Night Force: Marv Wolfman, Tom Mandrake, Wes Hartman, Wes Abbott, Leonardo Manco

Okay, I finally get what I ask for, and I’m still confused. This issue not only reveals who Kassandra Fey (the old witch on the cover) really is, but it also explains exactly what these breeding people are up to…and kind of why. But it seriously didn’t help much. I do like how much it ties in with everything else that’s been going on in the series, but I honestly felt way overloaded with information.

We learn, first, how Kassandra got free…by taking the souls of the people in the 17th century jail around her, thereby growing her power. When the guards find all these dead people around her, they ship her off to Barbados, where she ends up convincing her new jailers to set her loose. Once free, she destroys Barbados and sucks up the souls of the dead there, becoming younger and more beautiful…BY GOD, it’s Senator Greene’s wife! The one running the show!

I like this nifty time-travel thing we see here, what with Baron Winters visiting her in the past so that she can get free and then influence the beginning of the dormant PSI line of people that eventually leads to the current Gen 11s. Wow, pretty complicated, if you ask me. But still somehow remaining elegant. We learn that Simon, her Gatherer person, was the one that sneaked into Wintersgate and released all the shadow things, which were actually pieces of his soul, so that they could then go through the doors to different times and affect the dormant people there to help grow their numbers.

That part’s pretty genius. But then she starts complaining about in-breeding and how the lines are getting weaker and the newborn Darklings are getting more…inbred, I guess…and they’re basically useless. So it seems like their plan didn’t work, but somehow the Gen 12s are coming and they’re supposed to be perfect…but we won’t get to see them, because it’ll still take 30 years to produce them. That’s way longer than the gestation period for Zoe’s Darkling baby to mature, and I just don’t see how it’s a threat anymore.

Kassandra goes on to talk about putting their Darkling PSI folk into seats of power only to manipulate them into fighting each other and causing a huge war that will kill untold numbers. Why? So Kassandra and her nurses and gatherers and all can feed on the soul energy of the dead. …Are you kidding me? This 200-year plan was all so you could suck up dead souls? Well, why can’t you just do that anyway? Walk around and just suck and suck? It seemed fine and easy when she was in prison, old and haggy. Why the ruse? Why all the dog-and-pony show? I just don’t understand.

After getting through all this, we get to see how Baron Winters escapes Kassandra’s cell and helps rescue Duffy and the woman who gave birth last ish. But I just found myself not caring anymore. This suddenly turned dumb and pointless. I can’t wrap my head around why someone would take all this time and precious care in raising these powerful people just to have them fight and kill each other. They even are able to drain souls from around the planet to keep Senator Greene alive in a previous issue. So…why do they need a war in order to gather soul energy when they seem to be able to do it when in need?

Or am I misunderstanding? Am I totally not understanding what Kassandra’s talking about, and what their true purpose is? Because, if so, I would LOVE some enlightenment. Otherwise, this all just seems like pointless drivel that I’m seriously not invested in (even though I’ve bought all the issues :\), and in which I’m even more disappointed. I had much different expectations going in.

Night Force #6 of 7, the verdict: Despite all my feelings about this book, I’m still going to see how it ends. I don’t have much of a choice, because I already bought the final issue. Let’s just hope it’s the final issue. I keep noticing how the title page says, “Book One, Chapter blah blah,” and I can’t help but fear that it’ll rise again like a bad sexually transmitted disease. I’m just really confused, and I don’t think I’m grasping exactly what’s going on…and it’s ruining my experience with this mini-series.

(Photo Source: DC Wikia)

Legion Lost: Fabian Nicieza, Tom DeFalco, Pete Woods, Matt Camp, Travis Lanham, Brad Anderson

This was an excellent issue, I felt. It’s also the last issue Nicieza worked on…which will turn out to be a bad and sad thing. I’ll get to that later. Timber Wolf has been captured by some military organization and is visited by the enigmatic Martian Manhunter, who starts questioning just what the hell him and the Legion are doing in this time when they’re supposed to be in the 30th Century. Gates and the other Legionnaires break into the facility to try and rescue Wolf and Chameleon Girl. The following skirmish is epic. And I love Gates…and he really shines in this issue. Then there’s Major Nicholson, this high-up woman who thinks she has a handle on the situation. But she’s so hopelessly out of control that it’s hilarious. Martian Manhunter provides a couple mysterious answers to the Legion’s questions…and gets out of there…leaving the Legion to think that they may not ever find the way home. Another problem is…Alastor is missing. So we’re left with some great questions, and some great content as well as some awesome art by Pete Woods and Matt Camp. It’s bittersweet…with Fabian Nicieza stepping down from the title. Tom DeFalco is helping to fill in, and will be taking over next issue. He’s also heading toward this Culling crossover event with Scott Lobdell. That’s what you can expect next from this series.

Legion Lost #6, the verdict: You’ll see how this series will go once DeFalco takes over…and I’ll give you a hint - I hate it. So, for me, it really is sad to see Nicieza go. Remember at the start of the series? I didn’t much like it…but, later, I learned how fantastic it was. I couldn’t stop reading. To hear that the great writer behind the wheel was leaving was saddening. The art remains fantastic, and that does really help. This was a great send-off for Nicieza.

(Photo Source: iFanBoy)

Green Lantern: Geoff Johns, Mike Choi, Alex Sinclair, Sal Cipriano, Doug Mahnke, Keith Champagne, David Baron, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Rod Reis

So apparently, somehow, I completely skipped over this issue when I was doing February’s issues. So, here we go. It’s surprising, because this is the first issue so far without Doug’s artwork. In fact, one of my favorites, Mike Choi, has come onboard as guest penciller. You’d think I’d be anxious to say how it outperforms Mahnke’s in every way. Hal, now no longer superhuman, finds he’s still every bit a hero as he comes to the defense of some dude who’s under attack. Of course. It’s funny, after all this time relying on his ring, he doesn’t have a problem taking on four guys and winning. He then admits that he doesn’t need to be Green Lantern anymore, and he seems fine with that. I commend him for it, I’m glad he’s able to move on, unlike at the start of the series where he had a lot of trouble adjusting to banishment. Sinestro, meanwhile, is seeking out an old foe of his, Starstorm, to use his light abilities to help him find someone. The guy just wants to retire, but Sinestro’s as persuasive as always. Turns out he’s looking for Lyssa Drak, the keeper of the book of the tales of the lanterns and blah blah blah. Sinestro gets a glimpse of the Guardians’ plans to annihilate the Corps and goes to find Hal Jordan to enlist his help in stopping them. Choi’s artwork is just so good in this issue, and I wish he were more full-time. It really fits the title, and Hal and Sinestro just LOOK amazing. The tease on the last page says we’re to learn the secret of the Indigo Tribe. While this is exciting - because it’s the Corps we know least about - I highly doubt everything will be given away in one issue. Though I am anxious to find out more.

Green Lantern #6, the verdict: While it’s a huge improvement on the art, I do feel like it’s not much in terms of story. We get the revelation of the Guardians’ plans, but that’s REALLY it. Sinestro still seems to be the master of Jordan’s fate…and I’m anxious to see Hal step out of his shadow. It’s interesting because we’re kind of back to the beginning of the story, where Sinestro was training Hal. I wonder if Sinestro will have another fall from grace - if you could call this grace. It’ll be interesting to see if history will repeat itself…or if Sinestro will remain the greatest Green Lantern that ever lived. Well, not if the Guardians have anything to say about it.

(Photo Source: Newsarama)

It took forever, and that’s my fault. I had to go on a sort of comics fast due to some unexpected financial problems…but we’re back on track. Thus, I have finally completed the majority of the #6 issues from February. There may be a couple stragglers that I pick up while completing the #7s, but we’re mostly caught up.

Problem is…I’m still a month behind. @_@

I do apologize to everyone who’s trying to keep up with everything, and who enjoy reading my reviews, and especially to those few of you who base what they want to buy on my opinion (which I’m absolutely flattered by). It’s tough reading reviews of comics that you read a month ago.

Hopefully soon I’ll be right-ways up again. :)

Teen Titans: Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse, Dezi Sienty

You guys, I’m such a die-hard. I love the Teen Titans. I loved Geoff Johns’ run. I loved J.T. Krul’s run. And this current series, in the New 52, is just an absolute treat. Lobdell’s writing is top-notch, Booth’s art is bar-none, Rapmund’s inks seek to only enhance absolutely everything on the page, and Dalhouse’s colors - in this issue especially - are just a sight to behold. Check out those first two pages, with the Titans bathed in police light. Everything is so brilliantly washed-out, like it would be in a super bright spot, and then the colors revert to normal once Skitter arrives on the scene and breaks the lights. It’s stuff like that in the books that makes you realize how good of a colorist you have on the staff. I’ll get back to the outstanding art. First…the story. After their completely botched run-in with Superboy last ish, Bart is left with his powers going haywire, threatening his very existence (there’s more to why, in my opinion, but more on that at another time). If you haven’t already figured out that Bart Allen is my one-and-only favorite DC character yet, then there’s no hope for you. The fact that he’s featured so prominently in this arc is like a dream come true for me. In past arcs and series runs, he’s had his moments…but never such a large spotlight like Lobdell’s providing him here in the relaunch. We know far less about Wonder Girl and Red Robin, for pete’s sake! We know less about them, pre-existing characters, than we do Skitter and Bunker! And that’s saying something! But I do believe that they will all get their chance to shine. Lobdell’s a pro at handling team books (just read his “X-Men” books! They’re awesome!). We get an incredible guest appearance in this issue with Virgil Hawkins! You may know him better as STATIC! Static is awesome. I’ve been really enjoying his own title, Static Shock, and I’m sad to see it go this coming May. This issue right here, though, convinced me that, after Static Shock goes, Virgil belongs right here in the Titans. He and Red Robin know each other, of course, and work together to figure out what’s wrong with Bart, while Cassie and Bunker find out where Skitter’s disappeared to. MEANWHILE, we get the MOST AWESOME revelation of ALL so far in the series!! Detective Lure, from the beginning of the issue, starts speaking INTERLAC! DC and Legion fans know what that means…. She’s from the future, folks. She also recognized Bart…and pulls up a file of him in Interlac, and the kid’s a straight-up thug. Futuristic bandit. OUTSTANDING! Bart Allen’s origin is still firmly planted in the 30th Century…and that makes me unspeakably happy. I’ve always admired Bart’s more unusual, unique speedster origin story. Virgil assesses Bart’s angry powers and gives him a protective suit of armor that should help keep Bart’s molecules aligned so long as he wears it. This is actually pretty cool, and very different from Bart’s original story. Before, Wally West snapped Bart’s super-aging metabolism into normalcy. Here, that apparently doesn’t happen…and Bart’s only safe while he’s in that suit. So there’s a good potential for a scary story later when something happens to said suit. Please bear with me as I go just a little more Bart crazy with this issue (so much happens!). Bart and Solstice start to talk and Bart reveals how scared he is of his own past and they begin to form a bond, which is hinted at even stronger when Solstice admits Bart looks “sexy” in the new uniform. Apparently this is the avenue the book will be taking, with these two possibly becoming romantic…which I find really great. Bart was such a child, mentally, pre-relaunch, and it’ll be nice to see this other, more adult side of him (in canon, kids. In canon). And, finally, his eyes are yellow again! I mentioned that in my earlier reviews of this series, and Brett and Andrew were nice enough to console me, telling me they were aware of his eye color, and to stay tuned. They fulfilled their promise, and I shall love them forever. Now, while all this craziness is happening with Bart, Virgil, Solstice, and Red Robin…Wonder Girl, Bunker, and Skitter make a new friend out of Grymm, a S.T.A.R. Labs prisoner and a very dangerous teen. Grymm turns Skitter against them with some mind control, and he renders the other two motionless as well. But Bunker’s powers are psionic, so he wins the day. A nice little aside for the rest of the team to go on, and it provided some good action while the others worked on Bart (who’s now wearing a doodle). Getting back to the art, I’m such a huge Booth fan I can’t even put it into proper words without making this obscenely long review obscenelierly longerlier. But my Teen Titans reviews tend to go long. Virgil looks good here, and I love his pet robo-raptor (Brett Booth’s a big dino fan, can you tell?). I seriously think Lobdell and the gang are missing out if they don’t utilize Static as a member of the Titans in the future. I really dig Grymm’s look, but I don’t really understand why his face is so messed up. It looks cool, yeah! But I’m not finding the purpose behind it. There’s a large panel in this issue where Red Robin’s talking about calling the Justice League for help first, but they’re not available. His face here…and in a couple other spots in this issue…it reminded me so strongly of the Young Justice days, like when Todd Nauck would illustrate, that there was this pinch in my heart and I had to stop reading for a moment. Great work on Red Robin in this one, Brett. Then, of course, there’s that lovely splash panel of Bart in the new Kid Flash costume. Spectacustandingsome. That sums it up.

Teen Titans #6, the verdict: My favorite issue so far…but mostly because I’ve got such a fan-crush on Bart, and we get to see so much of his character, his story, and his origin, right here. So much happens for Bart in this one, and I’m really pumped to find out what happens next. I’m really interested in Bart’s criminal past (in the future), and how he came about arriving in the present time, and if he is, in fact, somehow related to Barry Allen. And, holy lord, Scott Lobdell…if Bart’s from the 30th Century, please tell me there’s a President Thawne. And please tell me there’s a good possibility of having a New 52 relaunch version of Inertia rearing his ugly head. What they did with that character in the “Impulse” series was some of the best writing in comics I’ve seen to date. Now that I’ve gotten my taste of one of the Titans’ origins…I’m thirsty for more. BRING ‘EM ON, BOYS!!

(Photo Source: Dangermart.Blogspot.com)

Green Lantern: New Guardians: Tony Bedard, Tyler Kirkham, Batt, Nei Ruffino, Dave Sharpe

I was very excited going into this issue, because the last one was such a godsend in terms of an overall improvement of quality. This issue saw just about the same kind of thing. I could feel my adrenaline going and my mind racing as I traced the pages with my eyes, following the action swiftly in order to get everything I could at once. I was genuinely thrilled to be reading this. It felt fun. It felt good. The skittle squad faced a terrible opponent called Invictus, the Archangel. He “is light” and is bent on destroying all darkness. The trouble is…he views basically anything not following him as darkness, especially when he recognizes the power rings the team wear. Of course, he only knows of the Orange Lantern symbol as the symbol of “the beast,” which is what he and his “children” call Larfleeze. So, yes, Larfleeze did set them up. They all engage with Invictus, but are systematically pushed down. The only one that seems to stand a chance is Saint Walker, but Invictus overcomes him as well. Bleez (oh please) is the only one not present, but she’s making her way to the Orrery in order to seek out Kyle Rayner. Hopefully she can pull them out of this mess. As I mentioned, I had a really good time reading this issue. It’s so much better than the first few were, and I’m sincerely glad to see it. I’m always sad when a comic book doesn’t present consistent quality - rather when they continually put out garbage - because I know that not as many fans are enjoying it as there could be. The art is good, still, and I like the constructs I see here. Invictus’s powers are impressive…but the onomatopoeia leaves something to be desired. I mean, I can forgive the “Fapp” as Kyle smacks his fist against his chest, but Invictus brings out “Fwooshes,” and “Fwumffs.” I get that we’re trying to display powers of light and the sun and all…but those sound-words don’t carry any weight and make them come off as weak and fluffy. I would’ve preferred a “Choom!” or “Rzzazzkkk!” or something. Something that makes the energy crackle and boom. But then that’s my own preference. Now, about the art, I did see this really funny post here on Tumblr about Fatality’s “fatal” positioning on the cover of this issue. Another artist was analyzing her impressive contortionist skills as the blast throws her back, and they were saying that - in this position - Fatality’s spine would be snapped. They joked about Fatality being killed in this issue, because of the cover art. I have to agree, I think that’s a silly position strictly made for fan service, to show off them ta-tas. While I’m okay with ta-tas, it’s exploitative toward the comic, and I don’t appreciate that.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #6, the verdict: We meet one of those good, old-fashioned villains who believe their cause is the correct one. They believe whole-heartedly in what they’re doing and think the rest of the world should agree and do it too. Those are the most dangerous kinds of foes. And that belief, couple with the sheer power levels Invictus displays, makes him one of the deadliest opponents yet. I’m excited to see what happens next, which I never thought I’d say of this title, and I’m very happy to see the improvement we’ve seen in this book. We’re on a roll…hopefully next issue keeps up the great work.

(Photo Source: The Critical Failure)

Batman: The Dark Knight: Paul Jenkins, David Finch, Joe Harris, Richard Friend, Jeromy Cox, Sal Cipriano

Well, we went from bad, to better, to worst. This is just so…unfocused. I mean, okay, it’s a little more focused than a couple of the previous issues…but it’s still looking like there’s absolutely no sense of direction or end-game to this story. It almost feels like a nightmare, where this story will just continue on and on and on forever without end. Oh god, I shudder at the thought. Before I tear into this any more, I do want to mention a bright side. David Finch is now credited solely as the artist…and I think this is the best-looking issue so far. I never really admired Finch’s art before, but this book looks GOOD. I definitely appreciate the craftsmanship Finch put into everything in this issue. That being said, it still doesn’t make up for the blind ambition with which this title pushes forward. When we saw Scarecrow behind the new toxin in Gotham, last issue, and Superman showed up…I thought it was a pretty cool fight. Definitely looked good. But then I saw the teaser for the next issue, which had Bane on the cover. And I thought, oh man, Superman BETTER NOT turn out to be a hallucination, and it’s Bane Batman’s fighting. Thankfully…that didn’t happen. It really was Superman. Batman warns him about the Flash after he has some inexplicable moment of clarity (after having the tar beat out of him by the Man of Steel), realizing that the toxin affected him different than it did Two-Face and the others. I hate the Mary-Sue quality Batman’s given in certain titles, seen here, where he instinctively knows things, or things happen to him differently, because, what, he’s special? He’s Batman? Those are AWFUL reasons for things to affect a character differently. We aren’t given an explanation at all in the whole issue. It’s just a Mary-Sue thing (blech). Batman sends Superman after Flash to help him. Then, suddenly, the WHITE RABBIT appears again! I was JUST thinking about how mad I was that they introduced this new character and she had totally disappeared - another victim of the aimlessness of this title. But, nope, there she is! We find she’s working for Scarecrow…but NO! She’s working for BANE! Ugh. “Bane! Look out! Omg! Rrrawr!” Whatever. I’m so over Bane. He’s always brought in as this tower of power that represents a serious physical threat to Batman…and that’s it. I can see what Finch and Jenkins are doing to make it different this time, with this “new venom” whatever Bane’s talking about at the end of the issue…but it’s hardly believable. I mean, I honestly rolled my eyes when I finished the book. So the toxin is now affecting Batman AND Bane differently than it affects everyone else. How convenient. I’m done with Bane. He’s not some big “OH NO THEY DIDN’T” character that DC seems to think he is. I would have been MUCH more impressed if Finch/Jenkins had brought in David Cain, or Maxie Zeus instead. Cain is an actual threat. Extremely deadly. And not dependent on venom. Zeus is hilariously delusional and psychotic, but the ridiculousness of bringing him in instead of Bane probably would’ve been enough to pull it off. And then there’s this whole “teaming up” of the villains in such an unlikely and completely inexplicable way. I mean…Deathstroke showed up for one issue and disappeared as quickly as he came. It was laughable (and not in the good way). As I said before, it seems like this book is doing nothing but parading Batman’s rogues gallery in front of us, smashing them all down our choking throats, and gleefully scooping up another spoonful. And it’s not even done coherently. At least when Bane made his first appearance, and unleashed rogues gallery hell on Gotham, it made sense. If Finch was trying to replicate the amazing planning and execution of Knightfall, he has failed.

Batman: The Dark Knight #6, the verdict: Don’t even bother. I mean, honestly. The only reason it wasn’t canceled with the other 6 this coming May is because it’s a Batman title…and that’s a sin, for whatever reason. I think holy forgiveness would be easily obtained for canning this trash. There is almost literally no story. If someone could coherently explain the story so far, with a logical projection of what’s to come and where it’s going, then I will stick around with this book and keep giving it a try. I honestly thought that, with Jenkins taking over on writing duty, this book would improve. And it did, for one issue. Then, here, it just fell completely off the cliff. They even have someone credited for “dialog assist.” ….?!?! What the eff is that?! Does Jenkins not know how to write dialog? There’s this one panel, though, where Batman says to White Rabbit, “What was Scarecorw after here? Two-Face…Poison Ivy…Clayface… I’ve taken them down a dozen times. I fear what all of them are capable of. But I’m not going soft on any of them now.” ……………..Where was Joe Harris on that one? What does that even mean? His statement isn’t even related to his question. His second statement isn’t even that coherently related to his first! I’ve about given up on this book, completely.

(Photo Source: GeekRest)

Red Lanterns: Peter Milligan, Ed Benes, Diego Bernard, Rob Hunter, Rebecca Buchmann, Nathan Eyring, Carlos M. Mangual

And we’ve now reached the pinnacle of mediocrity. This book has reached the point where it doesn’t feel like it’s trying very hard. We’re six issues in, and - thank goodness - we’re finally getting the development on the Earthling Red Lantern, Rankorr. This issue almost exclusively focuses on him and him trying to understand what’s just happened to him. We last left off with John Moore crying over the body of his recently murdered brother…and obtaining a red ring of Rage. But there is a point where we go back to Ysmault, the Red Lantern homeworld, to find that Atrocitus and Bleez (oh please) are GOING AT IT AGAIN. Waitaminute! That’s what they did in issue #5! In fact, they stopped! At the end of issue #5, when we last see Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns, they’re standing together…ready to face the universe and spread their hateful vengeance! They were united! The Corps MOTTO was said! If that’s EVER an indication of unity, then something happened that we the readers are totally unaware of. Believe it or not, DC, but the Red Lanterns fighting among themselves is NOT what’s attractive about this book. It’s old. It’s tired. It’s cliche. Atrocitus has forever been a figure of immense power and command. He BUILT the Red Lantern Corps - as he mentions in this issue - from nothing! Out of the sorrow and unending grief he felt for the deaths of his family, and his entire homeworld of Ryut, Atrocitus harnessed the power of Rage and used it against the Guardians and their Green Lanterns. The Guardians, who were responsible for the Manhunter robots that wiped the planet surface clean of all inhabitants. Later we discover it was Krona, an outcast Guardian, who introduced the flaw in the Manhunters…and that gave Atrocitus direction and purpose. Now that Krona’s dead (or is he? see last issue), Milligan here is saying that Atrocitus is purposeless…and Bleez is trying to take over the Corps due to Atrocitus’s weakness. The Corps seemed to be stable, though, at the end of issue #5…but now we’re BACK TO THE FIGHTING! Why? What’s happening? Why not tell us what started the fighting again, if that’s what happened? I just don’t understand. There was only one other point in this book where something didn’t make any sense…and, ironically, it’s where Rankorr is saying that everything “makes sense” to him now. The fury, the rage, the ring…and everything that’s just happened to him (something about peanut butter)…all makes sense. But as he attempts to crush someone with the headstone of his recently deceased grandfather, he never actually tells us WHAT makes sense. Or WHY. This, along with the whole stuff happening on Ysmault, made this issue incredibly frustrating. I’m convinced that there’s seriously no planned direction for this title. It’s just going issue to issue with no over-arcing outline already set aside. The one place where this book EXCEEDS all boundaries is with Benes’s art, and the team of artists on this staff. It has the perfect blend of realism and the fantastic…a true comic book style, in my opinion. I look at that splash page with Rankorr…in fact, ALL of the splash pages with Rankorr (and there are a lot), and they’re just fantastic. He looks great. One of the best-looking Red Lanterns of the bunch. I love the blood-fire hair. I will say, though…Atrocitus still looks like ass. It makes me yearn for pre-relaunch Atrocitus’s face (a scary thought, indeed). And there’s a lot of red in this book. Hard to believe, huh? But I mean it. Really look through this issue and notice all the occurrences of the color red. They say red is the one color we get annoyed with the quickest when it’s overused (maybe that explains my grumpiness with this title), but I have to say that I never once notice while reading this “OMG SO MUCH RED!” But I think it helps that there’s such a juxtaposition of colors on Earth, with Rankorr. On Earth, Rankorr is just about the ONLY red we see! Look at all the people he comes into direct contact with, and you’ll find virtually no red. Even in the world around him, nothing is red. Very smart.

Red Lanterns #6, the verdict: So it’s unfortunate that such fantastic art must lie beneath the weight of such a pointless story. I feel like, no matter how far we get into the arc or the stories, we will never be rid of the ridiculous fighting among the Red Lanterns on Ysmault. Even when they’ve seemingly resolved things, they still go right back to fighting. I’m honestly done with it. It’s about made me drop this title. Rankorr took FOREVER to appear, and that was basically one of the only things I was looking forward to (and many other readers, I’m sure). We’re on issue #6 now, SIX, and we still haven’t seen any hint of the end of the first arc. And, lord, I hope there’s an arc planned. Even if it takes 12 issues. Because if there’s no arc (like DC had planned for the relaunch), then these issues so far have felt like a huge waste of time. The story’s lolligagged back and forth between Atrocitus’s pouting and visiting other worlds, Bleez (oh please) and her honestly stupid aspirations to take over the Corps, the other main Red Lanterns’ origins, and John Moore here on Earth. All of those issues could easily be addressed in a little over half the amount of issues we’ve gone through already. And what’s even more frustrating? The one main thing that can get the plot moving for Atrocitus - Krona’s missing body? It gets barely one panel of a mention in this issue. If I had the option, I’d pay half price for this title, because that’s how much effort I feel goes into it. I mean, how lazy is it to list Rob Hunter in the credits on the cover, but not on the title page inside? Is he or is he not working on this book?

(Photo Source: The Critical Failure)

Superman: George Perez, Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott, Brett Smith, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, Jesus Merino, Tanya & Richard Horie, Rob Leigh, Brian Buccellato

Supergirl! She arrives to save the day, or rather save Mr. McCoy. She’s horrified by Superman’s destructive and violent actions in the last issue (she must’ve read it too), and has come to tell him off. She originally wanted to ask about the Superboy clone, but they never get that far. Instead, they get to beating each other’s faces in. But, apparently, the Superman fighting Kara isn’t Superman. It’s some kind of copy…while the real Superman is up in orbit, covered in little black dots. There’s a psychic link between the two Supermans, and we discover where the faux-hero came from. It goes back to Action Comics’ current plotline, with the Collector of Worlds. There was a civilization of tiny nanobots that were about destroyed aboard the Collector’s ship. When Clark shows up, he takes some Kryptonian battle armor, which becomes his Superman costume, on which is a tiny stowaway. So, technically, this is all Clark’s fault. Superman and Supergirl continue to throw down while Metropolis watches in horror. Supergirl’s almost at the end of her rope when Superman - the REAL Superman - swoops in suddenly to save her. We get a total explanation of the previous aliens that came in issues before (thank GOD), and a Kryptonian battle worthy of the record books. Superman also gains the support and approval of Supergirl, which is great. But it looks like something else is coming on the horizon, of course, as we prepare for the next arc with the new creative team. Though there are a lot of credits on this issue, don’t let that deter you. It actually doesn’t affect the book as a whole, because the other team is working strictly on page 23, the last page. The art is still fun…I love Scott’s pencil work, and (other) Scott’s inks. And look at how them, combined with Smith’s colors, make the Kryptonian armor suits shine! So nice.

Superman #6, the verdict: Finally done with the first arc. It feels like it’s been going on forever. Granted, it has been going on since the first issue…but still. It’s really cool to see how it all happened, and get the explanation at last. Because that was pretty confusing. Though I like how intricate it was, and how in depth it took the characters involved. It was cool seeing the other Metropolis characters interact, and how they handle these incredible situations. To me, that’s one of my favorite parts to this new “Superman” series: the point of view on Superman’s actions of Metropolis and the media. Media has played a crucial part in this book so far, and, with the change in staff, I hope things don’t change in that manner too much. To next month!

(Photo Source: Evil Squirrel Comics)

Justice League Dark: Peter Milligan, Mikel Janin, Ulises Arreola, Rob Leigh

And we’re back with the fear-visions. At first I thought all this was a legitimate part of the issue, and then Constantine is just calmly standing outside Xanadu’s residence. Looks like they’ve all been having these nightmares and Xanadu’s bringing them together to discuss what and why. But not before some more of that in-fighting we’ve seen so far. Shade slugs Constantine while Deadman roots him on. Xanadu’s worried that Mindwarp hasn’t shown, so we’re to believe that he has a much bigger part to play. Just as Xanadu explains the obligatory “they’re more than just nightmares,” Shade’s own nightmare attacks the manor and the team. After Deadman and Shade work together, and they quell the threat, Xanadu says they all need to start working together. Before she screams in pain, saying that the vampires are all screaming. This is, of course, the precursor to the Rise of the Vampires crossover arc with the awesome title, I, Vampire. This is really exciting, I’m not going to lie. I can’t wait to see what Fialkov and Milligan have cooking for us in the issues to come. I want to mention Janin’s art, as I always do, but especially in the sequence where Shade’s nightmare lady attacks the team. Just look at her eyeballs…they’ve shiny, yet dull and they definitely look goopy. I really dig the look of this Clayface-esque monster. Then, on to Arreola’s colors, especially on the page with Shade and Deadman defeating said monster. That looks excellent.  There’s also that INCREDIBLE first double-page splash we see with the title. London’s burning! It’s just…so beautiful.

Justice League Dark #6, the verdict: Still a fun book, and I’m glad that we’re moving on to bigger things. The Night of the Vampires arc has a lot of potential, and I can’t wait to see how the Dark team handles these undead, and how the series of events affects the I, Vampire series and its characters. I also wonder if Batman will be making any appearances throughout this arc, since he’s partnered up with Andrew Bennett right now. 

(Photo Source: Bloody Disgusting)

I, Vampire: Joshua Hale Fialkov, Andrea Sorrentino, Marcelo Maiolo, Pat Brosseau

Grab a seatbelt, kids. S#$% just got CRAY. This book has come a long way from me giving it antagonizing looks during the original New 52 solicits, and me criticizing its nondescript art and color style in the first few issues. It’s now a full-fledged contender for one of my favorite titles DC has right now. We saw a team-up with the Dark Knight himself, last issue, that has brought us to a full-on brawl with over a hundred vampires in Gotham City (when are they releasing this video game?!) I couldn’t believe the turn of events that takes place in this issue. I mean…I’m honestly not sure how they’re going to come back from this. It’s this month’s Swamp Thing #6 all over again. Tig, a late introduction to the series, has been an interesting character for me so far. We learn that her father became a vampire and killed her mother, and tried to kill her before she got away. This turned out to be the same vampire that John Constantine fought a couple issues ago. Naturally, Tig has this special, vicious hatred of vampires and is more keen to kill than Damian Wayne (pre-relaunch). So I’ve kind of grown to like her in a way because she can be funny, kind of, but at the same time…I really don’t like her because she’s constantly plotting or threatening to kill Andrew. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve grown to like and admire Andrew as a character — although he has some poor judgement sometimes. As Tig gleefully cuts down vampires in this big brawl, Andrew stops her, saying that if they kill the Sire, the rest are cured. Old vampire lore there, and I like that we’re staying true to the sources (unlike that god-awful book series). This is a complete revelation for Tig, though I do remember John mentioning something like that to either himself or to Tig. Perhaps himself. I can’t see Fialkov forgetting a big detail like that and having Tig act surprised to that fact twice in the same series. He’s too good for that. Anyway, they find the Sire and Batman’s got his panties wadded up saying “don’t kill anyone!” But he doesn’t seem to understand that they’re not alive. This doesn’t stop Batman…though, I honestly can’t see him having a problem with it, canonically. Either way, it makes for conflict between Bats and Andrew. There is this one pair of panels I can’t figure out, though. Perhaps it’s Sorrentino’s amazing drawing aesthetic that I’m not understanding. Where Batman tells Andrew,  ”No more death. Or I put you down,” there’s a vampire behind Batman, waiting to strike, and then it stops suddenly with a surprised look on its face. I can’t tell if it’s (a)Andrew backing down from his wolfly form, and the two are just paired together like that on the panel in an avant-garde way….or if (b)the vampire was destroyed or unsired in some way we don’t see on the panel. But it’s not addressed again in the pages to follow. So I’m not sure what that’s supposed to be. After Batman tries to face off against Mary, Queen of Blood, Tig has something to say to Andrew. This was, literally, the most shocking moment of the entire New 52 I’ve read so far. It also preludes to the coming team-up between titles I, Vampire and Justice League Dark. I can’t wait.

I, Vampire #6, the verdict: Holy cow. I’m still reeling over what happened. I can’t stand straight. I’m just so excited for the next issue, and for the Rise of the Vampires storyline that’s to come. I’m a big fan of Justice League Dark, which is receiving a new writer soon, and I’m literally tingling just thinking about this vampires arc that’s happening. Like I said…it’s come a long way for me. Great art, as usual, with some amazing visuals. And I’ve come to really like this visual style for Batman. It makes him look very human among the vampires. You’re doing a great job, I, Vampire team, don’t stop now. Newsarama is listing this book as “in danger” of being considered for the next chopping block by DC. But I really can’t see why. Get to reading this series, get your friends reading this series. Don’t let it stop.

(Photo Source: Comic Book Daily)

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men: Ethan Van Sciver, Gail Simone, Yildiray Cinar, Norm Rapmund, Hi-Fi, Travis Lanham

Outstanding. Just when I thought the book was losing steam and becoming a bit repetitive, the notch gets kicked up SO HARD. At the end of the last issue, a rogue Firestorm matrix turned into a suicide bomb and killed about 2,000 people in a stadium at a rock concert. Ronnie and Jason are the only survivors left among the nothingness that remains where the stadium once stood. The first few pages really affected me in imagining the gravity and the weight of what just took place. I have to hand it to Sciver and Simone for really putting such an enormous and fantastic event into such realistic proportions (as much as it can be for superheroes). We have to remember, this kind of weaponry has been used on real, living people in our history…and I have to wonder if anyone was ever thinking or feeling the same things Ronnie is in these first pages. That’s probably the best part of this issue…was Ronnie’s reaction to what happened. The things he thinks of and says feel so real, they feel like something any average person would say in that situation. “The dust. It’s people. It’s on me. …We’re breathing it,” as tears streak down his face. This was so emotionally gripping that I had a really hard time getting past these first pages. I just sat and stared and re-read them over and over. Ronnie and Jason start making some good points about their purpose and what happened earlier, that, later, leads so fluidly and believably to the fight they get into. But first…Pozhar shows up again. He reveals himself and attacks the Firestorms, blaming them for the terrorist act and revealing that the rogue Firestorm-bomb man was from a Quraci cell known to Pozhar. This, along with the innocence of Ronnie and Jason, as well as their link to Professor Stein (in some way that remains unseen to us — still), lead Pozhar to acknowledge that this isn’t their doing. He decides to leave them alive, which is most surprising to me, in terms of realism. But he thinks they’ll be “useful” later, so who am I to argue? Thus begins the fight between Ronnie and Jason. It was a long-time coming, and I - like Ronnie admits - thought that they could somehow be a team and work together. But no. The ending of the book is pretty epic, and I’m looking forward to what comes next.

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #6, the verdict: There were a couple issues where this book felt like it was stagnating — like with the hyena pack — but we’re back on track, and the book has a kind of direction now. It may be a direction unseen to us readers, but it definitely feels like there’s an actual road beneath us now instead of the wheels spinning in the mud. The writing has been pretty good so far, though, especially with the dialog. Now, I understand the book’s lost Gail Simone as a regular writer, and I hope that doesn’t too negatively affect the title. In fact, I hope it improves it (not to say anything bad about Simone)! If only so that it gets more recognition and sales. It’s a good book that started out VERY hard-hitting, with a great concept that we’ve never seen before in the DC universe. I’m hoping that in the issues to come, we can find some of the answers we’ve been waiting for since issue #1, otherwise this book may continue to lose its readership.

(Photo Source: iFanBoy)

Aquaman: Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Rod Reis, Nick J. Napolitano

As much fun as this book has been since the relaunch, I have to say this is my favorite issue so far. Just seeing Mera being able to FINALLY speak her mind and do whatever the EFF she feels like is such a treat to watch. We’ve seen her stand by, in previous issues, as Aquaman is ridiculed by the “surface-dwellers.” She makes her comments aside, but Aquaman is always quick to shush her with his way of just letting whatever they say roll off of him. Mera, however, does not seem to have as thick of skin. She doesn’t take too kindly to the things the humans say and do…especially when one of them tries to feel her up. But I mean, really. Who would see Mera and actually do that? I think it’s a bit far-fetched. You don’t think a woman who can survive underwater couldn’t kick your ass from here to Metropolis? In any case, her actions lead to police involvement…but she has to attack them too, because, well…they’re ignorant. Or something. Seeing Mera with her powers going all crazy train is fun, though. I definitely like the water-powers idea (having designed a superhero character of my own with such, actually), and it’s really awesome to see the artwork on all the flowing and raging water. Mera has no intentions of surrendering until she hears about a hostage situation and decides to go quietly. They stop at the hostage house and Mera snaps her cuffs. WHOA AWESOME. That panel is just great, with the look on her face and everything. Also, check out the previous panel, with the GREAT coloring of Mera behind the car window. Wow, that looks so cool. Rod Reis is just a fantastic colorist, period. Then we get one of the best lines of the entire New 52: “The absence of water is not my weakness. It’s all of yours.” Back before the relaunch, we got to see a bit of Mera’s past within the Bermuda Triangle as a trained assassin charged to kill Aquaman, during the “Brightest Day” series (if you haven’t read it, READ IT). That’s coming back to us now with these flashbacks of Mera denying her father and consequentially being banished from her people. A depressing note, kind of, but Mera learns something about people as a surprise visitor brings her dog supplies. A happy ending to a very good book.

Aquaman #6, the verdict: Like I said, my favorite issue so far, and a really great job on writing. The issue is practically devoid of the title character, and yet we are still treated to a story that holds its own very well. And we get to see a side of Mera that we haven’t seen in the New 52 yet. “Brightest Day” hinted at the savageness inside Mera (and “Blackest Night” introduced us to the Rage within), and it looks like Johns is sticking with that inner nature. I like that it’s possible to have a hero character that has that kind of personality, someone who’s not afraid to unsheathe the claws, and Geoff Johns handles it very well with Mera. Joe and Ivan’s art is, as always, pretty fantastic. Though there were some weird facial angles in the last few pages of this one, it’s still superb. I mentioned Rod’s beautiful color job earlier, and it’s just absolutely fantastic. Check out that cover!!

(Photo Source: ScienceFiction.com)

Supergirl: Michael Green, Mike Johnson, Mahmud Asrar, Dave McCaig, Rob Leigh

I had fun in this issue…but only at the end. Supergirl has been hit-or-miss with me, and I feel like it’s got some really great potential, and it’s seizing on some of that potential…but missing out on the rest. That being said, I understand the sequence of events that have unfolded so far. In this case, one must admire the story as a whole instead of the individual issues. The first issue was fantastic, with Kara arriving on Earth wondering “wtf?!” Then she met Superman and then went off to try to find Krypton. I had a problem with that only because I didn’t understand how Argo City was still intact after the planetary explosion. There were some plot holes in that last issue. Now as Kara prepares for death, her parents appear via hologram (or through the love in Kara’s heart?) and help her unhook herself from the wall she was pinned to. This didn’t make sense for a couple reasons. First…holograms are solid now? Second…it’s mentioned a few times that Kara’s away from the yellow sun that gives her the superhuman powers, so there’s no strength left in her to yank the sword from the wall (jammed there by a Worldbreaker, no less). Yet she summons this superhuman strength because “You have the power. It is always inside you. It will never leave your heart…” are the words spoken by Kara’s mom. This just…isn’t Kryptonian biology canon, as far as I know. Once the energy of the yellow sun is spent…it’s just gone, right? So how can it always be contained? Especially long enough for Kara to fly back to Earth? That whole bit I wasn’t buying really. But it doesn’t matter…because without Kara this book isn’t anything. It doesn’t exist. So we get her back to Earth. The Worldkiller is already there, having sensed the other living Kryptonians in the whole universe, and has decided to conquer and destroy the world. Supergirl arrives to face that challenge…but there’s way more in store for our Supergirl than we could have imagined. An exciting prospect…and hopefully it won’t have other unrealistic solutions like we’ve seen for Kara so far. In fact, I’m mostly hoping for a Super-family team-up. Speaking of the Super-family…in Superboy # 6, Supergirl gets to meet the clone, and calls him an abomination. She calls him Kon-El. She reveals the true fate of Kryptonian clones (which kind of has me wondering if that’s what the Worldkillers are, since they are Kryptonian-engineered). She then goes to talk to Superman about this clone in Superman #6. So if you’re confused about the timeline…let me help you. All the events in Supergirl happen first (and this includes whatever happens next with the Worldkiller in New York). Then she meets Superboy. Then she goes to Superman. There you have it. Hope I helped!

Supergirl #6, the verdict: While I had some convictions about this issue, I really want to give this comic a shot. I never followed a Supergirl title before, and I somehow feel I owe it to DC to try it now. We have a good team behind this book, and I know it can really soar. Perhaps when Kara accepts her fate and responsibility and stops moping about her past we’ll start to see some real fun. In the meantime, though, we’re faced with an emotional Kara who gets in her own way and stops the book from really progressing…which makes for a somewhat uninteresting read. Don’t get me wrong, I totally want Supergirl to remain her own character, her own self. I definitely don’t want to see high-school-Supergirl again. But let’s not dwell on the past. With Kara finally ready to look forward, I think this book will start being a lot of fun. Perhaps she’ll get together with Wonder Woman again.

(Photo Source: iFanBoy)

Red Hood and the Outlaws: Scott Lobdell, Josh Williamson, Kenneth Rocafort, Blond, Dezi Sienty

One month before, eh? We now get to see how Jason and Starfire met. And it’s quite the interesting story, if I do say so myself, with plenty of nudity. I have to say, there were parts of this issue that were hilarious. In all, I enjoyed the story of their meeting, and I do like that we get to see their bond formed so strongly. Basically, Kori finds Jason in the ocean after he stops a weapons smuggling undersea. He’s all unconscious, which is great for Kori because it helps her in keeping Jason nude for the entirety of his recovery. I’m sure that there were TONS of fangirls (and boys) screaming their heads off in that first panel of Jason lying there with naught but twigs and fern leaves covering his no-no place. I chose to enjoy the story…such as when Kori believes she recognizes Jason from another life. She has a flash of her and Dick together. Now here’s what’s interesting, does Kori honestly not remember the past? Her with Dick? Jason and Roy did mention her being with Dick (and the other Titans, actually) in issue #1. Or…is she actually remembering pre-relaunch events? That’s what I can’t figure out…and it’d be cool if it’s the latter. See…if Roy is asking about the former Titans lineup, then it really happened, right? But then, in Teen Titans, Tim mentions that his is the shortest iteration of the Teen Titans ever. So that means there have been Titans teams before, right? But then there are moments where it’s clear that this relaunch title is the first team ever. So that’s a little confusing sometimes. We get two other VERY interesting flashbacks in this issue…of Jason’s past. We haven’t really addressed much of Jason’s time as Robin before, but we definitely get to see things here that are just awesome. First off…look at Dick’s old Nightwing costume! This is obviously a play on the old-school costume, and Rocafort’s redesign is outstanding…just like his take on Robin’s costume we saw a few issues back. We also get to see Jason standing over Batman pointing a gun into his former mentor’s face. We then learn that Kori kept some of Dick’s old clothes from when they were together. So we are keeping with the notion that Kori’s memory is just not all that great…but she remembers good times better than people’s names. Good to see consistency. Jason then tells Kori everything…who he is, who he was, what he’s done. A very excellent move on his part, because it solidified his friendship with Kori and brought them to this day. Though we get a glimpse of how they came to pick up Roy (in issue #1), we still don’t understand Jason’s reasons for deciding this. We saw, in a flashback, Kori working with Dick and Roy…so is this some kind of ploy by Jason? I can’t imagine him using Kori for any reason, so I guess we’ll have to see how Roy was considered to join. Let me now remark on Rocafort’s art. I’ve said before that this is perfect for the style of the book. I love it, this kind of crazy, sometimes-it-looks-sketched look. I’ve always been a fan of messier, sketchy styles. It has a certain beauty to it. Blond’s colors really help bring that out in Rocafort’s drawings. I think that, if the book had a different colorist, it’d look completely different. We might even have trouble identifying Rocafort as the penciller. Hopefully we’ll never have to find out. I love the panel design too. There are so many little tiny panels around in this book, and it’s always fun to follow those around the page. It’s a very stylish book.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #6, the verdict: This book continues to serve up monthly excellence. I like that we’re starting to see more and more of the backgrounds of these characters. They seem like such misfits, and they are beginning to seem so perfect for each other. They each have demons to overcome, and I’m glad they have one another to support them through those demons. I can’t wait to get back to the main story so that we can use what we’ve just learned in the “flashback issue” to make the characters and the story that much richer. The art continues to amaze, and the writing is still top-notch. I can see this book becoming the new “Suicide Squad” in terms of cult popularity. Don’t forget to follow the Hoodies on Twitter and Facebook!

(Photo Source: iFanBoy)