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batmanego · 1 year

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SO YOU'RE TIRED OF BATMAN: AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE TO DC SUPERHEROES

one of the most common things i hear when trying to get people to read comics is that they're just not that into batman. which boggles my mind! not because i'm a huge batman fan -- which i am, but i can understand why people might not be interested in his comics -- but because it's insane to me that batman (or superman, or wonder woman, or any other dc superhero they've made a movie about) is people's default perception of dc superheroes.

there's a whole world out there! and if you're intimidated by the big superheroes, or uninterested in their stories, or even if you like them but you're looking for something different, this is the guide for you. without further ado, i present:

DC MINUS THE BIG THREE: A FIELD GUIDE FOR THE DISENCHANTED AND DISINTERESTED

DOOM PATROL (1987)

to nobody's surprise, doom patrol is first on my list of recommendations. it's a comic book about a group of disabled people who have been labeled freaks, weirdos, or otherwise undesirable by society, coming together to save a world that doesn't care about them because there has to be beauty in it somewhere.

good for: well, i'll let the introduction quote do the talking. “remember when all the other kids on the block had superman and batman as positive role modes? well, if you could only identify with a human brain in a metal body or a guy wrapped up in bandages, and if you grew up weird, welcome home. you’re among friends now.”

read doom patrol here. trigger warnings for: ableism, child sexual abuse, medical abuse, transphobia.

2. HELLBLAZER (1988) BUT ONLY THE FIRST 41 ISSUES OK?

hellblazer is a 300 issue long comic book, mostly comprised of dogshit stories by dogshit writers. i am recommending it because i genuinely think the first 41 issues are art. please do not do as i did and read all of hellblazer. you won't survive the experience. ok? ok.

hellblazer is a comic about aging punk magician/occultist john constantine trying desperately to sort out his life in late 80s london while constantly being beset by poor life choices, poverty, and also lots and lots and lots and lots of demons.

good for: punks, anarchists, fans of the occult, enemies of aleister crowley, anyone who has a personal vendetta against margaret thatcher.

read hellblazer here, BUT STOP READING AFTER THE FIRST 41 ISSUES OK? trigger warnings for: literally almost everything you can imagine, but specifically discussions of child sexual abuse are prominent in the original sins run. also, it was written by a white man in the 80s, so it suffers from "white man in the 80s" syndrome.

3. WILDCATS (1999)

"FERRIS", some of you comic book knowers cry, "WILDCATS IS WILDSTORM NOT DC". to that i say Shut the fuck up DC acquired the rights to the wildstorm universe it's close e-fucking-nough.

wildcats 1999 is about cole cash (a conman and ex-special ops man), hadrian 7 (an alien robot posing as a human named jack marlowe), and noir (a bisexual ex-arms dealer from france who talks in the third person) picking up the pieces of the OLD wildcats team after they all found out they were soldiers in a war that ended before most of them were born and nobody bothered to tell them, and trying to 1) run a company and 2) save the world.

good for: people who hate the military, tacky sci-fi fans, anyone who wishes guys would suck more, anyone interested in the horrors of war.

read wildcats 1999 here.

4. SLEEPER

"ferris i want to leave wildstorm" too fucking bad. we're talking about sleeper right now.

sleeper is about holden carver, an undercover agent in the world's largest underground crime organization/network, who gets stuck undercover when his handler (the only guy who knows he's undercover and not just a traitor) gets shot and put in a coma. it is about grappling with your own morality, losing faith in your ideals, and (like most wildstorm properties), how war is a pointless exercise in horror.

good for: fans of spy thrillers, evil women enjoyers, evil men enjoyers, anyone who has ever thought they could make someone worse, people who want bad things to happen to people in power.

read sleeper season 1 here, and then sleeper season 2 here. trigger warnings for pedophilia (the pedophile gets beat to death in issue 2), homophobia, and child abuse.

5. THE AUTHORITY (1999)

stop crying we're almost done with wildstorm. the authority is a comic book about 6 super-people (who are very loose parodies of the justice league) forming a self-described "anarchist cell" to operate against the wishes and outside the influence of earth's governments to defend the planet against extraterrestrial threats and handle human rights violations.

good for: political science fans, good sci-fi enjoyers, people who think batman and superman should have kissed instead of making a million movies, people in polyamorous six-ples.

read the authority here. trigger warning for "this writer probably shouldn't have written this asian nation like this", homophobia, sexual abuse.

6. SUICIDE SQUAD (1987)

hey, remember how i was talking about wildcats? imagine the same sort of themes of wildcats (the horrors of war, the effects of being in the military, american imperialism, what it means to be a hero or even a good person), and then apply them to the worst group of people you've ever had the displeasure of being in the same room as, and they all fucking hate each other. suicide squad is about a bunch of incarcerated villains being "recruited" (forced) into working hero-missions for the government, because nobody will miss them if they die.

good for: villain apologists, people who (in the immortal words of hack/slash) think "there just aren't enough big mean women in comics", and this guy:

[ID: a comment on read comics online by “the king of anime” reading, “I want to give this a try would it be worth it”. end ID.]

read suicide squad here. trigger warning for, again "white man in the 80s syndrome", along with... probably pretty much everything else imaginable (it's been a while since i read this!)

7. STARMAN (1994)

starman is a story told with the drama of a theater production about jack knight, a late-20s to early-30s punk antiques dealer who gets the mantle of starman (a well-known superhero from the golden age) thrust upon him suddenly. it is a story about legacy, family duties, identity, and most importantly about being kind of a loser who gets shot at all the fucking time.

good for: sci-fi fans who are too proud to admit they also like fantasy, rock opera listeners, family disappointments, single fathers.

read starman here. trigger warning for sexual assault.

8. ARKHAM CITY: THE ORDER OF THE WORLD (2021)

"ferris you said no batman" i did. i did not say no batman villains.

arkham city: the order of the world focuses on some of batman's lesser-known foes, and the fallout of arkham asylum collapsing. i can't really explain it more than that, but it is good and legitimately unnerving at times.

good for: horror fans, enemies of the psychiatric system, villain enjoyers, people who live in new york city.

read arkham city: the order of the world here.

9. THE SHADE (1997) and THE SHADE (2012)

hey, remember starman? want a series about the old immortal victorian man with an "ambiguous sexuality" from it? okay. the shade (1997) follows his origins: specifically, his long-standing beef with one specific family. the shade (2012) is a sort of cross-country whodunnit as the shade tries to track down who is trying (and failing) to murder him.

good for: bisexual enjoyers, dramatic theater kids, vampire fans, goths, people who would have fucked lord byron given the opportunity.

read the shade (1997) here, and the shade (2012) here.

10. METAL MEN (2007)

lastly (but not least), a comic featuring will magnus from doom patrol. metal men (2007) is... a complicated story. it's about robots? it's about being mentally ill. it's about a guy who is so divorced forever. it's about being a little loser guy. it's about time travel, and terrible relationships with your brother. it's hard to describe. but it's fun.

good for: bad sci-fi enjoyers, people who can understand the timeline of looper, robot fans, anyone who has ever been consumed by a desire to create.

read metal men (2007) here.

BONUS:

not included in this list because batman is there, i encourage everyone to have a look at the original justice league international series. it is a superhero comedy. it is silly and stupid and i love it.

OKAY, THAT'S ALL! THANKS FOR READING!

#ferris reading list #comic recommendations #HOO BOY!

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ikeameatballspoisonedme · 1 year

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P3 maniac mode... I DEFEATED IT! Shinji time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eagle thingy: level 5/6

Dancing hand: level 9 (it's HELL. Took way too many tries for my liking. My strategy is to make one of the hand dizzy after bashing all of them. Junpei should attack with Cleave. Yukari heal. Use Shirt of Chivalry on Junpei cuz +3 strength is really great

Wheel guy: level 10 (incredibly lucky that it doesnt use Mazio)

Priestess: level 11 (incredibly easy??? I should've stayed at level 10 lmao)

Crying Table: level 13 (first attempt was brutal because all persona that learn ice at this point are weak to fire....... thankfully I still have my Bufu card from Apsaras and I taught Nekomata that skill, since she's strong against fire. Multiple Agilao and still standing!!!)

The coffin thingy: level 16 (had to remove Junpei from the party because he kept dying and coffin thing got 1 more move :( sorry Junpei, but I don't think I will use you in the future)

Empress/Emperor: level 16

Bug: level 21 (Tam Lin is so insanely OP... however I feel like I was too overleveled... but I need Tam Lin and Akihiko's Mazio :/ I tried this at level 19 and uh it was Bad)

White knight guy: level 23 (Mind Charge + Garudyne.... Christ. My strategy is have a persona that has medium magic damage (Hua Po) and hope that it either use Magarula or the Garudyne goes to Yukari)

Lovers: level 23 (holy arrow beating my ass... thank god I don't have Diarahan)

Giga guy thingy: level 26 (I had to fuse something with Magaru so that it'll be dizzy before it attacks. Empusa it is, cuz Fortuna needs grinding first since I don't have Fortune SL yet. My God Empusa is ugly sorry!!!!)

White tower thingy: level 28 (holy shit this one's a doozy. I'm trying to beat this on low level so yeah. Mazionga is an insta kill on both Yukari and Aigis, even without Mind Charge (Aigis barely survived). I myself died several times even tho I already equipped persona that resist electric (Tam Lin). My final strategy is fuse Setanta and Angel to make Take Minazuchi with Power Charge and Sukukaja. I have a Kill Rush skill card from rescue mission, tho I think you can get Kill Rush from Setanta? The reason why Kill Rush is used is because this thing resist Slash and Pierce 🥲🥲 anyway Akihiko debuff the defense and Aigis can buff Aki because this thing also has Dodge Strike... oh and also use Sukunda with Oberon, since Oberon also null elec (you can get Setanta with Sukunda but I'm lazy so I use Oberon). Then pray that the Zionga went to Aki or FEMC because even with defense it still take half of Yukari and Aigis' HP... Akihiko also attack btw. You need massive RNG luck for this. But it's so satisfying once you beat it :) )

Justice and Chariot: level 30. My god I was severely underleveled. Definitely the point of this run but WOW one pierce attack almost killed Yukari... Also Myriad Arrows??? Isn't that heavy pierce attack?? In this economy???

Magus peeps: level 32. I had to bring Mitsuru back because my entire party kept dying and Akihiko is weak to ice... I used King Frost equipped with Rakunda and Kill Rush. Ugh I forgot which persona that I use but this guy nulls ice and has Power Charge so I switched him with King Frost.

Natural dancer: level 35. Oh my God SCREW SEXY DANCE. I was doing good but it has to charm THE ENTIRE PARTY... I ended up using Narcissus' items for all 4 members. Thank god Yukari's SL is level 6 so I don't have to grind much. Anyway I use Kusi Mitama with Power Charge and Getsu Ei... but then somehow it resist slash?? Only does 21 damage??? I switched to melee attack and it did more damage so no, it doesn't resist slash. Also I defeated it at the last day of deadline so that Shinji can join :D I don't want his only boss battle to be the table guy

Hermit: level 36. Um since when does this guy have pierce attack??? Also it crits me and Shinji?? :(

Arcane Turret: level 37. Sadly I have to google search his weakness because yeah this fight is insanely HARD. I didn't know they're weak to ice... After that it became significantly easier tho Yukari still died lmao

Sleeping Table: level 41/42? Fuck I forgot to type the level :/ I used Eligor because it nulls fire and I made Shinji a weapon that resist fire. I also used Revolution so that Shinji has a higher chance to crit. Wow this took SO MUCH ATTEMPTS. I finally get the girlies that said this boss is the WORST. I guess I could've used my Magic Mirrors but my habit is saving em for Nyx despite that I never used them anyway LMAO. Aki and Yukari dies after Megido and Maragidyne. Shinji barely holds on but because I fought the boss when he's on Great condition he was able to dodge several times (oh yeah I also use Masukukaja items from the antique shop). There was an attempt where Shinji crits 3 times in a row but my dumb ass died when the table barely has any health left.... anyway my tips for this battle is that pray that it use Hamaon and you still have Homunculus. Oh yeah also Eligor is weak to light yet the table never noticed??

Strength/Fortune: level 44. I was kinda overleveled because I had to get Aigis into level 40 after replacing her with Shinji :( I know Shinji isn't a recommended party member but look I can't help it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Chu Chulain is the MVP, Torrent Shot is still such a fantastic skill in P3. Kanji was so OP with that skill, worth keeping until Kanji has Primal Force

Knight peeps: level 46. I didn't grind at all lol that was my level after I fought Strength/Fortune. Using Dreamfest is a must. I got lucky that the knight used Torrent Shot on Aigis lol what a dumbass

Giga guy: level 48. Had to level up because I gotta fuse Dionysus to get Mind Charge + Ziodyne. Shinji I love you so much...

Takaya/Jin: level 48. I think I am the first person in the world that died because of them.... EMBARASSING. Jin used Mind Charge + Megido and THEY ALL DIE AND I GOT LIKE 50 HP LEFT. I know I'm underleveled but damn... Look at this shit bruhhh

Hanged Man: level 49. OH MY GOD I FUCKING HATE THIS FIGHT. In Normal it's fine but Maniac??? HANGED MAN IS FUCKING TANKY. He's like Nyx but without the climatic theme and just the spongy part. It's HORRIBLE. In hindsight I should've used Attack Mirror more instead of wasting my Balm of Life :( oh I will NEVER repeat this fight again. Worst boss in the entire game hands down

Hand sword: level 51. That was quite tough... I used Dionysus my beloved as always with Power Charge + Heat Wave. At the end I managed to crit 2 of them, Aigis helped, and it ended with AoA!!!

The buff castle guys: level 53. I wasted my Attack Mirrors for this :( ah it's not like I'll use them for Nyx anyway. Need a Tetrakarn persona asap :( so many comrades are falling... And so many lucky evasion!! Aigis was on like 50 HP and I expected her to die but she managed to evade!! Just... Wow. It seems like Cadenza is more useful than I thought.. I ran out of revival beads lol hoping I could finish the entire dungeon before December cuz Aigis would be gone for an entire month

Ghost white guy: level 54. The first run is a complete failute because it kept spamming Mind Charge + Megido. I got lucky in the second run because it mostly used Evil Smile (got lots of Me Patra gem) and Hamaon (got Homunculus stocked up thx to Bunkichi). Also Akihiko got it shocked once. Still, those Megido is dangerous

Dancer 2: level 56? At first I was big STRUGGLING because it kept spamming Sexy Dance, I tried to heal the charm but then heatwave. DISASTER. But I remembered that I got Narcissus Flower from earlier, similar encounter.... Second try is much easier with it, tho I had to sacritice 1 attack mirror :(

Evil dice: level 58. I had to grind a bit because it had Megidola/Megidolaon. I barely even survived Megido... In the end I survived thanks to Thor

Chidori: There are tears in my eyes she tried to attack Akihiko but SHE FELL 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I wish I recorded it goddamn... Wait I forgot to put my level it's level 59. I actually did this fight TWICE because I forgot to do something AND SHE STILL FELL

Eyeball white: level 61. Easiest boss compared to the hell I've been through... Perhaps it's because Surt is so OP? Or I'm too overleveled? Not gonna grind on the next boss

Snakes: level 61. Okay it's getting difficult again.. it resists fire so I can't use Surt and my team is constantly demolished with Maragidyne... Managed to get lucky when they spam Dekaja/Dekunda

Cross: level 61. Oh god this is even easier than the eyeballs. Mind charge + Ragnarok is instant demolishment. I had to double check if I played on Maniac or not and I did??? Like wow. Surt really is so OP

BDSM Jotun: level 64. I accidentally increased my level because one of the enemies on Tartar Sauce gave me 35k EXP??????? After I got the 10x EXP card????? Insane. But anyway, this boss is HARD AGAIN. Vorpal Blade is no match for Siegfried but it kept resisting all my attacks :( it blocks electric, resist slash strike and fire and wow it was tough to figure out. Thankfully it did not resist ice, so I made Scathach with Ice boost + Ice Amp from Titania and Loki. I still got leftover Minr Charge on Siegfried and it was a breeze afterwards

Horse guy: level 65? I was about to give up because it seems like it absorb all attacks BUT I remembered Yukari has Wind Break. After that it went quite easy. Spongy, but easy

Jin: level 66. Wow this battle is easy. Just spam Thunder Reign and he's dead thanks to him using Infuriate

Takaya: oh my god. This is embarassing. I think I am the only person that died from this fight TWICE. I tried this on level 67 and his Mind Charge + Megidola KILLED ME. Perhaps I should've not wasted Endure... He also used a charged Megidolaon but somehow I dodged that attack... Wow. Embarassing

Nyx: Okay. First try on level 67. Did not go well at all. We all died at Chariot because she used Power Charge and Revolution. Even prior to Chariot the party is massively struggling. I'm going to grind until level 70 to see if I can defeat her

Nyx attempt 2: Level 69. Seems like everyone has a better endurance (previously they were only like level 64 lol now theyre level 68). Unfortunately Nyx hit me with Tentarafoo on Lovers so he crits when using Almighty and I instantly died lmao. I think I'm gonna farm Null Panic skill card. I think this level is doable!! UPDATE: oh no there's no persona that produces null panic.. I have to get them on the shops... I don't want to do Takaya again :(

Nyx attempt 3: level 69. Oh no. She crits all my team while on Hierophant. It's joever. Possibly gonna increase my level again to 71 so that my party will have better endurance. My maximum level increase is 73 I promise (so that Yukari won't learn Mediarahan)

Nyx attempt 4: level 69. Already on Death. She's halfway dead. CRITS ON ME. RIP. Maybe I should've used Endure. That's it I'm increasing my level

Nyx attempt 5: level 72. Imo it's getting way too easy UNTIL Nyx used Revolution + Almighty on Hierophant AGAIN. And I got the crit AGAIN. Lord. If it doesn't use that one move this would be an easy win. I still have my level 69 save just in case. Planning a new strategy which is farming Sharp Student (the persona that has the skill card is level 17 so it'll be easy) (btw I increasednmy level to 72 because I want Michael's Heaven's Blade. Genuinely such an awesome skill it literally crits everytime)

NYX. ATTEMPT 6. LEVEL 72. IT IS DONE!!! I'll upload it on YouTube. So many close calls... In retrospect, I should've used Ken instead of Yukari :( Ken had access to Mediarama earlier, you can get Null Dark accessory from Thanatos and there's no Dark Break skill, and he has better endurance and more HP. Yukari kept dying :T I lowkey want to do this run again but with Ken. Hmm but I just realize that if I equip Null Dark accessory I can't equip Divine Grace so maybe using Yukari is a good call

#Hoo boy!#It's a fun challenge but I'm just gonna grind on Normal.......#Seriously I love defeating the Tartar Sauce bosses but the grind so that I'll be able to defeat them is Rough #I defeated the eagle on level 5? and dancing hand on level 9 #Hold on I gotta pin this #I am trying to defeat these bosses as low level as I can lol #Defeating Nyx on level 99 on Maniac is kinda a piece of cake #Oh yeah btw whenever I fuse or buy from compendium I'm just gonna change the difficulty lmao #2 million Orpheus Telos?????#At first I was disappointed that I got Shirt of Chivalry from rare chest instead of attack mirror #But it ended up being SO USEFUL because the defense is still good for around this level LMAO #Also the +3 strength!!!#Btw in case it's too cheating-like I still use Maniac difficulty on grinding until all enemies are scared on me #If that happens I'm just gonna switch to easy and Tab away

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