Duke Thomas: We are Robin, The Signal, Final Knight Appreciation 2021

[lemonpeace]

I already gave my opnion on the writer and the most recent Outsider. So if they chart Duke for now on. I'll keep my mouth shut and let people enjoy it.

I said 30 issues because
Cassandra (Batgirl) 73 issues solo
Tim Drake ( Robin) 184 sol + 26 Red Robin issues
Damian (Robin) 26 issues solo, but has the most team ups
So If they going to do this character justice, than drop the team ups and focus on his background. Than new readers that picked up the most recent Signal, wont be saying who is this. Heck in the webtoon it just seem exposure.

Concerning his power set, which thank you for taking the time to explain. It seem to me he dont need an new trick each book he is written in. I.E two Outsiders run that Duke gain Darkness/shadow and a Demon arm. When he has a power set or untapped power to walk in to.

Retocognition -look at battlefields, training grounds (Themisycara) and mimicking the warriors movements and plans. Or just be A Justice League chronicler to start out.
Telepathy (untouched)- because of not training someone can be having access to him that can lead to meeting Martian manhunter for aid/training.
Boosting Metas- An sleeping army, make Jefferson (black lighting) beast mode. Or use him/ Riko to make metas. Which I think thats what they are doing.
Shadow/powers-No clue
Intelligence-I thought it was in genetics which is not in any batfamily wheel house.
Thats just me rambling.

But please let Duke cure his family members. Because this feel like they going to do Identity Crisis down the line for the back story

eeeeh i see this take floated around a lot and honestly the idea that " Duke gets a new trick/power each book" seems like a bit of an exaggeration. it feels more like people not really keeping up with his character and being surprised by the new developments because, I mean, it's not like he's even really been in all that many books since becoming Signal in the first place. fewer that really alter his powers all that drastically. the demon arm wasn't a new power, it was just something specifically for the Urban Legends Outsiders story. Duke never acquired it in the canon timeline and his future self no longer possessed by the end if the story. the most significant "new trick" has been the expansion of his powers that led to the shadow abilities but, even then, they do make sense as an extension of his light abilities; even if Hill didn't execute their introduction particularly well. DC hasn't really added any new tricks to Duke's metahuman repertoire that don't build off his existing abilities and, even with these new applications from his powers expanding, Duke's powers are still a pretty underdeveloped development for his character.

as for the 30 issue thing, I get the reasoning for wanting 30+ issues (again, I'd love to get 30 issues of straight Duke content) but I'm talking from a practical standpoint. DC is probably not going to just give Duke 30 issues to explore every nook and cranny of his character. a more efficient and realistic number would be 6-12 issues, which would be in-line with the limited series/trade strategy DC's been exploring lately. so long as they don't make the mistake of having someone try to bait DC into giving them more issues at the end, that should be enough for a competent creative team to hone in on and tell a tight focused story that establishes who Duke is. Thomas did a better job communicating who Duke is, in a way that's aligns with his character from We are Robin through to Batman and the Signal and Outsiders, in 4 issue than Bryan Hill did in 20+, Brandon Easton did a great job building a foundation for Mister Miracle in 6, Tom Taylor wrote a killer Suicide Squad run with practically all new characters in less than 12, Bendis and David Walker established Naomi in 6, Milestone has been doing a great job re-introducing their characters in 6, Tom King's best works are always his 12 issues, etc. had Tony Patrick been given the 6 issues he was initially slated , I feel we'd have probably gotten a better starting point for Duke.

[lemonpeace]

Duke & The Outsiders cameo in DC vs Vampires #2 apparently (I haven't read it so iunno if he does anything)

[Hellscream]

Duke & The Outsiders cameo in DC vs Vampires #2 apparently (I haven't read it so iunno if he does anything)

That is the only scene Duke is in. They drew Cassandra in both outfits. One with rest of the bat family and Duke was not included.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Duke & The Outsiders cameo in DC vs Vampires #2 apparently (I haven't read it so iunno if he does anything)

is that the new vigilante at end or a badly done Black lightning?

[lemonpeace]

is that the new vigilante at end or a badly done Black lightning?

it's supposed to be Black Lightning

[Frontier]

That is the only scene Duke is in. They drew Cassandra in both outfits. One with rest of the bat family and Duke was not included.

I guess the other suit is her "Outsiders" costume?

[lemonpeace]

forgot to post this. could be wishful thinking but there's a chance Duke could appear in Young Justice.

[J. D. Guy]

forgot to post this. could be wishful thinking but there's a chance Duke could appear in Young Justice.

It's hard to say with him: it could be Duke's appearing or it could be his hard stance against spoilers that he's against speaking about anything upcoming, even it isn't a spoiler. He's against talking about hypotheticals in fanspaces, and disconfirming is just as bad as confirming in his eyes.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

forgot to post this. could be wishful thinking but there's a chance Duke could appear in Young Justice.

if anything it could be a minor civilian role like Harper gets.

[lemonpeace]

if anything it could be a minor civilian role like Harper gets.

oh I'm not expecting Duke to appear and take center stage or anything, but just appearing in YJ in any capacity would be a big step for Duke; plus it'd beat him as Robin in Batwheels to the animated debut punch. also, I feel Duke's hero identity in the comics holds a bit more weight than Harper. so I'm doubtful if Duke appeared that he'd be a regular civilian, and i expect he'd probably at least get his metahuman powers or even appear in-costume at some point, even if his role is minor one. tho, I guess I'd only be mildly surprised if they just had him just be quick civilian cameo, but surprised nonetheless.

[skyvolt2000]

oh I'm not expecting Duke to appear and take center stage or anything, but just appearing in YJ in any capacity would be a big step for Duke; plus it'd beat him as Robin in Batwheels to the animated debut punch. also, I feel Duke's hero identity in the comics holds a bit more weight than Harper. so I'm doubtful if Duke appeared that he'd be a regular civilian, and i expect he'd probably at least get his metahuman powers or even appear in-costume at some point, even if his role is minor one. tho, I guess I'd only be mildly surprised if they just had him just be quick civilian cameo, but surprised nonetheless.

Not really because it has NOT helped actual leads or former leads on that show. It reverted Static to screaming he needs a girlfriend and where is Jaime Reyes?

Batwheels will be seen in more places then HBO Max. It will be on Cartoon Network and that show will most likely have toys and they will be on the shelves before anything else.

[lemonpeace]

It's hard to say with him: it could be Duke's appearing or it could be his hard stance against spoilers that he's against speaking about anything upcoming, even it isn't a spoiler. He's against talking about hypotheticals in fanspaces, and disconfirming is just as bad as confirming in his eyes.

yeah someone tagged me and i got ahead of myself. after doing some more digging i looks he's notoriously anti-spoilers. but while I was digging it does look like Duke is a character that's at least been on his radar for a while. wishful thinking but still hope we see him pop out one of these days.

[lemonpeace]

Duke sighting in the Nightwing story in Urban Legends

[lemonpeace]

I was thinking about something. so I noticed Duke has a mentor for each ability/skill be has:

Superheroics and Detective skills - Batman
Martial Arts - Katana, Lady Shiva, and Cassandra Cain
Metahuman abilities - Black Lightning

while it's unlikely him having magic outside of his Future State counterpart will be an actual thing, if it were, who would you want to be Duke's mentor for honing his magic abilities?

[J. D. Guy]

I was thinking about something. so I noticed Duke has a mentor for each ability/skill be has:

Superheroics and Detective skills - Batman
Martial Arts - Katana, Lady Shiva, and Cassandra Cain
Metahuman abilities - Black Lightning

while it's unlikely him having magic outside of his Future State counterpart will be an actual thing, if it were, who would you want to be Duke's mentor for honing his magic abilities?

I sometimes feels like the to-know magic users of DC are pretty stagnant, so outside Zatanna as a generic answer (and I'm not sure how much I'd like Zatanna as a mentor in Duke's specific case), I'm not sure who else.