The New 52 with Drew

Zero Month : Week 4 (The End...of the Beginning)

2012-10-02T15:12:00.001-04:00

Well, this is it folks. This is the final post of The New 52 With Drew. Don't get too upset, now. I will return, with an all new format. I had planned on taking a few weeks off from the blogging game to finalize my plans for the next stage, but it would seem like I will have a longer hiatus. This past Sunday, we signed the Lease of our new GINORMOUS farm house in Erie, Pa. (Harbor Creek to be exact) so most of this month will be dedicated to packing, moving, and unpacking. I will still show up here and there on FB to contribute to discussions, however. Once we are settled in, I will launch the new Blog/Facebook page. More on that in a bit. Let's talk miniseries and one shots!

NATIONAL COMICS : ROSE AND THORN. If DC Comics made an after school special, this would be it. What I enjoyed the most about this issue is that there aren't any answers revealed. It truly seemed like the first issue of a bigger story. I don't know if this would work as an ongoing series, but it would make for a great miniseries. It would appear that what ever happened to Rose's dad is what caused this mental breakdown. Therefore if this mystery gets solved, "Thorn" might go away. But then Rose would still have to deal.with the repercussions

PHANTOM LADY AND DOLL MAN. Good stuff here folks. I am now fairly convinced this is all building to a Freedom Fighters ongoing series. It would be a shame to do all this buildup, just to lead to a miniseries. As I am not as familiar with these characters as others might be, did the old Phantom Lady's powers come from her suit, or was she a meta? In this, the powers come from a suit that Doll Man made. Either way, I am happy with this mini, and can't wait for more!

BEFORE WATCHMEN OZYMANDIAS. Ozy starts meeting some of the other new Costumed Adventurers. His fight with The Comedian was entirely too drawn out, mostly due to the narration of Adrien. Is this narrative style supposed to make him look cool, or just a pompous ass? I will say though that of all the minis, this one comes across the most as a prequel. You get to see a sequence of events that lead right up to and through the original series. This issue has been my favorite Ozy issue yet. Next time...RORSHACH!

and now...the final batch of Zero issues!

VOODOO. Here we have the final issue of VOODOO. This series had really picked up in the last half of the run, but this issue just fell flat. We basically get a longer version of the origin we already knew. There really wasn't any attempt at big secrets or revelations that might spawn interest in the character in the future, at least not in her own series. This issue does set up the first meeting with Grifter, but is it Pris or Voodoo? We will have to read GRIFTER to find out.

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN. Okay, you know how a lot of people can't stand Liefeld's artwork? Well this issue proves that his writing is not any better. Why would a Thanagarian quote Mark Twain? On another planet during a time some indeterminate years ago? Give me a second and see if I can understand this. The Daemonites unleashed a plague on Thanagar that caused everybody's wings to fall off. Then Katar Hol inadvertently contacts Nth metal and gets his wings back? If Nth metal is Thanagarian in origin, why is it called that on Earth when we don't even know about Thanagar? This issue gave me a headache and I don't want Liefeld taking up anymore of my time.

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN. Well after this issue, that super long title no longer applies. They should just change it to FIRESTORM. This really wasn't a zero issue like most of the others. This was more in the vein of the Zero Issue of GREEN LANTERN, but not as good. In other words, this is the beginning of a new direction for the book. Maybe I should say return to an older direction. Due to the events of the story so far, Ronnie and Jason are no longer two separate Firestorms, but merged as one Firestorm. No they don't station to become Fury anymore, but like the Firestorm of comics past, the physical body, Ronnie, now has to deal with the consciousness of Jason. I am not going to tax my brain with the science of where Jason's body goes when they "Flame up" . I would have preferred it if Ronnie was gone altogether, but this is still better than the two Firestorm nonsense. I might give this one more issue to see if it gets better.

Meanwhile, In Gotham City...

BATMAN INCORPORATED. I am not sure what I just read. One of the things I have enjoyed thus far with this series is Chris Burnham's Artwork. However, for the zero issue, he co wrote the story and somebody else did the art. That was a horrible mistake. I did not like this art style, and the narrative was all over the place, even more so then when Morrison writes solo. I believe this was an attempt at telling the story of how everybody was recruited, but it came off as a bad acid trip montage, and then a very out of place compliment towards Alfred. I was hoping I would get through Zero Month with out yelling the name of my Nemesis again, but this warrants it...MORRISON!

BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT. Again, Gregg Hurwitz proves he is one the few people who truly gets Batman. I said it a few weeks ago, and I will say it again. DC should cancel THE DARK KNIGHT, and put Hurwitz on DETECTIVE. This issue deals with a young Bruce Wayne shortly after his parent's death. He begins honing his Detective skills early. Later after college, he learns that it was Joe Chill that killed his parents. It wasn't a mob hit, or a rival Businessman, or the Court of Owls. It was a drunk who wanted a pearl necklace to sell for booze. This revelation, and the journey to this revelation is what lead him to travel the world as seen in the zero issue of DETECTIVE COMICS. Bruce learned of the corrupt police, the overwhelming gangland presence, the shady business dealings and the rumored secret societies. But Bruce also learned of the ugliness of one man, who just wanted another bottle of booze. All of this led to Batman. The Death of his Parents started Bruce Wayne on a journey of vengeance, but the Journey of Vengeance led to the Birth of Batman!

TEEN TITANS. The last of the Robin origins has now been told. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this one. About a month or so ago, I think it was at SDCC actually, Scott Lobdell dropped the bomb that Tim Drake was never Robin. I suspected all along that is was a similar situation to what was presented here. Not all aspects of the story, just the part where Tim chooses the name Red Robin out of respect for Jason. There was one error that really surprised me. Bruce mentions that Tim was closer than anybody to figuring out he was Bruce Wayne, but just last week, in NIGHTWING, Dick figured it out the same night he met Bruce. Other than that, I loved this issue. Tim was always my favorite Robin, and this issue shows why. I really liked how it was narrated by Batman. The whole witness protection thing was a little weird as well. So did Tim's parents ask Batman to take Tim in, or Bruce Wayne. I would have liked to seen the moment when Time strikes out on his own. I am guessing, just like in pre-relaunch continuity, Tim went solo when Damian showed up. This issue makes me wish there was a Red Robin series. It would be a perfect place to bring in Stephanie Brown. Maybe something like that will spawn out of The Joker Story. Personally, I think Tim's parents,who are still alive in this continuity but in witness Protection, will be found and killed by the Joker. This will cause him to leave the Titans and strike out on his own Path of Vengeance, seeking the Joker. If a Talon can get a spinoff from a Bat Event, why can't Tim Drake, AKA, Red Robin! Which brings us too..

TALON. I don't think enough of a spotlight has been put on how important this book is. Not in the same way that TEAM 7 is important, story wise. No, this book is important because it is a brand new character getting his own book. In the New 52, there have been new characters on teams, even new teams, but mostly we have gotten updated versions of characters that have been around a while. This is the first new creation of the New 52, and a huge gamble. Personally, I think it paid off quite well. It reminds me a little of one of my favorite books of the past, AZRAEL. Azrael was created as part of KNIGHTFALL. He became so popular that he got his own series, even though he was kind of a villain. Trained as an assassin, Azrael used those skills for good. TALON is in a similar vein. Created as part of the COURT OF OWLS story, the concept of the Talons was hugely successful, so one of them got his own series. Once again, trained assassin, and escape artist using his skills for good. As long as this series isn't just Calvin Rose constantly running from the Court, I think we have a good chance of success. He needs his own Rogues, maybe stay out of Gotham for a while, and establish himself as the awesome character I think he can be. Of course, early on, he will need to have a run in with Batman and possibly get his Batblessing.

AQUAMAN. Now this was a great zero issue! We not only see what Arthur was like before he became Aquaman, but we get an Atlantean history lesson. Some familiar names show up this issue. In the search for his mother, Arthur finds Vulko. Vulko tells Arthur that he has a half brother, Orm, who is now King of Atlantis. Orm is also known as one of Aquaman's main villains, The Ocean Master. There is still a lot of history that we don't have, such as what happens in between Arthur's return to Atlantis and the first issue. Does he reclaim the throne for awhile? How did he meet Mera? How did the Other's first come together? I like not having all the answers spoon fed to me? I like discovering tidbits here and there and trying to piece together the puzzle. That is exactly what this book accomplished!

THE FLASH. This issue was disappointing to me. We didn't really learn anything new. Okay, technically newer readers find out more about the situation with Barry's parents. We did get a new character though. Daniel West, who I am assuming is related to Iris West, and therefore, maybe Wally West, was in jail. I am a bit curious to see how that plays out. Overall though, this series is too inconsistent and the threat of Gorillas still isn't intriguing enough for me to come back for more. I think what it really comes down to is the fact that I am not a fan of Barry Allen. When I first started reading comics, Wally was the Flash, and Barry was just a legend that Wally tried to love up to. I never liked the way that Wally was just set to the side when Barry came back. I think there are a lot in my generation that feel the same. Or is it just me?

I, VAMPIRE. Wow! That was great. This is the tale all about how this one young man's life got turned upside down....What? Okay, I was trying to do this whole Fresh Prince of Bel Aire thing, but it just wasn't working. Anyways, this issue shows how Andrew Bennet was turned into a vampire by Cain. There was even another flashback involving Etrigan. I would like to see that story fleshed out a little more one day. It would appear that Mary and Andrew were already in a relationship when Andrew was turned. He even left her to protect her. So, what is the sequence of events that leads to him turning Mary? I suppose that is a story for another day.

ALL STAR WESTERN. This wasn't just the story of Jonah Hex before the events of issue one, it was the entire life history of our favorite Old West Bounty Hunter. I don't know about you, but everytime there was a new chapter in his life, I was expecting it to be how he got his scar. I liked that this issue keeps you guessing about how it will happen. What was the deal with the scene at Haly's Circus? What is the potion that healed the guys legs? Were we seeing the origins of Venom maybe? That doesn't seem quite right either, a connection with A Lazarus Pit would make more sense, but that is a natural phenomenon, not a potion. Hmm, strange things are afoot at the OK Corral. Get it? OK, Circle K, yeah, it is late and am tired. They can't all be comic gold.

RED LANTERNS. This was a great zero issue. By now, most of us already know the story of Atrocitus. Of how the Manhunters destroyed not only his family, but his whole sector of space. His rage from that led to the formation of the Red Lanterns. But there is more to the story. I have wondered why the Red Lanterns work a little differently then the rest. It is because Atrocitus was not the only survivor of Sector 666, at first. There were four others. They were called demons. Not of the Etrigan kind, just demons, of Sector 666. Hey, it sounds cool, just go with it. They taught Atros, as he was known at the time, how to use Blood Magic. The five of them caused problems for the Guardans for a while be fore they were all captured. Atrocitus, again fueled with rage, and now Blood Magic, killed the other survivors, and was given the first Blood Prophecy, and that is what led to the Red Lanterns. Then Abin Sur came along. And now you know the rest of the story.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. Constantine in a black leather jacket? No thank you. This issue deals with a much younger Constantine when he first starts learning magic. He also meets Zatanna for the first time in an amazing bit of art, even if it wasn't Mikel Janin. I suspect this Nick Necro character, who Constantine took the trenchcoat from, is the Keanu looking villain stirring up trouble in the main series. He is obsessed with the Books of Magic. This issue mentioned some other famous magic users, several for the first time in The New 52. I am talking Mr. E, Sargon, Zatara, and the man from NIGHT FORCE, Baron Winters! Plus, I think I saw the Phantom Stranger photobombing in the background of the scene where Constantine sees Zatanna for the first time. JLD continues to be one of the greatest books being published in the world of comics.

SUPERMAN. What the what? There is a lot to process with this issue. First off, I just wanna say...Kal-El's mom has got it going on! She was bad ass in this issue. There was another reference to this Doomsday Cult, and a connection with the Eradicator. For newer readers who may not know the implications here, read up on the Death of Superman storyline, you can even look at the Wikipedia entry. There. Now do you see what the big deal might be? Then there is the epilogue. Was that the Horn referenced in both SUPERMAN and STORMWATCH? And didn't the creature that blew the horn look a lot like a more colorful version of Doomsday? Finally we need to talk about the Super cameos. I just had to go back to see it because I missed it the first time, (Thanks Anthony!) Supergirl is seen in a page of SUPERBOY during the Kryptonian Clone Wars. It looks like Superboy showed up to save Allura in SUPERGIRL. And now an Adult Kal-el is observing his parents, on Krypton. What does this mean? I am assuming this all ties in with H'el on Earth somehow. My first thought was time travel, however we have been repeatedly reminded that Flashpoint has somehow.rendered time travel impossible. Lobdell has finally made SUPERMAN something I look forward to!

So, now that it is over, was Zero Month a success? I think so. There were a few misses, but most of them were great. A lot of questions were answered, and some new ones were raised. There is a lot of excitement heading into this next month of DC Comics. What i loved best about this month is that we got to see some history, but not everything. There is still plenty more to learn out there. I don't know if they are planning on something like this again next year, but I hope not. What are they going to do? Issue 0.5, issue -1? Those would be silly. I would rather these other tidbits get released as the storied unfold, or maybe in Annuals.

Now that I have read EVERY single book that The New 52 had to offer in it's first year (and one month) what are my thoughts on The New 52. Well, if you have read this blog at all before now, or see my posts on Facebook, you know I am a huge fan. I don't know if it's because I have read everything up to this point or what, but I feel like I am one of the few who truly gets the point of this. I know there are others out there, that "Get it", but unfortunately there are even more who don't .

Most of these folks aren't even reading the comics, so the argument is invalid. There are others who have read a lot of these books (admit it, you are reading more now than pre relaunch), but still let the past sway their feelings on the current stuff. Numerous times I have seen facebook posts where people claim that the continuity is messed up because (enter pre-relaunch story here) says one thing, which contradicts what a New 52 book says. Well, that's the point, isn't it. It is a new continuity. I tend to try to use the old continuity as possible clues to things, but I am always aware that just because something happened Pre-Flashpoint, doesn't mean it happened the same way, or at all. For example, BLACKEST NIGHT Clearly happened, but obviously it went down a little differently now.

One of the things I have always enjoyed the most about shared universe comics, is taking pieces of info here and there and trying to see the big picture. The New 52 took that concept, and turned it to 11. Now I am not just seeing how all the pieces of the Universe, or Multiverse rather, fit together, but I am piecing history together as well! So, yeah, I think the New 52 is a huge success!

When I started this blog, I had no idea that I would enjoy it as much as I have, nor could I have guessed how successful the blog itself has been. For that I want to thank you. It is due to this success that I will continue on. I still haven't finalized the name of my new blog/facebook page. The best two I have so far are Drew's Views, News, and Comic Reviews, and Mister Mom the Fanboy. I still have around a month or so to mull this over while I move. Feel free to give me your suggestions.

Here is where the votes currently stand for the On the Cusp books

ACTION COMICS 0 votes

GRIFTER 1 vote to keep

LEGION LOST 0 votes

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS 1 vote to keep

BLUE BEETLE 1 vote to keep

CATWOMAN 1 vote to drop

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN 0 votes

SUPERMAN 0 votes

THE FLASH. 1 vote to keep

Of these books, ACTION COMICS is the only one that comes out tomorrow, so I will call the ball and keep it until Morrison finishes his run, mostly to see if my theory that this is an alternate Earth, that we will see in MULTIVERSITY, comes to fruition. The Zero issues has me inclined to keep SUPERMAN as well, but I haven't decided yet, but the polls will still be open for about a week or so.

So, yeah, thank you for joining me on this ride, and I hope to see you all at the beginning of the new blog and Facebook page. I plan on keeping notes on all the stuff I said I would continue reviewing, including BEFORE WATCHMEN, plus the second and Third Wave books through issue 6. Plus ALL the Marvel Now! issue ones. I will keep notes, but won't have the time to put it all out there like this until after the move, so expect a big report catching everything up upon my return. A lot of big things to be excited for...ROTWORLD, A DEATH IN THE FAMILY, THE THIRD ARMY. oh yeah and moving ionto a big ass Horse farm!!!!!

Continue supporting the Comics Industry! Keep that enthusiasm and spread it to the next generation!!! I will see you all soon!

Drew

@DarthNearl

Zero Month : Week 3 (Questions)

2012-09-24T10:42:00.000-04:00

Zero Month continues into it's third week. More revelations! More teases into the future! There are plenty of questions answered this week, but several new ones are raised as well. Oh and an appearance by...The Question. Team 7 is still letting it's presence be felt. Rob Liefeld is making his soon to be absence longed for. The Batfamily history is made clearer. Alrighty, Let's Kick This Pig. Wow, taken out of context, that is a horrible saying!

BEFORE WATCHMEN NITE OWL. Things are really heating up. I loved the moment when Dan took his mask off and Liz said she knew who he was, claimed she was joking when he freaked out, and then told him she really did know who he was. Great moment. I wonder what was Hollis' confession? I really only have one criticism of this series. It seems that JMS wasn't aware that Rorshach has his own mini. They could have had a great convergence between the two series if the Rorshach stuff was in his own book. Next month this story wraps up, but first, next week, another chapter in the Manifesto of OZYMANDIAS!

CAPTAIN ATOM. Well this was about as pointless of a comic as you can get. This book is being cancelled, and the only story you can think to tell is the origin that we already knew? We saw most of this stuff happen in flashback during the series. I even pointed out how it was even told in a similar manner as WATCHMEN. There wasn't any new info here. There wasn't any tidbits that I could see to made this at all relevant to future stories. Not even hinting at an appearance elsewhere. I know the Captain is showing up in a future issue of FIRESTORM. I know this not from this issue, but from a Solicitation. Captain Atom and Firestorm, now there is a teamup I am not excited for.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES. No big revelations here, that I am aware of. This seemed more of a lost chapter in their history. We get a little more insight into the Colu culture, but that's about it. I thought maybe some exploration into the history of the War with the Dominators was called for. Something to help us newer readers wrap their brains around things. Oh well, my journey into the 31st Century is over, unless it ties in with an event, but I don't see that happening.

JUSTICE LEAGUE. Shazam! With that one word, a new hero is born. Billy Batson has been chosen to be the new Champion of Magic. Was he the best choice for this responsibility? Probably not, but Black Adam is loose upon the world and a new Champion had to be chosen. I am really digging the new spin on this classic character. As far as the new look...not bad. I Like the cape, but those boots...man, those boots got to go! I hope we don't spend too much time with the Young Boy in a Man's Magically Powered Body shenanigans. Black Adam isn't going to fight himself, you know. Will this story return to the backups next month, or is the main story going to branch out from here? I am not sure. Speaking of Backups. We get another Pandora story. This time she is trying to re-open Pandora's Box to fix everything she messed up. The Wizard shows up and tells her that she should not have been treated the way she was and apologizes. Our Trinity of Sin has kind of downgraded into a duo. We also see a glimpse of who I can only imagine is The Question! Great Zero Issue!

SWORD OF SORCERY. In the vain of ALL STAR WESTERN and GI COMBAT comes another new series, this one focusing on the not utilized enough genre, fantasy. The main story is the long awaited return of AMETHYST OF GEMWORLD. I will admit that I am not that familiar with Amethyst outside of the crossover I mentioned in my review of NIGHT FORCE VOL 2. Luckily, you don't have to be. This issue throws you into the story rather quickly. If you are a fan of fantasy and/or fantasy comics (which I am, of both) you need to check this out. It was made even better by a surprise appearance of my favorite chain smoking Brit. The Backup is another property of long ago titled, BEOWULF. I don't know anything of the old series, but a familiar with the Epic Poem of even longer ago. This looks to follow the basic premise of Beowulf being hired to slay Grendel, but this appears to take place in some sort of post apocalyptic future, where we have returned to a barbarian like culture, yet there is remnents of technology. I don't know if this will always be the backup, or if it will rotate, like GI COMBAT. I am hoping it does rotate, so that other fantasy titles get to see some light again. I would like to see a new take on WARLORD.

GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS. This is one of the few zero issues to take place in present day. Kyle Rayner and Carol Ferris are both looking for Hal. They find out the hard way that Hal and Sinestro are both fighting and losing to Black Hand. Kyle's ring tells them that Hal is dead. Of course Kyle and Carol don't believe it so they go on a search. Carol even suits up as a Star Sapphire. It is interesting that Kyle is gaining abilities from the different colors, and he is learning them to fight Black Hand. He and Carol are thus far oblivious to the full extent of the Guardians plans and the Third Army. What will happen when they find out?

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS . This was a fun concept. Mini zero issues for four of the first wave of cancelled issues, plus another one for the first story arc that DCU PRESENTS did. The two books that didn't get any love were STATIC SHOCK (can't say I am disappointed about that) and MEN OF WAR (due to the nature of that book I can understand why they didn't zeroize it). Let's briefly talk about what they did do. OMAC briefly touched on the origin of Brother Eye, and reminded everybody that Maxwell Lord and Checkmate are still out there. Interesting revelation: Batman used some Apokolips tech to create Brother Eye. Why is it relevant? Brother Eye is currently being controlled by some other presense. MISTER TERRIFIC showed Michael Holt getting glimpses of futures, including Earth 2 stuff. Interesting Revelation: Terry Sloan is responsible for not only putting Michael on the path to becoming Mister Terrific, but bringing him to Earth 2 as well. Why is it relevant? Well, there is Earth 2 happenings, plus, one of the Glimpses of the future includes him battling with Power Girl, which means one of those two will Universe Jump again. HAWK AND DOVE was basically mailed in by a disgruntled Rob Liefeld. Interesting Revelation: nothing we didn't already know. We got a reminder that the first Dove died in a crisis, but no more info than that. Why is it relevant? Beats me. BLACKHAWKS showed the Origin of Mother Machine. Interesting revelation: We find out how Lady Blackhawk lost an eye. Why is is relevant? It would seem the team was formed around the same time as TEAM 7 for roughly the same reasons. DEADMAN delves into Boston Brand trying to find out the circumstances behind his death. Interesting Revelation: Boston was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why is it relevant? He now has a sense of guilt that an innocent woman died so that his killer can be brought to justice.

BLUE BEETLE. What a fascinating history lesson. Khaji-Da, the scarab responsible for Jaime turning into the Blue Beetle, was the Prototype. On it's very first mission, it gets damaged by a young Lady Styx. The next target was earth, where it was instrumental in the creation of the Mayan God, Quetzalcoatl . After getting trapped in a crumbled pyramid for centuries, a treasure hunter fnds him. I wonder if that was supposed to be Dan Garett, the original Blue Beetle before the relaunch, who was an archaelogist who had discovered the scarab during a dig. The scarab get sold on the black market and changes hands several times before it ends up in the possession of La Dama, which is where Jaime Reyes' story begins. One of the other people they showed holding the Scarab I can't help but wonder if it was Ted Kord, a rich business man and Jaime's pre relaunch predecessor. These two previous Blue Beetle's could be speculation on my part, or simply a way of paying homage to the character's history and simultaneously skirting around the issue of Infinite Crisis.

SUPERGIRL. You know that saying, "The Answers only raise more Questions?" That is what this issue is. We get answers to many of the looming questions concerning this series. We know why she is wearing the costume. We know why she orbited the sun. We know the rest of the interrupted recording that Kara watched months ago. But what does it mean? What caused Kara's Pod to finally crash? Why was that one guy wearing Superboy's outfit? I thought NOWHERE designed that. Was that supposed to be Kon-El, the evil clone from last weeks SUPERBOY issue? Why did that cause Alura to freak out? What did she mean by "Experimenting on our daughter?" Are they implying that Kara may be the Kryptonian side of Superboy? There are alot of mysteries in this title, and I love it!

WONDER WOMAN. I was expecting to finally get the story behind the relationship between Diana and Steve Trevor. That is not what I got. Instead we get a fascinating tale of a younger Diana trying to prove herself. See, this is before anybody, excluding Hippolyta, new the truth about Diana's lineage. All the other Amazons call her Clay. Anyways, she starts training with War to become a top warrior. What else would you learn from War? Crochet? She spars with a Minotaur, but spared him in the end which outraged War. I loved the story in this issue, but it didn't really gel with the main series. This story established a Superman like regard for life, but I don't get that from her in the other issues. I don't know if something else makes her a little darker, or if I just read to much into things.

NIGHTWING. Everybody knows this story right? Circus performer Dick Grayson sees the murder of his parents before being taken in by Batman to become Robin, the Boy Wonder. This issue tells the updated version of this classic tale. We get to see some of Dick's pre-tragedy childhood, including scenes with Raymond. Regular readers of this series knows all too well how that friendship ended. One thing of interest is that we don't actually see the Graysons get killed, it kind of jumps to shortly afterward. I loved that even amongst this trauma, Dick still noticed the body language of Bruce that he recognized later in Batman. This is one of the big changes from the Classic Origin. Dick figured it out on his own. The other major difference is that in this new telling Dick knew deep down that the Robin gig was just that. A temporary gig, an internship as it were, learning the trade before striking out on his own. He sees the difference between himself and Batman early on, and recognizes what he wants to emulate, and what he wants to do differently. Both of these changes I embrace. They exemplify what I love about Dick Grayson. I could go on and on about why Nightwing has always been my favorite DC Character. Maybe I will devote a whole blog post to him one day. Let's get back to the Zero Issue. We also see the first appearance of Lady Shiva, who will be involved in the next couple issue leading up to the Joker event. Not only is she one of my favorite Villains, but she is also the Mother of Cassandra Cain. Will there be a reference to my favorite Batgirl? I certainly hope so! Like I said, I could devote an entire blog post to Nightwing, but for now just know that this is what Zero Month is all about. I just hope that in the future we get to see how Dick's "Graduation" went down.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. Here we have another Robin Origin. With the exception B&R, the Robin Origins are being read in chronological order. At least I read NIGHTWING before I read this. The majority of this issue tells the sad first life of Jason Todd. Again there are some changes to what we know from before. Instead of the now classic "Stealing Hubcaps from the Batmobile" scene, young Jason is stealing prescription drugs from Dr. Leslie Thompkins. I am glad to see her, even if it is a flashback. Todd's first death is still pretty much the same, however. I was curious to see how they handled his resurrection. Although I am glad it happened, he is a much more interesting character now, the explanation of how it happened was one of the dumbest moments in comics history. Things are simpler now, Talia al Ghul brought him back, but why? Let's due some math. She would have resurrected Jason after Damian was already born. There is a theory starting to brew in my head. I will wait until after next weeks Zero issues before I present it, however. Then there is the other part of the story. The part where we find out Joker set Jason Todd up to be a Robin in the first place, so that he could kill him. Now that is awesome, and makes me even more excited for DEATH OF THE FAMILY!

CATWOMAN. Ann Nocenti takes over writing duties as of this issue. She has yet to wow me with GREEN ARROW, will this be any different? So far, so good. This is a a different take of Selina Kyle. This Selina, discovers that her identity isn't real. She doesn't even know who she is now. There is some connection with the Russians, which resonates with aspects from the first story arc. I suspect that this Identity Quest is what causes her to join the JLA. Steve Trevor is going to promise her answers. What will this all mean? Who is Selina Kyle, really? Did the Earth 2 Catwoman have the same problem? Ann Nocenti, has started a promising story. Let's hope we don't get let down again.

BIRDS OF PREY. This is the story of how Black Canary, Starling, and Batgirl all met. Team 7 makes it's presense felt again as Dinah is talking about how she needs to get her mind off of Kurt. What brings them all together is Basilisk trying to set of a mutation bomb. Sound familiar? That's the bomb that was set off in the first few issues of SUICIDE SQUAD. Speaking of the Squad, remember last week when Amanda Waller had the handful of photos laid out with prospective Squad members, and I said one of them looked like Starling? Well guess what, I was right! At the end of the issue, Starling is having a secret conversation with Waller. She is a mole of some sort. Oh, and the best part? Waller still has Kurt's Body. Is he still alive? Is he a clone? That last lage just made this book a lot more interesting!

BATWOMAN. Quick, fellow bloggers, what is the blogging equivalent of a standing ovation? Because that is what this issue needs. Hayden and Williams pulled off several remarkable feats here. The first is that although it is a zero issue, it still connects with the current story (remember, there was an Amazon in it). The narrative is a letter that Kate leaves for her dad that she has written during the current story. The second feat is that they didn't use this opportunity to retell the Elegy story. I was scared when the first page had her sister hanging from the airplane, but it only briefly references it and the impact it has on Kate. If you haven't read Elegy, go do so. It is in trade, and you will have a better understanding of the sister stuff. The Third feat, to me, is the most remarkable. This is not the first comic that goes for a presentation that is not standard comic faire. There have been other comics that play with the formula. Works of prose, with pictures thrown in. It doesn't always work. A lot of times it comes across as pretentious. "Look at me, I am smart and can write a comic book in prose fashion." But in this case it was a resounding success, especially considering that BATWOMAN is mostly known for it's amazing artwork. Williams' two page spreads, and over all asthetic, are almost always the main selling point of this book, even though there is still an amazing story being told amongst all the pretty pictures. This issue tones down the visuals to tell a deeply personal story. Oh, I just remembered something else about this issue, Renee Montoya! Granted it was spelled Rene, but there is no doubt that it is her. I am glad she still exists out there, somewhere in the New 52. Or at least she did. In an early issue, I remember Kate looking at a picture that looked like it could be her on a wall in the police station that looked like it could have been a Memorial Wall. So, it looks like Montoya might not be The Question anymore, but at least she wasn't retconned out of existance! Again, Bravo good sirs, for the best Zero Issue yet!

This week saw Origins of two different characters who's pre-relaunch origins are very closely related to Infinite Crisis. In the Crisis, Ted Kord was killed and Jaime was chosen. I always thought it was a weird sequence of events because the scarab never worked for Kord, he was more of a gadget man. Oh yeah, and Maxwell Lord was killed, by Wonder Woman, shortly before Infinite Crisis. Why am I telling you all this? I guess I am just pointing out that it looks like Infinite Crisis is one of the events that never happened in the New 52. But wait, Infinite Crisis is what lead to the return of 52 Universes. The original Crisis, which HAWK AND DOVE has hinted as happened, collapsed the Multiverse into one Universe before Infinite Crisis brought it back. Barry Allen appears to have never died, and Wally doesn't seem to exist, so what Crises, if any, did happen? This is not a complaint, just somebody who loves puzzles trying to out this one together. Any Thoughts?

I know that there will be another Hardcover collection that contains every Zero issue, but it would be cool if they also had smaller, related collections. A Bat-family collection, presented in Chronological order, chronicling the events leading to the Birth of Batman, plus Robin Origins, would be really fun to read. And a Team 7 related Collection would work really well as well.

Don't forget to send in a suggestion on the name of the new blog and facebook page that will debut after Zero Month. I have started to get some funny ones on Facebook, but nothing that really zings. The best I have come up with, that maintains some semblance of "Brand Recognition" is "Drew's Views, News, and Comic Reviews" I think we can do better.

Plus, the polls are still open on the On the Cusp books.

Here is where the votes currently stand for the On the Cusp books

ACTION COMICS 0 votes

GRIFTER 1 vote to keep

LEGION LOST 0 votes

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS 1 vote to keep

BLUE BEETLE 1 vote to keep

CATWOMAN 1 vote to drop

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN 0 votes

SUPERMAN 0 votes

THE FLASH. 1 vote to keep

Next week's post will be the final week of voting, the week after that, I will sum up this whole 13 month experience, plus results! Remember you can Vote to Keep, or Vote to Drop. Next week is another big one as far is Zero Month is concerned. We get JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, AQUAMAN, we will get the final Robin Origin (or Red Robin)with TEEN TITANS, and the first issue of TALON, plus many more, including the final issue of VOODOO. See you there!

Drew
@DarthNearl

Zero Month : Week 2 (Damn Right, Team 7!)

2012-09-17T13:49:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the Second Week of Zero Month! This week was a lot more interconnected thanks to the New Title, TEAM 7. Also, just like last week, an amazing Miniseries comes to an end. This week is actually the model for the second half of Zero Month, in which we get a Zero issue for a Third Wave book, plus a Zero issue for a cancelled book. That means Fourteen books each week! Last week didn't have a Zero issue for JLI, so it was the regular Thirteen. Wow, Fourteen books, plus a miniseries and a BEFORE WATCHMEN book. I gots to get busy!

Reminder, due to the nature of the Zero Month books, secrets will be revealed, and talked about. In other words...SPOILER WARNING!!!!

THE SHADE. This amazing journey comes to an end. I am glad this made it through to the end. I am not sure if this was planned all along, or if it was in the spirit of Zero Month, but this issue tells the origin of Richard Swift, AKA, The Shade. It was a wonderful endpiece that truly illustrates how lonely he is now. He had a family that he loved very much before things went bad. This was very much a case of something done to him as opposed to something he did to himself, which was what I had always assumed to be the case. I hope we see him again, whether in another mini, ongoing, or simply appearing an somebody else's book (JLD). But until then, I will be content with this, and probably the trade.

BEFORE WATCHMEN : THE COMEDIAN. If you only read this issue, you would hate Eddie, a lot. But if you read the other issues leading up to this, you see a steady decline of a man. It makes you hate what the man has become, not necessarily the man himself. What else does Azzarello have in store for this man before it is all said and done. He is pretty much already the miserable wretch we see in the original series. Next week, NITE OWL returns!

SUPERBOY. I was disappointed with this issue. I thought this was going to finally reveal the human DNA donor. Maybe a little more info on Caitlin Fairchild, whose dad was also in Team 7, by the way. But nope, instead, we get to see a lot of the same stuff we saw in issue one, but with Harvest and Omen watching and commenting on it. We also spend a lot of time in the distant past of Krypton getting a history lesson on why clones are so reviled on Krypton. There are a few teases, such as the mention of a "Doomsday cult" on Krypton, and a picture of who I am guessing will be the New 52 version of Match, who is a Superboy version of Bizarro. It is a shame, I have really liked this book so far, but this issue kind of missed the point of Zero Month.

THE RAVAGERS. This issue showed the early trials and tribulations or Beast Boy, Terra, Ridge, Thunder, and Lightening. NO.W.H.E.R.E., or more specifically, Harvest, conducted experiments on them and basically caused their metagene's to kick in. Most of the focus seemed to be on Terra and Beast Boy. What I found even more interesting is that Gar seemed to be affiliated with Niles Caulder before he was taken to The Colony. Professor Caulder is also who Fairchild took everybody to after recent events. Is THE RAVAGERS going to be The New 52 version of DOOM PATROL? If you remember, Robotman was one of the stories featured in the MY GREATEST ADVENTURE miniseries. This is interesting because before the relaunch, Beast Boy was in the Teen Titans before joining Doom Patrol. Now it sounds like he was possibly a part of Doom Patrol before becoming a Ravager. I can't wait to see how this unfolds!

LEGION LOST. Another great opportunity squandered. I was hoping that in this Zero issue, we would see the events leading up to the Lost Legionnaires traveling back in time. Maybe witness some of Harvest's manipulations that started the chain of events. Possibly see Chameleon Girl's true motivations. Instead we get an origin story for Timber Wolf, before he even joined the Legion of Super-Heroes. The story wasn't necessarily bad, just not what I was hoping for, again.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Guy Gardner gets some time in the spotlight. It was neat seeing him with his family, even if some of the relationships are strained. I wonder if we will find out more about why he wasn't a cop. I suspect we will be seeing more of his family soon, when the Third Army starts causing problems on Earth. I am a little surprised that this issue wasn't split in two, or at least had a backup featuring John Stewart. He will be the only Earth Lantern that isn't getting a zero issue origin treatment. Okay, technically Hal isn't getting an origin either, but he is in the "dead zone" with Sinestro, so he isn't active right now, which has a lot to do with why I think Stewart is doomed. Maybe he will be assimilated by the Third Army. Yeah, I made a Borg reference. Just accept it, Resistance is Futile...Number One!

DEMON KNIGHTS. The wouldn't let poor Etrigan play in any Demon games! I felt bad for him, but he got his in the end. This issue explains how Etrigan and Jason of Norwich got put together, but there was some other interesting tidbits as well. Lucifer Morningstar looked like the version of Lucifer seen in the pages of SANDMAN and later his own Vertigo series, aptly titled...LUCIFER. Yet another possible sign of elements from Neil Gaiman's masterpiece being worked into the New 52. Another interesting twist, Merlin, who we now know is also Adam One from STORMWATCH, appears to be Lucifer's son. You just can't trust anybody in this book at all, ever. That's not true. I can trust Paul Cornell to consistently put out good books!

FRANKENSTEIN : AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. He's Alive! ALIVE! Sorry, I knew I had to do this at least once for this series. The really funny part is when I typed that just now, I accidentally typed He's Alice! Okay, enough of that. This was a great issue. We get to see Frank's first moments of unlife. This also established Victor as a Villain from the beginning. What I found fascinating was S.H.A.D.E. observing Frankenstein, his whole life. There is also the possible implication that the Bride was made by S.H.A.D.E. and not Victor. If this is true, it could have some interesting story developments down the road. Especially if S.H.A.D.E didn't use the exact same process using machines powered by souls. The Rot could possibly take a hold of The Bride the way they couldn't with Frank. One of the better issues so far of Zero Month.

BATMAN AND ROBIN. "Look, I'm a Bat." That is now my second favorite picture of Damian. My favorite is the now famous Batcow picture. This issue pretty much chronicles the life of young Damian Wayne. From Test Tube to him meeting his father. It does create a problem if you apply the math. Damian was 10 when he met Batman. Bruce has only been Batman for about 6 years. According to the Zero Issue of DETECTIVE COMICS, Bruce was traveling the world and training around the time of "conception". He had not come up with the idea of Batman, yet. So, did Talia get what she needed from Bruce at that time because she saw the potential in him? Or is Damian actually younger than we think, due to the rapid aging that is so frequently associated with cloning and genetic engineering? Anybody else have a theory that explain this?

BATMAN. This issue blends in really well with the stories in DETECTIVE COMICS from last week. Bruce has started his career as a vigilante, but he isn't quite Batman, yet. We learn that he isn't in the mansion either, but setting up headquarters in Crime Alley near where his parents were killed. The Red Hood Gang is causing problems for Gotham. For those newer readers out there, that was the Joker's crew before he became The Joker. The Backup was really a showstealer for me. Framed by a sequence of Jim Gordon and young Barbara lighting the Bat Signal for the first time, we get a glimpse of the lives of Tim Drake, Jason Todd, and Dick Grayson, before the Bat entered their lives. The Batsignal is lit, and we get to see their initial reactions, along with Barbara's as the Bat Symbol is first seen in the sky. A really powerful moment.

BATGIRL. I loved this issue! Not only is it the best issue of BATGIRL, yet, it is one of the better Zero issues. Gail Simone has made me fall in love with Barbara Gordon all over again. Babs described herself as Intelligent, Intense, and Weird. These are words that could be used to describe my own daughter, and I couldn't be more proud. There was a whole lot of forshadowing surrounding James Jr. I was very curious about the implicstion that Barbara walked away from the Batlife, before she got shot. I like that explanation better than her stopping the vigilante life because she got shot. Not only does that make her come across as a stronger person, but it makes it it less likely that somebody would figure her identity out. Think about it. Barbara Gordon gets paralyzed around the same time that Batgirl, another redhead, disappears from the Gotham Skyline. How did nobody ever piece that together. But I digress. I hope we do get some more info about why she quit the life when she did. Did it involve Dick? Did she quit because she realized she could do even more good as Oracle? Doubtful. I am starting to think there never was an Oracle, which makes me sad. But if our suspicions regarding Harper Row turn out to be true, then Harper won't have a huge Shadow looming over her. We shall have to see. Well done Gail Simone, well done.

TEAM 7. Deathstroke, Grifter, Black Canary, Amanda Waller, plus several others form the team in this new book. I am curious to see how this shapes up. This series will be taking place five years ago when the heroes were starting to make themselves known. Team 7 was the Goverment's reaction to these sudden appearances. What makes this so compelling is we know how a lot of these characters end up in 5 years. Kurt Lance and Dinah get married, and then she kills him. Grifter and Deathstroke have their own books, plus Waller heads up the Suicide Squad. But what leads to these developments? I just noticed that GRIFTER, DEATHSTROKE, and SUICIDE SQUAD also came out this week, so I will have to read those next to see if there is anymore details. One question. Wasn't Steve Trevor supposed to be in here as well? Maybe he shows up later. That is one busy dude.

DEATHSTROKE. Although this doesn't completely gel with TEAM 7, it was better than the Lobo story. One thing that really annoyed me is that Slade's hair kept changing back and forth from blonde to gray. In TEAM 7, it was gray, but in the team picture in this issue it was blonde, then it jumped between the two. This is the first time that I have noticed that The Black Diamond has been mentioned. Apparently that will be a bigger deal later througout the DCU. I do believe this is the first time that Joseph was mentioned, let alone invoking the name Jericho. I hope this was truly Liefeld's last issue, because I don't want him to screw up Jericho. I said I would drop this book, but I may have to stick around for Jericho. And one more thing, how come Rose wasn't mentioned?

GRIFTER. This was a weird issue. The connection with Team 7 is mentioned again, but this takes place a couple years later, or was this actual current day? It was hard to tell. I think a lot of this was a Matrixy VR type thing. Some if it was flashback, some of it wasn't. Who is the mysterious "W"? Is he part of the Daemonite group who want to take down Helspont? Or is he a human with altogether different motives. Anybody else get the feeling we have not seen the end of Brother Max?

SUICIDE SQUAD. "Damn right, Team 7!" Oh, if I didn't have a theme for my titles during Zero Month, boring as they may be, that would so be the title of this weeks post. Maybe I'll squeeze it in there somewhere, it is just so fitting. Anyways, Amanda Waller is awesome. This issue was all Amanda, all the time! Basically it was showing the sequence of events leading up to Waller forming the Squad. All these books connected with Team 7 keep dropping little hints that make you realize how important they want that book to be. Did I understand Serpentor, I mean Regulus right? Did he imply he was in Team 7? I am starting to get the feeling that there is a definitive end to that book planned that explains a lot of these things. They would have to, eventually it would catch up with current events. On the last page, when Waller is putting down the pictures of who she wants on the Squad, who is the other woman. The one who isn't Harley. Is it just me or is that Starling? HMM...Maybe there are some secrets to be revealed next week with the BIRDS OF PREY.

RESURRECTION MAN. This is the final issue, sigh. We learn the true secret origin of Mitch Shelley. I got to admit, I didn't see it playing out quite like that. I had predicted that it might be a clone, but this was little different. It turns out that during the flashback (we saw it a while ago, Deathstroke was there, but was it before or after he joined Team 7?) Shelley had lost his arm, but it was reattached using the nanotech serum he was testing. The arm was rejected because Mitchell was growing a new one. The original arm was incinerated, but the nanotech survived and made the Mitch Shelley we all know and love. So after all the grand reveals, Suriel and a demon show up, and Mitchell Shelley's soul get's offered up instead, making them both happy and Mitch Shelley free to go. But where could we see him again? There is unfinished business with Suicide Squad (they have his hand). Now that I think about it, I think there is some history between Waller and Mitchell Shelley. History that could be explored in TEAM 7.

Another predominantly great week! A couple issues missed the mark, but the rest really made up for it. Next week has some more big happenings. The debut of SWORD OF SORCERY featuring Amethyst, JUSTICE LEAGUE featuring Shazam, plus DCU PRESENTS, gives us one more look at some of the early cancellations (OMACTIVATE!!!!!)

Don't forget to send in a suggestion on the name of the new blog and facebook page that will debut after Zero Month. Plus, the polls are still open of the On the Cusp books.

Here is where the votes currently stand for the On the Cusp books

ACTION COMICS 0 votes

GRIFTER 1 vote to keep

LEGION LOST 0 votes

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS 1 vote to keep

BLUE BEETLE 1 vote to keep

CATWOMAN 1 vote to drop

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN 0 votes

SUPERMAN 0 votes

THE FLASH. 1 vote to keep

See you next time,

Drew

@DarthNearl

Zero Month : Week One

2012-09-11T11:19:00.001-04:00

Zero Month is here! I don't know about you, but I was more excited about this Wednesday than I have in a while. Don't get me wrong, I get excited every Wednesday, but this had a feel similar to a year ago when these books first came out. Yes we have been with these new versions of the characters for a year now, but this Month promised to answer of the questions that have been lingering for a while now. The Secret Origin of the DCU as it were. I am not going to counting down, or ranking these in any way. Let's just enjoy them for what they are! Oh an one more thing. Consider this your SPOILER WARNING. Due to the nature of these issues, it is hard to talk about them with out revealing secrets. It is the point of Zero Month after all. You have been warned. Carry on.

But first there is some Miniseries business to attend to.

BEFORE WATCHMEN : SILK SPECTRE. This issue started with me a little worried. Was this entire mini going to be a chronicle of Laurie tripping balls? An acid trip should last maybe half of an issue, not be carried over from one to the next, unless the book is written by Alan Moore and it takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom inside his Beard. The whole sequence seemed to be a waste of Amanda Conner's talents. Luckily, the sequence ended and the mini got back to being really good. You know you are a good writer when I read a series about a character I don't really like, and can still enjoy. I didn't like Laurie in the Original Series, and I don't like here here either, but Darwyn Cooke continues to write an enthralling story. The whole scene with Laurie breaking into a store to buy some boots so that she can suit up was a little ridiculous, from a character standpoint. From a story standpoint, it was still kinda cool. We learn how The Comedian gets his iconic Smiley Button! Next week, we will see The Comedian even more, with THE COMEDIAN issue 3!

NIGHT FORCE. This wonderfully creepy miniseries comes to a close. As much as I enjoyed this series, I think I need to take some time I the next few weeks to read it all together. This story really doesn't play out as if it were written in 24 page installments. It is as if Marv Wolfman wrote the whole thing as a graphic novel, and it then got divided up into seven equal parts. That very well may be what happened, after all this says Book One on the title page. If you haven't read this yet. I advise getting the trade and reading it that way. You will got a lot more out of it. The fact that this is Book One, plus the last page give me hope that this is not the last we will see of Baron Winters, and that there will be many more Books to come.

Now let's get to the Secrets, Origins, Revelations, and Surprises that await us in the Zero Issues!

ANIMAL MAN. There weren't too many secrets being divulged in this issue so much as seeing events play out that have previously been mentioned. We see the Death of the last Avatar of The Red, who also calls himself Animal Man, at the hands of Arcane. We see the totems decide that since the next Avatar (Maxine) hasn't been born yet, they need a temporary one. What better Temporary Avatar than the father of the future Avatar? It was nice seeing this chapter of the lives of the Bakers, before things got super duper shmooper crazy. It is interesting to see how well Buddy adapted to his new situation. I would have been a little suspicious of a neatly folded costume laying next to me after waking up from a possible alien abduction, but that's just me. Hey Buddy, I am not saying that they were Totems, but they were Totems!

SWAMP THING. Anton Arcane, you seem to be campaining for the Office of Villainous Affairs. Okay, I made that up, but seriously, he is becoming one of the great Villains in the DCU. This makes two zero issues that he has made an appearance. I didn't realize he went that far back. This issue shows that Arcane had targeted Holland long before their chronicled meeting back in the Day. He thought he was stopping Holland from becoming the next Swamp Thing, but it would seem that he was instrumental in not only turning Alec into Swampy, but also into making him the greatest Swamp Thing, the Warrior King of the Green! I would have liked to have seen some time devoted to Abby as well. But there is only so much room to tell this story. Who is this Kano guy that drew this issue? I have never heard of him, but I loved his style. It was reminescent of the asthetic that Yannick Paquette used in the regular series, but he has made it his own, as well. I hope we see more from him soon!

GI COMBAT. Somebody finally realized that THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER should be the lead story! THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT presented a story that seemed a little pointless. It stated before, which would imply that it was before the planes crashed on the island in issue one, yet here was a soldier fighting a Sabretooth Tiger. No explanation of where he came from, still no explanation about the island itself. So why was this in the zero issue? I think a prologue to THE HAUNTED TANK would have made more sense. The main story, as previously stated, was a very insightful UNKNOWN SOLDIER story. We learn that the Soldier has memories of previous Unknown Soldiers. There has been one with every war, by the way, and not just American Soldiers, either. These Wars date back to Vikings and Barbarians. One little segment that took place while The Soldier was in a coma was very intriguing. It was never stated, but I got the feeling the Raven that was talking with The Soldier was Matthew The Raven, from the pages of SANDMAN. Before that he was known as Matthew Cable, from the original Swamp Thing series. Is this a connection to the Dreaming? The house in the background looked familiar as well. I am fairly certain that the SANDMAN mini that is coming out is going to be released through Vertigo, but could we be seeing some elements bleeding through into The New 52? That would open up a world of possibilities in The Dark Line!

GREEN ARROW. I thought it was impossible for me to be diappointed with a GREEN ARROW book anymore. My expectations are just always so low. So color me surprised when this issue...disappointed me, again. You would think, a zero issue with Green Arrow, well that means seeing him on the island, and what shaped him in to who he is today, right? Wrong. Most of the issue shows the events that lead to him getting stranded on the island, and then skipping to modern day. Plus the attack that led to him being stranded was thwarted (mostly) by Ollie, with a bow! He had been taking Archery lessons for about a year and he had his bow with him when he got stranded. How conveeeeeeinent! This issue also establishes his early friendship with Tommy Merlyn, who most experienced GA fans know is one of Ollies main enemies. We also see Ollie pay bail money for Roy Harper, and offer him a job, but we still never see them work together. Did Judd Winick take over permanently, or as he just doing the Zero Issue? I don't understand how New Ollie and Ollie Classic can have virtually identical origins, yet be so radically different from each other. Unless I hear that things have improved, I will just have to catch up with Ollie in JLA.

GREEN LANTERN. The debut of the new Green Lantern. The fifth one of Earth. Space seems really big, and it does seem unlikely that Earth is the only inhabited planet of this sector. But that issue aside, I am interested to see where Johns goes with Simon Baz. The mere fact that the ring chose him while he was being "questioned" for terrorism is going to cause problems. I am glad that this issue acknowledges that Hal quit the League in last week's JUSTICE LEAGUE. We also know that Hal and Sinestro aren't dead, just...lost. Any predictions on the fate of Baz when Hal and Sinestro return? Speaking of Baz, this issue spends most of its pages telling his story, as it should. I liked it. I want to read more about this guy. My only problem is that it seems like he jumped into a life of crime awfully quick. But one could argue that the ring is seeking somebody who is an Alagamation of Hal and Sinestro. (what would a good nickname be for this power couple, Halestro?) Baz fits that bill. He tries to do what he feels is right, even if he makes some bad choices trying to do so. He wants to help out his sister, but he just got laid off, so he steals cars. He also showed quick thinking by taking the van bomb to the factory that he knew was abandoned. He also shows a huge disregard for authority. Yeah, he is going to fit in just fine.

WORLD'S FINEST. The adventures of Robin and Supergirl, before they were Huntress and Power Girl! I loved the Robin scenes, but the Supergirl scenes didn't do much for me, nor does she seem like she will grow into the Power Girl we now have. Huntress, on the other hand seems a lot more interesting, and a much more natural progression into The Huntress. I loved that Catwoman's costume is reminiscent of the Huntress' costume. I guess technically, the Huntress costume is an attempt to pay homage to her mother, who died before the invasion that killed the Trinity and sent these women to our world. My favorite issue of this series yet.

EARTH 2. Another fascinating issue. There did appear to be some inconistancies. In issue one, it was stated that the Apokolips attack that killed the Trinity was five years ago, which meant it coincided with the attack on Earth One that was seen in the first arc of JUSTICE LEAGUE. This issue shows the Trinity still alive about 6 years ago, but the invasion had already been ongoing for about three years. My understanding of the sequence of events coincides with what the Who's Who feature in the back of the issue states. Am I being nitpicky? Aside from that though, it establishes Terry Sloan as the cause of the death of the Trinity. It also states that there were 8 Heroes total involved with the battle, but who was the 8th hero? Questions to be answered at a later time. Another mystery is the even greater threat that Sloane is focused on. He is starting to sound a wee bit like Ozymandias.

STORMWATCH. Adam One returns, or did he? There are some very interesting revelations in this issue. Some of which he already had feeling would be the case, such as the Demon Knights were the presursor to Stormwatch. The similarities between the names Demon Knights and Daemonites are apparently coincidental. The Demon Knights were already formed when the Daemonites started to show up. The red clouds in the sky that acted as a warning of the Daemonites arrival is the origins of the name Stormwatch. They would watch the skies for another storm. Oh and it looks like Merlin is Adam One. The team has been very nervous about all the super heroes that have sprung up as late. I hope the Century Baby from the Dark Ages shows up in the pages of DEMON KNIGHTS. That would really help solidify the connection between the two books. But then again, next month Stormwatch is battling...The Demon!

BATWING. What I liked the most about this issue is seeing the relationship between David and Matu. It reminds me a little of Bruce and Alfred. I was curious to see David so unwilling to take a life, because I really thougt he might during the whole Massacre affair. He still seems like he has a lot of anger built up inside of him, and I still think he might snap one day and cross that line, especially if something happens to Matu. I love all the members of the batfamily, but I hope these next few storylines keep things in Africa, with just David and Matu.

DETECTIVE COMICS. So here is what needs to happen. Cancel THE DARK KNIGHT after the current story wraps up. We don't need that many Batbooks. Then put Gregg Hurwitz on DETECTIVE COMICS full time. Hurwitz has amazing insight into Batman. The majority of this issue takes place about 10 years ago, with Bruce training in the Himalayas. My words cannot do these sequences justice. The backup, by James Tynion IV, jumps to 7 years ago, when Bruce returns home. Some interesting details come out of this. First, roughly two years have passed between when he comes home and starts the planning for Batman in earnest, and when we see him in JUSTICE LEAGUE #1. Another interesting reveal here is that there is now a strong possibility that Kate Kane (Batwoman) and Bruce Wayne are cousins of some sort. Has it been established before now that Martha Wayne was from the Kane Family? It will be interesting to see what other bits of history we learn from the other Bat Zero books.

ACTION COMICS. Ben Oliver, I have missed your amazing artwork. Grant Morrison I have missed your good writing. Yes, Morrison did a good job on this issue. He kept things simple and told a somewhat touching tale of when he first arrived in Metropolis. The back up story is where things fall apart. Although not written by Morrison, it is in the same vane as the last several issues. It deals with that Adam kid that had Powers before Clark grew up and put Superman on the Map. It just reminds me of.all these things that show up, but never get mentioned again. Remember that Hunter Guy (not Kraven) that wanted to hunt Superman, or the Supermen from the other Earths, or other things my brain refuses to remember? Morrison has like four issues left to wrap up his run. Do you think it will all finally make sense when he is finished? What? Why are you laughing?

DIAL H. I had to read this a second time to really understand what is being revealed with this issue. After the first reading, I was disappointed with the issue. There wasn't an origin of the dial, just a story that takes place a long time ago, with a sundial version of the H dial. It was cool that it took 4 days to dial a hero, but I was confused by why a concept such as Bumper Carla would exist in that time.period. Then I read it again, and not only did the issue make more sense, but the implications to the series, and possibly even the Multiverse were huge. The Dial actually pulls a hero, or their powers at least, from a hero on another world, or universe. So when Bumper Carla manifested from the Dial, there was a real Bumper Carla somewhere out there who temporarily lost their powers. Think about that for a minute. Think of the possibilities, and the consequences. This quirky little book just got a lot more important!

THE PHANTOM STRANGER. I think this was what I was most excited for. This book was the first one I read this week. The song from Rob Zombie was running through my head all day. So was it worth the excitement? Yes! This issue served three purposes. One, it went into more depth on his origin seen in the FCBD issue. Two, it made me even more excited when the series proper starts next month, and finally, it also serves as an origin of sorts for The Spectre! The Stranger is sent to Gotham to help Detective Jim Corrigan find a kidnapped girl. When they get to the location, the bad buys are waiting and Corrigan gets shot down, and he dies blaming the Stranger for setting him up. Immediately thereafter he emerges as The Spectre! There is still plenty of mystery still to be devulged surrounding the Spirit of Vengeance. There is not a whole lot of mystery surrounding The Phantom Stranger any more, which is unfortunate. One of the great things about the character was that there has never been a definitive origin. They even did a Secret Origins issue back in the day, and there was four different rumored origins. That is no longer the case. The Phantom Stranger is Judas Iscariot. One of the Trinity of Sin, along with Pandora, and a third man who is believed to be The Question, but that has not been confirmed yet. Issue one will introduce Trigon, which means more Supernatural Goodness. Dan DiDio has really done a great job with this issue, so let's hope that continues into the main series!

Is Zero Month filling it's promises? For the most part. It takes skill to be able to show some glimpses of the past, while setting up future story lines simultaneously. Next week looks to show a whole lot more insight into the Batfamily, plus we get the final issue of RESURRECTION MAN. We also get another new book, TEAM 7. This is an exciting month already!

Here is where the votes currently stand for the On the Cusp books

ACTION COMICS 0 votes

GRIFTER 1 vote to keep

LEGION LOST 0 votes

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS 1 vote to keep

BLUE BEETLE 1 vote to keep

CATWOMAN 1 vote to drop

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN 0 votes

SUPERMAN 0 votes

THE FLASH. 1 vote to keep

You have three weeks left to decide the fate of these books! Also, I am still taking suggestion for a name for my new blog/Facebook page that will get launched upon completion of Zero month. This will be have a much broader scope that doesn't just focus on DC, although DC will still get most of the attention.

Well, that is all I have this week. See you next time. AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 52 : One Year Later

2012-08-31T12:31:00.000-04:00

Welcome Back everybody. Do you know what today is? Today Friday, August 31, 2012, is the One year Anniversary of The New 52! One year ago today the Comics industry changed. Dc Comics released only two books. FLASHPOINT #5 and JUSTICE LEAGUE #1. The excitement over the future of the DC Universe was at an all time high. Some of that excitement has died down...but only a little. Now One Year Later, seeds have been planted to reclaim that excitement, and possibly exceed it. I say exceed because now, we have a better understanding of this new Universe, and the implications of what is being teased. More on the teases in a little bit.

First, Let's talk about the Miniseries (and a oneshot)

NATIONAL COMICS : LOOKER. I am really enjoying these National Comics books. Once again, they are making me wish that this was an ongoing. This story involves a model turned vampire. just like with ETERNITY, it is still unclear if this is the New 52 Universe. I hope it is, and that she shows up in I, VAMPIRE at some point. Could Andrew Bennet be her maker? She doesn't shapeshift like Bennet's Vampires, but if she was abandoned after she turned, she might not know that is in the cards for her. Okay, the Incubus, CREEPY, with a capital Creep! Great book!

BEFORE WATCHMEN : MINUTEMEN. Darwyn Cooke takes a turn for the somber in this issue. It covers one of the darker moments in the Minutemen's history, you know, besides the rape thing. From what I remember this is the first time we really get any real time spent on Silhouette. It has always seemed like an afterthought, even in the original series. She was there, she was believed to be a lesbian, and she killed herself. That's about it. Until now. This issue, no, this entire series, is what is so great about the BEFORE WATCHMEN project. Yes, we don't need to know about all of these back stories to understand the original WATCHMEN, but with this information, the original will be just that more impactful.

PHANTOM LADY AND DOLL MAN. Another miniseries from The Dynamic Duo of Palmiotti and Gray, this one is just as fun as their last mini, THE RAY. Phantom Lady, along with Black Canary, was the inspiration behind the Silk Spectre in WATCHMEN. Phantom Lady, Doll Man, and The Ray were all part of a team back in the day called The Freedom Fighters. I am curious if this is building towards that. However, just like with THE RAY, this is a whole new take on the characters. This one, while still a lot of fun, does seem to be a little darker than THE RAY. You should check this gem out, it is only going to be a four issue miniseries, but packed with story and fun!

Now, we get to the final two ongoing issues of the first year of The New 52!

AQUAMAN. Did I just see statues of the Trench creatures? The Others storyline really heats up thisd month. When are we finally going to see Mera and Jungle Girl throw down? Maybe that is being saved for the DCU PPV that is the Annual. Black Manta is becoming one of my favorite villains. As much as a part of me wants to see Arthur Kill him, because that would be bad ass, I want Black Manta to live on to torment another day. Maybe in another book. The New 52 Universe needs a Legion of Doom, and Black Manta needs to be on it! The Zero issue will delve into some of the Atlantean mysteries before issue 13 concludes The Others

Judgment : This book has been amazing story wise, art wise, and it put Aquaman not only back on the map, bud dead center in the map. Final Decision : Keep It

JUSTICE LEAGUE. There was a lot of stuff crammed into this one issue, and it wasn’t even an Annual! This one issue Validates the entire series for me. I get the sense that a lot of the things that have bugged me about this series, was supposed to bug me. There are still some smaller issues I have, such as where all of this fits in with the goings on of the WONDER WOMAN book. It is obvious now that this takes place before the latest GREEN LANTERN story, but when exactly? Steve Trevor continues to win me over. I cheered when he showed up “I’m not dead.” I have to agree with Aquaman. The Justice League DOES need to be the team people think they are. Batman is a great strategist, yes, but the team he builds in Gotham is vastly different than the Justice League. He seems to think the Justice League can’t be run the same way the Batfamily does, where everybody does their own thing unless Batman calls for help. I don’t necessarily think Aquaman should be leader either. His track record is less than stellar. Then there is the Superman/Wonder Woman situation. I think this got overhyped to get some attentioned pointed to the importance of this issue. It was unnecessary. Let the quality of the issue speak for itself. The build up to the kiss seemed a little forced to me. I don’t understand how the couple will cause such a dramatic change in the DCU, yet. But by the time the dust has settles, I am sure it will make sense. I trust Geoff Johns in this.

Judgment : This book has just gained whole new levels of interest for me. The JUSTICE LEAGUE title should always be front and center for the major goings ons in the DCU, and it looks like it is finally going to be that way. Final Decision : Keep It.

And now, the Annuals.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL. Remember how awesome JUSTICE LEAGUE Issue 12 was? Sure you do, I just finished talking about it. Well this, the true final issue if JLI, is even better. It definitely gives me a sense that this series was not cancelled due to low numbers, there are several titles that sold worse but are still standing, but due to the story that is being built. There is a lot going on in this issue that looks to be setting the foundations for numerous things in the DCU, first and foremost, the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA. We get the revelation that Batman created Brother Eye, which is a carry over from Pre-Flashpoint, we get mentions of the Global Guardians, we get to see a Booster Gold from the future (who mentions Rip Hunter I might add) , we find out The Kiss has huge ramifications, Blue Beetle is sent to the Reach, and probably more things that I am forgetting right now. What is really bothering me is why JLI is the ONLY book that is not getting a Zero Issue. I have mentioned a zero issue in the past, but I just assumed it would get one. Sadly that does not seem to be the case. But Why? The other cancelled books are getting Zero issues. There is some importance to Booster Gold that is obvious in this issue. Why couldn’t we have gotten a zero issue exploring his Origin? I am baffled by this and I can’t seem to find any answers. UPDATE Since writing this review, on Thursday, I asked Dan DiDio himself on his FB Page, and he took the time to answer, and this was his response: "since the origin of the team was in issue one and it disbanded in the annual, we decided not to do a zero issue." I still would have liked a Booster Gold Origin, but due to the nature of this issue, maybe that is a secret origin that needs to be told at the right time. Thank you Dan for taking the time to answer my question. You are a classy guy.

GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL. Damn! This is not how I saw this going down! I still don’t think John Stewart is going to survive this event, but this was an interesting way to get a new Lantern. The issue starts with Hal and Sinestro buried alive. They get out easily enough but have to deal with the Black Hand, who is threatening to resurrect Hal’s father. Meanwhile the Guardians are releasing the First Lantern. Or at least get his power without actually releasing him. We still don’t know what that is about, but there were other Guardians, “the Hidden Ones,” that were basically imprisoned with the First Lantern to ensure he stays imprisoned. The words that all Lanterns of all colors heard this past month was the First Lantern screaming “Let Me Out!” The Guardians become aware that Sinestro and Hal are working together, and that Hal has a ring. So they empower Black Hand even more so that he can take them out. This sequence was a little confusing. The Darkness from Black Hand was consuming them. Was this the conversion to Black Lanterns? It was unclear on that matter but their Green rings fused back into one. Apparently when rings seek replacements, they seek someone with a similar personality to the deceased Lantern, so in this case the fused rings will seek an amalgamation of Hal and Sinestro, and I am assuming that is where Baz will enter the picture next week. So technically, I don’t think Hal and Sinsestro are dead, but the rings thought they were. Once Black Hand served the Guardians’ purpose, he got imprisoned. Then it was Third Army time. Using energies from the First Lantern, the Guardians created a creepy looking thing, with no mouth. It has the ability to convert other living beings into one of these mouthless creatures, removing all free will in the process, and thus an Army will be raised. Actually two. One in Space, and one on Earth. This issue was amazing. Geoff johns and Ethan van Sciver always deliver. The story in this issue sets things in motion, but there is still a lot of mystery. I think this is a huge turning point in the Green Lantern Saga. What was already great is now moving in to something even greater.

Did you notice that Geoff Johns wrote , or cowrote 4 of these books?

DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL. After the GL and JLI Annuals, I was expecting another big and important issue. Sadly that was not the case. Daniels disappointed yet again. This issue deals with the Black Mask ( again, I get excited), who now has mind control powers, has connections with the Mad Hatter, but still gets taken down by Batman (and there goes the excitement). Black Mask is back in Arkham, and the Mask is locked safely away. Were there any major developments? No. It was a standalone story, that couks easily have been condensed into a regular issue. The good news is that I believe this was Daniels' last foray into Gotham City. At least for awhile.

SUPERMAN ANNUAL. Yet another Annual that lays not only the foundations for this book, but for several others as well. This is what an Annual should be. An Annual is usually bigger and therefore costlier, than the regular issues. Because of this, there needs to be an incentive to buy it. This book established Helspont as a major player in the DCU. Not just another Alien Warlord with aims to conquer Earth, but somebody so powerful and so focused on their task that Superman barely even registers in his radar. Even better was the impact that this had on Superman. This was the encounter he needed. I wish it had happened about a year ago. This book serves notice that Helspont is likely to show up.and cause problems not only in SUPERMAN, but also GRIFTER, HAWKMAN, RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, and whereever Martian Manhunter shows up. Scott Lobdell debuts as the new writer, and I hope he keeps the gig for awhile.

THE FLASH ANNUAL. Yes! Someone else who get's the concept of an Annual! This one deals with The Rogues. We get to see how the Rogues got powers. I like how this was more of an exploration of all facets of the Rogues and their relationships with each other and not so much the constant battle with the Flash. One thing that is still a bit of a mystery to me is where Pied Piper fits in with all this. They have established that he also has done a bit of Vigilantism, but he has been associated with The Rogues in the past. I hope we get to see more of him in the future. This annual also sets up some big happenings in THE FLASH. The Rogues are unified again, ready to take the city over in a wave of crime, but there is a certain Super intelligent Simian who has other plans. Gorilla Grodd and his Guerilla Gorillas (see what I did there?) have arrived !

WOW What a week, right? Between these books and the Trinity War teases in the FCBD special, we are in for a crazy year. Let's recap what we have to look forward to :

ROTWORLD

The Return of The Joker

Helspont is now more focused, and Superman feels Helpless

The Rogues are Unified, but Gorillas attack

The JLI is disbanded

Blue Beetle has been sent to the Reach

Booster Gold is...Somewhere? Somewhen?

Hal Quits the Justice League

Hal and Sinestro are currently MIA/possible dead

The Third Army is rising

Amanda Waller is up to something with Graves

Wonder Woman and Superman are having a suck face moment

Somebody is hacked into the Brother Eye satellite, but who? One of my big theories has to do with the Black Diamonds that have been mentioned in a lot of November Solicitations. Eclipso perhaps?

The Justice league is opening up their ranks which allows a traitor to join

It would appear that Arthur is going to lead an army of Atlanteans

Whew, did I miss anything? I am sure I have, there is a lot going on right now, and all of it is exciting.

I have yet to hear any suggestions for the name of my new blog/Facebook page

as far as the keep it/drop it votes they are currently as follows

ACTION COMICS 0 votes

GRIFTER 0 votes

LEGION LOST 0 votes

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS 1 vote to keep

BLUE BEETLE 1 vote to keep

CATWOMAN 1 vote to drop

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN 0 votes

SUPERMAN 0 votes

THE FLASH. 1 vote to keep

Remember you have through out Zero month to vote. has an Annual changed your mind about something? Will a zero issue change your mind about something? LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!! or at least lit your words be read!

See you in the Zero Month!!!

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 51 : It's the Final Countdown!

2012-08-27T14:47:00.001-04:00

Oh, hey, I didn't see you there. Welcome back! there has been a lot of big comic news this week, some of which I will be discussing. I have my own announcement following the reviews as well. Sound exciting? So let's stop wasting time and get things going!

Here is the recap (I do believe this may be my last recap) of last month :

13) THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN

12) VOODOO

11) THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN

10) THE FLASH

09) SUPERMAN

08) TEEN TITANS

07) GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS

06) ALL STAR WESTERN

05) AQUAMAN

04) BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT

03) I, VAMPIRE

02) GREEN LANTERN

01) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK

The landscape of this week may look a wee bit different. JUSTICE LEAGUE and AQUAMAN are coming out next week, to pad out the Fifth week, and the new issue of BATMAN INC was released. Again, each review will be followed up with the placing in one of three categories, Keep it, Drop it, or On The Cusp. remember YOU decide which On The Cusp books I keep and drop. Voting will be open until conclusion of Zero Month. I just remembered I said let's not waste any more time. Let's do this thing!

12) THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN. One phrase kept entering my mind throughout this issue, and upon reflection, the last several issues : What a mess! The whole issue seems to consists of fiery backgrounds, and numerous Firestorms scowling and blasting each other. It was like an Episode of Dragonball Z but without the inappropriate humor. Does the New Beginning mentioned at the end just a creative way of saying that the Zero issue is an origin, or did Firehawk really cause something major at the end?

Judgement : This book is one of the big disappointments for me in the New 52. I had high hopes that a great character would finally reach new heights. What we got instead was an overabundance of characters with the same powers, but unlike the Green Lantern Corps, there is not a whole of effort being put into Character development to help you differentiate or care about all these Firestorms. Final Decision : Drop It!

11) VOODOO. Thus ends another title that never really got the chance to live up to it's potential. Did it reach a satisfactory conclusion? That is hard to say. It did finish the story arc, although it did feel rushed. Priscilla has decided that she needs to go help a Grifter. Voodoo herself has amassed an army/cult that will resurface sometime, somewhere. I hope the Black Razors, or at least Andrew Lincoln find a home somewhere else. Who was he talking to at the end? Who did he just give the blue flame to? It was not human, I can tell you that much. So the story will continue, in a fashion. That is the great thing about a big shared universe. If a book gets cancelled, the characters can always resurface in another book.

10) BATMAN : INCORPORATED. This issue had been delayed because DC felt there was some content that could be considered insensitive in the wake of the Aurora tragedy. I really didn't see anything that bad, but I guess they have PR people who go over these things looking for those types of problems. Anyways, this issue marks the return of one of Grant Morrison's greatest creations...Batcow! Now for my complaints. I think this series, now believed to end with Morrison's departure, would have worked better if it wasn't part of the New 52 continuity. I had to reread the first two issues to find evidence of the faking of Damian's death. This has been referenced nowhere else. Not even Damian's own book, BATMAN & ROBIN. Then there is Redbird. He is entirely too young to break out on his own. More than likley this isn't a long term thing, just something to do while he is "dead." But again, will we see echoes of this in any other books? Doubtful. I am starting to get the feeling that whenever MULTIVERSITY comes out, we will discover that this and his run on ACTION COMICS were actually in another universe. Grant Morrison's own parallel universe. No sir, I don't like it. I would not want to see that Universe. This book has three more issues before it is available to drop, however, i am leaning toward staying on through Morrison's run, which will likely be it for the series.

09) THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN. I started this issue hating it, cursing Liefeld the entire time. Pike seemed like a Deadpool rip-off in more than a just visual sense. Instead of the multiple voiced personality, he argues with his space cycle that closely resembles Lobo's bike. But then we get into the Thanagarian stuff. Now I am intrigued. The Daemonites want to take out the Thanagarians, but the Thanagarians need Hawkman's armor. Interesting connections. Then there is the ending. I remember a facebook conversation in which I said how doubtful it would be for Liefeld to bring in Hawkgirl. Technically she is not Hawkgirl, yet, but she is Shayera. Let's hope Liefeld doesn't ruin it before he leaves.

Judgement : The first half had me ready to drop it, the second half has me curious about what's next. Liefeld's departure could only mean improvement's, right? This is tough, so I place the burden on you! Final Decision : On the Cusp

This seems as good a time as any to address the Liefeld Situation. If you look back, I was one of he few who said "Give the guy a chance" I wasn't going to vilify him until he earned it. Well Rob, congratulations, you have just earned your Villification Badge. Achievement unlocked. You destroyed one of my favorite books. You complained about the company you were leaving, and the way they do practice. (I think the term here was Bridge Burning.) You insulted other people who wrote a character that you "created" (I think parodied is the term here). Then you picked a fight with one of THE most talented writers in the industry today. Did you really call Scott Snyder a pretentious prick? WOW, Your balls must be is as disproportionally huge as your artwork. Did an Image book from the 90's (Bloodstrike) being optioned for a movie boost your ego that much? Are you so disillusioned to think that it won't be a straight to DVD/SYFY Original movie disasterpiece? If anybody needs to get over themselves, it is you. Good Luck finding work anywhere without the use of a time machine!

sorry about that. Let's move on.

08) SUPERMAN. This issue made Superman 20% uncooler, but then Clark won back the cool points by Bungee Jumping with Lucy Lane. Last issue Superman ran into an Alien that looked like Predator. This issue, we eventually discover that this creature was brought to Earth against his will. Those sneaky Russians were trying to create their own Superman. Everything the alien did was all in an effort to go home, and Superman was trying to prevent him from leaving so he could answer for his crimes. How exactly do you propose to do that Supes? Send him to jail? The Russians end up nuking the place, and Superman didn't feel like they needed to be held accountable. When it was all over, he thinks to himself that he can't blame the creature, yet that sure didn't seem to be his thinking earlier. Later, he decides he needs to have more fun so he goes Bungee Jumping with Lucy Lane. Next month's zero issue sees Superman being handled by the RED HOOD creative team. I am interested to see what Lobdell does with the character. It had got to be better than this garbled mess.

Judgement : If there wasn't a Writer change happening, I would drop this like a bad habit. However, Lobdell gives me hope. I like what he has done with Superboy, and I am curious to see what he does with the Superman. Then again, I have never been a huge Superman fan, and this New 52 take didn't grab a hold of me as much as I had hoped. Final Decision : On The Cusp

07) THE FLASH. I gotta say the Rogues increase my interest. The mystery surrounding their new found powers is intriguing to say the least. I know that there are a lot of hard core Flash Fans out there that hate the idea of The Rogues having powers. I, however, have only recently (shortly before Flashpoint) become more of a Flash fan, so I am not as beholden to the way things were, at least as far as Rogues are concerned. What I do miss is the sense of family with all the speedsters. But I digress. Another interesting development is the treatment of Captain Cold. And what about the awesome frame job by Glider? Things are picking up, I just hope they stay up.

Judgement : My biggest problem with this book has been inconsistency. One minute it is really good, the next minute...not. The rogue thing has me interested, and there is talk of more Gorilla action coming up. But is it worth the bad issues to get to the good issues? :Final Decision : On the Cusp

06) TEEN TITANS. That was NOT Kevin Nash. Diesel is apparently Cassie's ex or current boyfriend, I am not sure which. Her armor seems to have a life of it's own, taking over her body. What was really strange was when she demanded she be called Wonder Girl. Up til now, she hated that moniker and threatened with physical violence anybody who called her that. At the end, the armor was completely destroyed. What does this mean for Cassie? The armor we saw in this issue was a suped up version of her regular armor. Correct me if I am wrong, but in The New 52, isn't that the source of her "wonder"fulness? Does she go into quiet retirement now? Doubtful. But alas, we have two months to wait for the answer. The back up continues Kid Flash's adventures with the Dino people from Mystery Island. I was hoping this would be main story, but no. I maintain hope that this does carry over into the main story.

Judgement : I have enjoyed this book since Day One. We are about to finally delve into some of the mysteries that I have been dying to explore. Final Decision : Keep It

BEFORE WATCHMEN DR. MANHATTEN. My worries for this title were true. For me the slowest part of the original series and the movie was the scene in which Dr. Manhatten is living out his past in simultaneous moments. Yes, it gives us the backstory, but the fashion in which he does it is so dull. One could argue that the detached demeanor in which he recounts this horrible thing that happened to him shows how separated from humanity he has truly become. This whole issue is told in this fashion. The ending would be more of a cloffhanger if it wasn't for the fact that this is a prequel. Next week things pick back up with the third issue of the Darwyn Cooke goodness known as MINUTEMEN!

05) ALL STAR WESTERN. Slaughter Swamp, a lovely little stretch of land outside of Gotham City serves as a backdrop for part of this issue. The Swamp has significance in the DCU, including, I believe, the place where Solomon Grundy first arose. The Swamp also shows up in the Terrance Thirteen backup. We will get back to that. There is more to this issue then just swamp lands. This issue wraps up the Crime Bible vs the Court of Owls storyline. It is amazing to me that Gotham hasn't self destructed more than it already has what with all the secret societies running around. I forgot to mention it in BATMAN INC, but why would the Court allow something like Leviathan in Gotham? Oh wait Morrison is in his own Universe. Never Mind. The backup demonstrates that there is room for a lot more stories with these characters. I would love a Terrance Thirteen series! This story is like a mixture of Sherlock Holmes and Scooby Doo placed in the Old West. Ree Rah!

Judgement : This book is almost always in the top five. It is always a lot of fun. If I could change anything, it would be to give the back up a few more pages. Maybe rotate the lead story a little. I love Jonah Hex, but the characters we have seen in the backups need more screen time! Final Decision : Keep it

04) GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS. The secret is finally revealed. When Ganthet recieved his "emotional labotomy" , Sayd, in a rare fit of emotion, gathered the rings from weak lanterns and sent them to Kyle. For some reason Kyle was seen as the only one who could control the entire spectrum. Sayd also felt that Kyle was the only being, in the universe, that loved Ganthet as much as she did. She felt with the power of the entire spectrum, Kyle could save Ganthet. The team did not like this answer very much and went their separate ways. The events that will take place next week in the GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL were reflected in this issue in a scene I am sure will make more sense next week. The tease for the zero issue seems not so much an origin issue, but a continuation of this issue, more of a new beginnings issue if you will. I am curious to see what is next for Kyle, and if we will get any closer to why this comic is called NEW GUARDIANS.

Judgement : Kyle Raynar was chosen as the new Green Lantern right about the time I started reading comics. Therefore he is my favorite. Throw in the concept of the entire Spectrum in almost every issue, and you have yet another book that seemed tailor made for me. Final Decision : Keep it.

03) I, VAMPIRE. Stormwatch has entered the fray! Jack Hawksmoor, Apollo, and Midnighter are on a mission when they spot Bennet and his crew fighting the Zombie Vampire Vampire Hunters. I guess it is no surprise that Stormwatch has files on Bennet and Mary, they had a run in with him (tried to kill him) a hundred years ago. I hope we get to see that story one day. The end result of Stormwatch mucking about in Vampire Affairs is the return of Mary to her Humanity, and the return of Bennet to...something else. I don't know if this was a return of Cain or what, but it sounds bad. Real bad. Like Angel became Angelus Bad. And Tig is his first victim, and child. Again, we have to wait two months for the next chapter, but next month we get the Origin of Andrew Bennett!

Judgement : This book is great. It took a few issues to really sell me on it, but I have been enjoying it ever since. I would not have guessed that a Vampire book firmly entrenched in the DCU would work, but work it has. Final Decision : Keep It.

02) BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT. This book just jumped up to my second favorite Batbook. This hasn't turned into just a character study of Scarecrow, but a true study of fear. Scarecrow and Bruce both had childhood's that greatly affected who they were to become. Fear also played a major role in their development. Scarecrow harnessed and weaponized fear. Bruce strove to eliminate all of his fears. Deep down, he fears that his fear is what ultimately killed his parents. His father once told him that fear is what makes us human. After his parents' death, Bruce did not want to be human any more. For anybody that dropped this title while Finch was writing it, you need to get back on this train. It has been a phenomenal ride since issue 10.

Judgement : A few months ago, this would have been a sure thing Drop It. Now, I can't wait to read the next issue! That just shows what a difference a writer can make. What the writer does with a story is what sells if for me, not simply the fact that it was batman (sorry, another jab at Liefeld). Final Decision : Keep It

01) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. Jeff Lemire has now proven he is the best person for this job. His knowledge of the dark history of the DCU is practically unrivalled (okay, I have some friends who could give him run for his money in a trivia contest). This issue alone sees the New 52 Debut of Blackbriar Thorn, Doctor Occult, Giovanni Zatara (at least in flashback), the House of Secrets, plus another appearance of Slaughter Swamp. I think Black Boris, Cannibal King of the Fire Trolls is new, but I am sure one of you will let me know if he is not new. He looks awesome though. Mikel Janin continues to dominate. Blackbriar Thorn and Black Boris jump off the page. I read a funny tweet today, before I read the issue, that said they predict ( jokingly) that the bad guy will turn out to be Keanu Constantine. After reading this issue, that almost sounds valid. He has dark hair and a tattoo that matches Constantine's. He wears a black tie. He looks a lot like the Keanu Constantine lookalike that was in the issue one body pile. I am not saying that it is some alternate real ty Keanu, just that it looks like this guy ends up in the body pile. I suspected it might be Zatanna's dad until Doctor Occult referenced him while talking to the Mystery Man. There is also a theory being tossed around that it is an adult Tim Hunter. That makes a lot of sense, if you have read THE BOOKS OF MAGIC. The Body Pile could imply that adult Tim Hunter joins the team at some point. That would be very interesting. Seriously, this is one of the best comics out there. If you are not reading this by now, you might be an android. Wait, no, I know some androids who are reading this. It is that damn good!

Judgement : Really, you don't know by now? Do you need Madame Xanadu to look in the crystal ball? Final Decision : Keep it, why do I have to spell this out for you? Sheesh.

Before I wrap up, let's talk real quick about the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA book. I like it. We don't know too much right now, but what we do know sounds awesome. The bigger question is what book is getting cancelled to make room? DiDio has made it plan that they want to keep 52 ongoing books. The logical choice would be to wait until BATMAN INC wraps up when Morrison leaves. But I don't think DC wants to wait that long. This will be connecting with the upcoming TRINITY WAR. I guess they could just not cancel anything and say that it is justified because BATMAN INC is being downgraded to miniseries status. Another likely candidate would be GREEN ARROW. I have not encountered too many people who are reading and/or enjoying this book. Ollie is going to be in JLA so why not put his solo book out of our misery. Who cares that he has a TV show coming up. It looks to resemble the comic about as much as SAINT SINNER the movie resembled the comic. Next week there should be some story developments out of JUSTICE LEAGUE #12, JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL, GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL, that might help us speculate a little more.

Okay let's take a look at our final drop list. GREEN ARROW, DEATHSTROKE, CAPTAIN ATOM, LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES, THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN.

The On the Cusp books, that you determine the fate of...ACTION COMICS, GRIFTER, LEGION LOST, RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, BLUE BEETLE, CATWOMAN, THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN, SUPERMAN, and THE FLASH.

What does this mean? Out of 42 books (52 minus 4 canceled books, and 6 Second wave books) there are 28 that I definitely want to keep reading (for now) 5 definite drops, and 9 books awaiting their fate. That is slightly more than half! That says a lot about how successful I think The New 52 has turned out to be.

This was The Final Countdown (insert Europe music here). Next week is a 5th week that seems some miscellaneous books, all of which I am looking forward to. Then Zero Month starts. I will review all of those books, but I don't think we need the Countdown format for those.

But Drew, you ask, then what? Well here is my plan. After zero month, and a wrap up post talking about the entire project, I will bring The New 52 With Drew to a close. Calm down everybody, let me finish. That is when i plan on launching a new blog that will be linked with a facebook page. DC comics has not been the only comics I have been reading, but I didn't want to talk about them under the banner New 52. The new blog/page will cover all the comics, plus other Geeky things I enjoy. I plan on being fair and giving Marvel Now! a fair trial, but not to this extent. I will read all the first issue, and determine how new reader friendly on jumpy ony it really is. If it isn't, I drop it. If it is, I will check out issue 2. Sometimes I will have smaller posts, such as the Liefeld rant, or speculations about upcoming books/events that don't need an entire post. that is what the Facebook page will be for. Plus, all the blog posts, including future Vertigo installments, will be linked there. I encourage everybody to like the page and chime in with your thoughts. But there is a slight problem. What do I call it? I welcome any and all suggestions. I hope to one day, along with my awesome wife, own my own comic shop. I hope this new experience will build toward that. One day, you can say oh, that's the guy who does "insert catchy name here" I want to check that place out. Yes, I too am a pretentious prick. But hey that puts me in some pretty good company, right Scott?

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 50 : It's a Cliffha...To Be Continued

2012-08-20T11:13:00.001-04:00

Welcome Back everybody. How are things? Good! Now that we are finished with pleasantries, let's get into things. I am not sure what the deal is with GREEN LANTERN and JUSTICE LEAGUE. They seem to be bouncing around on the publishing schedule. I don't know if they have actually been a little late, or if they are rearranging the schedule for Zero Month and the Third Wave. There could also be a little rearranging to make room for the delayed release of BATMAN INC #3. The books are all coming out, mostly on time, so I shouldn't really complain.

Here then is your reminder of one month ago...

13) CAPTAIN ATOM

12) LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES

11) RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS

10) CATWOMAN

09) BLUE BEETLE

08) GREEN LANTERN CORPS

07) SUPERGIRL

06) BIRDS OF PREY

05) NIGHTWING

04) DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS SAVAGE

03) WONDER WOMAN

02) BATWOMAN

01) JUSTICE LEAGUE

Before I start this week's reviews, I just want to mention something. Next month is Zero Month. Next month also sees the Launch of the Third Wave of The New 52. All these things are well and good, and I am looking forward to all these things. The problems, is and this isn't really a problem but it is driving me crazy, is all these damn cliffhangers. This whole month has been chock full of em. And good ones at that. But we have to wait two months to find out what happens next. Aah The problems us comic geeks have to deal with.

You won't have to wait any longer to read my reviews, however. They're right here!

p.s. We are still in the elimination month. The On The Cusp books are decided by you!

13) CAPTAIN ATOM. What can I say about this issue that I haven't said previously? Without being too negative? Okay here it is. This was the Final Issue! Okay technically, we still have a zero issue. But why? Why are there zero issues to books that ended a month before? Okay, true, I am glad that we get a Zero issue of RESURRECTION MAN. I am sure there are people out there who are glad that they get one more CAPTAIN ATOM story, and I am happy for them. I am not expecting any grand revelations that will make me wish this title was continuing.

Judgement: Like I just said, I have not enjoyed this book very much for the last year. Final Decision : Drop it

12) LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES. I guess that wrapped up the battle with the Dominators? I am not sure, things were a little vague for me. At the end, they pointed out that those new characters, you know the ones with regular names like Mwindaji, they were Academy members. I don't remember that information being presented before now. I just thought they were yet even more Legion members I was unfamiliar with. What information will the zero issue reveal that the entire SECRET ORIGIN miniseries not reveal?

Judgement : I just can't get into it. I have tried. I have read pre relaunch stories. But for some reason, I just can't connect with this book. If Mon-El could get back a Green Lantern Power Ring, then, Maybe. Final Decision : Drop It

Besides those two books, this has been an amazing week of comics. Don't let the low rankings of some fool you. They can't all be Top Five.

11) DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS KID FLASH. This was a fun one off issue. Let me rephrase that. I had fun with this issue once I accepted it for what it was. I was expecting this issue to explore the backstory of Bart a little bit. I guess that is a story for a other time in the pages of TEEN TITANS. This story involved some refugees from "Mystery Island." Last month this story started as a backup in TEEN TITANS #11. The story will continue in Issue 12 next week. Hopefully as the main feature. There is too much going on here to just shuffle it away in a backup. I am wondering if this is what the TV people call a "Backdoor Pilot" to see if people are interested in these characters in their own spinoff book. That would be interesting. Maybe give them a couple of issues in DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS to flesh them out a little more. I still think there is some kind of connection with THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT. If there are more than one uncharted island with Dinosaurs on it, then we need to get back to good ole fashion explorin'!

Judgement : Due to the Anthology Nature of this book, I will have to judge it on a story arc by story arc basis. If it is characters, or a concept that interests me, then I will probably pick it up. I think next the next one is a Blue Devil and Black Lightening team up, so you know I will pick that up! Final Decision : Keep It (story by story)

10) RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. Roy Harper, you are okay in my book. This issue shows that he is the brains, and the heart of this "nonteam." I wish the zero issue delved more.in to his backstory. The series has already given us a lot of the back story of Jason and Starfire, but not a whole lot on Roy. Oh, and he is funny too. "Fifty Shades of Orange" Now that's funny! What is this Thirteen that was mentioned? Is it connected to the Thirteen that was referenced awhile ago in SUPERBOY that I thought was a GEN 13 reference? And that leads us to Starfire's sister, Blackfire. Historically a villain, they appear to be going a different route this time. I certainly hope so. She seems pretty awesome.

Judgement : This books can be inconsistent at times. But it is also unpredictable in an incredibly fun way. These cliffhangers are also making it difficult to make this decision. I think I want to keep reading for a little longer, but I can't afford to read everything I want to Final Decision : On The Cusp

09) SUPERGIRL. Whoa! Let's get the few negatives out of the way first. I noticed that Mahmud Asrar is still doing the art on this book. I have not had a problem with it until this issue. It would appear that he had an off issue, especially his Superman. His Superman looks bad. It is the same artist as Superman's other appearance in this book back in issue 2, but Supes just doesn't look quite right. Speaking of the Man of Steel, why would they show the classic Arctic Fortress of Solitude in this book two months before we see it's creation in ACTION COMICS? As far as positives, I really enjoyed the story of this issue. We get some explanation of Kara's increased powers, even though it indicates that Clark will develop some of these additional powers eventually. We also get what looks to be Supergirl's very own Fortress, an undersea Fortress. But the question remains, what is Simon Tycho's true intentions? The zero issue promises to be one of the more revealing ones, answering a lot of lingering questions that I have been asking since the first issue.

Judgement : This has been the most consistently entertaining book of the Super-family. I will be reading this one for the foreseeable future. Final Decision : Keep It

08) BIRDS OF PREY. Things just got REAL! Last issue the Birds agreed to help Poison Ivy with her ecoterrorist plans. The alternative was to let the toxin kill them and then get released into the atmosphere, killing all the humans. All along I was like, "Just go see Batman. He will find a cure with the quickness." This issue, the Birds had had enough, it was time to fight back and deal with the Toxin problem later. Once again, my favorite Bird, Katana, ends it. The problem with her solution? Poison Ivy isn't even capable of helping cure the toxin now. Was that Doctor Woodrue we saw in the complex underneath Gotham? That is interesting, especially with ROTWORLD happening.

Judgement : Katana has become one of my favorite characters in this wonderful new Universe. As long as she is on the team, I will be there reading about it. Final Decision : Keep It

07) GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Well that escalated quickly! I knew this was all part of the Guardians' plan, but I didn't think that was the plan. Those are some hard core, coldhearted little dudes. They are the freaking Guardians if the Universe. They could have just said "So, the Alpha thing isn't going to work, our bad." Then strip the Alphas of their rings and return them to regular Lantern duty. All the other Lanterns thought the Alphas were a bad idea anyway, so it's not like the Guardians would lose face. But no, instead they concoct an elaborate scheme that ends with the Deaths of all the Alpha Lanterns. Just so they won't cause problems with the whole Third Army thing. So what do you think is going to happen in the GL Annual? I get a bad feeling that John Stewart is going to die. I hope I am wrong, but my Spidey senses (oops, wrong universe) are rarely wrong about these things.

Judgement : With the Third Army story looming, all of the Green Lantern titles are safe. Final Decision : Keep It.

06) BLUE BEETLE. Khaji-Paco, the Blood Beetle, has returned. This book always gets so much more intense when he is around. It is almost a shame that Jaime "Fixed" Paco's heart. I am actually a little confused by what happened. Did the Bugsuit clone Jaime's heart? It sounded as if Jaime had to give up a chunk his heart. For the bugsuit to recognize the concept of self sacrifice, it had to be something like that. However, the question lingers, where is Blood Beetle now? Is he still lingering in the Bugsuit programming, ready to rear his Deadly head in another host?

Judgement : I had a lot of hope for this book. I really enjoyed Jaime Reyes run prior to The relaunch. This books just doesn't have the same feel. It is enjoyable at times. The Blood Beetle stuff is always a good read, but did we just see the last of him? I think I will need your help with this one. Final Decision : On The Cusp

BEFORE WATCHMEN : RORSHACH. This one of the ones I had been looking forward to the most. Not just because it was Rorshach, but because it was Azzarello writing Rorshach, and Lee Bermejo drawing Rorshach. Was I disappointed, No. Although most of the other books have been character studies so far, I was neither expecting, nor wanting that for Rorshach. Enough time has been spent, both in the original series, and in the last issue of NITE OWL exploring that. I wanted to see Rorshach being Rorschach. That is what I got. Azzarello was clearly the right person for this job. Bermejo blows me away with everything I have ever seen of his. I just wish there was more of it. Next week, even though I am not as excited about it, but I could be wrong, is DR. MANHATTAN!

THE SHADE. This was the penultimate chapter of this fascinating series. It was even more fascinating because just last night we started watching Ancient Aliens, so a lot of these concepts were already floating around in my brain. It would appear that the man story was wrapped up with this issue. Next issue, although technically the twelfth and final issue, looks to be in the spirit of all the zero issues. I think we are going to get an origin!

05) CATWOMAN. If there is one nagging problem with this series, it is how inconsistent it can be. When it is good, it is really good. The rest of the time, it is just meh-ow (see what I did there?) This issue falls under the really good category. I think early on in the story arc, I had complained about using the name Dollhouse when DETECTIVE COMICS had a Dollmaker. But it was connected, so yeah, it was awesome. I am glad to see that I wasn't the only one who didn't trust Spark. However, I was not expecting things to play out like that. I wonder if we will find out the truth about him working for the cops. I kind of hope it is left a big mystery.

Judgement : Like BLUE BEETLE, this book has had ups and downs. More ups then downs, but not as solid as other books. I will definitely be reading the Joker tie in, but aside from that, I just don't know. Final Decision : On The Cusp

04) NIGHTWING. To be honest, I had not been to fond of this storyline. At least now right after all the Talon stuff. But it was still decent. That is, until I read this issue. This issue shows that this title has been an intricate tapestry that Higgins has been weaving. What seemed like an unimportant occurance in one issue suddenly becomes important ten issues later. What really got me though was the Epilogue. Lady Shiva is coming to town! Not only is Lady Shiva one of my favorite villains, she also happens to be the mother of one Cassandra Cain. Cassandra is my favorite of all the Batgirls, and the one character who is the most solely missed in The New 52.

Judgement : Nightwing has always been one of my favorite DC characters. This has been an excellent series that is doing the character justice while taking him into exciting new directions. Final Decisions : Keep It.

03) BATWOMAN. Welcome back JH Williams III. Or welcome back to the artist desk. This issue not only marks the return of one of the best artists out there, but the first meeting of Batwoman and Wonder Woman. The hunt for the missing children continues. Batwoman thinks Wonder Woman should be brought in because Medusa is from Greek Mythology. Hey if you had a Greek Mythology situation, wouldn't you call Diana? Williams is back in top form after taking a break from the art side, to do SANDMAN I might add. The double page spread with the title page, the one that is half Batwoman symbol, and half Wonder Woman spread, is breathtaking and I wants it on my wall. The two women don't actually meet until the last page, so we know there is plenty more where this came from!

Judgement : Month in, month out, one of the most quality books DC is putting out. If you are not reading this, you should. I plan to continue reading this as long as Williams is on it. If he ever leaves, I will have to see if the quality continues. Judgment : Keep It.

02) GREEN LANTERN. Has it been two weeks yet? Is it time for the Annual? This issue exemplifies everything I love about Geoff Johns writing Green Lantern. I am fairly certain that he has master plans thought out years ahead of when the issues come to fruition. I think that is why GREEN LANTERN is still at this level of greatness, while JUSTICE LEAGUE still struggles. AQUAMAN, while great, hasn't quite reached this level of storytelling. GREEN LANTERN is the title most untouched by the reboot. Johns is essentially carrying out plans he already had. You can tell just by how reliant this story is to BLACKEST NIGHT. Johns other books have not had as much prep time and it shows, but that just means they will continue to get better. Or, I could be wrong. He could be making this up as he goes along. If that is the case, Bravo good sir. Well done. I am sure some people may be upset about what looks to be happening with Hal. I applaud it. This looks to be an entirely different circumstance than Parallax. I for one am hoping to see Hal vs Sinestro again, but this time their roles reversed!

Judgement : If there wasn't big things coming for the Green Lantern Family of Books, I would still want to continue reading this. But there is big things coming. Big things that don't just impact the GL Family, but the entire DCU! Final Decision : Keep It.

Warning, you are now entering SPOILER COUNTRY

01) WONDER WOMAN. What happened in this issue? Not much, let's see. Well, A throne is claimed, a goddess is banished and made mortal, a baby is born, a baby is stolen, a surprise betrayal, and a New God is resurrected! Like I said, nothing really happened. All kidding aside, this issue was packed full of action, story advancement, and twists. The last page is going to be debated for two months straight until we get issue 13. I don't think the zero issue will address this at all. It appears that the New God, Orion, has returned from the grave. Correct me if I am wrong, but Orion has not been seen since his murder in FINAL CRISIS. For you new readers who are scratching your head right now, let's have a quick history lesson. Orion is the son of Darkseid. As a child, he and a young Mister Miracle (son of the High Father), were involved in a trade for peace between Apokolips and New Genesis. Confused yet? For more info about the New Gods and the Fourth World, I recommend utilizing your Google skills. Wow, I really got off subject there! So yeah, this issue is awesome. If New Gods are going to be mixing it up with the Old Gods of Olympus, things are about to get Epicly Cray Cray!

Judgement : This issue wrapped up the first story arc for this new take on Wonder Woman. There has been some controversial changes, some which even I wasn't happy with. However, the overall end result has been amazing. Will the next story arc continue to be just as amazing? If the last page was any indication, we are still in for an awesome ride! Final Decision : Keep It

Looking back, I still seem to have a problem letting books go. This is a testament to how effective this Relaunch is. There is still plenty of time to vote on the Cusp books. Here is what is currently on the cusp : ACTION COMICS, GRIFTER, LEGION LOST, RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, BLUE BEETLE, and CATWOMAN. Do I Continue to read them, or do they join the ranks of GREEN ARROW, DEATHSTROKE, CAPTAIN ATOM, and LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES. You have the power. Use it!

To be Continued... See I can do Cliffhangers too

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 49 : Seeing Red

2012-08-14T11:38:00.001-04:00

Welcome back everybody! Once again, I apologize for the lateness of this post. We have been out of town since Thursday visiting Family and Friends. We had a great time. We got to explore old Revolutionary and Civil War Forts, ate some crabs (okay, a lot of crabs), and the kids got to go fishing for the first time! A great time was had by all, but now it is time to get back to bidness!

Here is our recap:

12) LEGION LOST

11) DEATHSTROKE

10) GRIFTER

09) DEMON KNIGHTS

08) SUPERBOY

07) THE RAVAGERS

06) SUICIDE SQUAD

05) BATGIRL

04) FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.

03) RESURRECTION MAN

02) BATMAN & ROBIN

01) BATMAN

As I did last week, I will also be analyzing each issue to determine if I am going to Drop it, Keep it, or if it is On the Cusp (which means YOU decide!) And now, the reviews!!!!

12) DEATHSTROKE. I would call The finale of Deathstroke vs. Lobo anticlimactic, but that would imply the rest of the story wasn't as bad as this issue was. I will admit I enjoyed watching Deathstroke run through Lobo with his own space hog. But the jetpack afterward ruined even that moment. The whole thing with Primus bogged the whole story down even more. The kiss with Zealot felt really forced. Was I oblivious to any sexual tension or hidden body language between the two of them? No, I didn't think so. The final page lets us know that there will be a round two. Unless, that is, Liefeld is gone by then. (Please)

Judgement : I have never really understood the animosity towards Liefeld until he took over this book. I know he is leaving at some point, and I will return to check out the new writer. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Kyle Higgins returns to it!. Final Decision : Drop it.

11) GRIFTER. That may have been the best issue yet. Remember back a few months ago when I spotted Cheshire's Tell? Yeah, I know, I can be pretty awesome. Anyways, Grifter was really earning his name this issue. The real question here is does he know he is still being conned. I hope not. What did Helspont mean by "Who you really are?" Will we get the answer to that in the Zero issue? When Liefeld leaves, I wonder if Tieri is going to stay on. I know he is credited only with dialogue, but I can't help but wonder if that is why this book stands higher than the other Liefeld books.

Final Judgement. Like I said, this is the best of the Liefeld books right now, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is one of the best books right now. I am curious as to where this is going, so I will let you decide. Final Decision : On the Cusp

10) SUPERBOY. The first few pages of this issue had me really worried. Last issues' "Lazy Sunday" with Bunker was a nice little breather and that is all it should have been. But now we get pages and pages of him hanging out in a club with a bunch of spoiled rich kids. He doesn't even really have a name yet. Luckily some action broke out of it. The girl who invited him to the club (her name is Dallas, she is famous for being famous) gets attacked by some woman named Kiva, who wants her money. Kiva has some kind of mind altering powers. It was reminescent of Scarecrow's fear Toxin, but delivered psychically. Somehow Superboy basically reverses the Polarity and Kiva starts freaking out. End of battle. We end with a little mystery. I thought it was Amanda Waller watching Superboy on a big screen, but it wasn't. It is Detective Jocelyn Lure (She was in TEEN TITANS #6, possible from 31st century) and she has big plans for the boy in black and red. This was a pretty weak issue in what is usually a pretty good book.

Judgement : With the exception of this issue, it has been a fairly solid book. I am not going to let one issue decide it's fate. I will continue, but under close scrutiny. Final Decision : Keep It

09) LEGION LOST. Alastor has returned. Now he has the ability to jump from body to body. He also has full access to the minds of those bodies. It is due to this that Alastor learns that he may have been a pawn in Harvest's schemes. I would think that would make anybody angry, but villains always take that kind of news poorly. The end result of all this is that several team members have now been exposed to the other's secrets. That never goes well. What is Echo? Are they Time Trapped as well, or do they have a work around to the Time Barrier? Issue Zero will begin to address some of these questions.

Judgement : Although I have been enjoying this book, there are a lot more books that I like a lot more. I just can't afford to continue everything that I like, so this will have to be in your hands. Final Decision: On the Cusp

08) THE RAVAGERS. The Red is popping up everywhere. Brother Blood wants to use Beast Boy to get into The Red Place. The team, as it were, are starting to feel and act like a team. Maybe I was just tired, but did Lightening just die? I think so. It is unfortunate that it took something like this to unite everybody. They are ready to follow Fairchild. Also, some readers out there might have caught this, but at the end, the guy at the camp. His name was Niles Calder. Sound familiar? The Doctor from DOOM PATROL! And if that wasn't enough to get you excited we get the unexpected arrival of Superboy! this book isn't elegible for judgement because we are only four issues in, but I am digging it so far.

07) DEMON KNIGHTS. Whoa, did we just get an implication that Horsewoman has a connection to The Red? Why yes, yes I think we did. The real question here is, does she have just have a connection to The Red, or is she an actual Avatar of The Red? Either way is awesome. Shining Knight got Knighted, by King Arthur. How cool is that? I was glad that this issue gave us a reminder that The Demon is duplicitous and has dealings with Lucifer. Okay, fine. It was more than just a gentle reminder. Etrigan went all Servant of Hell Crazy at the end. Of course, once again, due to a zero issue we have to wait two months to find out what happened!

Judgement : I love this book. Epic Fantasy with Horror Elements. Sometimes it really seems like this book was made just for me. I don't think it is going anywhere anytime soon. Final Decision : Keep it.

06) SUICIDE SQUAD. What have I been saying for months now? Black Spider is the traiter. Called it! Behold...my I told You So Dance! What I was not expecting was The Return of Captain Boomerang, secretly on the side of the squad. That was an unexpected twist. A gladly welcomed twist, but a twist nonetheless. But wait, a new mystery has been added. What is the deal with King Shark? Over and over again, we were being told that there is more to him, but what? Yo-Yo is still out there somewhere as well isn't he? I expect he will arrive at some incredibly inopportune moment, another foe for the Squad. Wait, when would there ever be an opportune moment to have revenge on the squad? They seem to be in Peril almost constantly. Well, they aren't called the "You Might Get a Skinned Knee Squad"

Judgement : This is by far the most fun book DC is putting out in The New 52. What with Joker coming back, traitors, and oh yeah, Amanda Waller had Mitch Shelley's freaking hand! Yeah, I don't think this one is going anywhere. Final Decision : Keep It

BEFORE WATCHMEN : OZYMANDIAS. This issue sees the beginning of Veidt's masked adventurer career. We see him take the name of Ozymandias. We also see him attempt to answer the biggest question that has always plagued me...What ever happened to Hooded Justice? To be honest, this issue wasn't doing it for me until he started his search for "H.J." The narrative style was keeping me from getting too interested, but more importantly, it seemed like it was. trying to get me to start disliking Ozy already. If that was the case, it was a success. However, despite the stellar artwork by Jae Lee for most of this, I did not like his portrayal of the Comedian. Next week is one I have been looking forward to...RORSHACH!

NIGHT FORCE. The penultimate chapter in which the reason why this story, or book as it were, is called "250 Minutes". This issue is where payoff starts to happen. The usage of Wintersgate's existance in all times to execute the master plan is a stroke of genius. I hope Wolfman gets a chance to write a Book 2. Until then, this series will be missed.

05) BATGIRL. Batgirl, Batwoman, and their first meeting. Of course they had to fight first. It's in the Superhero Handbook. They will get their masks taken away if it doesn't happen. What I loved about this is the sense of awe that Barbara had for Batwoman. I hope this is a beginning of a beautiful friendship. One thing that bothered me, and might be the only one it bothered, but bothered me it did, is the fact that they explained Cartharsis' back story, but not how she sprouted wings. One more thing, where did Detective McKenna get that tactical gear from all of a sudden? Then there is James Jr. He is in league with Knightfall. I am curious to see where this is all headed. After a zero issue origin of course.

Judgement : This series was starting to lose me, but now it has sucked me right back in. This whole Knightfall story is really intriguing, and let's not forget Joker is coming back. Barbara coming face to scarred face with the Joker is going to be interesting. Final Decision : Keep It

04) BATMAN & ROBIN. A fitting end to a story about a villain named Terminus! That was a whole lotta action. Action done right. It maintained the cinematic feel that the last issue pulled off so well. I threw a fistpump in the air when the Former Robins showed up. Even though Damian had been such a brat to them, they were there to help out. I enjoyed the augmentation armor here a lot more than the clunky one seen on BATMAN a few month's ago. I also liked the changing table that is underneath the batmobile. I wonder if this experience, and especially Dick's words at the end, will have a long term effect on Damian. I expect that, even though he already has the R on his chest, He will still want to prove himself...to himself, if that makes sense. I am excited to see what they do with the zero issue, and how well it jibes with pre New 52 history.

Judgement : This is a tough one. This book has come a long way for me. For a while, this was a good but not great book. A few months ago, this would have been On the Cusp without a thought. But now...Man this is hard. I think I will keep going until the Joker story is done, then reevaluate things. Final Decision : Keep It...for now

03) FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. This issue starts with a method I really enjoyed. It was Agent Belroy explaining everything that happened since the end of last issue to Father Time. I was expecting a nice wrapup of this storyline before starting into Frank's involvement with ROTWORLD. I was not expecting what did happen. I definitely was not expecting the Resurrection of Victor Frakkin Frankenstein, and that he would be side with The Rot. This whole story just got a whole lot more interesting. The plus side of all this, at least for Frankie is that his Body Part Flashbacks have stopped. The bad news, he has to fight an army of undead Rotlings led by his creator! What an issue!

Judgement. Do you even have to ask? I love this book. I love this character! My Wife and I are going to attempt being Frank and The Bride DC style for Halloween! Now we have ROT involvement. This is what we call a No Brainer. Final Decision : Keep It

02) BATMAN. Wait, did we just see...the New 52 origin of...Oracle? Harper Row is a completely different type of character then Barbara Gordon. At first, I didn't like the idea, but it appeals to me greatly now. Now keep in mind, this Oracle thing is just conjecture on my part. I haven't read anything that states that is what is going on. It just seems like that is what is going on. Furthermore, I don't think she will be called Oracle. Her "Code Name" will.be something different, and her role will be slightly different. More Bat-centric than Oracle was. At least that is my hope. This issue really demonstrates the range of Scott Snyder. I really felt for Harper and her brother. The whole "get the clippers" thing was one of the more touching moments in comics in quite awhile. Guest artist Becky Cloonan, although using different style than Greg Capullo, still fit right in. In fact, I believe she introduced some humanity that this issue needed. Next month is a zero issue, and then JOKER!

Judgement : With the few rare occasions, such as this week, BATMAN has claimed the top spot, every time. This is easily in my Top 5 of The New 52. Final Decision : Keep It, Duh!

SPOILER ALERT...BIG REVEAL STRAIGHT AHEAD!

01) RESURRECTION MAN. WHAT?!?!?!? That ending, what an ending that was. First I get intrigued because Hooker mentioned someone higher up than him. Than there is the big reveal, on the last page of The Final Regular Issue. Who is it...Wait for it...SPOILER'S AHEAD...Mitchell Shelley!!!! A much older looking Mitchell Shelley. What does it all mean? The zero issue has a lot of explaining to. What are your theories? Could it be his Dad? Time travel? Cloning? A little bit of both? I am guessing Whoever Amanda Waller works for cloned Mitch from his hand, and then he traveled back in time. I know, that is far-fetched, but this The Final Issue of RESURRECTION MAN! Things are allowed to get far-fetched. Wow...that just hit me. The Final Issue. This is by far the hardest cancellation for me. Even harder than O.M.A.C. This is the book that got me on board with The New 52. The original series was one of my all time favorites, even though most of my friends had never heard of it nor read it after I told them how good it was. What is it about this title that is so inaccessible to the mass populace? Mitch Shelley will rise again. I have no doubt about that. He is the The Resurrection Man!!!!

Once again, I seem to be stingy in the On the Cusp department. Last week we had one, ACTION COMICS, while I only dropped GREEN ARROW. This week we have only two more, GRIFTER and LEGION LOST, while only dropping DEATHSTROKE. Maybe the Zero issues will change my mind about some things.

The Polls are still open. If you want a say in the On the Cusp Books, you can leave a comment here, or on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. Wherever you found this, there is a form of feedback! The results will be revealed after all the Zero Books are finished so that it may influence you as much as it might influence me.

One last thing. Yesterday it was announced that Comics Legend Joe Kubert passed on. He was a true visionary in the field. He has passed his skills on to Adam and Andy Kubert. His Legacy will live on!

See you next time. I hope to hear from everybody!

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 48 : Enter the Rotworld

2012-08-06T12:06:00.000-04:00

This week has finally arrived. I have anxiously awaited this week for some time. Why? ROTWORLD begins, that's why! This week also begins the final month of my original one year commitment. As faithful readers know, I have decided to read all the Zero issues as well. However, I am using the issue 12's to help me determine what I will continue reading, and what I will be dropping. if a zero issue gets me super excited about a book I was going to drop, then I will continue reading on a probationary basis.

For the next month, at the end of each issue review, I will declare it's current status. The choices are Keep reading, Drop, and On the Cusp. On the Cusp basically means it is undecided. I like it, but maybe can't afford to continue. That is where you come in. Each week, you will help me determine which 2 on the cusp books you want me to continue reading. I won't be reviewing all of the books, but will occasionally chime in on story direction and what not. The second and third wave books will be kept until 6 issues, then they will go through the same process.

My plan right now is to review my 5 top picks of the week, plus any Second or Third Week books, if they don't make the top 5. So your vote could make a difference. You may make me decide to keep a book that ends up in the top 5!!! Do we understand the rules now? Good let's get going

But first, our recap of last month.

13) DETECTIVE COMICS

12) ACTION COMICS

11) WORLDS' FINEST

10) GI COMBAT

09) STORMWATCH

08) RED LANTERNS

07) JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL

06) GREEN ARROW

05) BATWING

04) DIAL H

03) SWAMP THING

02) ANIMAL MAN

01) EARTH 2

Now, let's get to the nitty gritty

13) ACTION COMICS. Okay, so I have read a lot of comics in my time. Most of them good, some of them not so much. Never have I read an issue as baffling as this one. I don't mean confusing in that way Morrison has tendency to do, I mean baffling that anybody at DC Comics okayed this. I feel like Morrison wanted to see how much he could get away with. The first half felt like some random pages that fell out of another comic he was writing, and then things just got silly. I was straight up laughing at the surgery scene, and then I got to the landlady. I suspected the Mister Mxyzptlk connection the first issue, but the whole retcon everyboody to forget that Clark Kent died, and the looming threat of (insert random assortment of consonants here), ridiculous! I know Morrison is leaving soon, but has he given up already? Would I be able to tell the difference? MORRISON!!!!!!

Judgement : My gut reaction is to drop it. Drop it hard. Just read the last few months worth of reviews and you know I have not been enjoying this. However. Grant Morrison is leaving after issue 16. There is a part of me that wants to see if he wraps his run up in a way that makes all of this make sense. That is his M.O. after all. That is only 4 issues, plus the Zero issue. I may regret this, but I am going to put the fate of this in your hands. Do I sever ties, or see hoe Morrison finishes it up? I am curious to see what the new writer is going to do. Final Decision : On The Cusp

12) GREEN ARROW. It's my own fault. I only have myself to blame. The last issue made me hopeful. This issue just made me confused. Did the whole China thing happen last issue? I don't remember that being the case....Okay, I just went back and looked. Last issue did in fact end up in China. I guess my excitement for the majority of the book overshadowed the ending. I wish Nocenti would at least have devoted some of the issue to the Dark Arrow Story developing in Seattle. I liked that part. This whole China/Wolf Tech story just seems like a huge non sequitur.

Judgement: Last issue showed a glimmer of hope. This issue dashed those hopes. I will keep an eye on things, because This can be such a great character. I don't understand why all of the writers are having such a problem making it work. Final Decision : Drop it.

11) DETECTIVE COMICS. This issue serves two purposes. The first is to wrap up an incredibly unBatman story line. My disdain for this story has been covered in previous months, so I don't need to harp on it anymore. The backup story, however, covers the second and more important purpose. The Return of the Joker! This is the first time in I don't know how long that DETECTIVE has even mentioned Joker's face, let alone had any kind of story revolving around it. The best part, Daniels had nothing to do with it. It was written by by James Tynion IV, who was a former student of Scott Snyder. He wrote the outstanding Mr Freeze issue in the BATMAN ANNUAL, and is writing TALON. The story itself involves a rookie who is pulling Guard Duty on the Joker Face. Bullock decides to play an initiation joke on the Rookie, using a well placed.speaker. The rookie was not amused, however, lurking in the shadows, there appeared to be a certain faceless clown. I cannot wait to see what Snyder has planned for the Joker! This backup is well worth the price of the comic. Just skip the main story.

Judgement. Daniels has dropped the ball bigtime with this book. His artwork is great, but his storytelling is clumsy. This was his last issue on the book. John Layman, who is most noted for his unique book, CHEW (Thank you Martyn for letting me know about this gem) is taking over. I will stick it out for at least Layman's first story arc, to see what he does with it. Final Decision : Keep It (for now)

10) GI COMBAT. THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT wraps up its first arc, and this has been the best so far. Maybe it was the fact that it was just down to one guy made it more compelling. I think my favorite part was the giant squid. Who was that who came up on shore? If I didn't know better, I would say it was Vandal Savage. I wonder what the zero issue plan is?? This brings us to UNKNOWN SOLDIER. Another story arc, a better story arc overall I might add, comes to a close. This one also ends with a bit of cliffhanger. Will we see more of either of these after the zero issue? I know HAUNTED TANK is coming up, but will one of these two stories continue for the other half, or is there another new story coming up? This is a Second Wave title, so there are two more issues to go before it faces judgement. The HAUNTED TANK story will more than likely decide it's fate.

09) DIAL H. Things just got weirder. There is obviously much more going on with the Dials then previously thought. I am not going to pretend I understand everything that is going on, but I am enjoying it, if that makes sense. It is just all so odd and very different from most comics out there. Rescue Jack was the hero du jour in this issue. He was also the closest to a normal hero. Oh, wait I just remembered Tap Out. Yeah, that was a weird one. I Suspect next month's zero issue is going to start making sense out of all of this wacky chaos. This is also a Second Wave title, therefore safe for a couple more issues, but I am inclined to keep it.

08) WORLDS' FINEST. The cover of this issue teases that we will learn Hakkou's connection to Earth 2. Unless I am stupid (it has been known to happen, from time to time), there wasn't any such thing in this issue. Power Girl and The Huntress defeat the beast, and have another mid-battle flashback. The thing most Power Girl fans will take away from this issue, is the return of the Boob Window, at least temporarily. Kara took a missile to the chest, which destroyed the cleavage covering part of her uniform. I doubt this a permanent change. The Third Second Wave title in a row. The next story arc needs to really wow me, because right now it just isn't quite doing it for me.

07) STORMWATCH. The secrets of the chin spike revealed! I am glad Apollo hates that thing as much as I do. This was a very revealing issue. Avalon is the home of the Shadow Lords...another connection with Demon Knights. They view Justice League and other teams as a threat to the planet. Interesting that other teams are deemed a threat, but not themselves. What exactly does Martian Manhunter need to do that requires him to leave Stormwatch, and make everybody forget him? Is it connected with the Nefertiti Busts? This book has really shaped up under Milligan. Next month is the zero issue. I wonder if the DEMON KNIGHT connection will be revealed in full?

Judgement : I like this book. A lot. I enjoyed Cornell's run, but Milligan has really taken off with it. Final Decision. Keep It

06) RED LANTERNS. YES!!! Rage fueled fistpump into the air. This issue was the payoff. This entire run so far had seemed somewhat aimless. Who was this really about? Atrocitus, Bleez, Rankorr? The answer is all of them. This book is about The Red Lanterns. This issue unites them all, gives them a sense of purpose. Bleez was tempted by the Star Sapphires, Atrocitus has been searching for purpose since issue one, and Rankorr has been struggling to reconcile his humanity with his Red Lantern side. All these doubts have been cast aside. Rage has found a place in the Universe. I would like some more time devoted to Rankorr. Is it his humanity that makes him.different? He figured out how to do the constructs, but what was the message he heard that somehow relates to the GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL? What is the Guardians role in all this, and is it connected to The Third Army? I think the zero issue and issue 13 are going to be great jumping on points!

Judgement : Before this issue, I would say that this was On The Cusp. However, this issue really reinvigorated the title. With THE THIRD ARMY story coming up in all the GL books, I need to hang on to this awhile longer. Final Decision : Keep It

BEFORE WATCHMEN NITE OWL. This was an interesting issue. We see some more of Dan's childhood and what pushed him into standing up for what is right. We also see that Dan is a different Nite Owl then Hollis. Dan isn't so much concerned with public image as he is helping people...all people. This issue also gave us a surprising amount of insight into Rorshach. Surprising in that he has his own mini coming up. I think so far, this and MINUTEMEN are tied for my favorite, although COMEDIAN has been really good, too. Next week, the next chapter in the life of OZYMANDIAS!

05) JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL. It is fitting that the final regular issue was a funeral. Although I still get the sense that it isn't really over. They get a new headquarters, and a new resolve. I am sad to see Batwing leave the team, but it makes sense. Guy Gardner being on the team does not make sense. Batwing says he has too many other responsibilties, Batman says Gotham and The League are enough for him, but Guy Doesn't have other responsibilities? The GL Corps is a pretty big responsibility, plus I don't think he is even stationed on Earth. I liked the DARK NIGHT RETURNS pose Batman did at one point. The Annual is continuing this story, but then what? I think DC has a plan that they are not telling us. Seeing as this is the Final Issue, there is no judgement to pass. I will say that if it were to continue, I would continue to read it.

04) BATWING. Guest starring Nightwing...And Justice League International. They all band together to take down Lord Battle and his Honor Guard, the Blood Storm. What is interesting is that it is established that this takes place after this weeks JLI, where Batwing says he can't stay with the team, yet here they are, in Africa helping him out. They figure out that Lord Battle has a weird symbiotic relationship with his country of Tundi. Or the land at least. See, as long as he is within the borders, he is crazy powerful, and the land thrives. But if he leaves, he gets weak, and land is devastated. I wonder if this will get explored more in the future. A connection with the Green somehow? The issue ends with the reveal that everything that has happened, since issue one is all part of a master plan by somebody called King Shadow!

Judgement : This has been the biggest surprise hit of the New 52 for me. The concept seemed forced, and a bit of a throw away character. However, the separation from the rest of the Batbooks (most of the time) has made this such a strong book. I plan on reading this for a while. Final Decision : Keep it

03) EARTH 2. This has rapidly become one of the titles I look forward to the most each month. This is how you do a team book where they are all meeting for the first time. Well Hawkgirl and The Atom know each other somehow. Curious to see what this all about. Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday, kickin Ass the rest of the week. It has become more apparent that there is an elemental thing going on here. The Gray Knight...I love it. I will admit that I am not that familiar with Al Pratt, the Atom, but I am really enjoying him here. When I first saw conceptual art for Hawkgirl, I didn't like her. Now I love her. Her look and her character. Why didn't Alan's Construct work? I think it has something to do with Sam, or Solomon Grundy has just damaged the Earth that much already. We still have 2 more issues before I decide it's fate, but I am guessing it won't be going anywhere, anytime soon. Love this book. Love it!

No surprise what the top two books are going to be. However due to the nature of these two books, I have to place them in a tie for first place. They tell one story, and should be placed as such on my countdown. The reviews are placed in the reading order. in other words, Part 1 was in ANIMAL MAN, and Part 2 was in SWAMP THING. Even the covers connected to form one big picture :

01) ANIMAL MAN. The wait is over. ROTWORLD IS HERE! I have been waiting for this story for almost a year. Even more than NIGHT OF THE OWLS. This story has been building for 12 issues now. Technically, this issue and this week's issue of SWAMP THING are the two part prologue (this issue being part 1). The ROTWORLD story then branches off to the two books for several issues before reconnecting for an Epic Finale. From what I understand, Frankenstein will be involved as well. This issue covers the first meeting of Alec Holland and Buddy Baker, and their associated loved ones. Except for Cliff. Cliff was left at the hospital with Grandma. He has since disappeared. Actually he is walking down a street chanting "Rotworld is coming." Back at the Swamp, Swampy and Buddy jump into a Rot Portal, leaving Ellen, Maxine, Socks, and Abby behind, for safety. That didn't quite work out as planned! Steve Pugh did an amazing job this issue, at times flawlessly mimicking Yannick Paquette's style.

01) SWAMP THING. The ROTWORLD prologue continues! Swamp Thing and Buddy Baker descend into the Rot while the families fight off agents of the Rot in the Swamp. Arcane intercepts the heroes and severs Swamp's tie to the Green. Ellen takes Maxine to head back to the hospital, while Abby is heading to The Parliament of Decay. Alex and Buddy are told time passes differently in the Rot and it has now been a year and The Rot has consumed the Earth. They awake in the real world to see that Arcane was telling the truth. The Rot has already won! And this was just the Prologue! Can you imagine what the rest will be like? Now, we have to wait 2 months for the next chapters. Next month are the zero issues which mean we get origins of our Elemental Heroes. This issue had Marco Rudy instead of Yannick Paquette on art duty, but they have really blended their styles so well, it is sometimes hard to tell who drew something without referring back to the credits. So the question is, did after a year of anticipation, did this live up to my expectations? No, it blew my expectations out of the water. Snyder and Lemire individually are the best things going on at DC right now, but you let them work together like this, and you get a story the likes of which will be hard for anybody to come close to duplicating in terms of story, emotional resonance, and pure epicness of scope!

Judgement : Really, do I need to say it? I am keeping both of these. They have been some of my favorites since week 1! Final decision : Keep em both!!!

Okay so looking back, this wasn't the best week for the whole readers decide on the On the Cusp books. This has always been, in my opinion, the strongest week of the month. Out of the thirteen ongoing books, one of them is being canceled, and four of them are not eligible for judgement yet. That leaves eight books. Most of those books I love, while other ones have very convenient timing when it comes to writer changes. Only one of these eight books was a definite drop. This just leaves ACTION COMICS. What is your opinion on this books? Do I finish Morrison's run? Do I get away while I can? Do you just like reading me yell MORRISON!!!! Every month? The ball is now in your court. use your powers wisely!

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 47 : The Resurrection and Death of Glomulus

2012-07-31T08:32:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody! What’s the news this week? Well, Grant Morrison is leaving soon, as is Rob Liefeld!!! How's that for news? What does this mean for their respective books? Who knows. My hope for DEATHSTROKE is that Kyle Higgins returns. GRIFTER and HAWKMAN could both use some more fresh talent as well. They both started out slightly better with Liefeld at the helm, but have fizzled quickly. I don’t know if BATMAN INC will continue without Morrison, but I know that ACTION COMICS will continue. Speaking of BATMAN INC. It was supposed to be part of this weeks releases but due to content that DC deemed to graphic in the wake of the Aurora Tragedy, they are delaying it a month. However we still get our usual 13 ongoing books because GREEN LANTERN finally got released. I still do not know the cause of the delay.

Speaking of Delay, let’s not do it anymore. Here is our recap :

14) THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN

13) THE FLASH

12) BATMAN INCORPORATED

11) VOODOO

10) THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN

09) SUPERMAN

08) TEEN TITANS

07) GREEN LANTERN : NEW GUARDIANS

06) ALL STAR WESTERN

05) JUSTICE LEAGUE

04) AQUAMAN

03) BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT

02) I, VAMPIRE

01) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK

In the spirit of not delaying things, Here is this week's nuggets of joy!

13) THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN. Fury, Wrath, and now Scorn! Will we get any Voltron’d Firestorm’s that don’t sound so angry? What about Bliss, Euphoria, or Joy? Next time we get the Debut of Emotionally Ambivalent! Okay, Okay, all kidding aside, who else is ready for Ronnie to die? I get the feeling that was Dr. Stein was hinting at, by exposing him a second time. I think that is the first step in vastly improving this series. In the meantime, maybe we can see a Voltron Firestorm Smackdown. Didn’t Jason and Firehawk merge to form Wrath? I think we need to see Wrath vs Scorn! The result being the death of Ronnie, and the simplification of an overly populated and muddled comic book.

12) VOODOO. Two points for the Ghostbuster reference!!! Next issue sees the end of this series, and it looks like there will be an actual conclusion, not just an open ended thing so that Voodoo, or Pris, can show up somewhere else. I see the positives in both ways. It is always nice to see a satisfactory conclusion when a good comic ends, but a good character can always find a home somewhere else. I suspect one of those two is going to die, with the other possible appearing in future issues of GRIFTER (UPDATE, She is confirmed to appear in GRIFTER #13!) . Andrew Lincoln, on the other hand, I hope to see in TEAM 7, or Lady Blackhawk. I miss Lady Blackhawk.

11) THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN. This issue made me hoping to see Zuriel show up, but knowing it probably won’t happen. But then again, Leifeld is leaving DC so who knows. St Bastion is a character that is reminiscent of several comic characters throughout the years, although the other ones are more creative in their design. It was almost funny he how gets taken out almost as quickly as he shows up. Here is the main thing that aggravated me this issue. Last issue ends with ~~Deadpool ,~~ Pike showing up ready to kick some butt. Then we don’t see him at all until, again, at the end of the issue, ready to kick some butt. Why put him in the last issue at all. This one didn't pick up from there. Honestly I had forgotten about him until the end of this issue. Plus, it would appear that Pike and St. Bastion go to the same costume designer. Oh wait, that would be Liefeld huh, Never mind.

10) THE FLASH. Another classic Rogue has been powered up. This time it is Heatwave. There has yet to be any explanation that I am aware of as to how or why Flash’s Rogues are suddenly no longer dependent on their weapons, but I like it. I suspect it is all related. I suspect that maybe it is Glider, who shows up on the last page. She is Captain Cold’s sister and was also a Rogue, but she was also killed. That was before The Lazarus Pit that is The New 52 brought her back. Anyways, she is my main suspect, for now. I think she is gathering all the Rogues, somehow giving them all powers, and then will lead them in a fight against the Flash. As to the “Al the Bartender” thing. At first I didn't like it. It was more to do with the fact that ACTION COMICS was basically doing the same thing. But I think this works for Barry. I do think this only a temporary situation, though.

09) SUPERMAN. Remember, back in the day, when DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics had all kinds of crossovers, one of which was SUPERMAN VS PREDATOR? Yeah, that was what the last few pages of this issue were like. The Alien creature looked way too much like a Predator for it to be a total coincidence. The rest of the issue was so so. Clark having what was essentially a double date, and Superman dealing with the Sneaky Frikkin Russians. Then there was the costume thing. It just sprouts of of him now? Like IRON MAN EXTREMIS? That, I don't like. However that might change soon, because the Predator thing did something to it. Caused it to short out or something. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, and the ramifications it has on the Armor costume.

08) TEEN TITANS. Well that wasn't exactly the tell all expose on Wonder Girl that I was hoping for. Who was the smiling guy that was after her? Bunker brought a prospective new roomate he found on "Gregslist.com" to the "HQ." I agree with Bunker, I don't think that guy was looking for a roommate. I wonder why Cassie is so reluctant to explain everything to he teammates. It must be bad, real bad. Judging by that last page, extremely bad. This issue also had a backup of sorts, although it served as more of a prologue/teaser to the upcoming Kid Flash oneshot in DCU PRESENTS. I am not even sure what was going on, but it involved Mystery Island, Dinosaur people, and Danny the Alley.

07) GREEN LANTERN : NEW GUARDIANS. Hurray, Glommie is back, he's alive! Oh my god, they killed Glommie, You Bastards!! This issue raises a lot of questions but does not pause long enough to try to answer them, such is the woes of battle. Larfleeze had nothing to do with The Reach attacking Odym, so who is responsible? Why is Saint Walker, of all people, so riled up? What is going on between Bleez and Munk? Why did Sayd steal the rings? What are his plans for Kyle? How can we get any answers when Invictus is attacking? What does it mean "The Last Stand of the New Guardians? Why am I asking so many questions? Are you still reading or did you skip to the next paragraph?

06) ALL STAR WESTERN. Jonah Hex, Amadeus Arkham, Tallulah Black, The Crime Bible, The Court of Owls, a Talon, AND Terrance 13 all in one issue? YUP! But wait, there's more. One member of the Crime Bible, The Lord of Thieves...Lorna Kyle! I didn't know Catwoman had Gotham Roots that far back. A street war between Secret Societies can only take place in one City. Gotham City. This issue, no, this series is just good clean fun. Okay, maybe not clean, but still fun. The backup is part one of a two-parter featuring Terrace 13, who debunks supernatural occurrences. Is the Highwayman Supernatural or is it actually Old Man Smithers trying to keep people away from his Gold Mine?

BEFORE WATCHMEN : THE COMEDIAN. The Comedian in Vietnam. Vietnam was a messed up and politically complicated time in our history. Who is more messed up and politically complex than The Comedian to help with the war effort? Once again, this has been one of the stronger issues of the whole project. To experience this time of our turbulent past through the eyes of The Comedian is a very interesting study indeed. Is is just me, or did he look a lot more like Movie Comedian, than he does original series Comedian? Next week, NITE OWL returns!

NATIONAL COMICS : ETERNITY. This is the debut of NATIONAL COMICS, which will be a series of one shots exploring some of the lesser known characters. At this point I am unsure if this takes place within NEW 52 continuity. Whether it does or not, it doesn't take away from my enjoyment of this. One of my favorites, Jeff Lemire, has created a fresh spin on Christopher Freeman. Back in the day, he was known as Kid Eternity, and was the brother of Captain Marvel Jr. Whether the Marvel family connection exists may be explored someday, but this was just a oneshot. In this take of the character, he can summon a "ghost" of a recently dead person for 24 hours to help him solve the ghost's own murder. I would like to read more with this character, in case any of you DC Bigwigs are reading this!

05) AQUAMAN. Let's talk about that cover for a minute. Damn! That looks intense, and a tad graphic. However, you look at that cover and think we are about to see the confrontation between Aquaman and Black Manta. That does not happen. However Mera gets her hands on him in an awesome, yet inconclusive fight. We get some more insight in to the Altlantean Artifacts, and how they are responsible for the sinking of Atlantis. We also finally meet Vostok. Hey, Crazy Russian Space Hermit, we get that you are a Crazy Russian Space Hermit, you do not need to constantly remind us! All joking aside, this still has been an excellently paced story that is building to an epic showdown. I am curious to see what happens with The Others when this story arc is over.

04) BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT. Fear. Any story dealing with Scarecrow should ultimately be a study in fear. This new story arc is exactly that. Not just Scarecrow hitting people with his Fear Toxin, but a genuine study in fear. We see what the victims fear, we see some of how Batman's fear turned him into what he is today, and we see what fears from the Scarecrow's own childhood have done to make him what he is today. I don't remember ever seeing a glimpse of Jonathan Crane's childhood before this issue. I feel bad for him. His father was a scientist studying fear, and he used his own son as his main test subject, hooking up to monitors and then sending him down a trapdoor into a dark room. That would make anyone snap. I am not saying it is okay for him to do these things, but I can now understand where he is coming from and how sick he truly is. An outstanding issue, from cover to cover.

03) I, VAMPIRE. Vampires vs Zombies, well technically Mummies. This issue was just one big action packed Monster Brawl! I did not know Bennet could put Humpty Van Helsing back together again. And what is with the backwards magic? Does Zatanna know about this? I have always wondered what would happen if a vampire bit a zombie (well, technically a mummy). Well now I know, and knowing is half the battle with the undead. Here was a scary thought, Zombie (mummy) Vampire Vampire Hunter. How meta. Next issue looks to be a doozie. "Zombies and Vampires and Stormwatch! OH MY!"

02) GREEN LANTERN. I don't know why this was late, and I don't care. This issue was awesome! Black Hand is back, and he has brought his family, back from the dead that is. One thing I am still unsure about, Hal's Ring. The Indigo Tribe removed Sinestro's Power over it. However, isn't Hal's ring technically a construct? The Guardians are even aware of the ring now. So the bigger question for me is, who is that Gun Toting Lantern? We saw him in the Free Comic Book Day Trinity War preview, and now he appears in the Book of the Black prophecy. Is he the leader of the Third Army perhaps? I doubt it. In the FCBD special I think he said he was the ONLY Lantern. Sinestro is letting a little of his old self seep through, while still appearing to be trying to be a good Lantern. This whole Black Hand thing will either cause him to revert completely, or totally redeem himself. At this point, I am pleased either way.

01) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. OH MYLANTA!!!! That issue was amazing! This issue was chock full o’ surprises SPOILER ALERT…SPOILER ALERT…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!........ Surprise #1… We have the New 52 Debut of Tim Hunter!!!! What?!?! That’s right boys and girls, Tim Hunter has entered the building. I like that he was given a haircut to reduce the resemblance to a certain other Boy Wizard. Not only is he in the issue, but it sounds like the BOOKS OF MAGIC series did happen! Surprise #2…Hunter gave his magic away. WHAT?!?!? To who? I am sure he will be getting it back. Lemire wouldn’t bring him in just to say, “Nope, try somewhere else.” Surprise #3…Dr. Mist is with Faust. WHAT WHAT WHAT?!?!?! Is this a ruse? Was he with Faust the whole time? Or does he just not trust Constantine. I can understand not trusting Constantine. After all, as he says “I always play the long game.” What was up with the Tattoo? At least is wasn't the Forearm Tattoos that Keanu had in the movie. Other random notes (wait a minute, isn’t my blog usually a collection of Random notes?) I find it interesting that we see the Haunted Tank in the Black Room before the HAUNTED TANK story starts up in GI COMBAT. Constantine wielding Merlin’s Spear, awesome. Just sayin. Steve Trevor continues to be awesome. Now if only Geoff Johns could write Steve Trevor this well. Then their is the artwork. Mikel Janin is constantly making me improve as a writer, just so I don't sound repetitive raving about his artwork. Awesome, amazing, and mindblowing lose their impact when used over and over. How about masterful, any single panel is worthy of a framed piece in a gallery? Will that work? I think it is safe to say that I will not be dropping this title any time soon, if ever!

Next week begins the final month of My Year Long Commitment (not counting Zero Issues) All month long, I will weigh in on if a book will be dropped or not. There will be three categories. Keep Reading, Drop it Like it is Hot, and Want to Keep Reading But can’t Afford So Many Books (let’s just call this one On The Cusp). I want you to let your voice be heard. Any On The Cusp books, that you want me to continue reading and occasionally review, let me know. I will keep two of this category per week, by your vote. Keep in mind that I will read all Second and Third Wave books through Issue 6, and then they, too will be put in one of these categories.

Half way through this epic year of The New 52, I awarded Scott Snyder the title of MVP. Jeff Lemire is a strong contender for the Second Half MVP. Just this week alone, we got JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK and NATIONAL COMICS : ETERNITY. He also released a Graphic Novel, THE UNDERWATER WELDER, which I have yet to read. Not to mention his outstanding work on SWEET TOOTH. Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire. Think about those two names for a minute. They are collaborating on the Epic ROTWORLD crossover. How awesome is this going to be? We will find out starting next week!!!

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 46 : The Dark Knight Hangover

2012-07-24T11:33:00.001-04:00

Oh my goodness what a week. On Thursday night, I had quite the Birthday treat. I had been planning to go see THE DARK KNIGHT RISES on Friday for my birthday. I discovered that my theater was doing the Trilogy Marathon. I have never done anything like that before, so I went. I am so glad I did, but I was so tired the next few days, recovering from it.

What was even worse is when I woke up Friday Morning and heard the news about the Colorado shootings. I am not going to devote a whole lot of time talking about this, because that sick man had received enough attention already. It was a deplorable and cowardly act. My outrage over the last few days has been redirected to a lot of the media coverage. There are some News Agencies that are referring to this as The Batman Massacre. That is just horrifying. Batman has always been about as Anti-gun as you can get. His whole existence is dedicated to stopping people like this. To permanently link this movie and Batman, the character, to such an act of cowardice is disgusting.

Even Worse, some are referring to the suspected shooter as "The Joker." If this guy goes down in history known as The Joker, then he won. My own theory is that for whatever reason, this guy felt a close personal connection to Heath Ledger's Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT. He was so outraged that Christopher Nolan was going to even make another movie, he snapped and has been planning this for a lot longer than we realize. He wants people to call him The Joker. That is why he told the police that when he was captured. That is why he surrendered as soon as police arrived. He wanted to "Live long enough to be The Villain." he wanted to see and hear himself being called The Joker. Don't let that happen, please!!!! That will just inspire other people to do this kind of thing. This is the last I will say on this matter. After the comic reviews, I will give my thoughts (Spoiler Free!) on the movie itself. But first we need to discuss the source material for comic book movies...the Comic Books!

Here then, is our recap :

12) CAPTAIN ATOM

11) LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES

10) BLUE BEETLE

09) CATWOMAN

08) WONDER WOMAN

07) SUPERGIRL

06) RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS

05) DCU PRESENTS SAVAGE

04) BIRDS OF PREY

03) GREEN LANTERN CORPS

02) NIGHTWING

01) BATWOMAN

And now, the reviews!

13) CAPTAIN ATOM. Well, that was painful. This issue didn't even make the littlest bit of sense. I am not even trying to make sense out of it at this point. And what was up with the artwork? One more issue and a zero issue, that is all that is left. That is all I really have to say about this.

12) LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES. What can I say about this that I haven't already said? I don't understand it. I can't connect with these characters or this future world. I don't know anything about the Dominators, and nothing in here is making me want to research and learn about them. I understand that there is a Legion of Legion fans, but I am sure most of them are long time fans and don't have problems following these characters. I do not wish to insult any of these fans, so I will stop now.

11) RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. Okay that is weird. I was just saying how I didn't even know nor care that much about the Dominators. Then I see one in this book, as part of Starfire's crew. It still didn't explain anything, I just thought it was a strange coincidence. Roy is growing on me, month by month. I would like to see him fleshed out a little more, maybe a little exploration of the Green Arrow connection. The second half of the Essence Backup was just as awesome as the first half. I wonder if this is building up to her joining the team? That would be cool.

10) CATWOMAN. This issue didn't grab me as much as past issues have, but it could be because I am tired, and I did just see an excellent Catwoman in the movies. I think Selina needs to adopt a new mantra. "Whatever it is I am about to do, do the opposite." Seriously, she suffers from a new disorder that I just made up, Chronic Bad Life Choices. The treatment? Try a magic 8 ball. Anyways, she shows up at the cop's house and is surprised that he tries to arrest her. Then there is Hooker Thief. Hooker Thief, oops, sorry, Dollhouse is a woman? Did not see that coming. So is she harvesting organs? I am a little unclear on that matter. Next issue wraps this story up, and Batman arrives, again.

09) BLUE BEETLE. That was not at all how I thought this issue was going to play out. On retrospect, it makes more sense. Booster Gold is one of the few on the planet who would know about the Reach and what they are capable of. I am curious to see how the JLI "tryout" will go. It was cool seeing the Abuela sticking up for Blue Beetle. I was also surprised and a little disappointed that they are having the Paco rematch already. I would have let that wait a little longer, and then blindside Jaime with it.

08) GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Wow! That prison break got out of control with the quickness! And what did the Guardians do? Nothing. They sat back and waited to see what would happen. I wonder, did we see a glimpse of the Third Army buried amid all the "past mistakes of the Guardians?" I thought the Alpha Lanterns would have stood down when it was pointed out that they were now acting not too terribly different from John Stewart. But no, they just blindly continued attacking. Not Salaak, though. He sees that this is wrong, and is trying to stop things before they get out of control. You know like a giant Manhunter monster, for example.

07) SUPERGIRL. This has now become my favorite Super Title. I only have one complaint. One I have had since the beginning. Girl needs to learn English! It has almost been a year. She has even kind of been on a date now. How are you going to walk away from the one person you can talk to? I wonder who the Boss that the Nanomite Swarm thingy was referring to? And how did it zero in on Kara when she was in Civilian clothes? Next issue it looks like she will be running into Superman again. Maybe he can give her an English to Kryptonian dictionary.

06) BIRDS OF PREY. Poison Ivy gets the much deserved spotlight. I thought that there would be a more explicit explanation of her connection to The Green. Maybe that is being saved for ROTWORLD. Poison Ivy has always been high up on my list of favorite villains. All the best villains don't think of themselves as Villains, and Ivy is no different. She is doing what she thinks is right. She is willing to do whatever it takes to "Save the Planet." Even if it means risking the lives of her "Teammates." What will be even more interesting is the aftermath of this current situation. I find it hard to believe they will trust her after this. I wonder if ROTWORLD will change her outlook on life.

BEFORE WATCHMEN : SILK SPECTRE. Although I didn't hate it, this has been my least favorite issue of BEFORE WATCHMEN so far. The whole hippie drug thing just doesn't fit well with the books. I don't think it is going to be a theme for all the SILK SPECTRE books, so I am ok with one so so issue out of the whole project. Next week, the return of the COMEDIAN!

05) NIGHTWING. There was a lot about this issue that confused me some. I am noticing there is a trend of that this week. I think I am still hungover from the Dark Knight Trilogy. Anyways a lot of references to earlier issues. Maybe when I read the trades, I will grasp it a lot better. I can't believe Dick got turned down for the Loan, but it makes sense. A large fire during a circus performance would definitely be in the cons column of the Loan Officer. Why doesn't Dick just bend Damien over his knee and give him a good ole fashion spanking? He needs one, really badly. I am still really enjoying this series as I am with most of the other titles that confused me, I just need to get my head in the game.

04) DCU PRESENTS SAVAGE. The conclusion of the Vandal Savage/Kass Sage story. It turns out the person doing the killings is the son of the man that caught Vandal Savage and put him in jail. The whole copycat killer thing was just an attempt to get the FBI to get Savage involved in the case so that he could get revenge. Twisted, or genius? Maybe a Twisted Genius. A great conclusion to a great story arc. I think next issue is a stand alone Kid Flash issue, but I am not positive about that.

03) WONDER WOMAN. Apollo, Demeter, Artemis, and Hera. I wonder if we will ever get to see Zeus. I am starting to get a theory about Lennox. I wonder if HE was actually made of clay. Maybe Queen Hippolyta wanted Diana to have some extra protection, so she made Lennox. I know what you are thinking. "But Drew, Hippolyta would have sent an Amazon protector, or made a woman." Diana would have sent an Amazon back, and would be suspicious of a woman, but not a man. It is just a theory, and not a very likely one. Lennox is growing more on me every issue, and I can't wait to learn what his deal is. This was an awesome issue, and next month looks to be even better. I can never say no to a good Battle for the Throne!

02) BATWOMAN. To Drown the World reaches it's conclusion. However this story is far from over. These first story arcs are obviously just the first two chapters in a much bigger, more Epic story. Falchion is dead, Maro/Sune's true allegiances have been revealed, and Bette is now awake. The children are still missing, but Batwoman has not given up. This truly is one of the best books out there. Williams has been taking a break from the art, but we now know that it was for a good reason. (SANDMAN!!!) There were some great emotional scenes in this issue as well. Bette waking up, come on, who didn't mist up a little. Then there was the scene where Maggie tells Kate that she has a daughter. Great stuff. The story continues, I believe with guest appearance by Wonder Woman. Now that is a team up!

01) JUSTICE LEAGUE. Yes! Finally a story worthy of the JUSTICE LEAGUE name! And the moral of the story is...Don't piss off Wonder Woman! I am surprised that there has not been more of an exploration of Diana and Steve Trevor's past. I wonder if that will be in the zero issue. One of the things that has always bugged me about this series so far is the way Hal behaves in comparison to his own book. It wouldn't be as annoying if it wasn't for the fact that Geoff Johns writes both books. But here is what is awesome...it makes sense now. Hal says his time with the League is kind of a vacation for him, compared to what he has to go through with the Corps. It make sense, but at the same time, belittles what the League goes through. This issue also further establishes the Awesomeness of Aquaman. Superman couldn't get Wonder Woman to calm down, but Arthur sure did! What is the deal with Cyborg being able to see the Valley of Souls and a ghost of himself? I am starting to get the feeling we will see some JLD members before this all over. That is something to be explored later for sure. Then there is the SHAZAM back up. Black Adam starts proving why he is one of my favorite Villains early, and Billy Batson makes it to the Rock of Eternity. Things are finally heating up!

Wow, JUSTICE LEAGUE claims the top spot? I know, right. Color me surprised. looking back at this weeks reviews, I don't seem to be as wordy as I usually am. I think again, we can chalk this up to The Dark Knight Hangover, plus a lot of my attention was focused on the news of the tragedy. Speaking of TDKR, you are wondering what my thoughts are, so here we go. I will try to keep this Spoiler Free.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, is the last installment of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. I have read, that this was not planned as a trilogy, which just makes me even more impressed with the writers. This movie totally plays out like it was planned all along. thematically, and story wise. If you see this by itself, it may not resonate as much from what you remember from the other movies. However, if you, like me, see the entire trilogy back to back, it is an amazing piece of work. let's try to focus on this movie for now though. I do have some criticisms, but they are small when compared to the masterpiece as a whole. First off, the prologue. The one that was show a while ago in IMAX theaters that started all the griping about Ban's voice. It was cool to see, but really didn't grab you the way the opening Bank Robbery scene of TDK did. It did serve a purpose, but it is like an hour and a half later before you get what that purpose is. Then there is Bane's voice. I didn't have any problem's understanding him at all. The accent, as it should be, was hard to define. Sometimes I heard Scottish, sometimes German, and sometimes Russian. However the way it presented over the Speakers was a little off putting at first. i understand that a mask like that would require an amplified voice, but it didn't seem like it was coming from him. it seemed more like it was coming over a PA in whatever room he was in. His voice was always significantly louder and disembodied from everybody else's. I was also not satisfied with the reasons for Bane's mask, although to avoid spoilers I will not go into. Other small complaints are more spoiler based, so I will keep them to myself for now.

Okay on to the good stuff. The story, Excellent. Long time readers will recognize story elements from some of their favorite Batman stories such as KNIGHTFALL and NO MAN'S LAND. The first hour or so is slow in the action front, but all of it is important story. A lot of aftermath and repercussions of TDK. Then it picks up, A lot!. If you need to go to the bathroom, do it before Batman vs Bane Round 1.

Let's talk about Selina Kyle for a minute. I know a lot of us saw Anne Hathaway as the weakest Link of this movie going in, but we were wrong! She nailed it. A lot of the credit goes to the way the character is written. This is the most faithful to the source material interpretation of Selina Kyle that we have seen yet. Anne Hathaway was nearly flawless in the acting and the action departments.

Tom Hardy had a very difficult job going into this movie. First he had to bulk up to Bane like proportions. Achievement Unlocked! Secondly, he had to act with most of his face covered up. Which means most of the emotion has to be conveyed through Body Language and his Eyes. Considering the character, I think he nailed it. Now, there is already, and will continue to be, comparisons between hardy's bane and Heath Ledger's Joker. Why? They are too completely different types of villains, that required a completely different acting style. It is like comparing Ray Park's Darth Maul to David Prowse's Darth Vader. You can't really compare them because they are too different, not only in the character's but the acting requirements. I thought Tom Hardy provided a very memorable, and terrifying villain.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings to life a new character. Idealist Police rookie John Blake. I know his career is already skyrocketing, but this will launch him big time. He is that good. Michael Caine was the heart and soul of this movie, and the entire trilogy. This man needs to get yet another Oscar for this movie. Gary Oldman, who I have been in avid fan of since the SID AND NANCY days (yes I am that old, and yes, that was him), continues to be THE quintessential Commissioner Gordon. In fact, all the regular cast members brought the same level of skill and commitment that they have brought for the last two movies.

Hans Zimmer's musical score (which I am listening to as I type this) is stunning as always. Is it better than Danny Elfman? That is a tough call. They are both iconic for their respective series. Again I can't really say.

So is it better than TDK? I have thought about this a lot. Again, it is hard to compare because they are vastly different movies, in story and tone. However, even though it was not intended to be a trilogy at the beginning, The Dark Knight Trilogy is now one of the best Film Trilogies, EVER. So comprehensive and complete, that I now view this trilogy the way I do The Lord of The Rings trilogy. As one complete work. One complete and Epic story, divided into three parts, Telling the classic Hero's Journey. You have your beginning or origin (BATMAN BEGINS), followed by the Fall of the Hero, (THE DARK KNIGHT), and concluded with the Hero reemerging better than ever (THE DARK KNIGHT RISES).

What happens now? Reboot, or a continuation. Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale have both said they are finished. Either way, I think it will be a while before there is another Batman movie, and there should be a break. But there is no way WB will just turn their back on this lucrative franchise, especially if they ever hope to get a Justice League movie made. I have my own opinions about what should happen now, but I can't voice them yet without spoiling anything.

Whew! This was a long post. In the future any movie reviews will get their own post. I had intended for this one to be a separate post, but the tragedy made me wait on the review, so it just made sense to get it all out there. As always leave me your opinions about the movie or the comics. But please, keep any comments pertaining to TDKR, whether on here or on any social media, Spoiler Free. There are readers out there in other countries that still have to wait a month or so before watching it. Please be considerate. If you have a more specific Spoilery comment or question. Message me directly on Facebook.

Thank you for sitting through all of this,

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 45 : Bunker and Superboy's Lazy Sunday

2012-07-16T17:20:00.001-04:00

What's this? I got a post up on a Monday? I still had a fairly busy weekend. Saturday, we went swimming and had a blast! My Sunday (Morning) was spent helping a neighbor move. Upon completion of that, I was completely spent, and dedicated the rest of my day to reading comics. Thus the earlier than it has been posting. Interesting side note...During the move, we spotted a turtle crossing the road. We scooped her up and let her go at a nearby stream. She seemed much happier. Almost as happy as I am about a certain little announcement from San Diego Comic Con, But more on that later. For now, let's look back fondly at the books I reviewed this time last month :

13) DEATHSTROKE
12) GRIFTER
11) LEGION LOST
10) BATMAN AND ROBIN
09) THE RAVAGERS
08) SUICIDE SQUAD
07) SUPERBOY
06) FRANKENSTEIN : AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.
05) DEMON KNIGHTS
04) BATGIRL
03) GREEN LANTERN
02) RESURRECTION MAN
01) BATMAN

For reasons unknown to me, GREEN LANTERN was not released this week. DCCOMICS.COM listed SWAMP THING as releasing this week instead of last week, even though SWAMP THING did come out last week. Kind of strange, but let's not dwell on it, shall we?

12) LEGION LOST. Once again, the Legion has Lost me. I can't put my finger on it, but I just could not get into the issue. It wasn't confusing, it wasn't stupid, and it wasn't even boring, but I just couldn't get into it. This series has been pretty good of late, and everybody has an occasionally off issue. Hopefully this was it and things will get better again next month. The ending was somewhat intriguing, but also strangely reminiscent of The Phoenix, currenly causing all kinds of problems in the Marvel world.

11) DEATHSTROKE. Still not as good as Higgins' run, but slightly better that the last two issues. Deathstroke and Lobo finally throw down! The results are pretty much as I expected. Quick question, how many other people out there read the phrase "Thermal Detonator" and automatically heard it in the panicked voice of C-3PO. Please tell me I am not the only one. It was nice to finally get some more info on The Omegas. My biggest question that I still have with the whole series at this point is how did Deathstroke get Nth Metal Armor? I am guessing that might get answered in the pages of TEAM 7.

10) GRIFTER. A big fight issue, but with a "twist" ...SPOILER WARNING... Cheshire was a traitor? She can't be trusted? Quelle surprise! I was more surprised when they were trying to make her a hero. She just works better as a villain. I wonder if, now that the Cheshire Cat is out of the bag (see what I did there?), will she show up in Roy Harper's Life? If there was another book that could easily get caught up in the war on Daemonites, it would be RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. A few turns of phrase that I enjoyed in this issue were "go all Jedi Badasss" and "Time I got all Chosen one-y". Frank Tieri, are you trying to get Whendonesque on us? Because that would be super.

09) DEMON KNIGHTS. I was wondering when Morgan Le Fey was going to show up. Of all the books in the DCU, DEMON KNIGHTS was the logical choice. Was this the first time, in the New 52, that it was mentioned the Xanadu was related to King Arthur? Is she a fairy? That was what I got out of it. So Morgan Le Fey is also of the fairy folk? The whole family tree here is really confusing. I do love that ONCE AND FUTURE KING seems to be a major piece of source material. The concept of him coming back when England is in need is pretty awesome. Paul Cornell is continuing to craft comic gold in the Dark Ages!

08) SUPERBOY. So, We are safely back from Mystery Island and in Superboy's lush new crib. Whoa, did Superboy just rob a bank? This is why we don't clone, boys and girls. Did we learn our lesson? Good let's move on. Superboy got a tattoo, to embrace his symbol, but he still hasn't had a meet and greet with Superman yet. Why did he choose the Bar Code look? Bunker and Superboy then confront a giant robot thing named Detritus. It referenced issue 4 during this scene, but I don't remember any if that. Did they just leave him be and go about their day? That doesn't seem like responsible heroing. Wow, reading this entry, you would think I didn't like this issue. I did, a lot, it just raised a few questions, that's all.

07) THE RAVAGERS. Brother Blood is here, and he looks amazing! I am curious about his mentioning of the Red Place. We know that Beast Boy has a connection with The Red, and now this. Is this all part of ROTWORLD? That would be awesome. So why are the glowy lines on their Tron Suits also on their skin? What are they made of? The TEEN TITANS are still in their Tron Suits as well, so I wonder if they are marked this way as well? If you aren't reading this one and you are a fan of The Dark family, you may want to jump on this. Brother Blood is well known in the supernatural history of DC, and Beast Boy has some kind of connection with Animal Man. Those two things alone are enough for you to try this out.

06) SUICIDE SQUAD. I don't know if I have stated this before, but I frakkin love the New 52 version of Amanda Waller. Her little foray into Badassery just made me that much more excited about TEAM 7. How awesome was the exploding plane bit? That was hardcore! However, one would think the collars have trackers on them as well, and that Waller would know that they are still alive. I am digging the new split personality thing Harley has going on right now. It makes for an even more interesting.character. Is she going to start psychoanalyzing everything she does? I hope the mole gets revealed soon, this is starting to drag on a little. My main suspect is still Black Spider. I just don't trust him.

THE SHADE. We finally get back to the main story. This series, although superb every month, plays out like Inception. Story, within story, within story. Although, now that we are back to the main story, which involves The Shade trying to figure out who hired Deathstroke to kill him in the first issue, all the strange flashbacks and side quests begin to make sense. We only have two issues left in this miniseries. I will miss it when it is gone, but I hope The Shade appears somewhere else. JLD would be the obvious choice.

BEFORE WATCHMEN : MINUTEMEN. Darwyn Cooke continues to impress me with this second issue. His understanding of these characters and their world is top notch. Reading this, you would never guess that it is actually a prequel. These characters don't get as much attention in the original series as they deserve. This entire prequel project could have just been about these original Costumed Adventurers and I would have been happy. I am glad Hooded Justice is getting more facetime, as it were. It's nice to see some personality behind some of these characters that previously were nothing more than "also on the team" Darwyn Cooke returns next week with more of the SILK SPECTRE!

05) BATGIRL. Wow. This storyline is amazing! Gail Simone is at the top of her game right now. However, I did have a question. The Breakout and Hostage Situation that was referenced, is that from a previous story? I am going to guess BLACK MIRROR, which I have not read...Yet. I know, it is Scott Snyder doing Batman, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Anyway, I know that that story was also the James Jr story, and he is lurking around as well. My only other idea was that this was referencing the big breakout during KNIGHTFALL. It would make sense, since the character is Knightfall, but that wasn't a hostage situation. I was truly surprised and intrigued by the last page. Batwoman AND Batgirl? This should be a good one.

04) FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. Those flashbacks, what do they mean? It was one of my lingering questions last issue. For the majority of this issue, I was still plagued by it. Then the explanation came. I was thrilled with it, yet angry at myself for not figuring it out. Frank is starting to have memories of the people Dr. Frankenstein used to make Frank. Speaking of the good Doctor, this was the first issue in which Frank acknowledged that Frankenstein is technically his creator's name, not his. Another Gem of Awesomeness in this issue...D.R.H.I.D.E. You will have to read the issue to learn what is stands for, but long story short, it is a disguise device that if worn too long will induce rage and anger. Like Dr. Hyde, get it? No disrespect to the great Jeff Lemire, but I think Matt Kindt has vastly improved an already great book.

03) RESURRECTION MAN. Why? Why is this getting canceled? Sure it got off track for a minute, but it is all better now. This hurts even more than OMAC, especially after these last two issues. Last issue we get the return of Suriel, and now we have the Body Doubles and the Transhuman! I was thinking about other titles that Mitch could make an appearance. The obvious is JLD and SUICIDE SQUAD. But then I got to thinking...what about the new title, TEAM 7? It takes place in the past, possibly before Mitch got his powers. Waller and Deathstroke are both on this team, maybe it is how they first met him. It sounds like Mitch was pretty high up the food chain during his Days of Douchebag's Past, so what if he was the the one in charge of TEAM 7? Awesome idea, but that is probably not the direction they are going.

02) BATMAN & ROBIN. What an issue! Turning the Bat Symbol into something the law abiding citizens of Gotham fear as well as the criminal element is a truly genius and villainous plan indeed. My only point of contention with the issue is the fight between Damien and Jason in the beginning. That should have concluded with last issue, devoting this one, in it's entirety to the Terminus/Bat Branding situation. The rest of the issue was very cinematic. Not only the Bat Branding thing, but the Firey Batsymbol explosions, and the one Batman used were visually stunning. I am interested to see how this plays out and if it is at least referenced in the other Batbooks.

...............................SPOILER WARNING!....................

01) BATMAN. The epic Court of Owls story closes, not with a bang, but a whimper. A loud whimper, but a whimper none the less. I was pleased, but not surprised to see that the Thomas Wayne Jr. thing was a lie. Don't misunderstand me, the fight was epic, but the second half of the issue, Bruce and Dick talking, was a nice, quiet moment. I like that Lincoln March's true identity is still a mystery, as is the Court of Owls as a whole. Both of them are now established as great new rogues in Batman's Gallery. We have not seen the last of any of them. There was a certain sadness to Bruce as he was telling Dick about the fact that for 12 hours he had a brother. I think a part of him, deep down, wishes Lincoln was telling the truth. This whole ordeal is going to put him in a bad mood. In a few issues, it will be made worse by The Return of the Joker!

Okay, now for Comic Con News. The only news I want to talk about right now is HUGE. By now, most of you have probably already heard it, but I want to weigh in on this. Neil Gaiman is returning to the world of THE SANDMAN!!!! Neil Gaiman announced that he will be writing a 6 issue miniseries chronicling the events leading up to SANDMAN #1. Who has been tasked to Draw this sure to be masterpiece? J.H. WILLIAMS III. We have been wondering why he wasn't doing the art for BATWOMAN anymore. Now we know.

Their are undoubtedly some of you who are nervous about this. A creator revisiting a property after so long usually doesn't turn out well. Rest assured, folks. This isn't like BEFORE WATCHMEN (even though this has also been spectacular thus far), this isn't people running out of ideas and deciding "hey let's do a prequel, that will be straight money" Gaiman has said that this is a story he has wanted to tell since he was writing the original series, but the timing was never right. I for one am super excited about it. This will be the opportunity I have been waiting for to do a SANDMAN retrospective on the Vertigo Blog (I know, I know, new post coming soon, I promise) , but not until after the miniseries is over.

That is all I have for now. What are your thoughts on the SANDMAN news? Are you reading and/or enjoying BEFORE WATCHMEN? Let me know! See you next time!

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 44 : The Great Telephone Conspiracy

2012-07-12T21:19:00.002-04:00

Welcome back to another batch of reviews. I had yet another busy weekend. We had a yard sale that served as a fundraiser for the rescue. Of course, it turned out to be one of the hottest days of the summer. Lily set up a Lemonade stand that did so well she hired a neighbor kid to help. She wanted to donate her money to the rescue, so we matched it so she could buy herself something.

Okay, let's move on to the comics. Here is the recap from last month:

13) DETECTIVE COMICS

12) GI COMBAT

11) ACTION COMICS

10) GREEN ARROW

09) WORLDS' FINEST

08) RED LANTERNS

07) JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL

06) BATWING

05) STORMWATCH

04) DIAL H

03) SWAMP THING

02) ANIMAL MAN

01) EARTH 2

Now, let' get on with the new stuff!

13) DETECTIVE COMICS. It's nice to see Batman appearing in this issue of CAPTAIN ATOM to try to save the book...wait, what's that you say? This is a Batbook? Oops, but you can see how I got confused. This storyline is about as unBatmanny as you can get. Perhaps the opposite of Batman? I hear Daniels is leaving this book. Snyder is picking up the only good story element to come out of this run. I really am wondering if the Joker Face thing was Snyder's idea in the first place. Then there is the Two-Face backup. This was the final installment. What was the point of this story? I got no new insight into the character, nor was there any real story to speak of. This was going to be one of the books I dropped like a bad habit, but I will give the new writer a chance.

12) ACTION COMICS. Let's get this over with early...MORRISON!!! What did I just read? The best new identity he could think of is Johnny Clark? For years, I have joked that Superman puts something in the water of Metropolis to keep everybody stupid. How else can you explain his secret identity success. For anybody who wants an example of this, read THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN, while thinking about the secret identity thing. At some point, some burning thing is going to fall, and somebody is going to see "Johnny" get out unscathed. Then there will be some splaining to do. I understand the Kents are dead, but killing Clark Kent is a middle finger to their memory. What does he mean, he outlived Clark Kent. I have always felt that Superman was the disguise that helped Clark be a hero...being Clark Kent is what made him the hero that he is. That is all I am going to say about that. Hallaluyer!

11) WORLDS FINEST. Once again, we get a little bit of the present day fight with Hakkou, and a whole lot of flashbacks. The flashbacks this time, while interesting, really made me start to not like Power Girl. She is too standoffish when it comes to this world. She was Supergirl on Earth 2, but now I wonder if she is capable of heroics if it doesn't help her get back home. Huntress on the other hand, is already looking up her Gotham Counterparts. Does she realize there a lot more of them than just Robin? Based on the conversation, I think it is safe to assume, they were referring to Tim, not Damien. And that was less than 2 years ago. I think I have said this before, but this issue makes me want to see Huntress meet Damien even more.

10) GI COMBAT. Have you noticed that each month, THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT gets shorter, and UNKNOWN SOLDIER gets longer. That is not a complaint, but at this point they might as well switch it and have UNKNOWN SOLDIER be the main story, with dinosaurs serving as a backup. So far, there still isn't any real substance to the main story. Just soldiers seeing and reacting to dinosaurs. As far as the "Backup Feature" goes, it continues to be a well crafted, well paced story. If you placed the Unknown Soldier on Dinosaur Island, the Dinosaurs would be extinct again, and he would be on his way back home.

09) STORMWATCH. As much as I love this series, especially Milligan's run so far, this issue didn't do much for me. I liked the overall concept of the Neanderthals and the Hidden People, but the specifics of what was going on in this issue were sort of vague. I am also confused about Jack Tanner's plans for The Fox. He tells The Fox that he is preparing him to be Jack's partner, but that didn't seem like the plan when he was talking to The Projectionist. I did enjoy how the art style changed during the Flashbacks. I wish that was the norm in comics, but sadly it doesn't happen as often as I would like it to. Don't worry, I have no intention of dropping STORMWATCH. One issue does not a comic series make.

08) RED LANTERNS. Wow, two Guy Gardner appearances in one week. This one taking place...are you ready for it...The Planet Ysmault (The Red Lanterns home world) in Space Sector 666 ...here's the good part...5000 feet above Blood Level! That just put me in my happy place for some strange reason. I really enjoyed the face-off between Bleez and Fatality. Do you think its odd that Milligan went through all this effort to create Rankorr, just to have him constantly be seperated from the Red Lanterns and the answers he seeks? I am sure there is bigger plans for him. He is different from the other Red Lanterns, and Guy Gardner is looking for him. Next issue claims Rebirth. I wonder what that means?

07) JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL. Well, we only have one regular issue left of this plus a zero issue and an annual. It doesn't seem like we are that close to the end. This issue was pretty awesome. It did seem as though Guy Gardner was stepping into a leadership role. OMAC got a brief moment of awesomeness, although a little too hulky. Godiva got a chance to shine as well. Actually, almost everybody got a chance to show everybody that this is not a "B" team so much as "another" team. The best moment most assuredly goes to August General in Iron for the most devastating punch I have ever witnessed in a comic book.

06) GREEN ARROW. Uh oh, what is this? Are we seeing a glimmer of the real Oliver Queen, the Social Crusader? This whole issue seems like the new beginning Nocenti promised us months ago. If that last story arc was just to put Ollie into this new mindset, that's all well and good, but it could have been a better story with the same end result. I like that the Occupy Movement is becoming part of the story. Ollie is a very fitting person to be involved with that, from a story point of view. It would be interesting to see Green Arrow become the face of the movement, but then he gets outed as the uber rich playboy. I also like the concept of the Dark Arrows. This book appears to be finally getting to where most fans want it to be, let's hope it isn't a one issue fluke.

NIGHT FORCE. Here is something you can depend on. Set you watch by it. NIGHT FORCE will deliver quality story, realistic dialog (as realistic as you can get when dealing with these supernatural elements), top notch artwork, and one more thing, what was it? Let me see, oh yeah every issue has at least one moment that will creep you out! Even an avid reader of messed up Horror comics and books such as myself gets creeped out by some of the stuff Wolfman comes up with. This book has one negative though, it makes me painfuly aware of how late I am with my NIGHT FORCE Vol 2 review on my Vertigo Blog. Due to the upcoming Amethyst series, and the excitement over that, it would greatly interest readers to find out about a very interesting thing that happened in that series. I shall try to get that up in the next few weeks.

BEFORE WATCHMEN OZYMANDIAS. This series, penned by SWAMP THING creator, Len Wein, is telling the origins of the World's Smartest Man, Adrien Veidt. Early on, you can tell Adrien is planning something, but I am glad they didn't reveal what. I know that anybody that has read the original series knows what this something is, but I hope this series continues with the trend of the others. In other words, character studies, and maybe a bit of world building. If a WATCHMEN noob were to read all of these, and then the original series, the surprises will still work. Jae Lee did an outstanding job on the art. Next week we get a second dose of MINUTEMEN!

05) BATWING. No surprise here, yet another great issue. I think this is one of the more underrated books DC is putting out. I do have a slight criticism though. I felt that the Dragon story was wrapped up too quickly. I had been looking forward to this issue because of the Dragon. But instead of a whole issue of an awesome fight between Long, Nightwing, and Batwing, we get a quick couple of pages and then David talks to Matu, and their off on a new case. That being said, I love the new storyline. We get to learn more about Matu, and his past. This looks like it is going to get real personal. Not just in what Matu might do to Lord Battle, but what Batwing will do if anything happens to Matu.

04) DIAL H. In today's market, there are a lot of people who will wait and buy the trade instead of reading it month by month. There are some people who collect each issue and if it is story they really like, they will get the trade as well. For me, a sign of a truly remarkable comics writer is one that will pull people in for the monthly issues, but get them to want to get the trade, too. China Mievelle is such a remarkable writer. Every issue is jam packed with all kinds of awesome, but the over all story is bound to work even better in trade. It should be like a whole different reading experience. I for one look forward to that experience. I will admit that I am not that familiar with the older versions of this concept, but this issue looks to make reference to them as if they all tie together. This issue has me scared of the The Great Telephone Conspiracy now! What a great concept this book is running with. The only way to improve on it is to possibly have some interactions with other DC characters. If you want to read more about the likes of Baroness Resin and the Rake Dragon, you need to be reading this book!

03) SWAMP THING. I think I have found my new favorite onomotopaiea word. SHHUNK! That is the sound of Swampy quickly dispatching several Un-Men at once. The Un-Men weren't told to go pick a switch, one was picked for them! Anton was always a really creepy dude, but man oh man, Snyder turned the Creep Factor to 11 (because that is one more). Every wound turns into a mouth? So what is going to happen with the giant head wound Abby gave him? I like that when Alec is in the Parliament of Trees, or is it more a Parliament of Saplings, he is in his human form. Here is a question, in Abby's vision, who was the redhead? Was that Poison Ivy? Her hair was too long to be Buddy's wife. Speaking of Buddy Baker, we all knew ROTWORLD starts next month, but who didn't have a serious geek out moment when he showed up on the last page? I know I did. However, I noticed that Cliff wasn't there. What was that about? Since it is a crossover event of sorts, I will share my thoughts on it even after issue 12. It should be too Epic not to.

02) ANIMAL MAN. Could somebody, somewhere, please tell me in what universe would this issue not be awesome? The Red is remaking Buddy Baker. They have the technology. He can now shape shift body parts into different animal body parts. How cool is that? As an added bonus, I don't think he needs to borrow it from a nearby animal anymore. See, back in the day, Buddy had to search the morphogenic field (we now simply call this The Red) for animals that he can borrow from. He would not be able to take on the strength of a Rhino, if there was not a Rhino nearby. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I am curious about the scene with Cliff at the end. He can sense Arcane now? How does he even now who Arcane is? What does this mean? I will tell you what it means, it means Animal Man and Swamp Thing are now both powered up and ready to take it to The Rot! This is going to be epic, and it starts in one month!

01) EARTH 2. This book just keeps getting better with each issue. This is only the third issue. Can you imagine how mega crazy super awesome this will be by issue 12. Unless I am reading this wrong, which is entirely possible, Alan Scott is the Earth 2 champion of the Green. The green light of Earth's Energy, hmm. At one point, I think it was even called The Green. By somebody from...The Grey. And did the Green Bonfire just call Superman a Sun God? We also get some more with Jay Garrick and Hawkgirl. With a reference to Dr. FATE! Seriously, how could it be anybody other than Dr. Fate? The real question is which Fate is it? I hope it is Kent Nelson. That would make the most sense. We jump back to Alan Scott who is now Green Lantern. It turns out Sam didn't survive the crash, but Alan is using the engagement ring to focus the Green Energy. This is an interesting take on Alan Scott. I like it a whole lot. You know what else I liked a lot? The last page. The arrival of the agent of the Grey...THE GRUNDY!!!!! So let's recap some awesomeness touched on in this one issue. Dr. Fate, Solomon Grundy, The Green, and The Grey. Its only starting folks. Hang on Tight!

Well, there you have it. I don't really have any other comic news to report or comment on, but the San Diego Comic Con is this week, so next week will probably be a lot more informative. That's it for me folks. Drive safely and don't forget to tip the wait staff.

Drew
@DarthNearl

Week 43 : The Death of the Alter Ego

2012-07-03T22:51:00.004-04:00

Howdy everybody, guess what I did this weekend? For starters, the family attended the Steel City Animal Expo in Pittsburgh. We did not have a booth set up, but Kate helped with a fellow rescue. The Rodent Alliance was representing none the less! The kids and I got to meet Shorty Rossi from PIT BOSS. He was a really cool guy and the kids got to pet Hercules! We are looking into having our own booth and doing a presentation on stage next year. Do you like to read about my rescue exploits? It's not always as action packed as this, but interesting for those animal lovers out there.

After the Expo, we went to the Monroeville Mall. Sound familiar? It is where they filmed DAWN OF THE DEAD! They have a Zombie Museum in the Mall. It was an awesome place, AND FREE!!! I got some great pictures that I still need to put up on Facebook. Kate has some on her page. I got a really cool one of me doing the thriller next to Michael Jackson, and my favorite, me next to Tor Freakin Johnson! That's the big lumbering bald guy from PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Okay, enough personal stuff. Here then, is the rundown of last month.

13) THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN

12) BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT

11) VOODOO

10) SUPERMAN

09) ALL STAR WESTERN

08) THE FLASH

07) TEEN TITANS

06) THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN

05) BATMAN INCORPORATED

04) I, VAMPIRE

03) AQUAMAN

02) GREEN LANTERN : NEW GUARDIANS

01) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK

Due to JUSTICE LEAGUE coming out this week instead of last week, there are 14 ongoing books to discuss, plus the Watchmen book. Let's get to it.

14) THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN. I will be the first to admit that before The New 52, I did not read a lot of Firestorm. That being said, my understanding was that he had the power to change things at a molecular level. He could see a bomb, and turn it into a grilled cheese sandwich, if he wanted to, for example. It seems that with all these Firestorms running around, everybody is just blasting each other with firey energy blast type things. They all do the same thing. I could past that if there was a good story being told, but there is not. This series started with a lot of promise, a lot of potential. That potential has yet to be fulfilled.

13) THE FLASH. I hate it when they do that. You know what I am talking about. That thing where they use some exposition at the beginning to fill in what could have been a whole issue's worth of story. From what I remember, at the end of last issue, Flash returned from Gorilla City and everybody was mad at him. We had seen the first inklings of Weather Wizard action, but that was it. At the beginning of this issue, in addition to all the things I remember, Weather Wizard has supposedly kidnapped Patty and headed to South America. REALLY?!?!? That is kind of a big thing to nonchalantly reveal through exposition. Did I forget something from the last issue. This series has been very inconsistent, so it is possible. Weather Wizard really doesn't do anything other than say "Sorry, but the princess is in another castle." Okay, those weren't his exact words, but basically said the same thing. The issue ends with pretty much the same thing ACTION COMICS is doing by killing the Alter Ego. How original.

12) BATMAN INCORPORATED. Well Mister Morrison, that didn't take long, did it? You broke.away from your main narrative after only one issue. This issue could have been better served as the Zero issue. The entire issue was basically a Reader's Digest version of Talia al Ghul's life. I do believe this was the first time we have seen Ra's in the New 52, but it was in flashback. This issue isn't horrible, it is just aggravating to tell this story after only one issue. I enjoyed the first issue, and now I have to wait at least one more month to see where it goes. Will we ever see Bat-Cow again? MORRISON!!!

11) VOODOO. I just realized that OMAC isn't the only character with the cancellation curse. Andrew Lincoln received a stay of execution and relocated to VOODOO after the BLACKHAWKS was cancelled, and now VOODOO is waiting on death row. For some reason, I found it harder to get as into this issue as I have the previous issues. Maybe it is the knowledge that there is only 2 issues and a zero issue left. I hope things get brought to a satisfactory conclusion when it is all said and done. My guess is that one of the Voodoos is going to die, and the survivor will appear in the pages of GRIFTER. That is what makes the most sense to me. I have been wanting to see the two of them join up to fight daemonites anyway. So maybe this is a good thing. If it means making room for Amethyst or the Phantom Stranger, then yes, this is an acceptable loss.

10) THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN. While not quite as good as last issue, this was still the best of the Liefeld books this month, and a decent issue. I was disappointed to see that the fight arena was on Earth. I had hopes for Thanagar. Another small complaint is the uniforms of the other combatants. They were wearing Tron suits, very similar to everybody that was also engaged in Gladiatorial type combat in the Culling. So similar, that I wonder if there is a connection. The fights were pretty awesome, if not abbreviated. However, if they had split this into two issues, it would seem as if they were dragging it out. The guy at the end, Pike, is a former denizen of the Wildstorm Universe. Usually associated with Helspont. Is Hawkman getting brought into the was with the Daemonites? Why does Pike look like Liefeld made him a New 52 version of Deadpool, which in turn is Liefeld's Marvel version of Deathstroke? How Avant Garde.

09) SUPERMAN. It is amazing how much tragedy almost happened over a locket. This whole mistaken identity thing was a good storyline, but once again, it made me yell the name of my Nemesis...MORRISON!!!! They made reference to the current story line in ACTION COMICS. You know the one, where he fakes Clark's Death. In this issue Superman actually thinks to himself "reminds me of that time..." that is usually a phrase that is used in reference to something that happened a while ago, not last week, or whenever that was supposed to happen, even though ACTION is supposed to be caught up with the present. I couldn't help but notice that Clark was absent in this issue. Nobody even mentioned him. Is Clark still dead? Next week is the next issue of ACTION COMICS, so maybe we will get some answers.

08) TEEN TITANS. This was a strange issue. I find it odd there was not more of an effort to figure out why the Mystery Island had Dinosaurs. Hey guys, here we are, suddenly stuck on an island inhabited by dinosaurs, team members are missing, maybe dead, let's talk about our feelings before a velociraptor gets us. Tim Drake lost some cool points with me this issue. Could you imagine how Dick what have reacted if he saw Tim ready to call it quits? I bet Danny the Street making the ultimate sacrifice for the team made him feel like a real chump, good. Now the Amanda Waller stuff makes me think there is a mole on the team. My money is on Bart. It is the only one that makes any sense. My main interest, however, lies with the next issue and the origin of Wonder Girl! (Don't call her Wonder Girl, she doesn't like that.)

07) GREEN LANTERN : NEW GUARDIANS. I really only have one complaint with this issue. Blue Beetle should have been involved. This is the source of the Scarab after all. The battle for Odym was epic! I am glad they addressed the unknown status of Glomulus. I have a feeling we will see him again. This issue proved that, unfortunately, Hope is not always enough. You can hope all you want, but if you don't have the will to act, your hope will lead to dissappointment. But even with Will and Hope, it is best to love and fight another day. Okay, I can't speak in metaphor anymore. I was surprised to see the Blue Lanterns give up Odym. However, they don't habe time to find a new home, because they are going after Larfleeze! Does this mean we will see Glomulus again? I hope so!

06) ALL STAR WESTERN. Jonah Hex's Owl Troubles are just beginning. I am glad that last issue was the end of the last story arc, and a start of a new one. It would have been easy to have the run in with the Talon and then move on. It is the harder road to try to further embellish this fascinating mythology that Scott Snyder had created in BATMAN. Oh, let us not forget Tallulah Black. What is it about girls with eyepatches? And what is up with Arkham's mom? If you have been skipping this book simply because you don't like westerns, or you hated the Jonah Hex movie, you are missing out. This series is one of the few that is helping shape the DCU. This month's backup is a fun little one off story about Bat Lash. Next issue will feature Dr. Terrance Thirteen. Supernatural and Western...AYUP!

BEFORE WATCHMEN : NITE OWL. JMS tries his hand at writing the Watchmen characters and does a bang up job. This issue covers Dan Dreiberg as a little boy, all the way to his teaming with Rorshach. We see that he idolizes the original Nite Owl, and pulls a Tim Drake to figure out who he is. He begins training with Hollis Mason to become a sidekick but becomes his replacememt. We finish with the first meeting of the Crimebusters, the one where the Comedian burns the map. I have yet to have any real problems with these prequels. They have been so much better than I thought they would be. Next week...Ozymandias!

05) JUSTICE LEAGUE. Okay, admit it the Graves stuff was really cool. He looks really creepy, too. I don't understand how Batman already knew it was Graves. As far as I know, they have never met. Maybe in interviews for the book, sure, but not in that creepy get up. For me, this book always loses a little something when there is just the League bickering, so I actually cheered a little when Graves showed up and took them to task. Let's talk SHAZAM for a minute. We got to see Tawny the Tiger! Oh, and Black Adam looks awesome! Hopefully these are both signs that the story is about to pickup. I get it that Billy is a jerk, and the other kids are nice. Can we just get to the Shazaming already?

04) AQUAMAN. Man, that was over quick. Quick, but chock full of awesomeness. The Operative, is he Geoff Johns answer to Snake Eyes? Why yes, yes I think he is. I was shocked when he took the mask off. The Operative and Deathstroke could have a World's Most Badass Senior contest. What kind of weapons could one hide in a walker? Anyways, this was more of an action issue than it was a story issue. In flashback we get to see Arthur kill Black Manta's Dad. But, was it an accident? I am not so sure. We didn't get to hear Arthur's Dad' dying wish. I wonder if that was the wish. I would think if you were strangling a man, you would be able to tell if he had a beard or not. Next issue, we get some more info on Shin, and hopefully Mera kickin some Manta Ass.

03) BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT. Gregg Hurwitz starts his run with a bang! This issue is everything that DETECTIVE COMICS should be : classic Villains, Batman doing Detective Work, and Commisioner Gordon more heavily involved. Scarecrow, yes I am assuming The Hollow Man is Scarecrow, has upped the creepy factor. Let's face it, if you are a villain basing everything on fear, you better be damn scary looking. Scarecrow has finally obtained the level of creepiness I have been waiting forever to see. The issue starts with him sewing his own mouth shut. That's hardcore, not WWE's version of ECW hardcore, I am talking old school Flaming Thumbtack Table ECW hardcore! My only real complaint was the scenes with Bruce and Natalya. They took away from the main story. More than likely, this is just establishing the relationship before Scarecrow gets a hold of her. My other complaint involves David Finch. His artwork is a lot more subdued, and all.around better now that he is only providing art. However, I do not like the way he draws Bruce Wayne. Not Batman, just Bruce. He makes Bruce look like an Abercrombie and Fitch model. If those are my only complaints, than this series has vastly improved with this issue!

02) I, VAMPIRE. Whoa, that was a lot of stuff all at once. The majority of the issue dealt with a conversation between the Professor and the Van Freaking Helsings! At least word wise it was. The pictures during all of this was an all out Vamp Brawl between Andrew and Mary. Here is a fun fact: Napalm was invented to kill Vampires, who knew? Also on the Van Helsing Agenda, once all the vampires are taken care of, they are moving on to the "Supers!" I want to see them try that. Wouldn't that make for an interesting crossover, maybe a JLD/JUSTICE LEAGUE crossover. Can you imagine the conversation Constantine would have with these guys? Ooh, I almost forgot the ending. What kind of Napalm was that? It turned Vampires into Zombies. Let me say that again. It turned Vampires into Frakking Zombies! We are screwed.

01) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. Jeff Lemire continues to demonstrate his deep knowledge of the darker history of the DC Universe. We got a mention of Doctor Occult. The House of Mystery AND it's twin The House of Secrets?!?! WHAT!?!? The Books of Magic can only be held by one pure of heart, "and we have to find him." Him, him who? Could it be the main character of Neil Gaiman's other masterpiece, THE BOOKS OF MAGIC, Tim Hunter (I also suspect he may be the inspiration for Harry Potter). Man I hope that is the case. Speaking of Tim Hunter, my man Walter get's the credit for spotting this, but in the Xanadu Body Pile Vision, there is a boy with glasses. Could that be Hunter? Also in the pile...the core JLD members, Swamp Thing, Animal Man, and Frankenstein. How epic of a crossover could that be? Hey Mikel, can you give us some hints about this pile? Did I also see Steve Trevor in there? This issue also made me a fan of Steve Trevor. He is now officially (at least in my book) the Agent Coulson of the DCU. I am glad that Felix Faust is a more serious threat. Prior to the relaunch, he had become a laughable mockery of himself. Now he is an evil genius about to storm the Black Room. With this issue, JLD has now rightfully claimed the throne of the Best Book of the New 52. I loves me some BATMAN, SWAMP THING, and ANIMAL MAN, but JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK is the ultimate book for fans of the dark and macabre.

Before I signoff, I just want to voice my excitement about the big announcement that was made yesterday. The Joker is returning, but not in DETECTIVE COMICS. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are following their epic Owl Story Arc with a Joker Story. In an article on DCComics.com, Snyder says this is a story he has been planning almost as long as the Owl story. It begs the question, did Daniels remove Joker's face as a set up for Snyder's story? In retrospect, that is what it seems like. Ultimately it doesn't matter,because this should be awesome!

Well that wraps things up here. See you next time!

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 42 : Brussels Sprouts from Hell

2012-06-27T23:54:00.001-04:00

Aah the joys of cooking over a fire pit. If you follow mine or my wife's facebook pages, you will no doubt have seen pictures of all the yumminess I have been cooking up. Plus I get to read comics while tending to the fire. I just want to take a moment to mention that Facebook has allowed me to get back in touch with my two best friends during my college years. One of which, my former roomate, is the one that got me into comics in the first place. So yeah, I had a great weekend. But now it is time for business. Here is our recap.

13) CAPTAIN ATOM

12) LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES

11) RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS

10) BLUE BEETLE

09) WONDER WOMAN

08) DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS SAVAGE

07) SUPERGIRL

06) JUSTICE LEAGUE

05) CATWOMAN

04) GREEN LANTERN CORPS

03) BATWOMAN

02) BIRDS OF PREY

01) NIGHTWING

The swapping of BATMAN and BATWOMAN has had a profound effect on the third week books. But that doesn't just mean these other books all moved up a notch because they are no longer competing with the BATMAN juggernaut, they have all upped their games recently. For whatever reason, JUSTICE LEAGUE doesn't come out until next week. With that said, let's get on with the show.

12) CAPTAIN ATOM. Once again, I find it even harder to care about a book I already didn't like, now that I know it is being cancelled. The chances that I will suddenly fall in love with this particular book in the next two issues is smaller than the chances of Captain Atom's attempt at some semblance of a normal life not blowing up in his face.

11) LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES. That does it! This title is officially on notice. You have two more issues and the zero issue to persuade me not to drop you. I just can't connect with these characters. They are too far removed from everything else I read, including LEGION LOST, that I don't get any real sense of peril. They highlight of this issue was the reference to Thom's stay in the "ancient nuthouse." He was one of my favorite characters during his stint with the JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA, but he has gotten left by the wayside in here. This issue shows a glimmer of hope that he will have a bigger role in the future.

10) BLUE BEETLE. I will try to stick with talking about this issue even though the last page has me super geeked about the next issue. Booster Gold and Blue Beetle together! It will be interesting to see if Ted Kord gets mentioned. Sorry, this issue, right, I need to talk about this issue. Blue Beetle visits the offices of the DEO, but it didn't end as well as he hoped. Mister Bones can tell that Jaime is more than likely human and want to recruit him, a la BATWOMAN. The Bugsuit isn't as trusting. Meanwhile, Jaime's Grandma, who lives in New York, is now aware of his presence in New York City. But before she can start to search, somebody else finds him...Booster Frikkin Gold! I think Jaime may have found the mentor he was looking for.

09) CATWOMAN. So my so called Hooker Thief has a name. Dollhouse. Unfortunately, I am only privy to this information because of the cover, and the "next issue" page. I don't remember him ever being called that in story. That is just a minor beef of mine. A new villain should be introduced in story, not spoon fed to us on the cover. The story was decent. Catwoman is starting to try her hand at the hero thing. Spark has earned the trust of everybody, but me. I am really curious to see what Selina has planned with Detective Alvarez.

08) WONDER WOMAN. I am curious to see what other people thought of this issue. Personally, I didn't like this one very much. The whole "I love everyone" thing just doesn't work for me. What was the deal with Lennox? Is he made of stone or something? It looked like was about to explain it, but then never does. The ending was a little confusing as well. This is how I saw it go down. Earlier, Diana had told Hades that he had to learn to love himself before he could truly love someone else. Then, he gets a mirror as a present, so he is looking at himself when Diana shot him with Eros' pistol. That means he loves himself now? I would think this would backfire, and now that Hades does love himself, (but didn't he already?) He is going to really fall in love with Diana, or Zola, or Strife. When it was all said and done, it was an anticlimactic ending to a great story arc.

07) SUPERGIRL. Kind of a strange issue, don't you think? Still entertaining though. I wonder if Sioban qnd her brother will stick around now that the Black Banshee problem is resolved. I hope Tom becomes romantically involved with Supergirl, but first either she needs to learn English, or he needs to learn Kryptonian. One thing I found odd was the usage of the phrase "yellow energy" which she used to make a sword. Is she suddenly in the Sinestro Corps? I understand that she was referring to energy from Earth's Sun, but how could she use that to make a construct? Is there a fear connection? I doubt it. More than likely I am reading too much into things again.

06) RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. Finally, we get a glimpse of the Kick Ass Warrior Princess we all remember from before the relaunch. This issue just further illustrates the roller coaster ride that is RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. Last issue we were in Gotham City Protecting Mister Freeze from the Court of Owls. Now we are in space with Starfire's crew. Who knew she had her own crew? There was also a very interesting backup featuring Essence. You remember, from The Untitled. So most of the issue is Starfire awesomeness in space, and then we switch to Supernatural Secret Society Cults with Essence. Yeah, I love this book.

Our only miniseries this week is BEFORE WATCHMEN : THE COMEDIAN. Another outstanding entry into the world of the Watchmen. I really liked seeing the relationship Eddie had with JFK. He really seems like a different person than he is during the flashback scenes of WATCHMEN. It will be interesting to see how the last few pages of this issue impact his life and cause his downward spiral. Next Issue...NITE OWL

05) DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS SAVAGE. Okay, Vandal Savage just moved several notches up the Bad Ass Charts. His escape at the end was Legend...wait for it...Dary! I am really curious to see how this all plays out. I thought the Feds sent Savage back way too early, but at least Kass' Savage Sense was also tingling, but was it too late? Who is the copycat? He looks creepy. In the future I would like to see Vandal Savage get his own book with story arcs that jump around in his long life. Maybe frame it as Vandal telling the stories to Kass.

04) BIRDS OF PREY. This book just keeps getting better. There a couple of things about this issue that made me really happy. First, I am glad Travel Foreman got a chance to exercise his creepy muscles. Those "Brussels Sprouts from Hell" looked like something we might see in the ROTWORLD crossover. Like some weird progeny of The Red and The Green with a little bit of Rot thrown in. Speaking of The Green, the second thing that made me super happy is that DC is not keeping these Elemental concepts strictly in the pages of ANIMAL MAN and SWAMP THING. Poison Ivy definitely has a connection to the Green, and Beast Boy, from THE RAVAGERS is supposed to be connected to The Red somehow, but that has not been explored. I wonder where this leaves Vixen? Anyways, a spectacular issue through out, except for the fact that Katana wasn't in it more.

03) GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Lookout folks there is a prison break in progress! Watching the sentencing and immediate fallout, I thought "They aren't going to break him out. There is going to be a reversal of some sort, or they will change the sentencing and Stewart will get some kind of Mind Wipe/personality change." I never thought they would actually go through with a breakout. There is going to be some major fallout over this. But it also gives the Guardians the additional motivation to bring about the mysterious Third Army. My money is still on the Guardians planning all of this from the get go.

02) NIGHTWING. That whole issue, I kept asking myself, "What is he up to? What is he planning?" I never would have guessed the truth. Reopening the Amusement Park, in Gotham? That is pretty crazy, Dick. Keeping Haly's Circus at the Amusement Park in Gotham, even crazier. I hope this works out for him. However, I suspect that this is what will bring the Joker out of hiding. Maybe he will secretly replace the clown who is always so nervous about performing in Gotham dressed like a clown. We can all assume he has a new face. Maybe he has already switched, ready to cause all kinds of Mayhem on opening Night. That would be cool. Doubtful, but cool.

01) BATWOMAN. Another stellar issue, no surprise there. What made this issue so great, and therefore this series great, is the little moments. Even though most of this issue deals with the big confrontation, and flashbacks pertaining to Killer Croc's metamorphosis into the Urban Legend Sewer Gator, you get a couple of amazing personal moments. Maggie Sawyer practically begging Gordon to let her work the case...great moment. But the moment that stands out the most in this issue is the hospital bed scenes. Bette is still in a coma, and Kate's Father admits that he secretly loved Kate's sister, Beth more. At the end of the scene you see Batwoman watching through a window, but we don't know how much she heard. The issue ends with a crazy cliffhanger, and I think this storyline reaches it conclusion next issue as well.

Well that's it folks. I don't really have anything else to add, and it is almost midnight on the Wednesday AFTER these books came out, so I will go ahead and sign off. Please feel free to leave comments either here or on any of the Social Media sights where I lurk. See you next time!

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 41 : Hoo Dun It?

2012-06-18T22:48:00.001-04:00

How was your Father's Day Weekend? Mine was great. I got to spend some time playing Skyward Sword, and I got to break in my new Fire Pit Grill. It was awesome. But enough about me, you didn't come here to read about me, you want to read about comics. As promised, I want to talk about the cancellations and new the Third Wave Books, but I will save those for last. Here was the run down of last month:

12) DEATHSTROKE
11) GRIFTER
10) LEGION LOST
09) SUPERBOY
08) DEMON KNIGHTS
07) SUICIDE SQUAD
06) RESURRECTION MAN
05) BATMAN AND ROBIN
04) BATGIRL
03) GREEN LANTERN
02) BATMAN
01) FRANKENSTEIN : AGENT OF SHADE

I now see why their was only 12 books that week. It was to make room for THE RAVAGERS. Anyways, on with the this weeks books.

13) DEATHSTROKE. Lately there has been a lot of talk about how comics are going back to the nineties. For the most part, I am cool with that. I loved the nineties, that was when I got into comics. A lot of the characters that I love, I first encountered in the nineties. Then I read this issue, and I was like "oh, I get it now" not all the comics in the nineties were good comics. Some were downright awful, like this one. Deathstroke, Zealot, Omega Men, and Lobo, welcome to the DC Comics edition of I LOVE THE NINETIES. Okay technically Omega Men were late eighties, but you get the idea.

12) GRIFTER. Hmm what can I say about this? Well, it was better than DEATHSTROKE. Since when has he had the power to telekineticaly hold and shoot guns? There is obviously a mole on the team and my money is on Deathblow. Actually, look at the scene where Cole is asking if everybody is trustworthy. Cheshire looks ashamed. I think this whole thing is a setup of some sort. A team of Moles if you will. Deathblow says he wouldn't be there if he didn't trust everybody with his life. That seems like a bit of an evasive answer. Whether this "Resistance" is using him as bait to get to the Daemonites, or if the whole team is actually working for the Daemonites we will have to wait and see.

11) LEGION LOST. I am glad to see that now that The Culling is over, this book hasn't just jumped back to business as usual. The story continues straight out of the ending. The Lost Legionnaires have their hands on a Time Bubble now, and head home. But it is not the home that they left. The future is now a waste land. Did they go too far into the future, or did they, by defeating Harvest, cause the Armageddon he was said he was trying to stop. If that truly was the case, we should see reflections of this in the main LOSH title. I am glad to see that there are further ramifications of Timber Wolf's little fundraising outing a few issues ago. I was also really surprised to see Steve Trevor and ARGUS show up. This title is really starting to shape up nicely.

10) BATMAN AND ROBIN. Remember when I said I was gaining respect for Damien? That he was starting to grow as a person? Scratch that! Damien is a little punk that needs to be put in his place. Cassandra, I know you are out there somewhere. If anybody can teach him a lesson, it would be you. With this whole Robin reunion thing, I was hoping to at least have a mention of Stephanie. Oh well. This issue really didn't make a lot of sense. After what happened with Nobody and The Court, I am surprised that Damien would regress like that. Then there is the whole Terminus thing. There was a whole lot of build up about him this issue, so there better be a decent payoff.

09) THE RAVAGERS. Well, now, this is more like it. I am glad that Harvest is sticking around. If I am understanding this correctly, The Culling went down exactly as Harvest had planned it. All the escaped Ravagers, didn't exactly escape, but more liked released in to the world as part of a larger, more nefarious plan. But what is the plan? I am guessing they are all sleeper agents of some sort, to be activated when the time is right. Of the main group, would that mean Ridge is a ticking time bomb, or.everybody but Fairchild? Then we have the ending, with Beast Boy and Terra. I know there are plenty of people who will be excited to see the New 52 debut of Brother Blood! I was surprised that it happened here instead of TEEN TITANS.

08) SUICIDE SQUAD. My official vote for who the traitor is...Black Spider. The flashback scenes from previous issues where we saw the traitor's Point of View were presented in the same purple hue that was used in this week's flashback. It could be the style of this book to present all flashbacks that way, but Black Spider has a purple Motif anyway, so I am sticking with that. Harley confuses me a little. Is she now Dr. Harleen Quinzell AND Harley Quinn. How does that work? How hard is she going to fall if her "Puddin" ever does come back? I noticed that Mitch Shelley's hand is still being studied. I wonder where that is going to lead? That just leaves Yo-Yo. How hardcore is it to force somebody to live in the intestinal tract of King Shark, just to prove that they are indestructible? Yeah, pretty Hard Core, just like this whole series!

07) SUPERBOY. More Culling Aftermath! This one follows Superboy and Wonder Girl to Mystery Island. An island, that for some reason, has Dinosaurs. Is this the same Island we have been seeing in GI COMBAT? Regardless, this issue does a great job of setting the relationship between Cassie and Kon-El. When this Mystery Island.thing is over, I would like to see Superboy have some solo story time. He has his own book, might as well use it. He needs to set out on his own, find out more about his lineage. Spend some time with other Super folks. I really want to see some exploration of his human DNA doner as well. Not that I don't like the interaction with the Titans. It has worked really well up to now, but he won't really be able to start being a proper hero until he knows more about himself.

06) FRANKENSTEIN : AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.. Excellent jumping on point for anybody not reading this action packed bundle of weirdness. Assassin bugs, poet spies, other dimensional cities accessed by cosmic Jet packs, this issue has all those things and more. I wonder if the Leviathan office has anything to do Batman Inc? I doubt it. Another awesome touch was the whole Time-Sniper thing. There was a reference to it, along with an editor's note asterix. You know like it had happened in another issue but the note that went with the asterix simply said "Classified." I am betting it will be in the Zero Issue. So, the scene in the Library, what was that all about? And why was Frank having those flashbacks, even while falling to his cliffhanger ending? The Satan's Ring is off to a good start.

We had two miniseries issues this week.

THE SHADE. After this issue, we have three issues left. This has been a very strange journey Shade has been on, and even though I don't understand some of it, I will miss this mini when it is over. It is easy to forget that The Shade has Powers other than immortality, so is always awesome when he uses them. Yet, it is still all the more alarming when he loses those powers. This series has not had a lot of cliffhangers, but thisissue had one, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

BEFORE WATCHMEN SILK SPECTRE. Darwyn Cooke has done it again. This time with the Amazing Amanda Conner. This issue primarily focused on Laura's relationship with, and shame of her mother. It is a very well crafted personal story. No real superheroics here. So far these prequels are coming off as more of a series of Character Studies than a traditional Prequel. That is what I was hoping for. They aren't trying to say that Moore and Gibbons told an incomplete story, they are exploring the characters in a way that gives you a better understanding of them when you read the original WATCHMEN. Next week...THE COMEDIAN!

05) DEMON KNIGHTS. "Look, it's a Pirate Sea Serpent! That is something I have NEVER shouted before!" Those are the first words in this issue, and it gets crazier from there. There a lot of memorable lines in this issue. "Everytime you question magic, a wizard dies." Words of wisdom by Xanadu. This has been a fun series and this issue is no exception. Everybody gets a moment in the spotlight. Shining Knight has a moment of Extreme Badassery. There has been some speculation that The Rot had something to do with this issue, but I don't think that is the case. I do hope there is a point in which we see Dark Age Avatars of the Red and Green.

04) BATGIRL. Damn, a bear trap? I would not want to find that in a dark alley, or a parking garage, or even a dark parking garage. I can tell that this issue is the beginning of something special. The Disgraced...interesting concept. I was thinking this was going to be an extremist version of the Guardian Angels. Street level people trying to clean their streets sort of thing. Then the "bargain basement Hawkman" showed up. What ARE we dealing with here? What is Knightfall? Is it a person, group, or a movement? In the world of Batman, Knightfall is the storyline in which Bane breaks Batman's back. Is there a connection here? This is an excellent jumping on point if you are as intrigued about this as I am.

03) GREEN LANTERN. The conclusion of The Secrets of the Indigo Tribe, mostly served to get me excited about what is coming next, The Revenge of the Black Hand! Sinestro once again proves he deserves to be the wielder of the Ring. I think it says a lot about the two of them when Hal was whining about the fact that he was trying to start a life without the ring. Sinestro's response..."You are a Green Lantern, Hal. This IS your life." Shortly after that admonishing, Sinestro runs into a fight without a ring, while Hal stands there. Hal does manage to redeem himself a little, by assuming Abin Sur's responsibility to fight the Guardians using the Indigo Tribe. So, to recap things in the Green Lantern world, The Guardians are about to replace the Corps with a Third Army, Hal Jordan is raising an Army of his own, oh yeah, Black Hand is back! Not to mention whatever is going on in the Free Comic Book Day issue and the cover of issue Zero. Good times ahead!

02) RESURRECTION MAN. I hate being right. I will talk more about this in a minute, but this series is getting cancelled, again. Even though the last few issues have been losing me a little, I still hate to see it go. However this issue saw.things getting back on track. I was worried looking at the cover, but it really doesn't properly convey what happens inside. This issue sees the return of the Angel Suriel, and whoever is representing the downstairs department. The end result is Mitch agreeing to relinquish his soul after finding the answers he seek. He didn't promise his soul to one side or the other, but let them fight it out. Seeing as how have two issues plus a zero issue. I think we will have a satisfactory resolution to the series. Will we see Mitch again? My bet is a stint on JLD or SUICIDE SQUAD.

01) BATMAN. What?!?! Wait a minute. Okay usually I review a book right after I read it,but this one I need to think about. Maybe read through it again.....OK, it is now the next day. I have reread it, thought about it, and read the Newsarama interview with Scott Snyder. If you have not read this issue, please stop here, for there are SPOILERS aplenty from this point on S..P..O..I..L..E..R....W..A..R..N..I..N..G....okay when I read it the first time, my gut reaction was that I was not happy. The fact that Bruce had a long lost brother that he didn't know about seemed a little farfetched. But then I started thinking. Early on in the series I had a theory that I never posted. I thought it might be Hush. What if it is Hush. What if this is a big mind game he is playing. If I remember correctly, last time I read anything with Hush in it, he was getting plastic surgery to look like Bruce. Kinda like how Lincoln March looks a lot like Bruce. I remember Greg Capullo constantly tweeting that March was supposed to look like Bruce. The Jarvis Pennyworth backup, gave me some doubts, but then I realized it only confirmed the fact that Martha was pregnant, and that she had a car crash on the corner of Lincoln and March. It never said if the baby lived or not. So yeah I return to my original theory that Hush is behind this. I am pretty sure the Elliots were a very influential family, I am talking Owl level here. He could be a member of the Court, who decided to us its resources for a very elaborate game of Bat and Owl. He could have access to police records to get details about the car crash to use in this sick game. Based on the previously mentioned article and second reading of the issue, I am more accepting of the Thomas Wayne Jr. Scenario. However, I don't think that is the truth. My prime suspect is still Hush, but maybe it is someone else. Maybe the Court is playing mindgames, the way I suspect Hush is. We will have to wait to find the truth. What do you think? Is Lincoln March really Thomas Wayne Jr., or is there still more to this puzzle?

Okay, let's talk about the Third Wave. It was announced that there is going to be 4 new series that debut with Zero issues during the Zero Month.

TALON. This is a spinoff of the Court of Owls storyline. To me, this could end up being very reminiscent of AZRAEL. I hope that is the case, because I loved that series!

TEAM 7. This is a very interesting concept. It is set in the early days of the DCU (By Early, I mean shortly after Superman went Public) We have a team that consists of Dinah Lance, Amanda Waller, Steve Trevor, John Lynch, Alex Fairchild, Cole Cash and Slade Wilson. That is an interesting lineup. This could be another sleeper hit that serves as a cornerstone for the whole DCU.

SWORD OF SORCERY. Think ALL-STAR WESTERN, but with Fantasy. I am already excited just by that concept. But wait...The featured story... is it..yes, it is.... AMETHYST OF GEMWORLD!!!! I know a lot of people geeked by this announcement.

THE PHANTOM STRANGER. Yes, you read that right. The Phantom Stranger is getting his own series. Us fans of Supernatural and Horror books have been patiently awaiting this day for awhile. I am glad to see that his appearance in JUSTICE LEAGUE and the Free Comic Book Day Special were just the tip of the Iceberg. I am not sure how they will tackle this. It could be an anthology setup, where The Stranger is helping out different people throughout history, or it could be a closer knit narrative. I would be happy either way, but I kind of hope it is the second choice.

Unfortunately, these new books mean there are also four cancellations. DC seems to mean business about keeping 52 ongoing titles. The books that are getting cancelled with issue 12, although they do get Zero issues, and in one case, an Annual.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL. We already knew this was going. It was a focus of debate for awhile, but alas, it is getting cancelled. Once again, I will go without my OMAC fix. I do believe the final issue for this is actually the Annual.

CAPTAIN ATOM. This is a book that I was surprised survived the first round of cancellations. It was my obvious choice. Not only the one I thought would get the ax, but also the one I wanted to see go away.

VOODOO. Not surprised, but this book has gotten a lot better over the last few months. I hope they bring the story to a satisfactory conclusion.

RESURRECTION MAN. I have touched on this a little already. This upsets me even more than OMAC. I have previously stated that the announcement that this book was part of The New 52 is what got me excited about the whole thing. Hopefully, just like Mitch Shelley, this title will get Resurrected again someday.

There you have it. Four in, four out. I am pretty excited about all four new titles, and mostly saddened by the four cancellations. But, this is a business, and they are trying their best to keep things fresh.

That will do it for me this week. See you next time!

Drew
@DarthNearl

Week 40 : The Secret History of History

2012-06-12T10:13:00.002-04:00

The New 52 has made it to the double digits!!! Some big news came out while writing this, but I will get to that at the end. Let's take a look at the way things were :

13) GREEN ARROW
12) ACTION COMICS
11) GI COMBAT
10) RED LANTERNS
09) DETECTIVE COMICS
08) JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL
07) BATWING
06) WORLD'S FINEST
05) STORMWATCH
04) SWAMP THING
03) EARTH 2
02) ANIMAL MAN
01) DIAL H

Has the newness of the The Second Wave worn off? Read on for the answers!

13) DETECTIVE COMICS. This is the problem with making last minute plans to be a part of a crossover event. You interrupt your own story, so that you can do your tie in issue, but then, when you return to the story you were telling, it has been two months, and it is hard to pick up the story threads. The multiple Batman thing, what was that even about? The end of the issue seemed like it should have been in CAPTAIN ATOM, not DETECTIVE COMICS. The Two Face backup feature didn't make any sense. I don't like being this negative about a comic book. But I need positives to talk about, and this issue was severely lacking in those. Ooh wait, I think I found something. Everything was spelled.right. Bravo, here is your banana sticker.

12) GI COMBAT. Again, we start with THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT. We get an intimate moment flashback about killing in combat before we jump into the present (maybe) where everyone is fighting and killing dinosaurs. I am glad at least one soldier looks at this as a survival situation and not just another war. We still don't know why there are dinosaurs, where they are, or when they are. At some point this will need to be explored, or we just have a bunch of soldiers who will eventually run out of ammo and become dinosaur food. Meanwhile, THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER continues to be the better story. This time, we get some more info on his abilities, and his mission. Palmiotti and Gray seem to be an unstoppable juggernaut of late. I am glad to see that there is a bigger story going on then just the mission of the month. Unfortunately, that also means, this story will likely end before the dino story. But that just means HAUNTED TANK time!

11) ACTION COMICS. Wow, in one issue, Grant Morrison managed to exemplify almost everything I love and hate about him. Let's start this journey by starting with the obvious. What did last months issue, the Multiverse Issue have to do with this? Seeing as this is Grant Morrison, I am sure it will come in to play at some point, but who knows when. This issue started with me actually relieved that we weren't still on another Earth. It actually picked up where issue 8 said the story was going, with Kraven, I mean Nimrod, the Hunter. We then skip over to Superman apprehending a killer and taking custody of some hamsters. The Justice League scene was weird. Not Grant Morrison weird, just weird. I did like the scene where Bruce and Clark had already figured out secret identities, but the team dynamic is one I don't like, even if it does gel with JUSTICE LEAGUE. But two questions, why is Aquaman wearing that necklace again? Since when did Flash have a family? In this continuity, I mean. I am intrigued by the death of Clark Kent story, but it better resonate in other books. Unless this whole issue was also on another Earth, which could imply that this whole title was on another Earth, which is unlikely. Oh wait, this is Grant Morrison. Damn it, has all of this been on another Earth? Is it just me or do not only Clark, but Lois and Jimmy look considerably younger in this issue? Why is Clark still using the T shirt and Jeans costume, but also the armor occasionally. I suspect we have two Supermen right now, and only one of them is from the main DCU Earth. That way last issue makes some sense, and those characters show up to take out the Other Superman. Then there is Adam. Who is that I wonder. It isn't Black Adam, but could.it be Adam One returned? That would be cool, but doubtful. Overall a better issue then we have seen in a while. I am interested to see where this goes. Grant, please don't disappoint me, again.

10) GREEN ARROW. A stand alone issue, and a decent one at that! We got a different artist as well, which was also an improvement. This issue saw what could be the beginning of Ollie's Journey to be the character we all love, the Social Crusader. This issue was also a little creepy. The villain of the piece was a man named Stan Cognate. He would implant a chip into his patients (he was a psychiatrist, and this was voluntary) that would make them act like robots. He would even sell them to people. As he said, this wasn't slavery, it was a lifestyle choice. I think the point of the issue was that Ollie felt a lot like these robowannabes, but still chose to be human. I think Nocenti didn't quite succeed in portraying that feeling in the issue. It was shoehorned into the credit page in the previously box on te bottom. The issue ended on a really creepy note at a Robot Anonymous meeting . People,who either thought they were, or wanted to be robots, sharing stories, and showing off implants. .In the final panel, it looks like Ollie is looking in, wondering if he should join. So, we get Green Arrow fighting for people's free will, while Ollie himself is going all emo on us. We are closer to what we all want to see in GREEN ARROW, but we still have a long way to go.

09) WORLDS' FINEST. Although last month I was really glad we got to see the flashbacks of when Power Girl and Huntress arrived on the main Earth, this month it took away from the main story. The Flashback sequences in this issue could have been shorter, giving the girls more story time to deal with Hakkou. I can't believe I didn't see the Parademon resemblance. So which Universe is the actual home of Darkseid and Apokolips? Earth 1, Earth 2, or a completely different one. Maybe Apokolips is its own dimension/Universe. I am curious to how this book plays out once we are all settled in. Will there be more Earth 2 refugees? Will this all be about trying to get home? I think they need to meet up with Batman and Superman soon, or us readers will lose our patience.

08) RED LANTERNS. Atrocitus vs Stormwatch! This was a very interesting issue. It set up some story threads for future use. Threads such as Stormwatch looking for ways to put down the "Evil Threat" of the Green Lanterns. What I find interesting about this is that Martian Manhunter has had dealings with The Justice League, and therefore Hal Jordan. Wait a minute, I just remembered, Martian Manhunter also showed up in GREEN LANTERN CORPS and had some words with Guy Gardner. That should be enough for Stormwatch to know what is up with them. If anything, they should be more weary of the Guardians. This encounter seems to have had an effect on Atrocitus as well. Rankorr also continuing to go through changes. Are these due to Stormwatch, or the poisoning of the Red Battery? Will Dex-starr get revenge on Midnighter? "Midnighter to Stormwatch, I've just punched a cat" You lost some cool points with me Midnighter. Dex will have is revenge, not now, but soon....

07) JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL. Before I start with this review, let me start by confirming that yes, this title is getting cancelled. Issue 12 and the Annual will be the finale. Is OMAC just bad luck? I will talk more about cancellations and New Titles later. One thing that has been growing on me about this book is the relationships between everybody. It is what JUSTICE LEAGUE is missing, the camaraderie. I was surprised to see that Batwing and Vixen knew each other already. I want to see that relationship explored more. If not in here, then maybe in BATWING. The Burners are an interesting group. It is nice to see the JLI battling villains instead Aliens, Monsters, and what nots. I wish Batman would just let them be. He has an agent on the team now, he can loosen the reigns a little.

06) BATWING. This issue exemplifies my only problem with this series. Judd Winick needs to have a little more faith in his work. This is a good book. I have enjoyed every issue, but Winick keeps finding ways to put Batman in it. This book doesn't need that to keep people reading. The quality storytelling does that. There was too much globe trotting going on. If Batwing is a part of BATMAN Inc, why did he AND Nightwing have to go to China? Isn't there somebody over there that can handle that part of the investigation? I thought Batwing was the African Batman, not the Batman of the rest of the world. Nightwing was too jokey in this issue as well. Story wise, another great outings. You can never go wrong with Pirates. But again, we connected with Gotham by having Penguin be behind it. Oh, and the Dragon, yeah that was awesome.

The first of out miniseries this week was NIGHT FORCE. Can things get creepier? Yes They Can! So now we find out the reason a small poor ragtag army (The Colonial Americans) can defeat the Mighty British. We made a Faustian Deal with creatures that seemed like Lovecraft deemed them too scary for his tales. This is horror comics at it finest Boys and Ghouls. For the first time it would appear that Baron Winters has a much closer role to play than he has in the past. We are at the half way point of this stellar miniseries, and I will be sad when it is over. Tom Mandrake is doing an amazing job on art as well. If Mikel Janin ever wants to step down from JLD...please don't Mikel...Mandrake is my choice to replace him.

And that brings us to BEFORE WATCHMEN : MINUTEMEN. Here is the Opening Salvo of BEFORE WATCHMEN. Darwyn Cooke, you sir, are an amazing talent. I think this might be the first thing I have read that he has written. I have experienced his art, but not his writing, oh wait, I just remembered New: FRONTIER. This issue was the perfect choice to start this venture. It reads like a first issue of a great ongoing team book. You don't need to be familiar with WATCMEN at all to enjoy this first issue. However, there is a lot of stuff that you will appreciate even more if you are a WATCHMAN fan. Is it respectful of the original material? Why yes, yes it is. Then there is CRIMSON CORSAIR. Written by Swamp Thing creator, the legendary Len Wein, it carries on in the vein of the BLACK FREIGHTER. I have only one complaint. It is only two pages! This story will be spread out through out the entire BEFORE WATCHMAN saga, so that will be awesome. I hope it gets collected in its own book! Next week...SILK SPECTRE #1

05) STORMWATCH. Remember a couple of months ago, when there was concern over changing creative lineups. I think it is safe to say that these were the right choices. Jeff Lemire is doing.extraordinary things with JLD, and Peter Milligan has knocked it out of the park with STORMWATCH, again. This issue was fantastic! First we get a neat little Easter Egg with the scene in France. The JUSTICE LEAGUE book and the Atlantis book were on the table. Interesting. Harry Tanner is up to something, and he is not alone. He has recruited...are you ready?...wait for it...The Fox! What you don't know who that is? You remember way back in issue 2 when The Projectionist set The Fox up as a Patsy for the Moon thing? And the JLI was interigating him? Yeah, that Fox. I can't wait to see what Milligan has in store for him. But wait there's more! The French and Indian War was about Stormwatch. Apparently there is a lot more to History then we thought. The scene with Apollo at the end was very well done. I liked his frustration about being secretive, when he had just come out. Was is just me or did the Danger Caches have Shazam lightening bolts on them. Very interesting. Very interesting indeed. I can't wait to see what else Mister Milligan has in store for us.

04) DIAL H. I thought Boy Chimney and Captain Lachrymose were cool. But, Iron Snail?!?! That was awesome. I am curious, will he have the ability to reuse a superhero? If all the Superheroes stick with him, maybe Nelse can start to choose who gets dialed. There were some really cool ones on the first page such as Shamanticore. I really would have liked to seen Rancid Ninja. It would be a shame to not see them in proper action. Some of the story elements were a bit confusing, but I am sure by the time the first arc is over, it will make more sense. I felt it was very poignant when he referred to himself as the worst identity of all. I think that is going to be some interesting character development. If you are not reading this yet, what are you waiting for? Get in on the ground floor of a very unique reading experience, or you may be swarmed by the Pelican Army!

03) SWAMP THING. Anton Arcane and the Un-men! I knew Arcane was going to be in this, but I was not expecting the Un-men. Swamp Thing's Warrior look was toned down this issue, but that was probably due to the fact that he was recovering. I am glad to see that the Parliament of Trees is growing back. It sounds like they may be a little different when they are all return. I loved the scene where we saw Baby Abby and her dead mother. "She had been playing." I am a little confused however. Who is THE Avatar for The Rot? Abby, Anton, or William? Their is definitely a connection in the family, but just as Maxine is The Avatar of the Red, and Alec is The Avatar for the Green, who is The Avatar for the Rot? Maybe the Rot has a different nature to it. Nature, that's funny. Was Anton telling the truth at the end, somehow I doubt it, but with this book, anything goes!

02) ANIMAL MAN. Justice League Dark, meet the Bakers. I loved that whole section. Cliff telling Constantine that Trench Coats went out of fashion in the eighties. Comstantine's response..."so did mullets." Oh that is good stuff. But this issue isn't all jokes (Miss Zanadaloo, tee hee) there is a lot of other stuff going on as well. Buddy continues his tour of the Red, which happens to slowly be changing to fit the whims of a little girl. Cliff storms out on his own angry at a certain Brit, where he encounters Buddy's Body, inhabited by one of the Hunter's Three. What really piqued my interest, was when Constantine mentioned they need help from the Big Green Guy, but he was not referring to Swamp Thing. Will we see Frankenstein vs The Rot round 2? I hope that is the case!

01) EARTH 2. Why did it have to stop there? That issue was awesome! We start this amazing ride with Mister Terrific arriving and running into Terry Sloan. For newer comic readers out there, Terry Sloan was the original Mister Terrific, back in the day. In this reality the smartest man on the planet (Earth 2). Anybody else notice the boxing marquee? Grant would be Ted Grant, the Wildcat. The story then switches over to Jay Garrick receiving his superspeed from Mercury. I think it is interesting that in this world, Wonder Woman was dealing with Roman Gods instead of Greek ones. We also get the New 52 debut of Hawkgirl. The final act of the issue is the source of all the controversy. Alan Scott, This Earth's Green Lantern, or he will be real soon, is now gay. There has been a lot of debate over this, so I won't go into it again here, but I really don't understand what the big deal is. What I find more surprising is that once again, DC Comics decides to make a big deal about a gay character, before the public gets to read it in in the book. They did this with Bunker as well. They act like it is not a big deal that a character is gay, but go out of their way to make sure we know that beforehand. Do we as a society really need somebody to brace us for a revelation like that before we experience it in story? That is sad. That wasn't even the big surprise of the issue. That is, if they had kept their mouths shut and let us be surprised, it was quickly overshadowed by bigger surprises. I will not spoil it here, go read and enjoy!

That about does it for this week, but before I go, lets talk about the future. I have decided that I will continue through the Zero month. It will serve as a nice wrap up of my year long commitment. Speaking of that, I have decided that I will continue with my reviews, but it will be smaller scale. I will cover all new titles up to issue 6, plus weigh in on crossover stuff like the upcoming ROTWORLD, and even the TRINITY WAR.

That brings me to Third Wave. When I started typing this, the news had already broke about the new titles. We knew JLI was being cancelled, but that left three still to be announced. As of now, these titles have been announced, but let's pretend I just didn't read that news story. Let's discuss what I thought would be cancelled.

CAPTAIN ATOM, I have not enjoyed from the beginning. I don’t think it is doing well either, so I would not be surprised, or saddened if this gets the axe.

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN, each month, this book loses me more. It would not surprise me to see this go away. OMAC, who apparently has a cancellation curse attached to him did appear in this title as part of a JLI crossover, so it would seem possible

RESURRECTION MAN, I love this title, but it is no secret that it is not a great seller. Mith already has connections now with the Suicide Squad, so their might be a home for him there if his own book goes away.

STORMWATCH. Another book that I think suffers from poor sales. The nature of this team would make it easy for them to show up all over the DCU, even if they don’t have their own book. I hope I am wrong about this one as well.

I, VAMPIRE was suffering from low sales, but I think the JLD crossover helped it, so I think this one is fairly safe. Please let it be safe.

BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT. I have consistently noted how this book is unnecessary. Batman has two solo books, -plus numerous other appearances and team books. I am not sure of the sales, but this is a title that I wouldn't miss if it goes.

Those are the books I think are most likely. I just realized that this has become a super long post, so I will cover what actually DID get cancelled, as well as the new replacement titles next week.

Until then, enjoy your funny books, all of them, you never know when it might get cancelled.

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 39 : Penultimate Quarterly Review

2012-06-05T11:01:00.000-04:00

It is that time again. Another fifth week. That means I have some time to do another quarterly report. We now have three months left of my One Year commitment to read all the books. It is time to start assessing what I will continue reading, and what I will drop. But before we get into that, we have a few new issues to discuss.

THE RAVAGERS. In the aftermath of the Culling, a new title, a new team, emerges. It is still too early to gauge the success of this title, but I am down for a few more issues. As of right now, we are dealing with Fairchild leading survivors of the Culling to Freedom, only to be ambushed by Warblade and Rose Wilson. The issue succeeds in pulling you in and wanting to see where this is going, but its downside is that we don't know where it is going. What is the overall direction for this team? Once they have succeeded in escaping, then what? The answer to that question will make or break this title. I am guessing the next few issues will also tackle some character development. The trick will be letting us know who these people are and why they would stick together, after they are free. I wish this book luck, because I can never get enough Caitlin and Rose Wilson.

ANIMAL MAN ANNUAL. A few years ago, who would have guessed that there would ever be another ANIMAL MAN ANNUAL, let alone one that acts as a bit of a prelude to an epic Swamp Thing/Animal Man Crossover? Although, not essential, this is a Highly recommended read. It picks up right after the last issue of ANIMAL MAN, but mainly covers Socks the Cat telling Maxine about a previous time that The Green and The Red teamed up to fight The Rot. This serves two purposes. One, it tells a great story with Avatars of The Red and The Green, in one issue. Two, it makes us just that much more excited about the upcoming crossover. Speaking of the crossover, until recently, it was referred to as DEADWORLD, now it is suddenly called ROTWORLD. I am not sure of the reasons for the change, but I think I like ROTWORLD, better. It just fits the story better. I am curious to see how this plays out. In this issue, we have a scene where The Avatar of The Red back in the day, sees a glimpse of the future, including Buddy Baker, and he also sees most of the Justice League, dead and rotting. Will we see something similar during ROTWORLD? Will ROTWORLD, out awesome NIGHT OF THE OWLS? Only time will tell.

BATMAN ANNUAL . This was chilling issue, not what I was expecting, but chilling none the less. I was expecting more of an exploration of Freeze's dealings with The Court of Owls. Instead we get to see more of a history of the character, from his mother, to his origin, to his escape from Arkham following his run in with Red Hood. There are bound to be some complaints from avid fans pertaining to certain changes to Victor Fries. I applaud this bold choice. It keeps intact his role as a tragic figure, yet adding to his Psychosis. It.turns out...SPOILER ALERT!!!....Nora is not his wife. He never met her. He studied her in his cryogenic studies, and fell in love. As Batman said, he isn't in love with Nora, not really. He is in love with what she represents, what he truly loves, the cold. In the action scenes, it quickly becomes established that Mr. Freeze has been given the New 52 Badass Extreme Makeover. The ending did confuse me a little. My understanding is that Batman cured him, but I must not be reading it right. You can't give us this awesome new version of this classic villain, and then take him away. I am sure we have not seen the last of Victor Fries!

Okay, now that we got that covered let's talk big picture here. I have three months left, four if I also cover the zero issues. After that, I have to drop some books.

Before I figure out what is on the brink, let's figure out what I definitely want to keep reading.

Here is the list in no particular order:

All the Second Wave books. There has only been one issue of each, so it is too early to decide.

Batman

Animal Man

Swamp Thing

Batwoman

Aquaman

Green Lantern

Green Lantern : New Guardians

Frankenstein

Justice League Dark

Resurrection Man

Demon Knights

I, Vampire

Teen Titans

Wonder Woman

All star western

Nightwing

Suicide Squad

Legion Lost

Batwing

Books that I enjoy, but might have to drop, for budgetary reasons:

Batman and Robin

Batgirl

Supergirl

Superboy

Blue Beetle

Justice League International (or the replacement book)

DC Universe Presents (this will be picked up based on what the story arc is)

Green Lantern Corps

Red Lanterns

Catwoman

Birds of Prey

Red Hood and the Outlaws

Voodoo

Grifter

Superman

Stormwatch

The Savage Hawkman

Justice League

The Flash

Finally here are the books that I will drop like a bad habit, and what it will take for me to continue

Captain Atom. The Concept alone makes it hard for me to get into this. There isn't enough character development. Cap is just too powerful. Something truly spectacular will have to happen for me to pick up issue 13

Green Arrow. How many writers have we had already, in only 9 issues? The problem mostly lies with the fact that I do not like this version of Ollie. You could have some the best writers in the world, but if I don't like the character, it is hard for me to pay money to read about him.

The Fury of Firestorm : The Nuclear Men. I wanted to like this, I really did. They need to go back to just one Firestorm. If they are going to Green Lantern road, they should follow the formula better. Start off with just one Firestorm, let us get to know him. Then have him discover this larger world. Even if we whittle it back down to just Jason and Ronnie, stop all the fighting between them. It gets old quick.

Legion of Super Heroes. I have said it bunch of times, I just can't get into the Legion. I enjoy my books to tie together. I enjoy that Universe Cohesiveness I have talked about before. When you have a single title that takes place in the 31st Century, so far removed from everything else, I can't get into it. If they can find away to connect it to the main DCU more, I may reconsider.

Deathstroke. I can't believe this book is in this list. When Kyle Higgins was writing it, it was a must read, every month. But now? Rob Liefeld has given all naysayers the right to do the I Told You So Dance, with his first issue. What is the plan after the Showdown with Lobo? The answer to that question may save this book.

Action Comics. Any faithful reader of mine knows my problems with this title,and Grant Morrison. I was hoping once we got into present day, things might be better. However the first present day issue didn't even happen in our reality. I don't have high hopes for this one.

Batman : The Dark Knight. The Black Sheep of the Bat-Family. If you are looking for cohesiveness with the other Batbooks, this book really isn't for you. Occasionally there may be a crossover appearance, but mostly this a self contained book with over the top action and story lines. Unfortunately, I need that cohesiveness.

Detective Comics. Remember nine months ago when the world was a buzz over Joker's face? What happened with that? I wonder if I would view this book so negatively now, had it not started out so strong. The storytelling just has not been up to the standard of the first few issues.

In case you are curious, yes I do plan on reading and reviewing BEFORE WATCHMEN. Their will be a special section each week dedicated to it. I have decided not to reread the Original work first, because I want to review them based on their own merits, not on how they measure up to an established masterpiece. When the BEFORE WATCHMEN project is over, I probably will re read the original, just to see how it compares.

So the only real question left is where does this leave the blog? Do I continue reviewing whatever books I am reading? Do I just do a weekly editorial on that weeks books? What do you want to see? Leave me input let's see where it goes.

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 38 : The Debut of Bat-Cow

2012-05-29T18:31:00.001-04:00

How was your Memorial Day Weekend? Mine was busy! But here's the good news, I just discovered a way to make this process a lot easier. I am talking cut and paste from a document I type up on the Nook. No more review right after reading, and then retyping it on the computer, no sir. From now on it is type once, and then cut and paste!!!

Let's take a gander at last month.

13) THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN
12) THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN
11) BLACKHAWKS (Final Issue)
10) THE FLASH
09) BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT
08) VOODOO
07) TEEN TITANS
06) ALL-STAR WESTERN
05) SUPERMAN
04) GREEN LANTERN : NEW GUARDIANS
03) AQUAMAN
02) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK
01) I, VAMPIRE

This was a big week. We wrapped up the crossover events of THE CULLING, and THE NIGHT OF THE OWLS. The Owl storyline continues in BATMAN, but this was the last week of all the tie in issues. This week also sees BATMAN INC make its New 52 Debut. Finally we have Jeff Lemire's first issue on JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK! Let's get to it!

13) THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN. I forgot the whole JLI crossover. My previously stated problems with this title were not overcome by including Justice League International. Ronnie was barely present in the whole issue, but that is a good thing. I like Jason a lot more. I am unsure about Firehawk. She seemed kind of villainy last time we saw her, so I don't know how well she is going to fit in with the JLI. I did think Wrath was kind of cool, cooler than Fury at least. However it raises a question. When Ronnie and Jason merged, they formed Fury. It seemd like that was an intentional side effect. So why would the merging of Jason and Firehawk create a different Firestorm Giant with a different pre-established name? Am I nit picking? Sorry, but don't have so many nits, and I won't pick them.

While I am on the subject of JLI, let's talk about the future of that book. There has been a lot of talk about it getting canceled after issue 12. Where has there been any OFFICIAL annoucement of this? If you know, send me a link. I tend not to believe these things simply because Bleeding Cool reports it. I remember this all happening after the Solicitation of issue 12 and the ANNUAL. Maybe its just me, but it doesn't make any sense to cancel a book and release an Annual. Hey everybody, here is an extra issue, that has more pages and costs more, however, we won't be doing anymore of the regular series after this, so can I have my money now? I don't think so. From what I remember from the solicitation, it said it was the last issue WITH THIS LINEUP. Not final issue of series, just last one with these team members. This sounds like a story thing, not a financial thing. I am sure there will be more cancellations, but it will probably be part of the Third Wave, not single isolated series.

12) BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT. Once again, the Talons are painted as tragic figures. This issue focuses on one Talon in particular. The one Dick Grayson was supposed to replace. This is also the first Talon I can think of that showed any signs of fear. Fear of Batman to be precise. I think it is interesting that fear was an integral part of this issue. Even though this is an Owl issue, it still maintained the overall Fear theme this title has been exploring lately. The target of this particular Talon is mayorial candidate, Lincoln March. Things are already not going well when he encounters the source of his fear, Batman. It was nice seeing all the Robins (except Jason) together in one place. I find it interesting that this particular Talon hasn't been put down for good, but is recuperating in the sewers when the issue, and the Night of the Owls ends. I hope we see him again, but first....Scarecrow!

11) VOODOO. This book continues to impress. Is Andrew Lincoln becoming the DC Universe's version of Nick Fury? I would be okay with that. Make the Blackhawks, and Black Razors, this top secret outfit that pops up in a lot of different books. Then if there is enough interest, and a good story to tell, give them their own book again. We need to find a new home for Lady Blackhawk, as well. Anyways, I was surprised to see Helspont show up again so soon. If memory serves, that is three titles Helspont has now appeared in over the last few months. I loved Priscilla's reaction when she finds out that Voodoo, a clone of her, was working at the Voodoo Lounge. The Black Razor Space Recon, either they are all going to die in the next issue, or they will become an awesome new group deserving of their own title, maybe with Lady Blackhawk. Either way, I will be happy.

10) SUPERMAN. A little momentum was lost here, I think. It was still a good issue, but a lot lighter on the action front. This issue reminded me a little of the first arc, the one Perez wrote. We get a more personal issue. More Clark, less Superman. I love how everybody thought it was absolutely ridiculous that Superman could have a secret identity. The shape shifting theory was a nice touch. I was confused by a few things. How did they arrive at the conclusion that Spence Becker was Superman? This untouchable villainess, was her name Anguish? How will Superman defeat the untouchable, stop a case of mistaken identity, and make a dinner date? Next issue should reveal some answers.

09) ALL-STAR WESTERN. The biggest event so far of the New 52, Night of The Owls, comes to a close with this issue. Like Back to the Future, we ended it in the Ole West. I really liked how they pulled this off. The storyline wasn't put on hold to fight a Talon. They weren't even in Gotham. Jonah Hex, Amadeus Arkham, Nighthawk, and Cinnamon were heavy into their investigaton with the August 7, when a Talon showed up to take out a target that had fled Gotham. Then she leaves. This leaves our heroes scratching their collective heads wondering what just happened. Hex makes the connection to the house in Gotham with all of the stuffed owls. At this point we switch to Gotham three weeks later. Several big wigs (members of the court?) are scheming about things that need schemed, when they are confronted by Taleluh Black. Is she new? She seems pretty awesome. She ends up tusseling with some other masked person, but I don't think it was Talon. She gets tossed out a window and lands at the feet of one Jonah Hex! I wonder if she is the ex-wife mentioned earlier? This issue also wraps up the Nighthawk and Cinnamon backup. Once again a lot of fun. Next issue sees the debut of Bat Lash!

08) THE FLASH. The Flash in Gorilla City! This was a very revealing, yet sometimes confusing issue. Throughout a lot of this, Flash didn't have his memories, so I am not sure if this was supposed to be a first meeting or not. We know some of the Rogues have already been around and fought Flash previously in this new continuity, but where does Grodd fit in? I liked the way the Speed Force was responsible for the evolution of Gorilla City. Here is a question... Did the Flash go back in time, or the future, to get to Gorilla City, or was he in a hidden place in present time? I know we did not just see the end of Gorilla Grodd! He went out like a chump if that was his death. We also got to see glimpses of Pied Piper, who apparently was a hero, and the Weather Wizard. Things are starting to look up again, overall, I like.this series. There are more good issues than there are bad. I just wish it they all would consistently stay as good as this issue was.

07) TEEN TITANS. THE CULLING comes to an explosive conclusion, but I still have one lingering question. Where the Frak is Skitter?!?! She disappeared near the beginning of this crossover, and there has been no sign of her since. I am still unclear as to what Harvest's final plan was. First he said it was for a greater good, and that everybody should be helping him instead of fighting him. Later he said it was all a trap to make public aware of the need for NO.W.H.E.R.E. So which was the truth? Maybe it is both. N.O.W.H.E.R.E. needs to exist and be publicly supported to fight this greater evil he talked about. I can't begin to guess what that may be, if anything. These could just be the insane ramblings of a deranged Megalomaniacal lunatic. Those are the best ramblings. This issue also brings in interesting plot points for the individual titles. THE RAVAGERS, which starts next week, looks it will be off to an interesting start. The next LEGION LOST issue will cover the Legionnaires attempt to use the newly discovered Time Bubble. What's next for the Titans? Mystery Island, of course, and still no Skitter. Great conclusion issue, great crossover. I hope it leads to people picking up issues they might not have read before.

06) THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN. The final entry in the Rob Liefeld Trifecta, and my favorite of the three. Once again, as in GRIFTER, he sticks with just plotting, and not the actual writing and artwork. Okay, I just went back and looked, Liefeld is sharing scripting duties, but still, it really works for him. He does an excellent job of giving the title a fresh start, but without ignoring the first eight issues. It would appear that Liefeld is attempting the Herculean task of trying to unify the many origins of Hawkman. I hope he is successful. There is a lot about Carter Hall that I love, but there is also a lot about Katar Hol that I find awesome as well. If I hadn't already read about Hawkgirl being in EARTH 2 (called it!), I would have guessed she was the mysterious redhead who called him. Let me take a second to applaud the artwork. Bravo Mister Joe Bennet. Well done, sir. The issue ends with Carter waking up and finding himself about to be entered in Gladiatorial Combat. Usually, I groan with something like this, but here it works. Come on, It's Hawkman, he needs to spend some time doing the Gladiator thing. Plus, I am not sure, but I don't think he is on Earth anymore. I bet he is on his way to Thanagar, if he isn't there already. Please let there be Snarebeasts!

05) BATMAN, INC. Only Grant Morrison can pull off Crazy Awesome and WTF Crazy in the same issue. This is supposed to mark this particular series entry into the New 52. I had been curious as to just what that meant. Now that I have read this issue, I am still curious as to what it means. There are elements that definately coincide, such as the mention of Nobody. In LEVIATHAN STRIKES, it seemed as though Batwing was killed, but now appears that all the Agents of the Bat are faking their deaths. There has been no inkling of any of this in the pages of BATWING. The story starts strong first we see Bruce getting arrested by police, and then it switches to a month earlier. Where we have a crazy awesome showdown between the Dynamic Duo and an up an coming killer named....Goatboy. This sequence ended with the coolest thing I have seen Morrison do in a while...Bat-Cow. No, this is not an episode of The Tick. The issue descends into madness from there on out. Please Grant, don't lose me again. If you burn me this time, I may quit you cold turkey.

04) I, VAMPIRE. This was pretty much an aftermath issue. Andrew Bennet is now in control of the Vampire horde, but now what? He didn't really think that part through too well, did he? His subjects do not want live the same dietary lifestyle that he does. The truce with Mary is over as quickly as it started. Sure Andrew, I will suddenly join forces with you to fight off Cain the Ubervamp, but after that, it is back to buisiness as usual. It reminds me of old GI Joe episodes where they join forces long enough to vanquish a common (Cobra LaLaLaLaLaLa LA) then all bets are off! Meanwhile, the Van Helsings...awesome. I doubt we will see Vanessa Van Helsing from NIGHT FORCE in here, but you never know. Crimson vampire hunter ninjas, yes please. Where do I sign up? This issue shows that Bennets stint with JLD will be a temporary one, because he has so much else going on. Hopefully the pace picks back up next issue.

03) AQUAMAN. Man, that went by too fast. Isn't it weird when a book is so good you end up reading through it quickly, and then you are upset because you feel it was so short. That is what this issue was like. It was so good, it flew by. I can't be mad because it was a good book. Black Manta has targeted another member of the Others, The Prisoner. Still not sure why Manta is collecting the artifacts, but it can't be good. We then cut to Aquaman and Ya'wara in the jungles fighting Manta Minions. I like how Ya'wara said she wouldn't kill anyone, but her animal friends made no such promise. The issue concludes with Mera "questioning" Dr. Shin about Black Manta. We get some backstory on Tom Curry, and how Shin entered the picture. We also find out Manta was a treasure hunter Shin hired to get a blood sample from Arthur. Tom tried to intervene which caused him to.die of a heart attack. So, you may ask yourself, why is Manta going after Aquaman now? Simple, Arthur employed good ole fashion Atlantean Justice and killed Manta's Father. Aah, vengeance always makes for good storytelling.

02) GREEN LANTERN : NEW GUARDIANS. Saint Walker, you are more bad ass than your name implies! This issue really brings home the importance of this title. This is the book that ties all the other Green Lantern books together. The Star Sapphires are realizing that the attacks on all the different Lantern Corps must be related. Invictus, the Keepers, the poisoning of the Red Lantern Battery, and the Reach Invasion of Odym. The Indigo situation is the only one that doesn't jibe. Munk should not be an Indigo Lantern, he should have converted when the battery was destroyed. Too many things to all be a coincidence. I loved how the Scarab Warriors have different attack modes, such as Pillbug. Can you imagine getting invaded by Giant Blue Rollie Pollies? Sounds like a job for the Blue Beetle!

01) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. You are going to have to give me a minute. I have to come down from my happy place before I continue! That issue was amazing. I was wondering how Lemire was going to get "The Band" back together again, with Constantine in charge. Now I know, he is doing this for purely selfish reasons, or at least that is what he wants people to think. Do you remember the Black Room, from Free Comic Book Day? Apparently, amongst the "weirdo occult types" it has always been a myth, an Urban Legend of the Arcane if you will. Constantine gets ten minutes in the Black Room if he can get everybody together and rescue Dr. Mist from Felix Faust, who has gotten a supernatural extreme makeover! Oh, they to retrieve some mysterious, uberpowerful artifact from Faust as well Black Orchid, who is an agent of ARGUS, is joining the team as a babysitter of sorts, but she is also kicks serious butt! Mikel Janin has returned to art and is putting out is best work yet. Jeff Lemire has a knack for these characters, and is treating them with the respect they deserve. He knows this world. There is even a veiled reference to the Undisputed King of Dark Books, THE SANDMAN!!! I love how Constantine hates the nickname Justice League Dark. For a second, I thought he was going to use my line about is sounding like a blend of coffee. Mikel, I know you are reading this. Please tell Lemire that he can feel free to use it. My wife is the first one to think it up, and it would make her day to see it in a future issue. Anyways, the issue ends with a huge geek out for me. The artifact in question....a map to The Books of Magic!!! Next issue sees another geek out moment for us fans of DC Supernatural Heroes.....The House of Mystery!!! One of my favorite books just got so much better!

There you have it. On another note, I have previously mentioned the OCCUPY MIDIAN movement. Well here is a link to the petition. If we don't get 5000 signatures by June 1st, which is this week, I WILL SHAVE MY HEAD!!!!!

Well that wraps up the Memorial Day Edition. I just realized that next week is another 5th week. You know what that means, right? No? It means a special edition. We are now three quarters of the way through this grand experiment of mine. Only three issues left, so I will examine what books are likely to get dropped, why they might get dropped, and what they need to do in the next three issues to keep me interested. I think I might whittle it down to 30 books I will continue reading, I haven't decided yet. I want to know what you think. What should I do after the year is up? Your opinion matters to me, so let's hear it!

Until next week,

Drew

@DarthNearl

Week 37 : Coloniowls

2012-05-23T18:25:00.000-04:00

AARGH, I hate being late! I am not going to waste time with excuses. Let's just jump in.

Here is last month's lineup :

13) CAPTAIN ATOM
12) JUSTICE LEAGUE
11) LEGION OF SUPER HEROES
10) DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS
09) BLUE BEETLE
08) RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS
07) BIRDS OF PREY
06) GREEN LANTERN CORPS
05) CATWOMAN
04) SUPERGIRL
03) WONDER WOMAN
02) NIGHTWING
01) BATMAN

And now the reviews, of the New 52, with Drew, without further ado. (I think that was just the right amount of ado, don't you?)

13) CAPTAIN ATOM. Wait, what? Hold up, let me see if I got this right. Captain Atom, who is currently 20 years in the future, trying to stop the end of the world, discovers that he causes the end of the world? I know the world doesn't end in 20 years., because, hello...The Legion of Super Heroes are from much further that that, and the humans are okay, and things still happen on Earth. What really got me this issue, was the fact that 20 years from now, Captain Atom ALSO somehow causes the volcano from issue #1. WHAT?!?!? Am I reading this wrong? Did anybody else read this issue, and if so, could you let me know if I am missing the big picture here? It seems like everything Captain Atom ever does to help somebody, ends badly, or worse than before he intervened. He should just stop. He should take a cue from his WATCHMEN counterpart, and move to Mars.

12) LEGION OF SUPER HEROES. My interest in this continues to wane. I got all kinds of confused with this issue. First, I thought Starman got a costume and name change, when I saw Gravity Kid. Then I read the info box. So, of all the Legionnaires, there ore only two with beards. Did they both have to have the same powers? Then I see Duplicate Damsel. How different is she from Triplicate Girl? or are they the same person? The only difference I see is that Triplicate Girl has a better name. Story wise, we have more Dominion stuff, and more investigations into the possibility of the Fatal Five returning. Oh, and we have Brainiac still frantically trying to solve the Time Travel problem, even referencing the Time Trapper. Of all the story threads going on, this is the only one holding interest, because I suspect Brainiac is going to cause something Catastrophic. Oh and the real Starman/Star Kid Quits.

11) RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. Mister Freeze, you have some 'splainin to do! More than anything else, this issue got me even more excited for the BATMAN ANNUAL. I want more details of Freeze's history with the Owls. I am glad to see that Jason Todd feels uneasy in Gotham. Not only because of his early childhood, but because I bet in the back of his mind, he is hoping he wouldn't run into any Family member, even though he is there to help. Is it just me, or are the Talons starting to become Tragic figures? Between this issue and CATWOMAN, I am starting to feel sorry for them. The scene where the Talon is actually asking Jason to kill him was powerful. I love the new design of Mister Freeze by the way. If he ever got in a fight with Captain Cold, it would be a no contest. Freeze For The Win! I enjoyed the scene at the end with Batgirl. It really helped illustrate that all the insanity of the Batbooks this month is all happening in one night. Now, in true Outlaw fashion, the next issue takes us into space.

10) BLUE BEETLE. So Cthulhu is an intergalactic Bounty Hunter, who knew? Seriously, who was that guy? Did he we ever get his name? Did he just admit that the Guardians hired him to take out Kyle? This was a great issue that advanced the story for both BLUE BEETLE and GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS. I wonder if Jaime's parents will put the pieces together and figure out his secret. Did the Bounty Hunter guy kill Glomulus? If he did, that is surprising. You would think something like that would happen in their own book instead of a crossover. I thought Jaime knew about the Reach already. I was surprised Jaime didn't go with Kyle to Odym. But then again, if he had, The Reach might have gotten an hold of him and fixed the Bugsuit. That could have been bad. What is next for the Blue Beetle? We will have to wait and see.

09) WONDER WOMAN. Pre Wedding Jitters, but not much else. This issue was a little anticlimactic after all the insanity of the last issue. Plus certain things just didn't add up. For example, Eros was yelling at Hephaestus about giving Diana his guns. Didn't Eros give Diana the guns? That's what I remember going down. Then there is Hades telling Diana he doesn't think she loves him. REALLY?!?!?! I remember Diana giving Hades the guns in exchange for everybody leaving. Then, Hades shot her. In what Universe does all this give the false signal of Love? Still, for an issue where not much actually happened, there was a lot of cool stuff. We got to see some of Aphrodite. I like how we never saw her face. Like no artist would be able to successfully illustrate her beauty. Then we got Persephone, as well. If you don't know why she is important, brush up on your Greek Mythology. I like what they did with her. Something else that was cool was Hades' throne, which was made from his father, who was still alive. Oh yeah, he is also a wine dispenser of sorts. Diana had a pretty damn awesome Wedding Dress. I hope to see somebody attempt to Cosplay that someday. The ending does have me excited for the next issue, though. Earlier in the issue, this wedding was being referred to as a Shotgun Wedding. I think the Phrase "Noose made out of the Lasso of Truth Wedding" would be more accurate. Stay tuned next month for the Wedding of the Century.

08) DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS SAVAGE. Okay, let's get the obvious Silence of the Lambs comparison out of the way. Yes, they are very similar, but there is a huge difference between Hannibal Lecter and Vandal Savage. Plus, Clarice wasn't Lecter's daughter. There, we got that over with, let's move on. James Robinsom wrote another great story...SURPRISE!!!! It is interesting that Kass shortened her name to Sage. The original Question was named Vic Sage. That does not appear to be the case anymore, seeing as how The Question appears to be of Supernatural Origin, and a member of the Trinity of Sin. Where does this leave Renee Montoya? I digress, back to this issue. I am glad that we can still see a little of the DEMON KNIGHTS Vandal Savage, even though hundreds of years have passed. I love how Savage explains why he performed his sacrifices, and the differences between him and the Copycat. Who is the Copycat? It would seem there is more to him than Savage thinks. Curious to see where this goes.

07) SUPERGIRL. That was intense! I love the Banshee Family. I was hoping this issue would go into more detail about what exactly is going on, with the origins and whatnots, but, I suspect that will be coming, hopefully next issue. We did learn that Silver Banshee had a brother that appeared to have sacrificed himself to protect his sister. What we don't know is what the curse actually is, or why it is affecting Sioban the way it is. Supergirl shares her cousin's weakness to magic. Her powers went all crazy. She even started to heat up like she does. I think that was the real reason she did what she did at the end. To contain the energy release. I wonder what Silver Banshee's status will be when this arc is over. Will she be an ally to Supergirl, an villain that Supergirl is reluctant to fight, or both?

06) JUSTICE LEAGUE. This was the true beginning of The Villain's Journey. Jim Lee is back in the artist chair, doing his usual flawless work. Geoff Johns seems to be returning to the writing style he is more accustomed to. This issue should have been the first issue. We get good insights into most of the team. We don't jump right into the action, but are building to something bigger. I need to go back and check, but I think we saw Bruce reading the letter from FLASHPOINT. I hope that is the case. I enjoyed the dynamic of Flash and Green Lantern in this issue. The whole good cop/bad cop/doesn't matter who is which cop because Wonder Woman just showed up dynamic. The Shazam story in this issue continues to Underwhelm. Maybe it is just me, but if you are trying to tell a longer story in multiple installments in a backup, you need to keep up the pace, This issue, again, mostly accomplished more of establishing Billy Batson as a jerk, but he doesn't put up with Bullying. At the end, Doctor Sivana finds the tomb of Black Adam, and goes through a transformation. If this was a miniseries, or an arc in DCU PRESENTS, this would have ended the first issue, and it would have worked. But in small doses as a backup, it is taking too long to get the job done.

This weeks Miniseries is the next installment of one of my favorites, THE SHADE. Two doses of Robinson in one week! I am of mixed feelings about these "Times Past" issues. On one hand, they are always great issues, with great, entertaining stories. But on the other hand, I really want to get back to the main story. Once again, I am totally captivated by the way Shade talks, both in narration and dialogue. I might even sit through Twilight if he narrated it. Okay, maybe that is a stretch. It is issues like these that really make me wish that this was not a miniseries.

05) CATWOMAN. I need to trust my instincts more. Do you remember last month, when I momentarily thought that the dagger was Owl related, but then discounted it, saying I was seeing Owls everywhere? Well guess what? I was right!!! It WAS Owl connected. The Talon who lost it gets a chance to redeem himself by killing The Penguin, who just happens to be the owner of said Dagger. One interesting thing about this issue is that it shows that the Court of Owls predated the Unites States of America. We are talking Colonial Owls here, or Coloniowls, if you will. One thing I loved about this issue is that Catwoman didn't drop what she was doing to answer "The Call." She encountered a Talon while doing her own thing. In this case, trying to steal the Dagger. Her epicly bad decision making got her directly involved. She had no idea what she was getting into, but she could identify with the Damaged Talon, because she is damaged as well. When it was all said and done, she gift wrapped The Talon, and left him by the Batsignal. Would you have done any different?

04) GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Not much of a trial, was it? The Guardians are obviously letting this farce go on as a distraction to their true purposes. The circumstances behind Stewart's actions are being completely ignored. Where is Kilowog in all of this? I would be curious to see where he stands. This whole ordeal is having a polarizing effect in the whole Corps. I can't help but wonder if that was The Guardians' plan all along. Let the Lanterns kill each other off to make way for this Third Army. I am not saying that they necessarily engineered the whole Keepers thing, just so that one Lantern would kill another. But I think once they became aware of the situation, The Guardians started manipulating things to the boiling point we are now witnessing. I hope this blows up in their Blue faces!

03) BATWOMAN. We have another artist change. I really liked Amy Reeder's work on here, but Trevor McCarthy also did a great job. it is obvious that Williams still has a huge impact on the layout of the pages. There were some amazing panel designs in this issue. As far as the story goes, I can't wait to read this whole arc at once when it is over. The non-linear storytelling is starting to get harder to follow in one month increments. I feel like I am missing something. Don't get me wrong, I loved this issue, I love this story arc, but I feel like it will be better when I can read it all together. It could also be due to the fact that I had to wait an extra week to read this issue, due to BATWOMAN and BATMAN swapping weeks. Does anybody know why this was? This continues to be one of the darkest of the non-dark books, and I anxiously await the next chapter.

02) BIRDS OF PREY. Wow! This was not only the bet issue so far of BIRDS OF PREY, but one of the best Night of the Owls tie ins. This issue also marks the debut of Travel Foreman, you know, the guy who did all the crazy awesome artwork in ANIMAL MAN. He did an outstanding job on this by the way. he even managed to fit some viscera in. I loved how the Talon interpreted the things he saw with the images he could understand. I loved how he saw Starling. The Unmasked Talon was just as creepy as the Masked Talon, if not more so. I was worried that this issue might conflict with BATGIRL, but it didn't. The tease for the next issue put a thought in my head. it says "Next issue, AMAZON COMA," More than likely, we are dealing with the River, not the Woman Warriors. But at first, my brain started wondering what the Birds could have to do with Wonder Woman, or any Amazon. Then it hit me. Do you remember Grace from The Outsiders? She was an Amazon. She looked very similar to Starling. Hmm....Coincidence? Probably, but it would make for a very interesting dynamic.

01) NIGHTWING. This issue was titled The Gray Son, and that was very fitting. Like last month, this issue flitted back and forth between flashbacks of how William Cobb became a Talon, and the present day, where Nightwing is fighting William Cobb AS a Talon. Back in the day, Cobb, a circus performer, was in a forbidden relationship with a woman of high standing. This woman, even though she was pregnant with Cobb's baby, married a Crowne, another family of high standing. Cobb is approached by the Court to become their talon. He embraces this new life. His whole life, he was told that Gotham has only two sides, Black and White, there is no Gray. After becoming the best of the Talons, and going through something very similar to what Batman went through in the Labyrinth, he steals his son back and named him the The Gray Son....Grayson. In the present, he tells Dick that he wasn't just chosen to be a talon, he was Bred for it. Nightwing demonstrates that in addition to inherited physical abilities, his mind was honed by Batman, and finishes the fight with a Batmanesque maneuver. Great issue!!! Dick acts as if all of these revelations don't matter to to him, but I bet it will be slowly eating at him for awhile. Dick Grayson has a tendency to let things well up inside before exploding. For his sake, I hope there isn't too much of a negative impact from this. He truly is the best of us all.

There you have it. Now it is time to start on a new batch. This week, we get the New 52 debut of BATMAN, INC, plus Jeff Lemire starts his run on JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. Sounds good. I will tell you all about it next week!

Drew
@DarthNearl

Week 36 : Crossovers, Cullings, and Code 666

2012-05-16T08:13:00.002-04:00

This may be one of the most positive posts yet. I do not have many negative things to say about this week. The downside of that is that it always makes ranking these harder, if there aren't some dislikes among them. Among the excitement this week is two parts of THE CULLING crossover, The Suicide Squad hunting down Mitch Shelley, and the NIGHT OF THE OWLS is in full swing. I am trying something new. The crossover stories (except for Owl stuff) will have one writeup that covers both books. Rob Liefeld started his run on 2 out of his three new books. Of particular note here, BATMAN and BATWOMAN seemed to have swapped weeks. I do not know the cause of this, nor am I sure why there was not a Second Wave replacement for MISTER TERRIFIC this week. Here is a rundown of how things looked last month.

13) MISTER TERRIFIC (Final Issue)
12) LEGION LOST
11) GRIFTER
10) SUPERBOY
09) DEATHSTROKE
08) BATGIRL
07) SUICIDE SQUAD
06) RESURRECTION MAN
05) FRANKENSTEIN : AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.
04) BATWOMAN
03) GREEN LANTERN
02) DEMON KNIGHTS
01) BATMAN AND ROBIN

So how did things shape up this week? Were there any surprises? Read on to find out.

12) DEATHSTROKE This was the first of the two Liefeld books that I read. Did it deserve all the vitriol I have seen over the last few months? No. Did I love it? No. There was no attempt I could notice to carry over any story elements from Higgins' run. This came across as a number one issue. The plot is decent. I mean who doesn't want to see a slobberknocker between Deathstroke and Lobo. The dialogue and narration were not that good, however. It was laughable at times. The artwork is what you would expect from Liefeld. It's not my favorite style, but I am not going to boycott the man for it. Yet another WildCATS member showed up in this issue, Zealot. I have not read GRIFTER yet, but I think another member shows up in that issue. I wonder if there will be a WildCATS team of some sort in the future. The Lobo fight should be cool, but the real test for Liefeld is how he handles things longterm.

11) GRIFTER. Rob Liefeld entry number 2. This time, he is just sticking with story. Not dialogue, not art, just story. That might be where he works best. We got a decent story, dialogue, and art. We get the New 52 debut of Cheshire. Pre relaunch, she had hooked up with Roy Harper and they and they had a kid together. We also get Deathblow, who is yet another Wildstorm character, just not WildCATS. That about all I know about him. Deathblow and Cheshire are both members of a Resistance against the Daemonites. It turns out, the translucent blue guys that Cole has has been fighting were only advance scouts. The Warrior Class of Daemonites are now arriving, and much harder to kill. Grifter is being recruited to the Resistance. Remember his Resistance involvement in FLASHPOINT? This looks to be a good fit for both Grifter and Liefeld. I enjoyed this issue a lot more than I was expecting to. I do believe HAWKMAN will have a similar arrangement (Liefeled only writing story). Hopefully that book is just as good as this one was.

10) SUPERBOY

09) LEGION LOST

Part 2 and Part 3 of THE CULLING. Part 2, SUPERBOY is mostly a fight issue. Lots of characters, lots of fighting, but there was still a good amount of dialogue. A lot of the dialogue with your basic battle talk, buy there were a few important revelations. Timberwolf recognized Kid Flash, and not in a good way. Either Bart does something later in life that is remembered by a time traveler from the 31st century, or Kid Flash does come from the future and had a murky past. Does that make sense? Time travel always causes Grammar problems. Pre New 52, Bart Allen was from the future, but I won't go into specifics here. Another interesting comment deals with The Thirteen. First mentioned by Caitlin Fairchild, I have suspected it is a veiled reference to Gen 13, which is the Wildstorm book where Fairchild first appeared. She has been suspicious in her absence so far. Then I read Part 3 in LEGION LOST, and there she was!!! This issue promised the Origin of Harvest. We didn't get that so much as more pieces of the puzzle. Harvest orchestrated everything, from the Legion traveling to this time, to the events that brought the Teen Titans together. He claims this was all for a greater good, he needs his Ravagers to fight some bigger battle that has yet to come. He knows details about Kid Flash and his future/past, knows the truth about Chameleon Girl, and has 31st Century Tech. That is all we learned. We also get a showdown between Caitlin (YAY!) and Rose Wilson. The ending of the issue, which leads to a conclusion in TEEN TITANS, saw Wildfire remove his containment suit in a desperate bid to finish off Harvest. It was unclear if this was the end of Wildfire. We will have to wait and see!

08) DEMON KNIGHTS. For anybody who is not reading this title, this issue is a great jumping on point. The Knights are about to embark on a new quest. We get a breakdown of who everybody is. Vandal Savage is sticking to his story that his betrayal was part of the plan, but Al Jabr won't hear of it. A tussle breaks out, before they are summoned into the City of Alba Sarum, apparently named after the Princesses Alba and Sarum. This would be the city where we saw Merlin get run through by what appears to be a Daemonite. The Knights have been called in to investigate. Merlin is instrumental in Alba Sarum becoming a New Camelot. They determine that Merlin isn't dead, but they need to travel to Avalon, with Merlin's body, to bring his spirit back. First off, I don't trust these sisters. Furthermore, this will be interesting, because they do not know the true circumstances behind Merlin's "Death" i.e. Daemonite involvement. What effect will that have? Will the Spirit still travel to Avalon, or did the Daemonite send it somewhere else? Let's not forget, Etrigan swapped out, Jason Blood is traveling while Etrigan is in Hell...Scheming with Lucifer. This is going to be quite the cocktail. Atrhurian Legends, Biblical Characters, and Daemonites...Oh My!!!

07) SUICIDE SQUAD

06) RESURRECTION MAN

Deadshot, meet Mitch Shelley. Mitch Shelley, Deadshot. Everybody acquainted? Good, now try and kill each other. This was a great story. We finally see the Body Doubles return, we see the Vomitous return of Yo-Yo, and the long overdue Death of Light. She was pointless without her sister. Correction, both of them were pointless. Wait a minute, they weren't pointless, they joined the Squad so that we can watch them die. Have we learned what Agency Hooker and the Body Doubles work for? I hope this turns into a battle of oneupsmanship between Hooker and Waller. I do have to agree with Deadshot, they should have been given more information before starting this mission. Personally, I would have kept killing Mitch until he had a power that could easily be overcome. What exactly does Waller have planned for Mitch's hand? Are they going to try to replicate the Resurrection Power, or the living metal power he has at the time of dismemberment. Ooh, I just remembered the Harley Quinn scene. I think she is faking. This was a fun, short crossover that will hopefully lead to more interaction in the future.

We had one miniseries this week. One of my favorites, NIGHT FORCE. Was it Creepy? Why yes, yes it was creepy. I am glad to see Donovan Caine again. That poor guy always get the worst deal on every case he reluctantly agrees to work, going all the way back to the very first story arc ever of NIGHT FORCE. The neck tattoo thing has been done before. In NIGHT FORCE Vol 2, the first story arc deals with the Infinity Cult. I don't think it is connected, but you never know when you are dealing with Wolfman writing the adventures of Baron Winters. I am sad we are almost to the halfway point of this series already, it is that good. Hopefully others are enjoying this as much as me, and we will see more stories in the future.

05) BATMAN AND ROBIN. Damien, you have earned mad respect with this issue. I don't think the Damien we met in the first issue would have behaved this way. He wouldn't even have left the cave. This Damien, however, took charge, was confident, but not cocky. I liked the backstory of the Talon, as well. It really gives a glimpse of the scope of the Court of Owls. I think it is interesting that Damien is the first one to definitively kill a Talon. Yes, other books have had dismemberments, stabbings, even a T-Rex Squashing, but all of these were of a more debilitating nature. Damien straight up beheaded one. I think that was strange after the last few issues. I hope to see some kind of repercussions with Bruce. If Damien tells him, that is.

04) BATGIRL. I stand corrected! Batgirl didn't kill her Talon, but she sure tried to. So, technically, my statement still stands. Damien is the only one to actually kill a Talon. This was one of the best issues yet. I was disappointed that one of my theories didn't pan out. I was hoping the female Talon would be The New 52 debut of Cassandra Cain. I would have preferred it that way, but what Gail Simone did do worked really well, too. This was an intense issue. It had a very cinematic feel to it. The involvement of the GCPD illustrates how this attack is affecting all of Gotham. I like how Barbara tussled with the Talon before she even knew what one was. Once she found that out, she made the decision to try to kill the Talon, a decision she was not happy to make. You can tell the closure she achieved last issue still holds. She was a lot more confident than she has been. I am curious to see what Knightfall is all about. The word Knightfall has a very specific meaning when it comes to be Batbooks, so this should be interesting.

03) GREEN LANTERN. Nok Nok. Who's there? Another awesome issue. Somebody is listening to me! The Vilification of the Guardians is officially underway. This issue is another example of how good Geoff Johns can be. Was this always his plan for the Indigo Tribe? Or has he once again cleverly come up with new information disguised as deep dark secrets? He is so good at this type of thing, I can't even tell any more. Abin Sur helped create the Indigo Tribe. But that is not all, the Tribe are all Bad Guys, converted by the Indigo Energy. Why did Abin Sur do this? Because he knew that after The Blackest Night, the Green Lantern Corps would be destroyed, from within, by the Guardians! The only way to defeat them is with the Indigo Tribe. So herein lies the problem. Natromo, the man who created the Tribe with Abin Sur, has been hiding away in a cave, with the Indigo Battery, completely unaware that the Blackest Night has already happened, or that Abin Sur is dead. He feels that they can only defeat the Guardians with Abin Sur. So, what is his reaction after Hal catches him up on Current Events? He destroys the Battery, releasing the control over all the Villains, that had been converted into the tribe. This includes Sinestro and Black Hand. Won't this be fun?

02) BATMAN. Who needs a watchdog when you have a giant remote control T-Rex? Quite possibly one of the coolest things I have ever seen. The armor suit has served its purpose, but I am glad that we have likely seen the last of it. It allowed him to really cut loose in the fight in the Batcave, and he liked it. I dig the look of the new Batmobile as well. This issue shows Batman at his best. Fighting, to his last breath if he has to, to save Gotham. He was more concerned for Alfred's well being than his own. When this comes out in trade, I would like to see it mixed in with all the other books, in order of the time stamps. In other words, the first part of this story, and then DETECTIVE #9, and then the rest of this issue. Speaking of the rest of this issue, the scenes with Lincoln March were really well done. At first, I thought he was calling Batman Bruce, but then it is revealed that he had a message for Bruce. it sounds to me like the next issue might reveal some members of the Court, if not their location. Beware Hooties, Batman is a little miffed right now. That does not bode well for you. One small criticism, I am aware that much of the Battle for Gotham takes place in other books, but if you are not reading all, or at least some of the other Batbooks, the Talon Swarm in Gotham does end a little too quickly. In the backup feature, we have a look at Alfred's father, Jarvis. It shows Owl connections that aren't quite explained, yet. Jarvis seems to feel guilty about something, but it isn't made clear what that is. I am curious to see where all of this goes.

01) FRANKENSTEIN : AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. If there is one thing that might beat out the juggernaut of BATMAN and the Night of the Owls, it would be this. FRANKENSTEIN VERSUS THE ROT!!!!! I believe this is Jeff Lemire's final issue before jumping onto JLD, and man, what a ride. Frankenstein, still grumpy about the events of last issue, is sent on a mission to investigate the disappearance of Buddy Baker, AKA Animal Man. What does Frankie find? Officer Krenshaw, bloated, covered in flies, and corrupted by the Rot! I was curious to see if the Rot would have any control over the Reanimated Flesh of Frankenstein. The Answer? Nope, Frankie don't play that! There is no rot, no decay in him. When The Rot calls you an Abomination, it may cause some self esteem issues. But first, there is anger. He unleashes some serious Rage on the Rotlings. Then, a major Geek Out Moment for me happens. He calls in a Code 666. What is that, you say? That is the S.H.A.D.E. code for...Undead Infestation. Time for a Black Bomb, that destroys all Living Tissue, within a certain blast range. Frankenstein, of course, is immune. The issue ended with a touching moment between Frankenstein and Nina. She comforted him as he lamented his Abomination Status. This is the first issue outside of ANIMAL MAN and SWAMP THING that acknowledged that Nature itself is going Wonky. I hope to see more of this. This is a planet wide threat, not just one city. Granted, most of the heroes aren't equipped to deal with something like this, except to fight them off like Frank did. But I would think somebody else would get involved. Oh yeah, Constantine showed up at the end of ANIMAL MAN last week. However I think his involvement will still be contained in the pages of that book. Here is what I really want to see, Frankenstein teaming up with Swamp Thing. That would be awesome indeed!!!

Well, wasn't that a surprise? Frankenstein beat out Batman, and Deathstroke is at the bottom of the list. What does next week hold in store? Tune in next time!!!

Drew
@DarthNearl

Week 35 : The Second Wave Arrives

2012-05-09T23:47:00.002-04:00

Welcome from a hotel room in a secret location. Unless I get this all done today, this post won't be up until Wednesday at the latest. I am out of town doing something we cannot discuss yet. Let's not dwell on that. This week was a big week. It rang in The Second Wave. We also saw the first Annual of the New 52. Then there is Free Comic Book Day.

Let me take a moment to talk about Free Comic Book Day. As you know by know, I was out of the comic scene for quite some time. It was during this hiatus that Free Comic Book Day became a thing. So this year, I decided to take the family to the Local Comic Shop, which is in Erie, Pa, and not that local. I have been digital since the returning to comics, so this was my first time in a comic shop in almost a decade. We went to Books Galore, which is a comic shop and a used book store in Erie, PA. It was fantastic. The people that worked there were nothing but courteous and welcoming. They had a great turnout. Now, my comics budget is kind of tight right now because of this year long project, so I had to behave myself. I allowed the kids to get a Trade each. Lily discovered TINY TITANS and is in love with them. Logan has been a Scooby Doo fan for years, so he got a Scooby trade. For myself, I found something I had been looking for since my return to comicdom.

Before I was a comics fan, I was a Clive Barker Fan. In fact Clive Barker was what got me into comics. For other Barker fans out there, I strongly urge you to join Occupy Midian, a movement all about letting the directors cut, or CABAL CUT, of NIGHTBREED to finally reach the masses. But I digress. Where was I...Ah yes, Clive Barker comics. I had heard that there was an adaptation of THE THIEF OF ALWAYS and THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW. I heard there was even an Omnibus that collected both adaptations. Well it is all true. God is an astronaut. Oz is over the Rainbow, and there is a CLIVE BARKER OMNIBUS and I now have it!!!

Of Course, I also got the New 52 Free Comic Book Day Comic, but I will discuss that later. I have rambled on enough, and have even strayed well outside of the DC Universe. So here is the recap of last month.

13) STATIC SHOCK (Final Issue)
12) GREEN ARROW
11) ACTION COMICS
10) HAWK AND DOVE (Final Issue)
09) RED LANTERNS
08) DETECTIVE COMICS
07) JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL
06) STORMWATCH
05) MEN OF WAR (Final Issue)
04) BATWING
03) OMAC (Final Issue)
02) SWAMP THING
01) ANIMAL MAN

This week is going to be interesting for me to rank, because we have four new titles. Three of these are the ones I was looking forward to the most. I hope my excitement for these issues doesn't overshadow the quality of those issues, or the usual top titles of the week.

13) GREEN ARROW. The total obliteration of everything I loved about Ollie continues. I am not even sure how they could fix things at this point. As I have previously stated, this book isn't simply a victim of bad writing, it suffers from bad character design. Ann Nocenti was given a crap hand, and she is doing her best. What was with him using crossbow pistols? The only thing about this issue that has my interest at all is at the end when they said there is a new Arrow in town. Hopefully this means that the real Ollie has shown up, and this clown is just some kind of unknowing imposter/clone. Somehow, I doubt that will be the case, but a man can dream, can't he? Please...let me dream.

12) ACTION COMICS. DAMN YOU MORRISON!!!!! He has struck again. One would think that the first issue to take place in present day, would take place in our Universe. One would think that, but not Grant Morrison. This entire issue, I kept telling myself, okay, this Superman is coming to our Earth. Nope, that didn't happen. Okay, but surely the Backup feature will deal with Our Superman. Strike Two. Fine, but even though there is an absolute lack of anything resembling continuity, there is at least a good story being told here while Morrison decides what he is going to do with Our Superman. Three Strikes and you are out. The President of the USA is Superman? How does that work? An incredibly public figure, okay, arguably the most public figure in the country, The President. Worst Secret Identity ever! If some huge threat comes and kills Superman, our Government is also thrown into upheaval. Bad idea. Worse idea? Reading the next issue. Grant, you have three issues left before my year long commitment is over to convince me not to drop this title.

11) GI COMBAT. Once upon a time, the inclusion of dinosaurs would have been enough for me. I am older now. I need more than simply adding Dinosaurs, or a Marvelous pitting of superhero vs mutant. I am not against these things, but there needs to be a good story. Why are there dinosaurs? It just seemed like, all of a sudden we have pterodactyls, and so begins THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT. With a concept like this, the first issue is essential, and JT Krul, again, has dropped the ball (the crappy hand Nocenti is dealing with, Krul's fault). Then there is UNKNOWN SOLDIER. Palmiotti and Gray have proven themselves over and over. This is no different. This story outshined the dino story by far. It was a great introduction to the character that leaves you wanting more.

10) RED LANTERNS. Not much happened in this issue, did it? We got some reminders of what the Red Lanterns are, and some arguing about the poisoning thing. Bleez mentions Invictus, but did not go into a lot of detail of her adventures with the New Guardians. Rankorr is still learning about everything, and now he knows that Red Lanterns aren't supposed to be able to make constructs. That is about it. Oh, apparently Bleez has Pink Napalm, and that seems to be unique to her, even though it looked red to me. I am not saying it was a bad issue, just a slow issue. I would think with the dire situation that is going on, would be cause for more intensity. Next issue involves STORMWATCH, so hopefully the story will get moving again.

09) DETECTIVE COMICS. The Talons invade Arkham!! Not a bad issue considering this story was hastily thrown together to play with the Owls. We get to see several inmates of Arkham, including Zsasz, Clayface, and Black Mask. Jeremiah Arkham is the intended target. In his infinite wisdom, Arkham seems to think that unleashing Black Mask is the best course of action. WRONG!!! Is Black Mask's mind control power new? I don't remember him having that before. Batman, of course, deals with Black Mask, Clayface, AND the Talons, before taking Arkham to safety. The backup feature continues the Two-Face story, which is easily forgettable next to the Night of the Owls event. They should have waited until after the event was over to tell this tale. But, as I said before, Daniels was a last minute addition to the Talon Party.

08) JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL. I knew it! OMAC was being controlled. At least for a little while. There was a bit of a big revelation with this issue. I wasn't sure if Brother Eye had been built by Batman in this new continuity, but this issue made it seem that is the case. Die Hard continuity freaks may take umbrage with this, seeing how one could argue that Batman Building Brother Eye and the OMAC Project would ultimately result in the Death of Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle before Jaime Reyes. I enjoyed the fact that the majority of this issue was narrated by Godiva. She is becoming more of a fascinating character with every issue. She is obviously in way over her head, and the Death of Rocket Red has had a huge impact on her. I expect, however, in the heat of things, she will be one you can count on to get the job done. This story continues with the next issue of FIRESTORM.

07) BATWING. Batwing, meet the Talons. The Court has targeted Lucius Fox. I know Lucius is important to Wayne Enterprises, but I didn't think he would be a target. Luckily, David was at a gala event with Lucius when the Talon attacked. This issue really demonstrates Batwing's intelligence. The first half of his fight is simply learning about what the Talon can do and how quickly he can recover. Rhino tranqs, nope. Breaking Bones, nope. Using explosives that are intended for blowing locks, yep, that will do it. What is one way to stop a Talon? Blow his arms off! This issue also mentioned Batman Inc, a lot. I don't know if this is due to the BATMAN INCORPORATED series returning for the Second Wave, or simply because that is where Batwing comes from. Next issue, it looks like we might see Batwing take on Somalian Pirates!

06) WORLDS' FINEST. The adventures of Power Girl and The Huntress, exiles from another world. Okay, it sounds cheesy when said like that, but this issue isn't cheesy, it is really good! The departure from Earth 2 is chronicled in the pages of EARTH 2.but isn't necessary to understand this issue. This first issue splits it's time between the present, and five years ago, when Karen and Helena first arrived. Different artists are employed for the two time periods. George Perez took care of all the present day happenings, while Kevin Maguire handles the flashback sequences. The styles are noticeably different, but it works. Personally, I prefer the more detailed style of Perez. Story Wise, Paul Levitz establishes that Helena, AKA Earth 2 Robin, AKA the Huntress, has made peace with the fact that this is her new home, and quickly sets up the Huntress persona. Kara, AKA Earth 2 Supergirl, AKA Power Girl, has not given up on trying to get back home. She establishes the Karen Starr persona, and devoted all of her time and energy into technology, trying to find a way home. It is during the present day portion of this issue, where she actually dons her Power Girl costume for the first time. For the Record, I am okay with the absence of the Boob Window. I really enjoyed this first issue, and can't wait to see the first encounters with Batman and Superman.

There weren't any miniseries this week, but there were two single issues of great importance. The first I wish to discuss is the TEEN TITANS ANNUAL:

The first Annual of The New 52! This was by no means a stand alone issue, as many Annuals are. This is the start of the Epic crossover story, THE CULLING. As I thought, The Culling is a combat type thing, to Cull out the weak. The strong become The Ravagers. There are some very interesting revelations in this issue. Harvest is using the Hypertaxis Virus to mutate kids. Harvest is a man out of time, but we don't know when. We also know he orchestrated events to bring the Lost Legionnaires to our time, for the sole purpose of The Culling. Another interesting tidbit...According to Legion records, there isn't a team called the Teen Titans for another 40 years. Hmm, where did Skitter...skitter off to? And with whom? Whoever it was, it called Skitter "sister" and had a similar speech bubble. There is going to be a very bizarre love triangle between Solstice, Superboy, and Kid Flash, isn't there? This story continues next week in SUPERBOY, where we will see Rose Wilson, and hopefully, Caitlin Fairchild.

The other single issue is The New 52's Free Comic Book Day issue. Instead of the cover, I included the stunning 4 page gate fold by Jim Lee.

Wow, they weren't kidding when they said this was an important book for the whole DC Universe! Right from the start, we get origins for Pandora, The Phantom Stranger, and The Question AKA The Trinity of Sin. I was right again, there is a Shazam connection. The sentencing of the Trinity takes place on The Rock of Eternity! We then switch to modern day where we get references to things happening in other titles, including some scientists watching the epic battle of the first few pages of EARTH 2. Wait, wouldn't that mean that scene took place five years ago? We then switch to the mysterious Black Room, where Dr. Mist (To appear in the next issue of JLD, I believe) is supposed to be caretaker. It is a room of Supernatural Artifacts. The picture of it is chockful of Easter Eggs. The most important item...Pandora's Box, which looks more like a skull, and therefore infinitely cooler than any other version of the Box I have ever seen. Of course, Pandora show up and takes the box. Steve Trevor puts in the call for Black Orchid (also about to appear in JLD) and John Constantine. We then shift to the near future where Batman, who now has Pandora's Box tethered around his neck, is fighting a Green Lantern, but it isn't any Lanterns that we know. It ends with the beautiful 4 page gatefold you see before you. This picture alone made me glad that I ventured out into an actual comic shop for this one. This has to be seen on paper. The big tease on this last page? Next Year.....TRINITY WAR. I can't help but be excited by this. It reminds me of the year long 52 series. It encompassed the entire Universe in one book. I love it when that happens. It is one of the things I am going to love about EARTH 2. Will it be next summer's big event? Probably. Hopefully, it will follow a blueprint similar to NIGHT OF THE OWLS. Maybe with an All Universe (or Multiverse) encompassing maxiseries as well. This issue breathes a lot of excitement into a company that is already exploding with exciting things. DC Continues to get it. Learn from mistakes, and continue to make a Superior Product. And to think this was Free!!!!

05) STORMWATCH. Peter Milligan, welcome to STORMWATCH! What an outstanding Debut. He captured all of the members flawlessly. With Red Lantern involvement, Stormwatch members of the past, and the near intersection of the two, this issue was one of the best of the series to date. I gasped out loud when the Ring was heading for The Vitruvian Man. Then I cheered out loud when Midnighter solved the problem before it became a problem. Midnighter, you just became one of my favorites. I was surprised that Stormwatch did not know more about the Green Lantern Corps, or any of the other Emotional Spectrum Corps. I guess that means the Corps is even more secretive than Stormwatch. Sneaky Guardians. What was that bit about Batman at the end? Was that a Midnighter Flashback? Was he just blowing of steam because the Ring was gong to choose him, but Batman stopped Midnighter from killing that guy? I don't know, but I do know that Peter Milligan has breathed some much needed life into this title, and I can't wait for more!

The top four were incredibly tough for me to rank. Two of them are no strangers to the top spot. They have dominated them for the entirety of the relaunch. But then the Second Wave came along. As much as I was looking forward to the latest installments of the Chronicles of the Red and The Green, I was also about to FINALLY read the much anticipated EARTH 2. Plus there is DIAL H, which had me really curious. Would I like one book more, simply because it was new? I tried to stay objective and rank them on the merits of the individual issues. Below is the somewhat surprising results.

04) SWAMP THING. Scott Snyder, you sir, are an evil genius. Last issue, you get us all excited about the Warrior King of the Green, and then shocked the hell out of us by transforming Abby into a ferocious Rot Beast that didn't even break a sweat (or whatever that thing might have that is analogous to sweat) stopping the Swamp Thing Rampage. Then this issue, Swamp Thing, who quite clearly has a lot of Alec Holland in him, manages to talk Abby into overtaking the beast and returning. At first, I thought this was a little cliche, but then Abby shocks me again. She reverts back to human form, mostly, but retains Rot Powers and sends Sethe packing with an amazing display of Rotty Awesomeness. Poor Billy Arcane just watches in awe. So yeah, we have an amazing issue already, but it isn't over. Not by a long shot. Billy is still in communique with the Rot and witnesses the Resurrection of ANTON ARCANE!!! Yeah, you read that right. This guy goes back to the original series. The main nemesis of Ole Swampy, Anton Arcane. How will he have changed? What can he do now? How can I wait another month to find out? I will wait for the next issue, but I won't be happy about it.

03) EARTH 2. Perhaps one of the most anticipated projects of the Second Wave, no scratch that, of The New 52, is officially underway. Early on in the relaunch, there was news that James Robinson was working on a JSA miniseries, And, it was going to take place on Earth 2. The rumors, speculation, and excitement started early. Then when news of The Second Wave hit, the biggest news was that one of the new titles, an ongoing title at that, was this very book. A JSA miniseries got upgraded to a Earth 2 ongoing. Was it everything I hoped for? Yep! The first half of the issue deals with a 5 years ago flashback, which means it most likely coincides with the first story arc of JUSTICE LEAGUE. The difference...the Trinity, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, die. Yep, all those worries some people may have had by early previews of these characters were put to rest. These characters are now dead. Furthermore, at the end of this Epic Battle, Supergirl and Robin (Batman's daughter, Helena) get sucked through a boom tube, ending up on Earth 1, where their adventures will be chronicled in WORLDS' FINEST. This all sounds a bit familiar, didn't I envision a very similar scenario months ago. I had not forseen the death of the Trinity, but instead saw them as Dick Grayson, Conner, and Dona Troy. Oh well, I am not totally psychic. The remainder of this issue deals with the Backbone, Heart, and Soul of the JSA, Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, and Al Pratt. This was a great issue, and I can't wait for more.

02) ANIMAL MAN. Oh Mylanta, neither SWAMP THING nor ANIMAL MAN are in the number 1 spot?!?!? The Rot is roaming around in a fresh new Buddy Baker suit, while his spirit is in the Bone Orchard. Yet another fantastic issue, but by now, it would be more surprising if it was not a good issue. I doubt that will happen. I loved the Grant Morrison reference. For those who don't know, Morrison ended his run on the original ANIMAL MAN series by writing himself into the story. That would be the strange dream that was referenced. Steve Pugh has fallen right back into the Animal Man groove. The artwork is amazing yet creepy. The Red appears more than ever to be a whole different world, not just a metaphysical concept. There is geography and citizens. The artwork adds to that tremendously. You know who I could do without by this point? Ellen's mother. I kind of want her to die, and then get corrupted by the Rot, and Ellen has to take her down. That would probably mess Ellen up, though, and I like her. The ending of the issue featured a surprise in the form of John Constantine. This is a very exciting time to be a fan of The Dark!

01) DIAL H. I really didn't know what to expect going in to this. The concept of this title goes way back, and has always been quirky and fun. However, we had been told that is was going to be more in the vein of a Dark book. There have even been comparisons to the Holiest of the Holies in Dark Comics...THE SANDMAN. All of these are spot on descriptions. This easily could have been a Vertigo title, but it also fits in very well with the DCnU. The first hero that we saw was Boy Chimney, who is the creepy guy on the cover. He has some really interesting smoke powers. I hope we get to see some of these heroes come back. I would hate to see these unusual and creative characters be one time only deals. The second hero was a very odd character named Captain Lachrymose. I will not attempt to describe him here, you will just have to experience it yourself. He has the power to make people be overcome with Sorrow. It sounds weird, but it works! The story is very interesting, and makes me want to read more. There is more going on here than just a batch of crazy Superheroes. Look out comic world, it looks like we might have another Superstar on our hands, China Mieville.

So there we are. The first week of the month just got even better with some new additions, but it will make my job harder, but I couldn't be happier. See you next time, hopefully on time.

Drew
@Darthnearl

Week 34 : Rise of the Arkillo Corps

2012-04-30T23:57:00.000-04:00

Monday deadline, I have found you!!! Didn't I just write one of these? Hopefully, I am back on track after recuperating from a ridiculously long week. I even got to take the kids to a Quidditch Tournament this weekend. If you don't know, or haven't seen what is being called Muggle Quidditch, look in to it. It is becoming a popular thing at colleges. There is even going to be an (unofficial) Exhibition in London during the Olympics. But enough about Quidditch, you are here to read about comics. Let's talk about comics, starting with the breakdown of Last Month :

13) THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN
12) BLACKHAWKS
11) THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN
10) BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT
09) VOODOO
08) THE FLASH
07) ALL-STAR WESTERN
06) TEEN TITANS
05) GREEN LANTERN : NEW GUARDIANS
04) SUPERMAN
03) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK
02) I, VAMPIRE
01) AQUAMAN

Alright, Let's do this to this!!

13) THE FURY OF FIRESTORM : THE NUCLEAR MEN. Dear Ethan Van Sciver, I enjoy your artwork, especially during your time on GREEN LANTERN with Geoff Johns. I appreciate that you are venturing into the writing world. However, try to be a little more creative. In the pages of FIRESTORM, it seems like you are taking concepts from GREEN LANTERN, i.e. Multiple Colored Lanterns, and applying it to FIRESTORM. Having Firestorms flying all over the place from different countries is just silly. Wasn't it supposed to be a secret process? The Firestorm concept is cool, I like it, I really do. I can even stomach there being two Firestorms that can Voltron together. However these Firestorms are way too powerful for there to be so many of them. This latest issue, almost every single character was a feaking Firestorm of some sort. I mean, look at what happened to the Eiffel Tower for crying out loud! In the Future, let's focus a little more on character development, and less on developing so many characters. I really don't think there will be a Third or Fourth Wave title called FIRESTORM CORPS or FIRESTORM INTERNATIONAL. You are better than this. Thank you for your time, Drew. P.S. OMAC is going to kick some Firestorm butt!!!

12) THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN. That is how Daniels chose to end his run? Was the intention to make Liefeld look better by comparison? Why is this book called THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN? Where is the Savage part? Yes, there was some fighting in this issue, but nothing I would qualify as Savage. Is Askana supposed to be a Daemonite? She looks a little like Voodoo when she goes all Lizardy. I have to say, of the three titles Liefeld is taking over, I am looking forward to his take on Hawkman the most. This book has the most room for improvement, or even direction. These first eight issues didn't really have any direction. We start with a Morphicus story, and then the Gentleman Ghost story. Then last issue, Askana shows back up. There was no real direction or connective narrative. Maybe Liefeld can do better, or at least bring in the Savage.

11) BLACKHAWKS. Another series comes to an end. Was it just me or did Mother Machine's speech bubbles resemble Brother Eye's speech bubbles? It will be interesting to see how events in this issue resonate in other corners of the DCU where Andrew Lincoln has been making his presence felt. I have yet to read VOODOO this week, so I don't know if he showed up there again. The Black Razors are an offshoot of the Blackhawks, so I am curious as to how that might play out. This was a well executed final issue. It wrapped up the storyline, but maintains hope of future stories. I expect we have not seen the last of Mother Machine. I also think Andrew Lincoln will have a harder time faking his death, than he is hoping for. I am hoping that I will get to see Lady Blackhawk again.

10) THE FLASH. Adventures in the Speed Force! Would this be the same Time Stream we saw last week in CAPTAIN ATOM? So basically, what they are saying is that time travel is now impossible, unless you are one the several people that can access the Time Stream? I would have preferred it if Barry had found Rip Hunter in the Speed Force/Time Stream. I am not at all interested in Turbine. I am curious though, how exactly did he end up in the Speed Force? It looked like he was pulled in by one of the vortexes, but wasn't it revealed that he was causing the vortexes while trying to get back into his own time? My head hurts. I am going to lie down and contemplate why Grodd would pain the Flash symbol on his chest before fighting his father in ritual combat.

09) BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT. That was a great issue!. I have only one concern, and it is a petty one. The cover credits David Finch, but on the title page, he is only credited with drawing the cover. Maybe that was why this issue is so much better. Sometimes, an artist should stay an artist. The cover also had White Rabbit on it, but she did not appear in the issue herself. Maybe she was included because of a shared Wonderland connection. This issue wasn't as over the top sensational as the others have been, which benefited the book greatly. The Senator killing himself on television while announcing his bid for Presidency was awesome. I going to predict that White Rabbit is involved in this somehow. Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee seemed like they were under the influence of the Fear Toxin/Venom cocktail we have seen throughout the series. Mad Hatter didn't seem quite like his old self, but I think this was his New 52 debut, so all bets are off. Okay when I typed that last sentence, at first I typed "Owl bets are off." I guess that goes to show Owls are everywhere, even in the next issue.

08) VOODOO. Do you remember earlier, during the BLACKHAWKS review, I wondered if we would see Andrew Lincoln again and to what capacity? Go ahead, scroll up and refresh your brain...Refreshing, isn't it? So, I was right, again. I swear, I did not know he was going to appear at the end of this issue, when I wrote that. So yeah, in this issue, Agent Falon was killed, much to my surprise. Then, at the end, guess who shows up...Why, Andrew Lincoln does of course. He even references his attempt to fake his own death. He then gives Priscilla a job offer. Would that be with the Black Razors then? Or are the Blackhawks a bigger organization than originally thought. Either way, this is an interesting development. I am glad that this book has developed the way it has. Few books continue to surprise me the way this one does.

07) TEEN TITANS. Whoa, there was a lot going on in this issue, where do I even begin. Well, Amanda Waller was in this issue, investigating the aircraft carrier that Solstice ripped in half a few months ago. I am glad they aren't ignoring that situation, but why was Waller involved? Another curious Tidbit, Waller was talking to an Agent Lance. Any connection to Dinah Lance AKA Black Canary? Brother or maybe a husband that is thought to be dead? Let's move on to Skitter. There is more going on there than originally thought. I think it is safe to say that that that could be said about most of the members of this team. Solstice is kind of a double agent, but she doesn't seem happy about it. Bart is a lot more powerful than we thought. Cassie, well I hope we get a whole issue dealing with her backstory. Did Bunker just get killed? I was a little confused by that sequence of events. We are one step closer to The Culling. I believe it officially gets underway next week with an Annual!!! I just wonder why they had Tron Suits put on them as preparation.

06) ALL-STAR WESTERN. Amadeus Arkham, I think it is time for an intervention. Opium? Your colleagues are out there, in the thick of things, and you are in an Opium Den...tsk tsk. This issue proves how hard core Jonah Hex can be. He was willing to blow up a ship full of immigrants, just to get in the good graces of the August 7. I don't know else would go that far in the name of Justice. Nighthawk and Cinnamon did not have as large of a role in this issue, but I am sure will see more of them. Their origin story continued in the Backup Feature. It explains their mystical amulets. There was a reference to El Diablo! Who's hand was that coming out of the ground? I know that there is supposed to be some connection with the Owl crossover next issue, but I have yet to see any signs of it. More than likely, it won't be as direct as the other books, it will be more of a history lesson.

05) SUPERMAN. The Super-momentum continues. Mostly consisting of a brawl between Superman and Lord Helspont, there was also a philosophical debate going on. A lot of time, that sort of thing doesn't work for me. In an actual fight, there is not going to be a lot of talking. Here, it worked. The issue started a bit confusing, but then we find out it was a daemonite induce nightmare caused by Helspont. It illustrates that one of Superman's biggest fears is that humanity rejects him. This issue also demonstrates something about Superman that Grant Morrison is missing in ACTION COMICS, that his Earth parents are more responsible for his character, his moral fiber, than anything else. I am going to make this prediction now. Clark is going to hook up with Lucy, at least for a little while. At least long enough for Lois to get a little jealous and start looking at Clark in a different light.

04) GREEN LANTERN : NEW GUARDIANS. The cohesive momentum of the Green Lantern Family continues! This issue mainly deals with the team learning about the things that have happened while they were in the Orrery. Arkillo learns of Sinestro's betrayal, and the disbanding of the Sinestro Corps. I assume Munk learned of events that are currently transpiring in the pages of GREEN LANTERN, because he is off to rejoin the Indigo Tribe. Fatality has been dispatched to learn who was helping Invictus. Bleez and the others are going with Kyle to Earth so he can get his battery, which would explain how they appeared at the end of BLUE BEETLE. One thing I love about this book is that just about every member of this team has their own agenda or mission to accomplish whether they receive help from the other New Guardians or not. At the end of this issue, a new Yellow Lantern Battery is being forged, and I believe the Sinestro Corps is being replaced by the Arkillo Corps!

03) AQUAMAN. This issue raised more questions than answers. We know Arthur belonged to another group known as the Others. We know they were after the Atlantean Relics. We know Black Manta was a villain even then. If I understand the timeline correctly, Arthur joined the Justice League about a year after his adventures with the Others. He even had the stupid necklace. What we don't know includes what these relics are. Who put the team together in the first place? I would like to see a miniseries, or some arcs or issues in DCU PRESENTS, or the upcoming NATIONAL COMICS that deals more with the Pre-Justice League DCU. I would like to see missions of the Others. I would like to see adventures of The Kingdom from BATWING. I would like to see those two teams meet. It was recently announced that for the one year anniversary of the New 52, we will see issue Zeroes, or prequel issues. I may have to extend my 1 year commitment by a month, maybe. Anyways, there is still plenty of intrigue to be had with this story arc. I was keeping a close eye on the timeline to see if it conflicted with what was established in JUSTICE LEAGUE. So far, Geoff Johns hasn't caused any problems. Let's hope it stays that way.

Okay, these final two, they are the last two parts of the RISE OF THE VAMPIRES crossover. I think JLD was the better book this month, but it is easier to talk about them if I go in the the order that they were supposed to be read so here now, my favorite book of the week

01) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK. This won't make any sense too anybody but me, and I don't think I am even verbalizing this properly, so bear with me. I loved this issue, I loved his crossover, but it has been disappointing at the same time. See, I told you it didn't make any sense. Last month, I had mentioned how the writing wasn't quite the same. Well this month it was closer, but still not at the level of excellence I have come to expect from this title. This issue marks the end of Peter Milligan's run. Jeff Lemire takes over next issue. I am glad he got a chance to make Shade's departure a part of the story. Peter Milligan got a chance to say farewell to a character his name has become synonymous with. I really hope this whole thing is referenced at some point in a Batman book. At the time of this writing, I have not read the conclusion in I, VAMPIRE, so maybe in that, Xanadu or Zatanna does a forgetfulness / retcon thing on Gotham City and they won't remember any of this. Could you imagine if this was actually happening concurrently with the Batbooks? The Batfamily is having the fight of their lives with The Owls and Talons, and then in the middle of all that, A frakking Vampire War and a mystical Tornado. Man Gotham really does have he worst luck.

02) I, VAMPIRE. Didn't I just say something about a forgetfulness spell? This issue brought THE RISE OF THE VAMPIRES to an interesting close. I think the abruptness this issue of Cain's defeat may have something to do with why JLD beat this issue out this week. Otherwise, this issue is outstanding. Andrew Bennet is back from the grave, and even more powerful than before. He easily takes care of Cain and then takes over the Vampire Army. I believe he does this not out of corrupted power induced madness, but he can control them and keep the Humans safe. He has some bigger plan. A plan, it seems, that involves the Van Helsings. I hope there is at least a mention of Vanessa Van Helsing from the pages of NIGHT FORCE. Bennet also tells Constantine that he will help "The Team" if they need him, but to otherwise stay out of his way. This leads me to think he will not be a permanent fixture in JLD. With his new found responsibilities, he won't have the time. I am predicting that he will be involved in Lemire's first story arc, but then move on.

This was the final week before the Second Wave hits. I don't know about you, but there is something that I am looking forward to with all 6 of the new titles. Not only will we see the proper introduction of Earth 2, but BATMAN INC gets brought into the New 52. Big plans are underway for Pandora. There is a lot of creative shifts that go into effect including the ever so controversial use of Rob Liefeld on three different books. I hope everybody at least gives the new books, and Liefeld a chance this month. There is bound to be surprises. I hope we get a little more time for books to establish themselves before beginning plans for a Third Wave. That is all from me this week. I am going to watch JUSTICE LEAGUE DOOM now (I love Netflix) See everybody next time.

Drew
@DarthNearl

Week 33 : Twilight of the Owls

2012-04-26T16:10:00.000-04:00

I know, this is late, and I am sorry. This past week has been super busy. For those who don't know, my wife and I run a Small Rodent Rescue. We have had a lot of things going on lately that took priority. I have barely even been on the computer this past week, let alone time to type up this blog. As I have previously mentioned, I write up the paragraph for each book, on my NOOK immediately after I read the issue. Then, usually on Monday morning, I start compiling everything into this blog. So I have had all the reviews sitting in my Nook since Sunday, and this is honestly the first chance I have had to sit down and do this. 11:14pm on the following Wednesday. I haven't even started reading the new books yet. But enough about me, let's tackle this great week of books. Oh, and the title for this post is not implying that the Talons Sparkle, so relax.

Here is a snapshot of our countdown one month ago.

13) CAPTAIN ATOM
12) LEGION OF SUPER HEROES
11) JUSTICE LEAGUE
10) BLUE BEETLE
09) CATWOMAN
08) RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS
07) WONDER WOMAN
06) SUPERGIRL
05) DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN
04) GREEN LANTERN CORPS
03) BIRDS OF PREY
02) NIGHTWING
01) BATMAN

And now, I bring you what is technically last weeks books, but I will be referring to it as This Week. This is just how I am, I hope it won't confuse you too much. Unlike out first book...

13) CAPTAIN ATOM. Okay, let me see if I got this straight. A Captain Atom from the future travels to modern day to tell modern Captain Atom that the Earth will be destroyed in 20 years. However, present day Captain Atom can go to that time and stop it, in fact, he is the only one who can stop it. Okay, let's discount the fact that this and other Captain Atoms wouldn't exist if the world did indeed end in 20 years. DC Comics has gone to great lengths to make sure readers understand time travel is now impossible. Yet Captain Atom visits "The Timestream" where all time exists simultaneously. Why is Present Day Captain Atom the only one who can fix this? This issue didn't make any sense at all.

12) JUSTICE LEAGUE. You would think the inclusion of Talons and a reference to an upcoming issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK would get me super excited about this issue. Well, it didn't. It reinforced the time frame of things and places them in present day, but the characters behaviors are still not representing that. Ollie is supposed to be missing and presumed dead. Yet here he is running around the Justice league acting like that little cartoon dog. "What are we going to do now Spike?" As if his own book wasn't doing a good enough job of making him unlikable. Martian Manhunter's time on the team ended badly? That was not the impression I got in STORMWATCH. What a completely useless throw away issue. Even the Shazam backup was disappointing this month. It basically wasted the entire time further establishing Billy as a Jerk, and introducing the other members of what used to be the Marvel Family. Whether they will be again remains to be seen.

11) LEGION OF SUPER HEROES. This month's issue was split into two stories, but instead of intermingling them like they have in the past, they tell them separately, each with their own title/credit page. The first story continues the main story that has been happening. In other words, the Dominators are coming. Apparently somebody is trying to revive the Fatal Five. I don't know what that means, so I can't get excited about it. The second half is a stand alone story where Saturn Girl and Lightening Lad take Cosmic Boy out for a night of fun. He has been burning himself out trying to figure out what happened to the LEGION LOST crew. Nothing too spectacular with this issue. Hopefully this is another calm before the storm, a storm that I can hopefully make sense of.

10) DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN. And so the second arc has come to a close. This was a fun story. I hope this will not be the end for the Challengers. I have seen the news of a new series, NATIONAL COMICS, coming out in which every issue is a stand alone issue dealing with a different character. I do not know if that will be an ongoing or miniseries. If it is an ongoing, I suspect it may be replacing DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS. This issue gave us a little teaser of one of those characters, LOOKER. Is there anything behind that? I don't know but it is one hell of a coincidence. Next issue starts the next arc, which deals with the modern day Vandal Savage!!!

09) BLUE BEETLE. The Secret Origin of Stopwatch. The intent of which, I am assuming, was supposed to be tragic, but it didn't do anything for me. Now that it is over, I was not happy with this two part story arc. It was just too anticlimactic after all the intensity that has been going on. I am okay with a breather issue, or even a filler issue, but not a whole arc. That being said, I am excited about the ending of this issue. The New Guardians have just shown up. It will be interesting to see how the Bugsuit reacts to other color Lanterns, and not just the Green. If I remember correctly, the Reach was heading for Odym, the Blue Lantern world. This has all the makings of some Intense Interstellar Insanity, and maybe some Alliteration.

08) RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. The bulk of this issue, the Suzie Su story, didn't really matter much once we got to the final couple of pages. I am going to assume it was just a means to get the gang to Gotham City. This issue ended with Jason and Company intercepting "The Call" to all of the Batfamily to assist in fighting the Talons. This leads to a really neat flashback sequence that takes place shortly before TEEN TITANS #1. In the Flashback, Tim and Jason exchange information, which explains how Tim knows about Cassie Sandsmark. Jason starts to head out afterwards, but they start to bond over making fun of Alfred's waffles. Back to present day, Jason decides to help, the target he will try to protect...Victor Fries!!!

07) BIRDS OF PREY. Okay, let's get this out early, I am a huge Katana fan. I have gone on and on about how awesome she is, so I won't waste anymore of your time. She's Awesome, just sayin. Anyways, this team that is going after the Birds, I felt they were kind of lame. But, I also got the feeling that they were supposed to be lame. Let's talk about he guy in the banana hammock, Flesh. He is coated with something that renders him impervious to bullets and blades. That's great, no problem there. I don't, however, understand why this means he isn't wearing anything other than skivvies. So, are we completely finished with the Choke thing? Last issue ended implying that Choke is still out there, but this issue seems to just move on. I would have used this issue to wrap that up, next issue is the Owls, and then start the new arc, but that's just me. I am curious to see who Infiltrator is and what this spy team that Dinah used to belong to is all about. I am going to assume it is related to Dinah's dead husband. But before we tackle that mystery, we get Birds versus Owls!!!

06) GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Of all the "Families" of the New 52, I would have to say that the Green Lantern Family is the most cohesive. They all fit together much better from a continuity standpoint. That doesn't include GL appearances in other books though. It is usually a lot harder to place those appearances in to the bigger GL picture. My point? The majority of this issue is dealing with the view of the rest of the Corps pertaining to its newest member, Sinestro. I am glad to see such grumbling among the ranks. There should be. I love how Guy Gardner didn't think that the Yellow Power Battery should be buried upright. What was weird was that the Guardians agreed with him. Once again, I have to ask, What are they up to? Why the promotion of Gardner? I think they know he will be a major thorn in their side for whatever they are planning, so they want to keep him preoccupied. Something I thought was strange, was the Alpha Lanterns interpretation of John Stewart's actions as emotional. It was not an emotional decision. How could it be? He was protecting OA. Any of the Guardians would applaud his quick emotionally detached decision making. Therefore, I find it odd the Alphas are going after him. It could just be another distraction tactic conceived by the Guardians. Tricksy Guardians, I don't trust em, not one little bit.

There were two miniseries this week, both of which were the final issues. First off let's about BATMAN : ODYSSEY. Okay, the acid trip is over, please return to your seats and keep them in an upright position. I still don't see the point of this. The ending wasn't all that surprising if you have ever read any Batman, EVER. Should he do something like this, every few years? Yes, yes he should. It is common knowledge among Batman's rogues that he won't kill, ever, so they only fear the beatdown and then a vacation in Arkham. Batman needs to keep that fear of the unknown in his villains.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS, the other miniseries this week, played out more like an anticlimactic epilogue than a climactic finale. I did like the referencing of the Iron Maiden situation, which was part of the Pre-relaunch series. Overall, I enjoyed the first series better than this one. The whole subterranean thing just seemed sudden and forced. I though the little girl playing with the Superman doll was a nice touch. One thing that did come across as weird is that they saved the Undersea Agent for the final two issues. I would have put him in the first couple issues, that way, he could show up in the main series, and it would have been more exciting. I hope this does take place in the main DCU (again, there was a Superman doll) so that Undersea Agent has a run in with Aquaman.

05) CATWOMAN. Catwoman is playing detective...Spit take!?!?! The Hooker Thief strikes again, but this time Catwoman and Spark witness it and begin looking into things. For the record, I still don't trust Spark. Luckily, it looks like I am not the only one. I don't even think Selena fully trusts him. When they were going to steal the knives, did anybody else think it was an Owl connection? I don't think that is actually the case, but that is where my brain went first. Apparently, I am now seeing Owls everywhere in Gotham. Speaking of Owls, I was surprised to see them worked into this issue. I was expecting another example of "Next Issue...Night of the Owls!" But they chose to fit it into the story more, which is how I would prefer it.

04) SUPERGIRL. Now that's what I am talking about!!! That was a great issue. Kara is starting to make friends, go to rock shows, and fight pissed off Ghost Dads (no, not Bill Cosby...Great, now I want a pudding pop). Now she just needs to learn English. I hope Silver Banshee sticks around, just so that Supergirl has somebody to talk to and hopefully teach her English. Is Black Banshee new? I am not that familiar with the with Silver Banshee, so I don't know. I loved the opening scene. She just wants to rest and regain her strength, but those pesky humans and their guns wouldn't let it happen. Kara has some anger management issues, but considering everything she has been through, it is understandable. I hope this momentum continues!

03) WONDER WOMAN. Wonder Woman reclaims her throne of Queen Badass!!! I was nervous about this issue. Last issue left a bad taste in my mouth, and this issue has Wonder Woman with Guns-a-blazin on the cover. I was not happy with that image. Then I read the issue. I love the Warrior Princess look for Diana. She took the Pistols of Eros pretty much to get him to agree to stay behind. Hermes takes her to the underworld, where she has some awesome moments. Hermes even kicks some butt, or more appropriately, squeezes some heads. I loved the concept of everything being comprised of souls. Diana did demonstrate a bit of Naivete at the end. Did she really think Hades would keep his word? He is HADES!!!! The precursor to the Devil, the Father of Lies. Okay, Hades, here are some Pistols that are wielded by Gods, and we walk out of here, without any problems. Sure, okay, Hey Diana, I have some magic beans I would like to sell you. This will be interesting, to say the least.

I just want to take a minute and say that yes, I am reading AVX, out of morbid train wreck curiosity, and a sense of fairness. I am not going to be blogging about it, but I do chime in on the Facebook pages and groups when I have the chance to. Let's just say that The Night of the Owls is how you (an adult, with adult sensibilities) do an event. AVX is how a 9 year old would do an event. Enough of this Marvelous Trainwreck, let's talk Owls...

02) NIGHTWING. Owls, owls, owls. I cannot get enough Owls! If the Night of the Owls was a company wide, 52 book crossover, I would be okay with it. This issue is considered a prelude to the actual event, but most of this story involving Nightwing takes place during the actual Night of the Owls. I guess because Dick is more closely involved, he jumps in on the action a tad bit earlier. About half of this issue is a flashback to the Early Days of Gotham. There is even a reference to the Gates Brothers. For any new readers out there, that is a reference to a miniseries from Kyle Higgins and Scott Snyder (yes, the writers of NIGHTWING and BATMAN) called THE GATES OF GOTHAM. It came out shortly before the relaunch, but you can tell they were already planting seeds for the Owl storyline. It deals with The Early Days of Gotham, and establishes a lot of the important families of Gotham, that figure into the Owl storyline. Check it out, if you haven't already. Anyway, the flashback portion deals with a young man and his introduction into Haly's Circus. By the end of the issue, we realize we are dealing with William Cobb. Yes, the Talon from last month, that was revealed to be Dick's Great Grandfather. Back to present day, Dick fails to get to one of the targets in time, but he still stops the Talon in spectacular fashion! That is when another Talon, William Cobb actually, shows up. His target? RICHARD GRAYSON! My only question is...isn't Cobb dead? Like dead dead, not just reanimated zombie Talon dead. On a slab in the Batcave. Did I miss him getting up? I guess with all the chaos in BATMAN this week, it is possible that nobody noticed him getting back up. So that just leaves...

01) BATMAN. Talon Party at Bruce's House!!! (If you know the reference, please let me know. Hint it is not a Batman Reference) The Night of the Owls is officially underway!!! Chronologically speaking, it all starts here. The Talons, and boy there a lot of them, are attacking Wayne Manor. It doesn't help matters much that Bruce is still recovering from the Labyrinth, and possibly the ordeal with Nobody from BATMAN AND ROBIN. There is one thing that I found really intriguing. The Court has obviously targeted Batman. I had assumed that was why they descended on Wayne Manor, to finish off Batman. After all, if anybody was privy to The Secret Life of Bruce Wayne, it would be the Court of Owls. But when the Talons discovered the Batcave, they were surprised. Bruce Wayne is just another target of influential people in Gotham. I also liked how once Batman is made aware of the healing factor, and reanimatedness (is that a real word? Well it is now) of the Talons, he turned up his Brutality Factor. It reminded me of when Superman realized he was fighting a robot, he did not have to hold back. Neither did Bruce, and I bet it felt good. The end of this issue also debuted what can only be called the Iron Bat Mark I Armor Suit. I am not sure if he donned this suit due to injuries, or because of the extreme cold he was about to use to slow the Talons down. As much as I have loved EVERYTHING that Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have done in this series, until now, I am not a fan of this armor. It seems too clunky. Batman would not be as effective of a fighter in that thing. But hey, if that is my only complaint in 8 issues plus a crossover event, that's a good thing, right? This issue also begins the backup features. This one is more of a continuation of the issue, then a separate story. It basically is The Call to Arms to the rest of the Batfamily. Based on NIGHTWING, I am going to assume/hope that we see echoes of this in the rest of the crossover books.

Whew, there it is finished. 3:45 pm on a Thursday. More than a week since I read some of these books. Now I can finally start reading this weeks books. I am especially excited about the RISE OF THE VAMPIRES conclusion. I think I will start with that. See you next time. Hopefully it will be on time!!

Drew
@DarthNearl

Week 32 : The Calm Before the Storm

2012-04-17T12:22:00.000-04:00

Once again, this week of DC comics had a theme. Whether it was intentional, or just a crazy coincidence, I don't know, but, this week seemed to be a bit light on the action side. Not that that is a bad thing, there seemed to be a lot of introspection, and flashbacks this week. I still really enjoyed almost every book, because these quiet moments, whether is is a moment of reflection, or a peek at an origin, they help define the character. The more fleshed out a character is, the more I care about what happens with them, or to them. Things are about to pick up in almost every issue, so this could be perceived as a Calm before The Storm. What Storm? Read on, there are several. Enough of my own introspection, let's get on with the reviewing.

But first, let's take a moment to reflect. Let's look back and see what was going on a month ago:

13) MISTER TERRIFIC
12) LEGION LOST
11) SUPERBOY
10) BATGIRL
09) SUICIDE SQUAD
08) GRIFTER
07) FRANKENSTEIN
06) DEMON KNIGHTS
05) RESURRECTION MAN
04) DEATHSTROKE
03) BATMAN AND ROBIN
02) GREEN LANTERN
01) BATWOMAN

There, isn't that better? We feel all refreshed, full of resolve, and ready to face the challenges ahead. The first one being...

13) MISTER TERRIFIC. Here we are, another final issue. Oddly enough, this was the best of the series. How much of a role did Michael Holt AKA Mister Terrific AKA The World's Third Smartest Man have to play in the enjoyability of this issue? Almost nothing. There were two things that made me like this issue. The first one being Andrew Lincoln, from the pages of BLACKHAWKS. He played a major part in this issue. I think it is strange that Lincoln has had more appearances an other books than he has in a book about his own team. The other thing I liked was that a scenario than I envisioned sort of came to fruition. Back when it was first announced that this book is getting cancelled and EARTH 2 and WORLDS' FINEST were on their way, I said it would be cool if Michael ends up on Earth 2. I had figured he would be trying to help Karen Power Girl Starr get back home, but blast himself over instead; leaving him stranded on Earth 2 without all his tech, but with all his smarts. Well, he is going to Earth 2, just not the was I hoped it would go down. It still works though. I hope this makes him a more interesting character.
Storm = EARTH 2

12) LEGION LOST. The big event for the "Young Justice" Family of books, THE CULLING starts here with a Prelude. Rose Wilson is sent with a team from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to bring in Timberwolf and his friends. It seems his little fundraising adventure last month has caught the attention of the wrong prople. I was tricked by the Colossal Boy appearance. Admit it, you were too. What was really intriguing was the moment prior to the Colossal trickery. Chameleon Girl has Ulterior Motives. Alastor and The Virus are just a cover story. What is the real reason they went back in time? Does any of the other Time Trapped Legionnaires know about this? Is it connected to N.O.W.H.E.R.E.? Is that guys name really Windstrom, or was it supposed to be Windstorm, but there was a typo? Shame on DC if they let a typo like that through. Shame on DC if it wasn't a typo and they thought Windstrom was a good name. This was a good issue however, and I am really excited to see how this whole Culling thing plays out.
Storm = THE CULLING

11) GRIFTER. Early on in this issue, I was disappointed. Last issue, Cole had decided that he needed to con the world into thinking he was a villain in order to fight the Daemonite threat. I was excited to see what he was going to do to make that happen. That didn't happen. Instead, he ended up fighting his brother. Again. Although this time it was a daemonite using his brother's body. It was a good fight, but it was not what I was expecting from the issue. I did like how Cole admitted that he was scared, and that is why he wears the mask, but didn't he say before the mask is what Daemointes fear, and that is why he wears it? In the end, he did what he had to do, and it changed him as a person. What did he mean, "Activated him"? What are these daemonites up to? Why do they want Cole to kill the Curate and the other daemonites? This is getting good folks, I hope you are reading this one.
Storm = Daemonite Conspiracy

10) SUPERBOY. Another Prelude to the Culling, however, I think this one takes place before LEGION LOST. Rose Wilson's behavior while fighting Timberwolf makes a little more sense if happens after this issue. So, Superboy turned up the Bad Ass Dial this week. I loved the way he finished the fight with Grunge. What is The Culling, anyway? It is starting to sound like it could be some sort of terror Titans/Hunger Games like thing. Harvest is one creepy looking dude. There I said it. He is creepy. What is his deal, anyways? I am starting to sense that The Culling might have nefarious and/or supernatural ramifications. I hope so. There is just not enough Nefarious in the world. The last page has me psyched...Beast Boy! Terra! What exactly is a Ravager? We will find out soon enough. After all, they are getting their own book! Now, where is Caitlin Fairchild?
Storm = The Culling

09) DEATHSTROKE. Kyle Higgins final issue. It was actually surprising that Higgins didn't choose to go out with a huge bloody bang. This issue actually comes off not as the end of a writer's run, but the end of the series. In a way, it works, it is Kyle Higgins saying goodbye to a character he has really enjoyed working with. It mostly tells the tale of a young Slade Wilson and his not too successful con artist father Nathaniel. It does a great job of parelleling Slade's relationship with his own son, Grant. This issue also show's Deathstroke on a smaller mission, despite the fact that he is still recuperating from events that transpired in the last issue. There was a scene during this mission that shows that, although he is the Ultimate Badass, Deathstroke does have a sense of honor. The target's son comes out of hidng to see that his father has been killed. Slade tosses him a knife and tells him that when he is older, he can come after him if he wants to. Next month begins Rob Liefeld's run. All I really know about it is that it involves the New 52 Debut of Lobo. This should get Brutal!!!
Storm = Lobo/Rob Liefeld

08) BATGIRL. This was an important issue for Batgirl. Whenever anybody goes through a traumatic experience the way Barbara did, there is only so much moving on a person can do without a certain sense of closure. This issue provides that for Barbara, closure not only with the KILLING JOKE, but with her mother. I don't think Barbara's mother's reasons for leaving were good enough. Just because you get a little weirded out by something your kid does, it doesn't mean you abandon your family, it means you stick around and try to fix things. But, it was enough for Barbara, so that's good. Did Barbara receive all the answers she had been looking for from the Joker Henchman? No. Was it enough? It will have to do for now. After all, she will need her head in the game next month, because it is Talon Time!!!
Storm = Night of the Owls

07) SUICIDE SQUAD. The majority of this issue was the aftermath and a breather after the insanity of, well, the rest of the series. Harley is alive. YAY!!! We still didn't get any real answers to the Joker Face situation. I am sure somebody, somewhere, has a plan. I hope. Further into the issue, we get some flashbacks to the formation of the team, and now we know that there is a mole, for Basilisk, but who could it be? My money is on Savant. I don't trust that guy as far as I can shoot him out of my nose (that is not very far, in case you were wondering). Maybe it was Yo Yo, who is still trying to figure out how to complete his mission from the intestinal track of a shark? Now the real question is, Why is Mitch Shelley, the Resurrection Man, a target? Does it have something to do with his past? Or does it relate to more recent goings on, you know, Heaven and Hell fighting for his soul and all. Whatever the reason, I am looking forward to this unlikely, but sure to be fun, crossover.
Storm = Mitch Shelley

06) RESURRECTION MAN. Things are picking up again, despite the continued lack of the Body Doubles. Two new players enter the game. I want to know more about The Butcher. I suspect he has crossed paths with Constantine before, and if he hasn't, he should. Who are these people working for? It is heaven and hell? Is it connected with Amanda Waller, and whoever she works with? How bad does it suck for Mitch that right when he is about to learn more about his somewhat douchey past, he gets shot in the head, by Deadshot. This crossover should get really creative with Killing Mitch. At some point, you just know King Shark is going to try to eat him. That should prove interesting. Maybe Mitch will meet Yo-Yo in King Shark's belly, and breakout together. Because that isn't weird at all. I hope the Body Doubles show up to help out Mitch. Can you imagine the fight between them and Harley...slide show, yep that is in there!
Storm = Suicide Squad

Once again, there was only one Mini this week, and it is THE SHADE. Okay this issue settles it. I REALLY need to read the STARMAN series one of these days. I was confused, yet mesmerized by this issue. Next issue, Things look to get back on track, after Shade went on this little side quest, that proved unnecessary in the long run. Who was that on the last page? Is it somebody else from Shade's long past, or somebody new?

05) FRANKENSTEIN. You can tell that Lemire is trying to take things in a new direction with this issue. For the second issue in a row, Ray Palmer has a bigger role in the story. This time it looks like he might be leaving S.H.A.D.E. I wonder where he will show up next, and if he will take on the Atom persona. The main part of the story deals with Frank and The Bride and their Spawn, a genetically engineered, lab grown, offspring. It looks like this is what originally caused the falling out between the reanimated couple. The hunt leads to where it all began, Castle Frankenstein. The Bride ends up doing what she hated Frank for doing all those years ago. The end result? No more Spawn, and the Bride leaves S.H.A.D.E., threatening all who try to find her. What a great issue. Frankie is going to be in a dark place for a while after this, which makes the next issue that much more interesting...he is on the search for Animal Man. It will be interesting to see how The Rot interacts with reanimated dead tissue.
The Storm = The Rot

04) BATWOMAN. This is a book that, for some reason, I keep forgetting how awesome it truly is. I started reading this and then I got all excited because I remembered all of the awesomeness going on in this book right now. Bloody mary, Rush, the Weeping Woman, the new and improved Killer Croc, what a great lineup for a Rogues Gallery. This story arc is using a very interesting non-linear story telling method. I am not usually a huge fan of that style, because so few can pull it off properly, but this book is doing just that. I can definitely see how much of a non sequitur it would be for Batwoman to tangle with the Talons, as much as I would like to see that. Now that I think about it, it could work. Urban Legends are being made real. The Court of Owls and the Talons are a sort of Urban Legend of Gotham. Batwoman could fight a false, created Urban Legend Talon, not aware that real Talons are taking it to the rest of the Batfamily. That would have been cool, oh well, just a thought.
There is no real calm here, because Batwoman is smack dab in the middle of a storm, a storm that could Drown the World.

03) GREEN LANTERN. This confirms it, BLACKEST NIGHT happened! This story continues to be what I have always enjoyed about Geoff Johns writing green Lantern. But it does raise a few questions. Do all of the Indigo Tribe have the ability to draw from the whole Spectrum, or is that a Black Hand thing? I wouldn't think that would be enough to charge a ring. Don't you need a Battery for that? Does that mean Black hand is a walking Power Battery for the Entire Emotional Spectrum? I have not read BLACKEST NIGHT...yet, but I will, soon, so please indulge my ignorance if this is established fact already. Furthermore, Sinestro, who continues to show his badassery and worthiness of the ring, is now Indigo Tribe (against his will by the way), and no longer a Green Lantern. So, how is it that Hal even has a ring right now? Let alone one that HE can charge, even if on a limited basis. I don't think these are oversights, just pieces of a Mosaic (old school Lantern fans, see what I did there?) that will be revealed over time. Great issue over all.
Storm = oh let's see, First Lantern, Third Army, Villification of Guardians, Indigo Tribe, and Black Hand!!!!! Pick one.

02) DEMON KNIGHTS. Just when you think you are taking a bit of a breather, and learning some history, some crazy stuff goes down. More on the crazy in a little bit. Let's start with the History. The majority of this issue is told in flashback as Xanadu tells the group how she ended up in this bizarre love triangle. In addition to attempting to explain this unusual relationship, it also sheds more light on the history of Xanadu and Camelot. Her name was originally Nimue, and there has been more than one Camelot. That last tidbit is very interesting, and explains how Xanadu and Shining Knight are both tied to the legendary city, but had never met each other. Then it is time for Etrigan to show up. They ask Etrigan for his side of the How We Met story, and it is totally different. He basically gets the group to second guess what Xanadu said. Who is actually telling the truth? Xanadu? Etrigan? Neither? We may never know for sure, just like we may never know for sure if Vandal Savage was loyal to the Knights the whole time. What I do know is that the last page is a mind blower. Now comes the crazy. If anybody thinks differently, please let me know, but I think Merlin just got ran through by a frakking Daemonite!!! A daemonite in the pages of DEMON KNIGHTS! This will be interesting, to say the least.
Storm = DAEMONITES in King Arthur's Court!!! Okay the King Arthur's Court part was thrown in for dramatic effect

01) BATMAN AND ROBIN. It has come to this. I was surprised that this book made it to number one this week. There were so many good books this week, but upon reflection the best of the batch was BATMAN AND ROBIN. This issue was a very powerful issue. It sums up the focus of the whole series. It is amazing to look back at the first issue and compare the Bruce/Damien relationship then and now. It just goes to show, Nobody can make a difference. I think Bruce has finally accepted that he is more than just a mentor/partner, he is a father. He has reminded Damien of this in the past, but I don't think he really felt it, until now. The way he deals with Damien in this issue, after what Damien did in the last issue, is how a father would deal with a son, not how a Batman would deal with a Robin. It gives me hope for them. It gives me hope for Damien. It was incredibly touching yet surreal at the same time to see them act as a family playing with their dog. That is until they look up. Alfred said it, but I think they were all thinking it. "Just one night, is that too much to ask?" The question is, did Alfred ask that of Bruce, or Gotham City? Honestly, Bruce should just move out of Gotham, and concentrate on raising Damien. But we all know that is just not in the cards for The Dark Knight, not ever. Next up, the Talon Strikes. It is going to be interesting to see how Damien behaves during this next fight. It could make or break him as a person.
Storm = The Night of the Owls

So, what is the bigger storm in the DCU that is about to break? Well, there is something huge coming down the line involving Pandora that starts with the Free Comic Book Day issue, but before that...we have, finally, the Owls. The Night of the Owls officially begins next week with BATMAN #8 and NIGHTWING #8. Is that Stormy enough for you? I am so psyched about this. Can you tell? Join me next week as we begin this one, long dark and STORMy night in Gotham City.

Drew
@DarthNearl