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Hello, it's me here with a blog post on one of my favorite TV shows currently, DC Comics' Titans and some of my thoughts on how to establish character.

I was actually prompted to think about this given my recent disappointment with a book I had been anticipating because I felt like it didn't do a good job of establishing the main character(s) at the outset. I'm a reader who really needs to feel connected to the main character(s) before I feel compelled to read a book, and that sense of connection comes from either sympathy or fascination, which in turn comes from immediately knowing something about the character's personality and/or drive.

I'm not saying I need to fully understand a character before I'll follow their story, but I do need a "hook" to get me invested in their journey.

As it turns out, Titans is excellent at establishing character. Even though it's a TV show, I think there are plenty of things that can be applied to books as well.

Raven: establishing character through reaction

Raven/Rachel Roth is Titans' first character to appear, and she's immediately set up to be sympathetic through her dream of the Flying Graysons' deaths and her terrified reaction to it, even though she's unrelated to them. Her grieving reaction demonstrates that she's a deeply empathetic character who cares about people she's never met.

Kory: establishing character through challenge

Kory's character arc is interesting since she's introduced with amnesia. Although oftentimes amnesia can feel like it's being used cheaply, I think it makes sense in the context of this show because Kory (Koriand'r) is such a powerful character that Titans wanted to begin with some limits to her powers and knowledge.

In any case, Kory is introduced with amnesia and soon realizing that she's being hunted. Even though she has amnesia, she's shown to be incredibly resourceful and able to at least figure out what her goal had been before she received amnesia. Kory's resilience and resourcefulness immediately make her a likable character in addition to the mystery of who she is and why she's pursuing Rachel.

Dick: establishing character through hint

I saved Dick Grayson for last, well, because I have a tremendous soft spot for the members of the Batfamily, but also because Dick's characterization is the most subtle in Titans Episode 1 and therefore the most interesting. Putting aside the flashback to his parents' death, Dick is introduced without any dialogue at all. In his first scene, he's flipping through a folder with a picture of a bruised child, watching the man we infer to be the child's father, and casting looks at a suitcase in the back of his car. Through visuals alone, we're immediately told several things about Dick:

(1) He cares about children injured through abuse.
(2) We're not sure what the suitcase is for or what's in it, but Dick's glances at it demonstrate that he views it as something ominous.

This, on its own, is a pretty interesting "hook" for Dick, but Dick's character is also slowly unveiled over the course of the episode. When he shows up to Detroit PD, we see that he's cold and standoffish with his new partner, but as revealed through the other characters' dialogue, it's because something went wrong with his last partner (and we learn exactly what happened toward the end of the episode). When Dick finally acts on the child abuser, we see not only that Dick is Robin (and the suitcase contains his Robin suit), but also that Dick is clearly struggling with violent urges while feeling regret afterward.

Dick is, in some ways, the main character of Titans, but in some ways, he's also the most mysterious. Even though, unlike Rachel and Kory, he understands himself and where he came from, he's the most complex character in the sense that he is clearly carrying his past as baggage (in some ways literally symbolized by the Robin case he carries all over the country) and he is slowly trying to come to terms with his past and how to move on from it.
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Today's post is brought to you by the appearance of Jason Todd in DC's Titans and some of the arguments I've seen regarding what Jason's "true" personality is.

So, for those who don't know, Jason Todd is the second Robin, a.k.a. the Robin who died, a.k.a. the guy who comes back from the dead as Red Hood, known for being the most violent and gun-happy among the Batfamily. However, like many comic book superhero characters, Jason's origins and personality have changed over the years. This is most obvious from the fact that Jason's death wasn't something planned from the start, but rather something done to drive sales (and possibly because the character was not terribly popular? I'm a little unclear on the exact details). So, Jason's transformation into Red Hood was, again, not something planned from the inception of the character.

I'm not a complete Jason Todd comics history expert (*sob*), but I believe Jason becoming Red Hood (see also the "Under the Red Hood" comic arc and excellent animated movie) was accompanied by a retcon of his prior origins and personality. Initially, Jason was something of a Dick Grayson clone, down to a similar origin story involving a circus (yes, really) and a cheerful personality. But with Red Hood came a ton of retconning in order to retroactively establish the "seeds" for Jason's ability to become the ultraviolet Red Hood. Jason's origins were now rooted in his being a street kid and criminal before he met Batman, and he was depicted as having always had violent tendencies even as a Robin.

This is the version represented in Titans, and while Jason Todd as Red Hood has become entrenched enough over the years that most people are fans of this interpretation of Jason Todd, you still do see some people who are bitter about the original change in Jason Todd as a result of "Under the Red Hood."

This gets to another issue, though, of how many comic superheroes do change and get new origins/personalities over time.

Yes, I do get how it sucks when you're a fan of one version of a character and then the character ends up permanently changed due to the whims of various writers. But I also think that changes of this sort are extremely hard to backtrack from. So many people weren't a fan of Wonder Woman's origin being changed from the "made of clay" story to being a daughter of Zeus—and yet, thanks to the movie, it's the origin story that most average non-comics readers are now familiar with.

Whether you're happy about it or not, Red Hood is a character who is here to stay. And the retroactive refitting of Jason Todd's background to better "suit" his transformation into Red Hood is also probably permanent as a result.
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Another female-led Elseworlds DC comic alongside DC Comics Bombshells United? :DDD

I mean, just looking at that image of Wonder Woman on a motorcycle, it seems fantastic. I'd love to see something cool done with Big Barda, and hopefully we can see characters such as Black Canary (I feel like she'd fit this aesthetic perfectly).

DC fan forever <3
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Currently reading:

- Wonder Woman
- Green Lanterns
- THE WILD STORM
- New Super-Man
- Batwoman

Need to catch up with:

- DC Comics Bombshells (always behind on this one :( ...but I need to get caught up before DC Comics Bombshells United starts)
- Blue Beetle
- Justice League of America
- Trinity
- Aquaman (need to get caught up in time for Stjepan Sejic to take over art duties)

- Ms. Marvel
- Secret Six


Looking forward to:

- DC Comics Bombshells United!
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Currently reading:

- Wonder Woman
- Green Lanterns
- Trinity
- Midnighter & Apollo
- Blue Beetle
- New Super-Man
- Detective Comics
- Justice League of America
- Batwoman
- THE WILD STORM

Need to catch up with:

- DC Comics Bombshells
- Supergirl
- Aquaman
- Nightwing

- Ms. Marvel

- Cyborg (pre-Rebirth)
- Secret Six
- (If I have more time: Dr. Fate & Earth 2: Society)


(Edit: Oh ack, Trinity is going to be taken over by Cullen Bunn? Unfortunately I'll probably end up dropping it. :( I don't think Bunn is a horrible writer per se, but he did write about Aquaman getting raped and never addressed that, so, yeah, his writing makes me uncomfortable.)

Comics list

Oct. 9th, 2016 04:27 pm
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Currently reading:

- Wonder Woman
- Green Lanterns
- Blue Beetle
- New Super-Man
- Trinity
- Midnighter & Apollo

Periodically following:

- DC Comics Bombshells
- Supergirl
- Aquaman
- Batman

Need to catch up with:

- Batgirl
- Detective Comics
- Nightwing

- Ms. Marvel

- Cyborg (pre-Rebirth)
- Secret Six
- (If I have more time: Dr. Fate & Earth 2: Society)

Looking forward to:

- Namesake (BOOM! Comics)
- BATWOMAN! (in Feb)
- Justice League of America
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All right, let me try to resurrect this!

Note that I'll probably be playing catch-up with Marvel titles because I've seriously lost track of how many series they've announced and cancelled (which was in large part why I abandoned this list in the first place. Blame Marvel).

*

DC Rebirth titles: (for historical list of New52 & DCYou diverse titles, click here)

- DC Bombshells: Female protagonists & queer characters. Ongoing since Aug 2015.
- WONDER WOMAN: Ongoing since Jun 2016.
- GREEN LANTERNS: Male & female dual protagonists of color. Ongoing since Jun 2016.
- BATGIRL: Ongoing since July 2016.
- BATGIRL & THE BIRDS OF PREY: Ongoing since July 2016.
- THE HELLBLAZER: Bisexual protagonist. Ongoing since July 2016.
- NEW SUPER-MAN: Male protagonist of color. Ongoing since July 2016.
- HARLEY QUINN: Female queer protagonist. Ongoing since Aug 2016.
- BLUE BEETLE: Male protagonist of color. Ongoing since Aug 2016.
- SUPERGIRL: Ongoing since Aug 2016.
- SUPERWOMAN: Ongoing since Aug 2016.
- CYBORG: Male protagonist of color. Ongoing since Sept 2016.
- GOTHAM ACADEMY: NEXT SEMESTER: Female protagonists of color. Ongoing since Sept 2016.
- TEEN TITANS: Team of female characters & male characters of color. Ongoing since Sept 2016.

- Batwoman: Queer female protagonist. Starting Feb 2017.
- [Justice League of America: Team of women, PoC, queer characters. Starting Feb 2017.]


All-New, All-Different Marvel titles: (for historical list of Marvel NOW! titles, click here) [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

Read more... )

Comics list

Sep. 3rd, 2016 01:38 pm
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Haven't done one of these in a while! Mostly because I've been horribly behind due to writing, but now I'm finally in a position in which I can catch up...I hope.

Currently reading:

- Wonder Woman
- Green Lanterns
- Blue Beetle
- New Super-Man
- DC Comics Bombshells

Need to catch up with: [yeah, I'm STILL way behind]

- Batman
- Batgirl
- Detective Comics
- Aquaman
- The Flash
- Nightwing
- Supergirl

- Batman & Robin Eternal
- Grayson
- Cyborg
- Secret Six
- (If I have more time: Dr. Fate & Martian Manhunter)

Looking forward to:

- Trinity (!!)
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- Batman & Robin Eternal
- Grayson
- Cyborg
- Dr. Fate
- DC Bombshells
- Secret Six

Hmm...I thought the list was longer, but maybe I'm just forgetting which series I've fallen behind on...

(I'm also trying to keep up with Justice League, Black Canary, Midnighter, and possibly Batman and Batgirl until Rebirth.)
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Once again, DC is releasing more titles than I can probably follow. :( But the ones that have me excited are:

- New Super-Man
- Wonder Woman!
- Trinity (FRANCIS MANAPUL!)
- MOTHEREFFING BLUE BEETLE
- Detective Comics (Batman & Batwoman team-up YEEEEEAAAAH)
- Green Lanterns (Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz YEEEEEAAAAH)
- Aquaman
- Nightwing
- Supergirl
- Batman
- Titans
- Batgirl
- Batgirl and the Birds of Prey
- The Flash?
- Superwoman???

And that's all I can remember off the top of my head.

Also, I have to adjust my diversity list for Rebirth:

WONDER WOMAN
BATGIRL
BATGIRL & THE BIRDS OF PREY
THE HELLBLAZER
CYBORG
HARLEY QUINN
BLUE BEETLE
GOTHAM ACADEMY: NEXT SEMESTER
SUPERGIRL
SUPERWOMAN
GREEN LANTERNS
NEW SUPER-MAN
TEEN TITANS [probably - the team lineup appears to be Damian Wayne, Starfire, Raven, Wally West, and Beast Boy]

So, that's 7 titles (including Gotham Academy) featuring female solo titles/female teams, 1 solo title for an LGBT character (2 including Harley Quinn), and 4 titles featuring characters of color (5 titles counting Nightwing), plus Teen Titans.
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So, I know I dropped off the face of the Earth in terms of updating my list about Marvel and DC's diversity (to be honest, it was mostly because I had trouble keeping up with Marvel since it cancels and announces titles at a breakneck pace. Blame Marvel), but now DC has announced Rebirth.

Let's see how Rebirth is doing (as of now) in terms of diversity:

WONDER WOMAN
BATGIRL
BATGIRL & THE BIRDS OF PREY
THE HELLBLAZER
CYBORG
HARLEY QUINN
BLUE BEETLE
GOTHAM ACADEMY: NEXT SEMESTER
SUPERGIRL
SUPERWOMAN

So, that's 7 titles (including Gotham Academy) featuring female solo titles/female teams, 1 solo title for an LGBT character (John Constantine), and 2 titles featuring men of color (Cyborg and Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle, if I'm not mistaken; 3 titles if you count Nightwing). Obviously, this list is excluding team titles and titles that may feature women/LGBT characters/PoC that I'm not aware of.

DC has taken a bit of a hit in terms of number of titles featuring characters of color and LGBT characters, which is kind of a shame. It definitely would've been nice to see a new Batwoman series, continuing Black Canary, Catwoman, and Midnighter, and so on. I do have to say, though, that it's exciting to see a new Supergirl series, and I'M SO INCREDIBLY STOKED ABOUT A NEW JAIME REYES BLUE BEETLE SERIES, GUYS. Plus, I wonder what the "Superwoman" series is about??

I do hope DC will announce more diverse titles for "Rebirth" as time goes on. It's not quite as diverse as DCYou, but I cautiously have hope for the time being. (And NEW JAIME REYES BLUE BEETLE OH MY GOD.)
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Read more... )

*

My introduction to Midnighter and Apollo was through the New 52 Stormwatch series, after I'd heard about their reputation via the Internet but couldn't find the old Authority stuff. I don't know what the general consensus on New 52 Stormwatch is, and there were certainly some problems with it (I thought the Projectionist—whose name I think they even retconned once or twice—was really cool and hated how she got sidelined and brainwashed), but I did enjoy Apollo and Midnighter in it. Their flirting/attraction to each other was fun to read, and they definitely had strong chemistry.

Since I've heard at least some people complain that pre-New 52 Midnighter (at least, if not Apollo) was better than his recent incarnation, I went to track down some pre-New 52 stuff. So far, I've read his pre-New 52 solo series and parts of The Authority vol. 1. (About which, can I say, I guess Mark Millar is one of those famous comic book writers but what I've read of him in The Authority so far was the actual worst.)

I...actually prefer New 52 Apollo and Midnighter. I mean, reading the older stuff, it's clear Apollo got the "darker and edgier" treatment in the New 52 that many characters got, but I actually enjoy it in his case. He seemed to be portrayed as rather...naive, buffoon-like, and passive (if super-powerful) pre-New 52, and I'm not entirely sure what made his and Midnighter's relationship click. (Maybe partly because of censorship problems or whatever.)

As for Midnighter, he seems...grumpier pre-New 52. And even more violent and borderline amoral than he is currently. I do enjoy his taunting and explicit enjoyment of his "hobby" in his current solo series; to me, his personality seems more "flavorful" and somewhat bombastic, but not too over-the-top. As I mentioned above, I do think his current solo has quite a bit of nuanced writing and emotional exploration of Midnighter's psyche that's simmering a bit under the surface, which is another strong factor in terms of why I prefer current Midnighter to older Midnighter.

I did enjoy issue #6 of the original Midnighter solo series quite a bit, but then again, that issue is a standalone that takes place in an alternate universe (?) in which Midnighter and Apollo are ronin in feudal Japan. That short story poignantly captured Midnighter's existential crisis over the fact that he's essentially nothing but a fight robot in a way that I don't feel the rest of his solo series did justice to. (And it's genuinely heartbreaking.)
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I'm keeping a record for myself for future reference. Team titles are a little dicey; I've included some, but left out teams that are composed of mostly cis white straight men, though I could be missing others.

Marvel NOW! & All-New, All-Different titles featuring women/PoC/LGBTQIAP+ characters:

- Red She-Hulk: Female protagonist. Cancelled Jul 2013.
- Journey into Mystery: Featuring Lady Sif. Cancelled Aug 2013.
- Fearless Defenders: All-female superhero team (+ LGBT characters). Cancelled Dec 2013.
- Young Avengers: Cast with women, LGBT characters, and some racial diversity. Ended Jan 2014.
- Iron Patriot: MoC protagonist. Cancelled July 2014.
- She-Hulk: Female protagonist. Cancelled Jan 2015.
- All-New Ultimates: Cast with women, a MoC, and an LGBT character. Cancelled Jan 2015.
- Elektra: Female protagonist. Cancelled Feb 2015.
- All-New Ghost Rider: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Mar 2015.
- Storm: WoC protagonist. Ongoing since July 2014. Cancelled May 2015.

- X-Men (vol. 4): All-female main cast. Cancelled April 2015.
- Captain America and the Mighty Avengers: (formerly Mighty Avengers) Features a racially diverse main cast. Cancelled June 2015.
- Black Widow: Female protagonist. Cancelled July 2015.
- Loki: Agent of Asgard: Bisexual, genderqueer/genderfluid protagonist. Cancelled Aug 2015.
- Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier: Disabled protagonist. Cancelled Aug 2015.
- Magneto: Jewish protagonist. Cancelled Aug 2015.


- Daredevil: Disabled protagonist. Ongoing since Mar 2014.
- Captain Marvel: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Jun 2013.
- Nova: MoC protagonist. Ongoing since Feb 2013.
- Ms. Marvel: Muslim WoC female protagonist. Ongoing since Feb 2014.
- The Mighty Thor: (formerly Thor) Female protagonist. Ongoing since Oct 2014.
- Sam Wilson, Captain America: MoC protagonist. Ongoing since Nov 2014 (relaunching Oct 2015).
- Spider-Woman: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Nov 2014.
- Angela: Queen of Hel: (formerly Angela: Asgard's Assassin) Female protagonist. Ongoing since Dec 2014.
- Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Jan 2015 (relaunching Oct 2015).
- Silk: WoC protagonist. Ongoing since Feb 2015.
- Spider-Gwen: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Feb 2015.
- All-New, All-Different Avengers: Cast featuring women, WoC, and MoC. Ongoing since May 2015.
- A-Force: Female protagonists. Ongoing since May 2015.

- Ultimates: Cast featuring women, WoC, and MoC. Starting Oct 2015.
- Spider-Man 2099: Biracial protagonist. Relaunching Oct 2015.
- All-New Wolverine: Female protagonist. Starting Oct 2015.
- New Avengers: Team including LGBT characters, women, and a man of color. Starting Oct 2015.
- Scarlet Witch: WoC protagonist. Starting Oct 2015.
- Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur: WoC protagonist. Starting TBA.
- Red Wolf: MoC (Native American) protagonist. Starting TBA.


DC New 52 & DCYou titles featuring women/PoC/LGBTQIAP+ characters:

- Static Shock: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Apr 2012.
- Mister Terrific: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Apr 2012.
- Voodoo: WoC protagonist. Cancelled Sept 2012.
- Blue Beetle: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Jan 2013.
- Justice League of America's Vibe: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Dec 2013.
- Katana: WoC protagonist. Cancelled Dec 2013.
- The Movement: Cast with women, racial diversity, a disabled character, and LGBT+ representation. Cancelled May 2014.
- Batwing: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Sept 2014.
- Birds of Prey: All-female superhero team. Cancelled Sept 2014.
- Trinity of Sin: Pandora: Female protagonist. Cancelled Sept 2014.
- Worlds' Finest: Female protagonists. Switched to male protagonists Oct 2014, cancelled March 2015.
- Green Lantern Corps: Features a MoC. Cancelled March 2015.
- Green Lantern: New Guardians: Features a MoC (& later co-starring a woman). Cancelled March 2015.
- Batwoman: Female & LGBT protagonist. Cancelled March 2015.

- Supergirl: Female protagonist. Cancelled March 2015.

- Batgirl: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Sept 2011.
- Wonder Woman: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Sept 2011.
- Catwoman: Female & LGBT protagonist. Ongoing since Sept 2011.
- Grayson: (formerly Nightwing) MoC protagonist. Ongoing since Sept 2011.
- Constantine: The Hellblazer: Bisexual protagonist. Ongoing since Mar 2013 (relaunched June 2015).
- Harley Quinn: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Nov 2013.
- Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Aug 2014.
- Gotham Academy: 3 WoC protagonists. Ongoing since Oct 2014.
- Secret Six: Cast including women, women of color, an LGBT and nonbinary protagonist. Ongoing since Dec 2014.
- Black Canary: Female protagonist. Ongoing since June 2015.
- Starfire: Female protagonist. Ongoing since June 2015.
- Midnighter: LGBT protagonist. Ongoing since June 2015.
- Robin, Son of Batman: MoC protagonist. Ongoing since June 2015.
- Dr. Fate: MoC protagonist. Ongoing since June 2015.
- We Are Robin: MoC protagonist, cast including women, WoC and MoC. Ongoing since June 2015.
- The Omega Men: MoC main character (Kyle Rayner). Ongoing since June 2015.
- Cyborg: MoC protagonist. Ongoing since July 2015.
- DC Bombshells: Female protagonists & LGBT protagonist. Ongoing since Aug 2015.
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DC: Batgirl, Batman, Grayson, Teen Titans, Aquaman, The Flash, Secret Six, Black Canary, Dr. Fate, Midnighter, Martian Manhunter, Starfire, Cyborg, DC Bombshells, The Omega Men
Marvel: Ms. Marvel, Thor, Spider-Gwen, Silk
IDW: Jem and the Holograms

Future adds: Batman and Robin Eternal, Lucifer, Batman/TMNT, Scarlet Witch



If I had any sort of disposable income, I'd support as many of the DCYou titles as I could. As it stands, I'm going to pick 2-3 titles to try to support. (At this point, I'm thinking Black Canary and The Omega Men.)

Most of the DCYou titles I've read are fantastic, and for the ones I'm not a huge fan of, it's either because they're not to my personal taste or I'm willing to stick around to see them grow.

It's perplexing and saddening to see DC take risks that don't seem to be paying off, especially since the quality of most of the titles are pretty high and both the characters featured and the creators in charge of many of the DCYou titles are diverse. :( I'm hoping there will be an increased surge of publicity for DC comics when the DCCU starts to rev up, but right now I really don't know how to explain the fact that DCYou doesn't seem to be a huge financial success so far. (Although I have to say, having two Justice League titles featuring the exact same team would seem to me to be a bad tactic, yet JL and JLA both seem to be doing well. There's a puzzle if I've ever seen one.)
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Blue Beetle #30

The third Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes, is for sure one of my favorite superhero characters of all time. I mean, I was already a goner when it got to "transforming alien armor with a homicidal sentient AI"—who could say no to that? Combine that with an adorkably endearing but also quite badass teenaged protagonist, expressive art and fantastic writing in the 2006-2009 series, and what's not to like?

The Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle series (a.k.a. Blue Beetle vol. 7) has a bit of a teenaged slice-of-life feel, combined with superheroics around Jaime's hometown of El Paso, and later shenanigans in outer space. It feels fairly lighthearted and humorous (see the panels above), but it also portrays Jaime's relationships with his family and friends in a touching way (Blue Beetle is, for once, a series where the teenaged protagonist doesn't hide his superhero identity from those closest to him, which is delightfully refreshing) and covers some weighty topics, such as immigration and border control, with thoughtfulness and sensitivity.

Jaime's Latino heritage—which frequently factors into the series—adds a rich and unique facet to his comic. One of the strengths of his comic, though, is its relatability, even if the reader is not a person of color from an immigrant family: at the end of the day, Jaime is just a regular American teen who unexpectedly ends up acquiring superpowers via the Blue Beetle scarab and has to figure out what being a superhero means. All this, while arguing with the scarab's homicidal tendencies—and trying not to look too weird for doing so ("I'm not crazy, I just hear voices in my head!" - Blue Beetle #5).

Sadly, Jaime Reyes's story took a turn for the worse with the New52 reboot of his character, which ended up with Jaime being estranged from his family (and initially his friends as well, though he later patched up relations with them), causing a lot more violence (his control over the scarab seems much more...faulty) and being viewed with much more hostility and suspicion as a result, overall leaving out much of the charm that made his previous series so amazing. Since his solo has been canceled, he's been stuck in comics limbo, sadly. Here's to hoping DC will eventually revive Jaime Reyes in the future.

Recommended reading:

- Young Justice: Invasion (Season 2): Okay, this isn't exactly reading, but the YJ animated show is a great introduction to Jaime Reyes and features him in a pivotal role. Also, Jaime's relationship with the scarab is hilarious.

- Infinite Crisis #3-6: Jaime's first comic book appearance. Recommended if you want to read about how Jaime found out he'd become the scarab's host in the first place.

- Blue Beetle (vol. 7) (#1-36)
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"For a large number of readers, Kyle Rayner is their Green Lantern. Was there any apprehension in dropping him in this story, fearing that readers would want to see him as Green Lantern and not a hostage, and perhaps, eventually, a member of the Omega Men?

That was the hardest part of the launch in that everyone thought we were killing Kyle Rayner and didn't respect the character when, in fact, we were launching a book that was an epic Kyle Rayner story. This is Kyle Rayner's chance to be at the center of an insane cosmic adventure.

Kyle is the main character. He is the lead, and he is the hero. He's your way into the story. Kyle is a fantastic character, and what makes him different from all other Lanterns -- what makes him one of the greatest Lanterns of all-time -- is the fact that he wasn't chosen. He was picked at random. He was walking out of the club, and he got a ring. He's like you and me. He had to decide that he was going to do it, and keep doing it. This isn't someone like Hal or Guy that has no fear. He's just a guy on the street. Can you imagine that? Kyle is amazing.

Not to mention that he is sexy as hell, and he is a character of color -- probably the most prominent Hispanic character in the DCU. We're going to elevate him and treat him with the respect that a character of that gravitas deserves."


- http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/tom-king-hasnt-decided-if-dcs-omega-men-are-good-or-bad-guys

Well, that's it, I'm sold. I was one of those people who was ticked off that the Omega Men started with the apparent killing of Kyle Rayner (though admittedly I also didn't really believe he'd died, because a death like that seemed too...low-key), but after reading this, I'm definitely picking up Omega Men starting with #4. (And yup, I'm one of those people for whom "Kyle Rayner is their Green Lantern.")

(Psst—speaking of prominent DC Latin@ characters, I will pay an arm and a leg for a new (and good) comic about Jaime Reyes.)


In other news, I'm slowly trying to get back into writing, starting with Young Justice fanfic. Somehow I accidentally ended up with an idea for a sprawling, dieselpunk/atompunk World War II Young Justice AU. It may or may not materialize at this point (I often have a habit of conceiving huge fiction ideas and...not ending up carrying them through, whether it's because I end up not having enough time and/or get narratively stuck), but, eh, we'll see.
rainwaterspark: Image of Link at the Earth Temple in Skyward Sword (legend of zelda skyward sword earth temp)
When I first heard that Jim Gordon was going to be the new Batman, I was skeptical. I mean, I like Jim Gordon, but I thought he was the most boring choice possible for Batman. But I liked what I saw of the Gordon!Batman-Batgirl relationship in Batgirl, so I finally decided to check out the Batman issues, and...well, I'm sold.

Scott Snyder is a fantastic writer who has yet to disappoint. Jim Gordon!Batman (GordonBat? BatGordon?) isn't like most other legacy superheroes—he's not a protégé or close friend who decides to take up the mantle of a fallen comrade to continue the legacy. Instead, BatGordon is a fascinating experiment in making Batman part of the law, rather than outside it. It's the government harnessing the power and significance of Batman as a symbol. Now Batman is officially sponsored and deputized, but he also has to work within the rules, which is a great setup for drama and moral quandaries.

The writing for these issues is relatively lighthearted (for Batman), as there's a certain amount of wry self-deprecation in both Jim Gordon's attitude toward his new job and the idea of a new, very different Batman. But it's also philosophical and somewhat meta. The theme running through these issues is "What makes Batman Batman?" and how a new, different Batman can honor the legacy of the original. Unlike with many other superhero legacy stories, Snyder makes it clear from the start that Bruce Wayne is still around and that Gordon's run as Batman will probably be temporary, which of course leads to questions like: Who is Bruce Wayne if he's not Batman? And how will Bruce Wayne eventually return to the role of Batman?

Great stuff, and I look forward to seeing where Snyder and Capullo take Batman next.
rainwaterspark: Image of Link at the Earth Temple in Skyward Sword (legend of zelda skyward sword earth temp)
- Pre-New52 Wonder Woman (specifically: Greg Rucka's run, Gail Simone's run, The Hiketeia)
- Batman Eternal (to prep for Batman & Robin Eternal)
- We Are Robin
- Gotham Academy



Current pull:

DC: Batgirl, Batman, Grayson, Teen Titans, Aquaman, The Flash, Secret Six, Black Canary, Dr. Fate, Midnighter, Martian Manhunter, Starfire, Cyborg, DC Bombshells
Marvel: Ms. Marvel, Loki: Agent of Asgard*, Thor, Spider-Gwen, Silk
IDW: Jem and the Holograms

Why Do I Read This: The Wicked + the Divine

Future adds: Batman and Robin Eternal, Lucifer, Batman/TMNT, Scarlet Witch?


(* indicating titles that are ending soon)
rainwaterspark: Image of Link at the Earth Temple in Skyward Sword (legend of zelda skyward sword earth temp)
Latest edits: Now including Marvel's post-Secret Wars lineup. I'm assuming this is the final list of Marvel's post-Secret Wars series, but I'll update the list if anything new comes in.

I'm keeping a record for myself for future reference. Team titles are a little dicey; I've included some, but left out teams that are composed of mostly cis white straight men, though I could be missing others.

Marvel NOW! & post-Secret Wars titles featuring women/PoC/LGBTQIAP+ characters:

- Red She-Hulk: Female protagonist. Cancelled Jul 2013.
- Journey into Mystery: Featuring Lady Sif. Cancelled Aug 2013.
- Fearless Defenders: All-female superhero team (+ LGBT characters). Cancelled Dec 2013.
- Young Avengers: Cast with women, LGBT characters, and some racial diversity. Ended Jan 2014.
- Iron Patriot: MoC protagonist. Cancelled July 2014.
- She-Hulk: Female protagonist. Cancelled Jan 2015.
- All-New Ultimates: Cast with women, a MoC, and an LGBT character. Cancelled Jan 2015.
- Elektra: Female protagonist. Cancelled Feb 2015.
- All-New Ghost Rider: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Mar 2015.
- Storm: WoC protagonist. Ongoing since July 2014. Cancelled May 2015.

- X-Men (vol. 4): All-female main cast. Cancelled April 2015.
- Captain America and the Mighty Avengers: (formerly Mighty Avengers) Features a racially diverse main cast. Cancelled June 2015.

- Black Widow: Female protagonist. Cancelled July 2015.
- Loki: Agent of Asgard: Bisexual, genderqueer/genderfluid protagonist. Cancelled Aug 2015.
- Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier: Disabled protagonist. Cancelled Aug 2015.
- Magneto: Jewish protagonist. Cancelled Aug 2015.


- Daredevil: Disabled protagonist. Ongoing since Mar 2014.
- Captain Marvel: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Jun 2013.
- Nova: MoC protagonist. Ongoing since Feb 2013.
- Ms. Marvel: Muslim WoC female protagonist. Ongoing since Feb 2014.
- The Mighty Thor: (formerly Thor) Female protagonist. Ongoing since Oct 2014.
- Sam Wilson, Captain America: MoC protagonist. Ongoing since Nov 2014 (relaunching Oct 2015).
- Spider-Woman: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Nov 2014.
- Angela: Queen of Hel: (formerly Angela: Asgard's Assassin) Female protagonist. Ongoing since Dec 2014.
- Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Jan 2015 (relaunching Oct 2015).
- Silk: WoC protagonist. Ongoing since Feb 2015.
- Spider-Gwen: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Feb 2015.
- All-New, All-Different Avengers: Cast featuring women, WoC, and MoC. Ongoing since May 2015.
- A-Force: Female protagonists. Ongoing since May 2015.

- Ultimates: Cast featuring women, WoC, and MoC. Starting Oct 2015.
- Spider-Man 2099: Biracial protagonist. Relaunching Oct 2015.
- All-New Wolverine: Female protagonist. Starting Oct 2015.
- New Avengers: Team including LGBT characters, women, and a man of color. Starting Oct 2015.
- Scarlet Witch: WoC protagonist. Starting Oct 2015.


DC New 52 & DCYou titles featuring women/PoC/LGBTQIAP+ characters:

- Static Shock: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Apr 2012.
- Mister Terrific: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Apr 2012.
- Voodoo: WoC protagonist. Cancelled Sept 2012.
- Blue Beetle: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Jan 2013.
- Justice League of America's Vibe: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Dec 2013.
- Katana: WoC protagonist. Cancelled Dec 2013.
- The Movement: Cast with women, racial diversity, a disabled character, and LGBT+ representation. Cancelled May 2014.
- Batwing: MoC protagonist. Cancelled Sept 2014.
- Birds of Prey: All-female superhero team. Cancelled Sept 2014.
- Trinity of Sin: Pandora: Female protagonist. Cancelled Sept 2014.
- Worlds' Finest: Female protagonists. Switched to male protagonists Oct 2014, cancelled March 2015.
- Green Lantern Corps: Features a MoC. Cancelled March 2015.
- Green Lantern: New Guardians: Features a MoC (& later co-starring a woman). Cancelled March 2015.
- Batwoman: Female & LGBT protagonist. Cancelled March 2015.

- Supergirl: Female protagonist. Cancelled March 2015.

- Batgirl: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Sept 2011.
- Wonder Woman: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Sept 2011.
- Catwoman: Female & LGBT protagonist. Ongoing since Sept 2011.
- Grayson: (formerly Nightwing) MoC protagonist. Ongoing since Sept 2011.
- Earth 2: Society: (formerly Earth 2) Racially diverse cast, including an LGBT protagonist. Ongoing since May 2012.
- Constantine: The Hellblazer: Bisexual protagonist. Ongoing since Mar 2013 (relaunched June 2015).
- Harley Quinn: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Nov 2013.
- Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman: Female protagonist. Ongoing since Aug 2014.
- Gotham Academy: 3 WoC protagonists. Ongoing since Oct 2014.
- Secret Six: Cast including women, women of color, an LGBT and nonbinary protagonist. Ongoing since Dec 2014.
- Black Canary: Female protagonist. Ongoing since June 2015.
- Starfire: Female protagonist. Ongoing since June 2015.
- Midnighter: LGBT protagonist. Ongoing since June 2015.
- Robin, Son of Batman: MoC protagonist. Ongoing since June 2015.
- Dr. Fate: MoC protagonist. Ongoing since June 2015.
- We Are Robin: MoC protagonist, cast including women, WoC and MoC. Ongoing since June 2015.
- The Omega Men: MoC main character (Kyle Rayner). Ongoing since June 2015.
- Cyborg: MoC protagonist. Ongoing since July 2015.
- DC Bombshells: Female protagonists. Ongoing since Aug 2015.

.

Personal commentary on Marvel's post-Secret Wars titles )
rainwaterspark: Image of Link at the Earth Temple in Skyward Sword (legend of zelda skyward sword earth temp)
DC: Batgirl, Grayson, Teen Titans, The Flash, Secret Six, Black Canary, Dr. Fate, Midnighter, Martian Manhunter, Starfire
Marvel: Ms. Marvel, Loki: Agent of Asgard, Thor, Spider-Gwen, Silk
IDW: Jem and the Holograms

Why Do I Read This: The Wicked + the Divine


Near future adds: DC Bombshells, Cyborg, Batman and Robin Eternal, Lucifer, Batman/TMNT, Scarlet Witch (?), [other new Vertigo stuff??]

Temporary/on the fence:

- Wonder Woman (DC): I think I'll read this for a while to figure out what's going to happen to Donna Troy.
- Earth 2: Society (DC): Not sure where this is going.
- Aquaman (DC): Depending on what's happening between Arthur and Mera. If they've permanently separated, I'm quitting.
- A-Force (Marvel): I didn't like the first issue, so I'm debating with myself about whether to keep following or not.
- Secret Wars 2099 (Marvel): This is a mini-series, right? Can't say I've been enjoying it a lot so far, but if it's a mini, I'll stick around until it ends.
- Runaways (Marvel): Also just reading this mini-series until it's over.

Maybes:

- Ultimates / New Avengers: Both of these series have characters I like, but I'm not familiar with most of the members of the teams, so I don't know, I might end up skipping out.

Other comments )

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