#batman: i am a gun

[distort-opia]

Alright excuse my compulsion to situate everything within a timeline, but. I love that now there's more than one story taking place before The Killing Joke that establishes Bruce empathizing and relating to Joker, and that Zdarsky clearly took inspiration from the one before his own for this aspect of Bruce and Joker's relationship.

The events of Zdarsky's I Am A Gun take place while Dick is a boy and still Robin, early in Batman's career... and so does Darwyn Cooke's amazing-showstopping-spectacular Batman: Ego. In Ego, we get another instance of Bruce's mind being split in two; there being a separation between Bruce and Batman, with the embodiment of Batman arguing for Joker's murder:

-- Batman: Ego

But Bruce says no. He says he isn't a killer:

Forever obsessed with how Darwyn Cooke so efficiently conveys how Bruce understands Joker, and relates to him. He knows Joker chose madness to deal with tragedy, that he was faced with the same choice Bruce was, and that Bruce could've become him. Because that's what Bruce lapsing into laughter and acting like Joker shows.

But the story is centred around Bruce in Batman: Ego, while in I Am A Gun... perhaps the best line to summarize it is Bruce thinking to himself, "Is the Joker broken too?" in Batman (2016) #128. It's not just the two facets of Bruce vs. Batman in this story, it's also the two facets of Joker: a human being, and a monster.

The conflict in Bruce is mirrored in Joker, and I am kissing Zdarsky on the mouth for acknowledging it and portraying it so beautifully. There's a monster in Bruce made out of hollow anger, and there's a human being crying for help buried inside Joker:

-- Batman (2016) #130 -- I Am A Gun

"He'll fix you." And Martha being the one to say this, the one who becomes Joker herself in a different world, a different Universe... perhaps it's not intentional, but it feels so relevant. In Flashpoint, Thomas Wayne is a Batman who kills. In New 52's Earth 2, he's a Batman who killed Joker himself. And in Bruce's head, it's Thomas Wayne arguing for Joker's death.

But I just love that keeping both I Am A Gun and Ego in mind, knowing that these thoughts and emotions were there for Bruce for years, makes The Killing Joke... even more poignant.

Bruce has been thinking about this for a long time. And all of it coming to a head with the iconic offer for help, with the one time Bruce offered Joker his hand despite what Joker had just done...

-- Batman: The Killing Joke

[clenches fist] It's beautiful.

#long post #and this not even mentioning Bruce going up to Joker's cell and showing him the playing card as revealed in DotF #which takes place chronologically around Year 2 as well #or freaking Going Sane which takes place before Dick came along #fascinating how all these stories shape the early years of Bruce's relationship with Joker. BEFORE Jason's murder #because that changed so much for Bruce. for both of them #I'm also going [WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN] about Batman 130 itself and Bruce thinking of Joker before ''dying'' #I Am A Gun and TMWSL tie in thematically TOO WELL #identity crises! identity crises everywhere #hnng. anyway. I'm sorry I had to exorcise the Thoughts #batman #batman meta #bruce wayne #bruce wayne meta #joker #batjokes #batjokes meta #my meta #batman: i am a gun #batman: ego

[reineydraws]

jason is a grandpa's boy and u cant take this away from me!!! they cook together, they discuss literature together, and when jay comes back, they clean their guns together haha. ofc they celebrate their birthday together too! 😌

✨️🎂 hbd jay & alfie 🎂✨️

#jason todd #alfred pennyworth #batfamily #batfamily fanart #dc #dc fanart #batman #red hood #dc red hood #they have one of those relationships where jason outright says he loves alfred the most and alfred refuses to say he has a fave grandkid #but it's kind of just concensus that it's jason cuz he's the only one allowed in the kitchen #i am also a heavy believer in the hc that for a while there jason wouldnt meet up with anyone but alfred #and theyd meet for tea and stuff outside the manor #i love those fics #i was gonna draw an in-between angsty one where alf has a picnic by jay's grave with tea and cake for two but i dont have the energy 😅 #i was also gonna draw a red hood and agent A one with the guns they were cleaning but again: no more energy 💀 #mb i'll save that one for later. i still love the idea so much. :')

[confessedlyfannish]

DC x DP Writing Prompt 4?? 45?? 2,321?? HUT!!!

"So you eat ectoplasm," Flash says hands clasped and index fingers pressed against his mouth.

"Ayup," Phantom says, punctuating with an obnoxious slurp of his goopy ectoplasm. "Does a not body good."

"But the place you come from is made of ectoplasm."

"Ayup."

"So you are literally eating the fabric of your universe?" Flash says, voice rising in pitch.

"No, the fabric of the Infinite Realms is space-time, same as Earth, well not the same," Phantom says, scrunching up his nose. "Earth is more cotton, The Zone is kinda stretchy...huh, like spandex. Neat!"

"But you're eating up the matter that makes you you--" Flash says, hands waving.

"Dude, everything you are was once a star," Phantom says, waving a hand at all of him. "Every last bit of you and everything around you. Star. Now replace it with ectoplasm, and we just cut out all the middlemen."

Flash watches him guzzle up the last bit looking faintly green himself. "That still kind of sounds like a justification for cannibalism."

"I promise to never eat you," Phantom says with uncomfortable emphasis, suddenly solemn. He stares at Flash without blinking until Flash, deeply unnerved, backs out of the room.

"Not funny," Batman says, flipping a page in his newspaper. "He was supposed to be on Watch Duty."

"Now Batman," Phantom drapes his tail across the man's shoulders and lets his fangs elongate and multiply.

"W̵̢̛͓͉̼͔͉͖̖̥͍̪̲̥̯̞̝͎͔̩̹̙͌̽̐͜ͅh̵̨̠̳̖͔̬̭̟̗̠̹͕̟̮̬͓̺͙̊͛͒ͅo̶̧̢̡̨̨̦͚̼̞̫͈͚̤̜͉̰̱̭͙̣̼͙̱͚͓͐͌̒̋̇ͅ ̵̡̡̰͙̠̦͙̼̘̪͈̻̟̙̳͚̤̮̖̱̎̐̀̇̾͛͊͛͊̈̋̈̋̿̍͑̔̏̎͑̒͗̚͘͝͠͝ͅs̵̡̹̣̗̼̙͓͖͉̒̃͋̂̄̄̈́͋̾̈́̀̎̉̓̒̇͐̎͊̚͝͝a̵̡̧͔͍͍͙͔͖̮̦͚͍̖̲͖͖̻̍͊͆̊̿́̿̅́̈͠͠͠i̴͙͙̾̌͊̓̂̌̒͒d̶̨͚̳̟̲̻̤͇͖̞͙̹̯͙̟͓͙͇͖̺̺̎͊͐̏͌̌̅̄́̏̽̓̃͂̓͜͜͝ͅͅ ̵̧̢͎͔̜̮̼̻̫̗̼͙͍͔̺͎͐̍̈́͜͜͜I̵̢̢̛̙̤̳͈̮̜̩͇͕̠̻̫̳̟̤̭͙͖̓̾̓̇̈́̂͒͂͌̍̎̅̑̇̔̇́͌͜͝ ̵̛̣̮̩̩̞̯̻̱̻̳͍̞͙̗̤̗̥͔̭̥͒͒̌͗̿͐̓̇̈̔̌͒̋̑̽̇͜͝ͅẁ̷̧̮̳̗̗͍̠̦̃a̸̡̧̛̛̺͈͍̟̣̫̺̟̗̥̲̻̥͔͔̲̱̣̩̠̖̰̿̋̄͆̀͋́̐̈́́̈́͌͆̅͂́̈́̓͗́̇ş̵̨̨̨̛̛͔̦͚̦̝̺̯̗͓̼̟͙̼̩̣̺̠̭̘͂̏̓̋̓̋̇̏͊̃͊͊͋̊̑̀͌̂͋͐͘̚͜͝ ̶̢̧͍͓̹̘͍̱̬̜̙̮̖̒̃͊̀̀̓̈́̆̀͐̇̿̀̇̿̆̔̂̈́͘͠ͅͅj̵̯̱̇̈́̌̈͌͆̋̑̇̋̎̐̈̇̓͘͘̚͝o̷̢̙͎̹̰̟̳̼̠̖͉̦̘̺̙͑͂͑̌̉͗̑͑̉͌͜͜͠͝͠ͅk̶̡͇̈́͋̈̈́̐̀̂̈́̽̾͌̂̾̊̑͘͠ḯ̸̢̢̢̞̱̦͙͖̱̙͕̞̮̫̱̣̤̥͍͍̫̗͔͙̞̘̓̂̄͂̿̉͒̈̍̅̍̅̍̏̋̕͘͝͠͝ͅņ̴̛͉̲̮̫̩̙̠̯̤͚̠̥̳͈̝͇́̂͑g̶̛͎̻̟͍̯̪̺̬͍̲̱͇̪̩̰͆̓͊̃̅͗̆̈́̊̈́͘?"

Batman lifts his head from the newspaper silently.

"Ugh, fine!" Phantom says, throwing his hands up. "I'll take next watch."

"Hn."

#danny phantom #dp x dc au #dpxdc #dp x dc crossover #flash #batman #dp x dc prompt #dp x dc #this is inspired by a previous tag of mine #bonus points if you find it #space nerd danny #but bad at science me #these were the ingredients chosen to create #a lying dumbass #danny: lol i don't eat the fabric of the universe #danny: I AM the fabric of the universe! #danny: I am the embodiment of all space bab-ee *finger guns* #bruce disappointed-dad-stare wayne

[daydreamerwonderkid]

Terry meeting the Batkids (via magic or time shenanigans, who cares): Man, isn't being Batman AWESOME or what!!!

Dick, Jason, Tim & Damian: *all visibly wincing in discomfort*

Cass: *nodding head vigorously*

Duke and Steph: *munching on snacks from the sidelines*

#batfam #batfamily #dick grayson #jason todd #cassandra cain #tim drake #duke thomas #stephanie brown #damian wayne #terry mcginnis #batman beyond #i will never stop laughing #at the fact #that only two of Bruce's kids #actually wanna be batman #holds gun to dc's head #make cass the new batman or else #yes i am aware that not all the batkids #got to be batman #terry's just confused #dreamer queue

[mutable-manifestation]

You know something I just now considered

I see a lot of "Bruce sees Danny and immediately goes adopt mode"

And I see a decent amount of "Danny sees Jason and immediately goes adopt mode"

May I humbly propose: Both.

Except Danny and Bruce clock each other and it's just

Bruce: Can't adopt my son if you are my son

Jason: Your what

Danny: Can't adopt me if we're co-parenting

Jason: If you're what???

#dpxdc #danny phantom #batfam #Batman: let me give you a home and also stop trying to steal my son I have dibs #danny: no^2 #Jason: I don't need to be adopted btw I am a whole man #Danny: shhhhhhh- have this laser gun #and also this thermos of green soup bc ur not u when ur hungry #Batman: don't- #Jason: ...neat

[clownprince]

anyway i thjnk the most fucked up thing about i am a gun is that bruce is fucking right. his mental version of joker is damn accurate. even so early on in his career he's able to see past joker's evil uncaring monster outer persona and recognize the human inside of him who's alone and afraid and hurting, who desperately wants to be saved but doesn't know how to be anything other than the joker. even if you disregard that "the last smile" story the tkj script makes it Quite Clear that joker very badly wants to accept batman's offer but he doesn't feel like rehabilitation is a viable option for him (for multiple reasons)

#it's just so. auuuuuhhhhhhhghh #that bruce was able to recognize that so early on in their relationship like holy fuck #i feel soooooo cool and ordinary and normal about i am a gun (lie) #+ i'd have to reread the tkj script to be totally sure but i'm Pretty Sure it's the first comic that makes it overtly clear #beyond the shadow of a doubt that bruce wants to help joker not for pragmatic reasons like stopping his crimes or averting their deaths #but because he recognizes that beneath it all joker is a very sad lonely broken person coping with life the only way he knows how #(or at the very least not ONLY for pragmatic reasons) #(and yeah it's heavily implied in tkj and other stuff but i am a gun fully spells it out) #hjjijfjkjkkkkkhhhhhhh #batjokes #agony anguish pain #can't think abt batman 127-130 for too long it makes me so

[ressaart]

i think about gun batman tim constantly. give tim a gun, please, please, please give tim a gun. i am chomping at the bit! i need tim to have a gun.

#i am so normal #i swear it #i have so many thoughts about tim with a gun #this is just the most tim thing i need #tim would rationalize using a gun so hard #i just know it #and he would be so upset if confronted about it #but also if tim was never robin he would feel less guilty about it i think #or in a reverse robins au him as the red hood shooting criminals fits so good #anyway i have so many thoughts about him with a gun #tim drake #robin #red robin #batman

[aslightaddity]

… tell me you see the similarities…

#I am CRYING. #nygmobblepot #riddler #penguin #the penguin #The riddler #ed nygma #oswald cobblepot #spies are forever #curt mega #owen carvour #curtwen #agent curt mega #tcb #tin can bros #batman #batman villians #Who did it better #Gun Cw #gun tw #polls #this is so stupid #for the whole three people who know both things

[wastinawaaay]

jason todd does not need new friends new team new costume new romantic plot he just needs a fucking decent writer

#also a decent artist but im okay with him being drawn ugly as long as the story is good #he needs to go back to his roots eight severed heads in a duffle bag terrorising black mask controlling the crime and killing nazis #for a change he should be depicted as not giving a shit about batman or bat adjacent people and actively ignore them #also let him be with no human friends no more outlaws he has goons now he must have cats because he is a cat person but only when he's read #he can be the aro ace king that he is and finally be free from forced romances he can be his fucking age for once #give him back his one year age gap with tim so i can finally be free from tim woobifiers #his all caste training was cool he can have that one take the crowbar away and give him his guns and the kriss back #he can have multiple knives as a treat #utrh and rhtld was top tier storyline unmatched and yes i am pointedly ignoring a couple of pages in tld #jason todd #dc

[msfcatlover]

So the Joker’s little “BANG!” guns can launch that flag pole out with potentially lethal force (at least, according to Batman Beyond). Which very much seems like the sort of thing he’d do—it’s a double punchline.

Why does no one ever just pull the trigger twice?

#the joker #batman #batman beyond #// #Brainstorming for my Reverse!Robins AU like: ‘’What if Jason got kidnapped like in the Arkham games instead of his normal death?’’ #‘’That’s the universe where Joker invited the other villains to take turns tormenting Robin right?’’ #’’OH! Steph is a villain who’s known to have a special bone to pick with Batman’s newest sidekick. She’d absolutely be invited to that!’’ #’’She’s still on shaky ground. Jason doesn’t know if he can trust her. Steph has to play along in order to get close enough to free Jason.’’ #’’She picks up one of Joker’s guns & makes a joke about it obviously not being real. Aims at Joker & pulls the trigger. The flag pops out.’’ #’’Joker laughs. Steph smiles. Jason thinks he’s about to die.’’ #’’She pulls the trigger again & shoots Joker in the throat with his own stupid flag.’’ #‘’She kills the Joker for Jason. Because even if she’s never accepted back into the family nobody hurts her little brother.’’ #’’And as she rushes to free Jason; to check his wounds; apologizing frantically that she didn’t get there sooner… #...for the first time Jason sees his childhood hero in the woman who came back from the dead. #( #I am once again pushing my #red hood!steph #agenda #) #/ #RH!Steph #(in the tags) #my writing #mine

[juneed]

Your honor flashpoint!Martha Wayne simply was in a very silly goofy mood. She didn't really mean to commit all those crimes

#my art #martha wayne #flashpoint beyond #batman #dc #female joker #is that even the right tag?? #joker #cw gun #tw gun #i am unsure wheter this counts as tw or cw so i am using both

[skelerangart]

red hood i am looking respectfully

#red hood #man biddies #skeledraw #batman #dc #jason todd #look i will always give my favs the biggest man tiddies i can #i am a simple gay dude #squish squish #also dont look to closely into the gun im not doing much detail rn dksandjksa

[dc-bitchin]

i pressed record on my phone because I wanted to really *quickly* summerize an episode for an animated Batman series I would LOVE to make and it ended up being 15 minutes long and makes references to shit only I know about... :|

#batman #TO BE FAIR the actual episode would be like. 45 minutes long. IF NOT LONGER #so yeah 15 minutes is a quick summary when the theoretical episode also ties into about a dozen OTHER theoretical episodes #for a theoretical series that you do not have the skill money or time to make.... #right? #like legit it would be like. both a season finale AND a halloween scarecrow episode #that takes HEAVY inspiration from the original BTAS episode where he first goes “I AM BATMAN!” #in a fit of fear toxin-induced hysteria screaming at a hallucination of his father #AND ALSO REFERENCES LIKE A TON OF OTHER EPISODES THAT TAKE HEAVY INSPIRATION FROM #/ ARE DIRECT RETELLINGS OF SOME FAMOUS AND NOT SO FAMOUS COMIC STORYLINES AND MOMENTS #LIKE THE DRUG / STEROID USE ONE WHERE HE GETS ADDICTED AND KINDA FUCKED UP #(i would be a lot more respectful to what drug use and abuse actually looks like than that story but IT'S STILL A GOOD STORY) #AND THE GUN / “MY LIFE WAS WORTH LESS THAN A ROUND OF AMMUNITION” MOMENT I REBLOGGED EARLIER #AND ALSO WOULD HAVE SOME MOMENTS INSPIRED BY THAT MOMENT IN “THE BATMAN 2022” #WHERE HE'S WEARING THE FLYING SUIT AND ABOUT TO JUMP OFF THE BUILDING AND HAS A PANIC ATTACK #but it would be with the grapple gun because honestly. rule of cool wins out over realism with that one #GOD somebody please hit me up i'm going insane over this and need to scream at somebody about this hypothetical episode / series #but i literally have NO friends who are into batman #I WANNA MAKE THIS SO BAD BUT I CAN'TTTT

[minilpark]

anyone ever just love reciting the lines the characters say in movies or shows you've seen multiple times? like you're pretending to be them- well i do and it annoys the fuck out of my friends and family but i cannot help it

#this is how i will be when i watch tgm once again #top gun maverick #topgun #i also do the same for dc movies i am a menace #batman under the red hood is one of my faves #batfam #batfamily

[razzygoat]

I love how Batman's refusal to kill people is such a legitimate plot convenience

Like he's fighting Joker and the homie will just "go on Batman if you kill me you can stop me for good and save all this people I could kill"

And he goes

"If I do that... I'm no better than you"

Like

Homeslice

Have you heard of this thing called the trolley problem? I think you'd find it fascinating

#batman #forgive my lackluster dc comics knowledge I am watching my friend play the arkham games leave me be #I think I'd make a brilliant sidekick for batman. I'd just have a gun. my bat gun if you will. #when Batman isnt looking I shoot the villain in the throat #joker #riddler #dc comics #batman arkham games #arkham asylum #wait a minute Joker or Riddler doing a trolley problem style simulation would be fun I think. has that happened yet

[a-crab-stan]

chip zdarsky really woke up and said actually batman has severe ocd and obsesses over every weakness he could potentially have and cannot feel physically comfortable without spending a majority of his day training against one specific thing because what if he falters and people die as a result

#thank you mr zdarsky #batman #dc comics #batman comics #i am a gun #dc #bruce wayne