DC REBIRTH Month 12, Part 2

NEW SUPER-MAN #11 by Gene Luen Yang and Billy Tan. Professor Zheng and his team discover a statue that ties into the legend of the White Snake. But the China White Triad arrive and murder them. While new Flash and Kenan engage in a race around China, Wonder Woman explains that the statue is the turtle spirit of the sorcerer known as Monk Fahai. The Triad injects Fahai with the Doomsday Virus turning him into a giant turtle that creates a tidal wave Flash and Kenan rescue civilians while the rest of the team confronts the creature. It telepathically refers to Deilan as Green Snake and that’s because the two of them have history. She agrees to surrender to him if that will stop the destruction, but Kenan won’t let that happen. When all seems lost, Super-Man Zero arrives. Wait…who?

NIGHTWING #20 by Tim Seeley and Javier Fernandez. Dr. Simon Hurt is doing his best to mentally break Nightwing even as Shawn discovers that Robin is still alive, despite seemingly being stabbed to death. Deathwing shows up and battles with Hurt, who stabs him. As the temple comes down, Dick, Shawn and Damian flee, only to find that Hurt and Deathwing are gone. In the end, Shawn learns she is not with child and Nightwing and Robin head into action as a team.

NIGHTWING #21 by Michael McMillian and Christian Duce. Wally West comes to Bludhaven, share drinks and talked about the messed-up love lives. They meet a villain named Timebomb, who uses a backpack to pause time. After tricking him into believing that he has killed out heroes, they defeat Timebomb. In the end, we learn that the backpack belongs to Tiger Shark and he wants to make sure that Timebomb doesn’t talk.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #10 by Scott Lobdell and Dexter Soy. Artemis is with her former sister Akila that she is pretty sure she killed many years ago with the Bow of Ra Akila wants her to join her in her quest to retrieve the Bow, which is in the hands of General Heinle, who was responsible for resurrecting her. Meanwhile, Jason is dealing with visions of The Joker and his younger self, having been killed in Qurac. He awakes to find he was being tortured and proceeds to break free and tell the General that Aftemis is here. The General reveals that Quarac is really being held captive by Akila and her Amazon Army. Elsewhere, Bizarro is becoming a hero to the people, as he literally moves a mountain to save them from the military.

SUICIDE SQUAD #17 by Rob Williams and Tony S. Daniel. The team, minus Boomerang but including Zod, goes into action against the Annihilation Brigade. Zod cracks open Tunguska, which will lead to a massive explosion. Harley discovers thee is a prison there holding Meta-Humans as The People are designing their own Suicide Squad. Flag has Enchantress teleports them all away as the complex explodes, presumably killing most of the Brigade and all the Meta-Humans. Meanwhile, Harcourt is revealed as a member of The People, murders the Task Force X tech team, and begins to erase files, setting an explosion in motion that will destroy Belle Reve in the process. Waller confronts her and, before Harcourt can reveal Hack’s true killer, Digger kills her with a boomerang through her head. In the end, Zod decides he is going to use his laser vision to remove the Kryptonite bomb in his head.

SUICIDE SQUAD #18 by Rob Williams and Tony S. Daniel. Harley and Rick are in the process of getting it on while Zod successfully burns Waller’s bomb out of his brain. With half of his skull gone, he attacks Waller, who is rescued by Captain Boomerang and the team. Just when it looks like they have the upper hand, The Eradicator and Cyborg Superman arrive to lend a hand.

SUPERGIRL #9 by Steve Orlando and Brian Ching. Supergirl joins Katarina Bissell at the Energy Expo as Barbara and Ben watch. The Tycho Eidolon generates Phantom Energy and, thanks to Magog, Ben gets sucked into The Phantom Zone. Batgirl and Supergirl battle Magog.  Supergirl finally takes him out with a tiny punch and that’s When Batgirl jumps into the Phantom Zone to save Ben, followed quickly by Supergirl. Chase arrives and D.E.O. prepares to take Magog in but, after boasting about what the Fatal Five will do to Supergirl, he disappears. In the end, the Phantom King awaits the arrival of the trapped trio.

SUPERMAN #22 by Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke. Lois heads out to find Jon and Calrk and the missing Batman but ends up at Mr. Cobb’s farm. Even though he assures her that all will be fine, she ends up in a bomb shelter in town and finds a room full of monitors. And also Candice, who knows Clark and Jon’s secret identities. She races back to her house to get Clark’s Justice League communicator but Mayor Goodman, Candice and others are already there. Armed with some hand-held firepower, she escapes in the Batmobile, but is thwarted by Mr. Cobb. Meanwhile, Superman finds an underground room in Dead Man’s Swamp filled with captured Metas including Robin, Batman and Frankenstein..

SUPERMAN #23 by Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Doug Mahnke. Cobb is menacing Lois, who holds him off with the Hell Bat gauntlet, causing Superman to burst from below and join the fight. He reveals where Jon is just as the town comes under attack by giant monsters. When he arrives in town, he sees the towns people have become a team called The Super Elite. During the battle, Lois’ leg gets cut off and, despite Superman cauterizing it, he racing her to the hospital. In the end, we see that Jon is being held captive by Manchester Black, who wants the son to see the complete defeat of the father.

SUPER SONS #4 by Peter J. Tomasi and Jorge Jimenez. Superboy and Robin have been captured by Kid Amazo, but luckily get freed by Luthor, who wats his armor back. Sara joins the fight and manages to rip the Amazo skeleton off her brother’s back. Luthor promises to help make

SUPERWOMAN #10 by K. Perkins and Stephen Segovia. John Henry and Natasha test the potential abilities Lana may have within the Insect Queen costume. As it turns out, she still has powers through the suit. She also discovers that John Henry’s brother has escaped prison along with his former associate Skyhook, who was responsible for kidnapping Natasha’s 8-year old nephew. As Superwoman, Lana goes after Skyhook.

TEEN TITANS #8 by Christopher Priest, Benjamin Percy, Dan Abnett, Phil Hester and Khoi Pham. THE LAZARUS CONTRACT PART TWO. Wally West helps a motorist in need, who turns out to be Deathstroke, and gets a burger and captured for his trouble. The two Wallys soon meet, as they are both Deathstroke’s captive. Slade reveals to Wally how he needs to use his speed to travel through time and fix everything, starting with Grant’s death. With a promise that he will stop being Deathstroke forever if he can do this, Wally agrees to let him tap into his Speed Force power. Over at Teen Titans Tower, Damian reveals that he can’t find Wally because the tracker he put on him is on Damian. At Titans Tower, Deathstroke appears on their monitors and talks about the Lazarus Contract. The Teen Titans arrive and Damian accuses Dick of making a deal with Deathstroke. The combined team tracks down the elder Wally and they see that Deathstroke is now a bearer of the Speed Force, even as the younger Wally apologizes. Continued in DEATHSTROKE #19.

TEEN TITANS SPECIAL #1 by Christopher Priest, Benjamin Percy, Dan Abnett, and Paul Pelletier. THE LAZARUS FINALE FINALE. We begin with Grant Wilson back when he was with the kids in the H.I.V.E., resulting in him being transformed into The Ravager. Later, Grant of the past meets Deathstroke from the present and is thrilled…until he discovers that Deathstroke is his dad. Slade knocks him out and decides to go further into the past. In the present, the Titans, minus young Wally and Aqualad, head to Hatton Corners where they meet Jericho. They all head into the past, where they run into the younger version of what is now The Titans, leading to Damian using his Stone Palm to temporarily kill Kid and break Deathstroke's connection to the Speed Force. Dick Grayson Robin brings Kid Flash back to life which allows young Wally to get his Speed Force back. With everyone back in the present, they find Deathstroke who manages to enter the Speed Force, leading to both Wallys entering behind him. With Raven’s help via a psychic tether, the all manage to exit the Speed Force. Deathstroke removes his mask and announces that he is finished. In the epilogue, Damian fires Wally while we learn that Titans’ Wally now has a pacemaker, based on what happened in the past. And if he runs, he dies.

TITANS #11 by Christopher Priest, Benjamin Percy, Dan Abnett and Brett Booth. THE LAZARUS CONTRACT PART ONE. In a moment from years ago, the Titans are battling The Ravager when he dies from a heart attack, sending Deathstroke into a grief-fueled rage. In the present, Slade has received a corneal transplant from an unknown donor. He also learns that Rose in in a hospital in stable condition and Jericho is in rehab. after the events in DEATHSTROKE #18. The Titans are battling what they believe are H.I.V.E. agents, but are actually just hired by someone named Lazarus. During the fight, Wally gets captured by Deathstroke, who wants revenge but also offers him a deal: use the Time-Force to change the past. Wally refuses and that’s when he meets the OTHER Wally West, who has also been captured. Continued in TEEN TITANS #8.

TRINITY #9 by Francis Manapul and Steve Wands. Jessica, Simon and Cyborg appear to be dead, floating in space outside of the Watchtower. The Trinity are in the cave last seen in the Black Mercy story, when they get transported to the Watchtower...leaving behind White Mercy who was unseen by them. They find Cyborg barely alive and head to the escape pods where they plan to use the energy there to jump start what’s left of Cyborg. Once inside, they find that Simon and Jessica have been taken over by aliens. Flash arrives and meets with batman while Wonder Woman and Superman meet the alien responsible for all of this.

TRINITY ANNUAL #1 by Rob Williams and Guillem March. Circe asks Ra's al Ghul why does the Trinity exist with the answer being Fate. While the Trinity enjoys a nice quiet dinner, a mysterious hooded figure heads into the Pandora Pits, where we see a cave painting representing the Trinity. There’s a confrontation with the League of Assassins and the hooded man transforms into Etrigan, who gets cut by Ra’s which results in his blood going into the Pit. This transforms him into a giant and separates him from Jason Blood, who begins to age rapidly. Superman and Wonder Woman battle Etrigan while Batman convinces Jason to reunite which the creature. In the end, Etrigan and Jason are reunited while Circe and Ra's look to another possible Trinity-Red Hood, Artemis and Bizarro.

WONDER WOMAN #22 by Greg Rucka and Mirka Andolfo. In a tale set eight years and seven months after Diana left Themyscira, a bachelor and bachelorette auction leads to Veronica Cale purchasing a date with Diana. She introduces her security team of Marina Maru and Kit Cox, before dismissing them before their dinner. Diana reveals that she is aware how Team Poison ended the human trafficking ring by killing the traffickers and Cale reveals she has no regrets. They take a taxi out of town, where they get dropped off and confront armed assassins. Some time later, it is revealed that Veronica was trying to find a way to Themyscira. Wonder Woman arrives and explains that she knows of the connection between Cheetah and Cale, as she returned a broken watch to Cale. In the end, Diana warns that she will be watching Cale. 

WONDER WOMAN #23 by Greg Rucka and Liam Sharp. Ares has been bound by Aphrodite to keep him out of man’s wars. But the snake bite he gave Wonder Woman was designed to be a map to him. We also learn that Phobos and Deimos was masquerading as their father. They are now on Themyscira, where the Amazons are ready to face them. Wonder Woman gives herself to the pair and defeats them by saying she loves them. Wonder Woman is ready to return to Man’s world,  but Veronica’s daughter must stay behind or else lose her face once more. So Izzy stays with the Amazons for the remainder of her days while Hippolyta tells hr daughter to make her proud.

WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #1 by Greg Rucka, Vita Ayala, Michael Moreci, Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Nicola Scott, Claire Roe, Stephanie Hans, and David Lafuente. Our first story has Batman and Superman meeting Diana for the first time. In the second story, King Shark is being sentenced to death in Markovia but Diana uses her lasso to prove he is innocent and sets him free. In the third tale, Wonder Woman battles a Japanese warrior named Kikori, who has asked her to take his life to free him from his curse. In the last story, she battles a giant monster but, when she finds the tale of the creature, gets it away from civilization and brings it to Dinosaur Island.

DC REBIRTH Month 12, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #979 by Dan Jurgens and Patch Zircher. We begin seeing Mongul killing Superman, which turns out to be a dream he continues to live because of the Black Mercy flower. The Eradicator arrives to free him and take him to their leader. Blanque, Mogul and Eradicator then end up in the Himalayas searching for the Oblivion Stone, when they run into Dratania and K’lon. Meanwhile, Lois and Clark purchase an apartment in Metropolis when he hears the distress call from what was his Fortress. He finds Kelex dismantled and Dratania and K’lon are dead. Off on the moon, in what was Batman’s secret base, the trio of villains brings Hank Henshaw the stone, which leads to him stripping off his flesh and revealing himself as the Cyborg Superman. In the end, his plan is to bring Zod into the fold.

ACTION COMICS #980 by Dan Jurgens and Patrick Zircher. While Cyborg Superman is filling in the new Superman Revenge Squad, the Kents are adjusting to their new home in Metropolis. Superman heads to the Watchtower where he and Batman see Henshaw and The Eradicator trying to make their way through a black dome that surrounds Belle Reve. It is revealed that the dome is a manifestation of the Black Vault, which causes hallucinations once someone is inside. With all three players inside, it looks like the deaths in Superman’s past are here to aunt him.

ALL STAR BATMAN #10 by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque. In London in the past, police chase a masked crook. In the present, Batman and Alfred are chasing after Hush, capturing him and convincing him to give up vital information. This leads to Bruce posing as Tommy Elliot in an intended buy of the Genesis Engine. But the seller, Mr. Thatch, is aware of the subterfuge and orders his men to kill Bruce, who uses his wits to protect himself with an iron painting. Defeating the thugs, Bruce finds that Thatch has been murdered and had his chest ripped open, revealing his beating heart as he died. Alfred recognizes the symbol on Thatch’ chest and it takes him back to his youth in London...where he was the masked crook.

AQUAMAN #22 by Dan Abnett and Philippe Briones. Because of their fear, Arni and Mortimer both turn into Dead Water and begin to tear the base apart. The Aquamarines transform, while Aquaman and Mera arrive to drive the Dead Waters away momentarily. The signal jammer is broken and Mortimer has set a nuclear bomb to blow up the base. Aquaman grabs the bomb and blows up the portal to Strange Water’s world. The bomb explodes, Mera saves them both with air bubble, and Arni and Mortimer transform back to their old selves. In the end, a stranger in a hood is looking to release Rath from his prison.

AQUAMAN #23 by Dan Abnett and Scott Eaton. Arthur and Mera return to Atlantus and get attacked by Corum Rath and Deluge. It seems they have been released and that Elder Leot and the Council did it. Apparently, Atlantis is tired of the way Arthur is hanging with the surface dwellers, specifically the Justice League. They decide to make Corum Rath king and even his most loyal followers, such as Murk, agrees. Meanwhile, Vulko and Kreen are in the Penitentiary Vault, but Vulko has had enough and he slips out.

BANE CONQUEST #1 by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan. Bane, Bird, Trogg and Zombie attack a cargo ship and Bane kills everyone because they stole from him. It turns out the ship contains weapons meant for a terrorist cell in Gotham. That leads him back to Gotham and eventually someone named Chango, who gets tortured and eventually killed by Bane. It seems someone named Damocles is responsible and that leads to Qurac, where Bane gets ambushed and presumably captured by Damocles. 

BATGIRL #11 by Hope Larson and Chris Wildgoose. Blacksun is confronting his dad when Batgirl crashes the party to save Penguin. Blacksun’s newest app creates a “murmuration”, which is also what you call a flock of Starlings. This means that the crowd gets turned into mind-controlled zombies and they attack Batgirl and Penguin. She manages to get Blacksun out of wi-fi range and that shuts his powers down and then lures him to Prospect Pine Park. They mix it up and she kicks him in the chest, causing his suit to short circuit and that burns him badly. Flashing forward two weeks, where Barbara is hosting a welcome home party for Frankie. Meanwhile, Penguin arranges to bust his son out of the hospital so he can treat him for his burns.

BATGIRL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY #10 by Julie Benson, Shawna Benson and Roge Antonio. Batgirl, Huntress, Nightwing, Green Arrow and Gemini continue their hunt for Blackbird when they come across Owen, who reveals his power has been stripped away. This leads them back to the Clocktower, where Blackbird is masquerading as Dinah and the real Dinah has been mind-controlled. Blackbird tries to control Huntress, but she has had Spyral activate a Hypnos for her, which blocks her. But because she is controlling multiple people, Blackbird’s ability is weakened and the combined psychic ability of the Birds of Prey defeats her. In the end, Blackbird reveals that she can only remove abilities and can’t give them back. The Birds decide to let Oracle be part of their inner circle and that might work to his advantage, as a mysterious person has demanded his help in exchange for more pills.  

BATMAN #22 by Joshua Williamson, Tom King and Jason Fabok. THE BUTTON PART 3. Barry and Bruce have arrived in the Batcave of FLASHPOINT Batman-his father Thomas Wayne. Unfortunately the reunion is short lived as Atlantean and Amazonian forces have arrived. Father and son team up to fight the armies as Flash races about to fix the Cosmic Treadmill. As the armies fall and the Treadmill gets powered up, Batman begs his father to come with them. He refuses, tells Bruce to NOT be Batman and enjoy some happiness as the Flashpoint Universe dissolves. As Batman and Flash head back through the Speed Force to their own time, they are passed by Reverse Flash who is still alive. To be concluded in THE FLASH #22.

BATMAN #23 by Tom King and Mitch Gerads. The issue begins with a grisly murder that Batman and Jim Gordon are investigating. That’s when Swamp Thing shows up explaining that the murder victim is his father. They discover that someone named Lloyd McGinn is responsible and, when they find him, Swamp Thing kills him.

BATMAN BEYOND #8 by Dan Jurgens and Bernard Chang. Bruce explains how his prototype Bat Suit has a built-in A.I. which made certain that Batman never fails, which resulted in the injuries that finished his career. and a history different than the animated series for when Bruce stopped being Batman.  Ra’s right-hand man, Koru, arrives and mixes it up with Curare, running her through with a sword and killing her. The A.I. sends Terry to Ra's fortress in the Himalayas and Bruce is in pursuit. With Terry batting the Demon's Head, who turns out to be Damian Wayne.

BATWOMAN #3 by Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV and Steve Epting. We begin in the past, where Tahani, the future assassin known as Knife has saved a young Safiyah from some man who was hurting her. In the present, Kate meets with Elder and Younger of the Kali Corporation and bugs the room while Julia is hacking into their system. The twins reveal that Safiyah’s heir sold the desert Rose to the Kali Corporation. Julia learns that the twins plan to wipe out Safiyah’s island with a series of bombs. Knife shows up and attacks Kate, before fleeing with the twins. Kate goes to the island and finds all the explosives, but gets attacked by Knife. Luckily, Kate has made a deal with the other crime bosses on the island and they arrive to back her up.

BLUE BEETLE #9 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Scott Kolins. Tina has learned that Sugar, Spike, the Reyes and Milagro have all been turned into monsters. Teri takes Jaime to meet up with OMAC and try and secure his help. Brother Eye gets involved and agrees to assist. Jaime, Teri, Ted and OMAC face off against Arion, but Doctor Fate's Helmet calls to Teri and convinces her to go the Tower of Fate, where she frees Kent Nelson.

CYBORG #12 by John Semper Jr. and William Conrad. Cyborg finally ends up back in Detroit, only to find that he has been moved six months into the future. He takes in a lecture on genetics, nanotechnology and robotics before he finds that Exxy has become a famous rapper while Cyborg was gone. Cyborg goes to one of his underground concerts, which allows Anomaly to find him and send his Haxaan robot along with a monster he created from Rizzo Rattama, to attack them. Sarah, who happens to be in the crowd, remotely gives Cyborg information on how to reprogram the OTAC cells, which causes Rizzo to dissolve.

DEATHSTROKE #18 by Christopher Priest and Joe Bennett. We begin with Jericho beating on Deathstroke after discovering Etienne murdered. From here, it flashes back and we learn that Etienne was working for Amanda Waller. Rose has been picked up at the airport by Red Lion who gives her the Ravager suit. Isherwood has been resurrected, but it looks like their were side effects. Slade visits Luis/Richard’s mom and says he will let her son live, which means he will have to kill him when he comes after Deathstroke again. Etienne berates Jericho for not telling her about his affair with Isherwood. After we see the bride dead, we cut to the wedding as Jericho arrives and attacks his father. In the end, father and daughter are unconscious and Jericho stands over them, covered in blood.

DEATHSTROKE #19 by Christopher Priest, Benjamin Percy, Dan Abnett, Larry Hama, Carlo Pagulayan, and Roberto Viacava. THE LAZARUS CONTRACT Part 3 starts with Deathstroke now possesses the Speed Force and he and Wally are heading off together. The Teen Titans, specifically Damian, is upset that their Wally gave Slade his Speed Force powers. Back in the past, to a time a year after Grant’s death, we see that Slade made a deal with Dick Grayson where he would take care of Rose. And this is the Lazarus Contract-as long as she stayed safe, they would not be hunted by him. Damian and Dick agree to work together, as do Wally and Jericho. In the end, Slade goes searching for Isherwood and finds…Grant? To be concluded in TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1.

DETECTIVE COMICS #956 by James tynion IV and Marcio Takara. Casandra continues her battle with Shiva while Colonel Kane and Ulysses send their swarms under Gotham to wipe out the League. When Kane discovers Batwoman is still alive, he stops Ulysses and the swarm. At the end of the Cassandra/Shiva battle, Ra’s Al Ghul arrives and shoots Shiva in the chest. In the end, Ra’s takes control of the League, diffuses the bomb and takes Shivas’corpse with him. And Batman decides he needs to use magic to defeat Ra’s in the future.

DETECTIVE COMICS #957 by James Tynion IV, Christopher Sebela and Carmen Carnero. Spoiler is all about proving that Gotham shouldn’t be totally relying on Batman. Wrath shows up and challenges Batman in a bungled television broadcast. Steph saves the day, but lets GCPD

THE FALL AND RISE OF CAPTAIN ATOM #5 by Cary Bates, Greg Weisman and Will Conrad. General Eiling is working at trying to put a positive spin regarding the Max Thrane incident. Thrane, now calling himself Ultramax, is going about grilling and eliminating all those people who went to the FBI and sent him to death row. Eventually, he will get to the last person on his list: General Eiling. Meanwhile, Atom masquerades as his son’s JROTC representative and tries to bond with him, even though Genji does not know this is his father.

THE FLASH #22 by Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter. THE BUTTON PART 4. Flash and Batman are pursuing Reverse Flash when he trashes the Cosmic Treadmill, allowing him to slip away. Thawne reaches his destination, but finds himself eliminated by something with a blue flash. Flash hears a voice that says to say his name. When he says the name Jay, Jay Garrick, the original Flash, appears, moving through the Speed Force as they all land in Batman’s Batcave. He explains that Barry must remember him like he did Wally, but then gets pulled back by a blue mist, possibly into the Speed Force. Later, Bruce and Barry have a conversation by the grave of Bruce’s parents, where Barry says he is going to do an autopsy on Thawne. That night, the Bat Signal lights the sky and Bruce considers if he should answer it or not, based on his “father’s” words. In the end, a mysterious blue hand tells “Laurie” that everyone is a puppet, which reveals this mysterious figure as WATCHMAN’s Doctor Manhattan. The epilogue shifts perspective from the bottom to Superman’s crest. Doomsday Clock is coming in November.

THE FLASH #23 by Joshua Williamson and Carmine Di Giandomenico. We begin in the 25th Century in the Flash Museum where it is revealed that the Flash and Eobard Thawne.  In present time, Barry is in S.T.A.R. Labs examining Thawne who, unseen by Barry, shows a glimmer of Speed Force in the villain’s eye. Barry goes to a surprise birthday party, where he has a rotten time, as he keeps dwelling on Thomas Wayne's message to Bruce. Hal Jordan shows and then Multiplex attacks, telling Iris that she is the one for him. Wally races Iris home, where they find Daniel waiting for them.

GOTHAM ACADEMY SECOND SEMESTER #9 by Brendan Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, Karl Kerschl. Our story begins with Olive at the fiery remains of Harvey Dent’s family home. The school is now in lock-down and most of the students leave, including Kyle. That leaves the Detective Club short handed as they look for Amity’s bones. Modern versions of the Terrible Trio trap them and force them to use science to get free. Meanwhile, Dent finds Olive and meets her possessed self, convincing her to join him in a war against Oswald Cobblepot.

GREEN ARROW #22 by Benjamin Percy and Juan Ferreyra. While most of Seattle is in flames, Eddie, Cheshire and Brick gets introduced as part of the Four Horsemen and battle with Green Arrow. While the Mayor objects to the media treating him like a crook, Arrow learns that something called Ley Lines forms a star, with Queen Industries being in the center of it. In the end, Henry tries to recruit Roy into the mix but he may not see that happen, as Eddie has set the tree-house on fire with Henry in it.

GREEN ARROW #23 by Ben Percy and Juan Ferreyra. With Dinah at the library doing research, and getting a visit from Victoria Much, and Emiko finding a dead security guard at the water treatment plant, Ollie finds the treehouse burned to the ground and what may be Henry’s remains. As she investigates the treatment plant, Emiko has a run in with Cheshire. Luckily, Roy shows up to save the day. Over at Queen Industries, we see that Broderick has Henry and he is doing his best to get him over to his side by showing off some cool technology. In the end, Eddie shows up with troops to take on Ollie and someone blows up the Space Needle.

GREEN LANTERNS #22 by Sam Humphries and Ronan Cliquet. Jessica and Simon are sent to Mogo for Green Lantern training with Guy and Kyle. Meanwhile, the last of the Lanterns meet up and Rami is not really who he seems to be.

GREEN LANTERN #23 by Sam Humphries and Eduardo Pansica. Both Jessica and Baz are being put through their training by Guy and Kyle. Volthoom digs through Rami’s records and finds that the first seven rings were made from the Traveling Lantern. His plan: find the first seven rings and he can go home. Flashing back to 10 Billion years ago, we see The Third World of the New Gods called Galactica where Alitha becomes one of the first Lanterns. In the end, Jessica gets fed up and punches out Guy.

HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERNS CORPS #20 by Robert Venditti and Rafa Sandoval. Hal isn’t doing well in his battle against the Prsim Beasts and it takes Mogo’s help to save him. Over in Space Sector 563, Sarko explains to his captives how he has come back in time to claim what is his. As Hal realizes that he may be responsible for all of this, the Lanterns are forced to surrender. Sarko knows that Hal hid Krona’s Gauntlet and he has created a construct that will battle Hal.

HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERNS CORPS #20 by Robert Venditti and V. Ken Marion. On Mogo, the combined Corps are battling the prism monsters without their rings. Kyle and Soranik join in and Kyle gets the information ring that hangs around John’s neck. That ring reveals information about Sarko that greatly upsets Kyle who heads off to join Rip Hunter and Hal, who have gone to Space Sector 563 to retrieve Krona’s Gauntlet while battling Sarko. Hal tears the Gauntlet from the Guardian, which causes it to shut down. In the process, it sends out a beam that kills Sarko, who turns out to be Kyle’s son.

HARLEY QUINN #19 by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and John Timms. Harley manages to free herself and she seeks out bloody revenge against the cannibals. In the end, she takes them all down, reveals that Madison Berkowitz is in cahoots with them and the chief of police sees Harley as his secret weapon.

HARLEY QUINN #20 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Paul Dini, John Timms, Joseph Michael Linsner, and Bret Blevins. While Harley Quinn tries to get her apartment cleaned up for her parents’ visit, Harley Sinn does a Facetime call to show her she has kidnapped Mason Macabre and his mother. That’s when a future visitor shows up, prepared to kill the person who kills Batman-Harley. When she was last seen, she was flying across the city via scatapult. In the back-up, well it’s more of this Paul Dini-written story that might have been in an issue of Batman Adventures back in the day. In this one, the Joker confesses his love for Harley, but she has passed out and never gets to hear it.

THE HELLBLAZER #10 by Simon Oliver and Davide Fabbri. Mercury and Constantine end up on an illegal club that is filled with werewolves. Just when things look darkest, Papa Midnite arrives and saves them. In the end, they end up in a public restroom where John tries to use his magic on the flying shoe to bring them to its’ owner.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #20 by Bryan Hitch. We begin with Flash battling a new villain as Jessica lies dead. In a Groundhog Day series of events where the moment keeps repeating, we learn that the villain is actually a scientist who has learned how to harness Zero-Point Energy. But a disastrous explosion kills his family and he blames the Justice League for it. And The Flash believes he may be right.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #21 by Bryan Hitch. We see Jason and his wife, who may have had an affair with his boss. That takes us back to the Justice League fighting the monster while Flash tries to explain the “Groundhog Day” thing to Batman. They head to the demonstration and, with Batman disguised as a security guard, they convince Jason to not do the demonstration as Tony has had his hand in sabotaging it, killing everyone at the event and selling the device to China and kill everyone at the expo when it explodes. The team stops the alien, but the alien takes the device, which turns out to be his heart. In the end, the alien insinuates that something bigger may be coming.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6 by Steve Orlando and Andy MacDonald. With most of the League fighting against Aegeus' troops, Ray is forced to cut out Lobo’s heart to save him from the poison that was killing him. Aegeus is telling The Atom he needs to build him more guns or he will kill the League. Lobo and Ray show up and The Atom takes down Aegeus, causing the Chimeras that are attacking the rest of the team to dissolve, defeating Aegeus’ troops in the process. In the end, Xenos gets brought on board to update the Sanctuary and Killer Frost may have a lead on a possible cure.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7 by Steve Orlando and Jamal Campbell. Ryan Choi and Killer Frost are at the Museum for Unnatural History where they are checking out a mummified baby who may have had the same powers as Frost. Terrorsmith arrives on the scene and transforms the security guards into monsters. Frost uses her powers to defeat him and transform the guards back. In the end, Black Canary tries to tell Killer Frost that she should ask Ryan Choi out while Amanda Waller looks like she might have a use for Terrorsmith.

RIVERDALE Season One Full Synopsis and Recap

This final episode of the first season of CW’s RIVERDALE has left us with one heck of a cliffhanger and hopefully there is enough buzz to increase the ratings, which slipped between Episode 1 and Episode 13. I was a fan of this right from when the first episode aired in January and you can go back and see my review of that on this site. It is a weird blend of TWIN PEAKS meets PRETTY LITTLE LIARS with a good looking cast and some cool plot twists..

At the suggestion of my good friend Chris Nelmes, here is a summary of Season One. Be aware: spoilers abound. So, if you want to get a feel and not be surprised when you actually watch the show, read on. By the way: every episode has a nod to classic films in its’ title, along with being labeled as Chapters. Thanks to IMDB for that bit of information!

In CHAPTER ONE: THE RIVER’S EDGE, we meet our cast of characters. As comic fans know, our core four is Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse). We also meet Archie’s dad Fred (Luke Perry), Alice (Mädchen Amick) and Hal Cooper (Lochlyn Munro), and Hermione Lodge (Marisol Nichols). Other key cast members include the Cheryl, Jason, Penelope and Cliff Blossom (Madelaine Petsch, Trevor Stines, Nathalie Boltt, Barclay Hope), Kevin Keller (Casey Cott), Reggie Mantle (Ross Butler), Miss Grundy (Sarah Habel), and Josie and the Pussycats (Ashleigh Murray, Asha Bromfield, Hayley Law).

With Jughead, who is writing a book about everything, acting as our narrator, we learn that Cheryl and twin brother Jason Blossom went out in a boat to Sweet Water River on the Fourth of July and only Cheryl came back. Archie, whose parents are separated, is a high school sophomore who is working for his dad’s construction company and playing football, while also trying to pursue his love of music. He tries to convince his music teacher, Miss Grundy, to be his private tutor, but they had a heated love affair over the summer and she feels it is best they don’t get together. During this affair, it is revealed they were at Sweet Water River when Jason drowned and apparently heard gunshots that morning.

Veronica and her mother Hermione have moved from New York to Riverdale while her millionaire father Hiram is in jail facing embezzlement charges. Secrets abound as we learn that Betty’s sister Polly had a mental breakdown and was sent away. It apparently has something to do with her relationship with Jason. And it’s possible that Cheryl may be hiding a secret regarding Jason’s death.

At the school dance, Cheryl convinces Archie, Betty, and Veronica to go to her after-party, where Archie and Veronica play a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven, much to Betty’s dismay. Later, openly gay Kevin Keller and Moose Mason are alone at the lake when they discover Jason's body with a bullet hole between the eyes, meaning this mystery just got more mysterious.

In CHAPTER TWO: A TOUCH OF EVIL, Miss Grundy insists that neither she nor Archie can tell anyone about being at the lake on July 4th or hearing the gunshot. But Jughead later sees the couple holding hands, realizes their connection and fights with Archie, who he thinks should go to the sheriff. The next day, Cheryl who blames Polly for Jason's death, gets arrested. It seems Jason's autopsy shows he was murdered a week he supposedly drowned.

When CHAPTER THREE: BODY DOUBLE begins, we have the sheriff questioning Cheryl, where she reveals that Jason wanted to leave Riverdale and she was helping him stage an accident to cover up his disappearance. Archie later meets with Sheriff Keller and says he was at the lake and heard the gunshot, but it was just him and his dog. Cheryl tries to thank Archie for his confession by hooking him up with Josie and the Pussycats, who might be able to help him with his musical aspirations. Meanwhile, Betty decides to restart the school newspaper and she sends Jughead to interview Dilton Doiley-the Scoutmaster who found Cheryl on the 4th. Dilton was out with the Adventure Scouts training them how to shoot and the shot that Archie heard was them. He reveals that he saw Ms. Grundy's car by the river that day.

Veronica is now dating football star Chuck Clayton and learns that he and other members of the football team, including Jason, have been engaged in slut shaming, leading her to find his playbook, which, among others, has Ethel, Veronica and Polly’s names in it. Looking for revenge, Veronica and Betty drug Chuck and brutally torture him, with Betty dressed in lingerie and a black wig. Betty covers him in maple syrup and, calling him Jason and referring to herself as Polly, she demands he apologize for hurting her. Chuck gets thrown off the football team by his father, who is the coach, while Betty and Cheryl burn the evidence.

Remember: at this point, we’re only three episodes into the season.

As Episode Four, entitled THE LAST PICTURE SHOW begins (one of my favorite films which I recently secured the soundtrack to), Jughead has learned that the Twilight Drive-In Theater where he works is closing. On it’s last night, Veronica sees her mother meeting with the leader of the criminal gang known as the Southside Serpents, who turns out to be Jughead’s father, F.P. Jones (Skeet Ulrich), and handing him some sort of payoff. When Veronica confronts her mother, she learns that Hiram is the anonymous buyer of the property and this payoff is related to the Serpents involvement in that scheme.

Archie and Fred have dinner with Miss Grundy at Pop’s Diner, leading Betty to confront Archie about a possible romantic affair with his teacher. He fesses up to it and Veronica overhears, meaning all three members of the romantic triangle are in on the secret. Betty decides to interview Miss Grundy and does some investigative journalism, finding out that Geraldine Grundy was an elderly woman who died seven years ago. Betty and Veronica break into Grundy’s car, where they find a driver’s license saying she is Jennifer Gibson. They also find a revolver. Grundy explains to Archie that she changed her name after a divorce from her abusive husband. Faced with exposure by Betty’s newspaper reporter mother, Grundy agrees to leave Riverdale forever. In the end, someone steals all of the evidence on Jason’s murder from Sheriff Keller’s office.
 
Chapter Five is called HEART OF DARKNESS. Cheryl’s mom tears up the eulogy Cheryl had written for Jason and her parents refuse to let her speak at his memorial. But she manages to do it, wearing the same dress she wore on the day he “drowned”. Betty and Jughead sneak away to go search Jason’s room, but run into Cheryl’s grandmother. She mistakes Betty for Polly and spills it that Polly and Jason got engaged with an antique ring that he gave her. Looking to replace Jason, Coach Clayton pits Archie and Reggie against each other for the role of team captain. While trying to work on his other passion, his music, he meets with a songwriter from New York named Oscar Castillo, who turns him away after he feels Archie’s songs are childish. Hermione has a cardboard box with a snake inside left for her at the diner-an obvious message from the Southside Serpents. Later, Betty finds out that her dad was aware of the engagement before he reveals that Betty’s great-grandfather was in the maple-syrup business with Cheryl’s great-grandfather until he was murdered by Mr. Blossom. In the end, we see that it was Mr. Cooper that stole the files on Jason’s murder.

In CHAPTER SIX: FASTER PUSSYCATS! KILL! KILL!, Betty digs through her mother’s purse and finds a check made out to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Betty and Jughead head out to the place and find Polly, who is not sick, but pregnant. She had a plan for her and Jason to run away together. On the 4th of July, they were going to meet on the other side of the river, but the Cooper found out and had her taken away. When Polly asks if Betty had talked to Jason, she tells her sister that he is dead. Later, Betty and Jughead kiss, followed by Betty saying that Polly mentioned that Jason had a getaway car stashed on Route 40. They find the car, along with Jason’s jacket and drugs. They contact Sheriff Keller but, by the time he arrives, the car has been torched  Meanwhile, Archie tries to get ready for Riverdale annual variety show with the help of Valerie, who quits the Pussycats. In the aftermath, Veronica ends up in the band and Archie and Val kiss. Hermione is now working at Andrews Construction and wants to award the Drive-In developments contract to his company, but she needs Veronica to sign off on it. When she won’t, Hermione forges the signature.

Chapter Seven is called IN A LONELY PLACE. Polly has escaped from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, leading to the town organizing a search party. Betty eventually finds Polly hiding in their attic. While the Blossoms want to take Polly in, Cheryl feels that her parents have bad plans for her and Polly moves in with Veronica and Hermione. Jughead convinces his father to ask Fred for a job at the construction company. We learn that F.P. and Fred founded Andrews Construction together, but Fred cut him loose after he had to bail him out of jail. It also turns out that F.P. has Jason's jacket in his trailer, making him the prime suspect in the torching of the car. Sheriff Keller takes Jughead into custody, as he is now a person of interest in the murder, but Fred provides the alibi.

Chapter Eight is THE OUTSIDERS, where Polly tells the sheriff that Jason was supposed to make a drug delivery for what is assumed was the Southside Serpents. With Clifford Blossom hiring all the qualified construction workers in town, in an attempt to bankrupt the construction project, Fred is forced to hire the Serpents. F.P. tells Hermione that Hiram found out that Fred and her were a couple and that Hiram was responsible for hiring the Serpents to cause havoc at the construction site. F.P. also tells fellow Serpent Joaquin to keep seeing Kevin, so he can spy on things involving the sheriff. Veronica decides to host a baby shower for Polly. But during the event, Penelope and Alice fight over whom she should live with and Polly decides to head back to Thornhill and live with the Blossoms. At the same time, Polly tells her mother that even though she is mad at mom sending her off to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, at least it wasn’t as bad as what her father had done by making an appointment for her to have an abortion. Alice heads home and throws Hal out of the house because of this.

In Chapter Nine: LA GRANDE ILLUSION, it’s time for the Blossom family's annual maple tree-tapping ceremony and Cheryl invites Archie to be her date. Archie is inclined to decline until Penelope tells him that Cheryl’s great-uncle is on the board of directors for a music school and she offers some quid pro quo. Under pressure, Archie accepts. He finds out that Polly moved in with the Blossoms to get evidence regarding Jason’s death and he tells this to Betty. She and Jughead decide to write a piece for the school paper and Alice Cooper, recently fired from the town paper by her husband, decides to join them. Ethel Muggs’ family is going to lose their home soon as it seems Mr. Muggs invested with Hiram Lodge and Mr. Muggs has recently attempted suicide because of it. After the tapping ceremony and banquet, Archie finds out that Mr. Blossom wants him to be a part of his company but also finds out that Clifford was responsible for sending Hiram Lodge to jail. Later, Val breaks up with Archie and he decides that he wants no part of the Blossoms, even if it means losing his chance at the music school.

Four episodes until the season finale…

Chapter Ten is called THE LOST WEEKEND. While being threaten by the family attorney to testify as a character witness for her dad, Veronica discovers that the Blossoms have been making payments to Lodge Industries for generations and only stopped when Hiram got arrested. Further pressure is put on her when she gets a letter from her dad saying she must testify or else he will implicate her mother. While Fred goes to Chicago to finalize his divorce, Betty finds out Jughead's birthday is coming up and she convinces Archie to throw him a party at the house. Chuck Clayton’s suspension is over and he has a run in with Betty at school, where she gets so angry she cuts him palms open with her fingernails. At the party, Cheryl and her crew, including Chuck, show up uninvited, leading to a game of “Secrets and Sins” where Veronica accuses Cheryl of murdering Jason.Dilton reveals how Archie was fooling around with Ms. Grundy while Chuck tells about Dark Betty. F.P. is here and pulls Joaquin aside to quiz him about what he has learned from Kevin. He says he overheard Veronica say that her father may have had something to do with Jason’s murder. Jughead and Chuck get into a fight leading to F.P. ending the party, but not before he confronts Betty’s mom, who he reveals was once a Serpent. When Fred returns home, following an Archie phone call begging him to not sign the divorce papers, he has his wife Mary (Molly Ringwald) with him.

TO RIVERDALE AND BACK AGAIN in the title of Chapter Eleven. Archie’s mother is back from Chicago and Veronica finds out that her father may be released from prison soon. Jughead has given his dad a copy of his novel and F.P. suggests that Jughead needs to move on from it. Cheryl tells her parents that she is bringing Polly as her date to the dance so they can be co-queens in honor of Jason. Meanwhile, Polly and Cheryl find the ring that Jason had used to propose to Polly with. Mrs. Blossom explains that Jason walked away from the family and threw the ring at his father. Mrs. Blossom gives Polly a drug laced milkshake, which causes her to pass out and miss the Homecoming Dance. Alice invites the Jones to dinner before the dance, which allows Veronica and Archie to search F.P.’s trailer for evidence. During dinner, Mr. Cooper shows up, the conversation shifts to the night of THEIR Homecoming Dance, when he talks about a huge fight Hal, and Alice had that night. At this year’s Homecoming Dance, Archie and Veronica perform together while his parents arrive hand in hand with Hermione. The police search F.P.’s trailer, where they find a lockbox with a gun in it, and promptly arrest him for the murder of Jason Blossom. When Archie and Veronica tell Betty the news, they swear that they found no gun when they searched, which means someone planted that evidence.

In Chapter Twelve, ANATOMY OF A MURDER, Jughead heads to the bus station, so he can go to Toledo to be with his mom and his brother jellybean, even though she forbids him from coming. In jail, F.P. confesses to Jason's murder, burning Jason’s car, and tampering with evidence. He tells how Jason needed cash to make his getaway, so F.P. arranged to have him make a drug delivery. He kidnapped Jason, held him at the Whyte Wyrm, and put in a ransom call to Mr. Blossom. When tried to escape, F.P. killed him. He also admits to stealing Sheriff Keller’s file, even though we see Hal Cooper trying to destroy that evidence. Then he reveals the family secret: the Coopers are actually Blossoms. Hal’s grandfather was murdered by his brother and that side of the family changed their name to Cooper. This means Jason and Polly were related to each other by blood. The Coopers go to Thornhill, accuse the Blossom’s of murder to cover up the incest, and take Polly back home with them.

In jail, F.P. used his one phone call to call Joaquin, leading Archie and company to quiz him about events surrounding the murder. He tells them that he got a call from F.P. to do a clean-up at the Wyrm’s and, in addition to cleaning up all the blood, helped put Jason in the freezer. That confession leads them to one of the Serpents, who the kids find dead of an apparent self-inflicted overdose. The police arrive and find a bag of cash under the guys’ bed, in a bag with the initials H.P. on it. For his own safety, Kevin sends Joaquin out of town. Betty, Veronica, and Kevin find Jason’s varsity jacket and discover a USB drive in the lining. The kids plug it into a laptop and are shocked by what they see. At Thornhill, Cheryl gets into a fight with her mother about what really happened and she drags her out to the barn to show her all the barrels of maple syrup. Betty calls Cheryl and tells her to get out of the house, she does, but not before she accuses her father of doing a bad thing.

Mrs. Cooper turns the USB drive over to the sheriff and the mayor. It shows Jason tied to a chair in the basement of the Whyte Wyrm when Clifford Blossom shows up, takes back the engagement ring and then shoots him between the eyes. F.P. confessed because Clifford came to see him the night he was arrested and threatened to kill Jughead if F.P. didn’t own up to the murder. When the police arrive at Thornhill, they find that Clifford is dead and hanging from the rafters, next to several barrels filled with heroin.

In the season ending episode, THE SWEET HEREAFTER, we learn that Clifford was using the Maple Syrup business to smuggle heroin from Canada. Jason found out about it and Clifford killed him because of it. While F.P. has been cleared, he still is facing a number of charges and lengthy prison time. Alice tells Betty that the fight the night of their Homecoming Dance had to deal with her being pregnant. She went away to the Sisters of Silent Mercy and she was forced to give their son up for adoption.

Jughead is told that he needs to go to a foster family on the Southside, which means he goes to a Southside High-a tough school filled with metal detectors. Betty, Veronica, and Archie “rescue” him, even though it looks like he has made some new friends. Veronica gets a text from Cheryl that seems to imply she is going to drown herself in Sweetwater River. The trio gets there just in time to see Cheryl crash through the ice and Archie frees her by smashing the ice until his fists are bloody.

Hermione fires the Serpents and hires a new construction crew because she doesn’t want Hiram, who has been officially released from prison, to get in any trouble by associating with them. And she also wants to buy Fred out with a generous offer, which he turns down. Penelope Blossom is dealing with Clifford’s death pretty badly, saying that maybe they should all just end it. Later, she comes home to find Cheryl standing in front of their fireplace, throws a lit candelabrum on the gasoline soaked carpet and Thornhill burns to the ground.

The town’s 75th anniversary celebration is coming up and Mayor McCoy asks Archie to perform with the Pussycats and asks Betty to make a speech. Because of his rescue of Cheryl, Josie allows Archie to sing a song he wrote about his friends while Betty gives a speech, which points a lot of fingers at a lot of people in town-both in a good way and a bad. Despite her criticisms, it get her a standing ovation. After the Jubilee, Archie and Veronica go to her apartment for some alone time while Jughead and Betty head off to F.P.’s trailer and do the same, getting interrupted by the Serpents. Jughead is told they will watch his back while F.P. is away and they give him a Serpents jacket. The next morning, Archie meets his dad at Pop’s. Archie goes to the bathroom and comes out to find an armed robbery in progress. A gunshot rings out and we end the season with Archie cradling his father, who has been shot in the stomach by the robber.

Holy cliffhanger Archiekins! What happens from here? Will Fred live to see Season Two? Will Archie’s mom ever come back to Riverdale? What will happen when Hiram Lodge (Mark Conseulo) comes back to town? With Thornhill gone, where do Cheryl and her mom end up? Will Jughead become a full-time serpent? Will he and Betty ever go all the way?

That’s it for the first season of a show that introduced such phrases as  “sticky maple”, “booty tutor”, and “twincest” into our lexicon. Over thirteen episodes, we have seen cool characters, creepy characters, wild situations, and a look at hometown America turned sideways. While many fans and critics alike absolutely hated this show because of what it did to the Archie legacy, I personally gravitated to it right from the early moments of Chapter One. I highly recommend it to comic fans and followers of the CW!

Seriously…great, quirky show that deserves a bigger audience. And, as of June 18th, you can binge watch the entire quirky first season from the beginning.

DC REBIRTH Month 11, Part 2

NEW SUPER-MAN #10 by Gene Luen Yang and Viktor Bogdanovic. Superman is here and the China White Triad attacks him. Bad move! In order to help Superman though, Kenan opens the gates of Chinese hell and that proves to be a worse move as the demons get the better of Superman and prepare to throw Lex into the pits of Hell. I-Ching removes his glasses and reveals his true nature. Kenan sees the dilemma and focuses his Qi so he can get his powers back. The Guardians of Hell, Ox-Head and Horse-Face arrive to close the gates and Kenan asks if there is news about his parents. He is told that they aren’t there, which means they haven’t died. In the end, Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman of China find out Kenan’s dad is alive and in some giant glass tube. And the leader of the China White Triad delivers all but the Ox-Horse door rings to the mysterious man who looks like Fu Manchu. In actuality, it is I-Ching.

NIGHTWING #18 by Tim Seeley and Javier Fernandez. Nightwing and Robin battle against Professor Pyg’s dollotrons. Meanwhile, Deathwing  and Dnesh, the fake Robin, talk and Deathwing breaks Dnesh’ neck. Nightwing and Shawn defeat Pyg while Robin goes outside when he sees the Batmobile being stolen. Deathwing finds him and knocks him out, taking him away with Pyg’s benefactor: Dr. Simon  Hurt.

NIGHTWING #19 by Tim Seeley and Javier Fernandez. Nightwing and Shawn are making their way through an Egyptian desert, trying to find Robin. They discover that Dr. Hurt plans on sacrificing Robin at dawn. Once inside a hidden ancient temple, Deathwing drops a statue on Shawn and begins to battle with Nightwing. With Shawn’s help, Nightwing defeats Deathwing who finally cracks from what Pyg did to him. Shawn stays with him while Nightwing goes after Hurt, who apparently has already sacrificed Robin. A trap door opens and Nightwing falls into Hell.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #9 by Scott Lobdell and Dexter Soy. Jason and Artemis commandeer a plane, which Bizarro is actually flying, and head off to Qurac in search of the bow. Their Supreme Leader has the plane shot out of the sky and Bizarro attacks the fighter jets. The plane crashes, leading to Jason being captured and Bizarro among the refugees. Jason discovers that his prison is directly across from the place where The Joker killed him, leading to an interesting conversation with himself as Robin. In the end, Artemis is all tied up and in the presence of her dead friend Akila.

SUICIDE SQUAD #15 by Rob Williams, John Romita Jr. and Eddy Barrows  Waller is alive, Katana is free and she cuts off Deadshot’s left  hand. Harley springs up and it seems she was wearing Kevlar, so the entire team jumps forth attacking Rustam’s team. Some of his team dies, especially Ravan who is beheaded by Boomerang, but Rustam gets to learn that Waller used him to serve Waller’s bidding. Back at Task Force X’ home base, Waller learns from Harcourt that the security cameras were scrambled so who the traitor is and who killed hack is still a mystery. We learn that Waller had made arrangements for Deadshot to shoot her with a Magic Bullet created by The Enchantress, which allowed her to be dead for twelve hours. As a reward, the president gave her control of Task Force X again. In the end, Waller heads to Metropolis to meet with Lex Luthor.

SUICIDE SQUAD #16 by Rob Williams and Tony S. Daniel. Amanda has a dinner meeting with Lex Luthor at LexCorp in order to distract him while the Suicide Squad breaks into the vault beneath his skyscraper. They battle a host of Bizarros before Luthor learns of the ruse and arrives in full costume. He orders everyone to stand down and gives Amanda a gift he tried to give her earlier, which she thought was in the vault, It’s a box of Kryptonite which means Lex knows Amanda’s plan. In the end, a Kryptonite bomb is inserted into the brain of General Zod. Welcome to the Suicide Squad, General Zod.

SUPERGIRL #8 by Steve Orlando and Matias Bergara. Supergirl meets with Superman on the Kryptonian Day of Truth. Soon they are attacked by the Emerald Empress, who claims Kara ruined her life and then disappears. After a tour of National City, they go to the Fortress of Solitude where Kara gets to meet Jon. After dinner, Superman explains the events of SUPERMAN REBORN and asks for her help in the crisis that is coming involving Mr. Oz. In the end, Supergirl gets her next mission from Cameron Chase while Cat Grant sends Ben Rubel onto his next assignment. And Batgirl. Is in the mix too.

SUPERMAN #20 by Patrick Gleason and Peter J. Tomasi. All seems like a fun day at the Kent Farm for the family until Cobb Branden tells Lois of an impending storm  and that they should take cover. Batman and Robin show up and, after an interesting dinner, Batman explains he has come here to reveal some of the tests he took involving Superboy. He explains that he should be more powerful than he is and something must be stunting his powers. Noting how much milk Jon drinks, Batman goes to Cobb Branden's and takes a sample of milk from Bessie. The milk turns black and a long tendril captures Batman. Branden tells Bessie he is going to put this trespasser with the other ones.

SUPERMAN #21 by Patrick Gleason and Peter J. Tomasi. Damian and the Kents prepare to go searching for Batman when Cobb Branden  shows up delivering Bessie’s milk. As he leaves, Branden talks to Krypto, saying that they always need to keep an eye on Jon. As the search begins, the mysterious voyeur dropped the giant octopus from the beginning of this series into the middle of the Hamilton County Fair. Superboy saves the day, which leads to the towns people berating Superman. Later, Damian mentions their  trip to Dead Man's Swamp, leading Superman to go there to search for Batman. Superboy is grounded, he and Damian begin to rumble and Kathy Branden shows up to use her psychic powers against the boys, taking Jon’s heat vision from him. As Superman enters the house in Dead Man's Swamp, Kathy tells Jon that the mysterious person will keep him safe until he’s ready.

SUPER SONS #3 by Peter J. Tomasi and Jorge Jimenez. We begin with a moment from several months ago, where Providence’ newest superheroes, the Super Duffys, have defeated Titano. Then we head back to Jon and Damian battling robot versions of their fathers. Sara arrives and gets the robots to stop, telling the boys that the Amazo Virus has given her the gift of controlling machines. And it’s a good thing because her brother Reggie has been corrupted by his Amazo power and he is actually capable of splitting himself into these creatures. Then it turns how that he has control of Sara now too and Jon and Damian have to battle robot copies of themselves. They may be in over their head, even if Damian says he has a plan.

SUPERWOMAN #9 by K. Perkins and Stephen Segovia. Lana has awakened and she is now powerless. Elsewhere, the Atomic Skull is now working as a member of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit and he has plans to go after Remnant. Later, Lana tells Superman she can’t be Superwoman if she is powerless and he takes her to Metropolis to show how much of an impact she has had. That’s when the fight between Remnant and Atomic Skull comes into play and Superman and Lana end up as the heroes.

TEEN TITANS #7 by Benjamin Percy and Khoi Pham. The team battle King Shark, who gets away and heads underneath Alcatraz to meet up with his army of shark inmates. Jackson pleads to join the team, even as Robin blows him off. The news reports that Bonnie Chung is being held at Alcatraz by King Shark and company, so they head into action. The team takes out the inmates, but Robin is almost about to be killed by King Shark when Jackson saves him. Robin makes Jackson a probationary member of the team as we learn that King Shark is working for Black Jack. And Black Manta shows up wanting to know more about Jackson.

TITANS #10 by Dan Abnett and Brett Booth. Wally and Dick are being held captive by the Fearsome Five, where they are planning to strip them of their powers. Just in time, the rest of the team shows up and gets seriously beaten down. Bumblebee arrives and she single-handedly takes on Psimon, leading to him stripping away part of her mind, making her not recognize Mal or even that she has a baby. Lilith takes down Psimon and the Fearsome Five get arrested. Back at Titans Tower, Dick reveals that the Fearsome Five were working for H.I.V.E.

TRINITY #8 by Cullen Bunn and Emanuela Lupacchino. Superman battles Superman in a dream he explains to Batman and Wonder Woman. He also mentions seeing the Multiverse in the dream. In the end, Mr. Oz is apparently watching it all.

WONDER WOMAN #20 by Greg Rucka and Bilquis Evely. GODWATCH Part 3 begins with showing what Veronica Cale has gone to cure her daughter. That includes summoning Circe who is excited that Veronica wants to free Izzy and punish Phobos and Deimos. She summons the Twins while Circe confronts Wonder Woman in Qurac. Veronica casts her spell and turns the twins into hounds. Circe returns to Veronica and claims the soulstone for herself. The dogs reveal that they no longer have Izzy. She is with their father, Ares.

WONDER WOMAN #21 by Greg Rucka and Liam Sharp. In THE TRUTH Part Four, we see that Diana has survived being shot by Colonel Poison and takes down Colonel Poison and her troops. Meanwhile, Veronica, Izzy, the dogs who are Phobos and Deimos, and Cheetah head to where Veronica believes the portal to Themyscira is. Steve and Diana arrive and that means a brawl between Diana and Cheetah. Suddenly, the gigantic dead tree appears. Diana’s blood causes a burst of energy to emerge from the tree with Deimos, Phobos, Izzy, Veronica, and Diana being sucked into the tree. Inside, Veronica and Diana find Izzy, with her face restored. They also find Ares, who claims that this is his prison.

DC REBIRTH Month 11, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #977 by Dan Jurgens and Ian Churchill. Because of recent events, Lois and Clark are working at the Planet together, Perry White knows they are married and apparently, he is Jon's godfather. Confused about how he and Lois were split into two beings, he goes to the Fortress of Solitude to investigate, which also gives us and him a chance to review his rebooted origin story, from his launch from Krypton through his early days as boy on Earth. Meanwhile, a mysterious holographic figure visits Metallo and Blanque, encouraging them to join him in his mission to take out Superman.

ACTION COMICS #978 by Dan Jurgens and Carlo Barberi. Superman, with Kelex’ help, reviews his history from the point that he saves Lois Lane for the first time. They begin dating, get married and she reveals she is with child. With Batman standing guard and Wonder Woman acting as midwife, Jon is born. We then move forward through how they changed their name , Superman left the League, grew a beard and dressed in black.. The mysterious Mr. Oz appears before Superman and begins to destroy the place. Meanwhile, the mysterious figure tries to recruit The Eradicator and he joins Metallo and Blaque on the moon. The mysterious figure is revealed as Hank Henshaw and he has gathered together the Superman Revenge Squad.

ALL STAR BATMAN #9 by Scott Snyder and Jock. Batman is racing towards the Washington Monument and is being chased by “alleged” agents of the Blackhawks. It seems the mastermind for all of this story arc is Ra's Al Ghul. Batman is shot and taken down before he can get to Ra’s, but it’s really Catwoman in disguise, allowing Bruce Wayne to slip inside and confront him. But Ra’s has a master plan that he seems to enact, including killing Duke and Bruce. Actually, he poisoned Ra’s with Hatter toxin and made him BELIEVE he had done all those things. Ra’s still manages to get away and the story of the bacteria is still unresolved. In the back-up, Duke battles Darryl, Duke’s mom assist, Batman solves Riddler's puzzle and all of this leads to DARK DAYS: THE FORGE that is coming this summer.

AQUAMAN #20 by Dan Abnett and Philippe Briones. At the Navy Research Station, Aquaman fights with Dead Water, temporarily causing it to flee. He orders the Aquamarines to go back on patrol while he goes to work on a signal jammer the scientists had designed to deter Dead Water. Wilks gets attacked and killed by Dead Water, but that gives enough time to activate the jammer, which turns the creature back to human form. Sergeant Toye kills him and they later deduce that he was one of the research scientists working here. Since it appears Strange Water causes the transformation, Authur and Mera go out searching the area with scuba tanks filled with ocean water. As it turns out, the guy who was Dead Water had no exposure to Strange Water, which means something else is changing them.

AQUAMAN #21 by Dan Abnett and Scot Eaton. Aquaman and Mera head towards The Gate while Elder Leot argues about who should be running Atlantis with Arthur missing.
Meanwhile, Mortimer gets the brilliant idea to make use of the Nuke to solve the problem. Aquaman deduces that people change into Dead Water when they let their fear overtake them. Unfortunately, Ajar is scared to death and turns into a creature…right next to Mortimer.

BATGIRL #10 by Hope Larson and Chris Wildgoose. Batgirl and Penguin are playing ping pong before she heads over to the Iceberg Lounge to survey the crime scene with Commissioner Gordon. Then, realizing she is late for a date with Ethan, she heads over only to have his intern dump her for him. Later she texts Dick, only to find out that Ethan has posted pictures of her playing ping pong with his father on the Internet. The next morning, Barbara, Alysia and Frankie go to brunch, only to have a car smash into the restaurant they are in. It’s due to an automatic driver malfunction caused by Ethan Cobblepot. In the end, Ethan shows up to meet with the Penguin and declares a takeover…as Blacksun.

BATGIRL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY #9 by Julie Benson, Shawna Benson and Roge Antonio. Blackbird is using Roulette to help her find meta humans to exploit, specifically at the Fight Club that Black canary is operating undercover at. Blackbird steals Gemini’s powers and then the same happens to Owen and, it appears, Black canary. Meanwhile, Batgirl and Huntress meet up with Green Arrow, who is getting the scoop from a scared Gemini. One call to Nightwing and it looks like it’s Team Batgirl to the rescue.

BATMAN #20 by Tom King and David Finch. While continuing to get beat down by Bane, Batman recalls almost every major event since the start of REBIRTH. Just when it appears all it lost, Batman delivers a head butt to Bane’s nose and that’s that.

BATMAN #21 by Tom King and Jason Fabok. Part One of THE BUTTON. Starting out in Arkham Asylum, we find the inmates, specifically Saturn Girl, watching the Gotham Blades hockey game. She recognizes what is going on and starts yelling that a player is going to get killed. Meanwhile, Batman is looking at The bloodied Comedian’s button when the Psycho Pirate's Mask causes FLASHPOINT’s Thomas Wayne Batman to momentarily appear. Batman calls to The Flash and asks for help and Flash says he will be there in a minute. Just then, Eobard Thawne arrives and beats Batman bloody, destroying the infamous Thomas Wayne letter from FLASHPOINT in the process. Thawne picks up the button and is sucked into a broken monitor, only to come out, partially decomposed, claiming to have seen God. That’s when Barry arrives to see the carnage, which leads into THE FLASH #21.

BATMAN BEYOND #7 by Dan Jurgens and Bernard Chang. While Bruce recalls the olden days, Matt informs him that the Bat Signal is on and Terry is too busy with Dana to pay attention to it. Finally, Matt gets a message to Dana and that’s when Terry realizes he’s messed up. As Batman, he shows up and takes on the League of Assassin ninjas, even as Bruce begs him to return with the prototype Bat suit. In the end, it appears that Ra's Al Ghul is still alive and running the League.

BATWOMAN #2 by Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion Iv and Steve Epting. We begin with a moment from the Lost Year where Kate and Safiyah share a quiet moment and Safiyah tells her about the bar called the Desert Rose. Rafael arrives and says it’s time to meet with the crime lords of Coryana. Moving to present day, Kate brings Rafael’s body to The Desert Rose and informs Julia that she is going dark. She gets attacked by Tahani: the assassin who killed Rafael, now calling herself Knife. A signal fire gets lit and many of the local crime lords come to Kate’s rescue. It seems that the Kali Corporation started buying up land and Safiyah left Coryana. In the end, it seems that Kali Corporation is run by the two siblings and Knife is working for them.

BLUE BEETLE #8 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Scott Kolins. Teri and Ted check out Jaime and it looks like he is cured, now that the scarab has been removed from him. As he and his mom head home, he runs into his friend Kevin Kho, who is terrified because Arion’s insect followers are chasing him. Jaime’s mother becomes a monster like them and that forces Kevin into being turned into OMAC by Brother Eye. Mom flees, OMAC leaves and, with Doctor Fate duking it out with Arion and losing badly, Jaime heads back to Ted and convinces him to let him wear the classic Ted Kord costume.

CYBORG #11 by John Semper Jr., Will Conrad, and Tom Derenick. Cyborg, infected by Anomaly’s virus, finds himself in a battle in an 8-bit digital world called Perilandria, that was created by him and his friend Keiji Otari when they were just kids. It seems that Vic once gave the access codes for S.T.A.R. Labs to Keiji so they could upload the game as a virus. It also turns out that Keiji was a hacker who stole data from the Red Room, sold it on the Dark Web and went to juvenile halll for it. Keiji broke out, by creating Perilandria and becoming H8-Bit. In the end, we learn that Keiji actually died in juvenile hall and that H8-Bit is only a program that he created. After Cyborg defeats H8-Bit’s big bad monster, H8-Bit disappears and Cyborg uses a Boom Tube to head back home.

DEATHSTROKE #16 by Christopher Priest, Larry Hama, Carlo Pagulayan, and Roberto J. Viacava. After her long fall, we discover that Tanya is alive. But that may not last for long as Deadline blasts her in front of Deathstroke/Twilight and threatens to do the same to Wintergreen, who he takes hostage. Meanwhile, Dr. Villain is looking to revive Dr. Ikon and Rose contacts Etienne, who is only going through with the wedding as a ruse, and threatens to kill her. Twilight tracks down Deadline, who loses his right hand in combat, and with the help of Power Girl and her dog Roscoe, takes him into custody.

DEATHSTROKE #17 by Christopher Priest and Joe Bennett. Tanya gets a visit from Beast Boy who freaks out when he sees Deathstroke in the adjacent room.  She gets Gar out of the apartment and asks “Evan” if he is there to kill her. He responds by killing Roscoe, which sends her into a fury. Despite their battle, he still manages to escape. Meanwhile, Rose confronts her Minneapolis “family” to find out if they were truly hired by her father. They are not blood relations but are related to Rose's mother as they both worked in a Vietnamese brothel. She calls Wintergreen and finds out that Richard was working for Adeline and not Slade. We also find that Dr. Ikon is alive and Etienne learns that Jericho and Ikon had an affair. In the end, it looks like the wedding may be off because it looks like the bride has been murdered.

DETECTIVE COMICS #954 by James Tynion IV and Marcio Takara. Batman faces Ra's and captures him, but Ra’s explains the secret of the League of Shadows. While Batman believes they are just a myth, Ra’s convinces him they are real and that he made batman forget them. Batman frees Ra’s, who then paralyzes the Dark Knight and lets Shiva and the League into the Batcave. Ra’s turns Batman over the Shiva while Ulysses and Colony break Jacob Kane out of his prison in the Belfry. They prepare to invade the League of Shadows base and Cassandra prepares to take on her mother.

DETECTIVE COMICS #955 byJames Tynion IV and Marcio Takara. Cassandra leaves Christine Montclair, the girl who had nursed her back to health, to battle her way through the League of Shadows. With Kate, Luke, Azrael and Clayface their captives, the League has an atomic bomb ready to destroy Gotham and Shiva is working about setting that plan in motion. Meanwhile, Ulysses shows Jacob his new super-weapon that is designed to kill the League of Shadows. Shiva and Casandra meet for a one-on-one…or so Shiva thinks. That’s when Kate, Luke, Azrael and Clayface arrive…with Batman and Ulysses.
 
THE FALL AND RISE OF CAPTAIN ATOM #4 by Cary Bates, Greg Weisman and Will Conrad. The “New” Captain Atom does a live television interview and demonstration to prove he’s large and in charge to the world. Then it’s time to investigate the mysterious package and who was in the picture at Nathaniel’s wife’ grave. Then he goes to a maximum-security prison, where Max Thrane was in the process of being executed in the electric chair when the flare created a quantum bubble that stopped time around him. When Captain Atom tries to absorb the quantum bubble to free Thrane, but he actually absorbs Captain Atom's power, turning  Thrane into Captain Atom. In the end, it seems Dr. Megala is secretly running tests on Captain Atom's son Genji.
 
THE FLASH #20 by Joshua Williamson and Neil Googe. Iris is busy investigating a grave-robbing incident that has ties to both the Speed Force Storm and Godspeed. It seems all of Godspeed's victims are missing except for Meena Dhawan. Iris ends up investigating Black Hole and, because she has to, becomes an Agent of Black Hole. The Flash shows up and is taken down by Black Hole. But Iris saves the day. Later, Barry burns dinner for he and Iris and they order pizza. In the end, it seems that Meena, in a snazzy new costume, is working for Black Hole.
 
THE FLASH #21 by Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter. Part Two of THE BUTTON. An aged Johnny Thunder is on the top of the Good Life building and calling for Thunderbolt by screaming his legendary magic word to no avail. Orderlies take hold of him and take him back inside, where they promise to raise the dose on his medications. In the Batcave, Barry Allen tries to figure out what happened to Reverse Flash and, because of  the Speed Forced Signature he found on Thawne, it looks like Barry could be responsible for Thawne’s death. Barry visits Bruce and tells him the Button is missing and Bruce informs him that Thomas Wayne from Flashpoint had been there. Barry goes to the "Hall of Lost and Found" where he unveils the The Cosmic Treadmill. He and Batman travel through the Speed Force, where they see images from the “missing years”, before the Treadmill crashes. They have landed in the Flashpoint Batcave and come face to face with Thomas Wayne-The Batman.
 
GOTHAM ACADEMY SECOND SEMESTER #8 by Brenden Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, Karl Kerschl, Adam Archer and Msassyk. Olive Silverlock is possessed by Amity and in a rage. We learn that Pomeline’s ancestor Aleinor wrote about Olive’s ancestor Amity Arkham in the Book of Gotham. Amity was a witch who was burned and cursed the Copplepots, the Waynes, and others while she died. We also learn that Amity had a baby named Beatrix who, when her mother died, was brought to the Silverlocks by Aleinor. Speaking of the Book of Gotham, Bookworm wants the book from Pomeline and Colton, but Kate arrives and sets them free, allowing Pomeline to knock him out. Pomeline and Colton race back to where Olive has burst into flame in front of Professor MacPherson and Batman. Pom hands her the Book of Gotham, Batman ties her up with a batarang and she, with the promise of taking her revenge on Gotham, she disappears.
 
GREEN ARROW #20 by Ben Percy, Eleonora Carlini, and Mirka Andolfo. In between flashbacks of Roy’s troubles in the past with his adiction issues, he has teamed up with Ollie and Dinah to take on the Wild Dogs. Roy finally remember that it was the sherrif who killed Big Bow and not himself. In the end, Roy and Ollie patch up their differences and agree to work together.
 
GREEN ARROW #21 by Benjamin Percy and Juan Ferreyra. Amongst Arrow’s memories of his past, Cheshire takes manages to arrange that a jet crashes into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport terminal. Eddie Fyers is also back in the book, this time infesting the Grand Pacific Hotel with bed bugs.  We also continue seeing Green Arrow as he tells us he never got to really know his father. Danny Brickwell destroys the  Seattle Capitol Hill building.  Mayor Domini is using threats against Councilman Martinez. In the end, Broderick meets with his Four Horseman and declares how he has destroyed Oliver and Green Arrow. And now he will murder Seattle, replacing it with…Star City.
 
GREEN LANTERNS #20 by Sam Humphries and Eduardo Pansica. Jessica and Simon are fighting to free themselves from the watery tomb they are currently in, but she overcomes her fear and uses her willpower to break them out. They track down Dr. Polaris and discover he has taken his brother from the hospital. Cyborg lends a hand and tracks him down by magnetic disturbances in the area. Simon and Jess find where Seth is and Dr. Polaris arrives, just in time to see Seth flatline.
 
GREEN LANTERNS #21 by Sam Humphries and Robson Rocha. Seth Emerson is dying and Simon tries to use his ring to save him, but it is too little too late. Doctor Polaris freaks out and flies off, using his powers to pull the Watchtower out of orbit and towards Earth where it will kill everyone in Gateway City. The Lanterns work together and crank their willpower up to maximum, making constructs that put the Watchtower back into space. In the end, Doctor Polaris and his human self have a conversation where they blame the Lanterns for Seth’ death. And Simon and Jessica get called away from Earth by Jon Stewart, where they are being relocated to Mogo.
 
HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERNS CORPS #18 by Robert Vendetti  and V. Ken Marion. Gorin-Sunn of the Green Lantern Corps and Space Ape of the Sinestro Corps are on patrol when they encounter a temporal anomaly that apparently kills them.  On Mogo, the Green Lanterns are restoring their power battery and the Sinestro Corps are building one. Of course, that leads to the two Corps fighting with each other until Guy  and Arkillo break it up. Saint Walker is told he is now the sole possessor of the Blue Light, and Ganthet and Sayd send him away. Salaak tries to find the missing Lanterns only to have a temporal anomaly shows up there. But this one contains Rip Hunter, Time Master…who is wearing a Green Lantern ring!
 
HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERNS CORPS #19 by Robert Vendetti and V. Ken Marion. Rip Hunter, as he recovers from his long trip through time, explains to John Stewart that HE gave Rip the Lantern ring. He also explains that he is hunting someone named Sarko. As it turns out, Gorin-Sunn and Space Ape are still alive and being interrogated by Sarko. He also calls Space Ape by his real name: Prince Lorix. He has come from the future where the Sinestro Corps had become a part of the Green Lantern Corps. Because he hates them so much, Sarko sends his Prism Beasts to attack Mogo and, according to Rip, this is the day that changes the future.
 
HARLEY QUINN #17 by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Dini, John Timms, and Bret Blevins. The vampires are feasting in New York since the Mayor hired them to take care of the homeless problem. Chief Spoonsdale meets with Harley to tell her about the disappearing homeless, which leads to Harley and her team doing night patrol in Prospect Park. The team catches some crooks and Red Tool goes to deliver then to the police, leading to Harley being captured by one of the vamps. Meanwhile, in Toole, Utah, Harley Sinn is ready to fulfill her contract when she realizes her target is Madame Macabre’ husband Mason. So she changes her plan and decides to take him as a hostage instead. In the back-up, it’s the first part of HARLEY LOVES JOKER, it’s a New Year’s Eve caper as Mr. J. tries to take his crown back from the mysterious thief that is hitting all of his favorite spots.
 
HARLEY QUINN #18 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Paul Dini,  John Timms, Joseph Michael Linsner, and Bret Blevins. It’s Gotham 2167 and Dev is prepared to travel back to the present to kill the person who murdered Batman— one and only Harley Quinn. Meanwhile, Harley is bring dragged off to become the main course at the vampire buffet. Only we learn they aren’t vampires-they are cannibals hired by Madison Berkowitz in the Mayor’s office. Red Tool tries to rescue Harley, but that doesn’t go so well, so he calls on Eggy to lend a hand. Harley gets brought to the Butchery and tossed into a room filled with rats and human bones. Madison tells the cannibals they are no longer needed and they tell her they have decided to stay. That’s when Red Tool shows up carrying a really BIG GUN. In the back –up, Joker gives Harley a stolen fur coat, but she leaves her old coat at the crime scene. That means that Batman has arrived at their apartment and is ruining date night.

THE HELLBLAZER #9 by Simon Oliver and Davide Fabbri. Constantine, Mercury, and Misabel are following the magic sneaker so they can get Henry’s journal. Misabel runs off on her own, leaving John and Mercury to head to an antiques shop looking for the book. The book section is filed with old comics including an issue of SWAMP THING that features the first appearance of Constantine. They end up in a museum masquerading as another couple, who shows up while they are there. Seems the proprietor is employed by…Misabel. Meanwhile, a guy named Carver chews out the Houses of Parliament before going off to the Tate Club. The Djinn subdues Mr. Carver and forces him to de-wing an angel and then behead an angel. In the end, Carver gives Djinn access to the abandoned Greenham Common Air Force Base.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #18 by Bryan Hitch and Fernando Pasarin. While Superman and Tempus argue, the rest of the heroes fight their battles throughout time. Batman saves Superman just as we find out that Tempus is really a hologram. Superman destroys the machinery and all of the Timeless throughout history stop fighting and collapse. But wait: Tempus wasn’t the villain after all…Molly is.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #19 by Bryan Hitch and Fernando Pasarin. Batman, Superman and Jane face off against Molly, who plans on wiping out all the superheroes and villains in the world. Over in the Infinity Building, Vincents cuts himself, which allows him to bleed into the Timeless’ systems. The League gets a message from Tempus, warning them about Molly but that gets interrupted by Vincent telling them to destroy Tempus’ machine, which will leave them all stranded in time. They destroy the machine and Molly tries to kill Superman and family, but the League, NOT stranded in time, saves the day. Molly warns them that they may have won the battle but this is only the beginning.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #4 by Steve Orlando and Ivan Reis. The team continues to fight against and ultimately defeat The Extremists. Bogna regains the country, although Dreamslayer escapes to try and help people. Back at The Sanctuary, we see the Crusader Shield and the axe that Havok used. In a final flashback, we see Havok killing American Crusader while Blue Jay shrank down into the Microverse.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #5 by Steve Orlando and Andy MacDonald. The JLA has decided to open their doors in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island to anyone who wants to see what heroes do. Following a reporter’s question, the League heads to Penn City, where the villain Aegeus is controlling the place. After Lobo gets taken down and shot out of Aegeus headquarter, the Ray arms the team with light constructs.