Ian and Steph have been busy with life, Batman, and The Batman Universe Comic Podcast, but they found a few minutes to sit down and chat about one of their favorite comics, Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, with chapters #85-87! I think Steph is really excited about this batch. Let’s find out why.
Steph: Man, Ian, are we in for some special episodes today. Starting with a two-parter, episodes #85 and #86, “Hold the Line.” We get a sneak peek at Rena and Kate’s relationship and Kate’s past. What did you think?
Ian: I thought it was a really fascinating way to approach Kate’s backstory and character. She’s been around for a while but hasn’t gotten her two-part episode until now (which gives me hope that Huntress will get one sometime, though she hasn’t shown up nearly as much as Kate has). In my interview with Suzi Blake, one of the two background artists on this series, Blake mentioned she did the backgrounds of this two-parter before the main inks were finished, leading to some nice ability to integrate coloring and structuring. I could tell because of how the background/paneling called back to J. H. Williams III’s brilliant page structuring of the original Batwoman comics he drew way back in 2008-2013.
Steph: That’s such cool insight! They really put thought and craft into a lot of these episodes.
Ian: For sure! The original Batwoman origin by Greg Rucka and Williams is REALLY dark. So I’m impressed they got that in without being too jarring with the tone of Wayne Family Adventures. I really love that they kept Batman reaching out to Kate in her backstory. That’s one of my favorite sequences of all time in comics, and they captured it powerfully, even doing a great callback!
Steph: I really liked that; even though we get a taste of Rena and Kate’s relationship, the story is about how Kate got where she is now. It wasn’t a “romance fixed my life.” It was “family accepted me and let me rebuild my life.” I did wonder why Kate was fighting alone and how many Bat-people it took to make an antidote, but I guess they could have been fighting in other places. It was a Gotham-wide Man-batemic.
Ian: Yup, and they had to protect the serum fabricators in my headcanon. 🙂
Steph: Anything else you wanted to note about this story?
Ian: It’s nice seeing Jim and Renee again! I still remember their awesome relationship in the GCPD episode!
Steph: Yeah! They need more screen time! And now for something completely different! The first episode of Superman: Kent Family Adventures, or episode #87, “Objects in Mirror,” obviously refers to the note on car mirrors “objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.” Of course, this is the most monumental episode of the entire series because it’s Jon Kent’s debut in WFA!
Ian: I thought you would get a huge kick out of that!
Steph: I maaaaaay have squealed…
Ian: It’s so funny that in this universe, Jon is still about Damian Wayne’s age.
Steph: I loved it. Connor didn’t get an intro card. Has he shown up before?
Ian: I thought he did when the Teen Titans visited Tim for movie night. I just checked back in Episode 29.
Steph: I’m glad he’s back again! Someone pointed out in the comments that there was a picture of him and Miss Martian initially. I wonder if she’ll show up sometime. I love her.
Ian: That would be quite fun! The whole DC universe is rich with characters who have great relationships with the Bat-Family! Do you think DC should make a Kent Family Adventures series, or would that not be a good idea in your eyes?
Steph: I don’t know or love the universe as much, and even though I was excited to see Jon, and didn’t get a good enough look at his character to know if I would be excited to see him periodically show up. But I guess there’s no saying who the author of a new series like that would be. This was a fun episode, though. My husband read it and thought it was hilarious.
Ian: It was really good! I personally think it would be a great idea. And there should be a Wonder Woman: Themiscyra Family Adventures too!
Steph: That would be fun. Are you reading Vixen, Red Hood, or Zatanna? I’m reading Red Hood and Zatanna, but I have much to catch up on.
Ian: I read Red Hood most frequently, but none as much as WFA. What can I say? I’m a Batman Universe guy, especially when it features Steph so much!
Steph: Steph needs to show up in all the series!
Ian: This is correct! Any last thoughts on Kent Family Adventures?
Steph: lol. I was about to ask the same. I REALLY hope this opens the door to more Jon (obviously) and maybe more little in-series spin-offs (spin-ins?) that let us have other universes cross-overs.
Ian: Indeed! I think there is a whole rich world of DC that could be explored in so many more ways in the webtoon platform and format. I appreciate that WFA makes a slice-of-life, gag-a-week comic strip approach and that Zatanna, Vixen, and Red Hood all approach it with a different style. Let’s see even more soon!
Steph: I can’t wait to talk to you about the next batch of episodes! See you then!
Ian: Indeed!
Editor’s Note: You can find Batman: Wayne Family Adventures #85-87 and all other past chapters exclusively on the Webtoon platform. You can find all other reviews from the series here at The Batman Universe.
