Duke Thomas: We Are Robin, Signal Appreciation 2018

[JasonTodd428]

How would you feel if they moved him away from the daytime protector and made Duke the definitive black ops member of the batfamily? The daytime niche is pretty good, I wasn't all that impressed with it, but I think the black ops angle could give Duke more wiggle room to work with.

To be honest I like both ideas and think both could work as a definitive role for Duke.

I really did like the direction Patrick was headed in with Duke being a daytime protector and there are no Bats working in Gotham during the day so it's a niche that hasn't been filled yet. I don't see it as necessarily being something that keeping him distant from the others but rather as some that might allow him the wiggle room to become his own hero without having to struggle with being in the Bat's shadow like most of the Robin's do. (I'd seriously like to see this idea developed further by Patrick at some point.)

The black ops idea has merit as well though and I do think that's the direction Outsiders will go in. I think such a direction would really expand his skill set for starters and would put him in contact with a whole host of characters from around the DCU rather than just members of the Bat Family. I also think it would give him a wider range of experiences that he can draw from than simply sticking around Gotham being it's daytime protector would.

My only issue with him as the black ops guy is that there are several other characters who could fit that role including Batman himself so the daytime protector niche is more unique. Doesn't change the fact that I think the black ops angle would add a lot to his character though.

[JasonTodd428]

I find it really sad to see all the knee jerks reaction to Duke being included in the Outsiders. I really don't know why peoples hate him so much. Then again, it's the same peoples clamoring for the return of their favorite, who already weren't able to draw crowds as they were written, and refuse to see those character changed/actualised. It's the same mess with the NAoH books : plenty of people refusing to buy them "because they will fail and I want to see X instead of them, written just as he was the last time" and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. it's almost as if D.C. readers actively resisted any kind of change in the statu quo of the Universe if it doesn't entirely revolve around the Big Three, and even then changes have to be minimal.

Yeah I find all the knee jerk reactions to be sad as well. Unfortunately I've been seeing far to much of that sort of thing lately and it makes this forum not fun for me. All this negativity is draining to be honest.

[leo619]

I find it really sad to see all the knee jerks reaction to Duke being included in the Outsiders. I really don't know why peoples hate him so much. Then again, it's the same peoples clamoring for the return of their favorite, who already weren't able to draw crowds as they were written, and refuse to see those character changed/actualised. It's the same mess with the NAoH books : plenty of people refusing to buy them "because they will fail and I want to see X instead of them, written just as he was the last time" and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. it's almost as if D.C. readers actively resisted any kind of change in the statu quo of the Universe if it doesn't entirely revolve around the Big Three, and even then changes have to be minimal.

Um that's pretty much it.


You have the deadly combination of him being a new 'black" main supporting character fitting into normally an almost all white space of Batman. He was bound to be crucified like most new black characters are. But that doesn't matter, there will always be detractors just like there was for a long time (and still is) detractors for Miles Morales. The important part is him keeps getting screen time. The signal mini series sold well enough so that's really the most important aspect, not some classic fans that likes to keep things like their the 1960's.

[leo619]

Yeah I find all the knee jerk reactions to be sad as well. Unfortunately I've been seeing far to much of that sort of thing lately and it makes this forum not fun for me. All this negativity is draining to be honest.

I agree, and that's why appreciation threads are so important. At least here we can keep the detractors out, but that can only help so much. That's largely why I'm having my own website/forums built to prevent madness like this.

[skyvolt2000]

I find it really sad to see all the knee jerks reaction to Duke being included in the Outsiders. I really don't know why peoples hate him so much. Then again, it's the same peoples clamoring for the return of their favorite, who already weren't able to draw crowds as they were written, and refuse to see those character changed/actualised. It's the same mess with the NAoH books : plenty of people refusing to buy them "because they will fail and I want to see X instead of them, written just as he was the last time" and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. it's almost as if D.C. readers actively resisted any kind of change in the statu quo of the Universe if it doesn't entirely revolve around the Big Three, and even then changes have to be minimal.

It's not that folks don't want Duke in the book-it's if all you are going to do is background him-what is the point?

Issue with NAOH is you can get all that talent on those books (lets not talk about how many jumped shipped after issue 1) yet that talent somehow can't be given to guys like Tim, Vixen, John Stewart and others. Characters who have been CRAPPED on for years because the Big Three and SELECTED friends had to be protected. So those fans feel alienated.

And they feel like why should I support this book when HISTORY has shown Dc will toss them aside just as fast as they did my favorite. No matter how much success they had.

I think the real case is DC fans don't trust DC with anyone beyond the Big 3 and selected friends. You want my support show me that you are just as invested in these guys as I am. DC has not. They want to do just enough for some praise and that is it. They think fans will be happy.

Duke's trade that just came out.
How does it rank on Amazon?
#214 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > DC
#640 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Superheroes
#18349 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy
Higher than Hal Jordan's, Barry's & Justice League's last books.

When the issues came out-for weeks they ranked rather high on Comxiology even with a delay in release.
The Duke support is there but is it there are DC? Cameos in Batman and Detective say NO. This Outsiders book will probably be the put up or shut up DC for Duke. Are we going to see something or not?

Or do we wait for Static to show up in order to see a decently written black male teen under a DC banner? Like we had to in 1993.

[JasonTodd428]

I agree, and that's why appreciation threads are so important. At least here we can keep the detractors out, but that can only help so much. That's largely why I'm having my own website/forums built to prevent madness like this.

Good luck with your website/forums. I'd be interested in seeing it once its all up and running. It would be really great if there were some forum around where issues of comics and such could actually be discussed in a mature manner without those discussions turning into post after post of kneejerk reactions to WHO is on a particular team or WHO has gotten a book over some other character. I'm tired of all that crap to be honest. I really just want to talk about the books I enjoy with other people even if I may not always agree with them about things.

(Edit: And yeah I do realize that was just completely off topic but I needed to say it anyway. Sorry in advance.)

[Hypestyle]

how often has Mr. Thomas encountered Black Lightning? Considering Thomas is a teenager, How much does he know of BL's reputation or history?

[lemonpeace]

how often has Mr. Thomas encountered Black Lightning? Considering Thomas is a teenager, How much does he know of BL's reputation or history?

Duke only met Black Lightning recently, in Detective comics. He sorta knew of him beforehand because, in Dark Days, Duke finds out about Batman's secret black-ops team (the original Outsiders team including BL) that he used to research the secrets of Nth Metal outside the purview of the Justice League or the Government.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Im more interested in him as the daytime protector than a black ops guy.

We could use more black spies. If he joined ARGUS I'd be more open to the idea.

Im more interested in him finding friends/dynamics outside of the batfamily tho. The superhero family dynamics can be rather limiting.

[Iconic]

Bryan Hill on Duke's interaction with Black Lightning.

https://mobile.twitter.com/bryanedwa...26875362627584

[lemonpeace]

Bryan Hill on Duke's interaction with Black Lightning.

https://mobile.twitter.com/bryanedwa...26875362627584

Man, you have been really on point with these Bryan Hill post about Duke. This does ease my worries about how he'll handle Duke a bit but I'll still remain cautiously optimistic till I see the series. It's always reassuring when creators recognizes that there is a lot of love for Duke, so I'm glad he's taking that into account when tackling this series. I'm hella hyped for this book!

[Raijin]

Bryan Hill on Duke's interaction with Black Lightning.

https://mobile.twitter.com/bryanedwa...26875362627584

Hmmmmmmm still approaching this with caution. Writers can say something but never display it on panel. I'm glad he has Duke in mind though.

[DragonPiece]

Bryan Hill on Duke's interaction with Black Lightning.

https://mobile.twitter.com/bryanedwa...26875362627584

His other reply is even more interesting

"I'm definitely going to leave my mark on him(Duke) and do what I can to advance his character in the DCU.

I think I have a unique way into him. We'll see. LOL."

So I'm glad to know Hill has plans to give Duke some much needed development.

[lemonpeace]

Im more interested in him as the daytime protector than a black ops guy.

We could use more black spies. If he joined ARGUS I'd be more open to the idea.

Im more interested in him finding friends/dynamics outside of the batfamily tho. The superhero family dynamics can be rather limiting.

That's why I prefer the black-ops angle, the daytime Gotham premise could be interesting but I feel it's kinda narrow (heh heh) and it anchors Duke as being Batman adjacent, limiting him a bit. I think ideally they would take a lot of the mythology and questions around Duke and roll them into a solo black-ops work beyond just Gotham and Batman. Him being recruited by or possibly infiltrating ARGUS would be a pretty awesome way to expand on that outside of Outsiders.

[DragonPiece]

That's why I prefer the black-ops angle, the daytime Gotham premise could be interesting but I feel it's kinda narrow (heh heh) and it anchors Duke as being Batman adjacent, limiting him a bit. I think ideally they would take a lot of the mythology and questions around Duke and roll them into a solo black-ops work beyond just Gotham and Batman. Him being recruited by or possibly infiltrating ARGUS would be a pretty awesome way to expand on that outside of Outsiders.

I don't like the idea of him moving to that role, simply because they have hardly explored the daytime concept that they promoted Duke working with so much. Let's at least work with the daytime hero aspect for a year before already switching gears.