I Think I'll Pass On More

The Exterminators tpb Vol. 1: Bug Brothers (collecting issues 1-5 of the series)
DC Vertigo
Simon Oliver, writer
Tony Moore, artist
***mature content warning***

This is a book that I was inspired to try based on recommendations I heard listening to comic-themed podcasts. More than once I'd listened to others discuss how much they enjoyed the writing, the art, the story. And I have to admit, despite not much caring for the setting or most of the characters, I did feel a small amount of sympathy for the main character, Henry James, and a small but real curiosity about where the story was headed.

Henry, an ex-convict, is trying to get back on his feet after his stretch in prison. He goes to work for his stepfather, Nils, who owns Bug-Bee-Gone, a pest control company in Los Angeles. The people Henry meets, including some of his new co-workers, are mostly all foul-mouthed degenerates, and the neighborhoods they inhabit are filthy, vermin-infested dumps, to say the least. The Bug-Bee-Gone boys have a new roach gel in their arsenal named Draxx, which has some peculiar properties. This and another subplot involving a mysterious box Henry discovers are what piqued my curiosity the most after reading this first volume.

I decided to research a little more to see just how many volumes were in this series. Maybe if there were just one or two and I could find them cheaply enough, I might continue on. Well my research revealed that the series had run for 30 issues and been collected in a total of five trades. The plan had been for the series to run longer than that, but the book was canceled before it had a chance to go beyond 30. Still, it seemed that the creators knew the end was coming and still wrapped things up, albeit a bit more quickly than originally planned.

What I hadn't counted on in researching how long the book ran, however, was discovering the answers to my questions, both about the box and Draxx. Once I'd read and knew the answers to those questions, I have no real desire to continue reading this story I only marginally cared for, so I doubt I ever seek out the other four trades for this series. I just don't care that much to read them. The art isn't bad, and honestly, the characterizations were pretty consistent and logical for the characters, so I can't really fault the writing either. I just didn't care enough about the characters to keep reading. Let's just say this story wasn't quite my cup of tea.

Revelations And More Questions

Rachel Rising 7-10
Abstract Studio
Terry Moore, writer and artist

When last we saw Rachel, she along with her aunt, Johnny, and her friend, Jet, were in a car accident. Of course, being already dead, Rachel seems to have escaped the accident unscathed. Johnny is in the hospital with some pretty severe, extensive injuries. And Jet was killed.

Her neck was snapped.

Except that, like Rachel, Jet isn't exactly dead, either.

Also in the car at the time of the accident was a little girl named Zoe. Rachel and the rest were trying to help Zoe despite not really knowing her. Zoe, I'm guessing somewhere around 10 or so, lost her entire family recently. We're not sure if she watched them die at the hands of a blonde woman or if the blonde woman caused Zoe to kill them herself, but they are all dead. Zoe ended up in the foster care system where she was threatened by an abusive would-be foster parent. Once again, the blonde woman showed up, and this time there was little doubt that the blonde woman eliminated the threat.

Zoe also escaped the car accident unharmed and has run away, but death seems to be continuing to follow her.

While Rachel tries to help Jet come to terms with what has happened to her, Zoe ends up in a farm house. The elderly couple who lived there are dead and Zoe is making herself a peanut butter sandwich when the blonde woman shows up again. We finally learn the name of the blonde woman, Lilith, Adam's first wife and often depicted as a demon or the first witch. Lilith explains to Zoe that she in fact is NOT a little girl but a demon named Malus and that death has followed in her wake for more than 400 years.

Along the way, we learn some very unpleasant things about the past of the town of Manson. And we also get quite a few more unanswered questions to replace the few that are answered by these issues.

Not at all sure where Moore is going with all of this, but I'm enjoying being a little creeped out by the journey.

I'm Sensing A Theme Here

Nightwing 10-12
DC Comics
Kyle Higgins, writer
Eddy Barrows, Geraldo Borges and Andres Guinaldo, artists

I'm not currently following Red Robin in Teen Titans or Red Hood in Red Hood and the Outlaws, but almost all of the other Bat-themed characters in the DCnU are located and mostly operate in Gotham City. That includes Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl and Batwoman. That's five separate heroes for one city. Now, out of those, I'm also not following Batwoman, Batman, Detective or Batman and Robin either. So, out of all those heroes, I'm really only currently following two, so maybe I'm just seeing a coincidence and falsely assuming it's a larger theme, but it still seems mighty odd.

The current story line in Batgirl involves a character named Knightfall and her minions who take a lethal approach to fighting crime. They see themselves as superior to the Bat crew because they deal with bad guys in a final way rather than sending them to jail or Arkham Asylum and allowing them the opportunity to escape and do evil again. There's also a cop involved who doesn't really much care for Batgirl but ends up working with her to help defeat Knightfall.

In these issues of Nightwing, a new character named Paragon has decided that the Bat crew isn't effective enough. He's decided to enlist followers for his Republic of Tomorrow, and they have targeted Nightwing. Why? Well, it seems two of their members were killed and one of Nightwing's escrima fighting sticks was found at the scene. Of course, we readers know Nightwing didn't kill anyone, so he's being framed. Chief suspect for framing Nightwing seems to be a Gotham police detective who has a grudge against Nightwing.

Things that make you go hmmmmmm.

Having said that, these issues of Nightwing are pretty good. First off, not everyone automatically believes that Nightwing is guilty of the murders. It's nice to see some of the powerful people in Gotham using their heads to figure out that a known hero likely wouldn't have killed someone. Also, Dick follows the clues to find out who the real killer is. The process he uses to dig up evidence and get at the truth is not only sound logic but takes us back to events in previous issues of the title. Well done, all!

Oh, and Merry Christmas to anyone who celebrates the holiday today!

Always Within The Rules, Yet Still Unexpected

Fairest 5-6
DC Vertigo
Bill Willingham, writer
Phil Jimenez, artist

These two issues bring the first arc of this new Fables spin-off title to a very satisfying conclusion. This arc involved Ali Baba awakening Briar Rose from her deep slumber, but only after first awakening the also sleeping Snow Queen, who quickly captured the pair along with their whimsical guide, a bottle imp, Jonah. Before the tale is wrapped up, Willingham brings eight other powerful magic wielders into the mix and brings things to the aforementioned great conclusion.

I did not see many of the twists and turns coming in the final installments of this arc, but that is what keeps this universe fresh after nearly 200 issues among all of the related Fables titles. Willingham always stays true to the nature of the characters he is using, but often his research has turned up little-known and long-forgotten aspects of these characters that allow him to continue to surprise readers while maintaining the internal logic of his creation.

Every comics or fantasy fan should be reading these books!

Just Not Feeling It As Much As I'd Hoped

Batgirl 11-12
DC Comics
Gail Simone, writer
Ardian Syaf, artist

These two issues represent the middle of an arc begun in Batgirl No. 10 and to be concluded in Batgirl No. 13, which comes after the special 0 issue origin tale. Batgirl is facing off against a new villainess named Knightfall (Love how the DCnU is recycling all of these names from the old, especially when they put a completely new twist on them; for instance, Knightfall was the name of a story arc in the old DC, now it's a person.) and her small army of faithful lieutenants. These ladies believe themselves to be the good guys, stomping out crime in Gotham. But they cross Batgirl when they employ lethal means, even for the smallest infractions of the law.

Batgirl has determined the true identity of Knightfall, which leads us into her origin tale, a pretty dark and grisly one that might leave anyone a little twisted in the end. Along the way, Batgirl teams with a Gotham City police detective who has been less than friendly in the past and also comes into conflict with Batwoman.

This arc is a solid read. Simone delivers a great story built on wonderful characterizations. She has taken the Barbara Gordon character through some incredible adventures as Oracle in the old DC Universe and has transitioned her back to being Batgirl masterfully well. And Syaf's art is very nice to look at and easy to follow from panel to panel. His faces are recognizable as the same characters from panel to panel and page to page.

On top of that, I have always liked Batgirl. As much as I enjoyed Barbara Gordon's portrayal as Oracle after she was crippled by the Joker in The Killing Joke, I was one of the people who enjoyed the occasional flashback story to her time as Batgirl and looked forward to her return in the DCnU.

Really, it's not her, it's me. My new attitude on buying comics is to stop buying the stuff I'm not enjoying as much. There are just too many other financial demands with being a parent to buy anything and everything as I once did. I like this character and I enjoy this creative team, but I'm just not liking this book as much as I'd hoped I would. I've already ordered the title through the "Death of the Family" Bat-crossover event, but I think those will be my last issues of this title unless something changes soon.

Of course, the bittersweet part of that decision was the news just a few days later that DC has suddenly fired Simone from this title. Adding insult to injury, she reportedly found out about the firing via email. No details of why have been released to the public at this point, but I feel bad for this wonderful writer and am confused by this move by DC editorial. The news so soon after my decision to drop the title almost makes me feel guilty about the whole thing.

Addendum: In case anyone missed the news, the day this post went up it was announced that DC has rehired Gail Simone as the writer of Batgirl. So chalk one up for fandom united!

At Last It Can Be Told

The Lone Ranger 7-8
Dynamite Entertainment
Ande Parks, writer
Esteve Polls, artist

Most people can tell you the basic origin of the Lone Ranger: He's the sole surviving member of a posse ambushed by the outlaws they were tracking. Those are the basics even if one doesn't know some of the details like the outlaws, the Butch Cavendish Gang, ambushed the Texas Rangers at a place called Bryant's Gap or that the Lone Ranger's mask -- first a device to hide his true identity, John Reid, from the Cavendish Gang as he hunted them down and later to make him a symbol for justice, more than just a man -- was cut from the vest of his brother, one of the Rangers killed in the ambush. Other details might change from time to time with different tellings; for instance, sometimes John Reid was deputized as a Ranger specifically for this fated posse and other times he was a full-time Ranger before the posse. Even Silver has a definite origin.

As far as I know, however, there is no definitive origin for Tonto.

I have heard bits and pieces of a background for Tonto, but when such details are included, they sometimes contradict what might have been revealed in other places. That makes me think such details are the invention of specific writers trying to rectify Tonto's lack of a background. Even the specific tribe to which Tonto belongs is often ignored or contradictory from other sources when included. I know several times in movies and television programs, the Lone Ranger and Tonto are shown coming in contact with Apaches, but that doesn't mean Tonto is an Apache.  I have heard or read at least two tales that refer to Tonto as Potawatomi, and that is how Wikipedia lists his heritage.

These two issues of Dynamite's The Lone Ranger are the first installments of an arc titled "Native Ground" that attempts to give this version of Tonto a background. The very few scenes that take place in the comic's current continuity show the Lone Ranger carrying the gravely wounded Tonto in a wagon. Tonto was beaten, stabbed and shot in the last arc, "Hard Country." The Ranger is taking Tonto home at his request as only Tonto's own people would be able to save his life at this point, if such a feat is even possible. The Ranger is stopped by several warriors on the edge of Ute lands until he explains the situation. Then they grudgingly agree to escort the pair to their chief and let him decide their fate.

The bulk of the story pages deal with events from several years in the past. Tonto is not the chief or anything, but it is clear he is a respected warrior within the tribe. That means he also has his detractors among his fellows. In this incarnation, Tonto has a wife, Chakwaima, and a young son, Tacome, maybe 3 or 4 years old. His extended family also includes Chakwaima's mother and a young brave named Kahnaka. Kahnaka is old enough to have already gone through a vision quest and is considered a man in the eyes of his tribe, but is still quite young and inexperienced. The youth's father is dead, no mother is mentioned, and Tonto has "adopted" the young man, giving him counsel, guidance and, when needed, protection.

Nobody is trying to make the case that American Indians had an idyllic existence during the progressive expansion of white settlers across the country, but Tonto's tribe is depicted as being content and happy. Of course, that means that tragedy must soon strike, as Tonto surely would not abandon a still living wife and child to traipse around the frontier dispensing justice.

This was a great glimpse of an earlier time in Tonto's life. I feel for the character that it could not last.

Taking Him Down

Worlds' Finest 3-4
DC Comics
Paul Levitz, writer
George Perez and Kevin Maguire, artists

These two issues complete the first story arc of this title as Huntress and Power Girl take down the radiation-spewing bad guy, but they only manage to do that after first inadvertently feeding him even more raw power. Before his demise, however, this villain lets slip a few things that give the heroic duo some food for thought: Power Girl observed in the first two issues that the irradiated Hakkou resembles a parademon, one of the minions of Darkseid of Apokolips. As the battle continues in these issues, both women make note of  Hakkou's knowledge that they are not originally from this world and the fact that he targeted what Power Girl hoped might be a successful way to bridge dimensions.

I like this book just a bit more than Earth 2 because these two heroines are just plain fun. Robinson is writing Earth 2 as a much more serious drama, and that book is quickly seeming to become a little too melodramatic. Levitz, on the other hand, despite all these two women have lost, is keeping things lighter in tone. Huntress is usually no-nonsense and serious, as one would expect from the daughter of Batman, but Power Girl is all about having a good time along the way and helps to keep her friend from going too dark.

I didn't talk about it last time, but the idea behind the art is a nice touch in this book, too. George Perez is the artist for all of the modern sequences in the book, and he is handling those art chores in his usual highly detailed and simply gorgeous style. But a large focus of this book is these characters' lives from before they were mysteriously thrown into another world, back five years ago when they were Supergirl and Robin, not Power Girl and Huntress. Kevin Maguire handles the art chores whenever there is a flashback sequence to these women's time on Earth 2 or just after they arrived on this Earth. And he handles those art chores with his own clean, curvy linework. Maguire and Perez each have their own distinctive styles, but the two draw these characters similarly enough that the transitions aren't at all jarring. And the format means fewer pages for each man to turn in. That's another plus because both of these fan-favorite artists might have trouble working solo on a monthly book and making their page counts. Really liking this book right now and looking forward to where it will take us.

Friends Again

Action Comics 11-12
DC Comics
Grant Morrison, writer
Rags Morales, Rick Bryant and Brad Walker, artists

During the infighting in the most recent issues of Justice League, Superman says at one point that he and Batman are friends and have worked together outside of Justice League missions. These two issues of Action Comics give us a glimpse of the beginnings of that cooperative relationship, and if handled properly in the future, this will be a nice return.

Batman is often portrayed in modern comics as aloof, always keeping himself distant and apart from his super-powered colleagues. This is often explained as a defense mechanism in Bruce Wayne's psyche as a result of his not having any actual super powers and never quite trusting the others who do. When handled well, that can be a valid portrayal of the Dark Knight Detective.

However, some of my favorite comic book stories from childhood have Superman working side by side with Batman and Robin, either as part of the larger Justice League of America or together alone in the pages of World's Finest Comics. It is nice to see these two acting as friends and confidants again. I hope this development lasts.

The reason Superman has asked for Batman's help is explained in the art above. Superman saved the life of his editor, George Taylor, from a bomb in the previous issue. But in doing so, it seemed to observers that Clark Kent died, and Superman allowed that belief to remain. But now he is regretting killing off his secret identity in favor of being Superman 24/7.

I'm Guessing Alan Scott Will Be The Lead Here

Earth 2 3-4
DC Comics
James Robinson, writer
Nicola Scott, artist

James Robinson is certainly playing with longtime readers' expectations in this series as several familiar faces are being used in seemingly unfamiliar ways on this DCnU version of Earth 2.

These two issues not only give us the secret origin of Green Lantern -- a heavy-handed affair just dripping with forced emotion -- but also introduce us to Capt. Al Pratt, the Atom. Pratt, it seems, was in the military during the Apokolips invasion of five years ago and came out of that conflict with some pretty fantastic new abilities. In the fourth issue, he seems to display super strength, but he has also been able to alter his physical size, growing to about twice his normal height. He has been working as a covert, powered agent of the military and is quickly dispatched to shut down the activities of Hawkgirl and the Flash before they have a chance to even figure out what they are supposed to do. So, is the Atom one of the good guys or not?

The bulk of the third issue is devoted to Alan Scott being given his powers and adopting a ring to focus his energies through. Scott, the sole survivor of the train wreck we saw in the second issue, is transformed into the Green Lantern by the Earth itself, being given the power of the Green, which would seem to make him this world's answer to -- Swamp Thing? Arguably, Alan Scott was the elder statesman hero of the Justice Society in the old DC Universe, at least since the Earth 2 version of Superman was wiped from continuity in 1985's Crisis On Infinite Earths. Several times during his transformation into the Green Lantern, both Scott and the emerald fire that represents his raw power refer to this world's fallen Kryptonian hero and the fact that Scott must now assume that role, becoming the Earth's ultimate champion.

These issues also introduce a new villain -- Grundy. The new character, an avatar of the Grey, the decay that eternally opposes the living, vibrant Green, has some similarities in appearance to the old swamp monster Solomon Grundy who frequently fought Earth 2's heroes of old, but he also closely resembles Nekron from the Blackest Night story arc in the old DCU.

Never-Ending Stories And Commercials

Justice League International annual 1
DC Comics
Geoff Johns and Dan Didio, writers
Jason Fabok, artist

Superhero comics are by nature ongoing, continuing stories. The characters rarely undergo real change so they can continue to be recognizable as they go through their various adventures. But within that ongoing narrative, there are several beginnings and endings. Story arcs come and go, wax and wane. Plot threads get tied up and give way to new plot threads. At least the best stories do.

Not every comic has to be a done-in-one, but the reader can be left feeling unsatisfied if every story serves only to move you into the next story with never a chance to pause and take stock. But more and more, some comics seem to be just that. Not really a story in and of themselves, but merely a teaser for the next big thing, which ends up being a teaser for the next big thing and so on. That seems to be the case for this comic.

I confess, I haven't kept up with the New 52 Justice League International title. I tried it for the first story arc, but dropped the book after issue 6, largely because I didn't like the changes made in the main character, team leader Booster Gold, from his old incarnation. So I have no frame of reference going into this annual for what came immediately before. I just know Justice League International has been canceled.

This is a team falling apart and we see evidence of that as this story opens with Booster trying to salvage the team and failing. One member simply walks out following the completion of the JLI's most recent mission. Then another proceeds to attack the rest of the team, incapacitating most of them, including two new members just brought in for this annual. Booster finally manages to take down the threat, but just as he does, he is interrupted by the arrival of a future version of himself. Future Booster starts talking about things the reader knows nothing about, confusing current Booster, too, and then mysteriously vanishes. Current Booster is left to wonder about what has just happened for a page before he, too, vanishes unexpectedly. A final scene follows to let readers know that none of the various incapacitated JLI members actually died. The ultimate threat remains a mystery and the book closes with the line "To be continued in Justice League in 2013!"

People grow tired and lose interest in never-ending stories after a while, and who among us doesn't fast-forward through the commercials whenever possible or refocus our attention elsewhere when they come on; so why would I want zero resolution and non-stop teasers in my comics?

OK, Slowly Getting Better

Justice League 7-12
DC Comics
Geoff Johns, writer
Gene Ha, Gary Frank, Carlos D'Anda, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado and Jim Lee, artists

Justice League No. 7 brings us up to the current time frame after the first arc of this title took us back five years to the team's formation. Many people criticized the League presented here because they didn't work together, barely even got along. That can be excused in a team brought together for the first time, still getting to know one another and learning to gel. But the word "team" is used just as loosely in this prologue to "The Villain's Journey." It's been five years of these guys getting to know each other and learning to work together, and they still seem like they can't get along and really don't care for each other. That's not what I want long-term from this team.

Issue No. 8 serves to unite the members of the League, albeit briefly, in a little side story, guest-starring Green Arrow. Here the League is united in their dislike of the Emerald Archer and their decision not to admit anyone else to their ranks, at least for the most part. This issue serves as a diversion from "The Villain's Journey" arc, and while a good read, is more a book-length teaser for the then-newly announced Justice League of America title coming in 2013.

"The Villain's Journey" really gets under way in issue No. 9 and rolls quickly along. The villain of this piece isn't cut from the traditional pattern. Rather than seeking to achieve power, money or glory for himself, he is trying to improve the League members by teaching them first-hand about loss. What he doesn't realize is that each of these heroes does in fact know a great deal about loss already. But still, Graves manages to teach them a little about humility and responsibility.

I don't see this tale as ranking among the all-time best Justice League stories by any means, but I can see Johns moving these heroes toward the kind of characters I want to read about. As much as I appreciate that he is moving them in a positive direction, I want my Justice League heroes to already be there. I want them to be the best and brightest stars, not working toward becoming that.

Not Your Daddy's Oz; It's Your Granddaddy's

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz 1-8
Marvel Comics
Eric Shanower, writer
Skottie Young, artist

This is the fourth limited series Marvel has produced adapted from the original Oz series of children's books by L. Frank Baum. They've all been by this same creative team, lending continuity of art and appearance for the recurring characters. Shanower is well known for doing other Oz-related works, all quite faithful to the original novels.

In a nutshell, if you've only seen the late 1930s Judy Garland movie (not to knock that classic film), you don't know the entire story of the first book as Dorothy visits many strange lands within Oz besides the Emerald City and the Wicked Witch of the West's castle. But then there is a whole series of books describing Dorothy's various return visits to Oz, meeting even more fantastic creatures, as well as checking in on the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman and the Lion.

In this series, for instance, Dorothy has been visiting relatives out in California with her Uncle Henry when an earthquake opens up a hole the poor girl falls into. She falls for what seems like a long time along with her kitten, Eureka, a cousin, Zeb, and Zeb's horse, Jim. When they finally come to land, quite safely as it happens, they find themselves in the land of the Mangaboos. Shortly, as the title might have already indicated, the Wizard shows up, having floated into another earthquake-produced hole in his famous hot-air balloon. The small party continues to journey through a number of other strange lands as they try to make their way back to the surface of the earth.

These stories are quite entertaining for an adult, but they are equally appropriate for children, not always the case with some comics these days. Check them out!

Those Murderous Fiends!!

Fables 115-121
DC Vertigo
Bill Winngham, writer
Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha, artists

I picked this arc of Fables to discuss because I like the Wolf family of characters so much. Boy did that backfire on me.

Once again, the name of this rather lengthy story arc is "Cubs in Toyland." The first issue of this arc had young Therese, one of seven youngsters belonging to Bigby Wolf and Snow White, being "kidnapped" by a toy boat. As one can anticipate from the title of the arc, the boat takes young Therese to Toyland, but their destination is hardly the fun-filled place one might expect. It seems nothing is left living in Toyland as all of the magic is gone from the realm. The broken and discarded toys that inhabit Toyland are still quite animated because they never were alive to begin with, but they are desperately in need of a new monarch to restore the magic and splendor of their home. This is why they have sent out the toy boat that brought Therese.

One might also assume from the title of the arc that Therese is not the only child of Bigby and Snow to come to Toyland. In truth, she wasn't so much kidnapped by the boat as enticed to run away by it. Various taunts from her sister and brothers helped push Therese to that decision. Later that night, after Snow discovers that one of her children is missing, Darien, the eldest of the litter, begins to feel no small amount of remorse for the taunts. The magical nature of Therese's journey prohibits her parents from tracking her whereabouts, but with the help of some other characters, Darien secretly sneaks off to follow and bring his sister back to Wolf Manor.

I won't spoil the remainder of the story by giving further details beyond what one might assume from the title of today's post, and that much information can be gleaned almost anywhere on the Internet. Suffice to say that not everyone makes it out of this story alive, and none of the Wolf clan is left untouched by the events of this story. This isn't the first time Willingham and crew have killed off a beloved cast member in this title. In fact, sometimes it seems that the more popular a character grows in fans' eyes, the greater likelihood that something truly tragic will befall said character. It's one of the things I like/despise about this title. It's just sad when tragedy hits so close to home.

Sidetrack From The Saga

Whipping Boy
Dell/Abyss
John Byrne, writer
***mature content warning***

There is still one final tangent to explore along my journey through both volumes of John Byrne's Next Men and their prequel comic, John Byrne's 2112.

As discussed last time, I don't always read all of the fan mail or cross-reference notes in an older comic I'm reading for the first time. Sometimes I do, but other times I just breeze right past them. When I discovered that the link between JBNM and 2112 was much stronger than I at first realized, I decided to go back and check out another editor's note from JBNM Volume 1 a little closer.


In JBNM No. 16, the final issue in the "Fame" story arc, Dollar Comics executive Ben Horowitz has introduced the Next Men to the world as real-life superheroes. A Chicago-based newspaper reporter and her editor, simply named Donna and Walker, respectively, take note of the story and are curious about it. The pair have a brief conversation about the Next Men and wonder about their link to someone named Paul Trayne and some events from five years in the past in a place called Faulkner, Ill. Donna and Walker show up again briefly in a later issue of Volume 1 while the Next Men are being hunted by the authorities but not at all in JBNM Volume 2, so their contributions to the overall narrative are slight. But that first conversation between them that references Paul Trayne and Faulkner, Ill., includes an editor's note: "For complete details, pick up a copy of 'Whipping Boy,' available from Dell/Abyss."

So off I went in search of this title to see how it tied in with the rest of JBNM.

I searched several back issue sites online, as well as eBay, but could not find a single comic going by this name. I wasn't familiar with an Abyss comic publisher, but Dell published a number of comics several decades ago. Still, I was coming up empty everywhere I searched. By chance one day, I decided to try a search on Amazon.com. Amazon is not a great site for finding single-issue comics, but maybe, just maybe, I thought, there might be a trade of Whipping Boy available. I did find the book on Amazon, also learning why I'd had so much trouble locating it before. Whipping Boy is NOT a comic, but a prose novel written by Byrne and published in 1992, the same time 2112 and JBNM got started.

In hindsight, this novel really doesn't tie into JBNM much at all. I think Byrne merely chose to include Donna and Walker, two of the characters from his novel, in JBNM as a way to cross-promote the paperback. But if you happen to be curious, it isn't a bad read, although a tad long at 498 pages. (I personally think the narrative could have been edited down from that length somewhat as the action seems to bog down a bit in places, but I was interested enough to finish the entire thing.)

The title Whipping Boy refers to Paul Trayne, a 15-year-old mutant with the ability to look into people's souls and remove their guilt and shame, taking those things into himself. On the surface, this might seem like a wonderful thing, even a gift, as many in the novel first describe it. But keep in mind that as much as JBNM is a science fiction story, Whipping Boy is a horror story with an emphasis on religion and morality. Paul, guided by his father, the Rev. Robert Trayne, reaches out to the residents of Faulkner, Ill., offering his gift. The phenomenon comes to the attention of Chicago newspaper editor Walker Stone, who decides to send one of his reporters, Donna Wojciechowski, to see if Trayne is real or a charlatan. Donna finds more than she bargained for when she arrives, first finding many of the residents of Faulkner greatly changed by the power of Paul Trayne, and later feeling the effects of his "gift" firsthand. And Faulkner is just the beginning of the plans Paul and his father have for bringing this "gift" to the world.

Genesis Of A Saga

John Byrne's 2112
Dark Horse Comics
John Byrne, writer and artist
***mature content warning***

I completely missed the references the first time through.

The previous two posts to this blog have been about John Byrne's Next Men. I don't always read the letters pages when I go back and read an old comic I've recently purchased. I typically scan the letters for familiar names or things that might catch my eye, but seldom do I read them all. Such was the case when I read my first dozen-and-a-half issues of JBNM for the very first time. But in this most recent reading of the books, I stumbled across several mentions of another Byrne/Dark Horse book, a one-shot, titled John Byrne's 2112. I gathered from those letters that this was a book published before JBNM and that the big bad from that title, Sathanas, had first appeared in 2112.

I decided to make my reading experience of JBNM complete by trying to include this book, too, if possible. But to be honest, I expected the link between 2112 and JBNM to be very slight. My expectation was that 2112 was written as a self-contained, standalone, done-in-one story, possibly having been written a few years before JBNM. Then later, while crafting the story that would become JBNM, Byrne had decided to reuse an old character from a previous story.

I was successful in my attempt to find a reasonably priced copy of John Byrne's 2112, and it arrived in time for me to read it immediately after I finished Next Men: Aftermath. I wish I had known about the book earlier and had ordered it and read it BEFORE reading JBNM because it truly is a prequel to the JBNM saga.

The book was published in November 1991, just two months prior to the publication of JBNM No. 1, likely just allowing enough time for the four Dark Horse Comics Presents vignettes later collected into JBNM No. 0. Sathanas is the evil mastermind behind a mutate uprising in the year 2112. Think of mutates as similar to mutants. And the events of the 2112 one-shot lead directly into Sathanas' appearance in the pages of JBNM. But the connections do not stop there.

The point of view character in 2112 is a young law enforcement cadet named Thomas Kirkland who also plays a key role in the JBNM series. Kirkland learns in 2112 that his superiors have kept secret the origins of the mutates from the general populace -- that they stemmed from a government genetics project gone wrong in the 20th century, a project codenamed Next Men. There are other names and characters in 2112 which reappear in JBNM, so there can be no question that Byrne fully intended this book to lead into the Next Men saga. For completists, this book is indispensable when trying to read JBNM, and well worth a look.

The Saga Continues

John Byrne's Next Men (Volume 2) 1-9 (or issues 31-39 if you continue with the original numbering)
and Next Men: Aftermath 40-44
IDW Publishing
John Byrne, writer and artist
***mature content warning***

Last time, we talked about a creator-owned series from Dark Horse Comics titled John Byrne's Next Men, which ran for 31 issues (0-30) in the mid-1990s. I wasn't aware of the series when it debuted, instead learning of it later and tracking down the full run in back issues and trade. But then I put off reading the series for a while. That delay proved to work to my advantage as the initial run of the title ended on a cliffhanger that would not be resolved until the past couple years.

Byrne had promised readers that he had an ending in mind for the science fiction tale centered around five exceptional young people -- Jasmine, Nathan, Bethany, Jack and Danny -- who were grown and raised in a controlled lab environment, and the special government agent, Tony Murcheson, who worked alongside them. But it took 15 years for the next chapter of their story to finally see print.

John Byrne's Next Men  volume 2, No. 1, debuted from IDW in December 2010. While the cover clearly is marked "#1," another box next to the cover logo has a small number "3" inserted before the "1" -- a nod to the first volume of the series to let unfamiliar readers know that this was really issue No. 31.

In that first volume of JBNM, our heroes had been subjected on more than one occasion to alternate realities that would ultimately prove to be a ruse meant to deceive one or more of them. The Next Men and Murcheson were also no strangers to the concept of time travel. The conclusion of Byrne's series relies heavily on both those concepts. Various members of the team find themselves in prehistoric jungles, amid Roman centurions, deposited in the middle of America's Civil War or captured by Nazi concentration camp guards, not to mention a number of varying future scenarios. Either individually or in small groups, the protagonists of our story seem to just get their bearings when they are whisked away yet again. In some of these adventures, the Next Men's true history remains intact, and they continue to try to thwart the machinations of Sen. Aldus Hilltop and the evil Sathanas. But in other realities, the heroes seem to have lost their identities completely.

As with all of the best stories, the seeds of the final resolution were planted long ago in the pages of the first volume of this series. Seemingly random, new characters turn out later to be familiar faces. The internal logic of the story is maintained while arriving at an ending that seems both fitting and rewarding. Just when I thought Byrne had forgotten a particular plot thread or off-hand comment by a character I wanted explained, there was the explanation. And most of the explanations, while not what I was anticipating, were nonetheless, rational for the context.

In case it hasn't been obvious enough yet, I recommend John Byrne's Next Men to anyone who hasn't tried it. I might not have endorsed the tale as strongly without this new conclusion, as it can be very disheartening to have a good story stopped in the middle. But this conclusion makes this tale well worth a read.

The Saga Begins

John Byrne's Next Men 0-30
Dark Horse Comics
John Byrne, writer and artist
***mature content warning***

John Byrne's Next Men initially saw print as four short vignettes in the pages of Dark Horse Presents in the early 1990s. The anthology title offered Byrne the chance to slowly introduce some of the players who would be key to his series, and the four pieces were collected together in a JBNM 0 issue for those who had missed the initial printings. Many readers expected a typical superhero story (if one can gauge by the letters printed in the first few issues of the title), but Byrne was telling a story that fit more comfortably into the science fiction realm. To be sure, JBNM makes use of many superhero themes; in fact, I would be willing to say that the series could not exist in this form without story-telling tools familiar to superhero fans. But to call JBNM a superhero comic is to ignore so much more of what is going on.

The first issue of JBNM came out in January 1992 and obviously had some readers scratching their heads as the action clearly starts "already in progress" and even an inside-front-cover "The story so far" synopsis leaves many questions unanswered. In a move of brilliance, Byrne and/or Dark Horse must have anticipated the confusion as the 0 issue was published the very next month.

The title characters in JBNM are five young people ranging in age from mid-teens to early-20s. Jasmine, Bethany, Nathan, Jack and Danny all live in an idyllic environment they call "the Greenery." Occasionally, newborns appear in the Greenery, so there are younger children present, but they aren't the focus of the story. There have also been older youths before these central five. At random times, older children in the Greenery might start to display special abilities. Not long after that happens, each in turn has "faded" from the Greenery to be replaced by a stone marker in a field. This is the only life these five young people have ever known until Jack unexpectedly "wakes up" to find himself and the others hooked into some kind of machinery in the "real" world.

Before we ever meet these five youths, readers are introduced to U.S. Sen. Aldus Hilltop, the financial backer behind the secretive Project Next Men. Hilltop and his lead scientists are trying to end the genetics project and destroy all evidence of its existence before they are discovered by federal investigators. We also meet one of those investigators, Tony (short for Antonia) Murcheson, who already knows some of Hilltop's secrets and is determined to expose his crimes. Murcheson finds the five awakened youths, and she tries to help them escape before Hilltop can have his research facility destroyed.

Along the way, Murcheson's charges discover they have some fantastic new mutations here in the real world. Danny can run at incredible speeds, but in the course of a day, his legs bulk up to look like those of a bodybuilder, not a 15-year-old like the rest of his body. Jack is incredibly strong, but finds he has lost the ability to control that strength; he can't touch anything without crushing it. Nathan can see long distances and wavelengths of light others cannot, but his eyes take on a hideous, large, blackened appearance. Bethany is invulnerable to any harm to the point that a single strand of her hair can slice through iron, but she has lost the sense of touch. Only Jasmine has no visible side effect to go along with her new acrobatic prowess. But despite being identified in the story as the oldest of the Next Men, she seems to be the most naive and child-like in her behavior. Maybe that's just my interpretation and not something Byrne intended, but otherwise, it seems odd that she would have no "curse" to go along with her "gifts."

Other characters figure prominently in the Next Men story as it progresses through these first issues. Willis Ducummen, or "Control," is the leader of the federal investigators trying to expose Hilltop's misdeeds. Sathanas is the true brains behind Hilltop's schemes. Ben Horowitz is the publisher of Dollar Comics, a master showman who introduces the Next Men to the world as real-life superheroes. Sandy Tolliver is a young artist at Dollar Comics who takes an interest in the Next Men's plight as they are hunted and reviled by the public.

A number of subplots are also introduced along the way and later brought into the story proper. JBNM No. 7 introduces a backup story titled M4, which continues until issue No. 23 when that storyline is brought into the overall narrative. M4 refers to an android designated M-IV or Mark Ivey. Mark and Hilltop's former secretary and lover, Amanda Watson, run into each other and try to figure out who or what Mark must "get away" from. Later, a time traveler named Thomas Kirkland shows up and claims he has come back from the year 2115 to prevent an attack on the president of the United States that will set in motion a chain of events centered on the Next Men that will lead to the extinction of most of humanity.

Believe it or not, all of these various plot threads tie together into a climax in JBNM No. 30 which looks to have dire consequences for our heroes. Except the series ended on that cliffhanger. The book was released more or less monthly at first. After a point, each new story arc was released monthly, with small breaks in publishing between arcs. The letters page in issue No. 30 starts off with an explanation by Byrne that he will be taking a hiatus and that he has a definite end game in mind for the series. But fans would end up having to wait quite some time before being offered an ending to this series.

I did not read this initial run of JBNM when it was originally published. I don't even remember being aware of the series in the early '90s, despite the fact that I was in college and paying regular visits to my then-local comic book shop. Some time after all 31 issues had been released, however, I became aware of the series and was curious about it. So, I managed to get my hands on the first 19 issues of the series (0-18) read them and enjoyed them. So I kept watch for more issues to continue the tale.

Fast forward several years. The four-issue Faith arc beginning in issue No. 19 was one I could never find in single issues, but I'd finally managed to get the Faith trade collection and single issues for Nos. 23-30. At about the same time, I'd managed to fill in holes from several other series in my collection and had decided I wanted to go back and re-read every comic in my collection in order of publication. (I was crazy to attempt it, I now realize, and I did not complete the task, although I stuck with the effort for several years.) The important point here is, I opted to wait to read the rest of these JBNM issues until I reached the 1990s in my collection. So, this is the first time I have read the second half of JBNM Volume 1.

All in all, I have to say this is a very entertaining and satisfying narrative, although Byrne's deliberately slow pacing would have been maddening on a monthly -- and later less than monthly -- basis. This story is built with secrets within secrets -- many kept from the readers as well as the characters -- and quite a few twists and surprises, even for the writer. For instance, it is clear from the letters pages that many followers of the series guessed at a secret relationship between Sathanas and one of the other characters in the story. It seemed an obvious connection to me early on as well. But then the text piece in issue No. 30 explains that the readers' guesses were a surprise to Byrne. He had not intended the relationship readers were so certain of, but it made so much sense to Byrne after the fact, that he incorporated that into the story.

Come back next time for the (eventual) return of JBNM.

Finally A Chance For Peace

The Walking Dead tpb Vol. 16: A Larger World (Collects issue Nos. 91-96)
Image Comics
Robert Kirkman, writer
Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn, artists

Things are settling down somewhat in the walled community just outside of Washington, D.C., as the residents there come to accept Rick Grimes as their new leader. However, another winter has set in and supplies are running dangerously low. Larger groups are being sent farther and farther away in an attempt to find food, medicines and other necessities. In their world, it has now been two years since the zombie apocalypse began, so even canned foods are becoming scarce, and what does still remain is fast approaching or already past its intended expiration date.

While confronting these challenges, the community must face another surprise: a lone scout approaching their enclave. The newcomer, Paul "Jesus" Monroe, is armed and a very capable fighter. He claims to represent a community of more than 200 survivors on the other side of Washington who are interested in establishing trade with other communities, but Rick and company have learned not to take such scouts at face value. Eventually, Jesus manages to convince Rick to come back with him, talk to their leader, and see what is what in the Hilltop community.

Of course, once Rick gets to Hilltop, things are not exactly as Jesus said they would be, but Rick still sees potential in forming an odd sort of partnership with this new group. Now he just has to convince his people to go along with the bargain.

Another great installment in this ongoing series. One almost believes that a true, new beginning might just be possible for these people. Of course, having said that, this IS still an ongoing series and as we near issue No. 100, you just know something major has got to be waiting in the wings to mess that dream up.

The Divergences Begin To Grow

Star Trek Ongoing 9-10
IDW Publishing
Mike Johnson, writer
Stephen Molinar, artist
Roberto Orci, creative consultant

Previous issues of this series set in the rebooted "Star Trek" film universe have given readers mostly familiar retellings of adventures from the original television show. For instance, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the original series' second pilot episode wherein a crew member and close friend of Captain Kirk's mysteriously develops god-like powers and tries to take over the starship. An entire character critical to the plot of the original series episode was completely removed for the comic version set in the rebooted universe, but much of the rest of story plays out the same. Another story arc from the comic is based on the episode "The Galileo Seven," and similarly, events unfold in the comic a bit differently than in the television episode, but the overall story progresses much the same.

These two issues of the comic series, however, present a drastically different version of the original series episode "The Return of the Archons." And beginning with these two issues, advanced solicitation information began playing up the fact that this series is not only considered canon within the rebooted movie universe, but the comic series is being created with input and oversight from Roberto Orci, connected with the film franchise.

The Archons from the title of the episode and the comic arc refers to the crew of the Federation starship Archon, which disappeared near Beta III 100 years in the past. In the episode, the Enterprise is on a mission to discover what happened to that crew. In the comic, the very existence of the Archon is believed to be just a rumor told to cadets at Starfleet Academy, and Kirk, coincidentally finding his crew in the vicinity of Beta III, decides to snoop a little to satisfy his own curiosity. What the crew finds on Beta III in the comic is very similar to the conditions from the television show, but the source of those conditions and the Enterprise crew's response to them is very different. Both a prologue, which seems to have little connection at first to the overall story presented in these two issues, and an epilogue, which is the direct result of the events in these issues, seem to point to a clandestine group within Starfleet Command. That is a plot point which may or may not play a factor in the upcoming sequel to the first J.J. Abrams Trek film.

Who Are The Others And Why Do They Make Arthur So Angry?

Aquaman 7-9
DC Comics
Geoff Johns, writer
Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, artists

We're back around to this wonderful title today for the first three chapters of The Others arc. As "off" as Johns' portrayal of the Justice League feels to me right now, he is firing on all thrusters on this title, and Reis and Prado are turning in some truly marvelous artwork that just makes me smile. I will be sad to see this art team leave this title in a few months, but they definitely deserve to go on to bigger and better things if they can't stay here.

About the story: We start off seeing the vile evilness that is Black Manta hunting down and killing people, especially an Iranian woman who has visions of the future. After those brutal scenes, we switch to Aquaman and Mera going to consult with Dr. Shin about the Atlantean relic Aquaman found during the Trench story arc. Shin is the world's foremost authority on myths and lore concerning Atlantis, but he also has some ties to Manta that make Shin's and Aquaman's relationship strained. Talk of the Atlantean relic is interrupted, however, with the sudden arrival of a panther and its mistress, Ya'Wara, bringing news to Aquaman of the Seer's death at the hands of Black Manta.

It seems that both of these two women, the Seer and Ya'Wara, along with Aquaman and three others formed a team of sorts named the Others before the formation of the Justice League. (On a side note, it seems that some of the DCnU timeline is very muddled, even for chief creative officer Johns. Some of the flashback information provided in this arc takes place six years ago, which would place those events just one year before the formation of the League. Yet other events, chiefly Aquaman's time with the Others, are revealed to have happened one year after the events which were six years ago. Unless Aquaman helped form the League almost immediately after spending a fairly short amount of time as one of the Others, these time clues are not going to line up correctly.)

Getting back to the story, Manta is hunting down and slaying all of the members of the Others, presumably ending with a final confrontation between himself and Aquaman. While Ya'Wara and Aquaman go off in search of the other members and Manta, Mera stays with Shin and learns what she can about these events in Aquaman's life before her arrival. The reader, along with Mera, learns that when Aquaman began displaying signs of his powers, his human father, Tom Curry, took him to Dr. Shin, who helped the boy master his abilities. Shin also learned what he could from the pair about Atlantis and tried to cash in on that knowledge. We also learn that Aquaman blames Black Manta for his father's death. Tom Curry died of a heart attack while intervening on his son's behalf during a fight between Manta and Aquaman. Out of revenge, Aquaman killed Manta's father!

We are getting quite a grisly picture of the younger Aquaman through the course of this arc, which is an interesting contrast with the more calm man he was depicted as in the first issue of this series, walking away silently as he did from the taunts and jeers of some of the people in the crowd. There has also been no mention so far in this series about Aquaman and Mera's son, Arthur Jr., who was slain as a child by Black Manta in the previous DC Universe. We're not yet sure if that is still a part of the character's continuity in the DCnU, but the part about the deaths of both men's fathers certainly adds deep roots to the animosity these two antagonists have always felt for each other.

It Feels Like The Curtain Is Already Coming Down

Winter Soldier 5-6
Marvel Comics
Ed Brubaker, writer
Butch Guice and Michael Lark, artists

I talked about the first couple issues of this series here. That first issue especially made this seem like a great series continuing on the best from Brubaker's Captain America run. While the first arc, which continued through issue No. 5, was good, it wasn't quite as great as I'd hoped overall. The first arc revolves around some contemporary Marvel villains -- including the Red Ghost and his super gorillas -- reviving three Soviet sleeper agents trained during the Cold War by the Winter Soldier and using them to attack Victor von Doom. Naturally, S.H.I.E.L.D. pairs the Winter Soldier with the Black Widow to shut the scheme down.

As this first arc is winding down, we are reminded that there were three former Soviet sleeper agents, but only two are taking part in the Dr. Doom plot. Issue No. 6 answers the question of what happened to the third sleeper agent for both the readers and our heroes, while nicely setting up the next arc.

This title seems like it will end with issue No. 13, the conclusion of its third upcoming arc, and the departure of Brubaker from both Captain America and this book. As I said at the start of this post, the first arc wasn't bad -- it brought back some of the espionage elements that I very much enjoyed from the pages of Captain America and uses characters I enjoy reading about. But it is almost like Brubaker's enthusiasm for the title is already winding down. As great as his contributions to the legacy of these characters, maybe the time is right for Brubaker to be leaving these titles now.

World-Hopping Ladies

Worlds' Finest 1-2
DC Comics
Paul Levitz, writer
George Perez and Kevin Maguire, artists

This is a companion book, of sorts, to Earth 2, which we discussed last time. On Earth 2 five years ago, Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman died repelling an invasion from the forces of Darkseid. Supergirl, Superman's younger cousin, and Robin, Batman's daughter, are powerless to prevent their mentors' deaths, and in the aftermath of that epic battle, they pursue what they believe to be one of Darkseid's minions, being swept into what may or may not have been a Boom tube, the means of traveling between dimensions for those from Apokolips.

The two teenage girls awaken on the main DCnU Earth shortly after the newly formed Justice League fights back a similar invasion, and the pair has no idea how to return to their own world. Robin, Helena Wayne, uses her training to secure the pair some money through Wayne Enterprise funding, and the two decide to keep their true identities secret, not knowing who on this new world they can trust. Supergirl takes on the civilian name Karen Starr and secretly uses her powers and smarts to amass a small fortune, which she is using to back scientists with theories about alternate dimensions and how to travel between them. Helena uses a variety of aliases as a civilian and continues to fight crime under the name Huntress.

Keeping with the other DCnU titles, it is now five years after the pair's arrival on this world. Karen and Helena are dining together, catching up as they frequently do, at a restaurant in Tokyo. They are in this city at Karen's request, as she has a promising piece of trans-dimensional tech she wants to show Helena, but the meal is interrupted when the research facility is attacked. Karen and Helena arrive to find the tech destroyed and an irradiated man wrecking what is left of the facility. Helena changes to Huntress, and Karen reveals her new costumed identity of Power Girl, and the two women pursue their quarry, whose attire Helena notices bears a striking resemblance to that of the Apokoliptian uniforms the invading parademons wore back on Earth 2.

As with the Earth 2 title, I'm liking this story so far, and I'm along for the ride for at least a little while. Keep up the great work, all!

Speaking Of Alternate Earths

Earth 2 1-2
DC Comics
James Robinson, writer
Nicola Scott, artist

Just a few days ago I discussed Action Comics No. 9, which took place entirely on a parallel Earth -- specifically Earth 23. Yes, longtime DC fans, the multiverse is back, and with this title, we have the return of Earth 2. But don't look herein for a rehash of the exploits of the Justice Society or other Golden-Age heroes, at least not like you might expect if you are familiar with their original tales. Don't forget, this is still the DCnU.

Teases before this series debut let readers know that some catastrophe befell this Earth in the past, robbing it of its greatest heroes. Just as the main DCnU's age of heroes began with the formation of the Justice League to fight off an invasion from Apokolips five years ago, this universe suffered from a similar invasion by the forces of Darkseid. While in the main DCnU, several heroes had been secretly operating for some time independently and came together to successfully oppose the invasion, on Earth 2, only five heroes that we know of existed: Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin and Superman's cousin, Supergirl. The three older heroes did what they could while trying to keep the junior pair out of harm's way, for the most part. But this "Trinity of Wonders" was not as effective in repelling the invasion as the larger group in the main universe. The world's human armies came together and fought as a single unit, and the brilliant tactical mind of Batman eventually devised a plan that stood a chance of success, but the three adult heroes died in the execution of that plan. (For more on the fate of Supergirl and Robin, come back next time.)

The ravaged Earth 2 tried to rebuild over the next five years without its heroes, always watchful that the forces of Apokolips might return to try again. A new, even darker threat to humanity is predicted, thus creating a need for a new age of heroes. Robinson seems to be taking his time establishing this new age of heroes as by the end of the second issue, we only have two definite heroes making their first appearances. The last of the old gods, the dying Mercury, appears to bestow his speed on a directionless young man named Jay Garrick. Jay doesn't so much take on the name of the Flash once he has his powers as the name is given to him by the first people he saves, a pair of civilians being attacked by rats mutated into monsters as an after-effect of the Apokolips invasion. Toward the end of this second issue, the new Flash literally runs into a winged woman I assume will be Hawkgirl or Hawkwoman. She is not named in this brief appearance nor are we given any history of the character, but she seems to have been expecting Flash's arrival.

A great deal of time has also been spent on developing the character of Alan Scott, a newsman who will become this world's Green Lantern, but as yet, he has no powers. The only other appearances by anyone with any powers in the present day scenes are Michael Holt and Terry Sloane. Michael Holt was the modern-day Mr. Terrific before the New 52 reboot. I did not pick up the title prior to this, but Mr. Terrific, starring Michael Holt, was also one of the initial 52 series that launched the DCnU in late 2011. That series ended after eight issues, but I'm guessing it ended with Holt mysteriously disappearing from the main DCnU Earth, since he mysteriously appears in the middle of Earth 2's Manhattan and isn't quite sure where he is. Upon his appearance, he is confronted by a man, again someone who seemed to expect his arrival, who introduces himself as Terry Sloane. Terry Sloane was the secret identity of the Golden-Age Mr. Terrific in the old DCU, but rather than being an ally as I expected, Sloane quickly attacks Holt, saying that Mr. Terrific is the only person who could stop his plans.

I'm trying to keep my pull list considerably shorter these days and be more picky about what I spend my money on now that I'm a father, but I'm going to stick around and see how this title plays out for at least a few months. I'm definitely intrigued right now. Oh, and I just love that Nicola Scott art!

Perhaps I Spoke Too Soon

Green Arrow 9
DC Comics
Ann Nocenti, writer
Harvey Tolibao, artist

I defended the DCnU version of Green Arrow here based on the first story arc; I thought it was a different but still good take on the character and especially enjoyed the technology-junkie, celebrity-craving villains. The next arc had some slight changes in the creative department, and those changes seemed a little for the worse because the story seemed a little lacking, as discussed here. But further creative changes were coming, I said with hope in my heart.

Frequent readers on this blog may have noticed that I haven't reviewed the title since. I'm still buying and reading the title as I enjoy the character, but I'm not liking the latest creative changes at all. The art used to be crisp and clean, and the covers, like the one from this issue by Howard Porter, still are. But the interior artwork on this title is less crisp, very sketchy and often hard to follow. Mostly the art is inconsistent as in one panel Green Arrow will seem to be standing on his feet like a normal human being, but then the next panel will make him look like maybe his knees are double-jointed and he's actually standing on his calves -- either that or his feet and/or boots have inexplicably stretched beyond recognition.

And the plot isn't much better, IMHO. I get that a new writer might mean a change in direction, but a wholesale change in characterization is a bit much. Green Arrow likes the ladies, I get that. Sometimes he even likes ladies who are dangerous. But this plot has him attacked by and then shacking up with three blondes, ending up in Alaska and presumed dead, losing control of his companies as a result of his disappearance, meeting the blondes' whacked-out dad, the mastermind behind the genetic engineering plot that spawned the three blondes and several animal-monstrosity hybrids, and the plot meanders between fight scenes and bedroom scenes for four issues, all the while making the supposed hero of the tale out to be a stupid, careless jerk.

As I said, I've still been buying and reading this title, and I already have the next few issues ordered, but I am NOT enjoying this title. So I'm not going to order this one in the future unless there is yet another creative change. The cost just isn't worth it for a book I'm not enjoying in the HOPE that it might get better.

It's Completely Out Of Left Field -- Yet It Works

Action Comics 9
DC Comics
Grant Morrison, writer
Gene Ha, artist

The history of Krypton from Action Comics No. 5 seemed a little out of place on my first read until I realized the entire thing was being narrated by the rocket in which baby Kal-el arrived on Earth, and that the rocket is "speaking" to Superman when he discovers it while he's escaping from military custody. The story presented in Action Comics No. 9, "The Curse of Superman," seems to have no connection to the unfolding events early in Superman's public life. In fact, the entire tale takes place in another dimension on another Earth -- Earth 23 of the multiverse.

On Earth 23, Superman is a black man. Through flashbacks, we learn that his biological parents, Jorel (no hyphen) and Lara save him from Krypton's destruction by rocketing him to Earth. This Superman's Kryptonian name is Kalel, also without a hyphen, and his secret identity, the name his adoptive Earth parents give him is Calvin Ellis, and that he has recently been elected president of the United States without revealing his dual identity to his Earth's denizens.

The issue opens with Superman in the middle of a battle with Lex Luthor (no obvious differences here from the Lex readers are more familiar with) when they are interrupted by the sudden appearance of three dimensional travelers.

Two of the three travelers are struck down as they appear and the third is left to explain that their pursuer is an evil version of Superman. In their own universe, these three people thought up the idea of a Superman and wanted to make the concept a reality using a machine they had created that could temporarily give ideas solid form. They needed financial backing to improve upon their device, giving their creations permanence, but the ideals of Superman were corrupted along the way by their financial backers. It is this corrupted version of Superman that is tracking them through various alternate universes, slaying other versions of Superman along the way.

It isn't hard to see how Morrison has used this story to introduce the idea of alternate universes to Earth 23's Superman, and how that might be used in the future to bring this Superman into the main DC Universe where most of "our" Superman's stories take place. But there is not a single trace of anyone from that main DCU in this issue. There are also several interesting questions raised about this universe's Superman also being the leader of the U.S. For instance, he is an alien, not even human, therefore not legally able to hold the office of president without committing fraud. But also, any actions he takes in a foreign nation as a superhero also involve covert U.S. action by nature of his being the president. Many of these questions are raised by the Earth 23 version of Wonder Woman, who makes a brief appearance in this issue along with other members of this Earth's Justice League. Whether these questions and characters will be explored again in these pages or perhaps the long promised Multiversity saga from Morrison and DC, or even if they will be addressed again at all, remains to be seen.

Despite that uncertainty, this was another solid issue of this title.

Showing Some Golden Age Love

Showcase Presents All-Star Squadron tpb
(Collects the first 18 issues of the 1980s series, the first annual
and the preview story from Justice League of America 193 which started things off)
DC Comics
Roy Thomas, writer
various artists

The All-Star Squadron is a group of heroes brought together by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the days before the United States entered what would become known as World War II. According to the story Roy Thomas crafted, the U.S. government had heard rumors of some kind of sneak attack planned for Dec. 7, 1941. FDR wanted to gather all of the members of the Justice Society of America (a roster made up of most of the A-list heroes DC published at the time, and a group formed in part at the suggestion of FDR himself), as well as any other masked mystery men (and women) of the time who were not part of the JSA, and have them help defend the nation against the threat of attack.

Unfortunately, most of the heroes of the JSA are unavailable to answer FDR's call. The villainous Degaton, a time-traveling villain from 1947, has chosen the sneak attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor as cover for one of his own schemes, and has captured most of the JSA -- Superman, Batman and Robin, the Spectre, Dr. Fate, Green Lantern, the Flash, Sandman, Johnny Thunder, Starman and even the future member-to-be, Wonder Woman.

Only Hawkman, Dr. Mid-Nite and the Atom evaded capture by Degaton, but the trio also received FDR's summons too late to prevent the Pearl Harbor attack. The three are joined by Robotman, the Shining Knight, Plastic Man, Johnny Quick, Liberty Belle and later Hawkgirl and Firebrand to form the All-Star Squadron, rescue the trapped JSA and defend the home front during the bulk of the war.

Roy Thomas is a master at crafting stories that expand upon past continuity without wiping away anything from previously published stories. The original tales of the Justice Society were published in the 1940s when World War II was unfolding for real. These tales of the All-Star Squadron, written in the 1980s occur between the adventures published prior.

And I absolutely love these Showcase collections. They are an economical way to experience older series without the time and expense of hunting down countless back issues. To keep the costs low, these reprints are on (relatively) cheaper newsprint rather than the more expensive papers used in today's comics and trades, and they are printed in black and white, much like Marvel Comics' Essentials reprint series. To offset the absence of color, they collect many more issues per volume for a huge, 500-plus page phone-book sized amount of comics greatness. I hope the format sticks around although neither DC nor Marvel have been producing as many of these volumes of late.

I Love It When Series Come Together

Green Hornet: Year One tpb Vol. 2: The Biggest of All Game
Dynamite Entertainment
Matt Wagner, writer
Aaron Campbell, artist

Matt Wagner has crafted a truly incredible origin story with this yearlong epic. Much like his work with that other great pulp hero for Dynamite -- Zorro -- Wagner dances between the childhood, formative years of his two heroes and their first year operating as masked vigilantes. In this case, the two heroes are Britt Reid -- the Green Hornet -- and Hayashi Kato -- the Hornet's aide, Kato. Their respective stories begin in 1921 half the world away from each other and culminate in their debut and early successes as crimefighters in 1938 Chicago taking down the notorious crime boss, "Skid" Caruso.

Obviously, I've also read the first trade collection of this series, The Green Hornet: Year One Vol. 1: The Sting Of Justice, but I read that volume before I started posting these reviews once again. Both volumes together tell the complete tale of the origin and debut of this dynamic pair. I've never tried Kevin Smith's more modern take on the Green Hornet legend, an ongoing series also published by Dynamite. Smith's comic writing can be a bit uneven for my tastes -- some things I've really liked; other things I've hated. But I was drawn to the Year One nature of this series, and I was NOT disappointed.

Wagner weaves in historical tidbits to help add credence and believability to his narrative. He also provides a staggering amount of detail that I believe is wholly original to his narrative about how Reid and Kato meet each other and join forces. What's more, Wagner's Green Hornet is not infallible. Reid is not perfect, making mistakes along the way; and while he has the heart of a crusader from an early age, he learns his hand-to-hand fighting abilities from the much more physically adept Kato, and gets some engineering help designing his signature Hornet's Sting gun and the Black Beauty from an old friend of his father.

Aaron Campbell deserves kudos for adding to the story by creating such visually accurate depictions of the vehicles, weapons and technology of the 1920s and 1930s. Both these graphic novels feel like watching a well researched period film or documentary of the times.

These two trades make an excellent standalone epic of the origins of the Green Hornet and Kato. But one other factor that enhances my own appreciation of these tales is how well they fit into the narrative of other Green Hornet tales I've read. I reviewed the first 14 issues of Now Comics' Green Hornet series here. That series traced the evolution of the Green Hornet from Britt Reid to his modern-day successor. When that series focused on Britt Reid's Hornet career, however, it chose to depict his final case. Therefore, nothing in those comics contradicts what can be found in these with just a few minor date discrepancies, making them nice companion pieces in my collection.

The Problem Is: Tomorrow Never Seemed To Get Here

The Twelve 1-12
Marvel Comics
J. Michael Straczynski, writer
Chris Weston, artist

This was one of those great, unfinished tales for a couple years. The complete title was The Twelve: A Thrilling Novel of Tomorrow, and I began to wonder if the story would ever be completed because as the old saying goes, tomorrow never seems to get here; it's always today.

The title centers around 12 costumed adventurers active during World War II in the pages of various Timely Comics publications, Timely being the precursor of modern-day Marvel Comics. Some of the characters had no powers whatsoever -- like the Phantom Reporter, Mister E and the Blue Blade. Others had supernatural powers and abilities -- like the Witness, the Laughing Mask and the Black Widow. Some had fantastic powers like Captain Wonder, Rockman and Fiery Mask. But all of them, along with several other colorful heroes, were present in the closing days of the war, when these 12 heroes fell into a secret Nazi trap.

The goal of the Nazis was to try to capture some of the Allies' heroes and dissect them. That plan didn't work out so well for this particular band of Germans, but these 12 heroes were still taken out of commission, being placed in cryogenic suspension and then forgotten until modern times when a construction project unearths their hidden storage area.

The rest of this story highlights the differences between the modern world and the world of the 1940s these heroes left behind, and how these heroes are left to cope and adjust to their unfamiliar surroundings.

Weston's art is crisp and clean and works well depicting both the war-era scenes at the beginning of the story and the contemporary action. He gives each character a distinctive look that allows the reader to instantly know which character from this large cast is in any given panel at a glance, even when they are not in costume.

And Straczynski has crafted a wonderful character-driven tale that presents several mysteries along the way.

I was intrigued by the idea of this series when it was first solicited in early 2008. The first issue published was a 0 issue, which included some preview pages from the story, as well as a couple reprints of Golden Age tales featuring a couple of the characters from the story. Somehow, I missed it at the time, but I've recently learned that there was also a 1/2 issue which included more preview pages and more Golden Age reprints. Then the series proper was released, issues 1-8, ending with a circulation date of December 2008 for that eighth issue.

And then nothing.

There were a number of rumors about why the delay, and as time went on, several promises of the series returning, but nothing panned out until spring and summer 2012 when the last four issues of the title were completed and released. I am happy to say that, despite the long wait, the conclusion to this tale did NOT disappoint. If you've never read this story, or worse, if you started it and gave up waiting for the end, do yourself a favor and seek these issues out. Or, if you prefer, there are trades of the series, as well as a hardcover collection.