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!
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