JUSTICE LEAGUE #44: Green Lantern and Batman, still under the influence of the Mobius chair, travel to Earth-3 (home of the Crime Syndicate) to see the devastation left behind by the Anti-Monitor. This leads them to travel to Qward where they discover the place where the Mobius chair was forged and that the person who is the Anti-Monitor is Mobius. On Apokolips, Superman and Lex Luthor spar. On our Earth, Anti-Monitor and Darkseid duke it out as Grail blinds Kalibak and the Justice League gets involved. Power Ring tries to stop everything, but it may have killed her in the process. That’s when the Black Racer shows up, meaning someone will die. The Anti-Monitor gets the Black Racer to possess. The Flash and then blasts Darkseid with the Anti-Life Equation. The Black Racer is here because Darkseid is dead.
Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok have managed to take this book to a whole new place. The art is truly stunning and this story is amazing! This could truly be Geoff Johns’ finest hour as a writer. And to have the nerve to make Batman more of an ass than he already is, to make the Big Blue Boy Scout into a real jerk, and to kill off Darkseid is about as bold as you can imagine. Although I often don’t go this far and give credit where I should, I have to give a major shout out to Brad Anderson whose color work really makes this book come to life. This is a major masterpiece in the making.
JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #4: This time around, we get a flashback to a story that takes place between JUSTICE LEAGUE 3000 and JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 with The Flash on the planet Nirvana engaging in a training exercise concocted by Ariel/Lois Lois. In the process, she runs into Mirror Master and the pair are stuck in an avalanche and have to rely on each other to stay alive, especially when attacked by Piranha-Bears. This leads to Mirror Master bailing on Teri, who has to get back to Camelot Nine by herself.
Okay, so what we have here is a filler issue. I didn’t find the story by J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen that appealing, except we get Mirror Master and he almost spills the beans about Ariel being Lois. Scott Kolins’ art is nice and really great to see. Other than that, this issue was a waste of three bucks. And I hate saying that, because I love this series so much!
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #13: It’s France in 1940 and Sgt. Rock and Easy Company run into a well dressed man by the name of Vandal Savage. Savage invites the Germans in to have a drink as they secure the town of Arracourt. Rock says he will kill Savage if they ever meet on the battlefield. Today, Animal Man forcibly recruits Savage onto the team, which also now includes Batgirl, Robotman, Steel, Equinox, Stargirl, and Alanna Strange. With the help of Adam Strange, or what he has become, they are assigned to try and shutdown the phenomenon known as the Breakers. They end up back in present day in Arracourt where troops from Word War I and World War II are doing battle. The team jumps in and, unfortunately for him, Robotman steps on a trip wire and becomes entrapped in a gel that short circuits his system. Stargirl gets caught in a aerial blast and is saved by Enemy Ace. Out of nowhere, the butt end of a rifle hits Savage in the head. It’s Rock and Easy Company, here to deliver on a promise.
Okay, so I will forgive Jeff Parker for having Sgt. Rock and Easy Company help the French against the Germans…FOUR YEARS BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY DID!!! Let’s not forget, we didn’t enter the war until after December 7, 1941. That having been said, it was great to not only see Rock and Easy BUT The Hammer of Hell too! And, if I was going to have someone draw these classic characters and it wasn’t Joe Kubert or Bill Tucci, I’d want it to be Paul Pelletier. Logic not withstanding, this was a great issue to drool over. Enjoy it now, as this title is gone with issue #16.
LOBO #10: Lobo has been given the task of eliminating all the Lanterns across the DC Universe and he is currently making his way towards killing Indigo-1. He shows up with a bag filled with fingers and rings and saves her from a rogue Indigo intent on killing her. The rings try to possess him, leading him to chew off a finger to prevent it. Having failed, he heads back to Sinestro to give him the rings he has collected and to receive his next assignment: the Red Lanterns. He faces off against Bleez and Rankorr, slaying Rankorr in the process and taking his ring. Unfortunately, he is going to have to face Atrocitus before this is all done.
Since the first issue, I have been dying for Lobo to have a little bit of the fire of the OLD LOBO. Finally, I can say that he does. He may still look like a Metrosexual, but he finally has developed a set of stones. Chewing off his own fingers? Gotta love it! Killing Rankorr? Never thought I would see that. Thank you to Cullen Bunn, Frank Barbiere and Robson Rocha for giving me a Lobo I can actually like. Too bad, now that he has developed some spunk, the title ends with issue #13. This is part of the SINESTRO RISING crossover and can only hope that we can some of this fire on Bunn’s SINESTRO.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #4: Starting with a flashback involving Agent Wessel, we immediately jump to the Indian Ocean where J'onn rescues Pearl from some well-disguised White Martians. Actually, he only warns her as she does all the work fighting them. It seems that she too has powers and J’onn just appears to advise her of this. She ends up getting tossed off the ship she is on and Aquaman saves her. Meanwhile, Agent Wessel, Mr. Biscuits, Alicia and Leo are trying to get away from the giant White Martian with little success. In the process, Wessel is stabbed by the creature and the ambulance they are in crashes and explodes. Actually, it’s all in Wessel’s mind and he uses his mind to bring the Man-Eater back to what it really was-three white Martians. Later, the Martian moon Phobos appears to grow teeth and heads towards Earth.
All I can say is WOW! Rob Williams has written an amazing story that is just mind-blowing with every page. Meanwhile, Eddy Barrows is cranking out some of the best work of his career. I was hesitant about this title when it was announced and not completely blown away by the preview tale. But this book is now one of my favorite titles since the DC You relaunch.
MIDNIGHTER #4: In Moscow, we have young rich people paying money to torture and kill vampires. This totally does not sit well with either Midnighter or Grayson, who end up questioning some guys in a steam room. Before long, the boys are at the underground hellhole and dispatch the perps is quick fashion. At the same time, Dick figures out that the vampires were regular humans who had been treated with the cells of Martians to turn them into vampires. They also have been booby-trapped and disintegrate as soon as Dick and Midnighter try to cure them. In the end, the pair get to drinking while the scene in Russia m may be changing in short order.
Steve Orlando and Stephen Mooney give us a much better issue than the last few, but this still isn’t the Midnighter I know and love. This issue is most focused on the mission than the personal life, so that’s a step in the right direction. I would like to see more of this plot, especially how the bad guys got their hands on Martian cells and figured out that injecting humans with them would make us into vampires. This is still not the book we all hoped for, but this was an improvement over the last few issues. It’s Midnighter: give us action!
NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #12: Most of our team is in rough shape as the issue begins. Reverse Flash is collapsing in the desert, Parasite is being experimented on and Harley Quinn is locked up with a bunch of children. Manta is getting the tour of the facilities when he is shown a Time Bomb that the League plans to use on their enemies. Later, he meets with Deadshot and informs him that he believes in what the League is doing and doesn’t plan on leaving or stopping them. While Reverse Flash hears part of a communication from Belle Reve that leaves him feeling betrayed, Harley arranges to have the children help her break out. Meanwhile, Manta meets with the leader and explains the Task Force X plan to him.
The good news is you don’t have to wait a whole month to find out what happens as it continues into the NEW SUICIDE SQUAD ANNUAL #1 and that synopsis is next. Sean Ryan and Philippe Briones turn in another good issue that sets up an ending, in more ways than one. I mean, poor Reverse-Flash is fighting for his life in the desert and he gets part of a communication from Belle Reve where he hears that they think he’s been a total bust from the beginning. Parasite is being tortured while Manta is being the typical villain and betraying the team. Things can’t get much worse…or can they.
NEW SUICIDE SQUAD ANNUAL #1: Continuing from NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #12, Boomerang is in a water filling death trap, surrounded by League loyal and other already drowned prisoners. This is what happens when you don’t follow the rules. Meanwhile, Reverse Flash finds Harley, who is totally depressed that she killed all these League soldiers in front of the kids. Black Manta is Saladin, who plans on using the bomb in his neck trick to make him a martyr for Saladin’s cause. Deadshot tries to save Boomerang, but his skills aren’t what they used to be and he kills a League soldier instead of freeing Boomerang. That’s okay though as Reverse Flash has arrived and taken care of that. As the team makes a final assault on the League, Manta realizes he’s been played and kills Saladin. Unfortunately, the madman’s last act is to activate the time bomb. As the team clears out of town, Reverse Flash realizes that innocent children will be killed and he goes back and grabs the bomb. He dumps it in the ocean but is caught in the blast and pays the ultimate price. In the end, Waller is ordered to go off in the field from now on with team missions and the Pearl Group arrives in what is left of the League’s compound to find a future weapon in the fight against Task Force X.
What a great conclusion to this story arc from Sean Ryan and Philippe Briones. Now THIS is what paying five bucks for an Annual is all about! We get a killer story, literally and say farewell to Reverse Flash…for now, I’m sure. So, since we’re probably not totally clear, even though this series is probably out of continuity, this Reverse-Flash is PROBABLY Daniel West and not the Eobard Thawne from THE FLASH comic or TV show. Anyway, he pays the price for his heroism and not a total surprise as that what the Suicide Squad has always been about: someone eventually dies! This is a wild series and Ryan and Briones are totally kicking the crap out of some of the more recent versions of the book. Well done!
OMEGA MEN #4: Kyle Rayner and Princess Kalista talk about their lives. In the end, the two have a moment and she asks him to save them all.
One long filler issue by Tom King and guest artist Toby Cypress. It’s nice to have a recap of Rayner’s life and adventures and the same with Kalista. This book was scheduled to bite the dust in two issues, but now it has a reprieve and will go 12 issues. But I’m still not sure how the plot threads are getting wrapped up, but a fill-in issue at this point seems a waste. DC should just have bumped it off the schedule for a month and play catch up. If this was your first issue, you wouldn’t be coming back for another.
PREZ #4: In the year 2037, the United States answer to the immigration problem is to kill anyone who tries to enter the country illegally. That means using armored sentries and that means that President Beth needs to change things, especially after a sentry kills a young soccer player. In the meantime, a new model sentry named the War Beast is introduced. As a test, a handful of Muslims are released from prison and the sentry performs admirably. By the end, the sentry is loose and who knows what will happen next.
This issue takes a major turn to the dark side. The immigration issue is a major talking point in this country as we enter into the Presidential Election season and this issue hits the nail right on the head regarding it. Where one would expect Mark Russell and guest artist Dominike Stanton to make a big joke out of it, they play the whole thing straight, complete with the killing of imprisoned Muslims and a small boy. Meanwhile, the politicians point fingers at who is really to blame, as they refuse to take ownership of it. All in all, I like this book better when it is being its’ funniest best, but the dark tone of this issue truly brings home to folly that is the climate in America.
RED HOOD/ARSENAL #4: We begin at the end as Red Hood and Arsenal encounter the new Batman. Flashing back six hours, we discover that our heroes have come to Gotham to track down Underbelly. Jason has a flashback moment of his own when the waitress in the diner they are in recognizes him from their youth. Meanwhile, Roy visits with Croc in a sewer underneath of an A.A. meeting. Meanwhile, Palette wakes up from seeming death back in issue #1 to team up with Suzie Su, who we also thought was dead from the previous series. In the end, we are back at the beginning, with our boys fighting Jim Gordon's Batman. And that is when Underbelly shows up and decides to kill three for the price of one.
The good part of this book? We get to see a nice moment with Roy and Croc. The worst part of the book? We have a killer cover that hypes the BRAWL WITH BATMAN, which accounts for a whopping five pages. In between the opening teaser and the finale, we get a lot of dramedy and a really silly flashback that I see as an excuse to put the classic Batman and some of his Rogue’s Gallery into the book. Scott Lobdell wrote it, Denis Medri and I, unfortunaely, bought it.
ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN #4: We begin with a flashback to Damian’s younger days, when one of Ra’s al Ghul’s servants accidentally spies Ra's pouring blood over himself and Damian, rather than granting the man freedom, has him blinded. Back in the present day, Robin and Ducard are returning canopic jars to a tomb in Egypt and get interrupted by Deathstroke, who has tracked Maya here and wants to settle a debt. Robin’s answers to that, after a multi-page fight sequence, is to pay Slade 5 million dollars to leave her alone. In the end, they return the jars to the base of the tomb and find a huge Lazarus Pit. Can Ra’s and Talias be far behind.
Another solo effort from Patrick Gleason. Another great story, although I am tiring of this being the adventures of Robin and Ducard. And Goliath too. It looks tremendous and reads beautifully, with nice character touches by Gleason. Unfortunately, at times, it seems a bit directionless.
SECRET SIX #6: So The Riddler has captured our team but Strix can totally excel at beating people up and takes The Riddler and his crew down. That’s when Sue Dibney steps in and threatens to blow everyone up. This allows The Riddler to take control again, as Sue tells Ralph that she has no idea who he is, for which he blames himself. Ralph hulks up and begins attacking the team while Ventriloquist’s puppet attacks The Riddler during the distraction. Lori, possessing the powers of Black Orchid gets involved but Sue blows up the dock, seemingly killing her and The Riddler, while the team escapes. But…Lori passes out, claiming that The Spectre is calling to her. And then she stops breathing…
I so love this book. While I still haven’t figured exactly where Gail Simone is going with it, it’s a mind-blowing experience. All of this, everything that has happened thus far, all goes back to a diamond he wanted to give to Sue Dibney? Wow! I didn’t see that coming. And the joke in the end is that the dummy stole the diamond and then loses it! The art by Tom Derenick is amazing as he once again proves himself to be one of the most underrated guys in the business. This book is a neat roller coaster ride that needs to be on everyone’s pull list.
SINESTRO #15: On the desert Planet Arklu, Saint Walker encounters Lobo, who knocks him out and tells the people of the planet that their life is going to get worse before it gets better. Then a yellow Lantern ring comes down and tries to turn the bounty hunter into a Yellow Lantern, but he cuts off his finger instead. He brings Saint Walker to Sinestro, telling how much he dislikes the drafting attempt. Sinestro wants Saint Walker so he can use his powers to influence the Sinestro Corps with his ability to provide hope. Walker refuses but Sinestro shows Manhunters on Planet Arklu, where they are giving the people crates of food and water. Saint Walker approves of what Sinestro is doing, which then leads to Sinestro bringing out his science team to experiment on him.
Well, that was an incredibly dark ending to this story. Cullen Bunn, with this issue and LOBO this month, has come up with some of his best writing in recent memory. And Ethan Van Sciver art looks awesome! Van Sciver will be at the upcoming Rhode Island Comicon and I hope he’ll be available to do a Sinestro sketch for me! With the first two chapters of SINESTRO RISING in the books, I cannot wait for more. Our favorite anti-hero has showed both his sides in this issue and this is finally the book I have been waiting for.
STARFIRE #4: We begin with Atlee and Kori battling the Chida monster and Atlee comes up with the solution and throws the Chida out into the ocean. She then explains that she grew up inside the Earth in a place called Strata, where all of her people are. When she came here, she saw Power Girl and they became besties. Now she, Kori and Stella are besties, hanging out in the pool while Sol drools. In the end, bounty hunter Soren Hook arrives and it looks like Kori is his next hired target.
The best thing about this book is STILL the art of Emanuela Lupacchino. Although I have to give some credit to Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti for bringing Atlee out of Pre-New 52 continuity and drop her here. Besides that, Kori is still the annoying ditz who has no clue about anything. Heck, Atlee has to come up with a solution to the monster problem. So, if you break up with your superhero boyfriend(s), does that cause your brain to shrink, because that continues to be the case here.
SUPERMAN #44: In the final chapter of TRUTH, Superman takes on The Royal Flush Gang, who are camped outside of his apartment. Later, there’s a hostage situation at the Daily Planet. Live Wire, Killer Croc, Killer Frost, Atomic Skull and Shockwave are holding Steve Lombard and others hostage. In the end, it seems this guy whose wife got killed during the Titano incident a couple of months back hired them to get back at Superman. In the ensuing battle, a stray bullet hits Perry White in the shoulder. Later, Clark hits the road as he no longer has a job and his friends no longer want to be around him. And Hordr_Root has a new body and joins up with Wrath, Vandal Savage and Mr. Bend.
Well, this was kind of a letdown. What was a great story just kind of fizzled at the end by having this poorly orchestrated hostage drama be the center of the issue. Gene Luen Yang and John Romita Jr. have contributed great things to this mythos in just four issues, but this wasn’t one of them. The art looked rushed in spots, even with Klaus Janson inking it. And the story was just so anti-climactic. I expected a big battle, which kind of came LAST issue. So from here, Clark begins that Great American Road Trip with a new look, diminished powers and no money. Welcome to Earth!
SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #21: The issue begins with Firestorm being attacks for his power source. This moves us to Diana quizzing Lois, who she has wrapped up in her Lasso of Truth. Superman arrives, busting through the wall, and is not happy with what he sees. He gets the others freed and discovers that a bunch of villains he and Wonder Woman are being held here too as this is a rehabilitation research center for super criminals. Then these shadow monsters arrive, taking the villains inside of the giant black hole they turn into to make their escape Saying that the ladies in his life betrayed him, he transports himself to the Watchtower. In the end, Mr. Bend, who we last saw observing Firestorm, gets fired by the President and goes off to meet up with Vandal Savage and company.
If you haven’t been reading the TRUTH storylines in the other Superman titles, then this is a big confusing mess to you. However, for those of us who HAVE been following along, this was a nice payoff. First, we get Firestorm, who we haven’t seen in a while. Then we have the continuing falling apart of the Clark/Lois/Diana triangle. It all ends up with Vandal Savage continuing to gather his forces and make life a mess for Superman. Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke do an awesome job again and, despite the soap opera drama with these characters, I had a ball with it! But…who is Mr. Bend REALLY?
WE ARE ROBIN #4: The book opens following Troy Walker's death last issue where everyone is bummed out. No one more so than a Robin named Riko. She eventually suits up and battles some kids who light fires on rooftops to gain the attention of superheroes. Batgirl shows up, lends a hand and gives her permission to keep doing what she does.
While I get what Lee Bermejo was trying to do here, by actually giving us a little depth to one of these faceless want-to-be heroes, but I felt it all kind of fell flat. Although the scenes involving Riko and her mom were nicely portrayed. James Harvey does a guest artist turn and his work is nice, but totally out of the style that we have grown accustomed to during the last three issues. Bermejo’s cover was a Home Run and makes me so wish he would draw at least one issue in this series before DC decides to cancel it.
WONDER WOMAN #44: Wonder Woman awakes from being shot at the end of the last issue and heads off to heal up. Hera pops into her bathroom mirror to tell her that the death of the Fates is very bad. Then Hephaestus pops in to say that the arrow is a God Killer and was made on his forge, but he didn’t make it. Over in London, Donna Troy beats up some girl’s pimp and they become besties, with her taking Donna underground and getting her new duds. Back on Olympus, Diana confronts Strife and in pops Aegeus who insists that he will become the God of War.
Well, David Finsh is back at the drawing board again for his wife Meredith and that’s nice to see. The book still rambles on for a bit and the fact that we take 11 pages from the main story and give it to Donna Troy, plus the 2 page origin given to Aegeus means we don’t have a lot of space for the star of the book. She spends most of this issue being talked at by her god family peeping on her through her bathroom mirror. Go seek out the 75th Anniversary Green Lantern cover by Terry and Rachel Dodson.
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