ACTION COMICS #45: Clark has set up camp in Talladega, Alabama and is still trying to track down Wrath when Hiro Okamura shows up at the door of his cabin. With the location compromised, Clark sends the kid away and blows up the cabin. Back in Metropolis, the residents of Clark’s old neighborhood are trying to put their world back together. And Clark is now known as Archie Clayton and he’s a truck driver who manages to work his way into Lyfegene Corporation where Supremacists have been kidnapping people infected by Wrath. He frees most of the folks, but finds the black goo has corrupted Lee and now so is he.
Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder give us another cool arc in the new life of Clark Kent. I’m not quite sure if I like Scott Kolins art on this title, but I guess I’ll learn to get used to it. The whole concept of DC books not being in a synced up continuity does have moments where I scratch my head, this being one of them.
ALL STAR SECTION EIGHT #5: Sidney wakes up to find a foul-mouthed Phantom Stranger and three very dead back-ups singers in the bar with him. They proceed to Heaven where an all-singing, all-dancing Etrigan greets them and proceeds to have a rap battle with the Phantom Stranger. Following that brief intermission, the Stranger introduces the deceased members of Section Eight, along with Hitman. They all pretty much blame Sixpack for their being dead and inform him that the old Dogwelder is in Hell. He and the Stranger end up back on Earth where he ends up in an alley cuddling with his own self. When he wakes, he’s back in the bar, Dogwelder’s family is on TV begging for him to come home and Superman is at the door telling Sixpack that it’s time to go.
With this penultimate issue, Garth Ennis and John McCrea totally take this book off the rails of sanity. Not that it was sane to begin with! This is one wild ride and, as I have said before, it should be in everyone’s library! It has been filled with tons of superhero guest stars, some really kinky stuff and now we let Etrigan and the Phantom Stranger rap together. Seriously-one of the funniest and funkiest books of the year!
AQUAMAN #45: Aquaman is wounded and finds himself on an alien world where he is attacked by alien creatures. Dispatching them, he comes across creatures and buildings from Thule. He collapses from his injuries, only to wake up in the care of the inhabitants of this world. Despite not being able to communicate with them, he learns that Thule has been out conquering worlds until they came here and these people fought back. Deciding that he now knows how to beat the Thulians, the alien Queen takes Arthur to a statue that belonged to the Thule people. It’s a statue of Earth before Atlantis sank and Aquaman is on top of on top it, like he is the ruler of the world.
Honestly, I don’t know where Cullen Bunn is taking this book. And Trevor McCarthy’s art is not my favorite, although this is probably his best issue to date. This was one of my favorite titles…no so much anymore.
BATGIRL #45: Barbara is helping Alysia get ready for her wedding when she is entrusted with the ring. She and Luke Fox are sharing a tender moment when Dick Grayson shows up, much to everyone’s disappointment. Babs and Dick head out onto the roof and he steals the ring, leading to a lengthy chase where they almost kiss. She also chews him out for the whole dying but not really being dead thing. She makes it back in time for the wedding and shares a wonderful date with Luke. Later, while she sleeps, a mysterious figure plots…
Okay, I’m a little confused. Didn’t we already see Dick and Barbara have this conversation, or at least a version of it, in the last issue of GRAYSON? So, I guess cintinuity IS less important than a good story. Only this isn’t a good story. Everything here good have been summed up in about half an issue and all the action involved the chase. The story by Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher goes back to the complaint about the “Batgirling” of DC’s heroes. And Babs Tarr’s art is just so cartoonish. I want my smart and sexy Barbara Gordon back!
BATMAN #45: We find Jim Gordon, in his Batman costume, taking a major beating from some of Mr. Bloom’s Devil Pigs disciples when his Mechanized Batsuit comes to his rescue. Elsewhere, Bruce Wayne is taking a bunch of old Joker props, like the super large card and the giant T-Rex, and turning them into a playground at the Rec. Center. Duke visits his friend Daryl to have him do so investigating into one of Bloom’s seeds. As it turns out, Geri Powers forces Gordon to resign because of what went down with the Devil Pigs, but that doesn’t get a chance to happen publicly as Mr. Bloom shows up at the press conference.
Well, it’s nice to be back to the story at hand here. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo continue the story of Mr. Bloom and throw us the curveball that has Jim Gordon getting the axe. So, does he save the day and that leads to Powers reversing her decision or does he continue to fall on his sword and somehow Bruce comes back into the costume? We hear that DC wants to make changes to the DC You project and maybe that is one of them. We shall see. Until then, it is still THE BATMAN title to buy!
BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL: #1-4: In issue #1, Grayson, Red Hood, and Red Robin tem up to help Dick complete a non Spyral related mission. Undercover at GSU’s Tower of Enlightenment Grand Opening, he recalls an early mission where he and Batman first tackled The Scarecrow. They were forced to battle Crane’s class of students in the process. In the present day, armed GSU students attack Dick, forcing him to escape as they tell him that Orphan is coming to kill him. But Poppy shoots at him and tells him that Mother says "Hello", before she reports to Orphan. He then gets attacked by Cassandra Cain, who hands him a USB stick while saying the word "Mother" to him repeatedly. In the Batcave, he sees the stick has a list of names that are Mother's Children, who are marked for execution. A hologram of Batman appears, explaining Mother is his greatest sin and that he had once shot a man and a woman because Mother told him too. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon has tracked down Bluebird to convince her to stop her superhero ways, but she immobilizes him and taunts him to catch her again. Back in her apartment, she is greeted by a ninja who says she must die as she is the key to everything Grayson cannot know about. He is The Orphan
In issue #2, The Orphan is beating on Harper when Cassandra comes to her rescue. Grayson talks with Matron, who says she knows nothing regarding Mother, before making his way to Harper’s apartment just as The Orphan is being blasted by a stun-gun shot. While The Orphan gets away, Grayson checks on Harper as the Spoiler arrives, and they both smell Fear Gas. In a flashback, Dick recalls an early encounter with Scarecrow and his Fear Gas. In present day, Red Robin arrives and learns he is on Mother’s hit list, as is Jason. Dick calls Jason, who currently has Cassandra at gunpoint.
In issue #3, Red Hood is beating on Cassandra until Dick, Tim, Harper and Stephanie arrive to stop him and explain it all. They take an injured Harper to the Batcave to repair her injuries while Dick hears from Spyral and learns that Mother is a human trafficker who builds “designer human beings”. This leads to a flashback where Robin reveals his fear is that he could never be the hero Batman wanted him to be. In the present, we learn that Poppy was receiving phone calls from Beacon Tower, where there is a gala for Bruce Wayne. And Bruce finds himself in the kitchen with a lot of people bearing hatchets.
In issue #4, Bruce is being attacked by a bunch of folks with axes when Dick Grayson, under the guise of Mr. Sparrow, comes to his rescue. That is also when an assist comes from the Robin Gang, who have been undercover as waiters and waitresses, and Batgirl, who has a brief conversation with Dick about their conversation in BATGIRL #45. Meanwhile, in the Batcave, Harper, Stephanie and Cassandra deal with their issues, which is mostly with the fact that Stephanie doesn’t trust Cassandra. Later, Dick goes to the family home of the Drakes while Tim calls Mother.
James Tynion IV, Scott Snyder, Tim Seeley, and Scott Orlando weave the beginnings of thenewest weekly Batman epic; one that brings together most of the Batman Family into an adventure with deep repercussions. Add in the art of Tony Daniel, Paul Pelletier, Scot Daniels, and Scot Eaton and you have what looks to be a cool little mystery with some nice twists and turns, even in the first four issues. I look forward to seeing how this whole thing will play out.
BATMAN BEYOND #5: As the transformed Justice League members attack Neo Gotham, the Jim Gordon Batsuit gets charged up and Tim Drake climbs inside. First up, he destroys John Stewart and goes into battle against Superman and Wonder Woman. The battle goes back and forth before Micron arrives and destroys Wonder Woman. Tim shoves Kryptonite down Superman’s throat, which allows Micron to destroy the former Man of Steel and save Neo Gotham.
I’m sorry: this book slowly starting to sink into an ocean of silliness and just leaving me with a feeling of totally not caring above this book. Dan Jurgens’ story just keeps plodding along. We have the replacement Batman climbing into Jim Gordon’s old suit and taking on the converted and perverted former members of the Justice League, only to be saved by this generation’s version of The Atom, Micron. The story holds no interest for me and I just find this to be a labor to read. And I’m also finding Bernard Chang’s art to no longer hold interest for me, as it is filled with unusual angles and strange proportions. This could be a perfect jumping off point for me.
BATMAN SUPERMAN #25: Batman is ordering his team to find Clark Kent and get him out of his city. But Superman is using one of the old Batman's gliders as he searches for the miniature sun stolen from Waynetech. He tracks down the Barbarians of the Dawn Command and engages them, only to be attacked by Vandal Savage, where he takes a serious beating. Before he can be finished, Batgirl comes to his rescue and gets him to the Batcave. Three days later, Superman and Batgirl are in Siberia where Savage is demanding the residents hurriedly mine six tons of uranium from so old and half-buried nuclear missiles. Luckily, Batgirl and Superman don’t have to do it alone, as Red Robin and Red Hood show up to help.
Despite having some rather unusual plot points in it, Greg Pak and Cliff Richards throw together a cool story with some awesome art. Batgirl looks hot and not like a teen girl as she does in her own title. I did laugh when these newly thawed barbarians are complaining about being hungry and craving burritos! Seek out the Monsters Variant cover by Michael Avon Oeming as it is a dynamite take on the ACTION #1 cover.
BAT-MITE #5: Bat-Mite teams up with the Inferior Five as they all prepare to face off against Gridlock, who has stolen the only known copy of the pilot episode of the classic television show GALAXY TREK. Bat-Mite joins the team, retools their personalities and their costumes and that results in the debut of the Superior Six. Gridlock escapes but they save the film canister, only to discover it is empty. The team begs Bat-Mite to change them back to what they once were and he obliges. In the end, three hooded figures decide
Thank you Dan Jurgens and Corin Howell for giving me a reunion with one of my favorite super teams of all time. I was six years old when I read their first appearances and followed them all the way through the 12 issues of their comic, watching them with such classic characters as the Cobweb Kid and Sub-Moron. This SO takes me back to my childhood with great memories of lying in a hammock in the summers and reading comics all day long.
BIZARRO #5: Right now, our quartet is locked up in Area 51 and charged with trying to break in. We go back three days and see that Agents Meadows Mahalo and Stuart “Chicken Stew” Paillard have offered our heroes $50,000 and an all-expenses-paid visit to Las Vegas to get them to break into Area 51. Once in Vegas, Bizarro proves a whiz at the Blackjack tables. Unfortunately, he answers a call from Jimmy’s publisher and learns of the plan to write a coffee-table book about their trip to Canada. They get inside Area 51 and start a riot so they can get their hands on the Army’s stockpile of captured alien weapons. Caught by General Lane, Jimmy connects him to his daughter Lois, who threatens to expose how he has aliens under lock and key. The aliens gets released with the weapons and head home. Colin also goes home and Chastity hooks up with Kilowog’s cousin and she leaves. In the end, Bizarro smashes Jimmy’s car and flies off.
Heath Corson and Gustavo Duarte give us the penultimate adventure of this Fantastic Four and, as this whole series has been, it’s a winner! From the Sculley and Mulder rip-off in the opening, to Killowog’s cousin, Lois Lane and all the rest, it is one long parody trip! And I remember saying this was a comic version of FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS and I stand by that. It has been one wild and wacky road trip that is all but ready to end. Find the back issues or wait for the trade. This is a kick in the funny bone and I will miss it after next month.
BLACK CANARY #5: With another successful gig completed, Dinah and the band head discuss future plans and Maeve’s ulterior motives. Later that night, Dinah encounters the mysterious blonde ninja. The next day there is a record store signing and Byron’s mother and sister Shelley show up, as does Bo Maeve who disrupts the signing and challenges them to a Battle of the Bands. And at that battle, Bo uses her new powers.
This was an interesting issue by Brenden Fletcher and Pia Guerra that continues one plotline and sets up another one. The art still continues to be an issue with me as the whole “Batgirling” of the line stills bothers me. But I like where the story is going, even though this is far from the Black Canary who was romantically involved with Oliver Queen during the classic days of that archer’s title. And this issue was a good opportunity for the rest of the band to get fleshed out-nicely done! BTW: Byron and Shelley…GET IT!?
CATWOMAN #45: Eiko mourns her father’s death, even as Oliver Cobblepot and the Black Mask make an appearance at his funeral. Later, Selina, in costume, breaks into Eiko’s apartment to pay her respects, but that doesn’t go well. Cobblepot meets with Antonia, informing her of the latest developments with Black Mask and his men. Of course he is playing both sides, as he goes to meet with Black Mask with Catwoman in tow. She and Black Mask battle, she stabs him and leaves him to die. Cobblepot offers to save his life, but only if he gives up everything he has, which he agrees to. After a training session, Eiko is visited by Spoiler, and is informed that Eiko is throwing a party and killing all the families and their members.
Genevieve Valentine and David Messina continue to not only redefine the character of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, they also continue to redefine the landscape that is Gotham’s crime families. While I would really like to see Selina back in action full-time in the suit, the concept of the crime families, the two-faced actions of The Penguin, the dealings with Black Mask, Eiko and the rest, are truly fascinating and makes for some of the best crime fiction since the days of MS. TREE. While I’m still getting used to Selina in pantsuits, this is so recommended!
CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #5: Constantine battles his ex-girlfriend Veronica, who is the monster that has been hanging around since issue #1. Georgie, despite not being very happy with Constantine at the moment, agrees to help. As she is ready to dispatch the creature, she discovers that she is Veronica and has second thoughts. But, knowing what is at stake, she burns the Soul Displacement book and kills Veronica in the process. As she and Constantine go there separate ways, she tells him she will never forgive him for this.
And I may not forgive the creative team of Ming Doyle, James Tynion IV and Scott Kowalchuk for making this Constantine even more unlikable than his last incarnation during JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. The artwork is creepily simplistic, the plot took five issues to dig through it all and I’m just so tired of a plot that just did nothing for me. Next issue starts a new arc and I will give it a chance. But if it moves at the pace and with the enthusiasm as this one, I won’t finish the arc. Seriously DC: I had such hopes with Doyle and Tynion at the helm.
CYBORG #3: Cyborg has gathered whomever he can find in Detroit to help defend against the upcoming alien invasion by the Technosapiens, including poor Bobby. As the battle rages, the Metal Men arrive to lend a hand. The Justice League would be here, but they’re also busy fighting Technosapiens. At the same time, there is an invasion at STAR Labs, where the scientists find themselves losing. Just when things look their worst, the Tekbreakers arrive at STAR Labs to save the day. When Cyborg shows up there, he flips out as these are the people who killed him in the Preview story. The leader of the Tekbreakers is the Sarah Charles parallel world and she tells him that his father started the war that she is here to help stop.
Maybe I missed something but when did Batgirl become a member of the Justice League? That’s what I thought! But during the panel showing the Justice League battling Technosapiens, there she is-front and center. So I’m not sure if David F. Walker is to blame for writing is into his script or if with Ivan Reis and Eduardo Pansica are to blame for assuming she is part of the team. Either way, it’s a big boo-boo! Maybe this has something to do with the book being a month late. The story: well, that’s another story. It’s full of action on two fronts and I was thrilled to see the Metal Men showing up. Is it too much to ask for a series with them?
CYBORG #4: Picking up from last issue, we discover that the other Sarah Clarke has come from an Earth in a universe where Doctor Silas Stone was responsible for its’ destruction. Unable to let his wife die in peace, he ended up becoming Cyborg and led to the Technosapiens coming to Earth to try and take the technology with them. It seems the Tekbreakers have come here to find a way to stop the plague that is ravishing their world. The Technosapiens attack again, causing Cyborg, the Metal Men and the Tekbreakers to spring into action. That’s when the giant Technosapien attacks.
We get two issues in one month to make up for the missing issue last month. This time, David Walker is joined by Felipe Watanabe as the artist, as Ian Reis is only doing layouts. It’s another average issue that at least gives us the other Sarah Clarke’s back story, even if it wasn’t the greatest back story ever told. What I really wanted was more Metal Men but then I guess we’d have to changed the title of the book from CYBORG to METAL MEN now wouldn’t we?
DEATHSTROKE #11: Deathstroke, now with only one eye again and his traditional patch restored, finds what he first believes is his dead daughter Rose, but discovers to be someone disguised as Rose. Based on a clue he finds that points to Harley Quinn, he leads a one man assault onto Belle Reve. He finds Harley and Deadshot and, after a bit of a battle between the trio, Slade figures out that it wasn’t Harley who was responsible. He realizes to late that he has been set up and falls into a watery trap with Black Manta, proving payback is indeed a bitch!
Tony S. Daniel and James Bonny move on from the eye-plucking end to the last issue and fly headlong into something completely different. With Tyler Kirkham handling the art, this trio leads an all out assault onto Belle Reve for no other reason than to have our anti-hero find clues to getting his daughter back. My biggest gripe about this is that it all comes racing at us with no real resolution to the tale last issue. So…we just let Slade yank his eye out and that’s that? Weird. I would liked to have had some resolution to that piece and THEN slide into the first part of this story. Then NEXT issue could have been a longer assault and such. But what do I know: I just read and write about comics!
DETECTIVE COMICS #45: We begin at a cricket match in India where the crowd is attacked by a liquid that steals their eyes. Elsewhere, the Justice League interrupts a quiet night at Bruce Wayne’s apartment where they want to know if there is anything left of the old Bruce. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon’s Batman gets called into action because the rest of his flying team is being attacked. Luckily, the Justice League shows up to assist him, as he is not doing a very good job on his own. Batman tracks down the person responsible in the form of the Mad Hatter, who explains he was hired by someone The League recruits Gordon for the team and they all transport to a snow covered land with a very big skeleton.
Welcome to the first issue of the new team of Peter J. Tomasi and Marcio Takara and here are my initial thoughts. Tomasi writes a nice script, but it’s nothing amazing. I mean, it’s cool to see the Justice League show up, but are they that desperate to get the old Batman back? And then they show up while he is battling something attack the Bat Blimp that has been sent out by the Mad Hatter. The whole piece is a bit convoluted for me. Takara’s artwork doe not work at all for me. I just find it a little too stylized and too blocky. I especially hate the way the Batsuit looks! The best part of the book was the cliffhanger ending. Not a great start for a book that was showing great promise.
DOCTOR FATE #5: The deity Bastet, who was in Khalid's dead cat, has been reincarnated into the form of another identical black cat. She reiterates everything the first cat told him and then dies again, with the hope of being reborn again. With the helm back on his head again, Khalid goes about stopping petty crime and saving people among the continuing flood. He is also trying to attend school which again takes a back seat when he ends up at the hospital where is father is being menaced by Anubis. Getting him freed, Anubis tracks him down and offers to make a deal to restore his father’s eyesight. Khalid agrees to give Anubis the helm and Anubis does return the sight, but takes Khalid’s in the process.
I have yet to figure out why this series didn’t get the axe when DC decided to eliminate a whole slew of titles recently. This book by Paul Levitz and Sonny Liew is a total mess. It seems like this book is treading the same ground every single month without it moving forward. I mean, how many times can Khalid be told he needs to man up and become a hero? How many times can this damned cat die already? I’m sorry: this is NOT Paul Levitz’ finest hour. The book drags on, the art just looks like something from an Indy book (not a bad thing…just not appealing for a superhero title), and I really hate the cast!
DOOMED #5: Superman explains the Doomsday virus to Jayne, leading her to tell him about what happens to Reiser. Superman tracks him down and tries to discuss his condition, much to Reiser’s delight. But that all changes and Reiser transforms and punches Superman. Then the Alpha Centurion, who is actually possessing the body of Reiser’s roommate Roman, arrives and he and Reiser mix it up. Superman breaks it up and just in time as now the three of them are looking at a very big and ugly monster.
I really was not a fan of this book when it was introduced, but I have to admit that it was grown on me. Scott Lobdell is really good at writing troubled teenagers, even if they sound like they are still in the 1980’s. Therefore, his characterization of Reiser is very much like a young Peter Parker. Okay…it’s not an original idea, but it works. The fact that we have thrown in a ton of guest stars sure doesn’t hurt either. Javier Fernandez’ art has also grown on me and gotten better with each issue. Since next issue spells the end for this series, maybe Reiser can find his way into the Teen Titans.
EARTH 2: SOCIETY #5: The heroes are trying to save Neotropolis from the falling Overwatch-One.While Flash tries his hardest to use his muscles, we flashback to a year ago when Flash spent weeks running across the planet to try to make the world better for its’ newest inhabitants. This made him a celebrity with the people on the planet which allowed him to become the life of the party across the planet. It also meant he would crash and burn and it took Jimmy Olsen to help him out. A year later and Flash makes the save. However, Jimmy Olsen feels betrayed and plans on killing Flash along with the other heroes.
You know: you make Jimmy Olsen a God and look what happens. As the saying goes, Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This has been the best issue in the series so far, but that isn’t saying much. I liked the EARTH 2 series before CONVERGENCE but this one, by Daniel H. Wilson and Jorge Jimenez, is just annoying. I don’t care for the art and I find Wilson’s story boring. I want action not a soap opera and between the drunk Flash and the drama in previous issues between the new Superman and Power Girl, it’s enough to have this book get adapted for Daytime television.
FLASH #45: With the Flash and the entire Central City Police Department stuck inside the dome, tensions are running high inside and out. Captain Frye threatens to shoot the Flash until Singh steps in to save him. Wally has a plan, straps the magnesium engine block to one of the armored police vehicles, and drives it into the dome, which cuts a hole in the dome. Flash gets everyone out of the dome before the Central City Police station disintegrates, leading to Frye chewing out Flash and threatening that they will meet again. Meanwhile, Henry Allen has finished the weaponized power glove and Zoom uses it to drain Magali’s powers and make them his own. And then, he plans on eliminating the rest of his crew and stealing their powers, making him a god.
Not a bad issue, even with some of the forced plot points, such as the magnesium engine block which was such a big deal last issue…nothing like making that way too obvious a plot device. So, once again we get an action filled issue thanks to Robert Venditti and Van Jensen. The art this month is a bit all over the place as it’s by Brett Booth, Vicente Cifuentes and Ale Garza, and you can tell where one arrives and one leaves off, making for a rather disjointed reading experience.
GOTHAM ACADEMY #11: Trying to piece together the mysteries from the last few issues involving Olive’s mother, Maps and Olive go searching the file room, only to run into Red Robin. He tells the story behind Calamity burning down part of the Narrows before she was ultimately stopped and arrested. Apparently there have been generations of Silverlocks masquerading as Calamity. Batman discovered that Calamity had a daughter and made plans to make sure she wouldn’t follow in her mother’s footsteps by having her end up in Gotham Academy. They are then forced to fight the “new” Calamity, who drops a part of a key. Later, they discover this key is an old puzzle key to Arkham Asylum.
Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl absolutely do a killer job on this series. I love it! It’s Harry Potter adventures in the Batman Universe. I mean, there are no magicians but there are a lot of spooky things going on. This is just a fun series for all ages, despite the Teen Rating.
GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #10: Covered in gore after last month’s explosive conclusion, Corrigan and Drake flee the station and head off on a road trip where he reveals his death and the Spectre’s origin. This results in a car chase that ends with the Spectre coming free and the car heading off a bridge and into the water below, seemingly killing both Corrigan and Drake. Meanwhile, Doctor Tarr investigates supernatural happenings at the site of Sister Justine’s death. And…what is with the creature arriving in the final panel?
Under a beautiful Bill Sienkiewiez cover, we have the insanely wild penultimate issue of this title. Ray Fawkes writes it with all the flash and flair of the first nine issues. This has been one creepy head trip book and I’m sad to see it go, especially because the Spectre, despite limited appearances in this book, has been his old destructive self. By the way: WE NEED A SPECTRE BOOK that hearkens back to the justice dealing days of the Fleisher/Aparo run. Juan Ferreyra’s art is creepy and beautiful and has been a perfect fit for this series. Go find the first issues or wait for a trade. You need to have this in your collection as, despite its’ occasional flaws, it is one of the better horror themed titles DC has published in some time.
GRAYSON #13: Now that he is back in Spyral’s employ, Grayson is being physically checked out to make certain he didn’t bring back anything that could be detrimental to the group. Once cleared, he is sent on a mission with Agent 1, which includes infiltrating a heist by Tiger Shark. The ship being attacked belongs to the father of a student at St. Hadrian's School for Girls and it doesn’t take long for the pair to defeat the bad guys. Later, Dick contacts "Alvin Draper" ...better known as Tim Drake. Tim reveals that the mysterious Agent Zero is Luka Netz and that she has managed to appear in almost every photo ever taken of Batman in action, going all the way back to Year Zero. This leads to a lead in Berlin, while Director Bertinelli and Doctor Netz meet with some of the most clandestine groups in the world. In the end, Midnighter has arranged to have Ladytron get involved, leading to a battle between her, Dick and Agent 1.
This is fast becoming my favorite of the Batman Family titles. Tim Seeley, Tom King and Mikel Janin just keep filling this book with great writing, clever lines of dialogue (yes…Spandau IS known for a ballet, Ladytron!) and some amazing looking art. What makes this such a great book is that it totally embraces the spy concept as you never really know who is on what side. Just when you think Bertinelli is one of the good guys, she pulls a stunt like this issue and you wonder. And just what is the connection with Doctor Netz and Luka?
GREEN ARROW ANNUAL #1: A bunch of thugs are going around and beating up people who have contracted a disease known as Lukos. In the old days, people who were infected with Lukos became wolflike and were not only feared but used by warring nations. A werewolf biker gang rounds up those infected folks and plan on passing the disease to everyone at the Midnight Halloween Parade. All-out war breaks out between the bikers, the thugs, Green Arrow and Emiko. In the end, the war ends with a few casualties…one of whom is Oliver Queen who has been bitten in the attacks. This could be a problem down the road.
Okay…so we have a very long tale the can be summed up very quickly: dumb. Ben Percy and Szymon Kudranski give us a great looking book that is filled with dumb stuff. We have a bunch of bigots who want to eliminate the Lycans(let’s call it as it is) and that leads to the werewolf people deciding to turn everyone into werewolves. Somewhere in the middle of that, Oliver and Emiko get involved and help to save the day. This truly was a waste of five bucks, with the exception of the artwork. It’s a shame too, because I have found the current creative team to be weaving a rather different and usually interesting story.
GREEN ARROW #45: Oliver and Tarantula are escaping from the fight they were in with the Skeletons. We flashback to events that happened four months ago when Ollie was in Alaska, as seen in the preview tale. The Skeletons destroyed a totem containing an ancient bear skull and kill a security guard in the process. Back in the present, Ollie and Tarantula head to El Paso so they can search for George. They are attacked by a swarm of moths, leading them to take refuge in a destroyed gas station. They find the interior filled with Mayan symbols painted in the blood of a dead man they find inside. Tarantula tells Oliver the symbols mean the darkness is spreading.
Benjamin Percy manages to lay two eggs in the same month. Granted, the Annual should have been released last month, but that joins this one as two really lame Green Arrow stories. I mean, here’s Green Arrow and Tarantula and they’re running away from the bad guys. I know these Skeletons are bad news but really…Green Arrow running from a fight. The story is a bit on the confusing side and I don’t buy the compression of time that gets our heroes from Seattle to El Paso. I would expect a lot more exposition on that road trip. One the good side, Patrick Fincher’s art is great!
GREEN LANTERN #45: We begin with Hall fighting Black Hand and then move to a flashback where he has Darlene plotting a flight path. He bids goodbye to everyone and heads off and meets up with Black hand, who is totally bummed that he can’t reanimate anyone anymore but can turn them into rock. Once Hal reveals himself to Black Hand, Hand flips out and, of course, the two battle each other. Hand tries to turn Hal to stone but fails as Hal knocks him out. Hal decides it is time to stop playing games and he needs to finish Hand once and for all.
I find this book works the best when Hal Jordan, looking like The Spectre, takes Center Stage. When we let the supporting cast play a bigger role, it drags. Here is the example: the first half of the book, up until Hal meets up with Black Hand, is just boring. Too much talk and not enough action. Once Hal and Hand meet-FIREWORKS! Still, it’s a nice effort from Robert Venditti and Billy Tan. Do yourself a favor and seek out the Monsters of the Month variant by Neal Adams.
GREEN LANTERN: LOST ARMY #5: John Stewart and the Lanterns fight their way out of their prison, but lose Jruk in the process. Just when things look bleak, Relic and Krona arrive to save the day. As they head out, they are able to track down Mogo and discover that Mogo is being attacked and is in pain.
Please make this end! Cullen Bunn and Jesus Saiz give us a great story with a bunch of characters I could really care less about. I mean, I love Guy Gardner and he was one of the major highlights of the RED LANTERNS book. But I never cared for John Stewart, just like I never saw Kyle Rayner as a valid Lantern. So, we combine all of these Lanterns I don’t care about, throw in a once upon a time bad guy or two and…is it any wonder why this book never caught on and gets the axe next month? Oh wait: there is a NEW Green Lantern book coming in January that picks up where this left off? Oh help me!
HARLEY QUINN #21: Harley and Deadshot brawl for a bit before they patch up their differences and Harley goes back to searching for Sparrow. Teaming up with Nick Stanley and his Batmobile, she heads off to Sparrow’s establishment. At the same time, some thugs have the same thing in mind and it’s up to Harley to save them all. In the end, Harley gets Sparrow, Sparrow’s mom arrives and pays the money and is told how Sparrow needs treatment for her addiction. Nick tries to convince her to do a pilot or two for some television shows but she wants someone to make her a cartoon character. After drinks with Deadshot, Harley heads to Beverly Hills for some shopping.
Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti conclude their mini-epic with more guns and glory than past issues. This was a little more serious, complete with the minor anti-drug preaching at the end. I did like the little touches, like the references to television shows and such. This was not as silly as most issues and, while it’s not the psychotic Harley we seen in SUICIDE SQUAD, it’s close. And John Timms’ art isn’t Chard Hardin’s, but it too is close. Overall, this was a better issue than most.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #45: Darkseid is dead and the Justice League are slowly becoming Gods. Flash has become the God of Death, as he has been infused with the spirit of the Black Racer. Superman is with Luthor on Apokolips and has become the God of Strength. Batman, sitting in the Mobius Chair, has become the God of Knowledge and plans to take his power to Gotham. Shazam is now the God of Gods and it seems like the spirit of Darkseid is controlling him. Meanwhile, Luthor convinces the former slaves of Apokolips that he is the chosen one spoken about in their writings and they make him the God of Apokolips.
Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul continue to roll along with this monster storyline. It seems that everyone is becoming a god now that Darkseid is dead. And, in something that I’m sure will be revealed in more detail in the series of one-shots connected to this story, we start to see the whole idea of absolute power corrupting absolutely. Of course, if you believe that Darkseid is truly dead, then you haven’t been reading comics very long! I do like the twist of having Luthor reveal his sneaky self and becoming the God of Apokolips. Nicely played!
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