KNIGHTFALL: Huntress is genre savvy

[starwolf_oakley]

From Detective Comics #662. Some of the Riddler's goons are robbing the post office without the Riddler:



Plus there was that episode of The Simpsons.
"Hello. My name is Mr. Burns. I believe you have a letter for me."
"Okay, Mr. Burns. What's your first name?"
"...I don't know!"
Also, a character in the issue is named Dr. Simpson Flanders.





"I bet he never even gets tired."
Huntress says this unaware that Batman is suffering from... Well, whatever it was Batman was suffering from in Knightfall. Exhaustion. The flu. Chronic fatigue syndrome. A decade's worth of poor sleeping habits catching up with him. And he even had it in the issues leading up to Knightfall.

Here's another page from DETECTIVE COMICS #662. You might find the final two dialog boxes to be amusing/ironic/tragic, depending on your point of view.

Comments

[darkknightjrk]

Is...is that what she wore during Knightfall? Yeesh. And I thought Lee's redesign was bad.

As for Batman's bit at the end...I dunno, I took it rather straight. Bruce has more than a couple of issues, but he's not a monster in that hurting people gives him pleasure. Dude's saved the world too many times to legit be considered a monster.

[aeka]

And I honestly prefer this version of her costume for the fact that there's no belly window for anyone to complain about, nevermind the fact that her legs and chest are all exposed.

[darkknightjrk]

I think if it was Helena WAYNE, it might make more sense. I'm not a big expert on her, so it might not fit her either, but considering that Bartinelli got the inspiration of her costume from a nun's outfit...it just looks weird for her to show off the girls like that. I was on a big Top Cow kick a while back and had the same problem with The Magdelena--I'm not religious in the least, but it still bothers me when you have sexy nuns or using religious imagery like that.

[aeka]

"I'm not a big expert on her, so it might not fit her either, but considering that Bartinelli got the inspiration of her costume from a nun's outfit"

This is only true if you've been reading rebooted versions of her origin that followed after this story arc. This version of Helena Bertinelli is the original version Joey Cavalieri created who became the Huntress in response to both fear and anger. I may have to reread her 1989 solo series again, but I don't recall the "being inspired by a nun's outfit" to be part of her original origin. Also, her original costume was meant to be based off of the original Helena Wayne version.

[darkknightjrk]

Okay, fair enough, that's just the version that I got in my head. I think that makes her a little more interesting--a little bit of Catholic angst like that can make some good stories, and I always find the whole concept of faith fascinating when put in a world where Gods actually do exist.

[aeka]

Eh, I honestly always felt Helena B was an interesting character even in her initial incarnation. What I couldn't help notice over the years was writers attempting to steer her away from her Helena Wayne roots, while at the same time alluding back to them. It's complicated.

[richardak]

It came up. On at least one occasion that I can recall, another character remarked that her costume made her look like a nun, which of course didn't really make any sense at the time, but clearly Cavalieri intended it to look that way.

[aeka]

I remember on issue #1 of her solo a cop referred to her as "the flying nun" when she came crashing through a window to take out some Colombian drug dealers. Not sure if this was meant to be interpreted as having been inspired by a nun's outfit though, especially since her original costume was meant to resemble the original Helena Wayne version. I do know that the nun inspiration was brought up in--I think--Greg Rucka's Cry For Blood.

[moetushie]

Aww. Only to those around him, maybe.

[nemryn]

Boo hoo hoo, Brucie. Go on, keep talking about your 'tortured childhood' that you spent with your butler and your giant mansion and your piles of money.

[starwolf_oakley]

That sounds like something Hush would say.

[aeka]

"And a tortured childhood is no excuse for becoming a monster. I know."

And this coming from someone who dresses up like a Bat to channel his unresolved childhood anger into beating the shit out of criminals who corrupt his city. At least he admits he knows this even if he doesn't live up to his words.

On an unrelated note: bonus points for Huntress being a badass. ♥

[jlbarnett]

monsters don't generally target criminals or the corrupt

[aeka]

Perhaps. Though Batman is a different brand of monster all together: he's the type that does.

[jlbarnett]

Batman's no monster

[aeka]

That's not what the guys he goes after thinks. Or at least, not the ones outside of his more colourful rogue's gallery anyway. Joker for example sees him more as his favourite playmate.

[eyz]

Awesome!
Did they miss her stories in the collected Knightfall TPB releases..???