AVENGERS VS X-MEN: A Review

Marvel’s BIG EVENT of the spring/summer is AVENGERS VS. X-MEN: a 12 issue bi-weekly mini-series designed to set the future of the Marvel Universe. Some of the biggest names at Marvel are the architects of this series and it’s tie-in books including Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, Adam Kubert and John Romita Jr. Much of what led to this series came from both the splitting of the X teams in SCHISM and most specifically AVENGERS: X-SANCTION. 

In a nutshell, it’s all about the Phoenix Force returning to Earth. In AVENGERS: X-SANCTION, Cable, who we all thought had died during Second Coming, returned from the future to battle the Avengers. Blaquesmith had told him that The Avengers were responsible for the death of Hope Summers and that led to the future he had experienced. When all was said and done, Cable succumbs to the techno-organic virus. Blaquesmith eventually tells Hope she can save Cable with the Phoenix Force. Once healed, Cable tells Scott that Hope is the Phoenix and he needs to protect her when the war comes.
 
AVX truly begins with issue #0. In it, Modok gets into a battle with the Scarlet Witch, Ms. Marvel and Spider-Woman. Following their victory, Wanda is invited back to the Avengers Mansion but Vision, her estranged husband, turns her away based on the AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED storyline. On Utopia, Hope and Scott have a tussle and she leaves, eventually fighting the Serpent Society. And she tells Scott and Emma Frost that they need not fear her when the Phoenix Force comes.

As issue #1 begins, the Phoenix Force begins it’s destructive journey towards earth. Sam Alexander, who you may not know is the current Nova(Richard Ryder was trapped in an alternate universe at the end of the THANOS IMPERATIVE storyline along with Star-Lord) and Thanos) crash lands on Earth and falls into a coma. Iron man deduces that the Phoenix Force is to blame and the decision is made to get Hope and put her in protective custody. Cyclops refuses to let her go and all out war breaks out on the beaches of Utopia. Wolverine and Spider-Man break into the compound to retrieve Hope but she takes them out, leaving the island.

Meanwhile, in deep space, Thor and the Secret Avengers, encounter the Phoenix Force and lose badly. En route to find Hope, Wolverine and Captain America get into a scuffle because Wolverine insist Hope must die. Cap ejects him from the plane and he finds himself rescued by the mutant savior he has vowed to kill. She begs him to take her to the Blue Area of the Moon and they do. Unbeknownst to her, Wolverine has sent a signal to Captain America. Both The Avengers and the X-Men search a number of places for her including Latveria, Wakanda, Wundergore and The Savage Land before heading towards the moon. You know what that means: time for another fight. In the middle of it all, Thor falls from the sky and lands on the moon. The Phoenix is coming.

Hope feels herself losing control and begs for Wolverine to kill her. Iron Man and Giant Man make a disruptor to kill the Phoenix. But that becomes a major fail as it splits the creature which now bonds with Cyclops, Emma Frost, Sub Mariner, Colossus and his sister Magik(or as we now know them, the Phoenix Five). They defeat the Avengers, heading back to Earth with Hope in tow.

After arriving on Earth, the Five begin to reform the world. They offer free energy, along with unlimited food and water to the world. Knowing that something needs to be done as the Five remain unchecked, the Avengers concoct a plan to extract Hope from the Phoenix Five. It takes the Scarlet Witch to save them  Hope leaves with Wanda and Scott echoes the words that mirror those of AVENGERS: DISASSEMBLED: “No More Avengers!”

Another battle between the teams occurs with Wanda severely injuring Magik and Emma Frost severely burning Hawkeye, who gets healed by the Phoenix Five. Iron Fist arrives at Avengers Mansion with the legendary Lei Kung The Thunderer. Kung believes he needs to take Hope to K’un L’un for training. Meanwhile, both teams continue to fight and take prisoners. During the process, Wanda injures Namor who, in turn, leads the Atlanteans in to war against Wakanda.

So this puts us seven issues in. The series is a rambling epic. And to fully appreciate the whole thing, you need to dive into the other crossover pieces. In AVENGERS,  Noh-Varr betrays the Avengers but ends up being chased through Hela by the Kree, who he also betrays. In NEW AVENGERS, we get a bunch of the K’Un L’Un back story. SECRET AVENGERS resurrects (and eventually kills) Captain Marvel who passes his powers onto Ms. Marvel, who will be the NEW Captain Marvel. In AVENGERS ACADEMY, X-23 and other mutants have to decide where to leave their allegiance. And it goes without saying that the there are tie-ins in UNCANNY X-MEN, WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN, and X-MEN LEGACY. An, when it is all said and done(before MARVEL NOW comes along), there will be the inevitable sequels: AVX: CONSEQUENCES, AVENGERS + X-MEN(which may become the new UNCANNY AVENGERS and X-MEN titles) and A-BABIES vs. X-BABIES(yeah..go figure!)

Does all this drama work? Yes and no.  Much of what happens is predictable and I find the AVX fight book(sorry…AVX: VS) to be a bore(we were told that this is a fight book…expect no more or less). It should be interesting to see how this all shakes out. Rumors had Cyclops dying during all of this. We do know for certain that the new Avengers team will feature Captain America and Wolverine and have more space adventures. We also know that Brian Michael Bendis will be writing an X-Men title where the five ORIGINAL X-Men arrived time displaced. 

If you haven’t book into this now, wait for the trade paperback. If you can find back issues, grab them now. This is the title that will help to shape the future of YOUR Marvel Universe. And remember: don’t call it a reboot!

DC's NEW 52: Month 10, Part 2

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #10: John Constantine takes the team to his favorite spot: The House of Mystery. Once invited inside, they learn he can call them back at any time. Another great trick from the master of tricks. Xanadu has a vision that Constantine wants the Books of Magic and his possessing them will bring an end to everything. At the same time, he opens the box they got from Faust and it unleashes demons…three of them, in fact. Now they are free to do what they are programmed to do: go to A.R.G.U.S. and bust Felix Faust out from the prison Steve Trevor has put him in.

A top notch issue from Jeff Lemire and Mikel Janin. If you didn’t know it from his Vertigo history, John Constantine proves he is only in it for himself. And we finally get the House of Mystery in the NEW 52. Can Cain and Abel be far behind? I hope not.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #10: Still reeling from the destruction of the team and their battle last issue with O.M.A.C., the team spends a good part fo the issue regrouping. Guy visits Ice, Booster and Godiva visit Fire and share an awkward moment. Batwing visits Vixen. August General In Iron and O.M.A.C. bond. Soon Lightweavrer, Breakdown and the rest of the villains responsible for JLI’s recent failures mix it up wiyth our heroes. And the good guys go down to defeat…AGAIN!

Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti turn out what I believe is the better of the two Justice League titles. Unfortunately, the buying public doesn’t quite agree as the numbers on this title have always been low. Thus DC has announced they will be canceling this series with issue #12. That’s a shame because the team of Jurgens and Lopresti have worked real hard at making this a killer book which I will truly miss.

NIGHTWING #10: Nightwing is investigating a murder scene that he finds out he is the prime suspect in.Gotham’s finest show up and it’s fight or flight for the former Boy Wonder. Of course, a lot of this rests on the shoulders of Detective Nie who has a major axe to grind against the agents of Batman. At one point, Nie had been accused of planting evidence against Batman. And Deputy Mayor Kavanaugh is determined to prove the innocence of the guy who saved his life during the Night of the Owls.. Meanwhile, Dick and Sonia Zucco may end up in business together as he wants to stabilize the circus and reopen Amusement Mile. Nightwing proceeds to go to a tattoo parlor and quiz the owner about the symbol that was found at the murder scene. Apparently, Nie has been here too asking questions. Next thing you know, there’s an attack on the parlor, and it’s orchestrated by a villain named Paragon. 

Kyle Higgins, Eddy Barrows and Geraldo Borges turn in a nice story here. The biggest twist has nothing to do with Paragon and who he/she may be. The twist comes in the form of Dick Grayson having to do a business deal with the daughter of Boss Zucco, who we all know is responsible for the deaths of the Flying Graysons. It should be fun to see in what direction that all moves. And, on top of that, WHO IS PARAGON?

THE RAVAGERS #2: What is left of the team finds themselves sitting on an ice flow and getting ready to sink into the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, somewhere in Mongolia,  Rose and Warblade reveal to Keeper that they have captured Bright Eyes and Windshear(at least we got his name this issue!) and he reveals that he’s ready to send out Shadow Walker, who apparently has the freaky ability to drain life force. Finally off the ice flow, the team of four regroup even while the brother and sister team of Thunder and Lightning get into it with Shadow Walker. To save themselves, they sell out their partners to the bad guy. but it’s actually just a swerve(yeah…saw that coming a mile away) to defeat him and finish getting this nasty tracking devices off themselves. Gar and Terra are off somewhere else and just when you thought it was safe for them, Gar dreams of the upcoming bad guy-Brother Blood.

You know: just when I’m ready to give this book the proper Viking Funeral it deserves, they drop this teaser for Brother Blood onto the last page. C’mon-I REALLY hate this book. Well, hate IS a bit strong. How about severely feel insulted by it…yeah: much better. Another lackluster art job from Ian Churchill and, even with a dialogue assist from Tom DeFalco, Howard Mackie finds himself steeped in clichés that just aren’t fun to read. but Brother Blood: that’s a game changer for me. So, DC manages to keep me hanging on for another month.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #10: Orn shows up while Jason is trying to make a date with some girl named Isabel. Orn has arrived to take Starfire back to her starship and when he does, everyone is in tow…including Isabel. She is informed by her second in command about “an intergalactic scourge” known as The Blight. She climbs into the chair and prepares to wreak havoc upon her enemies. Did I mention that the rest of  the “heroes” (and Isabel) are on that ship too? In the back-up story, Essence does battle with some over-sized bad guy and his henchmen who murder a police officer, in order to hold the Life Hammer. Whoever he is, he has something to do with the whole storyline that ran through the first seven issues.

Chalk this one up in the “Knocked out of the Park” column for Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort. I love the fact that Kori and Roy are lovers and Jason is off trying to pick someone up, someone who knows nothing of his past or his present(except for what he has told her) and here comes this space alien to take the princess home. And drag all the “humans” with them. I also like the fact that the Dominators, once the chief bad guys during the INVASION mini-series(which had some future Image guy involved with it), show up as members of Starfire’s crew. Interesting…I don’t recall them being aligned with her during the OLD DCU. Either way, I really like this book a whole lot.

RED LANTERN #10: Stormwatch has captured Skallox and Atrocitus, searching for Abysmus, feels a strange attraction. Thinking the signal is coming from the original Red Lantern, that leads to a book length, knock-down, drag-out, smackdown between the team and Abysmus. Before it’s all done, he finds Skallox, now missing a hand(which still has a Red Lantern ring on it). The Engineer let the pair go as both sides promise vengeance. In the end, Stromwatch has garnered much needed information about the Green Lanterns; information they are sure to use to their advantage.

Another so-so issue for me. I never expected Peter Milligan to wallow in non-stop action, but that’s what we get. The absolute best line in the book comes after Midnighter takes out Dex Starr, the feline Red Lantern. “Midnighter to Stormwatch…I’ve just punched a cat.”  Nice to see Miguel Sepulveda back in the artist’s chair.

RESURRECTION MAN #10:  Mitch and Kim break into a facility they think is The Lab but looks to be Daryl’s lab. But the captured former super villain has a tracking device and they can find The Lab. but before that can happen, it’s a war between Heaven and hell as both sides try to capture Mitch. he agrees to let one of them have him, provided they give him a week to find The Lab and get things taken care of. Okay: a deal with the devil AND the deep blue sea.

This is probably the WORST issue of the series and maybe the creators knew that DC was canning this book with issue # 12 because this issue is awful. First off: we have Mitch on a table at The Lab being tortured by our favorite hidden bad guy. THIS SCENE DOESN’T EVEN APPEAR IN THE BOOK. Hell, he doesn’t even get to the Lab! The entire issue is this big set up for Mitch to make a deal and move on. Absolutely awful stuff from two of my favorite writers and one of my favorite NEW 52 books! If this is where we’re headed for the next two issues, I’ll be glad to see it end. This is not the quality book I have come to expect.

STORMWATCH #10: The Engineer sends Stormwatch to try and police the superheroes of Earth. But who polices Stormwatch? Apparently no one, as an artifact is found and we learn the history of the team, especially when things went really bad in 1762.-the French and Indian War.  Apollo and Midnighter share a quiet moment and Harry Tanner returns, so you know that could be a problem for the team.

Another interesting issue from Peter Milligan and Ignacio Calero. So now Stormwatch is watching the Justice League. This could prove interesting in future issues. What I find interesting about thjis title is that DC is trying so hard to integrate this into the mainstream DC Universe that they are throwing in DC characters just because they can. The beauty of the old STORMWATCH was that it had enough charisma to stand on its’ own. There were crossovers with other Wildstorm characters but those were infrequent. I mean, we’re ten issues in and we’re had them show up in DEMON KNIGHTS, fight the Red Lanterns and now putting the spyglass on members of the DC Trinity. That’s all well and good, but maybe we should focus on the beauty of  these characters.

SUICIDE SQUAD #10: It’s a new mission for the team as they go off to foil a hostage situation by a Basilisk operative. Harley is back on the team and they are loaded for bear, as they take a line from the movie SPEED and SHOOT ALL THE HOSTAGES! Black Spider reveals this operative is the private guard for Regulus(the Basilisk leader). And apparently, Regulus is one bad mother. The team smells a diversion and they’re right. They do manage to find the true source of the problem and recover some downloaded files. But their prisoner has been killed by someone on the team. So who is the traitor? And Yo-Yo meets with Amanda Waller and learns he is immortal.

Adam Glass is back on track again, not that he ever left it. A great issue filled with twists, turns and stomach churning action. Shark eats a perp to gain the memory stick he swallowed? Deadshot caps the hostages? Yeah, this book pulls no punches and continues to move in totally unpredictable directions. Great art from Fernando Dagnino too! Still loving this book ten issues on! Keep it up guys!

SUPERBOY #10: When last we saw the Boy fo Steel, he was busting out of  the battle with N.O.W.H.E.R.E. along with the Teen Titans and Legion Lost. Well, he’s on an island with Cassie Sandsmark(DON’T CALL HER WONDER GIRL!). And it’s an island shaped like a big question mark. And there’s dinosaurs on it. Well, at least one. They fight the dino, defeat it and them bathe and eat. Well, once she convinces Kon-El that food is good. They even have an almost romantic moment. But Cassie recalls how he almost tried to kill her and the Titans and that puts a cold shower on that. Then they realize that the T. Rex is gone and they discover a trap door that leads them to an upside down spot. What IS going on here?

Scott Lobdell continues to write some of the best teen dialogue in the business. This book is so much fun! Sebastian Fiumara handles the art chores this issue and I’m okay with that. It’s more of a lightly painted style and given that out characters our on a mysterious island, it fits. I somehow think I would have an issue with his art handling an all out action issue. The quiet moments, the (I assume) skinny dipping (it’s implied!), the almost kiss are really nice. But the story doesn’t end here. You have to go to TEEN TITANS #10 to finish it. The BIGGEST GRIPE I find myself having about the NEW 52: too many stinking crossovers.

SUPERGIRL #10: Kara finds herself being tormented by her memories while trapped inside the Black banshee. She proceeds to meet Siobhan’s brother Tom, who has been trapped inside his father for an undetermined amount of time, but we know that the last time he saw his sister she could barely walk. They fight their way out and into our world, where Silver Banshee proceeds to absorb her father. The trio flee the police who arrive on the scene a little late. Lastly, some villain in a camouflage costume (literally) prepares to take down Supergirl.

And thus this becomes a good place to give up this book. Michael Green and Mike Johnson’s story just doesn’t to anything to justify my $3.00 a month going here. As I stated for the last two months: I figure to finish the storyline and cut this loose. And that’s what I’m doing. Maybe, if the title continues, it will pick up in intensity or will become a great find in the cheap back issue pile somewhere down the road.

SUPERMAN #10: Superman continues his battle with Anguish, even as the world begins to think that Spence Becker is really the Man of Steel. During the battle, the locket she stole gets broken and she loses it. Claiming to want to take something he cares about from him, Anguish heads off. As expected, she heads right to the home of Becker’s family where there is already a good sized crowd of reporters including Vic Barnes who “outed” Superman. Anguish arrives on the scene but, before too much damage can be done, Superman arrives, takes her out and shows how he has repaired the cherished locket. She heads off, Becker punches out Barnes and everything ends happily. Meanwhile, the submarine has unloaded it’s cargo and it’s deadly…really deadly.

This is a nice conclusion to the tale that started last issue. Dan Jurgens can still write a great story after all these years and Jesus Merino, over Jurgens pencils, does a great job of drawing like George Perez. These last two issues do no more than illustrate that the citizens of metropolis, and especially Lois Lane, have a killer curiosity about who Superman really is. And that’s okay…for now. Give me some killer bad guys and let the Kryptonian loose!

SWAMP THING #10: Abigail takes the newly revived Swamp Thing back to her old house and puts his injured body into the swamp. While he begins to rejuvenate, Abigail gets attacked by the Un-Men and their leader, Anton Arcane. Guess what…Daddy’s home!

Kudos to Scott Snyder for bringing this whole thing full circle by resurrecting Swamp Thing AND Arcane. The swamp creature’s ultimate villain is back and I’m thrilled. And, he’s bringing Un-Men and a creepy origin story for Abby with him. Francesco Francavilla turns in a nice art job which looks a lot like Cliff Chaing’s style. My big gripe: getting stuck with a hype piece for a new AMERICAN VAMPIRE series. Yeah…I like Scott Snyder too but lose the additional pages which has NOTHING to do with the story. If I wanted to know about this new book, I’d go search the Internet.

TEEN TITANS #10: Kid Flash is stuck on Mystery Island and is trying to tie up a dinosaur. Meanwhile Superboy and Wonder Girl pop up out of the hatch on the ground and have a reunion with Bunker and Robin and they all proceed to unwind on this island. Then they find non-psionic, real bricks and realize that they belong to Danny The Street. The team puts him back together and he gets them off the island, but dies in the process. In his memory, they have a moment of silence in Danny the Alley. Meanwhile, Amanda Waller attends an autopsy of a super-powered young girls and is apparently troubled by the Metas she has sent to their death. And who is The Gardener?

This is an interesting issue that serves more as a character driven issue than a plot based one. The biggest bit of information is the death of Danny the Street who was introduced the new NEW 52 Universe in issue #3 and was severely under utilized. We certainly didn’t get the feeling that he was the transvestite who made such an impact in the old DOOM PATROL series. My biggest complaint about this issue, which features the usual crisp writing by Scott Lobdell and equally sharp art of Brett Booth, is that the plot points of the first nine issues get dropped. guys: let’s resolve some of this stuff before we move on to something new. And where IS Skitter?

WONDER WOMAN #10: Hades makes Wonder Woman put on the Lasso of Truth. She says she does and escapes at the same time, saying she will never marry him. So now the forces of Hell get unleashed and he threatens to kill Zola. Diana’s companions arrive and Strife saves Wonder Woman. Hades, previously a monster who threatened to eat Diana,  returns in his original form. Diana claims she does love him just as she loves everyone. He sends them away and Diana, as they ride down the River Styx, fires a bullet from one of Eros' pistols. It hits Hades in the heart. Finally, he has someone to love.

This is a great conclusion to this amazing story by Brian Azzarello. Kano and Tony Akins provide the art for this issue and, while they do a good job of aping Cliff Chaing, they are NOT Cliff Chaing. And the whole idea you are left with that maybe someone was responsible for this whole affair JUST SO Hades could learn to love is a twist I hadn’t expected. I so LOVE this title, despite what many of the various naysayers out there think about it. It’s a clever look at a character that has had her stagnant issues over the years.

WORLDS’ FINEST #2: When last we saw the female Dynamic Duo, Hakkou was putting the hurt on Power Girl. And that continues here until Huntress puts an arrow in his head piece and he flies out of Starr Industries in obvious pain. the girls try to figure his origin and the source of his powers. Then we get a flashback to five years ago and learn that the money has been coming because of Helena’s ability to hack systems and has been purloining money that way. Jump forward to a few weeks ago and we see Karen deep sea diving for rare minerals to further fuel her empire. That’s when she receives a call to help a friend in Italy (this would tie into THE HUNTRESS #6). Back in the present day, the battle with Hakkou is engaged again and it doesn’t go well. And, if that wasn’t enough, some astute banker MAY have discovered the secret of the money trail.

Another intriguing issue from Paul Levitz, George Perez and Kevin Maguire. The art looks great and the story by Levitz continues to keep me guessing about the gaps from five years ago. I do have to admit that the current day story is just okay while the back story is the highlight. It sounds cruel, but maybe we should spend some more time in the past to help pave the way to today’s tale. All in all, it’s still a good read.

DC's NEW 52: Month #10, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #10: In the first issue of a three part story, a new villain by the name of Nimrod the Hunter shows up to hunt down Superman, who he knows had repeated sightings near the old Kent farm. Meanwhile, investigative reporter Clark Kent looks into the murder of a little girl and begins questioning David Marigold. Superman tries to convince the Justice League to care for Marigold’s hamsters while he is in police custody (Really? Does this scene NEED to be here?). Lois, Jimmy and Clark hang out together while waiting to meet with Daily Planet Editor Perry White and look through photo albums and Jimmy gets all happy when he sees Lana Lang’s picture. A ruckus at the Daily Star results in a bomb blast that apparently kills Clark. Eventually, the Hunter is captured an ends up injured in a hospital bed. The mysterious alien offers him a place in the Anti-Superman Army with bigger weapons. In the back up, Clark Kent’s colleague gather to remember his memory and some of his classic moments in their lives.

Grant Morrison introduces a new Superman hunting villain, a crazy space alien who wants to kill the Man of Steel and manages to kill off Clark Kent and eliminate the secret identity in the process. Yeah…can’t wait to see how he paints himself out of this corner. Rags Morales is in the art chair and he is obviously struggling to keep up with the monthly deadline, even with Rick Bryant’s inks lending an assist. The back up further ties into the main story and tries to solidify the whole concept of Clark Kent is dead. The nicest moment, despite Jimmy mentioning the whole Turtle Boy/Turtle Man thing, was Superman on the roof of the tavern, regretting his decision to kill off his alter ego.

ALL STAR WESTERN #10: When last we left off, Lucius Bennett had his bodyguard chuck Tallulah out of the window into the waiting arms of Jonah Hex, much to the dismay of a certain Wayne ancestor. Hex visits Wayne but doesn’t get in to see him. Later Tallulah and Hex end up with an early nightcap. Meanwhile, Arkham quizzes a patient and soon the patient and a guard are dead…at the hands of the Owls. In the back-up story, we get Bat Lash for the first time in the NEW 52. It’s a humorous tale of the luckiest man alive.

As always, another stellar issue from Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Moritat. We get action, adventure, fights, Owls and sex! And in the back up, which you ALL know I hate paying for, we have a cute little tale by Gray, Palmiotti and the legendary Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. So you know it reads like a dream and looks FANTASTIC!!! Bat Lash is one of the most underused and under appreciated Western characters. Created By Joe Orlando, Carmine Infantino, Shelly Mayer and Sergio Aragones, he lasted for one issue of SHOWCASE, seven issues of his own series and numerous back-up tales over the last years 45 years. This was a lot of fun, illustrating that it doesn’t always have to be high drama in them thar’ funny books! This is a character, if handled like it is here, that would make a great series.

AQUAMAN #10: The battle with Black Manta continues as we learn that Aquaman truly did kill Manta father. A case of mistaken identity, but murder nonetheless. And Manta shows up at Shin’s place, leading to major revelations next issue. Oh, and in case you thought the rest of the cast had the month off, they don’t. They’re busy trying to project the remainder of the relics from the bad guy.

Another nice issue here from Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis although the plot is a bit sparse and the art seems rushed. But the dialogue jumps along at a respectable pace and isn’t filled with many of the clichés Johns puts in JUSTICE LEAGUE. It will be interesting to see how the whole Shin/Arthur/Manta connection shakes out in the end. And, if you haven’t figured this out already, this is a very different Aquaman than we are used to.

ANIMAL MAN ANNUAL #1: Taking place immediately after ANIMAL MAN #9, Socks tells Maxine a tale of the 1894 invasion of The Rot. Jacob Mullin became the defender of the Red. We also get to meet an early Swamp Thing in the form of  Jack Crow. And somehow, Buddy Baker ends up being a vision to Mullin. The issue ends with Socks telling Maxine that “war is coming”.

So is this the ANIMAL MAN/SWAMP THING crossover we have been waiting for? If it was, it really wasn’t worth the wait. The tale is more about the 1894 outbreak and an appearance by A Swamp thing, but not Alec Holland. Typical cool storytelling from Jeff Lemire with art by Timothy Green II. A nice piece that acts to thicken the lore of these two characters.

ANIMAL MAN #10: Picking up where ANIMAL MAN ANNUAL #1 leaves off,  Buddy continues his treacherous journey through the corrupt Red. Meanwhile, Justice League Dark, in the form of Zatanna, Xanadu and John Constantine, arrive and tell the Baker family what must be done to counteract the Rot. Cliff wanders off and is captured by The Rot in Buddy’s skin. Looks like it’s time for The Red to make a new Buddy.

Wow! This may be the strangest issue that Jeff Lemire and Steve Pugh have turned out to date. Buddy meandering through The Red only to find out that his body has been taken over and a new one needs to be constructed before he can travel back to our realm and combat the enemy! (Deep breath…) WOW! And is Maxine really the most powerful being on the planet? Can’t wait for the next issue!

BATGIRL #10: Batgirl takes out some bad guys haunting the garage at the Three Towers and one of them ends up with his leg in a bear trap. Well, that’s a nasty way to stop someone. Apparently the gangs of Gotham are pretty vicious like that. The security force take him away and go back to their gala where Charise Carnes is giving a speech at how her new program against crime in Gotham is making strides. Of course, she doesn’t bother to tell anyone she has a guy she has tortured locked away in her hotel room (and who is this guy?). Or that she may or may not have murdered her family. Later in the book, the security team shows up as a vigilante group called The Disgraced with poor Ricky, the guy from the bear trap incident, in tow. They have lop off his leg (that took care of the bear trap problem) and now are dropping him off a roof. Batgirl saves him and then ends up cornered by The Disgraced.

Gail Simone turns in a nice and harmless issue while Alitha Martinez does a good job of aping Ardian Syaf‘ artwork. There was nothing here that made me jump up and down but I would like to know who the mysterious guy in the cage is. Other than that: nothing more to say until next month when the answers to these mysteries will, hopefully, be revealed.

BATMAN #10: Batman arrives at the Powers Hotel and has a meeting with Maria Powers where he presents her with her Owl mask. She claims her husband is out of the country, but Batman isn’t buying that. He ends up going to Harbor House searching for the Owls and finds them. Unfortunately they have all taken the easy way out and poisoned themselves. Or have they. In actuality, it is the non-existing Lincoln March who is responsible for it. Furthermore, we learn that Lincoln March is actually Thomas Wayne, Jr.-Bruce Wayne’s brother. That leads to a challenge, brother against brother and Owl against Bat. In the backup story, The Fall of the House of Wayne tale continues and we learn of the accident that (we assume) caused Martha Wayne to allegedly miscarry her second child. The accident takes place at the corner of Lincoln and March. 

BRUCE WAYNE HAS A BROTHER?! Holy Sugar Honey Iced Tea, Batman! That’s a plot point that never got dropped into all those years of Batman lore. Scott Snyder has pulled out all the stops on this one by dropping the bombshells of bombshells. And it turns out that the supposedly deceased Mayoral candidate is a made-up personage who is actually the younger brother of Bruce Wayne. Greg Capullo’s tight pencils further enhance the creepiness of the tale. My favorite scene is Bruce sitting in Wayne Manor and fondling the shell casings from his parents’ murder. That is just such a simple couple of panels that tells the story far louder than the actual dialogue could. The back-up story, by Snyder, James Tynion IV and Rafael Albuquerque adds further texture to the main tale and now makes that much more sense with the reveal in the main tale. My favorite issue of the month, hands down.

BATMAN ANNUAL #1: It’s a NIGHT OF THE OWLS tie-in and we get the NEW 52 origin of Mr. Freeze. It seems that his love Nora has been cryogenically put on ice and six years ago Bruce Wayne shut down research as Victor Fries. Fries chucks a chair at Wayne and it ruptures a cryo container and Fries it covered by it. But, instead of freezing him, it altered his body chemistry. Come to today and we see Freeze break out of Arkham to go and take revenge on Bruce Wayne. We also learn that Nora is actually NOT Freeze’ wife but a woman who died in 1968 and was the first person to be successfully be frozen. Fries wrote his doctoral thesis about her but she is not the wife we have always thought she was(well…not in this universe). Batman wins the day when all is said and done. But we also learn that Victor killed his mother as a young child.

Great, great story from Scott Snyder as he manages to retool and reinvent Mr. Freeze for a whole new generation. And it takes it into a whole new direction and I love it! I grew up with the whole “I need to find a cure for my wife” and Snyder has blown that away with a twist. Snyder truly gets the concept for continuity and does a wonderful job of working with it and also doctoring it to his needs. And I am VERY OKAY with that. Throw awesome looking art from James Tynion IV and Jason Fabok and you have a book which serves as a cornerstone to the future of the Batman Universe.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #10: Terminus gathers a group of disfigured villains all with an axe to grind against Batman: the hero responsible for all their pain and suffering. Meanwhile, a Wayne family portrait erupts into a war of insults between the various incarnations of Robin. Before the issue is through, Damien throws down a personal challenge to prove he is the Best Robin there ever was. And Jason Todd shows up in the middle of it, there’s a battle and Terminus has his own private rocket which is going to get launched VERY SOON!

Okay…further proof the Damien is totally mad as a hatter. We all knew that Jason Todd had some issues but this kid is crazy! He’s going to prove he’s the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be(sorry…had to steal that!). Really? Not just content with killing the bad guys out there so you have to take on Batman’s former wards and partners. Yeah-he is a cut from his grandfather’s cloth! Another great reading and looking issue from Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason.

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #10: The Scarecrow makes his debut in the NEW 52 Universe and he is far sicker than we remember. First off, his lips are truly sewn together. And he’s involved with kidnapping children…young children. He eventually captures Commissioner Gordon and exposes him to his own private hell. And, if that wasn’t enough, Bruce runs out on yet ANOTHER attractive woman!

Gregg Hurwitz takes over the reigns as writer on this series starting with this issue. Who is Gregg Hurwitz. His own website says he “is the international best-selling author of 12 thrillers”. He has also written PUNISHER MAX, and PENGUIN :PAIN AND PREJUDICE. David Finch continues on as artist. I must say that Hurwitz’ writing is certainly moodier than Finch’. There is one entire page with Batman and a kidnap victim that features eight words in six beautifully illustrated panels and all the emotion you can imagine flows out of them. great stuff. I look forward to more from this “dynamic duo”.

BATWOMAN #10: To Drown the World continues with it’s intersecting stories. We pick up where we left off with Sune and Batwoman exchanging a kiss. Maggie is traumatized as the children are found dead. Jake has another bedside confession with Bette where we learn he loved his deceased daughter more than is living one. Batwoman swoops by long enough o look in on her comatose cousin. Maro is responsible for transforming Killer Croc and making him “Medusa’s most terrifying warrior” Chase and her team try to take down Croc with less than satisfactory results. And Sune decides to run Fachion through, releasing the beast within her. She evolves into Maro Ito: Fachion’s successor. Nope…I can’t say that I saw that twist coming.

Another disjointed issue with jumps all over. This will probably make a lot more sense when the storyline ends. W. Haden Blackman co-writes this month and another new face to this title, Trevor McCarthy handles the art. I can see this tale is starting to barrel towards a climax and it will be interesting to see who is standing when it’s all over. For now: it’s entertaining reading.

BIRDS OF PREY #10: Despite getting shot out of the sky en route, the Birds manage to get Poison Ivy placed in the jungles of the Amazon in an effort to get her revived from a frozen state. Now they need to light up what’s left of the cargo on the helicopter which just happens to be liquid cocaine. Didn’t I mention that they were en route flying with a drug smuggler. As missile rain down upon them and weird plant creatures attack them, they fight their way to some sort of sanctuary Ivy is now awake and she is going to tell them all about the plant creatures…just not until next issue.

Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman do an fantastic job this issue as they find themselves back on track from a storyline as opposed to having to deal with the whole NIGHT OF THE OWLS bit. The action starts from page one and rolls throughout the issue like it was taken from a crazy Indiana Jones script. And let’s not forget that we still don’t know who Choke really was and the whole reveal about Dinah murdering her husband has also yet to resolved.

CATWOMAN #10: Catwoman and Spark are trying to keep the local working grils from being kidnapped by the hooded person in the van (see CATWOMAN #8). Unfortunately the baddie gets away and we learn that Catwoman is so interested and fervent about it because she was once abducted and no one helped. Our bad guy, based on the cover blurp, has a name now and that it Dollhouse. Dollhouse cleans addicts of their addiction and then kills them, harvesting and selling their organs and turning the corpses into mannequins in his own dollhouse(thus the name, I guess!). Catwoman drops in on Detective Alvarez. But who are those shadowy figures in business suits who apparently have some kind of a deal going on with Spark who proclaims: “I’ve got her close”.

Now that the NIGHT OF THE OWLS is over (at least in here), it’s back to our regular story and it’s a beauty from Judd Winick and Guillem March. There is action a plenty throughout, just enough MAJOR plot developments to satisfy the person who actually READS  COMICS and a nice little hook at the end to keep you coming back next issue. Nicely done all the way around. And just HOW CREEPY is Dollhouse???

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #10: We get a flashback piece to how Jonathan Savage was arrested for being the Cherry Blossom Killer. But then we move forward to the present where the FBI is actually letting father and daughter hunt this new killer who is looking to slice and dice one of his victims even as they are released from the transport. Savage is old school and relies on a sextant to track his man. His daughter leads the FBI while Savage is put back on the helicopter. Things go bad quickly and Savage escapes from the transport, falling from the sky and picking his way out of the restraints that he is in. Vandal Savage is free and the crazy killer? Well, he’s captured Savage’s daughter. This is going to be a fight that is going to be concluded next issue.

James Robinson and Bernard Chang continue to refine and redefine the legendary Vandal Savage for the present NEW 52 Universe. However the book still feels like SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and I keep waiting for him to spout some line about Chianti. But, other than that, it’s got a nice pace to it and does more to set the stage for Agent Sage to become more active in the NEW DCU.

DEATHSTROKE #10: Lobo cleans out a diner of most of their food, takes a motorcycle, and rides off. Meanwhile, Deathstroke and the team battle Karlak of the Khund Empire, resulting in a book length battle scene. And Lobo, he has found his spaceship and he’s ready for action.

The best part of this issue? Well, the last panel with Lobo standing in front of his ship and saying: “Hello gorgeous!” was classic. The rest of it: a complete waste of  three bucks and about 10 minutes of my life, because that’s all it took. THIS is what I expected DEATHSTROKE would be with Rob Liefeld at the helm. It looks awful, reads even worse and is just an excuse for Rob to pat himself on the back and show off. There is nothing here worth praising except for that last panel. Deathstroke has gone from a warrior with a sould to a new version of Bloodstrike. Thanks for running a great book, Rob!

DEMON KNIGHTS #10: When last we saw our crew, they were being menaced by a sea serpent. The serpent is actually being captain by pirates who decide the attack the ship and plunder it for all they can get. Vandal Savage simply knocks the serpent out with one massive punch. The pirates are taken prisoner and dropped off on shore where they claim the bounty on them. Apparently sea beasts have been ruining the town trade and the knights take it upon themselves to investigate. They also make their way to what once was Camelot and find a skeletal King Arthur marauding across the countryside. And his touch causes Etrigan to evolve and change.

Once again, I find this title letting me down. As I said last time,  I absolutely love the characters and the whole idea of setting it in ancient times. But this team is just not coming together like I had hoped Vandal Savage, the IMMORTAL VANDAL SAVAGE, is so strong he can knock out a sea serpent with one punch? Wow! That’s like SUPERMAN strong! C’mon! And, after having Stormwatch show up a few issues back, that whole storyline is dropped cold. While Paul Cornell’s dialogue is awesome, the pace of this book is becoming annoying plodding. Move it along, folks: life is short!

DETECTIVE COMICS #10: The tale begins with an army of Batmen shooting up an armored car and ripping off the contents. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is spending some quality hospital time with Charlotte, who was severely injured two issues back and learns she’s going to Paris. Well…another Wayne girlfriend who gets away!> Next thing we know, there is gunfire in the streets as Gordon and his men are in combat with the Batmen. The real deal shows up and gets into combat with them in the sewwers of Gotham and discovers they have trip wire and are exploding! And the bad guy of the hour who is causing trouble for our Dark Knight? Mr. Toxic. WHO?! In the back-up, the true Two Face comes back with a vengeance.

Another nice issue by Tony Daniel and Ed Benes that introduces another new member to the Batman Rogues Gallery. Mr. Toxic? I can’t wait to see where this all ends up. The back-up story still does nothing for me although I realize that this is simply establishing Two-Face into the continuity of the NEW 52.

DIAL H #2: Nelson Jent continues to experiment with his new found powers turning into such diverse characters as Human Virus, Double Bluff and Hole Punch. He also gets to spent some time visiting Darren, who is still laid up in a hospital following the beating he took last issue. Nelson decides to investigate the beating and, as a character known as Control-Alt-Delete, he has a run-in with a mysterious hooded woman. Somehow, she manages to cause his system to reboot. Elsewhere, Ex Nihilo (or X.N. for short…I guess!) has issues of his own with The Squid that makes him suffer. Then Squid shows up at the hospital and kills Darren, leading Nelson to turn into the Iron Snail and battle. Soon there’s a call to a nurse and she apparently is involved too. Nelson eventually hooks up with the hooded woman who claims both of them are being hunted.

This remains one of the stranger books in the NEW 52 Universe. And all of that is due to the writing prowess of China Mieville  and the art of Mateus Santolouco. And having Brian Bolland do your covers can’t hurt either. What you need to understand is that the previous incarnations of Dial  H were totally superhero vehicles where this is a place that is so unnatural and grotesque that it only drifts into the normalcy of costumed strangeness when it has to. The rest of the time, it is this uncanny, creepy tale about an unhealthy guy and powers.

EARTH 2 #2: When we last saw Jay Garrick, he was sitting in a ditch with the god Mercury standing over him. Well, Mercury explains he is dying and proceeds to transfer his powers to Jay. No sooner does this happen then the police helicopters show  up and Jay, in his new costume(and man-is it lame looking!) takes off, ending up in Michigan where he battle Apokorats before hitting the road again. This time he ends up in Poland where he meets Hawkgirl. Meanwhile, Alan Scott is in Hong Kong where he meets up with his boyfriend. The pair take a bullet train through china and Alan proposes to Sam. Just then, the bullet train explodes. Oh yeah…almost forgot. Mr. Terrific arrives in Manhattan and is promptly taken out by Earth 2’s Terry Sloan, who longtime readers know was the original champion of FAIR PLAY. What’s up with that?

This is one of those books that raised the ire of the One Million Moms arm of the AFA and it’s all because Alan Scott is gay, kisses his boyfriend and is poised, as comic fans know, to become the Green Lantern of Earth 2. That not withstanding, this is a pretty decent story. I love James Robinson’s work and if anyone has a familiarity with Earth 2 characters it is him and whatever he wants to do is cool by me. However, that being said, I HATE the Flash costume. Old school Jay Garrick was Mercury in costume. The new Jay Garrick is wearing this ridiculous looking helmet that harkens back to Mento’s old headgear (there’s a reference for ya!). I can’t wait to see what Alan Scott looks like…or maybe I can. Besides that, the story rocks and the art from Nicola Scott is great.

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #10: While relaxing in the S.H.A.D.E. library, Frankenstein gets attacked by Scare-Ed agents, which are scarabs with sharp knife swords and such. It appears there may be a traitor at S.H.A.D.E. So Frankenstein and the rest of the team, minus Khalis, head off to find one of their agents in the Fourth Cloud in the city of Untropolis. After a long chase, Frankenstein confronts Crowley, spouts some old school poetry and finds himself being dropped into the sea. Is Crowley the traitor and will our titles character live long enough to find out?

Editorial folks: WAKE UP!! Your cover says Jeff Lemire wrote this when, as DC as hyped all month in their other titles, Matt Kindt is now writing the book. Harvey nominated Matt Kindt. And all of a sudden, Frankenstein has taken to spouting poetry and having flashbacks to another time…looks like a time when he might have been slaying Victor Frankenstein’s wife. Anyway, it’s a madcap chase through the city of Untropolis leading to a possible watery grave. Alberto Ponticelli is still here as the main artist and it looks great. I must admit I will miss Lemire but can’t wait to see what Matt has in store

GREEN LANTERN #10: The Indigo Tribe has lost their power and now they want to kill Hall and Sinestro. Hal gets Sinestro out of the situation and they run into Natromo. They pair beg him to repair the broken power battery but he can’t. But apparently Iroque, who was responsible for the death of Abin Sur’s daughter, can and does. The Indigos come back on line and one last ring searches for William Hand: the Black Lantern. He falls off a cliff while fleeing the ring and dies again. Now the ring for the Indigo Lantern Sector 2814 must search anew. But the Black Lantern ring? Well, it has found it’s host in the newly deceased William Hand.

Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke hit it out of the park again. While the first half of the issue was sort of slow moving, the back end blew it away. The Indigo Lantern Battery gets recreated and causes William Hand to once again become the Black lantern? Never saw that coming! If you read only one Green Lantern inspired book, this is the one. And, if you can only read ONE Geoff Johns written book, make it either this one or AQUAMAN.

I, VAMPIRE #10: Bennett and Mary fight for control of the vampire horde while The Van Helsings commence their attack. Dropping planeloads of napalm on the vampires, the amulet wearing fighters parachute down and begin attacking with their stake loaded pistols. And the reason for the amulets? It make them zombies who rise from the dead. Just what we need: vampires versus zombies.

Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino continue to reinvent the vampire genre with this title. The whole idea that the Van Helsings is this full blown organization that hunts vampires and exacts justice with bombers, napalm and pistols that fire sharpened stakes is a total twist on what we thought vampire hunters to be. And, to top it off, they are suicidal followers of Van Helsing? This AIN’T BUFFY kids! 

JUSTICE LEAGUE #10: We go back in time three years as we see a gravely ill David Graves, who wrote the GODS AMONG MEN book, as he makes his way to Mount Sumeruu. There he meets the Asuras who tell him he must help himself. Flash forward to now and we see Steve Trevor as he attempts to free himself from Graves’ clutches. The Justice League discovers that Graves has been torturing the League’s enemies and a debate ensues before Graves arrives and takes on our heroes. his weapon? He floods our heroes with their most painful memories even as he has to relive his. In the SHAZAM back-up, The Vasquez’ have concerns about their newest child. He sneaks out at night to talk to Mr. tawny the tiger and Freddie follows him. They reach a common understanding regarding the Bryer brothers and plot revenge. Meanwhile, Dr. Sivana  speaks the magic word and frees Black Adam, who is looking for the wizard.

While this book will never reach the epic writing heights of some of DC’s other titles, it does continue to improve. I find it no longer being aimed at a Seventh Gradde level and there is actually some fairly interesting substance in the plots and subplots. Jim Lee’s art looks a bit shabby this issue. The fact that he has three inkers and four colorists working on this may have a lot to do about that. I have to admit that I am totally loving the SHAZAM back-up story, even though it throws tradition and continuity so far out the window it is a completely different character. We have always though of Billy Batson as being the perfect, down trodden orphan. This Billy Batson would lie long and hard to attain his goals. But I really love the characterization of Dr. Sivana, especially since he has uttered the magic word. That is such a cool twist!

In 2008, writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Chris Weston introduced a twelve issue series entitled THE TWELVE. It starred The Blue Blade, The Black Widow (not THAT Black Widow), Electro (not THAT Electro), The Fiery Mask, Dynamic Man, Captain Wonder, The Laughing Mask, Mister E (not THAT one…he was a Vertigo character), Master Mind Excello, The Phantom Reporter, The Witness and Rockman. Basically, they are a dozen very obscure superhuman characters from Marvel’s origin days when they were called Timely Comics.

So, the book is four years old. Why are we talking about it now? In early 2009, Marvel pulled the plug after issue #8. They didn’t cancel the series, they just put it on hold because Straczynski, known to comic fans at the time because of his work on BABYLON 5, CRUSADE and JEREMIAH (and his work on MIDNIGHT NATION and AMAZING SPIDER MAN, specifically the controversial “One More Day” storyline), had become a hot movie property after writing Clint Eastwood’s CHANGELING film. Weston was becoming known as a storyboard artist. Therefore, neither creator had time for comics. They finally completed their work on the book at the end of 2011 and the final four issues ultimately appeared in earlier 2012. In actuality, there are 15 issues in the series, as there was a #0 issue and a #1/2 issue which reprinted eight exploits from Timely’s Golden Age, along with SPEARHEAD #1: a 36 page W.W.II exploit written and illustrated by Weston.

We begin the first issue at the end of World War II. During the Battle of Berlin, the dozen superheroes are ambushed by the Nazis and placed into cryogenic suspension. But the building gets bombed and the Nazis who knew of the heroes are all killed. The heroes remain frozen until a bulldozer reveals their crypt in 2008 and the heroes are freed from their icy prison. The U.S. Government, calling them The Twelve, takes care of the heroes, housing them in a mansion (think BIG BROTHER without the cameras and carnal activities!) where they receive counseling and support. The government offers them all roles as heroes in this century.

The Blue Blade becomes a celebrity while Dynamic Man goes to work for the FBI. THE DAILY BUGLE hires the Phantom Reporter where he gets to write a column about his experiences. Rockman has the most difficult time adjusting as he misses the underground kingdom he claims to come from. The daughter of the man who created Electro the robot shows up with paperwork that allows her to reclaim her father’s robot

In the midst of all of this, the Laughing Mask is arrested for a murder that occurred in 1940. And, if that wasn’t enough, a murder mystery is set loose as we see the Phantom Reporter, gun in hand, stands over the dead body of the Blue Blade. Over the course of the series, we get to see each of the character in the spotlight and see their past, previously unknown origins, along with their present day exploit.

Although reviews and this blog specifically tends to rely on spoilers, but I won’t given any here. This series is just too good to ruin it. You need to read this series. All I will say is that it comes to a satisfying conclusion. You will laugh at parts of it and you will certainly cry at least once before it is all over. Chris Weston’s artwork is tremendous. And what of Straczynski’s writing? Whether you love his work or hate it, you have to respect it. And this is possibly his finest hour. His love for these long forgotten characters is truly mesmerizing and the road he takes us on is tremendous.

So that is it: go buy this book The first six issues are available in a trade paperback. And the rest? Do some looking. This is truly a series that shows just how good comics can be.

EARTH 2 from DC's NEW 52

Well, comic fans had heard the rumors and now we have the existence of another Earth in the NEW 52 Universe in our hands. The book is called EARTH 2 and it is the NEW 52 version of those heroes that are associated with the Justice Society of America. Of course, this is the NEW 52 and you know that things are going to be radically different this time around.

The story begins five years ago as the Earth is in the midst of a war against Apokolips. With all hope apparently lost, the Trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman concoct a plan straight out of INDEPENDENCE DAY. The plan is for Batman to plant a virus in one of several beacon towers that supply information and energy to the Parademons of Apokolips. The idea is that the virus will spread from one tower to the next, effectively shutting down the enemy. So one final assault above Metropolis is made upon the towers. Along with these three are Batman’s daughter Helena (this world’s Robin) and Superman’s cousin Kara(this world’s Supergirl). Over in New Guinea, the army is waiting with a nuke mounted on a tank. The Sergeant running the crew is a diminutive man named Pratt…Al Pratt. Clever readers know that the original Atom was Al Pratt.

The god Mercury arrives and tells Diana that the gods are all dead or dying. No sooner does he depart than Steppenwolf arrives and skewers Wonder Woman. Parademons attacks Superman and he explodes over the skies of Metropolis. Batman gets inside the beacon and set off the device, which kills him in the process, much to the dismay of his daughter. Kara arrives and the two women enter this glowing light they assume is a Boom Tube. The Tube transports them into WORLD’S FINEST #1.

We flash to the present and Alan Scott, owner and CEO of G.B.C. is working on a documentary on the events of five years ago. In Lansing, Michigan, Jay Garrick’s girlfriend Joan is leaving town and leaving him behind. And apparently it’s not a good breakup. She says she is destined for bigger things and he is not. So Jay, just 21, ends up on a hillside drinking beer and pondering the fact that he has no future when a flash of light followed by a crash landing. Jay investigate and there is the god Mercury sitting in a crater and telling the young man the Earth needs a hero.

Thus ends issue #1 of EARTH 2, the book that proves the multiverse DOES exist in the NEW 52. James Robinson does a wonderful job of giving us alternate versions of our classic heroes. Batman, much like his Earth 1(Earth Prime…what the heck do we call the current Earth?) counterpart, wears this weird looking battlesuit while Wonder Woman has a helmet but sports the old school skirt. And Superman? He doesn’t have his tights on the outside but it is much closer to the classic image than the Kryptonian battlesuit version does. The introductions of Jay Garrick, Alan Scott and Al Pratt, along with Helena Wayne and Kara/Supergirl (as opposed to Power Girl Kara) were very cool! But what should be interesting in the months to come is where these characters end up. We already have learned that Alan Scott will be revealed to be gay which means his son Obsidian doesn’t exist in Earth 2(well…he could but…). And Jay Garrick’s wife was Joan. Now, unless there is another Joan introduced or this one comes to her senses and returns to him, then his history and future alter radically from pre-NEW 52 continuity.

From an art stance, we get the dynamic duo or Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott handling the duties. Their combined work is very reminiscent of George Perez in his prime. Line work is tight, proportions are…well, PROPORTIONED. It’s an exciting looking comic and there is a lot of action in it. In the months to come, I can only assume we’ll see more of the once and future Justice Society and the supporting players who make up what is the first DC Universe. Well done to all: this book is one of my new favorite DC titles.

DC's NEW 52: THE RAVAGERS #1

Crawling out of the wreckage that was THE CULLING comes THE RAVAGERS, DC’s newest superhero team book. Written by veteran creator Howard Mackie (GHOST RIDER, WEB OF SPIDER MAN) and illustrated by Ian Churchill (CABLE, COVEN), it represents a cross between GEN13, meets TITANS WEST, and meets the LEGION OF SUPERHEROES. And it manages to fall pretty much on its well-hyped backside.

The issue begins with former N.O.W.H.E.R.E. scientist Caitlin Fairchild leading a group of survivors that were subjected to torturous genetic experiments out of the facility. Fresh from their battle with Harvest which was the basis of THE CULLING crossovers, your primary characters here are: Fairchild, Beast Boy, Terra, Ridge, Thunder and Lightning (who are identified as each other on the front cover of the book-that’s not good: a MAJOR mistake like that on the cover of your first issue!). So they have broken free and find themselves stranded on the Alaskan tundra. Mere moments after they get out, two groups head off on their own, including the pair or Terra and Beast Boy who, in the NEW 52, is now red (animals gain their power from The Red while plants receive their power from The Green in the NEW 52). Fairchild insults Ridge, who was a tormentor for N.O.W.H.E.R.E. who agrees to follow her lead…to a point.

A N.O.W.H.E.R.E. security detail arrives and offers to surrender but Thunder and Lightning decide they were tortured for too long and take matters into their own hands and deliver their own form of revenge. Meanwhile, two of the escapees find themselves being pursued by Warblade and Rose Wilson and also find themselves dispatched in short order. Fairchild proves to be an inept leader and very inept at breaking up fights among teammates. So, when Warblade and Rose Wilson arrive on the scene, it becomes wholesale carnage, as they quickly wipe out several of the escapees in grisly fashion. A weapon goes astray and it looks like the whole team is headed for a cold drink in melting snow.

Man, this book is a MAJOR, MAJOR MESS! Let’s start with the fact that we have two characters misidentified on the cover. Add in a typo…Pat McCallum and Eddie Berganza…TWO EDITORS and you let this happen? REALLY!!!? Let’s look at the fact that these characters are whiny in a 1990’s whiny sort of way. Can we please have Rose and Warblade finish the job and be done with it! How awful can this book be when you want all the characters dead in the first issue?

Howard Mackie has written a book that is twenty years out of time. This book makes me actually YEARN for HEROES REBORN and I still feel the scars that series of retooled books left on me. This book is all about the worst things that Nineties comics brought us: ZERO HOUR, GEN 13, MAXIMUM CARNAGE, PROPHET, Valiant Comics and let’s not forget what the DEATH OF SUPERMAN did to the comics market in general! Even Ian Churchill's artwork is boring. Hey wait: there’s Fairchild and Terra with their boobs popping out on the cover. Really!!? Yeah…this is SO NINETIES!!! Big muscles, big boobs and wait…where are the big guns?

DC axed six comic titles to bring out six new titles. One of those titles was O.M.A.C., which was a Seventies title reborn. I so want that book back, despite all its critics, in place of this nightmare. I have already bought issue #2, which I have yet to read. My hope is that this is first issue jitters and issue #2 will be better. Actually, that’s not so tough to do, as this is so bad. Lame dialogue, less than inspired art and a bunch of heroes who are so annoying. Give me GEN13 back because at least you know how much cheese you were getting with that title.

BTW: Pandora is hiding in the background watching the team. She appears on page four.

DC's NEW 52: the 9th issues, part 2

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #9: Welcome to the Amazon Jungle where Felix Faust and his followers are battling the NEW Justice League Dark: Zatanna, Deadman, John Constantine, Andrew Bennet and…the Black Orchid who has been put on this team by Steve Trevor. Before the battle is done, the new team ends up finding an artifact that is in fact a map…a map to the legendary Books of Magic.

So Peter Milligan gives way to Jeff Lemire who is already turning heads on such titles as SWEET TOOTH, and FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. and ANIMAL MAN. And he hits a Home Run with this one on a number of aspects. First, he introduces Black Orchid, in her original costume, to the world of the NEW 52. And rumor has it she may be someone who is going to change the DCU as we now know it. Second, he introduces us to a radically different Felix Faust who appear to be far more dangerous than his predecessor. Mikel Janín is handling the art chores again and that’s very cool by me. Love the book and would call it my favorite Justice League title but I don’t thinkof it that way. This isn’t a superhero book as much as it is a book with superheroes in it. Great book!

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #9: Justice League International battles O.M.A.C., who eventually gets to explain that he’s not a bad guy, just confused. Meanwhile, the bad guys from the previous issue continue to plot on how to make the JLI’s life miserable. And a whole bunch of Firestorms show up as part of a cross-over.

Another winner from Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti proving why this is possibly the coolest Justice League title.And the adding of the One Man Army Corps to the equation just makes me smile widely! It’s sad that DC has just announced this title will end as of issue #12. Hope they can wrap things up by then(maybe O.M.A.C. SHOULDN’T be in a book as this is the second title shot out from under him.

NIGHTWING #9: We continue with the battle between William Cobb and Dick Grayson. We also get the origin of William Cobb and learn that since the Owls were considered to be the grays of Gotham City that Cobb’s son, raised by Haly and the circus in secret, is the “Gray Son of Gotham”(get it?!). Nightwing defeats Talon by opening up cable lines filled with liquid nitrogen. So Talon is once again on ice.

Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows do a wonderful job in this chapter of  NIGHT OF THE OWLS. The origin of the Grayson line was totally unexpected and truly satisfying. By adding more back-story to William Cobb, the architects of this story continue to construct a history to Gotham City and its’ inhabitants that never existed in the “old” DC Universe. It has all become about politics, deals, and the idea that Haly’s Circus was the breeding ground for Talons is great. As always, I cannot wait to see what the next issue brings.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #9: Victor Fries has decided to add his stamp to the NIGHT OF THE OWLS and it becomes a major issue as Red Hood and his team get involved with Mr. Freeze AND the Talon who has come after him. It all ends up with Roy and Kori taking down Fries while Jason has a heart to heart with Talon Xiao Loong, who begs to be killed. Does he? We do not know. We do know that there is a minor crossover with the current issue of BATGIRL.

Another nice issue within the NIGHT OF THE OWLS story. What I have discovered as I have meandered through most of these tales is that, deep down, that Talons are broken individuals who have been used by the Court of the Owls and I find myself pitying them. Quality writing from Scott Lobdell and killer art by Kenneth Rocafort’s quirky art is just the right fit. I really like this book a whole lot.

RED LANTERN #9: Bleez continues to do all she can to take over the Red lanterns while most of the Lanterns turn their attention to Rankorr, who is getting blamed for destroying the power battery. But before that can be settled, Bleez arrives and a battle for control begins. Eventually, cooler heads prevail and the decision is made that Ysmault is poisoned and they must leave.

For me, this was a so-so issue. Peter Milligan still manages to crank out a good story but the whole drama regarding the new Lantern, Bleez taking control and Atrocitus acting like Hamlet is just getting under my skin. The fill-in art from Tomas Giorello is okay but I feel slightly screwed that the actions on the cover are never represented in the issue. Thanks for nothing, guys!

RESURRECTION MAN #9: When last we saw Mitch Shelley, Deadshot had taken him out with a headshot, much to the dismay of the Body Doubles. Before either of the two groups get to lay claim to his dead body, his resurrection powers kick in and Mitch is off and running again. He gets on the telephone with Amanda Waller and finds that Kim Rebecki is there and she “may” have sold him out. Waller ends up on the telephone with the Doubles boss, Director Hooker. Soon Deadshot arrives at the Task Force X center and it becomes a battle with his companions in the Suicide Squad. Rebecki talks Mitch to drop his metal form and Waller caps him. She releases Mitch and Kim, but not before taking his hand…literally! Looks like Waller may try to grown her own. And Rebecki? She has a nano implant now!

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning rock my world yet again. You get Mitch dying TWICE in the issue, a full on battle between Deadshot and the Suicide Squad, a whole bunch of double cross maneuvers and more action than you can shake a stick at. Fill-in art from Andres Guinaldo does not detract in the least. The book is bananas and bananas is good! Unfortunately, the title goes away with issue #12.

STORMWATCH #9: Red Lantern Skallox arrives on Earth, which leads Apollo and Midnighter into combat with him. Defeating him, he ends up a prisoner on Stormwatch’ ship. They have also managed to defeat the Vitruvian Man and taken him prisoner. Unfortunately, he gets worked up, delivers a message to this incarnation of Stormwatch, gets loose and Midnighter snaps his neck. Can you say anger issues?

Peter Milligan jumps on board and promptly introduces his red Lanterns into the tale. I find myself VERY excited to have Milligan here but couldn’t you wait an issue or two before doing the crossover thing? And we are really trying WAY too hard to embrace the fact the Midnighter and Apollo are becoming a couple. They were gay in the previous incarnation but that was before we were the NEW 52 and gender issues were representative of the DCU and their readership. I have no issue with it, but the whole “honey” and “sweetie” bantering between them is just a bit over the top. Despite all of this, there is some great art from Miguel Sepulveda.

SUICIDE SQUAD #9: The book runs parallel to the events in RESURRECTION MAN. It tells how Mitch was captured, escaped, was recaptured and capped by Deadshot. We also see that Light is taken out by Deadshot and now joins her deceased sister. And while all this is going on, Harley sees a psychiatrist. Oh yeah…and King Shark vomits up Yo-Yo!

Adam Glass and Federico Dallocchio absolutely are turning out the wildest book in the NEW 52. This title just breaks all the rule and goes into places the old SUICIDE SQUAD books never dared. Just about everyone is expendable and you never know who is going to be wasted. Rock on, guys! I love this book!

SUPERBOY #9: Welcome to Part 2 of The Culling crossover. Superboy, The Teen Titans and the Legion Lost come together in Harvest’s version of a Russell Crowe movie. In the middle of all of this, Timber Wolf recognizes Kid Flash (Bart Allen) from the 31st Century. Unfortunately, even Bart cannot remember what he has done to be so hated. And even Hunter Bryce, the whack-job from issue’s #3 and #4 shows up but does not last long as Warblade takes him to an early grave. Oh well. And the book ends with harvest arriving.

Tom DeFalco, Scott Lobdell and artist RB Silva turn in a lackluster story with some interestly cute bits of dialogue (Dawnstar called Feathergirl…REALLY!?). But not much else. We wipe out some third rate metahumans and further along what will become THE RAVAGERS book. I do not read LEGION LOST so I just have to guess what happens. I guess it will all be settled in TEEN TITANS #9(see review elsewhere).

SUPERGIRL #9: We get the origin of the Black Banshee even as the Silver Banshee battles him. Supergirl’s powers are out of control on Siobhan tries to console her. She also tries to defeat the Black Banshee, but he absorbs her powers. That cannot be good.

Michael Green and Mike Johnson’s story still does NOTHING for me. And we get another fill-in artist in the form of Mahmud Asrar, whose work is probably the best thing about the book. As I stated last month, I figure to finish the storyline and cut this loose. I just cannot buy dropping three dollars for such a wishy-washy character.

SUPERMAN#9: Superman saves a Russian sub crew from certain death only to discover that they have a mysterious secret they wish not to reveal. Meanwhile, Anguish is a new villainess and she makes the Man of Steel’s life a little complicated. Not to mention Victor Barnes has figured out Superman has a secret identity and he reveals it on worldwide television.

Overall, a nice issue from Dan Jurgens and Keith Giffen. We get another new villain in the Superman mythos and a mystery involving the Russian sub. What are they trying to hide? Maybe it’s Lori Lemaris (sorry…couldn’t resist!). What we do know, based on the cover blurb, is that he may have “doomed the world” by saving that sub. Tune in next issue!

SWAMP THING #9: The new Swamp Thing has to deal with The Rot and the fact that his girlfriend is trying to kill him. Abby fights her way out of the creature she had become because of the love of the two. Sethe, the self proclaimed God of storm and Lord of rot prepares to punish the pair when Abby unleashes her power and destroys him, much to the dismay of her bother. The lovers are reunited but not before we realize that the legendary Anton Arcane is poised to make his return.

The rebirth storyline comes to a proper conclusion thanks to the great work of Scott Snyder, Yanick Paquette (who was responsible for the first 8 pages), and Marco Rudy (who finished the book). Alec/Swamp Thing and Abby back together again is something long time fans have always wanted to see and we finally have it, complete with a panel harkening back to one of the all time classic moments in SWAMP THING history. The original DC horror comic with soul is back and should continue to add fans.

TEEN TITANS #9: Concluding THE CULLING. The Teen Titans and the Legion Lost join together to fight Harvest even while other team members and the Ravagers struggle to get injured metahuman kids out of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. before it all goes bad. When it is all done, Harvest escapes(does he REALLY come from the future) and N.O.W.H.E.RE. is destroyed. And the Titans? They end up on Mystery island. What?

Scott Lobdell wraps up THE CULLING with art assist from Ig Guara. I’m glad to see it has ended and we can get back to our regularly scheduled story. As a multi part storyline goes, it wasn’t that good. As an introduction to a new series, it also wasn’t that good. So here’s to hoping that THE RAVAGERS is better than this little jaunt was.

TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1: The Culling begins in earnest. Harvest has captured Superboy, Teen Titans and the members of the Legion Lost and forces them to fight against his Ravagers.

Tom DeFalco, and Scott Lobdell  and Brett Booth combine their talents to write a story that has superheroes fighting each other because they can. The dialogue is way too wordy and the coloring by Andrew Dalhouse is just so loud that it hurts. But we do get Warblade  showing up and that’s the highlight. Other than that, realize that this whole storyline is existing to solely introduce THE RAVAGERS series. Personally, I could do without the build-up.

WONDER WOMAN #9: War and Stryfe discuss Wonder Woman’s future as bombs fall. Lennox, Zola and company plot to find a way to get Diana out of Hell and decide to crash the wedding. Diana prepares for her wedding and has a discussion with Persephone, formerly Hades’ wife. When it is time for the wedding, there is a challenge. Diana must put her head in her lasso, which has been fashioned into a noose. It’s a form of wedding ring. As Hades says: her truth will either bind them or hang her. What choice does she have?

Brian Azzarello continues to completely shake up everything you knew about Wonder Woman and it’s all for the better! Cliff Chiang is missing from the artist’s chair this month but is replaced by Tony Akins and the legendary Dan Green and the results are completely satisfying. As always, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!