Detective Comics - Tumblr Posts
jason todd poses in photos like men on tindr pose with fish except instead of a fish it’s a gun
irl where I'm from this would sound like:
y'all'd've'f y'couldda BUT y'didn't
translation: y'all would have [insert action here] if you could have but you didn't (pronunciation: y'all-duff fya-couldda *slight pause for effect* but yuh didn't)
we usually use "y'aint" at the beginning of a sentence...
ex) y'aint goin' to that party. y'aint that good.
often you can tell someone's not from the American South if they end a sentence with a Southern contraction- like how native English speakers don't end sentences with "I'm" or "we're"
ex) you're not as good as we're.
see how the first contraction sounds natural and the second is weird? yeah exactly- ending a phrase with "y'aint" sounds as weird to me
Clark: y’all’d’ve’f’ld’ve but y’aint me.
Bruce: (rethinking his no killing rule)
gotta include OP's tags come on
some rando on twitter: ugh, jay nakamura is sooo fake! he probably slept his way into dating with superman. and he’s sooo ugly
damian “#1 jay nakamura stan” al-ghul wayne, replying on his very public twitter account: you’re broke. you spend all your time on the internet thirsting after men who will never glance you. you’ve never had a relationship last over 3 months. and is this your address?
DC PRIDE 2023 (wraparound variant cover by Gabriel Picolo)
story reviews (1-5 of 10) under the cut - spoiler free!
Phil Jimenez's forward is really sweet ode to being gay having a good time - a good read, don't skip over it!
Love's Lightning Heart (Earth-36) On a speedster and his lantern... basically a Halbarry AU written by Grant Morrison; art by Hayden Sherman; colors by Marissa Louise; and lettering by Aditya Bidikar - very cute! a little adventure story through time and space about saving your boyfriend :) - about the trials (non-graphic) you'd go through to save your loved one - love love love the lineart - colors really added to the storytelling's tone - intriguing story with happy ending - however I wish they'd actually explain some of the start because I was confused as to the exigence of the story P.S. for anyone unfamiliar, Halbarry refers to a romantic relationship between Hal Jordan GL and Barry Allen Flash - I'm p sure it originated from some of the mid 2010s animated movies but honestly idk
And Baby Makes Three Crush crash lands into Harley and Ivy's honeymoon! written by Leah Williams; art by Paulina Ganucheau; and lettering by Frank Cvetkovic - your obligatory Harlivy story! as per usual they're adorable - I didn't know I needed my chill moms with a reluctant teen but here we are - they really uplift Crush's spirit and make her happy :#D - look out for the "uwu" emoticon it's EVERYWHERE - art is SO CUTE and the colors really add to the fun!
Hey, Stranger Connor Hawke and Tim Drake catch up... and work some things out written by Nadia Shammas; art by Bruka Jones; colors by Tamra Bonvillain; and lettering by Frank Cvetkovic - LOVE seeing the ace rep post coming out! glad they didn't let him fall by the wayside - to keep this spoiler free I'll just say they have a well-written conversation about being there for each other when you come out - high recommend honestly - plus the art and colors really match the down to earth tone (the lineart is so cleannn) - Damian is also here! he gets mentioned a bit and pops in at the end
Subspace Transmission Fast and slow work together so Julien can figure out what he wants >>no, this isn't about subspace in the dom/sub kink sense<;< art and writing by A. L. Kaplan and lettering by Aditya Bidikar - some background: Jess Chambers is Flash on Earth 11 and nonbinary; Julien "Jules" Jourdain is new hero who can use the Slow Force to drain people's abilities who's also a trans man - Julien is real freaked out that his power can hurt people so Jess tries to teach him to relax and use his powers well - the art's delicious and I like the coloring - but I don't really love how Jess and Jules were drawn (imo) to look more feminine - no real mention of their identities here but Jess oozes nonbinary and there are some mentions of general transness - high recommend again, I just really like the vibes of this story
Anniversary Midnighter and Apollo talk about the queerphobia recently and what they're going to do about it written by Josh Trujillo; art by Don Aguillo; and lettering by Lucas Gattoni - to be frank, this was my least favorite story and I love Midnighter and Apollo - the message, to me, is muddled by the poor writing - instead of letting him be more nuanced, they basically give Midnighter some angry tweets to say (I miss Steve Orlando) - and make Apollo be the "but violence isn't the answer!" guy - this couple is a part of queer comic history (confirmed couple in the 90s, kissed in 1999, married in 2002, adopted and raised a little girl not long after) and the way they've been pigeonholed into "young couple who're on-again-off-again and don't agree on how to be gay" is really not giving them justice - also the tone doesn't completely match since the most recent queerphobia is pretty heavily transphobic and less so homophobic
next 5 story reviews from DC PRIDE 2023 coming soon...
Fuck a Stephanie pregnancy storyline. The only one in the batfam who fits the teen parent trope is Bruce.
Here's the ugly start of a beautiful ending; Waynes don't cry. The more Bruce does, the less he feels like one. It's not uncommon or irregular for him to cry at his parents grave.
It's just like last time; Like the first time. It's always the first time when they speak.
Except his hands weren't bleeding back then.
They call him The Bat. They say he's made of shadow and moonlight. That there's actually no man under the cowl at all. That he's a monster, bred from Gotham's nightmare pit. or a God.
He's not. A monster, he is, but God? No. Batman was a victim first.
What's also unusual is that little Tim Drake is so sloppy with his hiding place. "You can stop hiding, Tim." A meek squeak pipes up behind another gravestone.
"You can see me?"
"I always see you." He says, gloved hand swiping off frosty snow off Martha’s grave. His mama hates being cold. "And you see me too, right?"
"... Mr. Wayne, -- are you...Are you Batman?" Mr. Wayne. That's how old he is at 19. More importantly, he nods. There's no use in lying to children. Especially when they have no one to ask, or to tell.
"And do you-- do you have a partner?"
A negative shake of head.
"Oh. I don't have one either! So if you're offering..."
Bruce snorts, body light and airy like it hasn't been in years, and this is why he likes kids more than adults. "Tempting, but no. Next time you take photos of me, turn the lighting off. "
He blushes, but that pout is determined. His parents' gravestones feel warm to touch.
So maybe Tim can't be Robin. But when he knocks on Bruce's door, tiny bag in hand, he makes it clear he'll be a Wayne. Until he can be Robin.
"Hn."
"This is a bad idea, sir."
"Yup,"
"Don't kid. I'm serious. "
"No, you're Alfred," Bruce covers a sleepy Tim with his cape after he stuck into the Batmboile.
Having to explain to Jim why a 4 year old was in the back of a teen vigilante's car was problematic enough. "Don't worry. I won't let this one die." And he means it, too. He means it, and it amounts to nothing, but it counts
Absolutely charmed by Bruce's vision of all his kids being chaos gremlins, but HAPPY chaos gremlins! Like, yeah, he pretends to hate it and it probably does get on his nerves sometimes, but also this is a man who clearly loves that his kids are all awful, awful children, that they bring light and joy into his life by tricking each other into coming over, by gleefully arguing over the pancakes for, by apparently climbing on the counter to reach the high shelves, by TELLING THEM TO TRIP THE SENSORS ON THEIR WAY IN I's just so much chaos and Bruce's reaction to all of this? Once he settles in, "This is nice."
this is so well written!
short addition- J'onn as Hank Henshaw in Supergirl says something akin to "I shapeshifted into this form out of circumstance and luck, and to change out of hatred other people have just because of my skin color would be to abandon those who are subject to it every day."
I'd pay so much money for a special issue of Clark and J'onn (who have very similar powersets) juxtaposed in how they're treated. oh man I want to write something on the differences in the public's reactions to their heroics SO BAD now
essay I did focusing mainly on Martian Manhunter that examines how race can become a choice when we're discussing shapeshifting aliens, and what that even means if these alien characters identify with the race they're taking on anyway
Superman: Red And Blue #05
most accurate portrayal of B-list Gotham villains goes to...
why do you hate the court of owls??
i answered that here, but the short of it is that even if we ignore the anti-semitic tropes snyder accidentally engages with, the court of owls existing as a concept is the anti-thesis to the core ideal of bruce's crusade - that anyone can experience loss, regardless of status, and that harm can be entirely random and caused by systemic problems of a failing society. fundamentally, batman and robin aren't made cooler because their parents were murdered by the evil bird brigade.
bruce wayne sees dick grayson experience the same grief he had, and makes a change. thomas and martha wayne and mary and john grayson are killed because of social inequality, a lack of upward social mobility, collapsing social support structures, and a deep corruption within the systems that are supposed to help vulnerable people. it's a very deliberate commentary that court of owls weakens. batman and robin aren't preordained, destined, or meant to save gotham through the machiavellian plottings of a bunch of people in a sewer. they save gotham because they decide to do good.
oh boy that outfit needs a redesign for so many reasons. look at those poses on my boy Ray though
Indigo Tribe Ray Palmer appreciation
it's giving Dick Grayson energy
my Indonesian family use their Chinese surnames at home but even then it's only among family. they use their Indonesian last names around everyone save for other Chinese. when they showed us photos of their old storefront with characters out front it was like sharing a secret
even as a non-Indonesian I understood how delicate it felt in those moments, "this is who we are and who we come from. but don't tell anyone else. be careful. hold it close to you" it felt as if even their thoughts about it were whispered
I don't think any of my family in Indonesia follows DC this closely but I wish so much that I was close enough with them to show them your Lois Liando comic because it struck me so close to my heart as part of the Chinese diaspora, especially coming from a Hakka background where we didn't immigrate as wealthy merchants or business owners
so... at what point does your lois officially start using her last name liando pubically, or does she still use her step-dad's last name except in private? just curious.
I think narratively it makes sense for Lois to eventually reclaim her surname publicly, and as Sam Lane becomes more villainous, she would grow to resent his name and what it represents. I just don't know when that would be! Since it'd be a big decision that affects her reputation. Lois' family would use the Liando surname in private, but especially after Ella marries Sam Lane, they don't use the surname anymore.
Justice League Infinity #3 - Cover art by Dan Mora
I'M GOING TO LOSE MY SHIT IS THAT CALVIN ELLIS MY FAVORITE ALT SUPERMAN EVER
If you didn't know, he's the leader of the multiverse JL, which is comprised of the most powerful iterations of leaguers throughout the DC multiverse.
He's a your normal kryptonian named Kal El who crash landed on Earth as a baby who styles his fighting based on the boxing training he had as a kid, became the president of the US, and runs his own JL, the multiverse JL, and makes time to be the president-
I just can't with him he's so ridiculously op in time management of all things
fun fact! inspiration for his design came from Barack Obama and Muhammad Ali, the creators from him are Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnk
yoooo found this in my drafts I completely forgot to post it like years ago whoops
every city has a petri dish of rogues and if we introduce a new rogue it can put the habitat under stress
Do you have any thoughts on Talia al Ghul? Today I learned she was in charge of Lexcorp while Lex Luthor was president
I like Talia, I think she's neat. Though I'm of the opinion Mercy Graves should take over Lexcorp if the seat for who's in charge suddenly became available.
Again I don't love double dipping and cross contaminating with other people's rogues-
J'onn's head shape changes throughout the historical group photos of the jl in the background of several panels during final crisis: requiem- he trusts this team, he loves this planet, and slowly takes on a more martian form. his subconscious comfort around them physically manifests as his body allowing itself to take a martian shape (all IDs in alt text)
SPOILERS FOR FINAL CRISIS: REQUIEM
he was like a grandfather or a father to some of them, a mentor to many, and a friend to all. the fact that Nightwing finds him dead is so powerful because, in this continuity, Dick has known J'onn since his time as Robin. Dick is frequently at the beginning of modern heroes (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) in DC, so him being the one who finds J'onn feels very full-circle
the usage of "Martian Manhunter" vs "J'onn" is of note as well. when the Secret Society is fighting him, they only refer to him as Martian Manhunter, while every single hero calls him J'onn
the day after J'onn died, a telepathic link is activated in the minds of Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Hal Jordan, Cynthia Reynolds, and Dinah Lance that causes them to record and recite J'onn's history of Mars. not only did he trust them to accept his martian form, he entrusted them with his account of his almost dead civilization. and they not only keep that promise by combining their part of the account into a book, but they also bury him on Mars so he could be reunited with his home at last
Superman being the orator at the funeral becomes even more fitting when J'onn recounts meeting a young Clark Kent in Smallville. they share not only a history, but a burden: as some of the last members of their civilizations, aliens on Earth, and heroes, J'onn frequently lent an ear to Clark's troubles
Batman is not known for his displays of affection, but the end of the comic makes clear that Bruce will miss him. with his cowl off, he leaves a single choco (the DC's version of oreos) on J'onn's casket and calls him an old friend before leaving back to Earth
J'onn's steady presence in the league is so important to their ability to come together, not just as an organization, but as a community. it is not the same without him
they're finally letting Clark age and for Jon to replace him, and Bruce is starting to act more like the middle aged dad he is, with Damian being his obvious successor. of course there are always going to be Classic Young Guys Bruce And Clark comics for Money Purposes, but the main timeline seems to finally be accepting that Bruce and Clark are in their 40/50s
full kudos to the writers for letting Wally, Starfire, Raven, Donna, and Victor age in the new Titans series. I hope they continue to have characters age up- they've made a lot of improvements in the last few years
stop making characters with important historical backstories immortal or completely changing their backgrounds so they're "young"
charles and erik keep their original birthdates but continue to fight, argue, and age as the years go on eventually figuring out who they are and that they love each other in the early 2010s they foster children (there are so many mutants who have estranged parents)
being disturbingly powerful, they live into their early 100s, and one dies first with the other following a few years later. their children, of all various ages, must deal with the power vacuum and legacies of their foster parents. plus all the issues that come with living in the 2020s/2030s- climate crisis, current wars, rise of authoritarianism, etc.
see how easy it was to keep their backstories and let them age? see how there are new problems that naturally arise? Marvel could never
similarly, Constantine keeps getting rebooted into a younger version of himself, when he was originally aging in real time with the comics. by now he should be an old man!
when someone powerful dies there is a resulting power vacuum with skirmishes to replace them, which is infinitely more interesting than "they're young again!" or "don't think about their age!" just let people get older ok it doesn't make them less interesting, it just continues to flesh out their character
people will love a new reincarnation just as much if you write them well! it's just a challenge, not an impossibility
reading older detective comics starts out "aw man I wish this writer worked on [insert modern series here]" and "art styles in comics have evolved so much" to "really? that's how we're treating our female characters? dear god" and "Cynthia Reynolds? she's so sweet why don't I know her from- ohh yeah nevermind"