It’s Thursday again, so that must mean that Ian and Steph met up recently to talk about the latest three episodes of Batman: Wayne Family Adventures! Were they good? Were they disappointing? Let’s find out with Batman: Wayne Family Adventures #82-84!
Steph: Holy Moly! Ian, I am so excited. Can you guess why?
Ian: I can guess, indeed! Is it TIME FOR MORE WFA? 🙂
Steph: Three GREAT episodes of WFA. Let’s start right off with #82, “Sneak Attack,” where we see Batman task Cass with testing the Bat-Family’s awareness. What did you think? Of the episode and of Cass’s willingness to do, and enjoyment of, the task.
Ian: This is the type of thing that really takes advantage of the WFA format while still being connected to the wider crimefighting good versus evil stuff that the mainstream comics do. Cass doing checkups/training of the Bat-Family on stealth is both hilarious and actually useful. And the way each family member reacts is very funny. Though I hope Cass gets Steph and Harper new sandwiches! So rude!
Steph: I know. My next question was going to be – whose reaction was your favorite? – but as I tried to decide, I COULDN’T! But if you forced me to, it would be a tie between Jason bribing the kid not to tell he failed and Steph using her burger as a useless range weapon.
Ian: I don’t know if I can pick either! Steph, of course, always stands out to me, but I think Bruce failing himself was pretty hilarious.
Steph: Yes. That was wonderful. I was wondering what Tim was doing. Do you think he’s taking extra school time instead of vigilante-ing?
Ian: Well, WFA has been really vague about most of the character ages, so I’m not 100% sure. Duke is in high school, and it SEEMS like Steph, Cass, and Tim are around the same age, but we never see any of them in school. Though I think it’s implied in a much earlier episode that Steph is in college…so…no clue, really! I could definitely see Tim being in college, though.
Steph: It is interesting that, because they are working as a team, some of the Bat-Family can take a night off, and it’s okay. I liked that. Doesn’t excuse you from field testing, though, apparently.
Ian: Tim needs to sleep more anyway, of course! (but that is probably true of the whole Bat-Family!)
Steph: I feel like that is his shtick in this series, for sure. Next, we have what I think is Hal Jordan’s introduction into the series (I could be wrong), #83, “Utility Belt.” This was a cute one.
Ian: He might have shown up in a background scene, like the Justice League clothing episode. But this was definitely the first time he had major lines and interactions, and it was HILARIOUS. As a longtime Batman fan, I, of course, knew where this was all going, but it built up to the punchline very well. And Hal and Bruce generally have a great relationship of rivalry and ribbing each other, so that was brilliant.
Steph: I thought it was a bit ridiculous, even for WFA, but I still really enjoyed all the perfectly timed gadgets Batman had in his belt. And yes, that punchline was great if you know the old Batman ’66 movie. I didn’t know the ribbing history! That’s perfect. I will say it’s a little gross Batman keeps dead fish in his belt. 😝
Ian: (Well, I speak here as a casual fan of the wider DC universe – I don’t know if it’s always that way, but it felt like some other stories I’ve read). I mean, the dead fish are probably more like dried fish. You know, like having a doggy biscuit in your pocket or something?
Steph: Isn’t the Bat-sword in canon? I feel like I’ve made fun of an extendable sword in comics before.
Ian: I don’t recall one, but I did see a fan video of Tim Drake having a collapsible baton in his pocket! Extendable swords are extremely silly in any kind of realistic weapon construction.
Steph: So, a bit of psychology here. Do you think Hal is jealous, or what is his reasoning for thinking Batman “is the worst” for having all the perfect gadgets?
Ian: I think it’s a combination of jealousy and grudging respect. And also just the ridiculousness of someone always being prepared for situations that you shouldn’t be prepared for.
Steph: Yes! That all makes sense. Like…Hal can literally make a construct of anything, but Batman doesn’t need his help because he already has the perfect knick-knack in his Bat-pack. He probably feels a little shown up.
Ian: For sure! And I think a lot of League members who aren’t Superman or Wonder Woman likely feel the same.
Steph: And lastly, episode #84, “Field Test,” where we see Wally and Dick trying to come up with alternate carry options for speeders and heroes. I love the premise and execution of the episode, but I feel like the Bat-Family might have come up with some better ideas.
Ian: This was a completely different relationship between a Bat-Family member and a Justice League member, and I thought it was a great contrast to Bruce and Hal.
Steph: Oh yeah! There’s lots of love and respect here.
Ian: As a huge fan of the current Flash run by Jeremy Adams (everyone should go read it!), Wally’s humor and practicality were on point. What other ideas are you thinking of?
Steph: Not sure, but the Bat-Bjorn was a little silly (rightfully pointed out by Wally), and Toe-To-Toe was never going to work…other than in those kinds of fan-fictions.
Ian: haha. I think the ballet pose was actually best, but Wally’s arms would probably fall off holding Dick like that!
Steph: That’s what I was thinking. And apparently, so was Wally. Overall though, I had lots of fun and joy reading these. As much as I love the deeper and more emotional stories, these light-hearted but still relationship-centric stories in Batman: Wayne Family Adventures #82-84 make me happy. Which was your favorite? Or, did you have a favorite moment?
Ian: I can’t choose between Utility Belt and Field Test. The external relationships both add so much to the series, and the humor for both was very well executed!
Steph: I think I loved “Sneak Attack” most. I’m finding anything with Jason in it is my favorite.
Ian: This doesn’t have anything to do with you catching up on Red Hood: Outlaw? 🙂
Steph: No! Though I’m behind again. But I do enjoy that so much because of Jason. He’s just my favorite delinquent son.
Ian: We all have our favorites! I think my own preference for purple lady vigilantes has been well-known for a while!
Steph: 😂 yeah…see you next time?
Ian: Indeed!
Editor’s Note: You can find Batman: Wayne Family Adventures #82-84 and all other past chapters exclusively on the Webtoon platform. You can find all other reviews from the series here at The Batman Universe.
