DC UNIVERSE, Month 103, Part 2

JSA #23 by Jeff Lemire and Teddy Kristiansen. In the 1950’s, the Justice Society disbanded to protect the secret identities. A decade later, Ted Grant, Rex Tyler, and Charles McNider are met by a mysterious man who convinces them to put their costumes on again for a secret mission to rescue a government operative who may have been captured in the Soviet Union. The trio land in the Soviet Union and see the captured operative: The Atom.

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #23 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and Metamorpho are on the Planet Dronna, fighting against Kanjar Ro and his team of villains and attempting to defend Mister Terrific who has been corrupted with the sudden surge of power he has absorbed. A Dominator attempts to capture terrific and he awakes, heals the others and defeats the villains, leaving only Kanjar Ro standing. Ro says he was hired by another to capture the Power Bank and Terrific uses telepathy to extract the employer from Ro’s mind before teleporting the team to their next destination. On Earth, many of the villains who were granted amnesty have gathered at the Hall of Doom, where they debate working with the League or not until Lex arrives, telling them they are probably being tracked. He is correct, as they are being observed from the Watchtower by Ray Palmer’s secret group. Batman arrives at the Hall of Doom, accusing Lex of undermining the League. As the two tussle, other League members join the fray until Shazam summons a thunderbolt and gets them to stop fighting. As Atom and his group observe, Atom still believes the villains are not being honest about wanting to be helpful and Blue Beetle is concerned about his friend’s apparent paranoia.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1 by Joshua Williamson and Hayden Sherman. A thousand years from now, as told from the diary of R.J. Brande, Brande tells how the heroes of this era, despite heroes being illegal, were inspired by Superboy. As it turns out, Brande has been murdered and his death could represent a turning point for the United Planets. Brainiac 1 is a private investigator along with his bodyguard, Matter-Eater Lad, and they are investigating the murder, with Brainiac 1 believing the Persuaders were involved and that Brande had been searching for superheroes. On the planet Winath, Garth Ranzz, despite the ban on superheroes, is using his lightning powers to apprehend a gang or car thieves, declaring himself to be Lightning Lad. Upon returning home, his sister, Ayla, questions what he has done, with Garth saying that what happened to them, being attacked by lightning beasts, gave them a gift they sure use to help people. On Braal, Rokk Krinn is a star playing Magnoball where he uses his powers to change the game and this could result in the end of his career. On Titan, Imra Ardeen is a lonely girl who hears voices from events in the past, with glimpses of the original Brainiac and conversations flooding her mind. Brainiac 1 and Matter-Eater Lad, investigating the murder, find Brande’s journal and see how he was searching to heroes when the Persuaders arrive, telling brainiac 1 that he is wanted on twelve planets and will be returned to New Colu for reeducation. In response, he tasks Tenzil with dispatching them. Brainiac 1 searches telepathically and sees the future Legionnaires, even as his brother Mekt Kim rescues his brother from bullies. This leads to brainiac 1 realizing that Mekt, the future Lightning Lord, killed Brande.  

LOBO #7 by Skottie Young, Riley Rossmo, and Jorge Corona. Lobo is hanging out and enjoying Game Night with Granny Goodness, Ambush Bug, Thak and the Space Cabbie. Lobo gets a job from a mysterious contract that sends him back to Czarnia: the homeworld he destroyed and killed everyone. Suddenly Dawg is hit by a blast of pink energy from an unknown assailant. Lobo suspects this is Mr. Kzzt’s doing but it soon becomes evident that this is personal, where the assailant utterly destroys Lobo, leaving him beaten and apparently dead. The attacker reveals himself as…Francis?

NEW TITANS #39 by Tate Brombal and Sami Basri. The New Titans head to the Amazon, where they find that Commodore Murphyand his Green Team are there to bring Green Energy to the Amazon. They encounter a giant cat made out of trees called the Yaguara before crash landing in the jungle and encountering the Esquecida Amazons. The New Titans and the Amazons make their way to Akahim, where Yara is greeted mostly warmly by her people. But a giant worm called Minhocao arrives and the team reacts until Commodore Murphy arrives and feeds the creature with a giant pink sugar treat. Emily reacts with surprise at his appearance; saying she does not know him. That is when Anahi has a vision that the Yaguara has breached the hidden city.

NIGHTWING #142 by Dan Watters and David Lapham. A BAD SEEDS tie-in. A truck filled with a large quantity of TNT is stolen from a Bluehaven construction site and is heading toward Gotham, with the driver bent on revenge because his son died during Ivy’s attack on the city. Nightwing gives chase while trying to avoid the ever growing plant problem. When the driver reaches his destination and is poised to explode it, he is suddenly stopped by a Batarang through the truck’s windshield, seemingly killing him. Who saved the day? Damian Wayne.

POISON IVY #48 by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara. A BAD SEEDS tie-in. As Ivy walks the streets of Gotham, citizens beg for help to no avail. She travels to Robinson Park and meets with The Hill, who informs her that he is leaving as Wood Elementals arrive and march into the city. She is told that the Parliament could have taken Gotham without her help and remind her that she is only human after all and must pay for killing Bog Venus. She tries to attack them but ends up having to flee back into the city. She is struck in the ankle by an arrow from The Huntress who leaves Ivy to have to deal with the Wood Elementals, even as she begins to choke on her own toxins. In the end, she knows she must reconcile with Harley.

SUPERGIRL #17 by Sophie Campbell, Bruno Frenda, and Joe Quinones. KINGDOM OF ZOD PART 5. Supergirl, Superboy, and Ursa travel to Krypton’s past; about a year before its’ destruction. Ursa is determined to prevent the impending disaster, while Kara knows that this would radically alter the timeline. Superboy, himself displaced from his time period into the current one, is ordered to not get involved in any of the events that could also affect the timeline. Reaching the city, Kara spies her parents and her younger self. Young Kara falls and Supergirl reacts to go help her, but is restrained by Superboy and soon find themselves being chased by Kryptonian police, which leads to her capture, along with Ursa, with them finding themselves face to face with a younger General Zod. Meanwhile, the Kryptonite infection continues to grow on Earth, potentially making it inhabitable. But there is hope as Steel makes a discovery concerning the plague, until he and his team are interrupted by Plague Zombies. Lois and Tomorrow Man, each infected continue through the tunnels while the Eradicatrix finds herself lost without Ursa or Zod. To be continued in ACTION COMICS #1102.

SUPERMAN #42 by Joshua Williamson, Eddy Barrows, and Eduardo Pansica. KINGDOM OF ZOD PART 8. The Kryptonite plague has been eliminated and all Kryptonite is now inert, except for some samples on the Watchtower. Meanwhile, in El Caldero, Martian Manhunter, Mary Marvel, Lena, Nightflame, Luna, Princess Shark, and Thundergirl escape from their cells and Superman arrives to assist the Calderans, with J’onn saying that Supergirl and Superboy are no longer on Earth. The Super Family go to the Kryptonian fortress where the body of Zod is. Superman and Prime find a captive Booster Gold, who says that Ursa stole his time bubble, which suddenly materializes in Emerald City. Superman, Booster, and Prime race there to find Zod and a fleet of warships, along with a captured Supergirl and Superboy. Trying to settle things peacefully, Superman kneels before Zod, who agrees to release the captured heroes if Superman agrees to help Zod save Krypton from destruction. Superman refuses and Zod, using the powers he has gotten from Earth’s yellow sun, decides to take Earth by force. To be concluded in SUPERMAN: KINGDOM OF ZOD SPECIAL #1.

SUPERMAN: KINGDOM OF ZOD SPECIAL #1 by Joshua Williamson, Mark Waid, Dan Slott, Paolo Villanelli, Sophie Campbell, Tamra Bonvillain, David Messina, Ivan Plascensia, Rachel Stott, and Bruno Frenda. In the past, Jon and Damian had taken Wonder Woman’s jet on a joy ride, leading to Jon being grounded by his father, who told him how he had been forced to seal Zod in the Phantom Zone. In the present, the Eradicatrix makes an entry of how the Kryptonite asteroid gave rise to El Caldero. Superman and the family take on Zod, who refuses to return to his Krypton, knowing the ultimate fate. Lena finishes work on her time bomb and Booster is able to get past Zod’s guards and get to the detonation site near the time bubble. The bomb releases temporal energy that sends Zod and his army back to Krypton. Young Clark is caught in the vortex but is captured by Ursa, who is prepared to kill him if it keeps Superman from ever interfering in Zod’s plans. Supergirl and Tomorrow Man try to reason with her but she is ultimately swayed by learning her son, Lor-Zod, is still alive, leading to her leaving and telling the Super-Family not to search for her. With the war ended, Castilho realizes that El Caldero will have serious economic repercussions, even as Lois says he must turn over the Kryptonian castle to the House of El, with Supergirl as the owner, as chosen by the sun crystal. Superman asks Jon why he has accepted a new identity, with his son saying he wants to walk his own path. Lois interviews Young Clark, who says he was inspired by Jonathan Kent. Booster, Mary Marvel, and Martian Manhunter bring Superboy to the Fortress, who does not want to leave after learning so much about his future, which leads to Martian Manhunter to erase his memory and return him to his past. Meanwehile, Supergirl has chosen Antarctica as the home for her Fortress of Solidarity, with Thundergirl and Nightflame invited to live with her. Maybe she will not have any peace as Reactron is preparing to attack her, now that he has attached a piece of Gold Kryptonite to his armor. Superboy-Prime, admitting mistakes he has made, decides to put his hero career on hold but answers one last call to give Lois and Clark some time together. At her lab, Lena tells Conner of visions she saw when the bomb detonated, including a Black Lantern ring, a future Brainiac capturing multiple Legions of Super-Heroes, the flag of Black Zero waving during a solar eclipse, and Mercy working on a mysterious project. She has Conner take her data to the Watchtower when he is met by Lex, who tells him they need to talk.

SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #17 by Dan Slott and Rachael Stott. KINGDOM OF ZOD PART 7. On the Planet Krypton, one orbital cycle before it explodes, Zof has captured Supergirl, Superboy, and Ursa. Back in El Caldero, Superman finds himself cured by Lana, who purges the lethal Kryptonite from his body. What he discovers is that he can now absorb Kryptonite and the radiation from it into his own body.  He turns into his 200 second golden form, repairing his damaged eye in the process, and proceeds to travel around the world, absorbing the radiation from every infected individual on the planet; even going to Stryker’s Island where he gives Metallo a new Kryptonite heart. Returning to El Caldero, he removes the Kryptonite that had become the country’s major resource. In the process, his gold form transforms to something very much like that from his Superman Prime era and he expels all of that radiation into space. Returning back to Earth, he uses his last few seconds to absorb all the extreme radiation that is crippling Lana, restoring her to her human form. In doing so, he burns out his golden form permanently. The Eradicatrix arrives and battles with Jon, who defeats her with shocking results. In the end, Jon tells Superman and Lois that he cannot sense any other Kryptonians. To be continued in SUPERMAN #42.

TEEN TITANS #1 by Kyle Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo. Jason Todd meets with two parents so he can investigate the disappearance of a young man named Cole. His online footprint leads him to a group of mostly meta-humans and tech-savvy teens who are calling themselves Teen Titans. Included in the group are Eugene Choi(formerly a member of the Shazam Family), Cheshire Cat(Lian Harper-daughter of Cheshire and Arsenal), and Fairplay(Jeffrey Holt-son of Mr. Terrific), along with new heroes Proxy and Wildcard. While at a video arcade, the teens encounter a group of masked robbers with the heroes defeating the robbers, although they do get assistance from Red Hood. Jason demands they stop using the Titans name and he continues searching for Cole, who the teen heroes are aware of but have had no contact with. Later, the teens show up at Jason’s lair and he tells them he will help them find Cole, provided they fix his damaged gear and he picks the team name, which is Teen Titans.

WONDER WOMAN #37 by Stephanie Williams and Daniel Sampere. Steve and Trinity arrive in the present, only to be met by an army of Amazons who do not believe this version of trinity is the same as the baby they know of. This leads to Trinity fighting and defeating the Amazons. Meanwhile, Diana, carrying both baby Trinity and baby Lyssa, descend into a deep cave, where she fights a monster that had escaped from Doom’s Doorway; eventually defeating it by choking it out with her lasso. Steve and Trinity learn of where Wonder Woman is and they descend into the cave, where the trio come face to face with each other, with Steve and Diana sharing a kiss. Diana recalls meeting the adult Trinity before in TRINITY: DAUGHTER OF WONDER WOMAN. Trinity says they have come back to warn Diana of the future where Lyssa becomes the Matriarch. But the Matriarch has slain the Amazons who met with Steve and Trinity and now she uses the Lantern ring to take baby Lyssa from Diana.

WONDER WOMAN 2026 ANNUAL: WONDER WAR-THE MATRIARCH SPECIAL #1 by Stephanie Williams, Leah Williams, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, and Belen Ortega. Lyssa has died and must cross the River of Fire to make her way back to the time where Steve and Trinity have gone back to in an effort to stop Lyssa from becoming the Matriarch. The River is populated by the people she has killed throughout her life including Green Arrow, Angle Man, Bane, Aquaman, Damian Wayne, Donna Troy, Jon Kent, Cassie, Yara Flor, and Nubia, who wants revenge for Lyssa killing Io. Her journey ends with the three Fates meeting her and offering her the Green Lantern ring, telling her that if she takes it, Lyssa belongs to them. She does and makes her way to Themyscira. Also essential are the numerous flashbacks, revealing the sisterly bond she once had with Trinity and how she eventually came to the realization that she needed to do whatever was necessary; even if it broke all the principles of the Amazons to prove she was worthy.

ZATANNA #6 by Jamal Campbell. Zatanna gives the reader a lecture  on the four Classical elements and their roots in magic. Midway through this, a Great Dragon of Despair has arrived over the Hidden City. In response, Zatanna summons a giant purple rabbit to carry the citizens of the city to safety. Zatanna fights the dragon but cannot defeat it, as it was brought forth by the negativity of the citizens, leading them to unite to save themselves.

DC UNIVERSE, Month 103, Part 1

ABSOLUTE CASSANDRA CAIN: THE SHADOW’S HAND #1 by Che Grayson and Matias Bergara. Somewhere in the Himalayas, where the League of Assassins has their base known as The Crest, Lady Shiva battles ninjas while calling out to any god and she gets Jack Grimm in the process. Cassandra’s father, David Cain, tells that story to his young daughter. In the past, sometime after this, Cassandra is in a hospital bed and, because of a battle, has lost her ability to speak. This leads Shiva to train her as she puts together a team, made up of Cassandra, Michael Sommers, Benjamin Turner, and, despite her wishes, Scandal Savage, who Cassandra saves from suicide. Eventually, Cassandra heads to Ark D where she is attacked by but teams up with Taso Yamashiro as they battle zombies. The Soultaker sword reveals how Cassandra lost her voice and she joins the team. Upon returning, Cassandra and Shiva battle each other with Shiva revealing that the League was originally destroyed because she refused to let Grimm control it. Together, Cassandra and Shiva represent the League of Shadows.

ABSOLUTE BATMAN #24 by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta. Scarecrow, having accomplished his goals, bids goodbye to Jack Grimm as he prepares to leave Gotham. After the death of Tim, Bruce retreats to the bat enclosure at Gotham Zoo. Martha finds him and explains her history with the Court of Owls and how Scarecrow turned them against each other. She gives her son a map showing Scarecrow’s probable movements so he can track him down and also an untraceable identity if that is his choice. This leads Bruce to recall how, after he had beaten Falcone’s men when he was ordered to kill Matches Malone, he had retreated to the bat enclosure and was inspired to become something criminals would fear. At the same time, Alfred’s superiors order him to leave Gotham but he defends Batman and refuses. Barbara Gordon, still devastated by the death of her father, follows Bruce into the enclosure. Bruce is not there but he has left her equipment. Batman has tracked down Scarecrow in a cornfield just outside of Gotham, where Scarecrow has filled it with fear toxin. Batman changes the game by lighting the cornfield on fire. Scarecrow fights back, claiming this is the same cornfield where he bled Bruce’s father. Batman destroys Scarecrow, stitching his mouth shut and mounting him on a cross like a real scarecrow. As he prepares to leave the cornfield, Barbara arrives, dressed in a Bat costume and carrying the gun Batman left for her. Batman reveals he knows where he is going next: Jack Grimm’s manor.

ABSOLUTE FLASH #19 by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles. Wally is bloodied and beaten by Zolomon where he sees his father telling him that he has seen below and he needs to set something free. As he gets to his feet, Zolomon attacks again. Thawne tells Zolomon he needs to not just beat Wally but kill him. Meanwhile, Linda is encountering the magic of Abra Kadabra as have the citizens of Central City. Grodd convinces her to focus and see and that allows her to push through the illusions and destroy his technology. At the same time, Zolomon’s ability starts to glitch, allowing Wally to knock him out. He may be down but he is not out and attacks again. Suddenly a bubble shaped ship and a man arrive, knocking Zolomon out again, with the man carrying Wally into his ship. Inside, he tells Wally, Linda and Grodd that his name is Ray Palmer and he is taking them to the subatomic world.

ABSOLUTE GREEN ARROW #5 by Pornsak Pichetshote and Rafael Albuquerque. Dinah and Green Arrow have been captured by Hector Hammond, who arrives late because of a cosmic event of sorts at some other facility. He removes Green Arrow’s mask, only to find his head of security, Malcolm Merlyn, underneath. Threatening them both with the combined force of Dr. Iker and Grundy, he forces Merlyn to explain. Merlyn is a false identity he created when he went undercover to find out what happened to Guillermo Garcia. Garcia’s body was given to Queen who stored it in his bunker but did not live long enough to get to the truth of what Hammond and Jubal Slade were up to. Roy shows up and shoots Grundy but fails to stop him and both Merlyn and Roy pay with their lives.Iker and Grundy face off with each other as Hammond flees. But Merlyn’s partner, a second Green Arrow, has now arrived.

ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN #18 by Al Ewing and Jahnboy Lindsay. In 1943, a mysterious woman, later revealed to be Emily Hawke(AKA Agent Zero) finds and shoots Baron Blitzkrieg, who has claimed he has connected with his rulers that he calls the Dark Circle. They apparently represent the Black Zero(AKA Darkseid), who is the solution to the Anti-Life Equation. Suddenly, the world turned white and  she ended up in the Zero-Zone. In the present, she is visited in the Zone of Madness by Simon Baz, who brings her up to speed even as they are confronted by the Manhunters. Simon tells her to look into his eyes and they transport out of the Zone of Madness and back to Earth, just outside of the D.E.O. building, where Simon again dons his mask, as they discover they dead body of Grace. Inside the building, they meet with Cameron, who produces Argent File #0 which details everything regarding the D.E.O., the Manhunters, the Green Lantern, Black Star, and everything else they have encountered lately.

ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #23 by Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra. Many years ago, on Krypton, young Kal-El encounter his first dead body; that of a Kandorian who had been executed. In the present, Kal-El continues his hunt for Brainiac, which leads him into conflict with Winslow Schott: AKA The Toyman. During their battle, where Superman is blasted by a high-tech sonic weapon, Superman retaliates in a way that completely shatters most of the bones in Schott’s body. As he has gone over the edge, Superman realizes that Brainiac is purposely trying to break Kal’s spirit. And he may have done so.

ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #24 by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman. Diana destroys the giant eye and confronts Deimos and Phobos, who remind her of her friend Barbara. She allows them to flee and goes to the Hieron, where she is determined to use a portion of the Tetracide to make an antidote to fear to combat the twin gods of fear. Deimos and Phobos make their way to the Gateway City Museum of Natural History, where Barbara has already transformed into the Cheetah. They offer to bring Wonder Woman to the museum so Cheetah could devour her.

ACTION COMICS #1102 by Mark Waid and Montos. KINGDOM OF ZOD, PART 6. Supergirl has gone to Kryptonopolis to find Ursa while Superboy searches for both of them. Being under the red sun, his powers are steadily being drained. He finds the detention center where the two women are being held and questioned by General Zod, with Ursa explaining her history with him and how Krypton will soon be destroyed; going as far to tell him that Jor-El was right, which sends him into a rage and he strikes her. Supergirl gets free and knocks Zod out, effectively saving Ursa. Ursa escapes with the El cousins in pursuit. Ursa finds Zor-El, Supergirl’s father, and tries to convince him that Joe-El was speaking the truth, but accidentally throws him off a building, resulting in him getting a cranial fracture. Supergirl captures Ursa and they go back to their ship, preparing to leave. But Ursa says that if they leave Krypton to be destroyed, those deaths will forever be on their consciences. Supergirl notes that Krypton died so Superman could live, leading Superboy to agreeing to have them return to the present. But they may not get there as Zod arrives to attempt to steal the ship. Back on Earth, Mary Marvel and J’onn hide in the sewers, only to be captured by the Krypto Knights. Steel and Lana collect Kryptonite samples in the mines, before she goes searching for Superman. She finds him, along with Conner and Prime but, when she tries to absorb the radiation from Kal-El, the amount causes her to pass out. To be continued in SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #17.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: BOOK OF EL #12 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Scott Godlewski. The House of El battles against Kry-Ux and his forcing, with Superman realizing that they can defeat them if they can get Kry-Ux out of the energy bubble he has created. Kryl-Ux pulls the final God-Aspects out of Superwoman and the twins and transforms Rao into a black hole but the Els fly through the bubble and take back the God-Aspects, with Kryl-Ux falling into the black hole and Superman following him to try and save him. Superman is now on a farm on a replica of New Phaelosia with a now normal Kry-Ux. The rest of the Els arrive and Kryl-Ux asks them to use the God-Aspects to send him back to when he thought he was all-knowing so he can do some good. A month later, Pyrrhos and Superwoman come from the future and take Red Son and Starchild with them to be bearers of truth and justice in alternate timelines.

BARBARA GORDON BREAKOUT #5 by Mariko Tamaki and Amancay Nahuelpan. Distraught over the death of her friend Sparrow, she receives word that Sparrow is actually still alive, but in grave condition. In the infirmary, the belief is that someone wanted to make Sparrow’s near death look like a suicide. Myrna goes to Sparrow’s bedside and asks who attacked her, with her barely allowing garbled words to come out. Elsewhere, Barbara meets Vanessa Woods; previously thought to have been killed. Barbara warns her and tries to tell her to be careful, with Woods telling her to leave her alone. This is when Die confronts Barbara and the two brawl, even as Barbara tells to tell her that Sparrow is not dead. Suddenly, Die slits Wood’s throat, killing her. At the same time, Sparrow dies from her injuries. Savage learns of Woods’ death but is angry that Barbara is still alive. In the end, Myrna tells Barbara that Sparrow could not describe her attacker but the sound ‘click, click, click’. This triggers a memory of hearing the same sound when she was attacked on her first night in the prison. She also has a mysterious note saying: I DID THIS FOR YOU.

BATGIRL #23 by Tate Brombal and Takeshi Miyazawa. A BATMAN: BAD SEEDS tie-in. Following recent events, Cassandra, Tenji, and Jaya enjoyed a quiet evening and a meal at Ba Bao’s restaurant when Ivy’s prehistoric plants break through the restaurant, trapping everyone inside, including the restaurants customers. One customer almost gets eaten by one of the plants but is saved, although badly injured.  Another customer, a young man, stabs Cassandra in the process of the chaos until she calms him down. A young girl becomes poisoned after smelling the plant’s flowers and now Batgirl must race across the city to get her to the hospital before it is too late.

BATMAN #13 by Matt Fraction and Matteo Scalera. A BAD SEEDS tie-in. With the city plunged into darkness due to Poison Ivy’s vicious attack, Batman makes his way into GCPD headquarters and battles a gauntlet of Savage’s TUCO’s, floor by floor, until he reaches the top, where he is forced to battle ‘Big Boy’: the largest of the TUCOs. After being thrown down the stairs, Batman recovers and eventually uses a firehouse to choke out the big man. Once upon the roof, Batman confronts Savage, who is standing next to a monstrous device containing his “Ivycide”, with Savage declaring that Batman is now under arrest.

BATMAN BAD SEEDS: GOTHAM CENTRAL #1 by Christopher Cantwell and Jacob Phillips. A BAD SEEDS tie-in, continued from BATGIRL #23. Among the chaos, Jim Gordon and his partner Espinoza respond to a strange death at the Gotham Arboretum. Even though the initial death looks to have been caused by Ivy’s killer plants, they investigate further, deducing  the person had been murdered and the body was dumped here. This leads them to Arkham Towers as the murder points to Victor Zsasz. At Arkham, they discover the guard has been murdered by Zsasz, with the words NO CROWN scrawled on his chest: a reference to neuroscientist Dr. Zeller’s Crown of Storms. Elsewhere, Anarky crashes an underground gambling operation in Chinatown, stealing their money, leading to Officer Lynne Baker being told to catch him or it is her job. Gordon, Espinoza, Baker, Anarky, along with Harvey Bullock and Zeller, all end up on a subway car, which comes to a halt because of the continuing growth of the plants. Sitting in the back of the subway car, holding a screwdriver and wearing the deceased guard’s clothes, is Victor Zsasz. Continued in BATMAN BAD SEEDS: GOTHAM CENTRAL #2.

BATMAN AND ROBIN YEAR ONE: DYNAMIC DUOS #2 by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee. Dick prepares to go undercover in this particular child gang and it takes Alfred to get him the proper look. Meanwhile, Mehitabel goes to Catwoman’s apartment, where she has been battered by a “mark”. But she leaves before she can tell Selina everything. Later, Carl Volpe is murdered in his office, leading Batman to investigate and visit The Penguin, who tells him he is not aware that Volpe was stealing from him. Dick, in disguise, ends up meeting with the gang and he gets taken to visit the Crime Master. But Catwoman is there too and gets captured. And Dick is ordered to prove his merit and put a bullet into Catwoman’s head.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #55 by Mark Waid and Adrian Gutierrez. Members of the Justice League finishing helping out Adam Strange when Superman heads back to Earth. In the Himalayas, Ra’s Al Ghul invites Poison Ivy to join his Four Harbingers of the Apocalypse, consisting of Ocean Master, Queen Bee, and Tokamak. Queen bee unleashes a horde of insects upon Gotham and Robin is affected by being stung. His system begins to shut down and it is deduced to be case where his molecular DNA is being reversed. Superman finds her and he is attacked but he manages to capture her. Just then, he receives a Code Red alert as Ocean Master is waging war on the surface world and Tokamak is attacking the Kori Nuclear Plant in South Korea.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN/WEIRD AL: WORLD’S WEIRDEST #1 by Mark Waid, Tyrone Finch, and Dan Schoening. Batman and Superman are battling Lex and The Joker when something strange happens and begins to spread across all reality. Superheroes lose their powers, magic begins to vanish, and the world loses its’ unique sense of weirdness. Mr. Mxyzptlk arrives in Metropolis, revealing that the Fifth Dimension is losing its’ magic and becoming dull, and he tells Superman and Batman they must recruit the “weirdest man on Earth” to create a vaccine to cure this plague. The heroes track down Weird Al Yankovic, who has also been affected and is working at a boring desk job. As part if his origin story, it is revealed that he was once challenged to an accordion contest against the Infernal Brxpritz Collective of Souls. He won the duel And was awarded the golden accordion. The heroes get him to retrieve the instrument, restoring his weird self, and learn the person responsible is Mr. Nobody of the Brotherhood of Dada. Al unleashes the power of the golden accordion to defeat Mr. Nobody and restore reality.

BATWOMAN #7 by Greg Rucka and Dani. A BAD SEEDS tie-in. Kate has made her way to Gotham and calls her father to check in on the status of her sister. During the call, the lights go out and communication is lost, due to Ivy’s attack; complete with one of the monster plants attacking her. She takes to the street where she observes Savage’s TUCO’s patrolling in their search of any Bat Family member. Batwoman meets with Batman, who sends her to the lower catacombs of St. Dumas Cathedral, where there is a cache, backup communications and more. She gets into the cathedral where the TUCO’s have also arrived.

BIZARRO: YEAR NONE #3 by Eric Carrasco, Kevin Smith, and Nick Pitarra. In the past, Bizarro tries to cover his white skin and realizes his attempt to act and look normal is coming to an end. In the present, Bizarro bring Jimmy with him to a fire as he wants advice on what would Superman do, even as the citizens feel the need to run back into the fire. Later, while chasing bank robbers, he neglects saving a family in a car, but is thrilled that he has recovered the bank’s money. Meanwhile, Perry has been kidnapped by this world’s Lois and Steve Lombard, who tell him that the world is dying because Bizarro has become unstable. But they have a plan and Lois tells Perry that they are going to save the planet soon and he needs to stay out of their way. Perry meets with Jimmy and Bizarro arrives; accusing them of plotting against him. He hears an explosion and heads there, where he finds Lois and company and is saddled with Kryptonite. Their machine is fired up and the plan is to send him to Jimmy and Perry’s Earth. But Bizarro recalls that he is not Superman and therefore he cannot be affected by Kryptonite and kills all of Lois’s teammates. He uses his power to etch the word No 1 onto the rock, which he now wear declaring “Me am NO ONE”.

CATWOMAN #91 by Torunn Gronbekk and Danilo Beyruth. A BAD SEEDS tie-in. Selina is with Carmine when all hell breaks loose because of Ivy’s attack. Carmine gets a call from District Attorney Hendon, looking for help finding his son, who is lost somewhere in the city. Meanwhile, Holly is caring for two friends who are suffering from effects of being exposed to the plant’s toxic venom. Selina arrives and sees the conditions and, even though Gotham General is still open, she advises Holly to care for them in her apartment instead. Selina makes her way to Icon Towers where she delivers a package to the doorman from Carmine and makes her way upstairs to one of the rich residents. He tries to attack her by shooting at her but that fails. Unfortunately, it looks like he too has been infected.

CLAYFACE: CELEBRITY DIRT #3 by Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Fran Galan. Basil is still on the hunt for the imposter who has stolen his identity and that leads him to meet with former A.R.G.U.S member and transgender bioweapons expert Dr. Victoria October, who had previously allowed him to fake his own death. She reveals that he is not even Basil Karlo but is actually Matt Hagen and he confesses that Karlo was his father’s stage name. He makes his way into Katie’s apartment and manages to track her down by her phone. En route, he encounters what appears to be Lady Clayface. Katie is being held by the fake Basil Karlo and she is forced to drink a pink solution from a bucket, with the fake Karlo telling her this was what remained of the other girls.

THE DEADMAN #4 by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo. Boston, angry that Rama Kushna has not been truthful with him, decides to go to another higher power and ascends into heaven to meet with what is known as ‘The Presence’. But he ends up waiting an ungodly amount of time. He eventually talks with an angel who brightens him up by telling him that he gives hope and sunshine to people. With that, he presents the angel with white crayons and leaves. When he arrives back on Earth, he finds himself human again and meets with the avatar of The Green.

DEATHSTROKE THE TERMINATOR #7 by Tony Fleecs, Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Dave Wachter. Several months ago, Adeline is at her son Grant’s grave to celebrate his birthday. In the past, she is enlisted by Major Wintergreen to help recover an intelligence agent, with Wintergreen noting how he has a feeling she is pregnant, even th0ough she has not told Slade yet. The mission has them fighting their way through horribly mutated fighters, leading them to the asset: Professor Ivo. He refuses leaving and is desperate to find his notes on his research. Defeating flying drones, Ivo is taken into custody. Several months ago, Adeline travels to Quroc and meets with a horribly mutated and scarred Ivo and she returns his notebook to him and, in return, he gives her a globe that he says is “power” and will make her “unbreakable”.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1113 by Tom Taylor, Dan Watters, Jeff Spokes. And Scott Hepburn. A BAD SEEDS tie-in. At the top of the GCPD building, Verity tells Batman that Savage’s poison he intends to release will not only stop the plant invasion and kill Ivy, but will kill at least 100,000 citizens. He tries to convince Savage not to do this but Savage is well aware of it but says this will ultimately save Gotham. Taking out Savage with an explosion, Batman launches himself onto one of the airships, where he manages to fly the aircraft high enough that the poison is negated. Making his way to the second craft, Officer Hall refuses to release the poison, allowing Batman to leave and go search for Mr. Freeze as a possible way to stop the plants. To be continued in BATMAN #14. In the backup, Batman meets and battles someone who once worked for The Penguin and gained telekinetic powers are shock therapy at Arkham. Batman is defeated and the attacker escapes, deciding to call himself Rhetoric.

THE DOOM PATROL #1 by Darcy Van Poelgeest and Niko Henrichon. As Dr. Miles Caulder is writing up his 215^th ‘Doom Entry’ when he is visited by a spectral woman named Evelyn who, at one point in what appears to be a part of a series of visits, had asked Caulder to help her and he agreed, even if it would kill the Doom Patrol. During this particular visit, he dies. The rest of the team, Robotman, Elasti-Girl, and Negative Man, are completely broke and are driving around in a beat-up van where they are tracking down the missing cat of a half-blind neighbor. Finding the cat, who has died, the team scrambles to find a replacement cat to substitute for the dead one. Negative Man meets with the woman and she discusses her thoughts about aliens and alien abductions when a giant UFO arrives and begins abducting cats from the neighborhood and attempts to eat the Doom Patrol. Negative Man flies into the creature, killing it, but emerges from it, saying he must find the “pain in his memory before it” finds them.

EMPEROR AQUAMAN #21 by Jeremy Adams and John Timms. From somewhere in deep space, Aquaman enters the Blue. On Earth, Lolanna’s forces attack Atlantis, where Mera and Justice League Blue defend the city, with help from Captain nemo. Jackson heads to Amnesty Island to safeguard Andy, who is playing with Zan and Jarro when Ocean Master and Tiamat arrives, ordering them to surrender or be killed. Zan flees with Andy. Jackson, along with Titanus, Karshon and King Shark, battles against Orm but Tiamat crushes him. The Fisherman arrives and the tide turns towards the villains. In Atlantis, Lolanna reveals they have Andy and forces Mera to surrender the kingdom to her. The Sea Witch transforms the population into statues and the villains head to a tower where a great treasure is held. She then destroys the portal to the Blue, meaning Arthur cannot return. Arthur creates another portal, which brings him to a swamp, only to find Animal Girl and Swamp Thing waiting for him, with Animal Girl saying they need to chat.

THE FLASH #37 by Ryan North and Gavin Guidry. The Flash has a vision of the major bridges in Gateway City, Star City and Metropolis being bombed a week into the future. He finds out who the perpetrators are, arrests them and delivers them to the police in Central City. Meanwhile, Green Arrow is holding a meeting on Mount Everest with Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado, Wonder Woman, and Jon Kent. The Flash arrives and pleads his case, while the League members wonder just how far ahead Wally can see into the future and what gives him the right to imprison people on a possibility. Superman hears an explosion in Metropolis a week earlier than he saw, but arrives too late to save the bridges in Metropolis, Star City, or Central City.

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #6 by Jeff Lemire and Rafael De Latorre. Stein and Lorraine meet with Firestorm outside the Firestorm Matrix with Stein unleashes his weapon, which transports Stein, Lorraine, and Ronnie  into the Matrix. Ronnie fights with Stein, angered that Stein managed to kill a lot of people in Colorado, Ronnie attempts to kill him, with Lorraine convincing him to do so after they get out. Stein says that if they can get to the core, they may be able to regain control of Firestorm. At the core, they find Firestorm and Lorraine becomes Firehawk. She begins to lose the fight leading to Ronnie and Stein becoming Firestorm again. After a tearful goodbye, Ronnie bids farewell to Firehawk and Firestorm heads into the sun, eventually coming to Ostrander, Texas where Firestorm has been radically transformed.

GREEN LANTERN #39 by Jeremy Adams and Adriana Melo. Kyle and Odyssey find themselves in the midst of the fast food battle. Kyle gets them to stop and declares that the mascots hired by Big Belly Burger have been killing the owners of the other fast food joints. The Big Belly Burger executive declares they are not responsible and Odyssey destroys his head; shocking Kyle. She reveals he was actually a Dominator named Marktelion who had been bringing mutations to his customers to turn them into zombies. Major Force arrives and claims ownership of Marktelion’s experiments on behalf of S.H.A.D.E. as the government had actually funded Marktelion’s experiments to defend against a possible Darkseid return. In response, Kyle turns into the White lantern and reverses the mutations while also taking away Major Force’s powers, turning him back to a normal person. In the end, Tom Kalmaku has a dream about all the Central Power batteries on Oa shutting down.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #20 by Morgan Hampton, Fernando Pasarin, Oclair Albert, and Juan Jose Ryp. Jo is enjoying a drink on Zillaboq when the Darkstars arrive. She goes to leave and then decides to fight back, resulting in her being captured by them. Meanwhile, John and Katma are at John’s mother’s grave before she convinces him to fly her through the clouds. She convinces him to let her wear his Green Lantern ring but that results in her being forced to wear a Darkstar Exo-Mantle and she disappears with John in pursuit. At the same time, Simon, Kelli, and Ellie are flying through deep space near Zillaboq when they are stopped by Darkstars who threaten to arrest them. One of the Darkstars hears an unrecognizable Darkstar signature and leave, just as John arrives and drafts the three Lanterns to join him in the hunt for Katma. On Oa, Guy is looking through the Book of Oa and that leads him to go to the Phamosa Jungle, where he finds the cave of the deceased and also Predator.

HARLEY QUINN #66 by Elliott Kalan and Carlos Olivares. A BAD SEEDS tie-in. Harley is readjusting to having her brain back with her when Ivy’s plant creatures begin attacking Throatcutter Hill. As she attempts to save her neighbors, she sees that Althea has power and directs the citizens to go there for sanctuary. At the same time, Gunbunny, Mayfly, The Convoy, and Chicken Fingers come together to lend a hand. The KKVDemon arrives, figuring to make some money during the chaos and Delores saves Harley at one point, redeeming herself from killing Marcisak. Harley arrive in Althea’s tower and tries to convince her to let everyone stay when Harley realizes Mrs. Grimaldi decided to stay in her home. Harley goes to her and tries to convince her to leave when a tendril destroys her home, convincing her to go to Althea’s. In the end, Harley heads to find Ivy.

A new batch of first issues

ARCHIE #1 by Ben H. Winters and Fabio Moon. When I heard that there was a new ARCHIE series coming, I was hopeful. Will we get a new version of ARCHIE AFTERLIFE? Will we get something more real world, as we saw during the LIFE WITH ARCHIE storyline that ended with the redhead’s death? Nope. We get a bunch of stories representing modern takes on the classic tropes involving Archie and his Riverdale friends. But they just don’t have the classic feel and most of it falls flat. They have even gone as far as having a word jumble and a pin-up page. There is also a SABRINA series coming in October that appears to be in the same vein. Even ARCHIE IN HELL, coming in November, looks weak. Sorry kids: Oni may be the new home but go find some classic issues at your LCS or a Con. 

THE BIG SHAKEDOWN #1 by Jordan Blum, Tim Seeley, and Scott Koblish. In the future, the big, long prophesized earthquake has hit California. Five years later and people are doing whatever they need to to survive on a daily basis. One of those folks is Ester Blanco: a former private investigator who is tasked to find a missing child. Where that goes from there is into a weird adventure with some of the seediest. Add into that, her need to earn money to pay for an excavating team to find something she desperately wants. The story is engaging, the characters are filled with a ton of mystery and the art works. Looking forward to the next installment.

BLUDWIRE #1 by Paul Allor and Ermitis Blanco. Sometimes, a comic I have never heard about or even considered grabs me because of the cover. And that’s the case here. Two people riding a motorcycle through the air in a dynamic pose caught my eye. Then I saw it was from Mad Cave and they have been turning out some pretty cool independent comics lately. It’s got a powerful woman of color named Ace, a Hexbot Romance robot, guns, cops and tons of action. Ace is a self described “sentient freak” Zora has been assigned to free and Ace is about making sure Zora does not have to deal with what Ace has gone through. I know: not a lot to drag a reader in for. But I expect it to reveal more as the story goes. Art is great and the story will leave you wanting more.

CONCRETE: STARS OVER SAND #1 by Paul Chadwick. One of my favorite series from the late 1980’s was always Chadwick’s CONCRETE. Concrete was once a normal man who had his brain transplanted by aliens into a large stone body. It was so filled with warmth and heart as this person has to navigate the world. It will not appeal to everyone. The art is beautiful and the story is wonderful. Give it a bit to wash over you and you may find this is a great distraction from meaningless superhero tales.

CROWBOUND #1 by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen. This is a really dark Fantasy story and, considering it is coming from Lemire, known for such unsettling titles as NOBODY, SWEET TOOTH, ROYAL CITY, and THE BONE ORCHARD books, it’s not totally unexpected. A woman and her daughter live near a place called The Factory, where children are supposed to join when they reach thirteen. But Rose Lee’s daughter is taken a year earlier, leading to her making a deal with someone known as The Scarecrow Queen, where she needs to sacrifice her soul to get her daughter back. Dark, horrific and made even more so by Nguyen’s art, this is perfect for fans of dark thrillers.

CULT-DE-SAC #1 by Cullen Bunn and Fico Ossio. When a man gets a major promotion, he moves his wife and two children to a residential neighborhood called Willow Park. It’s their dream home until they meet the head of the Homeowner’s Association and things get weird, complete with neighbors saying they should pull their kids out of the local school and homeschool them. What they soon discover is their neighbors are all a part of a demonic cult and it looks like our family is being looked at for possible sacrifice. Yeah . . . it gets dark, REALLY FAST! It’s a fun, scary story that hits all the right notes: cult business, creepy neighbors and a terrified family. Recommended.

DEATH VIGIL #1 by Stjepan Sejic. After too many years away, this book is finally back! The Death Vigil is a group of dead people who have been gifted(can’t get that gift until you die) who come together to fight demons. Oh yeah: they are led by Bernadette, who is The Grim Reaper. It is wild and crazy and looks amazing! There is a bunch of back story here that may lead you to find the trade paperback of the original books from some time back. But I recommend taking the dive. It’s got a group that has great camaraderie and often are wise-cracking with each other.

DENVER #1 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray. And Pier Brito. Well, we have another post-apocalyptic tale here where everything has spiraled out of control and only a few American cities remained; specifically Denver. Basically, it has become a police state and one police officer is trying to do his job but also care for his family. Originally a Kickstarter, the book is dark and gritty, with an art style that echoes Richard Corben. And the cliffhanger ending is enough to drag be back in for another go.

THE DIRT BENEATH THE DEVIL #1 by Dan Panosian and David Ferracci. Here’s an interesting Western Horror tale from Panosian, whose work I always seek out. Set at the end of the 19^th Century, a young woman travels to Kansas City for the reading of her father’s will; a father who was a bit of a devil to most who knew him. Along with other heirs, they are forced to ride on horseback from Kansas to Wichita along her father’s route that led to his fortune. Oh yeah: the woman is assigned an almost demonic horse that is tied to her father’s past. That connection between her and the horse is where things get real interesting. This is a thriller with Horror elements and I am all in for it!

THE DOGSITTER #1 by Jamie S. Rich and Megan Levens. So, here’s an odd one that normally wouldn’t end up in my weekly pull pile but, since a lot of Ignition Press books as of late have been really good(looking at you RIPCORD and INNARDS), I thought I would give it a go. It’s about a veterinary student who is working two gigs to make ends meet: working at a flower shop and also being a dogsitter. She’s primarily sitting for an executive who pushes her buttons with her demands. At the same time, she meets this guy at a party but he’s somehow connection to her dog mom boss. See where this is going? Welcome to the love triangle! The story is pure romantic comedy , but the art is nice. May not be your cup of tea . . . just saying.

ELRIC: THE SLEEPING SORCERESS #1 by Julien Blondel, Jean-Luc Cano, and Valentin Secher. Elric is one of those characters you either get or you don’t. This is an adaptation of Michael Moorcock’s original story by Blondel, Cano and Secher and then add in translation by Marc Bourbon-Crook. The art is okay, feeling very much like a Dynamite Red Sonya story and that’s fine. Titan Comics has offered up other Elric tales and this is just another. Overall, it’s okay but not necessarily for newcomers to the character.

EXCOMMUNICATED #1 by Jeremy Robinson and Taigo Palma. What happens when a devout nun named Sister Josephine receives a call from a priest telling her he needs her help with an exorcism. She arrives, he denies the call, and he soon dies, leaving her to finish the rite. The priest and the possessed are dead and now the church, calling what happened unsanctioned, excommunicates her. But her drama does not end there as she is being hunted and it appears the hunter is also possessed. Robinson, besides having numerous stand alone novels and series to his credit, is also the person behind the amazing NECTAR. Palma’s art fits nicely and this was a fun, entertaining read worth checking out.

EXQUITISITE CORPSES: RASCAL RANDY #1 by Tyler Boss and Dylan Burnett. Did you read EXQUITISITE CORPSES? It was a fun ride and I loved it and Rascal Randy-a giant rabbit(maybe) was a breakout character in the book. Well, now we get a new story with a new cast and a kid who is a major Randy fan. There is also a murder or two and obviously Randy is the chief suspect. But is he the guy? This book will confuse the heck out of you without reading the mini-series but will only help to add more to his legend if you did. Again, recommended if you read the series or bought the trade.

FEAR OF DEATH #0: A RACHEL RISING STORY by Terry Moore. If you know me, you know I am a HUGE fan of Moore’s entire collection of works over the last 30+ years. And his supernatural series RACHEL RISING is my second favorite behind STRANGERS IN PARADISE. In this prequel, 10 year old Zoe witnesses a brutal murder and that leads to visits from the Angel of Death and Lilith. For those of us who loved the original series and the way it has connected into his entire universe, this is a perfect addition. Highly recommended!

FIXATION #1 by Amy Chase and Savanna Mayer. What happens when the superfan of a slasher movie series wins a contest and gets to stay in the house from these famous films, despite the fact that a fan has previously been killed in this location recently? That’s the premise of FIXATION. There is an interesting cast of characters including someone previously associated with the series who has not only been banned from the location, the fact they are hanging around just makes you wonder if they are the killer. Intriguing story with average art. But it does have potential, especially for fans of slasher films.

THE FOLK OF DOONEY HOLLOW #1 by Jeremy Haun and Alex Lins. Here’s a strange tale from the guy who gave us THE BEAUTY. In the Ozarks, there is a hidden village called Dooney Hollow where people who go to it have a tendency to just disappear. A young graduate student has come here to study the locals and research the folklore. The locals includes a nice old man and his severely compromised wife. What our heroine finds is an area with signs of rituals, a mysterious little girl and a monster that acts as a guardian for Dooney Hollow, keeping the residents trapped. It is a dark, somewhat creepy story and a great start with lots of mysterious moments ending with the meeting of the monster..

THE FOREVER HOME by Christian Ward and Sami Kivela. Honestly, the title and minimalistic cover is what first attracted me to this. The world as we know it has ended but one man has built a special home for himself and his family to protect them from the horrors, mostly unseen, on the outside. And time moves differently in here as every year outside represents only twenty minutes inside. The family, including the two children, are essentially trapped inside. Until THAT moment when it all goes badly. To say more what be a major spoiler. Let’s just say that things change rapidly in the last few pages and their little world will never be the same. From the shocking splash page in the beginning to the final splash page, you quickly understand that this world is not the world you know. It is a great first chapter and where it goes from here is anyone’s guess.

GASTRONOMIQUE #1 by Marguerite Bennett and Helena Masellis. If you are a fan of erotic body horror tales, this is the book for you! Set in the days of the French Revolution, it begins with a female spy sitting in a cell and gets informed by her sister that the imprisoned woman’s niece has been killed and eaten by a strange man named Tarrae, who apparently can eat anything and everything. By the way, Tarrae was truly known as the hungriest man in history. No joke! He was a real dude who lived during the time of the French Revolution, so we have some historical accuracy thrown into the tale. The sister takes the imprisoned woman’s place and is executed. Now the woman, Lady Charlotte, sets about to track down Tarrae and enact her revenge. It’s a decidedly weird thriller with moments of eroticism and gore. Bennett’s work is hit or miss sometimes and this one had potential and I hope it gets a bit better as it goes. At the moment, it’s good…but not great.

GIANT-SIZE YOUNGBLOOD #1 by Rob Liefeld. Okay…our boy suckered me in again! YOUNGBLOOD was one of the early Image titles and, despite gripes about Liefeld’s artwork and stories, I always found them fun. This, however, was a colossal seven dollar waste of time, for me at least for me. What we get is a 28 page fight. Cool! But then the rest of the book is filled with alternate/variant covers from past YOUNGBLOOD books. I’m paying SEVEN DOLLARS for a pin-up book with a lackluster story? Yeah…I don’t care if the story ends with TO BE CONTINUED, I’m out!

HACK/SLASH-MERCY SPARX: A SLICE OF HELL #1 by Josh Blaylock and Joe Song. Devil’s Due represents another lost classic featuring two of their most popular characters.  Originally released in 2010, it tells the tale of an undead serial killer that comes back to life within the confines of a Catholic church. It’s up to Cassie Hack to team up…sort of…with Sparx, who has her own issues involving religion, to catch the killer; although each one has their own agenda. It’s a fun read, although knowing some back story about these characters might help when understanding said agendas.

HAMMERFIST #1 by Rick Remender and Steve Epting. This is the story of Mike Denton: a contract killer dealing with his drug addiction. Oh yeah: he’s also a bit of a deadbeat dad and a sleazeball. Desperate for money to feed his drug habit, he takes a job involving a bank robbery. Simple, right? When things go badly, one of the robbers opens a portal and that leads to the discovery and use of the Hammerfist. I will admit, it’s a bit weird and feels like RESEVOIR DOGS and SUPERNATURAL had a baby. The art is crisp and sharp and the story weaves between Mike’s need for drugs and his love for his estranged daughter.

HANK HOWARD PIZZA DETECTIVE: THE INSIDE JOB #1 by Robert Venditti and David Lapham. Another mini-series from Venditti and Lapham. It is basically an anthology with a handful of short stories. I love a fun detective story with an interesting character and have been a huge fan of Lapham’s since STRAY BULLETS. So, this was an easy fit for me. I’m sure many fans will be put off by the use of newsprint pages and delivering a black and white comic. Personally, it is totally in my wheelhouse!

HANK HOWARD PIZZA DETECTIVE: FAIR PLAY #1 by Robert Venditti and David Lapham. Hot on the heels of HANK HOWARD PIZZA DETECTIVE: THE INSIDE JOB #1, we get another mini-series from Venditti and Lapham. A robbery from a fair results in Howard commandeering a pizza food truck and dealing out justice to get the money back. Short, sweet and fun.

JUGHEAD PIEMAGEDDON #1 by Tom King and Dan Parent. Okay…I caved. I jumped on a new Archie-centric story for one reason and one reason only: Tom King. In the future, an elderly Archie and Jughead reminisce over a pie eating contest that went horribly wrong. That’s it, folks! The highlight is a wonderful two-page spread involving pie fights with a ton of cameos from the Archie universe. Kind of disappointing. Me thinks Mr. King sticks to what he is really good at!

JUNK PUNCH #1 by Paul Tobin, Carlos Javier Olivares, and Colleen Coover. Welcome to one of the stranger new titles as of late. Thank you Mad Cave! Clara Castaneele has a chemical affliction that leads her to punch people in the crotch! Yeah . . . that’s exactly what I said! And she gets hired to fight a missing soccer goal. And Clara is kind of crazy. She likes to drink, “do sex”(yes…that’s a quote!), and enlists her friend Medium Cotton to assist her. She is also doing this while having assassins chase her and you know she has no problem punching those evil doers in the junk! It is a crazy ride. Picture Harley Quinn amped up to eleven!

THE KARMAN BLADE #1 by Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram. The duo previously responsible for LITTLE BIRD and PRECIOUS METAL is back with a new Science Fiction/Fantasy series. In a distant galaxy, a scavenger and former soldier stumbles upon a weapon made from dark matter called the Karman Blade. The discovery and subsequent energy spike alerts evil Commander vane, who wants the blade for himself. Unfortunately, that blade is now permanently bonded to the hand of our hero. The story is weird but compelling and the art is almost hypnotic. This will not appeal to everyone as it looks like the mythology that will go with it, much like PREVIOUS METAL was, will be very heavy.

LAND OF NEVER #1 by Steve Orlando and Miguel Mora. When a girl named Wendy is kidnapped from her home by a strange looking, burly man, her father goes on a mission to find her, even without help from the police. And she’s not the only kid missing, leading dad down a strange road where the kidnapper is revealed to be what is described as a ‘lost boy’. Yeah . . . Orlando is going off with his own, modernized version of PETER PAN. The art is serviceable and the story interesting, even if it gets a little too wordy at times. It’s another Mad Cave book and further proof that they are a player in the indy comic publishing world.

THE LAST DRIVER #1 by Sean Murphy. Murphy blew fans away with his two recent Batman mini-series and this is another gem. In the near future, cars have been replaced by something called The Grid: designed to make travel faster and more efficient. In fact, driving a car is a crime-literally! But there is a former stuntman who has no problem breaking that rule and the law. When he finds out his granddaughter needs a heart transplant, he accepts a deal that may get her past the rules of privilege and get that life-saving transplant. But he has to do a drive to get that chance. I cannot say how much I love this book, from the story, the beautiful art, and the fact the book is not set up in the normal format, making it appear as a widescreen action film. While it feels like something from out of one of my favorite films, VANISHING POINT, the addition of the person offering our hero the opportunity is named Kowalski-same as the hero in the afore mentioned film. I don’t think that was done by accident and it’s a nice Easter egg for those who know. This gets my highest recommendation and I cannot wait for the next four chapters!

LAZARUS ORDER #1 by Sloane M. Siegel and Juan Doe. Sometimes I pick up a book because I see it on the shelf of my LCS and sometimes I let my daughter point me to a book based on her seeing a preview of one. That was the case here. In this medieval world, there is a plague that turns people into vampires, werewolves, the living dead and rat/man hybrids known as Rattusvirs. To combat this sickness comes the Lazarus Order: an organization made up of plague doctors who have sworn an oath to God to gain supernatural powers The trade-off? Every time a plague doctor uses their powers, they use a little of their life force until they eventually fade away. The story involving its two main protagonists is engaging as is the concept that there is some sort of group that is using the plague to eliminate the plague doctors. The art style is very cartoony but it fits the story, else it would be darker than it already is.

LOVEBUNNY & MR. HELL #1 by Tim Seeley and Brendan Hay. As part of Devil Due’s 25^th Anniversary celebration, where they have been reprinting classic tales from back in the day, we get this. Lovebunny is a ditzy, former child star who, along with her sidekick Kid Caliber, is fighting crime; tough to do when you don’t have powers. Think Harley Quinn with bunny ears. Her other sidekick is Mr. Hell: her demonic roommate with a ravenous appetite. It’s a lot of goofy stuff in glorious black and white; perfect for fans of the afore mentioned Harley Quinn.

M1: MONSTER LEAGUE RACING #1 by Lily Windom, Robert Windom, and Jae Lee. Is this what happens when you take the concepts from SPEED RACER, throw in monsters and mysterious stuff, and have female characters as your main characters, and you get this. An interesting story with the usual killer art from Jae Lee with his typical odd page layouts. I have already read issue #2 and that amps things up more than issue #1. Definitely recommended.

MARVEL ZOMBIES: WAR ZONE #1 by Tom Waltz and Jaime Infante. Oh look: another Marvel Zombie title. Zombies have taken over the world and now good old Frank castle and Microchip must find a way out of the city, which is difficult when the citizens and many super-powered heroes are in the way. It is what it is. It is not bad but just not great. Want a good Zombie series? Go seek out the DCEASED series of books because they tell a linear story as opposed to Marvel’s multiple attempts to do the same.

MARY JANE: FACE IT, TIGER #1 by K.M. DeMatteis, Ann Nocenti, J. Michael Straczynski, Ashley Allen, Andrea Broccardo, Alina Yerofieieva, Luigi Zagaria, and Phil Noto. In honor of the introduction of Mark Jane Watson in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Marvel turns out this one-shot with four new stories featuring everyone’s favorite redhead. There is nothing earth shattering here except for the final story involving MJ and Venom, that promises to be continued. Basically, it is a book for completists.

MILES MORALES SPIDER-MAN #1 by Bryan Edward Hill and Nico Leon. Time for another Marvel reboot. Miles is dealing with repercussions from his recent adventures in his own magazine and in REBORN: ULTIMATE IMPACT. He is also trying to make plans with Valentia, who has something called Waardenburg Syndrome. It’s a vengeful villain, on with his dad, a brief appearance with Nick Fury and a bunch of potential storylines lined up. Is it good? If you’re a Miles fan, sure. Overall: it was just okay for me.

MEGALITH: THE OLYMPUS SAGA #0 by Matt Kindt, Ramon Villalobos, and Jonathan Marks Barravecchia. Not so much an origin story to the Megalith saga but three stories that ties into it. Three stories that add to the overall arching tale. The artwork is okay and Kindt obviously knows where he wants this overall story to go.

MONEY SHOT: THE F*CK OFF #1 by Tim Seeley, Patton Oswalt, and Garth Graham. The craziest, naughtiest Science-Fiction comic is back again. It is totally an 18+ book as it contains a lot naked people and some crazy sex acts. It will titillate some, offend some, and others will just blow past it and concentrate on the humor in the story. And apparently it is going to be c*ntinued! Okay then!

OF THE EARTH #1 by Chris Condon and Charlie Adlard. I am sure that many will not recognize the name Chris Condon or even Chalie Adlard. Let me start with Adlard. One title: THE WALKING DEAD. With that in his resume, I was certainly curious about this title. Condon? He did ULTIMATE WOLVERINE and GREEN ARROW, the recently concluded THE PERIL OF THE BRUTAL DARK, currently writing ULTIMATE IMPACT: REBORN, but might be best known for THAT TEXAS BLOOD and THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE. This is a wild ride possibly involving supernatural stuff and a monster known as the Wildcatter. The art is perfect and the story is full of twists and turns. Toughest for me was a scene where an emaciated dog is hit by a car and that just brought back some bad memories for me.

QUEEN IN BLACK #1 Al Ewing, Iban Coello, and Ze Carlos. For anyone who hasn’t followed what has been going on with the symbiotes in the Marvel Universe, Eddie Brock was the the King in Black but Dylan Brock separated them and Venom is now with his new host, Mary Jane Watson. Knull returned and god captured by Hela. And has become the Queen in Black. And Knull and Hela are now on opposite sides in a race to conquer Earth. This is the starting point for a storyline running through this mini-series, many spin-off books and other parts of the Marvel Universe. If you’re a Venom fan, you’re all in. Otherwise, you may wish to pass.

RED SONJA NOIR: THE PLUNDER & THE PRINCESS #1 by David Avallone and Edison Enn. Dynamite’s RED SONJA titles have been hit or miss. For me, most have been big misses, the exception being the highly unusual Priest mini-series. But you stick the word  NOIR on a book and I’m curious. I don’t know how Noir I would call this but there is a dragon and a mystery. The story is just fine but the art, often that things that suffers the most in Sonja stories, is fantastic and certainly the saving grace here. If you’re a Sonja fan, you are all over this. As a one-shot, it was just a pleasant, enjoyable read.

REGICIDE #1 by Patrick Kindlon and Ludovic Lalliat. Kindlon is a comic book author and a member of the band Drug Church. Lalliat is a French artist known for creating dark fantasy art. This title follows a Romanian farmhand who ends up being paired with a masked stranger wearing his best Dr. Doom cosplay mask as they go to Transylvania to assassinate a murdering viceroy. I love the plot and the characters but Lalliat’s art left me a bit cold, looking like something that should be in a black and white Indy book of the 90’s. Still, the story is good and gory in spots and good enough to make me keep going with it.

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD: UNTOLD TALES OF THE TARMAN #1 by S.A. Check, James Kuhoric, and Greg Larocque. I am a sucker for anything zombie related so this one caught my eye immediately, helped on because of an amazing Kyle Hotz cover. Throw in the fact that Larocque was doing interiors and I figured it couldn’t be awful. Wel, it’s okay for fans of the movie or the genre and basically gives you an origin story for this legendary character. If you’re a fan of the movie, pick this up. It’s just a lot of fun!  

ROM #1 by Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici. Yep…that toy turned comic book from the Seventies is making a comeback. This is not a reprint of the original #1 from Marvel this is a brand new story that was originally in the Energon Universe FCBD book. But it drops this legendary hero into Kirkman’s connected universe, specifically VOID RIVALS, but I am sure it will eventually include TRANSFORMERS, and G.I. JOE. The story is fine and works, especially if you were not familiar with the character previously. If you are a fan of the Energon Universe titles, you will want this. Otherwise, it is just another space story with an amnesiac character in armor and toting a ray gun.

SEVEN WIVES #1 by Zoe Tunnell and V. Gagnon. A cultlike preacher named Dunn has been murdered and it is up to a pair of detectives to figure out who was responsible. Oh yeah: Dunn had multiple wives . . . seven, as the title implies . . .  and all of them are possible suspects as well as his son. What happens is a series of interviews with Dunn’s wives as the detectives do their work. There are lots of breadcrumbs dropped along the way and it is up to the reader to follow the clues, just like the fictional detectives. The story is entertaining even if the artwork is fair. But all the bits and pieces thrown in help to make it a compelling read.

SHELLSHOCK #1 by John Arcudi, Michael W. Conrad, Julio Anta, Benito Cereno, Tom Fowler, Shawn Martinsbrough, Albert Monteys, and David Lapham. Oni, which has been tapping into the classics with their modern take on the EC Comics, now dips its’ toe into the war genre with this anthology. It is okay but holds none of the emotional impact of the classic titles, specifically FRONTLINE COMBAT. If you are a completist, get it. Otherwise, get one of the classic EC anthologies from Dark Horse.

SICKO #1 by Tini Howard and Amilcar Pinna. Welcome to the perfect Horror book for the Covid generation. Valentine is a medical student who has contracted a mysterious disease that causes her body to turn against her, allowing her to weaponize the disease and is looking to take retribution upon those things that piss her off. And now a mysterious healthcare group is trying to track her down before things get worse. It’s crazy, weird, and sometimes gross and gory. Really good stuff!

SIGHT #1 by Darin S. Cape and Jack Purcell. This is the strange story of Angelina: an amateur boxer who is burdened with the ability to see moments of the future before they happens. She also works part-time as a hospice worker, meaning she can see the impending deaths of her patients. Sounds simple enough but her visions take a turn when she envisions a possible alien invasion and now she must navigate that. What makes this title so unusual is the way the story unfolds, as events happen in the past, present and the future. Luckily Purcell’s art signals which is which depending on if the panels are open on the left, the right, or not at all. Once you know the code, the story makes more sense on a second read. Good story and always great art from Purcell. If your LCS doesn’t have it, have them order it for you.

SIX OF US #1 by Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta. So there is a hit comedy show called SIX OF US: a television sensation that has previously ended. Now five of those six are gathered at the funeral for the sixth one, who apparently dove into an empty swimming pool. But was it really an accident? Was it a suicide or maybe it was murder. That’s the premise here. And if you do not hear the FRIENDS theme song playing throughout the depiction of the opening title of the show, you are either from another generation or just forgot the iconic opening. King does a great job of tying the characters, before and after fame, to the real show and it’s a bit freaky. Either way, it’s an interesting murder mystery in true King style.

SPIDER-MAN: LONG WAY HOME #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Adam Kubert. Okay . . . I get it. We all have Spider-Man fever and the title of LONG WAY HOME ties into the previous movies, right? So, do we need a team-up with Spidey, The Hulk and The Punisher? Normally, I would say no but it is written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Adam Kubert. That is the hook here, ladies and gentlemen. We get The Punisher and his military team fighting with Hydra and A.I.M., the Hulk rampaging through it all and Peter basically not even in the story . . . yet. It’s an okay read but I want to see what issue #2 has to offer.

SPIDER-WOMAN ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1 by Ann Nocenti, Dan Watters, Stefano Raffaele, and Andrea Broccardo. For the record, this is the Jessica Drew Spider-Woman who was introduced in MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #32 in 1977; not the other Spider-Women over the years like Julia carpenter, Mattie Franklin, Gwen Stacy(yeah…on Earth-65) and Skull Queen Veranke. Also of note: is this a 49 and a half year anniversary? Anyway, two stories with the first having her not only brawl with a tiger costumed bad guy while also helping some woman she just met. In the second, and the better of the two, she battles one of Miles Warren’s former assistants turned giant spider. Most importantly, there is a cliffhanger final page that will lead into an all-new series coming in November. I’ve always been a big fan of the character, with all her trials and tribulations, so I’m looking forward to that title. In the end, get it, read the second story for the cliffhanger, and move on.

THE STRANGER BOOK ONE by Wes Craig and Jason Wordie. This DC Black Label title presents a new take on the Superman story. Set in the Thirties, Clark Kent is a man who is now working as a janitor to make ends meet, while trying to understand who he is, a past he is unsure about, and dealing with powers he does not quite understand. There is even a Lex Luthor appearance and he is just as slimy as you would expect him to be. The art is interesting and has the art nouveau feel to it. Seeing this legendary hero as a man who does not know about his origin and apparently lived in an orphanage is a nice trope that works nicely.

TALES OF WONDER #1 by Steve Skroce and Ian Herring. What happens when two elderly comic creators try to put aside their differences at a Con but that does not work well and anticipated chaos ensues. Top that off with the appearance of the fictional heroes in the flesh showing up and de-age the creators while also fighting a monster brought to life. It’s a bit crazy and a little interesting, especially if you are a student of comic history to know about the occasional drama that exists within the community. It is not for everyone but will cause a core readership to get where it is going.

TANK GIRL: BLUE HELMET #1 by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. Why the sudden interest in reprinting TANK GIRL stories from 35 years ago? Not quite sure but this is the second one in the same number of months. Originally appearing in DEADLINE MAGAZINE, it is a very interesting and twisted take on Jack Kerouac’s BLUE HELMET…which doesn’t really exist. I can see how much of what was created here ended up being turned into Hewlett’s future music project, which is probably where most comic fans know his name from. It is a great read for those of us who grew up on Underground Comics.

TERMINAL #1 by Robert Kirkman, Joe Casey, and Andy Kubert. An event ten years in the past has created a group of people with genetic latent powers. It has led to a war between two groups, although this superhuman war has taken place outside of the knowledge of most people. And the war can be extremely brutal. Enter a young woman searching for her missing sister and what she finds, to her shock, is her sister is now a part of this superhuman community. And now this woman is brought to an island…no, not THAT island, where she meets this group of superhumans, including an enormous, floating eye! That’s the setup in this mythology where the lines between heroes and villains are blurred. The story is doing a lot of world building and Kubert’s art shines through.

TOMB OF APOCALYPSE #1 by Ashley Allen and Domenico Carbone. An alien artifact activates and manages to teleport Jubilee and Wolverine to an Egyptian dig site. The two make their way into the labyrinth and jubilee encounters a transmission from Apocalypse, who tasks her to search for a galactic artifact for him. Wait: isn’t he still a bad guy? And he has sent some old friends to join in the search. Saying more would spoil it. It’s kind of fun and the art looks great. The only problem I have with mini-series like this is whether they are canon or not to current continuity.

VAMPIRELLA SUMMER SPECIAL 2026 #1 by Erica Schultz and Adriana Melo. This one is an easy one to write. Vampirella is in Pompeii in present day where a skull calls to her. She becomes connected and finds herself in Pompeii prior to the eruption of that volcano and connects with a young girl and her family and tries her best to change their fate. It’s a little heartbreaking story by Schultz and appropriate art from Melo. This is not going to set the world on fire but if you’re a Vampi fan, you will want to add this to your reading list and collection.

WARBIRD #1 by Derek Kolstad, Robert Venditti, Alex Maleev, and Esad Ribic. With a cast like this, specifically Venditti, Maleev, and Ribic, this should be really good, right? Well, this is a spy story, so there is that. It follows Cole Norton who is a master of repossessing things. And he gets tasked to repossess something called The Warbird: a next-gen fighter jet that the Russians have. Offered a huge finder’s fee, Cole goes into this with some trepidation but, you know, money IS money, right? But when he learns an old partner may have died trying to accomplish this, it becomes personal. It’s a little like James Bond and a little like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and I am okay with that.

WATSON V. HOLMES #1 by Jon Santana, Rafael Santana, and Jordan Rodriguez. What happens when you tap into what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters end up in a tale involving vampires? You get this! As it turns out, Mr. Watson, a big, burly man, is the hero and Holmes is the baddie. Really? It’s a fun first issue with some gore and some interesting twists. Story is fine and the art fits.

ZORRO’S LEGACY #1 by Dan Abnett and Aaron Lopresti. We’ve already got Howard Chaykin and Jorge Fornes telling their story, Abnett and Lopresti are providing a different take on the character. Set in the present day, Zorro lives again in the form of someone new. Actually, the newest Zorro is injured and now someone else has taken up the mantle and he has a slightly different mindset and arsenal. The beauty of this is a combination of the writing and the art and, of course, the ability to transport the legend to the here and now.

 

DC UNIVERSE Month 103, Part 2

HARLEY QUINN #65 by Elliott Kalan and Carlos Olivares. Harley and Batquinn continue to battle each other, even as Chicken Fingers arrives and tries to knock some sense into Batquinn. Badly injured, Batquinn declares she is dying, just as Detective Philo Charles arrives, threatening to take her into custody. A new Harley, formerly Harley Quinn’s brain, uses what is left of the Omega Energy to merge with Batquinn, transforming Batquinn into a newly revised Harley Quinn-new costume and all. Reunited with her Throatcutter Hill family, Harley decides she must get Ivy and convince her to change her ways.

JSA #22 by Jeff Lemire and Diego Olortegui.  The Spectre descends upon Belle Reve, making its way past the defenses to seek out the guilty inside. The JSA arrives and the Spectre forces its’ way into Wildcat’s subconscious. As Yolanda struggles with her recent losses, the Spectre takes control and seeks out Queen Kobra. Obsidian is able to reach Yolanda telepathically, breaking her anger, leading to her rejecting The Spectre’s control. As the entity leaves her, it moves to the afterlife and take possession of Ted Grant,

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #22 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. Guy Gardner, Hawkgril, Metamorpho and Mr. Terrific are involved in a fierce battle with alien creatures high above the Powers Plant when their leader, Despero, arrives and reveals he arranged for the ship crash so he could steal the displaced superpowers for himself. They initially fight off an onslaught of wild alien beasts that have been bizarrely infused with familiar metahuman abilities and he quickly overwhelms the heroes. After Metamorpho is torn in half by Despero, Mr. Terrific draws out the planet’s superpowered energy and uses his godlike powers to defeat Despero, even as it seems the power may be corrupting him. When Kanjar Ro arrives, it seems things will get worse before they get better. Meanwhile, on the Watchtower, The Atom raises concerns about the Villiam Amnesty Program, which leads to Ray Palmer starting his own investigation of the tournament’s survivors. He discovers an anomaly within the databanks about the survivors, leading him to an off-the-books meeting with Air Wave, Blue Beetle, The Question, Black Canary, and Doctor Occult.

LOBO #6 by Skottie Young, Riley Rossmo, and Jorge Corona. Lobo’s newest bounty requires him to go to hell, so he makes his way into Limbo where he demands that Derek Dodd, the Managing Administrator of the Afterlife, gives him access to Hell so he can hunt down and assassinate the Tooth Fairy. Upon his arrival, he gets a light from John Constantine before encountering some fairy guards, where he eats one and captures a second who brings him to the office of the Tooth Fairy. One of her guards tears out Lobo’s teeth but he is unfazed as he has a bomb hidden in one of the teeth, leading to the death of one of her guards. She agrees to let Lobo collect on the contract and he gets a new pair of teeth in the process. In the end, it looks as though the Batman Who Laughs is seeking revenge on the bounty hunter, leading to the LAST DEATH OF LOBO storyline.

NEW TITANS #38 by Tate Brombal and Sami Basri. Jon Kent welcomes Static to Mount Titans, giving him a tour and introducing him to the group. What he sees is a team severely fractured.  Jon and Red Devil are butting heads because of their egos. Dick is pushing Stephanie’s physical and mental limits, leading to their relationship becoming strained. Cyborg has isolated himself from the rest of the team as he continues to be obsessed with his study of the Heart of Apokolips. Yara is haunted by dreams and voices when she realizes that she is being watched by Eva, who does not understand personal space. All of this stress provides an emotional outburst that causes an electromagnetic explosion. Before the team can discuss what has happened, Poitra arrives, warning of a sinister threat emerging in the Amazon rainforests.

NEXT LEVEL: ONE SHOT #1 by Gerry Duggan and Fernando Blanco. Deadshot has been contracted to kill a high-profile corporate figure and finds himself heading to Chicago. As he pulls the trigger to take out his target, the bullet impact exposes that this is an synthetic duplicate and he finds himself ambushed by a security team. As he makes his way through the team, known as the Wardogs, he learns that Project Cadmus is responsible; especially after seeing that the Wardogs are mutated human dogs. This is not the first time he has encountered these security teams as he previously encountered them during a clandestine meeting with Colonel Rick Flag. But he also has learned that the corporate threat also involves his daughter. After a confrontation with Batman and a Cadmus creature known as the horrific Kingbatshark, Floyd is confronted by Starro corrupted Trinity clones who are ready to add him to their version of the Suicide Squad.

NIGHTWING #141 by Dan Watters and Denis Cowan. A crowd has gathered in downtown Bludhaven as they wait to see if Nightwing will turn himself in. Nightwing is in the crowd dressed in plain clothes and is dealing with his own internal conflict; believing that he should do the right thing but knows that doing so will leave the city defenseless against the Witch. Manhunter Kate Spencer makes her way through the crowd, saying he should not turn himself in but, if he does, she will represent him as his attorney. As time runs out, Dick prepares to put his mask on and turn himself in until a woman named Anita Lee steps forward and claims she was responsible for causing the accident that killed nine. As the woman is arrested, Dick sees a man leaving the scene and pursues him to his apartment, where he learns that Lee is not the real Witch but was paid to take the fall by Mayor Bisogni. In the end, Bisogni is seen sitting alongside the true Witch of Bludhaven.

POISON IVY #47 by G. Willow Wilson and Leandro Fernandez. Ivy is dreaming of lying on the grass with Harley when she wakes to find herself outdoors and sleeping on The Hill, who informs her that the Parliament of Trees is bringing their army to Gotham. Racing back to City Hall, she is met with angry protestors, forcing her and Sprout to sneak inside. An intern tells her that Janet and Juhi have taken a personal day while Sprout tells her that that Order of the Green Knight have elected Undine as their new leader. Meanwhile, Janet and Juhi go to Harley’s apartment to try and convince her to talk sense into Harley and she refuses unless Ivy issues an apology to her first. Janet returns to Ivy and explains Harley’s response. With nowhere else to turn and refusing to eat her pride, she decides to surrender to the Parliament and let them take the city. She channels The Green and unleashes roots and plants, that rip through Gotham’s power station and wipes out the infrastructure, plunging Gotham into total darkness. To be continued in BATMAN: BAD SEEDS-SUNSET #1.

SUPERGIRL #16 by Sophie Campbell, Joe Quinones, and Paolo Villanelli.KINGDOM OF ZOD PART 1. Supergirl, with the Sun Crystal in hand, heads towards El Caldero. Seven hours earlier, she was attempting to break up a fight between Conner and Superboy-Prime with Krypto finally being able to do just that. Supergirl learns that there has been a coup d’etat in El Caldero with the new leader wanting Lois and the Daily Planet to come to El Caldero. Supergirl puts a team together consisting of herself, Lois, Tomorrow Man, Prime, Conner, Lena, Luna, Nightflame, Thundergirl, and Phantasmagoria, with them all appearing to be reporters for the Daily Planet. Those who are affected by Kryptonite have been outfitted with an Anti-K device. They are greeted by the new leader: General Zod and his Krypto Knights, with Zod claiming her Kryptonian abilities are actually stolen from him and he uses her as a weapon against her teammates. The Eradicatrix appears and battles Supergirl as the battery on the Anti-K devices begin to deplete. Zod, who has secured Lois to a device to drain her Superwoman abilities, enacts Phase Three: a K-Zone field trapping the heroes. To be continued in ACTION COMICS #1101.

SUPERMAN #41 by Joshua Williamson and Eddy Barrows. KINGDOM OF ZOD PART 4. Superman, in the Kryptonian war suit, battles against Zod while Lois and Tomorrow Man make their way through the fortress to free President Castilho. Superman demands to know what happened to New Kandor, Lor-Zod, and Ursa, incensing Zod, who smashes the faceplate of Superman’s war suit. He then focuses his heat vision and destroys Superman’s right eye, leaving him incapacitated on the battlefield. Before he can issue a final blow, Conner and Prime arrive in a Super-Mobile and spirit him away. Zod goes to the mines and resurrects Ursa, who repays him by killing him. Supergirl and the young Superboy discover that Zod’s forces, now controlled by Ursa, have hijacked Booster’s time ship as she plans to go back in time and change things, despite being warned this will mess with the timeline. To be continued in SUPERGIRL #17.

SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #16 by Dan Slott and Rachael Stott. KINGDOM OF ZOD PART 3. Conner and Superboy-Prime, with Green Kryptonite shields, face off against Zod, but are soundly defeated, with Zod admitting that the Green K radiation is weakening him. Telepathically realizing that Kal-El has arrived inside the city, he sends the Eradicatrix to find him and execute him. J’onn, who is travelling with Superman along with Mary Marvel, Booster Gold and the time-displace young Clark Kent. Tells him to send his younger self away out of the city. Before that can happen, the Eradicatrix attacks. Mary uses her lightning to create a screen allowing them to slip away, with a group of resistance fighters moving Superman into a series of lead-lined underground tunnels. As he recovers, he learns that Zod has captured Lois and, thanks to a hidden hologram of his father, learns of a chamber containing Kryptonian war suits and makes his way to Zod’s citadel. Elsewhere, Jon Kent, Steel, Natasha, and Lana begin to create a cure to counteract the planetary infection. In the end, Supergirl manages to get the rest of the team through the fortress and meets the younger version of Clark. To be continued in SUPERMAN #41.

WONDER WOMAN #36 by Stephanie Williams and Clayton Henry. Steve and Trinity travel the River Styx, with her father agreeing to continue the origin of her mother. Diana wins the first trial: the trial of aim. The second trial was the endurance trial, with Diana almost losing it as she had stopped to help an Amazon get back on her feet after a fall but eventually won. Diana won the third trial against Emelie. The fourth trial was a trial of wisdom, which she also won after coming up with a clever way to remove a tyrant from power by not killing them. In the final trial, defending oneself against arrows by only using their bracelets, Diana passed the trial but was injured defending Mala from harm. Hippolyta demanded Diana remove her mask, revealing herself to her mother. Hippolyta declared her daughter to be the champion of the Amazons. Taking her to a chamber, Hippolita gave her the uniform she had worn in her time in man’s world, along with her breastplate, bracelets, tiara and the gold lasso of Hestia. Waith her outfit complete, Diana escorted Steve back to man’s world.

ZATANNA #5 by Jamal Campbell. Zatanna tells her audience about her ties to the Hidden City of the Homo Magi, where her mother was born and died. For the first time in years, Zatanna returns there, where she finds chaos and anxiety gripping the residents as civil unrest threatens the government. Zatanna delivers a stage performance to give the citizens a sense of hope. In the end, Zatanna reconnects with her maternal extended family. But that reunion is short-lived as a cosmic threat forces Zatanna and her family to stand together and fight the Dragon.