Follow-Up to the previous Dixon/Outsiders post:

I addressed this in the replies there, but I thought it warranted a blog post of its own.

I have now officially read Batman and the Outsiders #1. And NOW I'm deeply offended.

You see, the "special relationship" remark occurs, and naturally Anissa gets pissed off by it. Whereupon Batman reveals that he was unaware of anything more than a close friendship between the two, discerned from body language, until she just revealed otherwise. She is suitably chastised.

You know what, I'm calling Bullshit on that.

First of all, we're to expect, given how gratuitously unsubtle those two women are, that Batman did NOT know they were involved? This is BATMAN.

Moreover though, I cannot buy that in this context the term "special relationship" is referring to a mere albeit close friendship. I'm sorry, but that term clearly implies a relationship that's either familial or romantic. A close friendship is not suitably "special".

For a comparison, Dick and Roy are like total BFFs right? But do you seriously think Batman would EVER use "special relationship" to describe them? I'm sure the slashers would have a field day if he did. Because there are clear implications in that phrase. How about Dick and Donna? Or Dick and Wally?

Moreover, the way it was stated implied, to me, that Batman considered it something to frown upon. I'm not saying right this moment that this was intended to be homophobic or just a general disapproval of romantic relationships, but it definitely read to me like disapproval, and considering he's by now worked with the JLA for how long? I mean, regardless of his own proclivities, he's had to have grown accustomed to working with heroes with close friendships with one another, and realized that it doesn't have to get in the way of competence. I can buy him disapproving of romantic relationships, but friendships? Considering he's on a team with Clark and Diana, had been with Wally and Kyle, Ollie and Hal, and all those other sets of friends, I can't buy that.

Besides, Batman is precise. If he meant friendship, he'd say so. I don't believe he'd say "special relationship" unless he meant to relay those particular implications. He's a very smart man, and as Bruce Wayne, clearly demonstrates social adeptness. Even if he could miss the very obvious behavior of the two women (provided Jefferson didn't tell him over drinks or something), he wouldn't miss the implications in his own words. And he wouldn't use them without intending them.

There is actually, it occurs to me, a way the scene could have played out that would be a little less offensive and more plausible. If Batman had said the phrase intending for her to have read it as homophobic and thus deliberately provoking her anger, that might actually have worked for me.

Batman would then chastise her, not for giving away her secret, but for yielding to anger that she can't afford. Grace and Anissa really haven't been terribly subtle in their behavior, so Batman could argue that he's figured it out and that others probably have too. And on the battlefield, she won't be able to afford to give into that explosive anger should she encounter a probably-inevitable homophobic taunt. She'll need to keep her cool.

In this situation then, Batman's probably not a homophobe, but instead making that comment for a specific reason. He's still probably being more of a jerk than he's been characterized lately, but it would at least have a point. The comment would be acknowledged as potentially offensive and Anissa's anger justified, while still chastizing her for giving into it. I think, if this had been the case, I would have rescinded part of my earlier post.

Instead we get a Batman who's both too inobservant to note an obvious relationship and too socially inept to realize the implications of his own words OR we get a two faced liar who meant to provoke and confirm his suspicions, but blames her for overreacting to his "innocent" comment.

Either way, we get Anissa portrayed as over-emotional, over-reactionary, and too stupid to know a supposedly-innocent comment when she hears it.

It's a blatantly transparent set-up that's somehow MORE offensive than the preview had made it out to be. Whatever. I don't think I'll be reading this comic again.