DC's NEW 52, Month 25, Part 2

HARLEY QUINN #0: Harley wonders what life would be like if she was in a comic book and she dreams that Jimmy Palmiotti, who writes about cowboys, and Amanda Conner, who draws “big boobs”, wrote her tale. From here, a bevy of artists take her on a wild ride. Becky Cloonan makes her a rock star. The audience hates it and she shoots her own band to death. Tony Daniel makes her into a giant robot and she eats Citi Field. Stephane Roux has her fighting crime on the back of a dolphin, where she saves a group of muscle-men from Spanish pirates. Dan Panosian does a MAD MEN take with Harley as a hot secretary. She learns that the office boss is the Joker, which gets her too excited for T RATED book. Walt Simonson steps in to make her a crazy ninja. Jim Lee is next, but it is a modified reprint of an earlier Lee work. She gets treated to a dose of Bruce Timm and, naked in a church, gives her classic line: "Aw, c'mon puddin', don'tcha wanna rev up your Harley?!" Charlie Adlard lets her get mocked by her soccer team, so she pulls out a gun and murders them. Adam Hughes gives her blue pencil roughs and one killer image, but she rejects him because he can’t keep a monthly schedule. Next is Art Baltazar and she smashes all of his Tiny Titans with an over-sized hammer. Tradd Moore gives her and Poison Ivy the THELMA AND LOUISE treatment and Dave Johnson lightens the drama up by having the car crash through the Hollywood sign. A newcomer, Jeremy Roberts, places her in a series of suicidal situations, which makes her move on to Sam Kieth. He puts her in a swamp, where the Joker is a monster who tries to eat her. Darwyn Cooke arrives to have her and Catwoman rob Amanda and Jimmy at their own wedding. Harley wakes and gets blown up by a bomb in a box of old comics. She sees an open book and decides that is the artist for her: Chad Hardin. A car pulls up and informs her that the will of an anonymous benefactor has given her a four-story property on Coney Island.

This is a weird introduction to a book that could be a shining star in the NEW 52 Universe. Will it be funny or serious? Find out next month!

JUSTICE LEAGUE #25: Thirty years ago, Thomas Wayne Jr. murdered his parents and Alfred killed his younger brother Bruce. Moving forward to today, we see Eel O’Brien and fellow Gotham gangsters gathered and taking a beating from Owlman, with O’Brien getting shot and ending up becoming altered by chemicals he gets doused in. When all is said and done, only Frank Bertinelli remains and he is told that Owlman now runs organized crime. We learn of the Flying Grayson disaster on Earth 3: where John Grayson murdered Anthony Zucco and forced the circus acts into following him. Until the night Dick Grayson’s parents and sister were murdered by Thomas Wayne Jr. Back on this world, Owlman tells his tale to Dick Grayson and explains that the Society has blown up his apartment in Chicago and begun hunting his friends. He convinces Grayson to join him to fight the Crime Syndicate. Unfortunately, Superwoman has heard the whole thing.

Geoff Johns is a mastermind! He gives us the life story of Owlman, complete with how the corrupt Grayson family, including a sister we never knew about in our world, was murdered by him. And then he tries to and apparently succeeds in convincing Nightwing to be his new boy. And, if that were not truly enough, we get the first appearance of Eel O’Brien and apparent origin of the Once and Future Plastic Man. Throw in some awesome art by the always dependable Doug Mahnke and this is a winner. Forget the much heralded launch of this title with Jim Lee. This book is light years away from where his issues were, both in style and content!

JUSTICE LEAGE DARK #25: John Constantine gets a visit from the Nightmare Nurse, who brought him her own version of Swamp Thing, which gives birth to a very pissed off original Swamp Thing. Despite that, Alec Holland knows he is needed to help fight the Crime Syndicate. The trio begins the spells they need to find Zatanna and the rest of the Justice Leagues. John decides they need to use the Nurse’s potions to kill evil, which is magnifying exponentially in everyone. The trio enters the human psyche, and encounters being called a blight, that is the disease that is making mankind adore the darkness within them. It reduces Alec Holland back to the man he is beneath the green. It fills Nightmare Nurse with the disease she swore to fight. John is unaffected as he embraces the darkness. He grabs the others and runs. They return to the House of Mystery, where John enters one of the mansion's doors only to emerge twelve hours later, naked and bloodied. The blight can only be defeated by the Trinity of Sin. Meanwhile Cassandra Craft is kidnapped by a gang of Demons that spring up from beneath the floor of her shop.

J. M. DeMatteis chips in and provides another chapter in the epic FOREVER EVIL crossover and this one is a weird one. So, I am to believe that all mankind is evil and this thing called the blight is responsible, only it has been amped up by recent events. Yeah…not quite totally buying that. However, it was a fun read and Mikel Janin’s artwork blew me away, with Nightmare Nurse looking extremely hot. Yeah, I know: she’s a comic character. But she is totally brought to seductive life by Janin and by inkers Guillermo Ortego and Cifuentes. So, it comes down to an issue that looked better than it actually read. But that’s okay, as this book has been pretty consistent through it’s run thus far.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #9: Martian Manhunter has learned that their prison is their own weaknesses. Green Lantern fears the world hates him because he is a Muslim. He finds Madame Xanadu and she has been using dark magic to try and get free with no avail. Aquaman is faced with visions of polluted oceans and threatens anything on two legs. Stargirl decides she must follow after him. She finds Wonder Woman who recognizes her and protects her from the demons threatening her, giving her time to move on, stopping briefly to watch Shazam take joy in destroying everything. J'onn J’onzz final prison is his own and it’s a world full of fire where he has a double who taunts him. Stargirl arrives at J'onn's prison and manages to free him with the use of her staff. She makes her way out of this illusionary prison but does so alone as J'onn is in her head only. Unfortunately, Deathstroke and the Secret Society are here to greet her.

Wow, that Deathstroke sure gets around a lot no that he has no title to work with. That having been said, it sure looks like the youngest member of the group turned out to be the smartest! However she is finding herself in a bit of a bind and is about to be captured by the one eyed bad guy and company.  Matt Kindt and Tom Derenick do a nice job with this tale as we all wonder how the most powerful heroes in the world are going to get their minds free and their bodies with it. This is another cool chapter in the ongoing FOREVER EVIL saga and one I am really enjoying.

THE MOVEMENT #6: Kartharsis finds Tremor allowing the Movement's prisoners to escape and is convinced she is a traitor. A fight breaks out that only Virtue manages to stop by threatening to kick both members out of the group. Burden is still suffering from his demon and the Cornea Killer is still on the loose. Virtue orders Katharsis and Tremor talk out their problems over ice cream at Calvin's. As they prepare for Burden’s exorcism, Virtue tells Vengeance Moth that the whole thing is a fake exorcism and prepares to use vitamin water and manages to absorb his energy, exorcising him of his fear. Meanwhile, Officers Whitt and Peña continue their race to freedom. Mouse has encountered the Cornea Killer, who is really the son of James Cannon. He has brought a gang of super-villains-for-hire with him called the Graveyard Faction. Meanwhile, Katharsis and Tremor come to a truce over ice cream. As they leave Calvin's, they discover that Mouse's beaten body has been hanging from a nearby lamppost.

I still don’t know how this book survives each month. The story by Gail Simone is non a true superhero tale and the art by Freddie Williams II is nothing to jump up and down about. But somehow, the title drags me in each month and makes me come back next month just to see what Simone has planned.  Six issues in and still playing with plot threads dating back to issue #1.

NIGHTWING #25: It’s ZERO YEAR and Gotham is blacked out. Two hours earlier, Dick Grayson had been showing off on the trapeze to impress Raya Vestri. After a difficult maneuver, Dick's father scolded him and forbid him from going to the movies alone in an evil place like Gotham City. But he went and when the power went out, Dick got trampled. When he woke, three people were over him and agreed to help Dick find his way back to the circus. Dick’s family found themselves concerned about him being missing, but felt it wouldn’t be safe to search for him in the dark. As the trio headed through Gotham, a patient who had escaped from Gotham General Hospital attacked them.  Eventually the foursome became a trio, carrying one of the youth’s who had been injured by the hospital patient. Eventually, the patient caught up with them, but fell from a rooftop while chasing Dick. Dick and his new friends found their way back to the circus, where one boy, CJ, who had left the injured Josh behind to die, was picked up by his father-Sal Maroni. Dick got ground by his mother for his trouble and he decided that Raya, Raymond and he should wear matching costumes so they could be a team.

This was not one of Kyle Higgins’ best stories. Sure, it taught Dick a lesson and proved to be interesting as to the Raya, Raymond and Dick team and what would later become of them. But the whole ESCAPE FROM GOTHAM CITY story was long and not interesting, basically because I didn’t care for the three kids. And finding out one of them was Sal Maroni’s son was even less of a thriller. We do get nice art from Will Conrad and know that starting with the net issue, the repercussions of FOREVER EVIL should be felt.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #25: It’s ZERO YEAR and super-storm Rene is bearing down on a blacked out Gotham City and Jason Todd is out in the streets fighting for food for himself and his drug addicted mother. His friend Chris arrives saying he found the dead bodies of two members of the Red Hood Gang and then suggest the two take the masks and infiltrate a revival of the gang, while a disfigured person watches from the shadows. Despite his uncertainty, Jason puts on a mask and tries to defend a woman in the midst of a fight. Introducing himself as Red Hood #4, she takes him to watch as she practiced a strike that she had been taught by Ducra of the All-Caste. Outside the meeting, Jason, who had been knocked out by the woman to protect him,  was awakened by a man whose face was covered in bloodied bandages. Jason got away even as the man warned he would get them all. Jason entered and saw the woman in danger and allowed her to decapitate her enemy. They escape as the disfigured man set the building on fire, burning his old gang alive. Outside, Jason gave the mask back to Chris saying he didn’t want to be a Red Hood. Later, Talia al Ghul reunited with her father.

Thank you James Tynion IV for going back to a scene from DEATH OF THE FAMILY where the Joker told Jason Todd that he was responsible for his origin. So, I guess this is the proof. No kids: all of you who thought that the bandaged man was Hush-you are wrong. It was the Joker and he DID kill off his entire gang. I love Tynion’s writing style and would love to read his TALON, except I really don’t like the character. Jeremy Haun provides some nice art for this tale and it’s also notable to see Talia reunited with her father. It is a nice foreshadow of things to come.

RED LANTERNS #25: Guy Gardner tells Rankorr about the various Space Sectors that the Guardians set up and how they are in charge of Earth’s Sector 2814. Meanwhile out in Sector 1107, Dex-Starr and Atrocitus are hunting the Red Rings Atrocitus sent out to find new recruits. One of them chose Itro, who begins the issue by destroying Goswam on the planet Shoum. The Lanterns go to the planet Kormoraz to take out the dictator there named Gensui. Rankorr creates an illusion to look like Barg: a pirate who is friends with Gensui. The idea is to make him surrender. Unfortunately, Barg has been on the planet the entire time.

So, just when I thought this would be a bold new era for RED LANTERNS, this issue comes along and limps on through. Why would the Red Lanterns go to the planet Kormoraz to impress the people of Earth Sector 2814. No one on Earth cares about Kormoraz. Charles Soule writes an extremely confusing tale that has no bite, but bites! Alessandro Vitti’s art is as nice as always, but can’t seem to save this boring tale.

SUICIDE SQUAD #25: The Thinker has been promised to have his body restored to it’s proper age once he delivers OMAC to the Crime Syndicate and has used a hologram of Amanda Waller to recruit Power Girl, Steel, and Warrant his Suicide Squad and have them destroy the “real” Squad. The two teams meet and battle and realize they have been duped. As both teams debate this, Harley Quinn, who has been recruited by the Syndicate, escapes with OMAC. Meanwhile, back at what is left of Belle Reve, the real Amanda Waller, who now has an explosive device attached to her neck, decides she must go to Level 7 of the prison. If The Thinker dies, she dies. If she leaves the prison, she also dies. She opens the final door, just as King Shark finds them. He has been told by The Thinker to find her and eat her. James Gordon Jr. tells Shark that The Thinker's promises about King Shark's father were lies and the only person who knows the truth is Waller. Waller approaches the door to Project Y and decides that, of all the evil things she has done, this one will be the one that kills her.

Matt Kindt does the best he can with having to step away from his regular plot and delve into FOREVER EVIL. It’s an okay story, but not great. Sure, we get to see OMAC again, a character I really miss and had wished that his series had continued. And we get to see the lower level of Belle Reve and get ready to learn about Project Y. But that doesn’t satisfy my appetite for action and this issue lacks it. Patrick Zircher gives us some great looking art, as always and the cover by Gary Frank and Brad Anderson is spectacular. I just wish the rest of the book was as spectacular. Here is what I have found about FOREVER EVIL: either the interconnecting stories are really good or really lame. unfortunately, this is one of the lame ones.

SUPERMAN #25: In the conclusion of KRYPTON RETURNS, Supergirl, Superboy and Superman exist in three different eras of Krypton. At Argo City, a few days before Krypton's destruction, Superboy has protected Kara Zor-El from H'El, who he defeats in combat. He erases Kara’s memories of him so, when they meet in modern time, she won’t remember him. At the same time, in the city of Kryptonopolis, months before Krypton's destruction, Superman meets Jor-El, who has come from an alternate future where Krypton never died. He sent  Kal-El to Earth and was imprisoned and sentenced to hard labor because his warnings were false. Superman and Jor-El go to the research center to try and reach the planet's core and stop H'El once and for all, by destroying Krypton. Meanwhile, in Valley of Wartros, Supergirl and the clones have also defeated H'El, who commits suicide and disappears. At Krypton's core, Superman and Jor-El battle H'El, who has his essence dispersed across space and time. Superboy uses his powers to throw the entire city of Argo into space. Superboy dies a hero as Krypton explodes. In the present, Superman and Supergirl reunite as the Oracle informs them of Superboy's death.

So, does this mean Superboy’s comic gets cancelled? I mean, we killed off Superboy AGAIN(think of how many times and how many different Superboy’s in the OLD DCU got offed) and I don’t care because I’m not reading the book. After all, he can be cloned anew. Scott Lobdell concludes a story I didn’t follow because I didn’t care. And I still don’t particularly like Kenneth Rocafort’s art. Well, now that this silly crossover is done, can we get back to business. After all, how many Superman titles DO we really need? I just want one good one that doesn’t suck!

SWAMP THING #25: Swamp Thing is preparing to battle the Seeder. Wolf, a former avatar of The Green explains the rules of the contest. Neither may bring anything into the arena to use as a weapon and neither can leave the arena. Woodrue and Alec battle, with Woodrue making use of his special seeds and eventually causes Alec to concede defeat. Woodrue opens a doorway out of the arena and his walking stick sprouts legs, dragging Alec out of the doorway. He ends up on a dead planet and will probably die there. As he proudly announces that he has beaten the Parliament of Trees' champion, Woodrue demands the power due an Avatar. Suddenly, the vegetation around him takes the form of the Swamp Thing. The Green demands he kills the challenger because he knows too many secrets of the Green. He refuses, pulling off his own leg to keep himself from crushing Woodrue with it. Suddenly he feels the Green pulling away and they tell him his service as Avatar has ended. As he dries up and rots, Woodrue is named the new Avatar of the Green.

Is this where the title of the book becomes THE ADVENTURES OF THE FLORONIC MAN? Jason Woodrue is now the Avatar of the Green, thanks to Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz. And Alec Holland has dried up and is going to the place where all Avatars end up to live out his existence. This is a great story with some interesting twists. of course, I want to know WHERE this sits in regards to everything else happening in the NEW DC Universe. Does this occur before or AFTER the whole FOREVER EVIL thing? Honestly, DC Editorial: we need a timeline or something.

TRINITY OF SIN: PANDORA #5: Pandora is at the downed Justice League Satellite and corners The Outsider,demanding to know how to reopen the gate. He tells her all a out her and says that she didn’t open the box, it opened on its’ own. The bigger question should have been who made the boxes and why did one end up here? Before she gets a true answer, the Grid becomes aware of presence and she flees. Meanwhile, Marcus Severin tries to hack the device to make it work again. Pandora soon finds herself transported to the Rock of Eternity, where she finds John Constantine, Swamp Thing, and the Nightmare Nurse. She is chained to the Rock along with Phantom Stranger and The Question. Constantine explains that he has brought them together to kill evil.

So, this tale gets a bit confusing because it ties together with JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK and THE PHANTOM STRANGER. So, if you’re not reading those titles, you will be lost. In a nutshell, Ray Fawkes and Francis Portela will have to have the Trinity of Sin help destroy the Crime Syndicate by trying to eliminate evil. Will it work? Bet it don’t otherwise there would be no need for superheroes to fight evil ever again. Stay tuned…

TRINITY OF SIN: PHANTOM STRANGER #13: Last issue, Sineater and Natas burned down his house. This issue, Zauriel shows up and reminds The Phantom Stranger that he has Doctor Light’s power within him and he is supposed to return it to Doctor Light’s wife. He delivers the power, which takes the form of Arthur Light and kisses his wife. This task down, he visits The Question who wants to know what sin he committed to be one of the Trinity of Sin. Eventually, he is captured by John Constantine and transported to The Rock of Eternity, where Pandora and The Question await. Constantine is seeking a favor.

Let’s begin by saying that this issue features a stunning cover from Guillem March. J.M. DeMatteis writes a super boring story this issue as the bits and pieces from the last storyline intersect with the whole FOREVER EVIL story and we end up with a bit of a major mess. The Stranger mourns the loss of his family, which isn’t really HIS to mourn. Then we have a very long dialogue between The Question and The Stranger that just drags. Finally, the full Trinity of Sin end up together chained to the Rock of Eternity so Constatine can drag them into battle with the Crime Syndicate. The highlight of this mess is Fernando Blanco’s art which keeps this thing from being a total disaster.

WONDER WOMAN #25: We begin with Strife paying Hephaestus to create a weapon so she can kill Wonder Woman. Meanwhile, Cassandra has captured the seer Milan in order so she can find Zeke and the First Born. In London, Wonder Woman and her crew are amused at how poorly Hermes is trying to discretely watch Zeke. Orion arrives and attacks Hermes, which is halted when Strife shows up in funeral attire, as she is grieving for War. She offers gifts to the group. She gives Hera back her cloak. She gives Diana War's helmet and that the murderer should get the spoils. Milan’s half-sister Siraca travels there and asks for Wonder Woman’s help. Orion heads off and Diana asks Hermes to get her to Chernobyl, which leaves Strife watching Zeke and company. Meanwhile, up on Mount Olympus, Apollo and Dionysus torture the First Born by eating his internal organs while he still lives.

Brian Azzarello does it again by making this the most dysfunctional family in all of comics. This is like MARRIED WITH CHILDREN on Olympus! These are some of the wildest characterizations, complete with Apollo and Dio feasting on a still living First Born. Gordan Sudzuka does his best Cliff Chiang imitation and, to be honest, it’s pretty darned good! This is a fun book-will someone listen to me? BUY THIS SUCKER!!!

WORLD’S FINEST #17: While her powers are down, Karen tries to get a tattoo, but her skin is still impervious to the needle of the tattoo artist. So she drops 10 million and charters a shuttle into space to do some outer space sunbathing. But it overcharges her body and she drops through Earth’s atmosphere and sends a message to Helena top save her. Helena is still seeking the arsonist that had been causing havoc as of late, but fails again to stop her. But the NYPD do and she uses her shadow-arms to attack them, almost killing them until Helena saves them with an arrow shot.  Suddenly Karen crashes into the bridge and ends up in the water below. Helena dives in to save her as the arsonist turns her attention back to the police. For Karen, her powers are totally out of control.

Can we get this whole out of control powers thing over with? The story is going on too long and, between that and Helena chasing Shadow Thief, this is getting to have as much estrogen fueled drama as BIRDS OF PREY. Kudos to Paul Levitz for coming up with the Karen Starr goes sunbathing in space plot, which was mildly amusing! And, as always, we get nice work from artist R. B. Silva. Once again, this title is hit or miss, depending on the issue. This one is a bit of a miss.

DC'S NEW 52, Month 25, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #25: It’s prior to ZERO YEAR and we see Lana Lang leaving Smallville and Clark Kent behind. Four years go by and later, Clark has moved to Metropolis and has become Superman. We see him defeating a group of cultists who were going to sacrifice illegal immigrants to gods from the Fifth Dimension. Afterwards, he sees a news report about a super storm aiming towards Gotham City and decides to go there an lend a hand. Lana has become an electrical engineer working on a cargo vessel that is in the middle of the storm. Most of the workers are evacuated but she and a few of her co-workers stay. Superman arrives in time to try to keep a another ship from striking Lana’s. Lana is confused as to why there was no crash, but the captain congratulates her on a good work. Meanwhile, Superman goes to the shore and helps a man asks him to build a refuge. In the back-up, Clark realizes his talent allows him to hear every problem in Metropolis and around the world, but also knows he can’t solve every problem.So he decides to do small things to help people out unless there is a major crisis. Then he hears something underground. In Venezuela, Lana is working in a construction site when tremors cause a large creature to emerge.

An average issue here as Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder continue to pave new and better ground than their predecessors did. Set in the past, it is nice to see where Lana’s life took her after leaving Smallville. The back-up by Pak and Scott McDaniel, with a final page by Kuder, sets up the next storyline where, I imagine, we will get to see Lana and Clark reunited once more.

ALL STAR WESTERN #25: At the Burning Man Festival, Hex and Gina discover that the attendees had been replaced by demons called Ki'yathe. Constantine arrives and says this is just the beginning as a greater demon is coming. Constantine gets captured by it and hex intervenes, leading the demon to grab hex and discover exactly who and what Jonah Hex is. Constantine shoves the Anniquis into its back, capturing the demon within the knife. Constantine deduces that a Jonah has a former angel watching over him. after having some drinks, Jonah  wonders if Constantine can use his magic to send him back to his original time. john says it may be tough, but he needs the House of Secrets to do so. Gina, having grown attached to Jonah, wishes to come with him and Hex reluctantly agrees. As the pair go off into the bushes to have sex, the Swamp Thing arrives, unsure of whether he can help or not. Suddenly, an alien flower from sprouts within his body and he tells Jonah and Gina to flee or they will become victims too.

Hey, it’s another kick-ass issue from that kick-ass team of Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Moritat. Jonah and his new lady get busy and up pops…Swamp thing? Now, which Swamp Thing is this and when? Keep reading and you will understand! Anyway, this tale has taken so many twists and turns. We went from Jonah and Booster fighting crime in the Old West to Jonah coming to the present, dealing with Bruce Wayne and now he finds himself yearning to go home and needs to House of Secrets to do it. This is an awesome series and I am SO HAPPY that we have lost the back-ups tales.

ANIMAL MAN #25: When we last saw our hero, the Church of Blood had taken the Hollywood Screen Awards. Their demands were simple: Animal Man give himself up or the audience will die. Buddy and Ellen leave their home and head there in the hopes to stop this and save Maxine, who is in The Red, running from Brother Blood. As Buddy and Ellen land at the Hollywood Palace, the skies begin raining blood. Once inside, Buddy battles Clinton Hogue while Ellen has her own battle with a cultist, who she knocks out with Buddy's winning trophy for Best Actor. Hogue orders all the cultists to slit their own throats, surviving in spirit form once dead. The Church of Blood is trying to gain followers who witness this miracle on live television. As badly as Buddy wants to kill Hogue, Ellen convinces him not to make him a martyr. Suddenly, Buddy disappears and is transported to another planet.

Well, it’s nice to know after all he has been through, and is going through, Buddy Baker wins the Best Actor award for his role in TIGHTS! Jeff Lemire and Rafael Albuquerque do a great job of leading us down this twisted road as Brother Blood and his cultists use television to get the message across. What was it that Marshall McLuhan once said: The medium IS the message. Enjoy the title while you can as DC has announced it's cancellation.

AQUAMAN#25: Arthur and Vulko head to the coast of Spain, where they find an abandoned shipwreck and take the scepter of the Dead King. Aquaman plans to control the Trench and defeat the Dead King. Back in Atlantis, the Dead King, whose given name is Atlan, has commanded Nereus to search for the other sea kingdoms he founded or he shall kill Mera or any other Atlanteans loyal to Arthur. Nereus visits Mera and says he will release her if she marries him, but she refuses. Just then, Arthur and the Trench attack Atlantis, freeing Mera and the other Atlanteans. Tula, Mera and Swatt apologize for attempting to free Orm and bow to their king. Atlan stabs Arthur with the trident, but the Atlanteans along with the Trench, defend him. Arthur kills Atlan and destroys the scepter. He decides to become the king again but Mera leaves him, going to Amnesty Bay to consider her decision. Later, she returns and they become the king and queen of Atlantis once again. Meanwhile, Orm has decided to live in peace in Louisiana. That is until Nereus finds him and tells him he discovered the other four kingdoms.

Geoff Johns and Paul Pelletier bring this epic tale to a dramatic conclusion with Atlan being killed by Arthur, who rightfully ascends again to the throne of Atlantis with his wife by his side. This is a nice little ending that ties up loose threads and introduces potentially others as Orm may or may not turn villain again. It’s a perfect jumping off point for some and will lead to next issue being a perfect jumping on point for others. Nice job, gentlemen!

BATGIRL #25: Back in the days of ZERO YEAR, Barbara Gordon has been out gathering supplies for her family as the super storm approaches Gotham City. But now her father was on his way to G.C.P.D. and she had the responsibility of protecting her home and her younger brother. Soon, she discovers that her home had been declared a possible flood zone and would have to leave. They end up with others at a fire station where she meets a friendly guy named Henry. Soon the windows of the fire station begin to leak and James Jr. realizes the building is flooding. As the building fills, Barbara begins to help people there. Along with Henry, they make a desperate escape to the next building. But, in the process, the hero turned, stealing their packs full of their valuables  and leaving them all to die. Barbara leapt across the building and fought with him, with him eventually falling into the water below. He swam away, promising that he would see her around. The future Batgirl returned to the others and waited for the worst of the storm to come.

I’m pretty ambivalent about this issue. While the writing and art are good, the story does nothing for me. Yawn! Okay-Barbara Gordon learns that nice people will sometimes do anything to save themselves or their family. And we see her as the superhero she eventually becomes. Other than that, Marguerite Bennett and Fernando Pasarin give me nothing great here. Oh, that is except the photo-realistic cover by Alex Garner.

BATMAN #25: The issue begins with G.C.P. D. chasing Batman and, just when they think they have him trapped, his Batmobile attaches to the roof of the tunnel it’s in and speeds away, much to the disgust of Commissioner Loeb. Lt. Jim Gordon reports that the Batman was at the crime scene, but only as an observer. Apparently someone is injecting poison into victims and causing their bones to burst out of their bodies. The current victim, a Doctor Paji was a speculative botanist for Wayne Enterprises. The only witness was a research assistant named Pamela Isley. Meanwhile, Batman has designed a signal jammer that will keep Edward Nygma, the man the newspapers call "The Riddler", from knocking out the grid again once power is restored. He has also isolated formula used to kill Kelver and Paji. It was developed by a former Wayne employee by the name of Dr. Karl Helfern. Whoever is responsible for these murders is being called Dr. Death. Exiting the cave via a well, he is greeted by a curious Lt. Gordon and we learn that he was one of the officers at the scene of the crime when the Waynes died and there are secrets about their death that Bruce doesn't know. Bruce meets with Lucius Fox, who was recently fired by Bruce’s late uncle Philip Kane. He inquires about Dr. Helfern and receives some startling information. The serum was a joint effort between himself and Helfern. At this point, Fox injects Bruce with a syringe and warns that Doctor Death is coming and nobody will be able to stop him. In the back-up, Harper Row and her brother Cullen find a way to chase away the fear in the darkness as their father has left them alone during the blackout.

And this is why BATMAN is probably THE best NEW 52 title on the shelf today! What Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo do is deliver a tale of Batman’s past that is totally filled with hints, tips and Easter Eggs for fans to drool over. Plus, we get the official introduction of Pamela Isley, she who will become Poison Ivy. Dr. Helfern? Helfern? FERN? So totally cool! And just what does Jim Gordon know about the deaths of the Waynes that our boy Bruce doesn’t? While we ARE rewiring history by putting Gordon at the scene of the deaths, it all works. Nygma earns his name from the media, Gordon gets bitten by a bat after being too nosy and Lucius Fox has his bad guy moment. Even the back-up works, painting Harper Row as the heroine she might possibly become.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #25: Erin McKillen is in jail and uses her one phone call to call Bruce Wayne. But Gordon notices a highly corrosive substance is leaking through the ceiling, so he races to the roof to find that half of the Bat-Signal has been corroded away by acid. Two-Face observes from a distance while Batman tells him that she must go through the system and pay for what she did to his wife and to him. Two-Face tosses him a bomb which allows him to get away. It seems that some time ago, Erin had arrived at the Dent’s house and held them hostage. She shoved a letter opener into Gilda's chest, killing her. Harvey shot her accomplices but was eventually knocked unconscious. Back in present day, Wayne met with Erin and we learn that they had spent time in school together, but she really called him to use his connection to Batman Incorporated to protect her from Harvey Dent. he refuses saying that Batman Incorporated. She reminds him that he once had come to her for help in finding Joe Chill-the man who had killed his parents. In Blackgate, Erin is attacked by inmates who Two-Face have demanded kill her. She gets saved by Matches Malone, who acts as her protector and who, by doing so, leads to a riot that allows Matches and McKillen to escape the prison. Malone injects her with a sedative and when she wakes, she is greeted by her old romance and realizes she is in Wayne Manor.

Okay, is it me or does it seem like EVERYONE gets out of Blackgate with relative ease? Maybe THAT is why almost all the guards got killed during FOREVER EVIL!  That having been said, Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason bring us another chapter in the life AFTER DAMIAN of Bruce Wayne, where we learn that McKillen (GREAT NAME!) murdered Gilda Dent with a letter opener! Again, great stuff!  So, for everyone who thought this title was doomed with the death of Robin, you were SO WRONG!!! By the way, rumor has it that the original version of the cover, which shows a close-up of Two-face’s scarred coin, was to have Carrie Kelly’s face on it. Interesting…

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #25: Oswald Cobblepot decides he needs Clayface broken out of Arkham. But Clayface is not too happy, saying he has paid his debt to the Penguin. While Comissioner Gordon wonders why Clayface broke out, Batman arrives to say it was because he lost his audience. Clayface has begun to kidnap people off the street, injected them with a mild version of Joker Toxin that will keep that alive and laughing, and has taken then to an abandoned theatre to watch him perform. Batman has no time to search for all the possible places, so Alfred convinces Black Canary and Condor to lend a hand. batman finally finds the right theater and battles the former actor, knocking him from a catwalk into a vat of chemicals. Canary and Condor arrive, freeing the captives. Batman has devised a special prison for Clayface this time, which is designed to keep him in this time.

This is a nice conclusion to this mini-epic by Gregg Hurwitz and Alex Maleev, as both have turned in some of the best work of their careers. Hurwitz has painted Karlo as a madman but one we feel sympathy for. Maleev has just turned himself loose on this title and I hope he stays with it for some time. This was a title that was floundering for awhile with a rotating cast of creators. But now, with new life, I hope this will be one of the premiere Batman titles.

BATWOMAN #25: With a ZERO YEAR tale, Kate Kane travels to her home town of Gotham for the funeral of her uncle Phillip, killed at the hands of the Red Hood. At the funeral, she is reunited with Alfred Pennyworth and ends up at a reception at Wayne Manor following the burial. On the way there, she hears of impending tropical storm Rene and also learns of the Riddler's attack on Gotham. So big is this event, that members of the Metropolis Police Department, including Maggie Sawyer, have been sent to help GCPD.  At Wayne Manor, Kate  reconnects with Bruce, asking him if he believes the family is cursed. Later, back at her father’s house, she decides to go out and patrol the streets to help maintain the peace. In the process, she ends up in a tussle with a gang of thieves and gets shot in the process. Faking her own death, she beats up the crooks until she has a gun pointed at her by Maggie Sawyer. later, her father takes her home from the hospital and she sleeps as he realizes she was a good soldier.

Here we see the once and future Batwoman and the love of her life in a story which would have been a little different if DC had let the ORIGINAL CREATORS tell the story they wanted to. Instead, we get a tie-in to the ZERO YEAR and a name for the super storm (I think this is the first time I have seen it mentioned as Tropical Storm Rene). Marc Andreyko tells a nice story about a homecoming and a hero and allows the two future lovers to meet. Art from the combined efforts of Trevor McCarthy, Abdrea Mutti, Jim Fern, and Pat Plliffe fit in well. The question from here is where does the character go with a new creative team in place.

BIRDS OF PREY #25: Set during ZERO YEAR, Dinah Drake had taken over her old sensei's dojo following his death. We see her chases out one of the local gangs trying to get protection money out of her. Despite chasing them away, one of her students withdrew because one of the gang members lived nearby him. With a super storm on its’ way to Gotham, she visited the sensei’s grave and recalled how they met and everything he had done to make her the person she was. Discovering he was dying of brain cancer, he decided to leave the dojo to Dinah. As the storm approached, she helped other passengers off a subway train and help them through the tunnel. Meanwhile, John Lynch was trying to find a field agent he had sent to Gotham to investigate the blackout. Dinah found her neighborhood and dojo subject to vandalism and looting and, while trying to intervene, discovered a gravely wounded Agent Ye / He handed her a device and begged her to find Lynch, even as he died in her arms. She then found herself battling off ninjas with swords. Eventually, Lunch catches up with her and she delivers the device. As he explained what the device was and drove her home, they got word that the dojo had burned down. So Lynch offered to recruit her and she accepted.

And how many people think the fire at the dojo was an accident and not some way for Lynch to recruit her? Raise your hands! Jorge Molina gives us a great looking cover while Christy Marx once again gives us a winded ninja tale. Remember-Christy Marx LOVES writing modified Sword and Sorcery stuff, so this tale of redemption and loss and all this stuff from a Bruce lee movie is just that-rehashed Kurosawa come Kung Fu. Sorry kids: this title is on wobbly legs with me.

CATWOMAN #25: Back in the day of the ZERO YEAR, Selina Kyle decided to hang around during the super storm and break into the home of socialite Arnett Crocker, whose crew had recently roughed up store owner Mr. Archeluta and emptied the grocery store because he could. Selina, once inside, grabbed a black dress and mingled with those at the party. Among the guests are Oswald Cobblepot and Basil Karlo. Crocker approaches and she suggests they go to one of his back rooms; the place for drunken orgies. Crocker firsts meets with the crook Selina had fought earlier and he informs him of some earlier news. Selina tries to listen through the keyhole but gets caught by the scarred crook and dragged in to see Crocker, who immediately orders her killed. But she uses a bullwhip stolen from one of the sex-rooms to keep the thug at bay. She cleaned out Crocker's safe including special batteries that allowed her to power her own city block. It also gave her the idea that she would be a great master thief.

So what we learn here is that Selina Kyle was a small time crook who discovered her legendary bullwhip in a SEX ROOM while she was canvassing Arnett Crocker’s penthouse. Wow! That’s some pretty messed up stuff! And we get to see early DC glimpses of the future Penguin and Clayface. All in all, this was a very cool pseudo origin story for Catwoman and definitely a nice break from the current storyline. It is also nice to see Aaron Lopresti handling the art chores, as I really like his work, always have, and miss seeing it on a regular basis. And, if that wasn’t enough, we get a killer cover from Terry and Rachel Dodson.

CONSTANTINE #8: John Constantine has been seduced by Sargon the Sorceress and Mister E attacks,, trying to tear his soul from his body. He gets Mister E's cane from his hand and breaks the spell upon him. He realizes that Sargon and Tannarak were setting both himself and Mister E up. John uses his moonblade to kill Mister E. With his death, all of the magic inside him transfers into his allies. John agrees to join the Cult and kisses Sargon. Later, he calls on the spirit of Mister E, who is trapped in the moonblade. He reveals the treachery of Sargon and Tannarak and challenges Mister E to tell him everything about the Cold Flame. If he is satisfied, he will give Mister E the honor of telling him who to kill first. Later, John discovers that the battle for the Pandora's Box is not going very well.

Ray Fawkes puts an end to Mister E but not the Cult of the Cold Flame as John Constantine plays the game and works his way into the operation just to get revenge. but, before he can do that, he needs to get involved with Justice League Dark and the whole FOREVER EVIL event. A nice story from Fawkes who has truly managed to make this book the success I thought it would never be after its first issue. And who is Aco? Apparently he(or she) is another DC artist new to the scene. This is starting to remind me of the Philippine invasion into Marvel back in the Seventies. There’s nothing wrong with it but don’t we have a lot of starving artists here?

DETECTIVE COMICS #25: During ZERO YEAR, Lt. Jim Gordon was in the process of taking down Roman Sionis' criminal empire when he was betrayed by one of the GCPD's own. Sionis had Jim thrown from the Trigate Bridge. Sionis had been leading the Black Mask gang. Jim Gordon also discovered a connection between recent Black Mask robberies and Janus Cosmetics. Commissioner Loeb warned him not to investigate Janus' CEO, Roman Sionis. Instead, he told him to bring in the Batman. He did the opposite. Loeb finally agreed to get him some help in the form of Zachary Henshaw from Internal Affairs. It was Henshaw who had been working for Sionis the whole time, that betrayed him. Surprised that he survived the fall off the bridge, returned to the precinct to find Henshaw talking about the discovery of Gordon’s suicide. Gordon punched out Henshaw and placed him under arrest, but the other officers turned on him. Gordon had broken into the Henshaw's apartment and discovered the files containing all of the evidence he had collected against the other officers. At that moment, Laney pulled a gun on his partner and it was Harvey Bullock who saved Jim's life. Sionis managed to escape and became the Black Mask. He also made sure that all of the police on his payroll, including Laney and Henshaw, were killed. Whether he knew it or not, his flashlight acted as a signal and it was the Batman who had saved his life that night. In the back-up, Commissioner Gordon and Officer Henry Wallace investigate an apparent suicide from the New Trigate Bridge. Apparently, Kirk Langstrom  is involved and that’s a bad thing.

This is another great offbeat story from John Layman with absolutely awesome art from Jason Fabok. This is a nice tale, featuring the origin of the Black Mask, the beginnings of friendship/partnership with Harvey Bullock and a cute comparison between the flashlight and the Bat Signal. Even the backup by Layman and Jorge Lucas is okay and, as you know, I am not a huge fan of back-up tales adding a dollar to my book.

EARTH 2 #17: Superman appears to be reborn as a servant of Darkseid and Earth 2 appears to be out of options. But General Sam lane has one and downloads Lois Lane’s consciousness into Red Tornado. Inside World Army Headquarters, Mister Terrific suggest they need Kryptonite to stop him. But Doctor fate believes he has to use magic this time and heads off to fight Superman. Meanwhile, Headquarters are breached as Batman breaks in and takes on members of the World Army in search of the chambers where they keep their prisoners. Doctor Fate battles Superman and suffers a horrific beating. Jay Garrick arrives and saves Doctor Fate, who mumbles something about “crumbles”. Back at World Army Headquarters, Lois watches her father die as batman arrives at the stasis chamber, intent on freeing the criminals and madmen who may save Earth.

Again, we are left with more questions than answers here. Thank you Tom Taylor! First off: who is this resurrected Superman? Has anyone noticed that his eyes shoot Omega Rays. Does that tell us he is really from Apokolips? Second: who is the New Batman? This guy is plenty beefy looking and seems almost Frank Miller DARK KNIGHT tough. Third: at what point in history did General Lane manage to get hold of his daughter’s consciousness and store it for implantation into a sexy looking Red Tornado? Fourth: no points for the line NO MORE MAGIC as we already lived through NO MORE MUTANTS at the competition. And just how does Batman expect to let the villains of Earth 2 save the world? Doesn’t that make the problem become THEIR VERSION of FOREVER EVIL? That all having been said, with Nicola and Trevor Scott’s art behind it, this book is picking up steam from where James Robinson, off to write FANTASTIC FOUR, left his enthusiasm.

GREEN ARROW #25: In the ZERO YEAR, Walter Emerson is visited by a hooded man who reveals himself to be Oliver Queen. He explained how he had been caught in explosion on a Queen Industries oil rig and ended up on an island until three weeks ago. He also learned that his mother Moira Queen went to Gotham to help with the blackout. Despite warnings from her head of security John Diggle, Moira stays there and finds her shelter attacked. Batman, armed with a small crossbow, tries to free her from the terrorist known as The Moth, who targeted her for her money. Soon Oliver arrives with a bow of his own. Despite Batman’s insistence, once the Moth was defeated, that he would get her out of Gotham, she decided to go with the hooded man, aware that he might be her son. She confirmed her suspicion, even though he was not ready to tell her what had happened on the island.

Another great issue from Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino, even if it feels like a fill-in issue because of the whole ZERO YEAR thing. No real light is shed on the Queen legacy except that this represents the first meeting between Arrow and The Bat and we get to see a tearful reunion between mother and son. As always, Sorrentino’s art is amazing and Jeff Lemire, who spends his time moving between scary stories and cool superhero stuff, never ceases to amaze me.

GREEN LANTERN #25: Following the destruction of Oa and Kyle Rayner’s assumed death during the LIGHTS OUT story, many Green Lanterns are now hesitant to use the rings, for fear it will lead to the destruction of this universe. Hal, however, seems to think the power battery being constructed anew has refilled the energy reservoir. But, to be safe, he wants to punish unauthorized ring users, which leads to a verbal fight between Jordan and Carol Ferris. Hal decides their next mission is to hunt down renegade Star Sapphire Nol Anj. Killowog and Jordan attempt to arrest her for the murder of Green Lantern Cossite but soon find themselves outnumbered by a number of her supporters.

If this is the direction the NEW Green Lantern Universe is going to take, I’m taking to the road. Robert Venditti does a great job of emasculating the Green Lantern Corps by allowing Hal Jordan to become more of a whiner than he was in the early days of the classic Denny O’Neil/Neal Adams run. And Killowog is his Robin? Nice art from Billy Tan can’t salvage this issue which wallows too much in the whole idea of power and responsibility that just doesn’t work. Hal Jordan has lost his energy and maybe it’s time for that OTHER Green Lantern to take over-you know: the one that everyone thought was a terrorist and no one really cares about. He may be better than this guy!

THE GREEN TEAM #6: During the battle with Icicle, he smashes the meteor everyone is on, destroying the shuttle and sending everybody and everything crashing down into Earth’s atmosphere and landing in Chicago, just outside of the office of .Bellachek Temple. Bellachek, who was responsible for creating the special discs the team uses, and Commodore 64 debate about whose version of idealism is the right one. Temple decides to have his men kill Commodore 64 but Cecilia jumps in front and takes the bullet for him, apparently dying in the process. J.P. is devastated and turns into a werewolf.

Yes…you did read that right. J.P. turns into a werewolf after Cecilia gets killed. This book continues on it’s final run as no one understands what Art Baltazaar and Franco are doing with this title.

FOREVER EVIL Month #3

FOREVER EVIL #3: Batman and Catwoman have gotten Vic Stone’s remains to his father’s lab in the Red Room and avoided being trapped in Deathstorm’s Matrix. Dr. Stone and Dr. Morrow begin to try and save Vic while Batman and Catwoman search for Nightwing, whose identity has been revealed to the world. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor gets Subject B-Zero to move a satellite dish, allowing Luthor’s war suit to become fully operational. In the process, he finds the location of Ultraman, who is battling Black Adam. The villain crushes Black Adam’s jaw and tosses him into the sea. Luthor discovers Ultraman, who searches for Metallo to get access to the Kryptonite he needs to keep his powers, avoids leaving the shadow of the eclipse. In Central City, the Rogues are battling Deathstorm and Power Ring as a result of Power Ring’s paranoia. The Rogues try to escape but Deathstorm renders Captain Cold powerless by pulling his weapon from out of his DNA. The others head into Mirror World, but Power Ring smashes the mirror, trapping everyone except Captain Cold. Elsewhere, Luthor and Bizarro watch as Black Manta emerges with Black Adam’s still living but badly beaten body. The five villains, Luthor, Bizarro, Captain Cold, Black Adam and Black Manta realize that they may end up having to be responsible for saving the world.

Geoff Johns and David Finch continue their epic story of evil versus evil and now it looks like the bad guys may have to save the world after all. The story reads like a classic DC crossover of the Sixties and early Seventies, the art is mind blowing and this is one of the most fun adventures I’ve had in years. With Dick Grayson’s identity revealed, what does that mean for the Batman Family status quo? Too may questions and no real answers yet. but that’s okay, as this story is only halfway to the finish line.

FOREVER EVIL: A.R.G.U.S. #2: Steve Trevor is tasked with saving the President of the United States from Deathstroke and his team of bad guys, which he does, defeating Deathstroke, Blockbuster and Shadow Thief in the process. He gets back to A.R.G.U.S  with the President and secures him and Etta Candy in the Green Room: a room that exists out of time and space. Steve then heads to the Wonder Room, filled with artifacts of his time with Wonder Woman to visit the Delphi Mirror and communicate with The Weird Sisters about Wonder Woman’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, Killer Frost toes the line between good and evil as she no longer has Firestorm’s powers to keep her alive. She desperately needs to feed and does so on a villain named The Hotness, saving a mother and child in the process. And, in the middle of all that, Dr. Light is reborn and not happy.

Sterling Gates does a nice job of adding some depth to a character who has been pretty much background fodder since Lyle Waggoner played him on television. And the addition of the new Rooms and what is inside them leads to a whole world of future possibilities in the NEW 52 Universe. But the promised battle on the cover between Trevor and Deathstroke lasts only three panels. That’s false advertising and DC is getting really good at that. And if you are wondering where you might have seen Neil Edwards work before, it was when he was doing DARK AVENGERS for Marvel. This is definitely not his best work and a lot of that is because the inking seems to change from page to page, but it doesn’t clutter the story too much.

FOREVER EVIL: ARKHAM WAR #2: In an effort to stop the fighting in Gotham City, Kirk Langstrom has given his Man-Bat Serum to a select few. Unfortunately, Bane and his army of soldiers has merged Blackgate Penitentiary inmates as they try to take control of Gotham away from the Arkham Asylum inmates. But Kirk and his man-bats take down Brute, telling his survivors that “science is always at war against ignorance.”  Soon Penguin decides to play both sides. When the Arkham inmates come to him for protection, Penguin will go to Bane with information. In return, Penguin wants the life of Ignatius Ogilvy. Bane agrees and then heads off to keep the Arkhamites from freeing the Talons. Penguin opens the door of an abandoned food truck, where Commissioner Gordon and Detective Pierce have been inside of, and offers a deal to save the staff at Blackgate. That night, Gordon and Pierce sneak into the prison and find the interim warden, Agatha Zorbatos. She explains that most of her staff were murdered.  The Scarecrow has allied the Arkhamites with the Man-Bats, but Bane returns before they can get all the Talon pods out. He steals a off of Langstrom's back, declaring this is his Talon. Gordon, Pierce and Zorbatos escape in an ancient police cruiser, when they discover Bane who claims he can work the angles as well as The Penguin can.

Peter Tomasi and Scot Eaton weave an interesting sub chapter in the FOREVER EVIL story. With Gotham under siege, it becomes hard to know the good guys from the bad. Apparently, Bane is the baddest and everyone else pales by comparison. Disappointing is the cover which leads you to believe that bane battles the talons when in fact, the Talons don’t really make their presence known in this book. Other than that, it was a nice tale that just continues to help define when a villain is really a hero.

FOREVER EVIL: ROGUE’S REBELLION #2: In Central City, the Rogues are battling Deathstorm and Power Ring as a result of Power Ring’s paranoia. The Rogues try to escape but Deathstorm renders Captain Cold powerless by pulling his weapon from out of his DNA. The others head into Mirror World, but Power Ring smashes the mirror, tossing the Rogues throughout the city. Mirror Master keeps Heat Wave and Trickster from falling to their deaths. Weather Wizard joins them and they quickly determine that they have landed in Metropolis, without Captain Cold. Soon they find themselves in battle with a man in a red hoodie calling himself the Archer and then the Parasite. Rather than battle this creature who is using their powers to feed him, they duck into Mirror World and soon find themselves in Gotham City, where they they are captive to the queen of Robinson Park: Poison Ivy.

If you read FOREVER EVIL #3, then you have seen bits and pieces o this story. This is the more complete version, with the Rogues ending up in Metropolis and then Gotham City where they are taken captive by Posion Ivy. Very cool. I haven’t been a big fan of what DC did prior to the NEW 52 with The Rogues, but these new versions are slowly starting to grow on me, as each has their own idiosyncrasies that I truly love. Brian Buccellato and Scott Hepburn have done a nice job with the story, obviously within the framework laid out by Geoff Johns, I am sure. If you are only reading FOREVER EVIL, you are only getting part of the story.