DC Rebirth One Year Later – Detective Comics

Well, it’s June, so it’s finally time for me to take a more in-depth look at DC Comics’ Rebirth initiative. However, the reason this is only starting now in the middle of June is because…well, there’s a lot to talk about, both good and bad, and I can’t really imagine me going over ALL of my thoughts on DC Rebirth in one article. As such, I’m gonna be talking about several specific books in their own articles, what I liked and disliked about them, and then give overall thoughts on where I think the book might be headed. And obviously, considering I’m going over the events of these books, there will be SPOILERS, so if you aren’t caught up on them and don’t want to be spoiled, turn back now. So, with that said, let’s talk about Detective Comics.

Now, first and foremost, when I heard about this book initially, I was PUMPED. Not only was it going back to the old numbering, meaning we’d be hitting #1000 relatively quickly, but just look at the cover. It’s a TEAM book, featuring some of my favourite Bat Family characters: Batman, Batwoman, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain… … …erm, Clayface…Yeah, I’mma get to Clayface, but suffice to say, he’s one of the elements of the book that’s both good and bad. Regardless, though, this was gonna be great… … …Then some shit happened that made me a lot less excited. But I’ll get to that later. First, let’s talk about Tim Drake, AKA Red Robin.

So one of the first things the book did was re-establish everything great about Tim Drake. He’s the brains of the Robins, the one most on par with Bruce when it comes to detective skills, and is the one who builds a lot of the tech they use in their new base of operations. Bruce also gives him a new costume that’s more closely associated with the other Robins (remember, in the New 52, Tim was never Robin, and was always Red Robin), and makes it clear to him that he ALWAYS considered him a Robin, whether Tim did or not. Even Tim’s relationship with Stephanie Brown is re-established, much to my joy. And it goes a long way in explaining why these things were re-established here when you consider that, apparently, James Tynion IV is a big fan of the character and his original solo-series. So, for fans of Tim Drake, like myself, this was a great thing to do… … …Then Tim died.

Well, okay, anyone who has read the book where Tim Drake makes his final stand knows that Tim didn’t actually die. Before he could be killed, he was basically removed from the area by Mr. Oz, a character who has been cropping up in Superman’s stories for a while now, and was made Oz’s prisoner, effectively taking Tim off the board because he was an important link to a lot of different people in the DC Universe. What Oz’s motivations for doing this are is still a mystery, and I’ll get more into that when I talk about the Superman books, but that’s the situation as is. And frankly, while that DOES annoy me, that we finally got Tim back as he should be only to lose him, the fact is, this DOES play into a bigger story that even goes outside of this one book. Oz’s plans are one of the big mysteries of DC Rebirth, and Tim is now a part of that, as we see him trying to escape, make contact with Batman, taunt Oz over the loss of other prisoners, etc. He’s not just being benched permanently, it’s part of a storyline that’s actually going somewhere. But, I wouldn’t be lying if I said that fallout from his apparent death has led to things that DO legit bother me.

Now let’s talk about Clayface. First, let me explain that I actually do like his motivations for joining Batman. For those that don’t recall, it was established in the New 52 that Karlo’s abilities had evolved to the point where he could not only assume the forms of other people, his DNA would also change to whoever he made physical contact with. However, this came at a price: He could assume the form and DNA of anyone…except Basil Karlo. So, when we first encounter him in this book, he’s basically hit rock bottom, just sitting alone at a theater showing one of his old movies and not caring for crime or if he gets sent back to Arkham or not. It’s a position that I think a lot of us can understand and would probably find ourselves in if we were in his shoes. Thus, when Batman offers him a chance to become Basil Karlo if he joins Batman’s team to help Gotham, he accepts. And as a result of that, we see him start to change. He’s regaining his humanity and is legitimately wanting to help people again as opposed to feeling forced to. It’s a well-written redemption storyline that, hopefully, won’t be undone.

Unfortunately, there’s a problem with Clayface being the one to receive this redemption arc, one that I was not privy to because, while I know a lot about No Man’s Land, I have not read it in its entirety. However, since his introduction as a member of this team, a friend of mine let me in on the fact that it was made pretty clear (if not outright stated) that Clayface raped Poison Ivy during the events of No Man’s Land. This was part of the story that led to Ivy being put in charge of Robinson Park and looking after orphaned children. And I know, I KNOW, someone’s gonna point out that this might not be in continuity anymore. And granted, that’s a legit argument. However, here’s my counter-argument: DC, while getting better at it as of late, has never made it fully clear what all is and is not canon from the pre-Flashpoint stories. So, until it’s made clear one way or the other, we don’t really know whether the events of No Man’s Land are or are not still a part of these characters’ histories. Furthermore, even if No Man’s Land and the rape are no longer canon due to it being among the ten years of history taken from the DC Universe, it still doesn’t completely erase what happened, especially since events in recent comics suggest those ten years are going to be reintegrated into main storylines. And you just can’t have it both ways by saying that all of the previous history is canon again, but that the rape never happened. Other than situations where characters couldn’t have been physically present due to not being introduced in the new continuity until much later, re-establishing the past history means it ALL happened. Now, if this was an alternate universe with its own history and incarnations of the characters, then I would say “Okay, I can overlook that”. But this ISN’T. Rebirth has made it clear that this is the same universe that existed pre-Flashpoint, just with ten years worth of history removed and elements of the WildStorm and Vertigo Universes blended in. And I’m not even saying it’s IMPOSSIBLE to do a story wherein Clayface redeems himself for those actions, it’s just that, be it because Tynion isn’t aware or forgot about that story, or either he himself or higher-ups at DC don’t care, there does not exist a story wherein Clayface at least attempts to rectify what he did to Ivy. Now, if they do so later, fine, but for now, it’s an issue that will always stick out to me. And if you think I’m wrong to feel that way, lemme ask longtime DC fans something: What was your initial reaction to seeing Doctor Light appear in the New 52 as a good guy who joined the JLA? My guess is probably revulsion, because you remembered that image of Doctor Light raping Sue Dibny, and then later being made into a serial rapist who was killed by other bad guys because even they couldn’t stomach him. You can’t simply pretend that didn’t happen when these are all still supposed to be the same characters. This is what the publisher did with the character, and you can’t simply brush it off because it’s inconvenient.

…*sighs* And, speaking of which, that leads me to probably my biggest disappointment with the book: Stephanie Brown. I have made it no secret that Steph is one of my all-time favourite superheroes, held the #1 spot for me for many years, and was the star of my favourite Batgirl title. Now, initially, I didn’t really have a problem with Stephanie in this book. It wasn’t until she left the team that I had a problem, and that wasn’t even really with her leaving the team. The thing is, Stephanie Brown finding fault and taking issue with Batman’s methods? That’s totally in character for her. They DO have differing philosophies and methodology as it pertains to helping people and dealing with crime. It’s not even that she leaves over Bruce’s tendency to inadvertently get others caught in the crossfire of his fight with villains, since it works as motivation for him to be more careful and do more to help those caught in his path. The problem is just how fucking hypocritical she acts, talking about how Gotham doesn’t need heroes when she goes out and specifically does superhero acts, all the while sabotaging Batman and saying how he shouldn’t be out in the open taking the credit. THAT is NOT in character for her. And she talks about how Batman should stick to the shadows and not let the general public in on his existence, when guess what? THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HE USED TO DO!!! He DID stick to the shadows! He DIDN’T let people know he really existed! He was an urban legend, and the confirmed existence of him was known only to a select few. He only came out into the light when things in Gotham got SO bad that he HAD to, that his presence would’ve actually been a positive to Gotham. Then there’re hints that, in future issues, she’s gonna be teaming with Anarky. Now, Steph teaming with anti-heroes like Catwoman or the like, that makes sense. ANARKY IS A STRAIGHT-UP VILLAIN WHO KILLS PEOPLE. Her working with him makes no sense for her character. And the most insulting part of all of this is that the event that triggers it all is Tim’s supposed death, meaning it’s entirely possible none of this would’ve happened if not for the fact that her boyfriend bit the dust. Give me a fucking break!

In terms of the other characters, I like that the book makes use of people like Batwing, Azrael, and Bluebird, heroes who don’t have their own books and are able to get some stories told about them here. I also like that the book was able to tell a story that directly led into Batwoman getting her own solo title again, which is always a good thing. Batwoman is a popular and important enough character to deserve her own book, and I’m glad they’ve done so. I also like that it’s made clear that she and Bruce are equals on this team, as they should be. Not sure why they completely shaved her head at the beginning, but whatever, minor nitpick, and at least it’s growing back out again as of late.

One problem I have with the book that’s actually a bit smaller than the ones I’ve mentioned thus far is the fact that Kate’s dad was made a villain. I mean, I GUESS when you look at the story as a whole and how it unfolded, it kinda makes sense. Still, I kinda find it problematic if, for no other reason, it pushes Kate to be more like Bruce, since she now no longer has a father to go to. And frankly, the story of him going after a super-secret organization that Batman doesn’t believe exists, but then it turns out they do and that they’re a far bigger threat just makes Batman look like an idiot, especially since this isn’t even the first evil group he thought never existed and then was proven wrong about.

So, now for where I think/hope this book is going. Well, first off, it’s pretty clear that Tim being alive will come out at some point, especially with Superman apparently having to deal with Mr. Oz more directly in upcoming events. What they’ll do with him at that point is anyone’s guess, but I’d imagine him being confirmed alive will probably be what leads to Steph and Bruce resolving their issues. I honestly hope they DO actually work what happened in No Man’s Land into a story, with Clayface feeling the need to make right what he did in some way, shape, or form. CAN he be redeemed is a question everyone needs to ask themselves, but personally, I’d at least be fine with them giving it a legitimate attempt. At least acknowledge that he feels guilt over what happened. And hopefully, Kate and her father can resolve their issues as well, and WITHOUT him dying in some way. Honestly, what I think would be a good move after Tim is brought back into the fold is for Bruce to maybe take a step back and let the team do their own thing. Let us see how the group can function without Batman taking direct control of it.

One thing I’m legitimately worried about is that, with the recent reveal that the Outsiders are still canon, the team in this book will be disbanded and replaced with the Outsiders. I’m not against the Outsiders getting back together, and I would be in favour of them getting their own book or integrating this team into their ranks. However, I hope this team is not completely broken down for the sake of bringing them back. I feel like that would be a disservice to these characters.

Most importantly, though, I want Detective Comics to remain a team book. Detective Comics basically just being another Batman book in the New 52 seemed like a waste, whereas now we have actual stories we can tell with it. And, to be honest, despite everything bad I’ve said that’s happened in this book…it’s still a lot better than another Bat book I could name, which I’ll be getting to eventually. For now, lemme know what your own thoughts on Detective Comics in DC Rebirth are, and join me next time for something a bit more…wonderful. Ja né!

Books I’d Like To See In The DC YOU

So, a while back, I gave my thoughts on what I’d like to see as a Poison Ivy solo book. In the comments, someone said, and I quote:

Nice statement of having Ivy getting her own series, any chance of doing more for other characters that needs/deserve for their own series?

…Well, I always aim to please, so what the hell? Here’re some more books I’d like to see done in the DC YOU.

#1 – Doom Patrol

First thing they gotta do, they gotta kick Caulder to the curb for his bullcrap. Admittedly, a lot of this is because I wanna see more of Element Woman, but I still think people would love this. Just with the various personalities involved. Also, Geoff Johns would have to be the one to write it. And frankly, I’m shocked as all hell to learn that a Doom Patrol spin-off book wasn’t in the works when he introduced them in Justice League. Another thing they could do with this book is bring back a lot of the other heroes that don’t have their own books anymore and have them be here. Skitter and Lagoon Boy would be great choices in that regard, and I’m not really sure what Bleez is up to as of late, so they could have her appear as well.

#2 – Justice Incarnate

Admittedly, something akin to this could already be in the works with the next Multiversity Too, but I would love to see an ongoing starring the heroes of Justice Incarnate as they battle threats to the existence of the Multiverse. Granted, because Morrison is doing the Multiversity Too graphic novels, I dunno if he’d have time for this. However, I’m sure they could find someone ready to take on a wacky yet awesome concept like this. And because of the current state of the Multiverse following Convergence, there’re plenty more characters they could add. Think about it: Every single story and every incarnation of the DC Universe that has ever been retconned by reboots are now canon again. Y’know how Parallax/Hal Jordan went back to stop Crisis On Infinite Earths and redeem his actions? Why not have him show up here to continue that streak. And speaking of Convergence…

#3 – Convergence: Aftermath

I know a few characters from Convergence are getting books to explain what happened to them afterward, but we could use a few more. If Darkseid War can get tie-in books explaining what happens in the aftermath of Darkseid vs the Anti-Monitor, Convergence can get a mini-series talking about what happened to the characters involved. Like, what’s pre-Flashpoint Arsenal up to now that he’s finally got Lian back? How did the continuing adventures of that universe’s Batman differ from the New 52 version’s (remember, early on in the New 52, the Batman books more-or-less progressed like they occurred just after what the books showed beforehand)? Are any of the other worlds still dealing with the repercussions of the worlds being brought together like in Justice League United? Did they find ways to possibly keep tabs afterward? These are all questions worthy of being answered. Of course, I would ask that the same people who wrote the Convergence tie-ins to write this book, because they’ve clearly all done their research.

#4 – Birds of Prey

Seriously, why isn’t this book a thing? I’ve brought it up before, and I’ll do so again: At the end of Gail Simone’s run of Batgirl, it was revealed that Babs had the resources and connections to call in nearly EVERY SUPERHEROINE ON EARTH to deal with a crisis. And now, apparently Batgirl’s gonna be called upon for a mission for the Justice League United, meaning that there are even more heroines potentially added to her list of contacts. Granted, because of the format of JLU, doing something exactly like that would be repetitive, so there’d need to be a core team. Given that Bluebird isn’t doing anything right now, although she is slated to appear in Batman and Robin Eternal, she seems like a good pick. Batwoman doesn’t have a book, and has teamed with Babs on a couple of occasions, once being super recent, so let her in. Spoiler is only appearing in Catwoman’s book to train with Eiko, let both of them in. Haven’t seen Starling in forever, find a way to redeem her actions and let her in. BAM, half a dozen members right there.

#5 – Red Robin

Again, how many times I have to say this? Red Robin solo book, bringing back some of the fun of Tim’s original solo book. Just have him go old-school teen detective on criminals and nab ’em like the best damned junior Batman one could ever hope to be. Above all, remember that Tim was not originally meant to be mini Bruce. He’s the detective of the Robins, yes, but his personality is different. He is not a jerk, he does not brood. He is, however, smart. Bring back THAT Tim Drake for a solo book.

Anyway, that’s all I can think of for now. Lemme know if there are any more you’d like to see, and we’ll see if DC takes notice. Ja né!

How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch? – Teen Titans (Robin, Wonder Girl, Bunker, And More)

Well, welcome back to my own personal Put Up Or Shut Up moment for comics, How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch. Granted, I may not be the best person to make such judgements, since apparently DC Comics is meant for 45 year olds, but this is just my own personal take on it. This time around, I thought I’d take a closer look at the members of one of my favourite superhero teams of all time, who I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up writing a fic about in the future…

Now, because a lot of these are known primarily for being Teen Titans, and/or for being sidekicks to other superheroes, not all of ’em have logos, so I’ll be using pictures. With that said, let’s start with who is usually considered the leader…

Robin

As I mentioned before, I’d naturally start with Dick Grayson as Robin. However, following his eventual transformation to Nightwing, I’d probably do as the Young Justice cartoon apparently did and skip over Jason Todd in favour of probably my favourite Robin of all time, Tim Drake. Now, that’s not to say that I would never involve Jason Todd, just not as Robin. Why? Well, for starters, I’m not exactly a huge fan of Jason Todd and what DC continues to try to do with him. Second, like I said, I prefer Tim Drake as Robin (and yes, he WAS Robin, I don’t care what anyone says. I don’t even mind calling him Red Robin, I just hate that DC insists he was never Robin). Now, would I put the mantle on others like Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne later on? I dunno yet. Either way, though, Dick would be the leader of the team, though would often-times confer to this next individual…

Cyborg

I already covered most of what I’d do with Cyborg, but at the same time, I think I’d want him to act as a sort of mentor to the Titans. He’d be in charge of training them, putting together their base and equipment, etc. He might occasionally butt heads with Robin over leadership decisions, but otherwise would be friends.

Wonder Girl

Yes, I know that’s Donna Troy. Sorry to Cassie fans, and I MIGHT eventually show her some love too, but frankly, I just prefer Donna. As for her origin (hoo boy, Donna Troy’s origin), I’d probably just go with the story where she’s a mirror duplicate of Wonder Woman as a teenager, though I’d put her in the black costume with the blue stars. It’s just my personal favourite look for her. Otherwise, her role would be something similar to what Superboy’s was in the Young Justice cartoon, though with a better relationship with her counterpart. Finally, I think I’d want her to have a silver lasso as opposed to Wonder Woman’s golden lasso.

Bunker

Y’know, much as I like to rag on Scott Lobdell from time to time, one thing I can thank him for is for intentionally making Bunker and his back-story completely angst free. And trust me, you have no idea how much I appreciate that, given the status quo of DC Superhero angst these days. So yeah, Miguel’s personality? Perfect. His powers? Pretty awesome. The only thing I’d change about him is his costume’s colour-scheme. I’d change it to violet and some other colour, like green or black. I just don’t like that sort of reddish-purple that goes down the middle of his mask and across the right side of his costume. Maybe it just bugs me because, in the comics, he’s on a team brought to you by the colours red, yellow, and brown, but it’s always bugged me.

Jesse Quick

Yeah, with enough characters in other colours, I can let Jesse Quick keep her normal red and yellow. 🙂 Also, as far as why I picked Jesse Quick over Bart Allen, it’s two-fold. One is that I already picked Wally West over Barry Allen to be The Flash, and two is that I’d want a more diverse team. After all, Jesse can not only tap into the Speed Force, but she also inherits her mother’s enhanced strength and stamina. As for her back-story, pretty much the same, minus the affair with her mother’s younger fiancée, because oh dear GOD that was stupid. Speaking of which, she’d also have the costume she wore in the earlier issues of The Titans, AKA Lewis Lovhaug‘s favourite comic book series ever. I just like it a lot, and find her other costumes to be kinda…eh.

Aqualad

No offence to Garth (in fact, far from it, I think I’d rather have Garth as Tempest), but Kaldur’ahm would be the Aqualad of this team, likely in his Young Justice TV show appearance (although I’d change the shade of red to a more orange tone) and power-set. However, to keep things from getting overly repetitive, I think I would kinda want him to be the sort-of Sixth Ranger member of the group (look it up on TV Tropes). Still, Kaldur would be the serious one, and would pretty much play designated driver to some of the antics the rest of the team might occasionally get up to.

Anyway, that’s it for the Teen Titans. Next time, I talk more about the villains, specifically who faces whom. Ja né!

Related articles

• DC To Launch New Teen Titans Go! Digital Comic (goodereader.com)
• Week 31 2013 | Part 1 | Comic Reviews (cynsworkshop.wordpress.com)
• Exclusive: DC’s Villains Month Continues in TEEN TITANS #23.1 – Trigon (nerdist.com)
• ‘Teen Titans Go!’ digital comic, ‘Smallville’ shakeup announced by DC (digitalspy.co.uk)
• Batcow Joins DC Nation, New Clips from “Beware the Batman, Teen Titans Go!” (comicbookresources.com)
• Why Am I Still Reading More DC Then Marvel? (redblooms.wordpress.com)
• Why I Divorced the DC Universe (rtgomer.com)
• The Straight & Narrow (modernmythologies.com)
• Graphic Novels (#SFWApro) (frasersherman.wordpress.com)
• Franchises Collide When “Scribblenauts Unmasked” Invades the DC Universe (comicbookresources.com)

Good News/Bad News For Nightwing Fans (WARNING: SPOILERS FOR FOREVER EVIL)

So yer probably wondering where What I Bought Today is, and I’ll get it typed up as soon as I’m done with this. However, I wanted to get this outta the way first, because it’s an issue brought up online a lot as of late. Good news: Nightwing is alive, and they’re not going to kill him off. YAY! Bad news: The Crime Syndicate captured him, beat the snot out of him, then unmasked him on television, and followed that up by broadcasting information on his identity to the whole world, all the while promising to hunt down every last person he cared for and doing the same to anyone else who opposed them… … … …Okay, I have a few questions. lol

1. I’m obviously happy that Dick Grayson is alive and is still gonna be around, ‘cuz I like Nightwing a lot. However, from the standpoint of the villains…these ARE the same people that orchestrated the apparent fall of the Justice League, right? So why are they being so frigging stupid here? Look, I get it, it’s the be cruel, because letting Dick live while the world knows he’s Nightwing pretty much jeopardises any attempts he could ever make to be a hero again, and I’ll get to the problems with that in a sec, but isn’t it kinda dangerous to let arguably Batman’s greatest protégé live? And based on a cover for an upcoming issue of Justice League…Yeah, he gets away from them. Look kinda stupid now, don’cha Syndicate? That said, this one doesn’t bother me too much, since at least it would show the heroes outsmarting the villains, and so far with this story arc, they could use a victory here and there.
2. Is it really a good idea to mess with the new status quo in the Nightwing book…when it was JUST RECENTLY ESTABLISHED??? He’s only been in Chicago for a little while. Experiment with that more before you throw THIS monkey-wrench in too.
3. As I mentioned before, having his identity be public knowledge kinda messes with him being a superhero. The way I figure it, they’re gonna do one of a few things here: 1) Reverse it somehow (if they involve the devil, I quit), 2) They’re gonna have him pass the mantle to someone else and mentor that individual (I vote Tim Drake, Harper Row, or Stephanie Brown), 3) He’ll turn heel (please don’t), or 4) He’ll just have to deal with it and the people of Chi-town will either deal with it or they won’t.
4. Why do this to Nightwing? I mean, if they felt the need to do a moment where the Crime Syndicate unmasked a beaten-up superhero to show how dominant and dangerous they are, wouldn’t it make more sense if they took one of a members of the Justice League, who they apparently got the better of, and unmask them? Now, for obvious reasons, doing that to Superman or Batman would be a HUGE no-no, and Wonder Woman doesn’t really HAVE a secret identity (I think), but what about The Flash? Green Lantern? Hawkman? Katana? ANY of them? Heck, Simon Baz is actually going to be mentoring a new Green Lantern in Forever Evil anyway, why not have him be forcibly unmasked, then the new girl rescues him, then he trains her to become a Green Lantern to help him stop the Syndicate?

And I’m sorry if this seems like I’m lecturing on 2 and 4, but these are things that came pretty easy to me, and I get the feeling like DC either didn’t consider that or didn’t care. That said, do I think this is a completely stupid move that cannot be redeemed in any way? NO. A completely stupid move that couldn’t be redeemed in any way would be killing him. THIS actually has potential to work, as long as they remember to THINK. If they stay smart about what they’re doing and craft this carefully, it CAN work. However, I think I can be justified in being slightly concerned, as this IS a major change.

Oh, and real quick, before I wrap this up, people online have suggested that Nightwing getting captured and having the snot kicked outta him by Superwoman and Owlman seemed too easy…Really? These are two villains that would probably beat the snot outta Batman, and HAVE in previous continuities, but doing that to Nightwing is too easy? And as FHIZ pointed out on Twitter, if Batman can get surprise attacked by a giant swinging wooden hammer, I think it’s possible for the Crime Syndicate to get the jump on Nightwing. Just sayin’.

Anyway, lemme know what you guys think about all of this, and hopefully, everything turns out alright. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go write about…

Ja né!

Related articles

• DC Promises “Huge Ramifications” From Villain-Focused “Forever Evil” (comicbookresources.com)
• EXCLUSIVE: Brett Booth Joins “Batman/Superman” in November (comicbookresources.com)
• Five Batman Characters We Want To See In The Batman vs. Superman Movie (focusthoughts.wordpress.com)
• The end of Trinity War (comicdomwrecks.wordpress.com)
• Forever Evil #1 (comicvine.com)
• If Nightwing doesn’t die, will he turn ‘Forever Evil’? (robot6.comicbookresources.com)
• ‘Forever Evil’: Geoff Johns, David Finch conspire on Crime Syndicate (herocomplex.latimes.com)
• Lex Luthor To Be The Unlikely Hero (americanlivewire.com)
• A Brief Chat with Writer Kyle Higgins on NIGHTWING (nerdist.com)
• DC Comics’ Forever Evil 7-Part Event Begins Today! (sleeplessthought.wordpress.com)

Favourite DC Superheroes – The Honourable Mentions

So, I took a look back at my favourite DC and Marvel superheroes from my birthday last month. While I still agree with those lists, I do feel as though there were a number of characters that deserved to be honourable mentions for DC. So, that’s what I’m gonna do now. Here are 10 heroes I think deserve to be mentioned with honours. lol

Kara Zor-L, AKA Power Girl

I believe I already covered what it is I like most about this character (no not THOSE…though they ARE nice, lol). For those who didn’t see, I particularly like how Power Girl not only has the abilities of Superman, she also is the head of her own business. Combine that with a never-say-die attitude and…well, THOSE, and you’ve got yourself a winning formula in Power Girl, who I DEFINITELY wouldn’t mind seeing in the Man of Steel movies someday. Kara’s also one-half of the Worlds’ Finest with Huntress, though sadly that book doesn’t present the best depiction of the character. Still, we do occasionally see them as a powerful duo.

John Stewart. AKA Green Lantern

And…

Alan Scott, AKA Green Lantern

I mentioned these two before as being tied as the unofficial #11 in my 10 Favourite DC Superheroes, and I still stand behind that. Though personalities and the manner in which they gained their powers couldn’t be more different, both bring honour to the name Green Lantern, and they are my personal favourites to hold that title. Also, VERY glad to see that John Stewart is now a DLC skin/voice swap for Hal Jordan, though I’d kind of like an Alan Scott one too.

Dick Grayson, AKA Nightwing

The original Robin all grown up. Be he in blue or red, be he in Blüdhaven or Chicago, Dick Grayson will always be a special kind of hero to people. He’s been through having his parents killed before his eyes, leaving his mentor to become leader of his own team, having his wedding broken up, having the love of his life leave him (and the planet for that matter), having to become Batman after Bruce was thought dead for a time, having his old circus troop destroyed, and now having helplessly watched his partner murdered. And yet, in all of this and more, he continues to try to have a positive attitude on the job…Still though, he REALLY needs to go back to blue. lol

Mera

Okay, while I don’t read a lot of the books she appears in, Mera gets on this list for a few reasons. First off, that she neither has nor requires an alias. Second, she’s Queen of Atlantis, which takes up most of the known ocean. Third, much like her husband Aquaman, she has the same natural advantages that he does having operated out of the bottom of the ocean (advanced strength, speed, durability, and sight). Fourth, as I’ve mentioned before, while the power to control water might not seem threatening at first, considering how much water makes up the average human body, that actually conjures up some rather frightening visuals of what she could do if she lost her cool. Speaking of which, while she’s usually a kind-hearted woman, the kind that you could easily get along with, she DOES have an on-again off-again struggle with her sanity. In other words, be as nice as humanly possible to Mera when you see her.

Damian Wayne, AKA Robin

The latest Robin to appear, Damian brought something new to the role. Having the genetics of Bruce Wayne, the skills passed down through the League of Assassins, and many skills and personality traits seen in Dick, Jason, Tim, and Stephanie, Damian could be considered the perfect Robin in a lot of respects…except that he kept killing people. I mean, he meant well, you could tell he cared, but he kept killing bad guys. That just bothered me to no end, though it almost became a running gag wherein if he said “I will kill no more”, he was usually five minutes away from killing someone. Alternately, if he said he WAS going to kill someone, they usually had a good chance of escaping with their lives for some reason. Apparently, he’ll be returning soon for a mini-series that looks at the alternate future where he becomes Batman, and it’ll be awesome to see him again…but dammit Damian, stop killing people. lol

Victor Stone, AKA Cyborg

BOOYAH!…Yeah, I know. lol Anyway, as of the New 52, Cyborg is now a founding member of the Justice League. While this robs him of his history with the Titans, it IS nice to see Vic standing among the big seven that make up Earth’s greatest heroes. Cyborg’s only real flaw is his personal issues, trying to find the balancing point between the machine and the man. Otherwise, you better be packing some serious power when going up against him, or he will flatten you.

J’onn J’onzz, AKA The Martian Manhunter

This one’s mostly based on his DCAU appearances, though I have checked him out elsewhere and been left confused by something: Martian Manhunter has heat vision in the comics, they’re missing from the cartoon. I’m not really sure why, other than so that two members of the Justice League didn’t have heat vision. However, this brings up something even more confusing: J’onn is vulnerable to fire. Shouldn’t using heat vision hurt him? Well, whatever, he’s still an awesome hero, though he REALLY needs to chill out in the New 52.

Khalid Ben-Hassin, AKA Doctor Fate

Okay, other than a couple of cool moments in Justice League Unlimited, I wasn’t really all that sold on Doctor Fate. Then Earth 2 happened. Now I know better. lol The second most badass individual to have the word “Doctor” in their name, Doctor Fate has a mastery over magic beyond that of any of the other magic-based heroes of the DC Universe. In other words, if he really wanted to, he could kill Superman just by wiggling his toes. His only real weakness, at least for Khalid in Earth 2, is that wearing the Helmet of Nabu can have some negative psychological effects. Otherwise, he might just be the greatest of Earth 2’s heroes, and is all too deserving to be a founding member of the JSA when it eventually forms.

Helena Wayne, AKA Huntress

There have actually been two women to predominantly go by the name Huntress. Prior to the reboot, Huntress was a woman named Helena Bertinelli, the daughter of a mafia boss who became Huntress to fight the very same kind of crime her family once created, eventually becoming a member of the Birds of Prey and getting this weird belly window for her costume that carried over into Justice League Unlimited. In the New 52, much like the original pre-Crisis interpretation of the character, Huntress is one half of the Worlds’ Finest with Power Girl, and is Batman’s daughter from Earth 2, though thus far, he has yet to show that he has any knowledge of this. Personally, I think she should just talk to him, especially given recent events. It might get him to cool down a little to know he still has family. Both are hardcore asskickers armed with crossbows, and both are deserving to be on this list.

So there ya go, 10 (sort of 11) honourable mentions. Along with Batman, Superman, Stephanie Brown, Wonder Woman, Wally West, Raven, Red Robin, Supergirl, Barbara Gordon, and Hawkgirl, they are my favourite DC Superheroes. Who do YOU think should’ve made it to this list? Lemme know in the comments, and I will see y’all next time. Ja né!

Related articles

• What Your Favorite Superhero Says About You (businessinsider.com)
• ‘Justice League’: 5 Heroes That Need A Solo Film (splashpage.mtv.com)
• The Justice League Movie Needs Some Serious Justice (liamphughes.co.uk)
• Batman Reboot Could Be ‘Batman Beyond’ Movie? (screenrant.com)
• ‘The Flash’: Casting Call! (splashpage.mtv.com)
• Superhero Week: Who is the most famous black superhero? (geeknative.com)
• What Your Favorite Superhero Says About You (theatlanticwire.com)
• Why can’t a film fronted by a superheroine be as popular as Batman and Superman? (metro.co.uk)
• Superman and Batman Unite for DC’s Next Superhero Movie (vamers.com)
• The 12 Most Ludicrous Superhero Armors (io9.com)

My 300th Blog Post! + Some of the Better Points of the New 52

Hey guys! Well, I thought I’d talk a little about IT’S MY 300th BLOG ENTRY!!!

Ahh, 300 entries in a little over 2 years on a blog that has brought new meaning to my life…

…Yeah, apparently that new meaning is to torture myself. But today, I feel like being a bit more positive minded, taking a far more optimistic stance on something I’ve ragged on a lot these days: The New 52. A lot of DC fans are STILL pissed off about the reboot that happened two years ago, myself included a lot of times. Decades of continuity gone in a flash(point), characters shoved aside, stories becoming unnecessarily darker in some cases, and almost everything to do with Wonder Woman. And with all of that going on, it’s hard to remember that a lot of good has come out of the New 52 as well, something that occurred to me on Twitter last night while talking to Spoony. So today, I’d like to talk about some of the finer points of the New 52, in no particular order or planned number.

#1 – The Reintroduction of Vibe

Let’s face it, sometimes a character gets introduced who kinda bombs with the audience. However, the New 52 has presented a unique situation where these characters get another shot with a whole new audience and have their personas freshened up a bit to work better, and in no other case is this truer than with Vibe. Let’s be honest, when we all found out that Vibe was on the JLA, we were in horror of what was to come. When we found out Vibe was getting his own series, we wanted to call Arkham Asylum and have Geoff Johns committed. But, looking at how Vibe has turned out, he’s actually one of the better characters in JLA, and while his solo series isn’t my particular cup of tea, I will say that the quality of the stories is still good. So yeah, I’m considering Vibe’s reintroduction a successful one.

#2 – The Court of Owls Storyarc

I kinda wanna put an asterisk over this one since I’m not sure that stuff like Court of Owls required the relaunch, or if Snyder had planned it all along regardless. Either way, though, this was easily the best frigging story of the early days of the New 52, and I still recommend it and Scott Snyder‘s Batman to anyone who wants a great story within the New 52. Likewise, all the really cool stuff that’s come as a result of this story, like James Tynion IV’s Talon, can be added to this list as well.

#3 – The Revamped Alan Scott and Jay Garrick

I know old school fans are gonna wanna kill me for saying this, but I gotta throw this out: I really like the revamped origins for Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, to the point where I actually prefer them to their Golden Age counterparts. Jay Garrick is FAR less selfish than he was originally, and I really like the method by which he becomes The Flash. Alan Scott can at times be kind of a jerk, but it’s usually done in ways that kinda make sense, and frankly, having him actually be on the train when it explodes and losing someone he loves in the process makes the situation far more personal for him, and you feel sadder for him too. James Robinson has been doing an excellent job writing these Golden Age heroes in a present day world, and while I won’t say it’s perfect (there have been small hiccups along the way), it’s still about as good as you can expect, and really, that’s all I can realistically ask for here.

Now, the last three on this list are kind of a trilogy, so I apologize if this gets repetitive really quickly. Basically, it’s three event comics that occurred that are no longer in canon with DC’s universe, and frankly, I’m kinda happy about that. If you need further examples of why, I have four words for you: Atop The Fourth Wall. They were all covered on that show, and better than I possibly could, and pretty much spell out every single reason why these event comics were TERRIBLE. With that said, let’s move on…

#4 – Countdown to Final Crisis NEVER HAPPENED

Yeah, sorry to disappoint, but no matter how bad the New 52 gets, at least we can say this with absolute certainty: COUNTDOWN NEVER HAPPENED. Y’know, that year-long event comic that only continuously sucked more and more the further it went along? Yeah, never happened. Seriously, you know an event comic is bad when the creators of it basically try to pretend that it never happened, and that was BEFORE they hit the universal reset button. And while we’re on the subject…

#5 – Identity Crisis NEVER HAPPENED

Yeah, I know, a lot of people really liked Identity Crisis, and admittedly there IS a good story in there…if you can dig past all the bullshit. I’m sorry, but frankly, I’m happy that in this new universe, Tim Drake‘s parents are alive, the Justice League never wiped Batman’s mind, and Doctor Light is NOT a psycho rapist! Although while we’re on the subject, I WILL say that this is a bizarre fucking universe in that Doctor Light is a good guy and a family man, and Superman is the man who apparently murdered him? By the way, I say apparently since it’s clear it wasn’t his fault, and I’m not 100% sold that Light’s really dead. But anyway, last on the list of event comics I’m glad never happened…

#6 – Cry For Justice NEVER HAPPENED

Okay, while I’m not exactly thrilled that Lian Harper doesn’t exist in this universe, I take comfort in knowing she can eventually be reborn within it and then NOT be horrifically murdered like she was in Cry For Justice! Also, to be perfectly fair, this book sucked plenty bad before and after the death scene, although it WAS the cherry on top. I would love to one day have a sit-down talk with James Robinson and just ask him what the thought process was with this book, especially since I feel like a lot of fans would just yell and scream at him for what happened. I mean, Robinson is NOT a bad writer, but this book was wretched, and I would just like to know what went wrong.

Anyway, that’s all from me. Leave your comments below, and hey, if there’s anything you really like about the reboot, lemme know. Ja né!

Related articles

• SDCC 2013: Justice League Trinity War (comicvine.com)
• DC Histories: Alan Scott (Green Lantern I) (ifanboy.com)
• Is DC Comics Backing Away From ‘Identity Crisis’? (comicsalliance.com)
• Cunningham Explores the Mysteries of DC’s “Trinity War” (comicbookresources.com)
• EDITORIAL: 10 Must Haves For The JUSTICE LEAGUE Movie (comicbookmovie.com)
• SDCC ’13: Geoff Johns Shares His Thoughts On A Potential AQUAMAN Movie (comicbookmovie.com)
• Grumpy Old Fan | ‘Trinity War’ is testing the old ways (robot6.comicbookresources.com)
• The New 52 and me, then and now (comicdomwrecks.wordpress.com)
• SDCC LIVE: DC Comics – The New 52 (comicbookresources.com)
• DC Comics Solicitations for October, 2013 (comicbookresources.com)

Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Misses of the DCAU

Y’know, I really LOVE the DC Animated Universe, most off all being Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited. It just feels it has some of the all-time best interpretations of certain characters from DC Comics. That said, not EVERYTHING they did was golden. And that’s not a check against it, either. It’s perfectly normal and understandable. They just kinda bug me a little. So I thought I’d go ahead and list 5 of the ones that bug me most. Just remember, this is not meant to diminish anyone’s thoughts on the DCAU.

#1 – Galatea

While I like the fact that they introduced a villain specifically for Supergirl, I don’t particularly like the one they went with. Not that there’s much wrong with Galatea from a character standpoint, but I don’t like that they basically took Power Girl, gave her the same backstory as Superboy (except that she’s Supergirl’s clone instead of Superman’s), and then made her unrepentantly evil.

#2 – Batman and Batgirl As A Couple

…Excuse me, I just had to vomit, as I do every time I think of these two as a couple. I’m sorry, but Batman and Batgirl should NEVER be romantic with each other. EVER. It’s icky as all hell. I can see a one way attraction from Babs for a short-term plot, but never as a couple, if for no other reason than HOW MUCH OLDER IS HE THAN HER, ANYWAY??? XP

#3 – TINO (Tim In Name Only)

Again, not a knock against the character, but I’m not sure why he’s named Tim Drake. He just feels WAY more like Jason Todd to me. Think about it: Second Robin, parents dead, kind of a snarky bastard, lack of control over his anger, violent/tragic end to his career as Robin due to the Joker, etc. I know, he has SOME detective and computer skills, but I don’t think it’s enough to justify calling him Tim Drake. Just my opinion.

#4 – The Teen Titans Who Never Were

I think there MAY have been a plan to involve the Titans in the DCAU, but the fact that they never showed up despite being mentioned twice in Static Shock is very odd to me. While I’ve never seen the original pilot for the Justice League animated series, which showed Robin, Impulse, and a female Cyborg with the League, I’m going to assume that they, Static Shock, Beast Boy (who was referenced once), Speedy (who cameod in JLU), and possibly Supergirl and a few other teenage superheroes would’ve formed the Titans in the DCAU. But unfortunately, it never came to be, thus resulting in it sadly becoming a major miss for the DCAU. I hear they might be looking to bring back the DCAU in a couple of years, and with any luck they might do this then…and hopefully, this next thing too…

#5 – Not Going Through With The Birds Of Prey

Okay, lemme explain this one: There was an episode of JLU entitled Double Date that was written by Gail Simone that featured Black Canary and Huntress together on a mission. Now the original script called for Barbara Gordon getting hurt and becoming Oracle, at which point she forms the two into the Birds of Prey. However, because of issues involving the rights to animate Batgirl (see “Bat-embargo”), this idea got vetoed in it instead became about Huntress and The Question going after Steven Mandragora and clashing with Green Arrow and Black Canary. It feels like they really missed out on a great opportunity here. I know Huntress and Black Canary got together for missions later on, but it woulda been even better with Barbara in the mix as well. Like I said, I’d like to see Birds of Prey done when they bring back the DCAU, possibly see them going against the Gotham City Sirens.

So yeah, those are the 5 misses that bug me most. But even with them, the DC Animated Universe was awesome, and I can’t wait for them to bring it back someday, and I will see you all when that marvellous day comes. Ja né!

Happy Birthday to ME! ^_^ + 10 Favourite DC Superheroes

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me! lol Okay, I’m not gonna do that the whole post, but I felt like bringing it up. And so, on this day that I turn 28, I decided to do two lists of my favourite superheroes, 10 from DC and 10 from Marvel. Let’s start with DC, since I’m honestly more of a DC guy than Marvel. I will elaborate on which interpretations of each character I prefer.

#1 – Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman

Yeah, be honest, you knew this was coming. In fact, I don’t know a single person who likes superheroes who doesn’t have Batman in their Top 10. I think it’s because there’s so many different interpretations of the character, thus allowing different people of different likes/dislikes to get into the character. Be it the comics, the 90’s cartoon, heck even the 60’s live action series, there’s plenty of interpretations of Batman to go around. Me personally, my favourite interpretations of the character are from Batman: The Animated Series and the Scott Snyder comics, neither of which should surprise anyone. lol

#2 – Clark Kent, AKA Superman

Ahh, the original template for the superhero in the 20th Century. Superman is the physical embodiment of hope, just as Batman is justice and Wonder Woman is truth. His feats are legendary, his abilities are unmatched, and his sheer power is only outdone by his sheer will and the strength of his heart. My favourite takes on the character are probably All-Star Superman and, again, the DCAU, although they perhaps showed him getting slapped around a bit too often there.

#3 – Stephanie Brown, AKA Batgirl

Hands down, my favourite super-heroine of all time. Sure, there are plenty who are faster, stronger, more intelligent, or more inventive, but Stephanie Brown is by far the most entertaining to read for her wit, her charm, and her never-say-die attitude. Obviously, my favourite take on the character is from Bryan Q. Miller‘s Batgirl title. But, to be fair, I have to pay homage to the original super-heroine…

#4 – Diana Prince, AKA Wonder Woman

As I said, Superman embodies hope, Batman upholds justice, and Wonder Woman is the spirit of truth. I get the feeling that perhaps one reason a lot of people tend to write poor Diana in such a botched up manner is because she is both the most compassionate super-heroine of all in DC while also the best fighter. However, my favourite interpretation of the character seemed to get the balance just write: Gail Simone‘s take on Wonder Woman.

#5 – Wally West, AKA The Flash

Yeah, I know I keep going on about this, but I seriously miss Wally West. Barry Allen is just not interesting as The Flash. The only comic strip I have ever read that has Barry written in a way that makes him fun to read is JL8, and that’s not even written by anyone in DC…for some bizarre reason. There’s actually a rumour going around that Wally is the new Reverse-Flash, with his memories of the pre-Flashpoint Earth intact and his sanity broken by how much the universe has changed and how his idol is responsible for it all. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I can conceivably see it working, provided it ends with Wally regaining his sanity, possibly even becoming a good guy version of Reverse-Flash. Anyway, my favourite interpretations of Wally are from the Justice League cartoon and The Titans, AKA Linkara’s favourite comic series. lol

#6 – Rachel Roth, AKA Raven

Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS! Yeah, no big surprise here, but my favourite interpretation of Raven is from the Teen Titans cartoon. The version of her from The Titans where she was just a golden ghostly form was pretty awesome too, but c’mon, Raven was awesome there. She was dark, powerful, sarcastic, and honestly could be more fun than Beast Boy most times. And the excellent voice acting of Tara Strong only made her even more awesome.

 

#7 – Tim Drake, AKA Red Robin

Noticing a pattern here: Everyone here is either JLA, Titans, and/or Batman Incorporated. And in Tim Drake’s case, he could easily qualify all three someday. The only other hero besides Batman to have earned the title of ‘Detective’ from Ra’s al Ghul, Tim Drake is my favourite Robin (and no, I don’t care if his time as Robin is retconned or not, even as Red Robin, he still counts toward the group). I can’t really pick out an individual take on the character that I prefer most, but probably one the best stories to involve him is the aforementioned confrontation with Ra’s, especially the crossover stuff with Steph in Batgirl.

#8 – Kara Zor-El, AKA Supergirl

I’ve only recently gotten into Supergirl’s storylines, but honestly, I find her very interesting. I think I might just like her more than Superman. Her stories in the New 52 are higher quality than Supes’ (seriously, I’m at the point where I’m ready to BEG Scott Snyder to write the best damned Superman book he possibly can), her disguise is better than Clark’s, and she’s even potentially stronger than him since her body absorbs yellow sun energy faster.

#9 – Barbara Gordon, AKA Batgirl

Yeah, I brought up my personal favourite Batgirl, but this one deserves a spot in my 10 Favourite DC Heroes as well: Barbara Gordon. Be she the badass super-heroine, Batgirl, or the techno wizard who served as the eyes and ears of the entire Justice League, Oracle, Barbara is straight up awesome. My favourite takes on the character? Well, there’s Gail Simone’s writing, regardless of pre or post Flashpoint, and then her appearances in Bryan Q. Miller’s Batgirl, where she basically served as the old Bruce to Stephanie’s Terry McGinnis.

#10 – Shayera, AKA Hawkgirl

Ahhh, yet another badass woman in DC, Hawkgirl is among the highest ranking of her field. You get in her way, expect to wake up in a hospital bed the next day. And once again, my favourite interpretation of her is from the Justice League cartoon, though I also really like Kendra Saunders in Earth 2. What’s odd about that is that, really, they’re not all that alike at all, possibly the most different of the Earth 2 counterparts.

Anyway, that’s it for my 10 Favourite DC Superheroes. And if yer wondering why Green Lantern isn’t on here, it’s mostly because I couldn’t decide on which one to put on here, be it Alan Scott of Earth 2 or John Stewart from the Justice League cartoon. As such, just consider them tied for #11. Anyway, next time I will check out my 10 favourite heroes from Marvel. Ja né!

What I Bought Today – Batman #19, Batgirl #19, Batman and Red Robin (Batman and Robin #19) (WARNING – SPOILERS)

Y’all know what day it is, and believe it or not, I actually managed to get all the books that came out this week! lol So, let’s check out…

So today, we got death, despair, and doppelgängers! Let’s start off with Batgirl #19.

Hallelujah, Gail Simone has returned! And holy crap, she hasn’t missed a beat after being gone for a couple of months. First off, let’s talk about Barbara‘s room-mate, Alysia, who lets her back home and, after a heart-to-heart between the two where Babs tells her everything (except being Batgirl, that is), reveals she’s actually transgendered. I don’t know if that was the original plan or if they decided on this later, but it does add some depth to the character. Either way, kudos to Gail Simone and DC for doing this, and let me just say it’s most welcome to see the first openly transgender character in a mainstream superhero comic. Also, I can’t help but wonder if, after Barbara tells Alysia to call her Babs because “The people I love call me Babs”, Gail Simone is actually planning on doing a relationship angle between the two? If I recall correctly, she had once wanted to do Barbara and Black Canary as a couple but was denied by DC, so it wouldn’t be the first time she wanted to try something like this. Given my own personal experience in writing superheroine stories, I will say that I would accept this change with open arms if it did happen.

In other news, Jim Gordon Jr. is dead. Again, thank goodness. The guy was as psychotic as anybody else in DC’s long line of villains. Now, technically Batgirl does kill him, but because she got him with a Batarang to the skull when he was going to kill their mother and he fell off the pier to the sharp pointy rocks below, and she DID try to save him. Besides, it was her mother who had originally intended to kill James to protect them both. However, Commissioner Gordon shows up at the entirely wrong time, looking to arrest Batgirl for his son’s murder, not knowing the whole situation and that Batgirl is his daughter. Definitely going to make future scenarios in this comic interesting to say the least.

Batman and Red Robin…Well to be honest, this feels more like it should be called Batman VS Red Robin. First off, we get to meet the Prime Earth version of Carrie Kelley, who is a college girl who was a friend of Damian’s (the exact relationship is still not completely known). She’s intent on finding out exactly what has happened to Damian, but Bruce ain’t talkin’. In fact, Bruce is kinda busy at the moment, as he has kidnapped Frankenstein so he can take him apart (Frankenstein still lives, mind you), and figure out how he works. Why? Because Batman has officially gone Bat shit crazy, and is trying to resurrect Damian. Luckily, Alfred called Tim Drake up and asked him to check on what Bruce was doing in the Arctic, and managed to put a stop to it. Unfortunately, doing so may have made an enemy out of Batman, depending on just how far into this plan he is and how willing he is to see it through. Still, it’s an interesting set-up for the next few issues of Batman and Robin, especially considering that next month, it’s Jason Todd‘s turn to meet up with Bats.

Batman was pretty awesome. The only problem is that there was no doubt in my mind that the Bruce Wayne on the cover was Clayface. It seems he’s actually evolved somewhat, as he’s not only able to replicate one’s appearance, but their DNA as well. This makes him all the more dangerous, especially since he’s assuming the form of Bruce Wayne. He can now access anything Bruce can, from his insane wealth to the tech created for Batman Incorporated. Also, I gotta admit that I really like the extra story included in the back, written by James Tynion IV, that features Batman and Superman investigating a house filled with mystical energies, that apparently will be concluded next month along with the conclusion to the main story included here. At any rate, this is still a good issue, despite the fact that it IS really just filler until Scott Snyder begins Zero Year.

So that’s all for this week. Next week might be a big week depending on what becomes available (I have two comics being ordered in AND there’s some confusion regarding JLA #3’s release date), but for now I will say that I will be checking in on Nightwing’s move to Chicago and how things are going for Batwoman. Ja né!

Related articles

• DC Reveals Transgender Character in BATGIRL #19 (newsarama.com)
• Simone & DC Bring Transgender Character To “Batgirl” (comicbookresources.com)
• ‘Batgirl’ #19 Features First Openly Transgender Character In Mainstream Superhero Comics (comicsalliance.com)
• Batgirl 19: Mainstream comics first transgender character (comicsheatingup.wordpress.com)
• DC Comics Introduces First Openly Transgender Character (fox2now.com)
• ‘Batgirl’ Reveals Transgender Character (geek-news.mtv.com)

Carrie Kelley in Batman and Robin?! :O

So even though I’m feeling ill today, I decided to talk about some news going around that apparently, Batman and Red Robin will have a special guest character. Remember that note in Batman in Robin #18 that was addressed to come from someone named C.K.? And yes, I know about that even though I didn’t read it. We all thought that C.K. meant Clark Kent. But nope, turns out Damian had a friend by the name of Carrie Kelley.

Dunno who that is? Slap yourself…Okay, I’ll tell you. Carrie Kelley was Robin in Frank Miller’s Elseworlds title, The Dark Knight Returns, and of course the recent direct-to-DVD animated movie adaptation. I should this book was written before he went nuts, so while stuff happens in it that I don’t necessarily agree with, overall it’s a good helping. So where does Carrie Kelley fit in? Well, she’s kind of like Tim Drake in that she sees Batman going out without a Robin and getting hurt and decides he needs help. Also like Tim, she doesn’t do this out of any kind of desire for vengeance or to overcome some great tragedy in her life, she’s doing it because Batman needs help. And sure enough, she arrives just in the nick of time to save Batman’s life, thus earning her position as Robin.

Not quite that iconic image from The Dark Knight Returns, but I’ll take it. 🙂

So, where does she fit into this world if The Dark Knight Returns isn’t in canon? Well, it’s not completely clear. In the two images revealed of her in the comic thus far, she’s in the Robin costume, but Peter Tomasi has informed people she won’t exactly be “the new Robin”. What does this mean? I don’t have a frigging clue. Is he hinting that she WAS Robin at some point and gave the title up? Was she an understudy of Damian’s? How did they even know each other? Well, I’m assuming we’ll find out soon enough.

Well, considering we can actually see physical music notes leaking from the room, I’m gonna say YES. lol

And I know, everybody’s expecting me to be all “Why can’t it be Stephanie Brown? She could fit this role just as well, and plus she already knew Damian in continuity before Flashpoint happened!” Look, am I upset that Stephanie Brown isn’t around? You’re damned right I am. But at some point, I just gotta say to myself “Jeff, for whatever reason, Dan Didio refuses to let her be in a story, and the writers are doing their damnedest to give us good stories however they can and introduce characters that are still awesome in their own way, so why don’t you just get over yourself and give them a chance?” And that’s what I’m gonna do here. And frankly, so long as they don’t put her in that idiotic Catgirl outfit from The Dark Knight Strikes Again (which was written AFTER Frank Miller went completely bonkers), I’m fine with her being around.

Anyway, I’ll for sure be reading next week’s Batman and Red Robin, so you can be sure I’ll let you guys know what the deal with her is in the New 52…Or rather, the New 49 since we’re already two titles short as of June, and in July, Batman Incorporated is getting cancelled…Umm…Ja né!

Related articles

• DC Comics Teases Carrie Kelley Appearance in ‘Batman and Robin’ #19 (comicsalliance.com)
• DC Names the New ROBIN… Maybe (newsarama.com)
• Carrie Kelley Joins DCU In “Batman And Red Robin” #19 (comicbookresources.com)
• DC Reveals First “Girl Robin” of the New 52 and She’s Not that New (dcwomenkickingass.tumblr.com/)
• Carrie Kelley Returns To Batman, Is She The New Robin? (geek-news.mtv.com)
• WTF Batman and Robin #19 (thedynamicbuzz.com)
• Carrie Kelley Returns? DC Tease a New Robin (comicsbeat.com)