DC YOU Month 2, Part 2

JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #2: Ariel Masters/ Lois Lane walks off the set of an interview because she can’t find anything good to say about her Justice League.  Flash heads off to find Starro-Prime and finds a spaceship containing Supergirl, who is rather upset that a thousand years have passed. So SHE goes off, finds Starro-Prime, and gets him to agree to a truce, thus ending the war. With these results, Ariel/Lois decides she needs a bottle of scotch. In addition, we get two Fun Fact FAQ’s with Ariel Masters and Maxwell Lord.

Possibly THE BEST Justice League title being put out today. Now, that’s just my opinion and many will fight with me about this. But this title has some hilarious dialogue and plot twists courtesy of J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen, along with the absolutely amazing art of Howard Porter. Laughs, more laughs and some of the best lines even given to Guy Gardner who, you might recall, is now a woman. How can you lose?

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #11: We begin with a new version of the JLU heading off into battle. Composed of Poison Ivy, Swamp Thing, Equinox, Etrigan and Mera, and put together with the combined talent of a number of heroes, including Animal Man, Stargirl, Alana Strange, and a Zeta Beam riding Adam Strange, the team goes to Lake Eerie. There they fight a monstrous island of blood and innards that seems to swallow up both the Swamp Thing and the Green. But, according to Adam Strange, everything is going according to plan.

Jeff Parker and Travel Foreman put a real twist into this series and it certainly needs it. Now, is this lineup permanent? Probably not. But let’s take a look at this: Poison Ivy can’t spend all her time hanging with Harley, Swamp Thing is out of TWO BOOKS, Mera is feuding with her hubby and Etrigan has had troubles in a number of centuries. The story is fun, if not confusing…just what the hell is going on with Adam Strange? Foreman’s art rocks too! This book has become a winner!

LOBO #8: A trio of assassins sent to take him out is attacking Lobo. He cuts the head off the Martian attacker before dispatching the other two. But the Martian’s head has a mind of its’ own and comes back for more, as does the Martian’s body. Lobo continues to battle and is finally saved by a mysterious hunter. Later, he has the Mechanic take a look at the scorpion like creature that contains some pretty high-tech, mind controlling tech. Lobo heads off to Saidris to meet up with Countess Odessa, where he dispatches some guards and finds a lab with thousands of spider bots being cultivated. Odessa and some of her hired thugs show up and, before he knows it, he loses control of himself as one of the spider-bots is under his skin and controlling him.
  
The best thing about this book is Cliff Richards’ amazing painted art. The next best thing is the gore. Now, third up is Cullen Bunn’s story. Maybe it’s me, but I think there could be a problem with a book when the story is the THIRD best thing about it. I don’t like the Metrosexual Lobo, but I am appreciating his zest for mayhem and his way with the ladies. And I love Richards’ art!

LOBO ANNUAL #1: Lobo continues his hunt for Sinestro and that leads him through a bunch of ugly battles and collecting yellow rings in the hopes that this will lead Sinestro to him. Then he goes to a decommissioned space prison and captures some Korugarians. The Sinestro Corps shows up and Lobo gets ripped apart. Luckily he has those regeneration powers. Sinestro finally arrives and they brawl until Sinestro calls off the contract that he put upon himself, revealing this was only a test and he wants them to be in the business of destroying mutual enemies..

While this is my favorite issue thus far in the series, it still falls short of being the Lobo I grew up with. Cullen Bunn writes a great story here and Robson Rocha’s art is to die for! You gotta love an artist who can give you beauty and violence all at once! And the Corps vs. Lobo two page spread was amazing! So, DC keeps my interest for another moth here. Nice job!

MARTIAN MANHUNTER #2: J'onn has gone to Helen Demoff of NASA and wants  her to kill him. Superman arrives and wants to  know how J’onn knew of all  these terrorist attacks and he reveals it was because the Martians used him to plan them. It seems everything that we have ever known about his family being killed was all implanted in his mind by the White Martians. J’onn and the League battle until they realize that the battle was only an implant that allowed J’onn to vaporize himself. Meanwhile, White Martians intent on melting her are chasing the thief in Dubai named Pearl. The issue ends with the mysterious Mr. Biscuits and Alicia going off to stop the Martians.

Rob Williams and Eddy Barrows again give us one of the more exciting DC YOU releases in the form of this book! When it was first announced, I was a really big nay sayer, having seen this character messed with and screwed up for far too long. But the story is totally captivating, the art work is killer and this book is filled with so many twists and turns that it just makes me want to come back for more! Add this to you reserve list!

MIDNIGHTER #2: A woman named Marina is offered the chance to gain revenge for her husband her died due to a food allergy that Windcrest Foods knew could kill some people. She gladly accepts and heads off to take out the folks from Windcrest Foods, until Midnighter shows up and tries to stop her.  But, before he can, he needs to not be able to hear and punches his own ears until they burst. Although he agrees with her motives, he doesn’t go along with her methods, even though he puts a beat down on one of the Wind crest folks before serving Marina up to the police. Later, we see how Midnighter and Apollo broke up before Midnighter converses with Marina in her cell. He instructs her to do her time and be his peer when she gets out. Meanwhile, he is ready to face off with some enemies…a lot of them!

Well, unfortunately it only took one issue for the art team to go south. Joining writer Steve Orlando this month is Alec Morgan. His art is nice…but it certainly isn’t Aco, so I’m pretty disappointed in the way the issue looks. But the story continues to be alternately gruesome and hilarious as our hero kicks ass and works on his dating skills! I mean, Midnighter boxing his own hears to make himself deaf? Wow! Yeah…it’s THAT kind of book. But hey: what did you expect from Midnighter anyway? And hey: kudos for locking Marina up in Bridgewater. Ahh…nice to see my old stomping grounds represented! The town that is, not the prison!

NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #10: Deadshot, Manta, and Boomerang have allegedly joined a group once attached to the League of Assassins and witness how the League uses children to further their cause and grow their ideology. This causes Boomerang to question their motives and leads to him getting beat down. The beating gets even worse when he decides that maybe all these League kids in training should have some fun and play some soccer, leading to Manta decreeing that the only punishment for Boomerang is death. Meanwhile, Harley Quinn, Reverse Flash, and Parasite are waiting around, as they are the extraction team. Back at Belle Reve, Sage has Waller’s assistant show him around the place. Waller shows up and can’t believe how naive her assistant really is!

Sean Ryan and Philipe Briones provide an issue that’s really fun to look at but has a bunch of weird plot pieces that just don’t work. Point #1: we get this whole plot with Boomerang being the sole advocate for the little kids. Yeah: that’s not in his normal character make-up. Point #2: Harley, Reverse Flash and Parasite hanging around, with some silly dialogue, attributed mostly to Harley and playing with weapons. That scene is only here to show us that there is more to the team that just the trio tied into the League. Point #3: how in the world did Waller hire someone SO DUMB? Take out those issues and this issue was pretty good!
 
OMEGA MEN #2: Last issue, the Omega Men killed 39 soldiers so now the Viceroy has arrived on Ogyptu to oversee the execution of citizens. Meanwhile, Primus has placed a watch in Kyle Rayner’s neck that will explode if he tries to escape. Broot manages to get the Omega men’s ship back and they leave the planet that means that 4,000 innocents get executed. To say that this upsets Kyle is a huge understatement, as he opens up his neck and changes the Omega Men on his uniform to a Green Lantern symbol

Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda continue to make this one of THE books to read as part of the DC YOU revamp. This is NOT the OMEGA MEN I grew up with, thanks to Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton.. This is also not the OMEGA MEN title that had such luminaries as Roger Slifer, Doug Moench, Shawn McManus and Keith Giffen working on it. This is not the title that featured the first appearance of the classic Lobo. Instead, we have a team fighting against the evil empire with the former White Lantern in tow, whether he wants to be or not. It is a typical Tom King romp and it rocks! This is SO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

PREZ #2: While Beth’s father is dies from cat flu, the attempt to elect a new president continues, with the two major candidates looking to buy votes and make deals. Beth gets visited by the people fro the Church of Wormology and gets a revisionist history of the Bible. When all is said and done, Beth gets 26 votes and becomes President. She gets visited by Preston Rickard, who claims he was almost President once, who offers himself up to be her Vice President.

In case you might be wondering, Prez Rickard was the title character in DC’s first PREZ comic. So, to add him into the mix of this book is a nice tip of the cap to long time fans. While he insists he was “almost” President once, he actually was in 1974 DC history where he was President of Earth One. He even showed up in an issue of SANDMAN, but most recently was the President on Earth-23. Whatever the case, this book continues to throws shots at the American political system thanks to Mark Russell and Ben Caldwell. While the preview totally disappointed, this book has been a winner thus far!

RED HOOD/ARSENAL #2: Roy shows off his new invention, the Teflon spraying shower head, by attacking Jay in the shower with a gun fueled by napalm. Afterwards, they realize they are going to be evicted because Roy spent the ransom money from last issue on cool new gadgets. So they go to Tara Battleworth to get another job, that leads them to Paris to collect a thumb drive containing sensitive data.  But before they can do that, they have to fight terrorist, “monster-ninja people” and arms dealers while NOT keeping a low-profile. They battle a group of villainous mimes and succeed in their task “off panel”. They also have switched the thumb drive, but get hired to work for the government after all.

Wow! Welcome to Deadpool cloned and dressed up as former sidekicks. This is just plain bad! It is full of puns, bad jokes, toilet humor and two huge two-page video game inspired spreads. This shouldn’t be rated T for Teen it should be rated K for Kiddie. Scott Lobdell gets points for touching on Roy’s past alcoholic ways and Paolo Pantalena turns in some nice looking art. But the title really has nothing to add to this Universe. We have Two Mercs with Mouths and the one at Marvel is bad enough!

ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN #2: We begin with a flashback to the Year of Blood, showing a young Damian victorious over Talia that leads to a ceremony to mark the occasion. Back in the present, Damian and Goliath are in South America where he is atoning for what he did during Year of Blood: returning the head of a stone guardian. But with the head reattached, the guardian comes to life and they battle. During the fight, Nobody II shows up to watch, eventually being forced to de-cloak and lend a hand. Seems there is an evil cartel that is running the village, so they take down the cartel with the help of…the stone guardian. The villagers see them as heroes and Nobody decides that they should be partners, whether he likes it or not.

This is a well-written, beautiful looking book by Patrick Gleason with a twist for an ending. So, now that Batman is flying alone, I guess we decided it was time to give Robin a partner? This should be interesting. The book is a treat, even if the back-story jumps around a bit. I got confused at one point, as the flashback where the young Damian decapitates the guardian occurs 16 pages into this 22-page book. And that’s another thing: $3.99 for 22 pages? DC gives 20 pages for $2.99, but it’s a buck more for two crummy pages? Really? Did you all need the moving expense money THAT BADLY!?

SECRET SIX #4: The team settles into their new home: Big Shot’s house. Not long after, Ragdoll, Banshee and Scandal Savage show up to discuss a mutual enemy and eat some cookies. That leads to a epic battle where Catman learns that Savage was the person who brought him the kitten while he was in captivity. They agree to join forces before the trio invites our team to an LGBTQ mixer. Oh yeah: and Banshee tells them one of them is going to die soon.

We need to get more books like this and not SWORDS OF SORROW from Gail Simone. This issue is a great mix of quirky dialogue and cool action. And an invite to an LGBTQ mixer, which fits right into DC’s diversified books. The first 8 pages, which sets up how the group ended up at Big Shot’s pad, is by Ken Lashley and is his typically beautiful stuff The rest of the book is by Tom Derenick and is a beautiful contrast. It took forever to get four issues out, but I want to see how Mockingbird/The Riddler and Big Shot/Ralph Dibney all tie together. Thanks Gail for a cool mystery action adventure book with a sense of humor!

SINESTRO #13: Soranik has been turned into a Yellow Lantern by her father and is not happy about it. She also finds it difficult for Sinestro to lead when he can’t even find the traitor among them. Bekka and Sinestro discuss why she’s part of the team and asks him about his ultimate plan. He unleashes Parallax and binds the creature to the planet to stabilize it, which leaves Sinestro without his greatest weapon. He has three members of the team executed to prove that he will not tolerate traitors. And then he reveals to Lyssa Drak that he knows she is the traitor, he has always known and they will still be useful to him to a while.

I didn’t see that coming! Cullen Bunn and Brad Walker continue to surprise me with this title. Prior to CONVERGENCE, I couldn’t BEAR to read this, as the supporting cast was just so annoying. But the characters have been streamlined and more focus is being given to Soranik, Bekka Lyssa Drak, along with Sinestro. Walker’s art gets better with each issue and yeah, I hate to admit it, this is now becoming one of my favorite reads. Go figure!

STARFIRE #2: Hurricane Betty is whacking the heck out of West Key and it’s up to Starfire to try and be the newest hero in town. At the same time, the sherriff’s brother is ready to head out to sea, directly into the storm, to drive and save a boat full of people. So, the sheriff grabs a SWAT tank, picks up Kori, and heads out. The people on the boat gets saved, Kori gives Sol mouth-to-mouth, her trailer is trashed and…just what is that big monster that crawled out of the hole in the ground?

Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti took what had the makings of a really cool book and shot it in the foot with this issue. The story jumped around so much that I had to read each piece as a self contained story, flipping back and forth through the issue. We still have Kori acting as the stereotypical dumb blonde, taking naivete to a whole new level. Emanuela Lupacchino pencils, Ray McCarthy’s inks, and Hi-Fi’s colors are the true heroes of this book and make it pop! Now, if we can only get a brain in her head and get Jaybird and Roy out of Deadpool mode, DC might be able to salvage these characters!

SUPERMAN #42: Having been shot last issue, Clark finds himself starting to heal and battling robot ninjas to save the lives of Condesa, Jimmy and Lois. Lois finally puts 2+2 together and tears off Clark’s shirt to reveal his Superman garb. They all travel to Gotham for some help from the Toy Master so they can defeat HORDR. With counterfeit masks, they manage to make their way onto HORDR Island, where Condesa quickly betrays them. It seems that Clark’s mysterious text messager is the head of the organization and goes by the name of HORDR_ROOT.  While Superman battle his forces, Lois takes him out with a lead pipe to reveal he is only a hard light construct. Superman uses his solar flare and gets attacked by a mystery enemy in the process. In the end, Clark is down for the count and the others are trying to get away before the whole complex comes down.

Well, this issue just took a left turn to weirdville. We go from mysterious texts to a college in the sky that you have to take a magic bus to get to. And then, we find out the leader is a hard light construct? And Lois, apparently feeling betrayed that Clark told Jimmy his secret and not her, is pissed enough to reveal his identity in the next issue or so. Thumbs down to Gene Yang for this issue, although thumbs stay up for John Romita Jr.’s art. Hopefully the next issue will not only clarify things but make them right again!

SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #19: The Suicide Squad are here and they are ready to take in a powered down Clark Kent. But they have to deal with him and Wonder Woman and all Superman wants to know is where everyone in Smallville has gone. Black Manta tells him they were gone when the Squad got here, but that doesn’t make it any easier or him any calmer. Together, they take down the Squad, who beats a hasty retreat, but not before the former Man of Steel takes quite a bullet beating from Deadshot. Later, as Wonder Woman tends to his wounds, Superman makes a decision about a fight that he needs to be involved in. That takes him to the office of the President of the United States and it seems that he’s expecting him.

Thanks you Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke for giving us the most action packed issue of the TRUTH saga yet! Part Two of DARK TRUTH looks absolutely amazing and the story just runs at breakneck speed. Not only do we have Waller’s team trying to take down the illegal alien, but it looks as though the President and some shady figure are involved too. Holy Conspiracy Theory! These creators have totally reinvigorated this character and we have finally put the romance piece in the background for now. This book rocks!

TEEN TITANS #10: Manchester Black’s team faces off against the Teen Titans over the rights to capture Superboy. Following the battle, he flees with the new Power Girl trying to stop him to no avail. Cassie eventually wakes up and the Manchester Black’s team realizes that the Teen Titans have flown the coop and gone to New York. Well, come of them, as Red Robin and Raven end up with Manchester Black, who messes with Raven’s mind long enough for his team to arrive and he tells them it’s a trip to a Supermax prison if they want to save Superboy.
 
Will Pfeifer and Felipe Watanabe give us another lackluster issue filled with a lengthy fight and not much substance. Really-not a whole lot I can say about this except Manchester Black has a tough team and the Titans keep getting bopped around. And Superboy is the wild card. Hopefully this will end soon…either the story line or the book!

WE ARE ROBIN #2: Duke and the rest of the Robin team are beating on the homeless from the underground and are losing. A flare allows The Robins to escape to street level where they get a text from ‘The Nest’ and desert Duke. Duke gets taken in by the police, who immediately interrogate him. But he soon realizes that he is not at a police station but in a warehouse and makes a break for it, ending up on a rooftop with the rest of The Robins. As they go off to try and diffuse the first bombs in the city, the mysterious figure walks the underground and plans.

This was just another okay issue for me. I really want more of the back-story on the team. It’s not that I am in a big hurry to find out who The Nest is, although that would be cool. I want to know who these characters are because, except for Duke, we know nothing and that is leading me to not care about any of them. Lee Bermejo writes a good story, even if I wish that his art filled the book instead of Jorge Corona’s. I want to know where this is going and that’s the only reason I’m staying on board for now. Damn you, Bermejo for writing a mystery AND a great hook at the same time!

WONDER WOMAN #42: Diana and Hessia are unwinding in a nightclub when some poor soul grabs Diana’s behind with painful results. Out on the street, Diana becomes the subject of a failed attack by the kid with the bomb from last issue. He calls for Pegasus and escapes through a magic portal. In a flashback, we learn his name is Aegeus and that he is a descendant of Theseus-the child of Aethra, Aegeus and Poseidon.  As his mother dies, she gives him a coin from his father, leading Aegeus to have designs to become God of War and have words with a mysterious portal that may contain Strife. Back on Olympus, Diana meets with Donna, before Strife arrives and slips her the key that will lead to her escape.

Meredith Finch and David Finch give us another less than stellar issue of this title. The problem I have with it is in Meredith’s story. It’s bad enough that David’s art is not as crisp as it once was and he needs a stronger inker working with him, her tale is just not a fun read. Give me a strong supporting cast again, because Hessia isn’t it. Give me the Gods of Olympus fighting like siblings. Give me some sense that this God of War has something to offer the reader. In other words, give me back something with the feel of Azzarello and Chaing!

DC YOU Month 2, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #42: While Superman is fighting a shadow monster that he’s seen before, even if we haven’t, the Police are ready to tear down Kentville by any means possible. The people of Kentville decide to sit down in a silent demonstration, even as tear gas flies towards them. Superman arrives to stand with them and protect them, even as the Sergeant in charge whines about how much he hates Superman. Then Metro S.W.A.T. decides to give him an epic beating until the citizens rise up to defend him, leading to an all out beating. That’s when Superman opens up and begins fighting back.

So…this issue feels a little too much like it was “ripped from the headlines”, if you know what I mean. We have Police breaking up a situation, a peaceful protest, and then have the issue of police brutality shoved down our throat. This issue was WAS too preachy for me! I like Greg Pak’s work, but this was too over the top for me. Aaron Kuder, on the other hand, nails it! His art style continues to grown exponentially. I find myself really looking forward to the next issue, despite the story flaws.

ALL STAR SECTION EIGHT #2: Three months ago, someone goes into a pawnshop and…Dogwelder is reborn! Today, the Section Eight team is sitting around drinking and Sixpack decides that Green Lantern should be their eighth member. Quickly, the team is dressed in Green Lantern tee shirts…except for Guts, who is dressed as Star Sapphire. Sixpack is having a bad day, as he is so drunk he keeps vomiting on everyone and everything. The team goes off to drink some more and that allows Bueno Excellenteto spy on Guts in the dirty bathroom. He also encounters something there that leaves him looking horrified. Meanwhile, Sixpack tries to return the stained Green Lantern garments at Achmed’s Tourist Hovel as Hal Jordan defeats a giant sword wielding Tyrano****er Prime. Sixpack approaches, causing Jordan to hail a taxi and leave, threatening legal action.

Garth Ennis and John McCrea have done it again by turning out yet another hilarious and decidedly sick issue! I keep wondering just how far these guys can get away with this in a mainstream DC Comic! We’ve got a very drunk team, each with their “issues”, a pile of guts dressed seductively, leading to Beuno pleasuring himself in a disgusting looking bathroom, Hal Jordan referring to the villain as a “wielding Tyrano****er Prime”, and a lot of vomit! This is one wild book and I’m totally bummed that it is only lasting for six issues!

AQUAMAN #42: Aquaman is fighting off monsters in the parallel world that is slowly moving into our world. And this whole thing may be Aquaman’s fault as it seems that one of the ancient Atlanteans that he saved uses his magical power to open the portal so Aquaman can save more of these people.  And both worlds are having ill effects on each other, so Entriaz the Warlock uses his magic to stop that from happening. But eventually something has got to give and it may be the other world. Another structure bleeds through to our world but Aquaman must fight the hunting team that Mera has sent for him, meaning the creature from beyond starts destroying our world while the Atlanteans fight.

So, the King of the Sea has a new look and a new mission and I could really care less about it. Cullen Bunn gives us a tale of Aquaman and it appears he’s off to save an invading kingdom and now his own people are pissed at him. What happened during CONVERGENCE? Also, we get a hunt team that includes the soon to be Aqualad, but Arthus doesn’t know who he is? Wtf?! And Trevor McCarthy’s art is just too artsy for my taste. I mean, we went from Paul Pelletier’s clean lines to this?  I am definitely not a fan of this book now and hope things change real soon. Sooner rather than later!

BATGIRL  #42: Batgirl and the new Batman continue their standoff from last issue and he explains how the new regime wants everyone who worked with the old Batman taken off the streets. In the end, he tells her to run and she does. Meanwhile, we get the origin of Livewire: a wannabe Internet video star who gets jolted and gets her powers. It seems that the HOOQ Cult has managed to break her out of prison and set her loose on Gotham City. With a little help from a device made by her friend Qadir, she teams up with Batman to take her down. In the end, her former roommate Alysia pays her a surprise visit to announce that she and her girlfriend are getting married and that Babs is going to be the Maid of Honor. SQUEEEALL!!!

Like…OH MY GAWD!!! Totally Tubular!!! I feel like I should be trapped in the 80’s! This book continues to irritate me, even while it is trying to appeal to that rare customer: the teenage female. I have stood on this “podium” for nearly 20 years saying how badly we need to get female blood into the comic shops and get them into comics. Now, I go to lots of show and sees lots of female fans, so that’s a good thing. But I don’t see a lot of them cosplaying THIS version of Batgirl. Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr are trying to give us a Batgirl for a new generation. Unfortunately, to me at least, it just feels hackneyed and silly, especially because the changes in her character came in mid stream and not after a cataclysmic event like CONVERGENCE. If you want appealing teen girl fiction, go read JEM.

BATGIRL ANNUAL #3: We begin with Batgirl teaming up with Helena Bertinelli and  Spyral, along with an unseen Dick Grayson against a group of terrorists known as Gladius. They have been using hive-mind technology on a group of kidnapped world leaders to create a super brain. In the end, a bearded “Agent Backup” saves the day and never reveals his secret, although Babs thinks she might recognize Backup’s backside! The next part continues with Batgirl teaming up with Spoiler.  As a fan of Batman Eternal and Catwoman, it was cool seeing Stephanie Brown again, especially since she fits this book so well. While they continue chasing down Gladius, it is brief and after enjoying the little bit we got, felt liked a missed opportunity. Next we have Batgirl and Spoiler teaming up to take down one of the Gladius scientists. Finally, she teams up with Batwoman and they save Kate Kane's old army Colonel. In the end, Batgirl goes to Gotham Academy, where she gets help from Maps and Olive that leads directly into a confrontation between Batgirl and Gladius herself. With the villain taken down, Babs and the girls check out some secret microfilm in what could be the start of the superhero club.

Well, talk about loading the deck with girls, girls girls! This issue was all about superhero girls and how many cameos, crossovers and cultural nods we could throw in. And that is what made this more fun than most issues of the main title. Written by: Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart, we get four different connected chapters (it would have been cooler if each section HAD been separated into chapters) featuring four different artists: Bengal, David LaFuente, Ming Doyle and Mingjue Helen Chen. Babs checking out Agent Backup’s butt and wondering if it was Dick was truly genius as was the numerous verbal reverences to the 1966 BATMAN show throughout the Gotham Academy piece. Thrown in Spoiler and Batwoman and the cast is complete. Can we combine all of these elements into a new BIRDS OF PREY series?

BATMAN #42: Jim Gordon is working on target practice with the batarang while Julia has Daryl show him the new, 15 million dollar Batmobile. Then it’s off to The Narrows to battle Gee Gee Heung-leader of the Devil Pigs gang. But Gee Gee now has powers that allow him to manipulate silicate, meaning he can create a giant creature out of the physical city of Gotham. To defeat him, he drops the 15 million dollar Batmobile on him. Unfortunately, Gee Gee hasn’t got long to live because he has had a high tech seed implanted into him that will kill him, just as it has several other of the high-level crime bosses. Later, Julia Perry confesses that she worked with the former Batman and her name ISN’T Perry. Elsewhere, a bearded Bruce Wayne is working at a facility run by Julie Madison.  When he goes into the store room to get some clay for her, he finds Jim Gordon there, who introduces himself as Batman and says they need to talk.

I can only say it so many times: THIS is why this is DC’s BEST SELLING BOOK! Scott Snyder. Greg Capullo. Danny Miki. Jim Gordon SuperCop. Alfred’s niece in disguise. A new super villain in town. Duke Thomas (there’s the WE ARE ROBIN tie-in). A bearded Bruce Wayne. The return of Julie Madison. The book looks great and the story is compelling as always. A great, great read and always the first book I crack open on release week.

BATMAN BEYOND #2: When we last saw Batman Beyond Tim Drake, he was in an The Lodge and ran into Barbara Gordon. She informs him that Brother Eye is totally responsible for the ills of the world and there is an easy way to see who is under his spell and how deep. People with happy expressions are Stage 1, blank faced people are stage 2 and Stage 3 are his cyborgs. Max Gibson gets captured along the way is interrogated by Terry McGinnis’ greatest enemy- Inque. Along with the hero who used to be Cyborg, they attack Tim and Barbara, but luckily, Alfred comes back online and so does the Batman suit, which now gives Tim a fighting chance. Barbara gets taken out just as a Stage 1 infected Max arrives to finish off Tim, meaning Brother Eye will get a chance to process the Batman.

Dan Jurgens and Cliff Chiang bring us the next chapter in the NEW BATMAN BEYOND. As I have said in the past, I was not a fan of the television series or the comic. But I have become a fan of this series as Tim Drake has made his way through the time stream he is in, or was in, to the future that is the way it is because Tim couldn’t save it during FUTURE’S END. Jurgens knows how to write a fun read and he seems really comfortable with these characters. And Chiang’s work looks really good too. Again, this is a fun read that helps if you knew the back story, but it isn’t essential.

BATMAN SUPERMAN #22: The New Batman tries to arrest Clark Kent for stealing evidence from a crime scene. Clark suggests they form a partnership, which doesn’t sit well with the new Dark Knight, While Jim Gordon doesn’t trust Clark, Clark doesn’t trust him either, and an unsteady truce is reached. They both head back to Gotham where Batman warns Lucius Fox of an impending attack, leading Fox to believe it’s the fault of Dawn Command. Apparently S.T.A.R. Lbs accidentally created an artificial sun which could power the country for a hundred years or destroy everything in a three mile radius if it fell into the wrong hands. As they go off to fight the Dawn Command, Clark is attacked by Ukur: Beastlord of Subterranea and his creature. While the pair battle, Clark suggests a truce between them to better both their world, but Batman attacks and injures Ukur, sending him off to gather his army. Clark follows Ukur below ground to try and stop an impending war.

Greg Pak and Adrian Syaf are back for another chapter in the TRUTH HURTS saga, which ties into the TRUTH saga running through all the Superman themed titles. And, while we still don’t know the whole concept of what happened to cause Clark to be powered down and totally hated, we do know that he and the new Batman do not like each other. Jim Gordon is far more intense than Bruce Wayne was…and that’s going some. At one point he declares “I am Batman” and unfortunately he is, but he is really just a former serviceman and cop PLAYING BATMAN. Clark knows it and unfortunately for him, isn’t about to get any real trust or sympathy from Gordon. It’s a great twist on a concept set down by Robert A. Heinlein so long ago. I like where it’s going…then again: I have always been a fan of Pak’s work.

BAT-MITE #2: Bat-Mite is desperately trying to find a way to free Hawkman and get out of the clutches of  Doc Trauma. Miraculously he does so, gives him a full body wax gets him reborn and recostumed as Hawkman The Savage. Her goons show up, overpower our small hero and toss him off a cliff and into the drink. The mad doctor goes on with her brain switching experiment even as the Dark Mite rises from the ocean depths. Lots of battling and clever, witty puns abound before Bat-Mite gets the upper hand and forces Agnes to switch Hawkman and the doctor back. All of the captive are freed and two of them take Bat-Mite the Homeless in, even as Gridlock plans his/her revenge.

If you’re expecting high drama and suspense, this AIN’T the book for you! If you are looking for tongue in cheek, really bad puns and jokes just a shade better than some of the stuff coming out of HARLEY QUINN these days, then jump it. Dan Jurgens and Corin Howell give you silly, on top of sophomoric on top of over-the-top. Just read it, laugh a bit and get to the serious stuff later.

BIZARO #2: Smallville has fallen under the influence of King Tut as he has convinced the residents to buy one of his used cars. Luckily Bizaro has escaped that influence and  sends Tuttle to gnaw on jimmy’s head long enough to snap him back to reality. Bizaro uses his Super-Hypnosis to convince Tut he is a chicken, Jimmy breaks the staff and thus ending his reign of terror. Queen Tut gives them both medallions for helping and a convertible, even as she finds a way to put the staff back together and swear her revenge. On their way out of town, they stop at the Lex Mart to stock up on supplies for the road trip, which leads them through Gotham City, Central City, Starling City, Chicago, Iron Heights Penitentiary, Swamp Thing’s home in Louisiana and a visit to Gorilla Grodd. They end up in Ol’ Gold Gulch, where they meet Chastity Hex and prepare to battle some ghosts.

The insane road trip continues, courtesy of Heath Corson and Gustavo Duarte. My writing a synopsis of it really doesn’t do this book the justice it deserves. It is truly a wild ride that swipes at the humor and superhero genre equally! With guest appearances by Grodd, Swamp Thing, Batman, The Riddler and The Flash, it is a humor book like no other. Just do yourself the favor and read it. I cannot recommend it enough!

BLACK CANARY #2: In lieu of the fact that someone is causing mayhem every time the band shows up somewhere, Dinah has begun to teach the rest of the band how to shoot. She is made aware of someone watching them and, off in the distance, is a mysterious craft with a mysterious crew. Ditto seems to have the best ability with a gun, scoring perfect bulls-eyes. Despite the troubles, the band hits the road and continues to turn heads. Somewhere along the way, former lead singer Maeve shows up.Dinah tells Paloma that she is prepared to finish the tour and then leave the band. Soon someone who knows how to use a vocal inhibitor on Dinah attacks the group in a music store. Either way, she kicks the assailants butt and we discover the masked assailant is Kurt Lance.

Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu deliver another cool issue that has almost NOTHING to do with being a superhero. The story is mystifying and funky, complete with a surprise appearance by Kurt Lance! The art is even wilder, complete with a pull-out, teen magazine style poster in the middle that gives the character bios and is so retro it’s hip! If you want to read this, expecting a superhero book where Dinah Drake Lance ends up meeting Oliver Queen and having a romance, then you will be sorely disappointed. If you’re looking for a cutting edge rock comic with someone action and mystery, this is it!

CATWOMAN #42: With Batman missing, everyone in Gotham, from crime families to Keyes and Alvarez are trying to work a deal. Selina saves Cobblepot from a potential assassination attempt, leaving the crook to the Penguin’s own devices. Later, during a meeting between Sionis, Hasigawa, Cobblepot and Eiko, Eiko excuses herself and goes off to meet with Selina, where she explains the meeting. After that, Selina meets with Alvarez, telling him everything she knows. Later, Spoiler meets with Catwoman and mixes it up, losing in the process. When Spoiler awakes, she finds that she was beat up by the Eiko Catwoman, as Selina Catwoman offers to train her. At the same time, the Calabrese Family is joining together to

Genevieve Valentine and David Messina give us another chapter in the continuing saga of Selina Kyle as she tries to run the Calabrese Crime Family, while Black Mask, Hasigawa, and others have their own machinations to run Gotham’s crime empire. Valentine’s story is top-notch noir and Messina’s art fits the feel perfectly. I love where this book is going and all the nay-sayers who had issues with Selina’s sexuality need to step off and either enjoy the book for the comic it is and step away from it. Me-I love where it’s going!

CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #2: Constantine and Gaz are trying to find a way to stop whatever is killing ghosts. Along his journey through the dark, thin places of New York, he gathers up ghosts and meets with a strange man named Mister Rumor, who has been buying up haunted real estate. Come to find out, Constantine has been collecting all the ghosts to use them as bait for the ghost killer. Unfortunately, his plan backfires and the creature comes and kills Gaz again. He manages to have the other ghosts flee and spends some last minutes with his old friend. And then, he books a flight from JFK to London to seek out the person Gaz told him he needed to find in the first pace: someone named Geordie.

Ming Doyle and James Tynion IV have given John Constantine so much energy that it’s hard to even think about the last incarnation. He’s mean and nasty and only concerned about himself. This is the classic John Constantine that just oozed nastiness. This is the John Constantine that would “shag” anything’. This is the John Constantine who made deals with demons for his own good. Riley Rossmo's art is angular and weird but totally fits the feel of this book. New York has never looked so downright ugly. This book needs to be on everyone’s pull list!

CYBORG #1: The issue begins in a far away galaxy where Technosapiens and Tekbreakers are battling each other. The Tekbreakers discover the technology that makes up Cyborg and decide they need to make it there own. Back in Detroit, Cyborg reveals his new look and new abilities to his father and the other S.T.A.R. scientists, tries to make amends with Sarah and ends up in the middle of a protest..

I had high hopes for this book when I saw the creative team and, despite it being an entire issue of long-winded exposition, I still do. David Walker and Ivan Reis do a nice job with it, but I just got so bored so quickly. And then we have the Tekbreakers and the Technosapiens. So, I guess that somehow Vic is going to get involved with them when they invade Earth. Again, not the greatest first issue but I have high hopes still.

DEATHSTROKE #8: Deathstroke and Wonder Woman duel over the fact that he has opened the prison that held Lapetus. After a book length fight, Diana discovers that Hessia and Slade have some history together. Diana agrees to let him help stop Lapetus. Unfortunately, Lapetus has been reborn and is loose on the island. Continued in DEATHSTROKE ANNUAL #1.

Hey Tony S. Daniel and James Bonny: ask me how much I like dropping three bucks on a beautiful looking book-length fight? Not really all that much! I mean, sure-the book looks great but give me something more than a full length fight with a little bit of back story and plot development thrown in. Did it ever make you wonder how it is superheroes can monologue all over the place during a fight when the rest of the world can barely get two words edgewise while getting beat up? Things that make you go um!

DEATHSTROKE ANNUAL #1: Picking up where the latest issue of DEATHSTROKE left off, with he and Wonder Woman battling Lapetus. Unfortunately, the pair end up being sent to a hellish place created from the powers of the offsprings of the Titans. As they fight, they get separated: she goes to a future where Superman tells her the world eneded because of her while Deathstroke meets with Hessia and tries to save his children from Turkish terrorists. Turns out to be nothing more than Lapetus messing with their heads and together they fight their way out of this place and back to Paradise island, where the Amazons are being slaughtered.

Our regular writing team of Tony S. Daniel and James Bonny combine with artist Tyler Kirkham to give us their take on IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Not really, but it feels that way. Wonder Womand and Deathstroke go off to battle their private hells all for the glory of YOUR FIVE BUCKS! Thanks guys: I would just as much have preferred this to run through a couple of issue of the regular book and paid more in the end. But maybe the story would have been a bit more cohesive. And, as it is, we STILL have it continued in next month’s issue.

DETECTIVE COMICS #42: Batman, Bullock and GCPD are engaged in a gun battle with a heavily armed gang called La Morte. Batman takes one of them out, forcing the rest of the crew to run. This Batman DOES believe in using guns. Later, Sawyer orders the force, including Keyes and Alvarez, to go to Le Cirque de Volant the following day. Harvey discusses how he sees Montoya as a snitch and then heads home with his partner, who is also his newest girlfriend. Later, Bullokc, Montoya and Yip are called on to be back-up for Batman, who is going after La Morte. Yip goes for coffee and Bullock asks Montoya to run a phone number, presumably from Yip’s call record. Batman gets ambushed by La Morte and his suit fails him. Luckily, he gets himself out of the suit and prepares to fight them without weapons.

Wow! Batman out of the suit! AWESOME!!! Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul provide another great story with a lot of twists in it. Bullokc and Yip: bed mates? Really?! Didn’t see that coming. But, at the same time, we have to figure that she may be up to her neck in trouble. Fernando Blanco delivers another great looking issue too. Overall, we get another killer read!

DOOMED #2: We begin in Oak Park Elementary School where someone names Miles is an intergalactic bounty hunter who dispatches his coach with some sort of weapon. Seems the coach isn’t who he seemed and was wanted in three panverses. Meanwhile, we go back to Reiser, who is in all sorts of trouble as he has been turned into this Doomed character and can’t communicate only scare people. Two police officers show up to arrest Reiser, who manages to escape via a centric blast. He eventually ends up back at his place, where he curls up on a couch and hopes he doesn’t have to go through that again. In the end, our two police officers find a “scared” Miles.

I truly cannot stand this book! I have no attachment to Reiser or his roommate or the girl he wants. Now Miles: THAT’S a cool character! Can Scott Lobdell and Javier Fernandez give us a book with Miles, the Intergalactic Bounty hunter instead of this loser?

DR. FATE #2: Khalid Nassour, wearing the helmet of Doctor Fate, goes off to rescue his injured father, even as Anubis drops a plane on him. In an effort to save them, Khalid actually causes the plane to fall faster. Realizing he has made a mistake, he delivers his father to an EMT attending to the crash victims. Later, news in the hospital is not good, so Khalid and his girlfriend go back home to prepare for their first day in Med School when the helm, more specifically Nabu, tells him this is his destiny. Forced to put on the helmet again, Khalid battles wild dogs in the street and wonders what is happening to him.

To steal from Comic Book guy: Worst. Hero. Ever. There is NOTHING to like about this guy. A plane falls out of the sky and it'’ time for a with great power moment and yeah, like Spider-Man many years before, he blows it. So, we correct our mistake and help, right? Nope: we take care of family first and the hell with the pane full of people crashed in the middle of the street! Paul Levitz and Sonny Liew are doing no justice to this character and if DC thinks that diversifying him makes him cool, they are wrong! All they have done is given us an insult to the legend of Dr. Fate.

EARTH 2: SOCIETY #2: Sloan has managed to get his hands on the Source Vault. Then we flashback a year to the TSS Overwatch-One which is being attacked by a mysterious survivor on board. So Sloan has the other ships crash land where he has directed them to, while he has his ship leave Earth’s atmosphere. Back in present day, Batman has infiltrates TSS-Endurance just as Sloan fires up the Source Vault which is now hooked up to the Genesis Machine. Sloan has become God as he makes Earth 2 in his image.

Wow! I didn’t think this book could be that bad, but it is! Daniel H. Wilson’s writing is clunky, the plot did nothing for me and I really am hating these characters. I’m also not a big fan of Jorge Jimenez’ art. All in all, I thought this could a very cool series…but I see I was wrong. And oh wait: DC just announced a series featuring TELOS! OH BOY: just what we DON’T NEED!

FLASH #42: Henry Allen and some other prisoners have broken out of Iron Heights and Barry and the Central City Police Department are investigating, meaning Barry gets to do a bit of super sleuthing in the cell. Henry and the gang are gathering supplies from Medi-Barn Supplies when the security guard arrives and, thanks to Professor Zoom’s hand, Henry kills the guard. After the shooting, the team splits up and Girder goes to visit his grandmother. Unfortunately for him, The Flash finds him and they battle. He convinces Girder to give him some information and that leads him to the home of the prison guard knocked out during their escape.  Zoom shows up and leads Barry on a merry little chace…back to the place where his mom died.

Here we have another great issue from the writing team of Robert Venditti and Van Jensen, with Brett Booth and Norm Rapamund doing a great job on the art! Although this story is drifting into little moments that seem to be inspired by the television show, it tries its’ best to stick to the plot established throughout the old NEW 52 run. But when did Iris became a big time reporter and Wally West’s sub-plot get tossed off the bus? Maybe they’re holding Wally back until after he makes his impact on the TV show. Either way, I’m curious to see how long before we get the full Zoom reveal.

FLASH ANNUAL #4: Professor Zoom makes his way through history to gather people connected to the Speed Force and bring them to his side. Starting in Mexico in 1520, he saves Magali from the Spanish Conquistadors. Next stop is 1883 South Africa, where diamond miners taken revenge on the family of someone known as the Folding Man, leading him to join Zoom. 1957 brings the team to Australia where they save a strong woman from a circus freak show. At last, they stop in Oklahoma in 1982, where they gather up a boy named Roscoe with the power to harness tornadoes. Together, the team trains to take down The Flash. In the Epilogue, we see how Thawne had been responsible for manipulating each of his team to bring them to his side. In Oklahoma, he stole the medicine to keep Roscoe in check. In Australia, he put the bug in the ear of her challenger. In Africa, he planted the diamond on Xolani’s family. In 1520, he tells the Spanish how to find Magali.

This super team isn’t all about the Speed Force. This team is about gathering unique powers to defeat The Flash. What I loved here was the various layers Van Jensen used to tell this story. I also loved that we have added a storm controller named Roscoe, which will hopefully allow him to be identified as Roscoe Dillon-the original Top from the classic Rogues (although we already got a version of The Top in the form of Turbine Roscoe Hynes). Bong Dazo does an amazing job with the art and this issue is a winner all the way around! This is a must read if you are following the series at all and was my favorite of the July Annuals.

GOTHAM ACADEMY #8: We begin at the funeral of Olives' mother. From there, we learn that Kyle has been spying on Dr. Langstron and Tristan, finding out that Tristan is a Man-Bat. He and Maps go sneaking into Tristan’s room, only to be chased out and attacked. In the process, Tristan is injured and they bring him back to Dr. Langstrom. Later, Kyle tells Olive Tristan was attacked by an animal and she discovers a mysterious envelope with a letter written by her mom.

Curiouser and curiouser. Despite the quick jump back to a plotline dropped on us before the Damian Wayne issue last month, the issue mostly centers on Tristan and how it turns out he’s a Man-Bat. Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl do a fine job of introducing this fact, reintroducing us to Kirk Langstorm, who is now a professor here, and dropping more hints regarding Olive’s mom. All in all, a good issue to set up future plotlines.

GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #7: Five people are dead in the East End of Gotham and that means that the team is on another case. When it seems that whatever killed these people is some sort of demon spawn, a grieving Jim Corrigan is called in along with his partner The Spectre. The Spectre cleans the building and the block, discovering over fifty dead bodies in the process. Meanwhile, an inmate named Fred Anderson tells Rook that he saw Detective Drake and Corrigan gun down three men. And, if things weren’t bad enough, Spencer informs the Lieutenant that someone with power is looking to put down the team.

I totally love this book, even though I find it hard to figure out who some of the characters are because of Juan Ferreyra’s unique style. Ray Fawke’s story continues to intrigue although I am floored that DC hasn’t decided there isn’t a big enough audience for this book and pulled the plug on it

GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT ANNUAL #1: Lisa Drake and Jim Corrigan are on the trail of  Gentleman Jim Craddock, better known as The Gentleman Ghost. This version of Craddock is less murderer than lover, who uses his powers to attempt to acquire a special necklace. Craddock, who has the use of four spiderlike arms now, was once cursed by a witch to do her bidding  After she died, he kept on living and eventually fell in love with a woman who met an untimely end. The connection is the necklace that he gave to her. In the end, the Spectre takes his revenge on Craddock, destroying him and the necklace.

And thus the legend and the afterlife of the Gentleman Ghost comes to an end. Bummer! Not the greatest of Batman villains, he was always a bit of fun. This was a nice, touching issue by Ray Fawkes and Christian Duce that brought up some real characterization in Craddock, Corrigan and especially Lisa Drake. Plus, we get a plot device that will surely show up in future issues of the regular run.

GRAYSON #10: It seems that not only has Dick used his Spyral powers to get away, but Agent 1 has managed to take out the guards and made his escape too. Back at St. Hadrian’s, Director Bertinelli observes the Spyral machine, run by three odd looking individuals while telling Agent 1 that she will handle Agent 37 personally. Over in Corsica, Agent 37 meets with his contact regarding that stolen Kryptonite necklace and he is totally shocked when that contact turns out to be Lex Luthor. After some back and forth, Dick bails out on the meeting by jumping off the cliff and into a special Spyral craft. He has another agenda: Agent 1.

What can I say? This is one super cool, super sexy, great looking, kick-ass-reading comic book. Thanks to Tom King and Tim Seeley and Mikel Janin for making spies cool again!

GREEN ARROW #42: Wart Lady is out talking about the horrors that make their nests in the clouds when the bleached body of Willis Coleman falls to the street. The police have decided to fight crime by using Mr. Zimm’s Panopticon. This robotic crime fighter is about to clean up the streets through profiling, which results in a everyone from bank robbers to homeless people being dealt with using extreme prejudice. Oliver calls the home office and is told that if he doesn’t like it, since he signed the contract, then he should step down from his company. The white faced guy from the last issue joins the police and the Panopticon as they confront a group of protesters. Meanwhile, Green Arrow goes to the Panopticon factory but finds himself in a trap with Mr. Zimm piloting his very own Panopticon. Back at home, Oliver’s pet wolf, now named George, howls a mournful cry.

So…can I guess that Ben Percy may have seen ROBOCOP once or twice? Because this is what it’s starting to feel like. We have a racist killing black people and a mad scientist using his pet robot to eliminate anyone else he feels like. This can’t go well for anyone. I like the story thus far. Percy’s not Jeff Lemire but then again who is? Patrick Zircher's art is great and I love the look of the book. Again, Zircher is nbot Andrea Sorrentino but…yeah: you get it!

GREEN LANTERN #42: Hal, Virgo and the captured Trapper are heading towards Ketleth Prime only to find that everyone on the planet has been turned to stone. Trapper’s crew arrives on scene and gets into a battle with Hal. During the fight, Hal sends a piece of the mysterious asteroid towards their ships, but gains composure over Krona’s gauntlet at the last possible moment. Unfortunately, a pebble breaks loose and turns all the ships and their occupants to stone. Feeling guilty, he takes Virgo and Trapper on as his crew to go find the missing Lanterns and discover what is causing all this death and destruction. Meanwhile, Black Hand is trying to make stone dead aliens rise again, but finds his own hands turning to stone in the process.

Go back and look at GREEN LANTERN #39, where we saw these asteroids floating around and turning everything to stone. Yeah-THOSE ASTEROIDS! Well, Robert Venditti and Billy Tan have brought that plot piece back and apparently with one heck of a vengeance! Hal still looks like The Spectre but Billy Tan’s art shines! And the story doesn’t suck! I mean, Hal has one whiny moment or two, but not as wimpy as he was in the past. This is a renegade, lean and mean Hal Jordan with long flowing hair and big muscles! You go boy!

GREEN LANTERN: LOST ARMY #2: John Stewart, Guy Gardner and the team are attacked by a bunch of aliens wielding Red Lantern energy constructed weapons. When they are done defeating them, John and Guy use their rings to change the pyramid from red energy to green, providing them with a super clean energy source. That’s when a young version of Relic from his original Universe arrives.

I really don’t like John Stewart and never have. With that, I have to give Cullen Bunn and Jesus Saiz credit for getting me through at least issue #2 without ripping the book in half. I don’t really like the title, but do like the idea that we have Krona and Relix from before where we know them from. That alone will make me go at least another issue.

HARLEY QUINN #18: Harley and the Gang, including Eggy in a shark suit, go to Harpoon Hanks to discover that Harlem and Harvey are at Coney General Hospital. So Harley and Bolly head off to find Horatio and end up getting get phone jacked, leading to them blowing up the bombers and tracking down Horatio. Bolly hits him in the eye with a hammer causing him to cry out about his “painful peeper”. Harley decides to have a bite of Horatio’s seaweed and that leads her onto a six-page pirate hallucination. When she wakes, Ivy is by her side and she has been in a hospital for a day and a half. It seems the team attacked Horatio but he captured them all and carried them away onto his boat where he plans to kill them all.

It’s another issue filled with innuendos and salacious statements by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti. But I actually ENJOYED most of them! We have sick lesbian jokes, Popeye riffs, dumb dialogue, and Eggy in a shark costume. Great art from Chad Hardin until we get our six-page dream sequence and Jed Dougherty shows up to hit it out of the park. Ivy as a mermaid, the Joker as a rival pirate and the most awesome, one panel KILLING JOKE homage are the highlights! So, it’s still a book that has seen better days, but this issue was better than most!

HARLEY QUINN/ POWER GIRL #2:  Harley fights a Killy-Happy-Bot 2.0 while Power Girl fights a bunch of bad guys until she gets saved by the XGF Team.  The XGF Team is made up of Vartox's ex-girlfriends and his one ex-boyfriend. Once Harly beats up the Killy-McHappy-Bot 2.0, the XGF and the girls head off to Lust Moon to save Vartox, who has undergone a bit of a change…for the better.

And what was a barrel of fun last issue has become one, long bad joke. Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray give us an issue with nothing worth liking except for Stephane Roux’ art. The only good thing right now is it’s a mini-series and hopefully will get better next issue. After all, the first issue totally impressed me with how good it is. Looks like the creative team shot their best in the first issue

JUSTICE LEAGUE #42: Superman is tending to Lex’s bullet wounds when they realize that they are on Apokolips, something that make Steppenwulf, Desaad and Darkseid very happy. Back on Earth, Wonder Woman battle Grail and the Anti-Monitor, who has pretty much decimated the rest of the League. Luckily Metron arrives and transports our heroes away via Boom Tube. At the same time, Mister Miracle  is with Myrina Black, who was responsible for getting the Anti-Monitor out of the Multiverse to come and kill Darkseid. Unfortunaely, she has decided that Earth will be the battleground.  We end with our heroes and Metron, who is pulled out of his chair by Wonder Woman. This allows Batman to sit in it and learn the secret to all of his questions. And then, he deems himself a God.

Geoff Johns Jason Fabok give us a mind messing issue! There isn’t much more I can say. I mean, Lex and Superman on Apokolips, Mister Miracle getting the story from Myrina Black and Batman becomes a God. The Darkseid War heats up!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #2: Superman greets Rao, but his powers shut down and Rao is forced to save him. As the world debates if Rao’s appearance is a good thing or a bad thing, Batman and Cyborg head to the cave to research things. They come up empty handed regarding the Infinity Corporation, Batman gives Cyborg every known way to stop a Kryptonian to see what they can use against Rao. Meanwhile, Aquaman meets with one of Rao’s prophets, who goes about trying to convince the Atlanteans that they need Rao in their lives. Superman travels the world, spreading the good news of Rao, even though he should be out looking for his missing friends. In the end, we see that Diana is in space and that Olympus has been destroyed.

Bryan Hitch handles it all again this issue, meaning it looks great and is incredibly wordy. Now that’s a good thing as there is a ton of cool dialogue and a bunch of nice plot pieces thrown around. It also means you’re getting your four dollars worth as it will take you about twice your normal comic read to get through it. Seeing Mount Olympus trashed in the end was also worth it and I SO WANT a print made of that page!