Crosses & Cross Bolts: A Huntress Reading List

After my recent Black Canary reading list, I’ve received a lot of requests to do a similar post for Huntress, a fan-favorite character from DC Comics who also made her big-screen debut. Now I don’t talk about her enough but I love Huntress. She’s a pretty amazing character and as an ass-kicking, crossbow-wielding heroine she’s one that not everyone may know, but definitely that everyone should love.

That being said she’s not the easiest character to get into. Something that a lot of people don’t realize when it comes to Huntress is that there are two different versions of the character, each one going by the first name Helena and both operating under the Huntress persona. So you see where the complication comes in.

In fact, the first Huntress, who debuted back in 1977 was actually Helena Wayne of Earth 2, an alternate universe in which she was the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, and eventually took on her own superhero identity. It wasn’t until her self titled series in 1989 ( which please don’t read that because it is severely outdated and grossly violent) that the Helena Bertinelli Huntress was introduced, sporting not only a new name but an entirely new personality and origin as well. Since her debut, Helena Bertinelli went on to become the mainstream Huntress. It’s this version of the character that you’ll see in animated adaptations television shows and even in the Birds of Prey movie Now I do want to do a break down for both Helena Bertinelli and Helena Wayne, along with what stories you can read to get you started as I think both identities are important for the character.

I’m gonna kick things off with Helena Bertinelli. Personally, this is the version of the character I prefer. She’s tough, ruthless, a little unstable but undoubtedly loyal to those around her. She’s also both a recurring member of the Batfamily as well as being a key member of the Birds of Prey.

Huntress Year One: Ivory Madison & Cliff Richards -  Batman, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, it feels like every major player in the DC Universe has their own Year One story. So I will say that while it’s certainly invited, it is a little strange that Huntress, who could be argued as a minor character, has a Year One story of her own. Much like Bruce Wayne, Helena Bertinelli has a tragic backstory of her own. Born into the Bertinelli crime family, one of the most powerful crime families in Gotham, 8-year-old Helena is forced to bear witness to the murder of her father, mother and older brother during a family dinner. It would be the start of the end for the Bertinelli line, as members of the family would be wiped out from Metropolis to Chicago, leaving a young Helena as the sole surviving member. From there she’s whisked away to Sicily where for years she would reside with extended family and grow a close relationship with her cousin Sal. After all "blood cries for blood" and it’s Sal who would teach her how to fight and to take back what was stolen from her. Unlike most origin stories, in Huntress Year One, Helena has practically mastered her craft. Already, she’s depicted as a skilled detective and an adept martial artist. While a lot of readers might have a problem with this it’s the one thing I find the story does particularly well. Rather than follow the same old formula of the hero finding their path, honing their skills and donning the costume, Huntress Year One gets straight to the point allowing Helena to come face to face with the men who killed her family. It also has some ridiculously gorgeous art which is another great draw to this story. My biggest complaint with Year One is some of the characterizations for some of the characters. While Helena herself is written fairly well its members of the supporting cast including characters like Catwoman and Barbara Gordon’s, Batgirl that come off as a little strange and sometimes even demeaning of the character. That all being said while not my first pick,  Year One makes for a great first introduction to if you’re new to Huntress. [Comixolgy]

Huntress: Cry for Blood - Greg Rucka & Rick Burchett -  What is possibly my favorite on this list, Cry for Blood is pretty much my immediate go-to when it comes to a solid Huntress story. Being that this book is written by Greg Rucka, who has titles under his belt like Wonder Woman Hiketia and Batwoman Elegy, that should be enough to sell this title for you. Cry for Blood follows the story of Helena Bertinelli after her Huntress persona is framed for the murder of her cousin. Given her previous history with violence, as she’s one of the few in the Batfamily unafraid to kill, she’s confronted by Batman and after an altercation between him and Nightwing she’s pushed into hiding during her recovery. Here she’ll spend time with Richard Dragon, a master martial artist, along with the conspiracy theorist vigilante known as The Question. After some time away and allowing her body and mind to retrain,  she’ll return to Gotham, in an action to clear her name and to discover the clear motive for her framing. It’s in the story’s final pages that she’ll learn a dark secret that will change her life forever. While Cry for Blood isn’t considered an origin story, unlike Year One it does provide some insight and detail into Helena’s tragic backstory. We also get to see a closer look at her interactions with various members of the Batfamily along with some of the animosity towards her from characters like Batman and even Oracle. One of the reasons Cry for Blood is so prominent on this list and why I love it as much as I do is because this is really where we start to see Helena question her morality and her struggle with if it’s right to kill even with a just motive. This mini-series also served as much of the inspiration for the JLU episode Double Date (my personal favorite episode btw) not only with Huntress’s internal conflict but with her relationship with the Question as well. [Comixology]

Birds of Prey: The Battle Within - Gail Simone & Joe Bennett - Alongside Black Canary and Oracle, Huntress is a prominent member of the Birds of Prey. While she appeared in previous Birds of Prey comics, she didn't become a recurring character until the start of Gail Simone’s run with issue #56. Like Black Canary, I wanted to give Huntress a similar treatment and pull an arc from the famous series that I thought best represented the character. That brings us to Birds of Prey: The Battle This is another one of those pesky hard to find books long since out of print however this arc, in particular, is covered in issue #81 to #85 and can be found digitally on Comixology. After an internal conflict between Oracle and Huntress, Helena has left the Birds of Prey to form a task force of her own. In doing so she’ll have to masquerade under her own civilian persona, Helena Bertinelli, in the attempts to infiltrate a mob ring responsible for bringing one of the largest shipments of drugs into Gotham. Now there are multiple reasons why this is such a great arc for the character. The first being the fact that Helena will have to come to terms with the one thing she hates most. It's interesting to see someone with such a deep-rooted and just hatred for organized crime, suddenly take on that role, even with it being within her birthright. That aspect combined with the conflict and resolution between Helena Bertinelli and Barbara Gordon helps to further her development as a character and even her place within the  Birds of Prey, as most of what we’ve seen previously is just the hot-headed woman ready to kick in teeth. Now admittedly there’s a lot going on in this arc and a lot of moving pieces which can make it feel overwhelming for some. However, I’d like to think that Simone has done a pretty superb job at laying everything out and even manages to catch new readers up to speed making a great addition for anyone who wants to read a little more Helena Bertinelli. [Comixology]

While I’m not going to go too in-depth on it, it’s worth noting that the massive crossover arc No Man’s Land also offers some key moments for Helena Bertinelli’s Huntress, including the time that she wore the Batgirl suit before it was ripped away from Batman and given to Cassandra Cain, but being that the event spans across six different volumes at over three thousand pages that’s going to have to be one you check out for yourself.

While there are some similarities between the both Huntresses there are also a lot of differences including their costumes and contrasting personalities. Helena Wayne is now often considered as the classic Huntress and is typically only used during alternate Earth stories.

Huntress: Dark Knight Daughter - Paul Levitz & Joe Staton -  Huntress: Dark Knight Daughter which was recently reclassified as Huntress Origins is written by Paul Levitz and illustrated by Joe Staton compiles Helena’s adventures which were originally published as backup stories across various issues of Wonder Woman. In an alternate reality known as Earth 2, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle find themselves married eventually set aside their lives as caped crusaders and criminals to start a family of their own after the birth of their daughter Helena. However, years pass and Catwoman is blackmailed into one final heist that would ultimately cost her her life. Rather than be succumbed to grief young Helena Wayne would follow in her parents' footsteps donning a vigilante costume of her own and taking on the guise of Huntress. Soon after she gets her footing she’ll join the JSA where she’ll witness the unfortunate death of her father. Even so, she’ll continue in her parents' footsteps as a heroic crime-fighting taking on everything from everyday criminals to Solomon Grundy. At one point she even goes head to head with her father’s greatest nemesis, the Joker. Helena takes on the best traits from her both her parents, as a cunning detective like her father, and a skilled and adaptive gymnast like her mother she more than lives up to the Wayne name. Paul Levitz and Joe Stanton worked to create a well-rounded character and Levitz would return later on to pen the character in multiple stories some 30 odd years later, most of which you’ll also see on this list. Huntress: Dark Knight Daughter is a classic tale and is a must-read for any fan of the character, Wayne or Bertinelli as it would be what be the starting point for the character we know and love today. While I’ll admit this one isn’t meant for everyone, as at 224 pages it can be a little overwhelming and dense it certainly marks for the defining start for the Huntress. [Comixolgy]

Huntress: Crossbow at Crossroads  -  Paul Levitz & Marcus To - It's a common misconception that Crossbow at Crossroads is a Huntress story involving Helena Bertinelli. Now that’s a very fair assumption considering it isn’t until the final pages of the series and a surprise appearance from Karen Starr, also known as Power Girl, that it's revealed that this iteration of Huntress is actually Helena Wayne, masquerading under the guise of Bertinelli,  and was mysteriously brought over from the alternate universe of Earth 2. These few pages would be a starting point that would set the New 52 and it’s alternate Earths in motion. Now that sounds super complicated but I promise it’s not actually that bad. Another story that takes the Huntress to Italy,  it’s here that Helena teams up with a pair of Italian reporters in Naples as she prepares to take down a string of Italian drug lords and human traffickers. One by one she’ll take down the men in the circle until she finally makes her way to the top bringing justice to those who deserve it once and for all.  After my recent review of the mini-series, I realized that there is a lot of symbolism and small little motifs that hint towards Helena’s actual heritage, something I personally appreciated and an aspect that encourages multiple rereads. Crossbow at Crossroads, while not the most memorable book on this list is a really great series if you want to see the Huntress in action as Marcus To, does an amazing job taking her action and movements to another level. The series also makes for another great introduction to Helena Wayne’s Huntress, especially if you’re like me and prefer modern comics over the older classics.[Comixology]

World’s Finest: Lost Daughters of Earth 2 - Paul Levitz, George Perez & Kevin Maguire - Spiraling straight out of the pages of Crossbow at Crossroads, the first pages of World’s Finest pick up right where Helena’s previous story left off. After being whisked away from the alternate Earth they call home the pair find themselves on Prime Earth. Five years have passed since Helena and Karen were dropped into a world so familiar and yet at the same so strange and the two have remained side by side ever since never once stopping in their hunt for a way back home. As the issues progress, so does our time with Helena and Karen. While the story transitions between past and present each glimpse into the girls' first moments on the current earth pass until the two timelines eventually converge. This is one of those books where while there’s action there isn’t a whole lot of plot aa majority of the story consists of Huntress and Powergirl beating down a radioactive villain. That being said what World’s Finest lacks in plot substance it makes up for in character interaction and development between our two main characters. Thanks to the zero issue also included in the trade it's worth noting Helena’s origin in World’s Finest is tweaked ever so slightly from what was previously iterated in Dark Knight Daughter. While Helena is still very much the daughter of Batman and Catwoman her superhero training in this retelling came long before the death of her parents and even donning the role of Robin for a time. It wouldn’t be until her journey to Prime Earth that she would then take on the role of Huntress. While not featured in the trade I also want to stress the importance of issues #6 & 7 of World’s Finest as these two issues serve as a nice mini-arc involving Damian Wayne the current Robin, and Helena Wayne. Given their shared lineage it leads to some interesting interactions between the two characters that make for an engaging read. [Comixolgy]

Why I Stopped Loving the Rat Queens

The year is 2014. I’m still just dipping my toes into comics, still very unsure I'm just igniting my passion and love for the medium. I’m over eager to hit up my local comic shop the minute the doors open each and every Wednesday. At this point, I’m still pretty much exclusive to reading DC Comics, but there on the enticing ten-dollar introductory Image rack is the entire trade paperback of Rat Queens, first five issues and all. 

If you haven’t read Rat Queens, the fan favored Image Series heavily inspired by Dungeons and Dragons tropes and themes would tell the story of four eclectic women and both the escapades and misadventures they would have. While on the surface Rat Queens seemed simple, darker and more complex themes of identity would be explored throughout its issues. It even featured a prominent trans character (Braga I still love you). It was a story filled with heart along with moments and dialogue that would make you laugh out loud. 

One by one I fell in love with those girls, and I fell fast. Hannah, the Elven mage, fiercely devoted to her friends while simultaneously shutting herself off from everyone as she harbored a dark past. Dee, a human cleric, ironically identifying as an atheist, so unsure of her place in the world. Violet, the angry Dwarven warrior, and the one I personally related to the most as she rebelled against her family’s values and traditions to carve her own path. And of course, the Smidgen Betty because, well who can’t love a character like Betty, always so positive and full of fun. Together these girls would come together, each of them with their own flaws to form a family of their own. Through the good and the bad, they were always there for another. I had such a personal stake in this book and its characters. These girls felt like the sisters I never knew, and I loved and connected with each one.

I immediately found myself shoving this book into the hands of anyone who would read it. I found myself purchasing multiple copies, gifting it to friends and lending it to coworkers that would never return my book, and that was fine if it meant I got to buy another copy in support of my new favorite series.

Which made things so much harder when Rat Queens would eventually break my heart.

Unfortunately, there’s no lack of controversy when it comes to the series. Rat Queens' initial artist and co-creator Roc Upchurch would be rightfully removed from the book after allegations of domestic abuse would arise. Stjepan Sejic would take up the open position before ultimately leaving the series after only two issues and not being able to keep up with his hectic schedule. The role would ultimately fall to Tess Fowler and Tamara Bonvillain as part of the ongoing team, or so it was thought. Rumors went around that Roc Upchurch and co-creator and writer Kurtis J. Weibe were “conspiring” Roc’s ongoing involvement in the series and even a return at its helm.

Amidst a public and might I add quite heartbreaking falling out between Fowler and Weibe right in the middle of an arc it seemed like Rat Queens would cease to exist.

The series would eventually go on hiatus, with Fowler and Weibe moving onto other projects, Weibe would even going on to write a sci-fi series from Darkhorse Comics called Bounty (Despite its gorgeous art the series was awful by the way) that felt oddly reminiscent of Rat Queens. To add insult to injury the creator would publicly announce that he had no intention of returning to Rat Queens as his love and passion for the girls was extinguished. Now I’ll give Weibe credit here. On previous rereads of the series it's evident that as time would go by its the story and by extension it’s characters would weaken up until its abrupt end.

Which is why when Rat Queens would apparently receive a “reboot” a mere 3 months after Bounty’s finale that things just didn’t feel right. Rather than meet this new Rat Queens as a sweet reunion it honestly felt like a cash grab from its creator. After all, at it’s prime, Rat Queens could be argued as one of Image Comics' best new series if not at least one of it’s most talked about. I was hesitant about picking up the new first issue, but my love for these girls outweighed any uncertainty I might have had. I found myself stumbling and confused as to where our story fit within the universe. It didn’t help that Rat Queens was ever marketed as a reboot. and when I reached out to Kurtis J Weibe via Twitter out of love for this book, on where our Queens stood considering the previous series shocking finale, that I was met with a cold response (which Wiebe has since deleted after relaunching his Twitter). After confirmed said reboot I was then essentially told my opinion didn’t matter and if I didn’t like I could stop reading the book.

To be just a tad dramatic, that single tweet was devastating. I loved these girls. Violet, our stubborn headed dwarf, who I looked to as a hero inspired me with the strength and courage to fight even when it felt like I didn’t belong I had framed art I had bought from conventions hanging on my walls and at one point I had even considered getting a Rat Queens inspired tattoo. Guess I dodged that bullet.

While the response from Weibe surprised me at the same time it should have been a little expected. He didn’t love these girls anymore. That issue alone was proof enough when he blatantly replaced them with male doppelgangers making it feel like the Queens alone weren’t good enough.

I’ll be honest when I say I haven’t read a new issue since Issue one of the Rat Queens “reboot”, and returning to previous stories of the Queens feels tainted as if I’m able to watch the stories I loved decay into nothing. Reading reviews from those that have seen the story through have only confirmed it feels like things have only gone from bad to worse. From choppy and unfinished storylines to inconsistent and at times bad art it feels like a nightmare. But there is a silver lining. As of June 2019, Weibe has left the book (a little odd considering his role as a co-creator) and with issue #16 the series would be helmed by the series letterer as it’s new writer, with its original creator cutting ties with the Queens completely to create a publishing company of his own.

While this gives me hope that the Rat Queens can return to form, it leaves me even more hesitant as before. I may have taken this series more personal than most, but these girls meant the world to me and impacted my life in a way I didn't expect. I know I’ll never be able to love the Rat Queens the way I did before but I hope that one day, maybe one day I can love them again. Until then I only wish the best for Violet, Dee, Hannah, and Betty along with their new creative team.

Thanks For The Memories: Darth Vader #1 Review

 Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Raffaele Ienco
Colorist: Neeraj Menon
Letterer: Joe Caramagna

I can’t say very often that a new release has me bouncing with excitement months in advance. Yet as was the case with the newly announced Darth Vader series from Marvel comics which would be helmed by Greg Pak (Planet Hulk, Batman/Superman) & Neeraj Menon (Batman: Sins of the Father, Postal). Now I’m always Star Wars trash, but that level of trash was only accelerated by the recently released finale Rise of Skywalker and that precedent just never went away. It also doesn’t help that I have an intense and undying love for Anakin Skywalker.

Joining the rest of the new line of Marvel Star Wars comics, Darth Vader #1 picks up upon the heels of Empire Strikes Back. The first few pages are a reflection from Vader’s perspective as he dwells upon the revelation revealed to Luke Skywalker about his parentage. In what seems like comic tradition Darth Vader is joined by a new data analysis droid named Zed Six Seven. There’s a calculated dynamic between them as Zed’s at time sarcastic dialogue acts as a foil to Darth’s stoic nature. Together the two will travel to various key locations of Anakin’s past including Tatooine and Padme’s derelict apartment on Coruscant, in an attempt to track down any and everyone hid his son from him. It’s upon the arrival to the planet known Vendaxa and a shocking revelation in the issue’s final pages that will leave you desperately wanting the next issue.

While there’s no shortage of great Darth Vader stories, especially in the Marvel mythos, I love how much this iteration of the character drives on emotion, a look beyond the mask. There's a lot at stake here as Darth Vader is torn between wanting to have to his son on his side while also being bombarded with memories of the boy's mother. Whereas Anakin thrived on his passion albeit good or bad it felt like on the surface must of that was lost when he became Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader respectively, has always been a character, driven by pure raw emotion, from his turn to the Darkside to his eventual return to the light it’s nice to see that as a titular focus in the series.  Once again able to explore Vader’s relationship with the Emperor. From the films alone we’re met with this precedent that up until the final moments before Palpatine is chucked into an electrical hole that Darth Vader is unwaveringly loyal to his master. In his third solo installment, the Dark Lord of the Sith takes on a mission of his own once again allowing his drastic feelings to carve his path which more often not lead to consequences.  Greg Pak is no stranger to Star Wars and uses key scenes throughout the series that we’re familiar with. As a creative team, Pak & Ienco exploit these moments not only for us but for Vader’s anger and reigniting that classic Anakin anger fans are familiar with. The parallels between his past and present filling those tender and heartwrenching memories with characters like his mother Shmi Skywalker and wife Padme Amidala are so carefully crafted and are only moments I wish were in the mainline films.

Darth Vader #1 left me hanging on the edge of my seat and immediately wanting more. It blew away any expectations for the series. As a Star Wars fan and by extension an Anakin/Darth Vader fan it hit me with feelings I wasn’t expecting and the issue’s last page alone was enough for me to instantly add the series to my ongoing pull. Whether you’re a fan of the series, the character or just want to experience some intense emotional heartbreak make sure to pick up Darth Vader #1. [Comixology]