DC UNIVERSE Month 93, Part 2

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #9 by Jeremy Adams, Morgan Hampton, and Fernando Pasarin. The Starbreaker Supremecy Part 6. John Stewart is dead and Hal leads the Leanterns back to Oa where all hope rests on the freed criminals wielding rings. The Starbreaker Corps arrive and Lanterns of all colors unite to fight back. But their constructs are eaten by the enemy leading to the Guardians coming up with a counterattack. Ellie, now possessing a Blue Lantern ring, joins the fight and the grand plan results in the Starbreaker Corps entering the various Lantern batteries, where they are trapped forever. In the aftermath, Simon appears, possessed by the mind of Krona. In the end, John’s ring enters the Dark Sector and calls to him, where he is working on his farm.

HARLEY QUINN #55 by Elliot Kalan and Carlos Olivares. Harley, Gunbunny, and Mayfly have been captured by the Coast City Police but Harley being Harley manages to escape, with her inner brain telling her to go back to rescue the others. She runs, literally, into Fire and Ice, forcing her to flee back inside the jail, with her breaking the villains out. Fire and Ice end up in pursuit but Harley outfoxes them. Soon, Harley and Mayfly get tranquilized by Brock Blomquist, who is revealed to be Gunbunny’s father and prepares to hunt Harley and Mayfly. Meanwhile, the mysterious man continue to exert his evil influence on city residents, forcing Delores to shoot Marcisak.

JSA #11 by Jeff Lemire and Diego Olortegui. The Unnamed Ones have arrived and the JSA finds themselves in a fight with Johnny Sorrow and his team. Doctor fate takes control and forces the villains to flee. Kid Eternity travels to meet the dead heroes and Ted Grant whispers a secret to her to help defeat the bad guys. She returns and whispers to Doctor Fate, who takes on the Unnamed Ones, telling them he knows their true names and faces, destroying them. In the end, Kid Eternity whispers something to Wildcat that Ted told her which makes her cry with joy. In the end, Kid Eternity meets with The Spectre and is now that vessel.

JUSTICE LEAGUE RED #3 by Saladin Ahmed and Clayton Henry. Simon and Cyborg battle the Blood Tabernacle and a dragon-like creature which Simon slays with a sword construct. Defeating the dragon and the first wave, they make their way inside the hideout to save Red Canary, only to encounter Father Blood. The heroes are soon trapped and a waking Red Canary unleashes powerful red energy that destroys everything in the building-presumably Father Blood also. Meanwhile, Kara deals with the vision of her parents that Red Tornado has created, which he says is a gift he created to thank her for joining the team. He explains he was able to do that thanks to help from Deadman. When Cyborg, Canary, and Simon return, Reddy tells them that they have almost completed their mission and now need to kill Black Adam on their most dangerous mission yet.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE OMEGA ACT SPECIAL #1 by Joshua Williamson, Yasmine  Putri, and Cian Tormey. Years ago, on Krypton, Lara and Ursa discover an old data pad revealing a time when Krypton still cooperated with other worlds and civilizations. They also find what appears to be a Mother Box and an ancient weapon of some sorts that may be the Heart of Apokolips, along with a wall with a symbol that says KING OMEGA. In the present, Time Trapper reveals how time is fractured when Booster Gold appears and is taken by the Trapper into a weird field of energy with the Flash being caught in it as well. They arrive in the 853^rd century where Justice League Alpha is being devastated by the legion of Darkseid. It is revealed that this is happening throughout all timelines and the present will be the Legion’s next stop. Booster and The Flash get caught in the battle, with Booster unleashing Omega Energy to defeat the Legion as the trio heads back to the present. Time Trapper tells the gathered heroes that they must all work together to defeat Darkseid. At the same time, in Krypton’s past, ursa shows a device she took from the cave, telling how it said a great danger was coming and an ultimate weapon was needed to defeat it. Lara reveals that Ursa got the translation wrong and it actually says “Ultimate Champion”. To be continued in DC K.O. #1. 

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #12 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. A DC K.O. tie-in. As of now, 62% of the planet has been evacuated but The Atom hears about a bank robbery, leading to he and Batgirl investigating, finding Polka-Dot Man responsible. The Atom punches him and the villain explodes; severely injuring Ray and Barbara. Apparently, this is not an isolated incident as other low-level villains are giving the Justice League members still on Earth problems, causing Mr. Terrific to deduce that Neron is responsible because of a deal he had made many years ago to increase their power levels in exchange for their souls. Terrific then puts a team together made up of time-lost members of the League: Aquaman, Superman Blue, and Power Girl from the past, Guy Gardner Warrior, Green Lantern from KINGDOM COME, Futures End Batman, Dr. Fate of the 31^st Century, the Gold Hawk of Andrino, and Dc One Million Owlwoman. Because of the battle with the Legion of Doom, Universe-0 is gone and these heroes cannot return home and if the Justice League fixes the damage Darkseid has caused, these heroes will cease to exist. Before their mission, they meet with various League members. Guy tries to connect with Ice. Aquaman visits his counterpart’s room and is confused to see a picture of a daughter he was not aware of. Power Girl records a video message to her current self. The Watchtower receives an urgent message from Air Wave begging for assistance against Darkseid’s forces while Terrific activates a Boom Tube to bring them to Hell.

KRYPTO: THE LAST DOG OF KRYPTON #5 by Ryan North and Mike Norton. Krypto is in Kansas and helps save a family from a robber. The children recognize that the dog has super powers and suddenly Krypto smells something and flies away, landing at the Kent farm. Jonathan brings him home and the dog and Clark bond. Jonathan recalls something found in Clark’s cradle and fetches it; revealing what looks to be a dog tag in the shape and symbol of the El family. Clark changes into his outfit and gives Krypto a cape and attaches the dog tag. Krypto now has a forever home.

THE NEW GODS #11 by Ram V,  Evan Cagle and Denys Cowan. Otis Tennant has been troubled by visions of the spaceships heading to Earth, resulting in his turning into the Black Racer. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman and Barda fight the Furies, with Barda eventually growing large in size and defeating them. In space, Orion and Scott Free are set on saving Kamal, with Mister Miracle confronting Desaad and Orion dealing with Maxwell Lord. A brainwashed Kamal unleashes his power on Orion in an attempt to break him. Killowog and Jo see the size and scope of the spaceship armada and get backup in the form of the Black Racer.

NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #4 by Mark Waid, Howard Porter and Hayden Sherman. Barry Allen’s documenting of the DC Universe concludes, beginning with the creation of the Black Lantern Corps. From there, Flashpoint occurs, Barbara Gordon resumes her activity as Batgirl, Amanda Waller reforms the Suicide Squad, Batman and his family fight the Court of Owls and Red Hood forms The Outlaws. The League has to fight Earth 3’s Crime Syndicate while Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz become Green Lanterns. A new Dr. Fate comes along in the person of Khalid Nassour, Wallace West starts his career and multiple Batwings arrive. The lost Wally West returns but the Dark Multiverse comes into being. It is discovered that much of what happened, specifically New 52, was caused by Doctor Manhattan, who ultimately returned the Justice Society to their place in history. A new Titans team was formed as did a new Young Justice. Pariah attempted to revive the Pre-Crisis Multiverse, which eventually ended up creating the Omniverse. Amanda Waller put her dark plan in place, eventually defeating her and resulting in changes to the power set of many heroes. In the end, the future is not fully written, especially with the DC K.O. event still happening.

NIGHTWING #131 by Dan Watters and Dexter Soy. A wanderer robot is returned to Spheric Solutions, having been destroyed by Nightwing-Prime, as noted by The Zanni. Elsewhere, Killer Moth is in his submarine and fires a missile at Nightwing’s speedboat until Oracle hacks into his system, forcing him to flee in his Moth-Rowboat. Nightwing gets attacked by the mutated Clean Cutters, leading to Nightwing-Prime to recue him. Back in the apartment they share, Nightwing has Prime go back to his studies while Dick goes to visit Commissioner Sawyer, who explains there are children missing and it seems to tie to Cirque Du Sin. Nightwing looks at the drawings of one of the kids and sees The Zanni in it. Prime heads out on patrol and encounters Killer Moth.  But, before he can apprehend him, he is struck by a Kryptonite blast to his chest, Nightwing finds him and encourages him to hang on even as Prime says he can hear circus music.

POISON IVY #37 by G. Willow Wilson and Atagun Ilhan. Janet continues to get sicker and that leads Ivy into making a trip to Gotham to seek out Dr. Leslie Tomplins, convincing her to come back with Ivy, despite Batman’s objections. Tompkins decides that Janet has an advance case of Mycosis worse than she has ever seen in someone so young. Tompkins declares that she cannot help her and she needs to be taken to Gotham General. Wendy arrives and reveals that it was Janet who betrayed Ivy and Ivy takes matters into her own hands by dragging Janet into The Green.

SUPERGIRL #6 by Sophie Campbell and Rosi Kampe. Supergirl finds herself trapped in Mindworld, where she is tormented by numerous nightmare interactions, including the Red Lanterns. The next day, when she wakes, she goes out on patrol with Lesla and nods out in the process; visualizing herself in battle with a Red Lantern version of herself that turns into Nightflame. Luna Lustrum, out Trick or Treating, finds Supergirl hiding under a shrub; attracted to her by her aura. Supergirl cannot wake from her nightmare and Lena convinces Luna to use psionics to go inside Supergirl’s head. Together, her friends tell her how much she is loved and that gives her the energy to deal with monsters in the Innerverse, telling them she will see them again tomorrow. She wakes and they all go to a Halloween party.

SUPERMAN #31 by Joshua Williamson, Eddy Barrows, and Eber Ferreira. A DC K.O. tie-in. Superman confronts Time Trapper, who tells Superman he must journey to the Heart of Apokolips and helps crown a King Omega to defeat Darkseid. Superman goes to the Fortress and questions the simulation of his father about Krypton and its’ connection to Darkseid. The program has no answer because any memories have been erased from history. Later, Mercy Graves tells Superman of the Apokoliptian fire pits popping up across the planet and that Lex has built ships to help evacuate the planet. Before he heads off to this series of battles, he spends time with his family as Lois heads to the Fortress and quizzes Jor-El but gets Lara, who reveals  a ‘Destroyer’ legend featuring a Dark Omega and an Alpha, which she believes to be Doomsday. Suddenly, Superboy-Prime crashes into the Fortress followed by Sun-Boy from the Legion of Darkseid. But Sun-Boy’s power reactivates Lois’s dormant power and Superwoman is reborn.

SUPERMAN: THE KRYPTONITE SPECTRUM #3 by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo. Clark is now a boy again and he is okaying a game with Billy Batson’s in Batson’s bedroom. Batson tells Clark that he does art therapy at school and that helps him deal with his feelings. Elsewhere, Lex has teamed up with Toyman and Sivana, who have created a theme park called Nostalgia Springs, which the heroes go to. They are not there in this abandoned place for long when they are attacked by Bizarro Bots. The heroes end up riding the Canonical Coaster of Doom, where they encounter animatronic moments from their histories, although inaccurate. They escape by being shot out on a version of the rocket that brought Kal-El to Earth. Upon their exit, The Captain is shot by a ray of raw light and Superboy hit with a Kryptonite ray. Batman arrives and takes out the villains and gives Clark a drink that restores him to Superman. Meanwhile, Batman deduces that the Rainbow K is not from Krypton but is actually a distress signal from the Fifth Dimension. Batman shows him a message from the Fifth Dimension saying HELP MXY and he suddenly finds himself as Clark in the Planet Office…somewhere in the Fifth Dimension.

SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #6 by Dan Slott and Rafael Albuquerque. In Tunnel One, Superman is dealing with the effects of Kryptonite poisoning, with the Krypto-Knights trying to protect him from the Kobra cult. Elsewhere in the tunnel, Castilho threatens Lois who whistles for the Supermobile, which Superman hears and uses his golden aura, taking out Kobra. Lois jumps in the Supermobile and uses the robotic arms to take the crystal from Castilho. The leader sends his knights after her and Superman follows. But his aura wears off while he fights one of the Krypto-Knights and Lois must grab him, with the crystal falling to the ground and growing massive green crystals. Castilho is overjoyed as he now has a Kryptonian fortress. He then orders Superman, Lois and the Planet team to leave the country they entered illegally. With his enemies gone, Castilho declares himself to be the King of Krypton and plans on using this fortress to make Kryptonian weapons.

TITANS #28 by John Layman and Pete Woods. A DC K.O. tie-in. With Darkseid’s arrival imminent, the Titans go about enacting a grand plan to evacuate everyone on Earth, launching the multiple Titans Towers into space. That still only allows them to evacuated 34% of the population so they press on, even as many citizens are protesting it. Things go from bad to worse as Granny Goodness, her Furies, and Parademons attack the ship that Starfire is piloting, forcing her to call for backup.

 WONDER WOMAN #26 by Tom King and Daniel Sampere. At a time in the past, an elderly man named Ernest Pye addressing a gathering held by the American government, saying his wife died during a Crisis and saying that people need a place where they can be free of superheroes and he takes people to Moray Island. One of those in the crowd is Carl Denter, who becomes the Mouse Man and he talks to Pye and joins everyone on the journey to Moray Island. Crime on the island rises, leading to Denter using his mice to kill any criminals, which gains him followers that dress like mice. Over time, he takes control of the government and kills any who oppose him, including his mentor. To avid more opposition, he orders the residents to only say “Mouse Man knows” and “mice have ears”; symbolizing that Mouse Man is aware of everything that happens on the island. In the present, Diana attacks Mouse Man’s fortress, dispatching his followers and attacking him directly by throwing her tiara at him, which he snaps with one hand. She eventually defeats him but, when she asks him to surrender, he reveals that Lizzie has been captured by his people. 

DC UNIVERSE Month 93, Part 1

ABSOLUTE BATMAN #13 by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta.  Bruce, having been visited by Selina in her Catwoman guise, talk and make love. Then the pair head off to meet with the Red Hood gang, now led by Harley Quinn, who likes the idea of a plan involving taking down Ark M. Elsewhere, Bane and his scientists push the amount of venom his boy can take to the maximum. Batman hijacks a city-wide video feed and challenges Bane to a fight in the Veterans Arena to be broadcast live. Before he leaves, he bids goodbye to Alfred and Selena and then leaves a box filled with raw meat for his friend Waylon.

ABSOLUTE BATMAN 2025 ANNUAL #1 by Daniel Warren Johnson and James Warren. In the first story, a young Bruce goes to buy weapons to use when he sees a group attacking a pair of immigrants. But when he intervenes, the weapons merchant knocks him out and Bruce gets saved by a priest, who takes him home to tend to his wounds. He tells Bruce that the guy named Deejay is hell bent on getting rid of the immigrant camp. When Deejay and his gang, aided by the police, attack the camp, Batman arrives and, in violent fashion, ultimately eliminating the threat. In the second tale, a masked gang breaks into a former priest’s church looking for guns. Batman arrives and, after a bloody brawl, the bad guys are defeated and the priest and his son, who he has been estranged from, reunite.

ABSOLUTE EVIL #1 by Al Ewing, Giuseppe Cammuncoli, and Stefano Nesi. In 1951, Hawkman has a meeting with the House Un-American Activities Committee, where they demand he unmask. Ultra Right Wing Carter Hall agrees and then proceeds to tattle on those superheroes he believes to be Communists. In the present, Oliver Queen gets a call from his friend Roy, telling him he is going after billionaire pedophile Jubal Slade. At the same time, Slade calls Hector Hammond, who believes he can pay off Queen. Hammond then goes to a meeting room with Veronica Cale, Elenore Thawne, Ra’s al Ghul, and The Joker. Cale gives a presentation involving many of the heroes of the past. Wesley Dodds was found dead and his research involving knockout gas was stolen which seemingly resulted in the military developing nerve gas that won World War II. Later, Ted Grant was framed for murder and became a vigilante, eventually taking a payoff and opening a gym. Iron Munro was called before the HUAC but refused to give names and soon found himself blacklisted in Hollywood. He died after being ‘accidentally’ exposed to nerve gas. Cale goes on to explain this was how people who tried to act outside of the “status quo” were dealt with. But, after the “Gateway Event” and the arrival of Wonder Woman, Superman and more, things have changed and they all need to work together. Hammond refuses and Cale calls in Hawkman, who dumps the corpse of Oliver Queen on their table. While Hammond and Thawne still are not on board, The Joker reveals that a particle physics lab he owns made a recent, relevant discovery he refers to as the ‘Omega Particle’ and he proclaims their group should be known as the Justice League. As Brainiac watches all this through Ra’s al Ghul’s sunglasses, he meets with Mirror Master, telling him this group needs another member and suggests a candidate he saw in the Mirror World. In the end, a man and his wife are enjoying some peace on their farm when he receives a phone call. He reveals he is Lex Luthor and asks how he can help the person on the other end.

ABSOLUTE FLASH #8 by Jeff Lemire and Travis Moore. In the past, Barry Allen is lecturing at Keystone University. Elenore Thawne meets with him after class with an offer to continue his research in quantum mechanics. They fly to Fort Fox where she shows him her grandfather’s journals when Eobard Thawne was heading up a government project called Blue Trinity, which was trying to connect with an alternate dimension of pure energy. The government shut him down but he went out to the desert and built his machine. Captain Jay Garrick tries to stop him but Thawne has opened a portal and he throws Garrick into it and he is disintegrated. When the machine exploded, Thawne disappeared and is presumed dead. Barry becomes interested in the equations on the chalkboard here and begins correcting them. Two years later, Barry has rebuilt Eobard’s machine and Thawne brings in Rudy West, who wants to have weapons built for the military. Thawne tells him he needs to play along to continue to receive funding. Later, he opens a portal to what is being called Still Point and sends in a three person team to collect samples of ‘Red Matter’ and they fins a spaceship they bring back to base where alien technology and the bodies of the crew are studied, allowing the creation of Grodd and the Rogues’ equipment. Barry hears the voice of Eobard calling him and when Barry touches this red lightning, he sees himself from the future in the containment suit, telling him to stop and that it must be Wally.

ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN #7 by Al Ewing, Jason Howard and Riley Rossmo. In deep space, a Black Star possessed Mogo, led by Killowog, attacks members of the Green Lanterns with devastating results before moving on and destroying J586. Later, Tomar-Re, coupled with Red Lantern energy, attacks and dispatches Killowog. Turned into a cube, the cube flies through space before ending up with someone who possesses the Yellow Light-someone who appears to be a version of Sinestro and then destroys a miniature version of Starro.

ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #12 by Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval. While Ma kent rambles on and seems to recognize that maybe her son may be back, Sol takes Superman to Kansas, in an effort to keep him safe. But he is still dealing with the effects of Brainiac’s mental torture. Jimmy and Lois take in a meal at a Smallville Diner where they meet Lana Lang and discover there may be some support for Superman and resistance against Lazarus. On their return to the farm, they find Superman enveloped in a fortress that doubles as his cape; constructed by Sol. He introduces himself as Kal-El and warms that Ra’s and Talia are coming-and they have quite the army with them.

ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #13 by Kelly Thompson and Matais Bergara. At the Hieron, Diana hears a news alert abut something destroying a casino in Reno and she heads there. She not only sees the destruction but also senses “pure malice” in the air as she confronts an energy creature that lashes out with a psychic attack before disappearing over the Pacific. Back at the Hieron, Diana, Barbara, Etta, and Gia analyze this and other attacks that seem to have been unleashed at ancient Amazon battle sites. Diana heads to the next location in Delphi, Greece where she realizes the monster is her own magical balance-that she is responsible for all of this.

ACTION COMICS #1091 by Mark Waid and Skylar Partridge. Clark escape from the military and heads back home, telling the Kents what happened. Later, he meets with Captain Comet, who reveals he was responsible for the military showing up as part of a test. He later reveals that he is suffering from an incurable alien infection. Clark insists that Captain Comet needs to go back into space to save his life but Comet declares he must stay here and both help and teach Clark. Ultimately, Clark gets the dying hero into his spaceship and propels him back into space to hopefully save his life.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: BOOK OF EL #2 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Scott Godlewski. Superman has saved a distant relative named Ronan Kent and learns that he has been transported to the far future and Smallville has become Tropolis Kyne and is run by Luthor. Well…a Luthor that is actually a robotic construct as Lord Ux rules all. Ronan takes Superman into the remnants of the Fortress of Solitude where Clark revisits old memories. Ronan goes off ahead to meet with an old man before bringing him to meet Superman. It is revealed that the old man is in fact Jimmy Olsen. Before he can reveal too much to his old friend, they are attacked by some of Lord Ux’s ‘Summer Men’. In the first backup, from Brandon Kent’s journal, it is revealed the Luthor isn’t being controlled by Brainiac-he IS Brainiac. In the second entry, from the Chronicles of the House of El, it is revealed that the last three Luthors have been an entity sent by Kryl-Ux to watch for Superman’s return.

AQUAMAN #10 by Jeremy Adams and John Timms. The citizens of Atlantis remain trapped behind a magical barrier, even as Mera, Jackson, and Garth try to find away to break out. On the surface, a ghost pirate ship appears and causes havoc. Aquaman and his team work together to defeat the pirates who manage to dig up an artifact that they have been searching for. But they are quickly dispatched by Aquaman’s daughter from a future timeline who takes the artifact and heads off.

BATGIRL #12 by Tate Brombal and Takeshi Miyazawa. Batgirl, Jade Tiger, and Jaya Jayesh fight their way through The Blood, even as Cass is troubled by visions of her dead mother. They eventually make their way into the hidden city of Samsara, where she meets with Nyssa al Ghul. She tells Cassie that there are blue poppies that gives the Unburied their power and those flowers must be destroyed. Before Cass can agree to join Nyssa, Chodak the Unbowed breaks free and attacks Nyssa, leading to Batgirl saving her and defeating him and agreeing to help stop The Unburied.

BATMAN #2 by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez. Tim Drake Robin breaks up a gang of crooks who are stealing baby formula. When the police arrive, one of them shoots a fleeing suspect in the back. When Tim attempts to flee, he is shot by a police officer and captured and place in a police van with other criminals. Tim fights for his life, dispatching them and freeing himself from his bonds in the process. The van gets stopped by well-deployed Bat Spikes and Tim is freed. The police officers threaten to shoot batman and fire, hitting each other in the process, although Batman takes a glancing shotgun blast off his head in the process. In the aftermath, one officer is dead and the other is wounded and Vandal Savage declares war on Batman and Robin.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #26 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Fico Ossio. Batman and Robin interrogate The Penguin following the attack at The Iceberg Lounge. Penguin insists he does not know who was responsible even as Batman reveals that the assailant puts coins on the eyes of the dead. When the heroes leave, Cobblepot has one of his men make arrangements to have a meet with Harvey Dent. Because Batman left a microphone in the Iceberg Lounge, he knows that a meet is happening at Asher Estate and he sends Robin to stake it out. While waiting, Damian gets a visit from the Gotham Irregulars, who want to help out. The killer arrives to the meeting and demands Harvey gives up The Penguin, declaring he is the person responsible for killing his boy. Batman intervenes and disarms him. That is when Batman recalls a cold case he never solved and realizes the man is really after The Ventriloquist.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #44 by Mark Waid, Mark Russell and Lucas Meyer. While Batman and Superman deal with Toyman and Mad Hatter in Bolivia, Batman reveals he has sent Robin to scope out Ardora Industries: a subsidiary of Lexcorp. Superman calls in his cousin to back up Robin. He makes his way into Adora but his disguise his subterfuge soon fails and Supergirl arrives to help. But they have Kryptonite and that results in them being captured. They distract their captor, who is going through a crisis of a personal nature, leading to them insisting that they are not dating. Using her super-breath, Supergirl manages to get the access card to freedom, which Robin tosses with his mouth to get the door to open. Escaping but still trapped in a chair, a stray bullet from the thugs breaks the Kryptonite chains, defeating the bad guys and hitting the self-destruct button, with the pair flying away and her delivering a kiss as they do. In the end, Batman and Robin find them in Robin’s car in something resembling a romantic embrace when they are actually looking for the shutoff for the proximity button in the car.

BIRDS OF PREY #26 by Kelly Thompson and Sami Basri. Batgirl and Black Canary make their way into the server room and install a piggyback into the system, even while Canary thinks there is a missing piece. Back at their temporary headquarters, they discuss their plan, where they will get placed directly into the game’s finale. After making their way through the game by answering a bunch of riddles, Barda and canary are stop by police who open fire on them with Barda taking wounds protecting Canary. Reuniting with Sin and Cass, Cass says she has solved the game. Leading them to a solid wall, she says that Vivi is looking for entrance to the Seam and is very close. 

CATWOMAN #80 by Torunn Gronbekk and Danilo Beyruth. Selina continues her search for Palmero Pearl. In the process, she rescues a reporter named David Moran who has been caught photographing Zervas and the Falcones. That night, she attends the ball but, even disguised, someone knows who she is.

CHEETAH & CHESHIRE ROB THE JUSTICE LEAGUE #3 by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott. Cheshire and Cheetah have assembled their team, consisting of Hazard, Klarion and Teekl, and Featherweight, whose mother once tried to kill Superman. They are told of the mission to steal the Power bank, but also of the hoops they will need to jump through, including finding a way onto the Watchtower and making it past the security there. Cheshire and Hazard make their way into Ferris, allowing Hazard to download the schematics for the Watchtower and also leave an executable that will give them a back door to it. As part of their plan, Featherweight and Lian manage to steal a Justice League membership card from a distracted Sideways. But Klarion, who has taken an immediate liking to Featherweight, has his own plan and meets with a group looking for the Power Bank-a group led by…Black Adam.

DC K.O. #1 by Scott Snyder, Javi Fernandez, and Xermanico. We begin with Game Night at the Kents when a god-like Darkseid appears, soundly defeating and killing the heroes. This is revealed to those on the Watchtower by the Quantum Quorum, who says this has already happened but they have rewound time seven days. They reveal that Darkseid will trigger a cosmic crisis with the Heart of Apokolips reshaping the Earth. They propose a tournament where heroes and villains will compete to become the new King Omega, who could challenge Darkseid and remake the universe. For the next seven days, the heroes make their preparations. At last, on the seventh day, the battles begin with surprise villains entering the fray. Immediately, some of the combatants, such as Adam Strange, Damage, and even Batman are eliminated. The final result leaves 32 champions, heroes and villains, to face off against each other. In the end, it is revealed the Darkseid himself as the master manipulator of the Quantum Quorum and that he has taken the form of one of the 32.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1102 by Tom Taylor and Mikel Janin. Batman has only two days to solve this mystery of the virus that will result in his death. Clues point to a company called King Chemicals: run by a man who made his fortune at poker. He makes his way to Kasnia to engage in a high-stakes poker game with Louis King. Oracle learns that everything in King’s past has been created or altered through AI. Batman makes his way into King Chemicals and discovers there is no real labs there and he faces off against The Lion: the person responsible for everything. Batman is brutally beaten and escapes but may be in worse shape than he originally believed as he passes out in the Batplane.

THE FLASH #26 by Mark Waid, Christopher Cantwell and Vasco Georgiev. A DC K.O. tie-in. Wally is pursuing Alchemist in Arizona; capturing him near the Grand Canyon. Later, Wally is on the Watchtower where Time Trapper and World Forger are devising a tournament to select King Omega. Bart vibrates into the Time Stream where Omega energy is tainting everything. The two speedsters experience altered memories as they come face to face with Darkseid in a slowed down past. Bart ends up in Tunguska, Russia in 1908 where a blast of Omega Energy has left mass destruction(NOTE: 6/8/08 in Tunguska is the site of the Tunguska asteroid impact in our world, not the fictional one). He encounters Max Mercury who has joined the Legion of Darkseid.

GOTHAM ACADEMY: FIRST YEAR #1 by Brendan Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, Karl Kerschl, and Marco Ferrari. Following previous events and pre-dating the first GOTHAM ACADEMY series, Olive Silverlock moves into Gotham Academy where she meets her roommate Lucy Hunt. Later, even as he deals with her traumatic past, she meets Kyle Mizoguchi and develops a friendship. Later, she goes to visit her mother in Arkham Asylum and meets Jonathan Crane, who gives her some of the same pills her mother takes, saying that madness is often hereditary.

GREEN ARROW #29 by Chris Condon and Montos. Ollie continues to follow the trail of the Crimson Archer, discovering a series of passports; one of which belongs to Herb Vraney. Ollie recalls Vraney from a mission in Cambodia. Digging further, he finds a secret space where the drug is being stored and he destroys the vials. He makes his way to Advance Pharmaceuticals, where he finds workers making the drug. That brings him into conflict with Vraney: the man he thought he killed in Cambodia.

GREEN LANTERN #28 by Jeremy Adams and V. Ken Marion. Guy and Jo explore the Castle of Desolate Stone, finding the stolen Book of Oa, where they find a page declares ‘Hal Jordan’. Hal is handling a dangerous criminal in Coast City when he is called back to Oa, where he sees the Book of Oa, specifically his name, and he is hit with an energy blast. While he is rushed to the medical bay, the Guardians see the book and believe that Hal has received certain information, just as they did when they exited the Source Lantern and make the decision to leave Oa. Meanwhile, Krona wanted to take the Corps apart and has put his consciousness into a body like Hal’s, but that body is breaking down. He needs to fix this and retrieve the information that the Guardians now possess. Hal heads back to Earth where he is hit with visions of a black tower and his fighting with the Guardians. He gets a message from the Justice League and he heads to Star City, where it seems he will reunite with Oliver Queen.

An epic list of first issues

 

ALL-NEW SPIDER-GWEN GHOST-SPIDER #1 by Stephanie Phillips and Paolo Villanelli. If you haven’t been following, Gwen Stacy . . . yeah: not the dead one . . . has permanently relocated to Earth 616, where she has made new friends and also new enemies. And started a new band. What was once a bit of a lighter feeling title has gotten really dark. I still like the character and supporting cast but am not a fan of the new grim tone. I’ll see how this goes before I decide if it’s worth keeping.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: TORN #1 by J. Michael Straczynski and Pere Perez. Straczynski steps back into a character that he once wrote and, depending on who you listen to, ruined with his run. Peter is still in college, gwen is still alive and it’s all about a mysterious artifact. It looks great and it’s not a bad read, once you realize this is not a canon story. But it is kind of fun and not such a bad read. But it’s only for true fans of the author and the character.

AMAZING X-MEN #1 by Jed McKay and Mahmud Asrar. Another AGE OF REVELATION title.You will see a lot of these unusual X-Men themed titles here this time around as the newest crossover “event” has begun. In this alternate timeline, Doug Ramsey has become revelation and, with the X-Virus sweeping across the United States, the world has changed and Revelation runs the show. In this one, Cyclop’s and Beast’s minds have ended up in their future selves bodies and they must negotiate the future as Revelation has killed Magneto, Forge and Archangel and the surviving team members have to escape from Revelation’s Angel of death-Wolverine. As with all of these AGE OF REVELATION titles, it will only appeal to fans of the mutants. That said, I’m curious to see where it goes in future issues, especially after an interesting cliffhanger ending!

ARTIFICIAL #1 by Maria Llovet. I have become a huge fan of Maria Llovet’s work in the last year or so. From CRAVE to VIOLENT FLOWERS and ALL THE THINGS WE DIDN’T DO LAST NIGHT. In this story, a girl ends up in a relationship with an artificial man from a company called Date-X. As the press piece on it calls it, it truly is 9 ½ WEEKS meets THE TERMINATOR. It’s a love story, kind of, that hits the right emotional buttons. Llovet’s art is captivating and her dialogue is crisp and fun.

BATMAN: SECOND KNIGHT BOOK ONE by Dan Jurgens and Mike Perkins. DC’s newest oversized Black Label titles follows directly out of the amazing FIRST KNIGHT. It’s 1940 and their influence of the Nazis are being felt. But there are also underworld thugs and enhanced villains, like Scarecrow. And when a reporter from Metropolis arrives in town, we all know Lois Lane will be in the thick of it all. This is a proper sequel and I’m curious to see if we get a certain man from Krypton by the end.

BATTLEWORLD #1 by Christos Gage and Marcus To. Just like happened during SECRET WARS, heroes have been plucked from the timeline and sent to a place where survival is the key. The highlight of this, if there is one, is the surprise ending and who is behind it all. I was never a fan of the original BATTLEWORLD and I’m probably less of a fan of this, although the art is nice.

BIG RIG #1 by Post Malone, Adrian Wassel, and Nathan Gooden. I don’t exactly know how to describe this one. We have monks, Satanist, crazy monsters, demons…and a big f*cking truck! When our ‘hero’ gets in that truck, he becomes Trucker: Deliverer of Vengeance. And it just gets crazier from there as he teams up with the granddaughter of a legendary witch. The art is AMAZING and the story ain’t half bad either. Expensive as comics go(at $7.00 for the ‘standard version’) but filled to the brim with a ton of fun! 

BINARY #1 by Stephanie Phillips and Giada Belviso. Here’s another AGE OF REVELATION title. In this future, Carol Danvers, possessing the Phoenix force, defends the town where she has been elected as mayor. Is it an uphill battle? This title may be as it’s a lot of Carol whining and having self-doubt.

BLACK CAT #1 by G. Willow Wilson and Gleb Melnikov. Felicia Hardy gets her own series and it starts with a bang as she is sitting in Night Nurse’s office with heroes and villains. And the story goes from there, with her tangling with The Lizard and deciding to be a crime fighter. It’s fun, Wilson’s dialogue is snappy and the plot has potential. Loving it!

BLOOD HONEY #1 by Sean Peacock. Two people at Manderlay Academy have a strained relationship. And they soon find out that they hate each other and are each scheming to kill each other. From there, it’s a riotous look at ideal love versus lust. The art is a bit rough and reminds me of some of the cheap Horror titles of the Fifties. And the dialogue is a mixed bag. But the concept is pretty cool and something new.

BLUE FALCON AND DYNOMUTT #1 by Jimmy Palmiotti and Pasquale Qualand. Dynamite continues to dig into the world of old school Pop Culture television, having already taken deep dives into THUNDERCATS, JONNY QUEST, SPACE GHOST, HERCULOIDS, and more. Not much to say here as we meet out hero and his dog and a horrible thing happens before the end of issue #1. I was a fan of this cartoon and loved the take on him on HARVEY BIRDMAN ATTORNEY AT LAW. However, not a huge fan of this as it tries to be dark and fails.

CLOSER #1 by Kieron Gillen and Steve Lieber. This is such an incredibly weird one shot. A woman takes part in a research project and, apparently, birds appear when she is near. Okay…see where this might be going? Well, it gets wilder as we get angels, devils, hell and multiple Burt Bacharach references. If you liked Gillen’s PHONOGRAM, you will love this. It’s not action packed and very thought provoking.

DEATH TO PACHUCO #1 by Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill. The hook for me was David Lapham turning in a beautiful cover and that it’s a period book set in the 1940’s However, the story is kind of sparse and the art even more so. It’s a mystery tale and it’s a mystery to me how this will be a hit. Personally, I’m one and done as I didn’t really embrace the characters and part of that is because I don’t know Spanish, so maybe that’s on me.

DISAVOWED #1 by Josh Blaylock and Pop Mhan. It’s 1997 and, while playing with a friend, a kid finds his father’s gun. That leads to a flashback to 1989 when his father was a part of a military team. Basically, this is G.I. Joe amped to 11! And I’m sure there is a lot of tongue in cheek with this one, complete with ninjas in black and a villain named Mantis…because Cobra was taken. For someone who grew up with the original Marvel series and has even dipped his toe into what has come since, I love it! It’s fun in a nostalgic kind of way. And a lot more blood and guts!

ESCAPE #1 by Rick Rememder and Daniel Acuna. Here’s the pitch: it’s World War II and the Allies are out on a bombing run against the Nazis. Things go badly and the sole survivor finds himself hiding out behind enemy lines. The difference? It’s an anthropomorphic tale and the Nazis are biped bats. The story is engaging and the art is incredible. This may be one of my new favorite titles!

EVERYTHING DEAD & DYING #1 by Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips. Holy moley! This is weird and dark and somewhat twisted. A farmer is all about taking care of his husband and family and loves his farming and his connections to his neighbors. But he is also troubled by visions. Guess what(SPOILER): everything IS dead and dying. To say more, would be bad. Just know the story will hold you up until the last page when you realize the world is a bit different now.

FLOW #1 by Paula Sevenbergen and Claudia Balboni. Here is a book that will certainly hit hard with one section of the audience but not all. Coming from Mad Cave, who has been turning out some amazing works as of late, it’s set in both the past and the present. In the past, a girl named Dara Lund goes to camp and experiences her first period, leading to her fellow camp goers being cruel and making her do all sorts of horrible things to free her from the curse. But in the present, something happens that reminds those other campers of it and tends to reveal that maybe things ended badly and, many years later, is coming back to haunt them. Such an engaging read and find it with the truly horrifying Colleen Doran variant cover!

GOOD AS DEAD #1 by David and Maria Lapham. I have been a long-time fan of the Lapham’s work, going back to issue #1 of STRAY BULLETS. What they do is write some incredibly engaging crime stories. And here is another one. When a scientists blows himself up along with some important documents and files, the sheriff gets involved and it may have something to do with where it happened and the various families involved in the town’s history. So, in true Lapham fashion, you get just little bits of information that will eventually play out, although it may take many, MANY issues to do that. The story is great and the art is that which we have all gotten accustomed to.

IMMORTAL LEGEND BATMAN#1 by Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom. DC unloads a new Elseworlds title and this one takes Batman into the future and turns everything sideways. There’s a Batman on the loose and this one is apparently filled with vengeance. And when you get the back story of how many Batman’s there have been and who has been in the suit, you will be captivated. While I am not a fan of the art, I LOVE the story and where it can go.

IRON & FROST #1 by Cavan Scott and Avairi Coleman. Another AGE OF REVELATION series. As part of all that has transpired, the X-Men are splintered. Carmella Unuscione has been responsible for the death of Eris’ mother and Marrow has stabbed Emma, forcing her to remain in diamond form, even as the mansion collapsing, taking Emma and Marrow with it. Tony mourns and pines for her. Years later, Eris finds Emma and so does Tony, now known as the Iron King. Crazy stuff here and one of the better titles in this event.

LAURA KINNEY: SABRETOOTH #1 by Erica Schultz and Valentina Pinti. Another AGE OF REVELATION series. Things have change as Laura is now aligned with Revelation while gabby is not. Either way, Laura needs a favor from her kid sister: take her son out of the revelation territories. Well, you know THAT won’t sit well with Revelation and that means he has his people watching her. Like the other books in this run, it depends on how you feel about all of it.

LONGSHOT #1 by Gerry Duggan, Jonathan Hickman, and Alan Robinson. Another AGE OF REVELATION series. And this one is the most fun and I credit Hickman for that! Mojo needs to get his ratings back up so, after conferring with the X-Babies, he tasks Major Domo to find him some talent, resulting in Hellcat, Bishop, Kraven, Rhino, and Wonder Man. It’s a rollicking romp and a bit bloody too! This was so awesome with some incredible wit mixed in! Buy this book, even if you don’t buy any of the others!

MARVEL ALL-ON-ONE #1 by Ryan North and Ed McGuiness. Simple premise executed nicely! The Thing ends up fighting the entire Marvel Universe in a book completely made up of splash pages and two-page spreads! Don’t expect anything earth-shattering here but it looks amazing! So, Marvel puts out what essentially is a pin-up book with a story. McGuiness’s art shines and makes the story palatable.

MARVEL KNIGHTS: THE PUNISHER #1 by Jimmy Palmiotti and Dan Panosian. In the world of Marvel Knights, things are different. Take Frank Castle. He takes his violence to a whole new level. But he gets caught and eventually gets brainwashed into becoming El Zombie. And now he is working for the man whose son Frank killed: taking out whoever he is told. Great, gritty stuff here from Palmiotti and Panosian.

MARVEL/DC: DEADPOOL/BATMAN #1 by Zeb Wells, Greg Capullo, Chip Zdarsky, Terry Dodson, Kelly Thompson, Guruihiru, Kevin Smith, Adam Kubert, Al Ewing, Dike Ruan, Frank Miller, Ryan North and Ryan Stegman. This is the team-up of companies that fans wanted and, now that we’ve got it, did we need it? The Batman/ Desdpool story is fun and Capullo’s art shines. Wonder Woman and Captain America? Could have done without it. Jeff and Krypto? A mostly silent story that left me not wanting more. Kevin Smith on Green Arrow and Daredevil? Well, it was nice to see him return to a pair of characters he loves. Rocket and green Lantern? Two pages of filler, as far as I’m concerned. Batman and Wolverine by Miller? Would have been nice to see this 30 years ago. Now…not so much. And Logo? A Wolverine/Lobo mash-up that is thankfully only three pages long. All in all, I saw it as a bit overpriced for what we got.

MURDER BY PODCAST #1 by Jeremy Haun and Mike Tisserand. Marketing: it’s a beautiful thing. I ended up buying this title because of a gimmick Ignition Press sent to the LCSs. That intrigued me. In the story, people are committing murder because of things being said on a True Crime podcast. The podcast seems innocent but something is obviously underlying in the message, The art is fine enough but the story is the real thing here. I cannot wait to see how this plays out.

NO MAN’S LAND #1 by Szymon Kudranski. The amazing Kudranski, the genius behind SOMETHING EPIC and BLOOD COMMANDMENT, is back with his newest epic. It’s the early 1960’s and an agent of the Department of Justice is ready to retire when his retirement gets put on hold to investigate the death of a woman found frozen in the ice bridge between Alaska and Russia. What happened? How did she die and who is responsible? It’s a mystery that will change the agent and possibly the whole country forever. It looks great and the mystery is fascinating.

ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM: G.O.D.S. #1 by Ryan North and Francesco Mortarino. Further proof that everyone wants to be included in this event. And it only makes sense for those who embraced Hickman’s G.O.D.S. series. Wyn and Mia face off against Doom with predictable results. Again, only essential for fans of the other book. Mostly, you can pass in it, especially because Hickman is not involved.

ORLA #1 by John Lees and Sally Cantirino. Poor Orla. She’s not the prettiest and she certainly is not the thinnest. All she wants is to find a man. But when she finds one, she changes into a man eating monster.  But when someone she actually likes gets involved, will she be able to keep the monster at bay? The story is cool and the art style is very reminiscent of the old school Underground comics.  It’s not for everyone but I like it!

THE PUNISHER RED BAND #1 by Benjamin Percy and Julius Ohta. He’s back! Frank Castle is back in action and he’s giving out bloody justice. There’s only one problem: Frank is injured and doesn’t know who he is.

QUICK STOPS VOLUME #3 #2 by Kevin Smith and Ryan Gajda. Not a first issue but needs to be included. This is a wonderful love letter to the late Shannen Doherty that  reveals a scene from what was supposed to be TWILIGHT OF THE MALLRATS: the sequel that will probably never be made. I say probably but you can never tell. It gets points for Kevin actually using the book to pay tribute to his departed friend.

RACER X #1 by Mark Russell and Nuno Plati. Mad Cave come out with a title connected to their SPEED RACER universe. It gives us a bit of a retelling of Rex Racer’s origin story, complete with having him getting scarred in the accident that “allegedly” killed him and that leads to him hooking up with the Car Acrobatic Team. The art is cartoony and the story shifts so far from cartoon canon that I can’t go here.

RED BOOK #1 by James Tynion IV and Michael Avon Oeming. The likely successor to Tynion’s BLUE BOOK. But this series looks at U.F.O. instances throughout history in the Soviet Union. Fascinating stuff if you are into it. I really like BLUE BOOK a lot and love the art.

RED HOOD #1 by Gretchen Felker-Martin and Jeff Spokes. This was a mini-series and I should be reviewing it over on my DC UNIVERSE page. But author Felker-Martin got themselves in the foot with comments made regarding Charlie Kirk and DC fired them and cancelled this title with issue #1; going as far as offering to take issues back from comic stores. Instead, a collectible was created with prices going between $25 and $100. Now, is it any good? Not really. I was looking forward to a Red Hood Huntress team-up but the story is clunky, with the art being the saving grace.

RETURN TO PLANET HULK #1 by Greg Pak and Carlo Pagulayan. For fans of the PLANET HULK run, this one is for you. Sakaarson is back and he just wants to be left alone. But that isn’t going to happen. Pak knows this character so well and Pagulayan’s art is incredible. I’m not sure if you want to consider it canon or not, but it was a nice return to a classic run.

ROGUE STORM #1 by Murewa Ayodele and Roland Boschi. Another AGE OF REVELATION series. Rogue, Gateway and their allies go in search of Storm, who has been become Mother and is now a target. But, just to confuse things, there are two Rogues, split into two personalities by The Collector. So what happens when Rogue goes after The Last God? A bunch of death and a battle that Rogue, at least one of them, will probably not survive. It’s fine. Nothing fantastic here but it’s a fine read with some unusual hooks.

SINISTER’S SIX #1 by David Marquez and Rafael Loureiro. Misty Knight and Colleen Wing are out doing S.H.I.E.L.D.    work when they end up fighting Black Cat…a greatly different Black Cat than we have seen before. And she didn’t come alone as Omega Red, Lady Fantomex and Domino are with he and led by Havok. They’re not here looking for the girls-they’re hunting Venom. All of this is because Mr. Sinister needs a powerful team to take out Revelation. The art is great and the story is interesting enough. Hopefully, it doesn’t let up from here.

SKINBREAKER #1 by Robert Kirkman and David Finch. This is a barbarian tale that covers some familiar ground: the passing of a torch in a trial by fight. The highlight here is Finch’s art which may be some of his best work ever. Every panels is amazing and I can understand why because this project has been in the work for eight years. And is also available as a treasury-sized edition that further highlights his work. Amazing looking stuff!

SONJA REBORN #1 by Christopher Priest and Alessandro Miracolo. With the exception of the recent RED SONJA VS. MARS ATTACKS, you would not see me buying a Red Sonja comic as most of what I have seen, despite some good writing, has dreadful art. But I jumped on this for one reason: Christopher Priest! His VAMPIRELLA stuff has been amazing and I figured I would give this a shot. Maggie Sutherland has a an to grind and ends up falling into a deep hole in a tunnel. When she wakes, she’s Sonja and may have to save the woman she was going to kill. It’s typical Priest as there are cool little moments throughout. Even the art isn’t that bad. I’m so in for this!

SPEED RACER #1 by David Pepose and Davide Tinto. One of my favorite cartoons as a kid was this one, so I was really excited for it. And it looks great! The story is good too. Just don’t see this as something directly coming from that cartoon. Sure, the characters are there and all but the only thing even reminiscent to the classic story is Pop’s Racer having a heart attack and Speed racing to pay his bills. If you can get around history, kind of like a Marvel or DC film, you’ll be into it.

SPIDER-MAN NOIR #1 by Erik Larsen and Andrea Broccardo. It’s Peter Parker as a P.I. on an Earth where it’s still the Roaring Twenties, but he still has all those Parker problems. He’s in danger of losing his office because he can’t pay the rent. He still has an aunt checking on him who knows his secret. And he gets hired by Gwen Stacy to look into her father’s death. But the highlight is Spider-Man: dressed in black and firing twin pistols. And he fights a Nazi bat…no kidding! Fun, silly stuff that is pure Larsen!

STAKE PRESENTS JESSAMY #1 by David A. Byrne and Francesca Fantini, An unusual vampire tale presented in muted tones of black, white and brown. We’ve got vampires, slaves, and mystery in a beautifully illustrated tale. This was solicited months ago and was worth the wait. The story hits all the right notes in a Gothic sense.

SUPER CREEPSHOW #1 by Dan Watters, Ryan Stegman, Ed Brisson, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Riley Rossmo, and Andrei Bressan. So, we already have CREEPSHOW so what makes this SUPER CREEPSHOW? It’s all about three tales of horror and superheroes. Things go badly for our characters and they all end as we would expect: blood, guts, and our characters suffering throughout.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: JOURNEYS #1 by Peter Laird and Jim Lawson. This is one of those books that hit the right notes. Not only for TMNT fans but comic fans who know their history. Laird returns to write his characters with Lawson coming along to provide very familiar art. Lawson has a history with TMNT and this just feels like classic Eastman/Laird. It tells a fun story and certainly will attract older fans, like me. It isn’t fantastic but it does give you the feels!

THOR #1 by Al Ewing and Pasqual Ferry. For those who have not been following things, Thor is dead. But, in his place, we have Sigurd Jarlson: a Norwegian who has little memory of his life but he knows it involved a hammer. He’s just a guy looking to get a job as a day laborer but also a girl named Lucky, who we basically realize is Loki. While this is NOT Thor, this guy is violent if pushed and that gives us some of the more grisly moments in the book. The concept is cool but I’m not sure how long Marvel can run with this before it gets old hat.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE #1 by Dan Watters and Morgan Beem. I had such high hopes for this as I grew up on and have been a longtime fan of this classic show. But I am highly disappointed and that all falls on Beem’s art. It was just so simplistic that it distracts from Watter’s story. I hate crapping on someone doing something I can’t do but I knew people in my high school who could render art better than this. I realize that the creative teams will shift with each issue and maybe the next one will be better. But I just find it hard to move forward with this title as I don’t see this as a great first step.

ULTIMATE HAWKEYE #1 by Deniz Camp, B. Earl, Taboo, Juan Frigeri, and Michael Sta. Maria. Charli Ramsey has become Hawkeye when the person who was supposed to have that role simply walked away, leaving their bow and arrow behind. Now Charli is working to take down Roxxon and Midas Inc. And, somewhere within this tale, we get Ronin. The first story, as short as it is, has Hawkeye taking on Ulysses Klaue and the longer and more beautiful one, features the eventual Ronin battle. With the Ultimate Universe winding down, it seems like a weird time to introduce a character and a non-binary one at that, Kudos for the character themselves but it’s a bit late in the game as far as I’m concerned.

UNBREAKABLE X-MEN #1 by Gail Simone and Lucas Werneck. Another AGE OF REVELATION series. Seven years from now, after the X-Gene incident, Rogue leads an X-team that faces off against Galactus. She takes out the eater of worlds but becomes a giant mashed-up statue that sits behind Gambit’s house. But Galactus is not really dead and his body at the bottom of the ocean has recently shown signs of new life. And all Gambit wants to do is die and be with the love of his life. This is a great, heartbreaking story from Simone that also makes me wonder how Rogue can be a giant statue when we have seen that there are TWO Rogues in existence. Is this one of those and, if so, where does ROGUE STORM fall in the timeline?

THE UNDEAD IRON FIST #1 by Jason Loo and Fran Galan. When Luke Cage goes to visit the grave of his friend Danny Rand, he discovers the grave is empty. That’s because Danny is back, having clawed bis way out of the underworld. He is surrounded by creatures that hunt the people connected to K’un Lun and is fighting against them. But they have inhabited themselves into regular folks and that leads him into a face-off with Miles Morales. And he may need help from the Iron Fists of the past to help him out. It’s an okay book that taps into the history of Iron Fist.

UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: THE INVISIBLE MAN #1 by James Tynion IV and Dani. Finally, we get to what could be the end of these little mini-series, although we still need a Wolfman run. That having been said, Tynion weaves an interesting take on this classic character whose ulterior motive has to do with not only his experiments but his fascination with killing the father of his lover. And Dani’s art is great, as always!

VAMPIRELLA: ARMAGEDDON #1 by Tom Sniegoski and Kewber Baal. Now, don’t get confused here. This is NOT the Priest timeline but the one established by Sniegoski and follows all the plotlines from his last run. The only thing, in this world, is it has gotten a little crazy and Vampirella finds herself in Hell, which is a massive desert. This is perfect if you have read the previous run(s) but you will be beyond lost if you haven’t.

VOYEUR #1 by Leah Williams and David Baldeon. What happens when the world’s most famous art thief gets caught after becoming mesmerized by a woman who resides near where he is currently staking out a museum? What happens when he wants to get closer to her and finds that she’s been watching things too? And a sexual encounter could result to them working together or just getting what each wants. Williams gives us a good story and Baldeon’s art, some of which is NSFW, rocks!

WOLVERINES AND DEADPOOLS #1 by Cody Ziglar and Roge Antonio. This just simply needed to be the newest issue of the recent DEADPOOL series. Logan and Wade team-up with Laura and Ellie for fun and mayhem. Again, it should have been the next issue and not a mini-series. If you’re a Deadpool fan, you’ll like it.

WORLD OF REVELATION #1 by Al Ewing, Steve Foxe, Ryan North, Augustin Alessio, Jesus Merino, and Adam Szalowski. Another AGE OF REVELATION series. With the world changed, this book has stories from that world. The highlight, for me, is Alessio’s beautifully painted Ewing tale, with a nice surprise ending. But we also get a Wiccan/Hulkling story and Franklin Richards. Basic feelings from all three is heartbreak as there are some truly tragic moments.

X-MEN: AGE OF REVELATION #0 and X-MEN: AGE OF REVELATION: OVERTURE #1 by Jed MacKay, Humberto Ramos and Ryan Stegman. And this is where it starts. Doug Ramsey has become Revelation and now leads the mutants in his own image. And an older Scott Summers awaits the arrival of the consciousness of his younger self and, when he does arrive, he’s in for a major shock. The United States is mostly overgrown and divided into territories. Allies are now enemies as Kid Omega is part of that team and Wolverine is now the Angel of Death. These are the essential reads for this event.

X-MEN OF APOCALYPSE ALPHA #1 by Jeph Loeb and Simone Di Meo. Welcome to the newest crossover/reboot from Marvel. It’s the Age of Apocalypse all over again and it starts with a bang with the death of Havok who, along with his brother Scott, is against this current team. This is a topsy-turvey world as, among other things, Gambit is single and Rogue is married to Magneto. The timeline is screwed up and the current team needs to fix it. But where it takes them is almost as crazy and will lead to a bunch of connected spin-off titles. It’s an interesting read, giving me ABSOLUTE vibes as published by the competition. Loeb knows how to craft a good story and hopefully this will lead to some good tie-in titles and not just cannon fodder for a few moths.

DC UNIVERSE Month 92, Part 2

JUSTICE LEAGUE RED #2 by Saladin Ahmed and Clayton Henry. Cyborg has gone to Taiwan where he enters Quantum Computing Solutions to retrieve a stolen quantum processor, stealing a semiconductor at the request of Red Tornado. At the Red Tower, Green Lantern and Power Girl confront Red Tornado regarding how he has been lying to them about their missions. Cyborg arrives and Tornado says he formed the team to stop the future consequences of the Justice League Unlimited and the Titans. Power Girl says she will tell the League but Tornado says that this will unleash great evil, revealing a vision where Brother Blood’s cult will sacrifice Red Canary. Power Girl decides to stay And help while Cyborg and Green Lantern head off to save Red Canary. In the end, Tornado shows Kara that her parents are alive and they recognize her.

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #11 by Mark Waid and Carmine Di Giandomenico. While Metamorpho tries to save the Time Trapper, his natural defenses are aging the Watchtower, or what is left of it. As the birthed Parademons continue their assault, Mr. Terrific figures to use the Trapper’s temporal field to eliminate the threat.Deep below Markovia, Power Girl, Geo-Force, Captain Atom and Cajedo fight against Darkseid’s Legion. A restored Time Trapper is about to reveal why he is here but Superman, on Earth with a rescued Booster Gold, sends out a distress call for everyone to go the the Watchtower as he sees dark energy in the skies above him. To be continued in JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE OMEGA SPECIAL #1.

JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. GODZILLA VS. KONG #4 by Brian Buccellato and Christian Duce. Inside the Hollow Earth, Lex and Shaw have concerns about the Suicide Squad, not having heard from them. When Lex tells him that Godzilla has made landfall, Shaw tells them to head to The Hollow Earth. Meanwhile, the League has opened a portal to the home of these Titans, where Hal tries to reason with Kong. Flash explains that they have travelled back in time to before they had previously met Kong. Superman arrives, telling his friends to hide because Godzilla is here, then he leaves with Supergirl and Hal giving an assist. Batman tells the Kryptonians that the energies of this world are affecting their superpowers. Mr. Terrific prepares a Titan formula but needs a test subject, with Wonder Woman and Flash being rejected by him. Wonder Woman flies to the fight with Godzilla and he takes the serum which makes him as large as Godzilla, but reduces his intellect in the process. The two fight each other until they collapse…just a Ghidorah and Rodan arrive at Skull Island, leading Hal to ask whose side they are on.

KRYPTO: THE LAST DOG OF KRYPTON #4 by Ryan North and Mike Norton. It’s Spring and Krypto meets another dog who becomes his best friend. Along the way, they come across a group of kids and one of them names the new dog Brownie. The kids then head to their secret fort, which turns out to be Brainiac 0, Brainiac gets reactivated by one of the kids and it prepares to delete them when Brownie and Krypto attack, leading to Brownie being smashed away and dies. Krypto attacks and destroys Brainiac. Later, the children return with their parents, searching for both Brainiac and Brownie. Krypto cradles Brownie for some time before hitting the road again and arriving in Kansas.

MISTER TERRIFIC: YEAR ONE #5 by Al Letson and Valentine De Landro. In the present, Mr. Terrific is in the Palace of Eternity and gets much needed backup from his son, Fairplay. In the past, Black Lightning meets with Michael Holt, with Holt telling him that Dre was murdered by Athena Prescott. Despite her injuries, Prescott insists going to the turning on of the Nexus Engine. But an explosion rocks the power plant and the heroes head there to stop Cormorant, with Mr. Terrific finally stopping the rampage.

THE NEW GODS #10 by Ram V,  Evan Cagle and Pye Parr. Maxwell Lord now has his hands on Kamal and that leads Lord into direct conflict with Serifan who realizes Lord is working for Darkseid and Apokolips and has been fooled; even having his trigger finger broken by Desaad. This leads the team to making an assault on Lord’s facility, arriving just as he and Desaad take off with Kamal in tow. While Wonder Woman and Barda fight the Furies, Mr. Miracle and Orion pursue Lord. Mr. Terrific notices an incursion by alien ships that are running from some sort of energy signature emerging from a black hole.

NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #3 by Mark Waid, Dan Jurgens, and Dug Mahnke. Barry Allen continues his look at the DC Universe, beginning with the time just after his death during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. He relates the arrival of new heroes and new teams, the crippling of Barbara Gordon, and the deaths of Jason Todd and Superman, leading to the arrival of replacement Supermen. Batman finds himself broken by Bane while the Big Bang leads to the arrival of super-powered individuals in Dakota City. Hal Jordon finds himself corrupted by Parallax before being stopped by the sacrifice of Damage, with Hal eventually becoming The Spectre. Superman marries Lois Lane, Hush debuts and Jean Loring beings a mystery by killing Sue Dibny. Supergirl and Jason Todd both return to life, Max Lord ends Blue Beetle’s life, setting loose the O.M.A.C.s, followed by changes to the Multiverse, resulting in 52 parallel Earths. Jon Kent is born, Damian Wayne teams with his father, and an entire range of Lanterns from the emotional spectrum arrives. Batman is sent into the past and Barry Allen returns, after being trapped in the Speed Force.. 

NIGHTWING #130 by Dan Watters and Dexter Soy. Nightwing faces off against the Blockbuster gang, who have been enhanced by Venom. When one of the robots being used by the police arrives and targets Nightwing, it gets taken out quickly by Nightwing Prime. Later, Nightwing finds Nightwing Prime at the grave of his brother, with Nightwing giving Night-Hare back to him. Nightwing presents Bryce with what he calls Nite-Mite Soup, with an offer to bryce to drink it and become a child again. Eventually, Nightwing decides to not let Prime drink it and appears to be ready to train him. In the end, a young boy sees a circus tent that belongs to the Cirque du Sin.

POISON IVY #36 by G. Willow Wilson and Atagun Ilhan. At the encampment of the Order of the Green Knight, Ivy contemplates her future while Janet from HR continues to get weaker. Ivy decides to embrace her angry side and encourages the followers to feed their enemies to the land. Janet heads out and calls for the Bog Venus who refuses to heal her. Later, Ivy demands her followers show their phones, as she is looking for whoever it was that previously betrayed her. Before that can be resolved, Undine informs her that Janet is lying out in the woods and Ivy finds that her friend may have died.

SUPERGIRL #5 by Sophie Campbell, Paulina Ganucheau, and Rosi Kampe. In a change of pace, Krypto and Kandy team up to take on Princess Shark, before coming back home. But the girls realize that Tinytano is missing. It turns out that Tinytano and Streaky are having their own adventure as they find a group of kittens that has eaten the remains of the super-substance. Streaky comes up with the idea to feed the cats regular food. They overeat and vomit up the super-substance, returning them to normal. Supergirl and LEsla catch up with Lena, who has wrangled Streaky and Tinytano when, unexpectedly, Supergirl passes out.    

SUPERMAN #30 by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora. LEGION OF DARKSEID PART 3. Saturn Girl recalls her life on Titan during the war with Braal. After her capture, she became a follower of Darkseid. Currently, Superman is facing the Legion of Darkseid and, in his weakened state with Superboy-Prime siding with the Legion, he is soon captured. Saturn Girl is in the process of draining Booster Gold’s Omega infused blood to reincarnate Darkseid when Prime betrays them, allowing Superman to break free as Prime sends Booster Gold back to Earth. Before he leaves, Superman give his Legion ring to Prime, who refuses to leave and punches Superman back to Earth. Then he frees his Legion captives and they take the fight to the Legion of Darkseid. Back on Earth, Superman sends out a distress call to the Justice League, in a scene mirrored in  JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #11. To be continued in JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE OMEGA SPECIAL #1.

SUPERMAN: THE KRYPTONITE SPECTRUM #2 by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo. Right now, Atom Smasher is trying to subdue Superman who has grown to giant size and is trashing Metropolis after due to his exposure to Cobalt Kryptonite. When he arrived there, he tried speaking to people until Luthor ordered Dr. Hamilton to unleash Chemo. Luthor arrived and shot Superman with a Red Kryptonite arrow that sent him into a frenzy. Batman arrives and shoots his friend with Speckled K that reverses the effects of the Red K. To stop Chemo, John Stewart punches a hole through the villain and Superman sucks out the poison within him. But there is a side-effect: he reverts to Superboy just as The Captain arrives.  

SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #5 by Dan Slott and Rafael Albuquerque. Clark learns that the Kobra Cult was planning to steal the Kryptonite reserves from El Caldero’s capital Emerald City. In a private conversation, Clark reveals that Kobra wants a Kryptonian sun crystal and he says Superman needs to retrieve it and, wearing lead armor and flying in the Supermobile, he heads to the Kryptonite Kingdom. He arrives to find the city greets him with open arms. He tell President Castilho of his mission but is rebuffed, telling Superman that the crystal is property of El Caldero. Superman senses the crystal’s presence and Castilho gets a crew together to explore the mines. As they progress through it, Castilho says the tunnel was originally dug to save Superman when he was trapped after saving Earth from the Kryptonite asteroid. It is revealed that there are Kobra cultists here and Castilho is saved by Superman, but his suit gets damaged in the process. Castilho catches up to the cult leader and grabs the crystal, revealing a message from Jor-El and Lara. Rather than tell anyone, Castilho keeps the secret to himself and attempts to strangle the cultist. But he is observed by the Planet camerawoman. When he wig is removed, she is revealed to be…Lois Lane.

TITANS #27 by John Layman and Max Raynor. Samuel Register, after trying to recreate Beast Boy’s abilities, transformed and is now the greatly altered Zookeeper On South Register Island, Cyborg, Beast Boy and the Doom Patrol find themselves fleeing from dinosaurs that are being  subjected to a broadcast which is calling them to be violent. This leads to Beast Boy and Beast Girl heading out and encountering Zookeeper. Luckily, Cyborg and Robot Man find the source of the broadcast, which leads to Zookeeper getting eaten by a pterodactyl. Later, Beast Boy and Cyborg, in specially designed Doom Patrol outfits, head back to the Titans Bunker, only to find the Justice League, who tell them they are just in time for the end of the world.     

TRINITY DAUGHTER OF WONDER WOMAN #4 by Tom King and Belen Ortega. Little Lizzie, searching for the Robin Corgi, ends up in Wayne Manor, calling herself as Wonder Robin when she meets Alfred. She has arrived on the day of Bruce Wayne’s wedding to Selena Kyle. She still looks through the Manor, even as Bruce rails at her because he has managed to step in Corgi poop. The Corgi finds Selena, who gives Lizzie a makeover, complete with a set of diamond cat ears. Later, the Corgi ends up with Ace, who traces the Corgi throughout the house, causing damage to the Batcave in the process. In the end, with Robin Corgi secured, Lizzie declares this was the best day ever as she hugs Alfred. Meanwhile, Steve Trevor is still trying to row himself back to the land of the living. An unknown spirit confronts Trevor, saying nothing is impossible.

WONDER WOMAN #25 by Tom King and Daniel Sampere. Twenty years in the future, it is revealed that humanity has been defeated by Emelie the Matrirch, where her daughter, Lyssa, was responsible for the deaths of Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, Hawkman, Aquaman, and Superman/ Even in death, they all declare that Wonder Woman will stop her. In the present, Wonder Woman checks on the girl’s injured mother when a group of armed women, apparently a resistance force, arrive. The resistance, along with Wonder Woman, the girl and her mother, travel through the sewers, with Wonder Woman fighting and killing a giant mouse. At the hideout, Wonder Woman learns that Mouse Man is announcing that he knows Diana is here and feeds insurgents to giant mice as punishment. One of the resistance says they need Diana’s help and offer to show her where Emelie and Candy are, but then she must leave them. She is led to a cabin and takes out guards to get closer. The young girl says “Wonder Woman. Help”; representing the first words of dissent Diana has heard. The pair enter the cabin and find Emelie and her daughter Lyssa in her arms.

DC UNIVERSE Month 92, Part 1

ABSOLUTE BATMAN #12 by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta. In a flashback, Selina and Bruce attempt to broker a deal with Falcone. In the present, Bruce confronts a transformed Waylon, who begs Batman to kill him, which he cannot do. Later, he learns the horrific news from Alfred about his friends. Oswald had been beaten and his body is now horribly disfigured. Harvey has been burned, with half of his body disfigured. Harvey holds Bruce responsible for his injuries. Eddie has also been beaten and now he has his brain wired into electronics and now his mind is filled with questions. Batman orders the Red Hood Gang to stand down, revealing he has made a deal with them. Bane breaks into Batman’s hideout and Alfred is quickly taken out. But not by Bane, as Selina arrives, wearing a catsuit.

ABSOLUTE FLASH #7 by Jeff Lemire and Travis Moore. Wally and Grodd are cold and hungry, resulting in Wally stealing from a small grocery store, resulting in him being arrested. Along the way, Grodd slips out and escapes, while a fierce storm rages. Elsewhere, Wally’s father has been captured by Elenore Thawne and her gang and she tells him that what she has in a tank is God. Meanwhile, the Rogues track Wally and free him, leading to them encountering the Ultimate Weather Wizard, who is responsible for the storm and refuses to go back. Wally unleashes his power and takes the Wizard out, which causes the storm to end. He tells the Rogues he is not going back and they declare they are not either, asking Wally if he wants to join them..

ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN #6 by Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay. In Coast City, Cameron Chase is sleeping while waiting for a meeting with her supervisor and sees a black orb and a voice asking her how far out is the world that is coming. Upon waking, she meets with Johnny Double, who has removed her from cases in Nevada and California; possibly because of Evergreen. She accuses him of being paid off by Hammond and she is put on leave. Meanwhile, in the voice, John tells Jo and Hal they are in OA with the spirits of the rest of Evergreen. John says they are all alive and have been judged by Abin Sur. He also explains there are four levels of light: Qard, Rao, Sur and Aur representing chaos, restraint, correct and understanding. John tells them that Aur is the highest level and Qard is the darkness and that Blackstar World is coming via Mogo, the living planet. John tells Hal to put the black hand on her and she manages to cure Hal with her light. In Evergreen, the Green Lantern gives off a burst pf red and black fluid, followed by Jo carrying Hal. As he decides to follow them, he messages Veronica Cale, saying he got rid of the Lantern. In actuality, John took it to watch Mogo. Later, Chase’s partner Simon Baz visits and she says she is not working Evergreen because her ex-wife, Jo Mullein, is from the town. There is a knock at the door and she sees Hal and Jo on the other side when she opens it.

ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #11 by Jason Aaron and Carmine Di Giandomenico. In Krypton’s past, Jor-El and Lara are sentenced to hang above Kandor for 100 years while Kal-El is sentenced to 20 years in a Phantom Zone orphanage. He reacts and destroys Krypton’s rulers. In actuality, this is a simulation Brainiac is running to try to desensitize Superman to killing. Talia goes to where Lois and Kimmy are being held, with jimmy asking how she could betray the Omega men. Lois tells him that Lazarus and Omega are one and the same. She tells Talia that Brainiac cannot break Superman but Talia says he will be broken and then kill the two of them. Superman is continually given simulations, most of which are about killing Brainiac but he refuses to do that. On Day 12, Sol reactivates, thanks to the Brainiac clones who demand liberty, but he kills them all. Elsewhere, Sam Lane arrives at the Lazarus facility in Greenland. Pulling a gun out of his prosthetic leg and freeing Lois and Jimmy, who refuse to leave until they free Superman. While trying to free him, Talia stabs Sam through the head while jimmy fights Brainiac and imploring Superman to wake up. He wakes from a simulation with his parents and proceeds to crush Brainiac’s throat as Sol fully activates and says he is getting them out of there, even as Superman appears comatose.

ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #12 by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman. Diana, now wielding Poseidon’s trident, is still in the underwater labyrinth of Area 41. She tells the stone she carries to find Io and orders Ferdinand to follow it and take her back to Steve. Ferdinand, Io and the other survivors make their way to The Hieron, and Ferdinand reunites with Petra. But Io disappears following being hit by a bolt of lightning. She discovers that Clea is an Atlantean who has become the evil she is because of being away from the sea and her trident for so long. Using the trident, Diana opens a path to the Pacific and tells Clea that this represents the Atlantean’s way to redemption. When Diana gets to The Hieron, she is heartbroken that Io is gone but gains hope thanks to a sign from Hecate. As it turns out, Io has made it to Themyscira and informs Hippolyta that Diana is alive. In the end, Cale makes new threats to Dr. Poison assigning her to Project SS-1. Cale also decides it is time to free one of her prisoners, Zatanna and to have her go hunt “a witch”.

ACTION COMICS #1090 by Mark Waid and Skylar Partridge. Superboy is seen testing his ability to fly around the world and being clocked at the speed of 60,000 miles per hours. Earlier, Clark has concerns about his absent history teacher, who is really Captain Comet. Clark is also crushing on Lana Lang and the pair go on something resembling a date, where he is led to at first believe her attraction to him is because of his super pheromones, but she is actually crushing on Superboy. During the date, he receives a telepathic message from Captain Comet that forces him to leave in a hurry that leads him into a fight with Raze to save Dr. Magnus. But the fight does not go well when he is struck by nausea, probably caused by exposure to an unknown element which is definitely Kryptonite. Raze gets taken out by the military who proceeds to arrest him.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: BOOK OF EL #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Scott Godlewski. In deep space, Kryl-Ux of the world destroyed by Mongul, discovers the Spark of Olgrun which, as part of seven “god aspects” would allow him to shape the universe. In the present day, a Warzoon invasion force lands in Smallville along with Kryl-Ux, leading to Superman sending out a distress call to the Justice League. Kryl-Ux reveals how he needs Otho’s power for what comes next. When Superman goes after Kryl-Ux who disappears. In the far future, Ronan Kent and a ‘Lightborn’ by the name of Thealric are attacked by the Summer Men and, just before they are hit with energy beams, Superman appears and blocks the rays. In the back-up from Supergirl’s journal, it is revealed that Kry-Ux’s forces invaded nine other place on Earth; only being stopped in Gotham. Superman disappeared, allowing Kryl-Ux to do enough damage on Earth to cause martial law to be enacted. The Super-Family evacuated to the moon. Kong Kenan went to liberate Beijing, Lois and Jimmy went to Oa to search for Superman, and Superboy and the irons went to protect Warworld from another invasion. In the next back-up, a House of El chronicle from 956 in the Promethean Age of Earth, what was known as Smallville is now Planter’s Fief and Ronan is the last member of the House of El on Earth following the departure of his twin sister Rowan. His uncle Brandon, prior to his death, was the last Superman of Earth

AQUAMAN #9 by Jeremy Adams and John Timms. Aquaman and his allies are seen burying their dead who had been aged with magic after being kidnapped by Dagon. Among the dead is Mera. Getting onto the Nautilus, they head home with Aquaman still being able to sense his connection to the Blue. They discover Batman and Wonder Woman battling a possessed Superman. With his new powers, Aquaman is able to hit Superman and hold him with his hydrokinetic powers while Zann and Arion remove the spirit within Superman. Later, Aquaman talks of what happened in the Blue and Batman wants to run tests. That causes Aquaman to refuse and make the decision to stay in the ocean rather than the Watchtower. He visits deserted Atlantis and decides to move on, not noticing that the Aquaman family, Tempest, Aquaman, Mera and his child, are waiting for him in the ruins.

BATGIRL #11 by Tate Brombal and Takeshi Miyazawa. Batgirl battles against Wu Bing, calling up all of her skills against her. But, after defeating Wu Bing, who declares the battle is to the death, the dark spirits come forth and take Bing away. Jaya Jayesh arrives, then explains she is not here to battle Batgirl but has an invitation for her to join a reformed League of Shadows, which she agrees to do to honor Jayesh’s father. Part of the deal is for Jade Tiger to join her and his father gifts him the Jade Claws.

BATMAN #1 by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez. Batman investigates Killer Croc’s breakout of Arkham Tower. He learns that Waylon is changing and not only shedding his skin but what is inside of him too. Meanwhile, Commissioner Vandal Savage brings in tactical urban combat officers to recapture Croc. At the Gotham Natural History Museum, Batman finds Croc who has been eating some of the animals there. As Croc and batman sit, Croc’s medical team arrives and gives him a toy dinosaur, which he gives to Batman as they take him away. In the end, Robin calls Batman and asks in there is anyone on the police force they are friendly with because he is currently at gunpoint…by two police officers.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #25 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Fico Ossio. A felon named Cy is released from prison and goes to a house and pays respect to someone who has died. Meanwhile, Batman and Robin takes down Tiger Shark, which leads to The Penguin and his gang celebrating. Later, Cy chows up at the Iceberg Lounge, killing many and lighting the place on fire. But where are Batman and Robi? They are attending a movie as Bruce and Damian.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #43 by Mark Waid and Adrian Gutierrez. Bizarro World is collapsing and the Bizarros heroes and the Earth heroes need a solution and fast. Robin figures it out, that they need to find a way to make the planet bigger to deal with the expanding core. Batman, Robin and Batzarro visit Bibb-zarro and convince him to make a cure for the epidemic while Superman and Bizarro Superman find a way to expand the planet at the world’s core and do so, with the help of Bizarro Krypto. The population is treated with the antidote and return to their version as normal.  With the planet saved, the heroes head home, leaving Batzarro and Bizarro Superman to make the difficult decision to lose their intelligence and go back to normal, which they do.

BIRDS OF PREY #25 by Kelly Thompson, Cliff Richards, and Sami Basri. Today, Barda is breaking rock s in a quarry, much to the delight of the workers there. Six weeks ago,  Barda is angry the team is thinking of working with Inque, but Black canary calms her down. Inque tells the story of the future and how she used Mia Mozoguchi’s tech that she stole to get into the present. She gives intel to the Birds on three of the Shadoe Army’s location and the team head into action. Batgirl encounters Copperhead, Sin and Black Canary go after Golden Lion and Velvet Tiger, leaving Inque to go after Daemon Prime. She has backup in the form of Barda, who saves her after she is attacks by his creation.  Back at their headquarters, they get outfitted in special suits that allow them to change their appearance and, with oracle at the helm, the team enters into the Unreality.

CATWOMAN #79 by Torunn Gronbekk and Danilo Beyruth. In The past, in a time before Selina’s mother’s suicide, Selina first learns of the Palermo Pearl. In the present, she goes to Italy and meets with Dominique Allard, who gives her a lead that brings her into the world of Carmine Falcone and, more specifically, Aldo Falcone.

CHEETAH & CHESHIRE ROB THE JUSTICE LEAGUE #2 by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott. Cheetah and Cheshire continue to plan for the heist, taking Jade to Atlantic City, where she finds Becky Sharpe, granddaughter of The Gambler, whose power set has been increased since Absolute Power ended. Cheetah heads to Florence where she makes a deal that will bring Klarion and Teekl to the team. Later, Cheetah and Cheshire observe a girl named Featherweight who takes out the police during a protest; leading to the pair thinking she might be a good fit for them.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1101 by Tom Taylor and Mikel Janin. In a flashback, a father hides his child just before Batman bursts in and takes the man. In the present, a party boat runs into a floating corpse and then a large fishing boat. When Batman arrives, rescuing who he could, he relies on Oracle to help him figure out what may have happened, as the boat is filled with massive casualties. Some of these corpses have died days apart and it appears that no one bothered to try and save themselves. It appears the deaths may be linked to a biological agent that attacks the amygdala. As he investigates, he finds a young, malnourished child who says he will never be afraid again. He also sees a message from ‘The Lion’. He later meets with Mr. Terrific who confirms there is some virus that causes the infected to lose all sense of fear. And it gets worse as Batman may also be infected.

FIRE AND ICE: WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER #6 by Joanne Starer and Stephen Byrne. Tora and Bea are still in Hell while the town is still dealing with their personalities being scrambled and L-Ron starts working on his Mayoral campaign. Honey, in Mo’s body, is looking to buy the Mane Event, which will someday get her and Smarty Pants into the vault of the future planned casino. While in a tunnel, they open a door but that leads them to the waste treatment facility, which they have now accidentally bought. In Hell, a demon has the ring the girls are looking for and Bea says she will stay provided Tora grabs the ring and saves Bea and, with Etrigan’s help, they get out of Hell and find that everyone’s personalities are back where they belong and L-Ron is now the Mayor.

THE FLASH #25 by Simon Spurrier and Vasco Georgiev. The world is at the end of its’ proverbial rope as Eclipso, now known as the ‘god of gods’ is triggering the destruction on Earth because of events on the moon. The Flash Family finally figures to use what is left of the Speed Force to get all of them inside of Foxy’s belly and retrieve Barry Allen’s ring. With Eclipso dispatched, the villains all are miraculously returned to prison, Eclipso is trapped with The Shade, and F8-3-1459 merges again with Wally West.

GREEN ARROW #28 by Chris Condon and Montos. Ollie races to get the overdosed youth some help, bringing him to a nearby police station, where they administer Naloxone. Detective Benitez takes Ollie into what she refers to as her “dungeon” where all the records are kept. She explains that the Crimson Archer has dipped a new drug, similar to heroin made from a rare flower called Aleria, onto the arrows. The drug was developed by the head of an obsolete drug company named Hector Vance. The company was later bought by a company called Advance run by someone named Albert Noyce who didn’t exist until five years ago. Are Noyce and Vance the same person and is either of them the Crimson Archer?

GREEN LANTERN #27 by Jeremy Adams and Xermanico. THE STARBREAKER SUPREMECY PART 5. On Oa, John Stewart tries to rally the troops and puts out a call to everyone that can be reached, including Rannians and the Omega Men. He also decides to release the prisoners in the Sciencell Prison Facility, knowing this could go badly but knowing he needs the backup to defeat the Sun Eaters. John seemingly sacrifices himself to reactivate the various Lantern Batteries and this allows all Lantern colors get their ring back, with the construct Ellie getting John’s ring. And what is going on with the gauntlet and Simon? To be concluded in GREEN LANTERN CORPS #9.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #8 by Jeremy Adams, Morgan Hampton, and Fernando Pasarin. THE STARBREAKER SUPREMECY PART 4. The Green Lantern Corps now has backup as they have freed the creatures of the emotional spectrum, leading to a battle with Starbreaker and his minions, who are drawing their power from the Power Battery Starbreaker created. But Nathan, finally feeling guilt over his actions, destroys the Power battery and possibly ending his own life in the process. But his sacrifice restores emotions to the Lanterns. In the end, Ellie tells Keli that she has figured out what the door in Keli’s mind is. Keli notices the gauntlet is gone with Ellie telling her it actually belongs to Krona. And it is now in the possession of Simon Baz.

HARLEY QUINN #54 by Elliot Kalan and Crlos Olivares. Harley is missing and Althea Klang is not happy about it. It turns out, she has been kidnapped by Gunbunny and Mayfly who are taking her to a collector they found on Thugslist. Harley fights back and the motor home crashes inside of Coast City. Harley wakes in a zoo and rescues a Maylayan Tapir and flees from the villains. At the same time, Fire and Ice are involved with a ribbon cutting at the zoo, capturing Harley, Gunbunny, and Mayfly. Meanwhile, the Deconspirator shows up at a meeting with Althea Klang and the neighborhood citizens and begins sowing discontent among everyone including Ravager. In the end, Brock Blumquist, Super-Hunter, learns that his daughter and her partner are in jail and now he wants Harley’s head.

JSA #10 by Jeff Lemire and Diego Olortegui. Rick and Jesse head off to rescue Dr. Mid-Nite and Obsidian, with Dr. Mid-Nite revealing that the rest of the team is walking into a trap. In fact, they have been captured by the Injustice Society with Alan Scott amazed to find Red Lantern joined up with them. She reveals that she has been told her father is alive and the Injustice Society is going to help her find him. Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Kid Eternity arrive and she blasts Wotan, saying that Kent Nelson sends his regards. The villains depart and the heroes prepare to head back to the brownstone. At the brownstone, Khalid hears Kent’s voice and goes to the Tower of Fate, where he is given the amulet of Anubis, giving him the powers once again to be Doctor Fate. In the 5^th Dimension, Jakeem and Obsidion, along with Thunderbolt, fight against Qwsp and his doppelgangers. Khalid opens a portal and frees them, allowing both Jakeem and Todd to come back to life. The Injustice Society now has all they need to bring The Unnamed Ones to Earth