There was a Crisis. IN MY BRAIN.

[odditycollector]

 
So, everyone was crying foul this week about Batman 644. I hadn't been following the storyline at all, but I was a little bit a masochist curious, so I read though it this evening.

And? It wasn't nearly as bad as it was made out to be.

The offending pages, for anyone without access to my brain... or at least my Photoshop:











So, yes, I'll miss Leslie too, but really? The above seems like a fair extrapolation of her character. After Steph's death, she realizes she's not helping anything in Gotham and goes somewhere where she *can*. It's not all that well written, I'll admit; the dialogue doesn't flow naturally, and it's hard to follow. However... it's not as bad as most of what Willingham's done in the Batbooks. I don't think he *gets* Leslie, but I've very, very rarely seen anyone who *does*. Bruce comes off as even more of a psycho than usual, but I can almost believe it of him at this point in time.

If you're just complaining because it seems like DC is flushing out all the female characters, yeah, I'm right with you. But it's not like it was character assassination, you know?


Honestly. To listen to the outcry, you'd think you guys all read a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT comic or something. Geez.

ETA: If you've found this post from outside of Livejournal and have an opinion on it, that's fine, but please make sure you reply to the post itself and not to the comments beneath it. Livejournal works a little bit differently than most messageboards, and if you reply to a comment you're replying directly to the person who made *that* comment, not to me.

Comments

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

I think I love you.

Evidently, I just dreamed reading the #644 I thought I read, because this one makes far, far more sense.

[(Anonymous)]

The ending was fine and it shows how dedicated Batman really is, even Leslie gave up the never ending battle. This faux ending is for those that can't stand change.

[gene-lee.livejournal.com]

YEAH! And, like, that whole Spidey-clone saga was the best-EVA!

*grins*

#644 was contrived and extremely out of character. There was nothing to even suggest or build to this conclusion. It smacked of the agenda the Bat-office has of a) removing Batman's supporting cast so he can be a lone soldier and b) switching the focus of fault and consequence from Batman to someone else.

I don't believe that Bruce is ultimately to blame for War Games, but who's going to think about all of Bruce's idiot and negligent decisions in regards to Stephanie when now you have Leslie to outright blame for her death.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

It smacked of the agenda the Bat-office has of a) removing Batman's supporting cast so he can be a lone soldier and b) switching the focus of fault and consequence from Batman to someone else.

*steps out of retcon-happy bubble*

I agree. And I don't really have a problem with those 2 directives, as they are. (A few little qualms, but those are more about my kinks than what's good for the never-ending nature of the *story*.) However, there are a million ways DC could have accomplished this that *didn't* waste characters.

For one instance, the above. a) Leslie left for Africa so she can't help Bruce (she might even *stay*) and b) *Stephanie*, with a small chance of *also someone else*.

Blaming it all on Leslie was a cheap fix, and it's so out of character I can't take it seriously. (Maybe she's SLADE.)

*goes back in bubble*

[gene-lee.livejournal.com]

I agree. And I don't really have a problem with those 2 directives, as they are. (A few little qualms, but those are more about my kinks than what's good for the never-ending nature of the *story*.) However, there are a million ways DC could have accomplished this that *didn't* waste characters.

That's exactly what I had a problem with. Its not the directives for change that bother me as much as that it came at a cost of a really important character that will NEVER bounce back from this storyline. Any writer or fan who believes that are fooling themselves. What she did is murder.

But that's hardly a new concept in the Batverse and I've been trying to wrap my brain around why this whole thing bothers me more than any previous storyline. On another board, someone mentioned the hypocrisy of Batman "attacking" Leslie for taking life when he himself allies his cause with murderers [Azreal, Huntress, Cass, etc]. Which was my thinking at first, yet this feels different. More horrific.

When I think of Steph's last moments, I imagine a young innocent girl being tortured to death, who got away and was fighting to survive. Who wanted to live and had that hope stolen away from her. For some reason, Leslie's monstrous decision enrages me more than any villain Batman has come across.

No doctor, without an intent to harm or kill, would make a decision not to treat someone that is treatable. Which is why there is no reasonable or noble or even understandable argument that Dr. Thompkins can make for her actions, and with that, no logical explanation as to why her character would turn in such a direction.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

When I think of Steph's last moments, I imagine a young innocent girl being tortured to death, who got away and was fighting to survive. Who wanted to live and had that hope stolen away from her. For some reason, Leslie's monstrous decision enrages me more than any villain Batman has come across.

I think that's the feeling we as readers are supposed to be left with... and if it had been some until-then-unmet intern or maybe even *another* doctor's *honourable* attempt at triage, you know, I would be with you. And Bruce could point and go: See? See? Not my fault! And, okay, no one would believe him, but why should we believe him any more because we know Leslie's name?

So it's not that Steph died, hell, it's not even the suddenly retconned WAY she died, it's that it was Leslie who did it. In the face of *decades* of fairly stable characterization. And not only did Willingham do nothing to convince me that Leslie would ever do such a thing, but, from the exposure I've had to his internet posts today, I get that he didn't think he had to.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

I know exactly what you mean. Isn't it worrying when you spend so much time with comics you start having *nightmares* about them?

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Oooh, *thank you*.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Oh, you're very welcome.

[lurkergrrl.livejournal.com]

About the anonymous guy, I'm really sorry. There are a few people on Newsarama who I thought would like this alternate ending, so I posted a link to it there. I should have known it would bring flamers. :( Do you want me to delete that thread?

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Nah, not a worry. I can handle a little dissenting opinion here (probably because I don't frequent message boards, so I don't know how lucky I am, but).

[booster17.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, I wouldn't have found this if it wasn't for your pimping on Newsarama. Thanks!

[petronelle.livejournal.com]

I like your brain. I'm staying in your canon.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Hey, the more, the merrier. I mean, I'm just staying ahead of the next retcon, right?

Er, I mean... but, this *is* the right canon. *nods*

[roachspit.livejournal.com]

Marry me?

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Maybe. Can we go to space for our honeymoon?

[minim_calibre]

See this? This makes sense.

Sigh.

Sense! ACTUAL SENSE! My offended brain, she is soothed.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Yay! And I know - this stems from me wanting to soothe *my* brain.

[booster17.livejournal.com]

Okay, now that works a lot better. Doesn't destroy a character for the sake of it, and gives Leslie a better send-off than Willingham did.

Thanks.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

And thank you. I'm glad other people got something out my denial as well.

[red-eft.livejournal.com]

I would like to curl up in your brain (or at least your photoshop) until this is canon, please.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Make yourself comfortable. And it's at least more canon than the canon we've got.

that was great

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't like the finish of that storyline either, but that was a very nice piece of rewritting by you.

http://www.thestompinggrounds.org/forums/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=1&

Re: that was great

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if you're checking back on this, but I'm glad you liked it!

Thanks for commenting.

[annedroid.livejournal.com]

Wow.
Certainly harsh, but the reasoning is there. I'm more surprised it took Stephanie of all people to make Leslie quit like this. I mean, she knew the job was dangerous when she took it...

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

I'm more surprised it took Stephanie of all people to make Leslie quit like this.

I'm thinking it's more the straw that broke the camel's back, if you know what I mean. And it's not like Steph was the only casualty from War Games; she's just the only one whose name we're supposed to remember.

So maybe Leslie suddenly looked around and realized she was supporting Bruce, directly or no, in a mission that was *killing people*. And yes, it's more complicated than that, but Leslie's always been a little odd about moral complications. ;)

Thank you

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Yes, that works. That's Leslie and Bruce - and you did it without her hiding Spoiler (oh, I'd love for Stephanie to be alive, but this distorts the current stuff less.)

And your dialogue? Better than Willingham's.

Re: Thank you

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it!

and you did it without her hiding Spoiler (oh, I'd love for Stephanie to be alive, but this distorts the current stuff less.)

Don't worry... I'm sure DC will come up with a horrendously implausible fix for this, eventually. I had given up on anything but "marginally less stupid."

[beccaelizabeth]

having read this, I can't remember what was actually in the issue. I mean the comic made no sense, and this fits perfectly. Better truth here.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Better truth here.

Thanks. It really *didn't* make sense.

[dotfic.livejournal.com]

Oh, I wish DC had done it this way.

This is my Leslie. This is my Bruce.

Thank you for taking the effort to make this. Batman #644 was so NOT my Leslie and NOT my Bruce.

I thought your dialogue was good. I see no reason why it couldn't have gone down this way. Unfortunately, it didn't (with DC I'm not very good at pretending canon isn't canon. This doesn't stop me from enjoying the fanon).

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

I thought your dialogue was good. I see no reason why it couldn't have gone down this way. Unfortunately, it didn't (with DC I'm not very good at pretending canon isn't canon. This doesn't stop me from enjoying the fanon).
Thanks!

Yeah, I know what you mean. If I'm writing fic or something in the Batverse, I'm more likely to ignore the canon I don't like than use it... but I'm very unlikely to use something else (like this) instead.

In my head, however, it's a different story. And I honestly believe it's only a matter of time until DC fixes this mess anyhow.

[vass]

Yes. I'm glad that Willinghamfucktard called you in to write those few pages at the last moment, and that this then became canon. It's a shame Leslie had to go, and I *am* mad about the flushing out of female characters, but I'm glad she at least made a decent exit. But then, she deserves it, and after all, how else could DC have played it, make her into a murderer or something? (not that I'm suggesting anyone *would* write her that way, mind.)

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was a shock to me too, considering how I mostly ignore his existence totally... but I guess he was worried about that brand of indifference spreading. *shrug* (And you don't *want* to know what his original brainstorm-ed endings were like. One of them involved bulldozers. And *unicorns*. It was almost as scary as the impossibility you suggest!)

[teekoness.livejournal.com]

This is exactly how I wish it had been written. None of the "she snapped" crap (excuse my language but I simply can't think of a better word to describe it).

May I friend you?

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

(excuse my language but I simply can't think of a better word to describe it).

*laughs* I can, but it involves far worse words.

But thank you. This is how I wish it had been written too. And you're welcome to friend me.

hello--I gacked this from marag's FL

[tallyhohoho.livejournal.com]

DC should hire you and boot Willingham. Well done and as you said, your version fits Leslie's character far better. She isn't an uncaring monster, just overwhelmed. Very good job...and on behalf of all longtime Bat-fans, thanks.

Re: hello--I gacked this from marag's FL

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

*grins* Thanks. I'm always glad to know someone else liked this little exercise.

And yeah, Willingham obviously lied on his resume. (Though I think I've got quite away to go before I can start fighting for his job.)

Re: hello--I gacked this from marag's FL

[tallyhohoho.livejournal.com]

Well, based on the retcon, you're on your way. BTW, feel free to friend me.

[brownbetty]

Thank you. I was seriously confused for a while about what happened, but now it all makes sense!

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Yes! It does!

And you're very welcome.

[prodigal.livejournal.com]

I found this post via scans_daily, and it reminded me of what I wrote as a reaction to Steph's death:

http://prodigal.livejournal.com/434297.html

Hope you like it.