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cuephrase · 2 months

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Of the DC comics you've read so far, what would be your top recommendations for people to check out/what have you enjoyed the most?

when i tell you i have been thinking about this all day- i have been thinking about this. all. day.

so disclaimer, as of writing this, i have only read 31 runs from start to finish and 18 arcs/events outside of those runs. on top of, everything i've read so far has been strictly robin-centric, so dick, jason, tim, and damian. (i have read all of steph's robin appearances lol, but i haven't gotten to reading material for her, like say batgirl 2009, yet.) i've also decided not to rec from any run i'm currently reading, so for example, you won't see any batman: gotham knights recs here. because i'm most well-read on the robins, i'm only going to rec for them.

also, i'm going to operate under the following assumption: you've got a basic knowledge of the robins. none of these are where i would necessarily recommend anyone start reading about the boys, but i do think they'd be pretty interesting if you're already somewhat familiar with them and don't want to commit to reading whole character backlogs. does that make sense? i hope that makes sense.

alright, let's do this!

DICK GRAYSON

oh god. this one is actually so hard because he has so much great stuff, but then also i have like a love/frustrate relationship with so much of it. like for instance, i really enjoyed The New Teen Titans, but also lowkey can't stand space adventures so whenever that went down i was like 😀👍. but okay. hmmmm.

i have two preboot recs, with explanations + caveats.

devin grayson's mob!dick arc, so Nightwing 1996 #99-100, 107-117. caveats: it doesn't really get to finish playing out/wraps up weird because of editorial changes/infinite crisis. but!! it's a super interesting look at how dick handles...failure. how he values himself in light of that failure.

tomasi's run, but specifically #147-153. (listen, i love the dick and tim moments in 'freefall' but the whole eternally pregnant lady thing was too weird.) this is classic, hyper-competent dick, okay? he's such a bad-ass. and an idiot- bro literally flops his severely injured ass over the bars of his glider and rides it UNCONSCIOUS back to the batcave. i can't with him. poor alfred. anyways, he deals with two-face, always a good time. and then at the end, as a treat, he cries because bruce is dead. so fun!! what was my caveat here? oh yeah, he has a girlfriend. i don't remember her name, she serves like...very little purpose, the whole relationship is very minor/background okay, but like it was so unnecessary. he can be single, dc, it's okay.

for post re-boot, just read tom taylor's run!! it's the best thing ever!! zero complaints!!

HA. yeah, just kidding. that run is very like/frustrate for me lol. oh man i'm struggling here. it's not all bad okay, i'm just really picky, and i haven't re-read any nightwing n52 and onwards since my first foray into comics (8 months ago) so my memories of these are the foggiest and i'm not sure how i feel about all of it in light of what i've read now. yk what, i'm just going to...not rec anything. sorry!!

JASON TODD

his comics either go so hard or they're absolute ass, why is there no in between. istg, i can't figure out why writers struggle with him so much?? well. i mean, i do have theories. but you didn't ask for those!

pre-boot:

detective comics #569-574. robin!jason in the hands of writers who like him is so much fun. which, don't get me wrong, i don't flat-out hate how starlin writes him, but i think you get a more well-rounded view of jason as robin when you also see him in 'tec. jason and bruce tangle with the joker, scarecrow, + mad hatter, and all of those adventures are...idk if they were intentional foreshadowing okay, but reading those and knowing where the story goes? oof. especialllllly #574. caveat: #572 is pretty light on jason, but he is great when he's on panel!

reboot:

probably a very basic answer but rhato rebirth (2016) #1-13, annual #1. i abhorred n52 rhato so i almost skipped rhato rebirth since it was still written by lobdell, but i'm really glad i didn't. i really enjoy jason's relationship with bizarro + artemis, but especially with bizarro because i think jason struggles a lot with feeling like a doomed creation, so yk, parallels. i want to say more but i know i'll get too wrapped up in discussing jason so i'm just going to stop myself.

i actually really enjoyed task force z, too. i think about tfz #8 so much, jason is such a manipulative little shit and i love it. he's so- i can't. i can't get into this rn, it deserves its own post(s).

overall for jay, i need people to read something other than utrh/lost days/b:ul 1-6. i love those, i do, but they aren't the only good pieces of jason content!!

TIM DRAKE

MY BELOVED!!!!!!!!!! in my heart of hearts, i just want to rec his whole robin run lmao. dick was my intro, okay, he is why i decided to start reading comics, but tim, specifically his robin solo is why i'm still reading comics. hooked me fr. and young justice 1998, ugh love. but it has been a minute since i read these as well, so hmm. okay okay okay

pre-boot:

batman: prodigal. short version, tim is robin to dick's batman. super fun. there's a solid amount of dick and bruce angsting too, which, love. tim is honestly just thrilled that jpv is out of the batsuit and even happier to working with dick. very cute.

robin #46. listen. they're all superheroes okay, they all feel pressure to save people. but tim...losses get to him. the amount of times that he gets shoved to a breaking point and then...gets back up. keeps going. *screams*. anyways!! this is not tim getting back up, okay? this is him being shoved way, way down. it's so good.

teen titans 2003 #20. tim's dad has died. he shows up for his weekend at the tower anyways. he is not okay. that's it, that's the pitch. i did not like...mmm at least 80% of this run okay, but a few of the issues HIT and this was one imo.

reboot:

*deep sigh*. look. tim is not tim for like basically all of n52, although there are moments here and there were he feels like himself. i did not like his 2023 solo, the best parts of young justice 2019 imo are the character designs, (except for his drake costume, what was that omg), and i haven't read any rebirth batman/'tec yet. except for zdarsky's run. which. tim is good there! but yeah, not really a whole lot of material to work with + very limited reading experience atm.

DAMIAN WAYNE

god, i love this kid. nature vs. nurture fascinates me, and so much of his story digs into that on top of trying to figure out who he is apart from all of that. i will say, i'm not a huge talia fan and by that i mean, i have no idea who she is "supposed" to be, like i have no frame of reference for that atm, so if you are a huge talia fan these recs might not hit for you because from what i've observed from her fans she is not well portrayed a whole lot since becoming his mother? i think one of the things that is normal is dick absolutely disliking her though, which cracks me up. there's this older batman story (batman #322-335) where bruce works with talia and dick goes running to selina and i was so entertained. what were we talking about? oh! damian!

preboot:

batman and robin 2009 #10-12. damian is struggling, with a lot of things. the fact that bruce might be alive, what that means for him and dick, and his mother's puppeteering. there's this line that kills me: "can't you just love me for who i am? not what you want me to be?" and the thing that gets me, is the use of who vs. what. because he could have said, "not who you want me to be", but he doesn't

reboot:

batman: shadow war. this is post-alfred's death, and honestly, most damian stuff post city of bane is pretty juicy, but there's this specific moment in shadow war: alpha #1 that had me speechless. just like 😧 i love bruce, but that man has some of the most chronic foot-in-mouth disease. oh but fair warning, for whatever reason they don't draw dami's mask connecting?? it's so- it drives me nuts.

JUST FOR FUN

these are just two issues that i enjoy for the brother content!

nightwing 1996 #25. dick and tim's relationship makes me ILL. *ahem*. this issue is mostly just super cute and fun, (there's like 0.2 seconds of angst when tim asks dick if he ever thinks about jason 😭) and i adore it sm. fun fact, it's actually one of the first comics i ever bought!

batman 2016 #16. unfortunately, tim is not here for this, but duke is! jason and damian's interactions in the background of bruce's Very Serious Speech are excellent. bruce is so dramatic and his kids are so unserious.

what i've most enjoyed

i've enjoyed the majority of what i've read, even titles/events i wasn't particularly looking forward to but had on my tbr for whichever character. i'm going to break down most enjoyed into two catergories, arcs that i loved top to bottom and then the guilty pleasures. this is not an exhaustive list, just what immediately came to mind.

top to bottom

bruce wayne: murderer?/fugitive. shocker, ik. but it's just, it's just so frickin good. i've said before, and i'll say it again, gotham war could NEVER. this right here is peak batfamily drama. the tension? the mystery? the angst? i knew nothing going into this okay, and truth be told, when i started it i was like "oh joy. another event." because i was just trying to read the 1996 nightwing run, but i'd committed to reading in full all the events it crossed over with. but i was invested so quickly. and like, i loved how the narrative supported the possibility that bruce was the murderer, because like, you know there's no way, but the more that comes out the more damning it is, and so you're like really dying to know what actually happened and i feel like the reveal was satisfying.

batman: city of bane. i'm going to cautiously put this here, because there might have been something i didn't like but i cannot recall it for the life of me right now. something about me is i love when the heroes lose. infinity war, empire strikes back? love. and ik bruce takes back gotham, but they lose alfred, okay, they lost. i also didn't expect to like this arc, i decided to read it because i wanted to know how alfred died. and first of all, i was shocked, even though i knew it was coming because i expected it to like happen towards the end. but nope. just *snap*. and then later when bruce is back in the manor and is confronted with alfred's body and his good-bye message? oh. my. god. i was bawling. despite my penchant for sad narratives, i don't tend to cry that much, but this got to me so bad. like i had to pause because i couldn't see. amazing.

red robin. his cowl is so ugly, but i really do love the run. i see a lot of discourse about it and also a lot of...interesting fanfic takes, so i don't really talk about it a lot here because it feels like most people are kind of tired of hearing about this run, which fair. i really enjoyed it as a sequel to his solo robin run. tbh, i almost put this in the guilty pleasure catergory, because there are a couple things i don't totally love, but like if the others are 10/10, this is 9/10.

young justice 1998. i love this comic so, so much. i don't even know what to say, i get so overwhelmed with joy when i think about this comic. nothing has hit the same way with this group since either, which is a crime. i need a title with this team so badly.

guilty pleasures

these are all runs/events i know some/most? people cannot stand and i totally get why, and i have problems with them, so i'm probably never going to rec them in good conscience but also like i can't lie and say i don't like them. these are not recs, okay? okay.

robin war. is it a hot mess? yes. but there is not a whole lot of canon content out there with all the boys working together, okay? so much of that event had me banging my head into a wall, but for me, there were a handful of pearls in there. i mean honestly, if i listed out pros and cons the cons list would be way longer but those pros are very precious to me.

batman and robin: eternal. very similar reasoning overall to robin war. plus cass finally came back!! i missed her. i love robin!dick and batman content, and the kids working together. this is probably my least favorite guilty pleasure though, okay, it's on thin ice.

grayson. listen, i love janin's art sm. i'm pretty neutral about spy stuff, so like i don't engage with it a whole lot. meaning, although i've heard it's tropey af in regards to the genre, i'm not familiar enough with the genre to be like trying to dig my eyeballs out with blunt spoons at the cliche of it all. the constant sexualization of dick got old super fast, and her name may have been helena but she wasn't- my list of dislikes is lengthy. but idk, i had fun with it. and imo it does have some genuinely great moments, i love dick in the desert with the baby, the ache i felt when dick wanted to come home and couldn't get ahold of bruce, issue #12 stabs me in the heart- the dick and dami reunion? stoppppp. i feel like this run and the ric grayson era are dick's most out there lmao

so yeah!! thank you so much for this ask, i had sm fun answering it. if you have any recs for me, feel free to drop them :)

#dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #nightwing #red hood #red robin #robin #dc comics #i almost included a fave panel from each rec but i didn't want the post to be even longer #cue answers #anon asks

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punkeropercyjackson · 12 hours

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@cassieopeiia said yes when i offered to repost my afro-dominican Jason Todd headcanons so they could finally have some accurate latino Jason content so here!!

Both sets of his grandparents were inmigrants who made sure to teach their kids their culture and Bruce,Talia and Alfred did research so he could still grow up in it after he was adopted so he's not disconnected from his culture like you'd expect

Is darkskinned with a big nose,full lips,green eyes and shoulder length black dreads with one of them being white from The Lazarus Pit.As Robin,he wore his hair short and natural(as in,his classic curls but even thicker)

Speaks spanish often enough that it's a consistent part of his speech patterns but dosen't have an accent since he's so good at both it and english

90s/2000s anime kid but specifically watched the episodes and read the mangas in latino spanish whenever he could(Definitely a merch collector too!!!Nothing weird though,i feel the need to say that,he just loves buying volumes and figures and replicas of weapons and plushies-The last one is a secret though)

Has his pre-reboot Robin characterization but got victim blamed and a bad rep anyway because of antiblackness and xenophobia

Bullying Tim for being a gringo is one of his favorote hobby's

Duke and him compare their similar yet different experiences with blackness and got along even quicker than canon thanks to it

Mentors Damian's team The All New Teen Titans and next to Damian,the member he's closest to is Nell

Takes great care of his hair and will sometimes wear red beads-He actually has a couple sets in different shades!!!

Says his favorite color is red because it represents blood on his country's flag and nobody can tell wether he's joking or not

Sometimes feels guilty for 'being a stereotype' due to the whole being born to poor parents who were also addicts and growing up to be a huge asshole with anger issues and a thirst for violence but rarely lets it get to him because he thinks he's the coolest mf to ever exist(but we all know he's actually a boyloser)

Aave user,with his favorite word from it being 'deadass'

And he makes the obvious 'Concha' jokes too for irony because he's demisexual and aceflux

Loves his country's cuisine-especially flan,it's tied with neapolitan as his favorite dessert!-but his favorite type of latino food is mexican!Tres leches cake and tacos and burritos and mexican hot chocolate and all that make his mouth water like Atlantis

Wears traditional festive clothes for special occasions and if he can't,he'll just refuse to go("I'm not going out in public in that!" "It's literally a tux???" "You call that a tux?It dosen't even have shoulder pads!Don't patronize me,Dickardo.")

Listens to bachata for nostalgia reasons and has some songs memorized but generally a female rappers/death metal bands/punk rock kinda guy

Black and latino memes connoiseur,both the classics and newer ones

Adores dominican folklore and uses it's horror mythos as inspo as Red Hood

Thinks 'showing affection means you aren't tough!' is gringo nonsense so he's pretty open about if he likes someone,be it platonic or romantic

Poc4Poc strictly and has a thing for black women

The only thing him and Kyle can agree on is that latinos are superior

Very autistic,with no masking game now or ever due to the norms he was raised in never giving him the chance to learn to.It got him bullied at school and things didn't get better into adulthood until we got to my Rhato rewrite and he got to make REAL friends i.e Reconnecting with Eddie and my self-insert Summer Kent(i got into DC through watching Utrh and starting to selfship with him),Robin-ing up Duke and vice versa and meeting Rose,Artemis,Kyle,Thad and a bunch of ocs by @moonage-gaydream @theautisticcentre @refrigeratedboombursts @mayameanderings and @insomniac-jay

Punkero Gótico(Goth Punk)who's a straightedge as trauma coping,seeks out latino/black run thrift stores,goes to basement shows and charity events and protests when he has free time and usually just asks around for them so he can know,wears dominican themed corpse makeup and is an agender transmasc who describes his gender as 'Mostly nonbinary but being a guy makes things funny as hell and Not That Kinda Girl by Mcr describes me pretty well')

His love for classical literatiure ofc includes latino authors and he played JuegosJuegos.com tons as a kid

Calls Talia Mamí,Damian 'Duende',Duke 'El Real'(Real=Spanish for Royal but also means the same thing it does in english so it's basically him saying 'You're so fucking real' like the slang)and Summer 'Strawberry Pop'(Jason has a thing for pink-coded black women specifically m'kay?)

His favorite Marvel character and lucky for him his Marvel Variant too is Miles Morales.He thinks it's Hobie Browm though(PLEASE He's so obsessed with his non-existent coolness and relatedly Duke's actual DC Variant is Duke 'El Real' Thomas)

And his books Variant is Percy Jackson.The only real differences are 1.Percy is transfem instead of transmasc and 2.Jason's arc is about him being a self-made tragedy and highkey bad person who works his ass off to redeem himself and only works when he's not getting coddling and Percy's is about how she's never done anything wrong in her entire life yet gets treated like shit anyway and deserves to be treated kindly for once no matter how strong she is

My fancast for him is Aubrey Joseph.Everything i've watched of him-Acting AND as himself-is literally just irl Jason Todd.There's no better fancast for him out there,we've found Red Hood y'all

If you call him any version of 'Papí' and you're not Talia or one of his kids:'Lights Out Bitch!!!!'

Canon bonus':His birthday is on Dominican Restoration day,at my villa we sell mini packets of neapolitan cream with little spoons at our schools,his Lego movie is called 'Family Matters' which is the name of an iconic black sitcom and Leon from Pokemon's VA voiced him in the Wfa dub!!!

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disniq · 5 months

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i havent read all of the comics post urban legends to gotham war with jason, but as far as i remember between them jason didn't really kill anyone? tfz is on my mind (he tried to kill 'bane' but didn't). i suppose he couldve been murdering off screen as well but i also have no idea if that's hinted at

anyway with tmwsl and the beast war stuff having him kill it means:

urban legends -> stops killing

gotham war -> is brainfuckedup by bruce. cant do shit

tmwsl -> joker unbrainfuckedups him, he proceeds to go ham and kill some goons/tries to kill the jokers

beast world -> still killing in larger amounts

so if bruce had left his ass alone would he still be in a holding pattern with the bats? way to fuck it bruce (though im happy. so.)

obviously the doyalist explanation is they probably realized jason was in a bit of a limbo atm and decided to shake it up again. but watsonian is soooo funny to me. good job b

Thank you for bearing with me anon, I'm finally free from work and mostly compos mentis at the moment, so!

My initial instinct when I got this ask was to disagree, because I didn't read Jason's behaviour in the last issue of MWSL as any more or less violent than he was in the earlier issues, I don't think he ever actually killed anybody in that run (though do correct me if I'm wrong on that), and I'm extremely reluctant to take the Beast World characterisation into account because it's a, uh... reductive view of Jason, at best.

But.

BUT!

As I was turning this over in my head, I realised why it was pinging at my brain.

It's because this exact thing *has happened*, back in RHatOs Rebirth.

Pre-rhato 25 my beloathed, Jason had been consistently using less-lethal methods in exchange for Bruce's implicit approval and regular interaction with the batfam. He specifically says this on panel in The Trial of Batwoman, this is a choice he chooses to make against his own beliefs;

Detective Comics #975

This holds until six months later, when Jason shoots Penguin. And then Bruce famously snaps and beats the everloving shit out of him in a brutal and notably one-sided fight.

After which, Jason changes up his outfit, swaps the guns for a crowbar and a katana, and becomes significantly more lethal again.

RHatO (2016) #25, RHatO (2016) #26

And when I thought about it, well. I think you could argue that each of Jason's more lethal spells are proceeded by an altercation with Bruce.

Brothers in Blood, where Jason plays a murderous, knife-wielding Nightwing to annoy Dick, is the first Jason story after the infamous Under the Hood showdown wherein Bruce chooses to cut Jason's throat instead of... doing literally anything else instead.

Batman: Under the Red Hood, Nightwing (1996) #118

And after working relatively civilly with others throughout Countdown, Jason goes full murder gunbats in Battle for the Cowl after Bruce's delightful little "you're broken and you'll never be fixed" hologram speech.

Battle for the Cowl #3 , Battle for the Cowl #1

Now, I absolutely do not want to come across like I'm saying Bruce is responsible for all Jason's more extreme actions at all, because I'm not about that lack of agency shizzle at all. Obviously Jason was already very much down to kill prior to his final confrontation with Bruce in UtRH, and I think he does genuinely believe some people deserve to die.

But I think this pattern of Jason reacting to Bruce's outright and often violent rejections by escalating the very behaviour that has Bruce repeatedly rejecting him is super interesting as a facet of their continuous cycle of abuse.

So regardless of Beast World, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Jason does lilt more lethal for a hot minute before he inevitably makes consessions to get back into Batman's good books.

#asked and answered #jason todd #bruce wayne critical #my meta

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cologona · 26 days

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If you won some sort of lottery contest and DC allowed you to write a comic run for any character, any topic, no limits, what would your comic be like?

What kinda plot and characters would you want to etch into official DC canon? (Or would you prefer to write an elseworlds kinda thing?)

-redhoodinternaldialectical from the "main" blog

Sorry it took a while to answer this, I got pretty carried away! Jason is my favorite character and the character I know most about, so of course I'd write about him. This is going to be pretty long winded and fanfic-y, hope you don’t mind!

First things first I’m making both UTRH and Lost Days mostly canon again. Jason was a crime lord who did Mean Crime Lord Things for a while and that’s what I’ve decided everyone is referring to when they gesture vaguely to his villainous past.

I’m also bringing back the original “big boob” backstory where Jason makes Bruce laugh on the anniversary of his parents’ death. Catherine was an opioid addict due to illness, Willis was the person who taught Jason about cars (and thus how to jack tires) and Faye Gunn is no longer Jason’s grandma. (I really disliked Ma Gunn’s “redemption” in RHATO.) Just in case, I’m also reiterating Sheila’s role in Jason’s death.

Here’s a few lines I came up with for the Todds:

Jason keeps the letters Willis sent him from prison - the ones Ma Gunn hid- in the same picture frame that holds his Robin graduation photo with Bruce. He loved and resented Willis in equal parts, but mostly he regrets not having gotten more time. It’s all the same with fathers.

Catherine is curled up in bed, her expression is half a grimace. She asks Jason, who is reading a picture-book by her side, to get her ‘medicine’ for her. Jason doesn’t know how else to help her feel better so… that’s exactly what he does. In a moment, he returns with a small heart shaped box and a cup of microwaved soup.

If I can imply in some way that Catherine is in denial about the possibility of her dying I’d like to do that too.

I’m also doing a total overhaul of the All-Caste.

Essence is getting proper Tibetan braids, Ducra is going to wear a khampa chuba instead of her current old coat, and the Acres-of-All are getting reimagined as a towering Ziggurat with all the murals, pillars, curtains, and ornate trim befitting a monastery! The All-caste of memory will be bright and fantastical, but the ruins of the present will be dark and spooky.

Some references for what I'm talking about.

I’m also reframing the “Absolute Evil” part of the All-blades’ description to be an epithet for the Untitled. The sword is not literally judging Goodness and Evilness anymore; now they cut through negative psychic energy Jujutsu Kaisen style. I don’t think I need to spell out a justification for Jason being able to summon them whenever, but for any sticklers I’ll just say it’s because Jason- like the Untitled- has a lot of bad feelings and trace amounts of Dionesium in his system (among assorted other chemicals.)

Since Lost Days is being brought back that means instead of spending an entire 3 years with the All-Caste, Jason only spent a few weeks with them during his world-wide training arc. Ostensibly because a little magic would give him an edge over Batman. Ducra wouldn’t normally just give away powerful magic weapons to any chump with a free weekend, and she knew Jason was dangerous, but since the All-Blades are so specific and the ritual to attain them nigh-unsurvivable she saw an opportunity to use Jason. Sure she's one of the Good Guys, but she's not called a conniving old witch for nothing hoohoo!

Now a few plot ideas for a vague overall mini-arc.

First, Jason goes to ugly lengths to protect or prevent consequences from finding one of his family. Maybe someone threatens their secret identity…? The ‘opponent’ should be someone innocent and/or noble but not easily bought or fought. Maybe Vicki Vale, another Hero, or some kind of wealthy heir. The point is to cast doubt on if Jason’s return to the Bats is really so unquestionably redeeming. Jason has pretty much chosen to betray his morals for them after all.

Then, Jason chooses not to kill a villain who shortly afterwards victimizes more people and skips town before he can get caught. Basically a rehash of Diplomat’s Son except the Garzonas figure gets away. It’s technically a win for Batman- his presence kept Gotham safe after all. But it doesn’t feel like a win, especially not to Jason.

And finally, Jason frames himself for various murders committed by victims against their abusers. Maybe kick the story off with one of Ma Gunn’s boys killing her and telling the cops it was Red Hood in a desperate bid to avoid jail.

Obviously Jason can’t be allowed to do this long-term. It’s a bad precedent to set, an obstruction of justice, etc… Jason hasn’t broken The Big Rule though, and Bruce can only act so sanctimonious when those same complaints could be are made about him as well. There’s no way this ends any other way than Batman running Red Hood out of Gotham again and they both know it, but neither deviates from the path set before them.

One or two “monster of the week” issues where Jason fights various assassins and bounty hunters sent by his more influential enemies might be good- one should occur right after the above story. A consequence for his “return to form” so to speak. Batfamily fans may appreciate a scene where Bruce says something indicating that he ran Jason out for his own safety as well as Gotham’s. Batman may be able to hide in Bruce Wayne’s skin during the day but Jason’s only identity is that of Red Hood, and at times that makes him vulnerable in a way other heroes aren’t. This + some panels contrasting the generic mercenary look of Jason’s guns and equipment with the Bats’ spandex future-tech will be great for showing how separate Jason is from the Bats.

Now while Jason’s out of Gotham again there’s this detail in one of RHATO’s flashbacks that I want to expand on- that being how he used to be able to summon a lot more All-blades.

Red Hood Outlaw 34

“I had a lot of soul back then” - implying that he has a lot less soul now…!?

Jason’s been through a lot, in life sure but also more recently. Fight scenes where the All-blades take the form of daggers would not only be cool and evocative of the wavy dagger Talia gifted him way back when, they’d be good visual sign of his declining emotional state.

Later on as his soul ‘shrinks’ further, I’d give him a pair of mystical guns through which he can channel his All-blades into bullets. If it’s another gift from Talia I’m thinking dark brass revolvers with paisley filigree and a red Endless Knot charm hanging from each handle. If they’re from Essence or S’aru I’m thinking black lacquer and silver cloud-patterned ornamentation, with red coral embedded on either side of the gun. Beautiful Bayonetta-style guns with glowing red veins and a cowboy flair!

antique guns which inspired me

As for what he’s using the All-blades (All-bullets?) for, I think it’d be fun to have Jason exorcising some ghosts. He can solve various murder mysteries, figure out why this place or that person is haunted, and get into fights with horrific otherworldly creatures. Jason is an interesting character to do this premise with because he might just determine that some some spirits should get their revenge, and act on behalf of a ghost rather than erasing it.

I’m not sure whether I’d want to have Essence join him or not… On one hand it only makes sense that Jason would help Isabel and Essence find a way to free themselves from the Blood Blade, and that goal would provide his character with some direction. Then again, Essence/Isabel could be cool as antagonists. Jason might see some ghosts as valid but Essence probably wouldn’t see any merit in appeasing manifestations of lingering resentment. She’s similar to him in that she also turned her back on her family, but she’s different in that she did it because she believed so wholeheartedly in their cause. She’s old and sort of a Jedi, but she’s hot-blooded and she’ll never not be Ducra’s daughter in the same way it seems Jason can never escape Batman’s shadow. I bet she has some real juicy sunk-cost fallacy type thinking too, that’d be fun to dig into.

Anyways I think this is a pretty good set-up to explore the politics/morality of forgiveness. What makes the difference between an injustice and a hatchet that ought to be buried? When is forgiveness empowering and when is it coerced? Who is it that must forgive? Justice vs Revenge, that whole kind of thing.

Other than the supernatural stuff I want Jason working with Talia, and I’m reintroducing Sasha to the post-52 continuity. Duela is getting nixed.

I don’t really have any specific plot ideas for Talia, but I would like to establish Jason as one of her associates. With Lost Days back they have basis for an actual relationship again. They’re not always on the same side but Jason can sometimes do tasks for Talia (outside the purview of Ra’s and the LOA), and Talia can occasionally support Jason with various social power-play type moves.

An instance of Jason getting into a fight with one of the Bats because he’s doing a favor for Talia would be great! I wouldn't write Talia as an evil evil bad horrible dragon lady, so it shouldn’t be a huge blow to Jason’s status as a Good Guy. Also I like the idea of Jason and Talia’s relationship mostly being inferred through their actions supporting one another, rather than directly showing much ‘on-screen’ interaction between them.

Also it’ll be interesting to go into Bruce, Dick, and Damian’s reaction to finding out that they’re not the only ones Jason is loyal to. Bruce thinking Talia was a bad influence on Jason (like fanon), silently frustrated because what he really wants is for Jason to be a full Bat-Believer (like the good old days…). Dick being fine with Jason never falling fully in-line with Bruce, provided that at the end of the day his loyalty belonged to his family.

-brief topical detour to talk about Sasha-

The new timeline of events is that Jason and Sasha met as fellow patients while Jason was in his Vague Villain era. They escaped the hospital building together (Sasha in her bloody dress, and Jason naked save for his skimpy hospital gown dhoti) and having no one else they stuck together. They got close but at some point Sasha lost her memories, giving her a chance at a fresh start. This was around the same time Jason “redeemed” himself and so just like Max Dawkins, ‘Numbers’, and Gabby Christiensen -Sasha became another person from Jason’s past that he didn’t let himself have a relationship with.

Sasha was just old enough that she didn’t have to be sent into foster care, so with some help from Wayne Foundations she got her GED and her feet underneath her. Now… she goes to work, goes to her physical therapy appointments, fights with her mother over the phone, and yes- sometimes she goes to the club.

The new Sasha still has spiky red hair but her face looks entirely normal save for a subtle scar tracing around her jawline and chin- the edges of where her mask used to sit. She wears dark makeup and even darker clothes. She’s prone to false memories and dissociation. She’s lost most of her ability to feel pain. She can’t watch certain shows she used to love anymore because they trigger her. She never returned to Russia. She doesn’t have many friends.

Since this is comics, her reintroduction will come by way of a dramatic fight. Sasha will regain her memories one day and show up out of the blue to fight Jason, angry and heartbroken that he abandoned her. He tries to explain himself but she just says look what they did to my face, referring to the facial reconstructive surgery she was given while amnesiac. She’ll be difficult to fight, not only because being a partial Dollotron gives her enhanced strength but also because she’s being reckless and the longer they fight the more strain and damage her body accrues.

After Jason apologizes and they reconcile (they will both cry) Sasha can become a recurring side character that Jason visits, keeping him grounded and up to date with Gotham. I think it'd be cute for her to bid him farewell by saying she’ll hold the city hostage until he comes back. (Is Sasha going to become Jason’s love interest? No. If I give Jason a love interest it’s going to be Numbers.)

--Going back to the previous topic, I want Sasha’s return to be part of this greater arc of Jason addressing his "shrinking soul" problem. My brain is a little fried now so I’m not exactly sure how but she is related. I think she ought to be.

Jason wants Bruce to be right. He would like for his problem to be fixed by going home and saying sorry. But at the end of my run I want him to face the reality that it’s not about that.

...Perhaps it should be about Jason 'abandoning' Gotham? I don’t really want the final thesis of my run to imply that Jason’s soul would just be fixed if he killed Rogues though, and Jason always came back whenever a big disaster was happening so it doesn't quite fit anyways… Jason does believe in the value of “pure” heroes it’s just not what he’s supposed to be. Whatever his problem's “about” , it ought to prompt Jason to stop taking Bruce’s shit. I'm saying the man is literally breaking Jason's spirit.

I’m sympathetic to Bruce but I wouldn’t write him as a nice father. I would also have scene where a younger Bat accuses Jason of being overdramatic despite 'not even having it the worst’. I don't know who 'has it the worst' but I want to make a statement that you don't need to win the pain-race to be fed up.

Ah anyways, now my brain is really fried. I hope this post was coherent all the way through, I neglected to edit and organize my thoughts as much towards the end. Thank you for asking me such a great question, I had a lot of fun thinking about it! :D

#me rambling so much #i have been holding onto this too long #I did kind of pull and UTRH part 2 electric boogaloo with Sasha didn’t I #except I characterized her as more like fanon/movie Jason #I fixed some of the typos now #oh god I forgot to mention:#I want to have a repeated motif of timekeeping sounds #beeping alarms ticking clocks beating drums #also I want Jason to show off his knowledge of bombs and poisons #Jason’s always making antidotes to shoot people with that ought to be explored #ahhhh the ideas won’t stop coming #jason todd #scarlet sasha #essence dc #headcanons #red hood #put a pin on it #📌

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thecruellestmonth · 1 year

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Jason Todd 2022 fic recs

Some of the best Jason Todd fics that were posted or updated in the year 2022.

"Fail Safe" by Goldmonger - Superman pushes himself training to his limits, as a contingency for the times when he loses his powers. Though Batman is a world-class teacher, a few of the most important lessons are taught instead by 13-year-old Robin (Jason).

"Six of Swords" by campitor - Six vignettes detailing the birth of the Red Hood and the deaths of sons, from UTH to Lost Days. Probably one of the most underappreciated fics I've come across, this story definitely deserves more attention. Character study, canonically villainous Red Hood.

"Bloodstains Won't Make It Matter" by skylarkblue - Black Mask does murder Stephanie Brown. Red Hood resurrects her, and together they walk the path of vengeance. Gruesome deaths, even more gruesome resurrection, shopping, friendship, dramatic flair, villainy, dark themes. (Written for @jaystephevents, no ship).

"Sold to Wonder Woman (by my evil adoptive father Batman)" by JeanjacketCarf - Description: ‘Wonder Woman’ Those two words that became famous and popular. Never did I see myself being bought by her, nor be near her. Being sold, treated like an object, hurt. But being treated more better than you were used to being treated, feels better

"Hood" by CrimeAlley1048 - The Mad Hatter's latest scheme traps Jason and Tim within Jason's mind. Featuring Batfamily-compliant Red Hood.

"Growing Like A Breeze" by whaleofatime - Jason & Bruce cope with Jason's deathday anniversary. The sweetest deathday anniversary fic of all time.

"BATMAN HITS THE RED HOOD WITH HIS BATARANG" by redboard (Ink) - Batman: Under the Red Hood: The Movie: The Dice Game.

"Alternative Means of Acquisition" by Imbecamiel - Jason helps Bruce during a visit to LexCorp. Set during the Robin days.

"won't ask you to survive me" by katadesmoi - Talia & Jason, prelude to UtH, just 758 words. In which Jason carves himself a weapon, and Talia tries to keep things from breaking.

"Upside Down" by withthekeyisking - Dick is transformed into his 8-year-old, newly orphaned runaway self, and Jason must earn his trust.

Neighbours by Aingeal98 - The mysterious Shiva and her young daughter move in next door to civilian Bruce and his young son Jason. Shiva and Bruce become extremely involved PTA parents, Cass and Jason become adorable friends. Take notes on how this fic writes Lady Shiva, this is how you write Lady Shiva. Great characterization for all involved. Cass and Shiva are the stars of the show, and Jason is a solid supporting character. (Unlike the other fics here which are completed, this story is an ongoing work in progress for now, but it's the kind of story that is enjoyable even without having an ending yet.)

"Come Little Children" by TravelingRiversideBlues - A certain kid meets Batman in Crime Alley. Major character death.

"a ghost in the grey daylight" by Goldmonger - Following the events of UtRH, Batman places Jason in Arkham Asylum. Stream of consciousness. Red Hood meets Wide Sargasso Sea + Arkham Asylum: Living Hell. Not a happy story. Jason and Bruce do terrible stuff in this one, some other characters are complicit to varying degrees.

"Late Night Langoustining" by whaleofatime - Jason nurses an abused supermarket lobster back to health in his apartment bathroom. Chaotic good Red Hood.

"Home Intrusion" by daedalusdavinci - Dick & Jason. Dick feels overwhelmed by depression, Jason is a chaotic blend of unapologetically annoying and insufferably caring. <3

"One Rule" by Wisetypewriter - After a pimp is murdered in Crime Alley, Batman goes looking for Red Hood. Normally I don't read fic that uses Lobdell's RHatO canon, but this story actually makes interesting use of Faye Gunn as Jason's paternal grandmother. Contains references and descriptions of familial abuse.

we're in this mellow mayhem together by atlasky - A slice-of-life series in which Jason has a close relationship with Hal Jordan, Green Lantern. Told from Hal's point of view, this story will make you love Hal if you don't already. The latest installment was posted this year.

Honorable mentions:

"A little more heart and soul" by ruesyblues - What do you do when the brother you raised and loved and left now seems to be withdrawing and you want the best for him but you're not sure if you did the right thing and oh fuck what if you made a mistake?? (Dick wants Damian to be happy. He just has no clue how to accomplish that.)

"seven ways to defrost yourself" by nashequilibrium - This one is more about Alex DeWitt, featuring Jason and Steph.

"The Bowery Branch" by ivy_and_ivory - When he’s eleven, Jason Todd becomes a regular at the Bowery Branch Public Library. This is his life, through their eyes.

"lonely town" by TheResurrectionist - After Robin is murdered, Nightwing seeks out the Joker on his own. Major character death, intense grief, death ideation, extreme peril, self-destructive behavior. Jason's minor role as a supporting character is short and sweet.

"By Any Other Name" by ManURonaldo - Jason thinks of Bruce and Batman as separate people. Mostly fluff, Red Hood is part of the Batfamily.

"the clay steals the clay" by zipadeea - Bruce & Jason. Sweet fluffy feel-good goop with the softest Batdad and a Catholic homily. Alternate reunion, takes place just before UtH.

"Fabric Softener" by ceruleon - Dick & Jason. As the title implies, this story is way soft. Feel-good fluff.

"Red X" by ilovelegendsalot - A rather painstakingly canon-compliant Teen Titans 2003 cartoon fic, in which Jason Todd steals the Red X suit from his older brother.

"I Never Give As Much As I Get" by raggedybun - Red Hood's Task Force Z ends with a bang. Harvey Dent decides to repay the favor.

"It's Tomb Time" by FleetSparrow - Very tiny fic. When Dick and Jason have to investigate an old tomb, Jason doesn't like it one bit. And makes it known. Repeatedly.

"You're Just A Baby, You Can Not Fly" by BabblingBookends - Batman visits Jason's grave to say goodbye to his partner.

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pluckyredhead · 11 months

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Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (2011)

It's been a while since I've read RHATO, so I figured I'd reread it - and if I'm doing that, why not make you all suffer with me? I will probably get tired of this before I finish all the various series, but let's see how far we get.

Roy, that would probably work better if your bow had a string.

The issue begins with Roy in a prison in Qurac for trying to overthrow a dictator. He's rescued by Jason, in disguise as a pastor in a fat suit (sigh). There's so much wrong with these opening pages: the fat suit, the writing off an entire Middle Eastern nation as evil and corrupt, the fact that there's no way even a collapsed bow would fit inside a hollowed-out bible, the lazy way the panel layouts waste space...and yet. And yet.

These pages. THESE FUCKING PAGES. "His name is Roy Harper. He's an idiot. Nice guy, but an idiot." "His name is Jason Todd. A lot of people say he's crazy...Let's just say the Red Hood is my kind of crazy!"

This kind of parallel narration always makes me think of the 2003 Superman/Batman comic, which used it extensively, to extremely (and likely unintentionally?) homoerotic effect. After I read this issue, I told a friend that I got it now: Red Hood and the Outlaws was Superman/Batman for edgelords.

Which is to say, I'm pretty sure I started shipping these assholes just from these first terrible pages.

(But seriously, there are three pages up there and only five panels. Five panels! Plus some pointless maroon boxes that don't do anything! I want my money back.)

This panel is super misleading, because it implies that Roy and Jason know each other well enough for Jason to tease Roy about being a chatterbox, but later issues will show that barely know each other at this point. But then, trying to keep the backstories straight in this or any Lobdell book is like watching sand run out between your fingers.

And again here, it implies that they were already friends, a team, partners...something. But later we'll learn that they only met once, and it was years ago, when they were kids, so...what gives?

(This page is actually interesting, because Jason is constantly saying playfully mean things to Roy and Roy never seems to mind, but here he clearly hurts Roy, and he knows it.)

Siiiiigh.

To add insult to injury, Jason immediately announces that he's fucked Kori. You'll notice I aggressively ignore this in every fic I've ever written. Part of that is because I love Secret Virgin Jason, but also it just doesn't mesh with his and Kori's relationship throughout the rest of the series or his hilarious lack of game in general, and it's also so inextricably part of Amnesiac Sex Doll Kori that I just want nothing to do with it.

HATE. HAAAAAATE. The devious smile on Jason's face in the bottom row and Roy's calculating expression are so deeply disgusting to me. "This woman can't meaningly consent! She's like a cave fish with a vagina! Sweet!" Scott Lobdell is a vile human being and so is everyone who signed off on this piece of shit. (Fun fact: this was a HUGE controversy when the New 52 launched and the outcry was so loud they walked it back in a later issue when Kori tells Roy she...just lied about all of that for no reason? Okay.)

Also, "ask her about the gang you used to hang with." Uh...what gang is that, Jason? Because Donna didn't exist at this point, Wally was 12, Garth was a literal baby, Vic joined the League immediately upon getting his powers, and Gar was a child being tortured in a lab somewhere. So was it just Roy, Dick, and Raven? And they certainly weren't the Titans, because Tim's team was the founders in this continuity...which Lobdell should have known, since he was also writing that book.

The person asking to speak to Jason is Essence, his ex, who tells him something cryptic about murder victims with missing organs.

YOU DON'T KNOW MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE EITHER, ROY!!! "Remember Garth? The baby?" (Literally, he is a baby who shows up for one panel. In Atlantis.) And who the fuck is Dustin?

Anyway, Kori propositions Roy and he's like "Sure, why not." Did the target audience actually think this was hot? It's so depressing.

Essence tells Jason that something called the Untitled has attacked something called the All Caste, and Jason makes a surprised Pikachu face.

Elsewhere, a guy in a basement looks at a picture of Kori online.

I will admit to liking two things about this page: the fact that Jason's helmet is in the nightstand implies that Roy and Kori fucked in Jason's bed, which is either hilariously rude or an invitation that sailed right over Jason's head, and the red hand print on Roy's chest. It's the first glimpse of a recognizable Roy in this book; he did always like getting manhandled by scarily powerful women, pre-Flashpoint.

Jason goes...somewhere, to a temple of sorts with a lot of vague cultural appropriation going on, and kneels over the corpse of an old lady. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, Ducra," he says, before a bunch of people attack him. END OF ISSUE!

And that's Red Hood and the Outlaws #1! It's confusing, misogynistic, lazily drawn, and not very funny, and there's no reason to be invested in whatever the fuck happened at the end because I know nothing about Ducra, Essence, the All Caste, or frankly, this version of Jason. And yet I am absolutely going to read nine more years' worth of this shit. See you in issue #2!

#rhato reread #red hood and the outlaws #jason todd #red hood #roy harper #arsenal #starfire

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evilwickedme · 1 year

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Top 10 worst Bruce dad moments?

So here's the thing. I'm not actually like. That well versed in the comics yet? Again like. Only been here for about six months. But I'll do my best anyway

10. Firing Dick

HE FIRED DICK FROM BEING ROBIN. THE NICKNAME HIS MOTHER GAVE HIM. THEN GAVE SAID NICKNAME TO ANOTHER CHILD. WHAT THE FUCK.

9. Steph as Robin

Honestly everything about this is a mess. I've only read a few pages from this arc but Tim quitting being Robin was a really difficult decision and Bruce's response was to give the job to Tim's sort-of-ex girlfriend and then treat her like crap. I believe it's canonically cause she reminded him too much of Jason, but that might just be the fandom's reading of the subtext; either way, if the shoe fits...

8. Telling Damian if he was there, Alfred wouldn't have died

What the FUCK, Bruce, that is your SON. COMFORT HIM FOR THE LOSS OF HIS GRANDFATHER

7. Robin!Tim in general

Listen intentional or not Tim is written as a character that has very much internalized needing to be useful being more important than anything else. His parents simply prioritize work over him point blank - his dad doesn't even remember his birthday, for God's sake - and Bruce simply like. Does not help with this. If anything he takes advantage of it. Tim needs to be loved unconditionally, like, STAT, like, that would fix 70% of his identity issues kinda STAT, and I'm not sure he's ever felt that with Bruce

6. Free space: any time he's hit one of his children that I don't know about

I once reblogged a post that detailed every time he hit Dick but that's long gone into the ether now, I can't find it. Anyway there's no excuse to hit your child. Don't fucking do it. They shouldn't hit you, either, doesn't make it ok for you to do if they've done it fyi. Batman can do non violent solutions, we know this, so fucking use those on your children.

5. Reviving the joker

I believe Dick isn't necessarily mad about not having murdered a man basically in cold blood, but I am. What the fuck, Bruce. You tried to kill him twice, you really wanna tell me you don't understand the urge and NEED to kill him??? And then you BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE??? Again. As I've said. What the FUCK

4. Killing Dick and sending him off to Spyral

Actually Dick shouldn't ever forgive Bruce for anything he's ever done to him ever. Have you seen the panels where they have this argument? His family GRIEVES him and for what!!!! For WHAT

(I understand Grayson itself is actually great I wouldn't know I haven't read it. Doesn't make what Bruce did okay tho. I'm also not sure I trust the positive reviews it's written by Tim Seeley and Tom King like......)

3. RHatO Rebirth #25

Penguin didn't fucking die. He didn't get shot in the face with a real bullet. You don't beat your son half to death to the point where he needs to be RESCUED from you - actually no need to qualify that sentence with the intended "over something that didn't actually happen", you simply don't beat your son half to death, should be a no brainer and YET

2. UTRH end scene

Heartbreaking. We all know at this point. Batarang to the throat. Chooses the Joker over Jason. It's enough to make a fully grown (25 next month) man (eh) cry (I mean. Yeah)

1. INTENTIONALLY TRIGGERING JASON

See here for the ask where I talked about this (and which is presumably the ask that led to this anon). Taking Jason to Ethiopia with no warning when he's cooperating anyway just to intentionally trigger him in order to try to get Damian back to life when you never did anything like that for Jason? Holy fucking shit, you know? Just betrayal after betrayal after betrayal

Anyway I'm sure this list is missing some major moments and I'd love to know what I forgot about or, more likely, simply don't know about! I love a well written good dad!Bruce fic but lbr that's just not what he's like in canon. Calling him a mixed bag as a father figure is an understatement

#batfam #batman #bruce wayne #jason todd #dick grayson #tim drake #stephanie brown #damian wayne #utrh #rhato #dc #gail speaks #ask #anonymous #don't ask me what the top ten good dad moments are #I'll just list Bruce trying to kill the Joker in a death in the family ten times #dc meta

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oifaaa · 1 year

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Please tell me how Roy’s characterisation was massacred for N52.

I understand how Jason and Roy’s relationship can be annoying where Roy never questions Jason and just follows him around blindly, never second guessing him. Roy is hard on himself and lacks self esteem and so thinks highly of Jason when really he should be angry, maybe even jealous of the power (all caste magic) Jason has. Then i get confused because I’d think someone going through a bout of depression and self hate and self medicating would have low self esteem and would think everyone is better than them and that they are a fuck up so isn’t that accurate portrayal of how awful Roy’s situation is?? Doesn’t that show the way Roy struggles just as he has pre N52?

Additionally Jason always compliments Roy on his greatness and abilities (Not in person which is annoying because grr he has to be manly and can’t compliment a friend) but in his little thought bubbles he’s always talking about how great Roy is and how grateful he is to have him.

Now this is where I get more confused because surely Roy respects Jason and through Jason’s monologues he clearly respects Roy though he may not say it out loud. The point is, people exaggerate so much how Roy is used as a crutch for Jason to look cool but Jason is constantly mentioning Roy and how important he is for the team. (Though I won’t deny there are times he may call him a goofball or undermine him but I mean cmon it’s literally ‘Red Hood’ and the outlaws, not ‘Titans’ where they’re equals, so it’s understandable that Jason would have swords and magic and stuff and save the day whilst Roy is not the main character). Idk I just haven’t noticed Roys character being MASSACRED when he’s with Jason.

People say Roy’s biggest trauma is having to be with Jason but I don’t know why that’s so bad like don’t just say it’s shit writing, fucking give me the evidence. (Sorry for the rant no offense to you what so ever). If the writing is so bad then blame the writer idk why Jason gets so much hate.

Anyway, please tell me how and why Rhato is the worst comics because I don’t think it’s that bad personally and I’d get shit for saying that.

Ps. This isn’t even about JayRoy or Lobdells disgusting history it’s literally just about why Rhato gets so much hate. I’m so confused so please explain /gen.

Thank you, have a nice day :)

Okay im gonna start this off by saying I think your looking at this the wrong way, your treating RHATO as just a stand alone story and if you want to know why people hate it you have to look at it in the broader context of it being a continuation of three different characters stories bc that is what it is - kory Roy and Jason are all pre established characters with rich backgrounds and personalities that have been building up for decades if you ignore these histories your gonna get push back from fans and Lobdell actually took it one step further

I'm gonna be short and sweet with this bc people more knowledgeable about roys character can put it way better then me but lets get straight to the point - the reason why people say Roy harper was massacred in RHATO is bc his whole character was changed- his back story, his relationships, his addiction, a lot of his personality and hell even his tattoos were changed and changed for the worse as a lot of it seemed to get done just to better suit Jason who was also changed a lot by lobdell but not to the extent that Roy was - a lot of it comes off like lobdell didn't even bother to read any comics with Roy in them before he decided to try and shove him into a role that wasn't suited for him which if your a long time Roy fan watching a character you adore get a complete overhaul just so he fits with the character the author uses as a self insert your gonna be a wee bit agitated

When your writing stories in the dc universe you have to be careful as a lot of these characters are main characters in their own right when they team up together sure you can focus on one more then the others but you have to be at least abit aware of each of the characters your including back stories motivations and personalities and what lobdell did was use the fact that the new 52 just happened as an excuse to create whole new characters with the same names as these much loved pre established characters and this rightfully pissed off a lot of people who loved these characters especially bc the things that happened in the n52 have had a lasting effect as these are the comics newer fans are reading and if your favourite character has been given a complete overhaul into a character you no longer recognise too bad a lot of people are gonna go forward only seeing Roy as Jason Todd's side character the guy in the baseball cap

#ask #anon #im one of those people that hate RHATO with a passion #i dont acknowledge it even exists half the time #but yeah if you like RHATO thats fine #nothings stopping you from liking it #just be aware that theres a reason why people dont like these comics #like i didnt even get into kory who imo had it the worst #like all these characters have been damaged by RHATO #but theres definitely a tear system #with jason at the bottom #then roy and at the top kori #and yeah i didnt get into the other stuff that makes RHATO the worst #but this post is already so long #and im not particularly fond of long posts so ill end it here

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northsealight · 4 months

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Hey, when you said RHATO Jason is the worst version on your last ask, were you referring to the first comic, second comic, or the Webtoon? (Honestly annoyed the Webtoon took that name, makes things even more confusing)

I have problems with all 3 (Webtoon most of all for sure, with the second and first switching places behind it based on what characters or plots I’m thinking about tbh), but I was just curious haha

oh. oh. oh you're not ready for this. I've been trying this entire week to find a good time to air out my thoughts:

so! in my opinion (again, this is not shaming anyone for liking what they like! if you happen to like RHATO!jason all the more power to you! dont read this!) all three reiterations of RHATO!Jason .. are not great. the one I think might have potential to be salvaged is the second one with Artemis and bizarro! (although roy harper is in my heart of hearts)

the way Jason is written in rhato... the rhato written by Scott Lobdell anyway, (who is actually a sexual predator and when you start to think even a LITTLE about how the women are written in RHATO makes so much sense) portrays Jason as yet another cookie cutter anti-hero-deadpool-esque personality who's mainly confined by the narrative restraints of his character.

I say this because hes so.... the way he goes about his vigilantism is so .. shallow. It's like the narrative is finding excuses to make him violent so the reader can be stimulated with Michale Bay explosions lol. You hardly see any stories in there where Jason is an actual champion for the people, and you hardly see his background as a street kid come into play... its like... he became... a vigilante because....he knows how the system can fail those... alienated and forgotten by those sworn to protect them... and thus channels his energy into said people through acts of radical protection... (also because the whole bruce thing yeah I know)

I keep thinking about injustice!Jason's monologue where he literally says something along the lines of "while bruce and clark were fighting I fought for the people who were being caught up in the whole thing" like if that doesn't just tell you who he is idk what will! and sure, injustice isn't Jason source material, so look at under the red hood! he literally becomes a drug kingpin TO CONTROL crime ... and then instead of getting these immense shows of care he has for the community in RHATO, we get panels like this:

like ok get it I guess 😭😭😭😭

this is the new and improved Jason!! he's suave.. hes American... he's... just like every other antihero now!!

I don't know how to explain it without sounding like an idiot- best bet is to read the comics yourself to kinda get what im saying! but even rebirth Jason is (kind of) getting what RHATO Jason doesn't-- he's a product of his huge heart. rebirth Jason has countless stories where we see how Jason ACTUALLY operates as red hood, and what his symbol means to the citizens of Gotham!

if you pour too much grit and "edginess" into Jason, then you kind of miss what he's all about- he can still be silly and sarcastic! in fact, one of my favorite Jason moments is from red hood: lost days, a series where he's portrayed as an edgy, "misfit" ruffian:

like. hello this is hilarious. and we can still have moments like these while balancing his emotional range as a vigilante that's motivated by his big fat heart! (ignoring the fact that he slept with Talia in the next issue 😭 Jason fans can't have shit 😭)

but anyway! ill likely add more when I'm not feeling so tired, but god!! is it so hard to show Jason's propensity for kindness!! is it so hard to realize that his character to the core is revolved around a deep understanding for others based on personal experience!!

there's a reason why DC (in the rare moments when they know what to do with his character) always writes stories with Jason consoling children, or Jason being good with kids in dangerous situations!

it's because he's been there before. he's felt the grief and confusion of being helpless in a situation of his control. he's felt the consequences of adults who were supposed to protect and raise him! he's been killed for daring to cling on to the notion of trust even after all he's been through!

and I don't know, I think his dedication to the people, children especially, is his way of forgiving himself- his way of telling little Jason that it wasn't his fault.

#I went a little crazy midway through but I hope this answers your q!#and I hope it makes sense. I swear im more coherent when I have my thoughts together #the last panel actually makes me sob god above what the hell is that and why are my eyes sweating #Jason robin :(((((#Jason todd #vee's soapbox #asks #thank you for the question btw!! I love answering qs like this #batman #red hood and the outlaws #under the red hood #red hood lost days #red hood

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hopefulstarfire · 2 years

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Okay so I gotta talk about this now.

So I understand the criticisms of people going against the portrayal of Jasons Robin in the new RHATO webtoon and the more reckless side coming out while they're looking for the artifact with the "dangerous? Please" comments.

So, we don't see as much of Jason as Robin in that beginning moment. He gets a couple lines. One asking what the world ever did for him or his parents, and one kind of teasing Batman.

I actually kind of agree with that statement. Now, I do believe that Jason as Robin was a happy kid who believed being Robin gave him magic and had so much love in his heart and compassion. I go off about how he wasnt the angry, impulsive Robin people make him out to be;

But that doesn't mean he didn't grow up on the streets of Gotham without his parents. That doesn't mean he doesn't realize how rough it is out there.

This also was a conversation that actually does really well with Bruce and kind of highlight the light and love in Bruce and how he's trying to help Jason, because he knows Jason has seen the toughest reality but that there is good in the world. Bruce helped shape Jason and helped him feel safe and secure enough to be a happier kid, full of energy and loving to read.

What this early part of the comic reads as is something that happens after Jason completes his training. Like something that happens the first night Bruce takes Jason out with him; the final lesson before he's actually thrust into the role of a sidekick in the field.

Bruce and Jason have a lot of similarities when you look at them and I do think it's because Bruce had a profound impact on Jasons development as a person. Again, he was a kid constantly living in survival mode until he was given a sense of security by being adopted. It's not perfect security, he's still fighting supervillains, but he's okay enough to let his guard down and let people in. This could actually us seeing that side of Jason starting to come out, one that wants to heal and see the good in the world and have that joy that he was never safe enough to truly have.

(I'm more angry about the "We didn't feel like a family" part because shut up yes they were. Bruce did his best and also ALFREDS RIGHT THERE. But Jasons also now looking back on his past with other complex traumas that have arisen since he was adopted and is still healing from the trauma of his life before Bruce. So there might be reason for that).

As for the reckless bit, yeah, no, that scene read...weirdly to me. I didn't like it. However, looking back, I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible that Jason knew they were being watched and decided to act dumb.

See, Jasons a meticulous planner. And there's no doubt he knows that he has a little bit of an advantage of people read him wrong; people see him as the angry, impulsive jackass who goes in guns literally ablazing. He knows he's not.

However, he can use that to his advantage. Keep people from figuring out he's on to them. Make them underestimate his abilities as a detective and fighter by playing into that role, while he's digging around for the truth. After all, of course he's gonna question why Huntress' supossedly dead father just randomly showed up and sent him on a mission. Artemis knows something is up and isn't afraid to say so, but Jason might be playing along until he can turn the tables on Bertinelli once hes got the pieces together.

At least, that's what I'm hoping it's gonna end up being. Because that would actually be really good writing but that's just me. Or that if that's not the case, then whatever that comment was doesn't happen in later chapters (I've only read the first 3 that have just released, not the early access ones).

All in all, still hopeful and still enjoying what I'm reading.

#kenz musings #rhato #red hood #red hood and the outlaws #jason todd #anyways thats just my thoughts #dc #batfam #this is also me being hopeful and trying to do some analysis there #bc i think they can be done right w jason and im hopeful im reading into it correctly #still enjoying what im reading tho esp with bizarro in a cowboy hat riding a pterodactyl #that shit was amazing i dont care who you are

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yvtro · 1 year

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Question related to another post

https://at.tumblr.com/yvtro/imo-the-more-interesting-timjason-dynamic-is/0qnzymvlqmbd

How long was Jason dead for and how long was he away for? Because in the comics he always seems to look 15-16 (to me) when he dies but comes back as like a mid 20s guy, which seems odd? Like when he comes back shouldn't it create a situation where he is now closer in age to Tim and even younger than Dick? I mean the guy wasn't aging physically or mentally while dead, he was dead.

i think your question shows very well how much dc fucked up.

tldr: dies at 15, is dead for half a year, catatonic for around a year, lazarus pit, goes back to gotham intending to kill bruce at 17/18 (and resigns), training, becomes red hood at 19 (and this is how old he is in utrh.)

edit: as @tumblingxelian noticed, there’s actually more evidence that jay would be 18 (or even still 17) in utrh, since it closely follows an arc wherein bruce tells cass that it would be his 18th birthday were he alive. i think the assumption that he would have to be 19 comes from the lost days and flashbacks in rhato wherein he spends much more time training before going back to gotham (unless someone has a source outright stating he was 19? let me know)

as it is with comics, there’s some space for questioning (writers have given him different years of birth and some comics mention different years of his death, for example: barr indicates he was born in 1974, and years later a death certificate from batman annual #25 says he died in 1986. but obviously he was not 12 when he died.) but the age of 15 for his death is clearly stated in the batman files.

(note that rebirth briefly retconned the timeline so that he became robin when he was… 16, so you might see some panels like that. but they quickly went back to the original version)

btw, the readers of batman back in 2004 must have been just as confused as you are (at least at first), because at this point there was no context provided as to why jason was a whole adult and how he came back. winick did not really care about jason’s legacy as robin nor his previous comics at all, and the annual (and lost days) in which it’s all explained read like an afterthought…

also both the writers and the artists routinely make him seem much older. lobdell, who was on rhato for like… a decade, said he had no idea how old jay was. personally i believe it’s because for most of them jason is a self-insert power fantasy of an edgier version of batman, and they’re obviously middle aged/old men.

this turned into a rant— but hope it clears things out:)

#mid 20s… 😭#i get where you are coming from! not laughing at you #rather at dc #answered #dc comics

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autisticcassandracain · 2 years

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Batfam rated by how good their solos/comics they have a primary role in are (based on what I've read and my opinions):

Cassandra Cain: Batgirl (2000) FUCKS, it's the best Batfam comic, I will not be taking criticism at this time. Even the post-Flashpoint and Evil Cass nonsense won't take this spot from her.

Duke Thomas: We Are Robin is SO good for the first six issues and okay for most of it afterwards. Batman & The Signal is pretty good. I really hate his Secret Files but that's only one issue, do he's here due to a lack of bad comics and having some pretty good ones.

Bruce Wayne: He's here solely because he's got so many fucking comics statistically at least some are great. Some of his comics are better than Duke's but also he's got some fucking awful ones so he's below him for that.

Damian Wayne: Robin: Son of Batman's first 6 issues are some of my favourites in comics, the rest is pretty good. His post-flashpoint Batman & Robin is generally pretty good. Robin (2021) was boring to me and I didn't bother keeping up with it so who knows it could be good now maybe possibly I guess. His Pre-Flashpoint Batman & Robin sucks ass for the entire Morrison run and is okay afterwards. Overall most of the other series he's been in have ranged from meh to ugh. Has some highlights but is mostly in the pretty mediocre or bad range.

Barbara Gordon: Admittedly haven't read through all of Birds of Prey but what I read was pretty good. Oracle: Year One CARRIES her spot though I'm cheating bc its a short story not a full comic but it's SO good I love it so much. Sadly she's got all the post-flashpoint nonsense dragging her down.

Dick Grayson: Look he's been in some pretty good stuff but imo it was not usually good because of him if you get what I mean. Also his solos have been long as hell but I've never read any where I was like 'yeah this is great!' It's always been fine or pretty good at best. Has some decent Robin stories and some pretty good Batman ones though. Was a victim of Devin Grayson and is getting points reducted for that.

Stephanie Brown: Her Batgirl solo is pretty good but nothing spectacular. I haven't been reading the current Batgirls series so that's all this ranking is based on. Perfectly serviceable, not horrific to read.

Tim Drake: His Robin solo sucks ass sorry to Tim enjoyers but I simply do not like it. I haven't read all of it but I've read enough to make the call that I don't want to read more. Haven't read his Red Robin solo so that's not adding or subtracting to the ranking.

Jason Todd: This man has never gotten a single good comic. Under The Red Hood was fine but Jason fans are so obnoxious about it it's retroactively made me hate it. I'm sorry but RHATO was his longest running solo this man's comics have no rights

#This post will either get completely ignored or obnoxiously argued with #Listen reading up on cass and duke was enjoyable reading up on Damian mostly not reading up on the reast an active chore #Bruce is excluded bc i havent actually read up on him i just sometimes happen to read him #Wait babs reading was fine too but kinda meh tbh #My posts #Not tagging this

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punkeropercyjackson · 3 months

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'Fixing Jason story by giving him proper relathionships'......Hmmm,let me think over his canon relathionships as someone who's read every issue he's appeared in and watched all his animated adaptions and playthroughs of Lego DC games and Injustice

The other Batboy he's closest to and likes the best is Duke and their dynamic is respectful to both their characters.His canon love interests are Rose,Artemis and Dana and those romances were all healthy and consensual on all sides and had many cute and funny interactions.Stephanie and him are close friends that bonded over their similarities but had realistically paced development and bounce off eachother well with no romantic undertones to show platonic love between men and women.Him and Dick are on and off friendly and it makes sense considering their aligments but there's clearly brotherly love lingering from their Robin and Discowing days.His relathionship with Damian post-redemption arc is a great example of what very young little brother/way older big brother should be like.Talia is his mom figure and has been since his Robin days and the one bad scene between them has been decanonized and admitted as a mistake on the writer's part

Jason dosen't really have any relathionships outside of them-Him and Bruce are complex at best,Cass hates him and he knows better than to try her,Babs was too busy being Oracle to befriend him when he joined the Batfam,Tim and him being besties at any point in their timelines is widely ooc on both their parts and they've always disliked eachother for logical reasons considering their personalities and all those awful things og Rhato did to Roy and Kory have been rebooted.What is there to fix then?

Oh,i see the problem now!Duke and Dana are black,Rose is wasian with the asian part being a kind that isn't desirable for fetishization,Artemis Dick Damian and Talia are brown and Stephanie is a young girl/woman who's written as an actual person instead of just Jason's quirky sidekick or bimbo gf or tsundere gf.And that's just not right!Good male characters like Jason are supposed to be surrounded by other white people and women who aren't written beyond stereotypes and him being the token white boy in his own story just isn't right,that's not the traditional way!

When you say 'fixing',say what you really mean with your whole chest:Whitewashing.Just because you can't see poc and women and ESPECIALLY not those of us who're both as your friends or family or lovers dosen't mean Jason can't either,you racist and misogynistic cunts

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roseworth · 1 year

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What is it with the three "bad" Robins and their lack of friends :( they deserve to have a lot of friends and connection with other heroes outside of Gotham. Like don't you think it makes sense for them to have a lot of friends, Steph with her personality and Jason + Damian with the lack of them during their childhood. It makes sense but dc >:(

oh my god youre gonna regret sending me this because i have so much to say

first of all youre literally so right :( its so upsetting that they dont get to have meaningful connections to other people because they've all been heroes for a long time so its fucked up that they dont get friends!!

like with jason he honestly just. didnt have enough time to make friends when he was robin :( he had eddie because eddie was like the only other sidekick at the time that wasnt a titan. like if jason lived he would've probably been friends with young justice (and honestly. just the thought of that feels wrong fhksajfhafk the idea of jason being friends with yj just does not sit right with me) but there just. weren't enough other heroes his age at the time for him to be friends with anyone as robin :( THEN when he came back obv he didnt have friends until rhato but even then???? they put him with roy and kory who both had to be written out of character just for it to make sense for him to be friends with them. so he was really fucked over in that regard (but not as much as roy and kory were fucked over) then he was friends with bizarro and artemis and??? obv bizarro wasnt going to exist much outside of rhato, and as an amazon artemis isnt really going to be hanging out with jason or anything outside of one of his books. so he just??? doesnt get to have friends that make sense and he doesnt form meaningful friendships since the people hes been paired with dont have lasting power in their relationships with him :(

STEPH however. it literally makes me so sad that she doesnt have friends because!!!! she had SO many friends in batgirl 2009 !!! she was constantly teaming up with other people and working with others and doing so many good things :( the last issue has a team up with her, supergirl, miss martian, bombshell, and stargirl and!!! i think about that team up all the time :( :( not to mention someone told me one time that the writer planned a team up with steph kara and mia but they weren't able to do it because the universe reset >:( steph had so many friends and then she was wiped out of existence after the new52 :(!!!!! she was besties with kara in that book and now they dont even know each other :( :( :( and she doesnt have any friends outside of gotham anymore because she didnt exist for years and hasn't been written well ever since :( im fine. its fine. im fine.

and damian. oh my god. its literally so fucked up. dont get me wrong i LOVE his friendship with jon but. oh my god. damian just does not have people other than jon :( he even had a teen titans team and then????? the writer made him super evil and had him like?? run a private prison in the tower or something??? idk i refuse to read the book. but he could have been FRIENDS with them!!! he WAS friends with them!!! but nooooooo damian is the evil robin! he cant have friends hes mean and no one likes him! /s :( he could have been friends with them if the writer was just normal about it. not to mention!!! even his friendship with jon is so sad bc they aged jon up and now their dynamic is just. completely different. so damian basically gets left behind by his friend that suddenly aged like 8 years without him and now its all completely different :(

i just. ugh. the only reason they dont have friends is because dc and the writers are basically working against them and not giving them people that they could actually form relationships with or theyre fucking them over and taking people away from them. it literally makes me so upset and i love these three so much i am going to kill someone about it

#im sorry for the rant but im not really that sorry #i have a lot to say. i am insane about this.#dc

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buniyaad · 5 months

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I’ve seen your post abt injustice and Jon Kent and Ultraman and do you really ally think that the writers would have gone as far as to make Jon an SA survivor? I’m pretty sure that’s way too dark for modern DC, the backlash would have been immense.

i think the writers ARE implying it though, despite whatever censorship guidelines are in place. i myself didn’t think bendis’ initial write-up would stick because it’s just too open-ended. a grown man kidnaps a child and sticks him into a volcano only he has access to, to do what? that’s a fair question to ponder bc the storytelling with jon post-volcano in the bendis run reads more like a war veteran returning home than anything else. we just never saw WHAT kind of war jon was fighting.

there have been multiple openings since bendis left for editorial to undo what he first kicked off. both phillip kennedy johnson and tom taylor had a chance to retcon or take the story in a different direction, but didn’t. instead, kennedy johnson used jon’s desperation not to lose his daddy to fuel clark’s own manpain. taylor then went ahead and doubled down on bendis’s initial tidbits about the emotional and physical abuse, and then developed it more towards an emotionally incestuous dynamic where ultraman’s key method of abuse was using jon as therapy dog. lots of fancanon depicts ultraman grooming him into a mini soldier or torturing him for a reaction, but we don’t see that with bendis, kennedy johnson, OR taylor. if anything, it’s pretty consistent since the initial age-up to now that ultraman’s core driver with jon is his desire to own him, and using emotional, physical, and sexual violence isn’t really off-brand with someone like kal il. jon, in return, is obsessive about his parents bc of the trauma he’s carrying.

then, in aosjk, taylor went about as close to a confirmation as i think we’ll ever get about his abuse because ultraman once again had no desire to groom jon into a monster to sic him on our superman. his desire was to take him back to the volcano and play with him, which is about as close to an implicit rape threat as anyone’s ever gonna get because because you’re probably right. i don’t think editorial would ever have anyone outright SAY jon was a victim of child sex abuse, because i don’t think anyone in editorial really cares about his character enough to explore it.

but i do appreciate how writers were at least able to hold the strings together from bendis until now to at least close out the ultraman angle by showing his obsession with jon really wasn’t about our clark anymore.

and to be honest…. any backlash from the readership would only really happen if people were reading lol, but i have noticed upon my return to this company that uh….. they don’t be opening them books 😂😂😂 i mean if they were, there might have been a fair attempt to read jon’s current characterization as the actions of someone suffering from the trauma of sexual abuse without any closure. they wouldn’t be calling him a fascist just for hugging injustice!superman. nuance and context are key, but if readers aint reading, then dumb shit will continue to make waves versus the truly nuanced shit.

you see a lot of cryin about how baby jon was a better character, but like, a nepobaby paired with another nepobaby having nepobaby adventures is gonna be WAY more easy to relate to and project into than a story about some guy being beaten, choked, and threatened to be taken back to his childhood prison by his childhood rapist. that’s hard shit to read. do i wish anyone but tom taylor was writing it? yes, but beggars can’t be choosers 😂

but to be fair, i’ve only been back on dc comics for like seven months after almost a ten year hiatus. the last mainline book i read was new 52 rhato, which killed my interest for good. if the books since then have really been as hollow and neutered as you imply, then there’s no hope for this company bouncing back ever. i still got years of content to read since new 52 began, so you might be right! comic codes authority 2: electric boogaloo, we back baybey! 😂😂😂

#jon kent #ultraman #dc comics #brian michael bendis #phillip kennedy johnson #tom taylor #real talk #superman #clark kent

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