point here is this: McConnell is implying that an opposite-party confirmation hasn’t taken place since the 1880s because it’s an out-of-date practice, a matter of principle, and a matter of representing what US citizens really want. In actuality, an opposite-party confirmation hasn’t taken place since the 1880s because of sheer statistical unlikeliness.

In saying that an opposite-party confirmation hasn’t taken place since the 1880s, McConnell also implies that parties have often obstructed each other’s nominees. In actuality, only 3 SCOTUS nominees have been voted down by opposite-party Senates since 1890: Haynsworth (Nixon nominee), Carswell (Nixon nominee), and Bork (Reagan nominee). None of these votes occurred during an election year, and crucially, Nixon and Reagan still wound up filling those vacancies with different candidates.

In essence, it’s all a totally arbitrary bit of framing. McConnell might as well say something like, “No Senate with primarily brown hair has confirmed a nominee whose birthday falls in April since the 1870s!” It’s the exact same process: picking random categories in order to winnow down the numbers, in order to make something seem more archaic and unlikely than it is.

We should also consider the fact that something “not happening since the 1880s” is hilarious as reasoning. Since when are the 1880s and before not considered as valid precedent? Does the entire Republican party not, right now, constantly refer to the second amendment, ratified 1791, as something that must be obsessively adhered to, letter for letter?

But all this is just about the reasoning McConnell gave this year. So let’s go back to his 2016 talking points, justifying their initial blockade of Garland, which Republicans everywhere are recycling faithfully. I see this one a lot:

“Blockading nominees in an election year was Biden’s tactic first! It was the Democrats’ idea!”

This is incorrect for two reasons. Firstly, there was no vacancy in 1992. Biden was speaking in hypotheticals and, unlike McConnell, had no actual power to control what would happen if a vacancy had arisen.

Secondly, Biden’s suggestion was that, should a vacancy arise, the nomination and confirmation process should take place after the election (still allowing Bush time to nominate and confirm before the inauguration), so that the process wouldn’t be tainted by campaigning and politicking.

Biden suggesting to George H.W. Bush that he should wait to name his hypothetical nominee until Nov. 4th of that year is not, in any way, the same thing as McConnell & co. refusing to vote on actual nominee Merrick Garland’s appointment for a ten-month period, destroying Garland’s nomination.

And then there’s this: “This wouldn’t have happened if Harry Reid, a Democrat, hadn’t removed the judicial appointment filibuster in 2013!”

Technically true. Harry Reid removed the appointment filibuster, dropping the number of necessary confirmation votes from 60 to 51. In my opinion, it’s true that Reid shouldn’t have changed this precedent. But it’s also true that Republican obstruction has made operating a functional government impossible since Obama’s election. Reid had few other options with a Republican Congress obsessed with stymying Barack Obama’s appointments.

This one just rubs me the wrong way: “Obama was a lame duck!”

The phrase “lame duck period” refers to the period between an election and the new president’s inauguration. In 2016, this was the time between Nov. 9th and January 20th.

Obama nominated Garland eight months before the lame duck period, in March. As little as I have faith in McConnell’s moral center, I would at least expect him to know the difference between the words “March” and “December.”

Barack Obama had nearly 1/4 of his second term left when Scalia died. The expansion of the term “lame duck” to include an entire year of the presidency is fundamentally ridiculous. You may as well call his entire second term a lame duck term, but maybe I shouldn’t type that, because they might get ideas.

And lastly, my least favorite of the McConnell talking points: “Dems would do the same thing and 1) blockade a Republican equivalent of Garland or 2) fill RBG’s seat!”

Well, a couple problems with this. Firstly, no, we haven’t ever done anything like the Garland blockade, so you can’t use this logic. In the 20th century alone, Democratic Senates voted to confirm twelve nominees by Republican presidents to the Supreme Court. A Dem Senate has never refused to consider a nominee by a sitting President, no matter the party.

Secondly, yeah, of course Dems would fill RBG’s seat if we were in power at this very instant. That wouldn’t be a hypocritical action, because we didn’t blockade Garland. The point isn’t that Presidents should be less and less frequently able to nominate justices. The point is that in 2016, McConnell changed the playbook by demanding that “the American people” get to decide—and now that he’s been asked to apply the same rules to his own team, he’s scrambling to create loopholes so that he can pack the court further.

This is the most infuriating to me because it’s truly invented. “Dems would do the same thing” - based on what? What are you even talking about? Every time a Dem Senate voted no on a Republican appointee, it was eventually followed by that same Dem Senate confirming another appointee by that same Republican. Conservatives are truly bending themselves into knots trying to feel victimized by the left wing. I don’t think I’d mind so much if they didn’t also insist on calling us precious little snowflakes with victim complexes.

The fact is this. Mitch McConnell invented a new SCOTUS appointment rule in 2016, loosely based on something Joe Biden floated but never did. He got away with it because our systems, left and right, are showing how poorly they’re equipped to handle people who are obsessed with gaining and keeping power. And now, in 2020, in order to justify going back on his own rule, McConnell added new stipulations about party and precedent that don’t hold up under even the scrutiny that I, someone with no legal or political expertise, can apply to the situation.

Mitch McConnell and his ilk are a moral black hole: spineless, shameless, power-hungry. The effects of McConnelism are obvious. Once Trump’s nominee goes through, five of the justices on the Supreme Court will be conservatives nominated by Republican presidents who lost the popular vote. In fact, Republicans have only won the popular vote once in the last 28 years. This is the current state of representative democracy in the US.

[latveriansnailmail]

Favorite Movies as of 2021

Subject to updating because surely I’ve missed a few. This is not supposed to be a list of meritorious films but rather just a list of movies I genuinely enjoy. It runs from Shakespeare to Bill & Ted with heavy doses of 80s fantasy, superhero schlock, and pretty much anything with Kurt Russell in it. Enjoy.

1- Harvey No contest, my favorite of all time.

2- Big Trouble in Little China It’s always a great joy to introduce a new viewer to this film.

3- Flash Gordon (1980) In which they totally lean into the camp and low budget.

4- The Thing I watch this annually upon the first major snowfall.

5- Titus (Taymor) One winter break Titus would be on one of the movie channels each day when I woke up, so I watched it daily for a month and it didn’t get old.

6- Death to Smoochy “Are you alright?” “I’m a little fucked up in general so it’s hard to gauge.”

7- Blade Runner (The Final Cut) So there’s this dude Deckard and he hunts robots but it turns out HE’S a robot, oh so very clever, little film

8- Tombstone I recently learned that Kurt Russell directed this film in all but name.

9- The Dark Crystal Immersive fantasy, though I’m sure it appears plain, drab, and simple now after the Netflix prequel.

10- Somewhere in Time I’m a romantic, I guess. Thus all the John Carpenter movies.

11- Grosse Pointe Blank So good, I used to think I liked John Cusack.

12- The Producers (musical) You heard me. Wilder and Mostel were great but the musical version had decades to mill over and expand the premise.

13- To Be or Not To Be (Brooks) Surprisingly suspenseful.

14- The 13th Warrior Saw it again recently and it holds up. Horror, only it happens to viking warriors who would rather chop the horror down than run.

15- The Mighty Thor I mean, Black Panther is objectively the best of the lot but subjectively this is my personal favorite superhero flick. I must have seen it a half a dozen times at least.

16- Lost Boys A billion Chinese can’t be wrong.

17- Die Hard A Christmas tradition. As a postman, it’s cathartic for me to watch Christmas get blown up a little before all the hugging and sentiment.

18- The Blues Brothers Deadpan hilarity cut with performances by legends of blues and soul.

19- The Sting The best heist film. It keeps you guessing until the very end and no twist feels arbitrary or leaves a hole.

20- Interview with the Vampire Fun fact, I looked like Pitt’s Louis when I was a young man in the goth scene.

21- Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure “Be excellent to each other!” “Party on, dudes!” *air guitar*

22- The Seventh Seal See? This list has its high points.

23- Revolutionary Girl Utena Note: Read the entire manga, watch the entire anime series, and read Adolescence of Utena BEFORE watching this or you’ll be left confused. Dazzled but confused.

24- The Nightmare Before Christmas So good I got the tarot deck.

25- The Last Unicorn It’s still a damn shame they never made that live action remake. Christopher Lee was set to reprise King Haggard.

26- Chasing Amy Honestly changed my life.

27- Excalibur It’s weird though how they’re always in armor. Wedding? Armor. Dinner? Armor. Deathbed? Armor.

28- Ginger Snaps A cut above any other werewolf movie I’ve seen.

29- Top Secret! My sense of humor distilled.

30- Clash of the Titans (Harryhousen) Yeah it’s dry but then there’s the monsters.

31- Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life People are not wearing enough hats.

32- Shadow of the Vampire Nosferatu nearly made this list but it’s hard to pinpoint a definitive cut. Try instead this film about the making of Nosferatu with an actual vampire as the vampire.

33- Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Look, we as a culture had the unfortunate experience of Twilight. This is the same premise but actually good.

34- The Last Supper This film challenged and changed me as a young man more so than any other work of art.

35- The Princess Bride The perfect film, but I’ve seen it so much it’s down at 35 now.

36- Blazing Saddles What can I as a white guy say? Just watch the movie.

37- Streets of Fire Always suspicious to me how Final Fight premiered within a year of this movie.

38- Gremlins More Christmas havok. Yum?

39- The Beastmaster Forgotten and underappreciated.

40- Ladyhawke A thing of beauty.

41- Willow C’mon. It’s Willow. I have nothing to justify here.

42- Speed Racer I know you heard it’s bad but hear me out: it is the strongest narrative I’ve ever seen on film and it’s exactly the way you played with your toy cars when you were little.

43- Angelheart You’re supposed to know that de Niro is Lucifer. The rest is mystery and the final reveal set up a trope that’s been done into the ground nowadays.

44- The Hunger More atmosphere than plot, but hey, vampire Bowie!

45- Zoolander My partner’s favorite.

46- Faust (Murnau) You will be shocked to see what was possible to achieve in film in 1926.

47- A Muppet Christmas Carol but a cut that includes the fiance’s song This finishes out my traditional Christmas films.

48- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Y’know, I’ve got two Branagh films on here and neither are what you would expect given his catalog. The other one’s Thor for crying out loud.

49- Highlander I noticed in recent editions of Vampire: the Masquerade that it’s still possible in that game to hide a katana in a trenchcoat. This movie is why.

50- The Name of the Rose One of only a few instances where I prefer the film to the book. That book loooooong.

51- Robocop (1987) Of all the damn science fiction, why must we be in Robocop?

52- The Prophecy Now we’re getting into films I demoted since the last time I updated this list. This film’s a slow burn unless you get turned up for angels and Christopher Walken like I do.

53- The Warriors Would be higher if the opening wasn’t so slow.

54- Legend Tim Curry kills it as Darkness.

55- Black Panther Objectively the best superhero movie and the Academy backs me on that one.

56- Wonder Woman I do wish they’d trot out Vandal Savage as a Wonder Woman villain.

57- Captain America: The Winter Soldier Just rewatched this one earlier! It is heavily marked by the height of the War on Terror.

58- Blade The ancestor of all modern superhero movies and a solid vampire flick to boot.

59- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Nostalgic for me? Maybe, but I hold that this is the first comic film worth a damn because they stuck with the comics when they wrote it.

60- Captain America: the First Avenger This movie is a real test of character. If someone doesn’t like Cap it’s because they think goodness is unrealistic.

61- Four Rooms Really just rooms 3 and 4.

62- Reservoir Dogs Hey, two Tim Roth films in a row!

63- Event Horizon Do you see?

64- What Dreams May Come Kind of an emotional ringer, especially after William’s death.

65- Monty Python and the Holy Grail Have I watched it into the ground? Yes. Is it still hilarious? Yes, and it gets funnier the more you study Arthurian myth.

66- Pulp Fiction I’m kinda over this now.

67- The Crow People who liked the comic passionately disagree with me but I still like this one.

68- Akira Still.

69- Ghost in the Shell Still, though the farther you get from 13 the less titties you need in your art.

70- Beetlejuice Why not? Let's just tack this on there.

Honorable Mentions:

Fight Club A suburb film but one I grew out of, as should everyone. If you meet a man who’s passionate about Fight Club, run!

American Psycho Ditto. I grew out of this but it’s still excellent.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape A horrible caricature of my brother’s life. I don’t get along with my brother any more.

Rocky Horror Picture Show Not actually a good film if you watch it straight with no commentary. Still, it’s a cornerstone of queer culture.

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 Of all the superhero films, this is the one that resonated with me the most. I was in a weird place at the time. It still resonates with me now because I’m a foster dad.

[northoftheroad]

Hi! I'm really sorry to bother you! But I was wondering if you could give us a list of recommended stories with dick after his Robin days. Like after bruce fired him and he became nightwing? All up to the time he had to become batman? I really love your content by the way ☺️!!!

Gosh, this turned out to be even more tricky than the Robin list, and it's frightfully long!

One reason is that storytelling has changed since Dick was Robin. Back in the Golden and Silver age, with very few exceptions, comics were stand-alone short stories. In later decades, it's usually arcs that span at least a couple of issues. Some themes can run for a very long time. For instance, Dick was brainwashed by Brother Blood in New Teen Titans vol 1  # 22 (in 1982), and that would have consequences until The New Teen Titans vol 2 #31 (1987). 

There are also a looot of stories – apart from guest appearances, Nightwing is a regular/lead character in several books named New Teen Titans/Titans and suchlike, 1980-1996 and 1999-2009; Outsiders vol 3 (2003-2007); Nightwing vol 1 (1995) and vol 2 (1996–2007). In team titles, several characters compete for attention. Also, I have read and know the Nightwing books more than his team titles, so they will be more prominent on my list. 

There are a bunch of stories where Dick has a pretty small role and won't be in a lot of panels, but those panels can be "important" and often quoted when it comes to Dick. For instance, Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive, Hush, Under the Hood... 

So, you'll have to take this for what it is. A very personal list, with stories I like (and remember), or have some fun panels, or are "important". Because certain stories are essential to the character's history, regardless if you like them or not. (And if you want more of Dick with Kory/Starfire, read the New Teen Titans titles.) If you'd like to see a synopsis before you commit to reading – because did I mention it is a very long list indeed? – the dc.fandom.com wiki page will often provide. 

(Or you could do the sensible thing, and see this as more of "the complete history of pre-Batman Nightwing, and ask somebody else for recommendations...) 

The Judas contract (when Dick becomes Nightwing). The New Teen Titans # 39-40, Tales of the Teen Titans #41-44, Annual #3. (1984) 

Trivial Pursuits. NewTeen Titans vol 2 # 32. (A nice breather, when the Titans try just to relax together. It goes as well as can be expected.) (1987)

Batman # 416. (First post-Crisis meeting with Jason Todd) (1988)

The Cheshire Contract. Action Comics Weekly # 613-618 (Dick helps Roy find his daughter.) (1988)

The New Titans # 55. (Dick learns about Jason's death when the Titans return to Earth after a long period in space. He goes to Bruce to talk and what follows is the infamous scene when Bruce hits Dick, says he should never have had a partner and tells Dick to leave and leave the keys with Alfred.) (1989)

Batman year Three. Batman # 436–439. (Flashbacks with a retelling of Dick's origin, during Bruce's third year as Batman. In the "now", Dick tries to reach out to Bruce and Dick's parents' murderer is about to be set free.)  (1989)

A Lonely Place of Dying. Batman # 440-442, New Titans # 60-61. (1990)

The New Titans # 65. (Tim turns up at Dick's place to learn what it is to be Batman's partner.) (1990)

Total Chaos. (In issues of Deathstroke the Terminator, New Titans and Team Titans.) (Mirage, a woman from an alternate future and who has illusion casting powers, takes the form of Starfire and sleeps with Dick, who is shamed by his team members for being unfaithful to Kory, even though this is rape. So, an important fact to know but not something I would recommend to read.) (1992)

Knightfall Prodigal (Dick's first longer stint as Batman. And he takes care of Tim and the Manor on his own!) In Batman #512-514 and three other titles. (1994-1995)

Nightwing Alfred's Return (Kind of fun, when Dick seeks out Alfred, who left Bruce's service because Bruce wasn't taking care of himself, in London.) (1995)

Nightwing vol 1 # 1-4. (I don't love this, but it is a milestone in that it's the first Nightwing solo series, Dick momentarily decides to leave the hero business, and gets his by now classic fingerstripe suit.) #1-4 (1995)

Like Riding a Bike. (Donna checks up on Dick.) The Batman Chronicles # 7. (1996)

(Nightwing vol 2 began in 1996.)

Nightwing vol 2 # 6. (Tim and Dick talk and fight crooks.) (1997)

Nightwing vol 2 # 12-16. (Batman pays a visit and Dick makes his custom made car.) (1997) 

The Flash plus Nightwing. (Dick and Wally on vacation.) (1997)

Then & Now. Teen Titans vol 2 #12-15. (The original four Titan boys find themselves fighting their past selves.) (1997)

Nightwing vol 2 # 25. (Tim and Dick talk and ride on train roofs. Dick has decided to become a cop.) (1998)

Detective Comics # 725 (A heart-to-heart between Bruce and Dick.) (1998)

The Technis Imperative. JLA/Titans #1-3. (1998-1999)

The Titans (1999) # 2. (The start of a new Titans team, Dick tells Superman to give them some room.) (1999)

Nightwing vol 2 # 32–34. (Dick at the Police Academy.) (1999)

Nightwing vol 2 # 35–39. (On a mission from Batman: To take control of Blackgate Prison. Afterwards, he recuperates at Barbara's when her place is attacked.) (1999-2000)

The Titans (1999) #15–16. (The original five Titans try to work out some difficulties.) 2000.

Transference. Batman: Gotham Knights #8-11. (2000)

Nightwing vol 2 # 45-46. (The Hunt for Oracle.) (2000)

Action Comics # 771. (Nightwing and Superman hang out and work together – what's not to like!) 2000

Gods of Gotham. Wonder Woman # 164-167. (2001)

Nightwing vol 2 # 54-58. (Blockbuster, Nightwing's main adversary in Blüdhaven, hires an old enemy of Dick's to deal with the vigilante: Shrike. A character from Robin Year One.) (2001)

Matatoa. Batman: Gotham Knights # 16-17. (Bruce adopts Dick.) (2001)

Who Is Troia? The Titans (1999) # 23-25. (A visit from the Titan's children from the Kingdom Come universe.). (2001)

Retribution. Batman: Gotham Knights # 20-21. (2001)

Nightwing vol 2 # 64. (Nightwing as Santa's elf.) (2001)

Bruce Wayne: Murderer and Bruce Wayne: Fugitive (in several titles). (Dick refuses to believe that Bruce can be a murderer and it causes friction with for instance Tim. Also, a big fight between Dick and Bruce when the latter says he is going to abandon his Bruce identity.) (2002)

Nightwing vol 2 # 75. (Flashback's to Dick's early years with Bruce. Plus the first appearance of Tarantula (Catalina Flores; a controversial figure in Dick's history, she straddled the line between vigilante and villain.)) (2002)

Hush. Batman # 608–619. (# 615 for Dick, but it might be confusing only to read one issue.) (2002-2003)

The Obsidian Age. JLA vol 1 # 68-75. (The Justice League members disappear, Dick leads a new team for a few issues. In # 73, Bruce is quoted:" The only time I ever feel pride is when I look at Nightwing. Sometimes I think he's the only thing I ever did right."). (2002-2003)

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day # 1-3 (Donna is killed. Dick is devastated and declares that the Titans are finished.) (2003)

Nightwing vol 2 # 80-83. (Deathstroke is in Blüdhaven to kill someone close to Dick. Bruce asks when he will quit the force, Dick wants to stay as a cop, but when he saves Amy Rohrbach, she recognizes that Dick is Nightwing and fires him.) (2003)

Nightwing vol 2 # 86. (Dick, forced to rest after being injured, solves crimes on America's Most Wanted and drives Barbara up the wall.) (2003)

The Outsiders vol 3 # 1 (Roy talks Dick, who dissolved the Titans after Donna's death, into leading a new team, promising they will not be a family.) (2003)

Nightwing vol 2 # 87-100. (Definitely one of the darkest periods points in Dick's life pre-Flashpoint. Tarantula breaks up him and Barbara. Blockbuster destroys his circus, his home and kills people just for talking to Dick. Tarantula kills Blockbuster and Nightwing is too exhausted to prevent it, and afterwards, she rapes him (# 93). Not necessarily an arc I would recommend to read, but fans discuss it a lot.) (2003-2004)

The Outsiders vol 3 # 11 (Roy is angsting about going back to the hero business after narrowly surviving being shot, sparring and heart-to-heart with Dick follows.) (2004)

Under the Hood. Batman # 635-641, 645-650, Annual # 25. (2004-2006)

Nightwing Year One. Nightwing vol 2 # 101-106. (I honestly don't care much for this story, but it's good to know that it's one of several retellings of how Dick became Nightwing.) (2005)

Supergirl (2005) # 3 (Supergirl has a huuuge crush on Nightwing... ) (2005)

Silent partner. The Outsiders vol 3 # 21-23. (Dick goes ballistic when he realizes Batman has been funding the Outsiders, Roy admits Batman has been feeding him information. Only it wasn't Batman – it was Deathstroke in disguise.) (2005)

DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy  # 1-4. (2005)

Nightwing vol 2 # 107–117. (Dick leaves Nightwing, starts working for the mob and trains Deathstroke's daughter. I think the author has some kind of resolution to the crisis Dick had gone through the last years in mind, but Infinite Crisis got in the way. Blüdhaven is destroyed in a nuclear explosion.) 

Infinite Crisis. (DC had planned to let Dick die, he is central to the story even if he's not very visible.) (2005-2006)

Targets. Nightwing vol 2 # 125-128. (Dick hunts for a day job in New York and gets buried alive, which leads to some retrospection on his behalf. There's also fights with a guy with a weaponized armour.) (2007)

The Brave and the Bold # 15. Nightwing and Hawkman. (Deadman, inside Hawkman, says that Dick Grayson is the one guy that every crimefighter trusts.) (2007)

Outsiders: Five of a Kind – Nightwing/Boomerang. (It ends with Batman telling Dick: "Go back to the good fight, Dick. Leave the bad fight to us.") (2007)

Wrath Child. (A story from when Dick was fairly new as Nightwing.) Batman Confidential # 13-16. (2008)

Freefall. Nightwing vol 2 # 140–146. (Dick starts freefalling as a new hobby; Bruce is not pleased. And he gets a new daytime job, as a museum curator. Oh, and there's Talia al Ghul, too.) (2008)

Robin # 175. (Some fun panels with flashbacks with Dick and Tim.) (2008)

The Great Leap. Nightwing vol 2 # 147–151. (Two-Face wants Nightwing to save a life.) (2008-2009)

Titans (2008) # 10. (Dick leaves the Titans because he needs to go back to Gotham and "take care of my other family." (2009)

Nightwing vol 2 # 152-153. (That time when Ra's al Ghul called Dick detective. And Dick packed up and left New York to move back to Gotham.) (2009)

Batman # 682. (Just for the line about how Dick made colour come into their monochrome lives ;-) ) (2009)

Detective Comics # 85, Batman # 684 (Dick mourning Bruce) (2009) 

The Secret Six # 9. (Some of the members of the Secret Six feel they should be the new Batman.) (2009)

Battle for the Cowl # 1-3. (2009)