DC's ROBIN WAR

ROBIN WAR #1: Part 1 of the ROBIN WAR crossover. One of the Robins tries to break up a robbery that results in the death of the perp and a police officer. This leads to Councilwoman Noctua to get the council to pass the Robin Laws. This leads to numerous arrests throughout Gotham. Damiam shows up at the Robin’s cell where he brawls with Duke, Dre, Dax and Izzy. Batman shows up and gets shocked, literally, by Robin. Red Hood and Red Robin and Grayson is making his way here too. Travis, the kid who was the Robin involved in the beginning of the book, gets killed by a Talon and we see that Noctua is in cahoots with the Court of the Owls. They are happy this war has begun as it means Nightwing will soon rise again.

And so the ROBIN WAR begins, courtesy of Tom King with art by Khary Randolph, Alain Mauricet, Jorge Corona, Andres Guinaldo and Walden Wong(yes…all of them!). This seems to be going into a weird place, as it is rumored to all be leading up to the GRAYSON book going away and being replaced by a new NIGHTWING book. Either way, check out this book which is just the first of five parts this month PLUS three tie-in issues

GRAYSON #15: Part 2 of the ROBIN WAR crossover. Red Robin, Robin, Red Hood and Grayson meet with Duke Thomas and all the other Robins in the Gotham Underground and tells them that they are now a part of Robin School. They all spend the entire issue training until Grayson betrays them all and GCPD and Batman arrest them. It seems it’s all about taking care of family and this time, the family may be the Court of Owls.

Well, that certainly amps up what began in the first part of the story! Tim Selley, Tom King and Mikel Janin totally gives us a killer second chapter. Actually, it’s the ending that puts this book over the top. Throughout the rest of the book, it’s a lot of training and monologuing, with some nice exposition between characters. That cliffhanger ending just sends this tale into a new place. Between what is happening in BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL and this, it looks like the Batman family is in a states of major chaos.

DETECTIVE COMICS #47: Part 3 of the ROBIN WAR crossover. We begin with Grayson standing on Batman’s throat. Flashing back to an hour earlier, we see that Gordon and Bullock are not happy about having to lock up all these Robins in “The Cage”. Gordon starts to suspect that Councilwoman Noctura is involved with some underhanded stuff involving all of this while Damian comes up with a plan to get the Robins out. Batman heads to Officer Darrell’s place and runs into Grayson, leading to the battle that started the issue. During the fight, Gordon's cowl comes off Dick’s suspicions are justified. Back at “The Cage”, the Robins get a visit from the Court of the Owls and the Talons.

Ray Fawkes and Steve Pugh bring us the third chapter in the ROBIN WAR saga and, while it is not as good as the first two chapters, it does make a nice effort to push the story along. The whole thing inside The Cage is interesting although having the Owl and Talons show up was predictable. The art looked great, as it’s always a joy to see Pugh’s work. It should be interesting to see what the next installment has to offer.

WE ARE ROBIN #7: Part 4 of the ROBIN WAR crossover. Dick and Jim are digging into Council Woman Noctura and find out that she is working with the Talons from the Court of The Owls and is deeply involved with The Cage. At the cage, Damian and Duke verbally spar until The Court brings in Jason and Tim and orders them to fight to the death or else. Luckily, Tim and Jason have a plan that results in them freeing the Robins and taking down the Talons. Well…not ALL of the Talons as more arrive.

Lee Bermejo and Carmine Di Giandomenico give us a nice but slightly uneven paced chapter in the ROBIN WAR. I felt the whole Damian/Duke conversation was a little too long and too heavy handed.. I also found that the whole “fake fight” between Jason and Tim was too predictable, although it was cool to see Tim doing some acrobatics. Over all, it was an okay issue that was able to step away from the main storyline that has been going on in the first six issues and tie in with this seemingly epic story of the new Gray Son.

ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN #7: Part 5 of the ROBIN WAR crossover. Robin, Red Robin, and the freed Robins fight a group of Talons from the Court of Owls. After defeating the Talons, the teams split up with Red Robin leading his group to Gotham Academy, where they find the Owls preparing to hatch new Talons. Meanwhile, Council woman Noctua meets with a mysterious figure who demands that she position the police as he orders. Then Batman arrives to stop the Elite Talons from hatching and orders the Robins to flee. Nightwing makes his way through the Labyrinth of the Court of Owls and meets with Lincoln March, while Red Robin’s crew runs afoul of the nee Gray Son-Damian

Patrick Gleason, Ray Fawkes and Scott McDaniel combine to throw one major twist into this story. Okay-so Damian has just recently returned from the dead, reconnected with his mother and his father and now he has turned to the Dark Side? Yeah-really didn’t see that coming! How this is going to lead to Dick becoming Nightwing again is anyone’s guess. This has been a fun mini-series, even though the tie-in series have been a waste of time, as they only tie in one or two pages at best.

GOTHAM ACADEMY #13: A ROBIN WAR tie-in. Olive introduces her classmates to Riko Sheridan, who is on loan from WE ARE ROBIN. That only means that, while the team investigates the monster on campus, Maps gets to go all fan-girl on her. When they all confront the creature, known as Efram, they discover that he may be as old as two centuries. Plus, there are Owls on campus and the police arrive and arrest Riko. And Damian shows up in his Robin gear to tell Maps that she needs to keep her secret identity hidden.

Maps has a secret identity? Cool! This was another great issue, even if it’s actual  connection to the ROBIN WAR was a slight one that involved Riko Sheridan coming on campus. Brenden Fletcher writes a fun story, which is constant for this title, even is writing partner Becky Cloonan is missing. Artist Karl Kerschl is gone and has been replaced with Adam Archer. Archer’s work is good, but he’s no Kerschl. Overall: we get a fun issue that leads into the YEARBOOK storyline that begins next issue.

RED HOOD/ARSENAL #7: A ROBIN WAR tie-in. Roy is still teamed up with Joker’s Daughter while Tim meets Jason and tells him about the wholesale capturing of the Robins. Roy and Joker’s Daughter get a job to rescue some orphan kids from the Circus of the Strange. They make a pretty good team but the decision is made that she is safest back in Arkham Asylum. On the way back, they run into lava zombies. When Roy arrives, all that is left is a tangled motorcycle.

This issue is listed as a ROBIN WAR tie-in, but actually that’s kind of a rip-off because the actual time spent on that story is barely two pages. In fact, it pretty much amounts to a handful of panels, plus some flashback stuff by Jason and Tim. Scott Lobdell writes a fun story and Javier Fernandez does a cool job on the illustrations. But to call this a tie-in is insulting to the fans. It’s the continuing Joker’s Daughter/Arsenal team-up with a BRIEF MENTION of the ROBIN WAR. Shame on you, DC!

TEEN TITANS #15: A ROBIN WAR tie-in. While Cassie and Reiser are hanging out in a mansion outside of Gotham, the rest of the team goes to Gotham, where they discover that Professor Pyg is back to his old tricks. His zombie victims proceed to attack them, leaving them in a tough predicament, as they don’t want to harm them. They get captured and Pyg begins to use Beast Boy for his experiments and a girl in captivity is transformed from his blood, causing Power Girl to have to grow and subdue her. Pyg escapes and delivers the heroes’ blood to the Cult of Blood. Meanwhile, Red Hood and Red Robin lead the Robin team to Gotham Academy.

Scott Lobdell and Will Pfeifer turn in another average issue with a whopping two pages devoted to the ROBIN WAR, complete with art from Miguel Mendonca. The highlight of the issue is the always-spectacular artwork of Ian Churchill. What I especially didn’t like, outside of putting Red Robin on the cover with his team, in a scene that never appears in the book, was sticking Cassie and Reiser in a one page throw-away that gets them out of the story. It also allows Churchill to draw Cassie in a skimpy bikini, which is never a bad thing! As of February, Greg Pak and Noel Rodriguez become the creative team. Hopefully, their first issue will be better than this last issue.

ROBIN WAR #2: The conclusion of the ROBIN WAR crossover. Damian Wayne has joined the Court of the Owls so that he could save all the other Robins and all of Gotham from the wrath of the Elite Talons. He takes down Red Robin and Red Hood, which leads to a confrontation with Duke Thomas. The Robins then band together with the police to take out the Elite Talons. Marsh tells Dick that he needs to become Nightwing or else he will trigger a nano tech bomb in Damian’s owl mask. In the end, Duke visits Travis’ grave and tells the rest of the team that they aren't ready to be Robins yet. Jason, Tim and Damian confront Dick about the way he betrayed them and he says it’s what Batman would have done. He goes off and joins the worldwide initiation, where he rejects his Robin past and dons his owl mask.

And so the status quo changes as Dick Grayson truly becomes the Gray Son and joins the Court of the Owls. While we are told this will continue on in GRAYSON, I wonder how long before the title gets renamed NIGHTWING. Written by Tom King with art by Khary Randolph, Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Steve Pugh, Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens, this story sets events in motion that will obviously play out in future issues of WE ARE ROBIN and ROBIN SON OF BATMAN, plus everything else these characters touch. I hope that DC doesn’t just let what happened in this series fall by the wayside six months from now. A change should at least be semi-permanent.

DC YOU Month 7, Part 2

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6: While Aquaman handles the Rao problem in Atlantis, Superman battles it out with Rao in the Fortress of Solitude. Aquaman ends up being transported to what was left of Olympus where he and Wonder Woman encounter more of Rao’s followers who destroy what is left of Olympus. Back in 1961, the Flash is being told about the Forever Stones and how Superman’s future death will lead to the end of time. Meanwhile, on ancient Krypton, Hal and Rao arrive at the Citadel of Argo to discover that it’s an Infinity Corp.

Bryan Hitch continues to write and draw his epic version of the JLA. And, what one must keep in mind, is that this is an example of telling a great story that is out of continuity. Because this is WAY out of continuity. I somehow expect it will loop itself around and, by the end of it, it will tie back in. Or maybe I’m just hoping…

JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #7: Beginning with a flashback, Teri gets through the battle with the Scullions as Supergirl arrives and gets them out there. In present time, Teri still mourns what has happened while Supergirl talks to Fire and Ice and we learn that Barry Allen and Hal Jordan died in the battle. Guy Gardner and the new Batman arrive and it looks like the next version of the Justice League is going to be an all-female one, led by Supergirl.

J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen continue to turn this book inside out. I’m a bit bummed to have Chris Batista doing the guest penciller job, especially after having a Colleen Doran stint a month back. But the story continues to deal with the aftermath of the death of Superman. With the old League dead and a new one poised to begin, this book is truly at the point where, if you are not already doing so, you need to be reading this title.

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #16: We begin with a flashback from two months back when Adam and Alanna learned the Breakers were on their way to Earth. The team is in Western Connecticut are at the House of Secrets, where they have followed the Breakers. After meeting Abel, Stargirl, Equinox, Animal Man and Alanna Strange each encounter their own dreamlike nightmares. Equinox sees a bizarre ancient ritual that may involve her. Stargirl sees Deadman's origin, which now includes the Phantom Stranger. Animal Man witnesses the Kents as they take Kal-El and make him their own. Alanna realizes that Abel is the Breaker and blasts at him with her energy weapon, severing off his right arm. Adam Strange arrives and destroys Abel’s house, freeing our heroes. But, in the process, he manages to get trapped inside the Zeta Beam. What that does is allow him to see what the team configuration best suited for any mission is. In the present day, Alanna explains what she saw in the House of Secrets. She learned that Sardath was really her father and he used Adam to test a theory. She orders that he end his experiment and bring Adam back home, which he does, resulting in a happy ending.

We do understand that a HAPPY ENDING is not THAT KIND of HAPPY ENDING, right? Jeff Parker and Travel Foreman bring this series to an abrupt ending. And, here’s the whole thing about this series: it was completely uneven. Some issues, like the last arc, were brilliant and others were just so-so. This issue tried to tie up the entire series in one 22 page issue and drops in Alanna’s origin story…sort of. What I DID like here was seeing the House of Secrets pop in complete with Abel, even if he was only a Breaker. So, here we are: a series that had great premise that just never really got out of the starting blocks.

LOBO #13: Lobo has been taking out hunters all across the galaxy and now has his sights set on Hal Jordan. Hal fends him off, leaving Lobo to have to deal with the ghosts of his former comrades. That just fires him up and he attacks again, with Hal putting him down again. Hal drags Lobo out into space and then hurls him back to the planet’s surface, where he burns up on re-entry. He gets rescued by someone from the Citadel and is hauled off to heal. Unfortunately, the Czarnian isn’t about to let anyone use him anymore and he kills his rescuer.

And thus ends Lobo’s run as a book headliner. This book got so much better in the last four months, but the first nine were so uneven that the book was truly living on borrowed time. Cullen Bunn and Frank Barbiere did an awesome job of taking this guy from the Metrosexual Lobo who managed to slay OUR Lobo in the opening pages of the first issue to giving him a vibe of his own. Robson Rocha and Ethan Van Sciver handle the art beautifully too. In retrospect, this ended up being a fun series and hopefully they won’t just toss him off to the side now that the series is done. I expect we will end up seeing him chasing after Hal Jordan again and probably soon.

MARTIAN MANHUNTER #7: With the state of ouor world being compromised by Mars, Pearl takes it out on Martian Manhunter, who she calls Martian Mankiller. Mould asks J'onn why Mars is sick and decaying like before. That leads to Manhunter heading off to confront an army of Martian tanks. Unfortunately, the army runs Mould over. Wessel whips out his badge and finds out that the leader of the Martians is a grown-up Alicia, who is prepared to take out Wessel and Mr. Biscuits. In the end, Martian Manhunter sends a message out to all Martians and tells them that he’s going to protect them against the war.

While this is not the best issue of the series so far, partly because of Ronan Cliquet doing the art this issue, but Rob Williams continues to write one hell of a tale. I don’t even know what is going on in this issue…THAT’S how good it is! Our hero has been split into multiple personalities but also has been restored? Wow! And the brain is now dead? Well…that explains a lot! This book is so good, so mind-numbing, that you can’t resist it. Now, you may have to read each issue a couple of times, but it’s surely worth your time.

MIDNIGHTER #7: Midnighter has been stabbed by his lover, who turns out to be Prometheus, who claims he is the God of Forethought. As the two battle, Prometheus monologues about how he stole the God Garden Tech and Midnighter's history. Midnighter takes Prometheus out and loses his history at the same time. In the end, Midnighter goes off to spend some time with Jason while Apollo gets an unwanted gift from his ex. Meanwhile, Deadshot gathers the Perdition Pistol as he attempts to track down Garden tech for Amanda Waller.

While this series has been a real drag up until now, this issue did a nice job of wrapping up a story that has been brewing since issue #1. Midnighter comes off a breakup and then finds out his boyfriend is his betrayer. Maybe that should have been the title of the issue…old school, like in the Marvel days. We need a big bold MY BOYFRIEND, MY BETRAYER across the cover. Anyway, Steve Orlando, Aco and Hugh Petrus wraps things up, leaving our hero still in the dark about his past. And as far as his future goes, we shall see…

NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #15: The team is flying off to Dallas so Waller and Deadshot can confront the Calvary Corporation CEO Ms. Pesta while Harley and Boomerang help Parasite get his energy back. Pesta tells Waller that Task Force X has been screwing up business deals worldwide. So they created their own team of metahumans but mothballed it because of expense. They made use of Vic Sage, who planned on releasing a Task Force X prisoner and blaming it on Waller and company, leading to the government shutting down the Squad. She offers up the evidence that will implicate Sage. In the end, Black Manta escapes from Belle Reve.

So, this is the road to the swan song for Sean Ryan and Philippe Briones as the new creative team is going to be Tim Seeley and Juan Ferreyra. DC continues to make this one of the more exciting books out there and they will do so as the movie gets closer to final release. I have loved what Ryan has done thus far and hope the new team continues to make this the coolest oddball team in comics.

OMEGA MEN #7: Kyle Rayner and Princess Kalista are still on the run from The Citadel and are planning to escape Hyn’xx at all costs. Kyle sells his grandmother’s crucifix to pay for their flight on planet. But it turns out that the Omega Men are flying the ship and are taking Kyle to Voorl, whether he likes it or not.

Tom King is an ex-CIA guy who writes from the heart and from experience. If you’re not reading any of his books, then you are truly missing out on a rising talent in this business. And Barnaby Bagenda’s art is just mind blowing. This book and these characters are so cool that you truly have to have it as part of your pull list. The book has twists, turns, and just proves that there are really good books out there worth saving, despite bad sales numbers. This is one of them.

PREZ #6: America is still suffering with the weight of the cat-flu and that leads to the fine folks from Pharmaduke to offer up a deal. They have a cure to offer up, but they want a law that allows patenting any living organism. President Ross quickly sends them away. Unfortunately, both political parties come together to override her veto. On the plus side, the President has managed to patent the DNA of those celebrating suits and that means Fred Wayne owns them and they are violating his copyright. Meanwhile, the War Beast is still having issues with its’ identify and joins a LGBTQR support group. She also is still the subject of attacks by the military that doesn’t believe she is no longer dangerous. In the end, a “cat zone” is created along the Arizona/New Mexico border to quarantine the cats. That doesn’t sit well with everyone and Tina the War Beast, who gets the job as the President’s personal bodyguard, thwarts a death threat. In the end, cat flu cases decline and the President's’ approval rating soars.

The first arc in Mark Russell’s brilliantly biting but misunderstood series comes to an end. The book has a nice little cliffhanger built into the last panel that promises to be resolved in Part 2. DC has said this is actually a mini-series and that we will see Part 2 soon. I love Ben Caldwell’s art and that has always been a great part of the appeal. This has been a wonderfully funny book and I wish the fans had embraced it more. Do yourself a favor and pick up the issues or a trade paperback if that comes out. This is a really witty series that deserves better than cancellation.

RED HOOD/ARSENAL #7: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post

ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN #7: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post

SECRET SIX #9: When we last saw our heroes, they were apparently drowning at the bottom of the sea as the magic bubble they are in begins to crack and let water in. Porcelain shatters the pillar that is draining Black Alice’s life as the Children of Arion transport them to safety.  Over at Scandal Savage’s apartment, Black Alice begins to mumble something about not trusting the Children of Arion. She also finds out that if the team succeeds the world dies. This leads her to Meanwhile, the team has been sent to Perdition to blow up the next pillar. Upon arriving, they find out that the townspeople are under the control of an Elder God known as M’nagalah, who also has control of the pillar at the bottom of the town’s mine. They also run into a rather drained Swamp Thing who brawls with Etrigan, allowing Big Shot to crush M’nagalah with the pillar. Looks like the town is going to get to eat tonight!

Gail Simone and Tom Derenick, who is filling in for the ever amazing Dale Eaglesham this month, gives us another great chapter in this series. This book is quickly becoming one of my favorites thanks to Simone’s quirky use of characterization and the art styles of Eaglesham and Derenick. The book is always beautiful to look at and the characters are so well developed even as there is a ton of mystery around some of them, specifically Big Shot. Let’s be honest: this is a wild take on the man who we know as the Elongated Man!

SINESTRO #18: The Paling battles Sinestro's team but also mange to make their way to Earth in the process and they are responsible for resurrecting fallen members of the Corps. Sinestro sends out the Manhunters while the yellow rings seek out new members including Scarecrow, Deathstroke, Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, and Superman.

While Cullen Bunn uncork a non-stop action issue, Brad Walker shares art with Neil Edwards to make it look amazing! I love where Bunn has been taking this title, of which I was highly critical, since the Sinestro Rising storyline. The Palling has suddenly become major players in the Lantern corner of the universe and that’s great, because we needed a new villain to take the place of the Guardians. Again, I was totally critical of this title but now feel like it’s finally coming together.

STARFIRE #7: Kori and her friend Sol go off on a date on the Sea Queen at the same time that Dick Grayson is in disguise on a Spyral mission. Sol is trying to cope with dating again after the death of his fiance Maria, who died during the hurricane. Meanwhile, Dick is battling it out with someone who has a briefcase he needs. Kori overcomes the shock of seeing Dick alive and lends a hand in retrieving the briefcase. Dick tells her that the briefcase has a trigger for a weapon and that leads Kori to destroy it so it can’t be used, much to Dick’s dismay. In the end, Dick ends up sucking down some wine and the two kiss.

We have another lackluster issue here as Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Emanuela Lupacchino gives us a beautiful looking book with a ditz of a character. And we even bring Dick Grayson in and he doesn’t notice that his ex has lost most of her I.Q. since he saw her last. So, I guess he may have lost some of his I.Q. too!

SUPERMAN #47: As Superman battles and defeats his sand clone, Jimmy gets taken to the hospital where it’s revealed that he will live. Clark heads off to fight Mythbrawl where the wrestling gods go up against Hordr_Root and his robots. The good guys win the day and Condesa downloads Hordr_Root's consciousness into a hard drive, as it’s revealed that Root had hopped into Jimmy's body. The hard drive is turned over to Mister Terrific. Jimmy has a flashback and we see that Hordr_Root’s creator was a paralyzed son of Vandal Savage, who ultimately was killed by his creation. In the end, Savage breaks into Mister Terrific's lab to get his son back.

So we get Howard Porter art throughout most of the book…up until the battle with Hodr ends. At that point we get Raymund Bermudez and it just makes the ending feel forced. It totally feels like the ending was changed along the way. I just can’t believe that Porter would get that far into the book and then not finish it. That having been said, I hope this storyline ends soon. Gene Luen Yang’s story is weird and the whole thing with the wrestling gods was just annoying.

SUPERMAN ANNUAL #3: (NOTE: read the SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #24 review before reading this review). Beginning on Krypton, Im-El goes up against the Kryptonian High Council to save everyone from a comet heading for the planet. His actions deflects the comet to Earth, where it results in the creation of Vandal Savage, who spends his immortal life affecting events in China, Rome and even during World War 2. In the present day, a depowered Superman confronts Savage, Wrath, Hordr_Root, and Frankenstein, who have commanded Stormwatch's Carrier and killed everyone in Superman’s immediate vicinity. Even in his present condition, Clark is going to do everything he can to stop Savage and his team.

Greg Pak, Gene Luen Yang, Peter J. Tomasi, and Aaron Kuder, the crew currently writing the Superman titles, come together here to give us a winding tale that lays out a bunch of the puzzle pieces that have been falling throughout those titles. What we end up with is a killer tale that, among other things, redefines Savage and makes a connection between him and Krypton as part of a revised origin. Dan Jurgens, Rafa Sandoval and Ben Oliver handle the art while Bill Sienkiewicz and Oliver ink it and that results in a story that while reading great, is a mess to look at. Actually, that’s not fair. It looks awesome, but there are two many conflicting styles to not be a distraction. Where does it go from here? ACTION COMICS #48.

SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #3: In a flashback, Clark battles Blanque who, as a telepath, is extremely dangerous to the safety of Clark and Lois. He also wants to know if Clark is Superman’s brother. Clark decides to put him somewhere that he can’t hurt anyone ever again, which results in him building his version of the Fortress of Solitude. Back in the present, Lois and Clark talk about their recent run in with Intergang and work real hard at hiding his secret identity from Jon. Clark heads off to Fortress of Solitude, where he reveals that he has Hank Henshaw there. Henshaw wakes up and takes out Clark who has an ally in the form of Blanque, who can read Clark’s mind. This means he now knows about the destruction of Coast City, along with Lois and Jon. Meanwhile, Bruno Mannheim shows what he does to people who fail him and the Oblivion Stone story drops another hint as a Dominator is killed over it.

If someone had told me that Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks would be writing a killer tale involving a displaced Lois and Clark, I would have thought you were crazy. But…here it is! This is one of the bigger surprises of the last six months. After the disaster that was CONVERGENCE, I thought that would be that and this would be awful. But it’s not! It’s Jurgens at some of his best by bringing in classic characters into the current universe…folks like the Dominators and Mannheim. And Weeks is giving us some of his best work in an illustrious career. I know you probably don’t believe it, but this is a book that has a love of its’ character and should be on your pull list.

SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #24: Wonder Woman is still trapped in the suit that drains powers while a depowered Superman tries to save her. But he’s too weak to do it and Bend ends up with them being captured. While Bend monologues, Wonder Woman encourages her boyfriend to fight back and he frees himself. Clark grabs Parasite and the two of them manage to defeat Bend, who ends up back in Blackgate. Superman proves he can lie as good as the rest, as he proves to Parasite, who gets to go back to Belle Reve. In the end, Vandal Savage shows up at Blackgate and tears his son’s heart out of his chest.

Peter J. Tomasi finishes off this storyline and sets things in motion that get revealed in SUPERMAN ANNUAL #3. And we can slowly see the love between Wonder Woman and Superman slipping away leading to what I believe will be there ultimate breakup. Doug Mahnke handles the layouts while Ardian Syaf and Tom Derenick were responsible for the actual pencils in this issue. Maybe we might even get Firestorm back into a regular series after this outing.

SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #2: Beginning and ending with Superman sitting on the porch of his childhood home looking at photos of his parents, it moves to various episodes featuring Clark and Diana. They enjoy a nice dinner with Aquaman and Mera, where Diana sees how their relationships with their men are similar. Next, we have Superman and Wonder Woman going to Pakistan, where they fight a Demigod named Dichara, where it gets revealed that she is the God of War and probably should have told Clark. Next, a depowered Superman is ordered to stay behind as Wonder Woman goes off to battle a monster. Her answer to him after the fact is that she was protecting him. That does NOT sit well with the Man of Steel. In the end, he realizes there is no good time to give her that engagement ring.

So, this was a little change of pace. Sholly Fisch, K. Perkins, Keith Champagne and Peter J. Tomasi combine to tell four stories that represent the crumbling relationship between two of the most powerful of superheroes. Each chapter gets a different writer and that means each gets a different artist in the form of Marco Santucci, Chriscross, Ken Lashley, and Matthew Clark. Overall, it was a beautifully written and equally beautiful illustrated tale of what it means to be a hero. You know: great power and great responsibility. But in the end, it’s still a man and a woman trying to co-exist.

TEEN TITANS #14: After the debacle at the Metropolis Armory Ward, the Teen Titans have been arrested. During transport, Reiser shows up and breaks them out of their moving prison. Alpha Centurian shows up with the Pax Galactica who manages to get taken out by the Titans. In the end, the team finds out that Red Robin had Raven transport him elsewhere…to meet with Jason Todd and look into the upcoming ROBIN WAR.

So, we tie up one storyline, introduce the character of Doomed to the Titans pantheon, and we send Red Robin off to the Robin War. Will Pfeifer and Scott Lobdell do an okay job of writing the story and bringing Lobdell’s Reiser into this book, now that he has had his own book cancelled on him. But Noel Rodriguez art just doesn’t appeal to me. Is EVERYONE now drawing angular styled stuff these days? This is becoming an increasing trend and I’m a bit tired of it. The real question here is if Reiser is going to replace Tim Drake. Yeah…like we need that!

TEEN TITANS #15: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post

TELOS #3: Telos and his team take on Validus and defeat him, allowing them to continue on their journey on Colu. They end up at Computo’s facility and discover all of his failed experiments. They are mercifully destroyed but that doesn’t stop Computo and Brainiac from subduing them and revealing a rebuilt Validus.

This is the second weakest issue thus far in the series, only just a notch above issue #1. Jeff King wrote it, Stephen Segovia and Igor Vitorino illustrated it and I really, REALLY didn’t like reading it. The plot was too jumbled and the cast, only three issues out, are really getting on my nerves. We have made Captain Comet into a cardboard hero and K-Rot is like a cross between Rocket Raccoon and Captain carrot. But I have good news: apparently this is now a six issue mini-series, which means we’re at the halfway point!

TITANS HUNT #3: Donna Troy has shown up to battle it out with Dick Grayson and Garth. The fight eventually ends with Donna getting tossed through the outside wall of the reading Hatton Corners Teen Titans Club House. Meanwhile, Lilith is haunted by the mysterious voice known as Mister Twister and Gnarrk breaks Roy out of prison. Twister unleashes a powerful noise that affects our heroes, with Mal seeming to take the worst of it.  Elsewhere, Hawk and Dove are on patrol and Hank hears the sound while Dawn does not.

This issue is another labor of love for Dan Abnett as he touches on all the cool things that made the original Teen Titans so cool. I like the fact that Dawn does not hear the sound that Mister Twister unleashes because SHE wasn’t the original Dove-Don Hall was. But Don died during the CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. But, even more confusing, if CRISIS never happened, as revealed in CONVERGENCE, would that mean that Don is still alive? Maybe HE is Mister Twister.After all, he and Lilith did date for a time while in Teen Titans West. The art is by Paulo Siqueira and Geraldo Borges and it just does a great job of giving the book wonderful Eighties feel. I love this title, even if it throws a bunch of unexpected curves into your reading, most of which revolve around Gnarrk, who most modern readers don’t even remember.

WE ARE ROBIN #7: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post

WONDER WOMAN #47: Dessa comes to Diana to inform her that many Amazons are dead thanks to Cheetah who has headed off to capture the Eye of Antiope and gain immortality. Diana gives hunt and runs into an injured Anastasios along the way. He’s had to cut off his own arm to free himself after the Amazons attacked he and his brothers and he’s still pretty pissed about it. She promises to help him sort things out after she tracks down Cheetah. Finding her, they battle, but Hera’s vision stops Diana from pursuing Cheetah. She soon learns that to be immortal means losing her animal powers and Cheetah leaves the stone behind. The issue ends with Diana thanking her mother.

What? Did I just drop four bucks and this? Meredith Finch writes what I could best call a fill-in issue and it certainly was a step below what she has been doing, which has been spotty at best. Sure, it’s nice to give us some Cheetah action, but this is not the way to do it. There is way too much dialogue going on and too many predictable monologues for my liking. Miguel Mendonca knocks it out of the park, especially with a two-page spread featuring Diana and Cheetah in combat

DC You Month 7, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #47: Superman and Frankenstein are beating on each other while Wrath and Lee tussle. Wrath tells her origin story, where her mother died when Brainiac stole Metropolis and Doomsday Superman ruin things when she was Mayor. So Vandal Savage arrived and this is her revenge on Superman for NOT protecting her city. Superman decides he must take the black mass into him so he travels around the world absorbing all of it until everyone is clean but himself. Vandal Savage arrives and tells his “daughter” that this has gone too far and he opens his magic golden box and takes the Shadow away. He may have saved the world, but he has also stripped Superman of his powers.

While I loved the story that Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder gave us, I was not a big fan of Georges Jeanty’s art. It just seemed was too abstract for this iconic hero. But, then again, look at some of the other artists of late who have drawn him. Having Vandal Savage come out the hero here is kind of weird. But then again, he was a hero of sorts in the recent JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED story. So, this was a nice way to wrap up this storyline, but I still have issues with the whole “Superman is powerless” thing. I’m sure they’ll be a great payoff at the end though!

ALL STAR SECTION EIGHT #6: Six Pack and Superman have teleported into the Fortress of Solitude. Six Pack confesses that he thinks that he and the rest of the DC Universe may not be real and are just part of a drunken fantasy. They teleport to Guinness Park where Superman shows Six Pack a statue that was constructed, calling him Savior of the World. Then Superman hands him a bottle of bourbon. Six Pack heads back to Noonan’s Bar, to gather the team to take on “The Threat”. But The Grapplah has hung himself in the bathroom while Dogwelder’s family has come to take him home. Unfortunately, they have their dog with them and we all know what that means. Powertool accidentally electrocutes himself and Baytor hides in the bar’s basement, while Bueno Excelente and Guts are still on their honeymoon in the ladies’ room. So Six Pack drinks a bottle of whiskey, runs outside and pukes as he springs into action, while really lying in the gutter with Superman’s cape as his blanket.

If you read this book, you know how amazing it was. To find out that it was all a dream in a drunk’s eye-PRICELESS! Garth Ennis and John McCrea have taken the superhero genre and turned it upside down and inside out. It was amazing and it’s a shame that this probably couldn’t be repeated in a future mini-series, based on the ending. Either way, even if it IS only a dream, I would love to see a sequel to this!

AQUAMAN #47: Thule has attacked Amnesty Bay and that means the Justice League has arrived to help in the fight. Entriax shows up, opens a portal to Thule and everyone jumps in. Except for Arthur, who heads to Atlantis to try and save Mera. Luckily he gets some help from a giant Anglerfish.  But apparently she doesn’t need the help as she’s pretty pissed and now she’s gotten free.

Cullen Bunn and Vicente Cifuentes with five inkers put this issue together and that’s a big problem. FIVE INKERS? REALLY!? Well, for everyone who has been whining that Bunn’s work on this title has been…well, not his best work, they’ll be thrilled to find out that Dan Abnett and artist Vicente Cifuentes have joined the title as of February as the creative team. Abnett’s work is good, but he can be hot and cold too.

BATGIRL  #46: Barbara and Nadimah are going door to door and asking residents about gang activity in Burnside and they meet a woman who tells them that her son has joined one of the gangs.  That night, Barbara heads out as Batgirl and throws down with the gang the old woman mentioned. A guy named Lewis joins her in her fight. He tells her he has information about the give and arranges for them to meet the next night. The next day, she wakes up to find out that she has slept for twelve hours and that Frankie has a neural implant in her neck. It looks like Frankie may be the new Oracle. Batgirl goes to meet with Lewis who tells her that Spoiler is on the run from the Hasegawas. Batgirl rescues Spoiler from Hasegawas’ assassins, threatening the assassins with bringing Batman into their business. She manages to stash Spoiler at Luke Fox’s crash pad and he tells her that her schematics for the Negahedron could be worth a billion dollars. In the end, the old woman’s son gets arrested and she blames Barbara for it.

Sorry, I am still not a huge fan of this book. I don’t see Barbara Gordon going from former paralyzed superhero to this. All of a sudden, she’s acting like a giddy teenage girl. And I know that Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher’s take on this classic character has become the launching point for so many other female superheroes as of late, but I just find it terribly unappealing.  Babs Tarr’s art style moves between cartoon cel and Anime and that has also become a huge influence in the marketplace. Everyone in this book has had their ages altered in this DC You world and I miss my Babs Gordon. Recently DC has asked its’ creative teams to STOP BATGIRLING their titles but maybe they should start with BATGIRL herself!

BATMAN #47: Batman finds himself getting beat up by his Batsuit when Mr. Bloom orders it to throw Batman into the sky…leading him straight into the path of a helicopter which he narrowly avoids. Landing back at the start of the story, Batman is forced to destroy the Batsuit. Jim arrests Bloom, but during the transport, he spawns multiple Blooms and destroys the Batmobile. Meanwhile, Duke is at the Iceberg Lounge, where he is trying to get free of Penguin, Great White Shark, Black Mask and Scarface. Bruce Wayne and a baseball bat save him just when it seems he is going to be killed by Penguin’s men. After finding the inactive seed Gordon had previously given him was missing, Bruce used the Rec Center's computers to find where Duke was going. Duke tries to trigger a memory in Bruce to make him realize who he is and that leads to a vision of a bat. Later, while sitting on a park bench, Bruce thinks he might actually BE Batman. And then someone sits down next to him and tells Bruce they both have something in common. It looks like the Dionysium has healed The Joker.

Oh boy! We knew Bruce was going to eventually put the suit back on again. But now it looks like The Joker has been restored and reborn. As always, Scott Snyder’s story and Greg Capullo’s art makes this the best Bat book out there and DC’s best seller. It’s a shame that Capullo is leaving in a few issues and we hope that his replacement is as good as he is. Until then-enjoy the ride!

BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL: #9-13: In issue #9,  Tim and Jason are flying over Santa Prisca when they are forced to bail out because the plane they’re in gets hit by missiles. They discover that the Church of St. Dumas has built a palace on top of Pena Duro. Not long after they land, Bane arrives and the battle begins. They convince him to join them, as they are off to the Church of St. Dumas. Over in Prague, Dick has Harper look over some files while we get a flashback to Prague years ago. Bruce meets with Mother to get his wife and she reveals that she not only found his tracking device and realizes that Bruce is Batman. Back on Santa Prisca, Tim, Jason, and Bane make their way into the church, only to be discovered by the Angel of Death-Azrael.

In issue #10, Bane battles Azrael while Jason and Tim face-off with the Priests of St. Dumas. Azrael uses his sword to cut Bane's venom hoses and makes him see the light…literally! Jason manages to hack his way into the St. Dumas Mainframe, discovering Project: Ichthys, Project: Azrael and that Jean Paul Valley is one of Mother's children. Flashing back to Prague, we Bruce chastising Dick for trying to stop Scarecrow, which leads to Dick storming off. Bruce then heads off to meet with Mother and appears to now want to go along with her plan. Back in the present, Tim and Jason are getting beat handily by Azrael, forcing them to retreat after they douse themselves with Bat Shark Repellant. Meanwhile, Harper and Dick make their way to Mudge Island where they meet The Sculptor.

In issue #11, The Sculptor tells Dick that Mother is her boss and he must stop her. She then uses her mind powers to show Harper what she knows. We see Cassandra being beat up by Orphan and that’s when Harper learns that Orphan is Cassandra’s father. As part of her training, Orphan had Cassandra locked up and forced to watch him kill people, to make her numb to death. Mother found out about how Orphan was using his own methods to train Cassandra, she is banished, ending up in Gotham and doing what she knew to survive. Finally, Harper and The Sculptor mentally travel to the nursery where Batman is meeting with Mother. Just before the big reveal, Dick pulls Harper out of the vision and tries to force The Sculptor into showing him Batman and the created Robin.

In issue #12, the Sculptor reveals to Dick how David Cain killed her parents because she wanted Sculptor’s telepathic ability. Orphan continued turning children into orphans and they became sleeper agents for Mother…those that weren’t eliminated because they weren’t strong enough. Dick then sees that Batman agrees with Mother that he needs a new partner. When Dick comes out of it, we learn that everything has been an illusion-the Sculptor, her mansion…leaving Dick and Harper alone on the top of a cliff. They need to get moving to try and save the children Mother no longer wants. Unfortunately, they may be too late as it looks like they have been slain. And maybe Cassandra was involved.

In issue #13, flashbacks of young Cassandra shows how she was mistreated as part of her indoctrination with Orphan and Sculptor. Back in the present, she ends up in the mass grave within the nursery. After designing a mask out of the blood of the innocents, she confronts Orphan, with a 6,000-volt assist from Dick and Harper. In the end, Mother makes her presence felt when she informs Orphan that he has done his best and she has a thermonuclear device ready to explode.

So we’re just about at the halfway point in this series and the mystery still remains. James Tynion IV, Scott Snyder, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Ed Brisson were responsible for the story while Roge Antonio, Fernando Blanco, Christian Dulce, Marcio Takara, and Javier Pina handled the art. I don’t find this as alluring as the BATMAN ETERNAL series was, but it’s still good reading!

BATMAN BEYOND #7: Tim and Barbara are in the Batcave, trying to figure out what Batman did to get the Batman Beyond suit to work and Tim figures out the secret code Bruce used. Matt McGinnis goes to a Tailor shop and tries to get the owner to tell him where the cyborgs were made. The answer he gives is Metropolis before Rewire busts in with an axe to grind with the owner. Tim gets the suit online and goes after some of the Jokerz. Later, Tim moves in with Barbara and Nora gets hold of him to let him know that Matt is missing. Matt is poised to enter what is left of Metropolis.

Dan Jurgens and Stephen Thompson combine on a really good issue! In fact, this is probably one of the best since the first one. Thompson’s art really shines here while Jurgens nails it by setting up the future storyline. I’m looking forward to seeing what Metropolis looks like and what Matt will find there.

BATMAN SUPERMAN #27: Flashing back to the first time that Jim Gordon got to see Superman in action up close, we shift to present day Siberia where Gordon complains that the Superman he got stuck with has no powers. Still, the pair of them transport into Vandal Savage’s base of operations and immediately gets attacked for their trouble, leading to them transporting out but destroying the teleportation drive in the process. Vandal arrives at the village and they have his uranium. And it also looks like Red Hood and Grayson are dead, while Batman and Superman are hiding in the ice miles away from here.  But Batman and Superman teleport in and they fight again. Vandal begins firing the guns in the Nazi ship, but Supergirl has reversed the gravity, causing him to be launched into space. Vandal flips out and destroys the ship, seemingly killing him. In the end, Jim Gordon unmasks and he and Clark shake hands.

Well, that was certainly a disappointment. The good news is that Cliff Richards and Jack Herbert combine for a great looking issue! The bummer is that Greg Pak turns in a concluding story that fell short of previous issues and much of his other work. Our heroes teleport in and then get their butts handed to them by Vandal Savage? I don’t see that happening. There was too many pages of chatty dialogue and a flashback that only propelled along the idea that Jim Gordon really doesn’t like Clark Kent. So, having them kiss and make up at the end was like watching the end of a really bad wrestling match.

BLACK CANARY #6: Kurt figures out that Waller hired Bo M, to capture Ditto, who has written a readable waveform on the dressing room mirror. Before they can have her write her story on the mirror, Heathcliff sends them to the stage for a duel with Bo M which becomes a one-on-one Canary Cry battle between Dinah and Bo. As two sets of deafening sound waves converge, Kurt jumps over save Ditto and they are both transformed into a puddle. The band leaves and heads to A&B Records, where they discover that the CEO is an old, gray Kurt Lance. And it seems he got an assist from Ditto.

So, a battle of the band results in a puddle of goop that was once Kurt and Ditto. But an apparently time traveled Kurt is really the record company CEO? What the hell is all of this? Brenden Fletcher wrote this really weird tale that is more rock concert than action adventure battle. Annie Wu illustrated it in her usual style, which I am still not a huge fan of, although her flair for panel placement and design is pretty incredible!

CATWOMAN #47: Catwoman is back to her old ways as she steals the Star of Saint Petersburg from a Russian club owner named Nikolai the Bear. Later, she accepts a job from an old friend who is dying of cancer. She goes to a charity function and steals the Frost Diamond.  But, when she arrives back at her friend’s place, she finds that he has been murdered. And that is when the cops burst in. Looks like a setup to me…

Frank Tieri is the new writer on this title and Inaki Miranda takes over as the artist. With this change, Selina Kyle moves from Mob Boss to burglar master again and has her move from pantsuits to catsuits. Miranda’s art is clean and very reminiscent of Jimmy Balent’s work. Basically, this is a major change in direction for this title and the fact that her long-time friend Louie the Fence shows up for the first-time in her history is a convenient plot point that just didn’t work for me. Other than that, it will be interesting to see if Tieri can travel new roads and not just rehash old storylines.

CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #7: A couple in the park gets killed by the green, leading to Swamp Thing visiting Constantine and his newest conquest. They end up battling some wood nymphs, who gets to be mentored by the Great Nymph Mother. In the end, Oliver may become John’s ex…as it seems that Papa is back!

This book lasting more than 12 issues would be like the television show getting a reprieve and coming back on the air. That ain’t happening and neither is this title. While James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle write a really cool and trippy story, that shows some major influence from Tynion in it, the whole concept of Constantine being a total horn-dog just pushes the envelope from strange to creepy! I mean, we have a universe filled with diversified characters and already have Midnighter banging away with his dalliances. But this guy has moved from superhero on a super team to someone more like the guy he was in his Vertigo title. That said, the story was long-winded and creepy, but Brian Level’s art was kind of artsy!

CYBORG #5: There are Technosapiens everywhere and Victor and his new allies are determined to fight them off. Meanwhile, the Metal Men continue to fight for the city of Detroit. Just in time, Cyborg and his team arrive to lend a hand, shouting a great big “BOOYAH!”

Booyah? Oh boy! This was a mess from page one until the end. I don’t know where David F. Walker is taking this thing and I don’t truly care as, except for the Metal Men, I don’t like any of the characters in this book, including our title character. The early issues made me smile because I had Ivan Reis’ art to make me happy. However, all he does here is provide layouts for Felipe Watanabe and Daniel HDR and that’s really disappointing. Actually, this whole book is disappointing. I’m hoping the next issue, which should have the end of this plot, is better. If not, I see this book going to way of many before it.

CYBORG #6: Cyborg hacks into the Technosapien's data system and defeats them, although it causes him to explode in the process. But he does discover that he is able to cure the Techno disease and it also allows him to regenerate his human parts. Tekbreaker Sarah Charles spies him in totally human form before he turns back to his cyborg self again, although she explains that she knows the Sarah Charles of this world will accept him however he looks. In the end, the Tekbreakers go off to hunt the rest of the Technosapiens while the Justice League congratulate Vic. Bobby’s hand changes back, as he is no longer affected by the virus and Vic-he shows his cat the secret of how he can change from cyborg to human.

I am so glad to see this story end. David F. Walker wrote it and managed to bury the Metal Men as supporting characters that take up panel space. Ivan Reis again only provides layouts for Felipe Watanabe, Daniel HDR, and Cliff Richards. I find this whole series to be rather disappointing. I’m very tempted to make this the perfect jumping off point for this title. I just don’t see it making it beyond issue #12…if it makes it THAT FAR!

DEATHSTROKE #13: Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Deathstroke take out a lot of armed guards before heading off to find Amanda Waller. In the process, Snakebite captures Waller and Harley admits that she lied to Slade about Rose so she could have Waller killed. Snakebite shows up, with Waller and that leads to Slade, despite having no need to kill her or save her, attacking him. Slade nails him with a but not before he can dose Deathstroke with poison. In the end, Catwoman gets him out and Rose appears to be in the less than scary clutches of the Man Behind the Curtain.

James Bonny and Tony S. Daniel write another weird issue that is more action film than superhero yarn.` Paolo Pantalena’s art is okay as it seems to morph from page to page. He is great with single characters but not so keen with group shots. And, maybe it’s me, but I still haven’t figured out who the mysterious Man Behind the Curtain is.

DETECTIVE COMICS #47: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post

DOCTOR FATE #7: Last month, Khalid died at the hands of Anubis who proceeds to tell him all the eternal torments he could drop on him. As Anubis weighs the problems of the world against Khalid’s heart, Toth arrives and battles Anubis. As a parting gift, he gives Khalid the staff of power, which restores Khalid and allows him to dispatch Anubis and take his rightful place as a hero to this world.

Well, it only took Paul Levitz and Sonny Liew seven issues to get our hero to this point. So, now I look forward to seeing Khlaid, who has finally accepted his fate, being the supernatural hero that we all know and love. My fear is that we will continue to get more of what we have already gotten: a family driven hero with a supernatural helm. And that is a politically correct Dr. Fate, but not one that is legendary in the DC Universe.

EARTH 2: SOCIETY #7: Our heroes are battling Hourman, Anarky and Johnny Sorrow, while Kara and Val have an unpleasant reunion. Over in New Gotham, Doctor Impossible, Huntress and Red Arrow try to engage the Genesis Machine when Ollie and Helena realized they have been double-crossed. Green Lantern gets involved, eventually destroying the Genesis Machine. In the process, he traps Jimmy Olsen and says that he'll remain that way forever.

Yawn…Daniel H. Wilson and Jorge Jimenez bring this arc to a close and the fact that Wilson has Green Lantern say that the team will bring justice to a new society is pretty embarrassing. The art really doesn’t do anything for me and Wilson’s story is just okay. My problem with the series is that I have a great love for the Earth 2 characters but not THESE Earth 2 characters!

FLASH #47: The Flash, Professor Zoom and Henry, who just recently learned his son’s secret identity, are outside of Barry's childhood home.  In a series of flash forwards, we get the origin of Eobard Thawne, whose father was convicted of murdering his mother when Thawne was a child. When the Speed Force selected him, he decided that he would destroy everything the Flash was by going back on a Cosmic Treadmill and eliminating the Allen bloodline. What Flash learns is that Zoom is not truly a speedster but is able to slow time around him. With that, Flash figures out how to defeat his enemy, resulting in Thawne being arrested for kidnapping and murder. Later, in Iron heights, Thawne is convinced that he won.

This issue acts as an ending on two fronts. First, it ends the current saga involving Professor Zoom and the death of Barry’s mother and does a great job of tying up a lot of loose ends. Barry gets justice for his mother, Henry goes back to jail, for now, and Zoom is defeated. Secondly, it ends Brett Booth’s killer run as the series’ artist. Luckily, Robert Venditti and Van Jensen are still here to continue to weave their magic on the Scarlet Speedster. From here…who knows! I just hope they continue on the right path and don’t stray to far into the realm of the television show. I love the show, but it doesn’t belong getting itself involved in this story.

GOTHAM ACADEMY #12: With a little help from Mia’s roommate Katherine and Colton, Maps and Olive go to Arkham Asylum to find Kyle.  They find and save him but Olive also finds that it is professor Strange who has been dressing up like Calamity to try and get Olive to uncover the truth about the real Calamity. She screams at Strange and then the building catches fire. They escape and return to the Academy.

The way this arc got finished so quickly made this feel overly rushed. So rushed is it that I went through this book three times and couldn’t find a title page or a list of credits within the book. There is a wonderful splash page 6 pages in but no credits of any kind. Either way, Karl Kerschl’s art looks amazing, even if it is his last issue. Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher gives us an issue with a nice plot reveal in the form of Hugo Strange, but any momentum here will come to a halt as the book shifts into ROBIN WAR mode.

GOTHAM ACADEMY #13: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post

GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #11: Ikkondrid has risen from the swamp and it looks like the only thing that could stop them is the Midnight Shift, but they have been torn apart and it looks like Drake and Corrigan have died. Even Batman is powerless to stop them. Drake and Corrigan are alive and the Spectre is unleashed, even as Doctor Tarr manages to get involved by using powers we didn’t even know he had. In the end, the Spectre and Akka are poised to battle and may destroy a Gotham now filled with reanimated corpses.

Ray Fawkes and Juan Ferreyra, with a cover by Bill Sienkiewicz, gives us the penultimate issue of this series which never truly caught on with fans. The book has tried to mine the weird portion of the DC Universe but just couldn’t gain more than a cult following. Fawkes stories have been weird and wild and Ferreyra has had such moody artwork. This book will be missed in my monthly reading and I can only hope that DC doesn’t take these characters and bury them without making use of them.

GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #12: The spirit of Sister Justine tries to get The Spectre to NOT destroy Gotham while Jim Corrigan explains to him that Ikkondrid is here because Gotham needs to remember the “unjust dead”. So their pain is moved into the hearts of every Gothamite so they will never be forgotten.

There is no true way to explain the ending of this great series if you haven’t been along for the ride. Ray Fawkes writing and Juan Ferreyra’s art truly made this series what I believe will someday be recognized as a cult classic. It never gathered the audience it should have, either because of the topic or the art style. But critics and many fans embraced it for its’ creativity and quirkiness. I, for one, will be sad to see it go and can only hope that THIS version of The Spectre remains as part of the DC pantheon and not relegated to something weaker than this.  The Spectre needs to mete our vengeance in a 1970’s Mike Fleisher/Jim Aparo Old Testament sort of way…or even a John Ostrander/Tom Mandrake way. Here’s hoping…

GRAYSON #15: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post

GREEN ARROW #47: Ollie has been captured by the cult and we get the back story to Jefe, whose involvement with cooking heroin and meth resulted in passing cancer onto his son. Jefe went to a relic of Ah Puch and prayed for the god to bring back his son, which he does in the form of the moths. But Ah Puch needs bones to provide power and that is what Jefe does. He and his son plan to harvest Ollie’s bones to renew his son’s strength. Tarantula comes to the rescue that results in Jefe’s son dying and belching maggots. Jefe denounces Ah Puch and that brings the moths that eat Jefe’s skin. With the villain dead, Ollie and Tarantutla share a kiss.

I was good with this whole issue…up until the final panel. Green Arrow and tarantula swap spit, right after the villain has been dispatched. Honestly? Ben Percy’s story was killer up until that shot and Fabrizio Fiorentino rocked! But that one panel just cheapened that entire story. I guess this is what they would have done on the television show.

GREEN LANTERN #47: Hal leaves Trapper and Virgo and heads back to Earth to visit his brother in Coast City. Unfortunately, he sets off the burglar alarm and that means cops. Luckily, Hal’s brother Jim shows up and straightens the whole thing out. Apparently he has put the alarm in because Simon has disappeared and Hal explains that al of the Lanterns have disappeared. Hal gets a haircut and then the whole Jordan family heads to the Coast City Amusement Park, where some strange packages from Modora has been delivered. The packages explode and causes chaos, along with destruction to the Ferris Wheel and presumably kills Hal’s nephew Howard. In the end, Hal is poised to get revenge as Parallax is back!

This is a relatively quiet issue for Hal Jordan until the end when it all hits the fan! The Modora terrorists have brought their evil ways to Coast City and it looks like Hal’s nephew has paid the price. Robert Venditti handles the story and the fact that e has brought back Parallax, who I thought was still linked to Sinestro, is awesome! Billy Tan handles the art for the opening and the closing sequences while with Martin Coccolo handles the rest of the book and does a nice job in making it work. This is a great beginning to a story line and do yourself a favor and hunt down one of the HARLEY LITTLE BLACK BOOK variants as this one is by Darwyn Cooke and it’s sweet!

HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK #1: Harley finds out that some chemicals are being shipped to London to harm Wonder Woman and she reveals she’s been a huge fan since she was a little kid getting picked on (cue flashback). She also finds out that Barmy Bugger, who is the main enemy of the London Legion of Superheroes, has ordered the chemicals. She gets herself packed into a sipping container for 12 days to make the trip overseas. The Legion shows up when she lands but so does Barmy Bugger, who captures them and she hides herself in one of Barmy’s chemical crates. Harley gets free and decides that she is going to save Wonder Woman by gassing her so she’ll sleep for two days, then dons a black wig and poses as Diana. Bugger’s crew show up and Wonder Woman puts on Harley’s clothes and fights them off. Then they head off to rescue the Legion. In the end, they end up in a bar where Harley ties herself up in the Lasso of truth and allows everyone to ask her embarrassing questions. Wonder Woman carries drunk Harley out of the bar to put her on a plane back to New York, prompting the London Legion of Superheroes to comment that they want to go there too.

Because we REALLY NEEDED another Harley Quinn title, DC brings us THIS! Okay…it’s a team-up book. I get it! Okay…Harley’s dumb and the book is loaded with sexual jokes. I get it! Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner write it in their usual flair. I get it! Amanda Conner and John Timms share the art duties in this over-sized issue. This I DON’T GET! Timms does a handful of pages, most of which deal with Harley’s flashback and Wonder Woman in action. In other words, all the HOT SHOTS of Harley are left to Conner. The book is okay…I mean: you get exactly what you expect to get. It’s a Harley team-up title.

HARLEY QUINN #23: Harley hears from Zena Bendemova and heads off to the Island Lanes Bowling Alley to save Sy Borgman. When she arrives, she finds out that Sy and Zena are now a couple and that they are going off together to take out the hit squads which will be coming after them. Later, she and Harvey go to the jail where Mason is being held and save him from certain death. She goes to the warden house and convinces him to move Mason out of the prison. And he does. Unfortunately, he moves him to Arkham Asylum.

Oops! Sometimes the best laid plans…! Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Chad Hardin combine for another typical Harley issue, filled with gratuitous sex and violence, bad, tawdry jokes and implausible plots. I DIDN’T like the ridiculous twist where Sy and Zena end up together, as it felt forced. I DID like the twist where Mason goes to Arkham. So, in the end, it all balances out.

HARLEY QUINN POWER GIRL #6: Power Girl has agreed to let Pope Pelvis marry her and Vartox so she can get the ring which will allow her and Harley to get back home.  Harley reminds the Pope that he hasn’t asked those in attendance if they have any objections, which causes a portal to open and drops Power Girl, Harley, and Vartox into a Fifties-style world. Apparently, this is where Vartox’ Power Girl lookalike wife and children live. This also leads Power Girl to punch out her soon to be husband and his robot wife to punch out Power Girl. Harley eventually joins in to help take the robot down and Vartox sends them both home to fight Clock King and Cluemaster, where is exactly where they disappeared in issue HARLEY QUINN #12.

That was thew longest six-issue, one panel series in history. Just for the record, this issue was by Justin Gray, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Stephane Roux, Moritat, Elliot Fernandez, and Flaviano. ‘Nuff said!

JUSTICE LEAGUE THE DARKSEID WAR: LEX LUTHOR #1: Darkseid is dead and Lex Luthor is now possessed by the Omega Effect. He is led across Apokolips by Ardora, who takes him to a camp of former slaves. While there, he ends up hanging on to the edge of a cliff above a fire pit. As he falls, Ardora dives after him, and they embrace, which releases the full Omega Effect and turns his skin grey. With an army awaiting him, Luthor prepares to go to work.

And so, Lex Luthor does a complete heel turn again and becomes the NEW Darkseid. Francis Manapul writes an interesting tale that bounces back and forth between the present and the traumatic moments from Luthor’s pre-Apokoliptic life. Bong Dazo is the artist on the book and looks surprisingly like that of Francis Manapul. All in all, this was a nice issue that sets itself up for the next chapter in the DARKSEID WAR saga.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #46: Mister Miracle, Power Ring, Cyborg, Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor battle the team from Apokolips when Scot Free’s wife, Big Barda, arrives to lend a hand. Wonder Woman has an idea to seek out the remaining members of the Crime Syndicate and see if they have a way to defeat the Anti-Monitor. As the Anti-Monitor begins,  we learn that Grail has become the Goddess of Anti-Life.

Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul give us the next chapter in the DARKSEID WAR and it looks like the Justice League will have to make strange bedfellows with Ultraman and Super Woman. I wonder how pregnant she is now! So far, this story has been a fun one, although I would like someone else illustrating it. I love Manapul’s art, but his coloring leaves a lot to be desired. And let’s not forget that THIS Mister Miracle and Barda are not the same as were on Earth 2…at least I don’t think they are.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #47: The issue begins with Green Lantern and Batman having a long discussion in the Ace Chemical Factory when they get called away to handle Superman, who is battling Wonder Woman to see if he is stronger. Batman is able to stop him, but reveals to the team that Superman is dying. Grail, now possessing the Anti-Life Equation, has decided that she needs Steve Trevor. Meanwhile, Mister Miracle, Power Ring, Big Barda and Cyborg break into Belle Reve. Mister Miracle confronts Ultraman, who explains that he knows the Anti-Monitor is here and wants to kill everyone. Volthoom manages to take control of Power Ring and plans to put the Crime Syndicate back into power. Mobius returns and Grid gets downloaded into Cyborg's system as Power Ring reunites with Super Woman. Big Barda and Mister Miracle head into Super Woman's cell and immediately get blasted by her heat vision. Just then, Owlman blasts open a wall and says that the Crime Syndicate and the Justice League need to team up if either of them are to survive.

All I can say is wow! Geoff Johns is writing a true epic and it’s great to see Jason Fabok
Just totally tear it up on the artistic side. Despite the less than spectacular connecting one-shots, this story is poised to be one of the classics in Justice League history. It sure looks like everything is building up to a big finish just in time for issue #50. I, for one, can’t wait!

More ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT MARVEL #1's

ALL NEW INHUMANS #1: Gorgon, Grid, and Flint arrive to a royal welcome in Australia while protestors have one of the NuHumans caged up. Crystal arrives to try to free the NuHuman and one of the protestors reveals that the Terrigen Mists have affected him. Gorgon and company show up and lend a hand. Later, they go to investigate a skyspear that has landed in Uluru. Translating a word on it, it reveals the word genocide. They get contacted by Swain, who informs Crystal that the cloud is heading towards Sin-Cong. In the back-up set three months before the events in the main story, we see that Crystal is using subterfuge to portray the Inhumans as Australia’s friends.

While this is a neat first issue, I’m not totally sold on it. I love these classic characters, but I’m not a fan of these NuHumans. What is worse is that there isn’t a whole lot of love for me with these other characters as they don’t seem to have a ton of depth to them. James Asmus and Charles Soule do a nice job of telling a story and the back-up, by Soule sets up the main tale. Stefano Caselli handles the art on the main story while Nico Leon does the same for the back-up and the two compliment each other so well you would think the same artist was handling both stories. Overall, the book was okay, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the other INHUMANS title.

ALL NEW X-MEN #1: The Warren Worthington from the past and Laura are skiing in Colorado and apparently are romantically involved. Meanwhile, Scott Summers from the past battles a group who worship the late Cyclops, leading to the rest of the team to come to his rescue.

Dennis Hopeless and Mark Bagley give us a tale of the displaced-in-time X-Men and their journey to find out who they are. Iceman has already come to grips with his sexuality and now the rest of the group needs to find their way in this world. This series has potential, for fans of these out of place heroes. Personally, I never really gravitated to them, but I’m sure Hopeless can find a way to make it work. Perhaps a Jack Kerouac road trip is in order.

DAREDEVIL #1: Daredevil is back in Hell’s Kitchen and is in the process of saving someone named Billy from the Tenfingers gang. In the process, the mysterious Blindspot shows up to land a hand. Later, Daredevil patches himself up at his longtime friend Foggy Nelson’s place, along with dumping Billy off until he is ready for trial. Matt Murdock is no longer a defense attorney-he’s now a prosecutor and Billy is his star witness. Elsewhere, we meet Tenfingers…who has ten fingers on each hand.

Well, Charles Soule has managed to infuse some much-needed life into Matt Murdock and Daredevil. Right off the bat, we have a costume redesign, which really scared people before this book came out. The red suit is gone and now he wears black. Apparently the world has forgotten that they all knew his secret identity, because it’s a secret once again. And Foggy Nelson, once on death’s door, looks pretty hefty and healthy again. Add into that Ron Garney’s art and you will immediately think of David Mazzucchelli and Frank Miller. This book is entertaining from page one to the end. And who is the mysterious Tenfingers who looks an awfully lot like The mandarin…but with TWENTY FINGERS!

GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #1: Rocket, Groot, and Drax meet the Guardians 3000 and they all meet another group of Guardians from the past. In the back-up, Ben Grimm and Rocket find themselves on a planet where professional wrestling is king.

Dan Abnett and Carlo Barberi give us a main story that throws out more questions than provides answers. How did our heroes end up in 3016? Who are these NEW Guardians? While I love Abnett’s work, I can’t find anything that makes me want to keep on with this series. Two Guardian titles with another on the way is two too many. The back-up by Jason Latour and Jim Cheung looks great but is too silly for my liking.

PATSY WALKER A.K.A. HELLCAT#1: Hellcat is out of work and living in a storage closet. She battles Telekinian, before getting him to turn over a new leaf and they team up together. That’s a good thing because he needs a roommate and she needs to get out of the closet. The issue ends with her getting as real job…in retail!

ENOUGH!!! Stop with the Batgirling, Squirrel Girling and Black Canarying of our super heroines! Kate Leth, Brittney L. Williams, and Megan Wilson are responsible for this mess and I DO MEAN MESS! So, not that I am against women in comics because some of the best creators in this business are women, but suddenly the Big Two seem to think that only female creators can creates female heroes. If that is the case, then I think the Big Two need to rethink themselves, as they have it all wrong. But…it’s not as wrong as this!

RED WOLF #1: It’s 1872 in the Western town of Timely and Red Wolf is doing his best to maintain order as the sheriff. Two people are found dead, looking as if they had been hit by lightning. Red Wolf and a boy named Alex agree to go off and investigate. They discover a stranger who is apparently from the future and wielding a powerful weapon that kills Alex, Deputy Santos and some other folk. Red Wolf hits the stranger’s power supply with his knife and that creates an explosion and transports a wounded Red Wolf to present day.

What I really liked about the 1872 SECRET WARS mini-series was that it was set in 1872. By moving Red Wolf from the past to the present just makes him another displaced time traveler in a universe filled with displaced travelers. So, it goes from being a fun look at characters related to the Marvel Universe and dumps the concept to a Stranger in a Strange Land tale. Nathan Edmondson wrote it in his usual flair while Dalibor Talajic did a cool job with the art. And I enjoyed the story…right up until our Native American hero got plopped into the present.

SCARLET WITCH #1: Wanda Maximoff  wakes from a dream of the good old days of the Avengers. She has a discussion with her old mentor Agatha Harkness and then gets involved with a supernatural murder mystery, where she performs an exorcism. Later, she talks with Agatha as they both realize that someone or something is attacking magic.

I had high hopes for this series, with James Robinson at the literary helm. After all, Robinson’s last work was AIRBOY which blew me away! Unfortunately, it is a rambling attempt at trying to create Scarlet Witch from the ashes of the old. She has gone from a super heroine to a supernatural version of the Scooby gang. Vanesa Del Ray provides the art and it’s quirky enough. But I truly HATE the new costume and can’t get past the whole idea of Wanda Maximoff-Supernatural Detective.

SPIDEY #1: Peter Parker is doing his best to juggle fighting crime and school, which involves Gwen Stacey having to save him from a beating at the hands of Flash Thompson. Later, on a field trip to Oscorp, Doctor Octopus shows up to cause havoc and make Peter change into costume. Ock retreats as Spidey saves the day. In the end, Norman Osborn has a quick conversation with his other half, the Green Goblin.

I had hopes for this title, as it is set in the early days of Spider Man. And, even though it is rated T for Teen, it is pretty much an all ages book. Now, Robbie Thompson and Nick Bradshaw do a nice job on the title, but it is not the Spider Man I grew up with. Sure, I understand that this isn’t the 1960’s and life isn’t as innocent as it used to be. I don’t expect to see Gwen in mini-skirts, but I DO expect to see Harry and Norman Osborn with their trademark hair! So, if you’re a die-hard Parker fan, buy the book. If you’re a casual fan, or a part of the much younger generation, pick it up.

SQUADRON SUPREME #1: Eight months after their worlds ended, a group of super survivors have come together to figure out what to do now. SUPREME POWER’s Nighthawk, AVENGER'S WORLD’s Hyperion, NEW AVENGER’s Doctor Spectrum, the classic Power Princess and D.P. 7’s The Blur want to get revenge on the person responsible for destroying Spectrum’s planet: the Sub-Mariner. They destroy Atlantis and Hyperion uses his heat vision to decapitate Namor. While Thundra and Tyndall  hope that the Squadron will be able to help Lord Arkon, the Uncanny Avengers plan on getting stopping them

Holy crap! Namor’s dead!? James Robinson and Leonard Kirk give us a blockbuster beginning to what I hope will be a long and successful run. And, by bringing together all these different characters from different places in what used to be the Marvel Universe and putting these refugees together as a vengeful team, Robinson cranks up the ante right from the beginning. Are they heroes or villains? Let’s not forget, as anyone who has read SUPREME POWERS, that this Kyle Richmond has issues.

STARBRAND AND NIGHTMASK #1: Starbrand and Nightmask are superheroes who are also college students. They meet Squirrel Girl and some other sand then get into it with Gravitron and Nitro.

Dear Comics Big Two: As a lifelong comic book fan, I have spent almost all of my life reading and enjoying the adventures of super and non-super heroes. So please do me a favor: STOP SCREWING WITH MY HEROES! C’mon: do we really need to drop these two rebooted heroes into college and have them hang with Squirrel Girl?  Greg Weisman writes it and Domo Stanton draws it. And it does nothing for me! I would much rather read old issues of AMAZING SPIDER MAN where Peter Parker is trying to survive Empire State University than this. And it looked much better too!

TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1: A monster emerges from the surf causing Amadeus Cho to finish eating quickly and head into action as the Totally Awesome Hulk. He defeats the creature and saves a girl and the boy she is babysitting, but causes him to lose him pants in the process. With the creature shrunk to miniature size, he takes the creature back to his sister and her flying food truck. Flashing back to four months ago, Bruce Banner’s Hulk absorbs a dangerous amount of radiation, with the final results being unknown. Back in the present, Cho is again fighting monsters, this time paired up with She Hulk and Miles Morales. Just when you think things are going well, Lady Hellbender shows up.

This has been one of the most talked about and highly anticipated Marvel titles to be announced in recent months. And I’m happy to say it does not disappoint. Greg Pak delivers a fun and funny story with one of the world’s smartest men in the role of the big green guy. How he got there and what happened to Bruce Banner in the process is still a mystery. But hey: this is only the first issue! Oh yeah: Monkey Boy himself, Frank Cho, is the artist on this book and, in typical Frank Cho fashion, he totally delivers! Yeah…this book needs to be on your reserve list.

WEIRDWORLD #1: Meet Becca Rodriguez. She is in a strange place called Weirdworld and she meets Goleta the Wizardslayer. Apparently one of the wizards in Morgan LeFay.

I had great hopes for this, after the way the SECRET WARS series started. But even that went downhill fast. This one started out confusing and got more ridiculous as it went. Is the great rebooting of classic universes all about giving us new characters who represent our diverse culture? I understand the world isn’t about only white, heterosexual superheroes anymore. But we have had black, Spanish, gay, drug addicted, paranoid characters before. This is nothing new. And this book wants to pave new roads but just travels down a boring one. Mike Del Mundo’s art, a great holdover from the mini-series can’t save Sam Humphries’ story.