DC UNIVERSE Month 63, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #1054 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Dan Jurgens, Dorado Quick, Yasmin Flores Montanez, and Max Raynor. Otho has attacked someone she was convinced was going to attack others. People think he’s an unfortunate civilian but he turns out to be one of Metallo’s drone. Jon and the Super Twins battle them and eventually Superman joins in. Metallo captures the twins. Superman defeats him, convincing Metallo that he will find his sister. It turns out his sister is being held captive by…Cyborg Superman, who threatens to use her for his next experiment. In the second story, Jon and Glyanna crash land and are menaced by Killamek. But it turns out that Glyanna is the villain of the piece as she captures Jon and insists that she will make Superman do whatever she wants. Meanwhile, Lois and Clark face Doombreaker. In the final tale, John Henry Irons reminisces on his first meeting with Superman during the Reign of Supermen while also battling Amalgam. In the end, some shadowy figure is taking an interest in the hero.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: JON KENT #2 by Tom Taylor and Clayton Henry. Jon, along with President Superman and Red Tornado, go on a hunt for Ultraman, who is continuing to kill off all the Clark Kent’s in the Multiverse. They encounter him, with Ultraman smashing Red Tornado and sending she and President Superman into the Phantom Zone. The pair battle and then Ultraman has his neck broken by another Clark Kent/Superman, who tells Jon he has his mother’s eyes.

BATGIRLS #17 by Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad. With things back to normal, the Batgirls decide to have a good time. Nbut an explosion and gunfire injures Grace O’Halloran’s cameraman. Distraught, Grace meets with Hill’s Angels to secure a gun: a meet broken up by Steph.A sniper attacks the group in the cementary with Steph saving them. Cass pursues the shooter, only finding an empty room with six bullets…one for each Batgirl.

BATMAN #134 by Chip Zdarsky, Mike Hawthorne, and Adriano Di Benedetto. Batman continues his pursuit of Red Mask, who is revealed to be Darwin Halliday., who has already captured this world’s Lex Luthor and Barry Allen. He reveals he wants to become this world’s version of The Joker.As Red Mask flees, Batman contacts Jewel, telling her that Red Mask is going to unleash poison gas throughout the city. As he attempts to get out of the sewer, he encounters this world’s Ghostmaker and also Superman. Batman uses his voice to convince Superman to flee. In the streets of the city, the “Crane Brain” gas is affecting people and Selina helps to stop the police from beating up rioters. Batman battles Ghostmaker and manages to shut off the dispersing of the gas, so Red Mask unleashes the Leatherwings: an army turned into Man bats. In the backup, Robin, still searching for Batman, is sent back into the Bleed, where he meets a version of his mother.

BATMAN INCORPORATED #7 by Ed Brisson and Michele Bandini. Ghostmaker and El Gaucho find the holding cells of the captured villains. The rest of the team takes on Professor Pyg and his Dollotrons. They subdue the team so Pyg’s Dollotrons can take Mother away. But when Chuck threatens that everyone goes free or Mother will be cut to sawdust with a chainsaw, the villain backs off. The villains are turned over to Nightwing and the Bat Family, who arrange for them to go to Blackgate. In the end, Chuck talks to his father by phone for what may be the last time as someone named Dusty Bronco shoots the father and kills him.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #14 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. With Bruce free on bail, Metamorpho is on the loose, taking out his enemies one by one. Superman and Robin head off to Venezuela to track him down, where he is battling El Mantanzas and his robot army. Once there, the super team subdues El Mantanzas and talks some sense into Metamorpho. Later, Bruce, doing detective work in the Batcave, calls Clark at Stagg’s service and tells him that many billionaires have been replaced. Clark uses his x-ray vision to determine Stagg is not Stagg and is actually an android duplicate. That sends Superman and Robin to pay a visit to Professor Ivo, who claims his androids are there for Robin. He unleashes an android that can turn into any element…including Kryptonite. Meanwhile, Batman and Metamorpho pay a visit to Magnus Robotics, where they find that the Metal Men have been turned molten.

BLACK ADAM  #10 by Christopher Priest and Jose Luis. Jasmin is visited by, and taken over, by Love, who apparently thinks Jasmin is Ishtar. Adam meets with Malik, telling him a story of how he once had been profiled by police. Later, he meets with Oni Grace and her friend Stanley, who turns out to be Ibac. The pair battle and Ibac is taken down with the help of Malik. While War meets with folks at the Sanheoli Embassy, telling them that they should declare was on Khandaq, Malike and Adam return home, where Adam kisses Jasmin, which seriously upsets Malik.

BLUE BEETLE: GRADUATION DAY #6 by Josh Trujillo and Adrian Gutierrez. The final battle begins with Jaime realizing the Hroizon is not sending out a warning but a distress signal. After saving the Horizon ship and the occupants, jaine gives them an offer: stay in Palmera City.

CATWOMAN #54 by Tini Howard and Nico Leon. Selina has a meeting with the Queen of Hearts, who reveals she wants to have a meeting with Catwoman, who she heard was locked up in this prison. Selina and Marquise craft a plan, with Marquise stabbing herself in the neck. The doctors later say she died, but Marquise is still alive and meets with Punchline, promising her that she will take the villain to Catwoman. Marquise meets with Selina, telling her Punchline is here and Selina reveals herself to Marquise as Catwoman. Punchline and Catwoman brawl, with Selina insisting the two should work together. In the process a riot breaks out as does an escape by the inmates. In the end, Punchline has reached out to the criminals and says she and Catwoman are working together. Catwoman arrives at the meeting of the crime heads and now Eiko has to make a choice.

DANGER STREET #5 by Tom King and Jorge Fornes. Orion battles Starman while Warlord digs up Good Look’s coffin. Manhunter visits Starmaker, with plans to kill him, but he changes those plans … for now, returning later and killing him.  Lady Cop goes to investigate the earth-shattering battle between Starman and Orion but runs into Warlord…literally, causing the coffin to fly from the wreckage. The leader of the Green team sends Assassin out to kill the surviving boys. And Jack Ryder meets with Batman, telling him to go back to his cave.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1071 by Ram V, Simon Spurrier, Stefano Raffaele, Ivan Reis, Eduardo Pansica, and Caspar Wijngaard. Talia tells more of the history of the Orghams. Meanwhile, Vandal Savage forcibly takes the stone from Amenah. In the backup, Annabel is freed by the child and she castigates Mr. Freeze, who ultimately admits the machine is not for Nora, but for himself. As Annabel and the boy leave, Freeze seals himself up in his lab and finally discovers the font of pure energy he has been looking for. It’s Arkham.

THE FLASH #796 by Jeremy Adams and Roger Cruz. Wally is alive and on Planet Flash, where this team led by Gold Beetle is going to help him get back to the battle against The Fraction. The Planet Flash team arrives and battles The Fraction while Barry and his team put their plan into play. Admiral vel kills all of his soldiers and gets locked away into one of the batteries. The world gets unstuck again and time is reversed, meaning everyone is still alive except Max Mercury, including Iris, who Barry professes his love for. While everyone enjoys a barbeque, Max and Impulse race off in search of what’s next in their lives

THE FLASH #797 by Jeremy Adams, Serg Acuna and Tom Derenick. In a tale taking place during the end of THE FLASH 2022 ANNUAL, Wallace picks up Jai, irey, and Maxine from school. But the kids get apprehended by Knives Maroney, who has assembled a team made up of Dr. nightmare, Reverse Grodd, Mineral Man, Foul Play, and Heat Wave Jr. Knives has taken possession of the Eternity Mind. As things look bleak, the Super Sons arrive to lend a hand. Wallace finally arrives and they work together to stop Knives and his team. In the end, they all transport home, but the Eternity mind is left behind and picked up by Granny Goodness.

GREEN ARROW #1 by Joshua Williamson and Sean Izaakse. Oliver Queen is stranded in a strange, alien place. Meanwhile, Connor, Roy, and Dinah are fighting crime and get help from Chershire Cat. As Chershire cat leaves, Roy tells her that he recognizes her as his long-lost daughter Lian. During the tearful reunion, Connor and Lian are transported away. Lian finds herself being attacked by manhunters but is saved by Green Arrow and his chainsaw arrow. He takes her to a transporter and then destroys it, saying they can never go home again.

HARLEY QUINN # 29 by Tini Howard, Adam Warren, and Sweeney Boo. Harley calls on Zatanna, asking her for help to get the fish back to captain carrot and deal with Lady Quark. Zatanna casts a spell, but tells her that Harley will have to sacrifice something alive for the interdimensional protection to work. She debates what to do and, after speaking with Batman, decides to sacrifice the Ivy plant. That’s when Bud and Lou finally reveal themselves as aliens who will be her guide. In the backup,  Bud and Lou take Harley on a dream inspired journey to some really dark places.