sashene

When talking about Epsteingate, a few facts are always on my mind.

One in five girls and one in six boys are victims of sexual abuse before the age of eighteen.

Across all ages, almost half of all women are victims of sexual assault.

For both of the above, the majority of perpetrators were people that the victims knew and trusted.

As for trafficking, Epstein trafficked some 1200 girls. The national human trafficking hotline claims to have identified 21,865 victims in 2024 alone, while their all-time statistic is in the hundreds of thousands. (Frustratingly, they separate the number of cases of sex trafficking from cases of labor trafficking, but list the victims only in aggregate. I thus cannot be sure how many of these victims were trafficked for sex, at least not by HTHL statistics alone).

From these facts, I think I can make the case that Epsteingate was not exceptional in its character. Sexual abuse and exploitation is not the sole purview of a select few. It is endemic to our culture, an inevitable fixture of an economy wherein the body is a commodity and there are classes of people who are culturally and socially denied the power to defend themselves.

But that's not the cultural reckoning we're seeing right now, is it?

This media spotlight could have been a launchpad to critique this element of our political economy. Instead, the new generation of opportunists, in accidental collaboration with their bourgeoisie, have rallied around the phrase "the Epstein class". Peddlers of the phrase will tell miracle stories of how this scandal is finally opening their rightist friends and family's eyes to the class the left rails against. But the phrase is only so readily accepted because it is bereft of meaning. The "Epstein class" is not united by its relationship to production. It is a category of person who commits a crime, namely child sexual exploitation. And everyone who hears the phrase maps onto it the sort of person they associate with that crime. Thus, the leftist opportunist says "the Epstein class" and means "the bourgeoisie," while the reactionary says "the Epstein class" and means "the fifth column of Jews and degenerates." (As always, the right's enemy is also not defined by its relationship to production). Which meaning will win out? Well, with every powerful person in the country scrambling to find a scapegoat for the scandal, I'm sure you can guess.

Thus, unto the fandom side of things. Following the cultural trend, DC's reaction to the Epstein shock repeatedly portrays the problem as exceptional and as arising from outside the culture. The other day, Supergirl premiered, and showed the titular superheroine defending Earth from sadistic aliens called the Brigands, who sustain themselves solely by defiling the women and girls of other cultures. Meanwhile, the ongoing Absolute line of comics depict a setting ruled by a shadowy cabal of wealthy elites. Joker in this setting tortures and mutilates babies to maintain his appearance in a beat-for-beat retelling of the adrenochrome harvesting conspiracy. That conspiracy itself is a modern repackaging of blood libel. Liberal cape fans are singing the praises of both of these works, calling them a shot across the bow from pop culture against the Epstein class. Which Epstein class? No doubt capital will make it out of this one unscathed.

I would love to see DC grapple with the sort of cultural reckoning I touched on earlier. I wish I could see stories really dig into how the commodification of women and children's bodies permeates the entire culture. Not because of evil foreigners or hidden elites, but because of the culture itself, because of the pressure toward dehumanization in everyone who desires a commodity. I wish I could see comics get into just how damn prevalent and unexceptional it all is — more people are sexually abused as kids than have blonde hair, for crying out loud. But it'll never happen. Would Eddie Berganza write that comic? What about Scott Lobdell? Geoff Johns? Warren Ellis, Jason Latour, Scott Allie? Would Charles Brownstein fight for the right to write it? Would the corporation that defended and promoted these men knowing damn well what they did, even having it on camera, publish it without watering it down until there was no message left? Would the millions of readers who are themselves guilty of this exact behavior look in the damned mirror and see themselves for what they are without pitching a fit and threatening the author?

And there's so much drama and social commentary that could be mined from this. What does Supes represent to immigrants like Malik and his community? What does this revelation mean to them personally? Does Clark empathise with them, sees himself in them and their experiences? There could have been a scene of the daily planet or other in-universe news outlets interviewing Malik and his community. But nope!

Malik's death is not even given any narrative weight. There's no funeral scene with Superman in attendance or collective mourning from his community. It's acknowledged with a brief shot of a newspaper headline.

Gunn only knows how to write three types of women. You are either: a) snarky badass loner types (Lois, Hawkgirl, Engineer) or b) dumb/airheaded (Ma Kent, Eve, female robot)

Lois doesn't get to display much of her journalism skills, and her research skills as a journalist occurs off-screen. She hardly gets to interact with other women on-screen, and her one scene with Cat Grant revolves around Cat asking Lois about her romantic life, so it failed the Bechdel test.

Martha (Ma) Kent doesn't get to dispel folksy small-town wisdom like her husband does. Her most prominent scene involves her not knowing how to talk on a smartphone with Clark in very "haha, boomer doesn't know how to use modern tech" fashion.

Eve doesn't even get to whistle-blow against Lex Luthor becos she's got her own moral backbone, but becos Lex treated her badly. And her love interest Jimmy Olsen is constantly demeaning her intelligence and her looks even tho he looks like the human equivalent of a number 2 pencil. It's gave me gotg 2 war flashbacks over how Mantis is mocked for how "ugly" she supposedly is.

Why does he want to do good? Why does he want to become a superhero? And it basically boils down to, oh becos his biological parents apparently told him in a recording that they sent him to earth to serve humanity and help the world be a better place. Like, hang on, Clark, are you helping people becos mummy and daddy told you to 🥺?

Yeah I'm of mixed minds about this too. Most attempts to update the Yellow Peril trope either remove their signifiers for Eastern cultures so it's purely yellow aliens but still retain the racist message without explicit signifiers, or they have straight forward Yellow Peril characters without the yellow color (Al Ghuls in Abso Supes and Jor + Lara El in Supes2025). Neither of these are really tackling the problem itself.

I think the only true rebuttal is revising Yellow Peril characters to the point of near unrecognizability from their current versions. I can see the perspective of readers thinking characters like the Al Ghuls are too far gone in the mainline comics, which is why when the Abso line just repeated the Yellow Peril tropes in their brand new universe it was all the more disappointing that DC couldn't innovate.

I'm often asked "well what would you do with the Al Ghuls in the Abso universe" and I generally answer "make the Al Ghul's redeemable. Make them the misunderstood good guys with a radical but good cause. Have a conversation about their orientalism so we are engaging with their comic meta. Challenge the inherit Arab and Islamophobia that exists in American cape comics. If you're brave enough, make Superman ally with them as immigrants."

In the hands of current DC creatives, they probably need to retire a lot of their Yellow Peril villains. In the hands of more radical, diverse, fresh talent? They're capable of coming up with creative remixes.

John Constantine prompt for DC Gotcha for Gaza! I was given free reign to do anything Johnstantine, so I figured it would be a fun opportunity to draw blue suit and tan coat combo :y

This same fandom then turned around and put all their faith into MAWS. MAWS released promo art depicting a brown leather jacket-wearing Superboy that will show up in the upcoming season of their show. There was so much hype for this, to the point the kon el fandom pretended it was basically the only real adaptation of Kon there is (ignoring YJ and Reign of Supermen as animated takes because it didn't meet their standard). And Kon was going to be brown too! Wow, surely the show that treats racebending as an aesthetic apolitical change to the characters could do justice to Kon, who gentrified Hawai'i in his original comic. Surely the show that's squeamish about politics could handle that.

So then MAWS did what it always does. Its interpretation on the character barely resembles their source material. Basically all they share in common is a name or title. It's as though the show didn't engage, challenge, transform or adapt anything from the source material the character came from at all. Apparently y'all just got Trunks from Dragon Ball named Jonathan Kent. He's voiced by Darren Criss, a wasian Chinese Filipino actor- continuing MAWS' tradition of monolith casting its Asian characters (considering he's likely a clois baby and Lois is Korean in this series).

Basically it looks like all this Superboy has in common with Kon is that he styles his hair in a fade, wears a leather jacket and sunglasses sometimes. Anyone who sees this character design would assume it's Kon and that's the point. MAWS is a show that wants to hit as many comic references as possible for no other reason than to jingle keys at you. Now that's an arbitrary artistic decision driven by nothing.

ive got a bad case of the khoas right now... its terminal....

To celebrate Duke's birthday yesterday, here are some of my Duke reading recs grouped together by arbitrary categories!! Take these with a huge grain of salt I'm completely working off memory

Powers

The Cursed Wheel finale, found in All-Star Batman #9 (Duke's light powers awaken)

Dark Days: The Forge / Dark Days: The Casting (explanation of Elaine's meta gene and also Nth metal... idk I don't understand it)

Batman & The Signal (introduction of Gnomon)

Batman & The Outsiders (2019) (Duke's shadow powers awaken, which dampen his light powers)

Dark Nights: Death Metal Robin King (Duke unlocks his light powers again)

Batman Secret Files: The Signal (Duke unlocks more powers)

Thomas Family

Batman: Zero Year / Batman: Endgame

We Are Robin (you already know this is essential reading)

Batman (2011) #48 and #50

All-Star Batman #1-9 including Cursed Wheel back-ups (PEAK Doug & Elaine reading. read main stories alongside back-ups for the best experience)

Batman & The Signal

Batman: Secret Files: The Signal (Duke's mom disappears)

Batman: Urban Legends #8-9 and #18-19 (aftermath of Duke's mom's disappearance + rescuing her)

Romance

We Are Robin (Dizzy + polyWAR for your reading pleasure)

Batman (2016) #1-6 (in which Tom King replaces Duke's girlfriend of colour with a White love interest)

Batman & The Signal (Duke is back to dating Izzy! so. literally what was the point)

Batman Secret Files: The Signal

I only watched the trailer to answer this ask ñalksdfj. Haterism ahead, sns :P

My main takeaway is that it's a pity Milly Alcock is going to play Kara in a film I am not interested in watching. She's the only part that could tempt me because it's clear she'll be a great Kara!! But I'm not at all interested in the Gunnverse, and even less in the Gunn-collaborating-with-war-criminal-nepo-baby Tom King 'verse. Which I'm guessing will be an even bigger element in Supergirl, as the story is based on one of his comics.

And the thing is, I did enjoy Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow on first read. It hits some notes with her character I liked a lot, I can't deny that, but it now seems to be all some people want with Kara.

It's also one of those stories that when you learn a thing or two about the author's life, you start seeing very differently. And in many ways it was carried by Bilquis Evely's gorgeous art and... that trailer looked ugly as sin sns. Just... compare.

In many ways the trailer also telegraphed the film is going to be worse than the comic, mainly by adding that type of juvenile humour and edginess Gunn loves.

On top of that now it features fucking Lobo, who is one of the most annoying characters they could've added and a sex pest. And casting Jason Momoa for the part? I won't say it's the most racist shit Gunn has pulled, but it's certainly in the running!

Am I a fucking eevee?

First ontologically evil child

DADDY’S #1 SACRIFICIAL LAMB 2 TIME CHAMPION JASON TODD

at least this partner already got their death out of the way

Willis Todd when his sweet boy decapitates people

Hot dog or hamburger style, boss.

think i wanna get beat up w/ aftercare

they’re canceling me for the way I deal with grief

i support jason peter todd's patricidal tendencies

assigned trans at goon

does Jason know about 9/11

hes jerking it to foucault discipline and punish

Anyway my actual question is, what would be Cass' greatest struggle wrt Bruce's death/taking the cowl after Bruce's death? Like how do you think the grief would manifest, what would be the biggest conflict?

Hi!!! First off congrats for finishing Battle for the Cowl, everyone who gets through it deserves a medal. Secondly it makes me happy to hear I'm your Cass reference because there are so many amazing and knowledgable Cass blogs on here <333.

Anyway your question is SO interesting because. AGH. Cass deserved to be in BftC so bad!!! Okay in a world where Cass became Batman, I'm going to pretend she doesn't set up Batman, Inc. I'm also assuming in this world Steph still takes up Batgirl/Cass still gives it to her.

There are many considerations for how Cass would react, and this is a jumble of thoughts (other Cass fans might have better answers than me tbh). But here are some factors:

Besides her lame non-reaction in Reborn era, we do have some hints on how Cass would react to Bruce's death in Batgirl (2000) #15. When Cass gets hit by a beam that makes the brain come up with a scenario to kill, Cass imagines the Joker killing Bruce and her killing the Joker. This 'killing' reaction is due to the beam, but it's significant that Bruce dying was her justification. Her brain had to come up with a reason to break her most sacred vow, and Bruce's death was what it found. His death broke a fundamental part of her. Ofc this was very early on in their relationship, but I think Bruce's death would take a toll on her sense of internal 'goodness' (which was always shaky to begin with)

Bruce adopts Cass in 2008, basically right before he dies. His adoption words to her: "You'll always have a real family... as long as I'm around". Just. AHHHH. Although Bruce didn't intend this, this is phrased as a conditional: Cass' 'real family' depends on Bruce's presence. For Bruce to die immediately after this would severely impact Cass' sense of belonging to the family.

We know from Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Batgirl that Bruce had ordered Cass to give the Batgirl mantle to Steph (in the case of his disappearance/death). We don't know how he said this - it may have been an order before his death, or a 'last message'-type deal like with Dick/Jason. Regardless, this would impact Cass' belief that she deserves the Bat mantle. We know from what actually happens that Cass gives up the symbol after Bruce's death. In a scenario where she takes the cowl, I think this seed of doubt would wriggle at her. What did Bruce mean when he told her to give up Batgirl? Was it because he wanted her to become Batman, or because he wanted to strip her of the symbol entirely?

If Cass takes up the cowl I'm assuming Dick doesn't? Or he's a simultaneous Batman? Either way, Cass + Dick would be very interesting in this era, not least because they're coming off the backs of their fight in Batgirl (2008) + reconciliation in Batman & The Outsiders (2007). That reconciliation addresses Bruce's absence: Dick says, "I suppose we need to work together to fill the void he left." So Dick-Cass would be this tense and grieving relationship that's filled with a strange solidarity. On the other hand, I think Babs would not want Cass to be the Bat, so this might drive a wedge between them (and I think Cass, in her grieving state, would likely evade or lash out if Babs shows any concern). So Cass' relationships to Dick and Babs would change.

Cass' relationship to Tim would also be changed by Tim's Brucequest, and honestly it would probably fracture because both of them are not in the best state of mind. Cass' relationship to Steph would also be tense, in my opinion Cass would shut her out for a variety of reasons (not least because of the aforementioned 'give Batgirl to Steph' order). So Cass' relationship to Steph and Tim would most likely worsen.

A final consideration is that, when Stephanie died, Cass left Gotham for Bludhaven. Steph's death changed her entire relationship to Gotham, leading her to say (in her internal monologue) that Blud was the first place to ever be hers. Both Steph and Bruce are Gothamites through and through, so I think Bruce's death would also change Cass' relationship to Gotham City.

Okay I am so sorry for that essay because you were only asking for the biggest conflict 😭. I think all of the above build up into her biggest conflict being whether or not she belongs here/whether or not she's doing the right thing. Don't get me wrong, she knows she can make a great Bat and she knows Gotham needs a Batman. But with Bruce dead, with her grounding relationships to Steph and Babs under heavy strain, with Tim steadfastly believing Bruce is not dead, with her relationship to Gotham in shambles, with the adoption in the air, and with Dick (who's been Batman before) hanging around and probably clashing with her sometimes, her self-belief would probably be more fragile than it's ever been. I'm thinking end of BG 2000 levels of 'do I even deserve to the Bat symbol'.

I'm also thinking of Gates of Gotham, where Cass and Dick talk in the car and Cass says it's a choice to stay in Gotham, whether or not the city wants you. I think, if Cass was Batman, this would have to be a choice she makes everyday - with everything she's ever known in jeopardy or flat-out gone, she'd have to choose to go out there, choose to assert herself as the Bat. And despite it all I think she would do it. She never loses, after all.

so fundamentally I think this is another stitch in a long pattern of babs oversexualizing cass. babs frequently pushes being a romantic and sexual object on cass

including when it’s obvious cass does not want that. she’s uncomfortable and doesn’t want to be sexualized. but babs pushes for it regardless. and babs does at one point acknowledge that she’s going too far with it, that this isn’t what cass wants

but them she still falls into the same habits after, showing that while she’s less directly aggressive after this, she hasn’t really changed her mindset much. BUT pin in that —

cass is being pushed by a mentor figure, one who is helping her define what being a woman means, to explore her sexuality. cass views babs as someone so focused on pushing (let’s be clear; STRAIGHT relationships) that when she’s hallucinating everyone after being drugged, her idea of babs basically can’t talk or be talked about without bringing up romance with men.

and imo it’s ambiguous whether cass does have an interest in exploring her sexuality, post-tai’darshan, or whether she’s just exploring expectations of her but she does wear babs’ old costume which is way more catered to the male gaze than cass’ batgirl outfit. whether it’s explicitly for the purpose of finding out her own feelings on it or not, she is experimenting with being sexy on purpose and of her own free will. to her, babs is her only example of female sexuality, so she tries to recreate babs’ experience

i think cass’ key takeaways from this interaction were: wearing this costume, babs ensnared the attention of her Robin and delighted in it

so cass puts on the same costume and ensnares the attentions of her Robin with it

but has no interest in it in reality. she does not engage with it. she immediately gives the costume back because she did not find any fulfillment or delight in the experience it gave her

and then babs immediately sexualizes her again. PIN BACK OUT.

this is not pressuring cass to do anything, nor is it really pushing anything on her, its engaging with cass sexuality on cass' level when she expresses interest. however, its clear cass did not like the experience. she shows no interest in discussing it. babs lamenting not being able to see it is a marked improvement from forcing things on cass, but i do think it shows that she hasnt changed how she thinks about cass. just the actions she takes in regards to how she thinks about cass

so, now we turn to cass and bruce at this time.

cass' entire existence is one of abuse. we get constant parallels between batman and david cain, even bruce acknowledges he may be continuing cass' abuse and chooses to bench her to try and force healing and peace in her life (prompted by babs, so babs is definitely not out of the phase entirely of trying to make cass' decisions for her but i digress)

cass wants to be batgirl. she is loyal to what batman stands for. the misunderstanding between bruce and cass is what is causing cass' continued suffering; bruce thinks it is batman forcing her to be apart of violence by being a vigilante. it is, in fact, batman not engaging with cass with tenderness.

cass craves touch from her new father figure that is not violence. she has no issue with violence, but she wants more than just that. she clarifies that it hurt when batman benched her, it did not help heal her. she curls up on batman and says this is what she was missing. holding and affectionate touches. this is a HUGE turning point in their relationship because up until now there's been tons of instances of bruce trying to help cass and just failing, but this is a success.

so yes, during this entire fight she had with bruce she was actively craving affectionate touch. she was not trying to hurt him, she was going for being held and touched with tenderness.

she relaxes into it immediately, even though they're in the middle of maybe drowning in the middle of a fight. she takes the first opportunity for tenderness she is presented. its what she's been wanting the whole time. its the thing that will confirm to her the abuse is over

so back to the panel

yes, babs can undoubtedly tell that cass does not want to be fighting batman. look at this pose -- she's going for a hold, she looks like she is seeking out affection. her expression (and she pulled off her own mask during this fight) is not angry or violent, it is longing.

(Cover of #46 which touches on the two sides of Cass (and shows her babs+bats hallucinations) and the first 3 pages of #50: Batgirl vs. Batman (these pages are the main reason behind my interpretation of the 'Kill or Kiss' panel which comes from the same issue)

"It's like her real soul is split in two." -#46 on how Cass acts under the effects of a drug called soul- which is supposed to either send you into a rage or have you feeling ecstasy, depending on how 'good or bad' you are- rage eventually wins for Cass, but you can see that it's love which eventually wins in #50.