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New Upcoming Fanfiction – Birds of Prey: Dark (WARNING – SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION AHEAD)

So, I’ve once again decided to do a fanfiction based on an idea I posted in How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch. This one, however, will be a bit longer with no real planned ending, much like a comic book series. So, with that in mind, my next fanfiction will be…

Birds of Prey: Dark

Yep, instead of a story about one of DC’s leading ladies, I’ve decided to do a story that involves just about ALL of them. While it’ll focus primarily on a team of four of them, you’ll see a LOT of them cameo and rotate in and out as the plot requires them. Speaking of which, the plot will centre around a mixture of Birds of Prey, Justice League Dark, and Raven from Teen Titans. I decided to set the story in Platinum Flats instead of Gotham City, even though three of the four main characters are most commonly seen in Gotham, since it was home to the Birds for a time before the New 52, and I wanted them kept separate from Batman’s operations so they can tell their own story. For now, though, let’s take a look at the four main members of the Birds of Prey: Dark…

Dinah Laurel Lance, AKA Black Canary

Daughter of the original Black Canary, Dinah Lance is an asskicker the likes of which even Batman wouldn’t want to square off against. With her impressive martial arts skills and steel shattering Canary Cry, she protects Platinum Flats from criminals, only to find one day during a routine chase with some criminals that she may have found herself in a situation where she needs a little help. Oh, and before you ask, NO, I am not planning to involve Green Arrow, at least not in person.

Helena Bertinelli, AKA The Huntress

An expert marksman trying to suppress the desire for vengeance against the Mafia, the Huntress has often been seen as a close friend/occasional rival to Black Canary. As such, when Dinah runs into more trouble than she can handle alone, Helena is more than happy to jump in and help with a friendly jab or two ready. Also, while I said before that I’d make her a mixture of the two Huntresses, her and Helena Wayne, I’ve kinda heard the argument against that, and I get that it’s not a good idea. If I’m gonna be writing Helena Bertinelli, she has to be Helena Bertinelli.

Katherine Kane, AKA Batwoman

A former army brat and heiress to one of the wealthiest families in Gotham City, Batwoman was inspired by Batman to become a super-heroine. I decided to have DC’s première lesbian super-heroine move from Gotham to set up shop on the west coast, which ultimately leads to her running into Black Canary and Co. and funding the team. Otherwise, she’s also investigating the ties between various mob bosses and criminals, uncovering conspiracies, and seeking the members of the Secret Society. So, she’s kinda pulling double duty, doing The Question’s job, minus the insane amounts of paranoia. lol

Rachel Roth, AKA Raven

The daughter of a demon from another dimension, Raven escaped to Earth to get away from her dark, oppressive father, Trigon the Terrible. As a result, Trigon sent her brothers to bring her back and kill anyone that get in their way, intentional or otherwise, thus setting the stage for the first arc of the story. Personality wise, she’d act like she does in the comics, but also with some traces of her dry sarcasm from the Teen Titans animated series, just for fun.

Trigon the Terrible

As I said, the team will be a mixture of Birds of Prey and Justice League Dark, hence the name of the fic, ‘Birds of Prey: Dark’. Basically, they’re a group of superheroines battling mobsters, secret organizations, and the more dangerous paranormal/supernatural foes in the DC Universe. Recurring villains will include Trigon and his sons, as Raven will be a full-time member, but expect plenty other well-known demonic, mystical, or extra-terrestrial bad guys to appear.

As for other heroines involved, like I said, expect plenty to make appearances. Obviously, since it’s the Birds of Prey, I gotta have Barbara Gordon show up at some point, and I guess Lady Blackhawk would have to be a must at some point too. Hawk and Dove would probably be neat, and I KNOW Zatanna and Madame Xanadu would be awesome to get involved. So yeah, plenty to work with. As for the male heroes of the DC Universe, while I intend to keep the team’s path separate from Batman, hence the move to the west coast, expect him to cameo or at least be referenced to. And again, I don’t plan to have Green Arrow show up, but I suppose Black Canary talking about him from time to time is alright.

What do you guys think? Are you cool with this plot? Who would you like to see show up? Vote below, or leave a comment saying who you would like to see show up, and with any luck, Birds of Prey: Dark will be coming sooner than later. Ja né!

 

How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch? – Martian Manhunter, Huntress, Zatanna, And More

Yep, here I am again, talking about How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch. As you’ve noticed, I’m currently in the middle of doing up a fanfic for Batman, but I might find myself doing other characters in the future too. So, let’s cover some of them, starting with…

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Martian Manhunter would likely be operating as the one bringing together Earth’s greatest heroes to become the Justice League. Playing up the angle I had in mind with Starro the Conqueror, J’onn would be able to sense his coming forces and would be getting all the heroes ready to combat him. Generally, I’d want his personality and costume to be akin to his Justice League Unlimited incarnation.

As I mentioned before with the Birds of Prey, they would be more of a blend of the comic book version of the team and the Justice League Dark. As such, Zatanna would be a perfect choice for one of the team’s leading ladies. Her schtick early on would be that she’s trying to find her father, Zatara, the greatest stage magician ever known, as well as one of Earth’s greatest magic-based superheroes. Beyond that, she would likely act as both one of the team’s strongest members, and as a liaison to the Justice League. For her costume, going back to her stage magician outfit would have to be a must.

For Batwoman, I’d want her going back to what she does best: Being a loosely affiliated member of the Bat Family, and investigating Intergang, the Religion of Crime, and the various ties between different villainous groups and organizations. She’d regularly come into contact with Batman and the Birds of Prey, and work closely with either Renée MontoyaMaggie Sawyer, or both. As for her costume, probably a blend of her standard costume, the one worn by the Batwoman (or Batwomen, as it were) of Batman: The Mystery of Batwoman, and Batman Beyond. Basically, take the latter costume, make it more technological in appearance and texture, turn it black instead of grey, and make the inside of her cape, her belt, and her boots red to match her gloves and insignia.

For Huntress, I’d probably go back to her being Helena Bertinelli, though I think I’d wanna make some changes to make her seem like a balance between her and Helena Wayne. Slightly less violent, better relation between her and Batman, good friends with Power Girl, and so on. She’d still be regularly engaged with Mafia bosses, but less “blood cries for blood”. Also, she’d naturally work with the Birds from time to time. As for costume, I think I’d go with the Huntress: Year One costume. It’s awesome and classic all at the same time.

Y’know, a lot of people will make the argument that all the good stuff in The New 52 did not actually require a reboot to exist, but I would argue that there ARE some cases where the reboot did some good. Case in point: Vibe. Vibe has gone from one of the worst superheroes ever to being someone you’d WANT on the Justice League, because his abilities have been altered to be so awesome. Plus, they dropped the horrible outfit and break-dancer gimmick. So yeah, I think that’s the Vibe I’d want, costume, personality, and all. As for what he’d be doing, probably Justice League International, as well as keeping a constant look-out for portals to and from other worlds.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Next up, some more villains, including one of the most dangerous and lethal of all…

Ja né!

How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch? – The Justice League, The Teen Titans, And More

Here I am, once again, talking about How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch. ‘Cuz hey, you never know. I might decide to do a fanfic about one or more of these characters, or be a creative consultant for a web series, something like that. No way to know what the future might hold, y’know? So for this time around, I thought I’d talk about what I’d do with some of the landmark teams of the DC Universe. The Justice League, the Teen Titans, and so on. So, let’s start with…

Justice League

For the main team, I’d wanna take it back to being the Justice League of America, or the JLA. Of course, they would refer to it as the Justice League for short on occasion, but it’d be the JLA. As for what I’d do with it for a story, probably go back to Starro the Conqueror, except that it would be about Starro invading and the Big 3, the Trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman not being enough to stop the invasion, and thus some of the new heroes (in this continuity, that is) would come to their aid, like The Flash, Green Lantern, or Cyborg. I’d probably include others, like Aquaman, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, or Green Arrow, and have the book mostly focus on them stepping up to be on the same level as the Trinity while also fending off threats like The Legion of Doom, the Royal Flush Gang, the Black Lantern Corps, and Darkseid.

Teen Titans

Teen Titans would probably go back to its roots a little bit as a team of mostly teenage sidekicks who band together to form a superhero team that responds to calls from teens in need. Obviously, Robin would be a must, as would Donna Troy as Wonder Girl. As for the others, Bunker would be a nice choice for the international flavor, his optimism, and his position as an openly gay teenage superhero. I think I’d wanna change his costume from purple and red to purple and green, though. Just looks better in my head. Jesse Quick would be a neat option too, especially as someone brilliant enough to tap into the Speed Force on her own. Other choices would likely include Aqualad (either one, really), Danny Chase, Hotspot, Bumblebee, Beast Boy, Argent, Damage, Starfire, or Artemis. Also, to reference his time spent with the team in The New Teen Titans, Cyborg would be acting as a mentor to the team as they battle the likes of Doctor Light, The H.I.V.E., Deathstroke, Harvest (only done smarter than in The Culling), and the Brotherhood of Evil.

Justice League International

I’d probably go with the standard government-controlled Justice League here, but with some changes. Specifically, the JLA decides they don’t want the government to be afraid of them, so they elect one of their members to join. Of course, unlike the New 52 Justice League International, I think I’d want Wonder Woman on the team, representing Themyscira. Vixen would represent Africa, Congorilla would represent Scotland, Katana would represent Japan, Fire would represent Brazil, Ice would represent Norway, Booster Gold would represent Canada, Vibe would represent America, and Mera would represent Atlantis. They’d fight foes like the Injustice League (would have different members than The Legion of Doom).

Birds of Prey

With the Birds of Prey, I’d wanna combine them with the idea of the Justice League Dark. Basically, an all-female team that deals with supernatural threats. As such, members would be a combination of the two groups: Black Canary would be acting leader, Raven would join seeking to bring together a group to stop her father, Zatanna would become a member to try to track down her father, Batgirl and Spoiler would team up with them from time to time, and Pandora would join to try to find information leading back to her box…Not even close to what I mean, pervs. lol Their enemies would include Trigon’s Sons, Vandal Savage, and Morgaine le Fey.

Justice Society of America

Basically, the Justice Society of America, or JSA for short, would be the first superhero team, existing prior to Superman and the others. Their members act as inspirations for the current crop of heroes, and in some cases, direct predecessors. They would consist of characters from the original JSA, the All-Star Squadron, and some of the other Earth 2 characters to appear since. The original Flash, Jay Garrick, hence why Wally chooses that name for himself. The Atom, Al Pratt, would be the father of Damage, and would have his atomic punch, the ability to turn giant like Atom Smasher, and the ability to shrink like the modern Atoms like Ray Palmer. Liberty Belle, Libby Lawrence, would be Jesse Quick’s mother, and Jesse would get her increased strength and stamina through her mother’s genes. Batman, Thomas Wayne, would be Bruce Wayne’s father who was a member EXTREMELY briefly. Others could include Doctor Fate, Hippolyta, Zatara, Sandman, Hawkman, or Doctor Mid-Nite.

Anyway, that’s all for the superhero teams. Next up, the villains! Ja né!

The Future of the Justice Leagues? What I’d Do With The Teams Following Forever Evil (WARNING – SPOILERS FOR TRINITY WAR)

So it’s been a while since I talked about what I’d do with the New 52 given certain situations, but this one just kinda hit me now. As most of us know, following Trinity War, there’ll be a massive event called Forever Evil. According to solicits for DC Comics in September and October, the Trinity War will end with the “deaths” of the Justice League, Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark, along with nearly all of their members, with the Secret Society of Evil going on a rampage and taking over the world in the absence of the world’s greatest heroes. Now of course, we can kinda gather that this’ll likely turn out to be a ruse of some sort by the Justice Leagues to take down the villains all at once, or that they’re simply put out of commission temporarily and find a way to return to action. Still, it makes one wonder what exactly will be the shape of these three teams following the event.

My personal vote, if it had any meaning whatsoever? I’d say have the Leagues come together to be three distinct teams of a single Justice League. They would continue working as they have been, with the Justice League operating as the #1 response team to the biggest threats to the world, the JLA as the government controlled team, and the JLD as the response team to supernatural threats, but they would also be actively assisting each other wherever possible. Heck, they could even change-up certain members, even add a couple to their ranks, then form a sort of counsel of one or two members from each team to form a leadership role for the group on a whole.

So who would I move where? Well, for starters, I think I’d move Zatanna back to the JLD for the purpose of being its team leader (because I can’t frakking stand Constantine), possibly bring Element Woman with her, bring Amethyst back to the team, and if it turns out that Doctor Light is still alive, I’d move him there too. Also, if he isn’t already, I’d make Swamp Thing a full member. I’d probably swap Cyborg and Martian Manhunter between the teams, as well as Firestorm and The Atom (remember, The Atom is a spy from the JLA right now). Finally, provided she can get away from the DOA, I’d put Batwoman on the JLA, maybe bringing along Goldrush, and I’d finally bring back Hal Jordan to the Justice League, have Shazam stay on the team, and possibly bring Vixen to the team.

I swear to God, DC, if you kill Dick Grayson…

So, with all that said, the teams would look like this…

Justice League

Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Hal Jordan, The Flash, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, The Atom, Shazam, and Vixen

Justice League of America

Steve Trevor, Green Arrow, Katana, Hawkman, Catwoman, Vibe, Simon Baz, Cyborg, Stargirl, Firestorm, and Goldrush

Justice League Dark

Zatanna, Constantine, Frankenstein, Deadman, Madame Xanadu, Swamp Thing, Doctor Light, Element Woman, and Amethyst

…Anyway, that’s just my thoughts. Lemme know what you think below, and I will see y’all next time. Ja né!

What I’d Do With The New 52 Part 05: My First 52 Titles (14 – 26)

I’m back again, and here to talk about the next 13 issues of what I would have planned for the New 52 if I were in charge of it. And for people wondering why the first 13 issues were so similar to what was actually done, basically I wanted to get them out of the way first. Also, just as a note, for The Flash, probably what I’d do if Barry and Wally were both in it is have Barry wear a modified version of his Blue Lantern Flash outfit, just to keep them unique in style and also to make the red on the Justice League a little lessened with Barry on there. So with that said, let’s kick this off with…

Sorry to fans of Suicide Squad, but I just feel that keeping the Secret Six around under the penning of Gail Simone would make a much better villain’s book, so I’d replace Suicide Squad with this. Would probably involve most of the previous team getting out of jail, though I’d likely sub out Bane for Harley Quinn or Giganta or somebody like that and make Scandal the leader. Maybe not right away, but pretty soon to give way for what happens later on in Talon. But speaking of Gail Simone, let’s talk about a couple other books she’s helmed…

Pretty much the same as Batgirl was originally (dammit, still need to review The Darkest Reflection), save for a few things. Yeah, what a shocker, I’d want Stephanie Brown in once or twice as a recurring character. Sorry, I just love Steph as a character so much, and her team with Barbara was amazing, and seeing the two working together would be incredible. Maybe even get Black Bat in on the fun. The other thing (again, what a shock), I WOULDN’T FIRE HER. lol

Okay, clearly I can’t have her writing 4 books at once, but I would definitely want whoever was writing Birds of Prey to have her input and whatnot. With Birds of Prey, there’s a couple of things I’d want changed. First off, put Huntress back on. There is no reason she can’t at least be a loosely affiliated member of the team. Second, PUSH THE F’ING BUTTON ON THE KURT LANCE SIDEPLOT! We are now 19 issues in, and they’re still doing this! Third, I’d probably want Goldrush on there at some point so we at least know something about her before she appears in Justice League.

Okay, once again, I need to stress that I’m not saying that the Justice League Dark we got sucked. I would never say that, This is just what I would do with the team, and what I would do can be summed up in one word: Raven. Basically, Madame Xanadu senses that Trigon is back and causing all kinds of paranormal havoc while trying to reach through dimensions, so she calls Raven, Constantine, Zatanna, Deadman, and a few others, possibly even Elongated Man since he’s a ghost detective. And speaking of Justice Leagues…

Really, the only thing I’d change with Justice League International is that I probably wouldn’t have as much of a rotating door roster on the group. That really bugged me how at the halfway point, half the team either died, got de-powered, or otherwise left the group.

Frak no, I ain’t changing anything with Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.! And if you need to know why, look no further than Issue 3, where Frankenstein jumps into a giant spider monster’s mouth and does THIS!

‘Nuff said, moving on…

Again, wouldn’t change much about Animal Man, except I wouldn’t kill the kid and thus possibly separating the family, I would’ve likely wanted to involve Beast Boy at some point, and I would’ve wasted a lot less time getting to the crossover with Swamp Thing.

…Leave me alone, that was the best logo for Spoiler I could find. lol Anyway, I’d naturally want Bryan Q. Miller on this book, and basically have it continue from where his Batgirl run left off, with Steph becoming Spoiler again and continuing her operations along with Proxy. I imagine her attire would be similar to the Nightwing attire we saw in the last issue, except with her usual hair instead of the buzzcut. As for what I’d replace, probably Batman: The Dark Knight.

Well, this is where fans of David Zavimbe and the original arc of Batwing are gonna kill me, but I think I’d want to start off with the Luke Fox arc. Sorry guys, I just like what they’re doing here more, and I’ll hopefully be able to explain why tomorrow after Free Comic Book Day.

Not really anything I’d change plot wise with Supergirl, but…Well, I guess I’d just wanna change the costume. Maybe something akin to this…

…except that the pants would have to blend in better with the costume.

…Yes, believe it or not, I WOULD have Red Hood and the Outlaws be around. I would do a few changes, though: I’d have Lian be brought back, I’d have Chesire on the team, I would have Starfire NOT be a skank and instead just be an amnesiac, and I think I’d add Scarlet (because I otherwise have no idea what happened to her with the reboot) and a couple of anti-heroes and/or d-list villains to balance the team out.

Again, like with Batwing, I’d want to start Green Arrow off with the current arc by Jeff Lemire. While I don’t buy it since I’m not a big Green Arrow fan, I have read it in the stands, and trust me, it’s a LOT better.

Believe it or not, I would want Worlds’ Finest writer Paul Levitz to write Catwoman, pretty much as she acted in Worlds’ Finest #0. Why? Because she actually ACTED like Catwoman! I am so SICK of how Catwoman’s been in her book. I know I said that since they changed writers that it got better, but since then, it got WORSE. Want a good example of it? Check out Catwoman #18. That ONE issue is the best example I can give on what’s wrong with the book.

And that’s half the books down already. Next time, I’ll talk books 27 – 39, but tomorrow, I attend Free Comic Book Day at GameZilla! See y’all there!

Interesting News on the Trinity War

So BuzzFeed apparently got to have a little talk with Geoff Johns (writer of Justice League and Justice League of America) and Jeff Lemire (writer of Justice League Dark) over the phone. The topic? The summer crossover event Trinity War.

For those that don’t know, be it you were hiding in a cave or have amnesia, Trinity War is a massive event where the three Justice Leagues are fighting each other. So basically, nearly every annual Marvel event for the past several years, wherein the good guys fight each other. But hey, this is just three books a month for two months, not including the tie-ins that’ll occur in Trinity of Sin: Pandora, Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger, and Constantine, so not complaining too much. Also, apparently Zatanna joins the Justice League, so clearly it’s not all bad.

Oh, and she’s also getting her more traditional costume back, THANK GOD.

Anyway, the name ‘Trinity War’ has a few different meaning. It relates to the three Justice Leagues, it relates to the Trinity of Sin (Pandora, The Phantom Stranger, and The Question), and it relates to DC’s Trinity (Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman). The plot will revolve around the plans and schemes of the three members of the Trinity of Sin, it will revolve around a murder that occurs near the beginning (which I think is the person who dies in Justice League of America, not sure), it will revolve around the JLA learning of their existence as a fail-safe against the Justice League, and it will revolve around the relationship between Superman and Wonder Woman.

Speaking of that last bit, Geoff Johns had something interesting to say after being asked Wonder Woman and Superman would make it through this story with their relationship intact…

And I quote…

“I think the bigger question is will you see any of these characters make it through. The thing about Wonder Woman and Superman is when their relationship ends, it’s going to end badly. There is no good way for this one to end. And then there’s other concerns. When those two start acting out together, people get nervous. Not because they don’t think they’re heroes, but because they have such incredible power, and who could stop those two?”

Now, I’m aware I’m not the first to take note and make mention of something in that paragraph, but I felt like adding my two-cents. You’ll notice he said “when their relationship ends”. Not if, WHEN. I have a question: Was the plan always to split them up here, or were the complaints just getting to be too much? Also, please dear God tell me that this means Diana is gonna stay single for a while. Don’t pair her up with Orion, because since the reboot, Orion’s kinda bugged me, especially given what happened recently in her book. You remember…

Yeah. That. Funny story, in the most recent issue of Wonder Woman, she decided to get back at him, BY ALMOST CRUSHING HIS BALLS IN HER FIST. Now, a lot of people were just as offended by this as they were THAT. Me personally, I choose to take it as a sign not to mess with Wonder Woman like that, as if we needed one.

So that’s all for now, and here’s hoping that Trinity War will at least be decent. Ja né!

 

Gail Simone’s Replacement is…Someone I Do Not Know? (UNCONFIRMED FOR THE MOMENT)

Happy Storm Day to everybody in the Saint John Region! XD Okay, for realsies, I was checking Twitter for info on the Gail Simone situation, and I discovered that apparently solicits have been listing the next writer of Batgirl to be a fellow by the name of Ray Fawkes…And when I heard that, I pretty much had a “Who the fuck is Serg” moment, because I can honestly say that I’ve never heard of Ray Fawkes up to this point. I even tweeted Linkara on the matter, and his response was…

And I quote…

“He’s the writer of… *Checks his site* …a lot of stuff I’ve never heard of before.” And so I turned to the all-knowing powers of Google for answers, and I eventually learned that, starting with Justice League Dark #15, he’ll be co-writing that story along with Jeff Lemire. He’s also the author of One Soul and Mnemovore, the aforementioned “stuff I’ve never heard of”. So yeah, clearly he’s an up-and-coming type.

Anyway, for the moment I can’t 100% confirm that this is true, but if it is, all I can say is “Thank God it wasn’t ANYONE that myself or Gotham Spoilers were afraid it was”. Because I was terrified it’d wind up being Dan Didio, who honestly, while I disagree with a lot of his decisions DC, at least he hasn’t killed it, but I can’t think of a single book he’s written that I liked AT ALL. Meanwhile, Gotham Spoilers, or FHIZ as he’s known on Twitter and is always fun to call him that, thought it was Tom DeFalco. And yeah, I get why that would frighten him. DeFalco writes a really good Nightwing, most of the time, but just basing off her cameo in Nightwing #13, he CLEARLY doesn’t get Batgirl at all.

But yeah, once I get confirmation one way or the other regarding Fawkes, I’ll let’cha guys know. Ja né!