Tuesday 25 December 2018

Seasons Greetings! 2018 In Review

Seasons greetings everyone! I apologise for disappearing for a while this month. I really did need to take a break from everything, namely due to exhaustion and feeling pretty burnt out by my day job. It's enough to say the abrupt changes that took place at my workplace midway through the year had some of us quickly taking on new responsibilities on the fly and with very little to no preparation.

Needless to admit, the fact that there were no backups in place for the event of crucial employee departures meant a lot of things went wrong in the transition process, and left quite a few of us feeling stressed out by the end of this month, myself included. The fact I expect the workload to quadruple in 2019 with more upcoming changes to our organisational structure and not enough staff to go around to make things go smoothly means I'm already looking for a new job to say the least.

Sunday 11 November 2018

The Best of the Huntress: Wonder Woman #317 Review

Title: Wonder Woman #317
Story: On the Trail of the Nightingale
Characters: Huntress (Helena Wayne), Myra Liebe, Alfred Seraphin, Nightingale
Creators: Joey Cavalieri (writer), Mark Beachum (artist)
Publication Date: 04 July 1984
Available In: Digital

Summary: Helena Wayne has had an exhausting couple of weeks and decides to go on holiday in California. Rather than take an aeroplane to arrive at her destination in a shorter timeframe, Helena decides that a trip from coast to coast should happen slowly and more leisurely.

En route, Helena reunites with an old friend from college who also happens to be travelling to the west coast to finalise the procurement of an ancient Japanese statue. It turns out Helena’s friend isn’t the only person on the train interested in procuring the Japanese relic. Someone else aboard that same train wants it as well, leading to a mysterious murder inside one of the train’s compartments!

Saturday 3 November 2018

This December, Something Wicked This Way Comes...To The DC Multiverse!

It is now three days after Halloween, and literally just a day after the anniversary of Helena Wayne's historic debut as the Huntress in All-Star Comics #69 on 02 November 1977. A story Mark and I happily covered for both the Halloween season and her anniversary on the same week.

We now get to talk about another story of a more ghoulish nature for the upcoming Holiday season. An upcoming sequel of sorts to the epic multiversal adventure, Dark Nights Metal, that not only follows up on Bruce Wayne's journey to the Dark Multiverse, but reacquaints him with the normal DC Multiverse. The upcoming Batman Who Laughs miniseries by Metal writer Scott Snyder and his Wytches and Batman collaborator, Jock.

Saturday 13 October 2018

The Best of the Huntress: Wonder Woman #316 Review

Title: Wonder Woman #316
Story: The Roar of the Ocean
Characters: Huntress (Helena Wayne), Sea Lion
Creators: Joey Cavalieri (writer), Mark Beachum (artist)
Publication Date: 06 June 1984
Available In: Digital

Summary: The Huntress has exposed the truth behind the theft of Dr. Tori's research on Project Starfish. With the culprit revealed, the Huntress is led to the real man behind the curtain: a double amputee who could certainly benefit from Dr. Tori's regeneration research, a mariner who goes by the name of Sea Lion. Apart from the obvious, what is the Sea Lion's other motives for hijacking Dr. Tori's project? What does he plan to do about the Huntress and his accomplice at the hospital, now that his secret is out? Things aren't looking too well for the Huntress as she finally confronts her newest foe!

Sunday 30 September 2018

Doomsday Clock #7 Reveals The Fate Of Alan Scott And The Justice Society. So Now What? Spoilers Ahead.

Doomsday Clock #7 hit the shelves last week, and while the story does recover one major piece to the larger puzzle, we are sadly still no closer to seeing (let alone understanding) the larger picture that is the post-Flashpoint DC Universe. We especially don’t know what writer Geoff Johns wants to say about DC’s haphazard reboots and their long term damages to character vitality and the integrity of their core mythologies.

Friday 7 September 2018

The Best of the Huntress: Wonder Woman #315 Review

Title: Wonder Woman #315
Story: Chasing Rainbows
Characters: Huntress (Helena Wayne), Tom Kelly, Gary Minelli, Sea Lion
Creators: Joey Cavalieri (writer), Mark Beachum (artist)
Publication Date: 02 May 1984
Available In: Digital

Summary: The Huntress has moved on to her newest case, but has no idea where to start looking. All she knows is that there is one Dr. Mizuki Tori--the head researcher of Project Starfish--and stolen data from said project. She has no leads on the culprit and begins her investigation by looking into a new hospital intern as a possible suspect, Tom Kelly. Huntress rationalises that the person leaking Dr. Tori's research has to be someone working close to her with easy access to the data. If the Huntress is wrong, she'll be back to Square 01...or will she?

Saturday 25 August 2018

The Best of the Huntress: Wonder Woman #314 Review

Title: Wonder Woman #314
Story: Life is for the Lionhearted
Characters: Huntress (Helena Wayne), Tom Kelly, Gary Minelli, Nedra Borrower, Sea Lion
Creators: Joey Cavalieri (writer), Mark Beachum (artist)
Publication Date: 04 April 1984
Available In: Digital

Summary: After dissolving a baby trafficking ring and losing the Earthworm in the process, the Huntress decides to follow up on one of the children she rescued from the gruesome operation. The baby is deaf, but the Huntress takes comfort in knowing the baby will live a normal life free of the criminals who tried to traffic him.

But as is par for the course in the Huntress' life, the journey is truly never over. While she may have stopped the Earthworm hot in his tracks and exposed his accomplices Terry Marsh and Nedra Borrower, there is a new villain in town. One that seeks to make a profit off the research of one Dr. Mizuki Tori!

Saturday 28 July 2018

The Best of the Huntress: Wonder Woman #313 Review

Title: Wonder Woman #313
Story: The Worm Turns
Characters: Huntress (Helena Wayne), Nedra Borrower, Terry Marsh, The Earthworm
Creators: Joey Cavalieri (writer), Tim Burgard (artist)
Publication Date: 07 March 1984
Available In: Digital

Summary: Nedra Borrower has succeeded in turning an already unfriendly demonstration into an angry lynch mob, but the Huntress is not about to become their punching bag, much less their retaliation kill. Making her escape she decides to take the fight to Nedra herself by investigating an aspiring politician she's been doing heavy coverage on. What Helena Wayne discovers next puts into perspective just how low her newest enemies sink as well as how closely they intertwine!

Monday 23 July 2018

The Essential Huntress: I Want To Read Helena Wayne's Bronze Age Stories. Where Do I Start?

One question I get asked a lot by new readers who want to get to know Helena Wayne better as a character is "what should I start with?"

Apart from DC Super-Stars #17 as the obvious first choice, I'm always tempted to link fans to every Helena Wayne Huntress story that has ever been published by DC, which can at times overwhelm newcomers. I therefore started to think about "what are the essential stories to read for getting to know Helena Wayne?"

The thing I've always loved about Helena Wayne is that she was always more than just the daughter of Batman and Catwoman and had more to offer the DC Universe than just being a member of the Justice Society. She also had her own character motivations, goals, and relationships that were uniquely her own, culminating in an exciting journey and ultimately a compelling narrative.

What is the core of Helena Wayne and what are the must reads for understanding her character? I break down (in chronological order for each section) the stories that set the standard for her character and more significantly develop her character.

For the ones that are available for purchase on Comixology, I will post a link to the first issue of the story arc. If not all the issues of the story arc are available, it'll be noted as incomplete.

Saturday 14 July 2018

Can Bruce Wayne Be Happily Married To Selina Kyle And Still Be Good At What He Does?

It's been a little over a week now since Batman #50 came out and hopefully everyone reading this post has had a chance to read it. I didn't spoil the plot twist of Batman #50 in part because I wanted to give fans a chance to read the issue and judge the story for themselves, and in part because the plot twist centred around an age-old question that I felt deserved its own post.

If you still haven't Batman #50 and don't want to be spoiled, this is your turning back point as I can't progress with the rest of this post without discussing the plot twist that prevented the wedding from taking place.

Wednesday 4 July 2018

Outside of Earth-2 Review: Batman #50 (Spoilers?)

Title: Batman #50
Story: The Wedding
Characters: Batman (Bruce Wayne), Catwoman (Selina Kyle)
Creators: Tom King (writer), Mikel Janín (artist)
Publication Date: 04 July 2018
Available In: Print | Digital

Summary: As Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle prepare for their big wedding day, the couple ruminate about their past history together--from their very first meeting to their present--and think about whether or not this next step is the right future for them. Can they truly be happy together? Will their happiness cost Gotham their guardian Dark Knight? Is it a sacrifice worth making? These are all the thoughts that run through the young couple's minds as they make their way down the aisle.

Saturday 2 June 2018

The Best of the Huntress: Wonder Woman #312 Review

Title: Wonder Woman #312
Story: Crocodile Tears
Characters: Huntress (Helena Wayne), Nedra Borrower, Terry Marsh, The Earthworm
Creators: Joey Cavalieri (writer), Dan Spiegle (artist)
Publication Date: 01 February 1984
Available In: Digital

Summary: As reporter Nedra Borrower advances her plans to publicly discredit the Huntress, Gotham's citizens also take to the streets to protest the Huntress' activities in order to pressure the mayor into banning vigilantes all together. Another Gothamite looking to get a slice of the cake of the Huntress controversy is politician Terry Marsh who wishes to gain strong public support in order to advance his political career.

Wednesday 30 May 2018

Doomsday Clock #5: The Road To Finding The Justice Society Finally Begins? Spoilers Ahead!

I find it a bit ironic that just four days after I expressed concern about the lack of progress on the Justice Society's return in Rebirth, lo and behold, Doomsday Clock #5 starts to pick up pace on that front. And because I can't talk about what happens in this week's issue without spoiling the big reveal, insert spoiler alert here, come back to this post after you've read the issue. If you don't care about being spoiled, proceed.

Sunday 27 May 2018

So You Like The Bronze Age BatCat Marriage, But How Do You Feel About The Rebirth Marriage?

Friends have been asking me to share my thoughts on the upcoming Rebirth marriage for quite some time now, but I have to admit this was not an easy post for me to write. The fact that this is my tenth draft on this topic should speak to my ambivalence about DC's decision to revisit an idea that was canon 40 years ago for a new generation of Batman and Catwoman fans.

Saturday 26 May 2018

Rebirth Second Year Anniversary and Helena Wayne's Future

Yesterday was the anniversary of DC Universe Rebirth #1, which marked the second year anniversary of the Rebirth initiative. Admittedly, I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed by the lack of progress on anything Justice Society related apart from certain members like Michael Holt, Kent Nelson, Carter Hall, and Kendra Saunders resurfacing within the last year.

Saturday 12 May 2018

The Original BatCat Marriage Part 04: Legacy

This final part of the original BatCat marriage discussion admittedly took longer to complete than I anticipated as there was more material to cover in this final post than in the first three posts. The bigger challenge was being able to condense all of the major developments of the Golden Age Batman and Catwoman legacy during the Bronze Age into one single post. This is also the reason this post took longer to see publication.

Wednesday 18 April 2018

The Original BatCat Marriage Part 03: The Wedding

We have now talked about the early adventures of the Golden Age Batman and Catwoman and the decisions they later made regarding their respective futures. It is now time to get to the part of them tying the knot. But how do people outside of their immediate orbits feel about Bruce Wayne marrying the now famous, if not notorious Catwoman?

Wednesday 11 April 2018

The Original BatCat Marriage Part 02: The Bronze Age

Having discussed Bruce and Selina's Golden Age history as originally written by creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane as well as various others, we now have a strong foundation for their characters. The Bruce Wayne Kane and Finger originally developed came from a dark place of tragedy and revenge, but still believed in people, which factored into how he related to Selina Kyle.

Wednesday 4 April 2018

The Original BatCat Marriage Part 01: The Golden Age

It is getting closer to the wedding issue of Tom King's Batman run and it is both an exciting and frightening time for fans. It's an exciting time because this will be the first time that the modern versions of Bruce and Selina follow in the footsteps of their original Golden Age counterparts who were married by 1977. It's also a frightening time because of the unpredictable nature of DC's corporate culture, which often subjects their mainstream line of comics to reboots, resets, retcons, and sometimes status quo shaking storylines and events.

Parallel Realities? Missing Memories? All of the Above? Batman #44 Drops Some Clues

Tom King's Batman has been something of a wild ride in that its been looking to recover past history while at the same time telling new stories since the start of Rebirth in 2016. Though King has been doing his part to follow the standards set by DC president and CCO Geoff Johns for the Rebirth project, very little has been coming together in terms of continuity and (specifically) how the past and its various reboots fit into the current one.

Supposedly, Johns' own series, Doomsday Clock, is set to provide all the answers for all the various changes DC has undergone since its inception in 1938, right through Crisis on Infinite Earths and Flashpoint. However, given that the series is being released on a bimonthly schedule, it'll be a while before we see how any of these pieces will come together. We may, however, have gotten a hint in this week's Batman #44. Spoilers ahead!

Wednesday 28 March 2018

The Best of the Huntress: Wonder Woman #311 Review

Title: Wonder Woman #311
Story: Crocodile Tears
Characters: Huntress (Helena Wayne), Nedra Borrower, Terry Marsh, The Earthworm
Creators: Joey Cavalieri (writer), Tim Burgard (artist)
Publication Date: 04 January 1984
Available In: Digital

Summary: The Huntress has gotten a lead on the baby trafficking case, though the place it takes her isn't exactly sanitary: the sewers! Though she doesn't find the wormy-looking person she was looking for just seconds ago, she does, however, come across the Earthworm's pet alligators in the sewers. After a fight to the death against the ginormous reptiles, the Huntress manages to subdue them, much to the surprise of one of the Earthworm's henchmen.

Saturday 17 March 2018

The Best of the Huntress: Wonder Woman #310 Review

Title: Wonder Woman #310
Story: Avenue XX
Characters: Huntress (Helena Wayne), Harry Sims, The Earthworm
Creators: Joey Cavalieri (writer), Tim Burgard (artist)
Publication Date: 07 December 1983
Available In: Digital

Summary: During a routine drug bust, the Huntress discovered to her horror a human trafficking ring that sells infant children to people in the black market. Determined to shutdown this deadly operation once and for all, the Huntress deduces that the baby she rescued was abducted near Avenue XX (a well known site for drug activity) after a medical examination revealed that the baby is deaf presumably due to her mother being a drug addict while pregnant. The Huntress goes hunting, but she isn't the only one. In another corner of Gotham, reporter Nedra Borrower is looking to seek her teeth into the Huntress by using her media presence to turn the public against her.  (Heh! Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)

Wednesday 28 February 2018

The Best of the Huntress: Wonder Woman #309 Review

Title: Wonder Woman #309
Story: Black Market
Characters: Huntress (Helena Wayne), The Earthworm
Creators: Joey Cavalieri (writer), Tim Burgard (artist)
Publication Date: 05 October 1983
Available In: Digital

Summary: It has not been 24 hours since Helena Wayne escaped from Arkham Asylum with her sanity still (largely) intact, and already she's come across her newest, deadliest case: the human trafficking of infant children in the black market. Just who exactly is running this sick trafficking ring and why? Why babies of all people? It was the kind of unexpected turn for the worst that sent chills down the Huntress' spine when she discovered the routine drug bust she thought she was making revealed a much more sinister operation. As the Huntress doubles down on her use of violence to get to the bottom if this new sick case, an equally sinister figure known as the Earthworm lurks in the shadows, looking to compensate for lost and damaged goods. Who is this mysterious Earthworm and how far deep into Gotham's underground must Helena Wayne dig to unearth the monster in question?

Wednesday 14 February 2018

A Game Of Hearts: Who's Had A Better Shot At Love?

Hello! It's Valentine's Day! That time of year where card and candy companies make a profit from people buying something nice for the sweethearts they say "I love you" to on a daily basis. Either that, or it's that time of year where people bemoan the loss of a relationship, sometimes even the absence of one. Then there are those like me who don't care either way, but like a good excuse to enjoy a box of chocolates all the same. Alas, I'm not actually eating a box of chocolates today. I've got something better! A post on the love lives of our resident Bat Kids! And by "resident," I do mean Earth-2 of course!

Monday 12 February 2018

Wright On Network Presents: Helena Wayne Huntress



The Wright On Network interviews Diane, master of the www.helenawaynehuntress.com website.  Diane discusses the 40 years of the character's existence.  Be sure to visit her site, as she is a wonderful custodian of the character.

Follow Diane on Twitter @HelenaWayneBlog
What do you think about Helena Wayne?  How would you like to see her portrayed in the comics?  Contact us at feathersandfoes@gmail.com www.wrightonnetwork.com or Twitter at @feathersandfoes

Reposted from: The Wright On Network.

Wednesday 31 January 2018

Earth-2 Power Girl Set To Return in Deathstroke? Could This Give Us Insight Into The Futures Of The Justice Society And The Earth-2 Huntress? Spoiler's Ahead!

It has been a slow two years for Justice Society fans. With Rebirth about to come to a close, there has been very little in the way of actual stories surrounding the Justice Society's mysterious disappearance since the start of the New 52 universe. There have been hints and teases sprinkled throughout the Rebirth era, but DC has done little to communicate what Justice Society fans can expect from their return. Well, it looks like we may not have to keep waiting that much longer as one major JSAer made a surprising comeback in this week's Deathstroke Annual #1: the Earth-2 Power Girl!

Monday 29 January 2018

Justice Society Vol. 2: How Do I Buy Helena Wayne's Earlier JSA Adventures Digitally?

In addition to Huntress: Dark Knight Daughter (aka the definitive Helena Wayne Huntress book), another book I always recommend fans to check out that is regrettably also out of print is Justice Society Vol. 2.

Now, Justice Society Vol. 2 does more than just collect the first three years of Helena Wayne's adventures with the Justice Society. It also collects "The Death of Batman" story arc from Adventure Comics #461-463, which was considered back in 1979 to be a major event. It was not a storyline that sent off a version of the famous caped crusader, but the Golden Age original. This final farewell to the Batman that started it all in 1939 helped set his daughter up to take up his legacy full time and continue building on DC's Golden Age mythos.

Monday 15 January 2018

The Best of the Huntress: Wonder Woman #308 Review

Title: Wonder Woman #308
Story: Pressure
Characters: Huntress (Helena Wayne), Gary Minelli, Nedra Borrower
Creators: Joey Cavalieri (writer), Michael Hernandez (artist)
Publication Date: 05 October 1983
Available In: Digital

Summary: It has been a wild ride for the Huntress. From the moment she took on the cases of the Mechanic, Pat Pending, and the Undertaker, all of which led her to Arkham Asylum where she was shot with a potent cocktail of hallucinogens, Helena Wayne is more than happy to get back to her normal routine of being a lawyer by day and the Huntress by night. But are things really back to normal for the Huntress, or are things just getting started? As the downward spiral of Helena Wayne's life continues, she is met with a new set of friends and foes, one of which is the ambitious reporter, Nedra Borrower, who is out for the Huntress' blood!

Monday 1 January 2018

I Can't Buy Huntress: Dark Knight Daughter In Print. How Do I Buy It Digitally?

Hello! Happy New Year! Well...as "happy" as it can it get under current circumstances that is. I completely understand if many are still feeling like Dr. Manhattan on Mars. I'm personally still on that boat myself. However! I do want to keep sharing my favourite Helena Wayne Huntress stories with all of you. One of the things that did make me happy last year was celebrating Helena's 40th anniversary and it was certainly fun examining the character's entire publication history.