EARTH 2 from DC's NEW 52

Well, comic fans had heard the rumors and now we have the existence of another Earth in the NEW 52 Universe in our hands. The book is called EARTH 2 and it is the NEW 52 version of those heroes that are associated with the Justice Society of America. Of course, this is the NEW 52 and you know that things are going to be radically different this time around.

The story begins five years ago as the Earth is in the midst of a war against Apokolips. With all hope apparently lost, the Trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman concoct a plan straight out of INDEPENDENCE DAY. The plan is for Batman to plant a virus in one of several beacon towers that supply information and energy to the Parademons of Apokolips. The idea is that the virus will spread from one tower to the next, effectively shutting down the enemy. So one final assault above Metropolis is made upon the towers. Along with these three are Batman’s daughter Helena (this world’s Robin) and Superman’s cousin Kara(this world’s Supergirl). Over in New Guinea, the army is waiting with a nuke mounted on a tank. The Sergeant running the crew is a diminutive man named Pratt…Al Pratt. Clever readers know that the original Atom was Al Pratt.

The god Mercury arrives and tells Diana that the gods are all dead or dying. No sooner does he depart than Steppenwolf arrives and skewers Wonder Woman. Parademons attacks Superman and he explodes over the skies of Metropolis. Batman gets inside the beacon and set off the device, which kills him in the process, much to the dismay of his daughter. Kara arrives and the two women enter this glowing light they assume is a Boom Tube. The Tube transports them into WORLD’S FINEST #1.

We flash to the present and Alan Scott, owner and CEO of G.B.C. is working on a documentary on the events of five years ago. In Lansing, Michigan, Jay Garrick’s girlfriend Joan is leaving town and leaving him behind. And apparently it’s not a good breakup. She says she is destined for bigger things and he is not. So Jay, just 21, ends up on a hillside drinking beer and pondering the fact that he has no future when a flash of light followed by a crash landing. Jay investigate and there is the god Mercury sitting in a crater and telling the young man the Earth needs a hero.

Thus ends issue #1 of EARTH 2, the book that proves the multiverse DOES exist in the NEW 52. James Robinson does a wonderful job of giving us alternate versions of our classic heroes. Batman, much like his Earth 1(Earth Prime…what the heck do we call the current Earth?) counterpart, wears this weird looking battlesuit while Wonder Woman has a helmet but sports the old school skirt. And Superman? He doesn’t have his tights on the outside but it is much closer to the classic image than the Kryptonian battlesuit version does. The introductions of Jay Garrick, Alan Scott and Al Pratt, along with Helena Wayne and Kara/Supergirl (as opposed to Power Girl Kara) were very cool! But what should be interesting in the months to come is where these characters end up. We already have learned that Alan Scott will be revealed to be gay which means his son Obsidian doesn’t exist in Earth 2(well…he could but…). And Jay Garrick’s wife was Joan. Now, unless there is another Joan introduced or this one comes to her senses and returns to him, then his history and future alter radically from pre-NEW 52 continuity.

From an art stance, we get the dynamic duo or Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott handling the duties. Their combined work is very reminiscent of George Perez in his prime. Line work is tight, proportions are…well, PROPORTIONED. It’s an exciting looking comic and there is a lot of action in it. In the months to come, I can only assume we’ll see more of the once and future Justice Society and the supporting players who make up what is the first DC Universe. Well done to all: this book is one of my new favorite DC titles.

DC's NEW 52: THE RAVAGERS #1

Crawling out of the wreckage that was THE CULLING comes THE RAVAGERS, DC’s newest superhero team book. Written by veteran creator Howard Mackie (GHOST RIDER, WEB OF SPIDER MAN) and illustrated by Ian Churchill (CABLE, COVEN), it represents a cross between GEN13, meets TITANS WEST, and meets the LEGION OF SUPERHEROES. And it manages to fall pretty much on its well-hyped backside.

The issue begins with former N.O.W.H.E.R.E. scientist Caitlin Fairchild leading a group of survivors that were subjected to torturous genetic experiments out of the facility. Fresh from their battle with Harvest which was the basis of THE CULLING crossovers, your primary characters here are: Fairchild, Beast Boy, Terra, Ridge, Thunder and Lightning (who are identified as each other on the front cover of the book-that’s not good: a MAJOR mistake like that on the cover of your first issue!). So they have broken free and find themselves stranded on the Alaskan tundra. Mere moments after they get out, two groups head off on their own, including the pair or Terra and Beast Boy who, in the NEW 52, is now red (animals gain their power from The Red while plants receive their power from The Green in the NEW 52). Fairchild insults Ridge, who was a tormentor for N.O.W.H.E.R.E. who agrees to follow her lead…to a point.

A N.O.W.H.E.R.E. security detail arrives and offers to surrender but Thunder and Lightning decide they were tortured for too long and take matters into their own hands and deliver their own form of revenge. Meanwhile, two of the escapees find themselves being pursued by Warblade and Rose Wilson and also find themselves dispatched in short order. Fairchild proves to be an inept leader and very inept at breaking up fights among teammates. So, when Warblade and Rose Wilson arrive on the scene, it becomes wholesale carnage, as they quickly wipe out several of the escapees in grisly fashion. A weapon goes astray and it looks like the whole team is headed for a cold drink in melting snow.

Man, this book is a MAJOR, MAJOR MESS! Let’s start with the fact that we have two characters misidentified on the cover. Add in a typo…Pat McCallum and Eddie Berganza…TWO EDITORS and you let this happen? REALLY!!!? Let’s look at the fact that these characters are whiny in a 1990’s whiny sort of way. Can we please have Rose and Warblade finish the job and be done with it! How awful can this book be when you want all the characters dead in the first issue?

Howard Mackie has written a book that is twenty years out of time. This book makes me actually YEARN for HEROES REBORN and I still feel the scars that series of retooled books left on me. This book is all about the worst things that Nineties comics brought us: ZERO HOUR, GEN 13, MAXIMUM CARNAGE, PROPHET, Valiant Comics and let’s not forget what the DEATH OF SUPERMAN did to the comics market in general! Even Ian Churchill's artwork is boring. Hey wait: there’s Fairchild and Terra with their boobs popping out on the cover. Really!!? Yeah…this is SO NINETIES!!! Big muscles, big boobs and wait…where are the big guns?

DC axed six comic titles to bring out six new titles. One of those titles was O.M.A.C., which was a Seventies title reborn. I so want that book back, despite all its critics, in place of this nightmare. I have already bought issue #2, which I have yet to read. My hope is that this is first issue jitters and issue #2 will be better. Actually, that’s not so tough to do, as this is so bad. Lame dialogue, less than inspired art and a bunch of heroes who are so annoying. Give me GEN13 back because at least you know how much cheese you were getting with that title.

BTW: Pandora is hiding in the background watching the team. She appears on page four.

DC's NEW 52: the 9th issues, part 2

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #9: Welcome to the Amazon Jungle where Felix Faust and his followers are battling the NEW Justice League Dark: Zatanna, Deadman, John Constantine, Andrew Bennet and…the Black Orchid who has been put on this team by Steve Trevor. Before the battle is done, the new team ends up finding an artifact that is in fact a map…a map to the legendary Books of Magic.

So Peter Milligan gives way to Jeff Lemire who is already turning heads on such titles as SWEET TOOTH, and FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. and ANIMAL MAN. And he hits a Home Run with this one on a number of aspects. First, he introduces Black Orchid, in her original costume, to the world of the NEW 52. And rumor has it she may be someone who is going to change the DCU as we now know it. Second, he introduces us to a radically different Felix Faust who appear to be far more dangerous than his predecessor. Mikel Janín is handling the art chores again and that’s very cool by me. Love the book and would call it my favorite Justice League title but I don’t thinkof it that way. This isn’t a superhero book as much as it is a book with superheroes in it. Great book!

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #9: Justice League International battles O.M.A.C., who eventually gets to explain that he’s not a bad guy, just confused. Meanwhile, the bad guys from the previous issue continue to plot on how to make the JLI’s life miserable. And a whole bunch of Firestorms show up as part of a cross-over.

Another winner from Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti proving why this is possibly the coolest Justice League title.And the adding of the One Man Army Corps to the equation just makes me smile widely! It’s sad that DC has just announced this title will end as of issue #12. Hope they can wrap things up by then(maybe O.M.A.C. SHOULDN’T be in a book as this is the second title shot out from under him.

NIGHTWING #9: We continue with the battle between William Cobb and Dick Grayson. We also get the origin of William Cobb and learn that since the Owls were considered to be the grays of Gotham City that Cobb’s son, raised by Haly and the circus in secret, is the “Gray Son of Gotham”(get it?!). Nightwing defeats Talon by opening up cable lines filled with liquid nitrogen. So Talon is once again on ice.

Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows do a wonderful job in this chapter of  NIGHT OF THE OWLS. The origin of the Grayson line was totally unexpected and truly satisfying. By adding more back-story to William Cobb, the architects of this story continue to construct a history to Gotham City and its’ inhabitants that never existed in the “old” DC Universe. It has all become about politics, deals, and the idea that Haly’s Circus was the breeding ground for Talons is great. As always, I cannot wait to see what the next issue brings.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #9: Victor Fries has decided to add his stamp to the NIGHT OF THE OWLS and it becomes a major issue as Red Hood and his team get involved with Mr. Freeze AND the Talon who has come after him. It all ends up with Roy and Kori taking down Fries while Jason has a heart to heart with Talon Xiao Loong, who begs to be killed. Does he? We do not know. We do know that there is a minor crossover with the current issue of BATGIRL.

Another nice issue within the NIGHT OF THE OWLS story. What I have discovered as I have meandered through most of these tales is that, deep down, that Talons are broken individuals who have been used by the Court of the Owls and I find myself pitying them. Quality writing from Scott Lobdell and killer art by Kenneth Rocafort’s quirky art is just the right fit. I really like this book a whole lot.

RED LANTERN #9: Bleez continues to do all she can to take over the Red lanterns while most of the Lanterns turn their attention to Rankorr, who is getting blamed for destroying the power battery. But before that can be settled, Bleez arrives and a battle for control begins. Eventually, cooler heads prevail and the decision is made that Ysmault is poisoned and they must leave.

For me, this was a so-so issue. Peter Milligan still manages to crank out a good story but the whole drama regarding the new Lantern, Bleez taking control and Atrocitus acting like Hamlet is just getting under my skin. The fill-in art from Tomas Giorello is okay but I feel slightly screwed that the actions on the cover are never represented in the issue. Thanks for nothing, guys!

RESURRECTION MAN #9: When last we saw Mitch Shelley, Deadshot had taken him out with a headshot, much to the dismay of the Body Doubles. Before either of the two groups get to lay claim to his dead body, his resurrection powers kick in and Mitch is off and running again. He gets on the telephone with Amanda Waller and finds that Kim Rebecki is there and she “may” have sold him out. Waller ends up on the telephone with the Doubles boss, Director Hooker. Soon Deadshot arrives at the Task Force X center and it becomes a battle with his companions in the Suicide Squad. Rebecki talks Mitch to drop his metal form and Waller caps him. She releases Mitch and Kim, but not before taking his hand…literally! Looks like Waller may try to grown her own. And Rebecki? She has a nano implant now!

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning rock my world yet again. You get Mitch dying TWICE in the issue, a full on battle between Deadshot and the Suicide Squad, a whole bunch of double cross maneuvers and more action than you can shake a stick at. Fill-in art from Andres Guinaldo does not detract in the least. The book is bananas and bananas is good! Unfortunately, the title goes away with issue #12.

STORMWATCH #9: Red Lantern Skallox arrives on Earth, which leads Apollo and Midnighter into combat with him. Defeating him, he ends up a prisoner on Stormwatch’ ship. They have also managed to defeat the Vitruvian Man and taken him prisoner. Unfortunately, he gets worked up, delivers a message to this incarnation of Stormwatch, gets loose and Midnighter snaps his neck. Can you say anger issues?

Peter Milligan jumps on board and promptly introduces his red Lanterns into the tale. I find myself VERY excited to have Milligan here but couldn’t you wait an issue or two before doing the crossover thing? And we are really trying WAY too hard to embrace the fact the Midnighter and Apollo are becoming a couple. They were gay in the previous incarnation but that was before we were the NEW 52 and gender issues were representative of the DCU and their readership. I have no issue with it, but the whole “honey” and “sweetie” bantering between them is just a bit over the top. Despite all of this, there is some great art from Miguel Sepulveda.

SUICIDE SQUAD #9: The book runs parallel to the events in RESURRECTION MAN. It tells how Mitch was captured, escaped, was recaptured and capped by Deadshot. We also see that Light is taken out by Deadshot and now joins her deceased sister. And while all this is going on, Harley sees a psychiatrist. Oh yeah…and King Shark vomits up Yo-Yo!

Adam Glass and Federico Dallocchio absolutely are turning out the wildest book in the NEW 52. This title just breaks all the rule and goes into places the old SUICIDE SQUAD books never dared. Just about everyone is expendable and you never know who is going to be wasted. Rock on, guys! I love this book!

SUPERBOY #9: Welcome to Part 2 of The Culling crossover. Superboy, The Teen Titans and the Legion Lost come together in Harvest’s version of a Russell Crowe movie. In the middle of all of this, Timber Wolf recognizes Kid Flash (Bart Allen) from the 31st Century. Unfortunately, even Bart cannot remember what he has done to be so hated. And even Hunter Bryce, the whack-job from issue’s #3 and #4 shows up but does not last long as Warblade takes him to an early grave. Oh well. And the book ends with harvest arriving.

Tom DeFalco, Scott Lobdell and artist RB Silva turn in a lackluster story with some interestly cute bits of dialogue (Dawnstar called Feathergirl…REALLY!?). But not much else. We wipe out some third rate metahumans and further along what will become THE RAVAGERS book. I do not read LEGION LOST so I just have to guess what happens. I guess it will all be settled in TEEN TITANS #9(see review elsewhere).

SUPERGIRL #9: We get the origin of the Black Banshee even as the Silver Banshee battles him. Supergirl’s powers are out of control on Siobhan tries to console her. She also tries to defeat the Black Banshee, but he absorbs her powers. That cannot be good.

Michael Green and Mike Johnson’s story still does NOTHING for me. And we get another fill-in artist in the form of Mahmud Asrar, whose work is probably the best thing about the book. As I stated last month, I figure to finish the storyline and cut this loose. I just cannot buy dropping three dollars for such a wishy-washy character.

SUPERMAN#9: Superman saves a Russian sub crew from certain death only to discover that they have a mysterious secret they wish not to reveal. Meanwhile, Anguish is a new villainess and she makes the Man of Steel’s life a little complicated. Not to mention Victor Barnes has figured out Superman has a secret identity and he reveals it on worldwide television.

Overall, a nice issue from Dan Jurgens and Keith Giffen. We get another new villain in the Superman mythos and a mystery involving the Russian sub. What are they trying to hide? Maybe it’s Lori Lemaris (sorry…couldn’t resist!). What we do know, based on the cover blurb, is that he may have “doomed the world” by saving that sub. Tune in next issue!

SWAMP THING #9: The new Swamp Thing has to deal with The Rot and the fact that his girlfriend is trying to kill him. Abby fights her way out of the creature she had become because of the love of the two. Sethe, the self proclaimed God of storm and Lord of rot prepares to punish the pair when Abby unleashes her power and destroys him, much to the dismay of her bother. The lovers are reunited but not before we realize that the legendary Anton Arcane is poised to make his return.

The rebirth storyline comes to a proper conclusion thanks to the great work of Scott Snyder, Yanick Paquette (who was responsible for the first 8 pages), and Marco Rudy (who finished the book). Alec/Swamp Thing and Abby back together again is something long time fans have always wanted to see and we finally have it, complete with a panel harkening back to one of the all time classic moments in SWAMP THING history. The original DC horror comic with soul is back and should continue to add fans.

TEEN TITANS #9: Concluding THE CULLING. The Teen Titans and the Legion Lost join together to fight Harvest even while other team members and the Ravagers struggle to get injured metahuman kids out of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. before it all goes bad. When it is all done, Harvest escapes(does he REALLY come from the future) and N.O.W.H.E.RE. is destroyed. And the Titans? They end up on Mystery island. What?

Scott Lobdell wraps up THE CULLING with art assist from Ig Guara. I’m glad to see it has ended and we can get back to our regularly scheduled story. As a multi part storyline goes, it wasn’t that good. As an introduction to a new series, it also wasn’t that good. So here’s to hoping that THE RAVAGERS is better than this little jaunt was.

TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1: The Culling begins in earnest. Harvest has captured Superboy, Teen Titans and the members of the Legion Lost and forces them to fight against his Ravagers.

Tom DeFalco, and Scott Lobdell  and Brett Booth combine their talents to write a story that has superheroes fighting each other because they can. The dialogue is way too wordy and the coloring by Andrew Dalhouse is just so loud that it hurts. But we do get Warblade  showing up and that’s the highlight. Other than that, realize that this whole storyline is existing to solely introduce THE RAVAGERS series. Personally, I could do without the build-up.

WONDER WOMAN #9: War and Stryfe discuss Wonder Woman’s future as bombs fall. Lennox, Zola and company plot to find a way to get Diana out of Hell and decide to crash the wedding. Diana prepares for her wedding and has a discussion with Persephone, formerly Hades’ wife. When it is time for the wedding, there is a challenge. Diana must put her head in her lasso, which has been fashioned into a noose. It’s a form of wedding ring. As Hades says: her truth will either bind them or hang her. What choice does she have?

Brian Azzarello continues to completely shake up everything you knew about Wonder Woman and it’s all for the better! Cliff Chiang is missing from the artist’s chair this month but is replaced by Tony Akins and the legendary Dan Green and the results are completely satisfying. As always, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!

DC's NEW 52: the #9 issues, part 1

ACTION COMICS #9: Welcome to Earth-23 where Superman is not totally what we are used to. For starters, he’s what we would call African American and apparently so was everyone on Krypton. He is visited by an eyepatch wearing Lois Lane who arrives from another Earth with a pretty burned-up Clark and Jimmy. They battle a robot Superman and this planet’s hero defeats it. Did I also mentioned he’s the {President of this planet’s United States? The back-up story features Superman and Wonder Woman battling a despot.

Okay…I guess the NEW 52 embraces the concept of the Multiverse. I found this to be just a really silly story that makes the Kal-El into the President of the United States. He looks miraculously like our OWN President and I just really hated the story. I haven’t hated a story in ACTION COMICS this much since the first few issues. But I do LOVE Gene Ha’s art! And the back-up story by Sholly Fisch and Cully Hamner? As always, I LOVE Hamner’s. But this story is a poor excuse to give us two members of this planet’s Justice League in action…no pun intended.

ALL STAR WESTERN #9: So Hex and Arkham are trapped on a boat and looking to meet their maker.But Hex had a plan and Arkham knew what he was doing. Hex and the Doc get off the boat while Nighthawk and Cinnamon take care of  the bad guys in town, including the crazy pit fighting girl, Z.C. Branke. But they can’t find Thurston Moody who is being slaughtered by a Talon(yeah…it’s an OWLS crossover issue). Arkham almost gets his from Hex when he questions him about his wife. Some time later, during a meeting with Gotham’s power brokers, Tallulah Black shows up toi exact some kind of vengeance. But she is stopped by a masked bodyguard and tossed out the window at Hex’ feet. And apparently he knows her. In the back-up tale, we see Nighthawk and Cinnamon in love and she finally gets her revenge on the man who killed her father.

Another nice issue here as the Doctor and Hex squeeze out of their dilemma and we get another storyline introduced at the end of the tale. And the back-up totally brings it home. Artist Patrick Scherberger and inker Dan Green absolutely have a style that is so much in the style of legendary MAN-THING artist Mike Ploog that it is scary…so much that I had to double check the credits. I want to see more of this duo, both the art duo and the characters. Next issue, we get Bat Lash. I’m interested to see what the NEW 52 holds for that classic character.

ANIMAL MAN #9: Buddy finds his body taken over by the Rot and he ends up in the Bone Orchard of the Red. He ends up speaking at length with the creature known as The Shepherd as they travel to the Totems. Back in the real world, Buddy’s wife and son meet up with a certain John Constantine.

Jeff Lemire and Steve Pugh turn up the heat as the forthcoming JUSTICE LEASGUE DARK crossover begins which will eventually lead to the crossover with SWAMP THING.  This is a fun and creepy read recommended for anyone who grooves on horror fiction.

AQUAMAN #9: Black Manta takes on The Prisoner, but he calls upon the spirits of dead soldiers and manages to escape with these special manacles he has.  Aquaman and Ya’wara journey to the Amazon Rainforest and she unleashes her anger and her pets with startling vengeance. Mera learns that Shin was responsible for teaching Aquaman how to use his abilities and actually was responsible for sending Manta to retrieve some of Arthur’s blood. Apparently Arthur’s father died of a heart attack following the incident so Aquaman killed Manta’s father. That changes things…

I know I crow about it each and every month, but Ivan Reis’ is completely at the top of his game on this title. And that goes a long ways as I thought his work on BLACKEST NIGHT and BRIGHTEST DAY was stellar. And  points again to Geoff John as he continues to deliver some of his best work.

BATGIRL #9: Batgirl faces one of the many Talons who are invading Gotham City this month. The back story we are to understand is this female Talon started her life in Japan circa 1944 and is still alive and kicking today. Her goal: attack Gotham City Police Department and cause havoc, which she does quite well. In the end, Batgirl, defeats her foe but it seems the Owls have the day, as Commissioner Gordon turns on a Bat Signal that is now an Owl Signal.

Gail Simone and Ardian Syaf contributes a great chapter in the NIGHT OF THE OWLS storyline. Not only does the book long tremendous, which Syaf makes this book do issue after issue, but Simone turns a beautiful, heartfelt issue with a great back story. Before this issue is through, you will feel pity for the Talon. And the twist with the “Owl Signal” at the end is pure magic! Thank you Gail and Ardian for this awesome issue!

BATMAN #9: Batman, dressed in some heavy duty battlesuit, fights a horde of Talons. He orders Alfred to drop the temperature in the Batcave to slow them down but it takes the help of a bevy of bats to take them down. He heads out to try to stop the Talons campaign of attacks but arrives too late to save Lincoln Marsh. In the back-up story, we get a tale of  the House of Wayne as told by Alfred’s father, Jarvis.

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s lead story is great and the end of it ties in directly with the story that runs in BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #9. What I found interesting is that there are moments when Capullo’s art resembles Sam Keith and at other time Frank Miller. Either way, I’m cool with it. The back-up story, by Snyder, James Tynion IV and Rafael Albuquerque, I could totally do without. I don’t need to know about Thomas and Martha Wayne’s brush with the Talons. I just found myself not caring.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #9: We get the tale of Alton Carver, a Talon who slays Lincoln March but not before March wounds him in return. We learn of his history and how he was retired. Batman arrives, there is a battle and it looks like Carver is done for. But when last we seen him, he staggering about in the sewer.

I absolutely love this story, probably as much as any of the NIGHT OF THE OWLS tales. David Finch turns in his usual beautiful work but it is Judd Winick’s writing that propels this tale forward. I love Winick’s writing here as I do almost all of his work. He has a knack for great dialogue and superb characterization. The back story is impressive and you really feel for Carver. Nice work…better than nice-awesome!

BATMAN AND ROBIN #9: Robin is send on a mission to protect Major General Benjamin Burrows from The Talons. And since it is Robin we are talking about, you can just guess how it ends: Damien beheads him.

Another killer issue from Peter J. Tomasi with art from Lee Garbett(except for pages 16 and 17 the origin story for Talon  Edwin Wilkins which was drawn by Andy Clarke). It is always nice to see Robin embrace his psychotic roots. And this entire issue is nothing but Damien. Love it!

BATWOMAN #9: To Drown the World continues with it’s intersecting stories. Batwoman and Sune are fighting  Falchion, who drops a blackout bombs on them. Jake Kane freaks out when Bette flat-lines. Maro returns to Gotham Bay with Killer Croc to speak to the Weeping Woman. Kate and Sune attended a party on Falchion's yacht and dig through his personal belongings, finding blueprints of his secret lair., and then surreptitiously made their way back to the party.  Back in present time, Falchion attacks Sune, cutting her open. Batwoman the arrow the DEO gave her into Falchion's eye. The arrow blows up and so does Falchion's head. The issue ends with Batwoman and Sune sharing a kiss.

Another disjointed issue with time jumps all over the place. This will probably make a lot more sense when the storyline ends. W. Haden Blackman handles the artwork this issue is the continuing artist Merry-Go-Round while J. H. Williams continues to my favorite of the new titles. And a side note: in trhe middle of all sorts of morality critics climbing on the bandwagon involving ASTONISHING X-MEN and EARTH 2 having homosexual characters, no one seems to notice that Kate Kane gets about as busy as anyone in the DC gay superhero family. 

BIRDS OF PREY #9: We start in the year 1842 and a massacre has ensued, apparently brought on by the Court of the Owls. Flash to today where the Birds are battling another bird: Talon Henry Ballard. And while Katana and Canary are forced to flee to the church from issue #1, Starling arrives spouting one of the best lines(she calls him an “Edgar Allan Poe looking bastard” who she is planning to send back to his maker, “who, by the looks of ya, is Tim Burton”) and drives him into and through Leave it to Batgirl to save the day but it turns out that Ivy is going to fully save the day by climbing into a refrigerated railroad car with Talon until he ends up being put back into his frozen grave.

Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman do an adequate job of crafting this chapter in the saga of the NIGHT OF THE OWLS. With the exception of a mention about Dinah’s husband and a reference to what looks to be a trip to the Amazon next issue, all existing plotlines have been tossed out for the moment. Don’t forget, there is still the mystery of who Choke really was and Dinah murdering her husband three years ago.

CATWOMAN #9: Much of the story revolves around an incident during the 1600’s when a Talon lost one of his killing knives and this resulted in his being put on ice. Today, the disgraced Talon is brought back to life to redeem his honor by killing Penguin. Spark and Catwoman save the villain who only wants his knife back. Catwoman promises him he will have it just as Penguin takes the poor soul out with a headshot. True to her word,  she returns the knife and they are all together again on his corpse because “monsters deserve a little mercy”.

A great NIGHT OF THE OWLS tie-in from Judd Winick and regular series artist Guillem March. Where many of the tie-in issues through out the NEW 52 Universe just served to push the epic tale of the Owls along, this one actually ties together nicely, doesn’t totally abandon the current storyline in CATWOMAN and actually left me feeling sorry for Talon. Nicely done.

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #9: It looks as though there may be a serial killer loose and the F.B.I. calls in Agent Sage to investigate. She ends up a Belle Reve  interviewing her father, Jon Savage. He is also know as The Vandal Savage. Yes, THAT Vandal Savage. He may be a prime suspect to have inspired a copycat, but it looks like they will have to spring him from Belle Reve to accompany her.
 
James Robinson and Bernard Chang introduce Vandal Savage into the modern New 52 Universe( he exists in DEMON KNIGHTS), so he has appeared in the new Universe before this. I find it an interesting taken on the character although it seems like this is going to be a Metahuman version of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. We shall see...

DEATHSTROKE #9: A contract is put out on Deathstroke and someone attempts to collect on it while Slade Wilson is at the grave of his wife, who died five years earlier. Bad idea. What we discover is this isn’t the hit team. This is a team of Metahumans looking to hire Slade as part of their team. The leader of the team is a certain red jumpsuit wearing former WildC.A.T. named Zealot. In fact, we’ve seen many of this team before as Kalista, Tigorr and Primus were all members of the Omega Men, now known as T?he Omega Youths. Deadshot has been hired to capture a certain Czarnian who has escaped from a facility in Colorado.  Only one Czarnian I knew: that would be Lobo.

With this issue, the era of Rob Liefeld handling writing and art duties begins. And, despite my biggest fears, it was not as bad as I imagined that it could have been. The dialogue was a bit on the sparse side but it wasn’t as dumbed down as I feared. Liefeld’s art? It is what it is. Here I was prepared to loose this title following this issue and I find myself deciding to stay a little longer…at least to see how this all turns out.
 
DEMON KNIGHTS #9: Allegedly Merlin got murdered by a Daemonite at the conclusion of issue #8. The Demon Knights arrive at the city of Alba Sarum where Princess Alba and Princess Sarum are in desperate need of help. They  discuss a reward and ask them to investigate Merlin’s murder. Xanadu tells the tale of how the dead go to Avalon but she seems to think that Merlin’s soul has not passed on. The team crosses the English Channel  on their way to the ruins of Camelot but runs into a sea serpent in the process. Oh, did I mention that The Shining Knight speaks with her Pegasus who has talked to the Horsewoman’s horse? Don’t trust her is the word on the street.

Okay…this title is starting to get on my nerves. I love the characters and the setting. But the whole team thing is starting to get old. Etrigan is relegated to Hell at least once an issue where he gets to commune with Lucifer. Is The Shining Knight male or female. Is the Horsewoman REALLY going to become Batgirl in the future? And what’s up with Stormwatch hovering about? Answers, people! Give us something resembling the frist few issues.

DETECTIVE COMICS #9: A NIGHT OF THE OWLS cross-over. Over at the Asylum, Dr. Arkham is working with Black Mask when he is attacked by a Talon. Lucky for him, Batman arrives on the scene and, after a confrontation with talon, Clayface and Black Mask, manages to cold-cock Arkham and get him out of the Asylum. In the back-up, the Two Face tale continues on.

A nice issue by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea that manages to introduce the Black Mask into the NEW 52. The back-up story does nothing for me although Szymon Kudranski’s art is quirky and interesting to look it, even if Tony Daniel’s story is unimpressive..

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #9: S.H.A.D.E. wakes Frankenstein up to send he and Nina on a search for the missing Animal man and Detetctive Kershaw(see past issues of ANIMAL MAN for those details). After some searching, they find his rotted, bloated body on the banks of the swamp. Then The Rot attacks with Krenshaw’s body separating like it came out of THE THING. When it appears he can’t kill the creatures, he calls for a Code 666 which stands for “Undead Infestation”. The response? They drop a Blackbomb that vaporizes the area defeats The Rot

Jeff Lemire and Alberto Ponticelli turn in another killer issue, no pun intended. Frankenstein and his new love interest do their best to defeat The Rot and now Lemire ties this book into other books in THE DARK. What a great read!

GREEN LANTERN #9: We begin by seeing Sinestro undergoing his transformation into a member of the Indigo Tribe, including having to relive some of his past indiscretions. Hal meets with Natromo: an Indigo tribesman who tells him a previously untold tale of Abin Sur. He also learns that The End of the Corps would be brought about by an evil known as The Guardians of The Universe, who are just doing whatever they must, good or bad, to obtain the Book of The Black. Hearing that Abin Sur is dead, Natromo destroys the Indigo’s power source, freeing Sinestro and the other tribesmen. What now?

Once again, Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke redefine the legend of the Green Lantern. While we have always suspected that The Guardians of the Universe had their own agenda but they have gone totally over the edge. You may remember that Ganthet has no emotions now and has convinced the Guardians that they should create a Third Army to replace the Green Lantern Corps. It is up to Hal and Sinestro to stop this from happening. How far will they go? We’ll just have to wait and see!

I, VAMPIRE #9: Welcome to Utah-home of a burgeoning vampire nation run by Andrew Bennett and his lover Mary. But there seems to be an uprising brewing as Andrew won't let the vampires feed on anything but cow's blood. But they also know that none of them have the power to defeat, and they aren't pleased about that. Meanwhile, Tig and the Professor travel to Germany and meet the Van Helsings. Suffice it to say, the Van helsings are dying to get to America and meet with Andrew who, you may remember, asked for the Van Helsings. So here they come, flying attack helicopters and bombers with the VH logo on them. Maybe they’ll arrive just in time for the battle between Mary and Andrew control of the vampire army.

As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the key cornerstone books in The Dark grouping oif the NEW 52. Bennett is the vampire you love to hate and hate to love. On one hand, he’s a friend to humanity but, at the same time, he IS a vampire. Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino just blow away the vampire genre like Robert Kirkman blows away the zombie genre with THE WALKING DEAD. You need to be reading this title!

JUSTICE LEAGUE  #9: The story begins with author David Graves discovering that his disease is fatal. So he kills his doctor and plots his future. Meanwhile, Flash discovers he is no good at playing “Bad Cop” in the game of “Good Cop/Bad Cop” and Colonel Steve Trevor has his family’s life threatened, so he decides to give up everything he knows on the League. In the back-up story, Billy gets in trouble on his first day of school, even though he was defending his new family members. And Doctor Sivana becomes a changed man…literally.

Jim Lee is back in the main story after a brief hiatus and the story by Geoff  Johns is interesting and boring! Sorry guys! Author David Graves turns bad, the main battle is at Arkham Asylum and Steve Trevor gets the crap beat out of him and gives up. Not the Steve Trevor I knew. The SHAZAM back-up story by Johns and Gary Frank continues to deserve it’s own title. Billy continues to be a mouthy punk but does manage to defend the honor of his “siblings” and we meet the mysterious Mr. Bryer, who looks like Richard Branson but behaves like Lionel Luthor. Fawcett High School? NICE!!! And Dr. Sivana gaining a neat little thunderbolt in the last panel is a nice payoff.

DC's NEW 52 issue #8s-Part 2

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #8: The Rise of the Vampires crossover with I, VAMPIRE moves on to Part 3. Deadman and Constantine end up in-between Heaven and Hell and have a little chat with Andrew Bennett. Shade and the rest of the team are trying to keep things together when they end up in the Area of Madness with Shade’s imaginary girlfriend Kathy and they walk off into the sunset together. Just when things deteriorate, Andrew Bennett arrives resurrected to, hopefully, save the day.

God, how much do I absolutely love Peter Milligan’s writing and am glad he’s back? A whole bunch. His writing is a sharp as ever, harkening back to some of his great work like EGYPT, SHADE and THE MINX, not to mention his awesome run on X-FORCE/X-STATIX with Mike Allred. And Daniel Sampere’s art is so beautiful and a radical departure from what has come before that it just pushes the book that much further. Great book!

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #8: Batwing saves the day as Booster Gold battle Lightweaver. And Roland Norcutt apparently has no eyes and can drain life energy and is a villain known as Breakdown. And it seems Norcutt was at the U.N. before the blast. O.M.A.C. shows up and trashes the team. And did I mention that the U.N. has FIRED THEM?.

Another nice issue from Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti. It’s a cool mixture of action, soap opera and high drama. And O.M.A.C. too! Will the One Man Army Corps end up part of the team? Hope so! This is not the BEST Justice League title but it certainly isn’t the worst and it hearkens back to the fun of the classic JLI series, without the benefit of J. M. DeMatteis, and Keith Giffen’s humorous stamp. It’s a fun read and worthy of your comic dollars.

NIGHTWING #8: We begin in Gotham City back in 1910 where the “Elite of Gotham” was Burton Crowne, Edward Elliot, Frederic Cobblepot and Alan Wayne. We get the back story behind a certain member of the Court of the The Owls. Before the issue’s end, Nightwing has battle with a Talon who is murdering the politicians of Gotham and defeats him/her. Either way, it all ends bad as our narrator, William Cobb, attempts to murder Dick Grayson.

Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows weave this first part of NIGHTWING’s NIGHT OF THE OWLS arc and do so beautifully. We get some great back-story on William Cobb who, if you have been paying attention, is related to Dick Grayson. We get some pretty grisly action mid-0way through the issue and get a totally surprising ending to a cliffhanger. Nice work guys. Can’t wait for the next issue.

O.M.A.C #8: O.M.A.C. battles everything that Max Lord, Mokkari and the Checkmate crew can throw at him.  He ends up dropping out of Checkmate’s lair(in Mount Roushmore?) and Sarge Steel loses his hand. Kevin transforms back to his old self, sees his girlfriend and gets tranformed again. Brother Eye gets silenced and tranfers kevin’s consciousness into O.,M.A.C.’s body. The girl professes her love, but she is told that Kevin is dead…all that remains is O.M.A.C.

And thus ends the short run of O.M.A.C.. If you have read my blogs over the last eight months, you know how huge a fan I have been of this book. I give major props to Dan Didio, Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish for turning up the tribute jets under this book and I think Jack Kirby would be proud. I will totally miss this book and look forward to him appearing elsewhere throughout the NEW 52.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #8: Apparently Suzie Su didn’t die in her first appearance in this title and she’s back, along with her back story told from Jason’s perspective. But it looks like she’s out for good this time as Jason pulls the trigger on her point blank in her big old head. Then we get a tie-in to the whole Owls storyline by way of Alfred’s message sent to all of Batman’s agents. We end up with Jason having a meeting with Tim Drake and then it’s called investigating a “person of interest”: Victor Fries. Does this lead to the first appearance of Mr. Freeze in the NEW 52?

Interesting issue this time around which, like most of the Batman influenced issue #8’s this month serves mostly as a lead-in to the NIGHT OF THE OWLS story next month. I find myself still liking Scott Lobdell’s characterization of DC’s teen characters and Kenneth Rocafort’s quirky art is just the right fit. I really like this book a whole lot.

RED LANTERN #8: Last issue, Abysmus mortally wounded Atrocitus. This issue begins with the aftermath as Abysmus lays siege to the power battery. New Lantern Rankorr tries to attend to the dying Lantern, but Atrocitus ain’t going down that easily and pulls the bone spear out of his body. The other Lanterns begin to attack Rankorr but something big and nasty comes out of him that scares the rest of his attackers. Guy Gardner tries to figure how how Rankoor came to be and Atrocitus learns that the power battery has been destroyed.

Peter Milligan, Andres Guinaldo and Jorge Jimenez blow the roof off the strange side of the Lantern mythos with this book. This is a great, bloody take with some killer characters. Buy the book and thank me later.

RESURRECTION MAN #8: Kim Rebecki is a detective who has a special “touch” called Psychometry. The Butcher is a serial killer dealing in Necromancy. They both end up crossing paths with Mitch Shelley. Mitch dies in combat with The Butcher but manages to turn the tables on the madman and takes his life back. Of course, that was before The Suicide Squad shows up and takes him out with a Deadshot headshot.

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning continue to blow me away with every issue. These are two of the best writers in the business and this, the hero they created, is one of their finest hours if NOT their finest hour. Throw in Fernando Dagnino’s stellar art and this book is a major sleeper title that you should be reading.

STORMWATCH #8: Jack Hawksmoor, The Engineer, and Martian Manhunter go off to battle the Gravity Miners. At one point, as revealed by Martian Manhunter, the Chrszy-rr, almost destroyed the entire Daemonite empire. Midnighter, Jenny Quantum and the Engineer get Charlie, the Daemonite in the ship, to tell how they defeated the Gravity Miners. Jenny and Midnighter rescue Apollo and Jenny sets a bomb to blow the thing up. Midnighter decides to leave her there because he has deemed her too dangerous. But when he gets back to the ship, guess who’s there ahead of him? She tells him she has done something to him, but won’t say what. Jenny tells him she has made a decision about him but won't tell him what.

Paul Jenkins does a nice job finishing his story arc and making way for Pete Milligan. We all know that Jenny is powerful, as anyone who read the previous series knows this. It will be nice to see where the twisted writing of Milligan is going to take this series. Next issue: a little Green Lantern action. Still one of my favorite reads. And, even though Marvel got all the press about Northstar’s relationship in ASTONISHING X-MEN, Midnighter and Apollo were a couple first!

SUICIDE SQUAD #8: When last we saw Harley Quinn, Deadshot had taken her out. Back at Belle Reve, Waller berates Harley before she gets shot with a special drug which brings her out of her coma. She then proceeds to torture Shark and tell him he is not going to get lucky enough to be getting out soon, especially after eating Yo-Yo. We also learn that someone has been planted onto the team that’s a traitor serving Basilisk. The plan is to assassinate Amanda Waller and expose the Squad. So who is the Suicide Assassin?

Yeah, this series continues to get wilder and wilder as Adam Glass and Federico Dallocchio, filling in for Clayton Henry, take this book into some really cool places. And the wild ride that began last issue continues on. Holy Smokes, Batman. The origin story gets updated, Lime loses her head and she swaps spit with Joker’s face attached to Deadshot’s head! Adam Glass and Clayton Henry push the envelope big time on this issue.

SUPERBOY #8: Superboy meets Grunge and he may look like the old Gen13 character, but looks can be deceiving. Grunge is a Revenger and he’s tough. How tough? He breaks Superboy’s forearms. He gets his tail handed to him throughout this entire issue. But, as a battle rages on at N.O.W.H.E.R.E., he finally gets an upper hand by using his T.K. to pull out Grunge’s implants. But Harvest is ready for The Culling and all of this will lead to…? Who knows? All we do know is that the end of the storyline will result in a new NEW 52 title, THE RAVAGERS.

Seeing the Boy of Steel get his arms snapped like twigs is an amazing sight in an equally amazing issue of SUPERBOY. Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco bring us one step closer to THE CULLING. And you add truly dynamic art by the team of Iban Coello and R. B. Silva and you get what is truly one of my favorite titles out there. This is nowhere near the book I expected it to be. If you told me eight months ago I would still be reading this title and looking forward to it each month, I would have called you crazy. Well, crazy or not, I read it, love it and cannot wait for the next issue!

SUPERGIRL #8: Supergirl meets Siobhan Smythe and strikes up a friendship with her. Siobhan is a singer/songwriter and Kara accompanies her to a gig. While at the gig, Siobhan’s father arrives. He’s the Black Banshee and he’s looking to take some souls. Kara tries to stop him, but she is told it’s a fight she can’t win. Siobhan is The Silver Banshee and this cannot be a good development.

Eight months into this title and I still haven’t decided what to think about this title. Last month was a boring issue. This time around, George Perez and Bob Wiacek, two legendary artists, step in to provide the art for Michael green and Mike Johnson’s story. While it is nice to see The Silver Banshee, such a key character in the old DCU Supergirl continuity, make her debut in the New 52, the story was just okay.  There is just something about the overly innocent Kara that does not capture my interest. Sure, I get the whole stranger in a strange land concept, but she is just a boring character. I figure to finish the storyline and cut this loose. I just cannot buy dropping three dollars for an indecisive, ineffective character.

SUPERMAN#8: Superman is being hunted by the police and Clark is having a bad day. Then we learn that it is all an illusion planted in his head by Helspont. After spending an entire issue getting his butt whipped, Superman fights back and drives the creature off…for now.

Another nice issue from Dan Jurgens and Keith Giffen. All in all, the last two issues just served to further place the old Wildstorm Universe in mainstream continuity and introduce Lois’ sister. I still want Lori Lemaris back!

SWAMP THING #8: While the rot continues to spread itself across our world. Alec Holland is again reborn as Swamp Thing: a Swamp Thing quite different than one we have seen in the past, looking more like a Guardian Angel than a denizen of the swamp. Ultimately, it looks like Alec is going to have to face a drastically changed Abby and deal with the monster she has become.

Another truly amazing issue from Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette. The return of Alec Holland as a radically altered Swamp Thing is what this book is all about. The book IS CALLED SWAMP THING not The Adventures of Alec Holland in the Rot. Buy the damned book and grab ANIMAL MAN while you are at it. They go together like bacon and eggs.

TEEN TITANS #8: This is the Prelude tale leading into THE CULLING. Members of N.O.W.H.E.R.E.’s metahumans attack the Teen Titans, capturing most of them and mentally torturing them. Harvest does his thing and they are transported away, allegedly as The NEW Ravagers.

Scott Lobdell finishes laying in the final bricks the lead to THE CULLING while Ig Guara does the art chores this issue. Not as exciting visually as I would get from Brett Booth but it will suffice. Many plot pieces dropped in all leading to the crossover. Like most of this month’s issue #8s, it is more of an issue setting up a payoff. Let’s hope the payoff is worth the wait.

WONDER WOMAN #8: Wonder Woman and Hermes head to Hell to rescue Zola. Unfortunately, they run into the troubled souls of Hell as they make their appearance from out of statues. Of course, they are only souls, which means they are skinless creatures. Defeating the creatures, they end up at Zola’s farm in Hell. Hades arrives and Diana makes a deal: she gives him Eros’ pistols for Zola’s release. Unfortunately, Hades shoots her and decides to keep her as his bride.

Brian Azzarello continues to take WONDER WOMAN’s legendary mythology and turn it upside down. And I love it! This is the kind of kick in the pants this title, that fought for so long with hackneyed storylines and writers who struggled between Modern Day Heroics and Ancient History. Add in the amazing Cliff Chiang who just keeps getting better with every issue he draws. BUY THIS BOOK!

DC's NEW 52: Issue #8s Part 1

ACTION COMICS #8:  Metropolis is still holed up in a bottle and Superman is still wrestling with the decision on who to save, them or Kandor. He has learned he is from a place called Krypton and it is not just a bad dream he has had. Even tough he is battling against him, he defeats Brainiac with the help of John Corben/Metallo. Glenmorgan goes insane and finds himself put away. Clark convinces his landlady to keep his secret identity secret. General Lane declares John Corben a hero. Superman dons his Kryptonian costume and reveals his heritage to the world. And, if that wasn’t enough, someone is challenged to hunt a bulletproof man.

This represented a nice comeback after the disaster that was last issue. Clark finally gets out of the T-shirt and dons the costume…not the classic costume but the new battlesuit version. And George Taylor begins the push that will lead Clark to the Daily Planet. : a nice end to this prolonged arc.

ALL STAR WESTERN #8: Nighthawk and Cinnamon brawl with the bad guys,  Arkham puffs opium and gets busted and Hex battles Z.C. Branke in the pit. It’s one heck of a fight that ends with her kissing him and ending up in a hotel room together. Seems Hiram has an offer for Hex: blow up the Sea Queen with everyone on board going up with it. The main story ends with Hex and Arkham being taken out to the ship where it looks like they are going to die together. In the back-up tale, we get Cinnamon’s origin tale along with how they both ended up with the necklaces that they wear.

Okay, so I am getting used to sucking down the $3.99 even when Jim Lee promised to “draw the line at $2.99”. However, the main story is great fun and the back up totally rocks my world. It is a fun read and looks fantastic. So, I just manage to drink once less coffee during the month to pay for this.

ANIMAL MAN #8: Maxine attempts to talk to the wild pack of animals outside of the family’s trailer and gets ripped to shreds in the process. Buddy flips out and rips the animals apart. But it seems Maxine jumped out of her body, slipped into the red, then jumped into the body of a fox, and changed herself into her new body. Buddy heads off to fight the marauding creatures and gets possessed in the process. That cannot be good!

More weird stuff from the team of Jeff Lemire and Steve Pugh. The battle between the Rot, the Red, and the Green is coming to a head and you really need to have a ringside seat for it. This continues to lead up to the crossover with SWAMP THING.

AQUAMAN #8: The tale begins six years ago as Arthur Curry deals with the death of his father. Then we learn of the team that Arthur was part of and how they were in a mission in Siberia to capture Black Manta. But the team bails on him when the choice is to capture Manta or save the town. So what should have been an easy apprehension leaves Manta on the loose for all these years. The book ends with Manta in Germany claiming he has found another of the team.

Ivan Reis’ goes over the top again and continues to deliver the best work of his career. And Geoff John continues to write some of his best work, definitely better than what he delivers on JUSTICE LEAGUE.
BATGIRL #8: Batgirl finds herself in the sewers with Danny Weaver, who was with The Joker on the night she was crippled. And she sets him free. Grotesque finds the whole idea interesting and decides to exploit it. Meanwhile Barabra’s mom tells her the reason she left the family is because of James Jr. who, any regular Batman reader knows, is a raging psycho and apparently was at age 10 too. Back on the case, Batgirl battle Grotesque and Danny Weaver saves the day, but at the cost of his own life. He dies in Batgirl’s arms after he explains why he helped save her back then. Alysia, Barbara’s roommate has a chance meeting, with Barbara’s sister. Yeah that can’t be good.

Gail Simone ties up some loose ends and opens some complex issues by reintroducing James Gordon Jr. into the mix. More cool art from Ardian Syaf who does a great job on this title. Next issue, the Night of the Owls storyline drops in.

BATMAN #8: The NIGHT OF THE OWLS begins! The Talons invade Wayne Manor. While fending them off, Bruce gets his hand on a microdrive, which reveals that their blood is heat sensitive. Bring the temperature down and you shut them down. So Bruce breaks out the heavy-duty suit and prepares for battle. The back-up story, features “the call”, which is Alfred discovering the hit list and giving the information to the remainder of Batman’s associates.

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo continue to do an awesome job on this title. They lay the groundwork to the entire Owls story and run with it. The story rocks, the art is killer and I cannot wait to get to the next page. Great comic reading! The back up, by Snyder, James Tynion IV and Rafael Albuquerque, does a nice job of providing a sequence which appears in all the other bat titles from a different perspective. Neatly done.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #8: Batman investigates a bizarre series of incidents involving mind control. The Dark Knight proceeds down the Rabbit Hole, runs into Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum before he gets to the boss behind it all: Jervis Tetch-The Mad Hatter.. With the help of GCPD, Batman defeats him. Meanwhile, James Gordon needs to check in with the department "shrink”.

I want to think that this issue shuts downs parts of the storyline running from issue #1, but I’m not quite sure. It is brought to you by Joe Harris and Ed Benes(despite the fact that the cover has David Finch’ name on it). Not so much of a conclusion, but it brings the whole rabbit hole piece back into play. Actually, just another fill in issue until next issue’s NIGHT OF THE OWLS tie-in.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #8: When last we saw Robin, he had jammed two fingers into the head of the young Giraud who had been a thorn since the reboot of the series. Batman races back to the cave and it’s time to get both of them repaired. That leads to a little heart to heart between father and son regarding methods among the madness. Basically, Damien is the side of the coin that Batman can’t become.
Wow! Welcome to the aftermath of the whole first seven issues. Damien is a stone cold killer who needs to protect their kingdom. Patrick Gleason raises his own artistic bar each issue and Peter Tomasi does a beautiful job of showing father and son and dealing with their personal demons. It is tough enough to be a superhero but to be a father of your protégé is even tougher and he writes about it with great flair!

BATWOMAN #8: We get more back story in multiple parts as we see how Rush lost his hand and was taken over by the Ashoth. We see what goes bad during Sune’s transfer and Batwoman ends up drugging her own girlfriend. Croc suffers a major transformation and Sune turns on her master.

Another strange PULP FICTION styled issue with time jumps all over the place. This will probably make a lot more sense when the storyline ends. Amy Reeder continues to be the artist. J. H. Williams continues to write a compelling story. Still one of my favorite DC characters and one of my favorite of the new titles.

BIRDS OF PREY #8:  We start back three days ago with an investigation of an incident at the Cornwell Hotel. Apparently Black Canary is involved and the decision is made that she needs to be ‘burned’. Flash to now and the Birds are in the middle of a fire and a fight, again at the Cornwell where she team is fighting a hologram from Canary’s past. They eventually win the day and discover that the hit squad is after Black Canary because she murdered her husband three years ago. Interesting…

So…we took the cliffhanger from last issue where we learn that Choke is not Choke and completely throw it out the window for this issue. But he does get a whole new mystery involving a hit squad and Dinah Lance murdering her husband three years ago. A sub par issue from Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz mostly because the storylines STARTED here will get tossed out next month as the NIGHT OF THE OWLS storyline flies in. C’mon folks: the “epic crossover” does not need to disrupt every title with even a glimpse of a Bat tie-in.

CATWOMAN #8: Catwoman has a new partner in crime in the form of Spark. And of course she is still plotting with her roommate partner, Gwen. Their plan: taking on The Penguin. In the process, she witnesses an abduction that she and Spark break up. Looks like someone is abducting hookers. Meanwhile, the Court of the Owls plan on getting involved with a certain fowl bird themselves.

This is another one of those DC issues this month that only serve to set up the next issue NIGHT OF THE OWLS. Good writing from Judd Winick with another month of art from Adriana Melo. Let’s get on with the Owls and get back to where we started.

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #8: We begin with the new Challengers battling an army of giant ants and Brenda fights her last battle as she is sucked into a mysterious portal with the ants. Back in Metropolis, June gets into an argument with Morgan Edge and quits. Of course, Edge being the sleazy guy we all know and love, he makes sure he has all of it on tape. But it also seems that Prof has gotten much better than when we last saw him as he’s back in the lab and demanding the talismans. But wait: there are TWO PROFS! Well, one of them , as you might have expected, is really The Forgotten Lord masquerading as Ace who is masquerading as Prof. He kills Rocky before he gathers the talismans which manage to totally burn him out with all the power. So the tale concludes with the NEW 52 core group of the Challengers of the Unknown: Prof, June, Maverick and Red as they prepare to search for the remainder of the Talismans.
 
Dan Didio, Jerry Ordway and Ray McCarthy absolutely tear this book a new one! It looks great, reads equally as well, and does a beautiful job of paying homage to the original team while establishing the new team. Personally, I would love to see this as a regular series and MAYBE SEA DEVILS while we are at it.

DEATHSTROKE #8: In the aftermath of last issue’s battle between Deathstroke and his son Grant, we learn that Slade’s father was a loser who abused and sold his own son. Slade goes hunting for a guy named Demolition and ends up offing him. The bad guy’s son sees all and Slade tells the kid to come get him when he’s older(yeah…Jango/Boba Fett). In the end, he visits his bedridden father and proves he’s a better man as he posts another clipping on dad’s wall.

Kyle Higgins, Eduardo Pansica and Art Thibert ride off into the sunset as they all step aside to allow Rob Liefeld to come in from here, handling both the art and the writing. We get a little insight into Slade’s past and maybe if your father sells you that might make you the person you are. Let’s see where Mr. Liefeld leads us, as his first story is supposed to drop Lobo into the mix.

DEMON KNIGHTS #8: Madame Xanadu takes us back to Camelot and we get the origin story of Jason Blood. Oh yeah, we also get the apparent murder of Merlin and an appearance by a strange ship from the future.

A quiet little issue this month from Paul Cornell and artist Bernard Chang that brings us into the fall of Camelot. Nothing great, but a nice little tale that sets up some of the back-story to our band of heroes.

DETECTIVE COMICS #8: It seems that Scarecrow is doing a good job of dropping fear gas around Gotham, starting with Catwoman. Batman finds himself on a hunt for a kidnapped kid and, when all is said and done, we find out the kid is an adult now…and he may or may not be the son of Dr. Hugo Strange. In a back-up story, Two-Face is back in action and up to his old tricks.

A simple fill-in issue, as far as I am concerned, this acts as a bridge to the NIGHT OF THE OWLS storyline next month. Nicely written and illustrated by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea. The back-up story was nothing to write home about, although the art by Szymon Kudranski fits nicely with Tony Daniel’s story.

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #8: Frankenstein and his estranged wife go in search of the son that Frank killed many years ago but who is miraculously resurrected. They find the creature in Castle Frankenstein and battle. Lady Frankenstein kills him this time and then, destroying her S.H.A.D.E.NET implants, leaves the team.

Jeff Lemire and Alberto Ponticelli turn the heat up and throws in a game changer at the very end. With the once loving couple completely split, Frankenstein finds he only has the team in his artificial life now. Next month, it’s about Animal Man the The Rot. Where is Lemire going to take this-to a very cool place, I am sure.

GREEN LANTERN #8: Sinestro has to deal with the wrath of the Indigo tribe while Hal Jordan learns that the Black Lantern has been healed by the Indigos. Hal breaks free and fights out that the Indigo Tribe worships Abin Sur. And Sinestro? He’s now Indigo.

Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke continue to redefine this title. Of all the NEW 52 titles, this is one of the few that continues from old continuity…or at least a version of the old continuity. That having been said, John is not about to rest of previous laurels without dropping in some new twists. And this title is full of new twists.  Read this title. It’s a whole lot better than that movie was…

I, VAMPIRE #8: Rise of the Vampires concludes as Andrew Bennett lives again and forges a new alliance with his former lover, who apparently is his lover yet again. They turn the vampires against Cain and defeat him. Bennet has a new army and, after making most of the world forget the events, he heads off to start his empire. Sounds like it’s time to find the Van Helsings.

Forget TRUE BLOOD. Forget VAMPIRES DIARIES. This is the real deal vampire book. Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino craft an amazing read every month that is always at the top of my must read pile. It’s gritty and sexy and a whole lot of fun. Just read it.

JUSTICE LEAGUE  #8: The government thinks the Justice League should open up membership and Oliver Queen’s alter ego tries to find himself a spot on the team but gets shut down at every turn. Only Superman offers to come to his support. But they all remember a bit of a disaster involving Martian Manhunter. In the back-up story, Billy Batson meets his new foster family and proves to be just as obnoxious a kid as he was in the last issue.

First off, we get a fill-in art issue from Carlos D’Anda, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado. They do an adequate job. Second, the story is not one of Geoff Johns best. We introduce Amazo in the NEW 52  as a four page, already defeated villain. Really? Amazo? And The Talons take up entire stories in many of this month’s DC titles. We get four pages and the Justice League whoops them pretty severely. The dialogue is really juvenile again. As far as the back-up, we get the supporting cast including Mary and Freddy Freeman. And there’s also a mysterious glimpse of a certain talking tiger. Nice work, guys!

DC's NEW 52: G. I. COMBAT #1

I found myself very excited when DC announced that G.I. COMBAT would be part of the second wave of titles for the NEW 52. I grew up during the era of the Vietnam War when, surprisingly enough, war comics were a hot property. Between SGT. FURY, STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES, OUR FIGHTING FORCES, OUR ARMY AT WAR, WEIRD WAR TALES, and G.I. COMBAT, the shelves were filled with hard hitting war drama. G.I. COMBAT featured some of my favorite war stories including Jeb Stuart and The Haunted Tank and The Losers. This incarnation features neither. The fourteen-page lead story is THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT, which originally ran in STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES and WEIRD WAR TALES. The fourteen page back-up tale features THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, who originally appeared in OUR ARMY AT WAR and then STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES.

The original WAR THAT TIME FORGOT was set in World War II and took place on Dinosaur Island. Located somewhere in the South Pacific, it was populated by dinosaurs and creatures from the Prehistoric Era. It also featured early appearances of G.I. Robot and The Suicide Squad. This version is set in modern times and features a mission to North Korea. But before the troops can get there, Pterodactyls that bring the helicopters to the ground attack them. Only two soldiers survive the attack. But apparently there are others. And when they peer through the clearing, they see Russian soldiers being attack by dinosaurs.

J. T. Krul provides the story, what little there is of it. Now, I do not want to slam Mr. Krul, but I think I may be about to do that. Why? Well, outside of the fact that this story, if you can call it that, is a festering pile of poop, I have previously beat him down for his feeble work on CAPTAIN ATOM. The only thing that saves this tale is Ariel Olivetti’s beautifully painted art. I could almost want to buy this book JUST for that. But that would only be if I had an unlimited expense account. The story is REALLY sparse and just not interesting. Maybe down the road we will get a comprehensive NEW 52 origin for Dinosaur Island. Maybe then, I will have an urge to read this again. Maybe not.

The classic Unknown Soldier was a United States intelligence agent during World War II. Here was this severely disfigured heavy bandaged master of disguise working his way through the enemy with great success. And having Robert Kannigher and Joe Kubert responsible for your story can’t hurt.

This new version sure could use that help.

The new Soldier’s tale is set in modern day Afghanistan and tells the tale of this disfigured killing machine. The back-story we get is that in 2005, the Soldier’s family was killed in a subway bombing in London. Severely affected by it all, he ends up embedded with a unit in Afghanistan and they are wiped out. But not our hero who, despite being severely disfigured by it all, takes out the enemy. Before the tale is through, Uncle Sam, knowing a good “suicidal murder machine” when it sees it, recruits him to do their dirty work for them.

Wow! I thought the first story was bad but this one make THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT look like it should be nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti turn out a boring tale about a soldier with a traumatized past and no possible future. The whole concept of the “suicidal murder machine” is not original and gets utilized so much better in the form of The Punisher. The classic soldier was a mystery man serving his country. Are we trying to be told that this version represents the current soldier who is seeking revenge as opposed to defending the honor of his country? If so, then I think mots veterans should be insulted. Maybe it’s just me…

So add this horrible story to Dan Panosian’s less than exciting art and you get another disastrous DC war comic that falls flat on it’s face and backside at the dame time. STOP IT! You ruined BLACKHAWKS and totally made a mess of the “new” Sgt. Rock. Now this. Stick to what you think you know, guys: superheroes.

BTW: Our old friend the mysterious woman is back. We now know she is Pandora(yes...that Pandora) and she appears in the Unknown Soldier tale, while the civilian soldier is in London with his family.