more, more, more

Kara is at a crossroads, and one road leads towards Clark and one leads to Lobo. Or rather, one path leads to embracing the responsibility of the life and powers her parents gave her, and the other is continuing to drink her life away, not caring about anything or anyone but her and hers.

Lobo is immensely powerful, and the last of his planet. Just like Kara. And when we meet him, he’s passed out drunk in a bar, oblivious and uncaring of violence and exploitation around him. Just like Kara was trying to be when she first met Ruthye.

Lobo is Kara’s future if she gives up on trying to be good. Drunkenly stumbling through the galaxy not helping anyone or anything and only caring about herself. Maybe not mindlessly cruel, but not kind or good or caring of the pain of the people around her.

It’s why they both get Ruthye’s spiel, it’s why Lobo’s whole introduction mirrors what Kara was just doing demanding to know about the Brigands, it’s why they’re both “the ditz from the bar”, it’s why they both have the gag with the space suit collar.

It’s why Lobo crops up each time Ruthye and Kara are faced with choices, sometimes acting as a devil on their shoulders, sometimes just a big lurking ominous warning of their bleak future if they make the wrong choices. It’s why Lobo says “let Ruthye have her revenge”, uncaring of how the violence might haunt Ruthye for the rest of her life. He’s a big constant reminder why Kara cannot let this thirteen year old girl be consumed by violence, and of who her parents didn’t want her to be.

Lobo is Kara’s foil and shadow.

But also, another thing that I think people forget is that Bruce also has to love humanity and people. Like I'm totally on board for social awkward Bruce, he can hardly look people in the eyes, but he has to absolutely adore people and be so interested in them. Like even if he's not the biggest talker, he has a favourite barista that knows his name, he gossips with Charles the bodega guy, he will ask questions about your work and listen patiently as you go into more detail than necessary.

I'm reminded of how Dark Victory contrasts Alfred's response to Dick grappling with his parents death versus Bruce.

After Dick said he was alone now, Alfred reassured him he wasn't. When Bruce said he was alone now, Alfred stayed silent and let him walk away.

Bruce Wayne a.k.a Batman, World's Greatest Detective, is dating one of his rogues out of costume and he doesn't fucking realize it. mind you, Selina doesn't figure out she's dating Batman either, but at least that's pretty common within superhero stories so I make an exception for her. but Bruce? head empty, no thoughts, just pretty girl.

and the story has so much fun with their dynamic. the panels showing parallels between Batman gripping Catwoman's hand vs Bruce tenderly intertwining his fingers with Selina. Catwoman saving his ass after he gets hypnotized by Poison Ivy and Batman awkwardly thanking her saying that "Bruce Wayne is his friend". she buys him flowers. he makes cat puns at her. she breaks up with Batman without ever dating him in the first place. they slow dance passionately together at a mob boss' wedding party. Bruce says she's wasting his time while going out of his way to still chase her. he gets away from a fight with Catwoman just to go on a date with Selina Kyle immediately after. she annoys him to no end. he wants to kiss her so bad it makes him look stupid.