NEW 52 Month 13, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #13: We are witness to the sentencing of Dr. Xa-Du to the Phantom Zone. As he is being sent away for 20 years, he promises to make Jor-El and his family pay. He never gets a parole hearing because that is that day Krypton explodes. So he is stuck there for a long, long time. In the present day Fortress of Solitude, Superman gets projected into the Phantom Zone by a mysterious figure. While attacked by hardened criminals, it’s Krypto who comes to his defense, along with that of the Phantom Stranger, who has been trapped here by Xa-Du. With Krypto’s help, Superman gets free and sends the villain back to the Phantom Zone, even as a mysterious villain plots to free him again. In the back-up story, we get Krypto’s orgin, complete with his being trapped in the Phantom Zone to save his master. Throughout his life on Earth, the phantom dog has always been there.

Grant Morrison turns in an average story in the main piece which just manages to act as a point to introduce Krypto to the New 52 Universe. Travel Foreman does an okay job with the art. Maybe it’s me, but there are some books that cry for comic style art, as opposed to painted ones. This is one of them. As far as the back-up goes, a very nice and touching piece by Sholly Fisch and Brad Walker.

ALL STAR WESTERN #13:  We start out with a killer clown taking out a priest in rather grisly fashion and it’s up to the trio of Arkham, Black and Hex to investigate. Haly’s Circus is in town and all sorts of weird things are going on. Then there’s Yanmei Tsen. who is being hunted by The Golden Dragons(as it appears everyone is as of late). She fights them off with a little help from Jonah Hex, but then disappears. In case you might forget, Yanmei Tsen is The Barbary Ghost. Anyway, they go to talk to Mr. Haly and we discover the several of his performers are missing AND ONE OF THEM, Jingles the Clown, goes on a psychotic rage and gets a bullet in the head for his troubles. The animal trainer gets eaten by one of his own tigers before Tallulah takes it out. It looks like the Dr. Jekyll formula is getting distributed to folks via the ever popular medicine man. Meanwhile, Doctor Jekyll has become Mr. Hyde and he wants his little black diamond back. Can you say Eclipso? The back-up story features the NEW 52 version of Tomahawk and he isn’t the character I grew up with.

This is just another killer issue from the team of Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Moitat. The book looks great; the story is just a roller coaster that does for comic Westerns what DEADWOOD did for TV Westerns, minus the cussing! Ariel Olivetti provides one really creepy cover and if you weren’t afraid of clowns before reading this book, you will be now!. The back up story, by Gray, Palmiotti and Phil Winslade, crafts a new legend for Tomahawk. He’s not an Indian a scout anymore. He’s an Indian with an agenda, especially after the slaughter of his family. Yeah, this guy is the Native American version of The Punisher: the character who does what he needs to and you find yourself cheering for him. This a great title and DC should be proud of it.

ANIMAL MAN #13: Buddy Baker finds himself back home and highly confused. A zombie Hawkman attacks and the save gets made by Steel, Black Orchid, and Beast Boy. The trio find is hard to believe that Buddy is who he says he is, but they head off to Red City as Steel tells the story of the past year. We see most of the heroes fall including The Flash, Batwoman, Supergirl and Poison Ivy. We also learn that Red City is created by the Totems and they keep the city alive and safe. Upon arrival, Buddy finds John Constantine, who quickly blames Buddy for the end of the world. He also finds the Shepherd, who informs Buddy that the rest of hi family is dead, including his daughter.  And that’s understandable as, in the parallel portion of the story set in the here and now, the family seek Cliff, who has been possessed and passes his disease along to his mom.

Poor Buddy. He is gone for what he thinks is a month and finds out it’s a whole year and almost everyone he knows is dead. And now he has to deal with the consequences and the guilt. And how DOES this tie into continuity? We have stories five years in the past, in the now and now one year in the future. Jeff Lemire and Steve Pugh continue to make Rotworld a very scary place!.

AQUAMAN #13: We start with a conversation from six years ago between Vostok and Aquaman. But now Vostok is dead and Aquaman is pissed!  Black Manta has Ya’wara’s teleportation orb and manages to split just as Aquaman gets there. The Others use the Operative’s airplane to track Manta. We learn that Dr. Shin hired Black Manta back in the day, which led to Arthur’s father’s death. Aquaman takes blame for accidentally killing Manta’s father, even though the rest try to convince him it was righteous because Manta’s father was wanted for murder. Black Manta meets with a group of Atlanteans who pay him for the scepter and promise to give him control of the surface world once they take over the world. Aquaman arrives to break the deal and tries to gain access into this Atlantean ship that he believes contains his brother the Ocean Master. The ship leaves, after taking possession of the scepter, and the two foes duel with Aquaman defeating Manta, but not killing him. The Others are left in charge of keeping the artifacts safe while The Operative gets to go to the families of the dead and give them a moment to come to grips with their grief. And Arthur and Mera? A time will come when the Atlanteans attack and fear that Mera will stand in their way.

Here we have another awesome issue from Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. The art looks great and the tale, which has lumbered on for so many issues now, comes to a satisfying conclusion. But where is Ocean Master? This tease is killing me! Bring on the brother!!! This remains one of my favorite books, which I thought I’d never say, especially after Geoff Johns habit for writing goofy dialogue. But THIS is his finest work!

BATGIRL #13: Back in issue #12, Batgirl was stabbed by Knightfall. Knightfall is preparing to make the killing blow when Batgirl convinces her that her the rest of her villainous team has been taken out by Batwoman and company. Knightfall removes her mask and reveals she is Charise Carnes. She then reveals her origin: how her boyfriend Trevor murdered her entire family. She never mentioned him when she was tried for their murder, and went to Arkham just to learn from the inmates there. She got out , found Trevor and has been keeping him captive. As Knightfall beats on Batgirl, Ricky lends a hand so Batgirl can finish Knightfall off. Meldoy McKenna and Batwoman arrive, placing Carnes under arrest. McKenna takes Batgirl to a doctor who won’t ask questions and she gets stitched up. Later, Barbara’s roommate introduces her to their new cat, Alaska. Barabra mentions that her family had the same breed of cat when she was a chuld. And the cat was named Alaska. Mrs. Gordon gets a visit from three men dressed as clowns in Hawaiian shirts. They claim it’s a night for making new memories. Lastly, The Disgraced get Mirror, Gretal and Grotesque out of prison with one goal” kill Batgirl.

Gail Simone, or perhaps the editors at DC, pull a fast one on us by saying it’s a DEATH OF THE FAMILY tie-in when it really is just the conclusion to the KNIGHTFALL story arc. Either way, we see the reach that James Jr. has into his sister’s life and that someone thinks it may be funny to duplicate Barbara’s crippling act. Some really nice art from Ed Benes on this issue too.

BATMAN #13: Bad omens have been popping up in Gotham City. Gotham River has been running backwards and a two-headed lion was born at the zoo. The Joker shows up at GCPD wearing the same Hawaiian shirt that he wore when he shot Barbara. The lights go out and soon Gordon is surround by an army of dead cops with broken necks. The Joker is gone and so is his face. Batman gets on the phone and he makes the rest of the Batman family aware of the situation. The Joker appears on TV and kills John Claridge, the son of Henry Claridge, thus repeating his first murder he ever committed in Gotham on the son of the first guy he murdered. He also threatens to kill the mayor in 24 hours. The mayor’s office is locked down but The Joker manages to poison all of the police officers with a a toxin of Acetaminophen, Chlorine, and Ethane. Batman realizes that refers to ACE chemicals where Red Hood became the Joker. Batman confronts The Joker in his Red Hood costume. It’s actually Harley Quinn and she traps him in a vat that is filling with some liquid. Meanwhile, Alfred finds a two-headed lion cub at the front door of Wayne Manor and finds the Joker wearing his old face and laughing. In the back-up story, we find out how Harley ends up in the Red Hood costume and what mental mind games her “puddin” puts her through.

Scott Snyder brings back our favorite psycho villain and he is bigger, badder, and more insane than ever. And this is just one of the prelude titles to DEATH OF THE FAMILY. By the time December rolls around, the crossover will be ripping through eight DC titles bringing the final total to 23 parts. Greg Capullo’s art is totally creepy and The Joker wearing his own face is both hilarious and scary at the same time. Best reference: during The Joker’s rant on TV he says that the mayor is going to be as dead as a baby bird smashed with a crowbar. Yeah-nice Jason Todd reference there. Regarding the back-up, it just goes to show how far Mr. J. will go to make his plans work. Great moody artwork from Jock on this one.

BATMAN INCORPORATED # 4: As you may remember, Leviathan has pretty much infiltrated all walks of life. Matches Malone, one of Batman’s alter egos, finds himself being strangled and suffocated. But Matches gets free just as all of Batman Incorporated attacks this safe house, including Wingman and Red Bird (Damien’s new identity!). Bruce shows his displeasure with Damian but allows him to continue on with them. They all defeat Leviathan’s henchmen and Batman arranges for GCPD to pick them up. He also calls Talia and asks her to call off this war, which she refuses to do. Meanwhile, Wingman reveals his identity to Damien. It’s Jason Todd, which really pisses off Damien who feels he has been totally left in the dark by Batman. The issue concludes with Batman telling his son that, for the safety of all of Gotham, Damien must go back home to his mother.

Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham continue to weave an amazing story! We all know who Leviathan is, and have known since the Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! But the question is how far Talia will go to see her version of world domination come to fruition? She already has a huge bounty out on her own son. What’s next? Only Morrison and Burnham know. Check this title out while Grant is still writing it.  

BATMAN AND ROBIN #13: Batman and Robin take the rocket ship out to perform maintenance on a communications satellite. Damian then asks his father if he ever loved Talia. We know Damian doesn’t ad Talia has a $500 million bounty on her son. Back in the atmosphere, they spy the Bat Signal. Damien takes the Bat-Shuttle back to the cave, while Batman goes to meet with Commissioner Gordon. Damien doesn’t stay at home for long and he’s off to look for one of the assassins Talia has sent after him. In the process, he runs into a band of zombies who are chanting “Eat to Live.”  No matter how hard bhe fights, Damien is soon overwhelmed by them, Damian attempts to fight them off, but is soon overtaken.

Another gem from Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, with a four page art assist from Tomas Giorello. Batman has a spaceship? Well, of course he does!  The writing bounces from being campy fun (not total camp but enough to make me smile) to ghastly nasty. Zombies in Gotham? When did this become THE WALKING DEAD? The artwork shines and next issue, we get DEATH OF THE FAMILY.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #13: We start with Scarecrow collecting the tears from the girl he kidnapped. But he is also troubled by the horrific memories that his father’s research put him through. Batman wakes and finds himself strapped to a table. He orders his wrist armor, which is attached to the Batsuit across the room, to activate a laser and cut his chains for him. Batman puts on the suit and goes after the Scarecrow, who cuts him open with a scythe and then points out that Batman is still strapped to the table, thanks to the fear toxin. This has all been an illusion. By now, the Super Toxin is complete. It has no antidote and is so strong that Scarecrow has to wear a special mask to keep himself from falling victim to it. We get Jonathan Crane’s truly twisted origin as we learn that he was locked in a little dark room, while his father conducted tests on him. Crane’s father had a heart attack and died. It was several days before Crane’s colleague found the young boy afraid and starving. As he monologue’s away and goes to get his scythe, Batman breaks free and is now ready for the showdown.

Gregg Hurwitz has been responsible for writing the most twisted version of Scarecrow yet. And, at the same time, he has made him somewhat sympathetic due to the way his father treated him. This story is amazing. And David Finch, inking over his pencils, totally submits himself to his art. While he is a great writer and I love what he has done in the past, his concentrating on one medium instead of two just allows his work to be that much more intense! This is just another awesome issue and continues to be a true cornerstone in the Batman Universe.

BATWOMAN #13: Wonder Woman and Batwoman team up and head beneath the coean to see what is going on with Medusa. It turns out that prisoners and guards are dead and Medusa has escaped. It also turns out that Nyx, the goddess of night, was responsible for all this carnage. They get attacked by a huge amount of black worms and become captured by Nyx. Batwoman sets off a flash grenade and uses one of Black Manta’s flying subs to help them escape. They head off to the desert, where they meet with a decaying Pegasus-the child of Medusa and Poseidon. Back in Gotham, Cameron Chase and Bones plot the future. f Kate comes back alive, they will blackmail her into telling Wonder Woman’s secrets. If she does not return, they will recruit a recuperating Bette Kane to replace her.

I so LOVE having the team of J. H.Williams III and W. Haden Blackman back as the driving forces on this book. Kate Kane is such a great character and her entire supporting cast shines, from Maggie Sawyer to Director Bones and everyone in between. This still remains one of my favorite NEW 52 titles and is always at the top of my MUST READ stack.

BIRDS OF PREY #13: The Birds are in the process of recovering from being poisoned and remain isolated. Katana makes a food run, gets attacked by ninjas and has her sword stolen by the Dagger Clan. So, despite being warned not to do it because of her weakened condition, Tatsu heads to Japan where she is quickly drugged, blindfolded, and tasered. When she wakes, the Dagger Clan's leader wants her punished for dishonoring the clan. They plan on torturing her and then melting down the sword. And they are also getting ready to set off a bomb that will poison Japan for generations to come. The Birds come to the rescue but are outnumbered 100 to 1. They capture one of the Clan and Starling threatens to remove his eye from his socket, but leave his optic nerve intact so she can “turn it around so he can look at his own face.” He explains the man with the sword is named Condor and he wears a bird suit. Unseen by the Birds, the man grins, knowing he has totally lied to them.

One month, we have Poison Ivy being a total anarchist and the next, we have the team in Japan getting lied to about a guy in a bird suit. This is one wild ride. Thank you to Duane Swierczynski for writing such a compelling series for me to dwell over. And an equal number of kudos to the amazing Romano Molenaar for providing the art. Critics and fans have complained that this isn’t the BIRDS OF PREY they were used to. And they’re right…DEAL WITH IT!

CATWOMAN #13: Selina finds herself in a funk because The Joker has stolen some of Lola’s old toys and is using them to freak out Selina. So she ends up getting rid of a bunch of Lola’s belongings. She later meets a mystery man and gets contracted to make changes in a game of human chess which results in a pawn being taken off the table.

This is one weird issue and probably the weakest in the series so far. Ann Nocenti is not scoring any points with me with her work thus far and she can’t really make me feel for Selina like Judd Winick could. And Rafa Sandoval is good but is not Gullem Marsh. I am finding myself losing interest and it will certainly take a shot in the arm from DEATH OF THE FAMILY to really energize me again. Also, not points to listing this as a prologue unless we find out that the chess game is part of Joker’s plot.

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #13:  Our story begins in Los Angeles where Blue Devil arrives to break up a drug deal being orchestrated by Tobias Whale. Black Lightning also arrives and the two heroes, not realizing each other are herfoes, begin to fight and let the bad guys get away. The Los Angeles Police show up and cause the heores to go in opposite directions. Meanwhile, Tobias Whale  has a plan and that is to figure out who these two heroes are and have them killed. As in pre NEW 52 times, Blue Devil is really a stunt man(or was at one point) and Black Lightning is a school teacher. Bad guys are threatening Black Lightning’s father and he attempts to save him. At the same time, one of the thugs shows up at the movie studio where the Devil is working and kills Blue Devil’s grandfather who dies in his grandson’s arms.

Okay, this title has just enough cool stuff in it to keep me interested. If you haven’t noticed, DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS is the NEW 52’s way of trying out possible future titles. Some have been really good, like CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN. Others, like the KID FLASH piece, were awful! This one harkens back to the good old days and I love it. Blue Devil BEFORE he became a devil (maybe Grandpa’s death will kick start that). And we get Black Lightning fighting crime in a suit nowhere near as ugly as his old one. And the ‘fro is gone too. But his major foil, Tobias Whale is BACK and that just makes me giddy like a schoolgirl, kids!!! Marc Andreyko writes a fun story but it’s the art of Robson Rocha and, more specifically, the coloring of Gabe Eltaeb that elevates this to new levels. The final splash page is magnificent! I cannot wait for the next issue of this one. It was just way too much fun!

DEATHSTROKE  #13: Deathstroke tries to spend some quality time with Zealot but ends up being ambushed by a guy named Deadborn, who spends the entire issue beating the heck out of our anti-hero. Before the end, Deathstroke uses his sword to take off the guys’ arm, who informs Slade that he was only warming up. Meanwhile, Jericho trains to build an army and kill his father.

Aren’t we through with Liefeld yet? Nope-he shows up with a crappy plot and leaves it in the hands of Joshua Williamson who can’t do much with it except gives us a fight issue with a lot of diary entries. Eduardo Panscia provides the art and it’s better than looking at Rob’s six fingered figures, but not by much. I have tried and tried but the specter of Mr. Liefeld Has tainted this book way too much for me. I had hope that it would be restored to the earlier greatness. But I don’t think there is hope here. This is the last of it.

DEMON KNIGHTS #13: Down in Hell, Etrigan’s companions are acting out strange scenarios. The Shining Knight witnesses his/her wedding day and is told to make a decision about his/her sexual orientation by a demon priest. The Knight, having drunk from the Holy Grail, manages to destroy the demon and heads off to rescue the rest.  Al Jabr is offered a cool alcoholic beverage to relieve his parched throat; something his religion forbids. Vandal Savage is hung upside down and has to deal with the droves of children he has abandoned. They want him to confess to all the horrible things he has done, but he begins bragging about his acts. The Horsewoman watches her parents be slaughtered again, just as in her past. Lucifer tells Exoristos that he will send her back to Earth if she sends souls back to him. He also shows her a black diamond which he claims will be important in the future. Madame Xanadu finds herself forced to tend to every whim of Etrigan. Meanwhile, Jason Blood, still on Earth, decides he can’t go on without Xanadu and prepares to kill himself. But his suicide attempt is interrupted by The Questing Queen and Mordru.

So how DO our heroes manage to break themselves out of Hell? Paul Cornell continues to lead us down all sorts of weird roads without ever truly answering the question fans have been asking since issue #1. Bernard Chang’s art is a nice substitute for Diogrenes Neves work. In fact, it’s almost seamless. Of course, we all know this storyline gets a full wrap-up with issue # 15 as Robert Venditti, who will be writing the recently announced CONSTANTINE title, will be taking over this title with issue #16. And he jumps the tale thirty years from now. THAT should be interesting! So…I guess we’re STILL not going to get many answers from Paul Cornell.

DETECTIVE COMICS #13: Bruce Wayne is supposed to be at The Neville Community Center for a donation and the opening of the Martha Wayne Children’s Wing. But he keeps getting involved in handling problems. These problems have all been set in motion by The Penguin to keep the Dark Knight busy. It seems Mr. Cobblepot has hired the Ghost Dragons to assassinate Bruce Wayne. And with Bruce Wayne out of the way, Cobblepot, who says he is one of Gotham’s four founding families, uses his threats to have the wing named in honor of HIS mother. Batman takes out the assassins but arrives at the Center, as Bruce, just in time to see it named for Esther Cobblepot. Penguin orders his assistant to cancel the hit, but it is too late. The Dragons finish a job once it is started and one Dragon is here to attack Bruce with a flaming sword. In the back up, an out of town crook proves he is too smart to work with one of The Penguin’s crooks and gets himself killed in the process.

This is the first issue by the new creative team of John Layman and Jason Fabok. While Tony Daniel set the bar especially high on the title, I happen to really like Layman’s story and his dialogue is very peppery. And Fabok’s art style is nowhere near as dark as his predecessors. It reminds me a lot of John Workman’s style and I’m good with that. His proportions are right on and his lines are nice and crisp. I cannot wait to see more from this crew.

DIAL H #5: Although his best friend was killed by the Squid, Jent teams up with him. His dial has stopped working and he needs to rescue Manteau from Ex Nihilo. Nihilo has let Abyss loose but the creature refuses to listen to her. Squid sacrifices himself so Jent and Manteau can escape and try and fix his dial. While watching Twitter feeds looking for Abyss, Manteau reveals her origin. She was once known as Roxie Hodder and ws a PhD candidate back in 1967. Soon after the Joy Festival, she discovered the dial and was overwhelmed with it. Ex Nihilo dials up and becomes the Hairbringer. Manteau fixes Nelson's dial, but not 100%. He becomes the silly looking Cock-a-Hoop. The US Army shows up and launches missiles into Abyss, to no avail. Nelson ends up teaming up with Ex Nihilo, who turns Abyss into stone. A strange figure with its’ own dial on its’ checst, flies out of Abyss and damages Ex Nihilo's dial with a screwdriver. She becomes human and falls to her death. Manteau and Nelson head home and wonder what will happen with a new player with a dial.

This is the most screwed up title in the NEW 52. I really have nothing else to say. If you want cute comic superhero stuff, this is NOT the book for you. If you want to scratch your head trying to figure out where the creative team is sending you, dive in.

EARTH 2 #5: Wesley Dodds, better known as The Sandman, leads his Sandmen and helps extract the President from the situation. Khan, the Commander of a group known as Sentinel tries to convince The World Council that Captain Al Pratt can handle the Grundy situation and there is no need to drop a Nuke on the area. Pratt has taken out Grundy and Green Lantern, but the dead vines get hold of him and it takes Hawkgirl and Flash to get Atom out. Green Lantern tries to convince the heroes to let him communicate with the Green and battle the Grey that way. The Grey tries to convince Alan to let them turn the world into decay and offer him his dead lover. Meanwhile, Terry Sloan is sent to Sentinel as a new advisor, much to Khan’s dismay. Sloan has ordered a nuclear strike.

Leave it to James Robinson to take these classic DC characters to a whole new place. Here is a man who knows these characters too well and it not afraid to break the mold and start anew. Factor in Nicola Scott’s beautiful art and this book is a major winner!

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #13:  Frankenstein continues to spar with his reborn creator, who now serves Anton Arcane.  Victor explains how he was rescued from death by The Rot and plans to help it conquer the world. In the middle of it all, condors arrive to take Frankenstein to metropolis, which has been overrun by the creatures of The Rot. He battles his way through and eventually is found by Vincent Velcoro, who informs him that Victor showed up at S.H.A.D.E. Headquarters and destroyed it and everyone in it.

Matt Kindt and Alberto Ponticelli weave the next portion of the ROTWORLD crossover and it’s a shocker. However, as much as I love this book, DC has put the axe in and this book will end with issue #16. That gives the crew three more issues to help out the Green and wrap up any loose plot threads.

GREEN LANTERN #13: We begin with Amanda Waller briefing the President about the new Green Lantern. Simon Baz is a presumed terrorist so President Obama tells her to make the Justice League aware. Meanwhile, Simon wakes up in Florida and hears parts of a corrupted message from Hal Jordan and Sinestro that tells him to find Arkillo and Carol Ferris. It gives him a Green Lantern uniform and tells him to fight the Guardians of the Galaxy. Now able to fly, Simon heads to Michigan where he finds Sira. He tells her that the ring has chosen him for a reason. He asks her to meet him that night and, when he arrives at his old school, he is surrounded by the Justice League. Meanwhile the Third Army begins their invasion.

Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke make you sit up and take notice with this NEW Green Lantern. Already the government is branding him as a terrorist and the Justice League is after him. It even looks like his sister may have sold him out. Goeff Johns lights this book up monthly and Mahnke continues to make the visuals pop. And, with the whole Third Army crossover in play, this is a must read title.

I, VAMPIRE #13: Andrew Bennett has technically wiped out all vampires on earth by absorbing their energy. Now he is the sole vampire and he has turned to the dark side. He took Tig as his queen and has corrupted her too. Matry Seward, long a vampire queen, is now human and struggling to deal with that. Despite being powerless, she confronts a mugger in the streets of Boston and he proceeds to knock her out. She strokes back the only way she can: she partially impales the guy on a spike of splintered wood. She may be powerless, but she is still a cold bitch. The decision is to go back to the beginning. John and Mary decide to look for any five -hundred-year-old man living in England. To do that, they seek out Deborah Dancer in the woods of Maine. But Andrew gets there first. Tig attempts to feed, but Andrew explains that she had once been his companion before John was. Mary and John burst in, armed to the teeth with the tools of the trade. Deborah is confused: just WHO IS the good guys here?

Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino have done such amazing things with this title and this is just another issue in a series of great ones. Each issue turns in a new twist. Here, we see the hero become the villain and the former villain become the hero. What happens now? Follow the last true vampire as he attempt to try and rebuild his empire. This is definitely NOT your father’s Gothic horror tale!

DC NEW 52 ZERO MONTH WEEK FOUR

ALL STAR WESTERN #0: We begin on the night that Jonah Hex is born. His father, Woodson Hex,  is roughed up by a gang sent by Colonel William Jennings. His goal is to find and murder fugitive Mormons. Woodson murdered the gang even as his son was born. Many years go by and we see that Woodson has become an abusive alcoholic. One night young Jonah came to his mother’s defense, which ended up with him being beaten before his mother sends the man away. Soon after, Jonah’s mother ran off with a travelling salesman leaving Jonah stuck with his father, who dumped jumped with the Apache in exchange for passage through their lands. Raised as an Apache, he was never accepted, especially by the chief's son Noh-Taute. During their last test of strength, Hex was betrayed by Noh-Taute and battle with the Kiowa tribe alone. Jonah survived the encounter and joined the Confederacy during the Civil War. Eventually, following his being whipped by a Union Colonel, Jonah returned to the Apache tribe. Once again, he was forced to face Noh-Taute again. The Apache cheated but so did Hex who was punished for his actions. The chief agreed to let Jonah live with the mark of the demon upon him. The chief heated a tomahawk and pressed the searing blade into Jonah's cheek. The story moves to present day, Reginald Forsythe offers three thousand dollars to locate the thief who has been stealing a medical formula from Dr. Henry Jekyll. Meanwhile, Rogan McKee, bearing the mysterious formula, returns to Haly’s Circus and gives the formula to his uncle Kirk. And, if that wasn’t enough, a mysterious woman returns to Gotham to get her mother back.

Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Moritat do a magnificent job of fleshing out the “true” origin of Jonah Hex. The battered mom who runs off with a travelling salesman sounds like a punch line in a joke, but it happens and does so effectively. The drunken father who sells him for safe passage through Apache territory also sounds like a punch line, but it too works beautifully. Betrayed by his Apache brother, branded by his adoptive Indian father, Jonah Hex has an attitude and for good reason. And, not to mention the origin, we get more of the mystery involving Dr. Jekyll plus the mysterious woman in the last panel. Could it be Tallulah Black’s daughter?

AQUAMAN #0: Set six years ago, Arthur Curry’s father, dying following an attack by Black Manta, asks his son to go to Atlantis and find his mother. Arthur leaves the lighthouse and jumps into the sea after being besieged by reporters. He encounters a shark and, using telepathy, makes the shark leave. He also saves a boat trapped in a storm. He tells him of his search for Atlantis and they send him to seek a man named Vulko. When they meet, Vulko kneels before him, calling him the King of Atlantis. He also tells that Arthur’s mother died many years ago. He tells the story of how Tom and Atlanna met, romanced and how Arthur was born. He also tells him how she was forced to marry the captain of the Atlantean Guard and bore a second son, Orm. Vulko believes that Orm murdered Atlanna and Vulko, being loyal to her, fled for his safety. Arthur is given a map and stones from the first king of Atlantis. Then they leave Norway and travel across the sea before finally reaching Atlantis.

Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis do it again and put a great curve in it by having Vulko be on the run and living in the surface world. This is certainly Reis’ best work of his career and Johns actually writes to the comic fan and not a 5^th grader. This is truly the book and the character that he has always needed to be.

BATMAN INCORPORATED #0: Beginning with the bat bursting through his study, Bruce Wayne decides that the world needs a worldwide organization of crime fighters. Despite a certain Mr. Treadwell, who gets arrested for various crimes, Bruce Wayne introduces BATMAN INCORPORATED to the board. From there, it becomes a worldwide jaunt for members. Squire and Knight come on board from England. Dark Ranger joins as he is visited in Australia by Squire. Add in Nightrunner from France and Batman Japan and El Gaucho and, eventually, Batwing, and you have a worldwide enterprise.

Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham bring you the not so secret, secret origin of Batman Incorporated. A less than spectacular outing here and Frazier Irving’s painted style absolutely detracts from what I usually get in a BATMAN INCORPORATED comic. If this was the issue that was designed to make me jump on, I would jump off. Luckily I have been impressed thus far and will continue on with the title.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #0: From the time that Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered, Bruce obsessed with finding out why they were killed. Fpor a long time he thought it had to do with his father’s wealth and fame. One night, Bruce sneaks out of the Wayne Manor and wends up bribing a homeless man with his father’s watch to garner information. All that got him was a kick into the garbage and the watch was lost to him. As he grew older, Bruce excelled in academics and the various martial arts. He eventually returned to Park Row to find the cloudy eyed homeless man, who revealed it was Joe Chill who killed the Waynes. And he reluctantly returned the watch to Bruce. After beating up a bunch of bar patrons, Bruce got a gun, broke into Joe Chill’s home and demanded answers. He discovered the man was only looking for his next drink and had no idea how famous the Waynes were. Bruce lowered the gun and soon after went to Tibet to begin his training.

Sheer brilliance from Gregg Hurwitz!  Hurwitz is fitting in nicely to the pantheon of Batman and doing a great job of embellishing the legacy. Not only do we get to see Bruce as he grows up and continues his quest to find his parents’ killers, we get to see him actually carry a gun! What is interesting in almost all the recent revamped origins of Batman ( BATMAN INCORPORATED being the exception) is the lack of the iconic bat vision that encouraged him to become a creature of the night. The art from Mico Suayan and Juan Jose Ryp is quite stylish and fits the story. This is just a really awesome story!

THE FLASH #0: Set five years ago on the anniversary of his mother’s death, Barry visited his father in prison. His father had been accused of Nora’s murder and Barry has constantly promised to prove his innocence. Later on, frustrated by everything he throws his computer through a window, which allows lightning to come in and strike him. He dropped the chemicals he was carrying which burned him while still being struck by the lightning. Barry spent some time in a hospital bed in a coma and dreaming of his past. his most vivid memory was of the spelling B his father took him too shortly after he had been served divorce papers by Barry’s mom. The following day, as Barry was out of the house, he came home to find his mother murdered and his father arrested. This jolts him out of his coma and he finds himself having run to Africa. Three weeks later, he made his debut as a super powered vigilante known as The Flash.

I will admit that I am not a fan of this new version of The Flash. I will also admit that Wally West doesn’t exist in the Universe. I specifically don’t like the new versions of The Rogues. But they don’t appear here, so it’s a moot point. Francis Manapul’s story is fine but it just manages to rehash the classic origin with some new pieces added. At this point, the Speed Force is merely a plot devise for down the road. And Brian Buccellato’s art style doesn’t appeal to me. It isn’t that he can’t draw; I just am not a fan of his angular style. So, while the Zero Issues are designed to be jumping on points for readers, this one doesn’t encourage me at all.

FURY OF FIRESTORM #0:  We begin several months after the Firestorms have been wiped out and Jason and Ronnie have become powerless. Jason is thinking about Professor Stein and how his experiments led to their creation. In a flash, the room is full of balloons and Jason thinks that maybe his powers have come back. Ronnie is not happy about it, as he wishes to have a normal life again. Later, during a football game, Helix crashes, telling Ronnie he can feel the fire within him. Jason tries to help and transforms them both into a single Firestorm. With Ronnie as the body and Jason as the brain, they take Helix into space and cause a huge explosion. They are now literally Firestorm the Nuclear Man.

There is a reason I don’t read this book: I don’t get it. Well, I GET IT and I GOT IT when it was Ronnie and Professor Stein. I don’t like Jason’s character and didn’t when he was introduced. I find him to be the Jason Todd version of Firestorm. Joe Harris’ writing is fine and Yildirav Cinar does an adequate job with the art. But I don’t really understand what’s going on not do I care. Sorry guys: this is NOT a jumping on point for me.

I, VAMPIRE #0: We get Andrew Bennett’s origin in this issue. Once a lord in a wealthy family, he angered his father and mother by running away with a woman named Mary Seward. As he runs away to be with her, the carriage he is riding in has an accident, killing the driver and injuring Andrew. A dark, cloaked figure approached and Andrew, fearing for his life, thrust a dagger into his chest, to no avail as the man didn’t even bleed. About to die, he asked the man to tell his story. The creature had made himself a promise many years before that if he ever fed on a true innocent, he would be cursed to spend his days “locked in a vacuum of naught, eternally.” Andrew tries to convince the man, known as Cain, that he was the innocent, but to no avail. The stranger transformed into a wolf and attacked. Upon sinking his fangs into Andrew, Cain realized that there was enough innocence in the boy to trap him forever. Soon Andrew found himself reborn and hungry. He wrote a letter to Mary saying they could never be together.

But we DO KNOW they eventually came together, as he was responsible for turning her. This is a great tale of virtue, revulsion and misfortune, which is why the tale ends with lines from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116. Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino turn in another spectacular issue that just continues to make Andrew Bennett the most heartbreaking vampire in comics…yes, even more so than Michael Morbius!

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #0: Some time ago, apprentice magician John Constantine went to New York City to learn from Nick Necro. Necro had studied magic from the greats including Zatara and Baron Winters. Constantine tracked Necro down at the Oblivion Bar. Necro had no interest in speaking with Constantine, especially when his girlfriend Zatanna when on stage. Unfortunately, Constantine also took notice of the girl. Constantine saves the pair from a member of the Cult of the Cold Flame and Necro agrees to train him. Necro goes on a search for the legendary Books Of Magic, seeking to control all magic. Zatanna and Constantine become involved in a relationship. Nick ends up being caught by the Cult and Constantine and Zatanna go to save him. In actuality, it was a trap, trading the couple for the Cult’s knowledge. In the end, Constantine ended up sending Necro to Hell as he died. John took the one thing he needed to finish the tale: Necro’s trench coat.

Is this the true origin of John Constantine? Probably not!!! I also see Constantine as that mysterious warlock who has made a career of hanging out in Vertigo books. This guy is Constantine light, kind of what Keanu Reeves made him when he did the movie. But the origin story isn’t totally hackneyed and you can owe that to the talented Jeff Lemire. The artwork is awesome too, as handled by Lee Garbett and Cam Smith. A nice break from what has been a real roller coaster ride as of late for this title.

NATIONAL COMICS: ROSE & THORN #1: Rose Canton wakes up screaming to discover she is covered in someone else’ blood. And she has a new tramp stamp tattoo of a rose that says Thorn on it. At school, the popular girls now talk to Rose and tease her about being with a boy named Troy. Confused and having voices in her head, she goes to science and passes out when a photo of her kissing Troy gets posted online and circulated in class. Rose passes out and is taken to the nurse by her best friend Melinda, who reminds her that Rose tried to kiss her the other day. She also advises her to try again as she might be more receptive. She jumps in a taxi and heads to Troy’s house while looking at Thorn’s Facelook page. It’s obvious Thorn is Rose and the pictures there are highly embarrassing. Arriving at troy’s house, she has visions of being tattooed by Troy’s father and then her turning the tables on him. He arrives shortly still bearing the scars of the tattoo she put on his chest that says MINE (that explains the blood). Rose races home and receive a video message from Thorn. She tells her that Troy’s dad was someone responsible for what happened to “their” dad and Thorn is going to make them all pay. The issue ends with troy showing up.

 

To say this is one schizophrenic roller coaster ride would be a major understatement. This book has as many turns in it as a snake and is twice as creepy! I absolutely love it! The original Thorn was also Rose Canton and fought The Golden Age Flash. When she was cured, she actually married Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott and bore two children: Jade and Obsidian. She also eventually committed suicide after her split personality returned. In the Sixties, Robert Kanigher rebooted the character making Rose revert to Thorn while she slept, allowing her other personality to hunt member of The 100, who killed “their” Metropolis Policeman father.  I used to love that Sixties version but this one is so creepy it totally rocks my world. Author Tom Taylor is no fly by night author wither, having served time writing a bunch of Dark Horse STAR WARS titles, plus winning the 2012 'Stan Lee Excelsior Award'. Art by Neil Googe is quirky and the cover by Ryan Sook is salaciously sexy!!! DC: cancel something to make way for this book! So far, the NATIONAL COMICS books have been winners!

RED LANTERNS #0: We begin some time ago when Atrocitus was simply a husband and father named Atros. But he also has to endure the death of his wife and daughter at the hands of the Manhunters. This warps the loving family man and he proceeds to kill as many Manhunters as possible with his bare hands. Soon Atros is aligned with the Four Demons. Quill, Roixaeume, Orphram and Dal-Xuaix and they proceed to wage war against the Guardians of the Galaxy. They form the Empire of Tears and Atrocitus seduces Roixaeume to learn the secrets of Blood Prophecy. Eventually the Guardians capture the five and imprisoned them on Ysmault. Atrocitus, following a Blood Prophecy, ends up killing the demons and constructs the Red Lantern Power Battery. Then, conducting the Blood Prophecy again, he sees his future Lanterns:  Bleez, Skallox and Zilius Zox.

This rebooted origin is an interesting if less than totally faithful to the original origin surrounding BLACKEST NIGHT. The keys points are here: Atrocitus’ family was murdered by the Manhunters, he did hook up with the Four Demons and they did form the Empire of Tears. But Atrocitus was responsible for mortally wounding Abin Sur which led to him crashing to Earth. Despite that missing piece, it was an entertaining story by reliable Peter Milligan, with art by Adrian Syaf. Suffice it to say, this is my favorite issue thus far of Milligan’s run.

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #0: Set on the planet Thanagar, Thal Provis sits on the throne. Ruling with him are his daughter Shayera and his son Corsar, but Katar Hol was made part of that family as he is dating Shayera. Not long after a peace meeting, the Daemonites left a disease which left the Thangarians wingless. With Thal’s death, Corsar took the throne and made plans to mine for nth metal. Mining continues for some time and Corsar ends up with the nth metal forming a blade on his arm. The nth metal binds itself with Katar and he gets his wings back. Katar and Corsar end up in a battle over Thal’s final wishes and Corsar is killed. Blamed for his death, Katar is now a hunted man who escapes to Earth. We flash to the present and see Shayera preparing to strip the nth metal from Katar form.

I have only reads two issues of this series: issue #1 and this one. Neither has greatly impressed me. And this origin pulls me light years away from the whole Hawkman and Hawkgirl resurrecting through the centuries. Sure, we have Thangar again, but not like this. Hawkman is running for his lives…haven’t I already see this happen this month? Say goodbye to Rob Liefeld with this issue as he officially makes his exit from DC in a huff and with a plethora of Tweets. Joe Bennett’s art is the nicest thing about the issue and that says nothing to me. Bennett is good, but I long for Joe Kubert!

SUPERMAN #0:  Jor-El is beneath the surface of Krypton and confirms his theories that the planet will be destroyed soon. But, on his way back topside, this green mass begins eating his suit and destroys any evidence. Even though he attempts to save it, a group of crazy Kryptonians want the planet to be destroyed in what they call The Cosmicide. Lara and Jor-El fight back and sent the bad guy to the Phantom Zone. And Superman knows this because he was there. Meanwhile, a herald blows the Horn of Confluence signaling…?

This is one big mess! First off, how does Kal-El get to witness the whole Jor-El and Lara become action heroes when he wasn’t there? Right after Jor-El gets home from his underground exploration, Lara tells him she is pregnant. Second, Scott Lobdell just phoned this script in because it strikes me as more filler than anything else. Greg Rocafort is the new artist? I can do without this as it’s too artsy to convey much of anything but art for art’s sake. Did I miss anything? Oh yeah: the herald and the Horn? Apparently they are heralds for an ancient entity called Oracle and this ties back to both early STORMWATCH and SUPERMAN issues. This isn’t the FANTASTIC FOUR and he’s not the Silver Surfer. What a horrible, horrible issue!

TALON #0:  We get the origin story of Calvin Rose. At a young age, he ran away from home, after being repeatedly abused by his father and joined Haly’s Circus and became an escape artist. When he was thirteen, he auditioned for someone who was connected to the Court of Owls. After months of training, he was given two final tasks. His first was to retire another Talon by slitting the man’s throat. Then he was told he would have to spend days in the labyrinth to prove himself to the Court. Calvin Rose was an escape artist, so he managed to escape the maze. The Court sent him to kill the 23 tear old daughter of a recently deceased CEO. But he arrived to see she had a two year old daughter. At that point, he quit the Court and became a wanted man.

Except for the fact that he is a former Talon and the Owls tie into Batman mythos, I had nothing to say about this book that would make me want to buy it. Scott Snyder did a wonderful job of crafting the whole legacy and legend of the Owls but this just strikes me as just another clichéd man on the run story. There really was nothing here that he or James Tynion IV wrote that made me thrilled to read this book.  I’ve have been here before, just on television alone: RUN BUDDY RUN, THE FUGITIVE…even MIDNIGHT RUN. This is a plot device that is long overused! On the plus side, art by Guillem March is awesome as always. Still, nothing here makes me want to continue past issue #1,

TEEN TITANS #0: This issue focuses on Tim Drake: an Olympic hopeful specializing in gymnastics. He had also been working on discovering Batman's secret identity and had decided that the Gotham Aviary was Batman's base. Batman arranges to meet him there and explains that all of the clues he had stumbled upon were planted. Batman warned him to stay away and give up his search. This only made Tim search harder and he used his hacking ability to steal all of Oswald Cobblepot’s fortune. Batman arrived in time to rescue Tim and decides that it’s best to put his parents in the Witness Protection program. They agree and ask Batman to watch over Tim. He told Tim he would take him on as the new Robin, but Tim needed to follow orders. Arriving in the Batcave, he decided NOT to take on the identity of Robin, in respect for Jason Todd. He designed his own costume, and took the name Red Robin.

Scott Lobdell and takes an interesting turn on the history of Timothy Drake, specifically regarding his athleticism and his parents. In the old DCU, Tim was in the audience when the Flying Grayson plunged to the deaths. Tim became an orphan when his mother died and his father was killed by Captain Boomerang. To date, he has not been adopted by Bruce Wayne, n or has he watched his girlfriend die (or even have her introduced into the NEW 52 Universe). Brett Booth does his usual awesome job on art.

VOODOO #0: Pricilla Kitaen believes she had been abducted by aliens and wakes in a vat, connected to life-support systems. She breaks free and learns that the aliens are looking to create sleeper agents. She gets caught and realizes she has developed wings and claws and the urge to kill all humans. She escapes through a window of the spacecraft and uses her wings to fly. The aliens give chase but are taken out by The Black Razors, who also manage to capture Pricilla. The aliens decide to clone their creation who is given the identity of an exotic dancer. Flash forward to today and Pricilla, now known as Voodoo, is joining forces with Cole Cash( Grifter) to stop the Deamonite invasion. 

Okay…so the exotic dancer in issue #1 WASN’T this character?  No, as I discovered from searching various spots online, Pricilla is the REAL KIDNAPPED HUMAN while Voodoo, specifically the exotic dancer from issue #1, is the clone who apparently now rules the Daemonites that live on Europa. And she’s pissed, as she seeks revenge on the Helspont (remember him from Superman?), the Daemonite lords, and poor Priscilla who was offered a job with the Black Razors but would rather work with Grifter. Well, someone should tell her she no longer has a book as this is the official last issue. Someone should also tell Joshua Williamson this is a confusing mess. But Sami Basri gets high marks as the art rocks!

DC's ZERO MONTH WEEK #3

BATWOMAN #0: We get the tale of Kate Kane and her twin sister Beth as they grew up. If Beth was bullied, Kate would defend her. Beth and her mother were slaughtered in a terrorist kidnapping. Kate’s ultimate way of dealing with their deaths was to focus on her studies and get into West Point. During that time, she met her new girlfriend Sophie. But that relationship lead to her being thrown out of West Point during Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. She found herself sinking in drink to wash away her pain. As part of her training to be Batwoman, her father sent her to the Four Corners of the world on treacherous missions. On her last mission, her father confronts her. Eventually she returns to Gotham and realizes that her father betrayed her by not telling her that her sister Beth was still alive. That led to the birth of Batwoman.

J. H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman retell the story of Kate Kane and add some new pieces to it. What I love about Williams art is that it shifts from this beautifully painted style to a very cartoony one. The pair writes a good story that moves along nicely. You don’t have to have full knowledge of Batwoman’s pre NEW 52 adventures, but it helps. But they do a good enough job of filling in holes to eliminate a lot of that need. A great character with a great story.

BIRDS OF PREY #0: The story begins one year ago with Dinah Lance, formerly of Team 7, chasing after Basilisk. Biding her time, she goes to work for Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge. Penguin nicknames her Black Canary to keep with his bird theme. She meets and becomes friends with Eve Crawford, who has been named Starling. Dinah hears that a deal with Basilisk is going down but the meet she observes gets broken up when Batgirl ruins it by getting involved. After a scuffle, Dinah and Batgirl admit they were both after the same thing: a mutation bomb (similar to the one from SUICIDE SQUAD #0?). They finally observe the buyer, go after him, and take him out. But Starling gets the drop on Batgirl, putting a gun to her head. Dinah convinces her that they are all on the same side and the trio head off in a speed boat. In the epilogue, Dinah realizes she missed the ‘team adventure’ and liked the idea of having someone watching her back. Meanwhile, Starling reports to  Amanda Waller, who tells Starling to remain friendly with Dinah. We also see Dinah’s “late” husband kept in stasis in Waller’s control.

WOW!!! Duane Swierczynski makes every effort to impress on this one and does! We find how Canary got her name, how she and Starling became friends and that they might really be friends. Kurt Lance on ice…REALLY!? Again, we have Amanda Waller pulling strings. And Romano Molenaar’s art rocks! I would take his art any day and every month on this book!

BLUE BEETLE #0: We start at Reachworld, long, long ago when Khaji-Da was created. It seeks out a host and bonds itself onto a littler alien girl named Styx. Styx uses the powers she never knew she had to fend off the scarab and we are told she has grown up to become Lady Styx: “her name is a byword for terror”. Attacked by a Green Lantern, the injured scarab ends up in the Yucatan Peninsula where it changes form and becomes known as the Sky Witness, defending the people of the land. Eventually, it would be known as the cruel god Quetzalcoatl. Over the centuries, the scarab is found and lost and traded until it ends up in the possession of Jaime Reyes who becomes the superhero known as Blue Beetle. When last we saw him, O.M.A.C. transported him into deep space. Now he floats through space and is about to be attacked by other scarab creatures.

I found this a fun read, especially since I don’t read the title. Keith Giffen and Tony Bedard craft a brilliant story about the history of the scarab, as narrated by the scarab itself. Ig Guara and J.P. Mayer handle the art chores and, while it’s nothing stunning, it is also not so off-putting to take away from the story. If this book read this good each month, I would probably buy it.

CAPTAIN ATOM #0: Set several years ago, Nathaniel “Nate” Adams finds himself so overcome by his father’s death that he tries to fly his jet to the moon, which gets him to volunteer for a secret, inter-dimensional experiment run by Doctor Megala. Something goes hideously wrong and he appears to die during the experiment. He reappears some time later as a being of pure energy.

J. T. Krul’s story gives me nothing that would make me want to read this title which, thankfully, has been cancelled. Here’s a military guy with a complete dislike of the military who suddenly becomes a weapon or the military. Sorry: that makes no sense to me! And Freddie Williams III art is a poor man’s version of Bill Sienkiewicz…and that’s being kind. The character is shallow, the art is miserable and I think it’s time he gets re-imagined yet again…by someone who can develop him properly!

CATWOMAN #0: Set a few years ago, Selina Kyle is hired by the mayor's as the Mistress of Protocol and Invitation Management, which gives her more clearance. She wants to find out where her brother, who ended up in another foster home, ended up.

A co-worker helps and finds Selina’s image, but with a Russian name. That was when the computer crashed. A year earlier, She was involved in burglary, but she got caught and got taken in to the second chance program with the mayor's office. The day after the computer crash, she was called up to speak with the man who put her in the second chance program. He accused her of triggering the crash by looking into her file and throws her off the building. But an awning breaks her fall. On the ground, stray cats surround her. Months pass and Selina has transformed into Catwoman, using the cloth from the awning to make her first costume. She broke into her old office to steal stole some computer files. She takes the files to a computer expert and he claims the files have been wiped and there was no record of the Second Chances program.

Ann Nocenti steps into Judd Winick’s shoes and does an commendable job of it. She throws in this brilliant hook that will move the story along for the next few months if not the next year. Who is Selina Kyle? Really? We also have a wonderful art job from Adriana Melo who seems to be the new kid on the block replacing Guillem March, although March does turn in a breathtaking cover. And I’m okay with that! This book continues to do wonders and rocks my world! I cannot wait to see how this all ties together. It is now a far cry from the book that disturbed so many people because it began with Batman and Catwoman having sex!

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #0: In the first story, we see how Max Lord and Brother Eye collaborated on the O.M.A.C. project and how Kevin Kho was chosen to be the host. Next we get Michael Holt as he makes his transformation from the smartest man in the world to Mister Terrific. He sees visions of the past, present and near future, including a vision of his deceased son. But it turns out his son is actually someone else who will be causing trouble for the heroes of Earth 2. Next, the origin of the team of Hawk and Dove, thanks to the manipulating of the Goddess of Order and the God of Chaos. The next tale is of the early days of the Blackhawks. Set five years ago during the war with Darkseid, we see how the team fought valiantly, how Lady Blackhawk lost her eye and our first look at Mother Machine. Finally, we have an early tale of Deadman, who is adjusting to try and work with Rama Kushna.

Welcome to the $6.00 NEW 52 version of the 1978 CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE(bits and pieces from 20 DC comics cancelled during what was called the DC IMPLOSION). Each of these characters (except for Deadman, who appeared in the first DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS story) had series shot out from under them. And, for the most part, we can see why.  Of all of these characters, the only one I gravitated to was O.M.A.C. and even this tale is weak. Of all the stories here, the one that looks the best is the Hawk and Dove tale. But keep in mind it IS Rob Liefeld and therefore the writing leaves something to be desired. This was a very expensive way to keep these characters in the public eye. Merge them into something and be done with them.

GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #0:  Following the events of GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL VOL. 5 #1, Carol Ferris and Kyle Rayner search for Hal Jordan, but end up battling Black Lantern zombies. Harnessing the powers of his ring, which now has all the colors of the various Lanterns within it, Kyle defeats the zombies and discovers that Hal Jordan is no more. Meanwhile, The Zamorrans are ready to usher out the Lanterns and usher in their own era.

Tony Bedard, Aaron Kuder and Andrei Bressan carve out the next chapter in the upcoming crossover in the Lantern titles. For me, all it serves to do is fill in some holes for me. I haven’t read the title since the first issue, so I knew nothing about Kyle’s ring acquiring new powers. And to be honest, I really don’t care. I have never been a Kyle Rayner fan, except for that moment when he found his girlfriend dead in his fridge. And even that wasn’t me liking his character-it was me missing Alex.

 JUSTICE LEAGUE #0: Black Adam has arrived and he is looking for the wizard. Billy Batson examines the tunnel, finding and activating all the statues that make up the name SHAZAM. Eventually he is called to the Wizard, who resembles the aborigine Gateway from UNCANNY X-MEN. He proclaims he is the last of the Council of Wizards and the keeper of the Rock of Eternity. He is seeking the pure individual, which we know Billy is not. But he knows Black Adam is loose and does see potential in the boy. The wizard tells him to say that magical word and he does with one word…SHAZAM! After admonishing him for wasting his powers, the wizard dies and Billy transports himself back to the surface where Freddy is. The pair cause some havoc in town but Billy saves a young woman from a mugger and accepts a $20 tip. At this point, he and Freddie see the ultimate get rich scheme.

FINALLY-SHAZAM is born. Sorry…can’t get used to calling him that, even after all these years. he’s Captain Marvel: the Big Red Cheese. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank make a character who should have his own book…if we need another anti-hero. Supposedly he has the good within in. So how come all we can see is the nasty in him. Where this goes and hour this will play out during the upcoming issues of JUSTICE LEAGUE could be very entertaining.

 LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #0: We start shortly after the founding of the Legion. Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Brainiac 5, Phantom Girl and Ultra Boy battle a creature on Colu, which, for the uninitiated, is Brianiac’s homeworld. And, whether he meant it or not, Brianiac 5 was responsible for these robotic bugs getting loose when he opened the lab door. Oh, and we also get the origin of Tharok and meet a Colun child who may be important down the road.

Once again, I find myself craving the good old days of the Legion. I like Scott Kolin’s art as a rule, but it doesn’t hold my attention on this book. And Paul Levitz’ time as a Legion writer has long passed. So Brainiac 5 is accountable for the villain and we will reward him by making him a Legionnaire. Yeah-let us all know how that works out for ya!

NIGHTWING #0: As kids, Dick Grayson and his friend Raymond get in some trouble playing in a rail yard. Despite being grounded, he presented a bracelet with two robins on them to his mother for her birthday. That night, after Tony Zucco threatens C.C. Haly, the adult Graysons fell to their deaths. As Bruce Wayne took him away, Dick took back the robin bracelet. Dick spent his spare time looking for Zucco under the guise of playing video games. He also made it a pint of sneaking out at night and doing his own detective work. One night he saw Batman in action and immediately realized it was Bruce Wayne. Eventually, Bruce began training Dick and made him a part of his world of vigilantism. Making a costume out of spare Batsuit parts, Dick ended up in a  battle with the notorious assassin Lady Shiva. Referring to him as Bat Boy, he declared himself to be Robin. Despite defeating him, she offered to have him come to her for some real training. 

This is a very pleasing take on the legend of Robin the Boy Wonder. The death of the Graysons, the contribution of Boss Zucco, becoming Bruce Wayne’s ward-that’s all part of the legend. What becomes new here is where Robin comes from (his mother) and how he revealed his understanding that Bruce was Batman to Bruce. This sort of echoes the Bucky Barnes meets Captain America origin and feels a bit cheap. And Lady Shiva as a possible mentor for Dick? That doesn’t feel right either. But Tom DeFalco writes a comfortable story and Kyle Higgins provides some awesome artwork.

RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS #0: Our story begins with the birth and young life of Jason Todd. His father was a thief; his mother was a drug addict. Ultimately his father died in prison and his mom has an overdose. A child of the streets, he gets helped by Leslie Thomson and has an eventual run in with the Batman, who makes his the second Robin. The two are not the ideal partners, as they are often at opposite ends of the spectrum. One night, he sees a photo on the Bat Computer and realizes his mother is still alive. They meet at last and soon he is captured by the Joker and beaten to death. He dies and eventually reborn thanks to the Lazarus Pit. In the second half of the  story, The Joker tells his version of how all that happened, complete with faking Jason’s mother’s initial overdose and being totally responsible for the death of Robin and the eventual rebirth as Red Hood.

They say every story has two sides and we get great detail on both of them. This has, by far, been my favorite issue of the series. The great DC anti-hero (next to Deathstroke) is Jason Todd and Scott Lobdell tells the tale that takes him from the punk we all wanted to die back in BATMAN #428 to the guy we wished we had sympathized with. Lobdell has succeeded in making him a poor soul who suffered through life, death and the afterlife. We get stunning artwork throughout both from Pasquel Ferry, Ig Guara and Brett Booth. A nearly perfect issue!

SUPERGIRL #0: Both Zor-El and his brother Jor-El knew that Krypton was dying, even though they had an argument which led to a rift that had yet to be repaired. Zor-El was searching for a way to save his daughter Kara. He built many machines to produce a force field protecting Argo when the destruction came. Eventually Zor-El took Kara to his power generators and showed her a pod. Inside was a suit bearing the family crest. As Kara went off to try it on, her mother, encountered a stranger from the House of El who promised to show her a way to say goodbye to her daughter before it was too late. Kara becomes weak while wearing the suit and Zor-El places her in the pod. He began toi record a message to her but was interrupted by his wife, who shot him with his own non-lethal weapon. Zor-El entered the launch sequence and the rocket left Krypton, just as the force field formed around Argo.

Again, this was a title that I loved when it started and then it just petered out. This origin story is not the perfect jumping on pint for me as I truly don’t like the character. Give me Power Girl any day, as she strikes me as more of the person Supergirl was. At least give her the tacky Sixties outfit with the little skirt and the bob hair and maybe I might be interested again.

SWORD OF SORCERY #0: Amy Winston is a high school student who is far from popular. The new girl in town, her only other friend is a girl named Beryl. During her 17^th birthday party, Amy leaves as her mother had always promised she could go home for her 17th birthday. Meanwhile, on the world of Nilaa, Lady Mordiel, the heir of the Amethyst house, has tracked down another of the bloodline and has the girl killed. Back in our world, Amy arrives at the football field as three men try to rape Beryl. Amy’s training allows her to beat up thew boys but freaks out Beryl in the process. Amy heads home and is told it is time to leave. Where they are going, they will have enemies who wish to kill them; especially Graciel’s sister, Lady Mordiel. Using a gemstone to open a portal, Graciel grabs Amy’s hand and they head into a New World, where they are greeted by a group of warriors who kneel before them. The women’s clothes and hair changes color and Amy grabs a sword to be by her mother’s side. The book ends with John Constantine picking up the portal crystal and walking away.

In the back-up, Wigstaf, the son of Weostahn, has been chosen to send a message to Beowulf. As the group approaches, Beowulf arises from his cryochamber and sees the group on a video screen. One warrior walks inside the chamber and is cut in two by the mighty warrior. The boy pretends he was a prisoner and he thanks Beowulf for saving him. He begs Beowulf to come north and slay Grendel. After some discussion, he agrees.

Back in the day, when I was single and comics were a lot cheaper, I bought AMETHYST PRINCESS OF GEMWORLD. In fact, I have a full collection. It was a fun read with great art by Ernie Colon back when I was 23. However, add 30 years to me and I really do not care about these characters. Now Christy Marx is a well established and talented author having done such work as diverse as G.I. Joe and SISTERHOOD OF STEEL (another comic I own a complete set of). So she has the sword and sorcery thing down. But the characters are boring to me. Maybe that’s because I’m not a 17 year old girl. I do love Aaron Lopresti’s artwork but not enough to cough up four bucks each month. Regarding the backup, Tony Bedard and Jesus Saiz take an interesting approach to the classic character. This must be set either in a distant world or a far flung future. I love the idea that this warrior of legend comes out of a cryochamber and watches the outside world on a video monitor. Here’s a thought: cancel some other low selling book, take this out of the back-up slot and make this a mini-series. THAT I would buy!

WONDER WOMAN #0: Princess Diana turns twelve she stole a harpy’s egg and gained favor with God Ares. During the celebration Diana  and Aleka fight, which gets nasty as the “clay” reference to Diana’s heritage is used like an epithet (she knows nothing of her revised origin at this point). She flips out and savagely attacks the girl until she is pulled off of her. In shame, she runs away. Crying by a stream, the god of war arrives and offers to teach her the way of a warrior. She agrees and they regularly begin to train and do so for a year. On her thirteenth birthday, she faces the Minotaur. She defeats the beats but refuses to kill him. Disgusted, Area vowed to never help her again.

I cannot say enough about Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chaing’s work on this title except it is quickly becoming the standard many other writers and artists wish they could attain. The book is always filled with humor, energy and some of the best plot twists in comics today. I could go on at length, but if you have read any of my recent reviews in the last years, you know I love this title dearly.