MARTIAN MANHUNTER #10: Agent Wessel and Alicia are hunting for the mysterious Martian child, but they first find Mr. Biscuits, who brings them to the child. The child then proceeds to tell Martian Manhunter’s origin. Millions of years ago, a technologically advanced Mars was threatened by a vision that convinced most Martians that they were going to be attacked by a giant tentacled beast. Ma'alefa'ak convinces the Martian Council that they need to make a Martian super weapon to battle the beast and that J'onn J’onzz needed to be the soul of the machine. Ma'alefa'ak started using Martian blood magic which caused the death of the planet and the creation of the Martian Manhunter, who ended up on Earth where he spent the next million years trying to forget. Ma'alefa'ak came searching for him, so he split himself up into multiple personas to make him harder to find. In the end, Mr. Biscuit's reveals himself to be a normal looking Martian Manhunter. And that is when Ma'alefa'ak comes out of nowhere and murders him.
If you think this is your daddy’s Martian Manhunter, you are so wrong. Rob Williams and Eddy Barrows give us an origin story that is so weird, so wild and so twisted that I cannot even believe I just read it. I will so miss this title when REBIRTH comes along. The GOOD NEWS is that the amazing Eddy Barrows will be illustrating DETECTIVE COMICS when REBIRTH does occur.
MIDNIGHTER #10: Marina and Helena Bertinelli are in Boston, where they find Robert and a lot of destruction, but no Midnighter. He is in the clutches of the Suicide Squad who are in the process of torturing him to no avail. He breaks loose and tracks down some of the A-listers: Harley, Parasite and Deadshot. He quickly takes down Harley and Parasite and then proceeds to break Deadshot’s hands, but the Squad comes back and ends up riding in a plane that Harley blows to pieces.
Steve Orlando gives us a ton of action here while Hugo Petrus and Aco, sharing the art duties, give us a nice dose of blood. This was a good issue that once again was full of action and very little of the “romancing of Midnighter”. This title is off the schedule come June, so it’s anyone’s guess what happens to our hero. But I think I can say that DC isn’t killing off this crazy guy!
NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #18: The Squad was injected with nano particles at the end of last issue, which explains why they are not dead. It seems that Seraphine and Adam Reed, of the Horus Organization, freed them from Belle Reve and now they are being taken to have their neck bombs removed. When they get to their location, Kilgore, Hellslayer, Razer, Deathtrap, and Brutus greet them at gunpoint. But the mercenaries tell the Squad how they are big fans and it turns into a team-up. That is until Adam stabs Seraphine, releasing the spirit of the Rose Tattoo and setting the castle on lockdown. The Fist of Cain is here and they are about to kill of the Squad, because that’s what they do.
Tim Seeley and Juan Ferreyra come back on their second issue with some confusing moments and a bunch of action, complete with Brutus taking a nasty head shot. By the way, if you didn’t know, Kilgore, Hellslayer, Razer, Deathtrap, and Brutus, along with Rose Tattoo, are all leftovers from the days of the Wildstorn Universe. So, by taking out members, is this DC’s way of eliminating their past?
OMEGA MEN #9: Kyle and the Omega Men walking into a negotiation room that actually is the site of a debate between Kyle and the head of the Citadel Empire. During the debate, which Kyle is losing, Kalista has Scrapps' robot assistant blow itself up and taking the planet Voorl with it. Guns start blazing and bodies start dropping. Just as Scrapps is about to die, Kyle summons his white lantern ring and turns into a hero wielding the greatest force in the universe.
This is one of the best books on the market today. Tom King and Barnaby Baganda have been just totally turning out quality work since issue #1. The White Lantern is finally back and I couldn’t be happier. Find back issues and don’t take my word for how great this title is!
OMEGA MEN #10: The war against the Citadel rages for 41 days until the Omega Men win the battle and get to celebrate their hard fought victory.
Read the above review. Tom King and Barnaby Baganda kill it here.
POISON IVY CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH #3: People keep dying at Ivy’s work and that means everyone is getting involved in the investigation. But, at the same time, Ivy is enjoying nurturing her twin sporeling babies, Rose and Hazel. Her super creepy co-worker shows up and he meets his demises at the hands of her man-eating plants. In the end, Darshan shows up at her apartment and that presents a bit of a problem for Ivy AND Catwoman.
After two great issues, this one crawls to a bumpy stop! Clay Mann’s art still looks amazing, but Amy Chu’s story just stumbled from page one. Is this about a murder investigation or a superhero remake of BABY BOOM? Poison Ivy as a mommy? And if Chu wanted to be CLEVER, she should have named the twins Rose and Thorn. Yeah…us old timers would have gotten it!
RED HOOD/ARSENAL #10: We jump forward to find the boys on the U.S.S. Excelsior fighting some folks from HIVE before finding this giant doomsday bomb on board. Going back five hours earlier, Tara Battleworth is meeting with the boys when they ask her to get a therapist for Duela, which she does…in the form of Lilith Clay (see TITANS HUNT). While she undergoes intensive therapy, the boys are on the U.S.S. Excelsior shutting down that bomb. They become heroes while Duela passes her psyh test, which leads her back underground where she retrieves her mask, promising to do bigger and badder anything daddy Joker could do.
Thanks to Scott Lobdell and Dexter Soy for actually rounding out Duella’s character. Now if they could have done something ELSE with the boys’ story. It was just long and boring and uninteresting, except for bringing the HIVE into it. Let’s have Duella lead the team in the future and let the fun begin!
ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN #10: Damian grabs hold of Goliath and heads to Mexico where they have to retrieve three items stolen from the Year of Blood vault. So off he goes while Maya fights ninjas and runs into Talia, who takes her as a captive onto her ship. With Damian on the hunt for the last of the artifacts, we discover that Suren Darga has them and he is ready to bring them to Gorilla City.
Ray Fawkes and Ramon Bachs handle this adventure of the newest Boy Wonder and what we discover is that Maya’s story is more interesting than his. Fawkes script is spot-on and Bachs art is fun in a cartoonish kind of way. Overall, it was a fun issue and I can’t wait to see what happens in Gorilla City next issue!
SECRET SIX #12: The issue begins with a celebration by an interesting trio of ladies. Meanwhile, Shiva has taken out a ton of cops and is moving in for Strix and Porcelain when Catman and Batgirl show up. After a brief battle, Shiva explains that she is here for Strix and if she goes with her, she will spare the lives of the others. Strix agrees and, after receiving Batgirl’s boots as a gift, she leaves with Shiva to start her new life in the League of Assassins. Back inside, Catman explains what happened to Big Shot before he gets to go upstairs and meets with his long lost wife Sue. With her support, the decision is made to put the family back together as Big Shot becomes Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man!
Nothing makes me happier than watching Gail Simone work her magic and the team of Dale Eaglesham and Tom Derenick illustrate the Holy Hell out of it! And we get the return of the REAL RALPH DIBNEY!!! This book is so much fun, so great to look at and I will be totally bummed when it is gone!
SINESTRO #21: Soranik is now in charge of the Sinestro Corps and, while she is not happy about it, the people of Earth are thrilled. With the crisis ended, the yellow rings leave the converted heroes and head back to find other prospects for the Sinestro Corps.
The people of Earth panic, afraid that they no longer have someone to assist our heroes so Arkillo and Saint Walker agree to stay behind. Some of the Lanterns investigate the defeat of the Paling, but only find Mongul, who quickly ends their lives and promises revenge.
Cullen Bunn and Martin Coccolo do a nice job of wrapping of the story from the past few issues and set the scene for the upcoming battle with Mongul. It was an average issue that suffered from Brad Walker’s NOT being on the art. This book goes away with the start of REBIRTH, so I expect this upcoming arc to be wrapped up fairly quickly.
STARFIRE #10: Stella takes Kori’s body to a hospital in Hollow Earth, while King Neala-Tok continues his assault. Luckily Atlee has the sense to wipe out his cricket army with a bomb. But he has a second plan and calls forth the Chida to attack. Kori wakes at the hospital and she heads off to join the fight, using her powers to defeat King Neala-Tok. She collapses after this and it’s back to the hospital where they have Stella wear a ceremonial gown and use their underworld sun orb to bring Kori back to life. That means it’s time for a party! Meanwhile Rave and Sol share a tender moment,
Really? A party? Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Elsa Charretier are responsible for this tragic issue. And I do mean tragic. The art is cartoony and the story…well: I really didn’t know that Stella “groomed” herself.. Nerxt thing you know, we’ll get references to Sol and his need to manscape! Totally embarrassed!
SUICIDE SQUAD MOST WANTED-DEADSHOT AND KATANA #3: Deadshot’s father has just died on him and he has just taken out his mother. So Amanda Waller sends in the Suicide Squad to take him out. He takes out the whole team but Harley, which gives Evans a chance to take him out. Back at Belle Reve, Evans explains how the classic “my parents were killed by drug dealers” origin was actually his own. Evans now proudly proclaims that HE is the New Deadshot. In the Katana story, the Squad arrives to save Katana and her friends, but the cat dies in the process. The team comes together and goes after Kobra, before coming face to face with King Kobra.
So here’s my take on this series: give me the Deadshot story by Brian Buccellato and Viktor Bogdanovic and keep the Katana story by Mike W. Barr and Diogenes Neves. I just love what is being done with Floyd’s character and the art. And, to be fair, there is nothing wrong with the Katana story…except I find her totally uninteresting…which was the reason I didn’t read her series in the first place. So give me a $2.99 comic with Floyd and be done with it.
SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #27: Superman and his team battle Vandal Savage's children. When we come across Savage, he is lying on the ground with a pipe stuck through his side. Beastmaster battle with Savage and he ends up being run through by the pipe for his troubles. Vandal’s children begin to disintegrate while Vandal and Superman duke it out in the middle of an approaching meteorite storm.
Well…that was a complete waste of time. Well…almost a complete waste. Cliff Richards art rocked, complete with several killer two page spreads! Peter J. Tomasi’ story was just filler as far as I am concerned. Here comes the big finale in SUPERMAN #50.
SUPERMAN #50: Superman comes face to face with a powered up Vandal Savage and the Puzzler and suddenly Superman finds himself experiencing the vision of an alternate reality where he experiences what life would have been like if that comet never came towards Earth and gave Vandal his powers. It seems that Superman’s parents and a young Kal-El would have been alive. His next vision is in the future and shows Superman as Vandal’s General. He is leading a team of made up of Aquaman, Giganta, Grodd, Lobo, Captain Atom, Black Adam, Shazam, Killer Croc and Blockbuster and they proceed to take on the Dominators. After their victory, the team celebrates. But not really, as Lois, Jimmy and Perry show up to serve their victory meal, much to Superman’s displeasure. The last vision has Earth turned to ash. Savage says this is what will happen is Superman doesn’t join him. Vandal tries to push the comet down to Earth faster and Superman, along with Puzzler, stops it. The comet breaks apart, sending Vandal out into deep space. In the end, Superman rekindles his friendship with Loid and Jimmy, who has been hired back by Perry White.
Gene Luen Yang ends this long-winded story and sort of resets the status quo. The art was by Howard Porter, Adrian Syaf, Patrick Zircher, and Jon Bogdanove and I have no issues with that. My issue is with Yang writing his own version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL with Clark playing Scrooge. THIS is how we end this story? For real? Honestly…I thought we deserved better than that. Come June, Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Doug Mahnke take their shot at the Man of Steel.
SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #6: We opening with a flashback to that moment when Lois outed Superman. Back in the present, Clark is trying to find Cora by listening for her ringtone. Luckily that works, as he finds her in a cabin near San Francisco and frees her. Also lucky is that he wrapped that up quickly as he needs to fix the mess that Bad-Ass Nation has made. Meanwhile, Manheim’s gang has captured Lois and Jon. Luckily, jon has discovered he has powers and is prepared to save his mother. Lastly, Hyathis shows up at The island looking for the Oblivion Stone.
I SO CANNOT WAIT to see where these characters are going when REBIRTH comes! Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks have been absolutely blowing it away on this series. This is MY Superman, not the guy running around each month and in June, I get the chance to see MY Clark and Lois doing what they haven’t been able to do for the past four years. So…is it June yet?
SWAMP THING #3: Swamp Thing is wrestling with a huge boa constrictor in his swamp for fun when a mysterious stranger kills the snake. Turns out it’s Matt Cable and he thought he was saving his friend. After a warm reunion, Matt tells Swamp Thing that he has been working on getting a cure for him. He ended up in Nanda Parbat and got his hands on the Hand of Fatima, but he doesn’t know how to make it work. So they go off to Shadowcrest, New England to meet with Zatanna. She works her magic and Alec Holland is human again. The consequence-Matt Cable is now the Swamp thing.
Okay…I’m just a little bit confused. Based on what we KNEW about Alec Holland, what with his redone origin in the NEW 52, how can a creature turn into something he wasn’t? Or was he all along? Again…really confused. I’m going to chalk that up to Len Wein, the man behind the Swamp Thing way back when, coming on board and trying to right the wrongs of the past four years. And if you can’t get the legendary Bernie Wrightson to draw your book, then I guess Kelley Jones will have to do.
TEEN TITANS #18: Wonder Woman learns from Red Robin that the demigoddess Cassandra is taking Wonder Girl to see her real dad. On the way to Greece, where the rest of the team is fighting Cassandra and her Hyena Men, she explains to Tim how she was in cahoots with The First Born and they killed hundreds of Gods and Amazons. At the same time, Cassandra explains to Cassie that she knows she did wrong and now she is trying to make up for it. But then she goes and grabs the Rod of Ascelpius and suddenly there are three giant snakes emerge from the Temple of Apollo. The Titans can’t seem to take the snakes down, but Wonder Girl dons her armor and carves up the beast, which causes the Temple to collapse. Wonder Woman steps in to save the day and that leads to her tying it up with Cassandra. Diana wraps her in the Lasso of Truth and it reveals that Cassandra IS telling the truth: she is here to introduce Cassie to her dad. That leads to Cassie figuring out that Wonder Woman is her Aunt.
While Greg Pak presents a so-so story (hey…it IS the TEEN TITANS you know!), Ian Churchill and Tom Derenick nail it with their artwork. What I DID like in the story was that Pak has managed to do fill-in flashbacks so anyone not reading WONDER WOMAN knew the whole First Born story. It’s nice to see Cassandra is still as wild and wacky as she was there! And I have to admit this story is far better written than we have been experiencing in the past, so that is a plus. Don’t forget: we get TWO Titan themed books when REBIRTH arrives. Who will be playing on this team, if it is even a team from the NEW 52, is anyone’s guess.
TELOS #6: Parallax has claimed Telos' power shard so he can defeat Mongul and Cyborg Superman. Apparently this is not the first time Telos and Parallax have done this dance because they keep losing Coast City to the bad guys. Eventually Parallax and Telos finally beat Cyborg Superman and Mongul, but Telos has turned the people against Parallax so he kills everyone in Coast City. Telos goes up against Parallax, who loses his hold over time and everything gets destroyed. Parallax tells Telos that the shard only has enough power for one of them. Parallax leaves Telos stranded in space while he goes off to kill Hal Jordan.
What? That’s it? BOOO!!! Boo to you Jeff King and Igor Vitorino for giving us this really crappy ending.
TITANS HUNT #6: Mal is singing into Mr. Twister's bone organ while Dick, Donna and Garth battle Mammoth. At the hospital, Bumble Bee is being told of her husband’s past by Neil Richards, who was Mad Mod in the original 1967 series. When he finishes with her, he makes a phone call and orders the deaths of the Teen Titans. Hawk, Dove, Roy, and Gnark meet with Lilith, who explains that she made them all forget Mr. Twister to stop him five years ago, but he began whispering to her a year ago. In the end, Honeybun and Ding Dong Daddy show up at Lilith’s to eliminate the team.
I so love what Dan Abnett and Stephen Segovia are doing on this book and look forward to REBIRTH. With Abnett pulling out all sorts of characters, no matter how obscure, from the classic team’s past. We have Mad Mod, who was one of the first of their villains, who made a brief appearance during Dan Jurgens’ Nineties run on the title. And then we have DDD and Honeybun. They come straight out of the Sixties and, I have to admit, I needed to research them, as he has been absent from the books for a long time (although he was in the television show). I have often said what makes Dan Abnett’s writing so great is that he has a great love of comics of the past. This book is truly a loving tribute to the Titans of the past.
WE ARE ROBIN #10: We begin with Smiley trying out his stand-up comedy skills at a local club, to less than ideal results. Elsewhere, Duke and the rest of the Robins deal with their daily lives before they all see the breaking news about Smiley's attacks on television. While they all make plans to get involved, Dre plans on going after the Jokerz himself, so he infiltrates the group. In the end, Smiley and his Jokerz enter Middletown High School where they plan on making a name for themselves.
Lee Bermejo and Jorge Corona give us another issue and it’s another month with lots of character driven action but no real action to speak of. Bermejo gets all sorts of credit from me for fleshing out these characters, but the lack of action means this feels like an Indy comic as opposed to a superhero book. I will be very curious to see where these characters end up when REBIRTH arrives.
WONDER WOMAN #50: Dina has been knocked out the cyclops and finds herself in a trap set by Hephaestus. It turns out that the cyclops are being beaten by Hephaestus and they are only doing his bidding, so Diana tries to free them, but can’t. She does vow to return and free them as she goes off and return Hera's orbs to Hecate. She returns to Hecate, learns that the orbs are actually the eyes of the cyclops and that Gaia is behind Baby Zeke being sick. It all boils down to Donna Troy being cast as the new Fate. To save him, she is given a series of impossible tasks, beginning with battling Ares, who feels she is not fit to be the God of War. She releases Typhoeus, the Father of Monsters, who flies her back to Hecate. Diana’s next task: go back to Themyscira and head into Tartarus. In the back-up, Donna Troy learns how important her job is as fate, whether she likes it or not.
Meredith Finch, with David Finch and Johnny Desjardins handling the art, weaves another confusing tale. I mean, orbs are really the eyes of cyclops? Honestly? I didn’t see that coming. And the Goids are liars? NO!!! Say it ain’t so! The back-up by Finch and Miguel Mendonca is a beautiful tale and possibly her best work to date on this title. The good news: June brings us Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp and Nicola Scott on what should be more of a throwback to classic Wonder Woman. Pantsuits not included!
No comments:
Post a Comment