Lol...that review was a tour de force Quinn. More lazy "meh" level writing from Tynion a guy that should never have been given creative direction over anything to do with Batman. He leaves in 4 issues and dumps a mess on the fans as his parting gift. Fear State is not an "event" it's a sleep aid.

Meh is exactly right. I get no sense of characterization or personality. Things are just happening. Also, what exactly is the crime? Simon Says hates Batman, so this whole thing is just to take down Bats? That is it? Scarecrow wants to scare people so we can evolve? Then what? I mean whatever. Or I could be wrong.

DC comics fired any writer who didn't tow the company line, so we're left with the dregs of society who didn't have the moral fortitude to say no.

You literally just listed aspects that added to this character and but listed them as negatives. Why?

Toonstrack, you have a right to believe being a hit-and-run killer (SS #8-9), advocate of "right" to kill "people who deserved it" (SS #11), racist family advocacy (SS #8-9) as "aspects" "adding" to a character. That is your opinion. In my opinion, these all detract from a character. And they would detract from a character, if he found a GL ring, Starman cosmic rod, or costume of any other "costumed hero." Not just finding a Batman costume. But *ESPECIALLY* Batman, because of Batman's values.

Lol...you broke Toony Bats.

When he's out of arguments, he just shuts up. Though you're lucky, Bats, he could always call you a racist and "win" the argument, that's how it always works for him and his ilk.

Noticed on Twitter, "#BatmanDay" currently has about 133,000 Tweets. Of the 133,000 Tweets (at this moment), there are some for Jace Fox too. I could count them. There are 13. That is 13 out of 133,000 Tweets. DC Comics: I don't need to do the percentage for you, right?

Once Comixology goes full-time on Amazon, the reviews won't be just the "professional reviewers" getting preview copies to give PR to DC Comics no matter what they point out. Once those DC Comics get on Amazon comments, you will see a completely different marketplace message.

Great observations Bats. We ve gone over the various reason why Ridleys character isn't going over. The sales speak for themselves..with every Tim Fox book (including trades) the first few issues do well them they drop out of the too 50. By contrast every other bat bat centric book remains in the top 50. As we ve discussed Tim Fox is a poorly conceived character who's stories and mission are not appealing to the audience that buys the bat books. That may change with better writing and art.

But as of right now Tim Fox appears to be "Batman" by DC edict alone. The fans arent buying it.

No one is interesd in Usurper Batmans war on privilege or Ridleys hamfisted racial politics. No one reads Batman for that. If Tim Fox poor sales hold up he won't be around "for a while" in the books. I'm still thinking the end game is a CW show for Tim Fox while feature films remain Bruce. I never watch the CW shows so as long as Usurper is not in the main books I'm fine.

Jace Fox and Ridley share a common theme of self-loathing in this series. Jace has self-loathing knowing that he is an unpunished hit-and-run killer, and wants to take his self-hate out on others. Ridley knows that he has been unable to come up with his own original character with a comics marketplace (not since New American in "The American Way" comics for WildStorm), and he writes "Batman" with the self-loathing that he has had to sink to being an usurper of someone else's character.

Jesus Christ you weird reactionaries

Great observations Bats. Nothing about the character feels earned. He stumbles onto a satellite Batmab base coopts the fear and claims th is mantle for his war on privilege. His father has effectively stolen the Wayne fortune and company which the character also insinuates himself into while decrying the wealth. Funnily enough he speaks like this is the or 6 years in the future approaching Future State yet hes slated to again walk into the title after Bruce self exiles put of Gothsm next year.

Sorry for the typos. Tim Fox just feels entitled to usurp whatever he wants from Batworld and I think that's why most fans haven't embraced the idea of him as Batman. Theres no nobility or compelling force to him. Hes just a knob that thinks he can take whatever he wants for his less than compelling war on privilege. This is what third series for him? Hes still not resonating with fans and I think that's why DC is keeping him with one foot in the elseworldy Future State.

I dont know Merlyn...could DC be blinking with this character and keeping him in Future State for now? Perhaps they hope sales improve this series? Tamiki will be continuing the move towards Future State with Shadows of the Bat but Williamson seems to be working on a Batman Inc status when he takes over in 118.

reactionary= "I hate that you don't like what I like and even have the guts to critique it". @Ming: Neah, he'll be the Batman in the main DCU and for some time.

Right, how dare we point out the King has no clothes. I mean, isn't it every day that costumed comic writers take a hit-and-run murderer and make him into a costumed hero? Clearly it must be something wrong with those of us who find that obscene.

Cool

I'm starting to have my doubts Merlyn. It's entirely likely but the whole "Batman hasn't been seen in years thing is a status from Future State. Granted Ridleys writing has been pedestrian at best but that's quite a whopper DC editorial let go. Tamakis next arc pushes Tec towards future state but that would take it out of continuity by 5 or 6 years. I'm hoping you're wrong on this but you do tend to be right.

Agreed Bats. Theres a lack of nobility to what's behind Tim Foxs war on privilege and how hes chosen to go about it. It speaks to Ridleys values too. I think most fans cant find a way to resonate with that and so after a few issues Tim Fox books fall out of the top 50 sellers.

The sequence where Tim Fox uses urban hipster vernacular is just laughable. Yeah sure the kids will ask permission next time they spray paint a wall.

"Urban hipster vernacular"? Uhhh no its a dialect my guy. No different than Remy Lebeau incorporating French or rogue calling people "sugah".

No its urban hipster vernacular. For real...LOL.

Please... don't embarrass yourself. Its called AAVE and trust me this comic is using a pacified version of it

@Mingthemerciless It certainly is! somebody pass the patchouli

@fenixalasnegras oh lookie here, a racial dogwhistle. Really classy. About what I'd expect from you honestly.

Where the hell did you see a racial dogwhistle? Are you out of your mind? Or is that just your modus operandi? Whenever you run out of arguments, you're like "Ha! Gotcha, you racist"? You did the same with me, so it's not looking to be a coincidence. Please reasess your methods or I'm going to have to ask you to stop commenting on my reviews if your only objective is to make people racists when they're not.

Go look up what he referred to in context, and come back. Just because you tend to miss details and minutia in writing doesnt mean its not there. He made a deliberately obscure reference to a racial stereotype, because that's the kinds person he is. Isnt the first time either. Also I didn't do the same thing with you. Ive made implications that maybe your view on race issues is skewed but I've never called you a racist.. you've called plenty of books racist though, without merit.

No, there's a pattern here. You lose the argument (or don't actually have one in the first place) and then you jump right to "you're racist". You have to do better than that, sorry. Otherwise I don't really see the need to entertain conversations that don't actually go nowhere beyond flimsy accusations.

What argument did I lose? I wasn't even initially talking to him, nor did he even respond to what I said. Neither party did. Twice now in this very comment thread I've advised folks go do some actual research and both times they dodge. Ironically you are choosing to make a simply accusation instead of seeing for yourself why his comment is a dogwhistle. The pattern you SHOULD be seeing is from his own past comments, which lend even more credence to my statement.

So you want to keep going this way. Ok, it's your choice. When the consequences come, it should be noted that I have warned you.

You're literally not even attempting to respond to what I'm saying at this point lol. I might as well be posting anything else with how you are just flinging non sequiturs. Christ....

You're sensitive little thing arent you Toony?

And for real its urban hipster vernacular.

Merlyn I think toony came looking for attention because his gushing review didnt get much love. Honestly I think Ridley could publish a mac n cheese recipe and toony would sing hosannas to it.

By the way no one was putting any racial complexion on this awful book until Toonys senditivies were offended. Bless his heart.

Fenix apparently patchouli is racist "dog whistle" now. So says racist dog whistle policeperson toony. N' est pas?

No, its a dialect ming. Just because you weren't educated on that doesn't mean your word is law. I see you've been reduced to ad hominem and have no actual argument. Im more than willing to leave you to continue fellating yourself but I was hoping for more from someone who claims to know things. How many more individual thoughts did you come up with after these 5 barely coherent ones?

You don't have arguments toony...you have hysterics. No one with a modicum of intelligence takes an individual like you seriously. Please let me know if I posted any dog whistle there. Oh and for real its urban hipster vernacular.

My argument is that it isnt hipster anything because it isn't. Facts aren't hysterics. Any academia or institution that claims any modicum of intellect will tell you exactly what I'm telling you. The fact you cite intellect while disregarding this is proof of my claims, which by th way you still have failed to argue against. You are trying to avoid it and its so obvious. Please... stop embarrassing yourself. And I never accused you of dog whistling. Just felix who has scurried to his cave

@Mingthemerciless What? Hahaha! How do he get to that definition?This happens when the person has not traveled and believes that the world is limited to five blocks from his house. And worst of all, he doesn't even investigate, he just spews whatever comes to mind in his haunting mind. Such incoherence made me laugh a lot, that is appreciated.

Oh I investigated lmao. You aren't fooling anyone. Well... you're fooling some folks clearly. Haunting mind... I like the sound of that. I'll be stealing jt

And on a note ,Toonstrack , there are people who have occupations, maybe you don't understand that the world revolves beyond comics. You know, school, work, friends. If you look out the window, you will see a real world outside, where normal people live and engage in various activities.

Is Ridley writing this as current continuity or in Future State? Tamaki is working towards Future State in Tec. Williamson is to have Batman put Batman Inc back together when he takes over in 118. Fear State is current continuity and Batman leaves Gotham at the end of it. This is a mess.

It's really sad, I don't want the publisher to disappear, I've tried to support with the comics that I buy, but I'm reaching the limit and feel I'm not the only one. My interest in this publisher is getting less and less. Why they didn't better generate a land where they would do these things and leave heroes like Batman-Bruce, Superman-Clark, WW-Diana alone instead of disappearing them, really the only thing left is the Nightwing fanfiction which is pretty bad for a young adult audience.

Maybe Williams can do something about Batman, sometimes he does interesting things, other times he writes very youthful. Pfff I think that next year, if not before I will close the DC chapter due to so much mediocrity.

Yeah I'm Williamson can lift the book and give the readers some decent stories. Tamaki and Ridley arent delivering.

A character that stole the gear and identity of a man he doesn't like to fight some uninteresting war on privilege and turn Batman into Robin Hood. Worst structured is an understatement.

Yeah nothing reactionary about this

Tim Burton was at the top of his game then. Michael Keaton surprised everyone with how he delivered the role. Gotham looked and felt like a city out of time and created a great mood. Nicholson's energy. AND Jack Palance. It's clear the talent bringing the story to the screen added what Hamm lacked. I'm hoping the series lifts as I'm not reading current continuity or anything FutureFear State so this is my Batman fix but Hamm seems to going into one-note territory already.

Yeah, I'm grateful for all of those people because if Hamm would have had his way I doubt this movie would have had any real success. And it was a milestone in the Batman movie territory so yeah, thank God for Burton and everyone else who kept him in check.

Ridley's even stealing the "bruce Wayne is the mask" angle and having Tim Fox use it as if we ve never seen it before.

not very original

Tynion is even ripping off lines from Nolans The Dark Knight...I believe in Harvey Dent/the new Gotham city. And in the context of a campaign no less. I know Tynion got off the Titanic (not before leaving a mess for 2022) abe DC just lost more editorial staff but some one needs to tell them the movies get inspiration from the comics not the other way around.

I am just afraid DC does not know what it is doing. I think we are having, what the third reboot in a decade. Every time they do that, good stories I like are forgotten and they double down on stuff I do not like such as the Thomas Wayne as Batman man that is dumb. Then there is Dick as a spy and breaking up the wedding. Grrr. Or I could be wrong.

No question DCseems adrift right now. All the reboots don5 help either. Snyders Death Metal was essentially the latest one and honestly it was bloated mess to me and has created more problems than it was meant to solve. Then add the abandoned 5G which was rejiggered into Futre State and even got DiDio fired. So you've got a reboot in a reboot as DC heads towards a watered down version of Future State. Itself mostly poorly received by the fans.

DCs money woes are well known and guys like Bendis and Ridley haven't been delivering. Batman has been top ten with Tynion but it almost sells itself. If I was at DC I'd be scouting IDW Boom Dark Horse Dynamite..anyone that can come to the table with some vision and fun writing. Something is not right at DC agreed.

Batman 112- "I believe in the new gotham city,. Nolans The Dark Knight- "I believe in Harvey Dent". Tynion isn't even pretending hes not plagiarizing better material any more. All this meh just so DC can have it's own Miles Morales Batman in 2022. Sorry Merlyn but you're way more patient with this Tynion drek than I am.

I am, mostly because I like the Scarecrow angle. It's nothing great but given it's the last TRUE Batman story for a while, because he's getting replaced by the Usurper, I guess I'm looking for the good in it.

I get what you're saying but I cant hold my nose like that for Tynions mess hes leaving.

In the hands of a better writer without an agenda to cater I think scarecrow could really be a force in Gotham.

Naked Bruce and Selina is more King edgelord stuff. I'm surprised h3s not using a John Donne love sonnet in lieu of actual writing.

Tell me that's not an actual line from the book....

"Batman...this thing...he's the Goddamn devil...sent by the Lord to punish us for our sins". Full quote from Gordon's mouth. Sorry, I guess King couldn't help himself.

DC just lost more editorial staff. I think King snuck that one in while they were packing.

*facepalm* At least I dropped the book back at #4.

I'm confused, is "thoughts and prayers" not the standard response to school shootings from people like you? Where's the problem?

Yes, he should have left those people to die, it would have been quite heroic of him

Even I am tired sometimes of that cliche but bullets with "thoughts and prayers on them"? Really? Can't get any cringey than that.

@Mout: No, he should just bring boats of people from everywhere and attack cops when they try to registrate them, that would work wonders, I'm sure of it. Just ask Europe how well that worked for them or the South regions of America.

That "too soon..political" line is rather abrupt from Taylor. I see what you mean about his juvenile writing style. Its like a comedian with clunky material and bad timing.

I'm wondering if he ll go after the murder rate in Chicago Minneapolis Baltimore or New York the same way he goes after the soft target?

Shhh... we're not allowed to talk about politics unless it's to attack the right, the left must be protected at all costs. :))

But isn't Taylor and his fans on this thread being political? How do I interpret "people like you" if not a political jab?

I wonder if Taylor will have super fast grow superman head over to DCs Afghanistan soon. I have a feeling the bloodshed will make his 2A domestic fantasies pale in comparison. Maybe he can teach DCs taliban not to contribute to man made climate warming change?

Anyway...yeah I think your observation on the quality of Taylor's writing has some merit given the hamfisted attempt to go after 2A in this issue. And let's be honest that's what hes trying here.

I know y'all don't agree with the "politics" Taylor is trying to push, but I'm afraid this kind of story won't work for a very simple motive, DC is not meant to be grounded on the real world, Marvel operates that way, not DC.(There's the beautiful O'Neil/Adams run on GL and GA,but it's kinda of a isolated segment within DC history, I guess) He can establish this parallels with fake countries and politicians, and it may work, but in the long run, maybe it doesn't.

If Taylor serious and not just pushing agendas-the quality if his writing aside- hed be more interested in what is creating 5he phenomenon of adolescent boys snapping and going to their school or familiar place and attempting to kill as many people there as possible. But hes not interested in that hes more interested in mocking people that don't share his views. That's what the "too soon" quip is along with the "thoughts and prayers".

Taylor wants to make his statement but it's a shallow one. Tell me what the teenaged boys are snapping like that..that's the story no one wants to tell.

Its not even the politics anymore we know most of these writers and artists are leftist. It's the shallowness of their thought that grates the way it does. You want to really bite with your message? Tell me why this is happening not how it's happening.

I understand the point you're making mout. Because DC is in imaginary locales that mirror real ones the impact of the messaging is lost. There is some truth to that I think.

@Mout: So if you agree with us why are you upset about my review? I never said he shouldn't have rescued those people, I specifically critiqued the idea of attacking cops for wanting to process them. Which is, you know, what we do (or at least should do) in civilized world. Otherwise it would be utter chaos.

That's what I meant by "he decides he's above all of it". Jon lives in a country with asylum laws. Otherwise, he could always take them to his fortress or his Smallville farm but his attitude "I'm gonna drop here these people and don't you DARE do your jobs and process them" it's problematic, to say the least.

@Ming the school shooter guy came out of nowhere, and it doesn't seem to be the kind of thing to be explorered in later issues. I didn't even catch the meaning behind the bullets cause I don't live in the US so I have no ideia how people react to these mass shooting in general

@Merlyn it has a connection with last month issue, where he decided not to interfere when the authorities took that boy, so now he decided to do something about it. After seeing the refugees suffering, he interfered with the process to make sure they would be more comfortable and less frightened, that's the way I perceived it

And let's see if this refugee situation is explored later, it probably will be

See, that's my issue with Taylor overall. He attacks real, complex world issues with the thought-process of a 10 year old and then preaches about it. You just can't do that. Either you accept this is a complex issue you can't just preach about your side while you completely ignore the other side or maybe just stay off it. I mean, superhero stories aren't necessarily supposed to be about social issues but if you're going that road, I find it only fair to attack the gaps in his logic.

And that being said, as you well know, when refugees come in massive numbers, there are pretty hard to catch and if they manage to escape in civilian population, it's going to be that much harder to track them down. Hence the processing and the necessary handcuffs. Let's be real, this wasn't a George Floyd type of situation, this was standard proceeding. Jon doesn't get to tell the cops who were just following the law how to do their jobs.

As a real world example that's in the bees right now...there are a reported 100 individuals on terror watchlists among the several thousand Afghan refugees taken out of the country in the last week. Did they go to Qatar? Are they heading to the US? It's like Merlyn said you cant take a complex issue ho "nyah nyah" at people that don't agree with you wrap it ut in benevolence. If want to make the statement do it maturely and objectively.

Typo new not bees..sorry.

In my life I had read something so hypocritical, I had heard bad quotes from the series, but this leaves me speechless, I will not touch this series with a stick.

I am just wondering if you hate zTom Taylor so much why do you continue to read his books?

Well, keep wondering.

Your reviews contain enough story detail that I can tell you are reading them and not just hating on them, but why continue reading if you find them so bad

@Dave - Redcap here literally 'hate' reads at least half of DC's current output and if it's not drenched in garbage right wing politics, then he inserts said garbage politics into the review himself. He's so clueless he thinks that a single title a month featuring a black Batman is evidence that DC is going to completely replace Bruce because "money bad" or some stupid other shit, despite DC soliciting something like 20+ books with Bruce in November.

Oh look, it's the loser who made an account named specifically to complain about me until it got banned. Don't think I don't know that was you. And btw, moron, they DID just replace Bruce with Jace in Gotham, they just announced it yesterdat. How idiotic can you be? Do you want a prize or something? Because you've won it, dude, a long time ago. :))

*An account named "Merlyn is a (insert offense)", I forgot the specific insult.

How fucking stupid are you? Bruce is leaving Gotham for what will probably be an actual year, two at most, before he triumphantly returns. And guess what? You can still read about him because DC is soliciting literally 16 different titles in November that feature Bruce as Batman and 2 titles that features Jace. Oh no, the horror! You poor little babies just have it so hard nowadays only getting an average 4 new Bruce Batbooks per week. How will you survive?!?

I don't give a crap about Jace Fox. Are you such a moron that you can't get that through your thick skull? Batman NOT in Gotham just isn't very interesting for me. Just as Jace IN Gotham isn't. Do you understand now, you idiot, or should I try to draw?

I like, though, that you don't try to deny you were the one with the fake account. At least you're honest about it. But how big a loser you can be to make a troll account just because my opinions bother you? Do I mean that much to you? Am I living in your head rent-free? :))

Everyone has the right to criticize a comic, that is the purpose of this place. Closed minds are clear where they cry because someone does not do their will.

Merlyn -We both know EXACTLY why you’re just upset about a black man being Batman and it has nothing to do with Gotham. Also, some of the best Bat-books in the last 15 years took place outside of Gotham. Fantastic arcs of Morrison’s run did and that’s what Williamson appears to be drawing from with the Batsuit on the cover of 118. But continue to act like a child, by all means. rEnT FrEe. I mean, is there a dumber phrase in the English language? Don’t your 2 responses to me imply the same thing?

:))) No we don't, you're just the classic moron who when someone doesn't like what he likes he's all "oH, yOu rAcIsT". That's the best you can do. I can understand that, you're not very bright.

So you admit you were the one with the fake account, yes? Come on, be honest, man, it's not a shame. You're just that sick and hateful but that's ok, we're tolerant.

I mean you immediately picked up on what I was dropping concerning Jace so we both know I’m right. Keep calling me hateful while you throw petty insults out though.

I "picked up" on that because you're so, so, very dumb and predictable to the point that all your thought-process (and I use that word lightly) is one big, cliche. But why aren't you a big man and admit the thing about the fake account, though? Are you that much of a coward?

It seems like you picked up on it because it frequently happens to you. Maybe some self reflection is needed. If I was frequently coming off as racist and spouting racist replacement theory bs I’d probably take a minute to stop and think about what I was doing, but that would require thinking and I don’t think the last two brain cells pinging around your skull are capable of it. It’s also great how successful you are at derailing the conversation from your wafer thin criticisms of DC comics.

I point out your criticism s race related and you say “no ifs because Batman isn’t in Gotham.” I point out amazing stories have been told with Batman outside of Gotham and have no problem pointing out a ton of others outside of Morrison’s top notch run. And you have nothing but bull shit. Typical

No, it's still you being a predictable idiot who's screeching "rAcIsT" when he doesn't have arguments. Again, how about admitting to the making of the fake account? You're dodging that like a champ but people see it, trust me. You could just be a man and admit it. Come on, it's not that hard.

Self reflection lol, coming from the coward who can't even bring himself to admit he created a fake account specifically to target me. :))

Deflect, deflect, deflect. It’s all you do. Batman can be great and fun and well written outside of Gotham, especially when the character is in 16 titles a month. Sorry your racist ass can’t handle a black Batman being in 2 books, neither of which you have to torrent and read, bc we all know you don’t buy them. Thats the only logical conclusion to come to at this point. Must be hard going through life as fragile as glass.

No, actually YOU're the one deflecting. It's the 6th time I'm asking you to be a man for ONCE in your pitiful life and you think by ignoring me it goes away. It doesn't. Keeping your head in the sand doesn't change the fact you're not even man enough to own up to your actions. Did you read any Spidey comics? All that stuff about responsibility? Those lessons were wasted on you.

No, YOU're racist, you racist racist racist RACIST RACIST. See, I can play that stupid game too, it's not hard. Racist.

See, calling someone a racist only works when said person has proven to be a racist. You spouting off replacement theory because 2 of 18 Batman books have a black Batman is racist.

Never did that. You racist! Again, are you willing to admit your creating the fake account? Stop dancing aroung it, just admit it, you spineless racist coward!

It’s also HILARIOUS you think my life is pathetic based off an internet argument you’re losing because you’re racist. I’d you aren’t racist, then that meanS your entire argument is “Batman is bad because he isn’t gonna be in Gotham” which is so, so incredibly stupid.

It's not hard, just say it: "I, Loafy Trophy, am such a big loser that I bothered to creat a fake account specifically to attack Merlyn." You don't have to be sorry for it, I know you're not, just admit it.

Yep, that’s what it is. Either: 1. You’re racist (This one is the front runner) and Batman’s bad because of that. Or 2. You’re stupid and Batman is bad bc he isn’t in Gotham. When there are tons of great stories with Batman out of Gotham.

You're the racist one. Either admit right now that you created the fake account or I block you this instant. And unlike last time, I won't lift the block. If you're not man enough to admit to your mistake, I don't see the need to entertain you any longer. This is your ONE chance to admit it, otherwise if your next comment will not be that, it's direct block.

Silence it's not an option either because this was a fast back and forth so I know you've seen my comment. Admit what you did or it's direct block, forever.

Block me, you adult-sized toddler. That’s just a literal admission you have nothing to say and can’t actually argue your point. It’s EXACTLY what you did last time you got wrecked in an argument before posting like 5 responses claiming your victory while I couldn’t even respond. Great Batman stories can be told anywhere in the DC universe and you’re using some lame shit as cover for your racism.

Ok so Loafy Trophy had 7 chances to admit he made up a fake account specifically to target me but he's such a wuss that he didn't have the guts to admit it. Unfortunately that means he won't able to answer to any of my reviews. Sad thing but that's what happens when you're a pitiful coward.

Who are you talking to? Like 10 people read your reviews and most of them have more common sense than me to ignore you.

Ok, block forever. I still gave him last one chance but the coward couldn't admit it even then.

Those who have been complaining about supposed false accounts are the same ones who do them. We know that your stalker will not get over you and will continue to be traumatized by your point of view throwing a tremendous tantrum on the floor.

Ridley is a racial activist and DC made a point of having him write a black character as Batman. It's not sales driven because all Tim Fox titles drop out of the top 50 within a few issues while other batcentric titles remain in the top 50. The only conclusion I can draw from those facts is that the characters race is important enough to DC that it ignores its poor sales to keep pushing the writer and character. The readers have spoken they're not interested in Ridleys idea of Batman.

That may change when DC tries again to push Tim Fox as Batman after Fear State but right now he doesn't sell. So is load calling most batfans racists?

Speaking for myself as a Batman and DC fan I don't find Tim Foxs war on privilege very compelling and this "system" Ridley wants him to take on doesnt draw me in. I want Alfred back and I don't want Lucius to be a heel any longer.

Is that racist of me loaf?

Ming, LoafyTrophy is blocked, just so you know so he won't see your replies. He made not so long ago a fake account "Merlyn is a (insert insult)", I forgot the insult, with a Trump profile photo with his hair all messy because of the wind. The guy is sick for sure. I gave him several chances to admit his mistake but he refused, he couldn't do even that.

You know hes reading this Merlyn...lol.

All I'm asking is a fun and entertaining fucking book, I get tired from work, with my two kids, and people know how 7 years older are like, I just like to lay down and blow off some steam by reading my comics, without this political garbage, ain't enough that every channel I tune up there's this shit happening, it was supposed to be a break from reality, if DC keeps up with this agenda, I don't know if I'll stick around

That's my problem, too. These people don't understand that we want escapism. They're just so narcissistic that they think we actually want to hear their political opinions. We don't.

I like Williamson as a writer, I liked the first half of his Flash run, he ended it on a pretty decent note but I just don't like the way DC tries to push 5G down our throats while at the same time maintaining our classic heroes on the line but outside of where they should be. Superman will go on Warworld so that Taylor's Jon can take his place (I've already made it clear how I feel about that one). Bruce is leaving Gotham so Jace can replace him.

Diana is already pretty much in a limbo state as a character and I imagine there's only a matter of time until Nubia becomes the new WW. Hal Jordan has been sidelined (because Thorne is sick and hates him), granted so far replaced by an established character, John Stewart but I think sooner or later Jo Mullein will become the main lantern. Hyde Jackson will become the new Aquaman.

The only question so far is Wally. His series is pretty good and Adams has fixed King's enormous stupidity but I have a feeling it won't take long until the gender neutral character will also replace him. And then there's the JL but I don't think DC will keep Bendis long on that book (they really shouldn't lol) so I see them rebooting the JL line with the FS team. Bottom line, this IS 5G, just by a different method and with breadcrumbs let for fans of the classic characters.

I'm a DC fan, I always liked them more than Marvel because while Marvel approaches their heroes more from the "world outside your window perspective", DC chooses to mythicize their heroes more at least that's how I saw it. This is All-New All-Different Marvel and I think, and honestly also hope, they'll have the same level of "success". My question was, though, if they were going to be moving towards 5G, why did they even fire Didio?

Williamson is preferable to Tynion Ridley or Taylor and certainly Bendis. Hes saying he ll respect Tynions direction. Also the return of the yellow oval on the bat symbol.

I believe the old symbol returned to distinguish between the two Batmans that will at the same time. So Bruce leaves Gotham and Tim Fox gets his stuff and his rogues gallery in Gotham. Clearly DC blinked they cant take Bruce away from their best seller.

I mean, given that he'll not be operating in Gotham... I guess he won't have much to do with what's happening there. That's kind of my translation for "he'll respect Tynion's direction". I, for one, am not very interested in Batman outside of Gotham, all the villains and all the lore around him was based around him as a character. Jace's "battles" with "privilege" could've been done anywhere else.

It's a major disservice not only to Batman but to all of his supporting cast that now will have to play second-fiddle to this guy that until recently NO ONE KNEW HE EXISTE. Like, why would Nightwing, Red Hood, Huntress, Tim Drake or any other Bat-family member really would let this guy get the mantle? Any of the other Robins deserve it much more so. They've fought ever since they were kids for Gotham but no, that doesn't matter, because Jace's war on privilege matter more. I can't even.

Hell, even Luke Fox deserved a shot more than this guy.

Bro, i'll just repost something I said in another post here This is comics, he's leaving Gotham for one year tops and then he will be back, no big deal It's doesn't even make sense to be afraid of this, now we can look back and recognize that this kind o change happens once a decade, Azrael during the 90's, Dick during the 2000's(which lasted almost 2 years, I think) And Gordon in the 2010's for less than a year( I read Snyder's run until Endgame, so I'm not 100% sure about it)

Let's see if something interesting comes out of this

See, I don't care about it. I don't care about Jace's privilege war, about his race issues, about his daddy issues, about anything really about him. Sure, he would work as a Milestine character but not as Batman, not in Gotham. There's nothing exciting about him. Azrael was extreme, he was willing to use methods Bruce wasn't and he had an interesting design. For Grayson it was a matter of legacy and Gordon has fought for Gotham so, so many years.

All these characters had history with Gotham or at least were interesting. Though it should be noted, none of them were particularly liked by the fans, Azrael wasn't very popular, I for one wasn't a huge fan of Dick as Batman and Gordon was somehow interesting just as long as he had that weird suit. But bottom line, no one loved Batman when Bruce isn't Batman. Because he IS Batman.

And btw, a year is A LOT, you're talking about it like it's no big deal but it actually is.

And there is no proof this will last only a year, I should add, that's just your estimation based on nothing we know so far.

I'm not caring much abou Jace either, but who knows it might be good. A year is a lot now, because we are living it, but after this goes away, it will small, like, you can read 12 issues in two days, it goes by fast

*it will feel small

We know something, it's not permanant, of course.

But you're acting like this is a whole new thing. It's not. We've had FS: The Next Batman, we've had the Second Son series and the one-shot, I am Batman. There was plenty of time for Ridley to impress and if he didn't manage to do it in about 17 issues, there are very slim chances he'll do it going forward. And in DC's current situation I feel like they really don't have the luxury of experimenting that much. Yeah, it won't be permanent, I agree, but I don't think it will last just a year.

I think DC continuing to push for Jace might be because of name recognition. I believe they have the mentally that any comic with "Batman" in the title will sell. I'm not sure what the sales looked like for FSTNB and SS, but they have to have been good enough (from their standards at least) to let Ridley continue.

Also, I'd be surprised if the sales for FSTNB were good. The book was $8 and the Batman portion was only 1/4 of the book.

No I think DC realised Tim Fox cant carry the premier seller based on the poor performance of the books that feature him. I think DC will see how he dares during Fear State then have him operate in Gotham with all the stuff and rogues there while Bruce globe trots likely with Damien if Williamsons hints are clear.

I think they were about to give Ridley the whole thing but sales didn't warrant it. This way people like me are expected to keep buying Bruce's books thus keeping Batman in the top sellers and if Tim Fox catches on Bruce gets sidelined further. DC blinked.

I also believe then end game is something line Bendis with the CW working on a Naomi series. I think eventually Tim Fox will be CW Batman or less likely HBO Max Batman and feature films remain with Bruce who is far more bankable.

I think Ridley got a deal with DC that regardless of the comic sales he would be allowed to continue with his plan. He got back into comics after what, 15 years? They must have put a good deal on the table for him. So I don't think the sales mattered much, DC seems to have put the 5G in motion long before they could have seen how those books are selling.

I think Mout is right this is likely a yearlong effort with the inevitable crossovers.

@Ming: If they will pair up Damian with Bruce again after the whole "I'm leaving because I want to get out of your shadow I will be frustrated". Not that it would be a bad idea, but why would you even separate them in the first place. There's just an abysmal lack of direction for Damian as a character.

Obviously the quotation was before the "I will be frustrated" part, sorry.

Much like Merlyn I have zero interest in Tim Foxs war on privilege and "the system" Ridley says is in Gotham. Theres nothing compelling about it. Its mired in activist drivel and doesnt have the nobility and perhaps futility of young Bruce's oath to fight crime and keep from having sway over the innocent born from witnessing the murder of his parents.

Bruce trained for years with masters of various disciplines not just martial arts but science and Detective work. He honed his mind and body. Alfred is his Q his mentor his conscience at times and a surrogate father. Tum Fox resents his father for being rich.

And we re expected to believe that Bruce leaves his satellite based unprotected and guys like Fox cab stumble on them and steal not only his fear but his identity? And speaking of stealing Lucius just walks away with the Wayne fortune? Please.

Typo steal his gear.

Mout is likely right if the pattern holds Tim Fox will likely be around for a year but there's nothing about the character that appeals to me. I suspect I'm in the majority of readers.

Darkknight I've seen the numbers Tim Fox books_all of them- do well for a couple of issues then drop out of the top 50 sellers. Both monthlies and trades. By comparison all other bat titles remain top 10 or top 50. I think that's why Bruce remains in the Batman title now under Williamson. It's too popular and good selling to remove him from action in continuity.

Yeah Merlyn Williamson has hinted that it will be batman and Robin at some stage and it appears to be Damian.

Also agree the wheels were set in motion for 5G which fractured and reconstituted Future State. Snyder was tasked with setting the table with Dwath Metal this allowing any version and timeline to exist in main continuity. A mess following a mess.

I believe you're right that Ridley has some kind if sweet deal regardless of sales and my bet is it's a CW or HBO Max Tim Fox series. The movies are too expensive and the merch too lucrative to mess with so Bruce remains as movie batman. The Flash movie will rejigger that a little with the multiverse.

I though Snyder's whole Metal II was unnecessary. Johns wrapped everything with a nice bow at the end of Doomsday Clock and achieved basically the same thing Snyder did, without the omniverse nonsense.

I liked Metal, it was cool and original but the sequel...oh boy. It had some nice one-shots here and there but the main story was pretty bad.

Death Metal just dragged on and on I had almost no interest in it. The only character I had any interest in was Batman Who Laughs and Snyder turned him nearly omnipotent and I lost interest.

Yeah, that annoyed me too. And he completely forgot about the other evil Batmen which were pretty cool, some of them (I for one liked the Dawnbreaker a lot), and had interesting backstories. Instead, he just added "Bat+" to every single super hero or villains without bothering to develop them. It was a shitshow.

Grim Knight of used properly could have been DCs Punisher. I'd buy that book each month.

A team up of Grim Knight and Jason Todd instead of no guns neutered Jason we just got handed. Throw Flashpoint Batman into that dynamic...damn.

I always was curious about how Jason Todd and Flashpoint Batman would interact. I mean, Bruce wouldn't approve for sure. I don't know, I didn't "feel" Grim Knight. It wasn't a bad idea but I guess regarding alternate-Batmen he was kind of redundant. We already have Flashpoint Batman or Owlman who are more interesting characters for me. But he's not a bad character for sure, there was space for him to be developed, too.

It's a great dynamic which DC has no interest in exploring. For now we re stuck with Tynion setting up Williamson to go for batman inc kind of thing while Ridley tries to sell Tim Fox in Gotham likely as Mout and Darkknight suspect for about a year. The sales will dictate that timeline no doubt.

For me I didnt get into Gordon as Robocop Batman so Tim Fox stealing the suit and the mantle holds no interest for me either. I ll give Williamson a chance only because I want to enjoy Batman in continuity but international man of mystery Batman doesn't much appeal to me either. That's what the JL is for.

Merlyn you likely already know but Joshua Williamson is taking over Batman with 118 after Tynion leaves. Hes very careful to say hes "respecting" the Tynion vision after Fear State and that Batman leaves Gotham. And yellow oval is back on the Bstsuit a la Batman Inc.

I have a feeling DC blinked. They worked out that Batman without Bruce would bleed out readership. My bet is the yellow oval is back to distinguish between the two Batmans DC will be publishing at the same time. Now 5he question is did DC intend to give Ridley the whole pie and changed course?

Yeah, I made a post about it on my profile if you want to check it out. I would like others to join the discussion to see their opinions and I don't think they will see it here.

As always, your gaze goes beyond the comic and that's fine, since they want to politicize comics, so it stops being fun and becomes a political pamphlet that must be analyzed. Because this already seems like indoctrination of hypocritical moralists.

With the semblance you have given, it is enough for me not to even give it a glance.

It's not just that it's hypocritical, it's also dumb. These are complex issues and the "answers" from Taylor are ridiculous. I actually agree with some stuff he's talking about here (not all, mind you, the hint at defunding the police was disgraceful) but his solution is "throw all your money at the problem and it will solve itself".

If he would give those issues even a second thought and wouldn't think at it solely from marxist perspective, "people who have money are bad and should give them up" I would be interested to see his ideas, even if I'm mostly sure I wouldn't agree with them. But no, he doesn't have any answer, just cheap moralizing.

you have a trauma with politics, maybe you should run for mayor or governor instead of reading comics. And join a very conservative party because your trauma is the democratic party

Tom Taylor has a trauma with politics since he insists on inserting them in every comic. My trauma isn't the dems. I just signaled that the homelessness problem, which Taylor cares about (and I do too) is a big thing in the big cities run by them. It's a thing, sorry if it bothers you, that's reality for you, it doesn't always work like we want to.

Speaking of trauma. Wont Graysons new found wealth and privilege put him at odds with Usurper Batman in 2022. Cant wait for that engrossing tale.

Grayson did inherit it from Wayne's man servant its ripe for Usurper Batman to to face in his noble war on privilege. And speaking from first hand experience Merlyn you are tight again about their penchant for "just throw money it" as their solution to social problems they created.

Haha, well placed @Mingthemerciless for how this is going I do not doubt they did. I understand the economic crisis, but making it Robin Hood historically is not the solution because those who did not have become those who now have, so it is like a snake that eats its own tail.

As you say @Merlyn that is hypocrisy, give a man a sin and you will feed him one day, teach him to fish and he will eat forever. But maybe Taylor is too saturated to think about that or he just wanted or was forced to lower the maturity of this comic to attract more people, something that DC managers are doing a lot.

Damn, I don't want to even read the annual about this, I don't know if I can stand Taylor writing Jason and Dick together, but since he usually ignores the characters he places, he sees Tim, a complete filler. I saw on Twitter that he is already joining DIck with Barbara, damn that is wrong, that the girl does not have other men, if she is the same hot batypotato.

@Ming: I saw your comments on Batman Jones' review. As you saw, I'm not going to comment there anymore, just so you know. That guy really is a douchebag, I'm not saying I am a saint, far be it from me to believe that. But if you see my review on Justice League #66 I was more than accommodating for him, something I don't usually do. And he comes out of fucking nowhere with that "Trumpublican" shit and alternate facts, even though we didn't talk about any of that.

And yeah, you're right, Biden really is an idiot who disappointed not only the Afghan people but basically of all USA's allies. Everyone in the West is concerned now that America can just leave in an instant, something no one was afraid of before. But don't try to debate that with those brainwashed NPC's, it won't work.

@fenix: Thing is, despite what idiots think, I don't have a problem with Dick being generous. My problem is that Taylor ALWAYS aims to tackle very serious issues in the most juvenile and silly, feel-good way. Which is getting him the popularity he has from people that don't think too much about the causes he's discussing about. All he talks about is surface level, at the easiest analysis you realize he doesn't actually have any answers, just cheap moralizing.

I don't care too much about that annual, I'm disappointed of DC's decision to drop the guns for Red Hood and I feel like he won't get them back for a long time, in all the future solicits he has knives and swords, no guns. And regardless of what morons try to say, yes, it is because of ideological reasons, not story ones. DC dropped the guns for the same reason Marvel hasn't published a Punisher book in a long time: their aversion to guns.

Cheers Merlyn. You and I don't agree on everything but the important stuff we re on the same page. Everything you said is true particularly in the effect on our allies. Without getting too bogged down I think some of this nightmare in Afghanistan is by design. Yes Biden is a buffoon of the highest order but his handlers are behind his decisions and they're making the world a dangerous place. Follow the money..and both parties dem and repub are in this.

Fenix arent I right? Graysons wealth puts him at odds with Tim Foxs war on privilege...lol. hes now guilty until proven innocent no?

I don't even like Red Hoods new uniform. I know it echoes the batsuit but it doesn't work for Jason. The no guns is ridiculous too. Jason is a loose canon a spoiler. And this task force z with a zombie Bane? Are they on crack at DC?

Merlyn if u understand correctly even DC toys have dropped the guns. It's an ideological decision definitely.

Typo: if I understand correctly.

@Mingthemerciless: Usurper Batman - that's perfect. But mind you, Dick is a good rich guy, he gave the money away.

It's because there's one Red Hood fan who keeps making accounts to upvote himself.

I haven't read today's issue yet but I would 100% agree that this run is to DC as Daredevil is to Marvel: the two best superhero ongoings of their respective companies.

@The Dark Knight Detective it's also a coincidence that Nightwing and Daredevil have similar fighting styles. But I agree, I like Nightwing right now, dont know why a lot of people nitpick and hate it.

@daspidaboy I ask myself the same question. I don't know if they think the writing is genuinely bad or they have a negative bias towards the writer 🤷‍♂️

If you read the actual reviews of those who are detracting they are either Red Hood fanboys or conservatives who are triggered by facts about society

@Toonstrack: If you think I dislike this juvenile book because I'm a fan of Red Hood, you're even dumber than I thought. It's not either-or for me, I like Nightwing too. And your "facts"? Yeah, those are called opinions, might want to check a dictionary.

^^^See what I mean? Merlyn you're not the only one here trying and failing miserably to rag on this book. But you all fall into one of those categories. You collectively been at it since the first issue of the run. And facts aren't opinions. Facts are either correct or they aren't. Opinions are subjective. Facts are not.

You're right. Unfortunately what you deem as "fact" is actually an opinion. I know it may be hard for you but I'm sure with some help you can wrap your head around that.

Hey man, you're the one who feels the need to bring up Taylor's politics in every review and review those instead of the book.

That's because those politics ARE in the book, you're just either too dumb to notice or purposely pretend they aren't there.

So? Having politics you disagree with doesn't automatically make something bad. Theres a ton of other factors to consider when reviewing a story which you ignore at all times.

It used to be the case that, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, “You’re entitled to your opinions, you are not entitled to your own facts,” but that’s not true anymore. Ever since Kellyanne Conway defended a lie about Trump’s inauguration attendance by saying there we’re “alternative facts” and Trump started calling any news he didn’t like “fake news,” Trumpubicans believe they *are* entitled to their own facts including the invented from thin air rigged election.

Against everything I believe in, I have been persuaded, in large part, not to engage in this stuff because one can’t persuade a brainwashed person to listen to reason. So I’m just going to politely say, Merlyn, you stay out of my reviews and I’ll stay out of yours. And you can continue to peddle your “alternative facts” to your heart’s desire. Your reviews are commonly about politics but mine are not, so I think that’s only fair.

@Toonstrack: No, but it doesn't mean I should be forced to like that book.

@Batman Jones: Sure, that sounds fair. After I let you complain on my reviews how you don't like the way I speak and I was more than generous to try to comply with your requests, next thing I get from you is a rant about "Trumpblicans", fake news, alternative facts and other crazy stuff. Funny how you're talking about brainwashing without realizing how brainwashed you are talking like that. Serves me right when I try to be decent with assholes. Well, not anymore. Sure, I agree with your terms.

Merlyn: Having a consistently shitty, pretentious attitude about your comic OPINIONS towards everyone who doesn't watch Fox News 24/7 isn't trying to be "decent" by any stretch of the imagination. To quote the great Raylan Givens "If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole." And you, without a doubt, run into assholes all day, night, week, and year.

July 8 2021 Joe Biden is asked if a takeover of Afghanistan is inevitable. Joe Biden: No it is not. He refuses to return the calls of the British PM for 36 hours. A reported 10K Anericans are in Afghanistan and have to get through Taliban checkpoints to get to Karzai airport. Afghan women are passing their babies to US soldiers to save them. Your better judgenent...lol.

Today British Parliament censured Joe Biden for his negligence to his responsibility to US allies in Great Britain. 2 Para units are running rescue missions in Kabul to save British citizens and Afghanis while the Biden Administration tell Amerucans there "you're on your own getting to the airport"....Trumplicans you say? LOL.

We ve run into assholes here alright...anyone that bought Bidens lies and actually voted for the dessicated husk. I ll leave you too "elevated" liberals to enjoy your humiliation together.

@Ming hey dumbfuck, do 5 seconds of research before you run off to dunk on someone. “Trump finally bypassed the Afghan government to negotiate directly with the Taliban. The deal with them that he signed on Feb. 29, 2020 promised to pull all U.S. troops out by May 1, 2021.” - NPR

“Baradar, currently the head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha, was freed from Pakistan in 2018 and is the most prominent of thousands of Taliban prisoners freed at the United States’s request in its efforts to promote failed peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.” Trump was president in 2018 and his administration is responsible for releasing the current Taliban leadership from prison.

The entire situation in Afghanistan is horrible and has been caused by 40+ years of American and Soviet mismanagement. I’m not really sure what the answer is but I pretty strongly believe it’s not continuing to fight a forever war alongside permanent occupation.

I loved the first issue of the run and liked this one. I didn't like the issues inbetween and not because of Red Hood or politics. It was because we were getting fan service over story. This issue gives fan service moments, but they push the story forward. I am a huge Nightwing fan so seeing Blockbuster isn't going to wow me, but seeing him go after Dick in this issue was awesome! Heartless finally gets some setup and Dick uses the money to help everyone, especially the homeless kids.

Also, for 3-4 issues Tom Taylor was just telling us that everyone loves Dick Grayson, where this one he showed why they love him through Nightwing's actions.

Nice to have you here, Weird Science Jim. I dig your reviews and I can get behind what you’re saying even if the fan service is more than enough for me after so many issues of Nightwing not being Nightwing. Still I hear you and don’t disagree. Thanks for popping in. Don’t be a stranger.

@Weird Science Jim. No one is complaining about you. They're complaining about the obvious review bombing from newly made accounts, and that one idiot who thinks everything is an attack on his precious Trump.

@Weird Sciene Jim I can agree with you (at least to an extent). I'm a first-time Nightwing reader and I've been loving it so far. I appreciate the love Dick Grayson is getting so far in this series but I think now is the time to see him go through some tough obstacles and challenge the hero.

Not gonna get deep into the Afghanistan pullout because nuance is dead here, but "Afghani" is a currency. Calling the Afghan people "Afghanis" is basically telling everyone in the room that you don't know anything about the conflict.

This is where you and I disagree Merlyn. I actually enjoy Morrisons writing even when can run away with himself. I'm not buying this title as I'm not enjoying DCs durection right now and I'm paring down my pull list accordingly. But I tend to enjoy Morrisons stuff. Suicide. Squad is keeping me interested right now too. I know it ties in with infinite frontier as well.

Cool. I enjoyed Morrison, too, in the past but nowadays he's just not putting his best work in and he insists on cringey dialogue that I roll my eyes at waaay too much.

It's a book that was originally written for 5G, but is now only setting up the team to go fight Warworld in Action Comics coming up

I hate they put Jason as an obedient pet, this is not Jason. And why lay down his arms and use the bat symbol again.

There are many things that have bothered me about Zdarsky since I started this comic, if it is an Elsword it is fine, but if they do it canon this is rubbish. Not even a little bit of Jason's growth was reported.

Yeah, as much as people like to give Lobdell shit he did much better work on the character than the likes of Morrison or Zdarsky. Say what you want about the guy but he put him in the right direction and Zdarsky undid a lot of that. I'm afraid that because Tynion is leaving Batman (THANK GOD!), Zdarsky is one of the candidates for writing Batman. Based on what we've seen here, not sure I like the prospect of that.

Tim Drake is my favourite Robin. I was there when he worked out Bruce is Batman and that gorgeous Breygogle art. I was there for his first solo series. He is the most alike to Bruce in both intellect and prosecution of the mission. He or Damian deserve the mantle of the bat when Bruce can no longer carry it. This isn't Tim Drake. This is a hollow shell for an activist writer to use for nothing more than propaganda. There was no reason at all to to do this to Tim Drake. No credible reason.

If this is canon then I'm dumping DC until it dumps this idiocy.

But on a positive note Tynion is leaving Batman after 117. Given DCs current penchant for shooting itself in the face my bet is they'll do a Tomasi with a full in writer till 2022 then give it to Ridley to finally get rid of Bruce. Or give it to Bendis? It's like asking the reader do you want ketchup or mustard with with your turd sandwich?

Yeah, I'm afraid of Ridley or Tom Taylor myself as the next Batman writers. Bendis would be a pretty bad call, too. Honestly, DC deserves the bankruptcy that'll come to them. They disrespect all their beloved characters constantly.

Tim Drake is doomed forever.

I think you're right DC deserves to fail at this point. These kinds of unforced errors and almost callous disregard for beloved characters and their fans is not without consequence. Heck I ll hold my nose and settle for Taylor I'd he can stop this level of rot.

Maybe theres something I'm missing with this apparent death wish of DCs?

Tom Taylor would definitely not stop this level of rot, keep that guy as far away from Batman as possible. I don't know if you're familiar with his twitter but he's pretty insane with his politics and he never stops inserting them in his books. Also, I don't think he likes Batman if his Nightwing is any indication, he thinks Bruce is "privileged" and doesn't help people in his Bruce Wayne persona, which is completely false. No thank you to all of Taylor's crap.

To be honest most of these guys are lefties it's just a matter of how much of their politics they want to throw into their books. It's pretty clear DC has a talent roster problem which again reflects their money woes.

Maybe it's time to scout Dark Horse or Dynamite for talent?

I think they may need to look outside the comic medium. Like they did with Ridley who wasn't into comics. The idea to reach out beyond regular comic writers was good, it was the writer himself that was the problem. Batman deserves better writers than what the industry has to offer at this moment.

But they can't bring in people from outside the industry. The lady who wrote this story. Has only written the robin eternal story from future state and the penguin back up in detective comics. She has no idea what's she's doing...... which is quite clear when she makes Tim bi for no reason, other then there are to many straight white males in the bar family lol

They brought in Ridley who wasn't writing comics at the time. Yeah, Meghan Fitzmartin is quite crazy indeed.

Merlyn: "Woman wrote comic I don't like, she must be crazy." That's EXACTLY the sexism and bigotry I've come to expect from you based on your "reviews".

Ok. Move on or I'll block you.

Loafy trophy ...... well in the 3rd comic she ever wrote. By the way who gets to start off their writing career at dc on batbooks? Like any idea of sexism and the patriarchy running things goes right out the window. When you realize a woman, who's never written comics, got to make robin bi sexual as literally the 3rd issue she's ever written in comics.......... it's almost as if she's a sjw with a crazy agenda and she has no good ideas on what to write.

Imagine being giving the keys to Gotham and being allowed to write Tim drake, and literally your first in cannon story is " Tim drake is bi " ....... you have no imamgination and you are a shit writer. That's what that story tells me. It's not even a well written story. But it did its job and got her named plastered across twitter and google for 2 days. While better stories went unnoticed because they didn't make someone gay , or black ( I am Batman looking at you and not selling in the top 50 )

I know the usual defense is "hey a lot of people never show any sign of being this way then one day declare they are" but we have the benefit of actually knowing what Tim Drake thinks because there's slabs of his thoughts written already. Can anyone direct me to an issue where Tim has thought about being sexually attracted to other males. Still want to defend the womans writing?

@Batmanaholic: She is a sjw with a crazy agenda. Please ignore that idiot. He really doesn't deserve the effort for such a lengthy answer. It's not the first time he comes to reply on my reviews and cry that I don't like what he does. If he does it one more time, he's not going to get the chance to do it again in the future.

Merlyn you're right. I just read an interview with this writer and she said this was the "only" story she could write for Tim Drake. She apparently sat on her apartment floor for full 2 minutes in bliss when editorial approved it. And guess her pushed to get it approved? Our buddy Tynion.

Tynion is leaving Batman in 6 issues. Hes leaving the Batcerse a complete mess where even Bruce Wayne is teetering on being thrown off his own book. Well done DC. Either fix this or you've lost this once loyal fan and from what I see..I'm not in the minority.

It doesn't surprise one bit that Tynion was the one that approved. What's annoying is that he always deemed himself as someone who loved the Bat-family and who strived to respect those characters. To say that and then disrespect the character like this is just shameless on his part.

And yeah, it's obvious this was a self-insert for the character, this is where we are, loony lefties are self-inserting themselves in comics and completely changing the characters we love to the point where they're antithetic to whom they were for all of their history. As a DC fan it just angers me that we're supposed to just accept this. I, for one, sure am not.

The problem is that writers like Tynion or Fitzmartin lack the talent to make people read their stories. They just lack it. They won't be remembered for great storylines, nor will they be remembered for the characters they create. 10 years from now no one will remember Punchline, Clownhunter, Miracle Molly or Ghostmaker, they don't like them very much now. So they can't remain in history by their talent.

What they CAN do though, is to grab headlines now by changing the sexuality/race/sex of the characters and hope that the fans are tolerant enough to let it go and they will be remembered as the writers to "made X character gay", "made X character black" etc. That's all it is, they lack talent and so they make up for it by changing the characters until they don't resemble who they were. It's disrespectful to the fans and it's disrespectful to the writers who worked on those characters before.

I'm one degree out from completely ditching DC and Marvel comics so stupidly, they've reduced Tim to nothing with this sloppy conversion into some kind of bad soap opera. Now Jason without guns, maybe they will put him to sell cookies with the scouting girls.

This thread is a laugh riot. Did I stumble into the incel convention? Some of my favorite parts: - "Writers like Tynion lack talent" - Merlyn on 2021 Best Writer Eisner Award winner James Tynion IV -"Either fix this or lose a once loyal fan" - Mingthemerciless, don't let the door hit you on the way out - "any idea of sexism and the patriarchy running things goes right out the window" - Batmanaholic, saying sexism doesn't exist because a woman wrote the 5th most popular Batman comic this month

Dear loafy Trophy....... prove to me how the comic industry is sexist against woman, when woman are being hired with zero. As in absolutely no experience in writing comics, and yes getting to be in a top 10 dc comic for the month (because even if it's the 5th best selling Batman book, it outsells almost everything else dc makes ) And gets to make ridiculous character changes, I'm the 3rd story she's ever written for the company. Please explain to me how their is a lot of sexism at dc?

Usually people have to have written a comic for dark horse or image or boom and actually have proof you can write comics, before your handed a job writing for the bar family. She was a back up writer on supernatural? That's my point bud, prove me wrong. Show me the sexism at dc comics or marvel. When woman are getting jobs while being under qualified for them? And not because she's a woman, because she's never written a comic in her life before future state robin eternal (which wasn't half bad )

"Starvation doesn't exist bc I just ate" is basically what you just said. I mean, maybe read or listen to some of the stories that women have told about Scott Lobdell or Warren Ellis. Christ, you take this like a personal attack when all it really is is an acknowledgement of a problem. It's hilarious that you think she's underqualified because she's written on Supernatural and co-wrote the most recent DCAU movie. These type of gigs are almost always how writers get their start in comics too.

She's writing the backup to the 22nd best selling title that DC put out in June according to Comichron. And to think she was the sole decider in a "character change" shows a remarkable amount of naivety. Also the character hasn't changed. He's still Tim, he still has the same backstory and relationships with the Bat-family. He's smart and determined and a leader. He didn't become something radically different just bc now he might be interested in men.

Loafy takes a break for spouting too much crap and coming here to provoke people after being specifically told to stop.

Loafy....... talking about things that happens 10-15 years ago with Warren Ellis . Is not talking about the current state of the industry. And yes she pitched a shit story and dc editorial also sucks for approving it....... Although dc editorial board will approve any book or story idea that will get them 15 seconds of headlines on twitter or google. And no Tim's not the same..... his new partner. " who's been training aswell" beat up as many guys as he did in the fight scene

I'll let him see this message though and I'll block him after. I'm nice like that.

So no Tim fighting skills have apparently evaporated to the level of his new boyfriend. So no he's not the same character. He's now according to this story, about the same fighting level as his friend Bernard is lol.

When an essentially brand new comics writer in a major character for a publisher says the "only" story she could write about Tim Deake is one that makes him bisexual then your dealing with activism not good story telling. When same writer says she spent 2 minutes on the floor of her apartment in joy that her story was approved by DC editorial then you're dealing with an activist with an agenda. No this isn't the same Tim Drake this is now an avatar for activists.

Mist reviews concentrate on zdarskys Redhood story and most readers were buying it for that not the tack on ones. So sales really reflect that MIT yheTim Drake piece. Purely anectforal but look at the reviews here fir example...the Deake story is ranked lowest.

My bet is if zdarskys output is not replaced with an equally popular main story this titles sales will slip. I know myself and many others are ready to drop this and most DC titles at this point. DC may believe it can replace a haemorraghing of readers with woke basement dwellers like our loaf boy here but DC is kidding itself.

However if loaf or anyone else can direct me to an issue before this arc where Drake expressed an attraction to other males U ll gladly review it. Since this was the "only"story (her words not mine) then there must be a set up previously. Otherwise we re dealing with activism masquerading as storytelling.

Merlyn, no one gives a single shit about you. Batmanaholic, so we're just gonna ignore that Tim saves Bernard before they fight off the rest of the attackers together? And a two page spread of Tim and Bernard easily handily a group of bad guys must be evidence he can't fight anymore I guess? I mean I'm baffled at how you come to these nonexistent conclusions, but I can't imagine being so fragile you think a character's sexuality being explored is the end of the world, so.....

Lol didnt take much to get old loaf triggered again.."Christ..you take this like a personal attack"...

Ming - You must really dislike the work of Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Dennis O'Neil and like every other comic writer ever that wrote anything with even a smidge of "activism." Also imagine how sad you must be to turn someone else's happiness that their story pitch was actually picked up into a diatribe against "woke activism" or some nonsense. I mean god forbid there be a coming of age story about one of the 4 white, male Robins exploring his feelings for the opposite sex. BTW - google TimKon.

But speaking of nonexistent have you come up with any references by Tim Drake prior to this arc where he has indicated he is sexually attracted to other males? Since this was the "only" story this writer could write about him there must be some indication. You are defending her decision to do this so I assume you have the receipts?

https://www.dcuniverseinfinite.com/news/robin-superboy-greatest-teen-romance-never-was/

Also I’m not sure how a 16-17 year old going through puberty can’t become interested in men. Maybe talk to someone who’s Bi or gay and you might learn some perspective.

Your link is to an editorial where a writer wishes Conner and Tim's friendship had become sexual. Kind if creepy wanting to see teenage boys get it in but that's your writer. So do you have an issue where expresses sexual attraction to other makes or not? I can wait...

Did you have a stroke while typing? I can barely understand any of that drivel. You also seem to have a poor understanding of what bisexual is and I’m really not sure how a teenage boy crushing on another teenage boy is creepy. Do you feel that way about Tim’s relationship with Stephanie too?

Loafy Trophy - Pay no mind to them. These NPCs had screaming fits because I made fun of some Youtube pedophiles that they worship.

The only one that's having a stroke seems be the writer of the editorial you linked to as he wishes two teenaged boys would go at it. Is that kind of thing appealing to you?

Pedo...you're asking your fellow stalker to pay no mind to us? You guys cant help it. It's what you do.

EVSHiresPedos - A+ on the name choice. Ming - I mean the writer of that editorial just ships them and provides a lot of panels that show Tim having feelings for Conner. If you want to intentionally misconstrue and call it "two teenaged boys going at it" by all means go ahead but it's pretty obvious what you're trying to do. Like I asked earlier, would you refer to Tim and Steph's flirtations in such a crude way too? Will you actually answer my questions or keep moving the goalposts?

Its funny...you talk about pedos and your buddy loaf links to an article where the male writer wishes two teenaged boys would have a romantic relationship with each other. Is the hypocrisy lost on you?

Loafy my good friend. Your arguments are non sensical.... yes robin saved Bernard. Robin has saved Batman befor aswell. But when they go to fight the bad guys after. Batman always kicks more ass then robin. Bernard is shown to be as good of a fighter as robin in for the 4 pages of fighting we get. For once in your life, understand you are not as smart as you think you are, and every single point you've made in this entire arguement can be easily disproven lol 🤣

And there's nothing gay about two bros at 16 -17 lol, does the ass slapping on the high school football team after a good play, make them all gay.?

Also here is the biggest plot hole with Tim drake being bi......... how many times has been around dick Grayson, and not onetime in 30 years. Has he ever checked out " the best ass in the dc universe " if Tim drakes bisexual. It would be from growing up with a crush on ol nightwing lol........... but we never got that in 30 years.🤷‍♂️ So it's completely out of left field " I didn't know I was gay untill a guy told me I was on a date with him " is a bad plot lol🤣

Heres the difference liaf...Stephanie and Tim have a romantic relationship. Your writer you linked to on the other hand wishes two teenaged boys who are close friends would be romantically involved with each other. Is that vital difference lost in you? The reason you cant show me Tim questioning his sexuality is because he has never been written that way. But all it took was an activist writer to sh@t all over 30 years of a beloved character all for a socio/political agenda.

Prediction- bi Tim first issue will sell with speculator/curiosity buyers then sales will fall off the cliff. DC is about to learn a very expensive lesson.

Kate Kane was written as a lesbian. Readers knew the dynamics when they chose to buy the book. Her books don't sell well but what audience wants them they're there. DC doing this to characters we have been with for years is not the same and I can see sales taking a huge hit.

Batmanaholic - You're basing your ENTIRE argument on the fact that now that Tim might be bisexual, he's no longer tough and his skills have "evaporated" because of 2 pages (not 4, learn to count) of him kicking ass, untouched by the enemy. Also on your last comment, do you check our your brother's ass? Because Tim and Dick are brothers for all intents and purposes. Again, maybe talk to a gay or bi person before making these terribly incorrect assumptions.

I'm talking about the modern Jate Jane of course not the ine abandoned from the 40s and 50s.

I ll let you go back to your stalking now. Peace.

Ming - What a pile of garbage. Steph and Tim didn't have a relationship until a writer put them in one the same way Fitzmartin did with Tim and Bernard. The only difference is that one's a same sex relationship, and that you're clearly uncomfortable with it, which is hilarious bc it's a fictional character. And the goalpost moving is the least surprising thing about all of this. You asked for examples, I clearly provided them, and now that literally-from-DC example isn't good enough. Classic.

Ming, on his 5th consecutive reply to the same single comment: "STALKER" Dude, you wouldn't know irony if it walked up, introduced itself, then hit you over the head with a club.

Oh loafy you insufferable fool.... calling people stalkers while you literally come back to this post multiple times a day, to unsuccessfully troll a bunch of people who all think you are a complete and utter moron.

No I'm bailing my entire argument of evidence shown in this comic? Bernard has just as good of fight skills it looks like, the way this comic has the fight go lol? Did you not read it yourself? And also they are step brothers, come on everyone's been in pornhub. Stepsis/ step mom porn is literally half the new videos lol. So apperently yes people do check out their step siblings 🤷‍♂️

Basing not bailing *

Batmanaholic - You said verbatim "he's not the same character" based on a two page spread of a fight he wins without being touched. In no way does that show his skill being diminished in any way whatsoever. In fact, what the scene shows, is that Bernard is also competent in a fight and is more than just a "damsel in distress." But I wouldn't expect the guy who gets his understanding of relationships from stepsister/brother/mother porn to understand even the very basics of storytelling.

If no one gives a shit about me, WHY ARE YOU COMMENTING ON MY REVIEWS? Are you insane or something?

@Batmanaholic: I'm still leaving this guy comment here because you're engaged in a dialogue with him. Please end it sooner rather than later because he's getting on my nerves and I don't have to indulge him.

"One of the 4 white, male Robins" OMG, they're white AND males, can it get any worse than that? They're basically nazis, I mean, they've committed the atrocious sins of being white males, the supreme oppressors. Gtfo with that woke bullshit, you idiot!

Loafy get off your high horse you fucking asshole lol nobody cares what you think, and yes I'd say if he can't out fight a random high school kid. He's no longer the same character.

@ Merlyn The woke mob won't be happy until they emasculate & humiliate all white males.

Batmanaholic - Yep, exactly what I was expecting from an immature child trapped in an adult's body. A bunch of insults and no evidence to back up what you're saying. TSMack - Thanks for the laugh. Didn't realize that I, a white male, am part of a "woke mob" that's purpose is to "emasculate & humiliate" myself. It's also pretty telling (and by that I mean you're a bigot) that you think a comic character's sexuality being explored is humiliating to white men.

Ok, the idiot's gone. Enough is enough.

@TSMack: Yes, I know that, it's pretty visible. Every single white male is being pushed aside, humiliated or just completely changed to fit the new agenda. Batman has lost his money because, to quote Williamson, "money is the evilest thing in the world", Tim Drake is gay (in the Titans show the character is no longer white because, hey, too many damn white Robins), Hal Jordan is being pushed aside in the GL book because the madman Thorne hates him, Adam Strange is pretty much a villain.

I could continue with several other examples but there's obvious there's a pattern here, diminish the number and profile of white male heroes because they're basically the worst opressors ever, they're white, they're males, they're straight, some of them are even rich, in the woke mentality they're guilty of several sins.

Can anybody please delete this obvious troll account?

I'm terrible sorry for your mental illness and I'm sorry I haunt you so badly that you needed to make an account specifically to complain about me. :(

To continue on the line before, it appears DC will make Batman leave Gotham. Yet another shitty move on their part, I bet they'll made Jace Fox the next Batman. Another despicable white male that needed to go, who the hell cares Bruce Wayne is one of the most beloved heroes ever and a cultural icon? He's a white male, he's rich, enough of that, we hate those people! The cultural revolution is here and nothing will staind in its way. Superman's next, probably.

I don't know if I should block you or just wait for someone to delete your account. Ok, block it is.

Many thanks to the admin who deleted the troll's account and comments!

Merlyn I just read that Batman is leaving Gorham after Fear State. Guess who will fill that spot in 2022? You're right again the woke mob is doing everything it can to marginalize white males. I'm still fairly confident this will tank DC sales of the main bat books. If course there will be a spike initially from speculators and the curious. I expect that to evaporate like all the other Tim Fox titles have.

Unfortunately for Tim Drake Ribin I see the same fate.

I saw it coming from a mile away. Even though a lot of idiots were like "oh, but they can coexist, Jace will be Batman in FS and Bruce will still remain the Bat in current day". No, they couldn't. The mob is not settling for scraps, not anymore. They're all in. There is no coexistence for these characters, they'll either get totally replaced or radically changed to the point they barely resemble who they were before (as Tim Drake or Adam Strange). If people accept all this, nothing will change.

You me and fenix should change our names here to Nostradamus.

If current numbers for Tim Fox books are an indicator then DC will hsemoreage sales after the initial hype wears off.

I never bought the"dont be stupid Bruce isn't leaving Batman is a cash cow for DC" bleating either. You're right the scraps are no longer enough. Main characters have to be used to trojan horse the agenda because no one reads scraps. Un Tim Foxs case it's his "selfless" war on privilege. Riveting reading I'm sure.

Ya I've decided this book is a No for me. It's the first book that says Batman on it that I haven't bought (usually I get two-3 copies of everything Batman) But Jace is not Batman, him and dc can scream " I am Batman " 1,000,000 times, and it will never be true. Bruce Wayne is Batman, and nobody can uphold the mantle the way he does. Not nightwing, Jason, (pre bi sexual tim, because now even his new boyfriend is as tough as him ) and Jim Gordon even thought he was a bad Batman.

And if DC makes the mainline Batman book Jace after fear state. I'm out and will be building up my trade collection of older Batman stories/ other series. I don't have to give dc money if they make books nobody wants.

@Batmanaholic I'm thinking the exact same. Having endured the Tom King experiment, my goodwill and patience is wearing thin - to the point that I will drop the main Batman book for the first time since first picking it up almost 9 years ago.

Thanks for saying it, this nasty character is destined to be forgotten.

@DarePool53 man that's what I don't get about the hate of tynions run. It's not perfect but atleast it's fun to read, and Batman does Batman things in it. He doesn't need catwoman to do it for him. I didn't mind the first 50 issues of kings run, but god damn Bruce became such a crybaby bitch in the second half, and then needed cat woman to do anything cool in the last 37 issues.

As I understand it all the Tim Fox books have dropped out of the top 50 sales after one or two issues. By comparison all the other batbooks remain in the top 50. It's pretty clear the character is not resonating with DC readers.

His cause is somewhat of a selfish one as compared to Bruce Wayne's. Bruce became Batman so that what happened to should never rdd happen to anyone else. Tim Fox has a problem with rich people and how they affect poor people. Mind you hes stolen Bruce's gear and his father has effectively stolen the Wayne fortune. So now he he has a beef with his even richer dad.

Bruce trained fir years with Ducard Giovanni Zataea Master Rikishi and a host of others. Tim Fox trained briefly under Karaba. Yet this guy is the better Batman for today? Nothung about him is earned. Mo...hes not Batman.

I'm ready to drop DC if they make bu Tim canon. I have no intention of returning to DC if Tim Fox continues to steal what is Bruce Wayne's. Bruce IS Batman.

Apologies for the bad proof reading...Master Kirigi where Bruce learned ninjutsu and Guovanni Zatara the father of Zatana. Rikishi is WWE.

@WinterSolider: No need to thank me, I'll always say what's on my mind even if it bothers some here. I'm glad I see others like you, Batmanaholic, DarePool53 or Ming who don't buy DC's crap. It's time they started listening to the fans and not to the toxic mind of people like Ridley who see nothing but race, privilege and crap like that. What they're trying to do to Bruce is disgraceful.

I don't know what the DC directors have on their minds politicizing the comics, people don't want to read about stupid politics from the left or right, or how they all go nonsense or a spoiled fat woman traumatized because her mother is pretty. We want creativity, blows, action, conflict. He is not a pathetic bad character, I think they spend more to goof around with the characters and give prominence to nefarious characters just to please some whiners who are not interested in buying comics.

Take away Jason and Nightwing's guns and this garbage promotes hatred of people with money? What's Next? Let's make a ghetto for the rich and throw it on them?

You nailed it again fenix. Mo one wants politics in their stories right or left. If its used as a set up or backdrop fine just tell me a good story. But if it's to push ideology and agendas then NO we don't want it for any side. These activists know mo one will buy a book of original creations that push their agenda so they trojan horse their poison in the books with larger audiences. Bruce is rich and he is more a philanthropist and just man than anything Ridley can come up with.

@fenix: "Let's make a ghetto for the rich" Don't give them any ideas, man. :)) There are a lot of writers in the industry who flirt up with Marxism, I would not put it above them to come up with ideas like that.

And it turns out Batman will leave Gotham at the end of the year. So yeah, they are probably replacing Batman with Jace Fox. Absolutely disgraceful!

@Merlyn Eh, he'll be back. They always come back. Steve Rogers after Secret Empire, Peter Parker after Superior Spider-Man, Logan with Marvel Legacy, hell even Clark after The Death of Superman. No way they'll keep Bruce MIA for long. And it won't even feel like he'll be gone considering the amount of titles he's getting.

And I'm 100% fully expecting Jace to take over as the "lead" Batman. I'll be surprised if it's anyone else.

Yeah, and I couldn't care less about Jace Fox as Batman. Especially written by Ridley, I couldn't care less about his war on "privilege".

I haven't read anything past the initial Future State issues and I though those were fine. My main gripe was I wish Nick Derrington did the whole story but Laura Braga's art isn't terrible. The story was fine to me but nothing to write home about. I haven't checked out Second Son.

It was more of the same, really. It revealed his backstory, that's the only thing that mattered.

I just read it Merlyn. At the moment I've been buying out if continuity batbooks but with Bruce thrown off his own book I'm dumping DC as long hes not main Batman. Bi Tim Drake makes that decision even easier. I have no interest in Tim Foxs war on "privilege" Ridley or otherwise. I still suspect after an initial spike in sales from speculators and the curious Batman sales will tank in numbers we haven't seen since before Denny O Neill saved the ship.

Dark Knight D. We know Bruce will be back because after the issue 1 spike the sales will plunge. I think you'll even see Batman leave the top 10. For context Tom Fox books leave the top 50 after a couple of issues. Even the tpbs don't make it. Its clear the core readers arent invested in the character and its fair to say for various reasons.

@Ming I think I can see that happening for Amazing Spider-Man Beyond. It won't be Peter in the suit and the book will ship three times a month. Unless I'm underestimating the readership of that title, I don't think many will keep up with a thrice-monthly book.

You're right, this is yet another anarchist group that Tynion keeps forming and that's what I find so very juvenile about his writing. His whole shtick is "we're going to tear down the current order because it's anarchist and fun". Ok, what do you put up in its place? He doesn't have the answer to that. Anarchism it's cool until you actually grow up and realize it's just edgy. The only people who remain in that mindset are either idiots or edgelords who think this makes them cool. It doesn't.

And that is very similar to what he's doing to Gotham characters. He's replacing already established characters with lamer versions of themselves. If anything, it is kind of in line with the anarchist mindset. :))

Tynions poor writing aside I think what hes doing is gradually brushing aside the characters that function around Bruce Wayne/Batman and elevating his own hollow facsimiles for the post Fear State Gotham where Bruce Wayne is a marginal character. I think this is why hes writing Bruce/Batman as almost an afterthought right now. Hes a bit player in his own book. I think DC is trying to work out how to get rid of him without haemorraghing readership.

Tynion seems to have come up with the idea that if Bruce exists as a side character the book won't bleed out readers whilehe ushers in post Fwar State nuveaux Batman complete with the Waybe fortune batgadgets rogue gallery etc. And a cast of "where have I seen them before?" Supporting cast hes creating now. Like Quinn says I could be wrong...but.....

@Ming: You might be right. In one of those final pages with Bones where DC shows us what's next I noticed a panel teasing a confrontation between Batman and Tim Fox, with him also in the Batman costume. I think they're bringing him in the current day Universe and they'll try to somehow justify his presence as legitimate. Remember when people were complaining about the possible replacement of Batman and a lot of dumbasses were like "wHy dOeS tHiS bOtHeR yOu, iT's jUsT a 4 iSsue lImItEd sErIeS?"

Well, it turns out after that there came another 12 issue limited series. Again, same attitude from some people when some of us were seeing all the signs there. And now he'll come to the main universe and probably challenge Bruce even though there isn't any real reason for this because as much as some at DC don't seem to get, Bruce Wayne IS Batman.

Yeah I've encountered the "what are you talking about batman is a cash cow for DC hes not going anywhere " and the "hey people can read about a different batman if they want to. DC isn't taking Bruce Wayne away" naysayers. Theyve already given the Superman book to the hyper aged Jon Kent and I've read that Super Clark has been bandied around.

The next Tim Fox series is called I am Batman. It's a tie in with Fear State. Ridley is saying part of Tim Foxs issue with Lucius is his wealth. Apparently hes stolen the Waynefortune going forward.

I think DC actually thinks it can permanently replace Bruce Wayne with Tim Fox and expects to keep its readership on Batman. This isn't like knightfall or battle for the cowl where you knew Bruce would be back. This is a "eat it kids.. Tim's Batman now" move. If it happens I wont even but non continuity books with Bruce until DC abandons this idiocy. I have a feeling I wont be in the minority either.

Bruce IS Batman.

I don’t want to get into a whole thing about it but it would be cool if people would stop using mental illness as a slur for someone that isn’t mentally ill. I’m bipolar and I don’t much like bring compared to Bendis. He’s not mentally ill, he just sucks.

I understand you but the thing is, he's at an age where I actually do suspect he may have some problems of that type.

It will probally get a few 10’s soon from his cult and people he or DCs pay to be his tools

@Merlyn, thanks for your understanding but I think you’re referring to dementia. Dementia isn’t mental illness. Again, not a big deal.

@Dave: I honestly don't get the people who rate this with 10. Even if you manage to like this cringeshow, there's no way anyone honestly believes this deserves a 10, come on. Fortunately there are very few of those and a lot who see this as it is. :))

@BatmanJones: You're right, I haven't been very "technical" about it. I do understand if it's a big deal to you, I have enough people around me who have suffered from mental illnesses to know better than to throw insults like that around but I still do sometimes, it's a flaw of mine and I accept that. But sometimes I use it in a context when I genuinely believe some people do suffer of such an illness and are not recognizing their problem so if you see me again doing that, just bear that in mind

Thanks for your understanding. I would just ask that you not use it as a slur, ever. Nobody would ever insult someone by saying they have cancer or are a paraplegic, and each disease is as real as the other. I appreciate your understanding though and we’re cool.

And I’ve been just as guilty, calling people “retarded” or mentally ill when they weren’t. Live and learn. Progress is always a good thing.

I'm not here defending Merlyn, nor am I here to discuss the book since I didn't read it (I'm trade-waiting), but considering that Merlyn has you blocked and has nothing to do with him, why do you still feel the need to go on about him? I feel that it would be better if the two of you could talk it out one-to-one but if that's not possible then why bother continue with it? I'm genuinely asking here.

I understand that the two of you feel indifferent about one other (at least when it comes to views) and that you may feel right about calling him out for whatever he says, but why would someone even bother giving someone more attention than they feel the need to considering past failed attempts at discussion/debate?

I tried to talk it out one-on-one. He wouldn't do it. I am pretty much indifferent to him at this point. I just think he has terrible, easily refuted views and since he constantly invokes them when criticizing comics, usually negatively, I just want to point it out how dumb his views are. Going through and refuting him takes little effort, so it's not much of a bother.

Hating a comic (or any media really) for disagreeing with you politically is one of the lowest forms of thought. And I think that's super commonplace in the comics sphere. Comics folk are easily angered and very opinionated. I think people like Merlyn make the rest of us look like shit. He gets a lot of support in this community from other shitty people with terrible views. I don't see the downside to calling them out, only the upside of showing them that they're unwanted in the community.

Typically, I'm not so hawkish with people who disagree with me. Even when they disagree with me in a way that I find reprehensible, like denying climate change or equal rights. Usually, if I do engage, it's to try to move them over. Merlyn, as I said earlier, is unwillingly to even talk about it. All this is to say that Merlyn is a specific case where I'm not concerned with changing his mind. I just want him and people at his level to go away.

As I had anticipated before, I'm sorry that the one-on-one option didn't work out. And I fully agree with you about hating a comic for political disagreements as well as certain people in the community being quick to anger. Honestly, I know they are a vocal minority, but seeing them in discussions regarding comics just brings my overall mood down. Like, it's okay to criticize comics as long as it's regarding the craft, which is what comic fans should be critiquing instead of personal views.

I know me personally if I am in disagreement with someone, especially on a forum like here, I would just throw in the towel and move on without going back since it would just bring my mood down. I'm here to read the comics I love and explore new comics of different characters and creators. It sucks when you have people who let their personal views (in this case politics) influence their reviews.

Thanks for giving your response. 👍

I think one of the great things about comics is just how diverse they are. You get so many different perspectives, and it's what keeps the medium alive imo.

I agree, especially when it comes to different art styles!

Good job dismantling the lies!

Lol...so anyone that doesnt share psychos politics and actually expresses it here is "shitty people" that he demands should go away from these boards. And Merlyn triggers him to the extent that he writes reviews about his reviews. Get help kid...seriously.

Yeah, actually, you are shitty. I've seen your comments before. Thanks for helping me remember you. Go away now.

You don't actually review anything on the site, you just comment about your crappy politics most of the time, usually in defense of Merlyn.

When a writer chooses to saturate his work with his politics he is open to criticism for it. But in psychos world view if you disagree with his politics you are a mon person and should be ostracized. Inside every lefty is a totalitarian screaming to get out isn't there psycho?

Social ostracization has nothing to do with totalitarianism. I assume you meant "non-person," and that's not something I said. Merlyn is definitely a person with feelings and passions and thoughts. He's just really stupid and I don't like how he makes the rest of us look. You keep calling me a psycho, but I think I've been very reasonable.

this site has gone nefarious with so many trolls offended at being blocked by stalkers, he blocked you, get over it!

these guys are sad, all they do is complain about POLITICS and comics being WOKE, it´s exhausting

I could understand it more if instead of there being an acknowledgement of climate change, the politics on display were like Frank Miller's Holy Terror.

Yes being triggered by Merlyn to the point of reviewing his reviews then declaring everyone that agrees with him"shitty people" who should never post here again positively screams reasinable...at least to your fellow budding totalitarians it does.

Love the parseltongue "social ostrasizatiion has nothing to do with totalitaruanis" whitewashing if your totalitarian fantasy if removing everyone you dont agree with politically. North Korea is probably taking notes right now. But of course demanding an ideological purge of these boards screams reasonable..lol

Look I want to just enjoy comics too. And if a new title starts a discussion about any aspect of it one shouldn't have to be trolled by neurotic children with totalitarian fantasies. Is this beyond you.

Climates change. Man doesn't change them. But I ll call your bluff cite for me one precedent where a "green policy" has changed a climate back to what you believe is the right climate. Good luck.

Anyway enjoy the book as long as it lasts. I'm sticking with Clark Kent.

I do think people who look at Merlyn's reviews and think he's making good points are really idiotic. And I think people who support those ideas on display are typically not great people, morally. I mean, just look at what one of Merlyn's groupies posted on his profile page. About how the gays are taking over. It's not only bigoted (and therefore shitty), it's also insane. I don't want these people representing this community or the broader comics community.

I don't know what you were getting at with your second comment because it isn't written well, but totalitarianism is a form of government that is centralized, dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state. I'm not advocating for any of that. I'm fine with political disagreements. I just don't support disinformation and misinformation, nor do I support bigotry. Those are beyond the pale of political disagreement.

The difference here is I can enjoy comics regardless of the politics in them. For instance, I'd say Dark Knight Returns is pro-fascist. Obviously, I disagree with that. But I can still recognize that it's a entertaining read and very important to the growth of Batman as a character. I think being so dogmatic that you can't enjoy things that don't subscribe 100% to your beliefs is cowardly and childish.

Climates do change over time, that's true. But man, with his fossil fuels and plastics, accelerate the process to the point where inhabitability will one day be impossible. Fossil fuels create carbon emissions that build up in the atmosphere, and absorb and radiate heat. This leads to temperatures rising which leads to the waters of the Earth rising in temperature as well. This causes a lot of things.

The rising temperatures melt the ice in the north and south poles, which rises the water levels, which leads to massive floods and coastal regions being consumed by the oceans. The heat of the oceans and the heat in the air mix to create more and more violent and dangerous weather patterns. The heat acidifies the oceans, killing off sea life, which leads to ecological collapse.

The heat creates intense droughts that cripple our food supply and lead to wildfires breaking out, either because of lightning, sparks or some asshole lighting something on fire. The heat also kills many, many animals, including bugs. If bugs go extinct, everyone else does. This is on top of deforestation and hunting, which destroys habitats and kills so many more animals. Humans are responsible for plenty of ecological ills outside of the direct cause-and-effect of climate change.

We've driven an insane amount of species to extinction. It is undeniable the effect humanity has on the environment and the climate. We are killing our planet. As for your request, I think I should disabuse you of the notion that we can just snap our fingers and fix this. We can't. The damage has been done. All we can do is enact policies now to prepare for the devastation of climate collapse and to slow the heating process down.

Therefore, there is no policy that has "changed the climate back" to something resembling a viable climate. That's such a stupid notion, and it shows how little you actually know about this subject or basic science. As for policies to enact to lessen the burden of climate change, we need to invest in green energy. Wind, solar, hydro, and even nuclear. All of those are better than fossil fuels.

I think it would be beneficial long term, not just for the climate, but economically. It is a necessity. We need to put water conservation efforts at the forefront. We are nearly out of drinkable, useable water. The water that we use, in America, to grow our crops in the Midwest is almost completely dried up. We need to move towards public transit instead of everyone having a car, with electric cars being a nice transition.

We need to actually recycle plastics and paper goods, instead of shipping them off to China. We need to stop using plastics. Microplastics are everywhere, in everything. We know it creates hormonal imbalances, causes cancer, and it will slowly sterilize men. It is no good for us or the environment. These are all policies put forth by politicians who fight for green policies. And I think they'd be helpful in saving humanity from the worst of climate change.

@Psycamorean - while I somewhat see what you're saying...I think you're giving Merlyn a bit too much of your time. Even if it's not "a bother". Confession - when I come to this site I do go hunting for his comments cos, while I never agree with them, I find them amusing & I know they're almost always going to cause a ruckus. That said I've had a brief 1-1 with him in the past & he comes across as straightforward. He knows what he likes and how he likes it. His review of comics seem to be tied to

his views (political and otherwise) and that's how he has chosen to operate. Which is at his sole discretion and within his rights. Those that agree with him are already of a similar mindset. No one would be changing their stance based on his reviews. Point is, if you don't agree with it/ have an issue with it...tough. Move on. I (and I'm sure a great number of others) certainly did. You do you, while he does him.

@Mr. White I don't think I'm giving him that much time. I review a lot of comics, and the majority of those reviews have nothing to do with Merlyn. Did you see the massive wall of text I wrote about climate change above? That's me putting forth effort. Me typing up a short paragraph about Merlyn's shitty takes is maybe a 30 second ordeal. He doesn't have nuanced or original opinions, so I don't have to think hard about my responses.

Just as it's within his rights to criticize these comics however he wants to (I kind of disagree with this wording - we're on an internet forum and therefore subject to moderation. This is a private platform, not a public one - I get what you mean), it is within my rights to use my platform at my own discretion.

@Mingthemerciless Hey so, in light of the IPCC climate report, I just want to stress that continued dismissal of anthropogenic climate change will end in deadly consequences, almost assuredly now.

Do you not like politics in your comics?

No, I don't like when comics are political propaganda. Is that wrong?

XD

I agree. I think bad policies being imposed by state and federal bureaucrats along with morons like Newsom at the helm are what I would attribute to the fire breakouts. We need to allow for controlled burns to prevent accretion of flammable vegetation. This is why fires in the state are out of control. But of course any one who pursues controlled burns are hindered by government with policies such as The Clean Air Act which treats smoke from controlled burns as a pollutant.

For all the potential this new improved superman is supposed to have hes a bit of a cretin. Brainiac has been messing with planets for years and even Apokalips us a terraformed planet-albeit a pretty nasty one. This new improved Superman could remove excess CO2 in Earths atmosphere in a bout 6 issues and stop supposed man made global warmi...I mean climate change dead. But Taylor's not interested in that aspect of the Superman mythos hes interested in propaganda.

Doorman CA supposedly has a surplus. Newsom could use it for back burning forest management and getting the electrical lines safer and retrofitted. Instead hes paying bribes to beat his recall. You won't stop forget figures with back burning but you will save property and life. Aussie aboriginals taught back burning to the whites. Maybe they can teach Newsom and Taylor?

You guys are coming here with facts and logic when it's all about "let's shame people into believing they're to blame for the fires" and not moronic politicians.

Guys, merlyn didn't even say anything about the book in this comment. Hes clearly avoiding speaking on its actual content and wants to direct our attention to the politics of its writer. I implore everyone to judge the books on its actual merits instead. Just a tip.

Thanks @Toonstrack. I will take your advice on judging a book based on its merits.

dumb

Ok Toon. Thanks for that tip. Do have anything for getting stubborn stains out in the wash too?

@daspidaboy: The politics are part of the "merits" of the book. They're in there, you know.

@Toonstrack: I remember I gave you several warnings if you come here, you should have something to actually say, not just tell people not to read my review. Do this again and I'll block you permanently.

And I did say a lot of stuff about the book, you just refuse to see them because you don't like what I have to say. That's a pretty big difference.

Dap if I may add..I have no qualms with comics using politics and social issues to tell a good story. But writing to sell an ideological adherence is not necessary. If you remember ten nights of the beast it's set in the context of conflict with USSR and has Reagan in not an entirely flattering portrayal but it doesn't bludgeon you with the writers views.

Now pick up the first issue if the current legends of the dark knight and the writer takes a swipe at Trump and the election by the Joker for no reason other than to show the writers lefty cred. It sours the reader if the reader doesn't come to the book for that stuff.

@Merlyn I never told anyone to not read your review, lest I would have posted this in the comments. I want people to read your review, acknowledge you say nothing about the book(you ignore art, story, character, setup and everything else) and judge it for themselves with that in mind. If that's too much for you than block me if you want. Although I prefer having opposing opinions visible to me, in the spirit of discussion.

I did say a lot of things about the book, you just don't like what I have to say. Those are two very, very different things. I also prefer that but you deliberately ignore all my arguments.

What does it matter what he thinks of America, he is Australian. I already got in an argument with you about “American Way”, but this is a kid who was born on another planet (even though it was retconned and even then, was born in the arctic) and spent almost half his life in an earth-3 volcano and in the future. He doesn’t have much of a connection to America.

Plus, that whole thing is 100% a marketing thing than a political one!

That would be my question exactly, why is he so interested in American politics since he is from Australia? He always feels the need to comment on the political climate there, that's when he isn't complaining about Scott Morrison that he isn't "green enough" or that he's linked to QAnon (yes he said that on his twitter, I'm not making this up). He grew up in Smallville in the Rebirth era, I'd say he's as American as you can be.

I don't know what thing you are referring to, be more specific, I've complained about a lot of stuff. :))

The story is screwed up from the get go, Bendis ruined this franchise and they just pretend it's nothing I'm baffled at some of ya'll who thinks this is a good storyline, even might be, but due to what bendis have done with the character background, it is impossible to like, even if Jerry siegel came back from the dead to write this shit!!!

There wasn't much to the character at the time Bendis showed up. An ok Super Sons book is about all. If they deaged Jon tomorrow, it doesn't mean anything would be better.

What I'm saying is this is what we have now and the writers are going to have to deal with. It's now beyond just blaming bendis.