Darkwing Duck/ DuckTales Finale

"Dangerous Currency"

So, the day has come that Disney's BOOM titles have come to an end, and to be honest, I'm pretty heartbroken over the situation. BUT there are rumors running that Marvel is considering continuing Disney titles which makes my life a bit better. But enough on that- that's get to what is important- the 4 part crossover event.

The story begins by pointing out that Quackwerks, the primary business in St. Canard and office of Launchpad McQuack is owned by a little known guy in Duckburg by the name of Scrooge McDuck. We begin two hors before things get insane, as McDuck and his three nephews and niece head to see Launchpad. Meanwhile, a lone duck, who looks haggard and worn down is runnign through the darkness, trying to reach Launchpad before its too late. As both of these events take place, Scrooge explains that the reason everyone is in danger is because Fenton Crackshell, the best accountant in the world, cannot be found. No surprise that the mysterious and desperate duck running is indeed Fenton, now arriving at the home of Drake Mallard, aka Darkwing. As Fenton is raving about what "lies below," Scrooge arrives at the house to attack Launchpad for screwing up his company, but stops short when he sees Fenton. It gets dark very fast putside and everything begins to become evil and inky- just like the substance that they have been dealign with for the past few issues. Fenton screams out that no matter what, don't let the slime touch you, just as the floor swallows him whole. Scrooge and Launchpad go back and forth about what will they do now that Gizmoduck is gone. Also, Drake learns that Fenton is Gizmoduck. A fact that apparently everyone but him was aware of. Scrooge then harps on the fact that Drake is useless for about five minutes before he finally comes out that he is really Darkwing Duck, which takes Scrooge another 5 minutes to get over. Meanwhile, the League of Eve-il (Yeah, dumb name, I know), comprised of Magica Despell, Amonia Pine, Cinnamon Teal, and Camille Chameleon, is putting plans into motion destroy both Duck cities. Back in St. Canard, Gyro Gearloose, Scrooge's inventions guy, is working on a way to beat the evil substance. Gosalyn reveals to everyone what she's been hiding- the Gizmoduck armor, and while Scrooge is annoyed that Fenton lost the armor to a little girl, he quickly bonds with Gos. Gyro and Honker fix the suit up for Fenton, so that instead of him saying his catchphrase and the armor coming to him, he will be teleported to the armor now. Before the process can go through, the Beagle Boys and Megavolt arrive to steal the armor. Gyro and Honker get taken out while Darkwing goes up against Megavolt. The Beagle Boys however, forgot the first rule of the shows- watch the kids. Scrooge's kids and Gos take out most of the Beagle Boys with grappling hooks and assorted rope. Darkwing and Megavolt continue fighting, and just as Darkwing gets the upper hand, the villains all get a call to "get dirty," which is code for "Put the ink on you." The heroes are mystified why there are covering themselves with the stuff until the changes happen. Megavolt turns into a complete powerhouse, who makes his own energy instead of having to steal voltage, and the Beagle Boys turn into one giant body with five heads and four arms. With these changes the villains easily steal the Gizmo suit and head to the hideout where a trap is being set for the heroes who follow. As the heroes look onward, they see that St. Canard itself has turned into a monster. While the ramifications of a whole city turning evil are discussed, Scrooge sneaks off to contact "Agent 44," who is a mystery to us currently, to tell him "This is worse than we thought." End of Part 1.

Part 2 picks up exactly where the last left off. Scrooge forms a plan on how they will take on Magica, who is holed up in the Quackwerks building. He, Darkwing, and Gyro will sneak in, while Launchpad and the kids are told to stay there and research the slime as much as possible. Darkwing is annoyed that he's being pushed around in his own city, but goes along with Scrooge's plan, but he knows how they will sneak in. A panel later, after the three of them have crashed though the penthouse window, Scrooge and Darkwing fight over the meaning of subtlety. Finding a box labeled "SECRET PLANS," Darkwing opens it to find this:

A moment later, the sprinklers activate and cover the room with the slime, just as the three heroes duck under a table for cover. Once it stops, they look out to see that Quackerjack is not only alive again, but is now a jack-in-the-box tank creature. Its pretty nightmarish really. Liquidator shows up as well, and he looks the same except being bigger and having cannon arms that shoot scalding hot water and freezing cold water. Also, Megavolt's there. As this fight ensues, we follow Launchpad and the kids as they walked the transformed streets, being attacked by all sorts of things, including a lamp post which Gos makes quick work of:

All the boys comment on how cool and cute Gos is. It gets a little awkward, but that's quickly cut away from as we catch up with Scrooge, Gyro, and Darkwing as they escape the building to the vine covered outer walls and windows. Although they try and climb, they are tangled in the vines by Bushroot who is apparently more powerful, but its never really explained. Darkwing shoots him in the face with a gas gun and the three manage to escape. Meanwhile, the kids are in a cave, following the slime and find a whole lake of it. The four boys, in a n effort to impress Gos try and reach in to get a sample, but they all accidentally fall in, leaving Webby and Gos with Launchpad. Scrooge, Gyro and Darkwing hide out in the most boring un-evil place in the Quackwerks building: Darkwing's old office before he started crimefighting again. Darkwing and Scrooge argue the cost and benefit of working a job to support your loved ones, and I really enjoyed how real this gets for a second. Scrooge gets a bad rap at times for his stinginess, but he shows some genuine care, and honestly some humility as he acknowledges that he won't be around for much longer. Its kinda sad. The moment is killed quickly as they hear someone calling for help. They find Gizmoduck chained up, but before they can free him, all the villians- The Big Beagle Boy, Quackerjack, Bushroot, Megavolt, Liquidator, the League of Eve-il, and the Phantom Blot- arrive and cover the floor with slime. The three heroes quickly jump to safety on some furniture, but they can't save Gizmoduck... so this nightmare is shown:

The heroes are almost taken out and Gyro nearly falls in, but is saved by Darkwing, as Scrooge calls the mysterious Agent 44 to initiate Operation: Motherlode. While they fend off the crazed Gizmoduck, the four Darkwing villains are annoyed that they can't be the ones to take on Darkwing and that the Blot is only out for himself, despite using other people's power, which reminds them of someone else they know... (foreshadowing). The Eve-il group is also annoyed that a man is taking the lead. Darkwing is grabbed and about to be eaten by Gizmoduck, when something falls out of the sky landing on Gizmo's head: a grumpy woman, on a couch, in curlers and watching television. Its Mrs. Crackshell, Fenton's mother. She berates him for a couple pages and he snaps out of the evil mode, and apologizes. The Blot gets pissed and goes to plan B: Sending in the supervillains:

Gizmoduck manages to fight them off and get Scrooge, Darkwing, Gyro, and his mother out to safety, only to find that the city is being terrorized by giant monster versions of the boys. End of Part two.

Part three picks right up, as Darkwing rescues the girls from the now evil monster boys and finds Launchpad and they all escape to Duckburg. Magica plans on taking the fight to Scrooge so that she can get a hold of his number 1 dime, which is apparently magic, and the Phantom Blot questions his purpose in this story as well as in life, a piece of foreshadowing again. Gyro manages to whip up an antidote to the slime just as the Duckburg police report sightings of "giant monsters that look strangely like Scrooge McDuck's nephews, and another bespectacled boy that we are, as yet, unfamilar with." Gotta love over analytic news reports... So the police are no match for the creatues, which I just figured out why they took these forms. Huey is the dragon from Sleeping Beauty, Dewey is teh whale from Pinnochio, Louie is the devil creature from Fantasia, and Honker is the Giant from Footloose and Fancy Free.

The boys are quickly dispatched with the antidote given from each of the adult heroes, including Scrooge and his classic Pogo stick cane that make the NES game awesome. The boys apologize profusely to everyone except Gizmoduck who they go off on because he wasn't around and could have prevented all this. Valid point I suppose. So, Gizmo recounts how he, Fenton Crackshell ended up trapped with Magica for a year, projecting the scenes without even realizing it. The suit, still slime enhanced has gotten a lot more weapons and presents a slideshow of Magica's plans, including her noting that she hates Negaduck, wants women to rule the world, is using some evil to control Phantom Blot, and plans to cover the world witht he slime. Everyone ponders if this is truly the end of the world while Scrooge once again calls Agent 44 to explain Magica's plans. Everyone turns to Darkwing for guidance, and for the firt time since the first story arc we get the signature catchphrase:

As much as I enjoy that line, the story takes a quick turn towards kind of sad and foreshadowing as Scrooge and Darkwing debate the issues of having kids around for these kinds of adventures.

The team begins to argue over where all these villains will strike first, and for Scrooge the answer is obvious- the money bin. Gyro takes Darkwing's gun to try and do some upgrades, while we check in on the villains. Magica drops Darkwing's rogues off in the city to wreck havoc, but they are quickly taken out with Darkwing's new antitdote gun that Gyro built. Darkwing is hailed by the radio as the greatest hero that Duckburg has ever seen, which is a storyline I'd like to see happen- kinda of a trading places type gig. Scrooge gets a tingle in his hands and knows that his money bin is in danger and gets there just in time to see the bin come to life and go on a rampage. Gyro hits the bin with a beam that will reveal the origins of the slime, and a portal opens in the sky, turning everything to black, and revealing the true culprit behind the whole thing: Negaduck... with Morgana, Darkwing's missing girlfriend, who looks liek she's been beat up pretty bad. Part 3 end.

Think the Gizmoduck/Christ imagery is too heavy handed here? Well, its ok... he doesn't really factor in to this story much. Negaduck tries to take down Darkwing and Launchpad's plane, but nobody crashes Launchpad's planes, but Launchpad, so he does a force crash, saving everyone inside. Negaduck uses his slime on Darkwing to show how all of this came to be. After being split into so many parts at the end of the Crisis on Infinite Darkwings storyline, his parts decsended so deep into the earth that, if this was anything but Disney, would be called Hell. After Morgana gave her life to save the world from Duckthulu, she was sent to the same place, where Negaduck siphoned her magic to bring himself back, piece by piece, which is what the slime is. Morgana however put a failsafe on her magic, that for Negaduck to come back fully, he would need Darkwing's permission. No surprise that Negaduck is dangling Morgana in front of Darkwing, that for her to come back, Negaduck would have to come with. Like all great heroes, Darkwing only has one choice:

Negaduck attempts to leave, but the slime takes his body over and he becomes an enormous prison, full of ink cells, holding Webby and Gos, Phantom Blot, The Big Beagle Boy, Gizmoduck, Huey, Duey, Louie, and Honker, and Scrooge, and the League of Eve-il, and Magica herself- each in their own cells. Negaduck's first order of business is to tell the Phantom Blot what Magica did to him, which does not go over well. While the Phantom Blot is going nuts, Scrooge calls Agent 44 one last time, tellign him that he knows what to do now, and we finally find out who he is:

Honestly, I was surprised. Did not expect him to show up. But what can Donald do? Tell people to fight back. Cue this "Who's that?" of DuckTales:

Back to our heroes, all of the citizens fighting back is making Negaduck weak so the Phantom Blot proposes a team-up, and includes Magica in the plan. All the villains join together to form something truly evil, use the reference of your choice for how this works... anything works really.

Scrooge realizes though, as the new ultra ink creature attacks, that the ink isn't as pure anymore, so its no longer transforming people when it touches them. Darkwing and the gang begin attacking all the different villains inhabiting the slime, and Morgana tells Darkwing about her trump card: She put a spell on Negaduck, so that if he ever feels sorrowful or that he's made a mistake, his powers will cease and he will return to the other dimension. Darkwing realizes this quickly and gives Negaduck the friendship speech, stating that because Negaduck never lets himself have friends, his life doesn't really matter. The realization causes him to doubt his evil plans for just long enough for the portal to reopen, taking with him those that had bonded with him- the Beagle Boys, The League of Eve-il, Magica, and the Phantom Blot- and the portal closes behind them. Later, the heroes all gather for a meal, to be served in Duckburg and then dessert will be served in St. Canard. Everyone comments on the teamwork that made this all possible and there is an implication that Scrooge will retire now that his only real villains are no more. And the two shake hands and the story ends. Its a bit anticlimatic, but I think its fitting. I don't think it ended the way Brill planned, since the series had to come to an early end, but I think it works well enough overall.
VERDICT: A. Like this is going to come as a surprise... The storyline was strong in all the ways it needed to be as a final storyline. I would have wanted a bit more, but honestly, I'm happy with what we ended up with, and I can only hope that Darkwing finds a home with Marvel. I know if you aren't reading it already, you probably won't now... but I implore you to get the first trade at least... it is fantastic.

New 52 Round 2, Week 3-4

I'm not sure how this happened again and I got way behind again, but I'm trying to catch up. Last time I looked at these two weeks, I dropped Birds of Prey, Captain Atom, Legion of Superheroes, Supergirl, and Blackhawks. I actually gave Supergirl a second look based on the idea that her vs. Superman might be interesting... it wasn't. I also said that The Dark Knight was dropped and I gave it a second look... While it wasn't good in the least, I feel its the train wreck book that I'm going to follow. This week, I drop several books so let's see who makes the cut...

Batman 2

For me, this continues to be a standout book and it comes as no surprise since Snyder is at the helm. I'm not sure how this connects to Nightwing's storyline, but it seems to feature him pretty prominently. The interaction between Bruce and Dick is really great. Like old friends more than estranged family. When Dick is accused of murder, he takes Dick’s explanation at face value, which makes it seem like a trust moment where he’s cool because they’re family… only we find out that Bruce is a bit of a cock (calling him a dick in presence of Dick doesn’t sound right) and didn’t trust him all that much after all. Dick, used to all of this, plays it off like it’s the usual Bruce thing, but even Bruce seems a little disappointed in himself:
Anxious to see where this whole Court of Owls bit is going, but I'm hooked.

Verdict: A. Solid book that I can easily say is in my top 5 books of the reboot.

Blue Beetle 2

Really, there isn't much to say about this book in a good or bad sense. It gets the "guy with brand new powers" gig down really well, but it also should come with some Spanish to English translations. I get the concept of having a level of diversity in the new DCU, but I know maybe 10 Spanish words, and although I see 5 of them used and I can use context clues... I'm still lost for bits of this.

Verdict: C+. Just being average is fine sometimes, but this series needs to pick itself up if it wants to keep me reading. Series is still on probation.

Catwoman 2

For me, this is really a mixed book as well. I really hated the post-coital conversation between Batman and her, but when the two run into each other as Bruce and Selina at a party later, I loved their rapport. The series is really strong, playing Selina as a mastermind who has gang members kill each other so she doesn't get her hands dirty, and there is swashbuckling abound. The problem comes at the end, when Selina's friend and confidant- a strong, non Bat-family supporting character, gets executed so that we can meet the villain of this arc- an Outsider knockoff known as Bone.

Verdict: B-. I almost dropped this thing after that ending, but I honestly think that I need to ride this story out a little longer, so it will maintain probationary status.

DCU Presents 2

Probably the biggest jump in styles from the last issue to now, this book is infinitely better this issue. Its no longer about the mere possession of people and helping them, and more about demon nightclubs and fighting monsters. We left Boston in the body of an amputee war vet who is playing a game of chicken with a servant of Rama Kushna. She helps Boston get some understanding of his role, but its not enough, so after getting the guy hooked up with a pretty girl in a bar, Boston ditches the body and heads to the Moonstone Club, which is guarded by some serious anti-magic security. After bodyhopping, we find out that the Librarian is the one that he's looking for, but getting to her will be hard since most of the creatures in the club can sense his presence. Cue this scene:
If I ever fight a blind person, I will use that line. You have my word. Going deeper into the building he ends up in the actual nightclub area filled with all sorts of monsters and since they can all see him, he does what comes naturally:
As they say, dying is easy- comedy is hard. Boston possesses a big zombie type monster and goes to see the Librarian- an old woman who is actually a lesser fallen angel charged with keeping tabs on every living and some dead creatures. Boston finally forces her to find his book, and as much as he wants to read it, he cant for a few reasons: its in braille AND Aramaic, and the book is one in a thousand volumes, all linked to other people's stories. And you probably shouldn't ask this woman how anything ends... she kinda sucks about revealing spoilers:
Verdict: B+. This is a really solid book that I am eager to keep reading. Despite having a major downer cliffhanger, its all good because I got to see a ghost do standup.

Green Lantern Corps 2

Last issue, we saw an entire planet and two GL's get decimated by some mysterious and invisible assassins. This one picks up with our team finding the bodies. There are seven Corps members: Guy, John, Isamot Kol, Hannu, Sherrif, Vandor,and a female Lantern. I tried to their name, but I couldn't find much. Isamot is very caring about the Lanterns who were killed as the three of them went through training together, and demands that they take the bodies to Oa for proper burial. We jump to another planet where the trees are being sucked up by the same force. Luckily, the Corps is in the area and our team goes to help the planet. Isamot loses it when he catches sight of the attacking force, and blows up their power core, and while he saves the planet, he then disapears into this black void where he gets attacked. Back on the planet, the team interrogates the enemy and they claim that now that they have everything they need, the real plan can begin. A portal opens up above and Isamots body, without arms or legs falls to the ground. Luckily, he's still alive because he put his rin on his long reptile tongue and we are assured he will grow his limbs back... if they can survive the onslaught of hundreds of soldiers pouring out of the same portal.

Verdict: B-. While I love this series, this was not one of the better issues. I still can't really wrap my mind around the bad guys here, so I will hope it gets better with time and give this issue a pass.

Justice League 2

It doesn't feel like its been almost two months since this first issue came out, but here we are. This thing is really a far stronger issue than the first one, giving us a hero vs. hero fight between a Superman too raw in the game to show restraint and a Green Lantern too stubborn to know when to fall back. I kind of want to see Green Lantern try to take another shot at Superman somewhere down the line. I love the idea that he’s pissy over not being king shit in the DCU. The makeshift team feels pretty organic so far, so it’s going to be interesting to see how Wonder Woman and Aquaman round things out. The very discussion between Vic Stone and his father about how worthless human sports are in the coming days of supermen has me very curious on how Johns is going to define this version of Cyborg, now that Vic Stone has been virtually destroyed by the coming Parademons. I have a feeling he’s going to be very similar to Captain America, tethered to his humanity despite his heightened status. We also get a look at the Flash here, and I have to say that this Flash is above and beyond better written here than his title role book. And I like that Barry and Hal already have a connection as heroes and friends, so that Hal can just hit Barry up on the cell, and he'll come running. I'm not a huge fan of how Batman tries to referee this fight, but it makes sense that he would be more sensible than the three warring heroes. Fun interaction:
Verdict: A. Another solid week for this series helmed by two of the most powerful people in the DC company. This is the New 52's spearhead for a reason and this book is just fantastic. Also in my top five books of the relaunch.

Nightwing 2

So the title of this issue is "Saiko Killer" and naming your book and antagonist after the catchiest of Talking Heads songs is a good way to get into my graces. While not very developed yet, I do like Saiko’s design and he has the makings of a strong rogue. The comic is pretty much split into two things. Nightwing vs. Saiko acts as the bread of the sandwich and it’s pretty damn cool. The middle half of it is exposition development that appears to be for shaping the series’ status quo. That is, if Dick Grayson owning the Haley circus, adn the circus itself, lasts longer than six issues. It could be a good way to differ this series from Bruce’s books and give it its own identity outside of the smug street fighting and acrobatics. It still hasn’t hit its stride as much as I’d like, but I’m confident in what’s been given to us so far.

Red Hood and the Outlaws 2

Two issues in and I still don't know how to feel about this issue. On one hand, its getting a lot of undeserved bad press for the way the series has treated Starfire, but I feel that its a new take on a character and I'm trying to keep my mind open about the series as best I can. On the other hand, this thing is really doing Jason Todd justice, but it makes the tagalong couple of Roy and Starfire look really unnecessary. And unnecessary in this comic translates as annoying. I like the Ra's al Ghul backstory and the fact that Jason, while he has no problem killing, has a certain honor and code about what he's doing and what was done to him.

Verdict: C. I can't drop this thing, but I rarely look forward to reading it, so I gues that keeps it on probation for a bit longer.

Wonder Woman 2
There really isn't much to say on this book. Its very fast paced and we don't spend hardly anytime with our title character, but that's true of all the characters. Everything seems to be going too fast and no one gets much of an inspection. We have always gotten the origin that Diana was formed in the sand and clay by her mother, and then given life, but the way this comic is going, it looks like Zeus is going to turn out to be her father. Certainly an intersting possibility.

Verdict: C+. Its not great or all that enticing, but I feel like there's a good story here. I will keep reading with the hopes it gets better.

All Star Western 2

While this entry is certainly a lot more action packed than the first issue, it kinda feels flat overall. We spend a lot more time with action shots than getting some of the Hex/Arkham buddy cop moments. The biggest problem for me is the art here makes almost everyone look the same. No one looks normal in the whole issue. I'm all for gritty, but I think there's a limit to everything.

Verdict: C+. Its not a bad comic, but I don't think its even remotely as good as the first issue. I'm sticking for a while.

Aquaman 2

Again, we have an issue that just doesn't match up to its predecessor. We have some pirahna creatures that are new to everyone in the story and go on a murder spree, but at no point do you ever feel a level of danger or concern for any of the characters. We get a little time with Arthur and Mera as they talk about his childhood and how his father never wanted him to be around water. The fun character moments are killed quickly so that Arthur can fight the evil and hungry sea creatures.

Verdict: C. Another issue that's weaker and gets a lower grade. This just isn't a good week, to be honest, and we are just gettign started.

Batman: The Dark Knight 2

Oh Lord... where can I begin with this book? A bunch of villains have gotten hopped up on some Venom mixed with something that reduces fear (wink, wink towards the probable villain here). Despite the cover seeming very serious about this Two Face fight, its over in the first few pages, because Dent's eyes just begin to bleed like crazy. Batman is far more focused on tracking down who this White Rabbit is and puts Alfred on the case:
Apparently, all over town there are reports of hopped up villains destroying Gotham. Batgirl tries to stop Zsasz, the Birds of Prey are attacked by Clock King, Batwoman faces off with the Cavalier, and Robin and Nightwing team up to take on...
Yes, the Ventriloquist (who is apparently back from the dead in the reboot). This all seems kind of fun overall, but the dialogue is so choppy that its a pain to read. Naturally, our Rabbit shows up again and Batman chases her onto a subway car where he has to deal with some Joker thugs, and discovers someone killed some of the thugs before he got there. Bruce continues to chase the rabbit until he reaches the last car and we are treated to something that almost made me burn the issue on the spot.
Oh cool, I also played Arkham Asylum. This is just awful. One of the most famous lines from one of the best superheroes of all time and this is how it gets used. Its an absolute abomination.

Verdict: D-. Much like a train wreck or car accident, you can't really look away from this book, and as enraged as I am by how bad this thing is, its at least eliciting an emotion and this was a tough week to accomplish that goal. Against my own better judgement, I'm going to keep going.

The Flash 2

This kinda leads right into this issue of Flash for a reason. This thing is beyond boring. Like... I was so bored by it as I reread it for the review, I actually left halfway to get a soda so I wouldn't fall asleep. We get one great page where Barry can see and feel everything in the city at once, using his brain at Flash speeds, but its instantly killed so we can get some backstory on a friend of Barry's that was in the military... cloning... power outage. Damn, almost went to sleep again. This thing is beyond slow and betrays the title in a pretty atrocious way.

Verdict: D-. I really tried to give this comic a chance but I'm not going to waste time on a comic that is this uninteresting. I was going to put this one on probation because I don't want to abandon the character, but I think Justice League has this guy covered. DROPPED.

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men 2

To be honest, I don't even remember much of this issue. There's a big fight between Fury and the assassins, and finally the two guys seperate themselves back out and talk with Tonya about how they can't ever go back home. Sure enough, cops and government agents are each going to their respective houses looking for them and tellign their parents that they all were involved in some deep cover terrorist plot that involved killing teachers, students, and blowing up the school. Meanwhile, the teens are stirred awake by some mercenaries known as the Hyena team, and they might be the single most annoying team I have ever had the displeasure of reading. They are apparently tweakers of Joker venom and constantly giggle at the end of every sentence. The two Firestorms are so uncoordinated since they just got their powers that they just trip over themselves and get guns to their heads. End of issue.

Verdict: C. I've said this a few times- its fine as an issue, but it just ends up as a flash-in-the-pan. I like the Firestorm system we had coming from Brightest Day, but this reboot version just doesn't compare. It's still on probtion because I don't want to give up on Gail Simone, but my patience is running out.

Green Lantern: New Guardians 2

Times Square gets a free-for-all from members from 5 of the seven Corps. Kyle Rayner has rings of the other six lights wanting to be on his fingers, something he doesn't want, but Munk of the Indigos, Fatility of the Star Sapphires, Bleez of the Red Lanterns, and Arkillo of the Sinestro Corps think he's stolen the rings. Arkillo and Kyle fight in the subway while Fatality fights and imprisons Bleez above ground. Munk just watches and tries to take out Fatality when the moment arises. Just as Kyle is about to fight Fatality, his ring begins to power up far beyond normal which can only mean that a Blue Lantern is nearby. Saint Walker arrives to get Kyle out of there and take him to Ganthet on Oa. Walker brings up a very intersting point on the way- that there is only one Orange ring, and if it is with Kyle now, where is Larfleeze? Walker doesn't travel to Oa, as he is banned from the planet, but wishes Kyle well, as he heads to the Guardian's council hall. To his dismay, gantet has been lobotomized and his emotions have been removed. The Guardians see the rings and lose it trying to capture them and imprison Kyle. The rings sense danger and go onto Kyle's fingers, transforming him into the Gray Lantern.

Verdict: B-. I was a big fan of the Blackest Night and Brightest Day books becuase it gave us a steady look at the various Corps and their members,a dn I feel like this book is trying to keep that feeling intact. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this group as I was the last set of Guardians, but I think this book has potential.

I, Vampire 2

This was somehow more boring than the Flash... the previous issue had so much potential. It was a story about two vampire characters that have different viewpoints on humans and how they used to be friends and lovers with each other. The issue ends with Mary, the antagonist telling that she had sent vampires out to kill all the humans they could. This issue is a story about the same two characters that have the same different viewpoints on humans and how they used to be friends and incredible lovers together. This issue ends with Mary, the antagonist telling the audience herself, that she had sent vampires out to kill all the humans they could. You see my problem? Its the same freakin' book, just from her perspective. Which is actually the same perspective she had when she spoke in the last isssue... this thing was just bad.

Verdict: D-. Shame on you Fialkov for making me reread the same issue twice with only some action scenes thrown in. I thought about putting this on probation, but I would rather not- DROPPED.

Justice League Dark

This issue should have been titled: Deadman Needs to get Laid. Why, you ask? I'll explain in a moment. We open on Zatanna getting attacked by shadow creatures, and barely survives by encasing herself in a protection bubble. Meanwhile Constantine gets the crap beat out of him so he can use the pain to get stronger and use magic. The focus of the issue however is on Deadman and Dove. Boston keeps taking people's bodies over so he can physically be with Dove. She gets mad at him and tells him she won't sleep with a man that's not him. The possessed guy's wife comes in and assaults her husband for macking on Dove and Deadman tries to fix the situation while Dove goes home. He leaves the body and follows her home, just in time for a blonde woman- June Moone- to arrive. She's an avatar of the Enchantress, and she's come to Deadman for help. By possessing her, she wants Enchantress out of her mind. Deadman goes to work, while Dove goes outside and cries. Still possessing the girl's body, Boston goes to comfort Dawn and attempts to hit on her. Dove slaps him/her and leaves. Now free of Deadman, June warns Deadman that he's in danger because he helped her. That's pretty much it.

Verdict: B-. I know there's a lot of story to try and get through here, but man... this thing just seems kinda dead in the water. Like Deadman's sex life. OOOOOhhhhh!!!!!! But seriously, I'm kinda getting bored and I need more Constantine soon. Probationary status.

The Savage Hawkman 2

Art is important to a comic, but it shouldn't be all that a comic is. This comic has a story where a bird/Egyptian/alien based hero fights the demon from A Night on Terror Mountain, and for some reason, its seriously the worst written thing. The art is beautiful and there are some shots here that I honestly would put above my bed as a poster, but the writing is so awful and carboard that I'm bored to death. Teh bad guy escapes and joins with other evil aliens, and as much as I'd like learn more about them and what the plan is, I can't read anymore of this. I may pick up the next issue and look at the pictures, but the writings just not worth it.

Verdict: D. It doesn't fail because of how beautiful this thing is, but seriously, this writing is garbage. No question that its DROPPED.

Superman 2

This issue feels more like an episode of the aniamted series, rather than a comic. Maybe its because of teh one-shot villain status, but it feels good for the same reason it feels bad. Superman can't see a creature that is attacking him so he is getting beat down, but Lois manages to resuce him by keeping her video cameras pointed towards the creature so that Superman can use those images to fight the creature. Naturally, the cover lied and he was actually beatable. Its an action focused issue and doesn't offer much more than that, besides Lois further cementing Clark into the friend zone he desperately wants to escape.

Verdict: B. Its not good, but its nowhere near bad and that's good enough for me really. This week has kinda sucked overall, and its weird to say that this was actually one of the stronger issues this week.

Teen Titans 2

So, its not the "Tim Drake is a badass" story like we got last month, but its a pretty solid issue. We open on Kid Flash talking to a person named Donny through a cell wall, while Bart thinks over what he should call himself now that Kid Flash has so much stigma. From there, we go to Cassie and Tim who try and have dinner, but Cassie is constantly going off on Tim for no viable reason. He seems to dig it since he openly checks her out, and after she gives him her couch to sleep on, we get this.

Much of the focus is on tracking down a bug creature in LA that is attacking people in the sewer. Tim figures out what she is and tracks down the thing's human sister. Turns out, NOWHERE is also looking for the creature and has sent someone to catch it. The merc here is kinda cool because he constantly refers to himself as we, which made me think we might see a teen Two-Face type thing, but the actual thing was kinda cool too.
Tim fights these guys off and apparently the third brother gets attacked by the bug creature, Skitter. After taking out the teleporting mercs, the bug turns on Tim, but Cassie flies in and saves him, then leaves, leaving Tim to carry Skitter out to safety. Meanwhile, Bart has gotten a chance to escape, and although this Donny he was talking to has disapeared, he find's a door marked Solstice with this inside:

Not really sure what or who that is... but its kinda creepifying.

Verdict: B+. Solid issue and I look forward to reading more, but I kinda feel that I will lose interest once Superboy enters the picture. Good ride til' then I suppose.

Voodoo 2

Softcore Porn: the Comic (like the cover didn't say enough already) just put me off really. We open on Voodoo, still in the body of the FBI agent she killed, having sex with the guy's female partner. Eventually, she finds out that her partner died in the strip club and tries to take down Voodoo, but is unable to, and instead of killing the agent, Voodoo just leaves her be and leaves for a diner where she starts freaking out because a Green Lantern (Kyle) is nearby. And to answer the horndog question- yes, the straight/lesbian/alien sex takes up more than half of the issue. Its just beyond bad.

Verdict: D. I gave this thing a pass last time. I can't in all good conscience do that this go round. Its a hot mess, and as much as I love a half naked attractive woman, I don't see the point in what's happening with this comic. DROPPED.

Well, that does it for the month of October. Round 3 is coming up and if you're wondering about the score, check in with the Keeping Score post.