DC UNIVERSE Month 48, Part 2

NIGHTWING #88 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. Dick Grayson is still being hunted, but still plans on breaking ground at the Alfred Pennyworth Foundation, despite the fact that Blockbuster has sent Gunbunny and Gunhawk to assassinate him. Luckily the Titans show up to see that doesn’t happen. In the end, Heartless alone wants Grayson’s heart

NUBIA & THE AMAZONS #4 by Stephani Williams, Vita Ayala, Alitha Martinez and Darryl Banks. In a flashback, Nubia is in Chicago where, after saving a field trip from a mythological lion, she becomes involved in a relationship with Tina Knight. In the present, after much debate, including the questioning of how qualified Nubia is to lead, Nubia goes after Andromeda in the hopes that Medusa will release her grip on her.

ONE-STAR SQUADRON #2 by Mark Russell and Steve Lieber. Minute Man is a drug-addict desperately who attempts to make some cash to fuel his Miraclo pill habit. Things go bad and he eventually gets arrested while making an appearance at a comic convention, where he gets to meet Mark Russell, who writes this book. With the company in seeming disarray, Power Girl makes a power play and informs Red Tornado that the Board of Directors have voted him out.

ROBIN #10 by Joshua Williamson and Roger Cruz. Robin has been put into a deep trance and travels through space and time. He meets Ra's Al Ghul’s mother and learns how Ra's spent centuries trying to create the Lazarus Pits so he could bring his mother back. While he succeeded, she informed him that a demon lives in the pit. This leads to a battle between her army and his, resulting in her forces being banished to the island. Robin fights through the memories and comes out of his trance. He tells the other fighters that Mother Soul is Ra's Al Ghul’s mother. This is when Ra's, Talia and his followers arrive to correct his ancient mistake.

ROBIN & BATMAN #3 by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen. Croc arrives at Dick’s school and threatens the headmaster. Dick confronts him and so does Batman, who is captured by Croc. This leads Dick back to what remains of Haley’s Circus, where he realizes that Croc was one of the exhibits there when he was part of the Flying Graysons. He rescues Batman, defeats Croc and, in the end, actually makes friends at his school.

ROBINS #3 by Tim Seeley and Baldemar Rivas. The Robins battle the Junior Super criminals in an effort to save their captives. They defeat the bad guys, but Tim does not want to save the captives and is willing to fight the team to stop them, leading to Red Hood knocking Tim out. Spoiler visits the Neophyte of the Anarkies in prison while Dick argues with Bruce. In the end, Tim is held captive, and it appears Jenny Wren may have been masquerading as him.

STATIC: SEASON ONE #5 by Vita Ayala and Nikolas Draper-Ivey. Thanks to the glucose tablets Sharon gave Static, he is able to face off and defeat Hotstreak. Elsewhere, Darius comes across some prisoners, including Daisy. Static catches up with Darius and uses his power to fry the power inhibitors that was put on the prisoners. Unfortunately, Agent Jones offered them money and they stand in the way of Static’s plans to take down the server.

SUICIDE SQUAD #11 by Robbie Thompson, Dennis Hopeless, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira and Dexter Soy. Rick Flag meets with Peacemaker and is trying to convince Bloodsport to join his side. Bloodsport reveals he cannot join up as Waller has captured every Bloodsport from every Earth. Meanwhile, Waller sends her team to Earth-8 to break into a vault. This brings them into conflict with The Retaliators, who are quickly defeated by Waller’s team. But they aren’t out of the woods yet as The Lightning Strikes team arrives. In the end, Flag’s team arrives at Waller’s compound…and Bloodsport is with them.

SUICIDE SQUAD: KING SHARK #5 by Tim Seeley and Scott Kolins. It all comes down to the final battle between King Shark and Man King. Shawn betrays King Shark, by telling him their friendship is not real. Man King displays his true self when he admits to using Shawn, who inspires King Shark to fight back. It appears he has won the day, but Man King had partnered with bugs and they have invaded everyone.

SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW #7 by Tom King and Bilquis Evely. Supergirl battles space pirates while leaving Ruthye and Comet alone with Krem. Krem taunts Ruthye as he tries to get her to kill him, thus never revealing how to save Krypto. Supergirl gets captured and silently calls out for Comet, who flies off to save her. This leaves a vengeful Ruthye alone with Krem. Will she take her revenge?

SUPERMAN & ROBIN SPECIAL #1 by Peter J. Tomasi and Viktor Bogdanovic. Damian visits Jon, to tell him that there is a security alert going off in the Fortress of Solitude. Once there they discover damage and also the cube which had once brought Jon and his father to Dinosaur Island. They discover a very pregnant batlike creature and try to figure how to get it home. In the meantime, Nazi soldiers use the temporal gate to enter the Fortress, meaning our heroes need to take them out. The Nazis are defeated, the creature gives birth and heads back through the gate, which Jon seals up permanently.

SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL #6 by Tom Taylor and John Timms. People are being kidnapped in Bludhaven and taken to Gamorra. Jon and Jay head to S.T.A.R. Labs to get information on the Post-Human that had been used as a weapon against the Kent Farm. Once there, Jay encounters Robin and Lois Lane, who reveals the Gamorran ambassador had left on a ship, leading Jon to confront him. He rescues the captives and kidnaps the ambassador, after being attacked by a Post-Human sent by Bendis. Later, the ambassador reveals that Jay’s mom is still alive and Bendis prepares for “the Rising”.

SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL #7 by Tom Taylor and Cian Tormey. Jay takes Jon to meet the members of The Truth, who may have connections to the Revolutionaries, as we see Chaos Kitten and Thylacine. Elsewhere, Bendix learns of a Kaiju coming to Metropolis and he plans on having his Post-Humans save the day. Jon teams up with Aquaman Jackson to calm the creature down, but the Gamorra Corps arrive and escalate the fight, causing the death of one of their own, apparently with Bendix’ blessing.

TASK FORCE Z #4 by Matthew Rosenberg, Eddy Barrows and Kieran McKeown. Red Hood meets with Two-Face, who explains everything they are doing is a test to make them legitimate government organization. Before their next mission, Mr. Bloom reveals his real evil motives and Red Hood encounters Batman, who isn’t happy with Jason’s current role. Waller meets with Dent, insisting she will shut him down. On the team’s mission, things go badly when Jason can’t control his team. But things get worse when another team of villains shows up and is ordered that no one gets out alive.

TEEN TITANS ACADEMY #11 by Tim Sheridan, Rafa Sandoval and Brent Peeples. Two months ago, Red X meets with a mysterious person who wants Dane protected until he can bring about the Apocalypse. In the present, the students team up to try to get to Dane, but he is being protected by Red X. The Tower is in danger of collapsing, but Billy Batson and the rest of the Marvel Family arrive to take down Red X and save the students. With Dane being coached by Billy and Red X in custody, all seems well…until the Tower collapses.

TITANS UNITED #5 by Cavan Scott and Jose Luis. The team faces off against Black Zero, formerly Connor Kent. He defeats the team and they end up captured by Blackfire. All but Starfire, who is unconscious in England with Lady Vic.

WONDER GIRL #7 by Joëlle Jones and Leila Del Duca. Yara battles Eros, defeating him and breaking down the gates of Mt. Olympus, allowing the Amazons to fight inside. Wonder Girl convinces Zeus to let Yara find her destiny, while Eros releases her from her bond before being taken to Hades. To be continued in the TRIAL OF THE AMAZONS.

WONDER WOMAN #783 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Marcio Takara, Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge. Dr. Cizco has created a new Shining Knight while Wonder Womand and Deadman face off against Image Maker’s Wonder Woman duplicates. After defeating them, she goes to meet with Etta, who is working with Checkmate, which leads to a reuniting with Steve Trevor. The Shining Knight shows up and Deadman fails to learn his identity because of his magical helm. The duplicates come back, leading to the Knight teaming up with Diana. In the end, a duplicate visits Hippolyta, saying they will kill those that stand in their way. In the backup, the lead up to the TRIAL OF THE AMAZONS continues as they have a plan to take back the doorway and gain immortality.

WONDER WOMAN: EVOLUTION #3 by Stephanie Phillips and Mike Hawthorne. Diana finds herself in Nuremburg 1945, before being sent to another trial where she has to fight the Silver Swan. She then is taken to her battle with Major Disaster, when Vanessa was critically injured. She is forced to go back and fight Silver Swan and kills her, making Diana realize this is not a dream…it’s real.

WORLD OF KRYPTON #2 by Robert Venditti and Michael Avon Oeming. Two months ago, Jor-El explores the Phantom Zone, only to discover it is a fate worse than death. In present time, the trial of Kru-El begins and Dru-Zod passes judgement by sending Kru-El to the Phantom Zone, against vehement protests from Jor-El.

DC UNIVERSE, Month 48, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #1039 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Shawn Aldridge, Riccardo Federici and Adriana Melo. Superman is a prisoner, along with most of the remains of The Authority, and is forced to fight in the arena. Post-match, Superman talks with Kryl-Ux: one of the last of the Phaelosians. They are taken to help in the death of the Old Crow: the last survivor of the planet that was here before becoming Warworld. In the process, Superman sees writings similar to those on the Genesis fragment, which he realizes the priest cannot read and is just saying whatever he wants. Natasha convinces her slaver to let her work as an armorer and she crafts a chest piece based on his S design. Superman asks Kryl-Ux to teach him how to fight using a weapon. Elsewhere, Midnighter leads a small rebellion, where they discover a captured Apollo. In the backup, Martian Manhunter  continues to follow clues, leading to the reveal of the villain: the Crime Cartel and VULTURE.

AQUAMAN: THE BECOMING #5 by Brandon Thomas, Paul Pelletier and Diego Olortegui. Jackson meets with his sister at a Xebel diner when they see guards chasing a ship with members of the resistance. They work together to keep citizens from being harmed. Later, Jackson meets with Ha’wea. Meanwhile, Lucia downloads information to a jump drive and heads to meet with her kids, where she reveals that Meeka lied and faked the footage of her killing the guardsmen. They discover that Meeka’s master plot is to kill Mera and take hostages. Jackson says that Aquaman, meaning himself, can stop this.

AQUAMAN/GREEN ARROW-DEEP TARGET #4 by Brandon Thomas and Ronan Cliquet. Aquaman and Green Arrow are stuck on the moon and looking to get back home. In the process, Anderton initiates a Tabula Rasa protocol which will mind-wipe everyone. Arthur and Oliver steal a rocket and head back to Earth, crashing in the Atantic and having to fight their way past a sea monster to get back to the surface. But they find the world completely changed, with them being pursued y lizards people and they are getting defended by…Anderton?

ARKHAM CITY: THE ORDER OF THE WORLD #4 by Dan Watters and Dani. Dr. Jacosta Joy's the ghost of Amadeus Arkham while Azrael battles the Ten-Eyed Man. Ten-Eyed Man gives her the skull of what he tells her is Amadeus Arkham and tells her to run, but not before he loses the use of one of his hands. Elsewhere people are getting deathly ill, probably because Dr. Phosphorous and Nocturna are their neighbors. Dr. Joy arrives and is told that the skull is only 10 yeas old and obviously not Arkham’s skull. The Ten-Eyed Man ends up in the hospital where he tells the detective that Joy has been helping him. In the end, the person masquerading as the ghost of Amadeus Arkham goes to visit her boss…Professor Pyg.

BATGIRLS #2 by Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad and Jorge Corona.The Batgirls encounter the Saints: Tarsus Valentine and Assisi. They are a rebel gang that believes Simon Saint is still alive. Realizing they are outnumbered and outmatched, they flee back to Barbara. Later, they find the local gang of robbers and see that they are somehow connected to the GCPD. The Saints get a message from Simon Saint, but Barbara deduces that this is probably just Seer. Later, after observing their creepy neighbor apparently baking a human head, the save Mr. Dhaliwal from a mugging by one of the road orkers from last issue. In the end, the come across a rally imploring people to rise up…and Stephanie may have been compromised by the message…like the road workers were.

BATMAN #119 by Joshua Williamson, Karl Kerschl, Jorge Molina, Adriano Di Benedetto and Mikel Janin. Batman meets with Lex, who explains he is bankrolling Batman Inc. Batman is also being hunted by the authorities, as are all the Bat Family. He escapes the authorities and later, as Bruce, meets with Luthor, who tells him that with his money, he can be the best Batman. He also reveals that Abyss body is in the morgue and he will be taking control of it. Batman breaks into the morgue and determines that this body is not Abyss, something he truly realizes when Abyss attacks, gravely inuring him. He is also now blind, with his eyes turned jet blank. In the backup, Maps, last seen in GOTHAM ACADEMY, teams up with Batman to try to find clues about the disappearance of a friend, whether the Dark Knight likes it or not.

BATWOMAN/CATWOMAN SPECIAL #1 by Tom King, John Paul Leon, Bernard Chang and Mitch Gerards.Baby Selina Kyle is found in a trash bin and taken to an orphanage, where she learns about hard discipline. As she grows, she eventually becomes Catwoman, working with villains and tussling with Batman. Eventually, the two become romantically involved. Together, they have a child named Helena. Even though they get older, Selina and Bruce continue fighting crime, with Helena joining the crime fighting family. Bruce eventually passes away and Selina takes ownership of the orphanage. In the end, she is confronted by a mugger and killed.

BATMAN: THE KNIGHT #1 by Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico. Hugo Strange is Bruce Wayne’s therapist and trying to help him work through his anger issues, which goes back to his days in school. We learn that Bruce’ way of getting back at bullies is to make their lives miserable. Along the way, he makes friends with a girl named Dana, who wonders about his state of mind. He also begins training and also gets involved in an underground fight club. In the end, he fires Strange, who he accuses of using hypnosis to strip Dana’s bank account. With the sounds of police sirens in the background, he tells Strange that Bruce is going away.

BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS #11 by Vita Ayala, Ram V, Mohale Mashigo, Mark Russell, Nikola Cizmesija, Anand Radhakrishan, Arist Deyn and Karl Mostert. In the first story Batman and Zatanna team-up to solve a continuing problem from their youth, where they apparently conjured up something that continues to decimate the area. When they try to cast a spell to correct it, it seems to make things worse. In the second story, we see a back story for Wight Witch: a mercenary for hire who is working for Simon Saint. The biggest revelation: her original training led to training with Ghostmaker and Bruce Wayne. In the third tale, Eternity uses his powers to try and help solve a murder. But he should be looking in his own apartment building, where one of his neighbors gets murdered. In the last story, Batman adopts a dog he names Ace and makes him his partner. When they try to stop a hostage taking, Hugo Strange blows himself up, Batman gets captured by the “hostages” and Ace is going to go through reeducation to turn him back into a killing machine.

BLACK MANTA #5 by Chuck Brown and Valentine de Landro. Devil Ray reveals he was once one of Black Manta’s disposable henchmen until he discovered the Orichalcum. Meanwhile, Dr. Mist cures Manta and Torrid and his mission is to cure everyone impacted by the effects of Orichalcum. Manta has his own agenda and wants out, until Devil Ray shows up and mortally wounds Gallous. He is ready to let her die unless Manta comes with him. Manta agrees and Mist does his best to save Gallous. In the end, Manta and Devil Ray work together to get Devil Ray the trident he has always wanted. His grand plan: kill all the Atlanteans and rise Atlantis to the surface and declare himself king.

BLUE & GOLD #5 by Dan Jurgens and Ryan Sook. It’s 1962 and Rip Hunter is in the Cavern Club checking out the Beatles. He realizes his son is in trouble and heads to present day where Ted and Booster, while dealing with an overflow of clients, are battling Omnizon. Omnizon hypnotizes Rip and takes Ted and Booster away. When Rip snaps out of it, he reunites with Trixi, who goes by the name of Terri now. Meanwhile, our heroes are taken to Beh’imoor, where they are told to surrender to save the people of Earth. When Booster refuses, they are ordered to fight to the death.

CATWOMAN #39 by Tini Howard and Nico Leon. Selina has relocated to Gotham where she looks to take down the crime bosses of Gotham. She masquerades as a stripper and injects herself in a meeting with Eiko Hasigawa, last seen when Selina was revealed as the daughter of Rex Calabrese and took control of the Calabrese crime family, and the other bosses. During the fight, Black Mask shows up and tries to kill Selina and the other dancers. They escape but Selina wonders what Mask’s connection is here. She also gets a present in the form of a cat from someone who wants her to join his gang of thieves.

CRUSH & LOBO #8 by Mariko Tamaki and Amancay Nahuelpan. With Lobo and Crush both captured, it is revealed that the bomb was only a tracker and the whole experiment was to create a non-fiction book called TERRIBLE TOO. Crush breaks loose and beats on the administrator while Lobo takes out his robot therapist. Along the way, they defeat everyone, leading to a face-off between father and daughter. He briefly suggests teaming up to collect bounties, before they agree to go their separate ways. Crush considers going to visit her girlfriend but changes her mind. She gets a call from the prison, asking her to freelance for them, which she agrees to. She goes off on a new mission but may find a certain space barista waiting for her.

DEATHSTROKE INC. #5 by Joshua Williamson and Paolo Pantalena. Black Canary and Deathstroke head into a haunted house in the Ghost Zone, which Slade mentions having been at before when he worked for Prometheus. They take two different paths, with Slade reuniting with Grant and Dinah with her mother. It turns out to all be an illusion and the pair find themselves in the T.R.U.S.T. Castle. They are introduced to the T.R.U.S.T. Council, consisting of Libra, Hiro, Count Vertigo, Monocle, Phobia, Dr. Moon, Dr. Destiny, The Calculator, Deadline, Prometheus, Tattooed Man, Shrapnel and the Body Doubles. They explain that a combination of heroes and villains is the ultimate Super Society. Sade has heard enough and shoots The Calculator in the head and Libra in the chest, declaring himself the King of the Super Villains.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1047 by Mariko Tamaki and Ivan Reis. Arkham Tower is open and there is much fanfare. At a press conference, Dr. Wear trots out a reformed Nero XIX, much to the shock and dismay of Mayor Nakano, who he tried to kill. Later, Deb Donovan meets with Batwoman, who has concerns, especially about Wear’s seemingly non-existent medical license. Batwoman is concerned about the increase in pharmaceutical drugs hitting the streets and they the Party Crashers have returned, leading her to believe they are the source of these drugs. Later, during an arts and crafts session, we Ana Vulsion, who was taken down by Batman and Spoiler in DETECTIVE COMICS #1046. Flashing forward to Day 24, fires burn in Arkham Tower, and GCPD find themselves negotiating with an unknown assailant who has a list of demands. Oracle tries to reach the Bat-Family inside the Tower, but there is no answer from Spoiler or Nightwing. Ana Vulsion walks the halls with bloody scissors in her hands. Batwoman arrives just as Nero XIX, Ana and others throw Tobias Wear from the building, killing him. Of note, one of his fingers is missing, possibly cut off by Ana. Batwoman meets up with Cass, as they try to figure a way into the building. Nightwing checks in, saying he doesn’t know where Spoiler or Huntress are, although the latter is wounded and hiding in an elevator shaft. In the backup, set in the past, a young boy is traumatized after seeing his parents killed by The Joker. When police arrive, he tells the they were killed by The Joker and Batman. With no place to bring him, he gets put int Arkham Asylum.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1048 by Mariko Tamaki and Ivan Reis. In a flashback to many years ago, Tobias Wear is taken to Gotham Children Services following his mother conducting a violent attack. Coming forward to Day Twelve at Arkham Tower, Batwoman goes undercover and gets a tour of Arkham Tower, where she sees many villains such as Freeze and Ana Vulsion. After Batwoman leaves, Dr. Meridian meets with Wear and expresses some concerns. Batwoman goes back to Oracle and reveals what she has found while also telling Dick that she has seen a certain woman he asks about. In a final flashback, Tobias breaks out of Children Service custody and eats pizza with a friend while declaring disdain for his mother and apparently everyone who is criminally insane. In the backup, the young boy meets Clayface while Bruce Wayne arrives and meets with the staff, including Harleen Quinn. Feeing the boy isn’t safe in Arkham, Bruce arranges for him to be moved to the Martha Wayne Orphanage.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1049 by Mariko Tamaki and Ivan Reis. It’s Day 14 at Arkham Tower and Batwoman has gone undercover. Along the way, she sees that Siphon, a villain who traumatized her years ago, is an inmate here. She also tracks down and finds the woman Dick was asking about in the last issue: Helena, who is still suffering effects from her encounter with Vile. She refuses to leave, which is a concern for the Bat Family. Meanwhie, Cassandra is keeping an eye on  Party Crasher who has been called to the Tower to handle a Party Crasher who has been inappropriate to some of the inmates, specifically Ana Vulsion. She takes her revenge on him before the issue ends, which is “seen” and heard by Helena. In the backup, the boy tries to deal with being bullied and, with the help of Dr. Crane, he finally tales some control. But Crane shows up at night as The Scarecrow and takes a group of the boys to go off and kill Bruce Wayne.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1050 by Mariko Tamaki and Ivan Reis. Years ago, Helena survived an attack during No Man’s Land. Still suffering from Vile’s effects, she hears Ana kill Marc the Party Crasher. Dick goes undercover as a maintenance worker and discovers some blood, which he wants Oracle to analyze. Later Dr. Wear is threatened by Marc’s brother,  but the Psycho Pirate intervenes. In the backup, Scarecrow and the kids invade Wayne Manor, but are engaged by Robin. The boy convinves Scarecrow to not kill Robin and they leave, but not before the boy is gassed by Scarecrow, leading an arriving Batman to believe he has been poisoned. In the second backup, Batman, Robin and Superman battle Poison Ivy and Cyborg Superman. Robin stabs Cyborg Superman which seems to have an effect on Superman. In the distance, a shadowy figure who looks like Magog watches. To be continued in BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #1.

THE FLASH #778 by Jeremy Adams, Fernando Pasarin, Matt Ryan and Brent Peeples. Irey and Maxine get kidnapped by Mammoth and Shimmer. Jai sees the abduction and follows, freeing the girls while Shimmer coordinates with The Calculator. Meanwhile, in Gemworld, Flash has to battle his allies, who have been corrupted by Eclipso. To save his friends, Wally agrees to go to Castle Opal, where he is captured. Back on Earth, Jai tells Irey that he knows their father is in trouble.

FUTURE STATE: GOTHAM #9 by Dennis Culver, Gabriel Hardman, Corinna Bechko and Giannis Milonogiannis. Peacekeeper Red gets called to a crime scene, where there are two decapitated bodies…and one of them is apparently Grifter. Hunter Panic arrives and offers her help. Later, they all discover a petrified young woman who is revealed to be The Operator. Meanwhile, Nightwing breaks up a group dealing in Brane: a mind-altering drug derived from Venom. Talia arrives on the scene and learns that Nightwing is using the drug and asks him to help her track down her son, Damian. Later, Jason and Hunter Panic interrogate Punchline, who explains she know why The Operator is so wanted and is willing to cut a deal for her information. Meanwhile, Hush meets with Wild Dog, The Owl and The Whale while Jason and Hunter Panic race to three addresses to find Hush’ trio. But they are too late as Hush blows up an angry Wild Dog. Whale tries to flee and encounters the Next Joker. That’s when the new Batman arrives. In the backup, Batman is forced to save himself and The Joker from a massive flood in Gotham.

GREEN LANTERN #10 by Geoffrey Thorne, ChrisCross, Juan Castro and Marco Santucci. John Stewart wrestles with the idea of what he may become if he absorbs the God-Storm, meeting his deceased wife along the way. Ultimately, he absorbs God-Storm and becomes more like a New God. Meanwhile, things on Oa are going badly as the team tries to take down Guardian Koyos. Koyos' sister, Nemosyni joins the fight, but that doesn’t sway the outcome. Luckily, Hal Jordan and the Justice League arrive to lend a much-needed hand.

HARLEY QUINN #11 by Stephanie Phillips and Riley Rossmo. After a group therapy session, Harley learns that Kevin has been kidnapped by Keepsake. He reveals there is a train loaded with explosives heading towards the city. She has an impossible choice: save Kevin and sacrifice the city or let Kevin die to save the city. She makes the decision to save the city, but maybe Blane will show up in time to save Kevin.

HUMAN TARGET #4 by Tom King and Greg Smallwood. Christopher Chance and Ice meet with Blue Beetle, who apparently is a silent partner in Booster Gold's latest business venture. After a full day of watching Ice and Beetle team up on a variety of missions, a drunk Ted Kord reveals he didn’t give Booster the money…but Martian Manhunter did. Could he have been the person behind the poisoning?

I AM BATMAN #5 by John Ridley, Christian Duce and Juan Ferreyra. Jace is about to be killed by T.A.L.O.S. but thinks of what happened in Vietnam and manages to flee. T.A.L.O.S.catches up with him but, when the lower portion of his mask falls off, Lucius recognize him shuts down T.A.L.O.S. which allows Batman to be victorious. Later, father and son patch up their relationship, as Jace reveals he is leaving to be closer to the rest of the family, as Tam will be undergoing therapy in New York. Lucius also convinces him to lose the face mask and be himself.

ICON & ROCKET: SEASON ONE #5 by Reginald Hudlin, Leon Chills and Doug Braithwaite. Icon interrogates Ms. Baker and threatens to kill her if she doesn’t reveal information about the N.S.A. and the alien. Later, he meets with Xiomara and they taken on a team of super villains, with their leader blowing up a bridge and apparently killing the heroes. Elsewhere, Rocket is having problems in school and meets with a new student. The two quickly seem to become friends but it turns out he is the alien in disguise.

THE JOKER #11 by James Tynion IV, Sam Johns, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Belen Ortega. In a flashback, we learn that the Sampsons were forced to make one of their own a fall guy in order to stay out of jail and get rich from the oil on their land. In the present, Gordon is recovering from his wound under Barbara and Julia’s care. He contacts Bullock and gets the back story on the Sampsons. Despite his daughter’s orders, he leaves and charters a private jet. In the end, the Sampsons have captured the Joker and preparing to roast him on a spit. In the backup, Cullen is having issues with his friendship with the Royal Flush Gang. And Harper is trying her best to help Kelly get ready for trial. But that may not go well as it looks like one of the prosecution’s team is a Royal Flush Gang member.

THE JOKER PRESENTS: A PUZZLEBOX #6 by Matthew Rosenberg, Juan Doe, Jesus Merino, Vicente Cifuentes and Shawn Crystal. Apparently Batman has taken the puzzlebox but, when he meets with The Riddler, he reveals himself to be Clayface. Mr. Freeze shows up, pits Basil on ice and takes the box as payment. Back at GCPD, Mr. Freeze attempts a breakout, which results in the station having it’s water supply shut off. Later, The Joker examines the body of The Riddler and tells another tale. It seems that Clayface was masquerading as him. In the end, the station is in lockdown and things don’t look good. Batman arrives and tells Gordon that someone has activated the Master Engine, meaning things are going from bad to much, much worse.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #71 by Brian Michael Bendis, Ram V, Phil Hester and Sumit Kumar. An extradimensional portal has been opened and, luckily for all, have managed to close it and send the creatures back to where they came from. At last, the Royal Flush Gang reveals their heist of the Fortress of Solitude was to get a space rock which could make them rich. Later, the League and Checkmate meets with Daemon Rose, with Checkmate offering him a job. In the backup, Khalid Nassour muses about his role now as the new Dr. Fate.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INCARNATE #3 by Dennis Culver, Joshua Williamson, Ariel Olivetti, Andrei Bressan, Todd Nauck and Nik Virella. On Earth-41, the Nimrod Squad has arrived but are ordered to stand down by Sore, who informs everyone that darkness is coming due to the crack in the Multiverse. Elsewhere, it seems Dino-Cop, Mary Marvel and Thunderer survived the crash on Earth-7. On Earth-31, Captain Wonder and her Amazons save Avery from pirates. When they open the treasure chest, they find it contains comics. On Earth-33, Cavin and Maya meet with an editor from DC Comics where they tell him about their mission and he believes that through comics, anything is possible. On Earth-7, Thomas Wayne is adjusting to being in a carton world when Avery arrives and team members finally begin to come together. They all end up on Earth-33 where it is revealed that the DC editor is really Darkseid. There is a battle and Doctor Multiverse declares that they have to let Darkseid win. In the end, Dino-Cop, Mary Marvel and Thunderer find Aquawoman and Orion, who reveals that Earth-7 IS  the Obivion Machine. And the Great Darkness is coming.

JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Scott Godlewski. The Legion learns there is a Great Darkness coming and during a battle between the Legion and a space creature, one of the of Triplicate Girl’s three personas disappears, only to end up in the present day, where she meets the Justice League. In the future, Jon brings the Legion to meet the League, where Triplicate Girl sees that her missing third has aged, meaning they can’t safely merge. A darkness arrives and everyone disappears except for Gold Lantern.

A new batch of first issues in review

ANT #1 by Erik Larson. Back in 2004, Mario Gully’s ANT #1 was published by Arcana Studios. It ran for 11 uneven issues before going the way of many independent comics. Now Larson has resurrected it, retooled it and will probably tie it into the Savage Dragon Universe. It’s a typical Larsen tale: filled with action, minimal unneeded dialogue and dynamic art in Larsen’s style. I walked away from most Image superhero titles long ago but have recently jumped back on the train, beginning with SAVAGE DRAGON. I like Larsen’s quirky style, and this fits the bill for me.

ARROWSMITH #1 by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco. Remember the previous series from DC? Yeah, most folks don’t, although it is a cult favorite. Basically, it’s World War I, but with flying dragons instead of planes and a troll or two. It’s part high drama, part adventure tale and part fantasy. It’s clear Busiek knows the characters and the story and Pacheco hits all the right artistic buttons. The good thing is you can jump in without knowing the previous story.

AVENGER FOREVER #1 by Jason Aaron, Aaron Kuder, Cam Smith, Jason Keith and Triona Farrell. There’s a new Avengers tea, led by a Deathlok and Ghost Rider. They go off to a variety of Earths in an effort to build a team. It’s weird, looks great and I’m not quite sure if I like it or not. To be, it’s just another Avengers book.

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1 by Jock. A villain named Powerline is being transferred and that goes south real fast. So Batman needs to make his way from Point A to Point B while trying to keep this guy alive. So it’s a caper tale in reverse. First issue of the Black Label book is well pace and Jock’s art is Jock’s art, meaning you’ll either love it or hate it.

BATMAN THE IMPOSTER #1 by Mattson Tomlin and Andrea Sorrentino. It’s another Black Label Batman title and, as with many of the Black Label books, is more psychological than action filled. It twists the legend about, with Leslie Thompkins acting as not only friend but therapist. And she’s African American now. While the story is intriguing, you come to this, at least I did, for Sorrentino’s incredible art. Is it good? Well, it’s a deep dive, so be prepared.

BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN SPECIAL by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN is a legendary mini-series that has even spawned an acclaimed animated adaptation. Loeb and Sale revisit the story, this time with Julian Day as the chief villain. It fits nicely in that story and acts as a nice epilogue to the original classic. The story is fun and Sale’s artwork is on point. Highly recommended.

BLACK PANTHER #1 by John Ridley and Juann Cabal. Long delayed, Ridley’s take on T’challa is finally here. The Black Panther is back on planet Earth and finds everything has changed.in Wakanda, leaving him confused. He resigns as head of the Avengers and discovers that the sleeper agents he has put in place are being hunted. So, this becomes a mission to find the enemy. Ridley is good at crafting a story and this is no exception. It’s a great start.

BOLERO #1 by Wyatt Kennedy and Luana Vecchio. This is a tough one to describe, so here goes. Devyn is unhappy with how her life is going. She ends up in another world where she meets Capgras, a talking catlike creature that offers her a key to 53 possible realities. But there are rules. You can’t ask to speak to mother. You can only hop around in the Multiverse 53 times. And never take someone else’s key or you could run into yourself. Yeah…a very unusual first issue which takes a bit to get going, as there is a ton of back story to Devyn’s life. But it’s worth it.

CHILLING ADVENTURES IN SORCERY #1 by Eliot Rahal, Evan Stanley, Amy Chu, Pat Kennedy, Tim Kennedy, Vincenzo Federici, and Derek Charm. Archie Comics reboots their horror line with this anthology set in the Archie Universe. Fans of AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE should rejoice. Unfortunately, this is just a glimpse when we all want a full buffet. The stories are cool, the art is fitting and have a neat tongue-in-cheek attitude. Now give us more!

THE CRIMSON CAGE #1 by John Lees and Alex Cormack. What do you get when you mix MACBETH with Professional Wrestling? You get THE CRIMSON CAGE #1. Plain and simple. A wrestling star, an up-and-coming wrestler, his scheming wife and some mystical stuff. Obviously aimed at a specific audience, but this is another great book from AWA.

DARKHOLD ALPHA by Steve Orlando and Cian Tormey. The Book of Cthon has been found and that means trouble for the Marvel Universe. Welcome to a world where everyone and everything changes. Yeah, it’s a starting point for a series of one-shots and an eventual Omega issue. In the end, I’m pretty sure this is another “everything changes for the Marvel Universe; where, in the end, nothing does.

DC HORROR PRESENTS: REFRIGERATOR FULL OF HEADS #1 by Rio Youers and Tom Fowler. This is a direct sequel to BASKET FULL OF HEADS where our heroine appears but is not the star here. A young couple end up crossing paths with some bikers and also a reanimated shark head. And that’s just part of the tale, where a haunted sword and an axe will come into play. If you liked the first series, you’ll love this. If you didn’t read the first series, go find the trade paperback.

DC HORROR PRESENTS: THE SOUL PLUMBER #1 by Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, Ben Kissel, John McCrea and PJ Holden. A young man decides to follow a man who is trying to build an army against demons. The boy doesn’t make the cut because he can’t afford to pay but steals the plans on how to do it and takes it upon himself to follow God’s plan for him. It’s a fun little romp that has its’ tongue firmly planted in its’ cheek.

THE DEATH OF DOCTOR STRANGE #1 by Jed MacKay and Lee Garbett. First off: Doctor Strange has been murdered and apparently by someone who the good doctor knew. That means the Marvel Universe has no Sorcerer Supreme, which means magic will be out of control in the Marvel Universe. Suspects arrive and so does Doctor Strange: a much younger Doctor Strange who has stepped out of the time-stream to help. Does this mean that the old doc will get replaced by the new doc, who is actually the old doc? Follow the story through multiple issues and a lot of one-shots to find out.

DEVIL’S REIGN #1 by Chi Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto. Here’s the next Marvel event book/crossover/intertwined one-shots. DAREDEVIL has ended and this book spins out of that title. Kingpin is putting his own super-villain army together, declares that super-heroes are against the law (haven’t we been down this road before several times?) and decides to run for President. Is this going to truly shake-up the Marvel Universe or is it an excuse to come out of it with a bunch of first issues? Personally, I think it could be a little of both.  

ECHOLANDS #1 by J. H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman. Welcome to an epic fantasy tale told in a horizontal format. It’s a neat take on an old theme but it looks absolutely beautiful. I’ll be honest: the selling point for me was always going to be Williams art. Throw in a huge list of what music he listened to during the creative process, and if it was original or reissued vinyl, and that just adds to figuring out where Williams’ mind was at during this process. Highly recommended.

ET-ER #1 by Jeff McComsey, Dan Panosian, Javier Pulido and Shawn Crystal. Two stories set in a medical center that takes care of extraterrestrials. Cute concept, fun stories-picture GRAY’S ANATOMY with aliens.

EVIL ERNIE #1 by Scott Lobdell and Ariel Medel. A new origin for an old character. Ernie is a kid who has a secret and one that is powered by a button named Smiley. The classic Pulido character is the thing of legend and Dynamite is trying to find a way to embrace him. I’m curious to see where they go with this as Smiley has already made appearances in other Dynamite titles. This first issue is a bit bare on plot, but I have hope for what follows.

FANTASTIC FOUR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1 by a whole host of creators. As has been done in the past, Marvel celebrates the FF with an oversized retelling of FANTASTIC FOUR #1 and the wedding of Reed and Sue from FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #3, with each page being drawn by a different creative team. Despite the $7 price tag, it’s cool to see the various takes on these classic stories.

THE FOURTH MAN #1 by Jeff McComsey and Mike Deodato. Another AWA title featuring Deodato’s amazing art. Two detectives look into the murders of four men, beginning with the first one. A P.I. gets himself in trouble in a number of ways and is killed. So what will the connection be between them all? Fun noir story with great art. I love how Deodato finds references for his characters, with Paul Giamatti playing the P.I. and James Caan as the guy who has hired him.

GUN HONEY #1 by Charles Ardai and Ang Hor Kheng. I have to admit that I am a huge fan of the Hard Case Crime novels, but not so much with the comics, which don’t seem to have the same vibe as the novels. This is the exception. While is doesn’t fit into the novel’s noir feel, this title is filled with enough intrigue and sex to fit the bill. The story is captivating, the art is nice and there is a cool little cliffhanger to keep us coming back for more.

GUNSLINGER SPAWN #1 by Todd McFarlane and Brett Booth. Coming out of events in SPAWN and the SPAWN UNIVERSE one-shot, Image let’s loose a plethora of SPAWN titles, beginning with this one. With his origin first revealed in SPAWN #174 AND #175, this fan favorite has commanded great interest (and great expense as issue #174 will run you at least $400) over the years. Now he is out on his own, in the present day, where he is trying to fit in this world while also dealing with finding a way back into his own time. If you’re a SPAWN fan, you will understand where this is going, along with McFarlane’s style. The true highlight here, especially for first tie readers, is the art of Brett Booth. In the end, it’s a fun read.

HAWKEYE: KATE BISHOP #1 by Marieke Nijkamp and Enid Balam. Just in time for the new Disney+ series, Kate Bishop is back in action. She’s left the West Coast and has headed East to start her life over. And no sooner is she here than she is in the midst of a new mystery that involves her sister. The dialogue is snappy, the story leaves a lot to fill in over the next few issues and the art is totally reminiscent of the recent WEST COAST AVENGERS run. This was a lot of fun.

THE HEROES UNION #1 by Roger Stern, Darin Henry and Ron Frenz. Welcome to an all-new universe with a whole host of new heroes. Legendary creators Stern and Frenz team up for this oversized book (64 pages for $5!) that looks and feels like the Eighties all over again, from the writing to the art and even the page layout. This is the first in a whole series of forthcoming titles including STARTUP, SUPER SUCKERS and THE BLUE BARON. While is doesn’t have the same feel of current books, the fact that this feels like a throwback is sure to entertain and attract older readers. Plus, the price is right for a book this big.

HE WHO FIGHTS WITH MONSTERS #1 by Francesco Artibani and Werther Dell’Edera. It’s World War 2 Germany and the Germans are rounding up Jews. What do the people do? One man is tasked with finding a solution to the Final Solution in the form of…a Golem. Taking a fabled tale and setting it loose in Nazi Germany may not be the most creative concept ever developed but it is something different. The chief selling point by Ablaze is Werther Dell’Edera, who they proudly proclaim is the artist on the hit series SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN. Is the book any good? It’s not bad and a fun concept to float about. The real payoff will obviously be when the Golem comes to life.

HOUSE OF SLAUGHTER #1 by James Tynion IV, Tate Brombal and Chris Shehan. This book is a spin-off from SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN. For those unfamiliar, the main series follows monster hunter Erica Slaughter. This series, filling in the hiatus of the main series, explores the secret history of the Order that turned Erica into a monster hunter. If you have not read SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN, you won’t care about this title. For fans, it’s a must read.

HULK #1 by Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley. Al Ewing and Joe Bennett set a new standard for the Green Goliath and now Cates and Ottley have the difficult task f running with their character. So what do they do? The put him in a suit of armor let Banner control him and shoot him into space. What?! Yeah…that’s where we begin. Cates is known for some pretty strange character turns and this appears to be another one. A nice start and leaves me curious to see what’s next.

INFERNO #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti. Hickman’s final statement on the X-books is here. This will ultimately result in a shakeup of the status quo…again…and lead t a host of reboots and first issues. Basically, Mystique is looking to finally resurrect Destiny at all costs. Hickman has a long game with everything he does, and this is no different. Multiple storylines flow through this issue, from Moira to Cannonball to the role of the ruling committee. In the end, Mystique looks to be positioning herself to take on a more dynamic role in the X-Universe.

KNIGHTED #1 by Gregg Hurwitz and Mark Texeira. What happens when someone is forced to take up the role of a superhero? You end up with this book. Your average guy accidentally kills The Knight and now he has to take up the hero role, whether he likes it or not. This was a ball to read as it throws elements of the Batman legend (compete with butler) into a blender and out this comes. A tongue in cheek read with killer art from Mark Texeira.

LADY MECHANIKA: THE MONSTER OF THE MINISTRY OF HELL #1 by Joe Benitez. Here’s a book which has a monumental following which will only grow larger now that it’s at Image. Part horror, part science-fiction, and part cyberpunk. This is a wondrous title with the always amazing art and writing of Benitez. You definitely want to add this to your pull list.

LAURA AND OTHER STORIES #1 by Guillem March. Here’s a neat little anthology book that isn’t really an anthology book. It’s a series of connected tale involving our heroine and it’s wonderfully different. We all knew March was a brilliant artist but who knew he could tell such touching stories. If you’re looking for superheroes in tights, this ain’t your book. But if you’re looking for something with a lot of heart and soul, this is your cup of tea.

MAGIC ORDER 2 #1 by Mark Millar and Stuart Immonen. The band is back together. It’s magicians versus magicians in an underworld feel.Things have changed in the world since the first series, meaning their have been power grabs which need to be rectified. If you loved Millar’s first book, you’ll love this. Unfortunately, I’m having issues with the characters, that no feel more cliched than they did before. But…maybe that’s just me.

NYX #1 by Christos Gage and Marc Borstel. Spinning out of SACRED SIX, Nyx starts a relationship with a pickup while trying to find her place in the world. The story is a bit sparse, but the art is great. Definitely for VAMPIRELLA fans, may be a little too weird for non-fans.

OUT #1 by Rob Williams and Will Conrad. Here’s a monstrous tale(literally) set in a concentration camp in World War II Germany. There’s a group of captured G.I’s, some strange experiments and a possible traitor in the midst. Horror, intrigue and a great mystery. And Conrad’s art really shines. This is a little less predictable that the Golem influenced HE WHO FIGHTS WITH MONSTERS #1 and it works with its’ straight ahead narrative.

THE SCORCHED #1 by Sean Lewis, Todd McFarlane, Stephen Segovia and Paulo Siqueira. It’s another SPAWN spinoff in the form of the expected team book, bringing all of the Spawn characters together as…well…a team. A lot of action, a bit of mythology and the usual superhero dialogue. So, if this is your cup of tea and you follow the SPAWN stuff, this is right up your alley.

SHE-HULK #1 by Rainbow Rowell and Roge Antonio. Jennifer Walters is back in another series. Her life is in shambles, and it gets worse when she has to fight Titania in her underwear. She is working for a law office that has given her a closet for her personal office, she has to crash in an apartment Janet Van Dyne is letting her use, and the formerly dead Jack of Hearts shows up and may be dead…again. And that’s just the first issue. The dialogue if fun, the art works and there is just enough tongue in cheek to make it work. In other words, it’s not as dark as the previous series was.

SILVER SURFER: REBIRTH #1 by Ron Marz and Ron Lim. The classic team is back with this one. And it feels so old school it will certainly capture your nostalgia vibe. Throw into that mix Genis-Vell, a resurrected Captain Marvell(yes, the classic guy) and Thanos. Boy…this was a ton of fun and can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

STRAY DOGS: DOG DAYS #1 by Tony Fleece and Trish Forstner. Fleece and Forstner are back with a great anthology in the STRAY DOGS universe. As with STRAY DOGS, these are tales of beauty and heartbreak. If you aren’t moved by a single one of them, something is wrong…especially if you’re an animal lover. Not gory, but totally grim.

TANGLED RIVER #1 by Michael Cohen. I will admit I’m so happy to see Michael Cohen publishing again. I was a huge STRANGE ATTRACTORS fan and was thrilled to see that back. And now this: a wonderful, light fantasy tale by Cohen. And this one is in color! It is not for everyone and that’s fine. It sets up what appears to be a long-running tale and this is what world building is all about.

TIMELESS #1 by Jed MacKaym Kev Walker, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Mark Bagley and Andrew Hennessy. Here’s everything you need to know: it’s a Kang adventure through time that ends with a possible future appearance by Miracleman. Yep…that’s about it. It looks great and the story wanders about. But the payoff is Miracleman…we hope.

VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: UNHOLY #1 by Christopher Priest and Donny Hadiwidjaja. Spinning out of Priest’s amazing, redefining 2019 run, we get a direct continuation of the story. Vampirella has married someone who MAY become the king of the vampires. But is he really? If you take away the concept that our heroine first met and fell in love with this guy when he was a child, it is a straight-ahead story that, knowing Priest, will have one heck of a payoff in the end.

VENOM #1 by Al Ewing, Ram V and Bryan Hitch. Venom has changed and now lives in the lives of Eddie Brock and his son. That means part of this story is in space with Eddie and part on Earth with Dylan. And you can feel who is handling what storyline. To that end, it feels a little disjointed. Looks great as it’s Hitch, but just feels a little disconnected.

X-FORCE KILLSHOT #1 by Rob Liefeld. Rob Liefeld returns, again, to several of his most famous creations and some of his least famous. And it is a mess. Liefeld’s art is what it is and always have been. But the story is a time-travelling mess which makes no sense but leaves the door open for a sequel that we probably don’t need.

X LIVES OF WOLVERINE #1 by Benjamin Percy and Joshua Cassara. Here’s an unusual concept for a mini-series that may or may not work. Wolverine is sent on a mission which takes him through all the places in his life from his origin to, eventually the present. At the same time, the forthcoming X DEATHS OF WOLVERINE will follow a similar timeline, focuses on his deaths. Marvel promises that this will clarify his history and set the stage for the future. Well…that remains to be seen as we have all been told THAT story before.

DC UNIVERSE, Month 47 Part 2

JUSTICE LEAGUE #70 by Brian Michael Bendis, Ram V, Phil Hester and Sumit Kumar. The Royal Flush Gang has stolen the Fortress of Solitude. Back at the beginning of Event Leviathan, Mark Shaw met with them and put the thought into their minds. But this heist is all a distraction, as the key to the original Fortress of Solitude is left as a breadcrumb to find. Superman takes the bait and battles Ace, who has gone rogue from the plan. In the Fortress, Jack makes the mistake of removing one of the crystals, triggering a warning. Batman reveals he has found the Fortress, but it’s too late. In the backup, Zatanna struggles to contain the Upside-Down Man and, when all looks lost, she breaks free…and finds that Wonder Woman has rejoined the team, that is still trying to deal with Merlin.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INCARNATE #2 by Dennis Culver, Joshua Williamson, Kyle Hotz and Andrei Bressan. Kalibak, Grail, and parademons are attacking the House of Heroes. Orion is here and reveals he has the power to help the team win by piloting the House of Heroes through the bleed. Meanwhile, President Superman and his team have followed Darkseid into his boom tube and ended up on Earth-13 in the Tavern of Mystery. What they discover is Darkseid in a battle with Asmodel, who gets an assist fro the Batwoman Who Laughs from Earth-11. Maya uses her powers and somehow that leads to the Batwoman Who Laughs ending up in the House of Heroes. Dino-Cop has Harbinger activate the House of Heroes self-destruct sequence and the team ends u scattered throughout the Multiverse.

LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #8 by Che Grayson, Yeddye Travis, Belen Ortega and Nina Vakueva. Batman meets with a child thief named Ghost, who is stealing to feed folks in a tent city. He lets her go, but only takes back most of the jewels, allowing her to take some to be able to use the money to feed the residents. In the backup, Batman battles the effects of Scarcrow toxin and his past as he tries to come to grips with both.

NIGHTWING #87 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. A price has been put on Dick Grayson's head. To make things worse, the bad guys have taken Dick's dog hostage to collect the bounty. Nightwing and Batgirl make their way through Bludhaven to save the pup. 

NUBIA & THE AMAZONS #3 by Stephani Williams, Vita Ayala, Alitha Martinez and Domo Stanton. While some of the Amazons go fishing, Andromeda sees Medusa’s reflection in a pool and is apparently corrupted by her. Elsewhere, Bia has a vision that foretells future troubles, and it becomes important enough to get Nubia out of Io’s bed. Later, Andromeda demands to see Nubia, when Medusa’s essence takes over, demanding her head. Andromeda briefly gains control, explaining she is here because of their past relationship and how Nubia couldn’t save her. In the end, Nubia tells the Amazons that evil is loose.

ONE-STAR SQUADRON #1 by Mark Russell and Steve Lieber. The HEROZ4U Corporation has been formed to give many powerful heroes, including Red Tornado, Power Girl, Black Condor, G.I. Robot, The Heckler, Minuteman and others, a job to help the community in low-class jobs, including telemarketing and birthday parties. An aged, memory-addled Gangbuster dropped off at the agency and Red Tornado decides to make it his mission to find Gangbuster's family. They go to his last known address but the woman there, who is probably his wife, claims not to know him, so Red takes him back to his house. In the end, the board of the HEROZ4U Corporation looks to take Red out of the game and Power Girl is all too willing to assist.

ROBIN & BATMAN #2 by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen. Young Dick Grayson defends himself from bullying at school, leading to him getting in trouble. Alfred handles this, not revealing the trouble to Batman. Batman has Robin suit up and takes him to the Justice League Watchtower, where he meets with the Teen Titans for the first time. Despite being grounded on the Watchtower, the Titans sneak out and solves a whole bunch of problems throughout the world while the League is off on a mission. Once back in the Batcave, Batman insists on having Robin debrief, treating him as just another soldier in his fight. In the end, Croc meets with the Calculator, revealing he knows where Dick Grayson goes to school.

ROBIN #9 by Joshua Williamson and Roger Cruz. The Lazarus Demon is here and Damian is quickly defeated. In the process, a vision of Alfred inspires him to rise up and rally his former rivals to team up to defeat the Lazarus Demon. Together, they manage to overpower and behead the Demon. In response, Mother Soul lashes out at Damian and he is transported to a desert where he meets a young Ra’s Al Ghul, his wife and his mother.

ROBINS #2 by Tim Seeley and Baldemar Rivas. The team continues to try to figure the connection to their first cases. This ends up with a battle between wanna-be villains patterning themselves after their idols

SUICIDE SQUAD #10 by Robbie Thompson, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira and Dexter Soy. The team of Major Force, Match, Nocturna, Black Siren, Ambush Bug, Culebra, and Talon battle Thangarians while on their journey to Oa, with Major Force using Black Siren as a human shield. In the process, they encounter Green Lantern Jo, who takes them to space jail. While there, Match and Nocturna share a romantic moment, Major Force has the pills to keep Culebra alive and Culebra seemingly dies again. Her spirit makes its’ way through the prison and finds a new member to add-Black Hand. Ambush Bug arrives in a spaceship and breaks the team out. Waller learns the team has secured her goals and feels nothing can stop her. But she hasn’t counted on Rick Flag and his team, who are almost at Task Force X Island.

SUICIDE SQUAD: KING SHARK #4 by Tim Seeley and Scott Kolins. In the past, Nanaue’s father turns his young son over to Amanda Waller, before killing the child’s dog. In the present, Nanaue and Defacer are trying to survive on the cockroach world, taming up to defeat the cockroach leader. Waller’s team consisting of Etrigan, Gentleman Ghost and Godkiller show up, with Godkiller bent on killing Nanaue. Defacer fights back and Grace Balin, better known as Orca, has had a change of heart thanks to Nanaue’s father, and joins the fight. Chondrakha is mortally wounded by Godkiller but manages to kill her. In the end, Nanaue cradles his father’s body.

SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW #6 by Tom King  and Bilquis Evely. Supergirl finally encounters Kreem, who sends her on a journey to outrun a Mordru globe. While on this race, she recalls the last days of Krypton, the death of her mother and the fruitless struggle to save the resident of Argo City from dying of radiation poisoning. Despite her best efforts, everyone dies except her, who was eventually rocketed away by her father. She manages to outrun the Mordru globe and is ready for a final confrontation with Kreem.

SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL 2021 ANNUAL#1 by Tom Taylor, Steve Pugh and Clayton Henry. In the past. Superman defeats Luthor and later engages in a game of chess with the villain. In the present, Batman sends Jon to the Fortress of Solitude to listen to a message from his father. Meanwhile, Luthor extorts moneys from heavy hitters of Metropolis business so he can build his Lexcorp tower. Almost completed, Jon is offended that the building’s logo is an eyesore. Soon, there is an explosion and he and Luthor need to team up to save Lex from killer robots. Jon wants the sign removed and Luthor suggests a game of chess. Jon wins and Lex agrees to remove the sign. In the end, he reaches out to…Henry Bendix.

THE SWAMP THING #10 by Ram V and Mike Perkins. At Prescott Industries, Levi and Jacob battle for the right to be the avatar of the Green. But that does not last long as Prescott sets off a bomb that puts them both on ice. In the frozen state, Levi is visited by the past avatars, which encourages to fight back and become the Swamp Thing to save his life. Meanwhile, Prescott meets with Jason Woodrue and their scientific work continues.

TASK FORCE Z #3 by Matthew Rosenberg, and Eddy Barrows. Thanks to Lazarus Resin, Jason Todd gets brought back to life. A confused Deadshot meets with him and discovers he’s only being sustained because of the Lazarus Resin. Later, Jason and Hanna break curfew and go out for pizza. When they return, Jason is forced to speak with Crispin and Jason agrees to another mission, provided Crispin gives them additional Resin. It is also revealed that Hanna, at the insistence of Project Halperin, was responsible for getting Jason to agree to do more missions. The team goes off to fight the Kobra cult, but things go badly as the resurrected begin to die, thanks to a poison initiated by Cheshire. Bane arrives to save Jason and Jason, in return, tosses Bane off the building they are on in revenge for Bane killing Alfred. In the end, word comes to Crispin that Jason has fled. But he hasn’t…he walks in on the mysterious Crispin who, it turns out, is Two-Face.

TEEN TITANS ACADEMY #9 by Tim Sheridan and Mike Norton. Roy Harper has returned to Titans Tower, confusing most and leading to a long-awaited reunion with his Titans friends. This leads to a Homecoming event with a surprise visit by Tempest. Meanwhile, a group of recruits, including Matt, Tress, Bolt and Dane find themselves under the control of Psimon, who wants to reform the Fearsome Five. Red X arrives and tries to tells the frecruits that they are being brainwashed, leading to him decapitating Psimon. The Titans arrive to see this, just as Red X takes the recruits away, possibly to form his version of the Fearsome Five.

TEEN TITANS ACADEMY #10 by Tim Sheridan and Mike Norton. Beginning with a flashback to Dane’s birth, the action shifts to he and Red X transporting to the place of Dane’s birth: Arizona 1890. They team up to fight demon dogs before the true villain arrives in the form of Neron. Meanwhile, Shazam informs the Titans that Dane is going to be responsible for bringing about the Apocalupse. The team then debates the possibility of having to kill Dane, despite the objections of Stitch, Beast Boy and Starfire. In the end, the demon dogs arrive at the Academy, along with Dane and Red X.

TITANS UNITED #4 by Cavan Scott and Jose Luis. The Titans try to figure out what is going on at Cadmus while Blackfire continues to torture and try to break Conner. Starfire battle Lady Vic while the rest of the team deal with citizens who are dealing with suddenly having powers. That is when the Tamaraneans show up to begin the attack, meaning the newly powered civilians jump in to help the Titans. Unfortunately, Conner is leading the attackers, now that he is under Blackfire’s control.

WONDER GIRL #6 by Joëlle Jones and Leila Del Duca. Yara Flor has been sent to Tartarus as punishment for rejecting Hera's offer. While there, she confronts three witches and a giant before being captured and meeting with Eros, who tries to convince her to be his partner. She eventually breaks free and reunites with Jerry, who takes her to the Gates of Olympus. Eros reports to Hera that Yara has escaped, much to her dismay. Cassie and Donna Troy join the Esquecida tribe and meet up with Yara, who figures out how to open the Gates of Olympus. Unfortunately, the warriors of Olympus are waiting for her.

WONDER WOMAN #782 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Vita Ayala, Skylar Patridge and Marcio Takara. Wonder Woman and Deadman are on a plane being attacked by a Wonder Women army. She defeats the constructs and saves the plane, with Deadman able to mask what has happened to the passengers and public. But one of the passengers has released a cellphone video of what happened on the plane. The pair go to Sweden to visit Siggy’s final resting place, leading to Diana returning his sword to his grave. Meanwhile, more Wonder Women shoe up and it is revealed that they are from the Mirror World and has been unleashed by The Image-Maker. In the backup, the Amazons battle a beast from Tartarus, which it is revealed came from Doom’s Doorway.

WONDER WOMAN: EVOLUTION #2 by Stephanie Phillips and Mike Hawthorne. Diana follows a young girl into a deserted Themyscira. While there, a lone sniper tries to kill her. The sniper is Steve Trevor. As he battles her with super strength, she finds the statue of Athena she had defaced so long ago. But the carving she had made is not there, leading her to realize that this isn’t real. She defeats the fake Trevor and breaks free, only to encounter four strange beings who tell her she is on trial for all of humanity.

WORLD OF KRYPTON #1 by Robert Venditti and Michael Avon Oeming. In the days before the end of Krypton, the House of El gathers in celebration of the birth of Kara Zor-El, leading to a family reunion with Zor and Jor’s cousin Kru. During the gathering, Nira-Ur reports what she discovered during her recent journey: that something has caused a mass death occurrence involving the Jewel Mountain herd of creatures. Terrorists arrive intent on killing the El family but are taken out by Jor-El and Zod, but not without casualties. Zod reveals that if Zor and Jor were killed, then Kru-El would become the ruler.