ACTION COMICS #40: Superman has fallen out of our continuity into that of another world where Earth is square and the moon is made out of cheese. On the roof of this world’s Daily Planet, he sees Lois Lane before he is attacked by this world's Superman. Bizarro explains that he can't trust Superman because he speaks like his enemy Metallo. Metallo soon attacks, trying to bring order and reason to a world without it. Bizarro and his friends have a mission: to destroy Bizopolis. Superman gets attacked by Doomsday and Superman tells Bizarro that Doomsday is a danger, even though he allies himself with the monster, becoming infected by the Doomsday Virus. The Virus causes Bizarro to deliver cuteness to the population instead of destruction. Superman warns Bizarro to fight the infection and the being goes off into space which kills the infection. Superman tries to comfort Bizarro Lois by insulting her. Luckily, Bizarro returns, supporting Superman as his friend by claiming that he’s not.
Me am not sure about this issue of ACTION COMICS. Me am thinking this Bizarro is not the same as Luthor’s Bizarro and not at all like the funny book coming in June. Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder introduce the Bizarro World to the DC Universe which is about to go away. Me am disappointed that DC is ending the NEW 52 in favor of an NEWER 52 that isn’t called that. So, how do I refer to this universe now?
AQUAMAN #40: Karaku is angry and taking it out on Aquaman, Mera and the rest. In the process, it costs Daniel his life, but not before he tells Arthur the secret to defeat the creature: water and force. He takes the creature down but does so my bringing it down upon him. Mera can’t stand the pain of seeing her husband buried and possibly dead and she completes the monster’s destruction even as Arthur’s mother pulls him out of the battle. We soon find it is not to save her son, but to kill him. Arthur proves to her that he is a true Atlantean by summoning all the fish in the sea to his rescue. At this, Atlanna admits that Arthur is her son. She opens the Maelstrom and sends them all home. Later, she sends the trident, her signet and a shell of sounds through to Arthur, telling him that he is not to tell Orm she is alive…that is something she might tell him someday herself.
Jeff Parker and Paul Pelletier bring this arc with the Atlantean king and his wife to an end and, in the process, turn the keys to the kingdom over to Cullen Bunn and Trevor McCarthy. I don’t know how happy I am going to be with that, as Bunn’s work is really uneven and McCarthy’s art, while really great looking, is not a style that I see on this title, although I really liked the work he did on BATWOMAN back three years ago. So, I go into the next phase of the King of the Sea’s life holding my breath. Of course, after CONVERGENCE, Arthur Curry could be toting a beard and have a hook for a hand.
AQUAMAN AND THE OTHERS #11: Aquaman and the Others battles Mayhem while the missile they launched is headed towards Spain. On the moon, Vostok contacts Cole and asks for the guidance codes to stop the missile, but the device is knocked from his hand before he can send the information. Sayeh grabs the device and sends the codes, even as she gets attacked my Maelstrom. Sayeh tells her that Maelstrom needs to leave, as her actions do not represent the person she is destined to become. Ya’wara cuts the muscles in Stranglehold’s arms and then tosses her into the ocean to drown as the rest of the team takes down the rest of Mayhem. Ya’wara teleports to the moon to save Vostok XI, who waits for the missile to land and destroy the Soviet base. In the end, the team goes their separate ways while Vostok XI hops on a motorcycle and goes on a road trip.
And thus, after 11 tedious months, Dan Jurgens and Lan Medina bring this series that, in my opinion, should have been left on the drawing boards to an end. The biggest problem is that the characters were never fully fleshed out enough for me to care about any of them. Jurgens 80’s style writing was fine in the 1980’s but just didn’t have enough “pop” to make it a killer title. Medina’s art is nice and again, has that 80’s feel to it. With CONVERGENCE on the horizon, I expect these characters to blend into the background. Although I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vostok XI show up again doing his best Dennis Hopper road trip.
ARKHAM MANOR #6: Bullock is at Arkham having to investigate the three mising inmates and learns that he has to contact S.T.A.R. Labs to remove the Jokerized Clatface in the freezer. Meanwhile, Alfred tells Batman he may have a way to get the Manor back. Batman has tracked Seth Wickham to his old high school and gets him back to Arkham, where he finds Dr. Arkham telling Bullock that Jack Shaw had called him to gloat. The problem is that Bruce never made that call, which makes Arkham a liar. Bruce makes arrangements to have the real Shaw moved to the veterans' cemetery. Following the funeral, Bruce and a reporter verbally spar over the public’s perception of the family home. While Alfred has arranged a way for Bruce to get the home back, he decides it is best to leave it as a temporary asylum for the time being. At the Manor, Jonathan Crane suggests the inmates might be able to escape the asylum. Down in the Batcave, Batman challenges Crane to try.
That was a very unsatisfying ending to a really good series. Gerry Duggan and Shawn Crystal seem to have dropped the ball on this, as this issue was all about apprehending Wickham and getting Shaw buried properly. There is the little potential subplot where it seems that Arkham has something to hide, but that was dropped almost as quickly as it was introduced. And The Joker is nowhere to be found and only the results of his poisoning Clayface is evident here. It’s a real bummer as this series was fun and had promise to come back, as the manor still remains an asylum for the criminally insane.
ARKHAM MANOR ENDGAME #1: One of the guards at Arkham tells Harvey Bullock about what happened on the night the Joker came back. Prisoners and guards were converted because of The Joker gas, except for Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, Clayface and Bane who are immune. They fight their way through Arkham and are finally cornered by The joker and his followers. The guard steps up and punches the crazed villain out and we learn that he was really Jeremiah Arkham all along. That is when GCPD arrived and the questioning began. Bullock tells Jim Gordon that the only person more traumatized than the guard is Jeremiah Arkham
I found this a quirky little piece of fiction. It does a wonderful job of giving us some back story and shows us that Arkham was masquerading as The Joker while The Joker was out and about. So, does that mean that The Joker who appears in the back-up story that has run throughout recent issues of BATMAN is really Arkham? Frank Tieri writes the story while Felix Ruiz, Roberto Viacava and Christian Duce provided the artwork. This issue provides a fitting ending to this series leaving more questions than answers.
BATGIRL #40: Frankie has just learned that Barbara is Batgirl and Barbara has just learned the algorithm she wrote for her thesis has infected Hooq, believing it is the real Barbara Gordon. She had worked on a predictive algorithm while she was dealing with her paralysis. Frankie had worried about this, but Barbara was determined to make it work. The AI explains how it saw Barbara as an imposter living inside Batgirl’s body. The algorithm calls Dinah, saying that everything is fine and she doesn’t need backup. That is when Riot Black arrives and attacks her. She wakes to find that Riot Black has hooked her up to a machine that allows the algorithm to enter her brain and overwrite her consciousness. Using Hooq, it will allow her to find targets who will become criminals in the future. She is about to hijack a satellite and turn it loose on Burnside She gets free and breaks the algorithm’s hold on Riot Black, causing it to sends drone to attack the crowd. Barbara discovers she can take out the drones with a high frequency soundwave. She climbs on stage and asks Dinah to give a Canary Cry, which knocks down the drones. The algorithm takes over the screens on the stage and tells the crowd they have less than five minutes before the satellite blasts them. To stop the potential panic, she convinces the algorithm that this will make her a criminal. It confuses the algorithm enough that Frankie hacks into the satellite and shuts down the armaments while the algorithm dies. The following day, Frankie says how she isolated the algorithm, allowing Barbara to get her thesis back. Frankie also suggests that she can use the algorithm as Barabra had planned and she could be her partner. Dinah arrives to say goodbye, as a record producer discovered them and will be going on tour soon. They hug as Dinah notices the algorithm and wonders what it's about.
So, for the first time since this creative team took over, I find myself with good things to say about it. First, the story by Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher is still on the corny, tweeny oriented side, but is not as badly written as past issues. Second, Babs Tarr and Cameron Stewart turn in a cool looking issue reminiscent of the promotional advertising for the new creative. In fact, this is about as close to looking like what we all hoped it would look like as it could get. I love the way that we have finally settled the whole issue about who Batgirl is and we set up for a new Oracle. At least, that is how it looks! And it has set up the new BLACK CANARY series coming following CONVERGENCE.
BATGIRL ENDGAME #1: Because Burnside is bocked off from the rest of Gotham, it is a few safe-zones from the Joker virus. Frankie and Batgirl try to use their cell phones to find survivors and get them to that safe-zone. First, there is a bus with important Gotham citizens and law enforcement officials that needs safe passage. By uploading an image of the Joker onto electronic billboards, she is able to draw the infected towards it, which allows the bus to get through. The police warn her that there is a device meant to blow up the bridge counting down and a girl named Tiffany Fox is trapped on the wrong side of the barricade. She obtains her phone number and sends her a text telling her to smile wide, like one of the infected, and just walk through the crowd. She tries, but can’t and bursts into tears. Donning a gas mask, Batgirl dives into the infected and grabs Tiffany, throwing her into the empty bus and then driving it off the bridge while she and Tiffany climb out the back. Together they glide across the river to the safety of the girls’ parents. The bridge blows and Batgirl watches her city burn.
Well, what makes this issue, by Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, Bengal, is that it is virtually wordless. Yeah: it’s a silent issue that is told through pictures instead of words, except for signs and such. No dialogue…silent. All in all, a very cool concept forcing you to actually READS the comic instead of just flipping through it.
BATMAN #40: Delayed until April 29th.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #40: Batman and son are on their way to stop a cybernetic creature attacking Ghost Island. Damian teams up with Superman to take the creature down with their heat vision, before shoving a radio tower down the monster’s throat. Shazam calls down the lightning and destroys the creature. In actuality, Superman and Wonder Woman arranged this to drain Damian of his power. Later, Damian tells Alfred all the details of the battle before eating enough to put him to sleep. As he his put to bed, Bruce notices that Damian completed the unfinished painting of his family, which Bruce mounts beside the other family portraits. The next morning, Damian discovers that invulnerability, heat-vision and flight are no longer part of his abilities, much to Bruce’s delight.
Well, the adventures of Super Robin are over as quickly as they began. Now only are Damian’s powers, so hyped by DC, gone, but so is this title. From here, Patrick Gleason turns to writing and drawing ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN while Peter J. Tomasi continues to concentrate his energies on SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN. This has been a great run and I will miss the title. Hopefully, Gleason’s writing is as good as his artwork. I look forward to seeing where he goes with the Boy Wonder.
BATMAN AND ROBIN ANNUAL #3: Robin fixes the disabled Justice League transponder and, against his father’s wishes, transports himself and Titus onto the Justice League satellite. They proceed to the surface of the moon where they discover aliens, dressed like our astronauts, living inside the Apollo 11 Lunar Module. It also appears they have created a large space ship out of spare parts from all the other Apollo space ships. Their plan is to completely transmute the population of Earth. Batman sends Damian back to the ship while he tries to change the splashdown site of the alien craft. Damian and Titus come to his rescue as the aliens end up in the most active volcano on Earth. In the end, father, son, and dog stare at the stars and imagine the possibilities.
So here’s is a great little story that does little more than show us how this father and son relate to each other. Peter J. Tomasi and Juan Joe Ryp, whose artwork is spectacular, give us a wonderful tale that seems to represent what DC will be bringing us in June when story becomes more important than continuity. It’s filled with excitement, adventure and just plain old fun. And, with a comics world that is filled with so much darkness, it’s nice to see something this light for a change.
BATMAN ETERNAL #48-52: In issue #48, Bard attempts to convince the mayor to release Gordon, which Hady refuses to do because, among other things, it’s election year. Hady attempts to fly out of Gotham on helicopter but Bard refuses to let him go until Hady signs Gordon’s release order. Meanwhile, each member of the Bat Family is busy with a different escapee from Arkham-each of whom has a weapon from Batman’s cache of weapons. As they try to subdue them, they loose access to the Batcave's computers, courtesy of Hush, who has escaped from his cell. At Blackgate Penitentiary, the Penguin gets a call from someone giving him the chance to get even with Falcone. Shortly thereafter, a guard opens the doors to the whole cellblock. In the Gotham River, Julia Pennyworth finally makes it to shore as Batman, having survived the crash of the Batplane, makes his way to an airfield where he steals a small jet. He hears of the riot at Blackgate, as does Bard and Bullock do. Gordon is surrounded, but Penguin calls off the inmates, as he wants Gordon all to himself. Spoiler contacts Vicki Vale and chastises her for not publishing an expose’ on Bard. Cluemaster sends a grappling hook through the window and hooks Spoiler, who tosses a USB stick full of evidence to Vicki.
In issue #49, GCPD worries about how The Penguin and company got loose and what will happen to Gordon. He warns the inmates that if he is killed, they won’t get out of the prison alive. He manages to get into an empty cell, bringing The Penguin in with him. The inmates leave and Gordon ties The Penguin up so they can have a chat. In the Batcave, Hush continues to keep Batman’s allies from accessing their weapons as he then sends the Batboat out to sink a cargo ship. Julia makes her way into the Robin's Nest where she can access Tim’s computer. She tries to stop the Batboat while Hush attempts to override her commands. Unbeknownst to him, Alfred has gotten free, knocks Tommy unconscious, then diverts the course of the Batboat, and restores communications to the others. Still at the mercy of the Arkham escapees, it leads Batman into battle against Bane. While all this goes on, Cluemaster tries to convince Spoiler that they should be a team, but she grabs the controls of his helicopter and bails out.
In issue #50, Batman takes down Bane by crashing the small jet into him. Getting updated on the riot at Blackgate, he heads there to end the situation by himself. Jim Gordon is surprised to see Sawyer, and Bard waiting to take him to freedom as Rex Calabrese admits that the riot and attempted prison murder of Jim must have been ordered by The Penguin. The villain is currently escaping with Killer Croc. Over on the roof of the Gotham Cathedral, Batman rescues Batwing from The Scarecrow by releasing his Fear Toxin upon Crane. Alfred and Julia note that Firefly is burning several Gotham neighborhoods, with Batman discovering that every municipal website has an invitation to the fall of Gotham on it. Jim Gordon and company reach the bridge to the mainland and see from that vantage point how their city is on fire. Though Jason Bard is not sure of what they can do, Jim responds that they should do what the GCPD always does when it faces hell on earth. They get to work. Batman helps Bluebird take down Mister Freeze and he takes his Cold Gun, which he uses on Clayface. He informs Tim and Batgirl, who has taken down the Joker’s Daughter, to save everyone they can. Alfred contacts him and tells of the invitation that requests his presence at Beacon Tower to watch the end of everything he holds dear. Arriving there, he is taunted, then gets hit with a thousand of volts as the Cluemaster tells him all he ever needed to do was follow the clues.
In issue #51, Batman is strapped to the Bat-Signal on top of the Beacon Tower as Cluemaster explains his Grand Plan to him. Batman calls him a “a second-rate Riddler knockoff” who could never have come up with this plan on his own. Cluemaster used Mad Hatter’s tech to help frame Gordon. He had sent out the invitations to Batman’s strongest enemies. And now he promises that Gotham will find Batman dead in the middle of the city that he couldn’t protect. Batman breaks free and punches Arthur in the face, beating him to the ground. Meanwhile, Selina Kyle declines to accept the invitation she received to split up the city and sell it for profit, warning the other crime bosses that they work for her. Over at GCPD, Gordon learns that Bard got the Governor to give them everything they would need in the way of weaponry and they prepare to take back their city. Spoiler meets with Bluebird and tells her she is leaving the city. Harper tells Stephanie that it’s obvious she doesn’t understand Batman’s allies do what they do as she gives Spoiler the safest route out of the city. As Batman and Cluemaster brawl, the villain pulls out a gun and remarks how Bruce will die by the gun as his parents did. Someone appears behind him and cuts his throat before he can pull the trigger. It may not have been part of Arthur’s plan, but Lincoln March says it has been his plan all along. Calling Bruce his brother, he says he is now prepared to put an end to it all.
In issue #52, we learn that Arthur Brown had broken in to Harbor House to challenge the Court of Owls, only to find they had all been poisoned by Lincoln March. But that was then. Today, Brown has been killed by March who is battling with his “brother” Bruce Wayne, who has tied his cowl around his head to protect what is left of his identity. March reveals how he will be responsible for the destruction of Batman, especially when it is revealed that he was a now penniless Bruce Wayne. But Jim Gordon has a plan and has arranged to have the Bat symbol painted or projected on the side of every skyscraper in Gotham along with having every flood light shine a new Bat-Signal into the sky. Gordon tells Gotham that everyone needs to be Batman tonight. All of Batman’s allies, even Talon Calvin Rose and Selina Kyle, rise to the occasion to save Gotham. Just when it seems March will succeed in killing Batman, Spoiler punches him in the face declaring herself as "Batman". A week later, Bard visits Vicki, saying he resigned the Commissioner's position and that Maggie Sawyer is now the new Commissioner. He is here to give Vicki an exclusive interview to help her with her story. Batman is called by , Bat-Signal to Selina’s to remind him that she and her associates helped save people and businesses during the riots. At what is left of Arkham, Jim Corrigan offers Batwing a job on his new task force called the Midnight Shift. Barbara and Jim Gordon catch up on things and she remarked how impressed she was that he didn’t lose his cool in prison. She also remarks that she had a friend pull her back from the edge and kept her from crossing the line when she was trying to save him. That was Jason Todd who tries to tell her how he feels in a voicemail to her, but can’t bring himself to send it. He calls Roy to pick him up and get him out of Gotham. Red Robin checks in on Harper and Stephanie who wants to know if March was found. Tim remarks that part of his suit was found and it seems someone got him. The Court of Owls has captured him and they lock him away in stasis until he learns his lesson. In the end, Batman and Jim Gordon learn The Scarecrow is on the loose and they head off to find him together.
Well the year has gone by quickly! And, because of the final scene in the book, we know a bit about continuity…you know: that thing that DC is walking away from! Scarecrow is loose and he next appears in BATMAN #35. And this obviously occurs before GOTHAM AFTER MIDNIGHT began. All in all, I have to give credit to Kyle Higgins, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Ray Fawkes, and Tim Seeley for crafting a convoluted, complex story. And Fernando Blanco, Álvaro Martínez, Robson Rocha, Eduardo Pansica, David LaFuente and Ray Fawkes provided the pictures for these final issues. This was one long ride that was mostly satisfying throughout the way and only had a couple of small bumps in the road. We did get to meet the NEW 52 Spoiler and watched as the Batman Family expanded. This title will go on hiatus but another mega story is planned for the future.
BATMAN SUPERMAN #20: Many years ago, baby Kal-El met his grandmother Kela, but she was not impressed as she had a dislike for Jor-El. After the destruction of Krypton, they ended up in the bottle and saw Superman as their captor, not their savior, especially after Xa-Du woke them. Meanwhile, Lois notices Batman sending out an all-hail Morse Code. Supergirl is extremely upset that her best friend from Kandor, Tali-Zar, is now her enemy, having been driven mad by all the years spent in stasis. Superman tries to explain he had spent all this time trying to save them as Batman arrives with a red son generator. Superman uses the absorbed energy from the red sun generator and turns it loose on his attackers, robbing every Kryptonian of their strength. Superman warns Xa-Du to surrender or be beaten to death at which point the Ant Farm explodes from out of the back of his skull, causing him to disappear. While most of the Kandorians are free, Kela, Mara, and Tali still demand revenge on the House of El. With Kandor back in the Fortress, we find that 1.3% of the people still want revenge on the House of El. In the end, Superman visits Felicity Regan, who explains he had saved her life twice and his worrying about people who are loved by him shouldn’t stop him from doing his job.
So, Xa-Du is Superman’s equivalent of the Joker? Well, if this is the baddest guy in his Rogue’s Gallery, then we need to re-examine that. I always thought Lex Luthor was the biggest, baddest guy, with Doomsday a close second. But since we turned Superman into Doomsday, I guess Kryptonian villains are the toughest. A cool story by Greg Pak with some nice work from Ardian Syaf in the illustration department. The same team comes along for the ride following CONVERGENCE, so we’ll see if this title can be more like the WORLD’S FINEST of old. That would be wishful thinking now, wouldn’t it?
BATMAN SUPERMAN ANNUAL #2: Although he has been defeated and dropped back into the Phantom Zone, Xa-Du still has a way to exercise his influence. Clark is investigating Honeymoon Island, where many died during Doomsday’s reign, and is forced to use his newfound Supernova powers to eliminate the threat from the Doomsday mists. Unfortunately, this leaves him powerless for 24 hours. He discovers survivors in a hospital ravaged by jungle growth. Xa-Du has also managed to convince Man bats, Cheshire, Bane and Killer Croc that they need to hunt and kill Clark Kent. Batman arrives and he ties Clark to one of the columns to keep him from trying to help without powers. Croc bursts in and brings the building down, freeing Clark as part of a plan they had concocted. While Batman and Clark battle with Cheshire and the Man Bats, one of the survivors goes to Bane and offers Clark up to him. Bane is unimpressed and kills the man. He catches up with Clark and is about to kill him when Batman arrives riding a blinded Croc, who ends up tumbling off the cliff with Bane. As Clark prepares to leave the island, he asks Janice if there is anything he can do. She replies that he can go to Hell and, under Xa-Du’s influence, stabs him, leaving the formerly Superman bleeding to death. In two months, everything changes..
Seriously!? You guys are REALLY going to leave us with a two-month cliffhanger? Aw man! That having been complained about, Greg Pak wrote a killer story while Tom Derenick, Tyler Kirkham, Ian Chruchill, Adrian Syaf and Emanuela Lupacchino did the art. I am still trying to figure out why it takes five artists to draw an annual when, back in the day, people like Jack Kirby did it virtually by himself.
BATWOMAN #40: Morgaine le Fay has raised all of the dead and demons from out of Slaughter Swamp to be her army. She breaks into a WayneTech facility where she gets to send herself and her army into space. Meanwhile, Batowman wonders if she murdered Alexandra Witherspoon, as her memories seem to tell her. She confronts Natalia about it and Natalia suggests that she is keeping Kate's secret after having found her bloody gloves. Red Alice arrives and Natalia forces Kate to attack her. To prove that she isn’t a vampire, Alice exposes her neck to Kate and invites her to bite it. Late realized that she has been hypnotized and that Natalia doesn't love her. Natalia responds that she doesn't even like her while Beth tells Natalia she has recorded her confession and streamed it to the police. Later, Ragman shows up and tells the sisters about Morgaine trip into space and suggests they need a space shuttle to fix the problem. To be continued in BATWOMAN ANNUAL #2.
Really DC? This is how you bring this series to a close-you leave us with a cliffhanger to be resolved in a five dollar Annual? While the story by Marc Andreyko with Georges Jeanty was cool and all, the whole idea of wrapping things up this way stinks. And this isn’t the only title this month that does that. And I’m pretty pissed about that too! This was such a great series until DC Editorial shot the creative team out of the water by a bad decision. And credit to Andreyko who did a nice job of trying to pick up the slack from that departure. Batwoman needs to now fade into the fabric of DC’s history.
BATWOMAN ANNUAL #2: The spacecraft Batwoman and company are travelling in crash lands in Gotham City, but not Gotham City in the present. Almost immediately, they are attacked by flying Man bats throwing sharp sticks who want our heroes for Queen Morgaine. Clayface kills them as Morgaine observes and summons Nocturna, Man O’War, Absinthe, Scatter, and Mr. Mortis. Batwoman and Clayface, who is masquerading as her hand fan, try to make their appearances less conspicuous and head out among the townspeople. Morgaine and her crew arrive and immediately jump into battle, capturing Batwoman in the process. Meanwhile, Ragman tries to bring Alice out of the deep coma she has fallen into. Shortly thereafter, Batwoman arrives with Dr. Jason Blood who she says is there only hope to stop Morgaine. At the same time, Notcurna is ready to drain Batwoman’s blood when Batwoman and the others arriving, causing Clayface to reveal himself as the fake Batwoman. During the battle, Jason uses the phrase to call Etrigan from within Morgaine, trapping her in the stone and then destroying it. All of them transport back to present day where they each have to face their futures. Clayface go to work for Rory while Jason has his own demon to contend with. Kate visits Maggie and insists the pair needs to talk.
And thus, Marc Andreyko, Georges Jeanty, Yishan li, Roberto Viacava and Ronan Cliquet bring this series to a close on what appears top be a happy note. Everyone is back where they belong, evil has been defeated, Clayface seems to have a new career and Kate is trying to repair her battered relationship with Maggie Sawyer. Hopefully, DC won’t think it’s a good idea to bury many of these characters, specifically Kate, Alice and Rory, in the archives. All have great potential, especially Ragman who needs to be brought back into a monthly title. For now, thanks for the ride: it was a blast!
CATWOMAN #40: Selina plans to kill her hostage at midnight if Mason doesn't come to her by then, knowing it was Black Mask who tried to have her killed. Selina tells Antonia's to leave and go into hiding, despite her protests, and makes plans to deal with the Sons of Forster Lane by herself. She follows Lewis back to The Penguin, who has been waiting for her ever since she had Killer Croc to get him out of the prison riot at Blackgate. She agrees to work with him if he makes all of his soldiers available to her. Later, Eiko meets with Selina on a rooftop, admitting she didn’t know that Lewis worked for the Penguin. Selina takes back her role as Catwoman so she can survive her upcoming battle with Black Mask. Meanwhile, Keyes and Alvarez decide to find the crooked cops on the GCPD and plan on taking Antonia into protective custody. Racing home, Selina finds that Mason is already there and, during the ensuing struggle, Antonia is shot in the leg. Selina warns Mason to leave Gotham and never come back or she will kill him. Still claiming to be her brother, he agrees. As she binds Antonia’s wound, she tells her that she is the one who loves the family the most and has lost the most, so she should lead them. She admits to herself that she will have to tell Ward and Antonia everything she knows about the Penguin and Catwoman. Alvarez discovers Catwoman broke into his apartment and left him a note telling him she will tell him who it's safe to trust. Black Mask sees Catwoman as does Batman, who smiles because she is back.
Genevieve Valentine and Garry Brown end this arc and prepare for the new team of Valentine and David Messina. I love the way it ended and it’s wonderful to see Selina Kyle back in the catsuit as opposed to the pantsuit. Antonia is truly the person to lead the family and I expect that she will not fad into the background in the post CONVERGENCE stories. This has been a great ride to here, but let’s get back to what Selina does best: steal, cheat and seduce the Dark Knight!
CONSTANTINE #23: Constantine has served up refugees to Darkseid in order to secure his escape and some of his counterpart’s family. But those family members want him dead for sacrificing their loved ones even if he has brought them alive to our world. Darkseid no longer hungers as the spell John cast earlier leads Darkseid to believe he has already consumed Earth 2. Thomas Constantine points a gun at John but admits he doesn’t have the guts to kill him. Maureen apparently does, although John admits he sacrificed a hundred to save billions. He speaks a magic word at the moment she pulls the trigger and he disappears. John returns to New York City, where he hears that Papa Midnite is looking for him. He ends up at Lloyd’s bar where he plans to tell Lloyd about what happened and pay his bill after they toast to life.
And thus ends the adventures of everyone’s favorite self-centered magic con man. Ray Fawkes and Jeremy Haun have tied this up nicely and left a potential revenge plot available for the future. After all, Thomas and Maureen feel cheated by having Constaine disappear from under their noses. So, where does this leave our favorite magic man? Well, he doesn’t like the taste of cigarettes any longer and we hear that his trademark trenchcoat may be going away too. I hope not. What are we gonna have-our Brit in a tux?
DEATHSTROKE #6: Deathstroke and Harley come across the dismembered body of Possum, but he continues to attacks with his cut up pieces. Meanwhile, Odysseus, Lady Shiva and Bronze Tiger have Rose and Jericho in their clutches when Slade and Harley arrived, heavily armed and looking for a fight. While Deathstroke and Oddysseus battle, So do Rose and Shiva, with Harley proving she’s a pain in the butt by shooting Shiva there. With things escalating and Slade being run through by Bronze Tiger, Jerciho declares he has had enough with all this violence. The next thing Slade knows is he finds himself recuperating in a strange place and gets an new offer from a mysterious lady in a mask. Obviously, repaired and rearmed, he accepts.
Tony S. Daniel ends this arc and prepares for the next one, post CONVERGENCE. I have to admit that this title is a complete guilty pleasure comic book. Sure, he’s this great anti-hero and you get to walk that line between loving him and hating him. but, because of Daniel’s pencils and Sandu Florea’s inks, this is a violent, gritty looking title with blood and body parts everywhere. So now, we wipe the slate clean and are prepared to have Slade start anew.
DETECTIVE COMICS #40: As Batman carries Bullock away from the scene, Alfred Pennyworth hacks into an Anarky mask to get Hatter's tech from it. Batman vows to save Hatter, who is about to be attacked by a group of masked people who accuse him of being a child killer. While Batman battles Anarky, Alfred discovers that the signal is coming from inside the Blue House. Alfred tells Harvey to find the source of the signal so it can be blocked. He finds it in the form of the Hatter's top hat, but can’t figure out the frequency. Anarky is revealed as councilman Sam Young. During their fight, part of the building collapses and pins them under the debris where Young explains how Lester gave his sister Alice to the Hatter. As a memorial to her, he makes everyone wear her face on the Anarky mask. Harvey puts the hat on his own head, convinces the people to remove their masks and they help free Batman. Later, Harvey is in a hospital bed being fed by Detective Yipp. At the same time, Lonnie gets discharged and among his possessions is an Anarky mask. Young and Hatter are put in jail while Batgirl tries to recover the wiped city records. The book ends with Bruce and Alfred removing the Christmas lights from Wayne Manor, where they agree that Gotham still needs a dark knight.
I have to admit that I saw this issue as a bit of a let down. I really thought Anarky would be revealed as one of Batman’s Rogue’s gallery in disguise and thought there might be more information revealing the hatter’s true motives for all those murders. Instead, we get a story that contradicts story we have gotten before regarding Alice and the hatter. Either way, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato give us a compelling tale of revenge. Come back in June to see the new direction, with a new Batman…at least that is the promise!
DETECTIVE COMICS ENDGAME #1: As Gotham is suffering the effects of the Joker's Virus, Lonnie Machin texts his mother to make sure she is okay. While being shot at by a couple of infected cops, he is pulled to safety by a youth named Dax and they break into a private school where Dax’ friends Dre and Rico are hiding. They clear out the school of the infected while Lonnie hacks into the security cameras at the strip club his mother works at to see if she's there. Finding her, he leaves, unaware that infected mob hitmen are attacking the place. As the team tries to get into the club and past the infected hitmen, Batwoman ends up coming to Lonnie’s rescue and warns them to get some help, which ends up being Spoiler. Spoiler passes out tranquilizer guns that, unfortunately, only have four shots each. Lonnie grabs some Anarky Masks out of a dumpster and sprays Joker's grin onto them, which tricks the infected and allows them to pass. Once inside, Lonnie removes his mask, promising his mom that she will be safe He thanks the new friends he has made and they respond that this is what friends are for.
As you may have already noticed, there are a bunch of one shots this month that tie into the ENDGAME storyline running in BATMAN and this is one of them. Now, here’s my thoughts on this. First: we now have an idea about continuity as Lonnie grabs the Anarky masks that end up featuring prominently in recent issues of DETECTIVE COMICS. Second, I believe this may be the first appearance, although DC hasn’t confirmed it, of the team that will be featured in WE ARE ROBIN. Third, Brian Buccellato gives us a fun story that makes me wonder who in DC thought it was a good idea to have Lonnie’s mom work in the strip club. Last, the art by Roge Antonio and Ronan Cliquet was nice-nothing spectacular, but nice.
EARTH 2 #32: Apokolips has arrived and a giant drill is ready to make it’s way deep into the center of Earth 2. Hawkgirl points out that it’s not a drill but is a modified satellite. As most of the heroes realize that their world is doomed, Commander Sato insists that the ten of them need to band together and fight the Gods. This inspires Kara, Val, Hawkgirl and Doctor Fate to launch into to battle and try to find a way to shut down the power source aboard Apokolips. In a flashback, Hawkgirl’s origin is revealed, as is her connection to Khalid, after which they find the power source and destroy it. Emerging from the ship, Khalid appear to be in control of Doctor Fate although Nabu seems to have other ideas.
And thus ends EARTH 2…the series that is, although the actual end of Earth 2 appears to be only a few weeks away. Daniel H. Wilson, Marguerite Bennett, and Mike Johnson wrote it while Andy Smith and Airi Kamiyama drew it. But, it’s not totally over yet as the story continues into the last five issues of the weekly. Personally, I think it’s pretty humorous that the weekly, and apparently the world, ends on April Fools Day.
EARTH 2 WORLD’S END #22-26: In issue #22, Green Lantern discovers that all the other Avatars have been become part of him and is using his new power to hold the Earth together. Meanwhile, Kalibak, Barda, and the parademons attack Amazonia and Jimmy Olsen arrives with the power of the Mother Box to guide him. Kalibak discovers that the Mother Box has transformed Jimmy into a New God. In space, it seems that a slight of hand allowed the Endurance from another universe to be sacrificed instead of the Earth 2 ship. Batman, The Huntress, and Red Arrow discover that Brainwave has hijacked the Evac ships and they need to get them back. Luckily, they arrive just in time to save Grayson from being killed by Ted Grant under Brainwave’s control but not there soon enough to save Dick’s son from disappearing again. Val, Kara and Lois discover that Green lantern has expended all the energy he gained from the Parliament and Apokolips is still prepared to finish the Earth.
In issue #23, Yolanda Montez is back to her human self, leading one to wonder if the other Avatars survived although Green Lantern’s shield for the Earth hasn’t worked. He teams up with Val, Kara and Lois and manages to pierce a hole in Apokolips, allowing the sun to shine through to Earth. Meanwhile, Commander Soto informs Michael Holt that they need to make room for two and a half million people on the escape crafts. Kalibak turns on Barda and she hides herself among the refugees heading to our Earth.
In issue #24, Darkseid is gloating that he has won as the terraforming has begun. Unfortunately for him, Val, Kara and Lois have other plans as they burst into Apokolips. Darkseid gives a beating to Val but Kara, sporting her new costume, tells him that SHE is this planet’s Superman. Back on Earth, the loading of the refugees begins, including Aquawoman and the survivors of Atlantis along with Barda and K’li. But Flash refuses to leave his mother to assist, causing a rift between he and Hawkgirl. Dick has found his son again but he and Ted realize they need to assist in Atom’s haven, so he turns Tommy over to a kind woman who happens to be Barda. Alan Scott arrives on the TSS Endurance looking for answers on how to save the world.
In issue #25, Kalibak leads a final assault above Atom’s Haven where the ship Dick Grayson and Batman are travelling in is suddenly swarmed by the invaders. Meanwhile, in the Court of Apokolips, Lois, Kara and Val battle Darkseid. He tosses Val away, which actually frees him up to save Dick and Batman, while Kara puts one of Darkseid’s eyes out. Hawkgirl, The Flash and Doctor Fate arrive as do Huntress, Batman, and Red Arrow to know success as Darkseid smiles and tells them they are racing to their doom. On the TSS Endurance, a host of ghost ships arrive, created by Sloan or versions of him. Suddenly, Green Lantern sees and feels the Multiverse by way of the Multiversal Green, which causes him to race off to save the world. But he may be too late, as it seems that Darkseid stands triumphant.
In issue #26, Green Lantern and Lois fall to Darkseid and the heroes prepare to make their last stand. Green Lantern becomes powered by the energies of all the spectrum colors and becomes the Chosen One. The fleeing ships are slowly being decimated by the armies of Apokolips and Mister Miracle makes the decision that they must leave now with the few survivors they have. Within Atom’s Haven, The Flash leaves his mother and joins with the others in the final defense against Kalibak and his army. Green Lantern, Dick Grayson, Batman and Val attack Darkseid and seemingly die in the process while Jimmy Olsen, Steel, Sato, Red Arrow and The Huntress escape on the TSS Endurance. The ship prepares for faster than light travel. Earth is lost.
And with that, the NEW 52 Universe says goodbye to the people of Earth 2. Darkseid has won and now the survivors are set adrift in search of a home. With the events that have occurred in NEW 52 FUTURE’S END(spoilers ahead!), they can’t come to our Earth any more, as that has all changed. So where do they go? We’ll all get to find out in CONVERGENCE and then in EARTH 2: SOCIETY by Daniel H. Wilson and Jorge Jimenez. This series was written by Daniel H. Wilson, Marguerite Bennett, Mike Johnson, Cullen Bunn with art on these issues by Scott McDaniel, Tyler Kirkham, Eduardo Pansica, Jack Hebert, Jorge Jimenez, Robson Rocha, and Eddy Barrows. This was a really entertaining series with some truly tragic moments in it.
THE FLASH #40: Iris and Patty realize Flash is a murderer who is battling with a villain known as Overload. He blasts Barry with energy that causes the watch Patty gave him to explode. He admits to her that he is from the future and came here to fix things, but has only made them worse. She tells him he needs to stop Overload without killing him, causing him to crash the satellite towers and leave Overload powerless. Inside the Speed Force, our Barry has been captured by Selkirk, who plans to use him to bring down the lightning to allow him to escape. One of the bolts gives Barry his powers back, but bounces off his body and appears to kill Selkirk. As Flash leaves the Speed Force and returns to his time, it awakens Selkirk, who now possesses the power of the Speed Force and jumps through the rift into Central City. The two Flashes lead Selkirk to a forest where the future Barry causes an explosion that consumes he and Selkirk. Our Barry finds his future self dying, saying that not everything can be fixed. As he dies, he gives him one thread of information regarding the murder of his mother-"Thawne". Later Barry and Patty are reunited, but she tells him she is leaving him because all she sees is the man who deceived her. Elsewhere, Professor Zoom gathers up Selkirk, whose spine is broken, and he promises to teach him about the power he claimed.
Wow! Yeah…THAT’S how you write a kick-ass ending! Robert Venditti, Van Jensen and Brett Booth combine their talents to knock this one out of the park! Barry comes home and Patty breaks up with him, future Barry redeems himself and Professor Zoom continues to scheme! This book looks incredible and reads equally as awesome! I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes after CONVERGENCE. Do we get Barry…or will someone else don the costume. Only time will tell.
GOTHAM ACADEMY #6: With both Batman and the police arriving to try capturing Killer Croc, Olive decides to set off some fireworks as a distraction. But it accidentally causes the building to catch on fire and Croc comes to her rescue. He tells her that he learned about the tunnels from her mother and then turns her over to her friends as he leaves. That night, Batman shows up to talk to Olive, saying putting her mother in Arkham was the best thing for the city. He then demands she give him the diary, but she says it was burned up by the fireworks. During their presentation, we learn that Millie Jane had been locked away at Gotham Academy and the secrets the place held cost her her life. The grade Olive and Pomerline get is a C+ and Lucy tells Olive that she's being moved to a different school. Colton Rivera shows off his A and Maps realizes the symbol across campus is two inverted A’s-as in Arkham Asylum. Maps suggests they start a Detective Club as Olive thinks she sees her mother in a crowd of students. Meanwhile, Damian Wayne steals Olive’s copy of the diary out of her room and returns it to his father in the Headmaster's office. Damian is now enrolled in Gotham Academy.
Hey, how about the fact that that diary has the inscription in it as being from MW to BW. Yeah-that would be Martha Wayne to Bruce Wayne. So, how does this book end up in Olive’s hand and what is the connection between her, her mother and the Waynes? This book just keeps getting better and better despite the look and fell of it being a ‘Tween’ title. This is a fun ride by Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl.
GOTHAM ACADEMY ENDGAME #1: While the outside world is being affected by those suffering from the Joker Virus, the students of Gotham Academy are hunkered down inside Maps mentions that maybe they can be saved by the legendary Custodian, who stalks the Academy and fights off ghosts and ghouls. They begin to tell ghost stories with Pomeline starting. Her story concerns a boy who once was haunted by a Joker mask. Professor MacPherson arrives and tells the tale of the wandering jester of the Scottish Highlands who would force people to laugh and sing as he told tales and showed off his collection of human faces, severed limbs and played his bagpipe made of rotting flesh. Olive tells the story of the student who accidentally summoned The Smiling Man, which led to the boy seeing his own grinning face everywhere to the point of driving him mad. In the end, it seems that the legendary Custodian, swords in hand, has managed to round up the infected on the grounds of the Academy.
This was a wonderful tie-in to the whole ENDGAME story playing out in BATMAN. In fact, this was my favorite of all of the tie-in one-shots because it actually gave some support, through the tales of legend, that the Joker IS immortal. Major props to Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher for writing this cool little gem. And equally high props to Jeff Stokely, Clio Chiang, Joy Ang and Vera Brosgol who provided the art for the main story and the individual ghost stories. This was a lot of fun and a nice way to close this series down until after CONVERGENCE.
GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #5: While The Spectre prepares to cleanse Gotham City, Lisa Drake and Dr. Tarr arrive to find Detective Corrigan unconscious and Sgt. Rook with a heart that has stopped. The creature is called Ikkondrid and it is the spirit of the village that was destroyed to allow Gotham to be built. Batman tries to blow the creature up but is attacked in the process. Sister Justine and Lt. Weaver arrive and are prepared to kill Corrigan if that is what it will take to stop the Spectre. Lisa screams, meaning someone is going to die before this is over. The city goes silent as all noise is replaced by the sound of The Voice causing Ikkondrid to returns to Slaughter Swamp. The Spectre remarks that humanity must remember the innocents who were sacrificed. In this case, Sister Justine sacrificed herself for Gotham's sins.
Ray Fawkes gave us a killer of an ending to a cool story arc that also represents a changing of the creative team. Ben Templesmith exits and Juan Ferreyra enters. I am curious as to how Ferreyra’s art is going to affect the look of this book as we all know that part of the unusual nature of this title is Templesmith’s angular art. Fawkes is so good writing the supernatural and he has done a nice job on this. Come back in June and see if we get more of The Spectre or more of NYPD BOO!
GRAYSON #8: We learn that Mister Minos is a double agent who joined Spyral to reveal their secrets to the media agent he is sitting in a diner with. As he does so, another Minos shoots Helena in the chest with her own crossbow. Over in gym class, Dr. Netz bursts in with Helena in his arms. She explains that she had to play dead and reveals that Minos shot her. At the Chapel, Agent 1 knocks the gun from Minos' and tells him to explain himself or get his privates shot off. Explaining he has a secret, Minos introduces Agent 1 to Paragon, who has been assembled from the Paragon organs and filled with the powers of the Justice League. Dick arrives and tries to defeat Paragon but has to get an assist from the girls of the school who fire crossbow bolts into it. Dick grabs Agent 1’s gun and shoots it straight into Paragon’s chest. Minos promises to leak Spyral's secrets, so Helena shoots him with a crossbow and kills him. However, the REAL Minos has already leaked those secrets. The one Helena killed is a composite pretending to be him. Minos tells his media contact that he is going to Ireland in exchange for giving information to Clair about Dick. Then he realizes she is the Agent 0 and, knowing he is about to die, begs her to let reveal his real identity. But she shoots him with a dart inside her lipstick, remarking that she doesn’t care.
Tim Seeley, Tom King and Mikel Janín bring this chapter of Dick Grayson Secret Agent to a close with a major series of twists! Multiple versions of Minos and not even a chance to tell us who they were. And the good news is the creative team remains the same when the book returns following CONVERGENCE. But there are promises of new twists and new characters, so let’s see if DC can manage to NOT MESS THIS UP.
GREEN ARROW #40: Green Arrow and his allies make their way into John King's building, with Ollie and Felicity making their way to the 70th floor via an empty elevator shaft. Once there, they trip an explosive booby-trap which Oliver's grappling hook saves them from completely flying out the window. They begin downloading the needed information but Zehra enters and tells them to delete the files or King will kill his daughter Mia. He gives him twenty minutes to bring the hard drive to the build site for his housing project. Oliver gets to the site and finds Mia tied to a scaffolding, warning Oliver in time that King doesn’t hit him with the sword he carries. King explains that everyone has a price at which point Mia shoots Ollie in the back and then turns the gun on King only to learn she is out of bullets. But she has a surprise for him as Green Arrow wears kevlar and the hero is up and fires an arrow into King. Soon, the news is reporting about King's corruption and murder. Oliver has offered Mia a place to stay, while Felicity has been invited to join A.R.G.U.S., but decides to work with Oliver and Diggle. That is as long as she gets a costume.
Ben Sokolowski, Andrew Kreisberg, and Daniel Sampere leave this title and make way for the new team of Ben Percy and Richard Zircher. While this was nowhere near as great as the Lemire/Sorrentino run, but it was better than the work of J.T. Krul, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, or Ann Nocenti. The storyline was fun and I like that we now have a new trio in the form of Oliver, Diggle and Felicity. I hope Percy and Zircher have their shop in order as fans will be scrutinizing this. Don’t less us down, folks!
GREEN LANTERN #40: The Guardians are scheming again, preparing to play out their final gambit. Hal informs Kilowag that he is leaving the Corps, much to Kilowag’s disappointment. Later, Hal steals Krona’s Gauntlet from the evidence room on Mogo. Unfortunately, Kilowog stops him, calling him a traitor, and challenges him to a fight. Hal nearly beats Kilowog to death, hugs his unconscious body and is caught by Salaak and some other Lanterns. Hal breaks loose and leaves Mogo. He leaves behind his costume, his ring and his legacy of being the Greatest Green Lantern of all time.
And two months from now, DC claims that a bold new era begins. Well, it should be new as now Hal is no longer a Lantern. Robert Venditti and Billy Tan finish this arc and will continue on the next one where Hal gets a new costume and really: if the book is going to be about him, it should have a title change. Or are we gonna get the OTHER guy who proved so unpopular with the fans?
HARLEY QUINN #16: Harley and Ivy start with a movie, or two and then go to dinner where Harley says that she has received eighty applicants for her assistant job. She also talks of how Big Tony found her an old hotel called The Dreamin’ Seaman to put her potential new hires in. Despite the fact the building is a mess, she is quite happy to get it for $200,000. Later, she interviews several candidates, but is finding she is having a hard time eliminating prospects. She decides to turn off the lights for two minutes and whoever is left standing, gets to stay. When it’s over, the group has been significantly reduced and she sends those left to see Tony for their instructions. She goes to visit Queenie to see what the costumes to look at the costume designs. Then she goes back to see how Tony and Eggy are making out with the remodeling, using supplies bought from purchases made on Barney Runoff’s credit card. On the day of the move-in, she gives each girl a uniform, a folder with emergency numbers, spending money, and a weapons allotment. As they go to get dressed, she stops a blind paraplegic named Holly Hamden and puts her in charge of overseeing the entire operation. And then, the big moment as Harley is introduced to the Gang of Harleys.
The Dreamin’ Seaman? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? No really-ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!? Yeah…further proof this title has gone to places not seem in a while in a comic book. We have nods to, maybe even plugs for, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD and FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. We have DC Variant Movie Poster covers in the theater. We even have a less than shameless pitch from letterer Chris Conroy who makes it a point, in a full page illio, that you can get all of your Harley Quinn merch at Hot Topic. I give no points on creativity to the team of Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti Chad Hardin, and John Timms. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for making this fun and funny comic become a combination of bad humor and toilet jokes.
INFINITY MAN AND THE FOREVER PEOPLE #8: Dreamer wakes most of the rest of the team saying she has seen Mark die. Mark isn’t quite dead yet but he has been delivered to the feet of Lord Aagog. Refusing to turn Dreamer over to him, Aagog orders that he be put to death and he is. The Forever People arrive and begin to battle with Aagog’s followers while Dreamer uses some of her Anti-Life to bring Mark back to life. Aagog closes his portal, leaving his followers behind and allowing Dreamer to give them a taste of the Anti-Life. Later, she tucks Mark into bed and remarks how it is good that things are back to normal. Elsewhere, Granny and Lashina make note that the four who were once her greatest warriors were naughty and she needs to give them her special love to get them ready for war. Lastly, Big Bear gets a visit from infinity man, who asks for his help.
Okay: I’m just a little confused here. It seems that Dreamer is the possessor of the Anti-Life. Can that be right? And Mark, the love of her life, dies and then gets resurrected? Okay…if you say so. Dan Didio, Keith Giffen and Daniel Hdr deliver this tale that, unfortunately, sort of limps along until the very end of the issue. Granny Goodness and Lashina appear, as does Infinity Man. Now, based on the “Next Issue” blurb, we know that we’ll be getting the origin of Infinity Man. But will we get a chance to see Granny and the war? This issue ends next month (actually, later this month as this issue was off schedule last month) and, unless that plot thread gets thrown into the upcoming JUSTICE LEAGUE story, I don’t see that happening. Well, one can hope!
INFINITY MAN AND THE FOREVER PEOPLE #9: Infinity Man tells Big Bear his origin. A long time ago, Izaya and another New God were on a secret mission to deliver a bomb to the heart of the parademons that were on a war-torn New Genesis. Unfortunately, their camouflage was hacked and one of the pair died in the process, further calling into question Izaya’s leadership abilities. Later, Himon suggests that Izaya agree to the terms to end the conflict: swapping a child of New Genesis for one from Apokolips. Izaya refuses as his child is all he has left to remind him of his dead wife. Eventually, the scene shifts to Izaya at the Source Shard-the last original piece left of the Source Wall, located at the very edge of the Multiverse. The Wall tells Izaya that he must do what will be done and the creature that emerges from the wall tells the unconscious Iszaya that he will forever be known as Highfather. That creature, part Source Wall and part Highfather, is Infinity Man. And this is why Infinity man needs to go back to New Genesis and help Highfather become a shepherd and not a warrior., Big Bear walks away to tell his fellow Forever People what has happened and Infinity Man that they will always me on a collision course with destiny.
That ending was totally cut short by DC’s canceling of this title. You could almost see on the very last panel that the dialogue had been rewritten to account for the book ending. I cannot see Dan Didio and Keith Giffen, who drew the book to my delight, writing the line: “then take care” for Infinity Man to utter when Big Bear walks away. This is SO obvious that some editor had that changed from whatever was supposed to be there in the original script. And the “To be continued…somewhere in the DC Multiverse” was a slap in the face to loyal readers like myself who know this will all be washed away by CONVERGENCE. Thanks DC for finally giving us a story that tied in nicely to the original Kirby Source Wall (yes-I got giddy seeing the hand writing on the wall) and then saying Buh Bye to it.
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