My argument is not “Arab villains are bad” or “Ra’s al Ghul can’t be evil.”
My issue is with how the comic constructs him and what representational frameworks it draws from.
Orientalism is not just individual prejudice. It is a system of representation that frames the “East” as irrational, excessive, mystical, authoritarian, violent, primitive, and fundamentally different.
These patterns shape interpretation before a character even acts.
As Edward Said argues, representation does not simply reflect reality — it constructs meaning. Comics are especially important here because they rely heavily on visual shorthand and immediate recognition.
Characters are rapidly simplified into recognizable types:
hero, monster, threat, savior, fanatic, victim.
And Absolute Superman very consciously constructs Ra’s as spectacle.
Look at how he is framed: hypermuscular, towering, looming over Superman. Heavily shadowed. almost inhumanly massive
The nudity matters too.
Ra’s is repeatedly drawn with large exposed areas of skin while Superman remains clothed and visually controlled. The body becomes spectacle.
The proportions push beyond ordinary humanity into something monstrous and mythic: heavy muscles, exaggerated size, animalistic posture, overwhelming physical presence and dominance.
That matters because Orientalist depictions of Arab/Muslim men have historically framed them as barbaric, hyperviolent, sexually excessive, patriarchal and physically threatening. The body itself becomes coded as danger.
This isn’t accidental visual design. It’s part of a long representational history.
Ra’s also isn’t framed as a psychologically grounded person so much as an archetype. He becomes less a psychologically grounded person and more a ritualistic, prophetic archetype; eternal, imposing, almost inhuman. Meanwhile Superman is framed as emotionally readable, illuminated, morally centered, rational and humanized. The contrast is intentional.
Ra's characterization becomes symbolic instead of personal.
That’s why the resurrection imagery matters too Lazarus pits, ritual language, dynastic authority and rebirth imagery. He becomes less a political actor and more an immortal Eastern patriarch archetype.
Another issue is how systemic problems become displaced onto Ra’s specifically. The comic gestures toward environmental collapse, inequality, global instability and authoritarian systems but these issues become condensed into ONE racialized body.
So instead of engaging structurally with those problems, the narrative transforms them into individualized evil. Ra’s becomes a symbolic container for extremism, apocalypse, overpopulation discourse, authoritarianism and irrational violence.
This is especially important because many of the ideas attached to him (population control, eco-authoritarianism, necropolitics) have real historical roots in Western political systems too. But the comic relocates them entirely into an “Eastern” villain figure.
That displacement matters. It obscures structural accountability by making one racialized body carry the weight of multiple global anxieties.
And these portrayals do not exist in isolation.
The American media has a long history of constructing Arabs and Muslims through spectacle, threat, mysticism, and dehumanization, especially post-9/11.
My point is not that the media cannot portray Arab villains. My point is that media can be visually compelling while still reproducing representational patterns worth critically examining.
noticed that you were letting people rant in your inbox, so I thought I might as well give it a try (feel free to delete this is you don't want it on your page)
It's annoying when people say that Bruce should just use his billions to fix Gotham instead of being Batman, because it's been shown across multiple comics, continuities, and even adaptations that he does also try to do things as Bruce Wayne, it's just that it's not enough*. Hell, the comics in recent years have had to bend themselves over backwards to justify Gotham being the way it is, with the Court of Owls, and then the city being cursed, and so on...
BUT!
At the same time, I am also starting to get a liiiiittle annoyed at people who use that as a way to shut down all the very real and valid discussions about Batman comics, and how poorly the things in them are handled sometimes. Maybe not on Tumblr specifically, but in other places. Bruce is my no.1 favourite superhero, and I'll die on his stupid bat-shaped hill, but I'm getting a little tired.
I suppose comic discourse would end up just as cyclical as the comics themselves.
(*I mean, he could redistribute his wealth, but apart from him being a billionaire purely for plot convenience, DC absolutely will not allow him to, because they need a reason for Bruce to keep being Batman for there to be more Batman stories, and they are allergic to challenging the status quo in any capacity)
comics as a genre and by extension the community that consumes them is so against the idea that SA can and DOES happen to men (and by women perpetrators) it's honestly baffling. it's near weekly that you can come across a story that contains a male SA not handled like its SA.
when perpetrators are female and hot (like poison ivy) the scenes and moments of SA are framed as if they are cool, hot, etc. there are scenes that are rapey, or directly are the result of explictly implied SA that there have been merch made out of with poison ivy, like the hush superman thing, or just statues of ivy coming on to bruce etc.
but the fandom is never going to turn on ivy because she's popular and has good visuals. that does not change the fact that she is an sexual assaillant. the first panel in her first appearance that she appears on is a sexual assault.
it's not just ivy. im peacefully reading greg rucka wonder woman & then theres a scene of cheetah coming on to wally, despite his protests (including a scene were he says "no no.") but it's framed as 'cool' in the end because he uses the kiss to take her superspeed powers from her.
and then of course there is a invincible fandom stuff going on. i don't know much about that show, but for me at this point its just further evidence of a pattern i already has seen.
to be clear none of these things are about the quality of the stories themselves. it's about the pattern of male-victim SA not being taken seriously narratively in the past or in the present. a pattern of treatment of that topic that happens over and over in stories and is never discussed in relation to perpetrators (like ivy) who are not acknowledged as perpetrators of SA every time they do it
This is a critique specifically of official material that DC has put out of the character Bernard Dowd and/or the relationship between Bernard and Tim. This is not a criticism of anyone who likes the character or ships TimBer. My philosophy on fan content is Laissez-faire/’don't like, don't read’. That being said, I do believe that official material SHOULD be analyzed and critiqued, so that is exactly what I am going to do.
My Biases and my thoughts on Tim's previous/fanon favorite romantic interests-
I get that a lot of the Bernard hate just comes down to shipping wars or homophobia. I just wanna put out there that this is not what this post is. First of all, I'm queer (I know that doesn't mean I can't be homophobic, but you get what I mean), but second of all, I have no "OTP" when it comes to Tim Drake. I do, however, like some of the other common Tim Drake ships more than Timber. I'm going to give a real quick blurb for each, but feel free to skip this section, as it's only tangentially related to my Bernard critique.
I liked the idea of TimSteph as high school sweethearts who were learning how to have a non-toxic relationship together, and sometimes failing, though Chuck Dixon often failed in writing them in a way that actually felt satisfying (just as a side note fuck Chuck Dixon). I will say though, just to be transparent, that I am a big Stephanie fan (Again, fuck you Chuck Dixon, I'm stealing her from you, you can't have her, you know what you did!). all and all I don't mind them as a couple, but I think they have also been written poorly in the past (I won't go into it because that's not what this post is about but Stephanie has had a history of being poor writing stemming from her writers' misogyny)
I do like some of the fan works people have made for TimKon, and I do like the subtextual (whether intentional or not) one-sided TimKon we got in some comics, but again, I'm not dying on the TimKon hill or anything. Well, maybe on the one-sided TimKon hill because I love the drama of it, and being in love with your straight or "straight" best friend is almost a fundamental queer experience. I also really liked the messy thing Tim and Cassie had for a bit because I love the drama and also the subtext of it. (Can you tell I liked a good portion of Infinite Crisis?)
I liked TimTam (great ship name, btw) in the Red Robin comic run, but I felt like their breakup was a satisfying conclusion to that romantic dynamic. Then my opinion of the rest of Tim's various romantic interests throughout the years ranges from 'somewhat enjoyed but basically couldn't care less about' to 'actively disliking'.
All that being said, of course, most of these relationships/the things I liked about these relationships have been retconned away anyway. You will notice though that rather than being a fan of the ships in general I'm much more interested in how these dynamics create drama/narrative tension and how successfully that tension is resolved (not to say anyone is wrong for liking ships in general I'm just letting you know my biases so you know what point of view I'm coming at this from, I do ship other characters just not really Tim Drake)
So, why do these relationships work (in my opinion, and at least before the retconning), but Bernard falls short (at least to me)? Here are my theories.
The same face syndrome.-
Genuinely my biggest pet peeve off the bat (Ha!). Bernard's designs after his reintroduction have been... bad. Look at how Bernard is drawn pre-reintroduction; he looks like his own guy and not like he and Tim were both made in the same paper doll dress-up style game. It's unsettling. (I know some artists had a case of same face syndrome when drawing these two, even pre-reintroduction, but I would argue that it usually wasn't as bad as it is now, and/or was less noticeable because they weren't supposed to be romantically entangled at the time).
I know it's kind of gay culture to date someone who looks exactly like you, but it's kind of hard to root for a couple who looks like they could be featured on the siblings or dating Instagram page. I'm not saying I want them to be that yaoi body proportions meme, but a little bit of proportional difference goes a long way.
Bernard used to be taller than Tim before he got reintroduced! Tim is a literal vigilante; he should be visibly more fit than Bernard, even if Bernard works out! I'm not saying I want super-duper muscular Tim; there is a difference between visible muscle and usable muscle, but I would like him to be drawn in a way that is consistent with him being physically fit. Make Bernard a tall, lanky guy with distinct facial features separate from how Tim is drawn! (or honestly, any look that isn't just Tim but with different hair and maybe freckles)
...I was going to put images on here as examples of this, but it felt a bit like I was calling out specific artists rather than the general trend of this that I have noticed. I try not to be overly negative towards specific artists... unless they deserve it, like Chuck Dixon. If you just look up "Tim and Bernard comic," you will see what I mean when I'm talking about how similar they are often drawn.
Bernard's Characterization-
Let's be real, Bernard's original personality WAS scrubbed when he got reintroduced, and they haven't really given it back to him since. In comics, it's not uncommon for characters to lose their personalities. It has happened to every character I've mentioned in this post at some point. Tim, Steph, Conner, Cassie, and even Tam (who has had far fewer appearances and therefore far fewer opportunities to be poorly changed) have all had their turn at being scrubbed of everything that makes them interesting. The problem is I haven't seen Bernard be very interesting for basically the entirety of Tim and his actual relationship (don't get me wrong, there have been moments where he has been slightly interesting, but those have been few and honestly not really enough to make up for all the boring).
The other problem with this scrubbing of the original characterization is that his characterization, after the fact, has been a bit inconsistent. Inconsistency happens to basically every single comic character, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
Let Bernard be flawed in an intentional way. I think part of the reason Bernard comes off as so personalityless is that they seem to have tried to really tone down all of his "flaws". The times we do get "flaws" from him, they are the overused, recycled ones that seemingly every DC character has.
We keep getting moments of these two being kinda overly domestic, but to me, they feel unearned and sort of forced. I think this is because Bernard doesn't have a SHOWN personality to be 'domestic' with, so it sort of feels like Tim is cuddling with a piece of cardboard.
I'm sorry, but gamer is not a personality trait; please stop trying to make it one.
Stephanie-
I love her too much not to give her her own section.
Allow Steph to have complicated feelings about Tim and Bernard's relationship. In fandom woman are often sidelined in favor of the fandom's preferred male gay ship; they often become the 'ecstatically supportive bestie'. This meta in fandom that is usually confined to fan works has permeated the actual canon in this case. I'm not saying make her unsupportive, a bitter ex, homophobic, or anything like that, but allow her to have complicated/three-dimensional feelings on it without vilifying her for having those feelings.
Why are they so young?-
For some reason, DC seems intent on not letting a certain generation of heroes age, Tim Drake being a part of that group. During rebirth, Tim is stated to be 16 when Damian is, like, 13, I’m pretty sure, and supposedly (to my understanding) rebirth is still the same as current continuity. I’m not sure how 'set' his age currently is, but I’m pretty sure Damian is like 14 or 15 at this point, so it seems to me, based on my current understanding of canon, that Tim is still a teenager.
When Damian was first introduced Tim was supposed to be, like, six years older than him, and well I'm fine with them narrowing that age gap a bit IF they really need to for the sake of the narrative or something, cutting the age gap in half feels excessive (this is me being generous as sometimes the age gap seems even narrower, though I haven't seen it specifically stated to be so anywhere in current continuity).
This is frustrating for several reasons, a lot of them are off topic for this post so I will not go into it, but for now I will just say that not allowing Tim to age impacts the amount of development he is able to have realistically, and also really shoots his characterization in the foot by retconning a lot of the comics he was in out of this continuity's cannon, which also impacts his relationships as a consequence.
Plus, if he started dating Bernard when he was like 16, when did he start dating Steph? How long could they have actually dated for? I think canonically it could have only been a bit more than a year AT MOST, and that's being generous. IDK, the timeline on Tim's personal life just doesn't make any sense in current continuity unless I'm missing something (which I might be).
I truly think that Tim and Bernard getting together would be more impactful if they did so when they are both adults, like college age, eighteen to twenty, I think is the sweet spot. Their re-meeting after having actually not seen each other in a year or two is not only relatable but far more interesting. I have a lot to say in this area, but the main thesis is, let these characters age sometimes!
DC has a problem with OTPs-
Finally, after having spilled my guts about everything I dislike about this relationship, I would like to say honestly that I don't mind it... as long as it's not definitively end game, but the way that they have been written is all like "they are going to be together forever!" I know this is a problem across the board for media in general, but also specifically for DC. Please, allow this relationship to end.
It can be a serious relationship, it can be an important relationship, especially because it's Tim's first romantic relationship with another man, but (and maybe this is just my personal taste/bias weighing in) I think it should end if/when it no longer serves the story. These are fictional characters, and their purpose is to tell a compelling story. If you have a relationship that doesn't serve that purpose and sometimes even hinders the story, then it shouldn't be in the story anymore.
Most people are not with the person they started dating at 16 or even 20 forever. Though being realistic isn't the be-all end-all for a good story (obviously), having characters, inflexibly, in a relationship together for the rest of forever limits what you can do with those characters. Especially if you seem intent on making that relationship as boring as possible.
Stuff I like about Bernard/his relationship with Tim-
I can't be all negative because, ya know, too much negativity is bad for you. I am including images of some of the positive examples because I feel less bad about it.
Bernard's cult story was a cool idea, and I like it when it is written as an experience that impacts him.
I really like the dialogue and the visuals of this page. The way the monster is drawn and the close-up of his mouth are very evocative.
Bernard's relationship with his parents is interesting.
I like it when Bernard is characterized as a conspiracy theorist, not necessarily when it's a trait used to be reductive or make him into a caricature, but when written well, it can be cool.
Bernards' compulsory heterosexuality was actually really interesting, especially retrospectively.
The panels that Bernard was first introduced in (not his reintroduction, but the first time he is ever introduced), he is talking to Tim, and they have, like, genuine chemistry. (This is specifically referring to the first three pages he is introduced in)
The comic panel where Tim is like "I always thought you were super straight" and Bernard is like "I knew you weren't." is genuinely so good, actually, and, I believe, a callback to an interaction Bernard and Tim had in the original run Bernard was introduced in.
In conclusion-
I know my critiques make it sound like I just like WUMP or something, but truly, I just think stories are at their best when they explore things that are actually interesting. I know, hot take, right? Feel free to correct anything factual I got wrong or give your counter-analysis/opinion.
As literally any xenofiction reader on the internet, I have a strong opinion about a certain dog web comic that's been running for years.
I've been thinking a lot if I want to post it, because that would open a possible rabbit hole into reviewing any other comics I read but... Maybe that's not actually a bad thing? We will see. But first let's talk Home by Kique Nordin.
After the most recent public page I've realized something that I am sure was never intended. The Father (Utu) is actually secretly the real villain of both Asmundr and Home. Arguably on the same level, if not even worse than Marduk. Let me explain.
It all started in Asmundr when he gave a literal pup the same mark as the already crazed wolf bear. Let me repeat that. He knew there is a crazed wolf (his own creation but we will get back to it) and the best solution he could think of, to "cure" the said wolf, was to give the same mark to a few months old pup. And that's not all. The mark works like this: if you have at least two mark bearers, they will provide energy to each other, making the pair very powerful. But if you have just one, he will slowly fade away until he dies. This was confirmed in both Asmundr (with Lifa and Ranulfr) and Home (with Ninmah and the ship). So where does that lead us? To leave Lifa, another victim in a long line of Father's genetical experiments, slowly dying, abandoned on the peak of a mountain. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Actually this is not where it started. It really begun many years before the events of Asmundr when Father created Shield wolves as guardians of Asmundr territory. Then them being kidnapped and brainwashed by another Sky god (in Home we learn it was Marduk). But instead of trying to help his own creations, he abandoned them. Including a certain liulfr pup that was, back then, still mentally stable, so we could have avoided comic events in their entirety. But okay, story had to happen so let's proceed.
Except... In Home we learned that Liulfrs were not his first abandoned (experiment) I mean guardians. But third! First ones being Rabisu and Zioquas. What happened with them? Well, after Father abandoned them on a planet and flew (assumably) towards Earth, Marduk swooped in and committed a genocide. Rabisu in Home hint that Father never came back to check on them after that. Which is exactly the same thing that was, in-lore time-line, repeated exactly the same again with liulfrs of Earth.
But back to Asmundr. Forget liulfrs being abandoned and Lifa forced into "fixing" crazed wolf (we will get back to it in following paragraph). She was also intended to be used as a progenitor of wolf-dog hybrids! Father's newest experimental breed, fourth already, the akiulfrs! Also apparently Father can't help directly, just guide. Remember this line.
So after Father got from Lifa and Ranulfr what he wanted - his new toys - he left them both to rot. Quite literally. And the only one who prevented Lifa's death in Asmundr was Marduk. Not Father who used her as a breeding female. Marduk.
Oh and... Btw... When Father FINALLY decides to help Lifa, he reveals he could have prevented Marduk talking to Ranulfr and "cure" the red eye disease (aka madness) of both Lifa and Ranulfr the entire time. What a lad.
And remember how Father said he can't intervene? Well... he brought Ranulfr back to life, he brought Kainan back to life (by the end of the comic), he used Lifa and Ranulfr as a breeding project, he saved his newest toys (akis) repeatedly and also randomly saved Kainan's parents just to drop them in alien planet and left them there to die. Making Kainan an orphan and his parents to die without a chance of seeing their son ever again.
In Home he is absent the majority of the plot because he abandoned his new toys (akis) for even newer toys (humans). At least he is consistent in this.
And you know what? Now that I've done a quick re-read of Asmundr, I think Father's actions on pages 935 - 938 are very out of character. Up to this point he shown no interest towards anyone and anything except his current favorite toy. He was always very distant and just seeing him here, supportive and hugging Jahla is just... No? It doesn't fit at all. Except him asking someone to fix problems he created again - he did that plenty before (see Lifa or Kainan in Asmundr).
Overall, he is one of the most consistent character in Kique's stories. Constantly creating new experiments, never truly caring about them and eventually abandoning them all when he gets bored. He is actually a fairly decent villain.
Except Kique (and in extend all of his characters) insist that Father is actually good and kind god.
To me, the scorpion is a good example of a character with an interesting premise, but with lousy execution.
For context, mac gargan aka the scorpion was made and heralded as the first ever attempt at an "anti-spider-man" type of villain. Having similarly arachnid themed abilities while being stronger and faster than spider-man, forcing him to have to use his wits to outwit gargan.
But ever since his debut...he's honestly just kinda there. The vast majority of his appearances in comics are him just being a hired goon for some other villain, (ex, minotaur, doctor octopus, agent gao, etc) which I wouldn't be all that upset about if he was just some random villain if the week, but that's the thing, he originally wasn't. Scorpion essentially had lost his sting after his debut.
And the less said about when he became venom, the better. Seriously, that's a whole nother can of worms.
Im rereading teh remarried empress and i find it very hard to hate rashta (trashta for most) because she comes from such a hard past. It is logical that she wanted a secure place amd the emperor provides that. I think that this could have been fixed had the author not chosen for her to be an ex-slave. If she was a country noble or something alike than it would have been a lot harder to sympathise with her. And i feel like the author really wants us to see rasha as a truly evil person but it’s clear that she is desperate and I dislike how mean everyone is for her slave past
