ACTION COMICS #961: While Lex Luthor tries his super-best to save everyone in Metropolis from Doomsday’s destruction, he can’t save everybody. This where an unseen but mentioned Superwoman comes in(see the review later on of that titles). Back upstate, Wonder Woman and Superman battle the creature but finds them not succeeding. In fact, Jon needs to help out, distracting Doomsday enough that his dad can get back in the game and knock the monster for a loop. He orders Wonder Woman to take Lois and Jon up to the Watchtower and flies off to continue the battle. Meanwhile, Mr. Oz continues to watch and sends out some mysterious troops, where they manage to detain Doomsday and prepare him for "the gate".
ACTION COMICS #962: Mr. Oz's plan to push Doomsday through some gate is falling apart with most of his hired hands dying in the process. Superman shows up and the fight with the creature begins anew. He manages to get Doomsday to his firtress, but he is still getting beat on pretty badly. Wonder Woman arrives and, with her help, he manages to get his homemade Phantom Zone projector to work and he sends Doomsday away.
Superman heads back to Metropolis, where he thanks Luthor for helping to save the city. In the end, it seems that Mr. Oz has circumvented Superman’s plan as the Phantom Zone projector sent Doomsday to him instead.
Dan Jurgens and Stephen Segovia continue this tale of the Pre-FLASHPOINT Superman and his battle with Doomsday and the aftermath. What I love so much about this is that all of the characterizations are so great! Lois is the perfect wife and mom as opposed to the hard-nosed reporter we know and love. Jon is that child just trying to deal with these new powers AND that his dad is Superman. Plus we have a mysterious Clark Kent, Lex Luthor as superhero, Doomsday and, of course, the mysterious Mr. Oz. This book continues to be an interesting ride
ALL STAR BATMAN #1: We begin with Killer Moth and Firefly chasing Batman into a truck stop diner. Going back in time, we see that Batman is taking Two-Face to a place known some 500 miles outside of Gotham to a place known as “the house”. But Two-Face has put it out that if anyone can set him free, he will give them the fortunes of the three biggest crime families in Gotham. The Batwing gets shot out of the sky and that takes us back to the present, where Black Spider and even the folks in the diner all want a shot at that money. Batman manages to once again subdue Two-Face and proceeds to press on. In the end, with the Gentleman Ghost hanging on to the tractor-trailer Batman is driving, we discover it was a tearful Alfred who shot down the Batwing. The back-up is the Cursed Wheel story where Duke is to be tested to see what kind of hero or villain he'll become as they try to stop Zsasz and his new reign of terror.
Scott Snyder and John Romita Jr. present the first chapter in this first story arc of what I can best describe as an anthology series. We all know that Snyder can write one heck of a story and he has a proven track record writing the Dark Knight. Romita: you either love his style or your don't. He has truly developed into a legend over the years. So his work, with Danny Miki inking and Dean White adding the colors, just jumps off the page. I really want to see where this goes from here as the story pulled me in from page #1. The back-up by Snyder and Declan Shalvey is cool and looks to be ready to give us Duke Thomas in his first real adventure as Batman’s new “not Robin”.
AQUAMAN #4: Aquaman has allowed the government to hold him because of the sinking of the USS Pontchartrain. Meanwhile, Mera is at the White House when she calls Tula, who finds out that no one survived the sinking and that it was definitely caused by an Atlantean weapon. Then Special Forces arrive and attacks Murk and his troops. Meanwhile, Black Jack continues to meet with Black Manta and convinces him that he needs to be part of N.E.M.O. Back in Washington, the Secretary of State angers Mera enough that she decides to go off and break Arthur out of prison. While it may have seemed like a good idea, it also seems like the entire Army has shown up to stop them.
AQUAMAN #5: It’s a full-on battle between the military and Aquaman and Mera, who seems intent on killing the soldiers even as Arthur is dead set against it. Meanwhile, the White House Chief of Staff has convinced the President that extreme force might be needed. Under the sea, the Atlanteans have gotten away from the Special Forces folks, but the order is given to mobilize the Atlantean war fleet against them. Over in Antarctica, Black Jack is introducing Black Manta to the Fisher King. In Amnesty Bay, Lieutenant Joana Stubbs is at Arthur’s childhood home and gives Officer Watson something to pass on to Aquaman. Back to the battle and it seems the government has a secret weapon…Superman. And he wants to talk.
Dan Abnett and Philippe Briones continue this killer run on this title. First off, Briones art looks amazing! I could go on and on about what makes it amazing, but it would be just words. You need to see it. Crisp, clean and no caffeine (old school soda reference). Abnett’s story is a fun one, even if I find myself questioning the fact that Mera is the one taking a bite out of the government and Arthur is being the pacifist, but I guess that’s because he’s trying to be a diplomat. And what’s with Joana Stubbs coming back and stalking Arthur. Could she have the hots for the old Sea King? As far as the series goes, I like the direction it’s going. Now all we need is Orm…
BATGIRL #2: In Singapore. after busting a Peeping Tom who is using a drone to get his jollies, she reviews a photo of the schoolgirl attacker from last issue and sees a tattoo that reads “student”.Later, she tries to get herself into the Adapt MMA group but they won’t sign her because she is a girl. But a guy sends her to meet May at the Lightspeed Gym and, using the alias of Amy Beddoes, she starts to train there. Meanwhile, Kai uses some illegal means to get them into the rooftop pool at the Sands Casino at Marina Bay. He tells her he has gotten a job as a data distributor, even though she knows it’s a lie and, after a kiss, realizes she is beginning to fall for him. Finally, Babs gets a fight against a mute woman known as “the Moth”. During the match, Babs sees the same tattoo the girl last issue had and gets herself knocked out in the process.
Another interesting issue from Hope Larson and Rafael Albuquerque, although I didn’t enjoy it as much as the last issue. I think that’s because this one focused more on characters and story rather than action. I’m still not quite sure how I feel about the forthcoming relationship between Babs and Kai, but it is starting to grow on me…even if I think he is totally wrong for her. And what is the deal with all these tattooed fighters and who is the teacher?
BATGIRL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY #1: After a Flashback to an early time when Barbara Gordon was still Oracle and Black Canary was working with/for her, we jump into the now as Batgirl and Canary are chasing Huntress, who is chasing after a Mafia guy named Terroni. What they find is that he has been bitten to death, leading to Huntress leaving and threatening to reveal the girls’ secret identities. On the plus side, Batgirl used her money from her Gordon Clean Energy project to buy back their old stomping grounds. After receiving a call from the new Oracle, they head off to the mansion of Santo Cassamento, where they tussle with Huntress, who is trying to kill Cassamento. That’s when a new villain called The Asp shows up with his array of snakes. Unfortunately for him, Canary has one heck of a power and she blows him away and off the property. The girls agree to team up and, with some help from GCPD, go after the Mafia together. Meanwhile, The Asp shows up at his employer and, after contacting Oracle, they decide to call in reinforcements.
Julie and Shawna Benson give us a fun story that ties the distant past with the recent past with the present. I like that we touch on the days of Babs as Oracle and then Helena as Spyral operative. But the highlight, by far, is the art of Claire Roe, which is amazing. It’s hard to pin her style down, but her ability to pin down faces is killer! There are some panels with Babs and Dinah where you know what they are thinking without reading dialogue. A little like Babs Tarr and a little like Chris Campagna, it certainly enhances the story.
BATMAN #4: We begin with Batman arriving to find Gotham Girl in a panic, 27 dead men caused by someone with “Superman’s powers” and the grisly words “I am Gotham” on a wall. At that moment, Gotham is trying to keep a suicidal man with blowing himself up, which he does as he declares that the “Monster Men are coming”. Over in the Batcave, Duke comforts where Batman has taken Gotham Girl while he also begins working on a pattern regarding what has happened. Batman confronts Gotham and tells him he killed 27 men. As Gotham leaves, after destroying the Batmobile, Duke informs Batman that the dog tag numbers on the dead add up to 24 and that is the letter X and that means… Task Force X. Amanda Waller is meeting with Sam Lane when Batman arrives. She tells him how she had entrusted Hugo Strange and the Psycho Pirate with taking care of the crazies in Gotham, but Strange had his own agenda. Waller tells Batman that 28 of her men were killed. It seems one of them was playing dead and went off to find Gotham’s parents, who he killed. Enraged, and with Batman watching, he snaps the last soldiers’ neck and flies off, saying he is going to kill Gotham to save it.
BATMAN #5: Gotham has arrived in downtown Gotham and so has Alfred in the form of Batman, who runs over Gotham with the Batmobile. Luckily, the real Batman arrives and blows up the Batmobile in an effort to stop Gotham. He even drops the Batplane on him, to no avail. In the Batcave, Gotham Girl realized what is actually going to happen and she loses it, destroying the glass case containing the Robin suit. The story of these heroes is they were given powers but, depending on how often they used them, affected their life expectancy. Unable to stop Gotham, the Justice League arrives and they too are unable to stop him. Gotham Girl arrives and it become a battle between the two, ending with Gotham’s death. Next issue: Gotham Girl Year One.
Wow! These two issues were full of twists and turns and some stuff that just doesn’t add up. However, let’s go to the good stuff. Tom King and David Finch are totally bringing it on this series. Gotham and Gotham Girl were great additions, even if things ended badly for them. We have Hugo Strange back, also the Psycho Pirate and we have a plot piece where it looks like Duke, and Gotham Girl end up married in the future. How Duke miraculously figures out that 27 dead soldiers adds up to the letter X is a bit of a stretch, even for a genius kid like Duke Thomas. We also get an Amanda Waller who is suddenly heavier than she was in the NEW 52 but not as heavy as she is depicted in the SUICIDE SQUAD REBIRTH one shot. So, DC Editorial needs to make sure there is continuity in their books…remember: we threw that away in the DC YOU era. Other than that, I am finding the new adventures of the Dark Knight to be most entertaining.
BLUE BEETLE REBIRTH #1: We begin with Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes fighting two villains known as Rack and Ruin, Flashing back, we get introduced to Jaime's parent's, his sister and his best friends Paco and Beth. On his way to school, he gets a call from mentor Ted Kord telling him Rack and Ruin have taken hostages and that means he has to ditch school for the second time in two weeks. When he gets to the scene, it turns out to be a setup. During the battle, Jaime's scarab blows the bad guys up, who were only robots to begin with. But wait: the pieces come back together and continue to fight Blue Beetle until they realize they are no match and split. Beetle ends up back with Ted Kord, thanking him for the help. As he leaves, Dr. Fate arrives and tells Ted that the scarab is really magic and not some alien technology. In the end, the woman who hired Rack and Ruin finds out that he was talking to someone during his fight, which causes her eyes to glow.
Keith Giffen and Scott Kolins bring us a hero that I really had no interest in during his NEW 52 run. I found his character too much like a Spider-Man wanna-be and really wanted Ted Kord back. Well, Ted is back and Jaime’ mentor. I guess if anyone is going to handle this book, I’m glad it’s Giffen, because he is always so much fun to read AND worked with Ted in the distant and recent past. So what is the deal with the crazy auntie at the end of the book? And, just for the record, this occurs BEFORE the REBIRTH SPECIAL because of the scene with Dr. Fate and Ted. Now, which Dr. Fate do we get? Rumor has it this will be Khalid and not Kent. We shall see.
DEATHSTROKE REBIRTH #1: This issue begins a flashback to an earlier time when Slade is out hunting with his two sons, Grant and Joe. When Slade threatens Grant’s mouth with his belt, Grant runs off, eventually encountering a bear. Slade kills the bear and then Wintergreen arrives, telling him he needs to leave on a mission. In the present, Slade is involved in a deal with Ja Zaki, the Red Lion that takes him to the lair of a dying Clock King. In the end, Slade changes plans, double crosses Ja Zaki and looks to be in the job of freeing…Wintergreen?
Now THIS is a DEATHSTROKE that I want to read! Christopher Priest does a great job of tying the past and the present together by giving Slade his classic look back and by giving us BOTH of Slade Wilson’s sons. And Wintergreen! The art is by Carlo Pagulayan and it’s great! He conveys the action with every page and his Clock King, dying of an unnamed disease, looks frail and weak. Slade is the master of the cross and double cross and that looks to be how he will be playing it in the series. And who is this kid Hosun who looks to be handling Slade’s finances. This book left me dying for the next step!
DEATHSTROKE #1: Picking up directly from the REBIRTH issue, Congressman Hasgrove is going to be re-elected, which is what Deathstroke promised to Matthew Bland. But we didn’t expect the Congressman to get some compromising pictures and committing suicide. After some flashbacks showing the origins of "Kenilworth" and Deathstroke, we find a revived Clock King with a captured Bland. Meanwhile, Deathstroke frees Wintergreen and they head off to keep Clock King from killing Bland. He saves Bland’s life, exposing Clock King’s illusion in the process and also fulfilling his contract with Bland's men. In the end, Wintergreen and Deathstroke hash out their differences and we discover that Wintergreen getting Deathstroke to wear Dr. Ikon’s prototype suit was all part of a big con that may yet benefit Bland and the Red Lion.
Wow! Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan rock this tale two issues in a row. The story seems to be all about crosses and double crosses. And Pagulayan’s art is super, making me pretty much forget about that Tony S. Daniels guy who helmed the early issues of the last series. This series has been given a major shot of adrenaline and I look forward to where this direction is headed.
DETECTIVE COMICS #938: We open with a flashback showing Colonel Kane and Kate during a life changing moment not long after the deaths of her mother and sister. Back in the present, Kane and some of his closest followers are fleeing their Batcave as Batman and his team are making the most of decimating the Colony. Cassandra is handling a group of followers, as is Clayface, while Tim meets with Ulysses, leading to a quick save from Spoiler. Kane comes back and challenges our heroes, who make a quick getaway after Batman explains that Colony exists to take down an imagined group called the League of Shadows and what Colony is really up to. In the end, Ulyssess produces a modified series of drones and it looks like he may have played a trump card.
DETECTIVE COMICS #939: After opening with Kate and her cousin Bruce at the funeral for his parents, we shift gears as Batman, Batwoman and their team take control of the Belfry. After Kate makes Batman promise never to keep stuff from her again, he calls the President to let him know that something is rotten in the military. Following some tender time between Spoiler and himself, Robin puts his skills to the test and finds out that there is a second drone fleet on its’ way to Gotham. With a list of porbable targets, the team heads out to try and save as many lives as possible. Tim stays behind and hacks into Ulysses' computer, changing the multiple targets to just one: himself. Maybe his plan to quit the superhero game and go back to school may not happen after all.
For issue #938, James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez handle the creative duty, while Al Barrionuevo is responsible for the flashback on the first four pages. What we get is a full issue of almost complete non-stop action! Barrionuevo’s pastels on the flashback are beautiful and then we jump straight into the action with Martinez diving right in front the beginning. Tynion does a great job with the action and the dialogue and I love Ulysses. He’s a great addition to the Batman credo of characters. In issue #939, Tynion IV teams with Eddy Barrows and that just cranks the look of the book that much higher. This series continues to impress as Batman and Batwoman work with their team of trainees to battle Batwoman’s father and his followers. Great stuff!
THE FLASH #4: Barry is at the S.T.A.R. Labs Speed Force Training Center and loving his new job. Iris shows up with information that Dr. Carver was looking for a way to weaponize the Speed Force and she gives him 24 hours to find out information before she publishes her information. The Flash and Meena find Black Hole's headquarters and confronts Carver who gets overloaded by the Speed Force and turns into a monster. August shows up in costume with two Speed Force students and they all work together to defeat Carver. Afterwards, The Flash and Meena share a kiss and he reveals his identity to her. Meanwhile, Wally West, the New 52 Wally West, decides to enroll in the S.T.A.R. Labs school to learn how to better control his powers.
THE FLASH #5: We see Meena acting, in costume, as the “Fastest Woman Alive”. Next, we see Barry and Meena enjoying a sunset in Bali together. Later, he goes off and has breakfast with Iris while Meena heads off to the STAR LABS Speed Force Center. She goes outside and finds Wally there and convinces him to let her teach him about using the Speed Force. After some successful rescue missions, things go bad fast as Godspeed shows up at the lab. Avery runs off to get the Flash and brings back August and Barry. Unfortunately, there are a lot of dead bodies and Meena’s costume…but no Meena.
Okay, I’m going out on a limb and predicting that Meena is Godspeed. I only suggest this because Flash has now swapped spit with her AND revealed his identity. AND she is taking an awful personal interest in Wally. Yeah…kiss of death and probably designed to break his heart. Joshua Williamson and Neil Googe, filling in for Carmine Di Giandomenico, handle the chores on issue #4 while Felipe Watanabe works on issue #5. While I’m liking the story, I am tiring of his supporting cast, specifically August, who may also be Godspeed. But I’m sticking with my first guess…
GREEN ARROW #4: Oliver is duking it our with the Seattle PD when he gets saved by none other than John Diggle, who explains that whatever Oliver did to the woman Diggle loved is in the past and, after a brief tete a tete, they agree to team up. They head over to Fyff’s place and, as much as he wants nothing to do with either of them, they persuade him back into the game. He discovers that the Ninth Circle has ties to a good portion of the DCU, including the Flacones and the Yakuza. Meanwhile, Black Canary is on her way to the Inferno when Emiko arrives and puts her out with a tranquilizer arrow. The Burned creates their own followers by dipping them in burning lye and purposely scar them for life. And it seems that she is about to be initiated next. The Burned then contact Oliver and let him know that Dinah is about to be a new sacrifice. That sends him and Diggle off to the floating home of the Ninth Circle.
GREEN ARROW #5: Oliver and Diggle have made their way to the Inferno, where Diggle finds a disguise that will let him infiltrate the ship. Oliver listens in on a meeting and realizes that Broderick is there. Meanwhile, Shado is trying to teach Emiko about how important it is that she fulfills her destiny. Her immediate destiny is to free Black Canary. Oliver arrives and discovers that Emiko was responsible for everything that led to him not being killed, being rescued, and getting here. Despite her being angry that Ollie didn’t tell her he was still alive, Canary works things out and then they all get into a stand-off with The Burned. Oliver makes the decision to blow up the Inferno and put an end to The Burned and the Ninth Circle, It also means he ends up BACK on the island again!
Ben Percy continues to amp up the story here and leaves us wondering where Emi and Shado’s loyalties lie. I like this direction far better than the end of the NEW 52 series, where we were dealing with Ollie being part werewolf. And I was a fan of Juan Ferreyra when he was drawing ABE SAPIEN and then NEW SUICIDE SQUAD, along with the work he did on GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT. His work here is stunning! And with Ollie stuck on the damned island again, this is going to get really interesting really quickly! Strap in: I expect great things in the months to come.
GREEN LANTERNS #4: Jessica has been affected by the rage of the Red Lanterns and is beating on Simon. They both end up at the bottom of the Hell Tower, where the battle continues even though Simon’s power levels are dangerously low and he’s worried about losing the teddy bear he has for Farid. The two battle and, when all seems lost, there is an overload and Jessica pushes away the rage and is cured. They force their way out in time to run headlong into Atrocitus and company. He has an offer for one of them: join the red Lanterns and their families will be spared. Meanwhile, Simon's family is desperately dealing with the Guardian in their house.
GREEN LANTERNS #5: Our heroes battle most of the Red Lanterns while Atrocitus has Dex-Starr deliver the Rage Seed to the base of the Hell Tower to fulfill the prophecy of Red Dawn. In the midst of the battle, Simon is blessed with Emerald Sight and sees a vision of Atrocitus leading a team of Justice League members affected by Rage. Simon heads off to try and drive the rage from Atrocitus while he leaves Jessica to defeat the rest. Unfortunately, Atrocitus breaks Simon’s arm and Jessica is to afraid to defend herself. Yeah…things look grim for our heroes.
Sam Humphries writes these issues which are long on action, mostly, but short on logic. For example, how is it that Zilius Zox and Skallox, who died in their own New 52 Series, are suddenly back to life again and poised to attack our Lantern pair? And we really have to deal with Simon sweating out a teddy bear when it looks like he is going to get killed by his partner? More troubling is the issues with the art. Pencils in issue #4 are by Ed Benes, Robson Rocha, and Tom Derenick while it takes SIX INKERS in the form of Rob Hunter, Mark Irwin, Vincente Cifuentes, Jay Leisten, Marc Deering, and the legendary Tom Palmer to handle a twenty-page book Issue #5 has pencils by Robson Rocha and Eduardo Pansica with Jay Leisten and Julio Ferreira handling the inks. Where is Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott when we need them?
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