Holy Blog Post, Batman!

It was on this day in 1939 that Detective Comics #27 hit the stands, and with it the first appearance of Batman. A ton of comics, various TV/cartoon series, quite a few movies, and any number of offshoots have followed, including several crossovers and references in Daria fanfic. The Batmobile was featured prominently in The Angst Guy's A Knight to Remember and NightGoblyn (as well as a few guest writers) have created an entire series that includes a Batman crossover in Lawndale's Finest.

And speaking of fanfiction, here's the latest update!

• Ajar (Iron Chef: The Name Game), by Ajar (COMPLETE!): "One girl stood in the changing room, / Near purchases on parade. / And when she held the door ajar, / She knew she'd found the shades."


• Daria is Raven's Apprentice, by project pegasus: "Hilary Dorff: (staying his hand) It's ok. (She rises and walks to Cartoon Lezzie, who backs away a few paces.) Jesus, what have they done to you? (She begins to caress her face, but Lezzie turns away, as though she is ashamed.) No, it wasn't just them. This is my fault too. I'm so sorry. We all knew we were pushing you too hard. We knew something like this would happen. (She then notices her gunshot wounds.) Those bastards. We're breaking out. Come with us. We will make you whole again." (New part)


• Daria, or the Confession of a Single Lonely Male, by Arena del Sur (part 6): "Never in my life had I confessed so much or received so many confessions. The sincerity with which she discussed what she called her "love-life", from first necking to connubial experience. I was considerably amused by certain remarkable sexual habits that the good Jake Alfred Morgendorffer had had according to Helen who thought my mirth improper. But otherwise her autobiography was as devoid of interests as her autopsy would have been. I never saw a healthier woman than she, despite thinning diets."


• Esteeming Out The Gutter, by RX-87 (part 1): "Daria didn't care about how big a hole the next stop was, she was getting off. Anything for a change of scenery. Then again, it's not as if there was anything she did care about, was there?"


• Eye of the Beholder (Iron Chef: Popular Daria), by Hyrin (part 3): "Ms. Li slumped in her chair as the two girls yelled at each other. The nurse had brought them to Li's office after she ran out of bandages and was forced to go buy more (Note to self: arrange for a carpet cleaning). 'Both of you SHUT UP!' The girls complied, mainly out of shock. 'Ms. Hecuba, please tell me your side of this story and Ms. Lane, you will stay quiet!' 'I was in the bathroom,' Andrea began."


• The Gift (Iron Chef: The Gift), by thatLONERchick (COMPLETE!): "'That's the thing,' Daria lamented, staring into the depths of her Ultra Cola. 'He's rich; if he wants something, he just buys it. What the hell could I possibly give him that he doesn't have already?' Jane was silent as she studied her friend, awash in melancholia so thick, Daria was even neglecting her pizza. 'Well,' Jane mused. 'There is one thing....'"


• To Hell and Back Again, by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): "Their adoptive parents were none to pleased with the idea of their daughters taking off to the town that held such terrible memories for them. However, both girls were adamant. Daria was legally an adult, and Quinn would see her 18th birthday in Texas in another week. In the face of parental disapproval, Daria didn't hesitate to go thermonuclear. 'Doctor Slosberg thinks it would greatly help my progress to get some closure by seeing Greyfield and their graves.'" (Part 2)


• Jane Morgendorffer 2: The Middle School Years, by LadieT (part 1): "Daria and Jane stood and stared up at the front doors of Highland Middle School. The next chapter in their young lives were about to begin. The principal was just inside the front entrance giving the sixth graders directions to the gymnasium. Seeing a couple of their friends, Melissa and Jennifer, getting dropped off, Daria and Jane slowed their pace up in order for them to catch up. Despite getting better about being around others, Daria still stayed close to Jane."


• John Lane 50: Boxed In, by RLobinske (part 2): "Later, as Daria pulled the covers up and closed her eyes to go to sleep, the distant memory of a slamming door caused here to hold the sheet tight and want to crawl back into the safety of the box. In his room, John looked at the dark shape of the box. Oddly, he then recalled a box of half a dozen cupcakes with a candle placed on each one."


• LLH Alternate Future Mini - Win The Battle, Lose The Girl, by psychotol (COMPLETE!): "Quinn then emerged running, both guns empty with the sliders locked back, she threw them both across the car park and ran to Lori. The two men emerged from the alley carrying the clips and got to the guns before Eliza was halfway to Lori. 'ELIZA, LOOK OUT!' shouted Lori. They slid the magazines in and released the sliders, and pulled the triggers."


• LLH 'Mini' - 'Attraction', by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "'Hey – check it out. That's Jane Lane.' Pete Ross stopped in the doorway of the Talon (the local coffeehouse that the teens in the tiny town of Smallville, Kansas hung out at) his eyes wide as he took in the image of the slender, raven-haired girl in the National Legion windbreaker, sipping coffee at the counter as she finished off a blueberry muffin. 'Man, she's way cuter in real life than she is on TV – and look at those legs...'"


• Mad Dog's Legacy Chapter 9: Hard Time, by Hyrin (part 3): "'Hey, Jodie?' She stiffened when she heard the all-too-familiar voice. She turned slowly and said, 'Yes, Mack?' 'Are you still selling tickets to the Roller Derby?' 'Yeah,' she said quietly, knowing what was coming next. 'I'll take three,' he said, pulling out a wad of 1 dollar bills from his pocket."


• Not So Different 28: Something For Everybody, by J-D (COMPLETE!): "'What a pretty girl ...', Mrs Patterson said. 'Um, excuse me?' Sonny began. Taking him for 'pretty' would have to be put down either to failing eyesight or to incipient dementia (or both); 'girl', maybe the same, but he'd known able-bodied people in the prime of life to make the same mistake. Except that the conclusion of Mrs Patterson's sentence made it clear that it wasn't that kind of mistake. '... that Brittany is.'"


• Not So Different 29: 'Not Concerned With Any Particular Attribute Of Those Who Are Involved', by J-D (COMPLETE!): "Do you know the Good Time Chinese restaurant? — Sure, I've been there a couple of times. Are you looking for a recommendation? No, I was just wondering if you'd ever been out the back of the restaurant. — No, should I have been? Is there something worth seeing? I don't know. Would you consider a dimensional wormhole worth seeing?"


• Not So Different 30: You're On Your Own With This One, by J-D (COMPLETE!): "'I was going to say an adolescent mating ritual, but look who else has turned up to participate in it', he went on, indicating to Jane a direction to look in with as inconspicuous a gesture as he could manage. 'Barch and O'Neill', said Jane. 'I did wonder what happened between those two that day at Jim's Paintballing Jungle.' 'Nothing good, obviously.'"


• Not So Different 31: Not Getting It, by J-D (COMPLETE!): "O'Neill was babbling something about 'secret' and 'incognito' and then, unable to contain his exultation, he embraced Sonny, shouting 'We won!' WE?? thought Sonny, but all he said was, 'Lawsuit.' O'Neill's arms recoiled and he sprang back. Too bad he didn't go further. Three States would have been good."


• OverlordMikey (Iron Chef: The Name Game), by OverlordMikey (COMPLETE!): "'Yeah, well apparently everyone's coming out. All of our boyfriends say that; not only are they all bi, but they have all fallen in love with him and can't see us anymore because they yearn for his dorky and awkward, but ultimately endearing and cute personage - or something like that; they said it in a sonnet.'"


• Parts of a (Bung)Hole, by RX-87 (COMPLETE!): "As Max brought Jane down the hall to Beavis' studio, where he was currently working on his latest masterpiece, she wondered what she would say to him, what he would say to her. What was going to happen between them now? What would Max say if he found out? Would any of it make a difference? She had given up on living. She had no job, no plans and the money was beginning to run out. Would seeing him again really make anything better?" (Part 6) (Epilogue)


• Quinn's Code 03: Cafe Geekdale, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 1): "'Oh, my! A break-in. That never happened to a cybercafe in Highland.' 'Though it certainly happened a lot at other places,' she thought. 'I don't think there are any cybercafe's in Highland,' Quinn said. 'At least, I never heard of any,' she said. 'You do have a point there,' Helen said, after some thought."


• Reunion, by Hyrin (part 4): "'Brittany, get out of here.' Her voice was filled with venom and her eyes smoldered in a sudden flame of anger. 'Daria, calm down,' Brittany said, sounding afraid. 'I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought that you and Jane were together, so maybe this guy was available.' The burst of light from the camera flash was simultaneous with the slap of Daria's hand across Brittany's face. Raul was obviously expecting this moment, and was not disappointed by the results."


• Screams of Silence, by Jim North: "With a thorough deliberation, I set about getting myself put back together. My boots slide back on easy and lace down tight. The scars on my legs gradually disappear under the ace bandages, my left wrist gets nice and armored with the brace, and the katana goes back on my belt. I check the ammo in all of my weapons, then sort them back into their proper places. After stretching and shaking out all my limbs, I suddenly find that I almost feel whole again. Safe. Confident. Amazing what a serious amount of firepower can do for the old ego." (New part) (Newer part)


• Silent Melody, by Silver: "It doesn't take much to ruin a good day. Daria had, simply by walking through the cafeteria door, encountered such a thing. To be fair, it was ruining everyone's day."


• Size does matter, by BlackHole (part 46): "A day that had started so beautifully for Sandi - she woke up with her mother already gone and her father and brothers still asleep - was completely ruined within a single second during the customary pre-school meeting of the Fashion Club. All it took was Quinn Morgendorffer to ask a single question: 'Say, Sandi, why isn't the Fashion Club school sanctioned?'" (SFMB


• TAFKA (Iron Chef: The Name Game), by tafka (COMPLETE!): "The artist formerly known as Jane held proudly aloft her deed poll name change."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria the Test Subject), by Hyrin (COMPLETE!): "THE CAKE IS A LIE / BE STRONG, AMIGA / THE CAKE IS A LIE / BE STRONG, AMIGA..."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria the Test Subject), by Hyrin (COMPLETE!): "'Ladies and gentlemen?' a man in a tuxedo holding a microphone said. 'Can I have your attention, please? First of all, let's give the band, Mystik Spiral, one more round of applause. Weren't they great tonight?' The crowd clapped and cheered, causing most of the band to blush bright red. 'And now, for the crowning moment of this year's 'Bring Your Daugher to Work Day,' we are unveiling our latest creation: GLaDOS!' All eyes were drawn to the mass of computer circuitry and modules hanging above them."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Popular Daria), by eujennya (COMPLETE!): "'... so I still have time, because I don't play sports, but student council and "Compositions" are keeping me busy enough and on my toes,' a smiling Daria was telling a group of parents surrounding her as she handed them copies of the school's student-run fiction publication. 'Life here never gets boring.'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: The Name Game), by RX-87 (COMPLETE!): "A commotion coming from the back at the pharmacy counter caught the girls' attention. A long line had formed and many of the customers were getting restless. 'Oooh, unrest at the breadline.' Jane quipped."


• Wassersauefer (Iron Chef: The Name Game), by Wassersauefer (COMPLETE!): "It was in my senior year of High School when it started again. I had long since alienated myself from my family, or they had done it, I don't really know anymore. I forgot moments again, first only seconds. Then I would stand there and stare at my friends who looked at me like I was crazy, only I could not recall what happened. The times this happened were few and a lot of time between, at least at first."


• Worldburner Finale: The Heart of the Matter, by Erin M. (part 2): "Archangel reached down to the floor and came up with a hard plastic case. 'I figured we shouldn't take off without leaving you something.' 'A parting gift?' Reiko smirked. 'More like a peace offering,' Archangel said, sliding the case across the bar. 'Go ahead.'"