DC'S NEW 52 Month 24, Part 2

GREEN LANTERN #24:Kyle Rayner and Star Sapphire arrive on Oa after surviving a battle with Relic that has destroyed the rest of the Blue Lantern Corps. Relic’s universe was destroyed because the lightsmiths drained the emotional spectrum. Now he is here to eliminate the Corp members and keep them from using their powers, as it will destroy this universe. He arrives at OA and sends his iron locusts to absorb the power of the Green Lantern Corps’ Central Battery, which causes the destruction of the Battery. With the destruction of the battery comes the seeming destruction of OA itself.

Robert Venditti and Billy Tan craft the first chapter of LIGHTS OUT: what is being called, by DC, as the newest epic change in the Green Lantern Universe. Relic is the big bad guy who is going to make it all happen and the fact that he has trashed the Main Power Battery on OA and now it looks like OA is doomed because of that, means that this needs to be resolved very quickly or the Lantern Universe, which just went through all sorts of conflagration, is about to be altered forever. This is a good start, but it depends on how the other chapters running through the other Lantern books plays before it all ends up in GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #2.

GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #2: Hal gives Guy the bad news that Oa is gone and John Stewart went with it. Star Sapphire says she knows where Kyle is which sets Hal off because her ring is powered by love…and we all know what THAT means for Hal. Meanwhile, at the Source Wall, Kyle is attacked by Relic, who is drawing all the spectrums of energy from within him to gain enough power the break through the wall. That’s when Hal and the remains of the Corps arrive. As the battle commences, John Stewart arrives, having been on the Indigo Planet. First thing he does his punch out Guy Gardner for switching to a Red Lantern and then jumps into the fray. As the battle continues and Relic takes a pretty good beating , Kyle states that he is the key and his powers reach 100%. Relic has his way to the Source and he becomes part of it. With Kyle seemingly dead and gone and power levels crashing, the Indigos transport the Lanterns to their new home: Mogo. The Lanterns who remain are now reluctant to use their powers for fear of extinguishing this universe. Unbeknownst to them, Kyle Rayner did not perish, as he emerges from the Source Wall not remembering what he had seen. It is decided to keep his return a secret…for now.

Robert Venditti brings this mini-epic to a close with a moral: never burn your candles at both ends. The Lanterns are now hesitant about using their power, the big bad villain is part of the Source and Kyle Rayner emerges from what looked like absolute death to become the White Lantern once again. The biggest “the Guardians will change forever” piece that came from this is the rescued power usage and the destruction of Oa, which is pretty significant. But when you have a sentient planet like Mogo waiting to take you in, everything is fine. All in all, it was an okay mini-series that would have been that much better if Geoff Johns had been behind it.

GREEN TEAM #5: The Team finds themselves on a space mission to a runaway meteor that is owned by Bellachek Temple owns the runaway meteor. They land on the meteor to start exploring. Not long after they land, a villain named Icicle attacks and destroys the spaceship, leaving them stranded.

All I have to say is it’s a good thing this book is getting cancelled, because it just gets worse with every issue. And I’m a fan of Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani. But PLEASE go back to writing funny kids books because this thing is going nowhere and making next to no sense. The characters are cardboard, Ig Guara is just phoning in his art and it just is like taking three bucks and tossing it away. How many more issues? I just want it to end!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #8: Stargirl finds herself in a field of grass next to the unconscious body of the Martian Manhunter. He awakens and they are in some kind of prison. The voice of Jason Rusch, explains they are just the most recent inmates of a high-tech prison created for them. He believes they are in the outer layer and that the only way to get out is to go down. They discover a trap door in the middle of a field and Jason and J'onn open a hatch into a lower level that looks like Themyscira, where the Amazons and Wonder Woman are in battle with the military. Diana explains that the Amazons have captured Steve Trevor, while the mortals have captured Superman.  J'onn warns Stargirl to stay up top as each prison seems specifically designed to prey on their weaknesses. Jason leads J'onn in to a recreated Fawcett City, where Shazam is destroying everything and has no desire to leave. They move on to the Flash's cell, where he spends his time listing all of the numerous things he did all in one morning.  J'onn moves on to the next level as Jason stays behind He finds Superman wallowing in the guilt he feels for killing Dr. Light. He next finds Green Lantern Simon Baz, who has given in to everyone’s belief that he was a terrorist. Stargirl contacts J'onn, saying she found a way out. She steps through an illusory wall and finds herself back in the real world…or what is left of it.

So the heroes aren’t dead, not that we thought they REALLY were. They are being held in some strange prison that preys on their weaknesses. Because, let’s be honest, even the greatest heroes have weaknesses. Matt Kindt and Doug Mahnke turn up the heat and give us a crucial chapter in this epic. Without this information, you go on thinking that the heroes are dead…or something else. Kindt writing, despite what some seem to think, works really well and I love Doug Mahnke’s art. I’ve always love Mahnke’s art, going back to such things as THE MASK and MAJOR DISASTER. This was a fun chapter in the FOREVER EVIL saga.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #24: A quarter of a century ago, Jor-Il and his wife Lara fought to get their son Kal to a rocket that would save him from the destruction their planet was facing. Jor-Il’s final warning to his son was this: Be the strongest there is or be nothing at all. His rocket crashed through the roof of the Kent home is Smallville, Kansas. Jonathan and his drug-addicted wife Martha discover Kal in the rubble eating chunks of Kryptonite. He used his heat vision to burn away Jonathan's hand, telling them they would be his parents from now on. That was until he was seven years old, when he killed them and burned their farm to the ground. Over the years, he murdered the President of the United States Lee Harvey Oswald, convinced Hal Jordan into being Power Ring, and found himself manipulated by Lois Lane. But the Crime Syndicate ultimately had to face the destruction of their Earth by the same being who destroyed Krypton. Ultraman is concerned that this world the Crime Syndicate has invaded is so weak that it could never survive an attack like his Earth had faced. Deathstorm and Power Ring are off to battle the Rogues. Atomica and Johnny Quick seem to have their own agenda; attacking any superhuman they find. Superwoman is watching over their prisoner, Dick Grayson. Meanwhile, Ultraman has gone to stop a problem in Khandaq, but stops at the Daily Planet in the process. He corners Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane and crushes the hand Jimmy uses to take his photos. Jimmy's signal watch goes off but tells Jimmy, willing to sacrifice himself to save his friends that no one is coming to save them. Grid interrupts, telling him the problem in Khandaq, Black Adam, is headed right for him. That makes him very happy as he intends to kill this example one of the worlds strongest.

Geoff Johns gives us a great, if not bizarre origin for Ultraman and proves he is a complete megalomaniac. C’mon: he killed his parents when he was seven. Be broke Jimmy Olsen’s hand because he doesn’t use his photo abilities to blackmail people. And now he’s off to battle Black Adam. Any bets, folks? Ivan Reis is putting out some of his best art in his career and this issue sure highlights it. I hate to say it, but while people are going crazy over INFINITY and CATACLYSM over at Marvel, I am TRULY enjoying FOREVER EVIL. Maybe it’s just further proof that my years of being a Marvel Zombie is over.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #24: Constantine wakes in the House of Mystery to find himself surrounded by small, demonic versions of himself. All are prepared to torment him. He also is confused, as he should have been killed with the rest of the various Justice League teams. He believes the House itself is a sentient being that saved him. He then finds himself transported to various places across the globe. He goes to a house in Paris, where a married couple is having trouble. He spots a dark force looming over them before he is transported to New York City where he spies a young woman with the same darkness around her. He learns that evil grows from the darkness within people, assuring victory for the Crime Syndicate from the very start. Back in the House, John is taunted by visions of the friends he left to die. Zatanna explains that he is under the effect of Pandora's Box and she came to cure him. She shoves her arm into his chest, tearing out a black mass. When he awakens, he finds her next to him. Despite her solid advice, he realizes it’s the Nightmare Nurse who cured him of the virus. And she has brought reinforcements in the form of a Swamp Thing of her own making.

J.M. DeMatteis weaves another connecting chapter in the saga of JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK as they cross through FOREVER EVIL. What we discover is that evil is inside everyone and that is what the Crime Syndicate was hoping for. By opening the box, those evils have come to the forefront and infected Constantine with it’s virus. Now the Nightmare Nurse has saved him, but he owes her. Can’t wait to see what that payback entails. Nice art from Mikel Janin makes this story a winner and a crucial part of this tale.

LARFLEEZE #4: Larfleeze’s Orange Lantern Corps have a major bone to pick with their leader. Basically, they have come back from the dead bur must kill Larfleeze. He blames his trouble on The Wanderer who, among other things, has stolen his butler, who finds himself on a dreadful planet and in an awful place. The Orange Lanterns defeat Larfleeze and then argue about who gets to kill him. Then they realize that they cannot kill him as he has become the Orange Light’s Power Source, meaning they will lose their powers too. So they him bind up Larfleeze and fly away. My only question is where they charge those rings.

Yeah, I am starting to find this title to be a complete and total drag. The jokes have kind of worn thin and the plot is totally missing the mark. Keith Giffen is a crazy genius, but this one is starting to fall away. Goodbye Orange Lantern, It’s been an interesting ride.

THE MOVEMENT #5: The Movement is growing, much to the dismay of James Cannon, with offshoots as far away as Beijing China. Captain Meers has a meeting with Virtue at a local doughnut shop. Meers begs her not to continue on with the trial of his two men. In exchange for his men, he offers a civilian review board and have patrols return to the 'Tweens. She decides that she needs to stop the trial but, unfortunately, it has already begun. Meers returns to his car with a cell phone he had a wino use to take pictures of the meet. He believes Virture works a job where she relies on tips. Meanwhile, Mouse tries to write a love letter to Tremor, when the rats bring him word that the Cornea Killer has struck again. He and the rats hurry to rescue a woman arriving just in time, but the killer turns his knife toward him. Vengeance Moth introduces Katharsis as the prosecutor with Tremor as the advocate for the defense and then asks Peña and Whitt for their pleas. Whitt stays silent, but Peña pleads guilty and offers his apology, which they girl they assaulted refuses. Tremor defends her clients' character by bringing up their commendations for bravery. Peña apologizes again while Whitt demands whatever punishment is due. Vengeance Moth calls a recess so the jury can deliberate. During deliberations, Whitt decides to escape, and pushes Vengeance Moth out of her wheelchair. Peña tries to help her back up, but with a scary glow in her eyes, warns Whitt that was the wrong thing to do. He gets tackled by Katharsis who prepares to run him through with her sword, but loses his balance when Tremor causes the floor to shake, warning Peña and Whitt to flee through the tunnels behind her. Katharsis calls Tremor a traitor. Tremor says that if this is what the Movement does, she wants out. The Cornea Killer arrives with the Graveyard Faction: a group of metahumans hired to oppose the Movement.

I still do not quite know what Gail Simone and Freddie Williams II are doing here but I like it. I don’t know why, but I find this book an intriguing mess of a comic. Seriously: I don’t really know why I like this book because, except for the writing and artwork, it’s a mess. It’s a confusing mess that wouldn’t pass for a bad teen soap opera movie.  AND I LOVE IT! Is it in my Top Ten? Not quite. But it’s just below it. Pick this up and give it a try: it is a very quirky little read that just tickles my fancy.

NIGHTWING #24: Nightwing  finds himself having to team up with the man who murdered his parents: Tony Zucco. Zucco tells Nightwing that Wallace Cole became mayor of Chicago because of two things. The first was a train line that he and his brother convinced City Hall to run through their old neighborhood. One Halloween, the project's electrical engineer, died. The Prankster is Harold Loomis' son. Zucco learned all of this because he shared a cell with Wallace Cole’s brother, William. Tonight is Halloween and the Prankster intends to finish things. Wallace Cole, who claims he is innocent of everything he has been accused of, is being held hostage by Oswald Loomis. The Prankster explains this is payback from the Coles taking away all that Oswald loved. His people have filled old Pilsen station with enough explosives to collapse the south side. He gives Wallace a remote and tells him he is the only one who can stop the countdown and he is the person Chicago hates the most. The citizens begin to attack him, which may prevent him from getting to the station in time. Nightwing arrives in time to protect the Mayor, but the remote gets destroyed by the feet of the citizens. Nightwing gets the mayor to safety and hopes he can get to the station before the explosives detonate. He starts the train and it crosses the Kinzie Street Bridge, where it explodes away from residents. He gets attacked by the Prankster, but gets saved by Tony Zucco. The police arrive to arrest Zucco and Loomis. Dick returns to his apartment, where Joey tells him she’s taking her room back, and he's going back to the couch. Tony Zucco receives a visit from a man who tells him his employers can help him beat the rap. Zucco insists on taking responsibility even as the man reveals that Tony's wife and son have left him. Meanwhile, Maxwell Morgan calls Michael Pearson to warn that vigilantes like Nightwing need to be out of Chicago. Michael claims he had been a big fan of Ghostwalker's until things went wrong. Maxwell says there are no heroes anymore and Chicago must make sure it stays that way. It is revealed that Maxwell Morgan once was Ghostwalker.

Kyle Higgins, with art by Will Conrad does a great job of tying up the loose ends involving Dick Grayson and his long sought after enemy Tony Zucco. He moved him to Chicago for what looks to be a permanent, or semi-permanent stay and let him carve out his own niche with a whole new supporting cast. And, since the vigilantes have long been gone from Chicago, it looks like a certain former hero may become a part of this whole thing, either as a foil or possibly a sidekick. Just what we need: a former teen sidekick with a sidekick. That could be fun. Anyway, I really like the direction this is going. Dick is not as serious as he was when he was in Bludhaven, but he still knows when to kick ass!

NIGHTWING ANNUAL #1: Dick Grayson has decided to make the move to Chicago permanent and Barbara Gordon has agreed to help him pack up. She is not happy, but he explains that he can do some good in Chicago. He finds a photograph of himself with Barbara as Robin and Batgirl. The Bat-Signal lights up the sky shining in the night sky. He remarks that Bruce Wayne is out of town and he suggests that he and her should handle it. We learn that actress Cindy Cooke might be the target of an arsonist, especially since her ex-boyfriend Ted Carson has recently burned to death. She suspects the arsonist is Garfield Lynns: a pyrotechnics professional she fired some time ago. Dick and Barbara search Lynns' loft. While they search, he proposes that she move with him to Chicago. Based on evidence they find, they think his next target may be the Willowbrook Charity Dinner. They arrive in time to stop Lynns, using the name Firefly, from setting Cindy on fire. They lose track of her long enough to see a grenade explode. Diving into the flames, Dick returns with the woman's charred remains in his arms. But somehow Lynns switched out Cindy for her agent. In another location, Cindy is held captive by Firefly, who is really Ted Carson, but Barbara and Dick arrive to save her with Firefly apparently dying a second time. The next morning, despite admitting to meet before he left, Barbara finds his apartment empty. He has already left for Chicago without talking to her.

Yeah, I really love Kyle Higgins and what he has done with this character. If you want to watch me gush over his work, refer to the previous review. And check out Jason Masters artwork on this one. He just continues to get better with each new piece he works on. This was a nice departure from the current NIGHTWING storyline but, at the same time, ties into that storyline while also tying in to the current BATGIRL tale. This was a nice effort all around.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #24: Jason Todd is currently leading the League of Assassins against the Untitled. Meanwhile, Roy Harper has been placed in a holding cell with Cheshire sitting across from him. He whines and cries that he has been horrible to his friends and begins to cry, wanting to know why he's broken. Cheshire slips between the bars of his cell and says he's not broken. She attempts to kiss him, but Roy pulls away. Cheshire holds out her hand and orders him to take it and they transport to Kori’s cell, where he apologizes for what he did wrong. Meanwhile, Jason is in battle with Drakar, who senses Ducra somewhere in his mind. Confused, Drakar collapses into the fountain that hides the Well of Sins. He begs to be removed as the pool strips him of both his power and life-force. When it vomits him out, he is an old man. Jason warns the remainder of the Untitled that they will all suffer the same fate at which point Lady Shiva unleashing the Man-Bats and casting the Untitled into the Well of Sins. Suddenly Drakar leaps onto his back, warning that he can’t be killed so easily. But he’s wrong as Bronze Tiger reaches out and breaks the old man's neck. Suddenly, a cloaked figure appears and heads toward the Well of Sins. Jason blocks him and demands to know who the man is. The man introduces himself as Ra's al Ghul.

Finally the big guy shows up and it’s truly about rime. We could see this coming from miles and issues away. So, now what does Jason do? Does he follow his current calling and lead the League of Assassins or does some small remnant of what was in his past come forward and allow him to save his friends? And what of that wonderful triangle forming between Kori, Roy and Cheshire. That could be interesting if played right. Let’s not forget that Cheshire and Roy had a major relationship in the old DCU. It’s a nice bit of intrigue from James Tynion IV and Julius Gopez.

RED LANTERNS #24: After being caught by Bleez as he was trying to convince Hal Jordan to come get him off Ysmault, he tells the Lanterns about his real reasons for becoming a Red Lantern. he also says that, despite his original intentions, he is through with the Green lantern Corps. In the midst of it all, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, which tends to cast doubt on the revelation that he’s done with the Green Lantern Corps and the Red lanterns attack. Since the Power Battery has been destroyed and the Green Lanterns don’t have much power, Hal orders the Corps to defend themselves while he talks with Guy. He agrees to help the Corps against Relic, provided the Red Lanterns get their own sector. Meanwhile, at the edge of the Omniverse, Relic is trying to penetrate the Source Wall.

Charles Soule is killing this title. No, not in a bad way-in a VERY good way. The bad way was the way that Pete Milligan dragged this book through the muck when we were all hoping for better. Soule has made the Red Lanterns cool again instead of being a complete bunch of whining, fighting psychos. Of course, Atrocitus is still lurking in the wings. On a somewhat related note, what is this whole thing with the Omniverse? Is this the NEW 52’s version of the Multiverse? And The Source Wall-when do we get through it and realize it leads to New Genesis. Oh yeah: let me not forget to give credit to Allessandro Vitti whose artwork also is killing this title!

SUICIDE SQUAD #24:With the power out, Amanda Waller has been cornered during the riot at Belle Reve by El Diablo. She tells him he was never worthy of being a part of the Squad and activates the nanobomb in his neck, causing his head to explode. She runs into Deadshot and reminds him that she still has Suchin. If he does one more mission she will hand over all her intel on the girl. She tells him to put a team together for a mission in the Rocky Mountains where it is believed that the Crime Syndicate has a weapon. Meanwhile, the Crime Syndicate has the inmates building a powerful satellite for them. They are kept in line by King Shark, based on the orders of a man in cell nine called the "Thinker”: a genius level man who suffers from a nerve-degenerating disease. Deadshot and Harley recruits Captain Boomerang, who is promised first shot at Waller when the mission is finished, along with a vigilante called Warrant. When they arrive, they meet Steel and the Unknown Soldier, who claims to be in charge of this operation. Suddenly they find themselves under attack by the Crime Syndicate's soldiers but managed to get saved by Waller’s final recruit: Power Girl. The Crime Syndicate's weapon is OMAC and they are ready to extract him when Waller contacts the Unknown Soldier and orders him to kill Deadshot's team. It is revealed that The Thinker used a device to disguise his voice as Waller's. And the real Waller orders Deadshot not to bring OMAC to Belle Reve.

Matt Kindt and Patrick Zircher weave their web on this title, which has now been thrust into the very middle of FOREVER EVIL. Will OMAC make his way to Belle Reve where he can be put to use by the Crime Syndicate? Will The Unknown Soldier be able to finish the business that the false Waller has demanded?  Will Deadshot and his team survive the mission? Stay tuned, kids: this wild ride is just beginning.

SUPERMAN #24: Lois, out of her coma and transformed, battles the Psycho Pirate in psychic combat, only to be defeated. However she manages to pull Superman out of his coma just in time for Hector Hammond and the H.I.V.E. Queen, stripped of the illusion she once illustrated, join forces with our heroes. Superman attacks the Pirate while Lois attempts to free the people of Metropolis from his grasp. Hammond and the Queen use telepathic attacks on the Pirate while Lois has rip the mask off. Illusions of Jonathan and Martha Kent implore him to wear the mask but Lois convinces him not to, which reveals that she knows he is really Clark Kent. He destroys the mask with his heat vision as Lois falls back into a coma. Superman takes her to the hospital, leaving Hammond, the Queen and the Pirate to escape. As Superman leaves the hospital, a mysterious force pulls him into outer space.

Mike Johnson does something Scott Lobdell couldn’t: write a fun story that doesn’t suck! So we see Lois divulging the information that she knows Clark is Superman. But will that be with her when she eventually awakens from her coma? My guess is probably not, unless we want to split up Superman and Wonder Woman and create the relationship that we should rightfully have: Lois and Clark! Eddy Barrows’ art is a joy to behold and the whole issue rocked right along, not plodded as past ones have done. Johnson needs to stay on this book and help to propel it back to some semblance of greatness, especially with ACTION, SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN and SUPERMAN BATMAN just filling shelf space.

SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #1: Superman and Wonder Woman are flying together and trying to handle a disturbance in Norway so they can go to dinner in Oslo. Earlier, Clark Kent and Cat Grant were discussing creating a high-profile news blog. Clark is introduced to Cat's new boyfriend, but leaves as soon as he can. Wonder Woman was in London, sparring with Hessia who eventually yields. Diana confided to Hessia that she dislikes the secrecy in her relationship with Superman.  A little later, Clark arrives for his date with Diana , carrying an exotic, other-worldly potted flower from his Fortress. She explains her displeasure that they are keeping their relationship a secret. Clark explains he wants to save this one thing just for the two of them. They do some cuddling when they are interrupted by the Justice League message about the situation in Norway. Back in the present, the military plane is saved by Wonder Woman when and uncontrollable Superman smashes through the plane. Wonder Woman grabs the two pilots and gives them to Superman to take them down to Earth. Seems they have both been attacked by the Royal Norwegian Navy, who believed they deliberately destroyed the plane. Wonder Woman dismantles their forward gun mount. Superman’s attacker, Doomsday, lands on the deck of the ship and rips apart the two pilots forcing Wonder Woman to battle him.

So here we have the Superman/Wonder Woman romance peppered with a little action. I am sorry: am I the ONLY ONE who doesn’t like the pairing of these two as lovers? Am I the only one who wants Lois and Clark together, the way it should be? Charles Soule and Tony Daniel make the book look and sound great. But I totally dislike their relationship and don’t give a crap about Cat Grant and her business prospects. Despite dropping Doomsday into the book with a rather graphic killing rage, I won’t be following this love story.

SWAMP THING #24: The Seeder had attacked Capucine and left the message: "It's Time, Professor." Alec determines that The Seeder must be someone who used to know Alec and apparently will be back. Alec leads her deep in the swamp, showing her to the house that he had built for Abby many years ago. She tells him she was born in the year 1114 on an island off the coast of France. Before she can continue, Alec senses the Seeder's presence and leaves.The Seeder is arguing with the Parliament of Trees. The Parliament says they once saw promise in him and gave him power for saving Alec's life. Alec arrives and unmasks the Seeder. It is Jason Woodrue who did save Alec's life many years ago. He tries to tell Alec that together they could use the Green to make things better for the world. He explains that things don’t work that way; that there is a balance in The Green. Helping one area of the world could lead to death somewhere else. Woodrue throws some seeds at the Swamp Thing and a thorny flower vine grows from Alec's body, tearing him to pieces. Capucine arrives and snaps his arm, which frees Alex and allows him to trap Woodrue. The vines fall away, freeing Woodrue. The Parliament has returned Woodrue's gifts to him to see who would be the better avatar.

Thank you Charles Soules for bringing Jason Woodrue back into the NEW 52 Universe. And it looks like we’re heading to a battle to see who will be the Avatar of the Green. And just HOW did Woodrue save Alec’s life? And will we EVER get to hear Capucine’s full story? Too many questions and I want some answers…NOW! Adrei Bressan’s art shines through too and is a nice compliment to the story. I can’t wait for the next issue to see how this turns out. As always, SWAMP THING is a great read in this corner of the NEW 52.

TEEN TITANS #24: At the end of the last issue, the Teen Titans were sucked into the future. In this issue, they find themselves rocked through the time stream where they meet themselves and their teammates at crucial points in their careers. Red Robin finds Miguel in a church talking to himself. He explains how to meet up with Red Robin in TEEN TITANS #3 and makes him promise never to tell Red Robin about this encounter. Next stop is Egypt where the Sunturians are trying to conquer Earth. Wonder Girl and Superboy arrive to help him. In the future, Kid Flash and Solstice find themselves on a ship belonging to The Functionary. Kid Flash tries to stop Bar Tor, who is really himself, from blowing up a ship full of soldiers but fails, which explains why he is a hunted man. Raven finds herself in the distant past battling Etrigan and gets saved by Wonder Girfl, who arrives and snaps the demon’s neck. Wonder Girl tells Raven she has to collect their souls to save them looping forever. She does and then informs Trigon that she has caught them all.

The fact that I have to endure Scott Lobdell putting really bad rhymes within Etrigan’s mouth is enough to make me want to burn this title. To have the Crime Syndicate send them through time just to meet themselves and drop hints that would lead them together is a plot device so old that I can’t believe it has been used. And Raven still continues to play the good witch/bad witch role as she works with Trigon. Seriously; I am sick of Trigon and this title. Give me the good old days of the NEW TEEN TITANS and I’ll be happy. Actually, I feel like reading the classic Marv Wolfman stuff just because it is so much better than this could ever be. And Angel Unzueta, even with Art Thibert assisting, is certainly no George Perez.

TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #2: Continuing from TEEN TITANS #24, Red Robin, Superboy and Wonder Girl have found themselves stuck twenty years in the future with no easy way to get out. Tim leads them to the Batcave so he can use the Batcomputers to find Kid Flash and Solstice. But the Batcave has been torn apart and finds a stuffed Batman there along with a pile of ashes on the floor. A Holographic Batman appears pointing out that one person is responsible for this. At that point, they are teleported to the Justice League Watchtower where they meet a grown Garfield Logan(who is now his traditional green): last member of the Justice League. Then he introduces them to the New Teen Titans: Red(daughter of Rose Wilson), Blur, Stonehenge and Irony. Superboy steps outside the Watchtower and receives a psychic message from Jon-El and eventually the pair battle inside the moon. It seems that It seems that in the future, Jon-El, the son of a future Lois Lane and future Superman is the one responsible for killing Batman, Aquaman and other members of the Justice League. Garfield explains that this is Harvest’s timeline. Wonder Girl sees a hologram from Tim explaining a future betrayal. Does HE become Harvest? And do we now have two Jon Kents in the current New 52 Universe? It sure seems that way.

No comments here. The whole thing is silly and confusing.

TRINITY OF SIN PANDORA #4: Pandora finds herself amongst the ruins of the Washington Capitol Building. She finds a badly injured Earth 3 version of the Martian Manhunter, who begs to now if the rest of the Crime Syndicate made it through the portal. He dies in hr arms before he can tell her how to prevent the conquest. Suddenly, she finds herself back on our Earth and realizes she will always bear the curse of the seven sins. Two days later, she visits Marcus Severin and tells him he must reassemble the remains of the Box. She explains that the Box is an alien transport device that was responsible for bringing the Crime Syndicate here. But he has neither the tools nor the knowledge to do that. Pandora knows that the Outsider must be involved and she seeks Vandal Savage to help her. When they meet, he immediately crushes her jaw and she shoots off his hand. He offers her the communications device that the Society gave him, with coordinates for a meeting he will not attend. She arrives at the ruins of the Justice League Satellite, finds the Outsider inside, and places her gun against his spine, demanding that he provide the answer.

I have to say that I am surprised that Ray Fawkes is able to keep this story going. You would think that after the Box was opened and destroyed and turned out to be a transport device, that DC would have nowhere to go with this. But I guess I was wrong as Fawkes has now turned her into the DC version of the Punisher. With guns a blazin’, she’s gonna make the world right again! Yeah, and with Francis Portela handling the artwork, that is probably gonna happen.

TRINITY OF SIN THE PHANTON STRANGER #12: Last issue, The Phantom Stranger was destroyed by the Angel Zauriel. This issue, The Phantom Stranger finds himself in his old home with the dog, who rewards the Stranger . with the loss of two coins. He is told his next task is to reclaim two souls. Chris decides he needs to confront The Phantom Stranger, as even his own family is creeped out by him. Among other things, he is able to teleport when The Phantom Stranger does. They visit Terrance Thirteen who is dying in his bathtub after slitting his wrists. Chris grabs Thirteen’s wrists and brings him back to life. Thirteen tells The Stranger that The Question his murder attempt of The Stranger. The Phantom Stranger heads back home to find his house on fire and The Sin Eater appears to be the cause.

Okay, so now THE PHANTOM STRANGER has become a buddy book? Chris is now going to be The Stranger’s partner, possibly with Dr. Thirteen tagging along. Seriously? And The Sin Eater, the guy who The Phantom Stranger killed to become, is back and burning down the house of memories. J. M. DeMatteis and Fernando Blanco write a pretty lame issue. Lose the sidekicks and let The Stranger hang with JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. In other words, perhaps it is time to close the chapter on this title.

WONDER WOMAN #24: Apollo calls the Gods of Olympus, minus the captured First Born to a meeting. But one of the Gods is missing. Diana is helping to decorate a house in London she will share with Zola and Hera, who decides to decorate their mantle with Lennox's head. Hermes appears and, against her will, takes Diana to Mount Olympus. Apollo explains that, because of her actions, she is now the God of War.  She has fulfilled the prophecy of a child of Zeus killing another. In return, she wants Hera restored to her place among the gods, but Apollo refuses. Diana leaves, warning that a war is coming. Hermes returns Diana to London, who insists that he leaves. She calls him a traitor, a kidnapper, and a liar. He says he would do it again if needed and Zola slaps his face. Back on Olympus, Strife insists that Wonder Woman will die by her hand. Meanwhile, Milan is pursued by a helicopter that blinds him. His pursuer is Cassandra, his half-sister.

Brian Azzarello continues to shake up the Olympian Universe and is sure to piss off die hard fans with this one. Especially making Diana the Goddess of War and mounting poor Lennox’ head on a mantle. Another great issue which is only hampered by Goran Sudzuka artwork. It’s not bad, but it’s not Cliff Chiang.

WORLDS’ FINEST #16: Huntress races to an explosion during New York Fashion Week and quickly starts saving lives. Smelling an accelerant, she spots the arsonist and gives chase, eventually finding the suspect is a woman with powers. She jumps on a train and Helena chases it down the tracks, eventually losing her. Meanwhile, Karen Starr is ticked that her employees have failed to retrieve her Starr Industries assets and demand they resolve the situation quickly. While picking out professional outfits she can wear as a business woman again when Helena arrives, explaining the story of the arsonist. Karen spots smoke on the horizon and, once arriving Helena notices this is happening at another Fashion Week event. Power Girl tries to put out the fire by drawing water from a lake. Huntress wants to apprehend the arsonist, but is detoured by having to rescue a group of models who were purposely tied up to burn. The pair eventually catches the arsonist who uses her powers to escape. Once again, Karen’s powers are on the fritz and she is left feeling she needs to figure out the problem and soon.


Okay, first the good: great art from R. B. Silva. Now the bad: Paul Levitz’ worst story since he was writing THE HUNTRESS mini-series. It just is boring. Karen wants her powers back and wants her toys back. The Huntress keeps missing the arsonist who we know has powers. There is no forward progression  here and I really could care less WHO the arsonist is, although I expect her to be either one of Darkseid’s minions or someone from Earth 2 or 3 who we haven’t met yet. Sorry, Paul: if this had been my first issue of the title, I wouldn’t pick up another one.