DC'S NEW 52 Month 26, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #26: We find Lana Lang and her crew being attacked by a giant monster in Venezuela. Superman and they battle until the military show up, which Superman attempts to stop, as he has figured the creature is somewhat intelligent. Soon, Superman finds himself attacked by Lieutenant Sawyer. A United States soldier who has been named "Ghost Soldier", he becomes intangible and plunges a knife into Superman's chest. Superman uses both his heat vision and cold breath to slow Ghost Soldier down and allow him to take creature into outer space, where it looks like he throws him at the sun. Hours later, Lana and her crew discover a large underground tunnel that she thinks Superman might be interested in seeing that. We discover that Superman brought the creature to the Fortress of Solitude to keep it safe. As he recalls a moments from his youth, the creature transforms into a human child.

Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder combine for another great issue here. Pak is so good at writing characters and he has made Superman that much more human just by giving his heart a much bigger place inside of him. He neatly ties Clark to Lana, Smallville, Jonathan Kent and this creature and does so in such an awesome way. Kuder's art just keeps getting better and better and the whole book feels alive, almost like it did when Grant Morrison got up to speed on it.

ALL-STAR WESTERN #26: We begin our tale in the past where a pregnant Tallulah Black is looking for her groom to be, Jonah Hex. As the ceremony is ending, Tallulah, Jonah and a strange angel end up in a Mexican standoff. The bride and the groom kill everyone in the church and then Jonah kills his bride, realizing none of this is real. It's present times and realizes this is a nightmare caused by the strange purple blossoms. They fetch John Constantine who stomps on Swamp Thing until the alien parasite leaves him. The parasite has apparently been unleashed by Mongul and is currently playing a key role in current issues of BATMAN SUPERMAN. Swamp Thing tells Jonah to go to metropolis, where the House of Secrets is located. So Jonah and Gina head to metropolis where he gets into a gunfight with some bank robbers. Well, he attempts to. That is when Superman arrives.

Read enough of my mad ramblings and you know how much I truly love this title. This time around, we spend the first twelve pages in a false story that is illustrated by Jeff Johnson and made me realize that, no matter how much I love Moritat's art, Jeff Johnson is incredible! Tallulah has never looked so sexy, even pregnant. And Jonah has a face that was always so scary on the covers of the original ALL STAR WESTERN series, but never quite help up inside the book. Once again, we get a cover that has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY...nice going again to DC Editorial! Other than that, another killer episode from Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray.

ANIMAL MAN #26: Animal Man joins forces with the aliens in a battle against some giant alien creature. Destroying the creature, Buddy meets The Bridgewalker. He tells Buddy that he is a candidate to be the next Bridgewalker and therefore must stay here and be the apprentice to the current one. He is shown how important the Seed Planet is and why Buddy is needed to keep it and all life in the Universe alive. Buddy explains that his family is in trouble and the deal is struck: go home and save your family and then you come back to the Seed Planet-no excuses. Buddy agrees and suddenly finds himself in The Red where brother Blood tells him that he has killed Buddy's family and that Maxine will be next.

You can tell this title is on its way to final graveyard as Jeff Lemire puts less than his heart and soul into this issue. Not to mention we have some awful art from Cully Hamner. This is by far, the worst and possibly the dumbest issue of the series. Buddy kills and alien, gets to be the next Bridgemaster and is sent to save his family and leave them forever. Oh brother!

AQUAMAN #26: We begin with problems under the northern Atlantic where a submarine is swallowed by a sea creature. Meanwhile, a reporter named Evans is questioning half of Amnesty Bay about Aquaman, but they all blow him off. The king finds himself still not gaining complete acceptance from the ruling council of Atlantis. He is told of the issue with the submarine and Aquaman is catapulted by a massive water spout through the air to the coast of Iceland where he proceeds to battle this giant crab-like creature called the Karaqan. Aquaman tries to telepathically control it and ends up in what seems to be ancient Atlantis.

It's Jeff Parker's first issue on this title, along with regular artist Paul Pelletier. It's not a bad first issue as he has some rather big shoes to fill. We find that the folks of Amnesty Bay would just as soon forget Arthur Curry and his wife ever lived there, that the council in Atlantis still has their doubts and that some ancient Atlantean creature is causing havoc in Iceland. All in all, an action filled first issue.

BATGIRL #26: Batgirl attacks Knightfall's crew as they are starting to torture her father. She manages to get him to safety in the basement. He warns that despite saving him, he still does not trust her. Knightfall suggests the Disgraced pin Gordon's murder on Batgirl and, unbeknown to the rest of them, orders Bleak Michael to burn the house down, if things go badlyBatgirl uses a combination of weapons to distract her opponents, so Bleak Michael prepares burn the house down. But Gordon knocks him out with his nightstick that he took out of his footlocker in the basement. With things falling apart, Knightfall orders everyone to flee. As Batgirl decides to leave, Gordon announces he is going to arrest her for James Gordon, Jr.'s murder. She tries to defend her actions by explaining how she was trying to save his wife.She also calls him out on shooting an innocent person like Ricky and begins to remove her mask, telling him this is the only way she can earn his trust. He responds by saying he doesn't want to know and admits that he will not arrest her tonight, but she is no longer welcome here. As she leaves, she gets a call from Ricky's mother, learning he has gotten out of his coma.

Well, Gail Simone and Daniel Sampere bring the WANTED storyline to a conclusion that only wraps up some loose plot threads. So, it's kind of a disappointment. I guess I wanted more from it. I wanted Batgirl to reveal her identity and change more of past DC Continuity I wanted Knightfall and her team to be brought down and brought to justice. It was a good story but a little short on "moments". The photo realistic cover by Alex Garner truly jumps out at you from the magazine shelf and begs you to check out the book. Well, now that this storyline has ended, you should jump on...starting with the next issue.

BATMAN #26: Bruce Wayne has been injected with some kind of drug by Lucius Fox who is being injected by Karl Helfern, who now calls himself Doctor Death. Bruce jumps up and chops off Helfern's arm with a piece of pipe, but the bone grows back and mutates. Wayne gets to the control panel for a jet engine being tested and Helfern is sucked in. As they flee, Lucius explains that what he injected Bruce with was his own crude vaccine against Helfern's serum. Helfern survives the jet engine and attacks, grabbing Bruce's head and starting to squeeze. Just then Jim Gordon arrives and the villain flees. When Bruce awakes, he finds himself in a hospital bed with a cranial fracture. As he tries to leave the bed, he finds himself chained to it. Jim Gordon arrives, saying they must work together to stop Helfern. Then Gordon tells him the story of how he gained his now famous trench coat and we learn it was protection money from a shop owner.. Jim had been racketeering; abusing his status. Bruce breaks free, grabs Gordon's gun, and points it at the policeman, saying he will never trust him. As Bruce leaves, Gordon learns that The Riddler has struck again. Batman heads to Newton Center to protect two Wayne scientists whom Doctor Death will be going after, but arrives too late to save them, as they have been injected with Doctor Death's serum. Commissioner Loebs and his men arrive, agreeing to pin the murder on Batman and proceed to open fire, wounding him in the process.

I cannot believe how much Scott Snyder manages to cram into each issue of this title and still make it all make sense. We have mystery, intrigue, crazy villains, revelations (who knew Jim Gordon was once being paid protection money?) and a crazy Commissioner! Poor Bruce Wayne: can his life get any weirder? As we all know, it will. Greg Capullo continues to churn out some great looking art that totally compliments the story. I know a lot of fans are upset about the direction this story has been taking, by rewriting the legend of the Batman. Personally, I like what is being done here and think, like many of the other revamps and coloring of his legend in the past continuity, this just adds to the legend of Dark Knight.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #26: A family is affected by the death of a young child whose mother, who works in a sweatshop, could not afford to buy the medicine to save the girl. The mother gets an opportunity to sneak over the border and work in Gotham. But human traffickers hijack the truck, which separates the mother from her daughter and the grandmother. Mom ends up working the streets while the grandmother and daughter work hard labor. At one point, the grandmother, who is very sick, tries to escape but dies in the process. We also discover the The Penguin is the leader of the entire operation and this death sets the Dark Knight after him. he finds the sweatshop and rescues the little girl. As he tries to free the rest of the workers, he is captured, put in a cage, and delivered to the Penguin.

And interesting silent issue from Gregg Hurwitz and Alberto Ponticelli that makes you have to READ. Not READ WORDS-READ! To be honest, I READ this issue three times to make sure I did not miss details. Awesome example of what great storytelling can be without even uttering a word.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #26: Bruce Wayne explains to Erin that she ended up in Wayne Manor because Matches Malone ransomed her off to the highest bidder. She calls her cousin to cousin to come get her and the pair talk about her dead twin sister Shannon. It seems that after Harvey Dent put the sisters in jail and after numerous failed attempts to get out on appeal, they came up with a plan to escape prison. Shannon draws the short straw and hangs herself in her cell. Erin contacts the guard who was in on the plan, as her son gets a life saving operation in the process. In the morgue, Erin switches bodies and is taken out by the medics who think they're transporting a corpse. Currently, Erin's cousin shows up and takes her out of Wayne manor. However, he betrays her, drugs her, and brings her to Gilda Dent's grave. There, she finds Two-Face waiting for her. The crime families have decided to put her cousin in charge and she tells Two-Face that the families will in turn kill him. Gunfire rings through the area, with Two-Face fire on the crime families and Erin's cousin. Batman arrives and starts fighting against the crime families as well. Two Face thanks him, but causes a giant statue to collapse on him and trap him in a dug out grave.

Under a spectacular cover by Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray and John Kalisz, who also handles the interior art, we get more of the story that will lead to revealing the full NEW 52 origin of Two-Face. Even without Robin in the book anymore, which is why the title changes so frequently (although I DON'T bother), Peter J. Tomasi knows how to write a damned good tale. And this is one killer tale, complete with a grisly short straw wins/loses scenario for Erin and Shannon. Talk about your ghastly escape plans!

BATWOMAN #26: This issue begins in 1929, a young man hangs himself amidst what is assumed to be his art. The headlines the next day read: Art Hangs Artist! The Mystery of the Century! In current times, Wolf Spider is stealing art, killing Hollis Windham in the process. Later, Kate and Maggie attend a party where Kate has a lengthy discussion about her lifestyle and Windham's murder with her friend Evan Blake. Soon Bette shows up and that means it's time for Batwoman and her partner to swing into action. They find the Wolf Spider breaking into Blake's apartment and battle. During the battle, Bette is knocked out and Batwoman gets him with the same venom tipped darts that killed Windham. Is this the end of Batwoman?

What we do know is this is the first issue by new writer Marc Andreyko and artist Jeremy Haun. Well, it doesn't look like it did and it doesn't read like it did, but it's a fun issue nonetheless with some wonderful references to Eighties pop culture intertwined with a cool mystery. My biggest question is how Kate can bail from her fiancée at a party and it looks like Maggie never notices. Hmmm...major suspension of disbelief here! 

BIRDS OF PREY #26: Black Canary battles Regulus, who is a result of a merger between Kaizen Gamorra and her old Team 7 partner Dean Higgins. And he is using Kurt Lance's power's to affect the power's of everyone else here. He explains that he didn't keep Kurt alive-that was Amanda Waller's doing: the same Waller that let Dinah believe that she was responsible for his death. She is also told that if she removes him from the bed he is in, he will die. Meanwhile, Batgirl and Strix battle Regulus' agents, along with Condor. But Condor's true loyalties are revealed as he works to take down Regulus' people. Back at Kurt's body, Dinah takes a chance and pulls the plug on her husband, which unleashes his ability to amplify powers and will overload every single metahuman on the island, effectively destroying it. She unleashes a scream that sends Regulus through the roof of the complex. Condor orders Batgirl and Strix to get to Dinah out before she causes real damage. Batgirl looks at Kurt's EEG and realizes he has had a massive stroke, so she re-attaches the suppressors and puts him in a coma. Regulus prepares to make a final attack upon Condor, Strix intervenes, resulting in Regulus to fall to his presumed death. Our last image is of Dinah is crying over her husband.

Can I have my OLD BIRDS OF PREY back? You know: the one with the Batgirl in wheelchair and Lady Blackhawk looking 1940's HOT?! This book is certainly not it. Here's my suggestion, as I believe I have mentioned before. Let's cancel this title, find a decent writer, and let Strix have her own book. Heck: it can be SILENT for all I care. Just give me something with a little less "soap opera" than this Christy Marx title.

CATWOMAN #26: When last we left off, in issue #24, the Joker's Daughter convinced Tinderbox that they could rule Charneltown by drowning it with a million gallons of water, while Doctor Phosphorous sent a fireball towards them. This issue has Duela Dent frozen in wax as Gotham reels from the explosion below. Catwoman and rat tail are reunited as Alice helps to try and get Catwoman out and back to the surface. And we learn that the flood cooled off the lava pit, which is how Catwoman and ugly cat didn't die OR drown. Warhog and his followers end up at Rock Bottom, Catwoman frees Duella and makes a deal with her and Doctor Phosphours and Tinderbox get what they deserve. When all is done, Tinderbox is dead, as is Warhog and the men in The Bunker are trapped with no means to procreate. And Catwoman? She gets free and brings a bunch of the Gem Bombs with her. Hope someone doesn't make a ring out of it.

I'd would like to give a big thank you to Ann Nocenti for allowing my IQ to drop by about 10 points by reading this issue! I swear, this is actually being ghost written by a thirteen-year-old fan boy who masturbates every time he sees a hot girl in the book! Wow! Did I REALLY just write that? This is one dumb issue and stuff happened between the END of #24 and the BEGINNING of this that makes no sense. It's like she took a month off for ZERO YEAR and forgot what was written! And we have ANOTHER NON-EXISTENT fight scene on the cover! AWFUL! I can only hope that the GOTHTOPIA story next month will make things better. Somehow, I doubt it.

CONSTANTINE #9: Constantine and company, Swamp Thing, Pandora, Phantom Stranger and the Nightmare Nurse have found themselves evicted from The House of Mystery by The Blight, which has taken over the body of Chris Esperanza ( if you don't read THE PHANTOM STRANGER, you're lost). Blight is rampaging through New York with miniature versions of the Seven Deadly Sins. Meanwhile, two mysterious strangers have Sargon the Sorceress strapped to an equally mysterious machine that appears to be drawing her mystical energy out of her. All we know is that it's a project for the Crime Syndicate. It looks like the team has got the upper hand on The Blight when all hell breaks loose and the team finds itself at the mercy of The Blight. In fact, Constantine mourns the fact that he will never see Zatanna again as it looks like The Blight will end his life.

I have a bunch of complaints with this issue. Now I know this is part of the multi issue crossover between the "magic" books involving The Blight, that runs for several months and runs concurrently with the FOREVER EVIL story. So, I know I'm in for the long haul on this story if I want to be. But, as is known with DC Editiorial, we have the Crime Syndicate standing over a defeated John Constantine. And guess what: The Crime Syndicate NEVER appears in the book! And, if that wasn't enough, the art from Aco is awful! I have seen self-published homemade titles by 16 year olds that looked better than this. No offenses to anyone in that category, but you get what I mean. Part Mazzuchelli rip off, part Alex Maleev rip off, it just looks dark and dingy, and the coloring does not help! Ray fawkes rocks as a writer but this is just a mess that he has to try to work with...

DETECTIVE COMICS #26: After a series of bizarre murders, Batman finds himself chasing down the developer of the Man-Bat Serum, Kirk Langstrom. Earlier, the Dark Knight had determined that a Man bat didn't commit the murders, but a swarm of bats, much like piranhas, was responsible. Using a special device Batman manages to get the Man bat side of Langstrom to temporarily disappear. He explains he no longer needs the serum to transform and neither does his wife, who is actually corporate spy Felicity Lee. He believes it is her addiction that has led to her mutating into a much worse version of his Man bat creature. The pair ends up at a cave where she and her bat colony roost. Using a sonic gun to clear out the bats, they meet up with the Bat Queen, but Kirk drops the counter-serum. With no other choice, he transforms and attacks her. But Batman had actually injected Kirk with the serum, knowing his fangs could puncture her skin, forcing her to return to human form but leaving Kirk permanently as a Man Bat. Both end up in Arkham Asylum. Returning to Wayne Manor, Bruce learns that his partner, Catwoman, is unhappy to be left behind on this last mission. This last panel leads into next issue's anniversary issue as we learn this story takes place in the altered reality of Gothtopia. 

Yeah...that last panel means a whole lot as we see a Catwoman who looks like a cross between the feline crook and Robin. And just who is under that mask? I found this issue provided a new wrap up to the Man bat story and, at the same time, through in this wonderful lead-in for DETECTIVE #27. Could this be Stephanie Brown? John Layman writes a rocking tale that totally cements the former Francine Langstrom into a villain. Couple that with killer art From Aaron Lopresti and Art Thibert and you end up with an issue worth savoring.

EARTH 2 #18: The World Army has been totally dismantled by the new Superman, who has totally decimated the Arkham Command Center and left Commander Khan with a pretty severe wound and the Wonders are trying to figure out how to stop him. He cripples The Flash rather than kill him as he believes that Darkseid might have use for him as a monster. He is also planning on taking both Michael Holt and Terry Sloan, the two smartest people on Earth 2, back to Apokolips.  Meanwhile Batman is in the basement of World Army Headquarters where he is planning to free three specific villains from their stasis tubes and, despite the interference of Red Tornado and Major Sato, he releases Aquawoman. Criminal number two is  Superman's pal, Jimmy Olsen who is part of the group "Accountable": a group of hackers that would release top secret information. Looking at Major Sato's phone, he informs everyone that Parademons are pouring out of the fire pits around the world. Batman decides to go to prisoner #3, The Joker. But he doesn't free him-he kills him.

And of course the mysteries in this title continue. Who is Superman and how did he get powered by Omega Beams? Who is the new Batman, who apparently has never heard of a razor. Now that Lois Lane is Red Tornado, can we call her Lois Tornado. Who is Aquawoman and why is she a dangerous prisoner? Will Flash ever be able to run again now that Superman has shattered his ankle? Tom Taylor has done an awesome job of taking up where James Robinson and, in my opinion, has made it fun again. Penciller Nicola Scott and inker Trevor Scott combine for some of the coolest art in the NEW 52-stuff that reminds me of the old JSA series in the OLD DCU. My faith in this title has been restored again!

GREEN ARROW #26: Green Arrow has finally recovered from the attack he suffered at the hands of Count Vertigo. Shado suggests they go back to the island where Oliver spent so many years. Oliver disagrees, thinking it's more important to find Komodo, who is still on the loose with Shado's daughter and Oliver's half-sister. Henry Fyff thinks Oliver should try to handle Richard Dragon's play for the underworld of Seattle. Naomi Singh warns not to trust Shado. Later, Oillie and Shado steal a helicopter from A.R.G.U.S. and head to the island. On arrival, Oliver brings his bow and arrows. Arriving at their destination, Shado has him fire an explosive-tipped arrow at a rock face, which reveals a cave where the arrow rests. Meanwhile, in Prague, Golgotha, the head of the Outsiders, warns that he needs to run Stellmoor Industries. They have already sent Kodiak and the Shield Clan to kill Shado and Oliver Queen. Back in America, at Arizona's Black Mesa, John Butcher meets with Magus, who claims it is time to unite the rogue clans.

So between a very cool television show and this comic, the Emerald Archer is back in the spotlight in a big way. Thank you Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino for making this guy, this Hal Jordan wanna be, cool again. And really, that is what this feels like I the NEW 52. Hal has become more of the egotistical semi-playboy that, as each issue of Robert Venditti's run goes on, I begin to hate him as a character. But Ollie is finally left that behind and is finally starting to become more of his old self, regarding what is important in the world. The Outsiders are coming and I'm sure there will be more than one surprise before this run is done.

GREEN LANTERN #26: Last issue, Hal Jordan decided to go after rogue Spectrum Users, starting with a Star Sapphire named PB Anj. Unfortunately, it didn't go well and he and Kilowog are surrounded by tons of supporters with lasers. Hal calls for back-up, calling for the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. In the process of the battle, Hal beats up one of the Braidmen, right in front of the guy's kid. The rest of the planet's civilians begin attacking Hal and Kilowog, but the rest of the Corps arrives, even having difficulty stopping the attackers. Granack, PB Anj's head Braidman and all of his men decide to surrender if PB Anj is allowed to go free. Hal agrees, but forces her to give up her Star Sapphire ring. Her response is that she is going to tell the entire universe that the Green Lantern Corps are destroying the universe by using their rings. After the Lanterns leave, the child reveals he is a Durlan and that their plan is going better than expected.

Robert Venditti and Billy Tan continue to drive this title downwards! The story is lame, the whole concept of draining the spectrum and putting the Lanterns in charge of going after violators is only going to backfire on them. I cannot totally blame Venditti for this as it was the LIGHTS OUT storyline that put all this into play. But I am so tired of Hal being the sheriff who can't shoot straight as he repeatedly fails at trying to run the Corps. Maybe we should draft Guy Gardner from the Red Lanterns and give him a shot.

GREEN TEAM #7: With JP now a werewolf, it seems that the Green Team's Techno Discs can actually change a person's DNA. Bellacheck teases a grief stricken JP, who just watched Cecilia die, into attacking Commodore. LL steps in and it looks like JP is going to attack her until Mohammed fires off his own charged power, stunning JP. LL and Mo share a kiss as JP recovers and attacks again, only to be stopped by Commodore. Then Cecilia reappears and calms her lover down, who turns back to normal. Bellacheck's soldiers show up and prepare to kill the team, but Commodore talks them out of it, insisting that their boss would probably want to see the resurrected Cecilia. Bellachek Temple is less than pleased and he kills those men who disobeyed orders. The Green Team arrives for their final battle with Temple when they learn that Daddy has been pulling his strings all along.

This is the penultimate issue by Art Baltazar, Franco and Ig Guara. That is about all I got here. I was so optimistic for this book but it never so much as took off or caught fire. In fact, in most cases, it made little or no sense. I hope that issue #8 wraps everything up and we never sees these characters again. They were uninteresting from the start and uninteresting at the end.
 
HARLEY QUINN #1: Last issue Harley got a new home left to her after an issue filled with funny vignettes by a whole bunch of cool artists. Harley packs all her belongings on a motorcycle and heads off to New York. On her way, she saves a wiener dog from his owner, and gets attacked by an assassin, who has his head lopped off by Harley's hammer. When she arrives at her new place, she meets Big Tony who shows her around the building. While they are at it, they meet Queenie. The lawyer who gave Harley the building, Robert Coachman, shows up and explains that she has got a whole floor to herself, along with roof access. The bad news is that the tenants rent only covers half the expenses, so Harley needs a job. She puts on makeup and a wig, goes job hunting, interviewing for a therapist position by day, and gets a weekend job in the roller derby. Later, while relaxing on the roof Tony saves her life from an assassin with a katana. She finds a Wanted poster showing that someone has put a hit on Harley's head.

Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti turn out an interesting story here that does a nice job of setting up the supporting cast for Harley's new adventures. And Chad Hardin rocks it in the art department. Now, my only question is how all of this ties into continuity within SUICIDE SQUAD. Yeah, I know: it's a comic and you need to suspend disbelief. By the way, it's a bunch of fun under a great looking Amanda Conner cover.

JUSTICE LEAGUE 3000 #1:It's the early part of the 31st century and Ariel Masters is being hunted. Meanwhile, on Cadmusworld, teen industrialists Teri and her twin brother Terry, better known as the Wonder Twins, discuss the new Justice League and also contemplate killing masters, who created the project. There is Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and Green Lantern: recreated from cell samples kept for 1000 years by Project Cadmus. Although it is Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince, Barry Allen and Hal Jordan, there are problems here. Batman and Superman hate each other. Wonder Woman represents the Amazonian ideal in its’ purest form of anger, causing. The Flash to have great anxiety. And the Green Lantern? He can’t control the green energy like he once did.

Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis do an interesting job with this unusual turn on the classic superhero team. I read it FOUR times, just because A) it’s Giffen and sometimes with his work, you need to read him multiple times and B) I wanted to make sure we were talking clones and not 1000 year old Justice League heroes. Although, with time shifts, alternate realities and alternate Earths, it could be possible. So, it’s a fun read, once you figure out what’s going on. I especially love the Wonder Twins reference. Regarding the art, I have never been a huge Howard Porter fan, but this is his usual good work...if you like his style. So, I will at least give this a shot for the first few issues to see where it is going. For now, it does not annoy me or make me want to throw up, so it’s an approved read!

FOREVER EVIL MONTH 3

FOREVER EVIL #4: Blindfolded so as not to discover his secret identity, Batman has brought Catwoman to the Batcave to help him. All of his vehicles have been compromised by Grid's attack on the computers of the world, so they need to discover some other means of transportation. He shows her the set of cases with the means to take down a rogue Justice League: A Kryptonite stone, a Sinestro Ring, a lightning rod from the future and a Mother Box. He doesn't open the Aquaman case, as Earth 3's Aquaman died before he arrived. Wonder Woman's case is empty as he admits he has never found a weapon to stop her. But he knows that the other weapons should help Grid hears everything through the Batcave's security system. Meanwhile, Black Manta, Captain Cold and Bizarro watch Lex Luthor restart Black Adam's heart using his power-armor's electrical attack. Luthor has presumed that Ultraman's biology is the reverse of Superman's, as he eats Kryptonite and avoids sunlight. Speaking of which, Metallo is attacked by Ultraman, who rips the Kryptonite out of his chest and kills him. Super-Woman arrives and warns of the upcoming coup by Owlman. He also realizes she is with child. Over in Central City, Power Ring needs to recharge his ring, but is afraid it will hurt. He contacts Grid, demanding he send reinforcements. Grid cuts the connection. Luthor's group punches their way into a Wayne Enterprises strong room and run into Batman and Catwoman. Suddenly Power Ring members of  the Secret Society attack them Batman pulls out the Sinestro Corps ring, which is quickly broken by Power Ring, bragging the a yellow ring is no match for him. That is when Sinestro arrives.

Geoff Johns and David Finch continue to create the epic that is supposed to leave lasting repercussions throughout the NEW 52 DCU. For my money, I find this more satisfying than Marvel's most recent effort. While the issues of fitting within a timeline DO have me scratching my head, I am totally enjoying the pace and the story. And Finch' art is top notch!

FOREVER EVIL: A.R.G.U.S. #3: Steve Trevor has sent the President and Etta Candy to The Green Room. Dr. Light has returned, but only briefly. We flashback to five years ago when Steve and Diana were still together and he was telling her that he would be working with a new agency called A.R.G.U.S. But it’s only a vision being presented to him by the witches. After some negotiation, they send him to find Martin Stein, who is being attacked by Killer Frost. Steve and she brawl and Stein shoots her in the stomach with a shotgun. Frost needs Firestorm’s help. Firestorm is trapped by Deathstorm, who is trying to convince him to teach him how to make Kryptonite. Meanwhile, Doctor Light appears in Los Angeles by The Crimson Men? Oh yeah: Etta discovers that the keeper of The Green Room is a founding member of A.R.G.U.S. who is going to explain all over a cup of tea…next issue.

This is the weakest of the three mini-series as Sterling Gates and Neil Edwards try to turn Steve Trevor into a super hero and it just doesn’t work. I didn’t think it worked when he was in TEAM 7 and doing the same bad James Bond bit. No blame to either Gates and Edwards. Someone at DC decided that this is Trevor’s lot in life. I like him better as a military man in an office who would get in trouble and get saved by Wonder Woman.

FOREVER EVIL: ARKHAM WAR #3: Gotham City has been totally overrun as the inmates of Arkham Asylum are battling those of Blackgate, who has a leader in Bane. The Arkham crew have stolen the Court of Owls' Talons. Bane brings Ignatius Ogilvy to the Penguin to get him to reveal the location of his Talons. Penguin tells him that Scarecrow was responsible for the kidnapping and will soon be back at Wayne Tower. Killer Croc has led his group into Wayne Tower, but Bane, dressed in a Batman cowl, intervenes and after many minutes of battle, Killer Croc is thrown from the tower.

Peter J. Tomasi and Scot Eaton continue their chapter of this mini-series within a series. And this time around it’s all about how nasty Bane is. C’mon: he goes toe to toe with killer Croc and tosses him out of the top of Wayne Tower? That’s one mean and nasty hombre! So now he hunts for his Talons and this war just gets bigger and badder. This is truly my favorite of the mini-series so far.

FOREVER EVIL: ROGUES REBELLION  #3: The Rogues arrived in Gotham City and are trapped in Poison Ivy’s vines in Robinson Park. Ivy recognizes the Rogues but has no interest in the bounty on their heads. She would rather make use of their abilities. While the other Rogues try different tactics to get free, she kisses and poisons Trickster, explaining he will die if they don’t help her. She only wants Weather Wizard to make the sun shine so her flowers will grow, but he can’t control that. Mirror Master hope to find a Wayne Tech Fabricators warehouse so he can rebuild his Mirror Gun and use a series of mirrors to project the sun down on the garden. During their search, Sam and Mick find a pale woman with two little girls, who turns out to be the Ventriloquist and two of her dummies. They find the Wayne Tech warehouse and begin collecting the parts Sam needs. While there, they are attacked by the Man-Bats and Sam gets the great idea to trap them in Mirror World. They return to Ivy, telling her to cure Axel before he helps her. She does and he wraps himself with vines, but they snap and Axel leaps in after him, to save him. A Man-Bat swoops down and attacks Weather Wizard, causing the others to give chase. Mick, enraged, warns that if Ivy tries to come after them, he will burn her garden to the ground, while the others chase after the Man-Bat and Marco, who crash into a wall of ice. Unfortunately for them, it’s not Captain Cold-it’s Mister Freeze

Brian Buccellato knows a little something about Rogues and therefore this series is a really fun success. Toss in the art of Scott Hepburn and you have a winner. I love the Rogues and they really need to have their own series. But how do you make a series out of villains that are fan favorites? Oh yeah: CATWOMAN, PUNISHER…Sorry, forgot there. Anyway, this series is a blast and I can’t wait to see where are villains with hearts end up.

DC's NEW 52, Month 25, Part 2

HARLEY QUINN #0: Harley wonders what life would be like if she was in a comic book and she dreams that Jimmy Palmiotti, who writes about cowboys, and Amanda Conner, who draws “big boobs”, wrote her tale. From here, a bevy of artists take her on a wild ride. Becky Cloonan makes her a rock star. The audience hates it and she shoots her own band to death. Tony Daniel makes her into a giant robot and she eats Citi Field. Stephane Roux has her fighting crime on the back of a dolphin, where she saves a group of muscle-men from Spanish pirates. Dan Panosian does a MAD MEN take with Harley as a hot secretary. She learns that the office boss is the Joker, which gets her too excited for T RATED book. Walt Simonson steps in to make her a crazy ninja. Jim Lee is next, but it is a modified reprint of an earlier Lee work. She gets treated to a dose of Bruce Timm and, naked in a church, gives her classic line: "Aw, c'mon puddin', don'tcha wanna rev up your Harley?!" Charlie Adlard lets her get mocked by her soccer team, so she pulls out a gun and murders them. Adam Hughes gives her blue pencil roughs and one killer image, but she rejects him because he can’t keep a monthly schedule. Next is Art Baltazar and she smashes all of his Tiny Titans with an over-sized hammer. Tradd Moore gives her and Poison Ivy the THELMA AND LOUISE treatment and Dave Johnson lightens the drama up by having the car crash through the Hollywood sign. A newcomer, Jeremy Roberts, places her in a series of suicidal situations, which makes her move on to Sam Kieth. He puts her in a swamp, where the Joker is a monster who tries to eat her. Darwyn Cooke arrives to have her and Catwoman rob Amanda and Jimmy at their own wedding. Harley wakes and gets blown up by a bomb in a box of old comics. She sees an open book and decides that is the artist for her: Chad Hardin. A car pulls up and informs her that the will of an anonymous benefactor has given her a four-story property on Coney Island.

This is a weird introduction to a book that could be a shining star in the NEW 52 Universe. Will it be funny or serious? Find out next month!

JUSTICE LEAGUE #25: Thirty years ago, Thomas Wayne Jr. murdered his parents and Alfred killed his younger brother Bruce. Moving forward to today, we see Eel O’Brien and fellow Gotham gangsters gathered and taking a beating from Owlman, with O’Brien getting shot and ending up becoming altered by chemicals he gets doused in. When all is said and done, only Frank Bertinelli remains and he is told that Owlman now runs organized crime. We learn of the Flying Grayson disaster on Earth 3: where John Grayson murdered Anthony Zucco and forced the circus acts into following him. Until the night Dick Grayson’s parents and sister were murdered by Thomas Wayne Jr. Back on this world, Owlman tells his tale to Dick Grayson and explains that the Society has blown up his apartment in Chicago and begun hunting his friends. He convinces Grayson to join him to fight the Crime Syndicate. Unfortunately, Superwoman has heard the whole thing.

Geoff Johns is a mastermind! He gives us the life story of Owlman, complete with how the corrupt Grayson family, including a sister we never knew about in our world, was murdered by him. And then he tries to and apparently succeeds in convincing Nightwing to be his new boy. And, if that were not truly enough, we get the first appearance of Eel O’Brien and apparent origin of the Once and Future Plastic Man. Throw in some awesome art by the always dependable Doug Mahnke and this is a winner. Forget the much heralded launch of this title with Jim Lee. This book is light years away from where his issues were, both in style and content!

JUSTICE LEAGE DARK #25: John Constantine gets a visit from the Nightmare Nurse, who brought him her own version of Swamp Thing, which gives birth to a very pissed off original Swamp Thing. Despite that, Alec Holland knows he is needed to help fight the Crime Syndicate. The trio begins the spells they need to find Zatanna and the rest of the Justice Leagues. John decides they need to use the Nurse’s potions to kill evil, which is magnifying exponentially in everyone. The trio enters the human psyche, and encounters being called a blight, that is the disease that is making mankind adore the darkness within them. It reduces Alec Holland back to the man he is beneath the green. It fills Nightmare Nurse with the disease she swore to fight. John is unaffected as he embraces the darkness. He grabs the others and runs. They return to the House of Mystery, where John enters one of the mansion's doors only to emerge twelve hours later, naked and bloodied. The blight can only be defeated by the Trinity of Sin. Meanwhile Cassandra Craft is kidnapped by a gang of Demons that spring up from beneath the floor of her shop.

J. M. DeMatteis chips in and provides another chapter in the epic FOREVER EVIL crossover and this one is a weird one. So, I am to believe that all mankind is evil and this thing called the blight is responsible, only it has been amped up by recent events. Yeah…not quite totally buying that. However, it was a fun read and Mikel Janin’s artwork blew me away, with Nightmare Nurse looking extremely hot. Yeah, I know: she’s a comic character. But she is totally brought to seductive life by Janin and by inkers Guillermo Ortego and Cifuentes. So, it comes down to an issue that looked better than it actually read. But that’s okay, as this book has been pretty consistent through it’s run thus far.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #9: Martian Manhunter has learned that their prison is their own weaknesses. Green Lantern fears the world hates him because he is a Muslim. He finds Madame Xanadu and she has been using dark magic to try and get free with no avail. Aquaman is faced with visions of polluted oceans and threatens anything on two legs. Stargirl decides she must follow after him. She finds Wonder Woman who recognizes her and protects her from the demons threatening her, giving her time to move on, stopping briefly to watch Shazam take joy in destroying everything. J'onn J’onzz final prison is his own and it’s a world full of fire where he has a double who taunts him. Stargirl arrives at J'onn's prison and manages to free him with the use of her staff. She makes her way out of this illusionary prison but does so alone as J'onn is in her head only. Unfortunately, Deathstroke and the Secret Society are here to greet her.

Wow, that Deathstroke sure gets around a lot no that he has no title to work with. That having been said, it sure looks like the youngest member of the group turned out to be the smartest! However she is finding herself in a bit of a bind and is about to be captured by the one eyed bad guy and company.  Matt Kindt and Tom Derenick do a nice job with this tale as we all wonder how the most powerful heroes in the world are going to get their minds free and their bodies with it. This is another cool chapter in the ongoing FOREVER EVIL saga and one I am really enjoying.

THE MOVEMENT #6: Kartharsis finds Tremor allowing the Movement's prisoners to escape and is convinced she is a traitor. A fight breaks out that only Virtue manages to stop by threatening to kick both members out of the group. Burden is still suffering from his demon and the Cornea Killer is still on the loose. Virtue orders Katharsis and Tremor talk out their problems over ice cream at Calvin's. As they prepare for Burden’s exorcism, Virtue tells Vengeance Moth that the whole thing is a fake exorcism and prepares to use vitamin water and manages to absorb his energy, exorcising him of his fear. Meanwhile, Officers Whitt and Peña continue their race to freedom. Mouse has encountered the Cornea Killer, who is really the son of James Cannon. He has brought a gang of super-villains-for-hire with him called the Graveyard Faction. Meanwhile, Katharsis and Tremor come to a truce over ice cream. As they leave Calvin's, they discover that Mouse's beaten body has been hanging from a nearby lamppost.

I still don’t know how this book survives each month. The story by Gail Simone is non a true superhero tale and the art by Freddie Williams II is nothing to jump up and down about. But somehow, the title drags me in each month and makes me come back next month just to see what Simone has planned.  Six issues in and still playing with plot threads dating back to issue #1.

NIGHTWING #25: It’s ZERO YEAR and Gotham is blacked out. Two hours earlier, Dick Grayson had been showing off on the trapeze to impress Raya Vestri. After a difficult maneuver, Dick's father scolded him and forbid him from going to the movies alone in an evil place like Gotham City. But he went and when the power went out, Dick got trampled. When he woke, three people were over him and agreed to help Dick find his way back to the circus. Dick’s family found themselves concerned about him being missing, but felt it wouldn’t be safe to search for him in the dark. As the trio headed through Gotham, a patient who had escaped from Gotham General Hospital attacked them.  Eventually the foursome became a trio, carrying one of the youth’s who had been injured by the hospital patient. Eventually, the patient caught up with them, but fell from a rooftop while chasing Dick. Dick and his new friends found their way back to the circus, where one boy, CJ, who had left the injured Josh behind to die, was picked up by his father-Sal Maroni. Dick got ground by his mother for his trouble and he decided that Raya, Raymond and he should wear matching costumes so they could be a team.

This was not one of Kyle Higgins’ best stories. Sure, it taught Dick a lesson and proved to be interesting as to the Raya, Raymond and Dick team and what would later become of them. But the whole ESCAPE FROM GOTHAM CITY story was long and not interesting, basically because I didn’t care for the three kids. And finding out one of them was Sal Maroni’s son was even less of a thriller. We do get nice art from Will Conrad and know that starting with the net issue, the repercussions of FOREVER EVIL should be felt.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #25: It’s ZERO YEAR and super-storm Rene is bearing down on a blacked out Gotham City and Jason Todd is out in the streets fighting for food for himself and his drug addicted mother. His friend Chris arrives saying he found the dead bodies of two members of the Red Hood Gang and then suggest the two take the masks and infiltrate a revival of the gang, while a disfigured person watches from the shadows. Despite his uncertainty, Jason puts on a mask and tries to defend a woman in the midst of a fight. Introducing himself as Red Hood #4, she takes him to watch as she practiced a strike that she had been taught by Ducra of the All-Caste. Outside the meeting, Jason, who had been knocked out by the woman to protect him,  was awakened by a man whose face was covered in bloodied bandages. Jason got away even as the man warned he would get them all. Jason entered and saw the woman in danger and allowed her to decapitate her enemy. They escape as the disfigured man set the building on fire, burning his old gang alive. Outside, Jason gave the mask back to Chris saying he didn’t want to be a Red Hood. Later, Talia al Ghul reunited with her father.

Thank you James Tynion IV for going back to a scene from DEATH OF THE FAMILY where the Joker told Jason Todd that he was responsible for his origin. So, I guess this is the proof. No kids: all of you who thought that the bandaged man was Hush-you are wrong. It was the Joker and he DID kill off his entire gang. I love Tynion’s writing style and would love to read his TALON, except I really don’t like the character. Jeremy Haun provides some nice art for this tale and it’s also notable to see Talia reunited with her father. It is a nice foreshadow of things to come.

RED LANTERNS #25: Guy Gardner tells Rankorr about the various Space Sectors that the Guardians set up and how they are in charge of Earth’s Sector 2814. Meanwhile out in Sector 1107, Dex-Starr and Atrocitus are hunting the Red Rings Atrocitus sent out to find new recruits. One of them chose Itro, who begins the issue by destroying Goswam on the planet Shoum. The Lanterns go to the planet Kormoraz to take out the dictator there named Gensui. Rankorr creates an illusion to look like Barg: a pirate who is friends with Gensui. The idea is to make him surrender. Unfortunately, Barg has been on the planet the entire time.

So, just when I thought this would be a bold new era for RED LANTERNS, this issue comes along and limps on through. Why would the Red Lanterns go to the planet Kormoraz to impress the people of Earth Sector 2814. No one on Earth cares about Kormoraz. Charles Soule writes an extremely confusing tale that has no bite, but bites! Alessandro Vitti’s art is as nice as always, but can’t seem to save this boring tale.

SUICIDE SQUAD #25: The Thinker has been promised to have his body restored to it’s proper age once he delivers OMAC to the Crime Syndicate and has used a hologram of Amanda Waller to recruit Power Girl, Steel, and Warrant his Suicide Squad and have them destroy the “real” Squad. The two teams meet and battle and realize they have been duped. As both teams debate this, Harley Quinn, who has been recruited by the Syndicate, escapes with OMAC. Meanwhile, back at what is left of Belle Reve, the real Amanda Waller, who now has an explosive device attached to her neck, decides she must go to Level 7 of the prison. If The Thinker dies, she dies. If she leaves the prison, she also dies. She opens the final door, just as King Shark finds them. He has been told by The Thinker to find her and eat her. James Gordon Jr. tells Shark that The Thinker's promises about King Shark's father were lies and the only person who knows the truth is Waller. Waller approaches the door to Project Y and decides that, of all the evil things she has done, this one will be the one that kills her.

Matt Kindt does the best he can with having to step away from his regular plot and delve into FOREVER EVIL. It’s an okay story, but not great. Sure, we get to see OMAC again, a character I really miss and had wished that his series had continued. And we get to see the lower level of Belle Reve and get ready to learn about Project Y. But that doesn’t satisfy my appetite for action and this issue lacks it. Patrick Zircher gives us some great looking art, as always and the cover by Gary Frank and Brad Anderson is spectacular. I just wish the rest of the book was as spectacular. Here is what I have found about FOREVER EVIL: either the interconnecting stories are really good or really lame. unfortunately, this is one of the lame ones.

SUPERMAN #25: In the conclusion of KRYPTON RETURNS, Supergirl, Superboy and Superman exist in three different eras of Krypton. At Argo City, a few days before Krypton's destruction, Superboy has protected Kara Zor-El from H'El, who he defeats in combat. He erases Kara’s memories of him so, when they meet in modern time, she won’t remember him. At the same time, in the city of Kryptonopolis, months before Krypton's destruction, Superman meets Jor-El, who has come from an alternate future where Krypton never died. He sent  Kal-El to Earth and was imprisoned and sentenced to hard labor because his warnings were false. Superman and Jor-El go to the research center to try and reach the planet's core and stop H'El once and for all, by destroying Krypton. Meanwhile, in Valley of Wartros, Supergirl and the clones have also defeated H'El, who commits suicide and disappears. At Krypton's core, Superman and Jor-El battle H'El, who has his essence dispersed across space and time. Superboy uses his powers to throw the entire city of Argo into space. Superboy dies a hero as Krypton explodes. In the present, Superman and Supergirl reunite as the Oracle informs them of Superboy's death.

So, does this mean Superboy’s comic gets cancelled? I mean, we killed off Superboy AGAIN(think of how many times and how many different Superboy’s in the OLD DCU got offed) and I don’t care because I’m not reading the book. After all, he can be cloned anew. Scott Lobdell concludes a story I didn’t follow because I didn’t care. And I still don’t particularly like Kenneth Rocafort’s art. Well, now that this silly crossover is done, can we get back to business. After all, how many Superman titles DO we really need? I just want one good one that doesn’t suck!

SWAMP THING #25: Swamp Thing is preparing to battle the Seeder. Wolf, a former avatar of The Green explains the rules of the contest. Neither may bring anything into the arena to use as a weapon and neither can leave the arena. Woodrue and Alec battle, with Woodrue making use of his special seeds and eventually causes Alec to concede defeat. Woodrue opens a doorway out of the arena and his walking stick sprouts legs, dragging Alec out of the doorway. He ends up on a dead planet and will probably die there. As he proudly announces that he has beaten the Parliament of Trees' champion, Woodrue demands the power due an Avatar. Suddenly, the vegetation around him takes the form of the Swamp Thing. The Green demands he kills the challenger because he knows too many secrets of the Green. He refuses, pulling off his own leg to keep himself from crushing Woodrue with it. Suddenly he feels the Green pulling away and they tell him his service as Avatar has ended. As he dries up and rots, Woodrue is named the new Avatar of the Green.

Is this where the title of the book becomes THE ADVENTURES OF THE FLORONIC MAN? Jason Woodrue is now the Avatar of the Green, thanks to Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz. And Alec Holland has dried up and is going to the place where all Avatars end up to live out his existence. This is a great story with some interesting twists. of course, I want to know WHERE this sits in regards to everything else happening in the NEW DC Universe. Does this occur before or AFTER the whole FOREVER EVIL thing? Honestly, DC Editorial: we need a timeline or something.

TRINITY OF SIN: PANDORA #5: Pandora is at the downed Justice League Satellite and corners The Outsider,demanding to know how to reopen the gate. He tells her all a out her and says that she didn’t open the box, it opened on its’ own. The bigger question should have been who made the boxes and why did one end up here? Before she gets a true answer, the Grid becomes aware of presence and she flees. Meanwhile, Marcus Severin tries to hack the device to make it work again. Pandora soon finds herself transported to the Rock of Eternity, where she finds John Constantine, Swamp Thing, and the Nightmare Nurse. She is chained to the Rock along with Phantom Stranger and The Question. Constantine explains that he has brought them together to kill evil.

So, this tale gets a bit confusing because it ties together with JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK and THE PHANTOM STRANGER. So, if you’re not reading those titles, you will be lost. In a nutshell, Ray Fawkes and Francis Portela will have to have the Trinity of Sin help destroy the Crime Syndicate by trying to eliminate evil. Will it work? Bet it don’t otherwise there would be no need for superheroes to fight evil ever again. Stay tuned…

TRINITY OF SIN: PHANTOM STRANGER #13: Last issue, Sineater and Natas burned down his house. This issue, Zauriel shows up and reminds The Phantom Stranger that he has Doctor Light’s power within him and he is supposed to return it to Doctor Light’s wife. He delivers the power, which takes the form of Arthur Light and kisses his wife. This task down, he visits The Question who wants to know what sin he committed to be one of the Trinity of Sin. Eventually, he is captured by John Constantine and transported to The Rock of Eternity, where Pandora and The Question await. Constantine is seeking a favor.

Let’s begin by saying that this issue features a stunning cover from Guillem March. J.M. DeMatteis writes a super boring story this issue as the bits and pieces from the last storyline intersect with the whole FOREVER EVIL story and we end up with a bit of a major mess. The Stranger mourns the loss of his family, which isn’t really HIS to mourn. Then we have a very long dialogue between The Question and The Stranger that just drags. Finally, the full Trinity of Sin end up together chained to the Rock of Eternity so Constatine can drag them into battle with the Crime Syndicate. The highlight of this mess is Fernando Blanco’s art which keeps this thing from being a total disaster.

WONDER WOMAN #25: We begin with Strife paying Hephaestus to create a weapon so she can kill Wonder Woman. Meanwhile, Cassandra has captured the seer Milan in order so she can find Zeke and the First Born. In London, Wonder Woman and her crew are amused at how poorly Hermes is trying to discretely watch Zeke. Orion arrives and attacks Hermes, which is halted when Strife shows up in funeral attire, as she is grieving for War. She offers gifts to the group. She gives Hera back her cloak. She gives Diana War's helmet and that the murderer should get the spoils. Milan’s half-sister Siraca travels there and asks for Wonder Woman’s help. Orion heads off and Diana asks Hermes to get her to Chernobyl, which leaves Strife watching Zeke and company. Meanwhile, up on Mount Olympus, Apollo and Dionysus torture the First Born by eating his internal organs while he still lives.

Brian Azzarello does it again by making this the most dysfunctional family in all of comics. This is like MARRIED WITH CHILDREN on Olympus! These are some of the wildest characterizations, complete with Apollo and Dio feasting on a still living First Born. Gordan Sudzuka does his best Cliff Chiang imitation and, to be honest, it’s pretty darned good! This is a fun book-will someone listen to me? BUY THIS SUCKER!!!

WORLD’S FINEST #17: While her powers are down, Karen tries to get a tattoo, but her skin is still impervious to the needle of the tattoo artist. So she drops 10 million and charters a shuttle into space to do some outer space sunbathing. But it overcharges her body and she drops through Earth’s atmosphere and sends a message to Helena top save her. Helena is still seeking the arsonist that had been causing havoc as of late, but fails again to stop her. But the NYPD do and she uses her shadow-arms to attack them, almost killing them until Helena saves them with an arrow shot.  Suddenly Karen crashes into the bridge and ends up in the water below. Helena dives in to save her as the arsonist turns her attention back to the police. For Karen, her powers are totally out of control.

Can we get this whole out of control powers thing over with? The story is going on too long and, between that and Helena chasing Shadow Thief, this is getting to have as much estrogen fueled drama as BIRDS OF PREY. Kudos to Paul Levitz for coming up with the Karen Starr goes sunbathing in space plot, which was mildly amusing! And, as always, we get nice work from artist R. B. Silva. Once again, this title is hit or miss, depending on the issue. This one is a bit of a miss.

DC'S NEW 52, Month 25, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #25: It’s prior to ZERO YEAR and we see Lana Lang leaving Smallville and Clark Kent behind. Four years go by and later, Clark has moved to Metropolis and has become Superman. We see him defeating a group of cultists who were going to sacrifice illegal immigrants to gods from the Fifth Dimension. Afterwards, he sees a news report about a super storm aiming towards Gotham City and decides to go there an lend a hand. Lana has become an electrical engineer working on a cargo vessel that is in the middle of the storm. Most of the workers are evacuated but she and a few of her co-workers stay. Superman arrives in time to try to keep a another ship from striking Lana’s. Lana is confused as to why there was no crash, but the captain congratulates her on a good work. Meanwhile, Superman goes to the shore and helps a man asks him to build a refuge. In the back-up, Clark realizes his talent allows him to hear every problem in Metropolis and around the world, but also knows he can’t solve every problem.So he decides to do small things to help people out unless there is a major crisis. Then he hears something underground. In Venezuela, Lana is working in a construction site when tremors cause a large creature to emerge.

An average issue here as Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder continue to pave new and better ground than their predecessors did. Set in the past, it is nice to see where Lana’s life took her after leaving Smallville. The back-up by Pak and Scott McDaniel, with a final page by Kuder, sets up the next storyline where, I imagine, we will get to see Lana and Clark reunited once more.

ALL STAR WESTERN #25: At the Burning Man Festival, Hex and Gina discover that the attendees had been replaced by demons called Ki'yathe. Constantine arrives and says this is just the beginning as a greater demon is coming. Constantine gets captured by it and hex intervenes, leading the demon to grab hex and discover exactly who and what Jonah Hex is. Constantine shoves the Anniquis into its back, capturing the demon within the knife. Constantine deduces that a Jonah has a former angel watching over him. after having some drinks, Jonah  wonders if Constantine can use his magic to send him back to his original time. john says it may be tough, but he needs the House of Secrets to do so. Gina, having grown attached to Jonah, wishes to come with him and Hex reluctantly agrees. As the pair go off into the bushes to have sex, the Swamp Thing arrives, unsure of whether he can help or not. Suddenly, an alien flower from sprouts within his body and he tells Jonah and Gina to flee or they will become victims too.

Hey, it’s another kick-ass issue from that kick-ass team of Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Moritat. Jonah and his new lady get busy and up pops…Swamp thing? Now, which Swamp Thing is this and when? Keep reading and you will understand! Anyway, this tale has taken so many twists and turns. We went from Jonah and Booster fighting crime in the Old West to Jonah coming to the present, dealing with Bruce Wayne and now he finds himself yearning to go home and needs to House of Secrets to do it. This is an awesome series and I am SO HAPPY that we have lost the back-ups tales.

ANIMAL MAN #25: When we last saw our hero, the Church of Blood had taken the Hollywood Screen Awards. Their demands were simple: Animal Man give himself up or the audience will die. Buddy and Ellen leave their home and head there in the hopes to stop this and save Maxine, who is in The Red, running from Brother Blood. As Buddy and Ellen land at the Hollywood Palace, the skies begin raining blood. Once inside, Buddy battles Clinton Hogue while Ellen has her own battle with a cultist, who she knocks out with Buddy's winning trophy for Best Actor. Hogue orders all the cultists to slit their own throats, surviving in spirit form once dead. The Church of Blood is trying to gain followers who witness this miracle on live television. As badly as Buddy wants to kill Hogue, Ellen convinces him not to make him a martyr. Suddenly, Buddy disappears and is transported to another planet.

Well, it’s nice to know after all he has been through, and is going through, Buddy Baker wins the Best Actor award for his role in TIGHTS! Jeff Lemire and Rafael Albuquerque do a great job of leading us down this twisted road as Brother Blood and his cultists use television to get the message across. What was it that Marshall McLuhan once said: The medium IS the message. Enjoy the title while you can as DC has announced it's cancellation.

AQUAMAN#25: Arthur and Vulko head to the coast of Spain, where they find an abandoned shipwreck and take the scepter of the Dead King. Aquaman plans to control the Trench and defeat the Dead King. Back in Atlantis, the Dead King, whose given name is Atlan, has commanded Nereus to search for the other sea kingdoms he founded or he shall kill Mera or any other Atlanteans loyal to Arthur. Nereus visits Mera and says he will release her if she marries him, but she refuses. Just then, Arthur and the Trench attack Atlantis, freeing Mera and the other Atlanteans. Tula, Mera and Swatt apologize for attempting to free Orm and bow to their king. Atlan stabs Arthur with the trident, but the Atlanteans along with the Trench, defend him. Arthur kills Atlan and destroys the scepter. He decides to become the king again but Mera leaves him, going to Amnesty Bay to consider her decision. Later, she returns and they become the king and queen of Atlantis once again. Meanwhile, Orm has decided to live in peace in Louisiana. That is until Nereus finds him and tells him he discovered the other four kingdoms.

Geoff Johns and Paul Pelletier bring this epic tale to a dramatic conclusion with Atlan being killed by Arthur, who rightfully ascends again to the throne of Atlantis with his wife by his side. This is a nice little ending that ties up loose threads and introduces potentially others as Orm may or may not turn villain again. It’s a perfect jumping off point for some and will lead to next issue being a perfect jumping on point for others. Nice job, gentlemen!

BATGIRL #25: Back in the days of ZERO YEAR, Barbara Gordon has been out gathering supplies for her family as the super storm approaches Gotham City. But now her father was on his way to G.C.P.D. and she had the responsibility of protecting her home and her younger brother. Soon, she discovers that her home had been declared a possible flood zone and would have to leave. They end up with others at a fire station where she meets a friendly guy named Henry. Soon the windows of the fire station begin to leak and James Jr. realizes the building is flooding. As the building fills, Barbara begins to help people there. Along with Henry, they make a desperate escape to the next building. But, in the process, the hero turned, stealing their packs full of their valuables  and leaving them all to die. Barbara leapt across the building and fought with him, with him eventually falling into the water below. He swam away, promising that he would see her around. The future Batgirl returned to the others and waited for the worst of the storm to come.

I’m pretty ambivalent about this issue. While the writing and art are good, the story does nothing for me. Yawn! Okay-Barbara Gordon learns that nice people will sometimes do anything to save themselves or their family. And we see her as the superhero she eventually becomes. Other than that, Marguerite Bennett and Fernando Pasarin give me nothing great here. Oh, that is except the photo-realistic cover by Alex Garner.

BATMAN #25: The issue begins with G.C.P. D. chasing Batman and, just when they think they have him trapped, his Batmobile attaches to the roof of the tunnel it’s in and speeds away, much to the disgust of Commissioner Loeb. Lt. Jim Gordon reports that the Batman was at the crime scene, but only as an observer. Apparently someone is injecting poison into victims and causing their bones to burst out of their bodies. The current victim, a Doctor Paji was a speculative botanist for Wayne Enterprises. The only witness was a research assistant named Pamela Isley. Meanwhile, Batman has designed a signal jammer that will keep Edward Nygma, the man the newspapers call "The Riddler", from knocking out the grid again once power is restored. He has also isolated formula used to kill Kelver and Paji. It was developed by a former Wayne employee by the name of Dr. Karl Helfern. Whoever is responsible for these murders is being called Dr. Death. Exiting the cave via a well, he is greeted by a curious Lt. Gordon and we learn that he was one of the officers at the scene of the crime when the Waynes died and there are secrets about their death that Bruce doesn't know. Bruce meets with Lucius Fox, who was recently fired by Bruce’s late uncle Philip Kane. He inquires about Dr. Helfern and receives some startling information. The serum was a joint effort between himself and Helfern. At this point, Fox injects Bruce with a syringe and warns that Doctor Death is coming and nobody will be able to stop him. In the back-up, Harper Row and her brother Cullen find a way to chase away the fear in the darkness as their father has left them alone during the blackout.

And this is why BATMAN is probably THE best NEW 52 title on the shelf today! What Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo do is deliver a tale of Batman’s past that is totally filled with hints, tips and Easter Eggs for fans to drool over. Plus, we get the official introduction of Pamela Isley, she who will become Poison Ivy. Dr. Helfern? Helfern? FERN? So totally cool! And just what does Jim Gordon know about the deaths of the Waynes that our boy Bruce doesn’t? While we ARE rewiring history by putting Gordon at the scene of the deaths, it all works. Nygma earns his name from the media, Gordon gets bitten by a bat after being too nosy and Lucius Fox has his bad guy moment. Even the back-up works, painting Harper Row as the heroine she might possibly become.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #25: Erin McKillen is in jail and uses her one phone call to call Bruce Wayne. But Gordon notices a highly corrosive substance is leaking through the ceiling, so he races to the roof to find that half of the Bat-Signal has been corroded away by acid. Two-Face observes from a distance while Batman tells him that she must go through the system and pay for what she did to his wife and to him. Two-Face tosses him a bomb which allows him to get away. It seems that some time ago, Erin had arrived at the Dent’s house and held them hostage. She shoved a letter opener into Gilda's chest, killing her. Harvey shot her accomplices but was eventually knocked unconscious. Back in present day, Wayne met with Erin and we learn that they had spent time in school together, but she really called him to use his connection to Batman Incorporated to protect her from Harvey Dent. he refuses saying that Batman Incorporated. She reminds him that he once had come to her for help in finding Joe Chill-the man who had killed his parents. In Blackgate, Erin is attacked by inmates who Two-Face have demanded kill her. She gets saved by Matches Malone, who acts as her protector and who, by doing so, leads to a riot that allows Matches and McKillen to escape the prison. Malone injects her with a sedative and when she wakes, she is greeted by her old romance and realizes she is in Wayne Manor.

Okay, is it me or does it seem like EVERYONE gets out of Blackgate with relative ease? Maybe THAT is why almost all the guards got killed during FOREVER EVIL!  That having been said, Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason bring us another chapter in the life AFTER DAMIAN of Bruce Wayne, where we learn that McKillen (GREAT NAME!) murdered Gilda Dent with a letter opener! Again, great stuff!  So, for everyone who thought this title was doomed with the death of Robin, you were SO WRONG!!! By the way, rumor has it that the original version of the cover, which shows a close-up of Two-face’s scarred coin, was to have Carrie Kelly’s face on it. Interesting…

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #25: Oswald Cobblepot decides he needs Clayface broken out of Arkham. But Clayface is not too happy, saying he has paid his debt to the Penguin. While Comissioner Gordon wonders why Clayface broke out, Batman arrives to say it was because he lost his audience. Clayface has begun to kidnap people off the street, injected them with a mild version of Joker Toxin that will keep that alive and laughing, and has taken then to an abandoned theatre to watch him perform. Batman has no time to search for all the possible places, so Alfred convinces Black Canary and Condor to lend a hand. batman finally finds the right theater and battles the former actor, knocking him from a catwalk into a vat of chemicals. Canary and Condor arrive, freeing the captives. Batman has devised a special prison for Clayface this time, which is designed to keep him in this time.

This is a nice conclusion to this mini-epic by Gregg Hurwitz and Alex Maleev, as both have turned in some of the best work of their careers. Hurwitz has painted Karlo as a madman but one we feel sympathy for. Maleev has just turned himself loose on this title and I hope he stays with it for some time. This was a title that was floundering for awhile with a rotating cast of creators. But now, with new life, I hope this will be one of the premiere Batman titles.

BATWOMAN #25: With a ZERO YEAR tale, Kate Kane travels to her home town of Gotham for the funeral of her uncle Phillip, killed at the hands of the Red Hood. At the funeral, she is reunited with Alfred Pennyworth and ends up at a reception at Wayne Manor following the burial. On the way there, she hears of impending tropical storm Rene and also learns of the Riddler's attack on Gotham. So big is this event, that members of the Metropolis Police Department, including Maggie Sawyer, have been sent to help GCPD.  At Wayne Manor, Kate  reconnects with Bruce, asking him if he believes the family is cursed. Later, back at her father’s house, she decides to go out and patrol the streets to help maintain the peace. In the process, she ends up in a tussle with a gang of thieves and gets shot in the process. Faking her own death, she beats up the crooks until she has a gun pointed at her by Maggie Sawyer. later, her father takes her home from the hospital and she sleeps as he realizes she was a good soldier.

Here we see the once and future Batwoman and the love of her life in a story which would have been a little different if DC had let the ORIGINAL CREATORS tell the story they wanted to. Instead, we get a tie-in to the ZERO YEAR and a name for the super storm (I think this is the first time I have seen it mentioned as Tropical Storm Rene). Marc Andreyko tells a nice story about a homecoming and a hero and allows the two future lovers to meet. Art from the combined efforts of Trevor McCarthy, Abdrea Mutti, Jim Fern, and Pat Plliffe fit in well. The question from here is where does the character go with a new creative team in place.

BIRDS OF PREY #25: Set during ZERO YEAR, Dinah Drake had taken over her old sensei's dojo following his death. We see her chases out one of the local gangs trying to get protection money out of her. Despite chasing them away, one of her students withdrew because one of the gang members lived nearby him. With a super storm on its’ way to Gotham, she visited the sensei’s grave and recalled how they met and everything he had done to make her the person she was. Discovering he was dying of brain cancer, he decided to leave the dojo to Dinah. As the storm approached, she helped other passengers off a subway train and help them through the tunnel. Meanwhile, John Lynch was trying to find a field agent he had sent to Gotham to investigate the blackout. Dinah found her neighborhood and dojo subject to vandalism and looting and, while trying to intervene, discovered a gravely wounded Agent Ye / He handed her a device and begged her to find Lynch, even as he died in her arms. She then found herself battling off ninjas with swords. Eventually, Lunch catches up with her and she delivers the device. As he explained what the device was and drove her home, they got word that the dojo had burned down. So Lynch offered to recruit her and she accepted.

And how many people think the fire at the dojo was an accident and not some way for Lynch to recruit her? Raise your hands! Jorge Molina gives us a great looking cover while Christy Marx once again gives us a winded ninja tale. Remember-Christy Marx LOVES writing modified Sword and Sorcery stuff, so this tale of redemption and loss and all this stuff from a Bruce lee movie is just that-rehashed Kurosawa come Kung Fu. Sorry kids: this title is on wobbly legs with me.

CATWOMAN #25: Back in the day of the ZERO YEAR, Selina Kyle decided to hang around during the super storm and break into the home of socialite Arnett Crocker, whose crew had recently roughed up store owner Mr. Archeluta and emptied the grocery store because he could. Selina, once inside, grabbed a black dress and mingled with those at the party. Among the guests are Oswald Cobblepot and Basil Karlo. Crocker approaches and she suggests they go to one of his back rooms; the place for drunken orgies. Crocker firsts meets with the crook Selina had fought earlier and he informs him of some earlier news. Selina tries to listen through the keyhole but gets caught by the scarred crook and dragged in to see Crocker, who immediately orders her killed. But she uses a bullwhip stolen from one of the sex-rooms to keep the thug at bay. She cleaned out Crocker's safe including special batteries that allowed her to power her own city block. It also gave her the idea that she would be a great master thief.

So what we learn here is that Selina Kyle was a small time crook who discovered her legendary bullwhip in a SEX ROOM while she was canvassing Arnett Crocker’s penthouse. Wow! That’s some pretty messed up stuff! And we get to see early DC glimpses of the future Penguin and Clayface. All in all, this was a very cool pseudo origin story for Catwoman and definitely a nice break from the current storyline. It is also nice to see Aaron Lopresti handling the art chores, as I really like his work, always have, and miss seeing it on a regular basis. And, if that wasn’t enough, we get a killer cover from Terry and Rachel Dodson.

CONSTANTINE #8: John Constantine has been seduced by Sargon the Sorceress and Mister E attacks,, trying to tear his soul from his body. He gets Mister E's cane from his hand and breaks the spell upon him. He realizes that Sargon and Tannarak were setting both himself and Mister E up. John uses his moonblade to kill Mister E. With his death, all of the magic inside him transfers into his allies. John agrees to join the Cult and kisses Sargon. Later, he calls on the spirit of Mister E, who is trapped in the moonblade. He reveals the treachery of Sargon and Tannarak and challenges Mister E to tell him everything about the Cold Flame. If he is satisfied, he will give Mister E the honor of telling him who to kill first. Later, John discovers that the battle for the Pandora's Box is not going very well.

Ray Fawkes puts an end to Mister E but not the Cult of the Cold Flame as John Constantine plays the game and works his way into the operation just to get revenge. but, before he can do that, he needs to get involved with Justice League Dark and the whole FOREVER EVIL event. A nice story from Fawkes who has truly managed to make this book the success I thought it would never be after its first issue. And who is Aco? Apparently he(or she) is another DC artist new to the scene. This is starting to remind me of the Philippine invasion into Marvel back in the Seventies. There’s nothing wrong with it but don’t we have a lot of starving artists here?

DETECTIVE COMICS #25: During ZERO YEAR, Lt. Jim Gordon was in the process of taking down Roman Sionis' criminal empire when he was betrayed by one of the GCPD's own. Sionis had Jim thrown from the Trigate Bridge. Sionis had been leading the Black Mask gang. Jim Gordon also discovered a connection between recent Black Mask robberies and Janus Cosmetics. Commissioner Loeb warned him not to investigate Janus' CEO, Roman Sionis. Instead, he told him to bring in the Batman. He did the opposite. Loeb finally agreed to get him some help in the form of Zachary Henshaw from Internal Affairs. It was Henshaw who had been working for Sionis the whole time, that betrayed him. Surprised that he survived the fall off the bridge, returned to the precinct to find Henshaw talking about the discovery of Gordon’s suicide. Gordon punched out Henshaw and placed him under arrest, but the other officers turned on him. Gordon had broken into the Henshaw's apartment and discovered the files containing all of the evidence he had collected against the other officers. At that moment, Laney pulled a gun on his partner and it was Harvey Bullock who saved Jim's life. Sionis managed to escape and became the Black Mask. He also made sure that all of the police on his payroll, including Laney and Henshaw, were killed. Whether he knew it or not, his flashlight acted as a signal and it was the Batman who had saved his life that night. In the back-up, Commissioner Gordon and Officer Henry Wallace investigate an apparent suicide from the New Trigate Bridge. Apparently, Kirk Langstrom  is involved and that’s a bad thing.

This is another great offbeat story from John Layman with absolutely awesome art from Jason Fabok. This is a nice tale, featuring the origin of the Black Mask, the beginnings of friendship/partnership with Harvey Bullock and a cute comparison between the flashlight and the Bat Signal. Even the backup by Layman and Jorge Lucas is okay and, as you know, I am not a huge fan of back-up tales adding a dollar to my book.

EARTH 2 #17: Superman appears to be reborn as a servant of Darkseid and Earth 2 appears to be out of options. But General Sam lane has one and downloads Lois Lane’s consciousness into Red Tornado. Inside World Army Headquarters, Mister Terrific suggest they need Kryptonite to stop him. But Doctor fate believes he has to use magic this time and heads off to fight Superman. Meanwhile, Headquarters are breached as Batman breaks in and takes on members of the World Army in search of the chambers where they keep their prisoners. Doctor Fate battles Superman and suffers a horrific beating. Jay Garrick arrives and saves Doctor Fate, who mumbles something about “crumbles”. Back at World Army Headquarters, Lois watches her father die as batman arrives at the stasis chamber, intent on freeing the criminals and madmen who may save Earth.

Again, we are left with more questions than answers here. Thank you Tom Taylor! First off: who is this resurrected Superman? Has anyone noticed that his eyes shoot Omega Rays. Does that tell us he is really from Apokolips? Second: who is the New Batman? This guy is plenty beefy looking and seems almost Frank Miller DARK KNIGHT tough. Third: at what point in history did General Lane manage to get hold of his daughter’s consciousness and store it for implantation into a sexy looking Red Tornado? Fourth: no points for the line NO MORE MAGIC as we already lived through NO MORE MUTANTS at the competition. And just how does Batman expect to let the villains of Earth 2 save the world? Doesn’t that make the problem become THEIR VERSION of FOREVER EVIL? That all having been said, with Nicola and Trevor Scott’s art behind it, this book is picking up steam from where James Robinson, off to write FANTASTIC FOUR, left his enthusiasm.

GREEN ARROW #25: In the ZERO YEAR, Walter Emerson is visited by a hooded man who reveals himself to be Oliver Queen. He explained how he had been caught in explosion on a Queen Industries oil rig and ended up on an island until three weeks ago. He also learned that his mother Moira Queen went to Gotham to help with the blackout. Despite warnings from her head of security John Diggle, Moira stays there and finds her shelter attacked. Batman, armed with a small crossbow, tries to free her from the terrorist known as The Moth, who targeted her for her money. Soon Oliver arrives with a bow of his own. Despite Batman’s insistence, once the Moth was defeated, that he would get her out of Gotham, she decided to go with the hooded man, aware that he might be her son. She confirmed her suspicion, even though he was not ready to tell her what had happened on the island.

Another great issue from Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino, even if it feels like a fill-in issue because of the whole ZERO YEAR thing. No real light is shed on the Queen legacy except that this represents the first meeting between Arrow and The Bat and we get to see a tearful reunion between mother and son. As always, Sorrentino’s art is amazing and Jeff Lemire, who spends his time moving between scary stories and cool superhero stuff, never ceases to amaze me.

GREEN LANTERN #25: Following the destruction of Oa and Kyle Rayner’s assumed death during the LIGHTS OUT story, many Green Lanterns are now hesitant to use the rings, for fear it will lead to the destruction of this universe. Hal, however, seems to think the power battery being constructed anew has refilled the energy reservoir. But, to be safe, he wants to punish unauthorized ring users, which leads to a verbal fight between Jordan and Carol Ferris. Hal decides their next mission is to hunt down renegade Star Sapphire Nol Anj. Killowog and Jordan attempt to arrest her for the murder of Green Lantern Cossite but soon find themselves outnumbered by a number of her supporters.

If this is the direction the NEW Green Lantern Universe is going to take, I’m taking to the road. Robert Venditti does a great job of emasculating the Green Lantern Corps by allowing Hal Jordan to become more of a whiner than he was in the early days of the classic Denny O’Neil/Neal Adams run. And Killowog is his Robin? Nice art from Billy Tan can’t salvage this issue which wallows too much in the whole idea of power and responsibility that just doesn’t work. Hal Jordan has lost his energy and maybe it’s time for that OTHER Green Lantern to take over-you know: the one that everyone thought was a terrorist and no one really cares about. He may be better than this guy!

THE GREEN TEAM #6: During the battle with Icicle, he smashes the meteor everyone is on, destroying the shuttle and sending everybody and everything crashing down into Earth’s atmosphere and landing in Chicago, just outside of the office of .Bellachek Temple. Bellachek, who was responsible for creating the special discs the team uses, and Commodore 64 debate about whose version of idealism is the right one. Temple decides to have his men kill Commodore 64 but Cecilia jumps in front and takes the bullet for him, apparently dying in the process. J.P. is devastated and turns into a werewolf.

Yes…you did read that right. J.P. turns into a werewolf after Cecilia gets killed. This book continues on it’s final run as no one understands what Art Baltazaar and Franco are doing with this title.