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havendance · 4 months

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Anyway, my proposal for a run on Detective Comics where I write a series of one-shot stories showcasing all of the various supporting cast Batman has accumulated with stories, including, but not limited to:

Batman invites Nightwing to Gotham to help him solve a murder. The murder is very straightforward and they dance around the real reason Bruce invited him, until at the end, he finally admits in a constipated Bruce way that it's the anniversary of him adopting Dick and he wanted to spend time with him.

Huntress and Robin (Tim Drake) team up to investigate Killer Croc. It turns out he's turning over a new leaf in the sewers near the Marina. Huntress is dubious, but Robin convinces her to give him a chance, though she says she'll be watching him. We re-canonize Joker: Last Laugh.

Damian and Duke team up to take on a street-racing operation--a mission that naturally requires them to do some high adrenaline racing together.

The Riddler gets on social media with a plot that involves lots of puzzles and clues all over Gotham. Oracle taps into old members of "We are Robin" to take it down.

Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) and Batman end up on the same missing persons case. With the pressure on to find the missing child, they snipe at each other as tensions rise. In the end, after saving the kid, Bruce sort of kind of apologizes in a Bruce way and expresses some measure of respect for her.

Jason teams up with Ghostmaker to take on, idk, one of the Clayfaces. Does Gotham still have one of those? I haven't read any comics ghostmaker's in yet, but from I've heard it sounds like they'd have an interesting dynamic. Jason gets flashbacks to digging his way out of his grave.

Luke Fox recruites Harper Row (She does engineering stuff right? I also need to read comics she has a significant role in.) They take some new tech for a joyride and go bother the Penguin.

Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) and Azrael team up to take down Mad Hatter. He probably has some elaborate Alice in Wonderland theming going on that neither of them get. (I think neither of them should have read it.)

Batwoman and Catwoman team up to steal back some Kane family heirlooms, possibly from Jacob Kane (What's his and Kate's relationship looking like anyway?), possibly from someone else.

Gotham Girl and somebody. Me advancing my Cass & Claire agenda Possibly Oracle trying to rehabilitate her in that controlling yet well-intentioned way she has sometimes? Someday, I will get to being more up to date on what Claire's status quo in current comics is.

A handful of representatives from Gotham's various crime families get together in the backroom of a bar somewhere. They play poker and exchange stories of being busted by the various bat-affiliated vigilantes in which they are very scary and almost inhuman. It ends with Batgirl (Cass) busting in and beating them up.

Helena Bertinelli takes a gig as a substitute teacher at Gotham Academy. She teams up with Maps & other supporting cast when Mr Freeze takes the school hostage while trying to escape the police.

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emma-d-klutz · 2 years

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Ok the explosion of affection I felt immediately at Batman Unburied's Riddler being a condescending little jackass made me, like, really click in my mind how I feel about the character in a way that I can word now. And keep in mind, this is just going to be MY personal feelings and preferences and not real character analysis with reasoning behind it, so like if you feel differently, I'm not saying your take is wrong.

We good? Ok.

I think Riddler's best as an ally rather than an antagonist.

Why? Because he feels most like himself to me when he's just a little guy. A silly little billy with a genius intellect that he wholeheartedly devotes to riddles and puzzles and escape rooms just because that's genuinely what he’s passionate about and how he wishes to spend his time, and he will steal, hack, blackmail, and even take hostages as a means alone to this life's calling. He is a person who needs everyone everywhere to know all the time that he is the smartest and cutest person in the room or so help him god. He deeply loves Batman/Bruce Wayne in the way one who unironically called themself a “sapiosexual yandere” an online rp forum back when they were 14 deeply loves, and he will throw a tantrum if he doesn’t get enough attention. He roasts and gets roasted. He annoys and gets annoyed. He is just a funny little guy to me!

Now here's the issue:

In Gotham, rogues can be funny. Goofy - wacky even! It is in many ways encouraged. Securing your own campy gimmick is integral to getting into the rogue business there, and they mean it, the campier the better. HOWEVER, a rogue must still be seen as a threat. A real threat. Otherwise, you are nothing but a third string gag character.

So what is one to do with Eddie, who is a main and major rogue of Gotham's gallery so high ranking and OG he can contract and subjugate lower level villains into his plans and who is also just a funny little guy with motives that do not necessitate mass killings or disabling psychological torture? Well, I have seen properties tackle this by making him into a real threat with new or expanded end goals, and I have also seen properties decide to make him pathetic and snubbed, sadly relegated to a dejected gag.* And I don't particularly dislike or disrespect these as a whole. I'm more lukewarm to them, I guess. They still have my affection, but it is proportionally incomplete.

But when you make him an ally?

Well now! That’s a horse of a different color!!!

When Riddler’s an ally he can be competent and taken seriously while also being entirely a silly little guy who is insulting you and bragging. Full bombastic personality and full respectable skillset. AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! When he works as an ally, I go from “Eh, it’s the Riddler,” to becoming putty in this character’s gloved little jazz hands! And it’s not even about if he’s actually a reformed “good guy” or not. It’s entirely about letting him be powerful without making him scary. Er, to the audience. (You know, like how we know the Batfam scares the shit out of everyone, but as the audience, we’re not scared; we just think it’s funnier and cooler, because we’re in on it? I realize I’m overexplaining, and I thank you if you have read this ramble this far.)

I think comparable examples are Catwoman and Harley Quinn. Big, big name villainesses, yes. But Selina has always been more of a career thief than a coldblooded killer, and since she has a romance with the Bat, we don’t think of her as anything but an ally even when she continues to act as a rogue. She is allowed to cool and respected as a character without having to be the kind of crime you expect Batman to spend his time prioritizing. Harley, on the other hand, seems much more prone to murder now and forever, but because we always knew it was something she had been pulled into by the Joker, the audience already kind of saw her as an ally, and she often is one. Now she’s just a freewheeling antihero with a girl gang of roller derby baddies and other villainess/ex-villainess friends, associates, and love interests. And she’s still herself! She is just a funny little chick with a M.D.! She is bombastic and adorable and still very much able to pull her shit off. She annoys and is annoyed. A gremlin girl if you will. She is the easiest parallel, and I do not think it is pure happenstance that one of the times Eddie turned coat, she was involved in (and all the sirens were clients to) his detective agency. Nor, would I say, is it a coincidence that Eddie and Selina have also had a longterm friendship that’s-sometimes-slightly-more. Similar things are going on here, yaknowhaddimean?

But for some reason, Eddie’s switch to ally is the one of those three that just never sticks. And I have no theories as to why at this time. I just think, personally, that being a weird little grey-area character that is usually on the same side of the heroes is the best place for him. It is where he can best express being both a worthy rival and a little guy with glasses. You wouldn’t hit a guy with glasses, would you? Oh, you would. Ok.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk, and goodnight.

*Shout out to instances that split the difference and go, "The Riddler will mislead Batman into thinking he's a real and present danger, but the punchline is no humans were harmed and he has tricked the Batman into playing riddles with him and hanging out." Those feel like an achievable, believable compromise and also are always funny/cute.

#riddler #the riddler #edward nygma #edward nashton #batman unburied #batman #batman meta #gotham rogues #a war of jokes and riddles #the batman 2022 #batman the animated series comics #batman the animated series #the batman 2004 #batman confidential #batman arkham games #i'm just listing all the titles i can think of that crossed my mind while writing this that were relevant ok?#i'm sure i missed some. these tags are clogged and not gonna be useable in a search feature anyways. who cares? I'm siting sources here

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adventseven · 2 years

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The Batman REVIEW

This film works hard to be both a piece of art and a superhero movie. What the film succeeds at the most is being a film that is quintessentially Batman.

The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader, Paul Dano as The Riddler, and Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle. The film also stars Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Colin Farrell as Oz/Penguin, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.

I got the chance to see this film twice in theaters before writing this review. I loved it both times, moreso the second time. It's a very damn good movie.

If I were to rank this film among the Dark Knight trilogy I'd say it's better than Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises. I would say it’s at least on the same level of quality as The Dark Knight.

I found myself comparing those two films a lot as I watched The Batman, because they are both so similar. They both have great Batmen, compelling stories, and phenomenal villains. I also think both films have plot points, characters, and aspects that are better than the other. I do enjoy thinking about high quality films.

Before I continue with more of my thoughts, I have to talk about specific reviews of this movie. Moreso the ones that are mad that The Batman quote “forgets to be fun (Cinemalogue Batman Review),” is “yet another lugubrious, laboriously grim slog masquerading as a fun comic book movie (Washington Post Batman Review),” and find that “176 minutes is a long time to go without laughs (Firstpost Batman Review).”

The Batman was never going to be a "Marvel" movie. It wasn't going to be joke heavy, it wasn't going to be upbeat, it was going to be a dark crime drama from the very beginning. If you expect anything otherwise you are only going to be disappointed. Also there are a few funny moments in there, my favorite being the “thumb drive” one IYKYK. Also, remember the last time Batman films tried to be funny? I think you all definitely know what I’m talking about.

It's good to have superhero movies that are different, stylistically and thematically. If every superhero movie was the same then everybody would get bored of them. It'd be like eating vanilla ice cream all the time. Sometimes it's good to eat some rocky road or cookie dough. Okay, now I'm going to try and finish this review while dealing with a new craving for ice cream.

The Batman is driven forward by awesome performances from all of the cast. Robert Pattinson is the best Batman since Christian Bale. He's better than Batfleck, he just is[1] [2] . His costume is cooler, he doesn’t have a stupid voice changer, and he doesn’t out right murder people. He's got the physical presence and is able to show a great depth of emotion. He grows over the course of the movie, slowly learning what it takes to be a better Batman. He really embodies what Batman should be, a fighter and a thinker.

Batman had a lot of allies in this movie. I really liked Wright's James Gordon. He had moments of deep sadness and heroic bravery. He always had Batman's back, much to the frustration of the GCPD. It really seemed like he'd take a bullet for Bruce.

I thought Andy Serkis was a fine Alfred. He hit all the Alfred beats you'd want, helping Batman solve his crimes and being a father figure. Hopefully he has a chance to be a badass in the next movie.

It would be criminal if I didn't mention Kravit's Catwoman. She's all I'd hoped Catwoman would be. A cunning antihero who is essential to Batman. She helps him but she has her own mission too. Her relationship with Batman is complicated, but what else is new. Even still, they both care about each other and want to stop the worst people in Gotham.

If there's anything I've learned, it is that a Batman movie is only as good as its villain. Thankfully this film has three villains that are all great, dare I say terrifying.

Gotham needs a good dark side, an underlying criminal element that permeates from the alleyways. Farrell's Penguin and John Turturro's Carmine Falcone are great Gotham gangsters. Falcone is a soft spoken menace who will kill anyone who gets in his way. He's deeply connected to figures in Gotham, including Bruce's father Thomas. The Penguin works under Falcone, running The Iceberg Lounge and peddling drugs. He wishes he could be Falcone, hoping to be the next head of organized crime in Gotham. His car chase scene was one of my favorite parts of the movie. My favorite moment being the part where Penguin thinks he killed Batman, but his joy turns to terror as soon as he sees the batmobile rockets out of the flames.

While Falcone and Penguin were perfect for the gangster side of Gotham, The Riddler was an even better showing of its supervillain side. Paul Dano's performance as the vengeful serial killer is the polar opposite of Jim Carrey's Riddler. Dano's Riddler is a dark web menace who won't rest until he sees Gotham burn. He knows all of the city's secrets and will crusade until those who went unpunished are pushing daisies. To Riddler, vengeance means blood and fire, and Batman is part of his master plan.

I'm glad this reboot happened. Batman is a character that has the ability to change, adapt with the times, and remain relevant. All the best Batman performances remain timely because they're similar but different. They stay true to who Batman is, while also being who Batman can be. If the next two films in The Batman trilogy are good, then I think Pattinson will be remembered fondly like Keaton and Bale are.

The Batman has kept DC's 2022 winning streak going. I'm excited for its sequels, and I'm excited for the HBO MAX shows that will take place in this new Gotham. I do recommend watching the film for a second time. You get to enjoy the film more and you get another chance to catch all the little details. You should also see it again because it's an awesome movie, one that I'm very glad exists.

By Julian Hayden

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#the batman #DC #DC Comics #Warner Bros.#Robert Pattinson #The Riddler #movie #review

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havendance · 1 year

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Seen any good Helena fics?

So most of these are at least 10 years old and like a thousand words because that’s where I’ve been able to find fics that dig into her comics character rather than stuff where she’s one of like 15 different tagged characters or Birds of Prey movie fic.

Winter Dark by Runespoor

<1k, complete. An atmospheric little piece about Helena in the early winter of No Man’s Land. Has dark fairy tale vibes.

Holding the Line by Dragonbat

<1k, complete. A look into Helena’s mind during her final stand against the joker in No Man’s Land.

La Familia by wabbitseason

<1k, complete. A short piece about Helena as an outsider from the rest of Bats.

Answers Over Ice Cream by Dragonbat

1.2k, complete. Helena and Barbara discuss the new question over ice cream.

evolving slowly by favouriteyear

<1k, complete. A bite-sized introspective piece around the Batman reborn era.

Finally, some bonus fics:

some nights by CloudDreamer

2k, complete. You probably know this one already, but for anyone else reading this list. Huntress and Green Arrow do some target practice together late at night.

To overlook the circle vast by Teland

3.2k, complete. This one’s more focused on Tim, but Helena does have a solid part in it. Tim & Helena post-war games/Identity Crisis.

The Prince Who Runs Through the Night by Havendance

2.5k, complete. Look, I’ve got to self-promote somehow. Helena&Talia in a Bruce Wayne Helena Bertinelli role swap. Also with bonus baby!Damian.

#helena bertinelli #huntress #fic recs #my fic rec lists #the cooler gotham antihero #letters to the editor #carthago delenda est #dc #bats + birds + affiliated

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havendance · 1 month

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Tony Daniel's Batman run has it's fun parts and it's weak parts, but he is using Helena which is always a plus in my book so I'm not complaining. She should wear this get up more often. It looks sick:

#helena bertinellli #the cooler gotham antihero #comic panel hoard #batman #dc #bats + birds + affiliated #havendance reads comics #carthago delenda est

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havendance · 1 month

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(The Question #2 | Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood #3)

On a reread, I can really appreciate the way that this page from Cry for Blood is drawing on this page from the question.

#batman #dc #the question #helena bertinelli #the cooler gotham antihero #comic panel hoard #carthago delenda est

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havendance · 6 months

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(Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83)

Always thinking about her...

(description below the cut)

PANEL 1: Helena as THE BAT standing in front of two boys. THE BAT: Doesn't this symbol mean anything to you? BOY 1: Well, yeah-- but you're a girl.

PANEL 2: A shot of the two boys. BOY 1: We thought you were trying to trick us, making us believe you were the Batman, to, like, get our coats. BOY 2: Yeah. Everybody around here is out for themselves.

PANEL3: Panned out so we can see the that the three of them are standing in front a wall with the bat symbol spray painted in yellow. THE BAT: (Gesturing to the symbol.) This is the Bat. In this town, it means criminals beware.

PANEL 4: BOY 2 looking up at THE BAT. BOY 2: So then, like, you work with Batman?

PANEL 5: THE BAT looking down at him, the bat symbol on the wall behind her THE BAT: How do you know I'm not Batman? BOY 2: You're a girl!

PANEL 6: THE BAT looking down at both boys. THE BAT: If you were a big tough guy and you got beat up byb a girl, would you admit it? Or would you say it was a hug giant seven feet tall, with fans and claws who took you down. BOY 1: Point.

PANEL 7: THE BAT vanishes down the alleyway, leaving the two boys behind. THE BAT: Tell your friends-- as long as there are people in Gotham, they'll be a bat. BOY 1: All this time, she was a girl. Do you believe that? BOY 2: I dunno. And I don't care. All I know is, she saved our buts. I say the Bat rules.

#batman: no man's land #helena bertinelli #the cooler gotham antihero #comic panel hoard #carthago delenda est #dc #bats + birds + affiliated

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havendance · 3 months

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haven, how did i almost miss your ask game. here's an au for you:

au where helena catches the clench during contagion instead of tim

Helena is alone when she realizes that she's sick. She is alone when she realizes that she is too sick to keep fighting. She knows that the hospitals are full and no use, so instead she hunkers down in her apartment, alone.

There is no butler to nurse her through it. Instead, she tosses and terms and has fever dreams in which she sees her family dying, her brother dead. She sees James, his eyes bleeding. She tosses and turns, in pain and longing for relief.

She nearly dies. She would have died, alone in her apartment, if Robin hadn't come by.

See, after Azrael's buddies faxed the the cure over and Wayne Enterprises started manufacturing it, Tim went out to go and find the Huntress and see if he could recruit her into crawling through Gotham and making sure everyone got administered it. And eventually, he finds her.

And so, Helena does not die, but instead wakes up in a hospital bed with a little bird lurking in the shadows.

#letters to the editor #scintillyyy #helena bertinelli #tim drake #batman: contagion #havendance writes #the cooler gotham antihero #advancing the tim & helena agenda #carthago delenda est

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havendance · 3 months

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AU where bruce never came back to no mans land so helena never had to quit being the bat (definitely not another variation on batman for dummies what do you mean they sound similar,,,)

Okay, so I initially misread this ask and started thinking about an AU of Batman for Dummies where Bruce dies and I am just now rereading this and realizing that that is not in fact what you were proposing. So, uh, hope you like this as well?

During Claim Jumping, Two Face does not set out to distract Batman, he sets out to kill him. And he succeeds. He also succeeds in taking territory from the Bat.

I can't decide whether Helena does succeed in killing Two Face in this version of events. If she does, it is because Tim is distracted by the fact that Bruce is dead and is not able to stop her. (I think that even if he knew that Two Face had killed Bruce, he would still try and stop her.) It is something that hangs over their relationship going forward. If she does not, I think that Tim discovers after the confrontation that Bruce his dead. His decision haunts him. He wonders if he would've acted differently if he knew.

Either way, Bruce is dead and there is no more time for the rocky relationship between Helena and Barbara. They convene together at the clocktower. They call in Dick from outside and make overtures to Gordon to patch that alliance back up.

Dick does not want to be Batman. That does not mean that the mantle does not hang over him like a shadow. No one says anything. Helena continues to wear the symbol (she is beginning to suffocate in it). They are all thinking it though.

Anyway, I haven't managed to bridge the gap yet, but in my head, this is also an AU where No Man's Land lasts longer even though I can't think of any reason for it to. After a while, they have to kick Tim out of No Man's Land to go do a PR circuit and beg on tv for people to do something and he makes Helena promise that she'll still be there when he gets back because NML has been hard on all of them.

#letters to the editor #averyho #dc #batman #batman: no man's land #helena bertinelli #tim drake #batman for dummies #advancing the tim & helena agenda #the cooler gotham antihero #bats + birds + affiliated #ask game #carthago delenda est #dick grayson #last of the flying graysons

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havendance · 2 months

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Anyway, DC should be making Huntress' costumes spectacularly crazier and worse, actually. Give her some flair.

#helena bertinelli #her current costume is fine I guess #I appreciate that it's practical #but it doesn't seize me #she needs to have discowing type flair #the cooler gotham antihero #carthago delenda est

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havendance · 6 months

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We can actually pinpoint with fairly good accuracy the day on which the Bertinelli Massacre took place in Helena's original '89 origin.

Prior to the massacre, Helena specifically tells her bodyguard that she's going home for spring break. After the Massacre, we then see that it is either Easter Sunday or (If we take into consideration that she's visiting her lawyer) Easter Monday.

Panel 1: Helena: I'm spending spring break with my parents'! What can happen? Panel 2: Banners hanging on the church read "Alleluia! He is risen!" and "Happy Easter"

It is unclear which day she leaves campus. It could be Thursday. (I've gotten Good Friday off of classes before though it's not guaranteed.) It could be Friday. It could be Saturday. (Though seeing as she's holding books, I personally find that less likely.)

She arrives home at the same evening. (She's wearing the same outfit.) During dinner that evening, the massacre occurs. In 1989, Easter occurred on March 26th, which means that the Bertinelli Massacre occurred somewhere on the 23rd, 24th, or 25th. (Or you know, move the dates if you want to update the timeline).

There aren't any time markers for the massacre as far as I've checked in Cry for Blood or Huntress: Year One. Those stories also moved her origin to when Helena was eight so there's no guarantee that the dates the same, but it's still interesting to note what we can place.

#helena bertinelli #the cooler gotham antihero #my headcanon is for the saturday though I think thursday or friday makes slightly more sense #i just like the vibe of the saturday #or alternatively the thursday as a second choice #Huntress #carthago delenda est #dc #bats + birds + affiliated

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havendance · 25 days

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It didn’t happen in canon, but it’s none the less true that after Cry for Blood and before joining the Birds of Prey, Helena has a particularly bad night, the sort of one where she doesn’t care whether she lives or dies and the new Batgirl saves her life. She didn’t say anything and they don’t talk about it. About the way Helena couldn’t bring herself to be grateful and about what Cass saw in her. It happened though. And neither of them forget it.

#dc #bats + birds + affiliated #helena bertinelli #cassandra cain #the cooler gotham antihero #cass tag #batman #carthago delenda est

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havendance · 7 months

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Today in completely random comics I am reading off of Hoopla because I haven't bothered to renew dcu infinite yet: Batman: Knightwatch is clearly a comic written for little kids, but does have this excellent panel of Helena kicking the Joker:

Get his ass!

#helena bertinelli #the cooler gotham antihero #comic panel hoard #carthago delenda est #dc #bats + birds + affiliated

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havendance · 8 months

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Inspired by @upswings' polls, I wanted to do one of my own for Helena. Helena's in much fewer comics so we've got looser standards, going with people who've written a Helena-centric mini or have written a significant number of comics in which she is a player/team member.

Sources:

Joey Cavalieri - Huntress (1989)

Chuck Dixon - Huntress (1994), Robin III: Cry of Huntress, Birds of Prey: Manhunt, Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma, like 50 other bat appearances in various 90s comics

Grant Morison - her JLA membership-era (roughly 16-40)

Devin Grayson - Nightwing/Huntress, the Fear of Faith and Spiritual Currency stories in No Man's Land

Greg Rucka - Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood, a large chunk of her No Man's Land appearances

Gail Simone - Birds of Prey #57-108, Birds of Prey (2010)

Ivory Madison - Huntress: Year One

EDIT: Tony Bedard - Birds of Prey #109-112, #118-127

#I suspect I know who's going to win...#helena bertinelli #huntress #poll #carthago delenda est #the cooler Gotham antihero #dc #bats + birds + affiliated

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havendance · 7 months

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Batman for Dummies

Chapter 3: Starring NIGHTWING as the Cavalry

AO3: Chapter 3 | Read from the beginning

Fandom: Batman

Featured Characters/Relationships: Helena Bertinelli & Tim Drake, but look basically everyone shows up this chapter including, but not limited to: Dick, Barbara, Jean-Paul Valley, and Bruce too I guess.

Wordcount: 9100

Fic Summary:

In the aftermath of the quake that shook Gotham, Helena Bertinelli takes on the mantle of the Bat. (It isn’t like Batman’s using it.) If she’d known the cowl came with a certain moralizing little bird following her around — well, she probably still would’ve done it, but it would’ve been nice to know in advance. (Or: Tim and Helena team up 2: electric boogaloo. Now with more bats!)

We are back, baby! I got so much procrastination on my school projects done while editing this.

After two chapters of drama, it's time for something more chill and fun before we hit the endgame :)

Excerpt:

“Knock knock.”

Helena groaned and blinked. Someone was shining a flashlight in her face. At her side, Robby made some equally unhappy noises as he tried to pull the blanket over his head. It took Helena a second to wake up, but then it happened all at once. Someone else was there.

She kicked out, but her legs were still tangled in the blankets and the intruder easily dodged back.

Robby finally noticed something was wrong and sat up. “’Lena, what?” he said with a yawn. Then, more alert: “Nightwing?”

With the flashlight no longer shining in her eyes, Helena could see the black and blue costume she’d originally missed. She flicked on the LED lamp near the bed, and there he was, looking in far better shape than anyone inside the city had been in months. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“When did you get here?” asked Robby.

“To answer your questions: last night and I was sent to fetch you. B called a meeting,” Nightwing said.

Robby crossed his arms. “B knows what I think. You can tell him that sending you isn’t going to change that. No offense,” he tacked on apologetically.

Nightwing nodded. “So you’re both out then?

Helena exchanged a look with Robby. “Both?” she asked.

Nightwing shrugged. “He told me to get both of you.”

“Really?” she asked. “Because he was pretty clear on what he thought of me the last time we met.”

“Hey, I just got here.” Nightwing held up his hands. “I’m just telling you what he told me.”

Robby was looking to her. “Do you think he means it?”

Helena shrugged. “You know him better than I do, kid.”

“Well…” she could see the wheels in his head turning, “maybe. He did kind of try to apologize last time.” To Robin, not to the Bat. “I won’t go if you don’t,” he decided.

Helena turned back to Nightwing. “Who else is going to be at this meeting?”

“Me, Oracle, Azrael I think. It’s an all hands sort of thing.

So either she was actually included in that, or else he just wanted to chew her out in front of a larger audience. Helena knew she really shouldn’t get her hopes up; she’d been burned enough times before, but if he really was serious this time… Well, She never had completely managed to rid herself of the part of her that wanted for Batman to see her, to respect her. Though, admittedly, with the events of the past months, that part had gotten pretty small.

What were the options here? If they went and it turned out he was still an asshole, it’d be annoying, but she could just leave. A waste of morning at worst. But if they didn’t go and it turned out he was serious… Helena was honestly a little surprised that Robin had stuck with her this long. He'd been the only thing keeping her from spilling blood all over his precious bat symbol and he’d still chewed out Batman for her in the end. If Batman was serious, she owed it to the kid to at least give it a try. She knew he didn’t like being at odds with Batman, for all he was willing to be.

“We’ll come,” she said.

“Where are we going?” Robby asked.

“Clocktower,” Nightwing said. “I figured I’d come along with you once you got suited up.”

“How long until we need to be there?” Helena asked.

He shrugged. “Sooner’s better. It starts whenever everyone shows up.

She probably wouldn’t have been able to get back to sleep anyway. Helena stood up and stretched. “Well then, let a woman have her privacy?”

Robby dragged Nightwing out the door.

She could hear them talking in the other room as she stripped off her sleepwear and pulled on the Batsuit.

“You had me worried, you know,” Nightwing said.

“Really?” Robby asked.

“Yeah, I had to hear from O that you were hanging out in No Man’s Land.”

“Oh.” A pause. “I didn’t think you’d notice.”

“Really? You come by every other week to bother me. Of course I’m going to notice when you stop. Then you stop answering your phone and of course I’m worried.”

“Um, I’m sorry?”

A snort, probably from Nightwing. Helena could empathize. “Punk. So, you and Huntress?”

“She’s the Bat,” Robby said automatically. Then, more suspicious: “And what do you mean?”

“I’m just saying, after all that shit you gave me for letting her see my face, where do I find you?”

“It’s not— I’m not— It’s practical!” Robby sputtered. “I’ve known her for longer! And there’s only one bed!”

“Sure, kid.”

“You agreed we weren’t going to bring that up!”

“I’m just saying…”

The conversation devolved into scuffling. Helena pulled on her mask and went around to the doorway. Robin was only half-way suited up and Nightwing had him in a headlock.

She coughed. “So, are we going?”

Nightwing let Robin go and he hurried to finish putting on his tunic. “I’m ready,” he said and headed to the exit.

Nightwing turned to her. “Ladies first,” he said.

She rolled her eyes, but headed for the door.

#helena bertinelli #tim drake #barbara gordon #no man's land #batman: no man's land #my fic #havendance writes #batman for dummies #advancing the tim & helena agenda #the cooler gotham antihero #carthago delenda est #dc #bats + birds + affiliated #dick grayson #last of the flying graysons

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havendance · 4 months

Text

Batman for Dummies

Epilogue

AO3: Epilogue | Read from the beginning

Fandom: Batman

Featured Characters/Relationships: Helena Bertinelli & Tim Drake

Wordcount: 750

Fic Summary:

In the aftermath of the quake that shook Gotham, Helena Bertinelli takes on the mantle of the Bat. (It isn’t like Batman’s using it.) If she’d known the cowl came with a certain moralizing little bird following her around — well, she probably still would’ve done it, but it would’ve been nice to know in advance. (Or: Tim and Helena team up 2: electric boogaloo. Now with more bats!)

This is it: the epilogue, both short and shortly as promised. If you've been holding off on getting caught up on this fic, now is the time! I'm excited to finally be closing the chapter on this story (at least until I finish the Jack Drake No Man's Land side story that is.)

Excerpt:

Helena had her hands full when there was a knock at the door, because of course she did.

“In a minute!” she called, as she dumped the box on the nearest free surface. She hoped it was finally the contractors. Two weeks after the end of No Man’s Land and it was still an absolute pain to find anyone with room in their schedule to come out. Luthor’s workers had barely touched her building, a fact she had Batman to thank for (really thank for—there were entirely too many secrets in her building for her to be comfortable with just anyone fixing it.) Unfortunately, that meant it was still a mess.

“Hell—Oh, it’s you.”

It was not the contractors at the door. It was Robby.

“Hey,” he grinned sheepishly. “Can I come in?”

“I don’t know why you even bother to ask.”

#batman #dc #my fic #havendance writes #helena bertinelli #tim drake #the cooler gotham antihero #advancing the tim & helena agenda #batman for dummies #carthago delenda est

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