JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6: While Aquaman handles the Rao problem in Atlantis, Superman battles it out with Rao in the Fortress of Solitude. Aquaman ends up being transported to what was left of Olympus where he and Wonder Woman encounter more of Rao’s followers who destroy what is left of Olympus. Back in 1961, the Flash is being told about the Forever Stones and how Superman’s future death will lead to the end of time. Meanwhile, on ancient Krypton, Hal and Rao arrive at the Citadel of Argo to discover that it’s an Infinity Corp.
Bryan Hitch continues to write and draw his epic version of the JLA. And, what one must keep in mind, is that this is an example of telling a great story that is out of continuity. Because this is WAY out of continuity. I somehow expect it will loop itself around and, by the end of it, it will tie back in. Or maybe I’m just hoping…
JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #7: Beginning with a flashback, Teri gets through the battle with the Scullions as Supergirl arrives and gets them out there. In present time, Teri still mourns what has happened while Supergirl talks to Fire and Ice and we learn that Barry Allen and Hal Jordan died in the battle. Guy Gardner and the new Batman arrive and it looks like the next version of the Justice League is going to be an all-female one, led by Supergirl.
J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen continue to turn this book inside out. I’m a bit bummed to have Chris Batista doing the guest penciller job, especially after having a Colleen Doran stint a month back. But the story continues to deal with the aftermath of the death of Superman. With the old League dead and a new one poised to begin, this book is truly at the point where, if you are not already doing so, you need to be reading this title.
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #16: We begin with a flashback from two months back when Adam and Alanna learned the Breakers were on their way to Earth. The team is in Western Connecticut are at the House of Secrets, where they have followed the Breakers. After meeting Abel, Stargirl, Equinox, Animal Man and Alanna Strange each encounter their own dreamlike nightmares. Equinox sees a bizarre ancient ritual that may involve her. Stargirl sees Deadman's origin, which now includes the Phantom Stranger. Animal Man witnesses the Kents as they take Kal-El and make him their own. Alanna realizes that Abel is the Breaker and blasts at him with her energy weapon, severing off his right arm. Adam Strange arrives and destroys Abel’s house, freeing our heroes. But, in the process, he manages to get trapped inside the Zeta Beam. What that does is allow him to see what the team configuration best suited for any mission is. In the present day, Alanna explains what she saw in the House of Secrets. She learned that Sardath was really her father and he used Adam to test a theory. She orders that he end his experiment and bring Adam back home, which he does, resulting in a happy ending.
We do understand that a HAPPY ENDING is not THAT KIND of HAPPY ENDING, right? Jeff Parker and Travel Foreman bring this series to an abrupt ending. And, here’s the whole thing about this series: it was completely uneven. Some issues, like the last arc, were brilliant and others were just so-so. This issue tried to tie up the entire series in one 22 page issue and drops in Alanna’s origin story…sort of. What I DID like here was seeing the House of Secrets pop in complete with Abel, even if he was only a Breaker. So, here we are: a series that had great premise that just never really got out of the starting blocks.
LOBO #13: Lobo has been taking out hunters all across the galaxy and now has his sights set on Hal Jordan. Hal fends him off, leaving Lobo to have to deal with the ghosts of his former comrades. That just fires him up and he attacks again, with Hal putting him down again. Hal drags Lobo out into space and then hurls him back to the planet’s surface, where he burns up on re-entry. He gets rescued by someone from the Citadel and is hauled off to heal. Unfortunately, the Czarnian isn’t about to let anyone use him anymore and he kills his rescuer.
And thus ends Lobo’s run as a book headliner. This book got so much better in the last four months, but the first nine were so uneven that the book was truly living on borrowed time. Cullen Bunn and Frank Barbiere did an awesome job of taking this guy from the Metrosexual Lobo who managed to slay OUR Lobo in the opening pages of the first issue to giving him a vibe of his own. Robson Rocha and Ethan Van Sciver handle the art beautifully too. In retrospect, this ended up being a fun series and hopefully they won’t just toss him off to the side now that the series is done. I expect we will end up seeing him chasing after Hal Jordan again and probably soon.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #7: With the state of ouor world being compromised by Mars, Pearl takes it out on Martian Manhunter, who she calls Martian Mankiller. Mould asks J'onn why Mars is sick and decaying like before. That leads to Manhunter heading off to confront an army of Martian tanks. Unfortunately, the army runs Mould over. Wessel whips out his badge and finds out that the leader of the Martians is a grown-up Alicia, who is prepared to take out Wessel and Mr. Biscuits. In the end, Martian Manhunter sends a message out to all Martians and tells them that he’s going to protect them against the war.
While this is not the best issue of the series so far, partly because of Ronan Cliquet doing the art this issue, but Rob Williams continues to write one hell of a tale. I don’t even know what is going on in this issue…THAT’S how good it is! Our hero has been split into multiple personalities but also has been restored? Wow! And the brain is now dead? Well…that explains a lot! This book is so good, so mind-numbing, that you can’t resist it. Now, you may have to read each issue a couple of times, but it’s surely worth your time.
MIDNIGHTER #7: Midnighter has been stabbed by his lover, who turns out to be Prometheus, who claims he is the God of Forethought. As the two battle, Prometheus monologues about how he stole the God Garden Tech and Midnighter's history. Midnighter takes Prometheus out and loses his history at the same time. In the end, Midnighter goes off to spend some time with Jason while Apollo gets an unwanted gift from his ex. Meanwhile, Deadshot gathers the Perdition Pistol as he attempts to track down Garden tech for Amanda Waller.
While this series has been a real drag up until now, this issue did a nice job of wrapping up a story that has been brewing since issue #1. Midnighter comes off a breakup and then finds out his boyfriend is his betrayer. Maybe that should have been the title of the issue…old school, like in the Marvel days. We need a big bold MY BOYFRIEND, MY BETRAYER across the cover. Anyway, Steve Orlando, Aco and Hugh Petrus wraps things up, leaving our hero still in the dark about his past. And as far as his future goes, we shall see…
NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #15: The team is flying off to Dallas so Waller and Deadshot can confront the Calvary Corporation CEO Ms. Pesta while Harley and Boomerang help Parasite get his energy back. Pesta tells Waller that Task Force X has been screwing up business deals worldwide. So they created their own team of metahumans but mothballed it because of expense. They made use of Vic Sage, who planned on releasing a Task Force X prisoner and blaming it on Waller and company, leading to the government shutting down the Squad. She offers up the evidence that will implicate Sage. In the end, Black Manta escapes from Belle Reve.
So, this is the road to the swan song for Sean Ryan and Philippe Briones as the new creative team is going to be Tim Seeley and Juan Ferreyra. DC continues to make this one of the more exciting books out there and they will do so as the movie gets closer to final release. I have loved what Ryan has done thus far and hope the new team continues to make this the coolest oddball team in comics.
OMEGA MEN #7: Kyle Rayner and Princess Kalista are still on the run from The Citadel and are planning to escape Hyn’xx at all costs. Kyle sells his grandmother’s crucifix to pay for their flight on planet. But it turns out that the Omega Men are flying the ship and are taking Kyle to Voorl, whether he likes it or not.
Tom King is an ex-CIA guy who writes from the heart and from experience. If you’re not reading any of his books, then you are truly missing out on a rising talent in this business. And Barnaby Bagenda’s art is just mind blowing. This book and these characters are so cool that you truly have to have it as part of your pull list. The book has twists, turns, and just proves that there are really good books out there worth saving, despite bad sales numbers. This is one of them.
PREZ #6: America is still suffering with the weight of the cat-flu and that leads to the fine folks from Pharmaduke to offer up a deal. They have a cure to offer up, but they want a law that allows patenting any living organism. President Ross quickly sends them away. Unfortunately, both political parties come together to override her veto. On the plus side, the President has managed to patent the DNA of those celebrating suits and that means Fred Wayne owns them and they are violating his copyright. Meanwhile, the War Beast is still having issues with its’ identify and joins a LGBTQR support group. She also is still the subject of attacks by the military that doesn’t believe she is no longer dangerous. In the end, a “cat zone” is created along the Arizona/New Mexico border to quarantine the cats. That doesn’t sit well with everyone and Tina the War Beast, who gets the job as the President’s personal bodyguard, thwarts a death threat. In the end, cat flu cases decline and the President's’ approval rating soars.
The first arc in Mark Russell’s brilliantly biting but misunderstood series comes to an end. The book has a nice little cliffhanger built into the last panel that promises to be resolved in Part 2. DC has said this is actually a mini-series and that we will see Part 2 soon. I love Ben Caldwell’s art and that has always been a great part of the appeal. This has been a wonderfully funny book and I wish the fans had embraced it more. Do yourself a favor and pick up the issues or a trade paperback if that comes out. This is a really witty series that deserves better than cancellation.
RED HOOD/ARSENAL #7: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post
ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN #7: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post
SECRET SIX #9: When we last saw our heroes, they were apparently drowning at the bottom of the sea as the magic bubble they are in begins to crack and let water in. Porcelain shatters the pillar that is draining Black Alice’s life as the Children of Arion transport them to safety. Over at Scandal Savage’s apartment, Black Alice begins to mumble something about not trusting the Children of Arion. She also finds out that if the team succeeds the world dies. This leads her to Meanwhile, the team has been sent to Perdition to blow up the next pillar. Upon arriving, they find out that the townspeople are under the control of an Elder God known as M’nagalah, who also has control of the pillar at the bottom of the town’s mine. They also run into a rather drained Swamp Thing who brawls with Etrigan, allowing Big Shot to crush M’nagalah with the pillar. Looks like the town is going to get to eat tonight!
Gail Simone and Tom Derenick, who is filling in for the ever amazing Dale Eaglesham this month, gives us another great chapter in this series. This book is quickly becoming one of my favorites thanks to Simone’s quirky use of characterization and the art styles of Eaglesham and Derenick. The book is always beautiful to look at and the characters are so well developed even as there is a ton of mystery around some of them, specifically Big Shot. Let’s be honest: this is a wild take on the man who we know as the Elongated Man!
SINESTRO #18: The Paling battles Sinestro's team but also mange to make their way to Earth in the process and they are responsible for resurrecting fallen members of the Corps. Sinestro sends out the Manhunters while the yellow rings seek out new members including Scarecrow, Deathstroke, Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, and Superman.
While Cullen Bunn uncork a non-stop action issue, Brad Walker shares art with Neil Edwards to make it look amazing! I love where Bunn has been taking this title, of which I was highly critical, since the Sinestro Rising storyline. The Palling has suddenly become major players in the Lantern corner of the universe and that’s great, because we needed a new villain to take the place of the Guardians. Again, I was totally critical of this title but now feel like it’s finally coming together.
STARFIRE #7: Kori and her friend Sol go off on a date on the Sea Queen at the same time that Dick Grayson is in disguise on a Spyral mission. Sol is trying to cope with dating again after the death of his fiance Maria, who died during the hurricane. Meanwhile, Dick is battling it out with someone who has a briefcase he needs. Kori overcomes the shock of seeing Dick alive and lends a hand in retrieving the briefcase. Dick tells her that the briefcase has a trigger for a weapon and that leads Kori to destroy it so it can’t be used, much to Dick’s dismay. In the end, Dick ends up sucking down some wine and the two kiss.
We have another lackluster issue here as Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Emanuela Lupacchino gives us a beautiful looking book with a ditz of a character. And we even bring Dick Grayson in and he doesn’t notice that his ex has lost most of her I.Q. since he saw her last. So, I guess he may have lost some of his I.Q. too!
SUPERMAN #47: As Superman battles and defeats his sand clone, Jimmy gets taken to the hospital where it’s revealed that he will live. Clark heads off to fight Mythbrawl where the wrestling gods go up against Hordr_Root and his robots. The good guys win the day and Condesa downloads Hordr_Root's consciousness into a hard drive, as it’s revealed that Root had hopped into Jimmy's body. The hard drive is turned over to Mister Terrific. Jimmy has a flashback and we see that Hordr_Root’s creator was a paralyzed son of Vandal Savage, who ultimately was killed by his creation. In the end, Savage breaks into Mister Terrific's lab to get his son back.
So we get Howard Porter art throughout most of the book…up until the battle with Hodr ends. At that point we get Raymund Bermudez and it just makes the ending feel forced. It totally feels like the ending was changed along the way. I just can’t believe that Porter would get that far into the book and then not finish it. That having been said, I hope this storyline ends soon. Gene Luen Yang’s story is weird and the whole thing with the wrestling gods was just annoying.
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #3: (NOTE: read the SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #24 review before reading this review). Beginning on Krypton, Im-El goes up against the Kryptonian High Council to save everyone from a comet heading for the planet. His actions deflects the comet to Earth, where it results in the creation of Vandal Savage, who spends his immortal life affecting events in China, Rome and even during World War 2. In the present day, a depowered Superman confronts Savage, Wrath, Hordr_Root, and Frankenstein, who have commanded Stormwatch's Carrier and killed everyone in Superman’s immediate vicinity. Even in his present condition, Clark is going to do everything he can to stop Savage and his team.
Greg Pak, Gene Luen Yang, Peter J. Tomasi, and Aaron Kuder, the crew currently writing the Superman titles, come together here to give us a winding tale that lays out a bunch of the puzzle pieces that have been falling throughout those titles. What we end up with is a killer tale that, among other things, redefines Savage and makes a connection between him and Krypton as part of a revised origin. Dan Jurgens, Rafa Sandoval and Ben Oliver handle the art while Bill Sienkiewicz and Oliver ink it and that results in a story that while reading great, is a mess to look at. Actually, that’s not fair. It looks awesome, but there are two many conflicting styles to not be a distraction. Where does it go from here? ACTION COMICS #48.
SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #3: In a flashback, Clark battles Blanque who, as a telepath, is extremely dangerous to the safety of Clark and Lois. He also wants to know if Clark is Superman’s brother. Clark decides to put him somewhere that he can’t hurt anyone ever again, which results in him building his version of the Fortress of Solitude. Back in the present, Lois and Clark talk about their recent run in with Intergang and work real hard at hiding his secret identity from Jon. Clark heads off to Fortress of Solitude, where he reveals that he has Hank Henshaw there. Henshaw wakes up and takes out Clark who has an ally in the form of Blanque, who can read Clark’s mind. This means he now knows about the destruction of Coast City, along with Lois and Jon. Meanwhile, Bruno Mannheim shows what he does to people who fail him and the Oblivion Stone story drops another hint as a Dominator is killed over it.
If someone had told me that Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks would be writing a killer tale involving a displaced Lois and Clark, I would have thought you were crazy. But…here it is! This is one of the bigger surprises of the last six months. After the disaster that was CONVERGENCE, I thought that would be that and this would be awful. But it’s not! It’s Jurgens at some of his best by bringing in classic characters into the current universe…folks like the Dominators and Mannheim. And Weeks is giving us some of his best work in an illustrious career. I know you probably don’t believe it, but this is a book that has a love of its’ character and should be on your pull list.
SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #24: Wonder Woman is still trapped in the suit that drains powers while a depowered Superman tries to save her. But he’s too weak to do it and Bend ends up with them being captured. While Bend monologues, Wonder Woman encourages her boyfriend to fight back and he frees himself. Clark grabs Parasite and the two of them manage to defeat Bend, who ends up back in Blackgate. Superman proves he can lie as good as the rest, as he proves to Parasite, who gets to go back to Belle Reve. In the end, Vandal Savage shows up at Blackgate and tears his son’s heart out of his chest.
Peter J. Tomasi finishes off this storyline and sets things in motion that get revealed in SUPERMAN ANNUAL #3. And we can slowly see the love between Wonder Woman and Superman slipping away leading to what I believe will be there ultimate breakup. Doug Mahnke handles the layouts while Ardian Syaf and Tom Derenick were responsible for the actual pencils in this issue. Maybe we might even get Firestorm back into a regular series after this outing.
SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #2: Beginning and ending with Superman sitting on the porch of his childhood home looking at photos of his parents, it moves to various episodes featuring Clark and Diana. They enjoy a nice dinner with Aquaman and Mera, where Diana sees how their relationships with their men are similar. Next, we have Superman and Wonder Woman going to Pakistan, where they fight a Demigod named Dichara, where it gets revealed that she is the God of War and probably should have told Clark. Next, a depowered Superman is ordered to stay behind as Wonder Woman goes off to battle a monster. Her answer to him after the fact is that she was protecting him. That does NOT sit well with the Man of Steel. In the end, he realizes there is no good time to give her that engagement ring.
So, this was a little change of pace. Sholly Fisch, K. Perkins, Keith Champagne and Peter J. Tomasi combine to tell four stories that represent the crumbling relationship between two of the most powerful of superheroes. Each chapter gets a different writer and that means each gets a different artist in the form of Marco Santucci, Chriscross, Ken Lashley, and Matthew Clark. Overall, it was a beautifully written and equally beautiful illustrated tale of what it means to be a hero. You know: great power and great responsibility. But in the end, it’s still a man and a woman trying to co-exist.
TEEN TITANS #14: After the debacle at the Metropolis Armory Ward, the Teen Titans have been arrested. During transport, Reiser shows up and breaks them out of their moving prison. Alpha Centurian shows up with the Pax Galactica who manages to get taken out by the Titans. In the end, the team finds out that Red Robin had Raven transport him elsewhere…to meet with Jason Todd and look into the upcoming ROBIN WAR.
So, we tie up one storyline, introduce the character of Doomed to the Titans pantheon, and we send Red Robin off to the Robin War. Will Pfeifer and Scott Lobdell do an okay job of writing the story and bringing Lobdell’s Reiser into this book, now that he has had his own book cancelled on him. But Noel Rodriguez art just doesn’t appeal to me. Is EVERYONE now drawing angular styled stuff these days? This is becoming an increasing trend and I’m a bit tired of it. The real question here is if Reiser is going to replace Tim Drake. Yeah…like we need that!
TEEN TITANS #15: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post
TELOS #3: Telos and his team take on Validus and defeat him, allowing them to continue on their journey on Colu. They end up at Computo’s facility and discover all of his failed experiments. They are mercifully destroyed but that doesn’t stop Computo and Brainiac from subduing them and revealing a rebuilt Validus.
This is the second weakest issue thus far in the series, only just a notch above issue #1. Jeff King wrote it, Stephen Segovia and Igor Vitorino illustrated it and I really, REALLY didn’t like reading it. The plot was too jumbled and the cast, only three issues out, are really getting on my nerves. We have made Captain Comet into a cardboard hero and K-Rot is like a cross between Rocket Raccoon and Captain carrot. But I have good news: apparently this is now a six issue mini-series, which means we’re at the halfway point!
TITANS HUNT #3: Donna Troy has shown up to battle it out with Dick Grayson and Garth. The fight eventually ends with Donna getting tossed through the outside wall of the reading Hatton Corners Teen Titans Club House. Meanwhile, Lilith is haunted by the mysterious voice known as Mister Twister and Gnarrk breaks Roy out of prison. Twister unleashes a powerful noise that affects our heroes, with Mal seeming to take the worst of it. Elsewhere, Hawk and Dove are on patrol and Hank hears the sound while Dawn does not.
This issue is another labor of love for Dan Abnett as he touches on all the cool things that made the original Teen Titans so cool. I like the fact that Dawn does not hear the sound that Mister Twister unleashes because SHE wasn’t the original Dove-Don Hall was. But Don died during the CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. But, even more confusing, if CRISIS never happened, as revealed in CONVERGENCE, would that mean that Don is still alive? Maybe HE is Mister Twister.After all, he and Lilith did date for a time while in Teen Titans West. The art is by Paulo Siqueira and Geraldo Borges and it just does a great job of giving the book wonderful Eighties feel. I love this title, even if it throws a bunch of unexpected curves into your reading, most of which revolve around Gnarrk, who most modern readers don’t even remember.
WE ARE ROBIN #7: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post
WONDER WOMAN #47: Dessa comes to Diana to inform her that many Amazons are dead thanks to Cheetah who has headed off to capture the Eye of Antiope and gain immortality. Diana gives hunt and runs into an injured Anastasios along the way. He’s had to cut off his own arm to free himself after the Amazons attacked he and his brothers and he’s still pretty pissed about it. She promises to help him sort things out after she tracks down Cheetah. Finding her, they battle, but Hera’s vision stops Diana from pursuing Cheetah. She soon learns that to be immortal means losing her animal powers and Cheetah leaves the stone behind. The issue ends with Diana thanking her mother.
What? Did I just drop four bucks and this? Meredith Finch writes what I could best call a fill-in issue and it certainly was a step below what she has been doing, which has been spotty at best. Sure, it’s nice to give us some Cheetah action, but this is not the way to do it. There is way too much dialogue going on and too many predictable monologues for my liking. Miguel Mendonca knocks it out of the park, especially with a two-page spread featuring Diana and Cheetah in combat
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Monday, January 11, 2016
DC You Month 7, Part 1
ACTION COMICS #47: Superman and Frankenstein are beating on each other while Wrath and Lee tussle. Wrath tells her origin story, where her mother died when Brainiac stole Metropolis and Doomsday Superman ruin things when she was Mayor. So Vandal Savage arrived and this is her revenge on Superman for NOT protecting her city. Superman decides he must take the black mass into him so he travels around the world absorbing all of it until everyone is clean but himself. Vandal Savage arrives and tells his “daughter” that this has gone too far and he opens his magic golden box and takes the Shadow away. He may have saved the world, but he has also stripped Superman of his powers.
While I loved the story that Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder gave us, I was not a big fan of Georges Jeanty’s art. It just seemed was too abstract for this iconic hero. But, then again, look at some of the other artists of late who have drawn him. Having Vandal Savage come out the hero here is kind of weird. But then again, he was a hero of sorts in the recent JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED story. So, this was a nice way to wrap up this storyline, but I still have issues with the whole “Superman is powerless” thing. I’m sure they’ll be a great payoff at the end though!
ALL STAR SECTION EIGHT #6: Six Pack and Superman have teleported into the Fortress of Solitude. Six Pack confesses that he thinks that he and the rest of the DC Universe may not be real and are just part of a drunken fantasy. They teleport to Guinness Park where Superman shows Six Pack a statue that was constructed, calling him Savior of the World. Then Superman hands him a bottle of bourbon. Six Pack heads back to Noonan’s Bar, to gather the team to take on “The Threat”. But The Grapplah has hung himself in the bathroom while Dogwelder’s family has come to take him home. Unfortunately, they have their dog with them and we all know what that means. Powertool accidentally electrocutes himself and Baytor hides in the bar’s basement, while Bueno Excelente and Guts are still on their honeymoon in the ladies’ room. So Six Pack drinks a bottle of whiskey, runs outside and pukes as he springs into action, while really lying in the gutter with Superman’s cape as his blanket.
If you read this book, you know how amazing it was. To find out that it was all a dream in a drunk’s eye-PRICELESS! Garth Ennis and John McCrea have taken the superhero genre and turned it upside down and inside out. It was amazing and it’s a shame that this probably couldn’t be repeated in a future mini-series, based on the ending. Either way, even if it IS only a dream, I would love to see a sequel to this!
AQUAMAN #47: Thule has attacked Amnesty Bay and that means the Justice League has arrived to help in the fight. Entriax shows up, opens a portal to Thule and everyone jumps in. Except for Arthur, who heads to Atlantis to try and save Mera. Luckily he gets some help from a giant Anglerfish. But apparently she doesn’t need the help as she’s pretty pissed and now she’s gotten free.
Cullen Bunn and Vicente Cifuentes with five inkers put this issue together and that’s a big problem. FIVE INKERS? REALLY!? Well, for everyone who has been whining that Bunn’s work on this title has been…well, not his best work, they’ll be thrilled to find out that Dan Abnett and artist Vicente Cifuentes have joined the title as of February as the creative team. Abnett’s work is good, but he can be hot and cold too.
BATGIRL #46: Barbara and Nadimah are going door to door and asking residents about gang activity in Burnside and they meet a woman who tells them that her son has joined one of the gangs. That night, Barbara heads out as Batgirl and throws down with the gang the old woman mentioned. A guy named Lewis joins her in her fight. He tells her he has information about the give and arranges for them to meet the next night. The next day, she wakes up to find out that she has slept for twelve hours and that Frankie has a neural implant in her neck. It looks like Frankie may be the new Oracle. Batgirl goes to meet with Lewis who tells her that Spoiler is on the run from the Hasegawas. Batgirl rescues Spoiler from Hasegawas’ assassins, threatening the assassins with bringing Batman into their business. She manages to stash Spoiler at Luke Fox’s crash pad and he tells her that her schematics for the Negahedron could be worth a billion dollars. In the end, the old woman’s son gets arrested and she blames Barbara for it.
Sorry, I am still not a huge fan of this book. I don’t see Barbara Gordon going from former paralyzed superhero to this. All of a sudden, she’s acting like a giddy teenage girl. And I know that Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher’s take on this classic character has become the launching point for so many other female superheroes as of late, but I just find it terribly unappealing. Babs Tarr’s art style moves between cartoon cel and Anime and that has also become a huge influence in the marketplace. Everyone in this book has had their ages altered in this DC You world and I miss my Babs Gordon. Recently DC has asked its’ creative teams to STOP BATGIRLING their titles but maybe they should start with BATGIRL herself!
BATMAN #47: Batman finds himself getting beat up by his Batsuit when Mr. Bloom orders it to throw Batman into the sky…leading him straight into the path of a helicopter which he narrowly avoids. Landing back at the start of the story, Batman is forced to destroy the Batsuit. Jim arrests Bloom, but during the transport, he spawns multiple Blooms and destroys the Batmobile. Meanwhile, Duke is at the Iceberg Lounge, where he is trying to get free of Penguin, Great White Shark, Black Mask and Scarface. Bruce Wayne and a baseball bat save him just when it seems he is going to be killed by Penguin’s men. After finding the inactive seed Gordon had previously given him was missing, Bruce used the Rec Center's computers to find where Duke was going. Duke tries to trigger a memory in Bruce to make him realize who he is and that leads to a vision of a bat. Later, while sitting on a park bench, Bruce thinks he might actually BE Batman. And then someone sits down next to him and tells Bruce they both have something in common. It looks like the Dionysium has healed The Joker.
Oh boy! We knew Bruce was going to eventually put the suit back on again. But now it looks like The Joker has been restored and reborn. As always, Scott Snyder’s story and Greg Capullo’s art makes this the best Bat book out there and DC’s best seller. It’s a shame that Capullo is leaving in a few issues and we hope that his replacement is as good as he is. Until then-enjoy the ride!
BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL: #9-13: In issue #9, Tim and Jason are flying over Santa Prisca when they are forced to bail out because the plane they’re in gets hit by missiles. They discover that the Church of St. Dumas has built a palace on top of Pena Duro. Not long after they land, Bane arrives and the battle begins. They convince him to join them, as they are off to the Church of St. Dumas. Over in Prague, Dick has Harper look over some files while we get a flashback to Prague years ago. Bruce meets with Mother to get his wife and she reveals that she not only found his tracking device and realizes that Bruce is Batman. Back on Santa Prisca, Tim, Jason, and Bane make their way into the church, only to be discovered by the Angel of Death-Azrael.
In issue #10, Bane battles Azrael while Jason and Tim face-off with the Priests of St. Dumas. Azrael uses his sword to cut Bane's venom hoses and makes him see the light…literally! Jason manages to hack his way into the St. Dumas Mainframe, discovering Project: Ichthys, Project: Azrael and that Jean Paul Valley is one of Mother's children. Flashing back to Prague, we Bruce chastising Dick for trying to stop Scarecrow, which leads to Dick storming off. Bruce then heads off to meet with Mother and appears to now want to go along with her plan. Back in the present, Tim and Jason are getting beat handily by Azrael, forcing them to retreat after they douse themselves with Bat Shark Repellant. Meanwhile, Harper and Dick make their way to Mudge Island where they meet The Sculptor.
In issue #11, The Sculptor tells Dick that Mother is her boss and he must stop her. She then uses her mind powers to show Harper what she knows. We see Cassandra being beat up by Orphan and that’s when Harper learns that Orphan is Cassandra’s father. As part of her training, Orphan had Cassandra locked up and forced to watch him kill people, to make her numb to death. Mother found out about how Orphan was using his own methods to train Cassandra, she is banished, ending up in Gotham and doing what she knew to survive. Finally, Harper and The Sculptor mentally travel to the nursery where Batman is meeting with Mother. Just before the big reveal, Dick pulls Harper out of the vision and tries to force The Sculptor into showing him Batman and the created Robin.
In issue #12, the Sculptor reveals to Dick how David Cain killed her parents because she wanted Sculptor’s telepathic ability. Orphan continued turning children into orphans and they became sleeper agents for Mother…those that weren’t eliminated because they weren’t strong enough. Dick then sees that Batman agrees with Mother that he needs a new partner. When Dick comes out of it, we learn that everything has been an illusion-the Sculptor, her mansion…leaving Dick and Harper alone on the top of a cliff. They need to get moving to try and save the children Mother no longer wants. Unfortunately, they may be too late as it looks like they have been slain. And maybe Cassandra was involved.
In issue #13, flashbacks of young Cassandra shows how she was mistreated as part of her indoctrination with Orphan and Sculptor. Back in the present, she ends up in the mass grave within the nursery. After designing a mask out of the blood of the innocents, she confronts Orphan, with a 6,000-volt assist from Dick and Harper. In the end, Mother makes her presence felt when she informs Orphan that he has done his best and she has a thermonuclear device ready to explode.
So we’re just about at the halfway point in this series and the mystery still remains. James Tynion IV, Scott Snyder, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Ed Brisson were responsible for the story while Roge Antonio, Fernando Blanco, Christian Dulce, Marcio Takara, and Javier Pina handled the art. I don’t find this as alluring as the BATMAN ETERNAL series was, but it’s still good reading!
BATMAN BEYOND #7: Tim and Barbara are in the Batcave, trying to figure out what Batman did to get the Batman Beyond suit to work and Tim figures out the secret code Bruce used. Matt McGinnis goes to a Tailor shop and tries to get the owner to tell him where the cyborgs were made. The answer he gives is Metropolis before Rewire busts in with an axe to grind with the owner. Tim gets the suit online and goes after some of the Jokerz. Later, Tim moves in with Barbara and Nora gets hold of him to let him know that Matt is missing. Matt is poised to enter what is left of Metropolis.
Dan Jurgens and Stephen Thompson combine on a really good issue! In fact, this is probably one of the best since the first one. Thompson’s art really shines here while Jurgens nails it by setting up the future storyline. I’m looking forward to seeing what Metropolis looks like and what Matt will find there.
BATMAN SUPERMAN #27: Flashing back to the first time that Jim Gordon got to see Superman in action up close, we shift to present day Siberia where Gordon complains that the Superman he got stuck with has no powers. Still, the pair of them transport into Vandal Savage’s base of operations and immediately gets attacked for their trouble, leading to them transporting out but destroying the teleportation drive in the process. Vandal arrives at the village and they have his uranium. And it also looks like Red Hood and Grayson are dead, while Batman and Superman are hiding in the ice miles away from here. But Batman and Superman teleport in and they fight again. Vandal begins firing the guns in the Nazi ship, but Supergirl has reversed the gravity, causing him to be launched into space. Vandal flips out and destroys the ship, seemingly killing him. In the end, Jim Gordon unmasks and he and Clark shake hands.
Well, that was certainly a disappointment. The good news is that Cliff Richards and Jack Herbert combine for a great looking issue! The bummer is that Greg Pak turns in a concluding story that fell short of previous issues and much of his other work. Our heroes teleport in and then get their butts handed to them by Vandal Savage? I don’t see that happening. There was too many pages of chatty dialogue and a flashback that only propelled along the idea that Jim Gordon really doesn’t like Clark Kent. So, having them kiss and make up at the end was like watching the end of a really bad wrestling match.
BLACK CANARY #6: Kurt figures out that Waller hired Bo M, to capture Ditto, who has written a readable waveform on the dressing room mirror. Before they can have her write her story on the mirror, Heathcliff sends them to the stage for a duel with Bo M which becomes a one-on-one Canary Cry battle between Dinah and Bo. As two sets of deafening sound waves converge, Kurt jumps over save Ditto and they are both transformed into a puddle. The band leaves and heads to A&B Records, where they discover that the CEO is an old, gray Kurt Lance. And it seems he got an assist from Ditto.
So, a battle of the band results in a puddle of goop that was once Kurt and Ditto. But an apparently time traveled Kurt is really the record company CEO? What the hell is all of this? Brenden Fletcher wrote this really weird tale that is more rock concert than action adventure battle. Annie Wu illustrated it in her usual style, which I am still not a huge fan of, although her flair for panel placement and design is pretty incredible!
CATWOMAN #47: Catwoman is back to her old ways as she steals the Star of Saint Petersburg from a Russian club owner named Nikolai the Bear. Later, she accepts a job from an old friend who is dying of cancer. She goes to a charity function and steals the Frost Diamond. But, when she arrives back at her friend’s place, she finds that he has been murdered. And that is when the cops burst in. Looks like a setup to me…
Frank Tieri is the new writer on this title and Inaki Miranda takes over as the artist. With this change, Selina Kyle moves from Mob Boss to burglar master again and has her move from pantsuits to catsuits. Miranda’s art is clean and very reminiscent of Jimmy Balent’s work. Basically, this is a major change in direction for this title and the fact that her long-time friend Louie the Fence shows up for the first-time in her history is a convenient plot point that just didn’t work for me. Other than that, it will be interesting to see if Tieri can travel new roads and not just rehash old storylines.
CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #7: A couple in the park gets killed by the green, leading to Swamp Thing visiting Constantine and his newest conquest. They end up battling some wood nymphs, who gets to be mentored by the Great Nymph Mother. In the end, Oliver may become John’s ex…as it seems that Papa is back!
This book lasting more than 12 issues would be like the television show getting a reprieve and coming back on the air. That ain’t happening and neither is this title. While James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle write a really cool and trippy story, that shows some major influence from Tynion in it, the whole concept of Constantine being a total horn-dog just pushes the envelope from strange to creepy! I mean, we have a universe filled with diversified characters and already have Midnighter banging away with his dalliances. But this guy has moved from superhero on a super team to someone more like the guy he was in his Vertigo title. That said, the story was long-winded and creepy, but Brian Level’s art was kind of artsy!
CYBORG #5: There are Technosapiens everywhere and Victor and his new allies are determined to fight them off. Meanwhile, the Metal Men continue to fight for the city of Detroit. Just in time, Cyborg and his team arrive to lend a hand, shouting a great big “BOOYAH!”
Booyah? Oh boy! This was a mess from page one until the end. I don’t know where David F. Walker is taking this thing and I don’t truly care as, except for the Metal Men, I don’t like any of the characters in this book, including our title character. The early issues made me smile because I had Ivan Reis’ art to make me happy. However, all he does here is provide layouts for Felipe Watanabe and Daniel HDR and that’s really disappointing. Actually, this whole book is disappointing. I’m hoping the next issue, which should have the end of this plot, is better. If not, I see this book going to way of many before it.
CYBORG #6: Cyborg hacks into the Technosapien's data system and defeats them, although it causes him to explode in the process. But he does discover that he is able to cure the Techno disease and it also allows him to regenerate his human parts. Tekbreaker Sarah Charles spies him in totally human form before he turns back to his cyborg self again, although she explains that she knows the Sarah Charles of this world will accept him however he looks. In the end, the Tekbreakers go off to hunt the rest of the Technosapiens while the Justice League congratulate Vic. Bobby’s hand changes back, as he is no longer affected by the virus and Vic-he shows his cat the secret of how he can change from cyborg to human.
I am so glad to see this story end. David F. Walker wrote it and managed to bury the Metal Men as supporting characters that take up panel space. Ivan Reis again only provides layouts for Felipe Watanabe, Daniel HDR, and Cliff Richards. I find this whole series to be rather disappointing. I’m very tempted to make this the perfect jumping off point for this title. I just don’t see it making it beyond issue #12…if it makes it THAT FAR!
DEATHSTROKE #13: Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Deathstroke take out a lot of armed guards before heading off to find Amanda Waller. In the process, Snakebite captures Waller and Harley admits that she lied to Slade about Rose so she could have Waller killed. Snakebite shows up, with Waller and that leads to Slade, despite having no need to kill her or save her, attacking him. Slade nails him with a but not before he can dose Deathstroke with poison. In the end, Catwoman gets him out and Rose appears to be in the less than scary clutches of the Man Behind the Curtain.
James Bonny and Tony S. Daniel write another weird issue that is more action film than superhero yarn.` Paolo Pantalena’s art is okay as it seems to morph from page to page. He is great with single characters but not so keen with group shots. And, maybe it’s me, but I still haven’t figured out who the mysterious Man Behind the Curtain is.
DETECTIVE COMICS #47: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post
DOCTOR FATE #7: Last month, Khalid died at the hands of Anubis who proceeds to tell him all the eternal torments he could drop on him. As Anubis weighs the problems of the world against Khalid’s heart, Toth arrives and battles Anubis. As a parting gift, he gives Khalid the staff of power, which restores Khalid and allows him to dispatch Anubis and take his rightful place as a hero to this world.
Well, it only took Paul Levitz and Sonny Liew seven issues to get our hero to this point. So, now I look forward to seeing Khlaid, who has finally accepted his fate, being the supernatural hero that we all know and love. My fear is that we will continue to get more of what we have already gotten: a family driven hero with a supernatural helm. And that is a politically correct Dr. Fate, but not one that is legendary in the DC Universe.
EARTH 2: SOCIETY #7: Our heroes are battling Hourman, Anarky and Johnny Sorrow, while Kara and Val have an unpleasant reunion. Over in New Gotham, Doctor Impossible, Huntress and Red Arrow try to engage the Genesis Machine when Ollie and Helena realized they have been double-crossed. Green Lantern gets involved, eventually destroying the Genesis Machine. In the process, he traps Jimmy Olsen and says that he'll remain that way forever.
Yawn…Daniel H. Wilson and Jorge Jimenez bring this arc to a close and the fact that Wilson has Green Lantern say that the team will bring justice to a new society is pretty embarrassing. The art really doesn’t do anything for me and Wilson’s story is just okay. My problem with the series is that I have a great love for the Earth 2 characters but not THESE Earth 2 characters!
FLASH #47: The Flash, Professor Zoom and Henry, who just recently learned his son’s secret identity, are outside of Barry's childhood home. In a series of flash forwards, we get the origin of Eobard Thawne, whose father was convicted of murdering his mother when Thawne was a child. When the Speed Force selected him, he decided that he would destroy everything the Flash was by going back on a Cosmic Treadmill and eliminating the Allen bloodline. What Flash learns is that Zoom is not truly a speedster but is able to slow time around him. With that, Flash figures out how to defeat his enemy, resulting in Thawne being arrested for kidnapping and murder. Later, in Iron heights, Thawne is convinced that he won.
This issue acts as an ending on two fronts. First, it ends the current saga involving Professor Zoom and the death of Barry’s mother and does a great job of tying up a lot of loose ends. Barry gets justice for his mother, Henry goes back to jail, for now, and Zoom is defeated. Secondly, it ends Brett Booth’s killer run as the series’ artist. Luckily, Robert Venditti and Van Jensen are still here to continue to weave their magic on the Scarlet Speedster. From here…who knows! I just hope they continue on the right path and don’t stray to far into the realm of the television show. I love the show, but it doesn’t belong getting itself involved in this story.
GOTHAM ACADEMY #12: With a little help from Mia’s roommate Katherine and Colton, Maps and Olive go to Arkham Asylum to find Kyle. They find and save him but Olive also finds that it is professor Strange who has been dressing up like Calamity to try and get Olive to uncover the truth about the real Calamity. She screams at Strange and then the building catches fire. They escape and return to the Academy.
The way this arc got finished so quickly made this feel overly rushed. So rushed is it that I went through this book three times and couldn’t find a title page or a list of credits within the book. There is a wonderful splash page 6 pages in but no credits of any kind. Either way, Karl Kerschl’s art looks amazing, even if it is his last issue. Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher gives us an issue with a nice plot reveal in the form of Hugo Strange, but any momentum here will come to a halt as the book shifts into ROBIN WAR mode.
GOTHAM ACADEMY #13: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post
GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #11: Ikkondrid has risen from the swamp and it looks like the only thing that could stop them is the Midnight Shift, but they have been torn apart and it looks like Drake and Corrigan have died. Even Batman is powerless to stop them. Drake and Corrigan are alive and the Spectre is unleashed, even as Doctor Tarr manages to get involved by using powers we didn’t even know he had. In the end, the Spectre and Akka are poised to battle and may destroy a Gotham now filled with reanimated corpses.
Ray Fawkes and Juan Ferreyra, with a cover by Bill Sienkiewicz, gives us the penultimate issue of this series which never truly caught on with fans. The book has tried to mine the weird portion of the DC Universe but just couldn’t gain more than a cult following. Fawkes stories have been weird and wild and Ferreyra has had such moody artwork. This book will be missed in my monthly reading and I can only hope that DC doesn’t take these characters and bury them without making use of them.
GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #12: The spirit of Sister Justine tries to get The Spectre to NOT destroy Gotham while Jim Corrigan explains to him that Ikkondrid is here because Gotham needs to remember the “unjust dead”. So their pain is moved into the hearts of every Gothamite so they will never be forgotten.
There is no true way to explain the ending of this great series if you haven’t been along for the ride. Ray Fawkes writing and Juan Ferreyra’s art truly made this series what I believe will someday be recognized as a cult classic. It never gathered the audience it should have, either because of the topic or the art style. But critics and many fans embraced it for its’ creativity and quirkiness. I, for one, will be sad to see it go and can only hope that THIS version of The Spectre remains as part of the DC pantheon and not relegated to something weaker than this. The Spectre needs to mete our vengeance in a 1970’s Mike Fleisher/Jim Aparo Old Testament sort of way…or even a John Ostrander/Tom Mandrake way. Here’s hoping…
GRAYSON #15: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post
GREEN ARROW #47: Ollie has been captured by the cult and we get the back story to Jefe, whose involvement with cooking heroin and meth resulted in passing cancer onto his son. Jefe went to a relic of Ah Puch and prayed for the god to bring back his son, which he does in the form of the moths. But Ah Puch needs bones to provide power and that is what Jefe does. He and his son plan to harvest Ollie’s bones to renew his son’s strength. Tarantula comes to the rescue that results in Jefe’s son dying and belching maggots. Jefe denounces Ah Puch and that brings the moths that eat Jefe’s skin. With the villain dead, Ollie and Tarantutla share a kiss.
I was good with this whole issue…up until the final panel. Green Arrow and tarantula swap spit, right after the villain has been dispatched. Honestly? Ben Percy’s story was killer up until that shot and Fabrizio Fiorentino rocked! But that one panel just cheapened that entire story. I guess this is what they would have done on the television show.
GREEN LANTERN #47: Hal leaves Trapper and Virgo and heads back to Earth to visit his brother in Coast City. Unfortunately, he sets off the burglar alarm and that means cops. Luckily, Hal’s brother Jim shows up and straightens the whole thing out. Apparently he has put the alarm in because Simon has disappeared and Hal explains that al of the Lanterns have disappeared. Hal gets a haircut and then the whole Jordan family heads to the Coast City Amusement Park, where some strange packages from Modora has been delivered. The packages explode and causes chaos, along with destruction to the Ferris Wheel and presumably kills Hal’s nephew Howard. In the end, Hal is poised to get revenge as Parallax is back!
This is a relatively quiet issue for Hal Jordan until the end when it all hits the fan! The Modora terrorists have brought their evil ways to Coast City and it looks like Hal’s nephew has paid the price. Robert Venditti handles the story and the fact that e has brought back Parallax, who I thought was still linked to Sinestro, is awesome! Billy Tan handles the art for the opening and the closing sequences while with Martin Coccolo handles the rest of the book and does a nice job in making it work. This is a great beginning to a story line and do yourself a favor and hunt down one of the HARLEY LITTLE BLACK BOOK variants as this one is by Darwyn Cooke and it’s sweet!
HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK #1: Harley finds out that some chemicals are being shipped to London to harm Wonder Woman and she reveals she’s been a huge fan since she was a little kid getting picked on (cue flashback). She also finds out that Barmy Bugger, who is the main enemy of the London Legion of Superheroes, has ordered the chemicals. She gets herself packed into a sipping container for 12 days to make the trip overseas. The Legion shows up when she lands but so does Barmy Bugger, who captures them and she hides herself in one of Barmy’s chemical crates. Harley gets free and decides that she is going to save Wonder Woman by gassing her so she’ll sleep for two days, then dons a black wig and poses as Diana. Bugger’s crew show up and Wonder Woman puts on Harley’s clothes and fights them off. Then they head off to rescue the Legion. In the end, they end up in a bar where Harley ties herself up in the Lasso of truth and allows everyone to ask her embarrassing questions. Wonder Woman carries drunk Harley out of the bar to put her on a plane back to New York, prompting the London Legion of Superheroes to comment that they want to go there too.
Because we REALLY NEEDED another Harley Quinn title, DC brings us THIS! Okay…it’s a team-up book. I get it! Okay…Harley’s dumb and the book is loaded with sexual jokes. I get it! Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner write it in their usual flair. I get it! Amanda Conner and John Timms share the art duties in this over-sized issue. This I DON’T GET! Timms does a handful of pages, most of which deal with Harley’s flashback and Wonder Woman in action. In other words, all the HOT SHOTS of Harley are left to Conner. The book is okay…I mean: you get exactly what you expect to get. It’s a Harley team-up title.
HARLEY QUINN #23: Harley hears from Zena Bendemova and heads off to the Island Lanes Bowling Alley to save Sy Borgman. When she arrives, she finds out that Sy and Zena are now a couple and that they are going off together to take out the hit squads which will be coming after them. Later, she and Harvey go to the jail where Mason is being held and save him from certain death. She goes to the warden house and convinces him to move Mason out of the prison. And he does. Unfortunately, he moves him to Arkham Asylum.
Oops! Sometimes the best laid plans…! Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Chad Hardin combine for another typical Harley issue, filled with gratuitous sex and violence, bad, tawdry jokes and implausible plots. I DIDN’T like the ridiculous twist where Sy and Zena end up together, as it felt forced. I DID like the twist where Mason goes to Arkham. So, in the end, it all balances out.
HARLEY QUINN POWER GIRL #6: Power Girl has agreed to let Pope Pelvis marry her and Vartox so she can get the ring which will allow her and Harley to get back home. Harley reminds the Pope that he hasn’t asked those in attendance if they have any objections, which causes a portal to open and drops Power Girl, Harley, and Vartox into a Fifties-style world. Apparently, this is where Vartox’ Power Girl lookalike wife and children live. This also leads Power Girl to punch out her soon to be husband and his robot wife to punch out Power Girl. Harley eventually joins in to help take the robot down and Vartox sends them both home to fight Clock King and Cluemaster, where is exactly where they disappeared in issue HARLEY QUINN #12.
That was thew longest six-issue, one panel series in history. Just for the record, this issue was by Justin Gray, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Stephane Roux, Moritat, Elliot Fernandez, and Flaviano. ‘Nuff said!
JUSTICE LEAGUE THE DARKSEID WAR: LEX LUTHOR #1: Darkseid is dead and Lex Luthor is now possessed by the Omega Effect. He is led across Apokolips by Ardora, who takes him to a camp of former slaves. While there, he ends up hanging on to the edge of a cliff above a fire pit. As he falls, Ardora dives after him, and they embrace, which releases the full Omega Effect and turns his skin grey. With an army awaiting him, Luthor prepares to go to work.
And so, Lex Luthor does a complete heel turn again and becomes the NEW Darkseid. Francis Manapul writes an interesting tale that bounces back and forth between the present and the traumatic moments from Luthor’s pre-Apokoliptic life. Bong Dazo is the artist on the book and looks surprisingly like that of Francis Manapul. All in all, this was a nice issue that sets itself up for the next chapter in the DARKSEID WAR saga.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #46: Mister Miracle, Power Ring, Cyborg, Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor battle the team from Apokolips when Scot Free’s wife, Big Barda, arrives to lend a hand. Wonder Woman has an idea to seek out the remaining members of the Crime Syndicate and see if they have a way to defeat the Anti-Monitor. As the Anti-Monitor begins, we learn that Grail has become the Goddess of Anti-Life.
Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul give us the next chapter in the DARKSEID WAR and it looks like the Justice League will have to make strange bedfellows with Ultraman and Super Woman. I wonder how pregnant she is now! So far, this story has been a fun one, although I would like someone else illustrating it. I love Manapul’s art, but his coloring leaves a lot to be desired. And let’s not forget that THIS Mister Miracle and Barda are not the same as were on Earth 2…at least I don’t think they are.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #47: The issue begins with Green Lantern and Batman having a long discussion in the Ace Chemical Factory when they get called away to handle Superman, who is battling Wonder Woman to see if he is stronger. Batman is able to stop him, but reveals to the team that Superman is dying. Grail, now possessing the Anti-Life Equation, has decided that she needs Steve Trevor. Meanwhile, Mister Miracle, Power Ring, Big Barda and Cyborg break into Belle Reve. Mister Miracle confronts Ultraman, who explains that he knows the Anti-Monitor is here and wants to kill everyone. Volthoom manages to take control of Power Ring and plans to put the Crime Syndicate back into power. Mobius returns and Grid gets downloaded into Cyborg's system as Power Ring reunites with Super Woman. Big Barda and Mister Miracle head into Super Woman's cell and immediately get blasted by her heat vision. Just then, Owlman blasts open a wall and says that the Crime Syndicate and the Justice League need to team up if either of them are to survive.
All I can say is wow! Geoff Johns is writing a true epic and it’s great to see Jason Fabok
Just totally tear it up on the artistic side. Despite the less than spectacular connecting one-shots, this story is poised to be one of the classics in Justice League history. It sure looks like everything is building up to a big finish just in time for issue #50. I, for one, can’t wait!
While I loved the story that Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder gave us, I was not a big fan of Georges Jeanty’s art. It just seemed was too abstract for this iconic hero. But, then again, look at some of the other artists of late who have drawn him. Having Vandal Savage come out the hero here is kind of weird. But then again, he was a hero of sorts in the recent JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED story. So, this was a nice way to wrap up this storyline, but I still have issues with the whole “Superman is powerless” thing. I’m sure they’ll be a great payoff at the end though!
ALL STAR SECTION EIGHT #6: Six Pack and Superman have teleported into the Fortress of Solitude. Six Pack confesses that he thinks that he and the rest of the DC Universe may not be real and are just part of a drunken fantasy. They teleport to Guinness Park where Superman shows Six Pack a statue that was constructed, calling him Savior of the World. Then Superman hands him a bottle of bourbon. Six Pack heads back to Noonan’s Bar, to gather the team to take on “The Threat”. But The Grapplah has hung himself in the bathroom while Dogwelder’s family has come to take him home. Unfortunately, they have their dog with them and we all know what that means. Powertool accidentally electrocutes himself and Baytor hides in the bar’s basement, while Bueno Excelente and Guts are still on their honeymoon in the ladies’ room. So Six Pack drinks a bottle of whiskey, runs outside and pukes as he springs into action, while really lying in the gutter with Superman’s cape as his blanket.
If you read this book, you know how amazing it was. To find out that it was all a dream in a drunk’s eye-PRICELESS! Garth Ennis and John McCrea have taken the superhero genre and turned it upside down and inside out. It was amazing and it’s a shame that this probably couldn’t be repeated in a future mini-series, based on the ending. Either way, even if it IS only a dream, I would love to see a sequel to this!
AQUAMAN #47: Thule has attacked Amnesty Bay and that means the Justice League has arrived to help in the fight. Entriax shows up, opens a portal to Thule and everyone jumps in. Except for Arthur, who heads to Atlantis to try and save Mera. Luckily he gets some help from a giant Anglerfish. But apparently she doesn’t need the help as she’s pretty pissed and now she’s gotten free.
Cullen Bunn and Vicente Cifuentes with five inkers put this issue together and that’s a big problem. FIVE INKERS? REALLY!? Well, for everyone who has been whining that Bunn’s work on this title has been…well, not his best work, they’ll be thrilled to find out that Dan Abnett and artist Vicente Cifuentes have joined the title as of February as the creative team. Abnett’s work is good, but he can be hot and cold too.
BATGIRL #46: Barbara and Nadimah are going door to door and asking residents about gang activity in Burnside and they meet a woman who tells them that her son has joined one of the gangs. That night, Barbara heads out as Batgirl and throws down with the gang the old woman mentioned. A guy named Lewis joins her in her fight. He tells her he has information about the give and arranges for them to meet the next night. The next day, she wakes up to find out that she has slept for twelve hours and that Frankie has a neural implant in her neck. It looks like Frankie may be the new Oracle. Batgirl goes to meet with Lewis who tells her that Spoiler is on the run from the Hasegawas. Batgirl rescues Spoiler from Hasegawas’ assassins, threatening the assassins with bringing Batman into their business. She manages to stash Spoiler at Luke Fox’s crash pad and he tells her that her schematics for the Negahedron could be worth a billion dollars. In the end, the old woman’s son gets arrested and she blames Barbara for it.
Sorry, I am still not a huge fan of this book. I don’t see Barbara Gordon going from former paralyzed superhero to this. All of a sudden, she’s acting like a giddy teenage girl. And I know that Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher’s take on this classic character has become the launching point for so many other female superheroes as of late, but I just find it terribly unappealing. Babs Tarr’s art style moves between cartoon cel and Anime and that has also become a huge influence in the marketplace. Everyone in this book has had their ages altered in this DC You world and I miss my Babs Gordon. Recently DC has asked its’ creative teams to STOP BATGIRLING their titles but maybe they should start with BATGIRL herself!
BATMAN #47: Batman finds himself getting beat up by his Batsuit when Mr. Bloom orders it to throw Batman into the sky…leading him straight into the path of a helicopter which he narrowly avoids. Landing back at the start of the story, Batman is forced to destroy the Batsuit. Jim arrests Bloom, but during the transport, he spawns multiple Blooms and destroys the Batmobile. Meanwhile, Duke is at the Iceberg Lounge, where he is trying to get free of Penguin, Great White Shark, Black Mask and Scarface. Bruce Wayne and a baseball bat save him just when it seems he is going to be killed by Penguin’s men. After finding the inactive seed Gordon had previously given him was missing, Bruce used the Rec Center's computers to find where Duke was going. Duke tries to trigger a memory in Bruce to make him realize who he is and that leads to a vision of a bat. Later, while sitting on a park bench, Bruce thinks he might actually BE Batman. And then someone sits down next to him and tells Bruce they both have something in common. It looks like the Dionysium has healed The Joker.
Oh boy! We knew Bruce was going to eventually put the suit back on again. But now it looks like The Joker has been restored and reborn. As always, Scott Snyder’s story and Greg Capullo’s art makes this the best Bat book out there and DC’s best seller. It’s a shame that Capullo is leaving in a few issues and we hope that his replacement is as good as he is. Until then-enjoy the ride!
BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL: #9-13: In issue #9, Tim and Jason are flying over Santa Prisca when they are forced to bail out because the plane they’re in gets hit by missiles. They discover that the Church of St. Dumas has built a palace on top of Pena Duro. Not long after they land, Bane arrives and the battle begins. They convince him to join them, as they are off to the Church of St. Dumas. Over in Prague, Dick has Harper look over some files while we get a flashback to Prague years ago. Bruce meets with Mother to get his wife and she reveals that she not only found his tracking device and realizes that Bruce is Batman. Back on Santa Prisca, Tim, Jason, and Bane make their way into the church, only to be discovered by the Angel of Death-Azrael.
In issue #10, Bane battles Azrael while Jason and Tim face-off with the Priests of St. Dumas. Azrael uses his sword to cut Bane's venom hoses and makes him see the light…literally! Jason manages to hack his way into the St. Dumas Mainframe, discovering Project: Ichthys, Project: Azrael and that Jean Paul Valley is one of Mother's children. Flashing back to Prague, we Bruce chastising Dick for trying to stop Scarecrow, which leads to Dick storming off. Bruce then heads off to meet with Mother and appears to now want to go along with her plan. Back in the present, Tim and Jason are getting beat handily by Azrael, forcing them to retreat after they douse themselves with Bat Shark Repellant. Meanwhile, Harper and Dick make their way to Mudge Island where they meet The Sculptor.
In issue #11, The Sculptor tells Dick that Mother is her boss and he must stop her. She then uses her mind powers to show Harper what she knows. We see Cassandra being beat up by Orphan and that’s when Harper learns that Orphan is Cassandra’s father. As part of her training, Orphan had Cassandra locked up and forced to watch him kill people, to make her numb to death. Mother found out about how Orphan was using his own methods to train Cassandra, she is banished, ending up in Gotham and doing what she knew to survive. Finally, Harper and The Sculptor mentally travel to the nursery where Batman is meeting with Mother. Just before the big reveal, Dick pulls Harper out of the vision and tries to force The Sculptor into showing him Batman and the created Robin.
In issue #12, the Sculptor reveals to Dick how David Cain killed her parents because she wanted Sculptor’s telepathic ability. Orphan continued turning children into orphans and they became sleeper agents for Mother…those that weren’t eliminated because they weren’t strong enough. Dick then sees that Batman agrees with Mother that he needs a new partner. When Dick comes out of it, we learn that everything has been an illusion-the Sculptor, her mansion…leaving Dick and Harper alone on the top of a cliff. They need to get moving to try and save the children Mother no longer wants. Unfortunately, they may be too late as it looks like they have been slain. And maybe Cassandra was involved.
In issue #13, flashbacks of young Cassandra shows how she was mistreated as part of her indoctrination with Orphan and Sculptor. Back in the present, she ends up in the mass grave within the nursery. After designing a mask out of the blood of the innocents, she confronts Orphan, with a 6,000-volt assist from Dick and Harper. In the end, Mother makes her presence felt when she informs Orphan that he has done his best and she has a thermonuclear device ready to explode.
So we’re just about at the halfway point in this series and the mystery still remains. James Tynion IV, Scott Snyder, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Ed Brisson were responsible for the story while Roge Antonio, Fernando Blanco, Christian Dulce, Marcio Takara, and Javier Pina handled the art. I don’t find this as alluring as the BATMAN ETERNAL series was, but it’s still good reading!
BATMAN BEYOND #7: Tim and Barbara are in the Batcave, trying to figure out what Batman did to get the Batman Beyond suit to work and Tim figures out the secret code Bruce used. Matt McGinnis goes to a Tailor shop and tries to get the owner to tell him where the cyborgs were made. The answer he gives is Metropolis before Rewire busts in with an axe to grind with the owner. Tim gets the suit online and goes after some of the Jokerz. Later, Tim moves in with Barbara and Nora gets hold of him to let him know that Matt is missing. Matt is poised to enter what is left of Metropolis.
Dan Jurgens and Stephen Thompson combine on a really good issue! In fact, this is probably one of the best since the first one. Thompson’s art really shines here while Jurgens nails it by setting up the future storyline. I’m looking forward to seeing what Metropolis looks like and what Matt will find there.
BATMAN SUPERMAN #27: Flashing back to the first time that Jim Gordon got to see Superman in action up close, we shift to present day Siberia where Gordon complains that the Superman he got stuck with has no powers. Still, the pair of them transport into Vandal Savage’s base of operations and immediately gets attacked for their trouble, leading to them transporting out but destroying the teleportation drive in the process. Vandal arrives at the village and they have his uranium. And it also looks like Red Hood and Grayson are dead, while Batman and Superman are hiding in the ice miles away from here. But Batman and Superman teleport in and they fight again. Vandal begins firing the guns in the Nazi ship, but Supergirl has reversed the gravity, causing him to be launched into space. Vandal flips out and destroys the ship, seemingly killing him. In the end, Jim Gordon unmasks and he and Clark shake hands.
Well, that was certainly a disappointment. The good news is that Cliff Richards and Jack Herbert combine for a great looking issue! The bummer is that Greg Pak turns in a concluding story that fell short of previous issues and much of his other work. Our heroes teleport in and then get their butts handed to them by Vandal Savage? I don’t see that happening. There was too many pages of chatty dialogue and a flashback that only propelled along the idea that Jim Gordon really doesn’t like Clark Kent. So, having them kiss and make up at the end was like watching the end of a really bad wrestling match.
BLACK CANARY #6: Kurt figures out that Waller hired Bo M, to capture Ditto, who has written a readable waveform on the dressing room mirror. Before they can have her write her story on the mirror, Heathcliff sends them to the stage for a duel with Bo M which becomes a one-on-one Canary Cry battle between Dinah and Bo. As two sets of deafening sound waves converge, Kurt jumps over save Ditto and they are both transformed into a puddle. The band leaves and heads to A&B Records, where they discover that the CEO is an old, gray Kurt Lance. And it seems he got an assist from Ditto.
So, a battle of the band results in a puddle of goop that was once Kurt and Ditto. But an apparently time traveled Kurt is really the record company CEO? What the hell is all of this? Brenden Fletcher wrote this really weird tale that is more rock concert than action adventure battle. Annie Wu illustrated it in her usual style, which I am still not a huge fan of, although her flair for panel placement and design is pretty incredible!
CATWOMAN #47: Catwoman is back to her old ways as she steals the Star of Saint Petersburg from a Russian club owner named Nikolai the Bear. Later, she accepts a job from an old friend who is dying of cancer. She goes to a charity function and steals the Frost Diamond. But, when she arrives back at her friend’s place, she finds that he has been murdered. And that is when the cops burst in. Looks like a setup to me…
Frank Tieri is the new writer on this title and Inaki Miranda takes over as the artist. With this change, Selina Kyle moves from Mob Boss to burglar master again and has her move from pantsuits to catsuits. Miranda’s art is clean and very reminiscent of Jimmy Balent’s work. Basically, this is a major change in direction for this title and the fact that her long-time friend Louie the Fence shows up for the first-time in her history is a convenient plot point that just didn’t work for me. Other than that, it will be interesting to see if Tieri can travel new roads and not just rehash old storylines.
CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #7: A couple in the park gets killed by the green, leading to Swamp Thing visiting Constantine and his newest conquest. They end up battling some wood nymphs, who gets to be mentored by the Great Nymph Mother. In the end, Oliver may become John’s ex…as it seems that Papa is back!
This book lasting more than 12 issues would be like the television show getting a reprieve and coming back on the air. That ain’t happening and neither is this title. While James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle write a really cool and trippy story, that shows some major influence from Tynion in it, the whole concept of Constantine being a total horn-dog just pushes the envelope from strange to creepy! I mean, we have a universe filled with diversified characters and already have Midnighter banging away with his dalliances. But this guy has moved from superhero on a super team to someone more like the guy he was in his Vertigo title. That said, the story was long-winded and creepy, but Brian Level’s art was kind of artsy!
CYBORG #5: There are Technosapiens everywhere and Victor and his new allies are determined to fight them off. Meanwhile, the Metal Men continue to fight for the city of Detroit. Just in time, Cyborg and his team arrive to lend a hand, shouting a great big “BOOYAH!”
Booyah? Oh boy! This was a mess from page one until the end. I don’t know where David F. Walker is taking this thing and I don’t truly care as, except for the Metal Men, I don’t like any of the characters in this book, including our title character. The early issues made me smile because I had Ivan Reis’ art to make me happy. However, all he does here is provide layouts for Felipe Watanabe and Daniel HDR and that’s really disappointing. Actually, this whole book is disappointing. I’m hoping the next issue, which should have the end of this plot, is better. If not, I see this book going to way of many before it.
CYBORG #6: Cyborg hacks into the Technosapien's data system and defeats them, although it causes him to explode in the process. But he does discover that he is able to cure the Techno disease and it also allows him to regenerate his human parts. Tekbreaker Sarah Charles spies him in totally human form before he turns back to his cyborg self again, although she explains that she knows the Sarah Charles of this world will accept him however he looks. In the end, the Tekbreakers go off to hunt the rest of the Technosapiens while the Justice League congratulate Vic. Bobby’s hand changes back, as he is no longer affected by the virus and Vic-he shows his cat the secret of how he can change from cyborg to human.
I am so glad to see this story end. David F. Walker wrote it and managed to bury the Metal Men as supporting characters that take up panel space. Ivan Reis again only provides layouts for Felipe Watanabe, Daniel HDR, and Cliff Richards. I find this whole series to be rather disappointing. I’m very tempted to make this the perfect jumping off point for this title. I just don’t see it making it beyond issue #12…if it makes it THAT FAR!
DEATHSTROKE #13: Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Deathstroke take out a lot of armed guards before heading off to find Amanda Waller. In the process, Snakebite captures Waller and Harley admits that she lied to Slade about Rose so she could have Waller killed. Snakebite shows up, with Waller and that leads to Slade, despite having no need to kill her or save her, attacking him. Slade nails him with a but not before he can dose Deathstroke with poison. In the end, Catwoman gets him out and Rose appears to be in the less than scary clutches of the Man Behind the Curtain.
James Bonny and Tony S. Daniel write another weird issue that is more action film than superhero yarn.` Paolo Pantalena’s art is okay as it seems to morph from page to page. He is great with single characters but not so keen with group shots. And, maybe it’s me, but I still haven’t figured out who the mysterious Man Behind the Curtain is.
DETECTIVE COMICS #47: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post
DOCTOR FATE #7: Last month, Khalid died at the hands of Anubis who proceeds to tell him all the eternal torments he could drop on him. As Anubis weighs the problems of the world against Khalid’s heart, Toth arrives and battles Anubis. As a parting gift, he gives Khalid the staff of power, which restores Khalid and allows him to dispatch Anubis and take his rightful place as a hero to this world.
Well, it only took Paul Levitz and Sonny Liew seven issues to get our hero to this point. So, now I look forward to seeing Khlaid, who has finally accepted his fate, being the supernatural hero that we all know and love. My fear is that we will continue to get more of what we have already gotten: a family driven hero with a supernatural helm. And that is a politically correct Dr. Fate, but not one that is legendary in the DC Universe.
EARTH 2: SOCIETY #7: Our heroes are battling Hourman, Anarky and Johnny Sorrow, while Kara and Val have an unpleasant reunion. Over in New Gotham, Doctor Impossible, Huntress and Red Arrow try to engage the Genesis Machine when Ollie and Helena realized they have been double-crossed. Green Lantern gets involved, eventually destroying the Genesis Machine. In the process, he traps Jimmy Olsen and says that he'll remain that way forever.
Yawn…Daniel H. Wilson and Jorge Jimenez bring this arc to a close and the fact that Wilson has Green Lantern say that the team will bring justice to a new society is pretty embarrassing. The art really doesn’t do anything for me and Wilson’s story is just okay. My problem with the series is that I have a great love for the Earth 2 characters but not THESE Earth 2 characters!
FLASH #47: The Flash, Professor Zoom and Henry, who just recently learned his son’s secret identity, are outside of Barry's childhood home. In a series of flash forwards, we get the origin of Eobard Thawne, whose father was convicted of murdering his mother when Thawne was a child. When the Speed Force selected him, he decided that he would destroy everything the Flash was by going back on a Cosmic Treadmill and eliminating the Allen bloodline. What Flash learns is that Zoom is not truly a speedster but is able to slow time around him. With that, Flash figures out how to defeat his enemy, resulting in Thawne being arrested for kidnapping and murder. Later, in Iron heights, Thawne is convinced that he won.
This issue acts as an ending on two fronts. First, it ends the current saga involving Professor Zoom and the death of Barry’s mother and does a great job of tying up a lot of loose ends. Barry gets justice for his mother, Henry goes back to jail, for now, and Zoom is defeated. Secondly, it ends Brett Booth’s killer run as the series’ artist. Luckily, Robert Venditti and Van Jensen are still here to continue to weave their magic on the Scarlet Speedster. From here…who knows! I just hope they continue on the right path and don’t stray to far into the realm of the television show. I love the show, but it doesn’t belong getting itself involved in this story.
GOTHAM ACADEMY #12: With a little help from Mia’s roommate Katherine and Colton, Maps and Olive go to Arkham Asylum to find Kyle. They find and save him but Olive also finds that it is professor Strange who has been dressing up like Calamity to try and get Olive to uncover the truth about the real Calamity. She screams at Strange and then the building catches fire. They escape and return to the Academy.
The way this arc got finished so quickly made this feel overly rushed. So rushed is it that I went through this book three times and couldn’t find a title page or a list of credits within the book. There is a wonderful splash page 6 pages in but no credits of any kind. Either way, Karl Kerschl’s art looks amazing, even if it is his last issue. Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher gives us an issue with a nice plot reveal in the form of Hugo Strange, but any momentum here will come to a halt as the book shifts into ROBIN WAR mode.
GOTHAM ACADEMY #13: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post
GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #11: Ikkondrid has risen from the swamp and it looks like the only thing that could stop them is the Midnight Shift, but they have been torn apart and it looks like Drake and Corrigan have died. Even Batman is powerless to stop them. Drake and Corrigan are alive and the Spectre is unleashed, even as Doctor Tarr manages to get involved by using powers we didn’t even know he had. In the end, the Spectre and Akka are poised to battle and may destroy a Gotham now filled with reanimated corpses.
Ray Fawkes and Juan Ferreyra, with a cover by Bill Sienkiewicz, gives us the penultimate issue of this series which never truly caught on with fans. The book has tried to mine the weird portion of the DC Universe but just couldn’t gain more than a cult following. Fawkes stories have been weird and wild and Ferreyra has had such moody artwork. This book will be missed in my monthly reading and I can only hope that DC doesn’t take these characters and bury them without making use of them.
GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #12: The spirit of Sister Justine tries to get The Spectre to NOT destroy Gotham while Jim Corrigan explains to him that Ikkondrid is here because Gotham needs to remember the “unjust dead”. So their pain is moved into the hearts of every Gothamite so they will never be forgotten.
There is no true way to explain the ending of this great series if you haven’t been along for the ride. Ray Fawkes writing and Juan Ferreyra’s art truly made this series what I believe will someday be recognized as a cult classic. It never gathered the audience it should have, either because of the topic or the art style. But critics and many fans embraced it for its’ creativity and quirkiness. I, for one, will be sad to see it go and can only hope that THIS version of The Spectre remains as part of the DC pantheon and not relegated to something weaker than this. The Spectre needs to mete our vengeance in a 1970’s Mike Fleisher/Jim Aparo Old Testament sort of way…or even a John Ostrander/Tom Mandrake way. Here’s hoping…
GRAYSON #15: See the synopsis/review in the ROBIN WAR December blog post
GREEN ARROW #47: Ollie has been captured by the cult and we get the back story to Jefe, whose involvement with cooking heroin and meth resulted in passing cancer onto his son. Jefe went to a relic of Ah Puch and prayed for the god to bring back his son, which he does in the form of the moths. But Ah Puch needs bones to provide power and that is what Jefe does. He and his son plan to harvest Ollie’s bones to renew his son’s strength. Tarantula comes to the rescue that results in Jefe’s son dying and belching maggots. Jefe denounces Ah Puch and that brings the moths that eat Jefe’s skin. With the villain dead, Ollie and Tarantutla share a kiss.
I was good with this whole issue…up until the final panel. Green Arrow and tarantula swap spit, right after the villain has been dispatched. Honestly? Ben Percy’s story was killer up until that shot and Fabrizio Fiorentino rocked! But that one panel just cheapened that entire story. I guess this is what they would have done on the television show.
GREEN LANTERN #47: Hal leaves Trapper and Virgo and heads back to Earth to visit his brother in Coast City. Unfortunately, he sets off the burglar alarm and that means cops. Luckily, Hal’s brother Jim shows up and straightens the whole thing out. Apparently he has put the alarm in because Simon has disappeared and Hal explains that al of the Lanterns have disappeared. Hal gets a haircut and then the whole Jordan family heads to the Coast City Amusement Park, where some strange packages from Modora has been delivered. The packages explode and causes chaos, along with destruction to the Ferris Wheel and presumably kills Hal’s nephew Howard. In the end, Hal is poised to get revenge as Parallax is back!
This is a relatively quiet issue for Hal Jordan until the end when it all hits the fan! The Modora terrorists have brought their evil ways to Coast City and it looks like Hal’s nephew has paid the price. Robert Venditti handles the story and the fact that e has brought back Parallax, who I thought was still linked to Sinestro, is awesome! Billy Tan handles the art for the opening and the closing sequences while with Martin Coccolo handles the rest of the book and does a nice job in making it work. This is a great beginning to a story line and do yourself a favor and hunt down one of the HARLEY LITTLE BLACK BOOK variants as this one is by Darwyn Cooke and it’s sweet!
HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK #1: Harley finds out that some chemicals are being shipped to London to harm Wonder Woman and she reveals she’s been a huge fan since she was a little kid getting picked on (cue flashback). She also finds out that Barmy Bugger, who is the main enemy of the London Legion of Superheroes, has ordered the chemicals. She gets herself packed into a sipping container for 12 days to make the trip overseas. The Legion shows up when she lands but so does Barmy Bugger, who captures them and she hides herself in one of Barmy’s chemical crates. Harley gets free and decides that she is going to save Wonder Woman by gassing her so she’ll sleep for two days, then dons a black wig and poses as Diana. Bugger’s crew show up and Wonder Woman puts on Harley’s clothes and fights them off. Then they head off to rescue the Legion. In the end, they end up in a bar where Harley ties herself up in the Lasso of truth and allows everyone to ask her embarrassing questions. Wonder Woman carries drunk Harley out of the bar to put her on a plane back to New York, prompting the London Legion of Superheroes to comment that they want to go there too.
Because we REALLY NEEDED another Harley Quinn title, DC brings us THIS! Okay…it’s a team-up book. I get it! Okay…Harley’s dumb and the book is loaded with sexual jokes. I get it! Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner write it in their usual flair. I get it! Amanda Conner and John Timms share the art duties in this over-sized issue. This I DON’T GET! Timms does a handful of pages, most of which deal with Harley’s flashback and Wonder Woman in action. In other words, all the HOT SHOTS of Harley are left to Conner. The book is okay…I mean: you get exactly what you expect to get. It’s a Harley team-up title.
HARLEY QUINN #23: Harley hears from Zena Bendemova and heads off to the Island Lanes Bowling Alley to save Sy Borgman. When she arrives, she finds out that Sy and Zena are now a couple and that they are going off together to take out the hit squads which will be coming after them. Later, she and Harvey go to the jail where Mason is being held and save him from certain death. She goes to the warden house and convinces him to move Mason out of the prison. And he does. Unfortunately, he moves him to Arkham Asylum.
Oops! Sometimes the best laid plans…! Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Chad Hardin combine for another typical Harley issue, filled with gratuitous sex and violence, bad, tawdry jokes and implausible plots. I DIDN’T like the ridiculous twist where Sy and Zena end up together, as it felt forced. I DID like the twist where Mason goes to Arkham. So, in the end, it all balances out.
HARLEY QUINN POWER GIRL #6: Power Girl has agreed to let Pope Pelvis marry her and Vartox so she can get the ring which will allow her and Harley to get back home. Harley reminds the Pope that he hasn’t asked those in attendance if they have any objections, which causes a portal to open and drops Power Girl, Harley, and Vartox into a Fifties-style world. Apparently, this is where Vartox’ Power Girl lookalike wife and children live. This also leads Power Girl to punch out her soon to be husband and his robot wife to punch out Power Girl. Harley eventually joins in to help take the robot down and Vartox sends them both home to fight Clock King and Cluemaster, where is exactly where they disappeared in issue HARLEY QUINN #12.
That was thew longest six-issue, one panel series in history. Just for the record, this issue was by Justin Gray, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Stephane Roux, Moritat, Elliot Fernandez, and Flaviano. ‘Nuff said!
JUSTICE LEAGUE THE DARKSEID WAR: LEX LUTHOR #1: Darkseid is dead and Lex Luthor is now possessed by the Omega Effect. He is led across Apokolips by Ardora, who takes him to a camp of former slaves. While there, he ends up hanging on to the edge of a cliff above a fire pit. As he falls, Ardora dives after him, and they embrace, which releases the full Omega Effect and turns his skin grey. With an army awaiting him, Luthor prepares to go to work.
And so, Lex Luthor does a complete heel turn again and becomes the NEW Darkseid. Francis Manapul writes an interesting tale that bounces back and forth between the present and the traumatic moments from Luthor’s pre-Apokoliptic life. Bong Dazo is the artist on the book and looks surprisingly like that of Francis Manapul. All in all, this was a nice issue that sets itself up for the next chapter in the DARKSEID WAR saga.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #46: Mister Miracle, Power Ring, Cyborg, Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor battle the team from Apokolips when Scot Free’s wife, Big Barda, arrives to lend a hand. Wonder Woman has an idea to seek out the remaining members of the Crime Syndicate and see if they have a way to defeat the Anti-Monitor. As the Anti-Monitor begins, we learn that Grail has become the Goddess of Anti-Life.
Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul give us the next chapter in the DARKSEID WAR and it looks like the Justice League will have to make strange bedfellows with Ultraman and Super Woman. I wonder how pregnant she is now! So far, this story has been a fun one, although I would like someone else illustrating it. I love Manapul’s art, but his coloring leaves a lot to be desired. And let’s not forget that THIS Mister Miracle and Barda are not the same as were on Earth 2…at least I don’t think they are.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #47: The issue begins with Green Lantern and Batman having a long discussion in the Ace Chemical Factory when they get called away to handle Superman, who is battling Wonder Woman to see if he is stronger. Batman is able to stop him, but reveals to the team that Superman is dying. Grail, now possessing the Anti-Life Equation, has decided that she needs Steve Trevor. Meanwhile, Mister Miracle, Power Ring, Big Barda and Cyborg break into Belle Reve. Mister Miracle confronts Ultraman, who explains that he knows the Anti-Monitor is here and wants to kill everyone. Volthoom manages to take control of Power Ring and plans to put the Crime Syndicate back into power. Mobius returns and Grid gets downloaded into Cyborg's system as Power Ring reunites with Super Woman. Big Barda and Mister Miracle head into Super Woman's cell and immediately get blasted by her heat vision. Just then, Owlman blasts open a wall and says that the Crime Syndicate and the Justice League need to team up if either of them are to survive.
All I can say is wow! Geoff Johns is writing a true epic and it’s great to see Jason Fabok
Just totally tear it up on the artistic side. Despite the less than spectacular connecting one-shots, this story is poised to be one of the classics in Justice League history. It sure looks like everything is building up to a big finish just in time for issue #50. I, for one, can’t wait!
More ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT MARVEL #1's
ALL NEW INHUMANS #1: Gorgon, Grid, and Flint arrive to a royal welcome in Australia while protestors have one of the NuHumans caged up. Crystal arrives to try to free the NuHuman and one of the protestors reveals that the Terrigen Mists have affected him. Gorgon and company show up and lend a hand. Later, they go to investigate a skyspear that has landed in Uluru. Translating a word on it, it reveals the word genocide. They get contacted by Swain, who informs Crystal that the cloud is heading towards Sin-Cong. In the back-up set three months before the events in the main story, we see that Crystal is using subterfuge to portray the Inhumans as Australia’s friends.
While this is a neat first issue, I’m not totally sold on it. I love these classic characters, but I’m not a fan of these NuHumans. What is worse is that there isn’t a whole lot of love for me with these other characters as they don’t seem to have a ton of depth to them. James Asmus and Charles Soule do a nice job of telling a story and the back-up, by Soule sets up the main tale. Stefano Caselli handles the art on the main story while Nico Leon does the same for the back-up and the two compliment each other so well you would think the same artist was handling both stories. Overall, the book was okay, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the other INHUMANS title.
ALL NEW X-MEN #1: The Warren Worthington from the past and Laura are skiing in Colorado and apparently are romantically involved. Meanwhile, Scott Summers from the past battles a group who worship the late Cyclops, leading to the rest of the team to come to his rescue.
Dennis Hopeless and Mark Bagley give us a tale of the displaced-in-time X-Men and their journey to find out who they are. Iceman has already come to grips with his sexuality and now the rest of the group needs to find their way in this world. This series has potential, for fans of these out of place heroes. Personally, I never really gravitated to them, but I’m sure Hopeless can find a way to make it work. Perhaps a Jack Kerouac road trip is in order.
DAREDEVIL #1: Daredevil is back in Hell’s Kitchen and is in the process of saving someone named Billy from the Tenfingers gang. In the process, the mysterious Blindspot shows up to land a hand. Later, Daredevil patches himself up at his longtime friend Foggy Nelson’s place, along with dumping Billy off until he is ready for trial. Matt Murdock is no longer a defense attorney-he’s now a prosecutor and Billy is his star witness. Elsewhere, we meet Tenfingers…who has ten fingers on each hand.
Well, Charles Soule has managed to infuse some much-needed life into Matt Murdock and Daredevil. Right off the bat, we have a costume redesign, which really scared people before this book came out. The red suit is gone and now he wears black. Apparently the world has forgotten that they all knew his secret identity, because it’s a secret once again. And Foggy Nelson, once on death’s door, looks pretty hefty and healthy again. Add into that Ron Garney’s art and you will immediately think of David Mazzucchelli and Frank Miller. This book is entertaining from page one to the end. And who is the mysterious Tenfingers who looks an awfully lot like The mandarin…but with TWENTY FINGERS!
GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #1: Rocket, Groot, and Drax meet the Guardians 3000 and they all meet another group of Guardians from the past. In the back-up, Ben Grimm and Rocket find themselves on a planet where professional wrestling is king.
Dan Abnett and Carlo Barberi give us a main story that throws out more questions than provides answers. How did our heroes end up in 3016? Who are these NEW Guardians? While I love Abnett’s work, I can’t find anything that makes me want to keep on with this series. Two Guardian titles with another on the way is two too many. The back-up by Jason Latour and Jim Cheung looks great but is too silly for my liking.
PATSY WALKER A.K.A. HELLCAT#1: Hellcat is out of work and living in a storage closet. She battles Telekinian, before getting him to turn over a new leaf and they team up together. That’s a good thing because he needs a roommate and she needs to get out of the closet. The issue ends with her getting as real job…in retail!
ENOUGH!!! Stop with the Batgirling, Squirrel Girling and Black Canarying of our super heroines! Kate Leth, Brittney L. Williams, and Megan Wilson are responsible for this mess and I DO MEAN MESS! So, not that I am against women in comics because some of the best creators in this business are women, but suddenly the Big Two seem to think that only female creators can creates female heroes. If that is the case, then I think the Big Two need to rethink themselves, as they have it all wrong. But…it’s not as wrong as this!
RED WOLF #1: It’s 1872 in the Western town of Timely and Red Wolf is doing his best to maintain order as the sheriff. Two people are found dead, looking as if they had been hit by lightning. Red Wolf and a boy named Alex agree to go off and investigate. They discover a stranger who is apparently from the future and wielding a powerful weapon that kills Alex, Deputy Santos and some other folk. Red Wolf hits the stranger’s power supply with his knife and that creates an explosion and transports a wounded Red Wolf to present day.
What I really liked about the 1872 SECRET WARS mini-series was that it was set in 1872. By moving Red Wolf from the past to the present just makes him another displaced time traveler in a universe filled with displaced travelers. So, it goes from being a fun look at characters related to the Marvel Universe and dumps the concept to a Stranger in a Strange Land tale. Nathan Edmondson wrote it in his usual flair while Dalibor Talajic did a cool job with the art. And I enjoyed the story…right up until our Native American hero got plopped into the present.
SCARLET WITCH #1: Wanda Maximoff wakes from a dream of the good old days of the Avengers. She has a discussion with her old mentor Agatha Harkness and then gets involved with a supernatural murder mystery, where she performs an exorcism. Later, she talks with Agatha as they both realize that someone or something is attacking magic.
I had high hopes for this series, with James Robinson at the literary helm. After all, Robinson’s last work was AIRBOY which blew me away! Unfortunately, it is a rambling attempt at trying to create Scarlet Witch from the ashes of the old. She has gone from a super heroine to a supernatural version of the Scooby gang. Vanesa Del Ray provides the art and it’s quirky enough. But I truly HATE the new costume and can’t get past the whole idea of Wanda Maximoff-Supernatural Detective.
SPIDEY #1: Peter Parker is doing his best to juggle fighting crime and school, which involves Gwen Stacey having to save him from a beating at the hands of Flash Thompson. Later, on a field trip to Oscorp, Doctor Octopus shows up to cause havoc and make Peter change into costume. Ock retreats as Spidey saves the day. In the end, Norman Osborn has a quick conversation with his other half, the Green Goblin.
I had hopes for this title, as it is set in the early days of Spider Man. And, even though it is rated T for Teen, it is pretty much an all ages book. Now, Robbie Thompson and Nick Bradshaw do a nice job on the title, but it is not the Spider Man I grew up with. Sure, I understand that this isn’t the 1960’s and life isn’t as innocent as it used to be. I don’t expect to see Gwen in mini-skirts, but I DO expect to see Harry and Norman Osborn with their trademark hair! So, if you’re a die-hard Parker fan, buy the book. If you’re a casual fan, or a part of the much younger generation, pick it up.
SQUADRON SUPREME #1: Eight months after their worlds ended, a group of super survivors have come together to figure out what to do now. SUPREME POWER’s Nighthawk, AVENGER'S WORLD’s Hyperion, NEW AVENGER’s Doctor Spectrum, the classic Power Princess and D.P. 7’s The Blur want to get revenge on the person responsible for destroying Spectrum’s planet: the Sub-Mariner. They destroy Atlantis and Hyperion uses his heat vision to decapitate Namor. While Thundra and Tyndall hope that the Squadron will be able to help Lord Arkon, the Uncanny Avengers plan on getting stopping them
Holy crap! Namor’s dead!? James Robinson and Leonard Kirk give us a blockbuster beginning to what I hope will be a long and successful run. And, by bringing together all these different characters from different places in what used to be the Marvel Universe and putting these refugees together as a vengeful team, Robinson cranks up the ante right from the beginning. Are they heroes or villains? Let’s not forget, as anyone who has read SUPREME POWERS, that this Kyle Richmond has issues.
STARBRAND AND NIGHTMASK #1: Starbrand and Nightmask are superheroes who are also college students. They meet Squirrel Girl and some other sand then get into it with Gravitron and Nitro.
Dear Comics Big Two: As a lifelong comic book fan, I have spent almost all of my life reading and enjoying the adventures of super and non-super heroes. So please do me a favor: STOP SCREWING WITH MY HEROES! C’mon: do we really need to drop these two rebooted heroes into college and have them hang with Squirrel Girl? Greg Weisman writes it and Domo Stanton draws it. And it does nothing for me! I would much rather read old issues of AMAZING SPIDER MAN where Peter Parker is trying to survive Empire State University than this. And it looked much better too!
TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1: A monster emerges from the surf causing Amadeus Cho to finish eating quickly and head into action as the Totally Awesome Hulk. He defeats the creature and saves a girl and the boy she is babysitting, but causes him to lose him pants in the process. With the creature shrunk to miniature size, he takes the creature back to his sister and her flying food truck. Flashing back to four months ago, Bruce Banner’s Hulk absorbs a dangerous amount of radiation, with the final results being unknown. Back in the present, Cho is again fighting monsters, this time paired up with She Hulk and Miles Morales. Just when you think things are going well, Lady Hellbender shows up.
This has been one of the most talked about and highly anticipated Marvel titles to be announced in recent months. And I’m happy to say it does not disappoint. Greg Pak delivers a fun and funny story with one of the world’s smartest men in the role of the big green guy. How he got there and what happened to Bruce Banner in the process is still a mystery. But hey: this is only the first issue! Oh yeah: Monkey Boy himself, Frank Cho, is the artist on this book and, in typical Frank Cho fashion, he totally delivers! Yeah…this book needs to be on your reserve list.
WEIRDWORLD #1: Meet Becca Rodriguez. She is in a strange place called Weirdworld and she meets Goleta the Wizardslayer. Apparently one of the wizards in Morgan LeFay.
I had great hopes for this, after the way the SECRET WARS series started. But even that went downhill fast. This one started out confusing and got more ridiculous as it went. Is the great rebooting of classic universes all about giving us new characters who represent our diverse culture? I understand the world isn’t about only white, heterosexual superheroes anymore. But we have had black, Spanish, gay, drug addicted, paranoid characters before. This is nothing new. And this book wants to pave new roads but just travels down a boring one. Mike Del Mundo’s art, a great holdover from the mini-series can’t save Sam Humphries’ story.
While this is a neat first issue, I’m not totally sold on it. I love these classic characters, but I’m not a fan of these NuHumans. What is worse is that there isn’t a whole lot of love for me with these other characters as they don’t seem to have a ton of depth to them. James Asmus and Charles Soule do a nice job of telling a story and the back-up, by Soule sets up the main tale. Stefano Caselli handles the art on the main story while Nico Leon does the same for the back-up and the two compliment each other so well you would think the same artist was handling both stories. Overall, the book was okay, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the other INHUMANS title.
ALL NEW X-MEN #1: The Warren Worthington from the past and Laura are skiing in Colorado and apparently are romantically involved. Meanwhile, Scott Summers from the past battles a group who worship the late Cyclops, leading to the rest of the team to come to his rescue.
Dennis Hopeless and Mark Bagley give us a tale of the displaced-in-time X-Men and their journey to find out who they are. Iceman has already come to grips with his sexuality and now the rest of the group needs to find their way in this world. This series has potential, for fans of these out of place heroes. Personally, I never really gravitated to them, but I’m sure Hopeless can find a way to make it work. Perhaps a Jack Kerouac road trip is in order.
DAREDEVIL #1: Daredevil is back in Hell’s Kitchen and is in the process of saving someone named Billy from the Tenfingers gang. In the process, the mysterious Blindspot shows up to land a hand. Later, Daredevil patches himself up at his longtime friend Foggy Nelson’s place, along with dumping Billy off until he is ready for trial. Matt Murdock is no longer a defense attorney-he’s now a prosecutor and Billy is his star witness. Elsewhere, we meet Tenfingers…who has ten fingers on each hand.
Well, Charles Soule has managed to infuse some much-needed life into Matt Murdock and Daredevil. Right off the bat, we have a costume redesign, which really scared people before this book came out. The red suit is gone and now he wears black. Apparently the world has forgotten that they all knew his secret identity, because it’s a secret once again. And Foggy Nelson, once on death’s door, looks pretty hefty and healthy again. Add into that Ron Garney’s art and you will immediately think of David Mazzucchelli and Frank Miller. This book is entertaining from page one to the end. And who is the mysterious Tenfingers who looks an awfully lot like The mandarin…but with TWENTY FINGERS!
GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #1: Rocket, Groot, and Drax meet the Guardians 3000 and they all meet another group of Guardians from the past. In the back-up, Ben Grimm and Rocket find themselves on a planet where professional wrestling is king.
Dan Abnett and Carlo Barberi give us a main story that throws out more questions than provides answers. How did our heroes end up in 3016? Who are these NEW Guardians? While I love Abnett’s work, I can’t find anything that makes me want to keep on with this series. Two Guardian titles with another on the way is two too many. The back-up by Jason Latour and Jim Cheung looks great but is too silly for my liking.
PATSY WALKER A.K.A. HELLCAT#1: Hellcat is out of work and living in a storage closet. She battles Telekinian, before getting him to turn over a new leaf and they team up together. That’s a good thing because he needs a roommate and she needs to get out of the closet. The issue ends with her getting as real job…in retail!
ENOUGH!!! Stop with the Batgirling, Squirrel Girling and Black Canarying of our super heroines! Kate Leth, Brittney L. Williams, and Megan Wilson are responsible for this mess and I DO MEAN MESS! So, not that I am against women in comics because some of the best creators in this business are women, but suddenly the Big Two seem to think that only female creators can creates female heroes. If that is the case, then I think the Big Two need to rethink themselves, as they have it all wrong. But…it’s not as wrong as this!
RED WOLF #1: It’s 1872 in the Western town of Timely and Red Wolf is doing his best to maintain order as the sheriff. Two people are found dead, looking as if they had been hit by lightning. Red Wolf and a boy named Alex agree to go off and investigate. They discover a stranger who is apparently from the future and wielding a powerful weapon that kills Alex, Deputy Santos and some other folk. Red Wolf hits the stranger’s power supply with his knife and that creates an explosion and transports a wounded Red Wolf to present day.
What I really liked about the 1872 SECRET WARS mini-series was that it was set in 1872. By moving Red Wolf from the past to the present just makes him another displaced time traveler in a universe filled with displaced travelers. So, it goes from being a fun look at characters related to the Marvel Universe and dumps the concept to a Stranger in a Strange Land tale. Nathan Edmondson wrote it in his usual flair while Dalibor Talajic did a cool job with the art. And I enjoyed the story…right up until our Native American hero got plopped into the present.
SCARLET WITCH #1: Wanda Maximoff wakes from a dream of the good old days of the Avengers. She has a discussion with her old mentor Agatha Harkness and then gets involved with a supernatural murder mystery, where she performs an exorcism. Later, she talks with Agatha as they both realize that someone or something is attacking magic.
I had high hopes for this series, with James Robinson at the literary helm. After all, Robinson’s last work was AIRBOY which blew me away! Unfortunately, it is a rambling attempt at trying to create Scarlet Witch from the ashes of the old. She has gone from a super heroine to a supernatural version of the Scooby gang. Vanesa Del Ray provides the art and it’s quirky enough. But I truly HATE the new costume and can’t get past the whole idea of Wanda Maximoff-Supernatural Detective.
SPIDEY #1: Peter Parker is doing his best to juggle fighting crime and school, which involves Gwen Stacey having to save him from a beating at the hands of Flash Thompson. Later, on a field trip to Oscorp, Doctor Octopus shows up to cause havoc and make Peter change into costume. Ock retreats as Spidey saves the day. In the end, Norman Osborn has a quick conversation with his other half, the Green Goblin.
I had hopes for this title, as it is set in the early days of Spider Man. And, even though it is rated T for Teen, it is pretty much an all ages book. Now, Robbie Thompson and Nick Bradshaw do a nice job on the title, but it is not the Spider Man I grew up with. Sure, I understand that this isn’t the 1960’s and life isn’t as innocent as it used to be. I don’t expect to see Gwen in mini-skirts, but I DO expect to see Harry and Norman Osborn with their trademark hair! So, if you’re a die-hard Parker fan, buy the book. If you’re a casual fan, or a part of the much younger generation, pick it up.
SQUADRON SUPREME #1: Eight months after their worlds ended, a group of super survivors have come together to figure out what to do now. SUPREME POWER’s Nighthawk, AVENGER'S WORLD’s Hyperion, NEW AVENGER’s Doctor Spectrum, the classic Power Princess and D.P. 7’s The Blur want to get revenge on the person responsible for destroying Spectrum’s planet: the Sub-Mariner. They destroy Atlantis and Hyperion uses his heat vision to decapitate Namor. While Thundra and Tyndall hope that the Squadron will be able to help Lord Arkon, the Uncanny Avengers plan on getting stopping them
Holy crap! Namor’s dead!? James Robinson and Leonard Kirk give us a blockbuster beginning to what I hope will be a long and successful run. And, by bringing together all these different characters from different places in what used to be the Marvel Universe and putting these refugees together as a vengeful team, Robinson cranks up the ante right from the beginning. Are they heroes or villains? Let’s not forget, as anyone who has read SUPREME POWERS, that this Kyle Richmond has issues.
STARBRAND AND NIGHTMASK #1: Starbrand and Nightmask are superheroes who are also college students. They meet Squirrel Girl and some other sand then get into it with Gravitron and Nitro.
Dear Comics Big Two: As a lifelong comic book fan, I have spent almost all of my life reading and enjoying the adventures of super and non-super heroes. So please do me a favor: STOP SCREWING WITH MY HEROES! C’mon: do we really need to drop these two rebooted heroes into college and have them hang with Squirrel Girl? Greg Weisman writes it and Domo Stanton draws it. And it does nothing for me! I would much rather read old issues of AMAZING SPIDER MAN where Peter Parker is trying to survive Empire State University than this. And it looked much better too!
TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1: A monster emerges from the surf causing Amadeus Cho to finish eating quickly and head into action as the Totally Awesome Hulk. He defeats the creature and saves a girl and the boy she is babysitting, but causes him to lose him pants in the process. With the creature shrunk to miniature size, he takes the creature back to his sister and her flying food truck. Flashing back to four months ago, Bruce Banner’s Hulk absorbs a dangerous amount of radiation, with the final results being unknown. Back in the present, Cho is again fighting monsters, this time paired up with She Hulk and Miles Morales. Just when you think things are going well, Lady Hellbender shows up.
This has been one of the most talked about and highly anticipated Marvel titles to be announced in recent months. And I’m happy to say it does not disappoint. Greg Pak delivers a fun and funny story with one of the world’s smartest men in the role of the big green guy. How he got there and what happened to Bruce Banner in the process is still a mystery. But hey: this is only the first issue! Oh yeah: Monkey Boy himself, Frank Cho, is the artist on this book and, in typical Frank Cho fashion, he totally delivers! Yeah…this book needs to be on your reserve list.
WEIRDWORLD #1: Meet Becca Rodriguez. She is in a strange place called Weirdworld and she meets Goleta the Wizardslayer. Apparently one of the wizards in Morgan LeFay.
I had great hopes for this, after the way the SECRET WARS series started. But even that went downhill fast. This one started out confusing and got more ridiculous as it went. Is the great rebooting of classic universes all about giving us new characters who represent our diverse culture? I understand the world isn’t about only white, heterosexual superheroes anymore. But we have had black, Spanish, gay, drug addicted, paranoid characters before. This is nothing new. And this book wants to pave new roads but just travels down a boring one. Mike Del Mundo’s art, a great holdover from the mini-series can’t save Sam Humphries’ story.
Friday, December 4, 2015
DC YOU Month 6, Part 2
LOBO #12: Lobo has been hired to help some intergalactic bad guys recover their drugs and he takes out the other dealers in the process. Fueled by the drugs that got into his system, he fights off a couple of nasty hallucinations before really losing it and decides to go off and kill Hal Jordan.
Why is it when a series is at the very end of its’ road that they start to get good? This book has been limping along since issue #1 and NOW starts to get moving! Cullen Bunn is joined by Frank Barbiere and we finally get a violent, nasty Lobo who is more like the classic bastich and not that metrosexual Czarnarian we had been dealing with. Robson Rocha delivers the usual fine looking artwork, complete with it’s share of blood, guts and semi-naked bodies. Next issue, our hero goes off after Hal Jordan. This should be one heck of an ending.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #6: The moon of Phobos shoots a beam down into the Earth and reactivates the White Martian weapon. However, they need all of the various pieces of J ‘onn J'onzz in one place and have them enter it. Leo, who is revealed as Ma'alefa'ak, is making certain that the Wessel and Mr. Biscuits are on enters that beam. Wessel uses telekinetic power he never knew he had to overpower the pilots and take over the flying of the plane. On the ground, Pearl turns into her true Martian self but Mould pushes her into the beam and then he too enters. J’onn J'onzz comes together in his true, original form and finds that he has recreated a Martian city. But the other parts of him have managed to separate from him and they plan on reversing the whole situation.
This is one of the wildest, trippiest and amazing titles that DC is currently publishing! Rob Williams is writing a true masterpiece that you just can’t gloss through. You really need to read and pay attention to this book. Yes, I’m sorry to say: YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO THINK WHILE READING IT! And Eddy Barrows art is amazing! I could not imagine this book without his detailed work. Credit also needs to be given to Eber Ferreira, who provides the inking. This tag-team in the art department just makes this book explode off the page. If you are NOT reading this title, you are truly missing a book that will go down in comic history as a ground breaker.
MIDNIGHTER #6: Midnighter saves his boyfriend from being shot during Thanksgiving dinner and, with a quick kiss, goes off to deal out his own brand of revenge. Then they go off on a “post-apartment attack and remodeling tour” which takes them across the world with Midnighter collecting God Garden Tech and also having quality time with Matt. Matt's Father has been roughed up because of Matt’s association with Midnighter, so Midnighter heads off and starts beating up people to get answers. Later, Midnighter gets attacked by a group in a runaway school bus that jams his fight computer. After almost killing him, Midnighter kills them and they turn into goo. He heads back to Matt’s father’s house, where it looks like dad is dead, leading Matt to stab Midnighter. And that’s when Prometheus arrives…
Steve Orlando, after a weak opening to the book, comes roaring back with a great ending and a major plot twist! Aco’s art was spot on this month, looking really awesome. The art shifts gently between violent fights to warm embraces with ease. The juxtaposition of the violence and the romance makes this issue really work.
NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #14: Although Vic Sage hit the button triggering the team’s neck bombs, but that doesn’t happen because Waller disengaged the bombs before the mission started. While she tells them that Sage is a traitor, they decide to attack her. Deadshot is ready to kill her when she informs them that she reprogrammed the bombs. If she dies, they go boom! They decide to team up to take Sage down. Meanwhile, Sage is meeting with Black Manta and convinces him to work for Sage…to kill Waller.
Sean Ryan and Phillipe Briones turn out another killer issue…literally! I love that Waller is now part of the missions and that leaves Sage back at home with his own plans for the destruction of the team. Ryan’s plot is great and his dialogue if super sharp! Briones art is a perfect fit too and the only other person I could see that would do as great a job with all these characters would be Paul Pelletier. I just want to know when they’re going to drop Mr. J. into this title as a tie in to the upcoming movie.
OMEGA MEN #6: The Omega Men have been captured and Broot is dead. So, the question of the hour that is asked of each of them is: why do the Omega Men need Kyle Rayner? As all are tortured and it looks like Kyle will die because the bomb he carried within him wasn’t really a bomb at all, Doc and Scrapps crash in. Scrapps frees the Omega Men while Kyle frees himself, quoting religious verses all the while. In the end, the Omega Men are seemingly all killed, save for Kalista, who is saved by Kyle. Most importantly: who has the key and can they find the bomb?
Leave it to Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda to give us more of one of the most underrated titles out there. This book is so far from what the original OMEGA MEN series was from back in 1983. While the names are the same, the story, the action and the politics are way different. And, while the original series was awesome, especially because it featured Keith Giffen’s art, this new series is so ridiculously deep that it’s not funny! It’s about oppression, religion, and divine intervention. Oh yeah: required reading, especially now that it has been saved from cancellation at six issues.
RED HOOD/ARSENAL #6: It looks like the Joker’s Daughter has killed off Arsenal and the Hero Manifesto is not happy about it. But it turns out that he was only shot in the head with a paintball containing blood and brains, so that allows him to take out Suzie Su. Later, Joker’s Daughter shows up with a chainsaw on a plane…literally… containing Jason Todd, After a battle, she escapes, leaving Jason bewildered. Eventually, all three turn up to battle the remainder of the Hero Manifesto and that results in a team-up. Jason gets a text about an attack going on in Gotham and that leads the trio into the Robin War.
So how does Joker’s Daughter know about the upcoming Robin War? Maybe she read PREVIEWS! And what’s with trying to make her the NEW Harley Quinn? Seriously-she’s crazy and is teaming up with the good guys? It’s all from the creative minds and pens of Scott Lobdell and Denis Medri and it was the usual shenanigans from Roy and Jason.
ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN #6: In the past, we get the story of how Damian ended up with Goliath after killing his mother and family on a quest for the Scepter of Kings. Today, Talia takes power in Bialya and Damian quizzes her on how she could kill him. Later, Maya shows him that Batman is dead and they make up, with her telling him the R on his chest is for “redemption”. In the end, Maya ends up with Ravi, Damian frees Goliath and heads to Gotham to take part in the Robin War, after he tells Talia that he will be watching her if she decides to cross the line again.
Patrick Gleason does a beautiful job concluding this arc. It look wonderful, truly touches at the heart on several occasions and is just a great ending to a great story. I’m curious to see where Gleason takes us next with the ROBIN WAR story. But this book does a killer job of turning Maya into her own character and poises her for a future book, I’m sure.
SECRET SIX #8: After a brief history lesson, we see that Black Alice has stolen everyone’s powers and is using them against them. Then the Children of Arion, who claim to be the one true Atlanteans, saying the only way to keep the magic people from trying to kill Alice is to find and destroy the Alabaster Columns. Catman, Blake, Strix, Porcelain, the Ventriloquist and Etrigan have their game of mini golf interrupted by one of the Children of Arion, who tells the same story. Later, they get transported under the sea to gather the stones and run into Aquaman, which leads to a fight between Catman and himself. In the process, one of the stones is destroyed and our heroes seemingly drowned in the process. Some of the Children of Arion note this and decide there are others who can help them. And they transform into sea creatures and swim away.
Gail Simone continues to write a truly gang-up story that goes into so many different directions it is sometimes hard to figure out what the real book is all about. Now, I’m not complaining about that, as I actually find this whole thing totally fascinating and engaging. Add in Dale Eaglesham’s amazing art and this book is so much one of my current favorites. This book is just such a wild ride. I mean, we have this whole collection of B Grade heroes and villains, brought together and bonding in such a way that you can’t help but love it.
SINESTRO #17: Sinestro and Black Adam fight the Pale Bishop and the Bishop fights back by implanting images into Adam’s mind. So Sinestro gives him a yellow ring and makes him part of the Sinestro Corps. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman joins into the battle going on in outer space. When Sinestro and Black Adam arrives, Sinestro tries to convince her that he has turned into a good guy now, but all she is concerned about is how the Paling is coming to feed on fear.
Cullen Bunn continues to up his game on this cook, which is a great thing considering how really disappointing this series has been so far. But the killer here, in a very bad way, is the art. The first 10 pages are by Brad Walker, with Drew Hennessy inking. The next five pages are by Neil Edwards and Trevor Scott. The last five pages are by Szymon Kudranski. This is just such a visual mess that the story fell down because of it. That’s too bad because Bunn really has managed to turn around his work on this book. And maybe, with him leaving AQUAMAN, he can concentrate on making this the best book he can.
STARFIRE #6: We flashback to Sol Gomez and his former girlfriend Maria. That brings us into Starfire fighting with Soren Hook, who she touches and gains his horrible past as part of her memories. Sol ends up in the hospital while Soren ends up being sedated so the cops can figure out who he is. Later, a bounty hunter named Kragg shows up and comes after Kori. They battle, she incapacitates him and takes him away. Oh yeah: Grayson has arrived too.
Really? That’s it? We quick wrap the story from last issue, drop in an intergalactic bounty hunter, and then pop Dick Grayson into the picture. A 20 page story we could have had tell us this in about 4 pages. Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti wrote it while the amazing Emanuela Lupacchino drew it.
SUPERMAN #46: Superman continues to fight at Mythbrawl, growing more into his role with each bout. After the match, Clark and Haemosu go to an Old God bar to find out info on Apolaki. After talking to some of Apolaki's ex-girlfriends, one of them sends him to see Yurei, where he finds out that Hordr is siphoning energy from people and making clones. Superman has to fight a fully powered sand clone of himself, which leads to Jimmy taking a full heat vision blast. This leads to Hordr_Root daring Superman to hurt him back.
Well, it’s nice to see that Gene Luen Yang has managed to mine Superman’s past and dig up the sand Superman. The first time I saw this was in the classic 9 issue Superman run beginning with issue #233, where he no longer had to fear Kryptonite and had to deal with a sand duplicate that came from the dimension of Quarm Asand. Anyway-a classic story the obviously played a role in Yang’s creating this clone. The story was fun and I especially like Clark getting a little more of an attitude as of late. Also nice is Howard Porter’s art that I like better than John Romita Jr.’s work on this title.
SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #2: After beginning with a lengthy flashback to back when the Whites were first on our Earth and Clark was battling Shockwave in Chicago. In the present day, the government is investigating the crash of the Excalibur and wondering what has happened to Hank Henshaw. Over at school, Jon White gets into trouble and that leads to Lois having to come to pick him up. On the way home, mysterious Men in Black, who may or may not be Intergang, chase them. Superman shows up and helps dispatch the bad guys without Jon noticing. In the end, someone is looking for the Oblivion Stone and that is probably going to bring them to Earth. story, but until I learn more about it, I can't say I really care in that department. My interest lies squarely with Lois, Clark and Jon.
Wow! THIS is truly CLASSIC SUPERMAN! Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks gives us a great story! And I will be honest, I truly had my doubts about this series when it was first announced, just as I had issues when the CONVERGENCE mini-series appeared. But Jurgens style and sense of history helps make these characters and this story work so well. And Weeks may be at the best spot in his career!
SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #23: Superman has put an offer on the table to Parasite, which he accepts, while Wonder Woman doesn’t trust the villain. Meanwhile, Vandal Savage talks with Angelo Bend, who admits he is going to have to his father. Parasite, Superman and Wonder Woman make their way into Bend's lair and end up battling Atomic Skull, Live Wire, and Major Disaster. Parasite saves the day, but Wonder Woman is captured and becomes a battery for our villains.
Can we get a Parasite solo book after he turns out to be the hero here? Peter J. Tomasi’s story is fun and concentrates on action and not the romance issue. That, in itself, makes this book so much better than it used to be. And, as a long time fan of Doug Mahnke’s art, this just makes me smile with every single page.
TEEN TITANS #13: In the Metropolis Armory Ward, our heroes are battling Dr. Psycho, who is receiving almost as much punishment as he is dishing out, thanks to Raven. At the same time, Manchester Black is teaming up with Despero, who actually is Chimera is disguise. This leads to a face turn for Manchester’s team, but they all get taken out by Alpha Centurion.
What? I mean…WHAT!? What was this? As far as I’m concerned, it was a twenty-page waste of my time! Will Pfeifer’s story, which was building so nicely since Scott Lobdell left the book, totally fell flat here. Actually, fell flat is an understatement! It took everything that had been built upon at this point and threw it away to give us…Alpha Centurian? Well, I guess that means Doomed will be next in this book. And having three artists in the form of Ricken, Paolo Pantalena, and Noel Rodriguez just means that a book that was already later was thrown together quickly. A total disappointment.
TELOS #2: Telos goes to Colu and gets arrested so he can hopefully find the rebel leader in prison. A flashback tells his origin story and it is revealed that he was Arak Son of Thunder and how he made a deal with Brainiac to spare his people. Once in prison, he meets with rebel leader Techne, along with Captain K-Rot, Steath and Captain Comet. Techne was created by the Tyrants from Brainiac’s DNA to fight against him. Using Steath's cloaking power, they make their way to the data core and Captain Comet gets information about the Psions. But Computo's forces are arrive and that includes the arrival of…Validus.
So, this issue was better than the last one. But that didn’t have to go far to achieve that. Carlo Pagulayan and Igor Vitorino handle the art and their work is nice and clean. Jeff King writes a good story that ties in bits out of THRESHOLD and the Legion of Super Heroes, besides the obvious CONVERGENCE tie ins. But it still had a bunch of really weird plot holes in the form of unresolved questions. Why is Captain Comet here? How is it that Techne knows Telos? And why do Captain K-Rot sound like Rocket Racoon?
TITANS HUNT #2: Once clean Roy Harper has completely fallen off the wagon and sees a ninja jump onto his truck, leading him to spin out and whip out his bows and arrows. The police arrive and try to arrest him under normal means but have to resort to tasering him. Gnarrk has started to revert to his old caveman self, complete with drawing cave paintings and deciding it was time to go out and hunt. Mal and a very pregnant Bumblebee see a strange shadow in pictures of him accepting his Gold Star award. Meanwhile, Dick Grayson is doing some detective work in the Batcave regarding the Atlanteans and Lilith, who he dreamed about in the last issue; not to mention the box he has with the lungs of an Atlantean in it. Dick heads out to find Garth, which results in the two of them fighting. That’s when a heavily armed Donna Troy shows up.
Well, this ends up being a nice surprise title, as is the SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK. Dan Abnett and Stephan Segovia gives us a title that is full of bits and pieces of the rich history that was the Teen Titans. Let’s do a little roll call here: we have seen Roy Harper (not to be confused with the current Arsenal), Lilith (didn’t she die in GRADUATION DAY?), Garth (didn’t he die in BLACKEST NIGHT), Donna Troy (didn’t she die in GRADUATION DAY?), Mal, Karen, and Gnarrk (wasn’t he supposed to be dead?). We have yet to see the OTHER Dick Grayson, the OTHER Wally West, the OTHER Hank Hall, Don Hall (he died in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, but CRISIS never happened thanks to CONVERGENCE, so…), Tula (she died in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, but…), and Duela Dent (she died in COUNTDOWN). This has been far more fun than I expected, so here’s hoping that this mini-series ties up some loose ends and gives us a REAL Titans title!
WE ARE ROBIN #6: Izzy, Riko and Duke are battling a Talon and are losing quite badly, which causes Izzy to pull out a gun. Not that being an unofficial part of the Batman world and having a gun isn’t bad enough, all of this is happening on television, so everyone can see who these kids are. Luckily, Dre and Dax are watching television and that gets them to act as the cavalry after Duke and Riko distract Izzy long enough to keep her from pulling the trigger. Alfred/Nest arrives with a militarized vehicle that opens fire and takes down Talon with beanbags, giving the team a chance to get into the vehicle. Once they are in a safe place, he turns them loose and insists that they need to start wearing masks.
Here we are: six issues in and I’m still having mixed emotions about this series. In concept, it’s pretty cool. But I’m not totally sold on these characters. Lee Bermejo is a great artist, as seen by his covers on this and his work on SUICIDERS, where he also wrote a killer story. But these characters…I’m just not loving them. This is kind of ready THE OUTSIDERS meets THE WARRIORS as young teens. They’re street kids playing vigilante. No thanks…we have enough of those now running around the DC Universe. Oh…I am also not a huge fan of Jorge Corona’s art. It’s just that I look at these awesome Bermejo covers and get inside and…just not the same!
WONDER WOMAN #46: Since Diana hasn’t been the all-killing God of War she should be, it’s causing issues with the cosmic balance of things and, specifically the causing damage to Eirene: the Goddess of Peace. Zeke arrives in the midst of it all and Eirene takes Diana on a worldwide tour to show how her lack of war is making people weak and keeping them from rising up against their oppressors. This doesn’t totally make sense to Diana and leads to a battle between the two. Zeke ends up using his powers to bring Ares, Apollo, and Donna Troy, who has become Fate, back to life. All ends happily, except for Aegis who is subject to Eirene’s revenge.
I really want Brian Azzarello back on this book! While David Finch’ art looks wonderful, as usual, I haven’t quite figured out what is going on with his wife Meredith’ story telling. Just when things seem like they’re going into a sensible direction, it all falls apart. We get half a book about the horrors or war versus the good things that war does and then it becomes a fight book, with a good portion of the supporting cast showing up in time to change the results of the battle and bring the story to an end. It just seems that this story was way to disjointed from the very beginning.
Why is it when a series is at the very end of its’ road that they start to get good? This book has been limping along since issue #1 and NOW starts to get moving! Cullen Bunn is joined by Frank Barbiere and we finally get a violent, nasty Lobo who is more like the classic bastich and not that metrosexual Czarnarian we had been dealing with. Robson Rocha delivers the usual fine looking artwork, complete with it’s share of blood, guts and semi-naked bodies. Next issue, our hero goes off after Hal Jordan. This should be one heck of an ending.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #6: The moon of Phobos shoots a beam down into the Earth and reactivates the White Martian weapon. However, they need all of the various pieces of J ‘onn J'onzz in one place and have them enter it. Leo, who is revealed as Ma'alefa'ak, is making certain that the Wessel and Mr. Biscuits are on enters that beam. Wessel uses telekinetic power he never knew he had to overpower the pilots and take over the flying of the plane. On the ground, Pearl turns into her true Martian self but Mould pushes her into the beam and then he too enters. J’onn J'onzz comes together in his true, original form and finds that he has recreated a Martian city. But the other parts of him have managed to separate from him and they plan on reversing the whole situation.
This is one of the wildest, trippiest and amazing titles that DC is currently publishing! Rob Williams is writing a true masterpiece that you just can’t gloss through. You really need to read and pay attention to this book. Yes, I’m sorry to say: YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO THINK WHILE READING IT! And Eddy Barrows art is amazing! I could not imagine this book without his detailed work. Credit also needs to be given to Eber Ferreira, who provides the inking. This tag-team in the art department just makes this book explode off the page. If you are NOT reading this title, you are truly missing a book that will go down in comic history as a ground breaker.
MIDNIGHTER #6: Midnighter saves his boyfriend from being shot during Thanksgiving dinner and, with a quick kiss, goes off to deal out his own brand of revenge. Then they go off on a “post-apartment attack and remodeling tour” which takes them across the world with Midnighter collecting God Garden Tech and also having quality time with Matt. Matt's Father has been roughed up because of Matt’s association with Midnighter, so Midnighter heads off and starts beating up people to get answers. Later, Midnighter gets attacked by a group in a runaway school bus that jams his fight computer. After almost killing him, Midnighter kills them and they turn into goo. He heads back to Matt’s father’s house, where it looks like dad is dead, leading Matt to stab Midnighter. And that’s when Prometheus arrives…
Steve Orlando, after a weak opening to the book, comes roaring back with a great ending and a major plot twist! Aco’s art was spot on this month, looking really awesome. The art shifts gently between violent fights to warm embraces with ease. The juxtaposition of the violence and the romance makes this issue really work.
NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #14: Although Vic Sage hit the button triggering the team’s neck bombs, but that doesn’t happen because Waller disengaged the bombs before the mission started. While she tells them that Sage is a traitor, they decide to attack her. Deadshot is ready to kill her when she informs them that she reprogrammed the bombs. If she dies, they go boom! They decide to team up to take Sage down. Meanwhile, Sage is meeting with Black Manta and convinces him to work for Sage…to kill Waller.
Sean Ryan and Phillipe Briones turn out another killer issue…literally! I love that Waller is now part of the missions and that leaves Sage back at home with his own plans for the destruction of the team. Ryan’s plot is great and his dialogue if super sharp! Briones art is a perfect fit too and the only other person I could see that would do as great a job with all these characters would be Paul Pelletier. I just want to know when they’re going to drop Mr. J. into this title as a tie in to the upcoming movie.
OMEGA MEN #6: The Omega Men have been captured and Broot is dead. So, the question of the hour that is asked of each of them is: why do the Omega Men need Kyle Rayner? As all are tortured and it looks like Kyle will die because the bomb he carried within him wasn’t really a bomb at all, Doc and Scrapps crash in. Scrapps frees the Omega Men while Kyle frees himself, quoting religious verses all the while. In the end, the Omega Men are seemingly all killed, save for Kalista, who is saved by Kyle. Most importantly: who has the key and can they find the bomb?
Leave it to Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda to give us more of one of the most underrated titles out there. This book is so far from what the original OMEGA MEN series was from back in 1983. While the names are the same, the story, the action and the politics are way different. And, while the original series was awesome, especially because it featured Keith Giffen’s art, this new series is so ridiculously deep that it’s not funny! It’s about oppression, religion, and divine intervention. Oh yeah: required reading, especially now that it has been saved from cancellation at six issues.
RED HOOD/ARSENAL #6: It looks like the Joker’s Daughter has killed off Arsenal and the Hero Manifesto is not happy about it. But it turns out that he was only shot in the head with a paintball containing blood and brains, so that allows him to take out Suzie Su. Later, Joker’s Daughter shows up with a chainsaw on a plane…literally… containing Jason Todd, After a battle, she escapes, leaving Jason bewildered. Eventually, all three turn up to battle the remainder of the Hero Manifesto and that results in a team-up. Jason gets a text about an attack going on in Gotham and that leads the trio into the Robin War.
So how does Joker’s Daughter know about the upcoming Robin War? Maybe she read PREVIEWS! And what’s with trying to make her the NEW Harley Quinn? Seriously-she’s crazy and is teaming up with the good guys? It’s all from the creative minds and pens of Scott Lobdell and Denis Medri and it was the usual shenanigans from Roy and Jason.
ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN #6: In the past, we get the story of how Damian ended up with Goliath after killing his mother and family on a quest for the Scepter of Kings. Today, Talia takes power in Bialya and Damian quizzes her on how she could kill him. Later, Maya shows him that Batman is dead and they make up, with her telling him the R on his chest is for “redemption”. In the end, Maya ends up with Ravi, Damian frees Goliath and heads to Gotham to take part in the Robin War, after he tells Talia that he will be watching her if she decides to cross the line again.
Patrick Gleason does a beautiful job concluding this arc. It look wonderful, truly touches at the heart on several occasions and is just a great ending to a great story. I’m curious to see where Gleason takes us next with the ROBIN WAR story. But this book does a killer job of turning Maya into her own character and poises her for a future book, I’m sure.
SECRET SIX #8: After a brief history lesson, we see that Black Alice has stolen everyone’s powers and is using them against them. Then the Children of Arion, who claim to be the one true Atlanteans, saying the only way to keep the magic people from trying to kill Alice is to find and destroy the Alabaster Columns. Catman, Blake, Strix, Porcelain, the Ventriloquist and Etrigan have their game of mini golf interrupted by one of the Children of Arion, who tells the same story. Later, they get transported under the sea to gather the stones and run into Aquaman, which leads to a fight between Catman and himself. In the process, one of the stones is destroyed and our heroes seemingly drowned in the process. Some of the Children of Arion note this and decide there are others who can help them. And they transform into sea creatures and swim away.
Gail Simone continues to write a truly gang-up story that goes into so many different directions it is sometimes hard to figure out what the real book is all about. Now, I’m not complaining about that, as I actually find this whole thing totally fascinating and engaging. Add in Dale Eaglesham’s amazing art and this book is so much one of my current favorites. This book is just such a wild ride. I mean, we have this whole collection of B Grade heroes and villains, brought together and bonding in such a way that you can’t help but love it.
SINESTRO #17: Sinestro and Black Adam fight the Pale Bishop and the Bishop fights back by implanting images into Adam’s mind. So Sinestro gives him a yellow ring and makes him part of the Sinestro Corps. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman joins into the battle going on in outer space. When Sinestro and Black Adam arrives, Sinestro tries to convince her that he has turned into a good guy now, but all she is concerned about is how the Paling is coming to feed on fear.
Cullen Bunn continues to up his game on this cook, which is a great thing considering how really disappointing this series has been so far. But the killer here, in a very bad way, is the art. The first 10 pages are by Brad Walker, with Drew Hennessy inking. The next five pages are by Neil Edwards and Trevor Scott. The last five pages are by Szymon Kudranski. This is just such a visual mess that the story fell down because of it. That’s too bad because Bunn really has managed to turn around his work on this book. And maybe, with him leaving AQUAMAN, he can concentrate on making this the best book he can.
STARFIRE #6: We flashback to Sol Gomez and his former girlfriend Maria. That brings us into Starfire fighting with Soren Hook, who she touches and gains his horrible past as part of her memories. Sol ends up in the hospital while Soren ends up being sedated so the cops can figure out who he is. Later, a bounty hunter named Kragg shows up and comes after Kori. They battle, she incapacitates him and takes him away. Oh yeah: Grayson has arrived too.
Really? That’s it? We quick wrap the story from last issue, drop in an intergalactic bounty hunter, and then pop Dick Grayson into the picture. A 20 page story we could have had tell us this in about 4 pages. Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti wrote it while the amazing Emanuela Lupacchino drew it.
SUPERMAN #46: Superman continues to fight at Mythbrawl, growing more into his role with each bout. After the match, Clark and Haemosu go to an Old God bar to find out info on Apolaki. After talking to some of Apolaki's ex-girlfriends, one of them sends him to see Yurei, where he finds out that Hordr is siphoning energy from people and making clones. Superman has to fight a fully powered sand clone of himself, which leads to Jimmy taking a full heat vision blast. This leads to Hordr_Root daring Superman to hurt him back.
Well, it’s nice to see that Gene Luen Yang has managed to mine Superman’s past and dig up the sand Superman. The first time I saw this was in the classic 9 issue Superman run beginning with issue #233, where he no longer had to fear Kryptonite and had to deal with a sand duplicate that came from the dimension of Quarm Asand. Anyway-a classic story the obviously played a role in Yang’s creating this clone. The story was fun and I especially like Clark getting a little more of an attitude as of late. Also nice is Howard Porter’s art that I like better than John Romita Jr.’s work on this title.
SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #2: After beginning with a lengthy flashback to back when the Whites were first on our Earth and Clark was battling Shockwave in Chicago. In the present day, the government is investigating the crash of the Excalibur and wondering what has happened to Hank Henshaw. Over at school, Jon White gets into trouble and that leads to Lois having to come to pick him up. On the way home, mysterious Men in Black, who may or may not be Intergang, chase them. Superman shows up and helps dispatch the bad guys without Jon noticing. In the end, someone is looking for the Oblivion Stone and that is probably going to bring them to Earth. story, but until I learn more about it, I can't say I really care in that department. My interest lies squarely with Lois, Clark and Jon.
Wow! THIS is truly CLASSIC SUPERMAN! Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks gives us a great story! And I will be honest, I truly had my doubts about this series when it was first announced, just as I had issues when the CONVERGENCE mini-series appeared. But Jurgens style and sense of history helps make these characters and this story work so well. And Weeks may be at the best spot in his career!
SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #23: Superman has put an offer on the table to Parasite, which he accepts, while Wonder Woman doesn’t trust the villain. Meanwhile, Vandal Savage talks with Angelo Bend, who admits he is going to have to his father. Parasite, Superman and Wonder Woman make their way into Bend's lair and end up battling Atomic Skull, Live Wire, and Major Disaster. Parasite saves the day, but Wonder Woman is captured and becomes a battery for our villains.
Can we get a Parasite solo book after he turns out to be the hero here? Peter J. Tomasi’s story is fun and concentrates on action and not the romance issue. That, in itself, makes this book so much better than it used to be. And, as a long time fan of Doug Mahnke’s art, this just makes me smile with every single page.
TEEN TITANS #13: In the Metropolis Armory Ward, our heroes are battling Dr. Psycho, who is receiving almost as much punishment as he is dishing out, thanks to Raven. At the same time, Manchester Black is teaming up with Despero, who actually is Chimera is disguise. This leads to a face turn for Manchester’s team, but they all get taken out by Alpha Centurion.
What? I mean…WHAT!? What was this? As far as I’m concerned, it was a twenty-page waste of my time! Will Pfeifer’s story, which was building so nicely since Scott Lobdell left the book, totally fell flat here. Actually, fell flat is an understatement! It took everything that had been built upon at this point and threw it away to give us…Alpha Centurian? Well, I guess that means Doomed will be next in this book. And having three artists in the form of Ricken, Paolo Pantalena, and Noel Rodriguez just means that a book that was already later was thrown together quickly. A total disappointment.
TELOS #2: Telos goes to Colu and gets arrested so he can hopefully find the rebel leader in prison. A flashback tells his origin story and it is revealed that he was Arak Son of Thunder and how he made a deal with Brainiac to spare his people. Once in prison, he meets with rebel leader Techne, along with Captain K-Rot, Steath and Captain Comet. Techne was created by the Tyrants from Brainiac’s DNA to fight against him. Using Steath's cloaking power, they make their way to the data core and Captain Comet gets information about the Psions. But Computo's forces are arrive and that includes the arrival of…Validus.
So, this issue was better than the last one. But that didn’t have to go far to achieve that. Carlo Pagulayan and Igor Vitorino handle the art and their work is nice and clean. Jeff King writes a good story that ties in bits out of THRESHOLD and the Legion of Super Heroes, besides the obvious CONVERGENCE tie ins. But it still had a bunch of really weird plot holes in the form of unresolved questions. Why is Captain Comet here? How is it that Techne knows Telos? And why do Captain K-Rot sound like Rocket Racoon?
TITANS HUNT #2: Once clean Roy Harper has completely fallen off the wagon and sees a ninja jump onto his truck, leading him to spin out and whip out his bows and arrows. The police arrive and try to arrest him under normal means but have to resort to tasering him. Gnarrk has started to revert to his old caveman self, complete with drawing cave paintings and deciding it was time to go out and hunt. Mal and a very pregnant Bumblebee see a strange shadow in pictures of him accepting his Gold Star award. Meanwhile, Dick Grayson is doing some detective work in the Batcave regarding the Atlanteans and Lilith, who he dreamed about in the last issue; not to mention the box he has with the lungs of an Atlantean in it. Dick heads out to find Garth, which results in the two of them fighting. That’s when a heavily armed Donna Troy shows up.
Well, this ends up being a nice surprise title, as is the SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK. Dan Abnett and Stephan Segovia gives us a title that is full of bits and pieces of the rich history that was the Teen Titans. Let’s do a little roll call here: we have seen Roy Harper (not to be confused with the current Arsenal), Lilith (didn’t she die in GRADUATION DAY?), Garth (didn’t he die in BLACKEST NIGHT), Donna Troy (didn’t she die in GRADUATION DAY?), Mal, Karen, and Gnarrk (wasn’t he supposed to be dead?). We have yet to see the OTHER Dick Grayson, the OTHER Wally West, the OTHER Hank Hall, Don Hall (he died in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, but CRISIS never happened thanks to CONVERGENCE, so…), Tula (she died in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, but…), and Duela Dent (she died in COUNTDOWN). This has been far more fun than I expected, so here’s hoping that this mini-series ties up some loose ends and gives us a REAL Titans title!
WE ARE ROBIN #6: Izzy, Riko and Duke are battling a Talon and are losing quite badly, which causes Izzy to pull out a gun. Not that being an unofficial part of the Batman world and having a gun isn’t bad enough, all of this is happening on television, so everyone can see who these kids are. Luckily, Dre and Dax are watching television and that gets them to act as the cavalry after Duke and Riko distract Izzy long enough to keep her from pulling the trigger. Alfred/Nest arrives with a militarized vehicle that opens fire and takes down Talon with beanbags, giving the team a chance to get into the vehicle. Once they are in a safe place, he turns them loose and insists that they need to start wearing masks.
Here we are: six issues in and I’m still having mixed emotions about this series. In concept, it’s pretty cool. But I’m not totally sold on these characters. Lee Bermejo is a great artist, as seen by his covers on this and his work on SUICIDERS, where he also wrote a killer story. But these characters…I’m just not loving them. This is kind of ready THE OUTSIDERS meets THE WARRIORS as young teens. They’re street kids playing vigilante. No thanks…we have enough of those now running around the DC Universe. Oh…I am also not a huge fan of Jorge Corona’s art. It’s just that I look at these awesome Bermejo covers and get inside and…just not the same!
WONDER WOMAN #46: Since Diana hasn’t been the all-killing God of War she should be, it’s causing issues with the cosmic balance of things and, specifically the causing damage to Eirene: the Goddess of Peace. Zeke arrives in the midst of it all and Eirene takes Diana on a worldwide tour to show how her lack of war is making people weak and keeping them from rising up against their oppressors. This doesn’t totally make sense to Diana and leads to a battle between the two. Zeke ends up using his powers to bring Ares, Apollo, and Donna Troy, who has become Fate, back to life. All ends happily, except for Aegis who is subject to Eirene’s revenge.
I really want Brian Azzarello back on this book! While David Finch’ art looks wonderful, as usual, I haven’t quite figured out what is going on with his wife Meredith’ story telling. Just when things seem like they’re going into a sensible direction, it all falls apart. We get half a book about the horrors or war versus the good things that war does and then it becomes a fight book, with a good portion of the supporting cast showing up in time to change the results of the battle and bring the story to an end. It just seems that this story was way to disjointed from the very beginning.
Monday, November 30, 2015
ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT MARVEL: second month debuts
ALL NEW, ALL DIFFERENT AVENGERS #1: The Avengers are a different team than they once were. Sam Wilson is Captain America and he’s broke, having to rely on Tony Stark’s charity to get along. Avenger’s Tower has been sold and the buyer has manager to bring the alien Warbringer to Earth. Spider Man Miles Morales spies the evil goings on and gets tossed out of the building, onlyh to be saved by Tony Stark. Warbringer unleashes his fury and levels Cap, Iron Man and Spider Man. Oh yeah-Ms. Marvel calls Nova a jerk. In the back-up, Nova and Ms. Marvel fight an alien and he unmasks in front of her. She doesn’t and that causes a rift.
Wow! I never thought I could see myself NOT READING an AVENGERS title. But I already was disappointed with UNCANNY AVENGERS and this is not better. Adam Kubert’s art is not up to his usual high standard as he tries to completely emulate his father’s style with limited success. And Mark Waid, one of my all time favorite writers, delivers a story that just doesn’t do much for me. Most of all, I think it has to do with the team. I don’t LIKE Sam Wilson as Captain America. I don’t LIKE Sam Humphries as Nova. I don’t LIKE this Ms. Marvel. Miles Morales is NOT my Spider Man. So, when you put all these characters together, you end up with a team that leaves me rooting for the bad guys. And the back-up by Waid and Mahmud Asrar, outside of looking real nice, also did nothing for me.This could be the first time in my life that I DON’T collect an AVENGERS title. Nice going, Marvel!
ALL NEW HAWKEYE #1: There are two Hawkeyes on the case, Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, even though they have been falling apart as of late. Twnety years from now, the team comes back together only to have Kate be taken out by the Mandarin.
Truth: I am a HUGE FAN of Jeff Lemire’s work. To that end, I had to read this book. Unfortunately, I found it a bit confusing and felt like I was reading rehashed GREEN ARROW story ideas. Sure, Lemire wrote some killer stuff for that title, but this just feels weak..like his heart isn’t in it. The time jump also didn’t help make this readable. Ramon Perez’ artwork is following the industry idea of the Batgirling of titles and looks like that was the inspiration. I may read issue #2, but right now, I’m not a fan of this.
ALL NEW WOLVERINE #1: Laura Kinney is also known as X-23. With Logan dead and gone, she has taken over for him as the All New Wolverine. In Paris, she stops an assassination attempt and gets shot in the process. While out, she has a visitation with her mentor, who encourages her to keep fighting. She awakens and goes after the shooter, with them tumbling off the Eiffel Tower. Angel saves her mid fall and when they again land, it’s revealed that the shooter is Laura Kinney.
Tom Taylor gives us a really wild, action filled story that is so much better than just about anything he has been writing for DC lately. With David Lopes and David Navarrot handling the art, this book just zips along beautifully. My problem is that I don’t like the character. When X-23 was first introduced, I thought she was a cook character and I liked her origin and where she was going. But now, it just feels like we needed to put someone in the suit. Now I understand that she is the logical successor and the whole idea of there being TWO Laura Kinney’s is intriguing, I just can’t get into the character. By the way: were Laura and Warren an item at some point?
BLACK KNIGHT #1: Dane Whitman is the Black Knight and is the ruler of Weirdworld. Weird things are apparent here in Weirdworld as we see later on when a World War 2 submarine is discovered, complete with mementos still on board. It seems Dane has collected lots of mementos, including a Two Gun Kid Wanted poster and Herbie the Robot. Later, Dane is told that they have visitors: the Uncanny Avengers.
Confused? I am too! See, it’s hard to judge a title when we don’t know how Weirdworld still exists after the end of SECRET WARS. I understand how these mementos are here, coming from the merging of worlds in SECRET WARS. But how does this place still exist and how does the Uncanny Avengers manage to travel here? Frank Tieri’s story feels like a rehash, complete with a Hamlet type conversation midway through the book that attempts to explain it, but falls flat. Luca Pizzari’s art is quirky and unsatisfying here. This won’t be a title I’ll be following, just because it takes a classic character and reduces him to a depressed king.
CARNAGE#1: Cletus Kasady is the crazy, murderous psychotic known as Carnage. He finds out that Manuela Calderon, the sole survivor of Kasady’s first murderous spree, is still alive and it sets him off, killing everyone in the diner he was eating at. At a mine in West Virginia, Colonel John Jameson and former Venom Eddie Brock look to set a trap to capture Carnage in a mine. Unfortunately things go from bad to worse as Kasady gets captured, but the ground below him gives way and he is now loose in an abandoned mine.
Welcome to the world of horror fiction, Marvel! And it’s a killer! No really: this is awesome! Let’s start with Mike Perkins art which is superbly creepy, especially Carnage’ murderous spree in the diner. Did I mention that the series is being written by Marvel legend Gerry Conway? While his recent work on the SPIDER MAN POINT ONE books was very disappointing, this one nails it! By bringing in Calderon, Brock, who ends up screwing things up(what a surprise!) and Jameson, some memorable SPIDER MAN characters come back to life and look poised to be in starring roles as opposed to being also-rans. I really look forward to the next issue!
DEADPOOL #1: Deadpool is in Korea and he ends up in a battle The White Fox. But THIS Deadpool is actually James Bourne, also known as Solo. It seems Deadpool is everywhere and being portrayed by a whole host of characters including Terror, Foolkiller, Madcap, Stingray and more. It seems that Deadpool has started Deadpool’s Heroes For Hire, which really upsets Luke Cage who wants to sue over the name theft. In the end, Wade just wants to know who was responsible for making him kill his parents.
I look at Deadpool like I look at Harley Quinn-they have both jumped the shark. I expected this to be a complete one and done book, but I find that I’m intrigued by it all. Gerry Duggan’s story is just plain fun! Yeah-I LOVE IT! By introducing all these Deadpools, it just becomes a cool ride that I didn’t expect! And Mike Hawthorne’s art fits it beautifully. This isn’t Rob Liefeld and that’s okay! By the way, track down the #SecretComic Variant Cover Edition that will present one page of comic story month in and month out. Sorry…this is just too much fun and cool!
DRAX #1: Drax the Destroyer is still hunting Thanos, so he borrows Rocket Raccoon’s Space Sucker spaceship, crash lands on a planet and runs into Terrax.
Shortest . Review. Ever. C. M. Punk and Cullen Bunn write this tale, and I use the term loosely. Drax is now Deadpool in that he gets credit for being the character I want to read THE LEAST! Scott Hepburn provides the art and it’s fine. There won’t be a second issue for me
EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #1: Storm has a conversation with the ghost of Charles Xavier when she is told that Magick is in New Delhi where she is trying to rescue a new mutant and her family from a mob. She does so, bringing her to X-Haven. Magick then goes to Russia, where she meets with her brother who has given up the superhero life in favor of being a farmer. Nightcrawler is underneath the city, battling bad guys and spouting out Bible verses. Later, Storm goes to Empire State University and tries to convince Jan Grey into coming back with her to X-haven, which Jean turns down. She does say that, despite the fact that there will never be any more new mutants, someone who is not supposed to be here is. Storm and Iceman go to find this person and are surprised to find out it’s a much older Logan.
This is supposed to be the flagship X-Men title in the new Marvel Universe. My first take is that it bounces all over the place, which is what the old UNCANNY title used to do. Yeah, I’m a huge Jeff Lemire fan and this is more of his good work. It’s not GREEN ARROW or SWEET TOOTH, but it is a good superhero story. And Humberto Ramos is turning out some really nice artwork here too. So, if you liked where the old X series took you, you’ll like this. If you feel that too many X books are just too many, then stay clear.
HERCULES #1: Hercules is living in Astoria, New York and has decided to start his own business where he will perform labors. Two boys come to him, looking for help and find that he has Gilgamesh living with him. One of the boys needs Hercules to get rid of the monster that is datig his sister. No really…it’s a monster! Using his strength and wits and a taser, he defeats the creature and then goes off to battle a sea monster. In the end, he goes home and, after putting a collectible card into his collection of artifacts, he and Gil discuss what to do for dinner.
Well, this is certainly a strange take on the legendary god. So, he finds himself on Earth, rooming with the equally legendary Gilgamesh and runs a business where he undertakes labors. Strange, very strange. I love Dan Abnett’s writing, but this just feels forced to me. It’s a wild concept and all, but once the monster came into the picture, the point where it should have gotten really good, it fell really flat. Luke Ross’ art is cool and he does a nice job of making the god look good. Unfortunately, their combined work didn’t leave me wanting more.
HOWARD THE DUCK #1:Three months ago, bad things were happening at the mansion. One month ago, Howard left his office, where may Parker is running things, to meet with Doctor Strange about finding a way to get home. Doc mentions that the Abundant glove may be a way for our fowl feathered friend to get home, In the here and now, Howard and the shape shifting Tara end up at the nexus of All Realities and battle it out with the Wizard and Titania. Just when all sems bad, two creatures, one of which is a duck, come through the portal. In the back-up, we meet GwenPool…really!
Okay…so here’s my advice to Chip Zdarsky: stick to writing JUGHEAD. Aunt May is a secretary for the talking duck? Oh how our hero has fallen! I didn’t read the last series, having read the first issue and cringing! Joe Quinones handles the art and that’s fine. Chris Hastings and Danilo Beyruth are responsible for the back up and I see no reason for it except to introduce the character of GwenPool. This book will be joining the LAST version of this character on my reserve list. All I know is this makes me yearn for the days of Steve Gerber, Frank Brunner and even the HOWARD THE DUCK movie. Yeah-I WENT THERE!
ILLUMINATI #1: Titania visits with her husband, the Absorbing Man, in prison. Later, She Hulk visits with her and arranges to get her a job at a Pawn Shop. She helps break up a robbery, but Luke Cage and Iron Fist show up and blame her for the incident. The Hood arrives and takes her out of the battle and takes her to his house, where he tells her of his plan to break into Asgard and steal the weapons of the gods. He introduces her to the rest of his Illuminati: Thunderball, Mad Thinker, Enchantress and Black Ant. In the end, Hood breaks into the Manhattan Detention Center and kills the crooks her had sent to rob the Pawn Shop. He had set Titania up and this was all part of his plan to bring her into the Illuminati.
This was a title I looked forward to reading and it was a cool story. I liked the fact that we have taken some of the former top tier villains and brought them together as a super team. Joshua Williamson’s story is great, especially with the added twist at the end. What I didn’t like was Shawn Crystal’s artwork. I know adult coloring books are all the rage, big enough that DC is doing a bunch of adult coloring book variant covers. But this book looks like it was colored with colored pencils. Because of that, I couldn’t enjoy the book as much as I would have liked and probably won’t buy a second issue.
THE MIGHTY THOR #1: Jane Foster is Thor and Jane Foster is battling cancer. Although she is going through treatment, every time she changes into Thor, it negates the treatment and her cancer continues to grow. While undergoing treatment and watching the news, she sees Roxx News Space Station fall under siege from the dead bodies of white elves. She transforms again and saves them, turning over the injured to the Avengers. Back in Asgardia, she deals with the hate and prejudice of the citizens and also visits the All-Mother, who has been jailed by Odin. As she prepares to leave Asgardia, the Thunder Guard arrives to arrest her. In the end, it seems the death of the white elves may have something to do with the God of Mischief being bad once again. It seems Loki has turned heel yet again.
I hadn’t planned on liking this book, especially because it’s NOT the classic Don Blake Thor. It’s Jane Foster and she’s dying. So, I went into the read expecting to hate it and came out loving it! Jason Aaron’s story is compelling and a fun read while Russell Dauterman’s art is great! What I liked the least about this was the five dollar cover price, although we did get extra pages and a monstrous fold-out cover, even if it was printed in color and black and white. This is a notable start to a character with a ton of history. You either nail it or you don’t. This one nails it!
MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #1: Lunella LaFayette is a brilliant young girl who is too smart for her school, leading to her being teased by classmates who call her ‘Moon Girl’. Later, she finds the Nightstone, which has made its’ way to our time from The Valley of Flame, many years ago. Moon Boy is fatally wounded and sends Devil Dinosaur through the portal with the Nightstone. In the middle of gym class in the present day, her gym teacher starts to play with the Nightstone and suddenly Devil Dinosaur and a bunch of monkey tribesmen show up. The monkeys take the orb and run off, leading Devil Dinosaur to pick up Ludella in his teeth and give chase.
Who at Marvel thought this would be a good idea for a series? Now, I have to give credit where credit is due. Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare write a fun little tale of a girl who probably should have ended up in the Future Foundation, if that even exists any more. And Natacha Bustos art is nice…if you like the current Batgirling trend. Personally, I would like to have seen Reeder do the art, as her cover is killer! Now, back to the idea of who thought this would be a successful book. Are we still trying to shoot books at a specific demographic and if so, is this meant for a true female minority reader? While only lasting nine issues, I was a fan of Jack Kirby’s DEVIL DINOSAUR. But that was in the Seventies and his various appearances in books like FALLEN ANGELS didn’t live up. I just don’t see this being a success, despite the love the creators have seemingly put into it.
MS. MARVEL #1: Kamala Khan is Ms. Marvel and she is trying to adjust to life after the world almost ended. She also finds out that the guy who has been her best friend and crush since they were young has managed to move on to another girl. Why should this be a surprise to her as it’s been eight months. The she finds out someone has put her face on billboards and it seems like she is being associated with the town’s redevelopment movement. In the end, she gets to ride a giant amphibian and her ex-boyfriend gets to enjoy peace and quiet with his new girlfriend.
Well, I didn’t like the previous version of this title and this one leaves me the same. Actually, that’s not totally true, as I actually like this better than the previous series. Why? Because we’re not being slammed over the head with Kamala’s ethnicity. G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa and Adrian Alphona give us a fun tale about a teen girl trying to adjust. Of course, not knowing WHAT happened for the last eight months doesn’t make telling this tale any easier. I am not a fan of the character but, for those who like her, you’ll like this. Me: my favorite teen heroes are still the classic ones.
NOVA #1: Sam Humphries is a teenager who is also Nova and fights injustice with his dad, who is also a Nova. Dad’s Nova helmet has been giving him problems, but they still manage to save a cat during a house fire. Later, Sam’s dad is at work and discovers a huge underground tunnel. Also, it seems his dad is not the person we all thought he was.
Yeah…no. Sorry, my Nova isn’t Sam Humphries or his father. While it looks like the Mole man may be showing up, based on this huge tunnel, Sean Ryan and Cory Smith did nothing that made me sit up and want to read more. Here’s a clue, Marvel: STOP trying to make EVERY teen character into a Peter Parker clone.
SILK #1: Silk’s story continues from her last series, where she rescued her brother Albert from the Goblin Army gang. So she wants to beat up as many Goblin Army members as possible to find out the location of the Goblin King. She also has a go-round with Mockingbird, showing that she is truly a villain now as she works as a thief for the Black Cat. In actuality, she’s undercover with the Black Cat and is working for S.H.I.E.L.D. In her day job, Cindy Moon works for J. Jonah Jameson at the Fact Channel: Marvel’s version of TMZ.
I didn’t read the last incarnation of SILK as I had no interest. But…when did JJJ end up being Harvey Levin? Robbie Thompson and Stacey Lee are responsible for this and I won’t say the book is a mess, because it actually reads really well and looks okay. I just don’t have an interest in the character and didn’t like her when she made her appearance in AMAZING SPIDER MAN. I especially didn’t like the whole thought that they felt the need to mate when they got close to each other. That was just wrong and creepy! So, I guess if you LIKED SILK before, you’ll like her again.
SPIDER-WOMAN #1: Jessica Drew, a very pregnant Jessica Drew, is about to go off on maternity leave. This will mean her friends Ben Urich and Porcupine will be taking over in her place. Following a party featuring many of the Marvel universe’ finest, Jessica goes off to visit an intergalactic maternity doctor. Unfortunately, the Skrulls are here too!
So someone knocked up Spider Woman and that’s part of the mystery and attraction to this series. I wasn’t a follower of her prior to this relaunch and I don’t find this a title I like. While Dennis Hopeless’ story was a fun one, complete with Tony Stark making the mistake of asking who the father is, and Javier Rodriguez art is quirky but very reminiscent of Jaime Hernandez art, the whole thing just doesn’t appeal to me. My Spider Woman fights bad guys not deals with cravings and cramps.
STAR LORD #1: Peter Quill is a space ship mechanic who desperately wants to be a pilot. His attitude, and the fact that he isn’t respected by the pilots whose ships he works on, leads to a fight between him and one of the pilots, which leads to him being fired. Determined to find the ship that killed his mother 8 years ago, Quill steals a Kree Warbird. His fellow pilots quickly follow him, but he manages to get the ship’s warp drive online and gets away. Unfortunately, the ship shuts down and he finds himself alone and lost in space.
I never bought into the whole GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY hype and have openly stated that this band of heroes is NOT my Guardians. Sam Humphries and Javier Garron give us a story that leaves me scratching my head. So we’re to believe that Quill, the FORMER STAR LORD, is only 18 years old now. What the heck happened during SECRET WARS? Wasn’t he dating Kitty Pryde or someone connected to the X-Men? This is not a title I will continue to pick up just because I don’t care about the character. Nothing personal, Marvel.
THE ULTIMATES #1:A new super team is in town, headquartered in a building known as the Triskelion. Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Blue Marvel are preparing to take on the Devourer while Ms. America and Spectrum find themselves on the planet Moroder-9, facing a giant flying creature that unleashes move flying creatures. The Marvels take on a team on robots called The Punishers before they end up encountering Galactus. He challenges them to try and end his life. They explain they are here not to kill him, but to help him.
If you didn’t know that the Triskelion was the primary headquarters for S.H.I.E.L.D., then you haven’t seen most Marvel movies or certainly, the AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. television show. But here, it has become the base for the new Ultimates, which were the superhero team in the Ultimate Universe. But we all know that the Ultimate Universe went the way of the original Marvel Universe during SECRET WARS. So, we have a team of Marvel Universe heroes that have stolen the name from their other world counterparts. How they end up here is anyone’s guess, as we still haven’t seen the end of the SECRET WARS saga. That having been said, Al Ewing gives us an intrigung story that I expect will become clearer as we go. Kenneth Rocafort is handling the art and he is an acquired taste. Having seen his work on SUPERMAN, RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, SUPERGIRL, and TEEN TITANS, I KNOW WHEN HE’S ON AND WHEN HE’S OFF. On this book, he’s spot on.
THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #1: Squirrel Girl, Tippy Toe, Nancy Whitehead, Chipmunk Hunk and Koi Boi do stuff.
I apologize for this lackluster review. I made a promise that I would buy all the new #1’s and read them all. And I will keep to that. But I CANNOT STAND THIS BOOK. First off: I really don’t like the characters and had a hard time figuring out who was who. It has a complete cartoonish look courtesy of Erica Henderson. I’m okay with cartoonish, but not when proportions go out the window. That only works with Warner Brothers and Tex Avery. Ryan North writes it and I just find the whole affair childish. The coolest part of the book is the continuing running commentary at the bottom of every page. There is some funny stuff there…probably the best stuff in the book. But it’s not enough to save this title for me!
VENOM SPACE KNIGHT #1: Flash Thompson is bonded to the former Venom, which is no longer evil as it was purified on the planet Klyntar. And now Flash has been made an Agent of the Cosmos. Above a distant planet, he finds a robot known as 803 who begs to be put out of his misery in exchange for showing him where the YT-19 is being held. It turns out thew YT-19 is an alien family and that sends Venom off the deep end, attacking the space pirates. The pirates are destroyed, the YT-19 is delivered back safely to their family, and Flash and 803 head off to future adventures.
Well, this was kind of fun. Robbie Thompson, no relation to Flash, writes a action filled issue with some nice bits of humor, best of which is that Flash consistently wants to know what an Agent of the Cosmos is. The real highlight of this book is the beautifully painted art of Ariel Olivetti. From the cover to the last page, it looks amazing. It’s nice to see Flash getting used in a new way and it’s nice to see him not as the huge butthead he always was in the past. Nicely done .
THE VISION #1: Vision has purged the emotions associated with his memories, created a family and moved to the suburbs in Arlington, Virginia. He has a wife named Virginia, and twin children: a son named Vin and a daughter Viv. The neighbors come to visit bearing cookies, which Virginia throws out after they leave because they don’t need to eat food. Over time, they learn the neighborhood and make friends. The kids go off to school and try their best to fit in. Vision gets called away to a mission and Virginia is working with the kids on their homework when a blade comes through Viv’s chest. The Grim Reaper has arrived, causing Virginia to flip out and seemingly kill him. Virginia turns to Vin and asks him not to tell his father.
If you’re reading GRAYSON, and if you’re not WHY NOT, then you already know what kind of writer Tom King is. His work on that DC title makes it consistently one of my favorites. His work on this book is equally as good…and maybe even better! He has crafted a creepy book here, complete with the revelation that one of the members of the family will set the neighbor’s house on fire, killing them. The entire concept here is that they are strangers in a strange land. Where STARFIRE presents the alien as a ditz, this book presents them almost as if they were refugees in a new country. And Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s art is perfect for this book which has this wonderful paranoid feel. This is a wonderful surprise and I highly recommend it.
WEB WARRIORS #1: On Earth-3015, a cartoon universe, the Web Warriors fight a bunch of familiar Spider villains and an equally familiar version of Spider-Man. Back on Earth-001, the team gathers and then heads in different directions. Gwen and may head to Earth-9105 where their lunch is interrupted by a group of villains including a version of Electro. In the battle, Gwen is knocked out and captured by the villains. She wakes up on Earth-1082, where she discovers that spiders aren’t the only things inhabiting the web. In the back-up, we get a tale of the lady spider of Earth-803, who meets with that version of the Black Cat.
I totally cannot get use to the whole idea of multiple Earths with a bunch of versions of Spider Man going about and righting wrongs. I didn’t like the Edge of Spiderverse saga, don’t watch the television show and, with the exception of the first issues, don’t read any of the titles that DON’T feature Peter Parker. This is one of those books. I’m still getting over the fact that our old Marvel Universe is gone and now you want me to deal with multiple Earths in that universe. I would probably have enjoyed Mike Costa’s story and David Baldeon’s art if I actually cared about these characters, although I do like the spot on version of the 1967 Spider Man and his villains in the opening part of the book. At the same time, I really liked Denis Medri’s art on the back up, but didn’t care for the story. And, if you came in late to these characters, don’t worry: there is a two page piece giving you the brief origins and back stories on the seven members of this team. Me…I won’t be reading another issue. It’s not because it is bad: I just don’t care for the characters.
Wow! I never thought I could see myself NOT READING an AVENGERS title. But I already was disappointed with UNCANNY AVENGERS and this is not better. Adam Kubert’s art is not up to his usual high standard as he tries to completely emulate his father’s style with limited success. And Mark Waid, one of my all time favorite writers, delivers a story that just doesn’t do much for me. Most of all, I think it has to do with the team. I don’t LIKE Sam Wilson as Captain America. I don’t LIKE Sam Humphries as Nova. I don’t LIKE this Ms. Marvel. Miles Morales is NOT my Spider Man. So, when you put all these characters together, you end up with a team that leaves me rooting for the bad guys. And the back-up by Waid and Mahmud Asrar, outside of looking real nice, also did nothing for me.This could be the first time in my life that I DON’T collect an AVENGERS title. Nice going, Marvel!
ALL NEW HAWKEYE #1: There are two Hawkeyes on the case, Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, even though they have been falling apart as of late. Twnety years from now, the team comes back together only to have Kate be taken out by the Mandarin.
Truth: I am a HUGE FAN of Jeff Lemire’s work. To that end, I had to read this book. Unfortunately, I found it a bit confusing and felt like I was reading rehashed GREEN ARROW story ideas. Sure, Lemire wrote some killer stuff for that title, but this just feels weak..like his heart isn’t in it. The time jump also didn’t help make this readable. Ramon Perez’ artwork is following the industry idea of the Batgirling of titles and looks like that was the inspiration. I may read issue #2, but right now, I’m not a fan of this.
ALL NEW WOLVERINE #1: Laura Kinney is also known as X-23. With Logan dead and gone, she has taken over for him as the All New Wolverine. In Paris, she stops an assassination attempt and gets shot in the process. While out, she has a visitation with her mentor, who encourages her to keep fighting. She awakens and goes after the shooter, with them tumbling off the Eiffel Tower. Angel saves her mid fall and when they again land, it’s revealed that the shooter is Laura Kinney.
Tom Taylor gives us a really wild, action filled story that is so much better than just about anything he has been writing for DC lately. With David Lopes and David Navarrot handling the art, this book just zips along beautifully. My problem is that I don’t like the character. When X-23 was first introduced, I thought she was a cook character and I liked her origin and where she was going. But now, it just feels like we needed to put someone in the suit. Now I understand that she is the logical successor and the whole idea of there being TWO Laura Kinney’s is intriguing, I just can’t get into the character. By the way: were Laura and Warren an item at some point?
BLACK KNIGHT #1: Dane Whitman is the Black Knight and is the ruler of Weirdworld. Weird things are apparent here in Weirdworld as we see later on when a World War 2 submarine is discovered, complete with mementos still on board. It seems Dane has collected lots of mementos, including a Two Gun Kid Wanted poster and Herbie the Robot. Later, Dane is told that they have visitors: the Uncanny Avengers.
Confused? I am too! See, it’s hard to judge a title when we don’t know how Weirdworld still exists after the end of SECRET WARS. I understand how these mementos are here, coming from the merging of worlds in SECRET WARS. But how does this place still exist and how does the Uncanny Avengers manage to travel here? Frank Tieri’s story feels like a rehash, complete with a Hamlet type conversation midway through the book that attempts to explain it, but falls flat. Luca Pizzari’s art is quirky and unsatisfying here. This won’t be a title I’ll be following, just because it takes a classic character and reduces him to a depressed king.
CARNAGE#1: Cletus Kasady is the crazy, murderous psychotic known as Carnage. He finds out that Manuela Calderon, the sole survivor of Kasady’s first murderous spree, is still alive and it sets him off, killing everyone in the diner he was eating at. At a mine in West Virginia, Colonel John Jameson and former Venom Eddie Brock look to set a trap to capture Carnage in a mine. Unfortunately things go from bad to worse as Kasady gets captured, but the ground below him gives way and he is now loose in an abandoned mine.
Welcome to the world of horror fiction, Marvel! And it’s a killer! No really: this is awesome! Let’s start with Mike Perkins art which is superbly creepy, especially Carnage’ murderous spree in the diner. Did I mention that the series is being written by Marvel legend Gerry Conway? While his recent work on the SPIDER MAN POINT ONE books was very disappointing, this one nails it! By bringing in Calderon, Brock, who ends up screwing things up(what a surprise!) and Jameson, some memorable SPIDER MAN characters come back to life and look poised to be in starring roles as opposed to being also-rans. I really look forward to the next issue!
DEADPOOL #1: Deadpool is in Korea and he ends up in a battle The White Fox. But THIS Deadpool is actually James Bourne, also known as Solo. It seems Deadpool is everywhere and being portrayed by a whole host of characters including Terror, Foolkiller, Madcap, Stingray and more. It seems that Deadpool has started Deadpool’s Heroes For Hire, which really upsets Luke Cage who wants to sue over the name theft. In the end, Wade just wants to know who was responsible for making him kill his parents.
I look at Deadpool like I look at Harley Quinn-they have both jumped the shark. I expected this to be a complete one and done book, but I find that I’m intrigued by it all. Gerry Duggan’s story is just plain fun! Yeah-I LOVE IT! By introducing all these Deadpools, it just becomes a cool ride that I didn’t expect! And Mike Hawthorne’s art fits it beautifully. This isn’t Rob Liefeld and that’s okay! By the way, track down the #SecretComic Variant Cover Edition that will present one page of comic story month in and month out. Sorry…this is just too much fun and cool!
DRAX #1: Drax the Destroyer is still hunting Thanos, so he borrows Rocket Raccoon’s Space Sucker spaceship, crash lands on a planet and runs into Terrax.
Shortest . Review. Ever. C. M. Punk and Cullen Bunn write this tale, and I use the term loosely. Drax is now Deadpool in that he gets credit for being the character I want to read THE LEAST! Scott Hepburn provides the art and it’s fine. There won’t be a second issue for me
EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #1: Storm has a conversation with the ghost of Charles Xavier when she is told that Magick is in New Delhi where she is trying to rescue a new mutant and her family from a mob. She does so, bringing her to X-Haven. Magick then goes to Russia, where she meets with her brother who has given up the superhero life in favor of being a farmer. Nightcrawler is underneath the city, battling bad guys and spouting out Bible verses. Later, Storm goes to Empire State University and tries to convince Jan Grey into coming back with her to X-haven, which Jean turns down. She does say that, despite the fact that there will never be any more new mutants, someone who is not supposed to be here is. Storm and Iceman go to find this person and are surprised to find out it’s a much older Logan.
This is supposed to be the flagship X-Men title in the new Marvel Universe. My first take is that it bounces all over the place, which is what the old UNCANNY title used to do. Yeah, I’m a huge Jeff Lemire fan and this is more of his good work. It’s not GREEN ARROW or SWEET TOOTH, but it is a good superhero story. And Humberto Ramos is turning out some really nice artwork here too. So, if you liked where the old X series took you, you’ll like this. If you feel that too many X books are just too many, then stay clear.
HERCULES #1: Hercules is living in Astoria, New York and has decided to start his own business where he will perform labors. Two boys come to him, looking for help and find that he has Gilgamesh living with him. One of the boys needs Hercules to get rid of the monster that is datig his sister. No really…it’s a monster! Using his strength and wits and a taser, he defeats the creature and then goes off to battle a sea monster. In the end, he goes home and, after putting a collectible card into his collection of artifacts, he and Gil discuss what to do for dinner.
Well, this is certainly a strange take on the legendary god. So, he finds himself on Earth, rooming with the equally legendary Gilgamesh and runs a business where he undertakes labors. Strange, very strange. I love Dan Abnett’s writing, but this just feels forced to me. It’s a wild concept and all, but once the monster came into the picture, the point where it should have gotten really good, it fell really flat. Luke Ross’ art is cool and he does a nice job of making the god look good. Unfortunately, their combined work didn’t leave me wanting more.
HOWARD THE DUCK #1:Three months ago, bad things were happening at the mansion. One month ago, Howard left his office, where may Parker is running things, to meet with Doctor Strange about finding a way to get home. Doc mentions that the Abundant glove may be a way for our fowl feathered friend to get home, In the here and now, Howard and the shape shifting Tara end up at the nexus of All Realities and battle it out with the Wizard and Titania. Just when all sems bad, two creatures, one of which is a duck, come through the portal. In the back-up, we meet GwenPool…really!
Okay…so here’s my advice to Chip Zdarsky: stick to writing JUGHEAD. Aunt May is a secretary for the talking duck? Oh how our hero has fallen! I didn’t read the last series, having read the first issue and cringing! Joe Quinones handles the art and that’s fine. Chris Hastings and Danilo Beyruth are responsible for the back up and I see no reason for it except to introduce the character of GwenPool. This book will be joining the LAST version of this character on my reserve list. All I know is this makes me yearn for the days of Steve Gerber, Frank Brunner and even the HOWARD THE DUCK movie. Yeah-I WENT THERE!
ILLUMINATI #1: Titania visits with her husband, the Absorbing Man, in prison. Later, She Hulk visits with her and arranges to get her a job at a Pawn Shop. She helps break up a robbery, but Luke Cage and Iron Fist show up and blame her for the incident. The Hood arrives and takes her out of the battle and takes her to his house, where he tells her of his plan to break into Asgard and steal the weapons of the gods. He introduces her to the rest of his Illuminati: Thunderball, Mad Thinker, Enchantress and Black Ant. In the end, Hood breaks into the Manhattan Detention Center and kills the crooks her had sent to rob the Pawn Shop. He had set Titania up and this was all part of his plan to bring her into the Illuminati.
This was a title I looked forward to reading and it was a cool story. I liked the fact that we have taken some of the former top tier villains and brought them together as a super team. Joshua Williamson’s story is great, especially with the added twist at the end. What I didn’t like was Shawn Crystal’s artwork. I know adult coloring books are all the rage, big enough that DC is doing a bunch of adult coloring book variant covers. But this book looks like it was colored with colored pencils. Because of that, I couldn’t enjoy the book as much as I would have liked and probably won’t buy a second issue.
THE MIGHTY THOR #1: Jane Foster is Thor and Jane Foster is battling cancer. Although she is going through treatment, every time she changes into Thor, it negates the treatment and her cancer continues to grow. While undergoing treatment and watching the news, she sees Roxx News Space Station fall under siege from the dead bodies of white elves. She transforms again and saves them, turning over the injured to the Avengers. Back in Asgardia, she deals with the hate and prejudice of the citizens and also visits the All-Mother, who has been jailed by Odin. As she prepares to leave Asgardia, the Thunder Guard arrives to arrest her. In the end, it seems the death of the white elves may have something to do with the God of Mischief being bad once again. It seems Loki has turned heel yet again.
I hadn’t planned on liking this book, especially because it’s NOT the classic Don Blake Thor. It’s Jane Foster and she’s dying. So, I went into the read expecting to hate it and came out loving it! Jason Aaron’s story is compelling and a fun read while Russell Dauterman’s art is great! What I liked the least about this was the five dollar cover price, although we did get extra pages and a monstrous fold-out cover, even if it was printed in color and black and white. This is a notable start to a character with a ton of history. You either nail it or you don’t. This one nails it!
MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #1: Lunella LaFayette is a brilliant young girl who is too smart for her school, leading to her being teased by classmates who call her ‘Moon Girl’. Later, she finds the Nightstone, which has made its’ way to our time from The Valley of Flame, many years ago. Moon Boy is fatally wounded and sends Devil Dinosaur through the portal with the Nightstone. In the middle of gym class in the present day, her gym teacher starts to play with the Nightstone and suddenly Devil Dinosaur and a bunch of monkey tribesmen show up. The monkeys take the orb and run off, leading Devil Dinosaur to pick up Ludella in his teeth and give chase.
Who at Marvel thought this would be a good idea for a series? Now, I have to give credit where credit is due. Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare write a fun little tale of a girl who probably should have ended up in the Future Foundation, if that even exists any more. And Natacha Bustos art is nice…if you like the current Batgirling trend. Personally, I would like to have seen Reeder do the art, as her cover is killer! Now, back to the idea of who thought this would be a successful book. Are we still trying to shoot books at a specific demographic and if so, is this meant for a true female minority reader? While only lasting nine issues, I was a fan of Jack Kirby’s DEVIL DINOSAUR. But that was in the Seventies and his various appearances in books like FALLEN ANGELS didn’t live up. I just don’t see this being a success, despite the love the creators have seemingly put into it.
MS. MARVEL #1: Kamala Khan is Ms. Marvel and she is trying to adjust to life after the world almost ended. She also finds out that the guy who has been her best friend and crush since they were young has managed to move on to another girl. Why should this be a surprise to her as it’s been eight months. The she finds out someone has put her face on billboards and it seems like she is being associated with the town’s redevelopment movement. In the end, she gets to ride a giant amphibian and her ex-boyfriend gets to enjoy peace and quiet with his new girlfriend.
Well, I didn’t like the previous version of this title and this one leaves me the same. Actually, that’s not totally true, as I actually like this better than the previous series. Why? Because we’re not being slammed over the head with Kamala’s ethnicity. G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa and Adrian Alphona give us a fun tale about a teen girl trying to adjust. Of course, not knowing WHAT happened for the last eight months doesn’t make telling this tale any easier. I am not a fan of the character but, for those who like her, you’ll like this. Me: my favorite teen heroes are still the classic ones.
NOVA #1: Sam Humphries is a teenager who is also Nova and fights injustice with his dad, who is also a Nova. Dad’s Nova helmet has been giving him problems, but they still manage to save a cat during a house fire. Later, Sam’s dad is at work and discovers a huge underground tunnel. Also, it seems his dad is not the person we all thought he was.
Yeah…no. Sorry, my Nova isn’t Sam Humphries or his father. While it looks like the Mole man may be showing up, based on this huge tunnel, Sean Ryan and Cory Smith did nothing that made me sit up and want to read more. Here’s a clue, Marvel: STOP trying to make EVERY teen character into a Peter Parker clone.
SILK #1: Silk’s story continues from her last series, where she rescued her brother Albert from the Goblin Army gang. So she wants to beat up as many Goblin Army members as possible to find out the location of the Goblin King. She also has a go-round with Mockingbird, showing that she is truly a villain now as she works as a thief for the Black Cat. In actuality, she’s undercover with the Black Cat and is working for S.H.I.E.L.D. In her day job, Cindy Moon works for J. Jonah Jameson at the Fact Channel: Marvel’s version of TMZ.
I didn’t read the last incarnation of SILK as I had no interest. But…when did JJJ end up being Harvey Levin? Robbie Thompson and Stacey Lee are responsible for this and I won’t say the book is a mess, because it actually reads really well and looks okay. I just don’t have an interest in the character and didn’t like her when she made her appearance in AMAZING SPIDER MAN. I especially didn’t like the whole thought that they felt the need to mate when they got close to each other. That was just wrong and creepy! So, I guess if you LIKED SILK before, you’ll like her again.
SPIDER-WOMAN #1: Jessica Drew, a very pregnant Jessica Drew, is about to go off on maternity leave. This will mean her friends Ben Urich and Porcupine will be taking over in her place. Following a party featuring many of the Marvel universe’ finest, Jessica goes off to visit an intergalactic maternity doctor. Unfortunately, the Skrulls are here too!
So someone knocked up Spider Woman and that’s part of the mystery and attraction to this series. I wasn’t a follower of her prior to this relaunch and I don’t find this a title I like. While Dennis Hopeless’ story was a fun one, complete with Tony Stark making the mistake of asking who the father is, and Javier Rodriguez art is quirky but very reminiscent of Jaime Hernandez art, the whole thing just doesn’t appeal to me. My Spider Woman fights bad guys not deals with cravings and cramps.
STAR LORD #1: Peter Quill is a space ship mechanic who desperately wants to be a pilot. His attitude, and the fact that he isn’t respected by the pilots whose ships he works on, leads to a fight between him and one of the pilots, which leads to him being fired. Determined to find the ship that killed his mother 8 years ago, Quill steals a Kree Warbird. His fellow pilots quickly follow him, but he manages to get the ship’s warp drive online and gets away. Unfortunately, the ship shuts down and he finds himself alone and lost in space.
I never bought into the whole GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY hype and have openly stated that this band of heroes is NOT my Guardians. Sam Humphries and Javier Garron give us a story that leaves me scratching my head. So we’re to believe that Quill, the FORMER STAR LORD, is only 18 years old now. What the heck happened during SECRET WARS? Wasn’t he dating Kitty Pryde or someone connected to the X-Men? This is not a title I will continue to pick up just because I don’t care about the character. Nothing personal, Marvel.
THE ULTIMATES #1:A new super team is in town, headquartered in a building known as the Triskelion. Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Blue Marvel are preparing to take on the Devourer while Ms. America and Spectrum find themselves on the planet Moroder-9, facing a giant flying creature that unleashes move flying creatures. The Marvels take on a team on robots called The Punishers before they end up encountering Galactus. He challenges them to try and end his life. They explain they are here not to kill him, but to help him.
If you didn’t know that the Triskelion was the primary headquarters for S.H.I.E.L.D., then you haven’t seen most Marvel movies or certainly, the AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. television show. But here, it has become the base for the new Ultimates, which were the superhero team in the Ultimate Universe. But we all know that the Ultimate Universe went the way of the original Marvel Universe during SECRET WARS. So, we have a team of Marvel Universe heroes that have stolen the name from their other world counterparts. How they end up here is anyone’s guess, as we still haven’t seen the end of the SECRET WARS saga. That having been said, Al Ewing gives us an intrigung story that I expect will become clearer as we go. Kenneth Rocafort is handling the art and he is an acquired taste. Having seen his work on SUPERMAN, RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, SUPERGIRL, and TEEN TITANS, I KNOW WHEN HE’S ON AND WHEN HE’S OFF. On this book, he’s spot on.
THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #1: Squirrel Girl, Tippy Toe, Nancy Whitehead, Chipmunk Hunk and Koi Boi do stuff.
I apologize for this lackluster review. I made a promise that I would buy all the new #1’s and read them all. And I will keep to that. But I CANNOT STAND THIS BOOK. First off: I really don’t like the characters and had a hard time figuring out who was who. It has a complete cartoonish look courtesy of Erica Henderson. I’m okay with cartoonish, but not when proportions go out the window. That only works with Warner Brothers and Tex Avery. Ryan North writes it and I just find the whole affair childish. The coolest part of the book is the continuing running commentary at the bottom of every page. There is some funny stuff there…probably the best stuff in the book. But it’s not enough to save this title for me!
VENOM SPACE KNIGHT #1: Flash Thompson is bonded to the former Venom, which is no longer evil as it was purified on the planet Klyntar. And now Flash has been made an Agent of the Cosmos. Above a distant planet, he finds a robot known as 803 who begs to be put out of his misery in exchange for showing him where the YT-19 is being held. It turns out thew YT-19 is an alien family and that sends Venom off the deep end, attacking the space pirates. The pirates are destroyed, the YT-19 is delivered back safely to their family, and Flash and 803 head off to future adventures.
Well, this was kind of fun. Robbie Thompson, no relation to Flash, writes a action filled issue with some nice bits of humor, best of which is that Flash consistently wants to know what an Agent of the Cosmos is. The real highlight of this book is the beautifully painted art of Ariel Olivetti. From the cover to the last page, it looks amazing. It’s nice to see Flash getting used in a new way and it’s nice to see him not as the huge butthead he always was in the past. Nicely done .
THE VISION #1: Vision has purged the emotions associated with his memories, created a family and moved to the suburbs in Arlington, Virginia. He has a wife named Virginia, and twin children: a son named Vin and a daughter Viv. The neighbors come to visit bearing cookies, which Virginia throws out after they leave because they don’t need to eat food. Over time, they learn the neighborhood and make friends. The kids go off to school and try their best to fit in. Vision gets called away to a mission and Virginia is working with the kids on their homework when a blade comes through Viv’s chest. The Grim Reaper has arrived, causing Virginia to flip out and seemingly kill him. Virginia turns to Vin and asks him not to tell his father.
If you’re reading GRAYSON, and if you’re not WHY NOT, then you already know what kind of writer Tom King is. His work on that DC title makes it consistently one of my favorites. His work on this book is equally as good…and maybe even better! He has crafted a creepy book here, complete with the revelation that one of the members of the family will set the neighbor’s house on fire, killing them. The entire concept here is that they are strangers in a strange land. Where STARFIRE presents the alien as a ditz, this book presents them almost as if they were refugees in a new country. And Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s art is perfect for this book which has this wonderful paranoid feel. This is a wonderful surprise and I highly recommend it.
WEB WARRIORS #1: On Earth-3015, a cartoon universe, the Web Warriors fight a bunch of familiar Spider villains and an equally familiar version of Spider-Man. Back on Earth-001, the team gathers and then heads in different directions. Gwen and may head to Earth-9105 where their lunch is interrupted by a group of villains including a version of Electro. In the battle, Gwen is knocked out and captured by the villains. She wakes up on Earth-1082, where she discovers that spiders aren’t the only things inhabiting the web. In the back-up, we get a tale of the lady spider of Earth-803, who meets with that version of the Black Cat.
I totally cannot get use to the whole idea of multiple Earths with a bunch of versions of Spider Man going about and righting wrongs. I didn’t like the Edge of Spiderverse saga, don’t watch the television show and, with the exception of the first issues, don’t read any of the titles that DON’T feature Peter Parker. This is one of those books. I’m still getting over the fact that our old Marvel Universe is gone and now you want me to deal with multiple Earths in that universe. I would probably have enjoyed Mike Costa’s story and David Baldeon’s art if I actually cared about these characters, although I do like the spot on version of the 1967 Spider Man and his villains in the opening part of the book. At the same time, I really liked Denis Medri’s art on the back up, but didn’t care for the story. And, if you came in late to these characters, don’t worry: there is a two page piece giving you the brief origins and back stories on the seven members of this team. Me…I won’t be reading another issue. It’s not because it is bad: I just don’t care for the characters.
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