Reviews,
commentary, and general reactions to the DC Comics that were released
during October that I received near the beginning of November.
Spoilers abound! [ Link
to previous month.
]
As
usual, before launching off into my comments on the comics
themselves, here are a few notes on newsworthy developments in the
amazing world of DC Comics.
First off, joining the previously announced Justice
League of America
– for
which the first issue is going to have at least 52 variant covers
(the main cover as shown, with a take-off of the raising of the flag
over Iwo Jima with the US flag, of course, with variants of the fifty
states' flags plus Puerto Rico … so far I've not been able to find
the inevitable photoshop of the Confederate Stars and Bars version;
but the Mississippi state flag includes it, which has already raised
eyebrows – I'm a son of the South and I
have no problem with it) – will be a new “cosmic” title,
Threshold;
Katana
starring the character most recently in Birds
of Prey;
and Justice
League of America's Vibe
in response to overwhelming
popular demand (not really). All of these are to debut in January
and February. None of the latter three do I intend to get; only
Threshold
may I try out. The titles cancelled to make way for these are G.I.
Combat;
Frankenstein,
Agent of SHADE;
Grifter;
Blue
Beetle;
and Legion
Lost,
only the latter of which was I getting. I presume the previously
announced but yet to be titled new Superman
book will fill out the magic number of 52, but that won't be coming
until later; according to Wikipedia,
its place will be held for the month of February at least by Young
Romance: A New 52 Valentine's Day Special
#1. (But see two paragraphs below for another announced but not, to
my knowledge, scheduled new title.)
Of
particular note to myself, although I can't say whether I consider it
good or bad, is the announcement that Keith Giffen will be returning
(okay, I'm taking the very
long view here) to art duties on Legion
of Super-Heroes
in the near future. My assessment will ultimately depend on which
Keith Giffen shows up – the artist of the “Great Darkness Saga”
era or the artist of the “Magic Wars” era – as well as how much
story input he will have. I think I've written this before recently
in some context, but Giffen can be a really good writer. Sometimes,
however, he tries to be too clever by several halves, thinking he's
being funny but for me at least just coming off annoyingly
disrespectful of characters whom I love. I'm reminded of a line by
Tony Hendra in his Father
Joe:
“You can only parody what you once loved, and now loathe.”
Probably why I've never been a huge fan of parody.
A
humorous yet pointed commentary
by “snell” of the Slay,
Monstrobot of the Deep
blog
regarding the imminent cancellation of DC's now longest-continuously
running title, Hellblazer,
to be replaced by a new Constantine
book more closely aligned with his appearance in Justice
League Dark
(i.e., now part of the mainstream DC line rather than under the
Vertigo imprint), among other things points out the problematic
nature inherent in the multiplicity of Bat-titles
running concurrently. I can't not believe the number of different,
some arguably superfluous, titles depress to an unknown degree the
sales of any individual Bat-book.
They definitely crowd out a more diverse range of titles.
Late
in my delayed and slow – it's the end of the semester and I've got
exams and papers out the wazoo to grade – composition of this post,
some really disturbing news hit: Gail Simone announced via Twitter
that she had been booted off Batgirl.
I first saw it via a Facebook post from Newsarama:
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/gail-simone-no-longer-batgirl-writer.html.
The Last
of the International Fanboys
posted a short Facebook comment that partially sums up my own feelings about
this: “I'm a big DC Comics apologist but when the writer of one of
their most successful books is suddenly given the boot, well, it's
worrying.” I went a little further in a comment to his post:
“More disconcerting to me than the fact that Gail Simone is leaving
Birds of Prey is the utterly disrespectful way she apparently found
out about it. Just about the only thing I think I would find more
shocking would be Paul Levitz being booted from Legion of
Super-Heroes in such a manner. And yet I'm starting to think it's
entirely plausible.” In the next few hours, various other comics
news outlets broke the story as well, which seems to have caused a
bit of a Twitter firestorm as well, according to Bleeding
Cool:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/12/09/comic-creators-respond-to-gail-simones-firing-by-e-mail-off-batgirl/
. I do not understand DC Comics management these days. This is
going to take some time to process, but nothing good will come of
their alienating both creators and old-guard fans like me.
I'm
sure there's other stuff, but those are the only things I made notes
about. So now, back to the main stories (in most cases) …
“Welcome
to the Grey!”
Right
off we find that the United States of Earth 2 post-Apokolips War has
a female President, as she is saved from the Grey engulfing the White
House by Wesley Dodds – a Canadian agent of the World Army and but
one of multiple gas-masked “Sandmen.” The commander of World
Army Intelligence, “Sentinel,” appears to be a Sikh, named Kahn
(shouldn't that be “Khan”?). He answers to shadowy figures on
monitors – which to my mind is an overused trope just within the
New 52. In any case, they watch as the new “Wonders” and the
Atom fight each other and Grundy. Green Lantern forms a plan that
has him confronting the Grey while entrusting the protection of his
body to others. He seems to have learned very quickly about some
unexpected new powers. Deep inside the Earth, the Grey tempts him
with the prospect of resurrecting Sam. Meanwhile, Sloan is called in
by the shadowy figures. Kahn is hostile to him for his past actions,
but Sloan informs him that a nuclear strike is already under way to
destroy Grundy, sacrificing Washington DC and the new Wonders to save
the world. That seems to be Sloan's m.o.
I
don't necessarily like the specifics of some of the changes that are
being made. Heck, I don't like the specifics of most
of the changes that are being made. But I do like the more colorful,
sleeker costumes that so far seem to be the norm for the Wonders of
Earth 2.
The
civilian name of Wildcat is dropped here when it is said that Flash
pulled a “Ted Grant” on Atom, from context confirming that Grant
is still a boxing champ in this world.
“Three
Midnights, Far from Home”
This
whole issue is basically individual character studies of Huntress and
Power Girl framed by a character moment with both after another
session trying to further test and understand Karen's somewhat
altered powers – with her suffering the predictably shredded
costume. Karen's story has her fighting off an other-dimensional
invader who zeroed in on the CERN super collider – with her
suffering the predictably shredded business suit. It is
possible to overuse this joke.... Helena's story is of thwarting a
sniper attacking a women's issues protest on Boston Common.
With
Perez ably handling the common framing sequence, guest artist Jerry
Ordway delivers a typically solid art job for Karen. I didn't care
so much for guest artist Wes Craig in Helena's part. Overall, it was
kind of a throwaway issue, but it was pleasant enough. The fact that
I love these characters and Levitz writing them goes a long way.
“The
Ghost in the Fortress of Solitude”
It's
Hallowe'en, and Superman is in the now-Arctic Fortress of Solitude,
cataloguing Kandorian artifacts retrieved from their shrunken state
with the help of Professor Palmer. He ends up trapped in the Phantom
Zone by the first criminal ever imprisoned there – also on
Hallowe'en, although on Krypton they could not know it, twenty years
before the explosion that destroyed that world. Aided by little
Kal-El's dog Krypto (did they really call him that? – Would you
name your
dog “Eartho”?) (remember how the courageous canine was lost in
the Zone 'way back in issue #5?) as well as the Phantom Stranger –
who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and got sucked
into the Zone from Metropolis – Superman by the very force of his
will manages to make his escape and re-imprison the criminal. And
then he succeeds in rescuing Krypto to boot!
I
always like Krypto stories, and Grant Morrison pulls off one of the
best in this resolution to the dangling question of what happened to
him back on the eve of Krypton's destruction. But we are about to
enter the last arc of Morrison's run. I think I repeat myself, but
whatever – I'm
missing him already!
“A
Boy and His Dog”
And
guess what! Not surprisingly, Sholly Fisch pulls off a great tale of
Krypto in the back-up, a sweet story of how the dog literally
shadowed his boy from the insubstantialness of the Phantom Zone for
all Kal-El's life, through adventures and quiet times, right up until
the present. Well, I guess the five-years-ago
present....
So far
there's been no reference, I believe, to Krypto in the “real”
present of the DCnU. I hope that has no significance other than that
Grant Morrison is notoriously close-mouthed about his plans until he
brings them about, so even the other writers probably didn't know the
Superdog is still part of the story. In particular, wouldn't
Supergirl recognise him, and vice versa? If he's still around. I
hope he's still around.
“Duck
and Cover”
Oh
happy day! There's a new writer and new artist on Detective
Comics,
and it is better! The Penguin hires some Hong Kong hit men called
the Ghost Dragons to keep Batman busy and distracted while they kill
or maim, it doesn't matter which, just delay
Bruce Wayne from getting to the opening of the new Martha Wayne
Children's Wing of the Neville Community Center, mainly so that the
Penguin can poach the naming of the building for his own family.
That's a sometime, but in my memory not recently used,
characterisation of Oswald Cobblepot – scion of another of Gotham's
big families, wanting due recognition as one of the Important People.
I didn't read that New 52 miniseries that came out either last year
or earlier this year, but from the title Pain
and Prejudice
I wonder if that worked the same angle. Batman, of course, thwarts
the plot against Wayne anyway, but the distraction allows Penguin
time to “outbid” Wayne's generous donation that had gained the
honor in name of his mother, so the name goes down as Esther
Cobblepot
Children's Wing.... Whereupon Penguin tries to call off the
now-redundant hit. Problem is, the Ghost Dragons have taken that
contract and will not stop until it is fulfilled....
One thing I like here is that the new artist actually makes Penguin look human, not like some mega-beaked mutant.
“IQ
Test”
This
is a character piece with Penguin's man Ogilvey subjecting a
potential new henchman to an IQ test. But while “smart is what
keeps you alive
in Gotham[,] / Too
smart
… That's
what'll get you killed.
// Because somebody who's too
smart
will have ideas
of their own. / Somebody too
smart
is going to ultimately prove to be a threat.”
BLAM.
And that's the end of Martin from Miami.
“A
Hard Turn”
Honestly,
until I looked at the credits again just now I thought this was the
first post-Judd Winick issue. He is
leaving, right? I felt there was such
“a hard turn” in the story this must be the start of something
new.
Looking
at the cover, you know
the word “bloodthirsty” is going to be used in this review. So
I'll get it out of the way. This issue concerns the worrisome rise
of a bloodthirsty
new cult to a figure known as “Father Lost,”
which
is tied to an increasing number of blood sacrifices of missing
persons, as well as a new female vigilante, Dawn – whom I suspect
will turn out to be David's fellow officer, Kia. Which probably
guarantees it's not her.
“The
Rise of the Demon”
I'm
basically just playing out issues until I run out my pre-ordered
monthlies and – maybe – start getting it digitally, or maybe even
as trades. I strongly feel it will read better in larger chunks. In
this issue, a weird, crime-prone block in London is finally
explained. Etrigan the Demon was buried there at some time after the
Demon
Knights
era, and he has of late been affecting people with weak minds until
one finally invokes him – freeing him. Midnighter and Apollo are
there confronting him at the issue's climax. In other news,
Stormwatch is still mystified by the Horn, and Harry Tanner is still
on the moon with the blonde chick enthralled as he intrigues against
the Shadow Lords or whatever they're called.
 |
| Outer cover |
Batgirl
#13
“A
Blade of Memory” – Death
of the Family: Prologue
This
is, to my surprise, the first issue I read that actually does take up from a
two-month-old cliffhanger. Batgirl manages to rally from being
stabbed in the side and take down Knightfall, but the latter's
standard villain rain tells the story of how Cherise, once a princess
of Gotham, witnessed her parents' torture and deaths, even was forced
to participate, and went mad. Accused of being her parents' own
murderess and confined to Arkham, she there conceived a way to turn
Gothams' villains' madness against them, learning the “craft” of
madness along the way, before using her father's connections to buy
her freedom. She vows to destroy Batgirl, and by the end of the
issue, her associates are already building an army of Batgirl's new
rogues.
 |
| Inner cover |
Recuperating
from her injury, Barbara gets a frightened telephone call from her
mother as clown-masked men break into her mother's home. And that is
the extent of this issue's link to Death
of the Family,
the much ballyhooed epic return of the Joker that will play out in
multiple Bat-books,
whose overall title plays off the famous story in which we the
readers directed the Joker to beat Jason Todd to death with a
tire-iron. Really.
Or was it a baseball bat? Whichever, that
was called A
Death in the Family.
Wow,
the recuperative ability of the Bats from deep stab wounds – wasn't
Bruce literally impaled through back to front in an early issue of
Batman?
– strains credulity to the breaking.
I'll
say it now and leave it off for the other issues this month that
sport it (Batman
and
Catwoman),
but I really hate
the die-cut cardboard Joker-mask that serves as an outer cover for
this issue. There is an upside, however – I'm spared the banner
for Arrow!
 |
| Outer cover |
Batman
#13
“Knock
Knock” – Death
of the Family
First
off, we get a definite statement as to how closely New 52 chronology
is tracking with real time, which is to say pretty
closely.
It's been “one year” since the Joker had his face flayed from
his skull. Unheard of since then, he returns with a bang,
infiltrates the Gotham City Police HQ, and torments Commissioner
Gordon by picking off his officers around him. Then he vanishes
before Batman gets there. Batman and his allies confer in time to
view a televised threat from the Joker that seems to promise
reduplication of his original appearance in Gotham – way back in
the real
Batman
#1 in 1940. But the Joker actually ends up carrying through with a
perverse inversion of that debut. He lures Batman back to where it
all began according to his much later origin story, with the unknown
“Red Hood” falling into a vat of chemicals in the Ace Chemical
plant – and into a trap. Harley Quinn, whom I've not seen either
in the New 52 since I've not seen the first issue of Suicide
Squad,
was key to trapping Batman, but she seems remorseful for what's
coming. Then a tagged cliffhanger has Alfred hearing a scratching at
the door to Wayne Manor, being taken aback by the sight of a
two-headed lion cub – and immediately being attacked by the Joker.
 |
| Inner cover |
“Tease”
This
short backup tale gives the background for Harley's appearance in the
main story, telling how he tormented her and maneuvered her into the
position she need to be to entrap Batman.
This
issue sure lays out a lot of promise! I have a lot of faith that
Scott Snyder can follow through, though. So far, it does look like
this will be an “epic event” in which the ancillary titles such
as Batgirl
and
Catwoman
will
not be essential to following the main story in this book, which is
how it should be.
“Eclipsed”
First
off, what does Damien mean by “Another couple of months … /// …
and I'll start growing ...” One theory as to how a ten- or
eleven-year-old son of Bruce and Talia can fit into a
little-more-than-five-years time line for Batman is that his growth
was accelerated. But I thought previous issues of mainly this and
Batman,
Incorporated,
had reconciled the chronologies without accelerated growth....
Secondly,
what's this pseudoscientific nonsense about temporary gravity
anomalies associated with solar eclipses? The only gravitational
effect that I know of is increased tidal forces resulting from the
necessary alignment of the sun and the moon along a single vector,
which is well known and would not send a satellite spinning out of
orbit.
It is
cool that Batman has a Batrocket to go with all his other toys,
though.
Anyway,
after a quick trip into space to protect one of Batman's cloaked
comsats from said temporary gravity anomalies, Batman and Robin get
reports of zombies climbing out of their graves in Gotham, which
Batman ejects to investigate. Robin takes the opportunity of Batman
and Alfred both being out to steal out of the cave into the sewers on
some unknown mission, where he defeats an attack by some mutant
lizard thing. Contacted by Batman, he is ordered back to the cave,
but upon hearing of the situation on the surface he ascends and is
almost immediately attacked by a zombie mob. Or is it a “herd of
Walkers”?
The
Joker is known to be back in town, but I have no idea how this will
fit into the Death
of the Family
event that it is not
tagged with.
On the
other hand, maybe the accelerated growth kicked in between pages 15
and 16, which would explain why Damien appears to have grown several
years in between. Of course, the change in artists at that point
could also explain it....
“In:
Torment”
My
introduction to Stormwatch
above would work here as well, except in this case I'm running out my
pre-orders specifically to Paul Cornell's last issue. I must admit,
however, I am losing interest even in his run because I'm finding it
very hard to follow and see what point he's trying to make.
In
this issue, the Demon Knights are in hell – literally – being
tormented in various ways, al part of Etrigan's plan to secure Avalon
for Lucifer and buy his own return to higher station in hell. And
Etrigan is enjoying his own first freedom in centuries from Jason
Blood. Jason, however, is about to kill himself, sending himself to
hell in pursuit of his companions, when he is confronted by Mordru
and Morgana.
“Planetcide”
Some
kind of cosmic threat is approaching Earth, heralded by a silver guy
riding a surfboard – oops, wrong universe – heralded by a
red-skinned guy riding a talking space dragon. The red dragon-rider
is powerful enough to beat down Wildfire. But 'way more interesting
than all that is the revelation that the Echo mole among the Lost
Legionnaires is Chameleon Girl when her Echo handler appears with a
Time Bubble to warn of some threat to the time stream that is about
to be focussed on the Earth. I wonder where they were when the
Flashpoint Event was about to happen – although to be fair that has
at least been acknowledged in the Legion
books, moreso than in the rest of the DCnU books. Other things that
we find out is that Tyroc is, according to said handler, fated to die
in the 21st-century
past and that Wildfire's broken visor will be found as an
archaeological relic a thousand years hence in the Arizona desert –
which is where, I think, the Time Bubble apppears. There is also a
side scene which has Harvest exulting that the time has come that
will either save or destroy the world.
This
series is winding down to its end, apparently segueing into its
closing story arc.
“Law
and Disorder”
This
transitional issue is symptomatic that this book never seems to get
its own footing before being jerked into another cross-over. Two are
coming up: This issue leads into Ravagers
#5, but there's also the upcoming H'El
crossover with the Super-titles.
Yahh!
It's also very scattered.
Anyway,
Jocelyn Lure, mysterious visitor from the future sporting very large
and prominent breasts on the cover here, makes a deal with Superboy
to find Caitlyn for him in return for him working for her on
occasion. We see that her 31st-century map is tracking Superboy,
Tellus, and Kid Flash. Not sure what the criterion is. Superboy is
also being tracked by the silhouetted figure of H'El, who recognizes
that he is not “Kryptonian.” In an interesting link to the
Superman
titles, Lois Lane dispatches Jimmy Olsen to New York City to get the
scoop on this new player sporting the \S/-symbol. Superboy tries to
have a “normal” day out with his sexy young landlady who seems
oblivious to the fact that someone tried to attack her when they went
clubbing. That someone ambushes Superboy and they fight, which Jimmy
seems coincidentally perfectly placed to witness. The NYPD gets
involved, until Jocelyn extracts Superboy from the fray and teleports
him to a surprised Caitlyn and the Ravagers.
Of course now sexy landlady sees that her tenant is one of those metas....
So
pretty quickly after I lost interest in even reading Ravagers
as a digital purchase, I am buying at least a couple of hard copies
to get this cross-over. When I stop and think about that, I'm not
happy.
“Black
Diamond Probability – Mission One: Black Ops”
Not
sure yet if this book is catching me. It's got an intriguing premise
– “The Secret History of The New 52 is Told Here!”
Of course, that could also sort of be a description of Stormwatch.
I'm kind of feeling like this will ultimately suffer the same fate,
decision that reading collections will be more pleasurable. I'm
going to give it at least a couple more issues, though.
Anyway,
this first mission is a trial-by-fire, a test. There is a running
commentary by Lynch, including another bit of narrative introduction
to the various characters, which since the same thing was done in
issue #0 seems a little redundant. So which is to be considered the
real
first issue of the series? Sliding an issue #0 into an on-going
series can make a brief detour in story-telling without, number-wise
at least, interrupting the main flow of the story. Starting a series
off with issue #0 at the the same time seems a little stupid if you
think too much about it. Anyway, a big floating prison has gone
off-grid, and needs to be recovered. Predictably, the collection of
individual experts that Lynch has brought together have the
inevitable problem acting together as a team. Then, in the prison,
they come under attack by a mob of “Eclipso'd” people. From the
solicits there seems to be a lot of Eclipso, a second-rate DC villain
whom I've never cared for (and don't expect to now), coming in the
near future.
I
realized something quite annoying in trying to track down information
on this series and issue. On the cover, the title is given as “Team
Seven” spelled out within a giant stylized “T7.” I read that
as the official title indeed being spelled out. Not so – it's a
combination of “spelled out word” and “numerical symbol”:
“Team 7.” That's how all the various indexing sites have it, and
is indeed what the indicia at the back of the book says, which makes
it official, I guess. It just was not my first thought.
“World's
Finest – II: Stygian Descent”
In
the sleek DEO submersible that Batwoman first showed up in at the end
of issue #12, she and Wonder Woman penetrate an underwater prison for
mythological monsters that include Medusa. They find a charnel
house. The Amazonian guards have been slaughtered. They are
attacked by dark monster worms of Nyx. In a cutaway, Chase and
Director Bones discuss their options if Batwoman is killed, which
include recruiting Bette. But Wonder Woman and Batwoman manage to
break free. In another cutaway, Jacob Kane and Bette practice
meditating and silent inner'loguing, which includes the latter
ruminating on the pain she still suffers but hides. Using DEO tech,
Batwoman manages to free herself and Wonder Woman, and they emerge in
some exterior landscape with a cabin in which is the living but
decayed demigod “Pegasus” (should that be Perseus,
the mythological foe of Medusa, rather than the winged horse which
this is not?).
A
few comments. There are interesting parallel inner'logues from the
two heroines throughout, largely complemented by JHW3's typically
beautiful but typically sometimes confusing art. Batwoman's provides
some effective meditation on what it is like to be in the presence of
a demigoddess. But once again this book featuring (for this story
arc) Wonder Woman does not track well with either the Justice
League
or Wonder
Woman
books, especially the latter. For instance, there is no sense here
that the Amazons and Queen Hippolyta are dead as in the main book
(unless they have been resurrected in the last couple of issues). In
what is put forth as a unified DCnUniverse that ostensibly should
have some degree of consistence, this is a bit maddening. Frankly,
however, this
is the Wonder Woman that I find most like the pre-Flashpoint
version, therefore my favorite of the New 52 visions.
 |
| Outer cover |
Catwoman
#13
“Burnt
Offerings: A Death
of the Family
Prelude!”
Someone
is tormenting Catwoman with items that were once her friend and fence
Lola's. Remember that Lola died as a result of their relationship in
issue #2. It's somehow related to a chess-themed score that her new
fence gives her. But Selina finds that these giant chess pieces she
is moving from location to another enclose captives whose lives are
sacrificed when their piece is “killed.” She manages to save one
at the end of the issue, who appears to be a child.
 |
| Inner cover |
Yes
that's vague. It's hard to follow in places. I don't know what the
point of the story is. It's not hard to guess who the tormenter is
given the overall cross-over this issue is linked into. One point,
however. Obviously the issues' release order does not necessarily
match the reading order, but how much does it matter? At this point
it's unclear how closely this story is tied into the main arc anyway.
Justice
League
#13
“The
Secret of the Cheetah, Part One”
Okay.
The Cheetah is a were-beast, right? It looks like she's butt-naked,
except for some bling. … So, my question is: Why don't her
nipples show? – Wouldn't they? – What about her genitalia? … I
mean, other than the obvious answer! But am I the only one who's
wondered this?
I
figure this is a question that won't be answered....
Anyway,
the story begins implicitly right after the end of the previous
issue, with Superman and Wonder Woman lip-locked. But they quickly
pull back and both appear conflicted about The Kiss. Then cut to
“Five Days Later” when Wonder Woman is having what obviously is
just the latest in a long series of confrontations with her one-time
friend, now enemy Barbara Minerva, a.k.a. The Cheetah. Over the
course of the rest of the story, Wonder Woman (re)tells the story of
the Cheetah and the Justice League helps her attempt to save her
friends by taking a new tack – track down the South American tribe
which is the source of the magical dagger that created the Cheetah.
Of course, the Cheetah shows up – and bites and transforms Superman
into a male were-Cheetah. Uh-oh.
This
story marks the debut of Tony Daniel's art on Justice
League.
He is loads better as an artist than he proved to be on Detective
Comics
of late. Even more than usual, he seems to consciously channel Jim
Lee, so the transition is just about as smooth as can be. This issue
looks great. But writing-wise … this group still seems like a team
that does not have the five to six year history that they supposedly
have at this point. This – but even more so the previous story arc
– really has the feel of the early days of the League.
“On
the Outs”
This
is a prelude to the upcoming Justice
League of America
title. Steve Trevor is drowning his sorrows in a bar after having
been “fired” by the Justice League. There he's approached by
Oliver Queen, who has evidence of a new threat. The story is
co-written by Jeff Lemire – I haven't heard; is he involved in
writing the series?
“Swear
By My Eyes”
Wow.
Is there another issue out there that was replaced by #0 last month?
– because it sure seems like something's missing. Since issue #12
Batgirl's mission to attain Batman's help has succeeded, he has given
the Birds of Prey (and the world, although that's unstated) a cure
for Poison Ivy's virus. Moreover, no mention is made of Ivy's fate –
although we can take it from Detective
Comics
that she survived Katana's sword thrust. Or have I missed something
altogether?
Whatever,
the Birds are still in a weakened state as Katana's sword (which she
believes contains the soul of her dead husband, remember) is stolen
to lure her to Japan to be tortured to death by the criminal Dagger
clan that she betrayed at some time in the past. Against her wishes,
the less-than-tip-top Birds follow her to Japan and save her, but by
that time the sword has been stolen – again – by a mysterious
figure called the Condor.
That
latter bit of intelligence is extracted from a captured Dagger by
Starling by means of threatened torture: “There's something my
Uncle
Earl taught me
that I've been dying to try,” she tells him, brandishing a knife.
“Hold
still now!
… / I'm trying to keep the optic never intact
here, which is the important part. // Anyway, Uncle Earl told me that
if you remove an eye from its socket and keep the optic nerve
attached … / … you then turn the eye to face
the other eye,
then there will be all kinds of groovy special effects goin' on in
your brain!” – “Condor!
Condor! The Condor has it!”
screams the captive. – ! – But there's something about the grin
on that captive's face on the last page that makes me think maybe
Starling may have just gotten played.... Sealing that impression is
Starling's voice from off panel, “Trust me, I
can tell
when someone's lying.”
The
Daggers also have some other plot going as well, one that will leave
Japan a poisoned wasteland. This is obviously the countdown that
appears here, there, and yonder throughout the issue. Tick. Tock.
Once
again, Starling steals the show, not just in the passage quoted
above. There's also this: “Konichiwa,
bitches,” as she holds the still-smoking bazooka that just blew the
Birds an entrance into where the Daggers are about start having their
fun with Katana. And this: “Katana, you're never going to believe
this, but... / … some dude
in a bird suit
has your husband. / And by 'husband,' I mean 'sword.'”
Legion
of Super-Heroes
#13
“Questions”
The
Legionnaires are trying to interdict an attempt to recreate their old
foes the Fatal Five, find the missing Tharok computer chip, and
ascertain the location of the Persuader's atomic axe. Meanwhile,
Brainiac 5 is trying to determine the cause for Comet Queen's
betrayal. There's some interesting interaction between Dream Girl
and Duplicate Damsel regarding the latter's complicated feelings
toward Brainy. A married woman, no less. But as Dreamy points out
as her parting shot – “I won't argue with you. // Especially
since you're perfectly equipped to argue with yourself” – and
since it has been established in the past that Luornu's various
“selves” can have their own distinct personalities, monogamous
love may well be a foreign concept to Carggites. Something that just
occurred to me that I don't think has ever been addressed in the
context of her marriage to Bouncing Boy. Us fever'd fanboys'
fantasies have always, I'm sure, been dominated by how great Chuck
had it being able to regularly have a threesome with his wife – and
that's just when she was Duo
Damsel! (Some other thoughts … if Luornu gets pregnant, can she
still divide [multiply?]? If she can, will both/each self still be
pregnant? If each self gives birth separately, would the babies then
be able to combine back into one? Or would each be able to further
divide/multiply? Talk about instant population crisis! … If each
self eats until they're half-full, then combine, would the unified
Luornu then be completely full?)
Anyway,
the main focus is, however, on the team of Cosmic Boy, Element Lad,
and Chemical Kid fighting pirates. The kid is shown again still to
be a novice, and Cos ends up overwhelmed by a trio of Braalians
working for the pirates. Another workmanlike issue that ultimately
will fit into a long and complex tapestry, I'm sure.
The
interior art by Scott Kolins works okay, better than I feared it
might. It's a bit unfinished looking, but that's Kolins. The cover,
by classic 1980s LSH
artist Steve Lightle, is not his best – especially the way Cos'
head looks like it's falling off backwards.
“The
Hunter”
Well,
this issue obviously happens after the events of Batman
#13. It might be immediately after, or even coincident with the
later part of that issue. Dick tries to consult with Bruce – and
can't contact him. Which doesn't worry him too much. Anyway, it's a
night of odd quiet in Gotham City, whereupon the Penguin informs
Nightwing that the assassin Lady Shiva is coming to town. Dick takes
on the job of dealing with her – after spending a bit of daytime
tending to his civilian identity, which includes a deepening
relationship with Sonia Branch. Back out on the hunt, he meets up
with Batgirl at some point after #14 of her own mag, but since that
doesn't hit until next month we don't have any clue as to the fate of
Barbara's mother, except that she isn't mentioned in an
all-but-deranged exchange that makes clear Babs is spooked by the
return of the Joker, obsessed with making him pay, and pissed that
Dick is working his own case and won't drop it to help her. Going
undercover, Dick gets information on where Shiva is supposed to
arrive by boat and get hit by an ambush … but it turns out that
Shiva used that as a distraction while she made her first hit …
Even
with guest creators for this issue, this series doesn't miss a beat.
“Sanctuary”
Kara
is confronted by the first member of her “rogues gallery,” Tycho,
in her undersea Sanctuary, which is itself an artificial intelligence
that eventually helps her defeat and imprison him. It grew from a
fragment of her space-pod, which was prepared by Zor-El to be
literally her sanctuary on an alien world. She learns and remembers
more about her departure from Krypton, including that her father was
experimenting on her before he launched her into space and it was her
mother who shot him to try to stop him. She uses the Sanctuary's
link to the Earth's computers to call up her only friend, Siobhan –
but then the Sanctuary informs her that it has discovered Superman
fighting an unidentified Kryptonian
presence on Earth....
Amethyst
in “The Catalyst: The Blood of Amethyst”
Amethyst
sees her mom in full battle array as a warrior, including wielding
the Power of Amethyst to violent effect. She disobeys her mother and
stays to help fight off the attackers, although she is revolted by
her own actions in killing an attacker. They know that the evil aunt
is on her way, so they and their new allies flee, but leave a message
calling on said evil aunt to give up her murderous ambitions. Yeah,
like that's going to happen.
All in
all, it's okay – but not really grabbing me.
Beowulf,
“Chapter II: Iron Trolls”
In an
interesting link to the main DCU/DCnU, Beowulf and Wiglaf fight off
Waynetech war machine “Iron Trolls” as they proceed to Heorot,
where they help prepare for an attack by Grendel. The climax has
Wiglaf unwittingly about to be the first victim, however.
Zero
for two, this backup story is not really working for me either. I
know I've got at least one more hard copy issue of this coming
(because I got my November comics this morning and it was in it), but
I don't know if I'm interested in either of these stories even to
read it, and I'm not continuing past that unless I have a radical
change of heart.
“Kill
Box”
This
is the big confrontation between Leviathan's thugs and Batman,
Incorporated, united. Damien as Redwing helps with the victory –
and gets to climb up the side of a building just like in the old
1960s Batman show! He fights hauntingly well alongside a figure clad
as “Wingman,” about whom he is puzzled as to the identitity
especially once it becomes clear that Bruce is still undercover as
Matches Malone – blown though that cover might be. Wingman turns
out to be Jason Todd, which Damien considers to be a betrayal … but
it's nothing like the shock that comes when Batman announces that
their only viable option, victorious though they might be in this
battle, is for Damien to go back to his mother, Talia.
I
have no idea how – or if – this story can be made to fit in with
the New 52 continuity. The series carries the New 52 branding on the
cover, for what that's worth. Really, I wish they'd just let Grant
Morrison run out his story in the pre-Flashpoint
continuity that, taking the long view, 95% of Morrison's
six-seven-year saga took place in.
But
the story is rip-roaringly good enough that it ultimately doesn't
matter … too much.
Batman:
The Dark Knight
#13
“The
Undead Past”
… And
this is the continuation of another Scarecrow story, which tend to
all follow a predictable plot and that I tend not to care for.
Batman is held prisoner, subjected to fear toxin, has to deal with
his own fears and insecurities, but ultimately prevails and breaks
free. The only thing really new is the revelations about new
elements of Jonathan Crane's own childhood past – which knowing the
New 52 sensibility probably contradicts what was previously his back
story, but I don't care enough about the character to do the
research.
There
is one cool scene, very Batman
on the last couple of pages. Having been left chained and
spread-eagle in Scarecrow's lab of horrors, well … “Big mistake …
Oh
– and look! – David Finch actually both has his name on the cover
and
did the interior art.
“War
for the Books of Magic, Part 2: Revelations”
John
Constantine and Black Orchid – who has some kind of connection to
both the Red (animal world) and Green (plant world), being a shape
shifter and controller of vegetation (but I don't know much about the
Red and the Green so I don't really get it – just go with it) –
easily defeat Black Boris, then realize they've been played as a
delaying tactic. Elsewhere, Deadman possesses Blackbriar Thorn just
before the House of Secrets pops into being, with Nick Necro and Dr
Mist strolling out the front door to greet them. In London, Madame
Xanadu and Tim Hunter are attacked by Felix Faust but escape. The
others converge against Necro, but he easily trounces them. Zatanna
agrees to go with him. The others follow through limbo in the House
of Mystery, being flown under John Constantine's control, but Dr Mist
sends the House of Mystery crashing back to Earth.
 |
| Issue #6, Janin's Zatanna |
Have I said before how much I love Mikel Janin's
interior art? He draws a delectable
Zatanna. DC should let him do more covers. I like Ryan Sook who
provided this current issue's, but I like Janin's work better, and I
generally prefer covers to be by the interior artist.
Superman
#13
“They
Will Join You in the Sun...” – A Prelude to H'El
on Earth
After
five days' testing the limits of his power in the Block, the lab near
the center of the Earth overseen by “omniologist” Shay Veritas
(who reminds me oh-so-much of the [albeit male] super intelligent
scientist in Grant Morrison's All
Star Superman),
Clark surprises Jimmy in … well, a compromising situation, then has
escalating confrontations with Perry, then Lois, then with Morgan
Edge himself over the proper role of a journalist – that end with
him quitting the Daily
Planet.
This is of course the scene that made such a furor when it was first
released. It ought to make for some interesting sub-plots, but kind
of like the Lois and Whatsisname relationship, I don't for a minute
believe it's permanent. Superman is Clark Kent, who works at the
Daily
Planet
and loves Lois Lane. It's ultimately an immutable Law of the
Universe. So I'm not going to subject it to some kind of extensive
analysis, just continue the ride. There is another aspect to the
scene, however. Somewhat amusingly, showing that even his “returned”
(i.e., New 52) super intelligence doesn't translate to always
thinking things through before acting (in other words, this Superman
is, contrary to the way some on the Internet are reading this newest
iteration of the character, very human), he almost immediately has
second thoughts, which Cat Grant's following him in walking out helps
to catalyse. This Cat is nothing like the character as she was in
the past few years leading up to Flashpoint,
rather she reminds me of the version on Smallville,
and she so obviously has a crush
on Clark. Her bubbly lines to Clark sitting on the steps of the
building immediately afterward are hilarious: “After you left, I
told [Edge] that if he wanted some fasion-obsessed, self-absorbed,
bobblehead who just does as she's told – / – he was going to have
to do better than me because I am out
of there!” – Clark: “I can't be sure you meant that the way it
came out, Cat.”
Anyway,
Clark's encouraging Cat to rethink following him into unemployment is
cut short as Metropolis is suddenly attacked by a giant dragon-like
creature which he only defeats with difficulty – during the fight
it knocks him all the way to Ireland
– just in time for Supergirl to show up spitting mad. She claims
the creature is Kryptonian – therefore
Superman is lying about Krypton being gone.
As the issue ends, the cousins are being observed by a third figure.
Something that I noticed at the very end is that this information is
conveyed both visually and narratively, by a third-person narrator in
caption boxes, which I think is very unusual these days:
“Impossibly, neither Kal nor his cousin realizes there is another
here with them. // A fellow traveler of sorts. // Waiting. // Biding
his time before he makes a proper introduction.”
I've
been ambivalently critical of Kenneth Rocafort's art in the past.
I'm still undecided on it now. But I must admit it is growing on me
pretty quickly. One advantage of his style is that it makes the
“armor-plated” characteristics of both Superman's and Supergirl's
uniforms less obtrusive.
I
do have a couple of questions: What does the title have to do with
anything? (except it's a quote from one or another of the Superman
movies, I forget precisely which) – and what does the teaser blurb
on the cover, “Who is the Fallen Angel of Krypton?,” have to do
with anything?
“The
Gotham Trap”
Having
heard of the Night of the Owls, renegade Talon returns to Gotham City
to see if the Court of Owls has really been destroyed. As he
suspects, not entirely. He's attacked by Talons, beaten down, but
saved by an old man who knows entirely too much about him. The old
man is Sebastian Clark, whose father had written a book on the Court
of Owls, which resulted in his own and his family's deaths – except
for Sebastian, who had escaped to Europe where he has long plotted
the Owls' destruction. Now with the Owls weakened and Rose as a
weapon, he considers the time to be right....
I've
considered switching this one to digital, but it seems closely enough
tied into the world of Gotham City and the new Bat-lore that I'm
going to keep it as issues, for now at least.
“The
Origin of Wonder Girl”
Issue
#0 was the origin of Red Robin, this is almost like issue #0.1. We
get Cassie Sandsmark's new back story. Her mother is still an
archaeologist, whose daughter is more like a “relic hunter” or a
“tomb raider,” more like René
Belloq than Henry Jones, Jr. In China, she slips up and is almost
captured by the authorities, until a guy named “Diesel” (“That
is seriously
not his real name?” interjects Superboy, with amazing perception
for a few-months-old clone) intervenes. Diesel then follows and
fornicates with Cassie here, there, and yonder all around the world
over the next few months. Great message you're giving to teen
readers, DC editorial! Do you all feel no responsibility to put
forward good examples? Anyway, in Cambodia, he discovers some kind
of mystical armor that possesses him until, in trying to aid him,
Cassie takes it on herself. Then the ruins in which they found the
armor implode upon him.
Cassie
tells Red Robin and Superboy this as they are being flown to Cambodia
– Tim obviously has access to vast financial resources that smooth
over any questions being asked. Red Robin recognizes the glyphs in
the ruined ruins as the “Mark of Trigon” – another New
Teen Titans-era
baddie that I never cared for, as central as he was to their lore.
It's amazing that, as much as I liked that title, most of their
signature villains I never warmed up to – not Trigon, not Brother
Blood … even Deathstroke has never really caught hold with me,
although I don't have an immediate negative reaction when I see he's
in a book. I do with Trigon and Blood.
Anyway,
in an epilogue, skinny Amanda Waller recruits a now revived Kurt
Lance to bring in the Teen Titans alive, indicating that it's for
their own good.
I've
asked this before: What does an editor do? – Not proof-read,
apparently. “Unbelivable.” And I still wonder why the New 52
Cassie Sandsmark is called “Wonder Girl.” I have yet to see any
connection with Wonder Woman.
“The
Others: Conclusion”
No
Arrow
banner on the cover, hallelujah!
Aquaman
and the Others escape the imploding island in pursuit of Black Manta.
They catch up to him making a deal with some mysterious Atlanteans
who may or may not include Arthur's half-brother Orm. The epic
confrontation ends with Aquaman choosing not
to kill Manta.
There
is quite a bit more, but basically this brings to a close the tale of
Aquaman making peace with his own past, culminating with the
admission that he always feared losing Mera like his father lost
Atlanna. Mera, of course, promises never to leave him … d'oh!
– don't say that!
– especially while some unseen observer clearly has other plans:
“Mera will stand in our way.” “Then we move her out of it.
Praise the king.” “Yes. Praise the king.” Which king? –
Arthur? – Orm?
Next
month: It's on from the second nice, pre-packaged
trade-paperback-written story arc, “The Others,” to the next,
which – oooooooooooo!
– crosses over with Justice
League,
with “Prologue to Throne of Atlantis.”
“Vulnerable”
This
story takes place shortly after Superman has saved the world in issue
#8. The wife beater from an earlier issue returns, recruited into an
experiment to energise a human being with Kryptonite energy as a
weapon against Superman. The Kryptonite Man attacks but is defeated
by Superman and John Henry Irons … nevertheless revealing to Lex
Luthor (who has now been fired, threatened with treason charges, by
General Lane for his actions in that first arc) that not only is
Kryptonite-power strong enough to stand a chance against Superman,
but is in and of itself deadly to Superman. It's a good, solid
story, in my opinion proving that Sholly Fisch could carry the main
book post Grant Morrison. It won't be him, however, but Andy Diggle.
“Anchiale”
Max
Landis “wrote” this story without words telling the New 52 origin
of the Atomic Skull, or so I'm given to understand. First of all,
I'm predisposed not to like it because of the “author” and his
previous gratuitous insulting of Superman and his fans (via a
short film satirising the Death
of Superman),
and there's nothing here to change my mind. I know I'm not the only
one who feels that way – see Anj's comments that introduce his
(much fairer than mine) review of the backup linked below.
Basically, my question is: Is DC really so obsequious when “big
names” deign
to
write “funny books” that they reward
him with this?
“The
Blood That Moves Us”
Batgirl,
tracking the source of a series of arsons, and Catwoman, hired to
free the female Talon from the “Night of Owls” Batgirl
issue (#9), converge in the penthouse garden of a surviving Owl –
the mastermind of the arsons, and who had hired Catwoman. When
Catwoman learns of his role in the arsons, she and Batgirl must fight
a whole cadre of Talons. They eventually pull out a win – barely,
and only with the help of the Talon whom Catwoman had freed. Then
Catwoman provides a diversion to give Batgirl and the redeemed Talon
a chance to escape. The annual ends with a blurb promising, “See
the Talon in Birds
of Prey!”
It's
a decent story, basically, I think, setting up a new member of the
Birds
to replace Katana, who is soon to be part of the Justice
League of America
as well as star in her own book. Will she still be called “Talon”?
I'm not sure anyone saw – or actually when she had time to write –
her name, “My name is Mary,” on the tile floor of the penthouse
as shown in the final panel after Batgirl commented that she still
didn't know what to call her. This Talon is mute, which in a way
makes me really think of Cassandra Cain, the Batgirl introduced
during No
Man's Land.
One
thing that stands out in this issue is the art in the first half, by
Admira Wijaya – it's really pretty. The last half, by Daniel
Sampere, pales in comparison.
Justice
League Dark Annual
1
“War
for the Books of Magic, Conclusion”
The
House of Mystery has crashed in the Sahara Desert, but repairs itself
as our “team” picks up – or is picked up by – Frankenstein,
Agent of SHADE. Madame Xavier and Tim Hunter also arrive as the
destination of their escape from Felix Faust. They all continue
toward where Nick Necro and the bad guys arrive in Nanda Parbat.
John Constantine kick starts Tim's magic using Amethyst – who
appears out of nowhere – as a catalyst, and also calls in Andrew
Bennett. The confrontation ultimately appears to be a stalemate that
only the death of Timothy Hunter can end – which Constantine
provides to save Zatanna. But to Necro's surprise, he is still
unable to access the Books of Magic. That's because, Constantine
reveals, he actually “killed” the shape-shifted Black Orchid.
And Necro is defeated. But Tim feels drawn to the Books of Magic,
opening the volume. A seemingly mechanical device inside – which
makes me think of a Mother Box – welcomes, opens a “gateway” –
a Boom Tube? – and vanishes with him just as Zatanna grabs Tim and
disappears along with him. Incidentally, the sound effect
accompanying the “gateway” is not
a “BOOM.”
Joe
Kubert Presents #1 of 6
It's
a shame that Joe Kubert passed away this past summer after putting
this project together, before he could see the finished product. If
anyone deserved a vanity project like this, it was him. I recently
saw something naming Jack Kirby as the most influential comic book
artist of the 20th
century, but I would say that honor must go to Kubert, if only
through the Kubert School which he established and through which most
of the last few decades' comic book artists have matriculated. I
said a few other such words about him in my notice of his death,
here.
If this first issue is any indication (and I'm sure it is), the six
issues of material he has either produced or chosen to present will
make a nice commemorative volume that I fully intend to have library
bound, with my only regret that I will never have a chance to get it
autographed.
Here
there are four stories in an issue twice the thickness that is now
standard. The front half has Kubert returning to a super hero he
worked on during two different periods of his life, in two different
incarnations – “Hawkman.”
I'm not sure if this
story is meant to be in strict story continuity with the Silver-Age
Hawkman which Kubert
drew most of half a century ago, but if so it must be an untold story
of Katar Hol and Shayera on an earlier mission to Earth from Thanagar
to evaluate the danger posed by this upstart planet to their own
homeworld and wider space. I can't say I'm widely read in the
Silver-Age Hawkman, so
I'm not certain if the wider telepathic communication skills with
beasts other than birds was evident then or not. They use this skill
to destroy a weapons cache under an African village. There's
definitely potential for a follow-up tale continuing this mission.
The art is, of course, perfect Kubert, about which I have one comment
and only one quibble. The comment is, I find the style of top
sported by Shayera as fascinating as when I first saw the same
pattern on Kubert's depiction of La, the priestess of Opar, in his
adaptation of The Return of Tarzan.
How does it stay in place...? The quibble is that inside the book,
although not on the wonderful, apparently pencilled-art cover (or is
it charcoaled?), Shayera wears some rather goofy-looking round
goggles that make me think more of an owl.
Hawkman
takes up half of the page count. The latter half contains several
shorter features. In “Angel
and the Ape,”
the pretty blond detective and her partner the talking gorilla star
in a light little eight-page tale by Brian Buniak. This is followed
by a short tale by Kubert himself, about a boy called “Spit,”
that seems to be merely the beginning of a longer story that seems to
be reproduced directly from Kubert's pencils. It tells of a waif who
ends up on a whaling ship. There are then three pages of “Inner
Thoughts, et al., from Joe Kubert,”
relating the genesis of this project and giving short thoughts on the
selections that make up this issue, ending with an invitation, “I'd
like to hear from you. … Let me know what you think,” to which is
appended a note regarding Kubert's passing. Finally, Sam Glanzman
draws on his World War II service on the “U.S.S.
Stevens:
I Remember,”
returning to an autobiographical well from which he has drawn in the
past for both DC and Marvel (see here).
Digital
“The
Dead Can Dance … and Die!”
Phantom
Lady and Doll Man versus Funerella, who can decay and kill living
people, then animate them as zombies under her mental control.
Funerella herself happens to be dead already, apparently, and
although Phantom Lady's shadow field can cut her – including
amputating her arm clean off – the emotional voiding suffered by
being enclosed in it doesn't seem to phase her. Our new super heroes
manage to defeat her anyway … they think …. It's a solid enough
done-in-one.
“Debaser”
Andrew
Bennett is now the evil lord of what few vampires still exist –
which I gather to be himself and any he sires – which he intends to
get about doing forthwith. We saw him chomp down on Tig at the end
of last issue. She's his first new minion, and together they were
more than a match for Stormwatch according to the now-good Mary
Seward, who proves as tough a human as she was Queen of Blood – to
a would-be mugger's chagrin. Oh, and I guess one of the perqs of
being the new Lord of Vampires is that Andrew can rewrite a few rules
of the game on the fly – such as that a vampire must be invited
across a home's threshold to enter. By the end of the issue, Mary
and John as well as Andrew and Tig have converged on the remote cabin
of Andrew's one-time companion Deb Dancer, no weak sister herself we
are given to believe.
Smallville:
Season 11
#22-24
“Detective,
Parts 10-12”
A
decade-long dream of seeing Smallville
Clark meet Bruce Wayne comes to a satisfying conclusion here. Anj
provides a very good summary and commentary based on the print
version that comes out the week after the last of each month's
chapters hits the Internet, so I'll just refer you to the review
linked below for the details, plus scans. I'm with him in assessing
this perhaps the best Super-book
being published, to the point that I have decided that, although I
have all the digital chapters I am nonetheless going to buy the trade
paperback collections when they are published (the first, comprising
digital issues #1-12, is being solicited for next month's pre-order).
It's that good.
Superman
Family Adventures
#6
“The
Menace of Metallo!”
Another
whimsical all-ages romp through Metropolis introducing a new kind of
Kryptonite-powered Metallo, as John Henry Irons jumps into the fray
as Steel and Bizarro gets taken down a notch by Ma Kent!
And
that's it, over two weeks late. Hey, what can I say, it was the end
of a particularly grueling semester. But it's over now, and we
unusually have three
whole weeks
before “On Call Day” this Christmas break! Whatever
will
I do with all my free time...?
Cheers,
and Thanks for reading!
