Season 3 of Batman: Wayne Family Adventures is still going strong on Webtoons, and Ian and Steph can’t get enough! They recently chatted about the latest 3 episodes.
Steph: Oh man, Ian, are we in for some exciting episodes today! I was taking notes just on what happens, and there’s so much! CRC Payne is really stuffing each Wayne Family Adventures episode with so much content, it’s hard to believe this can continue all season!
Ian: Some really character-packed episodes indeed!
Steph: I am using so many exclamation marks!
BTW, did you watch Theo’s interview with her? It was so interesting.
[Editor’s Note: We also interviewed CRC Payne on The Batman Universe Podcast about Season 1]
Ian: I did! A really solid introduction to her and the series!
Steph: I actually was surprised to hear that this arc will go all season. That really helps me take in the stories a little differently. I’m not expecting a payoff quickly, so hopefully the story doesn’t seem to drag. With as much as there is in these episodes, I don’t see that happening.
Ian: That was definitely good to know going in! And you heard it first on TBU!
Steph: The first episode we’re looking at is #123 – “What Friends Are For”, where Roy and Kori come along side Bizarro and Artemis to help support Jason. But the episode starts with Tim’s landlady questioning the health of Tim’s temporary dog.
I thought that was pretty funny. What is Goliath?
Ian: What I think is very interesting about this batch of three episodes is that each episode has an “A” plot and a “Jason” plot – gives a sense of complexity while still having a bit more structure than cliffhangers every ending scene
Steph: I agree. It keeps things moving along without losing the heart.
Ian: Tim’s whole setup with his landlady and his job at Wayne Enterprises was really cool – definitely drawing on the excellent Red Robin run from 2009.
Steph: I loved Tim trying to avoid Bruce and how it made Brent’s day to have two Wayne’s in his office.
As awkward as it was.
Ian: It embraced both the sitcom relationship strengths of WFA’s classic episodes, and also the darker and more serious focus on this Joker arc. I loved it a lot.
Steph: I think it adds an element of realism. Like, not everything is “perfect” and centered around Batman and his drama. Real life continues with real people caught in the crossfire, even for family tiffs.
I really appreciated Tim calling out Bruce apologizing without actually saying “I’m sorry”. It was a really nice interaction. How Batman-y do you think it is for Bruce to agree he’s being a jerk but not backing down from his “no birds in the field” mandate?
Ian: It’s extremely Batman-y! And I love how you see the unique bond between Bruce and Tim when they nerd about about taking down Superman. I am very curious to see how the conflict between Bruce and his family will escalate and hopefully resolve – I don’t want to see Bruce actually fighting the Robins and Batgirls!
Steph: I loved the self-nerd snipe! There’s this stigma against Batman and Damian for them having contingency plans against their friends, and I just love that the intellectual side of Time gets caught up in that, too.
Ian: Indeed! And Tim of course went up against Damian himself in that Red Robin run, so he’s well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the Batfamily itself! What did you think about Roy and Kori joining Artemis and Bizarro to support Jason?
Steph: I really liked it. I thought Roy’s approach to things was wonderful. Maybe being a dad helped shaped him into a mature problem solving mentor. Getting someone to open up to you is a lot easier when you’re driving (no eye contact) or your working together, like shooting arrows.
Ian: It was a great scene – giving Jason and Roy their own special bond. Well done indeed.
Steph: I also liked that after Jason spills his guts, starting almost sarcastically, Roy’s first response is to criticize Jason’s aim. I think this does a couple of things. I feel like there’s a temptation to elevate someone’s loss. Not that it should be unvalidated. That’s the second thing Roy does, but the first thing Roy does is rib Jason about his aim. This distracts from the seriousness for a second, and I think it shows that, while Jason is in his headspace, he does not have the capacity to be a fighter. But then Roy validates Jason’s fear and feelings, without offering solutions or downplaying them in any way. Just “that’s sucks buddy”, as Zuko would say.
Ian: Absolutely. Jason, just like Bruce, has gathered a lot of people around him who can help him. I very much hope they both can listen!
Steph: I really loved everyone coming in together and sharing how Jason saw them, broken and outcast from their IPs/franchises, and took them in to be broken together. Only that they weren’t really broken, they were just fine as they were. And that now it was Jason’s turn to be believed in and encouraged.
Ian: And I like to think the comic is implying that he got at least part of that from Bruce!
Steph: Very sweet.
So, they decide to go help the Bat-family together, to support Jason. Which brings us to episode #124 – “Riddles in the Dark”…I wonder who this could feature?
Ian: I bet it features Cluemaster!
wait…
🙂
Steph: Probably not. Though, I did like that Riddler’s lair was clearly labeled.
However, we start with Dick, Babs, and Steph visiting Duke and coming up with a plan.
What do you think of Steph thinking that Bruce might be right? Do you think the family is caving to Bruce’s way of thinking, or are they actually taking into consideration how dangerous it is?
Ian: This scene was REALLY good. I think Steph’s insecurity and emotional analysis continues to show just how good CRC Payne’s grasp of all of the characters’ voices is.
She nails not just Steph’s self-doubt, but also Duke’s kindness and bonds with everyone, Dick’s humor and encouragement, and Babs’s clear rationality. I do think that it’s good that Steph and the rest of the family is taking it seriously – this isn’t light hearted shenanigans, but a full fledged war against the most dangerous villain in the city.
Steph: I agree. I think that this goes beyond Bruce’s normal “I’m Batman and I don’t need help.” I think he very much would love to work with his family, but, like Duke says, Joker doesn’t play fair. He will destroy a whole city if he feels like it.
Ian: And Joker is deliberately leveraging that fear in Bruce’s mind! His family is the most important thing to him, and Joker threatens him with cold sadism. Truly terrifying.
Steph: Do you think that the Bat-family going after the other escaped Arkham inmates is following the letter of the law enough appease Batman, or will he still be mad?
Ian: He’ll still be mad for sure, but I think it’s extremely solid tactical sense to avoid direct conflict with Bruce that helps no one except the Joker. I love that Steph is the one who gives them that crucial piece from her investigations with Tim
really sharp construction from the team for the ongoing story
Steph: 💜 Jason must have been on a similar wavelength to the rest of the family, but he and his crew go after Riddler. I love that they just bypass the riddles. They ain’t got time for that.
Ian: It’s very classic. Riddler needs to learn his lesson! But he never will. I like that it’s a plan involving both using all of Jason’s team AND his mind – really good work there.
Steph: And Riddler makes some good points about Joker and his motivations, or rather, lack thereof.
Very scary.
Ian: I do hope that the team has a plan to figure out how to have Batman and family defeated Joker in a way that is satisfying! It’s an awful lot of buildup!
Steph: The issue ends with a mystery character showing up to catch up with Batman and Commissioner Gordon the roof of the GCPD. Who could it be?…🤡
Harley. It’s Harley Quinn. As we see immediately in episode #125 – “The Joke’s On You”.
Ian: I like the fake-out because it allows them to go with the unhinged laughter but also have a funny payoff.
And the way they dealt with Harley and Bruce’s pasts without making one or the other character right and the other wrong was really nicely balanced.
Steph: That’s true. I have to say…I was getting pretty irritated with her and wanted to yell at her too.
Ian: This is exactly the kind of redemption arc that I think is well done. I don’t like when they pretend that a villain never did anything wrong.
A villain who is redeemed has to live with the harm they caused. That doesn’t mean they can’t be heroic and have joy – but it does mean sometimes they broke things that can’t be repaired.
Steph: I do have to say, I wasn’t have fan of the comment on the Styrofoam cup and how Ivy didn’t like them. That whole interaction was…I don’t know. Grating? Why does Ivy have the power to influence the types of cups the GCPD uses. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because we don’t really know Ivy’s story in WFA yet.
It really didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the narrative.
Ian: I feel that Ivy in general is a weak spot in most writing. I think Ivy is mostly based on her Harley Quinn Animated Series version. But that version, as far as we can tell, isn’t the kind of genocidal murderous lunatic that Ivy has been in the comics. So the redemption isn’t has hard to buy. But comics Ivy just slaughters people and thinks that people should be exterminated, which to me is just as evil as the Joker’s nihilism, so it’s hard to reconcile.
Steph: That’s true, I suppose. Good point.
I know you touched on Harley and Bruce’s past, but do you think Harley overreacted to Batman’s “flinch”?
Again, just from the way Harley was written, and I think it was intentional, Harley was really, really irritating.
I know that’s that what he was reacting to, but I would struggle not to at least roll my eyes.
Ian: No, I think that it was really good that she realized why Bruce was struggling.
That felt like a really good moment to give her character that redemptive depth that you often miss out when just playing her for comedy. The realization that yes, she did hurt people badly.
And of course I loved that Bruce came to talk things out with her. That was really good – this Bruce really is a good man.
Steph: I really loved her in the later half of the episode. She takes that step back and analyses the situation and comes to those great conclusions together.
Ian: Indeed! She and Bruce come together in a really touching way.
Steph: I love that she points out that “being strong” and “being lonely” aren’t the same thing.
Ian: WFA remembers the WAYNE part of its title – it’s not interested in demonizing Bruce at all. The therapist part of Harley scores an excellent point!
Steph: And then, we end on a terrible cliffhanger, Jason warns Oracle that Joker plans on attacking the GCPD!
Oh no, we’ll have to wait till next time to see what happens with that.
What are your overall thoughts about these three episodes?
Ian: That was such a great twist! I love that we have the Bat-family and Batman working hard to detect and fight Joker, so it doesn’t feel like The Batman film where Batman just follows all of Riddler’s clues and sets everything up for Riddler’s plan. Instead, Batman and the Bat-family are actually solving problems before Joker and the villains are able to pull things off – but not to make it too easy. A really nice balance!
Overall, I loved the Steph parts, as usual – a really awesome grasp of her character, voice, and motivations! And with the rest of the characters too!
Steph: Of course. I really appreciate how their handling the Jason story, though I think we might be moving on from him taking up so much panel real estate to focusing on other characters soon. I am very excited.
