#Lady Gotham did her best to save her people from his influence
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Over Tea
A sudden chill sweeps through Gotham, almost like Mr. Freeze had just attacked only thing was the man was currently locked away in Arkham, and was felt by all. And talked by all via word of mouth and on social media as well.
The clouds and smog that covered their dark city shifted and swirled, a rumble beginning deep inside them as the weather turned from smoggy to rain and thunder with no real warning. The strangest thing was the green glow that could be seen when thunder rumbled inside the gray clouds.
Then like a candle being blown out, the rumbling stopped, the rain ended, and the clouds parted all over Gotham.
For the first time in a while Gotham had a clear sky and it felt... it felt like something heavy had been lifted off the city.
It was this sudden shift and the all felt chill that had set off alerts for Batman and his family. Since early morning since the first change and shift happened he was in front of the Batcomputer trying to narrow down where it started.
After hours of searching with the help of Red Robin, Oracle and strangely enough Red Hood, they managed to narrow down where the odd power had been coming from.
Was still coming from, only very low.
The old and abandoned observatory tower.
-x-x-
"More ecto-tea Lady Gotham?" Danny asked, his hand waving towards the steaming pot nearby.
The woman smiled lightly, her dark painted lips curling up to show her sharp fangs for a moment before saying "No but thank you Young Kingling though I would like more cookies if you don't mind. Now where were we?"
Danny nodded towards her and signaled towards a maid skeleton ghost who walked forward with a tray of cookies. The maid swiftly placed a few more cookies on the spirit embodiment of Gotham plate before bowing and stepping away.
"We were just about to discuss the sentience of the Court of Owls." Danny said as he lightly tapped the large almost mountain of paperwork on the table they were sitting at, floating high above the floor as shooting stars and planets drifted around them. Many ghosts floated around as well, servants that had sworn their loyalty to the Young King, and were preparing things like snacks and drinks for two powerful beings in the room as they discussed business. Nearby doors and windows though were ghostly knights that stood tall and alert, making sure no interlopers interrupted the meeting taking place and ready to defend not only Lady Gotham but their King.
"Ah yes them." Lady Gotham grimaced as she took a drink of her ecto-tea. "That will take some time for us to discuss, they've been running around unchecked for to long and even with my limited abilities to hinder them has been less than ideal."
"You, Lady G, were deeply cursed for many, many years and I just broke most of it." Danny cut in quickly, he was not about to let this wonderful and powerful city spirit blame herself for something out of her hands "Due to said curse you couldn't do much so please don't go blaming yourself. Its mostly broken now, so you can freely start healing yourself and your city self now that jerk demon that cursed you is in Walker's prison for his crimes."
Lady Gotham grew silent for a moment, her dark eyes staring deeply at the young King but then warmly smiled, well as warm as she could seeing how she was Gotham itself. "You reminded me of my Knight, Young King, treating me like this. Not afraid to point out the truth and facts."
Danny gave a light laugh as he took a hold of one of the cookies on his plate and gave a bite "I'll take that as a compliment Lady Gotham. Now about those Court of Owls...."
#danny phantom#danny fenton#dp x dc#blue rambles#crossover#writing ideas#random idea#danny phantom dc#dpxdc#dcxdp#ghost king danny#Danny visited Gotham as part of his new kingly duties to discuss things#only to find the city spirit chained and cursed by a demon#he fought the demon and kicked its butt now that he's cleaning up Pariah Dark bad management#Lady Gotham been trying to save her city self for years but couldn't do much#Her Dark Knight and his bats and birds helped ease the pain#but the demon encouraged and influenced a lot of Batman's rogue's#The Joker is the one he's most proud of#Lady Gotham did her best to save her people from his influence#some listened others didn't#anyways Danny came to Gotham because he noticed a lot of papers for the city and well#again found the demon and fought him#it caused a huge shift in Gotham that couldn't be ignored#and we all know Batman wouldn't ignore it.#Honestly I just wanted Ghost King Danny and Lady Gotham discussing business and drinking tea as they float.#I like to think the Batfam do get to the Observatory and somehow sneak in even with all the guards.#what happens next I leave open for others to play with.#11 pm ideas and thoughts
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The Joker x Reader - “Incubus”
Incubus is a special type of metahuman that can enter people’s mind and the only one known to possess such abilities is Y/N. Captured by an underground agency and forced to obey orders, she has a new task today: to get inside The Joker’s head and find out where he stashed half a billion dollars after he pulled what everybody calls “the heist of the century”.
“Regression will begin shortly,” one of the doctors announces on the intercom. “Prepare for countdown.”
You lay on the cold metal table next to the Joker’s body: he’s medicated into a dreamless sleep, ready to have you purge his mind for the answer to the burning question: where did he stash half a billion dollars?
After being arrested two weeks ago, The King of Gotham refused to speak and disclose any information to the authorities; they tried everything: drugs, blackmail, best intimidation tactics and psychologists without success.
J didn’t crack.
Fed up with the puzzling mystery, CIA decided to use the top secret research facility operating under the grid where the infamous Incubus is held prisoner.
“A few reminders,” the flat voice echoes in the sealed laboratory. “Do not attempt to elude us, we have your little girl! If you aim to play us we’ll revoke visiting time.”
You blankly stare at the ceiling, upset they repeat the same rules when you’re forced to use your powers; the 15 minutes you’re allowed to spend with Mia on Saturdays is all you live for since they incarcerated both of you six months ago.
How you wish you could kill them but they found a solution to prevent you from rebelling.
“Please note that in case you plan to get inside our brains and compel us to stop breathing, your daughter will die. Confirm acknowledgement.”
“Confirm,” you bitterly reply because it hurts to have your child endangered; you could end them right this moment if it wasn’t for her.
Unfortunately, they found a way to subdue your terrific ability: the crew assigned to project Incubus carries portable heart monitoring devices 24/7; they resemble wrist watches and if just one individual’s pulse deactivates, it will set of the explosive in Mia’s collar. The 5 years old has no clue that what she believes to be a cute necklace is actually a device meant to eradicate her.
“Countdown to regression,” the clinician reports and the speakers carry his words around the room. “Five, four, three, two, one. Initiate!”
**************
You walk in the darkness, surprised you didn’t bump into memories yet: usually that’s the first thing you stumble upon when invading a person’s subconscious. He’s been under your spell for 10 minutes now and the void proves his twisted mind is probably worse than anyone thinks: The Clown is lost in the maze of his own insanity.
A couple more steps and you finally distinguish four doors ahead which means you’ll be able to analyze The Joker’s recollections.
First Door
The little boy cries in the middle of the room and you slowly approach, wondering if you should interfere or just observe. But tears fall from those innocent blue eyes and the fact that he’s maybe your daughter’s age makes you decide.
“Why are you crying?” you kneel by the young Joker and he wipes his face with the sleeves of his raggedy shirt:
“My mommy died.”
“Did she? I’m sorry… Do you miss her?” you manipulate the conversation since warping his thoughts might lead to your quest: discovering where the money is.
“U-hum,” he nods and asks. “I don’t like it at the orphanage, I want to go home…”
“Perhaps I can help,” you pull him in your arms and he whispers:
“Who are you?”
“Your worst nightmare,” Y/N sadly concludes because it doesn’t bring her joy to distort an already broken mind, nevertheless she‘s here bearing a clear purpose. “It’s ok,” you hold the child and soothe him. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
The little boy whimpers, clinging to the stranger showing him kindness then vanishes in thin air: you got rid of a painful memory and replaced it with a nicer one.
Now The Joker will remember that someone comforted him when in reality it never happened.
Second Door
The young man is standing in front of the burning cottage while the firefighters are struggling to put out the blaze. He’s covered in ashes and his lips are barely moving; you can hardly discern what he keeps on repeating:
“They’re still inside… they’re still inside…”
The 24 years old Joker is numb and all you can conclude he seemed so different back in the day.
“Who’s inside?” you inquire and he glimpses your way without realizes he’s in shock.
“My wife and son. I couldn’t save them… I didn’t make it to the second level, the flames were too strong…”
You bend over and grab the blanket resting at his feet, placing it around his shoulders.
“I’m sorry they’re gone, you did everything you could.”
He glares at the Incubus for a split moment before disappearing: you just lift the burden of a horrifying experience and now The Joker will remember that someone offered consolation when in reality it never happened.
Third Door
The man is sitting on the floor with his back against the padded wall, tightly confined inside his straight jacket. He keeps screaming, then maniacally laughing and sobbing in the same time while straining to escape the garment.
“Calm down,” you slide near him. “You’ll hurt yourself if you continue.”
The 27 years old tries to articulate a couple of coherent sounds before reprising his yelling.
“Stop squirming,” you cup his face and make him pay attention. “Look at me. Relax,” you caress his cheeks. “Deep breaths, ok?” you plead with the madman. “Sssttt, it’s fine…” Y/N stares in his eyes and the shouting gradually dies out. “There you go,” you brush your forehead on J’s prior to him fading away: you switched a terrible incident into better conclusion by mimicking sympathy when in reality it never happened.
Fourth Door
You’re surprised to notice The Joker talking to shadows: a woman and a little girl judging by their silhouettes; he resembles the most wanted criminal lying 10 inches apart from you in the secured establishment pushing you to accomplish their instructions.
A recent memory? Does it mean he has another family?...
You want to come closer and the sight of the contours disappearing is intriguing; The Clown rubs his temples and you can tell he’s distressed.
“What’s going on?” you dig in his brain for responses.
“They took my Queen and my Princess!” he grinds his teeth with resentment.
“Do you know where they are?”
“Yes,” J grumbles and evaporates saying a baffling phrase: ”I have to find the perfect plan in order to reclaim what’s mine!”
So weird the memory dispersed before you misled the truth in your favor … What the heck is going on?!...
The Cell
No rooms left and you stroll in the murkiness again, angry your scheme didn’t lead towards a better result: oddly enough The King of Gotham failed to unveil extra hints that could have aid you in discovering where the fortune he snatched is.
“Hello sugar,” the raspy intonation halts you in your tracks.
Y/N detects the heavy bars forming this square shaped cell containing what she suspects to be a version of The Joker; it’s difficult to restrain her astonishment since she’s witnessing a rare phenomenon: nothing less than a mind prison.
Jackpot! If he buried something deep inside and locked it even from himself it could mean you reached your destination.
“It’s nice to have visitors,” the eerie apparition chuckles. “It gets lonely.”
“I bet,” you pout. “Why don’t you break free?”
He kicks the bars, enraged he has to explain:
“I’m sure a superior creature such as the lady joining me knows a mind prison can only be opened from the outside!”
He’s self-aware! This is absolutely unbelievable: humans are never conscious within the deepest layers of their psyche.
“You are correct: you can only open it from the outside,” you agree. “What’s your name?”
“Joker. What’s yours?”
“Y/N.”
“Duh, I know,” he snickers and lets his tattooed arms hang loose outside the bars. “You have a kid, right?”
He sees your doubt and his gratification builds up to new highs.
“Yes.”
“What’s her name?”
“How do you know it’s a she?!” you counterattack with a quiz.
Damn, this whole charade is getting more and more fascinating by the second!
“I know soooooo many things,” the entity yawns. “For example I’m sure you wonder how I ended up in here.”
No sign you would deny his rambling thus he enlightens the riddle:
“Some are born with certain “gifts”, some develop them after a traumatic experience. I’m the lucky recipient of the latest, although I was locked in here from day one. If I had someone shatter the seal and by someone I mean you,” he points his finger at the smirking Y/N, “I could help you run from the place you hate. Tell me I’m wrong, but aren’t you trapped also?”
“You’re sneaky, I’ll give you that,” you laugh at his attempts to influence your actions.
“And you’re too powerful not to realize what’s going on! Snap out of it!!!” he hisses. “Are you single sugar?” the anger building up makes Y/N frown.
“None of your business!”
“Humor me, I beg,” he emphasizes the words.
“Yes,” you scoff and his demeanor doesn’t lower your guard.
“Are you 100% certain you’re not married?”
“What’s this nonsense?!” you sneer at the stupid conversation.
“Maybe you don’t remember because you created your own mind prison where you chained crucial data in order to protect the ones you love after you were captured. What’s your daughter’s name?” he sulks and you grumble.
“Mia.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I am; do you think I don’t know my child’s name?”
“And you think I don’t recognize my own wife standing in front of me??!!!!” he snaps at your hesitation. “Set me free! Set me free and I’ll show you! I can get inside your mind and unlock your cage: you’ll remember everything!”
“Who do you think you’re talking to?!” you growl at the absurd sentences: like his devious tactic would work on you!
“I’m talking to the Incubus, am I not?”
Your mouth opens in amazement since there is no way in hell he could know that.
“Do I have your attention now?” the beast reprimands. “Good! Here’s what you deliberately forgot: nobody knows that we’re married, it’s better that way; yet a woman with your capabilities is bound to attract unwanted attention anyway. When we got together, we had a deal: you’ll never get inside my head and you consented. No? Doesn’t ring a bell?...” he cracks his joints. “After they took you and Emma from me…”
“Who’s Emma?” you interrupt, more and more convinced there’s something fishy happening inside The Joker’s subconscious.
“Our daughter, her name is not Mia, you just replaced it after you were both kidnapped in order to sever all connections with the past. Can’t blame you: it’s a great strategy given the circumstances: create a mind prison, hide everything connected to protect me and her. Last thing you needed was for them to find out we are actually acquainted in the most intimate way. That would have been a disaster! Do you know why I stole half a billion dollars and let them catch me? I knew that if I do that they’ll use everything possible under the sun to make me spill the beans. When all fails, won’t they flaunt the last ace in their sleeve? That’s how I got here sugar, it was the ultimate goal. I can’t function without my girls so I came to get them!”
“Listen here,” your menacing attitude takes over. “Who do you take me for?! Your fictional tale is starting to piss me off so I advise you to quit before I make your neurons crumble to pieces!”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it,” the feral beast sniffs the air. “You always kept your end of the bargain and never got in here before to poke the past. I respect that, sugar. Now I had no choice besides letting you in.”
“Stop it! Stop your lies!! You’re nothing more than a projection of The Joker’s mind!”
“Ahhhh,” the evil grin flourishes behind the silver teeth. “I am so much more than that. Do you want to get out of this facility? I suggest you set me free and I will prove I’m telling the truth!”
“Bullshit! What can you do anyway?! I can kill everyone and run, but my daughter will die!”
“Not if I help: you can make them stop breathing and I could keep the hearts beating until we get the key that unlocks Emma’s collar! It’s a dual team mission.”
“Her name is Mia! How do you know about the collar?!” the dumbfounded Y/N mumbles.
“Weren’t you listening? I know a lot of things!”
“Even if we assume you aren’t lying, how will you keep their hearts beating?!”
“Set me free and I’ll show you! SET. ME. FREE!!!!!! Or we are fucking doomed! Set me free!” he punches the bars. “Set me free and I’ll open your mind prison! You’ll realize each word I uttered is genuine! You’ll remember all of it! SET! ME! FREE!!! What do you have to lose, huh? Nothing! Do it!! Do it!!!!”
“How could you get inside my mind?! I’m a metahuman!”
“Goddamnit! SET ME FREE AND I’ll SHOW YOU!!!!! Do you want your daughter to perish in this place?! Do you???!!!”
You definitely are beyond skeptical; still… at least he’s correct about this: you have nothing to lose; you approach with caution and part the bars enough for the trapped entity to squeeze outside.
“Thank you honey,” he clumsily bows and before you can react he snatches in his arms and kisses you.
Y/N feels this electrifying sensation taking over, stupefied to understand what it means: she just unleashed another Incubus. And she always thought she was the only one!
You gasp for air and open your eyes, processing all the recovered memories rushing through your brain: your own mind prison was opened as promised.
You tilt your head to look at The Clown and he grabs your hand, panting:
“Are you ready sugar?”
**************
People keep falling to the ground, each step bringing you closer to your freedom. Emma’s face is buried in your neck as you jump over corpses on the way out of the underground laboratory:
“No peeking!” The Joker scolds and her little hands hold you tighter while obeying.
“Ok daddy.”
“Don’t be scared,” you kiss her cheek and continue the rampage towards the exit.
Screams intensify around the three detainees escaping their faith: the adults can’t afford any weakness or grant mercy to the ones that showed them none.
In the end, what is more terrifying than one Incubus that could plunge the world into complete darkness?
The answer is simple: two of them.
Also read: MASTERLIST
You can also follow me on Wattpad and AO3 under the same blog name: DiYunho.
#the joker x reader#the joker fanfiction#the joker imagine#the joker jared leto#the joker suicide squad#the joker#joker#joker fanfiction#joker imagines#joker leto#joker suicide squad#mister j#dc#dcu
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Whatever Happened to Joanne Russell?
Oh boy, rambling about a character only a select few knows about are we?
So as you probably know, comic book heroes often have a handful of love interests. Batman who have characters like Catwoman, Talia al-Ghoul, Barbara Gordon and justice itself, right?
Well Jack Ryder/Creeper is an odd case....
If I were to describe Jack Ryder’s (and by extension Creeper’s) love life, I would bluntly say that it freaking sucks. This isn’t too surprising if you look into it, as neither one of them have such a positive reputation with their peers and their questionable behavior may be a turn off. Creeper’s terrible flirting skills doesn't help either, no matter how hard he tries.
So has he ever had a significant other?
I guess, but they are all pretty much exes. There have been four women in Jack’s life I guess you could call “love interests”. Let’s go through them!
1# Vera Sweet
I’m just gonna say it now.
Jack and Vera have a very weird relationship.
If you look up profiles of her then there’s a decent chance it will label her as a love interest, like her wikipedia page for example. This is also mentioned on her Comic Vine page but it does also point out the weirdness of it all, as the “love” part did not really become official until the Creeper 2006 mini-series (like almost 40 years after her debut in 1968). There she is established as Jack’s ex-girlfriend.
So what was she prior to that?
Back in Beware the Creeper Vera was more like an obstacle, someone that Jack found annoying and tried to avoid most of the time. Not much of an love interest really, but it is possible that she would've been like Gwen Stacy - starting off disliking Jack but ends up liking him later. Unfortunately, as Beware only lasted six issues, this development never came to pass.
Then there’s also this panel from issue #6
I’m pretty sure that this was added to say “yeah Vera was supposed to be the love interest, but we didn't get that far”.
One amusing thing I noticed about her in this series is hat she is a bit of an attention seeker, doing things for publicity and the like. This is a trait Jack kind of absorbed in some later stories, for better or for worse.
Anyway, what about after this series? Well she had a small cameo in Brave and the Bold #178 at Jack’s current work place, and the two seemed to be on better terms with each other. Until the end I guess when Jack steals the anchorman job (to expose the bad guy) she wanted. I say “I guess” because we don’t really see her confront Jack about it, only her angry reaction.
Vera has also apparently dropped the whether-girl job she had back in Beware and is a reporter here. Why I don’t know. She also feels a bit...mature(?) when it came to her personality. I can’t explain it but she felt less like a spoiled brat here then in Beware. I’m guessing it is because of her more appropriate reactions and behavior to things.
Next is the Creeper 90′s series and oh boy. This is the series that reveals some very questionable things about their relationship. Like that Vera has apparently stabbed Jack at one point.
When did that happen?!
Why did that happen?!
Don’t expect Jack to tell because he has no reaction to it. No fill in for the reader, no comment, no nothing! It is like he has no problem with it. Did Creeper’s healing factor cause him to see stab wounds as small potatoes or what? Like a “eh, I’ve been through worse” kind of attitude? On top of that he also mentions later that Vera put him in a body cast for six weeks for calling her “Swetowski”, which is apparently her real last name. How great.
Later after Jack had his shower, he walks out without tying his bathrobe, leaving him completely exposed. Now remember that they weren’t explicitly stated to have been in a relationship in the past until the 2006 reboot, unless you want to see Jack’s “I used to let you borrow my toothbrush” line as proof or something. So Jack is basically walking out naked in front of a previous co-worker, without a care in the world.
Even better. Not only is Jack apparently fine with Vera seeing him nude, it’s not even Vera he meets outside, it’s his shape shifting nemesis Proteus who has taken her form. Even when Jack gets suspicious he still doesn't tie his freaking bathrobe.
I’m not sure what this says about him, but Vera later travels to Paris, leaving her out of the series until issue #10 when she comes home and comments on Jack cleaning the apartment and being polite as him “finally snapping”. Also that kiss on the cheek is the most romantic moment these two have shared so far. How this meeting would have gone if Jack wasn’t under the influence of the “wonder drug” he was taking at the time i have no idea.
So we finally get to the 2006 mini-series, that comic that finally established them as exes, and what caused the break-up?
Cheating! On both fronts even!
Granted they seem to be on a bit better terms here as Vera lightly smacking his cheek is the most violent thing she does to him, something i doubt pre-Infinite crisis Vera “I will put you in a cast” Swetowski would have done if she caught Jack cheating on her.
We also get some scenes with Vera as she admits that she still likes him so its not like she hates the guy or anything. She even gets jealous when she finds red hair in Jack’s apartment, thinking he has a new girlfriend.
The funny thing is that the red hair from that “red headed tramp” she talks about actually belongs to Creeper, or his red boa to be precise.
Unfortunately the same dedication isn’t replicated on Jack’s part, but to be fair he was kind of caught up in a pretty intense situation. Like getting along with Creeper, because it’s “we” now, something Creeper often repeats in this series.
Well as this relationship triangle is looking weirder and weirder its probably best to close this part as Vera sadly hasn't appeared as of late. Most likely because Jack Ryder/Creeper isn't a very prominent character in the DCU, and when either one appears they are usually a supporting character, giving Creeper related characters even less of a chance to show up.
2# Vicki Vale
Maybe Vera worrying about a redhead wasn’t too far off, as in the event Bruce Wayne: The Road Home we learn that Jack and Vicki Vale apparently have been together at some point. When did that relationship take place? Who knows! But they seem to be on pretty decent terms, as Vicki even calls Jack when she has a problem. Jack also calls her “Red”, because that’s the only nickname a redhead is allowed to have in the DCU I guess.
I’m not sure who Jack is referring to here though, but it’s probably Vicki as they’re supposed to talk about journalistic ethnics here and Jack talks like she doesn't care about the people she writes about. Also her reaction may also indicate that Jack’s remark was directed towards her. If that was supposed to indicate that she cheated on him or something i have no clue because unfortunately, the Outsiders issue of this arc is the only time these two interact in a comic so we are still a bit in the dark about them. I’m kind of surprised that they haven’t interacted more often as they are Gotham’s most prominent reporters after all.
3# “Furious” Fran Daye
To be honest, I was a bit conflicted about including Fran here as she was basically just a Vera replacement during the World’s Finest comics Steve Ditko made during the 1970s, Fran’s debut year being in 1978 with World’s Finest #249, but if Comic Vine feels the need to call her a love interest I guess that leaves me with no choice.
Like Fran’s Comic Vine page says, her and Jack’s relationship is pretty much just a role-reversal of Jack and Vera’s relationship, especially the one they had back in Beware the Creeper. Instead of Vera annoying Jack, it’s Jack annoying Fran, mostly by being a troll.
Unless I missed something, I picked up little to no romantic tension between them. Unless you go with the “the boy shows that he likes the girl by being a dick to her” or the “main guy hooks up with the main girl” logic they don’t appear to love each other at all. They’re more like rivals and it sure is intense as Jack often drags Fran into his antics when he tries to catch the villain of the week, something Fran often complains about. Also, thanks to Ditko’s art style she often looks like she wants Ryder dead or something.
As Fran sticks to these World’s Finest stories we haven't heard from her since, actually making me believe that Fran kind of got absorbed into Vera Sweet’s character as the two where kind of similar. This could also explain Vera’s personality shift from spoiled brat to lady with buttons you don’t want to push.
#4 Joanne Russell
Well here it is! The main course of this thing. That one that this is named after. So who is Joanne Russell?
Well we can start by going through her introduction in Adventure Comics #445 from 1976.
It’s a pretty simple story about Jack trying to solve some kind of murder story occurring in “Humboldt Institute”, with Ms. Russell being one of the victims there. We learn that she works as a physical therapist and that she is paralyzed waist down after a very strange car accident. We also learn some other stuff, but let’s save that for now.
Jack jumps the gun after a interview and declares it to be a murder case to boost ratings. This upsets Ryder’s boss who tells him to find evidence for his claim or the hospital will sue him. It especially doesn’t help when his boss later tells him find evidence that can pin-point the Creeper as the culprit - because everyone hates Creeper, you see.
Since he is the main character it turns out he was right, and that a strange robot, with the very threatening name “Manfred”, is actually wandering around killing people, and Joanne seems to be a special target.
As the story progresses, it turns out one of Joanne’s colleges named Vernon Maddox is the creator of Manfred, and has telekinetic powers which is how he controls the robot.
Why does he want Joanne dead? Well he doesn’t really, but his subconscious has other plans and commands the robot to kill Joanne while he’s sleeping.
After that the story goes pretty straight forward and it’s just Jack trying to keep Joanne safe from Manfred. But then we come to the ending.
Joanne learns that she too has telekinetic powers, and with that, she regains the ability to walk and that is how Manfred gets defeated. She and Creeper walk into the sunset or whatever, the end. During the course of the last part Joanne managed to figure out Jack’s secret identity, but she promises to keep it a secret.
But what is that?
You can interpret this in a few ways i’m sure, but to me it sounds like DC wanted people to write if they wanted Creeper to have a love interest or not. If we say that was the intention, then oh boy, the idea of Creeper having an significant other must have sparked some kind of uproar or something, because Joanne’s very next appearance in World’s Finest Comics #252 (1978) begins like this.
The sucky part is that Jack gets over it really quickly, just swears revenge by finding her killer (which turns out to be her assistant), and that’s pretty much it! Never mentioned again!
But for real though, what the hell really happened here? I doubt I can solve this mystery, but I can offer you some speculations I have about this (because I have no life) and let you come to a conclusion yourself.
So I did take a look at the letters that came in subsequent issues of Adventure Comics to see if someone expressed some kind of dislike for Joanne. I don’t think I saw any, but I did notice some people not being too keen on the story itself for various reasons. Not to say it got no praise in these letters or anything, I’d say it was about 50/50, but still.
This message outright states that the story didn’t do so well..
Maybe that’s why Joanne got the axe? Because she was associated with a story that got a mixed reception? I dunno, that sounds kind of stupid to me, but the comic book industry chooses to do some dumb stuff a lot sometimes so what do I know.
Anyway, what about another suggestion? So the Adventure Comics three-parter was written by Martin Pasko, while the World’s Finest Comic stories were written by Creeper’s creator Steve Ditko. Maybe he didn’t want Creeper to have a love interest so that’s why he killed her off?
According to this letter, Ditko is pretty speedy when it comes to writing. Maybe that resulted in him not realizing that Jack and Joanne where supposed to be a bit closer then how he portrayed it as? Because he didn’t do a full background check on Joanne, he thought she just was some random character who just happened to know about Creeper’s true identity so he thought “Oh I can write a murder story about this!” or something? And because he was the creator of Creeper, DC just let him kill her?
So we have five possibilities.
DC getting a bunch of angry letters from people who hated the idea of Creeper having a significant is still on the table. If they got them, I doubt DC would’ve actually added such messages to the comic’s letterers page.
The mixed reception of her introductory story got her axed.
Mr. Dikto didn’t like her/the idea of Creeper having a love interest he didn’t create, so he killed her to end a possible relationship.
Ditko didn’t get the memo so he thought Joanne was some throwaway character he could use in a murder mystery story.
DC just kind of lost interest in it and dropped the relationship.
Whatever the reason was, it certainly effected The Creeper later as he never has had a present-day love interest ever again after this. Seriously, all the previous ladies are all his exes - none are in a relationship with Jack in present-day but Joanne (sort of). It’s like DC established some kind of “no-love-interest for-Creeper-clause”. All Jack is allowed to have are exes and that’s it! Also, because all of these stories mainly takes place before Creeper became his own persona (which is why I used both Creeper and Jack’s names a bit interchangeably here), you can actually make the argument that Creeper has no love life at all. All of the exes, plus Joanne, only really interact with Jack and when Joanne was with Creeper, it was still technically Jack because Creeper didn’t officially split from Jack until the 2006 series. And even then, Creeper didn’t talk or interact with Vera in that one, Jack did. The closest we got of Creeper having a love interest was when he went after Harley Quinn in BTAS, but that sure didn’t carry over to the comics where the two haven’t even officially met each other.
There is Serene, but I doubt people are going to counts her as a “love interest” for special reasons. Does Maxima count as a Superman love interest? She is probably the closest equivalent I can think of, but I’m not very good at the Superman mythos.
Anyway, I thought Joanne had the potential to be pretty interesting supporting character if given some time to develop, and could’ve been a fun love interest to Jack. Even if her being his girlfriend maybe didn’t sound so hot for some people, couldn’t she at least have been his friend or something? I think Jack and Creeper could use some because they barely have any. The fact she is rarely ever mentioned makes me kind of sad because I did kind of want to see more of her, but it’s highly unlikely DC remembers her when Creeper himself doesn’t get the spotlight very often.
I have probably spent too much time on this.
#dc comics#the creeper#jack ryder#joanne russell#Vera Sweet#Vicki Vale#Fran Daye#too many characters to tag#my thoughts#rambles#excuse my writing style#english isn't my first language#this took way too long
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Titans: Episode One
Warning, Spoilers Ahead….
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The Titans, the first original DC Universe Online content, debuts.
Nice stylized opening detailing the death of the Flying Graysons. Poor Raven – she starts with a nice night at the circus and it ends in murder.
Raven is very standard horror movie in the first half of the episode. I’m not familiar with New 52 Raven but I’m assuming this is similar to her modern appearances. I wonder if we will ever see Arella or Azarath? Trigon, even a more scaled-down version, is almost guaranteed.
Poor Raven’s mom. Was she part of this conspiracy or just an innocent woman who adopted the wrong baby? Did she enforce the religious praying because she knew the true origin of Raven or did she truly think that would save her daughter?
Dick doesn’t want a partner! He could have been nicer to poor Amy – where’s the Grayson charm? Amy was a regular in the 90s/2000s Nightwing series.
Bruce probably has been gassed by the Joker.
Interviews suggest that Dick and Bruce split due to Dick’s objections over Batman’s brutality as opposed to the standard “injured by the Joker” set-up. Perhaps Dick felt that bat-branding was a bit too extreme.
Detroit, Michigan is an interesting choice. It’s rarely used in the DC Universe – the main exception is when the JLA briefly operated out of the city. This is one of the big differences between DC and Marvel – 98% of the heroes aren’t located in New York City.
Wow, Dick! So violent and angry! Did you forget that you are not post-death Jason? Or fresh out of the League Damian? People will make a lot of the violence in the gang scene but while Dick is known for being the “happy” Robin he can also be angry, violent, and broody. He learned from the best in those departments!
Love Tim’s eternal influence on the Robin design! Full body outfit, R-shaped shurikens, and staff? Check, check, and check!
Dick goes retro with the record player. His apartment/loft is rather bare bones with the exception of the Flying Graysons poster.
Love that Dick has a “thing for helping kids”. Underneath the anger is a very kind-hearted man who will always have a soft spot for traumatized kids.
Starfire! The Titan who received the most hate before the show even debuted. Let’s be honest – Starfire’s comic book appearance was never going to translate well into live action – the height, the impossible body, the orange skin, and extremely long hair simply isn’t practical, add in the classic 80’s costume and it simply wasn’t going to happen.
As for the character itself…it seems as if the car crash has made Kori amnesiac so we are left with a blank slate for both Kori and the audience. Why is Kori tracking down Raven? Is it similar to the connection between the two ladies that was portrayed in the Titans: Earth One books?
Kori’s easy sexuality and willingness to use deadly force are definitely aspects of Starfire’s character.
Loved the total devastation Kori’s starbolts. Now I understand why the Titans were all “No, Kori, no!” in early Titan issues.
I’m not loving the fur coat but I do like the purple outift.
Could the organization pursuing Raven be the Church of Blood? The Church originated in Europe and Brother Blood has been obsessed with Raven at various times.
Dick makes nice with Amy. I wonder if the writers will head straight into the expected Dick – Kori romance or sidestep with a Dick-Amy relationship. Please no dreaded triangle. Pick one or the other.
The actress portraying Raven is very reminiscent of animated Raven in her physical appearance. I like it.
Dick saves Raven! Actually, Raven saves herself. Rachel’s soul-self is extremely violent in this series.
The duo is heading to a safe place – in a Porsche! It’s easy to see why Dick keeps the car hidden – it would be rather hard to explain that car on a cops’ salary. It should be common knowledge that Dick is Bruce Wayne’s ward but Dick may have hidden that fact when he transferred to Detroit. How long has Dick been in Detroit? Robin hasn’t been seen in Gotham in the past year – so almost a year?
How badly did the man from earlier in the episode hurt his child? It had to be severe for Dick to break his self-imposed Robin ban.
We end with Beast Boy in Covington, Ohio. Gar uses his shape-changing abilities to steal video games. He needs to learn there are stealthier animals than tigers. The scene was brief but cute.
We know the Doom Patrol will be in an upcoming episode. Did Gar run away from the Doom Patrol? If so, why? How many heroes have made public debuts in the Titans-verse?
Up next: Hawk & Dove!
I enjoyed the episode. I love Dick, Raven needs many hugs, and Beast Boy was adorable. Starfire didn’t fully click with me but her amnesia/blank slate status gives her a pass for a few more episodes.
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My Reaction to “Batman and Robin”
Oh God here we go. Just in time for the holidays...
*externally screaming*
*deep breath then continues screaming*
What’s with these opening credits?
Do they really have to put creases everywhere on the Batsuit?
Is Robin wearing eyeshadow?!?
Hot Wheels: The Movie
“This is why Superman works alone.” Oh God, Superman’s in this universe?
My sister: It’s the Nicholas Cage version.
You gotta have this big elaborate light show to reveal Dick’s motorcycle
Is that Pat Hingle [as Commissioner Gordon]? God, just go away.
Not gonna lie, I like the makeup they did for Mr. Freeze’s face
“Hi Freeze, I’m Batman!”
The hole left in the wall when Dick crashes through it is the Robin symbol. SUBTLE!
“It’s the hockey team from hell!” I mean, yeah.
Random close ups!
Ice skates!
Freeze just threw that guy straight up in the air.
This whole movie looks like it took place in a rave. Like, what’s with all the neon lighting in an art museum?
I like the bottom of Mr. Freeze’s boots. At least he’ll get traction
[Mr. Freeze rockets out of the museum] *sings* If you want to view paradise...
So where does Freeze find all this time to make these contraptions in the first place?
George Clooney’s acting is like a stick: it’s wooden
If Dick yells “Cowabunga!,” I swear to God...
“Cowabunga!” Oh my God no
There is no way Batman can catch up to Mr. Freeze in free fall. 10 ft per second, assholes!
The colors in this movie would legit make a pretty awesome commission color palette
Robin was just frozen mid-air?!?!?
*sing songs* Shaky cam!
Chuck him [the frozen Robin] at the wall!
Matte painting!
What did she (Dr. Isley) just say?
AN: We’re only 15 minutes in?!?
Is she [Dr. Isley] speaking into a tube of lipstick?
Antonio Diego?
This whole scene with the introduction to Bane looks like something out of Rocky Horror for some reason. You got a couple weird people in suits watching the whole thing up on a balcony and you got a wacky-ass scientist with crazy hair
That’s.... gross...
Pointing... more pointing!
So dumping a whole bunch of toxins on Dr. Isley is gonna turn her into a psycho plant seductress? OK...
I like how the security camera zooms in on Victor becoming Mr. Freeze
George Clooney looks way too smug to be Bruce Wayne for some reason. Grow some hair!
AN: Oh my God, we’re only 23 minutes in... *whines* this is a two hour movie!
Dutch Angle!
I do like the purple lighting in the lab
*Poison Ivy appears in the middle of the lab from underground* How?
“My [Ivy] blood has been replace with aloe, my skin with chlorophyll.”
My sister: Moisturize your skin with my blood!
Me: MOISTURIZE ME!
Chlorophyll is a pigment. If her [Ivy’s] skin is now made up of chlorophyll, shouldn’t she be green?
Is Woodrue’s tongue turning green?
“Hell, I am Mother Nature!” That’s like probably one of the only good lines in this movie.
*starts singing “Mr. Snow Miser”*
I like Freeze’s polar bear slippers!
This mofo [Freeze] is blue!
Why does Mr. Freeze have a cigar?
This whole movie plot is ripped from an episode of “Batman: The Animated Series.” Seriously, the episode’s called “Cold Comfort.”
The actress playing Nora Fries looks waaaay too young for some reason.
George Clooney is wearing a turtleneck... for the love of God, wear something else!
“I’m not used to this type of luxury...” You [Barbara] go to a boarding school. Shut up!
This looks like one of the streets used in the Batman TV show in the 60s.
That wig Ivy just put on has the Pulp Fiction bangs
Who’s the lady in the pink suit?
Julie Madison? Why don’t we see more of her besides being a one-off girlfriend?
OK, I like the trench coat Ivy has on
They used the word “primordial” in the script. I’m impressed.
“... warm-blooded opressors...” Aren’t you [Ivy] warm-blooded though? You’re human...
Holy crap the makeup on Mr. Freeze without the costume is great
*The costume ball starts* This is “The Mask” all over again
This is literally the same set they used for the art museum in the beginning of the movie
There’s a dude in the background wearing a leopard-print tuxedo
*mutters* The hell is this music?
I actually like the eye makeup on Ivy
“I’ll bring everything you see here and everything you don’t.” Mic drop.
Was that a banana peel sound effect?
My sister: Yes it was.
“Good night.” OK, that was funny.
Where is Ivy still there after Freeze left?
*The camera pans up a giant statue* HANDSSSSS.... TOUCHING HANDSSSS...
Parkour!
Oh my gosh the CGI
Redbird?
REEED ROBIN YUMMMMM
ExPLOsions...
*The Batmobile gets frozen and crashes* Oh no, not the merchandise!
“We have very little time.” For what?
Michael Gough: MVP of the movie
Did they just use a lightsaber sound effect to indicate the end of the flashback?
Ominous green lighting!
They [the Arkham guards] put him [Freeze] in an ice box...
Whoa...
The tile son the floor in Victor’s cell line up to make a snowflake
*Radioactive ghetto people show up* I would legit go as one of them for Halloween
This movie is just one big sound stage
Where’d she [Ivy] get the seeds from?
George Clooney legit sounds like Mel Gibson’s John Smith from “Pocahontas”
There’s a floating face!
I think that’s actually Coolio
AN: Yes it is
What is the point of this whole motorcycle race thing? There’s literally no point to this scene.
My sister: Did they just really wanna show off the set?
Me: Well this movie is literally one giant toy commercial so...
That green screen was terrible
“Alfred’s not sick. He’s dying.” Well way to whip that out, movie!
You can tell that they put some effort into the characterization of Freeze in this movie. It’s just surrounded by a bunch of campy, stupid stuff.
“Men are the most absurd of God’s creations.” Man was one of the first ones, bitch...
I have the Poison Ivy gif of “Not good!” saved on my laptop
Sorry Freeze, only one person looks good in chrome
*Freeze freezes the pipes to make them explode* Well that was quick
Liking the statues of the absolutely ripped dudes on the fireplace mantle in Wayne Manor. Schumacher, I see you.
*Batman opens up the secret bookcase in Freeze’s old lair to find Nora* IT’S MISTER WHITE CHRISTMAS, IT’S MISTER SNOW!
I like that there’s a convenient lever from “Heat” to “Freeze”
*Bane beats Robin* I was wondering what would break first: your spirit... or your body!
“Why are all the gorgeous ones homicidal maniacs?” Point!
Oh there you go. Commissioner Gordon actually did something in this movie.
Is that slime?
“I’m [Dick] going solo!” But not Han Solo. He’s not cool enough to be Han Solo
My sister: He’s whiny enough to be Ben Solo
Me: Except Ben Solo was written better.
Oh, Ivy’s green boots are awesome
Freeze’s eyes look orange in this scene
“First...” Gotham!
“Gotham!” Then the world!
“And then... the world!” Haha!
“Adam... and Evil!” BOO...
OH MY GOD- oh, that’s Bruce. OK.
*Bruce and Dick argue over Ivy’s influence over them* It’s called pheromones, guys. Everyone has them.
What the... heck was that transition?
Oh I like that dress Ivy’s wearing...
Slow... motion...
Ellie Macpherson (Julie Madison) kinda looks like Jennifer Garner
Oh just smash it [the Bat-signal] in! You don’t need to actually lift it up!
I just realized what’s wrong with George Clooney in this movie: it always looks like he has a five o’clock shadow above his top lip
*Bruce hugs Alfred* Aaawww!
The signature on the portrait wasn’t there a second ago!
*cracks up at the computer saying “Access Granted”*
Why is a telescope powered on crystals?
“... will you trust me now?” *in best angsty teenage impression* No, because he’s [Dick] got his eyeshadow on!
OK. Arnold’s evil laugh is getting there. A little more work then he’s got it
*Barbara puts on her Batsuit* Eeewww... eeww!
How the hell did Ivy set up her evil lair?
“Hi there.” *in best George Clooney voice* Hi Robin, I’m Ivy!
“How about ‘Slippery When Wet?’“
*actually has to collapse backwards on floor to laugh*
My sister: Her eyeshadow’s awesome
Me: She [Ivy] looks like a drag queen!
My sister: It’s the eyebrows!
*Robin peels off his rubber lips* WHAAAAAAA?!?!?!?!?
Oh my God, look at her [Ivy’s] bangles!
Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait! They rewound the tape when Robin resurfaces from the pool!
My sister: *sings* My name’s Blurryface and I care what you think...
*Ivy’s plants suddenly eat her* ...Why?
Oh she’s not dead. OK...
*Camera pans up giant statue* Aaaabbsss... Schumacher loves them...
*Random person in telephone booth gets frozen* NO, NOT THE TARDIS!
NO, NOT THE DOG!
He was frozen mid-pee though. Youch.
WHAAT IS THIS?!?!?!?
Why do all the Batsuits have silver accents now? Unless the silver bits are just snap-on attachments...
*sing songs* Free-zing... freezing the city!
PLAnets...
My sister: Now I just want the planetarium fight from “The Great Game” to happen
Me: Oh my God... we should watch that instead!
My sister: Right?!?!?
You seriously could take any shot from this movie and all the colors in them would make up an awesome color palette
*Dick unleashes the grappling hook at the last minute and successfully latches onto something* I CALL BULL!
Where the hell did he [Bane] come from?!?
AN: Oh God we’re almost done with this movie YAAAAYY!
*Bane literally deflates* Eeeewwww!
Oh my gosh, that 1997 CGI though
[Some of the ice in the city proceeds to melt] *sings* Here comes the sun...
*Mr. Freeze lets out an evil chuckle* What a story, Mark!
Oh my God, that green screen though!
*The Bat gang manages to get rid of all the ice covering the city* This... is bull... shit.
The ice actually wiggles on the cop car door!
THERE IS NO WAY BATMAN GOT THAT FOOTAGE OF IVY!
I call bullshit on this whole movie!
Oh, and he [Freeze] just had the cure [to Nora and Alfred] on him the whole time?
OK, I actually liked the music for that scene. What the heck?
OK, for being a man-hater, Ivy, you’re pretty obsessed about one.
“Winter has come at last.” Game of Thrones did it better.
The official catchphrase for this movie: Hi [insert name], I’m [insert other name]
HEELP! THEY’RE CASTING FOR BATMAN UNCHAINED!
*in best Batman voice* DON’T MAKE ME PUSH YOU DOWN, O’DONNELL [Robin/Dick]! I’LL DO ANYTHING TO GET OUT OF THIS FRANCHISE!
#the blogger reacts#batman and robin#bruce wayne#dick grayson#alfred pennyworth#barbara gordon#batman#robin#mr. freeze#arnold schwarzenegger#poison ivy#george clooney#joel schumacher#bane#mister snow miser#commissioner gordon
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cobblebats fanfic pt. 10
From Oswald’s POV
“You’re getting soft, Oswald,” Lady Arkham scolded, her head shaking in disapproval. “You’ve fallen in love with him...haven’t you?”
I scoffed at the ridiculous suggestion, shoving a hand in my pocket. The two of us were currently standing in Lady Arkham’s office, her back facing towards me and her staff in hand. After Bruce got that call from Alfred at the park and took his leave, I had received a call of my own not too much later from Vicki herself to the Children of Arkham’s HQ for a “discussion.” Apparently, she wanted to talk about my growing relationship with the billionaire. She was concerned that we were becoming a bit too friendly.
“No. ‘Course I don’t love him.” I countered. “Why would I? It’s all just an act. You know what his family did to mine. I’m not about to pass up the opportunity for revenge just because of some pretty boy whilst my mum and dad are still twisting and turning in their graves.” I crossed my arms. “Besides, ain’t this what you wanted me to do?”
In a split second, the end of Lady Arkham’s staff was mere inches away from my face, zapping with a violent, electric glow.
“I told you to gain his trust. To learn his secrets. To point out a weakness.”
The staff crept closer, almost to the point where it was brushing against the tip of my nose.
“I did not tell you to become his newest slut!”
I waved the staff out of my face, glowering. “C’mon, it ain’t like that--wait, what do you mean newest?”
Lady Arkham laughed mockingly. “Do you honestly believe that a man like Bruce Wayne is capable of genuinely loving someone? He’s a billionaire, Oswald. He has more money than all of Gotham combined. He can have anyone he wants as long as he flashes enough cash in front of them. What makes you think you’re any different to him?”
As much as I hated to admit it, it stung a little when she said that--mainly because I knew it was true. I mean, Bruce was effortlessly making a fortune I could’ve only ever dreamed of achieving, and he was one of the most powerful people in Gotham, second only to the mayor. He had connections with both Hill and Falcone, and there wasn’t a single person in the city who hadn’t been affected by his influence. He was practically a king, sitting on a stolen throne.
The Cobblepots, on the other hand...we were nothing but ants beneath his boots, a burden, an obstacle in the Waynes’ path to success--and his father threw us away like we were trash. And now, Bruce was thriving because of it. Why would he care about some lowly thug like me? Especially after everything I’ve done to him?
The answer was clear as day. He didn’t.
“Look,” I said, trying to come up with some bullshit excuse, “Bruce was obviously attracted to me in some way, and so I took advantage of it, all right? That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Lady Arkham chortled. “Do you think I’m an idiot, Cobblepot? I see the way you look at him, how flustered you become whenever someone mentions his name. And don’t even think that I don’t know about how you offered to help him save Dent’s broken mind.”
“How...?”
“Surprised? I have eyes and ears everywhere, Oswald. You’re a fool if you don’t know this by now. Nothing happens in Gotham that I don’t know about.”
I bet you don’t know Bruce is Batman, you bitch.
She rested her hands on the top of her staff. “Though, despite your carelessness, I suppose there could be a bright side to all this...”
Her deathly glare landed on me. “Yes...” she said in thought. “Perhaps, there is no need to look for a weakness. Or perhaps, I’ve simply been searching in the wrong place.” She began sauntering in my direction, her eyes nailed onto me. A sense of worry suddenly began developing inside me.
“After all, ever since Dent’s been shoved into that horror palace they call an asylum, Bruce has been all alone with no one else but his brooding self, hasn’t he?”
Lady Arkham came to an abrupt stop as she was hit with a pang of realization.
“Then you came along. An old, childhood friend, here to save the day, and give Bruce the love he’s always wanted--to support him in these tough times, and give him a shoulder to cry on...” she placed both hands on the sides of my arms. “My dear, Oswald--you are his weakness.”
“I am?” I didn’t like where this was going.
“Yes! You are. And the best way to destroy your enemies is to strike them where it hurts the most. Wouldn’t you agree?” Lady Arkham reached behind her and pulled out a single syringe loaded with the vile, blue liquid. There was a hell lot more in there than what she normally dosed her victims with.
“Unfortunately,” she said without empathy, “I’m afraid this is bad news for you.”
Without even meaning to, I started to back away, holding my arms up in defense. “Now, hold on. What are you...”
She chuckled eerily, her low voice echoing throughout the entire room. “Hold still. This might pinch a little.”
Before I could back away any more, I hit a wall, preventing me from escaping. I was cornered. Lady Arkham continued to stalk towards me.
“Vicki,” I pleaded, “wait--”
Her shadow soon blanketed over my entire figure like a ghost, the syringe’s needle ominously glinting in the dim light of her office.
“No. I’m done waiting.”
From Bruce’s POV
“Thanks for your cooperation,” Gordon said as he headed for the front door, Montoya waiting for him outside. “And for the record, I honestly doubted you were really working with that lunatic Penguin.”
“So does this mean you won’t be arresting me?” I double-checked.
The lieutenant lit a cigarette. “Even if we wanted to, we don’t have enough evidence to do it. Some rumor--and an implausible one, at that--isn’t enough to get you behind bars. Besides, as shady as your family’s history is, it just wouldn’t make sense for you to be working with the man who stole your company.”
“If only my board had as much faith in me as you do.”
“Don’t I know the feeling. Don’t get me wrong--the GCPD has more than a few good officers like Renee, but sometimes I can’t help but worry about how all of...” he gestured at nothing, “...this...will affect them. It’s not easy to keep your head high in times like these. Discouragement often becomes a familiar face--something I’m sure you know well.”
I let out a soft laugh. “More than you realize.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it.” Gordon stepped outside. “Stay safe, all right?”
“Yeah. You too, Jim.”
He shut the doors behind him and entered the police car, leaving me alone in the manor. It was still damaged from Harvey’s attack, and it was probably going to stay that way for a while, but as long as I had a roof over my head, it didn’t bother me an incredible amount. Right now, there was something else nagging me.
I checked my phone. No texts from Oz so far. That was odd. Normally, he always bombarded me with multiple messages until I replied. Maybe I could text him first for a change, and see if he wanted to resume our “date.” I began typing, eager to see his response.
I just hoped that whatever he had in mind didn’t involve too much physical activity this time. As much as I loved spending time with him, I was exhausted from waking up so early, and it wasn’t even afternoon yet.
Bruce: Sorry about leaving so abruptly earlier. You’re free to come over now, if you’d like. Gordon just left--without me, thankfully. Maybe we could hang out at the park some more.
I waited a few moments. No reply. Not even the three, little dots that appeared when he was typing. Oh no, he wasn’t annoyed with me for leaving, was he? What if he was irritated that we got interrupted? No, he was more understanding than that--as strange as it sounded. He was probably just busy. He would text me when he was ready.
I shook the thought out of my head and put the device away, deciding to kill some time by watching the TV.
I strolled my way out of the foyer and to the cozy parlor, letting myself fall into the same, plush chair that Oz had fallen asleep in the other night, pressing the power button on the remote and relaxing into the cushions. Before I even had a chance to get comfortable though, I was already overwhelmed by countless photos of Harvey and Batman on the screen, reporters rambling on about how the mayor was committed to Arkham Asylum, his upcoming trial, and how the mysterious, masked vigilante was responsible for the “noble” deed.
As much as I appreciated the praise from the public, I knew it wasn’t all because of me. If it hadn’t been for Oz’s gift of perfect timing and intervening, Harvey would’ve definitely shot and killed me that night. It was the third time Oz had saved me so far.
I continued watching the news when suddenly, the distant sound of a gunshot erupted from within the manor, causing me to immediately jump out of my seat and whip around in confusion. I left the parlor.
“Alfred?” I called out. Nothing. I headed upstairs.
“Alfred!” I repeated as I ascended the staircase. Still nothing. I started feeling sick due to the anxiety. Oh god, what was happening? Was that really a gunshot? Or was I just hearing things?
I reached the second floor and looked around for a bit, unsure of where to go. That was when a muffled, heavy thud emitted from inside Alfred’s bedroom, like something--or someone--had just toppled over. I sprinted over to the door and twisted the knob. Locked.
“Alfred!” I shouted, aggressively shaking the doorknob. It didn’t budge, and I still wasn’t receiving any sort of response.
“ALFRED!” Silence.
Backing up a few steps, I decided to try a different method and took a deep breath, bracing myself as I planted my foot into the door. The sturdy material refused to break, but I could hear the wood splintering. Attempting it again, I kicked it once more, but with much more force, causing the door to finally slam open and bounce slightly off the adjacent wall as it slowly unveiled the horrifying scene inside.
I froze.
“...Alfred?”
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Eager
I know I’m trying to keep myself in a mold. I can’t write like that because I’m not good at writing what I should be practicing. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why I’m struggling so hard. So I’ll write what I know about best, our own family and perhaps a little more about the background of New Senzannini. I love the thought of having our own city, it’s own functioning government and society, it’s just so huge. There should be plenty to write, to cement, about this place!
If there was anything the Bat Family was, it was vigilant. Dedicated. Driven. They were (mostly) hard work and (somewhat) no play. Perhaps it was Bruce Wayne’s dedication to the Bat that overshadowed these aspects that made the others become the (mostly) and the (somewhat). Like cracks in cement, the “kids” filled in the crooked lines in Bruce Wayne’s life. For as broody and quiet he may be, there was never a moment where he doesn’t entertain his own children’s antics. People were surprised by this notion but to Bruce, it was only natural. He wasn’t heartless.
Today, the juveniles of the BatFam were nervous, aptly so. It had taken a whole lot of convincing Bruce Wayne to budge on relocating to New Senzannini but his home away from home was still Wayne Manor in Gotham City. Perhaps for the first time in Bruce’s whole life, Gotham was as safe as Metropolis and it would have been time to hang up the Bat if not for the fact that crime just moved to a continent that seemed to bloom overnight. Fresh, ample new land allowed criminals to visit the rich expanse with its own resources and economy. It was honestly like living in a new world and if he hadn’t known any better, he might have assumed he crossed into an alternate universe.
Crime was rampant in New Senzannini that he’s heard Dick Grayson refer to it as Gotham 2.0 “but worse and I don’t know what’s scarier. That we don’t seem to make a dent in it or feeling that we’re understaffed.”
Every available superhero that has ever existed seemed to make their home on the massive land mass called there for one reason or another--though most have one major reason to relocate. It was hard for just one rotation of superheroes to even cover portions of the city and for some reason, nature dictated that for as many heroes, there should be an adequate if not equal force opposing them.
And so, from the biggest named heroes able to stop a missile with their bare hands to the little guys stopping crooks from nabbing old lady purses in the street, New Senzannini was as safe as it was dangerous. Buildings like a newly constructed STARK tower and an AVENGERS tower to a luxurious mansion sized Sanctum Sanctorum and an eerie Asylum reminiscent of Arkham and the highest security prisons found their homes as soon as they could be erected.
However, sprinkling the horizon border were buildings that outweighed all the others because within their own right they had made a name for themselves for single-handedly being responsible for allowing New Senzannini to grow to such a scale; from the Mortuary that handled all of the death affairs of the city to the Syndicate dealing with everything that was alive and even the connected businesses of the Triquetra building and the ClubHaus, there was no Senzannini without them.
It was an unspoken rule among heroes and even villains to leave the Family’s affairs alone because even one little upset can tip the scales to outrageous proportions that could spell disaster for everyone. They were the right mixture of justice and crime, righteousness and wrongness that it seemed like they operated on their own scale. There was even a rumor that if things fucked up here, it could doom the rest of the planet. So, everyone moved to ensure that does not happen. After all, they lived on the planet, too, and nobody really wanted their own destruction no matter how insane or driven by vengeance one was. Living here wasn’t bad, either. It wasn’t just the aspect that New Senzannini ran its own form of government and delivered the much needed justice that was missing in other forms of government but it also have its secret organizations keeping its citizens safe not from physical threats like SHIELD but also those of supernatural as well in the form as The Society which also worked hand in hand with the BPRD. This city worked as a well oiled machine thanks to the Family’s influence that they were often informed of big scale events and looked to for executive decisions on how they wanted to save their city.
But nobody, nobody, fucked with them. Sure, newcomers to the city would be foolish enough to steal arms from the Syndicate or even a shipment for the Mortuary to suddenly find themselves on the other side of a repulsor or flailing mechanical arms as villain and superhero alike could put aside their differences on ensuring that the Family were left undisturbed.
Did that mean they were isolated? By no means. Remember that one major reason why everyone moved here? The Family was responsible.
Atop the highest of positions of the Family were two Matriarchs in charge of both the Mortuary and the Syndicate. They may never understand what exactly went on in their city but that was why they had a council of Family members and trusted outside influences that could help make the executive decisions and inform them of the absolutely dangerous aspects hitting their city. The smartest and experienced heroes, civilians, scientists, and even villains were part of this council as well. It was unheard of in any other part of the country but New Senzannini has always been known for pushing the boundaries of strange occurrences.
For the most part, the women were outrageously protected and otherwise shielded from the truly dangerous exposure that could do bodily harm to either one.
It was one of the reasons why the members of the Bat Family were currently shifting in their seats, shifting their gazes from left to right at the assembly before them. It was one thing seated among other superheroes in their costumes and villains in theirs but It was like sitting in on a meeting from the United Nations. People from different backgrounds and specialties sat at designated areas with their name tags and while they had different affiliations, their allegiances seemed to be with The Family. The girls were at the head of it all while this meeting took place; every one of the Batkids were certainly nervous under the scrutinizing eyes of the Matriarchs.
Batman had been part of this affiliation for a while and therefore didn’t look as intimidated as he was intimidating. However, for all the Robins and the Batgirls and Signals, this was their first time. They hadn’t hit Gotham or Metropolis standards in their own cities until the beginning of this year but what better way to bring in the new year with a batch of new superheroes?
“I mean, I guess we’ve seen a surge of Hydra agents...” Dot Dreadful spoke up, looking through the records she had on her. Her eyebrows were furrowed, pinched at the middle and otherwise twisting her beautiful features into worry. “I don’t know what those guys’ problems are--oh yeah. They’re fucking Nazis.”
There was a couple of breathless chuckles at her sarcastic statement. Hero or villain, nobody stood behind Nazis.
“Yes, they have a knack for stealing the materials I need for my lab.” Wesker spoke up from his spot sounding just as annoyed. Chris Redfield, who was sitting next to him, gave him a weary look and didn’t think too hard on what Wesker’s lab work might entail.
“I don’t even want to know.”
“Then don’t ask.”
“Hydra is the only organization that seems to be the trouble these days,” Steve Rogers spoke up interrupting the two before a fight broke out.
The Captain America.
He, more than others, felt responsible for squelching this threat but for the many he put down, seemingly fifty more agents took their place. It was a tireless job and if Dot hadn’t enforced mandatory breaks and rotations, Steve would have been out there punching every Nazi in the face personally. From his side, Spider-Noir nodded with a serious expression that was only half-hidden under his fedora and the flaps of the trench coat obscuring most of his features.
“So we’re all in agreement on bringing more heroes on the line?” Dot asked, looking around. There had to be a equal balance between superhero and villain they had discovered otherwise more villains tried coming in to tip those scales in their favor and it got messy.
“If Hydra is bringing in more agents, I say we’re all in agreement.” Nick Fury confirmed, seated at the table with the girls. Most of the more important agents of the government were. Nobody disagreed and there was murmurs among each other stating as such.
“I have reports of H.I.V.E. also joining their ranks in with Hydra.” Batman spoke up as if remembering something. “I have the number statistics here.” he finished as he pulled up a manila folder.
Dot groaned and shook her head, raising her hand as if telling him to put it away. “That’s okay. I trust your word. Why are they teaming up?”
Batman sat with the rest of the Justice League members who looked just as sympathetic with Dot’s distaste if not a little disturbed with this turn of events.
“Probably because we’re adding new heroes to the ranks,” Monica said from beside Dot. She had her head down on her desk, tired of all the meetings she had to endure for the past week so she was only paying half attention and that was whenever Dot spoke.
Matt spoke up next, his features also twisted into a look of concentration from under his mask half-obscuring his face. “But the problem with that is that they’re overcompensating how much we’re allowing to actually work in the city.”
“So they’re being dumb and adding to their ranks hoping to catch up to us.” Dot finished with a look of realization. Then she turned her attention to the eager faces in front of them; Batman’s proteges and adopted children among others who had hopes of operating in the city as well. They were seated in the circle of the council at a long table. “It looks like we’re going to need all the help we can get.”
The BatFam broke out into grins. It was precisely what they wanted to hear. Their eagerness wasn’t just on their faces but in their demeanor as well. Damian was the only who actually spoke up, though.
“When can we start?”
“And anyone can help?” Jon spoke up next, seated by his best friend with his hand raised. The Teen Titans were nearby and seated on Damian’s other side down the row. These kids weren’t kids for a very long time but Dot couldn’t help but fuss over them.
She looked hesitant especially with Jon asking. From what she knew, he was only ten years old. She gave Clark Kent, Superman, a look of concern but Clark gave her a heart stopping smile and a subtle nod. She couldn’t help herself and ended up returning the smile before returning her attention to Jon.
“Of course. Just... you guys have to adhere to the guidelines we put down for the others, too.” she warned. “They’re put in place for a reason. Not just to impede anyone’s progress but it’s for your own good. We... worry.” Dot put softly. Almost shyly.
“So don’t die.” Monica wagged her finger. “Or Dot will cry forever until she runs out of tears and then get dehydrated and you don’t want that, do you?”
Jon looked horrified, looking between the girls with a frantic shake of the head. Dot laughed gently, “But that’s not going to happen because you’re going to take care of yourself, right?”
Jon nodded eagerly. It seemed the others also nodded along, catching Dot off-guard and making her laugh again. If she had looked around, she would have caught all the soft expressions watching Dot just interact. To say anyone there would put their lives down on the line for her was an understatement. They would do it in an instant and the expressions and sometimes reckless actions proved it.
“I think that was the last bit of business for today’s meeting!” Dot exclaimed, tapping her files neatly together. “Unless anyone else has anything to add?” she asked, looking around.
There were a couple of shakes of the head and murmurs of no before she looked appeased.
“Okay, then I hereby--”
“WAIT!”
Dot paused, looking over at Wade Wilson, also known as Deadpool, stand up from his seat with his hand raised. He didn’t quite belong in the room but that didn’t stop him from sneaking in occasionally. It didn’t matter too much because anyone was welcome to join in the audience as long as they didn’t interrupt the proceedings... but Wade always did somehow.
Dot had to laugh at his sudden appearance and the assortment of groans that followed after. “Yes, uh, Deadpool?”
“Wheeeeen are you going to answer my proposal?”
“She’s not seriously considering it,” Tony Stark, or Iron man, stated from a seat below. His head was half-turned barely giving Wade the attention. “because she still has to think over mine.”
The Joker slammed his hand down on the table where he was seated with the Legion of Doom. “That’s impossible!” he cackled, “because she’s already legally married to me!”
Dot did the white guy blink, unable to stop herself from swiveling her gaze towards The Joker. “Wha--”
“A forged signature doesn’t count,” Batman grumbled from under his dark and broody cowl.
There were an assortment of wide eyes at the middle desk of newcomer superheroes, looking around the assembly who was now arguing among each other. Apparently, there had been a lot of wooing going on from both ends. Jason raised his hand in an uncharacteristic show of restraint. Dot, hoping to change the subject, called on him.
“Ah... yes, Red Hood?”
“So, does this mean you’re fair game? I thought da--uh, Batman claimed ya fair and square?”
Dot looked surprised, glancing over at Batman who was still arguing with The Joker. Or rather, was not entertaining The Joker with any more attention despite the way the colorful villain was climbing over other members to get Batman’s attention.
“He... what? When?” she asked, confused. “What?”
“Yeah! Didn’t you go on a date with him--”
Dot reached over and grabbed Monica’s gavel who protested with a small “hey!” for being taken off-guard. Then she began to slam the thing on the hard surface. It squeaked but it was enough to get everyone’s attention.
“MEETING’S OVER!”
She never gave anyone the chance to respond because she was out the backdoor the next instant. Monica took her gavel and pointed at her eyes and then at the rest of the room before following after her best friend and partner. With the girls gone, there was honestly no reason for anyone to stick around. Except argue about who was getting the furthest. Some entertained the argument, others did not as they started to pack up and leave. After all, the city of New Senzannini never rested and neither did anyone’s attempts at winning over the favor of the Matriarchs.
Perhaps that was the true secret about why the villains and superheroes seemed to work better nowadays. With a common factor to unite them, they were all on the same side.
To say Dot was the common factor was not far-fetched whatsoever. It was, in fact, a blessing.
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