Welcome to Grant Morrison’s swan song from ACTION COMICS. This story was one of the weirdest in recent memory. We have Mxyzptlk became a Jewish comedian and a good guy who is dying in a hospital bed. Vyndktvx(VINDICTIVE…GET IT!?) is now the new 5th dimension bed guy. Elements of Superman’s past DC Universe life show up in hallucinations and the whole thing got really, REALLY confusing. But when all is said and done, the past is changed and the Mars colony lives. Brad Walker and Rags Morales do a great job of handling the artwork. As far as the back-up goes: filler…no more and no less. So now we get ready for the well-hyped era of Andy Diggle and Tony S. Daniel(well hyped as in preview pages in many DC Comics). Oh wait: Diggle has quit the title and now it’s the Tony S. Daniel show. Should be interesting to see where this goes.
ANIMAL MAN #18: We begin in Blestemat with the Parliament of Decay explaining how Anton Arcane had offset the balance between The Red, Green and The Rot. Buddy Baker and Swamp Thing are sent through the realm of death to set things right. They are immediately separated, with Buddy seeing all the corrupted heroes he had to kill to get to here. He lands near the family’s RV and is attacked by The Rot. Fighting them off, he tracks his family to the barn where Maxine has agreed to give herself to the Hunters Three to save her family. Buddy arrives and she burns the hunters. Buddy battles them and they eventually realize all is lost and send William Arcane to his apparent death. Maxine uses the power of The Red to heal the hunters, turning them back into two humans who ask questions about Project Taproot and an Ascension chamber. William Arcane rises up and attempts to kill Buddy. Cliff intervenes and is stabbed in the chest, dying a hero in his father’s arms.
Jeff Lemire and Steve Pugh bring this epic to a close and it is truly a satisfying masterpiece. I can honestly say I never saw this ending coming. The cover teased a death, but I honestly thought it would be Buddy’s wife. And just what is Project taproot and the Ascension chamber? This is truly a pinnacle in storytelling. Thanks guys!
ALL STAR WESTERN #18: Last issue, Jonah Hex and Dr. Amadeus Arkham went into the quarantined neighborhood to try and rescue Catherine Wayne. The pair end up in a hidden room behind a bar where they meet the bartender Blackburn and a woman named Mille who believes her baby doll is her baby. They beg to be freed but Hex refuses although Blackburn reveals he has a case of German hunting pistols. Arkham discovers Catherine but Savage is not far behind. Hex fires at Savage who deflects the bullets. Savage launches into a soliloquy which leads Hex to blasts him in the chest with a shotgun. Although everyone thinks Savage and is buried in Slaughter Swamp, we all know he is immortal and very alive. Returning home, Arkham finds a letter from Hex stating he is leaving Gotham. But, that evening Arkham bursts into Hex’ train car, with the intention of turning Hex’ life into a buddy movie. Hex gives the doctor ten seconds to get himself and his bags off the train. In the back-up, Dr. Terrence Thirteen meets Adam One who offers him a chance to see that the supernatural is real.
Jimmy Palmitotti, Justin Gray and Moritat do their usual kick-ass job on the lead story which manages to break-up the “bromance” between Arkham and Hex. And thus we leave Gotham and Vandal Savage behind. Regarding the back-up story by Gray and Staz Johnson: I can do without $3.99 for a book with a back-up that I could care less about. I understand that this is the set-up to the Stormwatch of the day, but I don’t care. Make this a storyline in the regular STORMWATCH book and not stick it here.
AQUAMAN #18: Aquaman, now the King of Atlantis, has been gathering
his followers and having them traveling around the world confiscating Atlantean
weapons from humans who have purchased from a fence known as the Scavenger. He
meets with his half-sister Tula
and assures her that he won’t allow the surface world to kill Orm. Aquaman
visits Vulko, who confirms that The Scavenger is the person responsible for
selling these weapons. Meanwhile, Mera is having her own troubles as she bails
on the local police so she can go feed her dog. But they won’t get to arrest
her because the King of the Seven Seas shows up in Maine.
Geoff Johns continues his
amazing run on this title and the momentum shows no signs of slowing down. The
dialogue is crisp, and the story is compelling, especially since not all of
Arthur’s followers are truly convinced that he is the right thing for Atlantis.
Paul Pelletier has done a great job stepping into Ivan Reus’ shoes without
missing an artistic beat. And now it looks like Poseidon has arrived, fresh out
of WONDER WOMAN? Yeah-this book continues to get interesting with each issue.
BATGIRL #18: Firebug has been
torching buildings in Gotham and batgirl is on
the scene to try and save some lives. Her brother James watches as the she is in collapses, killing its
residents, and burying her. Those who she could save begin to dig through the wreckage
and manage to get her free. Commissioner Gordon meets with the batman upon the
roof of GCPD and is told the news of Robin’s death. The Commissioner calls
Barbara and tells her the news. She calls Dick Grayson to talk, but he is too
busy and promises to call her later. While she analyzes the accelerant used in
the fires, James, Jr. calls and says he is happy she didn’t die because he will
kill her soon. She challenges him to come at her and he promises to be right
over. In actuality, James, Jr. goes to the hospital where his mother is and
finds she isn't there. Meanwhile, Batgirl tracks Firebug to a military surplus
store, beats him into submission and leaves him for the police. She tracks her
brother’s phone signal to an abandoned house where she finds a room with a bat pinned
to the wall and written in blood "Hello Barbara. Nice Try,” His phone is
tied to the bat, as he is watching from across the street. He calls his mother
and demands she meet him or he will kill Barbara, and make their father eat her.Okay, so I will be the first to admit that I miss Gail Simone but Ray Fawkes has done a great job on this title, filling in until Simone comes back. Somehow, I don’t see her having James Jr. threatens to make his father EAT his own daughter, but it makes for some really disgusting imagery. Daniel Sampere handles the art side of the ledger and it looks really nice. Although all of the bat titles have set high standards for themselves, this is the one title that has taken it’s share of abuse as fans want to know how Babs Gordon suddenly learned how to walk again. But, for me, it’s a fun read. And James Jr. is certainly a C.L.B.(Creepy Little Bastard!)
BATMAN #18: Harper and Cullen (go back to the Court of Owls
storyline and check on her debut) visit their father in Blackgate Prison, where
we discover he is a bully to even his own kids. Afterwards, Harper goes back to
tracking Batman, who has been in a foul mood since the death of his son. Harper
can see his obvious pain and empathize based on her personal pain. She observes
batman in the fight with a pack of dogs on Venom and chases the creatures away
with a high frequency whistle. She tries to convince The Dark Knight that she
has been training and he proceeds to punch her in the face and break her nose.
After the incident, Harper makes plans to make her way to see Bruce Wayne to
get a message to Batman. She shows Wayne
some blueprints she believes Batman would be interested in. Later that night, Batman
comes to see Harper and apologize for breaking her nose. She has a message
worked into the lighting system of Wayne Tech. he only sees the first letter:
“R”.
The REQUIEM tie-ins continue
and we may be looking at the first true glimpse of the new Robin in action. Yeah…I
said it. While Harper would not be the FIRST female Robin(remember Stephanie
Brown in the old DCU), she would move closer to the archetypal Robin from THE
DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. We get a great story from Scott Snyder and Andy Kubert and
then the art style changes after the nose breaking incident. This now becomes
Chapter Two and is by Snyder, James Tynion IV
and Alex Maleev(he of DAREDEVIL fame). I have a problem with the sudden
art style jump, but what can you do? Maybe Maleev is poised for some future
work. All I know is his Batman has a head piece very reminiscent of the old
30’s Batman.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #18: Bruce Wayne is troubled my the death of his
son. He divides his time between staring into the fire with Damian’s bedroll
nearby and looking through his
notebooks and admiring the sketches. Alfred is unable to contain his grief as
he stares at the unfinished family portrait sitting in the library. Bruce
covers it and removes it from the room. That night, Bruce slides down the poles
to the Batcave and imagines Damian beside him. He gazes at the case containing Damian's
costume and equipment and then heads on patrol, haunted by the memory of his
lost son. After a night of taking his grief out on the criminals of Gotham, he returns home, showers, and undresses. He finds
a sealed letter addressed to him from Damian. The letter, among other things,
says that even though his mother may have given him life, it was his father who taught him how to live. He collapses to the
floor, cuddles Damian’s costume and cries.
Peter J. Tomasi and Pat Gleason take what could have been an average issue
and elevate it to a true classic. Why? The entire issue is told without a
single word, a single thought balloon or a single line of dialogue. This silent
movie is totally breathtaking in it’s pathos and beauty. This is an absolutely
amazing issue that is truly a masterpiece in the Batman pantheon. If I had my
way, I’d nominate it for an Eisner!
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #18: Bruce is pursuing the Mad Hatter by
investigating his various holdings, once of which is a night club called the
Wild Hare. That night Batman breaks in where he finds Deever Tweed, who used to
be Tweedle-Dee before Batman took him out and left him a cripple. Batman warns
he will do it again if he ever ends up on the wrong side of the law again.
Batman ends up at one of the centers for Hatter's operations, filled with weapons
and various types of teas with different properties. Tetch surprises him and knocks
him out with a pipe. When he wakes up, he gets conked on the head again, this
time by Catwoman. She attempts to seduce him, b ut he turns her away. Meanwhile,
the Mad Hatter checks in on the progress of his play and knows all he has left
to do is cast his Alice.
It seems a young Jervis Tetch was rejected by his true Alice. He searches for this girl for his play
and finds she has changed so he puts her out of her misery by beating her to
death with a steam iron. Meanwhile, Bruce shows up at Natalaya’s door and leaps
into the waiting Batplane with her too. He flies her back to the Batcave and
explains this is who he is.Holy revelations Batman! The Mad Hatter is a crazy guy who kills her first crush with an iron. And Bruce Wayne’s current crush now knows his secret because HE revealed it to her. Gregg Hurwitz is writing one absolutely tremendous story and Ethan Van Sciver is truly doing the best work of his career. This book, which was floundering under David Finch’ direction, is now flourishing with new life. Awesome stuff!e
BATMAN INCORPORATED #9: Last month, we all watched as Damian Wayne
met his death at the hands of his “brother”. This issue is divided between
Damian’s funeral and the flashback surrounding the battle with the creature.
Things are looking grim for our heroes when Red Robin shows up with the tank
and saves the day. Nightwing takes up Robin’s body and they all head to the
Batcave. The Mayor of Gotham announces that Batman and his team after no longer
welcome in Gotham
City. Over in London, Knight is given a
hero’s funeral and Squire decides to take up his mantle. Eventually, in a
touching moment with BatCow, Batman breaks down.
Grant Morrison isn’t ready to put the toys back in the toy box, as he
promises to do once his story arc is concluded, but until then, he is shaking
up the mythos. He has killed Knight, Robin and who knows who is left before he
is done. Talia? Maybe! And of course we let Chris Burnham cut loose with the
artwork. This is a great book which may not have a future when it is done, as
there will soon be a NEW Batwing in the form of Lucias Fox Jr.
BATWOMAN #18: For reasons unknown to her father, Batwoman has been tracking Mister Freeze across Gotham City and it culminates with a battle between Batwoman, Hawkfire and Freeze. The DEO has told Batwoman to get one of Freeze’s weapons or they will pin terrorism charges on her father. Hawkfire’s inexperience leads to her getting her feet frozen to the ground. She gets free and it leads to ice shards crippling Freeze. Batman arrives and insists that she turn over the weapon to him. Instead, she smashes it on the ground. Agent Chase meets with Director Bones and he assigns her a partner in the form of Agent Asaf. He’s an expert in Psych Ops and plans on raising the bar. At home, Jacob’s wife has found Bette’s bloody costume and warms him that he is going to get Bette and Kate killed. Meanwhile, Agent Chase meets with the person Director Bones ordered her to contact; someone she hasn’t seen in two years.
J. H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman begin the next chapter in the lives of the Kanes. After the last rambling saga, we shall see where this one goes. What devious plan does Director Bones have in mind? Who is the mysterious person meeting with Agent Chase? Just what does Agent Asaf bring to the table? And now that Batman is involved, how long before he forces Batwoman and Hawkfire into Batman Incorporated, especially since there have been a few losses as of late. Personally, I am excited for the next few chapters, especially now that Batwoman and Maggie Sawyer are official. On the downside, Trevor McCarthy’s art isn’t J. H. Williams III. But it could be worse, so it’s a good issue overall.
BIRDS OF PREY #18: Mister Freeze has captured Talon Henry Ballard and is torturing him to gain information about the Court of Owls. Ballard refuses to betray the Court and Freeze has him executed. Batgirl has convinced Black canary to let Strix stay at her dojo, although she has apprehensions, especially when both Strix and Dinah seem to have control issues. Dinah heads to a cafĂ© and meets a ninety-nine year old woman named Miz Ettie who offers her advice on forgiveness. She heads back to the dojo and is soon joined by the others, who insist they were called there by a text message from Dinah although she claims she never sent a message. Mr. Freeze arrives and insists they hand over Strix. During the ensuing battle, Freeze kidnaps Starling. Soon they get a call warning that if they do not bring Strix “to the place she was reborn”, Starling will be killed.
Boy…Mr. Freeze sure gets around this month, doesn’t he? First Batwoman is beating him up and now he’s kidnapping Talons? This issue is a MAJOR MESS! We don’t know WHY Freeze wants talons. We don’t know why he settles for Starling (is he on Waller’s payroll perhaps?). We have taken plot threads left in the first 17 issues and tossed them aside. What happened to the back story involving Dinah and her husband? Why is there such a bond between Strix and Batgirl? What is the deal with Condor, who shows up and seems to get in the way a whole lot? Christy Marx’ story is far from cohesive or exciting although Romano Molenaar’s art is nice. I can’t recommend this title anymore. The way I see it, the book needs to improve soon or I can’t see it lasting.
CATWOMAN #18: Batman and Catwoman are involved in a motorcycle riding brawl as he demands the paintings she and Gwen had stolen from the Gotham Museum be returned. After battling through their differences, the pair embraces and she promises to get the paintings back. Trip Winters watches the pair and he realizes he can never give her a job again. Back at home, Selina realizes that Detective Alvarez had suspected Gwen and probably has her in custody. Alvarez finds that evidence of Gwen's prints and he must let her go. Her lawyer and his associates, including Volt and the mysterious Joe Pazzo, take her to see the boss. That night, Catwoman steals the paintings back from the client and returns them to the museum. On the way home with his groceries, Joe Pazzo displays a set of devil horns we have never seen before.
Oh my God: what the heck is going on here? There really isn’t a whole lot more I can say about that. This book wants to be a romance tale with a villain trying to be a hero who thinks she’s Robin Hood. We have padded it with some interesting characters and some really cardboard ones. Volt was around for a few issues and gone and now back. Who is Joe Pazzo and why is he a devilish soul? I have been bumming since Selina’s roommate got murdered and the introduction of Gwen didn’t help to fully fill that void. Ann Nocenti’s story and dialogue leave a lot to be desired but Rafa Sandoval’s art is the highlight. I don’t know how much longer this can go on as it is. Oh wait: I know what happens next-we learn that Joe Pazzo is really Vandal Savage and Gwen gets sacrificed to Lucifer, bringing the Demon Knights into the 21st century. Who knows, but it can’t be more cornball than this is.
CONSTANTINE #1: Legendary magic man John Constantine has moved from Vertigo to the New 52 Universe and from London to New York City, where he lives beneath Dotty’s Pet Store. On his way home one night, a young man named Chris approaches him and asks for Constantine’s help. Inside, Chris writes a message on an atlas. This shows the location of an item called Croyden's Compass-an item designed by a mad wizard who committed murder and cannibalism to power the device. The pair fly to Norway and Constantine is poisoned along the way by their stewardess. Gooing to the rest room, he is followed but wrestles the knife from her. It seems the Cult of the Cold Flame is trying to kill him yet again. They both toss curses at each other and his causes her to dissolve. Once they land, the pair go to a hotel of made ice that is at the exact location Chris pinpointed on the atlas. Constantine reaches into the fire of the chapel's torch and pulls out the needle of the compass. Chris begins groaning in pain about Sargon the Sorcerer and they are attacked by Sargon who possesses his daughter, Jaimini Sargent. She demands the needle or she will kill Chris. John uses magic to teleport away. In anger, she kills Chris with her magic. As she pursues him, Constantine creates several visions of himself to confuse her and makes his escape.
Jeff Lemire, Ray Fawkes and Renato Guedes first issue is a little on the rough side. The art itself is a little sketchy and not as fleshed out as I would have hoped for. These are two great writers who work well together and can take this renowned character to new levels. But their initial characterization of John Constantine is weak. And I find that surprising especially considering this pair is used to writing this character on JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. He wears his guilt like a coat and doesn’t have the smart-ass attitude that we have grown to know and love. We shall see what issue two holds for it.
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #18: We
have a Starfire where she is battling to defend an alien race.
Reminding her of her youth as a slave, she fights hard for these people until
they decide she is more of a target for aliens to attack. Even Denika, the
young alien girl who she has befriended, asks her to leave them, which she
does. But an alien race is building an army and ready to rumble.
This book IS ending soon, right?
I think so and this is one of the worst single issues in this anthology series.
It is long, boring and badly written. Okay, I get that we’re featuring members
of the RED HOOD cast in these last few issues, but at least the LAST issue had
some pathos in it. This tries to mine some pathos and it falls flat on it’s
face. I read it THREE TIMES to find something worth writing about. Joe Keatinge
provides a lackluster plot but Federico Dallocchio gives us some really nice
art. Will all this come to an end with a bang or a whimper? Tune in next month
as the death knell rings a bell!
DEMON KNIGHTS #18: Last issue, Jason Blood got broken out of the prison
where Vandal Savage had him. He led his group to Madame Xanadu so that she
could give him back his mouth. She reverses the spell and Jason immediately asks
her about the tales Savage would tell of her and Etrigan being romantically
involved with each other. he decides he would rather be in Hell and speaks the
chant which brings the demon back to our realm. Sir Ystin tells Etrigan about
Cain and the team heads towards Themyscira. They arrive just in time to see Cain’s
vampire army battling the Amazonians. The Amazons explain the only way to kill
Cain’s minions is to stab them in the heart and then behead them, which Etrigan
does with glee. But the demon is tired and now needs to return to Hell to
recharge. Unfortunately, Jason Blood is unwilling to return, leaving Etrigan
weak. Meanwhile, Vandal Savage has arrived and Cain’s army sails towards a
battle.
Robert Vendetti and Bernard Chang weave what looks to be a wild and kinky
little tale. It appears that Madame Xanadu was slaking her lusty thirst with
Etrigan while the man she professed she loved toiled in Hell. So it’s no
surprise that Jason Blood wants no part of her. As he mentions to Lucifer: he
was tortured all sorts of ways by Vandal Savage. There isn’t much that Hell has
that can truly compare. And how will the whole Paradise Island/Themyscira thing
play out? What happens when Savage and Cain get together on an island ruled by
Queen Hippolyta? When does Princess Diana arrive? This title has been very
uneven over the last few months but this story arc could put some major spark
back into it.
DETECTIVE COMICS #18: Set just after the Joker’s reign at Arkham, the villain formerly known as The Penguin manages to get free on a technicality. But during the chaos, crazed mass murderer Victor Zsasz manages to get free and he has a mission. One time he had been gambling at The Penguin’s Iceberg Casino and lost everything he had inherited from Zsasz Industries and his own assets. Penguin simply threw him out and now Zsasz wants revenge (as detailed in the back-up story). Penguin goes to the Gotham City Zoo where he retrieves some hidden weapons. Meanwhile, he finds that Ogilvy has taken over as Emperor Penguin, changing the name of the hospital wing from the Esther Cobblepot Children’s Center to the Ann Ogilvy Children’s Center. He also discovers he can no longer gain access to his mansion, as Ogilvy has moved in and locked it down. He goes to the Casino to take on Ogilvy, but batman arrives and has him arrested on evidence of trespassing, breaking and entering, and illegal arms possession: all from the Zoo incident. Cobblepot’s lawyers will be no help as Zsasz has killed them. Later, Emperor Penguin meets with a former member of the League of Assassins who delivers the Man-Bat Serum she has stolen from Talia al Ghul. In the backup, we get the tale of Zsasz prior to the breakout and how he gets a special two-hundred-year-old knife from Ogilvy.
John Layman and Jason Fabok knock this one out of the park, even though it basically serves to set up Ogilvy’s taking his place as the new Penguin. It also serves as the introduction of the Man Bat Serum in the NEW 52 Universe. Fabok’s art is simply spectacular and reminds me very much of the work of the legendary Paul Gulacy. As far as the back-up, by Layman and Henrik Johnson, goes: I could have done without it. All it does it allows us to see how Zsasz gains this special knife he plans to use to continue his killing spree. I never cared for the character in the old DCU and don’t really care for him here.
DIAL H #18: Nelson Jent, in the guise of the Glimpse, is under attack from both the Centipede and the Bristol Bloodhound. He is invisible to everyone except the Centipede and the Bloodhound. The Centipede shoots Jent in the leg and the Bloodhound grabs Jent and they escape together. They rendezvous Roxie and the Bloodhound transforms into Warrant Officer Mason Jones. Jones explains that he has been ordered to dial 7-4-3-3 for Hero. This spells "SIDE", causing Roxie and Nelson to realize this is a dial for sidekicks. Meanwhile, the Centipede files the documents he stole from Roxie's office in a warehouse full of Dial memorabilia. We learn that even Thomas Edison had been visited by an H-Dialler. Roxie and Nelson go out on patrol with Nelson being the sidekick. After a night of hero work, they return home and kiss passionately.
China Meiville and Alberto Ponticelli continue to write the weirdest book in comics. Now that FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. has gone away, this is the lone standard bearer of X-FILES weirdness (JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK is just a banding of the supernatural heroes and is nowhere as weird as this title). From issue to issue, I wonder what is in Meiville’s mind. Now we have a Warrant Officer who is subservient when the dial is used (can you say third wheel) and the romance I’ve been waiting for begins in earnest. Roxie and Nelson-star crossed lovers connected by the H-Dial. This is certainly not the DIAL H I grew up with and may not even be the title I signed up for. But it has enough quirks to keep me interested, especially now that The Centipede has a cool little centipede mask!
EARTH 2 #10: We learn that two years ago, Kendra and Khalid were attacked while treasure hunting in a Egyptian tomb. Kendra was transformed with wings attached to her body while Khalid found himself called to the Helmet of Nabu. Today, Wotan explains that Khalid has gotten the powers of Nabu and Wotan wants them for himself. Since he had bouts of insanity after using the helmt, Khalid banished it to the Tower of Nabu. It is decided that The Flash will accompany Khalid into the tower or great harm will come to Jay’s mother. Once inside, the pair are attacked by the great beast of the tower. Meanwhile, Alan Scott visits the grave of his lover when Sam’s father arrives. He reveals he has heard rumors that it wasn’t Alan who was targeted in the attacks, but Sam. He travels to Louisiana where he meets up with Hawkgirl and asks for her assistance.
James Robinson continues to weave a rather unusual tale of the alternate Earth while Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott handle the artistic end. I say “unusual” because, ten issues in to this title, I still have a hard time wrapping my brain around some of the characters. Alan Scott is gay, Doctor Fate is going to be someone named Khalid, The Atom works for “the man” and Jay Garrick is young as opposed to the speedster with the silver temples we all know and love. That is not to say that I don’t think this has the makings of being a great title. James Robinson is an expert when it comes to Earth 2 and he has great respect for those characters. I don’t expect him, as a fan and a writer, that he will do anything that would change that respect.
GREEN ARROW #18: Since being framed for the murder of Emerson in the last issue, Oliver Queen has been hiding out in a shipping container thanks to the help of a blind man named Magus. Magus has advised him to leave Seattle and head to Black Mesa. Queen calls Steve Trevor, who promises to give him 48 hours before he calls in the Justice League of America. Meanwhile, Komodo digitally attends a Stellmoor Industries board meeting. He is refered to as Mr. Lacroix and he assures the board members that he will return Queen Industries to greatness but recommends liquidating Q-Core. Lacroix’ daughter Emiko joins him as we discover that both Jax and Naomi are his captives and that their deaths were staged. Jax refuses to work for him and dies from an arrow through his head. Naomi immediately agrees to help find Oliver. Komodo tells her she has an hour or his daughter will cut off her fingers. This exchange is overheard by Magus. Meanwhile, Oliver makes his way to the New Dragon restaurant and meets with a man named Henry Fyff. He admits that he is Green Arrow and he needs Henry to help him. Henfry starts working on designs for new trick arrows, as the current supply is very depleted. Oliver infiltrates Emerson's office and finds a secret door leading to a room containing trophies belonging to both Emerson and Robert Queen. Oliver also finds a picture of Emerson, Robert Queen and a third man on the beach he had been stranded on for over a year. Magus arrives and warns that he must go to Black Mesa immediately or Komodo will kill him. He also mentions a group know as the Outsiders. The police arrive and Queen attempts to flee. But Naomi has found him and given the information to Komodo, who sues an arrow shot to cut Oliver’s line and it appears he is falling to his death.
Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino have completely re-energized this title and brought it to new, dizzying heights. Of course, after the previous team, that isn’t saying much. So let me begin again by saying this book rocks! While I love the old Ollie Queen, the grumpy curmudgeon who dated Black canary and went toe to toe with Hal Jordan during some classic Sixties stories by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams, I am starting to warm up to this young upstart. The Queen we got in the first issue was a brash punk and now he has been humbled. The fact that Lemire has no problem bumping off a long time character from the NEW 52 run and forcing a second to turn traitor proves he is serious about turning this title around. Sorrentino’s art is absolutely beautiful, as we have already come to expect. This is one of my favorite new reads and I am totally curious to see what is up with The Outsiders.
GREEN LANTERN #18: Simon Baz is in the Dead Zone thanks to William Hand. Here, he finally gets to meet Hal Jordan and Sinestro. Wile Sinestro, unimpressed with Baz, thinks that Simon is dead, Hal believes that he is still alive because his ring is still shining. Sinestro attempts to regain the ring, but Hal stops him. Tomar-Re explains that the Guardians are at the mercy of Volthoom, who became the First Lantern. He was the reason the Manhunters were created. Now that he is free he can remake the universe in his own image if he can get back to full power. B'dg attempts to take Simon back to the realm of the living and the ring duplicates itself and it chooses Hal, but Sinestro wants to escape and manages to obtain it. Simon and Sinestro leave the Dead Zone, appearing in the Chamber of Shadows. Hal tries to use Black Hand’s ring to open the Dead Zone but fails. Tomar-Re says that Hal cannot have the ring because he still has one foot in the land of the living. Hal then stares over a cliff. Must Hal die to save the world?
Geoff Johns races towards the
end of his epic run on GREEN LANTERN that covers both the old AND the new
universes. At times it is preachy, at times it is long winded and at times, I
really want this new Green Lantern to go away and give me back Hal Jordan. That
having been said, I look forward to seeing how Johns paints our heroes out of
this corner. By the way, the art by Szymon Kudranski is equally dark and moody
while and Ardian Syaf turns loose the clean superhero style I love. So, despite
the negatives, this is still a fun read!
I VAMPIRE #18: Tyg has killed
Mary and now decides she is going to do the same to Andrew Bennett, despite
having been turned and acting as one of his followers as of late. They both
turned into wolves and attack, with Andrew ripping a chunk out of her throat.
Meanwhile, Cain is attempting to resurrect Lilith, but it seems John
Constantine has put a stop to that and destroyed much of Cain’s legion at the
same time. And Debbie suddenly finds herself in the middle of a debate between
Bennett and his two followers, as they don’t want to end the world, as it seems
Cain wants, they just want to rule it. Bennett knocks them out and is just
about to deliver a killing blow when Tyg arrives and tears a chunk out of his
neck. The threshold between worlds is opened, the magician and the bookkeeper
die and Lilith is reborn through Tyg. At this point, Bennett has a revelation
and realizes he must stop Lilith. He also thinks that Debbie is Mary.As this title hurtles towards its final issue next month, things are dropping in place and cast members are dropping like flies. The magicians, the bookkeeper, Mary, John and Tyg have all bit the big one in recent issues. And I can bet more will take it on the chin before it’s done. Well, all except John Constantine who still has two titles to appear in when this one is through. As always, great work from Joshua Hale Fialkov with art this time from Fernando Blanco. I have been a champion of this title since issue #1(or #0, if you want to go in chronological order) but the sales were never there, despite the acclaim. I implore you: support your local shop, buy the back issues or the trade paperbacks and maybe someday we will get a repeat performance.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #18: Following the THRONE OF ATLANTIS storyline, the League has decided to go on a recruiting binge. They invite Black Canary, Black Lightening, Blue Devil, Element Woman, Firestorm, Goldrush, Nightwing, Platinum, Vixen and Zatanna to the Watchtower. During the meet and greet, Platinum’s responsemester malfunctions and she battles the team. The day is saved by Rhonda Pineda: a female version of The Atom, who actually lent a hand during the battle in Boston. When all is said and done, they add Firestorm, Element Woman and the Atom. Lastly, Cyborg discovers that someone has hacked into their system and left a very troubling message for them. In Chapter ten of the SHAZAM back-up, Freddy reveals Billy’s secrets to the rest of the kids in the house and Dr. Sivana presents the Seven Sins to Black Adam.
This was an interesting bridge between the THRONE OF ATLANTIS and the upcoming TRINITY WARS. And an interesting series of characters added to the mix. We have Element Woman, who is this Universe’ version of Metamorpho, Firestorm, who is soon to be bookless, and a new Atom, because Ray Palmer works as a scientist for S.H.A.D.E. I would have liked to have seen Black Lightning and Blue Devil on the team, but maybe DC is hoping to give them their own title have their run in DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS. It was also nice to see one of the Metal men introduced, even is she was defective. Can we hope for a REAL METAL MEN series down the road? Now you knew Zatanna wouldn’t get the nod or Black Canary as they have their own teams to deal with and multiple teams doesn’t really work, unless you’re a Marvel character. And who is Goldrush and who cares? Great looking art from Jesus Saiz that makes me say “Jim Lee who?” As far as SHAZAM goes: finish the origin and gives us a real series!
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