Thursday Night Thinking #151

Coming to you fast and furious: Thursday Night Thinking!

Here's a serious question: who do you think will win in this "versus" match? My money's on the Batman-Superman team. Because, you know, heat vision. And batarangs.

Thursday Night Thinking LXXXVI

Look at that: I finish up the Black Mask story and it's suddenly Thursday! Thursday Night Thinking!

You didn't even realize that was Jason Todd, did you? Cookie cutter Robins...

Schadenfreude

Know that I was recently informed that Robin, Nightwing, and Oracle all had their long-running series canceled. I know schadenfreude isn't very Christian, but... Well...

How does it feel, guys? Everyone makes fun of poor, pathetic, mentally disturbed Azrael because his series only made it to one hundred issues. But who's laughing now? At least my comic ended on a round number. No "# 153 FINAL ISSUE" or "#183 FINAL ISSUE" for me. Nope, I ended on a good solid round number.

Is this what it feels like when the people in high school who picked on you get their comeuppance? Being in You-Know-Who's little "family" was just like being in high school. While Cassandra and I were forced to sit at the "loser" table at lunch, Dick, Tim, and Babs all got to sit at the "cool" table. And they sucked up to the teacher, too.

But now how do you feel? Now that you don't have teacher around to defend you, your titles are getting the axe. Since the boss man is "R. I. P." you've got to fend for yourself. Join the club, guys. Maybe you'll be lucky and get a mini-series or a spot on Rip Hunter's chalkboard. Ha!

Wow, I feel really mean right now... Is this what it's like to be a super-villain?

Thursday Night Thinking LXXIII

Whew, it's been one long day. I'm worn out. I'm exhausted. Why, there's barely time for Thursday Night Thinking!

And yet somehow I find the time. How do I do it?

Spoilers

Okay, so is there anyone out there who was actually surprised by the revelation in last week's Robin? It seems to me that they've been telegraphing just this sort of reveal for months.

Now, I would've been surprised if it had been Cassandra Cain's evil twin under that hood, or if Stephanie had been a zombie or something. That would've been a shocking twist. But Stephanie's return has been in the cards for quite a while in my eyes.

Still, I am happy about it and everything. I never read much Robin in the old days, but Steph was a semi-recurring character in Batgirl. They had a great relationship, and Stephanie was the only character out there who actually seemed like she was friends with Cass. Steph even offered to teach her to read at one point. Batman never offered that.

I just hope that Spoiler gets used appropriately from hereon out. I don't want it to be a case of "hey, she's alive -- you can all stop complaining now." I can see them doing that. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if she disappeared off to limbo again now that she's definitively not dead.

I hope that doesn't happen, and I hope she and Batgirl start hanging out again. It would raise my happiness quotient by a huge degree. And it would be a good excuse for Cassandra to start acting like herself again...

Employment Policies

It seems that in the pages of Robin a former ally of you-know-who may be returning from the dead. I should say that it is not me.

But what I will say is that if poor Stephanie Brown is returning from the cold embrace of the grave, I will not begrudge her that. I know the pain of brutal, violent death. And then the indignity of being largely forgotten by those who called you an ally.

Indeed, I hope that Stephanie's return (if that is indeed what is happening) will lead to you-know-who reexamining not only his hiring but his firing practices.

Consider this: my former employer hired Stephanie on as Robin. Then he fired her. She proceeded to start a gang war and then get tortured to death. Recall poor Cassandra Cain, who was cut adrift and then began to speak in tongues (Navajo) and try to kill people. And let us not forget myself. I went crazy, was fired, then went crazy again. And then got shot. Right after I went crazy.

Were these things you-know-who's fault? Perhaps they are. Or perhaps they merely could be. All I'm saying is that I'd like to come back from the dead too.