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

[lemonpeace]

I really like how Duke has been developing lately. Definitely a step up from how he was used in Hill's Outsiders.

yeah. while I maintain that Outsiders was (in retrospect) a somewhat important series for Duke, Hill 100% is the weakest writer to pen Duke thus far. it formed important relationships for Duke outside of just Batman (his partnership with Cassandra, his mentorship under Black Lightning, Katana, and Lady Shiva, and an antagonistic relationship with Ra's) and it helped broaden the scale of his powers but his characterization was not good. Duke read like a completely different character and the expansion of his powers felt like it was incidental because it read more like he really wanted to replace Duke's light powers with something "cooler" but failed and had to slip in a line about "oh I can feel the light coming back" in the last issue. Hill's Outsiders coulda been so good had he not been so obsessed with trying to use it as an audition to write Batman (his words) and focused on building on Duke, and the rest of the Outsiders, like Thomas has been with his Future State and post-Future State stuff.

[lemonpeace]

interesting note from Duke's entry in the most recent DC Encyclopedia: Duke has yellow eyes.

cool little fan art where Duke has his canonically yellow eyes. art by @antygabo14

[Darkspellmaster]

I'm excited to see the animated series for kids, it's nice to see Duke showing up more. I hope that in the near future we get to have him in more animated and live action shows. Actually would be nice to see him in YJ in the future.

[lemonpeace]

WE GOT A HYPE ASS PREVIEW!! Cian Tormey just dropped a preview for Urban Legends #9 and we get a look at what Duke's shadow traversal (or maybe the photo-shadow traversal?) looks like from the inside!

[Restingvoice]

WE GOT A HYPE ASS PREVIEW!! Cian Tormey just dropped a preview for Urban Legends #9 and we get a look at what Duke's shadow travesal looks like from the inside!

This epic! Amazing art

[Rac7d*]

Duke is a genius?

[lemonpeace]

Duke is a genius?

yeah, Duke was apparently up for a genius grant when he was 12 but lost out to Daryl Gutierrez prior to his Mr. Bloom stuff; thats actually how they knew each other even though Daryl appears to be several years older than Duke. We don't really find out what the grant was for but his academic career went downhill once his parents got jokerized and he went into foster care. his intelligence was referenced more earlier in his career from time to time but isn't talked about as much since training and becoming Signal. it looks like his genius moreso lies in his high emotional intelligence, considering thats been the most consistent trait with Duke.

[XenobladerX]

WE GOT A HYPE ASS PREVIEW!! Cian Tormey just dropped a preview for Urban Legends #9 and we get a look at what Duke's shadow traversal (or maybe the photo-shadow traversal?) looks like from the inside!

If Outsiders gets an ongoing, I would love it if they're the main artist. That looks sick.

[millernumber1]

I have to say, Brandon Thomas continues to really impress me with the way he writes Duke. I hope he gets to be the guy carrying him forward.

[Rac7d*]

yeah, Duke was apparently up for a genius grant when he was 12 but lost out to Daryl Gutierrez prior to his Mr. Bloom stuff; thats actually how they knew each other even though Daryl appears to be several years older than Duke. We don't really find out what the grant was for but his academic career went downhill once his parents got jokerized and he went into foster care. his intelligence was referenced more earlier in his career from time to time but isn't talked about as much since training and becoming Signal. it looks like his genius moreso lies in his high emotional intelligence, considering thats been the most consistent trait with Duke.

they slap genius on everyone it becomes worthless on their resume

[lemonpeace]

they slap genius on everyone it becomes worthless on their resume

It is what it is i guess. that's kinda a non-issue considering like 90% of the Batfamily and/or non-powered superheroes had "genius" on their resume before Duke even entered the picture anyway. I don't see the point of drawing the line at Duke. I mean you probably would HAVE to be a genius polymath to some degree to do what they do, especially if you are doing it Batman's way. there are plenty stories showing that not just any old body can do what they do for a reason.

with all due respect, not tryna knock on you specifically but I'm getting a lil tired of these flat takes questioning why characters (especially characters like Duke) should or shouldn't be able to do what they can do in superhero fiction.

[Rac7d*]

It is what it is i guess. that's kinda a non-issue considering like 90% of the Batfamily and/or non-powered superheroes had "genius" on their resume before Duke even entered the picture anyway. I don't see the point of drawing the line at Duke. I mean you probably would HAVE to be a genius polymath to some degree to do what they do, especially if you are doing it Batman's way. there are plenty stories showing that not just any old body can do what they do for a reason.

with all due respect, not tryna knock on you specifically but I'm getting a lil tired of these flat takes questioning why characters (especially characters like Duke) should or shouldn't be able to do what they can do in superhero fiction.

I’m not drawing the line
It kind irks me that with bat characters I’m pretty sure the entire inner circle are considered genius
Jason tacticaly

[J. D. Guy]

they slap genius on everyone it becomes worthless on their resume

Not sure what the relevant point is.

[skyvolt2000]

Not sure what the relevant point is.

I think the issue is they toss Genius on folks and MOST of the time we do NOT see it in action. Especially when they are around certain characters where that is SHOWN.

Static-MADE all his crap in his original comic. Yet the cartoon, New 52 and even the current book implies he needs help or someone else has to make stuff for him. He does NOT need Hardware. Static is not STUPID.
Black Panther made Falcon's wings and another version of Cap's shield. Yet all his genius qualities are now taking a back seat to his sister.
Riri built her own suit of armor and was at MIT.
Moon Girl has a LAB under her house like Dexter.
Prodigy-of ANYONE in Marvel that should NOT have his intelligence question is HIM.
Lt Uhura-of ALL Star Trek characters that understand languages Star Trek 6 had Kirk ask a computer to translate. Not the EXPERT.

Folks openly question their intelligence. Far too many times characters like Duke are NOT shown to have solutions in stories. They have to defer to a Batman or Reed Richards. Unlike Peter Parker, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and others. Who have been continently show to be above average.

This is what happens when folks don't get stories that show case their skills.

[John Venus]

Duke Thomas by James Tucker.

Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVtkwbSP...EXQU9-6iGn2o0/

jtuckeranimator_250401089_3062541.jpg

With Duke making the jump to animation with “Batwheels” plus catching his solo book recently, I thought it’d be fun to put him in the BTBATB style. Too bad he wasn’t created back then! We coulda used him!