#comic ref

on the topic of ra’s al ghul, i’m a little burnt out from answering the “what comics do i read to see more of [this]” or “what comics do you suggest” questions bc i get asked them so frequently

*here’s my short list in order:

Batman: Birth of the Demon #1 -> Batman & The Outsiders (2020) -> Robin (2021) issues #4-#12 -> Batman: Shadow War

also, since a lot of people tell me they don’t know how to read comics or ‘don’t know how/where to look for this stuff’, here’s what i do to get my info:

Alt versions:

"Someone has to have our backs. Keep us honest. That's why I'm here." / "Batman needs a conscience? Okay, I'll bite."

hiiii squidwaaaaard

original design under the cut + explaining the lore behind these refs

I actually made this in August of 2021 and like a dumbass never posted it, so here's an up to date version :)

Val-Zod is the Superman of the alternate reality Earth 2 and was the adoptive brother of Kal-El when they were on Krypton. Val goes by the alias Superman and when exposed to a yellow sun he shares all the same Kryptonian abilities as Kal-El. His first appearance was in Earth 2 #19 (published in Jan 2014).

The issues that feature Val are bolded!

Before we dive in, here's a list of appearances Val-Zod has made outside of the Earth 2 series:

Superman: Red and Blue #2 (the second short comic in issue 2, "Into the Ghost Town", is solely about Val)

Worlds' Finest, Vol 3 (2012) #25-26, and #30

Superman, Vol 4 (2016) #14 and #16

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent (2023) (this one is a current 6-issue series so Val may appear in future issues)

Worlds' Finest: Homeward Bound #1

Superman: Lois and Clark #1

Dial H for Hero #10

Justice League Vol 4 (2018) #26

Action Comics (2016) #1050

Earth 2, Vol 1: the Gathering

Earth 2 #1-6

E.2, Vol 2: the Tower of Fate

Earth 2 #0 DC universe presents #0 E.2 #7-12

E.2, Vol 3: Battle Cry

E.2 Annual #1 E.2 #13-16

E.2, Vol 4: the Dark Age

E.2 #17-18 E.2 #19-20 (first appearance!) E.2 Annual #2

E.2 Vol 5: the Kryptonian

E.2 #21-26

E.2: World’s End, Vol 1

E.2: World’s end #1-3

E.2 Vol 6: Collision

E.2 #27 E.2 #28

E.2: World’s End, Vol 1

E.2: World’s End #4-8

E.2 Vol 6: Collision

E.2 #29

E.2: World’s End, Vol 1

E.2: World’s End #9-10 E.2: World’s End #11

E.2: World’s End, Vol 2

E.2: World’s End #12-16

E.2 Vol 6: Collision

E.2 #30

E.2: World’s End, Vol 2

E.2: World’s End #17-19 E.2: World’s End #20 E.2: World’s End #21-23

E.2 Vol 6: Collision

E.2 #31 E.2 #32

E.2: World’s End, Vol 2

E.2: World’s End #24-26

(In the middle of the Earth 2 timeline Val also appears in Convergence #1-8)

E.2: Society, Vol 1: Planetfall

E.2: Society: Sneak peak E.2: Society #1-2 E.2: Society #3

E.2: Society, Vol 2: Indivisible

E.2: Society #8-10 E.2: Society #11 E.2: Society #12

E.2: Society, Vol 3: A Whole New World

E.2: Society #13-16 E.2: Society Annual #1

E.2: Society, Vol 4: Life After Death

E.2: Society #17-23

Hellboy: In The Chapel of Moloch

hey there! welcome to the party ~

I will preface this by saying I have never watched Luke Cage or Iron Fist, and I haven’t read either of their comics tbh so I’m no help there but as for DD and JJ —

Daredevil was heavily inspired and pulled from Frank Miller’s Born Again series [season 3 features a lot of shots pulled directly from the pages], Bendis’ (2002-2006) run, as well as Brubaker’s (2006-2009) run. My personal favorite is Mark Waid’s run which began in 2011 but….. even if the show pulled concepts from it esp in regards to, say, Sister Maggie, they’re tonally very different. Any comics that have come out since the show (2015) have been more or less very inspired by it, for better or worse.

The Defenders as we know them only had one solo run in 2017. Otherwise, they can be seen interacting in DD and JJ’s comics, though not exactly in a “team” context. JJ and LC are bodyguards for hire for Matt at his law firm.

JJ’s show was mostly inspired by Bendis’ ALIAS comics which were published under MAX, which was Marvel’s adult line at the time [they also published the Punisher], so you won’t be finding those on the Marvel Unlimited app. They’re….far too edgy and explicit for them to put out these days, but REALLY good if you can track them down through other means. There’s a JJ run published in 2016 that followed the show’s release that’s also good, but it was obviously not the inspiration.