DC's NEW 52 issue #5, part 2

RED LANTERN: Atrocitus and Bleez get into it over the missing body of Krona. Plus we get more of the back-stories for Ratchet and Skallox. On Earth, Ray and John meet their destinies as one brother dies and the other is called to become a Red Lantern.

Yeah…this IS the Lantern book to be reading. Okay, I know that I called the Lantern turn on Earth months ago but we ALL knew this was going to happen. Why ELSE would you introduce these character. That having been said, the cause of the turn was a bit unexpected and now should be interesting to see how John Moore handles his new life. Great stuff from Peter Milligan and Ed Benes.

RESURRECTION MAN: Mitch Shelley is dead and we get a flashback to three years ago when he was in Basra. Deathstroke is there clearing the way and he along with his teammate Mr. Hooker are doing some sort of Nanotech experiments on wounded service people. One of the wounded troopers is named Carmen Leto and she gets a rebuild from their experiments. The technician working with her is Bonnie Hoffman. Not long after, bombs erupt at the facility, mortally wounding Hooker, who Shelley leaves behind. Shelley loses an arm in the process and confronts someone in an alien costume. The “alien” injects Shelley with the mysterious serum and declares “not your time”. Apparently, it’s not his time in the present either, as his soul never gets to Heaven. Instead, he is on his way to Arkham Asylum.

Thus, we get the origin story. And how many of you are paying attention that Bonnie and Carmen become the BODY DOUBLES??? So, Mitch Shelley is a bad man who ends up living forever and gaining new powers because something alien did this to him? Interesting plot point. I am curious to see where Abnett and Lanning take this in future months. It remains one of the coolest books on the racks today. You MUST BE reading this book!!!

STORMWATCH :  The Shadow Cabinet(Weren’t they originally a Dakota creation?) arrives on Stormwatch One and exterminates Adam(technically makes him ready to join the Shadow Cabinet). Then the representative has to make a decision as to who should lead Stormwatch. After pointing out the flaws of every member, The Projectionist is chosen, despite her reluctance. Apollo and Midnighter get to know each other better and it’s a good thing as stuff gets happening real quick. Midnighter and Harry mix it up and Harry finds a way to blow the alien horn. The last thing we see is Stormwatch One exploding.
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Yeah…this book is now laying groundwork that will be felt in other titles across the NEW 52 Universe. And that seems to be all it is doing. Oh…it is also starting to put that love story together between Apollo and Midnighter. Paul Cornell’s story rocks on and Miguel Sepulveda keeps turning out top notch artwork. Of the former Wildstorm, this was the only one that managed to keep me interested past the first issue. Let’s hope that trend continues and it doesn’t fizzle out during this extended tale.

SUICIDE SQUAD: Deadshot is taking out prisoners from Belle Reve like crazy but the Squad is dropping quickly. King Shark eats yo-Yo and it gets so bad that Amanda Waller makes one last telephone call and prepares to release the nerve gas. But Diablo saves the day. As part of an agreement, Deadshot gets to visit what we believe is his daughter Zoe, although she is never referred to by name. The visit is cut short when it is learned that Harley Quinn is missing.

Well…that was a mindless excuse for blood and violence! And it is STILL my favorite title of the NEW 52. Adam Glass knows when to turn the story loose and when to hold back. This was almost as crazy as the zombie issue! Once again the art is by Federico Dallocchio and it’s nicely done. Next month: the new origin of Harley Quinn as she searches for Mr. J. I cannot wait!

SUPERBOY: Superboy is dealing with Caitlin’s departure and Dr. Umber tries to comfort him. Mr. Templar shows up and reminds Umber that there is a price for failure as the creatures within him kill most of the remaining team members gathered there. Rose Wilson gets a deep look into a drive left by Caitlin. Inside are all manner of goodies including files on The Colony and Culling Day. There is even a picture of Rose and she is referred to as a ravager. Superboy takes actions into his own hands and proceeds to kidnap Caitlin back from the people that took her. Later, he confronts Templar while two fine farm folks deal with Attigan and Bryce and how they will fit into the concept of the Culling.

Scott Lobdell really knows how to write a good teen superhero book and continues to do it each and every month with titles like this and TEEN TITANS. What started as a simple “clone looking for his identity” has become a far-reaching title that will touch into many DC books in the coming year and help launch a title called THE RAVAGERS. But it is really all about writing a great story and filling it with lots of good comic book stuff. And this title fits the bill admirably. As always, this book is highly recommended!

SUPERGIRL: Kara ends up on Argo City(how is THAT possible) and has a conversation with her deceased father. He explains to her that the sunstone she holds has a full historical record of doomed Krypton. But she also gets to see his death and the sunstone crumbles. She ends up in a battle with a “worldkiller” named Reign and gets pinned against the wall. Argo is getting ready to crash and burn and it looks like Supergirl is going with it.

Well Supergirl now knows for certain that her homeworld is gone and she is one of the last surviving inhabitants(along with her cousin Kal-El of course). Michael Green and Mike Johnson do a nice job of having her continue to deal with the loneliness and confusion of it all. And now we have Reign, who looks to be a continuing member of her Rogues Gallery, especially when she has a sword which can pin the Maiden of Might against a wall!

SUPERMAN:  Superman loses his mind and becomes a vigilante. No…really: he starts speaking Kryptonian and even kills off poor Titano (nice nod to the good old days of Superman). The three alien possessed humans remain in a hospital unconscious and it looks like Superman made actually be split from his own self. Seems there is another Superman floating through deep space.

PLEASE finish this storyline. I said this last month: ACTION is fast becoming my favorite of the two Superman titles. I don’t care about what happens. Okay-Superman has lost his mind. Is it Red K or something else? It’s not like we haven’t seen this kind of plot twist before. George Perez is a legend in the business but this title is fast becoming a turkey!

SWAMP THING: Our tale begins in the jungles of Brazil with a Professor who apparently has been possessed by the rot. Back in the states, while Alec and Abigail are getting supplies, William comes riding into town with a herd of hungry beasts. So Alec “digs deep” and taps into the power of the green and destroys the critters. Abigail is injured and Alec and she share a tender moment, echoed in a moment from the past(that long time fans will remember and appreciate). Unfortunately, Alec begins to feel changes. It seems that the Professor in Brazil is in the midst of the Parliament of Trees and he is about to burn it down.

Once again, SWAMP THING takes its’ rightful place as one of the two scariest books on the stands today(only to be equaled if not sometimes outdone by ANIMAL MAN). Scott Snyder continues to pave new sections onto the road that previously existed. So much history exists with this character and Snyder is well aware of the importance of being rverential toi it. Such little things like the sign for the PASKO DINER (Marty Pasko was a writer on this title back in the day) along with stores like BERGER KEYS(editor Karen Berger), CORBEN AND CO.(Richard Corben that is) and REDONDO SHOES(as in Nestor Redondo) just makes an old fan like me smile so wide! And Yanick Paquette so fits into the style of the past that it is truly scary! This book goes hand in swampy hand with ANIMAL MAN so read them together!

TEEN TITANS: Here’s all you need to know: Superboy has come in search of Wonder Girl and must fight the Teen Titans to do so. So it becomes Superboy vs. The Teen Titans. Supes whips their butts, realizes he has been played by N.O.W.H.E.R.E and does a pretty good job of disrupting their security operations. The last page shows the thoroughly defeated Titans.

We got Scott Lobdell and Brett Booth. We got action up the proverbial backside. Superheroes in tights! You get the picture. A book that is much better than it should be!

WONDER WOMAN:  Hermes, Diana and Zola enjoy a nice meal when a bruiser called Lennox, who claims to be Diana’s brother. Somewhere along the lines, Diana requests an audience with Lord Poseidon, who is a huge amphibious creature as opposed to the old bearded guy with the crown we have all crown accustomed to. Meanwhile, Lennox goes to talk to Lord Hades.

Brian Azzarello continues to blow this title away. Love it or absolutely hate it, it has fans talking about it…a lot! Tony Akins fill in the art chores for this issue and issue #6 and he nails it! Go out and buy this book already! It is not your father’s Wonder Woman…or even your grandfather’s.

THE PUNISHER from Marvel

Frank Castle has become something of a legendary anti-hero in the Marvel Universe since he made his debut way back in 1974 in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #129. We all pretty much know the story: Castle is a war vet whose his wife and two children are killed by the mob when they witnessed a gangland execution in Central Park. He transforms himself into The Punisher and wages a war on the criminal element. At his most popular, he maintained four monthly titles(plus a black and white magazine) and was the subject of three less than stellar movies starring three different actors(Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane, and Ray Stevenson).

But Marvel has always struggled to maintain momentum on the title. How far can you take a vigilante like Frank Castle? Marvel gave him the MAX treatment that allowed them to stretch out the blood and the guts. They even had him disemboweled and decapitated and resurrected by Morbius and the Legion of Monsters as FrankenCastle. But how do you keep him fresh? In 2011, they let noted novelist and comic writer Greg Rucka and artist Marco Checchetto have their shot at him.

Issue #1 begins with a wedding and a slaughter. When all is said and done, there are 27 dead(with more added as issues go on), nineteen wounded and a bride who has become a widow.  So it’s up to Detectives Oscar Clemons and Walter Bolt to investigate. This leads them to the South Bronx where they find the corpse of a weapons dealer. Meanwhile, a party in Brooklyn ends badly for the party-goers as the man with the skull on his chest breaks things up. We also get the back story on how Bolt met the Punisher and a promotion in the process. Did I also mention that Bolt has been feeding information to The Punisher. Yeah…that too.

Norah Winters, investigative reporter, gets all up in the detectives business as she looks into a connection between the wedding murders and The Punisher. And the Punisher, who has been working his way through the organization known as The Exchange,  gets into it with The Vulture(version 6, 7, 8 or whatever…). During the battle, he falls several stories and gets found by…Miss Winters who helps him get away from the scene. Castle does his best to patch himself up while Winters begins a relationship, professional that is, with the widow Cole. Frank gets to spend some quality time trying to retrain his skills and work on his costume design. The widow Cole investigates Norah’s notebook and gets some clues of her own to help in ultimate goal: taking out The Exchange.

Soon Rachel is on her way to a nice little ski resort in the Hudson River Valley. And it quickly becomes a great night for capping bad guys. And she also gets to meet The Punisher himself, who is there on a similar mission. Clemons and Bolt respond to the scene and the deduction is made that Castle has a partner. Unbeknown to them, that partnership is more of an uneasy truce between Marines. .

This is the kick-ass, take no prisoners Punisher we all know and love. At one point, he busts up what can best be called a white slavery ring. And then wastes the girl responsible for drugging the women. No sir: Frank Castle doesn’t care what sex you are…you will pay. Greg Rucka, who began his writing career with the Atticus Kodiak series of novels, knows how to write compelling fiction. After all, he is responsible for such noted comic works as his work on DETECTIVE COMICS,  ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN, CHECKMATE and 52, among others. His writing style is very prose oriented, but he also knows how to write some killer dialogue and this book has all that. He  also has great subplots. The relationship games played throughout are fascinating. Winters and Cole. Cole and Castle. Bolt and Clemons. Gerard and Poulsen. Sorry…I didn’t mention that the heads of The Exchange are a former AIM scientist and a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, They are, adding more fuel to the fire. 

The art on the book is my only gripe because it seemingly changes from issue to issue. The first few issues were by Marco Checchetto, followed by Matthew Southworth and Matthew Clark filling in with issue #6 and Michael Lark doing issue #7, before having Checchetto back with issue #8 but another fill in for issue #9. Also(I guess that makes 2 gripes), must we draw Ozzy Clemons and characterize him in such a way that he totally reminds me of Detective Lieutenant William R. Somerset (although Bolt is certainly not Detective David Mills). At what point will we find a head in a box?

Anyway, the series totally rocks and, as jaded as I have become with Punisher titles, this is the best one in a long time. It is highly recommended as a good read!