CONVERGENCE WEEK 1

CONVERGENCE #0: Superman find himself in a otherworldly plane and believes that Brainiac was responsible. A mysterious voice, belonging to a different Brainiac, tells him it was Vril Dox, who is no longer. Whether he was aware of it or not, Superman was responsible for killing Vril Dox from his timeline. Brainiac explains that they are in the place where he watches the Superman of every universe die. He had watched one version die because of Doomsday, and it is from there that he got the idea to infect Superman with the Doomsday Virus. Superman gets free only to find himself in a wasteland with nothing around. Another Brainiac appears and says that his master was right because everything always ends with Superman. Superman demands to be taken to Metropolis only to be told by Brainiac that he has collected many versions of Metropolis and he protects them all. He cannot give him HIS Metropolis back, but he can find one he might like. Superman realizes that Brainiac has gone to his Earth to collect a city. Since he hasn’t got a city here, this Brainiac sends Superman away and wipes his memory in the process. As Telos, this Brainiac will make the decision of which universes will survive by making them fight one another for existence.

Well, it all begins here. Watch as Dan Jurgens, Jeff King and Ethan Van Sciver fire off the opening shot that will define the DC Universe come June. No longer associated with the NEW 52 logo, it could prove to be an amalgam of universes, kind of like what it seems Marvel is doing. Initial reaction from fans on this issue was mixed but it did set the stage for what is to come. Nine issues, counting this Zero issue, plus all the connecting tales. Who WILL be left when it’s all over?

CONVERGENCE #1: Gotham City is on fire and Superman intends to watch the faces of his enemies as their world falls down. Batman tries to convince him to work on the side of good as a voice warns that they brought this doom upon themselves as they proved themselves unworthy. As the world dies, Superman saves himself until a giant hand crushes him. Elsewhere, the heroes from Earth 2 are dropped from out of nowhere and they realize that their planet and everyone on it must be dead. A metallic fluid comes up from the ground and captures them. Telos arrives and demands to known why they are here without their city. They explain how their planet was destroyed by Darkseid, which he says is unacceptable. But he sees their arrival as the signal the master had said would one day come. Telos shows them the other worlds and he explains he will only free the people of the winning city. He speaks to every world on the planet's surface, explaining he brought about this convergence. Only one city will survive, as the domes separating them will fall and their champions will rise. If a city chooses not to fight or disobeys, it will be destroyed. The Earth 2 heroes tell him that nobody will fight as they cannot believe this is Brainiac's plan. Telos responds that they will fight to defend their people as it is their destiny.

The second chapter of this company wide crossover is here and I already see a potential for disaster brewing. Our first issue was by Jeff King and Dan Jurgens and now we remove Jurgens and drop Scott Lobdell into the mix, along with Carlo Pagulayan on art. So, it looks like the battle is going to be between all of these domed cities from different timelines and, depending on who is left, THEY will make up the POST CONVERGENCE Universe. But doesn’t that lead to a bit of potential spoilers? I mean, if the Pre-Flashpoint Atom wins his battle, doesn’t that mean ALL the heroes trapped in Gotham City(that would be the list that follows) survives? That kind of puts a damper on the whole mystery of it all, doesn’t it? Or am I jumping the gun a little?

CONVERGENCE: THE ATOM #1: A year after the dome covered Gotham City which, like many other cities, has been removed from the earth's surface and placed on an unknown planet. Like all others heroes under the dome, The Atom no longer has his powers, but has kept the ability to grow only his right hand. After rescuing some kids, who flee in horror at seeing his giant hand, a reporter come over to him, leading Ray to go onto a senseless rant, further enhancing the rumors of his deteriorating mental state. He then begins ranting about how Deathstroke needs to pay for the death of Ryan Choi. Ray runs across the city to meet with a restaurant owner that he likes named Maria. Eating taco salad with her, he finds that her daughter is in Buffalo, which are light years away because of the dome. Deathstroke interrupts them and Ray realizes it is time to avenge Ryan’s death. Just then, a voice tells everyone in the city that the dome will be removed and that champions from all of the cities must fight for the survival of their cities. Ray is teleported to another place and finds he can shrink again, although his mind is failing him. As the voice in his head suggests he needs to concentrate on saving Gotham, he gets attacked by Barracuda from the Extremists. Despite imploring that they should be fighting the person responsible for their captivity, the pair fight each other. Ray hears a voice from behind him and he realizes that the person who was in his head is actually Ryan Choi who is alive after all.

One of the most difficult thing about this series is figuring out who is who and from where. In this case, we have a Pre-Flashpoint Gotham City  and the Atom from that time frame. The Barracuda is from Earth-8, which first showed up during the COUNTDOWN series. Actually, the world is called Angor and, much like the Super Human Registration Act, metahumans were required to submit to official control or go to prison. Tom Peyer and Steve Yeowell were responsible for this and I would bet that Earth-8 goes away when all is said and done. The question that will remain is which Atom will survive: Ray or Ryan?

CONVERGENCE: BATGIRL #1: Batgirl, Blackbat, and Red Robin, the champions chosen from Gotham City, are waiting in the desert of El Inferno for their opponent. Batgirl wakes the others so she can relieve herself. Tim wonders why Stephanie was chosen instead of him or Cassandra. As Stephanie begins to undress, Catman attacks her, explaining that he was fighting General Grodd when he was transported here. Cassandra is fighting Grodd and this makes her question if she should have been picked as Gotham’s champion. After the dome had come down, Stephanie gave up being Batman and became a nurse and she and Cassandra lived together where they raised a guinea pig for meat. Once ready, Stephanie found she didn’t have the heart to kill it and a fight broke out, only to be interrupted by the announcement from the voice regarding the dome. When the list of heroes selected was read on the news, Batgirl was among them leading Cass to dig out Stephanie’s costume and give her a quick training lesson. Stephanie tries to calm the riots going on in the streets of the newly freed Gotham when spheres grab the trio of heroes and were taken to El Inferno.

So Batgirl, Blackbat and Red Robin come to us from a Pre-Flashpoint Gotham City while Catman and Gorilla Grodd have been brought here from the Flashpoint Timeline. Alisa Kwitney is responsible for the story while Rick Leonardi handles the art in a very Nineties style. Now, if the Flashpoint timeline goes away, then we have to assume that the NEW 52 Universe would also go away permanently, as the birth and death of the Flashpoint Universe would never have created the timeline. So, does that mean that the POST CONVERGENCE Universe is going to be based on the Pre-Flashpoint Universe?

CONVERGENCE: BATMAN & ROBIN #1: We begin with Poison Ivy facing off against The Penguin and other criminals, who are trying to take over the garden she has been using to feed the city. Batman and Robin arrive, rescue Ivy and turned attention to battling Man-Bat, Black Mask, and Mister Freeze. Killer Croc takes a bit out of Batman's shoulder leading The Red Hood to come to the rescue of his former partner, declaring that he and Scarlet are around to help. Back at the Batcave, Damian is upset that Bruce has welcomed Jason home, to the point of removing his costume and suggesting Batman find a new Robin. Damian leaves in one of the Batmobiles to go off and fight Jason. Just then, a voice tells everyone in the city that the dome will be removed and that champions from all of the cities must fight for the survival of their cities. Batman declares that he won't be forced into battle. Unfortunately, The Extremists have arrived.

Ron Marz and Denys Cowan, creative talent straight out of the late Nineties, combine to bring us this tale where the Pre-Flashpoint heroes and villains of Gotham City battle each other before being attacked by The Extremists from Earth-8. I find it interesting that Ivy has turned over a new leaf and is actually seen helping to feed the city during this crisis. Of course, it’s not a surprise to see Penguin and so many other of the villains trying to make profit from the plight of others. Again, it seems that the writing on the wall continues to point to these heroes surviving into the future.

CONVERGENCE: HARLEY QUINN #1:  Harley is at the Gotham Museum of Art when the police soon arrive. Soon after, a giant dome forms over Gotham. Much later, she meets with her psychiatrist, claiming that she doesn't hallucinate the Joker's presence anymore ands she sees the dome’s arrival as representing fact that there is a higher power out there. She even shares a house with a police officer she injured during her last heist. While she is making dinner, the Joker's face appears and scares her enough that she screams for Louie. Elsewhere, Poison Ivy and Catwoman are fighting off thieves trying to poach vegetables from Ivy’s garden. Just then, a voice tells everyone in the city that the dome will be removed and that champions from all of the cities must fight for the survival of their cities and Harley has been selected as champion and is about to fight Captain Carrot. Catwoman and Ivy go to Harley’s apartment and, despite Louie’s protests, they inject her with a toxin to counter-act her mood stabilizers. Harley, who has been off her medications for months, is now crazier than ever.

I have the feeling the bunny is going to die! Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew Earth-C in the Pre-Crisis Multiverse. But that got changed to Earth-26 in the 52 Multiverse. Either way, Steve Pugh and Phil Winslade have set the poor bunny for extinction. I predict the world of the funny animals is gone after this series end.

CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1: Supergirl has managed to get Jesse Chambers to the hospital, as she has gone into labor in the middle of her baby shower. While Zatanna, Vixen, Jade and Congorilla arrive at the hospital, a dome forms over the city and the heroes immediately lose their powers. A year goes by and it seems the women have all adjusted well. Zatanna is a stage magician, Kara works for the Gotham Gazette, and Jesse is a full time mother. On a night out, it seems as though Mera is the only one depressed as she has been separated from her husband for a year. Just then, a voice tells everyone in the city that the dome will be removed and that champions from all of the cities must fight for the survival of their cities. Under a different Gotham, a different Orin is torturing one of his subjects when word reaches him about the dome being lifted and he sees another Mera in the other Gotham. The ladies from Gotham note that Mera, who was trying to call her husband, to being kidnapped by Atlanteans. Mera soon realizes that this Arthur is not her Arthur, although he tells her he hopes she will forget the differences and embrace him. He threatens her with the army of the sea and she replies that she has an army of her own.

Ooooh: it’s gonna be going down! The angry, nasty, don’t mess with me Mera and the Flashpoint Aquaman, Sounds like a throwdown coming! Frank Tieri and Vicente Cifuentes give us a silly kind of issue. I don’t mean silly in the sense that the story is funny. I mean silly in the fact that we have the birth of a baby followed by a girl’s night out. Now, maybe it’s just me, but my idea of a girl’s night out with THAT CREW would be a little wilder than pictured. But, then again, I haven’t been stuck under a dome for a year either.

CONVERGENCE: NIGHTWING/ORACLE #1: In El Inferno, Hawkman and Hawkwoman have just killed the Justice Riders and prepare themselves for whoever may be next. In Gotham City, Nightwing and Oracle have developed a unique partnership even while many have not. Later, Dick meets with Starfire and asks her advice. Then he decides to take Barbara out for dinner, where he reveals a ring and asks her to marry him, but she refuses. Before she can explain why, a voice tells everyone in the city that the dome will be removed and that champions from all of the cities must fight for the survival of their cities. Hawkman arrives and explains that he knows that she secretly runs Gotham just as they ran their Gotham. Hawkwoman explains that they will kill everyone here to save their city as Nightwing attacks. But he is not strong enough to defeat this Hawkman alone. Hawkwoman suggests a plan: she and Hawkman will leave their weaker Gotham, let it be destroyed and they will be allowed to take refuge here. However, they must me allowed to rule the city and remake it in Thanagar's image. Dick refuses and Hawkwoman will give him one hour to change his mind. Barabara tells Dick she has no will to fight and he leaves to get weapons from the Batcave. She gets out her laptop and reveals to us that she started to fight against them ten minutes ago.

Oh boy: Babs Gordon as we remember her-as ORACLE! And leave it to the powerhouse team of Gail Simone and Jan Duursema to guide her on her way. Dick? Exactly! This is NOT the Grayson we have grown accustomed to as of late. This is not even the Nightwing we used to know and love. This is a lovesick puppy that sees that his only future is to kill the bad guys and that gets him the girl, who doesn’t really WANT it, it seems. I’m also a bit confused by the goings on here. We have already seen, or if you’re reading these reviews in order, WILL SEE, that Hawkman and Hawkwoman have already made an appearance and have had a run in with another DC hero, At least we know they’re not an illusion.

CONVERGENCE: THE QUESTION #1: Renee Montoya is kind of used to living in a Gotham that has seen troubles. She lived in Gotham when it was turned into a No Man's Land. Today, after being within the dome for a year, she and Harvey Dent are stopping looters and gathers medical supplies to take to St. Luke's, where her father is in a vegetative state. Later, The Huntress returns to the apartment she and Renee share.and reminds Helena that Two-Face can't be trusted. Elsewhere, Harvey, desperate to end his life, flips his coin and it comes up heads-as it always does. Looking at the featureless face of The Question, Harvey realizes he knows her, just as a voice tells everyone in the city that the dome will be removed and that champions from all of the cities must fight for the survival of their cities. This leads Harvey to seek out another Harvey that can actually kill him. The Huntress locates The Question her and tells her that she has arranged for backup in the form of Batwoman.

I expected more than this from the team of Greg Rucka and Cully Hamner. The story was very confusing and, even though he’s been locked in a dome for a year, I don’t see Two-Face being desperate to kill himself. Hamner’s art is not up to his usual standards either. This was the one title that, after seeing the list of creators involved, had my hopes up and instead, I find it’s the one title that left me coldest. I hope that part two will be more of an adrenaline ride.

CONVERGENCE: SPEED FORCE #1: This is the Flash known as Wally West, who is married to the former Linda Parks and has two Speed Force affected children, Jai and Iris. Wally, Jai and Iris race from Keystone City to Gotham to investigate a "chronal disturbance". As soon as they arrive, a dome forms around Gotham and leads to a year of frustration as Wally spends the next year trying to find a way out. One day, a voice tells everyone in the city that the dome will be removed and that champions from all of the cities must fight for the survival of their cities and the three former speedsters receive their powers again. Racing out of the city, Wally arrives in El Inferno, where he sees many Old West Heroes known as the Justice Riders from Earth-18 being killed by Hawkman and Hawkwoman. With the Riders dead, their city, the last surviving piece of Earth-18, crumbles into dust along with everyone in it. He and his children begin to run in search of their Gotham, but each city they arrive in is it the midst of a war. Arriving in their own Gotham, Fastback, a speedster from Follywood, Califurnia, catches up with them, explaining he isn’t looking for a fight. Before they can decide on a plan to assist each other, Wonder Woman and her Amazons army arrive.

Holy Smokes! This is one large, bursting at the seams issue. The Justice Riders, Flashpoint heroes! Part of Captain Carrot’s Zoo crew! El Inferno! Pre Flashpoint Gotham City. Jai and Iris! Wow! Tony Bedard and Tom Grummett have crammed this issue with tons of heroes from a bunch of timelines and it’s awesome! When was the last time we got to watch Wally West run? This was the coolest issue of the first batch, by far!

CONVERGENCE: SUPERMAN #1: Without powers, Clark Kent and his pregnant wife Lois do their best to fight crime when a voice tells everyone in the city that the dome will be removed and that champions from all of the cities must fight for the survival of their cities. This event saves Clark’s life as his powers return, keeping him from being burned to death by a flamethrower. Saving Jimmy Olsen and taking Lois away from the scene, Superman learns that the dome they were trapped in was taken to another planet and will have to fight for what remains of their Earth’s people, as it appears the rest of their Earth is dead. Meanwhile, in the Gotham City of another timeline, Batman tells his allies to prepare for war. Jimmy Olsen goes to S.T.A.R. Labs, where Dr. Hamilton wonders why the voice is making the cities fight each other. Superman flies toward the other Gotham where Captain Thunder attacks him. Superman tries to convince Captain Thunder that he is not an enemy, but Jimmy Olsen arrives in a jet-propelled car and that changes Thunder’s perception immediately. Meanwhile, the other Kal-El seeks out Lois Lane and also search for Barry Allen, Batman’s hope was that The Flash having gone back in time would have changed that timeline and that Bruce Wayne would live again. Kal-El insists that he is there to save Lois. Her city is going to die and he won’t allow her to die with it. She calls for help from HER Superman, but the citizens of the other timeline overwhelm him.

Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks merge the Pre-Flashpoint and Post-Flashpoint Universes in a battle to see who survives. What happens when Batman’s meet? Will the Flashpoint Batman be able to battle and kill his son? Will Lois’ baby be born and will he be the next Superman? This one issue has a ton of questions needing answers.

CONVERGENCE: TITANS #1: The Teen Titans were a tight knit group of superheroes who grew up and had to deal with life. Roy Harper, Oliver Queen’s ward, had the most troubles with growing up. He was a drug addict. He became a single father. He lost his right arm. And then he lost his daughter. A year ago, a dome descended on the city and Roy had a chance to start his life over. Then one day a voice tells everyone in the city that the dome will be removed and that champions from all of the cities must fight for the survival of their cities. Donna Troy and Starfire notice that the dome has been lifted and they have gotten their powers back. Roy enters his secret underground base and observes the city, as The Extremists arrive and begin their attack. It isn’t long before Starfire, Donna Troy and Arsenal band together to battle. But Dreamslayer has a proposal: if Roy betrays his teammates, he will return Roy’s dead daughter to him. A gun rises up from Arsenal’s cybernetic gauntlet and, pointing it towards his teammates, pulls the trigger.

Say it ain’t so! Could our long-suffering hero really turn out to be a traitor and kill his best friends to try and save his daughter. And should we really believe the words of a guy “Dreamslayer”? Fabian Nicieza and Ron Wagner, two superstars from comics’ era gone by, give us this very retro feeling book that sets things up for the final battle next issue. So, here’s a question: if part of a team dies, does that condemn that whole city. Or is it okay for one person to survive and still keep that city in the running? I guess we’ll find out next month.