DC UNIVERSE Month 43, Part 2

ICON & ROCKET: SEASON ONE #2 by Reginald Hudlin and Doug Braithwaite. Icon and Rocket are cleaning up Dakota, but that brings authorities to Raquel’s mom searching for her. N.S.A. Agent Baker meets with Augustus and demands they knock off their vigilante actions or else. Later, some of Dakota’s drug dealers look to confront Raquel’s mom, but Reverend Stone and some of his congregation intervene. Baker meets with Agent Lord, who explains he has been around for generations and reveals Augustus’ history: how he led a revot against slave owners and killed Jefferson Davis, who was replaced by a double.

I AM BATMAN #0 by John Ridley and Travel Foreman. In the past, Tim Fox is continuing his training in Japan with Katana and informs Ma that his name is now Jace. In the present, Jace tells his family he is moving out. Later, at work, he meets with an old acquaintance named Hadiyah. That night, he goes to a warehouse, searching for radicals connected to Arkadine. He finds six dead bodies and fights two guys, who set a bomb in the warehouse. After saving one of the pair, Jace is told the six were dead when he got there and he and his partner had been paid to make the explosion look like an accident. Meanwhile, a downtown demonstration is a false flag operation with some of Arkadine’s followers there to start a war with police. Jace arrives in a Batsuit and stops the shooters, but not before the Magistrate get involved. The optics on social media falsely claim Jace was attacking the protesters and that leads to him looking to find a way to upgrade the tech he will be using.

INFINITE FRONTIER #4 by Joshua Williamson, Xermanico, Jess Merino and Paul Pelletier. On Earth-23, Calvin Ellis and Thomas Wayne learn that Lex Luther has been working on multi-dimensional travel who is responsible for designing the ships that Director Bones, X-Tract, and Hector Hammond have been travelling around the Multiverse in. When then find Lex, he’s been killed. On Earth-0, Bones has captured Green Lantern and his son and reveals to Cameron Chase that he had made a deal to keep the Multiverse safe. His ship is ready to go to Hammond’s place in the bleed and Chase shoots him to ensure she is on the ship when it leaves. On Hammond’s ship, Jade figures out the Black Lantern is a resurrected Roy Harper and the team heads to Earth-Omega, where the Psycho Pirate has Barry Allen, but they encounter the Anti-Monitor’s Shadow Demons and their ship crash lands. Back at the House of Heroes, Machinehead betrays the team and brings forth a team of villains to ensure the Multiverse remains separate worlds.

THE JOKER #6 by James Tynion IV, Sam Johns, Guillem March and Sweeney Boo. Jim Gordon finds himself in France, tracking down a lead on The Joker. He calls Oracle, who informs him that there is chatter about a new Bane being created in Santa Prisca. After she informs him about how everything connected to the Sampson family has been buried, he calls Bullock, not a Private Detective, to assist in the investigation. In the end, Interpol arrests Jim, telling him his fingerprints are all over a murder scene. It seems The Joker has framed Jim Gordon. In the backup, Harper Row has made her way into Blackgate Prison under a false identity in in order to get closer to Punchline. But Punchline sees through the disguise, and it may cost Harper her life.

THE JOKER PRESENTS: A PUZZLEBOX #1 by Matthew Rosenberg, Jesus Merino and Joshua Hixon. The Joker was having a party and that got broken up by Batman. With all the villains arrested, The Joker is interrogated by Gordon and Bullock and learns that The Riddler has been killed. The Joker explains it could have been because of The Master Engine: a box with a connection to the New Gods. He enlists a group of villains to find the five keys which will open the box and give them unspeakable power. Elsewhere, it seems that the GCPD already has the box.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #66 by Brian Michael Bendis, Ram V, Phil Hester and Sumit Kumar. Synmar Utopica has not come to Earth to gain revenge against Superman but to give the Earth to his planet. With the Hall of Justice destroyed, old members and current members unite to fight against Synmar Utopica. But where is Superman? He has gone into space to enlist the United Order to stop him. In the backup, Elnara Roshtu frees Randhir Singh’s mind and frees him. He claims he was imprisoned in his own mind by Merlin. Merlin continues his assault on Atlantis, where he plans to unleash The Darkworld.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: LAST RIDE #4 by Chip Zdarsky and Miguel Mendonca. In the past, Martian Manhunter sacrifices himself to stop Apokolips from launching Boom Nukes. In the present, the team has brought Lobo to Apokolips, but now has to deal with Mongol AND the Cyborg Superman.

LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #4 by Stephanie Phillips and Max Dunbar. In 1910, Charles Cobblepot is killed by a “ghost.” In preset day, Bruce Wayne buys an antique box containing artifacts from that murder. He discovers that the ghost was actually Cobblepot’s maid, who he had been abusing. In the end, Bruce donates money to create a women’s center.

MISTER MIRACLE: THE SOURCE OF FREEDOM #4 by Brandon Easton and Fico Ossio. Oberon shows Shilo a film Thaddeus made for Shilo. In it, he reveals how he fought for the rights of blacks in Hobbs Bay after receiving Mother Box as a child. He eventually marries Darla Morton and has a daughter named Rose. She marries a Metropolis police officer named Solomon Norman, revealing that Thaddeus is Shilo’s grandfather. He also reveals that baby Shilo accidentally triggered a Boom Tube that sent his parents off to an unknown place. When the film ends, Oberon reveals that N/Vir is headed to New Genesis ad that appears to bring Orion into the situation.

NIGHTWING #83 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. Blockbuster and the police are about to bust down Melinda's door. She tells Dick that she isn’t working for Blockbuster and Dick flees, with Blockbuster in pursuit. After a battle that leaves Dick injured, he ends up with Barbara and Tim. When he wakes, he makes the decision to help his city. The following day, after meeting with the Leslie, Lucious, the Titans and Superman, and a kiss with Barbara, he meets the press and reveals he is starting the Alfred Pennyworth Foundation. In the end, the man who is Heartless makes plans against the person who made him.

ROBIN #5 by Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Stephanie Brown received word from Ravager that Damian was in this tournament so they go after Damian. He agrees to go back with them to Gotham if they're able to catch him. Dick does and gives him a birthday gift: a metal bar that came from Dick’s old trapeze. He lets Damian go to find his destiny and he arrives back on the island just in time for the tournament to begin.

SHAZAM! #2 by Tim Sheridan and Clayton Henry. Billy Batson and Dane have gone to Hell where they end up in the Casino de Dante Carlo. Billy meets Amoreena while Dane cheats and the pair get to meet head demon Sulibak. Billy’s powers won’t work and he flees with Amoreena’s help. She helps him find the Rock of Eternity. She reveals she is Sulibak’s daughter, just as the demons catch up with him. Billy momentarily is able to use his powers, but those soon fail. Luckily, Dane arrives, revealing himself to be Nevermore, son of the Underlord.

SUICIDE SQUAD #6 by Robbie Thompson, Eduardo Pansica and Dexter Soy. The team captures Night Terror because Waller claims she needs to join them on their mission to Earth-3 to save Bloodsport. They head to Earth-3 and are immediately attacked by Ultraman, who kills Branch. The team finds Bloodsport and transport away, ending up in Russia where they encounter…a leather jacket wearing Superboy? Meanwhile, Peacemaker and his team continue their search for Swamp Thing.

SUICIDE SQUAD: GET JOKER! BOOK ONE by Brian Azzarello and Alex Maleev. Jason Todd was killed by the Joker. But he was reborn and took to his own way of fighting crime as Red Hood. He was arrested and now Amanda Waller convinces him to become part of Task Force X and hunt down Joker. His team consists of Firefly, Plastique, Silver Banshee, Wild Dog, Yonder Man, Meow Meow, Pebbles and Harley Quinn. They meet up with Toyman and head to bar, where they find out they have been played by the Joker, which leads them into a fight with Russian henchmen. Red Hood calls Waller, who is in an apartment in Gotham waiting for a pizza delivery. But that pizza place is closed and Waller gets beaten with a crowbar by Joker and his crew. He now has the box which triggers brain bombs and Joker kills Firefly.

SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW #3 by Tom King and Bilquis Evely. Supergirl and Ruthye are searching for Krem on the planet of Maypole. But everything is not what it seems. They discover there was once blue people and purple, but the purples were considered lower class and he convinced the townspeople to convince the invading Brigands to eradicate the purples. They revealed Krem and, along with the Brigands, they committed mass genocide of the purples.

SUPERMAN AND THE AUTHORITY #2 by Grant Morrison, Evan Cagle, Mikel Janin, Fico Ossio and Travel Foreman. Superman is running tests on his diminishing powers while Manchester Black explains how he is working on putting a team together made up of Natasha Irons, Midnighter, Apollo, and Enchantress.

SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL #2 by Tom Taylor and John Timms. Jon goes off to college in the undercover disguise of Finn Connors. But that doesn’t last long as he has to reveal himself to stop a student with a gun. After a discussion with his father, he is entrusted to care for the Fortess and given one of Cark’s original capes. Later, he saves a boat filled with refugees from Gamorra and brings them to safety in Metropolis. The person behind The Truth podcasts, Jay Nakamura, also one of the students from the college, meets with Jon and explains what is going on in Gamorra. He also explains how the President of that country will come after him. The President? Henry Bendix-formerly a member of The Authority.

THE SWAMP THING #6 by Ram V and Mike Perkins. The Suicide Squad has been tasked to capture the Swamp Thing, dead or alive. They detonate a toxin that cuts off a portion the jungle from the Green to help trap Swamp Thing. Heatwave finds an unconscious Levi in the jungle and sets him on fire, forcing him into the water. Eventually, he spawns into Swamp Thing and looks poised to attack an unsuspecting Heatwave.

WONDER WOMAN #777 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Jordie Belaire, Emanuela Lupacchino and Paulina Ganucheau. Diana, Siegfried and Rotatosk have made it to Earth but discover it is Earth 11 where the Justice League is an all-female team known as the Justice Guild. They get attacked by Wonder Man, who has teamed up with Janus. Janus captures Deadman and transports away with him, leading Diana, Siegfried and Rotatosk to follow. In the backup, young Diana discovers that Herakles and his army came to Themyscira and, after one of the men threatened Antiope, the Amazons killed them all.

WONDER WOMAN #778 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Jordie Belaire,Travis Moore and Paulina Ganucheau. Diana, Siegfried and Rotatosk travel to the Phantom Zone where they are attacked by Xa-Du. Aethyr arrives and sends our heroes away to track down Janus, which leads them to the Fifth Dimension, where they meet Bat-Mite, Mr. Mxyzptlk and Wonder Mite. They find Janus, who uses a portal and transports to Gemworld, then prehistoric times. After another portal jump into the blank space of Ascension, Diana fnds Deadman is dead. In the backup, Diana meets with Magala and retrieves the spear that her mother used against Herakles‘ army. She returns to her mother and convinces her to reveal the truth to the Amazons.