With Turkey Day in the bag, Ian and Steph found a little time to catch up on some Batman: Wayne Family Adventures on Webtoon and had to chat online about it!
Steph: IAN! It’s holiday season! How are you doing?
Ian: Gearing up for the cold! Gotta make eggnog! How about you?
Steph: I’ve never had less planned ahead for the holidays. It’s awesome!
Ian: That sounds quite relaxing! Hooray!
Steph: But, the one thing you can do to always get away from family to do is read Webtoons! Wanna talk WFA?
Ian: Always want to talk WFA! Brightens the day!
Steph: We’ll start with episode #111 “Haley”, Bitewing! Her first episode!
Ian: I’m surprised it took so long! Since Bat-Cow and multiple other dogs, and of course Goliath, have had starring roles in the comic before!
Steph: This was one that I felt was pretty long for not much payoff, but we got lots of nice Dick/Tim interaction and cute Haley-ness.
Ian: I felt a bit bad for Tim – Dick was definitely being a lazy bum!
Steph: I don’t know…if someone came and made a mess at my place, I’d request they clean up after themselves. It’s good character building and boundary laying…I’m so boring.
Ian: That is fair, I guess! I forgot that Tim was the one who made the mess by himself.
Steph: Yep.
Ian: I will say that I completely didn’t notice that this was another TobyFan art episode – well done!
Steph: Me either! I love that. I think artists should have their own style, but in the spirit of not distracting from a series by Starbite, it’s good.
Ian: Well, to some extent, when you are working on a group project with an established set of characters, I like it more when you’re able to have your own style but also not be distracting from the other artists you’re working with.
Though I’m a bit inconsistent with that as I definitely like noticing differences in background art!
This one is done by our newer background artist, Isabella Clapp!
Steph: Are you easily swayed by cute puppers?
Ian: No, sadly, I am a cat person.
Steph: Up until a few months ago I would have “no” but my neighbor got a Pomeranian, and SHE’S THE DOG-GONE CUTEST!! Next we have the two-parter episodes #112 and #113 “Light and Dark” , a hard hitting Damian arc!
Ian: This was really, really well done. A fitting diving into Damian’s past in a deeper way, matching the recent two-parters for Jason, Steph, Cass, and Luke!
Steph: I agree. And it’s a topic that makes sense for him to deal with. He may have had a hero’s journey, but that doesn’t really mean the guilt is gone.
Ian: Exactly. I’m not a fan of the MCU Civil War movie, but I did appreciate the fact that Bucky did not accept the easy out of his brainwashing for murdering people – “but I still did them.” Damian’s grappling with that is a good thing, though way more than a 9 year-old should ever have to face.
I think it’s very interesting that even though they’ve gone with a lighter look at Talia than main continuity, Damian’s past is still horrific.
Steph: True. I was going to say, it was interesting that they sparked this topic without Ra’s or Talia being in the episode. This is what Damian thinks of himself, apart of any power they may have over him.
Ian: I think it’s very good that even though Wayne Family Adventures isn’t afraid to be silly or poke fun at the Bat-family, it also never goes full Batman ’66 campy in not taking any of the pain and suffering that makes us love these characters seriously.
Steph: Yes! It’s like real life, if you think about it. Most of life is just what you make of it: serious, grumpy, awful, loving, fun, silly. And then there are moments where you need to be serious, but if you’re Edward Cullen gloomy all the time, it’s no fun.
OHOHOH!! Was this the first mention that Dick and Damian had been Batman and Robin in WFA?
Ian: You know, I think it was!
I’d LOVE to see a Dick Grayson episode focused on that!
Steph: Yes!! Man…how old would Damian have been during that time in this universe for that to be the pairing!??
Ian: My guess is that’s supposed to be just a year ago.
Steph: So, all that to say, I loved this arc, I love Damian choosing to be vulnerable with Dick, Bruce caring for his son but understanding they may not be close enough yet for his son to open up to him yet, but most of all I love that Dick and Damian were once Batman and Robin and we could possibly get a flash-back at some point.
Ian: Absolutely! This episode is a huge gift for fans of Damian’s history – which is always nice to see today, when so many references like this tend to be forgotten.
Steph: Man, at this rate, it seems like season two of Wayne Family Adventures will never end! What would you like to see for a season finale?
Ian: For as season finale I’d love to see something bringing the whole family together, like the snowball fight or some of the holiday-themed episodes where they have a dinner or party together! What about you?
Steph: Well, obviously a wedding, but barring that, a Christmas gathering would warm my heart. But, yeah, something with the whole family.
Ian: For sure! Also, Red Hood: Outlaw did end with a wedding, so it could happen!
Steph: Well, maybe we’ll find out next time! See you then!
Ian: Farewell!
