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!
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