:00_dc_pride: DC Book Club(s) Vol. III - DC Pride! :00_dc_pride:

takes pride in the fact that Midnighter and Apollo are getting talked about to a decent degree

The Wildstorm fan in me hopes this leads to more folks reading the best title to star them in greater detail.

Wildstorm. Like Bart’s friendship, you know you want it. :slight_smile:

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I think there is a lot of value in having less-than-perfect characters represented in works of fiction. I feel like too often, characters from lesser represented groups can come off like two-dimensional people, which will probably make them less interesting or compelling compared to more three-dimensional characters.

I also think it’s important that LGBTQ+ readers have characters that reflect them and that they can relate to, and if they’re always portrayed as “perfect” that makes it a lot harder to relate to.

I think there is a lot of parallel, especially when you have characters who literally wear masks and have a secret identity. Having to present yourself as different than your true self and being afraid of being exposed would have parallels with the queer experience, for a lot of people, as would the feeling of being different and not fitting in.

@Vroom What would you say makes The Authority the best title?

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Oh, wow. Where to begin?

You know, The Authority v1 is just one of those things in entertainment that floors you, the first time you experience it.

From the characters, to the wild creativity (The Bleed in particular), to the art, to the writing that enables the fact that The Authority is a team so wildly confident in how absolutely, unrelentingly badass they are and how they will, in no uncertain terms, win the day for the good guys, I just love the overall confidence and craft involved that served to unite a near-perfect union of writing, art and unbridled creativity.

The Authority is absolutely one of my top three favorite Wildstorm titles of all time, and one of my favorite team books ever. I treat it like one of my very favorite movies: Only to be experienced in full once in a while, so as to preserve it’s magic for as long as one possibly can.

As for why The Authority v1 is Midnighter and Apollo’s best title…it showcases each of them in the perfect light, and is the basis for all Apollo and Midnighter iterations to come.

As the series begins, and through Bryan Hitch’s pencils, we see Apollo shine under the sun as he offers a ray of hope to those in distress. He is the Superman of the Wildstorm Universe, and we, the reader, know we can trust in his power as he works to save us.

Conversely in The Authority, we come to know Midnighter as a Batman-level badass (apropos, given he’s the Batman of the Wildstorm Universe) that nobody with a functioning brain should be on the wrong side of. His ability to outthink his opponent(s) at every turn is always interesting, and provides set ups for all manner of intriguing scenarios.

Again, it goes back to the idea of The Authority being the book that would serve as the basis for both characters. Sure, Action Comics #1 isn’t the definitive, end-all, be-all of Superman tales, but that book was also crafted in a different time and under a different mindset.

The Authority v1 however, just dropped the characters into our minds, turned the key and hit the accelerator with reckless abandon in the best way. Midnighter and Apollo started out fully-polished in the series, and have only got better with age.

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I haven’t read a ton of Wildstorm (yet), but your description definitely has me intrigued. :slight_smile:

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Should thou seek Wildstorm recommendations, I know a guy.

Have you read this ? It’s my all-time favorite Wildstorm title, ever, as it happens to have been written and drawn by my all-time favorite comic artist.

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I have not, but I’m definitely curious to now. That looks like the kind of art I saw all the time as a kid in Wizard magazine. :smiley:

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Divine Right’s first issue (Divine Right # 1/2, which is only digitally available in the trade) debuted in Wizard magazine, so that’s quite fitting.

SN: I miss Wizard. Their last year or three as an attempted overall entertainment mag with a strong focus on comics was hit and miss, but before that…I loved their mag, and read it with reckless abandon as my nerd eyes poured over what was New and Next in the comic scene.

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Hey all, need some help identifying a character. I know everyone here except the one at the far back left next to Tasmanian. I recognize Ystina/Shining Knight, Tasmanian Devil, and Midnighter. But who is this other character here?

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That’s Tremor! Introduced as a member of the Secret Society of Super-Villains in Villains United, and reintroduced as a reformed hero for social justice in The Movement, Tremor is to date the DC Universe’s only self-identifying asexual character.

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I’ve been asking for asexual representation in DC comics for a long time, and it’s nice to see they haven’t completely forgotten the one asexual character introduced as such in 2013 (though she hasn’t been seen since 2014). It would have been nice if she got, well, any dialogue in this issue, but baby steps, I suppose.

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Thank you so much! Yeah, I’d love to see more asexual representation. Hopefully this issue kicks up enough interest for DC to take notice!

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I agree that the trio fits together well in the first issue of this series - Catwoman brings in some hard truths that feel necessary in order to see the Harley and Ivy duo grow as characters (drugging the Riddler and taking over his home, giving away thirty million dollars, shopping at every opportunity, etc all aren’t exactly sustainable long-term), especially if Gotham is getting increasingly dangerous.

It was nice to see the lengths that Ivy would go to in order to ensure that Catwoman wasn’t a threat but at the same time ensuring that others weren’t a threat to Catwoman. Though their approaches to situations may be very different, I think they make for a very effective team alongside Harley (as long as Catwoman isn’t made to compromise herself too much where Batman is involved). :0_catwoman:

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Thanks for sharing these, I’m going to have to take a look at them as soon as we’re done with our current reading selections.

Absolutely, humans are not perfect. We all have our little quirks. We make mistakes, we learn from them (or sometimes not). We have our own views, opinions, beliefs etc. Representation should not be one sided, it should show the good, with the bad.

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The Movement is a solid read, and a sorely underrated gem of the latter portion of The New 52.

Villains United is also a solid book, and one of the better lead-in minis (of four total) to Infinite Crisis.

The commonality? Author Gail Simone. She rocks.

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She’s a pretty minor background character in Villains United, but gets much more prominence when reintroduced in The Movement, which is also when her asexuality is established. I’d suggest starting there.

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Hello, dahlings! We’ve had some new members joining in the past 24 hours, and I wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to catch up on our newsletter for this month’s DC Book Club installment :slight_smile:

Please find the first newsletter right here :point_left: It includes a brief into, as well as some details on how you can update your profile details and avatar/icon :batparrot:

Welcome to the DC Book Club, @bmaxwell31.70020 , @teke.carlos , @Kog2025 , @shaadschubert , @ndg3561.58939 , @siddhimundhra201105.3153 , @pmonty , @sam.loves.lilly102.55082 , @CompanyInkDipper , and @alansafi23.99062 ! Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions :heart:

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and…

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Welcome, welcome! :wave:
tenor (15)

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Hi. I have a dcu subscription but can’t find DC Pride #1. Can you help me access it?

Thanks

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