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!
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