House-ad for the four-issue miniseries Batman: Sword of Azrael (1992).

"KNOW THAT MEN CALL YOU DEFILER!"

panel redraw from Sword of Azrael ✨⭐

SWORD OF AZRAEL #1

Variant cover by Christian Ward

Sword of Azrael (2022)

Azrael/JPV is relatively niche compared to other batfam members and this mini-series did him justice

The Flash (2016)

He produced so many cool characters that have made a permanent part of the Flash mythos. Also he gave an end to Eobard Thawne. Barry forgave him. That hit me so hard because Geoff Johns got me into Flash but his writing is so gorey and extreme. And seeing Williamson have a different take is so refreshing.

Salvation Angels - 4/4 God alone could save you from the Sword of Azrael

Based on: Salvation by Kay F. Atkinson

Perhaps I am the most dangerous thing of all. A fallen angel. With a purpose.

Sword of Azrael (2022) #5

(Dan Watters, Nikola Cizmesija)

No tea no shade but I don't vibe at all with the idea that Jean-Paul needs to leave his religion to be happy. The mere proposition that Jean-Paul would have to change religion to have a healthy relationship with God and faith feels - like self projection.

Jean-Paul doesn't have to leave catholicism to be free of the order and to acknowledge that what happened to him was wrong. That's why I love his current mini so much: Jean-Paul is open about how the order was fucked up, but he still embraces his religion and shares his love for God. Sure, I cannot relate to having such faith, but I can relate to taking your own position inside religion rather than just leaving it or changing it. Jean-Paul*IS* supposed to struggle with his catholic guilt and fight his perception of religion (love, kindness, redemption) with what the order did (cruelty, death, war).

I just think Jean-Paul being catholic is key of his character and it's literally his plot so idk, taking that away makes me pretty awkward. That being said, I guess I could vibe with agnostic Jean-Paul? But still, I prefer him as he is in his current solo: Embrace the good things, reject the bad ones. Faith is what we made it and embracing religion is a very personal decision.

Also I need Jean-Paul and Helena Bertinelli to interact more and be given the stories they deserve so that people who have never read comics stop going "Jason Todd catholic and Mexican coded" please and thank you, DC.

Alvaro Martinez - Sword of Azrael 

Hey, hey it's been a long time since I've been here, hope you're doing well. So, I was thinking about JPV and these questions came to my mind, would like JPV to have a romantic partner or not, maybe you prefer him to be single? Is there a character you would like to see him in a relationship with? Do you ship him with any character? So that’s all, hope you have a good day or evening ☺️🌻

Hey heyyy! My flower 🌻! Prepare for a rant because I think about this a lot. A LOT a lot. From Jean-Paul's perspective, I think he would *like* a partner, but wouldn't force someone to 'put up with him'. JPV feels that he is unworthy of someone else's efforts while he is as he is. No one should have to suffer with a 'crazy man' while in return all he can offer is his meager salary and a cheap apartment. He feels he is a mess, and doesn't want to push what broken pieces of himself he has onto someone else. Besides, there would be no way for him to hide his Vigilante life as Azrael can come and go as he pleases at any point. If he had a love interest, they would already have to be a Vigilante themself (which SIGNIFICANTLY lowers his dating pool). Plus, that is outside of what he would want. JPV doesn't want to be a vigilante, but he can't escape from something that is ingrained into his very being. Sister Lilhy is one of the only people he has actively pursued in a relationship.

And even with her - an ex-member of The Order of St. Dumas - he didn't ask her out until he had been 'cured of Azrael' * and thought he was a normal person. *in this story, they 'cured' JPV of Azrael and he was no longer able to access that personality, it was JUST Jean-Paul in the body- which obviously didn't last After Lilhy and everything with her, I don't think he ever actively pursued someone again. He and Barbara flirted for a little bit but again they never actually got together. And because of how horribly Lilhy ended and the life he led after her I really don't see him with anyone else. Not that he's too damaged or undeserving to be loved (because I love him enough for even my future lives to remember the gravity of the adoration), I just feel that he is a tired little man. JPV wants to rest. He wants to live a quiet, silent life until he passes. He has had his adventure, he's had the drama, the heartache, all of it. Now he wants his due rest. He doesn't want to try anymore. Because he would have to, alot. With the instability he has in his life, he would have to try hard. And relationships are hard work. The last thing he wants to do is add more to his plate.

But no worries, he can just love me (❁´◡`❁)

Angels in Comics

Sins Of The Black Flamingo (2022) #4/Sword of Azrael #1/The Dreaming: Waking Hours #7

The fact that Brielle Arnier knew that Azrael and Jean-Paul Valley aren’t solely one or the other, and considered it for herself and Sariel, esp. after Poor Fellow said that “once it [the mask] is attached, it will never come off.”

Brielle knew there was another way of living with herself and Sariel, that she doesn’t have to give up her humanity to be an angel, but Poor Fellow immediately tries changing her mind on that possibility by saying that “the struggle between man and angel keeps both in confusion rather than balance” from Jean-Paul refusing to accept his role and purpose that was given to him as Azrael.

- Sword of Azrael Vol 1 #3 (Dec 2022; 2022, DC Comics) by Dan Watters (W), Nikola Čižmešija (A), Marissa Louise (C), and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (L).

i didn't change jpv's randomized phrase because it's perfect already

DC Blorbo: Jean-Paul Valley 👀

favorite thing about him: I do think he's in a bit of a unique position in the batfam because he's one of the characters who clearly both didn't choose to be involved in this life AND expresses interesting in quitting. Like he doesn't want to be Azrael at various points because Azrael IS a result of him having been brainwashed as a baby, and sometimes he is not in control. But he also needs to be Azrael to keep himself and his friends safe. (And the nit looked like in Sword of Azrael we were getting to a more treating them as two distinct personalities things, but I can't remember the resolution of that comic b/c I forgot to read the last issue ;_;)

headcanons: I headcanon that after NML he stopped working as a superhero and started working in the medical field with Leslie and eventually was officially trained, and that explains how we get nurse Jean Paul in the start of Sword of Azrael. he doesn't die randomly after 50 issues of directionless comics and then come back in a universe reset, he just took a temporary retirement :P

favorite appearances: I remember really loving Sword of Azrael (6 issue recent miniseries) when I started reading it, but I can't remember a ton so ATM lets say Batman: Sword of Azrael (4 issues 90s miniseries) and the first 25 or so issues of Azrael: agent of the bat