DC's NEW 52 Month 22, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #22: We start with Hector Hammond in charge of the construction of the H.I.V.E. intergalactic weapon when he is visited by Straith of the Pax Galactica, who wants it destroyed. Meanwhile Clark and Cat Grant are at a movie premiere when he smells Infinitium. It seems that actor Harlan Quint is wearing an exo-skeleton powered by Infinitium. Before he can investigate, he receives a message from Hammond asking for Superman’s help. In space, he sees the debris from the weapon and Hammond gets him to get into a fight with Straith, who promises to kill Superman with the help of Lourdes of the Pax Galactica. In the back-up, Jor-El gets arrested by Colonel Zod’s, but Lara helps him escape and hides him away. Meanwhile Zod prepares to use The Eradicator.

Welcome to another episode of “Who decided Hector Hammond needs to have his own book so let’s put him in all the Superman based titles?” I am SO TIRED of this character! I remember way back in the day, when Hammond was in the old Secret Society of Super Villains and the Royal Flush Gang. He was fun and annoying. And then he ended up in the disaster known as GREEN LANTERN(the movie, that is) and all of a sudden someone thinks he’s an Uber Villain. PLEASE!!! And of course he’s in this title because, drum roll please, SCOTT LOBDELL is writing it and two things Lobdell has done lately is put Hammond into his Superman stories and written really lousy stories about the H.I.V.E. This one is no exception! Heck-the lame back-up is better! Tyler Kirkman’s art looks like something out of an Indie…and not in a good way! Totally awful mess!

ALL STAR WESTERN #22: Stuck in the future, Jonah Hex finds himself in Arkham Asylum after saving a family by killing a gang of mutants. He explains to Jeremiah Arkham that he knew his great-grandfather Amadeus Arkham and that he also owned a stake in Alan Wayne’s casino. The next day, Arkham visits Bruce Wayne, who agrees to look into the family records concerning Hex’ claims. With Alfred’s help, Bruce finds Amadeus Arkham's journals and learns that he and Hex had found the Batcave and they discover a document showing Hex had a 30% stake in the Wayne Casino. Back at the Asylum, Hex makes a break for freedom by jumping off a cliff and taking Arkham with him. Making their way through and out of the sewers, Hex convinces the doctor to steal a car. Arkham suggests Hex give up some information that wouldn’t be found in history books, mentioning a mysterious woman that allegedly saved his great grandfather. Hex correctly identifies her as Tallulah Black. Not long after, the Mutants attack the GPCD at a checkpoint and Hex decides to face the mutant gang all alone.

Okay, we have the usual team of Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Moritat tearing things up in a futuristic Gotham City. Or is it an alternate time-line, because we have Mutants straight out of THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. So, that having been said, are you as confused as I am? GOOD! I don’t feel so all alone! And, for once, no crummy back-up story about a Stormwatch team I don’t care about. Thanks for that!

ANIMAL MAN ANNUAL #2: Set one week after Cliff’s funeral, which is before issue #21, Buddy sees copious amounts of coverage regarding the incident on tabloids and trashes a newsstand. An image of Cliff with a spider on him reminds Buddy of an incident from four years ago when a giant spider captured many citizens including Cliff. Buddy tracks down the arachnid and communicates with it, allowing the creature to keep the memories it feeds on as long as it releases its’ captives, which it does. Meanwhile, Ellen is giving birth to Maxine. Back in present times, Buddy revisits the spider in its’ lair far away from the rest of the world and asks the creature to allow him to see Cliff’s dream. It features Cliff flying through the air with his father. Buddy thanks the Spider Queen and cries at her feet.

Jeff Lemire adds another beautiful layer to the man who is Animal Man. By giving us a flashback to a previous adventure, we see the birth of the new Avatar AND  the tight relationship Cliff and Buddy shared when both were younger. In doing so, we get a wonderful look into the despair that has claimed Buddy. Travel Foreman’s art is right up there with Steve Pugh to the point that I thought it WAS Pugh when I started reading the book. My biggest complain is the timing of this book. First off, DC drops FIVE $5.00 Annuals IN THE SAME WEEK. But more annoying, is that this story takes place BEFORE issue #21. So why not RELEASE IT BEFORE ISSUE #21? Just seems sort of logical to me! B ut what do I know…I’m just a comic reader not a publisher or editor. 

ANIMAL MAN #22: We begin with Maxine travelling through The Red’s with Shepherd and Socks as she has promised the Totems that she will find a way to bring her brother Cliff back to life. She is going to the Field of Organs so she can grow a new Cliff. She begins to form a body that resembles her brother. Maxine tries to communicate with him to no response. Socks explains that whatever this is only a body and that the spirit is gone. The body begins to melt away as Shepherd explains they would have to find his soul in the Red. Meanwhile Buddy is dealing with the paparazzi that are preventing him from pursuing the villain who has been creating animal men. He tracks the man to another warehouse, but collapses because of the pain he feels from the animal’s pain. The animal man, whose name is Clinton Hogue, strikes down on Buddy with an axe. He awakens to find that the animal men are former animal activists who are draining his blood in the hopes to become more like him. Buddy is tortured until he reveals the name of the Red. His blood has been taken to a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, where it is taken to Brother Blood who intends to drink it.

Jeff Lemire has poor Buddy Baker on the continuing road to strangeness. He loses his son, who his daughter is trying to revive but can’t, he’s attacked by demented animal activists and the paparazzi, and now we find out that Baron Blood is awaiting a blood delivery of his life fluid. Can his world get any weirder or troubling? I’m sure it can, after all, it IS Jeff Lemire dropping the bombs in the poor guy’s lap! And Steve Pugh manages to draw up some seriously creepy stuff too! If you are a fan of the dark side of the NEW 52 Universe, this book, along with SWAMP THING, are truly required reading.

AQUAMAN #22: While some of Orm’s true followers look to break him out of Belle Reve, Aquaman meets with the ancient king of Atlantis far below the Bermuda Triangle. He summons sharks to distract the king, which allows Aquaman a chance to break out Mera and in turn she frees Nereus and the rest of those frozen there. The king explains, as he blasts Aqauaman with missiles made of ice, that Arthur is not the true king because, many years ago, his ancestors murdered his family and stole the throne. And Mera’s ex-fiance and his people, make the decision to side with the “True King” of Atlantis Meanwhile, The Scavenger’s submarines are laying waste to Atlantis, which allows Vulko to be freed from his cell. The Scavenger believes that if he sits in the throne, he is now the King of Atlantis.

Geoff Johns and Paul Pelletier continue the DEATH OF A KING ARC and, after four issues, I find myself wishing for an ending. The characters are entertaining and the whole idea that Arthur’s ancestors invaded and stole the true lineage is nice. But to go from the storyline involving Orm and Vulko to The Scavenger, who has been relegated to the sub plot to Mera’s former fiancé is just too many jumps all at once. How about we resolve the trial of Vulko while Orm’s followers try to break him out? Or we can have The Scavenger attack Atlatntis and Aquaman defeats him. THEN we can have the First King story. Okay-I guess this is why Geoff Johns has the job and I don’t!

BATGIRL #22: With the help of her roommate Alysia, Barbara Gordon gets dressed for her date with Ricky. On their way to the opera, Barbara is attacked by someone Ricky knows as Killa Anon from the gang the Sixty-Eight Kings. Ricky comes to her rescue but then has a gun pulled on him and Barbara ends up saving him by breaking the gunman's leg and his wrist. Instead of going to the opera, they end up going to meet Ricky's family. After a dinner from his mom, he takes her to a dance club. They end up at her doorstep and he kisses her goodnight. Her father calls her for lunch the next day and takes her to the pistol range. After having spent the morning going over his son’s funeral arrangements, he wanted to make sure she could handle herself. That night, Gordon meets with Batman and demands he stay out of his way as he will find the Batgirl. Before letting Batman leave, he punches the Dark Knight in the mouth, blaming him for letting a bright girl become a vigilante.

Wow! Jim Gordon dropping the right on the Bat! That will probably cause issues down the road, especially when Gordon goes on the hunt for the person he doesn’t KNOW is his daughter. Gail Simone writes this as well as she does everything else, and Fernando Pasarin completely gives a great fresh look to the book. With the announcement that Batgirl with get her own ZERO YEAR story in the future, I can’t wait to see how this storyline gets resolved without someone having a secret revealed or going down because of Jim Gordon.

BATMAN #22: The Red Hood gang hijacks Oswald Cobblepot and his blimp, tossing Luca Falcone out in the process. In actuality, Cobblepot is a certain vigilante and he and the Red Hood battle. Eventually, he crawls into the hold and frees the real Penguin and parachute to safety. We flashback many years before when Bruce tried to use his father’s visual mapping device to see what was at the bottom of a well on the family property. But he fell into the well and found himself surrounded by bats. Back in the recent past, Bruce discovers that the DNA he got from the Red Hood is not on record, leading him to a dead end. Bruce and Alfred argue, as Bruce claims Alfred has done but maintain the Manor. Alfred slaps Bruce and announces his plans to return to the Manor. Bruce meets with Philip Kane to stop operations until they can find whoever is supplying the Red Hood Gang with Waynetech weapons. Despite his pleas to maintain the illusion that he is dead, Philip reveals Bruce to Gotham's media. Leaving the hall, he encounters Philip’s adviser, Edward Nygma, who tells him he can find escape through the Aviary Wing. Bruce deduces that the exit is at the top of the Egyptian Sphinx’s head. Returning to his BPark Row Brownstone, he finds a banner welcoming him home, followed by the Red Hood gang arriving and detonating the explosives they planted. In the back-up, there is a tale of Bruce’ past with a master inventor named Sergei.

Scott Snyder continues to reshape the origin of Batman for the NEW 52 Universe. One of the biggest changes we see right off of the bat (pun totally intended) is that Bruce falls into the well and gets swarmed on by bats. The CLASSIC origin has him seeing bats outside his window (ah yes…Bruce in his smoking jacket…). But we need this minor change as it ties into the discovery of the cave by Jonah Hex. Other than that, we get Edward Nygma’s first major puzzler for Bruce Wayne and some major angst between Bruce and Alfred. I love the main story, but totally am bored with the back-up. Sure, it delves into Bruce’s past and all, but I don’t care about him an old Russian and his monkey training Bruce. Move on, thank you. 

BATMAN ANNUAL #2: Batman finds himself in Arkham Asylum where he has agreed to test The Tartarus Wing: the ultimate in escape proof captivity. Along the way, a new orderly by the name of Eric Border, releases the oldest inmate, known as The Anchoress. She ends up in a confrontation with Batman, blaming him for taking away her sanctuary during his Zero Year. She bombards him with visions of his parent’s deaths, the death of his “brother” and the death of his son Damian. He mentally battles back, but it eventually takes Eric to realize she is sick and that he should not take revenge upon her. 

Wow! That was a great waste of FIVE BUCKS and I want it back! Here we have a lackluster story by Scott Snyder and Marguerite Bennett, who takes credit for writing it, and Indy comic styled art from Wes Craig. And Indy comic styled art not in a good way. The story is just one long tale of an Arkham inmate seeking revenge and DC attempts to tie it into ZERO YEAR. Okay…so Batman shows up to look for information on the Red Hood gang and freaks her out. So she has been holding a grudge ever since. YAWN!  I was not even closed to being impressed with this 

BATMAN AND ROBIN #22: Catwoman is process of stealing a museum artifact when she gets a call from Steve Trevor telling her she is needed for JLA business. The following morning Bruce Wayne discovers that Carrie Kelley has been hired by Alfred, without Bruce’s permission, to look after Titus. She is concerned that she hasn’t heard from Damian and makes Bruce a deal. She will give him two USB drives-one with a video she is making on Titus and the other containing an interview she did with Damian. In exchange, she makes Bruce promise to have Damian call her before the week is out. When she leaves, Bruce spends the rest of the day splicing together words and phrases to from Damian's com-link recordings for the call. Later, he is contacted by Catwoman who convinces him to join her on a mission for the JLA where she needs to kidnap a spy who is being tortured reveal the identities of American agents in China. Together, they take down the villains and free the girl hostage. Eventually, Carrie receives her voice mail from Damian, where he apologizes for not keeping in touch with her and explains how they should keep in touch by email because of the time-difference between Gotham and China. Lastly, Two-Face enters a restaurant, flips his coin and leaves. 

Just how long can Peter J.Tomasi AND Bruce Wayne keep Carrie Kelley in the dark and how long before she ends up stepping into Damian Wayne’s shoes to becomes the new Robin? We’ll all just have to wait and see as the powers that be are being very secretive about this. Anyway, the main story involving Carrie, Bruce and good old Titus is great but the sub-plot with Catwoman and the  mission in China was just a little too lame for my liking. On the plus side, we get great looking art from Mick Gray. All in althreel, the idea of changing the title every month is making this book feel a little too much like a lame attempt at a team-up title. My suggestion is to cancel the book and call it THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF BATMAN or something similar.

BATMAN INCORPPORATED #13: A badly beaten Bruce Wayne is being questioned by Jim Gordon regarding the incidents of late that have resulted in Gotham City becoming a war zone. Bruce explains that Talia Al Ghul was responsible, explaining she was a jealous old flame. The story that Gordon isn’t told is how the final battle went down between the Dark Knight and the Devil’s Daughter. As the rest of Batman Incorporated take down the Leviathan followers, the pair battle with sabers in the Batcave. In the process, he is poisoned by a new poison and is told he has ten minutes to live without the antidote. Jason Todd arrives and trades the Oroboro Trigger for the antidote. But she is shocked to discover that the trigger has been disarmed. Before she can do more damage, she is shot through the head by Kathy Kane, who was believed to have been killed by the Bronze Tiger. Kane reports to her superiors and instructs Bruce and Jason not to try and find her. Back at the station, Gordon reveals that Bruce is free to go, as a mystery woman cleared his bail and the government shut down the investigation. Alfred arrives to take Bruce home, where he discovers two empty graves in the family cemetery. In the epilogue, Ra’s Al Ghul promises to hound Batman unto the grave and prepares for the Sons of Batman he is growing to rise.

Grant Morrison closes the book on his BATMAN INCORPORATED run and DC closes that book on this book…except for a forthcoming one-shot Special by a wealth of talent that follows many of the other Batman Incorporated cast members. But this is the end for Damian and Talia and the Bat Cow, at least until the first two find they are reborn again in the Lazarus Pits of Ra’s Al Ghul. Morrison predicted that people would hate the ending but I found it incredibly satisfying. the villain of the piece pays the ultimate price…and at the hands of KATHY KANE no less! How fanboyishly cool is that? As always, Chris Burnham’s art is top notch and I really want to see where he ends up applying his talent next. this has been a fun, if not long-winded run that rdeserves it’s proper place among the great Batman epics.

BATMAN SUPERMAN #2: An alien named Kaiyo found the two most dangerous men on Earth and took them to another world. Batman finds himself teleported into Wayne Manor. Confused, he calls out for Alfred and Catwoman arrives. That is when he sees a wedding picture of he and Selina Kyle and realizes he has been transported off world. Meanwhile, Superman is in Smallville and confused to see a father that died years ago. He asks Batman about what is going on, but Kaiyo transports him away and this Earth’s Superman arrives. Batman arrives in the Batcave where he encounters his double. Despite Selina’s pleading, the two Batmen battle to a draw as each knows the others’ moves. After a quick quiz, Selina announces that the two are the same man, although one is older than the other. The pair leave the Batcave and fly over Gotham City, where the younger Batman is amazed at how clean the city is. Apparently a cryo-prison replaced Arkham Asylum, which has been turned into an amusement park. Meanwhile, the older and younger versions of Clark size each other up. Martha Kent goes to the younger one and takes him into her arms. They head to Metropolis where the older Clark meets his wife, Lois Lane. Wonder Woman arrives and throws a spear into her chest. In reality, this Lois was actually Kaiyo, the Trickster in disguise.

Uh…I still don’t know how I feel about this title. It looks beautiful. C’mon: it’s Jae Lee. OF COURSE it looks beautiful! But Greg Pak’s story is completely confusing! I feel like I’m watching a comic version of INCEPTION as I can’t figure out which reality I’m in. We have two Batmans and two Supermans and I don’t know if this is the same universe we once knew…or is another of the multiverse worlds? We have the younger heroes who come from our Universe and the older ones who appear to come from the OLD DCU…except that Selina and Bruce are married and Arkham is an amusement park. I hope this title, which represents the earliest days of the Superman/Batman team-up, moves through this arc and on to something more entertaining. 

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #22: Jim Gordon, who has watched his world fall apart as of late, is beyond playing safe. He responds to a hostage situation at a jewelery store and offers himself up in exchange for the hostages. He walks in with two guns strapped to his back and kills the hostage takers. Batman arrives and the Commissioner begins firing at him. He soon discovered this is actually Clayface. The villain then takes on the appearance of Natalya, who begs Batman to know why he didn’t save her in time, allowing Clayface to escape by hiding in plain sight. So where IS Jim Gordon?  He has been chained to a trap door in an abandoned theatre. Using scraps of old paper, he creates a Bat-Symbol that he puts over an old spotlight. Seeing the signal, Batman traces it to the theatre, finds his friend and escapes-even as Clayface is disguised somewhere in the crowd outside.

So we continue to let Greg Hurwitz apply his quality of writing to this book and it just continues to hit the right notes. And, this time around, Alex Maleev provides the art which just moves this title into a completely different direction. And this is some of Maleev’ best work in the least few years as most fans thought that his MOON KNIGHT series in 2011 was phoned in. This is right up there with the work he did on DAREDEVIL and even his SPIDER-WOMAN run. I miss Ethan Van Sciver’s totally detailed work, but I got get used to Maleev as long as he maintains this gigh standard/.

BATWOMAN #22: The DEO has sent Batwoman and Hawkfire to an island off the coast of Alaska in search of Bane. Batwoman captures him and gets him to talk, demanding he tells her how to take down Batman. He tells her she has to use treachery to bring him down. She leaves him tied to a tree but, after they leave, Agent Chace arrives to free him provided he cuts a deal with her. Jake and Catherine Kane watch a training session involving Hawkfire and Jake’s men known as the Murder of Crows. Meanwhile, Maggie Sawyer meets with many of Batman’s Rogues Gallery including Professor Pyg, Black Mask and others. While she picks their brains, Batwoman watches. Once she has seen enough, she has Director Bones “prepare the bait” and tells him she needs 30 hours to prepare for her mission.

Where in the world are J. H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman and artist Trevor McCarthy going with this and how are they going to get the deal done without actually getting the deal done. I mean, Batwoman’s sister is at stake here. So how much do you want to screw around with the DEO? And what kind of a deal does Chace make with Bane? This book always manages to be totally entertaining. And SHE’S GAY…GET OVER IT!!!

BIRDS OF PREY #22: The Birds are trying to find Strix, who we last saw in battle with a Talon. They follow some bloody footsteps. They find Strix alive in the lab, but wearing a different costume.  Realizing they may never know what may have happened; they set charges and blow tyen lab up. They also discover that because of Starling, they have nowhere safe to go and have had their funding has been tapped into. Condor takes them to a warehouse where he works on his costume. Batgirl gets a call and quickly leaves. Days go by and Dinah and Condor have some concern because they haven’t heard from Batgirl in days. Condor puts his arm around her and they kiss, before she pushes him away saying she’s not quite ready. Condor leaves to run an errand, just as Batgirl arrives, explaining that she has killed a loved one in an accident and only Dinah would understand. Finishing his errand, Condor gets attacked by Tsiklon, who was Condor’s former teammate when he served Regulus and Basilisk. She leaves him and heads to the warehouse where Hammerdown, Whipcrack, and Uplink are attacking. Condor explains they used to be part of their team, Canary feels betrayed and get defeated by Uplink and taken away, leaving Batgirl and Strix to face Whipcrack. 

Welcome to what was one of DC’s fan favorite team books which has been turned into a blubbering Soap Opera by Christy Marx, Romano Molenaar and Robson Rocha. Black Canary used to be one of the most dynamic female characters in the DCU. She was a strong superhero with a great talent who was heavily involved with Oliver Queen, a member of the Justice League and the old Oracle run Birds of Prey. Now she has guilt about what she did to her husband, who may or may not be alive, is possibly getting involved with Condor and is still smarting over being betrayed by Starling. But wait: now she may find herself being betrayed by the new possible love of her life. Oh woe is her! Give me back the REAL Birds of Prey and let’s put this one to rest…PLEASE!!! I love the major players but lose the romantic claptrap. And, just in case you are confused, the Strix plot was resolved in TALON, which I don’t read but obviously she survived! 

CATWOMAN #22: Rat-Tail is dead and Selina, who escalated the gang-war between the Rat-Tails and the Penguin, is to blame. Wiping away tears, she tosses the stolen jewels into the cement being used to fill in the sink-hole. Convinced that Rat-Tail is still alive, she meets with Alice Tesla and gathers some equipment, but Selina must raid a funeral home that cremates bodies and uses extreme pressure to create diamonds to pay the bill. Selina enters the sewers beneath Arkham Asylum. Meanwhile, Gwen meets with Trip Winter and tries to get guilt off her chest and begs him to help her find Catwoman, so she can beg forgiveness. But Catwoman ends up in Charneltown: the current home of Doctor Phosphorous and his daughter. To pay for her trespassing, Phosphorous wants her to infiltrate the no man's land between the tribes of the Underground. Catwoman agrees as long as the Phosphorus' tribe helps her find Rat-Tail. Catwoman and his daughter ride to the Warthogs.

Much likes BIRDS OF PREY, Ann Nocenti is doing a wonderful job of writing a soap opera…if you like soap operas. Personally, my days of watching Soaps waned long ago when my wife stopped watching Soaps on tape at night while I read comics. And even then, it was a passing interest that made me realize the stories took a month to play out even though they lasted about a day or so in real time, sometimes less. Welcome to the world of the comics, where stories sometimes take a year to tell. Anyway, Nocenti’s got Selina all in love/guilt over Rat-Tail, which is a bit different from the first issue where she was getting it on with Batman. I MISS that Catwoman. What I do like, despite it NOT being Guillen Marsh, is the art by Rafa Sandoval from breakdowns by Scott McDaniels.

CONSTANTINE #5: Constantine and Shazam ends up in The Joint bar, where Constantine convinces the hero to change back to Billy Batson. When he tries to channel the lightning, it makes it’s way into a voodoo doll John has. He proceeds to borrow Billy's voice and his ability to use the  for a while - and along with it, the ability to use his magic word. Mister E and the Cult of the Cold Flame send MopMop to the bar, where he beats on Constantine until he utters the word. The fight ends quickly as the transformed Constantine is just too much for the demon. Billy gets his hand on the doll, speaks the magic word and regains his power. John explains that the Pandora’s Box is actually a global bomb. Billy leaves and John and Lloyd realize that he is gravely injured. John has an outer body experience and meets with Chris, who died in issue #1. And Chris wants revenge.

Ray Fawkes, with art this time around by Renato Guedes, continues to make Constantine’s life a roller coaster ride through the dark side. The mystical con-man always manages to get what he wants and then, just when it seems he’s out of trouble, he finds himself back in it again. He needs to team up with The Phantom Stranger and Etrigan so they can be the Good and The Bad and the REALLY UGLY! I love Fawkes writing and he does such a great job here. He has a lot of big Vertigo HELLBLAZER shoes to fill, but his take, while not as deep and mystical, is entertaining.

DEMON KNIGHTS #22: We find Vandal Savage beaten down by the giants from the Treasure Vault. And it doesn’t take long for Savage to turn on his companions when it looks as though he will be cut in two by the giants. He offers to lead the giants back to The Grail. Meanwhile, the rest of the team returns to al Jabr to tell him they have The Grail. While he wants to open it, The Shining Knight insists that it remained closed, adding they are only here to resupply and then search for Merlin. The Giants arrive in al-Wadi and attack the city. During the process, The Holy Grail falls out of the box and ends up on the floor, causing sudden growth in the flowers and vines in the area. The Horsewoman gets the Grail back in the box and her legs are healed in the process.

Despite the fact that this title is on its final legs and will soon disappear from the NEW 52 landscape, Robert Venditti and Chad Hardin are putting everything they have into it. With next issue being the swan song, I wonder just how they are going to sew this up in 32 pages or less. So, we get a book loaded with plot pieces that have to be quickly wrapped up…and get a Howard Porter cover in the process is just an added treat!

DETECTIVE COMICS #22: Two Gotham officers see Batman standing over the dead bodies of two of their own and immediately open fire on him. Commissioner Gordon arrives and explains that Batman probably saved them the same fate and they should be glad Batman has their backs. Meanwhile Bruce has to deal with the CEO of Caldwell Tech who wants to buy Wayne Enterprises for their R&R to make the perfect weapons with his company. And he won’t take no for an answer. A masked assassin named Scorn is on the loose and our hero is too late to save two more Gotham officers who were killed. Batman and Officer Strode capture the shooter, but he manages to escape thanks to an aircraft covering the area with bullets. Once inside, his employer ends his partnership with Scorn by dropping him to his death. In the back-up, the Kirk Langstrom story continues as we learn that his wife has based her formula off the blood of a South American vampire bat.

John Layman and Jason Fabok continue the tale of the mass murderer named Scorn. I love that Layman, Snyder and company, who have been wielding their work across the bat titles, keep coming up with new villains that tend to equal some of the odder creations from the OLD DCU. I can do without the Man bat back-up story by Layman and Andy Clarke, although it looks real pretty! Man-Bat was never a character who made me excited…and I am less excited by his wife.

DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #2: We begin with a woman who is supposedly dead trying to rob a bank. Batman gives chase but loses the woman, who is actually lifted onto a helicopter piloted by The Wrath. GCPD finds a dead woman in a Wildback Ravine. Batman, along with Harvey Bullock and psychologist Abby Wilburn investigate. Soon after, Wilburn attacks Bullock, who claims he loves her, with a knife. Batman intervenes and discovers that Bullock is actually the villain known as Jane Doe. She has been masquerading as a number of people, including the bank robber from the beginning of the book. Batman defeats her and rescues Bullock, who had been forced to watch everything she did as him. Jane Doe ends up in Arkham, leaving Bullock and Wilburn to attempt to patch up a relationship which never really existed. In the first back-up, we see Jane Doe in Arkham Asylum, having the fantasy conversation with herself. In the second back-up, we witness Bullock’s attempt to regain his old life as he realizes Jane Doe was a better Harvey Bullock than he ever was.  

Luckily, DC has put out a book that actually FITS within current continuity, instead of it appearing a month or two AFTER events referenced. John Layman And Joshua Williamson have created a new villain who is a sort of cross between Clayface and Falseface. Scott Eaton’s artwork makes her twice as scary as she should be. And just when you think there may be a tie in with The Wrath, it turns out he just shows up to rescue her and ties her into current continuity. The two back-up tales, both written by Layman and Williamson serve to explore different aspects of the two main characters: Jane Doe and Harvey Bullock. Never have we seen Bullock this humbled and it’s pretty cool to see the slovenly detective taken down to his moral core and forced to engage in a great deal of self searching to gain his confidence back. This is sure to affect him in months to come. For once, I LOVE the back-ups in a book! Nice job, guys!

DIAL H #14: Nelson has been training with the Dial Bunch, who has discovered another spot in the Exchange to allow them to seek out both the Fixer and the Centipede. One of the frog-people mentions that something bad is going to happen, but the bunch goes anyway. As they pass through various worlds, everyone speaks of a coming war. Upon arriving on the other side of the fray, they discover the world has already been destroyed. Dewpite their anger at them, because the conquerors of this world were dial users, Nem opens a doorway to another world and almost all escape through, as Yaaba, Nem, and Unbled get left behind. Soon after arriving, they are attacked and forced to surrender. Open-Window Man and Dwan arrive to rescue them, telling them that the Metacastle is being attacked by zombies.  Nelson dials another hero and fights them off. Roxie believes that the lost Operator is dialing up disasters to destroy every world that fought in the Dial War.  But they can’t find him without a working J-Dial. Luckily, the people of this world fixed one and Roxie and Nelson dial 0-0-0-0 to jump to the Operator's location, where they find the Centipede waiting for them. 

China Mieville and Alberto Ponticelli race towards the end of the series and I wonder exactly how they are going to wrap this up in 32 pages. Do our heroes get saved? Do Nelson and Roxie end up together and ride off into the sunset of a brave new world or do they end up back on our own? This has been a fun and sometimes disturbing series. I will be sorry to see it go, but be glad at the same time as a monthly mind-mess like this So, we get a book loaded with plot pieces that have to be quickly wrapped up…and get a Howard Porter cover in the process is just an added treat!

EARTH 2#14: Although Steppenwolf’s forces are expecting a war with the World Army, they are not expecting an attack from The Flash, Doctor Fate and Green Lantern. Alan Scott masterminded this, thinking they could defeat Steppenwolf’s men and then use his company GBC to spin the event. Steppenwolf releases his hounds and Wesley Dodds and his Sandmen arrive, along with The Atom and Red Arrow. There is great tension between the two teams as The Sandmen feel they have been undermined by the Wonders. Meanwhile, Khan and General Foster continue to plan their full attack on Dherain, and now it appears that Michael Holt is by their side.

James Robinson continues to write his way through his final story arc, with the help of  Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott. All I can say is that this isn’t my daddy’s JSA or even MY JSA. This is a totally new team that, as much as Robinson has the respect for the characters, something I have said from issue #1, it is starting to no longer feel right. It feels like just an other world version of the JLA or the Justice League, only without the legacy of the Trinity. Sure, we all know the Trinity died saving Earth 2. But these new wonders can’t hold a candle to their original counterparts in the OLD DCU. Where is Ma Hinkle when you need her?

GREEN ARROW #22: Oliver battles his way into a castle and defeats a small army of guards using his various arrows and eventually finds the Dragon he has been looking for. They kiss and the young woman refers to him as Robert, thinking he is actually his father. He denies it and she see the he is actually Ollie Queen. Count Vertigo arrives and nearly incapacitates our hero until Fyff arrives and helps defeat the villain with a quiver of Ollie’s arrows. As they escape, Emiko explains that Robert is her father which makes her Oliver Queen’s sister.

Shado arrives in the NEW 52 Universe!!! Thank you Jeff Lemire for bringing back one of the most interesting of characters while, at the same time, changing her up into his own version. And Andrea Sorrentino’s art is so amazing! I actually started scanning about for back issues of the Ann Nocenti run, just to fill me in on some of the plot prior to Lemire. I also realized why I never picked up the book under her run because it’s pretty mindless. This title has just jumped to the top of my favorite books list! 

GREEN LANTERN #22: Hal Jordan, now in charge of the Green Lantern Corps, is in the process of working with the new recruits as they battle Larfleeze and his Orange Lanterns. Saint Walker Star Sapphire join the battle and she ends up being torn apart by Larfleeze’s Constructs. Her ring finds the female prisoner in the Sciencells and declares her as the next Star Sapphire. The Warden opens the cell and she murders him. Hal sends out the impounded ships on Oa which forces Larfleeze’ army to split up and allows the Green Lantern Corps to defeat them. It also allows Larfleeze to escape.

Okay, so Robert Venditti is not Geoff Johns and this story is running at a snail’s pace. But I have hope that it will get better as it progresses. After so many good years, it’s hard to imagine Green Lantern life with Johns, so maybe I am setting the bar too high. Also, Billy Tan is getting better on this issue too, but still not in Doug Mahnke’s class. .

THE GREEN TEAM #3: It seems that Commodore and Mo, wearing on of Robin’s old capes, have driven to Miami in the Batmobile to meet with Deathstroke. Their plan: offer him enough money to kill Riot for them. His initial response is to kill them, but apparently Abisha has an existing relationship with Deathstroke, so he restrains himself. Meanwhile, back in New York, J.P. and Cecilia are being hounded by paparazzi and can’t leave the hotel because Cecilia of her newly developed robot arm. But they soon notice that Riot is watching them from a roof across the street. But they escape when the entire hotel is airlifted away by Commodore’s helicopters. Eventually, they end up battling Riot in Monaco to battle Riot and it takes Deathstroke’s arrival to save the day. He collects his bounty and leaves as Commodore unmasks Riot and are shocked to recognize someone that is dead.

Okay…we have a bunch of action, Mo in a Robin cape, a villain who is a walking dead man and a whole bunch of fun dialogue from Franco and Art Baltizar. And we get an AWESOME Amanda Connor cover. I wish she was providing the art each month as it would push this book so much further along. Personally, I’m enjoying the title, even though I still don’t see the connection between THE MOVEMENT other than these guys is rich and The Movement kids are the poor or something like that. But I AM enjoying it as it represents just a small piece of the good old days of silly comics that I grew up with. And I don’t mean laugh out loud silly-I mean silly where you shake your head and mutter obscenities at the ridiculousness of it. Yeah…I like that!

JUSTICE LEAGUE #22: Madame Xanadu receives a visit at her fortune telling store from a young girl who wants to know why she keeps having the same nightmare. Xanadu touches her and sees the aftermath of a great war involving Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Shazam decides to spread Black Adam’s ashes across Kahndaq. Pandora approaches Superman and Wonder Woman as they leave Belle Reve and hands him the box, saying only the purest of heart can open it. Superman touches it and turns into a dark version of himself and immediately attacks Wonder Woman and Pandora. Pandora gets the box away from Superman, turning him back to normal. They get a call from Batman telling them Shazam is going to Khandaq, where he has been attacked by local military forces. Superman appears and they get into a fight. The JLA arrives to make them all leave Kahndaq. Dr. Light tries to calm them all down, but has a bad reaction to Superman’s sun-light absorbing abilities, causing him to unwillingly attack Wonder Woman. Superman kills Dr. Light by decapitating him with his heat vision, leading to a fight between both teams. Xanadu sees it all in her cards and, before she can warn the Leagues, the girl reveals that she is Plastique and blows up the store. Lastly, a mysterious villain claims he is responsible for having everyone believe Superman killed Light.  By the time they figure it all out the world would belong to the "them".  

And thus the TRINITY WAR begins. This two month cross-over through all the Justice League titles and offshoots in CONSTANTINE, TRINITY OF SIN: PANDORA and TRINITY OF SIN: THE PHANTOM STRANGER, promises to set up stories for the next year and resolve much of how this new universe came to be. Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis launch the first chapter with a major bang, dropping clues, providing a mysterious villain and allowing Superman to blow Dr. Light’s head off. And it is house in the first of a three part connecting cover. From here, we move into JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6. Read on…

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6: We begin with The Question wanting to know "Who is the evil behind the evil?"  In Kahndaq, Steve Trevor instructs the JLA to neutralize the Justice League. Superman begs everyone to stop fighting and lock him up. Back at A.R.G.U.S., Amanda Waller finds it impossible to believe that Superman would kill a man, but does view it as an opportunity for her Justice League. The Atom feels guilt over her betrayal of the Justice League while Waller has Firestorm attempt to make Kryptonite. Batman has watch on Superman, who hasn't stopped coughing since they arrived. Martian Manhunter and Cyborg preside over Dr. Light’s autopsy. Wonder Woman believes that what happened had nothing to do with Dr. Light or his powers but everything to do with Pandora’s Box. Leaving A.R.G.U.S., Wonder Woman meets with her cousin Hephaestus. He explains that, despite legend otherwise, he didn’t forge the box. Apparently the Gods of Olympus attempted to control the box but had Pandora open it because it scared them. She leaves, deciding to meet with the Justice League Dark and get their advice on it. Back at A.R.G.U.S., Superman is freed by Steve Trevor.  He soon reveals he is The Question and hopes to help Superman find out who really killed Dr. Light.

Geoff Johns, Jeff Lemire and Doug Mahnke (with a large cast of inkers) unleash the second chapter in this epic and leave us with a bunch of still unanswered questions. Who is pulling the strings on all of this? Is this part of a plan by the Secret Society? Who is The Question in the NEW 52? What could Dr. Light’s autopsy reveal? Did Xanadu survive the explosion in JUSTICE LEAGUE? Will Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman reconcile? What will Dr. Light’s family say when they learn the Man of Steel killed him. Tune in to JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK for more…

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #22: We begin by finding that Madame Xanadu was not killed, but instead kidnapped by the mysterious that has wandered through the first two parts of this crossover. Firestorm has succeeded in making Kryptonite for Amanda Waller. During the autopsy of Doctor Light, the Phantom Stranger arrives, telling everyone they must stop Wonder Woman and Justice League Dark from going after Pandora and the box. The Question, masquerading as Steve Trevor, gives Superman a news clipping showing that Doctor Psycho was in Khandaq at the same time as the incident. He breaks free and has a confrontation with Cyborg. Green Arrow gets involved and makes the right decision, joining Superman, Martian Manhunter and the remaining heroes of the JLA as they leave A.R.G.U.S. in search of Doctor Psycho. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman has found Justice League Dark, who has agreed to help. Unfortunately, Batman and his team have arrived and are determined to stop them. Zatanna teleports Wonder Woman’s team away and Constantine takes off with Shazam. And Madame Xanadu’s captor tells her that he has a mole in the Justice League that will help him win.

Jeff Lemire and Mikel Janin jump in feet first into the third segment of the TRINITY WAR crossover. As with the first two pieces, more questions have been raised than answered. And it looks like all will be revealed by the end. Hope it’s a good one: DC has put a lot of time and effort into saying this was THE event of the year, going so far as to feature it in last year’s FCBD book.