DC UNIVERSE Month 58, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #1049 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Mike Perkins and David Lapham. Superman battles Kalibak, Orion and the forces of Apokolips that are trying to kidnap Osul, who possesses the Fire of Olgrun. In the end, the forces of Apokolips retreat, with a warning to Superman. Later, the Man of Steel returns to Warworld, promising to never leave them. Elsewhere, Metallo breaks out after being forced to capitulate to Luthor, who is also looking to force Manchester Black to work with him. In the backup, Tao-La defeats Chaytil, but a surprise visit may lead to his escape and set him against Superman.

BATGIRLS #12 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, and Neil Googe. Steph and Cass battle The Riddler, with some help from Killer Moth, ho Riddler double-crossed. Cass flies Killer Moth out of the apartment while Steph battles Riddler, who reveals that her father may be alive. Meanwhile, Grace is attacked and partially blinded by Mr. Fun. Officer Brooks shows up and the combined force of Brooks, Cass, and Killer Moth take him out. In the end, it looks like the idea to reunite father and daughter may be Mad Hatter’s idea, as he confesses to his therapist before killing him.

BATGIRLS ANNUAL 2022 #1 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad and Robbi Rodriguez. Barbara reveals that she is moving back to the Clock Tower, leaving Cass and Steph with the Loft. Later they mysteriously swap bodies while investigating a murder involving Kyle's neighbor, leading them to discover that the League of Assassins has arrived. Cass ends up meeting with her mother while Steph gets drugged and kidnapped by Hill’s Angels, leading to a meeting with Cluemaster, who is supposed to be dead. Continued in BATGIRLS #13.

BATMAN #129 by Chip Zdarsky, Leonardo Romero and Jorge Jimenez. Batman is taking refuge in Atlantis because Failsafe is still on the hunt and has taken control of Gotham. But it doesn’t take long before Failsafe tracks him down, capturing Aquaman in the process. Failsafe finds Batman gone, as he has gone to the Watchtower for a final battle. Batman reverses the teleporter on the Watchtower, sending Failsafe to a destroyed Hall of Justice. Unfortunately, Batman’s actions have left a huge hole in the Watchtower and now he’s floating in space, to his possible death. In the backup, Batman continues to investigate The Joker’s crime spree. But it turns out that Zur-En-Arrh has taken the case and he is just a little more violent than Batman is.

BATMAN: FORTRESS #7 by Gary Whitta and Darick Robertson. Emiko saves Batman and the team continue through the Fortress of Solitude, doing their best to avoid Superman’s traps, eventually following Krypto into the main chamber, where they are greeted by a holographic version of Jor-El. It is revealed that the House of El was responsible for corrupting a peaceful planet, leading to its’ destruction. President Luthor wants to find Superman and prosecute him as a war criminal. He’s alone in his declaration, but that argument ends when they discover Superman inside of a glass coffin.

BATMAN INCORPORATED #2 by Ed Brisson and John Timms. Ghost-Maker tangles with Skyspider before agreeing to work together. Ghost-Maker confesses that he did kill Ouahbi, but did so in self-defense.  Clownhunter arrives and there is an explosion, seriously injuring Skyspider. Ghost-Maker goes to take Skyspider to a hospital when Clownhunter gets kidnapped…by Phantom-One, who was Ghost-Maker’s sidekick until he killed him. Meanwhile, in Canada, El Gaucho discovers that the person murdered there was working at making chemical weapons.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #9 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. Batman and Boy Thunder take down Ratcatcher, but not without issues caused by the young hero. He continues his training with Superman and the Teen Titans; again, with less than perfect results. He later tells Superman that he was responsible for his parent’s deaths because he messed around with their rocket and broke it in the process. Meanwhile, The Joker teams up with the Key to create a doorway that floods Gotham with millions of gallons of water from the Gotham River, thanks to the Key delivering  Ange Man’s Angler…complete with Angle Man’s severed hand. Superman creates an updraft that sucks the water towards the sky. As cleanup begins, a careless Boy Thunder gets captured by The Joker and falls under the influence of Joker Gas.

BATMAN VS. ROBIN #3 by Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar. Batman and Alfred have gone to Lazarus Island where the Dark Knight is forced to do battle against an army of Robins, armed with magical weapons, that have been corrupted by Devil Nezha. While they battle, each one airs their grievances about how Batman has treated them. Elsewhere, Damian meets with his captive mother, while the powers of the various magic users are being drained and placed into Dr. Fate’s helmet. Nezha has captured Pigsy, from the MONKEY PRINCE series, and Pigsy reveals that Nezha’s son has arrived. Later, Damian meets with Pigsy, who explains that Nezha used to be a hero, but his continued consumption of Lazarus juice turned him. In the end, Batman battles Nightwing and forces Dick to slay Alfred, who is revealed to have been replicated by Nezha using his own soul. Alfred dies a second time, this time in Bruce’ arms.

BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS #21 by Anthony Falcone, Michael Cho, Julio Anta, Dennis Culver, Joey Esposito, Miguel Mondonca, Hayden Sherman and Vasco Georgiev. Batman and Robin team up with Wallace West to try and stop a crime committing race car driver. In the second tale, Renee Montoya relates a tale of her younger days, when she needed to cross the “Thin Blue Line”. In the third tale, new inmates at Arkham Academy look to be getting training from…Killer Croc. In the final story, Batman continues to investigate the murders of several wealthy Gothamites, while dealing with his parents being alive again. They also have to deal with being alive and learning that their son has become something “different”.

BLACK ADAM #6 by Christopher Priest and Eddy Barrows. Set before JUSTICE LEAGUE #75, Batman and Black Adam fight each other n a virtual world,. In the end, Adam is victorious, later calling Bruce Wayne, who is confused about it. Seems that Martian Manhunter was responsible for it and has disqualified him for membership in the Justice League.

BLOOD SYNDICATE: SEASON ONE #6 by Geoffrey Thorne and Chriscross. The individual powered individuals team up to take down Holocaust, with Tech-9 assassinating him in the end to keep him from coming back to bother them again. Icon and Rocket arrive and warn the newly christened ‘Blood Syndicate’ that Paris Island is now their responsibility.

BLUE BEETLE: GRADUATION DAY #1 by Josh Trujillo and Adrian Gutierrez. It’s graduation day for Jaime Reyes, but he gets pulled away during the ceremony to be warned of a future problem. Upon returning home, he gets a visit from Superman, who relates to Batman that Jaime apparently knows nothing of what they are seeking. Later, his folks boot him out of the house, as he has no job or potential future. In the end, he gets attacked by another scarab wearing person..

CATWOMAN #49 by Tini Howard and Nico Leon. Catwoman saves Dario and then battles with members of the Royal Flush Gang, here she discovers that Billy, one of her strays, is working for Punchline. He explains his situation and then gives her intel on the operation at Ace Chemical. She meets with Eiko, who is also now working as Catwoman, and explains what is going on. After spending an intimate night with Valmont, she meets with Batman and asks him to keep clear of Alleytown and let her do what she needs to do.

DARK CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #6 by Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere. The combined heroes face off against Deathstroke, and his team. Pariah uses his power to destroy Firestorm, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold and other heroes. Jon Kent attacks Doomsday and Darkseid while Yara Yar and Jace Fox use Pariah’s machine to destroy him. Elsewhere, Green Arrow inspires the missing heroes and Flash and Hal work together to channel the energy needed to bring the Justice League back to Earth-0. On Earth, Jon Kent battles Doomsday and is saved by his father, as the Justice League has returned. Together, they take down Deathstroke’s team, but he is still fueled by the Darkness and won’t fall easily.

DARK CRISIS: THE DARK ARMY #1 by Mark Waid, Delilah S. Dawson, Dennis Culver and Jack Herbert. Damian and his squad, Power Girl, Sideways, Dr. Light and Red Canary end up on Earth-53, where they find a destroyed Hall of Justice and the heroes were apes. There they battle and defeat Shadow Demons. Then Sideways transport them to the House of Heroes, where they encounter Harbinger and a corrupted Justice League Incarnate. Dr. Light combines herself with all the other being of light from the Multiverse and defeats the Great Darkness perverting the heroes. Doctor Multiverse observes all of Damian’s team, saying that Damian has a “uniquely consistent path” ahead of him and then they all head off into the fight. To be continued in DARK CRISIS: WAR ZONE #1 and DARK CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #7.

DARK CRISIS: WORLDS WITHOUT A JUSTICE LEAGUE-BATMAN #1 by Simon Spurrier, Meghan Fitzmartin, Dan Jurgens and Ryan Sook. In Pariah’s created world, Mr. Wax runs the last city on Earth when the vigilante Night kidnaps him, revealing Wax and he are the same, with each claiming to be the original. Together, they travel to the Madlands, where they encounter the Sneertouched. Entering a dilapidated mansion, they discover Alfred, who reveals that Bruce used technology from Maxie Zeus, Jervis Tetch and Victor Fries to split himself into two individuals: a light and a dark. Wax is brought back to his office and Night continues his battle against evil. In the backup, Zatanna is found by the rest of the Justice League and they prepare to bring her from her dream world back to the fight..

DARK CRISIS: YOUNG JUSTICE #6 by Meghan Fitzmartin and Laura Braga. The team finds themselves back on Earth, facing off with Mickey Mxyptlk. He takes away Robin’s ability to speak, turns Red Tornado human, Cissie to steel, and defeats Impulse’ attempt to defeat him. It takes all of the team to band together to defeat him, tying him up with string theory. In the end, Robin apologizes for his relationship with Cassie, inferring that he may have had more than a desire for a friendship with Connor.

THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN 30^th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1 by Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Tom Grummett, Butch Guice and Jon Bogdanove. In the first story, Jon Kent learns at school about his father’s death at the hands of Doomsday, leading to Lois telling him the story. AT the same time, a construction worker who helped clean up after Doomsday has kept one of the creature’s spikes as a souvenir and it has turned him into Doombreaker. In the second tale, Clark’s parents watch on television as he battles Doomsday, with Ma Kent showing off her collection of news articles about his feats over the years. In the third story, the Guardian relates the story of how Superman died and the government tried to claim his body. In the final story, John Henry saves those affected by the battle between Superman and Doomsday, only to learn that the Man of Steel has died, causing John to rededicate himself.

DEATHSTROKE INC. #15 by Ed Brisson and Dexter Soy. Muzzle has captured Wintergreen and now he is forcing Wintergreen and Slade to get on a plane and go to Walsh. While enroute, Muzzle threatens to throw Wintergreen out of the plane, leading to a battle with Slade, which ends when Wintergreen shoots Muzzle and Slade tosses him out of the plane. Slade meets with Walsh and gets his payment while Walsh tries to convince him to join him, which Slade turns down. Slade goes back home and reconnects with his family before heading out to prove he is the world’s greatest assassin.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1066 by Ram V and Ivan Reis. Batman has been saved from his fight with Ubu and is recovering in Jim Gordon’s apartment. Gordon explains how the Orgham family has arrived in Gotham to thank the folks that stopped the assassination attempt on Prince Azen, with Batman explaining that the attempt as engineered by Talia’s League of Assassins. Their plan is to rebuild parts of Gotham, starting with Arkham Asylum. Meanwhile, Two-Face, infected with Azmer and controlled by Gael, is busy trying to regain  control over the Gotham Underworld. Batman goes to the Sunset Central Power Station, where he comes into contact with Mr. Freeze and also the Wolf of Bezadjehanne. Freeze sets off an ice bomb and flees, freezing Batman in the process. In the backup, Harvey is forced to relive his childhood while he struggles to maintain control.

DETECTIVE COMICS 2022 ANNUAL #1 by Ram V, Christopher Mitten, Rafael Albuquerque and Hayden Sherman. Back in Gothame, in the 18^th Century, Ichabod Kraine sees the devil in a woman he believes is a witch, leading Joe Proctor and others to confront her. But Aldridge Pearce is there to stop them. At the same time, it is revealed that Darcey Hunt, a man with a heavily scarred side to his face, has declared himself the last proper thief and is heading to Gothame. At the same time, the Orgham family, including immortal Gael Orgham, has decided to put money into the town, specifically to upgrade the church. He has also managed to place a piece of the Reality Engine where Arkham Asylum will eventually be built. Later, the Proctor and his men return to the “witch’s” cabin and threaten to burn her home and kill her, but Pearce, in the guise of a “Batman”. In the present, Gael’s plan is about to come to pass.

THE FLASH #788 by Jeremy Adams and Fernando Pasarin. Mayor Wolfe has hired himself a new team to deliver justice-The Rogues. After finding out that he is going to be a father again, he stops what he thinks is Captain Cold robbing a bank, only to find out that Cold is STOPPING a robbery. The rest of the Rogues arrive and try to arrest Wally, forcing him to flee. Later, he goes to visit Heat Wave to find out what is going on and that leads him to being attacked by the Rogues, who take him down and attempt to arrest him. That’s when The Pied Piper arrives to lend a hand.

GCPD: THE BLUE WALL #2 by John Ridley and Stefano Raffaele. Samantha Park has to deal with the shooting, revealing that she wasn’t the hero the police department made her out to be. Danny Ortega is dealing with racism among his fellow officer. Eric Wells continues to work with Devante to keep him on the straight and narrow. But with a pregnant girlfriend, Devante gets involved with a heist. But, before it happens, he rats out the gang, leading to their arrest. That gets him murdered by one of the gang members. It turns out this was part of his plan, as he had taken out a $750,000 insurance policy on himself to care for his girlfriend and unborn child. Elsewhere, Renee’s friends get her a “Therapy Fish” and she learns that the crew that took out Foxtech is connected to Two-Face, leading her to make a decision about the future.

GOTHAM CITY: YEAR ONE #2 by Tom King and Phil Hester. Slam Bradley is being interrogated by the police over the death of his associate. They eventually let him go and he returns home, where the woman who originally delivered the letter shows up, warning him not to interfere in all of this. She delivers another letter, which he takes to the Waynes. Mr. Wayne insists that he goes on the meet with Bradley, where he is set to deliver the ransom. The woman, whose name is Sue, takes the bag and leaps off the roof like a cat. Wayne and Bradley head to the cemetery and Wayne pulls a gun on Bradley, insisting he is part of all this. Bradley knocks Wayne out and considers his next move.

HARLEY QUINN #24 by Stephanie Phillips and Matteo Lolli. Harley is determined to find out her killed her, so she captures and tortures Victor Zsasz with the help of Parry the alien. This leads her to investigate a warehouse, where she is attacked by….The Harley Quinn who Laughs?

THE HUMAN TARGET #9 by Tom King and Greg Smallwood. Ice thinks Chance may be dead, so she tries to get medical attention to slow the poison in his system. Then he takes her for a drive in the desert as he becomes convinced that Batman has figured out that he and Ice covered-up of Guy's death. In the end, in a house made out of Ice, he figures out that Batman has realized that Guy Gardner is still alive.

I AM BATMAN #15 by John Ridley and Karl Mostert. Chubbs accuses Batman of beating Whitaker to death and she tries to convince him to kill himself. Then he snaps out of it and realizes that never happened and he never beat Whitaker. He leaves and runs into Enrique, who also tries to convince Batman to kill himself. It turns out that Enrique is only Sinestro, who promises to show him his fears until he begs to die. After talking with Vol, who informs him of the Dark Crisis event, he again goes after Sinestro, defeating him before going off to join the surviving heroes.

THE JOKER: THE MAN WHO STOPPED LAUGHING #2 by Matthew Rosenberg, Francisco Francavilla, and Carmine Di Giandomenico. Jason Todd investigates the event in the bathroom from last issue, where it seemed The Joker killed a man. Elsewhere, a bunch of thugs menace a man, who kills them, revealing he is The Joker. Later, Mr. Cardiff returns to his apartment to find The Joker there, looking to put his old gang back together, but is told that Penguin, Black Mask and others have taken over Gotham.  While Jason interrogates a bunch of thugs to find out the story, The Joker visits Harley, with less than great results, insisting he is not her Joker. That’s when Red Hood arrives. In Taos, the other Joker is laying low, after making his big, televised announcement. In the backup, The Joker fakes his own death so he can see how the other villains actually think of him.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #1 by Geoff Johns and Mikel Janín. 31 years ago, Thomas and Martha Wayne are killed. 13 years ago, Selina Kyle is out on the prowl. One year from now, Selina is told not to tell anyone, especially not the Arkhams, about the child.18 years from now, Batman was killed by a common criminal and Helena Wayne hunted down Frederick Vaux: a sorcerer who gave the criminal the power. 26 years from now, Helena, now The Huntress, is searching for Dr. Fate, along with her Justice Society of America teammate Solomon Grundy. The current team is made up of Huntress, Grundy, Power Girl, Gentleman Ghost, the Harlequin’s Son, the new Icicle, The Mist, and the daughter of the Russian Red Lantern. The team finds Khalid’s mummified body and are then attacked by a mysterious red haired man who proceeds to kill the entire team and begins to age Huntress. Selina arrives and throws her the snow globe last seen in FLASHPOINT BEYOND. Helena slides backwards through time, ending up in 1940 where she is discovered by Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt.

Here's a whole batch of first issues for ya!

ALIEN #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Julius Ohta. Ah yes…those wonderful Xenomorphs are back for a second run as Marvel makes the most of having this license. Simply put: if you were a fan of the first series, then you’re in for this one. Johnson knows how to build the story and Ohta’s art is beautiful. ‘Nuff said!

ALL-OUT AVENGERS #1 by Derek Landry and Greg and Greg Land. And here we have ANOTHER AVENGERS title, which makes this feel like the X-books! And the lineup? Captain Marvel, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Blade, Spider-Woman, Black Panther and…Spider-Man(?). The good news is that it has the wonderful 1970’s action oriented feel to it and Land’s art is killer. The bad news? It's ANOTHER AVENGERS TITLE! But, to be honest, based on this first issue, it may be my current favorite AVENGERS title.

BATMAN & THE JOKER: THE DEADY DUO #1 by Mark Silvestri. The long awaited Batman Black Label story from Mark Silvestri. The Dark Knight teams up with his greatest enemy to solve a mystery. Great read and it looks amazing! I would not call the story canon, but it sure is worth the read!

BATMAN: KNIGHTWATCH #1 by J. Torres and Erich Owen. If you are expecting this to be another title in the current Batman line, be prepared to be disappointed. This is a weird all-ages Batman title. I say weird because it has that wonderful Batman look to it, but the story and dialogue are definitely not canon. Or is everything now canon because of the Omniverse. Anyway, it’s fun but not something I need to continue on with. But it’s great for younger readers looking to possibly make the jump one day.

BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #1 by Deniz Camp and Jon Davis-Hunt. Oh…how any times have I jumped into the Valiant Universe? Way too many to count. I go back to the original Valiant run, into Acclaim and then into the reboots. But, I always find myself losing interest and rather quickly. But this intrigued me: a more graphic version of Bloodshot, so I gave it a shot. Yeah…definitely a more graphic approach. Camp’s story is intriguing but Davis-Hunt’s art is the highlight here: incredibly detailed and mind blowing. Personally, I like it…but not enough to jump back into the whole universe once more.

BRIAR #1 by Christopher Cantwell and German Garcia. What if the prince never woke Sleeping Beauty and she was forced to sleep for 100 years? That’s the premise behind this tale of Briar Rose far different than we are used to. She wakes in a world drastically changed from what she knew, where weird creatures and evil villains lurk. Fun story with great art by Garcia. Very curious to see how it progresses.

CHERISH #1 by Katana Collins and Gabriel Caitano. Here’s the selling point for this story about a high-tech vigilante looking to avenge her father’s death: character designs were from Mark Silvestri. Yeah…that’s all I got. The dialogue is boring and the art is stagnant. One and done for me with this one

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SALEM #1 by Cullen Bunn and Dan Schoening. Archie Comics releases another one-shot horror themed title, this time featuring Sabrina’s cat Salem. Fun story, nice artwork…but please: give us a regular Archie horror series again! I so miss AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE!

CREEPSHOW #1 by Chris Burnham, Paul Dini, Stephen Langford, and John McCrea. Nothing like a good horror anthology that ties in the best of classic EC with this horror movie and television show. Two stories here in this new mini-series. Burnham’s “Take One” shows what happens when you get too greedy while “Shingo” is a birthday party like no other. By the way, there is a four page black and white piece in the back of the book that confused people as it was short and had no real end. Don’t worry…it’s actually a preview for DARK RIDE.

CRYPT OF SHADOWS #1 by Al Ewing, Rebecca Roanhorse, Chris Condon, Danny Lore, Chris Cooper, Adam Warren, Ramon Bachs, Geoff Shaw, Fran Galan, Karen S. Darboe, and Ibrahim Moustafa. Marvel issues a one-shot special just in time for Halloween, featuring some of their horror based characters. With Stephen Strange’s creeping brother Victor as the host, we travel through tales featuring Blade’s daughter, Werewolf by Night, Morbius, Elsa Bloodstone, and Man Thing. An interesting book for fans of these characters, but the big collector interest is in Blade’s daughter, causing prices to spike rapidly on it.

DARK RIDE #1 by Joshua Williamson and Andrei Bressman. Owen Seasons goes to work at the horror themed amusement park Devil Land. But what he discovers, as the park is trying desperately to stay afloat, is not what he hoped for. This is a super weird and dark horror tale that totally hits all the right buttons. Williamson writes a great story, with a whole bunch of twists and turns in it. And Bressman’s art fits the bill. Part funny, part scary, and part horrific, this ride is a hoot!

DC HORROR PRESENTS: SGT. ROCK VS. THE ARMY OF THE DEAD #1 by Bruce Campbell and Eduardo Risso. It’s World War II and the Nazi’s have figured out how to regenerate the dead and use them in battle. So, it’s up to Frank Rock and Easy Company to fight them. Sure, let’s take the heroes of my childhood and send them off against zombies! Bruce Campbell, yes…THAT Bruce Campbell turns out a killer script that toes the line between silly and gory. And Eduardo Risso, who I have been a fan of going back to 100 BULLETS, details everything perfectly. Probably one of the most fun books I have read in a bit!

DEADPOOL #1 by Alyssa Wong and Martin Coccolo. I’m sorry: I’m a sucker for Deadpool. He’s silly, breaks the Fourth Wall a lot and manages to get cut him, blown up, and dissected on a regular basis. His books are just silly fun. That having been said, Marvel trots out a new Deadpool run. He’s been captured by the Harrower and she is looking to use his body to grow a new version of Carnage. Oh yeah: he’s also in the process of doing a hit job on Doc Ock. Brainless story, which is fine, with  what is becoming the Marvel style of art and page layout. It’s one of those books you’re either into or not.

FANTASTIC FOUR #1 by Ryan North and Iban Coello. Marvel reboots the FF again with a new Number One issue. And it feels like you’re watching a cross between FIGHT CLUB and MEMENTO, in that there is a story regarding something Reed did that left a huge crater in New York and it looks like we’re going to get those details told in reverse. But this issue isn’t about that. It finds Ben and Alicia on the road in a town where time repeats itself and them finding a way to fix it. Fun story that is not your regular FF story and Coello’s art shines. Highly recommended, even if you might be left in the dark from where the last issue of the previous run ended.

FRANK MLLER PRESENTS ASHCAN EDITION by Frank Miller, Dan Didio, Phillip Tan, and Danilo Beyruth. Hey…Frank Miller is doing comics again and this $1.00 sampler is his first shot across the bow.  First up is RONIN BOOK II, which picks up from where the classic title left off. The good news, as Frank’s art has decreased in quality over the years, is that Phillip Tan is drawing it, so it looks amazing. Next is ANCIENT ENEMIES by Didio. Not sure how I feel about this although it reminds me of what he was writing at DC and has an 80’s feel to it. Also included is a preview of Miller and Emma Kubert’s PANDORA, which should look wonderful.

GOLD GOBLIN #1 by Christopher Cantwell and Lan Medina. If you haven’t been paying attention, Norman Osborn has been strips of his sins and memories by the Sin Eater. That means he is trying to be good for a change. That also means he plans on being a hero, thus the Gold Goblin is born. But Norman is troubled by visions, including from a dead Gwen Stacy with a broken neck. The story is fun and to the point and Medina’s artwork is very reminiscent of Mark Bagley’s. Fun stuff seeing the consummate crazy guy as a hero.

HARLEY QUINN: THE ANIMATED SERIES: LEGION OF BATS #1 by Tee Franklin and Shae Beagle. HARLEY QUINN: THE ANIMATED SERIES has finished its’ third HBO season and this title follows directly out of it. Harley teams up with Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing and tries to become a hero…sort of. This isn’t the Harley you know and love. This is the television version and is filled with Fourth Wall breaks, off-color language and all the craziness fans of the show expect. Personally, I love the show and find myself both spontaneously laughing and cringing at it. Obviously, this book is a winner for me.

I HATE FAIRYLAND #1 by Scottie Young and Brett Bean. This was so twisted the last time this title was published that I guess we can expect more of the same. Once again, we follow Gert, who was in Fairyland and causing destruction and mayhem with her antics and foul mouth. Well, Gert has been sent back to Earth and is having a tough time coping. But she may have a job she can actually handle and that may include heading back to the place that drove her crazy. Just a whole lot of silly stuff. Despite the look, this is NOT a kid’s book!

JUNKYARD JOE #1 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. It’s 1972 and a group of soldiers in Vietnam have a tough mission ahead of them. Luckily their newest platoon member turns out to be a mechanical man who they name Joe. Post war, questions remain. Whatever happened to Junkyard Joe? This book is a prequel to the character’s appearance, or reference therein in GEIGER (also highly recommended)

LORD OF THE JUNGLE #1 by Dan Jurgens and Francesco Segala. When it comes to Edgar Rice Burroughs, I was never a huge fan of Tarzan, probably only reading one or two of his stories. I was more about the adventures of John Carter, Carson Napier, and David Innes. However, I did collect the DC run of the early Seventies and part of the Marvel run in the late Seventies. After seeing some of the preliminary artwork for this series, and realizing that Jurgens was writing it, I gave it a shot. And was pleasantly surprised! It fluctuates back and forth between the “present” and the depths of John Clayton’s origin, remaining relatively close to Burroughs work. The art is ridiculously reminiscent of greats like Russ Manning and Burne Hogarth and, for me, that’s a major selling point. I cannot recommend this enough!

MIDNIGHT SUNS #1 by Ethan Sacks and Luigi Zagaria. Just what we do need: a rebirth of the classic supernatural team. But not everyone has supernatural connections. Either way, we have them. Blade, Magik, Spirit Rider, Nico Minoru, Zoe Laveau, Agatha Harkness and…Logan Wolverine(???) join forces to stop the pending apocalypse(and not the X-Men villain). But then Doom shows up(yeah…that guy!) and things get weird. Is it good? Well, it is what it is and ties into STRANGE ACADEMY, so…

MIRACLEMAN #0 by Neil Gaiman, Ryan Stegman, Ty Templeton, Mike Carey, Peach Momoko, Jason Aaron, Mark Buckingham, Paul Davidson, and Leinil Francis Yu. After far too long, MIRACLEMAN is back. In my opinion, one of the greatest superhero stories ever told and now Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham have their hands on it, to finish up what began in Apocryoha. Seven stories that set the stage for MIRACLEMAN: THE SILVER AGE. If you have never read this classic series before, so masterfully turned out by Alan Moore and then Gaiman, here’s your chance.

NIGHT OF THE GHOULS #1 by Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla. Parts of a long-lost horror movie have turned up and one collector wants the truth about it. What made the creator try and destroy it and why? This twisted and totally amazing story may have the answers. Snyder’s story is both fascinating and horrifying and Francavilla’s art totally fits the bill.  

OLD DOG #1 by Declan Shalvey. Jack Lynch was a art of a special ops team and something went wrong while recovering something. Lynch wakes from an eight year coma and finds his team is gone and he was changed by what he encountered. Now a secret government organization is getting him back into the game again, as their new secret weapon. This is an interesting story that shifts back and forth in time and sometimes becomes a bit hard to follow. But it looks great and the plot is intriguing, so I’m definitely in for the ride.

PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL: BROTHER #1 by Torunn Gronbekk and Rafael T. Pimental. The second of the free-standing WAR JOURNAL titles that tie into the current continuity. Frank’s now part of The Hand and his wife has been resurrected. So, the master assassin now wields a sword and this issue takes him into a face-off with his old nemesis Jigsaw. Just so you know, it is not essential to read if you’re reading the regular series, but it does add some color to it. To be followed by PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL: BASE in February.

QUICK STOPS #1 by Kevin Smith and Jeremy Simser. Dark Horse brings us a trip into the View Askewniverse with this issue; the first of four. Fans of CLERKS and other Kevin Smith films will love it, as it has a ton of callbacks to  moments and characters. I was hesitant about it, but gave it a shot based on the artwork, which nails so many characters from Smith’s films. To be honest, Ben Affleck and Jason Lee are so spot on that I could hear their dialogue when I read it. I was pleasantly surprised!

SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH ANNIVERSARY SPECTACULAR #1 by Dan Parent, George Gladir, Dexter Taylor, Frank Doyle, Bob Bolling and Stan Goldberg. It’s another Archie one-shot, filled with classic stories and one new one, which introduces the new character of Amber Nightstone. Typical silly fun for folks who loved this stuff growing up, like me.

SECRET INVASION #1 by Ryan North and Francesco Mobili. Those pesky Skrulls are back and still trying to take over the world. Nick Fury Jr., because is dad is once again alive, investigates a strange death, only to find out that the family he is visiting are Skrulls. Bow he gets the Avengers involved and it looks like one of them is a Skrull.

SIREN’S GATE #1 by Shannon Maer. I have said it elsewhere in this batch of reviews, but I don’t know how to describe this book. I will say that it’s about a ten minute read but is incredibly beautiful. I’m a huge fan of Maer’s artwork and this one is spectacular. We have a recently resurrected girl and a werewolf and some weird stuff going on. But the dialogue is threadbare, so it is a very quick read. That said, it’s beautiful enough to have me come back for more.

SOLDIER STORIES #1 by Megan Ferrell Burke, Brian Anthony, Jalysa Conway, Reverand William J. Bellamy, Dennis O’Neill, Arturo Lauria, John Bivens, Annapaola Martello, and Cecilia Lo Valvo. A wonderful anthology one-shot written by veterans from Vietnam through Afghanistan. Four different stories and an except from the late Dennis O’Neill’s semi-autobiographical novel. It’s a mixed bag, story wise, ranging from modern eras and even a touch into science fiction. It’s a great read. Highlighted by two different covers by legends Bill Tucci and Mark Silvestri.

SPIDER-MAN #1 by Dan Slott and Mark Bagley. If you read any of the EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE issues, you would know that the Spider-Verse is in trouble and there is a big event coming. It is so big that Morlun is back and he’s AIDING Peter. It’s Slott and Bagley, so you know where this is going to go. People either loved or hated Slott’s run on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, so your mileage may vary. Personally, I liked their run and figure I will feel the same about this. Now understand, even though EVERYTHING is in continuity, this kind of runs alongside the regular title. Where exactly? Anyone’s guess.

SWEETIE CANDY VIGILANTE #1 by Suzanne Cafiero and Jeff Zornow. So, Dynamite does it again and brings this tale of the wacked out relative of the legendary Candyman and she is about to make things right in her crappy world by using her candy powers. It bangs from minute one as she goes to New York’s legendary Ice Cream Bunny looking for…the Ice Cram Bunny. What she finds pisses her off and, while a punk rock version of “Sugar Sugar” plays, she wreaks havoc on the baddies there. It’s totally insane, totally gory and just bananas…and bananas is good! And it totally ties in with the band Osaka PopStar.

THUNDERBOLTS #1 by Jim Zub and Sean Izaakse. Following the departure of Wilson Fisk and uke Cage becoming Mayor of New York, the decision is made to create a new super-team, since the last one was Fisk’s own group of super-villains. So, thanks to marketing geniuses, we get a team led by Hawkeye, consisting of America Chavez, Power Man, Gutsen Glory(yeah…that’s what I said!) and the Purple Girl. Hey…I get it: the Thunderbolts have always been a weird team. But I’m also a huge fan of the classic series so, with Clint Barton being his usual bumbling self, this series looks like fun!

TRAVELING TO MARS #1 by Mark Russell and Roberto Meli. Roy Livingston is about to make history by traveling to Mars, courtesy of the Eazy Beef Corporation, with two “super-rovers” named Leopold and Albert. What makes his trip interesting is that he is dying of cancer and this trip will give his surviving family $10 million dollars. Once he gets there and claims the planet for the Corporation, he plans to kill himself. Well…that is the plan. Fun, thought-provoking stuff from Mark Russell.

20^TH CENTURY MEN #1 by Deniz Camp and S. Morian. I don’t know where to start with this one. We have a super-powered President, a cyborg solider, trips from 1948 to the present and an Afghan woman in the middle of it all. It’s about Russia and the United States and the possibility of World War III. It is one crazy, disjointed ride. And not surprising as Camp is the same guy responsible for BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED. At is cool, even reminiscent of Richard Corben in spots. Recommended if you need something really deep to read, because this ain’t no superhero book you’re used to.

TWO GRAVES #1 by Genevieve Valentine, Ming Doyle and Annie Wu. A young woman meets a man and, with the help of a mysterious stranger, kills him. This leads to a strange road trip with someone who may be the personification of death. Not quite sure how I feel about this. Looks great, has an intriguing story, but I’m not sure where it is going. Does that mean I won’t follow the series? Probably not. This first issue was intriguing enough to make me want to go further.

VAMPIRELLA VERSUS RED SONJA #1 by Dan Abnett and Alessandro Ranaldi. Another Dynamite title spinning out of the Dark Powers series, which I was not a fan of. And this one is no better. Abnett’s story is filled with boring conversations and equally boring tropes. Worse yet is the interior artwork, which is square and clunky. However, if you want to see killer artwork, buy it for the multitude of variant covers by Lucio Parrillo, Joe Linsner, Joe Quinones, Jae Lee, Carla Cohen, Eric Hensen, and Jeremy Clark, among others. THOSE ROCK!

VANISH #1 by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman. Once upon a time, there was a word of magic. Then things went terribly wrong. And now, some of those from that world have landed on our world and that’s where things get interesting. Lines are crossed, villains are heroes and vice versa. Cates newest work is amazing and complex. The ideas of right and wrong are questioned and you find yourself not knowing who to side with. Stegman’s art me be some of the best of his career. This one if a winner!

X-TERMINATORS #1 by Leah Williams and Carlos Gomez. I know exactly what you are going to say, because I already said it. “Just what we DON’T NEED…another X book.” Here’s the pitch: Jubilee, Dazzler, and Boom-Boom go out for a night drinking and end up with vampires. Oh yeah…and Wolverine shows up along the way. So…it’s a girl’s night out with vampires. Wait…drunk mutants and vampires. Wait wait: really drunk mutant girls with mouths like truckers and vampires. Stop: really drunk mutant girls with mouths like truckers, vampires and a ton of blood? Okay…I’m in! See a side of these heroes we haven’t seen before. Just silly bloody fun!

DC UNIVERSE Month 57, Part 2

THE JOKER: THE MAN WHO STOPPED LAUGHING #1 by Matthew Rosenberg, Francisco Francavilla, and Carmine Di Giandomenico. Over the last few days, The Joker has reappeared and is killing off his rivals. Currently, two men in Gotham find a body with a sack over its’ head and a bullet hole in the sack. The man gets up and kills the pair. Simultaneously in Los Angeles, The Joker meets with another boss, threatening to take over HIS territory. So The Joker kills him. He goes on television to announce he is taking his crime operation to a bigger audience than just Gotham. The man in the sack sees that broadcast and removes the sack…revealing himself to be…The Joker? In the backup, The Joker goes on a rampage to try to get Power Girl to come to him, as he is crushing on her. In the end, the dejected clown walks the streets. In a restaurant he passes, he does not see Power Girl with…The Joker?

MONKEY PRINCE #7 by Gene Luen Yang and Bernard Chang. Monkey prince is in Atlantis with Shifu, as he continues to search for his missing parents, currently working for Black Manta. Under water, they discover a piece of Monkey King’s staff, which has grown to enormous size. When Marcus tries to control the staff, it speaks back to him. At the same time, Manta arrives and battles Aquaman. Eventually, his ship makes it’s way to the surface, allowing Manta and Marcus’ parents to escape. This leads the Monkey Prince into battle with Aquaman.

MULTIVERSITY: TEEN JUSTICE #5 by Ivan Cohen and Luciano Vecchio. Most of the team is still missing, leaving the rest to try and figure out what to do. Later, they are attacked by the Core. During the battle, Raven returns and then pays the ultimate sacrifice to save the team, getting sucked into a Lantern ring.

NIGHTWING #97 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. Maroni is in custody and learns that Blockbuster is dead and his files are in police hands. He agrees to testify and Renee Montoya shows up to escort him to Gotham to keep him safe. When that transport is attacked, Nightwing and Batgirl show up and agree to transport him, stashing him in one of Batman’s safe houses. The heroes tranquilize Maroni and share a kiss and more. In the end, a cab shows up with someone claiming to be…Ric Grayson? And he insists that Dick get in.

POISON IVY #5 by G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara, and Brian Level. Ivy relives the torture she went through with Woodrue through a series of visions caused by the spores in her body. After having hallucinations involving Batman, she again encounters The Green Man, temporarily defeating him. But he revives and explains that the spores are not designed to kill everyone but induce mind control. And now, he threatens to have her kill herself at his insistence.

PUNCHLINE: THE GOTHAM GAME #1 by Tini Howard, Blake Howard,  and Gleb Melnikov. A young man gets beat up outside of a club until Punchline comes to his rescue. Not totally, as she partially blinds him in the process. Later, she meets with the former King and Queen of the Royal Flush Gang and decides to build a new Royal Flush Gang, with the idea of distributing a nontraceable and totally legal drug. She also has a doctor who uses nanotech technology to change the young man she “rescued” into her Ace. Her plan: acquire a building in Alleytown that is used by Eiko Hasagawa, which will bring her into eventual conflict with Selena Kyle. In the end, it seems Batman is aware of much of this, as he was disguised in the club where Ace stated his night.

SWORD OF AZRAEL #3 by Dan Watters and Nikola Cizmesija. Jean Paul comes out of his visions to find himself in Greece where many children have gone missing. That leads him to a visit with Azrael and he eventually finds the severed body arts of the children. This also leads him into a confrontation with the God Satan.

SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL #16 by Tom Taylor and Cian Tormey. While waiting for his father’s return, Jon deals with an incident at Stryker’s Island, that leads him into a battle with the Ultra-Humanite, who reveals that someone wants Jon dead…possibly Lex Luthor, based on pot points running in ACTION COMICS. In the end, Jon and his father reunite while Red Sin plans on using some stolen technology to tae down Jon Kent.

TIM DRAKE: ROBIN #2 by Meghan Fitzmartin and Riley Rossmo. Tim is accused of stealing a diamond, until he is able to give the detective the right culprit. Meanwhile, there is still a series of murders going on, leading to Tim going to the library to track down the unknown suspect. While there, the head librarian is murdered, leading to him being chased by the police again. He meets with the detective at a soup kitchen and signs a baseball bat for a kid named Gus. Later, a child revealed to be Gus, goes to a safety deposit box and is confronted by Tim, later telling him a man paid him money to get something out of the box. A mysterious man orders in the Robins and, before Tim can get back to the boat, he’s attacked by multiple Robins.

WONDER WOMAN #792 by Michael W. Conrad, Becky Cloonan, Jordie Bellare, Marguerite Sauvage, and Paulina Ganucheau. Diana tries to talk to an animalized Cheetah, who attacks her until she gets tranquilized by a security guard. More security show up and Cheetah attacks. Diana quizzes the security guard about the milk and he commits suicide. She and Cheetah flee with guards in tow, only for them t be taken down by members of the Esquecida tribe. Cheetah declares she wants to heal, even as Diana tells Etta she will send her a sample of the flower. Elsewhere, Hera is informed that Wonder Woman has found the lab and she instructs Phobos and Deimos to handle it. Eventually, it is revealed the FDA is pressuring to get Milk X-Tra recalled. In the end, Cheetah joins the team and Diana reunites with Kal-El. In the backup, young Diana continues to be taken over by her new powers, leading to her attacking both her mother and Antiope.

DC UNIVERSE Month 57, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #1048 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Mike Perkins, and  David Lapham. Luthor meets with Metallo, telling him he is dying but he can get him a new body if he helps Lex. He rebukes him. Meanwhile, Lois takes the Warworld children to a zoo, where they meet Bibbo. While there, a Boom Tube opens, with Desaad, Orion and Kalibak looking for Superman, who arrives soon after. Metron also arrives, angry at Superman and accusing him of taking the Fire of Olgrun. They also explain that because he used the fire to save Osul-Ra’s life, the boy is Olgrun’s heir and they must take him. That leads to a fight between Superman, Orion and Kalibak. In the end, we learn Metallo’s sister did not come to visit him and it seems Luthor may be responsible for that. In the backup, Supergirl tries to help Thao-La with her new powers even as Chaytil comes to Earth to avenge Mongul.

BATGIRLS #11 by  Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad and Neil Googe. The girls, along with Kyle and Maps head to the Gotham City Zoo to investigate the Hill Ripper's latest clue. Steph and Kye end up together on something resembling a date while Cass and Mas go deeper where they encounter Killer Moth. Cass goes into action, revealing her identity to Maps. Later, another clue is unraveled and the girls head to the home of Hattie Elwood, who they find has been dead a long time. But they also find the planning board and see that Grace is the next target. Unfortunately, they find out the person with that planning board is none other than The Riddler.

BATMAN #128 by Chip Zdarsky, Leonardo Romero,  and Jorge Jimenez. Superman and the Justice League take on Failsafe, with Superman being stabbed by a Kryptonite dagger. Robin flies Zur-En-Arrh Batman and the injured Superman out of danger, while the League fights a losing battle. Zur-En-Arrh Batman decides he needs to get away from Failsafe so Tim can take Superman to his Fortress. He ends up in Atlantis, where Aquaman tells him that Gotham has fallen. In the backup, Batman is undergoing his special treatments, which means visiting Zur-En-Arrh. He also has to deal with a series of gruesome murders that may or may not be connected to The Joker.

BATMAN: FORTRESS #6 by Gary Whitta and Darick Robertson. Batman and his team fight an ice guard as they attempt to break into the Fortress of Solitude. The creature wraps up Jackson before it is defeated, meaning the team must carry him to their destination. They find their way in, only to have it blocked by a deep chasm with a Phantom Zone at the bottom of it. As they attempt to cross using an arrow line that Emiko has deployed, with Jackson left on one side, Lex’ sit out of power and D’Ayl’s ring out of power, the line breaks and Batman falls into the Phantom Zone.

BATMAN INCORPORATED #1 by Ed Brisson and John Timms. In Dublin, Back Mist and The Knight investigate the execution of Tommy Tivane. In Buranda, Ghost-Maker and the rest of the team investigate what was once one of Luthor’s labs. Ghost-Maker gets a call from The Knight that sends the team to Dublin to investigate. They soon learn that many people across the globe are being killed; all of whom are Ghost-Maker’s mentors. That leads the team across the globe to seek answers. Ghost-Spider ends up in China, seeking Skyspider, but it looks like she may have found him first.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #8 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. David Sibela, Boy Thunder from an alternate Earth, is getting used to being here and training with the Teen Titans. The Key initiates an attack on Gotham City that causes everyone to have a fear of open and closed spaces, and that leads to David having to try and save a group of trapped coal miners. He cannot do it and has moments where he remembers not being able to act on his home planet. Superman races to the scene and finds that he WAS able to do it. Blue Beetle manages to develop a serum to counteract the effects of The Key’s work, freeing everyone. Batman and Superman investigate The Key’s fortress to find nothing. In the end, The Key meets with the person who had him go on this mission and it turns out to be…The Joker.

BATMAN: THE KNIGHTS #10 by Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico. Bruce battles Anton, defeating him and becoming The Demon’s Heart. Following that, Anton and Harris Zuma leave. Bruce, while meeting with Ra’s, reveals that Anton had told him about Ra’s missiles and Bruce destroys them. Bruce battles Ra’s and, during the fight, Talia stabs Bruce. Anton comes on scene and rescues his friend, taking him out of the burning facility. Later, Anton declares they will never see each other again. Bruce returns home, where he is greeted by Alfred. In the end, Bruce makes his way into the cave, where he thinks about his future.

BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS #20 by Jim Zub, Chris Burnham, Nadia Shammas, Joey Esposito, Max Dunbar, Jahnoy Lindsay, and Vasco Georgiev. In a world of ancients, a different kind of Batman battles the evil that is Arkham. In the second story, Alfred solves the mystery with the help of the followers of Lord Dagon. The third story portrays Bruce and Talia as parents concerned about their injured son. In the final tale, Batman gets involved in a series of murders of some of Gotham’s elite. Upon returning home, he finds his parents in their bedroom…very much alive!

BATMAN VS. ROBIN #2 by Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar. Nezha’s team of magic based villains are collecting magical artifacts, so he can siphon off energy and pace them all into the Helmet of Fate. Damian and  Mother Soul watch as Nezha torture Black Alice. Elsewhere, Felix Faust is tortured by visions of the past until Batman can get him to power down. This leads to Batman and Alfred encountering Abel in the House of Secrets. There, they see a vision of Damian and company battling on Lazarus Island. Later, Cain takes them to the House of Mystery where they are entertained with a play starring Mother Soul and the Lazarus Demon. Next stop for them is with Mildred, Mordred and Cynthia: the hosts from The Witching Hour. This takes them to a vision of Damian unleashing Nezha from his tomb. This takes them to Damian being possessed and he takes on his father and Alfred, forcing them to flee. Mother Soul presents him with his own Batsuit and his own “accessories”: Stephanie, Tim, Dick, and Jason. In the end, Alfred tells Batman he is always by his side, but his shadow seems to suggest he may be Nezha in disguise.

BLACK ADAM  #5 by Christopher Priest and  Rafa Sandoval. Sargon is visited by Nergal, who saddles the sorcerer with the power of the real Sargon of Akkad. In Egypt, Black Adam is attacked and destroys the plane, killing the pilot, which brings Bruce Wayne into things. Adam meets with Wayne, who explains he may be allergic to the Nth metal in his ring. Malik heads to his apartment to save his sister and her baby, but Sargon is already there. In the end, Adam has been taken down by Batman.

CATWOMAN #48 by Tini Howard and Nico Leon. Selina and Valmont head to Tuscany, where they meet with Mia Tomasso in an attempt to get her to intervene to save Dario’s life. That leads to a meeting with Don Lorenzo Tomasso and his wife Victoria, which goes nowhere. Meanwhile, in Gotham, Black Mask takes Dario away from Godard, meaning the game has changed and Selina takes her mission directly to the Don and his wife. To get to Dario, Valmont calls in a favor, but that happens to be Flamingo. They get attacked on the plane, Flamingo destroys the plane’s controls and that means Valmont and Catwoman are forced to bail out…and share a kiss.

DARK CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #5 by Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere. Black Adam battles against the Secret Society, who have been corrupted by The Great Darkness, freeing himself in the process. On Earth Batman, Batman battles Green Lantern Hal and The Flash Barry, who eventually snap him out of his trance and show him his Bat Family. Next stop: Superman’s false world, where he reveals that he is already aware of the changes in the world. Meanwhile, the surviving Titans gather at the Hall of Justice, along with the Titans Academy students and Gar, who now sports an eyepatch. Jon Kent and his team, fresh from 

DARK CRISIS: THE DEADLY GREEN #1, arrive with Pariah’s machine. Deathstroke and the Secret Society launch an attack and the combined might of the Titans face them. While that battle rages, Superman and the Justice League face off against Pariah, but he leaves them and heads to Earth Zero, where we find that the Great Drakness has spread and it appears that all the villains have been corrupted by it.

DARK CRISIS: THE DEADLY GREEN #1 by Ram V, Alex Paknadel, Dan Watters, Daniel Bayliss, Tom Derenick, George Kambadais, and Brent Peeples. Alan Scott and his children meet with some of the remaining heroes, including John Constantine and both Swamp Things. Splitting into teams, they all head off into different realms, with Constantine confronting a number of magic creatures including the Upside Down Man. With an assist from Swamp Thing, Jon Kent manages to make his way through a dreamscape where he is able to grab ahold of Pariah’s machine that once started the First Crisis. While they figure how to manipulate it, Constantine says that they are the corruption within The Darkness.

DARK CRISIS: WORLD WITHOUT A JUSTICE LEAGUE-GREEN ARROW #1 by Stephanie Phillips, Dennis Culver, Clayton Henry, and Nik Virella. In this world, a Robin Hood inspired Green Arrow meets Black Canary, leading to them facing off against a much more violent version of Green Arrow. Thanks to Canary, they defeat him, while Arrow’s bard reveals himself to be…Oliver Queen. In the backup, we see the adventures of Black Canary and Green Arrow on Earth-Back Canary 1 and Earth-Green Arrow 1. In the end, Pariah decides he needs a special prison for these two as love seems to win out.

DARK CRISIS: YOUNG JUSTICE #5 by Meghan Fitzmartin and Laura Braga. Kid Mxyptlk shows up with his version of Cassie alongside. He tells them that he gave them a word, because they had been replaced or removed from the timeline. Cissie, the real Cassie and Red Tornado show up to lend a hand. Fake Cassie is defeated and the team, with help from Impulse and the Speed Force, manage to get back to what should be Happy Harbor. What they discover is that Kid Mxyptlk, has followed them there.

DEATHSTROKE INC. #14 by Ed Brisson and Dexter Soy. Slade is still on the hunt for Campbell, but three of Walsh’ enhanced soldiers are here to stop him. Sade kills Bolster but is killed by Stock. They report to Walsh, but Slade still lives and kills Stock. Then he takes down Muzzle, leading to Slade finally getting to Campbell, who says everything was Walsh’ idea. He executes Campbell and prepares to go after Walsh, until he finds that Muzzle is not dead and now has Wintergreen hostage.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1065 by Ram V, Simon Spurrier, Hayden Sherman, and Rafael Albuquerque.  Prince Arzen and his family have arrived, but so has Ra’s personal guard Ubu, looking to blow everyone up. As her officers insists on calling Batman, Montoya denies their requests. Luckily Batman shows up anyway and battles Ubu. He defeats the guard, but almost drowns until he is saved by Gordon and his new protégé. They take him back to Gordon’s apartment and bandage his face in the dark, to hide his identity. Meanwhile, the family offers Mr. Cummings a ot of money to make him go away and they can take over the Arkham real estate. In the end, Ubu seeks safe passage out of Gotham and deals with Harvey Dent. But Harvey leaves him with a wolflike member of the League, who kills him. In the backup, Harvey is ordered to kill his therapist and that results in a battle with his own evil conscience to do the right thing.

DUO #6 by Greg Pak and Khoi Pham. The Immutables battle the Irredeemables while Tinker gets involved, just concerned with the two groups killing each other. He challenges David/Kelly to go off and save civilians but our heroes make the choice to take down the Irredeemables. Tinker shoots David/Kelly and subdues them, which would allow one of the Irredeemables to kill them. Marius pushes the creature into the portal and orders Tinker to seal it, with him inside. The other Immutables wish David/Kelly luck, he destroys Tinker’s creations, and prepares to fight the good fight for the future.

THE FLASH #787 by Jeremy Adams and Fernando Pasarin. Wally West and his children are watching television when suddenly WAM-Wrestling Across the Multiverse comes on. Immediately, they become fascinated by it, until they realize the battle is happening in THEIR downtown. That leads to The Flash getting in the middle of it and teaming up with Omega Bam Man as they battle for the WAM Tag Team championship. When all is said and done, they become champions.

FLASHPOINT BEYOND #6 by Geoff Johns, Tim Sheridan, Jeremy Adams, Xermanico, Mikel Janin, and Gary Frank. Batman faces off against Rip Hunter for control of the snow globe that contains the Flashpoint Universe. He is responsible for the return of the Flashpoint Universe to find a way to bring his father back to life. Inside the Flashpoint,  Joker/Martha Wayne tries to convince her husband to take a trip in her time machine to save Bruce’s life. They share a kiss, but not the same mission, even though Two-Face holds her own son hostage. Two-Face destroys the time machine and Joker kills Two-Face. As the house collapses in flames, Thomas, Martha, and Dexter leave together. In our universe, the snow globe has now stabilized and Rip and company head back to their time lab. In the end, Martha is kept in her own private cell in the Batcave and Dexter has become Robin. In the Time Lab, the Time Capsules have failed, meaning the team that will become the new Justice Society is being pulled back into the time stream. Those members are: The Golden Age Mister Miracle, Betsy Ross, Moly Pitcher, Ladybug, Salem the Witch Girl, Cherry Bomb, John Henry Jr., The Golden Age Red Lantern, Judy Garrick, The Harlequin’s Son, The Golden Age Aquaman, Quiz Kid, and The Golden Age Legionnaire. In the end, Cleopatra Pak and her pet Bubs need to find a way to find The Watchman.

FUTURE STATE: GOTHAM #18 by Dennis Culver, Justin Greenwood, and Cliff Chiang. In the final showdown, the team faces off against the Joe Chill inhabited Damian and his followers. Dick, declaring himself to be Batman, faces off against Damian, who unleashes Hellfire upon him, which is growing weaker and takes Dick as a host. Dick sacrifices himself to destroy Hellfire Chill, turning the world to color yet again. Jason arrests Hush, leading to a spike in his approval rating while Magistrate’s plummets. In the end, Jace and Jason, along with Mother Panic, become the new protectors of Gotham. In the backup, a young Dick and Batman battle Clayface.

G.C.P.D.: THE BLUE WALL #1 by John Ridley and Stefano Raffaele. The Gotham Police Department has a new graduating class and the story follows three of those rookies: Samantha Park, Danny Ortega and Eric Wells. Ortega ends up posted to Tricorner: the toughest slot in the city. Wells becomes a prole officer, trying his best to keep the recently released out of trouble. Park is out on her first trip when they get notified of a suspect. She follows a youth meeting the description and pulls her gun on him. But she does not fire, as it’s the wrong person She is praised as a hero by Renee Montoya and trotted out as a publicity stunt. She later confesses she did not shoot because she was scared. Later, a similar situation, and again does not pull the trigger. The suspect fires at her and misses…but someone else is shot in the process because of her inaction.

GOTHAM CITY: YEAR ONE #1 by Tom King and Phil Hester. It’s 1961 and a young Helen Wayne has been kidnapped from her parents, Richard and Constance Wayne. This leads Private Investigator Slam Bradley into the mystery. The Waynes believe that their daughter was kidnapped by the Bat-Man, based on a note with his symbol, asking for$100,000. Later, Slam’s partner turns up dead, shot by Slam’s own gun. In the present, an aged Bradley tells Batman that he doesn’t know the entire story.

HARLEY QUINN #23 by Stephanie Phillips and Matteo Lolli. Harley is dead and the Quintessentials are having a funeral for her. But, not really, as she has risen from the dead and the Quintessentials see her as a cult leader. She apologizes to Kevin about their being there and thanks hi for resurrecting her. Damian shows up, looking to kill her because she has been exposed to the Lazarus it. They fight and she wins, leading to them talking it out later. Elsewhere, a masked figure is intent on killing all Harley’s and takes out one of the cultists. In the end, Harley decides that if Gotham wants her so bad, then maybe this “new” Harley should go back to them.

THE HUMAN TARGET #8 by Tom King and Greg Smallwood. Chance and Ice are visited by Rocket Red, who knocks them out and then spends the entire day knocking Chance out in between trying to find out what he did to his friend Guy Gardner. In the end, he apologizes to him, as a message has come in from the Justice League saying Guy is off planet. Ice reveals she was responsible for the fake voice message. Either way, Chance only has four days left to find a way to live.

I AM BATMAN #14 by John Ridley, Christian Duce, and Tom Derenick. Batman solves Anarky’s murder and it turns out ot be Tony, the leader of the activist group Anarky was a part of. Renee is heading back to Gotham, but not before she has a meeting with Hadiyeh, who she apparently has past history with. Meanwhile, Tiff masks up and attacks some muggers, which leads her into a direct confrontation with Chubb, who she knocks out. Later, Batman is shown the masked woman’s picture and realizes who it is. He has a conversation with a seemingly possessed Whitaker, who calls Batman a coward. Incensed, Batman assaults him and may have killed him.

DC UNIVERSE Month 56, Part 2

JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. THE LEGION OF SUER-HEROES #6 by Brian Michael Bendis and Scott Godlewski. Vandal Savage is ruling the Old West and monologuing to a captured Batman. His gang has captured Jonah Hex and he demands he be dropped in the pig trough. When he thinks he has done the impossible, ending the Age of Heroes before it starts, Brainiac 5 reveals that he is here with the combined forces of the Legion and the League. He is held inside the Gold Lantern ring and then is judged by the Eders of Oa. He reveals he is a sourced of the Great Darkness, leading to a battle between himself and Gold Lantern. Lantern wins the fight, the Elders destroy Savage’s ring and banish him. The League is returned to the present day while Gold Lantern is tasked to lead the Gold Lanterns and find them all. And Savage? He is found in the Old West, where Jonah Hex rescues him with the promise of a new life.

MULTIVERSITY: TEEN JUSTICE #4 by Danny Lore, Ivan Cohen and Marco Failla. The team battles against the Green Lanterns and lose, with most of them being taken off the playing field. That means the rest of the team will have to continue the fight without them.

THE NEW CHAMPION OF SHAZAM! #2 by Josie Campbell and Evan "Doc" Shaner. Mary’s foster parents have disappeared, forcing her to quit Vassar  so she can care for Pedro, Eugene, Freddy, and Darla. She ends up enrolling herself into Fawcett Community while also keeping an eye out for her parents and anything Disaster Master may have been involved with. She battles a giant flying lizard and some strange energy creatures, during which the magic bunny gets zapped and loses its’ powers. But she also learns that a lot of people have gone missing and not just her parents.

NIGHTWING #96 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. Nightwing battles Blockbuster while Barbara, Batwoman and the citizens save Haven. After Barbara shows Electrocutioner and Brutale that Blockbuster owns Bludhaven Private Prison, they desert him. In the end, a defeated Blockbuster meets with Heartless, ho removes his heart.

NUBIA: QUEEN OF THE AMAZONS #4 by Stephanie Williams and Alitha Martinez. Nubia returns to Madagascar and battles Zillah for control of Sekhmet's power. In the end, Zillah is slain by Nubia, once her best friend and Sekhmet's power is gone.

POISON IVY #4 by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara. Ivy gets the job working loading boxes on an assembly line. But those boxes, because of Ivy’s condition, are now contaminated as they are being shipped all across the country. She also realizes that George Halloran is a bad boss and kills him. That night, she has a one night stand with one of her female co-workers. During the night, she is attacked by a creature that says the Green Man sent him. She tells the woman that it is best if she forgets about her and she leaves, to hunt the Green Man.

SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL #15 by Tom Taylor and Cian Tormey. Sperman and the Revolutionaries lead a final assault against Henry Bendix and his control of Gamorra. Bendix transform Jay's mother into a monster and sets her against her son. Damian Wayne shows up to hep ruin Bendix plans, especially after Luthor cuts off their deal. He transports to Skywatch and fires his ultimate weapon, which Superman stops. Luthor arrives on Skywatch and opens an airlock, sending Bendix drifting into space. In the end, everyone survives, including Jay’s mother, and Jon and Jay share a very public kiss.

SWORD OF AZRAEL #2 by Dan Watters and Nikola Cizmesija. Azrael battles vengeance but, when Brother Karl is injured, Vengeance leaves, admitting the mission is compromised. Hen he goes back to the chapel, he discovers that Brielle Arnier, who may be the Angel of Death, has killed everyone. Deciding that he will not let the Templars use her as a weapon, he takes her to Greece. While there, vengeance scouts, Jean Paul meditates and confronts his inner demon, and one of the Templars arrives to see that Brielle completes their mission.

TASK FORCE Z #12 by Matthew Rosenberg and Eddy Barrows. Despite the explosion last issue, everyone seems to have survived and it’s the final battle between Mr. Bloom and Jason/Harvey Dent. Jason battles with Gotham, apologizing for killing him.  Gotham realizes he had been manipulated by Bloom and attacks him, with Bloom threatening to explode him, even as Gotham Girl pleads for him no to do it. Jason attacks Bloom and Harvey saves the day, allowing Gotham to capture and dispose of Bloom. In the end, Jason meets Stephanie as he heads to West Texas to look for The Joker. In the Gotham Morgue, Harvey Dent arrives and takes many of the zombies with him, saying he has big plans.

TIM DRAKE: ROBIN #1 by Meghan Fitzmartin and Riley Rossmo. Tim, after what has happened in the yet to be concluded DARK CRISIS: YOUNG JUSTICE, is living on a boat at the Gotham Marina and loving his life with his boyfriend Bernard. He gets a visit from Darcy Thomas, who is surprised to see that he is living on a boat. When he discovers two of his neighbors murdered, Tim and Sparrow investigate, encountering animal constructs as previously seen in the DC PRIDE story. They work together to defeat the creature, but it seems this is just the beginning and does not solve the murders.

WONDER WOMAN #791 by Michael W. Conrad, Becky Cloonan, Jordie Bellaire, Marguerite Sauvage and Paulina Ganucheau. Diana visits the Vale of Hippolyta where she sees a vision of her dead mother. The oracle arrives to tell Diana of her visions, which include strange flowers, large vats of chemicals, and Diana’s death. Diana goes undercover and starts working in the Cale Industries plant in Brazil that is harvesting the flowers. While investigating, she finds a room filled with test animals, including her friend Barbara, A.K.A. Cheetah. In the backup, Antiope and Hippolyta continue to argue until Diana arrives on a strange creature that apparently grants power to those that deserve it. Now Diana has the power.

 

DC UNIVERSE Month 56, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #1047 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Riccardo Federici and David Lapham. Kryl-Ux has betrayed Superman and now leads Warworld. But Superman has brought Warworld to Earth as he tries to figure out how to get the inhabitants back to their real homes. He makes an impassioned speech to the world, asking for leniency for these aliens, even the dangerous ones. Elsewhere, Lex has a new plan to enact and he looks to be wanting to resurrect Metallo. In the backup, Superman returns with Warworld and gets to reunite with Thao-La and others. But things may not go smoothly now, as the Warzoon arrive, looking for Superman.

BATGIRLS #10 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad and Neil Googe. After battling Killer Moth, Cass and Steph attempt to crack the code they found in the fake eye, where they figure that the code is a book cypher that has to do with the word ‘eye’. While the pair go through library books, Steph runs into Kyle Mizoguchi, who gives her his phone number. Later, they deduce that the code references a Poe book and that eye meant flashlight, which leads them to the bat enclosure at Gotham Zoo. While they think it might be clues left by the Riddler, it actually is the doings of Mr. Fun.

BATMAN #127 by Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez. Zur-En-Arrh Batman fights agaiant Failsafe, who he created. The battle is all encompassing and appears to end in his death. Luckily Superman arrives. In the backup, Catwoman visits a small bookstore where she meets with Paul Meredith, who is actually Oswald Cobblepot with a nose job. He explains that he faked his death and is getting a new start. Actually, he has an ulterior motive that will destroy Batman.

BATMAN BEYOND: NEO-YEAR #6 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly and Max Dunbar. The Gotham AI is set to activate its nano-virus to enslave the free will of everyone in Gotham. Gestalt's research has learned that Donovan Lumos's party ship is the activation antenna, so Terry calls in his team to stop him, with Boonma leading the extraction team to get all the civilians off the party ship. Terry defeats Loomis in his newly designed Batsuit. In the end, a new Bat-Team is ready for the future.

BATMAN: FORTRESS #5 by Gary Whitta and Darick Robertson. On Barbados, Jackson Hyde meets a new boy that he immediately crushes on until a gang of thugs show up to torment them, forcing Jackson to use his powers, which scares of his new love interest. Batman and D’Ayl arrive, looking to add Jackson to the team. Later, Batman heads to Star City where he looks to recruit Emiko to the team. While Batman meets with Luthor, Jackson messages him and informs him of what he has found in the deep…and he says it looks like “solitude”.

BATMAN: THE KNIGHT #9 by Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico. Bruce and Anton cross the desert to reach the site f their final training mission: Lazarus, where they meet Ra’s al Ghul for the first time. While there, Bruce is wounded fighting Ra’s, but is healed and develops a romantic encounter with Talia. In the end, Ra’s orders the two friends to fight to the death.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #7 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. A pair of desperate scientists send their young son through Hypertime, where he arrives on Earth and meets Batman, Robin and Superman. Once there, he is taken to the bottled city of Kandor, where they examine his new powers and make him into Superman’s newest sidekick-the Boy Thunder. He goes to visit this world’s version of his parents, which only serves as trauma to them as their son died when he was three years old. Devastated, they take him to be with kids his own age: the Teen Titans.

BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS #19 by Brandon Thomas, Zac Thompson, Joey Esposito, Chris Burnham, Brandon Easton, Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque, Hayden Sherman, Mikel Janin and Will Robson. The Outsiders battle transformed creatures in an effort to find Duke’s mother. In the end, she is transformed back to her old self and reunites with her son. In the second tale, Batman battles a little child, but it turns out to be Wesker and his puppet. Or is it? In the third tale, Batman and Robin fight Two-Face. In the fourth story, Alfred continues his investigation and it leads him to the Head of Dagon. Next up, Batman and Killer Croc team up to fight some people who are killing rare reptiles.

BATMAN VS. ROBIN #1 by Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar. Springing out of the ROBIN series, Bruce Wayne comes back to Wayne Manor to find that Alfred is alive! When they go to the Batcave, he finds Damian Wayne, who is teamed with Jakeem Thunder and Tim Hunter to kill Batman. He defeats the magic users and his son, barely escaping along with Alfred in the Batboat. Damian heads to the Tower of Fate, where he considers using other magical methods, including Eclipso. Batman and Alfred visit Zatanna, who is being hung by Schrodinger’s Noose. She reveals that other magic users have been attacked. In the end, Robin meets with his benefactors: Mother Soul and Devil Nezha.

BLACK ADAM #4 by Christopher Priest and  Rafa Sandoval. Malik discovers that Teth Adam has been discharged, so he attempts to go back to a normal life. But Etrigan shows up, forcing him to use his new powers. Meanwhile, War visits Sargon the Sorcerer.

BLOOD SYNDICATE: SEASON ONE #5 by Geoffrey Thorne and Juan Castro.  Rocket and Icon arrive to stop Holocaust's takeover of Paris Island.  But Holocaust is well prepared and takes the heroes down. Now being declared as Kind Holocaust, it seems no one can stop him. That’s when the super-powered street gang arrives, poised for a final battle.

CATWOMAN  #47 by Tini Howard and Caitlin Yarsky. Valmost and Selina head to Swtizerland to track down Finbar Sullivan’s brother Declan. They find out that the family’s financier Eskander Tadesse is in their chalet, leading them to stake him out, where he reveals that he believes that Abigail and Declan are plotting to kill him, leading to Selina and Valmont saving him. Then they head to Vienna to go through a private vault where the records concerning kidnapped women are located. They find what they need, the bad guys get arrested by Interpol and all seems well with the world…until Selina gets a call from Dario, who has been kidnapped by Noah. That means Valmont and Selina are off to Italy to save his life.

DARK CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #4 by Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere. On New Earth, in Sector John Stewart, Hal Jordan confronts Kyle Rayner when Barry shows up and, after telling him what is going on, transports the pair of them away to the twisted world created for Batman. Inside the Hall of Justice, the gathered team tries to figure out what is happening with the Great Darkness and Pariah while Alan Scott tries to motivate Dick Grayson. Grayson and others accompany Alan to meet with Detective Chimp and Swamp Thing who says he is uncertain if this is the Great Darkness or if something has corrupted it. At the Legion of Doom’s headquarters, Black Adam tries to convince the Legion how they should work together and that is when Deathstroke and his team arrive and battle. But they get corrupted by the Great Darkness as Pariah gives birth to a new Multiverse.

DARK CRISIS: WORLDS WITHOUT A JUSTICE LEAGUE-WONDER WOMAN #1 by Tini Howard,  Dan Watters, Leila Del Duca and Brandon Peterson. In this new world created by Pariah, Diana observes Etta being sworn in a President and then takes her to Themyscira, where she is made an honorary Amazon.  Diana does visit her mother and they argue, with Diana ending up in the Well of Souls, where she finds Dr. Psycho. He reveals how she stopped that he was launching missiles at the Amazons and she stopped it. The Amazons took him prisoner so Gaia could feed off him. The Amazons use one of the missiles to leave this Earth, where Diana decides to stay on Earth to fight for an unappreciative world. In the backup, Martian Manhunter battles Martian Manhunter on a world where everyone is a Martian.

DARK CRISIS: YOUNG JUSTICE #4 by Meghan Fitzmartin and Laura Braga. The team continues to deal with their new world and where they fit in it. In the end, Kid Mxyptlk, their biggest fan, is revealed to be the villain behind their current predicament.

DEATHSTROKE INC. #13 by Ed Brisson and Dexter Soy. Slade wakes on an autopsy table, revealing he is still alive, having been healed after last issue. This leads him on a hunt for his clothes and gear. Securing them from the police, he seeks out Wintergreen and plans to go after his original target along with Isherwood. He calls Addie, who reveals she is pregnant, which upsets him more than pleases him. When he discovers someone else is going after the target, Deathstroke steps up his game, looking to keep that contract for himself.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1064 by Ram V, Simon Spurrier, Dani and Rafael Albuquerque. In the past, Talia tells a young Damian the tale of Farhad and his battle with Azmer.In the present, Batman seeks out the members of Maroni’s crew he saw on the docks and finds Talia  and the League instead. The docks blow up and Batman is seemingly lost, even as Prince Arzen arrives. But Batman rises from the ashes, prepared for what is next. In the backup, Jim Gordon is saved from a zombified Detective by the young boy, who is poised to become his assistant in helping the lad in discovering his own identity.

DUO #5 by Greg Pak and Khoi Pham. Kelly has taken control of David’s body and now, with an army backing them, has decided to play Messiah, going about healing people with Nanobot technology. Tinker teams with the Immutables to stop him, including an attack that seemingly kills Maya. Tinker then betrays the Immutables and things go from bad to worse.

THE FLASH #786 by Jeremy Adams and Amancay Nahuelpan. The surviving heroes have banded together and are joined by Wally and the returning speedsters. The teams go out to take out the various members, along with Animal Girl, of Deathstroke’s crew. In the end, Nightwing calls everyone back to the Hall of Justice.

FLASHPOINT BEYOND #5 by Geoff Johns, Tim Sheridan, Jeremy Adams, Xermanico and Mikel Janin. Two days after the end of DARK CRISIS, Mr. Terrific appears on a talk show where he explains the workings of the Great Darkness, Hypertime, and the Omniverse and how they coexist. Meanwhile, Bruce visits Ra’s visits, where he observes his father’s ashes and a dossier on the Time Masters, provided to him by Justice League Incarnate. In the Flashpoint world, Thomas confronts his wife, saving the Dents. She explains that ‘the man in the golden mask” told her everything before she killed him. She also says the Joker in our world as a man named Jack Oswald White. She beats him down and then reveals her plan, which includes a time bubble that she built that contains Hypertime. In the end, Rip Hunter arrives on Earth-) with plans to stop Bruce.

FUTURE STATE : GOTHAM #17 by Dennis Culver, Geoffo, Giannis Milonogiannis and Adam Hughes. All of the various Batmen converge to battle Hush and Damian. Batman Dick Grayson exclaims he is Batman now and leaves, with the rest of the Bat Family going off to confront Hush and Damian. But Hush now controls the Court of Owls. During the battle, it is revealed that Damian is possessed…by Joe Chill. In the backup, Batman watches over a badly injured Selina, only to later find out that she faked her injuries so she could pull off a robbery.

HARLEY QUINN #22 by Stephanie Phillips, Matteo Lolli and David Baldeón. With Harley dead, Kevin heads North looking for the League of Assassins and a Lazarus Pit to resurrect her. She is eventually put in the bit and reborn, only a little more twisted and a little angrier than before.

HARLEY QUINN 30^TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1 by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Rafael Scavone, Stjepan Sejic, Stephanie Phillips, Kami Garcia, Paul Dini, Sam Humphries, Rob Williams, Cecil Castellucci, Mindy Lee, Chad Hardin, Rafael Albuquerque, Stjepan Sejic, Riley Rossmo, Mico Suayan, Jason Badower, Guillem March, Erica Henderson, John Timms, Dan Hipp, Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson. In the first tale, Harley intercepts a group of burglars and that sends her to Wayne Manor to team up with Alfred. In the second tale, Harley teams up with Fifteen Minutes Man for a Suicide Squad mission that ends with Waller blowing up Harley’s partner. In the third tale, Catwoman has a heart-to-heart with Harley, to get to her unresolved feelings for Joker, leading to her going out and attempting to prove her wrong. In the fourth story, Harley and Kevin break into a nature preserve to retrieve her captured hyenas, leading to a tussle with a group of poachers. In the next tale, which acts as a prequel to the CRIMINAL SANITY series, Harleen Quinzel works with the GCPD to track down the Joker, who killed her roommate Edie. In the sixth tale, Harley throws a housewarming party for Ivy, Selina and herself, resulting in too many guests, and some that probably shouldn’t be there. In ‘A Legend is Born’, Harley is a barmaid dressed as a jester who goes out in the world to obtain her first sword. Next up, is the last Harley Quinn story, where Waller has activated her brain bomb and she reminisces about her career before dying. In ‘Troop Harley Quinn’, Harley starts a Girl Scout troop. Lastly, ‘Harley’s World ’brings us a series of vignettes showcasing her career.

THE HUMAN TARGET #7 by Tom King and Greg Smallwood. Chance spends time with Fire, as she tests him. He ends up with Fire and Ice, where Fire confesses that she got the money from J’Onzz, using it to buy the water from Booster Gold, but insists she did not poison anyone. Bt she reveals that Guy did ask for the water.

I AM BATMAN #13 by John Ridley, Christian Duce, Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira. Batman and The Question continue their investigation into whether Detective Keenan is the man responsible for killing Anarky. Later, Keenan has a eeting with Batman, where he has snipers prepared to take him out, but The Question has dispatched them. He confesses he didn’t kill Chan, who was a police informant. Elsewhere, Tiff Fox continues to try and find a way to help a new friend Kayln who may be falling back into trouble with her old gang. Thinking vigilantism is the only way, she dons a mask and prepares to fight injustice.

DC UNIVERSE Month 55, Part 2

MULTIVERSITY: TEEN JUSTICE #3 by Ivan Cohen, Danny Lore and Luciano Vecchio. The team continues to get to the bottom of the mystery and find the missing Troy. But Troy has been captured by the Green Lantern Core, who are going to use him as bait.

NAOMI: SEASON TWO #6 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Walker. Naomi continues to battle against the villains from her home planet. Even though she is losing, she hears the voice of Akira, who implores her to use her vast powers to fight back. She defeats the villains just as the Justice League arrives. In the end, she makes the decision to leave her family and friends and join Akira on her home planet and try to make that world better.

THE NEW CHAMPION OF SHAZAM! #1 by Josie Campbell and Evan "Doc" Shaner. Mary Bromfield moves into Vassar College, adopting the name Marina. She discovers that her roommate’s per rabbit, Hoppy, has been enchanted by Billy Batson and tells her she has been chosen to be the new champion of Shazam!. Later, she is forced to use her powers to fight Disaster Master  When she returns to campus, the police inform her that her foster parents have gone missing.

NIGHTWING #95 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. Nightwing saves his sister but not before he gets into a confrontation with Blackbuster. Elsewhere, former Commissioner is being interrogated by the police when he is executed by them. Later, Nightwing arrives with Batwoman, which does not sit well with her former lover Maggie Sawyer. The remainder of the Bat Family and some of the Teen Titans arrive to help stop the four crimes that Blockbuster and Maroni have planned. They accomplish those goals but Nightwing ends up at Haven, which has been blown up by Blockbuster. Blockbuster defeats Nightwing, who loses his mask and the villain realizes that Nightwing is really just Dick Grayson.

NUBIA: QUEEN OF THE AMAZONS #3 by Stephanie Williams and Alitha Martinez. Nubs finds that the person she is fighting against is Zillah, who she knew in her previous life. The pair battle as Zillah explains how Azariah killed Nubia’s parents. Later, Nubia meets with the other Amazons as she reveals that she needs to get where Zillah is heading and Hawkgirl offers her assistance.

OLYMPUS: REBRTH #1 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad and Caitlin Yarsky. Hippolyta has made her way to Olympus, where she is expected to be welcome to her place as one of the gods. But she finds that may not be the case, as each f them have their own ideas about her being here. She decides something is wrong in Olympus and also sees a vision of her daughter being killed. This leads her to make her way to the Graveyard of the Gods, where she meets with the Keeper of the Grounds, who presents her with a choice: free Chaos, Antiope or Atalanta. She convinces him to either go to Olympus with her or free all three. He agrees t free all, but Antiope and Atalanta decide to stay and stand guard at Doom’s Door. Later, she kills Hera, only to find out it was an illusion from Hecate. But that is enough to make her question her motives as a God.

POISON IVY #3 by G. Wilow Wilson and Marcio Takara. Ivy continues her journey, spending most of her time building a beautiful garden at the motel she is staying at. After she fights a creature of the Green, which turns out to be just yard waste, she leaves, attempting to take a job in a new town where she is told the interviewer is “a monster”.

ROBIN  #17 by Joshua Williamson and Roger Cruz Damian and company land back on Lazarus Island to find that Lord Death Man has escaped. He is with Mother Soul and presents her with The Demon’s Heart.  She repays him by giving him some of her magic powers, leading to him battling Damian and his team. Damian defeats him by ripping out his heart, stopping him until the next time he resurrects. After a day at the beach, Flatline leaves him…for now. So does Connor, who is going to go find his father. In the end, Robin is ready to deal with Devil Nezha. Continued in BATMAN VS. ROBIN #1.

SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL #14 by Tom Taylor and Cian Tormey. Lois is broadcasting for The Truth, where she reveals Bendix’ entire plot of kidnapping people for his own ends. Elsewhere, The Revolutionaries have joined up with Jon and Jay to take down Bendix. Jon outfits Jay in a suit from the future and gives him a Legion Flight ring, as Jay is going to make his way inside the shielded nation of Gamorra. Jay makes his way inside and convinces the workers there to lower the shield, giving the heroes a chance to get inside. Jay calls for help, as he discovers that Prisoner One is his mother, ho has been transformed into a horrific creature.

SUPERMAN: WARWORLD APOCALYPSE #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Brandon Peterson, Will Conrad, Max Raynor and Miguel Mendonca. Superman, now possessing the power of the Fire of Olgrum, faces off against the Mongul Who Is. But Kryl-Ux has seemingly betrayed the cause and teamed up with Mongul, who has captured Otho and Osul. Mongul stabs Osul, apparently mortally wounding him, which angers Superman into battle. Superman uses the Fire of Olgrum to save Osul, meaning he has lost the power advantage. At the Star-Forge of Engine City One, Orphan and Mother are reunited and Leonath makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the planet. Meanwhile, the rest of the team fights against their former allies in an attempt to save Apollo. The Justice League arrives, thanks to an illusion from Manchester Black, and that snaps Apollo back to reality. It also frees Mack, who admits he was only siding with Mongul to save Lia. Thanks to Leonath’s sacrifice, Superman has his powers back again and, with the help of Kryl-Ux, slays Mongul. Lia heads to Nat’s reactor, but Mack goes after her and they enter the reactor together, sacrificing himself as the Back Racer looks on. In the end, things go back to a semblance of normal. But, weeks later, Kryl-Ux makes his presence felt, promising to one day make the United Planets beg for mercy. Clark returns home and reunites with Lois.

THE SWAMP THING #16 by Ram V and Mike Perkins. The final face-off between The Pale Wanderer, Swamp Thing and Trinity leads to Swamp Thing battling The Pale Wanderer and defeating him, turning him back into the Green. Trinity converts the mechanical green into a beautiful city and Levi goes back to a somewhat normal life. In the end, he meets with Woodrue, who tells him that he will one day realize that he is truly a monster.

SWORD OF AZRAEL #1 by Dan Watters and Nikola Cizmesija On Ioudas Island, Jean Paul Valley is trying to live his life away from Azrael when he sees a woman being abused by a sailor. He takes matters into his own hands and gets eaten in the process. The woman takes refuge on the island, while Valley deals with his efforts to divide himself from Azrael. The woman claims people are trying to kill her because she has been hearing the voice of God and she is looking for Valley. Later, Vengeance arrives, looking for the woman, claiming that she is not looking to kill her, but bring her to civilization so she can rebuild the Knights of the Templar. The woman reveals herself as the Angel Sariel and she is here to kill all sinners.

SWORD OF AZRAEL: DARK KNIGHT OF THE SOUL #1 by Dan Watters and Nikola Cizmesija. Azrael seeks out a doctor who is synthesizing the Lazarus Pits and experimenting with resurrecting the recent dead. That brings him into direct conflict with a woman who is also looking to kill those responsible.

TALES FROM THE HUMAN TARGET #1 by Tom King, Tafael Albuqerque, Kevin Maguire, Mikel Janin and Greg Smallwood. Fire, Guy Gardner and Booster Gold all relate their tales of trying to solve a series of murders. In the end, it seems that all of the victims/potential victims are all being played by Christopher Chance and their involvement has hampered his investigation.

TASK FORCE Z #11 by Matthew Rosenberg and Eddy Barrows. A few months ago, Harvey Dent was trying to convince Jason that he needed to be the leader  Yesterday, Jason is fighting with Dent over being misled to thinking he was working with Bane when it was actually a resurrected Gotham. Now, Gotham Girl breaks into Powers International to find her brother while Jason does the same, encountering his former partners in the process. Meanwhile, Geraldine finds out that Bloom has been doing illegal experiments and leaves. Harvey and his hastily assembled team enter the tunnels and encounter a  Bloom in a powered-up suit. Most of the team is killed or incapacitated and both Dent and Jason are captured. In the end, Mr. Marsh, dressed as Red Hood, pushes a button he should not have and everything explodes.

WONDER GIRL 2022 ANNUAL #1 by Joëlle Jones, Douglas Marques, Emi Lenox, Adriana Melo, Sweeney Boo and Ben Dewey. Yara Flor attends a festival and  bumps into her old flame, João, who is there with his new flame. That is when she realizes she has stumbled upon a plot to destroy Akahim and the new flame is a monster named Cuca. She battles the creature in the real world while her sisters do the same in Akahim. Yara wins the fight and reunites from Joao.

WONDER WOMAN #790 by Michael W, Conrad, Becky Cloonan, Jordaire Bellaire, Emanuela Lupacchino, Jose Luis, Eduardo Pansica and Paulina Gancheau. Etta has been captured by Professor Calculus, but breaks free and destroys his machine just as Diana arrives, demanding to know where Cizko is. Etta heads to Dr. Poison’s and frees Steve and Siggy, while Diana confronts Cizko. During the battle, Sweetheart sacrifices herself and is killed, but Cizko is captured. In the end, mysterious forces are still at work at the milk plant while Diana prepares for her next mission…as Diana Prince. In the backup, Antiope continues to influence Diana, forcing Hippolyta to make the decision to leave.