Wally West, the ORIGINAL WALLY WEST, is stuck in the Speed Force and has been trying to break free ever since FLASHPOINT. He appears in the Batcave, where Batman is mulling the death of Superman and the existence of three Jokers, and explains that Bruce needs to remember how he got the letter from Thomas Wayne to him. Moving back into the Speed Force, Wally relates how he came to be a Speedster, how Barry died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, how Flashpoint came about and how, at the end of that, someone stole 10 years from them, turning the heroes into younger versions of themselves and installing a darker feeling into the world. Wally next appears at the care facility for an elderly man who turns out to be Johnny Thunder and Wally begs him to use the Genie to reassemble the Justice Society.
Elsewhere Captain Sawyer has a woman in custody who has stolen a sandwich because where she comes from, food is free. The woman is searching for Superman, who is dead, and the decision is made to call mental services on her. The only thing she was carrying was a Legion of Superheroes flight ring. Ryan Choi checks in on Ray Palmer who reveals he is trapped in the multiverse and that his ex-wife’s alimony check may be late. He also tells Choi that he left him a miniaturizing belt and he needs his help. Meanwhile, Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes are working together on Kord’s Beetle ship when Doctor Fate arrives to explain that Jaime's scarab is not an alien artifact, but a magic one. Running for her life from an unknown assailant, Pandora reaches a dead end and reveals that she knows that the heroes will vanquish what her pursuer has done. And then she is disintegrated.
The aftermath of JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 and SUPERMAN #52 are felt amongst the world. On Paradise Island, Grail begins to raise baby Darkseid as she explains that Wonder Woman has a twin brother named Jason. The heroes mourn Superman’s death with many like Green Arrow and Black Canary coming together for the first time. The Pre 52 Clark is greeted by a mysterious stranger calling himself Mr. Oz, who says that he is not what he believed and neither was the fallen Superman. Aquaman and Mera have a long talk and he proposes to her. Wally breaks through and meets reporter Linda Park, who insists that she doesn’t know him and that sends him back into the Speed Force. He tries to make contact with Captain Boomerang, Cyborg and Dick Grayson to now avail.
At last he sees the New 52 Wally West, who is his Uncle Daniel’s son, as he saves a girl and now realizes that his life as Kid Flash is over. Next he sees Barry Allen, who also doesn’t know him. As Wally starts to dissolve as he is eaten by the Speed Force, Barry remembers and pulls him back from the brink of death. With tears flowing down his face, Barry remembers everything that came before Flashpoint and believes it was all his fault for what happened. Wally tries to convince him that someone else was to blame.
In the end, we see Batman discovering the blood-stained smiley face button that was the Comedian's inside the Batcave. In the epilogue, we see a dismantled watch, with the phrase “every Second is a Gift” come back together. The words “nothing ends, Adrian” are heard and a clock with a splatter of blood are seen. “The clock is ticking across the DC Universe.” Does this mean Dr. Manhattan changed our world?
This is the first shot in DC’s new NEW era of comics and this will be a talking point, positive and negative, for some time to come. Geoff Johns has put his distinctive stamp on the future of the DC Universe with this massive one-shot that solves issues and lays groundwork for future storylines. Gary Frank, Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, and Phil Jimenez combine on the various chapters to give us a truly beautiful looking book. Now this book represents the beginning of the REBIRTH Era, but there are still NEW 52 titles appearing for the time being. So that means I’ll be doing two sets of reviews each month: NEW 52 and REBIRTH. At least for the time being. Personally, I am sad to see some titles go away but am very excited about the possibilities for the future.
LEGENDS OF TOMORROW #3: In the first story, Firestorm battles Major Force across the entire story until Professor Stein and Ronnie get captured so Danton Black can find out the connection between Stein and the Firestorm Project. In the next tale, Metamorpho and Sapphire find themselves in the middle of a race war in a far off dimension. The white people see Metamorpho as their prophesied savior and are told how the Orb of Ra opens portals to other dimensions, which is how they ended up here. Metamorpho, Sapphire, and a team go off to find the orb. Unfortunately, there is a giant lizard blocking their path. Oh yeah: Kanjar Ro is here too. In the third tale, Sugar and Spike are contracted by Wonder Woman to hunt down a shape-shifter she almost married back in the day and who is now telling the media that they WERE married. Come to find out that he is one of four shape-shifters out to scam superheroes who end up being sent to S.T.A.R. Labs. In the last tale, the Metal Men, in a flying saucer provided by Robotman, go off to fight a possessed Red Tornado that is tearing up an amusement park. They manage to stop his rampage and sever the connection that was controlling him. Unfortunately, the army shows up to take them into custody.
While I found the first issues to be fun, this last batch of chapters was just annoying, as you can tell my lack of enthusiasm in the synopsis. The Firestorm story by Gerry Conway and Edwardo Pansica feels more and more like a television episode with each chapter while Aaron Lopresti’s Metamorpho has drifted into Conan the barbarian land with aliens with spears. Sugar & Spike started out as fun, but Keith Giffen and Bilquis Evely’s tale is now just one unfunny joke…except for Sugar’s parting shot to Spike’s groin. Even my dear Metal Men suffers from an action issue with no semblance of a plot, courtesy Len Wein and Yildiray Cinar. Again, I have been pretty high on this series for the first two issues. But this just felt like a waste of eight bucks.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #12: Martian Manhunter is trying to enter the beam that Phobos is blasting at the Earth and keep it from colliding with Earth. Mars is dying again, Wessel dies, as Mr. Biscuits already did. Ma'alefa'ak is dead too. Before he dies though, Wessel convinces the Martian child to send Alicia back to Earth to again be a child. Pearl and J'onn, flying in their giant city mechs, crash land on Earth and J’onn becomes his Martian Manhunter self. But this is not a success for J’onn as all the Martians returned back to their place in the past. There are no refugees-J’onn is the last Martian. A psychic image of Ma'alefa'ak appears and tells J’onn that all of these elements, including Ma'alefa'ak and the White Martians, were all made up out of J’onn’s insane mind. Pearl tries to convince him that she is human, but she is not and is re-absorbed. In the end, the Martian Manhunter feels he has failed, but Alicia thanks him for saving her.
Rob Williams and Ben Oliver bring to an end one of the strangest titles in recent memory. I found the ending a bit disappointing, as it almost felt like the whole book was a dream. So J’onn has gone insane over the million years of isolation and he created all of these personalities to give him purpose. The world doesn’t end, J’onn is still alone and quite mad. Not sure how that will play throughout the DC Universe but…if the Justice League is crazy enough to hire him, more power to them.
MIDNIGHTER #12: Midnighter and Apollo and Helena’s Spyral team are fighting the Suicide Squad in the streets of Modora, while also trying to fight the Unified. Waller takes down Bendix, who has revealed himself as being in this all for his own gains. Unfortunately, most of Waller’s troops are Multiplex, which means it’s Midnighter versus Multiplex. Bendix wakes up and doors away to fight another day. Apollo throws the Unified at Midnighter who catches the bad guy off guard and blows his head off. With the battle over, Midnighter ends up in Apollo's arms. In the end, Midnighter goes to the God Garden and tells the Gardener that Bendix is still alive. Then it’s back to Earth for more work on the documentary, a party, a kiss for Apollo and Midnighter, and more action for Midnighter.
Steve Orlando, Aco, and Hugo Petrus bring this series to a close and maybe the career of Midnighter. We have noticed that very few, if any, Wildstorm characters appear in any of the advance word about REBIRTH, so these characters made fade into the background, although I expect Bendix to pop up every now and then, especially in SUICIDE SQUAD. This series had great written all over it, but ended up being very uneven through it’s short run. A little more action, a little less romance, and I may have been all over it.
NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #20: The Suicide Squad are taking down the Fist of Cain at Castle Fleischhaus while, at the same time, Waller, Captain Boomerang, and Hunky Punk are heading there to save them. The team in the castle head off to find Adam Reed, but find Seraphine’s blood spilled in the image of Rose Tattoo. Some surviving Fist of Cain members corner Harley, who gets saved by Hunky Punk. Rose Tattoo arrives and kills him with an arrow through his eye. Cheetah attacks Tattoo Rose while El Diablo creates a wall of flame and it looks like all will be good. But Waller gets tazered by Adam Reed, who convinces Deathtrap to shoot Deadshot in the head.
Is this the end of the Suicide Squad? I’m sure that Tim Seeley and Juan Ferreyra have a plan to get this crew out, especially since they have a movie coming out. I do have to admit I didn’t seen Hunky Punk getting taken out, but that is what happens when you remove your helmet to brag about how great you are. The story was a lot of fun and I like Ferreyra’s art, especially at his bloodiest. I can’t wait to see how this gets wrapped up!
OMEGA MEN #12: The war has ended. But the Omega Men have made there way into the Citadel where Scraps is ready to execute the Viceroy but Kyle Rayner convinces her to not stoop to that level. The Viceroy claims they should thank him for allowing him to make them the people they became. The team admits that they are better than the Viceroy, but that still doesn’t keep Kallista from beheading the Viceroy, gain control of the planet and institutes her own corrupt form of government, declaring “I win”. With the war over, things change. Tigorr is on the run from his own people. Primus was made Governor of Ogyptu but he ordered his troops to put down a riot that killed 453 unarmed men and women. Scraps went missing and is still on the run, because she is wanted by the government. And Kyle: he may be set up for being involved with another war and needs to figure out upon which side he will sit.
If you are looking for the perfect mini-series, then look no further than this title. Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda have made this series a true classic for years to come. While king’s other recent work has elevated his stock as a hot writer, this should be seen as the epicenter of his fame as it is truly a beautiful series. It is just so wonderful, telling a story from beginning to end, with twists and turns and a whole lot of brilliant dialogue and heart. This is certainly one of the best books to have come out of 2015.
POISON IVY CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH #5: Ivy is now caring for her two children, Rose and Hazel, but also the girl she rescued last month, Thorn. That night, Ivy sleeps and the girls go out on the town, ending up a strip club where they get into trouble until Ivy shows up to bail them out and chastise them too. Back home, she grounds the girls and tries to talk with the Parliament of Trees until a mutated Doctor Grimley attacks her.
Welcome to Thelma and Louise meets the Banger Sisters. While I am excited to see Rose AND Thorn in a DC Comic, this is not my idea of making the use of them. This was just a long, light issue by Amy Chu, Clay Mann and Stephen Segovia that was more filler than anything else. Very disappointing.
RED HOOD/ARSENAL #12: Roy has been captured by Iron Rule, who are broadcasting his torture live on the Internet and asking for votes as to whether he should live or die. Meanwhile, Joker's Daughter frees herself from the ambulance she is in, just in time to go Iron Rule’s hideout and take over the proceedings, as she has been the person behind Iron Rule all along. In the end, Red Hood finds the hideout and gives Joker's Daughter and the Iron Rule a five count to surrender or else.
YAWN! Really? We go from Joker’s Daughter being bad, to being good, to being the brains behind this whole thing? Oh Scott Lobdell: what are you thinking? Don’t you see that she could have been this team’s Harley Quinn? It’s a fast paced story, with art by Joe Bennett, that could have been so much better if we hadn’t saved Jason’s appearance for the very end. And having Joker’s Daughter taking up so much page count in the issue, it felt more like her book and not Roy and Jason’s.
ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN #12: Opening on Monster Island, Maya is fighting with Suren Darga when she take a poison arrow to the back, allowing him to get away. Luckily, Talia made her immune to poison, so she is hurt but will live, even with a bomb planted under her body. Damian is pretty pissed and he and Goliath leave Maya in the hands of Mom and Dad (Talia and Batman) as they head to the ritual area. Suren drops the last artifact from Damian's Year of Blood into the heart of the Lazarus pits and the magic of Lu’un Darga lives again. Damian and Suren fight until Damian convinces him that he is being used to expand his father's legacy. Robin gets Suren to use his magic to stop the ritual and then knocks Suran out because he thinks of him as a fool. In the end, Batman and Talia argue, Damian declares Maya and Goliath as his family and then he plans to breaking Suren out of Talia's capture.
What a fun issue, with surprises I did not expect! Ray Fawkes, along with Ramon Bachs, gives us a fun resolution in the penultimate issue of this title. I loved seeing the touching hug at the end between Maya, Damian and Goliath while Batman and Talia bicker with each other. The art looked cool, the dialogue was snappy and the story reached a logical end…with the last issue set-up for the final caper.
SECRET SIX #14: The team is on their way to the Shiva’s hideout to rescue Strix, who has eliminated all the fake Six team but is not in favor of being a member of the League of Assassins. While Shiva and Strix duel it out, Catman gets run through by Shawna, who leaves Ferdie to die with Catman for being a “traitorous little sh*t”. But it’s a good thing that Catman has nine lives, as he ends up surviving and tell Shiva to let Strix go or they will have Alice launch her building into the sun. In the end, Shawna ends up in Arkham with a sock puppet while the rest of the team enjoys a family life…even if Catman likes to sunbathe in the nude.
Gail Simone and Tom Derenick bring this quirky epic to a close. Although I’m not happy that Ferdie is dead, I do love that Strix has decided to jettison her mask and live her life in the tree house with a host of lawn gnomes. I loved this series and loved the fact that Simone was always willing to toss a monkey wrench into the plot that the reader never saw coming. Case in point: Riddler as the mysterious person who brought them together in the first place. Then we reunite Ralph and Sue Diney and the end feels like a television sitcom family. Well done, kids…you shall be missed!
SINESTRO #23: The Red Lanterns are attacking the Sinestro Corps because they had sent Lobo after them, resulting in the death of Rankorr. Even with their numbers, they are no match for the Sinestro Corps who quickly send them packing. On the planet, the Sinestro Corps takes the Red Lanterns terraforming device and transform New Korugar into a paradise. All ends well, except Sinestro heads to the cave where he stashed Parallax, thinking it might be time for him to take control of the Fear Entity once again.
Cullen Bunn, along with Martin Coccolo, Oscar Bazaldua, and Scot Eaton, brings the series to an end with a semi-cliffhanger. However, I can’t see how the might Red Lanterns got their butts kicked so severely here. I mean, they ran rampant over just about everyone in their own book but get seriously punked here! Sorry Cullen-can’t swallow that! And having multiple artists throughout the issue was disheartening as the quality of the work shifted every few pages. In the end, DC Editorial couldn’t decide if Sinestro was good, bad or somewhere in-between. It’s a shame because they had the same problem with the old ECLIPSO series.
STARFIRE #12: Kori is back above the sea, but she has lost her job. That doesn’t matter because Key West’s Fantasy Fest is going on and everyone is partying. But she can’t stay in the pool house because Stella’s aunt is now living there because her muscular dystrophy has gotten so bad. But that’s okay, because she understands and besides, she is reuniting a dolphin with his family out in the ocean. And Sol has now fallen in love with Ravena, thanks to Syl’Khee. But that’s okay because she understands. Later, she sets up a beach party where she tells everyone she is leaving and, after saying her goodbyes, she and Syl’Khee head off for new adventures.
I realize that Darwyn Cooke is gone and he was a great influence on the world of comics, but is copying his style now the new thing? If so, then Elsa Charretier is the best imitator. Charretier, along with Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, brings this silly series to a close. And we all breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe now, Kori will gain brains again. I believe that was the most embarrassing part of this series: the dumbing down of Starfire.
SUICIDE SQUAD MOST WANTED-DEADSHOT AND KATANA #5: In the Deadshot tale, Floyd carves the bomb out of his neck and uses it to blast through his cell door, escaping by masquerading as a guard. He then goes to Gotham and visits with his daughter, who he promises he will take to Australia. Meanwhile, the new Deadshot is out carving his own niche, but is mad he is not getting paid what he should. Floyd makes a change in his appearance, by shaving his head and donning glasses. But when he goes to get his daughter, he finds a massacre and a note saying Evans wants Floyd’s life for his daughters’.
In the Katana tale, Kobra is trying to force Dr. Jace to unleash the Aurakle Weapon while Katana and her team of freedom fighters battle his troops. When they reach Jace, they discover that a seemingly comatose Violet Harper has now been infused with the Aurakle and created a halo effect around her. Kobra surrenders and Violet passes out, leaving her a Katana’s mercy. But before she can act, Violet comes awake again and promises revenge.
So, I like the Deadshot tale, as it continues to give Floyd Lawton a personality. Nice work from Brian Buccellato and Viktor Bogdanovic. The Katana tale, by Mike W. Barr and Diogenes Neves is less of a success and I was really pissed off at the way Violet Harper was transformed into…Halo. I mean, I truly saw this coming when we first got introduced to drug addict Violet Harper, and then the Aurakle. After all, I am an old school BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS fan. But did we forget that she is part of the Dead Heroes Club that appeared in BATMAN INCORPORATED?
SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #29: THE FINALS DAYS OF SUPERMAN PART 7. We begin with the Justice League Trinity talking with the Denny Swan Superman. When he tries to kill Lois Lane, Superman goes ballistic and it leads to an all-out battle between Swan, Diana and Clark. Diana gets taken out and Swan takes off with a weekend Superman while Kara finds out of the action and heads to help her cousin. Meanwhile, the Pre-Flashpoint Lois, Clark, and their son, Jon go to the Fortress he has created on this Earth, for which Lois chastises him for keeping a secret. To be concluded in SUPERMAN #52.
Peter J. Tomasi and Jorge Jimenez present the penultimate chapter in THE FINAL DAYS OF SUPERMAN arc, leading to a new status quo come REBIRTH. Make no bones about it: DC is definitely killing off this version of Clark Kent. The question is how dramatic it will be and will he be able to defeat this foe. In honesty, those qare the only real questions as this has been the worst kept secret since…the death of Superman.
SUPERMAN #52: THE FINALS DAYS OF SUPERMAN PART 8. A weakened, dying Superman continues to fight Danny Swan and luckily gets help from Wonder Woman, Batman and Supergirl. While still not enough to defeat him, Superman takes Swan into orbit but is too weak to finish the job. The Pre-Flashpoint Superman arrives and the two of them get to the proper atmosphere, before our Superman punches the Pre Flashpoint Superman, telling him the world will need him. Knowing of no other option, Superman absorbs Swan’s upcoming detonation with a solar blast. The blast kills Swan and sends Superman plummeting towards Earth, only to be caught by Pre-Flashpoint Superman and laid among his friends. Superman says his final goodbyes to Lana, Lois, Kara, Steel, Bruce and lastly Diana, who tells him that his parents are waiting for him. With that he burns out, with his body consumed from within. In the end, the Pre-Flashpoint Superman tells Batman that he will find them at a later time and Superman’s friends and enemies worldwide mourn.
Peter J. Tomasi and Mikel Janin bring the life of the New 52 Superman to an end with both a bang and a whimper. I certainly hope DC knows what they are doing, as they have now left the door open for the Pre-Flashpoint Superman to take the lead in the SUPERMAN titles. But we also have two Lois Lanes floating about and a lot of options open for him to interact with the supporting cast. The ending was the best part, with individual glimpses of friends and enemies showing their silent reactions to his death. And Lois’ realizing that her job was to write his story was perhaps the most telling image of all. Well done, folks: let’s hope the NEW Superman can live up.
SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #8: While Lois and Jon talk about the guy who is their Superman, their Superman goes off to fight Hyathis, who is after the Oblivion Stone. After a book length fight, she claims she get the other half of the Oblivion Stone "in due time" and leaves. Returning home, Clark opens a trunk and breaks out the classic costume, complete with letting a flying Jon wear the cape
Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks have made this book so wonderful that I can only hope that those who write the forthcoming tales of Lois, Clark and Jon have the same love for these characters as this team did. Weeks is by far doing the best work of his career and Jurgens truly hit this book, which could have been just a lackluster affair, out of the park with every single issue. This was a beautiful gift to fans of the classic Man of Steel and now we get to see him in all his glory in the REBIRTH Universe. I cannot wait!
SWAMP THING #5: Matt Cable Swamp Thing has lost his mind and is trying to take over the world from his Throne of Thorns. He makes the sheriff go on television to tell people to surrender but she turns the tables and tells the world that they need to nuke the town. Alec, who was buried last issue, gets freed by the Phantom Stranger, who takes him to Nanda Parbat. Once inside, he meets with Deadman and they try to figure out a solution. Alec takes the Hand of Fatima, although it apparently no longer has any power. The Phantom Stranger reappears and drops him into Gotham, where The Spectre is doling out his brand of justice. When finished, The Spectre leaves, just in time for Alec to meet with Jim Corrigan, insisting they need to talk about the Fist of Fatima.
OH MAN!!! We get Len Wein, teamed up with Kelley Jones to give us a fun, great looking book. Now, add in the Phantom Stranger, Deadman, Nada Parbat, Jim Corrigan AND The Spectre. Oh yeah: A.R.G.U.S shows up and, not knowing what to do, figure they should call the President for advice. All in all, this was a great roller coaster ride that I’m afraid is coming to an end. I’m pretty sure that this will mean the end of Matt Cable as we know him…at least for now. Until then, I’m totally digging this book!.
TEEN TITANS #20: A satire Internet site called Legion of the Dumb has put out a bunch of memes directed at various villains. Unfortunately, they picked on Monsieur Mallah’s love The Brain and that’s not good! Meanwhile, Red Robin leads the team through an overly long training session. Batman gets involved via a phone call and a meme that makes fun of Red Robin. The team heads off to confront the person behind the Legion of the Dumb website, only to find that guy who runs the site has already been paid a visit by Monsieur Mallah and The Brain and is being mind-controlled. Unfortunately, now Wonder Girl is being mind controlled and that could be a problem for Red Robin.
Here’s the highlight of the book: Ian Chruchill’s dynamite art. Tony Bedard wastes an entire issue with a dumb training mission filled with lots of bad dialogue. Give me the Brotherhood of Evil but this is just embarrassing!
TITANS HUNT #8: As Roy, Gnarrk, Lilith, Hawk and Dove make their way towards Mr. Twister’s tower, Nightwing, Donna Troy, Garth and Mal face him. Mal’s pregnant wife shows up and blasts Twister with her newfound power, proving to the rest of the team that Twister can be hurt. Just in time, the rest of the team arrives but Twister forces Mal to sing and that opens the doorway for the big bad that’s coming. The team remembers how they stopped Mr. Twister in the past by forgetting who they were. They insist they are not kids anymore so he can’t hurt them anymore. When Twister tries to twist Hawk, he recalls how Twister killed his brother Don and goes berserk. Gnarrk grabs Twister and tosses him into the void, thus ending the crisis. Hawk and Dove fly Mal and Karen to the hospital while the rest of the team go out to celebrate and to talk about their future. They also question who Karen was a stand-in for. That’s when the sky is lit up with lightning. Could that missing Titan be…Wally West?
Despite a bunch of plot holes throughout this series, most notably how Donna Troy existed when she was just created in WONDER WOMAN and how Don Hall died at the hands of the Anti-Monitor, Dan Abnett and Paul Pelletier have done a tremendous job in resurrecting this classic team and posing them for their new role and their new series during REBIRTH. The story was fun and Pelletier’s art was smoking! This was a fresh throwback to the good old days. Welcome back the REAL TITANS!!!
WE ARE ROBIN #12: Redbird joins up with a gang that is about to rip off Bruce Wayne because he needs to help his family. He texts Shug-R and lets her know what he’s doing and it isn’t long before she gets word to the rest of the Robins. They join up and bust up the break-in. They let the leader of the group go to save Alfred’s life. He tells them that they need to hurry if they are going to catch the bad guys and Duke remarks how he looks letter without the glasses and the beard.
Oh man: thank you for the end of this. This was a mess from almost issue #1 and never got better. Lee Mermejo’s cover were always top notch but his writing was just too all over the place. I think it’s because he was juggling way too many characters, as they all seemed to blend into one another. And Jorge Corona’s art style didn’t help to delineate these characters either. I think most of these characters will fade into the background of the REBIRTH world, with the exception of Duke, who will probably end up at some point as part of the DETECTIVE COMICS team.
WONDER WOMAN #52: Hecate has kidnapped baby Zeke so she can resurrect Zeus
But Hera shows up and has plans of her own, as she was the person responsible for making Zeke sick in the first place. Diana shows up and Hera immediately lies through her teeth to her, saying that Hecate was trying to kill Zeke. Diana wraps the Lasso of Truth around Hera, which doesn't work on her. Diana stops the ritual just in time to keep Zeke being merged with Hecate and saves Zeke. Then Hera says how she is going to take the throne of Olympus from her husband and uses her orbs to bring the cave down. Hera escapes but Wonder Woman sacrifices herself to save Zeke. In the end, Zeus is reborn because of Wonder Woman's sacrifice and reclaims the throne of Olympus. Zeus gave the cyclopes their freedom and he healed Zola, who will now live on Paradise Island and deal with the loss of her son.
Meredith Finch and Miguel Mendonca conclude this run and it couldn’t come fast enough. The minute the Finch Family jumped on board, the book took a left turn to unhappy land. And David Finch isn’t even here at the end, although I do like Mendonca’s style. What’s worse is that we get to the end of the series and baby Zeke dies! THAT SUCKS! I can’t wait to see where the REBIRTH WONDER WOMAN will go, especially with the revelation that came out in JUSTICE LEAGUE #50. It HAS to be better than this last run. And with Greg Rucka at the helm, I am highly anticipating it.
ACTION COMICS #52: Read BATMAN SUPERMAN #32 first. The Final Days of Superman Part 6. In a scene mirroring the opening of BATMAN SUPERMAN #32, Superman and Wonder Woman are holding hands as they fly away from China along with Batman, when the Man of Steel loses consciousness and falls onto the Batplane. Meanwhile, Lois and the parolee Superman chat and he offers to show her a secret. That means a trip to Salinas, California, where the Pre Flashpoint Clark and Jon are having breakfast. With a possible threat to Jon, Clark attacks the parolee Superman and drives him out of the house, leaving the New 52 Lois with Jon. Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman track the solar flare activity to Salinas, which brings the New 52 Superman face to face with the Pre-Flashpoint Superman. New 52 Lois comes home to find her home busted up and Clark shows up and whisks her, Jon and their pets away. In the end, the parolee Superman asks the Trinity if they are here to ask him to join the Justice League. Continued in SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #29.
Peter J. Tomasi, with Dale Eaglesham and Scot Eaton handling the art, brings the three Supermen together into this. I have yet to totally figure out how DC is going to make this all work. As of right now, we have three people who are Superman to a degree. And we believe that the New 52 Clark is dying while the Pre-Flashpoint Clark will be the flag bearer during REBIRTH. But what do we do and how do we handle TWO LOIS LANE’s. Unless this world’s Lois bites it somehow alone with the parolee Superman. We shall see.
AQUAMAN #52: Arthur battles Scavenger while Mera battles a recently escaped Dead Water. Once defeated, Scavenger explains how Payne and two companions encountered some weird water in a mini-sub. With only one oxygen tank, Payne killed the other two and headed back to the surface, but became transformed in the process. Now he is here and he wants revenge on Scavenger and begins to eat him. Aquaman reminds Dead Water that he killed two men to save himself and the human portion of Payne comes through and he kills himself on Aquaman's trident.
Dan Abnett and Vincente Cifuentes give us a lackluster ending as they wrap up this series. I say lackluster because there are some glaring plot point holes. For example: why would Dead Water commit suicide and leave behind an orphaned son that he was so concerned about earlier in the story arc. It just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. So, this one goes down hard on what should have been a wonderful trip towards REBIRTH.
BATGIRL #52: Gladius Commander is holding most of Gotham Academy hostage, but that is just what Barbara wants. She has amassed a team made up of Black Canary, Vixen, Spoiler, and Bluebird and they lead the charge against the villain. They are quickly taken down and we discover that Gladius Commander wasn’t really that Gladius Commander after all. She tracks down the real Gladius Commander and makes short work of her, which means she has time to get to her surprise going away party. The issue ends with the going away party and we get to see Barbara say her goodbyes to everyone she loves. So where is Luke Fox in all of this?
You would think that Babs Tarr, the person who was responsible for the look of Batgirl over the last year or so, would be here for this title’s final gasp. But she’s not. She has left the title in the hands of writer Brenden Fletcher and artists Eleonora Carlini and Minkyu Jung, who attempt to ape Tarr but are not that successful. It actually looks more like an issue of GOTHAM ACADEMY. Either way, Barbara leaves Burnside and heads back to Gotham where she will start her life over again. She will be running through two titles, as the Birds of Prey reunite. Or at least A VERSION of the Birds of Prey will appear, as she teams up with Black Canary and former Spyral agent Helena Bertinelli.
BATMAN #52: Just two weeks after his parents were murdered, Dr. Leslie Thompkins comes to visit a young Bruce Wayne. She suggests he start a book and list things he needs to do to move on. Flash forward through many years later, when he is training and is still carrying his book with him. Today, a high tech bank robber named Crypsis, who has stolen something important belonging to Bruce Wayne out of a safety deposit box. When Batman catches up with him, he brags that he has Bruce Wayne’s biggest secret and will sell it to the highest bidder. It turns out that it’s the notebook. In the end, Batman returns to the Batcave with the book and he and Alfred share a tender son/surrogate father moment.
James Tynion IV and Riley Rossmo present what I would best call a fill-in issue as Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo left the book last month. The tale that ties into Batman’s past and how Bruce’ notebook proved so important to him was just cute buut did nothing to flesh out the Dark Knight’s tale. Okay: cute but not essential to the legend of the Bat. This is the last issue before the renumbering and the new creative team. Let’s see if the new team can live up to the work that the old team did.
BATMAN BEYOND #12: We begin in the past, with old Bruce Wayne chewing out Terry McGinnis for going through some of his computer files. When Bruce walks off, Barbara shows Terry Red Robin’s costume in a display case. Tim Drake, as she tells him, just up and disappeared one day. In the present, Barbara finds that ironic as Tim, now in the Batsuit, as he goes after Rewire. Unfortunately, Rewire knows how to short circuit Tim’s suit and he finds himself powerless and gets dropped into a river. In the end, Rewire meets up with his mysterious partner who is only concerned with keeping Rewire alive.
Dan Jurgens and Philip Tan do a killer job on this issue! I have said before that Jurgens has done a great job of inspiring me to seek out the DVD’s for the BATMAN BEYOND show and actually go look for back issues of the comic series. And this is why: curve balls and characters that I never thought I would get to see. While this series has had a bunch of ups and downs, and many more downs than ups, it is really caught my attention and made me want to see where this will fit into REBIRTH when that happens.
BATMAN SUPERMAN #32: The Final Days of Superman Part 5. We begin with Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman trying to track down the parolee and they end up in China where they meet the Great Ten. And then they battle the Great Ten until they restore order by putting Hu Wei’s necklace back on again and it stops her berserk rage. The Trinity explains that they were tracking an energy source and it brought them here. The Great Ten take them to Dr. Omen, who shows off her Superman. He breaks loose and the Great ten promise to hunt him down. Meanwhile, the Superman parolee arrives at Lois’ apartment and wants to talk. Continued in ACTION COMICS #52.
Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke bring us the next chapter in the closing epic. Unfortunately, we spend almost the entire issue with the Trinity fighting the Great Ten and it becomes a long fight issue, minus a nice little “gee it’s great to have the band back together” moment involving Clark, Bruce and Diana. And who or what is a Hu Wei? Anyway, we get to look at what I believe is the first full appearance of the NEW SUPERMAN, who will soon have his own book during REBIRTH. As this races to an end, you have to wonder what will happen when this Lois eventually meets the OTHER Lois.
BLACK CANARY #12: Running late. This won’t ship until June 8 and will be reviewed next month.
BLOODLINES #2: The comet from last issue is seen again as it launches projectiles onto a handful of residents of the town. Next we go to Graham’s funeral followed by members of the Pine Ridge High School football team wanting to beat Eddie up for causing their friend’s death. Then we see various vignettes of the other people who have gained strange powers. We have high school student Dana who is vlogging herslef for YouTube. Haley is in a bar and pierces some guy’s hand with a weird tattoo that comes off of her. Officer Blake is getting frustrated texting his ex-girlfriend that he causes a bottle of beer to become a bomb. Faith is a spoiled child who uses her powers to slaughter everyone at a kid’s birthday party. Blake and his partner investigate it and they are greeted by Duncan who claims this is the end of the world. That night, Eddie wakes from a bad dream and decides to go skateboarding, which causes him to transform again. In the process, Albert appears and says they should talk.
Can someone explain why this book even exist? Is it because DC needed to renew the trademark on BLOODLINES or something. First the good news: V. Ken Marion’s art is great and sort of reminds me of Ian Churchill’s work. Anyway-here’s a major talent! Now the bad: J.T. Krul’s story. I don’t really think Krul, who previously wrote GREEN ARROW and CAPTAIN ATOM, is a bad writer. I just don’t understand where this book is going. If I wanted super-powered folks with no clue, I could go back and re-read THE RAVENGERS.
CATWOMAN #52: Selina is trying to figure out how it is that her ex-boyfriend David is still alive and is the White Mask. She breaks up a little private party he is having with a couple of girls and it’s time for each one to unmask, causing him to be totally surprised to see that Catwoman is his ex. This leads to a flashback that shows what happened with the meeting between David, Selina and Richard Sionis, where she and David were instructed to steal "The Faceless Mask". They steal the mask, end up back at Sionis’ place where David decides he would rather have a shoot ‘em up rather than give up the mask. That leads to him getting shot and “dying”. In actuality, it was a well-rehearsed ruse between Sionis and David, complete with blanks and fake blood. In the present, Black Mask arrives, tells the tale of David’s death, and explains how he is here to get revenge on David. Selina tell Black mask he can have David and leaves…but not before running off with the mask.
Frank Tieri, with Inaki Miranda and Pop Mhan, ends the NEW 52 run of everyone’s favorite kitty cat bad girl/good girl and does so with a wonderful story with a cool twist ending. While Miranda and Mhan combine for some great looking, highly atmospheric art, Tieri’s story puts a nice cap on the series and further proves that you can’t always trust a kitty. I’ll be curious to see what role Selina plays from here on out in the new DCU.
CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #12: Constantine storms into Club Midnight, demanding to see Neron, only to find out that Papa Midnite and Blythe, who John left in hell a couple of issues back, have struck a deal with Neron. Neron interjects and Blythe informs John that he can’t exorcise them, forcing him to leave the Club without Oliver’s kids. When he returns to the bar to tell Oliver this, he storms out, leaving Constantineto hit on some woman at the bar. And that’s when he thinks of a loophole. Whatever it actually is, Constantine is planning to draft Zatanna, Deadman and Swamp Thing into his scheme.
What? Okay…so Constantine screws up, gets tossed out of Club Midnight, gets told off by his boyfriend, reveals how he kind of did that on purpose, then tries to pick up a WOMAN and finally ends up with his old JL Dark teammates. Gotta love that John Constantine! Anyway, Ming Doyle & James Tynion IV wrote it and Eryk Donovan illustrated it and it was a fun issue. One more to go and then our British mage disappears for a little while…until the next version of this title rears its’ ugly head.
CYBORG #11: Silas Stone is running some tests on Cyborg , which leads our hero to reach out across the Internet and finds out the plane with Dr. Sarah Charles is on has been hacked. After believing a woman from Afghanistan MUST be the cause, even though all she is doing is to travel to Detroit to see her fiancé, he discovers a series of warehouses being burned which has something to do with all of this. He makes his way into the Dark Web and stops the hackers. In the end, he and Sarah chat.
You know you could be in trouble when you have three pencilers working on a book in the form of Felipe Watanabe, Daniel HDR, and Julio Ferreira. What that gives us is a mixed up looking issue that tries to be cohesive but fails miserably. Marv Wolfman’s story is just there…no great moments and no killer bits. It just exists. Personally, this series seems to be limping along until REBIRTH.
DEATHSTROKE #18: Two months have passed since the end of last issue and Slade is in Monte Carlo and taking out Victor’s associates. Then it’s off to Nanda Parbat where Rose and Jericho are training and being observed by Slade and Ra’s. Over in Northern California, Lawman and Snakebite listen to the plans of the boss Mystasia and it’s a good thing too, as Jericho, Rose and Deathstroke attack their hideout. Of course a battle ensues, with Lawman taking over Rose’ mind and allowing her to attacks Slade. Jericho unleashes his power on Rose and nearly kills her, leading to Ra’s appearing and saying he can both save her and leave Slade in his debt forever.
James Bonny and Paolo Pantalena bring us closer to the end of this series but not quite. Looks like the only way that Slade can save his dear old daughter is to play nice with Ra’s al Ghul. Pantalena’s art is confusing and I find it hard sometimes to know who is who. And Bonny’s story is running about three issues too long. It is beginning to feel like he is stretching it to get to the end. Sigh! Hope for better in the new series.
DETECTIVE COMICS #52: Jim Gordon, in his super cool Batsuit, teams up with his Marine buddies to free their fellow Marines from the clutches of the followers of Amun-Set. The Marines fight it out with the followers while Amun-Set gets wrapped up like a mummy with strips of skin and goes after Gordon. The pair are pretty well even matched until Gordon lights up the containers holding the supply of skin. As Batman flees, his fellow Marines come back to kill a burning Amun-Set. They then bury the place and agree to tell no one and move on with their lives. In the end, Gordon returns Wyler’s dog tags to his widow.
Peter J. Tomasi and Fernando Pasarin bring the NEW 52 run of DETECTIVE COMICS, and Jim Gordon’s tenure as Batman, to an end with this tale. Okay-it was a nice change of pace that looked amazing. But let’s be honest: it’s not Bruce Wayne and we all want jim Gordon back with a stache and smoking! That’s just the way it is! Next month, we go back to the original numbering, like THAT isn’t going to mess with your database entries, and Batman and Batwoman team-up to train the next generation of heroes including…Clayface? Yeah…this will be an interesting ride.
DOCTOR FATE #12: Khalid is all set to be tossed out of school for his multiple absence when Dean Raskin has a heart attack and dies. But that doesn’t stop Khalid who spends the rest of the story chasing after Raskin’s soul, where he is forced to fight Anubia. In the end, Raskin lives, Khalid is allowed to stay in school, Bastet gets to go to his eternal rest, and our hero gets to meet his Uncle Kent. Kent Nelson, that is, who reminds Khalid that he has something that belongs to him.
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Kudos to Paul Levitz for at last having the sense to introduce the proper Dr. Fate into this mythology. For the first time since the beginning, I am actually interested in the next issue. Sonny Liew continues to give us his interesting style of art and, although I am not a fan of it, I am getting accustomed to it. I expect that this is Levitz’ way of paving the road for Kent Nelson’s return during REBIRTH. While this was a nice experiment, I won’t be sad to see it go.
EARTH 2: SOCIETY #12: In an effort to keep the war from happening, Green lantern Alan Scott gives up his power to provide Earth 2 with all the energy it needs. In the end, we see that the Ultra Humanite has been pulling the strings that led us to this point and that makes his plan ready to move into full action.
I’m sorry: I just couldn’t bring myself to writing a long synopsis about the various factions pissing and moaning about acting or not acting. Dan Abnett’s dialogue is his usual work although I find Iban Coello’s art uninteresting and too angular for my tastes. Why is it there is a whole generation trying to draw like Frank Robbins and Irv Novick and not a one can hold a candle to either of them? What I DID enjoy was the appearance of the Ultra Humanite!
THE FLASH #51: The Riddler has revealed his plan to The Flash and the Rogues, involving the various death drones. Just when things seem bad for our hero, in rolls the Pied Piper to save the day. The police show up and the Riddler informs them of his plan and how they now work for him. He gets on the air and informs the Flash that he must surrender or his drones will kill everyone. And if THAT doesn’t work, there is always the chance to set off Heat Wave like a nuclear bomb. In the end, Barry reveals his secret identity and surrenders.
Major kudos to Van Jensen for the plot twist that I didn’t see coming! Barry unmasks himself and surrenders. Yeah-I saw the surrender coming, but not the open unmasking. Let’s see Jensen write his way out of this! Also, Gus Vasquez puts in a nice turn on the art. I love that The Riddler has become a major player in the New 52 Universe and not just in a Bat title. I also love the long-awaited return of the Pied Piper. He has been dormant too long in Flash Mythos.
THE FLASH #52: An unmasked Barry Allen is trapped in The Riddler’s lair with his head in a guillotine. Elsewhere, Wally West starts to run, which triggers the drones in the city, leading The Riddler to believe that Barry is a fake. Darryl gets Barry free and sends him off to finds the REAL Flash. He heads off to the Rogues’ base, messes with Axel’s robotic hand and that causes him to bring Lisa back to live…with a new power. As The Riddler wreaks havoc on the city, Flash and the Rogues team up to take out his drones. They end up back at Riddler’s hideout and Trickster uses his mechancial arm to blow Heat Wave out of his cell. Axel is badly injured, but Flash tells the Rogues he will survive. Back in Central City, Flash and the Rogues, with a lot of help from Pied Piper’s collection of rats, take out The Riddler. Darryl admits he was wrong and hopes that he and The Flash can work again in the future.
And thus ends the New 52 run of Barry Allen. The highlight of Van Jensen’s story was the long-awaited team-up between The Flash and The Rogues. That was a fan-boy’s dream! Jesus Merino’s art was on target to, especially with all of the action sequences peppered throughout the story. The downside of it all was I wanted a bit more than a few panel wrap up to our hero’s New 52 run. With REBIRTH, does all of this change? Does Barry end up with Iris and how do we account for what appears will be two Wally Wests? Again,. I wanted more of a wrap up than we got here. But it was an AWESOME moment with Barry and the Rogues!
GOTHAM ACADEMY #18: Yearbook Part Five. Maps and Olive continue to give chase to Robin, who has stolen Maps’ scarpbook. Along the way, we discover how Professor Milo was dismissed from the Academy for breaking into the Headmaster’s private chambers. We also see how Maps stole a silver solution from Mister Silversmith so she could make her monster fighting weapon. During the annual school talent show, Maps and Pom end up with a forced bonb that may eventually turn into a friendship. And Kyle teaches Mia how drive drive in a aspecially designed Bat Golf Cart. In the end, the scrapbook is found, with a special series of drawings that lead to a gift: a first edition of SERPENTS & SPELLS.
That’s all for GOTHAM ACADEMY until August when a one shot appears(and don’t forget the LUMBERJANES GOTHAM ACADEMY book), followed by a full REBIRTH series in September. Not a new series, mind you, as the numbering will continue. This issue was written by Brenden Fletcher, Steve Orlando, Natasha Alterici, and Faith Erin Hicks with art from Hicks, Adam Archer, Sandra Hope, Serge LaPointe, Minkyu Jung, and Natasha Alterici. I’m actually looking forward to the new series as I am curious to see how all of this will fit into REBIRTH continuity. Until then, class dismissed!
GRAYSON #20: Dick continues his battle with Doctor Daedalus, who is inside of Helena Bertinelli's body. He tells Daedalus to leave Helena’s body and enter his instead.
The couple kiss and then the transformation happens. Otto asks “Who is Dick Grayson” and that is when the Somnus Satellite from BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL kicks in and wipes everyone’s memory of who Dick Grayson was. This leads to a battle in the mind of Otto Netz with all Dick’s various incarnations joining in the fight. With one code word, Netz is defeated and forgotten. Meanwhile, Patron reveals that he has left Checkmate and proceeds to assassinate Alia, before returning back to Spyral. In the end, Dick bids goodbye to Helena and proceeds to his new destiny: as Nightwing.
Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, along with art from Roge Antonio, bring this series to an end and I have to give them a bunch of points. This team had to step into a killer title and pick up the pieces they were left with. To that end, it was a truly satisfying ending to a fun book. I certainly hope that the dangling plot twist gets resolved somewhere else. Unfortunately it looks like the new of the New 52 could mean the end of that plot and leave fans wondering for a while. But who knows: we may get a surprise yet. Just don’t hold your breath! Helena is set to be part of BIRDS OF PREY and Dick is set to serve in the Court of the Owls.
GREEN ARROW #52: Ollie is still alive because the machete that Deathstroke stabbed him with still had blood on it from when he cut Dr. Miracle's tongue. It cures Ollie of the Warg disease, but also heals his wound as soon as Emiko removes the blade. In an old WWII bomber, our heroes fly back to Seattle, where the Beserkers have arrived to break their fellow Wargs out of the internment camp they have been put in. Deathstroke delivers Dr. Miracle to Mr. Paragon, but he refuses to pay the full amount because he's seven hours past the deadline. Paragon reminds him he doesn’t have to pay him anything because the deal was no payment if late. Ollie and Emiko arrive and Slade, who is leaving with his money, tells them to undeliver the package…and kill Paragon at the same time. Ollie cuts off Paragon’s bloodline, pins Dana to the wall, and frees Dr. Miracle, with all of them making their way to the riot. Oillie calms the rioters down and demonstrates Miracle’s ability. Marrock takes a bite out of the Patriot leader before riding off with Green Arrow’s blessing.
That was a very anti-climatic end to this series. When Ben Percy and Szymon Kudranski took over the series, we saw how prejudiced the people of Seattle were. Now we reach the end and…same problem. The only thing that got resolved here was Olllie’s disease. REBIRTH means a new creative team. Let’s hope it feels more like classic GREEN ARROW and not a television show.
GREEN LANTERN #52: Hal is battling the Gray Agents who have commandeered his ship and that is going pretty well until Speechmaker gets hold of him and accesses his memory. When they find a memory of Star Sapphire, that sets Hal off and he turns into a construct again, causing him to lose complete control. Virgo and Trapper finally get him to come to his senses, but those results in Virgo getting taken hostage. It looks like a Mexican standoff, but Hal gives a construct gun to Trapper who manages to take down a Gray Agent and save Virgo. The Gray Agents retreat to save their wounded partner and Hal Jordan says goodbye to Trapper and Virgo.
So Hal flies off into the sunset, so to speak, and prepares to saddle up in HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Robert Venditti and Billy Tan do an adequate job of resolving the storyline and bringing the saga of this intergalactic trip to an end. I am still a fan of Venditti’s writing and love Tan’s art. Here’s hoping the next act for Hal is truly legendary.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS EDGE OF OBLIVION #5: We begin with a flashback of Guy Gardner's less than happy home life, which explains why Guy is the way he is. In the present, Guy realizes he was used by the World Eaters and now wants revenge. So the small band go after Dismas and Ausras, even though the ten other Lanterns are still under their control. That leads to an all-out war between Lantern factions. With Dismas and Ausras distracted, Xrill-Vrek unlocked the mind of Mogo, who blasts the pair with Lantern energy, revealing their true forms and causing the remainder of the Lanterns to snap out of the hypnotic haze.
Tom Taylor wrote it, while Scott McDaniel, Ardian Syaf, and Cliff Richards drew it. Basically, it’s an all out action issue with a lot of monologuing while fighting. It could be worse. I’ll be glad when this series ends and our Lanterns head off to their new place in the REBIRTH world.
HARLEY QUINN #28: Red Tool has taken an entire Brooklyn church hostage so he can get married to Harley. Actually, he has captured all of these people, as they are all New York City’s most wanted, including the pedophile priest. Chief Harry Spoonsdale leaves the mayor’s press conference to handle the situation. Harley knocks out Red Tool and walks out to tell the police she is not responsible for this, to which they open fire and kills or wounds most of those inside. Ordering a cease fire, the Chief walks inside to talk to Harley Quinn and Red Tool, where he cuts a deal with them. They all go on television, where the Chief introduces them as heroes, much to the ire of the mayor. Harely and Tool go to Nathan’s for some hot dogs, followed by a trip to the boardwalk and ends with Harley taking a moonlight swim while she dismisses him. Finally, Dominic finds out his son got killed in the Skate Club riot and he swears revenge on Harley.
It’s another Amanda Conner/Jimmy Palmiotti jaunt with art by John Timms and a cool dream sequences by Moritat. All in all, it’s more of what we expect every month: fart jokes, sexual jokes and overall T+ material.
HARLEY QUINN AND HER GANG OF HARLEYS #2: Harley has staged a fake kidnapping and ends up being kidnapped by Harley Sinn and her gang. She sends out her assassins to kill off each member of Harley’s gang. The team, aware of a problem, decides to try and hide away their loved ones. Bolly Quinn sends her mom and grandma to somewhere in Astoria. Harvey Quinn puts his visiting parents up at a hotel and then goes off to meet Bolly at her family’s restaurant. Harlem Quinn is in the sights of one of Sinn’s gunmen when he is ordered to pull back. Angered, he decides to cut up some other folks, which causes Harlem take him down, before going to join Bolly and Harvey. When the bystanders try to hide his unconscious body, he ends up getting run over by a train. Harley Queens checks in on her parents before heading to the meet. Unfortunately, Sinn’s assassin is hiding behind mom and dad’s couch. Carli Quinn is also sent to the restaurant. Now that everyone is together, Sinn releases her plan: Sending a rocket launcher into the restaurant while she forces Harley to watch her gang get blown up.
Frank Tieri and Jimmy Palmiotti gives us a great story with almost no sex jokes, so I guess that tells me those are Amanda Conner’s doing. Mauricet’s art is super clean and highly delineated. Let’s put it this way: he sure knows how to draw sexy women. So, of the two Harley titles this month, this is the one that most resembles a super hero title. I like what it does and there cliff hanger is pretty cool too. I find myself looking forward to next issue.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #50: The battle for Earth rages as Grail sends a morphed Steve Trevor to attack the morphed Justice League. Even the Green Lanterns show up to join the fight. But with Superwoman uttering one word, "MAZAHS!", the baby steals Lex and Superman’s powers for himself. She is convinced that nothing can stop the Crime Syndicate now…until Grail kills her with one shot from her laser eyes much to Owlman’s dismay. Grail continues to utter "MAZAHS", stealing powers and taking down heroes at every turn. Her blast separeates Flash from the Black racer, meaning Flash could be next. Cyborg hacks into Volthoom, which allows Jessica Cruz to gain control and she steps between Barry and the Black racer, causing Power Ring to die. Grail realizes that Steve Trevor wasn't the first man to step foot on Paradise Island, so she utters the word and the baby becomes a reborn Darkseid, thanks to the Anti-Life Equation. Barda and the Furies show up to sontinue the fight for Darkseid. But Myrina realizes that her daughter has gone to far and sacrifices herself with her Grail hitting her with the Omega Beams. They go through her and into Darkseid. There is a huge explosion and Grail and baby are gone.
In the end, Hal puts his ring on Batman, which gets him out of the Mobius Chair. Jessica Cruz, not killed (that was only Volthoom) is turned into a Green Lantern. Barda explains she made a pact with the Furies and is forced to return to Apokolips, leaving Scot Free behind. Lex goes there to, seeming to be their new ruler. A dying Myrina tells Diana that she has a twin brother named Jason. Batman reveals to Hal that the Mobius chair told him there were THREE Jokers, not just one. Owlman takes control of the Mobius Chair and gets Grid to download itself into it. In space, they meet Metron and the two of them are vaporized by a mysterious figure.
Wow! That’s all I have to say is wow! Geoff Johns has given us an absolutely amazing story that wraps up the plots from the last six months or so and paves the way towards REBIRTH, as some of the closing plot pieces fall right into DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH. Jason Fabok’s art, as it has been throughout this whole storyline, is just amazing. This book, renumbered when it next appears, is poised for greatness with the arrival of REBIRTH. Bravo Geoff Johns and company for one amazing ride!
JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #12: We start with a flashback to three years ago when Teri and Terry with beginning the resurrection of the Justice League. There’s the rebirth of Superman and the first inkling that Terry was totally involved with The Five. In the present, the Justice League battles the Legion of Doom, who have orders to kill all the League except for Flash. It’s revealed that Teri is Strix’ daughter and she has plans for her and she sends her and Batgirl back into the 21st Century. "To Be Continued...?" And Larfleeze? Well, he refuses to appear in a cancelled comic book.
I’m sad to say this is the end of a fun series and I will miss it dearly. Thank you Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis for leaving us with a cliffhanger, but for also giving me such a truly enjoyable time over these last two series. Special thanks to Colleen Doran for giving us a full dose of her always great looking art. Again, I can’t say anymore. Of all the titles which will drop by the wayside, this may be the one I may miss the most. Thanks for the ride, folks-it was a blast!
More first issues.
ALOHA, HAWAIIAN DICK #1: This is the fourth installment in B. Clay Moore’s Hawaiian Dick series and you may be a bit confused if you are just walking into it for the first time. Here’s the quick story: in 1954, Byrd killed his younger brother, or so we are led to believe, and ended up on in Hawaii, where he took up residence as a detective. The story flashes back and forth between the 1950’s and 1972, where our hero relates his story to journalist Susan Summers. There is also a back up that introduces us to Tread Lightly, who plays a major role in the upcoming series. Moore does a great job of writing a cool noir piece while Jacob Wyatt’s equally cool the linework helps with that feel. It is fun and trippy and you can still get your hands on the previous runs as TPBs.
BLACK PANTHER #1: Wakanda, the most technologically advanced nation in the world, is in a crisis…which is better than it was during SECRET WARS. T'Challa, the Black Panther, must deal with an uprising that looks like it will completely mess up the balance of power in his country. There are subplots galore, a pair of lesbian fighters and his sister in suspended animation. All in all, it is a title filled with great promise, thanks to the writing of Ta-Nehisi Coates and the art of Brian Stelfreeze. Coates has said he is in this for 11 issues, so I guess we know how long this plot will last. While I admit that not everyone will find this book to their liking, I find it intriguing and am happy with the direction this character is finally getting to take after all these years.
CIVIL WAR II #0: Jennifer Walters is defending Jonathan Powers, formerly The Jester, for a crime he never committed while the President of the United States is prepping Rhodey to one day become his successor. Walters loses the case and Powers ends up getting killed in prison, causing Jennifer to question the law. The Terrigen Mists make their way to Ohio State University and it transforms two people. When they emerge, all hell breaks loose in a scene we never see. So, we get destruction and the echoes of what brought about the Super Hero Registration Act in Civil War I. Brian Michael Bendis sets things in motion with Olivier Coipel giving us great art. I found it a lackluster little introduction to what promises to be an epic storyline.
THE FIX #1:Here’s a premise: what if you wanted to go on a crime spree and you happened to be a pair of police officers. How would you do it? Welcome to THE FIX.
Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber give us a captivating, well-crafted pair of crooks who you want to hate but soon find yourself liking. This is a great little roller coaster ride for the bad guy in all of us. Oh yeah: hope you like dogs too!
GODZILLA OBLIVION #1: In IDW’s continuing use of the big green lizard, this time we have a plethora of classic Godzilla monsters like Mothra and Ghidrah running around on an alternate Earth where Godzilla is kept as a peace keeper. Joshua Fialkov, the writer behind I, VAMPIRE, and Brian Churilla bring us a fun, if not simple little tale that keep the Big G in the forefront of pop culture while waiting for the next movie to arrive. It’s not rocket science, but it is brain candy. Every now and then, you need a little brain candy.
HANNA BARBERA’S FUTURE QUEST #1: Welcome to the new age of Hanna Barbera, thanks to the crazy folks at DC. We get the very origin of Space Ghost. Then we visit with Race Bannon, Dr. Quest, along with Birdman and Avenger. Meanwhile, Jonny Quest and Hadji, along with Bandit, encounter Dr. Zin’s battle drones and that leads to the opening of a vortex containing classic HB heroes. If you were a kid in the Sixties, or have ever seen an old HB hero show on You Tube or cable, you need to buy this book. It is a loving memory brought to life by Jeff Parker, who along with Evan “Doc” Shaner, was responsible for one of the best CONVERGENCE titles. Parker, Shaner and legendary NEXUS artist Steve “The Dude” Rude, combine their talent to make this a fun title for all ages and not be bogged down with silly, cartoon stuff.
MISS FURY #1: Back in the Forties, June Tarpe Mills gave us Miss Fury: a cool female hero in the days of mostly male heroes. Corinna Bechko gives us a war-time mystery that involves some missing blueprints and it immediately feels like Forties Noir. Jonathan Lau’s art is great looking, with a touch a Jae Lee in his work. We even get Peri the Cat, who was the real life cat of Tarpe Mills. It is a fun little read that will certainly appeal to anyone who loved the pulp-era heroes like Doc Savage and The Shadow.
MOON KNIGHT #1: Poor Marc Spector. He has had his problems over the years in the comics world. He has had any number of origins and has been many people. This time around, he’s in a mental institution, where it seems that all of his adventures over the years have only been a fantasy in a journal he has kept since he was a child. Even his love Marlene is a resident here. But he is pretty sure that there are evil Egyptians out and about and that the outside world is being invade by Seth. But is it real or is he just crazy? That’s the premise in Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood’s take on this hero. Does it work? It’s kind of tough to tell. One thing is for sure: the reader will go on a wild ride where they need to decipher the clues.
NIGHTHAWK #1: If you are looking for an African alternative to The Punisher, than this is your book. Nighthawk, THIS NIGHTHAWK, is really Raymond Kane, who came here when his world was destroyed during SECRET WARS and serves with the Squadron Supreme. Where the original Nighthawk was Kyle Richmond who reformed his villainous ways and became part of The Defenders, this Nighthawk is an ultra-violent cross between Batman and The Punisher, complete with a tech-savvy sidekick. David F. Walker writes it like it’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and Ramon Villalobos does his best Steve Dillon imitation, complete with some poor guy being fed his wife’s fingers! Definitely not for the faint of heart!
POWER LINES #1: I’m a big fan of Jimmie Robinson's work, going beyond BOMB QUEEN and all the way back to CYBERZONE and CODE BLUE. SO I was really looking forward to this series. But it goes into a direct that I guess we needed but I wasn’t ready for. We get a tale of super powers, racism and classism that goes beyond the normal genre. I found the characters a bit on the bland side and can only hope that we get a bit more fleshing out with subsequent issues. I am impressed that it’s a one man show for Robinson by writing, drawing, lettering and just about everything else. Maybe he needs someone else to edit him as it could use some punching up. It could be good, but I can’t recommend it on first read.
THE PUNISHER #1: HE’S BACK! Yes, the classic kicking ass and taking names Frank Castle is back! In the hands of Becky Cloonan and Steve Dillon, our boy is back with a vengeance. Drugs flow freely and so does the blood! There is some of the wildest scenes of carnage that we have seen in some time! Cloonan, who was voted #3 of the top female artists of all time, writes a wild ride where out mostly silent vigilante just does what he does best. And Steve Dillon? C’mon-it’s Steve Freaking Dillon!
SCOOBY APOCALYPSE #1: What if you took one of the classic Hanna-Barbera properties, spun it around, and spit it out as a post apocalyptic tale? You would get SCOOBY APOCALYPSE (or the upcoming WACKY RACELAND). With Jim Lee responsible for the character designs, you know you’re going to get quality and with ever popular team of Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis and Howard Porter contributing the story and art, you know it’s going to be out there. Daphne and Fred, have a once popular television show and they are trying to revive their ratings by revealing the ongoings at a secret government installation. Velma works for the installation and is the one who provided the tip to Fred and Daphne, while Shaggy is working as a dog trainer, developing combat read dogs. The government is producing nanites that will change the people of the world and that’s where the problem begins, with our heroes, and Scooby-the cybernetically enhanced dog, being the only beings unaffected. It’s a crazy ride that I’m pretty sure will just get better with each issue. This is highly recommended.
STEVE ROGERS CAPTAIN AMERICA #1: I have to confess that I haven’t read a CAPTAIN AMERICA book, except for the first Sam Wilson issue, since Steve Rogers found himself in Dimension Z and then got old. I wasn’t a fan of those issues and certainly couldn’t embrace the political correctness of the Sam Wilson Cap. But while fighting a sentient Cosmic Cube named Kobik, Steve was restored to his younger self again and has agreed to share the duties with him as they chases after Baron Zemo, the Red Skull and Kobik. With a supporting cast including Maria Hill, Sharon Carter, Jack Flag and Free Spirit, who have been dragged into this book from the Mark Gruenwald years, the team bands together to fight the good fight. Jesus Saiz’ art rocks the book and Cap looks great. I still have issue with Sharon growing old, but what can you do? Nick Spencer’s story is okay but, for anyone who hasn’t read the spoilers, the kicker comes at the end when Cap apparently kills Jack Flag and utters the immortal words “Hail Hydra”. Cap a traitor? That’s enough to keep me intrigued for another issue or two.
THUNDERBOLTS #1: Coming out of the events during AVENGERS STANDOFF: ASSAULT ON PLEASANT HILL, the team of bad guys made good are back in the form of The Thunderbolts. But this time, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes is in charge as they raid S.H.I.E.L.D. to wipe the records of their team from their database. After the raid, the team go to their headquarters and this book becomes a quintessential Nineties title with silly moments and quips between characters. And we add in Cosmic Cube energy creation Kobik, that thinks it’s a girl, and you end up with a book that seems to give homage to Rob Liefeld from a literary and artistic standpoint. That is the doing of Jim Zub and Jon Malin. Normally, I would be complaining, like when Scott Lobdell channels his Nineties work into TEEN TITANS. Somehow, on a weird level, this works. Of course, I was a huge THUNDERBOLTS fan anyway, so you really have to screw up that title to turn me away from it.
WILLIAM GIBSON’S ARCHANGEL #1: Here’s a fast-paced, science fiction thriller that will leave you wondering what’s next. Of course, the fact that it is written by legendary Cyberpunk creator William Gibson owes a lot to that success. Right off the bat, we have the villain of the piece, our vice president, travelling back to 1945 to take his grandfather's place. Then we jump forward to present day and then back to 1945, where we find out of an alien aircraft, actually a future aircraft, that has landed here and it is up to Naomi Givens of the RAF to investigate. One pilot is dead, but a second one lives and he carries not only the markings of 2016, but also some of the conveniences of the time. This is a great team effort by Gibson, Butch Guice and the legendary Tom Palmer that makes this a killer looking read as well as a thought provoking one. Suffice it to say, I think IDW has a winner here!
LEGENDS OF TOMORROW #2: In the first story, Professor Stein has figured out that Jason's quantum waves are causing problems and begs them not to become Firestorm until he figures things out. His solution is to take the Firestorm Matrix away from Jason and transfer it to himself. That results in a Ronnie Raymond/Martin Stein Firestorm. Oh yeah: Multiplex is loose and General Eiling is gearing up Major Force for a battle with Firestorm. And Tonya reveals that she is gay.
In the second story, Java has accidentally freed Rex Mason, which allows Metamorpho and Sapphire to make a break for it. They head to Egypt where Rex tells her how the combined powers of the Orb of Ra and a chemical her dad had used on him to kill him resulted in his new form. Inside the Pyramid of Ahk-Ton, Metamorpho places the Orb into its’ receptacle and they are transported to a strange planet. Meanwhile, Simon Stagg is visited by Kanjar Ro who reminds him of a bargain that had.
In the third tale, Sugar & Spike have been sent by Superman to his Superman shaped island and retrieve the Kryptonite he has stored there. When they arrive there, they discover the construction team being held at gunpoint by a robot toy lady and her toy followers. The duo defeat her and make their way to Superman's Kryptonite room, where they retrieve the green rock and leave. But a mysterious lady who is using the robot’s eye to spy is unknowingly watching them and threatening that this means war.
In the fourth tale, Will Magnus manages to sneak out the decommissioned Metal Men and hides at Robot Man’s heavily fortified cabin in the woods. But, since Nameless can't get the Metal Men, he hacks his way into Dr. T.O. Morrow's project Cyclone, which causes Red Tornado to attack an amusement park to try and draw the Metal Men out of hiding.
Firestorm is by Gerry Conway and Eduardo Pansica and I don’t like the fact that Martin Stein looks like Victor Garber. Sorry…I want my comics to be a little separated from the television world. The Metamorpho story is by Aaron Lopresti. It looks great, even if I’m not a fan of his Sapphire’s strong character. I’m sorry: I liked her as a bit of a lovable ditz! Sugar and Spike is by Keith Giffen and Bisques Evely and has just enough fun moments to make it worth reading. Really-a Superman shaped island? Metal Men is by Len Wein and Yildiray Cinar and, while I love these characters…and Robotman and Red Tornado too, I have a dislike that Will Magnus is as young as he is. Personally, I liked the old pipe smoking Will Magnus who had a thing going on with Platinum. All in all, eight bucks is a bit hard to swallow all in one shot, but you do get four stories for that price.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #11: Martian Manhunter and Pearl have gone through transformations and are ready to face off against Ma'alefa'ak, who has apparently killed Mr. Biscuits and buried Agent Wessel in a cave in. Ma'alefa'ak takes the Martian Child and Alicia, who will be his blood sacrifice to give life to Mars yet again. Over on Earth, Constantine, Etrigan, Zatanna, Sargon The Sorceress and Doctor Fate are at work to create a magical barrier to save Earth. Wessel believes that he's dying, but the living hand of the dead Mr. Biscuits convinces him that he needs to start acting like Martian Manhunter and he frees himself. Just as Ma'alefa'ak is ready to do the blood sacrifice with Alicia, Wessel arrives and shoves a spear through his head. The Martian Child sees Alicia ready to sacrifice herself for him and he realizes there is good qualities on Earth and drops the barrier around the planet so Martian Manhunter and Pearl can get through. But it may be too late as it seems that the planet is about to crash into Earth.
Wow! Thank you Steve Williams and Ben Oliver, filling in for Eddy Barrows, for giving us one incredible issue. Although we watch Mr. Biscuits storyline end, we do get some nice guest appearances and the end of the bad guy. Now it’s up to everyone to pull themselves together and save Earth. I feel that next issue will be a very emotional one and could be Williams’ finest hour.
MIDNIGHTER #11: Midnighter survived the explosion from last issue and wakes to find he was saved by and is being cared for by his former lover Apollo. The two of them team-up and head off to take on the various Suicide Squad members throughout the world including in Tacoma, Turkmenistan, Spyral Base, and a Suicide Squad Safe house. They take down everyone who had done Midnighter wrong before ending up in Modora, where they are ready foir a one-on-one with Bendix, who has managed to get the Kryptonian DNA he needed for the Unified.
Yes, this is one big fight issue with the loving couple back together again. It’s wild and violent thanks to the writing of Steve Orlando and the art of Aco. Next issue is a big finish and we’ll see if these do ride off into the sunset together.
NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #19: Adam Reed is a member of the Fist of Cain and his team of killer ninjas are eradicating a lot of Wildstorm heroes in a strange version of a game show where each hero is worth a certain number of points. Also, Reed promises the corpse of the Saint of Cain that he will personally kill Amanda Waller. And the Suicide Squad can’t escape or he will activate their neck bombs. So the surviving Wildstorm hero, Deathtrap, and the team join up to make their way through this. Meanwhile, Waller informs Mister Ashemore that she knows he is the former villainous Hunky Punk and it appears she wants him as part of the Squad. She also wakes up Captain Boomerang and it looks like a recue mission is under way.
A lot of blood and guts, a lot of action and a lot of Wildstorm heroes bite the dust.Thank you Tim Seeley and Juan Ferreyra for delivering a fun issue. And extra points for giving us a DC WHO’S WHO page featuring The Hunky Punk. Nicely played!
OMEGA MEN #11: Kyle Rayner, having seen the light, goes about buying an army to fight against the Citadel. He also gets his long lost crucifix back. Scrapps goes back to Broot's planet and forces the Pope to get her an army. Tigorr faces a trial by combat and he gains an army in the process. Primus goes on television, explains that he is a pacifist, but convinces the viewers that they need to go to war. Kalista kills her father and takes his place on the throne. The war rages for 182 until the Omega Men finally reach the home of the Citadel Empire.
Tom King and Barneby Bagenda totally bring it as this series winds down. I know many who were not fans of this run, but it did such an amazing job of redefining this team and also Kyle Rayner. I hope that his character will still maintain some of what he has learned when REBIRTH comes around. This is a series, much like PREZ, that needs to be re-examined in the future.
POISON IVY CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH #4: Catwoman is visiting Ivy and finds out that she has plant babies. Ivy also believes that her research has been stolen and that leads to Ivy, Catwoman, and Darshan breaking into the Botanical Gardens, where they find a bunch of dead researchers and Victor in the fridge. They also find a living plant girl and a bunch of failures in jars. Ivy flips out, kills Victor, and then uses her powers of the green to destroy the lab.
Amy Chu continues to write this rambling mini-series with pencils from Robson Rocha, Julio Ferreira, and Ethan Van Sciver. You know a book has issues when you have three pencillers working on it. The story just manages to promote the fact that Ivy is really not a bad girl after all. Sorry…you were a villain before DC made you into a role model for young girls!
RED HOOD/ARSENAL #11: We begin with Roy having a dream about his days with Iron Rule. He goes investigating and that leads to a final confrontation with them. Meanwhile, Jason and Duela talk about her starting school again and putting the whole concept of her being the Joker's Daughter behind her. Then he pulls out Joker’s face that she had hidden behind the baseboard and the jig is up. She dons the mask and pulls a gun
So this series is quickly coming to a merciful end. And I say merciful because the character that has been the most fun over the last few issues just got plugged in the chest. Bad move, folks…really bad move. Scott Lobdell write it and Dexter Soy drew it.
ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN #11: Robin, Goliath, Talia Al Ghul, Maya, the League of Assassins and Batman all converge on Gorilla City where they battle Lu'un Darga and his followers. Darga gets to put the crown relic that gives him his power on and Maya, during their battle, gets transported with him to the location of the final artifact-Dinosaur Island.
While I am a fan of Ray Fawkes work, I do miss the previous creative team of Tomasi and Gleason, as they had his character nailed, stylistically and thematically. Ramon Bachs art is nowhere near as in depth as Gleason’s and it hurts the book in my opinion. It’s not that his style is bad, it just doesn’t fit the book.
SECRET SIX #12: Lady Shiva is indoctrinating Strix and that means her garden gnome has to die. She is given a text-to-speech tablet to replace her notepad and uses it because her former teammates lives are in danger if she doesn’t. Shiva sets up a test for Strix. She introduces six people who play the parts of the Secret Six and tells Strix she needs to kill each contestant within a minute or the real life Secret Six individuals will die. If she loses, they all die. In short order, she kills them all. Meanwhile, Ralph Dibney, once again the Elongated Man, has a barbecue while they figure what to do next. Catman gets a phone call from Scandal Savage and it looks like she and her friends want him for a sperm donor.
The end is near and I’ll be sad to see this really crazy series go. Gail Simone’s story has been wonderfully appealing since the first issue and Tom Derenick’s art has set the bar for great looking characters in comics. This has truly been one of my favorite if not THE favorite title from the DC YOU books introduced a year ago. It all ends next month and we can only hope that all these characters will find a place in the post REBIRTH DC Universe.
SINESTRO #22: Soranik is totally overwhelmed with the responsibility of leading the Sinestro Corps while Sinestro is still injured. But she has done some good, including sending out Lanterns to find out what happened to the Green Lantern Corps besides policing the universe in their absence. She has also agreed with her father to send out the Manhunters to search for the Lanterns. Oh wait: Dex-Starr, Bleez, Atrocitus and company are back and they take out Dez Trevius.
Cullen Bunn and Martin Coccolo bring back the Red Lanterns! Yay! Now if we could only get them to be more active in the forthcoming REBIRTH. This title is at the end of the road and it will be interesting to see where they end up in REBIRTH too. Bunn’s story is nice but not overly exciting while Coccolo’s art shines here.
STARFIRE #11: The attack is over and Kori, Stella and Atlee are enjoying some rest and relaxation, when they find out that you don’t rub Choor on the head or he will pop out little furry babies. Meanwhile, Sol is bonding with Kori’s pet Syl’Khee. The girls head home and discover a street party. Did someone say party?
What a mess! Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Elsa Charretier give us a miserable T&A title mixed with an episode of THE GILMORE GIRLS or PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. This book has so much touchy-feely girl stuff in it that I can only see it appealing to 13 year old girls. Now I know we want more women involved with comics, but if this is how to do it, then I think the industry is doomed. Maybe Kori will actually get her brain back when REBIRTH starts.
SUICIDE SQUAD MOST WANTED-DEADSHOT AND KATANA #4: Katana and the Suciide Squad has been captured by Kobra and his forces, but Captain Boomerang finds a way to get free and that leads to a bit of a tussle among the players. Kobra grabs hold of a gun from Eve and, when he fires it, it causes the neck bomb in Battleaxe’ head to go off, leading to a hasty retreat by the Squad, along with Prince Brion. They end up at Brion’s secret base where they all lick their wounds and Enchantress heals the injured cat. Later, Katana uses the sword’s powers to get a slain Kobra follower to reveal vital information. Enchantress reveals to Deadshot that she has gained Katana’s trust, which will make it easy for them to get the sword that Amanda Waller wants. Kobra’s ship arrives but it finds the signal that brought them there is not recognized, which leads them to seemingly incinerate our heroes. Meanwhile, Dr. Jace gets a special viewing of an amazing mystery.
In the Deadshot story, the new Deadshot is on a mission with the rest of the team to capture the twelve board directors running the annual red marketplace: a trade show for crooks and drug dealers. But Evans has his own agenda and begins taking out everyone in sight, which encourages the rest of the team to do the same. Unfortunately, Evans is also executing board members, totally against orders. He goes completely rogue and executes Santana, before going after the remaining board members and their helicopters. When Olivia goes to trigger his neck bomb, she discovers his trigger is missing and it costs her her life. This leaves Evans free to destroy the helicopters, killing all of the directors. In the aftermath, Waller realizes she made a mistake with bringing him on board and goes about seeing to free Floyd Lawson. But he is gone…
This series continues to baffle me. The Katana tale by Mike W. Barr and Diogenes Neves reveals some nice things about the soultaker sword we had not seen before and I love seeing Prince Brion again, especially in Barr’s hands. Can we resurrect the Outsiders, PLEASE? But the story itself is running long with no real payoff other than some fleeting moments with a bunch of C level Suicide Squad members. The Deadshot story by Brian Buccellato and Viktor Bogdanovic has been a winner since the first issue. And what started as a vendetta by Floyd to free himself from the ghosts of his past has now turned into a hunt for him AND the man who replaced him. Personally, I could go for a DEADSHOT series…again!
SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #28: Read ACTION COMICS #51 before you read this review. Diana and Clark discuss his pending death and that ultimately leads to…the kiss! They end up going to Stryker’s Island to check on the super-powered parolee who thinks he is Superman and it may have something to do with Clark’s acquisition of the Solar Flare. Superman goes to visit Ulysses while the parolee manages to break free, causing a power failure that frees Ulysses. The two rumble until the power eventually comes back and Ulysses realizes Superman is dying. Continued next month in BATMAN/SUPERMAN #32.
Peter J. Tomasi and Ed Benes brings us to the halfway point in THE FINAL DAYS OF SUPERMAN, which has now gone to second printings through DC because of the interest in this. We all know that the new REBIRTH series will feature the Pre-Flashpoint Superman and his family, so the death of this Superman is not only foretold but is going to be a reality. I’m sure the media will climb all over and that last issue will be a HUGE success. For now, it’s just a moment in time and this issue does a nice job of propelling the overall story along. Let’s face it: this was supposed to be about the Super-League Clark was going to form, but now it’s all about dealing with his own mortality.
SUPERMAN #51: The issue begins with testing himself and realizing that, after his recent battles with Rao, the exposure in the Kryptonite chamber and the fire pits of Apokolips, he is dying. He goes off to Lana Lang, informing her of what is happening to him and asking that she makes sure he is buried next to his parents. He also visits Lois Lane and asks her to tell the world about the life of Clark Kent and Superman. Meanwhile, a mysterious Chinese woman tries to hack into the Fortress of Solitude. She also has a mysterious being in a stasis tube, promising its’ the being’s time to shine. Also, an individual violating his parole gets struck by lightning and turns into a fiery looking version of Superman.
Peter J. Tomasi and Mikel Janin set into motion an arc that could possibly end with the demise of the NEW 52 Superman and give way to OUR Superman during REBIRTH. The story is pretty cool and pretty much allows out hero to begin wrapping up things in his life as he prepares to transition to the end of his life. Are they really going to bump off the NEW 52 Superman? It sure it anyone’s guess, but it definitely looks like Clark is doing what many people at the end of their lives do: make their peace and prepare for the next place in their journey. And could this individual in China be the forthcoming Chinese Superman? Pretty cool stuff!
SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #7: Beginning many years ago with the beginnings of Author X's published career, we soon shift to the here and now where Jon is saving his mom from the fire that Manheim’s men have left them in. Meanwhile, Clark and Blackrock are battling and Clark just gets incredibly angry when he finds out this is all part of a reality show gone wrong. He eventually gets free and helps save Jon and Lois, leading to him having to fully explain things to Jon, who wants to know if his father is the real Superman. In the end, Hyathis confronts Chambers and Henshaw, demanding the other half of the artifact. They don’t have it, but we all see that it’s in a case…in his Fortress of Solitude.
Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks are turning out some absolutely amazing work on this title, which I have to admit, I thought would just be an attempt to cash in on these character’s appearances during CONVERGENCE. But this title has been a great surprise and it just gets me excited to see where the creators of REBIRTH are going to take this. You should be reading this book because it is that fun rush we all got back in the day of reading a FUN book!
SWAMP THING #4: Alec Holland has been returned to human form and Matt Cable is now the Swamp Thing. So it’s up to Alec to train Matt on how to be Swamp thing and how to use his new powers. Unfortunately, he hasn’t quite gotten it all down, as he tears a hunter into pieces. Cable goes on his own personal one-man power trip and begins to trash the town of Houma and almost everyone in it. In the end, he makes a throne for himself and drags Alec into the ground.
Len Wein and Kelley Jones continue to try and replicate the classic days of this title by making it look and feel like the days of Wein and Wrightson. But let’s be honest: the Seventies aren’t coming back any time soon. However, they do a nice job of bringing that feeling to the title and having brought Matt Cable back was a great touch. Now, how long before we get Abby and Arcane in the picture? This title is not coming back during REBIRTH, so they better make a move and soon.
TEEN TITANS #19: Cassie has found out that she is the child of Lennox and Cassaandra wants her to use the Rod of Asclepius to bring him back to life. In actuality, Cassandra wants her to use the rod to restore her mind-controlling voice. She actually convinced herself that she wanted to save Lennox, which is how she tricked Wonder Woman’s lasso. Bunker blocks everyone’s ears with his bricks so they can’t hear her command to die. Wonder Girl dons her armor and slits her throat again. Then she uses the last wish from the rod to heal Cassandra’s throat but not her voice.
Yeah…this was fun! Greg Pak wrote the script, while Ian Churchill and Alvaro Martinez handled the pencils. While it is not a great read, it is far advanced from the work the Scott Lobdell was doing on it. I like Cassie as a character and can see how Pak has put pieces in motion for a possible future series(hint…hint).
TITANS HUNT #7: Honey Bun and Ding Dong Daddy are at Lilith’s clinic and easily taking down the Hawk and Dove. Then Lilith, Roy and Gnarrk get entangled in the fight and discover that Honey Bun and Daddy are “Strike Droids”. It takes a complete effort and a combined one, but they eventually take the droids down. Meanwhile, Bumble Bee fears for her life at the hands of Neil Richards, but suddenly manifests powers she didn’t remember she had. In the end. Nightwing, Donna Troy and Garth climb the spiral stairwell and see Mal and Mister Twister.
Dan Abnett and Paulo Siqueira just rip it up here. We all know that this is going to lead to the new TITANS series during REBIRTH. So this acts as a great lead in to that. My question will be how this will all play out with Dick, Donna and Roy living in this book along with WONDER WOMAN, NIGHTWING, and RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. Abnett has a true love for these characters and it shows in everything he has them do. I can’t wait to see how this all ends.
WE ARE ROBIN #11: Smiley and his Jokers gang have broken into Middletown High School and are terrorizing everyone. Riko and Duke hide in the ladies room while they try to contact Izzy, who simply ignores the text. Soon, developments have hit Twitter and the police arrive. This leads Smiley to threaten to execute teachers if any police try to enter the building. Izzy finally meets up with Dalton, who is armed to the teeth with a pair of grappling guns. Inside, Dre finally reveals himself, having been undercover with the gang and he, Duke and Riko, with help from Izzy and Dalton, take down the gang. Later, The Nest appears, but the team tells him they are doing their thing their way.
We’re almost at the end here and I really don’t know if the powers that be know what they are doing with this book…or if they ever have. Lee Bermejo has tried his best to create a fun book with interesting characters. But my problem is I find almost all of them, except for Duke, to be somewhat interchangeable. And Jorge Cornoa’s obtuse art style hasn’t made me a fan either. What happens when this series ends? My guess would be the promising Robins end up as part of Batman and Batwoman’s training squad.
WONDER WOMAN #51: Diana is in the Tartarus Pit to free the Hecatonchires, but the Pit continues to bombard her with images of what she fears, like zombie versions of Zola and Zeke blaming her for not protecting them. She eventually meets with Hera, who has appeared here thanks to the orbs that Diana stole. Diana uses the lasso of truth to get them out, but they return to Mount Olympus where they find Zeke missing and Zola dead.
PLEASE…let’s get out of this and get to REBIRTH. Meredith Finsh spends an entire issue giving us Diana’s fears, including a date with Clark. But it all feels like padding. I do have to admit loving Miguel Mendonca’s art. Seriously, I like how it feels better than Mr. Finch’ art. So, the book is on its’ way to a new creative team led by Greg Rucka’s writing, and I welcome that! It can’t get much worse than this.
