DC YOU Month #1, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #41: Clark Kent is hungry and tired and a long way away from Metropolis. He is jobless, almost powerless, has been outed as Superman, and there are numerous lawsuits filed against him. He buys a motorcycle, gets in a fight, and goes on a road trip before ending up in Metropolis, where he finds there is a warrant out for his arrest.  Meeting up with Jimmy Olsen, he discovers that the block where he used to live has been renamed Kentville. A shadow creature attacks Metropolis, similar to one which has attacked him earlier. As he battles the creature, the Metropolis police are ordered to go into to Kentville and burn it down.

Talk about a new beginning! And a confusing one to say the least. The reason for the confusion in this first part of the TRUTH storyline is that it takes place after events in SUPERMAN #41 and #42, neither of which had come out when this book hit the stands. Pak’s story is powerful and I am pretty certain that this is going to be a defining piece in his repertoire, just like his HULK run was. Aaron Kuder’s art is sharp and crisp and the only thing that confused me was when Jimmy Olsen got this semi-Afro look? And is that facial hair? Wow! What ever happened to the bow-tie wearing kid? Anyway, this is a great start to a new era for the Big Blue Boy Scout.

ALL STAR SECTION EIGHT #1: Sidney Speck gets drunk at an art gallery and ends up becoming SixPack: leader of Section Eight. He knows there is trouble coming and needs to put the legendary team back together but most of the team died helping Hitman fight the demonic Multi-Angled Ones. After much searching, he gets a team of seven together: PowerTool, Bueno Excellente, Guts, The Grappler, Dogwelder, Baytor and himself. Wondering whom he is going to get to fill out his team, he sees Batman and asks him. Unfortunately, Batman gets a parking ticket while going to an ATM and drives off without joining.

Welcome to the funniest, most brilliant book from out of the second week’s releases of the new DC You. Garth Ennis and John McCrea, the mad geniuses behind HITMAN and THE BOYS, have reunited with this new team that first appeared in HITMAN. And it is hilarious! I mean, we have a character named DOGWELDER!!! There are lots of great jokes and ribs and McCrea even has the nerve to draw three specific iconic Batman images into the tale: the classic Neal Adams, the Kelly Jones ‘Broken Bat’ and the Jim Aparo ‘Death in the Family’ Batman. In addition, they all end up in the context of the tale. Of course, we also get a Batman who drops an “S-Bomb” three panels from the end of the book and complains about the three dollars it would cost him to use an ATM out of his network. Do NOT read this expecting it to be a serious superhero romp. Read this because you know it will be an unbelievable romp of epic silly proportions.

AQUAMAN #40: In St. Louis , a strange creature arrives to attack the city. Aquaman also arrives, defeating the creature and calling out the beings who live inside it. They battle, leading him to freeze them all and then strike them down. We learn that he and his people have encountered them before and Vulko explains that it’s less like an invasion but more like a disease spreading across their kingdom. After seeing his proposal to Mera, we find we’re back in the present, where he is being attacked by his fellow Atlanteans before teleporting away to the Amazon, where he is greeted warmly by the invaders.

If it feels like you just stepped into the middle of a movie, having missed the first hour or so, then you are right. This is what this issue is all about. For some unknown reason, Aqauman is in new duds and being hunted by his own people for siding with some other people. And the flashback reveals that he proposed to Mera. Wait: weren’t they already married? And why is Vulko being treated like Hannibal Lector? Besides being confused by this, the story by Cullen Bunn is so truncated that it is hard to follow. I literally had to read the present storyline as a unit and then the past storyline. Too many jumps like this makes Hulk’s head hurt! And Trevor McCarthy’s art is just too angular and blocky for me to enjoy. I hope this book improves, as it was a major disappointment to go from where it was to this.

BATGIRL  #41: While battling a bunch of hooded weirdos worshiping a large electronic tube, the new Batman arrives, threatening to arrest her. As one of the hooded ones attacks him, she escapes. Later, she tells Frankie about the incident when her father, with his new clean-shaven look, arrives and takes her out for ice cream. In the process, he reveals that he is the new Batman and has been charged with tracking down and arresting all the other vigilantes out there. Meanwhile, Livewire gets loose from the electronic tube and terrorizes Burnside. During their battle, the new batman arrives and Livewire flees, leaving Batman to arrest Batgirl.

I could probably stomach this title if it weren’t for a number of things. First, the cartoony art by Babs Tarr, which has gotten more cartoony with this issue thanks to “background assists” and colors by Joel Gomez and Serge Lapointe. Second, when did Batgirl become a teenage ditz? This IS the same hero who was once shot by the Joker, wheel chair bound, remarkably repaired and then led the Birds of Prey, right? Cameron Stewart and Brendan Fletcher continue to rewrite the legacy of Batgirl, aiming it at a younger, female audience. And, I still hate it! Although, they do get points for dropping Jim Gordon in to the mix and telling his daughter he would hate for her to find out he was leading a double life.

BATMAN #41: Two months have passed since Batman and The Joker died and now there is a new Batman in town. Inside an armored suit is former Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon. When it seems that none of the possible Batman recruits would measure up, Geri Powers convinces Gordon to fill the role while Harvey Bullock convinces him to quick smoking. With the help of Julia Perry and Daryl Gutierrez, who pilot the Bat Ship that works like Oracle once did, Gordon has a new haircut and a new attitude. On his first mission, he an energy creature being controlled by a criminal named Precious Precious. This member of the Whisper Gang has baseball legend Dodger Valera hostage and it comes down to Jim, with his Bat Taser, to save him. In the end, we see that a lone, bearded man on a park bench MAY be Bruce Wayne. So, if Bruce Wayne IS alive, why is he no longer Batman.

And this is why BATMAN is the best selling DC title on the stands. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo just absolutely crush it with each and every issue and, at this rate, they could hang on and break the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby record for issues set in the classic days of FANTASTIC FOUR. We get a little bit of recent history, some great action, and a mystery. So, IS that Bruce Wayne? We all know you can’t kill him, just as you can’t kill Clark Kent. And rumor has it that he has already appeared in BATMAN #40 and in the FCBD DIVERGENCE book. Both times, we see a bandaged man on crutches with a someone that has an "R" on his jacket (Batman and Damian perhaps?). Come back next month as the mystery deepens and the book continues to shake up the comic world.

BATMAN BEYOND #1: In the future city of Neo-Gotham, Batman is fighting the Jokerz gang , where he eventually gets the Veil security system engaged to hide Gotham from Brother Eye. He goes to the apartment that Nora and Matt share and he is told of a place called The Lodge where it is believed many of Terry McGuiness’ friends are being held captive. Flying through a devastated New York, he encounters the Brother Eye created Robot Superman, eventually beating him in combat. Making his way into the P.O.W. Camp, he encounters a much older friend from his past: Barbara Gordon.

Here are some things that you need to know about this title. First, Terry McGuiness, the Batman of the future in comics and animated television shows, is dead, having died trying to stop Brother Eye during the FUTURE’S END event. Second, the current Batman is Tim Drake: our favorite Red Robin who is much older and went to the future to find that he didn’t succeed in eliminating Brother Eye. Third: Neo-Gotham is the only city that hasn’t been affected by Brother Eye. So we have a post apocalyptic world where pockets of survivors are all that is left. But Tim is youngish and Babs Gordon is not. Dan Jurgens and Bernard Chang do a great job and have sucked me into a title that I never bought in the old DCU. Nice job guys: I look forward to where you take this.

BATMAN SUPERMAN #21: Superman is fighting the good fight, even though his powers have been diminished. A police officer, who stood up against his sergeant recently, tells him to move along following his defeat of some bad guys. Clark heads over to visit Lex Luthor who reveals that he has tracked the energy signature of the weapons that have recently been used against Superman to Gotham City. So off they go, where they have a run-in with the new Batman who tries to arrest Clark. Discovering some evidence, he heads to the Bat Cave where he finds a one-armed Alfred and learns that Bruce is dead. Later, Lois calls him and explains the chaos that has occurred in the lives of Perry, Jimmy and herself because of her outing him. Returning to the Bat Cave, he paints and customizes his motorcycle and goes off to confront Batman.

I totally LOVE where the TRUTH story is going, but have a MAJOR COMPLAINT. This is the SECOND Superman book out this month (ACTION COMICS #41 being the first) and the second one to make references to books that haven’t hit the stands yet. In ACTION COMICS, it was references to SUPERMAN #41 and #42 and here we find out that the police officer confronting his sergeant happened in ACTION COMICS #42, which is three weeks away. Can you say SPOILER? I’m guessing that, during the attempt to burn down Kentville, this cop said no. Okay…thanks for ruining THAT SURPRISE. Other than that, Greg Pak and Adrian Syaf turned in a book that had me waiting to see what was next with every page turn. And Alfred with one arm? I guess he didn’t get that fixed, did he?

BAT-MITE #1: Bat-Mite is on trial and gets exiled to our Earth where we find him driving and crashing the Batmobile while chasing some criminals. Batman arrives, defeats the criminals, and frees the young woman who had been locked in the trunk of the criminal’s car. Then women in a nurse’s outfit pops up and drugs Bat-Mite. He is awakened and finds himself captured by woman named Doctor Trauma. Her plan, in order to keep herself young, is to implant her brain in Hawkman’s body. Can our little hero save the day?

Well, that was fun and as silly as I expected it to be. Dan Jurgens and Colin Howell do a great job of tapping into the classic DC humor titles like BOB HOPE, SUGAR AND SPIKE, and THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY LEWIS. This is certainly not going to appeal to everyone, but I knew this was going to be corny when I jumped into it. If you’re a fan of HARLEY QUINN, you MIGHT like this, although I think the jokes are fresher and funnier here. So, it’s a six issue commitment that I think I can live with.

BIZZARO #1: Jimmy Olsen, Bizarro and Colin the Chupacabra head off on a road trip. After a bit of an accicent, they end up at King Tut’s Slightly Used Car Oasis. Tut gains powers from three aliens masquerading as Osiris, Horus and Anubis and proceeds to attempt to get everyone in Smallville to buy a car.

It doesn’t sound like much, but you actually have to read it. I won’t tell you about the gags and jokes, but I will tell you the book is a ball! Rumor has it that Heath Corson pitched this to DC Editorial as PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES but I think it feels more like FEAR AND LAOTHING IN LAS VEGAS. Gustavo Duarte art is cool and cartoony and we get a one-page dream sequence courtesy of the legendary Bill Sienkiewicz that is a dream come true! This was dumb and fun and is not about to win any major awards. But who cares? This is just a fun ride with two unlikely partners and

BLACK CANARY #1: The Black Canary Band has developed a reputation for having trouble at their gigs as five of their last seven shows have come to a quick end because of violence. This is a big concern to band member Byron, as she seems to feel all of this started when D. D. joined the band. With a great voice, a lack of stage presence, and a shadowy past behind her, the band tries to get through their gigs without chaos and get an album recorded in the process. At their next gig, the scary shadow creatures that have been observing D. D. forces another violent incident where the band cancels their show and our hero is forced to use her Canary Cry to subdue them. One of the creatures reveals that “he” is coming for Ditto, the band’s silent guitarist. With that, D. D. decides it is time to train the band in the art of hand-to-hand combat.

I haven’t quite figured out how I feel about this book. It’s not a true superhero title and it’s not really a rock and roll story. Rather, it is this weird hybrid by Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu, which means it has the feel of the BATGIRL title that so drastically got revamped several months back. And it even has that weird look to it too. What I don’t like about this title is how D. D.’s past has been shoved aside and isn’t it convenient that the Black Canary has joined a band called the Black Canary Band? And she has suddenly become much younger than we remember her. What I DO like about this book is the story. We have aliens or some kind of weird creature tracking down a silent guitarist who plays the meanest guitar around but has some connection to these creatures. I also like Fletcher and Wu’s storytelling, complete with several virtually wordless pages during the club gig. So, I have to go at least another issue or two as the story has totally hooked me.

CATWOMAN #41: Selina Kyle is at the opera and has a clandestine meeting with Oswald Cobblepot regarding their alliance. Back at home, she discovers from Ward that Batman is dead and is racked by grief and seeks comfort in the arms of Eiko. Meanwhile, Alvarez and Keyes are investigating a murder at restaurant owned by a former cop while also having to handle less than desirable cases as punishment for what has previously transpired involving Kyle. Black Mask meets with Cobblepot and continues to plan on how to wipe out the Calabreses. Back at Kyle’s house, Mario Falcone arrives with an olive branch and Antonia is charged with giving him a mission before they will accept. Selina and Eiko meet again and Selina decides to put the costume back on and seek out information on what happened to Batman.

Now you know that Selina’s sexuality has been not only hinted at but revealed when THE RAINBOW HUB, a website devoted to news and media for the News and media for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual community, covers this book! Of course, to be fair, they have also recently covered SQUIRREL GIRL and SECRET WARS too! What was only hinted at, up until THE KISS a few issues back, becomes more evident as Selina’s apparent bi-sexuality continues (after all, her first issue featured one intense romantic encounter with the Dark Knight). Genevieve Valentine, with art from new series artist David Messina, continues to bring us a new and different Catwoman, although it is GREAT to see her back in the suit after way too long in the pant suit. This is not to say that she doesn’t spend the entire issue except for the last page in the clothes of the head of the Calabrese Crime Family, because she does. Valentine’s story, somewhere between BOARDWALK EMPIRE and THE SOPRANOS is entertaining and Messina’s art is nice and recalls Terry Dodson’s work. This continues to be a winner of a title!

CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #1: John Constantine is standing in a clothing store, naked and covered in blood. He convinces the salesgirl that this isn’t what she sees and that the piece of paper saying credit card IS a credit card. While he gets dressed for free, many of the ghosts of his past, specifically his ex-bandmate Gaz, haunt him. He ends up in a pub where he becomes attracted with the owner/bartender. It looks like they might end up on a date when a demon named Blythe arrives and that results in the two of them having a go in the back or Blythe’s place called Inferno. After finishing and making their way to the Basement, otherwise known as the Ninth Circle, Constantine discovers her business partner: a demon named Haluk who is harvesting souls. Constantine is forced to fight the creature and wins, dispatching Haluk and Blythe back to Hell. Gaz and the other ghosts appear and tell John that someone is killing all of the “ghosties” and it’s Constantine’s fault.

This is DEFINITELY NOT the John Constantine who walked through the NEW 52, pining the good old days and being lovesick during his time on Justice League Dark. This is more like the John Constantine of old: the Vertigo John Constantine who smoked like a chimney and shagged anything that moved, male or female. Here is the John Constantine we all love: the mage who has made more bad deals with demons and other creatures then we can count. This is truly a T+ title, thanks to Ming Doyle and James Tynion IV, with art from Riley Rossmo. Dark, moody and sure to offend the most open minded of comic fans, this is a treat and probably one of my other favorites from the Week Two releases. This rocked!

DEATHSTROKE #7: Hephaestus and Victor Ruiz watch Deathstroke engage in his training with his new sword, preparing him to go off and kill a God named Lapetus. After slaying a bunch of imaginary creatures, Slade goes off and meets with his daughter Rose, who has cut her hair, much to his dismay. He gives her a message he wants given to her brother Jericho, which she promptly burns as soon as he has left. With Hephaestus’ disembodied head leading the way, Deathstroke goes to Themyscira and enters Tartarus, where he immediately encounters enemies. He quickly slays them, before finding a statue of Apollo. He realizes someone is inside and attacks it, causing it to explode and whatever is inside to escape. That’s when Diana arrives, tells him he has unleashed a force that will destroy them and orders him to “surrender or die”.

Tony S. Daniel and James Bonny team up to bring us the first bloody act in the post CONVERGENCE world of Slade Wilson. Nothing has changed here except that Bonny is co-writing the tale. Slade is still the physically changed person he was two months ago, his kids still hate him and Hephaestus is still looking to have him do his dirty work for him. Ruiz is still this shadowy figure with the funds and a hidden agenda. Overall, this is the same book we had two months ago, which is fine by me. It’s DC’s answer to Frank Castle and, since I happen to like The Punisher, I’m okay with that.

DETECTIVE COMICS #41: The new Batman is fighting crime in the streets while Harvey Bullock and Nancy Yip are getting busy in the sheets. Bullock hears an explosion outside and realizes that they need to be there. We then get a flashback to three weeks ago when Maggie Sawyer tries to convince Bullock to lead the new Batman Task Force, which he refuses. Two weeks ago, Maggie and Jim Gordon are meeting at Le Cirque de Volant, where Gotham’s elite will be on opening night. Jim is still uncertain at this point if he is going to sign on to be the new Batman. One week ago, Harvey and Nancy are in a cop bar and, in the midst of a fight that Bullock helps start, Renee Montoya shows up. Following the fight, we learn that Montoya has come back to Gotham and accepted the Task Force job that Bullock turned down. She tries to convince him to join the team and get Yip reinstated in the process. At the same time, Yip receives a mysterious phone call regarding the seating chart for the Le Cirque event, with the voice on the other end insisting that she “kill them all”.

Well, this is some interesting and grim events but did we really have to see Yip riding Bullock in bed? Honestly?! Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul provided the great story while Fernando Blanco steps in with an art style more common to mainstream superhero books, as opposed to the previous work by the former team for THE FLASH, which I truly liked. This is a book that will obviously focus more on the supporting cast than the Dark Knight and only have him appear as needed. And I’m okay with that. I like seeing Bullokc in action and having Montoya back is killer! I can’t wait for next issue to see what Yip’s deal is.

DOOMED #1: While a creature dwells upon what has happened to him, we go back twelve hours ago to when this creature was a young man named Reiser. He gets a job at S.T.A.R. Labs and that’s good as he and his roommates try to make do with their rent by looking for a new roommate to share expenses. Reiser also has an Aunt Belle who is getting old and forgetful, which results in him bringing her food and claiming he was bringing it to her as he bought too much for himself. Back at S.T.A.R., he gets overheated while power cleaning one of the rooms there and removes his suit long enough to get some air. This is bad as the air causes him to change later at the worst possible time: on what looks to be the makings of a new relationship. 

What the heck is this? Has Scott Lobdell REALLY thrown his plot back into the early Sixties? Is he trying to make this guy the new Peter Parker? It’s pretty obvious to me. Let’s see: youthful kid, helps out his old Aunt Belle, makes one STUPID MISTAKE and now becomes a creature obviously affected by the Doomsday Virus, and that keeps him from jumping in the shower with his soon to be new girlfriend. And, if plot follows tradition, she will end up being his long-suffering girlfriend. Unless this title gets the axe early on in which case none of this matters. With that having been said, I have mixed emotions about this. I like the characterization of Reiser but regret having a ton of plot here. I’m also not a huge fan of Javier Fernandez’ art as it seems that everyone lately is still influenced by the Rob Liefeld style of art. I so wanted to hate this book, but I can’t. There is some nice, funny bits in it, especially a worn-out gag involving Belle’s cat, and I really like Resier as a character. I had pretty much written this book off before the first issue appeared but I have to give this at least another shot as the writing here is better than most of Lobdell’s recent output.

DR. FATE #1: Poor Khalid. As Brooklyn is caught up in a massive deluge, caused by an angry Egyptian God, which looks to be the worst thing to happen since the Biblical flood, our hero has to deal with an Egyptian statue coming to life. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, he is told that he is the new Dr. Fate and must wear the famous helmet. He is totally freaked out and shares that with Shaya through a series of text messages. He also shares that with his mother, who is more concerned with her cat Puck, who has managed to stay dry even though it is raining cats and dogs. On his way home, Khalid uses powers he didn’t know he had to save a girl who has fallen in front of a train. Puck takes him back to the museum and makes certain he takes the helmet, even as the cat dies to be reborn. Meanwhile, bad things happen to his cab-driving father as he transports a mysterious man to the airport.

What to make of this? Well, if you didn’t read the preview story during CONVERGENCE, you are probably a bit confused. Khalid, now the second Muslim hero in comics, is the new Doctor Fate and I don’t know how I feel about that. It has NOTHING to do with his ethnicity, so let’s make that clear. This character has a long, storied tradition and I had enough trouble swallowing his incarnation on the New 52 version of Earth 2. But this is just so far off tradition that it’s really, REALLY hard for me to swallow.  Where is Kent Nelson when we need him?  Paul Levitz and Sonny Liew give me a book filled with characters I don’t care about and that’s not a good thing, especially with this being issue #1 and I find no interest in coming back. The story is slow moving, the characters are droll and the art is unappealing to me. Sorry DC: I think this is a case of 1 and done for me.

EARTH 2: SOCIETY #1: A year ago, Terry Sloan, the smartest man in the world, ordered the twelve ships containing the survivors of Earth 2 to crash land on the planet Telos turned into the new Earth 2. Each of these ships represent a new city on this new Earth 2. Now, one year later, Dick Grayson, the new Batman, is on patrol in New Gotham and currently trying to save Sloan from Johnny Sorrow and his gang. He does but Sloan flees, wondering is HE sent Grayson to hunt him. Who is HE and why is Sloan so afraid of him?

Daniel H. Wilson and Jorge Jimenez do an okay job of bringing fans who didn’t read CONVERGENCE up to speed. Unfortunately, there are lots of gaps in the story. First off: did it REALLY take a year to build Gotham out of the wreckage of one of the spaceships? And what is the story with the other cities? Will Dick ever find his son, who was last seen with the Earth 2 version of Barda (who we can assume is different from the one referenced by Mister Miracle in the current issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE). Jimenez’ art is choppy and blocky and reminds me a lot of Dennis Cowan’s work. All in all, I was not impressed by this, but will give it an issue or two to see where the plot finally goes.

FLASH #41: In the near future, Flash is battling a new enemy when time slows down and the Reverse Flash visits him. Moving back to now, we see that Barry is living with the former Pied Piper and his partner David, who Barry knows very well. Later, he visits his dad in Iron heights and tells him he knows that someone named Thawne has something to do with his mom’s murder. He angrily tells Barry never to say that name again and orders him to leave. Double Down tells Henry Allen that he needs to keep alert because the “Man in Yellow” is coming. Henry gathers up some con friends and they break out of Iron Heights so he can protect his son. Back at the battle from the beginning of the book, Barry takes down the unnamed villain as Reverse Flash looks on.

Robert Venditti, Van Jensen and Brett Booth pick up where they left off with a bang –up story that now weaves itself a little closer to the television show of the same name. The Reverse-Flash, who we know is Thawne, is back to make someone’s life miserable. But, isn’t his life already miserable? I mean, he has lost his girlfriend and is living with an ex criminal and a co-worker. How much worse can that get? Well, the story is fun, the art looks great and I’m dying to see where this goes to next!.

GOTHAM ACADEMY #7: Maps is in class and day dreaming when she is chastised by her teacher, which causes Eric to attack Mr. Scarlet and Damian Wayne to make his presence known. Later, she observes Damian practicing his moves when they get stuck together and a raven steals her quill pen. They go to Pomeline, who is convinced that the quill is responsible for all this, including Eric’s outburst earlier. Pomerline goes crazy and knocks them out the window, forcing Damian to have Maps grab his grappling gun and fire it across the way. The pair end up in Kyle’s room and he proceeds to attack them with a tennis racket before Damian uses her to knock Kyle out. They decide to visit Professor MacPherson and see if she can help. They figure that the quill was made from a feather from a demon bird from Inishtree, which also has a connection with the Wayne family. Outside, they find Maps friends still influenced by the spell and also  find the raven. This causes Damian to whip out a Batarang which causes the bird to release the quill. Scarlet arrives to inform them that the quill carries a version of the Avain Flu, which caused the craziness. The pair are brought to Headmaster Hammer’s office, where Damian claims HE took the quill and therefore is expelled. As he leaves, he gives her the Batarang and tells her she might need it someday. Just then Professor MacPherson arrives and tells Maps that she needs to tell her something about Olive.

Well, this was a quick in and out for the Son of Batman. One issue and done! Becky Cloonan and Brendan Fletcher give us more of what came before, but this time we have painted art from Mingjue Helen Chen. The story was a lot of fun, the art was beautiful, and I just love this silly ride. What is the secret in this place? I feel like I’m 8 years old and watching DARK SHADOWS again, although without the vampires and werewolves! This is a fun, recommended read for kids of pretty much all ages. And go track down the 75th Anniversary Joker variant by my friend Craig Rouseau. It rocks! Hey DC: can we get him to do an issue or two, since he NAILED the characters!

GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #6: The team is gathered at the funeral of Sister Justine. Corrigan reveals the secret behind The Spectre and then explains how Detective Drake has a harbinger of death inside her known as a Bain Sidhe. As they are called away to a ghost sighting at Powers Corporation, Doctor Tarr goes into the church and curses out God. At the Powers building, Corrigan and Drake learn about the ghost and connect it to the recent death of George Wooley. It turns out that Wooley was given a methamphetamine by his boss and that resulted in his death, which is why he is haunting the place. Back at the police station, we learn that Doctor Tarr is experimenting on a bizarre flower that is capable of regenerating itself. And, if that wasn’t crazy enough, Kate Spencer shows up to try and keep Internal Affairs off the team’s back.

Ray Fawkes is back to deliver the ghostly goings-on in Gotham City, with Juan Ferreyra delivering the art. And, as expected, it rocks! There are many a good bit of dialogue and the art is both surrealistic and scary. This is a book designed to give you the creeps. And when you get Internal Affairs involved with this group, it can’t be good news for anyone. This is NOT a superhero title and that’s fine. This is just the kind of oddball book the DC Universe needs and not some of the horrible horror books of the past…yes: I’m looking at the recent PHANTOM STRANGER and TRINITY OF SIN as bad examples.

GRAYSON #9: At St. Hadrian’s, Dick Grayson is desperately trying to contact Bruce and get orders to come home. As the story unfolds, Matron learns that someone has been killing spies on Spyral missions across the world. Currently Grayson and Agent 1 are in Spain trying to steal a Kryptonian necklace from a duchess there. Grayson manages to make his way to the dance floor and dances with the young woman, stealing the Kryptonite jewel in the process. Matron contacts him and advises him that Agent 1 may be a traitor. Dick knocks  him out and flees, leaving Agent 1 at the mercy of a silent assassin. But someone else knocks off the assassin, leaving Agent 1 in the hands of the Spanish Police.

Leave it to Tim Seeley and Tom King to give us a plot that is this involved and this intricate. Like an onion, it’s filled with layer upon layer of plot with no real answer. This is a mystery book that makes off like it’s a superhero book. And that is not even with me mentioning the classic full page illustration by the amazing Mikel Janin of Dick in his tux, adjusting his bow tie and asking “am I straight”. C’mon: is there anyone out there who is not going to get that joke? What makes this whole thing work is that you don’t know whom the good guys and the bad guys are. As of now, everyone is a suspect. And that’s the way I like it!

GREEN ARROW #41: Someone or something mysterious is killing black people in Seattle. Oliver Queen has come back from his Alaskan road trip and picks up Emi from school. On the way home, they run into the Wart Lady and he explains her history, Later, Seahawks lineman Eddie Ridge is found dead after having a run in with someone mysterious at his home.  It looks like the person responsible make be working with Mr. Zimm from Panopticon. In fact, this person seems to be affected by the moon. Could this white faced individual be Eclipso?

Benjamin Percy and Patrick Zircher go to a really dark place with this first issue. In fact, it seems like we have blown off the last creative team and gone back to a place where Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino were creating magic. So who is this mysterious racist targeting black men? I’m only making the Eclipso assumption based on the pasty complexion and the last page where it seems the moon is at play as the killer pours bleach over a bound black man. Yeah-this title is totally going to upset people.

GREEN LANTERN #41: Hal Jordan is one of the most wanted men in the Universe. But, at the moment, he is at the Gaming Dens of Y'Gaal, where he saves the life of a viceroy connected to the monarch of Ketleth Prime. The pair bust out of prison and head back to Vrigo’s uncle, taking one of the slavers with them. In deep space, they discover that the Green Lantern Corps appears to be dead and Mogo has been destroyed.

Robert Venditti and Billy Tan throw some interesting turns into this issue. Hal suddenly has long hair, making me wonder how much time has transpired since he stole the gauntlet. And he now dresses like the Spectre in his long green hooded cloak. Venditti’s story is interesting and makes me want to read the next issue and Tan’s art is cool too! I like this Hal as he doesn’t seem as much of a crybaby as the pre-Convergence Hal was, but that may change as he sees the Corps seemingly destroyed. But, with just this one issue in the can, I like where this could end up going. 

GREEN LANTERN: LOST ARMY #1: John Stewart, Kilowog, Arisia, Xrill Vrek, Two-Six, and Krona are in a strange place in space battling alien energy creatures. They are lost in space with no way to contact the central Power Battery. They make their way through the battle and come across some dead Lanterns, who seem, to be encased in some sort of crystal that may have been created by a Red lantern ring. This leads them to a giant pyramid in space that just oozes red energy from it.

I so thought this book would be a mess, based on the preview and the fact that I have never been a fan of John Stewart as a Green Lantern. Surprisingly, Cullen Bunn does a good job of writing an interesting story. It concentrates on Stewart, but also gives us enough of Gardner, with new short hair, clean shaven and a nifty looking Lantern suit, and the rest of the cast to not make it feel like a total team book. The highlight is Jesus Saiz’ art: the whole thing, as he handles pencils, inks and coloring. Images leap off the page and it really drew me into Bunn’s story. I still don’t care for Stewart, but this may lead to being the only Gardener fix I can get. I will give it a few issues and pray it doesn’t get mucked up!

HARLEY QUINN #17: Harley and her team are kicking ass and taking names, so Harley thinks it’s a good idea to meet with the mayor and offer her services. The mayor balks and sends one of his flunkies to go out and check up on her. Meanwhile, Captain Horatio Strong eats some “marine greens” that transforms him. Later, Harley and Mason are out on a date and reveal their pasts to each other. The date goes well until the police arrive and arrest Mason on charges of murder and jail breaking. Heartbroken, Harley goes home, where she accepts a delivery for all 140 parakeets she recently bought. Hearing that Captain Strong might be missing, she sends Harlem and Harvey out to a fisherman’s bar to investigate. They find Strong, but the sea spinach he ate has definitively altered him.

Let’s begin with how great Chad Hardin’s art is. As always, his stuff is killer and I hope he can stay on schedule because it is truly thew star of this title. Now we get to Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmitotti’s story. As expected, it is full of dumb jokes, innuendo, and all around goofiness. In other words: the usual stuff. What I can’t figure out is how DC can list this as a T rated book and have such things as the words “ass”, and “bastards” in it. Not to mention the delivery boy checking out Harley’s posterior and telling him that it “ain’t gonna spank itself”. With that line and her date with Mason, it’s nice to see that Harley isn’t a lesbian, after many fans had presumed following her recent encounter with Poison Ivy. She’s just a girl who wants to have fun, no matter WHAT the sex is! For now, the DEADPOOL of the DC You-niverse is safe on my list. Hey-we all need a little dumb fun every now and then!

HARLEY QUINN/ POWER GIRL #1: Taking place between panels in issue #13 of HARLEY QUINN, Harley and P.G. find themselves in the middle of Galaxia Del Sombrero where they meet Sleezox: the horny Sexyprince of Valeron. After some craziness involving a Sleezox eating creature, they go off to deal with Oreth Odeox, who is dedicated to wiping out the hedonistic world of Valeron. There, they run into Mo’zit Blaqhed. He is the judicial magistrate who has a problem with P.G., noting that she wears  skin-tight clothing, has unacceptable levels of cleavage and possible Karflippian Toe and may be a prostitute. This just sends Harley to another place and it’s not a good one for her mental stability, as she blasts Mo’zit’s head off. Soon they meet Groovicus Mellow who exclaims his joy that the foxiest mama in the universe has returned to their planet. He sends them off to free Lord Vartox on its moon, who is currently a captive of Odeox on the moon known as Lustox, so they can get his power ring which will send them back to Earth. Unfortunately, this isn’t going to be easy.

What happens when you let Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Justin Gray loose on a comic book? You get this. Again, DC gives us a mixed bag here as I REALLY wanted to hate this book! Maybe it’s the fact that I grew up in the Seventies and get a lot of the references. Let’s see: Sleezox is a horny, mushroom eating Yoda, Odeox is the evil despot who is torturing Vartox, who is really Zardoz. Blaqhed is a pus covered creature who complains about Karflippian Toe (I guess that’s an intergalactic camel) and Groovicus Mellow is a soul brother like no other. Valeron is filled with lava lamps and hemp and all those things people who DIDN’T grow up in the Seventies worship because they wish THEY HAD. It’s a silly, sophomoric book that will turn off folks fed up with Harley’s book or silly sophomoric comics in general. But this just hit the right funny bone for me and I’m giving credit for the book not being TOTALLY over the top to Gray’s putting a little restraint in to what could have been a further Harley rehash. The fact that the whole six issues drops in between two panels of HARLEY QUINN #13 is beyond silly though. Rush out and get that copy now, kids! BTW: Stephane Roux turns in the best looking artwork of his career to date! Bottom line: the book doesn’t TOTALLY suck and is probably doable as a mini-series that we know how it will end.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #41: Kanto and Lashina murder A woman by the name of Myrina Black. Apparently, she is not the first and won’t be the last, causing the Justice League to investigate. Because he is sensitive to migraines when a Boom Tube is used, Cyborg decides that someone connected to Apokolips is to blame. Later, Superman and Luthor visit Neutron, who is dying of cancer following the Amazo incident. Luthor refuses to help him, causing he and Superman to engage in a war of words. This is until Lex’ sister shoots Lex, seemingly eliminating him before calling on a Mother Box to eliminate them “for Darkseid.” Meanwhile, Mr. Miracle makes his way into Darkseid's citadel and confronts him, before being forced to flee by his adoptive father. In the process, he runs into Kanto and Lahina and is forced to jump again. This time he runs into the real Myrina Black. Back at the murder investigation, Darkseid's Daughter Grail uses Flash like a Mother Box and crawls out from inside him and proceeds to take apart the Justice League. She uses Power Ring to open a doorway that brings the Anti-Monitor to Earth.

So, this is the first chapter in the new arc and the start of the Darkseid War, which is the big Justice League event for the remainder of the year. I like where the story is going, thanks to Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok. But I want to know what is up with Mr. Miracle. This is his first true appearance on what is now known as Earth-O and he talks about having met the Justice League and his early life. No mention is made of the destruction of Earth 2 and he even talks about his love for Big Barda. Somehow, it seems as what happened in EARTH 2: WORLD’S END never happened. Or else someone didn’t clue Johns in about those developments.  I also feel about this issue as I did about the first issue of SECRET WARS: way too much stuff crammed into one issue. Despite that, this is a good start for what should be the next six months of story.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1: We begin with Superman telling someone unseen to look at what they have done. After a literal earth shattering explosion, we flashback to earlier when Clark Kent is preparing to go to an invitation only event at the Infinity Corporation. It is Superman who arrives there where he meets Alexis Martin, Vincent, and a host of dead versions of Superman. He hears about the Stones of Forever and how the future is gone, as Vincent explains that he expects Superman to save them all. Meanwhile, Aquaman is called away from a meeting with the U.N. and the rest of the team go to a clean energy power plant in Metropolis. As the Parasite arrives, the team realizes it’s a trap and fight for their lives. Superman arrives and does his best to help the team while a mysterious security guard arrives at the Infinity Corporation building and meets with Vincent and Alexis. The League defeats Parasite and heads to the Infinity Corporation building to find it has totally disappeared to be replaced by…Rao?

You need to be aware of three things about this book before you jump in. First: it is not in current DC Continuity as Superman has his powers, Batman is still alive and Wonder Woman is not wearing her ridiculous new outfit (more on that in a later review). Second: this book ships with EIGHT DIFFERENT COVERS-one for each member of the team and a special 75th Anniversary Joker Variant. Yes, the seven member covers do fit together to form one giant image. Third: you get hit with an extra sized story, 49 page, WHOPPER of a story for the over-sized price of $5.99. Now, once you have absorbed all of that realize this is story and art by Bryan Hitch and it rocks! DC took a big chance on this, with the price and multiple covers and all. But the story is great and full of action and mystery and the art is also killer. Add this to your list as this looks to be a winner, even out of continuity!

Some short take comic reviews

INSUFFERABLE: We begin with a villain is looking for 50 million dollars or he will finish burying a girl alive. Nocturnus, a Batman styled vigilante hero arrives and saves her although his selfish, glory-hogging teenage sidekick Galahad ends up getting her out and sucking up the good media vibes. Nocturnus meets with and shares a coffee with Lt. Rainwood, explaining his sidekick is his son. We then view the two lives of the two heroes. Nocturnus is the hard driving parent who never was able to accept his son’s best work while Galahad is the angry child who never fit in. Tonight, he spends his time bedding two lady fans and then posting on his web site, which ends with him teasing about how his mother died. Revelations next issue?

If you think you might have been down this road before, you are right. This title was initially launched in 2012 on Mark Waid’s Thrillbent.com website as a digital comic. Well, thanks to the folks at IDW, the book has a hard copy now which has been altered just enough to make you want to read it all over again. This is a fun take on the anti-superhero genre that BRAT PACK and Waid’s IRREDEEMABLE stomped all over. Waid’s writing is his crisp stuff and Peter Krause gives us some killer visuals too! This needs to be on your list, especially if you realize that the concept of spandex clad superheroes is just silly!

DEATH SENTENCE LONDON: Thanks to my friend Ron for turning me on to this title a few weeks back. Ron was VERY ENTHUSIASTIC about how good this was and I jumped in with both feet. To fully understand what’s going on here you need to find the original six issue series from 2014 or get the hardcover reprint. The series, by Monty Nero and artist Mike Dowling got its’ first life in CLINT MAGAZINE and then reprinted with changes by Titan Books beginning in 2013. In a nutshell, we follow three people who have contracted the G+ Virus. This new Sexually Transmitted Disease gives you super powers for six months and then you die. Graphic designer Verity, rock guitarist Weasel, and media personality Monty each have their own ideas of what to do with the time they have left. DEATH SENTENCE was a six-issue rocket ride with a mind-blowing shock filled plots, killer dialogue and great characterization.

DEATH SENTENCE: LONDON is the new monthly that picks up where the mini-series left off. In it, we meet undercover agent Jeb Mulgrew and get visits from some of the cast from the first series. Weasel is seem as a hero while Verity has become drunk with power-literally! It is equally as wild as the original and totally crazy, especially with Martin Simmonds taking over the art chores with his wildly inventive, painted style. In other words, the rock rocks and needs to be on your list. It’s sci-fi meets fantasy meets horror meets the craziest thing you have ever read.

PROVIDENCE: This book is both a sequel and prequel to Alan Moore’s THE COURTYARD and NEONOMICON.  THE COURTYARD, by Moore, Antony Johnston, and Jacen Burrows, was a two-issue mini-series published by Avatar Comics in 2003. It followed FBI Agent Aldo Sax who investigates a murder that leads him to a nightclub in Red Hook, where he learns of a drug called Aklo. From there, things get crazy. Moore and Burrows again teamed-up in 2010 for the four-issue NEONOMICON as FBI Agents Lamper and Brears meet with Sax at the psychiatric hospital he is now a resident of. From there, they head to Red Hook before ending up in Salem and a bunch of really bizarre sex rituals leading to the introduction of Nyarlathotep and Cthulhu. While reading those are not essential, they do help.

PROVIDENCE takes us back to Red Hook and the Lovecraftian mythos and fans of Lovecraft are going to go nuts about this book. Filled with killer and quirky characters, interesting plots and a ton of supplemental material, this is a delight! And local fans will get the references and appreciate the inclusion of the map of Providence. Moore’s story is a delight and Burrows art is top notch. My biggest complain with Avatar’s books has been giving us Burrows art on the cover and then something that just doesn’t measure up inside. This one delivers on all cylinders.

FIGHT CLUB 2: I am a HUGE fan of the movie, although I have to admit never having read Chuck Palahniuk’s book. So, when I saw this sequel solicited, I was thrilled. And I am glad to say the book does not disappoint. The sequel follows Sebastian and his subdued other half Tyler Durden. Meanwhile, his wife Marla is doing her best to try and coax out Tyler to again do what he does best. Throughout it all, we see characters and situations from the original material re-emerge. And if you thought that Project Mayhem was dead just because Tyler was gone, you are greatly mistaken.

We get wild sex, blood, guts, chaos, and therapy sessions, complete with a meeting for folks affected by Hitchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome. Palahniuk and Cameron Stewart combine for this off the wall read that only makes me want to but the movie in and play it over and over again. It SO EMBRACES the glory of what made FIGHT CLUB great. It’s all bang and flash and just so wild that I want this to be a weekly!

SWORDS OF SORROW: This is Dynamite Comics answer to the summer blockbusters offered by the BIG TWO. Dynamite has made a name for itself by sucking up the license for all sorts of comic characters including The Spirit, The Shadow, the Gold key heroes(Magnus, Turok and Solar), along with the popular concept of multiple covers. This title has the distinction of releasing an epic 26 COVERS (collect them all and go broke today!)! This six issue series by Gail Simone and Sergio Davila brings together the women of Dynamite in one epic battle against the forces of evil who are out to take down Everywhere, Everywhen, and Nowhen. Included here are Vampi, Red Sonja, Lady Rawhide, Miss Fury, Dejah Thoris and the female Kato. On the other side of the ledger, fighting for the bad guys, is Purgatori and a bunch of comic bad girls.

While the concept sounds great and all and the art looks unbelievable, there is just too much going on here. Factor in the half dozen or so one-shots and mini-series that tie into this and it gets even more confusing. I have always been a big fan of Simone’s work, but this just feels like a forced agenda being shoved at me. I can certainly enjoy sticking strong-willed heroines in the forefront of a good comic and agree we should have more strong willed women heroes in comics. But this just feels too over the top to enjoy, although I give Simone credit for juggling 20 characters really well. And the concept of having all of this happen in different times and places at once is a concept we have seen too many times before. I wish I could recommend it, but I can’t.

JUSTICE, INC. THE AVENGER: I have been a HUGE fan of Richard Henry Benson’s alter ego since Warner Paperback Library started reprinting them back in the heyday of the DOC SAVAGE boom. With the selling point being that Kenneth Robeson, the man behind DOC SAVAGE, was behind him, it was easy to get a twelve-year-old kid to dive right in. As I learned years later, Robeson was a pen name used by many authors and Lester Dent, the main man behind Doc Savage, wasn’t the same guy who wrote The Avenger’s adventures and most of these were written by Paul Ernst. That didn’t matter, as the character was just different enough to capture my imagination. He has appeared several times in comics, most recently in a five issue mini-series from Dynamite alongside The Shadow and Doc Savage.

The current incarnation is from Mark Waid and Ronilson Freire and right from page #1, this book is an adventure lovers dream! Benson and his team are called upon to help a woman figure out why a ghost is haunting her home and it is done in such a loving pulp style that you would swear it is straight adapted from a pulp novel. Waid simply nails it here with some of his best work! This is such a great book that I really can’t express my love for it any more than saying that you need to add this to your pull list. It’s a fun, non-spandex filled ride into adventure. So pull the covers over your head, whip out your flashlight and journey back to the simpler times.

Vertigo's EFFIGY reviewed

It’s been a few years since I was eating a steady diet of Vertigo comics. I believe the last series I was reading was FABLES, as I was heavily into the FABLES inspired (can we say ripped off?) ONCE UPON A TIME. But time and money got the better of me and it was back to a steady diet of spandex heroes. And while that is still the case, I have been branching out lately as all of these cataclysmic stories are getting me down and I need a slight flavor change. Based on reviews I have read, I figured to give EFFIGY a try and boy: what a wild read!

We begin by being Chondra Jackson who was once the star of the kid’s show STAR COPS. After nine years, she ended up an ex kid’s show star and was forced to come back to her home in Effigy Mound. Over the years of retirement, her mother helped produce a sex tape of her daughter, to keep her in the public eye. Currently, she works in Effigy Mound as a police officer. She gets called to help on an incident in Serpent Mound National Park, where a newly mummified body has been discovered. The body has a STAR COPS tattoo on her back. She also meets Detective Grant Moore and we also meet a she-male prostitute named Edie Chacon. Edie was Chondra’s closest male friend when they were kids.

Obviously things have changed as Edie is now a total STAR COPS fan.

As the investigation continues, Edie reveals that the dead woman is Sheila Harmon and she ran a STAR COPS Fan Corps in Carbondale. The coroner later reveals that she was mummified by some sort of industrial dehydrator. This leads our heroes to the STAR COPS Convention. Copcon 2015. There, she meets with fellow ex-cast member Trevor Latta. Back in Effigy Mound, Sheila mother meets with the girl who found her daughter and they both exclaim "Hello Jonathan". It’s funny that Jonathan plays a role as he visits superfan Henry Durka, claiming to be Henry's general. Meanwhile, there is a a complete sub-plot running about involving Laurence W. Lauritz, his servant Nunnu, and a mysterious cult.

Before we reach the sixth issue, there is more convention doings, suicide and murder. Oh yeah: and some weird sex too.

This is truly NOT a kid’s book and totally ranks up there with some of the weirdest of Vertigo titles. Leave it to Tim Seeley, the bad genius behind LOVEBUNNY & MR.HELL and HACK/SLASH, to come up with a story this twisted. And Marley Zarcone’s cartoony art is a total fit for it! C’mon: we have mummies, she-male prostitutes, sex tapes, and a POWER RANGERS inspired TV show. Not to mention a stage mom who just drips sleaze AND a weird cult. You know you want to check this out!

Image Comics AIRBOY #1 reviewed

AIRBOY #1: We begin with James Robinson sitting on his toilet, doing his business and talking to Eric Stephenson, the publisher of Image Comics. Eric is trying to sell Robinson on the idea of writing a new AIRBOY comic. Robinson is dead set against it until Eric offers him the same money he would get from DC Comics. Realizing he needs the money, he meets up with artist Greg Hinkle and the two head off to a motel room to begin work. The creative energies just aren’t happening, so they end up on a lengthy bar crawl filled with cocaine, horse tranquilizers, ecstasy, and even heroin. They end up picking up a lonely barfly and taking her back to the motel, where they have some pretty intense sex. Later, the two creators decide to finish off the last of the cocaine when Airboy arrives, telling them that “this behavior will not stand”.

Okay…meet THE BOOK OF THE YEAR!!! This is truly the weirdest, wildest and most AMAZING thing I have read in some time. This is a MUST READ that should be on YOUR list of titles to have pulled each month! But KEEP IT FROM THE KIDS!!! Robinson and Hinkle have turned out the BOOK OF THE YEAR and I am SURE this will be the darling of the Eisners. Is it autobiographical? I hope not, based on everything our heroes do!  Is it insane? Let’s see: we have two creators on a self-destructive, drug-fueled binge, that ends up with them tag teaming a well-worn barfly in a seedy motel room. And then, just when you think you have seem it all between the bodily functions, the language, the drugs and the sex, not to mention Hinkle and Robinson’s “anacondas”, Airboy arrives and scolds them. Now, here is something to notice: the entire book is in shades of green, brown, and red, EXCEPT for Airboy, who is in LIVING COLOR! Is he a drug-induced dream or the real thing? Find out next issue, as our creators have to deal this creation come to life.

DC's WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #1 reviewed

WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #1: When last we saw Wonder Woman and the Justice League, they were dealing with an alien race accusing her of waking them when she dispatched the First Born. Cyborg reveals that he can find a way to send them home and the aliens are happy and thank the League. Back on Paradise Island, Diana sees first hand the massacre committed by Donna and some of the other Amazons. The two battle at length until Diana wraps her lasso around Donna, revealing the horrors of what has been done, much to Derinoe’s disappointment. The old witch attempts to kill Diana but she is slain by one of the Amazons. The brothers who died are given a proper funeral and the murderers are forced to work for Hephaestus.

The back-up story reveals the history between Derinoe and Hippolyta. And how she saved Hippolyta’s life and it cost Derinoe her youth and her beauty.

This represents the last chapter in what was the NEW 52, as this is the last book within continuity of that imprint. The main story by Meredith and David Finch has its' flaws. First off, his art looks rushed in spots, although there is a couple of two-page spreads and full page shots that shine. Secondly, I have a problem with the quick wrap up to the alien storyline. In four pages, we get the story of the aliens and a resolution. No battle, no drawn out fix: just a wham bam thank you ma’am wrap, taking us into the battle between Donna and Diana.

Now the BACK-UP by Finch and Goran Sudzuka: that’s a whole different story. What we learn here is that Derinoe loved Hippolyta and they apparently had a little something-something going on between them. When Derinoe gave her youth up to save her lover and then Lyta turned to the man who fathered her daughter, jealousy became the fire that drove her to revenge. And let’s be honest: are we so surprised to find that the Amazon’s had lesbian tendencies? After all: a race of women, no men (except for the ones who poison Queen Alcippe), and an island. Really? Even Frederick Wertham had THAT figured out!

So, say goodbye to the NEW 52 and Diana’s costume, as she gets a makeover with issue #41 and the new DC You.

SECRET WARS: what's it all about

In case you are a comic fan that has been living under a rock, here’s a News Flash for you: The end of the Marvel Universe is here!

That’s right: Earth-616, home of the Marvel Universe as we know it, is ending and so is the other major Marvel universe, the Ultimate Universe-also known as Earth-1610. In one of the most far-reaching, cross-over filled events (there are a total of 55 mini-series or one-shots to support this event) of all time, Marvel brings us the NEW SECRET WARS. Now, if you’re an old time comic fan, you know that the original SECRET WARS from back in the day was famous for not only introducing us to the Beyonder but also the black Spider Man costume. The new SECRET WARS, orchestrated by Jonathan Hickman, is coming from a story Hickman has been crafting since AVENGERS #1, the most recent run, was published. In recent months, AVENGERS and NEW AVENGERS have been making all the moves that is setting this event in motion. In a nutshell, a really, REALLY compressed nutshell, the multiverse has come to an end as the Illuminati watched and, in some cases, actually helped, and only two universes remain. The Illuminati is played by Doctor Strange, Doc Green(AKA The Hulk), Black Bolt, Black Panther, Beast, and Amadeus Cho. At one point, Namor was part of this group, but a little falling out led him to the Cabal, which is made up of some big hitters including Maximus the Mad, Terrax and Thanos.

In SECRET WARS #1, Hickman and artist Esad Ribic have the two universes collide-LITERALLY. Heroes from both worlds fight each other while Mister Fantastic from two worlds (Mister Fantastic of Earth-1610 is known as The Maker) each make plans to survive along with a small group of their friends. During the battle, the Children of Tomorrow kill Black Bolt, Rocket Raccoon, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, Beast, and Groot. Stark Tower is destroyed and the Punisher aims to take out the Kingpin and some high profile villains. Cyclops becomes Phoenix and kills the Children of Tomorrow. As the incursion begins, a hull breach causes Sue Richards, The Thing and most of the Future Foundation to be lost during the incursion.

In place of the two worlds is Battleworld. Battleworld, as we are told, is “a massive, patchwork planet composed of the fragments of worlds that no longer exist.” And it is run by the “god and master”, Victor Von Doom. So, what you get, since there are several different areas that make up Battleworld: 41 to be exact. These have such colorful names as limbo, Perfection, Doomgard, New Quack City, and so on. In fact, Manhattan itself is made up of four sections: Attilan, Manhattan from Earth-616, Manhattan from Earth-1610 and Monster Metropolis, which is below Earth-616.

SECRET WARS #2 gives us the first real glimpse of what happens when worlds collide.
It seems that the Thors, all of them from all the various universes, are acting as King Doom’s police on Battleworld. Sue Storm sits at Doom’s side and Dr. Strange is now the Sheriff of Agamatto. In the end, a ship containing The Cabal lands on Battleworld, seemingly unaffected by the changes due to the incursion. It is a wild world where anything can and probably will happen. The art on these issues is amazing and Hickman’s writing is, as always great, even if this story doesn’t totally blow me away. And I think that is because I fear what will happen following the resetting of the Universes. Based on what we have already seen from Marvel, the ALL NEW, ALL DIFFERENT AVENGERS will have Ultimate Spider man Miles Morales in it, along with Ms. Marvel, Thor, Nova, the Vision, Iron Man, and Captain America (i.e. Sam Wilson).

Now, about those 55 mini-series. The first week out was loaded and I sampled them all. In fact, my plan was to get all the cross-over books and do weekly reviews, like I did with CONVERGENCE over at DC. But, after reading through the first week, and eating the cost of all these new titles, I decided otherwise. Instead, I will be selectively buying and reading the mini-series.

A-FORCE #1 is set in Arcadia and is about the all-female Avengers, for lack of a better term. She-Hulk, Medusa, Dazzler, Storm, and more populate this title. Unfortunately, America Chavez breaks a law and gets exiled. I read this issue and just shrugged my shoulders. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand what was happening, I just didn’t care. These were not MY characters that I loved. These were characters transplanted to a world I don’t like.

DEADPOOL’S SECRET WARS #1 tells us how Deadpool was around during the first Secret Wars in 1984. And he wins the war for the heroes by kicking Kang the Conqueror in the nuts. Not to be outdone, we get a back-up story by Cullen Bunn where our hero is involved with the CONTEST OFCHAMPIONS mini-series. Great-the 80’s are back! Yeah…not so great! Deadpool is Marvel’s version of Harley Quinn and that ship has sailed!

MASTER OF KUNG-FU #1 features a drunk, homeless Shang-Chi who does a great job of fighting off members of the Ten Rings while hung like a picture! Callisto and the Outcasts team up with him and they look to take on the Emperor. This was the coolest book of the week, with a story by Haden Blackman and art by Dalibor Talajic and a pretty cool Francesco Francavilla cover. I look forward to the second issue of this four issue series and this will stay on my pull list!

PLANET HULK #1 is, unfortunately, NOT by the man behind the original PLANET HULK series, Greg Pak. It’s by Sam Humphries and the only really good thing about it is that a young, ponytailed Steve Rogers rides around with his companion Devil Dinosaur searching Greenland for Bucky, the Winter Soldier. He gets attacked by giant Gamma irradiated earthworms and gets saved by the Hulk. Oh yeah: there is a back-up story that IS by Greg Pak telling a new origin of the Hulk where Amadeus Cho is Rick Jones. Yeah, I like Captain America as Russell Crowe, but not enough to buy it, although the art by Mark Laming looks awesome!

SECRET WARS: BATTLEWORLD #1 told tales from the various points on Battleworld. So, it’s an anthology title. This was interesting, but not interesting enough to make me want to buy all four issues. What we get is  The Punisher as Soldier Supreme, the Infernal Four (Ghost Rider, Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine), the Rocket of Raggador, the Weapon of Watoomb, and The Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing(M.O.D.O.K.). Well, we get LOTS of those, in various shapes and sizes. Again, this was interesting but not enough to hook me.

SPIDER-VERSE #1 did nothing for me, as I was never attached to any of these characters during the SPIDER-VERSE event. Yeah, I know…but what about SPIDER-GWEN? Didn’t care then and don’t care now. So yeah: I may be one of the few people who DIDN’T buy SPIDER-VERSE #2 which had the first appearance of Spider-Gwen and is now the hottest book out there. Again, didn’t care then and still don’t care now. So, we have Peter Porker in a hospital bed and Norman Osborn in it and…sorry: don’t care.

ULTIMATE END #1 is set in Manhattan and features heroes and villains of both Earths including Spider-Man, the Serpent Squad, Nick Fury and Tony Stark of both Earths and more. Although both groups don’t trust each other, they do agree they need to find a way to get at Doom and reset the universes. Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley were there at the beginning and will be here at the end. This was the other first week winner, as we realize that, despite the incursion, some people remain relatively unchanged.

The second week of mini-series included INFERNO #1, SECRET WARS JOURNAL #1, INFINITY GAUNTLET #1, WHERE MONSTERS DWELL #1, 2099 #1 and OLD MAN LOGAN #1. I read INFINITY GAUNTLET, OLD MAN LOGAN and WHERE MONSTERS DWELL. The first did NOTHING for me, the second was fun and looked amazing(fans of GREEN ARROW take note as Andrea Sorrentino is the artist), while the third was the killer, with a story by Garth Ennis and art from Russ Braun.

Bottom line: I am not wowed by this event at all. Sure, Hickman has deconstructed the Marvel Universe and is going to rebuild it somehow. But the mini-series just don’t have the same punch. And here’s an issue early on: issue #4 of SECRET WARS is shipping ON July 1st now, instead of it’s original June 17th date. That means the mini-series all get shipped back with it, so as not to reveal critical plot points (just like happened during CIVIL WARS). Issue #5 moves back SIX WEEKS until August 12th and issue #6 moves to September 2nd. And some of those mini-series now get pushed back upwards of six weeks too.

When all is said and done, whether they like to call it one or not, this is a REBOOT, just like DC is doing. And, when all is said on done, many characters are going to be put on the shelf for good. So, why this and why now? It’s generating sales and buzz and that’s what it’s about. Oh yeah: it’s also about movies. And that seems to be where the money is in a world gone digital.

So, I may be the only one out there that doesn’t love this whole thing. And so be it. When all is said and done, I may truly find myself where I was back in the early 1990s: looking to give the other publishers my entertainment dollar.

CONVERGENCE Week 8

CONVERGENCE: ACTION COMICS #2: Power Girl and her boyfriend Andrew share a kiss before she goes off into battle against the Red Sun version of Wonder Woman. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor has locked Stalin away and has taken over Moscow. Earth-2 Superman convinces Wonder Woman and Power Girl to work together to save their cities and together they succeed in toppling Luthor from power. Superman and Power Girl head off to CONVERGENCE #6 to save Metropolis.

Also included is an 8-page preview of SINESTRO by Cullen Bunn and Brad Walker. Kanjar Ro has arrived to menace to refugees from Korugar when Sinestro and his team arrive to save the day.

Man: this probably would have been a great tale…if it actually arrived at the same time as CONVERGENCE #6. Unfortunately, we have been down that road and know what happens, so this is kind of anti-climatic. A nicely written story by Justin Gray, with art by Claude St. Aubin is wasted because of where it dropped in the schedule. What a shame…

As far as SINESTRO goes: same story, new month. I wasn’t jumping up and down prior to CONVERGENCE and I don’t expect much after it.

CONVERGENCE: BLUE BEETLE #2: Captain Atom, Blue Beetle and The Question face off against the combined might of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The Legion tries to settle it with words, but jump into Beetle’s ship and teleport away to plan their next move. The Legion tracks them down and they battle until an earthquake levels the city. Dejected, the two teams end their hostility, but it’s all a ruse, as the city was never destroyed. Together, they head off to CONVERGENCE #8 to the final battle.

Also included is an 8-page preview of BLACK CANARY by Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu. Black Canary is playing at a club and she gets into a rumble with members of another band. Once she uses her Canary Cry to defeat them, she and her band take the stage, while three mysterious figures plot to eliminate her.

Scott Lobdell and Yishan Li give us a nice story with two groups of characters I would like to see again, especially the classic Charlton heroes. And this version of the Legion is classic and unsullied. Maybe it’s because I’m old, but I do love the classic era of Silver Age heroes.

I’m not sure what to make to the BLACK CANARY. The art is very angular and unusual and feels more like an Indy title. Fletcher’s story is a great one…if you want a rock and roll comic and not a superhero one. Again…not sure where this is going to end up on my reading list.

CONVERGENCE: BOOSTER GOLD #2: Booster is still amazed to find Blue Beetle alive and realizes that he is in a different time and place. But he is also suffering from radiation poisoning and confesses that to Ted. Meanwhile, the other Booster Gold, his sister and Rip Hunter battles the Legion of Superheroes before stepping out of the fight by sliding out of time. They track down Ted and Booster where Rip explains to his father that his mother needs him. All of them go off to find Vanishing Point, where the older Booster gets transformed into Waverider and he sends everyone back to their proper places and times. Then he heads off to CONVERGENCE #8 to stop a crisis.

Also included is an 8-page preview of EARTH 2 SOCIETY by Daniel H. Wilson and Jorge Jimenez. Earth 2’s survivors from the war with Apokolips try to adjust to life on a new planet that has two suns. Can the heroes, including the new Batman, cope with the machinations of The Huntress, Oliver Queen and Doctor Impossible, Jimmy Olsen?

Dan Jurgens and Alvaro Martinez gives us a great ending here, even if the Legion places a smaller role than anticipated. The fact that Waverider is reborn was the kicker for me! Not to mention, the meeting of the Boosters and Rip Hunter’s wonderful reunion with his father. If you didn’t know that fact, then you should have read the TIME MASTERS mini-series from a few years back.

I am totally interested in where EARTH 2 is going. Although most people wrote off the series and the mini-series that destroyed Earth 2, I was one of those fans who liked the characters. With Dick Grayson as Batman and Jimmy Olsen as Doctor Impossible, this could be a fun ride.

CONVERGENCE: CRIME SYNDICATE #2: Justice League Alpha battles the Crime Syndicate, leading to a battle between Wonder Woman and Lois Lane. An earthquake ravages the planet and only one of the women crawls out of the rubble. But which one?

Also included is an 8-page preview of CYBORG by David F. Walker and Ivan Reis. Cyborg, Batman, Shazam, and Wonder Woman are battling the Tekbreakers, who claim to be here to retrieve what Cyborg stole from them. They manage to shut him down and it looks like he might be dead, but his body regenerates into something new and different.

I wish I could say that I enjoyed the lead story, but I can’t. What should have been a great battle turned out to be way too talky for my liking. Brian Buccellato writes great dialogue, but there is just way too much of it here and I really didn’t care for the “THE END?” ending. Even Phil Winslade’s art, which I like, didn’t seem to fit here. Who lives and who dies? Honestly, who cares?

However, the CYBORG story has hooked me right from the start as Walker throws us a plot twist that is a total surprise. I have to at least read the first few issues to see how this all plays out. And I’m a huge fan of Ivan Reis, so there’s that too!

CONVERGENCE: DETECTIVE COMICS #2: The Huntress and the adult Robin from Earth 2 have been transported to Earth –30, where they are forced to battle the Russian Superman. Luckily, the Russian Batman comes and rescues them, taking them to his hideout in the slums where he allows removes his mask long enough to allow a tearful Helena to see this version of her father. He explains that he is the balance to the evil Superman and gives them a secret weapon to use in their fight with him. They are totally outmatched, causing Robin to reveal the secret weapon: Kryptonite. But he can’t go through with the killing stroke and Superman and Robin shake hands and call the fight a draw. Claiming the rules have been broken, Telos sends Dick and Helena back to Earth 2, where Dick finally dons the mantle of the Batman.

Also included is an 8-page preview of THE FLASH by Van Jensen and Brett Booth. Following the conclusion of his last adventure, things have changed for Barry Allen. He now shares an apartment with Director Singh and Hartley Rathaway, and his girlfriend has broken up with him. And it seems Professor Zoom and his proteges are on the hunt.
 
As far as THE FLASH goes: I like Jensen and Booth’s work and liked where they were going prior to CONVERGENCE. So, I expect this should be a continued fun ride. But, when did Rathaway and Singh become a couple? Was I sleeping when that little thing happened?

Len Wein gives us a story with a lot of heart and not much else. I want some kind of resolution here! I mean, the rules are broken, Telos is pissed and everyone seemingly goes back home. Does ANYONE die in these little mini-series within a mini-series? Apparently not as even The Huntress survived her cliffhanger moment from the last issue. Denys Cowan and art is nice, if you like their style. It’s pretty obvious that  Sienkiewicz’ inking is totally dominant here.

As far as THE FLASH goes: I like Jensen and Booth’s work and liked where they were going prior to CONVERGENCE. So, I expect this should be a continued fun ride. But, when did Rathaway and Singh become a couple? Was I sleeping when that little thing happened?

CONVERGENCE: INFINITY INC. #2: Infinity Inc. finds themselves in a fight with the future Jonah hex and his Dogs Of War. After Obsidian enters Hex’ mind and forces him to relive his origin, they agree to a truce, which upsets Telos. Working together, they load the survivors of the earthquake onto a spaceship, allowing them to escape before an atomic explosion destroys the city. The team returns to Metropolis where the original Justice Society asks them to become the NEW Justice Society of America, now known as Justice Society Infinity.

Also included is an 8-page preview of BATGIRL by Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr. Batgirl battles a video game designer in a giant video game before teaming up to defeat the real enemy.

Although it was great to see Jerry Ordway’s name on a comic, I would have liked to have seen his art as opposed to Ben Caldwell, June Brigman and Roy Richardson. The story is okay, as it is obvious there is a place in his heart for these characters. But I totally could have done without this version of Jonah Hex as I was never a fan of this version to begin with. The passing of the torch was nice, especially as this book tied in nicely with the CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #2, which you will read about below

As far as BATGIRL is concerned: I still REALLY HATE what has been done to this character! If this is the future of DC Comics, I may really need to jump off this train before it derails. And, I don’t care how many way they spin it, most of the comic fans I know feel the same way.

CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #2: The original surviving JSA members, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkman, and Doctor Fate have been restored to their youthful selves and are battle against the Qwardian death machine. They spend most of the book fighting it before finally defeating it and being awarded the win. In the end, they return to their aged selves and head off for coffee. All that is except for Kent Nelson, who goes off to meet with Infinity Inc.

Also included is an 8-page preview of SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN by Peter Tomasi and Paulo Siqueira. In this segment of the “Truth” storyline running through the many of the Superman titles, a gravely wounded and powerless Superman knocks out The Flash, steals a ship and breaks up with Wonder Woman.

Thank you Dan Abnett and Tom Derenick for giving us a warm, wonderful visit with the original JSA. While it is simply a book long fight sequence against a single villain, it was great to see dialogue that was so spot-on! Quips, jokes, and snide remarks between members hearkened back to the Golden Age and I was thrilled to see that. And the passing of the torch, even if it was only the prequel to that event in CONVERGENCE: INFINITY INC. #2, was wonderful. So, DC can now but these characters to bed and give them the rest they so richly deserve.

As far as the SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN story goes: it’s kind of hard to get a vibe when you get dropped in the middle of a story and still don’t know all the details that leads up to this point. Tomasi’s writing is his usual crisp stuff and Siqueira’s art is also top notch. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

CONVERGENCE: PLASTIC MAN AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #2:  The Freedom Fighters watch as the Nazi’s have to fight the Future’s End robots. They quickly realize that having the robots win would be worse than having the Nazi’s in power, so they jump in to help and team up with Silver Ghost and company to defeat the robots, despite Silver Ghost’s eventual betrayal. In the end, Plastic Man saves the day.

Also included is an 8-page preview of HARLEY QUINN by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmitotti, and Chad Hardin. Harley names her new team: Carli Quinn, Hanuquinn, Harley Queen, Harvey Quinn, Bolly Quinn, Harlem Harley, the Quinntuplets, and Coach.

Simon Oliver and John McCrea gives us a really silly book, considering that we have the good guys and the bad guys teaming up and there is a betrayal by the bad guys. Like we didn’t expect the Nazis to turn out to be bad guys! One nice moment was Eel O’Brien retelling his origin story. But, other than that, this book left be cold.

As far as the HARLEY QUINN preview: this book has SO JUMPED THE SHARK! Can Amanda and Jimmy go back to doing more drawing and less writing. Actually, that’s not totally fair as I like Palmiotti’s work when he teams up with Justin Grey. The high spot here, as always is Chad Hardin’s art.

CONVERGENCE: SHAZAM #2: The Marvel Family, Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel Jr., teams up with Batman in the world of "Gotham by Gaslight". It seems that Mr. Mind has arrived here from Fawcett City and has gotten Gotham’s own villains to team up with him. In the end, with help from Bulletman and Bulletgirl, the Marvel’s win, and the world of Gotham by Gaslight goes away permanently.

Also included is an 8-page preview of CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER by Ming Doyle, James Tynion IV and Riley Rossmo. John Constantine offers to help a woman named Katie, who has a problem with some otherworldly creatures she killed for their clothing. Unfortunately, Constantine is known as a liar and turns her over to the demons who have been searching for her.

Jeff Parker and Evan Shaner give us a beautifully written and masterfully drawn book. This, by far, was the most fun of all the mini-series within a mini-series for me. If we could only get a regular series by these two, I would be willing to drop most of the rest of the DC line for that. The love evident by these two creators was there from word #1 in issue #1. What a masterpiece that reminds me how much fun the not so serious Fawcett heroes was.

And then, we get a killer preview of the new CONSTANTINE title. Constantine the bastard is back and the world better look out! He even touches on his roots in the days of Mucous Membrane. There is just enough Vertigo anger here to make this interesting. Say goodbye to the lovesick John Constantine!

CONVERGENCE: WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #2: Sir Justin and the remaining Seven Soldiers of Victory find themselves in a fierce battle with weaponeers of Qward while Scribby Jibbet looks on and takes notes. Vigilante and the Crimson Avenger are slain in battle against the horde. Meanwhile, one of the weaponeers slays the winged horse Victory, sending Sir Justin into a rage.  With an assist, from Sribbly, Sir Justin wins, but Telos intervenes, claiming this city is useless to him and their fates are ordained. In the end, Scribbly and Sir Justin head into town to face their doom.

Also included is an 8-page preview of WE ARE ROBIN by Lee Bermejo and Jorge Corona. A team of want-to-be heroes named Shug-R, Robina, DaxAtax, The Troy Wonder, Dre-B-Robbin, and R-Iko, battle crime in Gotham City

The lead feature was my second favorite of the mini-series within a mini-series as Paul Levitz, Jim Fern and Ron Wagner give us a loving tribute to legendary DC creator Sheldon Mayer. Scribby Jibbet WAS Mayer and to have the Seven Soldiers of Victory and Jibbet go down fighting, with a feel very much like the ending of THE WILD BUNCH, was just spectacular. I was sad to see these classic characters fall, especially after watching the Qwardians get defeated throughout the other titles. Beautifully written and lovingly illustrated, with inks from Jose Marzan, Wayne Faucher, and legendary artists Joe Rubinstein, this was a true standout among a field of also-rans.

As far as WE ARE ROBIN goes: I think I would rather have a meal at RED ROBIN…YUM!). I really can’t say that I was impressed or even like these characters, who we only see in the last page reveal, although we get their text conversations throughout the entire preview. I’m not a big fan of the concept and definitely not a fan of the story.
 
CONVERGENCE #8: With Deimos dead at the hands of Parallax, the gathered heroes believe that their fate is sealed, as the Multiverse is ending. But Waverider, Booster Gold and Goldstar arrive and free Brainiac who is the only person who can absorb all the temporal energy.  The heroes immediately attack him but Brainiac reveals his machinations and explains that his time in prison has changed him  He wants to send everyone back to their homes, but he cannot because of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Parallax, The Flash, Supergirl, and the Pre-Flashpoint Superman, along with Lois and their son, all decide that they will go back to that point in time and save the Multiverse. With that, they leave and reset to Multiverse to where it was before the Crisis on infinite Earths. Brainiac wipes the planet clean of all the cities that were on it, leaving it barren until Earth 2’s Green Lantern turns it into a lush, green planet and it has been transported back into the New 52 Universe by Telos. In space, the survivors of Earth 2 find a light from Green Lantern and head for their new home.

Okay…what the f**k just happened here? I’ll tell you what happened: everything that ever happened, with the exception of the NEW 52, in the DC Universe AFTER the legendary CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS NEVER HAPPENED. THIS is how we celebrate the anniversary of that legendary series? By wiping the slate clean? So, all those events that came AFTER…things like ZERO HOUR, INFINITE CRISIS, 52, INVASION, COUNTDOWN, FLASHPOINT and more NEVER HAPPENED. Wait…does that also mean that the Death of Superman, Knightfall, Identity Crisis, Blackest Night, Brightest Day and the “death” of Batman ALSO never happened? Roy Harper never lost his arm or his daughter? Coast City was never destroyed? Earth-1’s Barry Allen and Supergirl never died?  DC Comics just wiped 30 years of continuity, even though much of it has been reset over the years, clean. Holy Moley, man! That’s WHACKED!

So this was brought to you by the writing team of Jeff King, who has stated that everything I have just said is true, and Scott Lobdell. The art was by Stephen Segovia, Carlo Pagulayan, and Eduardo Pansica. The book is filled with wonderful two page spreads-fifteen of them, in fact. This all allows DC to move forward with what they are calling DC YOU: where story is more important than continuity. At the same time, it does give them room to play in the sandbox and paint on a whole world of canvases. And, obviously, the NEW 52 Universe, although we don’t call it that anymore, is THE Universe where most of the core superhero adventures will occur. Symbolically, this whole thing wipes the slate clean as the offices have moved from New York to California.

Was it a success? In the end, we could have done without ALL of the mini-series as they solved NOTHING. Everything that happened within them was reset in CONVERGENCE #8. Does this mean that every book POST CRISIS is now worthless? Maybe. But, are you reading comics or making an investment. The DIVERGENCE Universe, as I will probably refer to it, begins on June 3rd with the publication of the first ten titles: ACTION COMICS, BATMAN BEYOND, BAT-MITE, BIZARRO, GREEN ARROW, GREEN LANTERN, JUSTICE LEAGUE, LOBO, MIDNIGHTER and THE OMEGA MEN. Many DC fans are already jumping off this bandwagon. Of course, many fans are jumping off the Marvel bandwagon too as they rest the Marvel Universe with the epic length SECRET WARS event.

So…maybe it’s a good time to explore other choices.