DC Universe Month 68, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #1057 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Dan Jurgens, Magdalene Visaggio, Matthew Clark, Lee Weeks, and Rafa Sandoval. Superman is chatting with a former felon who is working for Steelworks when he gets a message from Lois to come back to the Daily Planet. It turns out that the leader of Blue Earth is giving the Planet an exclusive interview and that person, revealed to be Norah Stone, only wants to speak with Clark Kent. Clark uses his powers to examine Stone and catches her in a myriad of lies concerning terrorist activities she says she has never done. During the interview, Clark begis to feel ill and, concluding the interview, he feels the need to race off. Stone’s assistant meets him in the elevator and the two engage in a super powered fight, where the assistant reveals himself to be…Superman? In the backup, Clark frees his son, forcing Glyanna to flee, but also allows her to turn the Killameks loose. After defeating the Killameks, Superman and Jon meet with Glyanna’s parents, who insist that their daughter has been compromised.  On Earth, before Jon and Clark return, Doombreaker disappears, apparently having been transported away by Glyanna. In the final backup, Conner deals with not being anything other thana copy of Superman, even going as far to lash out at his girlfriend M’Gann

BATMAN #137 by Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez. GOTHAM WAR Part 2. Batman breaks up another theft orchestrated by Catwoman and also defeats Fright, before heading to the Iceberg Lounge and capturing Scorpiana and Vox. Robin meets with Batman and tries to explain that whatever is happening regarding Catwoman, crime is down and that’s a good thing. Batman tells Robin he will arrest him if he gets in his way. Dick meets with Barbara, Tim, and Steph, explaining that Batman is out of control. Elsewhere, many of Gotham’s criminal underworld meet, deciding they should all work together to take over the city once more. Batman breaks into Selina’s hideout, which leads to a battle between himself and the Bat family. Damian comes to his father’s rescue while the team tries to figure out how to stop Batman. In the end, Bruce goes to Wayne manor and finds that it has been bought…by Vandal Savage, who seems to know that Batman is Bruce Wayne.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1 by Joshua Williamson and Simone Di Meo. Batman and son work together to take out White Rabbit and her “goons”. Later, the pair go home and Damian goes back to work on his ‘novel’, featuring Damian Vane. The next day, over breakfast, Damian explains that White Rabbit’s objective was Dr. Kafira, who is doing work with DNA sequencing.  They end up at the doctor’s house, where Croc and Orca are attempting to kidnap him.  Man bat is also there, as is the Terrible Trio. Batman gets gassed and then is attacked by a cadre of bats. 

BATMAN BEYOND: NEO GOTHIC #3 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Max Dunbar. Below Neo-Gotham, Terry and Kyle make their way into the former home of The Court of Owls., to find that many followers of The Court of Owls are here, although primarily “a bunch of mushrooms”, along with one creature dressed as Batman. The Batman creature reveals that he was responsible for hiring Kyle. Kyle tells all present that he learned magic from John Constantine before eventually betraying him. Terry battles the creatures while also reaching out to Beam, telling her he does not want to descend into the darkness but may have to.

BATMAN/CATWOMAN THE GOTHAM WAR: RED HOOD #1 by Matthew Rosenberg and Nikola Cizmesija. Two weeks ago, Red Hood was stopping criminals when Catwoman comes to him, offering him a job with her. He is put to the task of training two criminals, Simpson and Bash, to add to her team. His training is tough and sometimes abusive before they go off on their first job, that goes bad when Bash accidentally sets off the alarm. A cop responds and it takes Red Hood to intervene violently to stop Bash from killing the officer. Selina quizzes Jason, accuses him of using her to gain intel on criminals, especially The Joker. Later, Stephanie visits Jason and brings him to a murder. Bash is dead and a message is left that reads “Get your own toys Red Hood.”

BATMAN INCORPORATED #12 by Ed Brisson and John Timms. The bomb in Australia has gone off, but Dark Ranger is barely alive despite it. Throughout the world, the team members have to defeat the Joker’s men without killing them. The decision is made that they need to build E.M.P.  disrupters to knock out the signal to the devices and Jiro begins to build one , which knocks out Dusty Bronco. While each team works to build E.M.P. disrupters. Joker detonates the one in Paris, killing Charles De Ghoul in the process. Running out of time, Ghost-Maker stabs Alpaca but does not kill her. Together, they free Skyspider. Later, with the team reassembled, Ghost-Maker makes the decision to dissolve Batman Incorporated. Despite his decision, the rest of the team decides to stay together.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #19 by Mark Waid and Travis Moore. While Superman battles Jax-Ur, Batman and Alfred are trapped in the Phantom Zone. A plan to get him back in the Zone fails but Jax-Ur pulls Batman out, saying neither one of the heroes is a threat to him. Jax-Ur makes his way to the Fortress of Solitude and begins to attack the bottled city of Kandor. Batman uses his skill to use the circuitry of the Phantom Zone projector and put it in the floor of the Fortress, sending Jax-Ur back. In the end, a mysterious creature named Aethyr the Messiah makes plans to release everyone from the Phantom Zone.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #5 by Tom King, Ed Brisson, Rob Williams, Mitch Gerads, Jeff Spokes, Stefano Landini, and Jorge Fornes. Batman continues to be bested by The Joker, as he continues his killing spree. And now, it looks like he has managed to masquerade as the Police Chief of Gotham to claim his next victim. In the second story, Stormwatch faces off against the god Apollo and it takes Core to stop him. Back at Skywatch, Ravager wants to know who really is in charge, despite what Director Bones says. It turns out, it may be Amanda Waller. In the third tale, Harcourt goes after Weapons Master: the man who killed her. She takes revenge, only to admit that she believes she has been lied to. In the final tale, Batman searches for the killer of a young college student in a mystery that leads him into The Penguins den and out again, discovering that a drug addict who thought she was a vengeful angel was responsible.

BIRDS OF PREY #1 by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero. Black Canary speaks with Oliver Queen, telling him she is looking to put a team together. She begins building the team one person at a time, starting with Cassandra Cain. From there, the Cassandra assist Big Barda, asking her to join as Sin is in danger. In Star City, Canary visits Grifter and Zealot, bringing her into the fold. Cassandra tells a tale about her fighting Harley Quinn last year, which leads them to approach her. After initially turning it down, she hears that it involves Sin and agrees to join them to save the teenager from the Amazons. In the end, Meridian arrives, who claims that the Amazons may be looking to bring about the end of the world.

BLUE BEETLE #1 by Josh Trujillo and Adrian Gutierrez. Jaime finds himself fighting a team known as The Madmen when he gets an assist from Dynasties and Nitida. With the battle finished, Jaime goes to Gloria’s Diner, where he sees that member of The horizon are having problems with townspeople who want them out of their city. The next day, while Jaime and his friends are at the beach, Ted Kord is attacked by a mysterious invader who seemingly kills Ted.

CATWOMAN #57 by Tini Howard and Nico Leon. GOTHAM WAR PART 3. Vandal Savage is in the Batcave, explaining to Batman that he purchased Wayne Manor. Meanwhile, Catwoman and Marquise, along with Red Hood, plan their next heist. Batman seeks outThe Riddler who gives him a clue as to where Catwoman is and what she is up to. This leads him to a ballet performance of Puccini’s Turandot, where he brawls with Red Hood before sedating him. At the same time, Savage arrives and meets with Selina, who warns her to stay out of his way. In the end, Marquise gets a video call from her father, who is revealed to be Vandal Savage, who reveals that Marquise is really Scandal and has been embedded with Selina. To be continued in BATMAN #158.

CITY BOY #5 by Greg Pak and Minkyu Jung. Cameron is still haunted by ghosts in Bludhaven and, later meeting with Nightwing, meets a creature that is Bludhaven’s avatar. Nightwing reveals he knows Cameron is searching for his mother and that Jeannie Nguyen might b e working with Intergang. Cameron reveals that Intergang wants to turn the world into a new version of Apokolips and sees a vision of Darkseid. Nightwing follows a clue and Cameron enlists the city to help, leading them into conflict with each other and Mokkarison. Mokkarison tells Cameron that everyone knows he is a bad person and he will help them usher in New Apokolips here on Earth. While Nightwing takes Nguyen to a safehouse, Cam goes to the park to think. But he’s being watched by…Swamp Thing?

CYBORG #3 by Morgan Hampton and Tom Raney. Six months ago, Markus Wilcox pitched something he developed that allowed a person’s living code to be downloaded after they die, meaning they could virtually live forever. Silas downloaded his living code into Solace and observed the memories of people trapped there. So, the plan is to make his way back into Solace’ servers and free them. But Cyborg gets interrupted by A.T.L.A.S., which is the guard robot for the servers. The two battle, with Cyborg defeating it. That is when Markus arrives, declaring that Cyborg has stolen his property and attacked him. Cyborg uses a Boom Tube to go back to S.T.A.R. Labs, where they discover that Markus’ consciousness sacrificed itself and saved the 30 million in Solace.  However, a new robot is active now at Solace HQ, leading to the believe that maybe Markus’ consciousness is still alive.

DANGER STREET #9 by Tom King and Jorge Fornes.  The manhunter and the Master Assassin battle to the death, even as they both debate the rationale for it. In the end, both men die from their wounds and  continue their discussion in the afterlife.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1074 by Ram V, Dan Watters, Dustin Nguyen, and Hayden Sherman. Buildings significant to Bruce Wayne’s past are burning down, starting with Morton’s Confectioners, then Haly’s Circus. All the while, Batman battles against the influence of the Orghams. At last, he ends up in Crime Alley. In the backup, the Ten Eyed Man has discovered that there are holes being drilled in the heads of people. The man gets arrested and tells Commissioner Montoya has a hole in her head too, before escaping out into Gotham.

FIRE & ICE: WELCOME TO SMALLVILLE #1 by Joanne Starer and Natacha Bustos. Fire and Ice have been banished from Metropolis and have headed to Smallville, where they set up a beauty salon with the help of L-Ron.  Over a lunch with Martha Kent, where she meets Raquel ‘Rocky’ Rhoades, Ice learns that Fire has created a viral video where she says that she and Ice are here to fight crime. King Shark shows up to answer Fire’s challenge, but Superman arrives to take him down, leading to an argument that splits the girls up. While Fire mopes in the apartment, Ice continues to work the salon, with a customer influx from Martha’s book club. In the end, Fire calls an old friend, looking to beat them up on film. The old friend? Ambush Bug.

THE FLASH #1 by Si Spurrier and Mike Deodato Jr. Max Mercury and Impulse are trying to break through the Speed Force in order to time travel. But they get stopped, even as Max sees a vision of buffalo hunters from the past, which he sees as a message. Meanwhile, Wally is battling a gorilla army and realizes that using the Speed Force at the moment hurts his form. At one point, the world stops, Wally stops as an indigo streak races through the scene. Grodd gives his condolences about something, possibly dealing with the Speed Force, and then he and his gorillas leave. Later, back at home, Linda, now powerless, is feeding their son while Wally takes his other kids to school. After that, he meets with Mr. Terrific, who tells him of numerous attacks throughout the world by Grodd and his team, but also asks Wally if he has noticed anything unusual about eh Speed Force as of late. Wally denies the real answer, even though he has seen a vision telling him the Uncoiled are coming. At school, Irey goes looking for Jai, who was taken to the principal’s office, only to find him in the school basement, where he was apparently talking to a small individual. Wally again has to fight Grodd and his team when an indigo blue streak arrives to help. The individual is named Chad and declares he is a big fan of The Flash. But Chad is sucked away during the battle, only to come back disassembled. The Uncoiled has arrived.

GREEN ARROW #4 by Joshua Williamson and Sean Izaakse. Ollie faces off with Parallax, who he believes is not really Hal Jordan. Parallax takes Oliie to see what is happening with Roy and Dinah, who have gone to Brick’s house to gather intel. A fight breaks out but Ollie is helpless to help. Luckily Jade arrives and Wally tells her he needs her help to get Ollie, Connor and their daughter back. In the future, Lian meets with the Legion of Super Heroes and tries to convince them to break the law and use time travelling abilities to find Ollie. With the situation with Dinah and Roy finished, Parallax takes Ollie to a future version of Star City, which has been destroyed because of Ollie and his family.  After losing a one on one fight with Parallax, he finds himself stranded again until he is visited by a future version of himself.

GREEN LANTERN #3 by Jeremy Adams and Xermanico. One month ago, Hal Jordan is falling from space and trying to get his new ring to work, which he indeed does. Today, Sinestro is looking to bring some disguised aliens into the fold of the Legion of Doom. That leads them to attack Ferris Aircraft and break in. the next day, Hal is shown the footage and that leads Carol into wondering if Hal’s arrival is a bad thing. In the end, Hal is sitting in a bar and Sinestro arrives. In the backup, in another time and place, a young Lantern watches as John Stewart battles the Revenant Queen, but she escapes into the Multiverse. Back on Earth, John Stewart talks with Guy Gardner as a mysterious ring floats in the sky. To be continued in GREEN LANTERN WAR JOURNAL #1.

GREEN LANTERN: WAR JOURNAL #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Montos. In deep space, a space station is attacked and destroyed, while one of the crew sees a mysterious figure, a door to the stars and a purple Lantern ring. Later, Lantern Sheperd investigates encountering the Radiant Dead in the process. Back on Earth, John Stewart is dealing with life without the Lanterns, while also dealing with his mother, who does not recall that her daughter is long dead, causing John to create a construct for her. He also encounters Lantern Varron, who insists that John turn over his ring. But John does not have a ring, as he now possesses the Lantern powers within him, leading to a fight between the pair.

HARLEY QUINN # 32 by Tini Howard, Sam Maggs, Sweeney Boo, and Kelley Jones. Harley is back home and gets to enjoy some “quality time” with Ivy. The following day, she is ready to give the final exam to her students when Brother Eyes shows up and takes all of them to Warworld, where Lady Quark takes her on a journey to find out how she maneuvered through the Multiverse. At the same time, Bud and Lou work with the students, who seem to be accelerating in their work, including growing large brains. During Quark and Harley’s journey, they encounter the Restless Dead and they are followed back to Quark’s base, where the students save the day through the use of their renewable energy source. Quark sends them all back, but tells Harley she will need to respond whenever see is called. That night, robot detective Lux Kirby, P.I., telling Harley that a rabbit version of Harley has been found dead. In the backup, which is another Harley dream, Harley gets turned into a vampire and, after defeating the vampire lord, she turns Ivy into a vampire too.

HAWKGIRL #3 by Jadzia Axelrod and Amancay Nahuelpan. Forty years ago, a young Farlane Candor wants power and Vulpecula gives it to him. Yesterday, Farlane buries Ava Diaz while Vulpecula observes. This afternoon, Bruce Wayne meets with Candor, where he observes a piece of Hawkgirl’s wings. Now, Hawkgirl, along with galaxy and Argus, take down some followers of Killer Croc, saving the life of Alysia. Later, Hawkgirl, galaxy and Argus visit Batman, who reveals that Diaz is alive. He also reveals that Candor has a piece of Hawkgirl’s wings, which leads them to Candor and Vulpecula and makes them fight the Court of Owls. Vulpecula stabs Candor with the wing shard, turning him into a giant owl. Vulpecula escapes with Maureen’s help while Hawkgirl fights Candor, who asks the question “who is Carter” before dissolving. In the end, Vulpecula makes it known that Metropolis is her next stop.

THE JOKER: THE MAN WHO STOPPED LAUGHING #10 by Matthew Rosenberg, Carmine Di Giandomenico and Francesco Francavilla. In Old Town, The Joker invades a meeting with Black Mask and some of his crew, killing all but Roman. He demands to know who the other Joker is and Roman says he does not know but he is already here. Meanwhile, Red Hood questions the Ventrioquist, shooting his dummy in the process. Beneath Gotham and all throughout the city, various villains take out their revenge on The Joker’s followers, saying the real Joker is here. The joker calls Wesker but gets Red Hood instead, so he calls Shocky, promising to tell him who the fake Joker is. But Shocky is almost dead, as the Bat Family soon discovers. The Joker infiltrates the hospital but Shocky dies before he can say anything. As he flees, he stops to visit the sick child from earlier in the series and they talk. In the backup, The Joker finds a man who can’t die, so Pyg remakes him as The Joker. Along the way, the fake Joker kills Gaggy, leading to the real Joker killing the fake. Or did he, as he is seen laughing at the very end.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA # 5 by Geoff Johns and Marco Santucci. Jay Garrick gets to reunite with his daughter Judy, who was lost when she was taken to Orphan Island. Helena gets put up in an apartment by her father, Bruce Wayne. The other lost heroes, now known as Young Justice Society, begin training with the other established heroes. In the end, Helena and Power Girl agree to build the new team with both the young and the redeemed villains, such as Harlequin’s son, gentleman Ghost and Ruby. She also suggests Solomon Grundy be added.