Before
I get started, there are several news-worthy DC-related items that I
want to take notice of … One is a major decision in the “Superman
Lawsuit” that has been in seemingly endless litigation:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/warner-bros-wins-big-court-379770
.
A couple of days later, I posted to the Last
of the Famous International Fanboys'
Facebook page the following comments, in response to his pointing out commentary by creator John Byrne
on the latter's Byrne
Robotics
Forum:
I
can't say I'm terribly knowledgeable on these matters in a legal
sense, either, but I do have an opinion and it's in the minority.
Although John Byrne, as usual, expresses himself in quite the
over-the-top fashion, I agree with him. Basically it boils down to
the fact that, wise business decision at the time or not, Siegel and
Shuster sold their creation to National Comics. And the fact that
they didn't get but a vanishingly small, minuscule fraction of a
fraction of what it would ultimately be worth, at the time there was
no way to know that Superman would be any different than any myriad
other experiments with characters and strips that were being dreamed
up at the time. No way for them to know it; no way for National to
know it. And to expect that, given its wholly unexpected and
explosive success, National should turn around and say, "Uh,
guys, we didn't pay you nearly enough," or that they OR THEIR
HEIRS are entitled to anything more than the initial sum. Siegel and
Shuster were creating things right and left, and were happy to get
the sale -- most other things they created have been forgotten
because they ultimately went nowhere, and didn't gain them even that
much. In Superman's case, it was National that undertook the real job
(and risk to their investment) of developing it into the industry
that it became. Having said all of which, their lack of a legal
claim, as I see it, does not preclude a moral debt owed by all in the
industry and who love the genre. That, too, however, I see as
ultimately having been discharged by National/DC/WB (however
belatedly) in both the cases of Siegel and Shuster. As far as their
heirs go, come on. The people fighting for some kind of stake in
Superman themselves had absolutely nothing to do with its creation,
not even being born yet. For me, that's a non-starter. Now,
especially the legal side of it is far more complicated than just the
initial sale, with later legal disputes and challenges and agreements
being reached along the way with multiple instances of good and bad
faith being demonstrated in the two sides' dealings with each other.
But it seems to me that seventy-plus years on, long after the deaths
of Siegel and Shuster themselves, it's time for the matter to be
ended.
Also
Superman-related,
it was announced that Scott Snyder and Jim Lee would be adding a
third title featuring Superman
at some time in the future. Even the title has not to my knowledge
been announced, but rumor has it as Man
of Steel
and that it will appear in the immediate publicity run-up to the
release of the Zac Snyder (no known relation) movie next summer. I
would go on to guess that there will be a Free Comic Book Day
zero-issue kicking it off. Which probably guarantees that won't
happen. Oh, well, Anj at The
Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
blog has a good entry regarding comments that have been made about
this forthcoming title:
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2012/10/scott-snyder-and-jim-lee-interview.html
Around
the end of last month (27 September), there appeared a cool
comprehensive chronology based on what was revealed about the overall
history
of the New 52 DcnUniverse, especially incorporating what was revealed
in the then-just-completed (and the subject of this current “monthly
roundup”) zero-issues, entitled “Read Between the Lines: History of the DC Universe 3.0.”
(I'm not sure about the significance of the “3.0.” Presumably
there were two prior iterations, but I never saw them.) It makes for
fascinating reading, especially for somebody like me who is not –
contrary to what my wife thinks – reading everything
published by DC these days.
Earlier
in October was the debut of the newest live-action adaptation of a DC
property to hit television – CW's Arrow.
The less I say about it the better. I didn't even get through the
first episode. From what I'm seeing on blogs and Facebook, I'm in
the minority, but this show did not do anything
for me. The moment that totally drove me out was when the “hero”
murders two thugs – who admittedly had just prior been trying to
kill him
– with the stated motivation being that “No one can know my
secret!” No thanks. Killing in self-defense, or to protect
someone else's life, even occasionally in vengeance, okay. Killing a
subdued opponent simply to protect “my secret,” nope.
In
contrast, an excellent
adaptation of a character who has lamentably been treated with
appalling shabbiness by DC management has begun appearing on Youtube.
An amateur (obviously so) but lovingly produced (just as obviously
so) portrayal of the lamentably discarded Stephanie Brown Batgirl,
cleverly entitled Spoiled.
You can check out the first episode here:
Let's get to
that...
The November-dated
issues were, as I allude to above, DC's New 52 “zero-month,”
between the twelfth and thirteenth issues, a year into the DCnU.
Most of the issues did what arguably should have been done at the
beginning, established some kind of back-story for one or more
characters in their New 52 continuity. They were of varying quality
but mostly interesting. The issues were fronted with some cool
covers consisting of what DC is trying to establish as the new iconic
look for the main characters with a background consisting of
washed-out grey-scale of one of the pages from inside the issue.
As usual, both of
the “second wave” “Earth 2”-related titles come out the first
week of the month, which means that I can read two of my current
favorite books right at the top of my stack:
“A
Hero's Tale”
Terry
Sloan, in this
version of Earth 2 “Mr. 8” rather than “Mr. Terrific,” is the
narrator of this tale set back during the Apokolips War. He comes to
the determination that the countries taken by Apokolips cannot be
redeemed but rather must be cut out like a cancer. This, of course,
brings him into conflict with his hitherto allies among the few super
beings who led Earth's resistance against the invading dark gods,
specifically what in this world are called “The Ternion” of
Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. He also reveals that he has
penetrated the veil of the future to see alternate versions of the
world to come. He knows that the Ternion will ultimately win the war
for Earth, but their victory will weaken the world when it stands
against a far greater evil than Steppenwulf, who seems to have been
Darkseid's main agent in the Earth 2 invasion.
Overall,
this issue raises far more questions than it answers, but I have
faith that all this is part of James Robinson's master plan and I'm
eager to see how it unfolds. I'll only bring out one question here:
Who is the seventh hero? In setting the context for his betrayal,
Sloan enumerates the heroes as “The 'Three' … or 'Ternion' as
they were also known after Wonder Woman used the term at a press
conference once...” – Superman,
Batman,
and Wonder
Woman
– “Robin,
her mother Catwoman,
Supergirl
…” – that makes six – “...oh, and two others. // One who
I'll refrain
from mentioning now (for reasons that all who know this world and
this war will understand)... /// ...and me.
// 'Mr.
8'
– the eighth and final wonder.” So that's the explanation of his
own code name – which appears on his chest-plate as “0 8.” I
look forward to gaining the knowledge of “this world and this war”
that will enlighten me as to who or what the “unmentioned” one
is....
The issue ends, as
every one of these do this month, with a “Who's Who in the New 52”
page. This one is about Earth 2 in general, and basically serves as
a “What has gone before” blurb. My only quibble with these
pages, most of which are about specific characters, is the “First
Appearance” notation simply citing the New 52 versions. There
should be, as in other “Who's Who” pages and publications in the
past, a “First Historical Appearance” notation as well, perhaps
in smaller type, but there. Come on DC – stop dissing your own
magnificent 75-plus-year history! It's one of your strengths!
“Beginnings”
The core of this
issue is the worst day of Helena Wayne's young life – to then,
early in the Apokolips War when her mother Catwoman is killed. But
on the same day, she meets Kara, who has hitherto been kept in secret
training as Superman's secret weapon. There is some mystery
surrounding Kara's trip to Earth in this world just as there is in
the main DCnU. But the issue actually begins with Helena's first
night out as Robin – accompanied by her mother, and to her father's
helpless chagrin. We also learn that Lois was assassinated by
Darkseid earlier in the war as a blow against Superman, but at this
time the true nature of Darkseid is not understood – only that he
is unlike any previous threat and can even hurt Kryptonians, as
evidenced by scars visible on Superman's upper back.
Kevin
Maguire handles all the art chores in this issue, which is of course
all
a flashback in a sense. And it is once again yummy.
I can't believe he flew below my radar for so
long!
“The
Boy Who Stole Superman's Cape”
This is a tale of
Clark's first few days in Metropolis, telling us more about his
relationship with Jimmy Olsen and the beginning of his crusade
against Glenmorgan. We see his first feats and Lois naming him, meet
Mrs Nyxly for the first time, and quite a bit more. “The Boy Who
Stole Superman's Cape” takes it off what he has to believe is a
dead body, then discovers its wondrous properties when, wearing it,
he intervenes to protect a friend being abused by a drunken father.
That abuse implicitly ends when Clark, tracking down his “stolen”
cape, puts the fear of God into the father. One question – what
exactly did the cape do to the drunk's knife? It almost looks like
it dissolved it, which can't be right.
I am missing Grant
Morrison already, and he's not even gone!
“Origin
of the Species”
The
backup, again by Sholly Fisch, tells of an obsessed young scientist
seeking to research young Adam Blake in Kansas, where he witnesses
Blake's departure with aliens and learns of a threat that will be
coming to Earth – from which he gains a new obsession, to jump
start human evolution to prepare us for that threat. The scientist's
name is Eric Drekken – who is mentioned in an earlier issue (or
perhaps in Superman)
as an earlier foe of Superman's with the ability to evolve and
devolve himself at will. It's another solid offering by Fisch, whom
I really wish had gotten the chance to follow Morrison as lead writer
for Action.
Reviews:
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2012/09/review-action-comics-0.html
and
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2012/09/review-action-comics-0-back-up-feature.html
“A
Stranger Among Us”
So
the New 52 origin of the Phantom Stranger has been nailed down to a
variant of one of the tantalizing possibilities that were always part
of the lore, that he is the Wandering Jew. Here he is literally
Judas Iscariot. And I have a bit of a problem with that. Not what
others are saying, exactly – that removing the mystery takes
something away from the character. And it's not exactly that I'm
against tying a modern fictional story into the Passion Narrative as
told in the Gospels. It's that the way DC has done it here, in a
universe that ties into all other kinds of legendary and mythological
stories such as Greek mythology (Pandora) and Arthur's Camelot (the
Demon Knights and I'm sure a bit more), seems in my mind to lower the
Biblical story that is central to the Faith of all Christians to the
same level as those other legends and myths. C. S. Lewis (or was it
J. R. R. Tolkien?) did call the Gospel a “True Myth,” but that
does not make all other myths true. It is the
Truth,
and what they have done here makes me a bit uncomfortable. Obviously
not all readers will get what I'm saying here, but it's how I feel.
Honestly, my reaction actually surprises me a bit, since I
do believe, what I wrote immediately above notwithstanding, that most
or even all “other myths” and legends do contain varying degrees
of Truth as perceived by peoples who instinctively longed for it but
did not have the benefit of God's Revelation.
Anyway, as a
consequence of his Betrayal, the nature of which is never quite made
explicit but is nonetheless unsubtly obvious, he is judged and
punished to walk the Earth as a Stranger by a Council of seven
wizards. Ages later, he is finally called to act, to help Detective
Jim Corrigan whose girl friend (wife?) is missing, presumably
kidnapped and maybe dead, by criminals out for revenge.
Unfortunately the result is the creation of the Spectre, who thus has
a real grudge against the Stranger which I'm sure will be followed up
somehow in the future. However, although I did preorder the first
couple of issues, I decided to drop back to digital on this title and
may not follow it at all.
“The
Final Lesson”
In a story that did
absolutely nothing for me, Bruce is in the Himalayas, where he learns
lessons in controlling his emotions, not being controlled by them –
or rather that if he allows himself to care for someone, he will be
weaker. And it's not a lesson I like seeing and being perpetuated in
this character. We've seen 'way to much of that through the years.
“The
Long Wait”
…
is
Alfred's through years of Bruce Wayne's absence from Gotham, holding
onto his faith that Bruce is not dead and would yet return, resisting
efforts by the Kanes to reclaim Martha's fortune – a faith that is
eventually rewarded by Bruce's return in the nick of time, before the
law can pronounce him legally dead. And Bruce announces that he has
plans....
Frankly, neither
one of these stories is particularly notable, but at least the second
gives us at least a further glimpse into the corruption among the
great families of Gotham City, including Bruce's cousins the Kanes,
whom I don't think we've previously seen. Could they be slated to be
added to the mix in future stories?
“They
Will Pay
For What They've Given Birth To”
Here we're treated
to a quick overview of David's life after winning his freedom from
child soldiery, obsessed with making up for the sins he committed
during that time. We see his early relationship with Matu Ba. He is
first a vigilante, then a member of Tinasha's police, and is finally
approached by Batman about a year ago to join his Batman,
Incorporated initiative. I could repeat myself about how this title
offers a uniquely interesting viewpoint of part of the world
virtually uncovered by any other comic, showing Africa's unique
problems such as AIDS and child soldiers … which I just did, didn't
I...? I wonder how long this title will last with the departure of
Judd Winick?
“The
New Normal”
Intro
Simon Baz, Lebanese-American Detroit automobile thief who is unlucky
enough to steal a van with an active bomb in it! To save lives,
knowing full well what it will look like, he drives it into a closed
plant that he was recently let go from, managing to jump out before
it blows up. While undergoing “enhanced interrogation,” he is
unexpectedly busted out of custody by the Green Lantern ring recently
belonging to Sinestro …? – or was it Hal's? … Whatever, there
are hints that this is some time after Hal quit the Justice League in
that title #12, and it's been a mystery where he vanished to –
maybe this is Johns' belatedly making room for the events of the
Green
Lantern
series thus far relative to the story in Justice
League
#7-12? We see a hint of one of the First Lantern clones, and on the
last page it is clear that Hal and Sinestro are not really dead (you
mean you thought they were?) but rather in some mysterious place of
darkness....
Even
though it will take me a couple of months to catch up with where I
stopped pre-ordering, nothing here really makes me reconsider that
decision. Green
Lantern
really reads better in collected format.
“Crash
Course”
Adam-One,
a.k.a. Merlin, appears to Jenny Q and shows her visions of earlier
century babies, from the 11th
c. to the present, linking Stormwatch
with Demon
Knights,
witnessing the first assaults of the Daemonites, and so forth, all
with the purpose of steeling her for the time he knows is coming when
the members of Stormwatch will turn on each other and it will depend
on her to save the group. We see such things as the 14th-c. attack
by dolphins on mankind, early attacks by the Neanderthals, and that
the precipitating factor in the coming crisis is the new phenomenon
of super heroes.
“Mission
Zero: The Majestic Seven”
Years
ago, at the dawn of the super hero age, the mysterious government
program “Majestic” created “Team 7,” a group recruited by one
John Lynch, with its members being brought in by his agents Dinah
Drake (tagged with “infiltration”; later to be known as Black
Canary) and Kurt Lance (tagged “tracking and operations”; later
to be Dinah's husband, even later believed to have been murdered by
her – see previous issues of Birds
of Prey).
In this issue we meet: Slade Wilson, tagged “tactical genius”;
Alex Fairchild, “weapons expert”; James Bronson, “utility
player” (?); Summer Ramos, “pilot; probable crazy person”; Cole
Cash, “special forces, [with the] ability to learn about the
underworld more or less instantly wherever he goes”; Amanda Waller,
“N.S.A. Analyst currently on loan to the army”; and Dean Higgins,
“military intelligence, strategy.”
I've
seen a lot of my regular review sites that didn't like this issue; my
colleague who picked it up isn't continuing with it. But according
to the linked review round-up site, there were positive reviews out there.
Most importantly to me, I
liked it, and I plan on continuing with it, at least for a time.
“Clonesurrection!”
This issue has two
basic narratives. One deals with Krypton's clone rebellion led by
Kon “the Abomination,” and is told by Harvest. It's complemented
with a retelling of the events of issue #1 about Superboy's “birth,”
but now with the added layer of Harvest's role in his origin. Among
the revelations are how Krypton turned away from space travel due to
the secret agitation of a doomsday cult and Harvest's role in
destabilizing Superboy's developing personality in the weeks after
his “birth,” which undercut any tendency or effort he might have
toward becoming a hero.
But my main
question is, what is Supergirl doing in the scene on Krypton, long in
the past, during the “clone war,” on p. 3? As we'll see, such
odd appearances will occur in other #0 issues, and my guess is it all
has something to do with the upcoming “H'El” cross-over.
“Bright
New Yesterday”
Six years ago,
before he assumes the fighting identity of “Batman,” Bruce's
infiltration of the Red Hood Gang goes wrong and almost gets him
killed. But that's just preamble, I think, to upcoming stories. We
also find that he and Alfred are living in a Brownstone only feet
away from the site of his parents' murders, and that Bruce explicitly
considers Bruce to be his mask. He is in the middle of testing the
new weapon he is developming, a prototype of what will become the
“batarang,” when he is almost caught by Gordon, who introduces
himself and expresses suspicions about the corporate activities of
Philip Kane in the Wayne corporation as well as concerns about a new
vigilante who has been active in this area of Gotham. It's pretty
clear that he suspects Bruce of having some connection.
“Tomorrow”
Five years ago,
Batman has been active in Gotham long enough to have gained
Commissioner Gordon's trust – enough so that Gordon has installed
the “batsignal” atop police headquarters. In the company of his
daughter, Barbara – who questions whether such a device implies
that her father cannot do his job – Gordon turns on the signal for
the first time – and it is seen by three young boys across Gotham –
Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd. I could go on and on about
how stupid the six-year time-frame is, how these three ought not be
all of an age, but what's the point?
“A
Fire in the Heavens”
Four years ago,
college freshman Barbara Gordon, with her younger brother James Jr.
in tow, is doing research in the Gotham City police headquarters for
her criminology class. Her unstated motive is especially to look for
information on Batman. The headquarters comes under attack by come
kind of cultists, and eventually Barbara takes a prop costume of
Batman and ends up fighting the leader to save a downed policeman.
This is witnessed by the real Batman, who praises her. Then we see a
quick preview of the next year or so – her career as Batgirl, her
retirement (as a result of an unspecified incident where she “messed
up. // Story for another time.”) – culminating with that awful
night when the Joker appeared at her door.
I really don't care
so much for the lack of a traditional cowl on the costume they are
retconning to her prior career as Batgirl.
“Someday
Never Comes”
This is the tale of
Damian Wayne, from “birth” through years of training by his
mother Talia al Ghul, which includes a yearly birthday ritual of
combat between mother and son, with the promise that when he can
defeat her she will reward him by taking him to meet his father. He
finally accomplishes this, and meets Batman.
It's been 'way too
long since I read the original Grant Morrison version of that
meeting.
“In:
The Prologue”
We
are presented with the origins of both Jason Blood and Etrigan, told
in parallel, which show a certain similarity even before Merlin (the
narrator of the tale) binds them together – it is symbolized by
their parallel cries near the beginning of their respective
sequences: Both are rebelling against their Masters – “He
underestimates me! Everyone
does!” The sequences take place respectively in the Camelot of
King Arthur and Merlin, and Nimue and Morgaine, and in the Hell of
Lucifer and the various ranks of demons, rhyming, prose, and lyric.
Etrigan's rebellion against Lucifer ends abruptly with the rhyming
demon being cast out of Hell. Now, I have no idea what's up with
Camelot being attacked by a UFO
– unless it hearks back to Grant Morrison's Seven
Soldiers,
which I continue to find certain echoes of here, beyond just the
appearance of his reimagining of the Shining Knight – but that
serves as the occasion for Merlin to bind the human Jason of Norwich
with the Demon Etrigan. Forced by their predicament to come to an
uneasy agreement, “Over the centuries after I united them, they did
get to know each other. Too
well. // Etrigan finally advanced in Hell and came to … appreciate
… what Jason loved. // His wrath seemed … temptered. // And Jason
was saved,
by the heroism of every day defending others from an evil inside him
that was no longer a possibility,
but a reality.
// Perhaps he started to somewhat accept
his situation. // Etrigan never
did.
// And we have not yet seen all the horrors that, therefore, came to
pass.”
“The
Predator and the Prey”
We get a radically
new origin for Timber Wolf, which effectively boils down to a tale of
revenge for his parents' deaths. Borrrrrriiiiiinnnnnnngggggggg.
Was there really that much wrong with his old origin?
It's recently been
announced that this title is ending with issue #16. I can't say I'm
going to miss it, per se. I've never cared for the premise nor the
execution. I am sad for the implicit blow its cancellation is to the
Legion
franchise, however.
Amethyst
in “The Catalyst: Homecoming”
It's
Amy Winston's 17th
birthday. A lifetime of training and wandering with her mother ends
with their return to Nilaa, apparentlly an alternate reality. Her
mother tells her of her heritage, the Amethyst Bloodline and its
power, and how Nilaa is ruled by her mother's sister who wants
it all.
Which she can't have while any other bearer of the Bloodline still
lives. Uh oh. This is a new take on the 1980s series, that drew a
bit of controversy when released because of the threatened gang rape
of one of Amy's classmates that she thwarts – not that the victim
proves very grateful.
Beowulf,
“Chapter I: The Perfect Soldier”
This reimagined
Geatish warrior is a killing machine left to guard a bunker in a
feudal post apocalyptic world. Wiglaf is part of a party sent to
find him, the only survivor of the group when Beowulf bursts out and
slaughters the others. Wiglaf thinks quickly and manages to
dissociate himself from his companions, making the appeal to Beowulf
to come back to his General's base to slay Grendel.
Why? – Why
reimagine a foundational classic of English literature as post
apocalyptic?
If I weren't
somewhat taken with the Amethyst story based on this one introductory
chapter, I'd pass on this title altogether. As it is, although I
preordered the first couple of issues I figure I'm going to relegate
this to a digital purchase in the future.
“Shazam!”
Don't you just love
the originality that Geoff Johns shows in naming the various parts or
chapters of ongoing stories?
The Wizard decides
that Billy Batson's “embers of good” are enough to warrant
bestowing the power of Shazam on him. And Billy immediately starts
acting exactly like I feared this abysmally atrocious perversion of
the hero formerly known as Captain Marvel would, using his new powers
to continue his and Freddy Freeman's attack on the Bryers. He also
does save a woman from a mugger, then accepts money from her in
return. Which makes Billy and Freddy realize that they can use
Billy's new powers to make money.
And if they have
money, Billy can buy them beer.
Oh, this just gets
worse and worse.
“Questions”
Pandora has her box
again, as seen in the Free Comic Book Day giveaway, I think – but
she cannot open it to put evil back in its place. Whereupon the
Wizard, who sacrificed himself to bestow the power of Shazam on Billy
Bratson uses the last of his strength to appear to her and apologize
for the Council's wrongs against her. But he only hints at who might
open the box for her. Assuming that's even a good idea. I bet it
isn't. I mean, the Wizard tells her it's impossible to put evil back
… but that there is even greater power within. Yeah, that can't be
good.
I'm
assuming that the one-page epilogue that actually contains the title
applies to the entire backup story – another incredibly annoying
practice that I despise,
reserving the title of the story for the bottom of the last page, a
device that is greatly overused. Anyway, the one-page epilogue does
no more than establish that the Question lives in Hub City and has
saved the kidnapped daughter of the mayor, leaving the kidnapper
trussed up for the police to find. Oh, and that he seems to be
channeling Rorschach or the portrayal of the Question from the
Justice
League Unlimited
cartoon series, spouting nonsensical but no doubt very profound
drivel: “Poverty. Wealth. Make-up. Dirt. The man with the hat
and the girl with the guns. It's all connected. It's all a web.
They hold the answers. / Don't they?”
There are
definitely times when, flagship title of the DCnU or not, I wonder
why I'm getting this. It is so disappointing.
“The
End of the Beginning”
We
learn how Zor-El – estranged from his brother Jor-El because of
forbidden scientific work in the past that had something to do with
the Worldkillers – sends his daughter Kara into space to save her
from the destruction of Krypton. Against the will of her mother
Alura, hence Alura shoots
Zor-El, solving that mystery dangled before the reader some issues
back. We also learn how Zor-El surreptitiously erected the dome
around Argo (but he has no faith in that desperate attempt to protect
the city, hence consigning his daughter to space).
Alura
was spurred to dash into Zor-El's lab almost
in time to prevent the launch of Kara by the appearance of Superboy –
who here interacts with her, telling her she still has time “... to
say goodbye to Kara!”
He's wearing the TRON/NOWHERE suit, whatever the significance of
that might be. What members of the Superman family are doing
appearing in Krypton's past is intriguing enough and a good hook for
the future. I'm sure it's going to have something to do with the
upcoming “H'El” cross-over.
“Interlude”
Kate
Kane has an inner reconciliation with her estranged father, which
basically takes the form of her recording a message recalling her
life-story, with specific reference to Jacob. Much of it we've seen
already, most notably in the pre-Flashpoint
Detective Comics run
of “Batwoman” stories, but here we find out that part of her
training was two years spent with members of Jacob's military unit.
One theme that emerges by the end her Kate's life-long search for
herself, which turns out not to be Kate Kane at all but rather
Batwoman, a realization she comes to when she considers that she has
been betrayed by her father not letting her know from the beginning
that her sister was really not dead.
I've
never been entirely clear on that, however. Did
Jacob know for sure that Beth was still alive?
One interesting
note here is her reference to a failed relationship with “Rene” –
is that a typo for the female form of the name as sported by Renee
Montoya? Or is the use of the male form significant?
Anyway, it's all
told by means of typically fantastic (although sometimes hard to
follow story-wise) art.
“Perpetual
Motion”
“Gotham
City. // A few years ago.” That's
how all of these references to the past of the DCnU should read, all
the way back to the beginning in Justice
League
#0 last year. Why attempt to tie the time-line down to a specific
date? When it's going to cause 'way more problems than it “solves.”
What problem does it really “solve,” anyway?
That ludicrous
five-year time-line is just one of a bunch of things about the New 52
that I'm finding increasingly irritating as time goes by. Leave it
be.
Anyway,
here we get the new origin of Dick Grayson, that is really pretty
good. It includes the basics, but tweaked in ways that enhance it's
believability. For instance, for some time after the murder of his
parents, Dick lives in an orphanage funded by the Wayne fortune,
rather than being immediately entrusted to a single, eccentric
billionaire who has no familial relationship to him whatsoever. From
there, Dick embarks on a personal vigilante quest to find Zucco.
It's on one of his surreptitious forays that he first encounters
Batman. A new ability is introduced for Dick here, that of “reading”
people virtually at a glance, perceiving their little habits and
personality quirks that not only enhances his fighting ability, but
also allows him to see through Batman's mask immediately to recognize
Bruce Wayne. Knowing that he'll never dissuade the young man from
his obsession (if anyone would understand it, it's Bruce Wayne!)
Batman consents to training him on the sly, which is carried out
under cover of a part-time job at Wayne Manor. Then, monitoring
Batman on a mission, witnessing through the magic of telemetry his
mentor being overpowered by the assassin Lady Shiva, Dick springs to
the rescue in armor that he has “been working on … for weeks,
piecing it together from spare Bat suits.” Right. At least his
legs and arms are covered, and there's no pixie boots. That
is a change from tradition that had
to come! Anyway, he saves Batman – or rather impresses Shiva
enough that she lets them go and fades into the night, bidding him,
“[w]hen you decide you want more,
little Robin, find
me. Lady
Shiva
will show you how much more
you can be.” A seed for a future story? And the idea of “Robin”
being his mother's pet name for him is retained, about the only
possible way a crime fighter might take that name.
“A few years
ago.” Based on this story alone, it's uncertain how long ago these
events took place. And that's how it should be.
A
good issue. I wonder how much of the plot is really due to Tom
DeFalco, and how much it's due to Kyle Higgins, who then contributed
the dialogue. And what if any contribution did Scott Snyder make as
the current “master scribe” of the Batman
universe? (Sorry, Grant Morrison. Your run's been great, but you're
just finishing up the wave of the past. Snyder's vision is the wave
of the future. This year, at least.)
“First
Flight”
Some
time after the end of her association with Team 7 (does it still
exist in some form?) – and the alleged demise of Kurt Lance, Dinah
Lance is seeking redemption in her own eyes at least as a crime
fighter. Specifically, it's “One year ago.” Ggggaaaaa!!!!
Anyway, she's undercover in the Iceberg Lounge trying to discover
what it is that the Penguin is sellingl. She meets Starling –
actually working for Penguin (it's implied that both of them got
their avian code names from Penguin, or at least Dinah thought hers
up on the spot to “fit in”) – as well as Batgirl for the first
time when the latter bursts in also
trying to thwart the sale. When they manage to capture the buyer and
Starling realizes it's a “mutation bomb,” she helps them. And so
appears to be born the “Birds of Prey.”
Okay.
1) So I guess Dinah was never in the Justice League. 2) She refers
to knowing first-hand the effects of a “mutation bomb.” She
doesn't seem to have any powers in Team
7
#0. Is that how she got the Canary Cry, through induced mutation?
That's how I'm taking it. 3) Ummmm.... “One year ago”? And
Batgirl is active, not a paraplegic? How does that work?
Doesn't Black Canary look like a real doll on the cover? I mean, like they transplanted a Barbie-doll head onto a real woman's body? – Well, as “real” as any comic-book woman's body might look these days....
Doesn't Black Canary look like a real doll on the cover? I mean, like they transplanted a Barbie-doll head onto a real woman's body? – Well, as “real” as any comic-book woman's body might look these days....
“Zip
Me Up”
Well,
first off I am so
glad
they sent Guillem March back to the drawing board for a new, slightly less impossible,
cover pose! (It fleetingly crossed my mind to submit that original
to Fanboy Wife
as a proposed new move in her “Superhero Yoga”
repertoire, but I figured I'd feel the slap
through the Internet, and maybe get a visit from Fanboy himself.)
As to the comic
itself, with a new writer comes a new origin, or perhaps just finally
telling the New 52 origin. Ann Nocenti introduces a mystery
surrounding Selina Kyle's past that even she didn't know. She grew
up an orphan, in a corrupt orphanage who's headmistress sent the kids
out to steal. She tried to become a grifter (not the super hero),
was busted by a mark, then was caught burgling, beaten, and thrown in
an alley, where she was approached by a mysterious man regarding the
Mayor's “Second Chance” program for wayward young people. She
was given a job, proved her ability in office work (huh?) but then an
illicit computer search of her own files triggered some kind of
alert. The same mysterious man reappeared to dissuade her from ever
trying to learn about Selina Kyle. When she protested, he threw
her off the balcony. Maybe his name
was Max Schreck. Improbably, she survived the multi-storey fall by
striking an awning, and cats gather around her. Some time later, she
makes her first “cat suit” from that awning. Months later, she
breaks back into the office, only to find all the computers there
wiped of any trace of her existence.
It's presented as a
nonsequential story, but I found it fairly easy to follow. Nothing
like Batwoman
#6-11!
The reviews overall
were quite bad, but I enjoyed it well enough. I do wish they hadn't
gone with the Batman
Returns
origin I allude to above. As fine as Michelle Pfeiffer looked, I
detested just about everything else about the movie, including the
origin story. It's stupid. And yet, I kind of liked this issue. Go
figure.
“Brainiac's
Original Sin”
The
young Legionnaires travel to Colu to help deal with robotic weapons
that were unleashed when the vault securing the original Brainiac's
artifacts mysteriously opens. They eventually prevail, with the help
of Brainiac 5, with whom they were already acquainted since this
happens after the events of the Legion:
Secret Origin
mini-series. As a result of this most recent interaction, Brainiac 5
joins the Legion. But, as they leave his home planet for the trip to
Earth, Brainiac's inner'logue reveals his secret – that it was he
himself who opened the vault. If his later history tracks more or
less with the Brainiac 5 we're all familiar with from the past forty
or fifty years, he doesn't really learn much of a lesson, and
continues to let his curiosity and scientific hubris get the better
of him.
A few tidbits from
this issue as well: We see the whole Tharok, who will of course end
up half-roboticized, with the strong implication that his later robot
half is made up of Brainiac technologyl We also learn of the low
reproductive rate of Coluans, which makes every child precious and to
be protected at all costs.
This issue carried
the advent of Scott Kolins as artist. I had my doubts as to whether
his style would mesh with the Legion, whom I think work best with a
smooth, sleek, clean artistic style, but frankly the result is pretty
good. Hopefully he won't revert to the more sketchy style I tend to
associate with him.
“The
Long Run”
This
is another of DC's “third wave” titles in the New 52, perhaps the
first title in the New 52 that is somewhat original in that it's not
a revamp or a revival of a some previous property, but rather a new
character spinning out of the “Court of Owls” story-line that has
been on-going in the Batman
titles. I'm still undecided whether I'm with this for the long(ish)
haul. I'm pretty sure I'm pre-ordered for the first couple of
issues, but after that I may well just go digital and/or trades.
We'll see.
An abused boy
escapes from his father and is taken in by Haly's Circus, which we
now know is sort of a “farm” for the Court of Owls. He becomes a
masterful escape artist, but realizes that the real plan is to make
him into a monster. He ultimately refuses a kill order and flees,
living a life on the run.
In execution, this
does seem promising – it's co-plotted by Scott Snyder along with
his frequent collaborator James Tynion IV, who scripts the story.
Maybe I'll switch back to print if the first couple of issues play
out well. I will say that I'm somewhat put off by the dumb-looking
costume on the cover, which looks like he's been “necklaced” with
an owl-effigy tire – except that it also looks like his neck and
head are growing out of his upper chest.
“Underwater”
After the death of
his father, and hounded by paparazzi who want to know more about him,
thanks to Dr. Shin, Arthur abandons the air-breathing world and
searches the ocean for Atlantis, seeking his mother. He ultimately
discovers the existence of another Atlantean living on the surface,
Vulko, who turns out to be the exiled minister of the kings of
Atlantis. Vulko tells him of his heritage, but also how his mother,
forced to abandon her surface-lover and son to protect them, was
forced to marry upon her return to Atlantis and what seems to have
been the title of Queen and little more than that, at least in the
way of power. She later bore another son, Orm, who eventually
probably killed her to take the throne for himself. Vulko then takes
him to Atlantis, where the issue finishes off with a magnificent but
sideways (another increasingly common practice that I don't care for)
two-page splash (every time I write that for this title I feel like
I'm trying to be clever – I'm not) page of the great underwater
city.
So
we've got a totally new origin for Orm, fated to be the Ocean Master.
Isn't this at least the third? It's an example of how this “return
to the roots” – one of the things they said was guiding this New
52 reboot/-launch thing, right – really isn't. Why not use the
classic elements and show how they can be made cool rather than
trying to “improve” them? Or is that beyond the capability of
the new Geoff Johns? He did it so well in his early career....
As
always, gorgeous
art. I will miss Ivan Reis if indeed he leaves this title.
“Every
End Has a Beginning”
The
story is narrated by Kal-El himself, even though he was newly in
utero
during the events he relates. Except that we find out at the very
end that the grown-up Superman, in a black costume, was on Krypton as
well....
Jor-El
confirms the coming destruction of Krypton, which precipitates the
Doomsday cult murdering his fellow scientists and attacking Jor-El
and Lara themselves, to prevent any measures being taken to avert it
or assure that any Kryptonians survive. Which gives Lara the chance
to prove she is as much a soldier as a scientist. She
kicks ass.
Apparently not the first time, because Jor says he's glad she didn't
kill the attacker because “[t]he last thing I need right now is to
break you out of the Phantom Zone. / Again.”
As
usual this month, we find out a couple of things. Apparently the
destruction of Krypton was part of something much larger, which one
of the Doomsday cultists calls “the Cosmicide.”
And a Kryptonian insult for a woman, contextually similar to
“bitch,” is “scratch.”
In an enigmatic
epilogue, some alien finds that Krypton is being destroyed and sends
word to “The Oracle” ….
Kenneth
Rocafort's not one of my favorite artists, but it works okay and I'm
cautiously hopeful that yet another creative team in the New 52
Superman
may finally get it right.
I think that might be the only #0 cover that does not feature one or some of the title characters. That's Jor-El.
I think that might be the only #0 cover that does not feature one or some of the title characters. That's Jor-El.
“Brand
Building”
This
issue is basically flashbacks of Batman going around and recruiting
the various “Batmen” of the world into his new Batman,
Incorporated, initiative. It plays off of pieces of Grant Morrison's
six- or seven-year run of Batman
stories, essentially becoming a potted version of that epic. There
are lots of good character bits, but not a whole lot new And there's
not a whole lot else to say, other than after several years I'm still
not sure whether I like or loath Frazer Irving's art for this type of
story. It works for certain types of story, such as the first thing
I ever associated him with, the Seven
Soldiers
mini-series Klarion.
“Chill
in the Air”
Young
Bruce's long search for the killer of his parents ultimately comes to
naught. Yes, he finds Joe Chill, but he also finds that it was not
an assassination or a hit as some versions of the story in the past
have had it, but rather just a random alcoholic needing money for his
next bottle. Specifically, he wanted a pearl necklace. (Oh, man,
that doesn't come out quite right, does it? [WARNING: EXPLICIT MATERIAL])
Anyway, seeing what pathetic straits the drunk is in, Bruce does not
kill him. He goes away, letting him live, free to
kill again.
What the – ?!
In itself, other
than that glaring lapse, this issue isn't bad, but all this constant
rebooting makes canon meaningless. I mean, how is your reader like
me who has read through forty-plus years of constantly shifting
story, to know off the top of my head, as essential background for
understanding future stories, what did and didn't happen? Was there
no role played by Lew Moxon? Evidently not. Except there was, then
there wasn't, then there was, then there wasn't, and so forth.
That's my biggest problem with modern writers and the DCnU 52 in
general – where once writers could expand upon and maintain the
relevance of past stories, now they seem each one of them to believe
they can only improve upon them by radically changing them. Rarely
is it ever an improvement, in my opinion. And it throws everything
into constant question.
“Young
Bastards”
The beginning of
the relationship between Constantine and Zatanna, both students of
Nick Nekro, the greatest mage of the age … until he goes mad with
his obsession over the Books of Magic, immersing himself deeper and
deeper in the search, pulling away from his students while
Constantine and Zatanna (hitherto his own lover) grow ever closer.
Eventually Nekro betrays them, intending to murder them, but they
turn the tables and Nekro himself ends up dead. Right.
I read somewhere a
few days ago that Jeff Lemire will be leaving this title. Pity.
After a confusing beginning with Peter Milligan, Lemire's story has rocked.
“Red
Robin”
And
here we get the new origin of Tim Drake/Red Robin. Really, it seems,
of both, because apparently “Drake” is not Tim's original name.
It was given to him when his parents are forced to go into protective
custody, what seems to be essentially witness protection, and he
himself became Batman's newest (at the time) partner. He was always
an overachiever, who set himself the task of discovering Batman's
true identity and filling the recently vacated role of Robin, after
the death (I presume, but I don't necessarily know that that's the
case) of Jason Todd. Batman tries to dissuade him, but that just
pushes him to such an extreme that his bad judgment (stealing from
the Penguin) necessitates new identities for himself and his family.
And that's who Batman will now accept as a partner? Again, this
ain't an improvement. And Alfred seems to act very much out of
character just for the sake of moving the pieces around on the game
board as well. I mean, Jason tod being recently dead (I presume), he
encourages Bruce to take another protege? Anyway, as has been
bouncing around the Internet for weeks now, Tim was never actually a
Robin, but rather takes the identity of “Red” Robin to honor but
not supersede Jason Todd's legacy. Little did he know Todd would
reappear as a prick. That's my commentary, not the issue's.
Digital
“Detective,
Parts 7-9”
While
Lois interviews Schott regarding Loomis, Superman and Batman become
protectors against Loomis the Prankster, and Mr Freeze. The
Prankster fires guided missile bullets at Batman and Chill. Batman
manages to save the life of the man who killed his parents, but is
then freeze-blasted. Superman himself is hit by “meteor-rock,”
Kryptonite, bullets. The villains flee in the time that it takes
Batman to melt his way out of being frozen solid, but not before
leaving Joe Chill … er … chilled
… and shattered. Then Batman finds Superman down, a bit green.
His lead-armored S-shield stopped several of the volley of Kryptonite
bullets from going into his heart, but three did penetrate his
abdomen, and he is succumbing to Kryptonite poisoning. Nightwing
remotely sends the Tumbler in to extract them from the building,
which by now is surrounded by the authorities who have been refusing
entrance to all, including Lois. When the Tumbler bursts out and
through the police lines, Lois grabs a police cycle and a first aid
kit and gives chase. As Batman desperately tries to lose the
authorities, Superman comes to enough to tell him his own name,
Clark, and how to contact the Watchtower, who put Batman through to
Lois. With Nightwing and Green Arrow's help, Batman manages to lose
his pursuit and perform the bullet extractions on the fly,
recalibrating his suit to emit yellow sun radiation, which saves
Superman. In their own lair, Freeze and the Prankster are
nonetheless tracking the heroes by tracers in the bullets themselves.
This
is the best Superman
book being published. That's all there is to say. I'm not quite so
fond of Chris Cross's art, but it's solid.
“Break
My Body”
The
background revealed here is how the young nobleman Andrew Bennett, in
the midst of preparing to run away with his low-born lover Mary, is
attacked and ultimately turned by the vampire Cain – but only after
Cain as “played with his food” a bit. Nevertheless, because
Bennett is “pure of heart,” this act consigns Cain to hell.
Bennett, horrified at what he has become, bids Mary farewell by means
of a letter, so there is still background yet to be fully revealed –
how he finally turned her
and created his own arch-nemesis.
“To
Live and Die in Metropolis”
Bender
trusses Jennifer up, torments her for a while, but leaves her to
brood over her fate – which gives Dane the chance to rescue her.
They get away to a cabin hidden well away from Metropolis, and he
outfits her with other technology that he has been working on – a
black light generator that seems to tap into something like the
Shade's shadows, as well as a suit that allows her to slip into a
phantom-like state, inspiring her own code name. The name she hangs
on her now-diminutive lover is not nearly so flattering. Dane is
dead set against “Doll Man,” but we know it's going to stick.
Anyway, sparring to develop some degree of fighting ability, they
discover that someone inside her black light has all good, positive
thoughts almost sucked out of them, imposing a paralysing depressing,
as well as that his reduced size has inversely increased his strength
so that he can leap relatively far and hit with disproportionate
force. He also sports a doll-sized rocket suit. Returning to
Metropolis after a period of time, they attack Bender and his men –
but those have in the meantime brought in freelance protection –
“Funerella,” whose name immediately puts me in mind of
“Vampirella.”
Picking
Phantom
Lady
up, including as I mentioned doing quite a bit of research and
reading on her origins at Quality Comics, put me in mind to download
and read the earlier DCnU revival of her fellow Quality Comics and
Freedom
Fighters
character …
Like
Phantom
Lady,
this was written by the team which seems to have had custody of the
old Freedom
Fighters
characters at DC for the past few years, Justin Gray and Jimmy
Palmiotti. And their story was cleanly rendered by Jamal Igle, whom
I really liked on the pre-Flashpoint
Supergirl
title with Sterling Gates.
Here
we have a reimagining on the same order as Phantom
Lady,
extending even to the name of the main character. At least this time
Gray and Palmiotti avoided having Lucien Gates motivated by grief and
revenge for lost parents. His own quite flaky and offbeat parents
are very much alive. Lucien himself is a very likeable character,
with a quickly introduced supporting cast already in place. I'm not
going to attempt to summarize the actual plot, just will say that I
really enjoyed this short series and will be digitally picking up the
next Quality/Freedom
Fighters
refugee, The
Human Bomb,
when it comes out. The only thing I didn't like here was a seemingly
gratuitous anti-gun quip at the end – but with a little reflection
consider it quite believable that a second-generation California
hippie-surfer-dude such as we have here would indeed have such an
attitude – so they get a pass.
The
fun continues. Kids' comic this may be, but it never fails to amuse
me. Otis becomes the Parasite! Lex becomes a Daily
Planet
intern!
And
that's it. Thanks for stopping by! – Cheers!
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