Switching from trades to comics-adjacent

Justice Society: World War II Blu-ray
DC Animated Universe movie
Creators: Jeff Wamester, Jeremy Adams and Meghan Fitzmartin
Release date: May 2021

I’ve talked about a number of trades in the past few weeks. This week, I’d like to turn the focus to the latest DC Animated Universe direct-to-DVD — or in this case, Blu-ray — Justice Society: World War II. And let me warn readers right off that there will be some spoilers in this post. Generally, I try to avoid spoilers so new readers can experience the material fresh. In this case, I can’t really address some of what I’d like to say without some spoilers. You have been warned.

I’m also going to say right from the beginning that I very much enjoyed this film. I want there to be no mistake about that despite me leveling a few criticisms of the movie in the following paragraphs. I’ve said before that I prefer to focus this blog on celebrating the good in comics, not on the bad. This movie is good despite a few quibbles.

I’ve long liked the Justice Society, and the promise of an adventure following this group set firmly in the World War II era sounded like an excellent idea to me. I enjoyed some of the brief flashbacks to this era in the Justice League cartoon, and this film goes those one better, ramping up the action and the consequences of war, as viewers would expect from a feature movie rather than a 30-minute episode. This Justice Society is led by Wonder Woman and includes Hourman, Hawkman, the Flash and Black Canary. They also are joined by Steve Trevor and a couple other cameo heroes I won’t spoil here, except to say kudos to the creative team for tying in the Showcase Short moreso than I have seen a previous DCAU film do.

*** SPOILERS BEGIN NOW ***

The cover art for this movie offers one of the first spoilers, i.e. the inclusion of the modern-age Barry Allen Flash alongside the other golden-age heroes. Yep, this is a time-travel story, sort of. While the framing sequence of Barry and Iris West traveling to Metropolis for a picnic leads to a team-up between Flash and Superman, Flash’s unplanned trip to meet the Justice Society, and serves to inspire Flash to suggest a Justice League of heroes upon his return to his own place and time, I wish the creators of this film had simply told the Justice Society tale and let it stand on its own. The title says this is the Justice Society fighting during World War II. The framing sequence is nice, but unnecessary.

My other quibble involves the inclusion of Aquaman in this film. Again, the package art for the Blu-ray spoils this as Arthur Curry is prominently displayed on the back cover of the jewel case. I like the touch of giving Aquaman the yellow gloves the golden-age Marine Marvel is usually depicted with. I also like the fact that one of my favorites is included here when he easily might not have been. His inclusion is one of the reasons I was anxious to see this film when it was released.

What I wasn’t as thrilled to see is Aquaman’s inclusion as an ally of the Nazis, albeit a mind-controlled unwitting pawn. It’s not so much that he was mind-controlled into helping the Nazis; that kinda thing happens to superheroes a lot. They eventually shake off the mind-control and redeem themselves. Aquaman was denied this heroic turn in this film. He almost shakes off the mind control once or twice, but ultimately fails until the very end of the film. Then, instead of redeeming himself, he runs away in shame and is not seen again for the rest of the film. That hurts.

It reminds me of a couple other recent story arcs in the comics that I have enjoyed overall despite unkind characterizations of Aquaman in the process of telling said tales. The first is the “Legacy” six-part story from Justice League Rebirth Nos. 26-31. The other is Aquaman’s characterization in the Flashpoint reality from the limited series of the same name. Neither series had very flattering portrayals of one of my favorite heroes, and I hope this trend does not continue.

But again, overall, I think this film is good and well worth a watch.

Getting A New Lease On Life (In My Collection)

Green Lantern: Rebirth 1-6 (2005)
DC Comics
Geoff Johns, writer
Ethan Van Sciver and Prentis Rollins, artists

Getting back to actual comics this time out, today's subject was a surprise for me. I don't mean I'd never read this miniseries before; I read it when it came out. But these issues had been placed on the "sell" pile as part of my ongoing effort to winnow down my collection. I remembered liking the story that returned Hal Jordan to Green Lantern prominence, but Hal isn't one of the core characters I intend to keep following on a monthly basis. I've previously discussed how just because I'm selling an issue does NOT mean I did not like it; rather, I am selling off quite a few comics I liked very much. Again, I just don't have the space to continue to keep the thousands of comics I own(ed).

So there I was, taking some time to scan cover images prior to adding issues to my site of comics to sell, when I came to the cover of Green Lantern: Rebirth No. 4 and noticed Green Arrow on the cover. "Oh yeah, Ollie made an appearance in this series, didn't he," I thought to myself, and flipped the book open while issue No. 3 was still being scanned. Low and behold, issue No. 4 opens in the middle of a scene with Ollie in it that is obviously continued from the previous installment.

Now, Green Arrow, aka Oliver Queen, IS one of the characters I have a pretty extensive collection of and plan to continue with, although his personal New 52 reboot has been pretty hit-and-miss so far for me. I hadn't remembered that Ollie had such a presence in this story arc, but flipping through issues 3 and 4 made me decide to re-examine the series more closely before putting it up for sale. Upon rereading Rebirth, it is clear that this is primarily a Green Lantern story, as expected. First and foremost, it is a Hal Jordan story. It is also a pretty important story for the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. And while it is not a critical piece of Green Arrow history, his involvement in the story is a pretty major one. But what finally made me decide to put this series back into my collection to keep is how key this story is to the overall DCU.

Many members of the Justice League and Justice Society play roles in this story and several other heroes from across the DCU have cameos. And while the exact nature of what is to come is not revealed in this story, seeds planted here play a major role in the Sinestro Corps War, then Blackest Night and finally Brightest Day, other series that affect the greater DCU and that I intend to hold onto.

One development in particular — the changing relationship between the restored Hal Jordan and Batman — begins in this series and is continued in a number of places including early issues of the 2007 relaunch of The Brave and the Bold, another favorite series I am holding onto. I'm not a fan of Batman never getting along with anyone, ever. But as one of the few non-powered members of an elite fighting team, I think the Dark Knight would have a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to a former comrade turned rogue announcing that he is "all better now." True to that characterization, Batman was slow to trust Hal Jordan again after the whole Parallax episode, and that begins right here.

Is this series without flaws? No, it's not perfect. But as I've come to expect from a Geoff Johns-penned story, it is a good read that takes you on an emotional roller coaster and plays up many key aspects from what has gone before as a treat for long-time readers while still being accessible to newer fans. And while I don't care for Ethan Van Sciver's interpretations of a handful of characters, by and large, his work on these larger, "epic" story lines is very pretty to look at and pulls a reader into the story quite nicely.

As I'm going back through my collection of comics, I have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to do with most of them. There might be a few I wish to reread one last time before selling them, but in the end, they will still be sold. Space in our house is a finite commodity, and now that we've added a third person, albeit a small one, my share of that space is shrinking. But there have been a few that will catch my eye as I work my way through characters and titles that will grab me and make me question my initial judgment. This was one of those stories. Check it out for yourself and see if you agree.

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Two For The Price Of One

JSA Classified Nos. 5-7 (2005)
DC Comics
Jen Van Meter, writer
Patrick Olliffe, Ruy Jose and Drew Geraci, artists

Anthology series are often a hard sell, due in part to the rotating characters, stories and creators involved. That can make for very uneven quality from issue to issue in the eyes of some readers and fans. Such was the case with JSA Classified, published by DC between 2005 and 2008, but by and large, there were a number of great stories loosely based around the characters in the Justice Society of America. Today, I'd like to bring two of those to your attention.

In this first three-issue story arc, the members of the Justice Society are mostly background players; the focus of the narrative is on the Injustice Society, the JSA's villainous evil counterparts. And the entire story — quite an interesting read, by the way — plays on the concepts often used in superhero team dynamics and explores them from the perspective of a group of villains.

The narrator for this tale is the Icicle, and this story takes place around the time of Infinite Crisis, so there is some crossover in the setup. Icicle gathers the old Injustice Society back together to help former teammate, the Wizard, explaining that it is not just the heroes who band together out of friendship and loyalty to each other. These two call upon Rag Doll, Solomon Grundy, Gentleman Ghost, the Thinker and a villainess named Tigress — who I believe is an updated version of the Golden-Age villain Huntress, renamed to avoid confusion with the then-current heroine named Huntress.

The action of this story is gripping and could easily hold a reader's interest on the surface plot alone. But it was an ingenious stroke to use this venue to tell a superhero story from the point of view of the villains rather than the heroes. That flip adds another level of interest that almost has the reader rooting for the villains as they try to steal the Cosmic Key from JSA headquarters to free their friend and colleague, the Wizard, from enslavement to another, deadly villain, Johnny Sorrow.

JSA Classified Nos. 26-27 (2007)
DC Comics
Frank Tieri, writer
Matt Haley, Jerome Moore and Gordon Purcell, artists

This second, two-issue arc features Ted Grant, Wildcat of the JSA, in a solo story. I've always liked Wildcat as a non-powered, scrappy hero, but I suspect at least some of my appreciation for the character stems from my earliest exposure to him when I was very young and thought he was just an incorrectly colored Batman.

This story begins with Wildcat handing a beat-down to the classic Golden-Age villain, Sportsmaster. Quickly apprehended, Sportsmaster confesses that he only took on Wildcat in an attempt to pay off his gambling debts by betting others that he could defeat the pugilistic hero. He further explains that there is an entire underground gambling operation based around wagers placed on the outcomes of hero-villain slugfests.

Of course, Wildcat wants to shut down such an operation, but his disgust at the gambling is at least partially due to his father's own gambling problem. I must confess that I am not that familiar with Wildcat's history beyond his being a former boxing champion. But in this story at least, Ted's parents were reportedly killed in a car accident when he was in college. Years later, Ted learned of his father's gambling problem, and that only his mother died in the car crash, which was no accident. It was a warning to Ted's father to pay his debts or else.

The resulting story gets a bit preachy at times, but is still a solid read. And it offers glimpses into the motivations and habits of villains, similar to the story arc discussed earlier.

Both of these and several other story arcs from JSA Classified are worth seeking out and reading! Give 'em a try; I think you'll be glad you did.

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!

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.

What Went Wrong?

I tried Bill Willingham's book Fables shorlty after its debut in 2000. I bought the individual issues for the first story arc and read them all in one sitting and fell in love with the characters, their situation and the way Willingham's writing made each one of this huge cast a distinct individual I would either come to care about or despise. There isn't a lot of middle ground with many of the characters in the series. And that's not to say that the characters aren't well-rounded multi-faceted folk; they truly are.

To my knowledge, Fables was my first exposure to Willingham's work, but it made me think that he and his fellow collaborators on the main series and it's spin-offs (including fellow scribe Matthew Sturges) were just incredible.

But as much as I love Willingham's work with the inhabitants of Fabletown, I just can't get behind his writing when it comes to the superhero set.

I was sadly disappointed in Willingham's thankfully short turn at the helm of the now-canceled solo Robin title. Here's a creator whose work I enjoy working on a character I enjoy, I thought at the time. How can I lose? But reading the story, it just didn't ring right for me. I couldn't quite put my finger on the problem until reading an article somewhere online at the time of Willingham's Robin issues. The article said Willingham wanted to write a story about a young, inexperienced hero and the mistakes he made while starting out. Well, even though the Robin we're discussing in Willingham's issues was Tim Drake, the third young man to wear the Robin costume, Drake hadn't been a newbie hero for quite some time. The character debuted in the early 90s and several novice stories had been done at that time. Since, the character has been portrayed as not only a competent partner to such heroes as Batman, Nightwing and Oracle, but an accomplished, inventive hero in his own right and leader of a newer, younger set of Teen Titans. You can't shoe-horn the character into the role of a novice any longer, unless you clearly explain in your story that it is a tale from the character's past when he WAS still new, something Willingham clearly did not do. In fact, Willingham took pains to mention current continuity in his story to firmly place it in the current time. In my opinion, he had an idea and tried to make the character fit the idea, which rarely produces good stories.

That should explain my trepidation when it was announced several months ago that Willingham and Sturges would be taking over the writing chores on the Justice Society. I was worried, but I love this team and the legacies of many of the characters, so I gave the book a try. But once again, Willingham is not writing these characters correctly to my mind. Not only do several of the JSA members seem to be acting out of character for their established personalities, some aren't even being consistent from page to page or panel to panel.

Take Justice Society of America No. 30, Willingham and Sturges' second issue, for example. The Golden-Age Flash has just brought Dr. Fate to help him and Stargirl fight against a large number of super-villains. At the top of page 7, an obviously uncertain Fate turns to Flash and asks, "How am I doing so far?" and Flash replies with an OK sign and says, "Just fine, son. Keep it up." Just a few pages later, after the villains have been routed and the heroes are splitting up, Flash turns to the unmasked Dr. Fate and demands, "What about you, pal? You aren't familiar, but ..."

Flash went and got the guy, so he should know who Fate is. He also seems to know that a new person is wearing the costume when he reassures Dr. Fate during battle. But then at the end of the fight, he has no idea who this person is under the helmet of Dr. Fate and almost seems not to trust the individual. What gives?

I still read Fables every month, and it is truly a fantastic book filled with rich characterization and solid story-telling; I highly recommend it to anyone, from die-hard comic fan to someone who just enjoys a good story. But Willingham's super-hero work just seems to fall short for me.

Guest-Starring The Batman

I’m both excited about the upcoming return of The Brave and the Bold, and more than a couple of today’s comics, while not strictly Bat-books, do, in fact, guest-star a certain Dark Knight Detective. What can I say? Sometimes a theme just comes to you; other times, you have to make one up as you go along.

Tales of the Unexpected 4 (DC Comics) — Former Gotham City police det. Crispus Allen, now joined with the spirit of vengeance as the Spectre, has been keeping pretty close to his old stomping grounds. So, it’s only surprising that it has taken Batman this long to show up. And he’s none to happy about the Spectre claiming lives in his town. The lead story in this book just keeps holding my interest as a well-written, down-right creepy detective story. The Dr. 13 backup — the less said, the better.

Green Arrow 70 (DC Comics) — The Red Hood has traveled to Star City for an arms deal with the Brick. Batman has followed him. So we have GA and Bats against Brick and a former Robin. Two issues in and this story is still in the opening acts, but next issue promises to be a little more action-oriented. And writer Judd Winick is doing some nice characterization in this story.

Justice Society of America 2 (DC Comics) — I love this book right now. The sense of history. The feeling of family and legacy. I wish they would tone down Damage’s attitude just a bit as he seems a bit more angry than I remember him from previous appearances in the DCU. And, at least so far, Starman is just too crazy to safely keep around young heroes in training, in my opinion. But otherwise, this book, with just the right mix of new characters and ones picked up from other books in continuity, is a great read.

Outsiders 44 (DC Comics) — OK, no Batman in the last book. None here, either. But not just one, but two former Robins. This issue of Outsiders begins explaining where the Outsiders were during 52, and how they went from a divided super-team to everyone believing they were dead. Obviously Nightwing is part of the group, although at the beginning of the flashback, he’d be with Batman somewhere, and the Red Hood is to figure prominently in the story. I’m curious to see where this one goes.

Squadron Supreme: Hyperion vs. Nighthawk 1 (Marvel Comics) — OK, not really Batman in this one, either, but Nighthawk is obviously an “elseworlds” version of Bats. This limited series pits the two heroes against each other as expected, but uses the real-world events in the Sudan as a backdrop.

52 Weeks 37 and 38 (DC Comics) — The bulk of the first issue is taken up by the explanations about Supernova — who, how and why. Rip Hunter, Booster Gold and Skeets all figure into that mix. Plus, a quick check-in with the space heroes reveals that Animal Man is, in fact, not dead, but still in trouble. Next comes the unveiling of the monstrosities the mad scientists have been concocting and more on Montoya’s efforts to get the Question to Nanda Parbat before he dies.

Green Lantern 16 (DC Comics) — We really are back to Batman guest-starring this time as the entire Justice League descends on Russia to assist Hal. Doesn’t mean things are going well for the ring-slinger, though. In fact, the son of the late Abin Sur, the “villain” of this story, is quite happy at the end of this issue. On a personal continuity note: the League members depicted in this issue are not generic Leaguers, but rather the exact members from the new book. So obviously, this GL tale must “take place” after the new team is officially formed.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis 48 (DC Comics) — The new Aquaman, King Shark and the Dweller in the Depths are on the “road” seeking injustices for Arthur to right when they run afoul of the Fisherman gone just a tad freaky. Y’know that goofy-looking hood he always wears? It ain’t just a hood!

Birds of Prey 102 (DC Comics) — I’m really wondering what Manhunter’s secret agenda is here. The other agents coped quite nicely without Oracle’s help. And all I can say about Lois Lane is — classy. I really think she enjoyed baiting Barbara just a little bit, but I should’ve known she’d never betray a friend.

Checkmate 10 (DC Comics) — Pawn 502 gets lucky, or does he? This story arc concludes and I have to say: This is what this comic should be about. The heroes of Shadowpact were involved in this story line. That’s OK. Checkmate operates in a world filled with superheroes and supervillains; that fact should be acknowledged. But by and large, this should be a spy series. This story was. Kudos.

Fables 57 (DC Vertigo) — Snow and Bigby take the cubs to visit their grandfather, the North Wind, and the children promptly get into trouble — very dangerous trouble. Plus, a peek in on Pinnochio and Gepetto reveals a rather nasty temper on the part of the Adversary. Have I mentioned that I like this book? A lot.

That’s all we have for today, Kiddie Cops, because that closes out the comics I have until the next box arrives in a week or two. That means I’m caught up, which means next time we’ll have some more retro-reviews from 1987. However, that may or may not be next Tuesday as I will be out of town for a few days. See ya next time.

Welcoming A New All-Ages Comic

Most comics really aren’t written for kids anymore. As the average age of comics readers has gone up, stories have gained in sophistication and use of continuity. It’s gotten to the point where the big two comics publishers have created specific all-ages lines in recent years, catering to a younger audience.

All-ages comics are a necessary idea. Most current readers didn’t become readers as adults; they began reading as youngsters and either continued the habit or went back to it after “growing out of” it at some point. The way to keep interest in comics growing is to attract new readers, preferably younger ones who will be around for a while.

Enter the Guardian Line of comics which debuted in December. I have not yet received the first issue of The Seekers or Genesis 5, but two other titles have definitely debuted. Code seems to be a little darker in tone, certainly more cryptic in its first issue, and thus might appeal to a slightly older audience, but Joe and Max is a quintessential all-ages comic.

All of the Guardian comics have a basis in Judeo-Christian beliefs, but at least in the first issue of these two books, there is little that would specify denomination or exclude other mono-theistic religions. A belief in God, the battle between good and evil and the concept of angels is all that is required. I highly recommend both Joe and Max and Code, and look forward to reading The Seekers and Genesis 5.

Joe and Max 1 (Guardian Line) — Max is an angel charged with protecting elementary schooler Joe so that Joe will be able to grow up and defeat the evil Steven Dark. Only Joe can see Max, and after their initial introduction, Max can only speak in biblical quotes. This first issue sets all of that up by having Dark confront Joe one day after school with a vision and an offer. Dark shows Joe the future where an adult Joe brings an end to Dark’s evil, then vows to kill the boy if he does not renounce God and agree to work with Dark. Max shows up to save Joe after the boy refuses to renounce God and this pair is off and running for some exciting adventures.

Code 1 (Guardian Line) — Code is a mysterious man without a past. All he knows when he wakes up in the morning is that he is a soldier of God with a mission to fulfill. As he begins his day, he meets other denizens of New Hope City who say he has been around for six weeks. He also knows that a man named Steven Dark is evil and must be defeated. That’s when the demons start coming after him. None of the demons are killed, but they are dispatched by Code using a variety of fighting techniques. That is, until the final scene when three specific agents of Dark gain the upper hand and threaten to behead Code.

Justice Society of America 1 (DC Comics) — Wow! This book’s relaunch is everything Brad Meltzer’s Justice League is not. It’s a coherent story that builds on the past while justifying the new first issue by providing a new beginning for the team. There are several cameos and great little character moments without the story seeming disjointed and confusing.

Martian Manhunter 5 (DC Comics) — Why do friends/teammates never trust each other when one of them is featured in a miniseries? In this issue, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Black Canary, Vixen and Zatanna confront J’Onn about his recent actions. I give writer A.J. Lieberman some credit in that he has the heroes start out talking instead of just swinging fists, but the conversation all too quickly degenerates, nonetheless.

Green Arrow 69 (DC Comics) — Batman visits Star City follwoing the trail of the Red Hood. Too soon to comment on this arc, although there were some nice character bits included in this first chapter.

JSA Classified 20 (DC Comics) — Scott Beatty, Rags Morales and Michael Bair turn in a grissly finale to their two-part Dr. Mid-Nite/Ultra-Humanite storyline.

Short entry today, its true; but at least the last entry wasn’t weeks ago, right?

See ya next time, Kiddie Cops.

Cleaning Out The Last Of The November Clutter

Let's jump right in:

52 Week 29 (DC Comics) — This issue encapsulates what is wrong with Luthor’s Everyman project and “instant powers” in general. Luthor bought the Infinity Inc. name, and apparently the rights to many of the currently unused code names, too. Do the newbies want to live up to the ideals of their predecessors? That’s the last thing on their minds, well behind instant fame, living in the moment, glory-hogging. With some guidance and training, some of these folks might make decent heroes someday. But the selfless, heroic ideal holds no value for them whatsoever. This issue’s characterization of the Everyman heroes is spot-on for today’s live-for-the-moment/what’s-in-it-for-me/if-you-don’t-agree-with-me-you’re-a-moron mentality.

Supergirl 11-12 (DC Comics) — The constant changes in creative talent aren’t doing this title any favors. There’s just no story flow, and the rest of the DCU seems to just ignore the character completely. For instance, in issue #11, Supergirl is working with the Outsiders; didn’t she already “try out” that team in her first stroy arc, along with the Titans? I bought this issue because the advance solicit info mentioned Nightwing, but the story is so disjointed, who cares? Is Kara dating Boomer now or just staying with him? Is she with the team? Doesn’t seem to be any mention of her in the Outsiders book. Then comes #12, which does not pick up after this issue. No, other than the presence of Boomer and a page-long talk between Nightwing and Boomer about Kara, this could be a completely different character. Again, I only bought this issue for the new Terra preview, but nothing here is making me want to pick this title up for the star character. I do wanna see more of this new Terra, though.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes 24 (DC Comics) — Now this title is Kara done right. This is still supposed to be the “new” Supergirl, but she’s a more recognizable Supergirl than the other one. No efforts have been made to explain exactly where she came from in the timeline, but the future/time travel element let’s Waid, Kitson and Gray get away with it. This is a fun read.

Donald Duck and Friends 346 (Gemstone) — Sadly, this is the last issue of this title for a while. Cost of paper is forcing Gemstone to limit their offerings in the immediate future. Another, kid-friendly title bites the dust.

JSA Classified 19 (DC Comics) — This looks like an interesting arc pitting a metahuman body parts stealing Ultra-Humanite against Dr. Mid-Nite. The concept is somewhat gruesome, but this first chapter by Scott Beatty, Rags Morales and Michael Bair is a solid, entertaining read.

Civil War: Choosing Sides (Marvel Comics) — For the most part, I was disappointed in this comic. The Iron Fist chapter doesn’t give readers any information not already available in Daredevil or the new Iron Fist book. I didn’t much care for the Venom, Ant-Man or USAgent installments; they just did nothing for me. Part of why I bought the issue was for the appearance of Howard the Duck. His brush with the registration act is humorous, but I didn’t care for Roger Langridge’s art. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t quite Howard, either. This issue also includes the Marvel Comics/Guiding Light crossover, a story that seems oddly placed as all of the New Avengers are shown working side-by-side, and did little for me.

That’s it for today. Depending on holiday activities, we’ll try for some Retro-Reviews next week before my December comics arrive. Happy collecting, and Happy Holidays, everybody.

Lightning Round

Hey, kiddie cops. I know it’s been over a week since I had a chance to post something. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading. In fact, since last time, I’ve finished the rest of the books received in my last shipment. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in and catch up a bit.

52 Weeks 24 and 25 (DC Comics) — I’ve said it before; I’ll say it again. Individual issues are not always great, but the overall story line this series was designed to tell is interesting. I’m curious where Ralph is headed. I like the story line with Montoya, Question and the Black Marvel family. The Steel/Luthor story seems to be old news, but is maybe going somewhere interesting. Green Arrow’s cameo was nice. Super Chief didn’t last long, did he?

Action Comics 844 (DC Comics) — This wasn’t a bad beginning, but it almost seems more a sequel to the Donner films so far more than a continuing story of the comic book Superman. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but is this story gonna “fit” in continuity? I mean, Jimmy isn’t an inexperienced photographer anymore.

Birds of Prey 99 (DC Comics) — Black Canary’s departure. I agree with scribe Simone that it feels right for Dinah to leave now, even though I’ll miss her. As far back as Longbow Hunters we’ve seen that Dinah wants children but wrestled with the issue of raising one while adventuring. Now she has one. It makes sense for her to step back now.

Captain America 23 (Marvel Comics) — A nice interlude with Winter Soldier/Bucky and Nick Fury in the middle of the Civil War tie-in. It updates us on the ongoing story line with Bucky, but doesn’t interupt the flow of the Cap Civil War events. Very nice.

Checkmate 7 (DC Comics) — I wanna like this title, but it just doesn’t seem to be as good as it should be. I know the Suicide Squad has its fans, but I can take it or leave it. I think this title should include some superheroes on the periphery, but for the most part, avoid overt superhero action and costumes.

Civil War: Front Line 7 (Marvel Comics) — Typical stuff here. The first two stories following the reporters and the former Speedball are excellent storytelling, while the Sleeper Cell bit does little for me, and the final bit just seems pretentious. I think one of the reasons Sleeper Cell is uninteresting to me is there is no tie-in to the Civil War. I assume this Atlantean faction is merely trying to take advantage of the strife above for their own ends, but that is just a guess on my part, not something we’ve been told.

Criminal 1 (Marvel Icon) — Not sure if this is a mini or an ongoing. Not even sure if I like it yet or not. But it was an OK beginning from I writer I really like, so I’ll hang around.

Daredevil 90 (Marvel Comics) — This issue seemed to slip just a bit. Matt is trying to track down who had Foggy killed because he doesn’t know Foggy isn’t really dead. Forget that Matt would be very hard to fool on that point, but I don’t like how easily he’s gotten sidetracked by this woman, even if she does have a power that explains why.

Donald Duck & Friends 345 (Gemstone Publishing) — Just good Disney fun. I’ve always liked Donald, and the mix of classic and newer tales is great. Plus, there’s always one story featuring someone else, this titme a great Goofy tale. Shouldn’t we all laugh more?

Fables 54 (DC Vertigo) — Sons of Empire continues. I didn’t think things could get much creepier than the Snow Queen’s plan for destroying both Mundies and Fables. I was wrong. Hansel is so far beyond creepy that he belongs in his own Mundie slasher series.

Jack of Fables 4 (DC Vertigo) — The promos for next issue seem to indicate this won’t happen, but wouldn’t it be too funny if after all this planning and helping all of the other escapees, Jack himself doesn’t make it out?

JSA Classified 18 (DC Comics) — The back half of a two-parter featuring Hourman, both the modern version and the Golden Age one. A solid tale from Tony Bedard, as usual. And besides, it isn’t necessarily that hard, but its always fun to watch someone out-think Bane.

The Lone Ranger 2 (Dynamite Entertainment) — I stand corrected from my criticism of last issue. Black Bart is an enforcer, not the criminal mastermind. This issue hints that the individual who pulls Bart’s vicious strings is none other than Butch Cavendish, the villain from Ranger lore. Brett Matthews, you have my apologies for doubting you. Carry on.

Martian Manhunter 3 (DC Comics) — Enter the Justice League, which was good to see. After all the divisiveness stemming from Identity Crisis and leading into Infinite Crisis, it’s nice to see these heroes acting like colleagues and friends once again. Oh, wait. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman don’t seem to want to listen to J’Onn about what is going on. Right now, I’m willing to assume that maybe this wasn’t really the three heroes it appeared to be. So much subterfuge has been going on in this story dealing with shape-shifting Martians, that’s what I’m hoping anyway. Otherwise, this story might’ve worked better before IC.

New Avengers 24 (Marvel Comics) — This Civil War tie-in is the Sentry entry, but seems to be more about fallout from the House of M and the Inhumans than Civil War. It’s sad that the interaction between books that I love from DC is one of the things I don’t like about Marvel because I buy fewer of those books and am less interested in the intermingling there.

Omega Men 1 (DC Comics) — My knowledge of this team is limited to their interaction with the Titans in the “olden” days, but I liked their recent cameos in Adam Strange and Infinite Crisis, so I decided to give this a try. Andersen Gabrych’s usually great writing didn’t hurt either. But I have no clue what is going on in this title right now. That’s not good.

The Perhapanauts: Second Chances 1 (Dark Horse) — OK, this mini DOES seem to pick up right after the trade I just read, as I assumed it should. But the letters column has a bunch of people commenting on issue #104. Now, I could just assume the first mini was numbered funky and move on, but the letters also mention a story titled “The 28th Anomaly.” There’s no story with that name in the trade. Am I missing something here?

Secret Six 5 (DC Comics) — Did they really just kill the Mad Hatter?!?

Stan Lee Meets the Thing 1 (Marvel Comics) — Much better than the Spidey one-shot, the only other one of these I read. It’s been long enough now that Ben has come to grips with his appearance. Heck, most New Yorkers have, too. He’s a celebrity, not a monster now. Good to see that reflected here.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes 23 (DC Comics) — Cosmic Boy decides the Legion needs to deal with the superpowered delusional in their midst. So, does that mean Supergirl is going to be going away soon? Dunno if I trust these “Kryptonians.”

Superman/Batman annual 1 (DC Comics) — This is a totally bizarre story, but it’s a fun one. Accept it for that and it works. Look for more and it falls apart.

Tales of the Unexpected 1 (DC Comics) — I’ve heard this mini isn’t getting much interest online. Truthfully, it wasn’t great. But it was intriguing, and I liked Crispus when he was alive, so I’m intrested enough to hang with this one a bit longer. The Dr. 13 story left me cold, but then I’m not as familiar with the character.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters 4 (DC Comics) — I thought this might be the exception to the mostly so-so minis DC is spitting out right now, but I’m starting to lose interest in this one big time, too. This is supposed to be an alien suddenly sitting in the White House and part of a shady government operation spitting out new metahumans like they’re no big deal, and no other teams notice? No Titans, no JSA, no Superman, no GLs. Just doesn’t ring true.

Whew! That was a bunch, but that’s all of the October releases I have. See ya next time.

And A Blind Man Shall Lead ...

Let’s talk some Daredevil for a bit today. I’ve seen some Daredevil comics from the previous Bendis/Maleev run, and I’m familiar with the overall story line: Daredevil has been outed as Matt Murdock by a tabloid, and the feds are pursuing possible charges against him for that; at the same time, DD has defeated Kingpin and set himself up as the replacement. But I haven’t followed every issue of the title until Ed Brubaker took over the writing chores. I liked what Brubaker had done with Gotham Central at DC and, more recently, Captain America at Marvel.

So, I’ve read the individual issues of The Devil in Cell Block D starting with #82 to now. These issues were very good, as we’ve discussed in some previous posts. And they served to make me curious about what came immediately before. So I recently purchased, and just read (all in one afternoon), the previous three Daredevil trades to catch up a bit. In all honesty, only one of these trades, the most recent one, really serves as a prequel to how Matt Murdock ended up in jail. The other two trades could almost occur at any time in DD’s past, but they were damn good stories.

Daredevil tpb 11: Golden Age (Marvel Comics) — This is a historical tale about the Kingpin of Crime who came to power before Wilson Fisk. The small-time hood rose to the big-time after killing a costumed hero, then was later brought down by a novice Daredevil. The current part of the story is this hood, Alexander Bont, as he is finally released from prison and goes about exacting his revenge on the man who put him away. It’s a very nice story with a lot of parallels between past and present events.

Daredevil tpb 12: Decalogue (Marvel Comics) — This collection is a very dark, demonic little tale that takes place entirely during an evening support group meeting where residents of Hell’s Kitchen have gathered to talk and share their common Daredevil experiences in light of recent events. What becomes clear as different people share their tales is that all these various people are linked to a common event which has put the red-garbed vigilante on the trail of one of them.

Daredevil tpb 13: The Murdock Papers (Marvel Comics) — This last collection depicts the actual capture and arrest of Matt Murdock as the incarcerated Wilson Fisk tries to make a deal with federal authorities for his own release in exchange for handing Daredevil over to them. The tale brings in various DD alums such as Black Widow, Elektra, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Bullseye, among others.

Daredevil 89 (Marvel Comics) — And then this is the current issue. At the end of the Cell Block D arc, Matt escaped from prison with the help of Frank Castle, the Punisher. Matt is now on the run from authorities and trying to track down the killers of his friend, Foggy Nelson, who DD doesn’t know isn’t really dead. This issue takes him to Monaco.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters 3 (DC Comics) — The new Black Condor debuts as do a whole new team of characters with political jargon names. Father Time is still after Sam and the Freedom Fighters who left S.H.A.D.E. to assist Sam — the new versions of Doll Man, Human Bomb, Phantom Lady and Ray. And Firebrand, although he wasn’t part of S.H.A.D.E. First up is Chief Justice, Spin Doctor, Propaganda and First Strike. When they don’t fare so well, Father Time himself shows up. I want to like this series and these characters, but I find myself not caring that much about them.

The Trials of Shazam! 2 (DC Comics) — This book is going downhill fast for me, and I don’t think it will survive for all 12 issues. I’m not sure I really understand Billy’s new role or why it took over a year for this new manifestation of his powers to show itself — after all, in story, this is a One Year Later tale and Billy’s been in charge at the Rock of Eternity for that entire year. About the only thing I do understand is that he can no longer be Captain Marvel like he was, and that Freddy Freeman now must prove himself worthy of assuming that mantle.

Action Comics 843 (DC Comics) — Another great story; another placement headache. Story lines with lots of characters interacting usually are. This concludes the story line where an intergalactic “auctioneer” snags a whole bunch of Earth’s heroes. Superman, Nightwing, the new Aquaman, Firestorm, Skyrocket, Bluejay, the Veteran and Livewire lead the charge to free the others and stop the acquisitions. Very nice work.

Civil War: Front Line 6 (Marvel Comics) — This title continues to thrill and bore me. The Embedded and Accused story lines are incredible. The Sleeper Cell story added late in the series is OK, but not up to the standards of the other two. And the final installment in each issue just strikes me as pretentious. I get the symbolisms. Don’t beat me over the head with it so much.

Batman 657 (DC Comics) — This is the third installment of Batman and Son. Bruce brings Damian home to Gotham where the boy proceeds to use his assassin’s training on his rivals for his father’s affections. By the end of the issue, Damian has done something off-panel with Alfred and left Tim injured and bleeding in the cave while adopting parts of Jason’s enshrined costume and pronouncing himself the new Robin. Could he be any more his mother’s son?

Secret Six 4 (DC Comics) — This issue proves once again that this comic is a good one, but not nearly as good as its predecessor, Villains United. I can’t quite put my finger on what, but something is missing.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes 22 (DC Comics) — What to say about this title? I’ve tried Legion titles before, stay with them awhile, then lose interest. The concept of this latest incarnation sounded quite good. Then they added Supergirl and it seemed to flounder a bit. Then it got good again. This issue wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great.

Captain America 22 (Marvel Comics) — With this issue, Cap’s own title catches up with the events in Civil War. Cap is in hiding, and S.H.I.E.L.D. has decided to use Agent 13, Sharon Carter, Cap’s liaison and girlfriend, to trap him. And Sharon is torn: she truly believes Cap is wrong and that superhero registration, as the current law of the land, should be upheld, yet she doesn’t want to betray her lover. And hey, one of the villains, according to the last page, is Dr. Faustus; I don’t follow that many Marvel Comics on a regular basis, but I don’t think he’s been seen in quite a while. Good stuff.

JSA Classified 17 (DC Comics) — This first part of two focuses on Hourman, the original and his son, as they are forced to work side-by-side with Bane. This story posits that the basis of Bane’s former drug-of-choice, Venom, is originally based on Rex Tyler’s formula for Miraclo, the source of Hourman’s power. I’m not certain, but I think that idea has been used before, but this isn’t a bad tale, so far.

Jack of Fables 3 (DC Vertigo) — This book is just as funny as the original Fables, but decidedly wickedly so.

Justice League of America 3 (DC Comics) — OK, this book is starting to worry me. I want to like it. I really do. But the story is starting to seem severely disjointed. The triumvirate of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are shown still voting on the roster for the latest incarnation of the League, but they’re rehashing the same candidates as before. They vote on Nightwing in this issue after Batman and Wonder Woman shared a humorous exchange about Dick in the last issue. The first issue made it seem like the team had been formed and the voting was mere flashback, but this issue makes it seem like the current mission of Arsenal, Black Canary and Green Lantern know nothing about a new League. And the pacing seems to indicate that 12 issues is going to be waaaaay too long for this arc.

Stan Lee Meets Spider-Man 1 (Marvel Comics) — I was a little disappointed in this comic. It was a tad humorous, and I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but this was just not quite as good as I’d hoped. I’ve also ordered the Thing comic in this series. Maybe I’ll like it better.

Next post, we’re back to the past as this was the last of my current comics from my last shipment and the next hasn’t yet arrived. Until then, happy collecting, kiddie cops.

The Way It Was ... At Least For The Next 20 Years

OK, so to recap just a bit, the last bunch of older comics we discussed finished out the Crisis On Infinite Earths and moved the surviving members of the Justice Society into limbo. Most heroes’ lives continued from that point, some with subtle changes, which would be explored in stories over the next decade or so. Some of those stories included flashbacks to the past, but included an in-story contemporary framing sequence. Those tales are placed whenever they would occur in my collection. But other stories, especially a number of miniseries established a new status quo for various heroes, and the events those tales relate are set firmly in the past. Following the Crisis in my “chronological” collection are a number of these tales.

Very little was revamped initially with the Justice Society, at least not in print. Initially, the characters were in limbo. But there have been a few more recent tales told of the old JSA without Superman and Batman. For example ...

JSA: Strange Adventures 1-6 (DC Comics, 2004) — This miniseries focuses on the writing efforts of Johnny Thunder as he tries to chronicle a bizarre tale of The Justice Society as a novel. The books are written by novelist Kevin J. Anderson and illustrated by Barry Kitson and Gary Erskine and make for a fun read.

Following that tale, we jump ahead quite a bit to pick up the Superman revamp by John Byrne, but only the first two issues, so far.

The Man of Steel 1-2 (DC Comics, 1986) — The first issue re-tells the final days of a newly-technological and sterile Krypton from which Jor-El sends his unborn son’s gestation chamber into space and on a course for earth. As there was no longer any Superboy in this new single-earth continuity, Clark Kent’s youth goes by pretty quickly and he debuts in Metropolis, meets Lois and gets dubbed Superman in the second issue.

Batman 404 (DC Comics, 1987) — Next we go to Gotham City. This issue has no current framing sequence and is the first chapter in the four-part Batman Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham from several years’ worth of travel abroad to begin his war on crime. His first night out, disguised as a vagrant, does not go well. Injured, he returns to Wayne Manor where the bat crashes through the study window, inspiring Bruce to adopt a bat motif for his disguise.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 1 (DC Comics, 1989) — Before moving on with the rest of Batman Year One or The Man of Steel, we detour for this first chapter of the five-part Shaman by Dennis O’Neil, Ed Hannigan and John Beatty. This story starts out with a flashback to two years ago while the young Bruce Wayne is still training under masters of various disciplines, this time an expert tracker in Alaska. The expert is killed, and so, seemingly, is the quarry, but Bruce is left literaly out in the cold with no gear. He is saved by an Eskimo shaman. From there, the story returns to modern times, which in this tale is a few days before and the next day after Bruce’s disasterous debut appearance. So the timing of these events coincides with the first issue of Batman Year One.

Batman 405-407 (DC Comics, 1987) — This is the rest of the Batman Year One story as the Batman debuts, befriends new Gotham cop Lt. James Gordon and saves Gordon’s son, cementing the pair’s working relationship. This is a somewhat darker, more grim Batman, foreshadowing the cynical person with trust issues he will become later.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 2-5 (DC Comics, 1989-90) — Dialog in the second issue of this tale established that the events here take place about six months after those in the first issue. The storyline explores the concept of masks and identities, and provides some excellent insights into the mind of the Darknight Detective.

Batman and the Monster Men 1-6 (DC Comics, 2006) — Next comes this re-telling of the first Hugo Strange story by Matt Wagner. One of the conceits of this re-telling is that it bridges the gap between Batman battling mostly gangsters and common criminals to the more bizarre costumed and demented adversaries he comes to be identified with. The story ends with mention of someone called the Joker.

Batman: The Man Who Laughs (DC Comics, 2005) — explores the first confrontation between Batman and this Joker character. In fact, the first time Batman sees the maniacal killer, he assumes the man is literally just a harmless clown. This great story is by Ed Brubaker and Doug Mahnke.

Catwoman 1-4 (DC Comics, 1989) — This story, by Mindy Newell, J.J. Birch and Michael Bair, once again returns to the night of Bruce Wayne’s disasterous debut without the bat costume. That night he briefly meets a prostitute named Selina Kyle and stops her pimp from beating her up. This story fleshes out Selina’s new backstory and shows how that encounter with Bruce, and later Batman, inspire her to create Catwoman.

The Man of Steel 3 (DC Comics, 1986) — Now that Batman is firmly established in the world, we return to the Superman revamp where the two heroes meet for the first time. John Byrne puts several fun moments into this series, and some of them are found in this particular issue, including the closing scene. Superman has come to Gotham to investigate this rough vigilante operating there. Superman quickly finds Batman with every intention of stopping him from going forward with his “one-man war on crime.” Batman threatens to kill an innocent somewhere in the city if Superman acts against him using an explosive device Superman could never find in time. At the end of the adventure, Batman starts to leave when Superman reminds him of the earlier threat.
Batman: Here you go, Superman. I had it tucked inside my utility belt all the time.
Superman: You ...??? You mean, it was your own life you were risking? Why?!?
Batman: Because I knew my plan was the only way I could stop you, Superman. I also knew that with your great powers, you’d probably be able to tell if I were lying.
Superman (leaving): Well, I still won’t say I fully approve of your methods, Batman ...... and I’m going to be keeping an eye on you, to make certain you don’t blow it for the rest of us ... but ... good luck.
As Superman departs, Batman thinks to himself, “A remarkable man, all things considered. Who knows? In a different reality, I might have called him “friend.”

Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn 1-6 (DC Comics, 1989-90) — Superman and Batman aren’t the only heroes in the world, of course. Others start to be seen fighting crime and battling super-villains. This re-telling of Green Lantern Hal Jordan’s origin ads flaws to the hero, setting up the change the character would take in Emerald Twilight later. This tale is by James Owsley, M.D. Bright and Romeo Tanghal. It even features the Guardians and other GLs toward the end.

Legends of the DC Universe 1-3 (DC Comics, 1998) — This three-issue story focuses on a story from early in Superman’s career and features a villain better known to golden age fans, the Ultra-Humanite.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 16-20 (DC Comics, 1991) — This story is important for a number of reasons, first of which, it’s a darn good tale by Dennis O’Neil and Trevor von Eeden. Batman catches a kidnapper who has abducted a small girl. He forces the kidnapper to tell him where the little girl is being held, but by the time Batman gets there, the little girl has drowned. Bruce tortures himself with guilt over not being strong-enough to reach the girl in time, and gives in to the temptation to take a man-made steroid to enhance his abilities. Unbeknownst to Batman, the drug is highly addictive, and also renders him susceptible to suggestion. Once he realizes his mistake, Batman must fight his way through withdrawal to defeat the villains. The drug he took is an early form of Venom, the chemical Bane will later pump directly into his own brain to enhance his own strength.

The Man of Steel 4 (DC Comics, 1986) — This isn’t necessarily the first meeting between Superman and Lex Luthor, but it is the one where Superman learns the businessman’s true intentions and motivations.

Hey, I think that’s far enough for today. We’ll move closer to the current events next time.

Bidding Adieu To August So That We Might Better Reorganize The Past

Just a few books left from my shipment of August-release comics, so let’s jump right into what remains.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes 21 (DC Comics) — So they did manage to bring back Dream Girl, or did they? Maybe Brainy’s just crazy with heartbreak like Ralph Dibny over in the pages of 52. Still can’t make up my mind on this book. Subsequent issues haven’t been as good as the first arc, in my mind, nor as good as the work this team did on Empire a few years ago, but it’s just good enough to keep me hoping it’ll get better.

New Avengers 23 (Marvel Comics) — This Civil War tie-in examines how Jessica “Spider-Woman” Drew reacts to the registration act. The previous two issues focused on Captain America and Luke Cage; they were great. This issue, not so much. In fact, I was initially happy to see Brian Michael Bendis bring Spider-Woman back in New Avengers, but I’m just not sure I care for the convoluted mess they made of her origin in the recent Spider-Woman: Origin, and I didn’t much care for this book, either. Is she helping the good guys? Is she helping the bad guys? Is she making it look like she’s helping the bad guys to better help the good guys? Do the bad guys know this and use that against her, so she really is helping the bad guys? Know what? I don’t care anymore.

Jack of Fables 2 (DC Vertigo) — Another solid issue from Bill Willingham. This series is off to a good start, just like its parent title.

Justice League of America #1 (DC Comics) — The story moved along rather slowly in this book, but then Meltzer likes his set-ups. I like the focus on Red Tornado and Arsenal joining instead of Green Arrow. Some of the other focus characters make this seem like an interesting group. And while I’m really OK with the fact that Nightwing won’t be in the JLA, what does Wonder Woman have against him? For that matter, based on what is happening in her own title, why is Diana Wonder Woman here?

And that’s the last of my most recent shipment of new comics, which brings us back to the past of 1985 for some ...

Retro-Reviews
Crisis On Infinite Earths 8-9 (DC Comics, 1985) — Not only is the Barry Allen Flash killed off, but we find out why villains have been disappearing — they’re up to something. Brainiac and Luthor — both Earth-1 flavor — organize all the villains in a bid to take over the five remaining earths and succeed in ensnaring three of them before their plans are shut down. We also spend some time with various members of the New Teen Titans, which brings us to ...

The New Teen Titans 14 (DC Comics, 1985) — The Tamaranean ship we’ve seen heading for earth in the past couple issues arrives to take Starfire home. Nightwing and Jericho go along for the ride, thinking the Crisis is over and suspecting something sinister among the Tamaraneans. And Mento gives the rest of the team some trouble as the helmet drives wearer Steve Dayton insane. Oh yeah, and Arella is still looking for her daughter, Raven. This is an important issue of this book in that it helps set up several major storylines to come, but is also kind of a placeholder-type story as the events in Crisis are still ongoing and we don’t want to give away the ending.

Crisis On Infinite Earths 10-12 (DC Comics 1986) — The Spectre shows up and warns the assembled heroes of five earths that the Crisis is NOT over. Instead, the Anti-Monitor has merely fled to the dawn of time in an attempt to quash all life before it begins. The heroes follow and the Anti-Monitor and the Spectre battle it out, drawing power from the others.

The plan works and it doesn’t work. Life is allowed to develop, but instead of a multiverse, only one universe is created. Most of the heroes from the previous battle wake up to find themselves home and things seemingly normal again. But as they investigate, they learn that this new single earth combines elements from the histories of each of the previous ones while eliminating others. Some heroes and lives are seemingly unchanged, other heroes exist, but noone remembers them because their histories have been “erased.” It is also learned that while weakened, the Anti-Monitor still lives, and yet another assault is launched. More heroes are lost, including Kole, the Earth-2 Robin and Huntress and the Earth-1 Wonder Woman. When the villain is finally dispatched, few lives are left unchanged.

Last Days of the Justice Society of America Special 1 (DC Comics, 1986) — Even though this book came out almost a full year after the final issue of Crisis On Infinite Earths, it is written to be a follow-up to the Crisis. The older heroes of the Justice Society did not fare well in the Crisis. Noone remembers the elder Superman or Wonder Woman. Wildcat was crippled. Robin and Huntress were killed. This story was created to give the surviving members a heroes send-off while still moving them out of the way of newer, younger namesakes, some of whom — such as Wildcat, Dr. Mid-Nite and Hourman — debuted in the Crisis itself.

Those remaining heroes learn that the Spectre is left unconscious after his battle with the Anti-Monitor at the dawn of time. Unchecked, his powers combine with those of the Spear of Destiny, allowing Adolf Hitler to change history at the end of World War II, slaying the Justice Society members and destroying the world. This was achieved when Adolf used the power to bring about the Twilight of the Gods, or Ragnarok, from Norse mythology. The only way to preserve the normal time stream is for the JSA heroes to merge with their counterparts from Valhalla and eternally wage that final battle, over and over again. I just re-read this book, and even though the events herein told are later reversed, this is a worthwhile tale, largely because it is lovingly written by that great re-creator of the golden age, Roy Thomas. He gets these older heroes and allows them to shine in a fight they cannot win.

History of the DC Universe 1-2 (DC Comics, 1986) — This two-volume, prestige format book reveals the Monitor tapes and the recording of the altered history recorded by his assistant, Harbinger. It gives a broad overview of how some of DC Comics’ historical characters fit together in this new single earth, as well as providing some hints of what was to come in the coming months. It is also the point where my filing system goes the most nuts.

The recent Infinite Crisis explains continuity errors as Superboy-Prime punching against the barrier that separates him and his companions from the sole remaining earth after the events of Crisis On infinite Earths. I plan to use that excuse offered by DC Comics itself. However, shortly after the end of Crisis On Infinite Earths, several heroes’ origins were revamped. The trend continued for 10 or 15 years, at least to the 1995 annuals which all had a “Year One” theme. No matter when these things were released, the bulk of them have been placed at this point in my comic book collection filing system. The history of the new earth was different from what it had been. What better place to “make” such changes and explore them, in “chronological order,” as we catch back up to the titles I was collecting in 1986?

So, while retro-reviews before the Crisis were focusing on The New Teen Titans and The Warlord from DC, The Thing from Marvel, and Jon Sable, Freelance from First, it will be a little bit before we catch back up to those stories where we left off. I think it’ll be an interesting bit of jumping around when we pick up next time.

We’re Absolutely Flying Through August

Hey, Kiddie Cops, it’s time for some more comic book reviews from the month of August. We’re already halfway through the month, and I’ve been reading at a better than normal pace, so we’re almost through the entire month already.

Martian Manhunter 1 (DC Comics) — Another limited series, this one with some strikes against it right off the bat. First off, I don’t much care for the new costume design. From what we’ve seen of the character in the past, the costume doesn’t make much sense, so there better be a darn good in-story reason for it. Second, I didn’t much care for the creative team of Lieberman and Barrionuevo on Gotham Knights; actually, the art was fine,but the story rang off for me. However, I’m curious about where this discovery of other green martians on earth is going.

52 Weeks Fifteen and Sixteen (DC Comics) — Still liking this series, especially the arcs involving Black Adam and Isis and Montoya and the Question. It was nice to see a glimpse of the stranded space heroes again, too. No sign of Ralph Dibny, though, so apparently they’re going to make us sweat his fate out a bit.

Manhunter 25 (DC Comics) — I’ve mentioned that the last arc of this book was a little disappointing. This new story seems to be starting off nicely, but I wonder how this story is going to mesh with what is happening in the relaunched Wonder Woman title. Speaking of which ...

Wonder Woman 2 (DC Comics) — Very interested in where this story is going, but what is up with Wonder Girl? Cassie was devastated by Conner’s death and Diana disappearing, but what is up with her joining a resurrection cult, blowing off the other Titans and being a complete jerk when Diana resurfaces. She was hurt, sure, but endangering Donna and other civilians to get back at Diana? What’s up with that.

Checkmate 5 (DC Comics) — I’m glad I waited this title out. It’s getting better and better.

Nightwing 123 (DC Comics) — This first One Year Later arc wasn’t bad, but I find myself just waiting for Marv Wolfman’s run to begin.

Donald Duck and Friends 343 (Gemstone) — I like Donald. I just do. But there’s no escaping the fact that the best stories in these books are the reprinted classic Carl Barks stories.

JSA Classified 14-16 (DC Comics) — This story arc was a sequel to the most recent JLA Classified arc with the Royal Flush Gangs. But this story just didn’t seem as good to me for some reason. I like most of the characters, but the tale just left me saying “So?” I’m not exactly sure why.

Daredevil 88 (Marvel Comics) — I shouldn’t have doubted Ed Brubaker. The stories he’s churning out in this title and Captain America are incredible. But when I learned Foggy was still alive, I feared the explanation would fall flat. I should’ve known better. He’s written another ace that keeps the characters in question completely in character.

That’s it for today. Check back next time for the rest of the August release comics, or at least the ones I received for the month. And quite probably, there’ll also be some more retro-reviews.

Busy Weekend of Reading

HHere’s some more thoughts on comics I read this weekend, and there’s a lot of them so here we go:

Civil War Front Line 1 (Marvel Comics) — OK, I don’t know who this Sally journalist is but I’m guessing she’s been in some previous stories from the conversation she has here with Spider-Man, but I do know who Ben Urich is; this comic holds promise. This first issue doesn’t start out slow either.

Wonder Woman (2006) 1 (DC Comics) — The Amazing Amazon is re-launched with Founding Teen Titan Donna Troy in the title role, or is she? Steve Trevor certainly wasn’t who he appeared to be. And Diana does show up in the final scene, so there’s more to this title than meets the eye in the first issue.

52 Week Six (DC Comics) — This was a good issue. It was especially nice to see Ralph go off on somebody, venting his grief, and I can’t think of anybody more deserving of some anger directed their way than Booster Gold.

The Battle for Bludhaven 5 (DC Comics) — Again, I’m not real sure about this miniseries. It seems a little disjointed and some of the more familiar characters don’t necessarily act like themselves. Green Lantern Hal Jordan shows up in this issue; he can’t save it.

Superman 653 (DC Comics) — “Up, Up and Away!” continues; it started so promisingly, but now that Superman’s powers are back, I dunno. Maybe I’m just losing interest, but I’m just not feeling the excitement I was in the first few chapters.

Checkmate 3 (DC Comics) — Still not sure about this title, but I’m warming up to it. Alan Scott, Sasha Bordeaux and Fire seem more in character to me. I’ve also decided to give the first Checkmate series a try. Worked out a trade over the weekend swapping some of the comics from the Web site for all 33 issues from that series. Hopefully they’ll be arriving soon.

Green Arrow 63 (DC Comics) — Ollie is one of my favorite characters, but I’m just not sure what writer Judd Winick is up to. I’m losing interest in what is going on, and while I’ve liked his art in the past, Scott McDaniel’s art in this title is just rubbing me wrong.

Fables 50 (DC Comics) — WOW! I love Bigby and I’m happy to see he and Snow finally together. I just hope their seeming bliss at the end of this fantastic anniversary tale doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing them again. Great espionage tale winding up several plot threads from the first 50 issues.

Civil War 2 (Marvel Comics) — Obviously this is the main series Front Line spins out of. It’s getting a lot of great buzz online, and Cap’s great escape from S.H.I.E.L.D. in the first issue was great. This one, not so much except for the big shocker on the last page, which, of course, was ruined for me online since I get my books after everyone else. Oh, and I’m a little shocked at the side of the CW Ben Grimm is on. I figured he’d be more on Cap’s side.

Squadron Supreme (2006) 4 (Marvel Comics) — I still like this title, but it seems to have lost some of its kick with the move from Marvel max to the mainstream Marvel U titles.

Nightwing 121 (DC Comics) — This Bruce Jones guy is just writing my absolute favorite hero stranger and stranger.

Donald Duck and Friends 341 (Gemstone) — Love me some Donald Duck. Not much to say about this specific issue, but these are fun to read.

52 Week Seven (DC Comics) — Oops! Read so many comics this weekend, I forgot. This is the issue where Ralph goes off on Booster. We also get our first glimpse of the new Kathy Kane, the soon-to-be all-new Batwoman.

JSA Classified 13 (DC Comics) — The final installment of this travesty. I’m not the biggest fan of Vandal Savage anyway, but I just didn’t care for this arc.

Toldja it was a lotta readin'.

More Reviews From Early June

Hey, had a chance to read a few more books this week, so let’s jump right in with my thoughts on ’em. Not sure if I’ve said it before or not, but some spoilers will be included from time to time.

The Thing 7 (Marvel Comics) — This is a fun book. I didn’t care so much for writer Dan Slott’s humor in his revamp of She-Hulk a couple years ago, but as I’ve said in discussing the 1983 Thing series, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Fantastic Four’s monstrous quarter. Well, Slott succeeds quite nicely with bashful Benjy’s adventures in this series, at least as far as I’m concerned. Naturally, next issue is the final as this title has been canceled waaaaaaay before its time. This issue has Ben trying to surprise one-time girlfriend Alicia, a blind sculptress, by taking her back in time to witness the creation of the Venus de Milo, her favorite sculpture. Naturally, things don’t work out quite like Ben intended, and maybe even a little history is re-written.

Superman/Batman 26 (DC Comics) — I can’t quite make up my mind about this issue. The Superman/Batman book can be fun, but I really didn’t like issue #7, the first to focus on Robin and Superboy instead. The characterization just seemed off to me. Not so much Superboy and Robin’s personalities, but Batman and Superman’s. The elder heroes seemed to not even like their younger counterparts, let alone trust them. Issue #26 is a continuation of that earlier story in more ways than one. It’s a fun little tale, and the true-story behind its origins tugs at the heart, but again, the adult heroes seem overly judgmental concerning the teen titans.

JLA Classified 16-21 (DC Comics) — First, a side note: Whenever I’m buying a multi-part story that doesn’t fit into continuity, I wait and read the whole thing when I have all of the issues — kinda like “waiting for the trade” without really waiting all that time for the actual trade. Most of the tales in Classified happened sometime in the undefined past, so they fit this bill. That means I just read all six of these issues for the first time this week. Conclusion: This is the Justice league done right!!!!! They work together as a team. They don’t always agree, but they like each other. Even Batman. He’s unquestionably their strategist. He’s coordinating the moves of the others in the final battle in spite of the fact he’s the only one of them without some fantastic power. But he’s not ordering them about like his own personal pawns. He tells them the plan ahead of time so they can better play their respective roles. Gail Simone turns in great plots each month on Birds of Prey. This arc proves she gets more than just the girl heroes.

52 Week Five (DC Comics) — We learn more about the messed up condition of the returning space heroes. And sure enough, Alan Scott is missing an eye (actually two of them as he points out in the story). That was one of the most significant things for me in this issue because it messed up my system of ordering these books. Scott has two good eyes in current issues of JSA, or seems to at least. That means I have to place the current story arc from JSA somewhere before the events of Infinite Crisis when he went out into space since he returns without the eye. Since the beginning of the story arc involves the golden-age Superman, placing this arc before Infinite Crisis can’t be done. I’ll have to wait and see when each arc wraps up, but maybe the solution will have to be that GL went out into space, lost an eye, came back, and has ring-created sight in the JSA arc in question. The fact that Alan lost his eye in space also blows my theory that he was going to lose it in the current JSA Classified arc with Vandal Savage.

Anyway, back to 52, they’ve delayed telling us about what happened to John Henry Irons in the last issue. He’s too busy trying to help the injured now to bring it up to anybody, but it looked like his armor took him over. Whatupwidat? It’s nice to see that Adam Strange, Starfire and Animal Man aren’t dead, but where the heck are they? Why did DC turn Renee Montoya into such a butt-head when they made her gay? I don’t care that she’s gay although that turn of events seemed to come outta left field, but since she came out she’s been angry and bitter and self-destructive. I’d almost say they are moving her into position to be the new gay Batwoman, but that character is supposed to be a re-vamped Kathy Kane. Oh, and one more 52 question, why is the backup History of the DCU so un-interesting so far? I like this series but I don’t like parts of it a lot.

Detective Comics 820 (DC Comics) — I’m enjoying this Face the Face story bringing Bats back after his year away, and I’m really liking the Jason Bard backup feature. I hope it doesn’t go away when Robinson ends his run as writer, but I imagine it will. This is a competent Batman who likes and works together with Robin and Commissioner Gordon. Finally.

JSA 86 (DC Comics) — I’ve heard some grumbling about the incoherency of this final JSA story arc before the book ends. I don’t see it. The sequence of events isn’t that hard to follow to me, and since I’ve never followed Hawkman to any large degree, I have only a passing knowledge of the Gentleman Ghost, so there’s less history to contradict for me, if this story does indeed contradict what has gone before. I’m liking this ghost story by DC president and publisher Paul Levitz and golden-age artist extraordinaire Jerry Ordway.

Outsiders 37 (DC Comics) — Since One Year Later began, this title has taken a decidely darker turn. I’m not opposed to that on principle. Darker stories can be good stories. But each issue recently has made me worry about reconciling Nightwing’s behavior here and in his own book. I don’t want to drop this book. I like the concept and I like what Winick did before the Crisis. But this issue’s confrontation between Nightwing and Superman, I mean, this issue’s Nightwing threatening Superman, I just don’t know ...

Justice League Unlimited 22 (DC Comics) — This book is just plain fun. It follows the characters as they were envisioned in the Timm-verse of the recent departed Justice League cartoon. The stories aren’t simplistic, but they can be equally enjoyed by youngsters and older fans alike. They are filled with nostalgia, wonder and awe. Bravo to Adam Beechen and Rick Burchett for their outstanding work month in and month out.

Whew! That’s a bunch, but that’s what I read since the last post.