Helena Bertinelli: Huntress / Matron Appreciation 2020

[millernumber1]

Let's have a new thread appreciating the greatness that is Helena Bertinelli, the Huntress! I just got the new collection of one of my very favorite Huntress stories, Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood (pictured here along with my collection of the original floppies).

[batnbreakfast]

I can't remember anything about Cry for Blood except it was awesome and I dig the new cover for the collection. What about Huntress Year One? Is that popular among fans of the character?

[RachelGrey]

I should get the collected graphic novels for her storylines. I remember prior to selling my collection back in the 90's I had all the appearances of Huntress in Batbooks, along with her original series that introduced her. She is one of my top favourite characters to this day and even though I expect that Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey is going to be awful, I hope that it turns out better than I am expecting.

[millernumber1]

I can't remember anything about Cry for Blood except it was awesome and I dig the new cover for the collection. What about Huntress Year One? Is that popular among fans of the character?

Cry for Blood redoes her origin story, gives her a carefully designed costume (that was immediately replaced by the Hush suit), and is a great Huntress and Question story that includes lots of Mafia stuff, Richard Dragon, and a little bit of Batfamily.

I like Huntress Year One (own that trade too), but it's much inferior to Cry for Blood as an origin and emotional power. Like Batgirl Year One, it serves as a prelude to the Birds of Prey in several issues, which I liked a lot, and I am a big Cliff Richards fan, but the art and writing just wasn't at the same level as Rucka and Burchett's.

I should get the collected graphic novels for her storylines. I remember prior to selling my collection back in the 90's I had all the appearances of Huntress in Batbooks, along with her original series that introduced her. She is one of my top favourite characters to this day and even though I expect that Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey is going to be awful, I hope that it turns out better than I am expecting.

There are a bunch of those early books on DCUniverse, but I don't know if they have been recollected.

I like both of the live action Huntress actresses so far - Jessica De Gouw in Arrow and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Birds of Prey, but it seems to me that both of them are going to have serious writing issues driven by the bad writing for the main characters of those projects.

[K7P5V]

One of my favorite ships (especially in the DCAU):

[millernumber1]

One of my favorite ships (especially in the DCAU):

I liked it in both the episodes and the comics, though sadly, it didn't go anywhere. I wonder if Rucka will bring it back...though Helena and Vic are both very different characters now, 20 years later.

[Frontier]

Happy New Year to the Avenging Huntress of Gotham .

[Robanker]

I've got mixed feelings for Helena, but I will say that her Rebirth costume is my favorite she's ever worn. Looks amazing.

Hoping we get a proper Birds of Prey monthly soon with her, Barbara and Dinah with Zinda joining at some point.

[millernumber1]

I've got mixed feelings for Helena, but I will say that her Rebirth costume is my favorite she's ever worn. Looks amazing.

Hoping we get a proper Birds of Prey monthly soon with her, Barbara and Dinah with Zinda joining at some point.

No mixing of my feelings for Helena! Even though I prefer her older incarnation, I still love her Matron-then-Huntress version dearly.

I think, though, that a proper monthly BoP is pretty hard to see, since DC is pushing the movie team really hard with the Walmart Birds of Prey Giant, the Azzarello Black Label one-shot, and the Palmiotti/Conner four issue mini in the next four months. If those succeed, I think we're going to keep getting that team (Harley having taken over a second team after Suicide Squad). If they do poorly, we're not going to get anything, because DC will never learn that selling a bad product doesn't mean that a good product won't sell.

[Frontier]

I admit it's been difficult for me to reconcile Post-Crisis Helena with New 52 Helena now that they're trying to make them into one character again. They comics have tried their best but it still feels rough to me.

This is more my preferred costume for her (excluding her Jim Lee costume):

[millernumber1]

I admit it's been difficult for me to reconcile Post-Crisis Helena with New 52 Helena now that they're trying to make them into one character again. They comics have tried their best but it still feels rough to me.

This is more my preferred costume for her (excluding her Jim Lee costume):

I do love that outfit, especially when Nicola Scott or Marcus To are drawing it. I also like Cully Hamner's rendering of her.

I would agree that Matron Huntress does have a very different feeling. It's even more different than n52/Rebirth Stephanie Brown is from her pre-Flashpoint counterpart. But I think we can still see the connections. She sadly doesn't really have any new beloved stories like Cry for Blood, Birds of Prey, or a few other pre-Flashpoint things, but I'm still for her!

[Robanker]

It's certainly a good look, but among them I prefer the one on the left. Incorporating the cross into the cape is a great touch.

But this?





Best look she's ever had in my mind, though I really miss the cross. That's my only real gripe with it.

[Caivu]

I admit it's been difficult for me to reconcile Post-Crisis Helena with New 52 Helena now that they're trying to make them into one character again. They comics have tried their best but it still feels rough to me.

This is more my preferred costume for her (excluding her Jim Lee costume):

Isn't the one on the right Helena Wayne?

[Restingvoice]

Isn't the one on the right Helena Wayne?

She was originally written to be Bertinelli, but while the book is published New 52 started, and so DC made the story to be Helena Wayne's

[Katana500]

does anyone think the birth of Helena wayne could effect Helena Bertinelli in the future?