Oh man, Steph and Ian have been reading Batman: Wayne Family Adventures on Webtoon, and Steph is…hung up on something incredibly nerdy. What else is new?
Steph: Oh man, Ian, guess what.
Ian: What?!
Steph: It’s time for Batman: Wayne Family Adventures!!!!
Ian: The best time!
Steph: And also…my CS education is tingling. Or rather, it’s having a stroke. But more on that later.
Ian: Indeed. Gotta love comic book hacking!
Steph: Well, let’s start with episode #126: Behind the Screen, where Babs is fighting Calculator on the internets.
Ian: The fear Babs has for her dad is palpable! I love Jim and Babs’s father daughter relationship, and it’s nice that WFA has managed to develop it pretty well!
Steph: And I love that she calls in the Bat-family despite Batman’s direct orders. She’s going to do what she can to save the GCPD and her dad.
Ian: I like Babs being this independent. Fits with me coming into DC by reading Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey series
Steph: We’ll see so much of that later on. And while the fam is on the ground taking care of that, Babs is taking care of Calculator who is breaking into Oracle’s network and programs.
And I have to mention…no one codes in binary (1s and 0s). Like, that’s insane.
Ian: Even I, who learned the tiny bit of coding I know from editing Wikipedia, know that binary hasn’t been a thing since at least DOS. The Matrix has so much to answer for!
Steph: Also, coding doesn’t fall in raindrops in green font on a black screen. The Matrix ruined how the media perceives computer science. But, aside from that, the tension is getting pretty high. And the stakes are pretty real.
I really liked the break in the action for Babs to wish she was Batgirl again.
There is too much “red tape” and non-tangibles with being Oracle, but Batgirl can kick butt.
Ian: It’s nice seeing the grappling with her current abilities, but not letting it dominate her life or emotions.
Steph: I really like what CRC is doing with having a members of the family never being alone, and that someone is always there to help redirect when they’re struggling. In this case, Bluebird/Harper is there to remind Babs that NOW she is Oracle, and Oracle needs to hop into the action she CAN do.
Ian: Agreed, it’s good that the “family” aspect doesn’t just apply to Bruce and Jason!
Steph: What do you think of Barbara defying Bruce’s orders directly and to his face? She’s calling in the family to back him up in order to save her dad and the other police?
Ian: I think it’s tricky. I do feel that there’s a tendency in a lot of comics recently (James Tynion’s Detective Comics run being one of the more obvious examples) to have Babs defy Batman and “call him out” in a way that feels a bit too much like authorial mouthpiece rather than characters who have flaws. But I do think that it makes sense given Bruce is the central figure of the family that he needs a voice of reason, and Babs is perfectly placed to give it.
So many of the other Bat-family members are so emotionally meshed with Bruce as father figure that it’s hard for them to really push back effectively. Since Babs has a strong relationship with Jim, that means she can step outside of her love of Bruce and be the friend and somewhat equal he needs. Even Alfred, much as he pushes Bruce, is a bit too close for Bruce to hear him sometimes, I think. What do you think?
Steph: I liked it. We can talk more in future (I’m pretty sure this will be on ongoing theme for a bit) but Barbara’s odd place in the family, particular as a non-child in and command central position, gives her a place of power Bruce isn’t used to.
They all depend on Oracle for information and direction. She has more oversight than Batman, and therefore is more equipped to give direction.
And that doesn’t always mix with Batman’s way of doing things. Not sure that really answers the question, but as long as Babs and Batman are on the same page, it’s not a problem. But if they disagree, such as now, I feel like Barbara has more power to direct the family now, but there will be consequences for everyone else with the Bat-Dad later.
This brings us to episode #127: “Oracle” where Babs is getting ready to duel with Calculator. She finds out that Joker is going to use Joker Venom in the ventilation of the building. I found this an odd term. Isn’t it usually Joker Toxin?
Or am I crazy?
Ian: I did want to mention that when we have comics like I Am Suicide by Tom King and Mikel Janin where Bruce can literally take out an entire island of bad guys by himself it gets a bit tricky to square with Bruce taking on Gotham criminals (which, I think, means we really shouldn’t have comics where Bruce does take out nearly 1000 people by himself, but that ship has sailed, sigh).
I think you’re right that it’s usually Joker Toxin, but I don’t remember all of the poisonous lore that Joker has used! Maybe they used venom so they could use the term “anti-venom?” Or did they use antidote anyway?
Steph: I wasn’t sure if might be some Webtoons policy or something. “Can’t use toxin in your story” or something. I don’t know. YouTube has a list of words you can’t use, so 🤷‍♀️
Ian: That’s a good point, hadn’t thought of that. Though I read a bunch of webtoons where people are poisoning each other all the time. Those isekai go hard on the assassinations!
Steph: Very true. There are some panels that refer to Babs facing Calculator in the past. Are you familiar with those stories? I’m not.
Ian: Oh, yes! Those are big in both Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey, Bryan Q. Miller’s Batgirl (best series of all time!), and the Rebirth Batgirl and the Birds of Prey. He’s a very appropriate villain for Oracle to face, for sure!
There’s several flashbacks in this episode to specific Birds of Prey stories, I believe!
Steph: Yay! I’m glad those are stories that people can go back and read.
Ian: And they were recently collected in trade – I hope we get a couple of Birds of Prey omnibuses too, though!
Steph: Woohoo. Well, After old Calci takes out the coms, Oracle is able to hack into his side and infect him with a virus and take him out. When the coms come back we find out the GCPD has already been infected with the venom/gas.
This actually surprised me! It was shocking that they weren’t able to stop it in time.
Ian: I really like the way this episode builds to the entrance of the Bat-family – it felt really classic and exciting. Well structured.
Steph: And then, dun dun! Nightwing, Orphan, and Robin appear as backup!
Ian: You can hear the theme music! And the breaking glass!
Steph: It was very exciting. And unfortunately, the last panel so people had to wait for episode #128: A Long Way Down!
I really liked Cass taking on the three henchmen by herself and Nightwing feeling sorry for them. Teehee
I think this is one of the first prolonged fight scenes that I can remember.
Ian: There’s a very classic “here’s the big gun” “she’s just a tiny girl” “yes, it’s very unfair” “what do you mean?” “for you!”
Steph: We get quite a lot of Orphan kicking butt.
Ian: Cass kicking butt is always a treat when drawn well, and I think our new art team does well with it!
We haven’t mentioned them as much, but I think they’re really consistent and match Starbite’s designs and styles really well! Vadynea from Kisai Entertainment has become a definite artist to watch from Wayne Family Adventures!
Steph: For sure. I couldn’t even tell the difference, but it’s great art! Has Joker Toxin/Venom been temporary if you can get the anti-venom or respirator on quickly?
Ian: The effects of Joker’s poisons are incredibly variable! Sometimes it just kills! Sometimes it leaves you a grinning and laughing zombie (like Duke’s parents)! Sometimes it is temporary! Sometimes it is just to make fish die smiling! I usually just go with what the story says the current poison does.
Steph: Speaking of the art (and my favorite boy) did you see the panel where Damian is just poking at the drone while Dick is thinking about things?
I love that, even though this is a more serious story, there are still bits of character and silly in the story.
They’re just very subtle.
Ian: I didn’t notice that – it’s a perfect bit of characterization, given how young Damian is in this version!
Steph: What did you think of other precincts getting attacked? I thought this was a bit weird, as not all of them should have been bare bones staff, and it was a bit of a bummer the rest of the Bat-family and the Outsiders got off paneled to take care of the issues.
Ian: I think it makes sense, since we have several other Bat-family members available to help. But it does feel like a really big task to handle given the length of each episode, the structure of the story, and the general scope of WFA in all.
Steph: That’s fair. I’m just surprised at the amount of henchmen Joker drummed up, but I guess that’s nothing new in comics.
I wouldn’t work for him. Like…there’s no financial gain here. Are there that many people willing to work for causing chaos?
Ian: I think it would be fun if WFA would do something with the Henchmaster from Joker War Zone. 🙂 It feels like the perfect kind of thing for WFA’s lighter touch and humorous approach.
The recent Batman #150 by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, and Denys Cowan does touch on why people work for the Joker – a sense of desperation. I get sense from the way comics are written that often times in Gotham a job for Two-Face or Joker is similar to a job for McDonalds or something. An entry level job when you can’t think of anything better. And you could draw parallels to things like the British Navy in the Napoleonic Wars – life expectancy in those circumstances was quite low, too!
Steph: Sad day. There’s probably no background checks done, too. But anyhoo, Bluebird finds Gordon and Joker on the roof and Batman goes after them. Nightwing insists on coming with. I have to say, I really do respect that Batman is prioritizing the safety of the police officers before his “no help” mandate. He’s not kicking the family out, he’s letting them help with the victims and henchmen. Though it does take Dick a bit of convincing to let Batman let him be his backup.
Batman knows arguing will take more time and endanger Gordon.
Ian: I really, really loved that Cass was the one who was able to break through Bruce’s stubbornness. That ability she has to understand his motivations and emotions really fits well with my reading of both of their characters.
Steph: I feel like everyone has been chipping away at his resolve bit by bit. But yes, Cass was great.
Man, these are getting pretty heavy but still fun! And it seems that, even though this is going to be one ongoing story, it’s going to have lots of mini-arcs and settings for the story.
What do you think so far?
I hope Bruce comes around soon. I’m getting a little fed up with his stubbornness.
Ian: I do like the structuring – it helps to avoid my worry that it’s just constant cliffhangers that leave me stressed with no resolution or payoff. I also really, really hope that the family can figure out a way to get Bruce to accept help for sure! That’s the joy of the Wayne Family, after all – they have Adventures TOGETHER!
Steph: Well, I’m excited for more Family Time! I can’t wait to cover more episodes with you!
Ian: Oh, I also wanted to mention that Dick and Babs have a very distinct romantic vibe for me in this storyline – Dick promising to save Jim for Babs was very sweet!
I am also very excited for more Family Adventures, and most excited about talking about them with you!
Steph: Oh yes! That was so sweet. He literally dropped everything in his hands for a forehead touch and hug.
He’s the sweetest.
Ian: He is! Dick’s humor and sweetness and skills are all a big sign. I know one of the background artists, Suzi, told me when I talked to her last year that Dick was her favorite, so I’m glad he’s getting some great focus in this arc!
Steph: ❤️ Well, talk to you soon! Same Bat-time? Same Bat-Channel?
Ian: Indeed! Thanks so much, Steph!
