ACTION COMICS #32: Previously reviewed as part of SUPERMAN DOOMED: ENEMY OF THE STATE.
ALL STAR WESTERN #32: Jonah hex is playing a game of poker with Amos Blackthorne when Hex reveals that he plans to collect on Blackthorne’s bounty with Tallulah Black’s help. They drag him to the next town and hole themselves up in bar until the storm outside ends. The barkeep and the doctor who later arrives drug the bounty hunters so the townspeople can take Blackthorne for themselves. Jonah and Tallulah wake up, finding they have been strapped to their horses and ridden far away. She tells a tale of when she was once in Mexico with her lucky shotgun when a couple in a wagon comes by and leaves them, saying the lord will help those who help themselves. The following day, Jonah and Tallulah find the old couple being robbed by bandits. The bandits shoot down the pair's horses, pinning them underneath them.
So, not that I am totally disappointed, but what happened to the back-up story? By the time it comes back, IF IT COMES BACK before this series ends, no one will remember what the story was. In the main event, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and Staz Johnson
Do what they have basically been doing since the beginning (well, Gray and Palmiotti): bring us a great Western tale. I will truly miss this book when it’s gone.
AQUAMAN #32: Creature King escapes Triton Base, killing Dr. Orson nd most of the people there in the process. Now he is out hunting “The Killer King”, leaving Dr. Shin and whoever may be left alive to drown. Meanwhile, Tula and Mera are fighting for their lives in The Underrealm when Topo lends a hand. Elsewhere, Aquaman discovers that the creatures of the sea can no longer hear him because of Chimera.
Okay…Chimera. It’s still the Creature King reborn. And what of poor, misguided Dr. Shin. Is h now truly fish food and gone from Aquaman’s life or will there be a last minute save? Jeff Parker and Paul Pelletier turn up the heat here, mostly because the majority of the story is about the Creature King’s rebirth and not about what DOESN’T HAPPEN in the book as depicted on the cover. DC EDITORIAL-GETTING TIRED OF THIS!
AQUAMAN AND THE OTHERS #3: Darya and her brother are in the process of attempting to kill Sayeh and transforms Tomo into a monstrous cat beast, turning the animal on The Others. The Operative eventually kills the cat, putting it out of it’s possessed misery. Darya transports the team back to the castle that belongs to her and her brother and they demand their gold. Aquaman refuses and, after a flash bomb distraction, the team splits up to explore the castle and try and find Sayeh. Aquaman finds her first and tells her they will get her out of here, but she refuses him as she has visions of him from the FUTURE’S END future. Suddenly someone named Legend arrives to take back what Atlan stole and impales Aquaman with his own trident, avenging his father.
So, if Legend is here to take back what Atlan stole, this guy is pretty darned old. And apparently has quite the grudge against Aquaman. And what is with the vision of Aquaman as a machine? Does that mean there is STILL a chance that future will happen. Dan Jurgen and Lan Medina brings an issue that was better than the first two, but that is still not a barn-burner. Jurgens needs to step up the plot just a bit to keep this in my pile.
BATGIRL #32: Batgirl is disgusted at the way the GCPD is being run with her father in jail, so she decides to make Charise Carnes her target. Arriving at home, she opens the door and finds her roommate Alysia Yeoh and her girlfriend Jo getting involved with each other, which embarrasses Barbara. Meanwhile, Carnes is watching a news report how Ricky Gutierrez is suing Jim Gordon. She is upset by that and sends Bonebreaker to take care of Ricky. The next day, Barbara is out for a jog and interrupted by Obscura, whose men sedate her. The pair were roommates in college and didn’t get along. But now she wants to recruit Barbara for the counter-terrorism group she was recruited onto straight out of college. Barbara turns her down, but is told it is not without some type of consequences. After being dropped in the middle of nowhere, Barbara gets a call from Ricky informing her he is dropping the lawsuit. Knightfall's people infiltrated Blackgate and cut off his brother’s hand. She contacts Black canary for some help and made get a bonus hand from The Huntress who is spying on the pair from nearby.
Gail Simone and Fernando Pasarin continue this action/romance comic for a few more issues anyway. Effective with BATGIRL #35, Cameron Stewart (who used to do art of BATMAN INC.) and Brenden Fletcher will be writing the series while someone named Babs Tarr will take over the art chores(over Stewart’s layouts). What will that mean for the Dark Knightgirl (yeah…I just totally made that up)? Well, based on the initial illustrations I have seen, it will definitely result in a MAJOR change in art style. As far as the story: we shall see, won’t we?
BATMAN #32: Batman has made his way into the Riddler's tower and wonders question-marked metal boxes on the tunnel walls. The military are trying to set up an air strike. Batman realizes everyone is in a trap and orders Lucius to activate signal blocking devices, but is too late. With drones attacking his van, Batman arrives in time to save his friend. They also figure out that the boxes on the tunnel walls are explosives and that Jim Gordon and his team are in great danger. The Riddler is planning to call for the military air strike and the explosions will causes Gotham City to sink. Batman takes a guess as to where The Riddler is hiding and heads to museum where they first met, as they only have 40 minutes. Edward Nygma appears and inquires how Batman knew where he would be. Batman says the sound of the bounce pattern reminded him of a coil from the ancient Seteh game board. Batman commands The Riddler to call off the air strike as Zero Year is over. Nygma replies that is has only just begun.
So Scott Snyder, who some are now calling one of the greatest Batman writers ever, and Greg Capullo continue towards the “Endgame” in this epic story. This is one of DC’s best selling titles and for very good reason. The writing has been compelling all throughout, Greg Capullo’s art has come into its’ own and the whole book has been a buzz to read. It should be on your must read list and, if it isn’t, you need to add it.
BATMAN ETERNAL #9-12: In issue #9, Commissioner Jack Forbes is taken by Bixby Rhodes to see Carmine Falcone who wants to make Catwoman top priority in the GCPD. Catwoman breaks into another Falcone operation, only to find the police waiting for her when she opens the safe. Falcone appears and tells her that he has had to live with the scars on his face for five years and she won’t have the possibility to live with the scars he's going to give her. Meanwhile, Batman is in Hong Kong, meeting with the Batman of Japan who explains that Falcone had been in a gang war with Shen Fang. Falcone had been winning the gang war until he suddenly decided to stop the fight and return to Gotham, allowing Shen Fang to take control. That night, the two Batmen break into Falcone's former base of operations to find a woman there who had been watching them. She wants Shen Fang to pay for his crimes but he arrives and runs her through with a sword. Batman beats on Fang who finally admits he paid Falcone off with a percentage of his operation to get him to leave. Batman leaves for home and informs Alfred they will have a wounded Special Ops agent coming to stay with them. Her name is Julia Pennyworth.
In issue #10, Falcone tells Catwoman that Batman is weak and can’t protect the city of Gotham. That’s when Professor Pyg and his gang arrives. Pyg wants revenge for the destruction of his lab. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne urges Alfred Pennyworth to speak to his daughter while Bruce goes off and has a conversation with Jason Todd. Alfred rushes out of Julia's room tell them about a news report saying that Professor Pyg is holding Carmine Falcone and an unidentified female hostage. Just as Pyg is ready to cut into his hostages, Batman crashes through the skylight, allowing Catwoman and Falcone to get free. She attempts to kill Falcone, forcing Batman to turn his attention from Pyg. Forbes orders Lt. Bard to do whatever needs to be done to kill Batman. He stalls long enough to allow Batman and Catwoman to get out, leaving a rather angry Falcone behind. Meanwhile, Cluemaster realizes that his men have failed in murdering his daughter, as she has been blogging about him in an attempt to expose him as a criminal. She is also living in the air ducts of the Gotham County Library.
In issue #11, we learn that Brazilian soap opera star Gonzolo Dominguez was at the scene of the train derailment in Gotham City and Batgirl has tracked him down. So has a would be assassin. Batgirl hides him away and he explains that he was NOT at the derailment. He owed money to the Club of Villains and, to pay them back, he let them make a duplicate of his face. Scorpiana crashes through the door, causing Batgirl and Dominguez to flee. Luckily, Batman had asked Red Hood to follow Batgirl to South America and Starfire took Dominguez to a safehouse. Batgirl tells Jason she has proof that Dominguez was in rehab in Bogata at the time of the train crash. El Gaucho arrives to take on Scorpiana. Over at Wayne Manor, Alfred finds that his injured daughter Julia keeps trying to return to work for the S.R.R. She ants nothing to do with her father, her abandoned his family to become the butler at Wayne Manor. In her haste to leave, she opens up her wounds, which Alfred sews back up. At the Gotham County Library, Stephanie Brown continues to research her father's history as both a game show host and a supervillain. At the Gotham Cemetery, Selina visits the grave of her friend Lola MacIntire. She finds a sealed letter sitting on it from Lola’s father, expressing condolences for the loss of Lola and saying he had trusted her to look out for Selina. She finds Batman standing behind her and explains that she never had a daddy in the past and doesn’t need one now.
In issue #12, Lieutenant Jason Bard, Captain Maggie Sawyer and Sgt. Harvey Bullock are trying to find a way to fight the gang war that interim Commissioner Forbes says does not exist. Jim Gordon is on his way to court for opening arguments in his manslaughter trial when he realizes that his guard is actually Batman in disguise. Batman tells his friend he is still gathering evidence while Gordon says Batman needs to concentrate on the gang war and not on him. During opening arguments, the crown attorney reminds that the jury that Jim Gordon was responsible for causing the train crash that killed 162 people. Afterwards, Vicki Vale and Joey Day discuss the trial and the real problem in Gotham: the gang war. Jason Bard admits that she's right and tells her he has an idea to change that focus. Bard calls a phone number that Gordon used to use to contact Batman. When he arrives, Bard and Bullock tell him they have a plan but it means letting the GCPD catch him. At Gotham City General Hospital, Harper Row is concerned about her brother’s being struck down by this super-virus. She hacks into the bat-grid to try to find Red Robin. She finds him at Police Headquarters, where he is fighting Professor Pyg in a holding cell. He realizes that Harper has hacked into his system and fires back a message warning her to stay away and frying her system in the process. Later, Tim Drake goes to Wayne Manor looking for information on her. In Rio de Janeiro, Batgirl accepts Red Hood’s help and remind him they have to hurry as they only have three days to clear her father’s name. Next morning, Jim Gordon finds he has a visitor: his son.
Four more issues crammed with story, story, story and a mixture of art styles. I mean, you are looking at a small graphic novel each month with almost 100 pages every four weeks. Say thank you to Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, John Layman, Ray Fawkes, Tim Seeley for this intriguing tale. And then you can thank Guillem March, Riccardo Burchielli, Ian Betram and Mikel Janin for the art. So, my question is not how Jim Gordon ends up being found not guilty, my question is who is the mastermind pulling the strings behind this whole gang war thing? I certainly do not believe it’s The Roman. Is this the time for the Joker to make his return? Stay tuned.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #32: Beneath what was once Nanda Parbat, Batman and Frankenstein arrive too late to keep Ra's al Ghul from submerging the sarcophagus with Talia's body into the Lazarus Pit. This pit was hidden until Nanda Parbat's disappearance and this allowed Ra’s to be able to activate the pit with a crystal Talia had found. Batman grabs Damian's sarcophagus, leaving Frankenstein to block Ra's and his followers. As he loads Damian into Batplane, he realizes that Ra's has caught up with him. The pair battle until a large explosion distracts them. Glorious Godfrey and a gang of Parademons have arrived from Apokolips.
Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason continue to generate great stories even after the Boy Wonder’s demise. But how much longer is that going to last? The resurrection seems to be coming in July. Or is that all a red herring? Anyway, the book continues to be a fun ride and shows a Dark Knight totally dedicated to his family as well as his calling.
BATWOMAN#32: Kate and Bette visit the Gotham Children's Hospital Charity Carnival when a woman calls Kate's name. It is Sophie Moore. She is Kate’s ex and the person she was kicked out of West Point for. Before the conversation can be totally uncomfortable, Maggie calls and Kate excuses herself, making it a point that she needs to talk to her fiancée. In another area of the carnival, Alex Witherspoon sees Natalia Mitternacht, who was acquitted for murdering her father. Alex makes a phone call to have Natalia taken out. Later that night, Nocturna tells her lover Anton Mitternacht that she needs money and plans on stealing a chalice from a museum exhibit on Lady Báthory. Out on patrol, Kate gets a voice mail from Sophie who begs for a dinner date with Kate. Then she spots movement in the museum and finds Nocturna there. The vampire creature attacks and Batwoman hits her in the eye with a batarang. But she gets knocked out by Anton, who gets Nocturna and the chalice out. Meanwhile, Alex Witherspoon's assassin takes on a costume and a code-name: "Killshot".
And I guess that would be because Deadshot was already taken? Marc Andreyko continues to write a cool tale and throwing in the former love interest to Kate Kane just complicated the whole Kate/Maggie relationship thing. Nice art from Jeremy Haun as this book continues to try to find it’s visual feel since the departure of the last creative team. I like the direction and getting her father out of the mix and like the fact that not EVERY ISSUE is about Kate and Maggie. Of course, DC has shied away from some of this since the issues with them marrying.
BIRDS OF PREY #32: On Mother Eve’s barge, Eve believes that she can used the marvels of today to give Strix back a voice. Dinah is helping Kurt with his rehabilitation, although that is difficult as he doesn’t know who he is and what their relationship was. Leaving him, she runs into Condor who takes her to see his new Condor loft. He also shows her a device that will take her Canary Cry and allow her to fly. But they get called back to the barge, where Mother Eve explains that a man named Amadou Mambety has been taken hostage by a warlord called Nkonga and his band of former Basilisk members. Arriving in West Africa, they make their way to Nkonga's hideaway and Strix runs him through with her sword. Mambety is chained to a post in a field filled with land mines, which Canary activates while Condor uses his telekinesis to shield him. Unfortunately, despite the success of the mission, it looks like they will have to deal with the Suicide Squad, who have also come for Mambety.
So Christy Marx and Robson Rocha begin the slide to their last issue and go right back to the formula that got them to the cancellation point: a bad romantic triangle. I DON’T CARE about Condor’s lusting after Dinah who is lusting after him AND wants to get busy again with her late husband who isn’t dead anymore. I love the art on the book and love Strix’ character. But the rest of the team, including the newly young Mother Eve, need to go.
CATWOMAN #32: We’re in the next round of Roulette's race of thieves. Catwoman finds her friend Rat-Tail among the racers and convinces him to jump into her car and be the designated driver. Interpol gets involved and orders everyone to stop, which doesn’t happen, so they begin firing rockets at the contestants. Catwoman hooks the helicopter and takes them out of the game. Next she focuses on Roulette's train while Mirror Master puts a huge mirror across the tracks. The train doesn’t stop and there is a tremendous collision, allowing Catwoman to seemingly win the race. Detectives Alvarez and Keyes thank her for winning as they put their money on her and she informs them that an old man in a jeep was the true winner. Getting to the train, Catwoman, Mirror Master and Rat-Tail find Roulette has gotten away.
And there is the other part of the story that involves a century old murder, a missing child and the guy who put up the prize money. But all of that was just filler and fluff to me and meant next to nothing to this ridiculous story! Ann Nocenti writes another Ann Nocienti piece of work and Pat Oliffe makes it look better than it actually is. I miss the tongue wagging steam of the first issue.
CONSTANTINE #15: Constantine heads into the Gold Peak hotel in Hong Kong to meet with the witch Graceful Moon, whether she wants to or not. After being attacked by a Qilin and telling her he his here on a mission of peace, she reveals herself, saying she knows that John is here to find out who taught him his first spell. But she refuses to tell him until he reveals who is inside the Moonblade. She takes the Moonblade and realizes that Mister E is inside. The Moonblade moves on its’ own and cuts off her hand. John casts a spell which causes her palace to be destroyed. With Graceful Moon dead, Mister E is prepared to reveal who taught John his first spell. Meanwhile, Sargon and Tannarak realize they must destroy Constantine before he uses the Moonblade to destroy them.
So DC continues to try to make John Constantine a much move viable “good guy” so he looks good for the upcoming TV series. To that end, Ray Fawkes and Aco have to tow the line between Constantine the hero and Constantine the self bastard that everyone has a bone to pick with. And, to make matters more interesting, you have Mister E, Sargon, Tannarak and Graceful Moon-none of whom exactly fit the mold of Citizen of the Year. So, cheer for the LEAST villainous villain and go from there.
DETECTIVE COMICS #32: Batman is investigating the murder of Elena Aguila and that has led him to a dealer named Sumo. Batman finds Aguila’s car and breaks up a child-trafficking ring before dropping a dime and calling GCPD. Harvey Bullock leads the way, discovering the evidence Batman has left for him. Batman meets with a distraught Annette Aguila and promises to find whoever was responsible for her mother’s death. Later, as he feeds his cats, Harvey receives a message from Maya saying that Jeb Lester signed off the shipping manifests on the containers on. Lester, it turns out, is a Vice president at Wayne Industries who is trying to destroy evidence when Bullock and his men arrive.Batman traces calls made to Elena’s phone to the Gotham Aquarium, which is the hideout for The Squid and his brother Jonny. Batman gets attack by a real giant squid and must use the electric charge in his gloves to get free. As the floor collapses and floods the aquarium below, the Kings of the Sun biker gang arrives, shoots Squid in the chest, and gets ready to battle with Jonny.
So the creative forces that made THE FLASH such a fan favorite, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, are doing their best to take DETECTIVE COMICS to the next level. And they are doing it by making the book all about the title-DETECTIVE COMICS. We are back to the days when the Dark Knight was solving crimes, not just bashing heads and using nothing but his electronic gadgets to get the job done. While the art style is a bit jarring and take some to get used to, this book gets the ass-kicking it so deserved.
EARTH 2 #24: Beguiler is torturing Jay Garrick when he is interrupted by Bedlam, informing him the forces they sent to Gotham have all been destroyed. All that is except for Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and a pair of parademons that Lantern sends back to their master. They search and find The Flash, breaking him out of his prison. Over in Amazonia, Batman and the other survivors from the Batcave explosion arrive bearing the dead body of Red Archer. Batman blames his death on Val while Jimmy Olsen blame it on Batman, as he revels that he knows he is actually Thomas Wayne. Jimmy talks with Val and he removes his well worn jacket to reveal the symbol of the House of El.
This book continues to heat up as the war to save Earth 2 continues. Tom Taylor, Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott are banging out a great story here and I can only hope that will continue as DC has announced creative changes on this title with issue #27. Marguerite Bennett will be joining Tom Taylor as co-writer while Nicola Scott will be leaving the book, to be replaced by Andy Smith. I realize this will change the vibe and the total look of the book but hopefully not enough to turn it back to the depressing days before Taylor took over when James Robinson seemed to be sleepwalking through his scripts. Until then, enjoy what we’ve got and hope for the best! And remember: this all leads into a weekly title come the Fall.
THE FLASH #32: Twelve years from now, Captain Cold is dying of stage four bone cancer. He tells his old nemesis that he is trying to go back in time to fix the problem with the Speed Force to go back in time to fix those situations, which resulted from Daniel West time traveling. Barry holds Leonard’s hand as he dies. In present day, Barry is trying to figure out who is responsible for all of these crimes with what appears to be stolen weapons. He battles someone masquerading as Merge, whose use of a gravity gun causes Barry to fly off. He crash lands in a pond and luckily only Patty is there to see it. She suggests a nice evening out with just the two of them and Barry recalls that he promised to take Wally and Iris West to a Central City Diamonds game. She gets jealous and leaves. That night, while Iris goes to get refreshments, Wally and Barry bond.
This is the new direction for THE FLASH and I like the art and most of the story. I just wish we could keep to one timeline. This constant moving from the future (which is in The Flash’ past) and the present (which is in The Flash’ distant past) is giving me a headache. I am curious to see how many of the Rogue’s Barry plans on taking out to make the future safe again. Another killer issue from Robert Venditti, Van Jensen, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund.
GREEN ARROW #32: With Green Arrow back in Seattle, Henry Fyff informs him that Richard Dragon runs the city and has captured John Diggle, who was betrayed by The Clock King. As an argument ensues between Naomi and Oliver, an explosion interrupts them. It seems Red Dart has accepted the bounty that has been put on Oliver's head along with two other criminals: Brick and Killer Moth. They proceed to beat him down until arrows reign down on the criminals. Emiko arrives, declaring herself the new Green Arrow. Meanwhile, Diggle warns Dragon and Count Vertigo that Green Arrow is back in Seattle. Diggle doesn’t care as he has a vendetta against Diggle who was responsible for killing Ricardo Diaz – Diggle’s father. He explains how he trained with the League of Assassins, killed his sensei, and took his name. As he continues to be beat, Diggle explains that it wasn’t Green Arrow involved with Diaz’ death: it was really Diggle in disguise as the Green Arrow.
Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino begin their final arc on this title with a bang and a mystery. Emiko is here and SHE’S the new Green Arrow? And John Diggle was once the OLD Green Arrow? How many Green Arrows do we need? Anyway, this book has been so awesome since Lemire and Sorrentino took over and they have crafted a wonderful legend to Oliver Queen. Much more than that, he is not the spoiled brat we know and love.
GREEN LANTERN #32: Part 3 of the 6 part UPRISING Saga. The Khunds are aligned with the Durlans, who betray them. The Khunds are battling the Green Lanterns. The Glanterns arrest Prixiam of the Durlans(again). The Lanterns discover that the Durlans are heading to Zezzen to eat Gorin-Sunn’s people.
Yeah…makes no sense to me either and I had to read it. Robert Venditti wrote it and Billy Tan drew it. See you in Part 5.
HARLEY QUINN #7: Poison Ivy explains to Harley Quinn that whoever is putting the bounty on her is sending it from Harley’s laptop. Arriving at home with a foot rubber Harley had picked up at the beach, they see Big Tony sell the corpses of the dead assassins Madame Macabre. That night, Icy finds that Harley is sleepwalking and posting her own bounty on herself. Surviving another attempted assassination, Ivy explains how Harley was putting the hit on herself and now that he has destroyed her laptop, she can’t cancel the hits. They follow a lead and go to a meeting of the Brooklyn Assassin’s League. Most of the bad guys are taken out by one of Ivy’s plants but one guy decides that he is not buying any of it. So Big Tony shoots him in the face. The others fall in line and Harley uses their money to buy some new shoes.
Yep: I am LOVING THIS BOOK! It’s fun, funny and a cool read to just soak my head into. Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Chad Hardin. That’s all I have to say!
INFINITY MAN AND THE FOREVER PEOPLE #1: The graduating class of the Academy of Higher Conscience is getting ready to make a trip from New Genesis to Earth. Mark Moonrider can’t get the Mother Box to work and it becomes obvious that he and Vykin do not get along with each other. Highfather Himon arrives and eventually the box begins to work, and a Boom Tube transports Mark, Seraphina Baldaur, her brother Vykin and Dreamer Beautiful to Vencie Beach, California, where they get greeted by Big Bear. Vykin feels the house they are about to enter is no way for a New God to live, but soon they are inside and introduced to Kirby: the “communal reconstruction bio engine” for the house. Meanwhile, something goes horribly wrong at the Feast of Eden Agricultural center in the Sudan. And Mantis has something to do with that.
True confession time. When I was a wee lad, I was all over Kirby’s Fourth World, although I did not realize what it truly was. I knew it was this Jack Kirby guy who had drawn FANTASTIC FOUR and that these were his new creations and that they were cool. My favorite, by far, was the FOREVER PEOPLE. NEW GODS had way too much mythology for an 11 year old kid and MISTER MIRACLE seemed silly, except for Big Barda(Because every 11 year old LOVES big breasted super chicks!). And I didn’t even KNOW that SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN (issues #133-148) was part of it until I got back into comics in 1975. So to see this title revived makes that 11-year-old kid come out in me again. Dan Didio still thinks he can write dialogue, which he can’t. But we let Keith Giffen and Scott Kolish illustrate it and it help to make up for the cornball stuff Didio is writing. But, when you think about it, most of what Kirby was coming up with was pretty cornball, so it’s all good.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #32: This will be reviewed next month as DC ran behind during FOREVER EVIL.
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