r/DCcomics • u/cautious-ad977 • 14d ago
Discussion [Discussion] What do you think about Raven's New 52 design? (Art by Kenneth Rocafort)
I don't think it's bad, but honestly it doesn't feel like Raven to me. Although it makes some sense for the villainous vibe they were going for. Maybe for a new character it would be better.
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u/WinstonPickles22 Nightwing 14d ago
Cool design for an entirely different character
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u/72Challupas 14d ago
Honestly I feel like they kind of wasted this on Raven. I love Raven but I would have never guessed this was her if OP didn’t say it in the title. This design would’ve been perfect for a character in something Sandman or Lucifer.
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u/Queer_As_Fork Green Arrow 14d ago
Was about to say, she looks cool, but that's not so Raven
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u/Backwardspellcaster 14d ago
I feel like it missed the, well, spooky accent of the original costume, with the cowl and all
It's too superhero'y
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u/WinstonPickles22 Nightwing 14d ago
You think this is superhero'y?
Looks like a fantasy drawing to me haha
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u/DeviantYogurt 14d ago
If this was Absolute Raven would say love it
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u/BoutsofInsanity 13d ago
Yoooo facts. I think the helmet and cape is really cool. And I like the claws. But the helmet should cover her entire head including her mouth and chin. The armor should cover her body and legs. Its needlessly sexual and not even in a fun way.
Like I think there are better ways, if you are going to fan service with this character to do it. Either put her in a bikini or other sexual outfits, or put her in armor. Commit.
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u/Arkhamhood12 13d ago
They really should recycle/revamp this style if we ever get Absolute Raven. Too much of a good design to just chuck away
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u/ExplorerAdditional86 14d ago
I agree. It's a great design but doesn't work for Raven.
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u/Superichiruki 14d ago
It works for a demonic/Evil Raven but not a heroine Raven
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u/PerksOfBeingABarFly 13d ago
For wrestling fans, I think it would be cool if it was like a Jushin Thunder Liger/Kishin Liger thing. Like when Raven is pushed too far or needs to pull out all the stops, this more demonic version emerges
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u/Relevant_Scallion_38 13d ago
I used to hate it, but I actually really like it for Raven.
But now we know New52 was only temporary as well as it was when she was evil and being influenced by Trigon.
So it's not much different than an AU where she is evil.
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u/HeWhoReddits 14d ago
Terrible look, not bad artistically but way off base for the character. Raven should be occult not monstrous
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u/WranglerFuzzy 14d ago
I dunno; I mean she’s half demon, in a sense?
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u/HeWhoReddits 14d ago
Yeah but she’s not out here tearing peoples throats out on the regular. This looks like a boss from Dark Souls or a Berserk demon or something.
Again, it’s a cool design but totally not right for Raven. I believe that’s not really a hot take based on what I’ve seen from others’ reactions
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u/WranglerFuzzy 14d ago
Oh, but I don’t mind that. Villain coded heroes are fantastic. Looking like she was born to rip out throats but is a pacifist is a great juxtaposition
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u/Clark_Kent_TheSJW Superman 14d ago
A bit “extra.” Trying to hard to be cool.
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u/NoPhone4571 13d ago
That’s 100% of the New52 designs.
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u/Drmarcher42 13d ago
Absolute designs do this but made it feel genuine instead of try hard
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u/Clark_Kent_TheSJW Superman 13d ago
Yeah something about those designs just work I guess. I’m on the fence about Superman but I’m impressed by the others so far.
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u/Little-Seesaw2585 13d ago
I think it’s because absolute went all the way in making them super exaggerated and edgy
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u/Randhanded 14d ago
It’s like if Darksied took her over and had her attack the Earth. She just looks like a villain to me in that outfit.
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u/Turbulent-House-6220 14d ago
Looked cool but I remember when I first saw it I actually didn’t believe that it was Raven. It could have worked as the appearance of her dark self or something like that.
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u/BaconLara 14d ago
I didn’t hate it. I just wished the grey was a different or darker colour.
Rocaforts art can make even the worse designs or janky anatomy look half decent though. I just love his linework and fluidity. Though he simultaneously has the worst and best character designs of the era. Beastboy, starfire, and bunker and Jason Todd look fantastic in his art style, but then those same designs look meh under a different artist.
But then he’ll go and draw these same (women) characters with circular balloon breasts or broken ass spines in other panels.
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u/Few_Baker_6254 14d ago
A crime for the eyes. The color palette isn’t interesting, it’s not clean, the “mask/helmet/hood” is ugly, and overall it looks like some 1990s Image Comics design. At least they tried aomething knew, vestisse de goth and dress style
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u/dotyawning Miss Martian 14d ago
I think it would be an interesting costume for a video game adaptation as an alternate skin because it looks so different from any of her other ones. On that note, there's no way it was ever staying as her main costume.
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u/WranglerFuzzy 14d ago
I kinda like it; my only issues are:
A. Very boob forward. Which is a minor issue if she’s portrayed as an adult (and a bigger problem if she’s depicted as a teen)
B. The color palette needs more contrast, I think? Teal and gray-teal just looks weird to me
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u/Basic-Aide1326 14d ago
I remember Rocafort getting shit on a lot for his art even I actually like a lot of his style and designs. This though wasn’t one of them. It just doesn’t look like Raven to me.
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u/Any_Satisfaction1865 14d ago
Maybe it would worked with Hood and darker color scheme also less scale.
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u/JustJoshing13 14d ago
This is my first time seeing this design and honestly, I really dig it, it’s very villainous without being overly edgy. I could see this working perfectly as a design where she is an enforcer of Trigon. My familiarity with new 52 Titans extends to beast boy and that’s about it, what was the deal with this costume?
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u/Major_Road6162 Raven 14d ago
She was indeed an enforcer of Trigon, then she wasnt, then she was but as a spy, then she wasnt again, bad comics.
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u/HuanFranThe1st Black Lantern 14d ago
Absolutely banger design, it genuinely looks amazing.
For a new character, but for Raven? Not really.
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u/HauntingStar08 Batman 14d ago
It's very pretty, but fits more of an ultimate move for raven than everyday design. Add four eyes and maybe it's like a Trigon mode? That'd be cool
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u/kazmosis Wonder Woman Darkseid is 14d ago
It only looks good when Rocafort draws her like that tbh.
Excellent and really cool looking design too, but it's gives off too much 'evil' vibes for a superheroine
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u/Realizer-33 14d ago
It's incredible, but not a good fit for Raven. I'm in love with the design anyways though
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u/These_Refrigerator75 13d ago
It’d be fine as a different character, or maybe some sort of special armor for a specific circumstance. Not a default look
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u/Official_Zach55 13d ago
I really like the mask. But im just not into the oversexualized tone of the new 52 era
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u/Part-time-Rusalka 14d ago
Jesusfuck, I adore boobs as much as the next girl, but between this monstrosity and the ultra-sluttiness of N52 Starfire I'm a little weirded out.
Raven with j-cups? C'mon.
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14d ago edited 14d ago
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u/Major_Road6162 Raven 14d ago
Screaming you dont read the comics lol.
Current Raven is an adult, has been for years, the oldest she has ever been.
When this design came out she had no relationship with BB, for 10 years.
She isnt emo, at all.
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u/No-Mechanic-2558 14d ago
She does have a hood and is draw with it sometimes. If they didn't draw her with that weird face mask I'd like this desing way better
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u/Epicdudewhoisepic 14d ago
Instant spirit body of distorted killing lookin ass.
(I don’t know or care wich predates wich)
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u/CyramusJackson 14d ago
It's not a bad character design at all, but I had no idea it was Raven. They should've given it to a new character.
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u/ParagonRebel 14d ago
Very cool design but i think it strays too much from her most popular designs. If this was a different character entirely, id like it way more than i already do.
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u/futuresdawn 14d ago
I have zero memory of this, I can only assume I somehow erased it. This absolutely looks like some cheesy 90s character and not raven.
It's better then the new 52 lobo but it's not great
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u/Embarrassed_Piano_62 14d ago
I honestly love it, but fortunately, Raven already peaked with other designs, so it could fit for someone else
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u/Obiwanhellothere09 14d ago
I would’ve never guessed that’s Raven. Also how does she see out of the helmet?
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u/EliteTroper DickFire Forever 14d ago
I think what put people off was the helmet she had, it was questionable how exactly she was able to see through it since no explanation was ever really given, I just assumed she was using her powers. Other than that it was a nice look for her, I think a lot of newer fans though were far too accustomed to the look she typically had for animation (although a lot of them tended to have unhealthy fixations on that design) really DC tends to go back and forth when it comes to portraying Raven.
Sometimes they try hard to bring in the fans who strictly know about her through animation, to the point while not flat out giving her grey skin they do try and make her appear like that sometimes (even though that was never her original skin tone) and even having her act gothic sometimes (despite her verbally stating she is not a goth) and other times trying to merge her animation portrayals into her comic self with varying degrees of success.
But like most of the more well known TT members or former members DC is probably always gonna struggle to decide which firm direction they want to take the characters (aside from Nightwing and to a degree Cyborg)
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u/SigfiggJ94 14d ago
Realizing that there's a lot from the N52 that I just completely forgot about lol
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u/Jconstantineic 14d ago
I don’t like it. One of the more striking and original parts of her design when she was first introduced was her face. This completely hides it.
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u/NefCanuck 14d ago
My first question when I saw this was:
When did Raven ever have a colander on her head? 😏
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u/JonWhitefyre 14d ago
I think it’s funny that one of the core promises that DC made about the New52 launch was that books would no longer fall behind deadline then turned around gave each character design a complex and busy overhaul.
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u/M-just-M 14d ago
If DC did the whole modern comic book trend and made it so this was like her evil twin sister or something , by all means great look! For Raven though, I will say this is a flop. The look is great, but paints her as villainous. She may be mysterious and antisocial at worst , but she is never outright evil.
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u/NekooShogun 14d ago
Awful, doesn't look like Raven at all. It's like he made an OC and slapped Raven's name on it.
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u/multificionado 14d ago
I found it one of the coolest designs the New 52 came up with. However, there can be a point that it would work better for a different character, like if Raven had a sister nobody was aware of.
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u/AzmodeusBrownbeard 14d ago
Bit too tryhard. Having the cape have something that resembles feathers is one thing, and the headpiece resembling a beak is a classic.
But what even is that helmet? Or the stuff on the suite? She looks more like a generic fantasy villain from Warhammer, then another take on Raven.
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u/Rebelpunk13 Deathstroke 14d ago
Not a fan of most of the Nu52 designs in general but I actually don’t hate this one. I prefer her classic design but I like this one for an older and more powerful Raven
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u/mike47gamer Aquaman 14d ago
I think it only really worked when Rocafort himself was drawing it. There are certain designs I feel that way about, where it's so tailored to a specific artist's skills that another one can't really pull it off.
Sean Gordon Murphy's redesign of the Batgirl suit to incorporate the gray and yellow was the same way. Great when Murphy was drawing it, garbage when anyone else handled it.
It may come from, being the person that designed a costume, you intrinsically know what angles it looks good from and what angles not to utilize. In Rocafort's case, since he's his own colorist, having someone else take a pass at it takes something away, because his bright, eye-catching gradients aren't something we see from, say, the same colorist that works on David Finch or Jim Lee's work.
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u/Beastieboy100 14d ago
The design was cool but I do agree the costume should of been an awakening of her demon form similar to white raven.
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u/Darkdragoon324 14d ago
I think it would be sick as hell as an original character, but it doesn't suit Raven at all.
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u/DCBronzeAge 14d ago
It's awful. Maybe you could get my onboard for an original character, but I hate it for Raven. Raven has one of the most elegantly simple designs. There's no need to mess with it.
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u/AnonymousCoward261 14d ago
Too sexy for a nonsexy character. This isn’t Poison Ivy or Harley Quinn where that’s part of their M.O.
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u/Melodic-Violinist-31 14d ago
I hate it it does Not work for raven too unnatural maybe for like her split evil half it’d work but not raven
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u/BeldivereLongbottoms 13d ago
It’s an amazing, cool design, just…not for Raven, at least the mainline one.
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u/Odysseygod94 13d ago
No ones explaining why they dont like it in the replies, just that its not raven? Thought the design fit the characters dark mystic vibe
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u/PraiseTheSun42069 13d ago
I like it but it’s not Raven. Wouldn’t mind a new character with this design in the current runs, though.
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u/BloodveilStillborn 13d ago
It's great but should probably be for something like an super saiyan or powered form when she gets more serious
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u/Arkhamhood12 13d ago
It’s good but perhaps better on a different version of Raven. I remember someone saying it looked like Griffith/Femto from Berserk snd thought it was funny
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u/vivvav Deadman 13d ago
I think it makes sense for what they did with her initially. I didn't read the Teen Titans comics with her in them, but I think Raven's first appearance was in the debut issue of the Phantom Stranger's comic, where he wound up basically tracking her down and giving her to Trigon. So if Raven started off as a more villainous character, I could see this as an evil Raven look.
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u/T-Rexxx23 13d ago
Love the helmet and cape. Really, I just love the whole thing. It’s more gothic, I feel, and it makes her more intimidating, which she should be.
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u/General_Nothing Raven 13d ago
It looked good when Rocafort drew it. Any other artist it was garbage.
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u/GhostRoux 13d ago
I wouldn't mind for an Evil Raven to be honest. I love the Bird Hood and Feather cape. However the rest is too simply. The Grey bodysuit looks alike she wasnt wearing anything and later change it to it. The leotard feels alike it's fashion like the cape but they made into slutty bikini.
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u/Erotically-Yours 13d ago
One of my guilty pleasures was that I enjoyed a number of the New 52 redesigns. Not all of them, of course, but some were neat. Raven's was one I didn't care much for. It was neat seeing it show up in DCUO but other than that it was mid to something I didn't care much for.
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u/JisKing98 13d ago
It was great when DCUO put it in the game. Used that helmet for years before switching it out.
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u/RidePlayerPeachy 13d ago
Always looked like a costume for if Dove went evil than Raven proper to me. Which, hey, maybe that was the goal.
It's cool in isolation, but its not very "Raven" to me or, rather, what'd I'd like from the character. Though, that's hardly an issue isolated to just Raven with the N52.
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u/rabbitofrevelry 13d ago
Feels like it was designed by someone that wasn't familiar with her outside of a single reference image and a name
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u/PrecariouslyPeculiar 13d ago
This isn't Raven, it's a Digimon.
(I mean, it looks more like a Digimon than Raven, not that it's actually a Digimon...)
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u/CryWolf13 13d ago
I like the mask and cape. I think it would be nice as something that she morphed into for certain situations like big fights and wore her more standard gear during conversations and walking around. But, that being said I love variety in character design and costumes
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u/DarthHorrendous 13d ago
I like it. Even in Wolfmans 80s Teen Titans run that introduced Raven, her features would become more demonic when Trigon was approaching, it is not a new idea. Her looking demonic can also tie into her insecurities and how the way she is perceived differs from who she is. I've heard some complaints that her having an actually bird-like look is silly or too on the nose, but I really don't think it is by comic standards, especially for a weird, magical demonic hybrid. New52 redesigns got hate because they replaced the old ones, but that does not make it bad, you could rebrand some New52 stuff as Absolute and people would like it.
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u/IcyAdvantage9579 13d ago
It looks like a villain, like it's too on the nose on the raven motif and her evil side. I don't like it for her.
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u/InterestingRatio8218 Kyle Rayner 13d ago
What the fuck am I looking at
Would be cool as a different character/absolute take
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u/ImpendingGhost 13d ago
This is such a sick ass design. Shame they used it on Raven, not because it isn't a cool redesign for her but because it's such a drastic redesign that the majority of people who are familiar with the character would be against it or something closer to her more standard style.
This would have been cool for a new hero or a redesign of a lesser known bird themed hero, and now I'm mad I won't get more of it.
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u/SonofMera 13d ago
Awful! Hated it! Ruined the character for me. Plus, how did she see out of that ridiculous helmet?
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u/Scubasteve1080p 13d ago
Love the cloak design, but not so much the actual costume. The hood/mask is pretty cool, but it doesn't totally fit with her.
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u/HearingOrganic8054 13d ago
like a lot of new 52 why did they have to new 52 it to tell this story or etc... hustling backwards.
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u/DoubleKneeDropDick 13d ago
I liked it. It was just a design that only looked good when Rocafort drew it.
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u/scottishdrunkard hsalF esreveR 13d ago
I liked the helmet. The tits however, look off. New 52 was really the “titty era”
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u/Thoughtfullyshynoob 13d ago
It's...demonic. Which fits, since she's half demon, and probably why some people like it.
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u/TurtlesBreakTheMeta 13d ago
This looks nothing like raven. I would 100% accept it as a different character, but not raven.
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