DC UNIVERSE Month 51, Part 1

ACTION COMIICS # 1042 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Shawn Aldridge, Riccardo Federici and Adriana Melo. The revolution on Warworld continues with OMAC joining Mongul’s forces following the death of Lightray. Eventually, Mongul shows up as Superman continues to inspire the people. Meanwhile, Lois Lane, John Henry Irons, Jon Kent, and the Phaelosian refugee continue to delve into the mystery of the Genesis fragment. Somehow, they can hear Clark’s voice on Warworld, leading them to believe something big is happening on Warword. In the backup, Martian Manhunter fights back against the VULTURE and realizing he is best when he is his own true self.

AQUAMAN/GREEN ARROW-DEEP TARGET #7 by Brandon Thomas and Ronan Cliquet. Olliver confronts Arthur, who does not want to change things back to their proper reality because he has found peace with Orm and his mother is again alive. Ollie convinces him that they must fix things, which leads them to team up with the transformed General in a battle against the real General, who is still looking to make his plan a permanent reality. In the end, the transformed General goes into the distant past and disables the device, bringing things back to normal.

AQUAMEN #3 by Brandon Thomas, Chuck Brown and Max Raynor. Jackson Hyde has gone off to track down the mastermind behind the activation of the Atlantean sleeper cells. Mera goes to Mars to meet with Dr. Frankenstein. When she mentions his recent behavior, Frankenstein explains that Arthur only spent a few hours with him. Later, she confronts her husband who explains he is still suffering memory loss since his resurrection. Jackson meets with Kate Kane and they both go undercover to meet with the person responsible, who turns out to be Scavenger. With a special battle suit, he fights Jackson and seems to be winning. That’s when the cavalry in the form of Arthur and Manta arrive to lend a hand.

BATGIRLS #5 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad and Jorge Corona. The Batgirls are in conflict with the Saints when the original Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, arrives to lend a hand. After defeating them, Barbara shows them proof that Simon Saint is dead and the Magistrate is over, leading to the Saints now focused on finding Tutor. Steph and Cass head to Arkham to dig through files, while Barbara goes to visit Charles. The Batgirls discover that Charles Dante knew Tutor long before he began his criminal career. The girls face off with Tutor while Barbra is confronted by Charles, who reveals himself to be Spellbinder. Meanwhile, the hypnotized townspeople are converging on Arkham..

BATMAN #122 by Joshua Williamson, Trevor Hairsine and Howard Porter. SHADOW WAR PART 2. Following the assassination of Ra’s, Batman and Cameron Chase investigate the crime scene with Batman using holographic technology to study Ra's last moments. He deduces that Deathstroke wounded Talia on purpose, leading Chase to ask why would he want Talia alive. Over in Zandia, Slade, Respawn, and the Secret Society are battling the reformed Demon's Shadow with less than successful results. Slade and Respawn escape, leaving his Secret Society to keep up the fight. Elsewhere, Damian seeks out Ravager and the pair go off to kill Deathstroke. Batman heads to Nepal, where he meets with Talia, ending with the pair kissing. To be continued in DEATHSTROKE INC. #8. In the backup, Batman seeks out Deathstroke, who has been hired to kill Robin. When the pair confront, Deathstroke reveals that whoever hired him was laughing, meaning it was probably the Joker.

BATWOMAN/CATWOMAN #11 by Tom King and Clay Mann. In the past, Catwoman strikes a deal with The Riddler. Later, Batman and Catwoman battle the Joker. In the present, Batman and Catwoman confront Phamtasm reveals how she went after Joker’s associates, tracked him down and met her son. When the Joker tried to kill the child, Phantasm saved him, allowing the Joker to escape. She also reveals that the baby wasn’t her son and, in the end of her confession, she kills herself. In the future, Dick searches for Selena and battles Helena. Later, Helena meets with her mother, who tells her that she loves her.

BATMAN BEYOND: NEO-YEAR #1 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Max Dunbar. Bruce Wayne is dead, Commissioner Barbara Gordon is set to retire and Terry McGinnis has to figure out what is going on now that  a criminal named Lumos has taken over Wayne Enterprises and coordinating an illegal drug shipment into the city. After Terry meets with Commissioner Gordon, who tells him that the flat crime rate is a sign of improvement, he is attacked by Gotham’s newest sword wielding defender with disastrous results.

BATMAN: KILLING TIME #2 by Tom King and David Marquez. In the ancient past, King Pentheus meets his fate at the hands of the Maenads. On December 26, Joker has Batman captive and injects him with some sort of truth serum. On December 29, Joker tells Selina a secret involving zipping up a man’s lips. On January 18, Catwoman and Riddler rob Bridwell’s Jewelry store. Four days later, they are locked away in adjoining cells and concoct a plan. On February 1, Selina and Riddler ring the doorbell of someone’s home. On February 2, Joker meets with The Penguin to discuss a plan. On March 4, Riddler and Catwoman are hiding out, waiting to meet the buyer. At the same time, Batman is violently interrogating Croc while his fiancé is spending his money at an upscale jewelry shop. When she gets home, she finds Batman waiting for her. Later she goes back to the jewelry store to buy something else. Meanwhile, ‘Ben Guinn’, AKA The Penguin, is in a hospital bed after being beaten half to death by The Riddler. Batman races to The Riddler’s safe house as the buyer arrives. And it looks like it may be The Joker.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #2 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. Niles and the rest of the Doom Patrol operate on a Red K infected Superman, with positive results. Later, Batman, Robin and Superman are told of the Legend of Nezha, where they learn that the Devil Nezha is possibly trying to use his acolytes to wreak havoc on the world. They discover that many of their Justice League teammates are battling villains including Felix Faust who is menacing a young Billy Batson. Superman calls in Supergirl to team up with Robin and there is definite friction there between the air. Supergirl and Robin travel to the past, where they confront warriors who are convinced the pair is working for Nezha. Meanwhile, Superman and Batman face off against Felix Faust who, with Nezha’s help, sends the trio to Hell.

BATMAN: THE KNIGHT #4 by Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico. Bruce climbs Paektu Mountain and arrives at Master Kirigi's Dojang. He is accepted into the Dojang and becomes friends with another student named Anton. Later, Master Kirigi takes on some new students and begins to teach the Dim Mak: the Death Touch. Bruce decides to leave but is confronted by Kirgi, who explains the new students are assassins he has been assigned to teach. Bruce is attacked by the assassins, but Anton arrives to lend a hand. The pair defeated the assassins and leave Paektu Mountain

BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS #14 by Vita Ayala, Ryan Cady, Che Grayson, Mark Russell, Nikola Cizmesija, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Serg Acuna and Karl Mostert.

Batman and Constantine continue to battle against Eos, ending up in the past at the Fall of Rome, where Batman tries to change history. In the first backup, Batman teams up with Vic Sage to solve a case of corruption involving Waynetech Industries. The air solve the crime and Batman reveals his identity to The Question. In the second backup, the Birds of Prey team up with Miracle Molly to investigate the mystery of Noah Grove. In the final story, continue their attempt to free Batman but one of their team is captured in the process and maybe all hope is lost.

BLUE & GOLD #8 by Dan Jurgens and Ryan Sook. Our team, thanks to the help of a corrupted Buggles, battles the Black Beetle, whose plan is to capture the database of history from now until the 25^th Century. Booster transports them all to the Prehistoric past where Black Beetle reveals himself to be fellow time traveler Mike Carter: an alternate version of Booster from Earth-3. Beetle commandeers a triceratops and Carter ends up in a tar pit, before transporting away. In the end, with finances dwindling, the decision is made to shut down Blue & Gold Restoration, but they get a Hail Mary in the form of a 20 million dollar bankroll from Bruce Wayne.

CATWOMAN #42 by Tini Howard and Nico Leon. Selena fights off the invading Kobun sent by Eiko.Once everything cams down, the Kobun explain that the five families are looking to have her killed but fear retribution from Batman. Black Mask is pushing for it and, if he convince a majority it is the right thing to do, it will be an all out assault. Later, Selena meets with Dario and she explains her plan: go undercover as a temp in Sionis’ office building and gather intel. That night she meets with Valmont and asks him for something to be made within 36 hours. She makes her way into the meting of the families, where she reveals she has Black Mask’s actual mask and he is wearing a fake. Incensed, he goes out with his team to tale the mask from her, which she destroys in the process. The Yakuza show up and take Black Mask into custody. In the end, she meets with the other girls at the club as they mourn Kristi.

DEATHSTROKE INC. #8 by Joshua Williamson and Paolo Pantalena. SHADOW WAR PART 3. Deathstroke and Respawn plan their next move in Slade’s hidden fortress. Meanwhile, Angel Breaker is interrogating Raptor, eventually bringing him to Talia, who has finished her brief romantic interlude with Batman. When Angel Breaker threatens Raptor’s life, Batman intervenes, freeing Raptor before before heading out. In the end, Deathstroke’s stronghold is invade by Damian and Ravager. To be continued in ROBIN #13.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1059 by Mariko Tamaki, Nadia Shammas, Sina Grace, Ivan Reis and David Lapham. The Riddler is dropping clues to future crimes and the Dark Knight is baffled. Later, Judge Donovan’s life is threatened when her courtroom is subject to a bombing. She is injured in the process and we learn she is Deb Donovan’s daughter. After Bruce Wayne meets with the Judge in her hospital bed, Batman discovers that there were two extra janitors the day of the bombing and he deduces one of them is Brand Influencer Sarah Pet, who refuses to reveal her accomplices. As Batman investigates further, the jail is hit with a gas attack, leading to Batman chasing down someone named John Harper, who kills himself in front of Batman. In the end, the Judge gets a phone call from someone named Chase, saying she did what she was told and that no one was supposed to get hurt. How is the Judge connected to all of this and who is Chase. In the backup,  Gotham Girl attempts to take her life back, designs a new costume and concentrates on school. In the end, she visits with a classmate who turns up dead.

THE FLASH #781 by Jeremy Adams and Fernando Pasarin. Wally and Wallace team up for a road trip, complete with eating ice cream and pizza and doing superhero work along the way. Wally explains that, as The Flash and also a parent and husband, he can’t be everywhere, so he asks Wallace to follow a route he has used to watch for trouble. Wallace agrees, but in the end they team up to face Girder.

FLASHPOINT BEYOND #0 by Geoff Johns and Eduardo Risso. Thomas Wayne awakes to find the Flashpoint Timeline has been restored. Knowing what this means, he desperately tries to find a way to restore the correct timeline. He kidnaps this timeline’s Barry Allen, as he is looing to create what resulted in the Flashpoint Timeline being erased. He straps Allen into the electric chair and calls down the lightning. But an Atlantean assassin destroys the beaker with the chemicals and Barry Allen is fried to a crisp. Judge Dent arrives to arrest Thomas for the murder of Joe Chill, but the assassin blows up Dent’s car, killing him as Thomas saves his son. Thomas captures the assassin, who reveals that Aquaman sent him to kill Allen. In the aftermath, Thomas learns that Dent’s son is going to child services. In the first Epilogue, Dent’s widow, who is in Arkham, demands to see Thomas Wayne while another patient realizes things have been altered. In the end, as Thomas decides he needs to find time-altering artifacts, Corky smith arrives and informs him that Rip Hunter and the rest of the Time Masters are going to stand in his way.

FUTURE STATE: GOTHAM #12 by Dennis Culver, Jamal Campbell and Giannis.Nightwing is under Taia’s care, as he has had ill effects from mainlining Brane. Meanwhile, the new Joker battles Batman and Jason, but is easily defeated. Elsewhere, Harley leads Mother Knight and Whale to safety, but that turns out badly as Harley has cut a deal with Hush. Mother Knight is knocked out and apparently Whale is killed by Hush. Later, Jason meets with Jodi. While they talk, they are informed that a prison van carrying the New Joker has been attacked by a gang led by the real Joker. Hush announces to the world that he now controls Gotham City. In the end, Nightwing awakes and informs Talia he knows how to find Damian: he is going to become a bat! In the backup, Nightwing recalls his triumphs and failures as he relishes on his freedom to be who he is.

GREEN LANTERN #12 by Geoffrey Thorne, Tom Raney and Marco Santucci. A newly powered John Stewart meets “The Source”(who looks remarkably like Jack Kirby). He uses his power to create a massive ball of energy at the site of the old Power Battery. The new battery creates a power ring for Hal Jordan and he orders Martian Manhunter to get all the Lanterns to the site so they can all get rings. The Lanterns are restored, with Iolande becoming Star Sapphire and G’nort becoming the Blue Lantern. Simon gets passed over, but still retains his armor. Arisa and the dead Lanterns talk to him, apparently now having a permanent connection to him. In the end, John begrudgingly accepts his new role as the leader of the Emerald Knights.

HARLEY QUINN #14 by Stephanie Phillips and Riley Rossmo. Harley is in prison for a crime she didn’t commit and is trying to make friends and adjust to life on the inside. Elsewhere, Batwoman is investigating a judge's murder, leading her to a direct conflict with the mysterious killer known as Verdict. Later, Batwoman, having decided that Harley is innocent, breaks her own of prison. Meanwhile, Kevin is enjoying domestic bliss with his girlfriend Sam. But there is something a bit odd about her. Is she Verdict?

I AM BATMAN #8 by John Ridley and Christian Duce. Jace battles the killer artist named Manray and is forced to flee. Elsewhere, the Mayor brags about the recent bust and fully endorses his Special Crimes Unit and appreciates Batman’s help. Folowing the meeting, Commissioner Becket is captured by Manray and is tortured and dismembered. When the Special Crimes Unit and Batman investigate, it seems that Becket was a racist, indicating a possible motive for the killer, who previously killed a known sex trafficker. With the release of that information, the citizens turn on the late Commissioner, saying he got what he deserved. This doesn’t sit well with the police force, who decide to go out on their own and capture Manray.

THE JOKER #14 by James Tynion IV, Alex Pahnadel, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Vasco Georgiev. We find Jim Gordon in custody answering questions about what happened on the Sampson Family Farm. Bane stops his daughter from killing Joker, giving her a physical tough love lesson. Once inside, Jim and The Joker learn from Cressida  that her father was once the head of the Court of Owls. The generals of Santa Prisca paid big money to gain the Talon’s cloning technology, but Cressida had a plan to bring the Court down which involved Bane and making The Joker the scapegoat for everything. When last we see The Joker, Jim has a gun to the clown’s head. In the end, Batman pays Jim a visit and demands to know what happened to The Joker. In the backup, set during the Joker War, a former soldier with PTSD has been affected by Joker Gas and now wants to be completely jokerized by Punchline so she can find her laugh again.