Batfamily Appreciation 2022

[Frontier]

My thoughts exactly! Looks like it would be a fun series on Nickelodeon or something.

I can dig it (as long as it's not as tumblr-centric as Wayne Family Adventures) .

[signalman112]

Ed Hannigan Cover.

BatFamDigest.jpg

[Frontier]

Ed Hannigan Cover.

BatFamDigest.jpg

Oh yeah, Man-Bat has a weird relationship with the Batfamily...

[signalman112]

1949 House AD.

B&Rsportsmanship.jpg

[Frontier]

1949 House AD.

B&Rsportsmanship.jpg

Wholesome Superhero promotion .

[signalman112]

Remember the time Mogo join the Batman Family as BATAPE?
Splash page from BATMAN #114.

Bat-Ape114.jpg

[Restingvoice]

Remember the time Mogo join the Batman Family as BATAPE?
Splash page from BATMAN #114.

Bat-Ape114.jpg

What happened to the ape?

[lemonpeace]

so like a week or two ago (whenever the cover for Nightwing #96 featuring the batfam as the brady bunch dropped) there was a petty incident on Twitter with Tom Taylor, the artist and some fans over Duke Thomas not being included. basically fans questioned why Duke wasn't included, I think the artist at some point came forward and said the cover just featured the Batfamily that have appeared in the book, then Taylor made a tongue-in-cheek response essentially comparing Duke to Jace, Bat-Mite, or Ace or something; all ultimately pretty petty but it got some people talking about Duke's place in the "Batfamily".

just wanted to get y'all thoughts on the incident and Duke's relation to the Bats.

[CPSparkles]

so like a week or two ago (whenever the cover for Nightwing #96 featuring the batfam as the brady bunch dropped) there was a petty incident on Twitter with Tom Taylor, the artist and some fans over Duke Thomas not being included. basically fans questioned why Duke was included, I think the artist at some point came forward and said it was just the Batfamily that have appeared in the book, then Taylor made a tongue-in-cheek response essentially comparing Duke about Jace, Bat-Mite, or Ace or something; all ultimately pretty petty but it got some people talking about Duke's place in the "Batfamily".

just wanted to get y'all thoughts on the incident and Duke's relation to the Bats.

In story he has known Bruce since he was young. He isn't family since Bruce doesn't have parental responsibility for him but he is a close ally.

I would compare him with Steph or Luke. Bruce trusted him enough to build him a base and entrust daytime Gotham to him.

Real world he is new and doesn't have enough stories that explore and integrate him into the batfam.

On the incident, I think they forgot Duke was a thing. They could have used him in the Bitewing space. I don't think it was nefarious though Tom's comment was uncalled for.

Comparing Duke, the Black Robin that was inspired by Dick Grayson to another black character and a pet is a bad look. he dissed Jace as well.

[Restingvoice]

so like a week or two ago (whenever the cover for Nightwing #96 featuring the batfam as the brady bunch dropped) there was a petty incident on Twitter with Tom Taylor, the artist and some fans over Duke Thomas not being included. basically fans questioned why Duke was included, I think the artist at some point came forward and said it was just the Batfamily that have appeared in the book, then Taylor made a tongue-in-cheek response essentially comparing Duke about Jace, Bat-Mite, or Ace or something; all ultimately pretty petty but it got some people talking about Duke's place in the "Batfamily".

just wanted to get y'all thoughts on the incident and Duke's relation to the Bats.

*rocking in my chair*

So basically when King included Duke in the supporting cast I thought it will be the beginning of Duke being considered part of the inner family... and technically he did become one... but I feel most of the development is off screen... and inconsistent.

Bruce's training and helping Bruce is the main story, and so does showing up in Batfam events like Monster Men and Bane. Being trained by Jason and Selina was in the side story. While in the main book the main supporting cast is Selina. Then he teamed with Cass....

Then suddenly he has a photo with all the other Robins, but the only time he hangs out in story with them, as far as I know, was in Bat Burger and when Alfred told them Bruce's proposing to Selina.

I'm comparing it to Tim who also lived with Bruce, different identity but similar situation. Even if we discount Tim's Robin series, he shows up in Nightwing and Birds of Prey too.

Duke doesn't show up in Nightwing or RHATO or Batgirl or BoP Rebirth or even Detective Comics barring some cameo I probably miss. He wasn't included in the Trial of Batwoman or Alfred's post funeral talk, and he doesn't get a Prelude to The Wedding (though Cass and Steph weren't included in all of these too and maybe it's because they're still using the New 52 continuity where they're all new).

So I'm not surprised that people, including writers don't think he's part of the family, because the previous, multiple, writers don't agree on his position.

He's not Jace, definitely, but he feels more like Helena or Luke, even though he shouldn't be. Not quite an Outsider, but also not Brady Bunch, thanks to the inconsistency.

[Frontier]

Writing inconsistencies, the New 52 resetting a lot of relationships, and a lot of characters without clearly defined relationships or standing has left the Batfamily in a bit of a mess.

[redmax99]

Duke probably got a bank account and a credit card set up by Bruce so, I say a family member who just getting to know the family. While we're on the subject pre 52 tim and dick saw themselves as the three girls and Jason as Jan. At that point Jason was actively trying to kill them for a year if they could see Jason as a brother I don't see why they wouldn't see duke as a brother knowing Bruce was trying to adopt him.

[Aahz]

I think with Duke they simply never really did the work of building up his relations with the rest of the Batfamily. When Tom King wrote him just like a brother of the other Robins, it just didn't felt earned because there wasn't really any build up to it.

I mean had a couple of panels of interaction with Dick and Damian in Robin War (and that actually happend before Bruce stared to Train him), and the short anthology story with Jason (where I'm not even 100% sure that the stories in that anthology really count as canon), and that's kind of it. That just doesn't compare to the the relations between the other Batfamily members, where they did much more to establish them.

The only Batfamily members where had desent amount of interaction with in panel, are Bruce and Cass. But Duke never really felt as close to Bruce as the others, and he also doesn't feel as close to Cass as Steph, Barbara and Tim.

Cass also has kind of the problem, that she doesn't have much of an established relation with Dick, Jason and Damian and hasn't really written to be that close to Tim and Bruce either since flashpoint. And feels currently more like a character more connected to Barbara than to the core Batfamily.

[Aahz]

*I'm comparing it to Tim who also lived with Bruce, different identity but similar situation. Even if we discount Tim's Robin series, he shows up in Nightwing and Birds of Prey too.

He showed iirc also up in Titans, had a team up with Dick that iirc ran over several issue of Show Case and was Dick's Robin, when Dick filled in as Batman after Knight Fall.

[Drako]

so like a week or two ago (whenever the cover for Nightwing #96 featuring the batfam as the brady bunch dropped) there was a petty incident on Twitter with Tom Taylor, the artist and some fans over Duke Thomas not being included. basically fans questioned why Duke wasn't included, I think the artist at some point came forward and said the cover just featured the Batfamily that have appeared in the book, then Taylor made a tongue-in-cheek response essentially comparing Duke to Jace, Bat-Mite, or Ace or something; all ultimately pretty petty but it got some people talking about Duke's place in the "Batfamily".

just wanted to get y'all thoughts on the incident and Duke's relation to the Bats.

At this point he should be considered as part of the family. But it makes absolutely no sense for them to complain about Duke not being in a freaking Nightwing cover.