Flash Thompson is one of those kids who act like they’re popular and know everyone, except not a single popular person knows who he is
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Flash Thompson is one of those kids who act like they’re popular and know everyone, except not a single popular person knows who he is
Interesting the amount of commercials lately that have been advertising to the Deaf community, not mad about it though I am suspicious
What do you think of Dick's portrayal in the various tv and movie adaptations? I first saw him in Batman TAS and loved him from the start. But the reboot came around and Tim replaced him as deuteragonist. Also the fallout with his relationship with Barbara (which I once loved) got even worse in Batman Beyond (in which he never appeared on screen) and the comic with the Bruce/Barbara/baby storyline. In the end it was like the writers hated him and in recent movies he takes a back seat to Damian.
“various TV and movie adaptations”
... movie adaptations?
We haven’t seen Dick in a movie in like 20 years. Unless you mean DC’s animated films, like Justice League: War, and similar?
But okay, what an awesome question.
If you check out my previous post (here), you’ll discover quickly that pretty much one of my favourite portrayals of him is Young Justice. I thought they did an amazing job in Season 1 with showing the depth of him (and of most of the main characters honestly) and all the different layers he has in terms of identity, including with his friends, with the league, with leadership, and with Bruce. The time-skip from him being Robin to him being an adult, self-assured Nightwing was a bit of a letdown because that transition is messy, but the characterization was still great.
I also loved him in Batman TAS but I haven’t watched that in so long. Definitely what go me originally into superhero media (well okay I remember being 4 years old and watching the old live action Adam West Batman but like, does that count? I guess it has to, because Dick is straight up hilarious in that, but like, characterization wise idk what to even say about that version). Anyway in TAS we get that whole tension of Dick’s role and identity vis a vis being Batman’s sidekick and I’m really into that. That portrayal is probably like the foundation, stone number one, when it comes to understanding Dick Grayson.
As for Batman Beyond - okay I love Batman Beyond, really and truly, but tbh I kind of think of it like... an alt-universe, almost like a... fic. I think of it like someone’s Batman AU in which they created an OC as a protagonist. And I’m into it! But I don’t really connect it with the rest of the Batman or DC canon if I’m being honest. Terry is great, I adore him, he actually reminds me a lot of Dick, but yeah wtf is going on with the implied fallout between Bruce and Dick and Dick not even being in the show. Idk. Doesn’t count. Side-step that weird non-canon.
(I mean, fucking tell me they’re not basically writing Dick with a different name here.)
Don’t touch Bruce/Barbara. Stick your fingers in your ears and sing la la la la la la at the top of your lungs until it goes away. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. Do not let DC continue until that storyline is wiped from the face of the earth.
As for the recent animated films, typically they’re not focused on Dick but they do a half-decent job with him. I do like the Son of Batman (or whatever it’s called) animated film where they introduce Damian to the plot; Dick is pretty good in that even though his role is more minor. I haven’t watched the one with Harley Quinn yet where she’s helping Bruce and Dick but I really want to, it looks like it has some potentially entertaining Dick content in there.
(except that hair. What did they do to my handsome boi?)
What I tend to like about the modern animated films is that they get the snark right? They have these people make fun of each other and themselves, they get to be deadpan, they take the comics storylines and bring them to life in bite-sized chunks that are easier to digest. They also tend to have awesome voice-acting. They’re very much designed for pre-existing comics fans and are light on exposition as well, which makes me a good target audience. So I don’t tend to get too annoyed with the characterization in any of them, in part because they’re often pulling directly from pretty good comics arcs.
So the comics - (whoo boy this is getting long!)
I am in the small and Unpopular camp of people who kind of liked the entire goddamn mess that had Dick’s identity revealed to the world in... was that New 52 Forever Evil? i think it was; I have it on my shelf. I mean - we got some of Bruce and Dick’s dynamic and how much Bruce cares for Dick, and I’m all about that, but it was also like a shockwave in the Batfam because holy shit.
That being said, I’m not sure how much I like the direction taken, with the spiral agents and all that. I mean - Dick is Nightwing. And while him going undercover or being a spiral agent is kind of fun, the inherent problem with the identity reveal that they can’t really take back is that he can’t be allowed to be Nightwing anymore. So in that sense I also really fucking hate it.
And then Dick being Batman for a while when Bruce is off being Not Quite Dead? I like Dick and Damian’s dynamic (kind of) but again it seems like backtracking to me. The way I interpret Dick is so much as his own person that for him to put on the cowl feels... wrong. Like he specifically doesn’t want to be Batman? And it feels like this authorial obsession with Batman, and with their always being a Batman. Like - Gotham needs the Bat fam, not just the Bat man. Y’know?
I don’t mind the recent focus on Damian, though I think my biggest issue with it is that it kind of felt for a while like “ah yes, Bruce has a true son now, time to give him all the narrative weight, who cares about the rest of these former Robins” and I wasn’t in to that. Which is nothing against Damian.
(I want more batfam hugs! not just Damian! but also yes this is cute)
But the Batfam is only as interesting and their connections to each other, y’know? I’d love to see more focus on Tim, tbh, on Tim and Jason, on that whole mess and its resolution, on Jason and Dick, on Dick coming to terms with his family colours being passed down, on what it meant for him when Jason died, on what it meant for him when he met Tim. Let’s explore more of that in the movies and animated series, please!!
(I guess we get some of that in DC’s Titans? I hope so. I need to catch up. Dick so far seems complex and angry, which I’m into, but also like... Dick Grayson is a beacon of hope, okay. That’s who he is. A version of Dick that isn’t inherently trying to help and save everyone is kind of hard to wrap my head around. I’m not fully sure how I feel about him yet, but I do like the series).
Oh I totally forgot to talk about Teen Titans. I haven’t watched Teen Titans Go, but boy howdy did I love the original Teen Titans. I was just the right age when it came out to be the target audience and I very much enjoyed Robin in that series, at least as well as I can remember. And Lego Batman which is hilarious.
Okay that’s all for me now. I’ll go back to pretending I’m a Flash blog or something.
Since Flash has been gone in Thailand, we’ve had a fairy come work in the office in his place.
Thanks to Jie and Cindy for this special holiday post.
If I posted a personal poem on here, would anyone give me feedback/editing advice?
Tom is trying to say us something
Rule: Answer the questions and tag 20 people. I was tagged by: @i-dont-wanna-take-it-slow and @hoodflashlover1. I don’t usually do this but I was tagged twice so...
How tall are you? 5′7″
What color and style is your hair? Black and I’m not quite sure what my hairstyle is. It’s like short on the sides and longer on top?
What color are your eyes? Dark Brown
Do you wear glasses/contacts? Nope but I do like taking my friends’ glasses and wearing them.
What is your fashion style? Most comfortable clothing, always.
When were you born? August 11th
How old are you? 18
Do you have any siblings? Older Sister
What school or college do you go to? Well I’m not gonna say exactly but I’ll say that I do go to an Art Academy that is in the desert. I’m in the Language Arts department as a French Major.
What kind of student are you? The Procrastinator
What are your favorite subjects? History, by far
What are your favorite shows? Oh... I’m not quite sure. Obviously The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. But I also like Young Justice, Doctor Who, Merlin, HTGAWM, Scandal, Daredevil, Sense8, and recently because of tumblr Miraculous Ladybug.
What are your favorite movies? Cloud Atlas (Which EVERYONE should see by the way, or read), Harry Potter, X-Men series, Sherlock Holmes, Les Misérables (although technically a musical), HTTYD, Disney movies in general, etc.
What are your favorite books? Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Which EVERYONE should read), Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson series and Heroes of Olympus series, Peter and the Starcatchers series, The Immortal Nicolas Famel series, The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Fablehaven series, and there are plenty more but those are off the top of my head.
What’s your favorite pastime? Writing and sleeping
Do you have any regrets? Many, mainly about me procrastinating
What is your dream job? Writer or Archaeologist or Actor or Teacher or something
Would you like to get married and where? Yeah, I honestly really would, I want to find love too. I’m a romantic sap so I guess someone beautiful, I’m not quite sure.
Are you a girly girl, a regular girl or a boyish girl? Uh… I’m a guy so...
Would you like to have kids and how many? I would honestly love to have kids though I’m not sure how many.
Do you like shopping? Yes but I’m broke 110% of the time so...
How many countries have you visited so far? Uhh well outside of the US I’ve been to Mexico, U.K., Ireland, and France.
What’s the scariest dream you’ve had? Probably the one from when I was little and I had a nightmare where I was kidnapped right outside my house as I was taking out the trash.
Do you have any enemies? Oh yeah, let me tell you bro. My ex-boyfriend is NOT my biggest fan. That relationship was a train wreck from start to finish and he blames it all on me so... yeah...
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Nope
Put your phone on shuffle on iTunes and write down the first 15 songs without skipping:
1. Lock Me Up - The Cab
2. What You Know - Two Door Cinema Club
3. Como Te Extraño Mi Amor - Café Tacvba
4. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs - Fall Out Boy
5. When I Get You Alone (Glee Cast Version) - Glee Cast (Darren Criss)
6. Your Guardian Angel - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
7. Starships - Nicki Minaj
8. Hey, Soul Sister - Train
9. Toxic - Britney Spears
10. Cooler Than Me - Mike Posner
11. Tous Les Mêmes - Stromae
12. I Want You Back (Glee Cast Version) - Glee Cast (Grant Gustin)
13. Not Alone - Darren Criss
14. The Man Who Can’t Be Moved - The Script
15. La Vie En Rose - Edith Piaf
(Yeah, I know. My music taste is everywhere and even in multiple languages)
I’m not sure I wanna tag people but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I’m not even sure I have enough for twenty? Oh well.
I tag:
@youreturningscarletscarlet @raspbarry-allen @mattmurclocks @barthallens @flashsvibe @flashyvibes @tricks-treats @merlin-plus-arthur-equals-feels