I
think the biggest news to come out in recent weeks has been with the
on-line previews of the new solicitations that will be published in
the next issue of Diamond's Previews.
What was assumed to be DC's first “mega” event of the New 52,
probably drawing in everything like Blackest
Night
or Flashpoint
did, seems not to be all that. In fact, instead of being presented
as an independent miniseries with tie-in issues within various regular
series, plus maybe some specials and ancillary miniseries, it is
simply rotating through the three Justice
League
titles – JL
itself, Justice
League of America,
and Justice
League Dark.
Which is not a good thing. I know for a fact that it is driving at
least one new reader away, who had recently came on board Justice
League
as the putative flagship book of the DCnU starring the big names
(well, and Cyborg...) but finds the book steadily departing from that
ideal and
attempting to compel him to buy two other
series that he has no interest in! 'Way to go, DC!
Also
notable, although there was little fanfare, was the addition of new
verbiage to the “created by” credits for the Superman
books. I first noticed it on Smallville
Season 11
– “SUPERMAN
created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster / By Special Arrangement with
the Jerry Siegel Family.”
It seems to be a result of recent developments in the ongoing legal case.
DC
keeps creating public relations faux
pas
for itself and giving the real impression that the lunatics are
running the asylum. The specific examples are quite frankly too
irritating to detail, so I won't.
I'd rather write about the comics....
“The
Tower of Fate, Part 1”
The
villain of the piece is going to be Wotan, whose name invokes the old
Germanic god otherwise known as Odin (“Thor's daddy,” as I tell
my students) but otherwise seems unrelated. I'm aware of him from
older comics, but have no real history with him and never saw him as
more than a C-list villain. Maybe he'll be something more here. The
“Talbot Mundy”
to whom he refers (“In a scenario straight out of Talbot Mundy...”)
was an early 20th-century English writer whose works greatly
influenced such pulp writers as Robert E. Howard. The Great Beast on
the last page really makes me think of the Balrog from The
Fellowship of the Ring.
Worlds'
Finest
#10
“Some
Things You Can Change, Some You Can't”
Doesn't Power Girl look like an angel on
that cover?
This
issue really ought to be branded “Requiem” like most of the
Batman
family of titles. The second of the two distinct parts is definitely
part of that memorial for the lost member of the family. It comes
after Karen and Helena each retaliate against Holt Industry's assault
on Starr Island. Then Karen calls Helena with news of Damian. The
balance of the issue has Helena at her sort-of-brother's grave, where
she is almost discovered by Batman – but she's not ready for that
meeting just yet. The first of two tags to the issue has a Michael
Holt mysteriously appear. The second deserves to be scanned in just
for the wonderful expressions on Karen and Helena's faces. Kevin
Maguire never ceases to amaze. Unfortunately, I've heard he's
leaving this title.
“Superman's
Last Stand” / “Never-Ending Battle”
Soooo....
Vyndktvx had to attack Superman across all of time because at each
point in time Superman defeats him – and does so “this time.”
There's a passage with some great quotes that seem
to lay it all out:
“You
felt their PAIN? / Feel it again. // Feel all at once the fear, the
loneliness, the confusion of all creation as I bring this dirty
little joke of a universe to its tidy, logical end. / You're too weak
to stop me now!”
“All
… all at once. / That's it,
isn't
it? // For you,
this is all happening at
once.
/ You only attack once.
/ But I've had a lifetime
to learn about you
and your weaknesses,
Vyndktvx. // This is your first
and only
attack. / But from my perspective we've fought before
and will again.
/ And every time – you lose.
// You lost
against my father on Krypton. / You lost
on Mars.
/ You lost
against the Legion. // Why do you lose
every time? / It's simple.
/ You have the power of a god,
but you don't understand the basic rules
of the trick.
// For every action
– // There is an equal and opposite reaction.
/ For every you
–
//
There's
someone like me
to fight
back.
/ And I don't
give up.”
…
Uh
… what?
– That is so
Grant Morrison! … and I'm looking forward to a time, probably this
summer, when I can go back and do a slow, studied, rereading of this
entire Grant Morrison New 52 Superman
saga at once – and give it a deservedly considered commentary here.
That time is not now, unfortunately. But I always say that Grant
Morrison is the most “rereadable” comic book writer out there,
with each rereading of his books rewarding attention with new and
interesting insights. (Which reminds me, I'm long overdue for
perhaps my fifth
reread-through of his great Seven
Soldiers
epic from a few years back....)
Seriously,
though, that quote does capture something of the essence of Superman
– a hero who thinks,
but most of all simply a
hero,
who does
not give up.
There
is of course so much more to be admired in this run, but my first
quick assessment is, it
has been great,
and I will miss my monthly dose of Grant Morrison Superman
in future.
And
also my monthly dose of Sholly Fisch's amazing companion pieces – I
don't want to call them “back-ups,” because that seems to
relegate them to some lesser stature than the “lead.” And
frankly, as great as Morrison's main narrative has been, Fisch's more
intimate character-driven complementary stories have sometimes
outshone them. Here, “coincidentally” dated three hundred years
after the 1938 first appearance of Superman in the “real” Action
Comics
#1, we see how he still inspires the little guy to stand up against
oppression.
Which
is the final element in Superman – the
hero who INSPIRES.
And
so ends the Grant Morrison/Sholly Fisch magnum
opus,
a consistently bright ray of (yellow) sunshine in the still-sometimes
hard-to-accept New 52 DCnU Experiment.
“Return
to Roost” / “Mr. Zsasz in A Cut Above”
Obviously, the war against crime goes on
despite Damian's death. Penguin discovers Ogilvy's betrayal, which
has left him with no resources to fight Batman – and ends up
arrested. Ogilvy used Zsasz (who is given a new origin in the
backup, related to Penguin's casino enterprises) to complete taking
down Penguin's resources, and now he's using a former associate of
Talia to aim Man-Bat at Batman.
I'm liking this very much. Ogilvy is
being revealed to be a criminal genius whom I believe could develop
into a worthy arch enemy and addition to the mythos if it is just
played right.
“World's
Most Dangerous, Chapter Two” / “Security Detail”
The
group is about to be thrown directly against a mysterious, new Secret
Society in a trial by fire – after a press conference/photo op with
the President. Catwoman won't be at the latter, however, since she's
a criminal … even though she is especially photogenic. I'd say so,
especially with the front of her suit unzipped to her navel and
spread wide open practically to her nipples! It's ridiculous. This
is overall actually a bit better second issue than the first was, if
that last were not so in-your-face as to jerk you right out of the
story. Suspension of disbelief is important in this form of story
telling, and believe me I can suspend a lot of disbelief. But there
are limits. When the mind immediately thinks, if she moves even the
least little bit she's going to be popping right out of that suit, it
throws me right out of the story. In the back-up, Martian Manhunter
lets a would-be assassin into the White House to prove to the
President how much he needs the JL of A. I'm still with this title
for now, if only because it will be critical in the upcoming Trinity
War.
“Mind
Your Manners”
Introducing
the New 52 Plasmus and Doctor Psycho. My reaction to that is “meh.”
But at the beginning of the issue Superboy is finally returning the
millions of dollars that he appropriated from a bank several issues
ago, citing both his fellow Titan Bunker's entreaties and the lesson
of the H'El Event, i.e. his recent development through that story
into choosing heroism. The issue ends with a hint/confirmation that
Luthor was somehow involved in Superboy's creation.
Batman
and Robin #18 –
“Requiem”
“Undone”
There
are not many words to be said about this issue, which is not meant to
imply that it was not masterfully pulled off. Literally wordlessly,
in a story without narration or dialogue, just the art, we see Bruce
dealing with the reality of Damian's death, which may follow the
stages of grief (I haven't analysed it that closely). When his rage
takes him onto the streets of Gotham, well, were I a Gotham criminal
I
sure wouldn't want to meet up with him!
I
don't know how long the creators had to put together these “Requiem”
issues. I get the feeling somebody working in the same franchise
with Grant Morrison, who inevitably goes his own way and seems to be
rather closed mouth even with his colleagues as to what he's got in
store (that's just my impression, right or wrong), probably doesn't
get a lot of lead time to adjust their narrative to match his. I
didn't see the interview, but one of my own colleagues was telling me
a while back that he saw one where Tomasi admitted literally begging
Morrison not
to kill off Damian. I can understand. Maybe more than any other
writer, Tomasi had developed the Morrison-created character quite
richly over the past couple of years. I'm sure he had a lot of time
and effort invested in Damian, and probably had plans for more, when
Morrison shut it down – and there came an undoubted editorial
mandate that virtually all
the next month's Bat-titles must participate in the collective
mourning “event,” “Requiem.” (I'm sure that's also going to
play hell with deriving any kind of narrative chronology
accommodating all of the titles as well.) Regardless of all that,
Tomasi and Gleason adapted brilliantly, and this is a comic I'm sure
I will “read” again, especially the first few pages which merely
show Bruce and Alfred, alone in Wayne Manor. And the dog, who is
obviously mourning as well.
And
I ended up writing more words than I thought I would....
“Resolve”
If
Batman and Robin
is
the saddest story of the “Requiem” issues, this is probably the
saddest of the various “Requiem” covers, and I mean that term,
“saddest,” as a compliment. The empty boots, a warrior fallen.
It conveys better than any other – to me, at least – the void
that should and hopefully will be felt in the pages of the Batman
books in the coming months, even though this issue continues
development of a character who has been rumored to be Batman's “next
Robin.” I'm torn as to whether there really ought to be a “next
Robin,” and if so who it should be. Part of me admits the
ridiculosity of the very idea, while another part of me always wants
there to be one. And of course I know there will be one. “Batman
and Robin” is such a cultural icon that DC will not let it lay
fallow for long. And the fact is, that over the years, various
stories (especially the wonderfully handled introduction and
anointing of Tim Drake into that role two decades and more ago) have
rather convincingly argued that having a Robin is a psychological
necessity for Batman, to keep him balanced. Whether Harper Row (by
the way, is there some significance to that name? – upon her
introduction earlier in the New 52, it immediately resonated with me)
should fill that role is a separate question, and I get the feeling
that that's not the way they're going. Personally, the iconic status
of the pairing aside, I might prefer Batman's new squire (whoa –
there's
a thought, but in Batman,
Incorporated
Beryl assumes her own fallen mentor's mantle, see below) not
take the code name “Robin,” but rather “Backup,” as assigned
to Sasha Bordeaux about a decade or so ago when she, Bruce Wayne's
bodyguard, discovered her charge's other life and insisted on
accompanying him in it. With the basic suit she wears in this issue.
Which all digresses well away from this particular issue.
The
story dovetails nicely with Batman
and Robin,
as Batman's rage continues to make him more and more reckless, until
his self-appointed “guardian angel” Harper Row steps in and most
likely saves his life when exhaustion leads to a misstep, and
although the main thing she gets for it in the short term is a busted
nose, she presses on and appeals to Batman's “financier” Bruce
Wayne (whom she may or may not know is really Batman), and makes him
realize that he must really deal
with Damian's death.
A
nugget is dropped for further development of the Harper Row saga –
why was her mother's murder “quite
the scandal”?
In Gotham City, that's saying something....
“The
Mask of Ashes”
This,
on the other hand, is an issue which felt to me as if the “Requiem”
elements were kind of shoe-horned in. Understandable, if the
creators had, as I suspect, short notice, but after Batman
and Batman and
Robin,
very noticeable.
Batman
tells Jim Gordon of Robin's death, which causes the Commissioner to
worry about the effect that will have on the city, as well as to call
Babs. But other than attempting unsuccessfully to talk to Dick, she
is too caught up in her own Firebug case and
being stalked by brother dearest to do much grieving of her own. At
least that's how it could be read. She takes down Firebug, but James
Jr. outwits her … and calls their mother to threaten to kill Babs,
cook her up, and feed her to their father if mother doesn't meet him.
Sick-0h.
I
find the inner'logue narrative unclear. Sometimes it's clearly
Jimmy-boy, but other times that doesn't seem to be the case.
“The
Price We Pay”
I
picked up this series mainly for two reasons – well, mainly for one
reason augmented by another. The first reason is that John
Constantine (and since he's British I'm trying to mentally pronounce
it “Con-stan-tyne” to rhyme with “fine” rather than
“Con-stan-teen”) is the main character in Justice
League Dark,
and this series has the same writers. But I'm also always been
somewhat curious about him although I never picked up Hellblazer.
This
is an okay first issue, but I'm not sure I'll be sticking with it. I
will give it through the first arc.
It's
an interesting premise (and bear in mind that I have no idea how
closely or not it adheres to the original):
“This
is how the world is supposed
to work: You give and you take.
Cause and effect. /
Ordinary people, they
operate within a certain set of parameters. Right? Rules. Limits.
/ Then there's bloke's like me, yeah? We cheat.
/ We trick the Universe
into handing us effects without the cause. Things we didn't earn. /
We twist time and space. Warp minds. Create life. For people like
me, there are no
rules. That's magic.
And that makes people like me very, very
dangerous. / Dangerous to everybody, ourselves included. You cheat
the system, and it tries to compensate.
Nobody really understands how or why, but it does. / Magic is
costly. You take
what you didn't earn, but you pay
for it. / You want to trust
me on that.
“'Course
everything's changing these days. Seems like you can't throw a rock
now without hitting someone who's found a bloody alien ring
or a bulletproof cape.
/ You think that's a good
thing? Well, you're free to believe what you like. / The costumes
have their uses. But somebody who knows what's really
going on needs to make sure nobody goes too far with the cheat.
/ Maybe that's me.”
One thing I'm not sure I'm liking in the
New 52 is a tendency to make old classic heroes into villains. But
it certainly fits the theme of this book, that magical power exacts a
price, from the very soul.
“The
Grid” / “Shazam!”
1)
A sort-of try-out issue spiced up by an experimental Platinum of the
Metal Men going haywire, providing a distraction for someone to hack
the Justice League's systems and steal their full five-year database.
In the end of the various candidates, some are unwilling to commit
full-time to the League, but three new members are chosen: a female
Hispanic Atom, Element Woman (who at one point refers to Rex Mason,
so Metamorpho is still in some way part of the New 52's amorphous
history, and Firestorm. It all seems a bit quota-driven to me,
raising the “minorities” to three women and 1½
African Americans. … 2) I think I know where this sorry excuse for
a Shazam
story is going, and it may surprise you to know I'm for it. Billy is taking the other
five foster children of the Bromfields to the Wizard where he wants
to give the powers to someone else. I think it will end up being to
them all as in Flashpoint,
which will provide him with a degree of stability and hopefully
maturity. And maybe a new name, Thunder, as in Flashpoint
(with or without “Captain,” I'd prefer with).
Frankly, if they're perverting the mythology of the character as
radically as they have so far, might as well go whole hog!
“What
Kryptonite Does Not Kill … It Only Makes Stronger ...”
Lex
is secretly keeping some kind of virtual reality contact with the
wider world even from his maximum security prison, and proves to be
quite interested in this new Kryptonian who has recently (think about
how much time has really passed within the pages of this series –
it sure doesn't seem like a year and a half). Kara is slowly
recovering from her Kryptonite poisoning, thanks to Dr. Veritas (are
we ever going to get the story on her?), but she's proving impatient
and despondent. She ends up “checking herself out” of Dr.
Veritas' care – and lab deep within the Earth's magma, and then is
attacked by the lava girl creature from Superboy
#3. They end up on the surface, where troops take a once-more
unconscious Supergirl captive. … This issue has an overall strange
feel to it – and is unexpectedly written and drawn by new team of
creators, altogether different from the solicit and
even the front cover.
Come on, DC! Are you in that much disarray? It's not the first
time that cover and interior credits don't match, but in the context
of all kinds of other evidence of editorial chaos, this looks even
worse than usual.
“This
Blood is Thick: Secrets”
Well
it looks like Maggie said “yes” since she's now buying a new
penthouse and refers to Kate as her fiancée
… I would have liked to have seen her actual reaction to the Reveal
of Kate Kane as Batwoman. Bette Kane is still dangerously impulsive.
Kate is playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Chase and
Director Bones, and they're preparing to slap her down hard, using
her family against her. She also manages to piss off Batman. And
Jake's wife discovers what he's been up to with Bette … and Kate.
Yeah,
as usual, a lot happens in this issue. The art is passably in a
style sort of reminiscent of JHW3's – but Trevor McCarthy ain't
Williams.
“He
Said, She Said”
Since
I'd preordered it, and it is part of “Requiem,” and
Batman appears, I decided to read it. Actually, it's not too bad. A
colleague said last issue wasn't that bad, either. I may check it
out. I'm not sure it's enough to bring me back, however.
Batman
is still flailing about in rage since the death of Damian, but we see
he and Catwoman in something of a tender moment … after he
symbolically beats her (actually, he does bash in her motorcycle
helmet). She does end up quite bruised up … and uses them as an
excuse to penetrate GCPD headquarters and plant a bug.
“Burning
Cold”
Black
Canary is having doubts – about Strix, about Condor, mainly about
herself. Mr. Freeze is out to take down the Court of Owls and comes
for Strix. The Birds fight him off, but he takes Starling.
This
is the first issue of new writer Christy Marx. Frankly, I couldn't
tell any difference from Duane Swierczynski. That's a good thing.
Nightwing
#18 – “Requiem”
“Slow
Burn”
Dick wrestles with his feelings in the
wake of Damian's death, and ultimately realizes that the “weakness”
highlighted by the Joker of trusting and depending on others is
actually a strength. Very nice confluence of those two plots there.
He thus opens up to Sonia … who brings him evidence that her father
– Zucco, the man who killed Dick's parents – is alive in Chicago.
There is an indication that “Death of
the Family” happened only two weeks ago, which means that Batman,
Incoporated has pretty much happened since then.
“Home's
End”
More
chaos, another seeming death. This time it's Star Boy, but I get the
feeling he's not really dead. It's pretty clear, on the other hand,
that Sun Boy is.
Aquaman
#18
“Death
of a King, Chapter One”
Yep,
it's the beginning of another multipart story. This time an icy king
emerges from the Antarctic and eventually hunts down Mera – who's
just finally, after some tense give and take, submitted to respecting
surface law. It's not the government that captured her at the end of
last issue, but rather the local police, following up the outstanding
warrant resulting from the confrontation instigated by “Herb
Tarlek.”
We
do learn that the New 52 Tula (the original Aquagirl) is Orm's half
sister by another mother, which means she has no relation to Arthur.
The Atlanteans continue to be very hostile toward the surface world.
Vulko, on the other hand, is almost pathetically eager to serve
Arthur.
One
thing I do love about this book is the art. There is a great
atmosphere, so to speak, of deep see imagery.
“Metropolitan
Nightmare”
After
the H'El Incident, distrust of Superman runs even higher than ever,
both among the people and the US government. The latter takes
especial exception to him keeping a huge cache of weapons in his
Fortress.
Lois
Lane is back reporting, but Cat Grant is determined to partner up
with Clark Kent in a new blog venture.
There
is an odd incident of Hector Hammond's dreams controlling people via
a disc jockey's carrier wave. I don't care for him as a Green
Lantern villain and see no need to bring him into the Superman
mythos.
But
it does look like we're headed toward a big confrontation between
Orion of the New Gods and the Last Son of Krypton.
I
have come a long way toward really liking Kenneth Rocafort's rather
unique style. I actually miss him this issue.
“Fallen
Son”
And
so the “Requiem” issues culminate in Grant Morrison's own. The
first half juxtaposes scenes of Damian's bleak burial with Batman's
fight against the clone. The second half sees Batman, Incorporated
banned from Gotham City as demanded by Leviathan, and Batman is
preparing to go up against Talia, who holds “Wingman” Jason Todd
captive.
Since
I really like the British members of Batman, Incoporated, I hope that
Beryl taking a new partner as well as her mentor the Knight's
identity even as there is talk amongst the British government of
somehow bringing Cyril back to life is followed up, if not here then
somewhere else.
“Grandmaster”
I'm
getting so tired of the persistent little typos that plague these
books these days. Do they not bother with proof reading?
That
aside, this is an interesting issue as Calvin Rose discovers nothing
is as it seems (when is it ever?) and that he may have been serving
the Court of Owls' agenda all along, with the revelation that
Sebastian Clark is actually the former Grandmaster of the Owls. I
would think that to be a red herring thrown at Calvin by the Owls
except that Sarah seems to independently discover the same thing.
Meanwhile, Batman is also getting warmer on the trail of the
steroided up Talon, the Gotham Butcher.
“Devil's
Bargain”
Oddly,
in just two issues this title seems to have turned much better than
it was before. I cannot explain it, but I'm really enjoying it now,
even though I'm still sceptical of the need for yet another
Batman-centric title. It is worth reading on its own merits,
however.
We
learn a great deal about the tortured soul that is the Mad Hatter,
specifically the source of his mania. I imagine the manufacturers of
“the little blue pill” may not be very happy with DC Comics! –
I mean, look what it really
does! There is an interesting overall theme of second chances and
do-overs. Including Bruce seeking his own, by revealing all to the
Ukrainian pianist girl friend who recently dumped him.
“The
Death of Magic, Part 4: The Last Stand”
War
ends on Epoch with the Return of the Real
Hunter, Tim's dad Jack, who turns out to have been in hiding on
Earth. Of course, there is a big battle and near disaster, with Tim
suddenly seeing the reality of war and Zatanna jumping in to save the
people of Epoch. In the end, Tim and Jack elect to stay to rule
Epoch together while the others return to Earth, where John
Constantine sends Trevor packing, making “an enemy” of the
Justice League” and clearly foreshadowing Trinity War.
There
are hilarious parts with Constantine compulsively telling the truth,
but I want to call attention again to the stunningly beautiful art of
Mikel Janin, whose women are delectable without being distorted
disproportionately and oversexualized to any great degree.
“To
Belle and Back”
Oops,
I only thought Batman,
Incorporated
was the last of the “Requiem” issues.
After
a seemingly tacked-on scene of Tim with an imaginary Damian and a
fatherly Alfred, Red Robin pulls some kind of scam on his fellow
Titans that has them fighting the Suicide Squad (including Superboy
vs. Killer Shark, which I know with resonate with some readers
although I wasn't reading Superboy
back in the day) while he brokers some kind of deal with Slim-Fast
Waller in line with his own purpose of the Teen Titans being to
protect metahuman kids. Then there is a cliffhanger ending with
Trigon in Times Square. Oh yay.
DIGITAL
“Title”
Text
Human
Bomb #3 of 4
“Chapter
Four: The Ultimate Sacrifice”
A pretty
good final issue to a series that, for me at least, was a little
rocky getting started. A couple of interesting things. 1) For the
first time, I think, we get confirmation – at least as I read it –
that these “Freedom Fighters” revamps are taking place in the
DCnU “proper.” 2) Most of the traditional group – all that
have been reintroduced thus far – come together at the very end,
for the first time. I'm afraid it will be for the last time, too.
Sales-wise, these three miniseries (The Ray, Phantom Lady,
and Human Bomb) have
been disasters and to my knowledge there's not another one on the
horizon. Which is a shame. But maybe, just maybe, the last minute
(?) linking into the DCnU was meant to throw out a lifeline...?
 |
| "Argo" |
“Valkyrie,
Part 1 of 4” / “Argo, Parts 1-3 of 9”
“Valkyrie”
is the second of the new “side-stories” presented during the
“off-week(s)” of the month beyond the three weeks during which
the main stories take place. Here, we have Lois heading to Africa to
investigate appearances of a new super-hero, who turns out to be
Lana.
 |
| "Valkyrie" |
I
repeat myself, I know, when I say that this may be the best stuff DC
is currently producing.
And
that's it. Cheers!, and Thanks for reading!
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