An interview with Author Tabitha Winters

Not long ago, I conducted an interview with novelist Tabitha WInters. tabitha writes psychological thrillers and has garnered rave reviews on her first two novels, DISSONANCE and DECEPTION, along with her short stories.

Here then is that interview.

1.    Let’s begin with a bit of back story about Tabitha Winters. In your daily life, you are a licensed mental health counselor. What part of your education made you decide to go into that as a career?

I was working in a halfway house and as part of my case management work ended up handling a lot of traumatized people.  I found the link between addiction and trauma fascinating and started doing my own study of various techniques to aid with their recovery; the staff therapist received positive feedback from some of the clients and she encouraged me to move onto graduate school.   

2.    Recent interview, you made mention that you are a very religious person. Is this something which has been deeply held since you were young or something that has gained prominence in your life since your career began? And how does your strong faith play a role in your writing and your process?

I was blessed to have a Nana who was a very religious person and taught me an appreciation for faith in all things: positives, negatives, and especially our duty to do good in the world.  Our higher power was actively trying to help us if we would just allow it. 

My work is informed by that every day.  I have a strong belief that you ‘hate the sin but not the sinner’ and I believe everyone deserves love and peace.  If we can love the least of us, we can love all of us.  PS, I believe spirituality is a very unique and individual experience, and that’s why I have Renault go to Sacre Couer Basilica, where people really do pray twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for everyone everywhere.  Imagine if we all held that level of kindness!  We’d have a much better world.

Renault explores a lot of religious themes; his relationship to his Higher Power is extremely important to him as he tries to atone for his past.  I like his quiet reflection and how he handles his daily struggles with an eye toward his faith, especially in regard to what his programming has taught him and what he knows is right in his heart.  He feels he doesn’t deserve forgiveness but seeks it anyway, and that’s inspiring to me.  When we do right for a reward, it’s a different feeling than when you simply do right.

3.    Moving to your writing career. What was it that made you decide you wanted to be an author? When did you first have those aspirations: youth, teen, college or beyond? Or have you always had a voice in your head wanting to get you to create stories? Is that, in itself, its own type of therapy for you?

I found my love for writing in third grade: my teacher would tell us a story and act it out, then we’d spend the afternoon finishing the story.  It was amazing and exhilarating to be lost in this magical world, and I’ve been writing on and off ever since.  I never considered it would become anything more than a way to entertain myself, so I feel very blessed to share it.  I like a book that gives me a sense of belonging, and the SPKS have a bizarre family where they love each other unconditionally, warts and all, finding peace in their pain. 

I find the act of writing really reflective, and it can be cathartic to try to solve a problem I may be unable to remedy in actual life.  I get very emotionally invested in the characters, so I do have to be mindful of that as well.

4.    As an author, which novelists act your inspiration? Who are the people you look up to when you are in writing mode? Do they all manage to become part of your writing experience or do you also have works and authors you read purely for pleasure? Who is foremost amongst those?

I am inspired by almost everything I read.  I know a certain author *ahem* who is uniquely inspiring.  Your tenacity, your commitment to storytelling, and your rich writing style helped me to feel like it might be worthwhile to actually try to write a fictional book.  If I hadn’t met you, I would not have published Dissonance in the first place.  It has been illuminating having someone who understands not just the process but what it’s like to cerate a magical world from scratch.

I read based on my mood, and I’m always down for trying a new author or a new idea.  I especially enjoy reading something that challenges me or informs me.  Nabokov is my current addiction, but give me a pulp detective novel and I’m good.  Likewise, Claremont’s X-Men run is always stellar and I love Calvin and Hobbes always.

5.    DISSONANCE: where did the original idea for that novel original from and at one point did it become more of a reality as opposed to a germ of an idea? Did you originally plan for this to be a series or simply a one-off? And where did the idea for the title come from?

This book came from watching a patient struggle with feeling unseen by modern media in regard to the dissociation they experience in regard to their trauma.  I started out writing a little short story and then added to it, little by little.  Eventually I had a whole novel!  The title comes from the psychological term for the discomfort experienced when one’s actions don’t match their beliefs (essentially).  The novel explores this, as many of the characters behave in ways that are counter to how they want to represent themselves: we have snarky therapists, poetic assassins, felonious ethics professors,  criminal cops.  Each book deals with a psych concept and explores how the symptoms impact people.

 I never expected this to be a series, but your encouragement along with feedback from others made me believe this might have potential to be something more.  I can’t thank you enough for your kindness and inspiration, and if this is only read by one person and it helps them to feel seen, I think it’s worth it.

6.    Regarding the plot: did you know early on in the writing process the direction it would ultimately take? Did you plot out a bunch of story ideas and then throw them together to see what made sense? And how often do you come up with an idea and either walk away from it completely or file it for later use?

For Dissonance I had no idea where it was going to go: I would write small interactions and then see how they could flow together.  Once I had the characters fleshed out, they started to talk to me more (I am a licensed professional, I swear I’m not insane 😉).  Anything I pulled ends up in a separate file, and once it was complete I had enough for two more books!

I am kind of wacky, so I write stuff daily but a lot of it has no home.  This is why I have a large arc mapped out: I have fifteen books with specific pieces I want in each as well as where the arcs will resolve.  I think I’m a bit strange in that way, but yeah, I’m that guy who already knows how Marcus selects a Christmas tree because I already wrote it.  I like to know the characters inside and out so their actions feel authentic to where they are in their evolution. 

7.    What is your usual writing ritual like? Is there a certain place that you do that and
that is your strict ‘writing place’ or does that matter? What is the space like? Candles? Music? Beverage? Anything else to get you into that creative space?

I wish I was cool like that!  Four days a week I write at my walking desk on a treadmill for 90 minutes.  The other days I try to get in at least 30 minutes at my laptop with my dog taking a nap on the couch or at my big computer in my office during lunch.  When my social media director gives me a deadline, she locks me away with a big jug of water and a granola bar!

8.    Once you have a germ of an idea for a story, what is your creative planning process like?  Do you have your rough ideas plotted out or do you do a lot of stream of consciousness writing or a combination of both? And what do you start with first: developing sketches of your characters or concentrating on the plot and then placing your creations into this world?

I do a lot of Jello work: just fling it at the tree and see what sticks.  Right now, I am killing myself with the third book: I have three completed versions and I can’t decide which one to go with!  That says to me I haven’t found the one yet, so I guess some more flirting with the plot is in order.

I absolutely develop the main characters first, and when I get a fun character idea I’ll play with them until I can decide if they are important to the plot or just another imaginary friend to keep me company.  If they are the latter, they go in a file to add back in later.  I have a wild anthropology professor and an assassin that keep getting bumped but I just know they have a place.

9.    One of the more interesting parts of the novel is the flashbacks Ellie experiences, as the reader must mentally construct those memories together as they appear from recent events to more distant ones . How did you come up with the idea of having those dropped infrequently throughout the book and utilizing this storytelling device?

I work with trauma daily, so I help patients navigate the strangeness of having realities that conflict and remembrance that simply interrupt daily life.  I wanted the reader to get a glimpse of that so they could really understand Ellie’s struggles and how hard she is trying to keep it together.  In grad school we had to do an experiment where we were made to experience the stimuli a schizophrenic contends with in their daily life, and it really stayed with me: I could weep for how difficult it was just to hold a single thought.  My hope is that sharing Ellie’s story can enlighten us all to be a little kinder to each other’s journeys, especially those that are invisible to the outside world.

10. DISSONANCE introduces a cadre of interesting characters, all of whom, just like real people, have their nuances, quirks, and drama. Which ones are the most enjoyable to write and which ones are the most difficult and why? And is it your perception that all of these people are broken to some degree; some more than others?

Marcus, by and large, is my absolute favorite to write.  He is just a gem, and he can be so out there!  I love writing his dialogue because despite his daffiness there’s always something more to it: he always knows the end game and he’s much smarter than he looks.

Ellie’s trauma is really tough to write, and I have to take breaks at times.  She breaks my heart, really, because she just wants to have a good life and keeps getting caught up in these awful things.  One fan asked me, ‘Does Ellie know what you’re doing to her?’  and that really made me think: her journey is really explosive, painful, and beautiful, and I promise I have her best interests at heart, always.

Gérard also breaks my heart: he’s this sweet, poetic guy who was made into a killing machine.  No wonder he’s got so many problems!  I really enjoy documenting his internal demons, because I work a lot with addiction and I think it’s important to validate that experience and how hard it is to make those changes.

My belief is that the characters are just like us: perfectly imperfect.  We’re all broken, and we heal and grow from those breaks.  Like Marcus says, I love tacos and they fall apart, so why not me?

11. Many authors draw from real life interactions and often combine elements from those people into a character or characters? Is this how you work or is everybody in your universe totally sprung forth from your exceptionally vivid imagination? Are any of your characters an amalgam or people you have interacted with, past or present?

A lot of characters grow from people I admire; Ash is based on you!  I usually ask someone if it’s okay to incorporate certain aspects into characters, but it changes how I utilize them as I can’t do anything against them!  I will say that the main characters are all based on clinical experiences or dreams I have had.  You’re going to laugh, but I know exactly how Renault speaks; I know what Marcus’s lopsided grin looks like, and what shade of red Ellie’s hair is (ginger).  I see them clearly when I write and I try to make them as vibrant as possible.

12. Moving on to DECEPTION: it picks up not long after DISSONANCE ends, working to resolve plot threads from that first novel.  It certainly ups the action and paints some pretty grisly images along the way, while almost immediately thrusting your characters into it. Was this a conscious decision on your part or did that happen organically? Was this always your plan or was there another way you had considered going

Dissonance was always meant to lay the groundwork so that Deception could really start with a bang.  I always like to reward the reader by having themes that carry throughout the novels along with little Easter eggs.  I write the novels concurrently so I can make sure things agree and I sometimes make sweeping changes that impact a whole set of books!

13. DECEPTION ends with not one, but two cliffhangers (SPOILER!). Was that always your plan or were you thinking about wrapping up this one case and starting anew with the third novel in the series? And can we expect it with more books in the series or do you see that practice changing?

I definitely wanted the first cliffhanger, but the second just kind of happened (cue shot of many important novelists rolling over in their graves).  I love a cliffhanger: I love knowing that I can come back to this space I love.  I have a special place in my heart for the serial thriller, and I like a series where I can follow many different characters.  My books are about people; the crimes are just a delightful side quest.

14. Your use of various Pop Culture references punctuates both novels in the form of dialogue from various characters. And they arrive sometimes at the most opportune time. What inspires you to dig deep into those references; some of which are pretty obscure and especially diverse? 

I try to take the temperature of the novel often; when things get too deep, I throw in some Marcus-style foolishness to right the ship.  I keep track of those little snippets on my phone, and I pop them in when needed.  My brain is just a bunch of monkeys playing poker with Old Maid cards.

15. As both an author and a professional, is there a point where one persona fades and the other comes into play? Is there a point where Tabitha the professional goes to sleep for the day and Tabitha the author comes out to play? Or does Tabitha the author come out at unusual moments during an average day and want to inspire you?

I try to keep the two separate, a la Clark Kent/Superman; gotta keep ‘em separated!  But they do bleed in sometimes, and when I write really traumatic prose I put my therapist hat on to make sure it’s authentic and not exploitive or hurtful to the reader.  

16. How much of your work, if any, gets inspired by dreams you may have had? Does a dream play out in a way that makes you think you could manipulate that into a storyline or a character? And, if so, how often does that occur?

My dreams are waaaay too vivid.  I wake up with entire storylines in my head; the Hall of Mirrors sequence in Deception came in a dream and was added right before publication.  A  lot of the time I will get that weird inspiration and I will rewrite everything to fit it.

17. Is there a point that you write your story and you are done with it or do you always second guess yourself; wondering if the plot works or if you could have done something different?  Do you sometimes think about what you’ve written and believe you could have done it better? Is any book every really done in your mind?

I feel like the first two were definitely finished when they went to press; I write really fast, so I will finish up the main part of the novel, return with character stuff, and then I let it cook for a bit.  I start work on the next book or some of Dame Magherita’s stuff, then I’ll revisit and things will start to crackle again.  That usually happens a few times before I have what I consider the final cut.  Then I edit it twice on my computer; once that’s good I print it and edit it again.  Then we’re done done 😊

18. After a day of your regular work and/or your writing stints, how does Tabitha Winters unwind? Or does the urge to create always sit in your psyche to a degree?

On a really tough day I just want to go home and veg, but if I can catch a second win I will write. 

19. While you have embraced the psychological thriller, do you ever see the possibility of dipping your toes into a different genre? And, if so, what would it be and why?

Maybe?  I never say never: Dame Magherita is writing romance and weird literature mashups, so I guess we’ll see how those land.  Side note: I suck at writing romance, but stick Ellie in an Austen novel and things get fun!

20. Since the release of DISSONANCE, you have been met with critical success, often gaining multiple five star reviews and high praise from reviewers. As an author, how does it feel to have your work accepted so favorably? Is this something you expected or simply hoped for?

I am really grateful and blessed about that!  You and I both know I thought this was only worthy of lining a hamster cage, so I find it utterly shocking.  I am terrified I am the William Hung of literature.

21. Where do you see the future of this franchise? Would you like to see it adapted into a television mini-series or a feature film? If so, who would you cast in those key roles? And, as a fan of the graphic arts, would you like to see these novels adapted into graphic novels?

I would be blessed to be able to keep writing the series and I think it would make an awesome miniseries or other media, but casting is tough!  I have several votes for Ryan Reynolds for Marcus; Renault is the hardest for me because I can see him in my mind so clearly.  Ellie’s the same, but I have a pinterest board with ideas of what I think everyone looks like and it helps inspire me.

I’m a visual thinker, so I would love to see the action depicted through art or on film.  As a huge graphic novel fan, such an adaptation would be a dream.

22. How soon can we expect a third novel or more? Do you have a timetable in mind or are you just seeing where the spirit moves you?

My social media manager wants it out this year!  It’s already written but it’s cooking, ya’ll, so I guess we’ll see.  I do love a winter release, and as a reader, I love to have something to look forward to.  Since the books work like a serial or soap opera, I feel like the readers need answers sooner rather than later…

23. Any last comments or things you would like to add?

Navigating this brave new world would be impossible without friends like you, so I am most appreciative for all of your help, inspiration, and compassion, my brother from another mother.  

You can find all of Tabitha's works at Amazon. com. Visit her website, tabithawinters.com, to read more about her, her works, her blog and her newsletter.

Here comes another batch of first issues

ADVENTUREMAN FAMILY TREE #1 by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson. This picks up directly after the previous series with Claire and Rita dealing with the events in that series. That also means Rita has to go back to her EMT job while Claire digs deep into the Adventureman history, meaning that Adventureman appears via flashback. The story sets lots of things in motion but the real star here is Dodson’s art. If you have the first series, you already know where it goes. If not, get the trade paperback.

ALL NEW VENOM #1 by Al Ewing and Carlos Gomez. I swore I wouldn’t bite on ANOTHER VENOM series but here we are. Our core symbiote has moved on from Dylan Brock and is now connected to a new host. Dylan wants to know who and narrows it down to four possible candidates: Robbie Robertson, Rick Jones, Luke Cage, or Madame Masque. Or maybe, none of them. It’s a guessing game with a lot of red herrings about. The writing is crisp and Venom’s quips are almost of a Spider-Man level. Gomez, who previous worked on THE AMAZING MARY JANE, turns in some of his best art to date. While it may not be your cup of tea, it is certainly better than ANY of the VENOM movies!

ASSORTED CRISIS EVENTS #1 by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadzki. Meet Ashley who wanders through her world and doesn’t know if the world is really ending! Yep…it’s that kind of story. Watch as she moves through her world that may actually be on a post-apocalyptic movie set and she does her best to get a specific clock repaired that may be able to stop the end of the world. Confused? You bet! This is science-fiction at an insane level! This is a book that requires many reads to find all the little bits throughout! Find yourself your beverage of choice and be ready for a long ride!

BLOOD TYPE #1 by Corinna Bechko and Andrea Sorrentino. This story, representing the first continuing series in the rebooted EC line of comics, makes its way here after introducing the main character in EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #3. It follows vampire Ada who finds herself on a Caribbean island where there may already be a vampire or a ghoul terrorizing the inhabitants of this resort. The story is curious fun and the art? Well…it IS Sorrentino!

EXQUISITE CORPSES #1 by James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh. Here’s the basics: every five years, the wealthiest families in America play a deadly game where their champions get dropped into a small town for a winner takes all tournament that will set for the countries direction. Yeah…winner takes all means the last mercenary standing wins. Seems simple enough but these hardcore killers are going to be taking out townspeople too. This 60 page monster is just the beginning as it is filled with blood, guts and various machinations. Good stuff!

FANTASTIC FOUR FANFARE #1 by Mark Waid, Alan Davis, Andrew Wheeler, Sara Pichelli, and Ramon Rosanas. Marvel steps back a little in time and gives readers a four issue mini-series featuring untold tales team members in each of the four issues. In this issue, Mark Waid tells the story of Johnny playing pranks on Ben, Alan Davis telling of a the team fighting aliens with Johnny as the hero, and Johnny dealing with the Mole Man while appearing on a reality show. Plus, bonus pin-ups! All in all, it’s a lot of harmless fun.

GATCHAMAN RYU: SCAVENGERS by Steve Orlando and Riccardo Robaldo. Following the recent mini-series and running alongside the current series, we get this: featuring another of the legendary Gatchaman team. It’s an okay story and the art works in an Anime style. Mostly aimed for die-hard fans.

GEHENNA NAKED AGGRESSION #1 by Patrick Kindlon and Maurizio Rosenzweig. From the mind of Patrick Kindlon, who was responsible for FRONTIERSMAN and ANTIOCH, which are also within this universe, we get Gehenna, who is on a major revenge mission. And a violent one at that as she finds herself embroiled in a war with the gangsters who killed her husband. It’s action packed and the art fits it. This is just such a fun read!

GIANT-SIZE X-MEN #1 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Al Ewing, Sara Pichelli, and Adam Kubert. What happens when Kamala Khan goes into the past via a time-travel device and ends up going out with the newly formed X-Men on their first mission-yeah: that mission. When Legion gets involved, things get dicey and then we have another time shift and our girl ends up meeting the Phoenix as this story continues in GIANT-SIZE DARK PHOENIX SAGA #1 and a few other one-shots set in key moments in X-Men history. Also included is a backup story set in the past with Xavier encountering a new, very powerful mutant.

GIANT-SIZE WACKY RACES #1 by Ivan Cohen and Mariano Benitez Chapo. Truth be told: I grew up on the silliness of WACKY RACES-even have the complete series on DVD. And this is not the first time that show has been adapted into a comic story. This time around, the usual cast of characters are here, fronted by our heroine Penelope Pitstop, but there is also a whole subplot involving politics that plays heavily into the full story. It’s a fun ride with a mix of racing action and character development. And don’t be surprised to see a sequel as there is a bit of a cliffhanger ending here too.

GODZILLA VS: #1 by Ryan North, Joe Kelly, Fabian Nicieza, David F. Walker, Jason Aaron, Gerry Duggan, John Romita Jr., Nick Bradshaw, Emilio Laiso, Georges Jeanty, Aaron Kuder, and Guiseppe Camuncoli. Only in the world of comics could Godzilla exists in the Marvel, DC, and IDW universes. Marvel has unleashed a series of 6 one shots starring, Thor, the Fantastic Four, Hulk, The Avengers, the X-Men and Spider-Man; all as a lead-up to the forthcoming GODZILLA DESTROYS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE. These are just fun, probably not canon stories…because Thor dies, among other things. Each story finds itself in various eras. For example: The X-Men is the era with Sunfire in it and Spider-Man is wearing his black suit, discovering it is a symbiote. And the Fantastic Four gets help from the Silver Surfer, not long after he arrives on Earth. They are just fun with some great creators behind them.

GWENPOOL #1 by Cavan Scott and Stefano Nesi. Everyone’s favorite real girl from a real world, Gwendolyn Poole is back by popular demand in a new mini-series. Let’s be honest: this is just a wacky mashup of Gwen Stacy meets Deadpool, so expect the same kind of fourth wall breaking craziness. The story is sort of silly, including an appearance by Fing Fang Foom, but the art is a winner. This is one of those titles that will either be a hit or a miss for you, depending on how much you already like the character.

HEAT SEEKER: EXPOSED #1 by Charles Ardai and Ace Continuado. Following what happened in HEAT SEEKER: COMBUSTION, Dahlia Racers has to deal with being on the run. And she’s being pursued by a reporter who now finds herself in the middle of things. Unfortunately, this potential ally is in it for herself and that is a problem for Racers. If you’re a fan of Ardai and his cast of characters, you’ll love it!

HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD  #1 by Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque. Millar’s special hero comes back and his world and life has changed. But he is still about helping the helpless and the weak. Along the way, we get more of his back story and discovers he is not the only hero in the world. He also gets his heart broken. The first story was amazing and this one looks to equal it.

HULK & DR. STRANGE #1 by J. Michael Straczynski, Natacha Bustos, and Herman Peralta. Bruce Banner meets with Dr. Strange in an effort to go back in time and see how his alter ego was created. Nothing really new here. The backup has Agatha Harkness and Aunt May engaging in a book club with also a visit from the Salem Seven. It’s fun and we get to see Aunt May kick ass!

ILLUMINATI #1 by Bryan Edward Hill, Denys Cowan, and Bill Sienkiewicz. This one flew under my radar but, when I saw it at my LCS, I jumped on it as the pairing of Cowan and Sienkiewicz is always magic. Throw in Hill, known for his work on DETECTIVE COMICS and ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER, and it just amps things up. It starts with a murder that leads Lilly to investigate her sister’s death. Sounds simple enough except her sister’s ghost is now riding with her. It’s eerie and a slow building story with some amazing art! This is highly recommended!

IMPERIAL #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Iban Coello, and Federico Vicentini. The next big thing in the space faring world of the Marvel Universe is the start of a war among the various factions. We have Kree, Skrulls, Wakanans, Star Lord, Peter Quill and the Worldbreaker. We also have a series of unexplained deaths and it looks like the Wakadans are responsible. Quite simply: Hickman is upsetting the apple cart again and the rules are gonna change!

MOMMY BLOG #1 by Marguerite Bennett and Eleonora Carlini.Meet Astrid. She has a Podcast/blog called Wondermommies. She’s a respected member of the community. She is also a serial killer. That’s it, folks! It has LADY KILLER vibes and you will go from booing Astrid to cheering her.

MONEY SHOT: BIG BANG #1 by Tim Seeley, Patton Oswalt, and Garth Graham. Those sexual space farers are back for another run. And such a hoot! We have space adventures, time travel and sex! What more could you want in a comic? The story is cool, the dialogue is snappy and the art fits! It’s like STAR TREK was a soft-core porn!

PREDATOR VERSUS SPIDER-MAN #2 by Benjamin Percy and Marcelo Ferreira. This got pulled by my LCS by mistake and, once I got home, I was determined to return it and swap it out for something else. Glad I didn’t! In a world where Xenomorphs and Godzilla have invaded the MU, we get this. And it’s a fun ride! Bring in the Predator and Karven the Hunter, have the city in peril and a bit of gore and you have a winner. The story is cool and the art rocks! Believe it or not, it’s highly recommended!

RUNAWAYS #1 by Rainbow Rowell and Elena Casagrande. The Runaways are back and their story continues right where we left off. Unfortunately, Doom runs the world and his Doombots are coming for the team’s own Doombot. They need some help and the return of a long lost friend may be their answer. I have been a Runaways fan since the beginning so I was all over this. It’s a teen superhero book and, if you’ve never read the previous runs, you will be so confused. Either get the collected editions or go on Wikipedia to get caught up.

SISTERHOOD #1 by Maytal Zchut and Leila Leiz. This mini-series is set in the HYDE STREET Universe, so you can expect it to be weird. Two close friends go to college together and one of them drowns due to a sorority hazing, leading the other to seek revenge. But when she seeks out a psychic at a shop called Sisterhood to help her, she quickly learns that what you ask for could be even more troubling. Zchut embraces this story that feels like BEVERLY HILLS 90210 meets AMERICAN HORROR STORY while Leiz delivers with great, detailed art. If you’re not invested in the HYDE STREET universe, you really should be.

SISTER IMPERATOR #1 by Tobias Forge, Corinna Bechko, and Puste. For the uninitiated, Sister Imperator is the creation of Ghost’s Tobias Forge and this is her origin story. And it is a grisly one! This book will not appeal to anyone except the die-hard Ghost fans. It is kind of cool and when our heroine ends up in a circus, things in her life change…although she has already had her share of trauma with a creepy stepfather. It is dark in spots and humorous in others, but the kind of dark humor that will not set you into fits of laughter.

SLEEP #1 by Zander Cannon. I have been a Zander Cannon fan since his work on THE REPLACEMENT GOD back in the mid-Nineties. He has been busy over the years doing work on such titles as TOP 10 and KAIJUMAX. SLEEP tells the talk of a poor soul who, once he falls asleep, becomes a killer. It is very quirky and in Cannon’s quirky art style. It is very weird but I like where it is going.

VANISHING POINT #1 by Mark Russell and Juan Doe. An astronaut goes on a ten year mission to the Jupiter asteroid belt and discovers that stuff is bad out there…really bad! This is the first issue of this anthology series and this one pulls at the heartstrings. Russell is usually great at providing humor in his writing but this is deadly serious. I can’t wait to see where he takes things from here.

WOLVERINE AND KITTY PRYDE #1 by Chris Claremont and Damian Couceiro. There is one major reason for reading this mini-series and his name is Claremont. This mini-series is set during the early days of Logan’s association with Kitty, following his killing Ogun. So this may be a new story but it is basically a story dropping into the past continuity. Obviously they team up during her training and end up in a crazy and unexpected mission. The art is okay but it’s Claremont’s love for these characters that shines.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CRIMSON JUSTICE #1 by Frank Tieri and Inaki Miranda. Crimson Justice is a retired superhero who is really needed now as the Dr. Mayhem is back in action. But will he come out of retirement?  And where is the rest of his team? Could this junkie prostitute really be Scarlet Girl? These are the questions readers will ask as this series goes on, even though Crimson Justice appears in the end. But who is in the costume? A great little mystery series masquerading as a superhero jaunt.

DC UNIVERSE Month 89, Part 2

HARLEY QUINN #52 by Elliot Kalan and Mindy Lee. A City Council meeting turns into chaos as Harley, Klang, ravager and others give their views on a kiosk put into the neighborhood. In the end, Chicken Fingers is revealed as Chester Figueroa: the crookedest City Council member ever. He convinces them to allow the kiosk, Ravager storms out and Klang asks Harley out on a date.

JSA #7 by Jeff Lemire and Gavin Guidry. In 1945, the JSA is in Germany at the request of Sgt. Rock to stop Hitler’s Super Soldiers from getting the Spear of Destiny. While most of the team battles Axis Amerika, Wildcat, Hourman, and the Unknown Soldier head to where the Spear is stored. They discover Wotan and Jonny Sorrow casting a spell that opens the Subtle Realms to allow the Unnamed Ones to unleash Hell upon our world and allow the Injustice Society to rule. Dr. Fate transports in and stops the spell. In the end, the cycle is nearly over as it is again time to bring forth the Unnamed Ones.

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #7 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. The heroes from throughout the timestream battles the Legion, taking out all of them except Grodd. But Air Wave overloads him with his energy and Grodd is defeated, but Air Wave may have died for real this time. Mr. terrific is besides himself and determined to fin the hero. As it turns out, because of the volitle Omega Energy, all these heroes from various eras are stuck in the present. In the epilogue, the Time Trapper has ended up in Hypertime and meets with the World Forager, telling him the universe is coming to an end.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE ATOM PROJECT #6 by Ryan Parrott, John Ridley, and Mike Perkins. The Legion of Doom has captured Captain Atom and they have no plans to ever let him go, even as he struggles to break his bonds. Luckily, Ryan Choi has hitched a miniature ride with him and this allows him to fight the Legion and carry him back to The Watchtower. After a heated conversation with Eiling, the General agrees to let Captain Atom, whose power spike was short lived, to stay with the Justice League.

JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. GODZILLA VS. KONG 2 #1 by Brian Buccellato and Christian Duce. Following the results of the previous mini-series, Amanda Waller is more determined than ever to have her plan succeed. Barry and Iris get married but, during the reception, Lois gets word that Lex is missing, which leads to the team investigating a bunker that, because of a portal, eventually takes them to Skull Island, where they observe a transformed Killer Shark battling Godzilla. When the effects of Shark’s treatment wear off, Godzilla leaves him and heads back into the surf. By now, Kong is awake and it appears he no longer recognizes the League. Meanwhile, Rick Flagg is not happy regarding Waller’s plans and he shoots her!   

KRYPTO: THE LAST DOG OF KRYPTON #1 by Ryan North and Mike Norton. On Krypton, Jor-El is testing his escape rocket and Krypto is the test subject. But things go badly when the rocket encounters a rogue wormhole and the ship is lost, eventually arriving on Earth. Krypton begins a long, troubling walk to Metropolis where he meets and apparently makes friends with a young boy named…Lex.

MISTER TERRIFIC: YEAR ONE #2 by Al Letson, Edwin Galmon, and Valentine De Landro. After Dre’s death, Holt becomes despondent and considers suicide when The Spectre intervenes and convinces him to go on, patterning himself off the original Mr. Terrific. At Dre’s funeral, Jefferson Pierce meets with Holt, who promises to hold the people responsible for Dre’s death responsible. Elsewhere, Athena has a conversation with an unknown entity, causing her to utter: “Darkseid is…” .

THE NEW GODS #7 by Ram V,  Evan Cagle and Travis Moore. The Justice League works together to bring the ship from New genesis back to Earth safely.  And just like that, Agent Chase of the D.E.O. arrives and insists that the League does not have jurisdiction. When one of the D.E.O.’s men points a weapon towards the refugees, Orion flips out and there is dissention without the team until John Stewart creates a construct shelter to house them. Mister Terrific and Miss Martian, investigating a second ingress. What they find is a piece of torn fabric, leading them to wonder where the others went to. Meanwhile, at an industrial warehouse outside of Bengaluru, Metron meets with Desaad, Granny Goodness, and Max Lord, who tells him that all the pieces are in place as he intended them to be. Orion discovers that Lightray has died in the conflict and is overcome with grief, leading to the child he has been trying to kill to comfort him. In the end, the D.E.O. are in the process of trying to acquire the child when one of them gets taken out by a certain member of the Forever People. 

NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #1 by Mark Waid, Todd Nauck, and Jerry Ordway. Barry Allen tells the tangled, long history of the Dc Universe, beginning with Perpetua and her sons: The Monitor, the Anti-Monitor, and the World Forager. From there, he tells the origin of everything: the Endless, Eclipso. The Lors of Order and Chaos, the Guardians, Manhunters, Green Lantern Corps and the Darkstars. New Genesis and Apokolips is formed, as is the Parliament of Trees, Atlantis, Skartaris, Nanda Parbat, Gorilla City, and Themyscira. We see the origins of Black Adam, Nubia, Vandal Savage, the Immortal Man, Etrigan, and Ras al Ghul. Tim moves forward through the era of piracy, the Wild West, World War I and World War II, and the heroes from those eras. The Justice Society of America is formed, as are the Creature Commandos, the Freedom Fighters, the All-Star Squadron, Justice Society Dark, and the Young All-Stars. World War II also brings the heroes of the war including the Unknown Soldier, Sgt. Rock, the Suicide Squad, and The Losers. Following the war, the JSA is forced to disband, replaced by the Justice Alliance. Decades later, the Superman Project is created with Niles Caulder, Will Magnus, Martin Stein, and Simon Stagg. J’Onn J’Onzz arrives on Earth and a rocket leaves the exploding Krypton.

NIGHTWING #127 by Dan Watters and Francisco Dexter Soy. Following the events of the last issue, the Major goes out to deliver a press conference and, during it, she flashes back to what she saw when Pearse revealed herself to her and collapses. Dick races to the hospital where he finds his sister comatose, with the doctors saying they will need to do a CT scan on her. But there is this big monster that just appeared in the city and that is distracting them. Pearse blasts the creature with the Van Gunther ray and that seems to injure the creature. Nightwing arrives and she tells him this creature is from the Fifth Dimension. She presents Nightwing with a special suit  that will allow him to enter the Fifth Dimension. Nightwing approaches the creature and a tiny voice asks him to help. What he discovers is nite-mite trapped within the creature.  

POISON IVY #34 by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara. While Poison Ivy fights against the armed troops, Janet and Undine flee, eventually getting separated. Struggling with the effects of her poisoning, she makes her way back to Gotham, meeting with croc and convincing him he needs to come with her to try and save Ivy, who has been captured. Meanwhile, Undine makes his way to Bella Garten and the Order of the Green Knight, telling her he needs their help. She tells him he needs to ask them himself and she is surprised when many of her followers defect in support. Just as Ivy is about to be transported away by the GCPD, Croc, Janet, Undine and the few followers of the Order arrive to fight them off and free Ivy. Unfortunately, this leads to Cros being captured by the GCPD. 

SECRET SIX #4 by Nicole Maines, Cian Tormey and Stephen Segovia. Using her siren song, Banshee knocks everyone out. Before they all pass out, Dreamer telepathically tell Jon to get Catman away before he passes out. But Jay’s powers makes him invulnerable to Banshee’s attacks and he sneaks away on the truck where the others are being transported. The following day, Jon wakes up with Catman and they look to find the team, as Catman tells of his story with Deadshot, which insinuates a physical relationship. In the end, Jay discovers the military is working with Checkmate and they know everything about Waller’s plans for Gamorra Island.

SUPERGIRL #2 by Sophie Campbell. The fake Supergirl is revealed to be Lesla-lar from Kandor. While Supergirl’s exploits were celebrated, her own achievements when unnoticed, leading to her to transport to Midvale with her rabbit Kandy, using her Super-Substance cosmetics to transform herself into Linda Danvers and convincing the Danvers that she is there daughter. Now, Titano has arrived and it takes the real Supergirl to defeat him while allowing his Kryptonite eye beams to blast Lesla-Lar and revert her back to herself. With that crisis averted, Supergirl contacts Lena Luthor, who designs a new costume for her, with a long-sleeve midriff shirt and short shorts. Undaunted, Lesla-Lar is still planning and develops her own costume, while also developing a weapon fueled by Black Kryptonite.

SUPERMAN #27 by Joshua Williamson, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Sean Izaakse. While working late, Lois is visited by Jimmy, who has finally been released from the hospital. His girlfriend, Siobhan, is angry that Superwoman caused his injuries, even as Lois takes the blame because she sent him into the action. They learn of a breakout at Stryker’s Island, which is where Superman is trying to fight the Red-K infection as he tries to explain his situation to Marilyn Moonlight. Over at Supercorp, Mercy is visited by Lex who offers her a choice: stay in Metropolis and run Supercorp or come with where he is going. The breakout is caused by Pharm and Graft, who now pilot a giant robot made of the same nanotechnology that Lex used to create the logo on the Supercorp building. Lex contacts Superman, saying he released the villains to get a cure for Superman. Lex himself has a cure and he planned all of this because Superman made him a better person. Superman throws the Supercorp symbol into the robot, defeating it. He then orders Marilyn to shoot him, which purges the Red-K from his system because of her powers. Travelling to Supercorp, he finds that Lex has already left and Mercy is now in charge, rebranding Supercorp as Lexcorp. In the far future, the Omega Legion brings Booster Gold to meet the Time Trapper, who escapes into the timestream.

SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #2 by Dan Slott and Rafael Albuquerque. Lois and Ron Troupe visit El Cardero, which is now the richest country in the world due to Kryptonite being the coin of the realm. While there, terrorists attack and the Krypto-Knight of El Cardero arrive to save the day. Back in Metropolis, Jack Ryder is interviewing a woman who has a goat with two heads that she claims is because of the arrival of Green K. but Clark Kent debunks that claim, enraging Ryder.  Superman arrives to stop a robbery in downtown that is led by Knockout. But the bad guys have guns with kryptonite bullets, injuring him. While The Creeper watches from above, Superman activates his new power that turns his form yellow and protects him from Kryptonite. The drawback is that only lasts  for a little over three minutes. He defeats the bad guys, who surrender-except for one who tries to get one last shot off but gets stopped by The Creeper. Later, Ryder and Kent meet in a bar. Meanwhile, President Castilho meets virtually with Toyman, who has been paid handsomely for what is to come.

TITANS #24 by John Layman and Pete Woods.  The Titans have been attacked by Deathstroke and his team and have been roundly defeated, with one of the biggest surprises for them being that Terra had joined the man she had tried to kill back in DEATHSTROKE #29. At the same time, they find themselves growing increasingly paranoid that Vanadia has tapped into their system and his been eavesdropping, which she is. She finds herself frustrated that she wasn’t called into action to fight the Crime Syndicate and wonders what she has to do to get the team to trust her. She arrives at the Crime Syndicate’s headquarters, with the intent of beating them down. But Terra talks to her and convinces her that the Titans might not be her friends. Later, as gar deals with the consequences of his actions and Roy and Donna almost share a kiss, the alarm goes off and the Syndicate is back…with Vanadia as their newest recruit.

TRINITY:  DAUGHTER OF WONDER WOMAN #1 by Tom King and Belen Ortega. Pariah has arrived on Earth and is looking for a way to ease his pain when he meets Lizzie, who tells how she was being taken care of my Damian and Jon when she went outside to think. When Wonder Girl, Lizzie as a teenager, arrived from Lizzie’s future to comfort her, as she remembers this moment in her life. Realizing that they can travel through time, Lizzie wants to go back to the moment when her father died. Instead, Wonder Girl takes her to a future to find the Lizzie of the future who should know what she is doing. They travel to the future where they meet Trinity and Lizzie get to see a statue of her parents and puppies as the boys have been changed into Corgis. After much planning and the dogs jumping into the time bubble, there is a plan where Lizzie and Wonder Girl, along with Super Corgi Puppy, will travel and find Steve Trevor. In the end, a very much alive Steve Trevor has gained the threads of life and is going looking for his daughter.

WONDER WOMAN #22 by Tom King and Caitlyn Yarsky. In a tale from the beginning of Diana and Steve’s relationship, Diana battles giant rats that having taken over parts of Washington, including the capital building. What Diana discovers is a villain named The Mouse, who wears a mouse costume, has modified the rats in an effort to strike back against the “fat cats”. She easily takes him down and gets the rats to stand down, allowing Superman to come and take them back to S.T.A.R. Labs to be changed back. In the end, Steve and Diana go for coffee and a mysterious man with large ears, much like a mouse, plans.

ZATANNA #5 by Jamal Campbell.  Zatanna is trapped in her haunted memories until she can finally break free. But she is still held fast by the Lady in White. She makes her escape using her magic but ends up drifting through unfinished layout pages from her own book. With her magic back, she gets to briefly reconnect with her mother; gaining sage advice in the process. She heads to the top of the lighthouse and confronts Eldon’s alter ego: the demon Laevateinn. Defeating him, his host is exhausted. The Lady in White stabs him with a golden staff at the bidding of the real villain in the piece: Allura, Soceress of the shadows. 

 

 

DC UNIVERSE Month 89, Part 1

ABSOLUTE BATMAN #9 by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta. In Bialya, the leaders of Quarac and Khandaq meet for a peace conference. But as they go to leave, they come face to face with Bane, who tells them one of them must die and the other must claim responsibility, which would reignite the war. The leader of Qurac agrees to the terms and bane crushes the head of Khandaq;s president. He gets a call from J.K. Holdings, his employer, and heads to Gotham. In Gotham, Batman reaches out to Barbara Gordon to help him find Waylon Jones. They meet and she reveals Waylon was arrested and sent to Ark M for breaking curfew. Bruce meets with his friends and Harvey reveals that the city has seized Waylon’s property. He also reveals that JK Industries had bought the site where Ark M is in the 19^th Century and has been developing it ever since. With Alfred’s help, Batman makes his way into the prison, where he encounters Bane, with disastrous results for our hero as bane activates his steroids and grows to monstrous proportion. He grabs Batman and tells him it’s time for surgery. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon tries to convince Martha Wayne that she should run for mayor in the future.

ABSOLUTE FLASH #4 by Jeff Lemire and Al Kaplan. Wally has a nightmare about looking into his mother’s grave and sees Barry’s skeleton screaming for Wally to help him. Waking, he and Grodd head to the Iron Heights district of Central City, where he ends up at a homeless encampment. Ralph Dibny tells him he runs a youth mission where he can stay for a week and that offer is legitimized by a homeless girl named Linda, who immediately attracts Wally’s attention. He goes to the Dibny Mission and makes friends with Linda, who doesn’t reveal what she has been running from. Settled in his dorm room, he discovers that Grodd has run off, causing Wally to give chase. Meanwhile, a group of scientists are examining the energy vortex left by Wally until Jesse, seemingly in a trance, touches it, causing it to explode and disappear. After he meets with the Rogues, Rudy West goes to the remains of Barry’s lab when Elenore Thawne arrives, leading him to ask what Barry was working on. She tells him she does not know but he was working on an augmented weapons program for Lazarus Corp. Demanding to know where Wally is, she tells him they know as they are tracking Grodd. Wally catches up with Grodd in the tunnels, with Grodd repeatedly saying “Hot”. They discover a human apparently made of molten lava and Grodd says “Hot is here.”

ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN #3 by Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay. On the morning after Abin Sur came to Evergreen, where he observes a ring of light in the dark and a voice tells him he must command “the flame”. He tells Todd Rice that he believes everyone inside the dome is calm as they believe the authorities are coming to save them at some point. He sees an earring from the dead biker that has somehow passed through the dome. John gets Hal and Jo to join him at the dome and they realize they anything which appears to be gold, even if it is not, can pass through the dome. When John throws his grandmother’s ring, which is made of gold, at the dome, it passes through and creates a hole. Abin Sur arrives and destroys John, saying he has been judged. Hal heads home and paints the bullets in Rita’s gun gold. In the present, Hal’s hand is out of control and Jo creates a construct of a fist and attacks, punching him into the desert, leading him to ask her how she is controlling the light. 

ABSOLUTE MARTIAN MANHUNTER #4 by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez. The city is encountering a heat wave and this is leading to violent wars between townspeople; even close neighbors. During this, John’s wife is growing more aggravated by the person he has become, thanks to the Martian’s influence. In the end, a blackout occurs and that is because the White Martian wants darkness.

ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #8 by Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval. While fighting off Omega Men assassins who he kills with his bare hands and de-ages one to a baby that he drops from the top of the skyscraper, Ra’s al Ghul tells investors that Lazarus’ day of resurrection is near. Elsewhere, Superman sneaks into Martha Kent’s room, only to find she doesn’t know him because of her Alzheimer’s. Later, he is met by Jimmy and Lois, but he just wants to be alone. Lois and Jimmy begin to fight and Superman intervenes but suddenly collapses as he has been shot in the chest by Peacemakers. Lois insists she did not lead them here and the two of them work together to get Superman to safety. The Peacemakers are ordered to secure a perimeter as ordered by the cybernetically enhanced Peacemaker Smith. Sol attempts to remove the bullet and reveals it is made of the same composition as Krypton. Smith arrives and Superman attempts to defend Lois and Jimmy but is still weak from the Kryptonite bullet. Lois tries to convince the other Peacemakers to turn on Smith, after his massacre in Pakistan but they refuse. The townspeople arrive and force the Peacemakers to leave. Superman activates his armor’s Tornado Mode and attacks Smith but Smith shoots him with multiple bullets. He moves in to kill Superman but is suddenly shut down by Brainiac as Ra’s wants him captured alive. Jimmy calls in a Boom Tube and the Omega Men and Primus hold off the Peacemakers, allowing Jimmy and Superman to flee. But they refuse to let Lois follow and she now finds herself surrounded by Peacemakers.

ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #9 by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman. Wonder Woman interrogates Doctor Poison, who tells her where one of her Amazon sisters is located. After conferring with her colleagues, Diana makes her way into the maze in Area 41 where she encounters a Minotaur battling fish men. She teams up with the Minotaur, who is named Ferdinand, and they defeat the fish men. She asks him about other Amazons and he tells her there is one named Clea. In the end, they find Queen Clea and her fish men and Diana states that she is no Amazon.

ACTION COMICS #1087 by Mark Waid and Skylar Partridge. Superman helps out at the Expo of Tomorrow, entertaining the children with rings from the Legion of Superheroes. This leads him to changing his clothes and visiting as Clark Kent, which triggers a memory of his youth. At the age of 15, John and Martha take him to Metropolis to the Expo. During the visit, Raze arrives and starts to wreak havoc, leading Clark to change into Superboy for the first time in public. He battles Raze and defeats him easily before leaving, as his secret has now been revealed. A mysterious group of cloaked people gives Sam Lane an assignment that involves Superboy. Elsewhere, a man watches Superboy on television and believes him to be a threat, and he flies out into the night.

AQUAMAN #6 by Jeremy Adams and Michael Shelfer. In the recent past, sea gods who were pulled into The Blue debate what to do about Dagon. He arrives and slaughters them all. In the present, the Nautilus is attacked by a sea monster that leads to Arion casting a spell to blind the creature, allowing Aquaman to push the ship away. The team reaches the ruins of Haven where they can harvest the necessary fuel roads the Nautilus needs. They finds the Cask of Capture: an artifact that can hol anything. But they are attacked by the resurrected sea gods. Unable to stop them, Arion opens the cask and a stream of water erupts, purging the infection from the sea gods, although they remain dead. As it turns out, the water spout is Zan. One of the Wonder Twins.

BATGIRL #8 by Tate Brombal and Isaac Goodhart. Shiva’s tale continues, as she and her sister meet Richard Dragon and Ben Turner, later known as the Bronze Tiger. They begin friends, go on a handful of missions and Carolyn becomes romantically involved with Ben. One night, Sandra(Shiva) is met by David Cain: the assassin known as Orphan. He tries to get Shiva to join him and she refuses, with him revealing he already visited Carolyn. Shiva races back to their house and, with Ben and Richard, discover that Carolyn has been murdered by Cain. In the end, Cassandra arrives in Whitefish, Montana, as he mother has told her to find Bronze Tiger.  

BATMAN AND ROBIN #22 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Javi Fernandez, and Carmine Di Giandomenico. Damian has been taken captive by Professor Blye, who reveals a moment in India many years ago where a man explains that Memento wears people’s flesh like clothing. Meanwhile, batman and Lautrec investigate Blye’s notes, with Lautrec revealing that it looks like Memento has been active for over 100 years. She also realizes that she knows Batman is the young man she once trained and worked with. They head off and meet with Jason Blood, encouraging to become Etrigan to assist them. He reveals how the Crowe brothers ate the Poppy’s Bloom and the elder brother traveled to another world, where he was inhabited by Memento. Elsewhere, the Irregulars go to an underground city where they encounter Memento attacking Damian, who implores them to flee.

BATMAN AND ROBIN: JASON TODD #1 by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen. In the early days of Jason’s Robin career, he and Batman encounter a gang of thugs and Robin gives chase to one wearing a bird mask. The villain gets away due to his rashness, leading to Batman lecturing his angry ward. Later, Robin stakes out the villain to a bar and apparently beats him to death, even while claiming it wasn’t him. High above them, a masked mad with a gun declares it’s time to take down the animals.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #40 by Mark Waid and Adrian Gutierrez. Perry and a nervous Jim Gordon are preparing to go on a viral television talk show when a giant Kaiju appears in Metropolis and attacks the television station. That leads to Superman and Batman teaming up, with Batman unleashing a giant Batsuit to battle the creature and eventually stop its’ assault. Lois and Jim Gordon do some detective work and discover that the son of the show’s executive producer has some drawings that mirror the creature. Talking to her, she explains how her son can create images with his mind and that this was all part of a publicity stunt. Gordon and White find the boy, who refuses to stop until Superman arrives and makes him stop.  

BIRDS OF PREY #22 by Kelly Thompson and Sami Basri. Cass, Sin and Canary have made their way to the UAE in search of Barda. They do not find her but do find her Mega Rod and transport back to Oracle to plan their next move. That takes them to Chinatown where the trio comes under attack. Meanwhile, Cela and Poe visit oracle to tell her that she believes Velvet Tiger may be hunting them. An alarm sounds and Oracle orders Cela to flee but that may be too later as an explosion rocks the place-in full view of Dinah, Cass, and Sin.

CATWOMAN #77 Torunn Gronbekk and Danilo Beyruth.  The saga of Evie continues and that brings her into direct contact with Belov, who demands the keys. Evie demands to see Suzy before she does the deal and, when she meets her, she reveals that she always knew Suzy was a horrible actress, as she is in the Belov’s game too. Suddenlt, gunfire breaks out and armed assassins come in looking for Belov. The assassins are taken out and that leads to a confrontation between Suzy and Evie. But Evie is killed by a sniper’s bullet and Evie flees.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1098 by Tom Taylor and Lee Garbett. Batman frees The Penguin and the two form an uneasy alliance in their search for Bullock. Oswald also reveals that it appears Elixir is connected to Ra’s al Ghul. Thanks to Oracle, Batman tracks down where Bullock is held and being tortured. As Batman drives into the building in the armored vehicle, Elixir fights back, seemingly stopping the Dark Knight. But he has escaped the vehicle and taken Cobblepot with him. They break in and free Bullock and the trio, with a captive, exit the building and demand that Elixir puts their guns down. Instead, they fire, hitting Bullokc and their captive.

FIRE AND ICE: WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER #3 by Joanne Starer and Stephen Byrne. With Etrigan’s help, Fire and Ice make their way to Hell to get the means to change everything back. After fighting their way through multiple challenges, they encounter Beefeater, who Bea had killed at one point, which fills her with grief as she declares she belongs in Hell.

THE FLASH #22 by Simon Spurrier and Vasco Georgiev. Jai speeds out of class to bring Barry back home. On the Moon, F8-3-1459 is on the run and Jai and Irey transport themselves there. Irey defeats the clones and jai teleports F8-3-1459 away to the Linear Bureau’s headquarters. A future version of Inspector Pilgrim recognizes F8-3-1459 as the shard that got away before everything went wrong. He tells them all possible timelines have started to converge, signaling Darkseid’s return with his Omega Legion. F8-3-1459 recalls what he had seen in the heart of the Spectraverse; that Eclipso must have left something behind to guard it. As F8-3-1459 shifts to a lower vibration, black tendrils grab at him but F8-3-1459, leaving Jai and the other to be dragged into the darkness and meet The Shade. Back on the Moon, Wally rushes in to where Irey is and says there is a counter-attack. She offers to help but is rebuked, causing her to run off into the battle.

GREEN ARROW #25 by Chris Condon and Montos. Both Red Arrow and Green Arrow burst into the Star City Museum as they battle Count Vertigo. After taking down the villain, they are congratulated by Albert Noyce: a Pharma executive known for causing an overdose epidemic. Later, Roy is shot by a villain known as the Crimson Archer and he suddenly is drugged; recalling his problems in the past with drug addiction.

GREEN LANTERN #24 by Jeremy Adams and Xermanico. After Hal and Carol capture a group of criminals, he invites her to lunch after they drop off the prisoners, which has been renamed Sunnyside Prison Camp and get invited to enjoy the prison salad bar by a very jovial warden. In the basement, they find a doctor playing with an axoloti he has named Happy. Hal discovers a dissected prisoner corpse and realizes that experiments have been done on prisoners. Hal and Carol believe that Happy is unleashing some sort of emotional energy that is affecting the mood of those in the prison. Wanting to take the creature away, the doctor releases a burst of orange energy and the prisoners attack. Carol’s power cancels out that of Happy and the prison comes back under proper control, with them arresting the doctor. Elsewhere, The Interceptor has landed at an abandoned space station where they discover a large vat filled with green emotional energy. While there is a debate about whether they should take the vat, the Manhunters arrive. Odyssey throws the Philosopher’s Stone at the cylinder to destroy it, but it moves to the Interceptor and becomes a being named Aya, who declares she brought the ship here to bring her home.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #5 by Jeremy Adams, Morgan Hampton, and V. Ken Marion. Simon, Ellie, and Keli continue to fight their nightmares as they try to get out of the maze.  They eventually get free just in time for Simon to save Keli and take down Enzo. Meanwhile, Guy and Narf are trying keep from getting killed by Evil Star and sure could use some backup. That come after Guy calls in the backup in the form of Space Cabbie and the trio make their escape. But Evil Star will not be denied until Narf transforms into a great creature and takes out their pursuers. In the end, they are all reunited, even as Ellie remains in Keli’s mind, trying to make her way into a door. What IS behind that door?