DC's NEW 52 SECOND WAVE: DIAL H #1

Before I begin this review, let be just say that I have always been a huge fan of the original DIAL H FOR H.E.R.O. comic. It was a fun ride for me during an innocent time in my life. It was a series that didn’t ask you to put a lot into it…you read and enjoyed and that was that.

For the uninitiated, the original series debuted in HOUSE OF MYSTERY back in 1966, running for 17 issues. Robby Reed possessed the dial, living in his small town with Gramps and their housekeeper Miss Millie. Robbie finds the dial in an old cave and each time he dials it, he turns into a new superhero. When he reverse dials it, he reverts back to his original self. With a hearty "Sockamagee!", he battled bad guys until the series ended its’ run in 1967. In the Eighties, the series was resurrected with new teens inheriting the dial. Despite carmine Infantino’s art, the series never did anything for me. However the 2003 series H.E.R.O. introduced a whole host of characters possessing the H-Dial and brought  Robby reed back into the picture.

DC has revised the concept as part of their Second Wave of the NEW 52 and simply calls it DIAL H. The series is illustrated by Mateus Santolouco and written by award-winning English fantasy fiction author China Tom Miéville. If you think this is going to be the DIAL H I grew up with, you and I are sadly mistaken.

The story begins by introducing us to Nelson Jent and his roommate Darren Hirsch. Neither one of these guys are pictures of health, especially Nelson who, at the almost age of 30, has already had a heart attack, is definitely overweight and a two at a time cigarette chain smoker. Darren goes out and gets beat up. Nelson heads out after him to apologize for his ignorant behavior and encounters the attack. He steps into a nearby phone booth(yes…it’s a rotary telephone) and tries to dial the police.

What he gets is transformed into BOY CHIMNEY who proceeds to enact vengeance like an urban version of Michael Fleisher’s version of the Spectre. It is a heady, trippy, nasty sequence. Just when it looks like he will kill the assailants, Nelson’s psyche breaks through and convinces his alter ego to cease and desist. He deposits Darren with some paramedics and then disappears, transmuting back to his original self.

We learn that the assault is all part of some kind of retaliation put in place by someone named X.N. One of his lackeys begins to put a plan in place while Nelson tries to figure what he did inside the magic phone booth to create the creature and in the process creates CAPTAIN LACHRYMOSE who reaches deep down inside X.N.’s man and pulls sadness from within. But he also encounters an elderly woman who may or may not be real but most certainly has no sadness within her. X.N. sends word out to another one of his team to kill Darren Hirsch.

Nelson, in the final two pages of the story, finally figures out what he dialed…he dialed HERO.

Well, this certainly is a major departure from past DIAL H series. Nelson is an every man for this millennium: a overweight chain smoker who couldn’t be a hero in the sense of a superhero no matter how he could try. But Robby Reed was a spectacle wearing teenager: not truly an every man but also not the prototype superhero. That was the concept of DIAL H-taking atypical heroes and giving them power even if they didn’t always have great responsibility. To that end, Mieville does a great if not quirky job of bringing that home. He is known for writing “weird fiction” and this one delivers. But it would be nothing if it weren’t for the killer detail presented by Mateus Santolouco. The visual is dreary and dirty, especially once Boy Chimney arrives and takes over the urban landscape. Just a beautiful looking book.

This is a superhero book that comes at you from out of left field and never lets go. This is not your average men in tights book and if that is where you are at, you will be greatly disappointed.

BTW: Pandora, the mysterious hooded woman, is here. After our hero turns into Boy Chimney, she is seen as part of a roof.

KICK ASS 2-a review

In the early part of 2008, writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita Jr. introduced the world to Dave Lizewski: a normal teenager who becomes a real life superhero named KICK-ASS. And it completely took everyone by surprise. The pre-publication stunts helped: stunts like the viral Kick-Ass video that was the hit of YouTube and the Dave Lizewski MySpace page. Not long after the series ended in 2010, it became a feature film. Now Millar and Romita have delivered one of the most anticipated sequels in recent memory.

Issue one begins a few months after the first series ended. Hit-Girl, that crazy 10 year old with a taste for death and destruction,  is training Dave to be a better hero while trying to hide this from her stepfather, who happens to be a police detective and knows of her alter-ego. Kick-Ass meets up with another hero called Doctor Gravity who runs with a group called Justice Forever. The team is led by two ex-mafia members who now go by the name of  Colonel Stars and Lieutenant Stripes. Kick-Ass also learns that Battle Guy is actually his school friend Marty Eisenberg. Marty reveals that Red Mist, fresh from being the chief baddie from the first series,  has been using Twitter to recruit an army of supervillains.

Justice Forever goes out an attacks a group of gangsters having a card game. In actuality, the gangsters have been bringing girls from Korea to America and selling them into prostitution. One of the gangsters gets his groin chomped on by Colonel Stars' attack dog. After this event, the organization continues to grow and Dave and Marty invite Todd and Hit Girl, who turns them down. When he gets home, Dave discovers that his dad has found his costume and  it all goes bad from there. Meanwhile, Colonel Stars is attacked and mortally wounded while his dog is killed. Red Mist arrives with his gang, The Toxic Mega-****. They destroy the hideout and then Red Mist declares he wants to do "something funny".
 
Twenty four hours later, the police find the dead Colonel Stars with the dog’s head on his body. Written on the wall is "Red Mist is dead, long live the Mother******".  With their clubhouse destroyed, Justice Forever moves to the back of the Triple Crown diner. The former Red Mist and his gang approach the home of Katie Deauxma, a girl Dave has the hots for, and proceed to massacre any and all bystanders, including a group of children playing. They enter the house, kill Katie's father, and rape Katie. The police respond but are massacred by Mist’s bodyguard, Mother Russia.

Following the death of nearly 30 of their own, not to mention the scores of injured police, the cops decide to arrest all superheroes and super villains on the streets. Dave’s father confesses to being Kick-Ass to save his son.

Red Mist and his gang receive a phone call from Detective Gigante: a crooked cop who has been feeding them information.  He severs all ties with the group, saying they have gone too far. Thus the plan is concocted to destroy New York City. And, while he is at it, he arranges for Dave’s dad to be killed while in prison. The bad guys show up at the funeral, blowing up the casket and kidnapping Dave. But it’s Hit-Girl to the rescue and she gets the info she wants before killing the driver. Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass head to the villain’s lair. One of the team is responsible for raping Katie, so Kick-Ass drops him in a shark tank. Not satisfied, she shoots out the tank and proceeds to torture the guy.

Hit-Girl’s godfather is informed that this could be the biggest loss of life since 9/11. Red Mist and his gang proceed to blow up many buildings to draw the police away from the area and then proceeds to tell his followers they have ten minutes to cause mayhem and kill. Our heroes show up and find they are outnumbered 100 to 2. That’s when the reinforcements arrive and all out war begins.
 
Kick-Ass battles Red Mist, Hit-Girl battles Mother Russia and all the others rumble like a gore filled version of WEST SIDE STORY. Hit-Girl is badly beaten but gets a chance to retaliate and decapitates Mother Russia. Kick-Ass and Red Mist battle on a rooftop until the villain is tossed off to the ground below. Dave calls for help to save the dying villain as Hit-Girl uses smoke bombs to allow her friend to get away. The police arrest everybody, good or bad and Hit-Girl steals a police car to make her escape. She fails and is arrested, as is her stepfather, The crowd protests her arrest as Kick-Ass and his friends sneak away. On the final page, Hit-Girl turns to the crowd and says, "It's been an honor to serve."
 
On the bottom of the final page it says "End of Book Three." There is a Hit-Girl book coming in May that falls between KICK-ASS and KICK-ASS 2.
 
The book debuted in October of 2010 and it finished its’ seventh issue in March of 2012. Seventeen months from beginning to end. Was it worth the wait?
 
You bet it was! Mark Millar is out of his mind, like many of the New Wave of British/Scottish/Irish comic writers before him like Jamie Delano, Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison. The first series was a foul mouthed, gory take on the world of superheroes without super powers. It was a brilliant take on the concept of  just how crazy do you have to be to run around in a wetsuit and your underwear to battle bad guys. It was a magnificent take on the concept and made readers laugh at how silly the whole genre was. Now we have the sequel and it is so far over the top it’s hard to describe. Villain teams so disgusting I can’t use their names here, and actions so vile that they defy logic. Think about this: dogs chewing genitals; eleven year old girls swearing up a storm while decapitating genetic freaks from Russia; costume teens murdering everyone they see and gang raping other teen girls. And of course, the decapitating of a former mobster and attaching his dog’s head to that body.
 
So over the top it’s  appealing…appealing like a car crash during a auto race. Millar, cuss words and all, has a brilliant flair for the dramatic and writes some pretty explosive dialogue. And John Romita Jr. has taken this script and run with it in his definitive and impressive style. Every page drips blood or sweat and every bullet flies precisely.
 
And, if this wasn’t enough, there is a preview of Millar’s next work: THE SECRET SERVICE. It teams Millar and legendary WATCHMEN artist Dave Gibbons on what looks to be a wild and violent ride. hell-the kill off Mark Hamill himself in the first 8 pages!

Find the back issues or wait for the trade paperback to arrive. This book is so hardcore it would be nearly impossible to adapt into a movie, unless it was HEAVILY censored!

TRANSMETROPOLITAN-A review

Recently, mostly because I stumbled over the title while looking for copies of THE TWELVE to review, I reread the entire five year run of TRANSMETROPOLITAN. For those who don’t know or do not remember, TRANSMETROPOLITAN was a wonderfully witty comic series by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson that ran from 1997 until 2003. Published by DC, it originally ran under their Sci-Fi Helix imprint but, at the end of the first year when DC cancelled the Helix line, it rolled into a Vertigo title. The series, which ran for 60 issues, was later reprinted in the form of ten trade paperback volumes

The series begins sometime in the 23rd century where we meet retired writer and currently bearded hermit Spider Jerusalem (think attitude like Hunter S. Thompson but currently looking like Alan Moore). Five years ago, he retired, left The City and moved to the mountain life. But his publisher calls looking for the two books he owes them, causing him to pack up and move back to The City. The City is the nightmare wew were all afraid of: sex, drugs, rock and roll and looking like something out of a Sigue Sigue Sputnik video. Spider contacts his former editor at THE WORD, Mitchell Royce, and gets his old job back as a columnist. His first assignment involves Fred Christ and the Transient movement. Christ is a former rock band manager and the Transients are a group of people who change their bodies based on alien DNA. Spider exposes the faked police riots and gets himself beat for his troubles. We also get to meet his “filthy assistants”: Channon Yarrow(his first assigned assistant who actually ends up leaving him for a time and becomes a nun in Fred Christ’s church) and Yelena Rossini(allegedly Royce’s niece, although he learn otherwise before series end). and (known collectively as the 'filthy assistants'), along with a host of supporting characters who run throughout the series.

The second year of the book and beyond concentrated on the election presidency of Gary “The Smiler” Callahan. We learn of dirty tricks on the way to the Oval Office, a genetically cloned Vice President, the murder of Callahan’s campaign manager(and friend of Spider’s) Vita Severn and eventually  the electing of ‘The Smiler” to the highest poffice in the land. It becomes Spider’s goal to take Callahan, who defines abuse of power, down. Callahan manages to get THE WORD’s Board of Directors to fire Spider. He also arranges for the City to be left defenseless during a "ruinstorm". During this, Spider collapse and is diagnosed as having an incurable neurological disease because of exposure to Information Pollen. He is told he has about a year until total dementia kicks in and he ramps up his decision to take down ‘The Smiler’.

I won’t totally spoil the last year of the tale for you but will say that Callahan and his filthy assistants spend those twelve issues trying to bring down the Callahan Administration. Suffice it to say, it reaches a well thought out, logical conclusion that is totally believable and satisfying. The book comes to an awesome end and our heroes ride off into the sunset…so to speak. In my mind, this series is required reading for any comic fan or anyone wanting to write comics. It looks great, reads like a wild Orwellian infused fever dream and is still so relevant today.

DC's NEW 52: issue#7, Part 2

NIGHTWING #7: The final battle between Raymond and Nightwing, amidst a flaming circus. It seems that Mr. Haly was tied in to the whole The Court of Owls thing and the Haly family used the circus to deliver Talons when needed(that explains Dick’s name in the secret book he discovered). When Dick’s parents were murdered and Dick left the circus, Haly had to find a new Talon and thus Raymond got the call whether he wanted it or not.  Maya ends up saving the day by opening the barred doors and allowing the captives to escape. Raymond prevents Dick from saving hi and apparently perishes in the flaming abyss. Back at the Batcave, Robin discovers the Talon floating around as of late is actually his Great Grandfather. This revelation will lead directly into Dick’s involvement in the Court of Owls mega-crossover.

What an awesome and totally unexpected conclusion to this initial story arc. So Dick Grayson was supposed to be a Talon? Wow! I definitely did not see that coming. This title has done so much to keep me interested and that is totally because of the trio of Kyle Higgins, Eddy Barrows and Geraldo Borges. Not that there hasn’t been uneven issues. But the fact that we’ve taken the Boy Wonder from being the defender of  Bludhaven to the Man who got to wear the cowl to end up as Nightwing once more. Higgins has managed to redefine Dick Grayson and, for the most part, is succeeding. Now it’s on to the Court of Owls.

O.M.A.C #7: The issue begins with a major battle between O.M.A.C. and Superman which ends with Brother Eye changing his ultimate weapon back to save him. Kevin ends up in a zoo with a group of talking animals. They end up going to The Evil factory where we meet the warden, who is actually Simyan: a talking monkey. After issuing “Attack Command D”, Tuffy the tiger’s father arrives, mutated and ready to fight. O.M.A.C. eventually joins the fray but it’s Tuffy who is responsible for killing his father. Simyan escapes and O.M.A.C.  arranges for the Evil Factory to be destroyed. So Tuffy, now known as Prince Tuftan, leaves to seek his brother, Prince Talken.

As a big fan of classic Jack Kirby DC titles, this issue made me smile from ear to ear and made me realize that I am still completely pissed off at the canceling of this title. For those who don’t get it, the 1972 Kirby tale KAMANDI THE LAST BOY ON EARTH ties in to ancient O.M.A.C. history in a big way. Kamandi is the last survivor of the "Command D" bunker near what was once New York City. He was raised by his grandfather, who may or may not have been the ORIGINAL O.M.A.C. When he eventually left the bunker he met animals that had gained speech because of a drug Cortexin. Among those animals was Great Caesar, leader of the Tiger Empire, and his son, Tuftan.

Dan Didio and Keith Giffen so pay tribute to the Kirby legacy that it is scary. I can only hope that Jack is smoking a cigar in the afterlife and smiling. I don’t know how much of a proper resolution we can get in one final issue but all I could ask for is that we get Ben Boxer, Steve, Renzi, and Dr. Canus. PLEASE!

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #7:  The issue begins with Red Hood delivering Crux to his new permanent home(like all super villains, he’ll get free some day). The trio end up flying off in Crux’ spaceship and Red Hood gets a visit from Essence, who no one else sees. Eventually, she does appear and we get the secret history of The Untitled. And that’s when we learn that Essence is Ducra’s daughter. Red Hood dispatches her to somewhere unknown and a very upset Suzie Su lies in a hospital bed and plots revenge.

Nice to see an issue that kind of goes back to the regular story. Overall, it’s an okay issue. I was excited to get the back story on Essence and the Untitled but it could have used a bit more action. I’m dying to see what happens when Suzie Su gets out of bed. But I guess we’ll have to wait until next issue to see what Lobdell and Rocafort have in store.

RED LANTERN #7:  Bleez takes matters into her own hands and leads an attack on the denizens in Sector 666. Meanwhile, Rankorr struggles to maintain some of his humanity while battling with Guy Gardner. And Atrocitus continues to search for Krona but ends up in a battle with Abysmus that apparently kills him.

No more long-winded spiels from me. Just buy the damned book already!

RESURRECTION MAN #7: Mitch Shelley finds himself in the middle of a police attack on a Meth Lab run by a guy named Mr. Untouchable. Shelley jumps into the find and finds that the bad guy is untouchable because he’s wearing a suit similar to one Shelley remembers wearing. Of course his momentary lapse of concentration costs him his life and he has to resurrect again. New life, new powers and he saves a burning building. Now he needs to find a way to totally recall his past life, for better or worse.

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are such my heroes. They have always been behind this character from his humble origins and now they tempt us with what may soon be his humble origins. Not to mention we have a cameo from Jimmy Olsen which just helps to tie him into the continuity of the NEW 52. Great book and I can’t wait to see where the next issue takes us.

STORMWATCH #7: Aliens come to Earth to mine our gravity and start in the former Soviet Union. Apollo ends up in a bad way at Chernobyl and Jack Hawksmoor visits the city-spirit, who appears in the form of a terminal cancer patient(and he’s taken care of by the spirits of Hiroshima and Nagasaki-VERY HEAVY!!!). And, above all of this, Jenny still wants a puppy.

With the departure of Paul Cornell, Paul Jenkins takes over for the next two issues until Pete Milligan gets on board. With him is Ignacio Calero. It’s a fun issue that does a nice job of adding a bit more color to the characters. My favorite line is when Midnighter tells Apollo to be careful (as he is going down the the surface). His response: "If I wanted to be careful, I would've worked on a bookstore."

SUICIDE SQUAD #7:  While the Suicide Squad does their best to capture her, we get the true NEW 52 origin of Harley Quinn. Harleen Quinzel develops a crush on the Joker and is reprimanded by her boss, who is also stealing her notes for a new book she is writing. She breaks Joker out and he repays her by dumping her into the chemical vat that made him, thus making her. The team is having their problems, especially when Lime threatens to spill the beans and Waller blows her head off with the Nano Bomb in her head. Deadshot gets captured by Harley and she puts the skinned face of her boy Mr. J. on him and they talk…and they kiss…and he shoots her, apparently dead!

And the wild ride that began last issue continues on. Holy Smokes, Batman. The origin story gets updated, Lime loses her head and she swaps spit with Joker’s face attached to Deadshot’s head! Adam Glass and Clayton Henry push the envelope big time on this issue.

SUPERBOY #7: Superboy continues his battle with Rose Wilson and also with Centerhall, who again takes a beating. But it’s Rose who gets the upper hand and stabs him straight through with her sword. He lives and Templar feels he may hold the secret to a cure. Meanwhile, Rose has a run in with Wonder Girl who is pissed at Superboy for a certain teen Titans beatdown. And Caitlin Fairchild wakes up in a safe house and is pissed at Superboy for rescuing her. Things are going to get messy!

Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco continue to gear up towards THE CULLING, which will lead to THE RAVAGERS series. It’s a great reading book and R.B. Silva and Rob Lean do bang up work on the art. One of my favorite titles that I was pretty certain would suck. Thanks for making this one a winner!

SUPERGIRL #7:  Kara battles the world killers…and eventually wins.

YAWN! What a horribly boring issue this was! Okay, I get the whole baptism of fire thing, but enough! Lifeless work all around by Michael Green,  Mike Johnson, and Mahmud Asrar. 

SUPERMAN#7:  Clark is having a bad enough day, with getting yelled at by Perry, having Jimmy want to temporarily move in and having Lois convince him to pick up her sister Lucy at the monorail station. To make matters worse, he ends up in the Himalayas and gets whipped about by Helspont (if you don’t know Helspont, then you obviously haven’t read WILDC.A.T.S., but also fought TEAM ONE, GEN13 or even BACKLASH!). And how pissed is Lois going to be since Clark isn’t around to pick up Lucy?

And thus it begins: the introduction of the Wildstorm villains into the Man of Steel’s life. Not that this hasn’t been brewing since the horn incident back in issue #5. Nice work overall from Dan Jurgens and Keith Giffen, especially the name of the monorail station(I won’t tell you…and you’d have to be old school DC Comics reader to get the joke). Personally, I was most excited by the introduction of Lucy Lane. Can Lori Lemaris be far behind?

SWAMP THING #7: Alec Holland dies again and, after a lengthy discussion with the Parliament of Trees, voluntarily becomes Swamp Thing again.

Another amazing issue by Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette. Seven issues into the series and we FINALLY get the moment we have waited for: the return of Alec Holland as THE SWAMP THING. And it was definitely worth the wait. Just go buy the book. It so does a wonderful job of tapping into the title’s glory days!

TEEN TITANS #7:  Continuing from plots dropped in SUPERBOY #7, the Teen Titans bust into N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to rescue Superboy. Wonder Girl beats the you know what out of Templar and they all meet The Harvest.

Another wild ride from Scott Lobdell and Brett Booth, although a bit wordy. I dunno: maybe less dialogue in fight scenes and more room for Brett Booth’s amazing artwork. Overall, it truly does rank right up there with the legendary Wolfman/Perez run.

WONDER WOMAN #7:  Zola has been taken and the team, as it were, seeks help from Eros, who appear to be as much a fighter as he is a legendary lover. Eros takes them to Mount Etna, where we meet Hephaestus who sees about crafting a weapon for Diana. Hell sends a creature that she defeats and we learn that Hephaestus’ servants are the male children of Zeus (that explains why there are no men on Paradise Island!). There is some history as the sirens seek seminal male vessels (what an AMAZING LINE that I wish I had written!). She decides to release her brothers. but they owe their lives and allegiance to Hephaestus and they decide to stay. Tomorrow, they go to Hell.

For those people crying foul at Brian Azzarello for shaking up the mythology, all I can say is I’m sorry you feel that way and I wish you would reconsider. This book is amazing and gets better with each issue. And the quirky art stylings of the always amazing Cliff Chiang just adds fuel to this amazing fire. on the art side. BUY THIS BOOK!

 

DC's NEW 52: issue #7, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #7:  Metropolis is trapped in a bottle and it’s up to Superman to get them out. He battles Brainiac, who has gone by many different names including Internet who gives him the chance to either save Metropolis or Kandor. In the back-up story, John  Henry Irons has to fill in for the missing hero.

And now we get back to our regularly scheduled story and right off the bat, get some of the dumbest dialogue since issue #1.Superman claims he has “zoom vision” and spouts garbage like “guns are for sissies”. SERIOUSLY! I almost peed my pants with that line and it’s in the second panel of the book! And Mr.Glenmorgan having a meltdown with a totally imagined barkeep is equally dumb. Okay, so we’re looking for a way to move him out of the story and such but this? And the back-up? A complete waste of space and a good reason to tack another buck onto the book. MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT ISSUE!

ALL STAR WESTERN #7: Arkham and Jonah Hex head to New Orleans to track down child labor violator Thurstin Moody. But things start off with a bang when a bomb goes off and Hex gets injured saving people. We get to meet Nighthawk and Cinnamon in their non costumed identities. We also get to meet Z. C.Branke in an early version of armed pit combat. With Branke, she makes sure it is to the death. The tale ends with Hex winning his first ,match and preparing to “dance” with the murderess. In the back-up tale, he get Nighthawks’ origin tale sandwiched in the center of a Nighthawk and Cinnamon cliffhanger.

Yet again, I am forced to bitch out DC for giving me a 20 page main story with a back-up tale for $3.99. But I can’t completely bitch here as the main story is fun and the back-up, written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey and illustrated by Patrick Scherberger not only looks great but tells a beautiful origin story, set in good old New Bedford, Massachusetts!. Okay:four bucks it is. A fun little ride for the money..

ANIMAL MAN #7: The road trip away from home continues while the animals continue to revolt. A brief stop in town for supplies leads to some fan girls getting all dreamy-eyed over Buddy. That night, Buddy has a dream involving The Rot, Swamp Thing and Maxine, who is the superhero of the tale. When he awakes, the beasts are at the door.

It’s nice to see this title back on track again after a disappointing last issue. Creepy stuff from Jeff Lemire and Steve Pugh and it all is leading to the eventual team-up/crossover with SWAMP THING.

AQUAMAN #7:  Black Manta kills Kahina the Seer in Brazil, lifts a boxed artifact off of her body and promises to kill Aquaman too. Aquaman and Mera pay a visit to Doctor Shin but so does a mysterious woman who informs our heroes of the death of the Seer and tries to tie Shin to it. She also has some back story with Arthur as a last panel reveals.

Once again, we are in weird places It’s awesome to see a proper looking Black Manta who is a blood thirsty as he once was. And this issue features some of Ivan Reis’ BEST WORK EVER!!! He is a definite heir to the throne of Jim Lee as being one of DC’s most expressive artists. But let’s talk about the story here. Who is this mysterious woman. And, for that matter, who is this team pictured in a book. This is truly the Geoff Johns’ book to be reading!

BATGIRL #7: The issue begins with a battle in the sewers between Batgirl and a guy named Grotesque. Then we flashback to two hours earlier and a training session between Batgirl and Black Canary. James Gordon gets to meet his ex-wife and finds why she left the family. Grotesque is at the Cartier’s One Club and kills one of the folks there with a mace. We end up back at the beginning and find that one of Grotesque’s goons is one of the guys who was with the Joker the night he crippled our hero.

Here’s a nice Gail Simone story that introduces what we can only hope is more of a reveal to how Barbara Gordon can walk after three years paralyzed in comic time. The whole workout/pity session with Black Canary is kind of cool too, especially with some of  the stuff floating around with Canary in BIRDS OF PREY. More cool art from Ardian Syaf who continues to dazzle with each issue. Still one of my favorite books from the NEW 52.

BATMAN #7: Batman gets jump started back to life by a girl and a set of jumper cables…really! He ends up back at the Batcave and gets scared by the corpse of Talon, well preserved by the icy waters. Nightwing arrives and in a scene directly mirroring a scene in NIGHTWING #7, it is revealed the Talon is Dick’s great grandfather AND that Dick was meant to be a Talon. As the relationship between Dick and Bruce is forever altered, the Court of the Owls prepare to take back their city.

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo do a nice job of laying another stone in place for the upcoming Court of the Owls multi-title epic. The parallel tale with NIGHTWING works nicely too, especially if you read the other side of the story. Hold on tight: this should be a make or break storyline in the BATMAN titles.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #7: Batman spends the entire issue fighting with Bane, who is much stronger than ever before. He also gets a chance to release Poison Ivy, who promises revenge. Superman gets Flash to finally slow down, as he has burned the toxin out of his body. Bane ends up being victim to the antidote and crashes into the sea. And what of The White Rabbit? It appears that she and Jai are one and the same.

He we have another beautiful looking issue that gives David Finch a chance to continually shine. Finch again shares writing duties with Paul Jenkins. I love the surprise ending where we discover that The White Rabbit is Bruce’s paramour suffering with a Sybil syndrome.. This hearkens back to a character in a classic Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers storyline in DETECTIVE COMICS. A great issue that leaves as many questions behind as it answers.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #7: Morgan is torturing Robin as part of a demented revenge play: Bruce was responsible for the death of the senior Ducard so he is killing Bruce’s son. That doesn’t go so well as the rest of the book becomes a major knock down drag out between Morgan and Bruce where Bruce eventually prevails. But it is Robin who gets the last word here as he reacts to Ducard’s taunts and murders him with a simple punch THROUGH the villain’s head.

Just when you think this book can’t go any higher, it does! A massive battle filled with taunts and name calling and it all ends with batman snapping just enough…only to be followed by Robin finishing the job with a beautiful Gleason illustrated last panel. “Forgive me, father, for I have sinned”.  You can say that again. Peter Tomasi has made this a great book to read as we watch the two vigilantes walk that fine tightrope between hero and madman.

BATWOMAN #7: Batwoman continues to battle with the big ugly guy with the hook. She rips the hook off and he becomes Rush again. This is all part of Falchion’s monster making plans. Jacob continues to stay by Bette’s bedside. Kate and Detective Sawyer have an interesting lunch date. Maggie also gets to capture a Medusa agent named Sune that Chase thinks could be helpful to the D.E.O.’s cause. Only problem is that Maggie will be transporting her and it’s up to Batwoman to get her. This could be a problem for their relationship.

Another strange PULP FICTION styled issue with timeline jumps galore. That means that, once again, this issue does not play in a lineal fashion. Amy Reeder again contributes the artwork and continues to improve. Not J. H. Williams but it certainly does fir this style of storytelling. Overall, this is still one of my favorite DC characters.

BIRDS OF PREY#7:  We finally find the identity of Choke and learn that Trevor is dropping post hypnotic suggestions into just about anyone, including some of the Birds. So how do you stop him? Well Tatsu has a solution-she beheads him. But not before he drops a bomb about how Canary was responsible for murdering her husband. Batgirl begins to dig through Trevor’s apartment and Canary arrives. There’s a quiet moment which will hopefully tell us the deal with Canary’s late husband. Then Tatsu reveals that the spirit in the sword isn’t Choke. Oops!

Holy cliffhanger, Batgirl! Yeah…love the way this issue plays out. But we still have what will now be going onto our eighth issue of this storyline and still no probable end in sight.  And what is the deal with Canary’s husband? So now we know she is single. Is this going to set up something down the road between her and Green Arrow? Or is there something between her and Barbara Gordon? Questions, questions, questions.

CATWOMAN #7:  Catwoman is doing a pretty good job of stealing fast cars and she and her new partner Gwen Altamont are doing an equally good job of relishing in their spoils. Detective Alvarez wants to dig deeper and his bosses are begging him off the case. It doesn’t matter to him as he decides to set her up. She gets sprung by a potential new partner named Spark. And someone is kidnapping Gotham City prostitutes.

A little change of pace issue here as the next story arc rolls on. Great writing from Judd Winick with art from Adriana Melo, who does a decent job of aping Guillem March. Overall, while not the blockbuster of the first six months, it still continues to be a rip roaring killer of a read.

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #7: Ace gets resurrected…at least his body is resurrected as his soul has been replaced by a forgotten lord. The CHALLENGERS TV show is hotter than ever and the survivors decide they need to find other stones that tie into the talisman. So all the survivors with the exception of Prof and Ken, head off to Teutoburg Forest in Germany to steal the second stone. And they get attacked by stone statues and Red saves the day. With the second piece in hand, they head back to Prof and Ken. Unfortunately, it looks like Ace has done then both in and may have taken the first stone with him.

Dan Didio takes this story into weirdsville, as the NEW Challengers head off in their new outfits and we apparently bump off old mainstay Prof. Jerry Ordway combines with Ray McCarthy for another great looking issue. While the thought of an extra three bucks a week in my comics spending account smarts, I almost wish this book was a weekly as I love the plot and the cliffhanger. I repeat what I said last month: give us a regular series down the road

DEATHSTROKE #7: The final epic battle between Deathstroke and his son Grant, who we discover is behind this whole thing all along. Well, not totally as the crazy revenge seeking parents decide that the only way Deathstroke escapes is to kill Grant. Change of plans for Slade as he stabs dad and put his blade through mom’s head. When all is said and done, three bodies lie in the snow and Grant walks away. Could this mean HE will be the NEW Deathstroke?

The team of Kyle Higgins, Joe Bennett and Art Thibert finishes this story in bloody and very satisfying fashion. But we are left with unanswered questions which may never be touched on as Rob Liefeld will soon be handling art and writing shore. And that is probably where I will drawn the line unless he can find a way to truly impress the hell out of me. Too bad: I will miss this title in my monthly reading lists.

DEMON KNIGHTS #7: Jason goes to hell and gathers Father Theod’s tears to bring Xanadu back to her vital self.  And then that battle continues with the Horse Woman helping to save the day. The Demon Knights are heroes but leave an entire village wasted when all is said and done. At what cost the victory?

Lots of action this month as Paul Cornell and Diogenes Neves conclude this storyline in nice fashion. It will be interesting to see where this book goes from here. Hopefully we will get more answers to the questions of who some of these people are and who they will become in the future.

DETECTIVE COMICS #7: Charlotte and Batman get out the ice with an explosion that rocks the ship. Jill and Snakeskin hatch their plot, even though he has lost his ability after being severely pounded by the girl with the eye patch. Snakeskin gets a double cross from Jill who then tangles with Batman, only to be interrupted by Penguin’s henchmen. Jill gets free and meets up with Penguin. It seems this double cross was planned all along. Too bad she didn’t realize HE had a double cross in mind for her too. But Batman saves the day and she ends up in prison…and Snakeskin pays his former partner a little visit with sharp greetings from the Penguin.

 A nice, satisfying ending to this story arc. Nicely written and illustrated(again with inks by Sandu Florea) by Tony Salvatore Daniel.  Next up: The Owls come to roost. I will be very curious to see how the creative team handles this.

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #7:  While Frankenstein and his team head back to base from Vietnam, Lady Frankenstein gets attacked by her “children”. The humanoid revolution has begun and Brother Eye has dropped a virus into the S.H.A.D.E.NET system which is allowing the revolution. Frankenstein and his team engage in all out war and even Ray Palmer gets in the act with some atomic styled powers(when it’s suggested he get a costume he declares: “not my style”). The team gets together but not before Khalis is beheaded. There is a desperate attempt to keep him alive even as Father Time explains that one of the prisoners who is still alive and running free(Lady F. has apparently terminated the rest) is his son.

Another whacked out issue by the team of J.G. Jones and Alberto Ponticelli, now with Walden Wong doing the inks and that seems to just clean everything up a little more legibly. Frankenstein’s son, eh? I can’t wait to see where this goes. And, speaking of going, WE WANT THE ATOM!!! Put Ray into a costume and let him join the team!

GREEN LANTERN #7: Sinestro interrupts Carol and Hal during a little quiet time and demands he follow him. Make that he highly persuades him, as he threatens Carol’s life. It seems the Guardians are planning to eliminate the Green Lantern Corps and replace it with their own new vision. The Indigo Tribe arrives to take Sinestro and Hal, leading Carol to don the ring which makes her Star Sapphire .  And  Black Lantern returns too. Meanwhile, The Guardians prepare to deal with Lyssa Drak.

It’s nice to see this book back on track again after last issue. Here we have Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke doing what they do best: tell a wicked good story! And we get some of our old favorites from WAR OF THE LANTERNS and BRIGHTEST NIGHT sagas in the form of Black Lantern and Lyssa Drak. Where does this story go from here? Wait until next month and see!

I, VAMPIRE #7: Rise of the Vampires Part2 continues as Tig, the Professor and Batman fight Cain and Mary, who switches sides when she realizes that Cain is crazier than she is. And the Justice League Dark arrives to lend a hand. Meanwhile, Andrew Bennett is deader than dead and stuck in the in-between.

I pretty much say the same thing month in and month out: Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino are responsible for one of the best books out there, especially in this genre. And now that it’s crossing over into JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK just gives it that much more credibility as a Mainstream DC book versus being a Vertigo styled book. You must read this book…the vampires command it!

JUSTICE LEAGUE #7: The series shifts ahead to present day and the team, specifically Green Lantern and The Flash, battle a transformed Dr. Samuel Street. Colonel Steve Trevor goes before Congress and meets his new assistant Etta candy. He also web chats with the girl of his dreams, Wonder Woman. But just who is the mysterious narrator? We also get to meet the New DC 52 version of Billy Batson, who is a lying little punk who will become the World’s Mightiest Mortal.

Interesting change up kind of issue this month. The lead story is by Geoff  Johns and guest artist Gene Ha. Always loved Gene’s work and this issue is no exception. And with the introduction of Steve Trevor and Etta Candy(and we’re being diverse here because she IS African American), the fanboy in me gets all giddy! And then we get to the SHAZAM back-up story by Johns and Gary Frank and we take the whole Captain Marvel mythology and bend it around. Dr. Sivana seems to be a scientist out the the Lex Luthor mold and is searching for Black Adam. Billy Batson is the Eddie Haskell of the tale; one minute nice and the next a snotty brat. And what does that last panel show us?  This could be a very interesting tale indeed. 

 JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #7:  It’s the first part of the RISE OF THE VAMPIRES cross-over with I, VAMPIRE. The team travels to Gotham to battle vampires with Batman, Batgirl and the rest of the cast. Meanwhile, Xanadu makes a deal in the Astral Zone of the Crystal One and Deadman and Constantine travel to the Land of the Dead. Somehow I don’t think this is all going to end nicely.

I found this a nice start to the  I, VAMPIRE crossover. Pete Milligan turns in a great story with help from Admira Wijaya(the first 8 pages of the book) and Daniel Sampere(the remainder). And it’s nice to see John Constantine behaving like his old gnarly self!  Don’t forget that Jeff Lemire takes over with the next issue. Thanks Pete for such a great beginning and now do the same in STORMWATCH!

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #7: The JLI didn’t die in the cliffhanger last issue…well, they ALL didn’t die. Andre Briggs and Emerson Esposito are victims as is Rocket Red. Not to mention that a good portion of the team is badly beaten and severely injured. We also find that Guy apparently has a thing for Tora because he keeps doting over her like a love sick boy. Somewhere in the middle of all this, we see that Lightweaver is to blame for much of this and he wails on Booster Gold. Who comes to save the day? Batwing! Batwing? REALLY!?

This is a nice second part to the current story arc and by taking out the two “human” members of the team along with Rocket Red is genius! Poor Gavril Ivanovich. He gets introduced in GENERATIONS LOST and now he becomes worm food seven issues in. Dan Jurgens turns up the heat and Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan roar back in style to show the aftermath. And what’s up with Batwing? Who let him leave Africa?

DC's NEW 52 issues #6, Part Two

I, VAMPIRE #6: After an issue long battle, only one thing is important: Andrew Bennett gets beheaded by his former lover and Cain arises. Oh crap: we’re all screwed now!

Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino craft a great story which crosses over with JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. You should be reading both anyway, but this kind of forces you to do that. The story still impresses with each issue and the cast is well drawn out, both visually and from a characterization stance. You must read this book…the vampires command it!

JUSTICE LEAGUE#6: It’s the big bang up between Darkseid and the newly formed team. Meanwhile, Batman tries to save Superman from the clutches of Desaad and his minions on Apokolips. Leave it to Cyborg to save the day as he not only activates a Mother Box but ends up being playing a major role in sending Darkseid back home. The government praises them and Flash declares they are called the Super Seven. Elsewhere, two shadowy figures refer to themselves as Super Villains.. In the back-up story, we meet Pandora, who we may have seen before, and The Phantom Stranger.

Great looking end to this initial arc. Leave it to Jim Lee to draw a blockbuster when he needs to. Goeff Johns’ story is okay and the whole idea of making Cyborg the A lister they have aimed him to be doesn’t sit with me. He’s always been a B-list character and to elevate him to this level is like retooling the Justice League, setting them in Detroit and populating them with characters like Vixen. Gypsy and Vibe…oh wait: we did that already!. Anyway, I’m curious to see where we go from here.As far a Johns’ back-up story: so now we have some mysterious hooded woman. Haven’t we been here before. But a key bit of dialogue sets it all up.The Stranger accuses her of rewriting reality. She replies that she realigned it and strengthen it. Does this now give DC an out for a future reboot? Sure does!

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #6: The “members” of the teams are plagued by horrific nightmares. They all end up at Madame Xanadu’s place where they fight off a creation from Shade’s psyche. Come to find out that these are not just nightmares but glimpses of the future that MIGHT have happened if they hadn’t fought the Enchantress. And also, what may STILL happen if they do not band together. After telling Constantine that they do NOT have to like each other, a truce is maintained. Then, bleeding from her nose, Xanadu sees the vision: Andrew Bennett is dead and Cain is arisen. Thus begins the crossover with I VAMPIRE.

This is sort of a filler issue in that it pushes the story along just enough to get the team together and lead into the I, VAMPIRE crossover. Milligan and Janin continue to rock the house, even with a small tale like this one. Milligan’s characterizations are winners, especially those of John Constantine and Shade.. But he has had a little bit of experience with both of them. The bad news is that he will be leaving this title after issue #8(but ANIMAL MAN’s Jeff Lemire will be taking over) and he will be writing STORMWATCH as of issue #9, which should just make that title a little creepier than it has been. Until then, enjoy this ride!

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #6: This issue allows the team to take a break and take inventory of themselves. Batman and Booster Gold bust up some bad guys. Dora and Zhifu share hot dogs and diffuse a bomb. Later, there is an impassioned speech from Booster and Zhifu in front of the U.N. Security Council, who gives the thumbs up to the team of Justice League International. But just as it looks to be the “best day ever” for the team, a missile strike takes them out. Is the J.L.I. dead?

A very nice start to the next story arc.Dan Jurgens lets the cast take a breath for a few before slamming the action back at them. And guest art team Marco Castiello and Vincenzo Acunzo do an okay job but I miss the team of Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan. So, now that we’ve blown up the team, how to we paint them out of THAT particular corner? Tune in next month to see!

NIGHTWING #6: Nightwing is busting heads and criminals in Texas while Raya and Raymond continue to conspire. It looks like they are going to take Dick out during a Flying Graysons Tribute Show and then give Bryan Haly the circus back. Dick finds out and takes the proper precautions as the circus rolls into Gotham City. This leads to a battle between Raymond(back from the dead by SOME mysterious circumstance) and Dick high above the crowd and ends with Raymond blowing up the place. Yeah…not good for business!

And so we come racing towards the conclusion. Nice overall issue from Higgins, Barrows and Borges that does prove that you CAN go home again. The problem I am having with this series is that it is so up and down. One issue just blows me away and then the next just blows…

O.M.A.C #6.:  Maxwell Lord is contacted by Brother Eye who spills the beans about Zero Patient. Max rips Mokarri as he has NO KNOWLEDGE of Zero Patient. Meanwhile, Jody Robbins is upset that her cousin June went down in a plane crash(see the Challengers of the Unknown story in DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #6), so a double date is set. In comes Leilani Lugo who is more than meets the eye. She transforms into this deadly whip bearing furie(yeah…that’s what I said) who seeks the Mother Box(it’s all about the Kirby stuff, kids!). Kevin becomes O.M.A.C.  and proceeds to kick her butt. Of course, he also loses the girl in the process. Meanwhile, Brother Eye sends an assassin from Kord Industries(hopefully not Ted Kord himself, as we know what happened to him in the OLD DCU) to take out Max Lord, who turns the tables and makes the shooter cap himself. For Max: the war is just beginning.

I’m still pissed off at the canceling of this title. I’m still blown away by Dan Didio and Keith Giffen’s rendering of the Kirby legacy. I am still hoping for a proper resolution and the characters turning up in other DC titles. And, as much as I will miss the title, I cannot wait to see where this goes in two more issue and how they wrap this up in a satisfying way. Other than that, I recommend that you read this while you can.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #6: Red Hood finds himself battling some big nasty guy with sharp teeth in a submarine. When he awakens, he finds himself on an island being tended to by a mysterious person. A few days later and it’s revealed to be Starfire who thinks she remembers Jason from another time. He eventually gets a tour of her home: a spaceship on the island. She offers him clothing and, oh look: it’s Nightwing and Robin gear! She explains that she thinks she remembers him from when she first arrived but is not so sure. So the pair have sex, stories are told and then it’s off to save Roy.

Okay: the flashback issue. We are told at the start that this issue takes place prior to issue #1 of the series. That would explain a lot, including the road trip rescue planned at the end of the issue. So what has happened to Kori’s memory? This all remains to be seen in future months. While not so much as a fill-in issue, it does slow the story down a bit and allows us to get a deeper look at the characters. Nice work by Lobdell and Rocafort here.\

RED LANTERN #6: Bleez and Atrocitus continue to battle for leadership of the Lanterns. Meanwhile, Jack Moore becomes Rankorr and proceeds to take vengeance on the man responsible for his grandfather’s death. But that may not fully happen as Guy Gardener shows up and intervenes.

Yes, I will say it again: THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE Lantern book to be reading. Rankorr is added to the ranks of the vengeful lanterns and will become a major player within those ranks in issues to come. Great stuff from Peter Milligan and Ed Benes. Just go buy it!

RESURRECTION MAN #6: Mitch Shelley is stuck in Arkham Asylum and will do absolutely anything to get himself killed while he is here. In fact, the guards have nicknamed him ‘Deathwish’. One of the guards arranges for the system to be shut down and allows for a massive inmate escape. Mitch manages to quell the riot, but Guard Fletcher, despite Commissioner Gordon’;s direct orders, shoots Shelley in the head and kills him. Mitch manages to get himself off the coroner’s table, goes after Fletcher and justice prevails.

Okay…so this is the basic fill-in issue. Shelley gets out of prison with a new power and the bad guy responsible for the prison break gets taken out. If this is your first issue of this title, prepare to be disappointed, especially after the pedestal I put this title onto. Trust me: they are much better than this. Not that the story isn’t a good one, just not where it normally is. If you’ve been reading this right along, prepare to be a little disappointed. Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Fernando Dagnino turn in a nice story that hopefully does more down the road than just act as a tieing in to another part of the DC Universe.

STORMWATCH #6: The aftermath of the explosion aboard Stormwatch One is felt. The ship exits hyperspace and enters our atmosphere, if only for as moment, raising concerns at a certain military monitoring station. Jack fights the Daemonite A.I. that runs the ship and eventually the ship is restored to it’s place in hyperspace. A new team leader is again chosen(as The Projectionist ended up being taken by Harry to wherever he went to). And Midnighter tells Apollo he’s hot

I did say last month that the love story between Apollo and Midnighter was just beginning, didn’t I? Paul Cornell finally introduces the Daemonite that will end up tying into the other former Wildstorm books, along with much of the NEW 52 Universe in months to come. Kudos once again to Miguel Sepulveda for his awesome artwork. This book deserves a nice place in the NEW 52, especially considering where it came from. Keep up the good work, folks: don’t let this one slither away.

SUICIDE SQUAD #6: Harley Quinn is on the loose and the Suicide Squad is hot on her trail with a new team including Light and Lime(from GREEN ARROW), Savant, King Shark and, of course, Deadshot. Savant gets a shot in an Harley goes down. Only it isn’t Harley-it’s a man dressed as Harley. It’s a trap which means…here comes a bunch of Harley’s(or as one of the twins refers to them  “a transvestite goon squad”). Much bloodshed and dismemberment ensues. Meanwhile, we get the revised origin of Harley Quinn along with her murdering the Doctor who first assigned her to The Joker’s case. The Squad mops up and we learn the Yo-Yo is still alive deep within King Shark’s belly. Come to find out, Harley has made her way to the Gotham City Police Department. Seems she wants to be there as she is obviously looking to get her hands on Mr. J.’s face. This will become a very tough breakout for the Squad now.

With the line “she’s really fast for a clown”, the roller-coaster trip into the mind of Harley Quinn kicks off. And what a ride. Not much is truly changed in her origin, as we all knew she was a trouble person who was seduced my The Joker’s charms. What is awesome is seeing her as the crazy killer he managed to pull out of her. And watching King Shark dismember Harley’s in drag and then have Yo-Yo inside his belly calling for help? PRICELESS! Clayton Henry is providing the art for this arc and it rocks!  And there is no reason for me to crow about Adam Glass’ story as it is one of his typical insane bloodbaths! Wait until next issue when this all comes together! Will Harley survive? Hope so…she’s the co-star of the book!

SUPERBOY #6: Continuing the tale started in TEEN TITANS #5, Superboy has come in search of Wonder Girl and must fight the Teen Titans to do so. Having decided to leave the teens alone, Superboy stops long enough to disrupt N.O.W.H.E.R.E.’s security operation and tells them to make Templar aware of his return soon. Soon Supergirl meets up with him and tries to converse. But since she still speaks in Kryptonese and he doesn’t understand that, we have a problem. But one touch and he sees Krypton’s demise and devbelops the ability to speak Kryptonese. He explains he is a clone, she screams the name Kon-El and wails on him. And we learn that Kon-El means he is a disgrace in the House of El and has no choice but to become a “mindless killing machine”. Superboy ends up back at N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to take on Templar but meets up with Rose instead.

Scott Lobdell’s story continues to roll on, this time with a scripting assist from legendary Marvel Editor and writer Tom DeFalco. This is such a wonderful story being told here. I had some trepidation when this book came out as I really didn’t want the story of Superboy, which had been corrupted enough by the Reign of the Superman storyline. But this series has surprised me from the first issue and continues to amaze me. He may be Kon-El but he is not the Kon-El/Carter Kent that Karl Kessel and Tom Grummet. And I am surprisingly okay with that.

SUPERGIRL #6: Kara is still pinned to a wall and continues to think about her home world and has a conversation with her deceased parents that give her the strength to break free. Good thing too because Argo City burns away. Also a good thing she is free because Reign is causing havoc at the Arch de Triumphe and she has brought other Worldkillers with her.

Another fun issue from Michael Green and Mike Johnson. The Worldkillers are big, bad and a suitable set of enemies for the Maiden of Might. And the dialogue between Kara and her parents helps to flesh out the NEW 52 back story. I’m curious to see how this tale ends.

SUPERMAN#6:  Superman goes toe to  tow with his cousin Kara high above the streets of Metroplois. Seems that it’s NOT Superman after all but goes back to an incident with the Collector of Worlds that happened five years ago(but we will get to read about in the upcoming ACTION COMICS #7). Once he figures that out, he zooms in from space to save Supergirl and the day. Post battle, Clark and Heather have a chat and she confesses that she knows she’s not the girl for him(as Lois eavesdrops). Meanwhile, part of Stormwatch falls to Earth and that become fodder for the future.

And the most exciting thing about this issue was the one page tie-in to STORMWATCH on the last page of the book. That and Nicola Scott’s art. Other than that, it was a yawn fest that I am glad has ended.

SWAMP THING #6: This time around we learn the deep dark secret: The Rot hasn’t been coming for Alec, it has been coming for Abby. She ends up being swamped(pun intended) by the Rot and begins a metamorphosis process that will leave her a part of the evil growing across the world. Alec flees back to the swamp and begs to become the Swamp Thing once more. But he is too late and the Green tells him it is dying. Well, so too is Alec as some misshapen things runs him through with a chainsaw. Okay…so what happens now?

Another amazing issue by Scott Snyder and Marco Rudy filled with scary goodness and full-on creepiness.  This is a ride on a roller coaster worth taking. I preach about this with every issue so stop me from doing this. Just go buy the book and realize that we’re soon to be seven issues in and the “title character” has only made a brief appearance so far. You know that’s not going to last forever.

TEEN TITANS #6: Fresh from getting beat down by Superboy, the Teen Titans face Detective Lure and some of Gotham City’s finest. Skitter gets them out of trouble, but Kid Flash has got some issues. The team ends up at S.T.A.R. Labs looking for help from Virgil Hawkins, A.K.A. Static. While Virgil runs tests, a psycho named Grymm takes control of Skitter and attacks Wonder Girl and Bunker. The bad guy goes down, Kid Flash gets a new costume and Bunker comes out of the closet.

Scott Lobdell and Brett Booth just make this book so much fun that it’s pretty ridiculous. I spent many years rolling through the various Teen Titans incarnations and, in my opinion, this ranks up there with the Marv Wolfman/George Perez era. Every page screams with Booth’s killer artwork and Scott Lobdell weaves a great story fueled with some rollicking dialogue. This is such a fun read and it gets better with each issue.

WONDER WOMAN #6: As the replacement for Zeus continues to be debated, Diana and Lennox put things into motion. She proposes that Poseidon rules Heaven by day and Hades rules by night and they share Hera as their queen. All of this irks Hera and  she gets blinded in the process. Looks like Diana has managed to screw both Poseidon and Hades. But this all comes back to bite her as Zola gets dragged to Hell by a creature pretending to be her mother. Now the cards are on the table: Hades wants to rectify this broken agreement or else Zola dies.

Boy…this book has more mysterious machinations than an episode of SURVIVOR. Everyone is out to cut their own deals and it matters not who gets shot in the process. Brian Azzarello throws some greats twists in and again we get another great issue by Tony Akins on the art side. Stop making me beg: go BUY THIS BOOK!

DC's NEW 52 issues #6 Part One

ACTION COMICS #6:  The book begins with negotiations being made for the Kryptonite from Kal-El’s rocket. Hey, if it’s made right, it can be Red-K,  Black-K, Silver-K and the ultra special Blue-K. But Kal-El and the adult Legion of Superheroes are trying to fix the rocket and realize they need to go into Superman’s brain where there is a Tesseract space where the Anti-Superman Squad is hiding. The Legion defeat the bad guys, Superman repowers the ship and the mission gets accomplished. In the back-up story, Clark packs up his stuff and moves out of the family home after the death of his parents.

Wow: I totally have to bow to the genius of Grant Morrison and thank him for these last two issues. We get the adult Legion of Superheroes, the ORIGINAL youthful trio that I grew up with, some really nice turns with Clark and Pa Kent, the entire rainbow of K’s. Sorry…just geeking out there for a moment. So, Mr. Morrison hits one out of the park and makes me remember why I love comics so much. And Andy Kubert’s art should make his family proud.. Great story arc. I hope the momentum continues next issue as we go back to the storyline left hanging at the end of issue #4.

ALL STAR WESTERN #6: Jonah and Dr. Arkham, well mostly Jonah, takes out the giant bat and make their way out of the Bat cave. Yeah…really the bat cave as they emerge from under the stately home of Alan and Catherine Wayne. Right…Wayne Manor. Wayne, Hex and Arkham lead a raid on the underground mine.that ends up in a major bloodfest. Leave it to Jonah to let a little torture lead him to the answers he needs. Seems Mister O’Grady has been hiding young Mr. Moody and Thurston Moody is responsible for kidnapping the boys and putting them to work in the mine. So Hex heads to New Orleans to find Moody. Waiting for him there: Nighthawk and Cinnamon. The back-up story concludes the origin story of the Asian heroine The Barbary Ghost.

Yet again, I am forced to bitch out DC for giving me a 20 page main story with a back-up tale for $3.99. The main story rocks and I love where it goes, especially showing up in Wayne Manor after finding a giant bat UNDER Wayne Manor! And I do like the back-up story. I could seriously see this being a lead feature or headlining a book. But give me a full main story for my FOUR BUCKS!

ANIMAL MAN #6: What I can best call a fill-in issue as Cliff spends most of the book watching a film called TIGHTS starring Buddy Baker.

The first issue if this title that I really haven’t been happy with. The story is an interesting analogy for our hero but doesn’t progress the story foreword to my liking. Nice art from John Paul Leon, but three pages of continuity and the use of the word “porn” three times in two pages sdoesn’t cut it for me.

AQUAMAN #6: Four years ago, Mera’s father sends her off to kill the man she ends up with. But that’s food for later as Mera ends up in town to get dog food and gets hit on by this perverted store clerk named Randy. Mera takes care of him by snapping his arm like a twig. Things gets crazy as someone calls the police and we have a bit of a situation. But it gets worse as someone has broken out of prison and is holding his daughter hostage. We discover that Mera has the power to drain water from bodies and that is how he gets weak enough to be taken into custody. We also find that Mera doesn’t quite understand us surface dwellers. She does makes friends with Jennifer, one of the other clerks from the grocery store. When she returns home, Arthur tells her they are off to see Dr. Shin, who is going to tell them who sank Atlantis.

Like the last issue, this one goes into some weird places. Mera was supposed to kill Aquaman? Really? That’s a serious rewrite on history. Then we get the whole get molested and then end up at a hostage taking sub-plot. So next issue, the pair find out who sunk Atlantis, which seems like a big surprise to Mera. Have I ever said that Ivan Reis’ art blows me away? And Geoff Johns script is pretty cool too…certainly better than what he is writing for JUSTICE LEAGUE.

BATGIRL #6:  Batgirl ends up talking Bruce Wayne out of killing her and we get the back story on Gretel. Once a reporter named Lisly Bonner, she was essentially murdered by Boss Whittaker. But she came back with special powers and turned herself into the vigilante. Batman gets involved, as does Detective McKenna, who cuts the two heroes some slack so they can capture Gretel.

Nice wrap up to the storyline with Gretel, who makes a very cool addition to the Interesting new villain and a bunch of fun with Babs mom. Nice Gail Simone story and typically cool art from Ardian Syaf. Still one of my favorite books and I’m still waiting  for the payoff on Barbara Gordon’s recovery.

BATMAN #6: Batman is still alive but not for long as the Court of the Owls is calling for his death. Just when it seems Batman is done, he rises up and takes down Talon and manages to escape. The Court of Owls decides to do away with Talon, who has failed them. Not a big problem for them as they have a room filled with caskets filled with potential new Talons.

Okay, this was kind of a let down. We spend the first third of the book with Batman getting his ass whipped and then, all of a sudden, he gets the reserve and strikes back. Yeah…that’s called painting yourself out of a plot corner. But that’s all right because this is the introduction to the cross title Owl storyline coming in the next few months. That’s a good thing because another issue like this would be a horrible mistake.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #6: Batman recovers from the butt whipping he got from Superman last issue and realizes that The Flash has been poisoned and if he stops running the toxin will kill him. So Superman heads off to find him while the next surprise member of the super enhanced Rogues Gallery arrives: Bane(of course…there IS a movie coming soon!). There’s the guy behind the toxin! Now THAT makes sense. Only problem is that the toxin makes the already monstrously muscular Bane smarter.

Another beautiful looking issue that FINALLY gives us a payoff regarding the mystery of the Toxin. Of note this issue is that David Finch is still getting top billing on the cover while Paul Jenkins actually wrote this issue solo while Finch only handled the art chores. Does it makes a noticeable difference? It didn’t to me. It pretty much read the same as previous issues, so I guess it shows how much co-writing was actually going on.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #6: Ducard pushes Damien to cross over to the Dark Side to no avail, as he rejects his burning methods(see…it has to do with acid baths). We get the tale of how Bruce left the tutelage of the Ducards after he was betrayed. Meanwhile, Batman gets to listen to his son being tortured. Yeah…this isn’t going to end well for someone!

Another top-notch issue here. We get a little more back story on the relationship between a younger Bruce Wayne and the Ducards. Peter Tomasi once again writes a great story filled with twists and turns while Patrick Gleason puts the icing on the cake with his great artwork. Winner, winner, Batman and Robin dinner!

BATWOMAN #6: Batwoman is fighting with a guy with a scythe while some dude in a legionnaires outfit watches. What? So we cut to a month earlier, where Bette’s uncle reads to her as she is still in the hospital. Jump to a week ago where Maggie is dealing with a woman who wants to know where her children are. Four months ago, an Asian woman sets everything in motion by drowning Maria’s children. Kate’s story goes back three weeks and while being romantic with Maggie, she is still doing her share of hiding things from her, specifically her activities as Batwoman. Chase’s story is from two weeks ago and we find out what kind of a costume upgrade Batwoman got from the D.E.O.. And that brings us all back to now, as Batwoman turns the table on the guy with the psythe for a hand.

Very strange issue that bounces in so many directions that it becomes overly confusing. The timeline is all over the place and it took me two good solid readings to get comfortable with the story. Picture reading PULP FICTION. This issue does not play in a lineal fashion.. Amy Reeder is the artist this month and her work is good but not as attractive as J. H. Williams. Curious to see if this trend of storytelling continues over the next few issues or not.

BIRDS OF PREY#6: It’s all about Choke. Seems that the mysterious Choke is responsible for putting post hypnotic suggestions into emails and texts or some people and uses them to do the dirty work. Well, the Birds have figured that out and now find themselves in an office, attacked by office workers reciting nursery rhymes. Next issue: Choke Revealed.

Yeah…nothing I like better than ending with a cliffhanger the issue before and having it get resolved(somewhat) on page 14 of the following issue. C’mon…REALLY!? I said last month this storyline needs to end and I meant it. It will take SEVEN issues to get this resolved…not to mention that this was a total cluster of crap. Isn’t AMAZING how they figured this out? Really? How about a little “this is how we figured it out” thrown in there. And they managed to capture all of these brainwashed people. When did that happen? Oh yeah…as they say in the movie and TV business…it happened OFF CAMERA. That just means poor storytelling. Nice art fill from Javier Pina tough. Finish it, guys. Or else I will find myself finished with this title.

 CATWOMAN #6: Selena finds herself in the custody of some of the dirty cops on the Gotham Police Department. She also realizes that Reach is working with them and proceeds to get a major whipping at her hands. Lucky for her she knows how to bite someone'’ ear off and gain a little bit of an advantage back. And just before it looks REALLY bad, the day is saved by one good cop, who allows her to go free. She tussles up with Batman and admits she has a death wish. At the end of the tale, she reveals herself to Gwen Altamont and asks for her help.

Wow! Nice end to this part of the story. Great little line about how Batman won’t do anything as long as they continue to have sex. Yeah…I’m not making that one up. That is THE LINE. Another truly awesome issue from Judd Winick and Guillem March. I have nothing else to say. I just continue to advise you each month to support this title. Just go buy the book!

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #6: CHALLENGERS is a TV reality show where a group of celebrities make their way to the Himalayas in a “competition of wits and edurance”. Along with the celebrities are host Clay Brody, producer June Robbins, her pilot boyfriend Ace and his co pilot Maverick. Along the way, the mountain seemingly comes alive and the plane crashes ina big fireball. June awakens from a nightmare where Ace is killing her to find she and the other survivors are in Nanda Parbat(DC’s version of Shangri-La). Ace is buried in the Well of Souls but the High Priest of Rama Kushna has a banquet in their honor. A drugged banquet as the survivors go to sleep only to wake up at the crash site. And Clay has a secret: an archaeological stone which led him here. A rescue helicopter arrives but not before Clay is swallowed by some long tongued beast in the mountains. As the survivors fly off, June sees that they are all “living on borrowed time”(the motto of the original Challengers) and that they should “make the most of  it”

I’m psyched about this series! I LOVED the CHALLENGERS in almost all of their incarnations. A little back story for the uninformed. CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN made their appearance in SHOWCASE  #6 way back in 1957. The original team was Kyle "Ace" Morgan, Matthew "Red" Ryan, Leslie "Rocky" Davis, and Walter Mark "Prof" Haley. Later on, Ryan was killed and replaced by his pop star brother Tino Manarry. When Ryan came back from the dead, his brother disappeared (with one of Red’s eyes…long story). June Robbins later joined the Challengers as an honorary Challenger. Their adventures ran throughout the Sixties and infrequently during the Seventies and showed up in various alternate versions and one truly trippy version by Howard Chaykin.

So now we get this version. And, most importantly, we get Nanda Parbat. How important is that. Name it: Judomaster lived here, The “original” Question trained Renee Montoya here(and he died here). But, most importantly, Rama Kushna hangs her hat here. And even though Ace appears dead, we have a Prof and a Rocky and a Red, along with some other characters who may or may play their parts in the future months(maybe Brenda is supposed to represent occultist Corinna Stark). Interesting that it looks like June, the “honorary Challenger” may be the one taking the lead in this new series. Dan Didio, who has already proven he can tap into classic Sixties  and Seventies works turns in a fun story here and the legendary Jerry Ordway combines with Ray McCarthy and Andy Lanning(yes…THAT Andy Lanning) to turn out his always killer art. I cannot wait for the next issue. Hey guys: don’t mess this up and give us a regular series down the road(how about a SEA DEVILS series while you’re at it?)/

DEATHSTROKE #6: Starting with a flashback of Grant and Slade in training. The flashback ends with Grant’s apparent death. In the present, Slade and the “suit” continue to battle. Slade finds out this is about April who he bumped off in issue #1. But Slade knows how to use an E.M.P. blast and that shuts down the bad guy. And we find out who is pulling the strings of April’s mom and dad: Grant Wilson. There’s a twist!

The team of Kyle Higgins, Joe Bennett and Art Thibert gets circumvented this month by having Eduardo Pansica and Vicente Cifuentes take over the art chores. No biggie: their work is great and fits the tone of the book just fine. One more issue to go and then Mr. Liefeld puts his feet all over it. Hope it doesn’t go downhill, as I really like this title!

DEMON KNIGHTS #6: Exoristos leads the attack while Xanadu plots to do something terrible, but can’t. Horsewoman sends an army of horses into battle to the dragons while Etrigan saves Exoristos long enough to have the final charge begin. Next issue: the final battle.

Lots of action this month with only a little plot movement. More great stuff from the team of Paul Cornell and Diogenes Neves. Really looking forward to the conclusion of this storyline!

DETECTIVE COMICS #6: Rivers is still at Penguin’s Casino. Batman finds Raju, one of the Penguin’s men, dead in a bloody bathtub. We meet a new character named Snakeskin and the temptress with an eye patch, who has a sister named…Charlotte Rivers. Unfortunately for her, she gets attacked by Snakeskin just as Batman arrives. Even worse, his feelings for her get the two of them in a very cold situation they may not get out of.

A much better story than last issue’s disaster, fully written and illustrated(with inks by Sandu Florea) by Tony Salvatore Daniel. Having sisters being on opposite sides of the law is nothing new, but always fun to see woven into a story. And just what is The Penguin up to? You know it can’t be good!. And no 8 page back-up story this time around. Nice job, guys!

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #6: While humanoids are being devolved and recycled, one of them gains intelligence and runs away. Off on planet Earth, Frankenstein and the Creature Commandos are trolling down the Mekong Delta in search of Colonel Quantum: a refugee from the Vietnam War who apparently has pulled a Colonel Kurtz in the deep jungle. And just like in APOCALYPSE NOW, the mission is to assassinate Quantum. When they arrive at Quantum’s home in the jungle, he begs to be taken out and is quickly accommodated. But things are bad at S.H.A.D.E.net as the original Creature Commandos take control.

Another bang-up issue by the team of J.G. Jones, Alberto Ponticelli and Jeff Lemire. And obviously, the story gets a nod to Joseph Conrad and Francis Ford Copolla too. Can this story get wrapped by the time issue #9 comes oput, when I expect the O.M.A.C. story to get merged into this title(as O.M.A.C. gets cancelled at issue #8 to make room from some of the six new  NEW 52 titles).

GREEN LANTERN #6: Hal busts up a bunch of guys trying to steal airplane parts. He’s impressed: he can do this without having an active Lantern ring. Meanwhile, Sinestro gets into a tussle with Starstorm. That goes well, but Sinestro still needa a partner and goes to retrieve Jordan who ends up as Sinestro’s sidekick, whether he likes it or not.

This issue let me down this month. Okay, so we know Jordan wants to be a Lantern but is trying to kick the habit. And Sinestro has his own agendas on his plate and will pursue them to the fullest. And that means dragging poor Hal back into it. Yawn-we KNOW this is where this is going, so move it along. Also wasn’t thrilled with Mike Choi’s art. There’s nothing wrong with it but I’m just not a huge fan of the painted art thing.  So, this issue falls flat and I hope it doesn’t become a two-time problem with the next issue.

THE HUNTRESS #6: Helena breaks a lot of rules in a foreign land to finally get to The Chairman’s son. She makes him promise to donate 2 billion to charities associated with abused women and she will let him live. So how does she get away from the authorities and get out of the country. By having a friend like Kara Starr, soon to be known as Power Girl. Yes, this is the lead in to WORLD’S FINEST in just 60 short days.

Finally it ends, not with a bang but with a definite whimper. This book was SO BAD that words continue to fail me. I do not like Helena as a character, I don’t like The Huntress as a character and the plot could have been wrapped up in two issues , maybe three. To run it out for six issues was a reason to make money. Thumbs DOWN to Paul Levitz even while giving a BIG THUMBS UP to Marcus To. And REALLY BIG THUMBS UP to Guillem March for a great cover which has nothing really to do with the book, except it looks REALLY GOOD! I have said previously that I wouldn’t read Levitz’ WORLD’S

FINEST(yes, they have moved the apostrophe YET AGAIN!). I may not even read issue #1.