Justice League #1

Geoff Johns and Jim Lee

"Part One" As this is a reboot, this needs no introduction. I discussed the first few pages when I wnet over all the new titles, but basically, Green Lantern and Batman meet 5 years ago for the first time as the government is hunting them down, and they are hunting down a horrible robot lizard creature. And here we go...

Summary: The cops are shooting at both heroes as they argue over methodology and ideology. Green lantern thinks they should use overwhelming , but careful and nonlethal, force on the helicoptors so that they can see the power and that they are good guys. Batman thinks that they should be afraid of people with powers, and remain that way. The argument is broken up by the creature rising up and in an attempt to kill the heroes, the helicoptors are shot down and destroyed. Green lantern tells Batman to stay behind, that he can handle this, and apparently that translates to "I'm gonna make a bunch of bats with my ring and toss them at this thing." The bats do however save some lives of helicoptor crew. Batman tells Green Lantern to go home, but he claims he's there on GL business- that a hostile alien force was detected on Earth. As the two descend into the sewer, Green Lantern continues to boast about his power while he guesses what Batman's powers are. Upon finding out that he's just a guy in a costume, Green Lantern laughs, and Batman uses this time to take the ring and examine it for flaws. It takes Hal a few moments to realize his ring is not on his finger. Upon handing it back he notes that its power is based on concentration, and that Hal should concentrate more, and he wouldn't lose it. They bicker again over who's powerless and brainless, until Batman socks him and tells him to be quiet and look. There is a creature like the other one fusing a weapon to the wall of the sewer. Hal makes a move to get the creature, thinking the weapon is a bomb- and he's right- it blows up, killing the creature as it shouts "Darkseid!", when he gets close. Luckily, he constructs a box around he and Batman so they are unharmed. Apparently, much like when T'aquil thought Nascar was a band liek Linkin Park, Hal thinks that Darkseid is a band name. Bruce and Hal argue over what the creature was trying to do, it did, but it left the box unharmed. After inspection by his ring, with no results, Hal is floored that the ring and the Guardians have never heard of what this item is. They do agree that it looks alien though which leads them to discuss the planet's resident "alien": Superman. Hal asks if he's really an alien, and Bruce says "He is, and he's dangerous." And while he may not have met him, Batman has certainly researched his powers. We cut to a football game , where everyone is cheering for Vic Stone, star of his team. But alas his father is off in a lab somewhere and not at the big game which makes Vic sad. Apparently, his father is on some metahuman affairs science crew, and he makes a wish to be a hero one day as he sees a bright green jet fly over. Landing in Metropolis, Batman goes off on how subtle a bright green fighter jet is when they are trying to sneak up on a Superman with incredible hearing. Green Lantern encases Batman in and tells him to relax- he can handle this guy. About that time, a red and blue streak tackles Hal and sends him flying several feet. Batman, remains down, and prepared, as the blur comes to a halt in front of him with a "I don't handle easy..." And this is our final page splash:

Yes, there are teasing the fight we all debate for the next issue. I say a tie is coming... and if its anything other than that or Batman winning, I will set the issue ablaze. Its blasphemy.

Highs: The art is beautiful, and while the story feels really recycled and simple, I think its a safe start for the reboot. The arguments between Hal and Bruce are fun and seem honest without being boring or over the top like their All Star interaction.

Lows: I still hate the new Superman costume... it just looks wrong to me. My other problem is with the villain, and more importantly, escalation. If the first battle is with Darkseid... where do we go from there? He's the big "end all big bad" so starting with him, as opposed to the giant starfish seems kinda problematic. But let's see how this goes.

Verdict: A. A solid book with very few flaws. Excellent start to the new 52.

Flashpoint #5

Geoff Johns, Andy Kubert, Sandra Hope, and Jesse Delperdang

"Untitled"- Its all been leading up to here. A whole summer's worth of comics and a blog that has nearly killed me a time or two, and it began where this issue will end.

Summary: We open to Reverse Flash taunting Barry that all his friends are dying and its all his fault. Barry of course isn't listening and continues fighting on and arguing that this is the Reverse Flash's fault. So we finally see what caused the Flashpoint. Which I want to point out that I called in the first issue. When Barry Allen found out that the Reverse Flash killed his mother, he went back in time to stop the villain, which caused a ripple effect that caused all of this(and I'm summarizing here): Because she didn't die, Cyborg's dad was somehow available to get mugged, and he fought the mugger which was in teh newspaper that Thomas Wayne read that made him think eh could take on his own mugger, and the story of a death of a child affected General Lane so he took on the young alien boy.. and so forth... its complicated, like I said. Ripples. So, now we have Barry on his knees screaming "No!" like in every story with a sad realization, Before Reverse Flash can hit Barry again, Batman hits him with an explosive of some kind and tells Barry that its ok... if he made this, he can fix it. Then Thomas gets punched out by Reverse Flash. RV reveals that he never killed Barry because ending his life would kill Thawne or make teh speed force disapear. But by Barry changing time, RV is a paradox, so he can kill the Flash and still exist. So, standard villain gloating before killing Barry, so its no surprise when this happens:

Not gonna lie, Thomas Wayne is a total and complete badass, all the way. Meanwhile in the actual fight, the team has discovered that Enchantress is a traitor and is working for the Amazons. Several Atlanteans come up behind Cyborg and Batman, and attempted to kill them when the front line of Atlanteans all get bullets in their faces. Grifter and the Resistance (that's what the name of the book should have been) have arrived, with Blackout and the Outsider. Enchantress vaporizes Grifter in about a second, and Batman jumps in front of a shot meant for Barry, and as he's dying tells him to save the world and to give something to Bruce when he gets there. Enchantress is really sticking it to everybody at this point, killing Atlanteans, Amazons, and I think Godiva and Hyde of the Resistance. However, as perfect timing does indeed exist, everyone but her looks to the sky. Enchantress looks too late, and can only must the letter F before she is reduced to a green smear on the rocks by the stomp of a 90 lb. Kryptonian. He simply says "No more." and flies off with Aquaman and Wonder Woman... no idea where, because that's the last we see of them. And then Grodd shows up because... well, I don't know. He just shows up... WITH A LASER EYE!

Luckily, Barry chooses this time to run into the speed force to avoid WTF paralysis (probably a real disease) and see his mom. He tells her that he will save her life, no matter what, and she tells him its ok. He needs to make the sacrifice. And so he does, but the Barry Allen reset button doesn't work like he thought it would. There are reprecussions as shown below:

You may notice the big League picture in the top right includes a black haired, thin mustached, purple skinned Green Lantern. Boosh to that. Anyway, because the universe took on too much change, it had to swallow nearby realities so that's why Wildstorm and Vertigo have folded into the mix the way they have. We also see that the 50 other earths are still intact so that this earth, Earth 49 (Wildstorm) and Earth 13 (Vertigo) are the only ones affected. So we have a new reality and Barry arrives safely back, but with the memories of the Earth that was, Flashpoint Earth, and now memories of this world. He also apparently gained a chinstrap, so that's there. So, Barry's first and only stop in our new world is the Batcave, where Batman and he discuss the world he came from. As per usual, Batman doesn't really pay much attention, until Barry gives him the letter. We don't really see what is written, but its enough for Bruce to stand, have to support himself on a desk, remove his cowl, and then tear up. The end.

Highs: The big fight was cool for the short time it lasted, and the art is really stellar. Also, and I realize I already said this, but Thomas Wayne is a badass.

Lows: There were 16 Flashpoint tie series, and 11 of those said they would be continued in this issue. We see the Outsider for a panel, half the Resistance shows up, and without any of the Deadman series characters and cameos, Aquaman and Wonder Woman don't really appear beyond Superman grabbing them, but there is a far bigger disappointment: Abin Sur. He never appears. You'd think a Lantern afficianado like Johns would have thought about that... The other big low for me is the fact that this issue seems to just limp for a bit. It's sole purpose seems to be about tying up loose ends... which it barely does.

Verdict: B. Is it a great comic? No. Is it terrible? Not a chance. It serves as a fitting end to this series which has had enough great and terrible moments to be pretty good.

Series Verdict: A-. My friend Stuart commented that this was like DC's big shot at a What If? like Marvel has issues of. And to an extent, he's right. Normally DC just calls them Elseworlds, but since this is the main reality and not some fake world, we have to take what we can get. And honestly, what we got, for the most part, wasn't that bad. We had several new takes on characters, that really seemed stiff in the old guard and it gave Vic Stone a place as a respected adult hero for once. I have a feeling that one of those blank slate earths that used to be Vertigo and Wildstorm may be a permanant home for these Flashpoint characters. So I guess with this issue over, we stand at a precipice between this and the new 52 books. Justice League 1 came out today as well, so I suppose I will jump right into reviewing that once I get done with work today. As the Doctor would say, "Allons-y!"

"Flash(point) in the Pan" August

I know that's a stupid title, but bear with me. Teaching classes and newly married life has really put the hurt on my freetime and comic reading time. So we have 17 Flashpoint books that have come out so far, with the final issue coming out on the 31st. So let's run through these, in order, as quick as we can...

Flashpoint 4

Geoff Johns, Andy Kubert, Sandra Hope
Untitled, but should have been called "Why the Hell Didn't Captain Thunder Get His Own Miniseries?" Only thing to remember here is that this is the FIRST book of the month. So this is what people read before all the miniseries'.

Summary: We open on President Obama telling the world that the reliance on superhumans to save the world is over, and that the military has found a way to save us. Watching this account are the 6 kinds who make up Captain Thunder discussing whether or not to get involved (Spoilers: They do.). Apparently last time they faced Wonder Woman, she scarred the hero's face. We cut to Ferris Aircraft where Hal Jordan's jet is getting fitted with the Green Arrow nuke from Queen Enterprises. Apparently, in this reality, they want to hammer in the fact that Hector Hammond and Jordan are friends. Jumping back to the military installation where Superman was being held, and where Batman, Flash, and Cyborg are all fighting as hard as they can against guards. They are about to be shot when all the guards get gassed, which is the work of Element Woman... who is insane. Barry starts convulsing as his reality is being written over by the new universe. Batman calms him and tells him to focus on his son, Bruce, and making sure that he still exists. Cutting back to the SHAZAM kids, they are still arguing and upon stating that if they don't join in and help, the world was going to end, Billy makes the call that they are going out to help. Batman shows up at their house with Barry, still sick, and asks Billy to use his thunder to help Barry's mind. Billy sees what he is in Barry's reality, and decides he must make this happen. The tv goes to a news story about the military strike on the Amazon base in Brittain, and reports Hal Jordan's death as he activated the nuke. Remember this fact... its important. Barry wakes up and rushes Batman into the kitchen, and tells him to stop burning all his bridges, becuase this world could be what they are stuck with. Batman states that if the reality can't be reset, it will burn to hell. So... he basically starts turning into Owlman from the Crisis on Two Earths animated film. Flash tells Cyborg to call everyone and forming a strike force on the Aqua-zon war. Enchantress teleports in and says that the Secret 7 had an incident, and she needs a new team. Just to reiterate, I hate the Secret Seven mini.. as you'll see soon. Anyway, they are all in Batman's jet and heading for the battle. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are fighting each other, and he's upset she's wearing his wife's helmet as a trophy. Our heroes attack and Captain Thunder takes on Wonder Woman and is about to kill her when Enchantress uses her magic to split the kids up intot heir human forms, killing two of them, I think. Wonder Woman stops her attack upon seeing that Billy is just a boy, but another Amazonian soldier attacks and kills Billy. Barry falls to his knees at the boy's body as the Reverse Flash shows up and tells Barry that this is all his fault.
Highs: Lots of action and story movement. The art wasn't that bad either.
Lows: The story is just draining at this point. I'm ready for it to end. And to reiterate my title, the SHAZAM kids needed their own miniseries.
Verdict: B. Not bad overall... Just ok for a main book. Moving on to a far better series.

Batman: Knight of Vengeance #3

Brian Azzerello and Brian Risso
Untitled but I call it "Great Story with Nonsensical Timeline" Given the fact that most of this issue relies on the twists of the last two issues, I would advise you to stop reading here if you don't want to know. So, last chance before I turn the spoilers on... Okay, and go:

Summary: We open to a shot of a mugger firing, but it quickly changes back to the present as Thomas Wayne rushes through the manor to find his wife, now known as the Joker. He finds the dead body of Commissioner Gordon, and the dying girl and her scared brother, the Dent twins. Thomas quickly pours something into the girl's wounds and apparently saves her. She says that she's cold, which makes Thomas snap to a flashback of Bruce dying on the street muttering the same words. As Thomas tries to save him, Martha just rocks back and forth saying that this isn't real. Thomas snaps at her to actually do something, and she runs off, and returns with a cop, but too late. Back in the present, Martha begins attacking Thomas with a hammer as he tries to get the kids out of there. Cutting back tot he past, we see that Martha isn't responding to therapy like she needs to and she refuses to accept Bruce's death. He says he misses her, and her smile, and tells her that he is going to make it better. We wee Thomas jump Joe Chill, the mugger, and beat him to death. He returns home to tell Martha that the killer is dead, and she shows him her new smile- cutting her jowls into a permenant smile.Horrified, Thomas has her institutionalized, and begins to mope. Cutting back to the present, we see Martha just beating Thomas up with the hammer, saying that all the blood on his hands hasn't changed anything, except Thomas himself. Thomas then tells her the news that he has: That there is a world where both shots killed them instead, and Bruce lives. And that's where the problem is. Barry Allen has, for his entire tenure in this universe, has had someone with him constantly- Thomas Wayne. So how could this book ever take place? Maybe I'm just being nitpicky... Anyway, after telling her that he has the chance to destroy this reality and bring the one where Bruce lived, to light, Martha calms down. She smiles, and kisses her husband in the rain, her makeup finally coming off. She asks what Bruce grows up to do in this new world, and we are given this scene:

Martha runs off, horrified, from this news, laughing all the way, and misses a step and falls through a hole. Thomas jumps to save her but is too late, as she falls and gets impaled on a stalactite/stalagmite, still laughing.
Highs: What an incredible series.. this thing was great from beginning to end, so much that anachronisms which normally drive me crazy, don't bother me at all here.
Lows: The art is not near what it should be, but in a book as gritty as this, that's kinda to be expected.
Verdict: A. Great final issue for a series, and I look forward to seeing how this all turns out for Thomas in the end.

World of Flashpoint #3

Rex Ogle and Eduardo Francisco
"This is the World We Hope For"- Traci 13 is a magic teenager who is trying to stop her scientist father, Doctor Thirteen, from blowing up the world to stop the Aqua-zon war.

Summary: Basically, this is a story about father and daughter, who are trying to outmagic each other. We open on her father beating her, then she starts beating him, and he does the classic, "I'm sorry honey... Don't know what came over me... ZAP... Ha, I can't believe you fell for that" trick. Worst father ever so far. So, to make sure her father stops his bomb, she teleports to the battlefield where the bomb will go off. Her father goes after her and tries to save her from being killed while she runs around screaming for people to stop fighting. So, naturally, she gets a spear through her chest. The doctor gets so mad that he melts the faces off every person in a 15 foot radius. Some white light reaches up from the ground and heals Traci, and she is magically saved and goes to stop her father, who is now just flensing people maniacally. She realizes her dad needs some perspective, so she shows him all the wonderful people she met on her journey last issue, and he just shrugs off all his hate. So to stop the satellite which goes off in 2 minutes, he punches Traci and turns into the Human Torch to go blow it up and basically sacrifice himself. He blows it up and begins to bleed from his ears when Traci teleports in and grabs him and teleports them to some random field somewhere. We find out that she used up all her magic with that and that she, nor he, can never use magic again. They hug and walk off into the sunset, apparently forgetting the massive war that will no doubt destroy the universe.
Highs: Its a good family story with some great cameos, but this issue just was lacking in everything that isn't found in an ABC Family special movie. Art's nice though.
Lows: I feel that the competition parts, like the magic fight and the"sacrifice-off" are kind of dumb.
Verdict: B-. While not a strong issue or conclusion, the other two issues are very fun, and for the most part enjoyable as they bring hope and love and family to the front of a world that is lacking in all three.

Secret Seven #3

Peter Milligan, Fernando Blanco, and Scott Koblish

"The Area of Madness"- I hate this series. Its dumb. And if you thought my last entry was brief, you aint seen nothin' yet.

Summary: We open up to Shade trying to bring Amethyst back to life as June Moone, the Enchantress' split personality, is keeping Shade calm. Zatanna, now in biker gear and 3% of her clothes shows up with a Trigon infested Raven, and Mindwarp, the astral projection guy. They all want to kill Shade and June, but June turns into Enchantress and knocks them all back. Raven and Mindwarp begin psychic attacks on the witch, but Shade stops them, in fear they will hurt June. Their "soul selves" are temporarily stone, and Enchantress uses this chance to destroy the statues. This makes the two bodies of the heroes explode, killing them. Zatanna uses a death spell which kills Enchantress, but also kills Zatanna in the process. Enchantress stands up and states that it was June who died, not her and now taht she's free, she is off to see her real friends, leaving Shade in a room with the bodies of his team, and he descends into madness. Enchantress is shown meeting with Wonder Woman's aunt, Penthesilia, where she is paid by the Amazons, and tasked with joining a new team and killing them (see the Flashpoint #4 for that info). Shade is shown inside the madness where his vest brings him back to life.
Highs: Its over.
Lows: Everything in this book is utter crap, and this is by far the worst series.
Verdict: D. Only reason this book doesn't fail is because it is not really redundant like some of the other books in the Flashpoint series. However, the whole plot where the Amazons tasked Enchantress to kill a group of incompetent and semimagical people who never really seem to care about the Amazon War... it seems really dumb. But anyway, moving on...

Deathstroke and the Curse of Ravager #3

Jimmy Palmiotti, Tony Shasteen, and Alex Massacci

"The Treasure" Pirate Deathstroke is trying to save his kidnapped daughter, pretty much explains it.

Summary: After saving Jenny Blitz from Warlord, and her blowing up the guy's ship fleet, Deathstroke makes her an offer to have his share of the treasure they find for her help. Also, after a really awkward moment where she compliments how fatherly he is, Deathstroke kisses her, and they have sex. Awkward... and I'm going to pass on the obligatory "pirate getting booty" joke. None of this goes over well with the crew and they plan a mutiny. Two soldiers that remain loyal to Deathstroke are killed, and the ghost that one of them, Briggs, talks to sees the murder of her friend and warns Deathstroke. He puts his mission on hold while he goes and kills the mutineers with Jenny. After killing them all, including evicerating Eel and Jenny blowing up Icicle's head, only Sonar remains. After telling them that he made a deal with Caretaker, the man who created Jenny, he will be free and Deathstroke will die. So Deathstroke shoots him in the face and kills him. Caretaker arrives with Rose tied to the mast, and while Jenny goes on about how she'll never be captive to someone again, Deathstroke knocks her out. Deathstroke offers a trade for the two girls, and says that if he tries anything funny, two thermal nukes will blow and take Caretaker's fleet out. Hard to argue with that deal, so Ravager is released as Deathstroke brings the tube holding Jenny over. He adds to the deal once he sees his daughter is safe, that his ship needs to get a safe distance away before, and in exchange he'll turn himself in as he's worth 100 times what his daughter is. Unable to argue with this deal either, they let Rose sail away safely. Once she's safe, Deathstroke goes nuts and starts attacking Caretaker's crew, and sets off the thermal nukes, which is actually just opening Jenny's pod. Massive death and explosions occur, including Caretaker's execution at Deathstroke's hands, and Deathstroke sinks beneath the water and waits to die. He awakens back on his ship where Jenny and Rose have saved him. They all hug as a new family and sail off into the sunset. Another happy ending...
Highs: Art's great and I've always been a Deathstroke fan.
Lows: That being said, I feel like they are trying to cram too much stuff in for a single issue.
Verdict: B+. I still don't get the title. It doesn't seem like the Ravager ship is cursed beyond having a bad track record for its crew staying alive. Also, the whole story is leading up to a finale where just luck solved all the problems and mission. But the book was surprisingly not a bad read.

Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #3

Jeff Lemire, Andy Smith, Keith Champagne

"Our Frightening Forces" This has definitely been the standout series that surprised me at how much I enjoyed it. Monsters from WWII fight against the military... good times.
Summary: We open to a lab in 1940 where a sick soldier is given a miracle drug and it turns him into a werewolf. Jumping tot he present where he is dying from a silver bullet would, Griff the werewolf is running out of blood. The recently arrived Bride of Frankentstein wants to enlist Frank to join SHADE and go fight the Aqua-zon war, but he refuses until they can find the scientist to help Griff and the others. The Bride also informs the monster hunter Shrieve that it wasn't just the creatures that killed her family, but her boss, General Adams, that ordered the kill. Shrieve chooses to join the team and head to Romania, but, using the GI Robot's camera eyes, Adams has seen the map of where the scientist is hiding out. Arriving at the hidden village, the streets are littered with the dead bodies of werewolves and vampires. Velcoro the vampire, attempts to run but is stabbed through the chest by another GI Robot. The Frankenstein monsters take on the robot while Nina and Shrieve try and get Griff to the castle and to safety. The scientist, now dressed as a mummy for no discernable reason, rushes outside and explains as he tries to help Griff that Nina was never a normal girl, but a creature from the village that the scientist stole. He finally manages to give Griff something to help him, and the werewolf passes out. Jumping back out to the robot battle outside, the sun has started to come up, and the Franks are losing. Luckily Velcoro jumps on the creature and begins ripping out its circuits, as the sun is burning him up. Finally, Frank cuts the robots head off, and Velcoro falls and begins to turn to ash, smiling that he had finally stopped being a coward. Jumping back inside, we see that Griff has finally returned to a normal state. Though normal, he still loves Nina, and the two share an embrace as the Franks and Shrieve head out into the sunset to join SHADE in the war in Europe.
Highs: This was a fun story that never let me down. It also kept away from the Aquazon war, which is incredibly tiring to constantly hear about. The art was good, and the characters are almost all new, and they really make me want to read more of them. Really looking forward to the new series.
Lows: Only problem is that its not long enough. Really wish there was more here.
Verdict: A. Solid book with solid writing. Can't ask for much more.

Emporer Aquaman #3

Tony Bedard, Vincente Cifuentes, and Diana Egea

Untitled but should have been called "Jesus is to Blame" You'll see why momentarily, as this book takes place, almost entirely in the past.
Summary: Wonder Woman has arrived on Aquaman's ship, not to fight, but to warn him that his brother Orm, and her aunt Penthesilia are in cahoots to start and continue the war. The whole thing doesn't make any sense really, which I'll get to momentarily. Aquaman agrees that the two must be brought to justice, BUT FIRST, they must fight to the death, and whoever lives, will take on the traitors. As the two fight like friggin' idiots, Orm sets off a bomb with Penthesilia, that blows up the entire Atlantean fleet except Aquaman's boat. Vulko, Aquaman's head scientist, believes this to be the Amazon's doing and sets off their Geo Force bomb which shakes the earth's core and will destroy it. Then Vulko's ship explodes. Believing it all to be a trap, Aquaman goes back to trying to kill Winder Woman. He is left with a choice: kill the woman who killed his wife or to stop the machine that will kill every living person on earth. So of course, he chases after Wonder Woman. So if you are wondering where my title came from? The issue is narrated throughout with Aquaman discussing that if he had gotten the exposure he needed from his father with the Christian faith, he never would have been this way. But since he didn't now he's this way. I was not expecting a book about a make-believe warrior king of a race of undersea people out for revenge against the ruler of an island of Amazon women with invisible planes to end with such a strong endorsement of Jesus Christ.
Highs: The art here isn't bad.
Lows: Everything else. Characters are cardboard, story is weak, and we don't know anything more from anythign else.
Verdict: C-. Its a boring story that doesn't make sense. Not to get off on a rant here, but... Whose side exactly are Penthesilea and Ocean Master on in the first place? Like, is he betraying the Atlanteans for her? Because blowing up all Atlantis' ships does not seem like a good move even if he secretly seeks to take his brother's throne. Why not just blow up the ship Aquaman is on? If he has betrayed Atlantis for the Amazons' cause, why are the Amazons upset with him and holding him prisoner? Shouldn't they be happy he just pushed a button that made all their enemies explode? Are both of them betraying their own people? Why? On whose behalf? Why have these two conspiratorial geniuses crafted a scheme that has resulted in the deaths of untold numbers of their own people and, in the Amazons' case, the destruction of their homeland? What exactly are they gaining from this? It's pretty close to the end, shouldn't we know that by now?

Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3

JT Krul and Farbrizio Fiorintino

"Death in the Family" Can we all agree that this should be called Deadman and the Dying Graysons? Mary died in the last issue and his father is dying at the beginning. Everyone's just dropping like flies.
Summary: We open to John Grayson dying, asking Boston to look after his son, but Deadman doesn't seem interested. The group, now consisting of Dick, Deadman, Ragdoll, and Count Vertigo, is trying to decide what to do with the Helmet of Fate. Dick decides to get the helmet out of town, and of course, everyone goes with him. As they run through that attacking Amazon hordes, Ragdoll is grabbed and then crushed to pieces, and Vertigo is then stabbed though by another Amazon, leaving only Boston and Dick. The two run through the city, and eventually a wall comes down on top of them and the enemy Starfire. Deadman stands up afterward and tries to help Dick up and save him, but its no use. Boston Brand is the one who's dead. We get a great moment, and possibly the only moment of a character shouting "Nooo" beside their own dead body:

Dick continues running and getz to an oil tanker, and releases the valve, covering the whole area with flammable liquid. The tanker blows after Starfire attacks Dick, killing the princess and several Amazons. Boston possesses Dick and helps him make the jump escape, and as the teen rolls, he lands at the feet of Brittaina, leader of the Resistance. She is joined by Kid Devil and... I won't lie... I literally got goosebumps at this sight:

Yeah, that's my guy. The Vic Sage version of the Question. I pray that the reboot will return him to life and his heroic role. If that's the case, all of this was worth it. Anyway, Dick puts on the helmet and becomes the new Doctor Fate and Deadman promises never to leave Dick's side.
Highs: Did you see the Question? Boosh. Also, I think this was a great, though fairly predicatble story.
Lows: It sucked seeing so many good characters bite it, but that's Flashpoint for you. Also the art seems really water-y
Verdict: A-. While its a great story with a lot of options, I found that it was just ok, but in the upper tier storywise, compared to some others.

Citizen Cold #3

Scott Kollins

"Cold Hearted" Captain Cold is not a good good guy. Like this whole series is about how he is secretly this bad guy masquerading as a hero, but he really is just scummy... not sure why he's criminal background is such a mystery. Anyway, here goes the final issue where everyone gets some form of revenge.
Summary: We open to Cold lying on Iris West's couch, passed out from the rough beating he took in the last issue from the survivng rogues who killed his sister. Iris finds herself strangely attracted to the "hero," but cant resist finding out who he really is. In a surprise to no one, he's actually Leonard Snart, criminal who murdered his gang for turning against him. Whiel horrified, she still doesn't do anything with this knowledge. She tehn finds taht he has two tickets to Dubai, for him and for her. He wakes up as she discovers the tickets, and has no idea how he got into her apartment. He also gets really paranoid as his glasses have come off, revealing his face. He asks if he can trust her, and when she says yes, he kisses her as hard as he can, though she pushes him away. He says he has some final business, but he loves her, and if she ever wants to see him again, to meet him at an address and hands her some keys. She sits to breathe, staring at a picture of her now dead nephew, Wally. Meanwhile, in the sewers, Piper has survived Cold's trap, and is plannign to go after the villain for killign his best friend, Wally. We catch back up with the rogues who are still reelign from their escape from Cold. Mirror Master, still trapped in mirrors, is slowly losing his mind; Weather Wizard wants to break Cold and find out what he did to his brother; Tarpit, who apparently in this reality is a teenager just wants to break stuff; Fallout wants to avenge his friend Mr. Freeze; and near as I can tell, Axel the Trixter is just there for the fun of it. Trixter shows Tarpit his new ride, and hooks the monster up with his stereo. As Tarpit is too busy with the music, he doesn't hear Cold come up on him, freeze him and then shatter him to pieces. He pulls a similar trick on Fallout, and kicks his frozen body into a generator, smashing it to pieces. While Weather Wizard is creating a tornado and screaming abotu his brother, Cold tells him that his brother was the one that paid Cold to kill the Weather Wizard. Before he can respond, Cold snaps his neck, and begins to leave, but gets sucked into mirror world. He sees Trixter's body inside, cracked like a mirror, and Mirror Master explains taht he knew Axel was the traitor the whole time. Cold has about 30 seconds before he dies liek Axel, but he manages to pushes Mirror Master through one of his own portals, where he will die in the surface world. Finally succeeding in his mission, Cold slumps off, soliloquizing that in anotehr life these guys could have been his team (WINK WINK, READER). Making it to his apartment, he finds Iris inside, and she is crying. He rushes to her side and she asks him point blank if he killed Wally. Before he can respond, Piper shows up and the two have a battle. In it, Cold admits to killing Wally, and before he can kill Piper, Iris shoots Cold at close range with his own gun, freezing him, and presumably killing him.
Highs: I'm a huge fan of the rogues and stuff liek this is an excellent treatment of an alternate universe. The art is gritty, but it works with the tone of the book.
Lows: I was kind of hoping for... something more here. I don't know what exactly... just expecting more.
Verdict: B+. Its not the strongest series by far, but its a solid title that never dealt with the Aquazon war which is a blessing.

Wonder Woman and the Furies #3

Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Agustin Padilla, and Jose Aviles

"Cataclysm" We pick up almost exactly where the Aquaman book leaves off, as the Geo Force weapon is activated, and England is being ripped apart.

Summary: Terra uses her powers to try and stop her brother's powers, but she's not having a lot of luck, but she manages to raise England up... wait... what? They already did that, right? Turns out that this is a fakeout without a time stamp, and we cut to now. As Terra is sitting by a fountain, Orm and Siren have arrived (in their attack from Emp. Aq. #1) to kill her, but Penthesilia arrives and kills Siren, as Orm and she kiss. Wonder Woman stumbles onto this sight and she figures out their treachery. She beats Orm up and fights her aunt to a standstill when the furies arrive and show Wonder Woman the broadcast from Lois Lane. Lane reports that the Amazons are acting like the Nazis, with camps, torture, etc. Diana, unable to figure out what to do in thsi war situation, is an idiot and asks her captive aunt what to do. So Wonder Woman goes to the fight from the Emp Aq #3 issue while we get the seismic bomb going off after Orm blows the ships. As Orm and Penthesilia fight the Amazon and Furie guards, they, and this is out loud, talk about how they met, and why they were such a good team. This is beyond ridiculous and reads like a clip show.. Don't believe me? Try this piece:

Ridiculous... So, they defeat the guards and discuss who they will marry and form a warrior union to rule the world. Then they stand and watch Aquaman and Wonder Woman fight, which ends with, all the heroes showing up... which happened in Flashpoint 4 (scroll up to the top). So we learned nothing in this issue beyond why those two traitors were hooking up... which context clues answered in the beginning.
Highs: The art was very good... which makes sense because there are three of them.
Lows: The story is repetitive and pedantic... Just boring.
Verdict: C-. At least with Aquaman we got something new... and we found out religion could have saved the sea king. With Diana... we just know that she can't think for herself. Which is a shame.

Legion of Doom #3

Adam Glass, Rodney Buscemi, and Jose Marzan Jr.

"Streets on Fire" This book has been all blood and gore as someone decide to remake Oz but with supercriminals and even more violence and gore. Last time, we saw Plastic Man and Heatwave go on a killing spree of other inmates. That's about it.

Summary: We open on the villain prisoners trying to crash their floating prison into downtown Detroit, Cyborg's city. Plastic Man in a complete change of heart from last time, is not cool with killing all the innocent people and Heatwave and he fight. Heatwave then sends his two new bodyguards, Lock Up and Sportsmaster, who are quickly dispatched with soem clever quips. This is a distraction so that Heatwave can kill PM and burn his rubber down to nothing but a pool. So, with this huge thing crashing in downtown, Cyborg jumps in and manages to reroute it to crash into a waterfront, where there are no casualties. Heatwave and his team, which now consist of Black Manta, Thinker, Firebug ( I think), and a guy in a suit who never speaks or does anything. Unfortunately, Cyborg is unable to do anything more because he has depleted his power supply. To make matters worse, Heat Wave rips his arm off, and uses it to beat the hero. However, I have to assume that Cyborg and Bender Rodriguiz from Futurama have the same engineer because the arm begins to beat Heat Wave mercilessly. The other villains all surrender after their leaders humiliation and they are sent back to prison. Heat Wave gets a new cellmate soon after, and is already forming a new escape plan. The new guy starts crying and then bleeding all over the place yelling out "He's angry with you!" and "He lied to me about how this would feel!" Big surprise, Plastic Man survived and smuggled himself in again and all we see is fear in Heat Wave's eyes as PM reaches for him.

Highs: It ended. This comic was beyond dumb. I guess the art wasn't bad.

Lows: Story, characters, needless gore and violence, and the fact that this writer is on Suicide Squad in the reboot...

Verdict: D-. Only thing keeping it from failing is the fact that we get some revenge and there's a semi-happy ending. Moving on...

The Outsider #3

James Robinson and Javi Fernandez

"Men from Space"-The Outsider, Michael Desai is a stone skinned mogul who controls all of southern Asia. He's also an enormous dick. In the last issue we found that everything leading up to now is the work of a now megalomaniac Martian Manhunter. And now we'll learn why.

Summary: We open to a lab scene, years ago, where there are experiments being done on the Martian at the behest of Desai, so that he can learn about how he got here. They discover his weakness to fire and his telepathy and attempt to learn more from these traits. Desai is more focused on the technology to go to other worlds rather than this one creature. After learning everything, they sold the Martian to the Russians. The Russians tortured the Martian even more and when he finally overcame his fear of fire, he escaped, taking with him the frozen body of Black Adam. The two joined forces until Martian Manhunter betrayed him, stealing some of the magic that allowed him to change, and eventually killed him. J'onn reflects on that if he hadn't been brought to Earth, he could have had a good life and been a good man, maybe even a hero (WINK WINK READER). J'onn also explains that he was paid by the Amazons or the Atlanteans, but won't say who, to kill Desai. So J'onn turns into all these different green monsters and Desai fights him, and for the first time, we see that Desai is kind of a badass, as he is a 4th degree blackbelt in 8 martial arts. So after some serious fighting, where Desai's suit is never even wrinkled, Desai pulls out what I honestly believe to be a sonic screwdriver via Doctor Who. Teh device opens up a portal between realities and Desai encases half of J'onn's body in the portal and threatens to cut him in half between worlds if he doesn't talk. J'onn scoffs and almost gets out a "You wouldn't dare" before Desai proves that he doesn't make threats. So, now we have some bottom half of a Martian floating in some other reality. Desai heads back to his home and calls Batman and Cyborg to let them know that he is on his way to the battle to join them.

Highs: I gotta say that I'm a fan of this guy. Rock skinned Lex Luthor. Really hoping he makes the reboot. The story though slow and really mysterious seems to wrap up nicely and that's always a plus. Kinda getting sick of everything being continued in Flashpoint 5 though.

Lows: Sonic screwdriver ripoff... that's about it.

Verdict: A. Solid story and certainly something that got my interest. Definitely, for me, one of the best series to come out of Flashpoint, if not the best character.

Abin Sur #3

Adam Schlagman, Robson Rocha, and Felipe Massafera

"Emerald Embrace" Previously we saw taht Abin Sur was doign just fine and on a mission to find and save the White Entity in Earth's core. Sinestro showed up, believing the prophecy of the Flashpoint, and tries to kill Abin and succeeds in cutting off his ring hand. When will people learn with this guy...

Summary: So Sinestro is about to execute Abin, and in his gloating, he doesn't notice that Abin is making his own hand out of willpower. Yes, Abin Sur has so much willpower his ring doesn't even have to be on him. So after breaking Sinestro's hand and his ring, Abin is chastised by the Guardians for not finishign his job and impeding Sinestro's mission to bring him in. When Abin mentions Flashpoint, the Guardians change entirely and demand that he bring Sinestro in and do not listen to a word he says. Arriving back on Oa, Abin is then stripped of his title and fired from the Lantern Corps. So, once his ring runs out of power, it will be sent back to Oa, and he is done. Abin, with 13% power, heads to England and begins fighting alongside Cyborg against the warring groups. The ground begins to quake and Abin knows that the white entity is in danger so he heads intot he cracking earth to stop the machine. His ring runs out of juice as he falls into the lava, as his ring heads up to find a replacement in the sector (Who wants to bet that Hal is the one to get the ring now?) . Abin awakens, surrounded by white light and his sister, who informs him that he has done everything to save lives, now he needs to embrace it. And.. you guessed it- Abin becomes a White Lantern and the last thing we see is his ring putting the earth back together.

Highs: It was a very successful story and I think that this book did more to shine a light on what kind of person Abin Sur is/was than anything to date, so kudos for making "dying purple alien" into such a mythos.

Lows: The art here is very watery and although the colors are pretty, its kind of sloppy in places... and looks very dreamlike.

Verdict: A. A solid end to a book that was utterly predictable for the first issue. Very enjoyable.

Hal Jordan #3

Adam Schlagman and Cliff Richards
"Hard Travelling Hero"- I'm not gonna lie... this book has been absolutely nothing... Everything that we could have gotten as an aside in another book. The first book is almost a shot for shot of the standard origin story. He doesn't get a ring there, but he helps Abin Sur, then joins the military to stop the Amazons. We already knew that from his momentary appearance in the Abin Sur comic (same writer). Now he's set to drop the nuke on the Amazons...
Summary: Have you seen Independence Day? Mostly the part where Randy Quaid flies the plane and blows up the alien ship? Well, now you get to read it. Honestly, maybe I've gotten a bit too jaded, but I'm going to rush through this one because we learn nothing. Hal goes to Carol and tells her he's dropping the Green Arrow nuke, and she wants to come with. He flips out and storms away. Cue the scene from Flashpoint 4 (Let me reitierate that this book came out on the 24 of August... Flashpoint 4 came out on Aug 3) where Hammond preps Hal's jet, and he takes off with Carol and a few other planes. The other planes get destroyed by the Amazon defense grid which is a forcefield, and a giant woman. Carol and Hal team up to shoot Giganta's eyes out and kill her, and damage the forcefield. Hal's bomb is stuck and not working so he tells Carol to eject, and he will too, but surprise- he doesn't and flies the plane and the bomb into the Amazon territory, and dies. No ring, by the way, because of the timeframe, obviously. Also, we knew he was going to die from the first issue of the month. Duh. He's long dead when the forces arrive to fight the Aqua-zon war. Jumping back to Ferris Air, we see Pieface bring Carol a box of Hal's stuff. Inside is a small box and inside that box is, you guessed it, a ring. But not an engagement ring. His and hers wedding rings. Because he's sure of her answer without even asking- even in death, Hal is a self confident, self-assured jerk.

Highs: I actually don't know any. Its not bad... just really repetitive and unnecessary in places

Lows: See the repetition issue. Also the art is really grainey, liek its colored sand in some spots, but the action shots are actually well done.

Verdict: D+. Its not the worst series, but it honestly seems like the most unnecessary. Though maybe we'll get something worthwhile out of Flashpoint 5 from this.

Lois Lane and the Resistance #3

Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Christian Duce, and Walden Wong

"Kill the Story" So far this series has been much more about the Resistance than Lois Lane... so its essentially Ringo Star and the Beatles. So let's jump right in...

Summary: Penny Black was a technician aboard an experimental British ship that generated a "frictionless field" so that it might travel faster than any other vessel. With shades of the supposed Philadelphia experiment involving the USS Eldridge, Black's ship disappeared from the ocean but later reappeared on land next to Stonehenge, with the entire crew gone -- except Penny, who all of a sudden had superpowers. The government made her a suit of armor to focus those powers and she became Britannia, who's kind of like a British Iron Man with a DDD-Cup. The last issue of Lois Lane ended with Lois and the resistance trying to break into a guarded location containing a secret weapon developed by the United Kingdom's military -- a weapon invented by Penny Black. Ms. Hyde has captured Lois in an ambush and threatened to kill her unless the others surrender, as Hyde's turned traitor thanks to the Amazons' offer of a cure for her condition. Or at least the part of Hyde that's actually Bobbie Stephenson turned traitor. When she suddenly turns back into Hyde, her other persona's firmly on the resistance side and starts swatting Amazons. While Grifter and the Demon hold their attackers off, Lois and Penny go in search of Penny's armor. Penny finds her gear just in the nick of time, with the Amazon Artemis inches away from cutting Lois open. Penny stops Artemis by punching her torso off. Let me say this again... Lois Lane is seconds from death when a woman in a metal suit of armor punches another woman so hard that her torso is graphically separated from the rest of her body, spinning upward and sending blood and intestines flying everywhere. Insert your own emphasis where you like... but I wrote that with a Lewis Black sound. Penny leaves to fight Wonder Woman while Lois stays behind. There's a big confrontation where Penny reveals to Diana the prison camps and genetic experiments the Amazons had been conducting on the native population. Understandably upset, Diana has a change of heart and orders the camps immediately shut down before setting off to have the confrontation with Penthesilea we saw last week... so that she can then go have the confrontation with Aquaman we saw two weeks ago. You may have noticed, like I did, that Lois has been taking a mostly supporting role so far. However, Lois does get one last moment of glory when she finds an old emergency broadcast unit that she uses to send out into the world a report on the Amazons and the Resistance. A group of Amazons find her and cut her broadcast off for good. Or so it would seem... (Yeah I'm cliffhanging... deal with it.)

Highs: This was a great story, despite the title being a lie for marketing, but I thoroughly enjoyed how everything worked out. Art's solid too.

Lows: Without factoring in the true ending, its hard for me to enjoy what we are shown here at the end.

Verdict: A. While not perfect, it definitely stands out as one of the better books of the Flashpoint world, and its handled very well, except for its reliance on our next book.

Project Superman #3

Scott Snyder, Lowell Francis, and Gene Ha

"Battle's Eve" The first issue of this series was awful and I could not care less about Subject Zero, but I loved the second issue where we were introduced to a young Kal, the quiet boy from Krypton.

Summary: For anyone who only read Lois Lane and the Resistance, it would appear that Lois dies off-panel, after the Amazons crept up behind and we "heard" an ominous "BOOOM!" But Project Superman reveals that said "BOOOM!" was actually caused by Kal-El, bursting through the wall to save Lois Lane. The final issue of Project Superman picks up not from the conclusion to issue #2, but from Flashpoint Superman's disappearance in the main Flashpoint book after Cyborg, Batman and the Flash broke him out of the secret government lab where he'd been imprisoned. Superman heads directly for the UK and is horrorstruck by the carnage. He soon speeds off toward what he's really there to find: Lois Lane. Also freed in the break-in that set Kal loose was Subject Zero, the previous super-soldier experiment from Project Superman. He's freed from the Phantom Zone and out for revenge. First Subject Zero kills General Lane, then he sets off to find Lane's daughter and the boy Lane came to see as a surrogate son, Kal, but not before absorbing the residual energy from the corpse of Doomsday that he happened to find in a spare room somewhere. Transformed in a hulking beast, who looks very similar to this guy, Subject Zero shows up to challenge Kal, who looks so much like the stereotypical 90-pound weakling that you'd believe Zero could beat him just by kicking sand in his face. But Kal's starting to get the hang of his powers and puts up a fight. Zero yells at him, repeating his zen mantra that Kal's only suffering because he's allowed himself to become attached to the world and the people in it. But Kal finds new strength and a reason to fight, and for the second time this week someone's torso gets punched off. The torso-punch has the unfortunate side-effect of sending out shrapnel or excess energy (or something) that fatally wounds Lois. Her final words to Kal explicitly address the cliche of the girl dying to inspire the hero, and she tells him to go save the world because it's the right thing to do. So with Lois dead (again), Kal declares that he must now "be a superman", which we'll see happen in Flashpoint #5.

Highs: As much as I hate the constant David and Goliath battles in comics, this one isn't too bad really. Subject Zero is just really annoying, which makes his defeat even better.

Lows: The art is just ok for me. Nothing special, and its just really blah throughout.

Verdict: B. As self-admittedly cliched as Project Superman's finale sometimes was, it was still an enjoyable read. The arc of Kal across the series was well told, and Lois has a more significant role to play here than in her own book. The weakling Kal-El was an interesting twist to the Superman mythos that explored in a new way important themes about power and the responsibilities of those who have it. Project Superman was able to be both fresh and familiar, and stands out as one of the better tie-in series to come out of Flashpoint.

Kid Flash Lost #3

Sterling Gates, Grant Nome, Scott Kollins, and Trevor Scott

Untitled but I prefer "It Shoulda Been Wally..."- Bart Allen is one of the few people still alive who remembers the world as it was, and after sucking up all of Hot Pursuit's Speed Force to stay alive, he raced through time looking for help.

Summary: We open on Texas in 1889, where soldiers are camped out waiting on a messenger. That messenger is quickly shown to be Max Mercury, one of the first speedsters. Drawn towards a flash of strange lightning, Max heads towards the disturbance, speeding through the desert. Arriving, he finds Bart, now in Black Flash regalia, and falling to pieces. The speedster touches the young man in hopes of helping him, but is instantly turned to dust upon his touch. This heals Bart a bit, and he is flung through time more and he sees the events that were altered to make the Flashpoint universe. With each moment he's zapped to more speedsters and kills them, taking their speed. He then stumbles onto the dead body of Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash, but he never became the Flash. Touching his body sends Bart crashing into the grave of Wally West a few years in the future of Flashpoint. Bart cries over Wally's grave and within moments he's zapped back into the speed force. Finally figuring out what his true mission is, Bart runs as fast as he can, losing his black costume as his yellow Kid Flash one returns. He catches up with the Barry presumably who was trapped in the speed for years after his Crisis sacrifice. Bart quickly fills him in on what to do, and then pulls a ball of light from himself and pushes it into Barry. Bart's costume begins to fade into just white light as Bart seems to be moving faster than ever. So you can guess what's coming, but to further illustrate:

So, basically pulls a Barry and sacrifices himself to save the universe. All this information Bart sent out hits Barry while he's at the Aqua-zon warzone, so once again, we are left to check out Flashpoint #5 for details.

Highs: What I ridiculed for having two weak starter issues turns into a fantastic and honestly heartfelt finale. The art here is great too.

Lows: Same thing... what a weak start. I would have been turned off if I just read the first issue and thought it was going to maintain that level of style. So, this issue feels rushed.

Verdict: A. It's a touching death for the character that also seems meant to be a farewell, in a way, to all the other speedsters as Barry Allen takes on that responsibility almost on his own in the imminent DC Comics relaunch. Of course, that does make it a bit odd that Bart was the character chosen to tell this particular story. Because we already know that Bart will return in Teen Titans, this story would have had a much more powerful impact, if not making everything that happens in Flashpoint worth it, if it were Wally West disintegrating and passing back the torch that had been given to him in the first Crisis. Even Jay Garrick would have worked, considering we still don't know when we might be seeing the Golden Age DC heroes again in our own universe. Nevertheless, this was a satisfying end to the miniseries.

Well, that's all folks. The new universe is launching on August 31st and I will do my damnedest to review every title of the new 52 for at least one issue. But first, the final issue of Flashpoint in my next blog.

Secret Six #36

I know I have a ton of Flashpoint to get through, but I needed some time to really focus on the final issue of the best DC series. And what an ending it is...
Gail Simone and Simon Calafiore
"Caution to the Wind: Blood Honor"- Previously, we began the final steps of Bane's magum opus: To break Batman. The team chose to focus on taking out all of those close to Batman, but the list became convoluted when some did not want to kill children like Batgirl or Robin, and Catman refused to let Huntress be a target. So, currently the only name on the table still is Red Robin. Anyway, we now begin the end...

Summary: We open to the day before the epic charge into battle, with Bane in bed with his girlfriend/date from a couple issues ago. She snuggles with him commentingon how gentle he was, and he responds that she is little mass so he did not want to break her petite frame. (This guy is a real charmer). She says she feels so safe with him, and he grunts and begins to leave. She asks if his wanting to protect her is a good thing, and he simply responds "Only for my enemies." He tells her that he realized when he protected her that he could never break Batman as long as he had people he cared about and that could help him. If he is destined for Hell as he is told, then he will not go there as a comedy, and must destroy Batman. He kisses ehr on the forehead and says, "In 24 hours, I will be dead. As will all of my associates. That is my vow. Or... you will be empress of Gotham City, beside me. I must go now. Thank you for the use of your nethers" (This line is brilliant and will be used by someone soon, I'm sure. If you survive... let me know how it worked). We jump to the present, as the teams are set up to take down the four targets: Red Robin, Batgirl, Catwoman, and after some arguing, Huntress is replaced with Azrael. Scandal and Jeanette are given Azrael, and before anyone can get any other orders, a crate nearby begins making noises. So we get this scene:

Turns out there is a family living in the crate and Bane begins to question the success of his mission because his team is too human. Jumping back to the mornign before all this, we have Deadshot, Ragdoll, and Catman fishing on the side of the docks and discussing how smart this "take over Gotham" plan really is. We also find out that Ragdoll uses his underwear (Superman underoos, it seems) to catch fish, and we are treated to this great moment that every reader has thought since way back in Villains United:

I personally have been a huge fan of the friendship these two guys have, and figured this final issue would be one killing the other, but that does not happen. Sorry for spoiling that. As it turns out, they are using a mobster as bait for something after the mobster killed a child in a kidnapping gig. He refuses to talk so King Shark rises out of that water and eats the guy. Fun times... Jumping back to the present, Catman argues that the homeless family is harmless so they should not be harmed, and Deadshot argues that they can't let them go so the idea of hostages is maintained. But Jeanette interupts the argument as she smells the power nearby. She knows that the superheroes have found them. This is thanks to the Penguin having connections all over the world with the superhuman community. He called everybody. We move outside the hideout to see: Black Canary, Jade, Blue Beetle, Stargirl, Hawk, Dove, Fire, Booster Gold, Wildcat, Wondergirl, Red Robin, Ravager, Donna Troy, Obsidian, Congorilla, and Huntress at the head. She tells them to surrender and release the hostages. Booster makes a fuss that they are silly villains and that anyone could take them. Huntress is quick to point out their resume. They took down the entire Secret Society of Supervillains, two of them have overpowered Superboy, one of them made Wonder Woman a drooling vegetable, and the leader is the only person who ever broke Batman. Catman shouts back that they have no intentions of hurting the family, but they will if one person sets foot inside. Scandal gets upset and says that no more innocent people are getting hurt, and Jeanette calmly tells her that there's no way that this is going to end well, and she refuses to be imprisoned again. And we are given this quote that I love:

Epic. We cut to earlier this day, where Scandal and Jeanette are going into a hospital and Scandal is very nervous. She enter's Lianna's (the girl that they rescued at the beginning of issue 34) room, and then Knockout comes in. We then see how alike the two women truly are and while we seem to be setting up a breakup by Scandal, she is actually up to something else:

Yeah... spitting in the face of marriage laws everywhere. Cutting back to the present, Huntress realizes she's made a mistake putting the six in a corner like this. This is compounded when the next supergroup shows up: Batman (Bruce), Batman (Dick), Robin, Green Lantern John Stewart, and Captain Atom. Huntress slinks away into the warehouse and knocks Knockout out. She decides to trade herself for the hostages, which I thought was a bad idea.. and I'm not the only one:

But Bane is a good man beneath all his hard surface. He also gives gifts.

Which is why you always send a letter to Bane when you want the more dangerous Christmas gifts. Deadshot notices the two Batmen, and wonders if everyone just takes turns being him for a while. Scandal puts in a call to Amanda Waller for help, but she disavows all knowledge of the team. Black Alice sends Ragdoll a text that says Good Luck and I'm Sorry. Huntress tries to talk them into a surrender because they can't win, but they refuse. Catman gives us a summation of the entire series: "We're the Secret Six. We're always outmatched and outnumbered. And we never really win." While the others realize there's only one way out, Deadshot notices the next group to join the party: Steel, Red Tornado, Rocket Red, Superboy, Superman, and Supergirl. Jeanette begins to freak out, and attempts to attack Huntres, but Blake pulls his knives and puts them to the banshee's throat. Deadshot pulls a gun on Catman, and then Scandal puts her knives to Deadshot's throat. Typical S6 standoff. Ragdoll interupts and states that they are worthless and the scum of the earth, but they have one redeeming trait: They don't know how to surrender. Bane takes this time to hand each of the six a vial, stating simply that its been an honor. Huntress walks out the door crying, and stands with the rest of the heroes. The walls of the hideout crumble as the six run out, all hopped up on Venom. What happens next I can only put to some classical music like the Godfather's ending, or something else extraordinary. Huntress narrarates the rest of the story. I'd be doing a disservice to the writer if I didn't quote this entire sequence.

"They'd all taken the Venom. Like an invading admiral burns his fleet, they left no return passage. And our side, the "good" guys were only too accomadating. We made the classic mob mistake of tripping over ourselves to get to them, but it didn't help the Six much. I stress again. They didn't ahve a chance or prayer. But they were more than capable of killus us along the way (Doctor Light and Congorilla are shot, not fatally). So maybe we got a little brutal when the first blood drawn was ours. I'm sure they'll all feel bad later. I mean, if some villain bones got broken, hey, they started it, right? No one said anything but we all felt it. We fought villain teams all the time. Not like these guys. These guys fought for each other. They protected each other, and they would fight to the death, no question. (Catman is winning his fight but he is shot inthe back by Huntress) I couldn't let that happen. In the end we won. Of course, we did. We always win. Because we're heroes. Right? Its because we are heroes... and it will damn us all to Hell."

We cut to Bane being carried off to Blackgate, as he gives us a narration about how he could no longer be tied to that group because Bane must be alone. He discusses that his plan left no room for error. Either he was killed or he will win a kingdom for his beloved girl. He is strapped down with restraints on restraints and concrete. In the end panel, he opens his eyes and breaks the restraints, and kills the guards, citing that his kingdom awaits.

Highs: Do I even have to say anything anymore? This comic is amazing, and going out like they did is a credit to the series. I'm sad to see it go, but I'm happy it was like this.

Lows: However, I am not a huge fan of Bane getting the final page. I realize this was his plan, but this series is about a team, not a single man.

Verdict: A+. Just brillaint and I just hope and pray it returns... and is not screwed up by the reboot.

DC: The New 52

Ok, gang... take a knee. As almost everyone knows now, DC Comics is doing a complete and total reboot/relaunch of all their titles. All of them. Every series that you have fallen in love with or creative team that has always been great: Cancelled. That's enough to get anyone mad, but there are a few things that may come out of this that will be great. Recently DC sent out a free guide to each of the new books explaining the plot, creative teams, the first cover, and some thoughts from the writer/artist. So let's just go down the list, shall we?

This book actually opens with the first few pages of Justice League #1, which take place 5 years ago. This is described as the world before it knew superheroes. This is apparent as the Gotham City police try to bring Batman, chasing some sort of hopping villain, down. It is made pretty clear that this is definitely goign to be a Batman that is dark and grim, and extra violent, as he shoots a grapple through the leg of the hopper, and its revealed to be (I think) Killer Croc. One explosion later, and I'm either immediately proven wrong, or Croc is now a robot. A giant green fire truck crashes down onto Robo Croc and we get to meet Hal Jordan, who is shocked that Batman is real. So... anything super before 2006 has now been established as out. This includes the Justice Society, which is sad. But enough with the recap, lets get to the reviews.

JUSTICE LEAGUE
The "Justice League" section should really be "everything that isn't Batman, Superman, Teen Titans, Green Lantern or in a separate imprint," but this is what they're calling it, since I doubt every title in this list features a character who'll be in the Justice League. Unless it's going to be a pretty damn big Justice League.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
1:25 Variant cover by DAVID FINCH
RETROSOLICITED • On sale AUGUST 31 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US RATED T • Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Comics superstars Geoff Johns and Jim Lee make history! In a universe where super heroes are strange and new, Batman has discovered a dark evil that requires him to unite the World Greatest Heroes!

First off, congrats to Cyborg for finally graduating to full League member. This guy has been awesome for 3o+ years and he never seems to get any credit. Happy that's changing. This is a pretty standard league and I think that DC is right to push this one. Johns and Lee haven't really disappointed me yet.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by AARON LOPRESTI and MATT RYAN
Cover by AARON LOPRESTI
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
With the growing presence of super beings around the world, the United Nations resolves to create a new group called Justice League International. Batman, Booster Gold, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, August General in Iron, Fire, Ice, Vixen and Rocket Red are charged with promoting unity and trust – but can they reach that goal without killing each other first?

For me, Justice League: Generation Lost was a great sleeper, and I love this team. Just add Blue Beetle. Or Power Girl. This is a solid writer/artist team as well, so I think this will be successful as well.

AQUAMAN #1
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Aquaman has renounced the throne of Atlantis – but the sea will not release Arthur Curry so easily. Now, from a forgotten corner of the ocean emerges... The Trench! A broken race of creatures that should not exist, an unspeakable need driving them, The Trench will be the most talked-about new characters in the DC Universe!

I always pray that eventually Johns will get the idea that no one cares about Aquaman. And this reset seems to exclude some major things in his history. Namely his marriage and son. The loss of Mera, his ever supportive wife, and his child, whose death was a defining moment for the character, as well as Black Manta... who is the father of the new Aqualad. So, cautiously pessimistic would describe me best here.

WONDER WOMAN #1
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art and cover by CLIFF CHIANG
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The Gods walk among us. To them, our lives are playthings. Only one woman would dare to protect humanity from the wrath of such strange and powerful forces. But is she one of us – or one of them?

The pants... I hate them. Not because I'm wanting to see more of her body, but because they seem to appear and disappear depending on who is drawing her. Recently, DC put out a statement that her pants are retractable. I will repeat that: retractable pants. New DC universe, everybody! Also whoever wrote that description should be fired. Its ridicuous.

THE FLASH #1
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Variant cover by IVAN REIS and TIM TOWNSEND
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The Fastest Man Alive returns to his own monthly series from the writer/artist team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato! The Flash knows he can't be everywhere at once, but what happens when he faces an all-new villain who really can! As if that's not bad enough, this villain is a close friend!

I don't like the chin guard. Another costume issue where somethign small was added or removed and it makes a world of difference. The other big change is how the costume goes on. Still from a ring, but this time the pieces of fabric burst out and like static electricity, they bond to his body. What. But, you know, its not enough to make me not want to read the series. That comes from this:

If I don't know anything about the character I will love it? So, if I know a lot about the character, I should hate it, right? Seems to be the idea. What's the over/under on the rogues not factoring into the series at all? Johns spent years on those guys and now they will probably all be left hanging in the writer void. Screw you DC.

CAPTAIN ATOM #1
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II
Cover by STANLEY "ARTGERM" LAU
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Charged by nuclear energy, possessing vast molecular powers, Captain Atom has the potential to be a literal god among men – a hero without limits. But the question is: Will he lose himself in the process?

He's being rewritten as Dr. Manhattan. Ed, you win this round... another Moore concept mercilessly shredded and repackaged from DC. I'll read the first issue, just to find out if I'm right.

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #1
Written by ETHAN VAN SCIVER and GAIL SIMONE
Art by YILDIRAY CINAR
Cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond. These two high school students are worlds apart – and now they're drawn into a conspiracy of super-science that bonds them forever in a way they can't explain or control. The dark secrets of the murderous Dog Team and its Firestorm Protocol force them to put aside their differences to confront a threat so terrifying that it may lead to a new Cold War!

Are they two seperate heroes now, that come together to form one great thing? Like the Wonder Twins? Anyway, new Cold War sounds so dumb, I can't even process it. BUT Gail Simone is writing it and on that note alone, it gets a pass.

GREEN ARROW #1
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art by DAN JURGENS and NORM RAPMUND
Cover by BRETT BOOTH and ROB HUNTER
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Green Arrow is on the hunt. Driven by inner demons, Ollie Queen travels the world and brings outlaws to justice...by breaking every law. Now, armed with cutting-edge weaponry and illegally gained intel (courtesy of his team at QCore), Green Arrow is shooting first and asking questions later.

This description sounds awful. Every time they reinvent this guy he sounds even more wacked out than the last time. If he's breaking every law though, I think I'm going to have to read, just to find out how that works. The Batman with a Bow thing is really sticking with this description. At least they didn't mess with his costume or look...

WHAT. THE. HELL. DAMN. GUY? This better be an undercover look, or I'm going burn something. If he shaved it off forever, the issue's getting burned. If they once again tried the fakeout with Conner taking the role after the first issue, I will burn down the writer's house. So ridiculous...

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1
Written by TONY S. DANIEL
Art and cover by PHILIP TAN
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Carter Hall's skill at deciphering lost languages has led him to a job with an archaeologist who specializes in alien ruins – but will the doctor's latest discovery spread an alien plague through New York City? No matter the personal cost, Carter Hall must don his wings and become the new, savage Hawkman to survive! Witness the start of a new action series from writer Tony S. Daniel and artist Philip Tan that will take Hawkman where no hero has flown before!

This actually interests me. Johns is a big fan of Hawkman, and I think his resurrection at the hands of Brightest Day has been leading to having this series. Question is, what kind of origin story will we get this time: Alien? Egyptian? Blackhawk?

MISTER TERRIFIC #1
Written by ERIC WALLACE
Art by ROGER ROBINSON
Cover by J.G. JONES
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The world's third-smartest man – and one of its most eligible bachelors – uses his brains and fists against science gone mad in this new series from Eric Wallace (TITANS) and Roger Robinson! Michael Holt is the head of a successful high-tech corporation and an institute that recruits and encourages the finest minds of the next generation to excel. As Mister Terrific he inhabits a world of amazement few others know exists, let alone can comprehend.

I've rewritten this part about 3 times because it keeps coming out racist. I get that we need to have more minority heroes, but this is grasping at straws. This, I am almost positive, will be the first "Justice League" based title cancelled.

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1
Written by PAUL JENKINS
Art by BERNARD CHANG
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
It's the start of a new series spotlighting some of the DC Universes's most exciting super heroes! First up is Deadman, straight from the pages of BRIGHTEST DAY, in a five-issue epic where the body-hopping hero meets his match in a new foe who wants to make sure the souls that Deadman helps out go straight to Hell!

I like Deadman, and I think this book will be a place to really seem some fresh ideas and characters since its so open. Cautious optimism....

SUPERMAN
The Superman line's actually losing titles, namely Superman/Batman, which spent its entire solicitation history hanging out in the Superman section, and, for the duration of the Jeph Loeb run at least, was far more tied to Metropolis than Gotham.

ACTION COMICS #1
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art by RAGS MORALES and RICK BRYANT
Cover by RAGS MORALES
Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
The one and only Grant Morrison (ALL-STAR SUPERMAN) returns to Superman, joined by sensational artist Rags Morales (IDENTITY CRISIS), to bring you tales of The Man of Steel unlike any you've ever read! This extra-sized debut issue is the cornerstone of the entire DC Universe!

The truth is, I don't know what to make of any of this. Morrison wrote one of, if not the, greatest Superman stories of all time with All Star, so I trust him. The problem is that I don't like anythign I've seen so far. 5 years in the past. Tshirt, tiny cape, jeans, and boots. Also he doesn't fly. Oh, and this is really important: BOTH THE KENTS ARE DEAD NOW. He's also not married. And until the issue of the comic I'm about to discuss, he doesn't know he's Kryptonian. All of this might be nice for an Elseworlds story, but look at that last sentence in the description. This is going to be the cornerstone of the new universe. Folks... this is really ominous.

SUPERMAN #1
Written by GEORGE PEREZ
Breakdowns and cover by GEORGE PEREZ
Art by JESUS MERINO
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The new adventures of Superman begin here! What is The Man of Steel's startling new status quo? How does it affect Lois Lane and The Daily Planet? There's no time for answers now, because Superman must stop a monstrous threat to Metropolis – one that he somehow is the cause of!

You never realize how much you'll miss some things until they're gone. Superman's underpants, for one. His whole suit which used to be Kryptonian fabric, now looks like a suit of armor straight out of a Wildstorm comic. Its just a bad costume change...

SUPERBOY #1
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by RB SILVA and ROB LEAN
Cover by ERIC CANETE
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
They thought he was just an experiment – and a failed one at that! Grown from a combination of Kryptonian and human DNA, the Clone was no more than a set of data to the scientists of Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. But when the scope of his stunning powers was revealed, he became a deadly weapon! Now the question is: Can a clone develop a conscience?

But this soooo much worse than than the Superman costume change. This entire plot is beyond bad, and I feel like this story is built solely around the origin of the Young Justice cartoon Superboy... which I thought was beyond dumb.

SUPERGIRL #1
Written by MICHAEL GREEN and MIKE JOHNSON
Art and cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Meet Supergirl. She's got the unpredictable behavior of a teenager, the same powers as Superman – and none of his affection for the people of Earth. So don't piss her off!

So she gets the red undies instead of the skirt or capris she has had in the recent past? This sounds really angsty, and will no doubt be the least popular of the Super titles. Though I will wager Superboy's worse.

BATMAN
With Grant Morrison leaving the franchise for at least the next few months, Scott Snyder becomes the de facto showrunner for the franchise. His take on Batman has far more in common with Morrison's pre-Incorporated incarnation than post-; while Morrison extended Batman's scope outward in terms of space, leading to a true International Club of Batmen, Snyder is extending Gotham City in terms of time, as started off in the current Gates of Gotham series he's cowriting with future Nightwing writer Kyle Higgins. The rest of the line is taken up by three other mainline Batman books, a title for each of the Robins, Barbara Gordon returning as Batgirl, and new books for Catwoman, Batwing and the Birds of Prey. And Batwoman. FINALLY.

BATMAN #1
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
Cover by GREG CAPULLO
Variant cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Be here for the start of a new era for The Dark Knight from writer Scott Snyder (AMERICAN VAMPIRE, BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM) and artist Greg Capullo (Spawn)! A series of brutal killings hints at an ancient conspiracy, and Batman learns that Gotham City is deadlier than he knew.

For the most part they are leaving Batman untouched. Changing some looks around, but its definitely Bruce under the cowl. Snyder has done some really good stories thus far and I'm anxious to see where this goes. That was... until this caught my eye:

That is a green question mark shaved into someone's head. We all know who that someone is, and I think it is an enormous step back from the great Riddler we've had for a few years. Not a fan at all. It doesn't get much better for other villains. Take a look at a page from the story:

From left to right: Freeze looks about how he should. Professor Pyg, looks much fatter, but not too bad (I do like the fact that he gets a nametag), Scarecrow seems to have his Batman Begins look, and Croc looks unchanged. Then there's the last three: Two Face looks like there's a whole lot more than his face that's scarred. The Ventriloquist seems to be alive and well, but old. And then there's the man in question. This is not as bad as the question-mark-hawk, but it still looks dumb. Like a ten year old dressing up as a ninja turtle.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1
Written by TONY S. DANIEL
Art by TONY S. DANIEL and RYAN WINN
Cover by TONY S. DANIEL
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
DC's flagship title is relaunched for the first time ever, with new Batman adventures from acclaimed writer/ artist Tony S. Daniel! A killer called The Gotham Ripper is on the loose on Batman's home turf – leading The Dark Knight on a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Daniel's been a good writer so far as well, so I feel good that this book will be fine, but that cover is friggin' creepy.

BATWING #1
Written by JUDD WINICK
Art and cover by BEN OLIVER
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Africa, a land of beauty – and of great horror. A land of creation and conflict. It is in desperate need of a defender, and from the ranks of Batman Incorporated comes a soldier to carry on the legacy of The Dark Knight in the most tumultuous region on Earth. Meet Batwing, the Batman of Africa!

Racially sensitive people, prepare to write a letter. This is another example of a character who was brought on just to fill a quota. The plot of this book doesn't make any sense, even with the relationship to Batman Inc. Batman has Gotham; Batwing has the entire continent of Africa. Which, according to every DC comic I have ever read, is not made of contries, but of jungles, bush huts. and the savannah.

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1
Written by DAVID FINCH
Art by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND
Cover by DAVID FINCH
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The Dark Knight struggles against a deadly – yet strangely familiar – foe in this phenomenal debut issue from superstar writer/artist David Finch (BRIGHTEST DAY, ACTION COMICS)!
As a mysterious figure slinks through the halls of Arkham Asylum, Batman must fight his way through a gauntlet of psychos, and Bruce Wayne faces the unexpected legal ramifications of Batman Incorporated!

Nice to see a book that only had 4 issues pre-reboot is also getting the reboot. Finch is doing all the work is thisw comic and given his work with the recent Nolan films, I feel that this might be interesting. But then again, all the issues so far have dealt with demons and magic... so who knows?

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Battling evil with his son, Damian, at his side, Batman now realizes that the hardest part of the job may be trying to work together! As Batman and Robin try to adjust to their new partnership, a figure emerges from Bruce Wayne's past: His name is NoBody, and he's not happy that Batman Incorporated is shining a light on his own shadowy war against evil...

That's a stupid plot for the opening of a book. But Tomasi has done great work so far on the Bat titles so I won't hold it against him too much. But I can blame the artists for this monstrosity:

HIS NAME IS ROBIN. HE DOESN'T NEED STUPID WINGS ATTACHED TO HIS COSTUME. Yellow and black cape. Is that so hard to draw? No?... then don't do shit like this.

BATGIRL #1
Written by GAIL SIMONE
Art by ARDIAN SYAF and VICENTE CIFUENTES
Cover by ADAM HUGHES
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Yes, it's really happening! Barbara Gordon is back as Batgirl – and she's going to have to face the city's most horrifying new villains as well as the dark secrets from her past. You won't want to miss this stunning debut issue from fan-favorite BIRDS OF PREY writer Gail Simone!

First off, I support the walking Barbara. There's a guy in the Justice League who is just a brain in a metal body, and we can't fix her spine? Ridiculous. I love Simone and I have the utmost faith in her ability to tell this story.

BATWOMAN #1
Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III and W. HADEN BLACKMAN
Art and cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
In "Hydrology," part 1 of 5, Batwoman faces deadly new challenges in her war against Gotham City's underworld – and new trials in her life as Kate Kane. Who or what is stealing children from the barrio, and for what vile purpose? Will Kate train her cousin, Bette Kane (a.k.a. Flamebird), as her new sidekick? How will she handle unsettling revelations about her father, Colonel Jacob Kane? And why is a certain government agency suddenly taking an interest in her?

Way too much info, right? There's more...

Just like the Batwoman run in Detective a couple years ago, this is way too complicated of a plot, especially starting out. As an artist, I understand his attention to detail, but dude needs to calm down. His description in the pic above sounds like a 5th grade book report... Just sayin'

NIGHTWING #1
Written by KYLE HIGGINS
Art and cover by EDDY BARROWS and JP MAYER
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Dick Grayson flies high once more as Nightwing in a new series from hot new writer Kyle Higgins (BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM)! And as he embraces his destiny, Haley's Circus, the big top where Dick once performed, returns to Gotham City – bringing with it murder, mystery and superhuman evil. Nightwing must confront his past, among former friends and enemies from his circus days, while uncovering a much greater evil!
A color change for Nightwing but other than that, he seems relatively unchanged... except for hints/rumors that his time as Robin never happened. So we shall see how that turns out...

CATWOMAN #1
Written by JUDD WINICK
Art and cover by GUILLEM MARCH
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
Meet Catwoman. She's addicted to the night. Addicted to shiny objects. Addicted to Batman. Most of all, Catwoman is addicted to danger. She can't help herself, and the truth is – she doesn't want to. She's good at being bad, and very bad at being good. Find out more about what makes Catwoman tick in this new series from writer Judd Winick (BATMAN: UNDER THE HOOD) and artist Guillem March (GOTHAM CITY SIRENS!

This is just over the top... I'm pretty sure the fact that she knows who Batman is has been retconned, but every page or cover I see just looks way too oversexed. Its no surprise we get the ridiculous cleavage shot on the cover... I've seen this pose with her a couple times, though not nearly as... chest-y. This however is forced and unexpectedly "sexy:"

See what I mean?

BIRDS OF PREY #1
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art and cover by JESUS SAIZ
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
One is wanted for a murder she didn't commit. The other is on the run because she knows too much. They are Dinah Laurel Lance and Ev Crawford – a.k.a. Black Canary and Starling – and together, as Gotham City's covert ops team, they're taking down the villains other heroes can't touch. But now they've attracted the attention of a grizzled newspaper reporter who wants to expose them, as well as a creepy, chameleon-like strike team that's out to kill them.

I just don't get it... This book hinged on Oracle, Black Canary, and Huntress (who I have yet to see in the reboot). Now we just have BC, who has never been popular enough to carry a series. We will see what happens, and in theory a team with two Black Canaries, Poison Ivy, and Kitana should be awesome... but this just seems dead in the water already.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
No sooner has Batman's former sidekick, Jason Todd, put his past as the Red Hood behind him than he finds himself cornered by a pair of modern day outlaws: Green Arrow's rejected sidekick Arsenal, the damaged soldier of fortune, and the alien Starfire, a former prisoner of intergalactic war who won't be chained again. As a loner, Jason has absolutely no interest in this motley crew of outlaws. So what's he going to do when they choose the Red Hood as their leader?

I like Jason Todd. I like Starfire for the most part. And I liked Arsenal before he went crazy. But all three together? I'm not sure. Well, this is what Lobdell had to say:

So it's a reverse Three's Company with action? I'm kinda hoping it will be cool, though. Not to mention I'm almost positive someone will be sleeping with Starfire by issue's end. Yeah... read that quote above again... and tell me that's not what's happening.

GREEN LANTERN
It's business as usual with the Green Lantern titles; the team on Emerald Warriors is moving to the new #1 for Corps, the old team on Corps is launching New Guardians, and Peter Milligan's Red Lanterns ongoing kicks off. Writers and artists are all pretty much the same. This line is barely touched by the refresh.

GREEN LANTERN #1
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Variant cover by GREG CAPULLO
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

The red-hot GREEN LANTERN team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Doug Mahnke introduce an unexpected new Lantern. Spoilers: Its Sinestro.

Given the fallout from War of the Green Lanterns, I'm really anxious to see where this book is going, and to see how the new Lantern affects the storyline.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by FERNANDO PASARIN and SCOTT HANNA
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
When deadly conflicts emerge across the universe, it's up to Guy Gardner, John Stewart and an elite Green Lantern strike force to keep the peace – or else.

The same feeling goes for Corps as the regular series. You put Guy in a book, and you have my attention.

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1
Written by TONY BEDARD
Art and cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and BATT
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Kyle Rayner has assembled the most powerful team in all the universe, selected from the full spectrum of corps. But can he even keep this volatile group together?

This has the potential to be awesome or awful. I like Kyle for the most part, but this team seems like a lot of nobodies, unlike the brillaince of the last set of New Guardians. Kyle's not a strong personality already... but neither is anyone else here. Saint Walker is the only holdover from the other NG set, but he's a support member at best. Bleez doesn't say much and looks more like Harley Quinn everytime I see her. Indigo guy has had two lines in his entire existence, and unless the Indigo language has changed, we won't get much conversation from him. Fatality is a former villain turned Sapphire and is probably the most outspoken of the lineup. Arkillo is now mute after his battle for control of the Sinestro Corps, but he is definitely the brawn of the team. And finally there's Glomulus, who, last time I checked was just a creation of Larfleeze. This brings us to my major question: WHERE THE HELL IS LARFLEEZE?

RED LANTERNS #1
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art and cover by ED BENES and ROB HUNTER
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
Atrocitus and his Red Lantern Corps return in their own series, battling against injustice in the most bloody ways imaginable!

Fighting evil with evil? I can dig the concept, but unless someone promises Dexter in every issue, I probably won't keep up with it.

THE EDGE

While they're integrating the WildStorm and DC Universes, looking at the books below makes it fairly clear that "The Edge" is where the majority of the WildStorm mythology is being transferred to, being amalgamated with DC's war and western titles, as well as some of the, well, "edgier" properties like Deathstroke and the Suicide Squad. I predict every book in this section will be rated for older readers than the rest of the line, other than "The Dark" below.

STORMWATCH #1
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Art and cover by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
They are Stormwatch, a dangerous super human police force whose existence is kept secret from the world Directly following the ominous events of SUPERMAN #1, Adam One leads half the Stormwatch team to recover the [INFORMATION REDACTED] from deep in the Himalayas. Meanwhile, Jack Hawksmoor and the rest of the Stormwatch crew look to recruit two of the deadliest super humans on the planet: Midnighter and Apollo! And if they say no? Perhaps the Martian Manhunter can change their minds...

This book is shrouded in a lot of mystery, so I'm interested to see how this team compares to SHADE which appears in the Dark titles. I never cared for anything Wildstorm but perhaps this will make a reader out of me.. or it will crash from being too secret for reader's to get it.

GRIFTER #1
Written by NATHAN EDMONDSON
Art by CAFU
Cover by CAFU and BIT
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The DCU's most wanted man stars in his own series! Cole Cash is a charming grifter few can resist. And yet he's about to be branded a serial killer when he begins hunting and exterminating inhuman creatures hidden in human form – creatures only he can see! Can the biggest sweet talker of all time talk his way out of this one when even his brother thinks he's gone over the edge?

Once again, a Wildstorm character I know absolutely nothing about save for his appearance in the Lois Lane miniseries. Seems like an interesting character and certainly an interesting plot, but oen that so rarely works out for the person killing the "monsters."

DEATHSTROKE #1
Written by KYLE HIGGINS
Art by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT
Cover by SIMON BISLEY
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
"Friends die, family disappoints, but a legacy... That lives forever."
Slade Wilson is the best mercenary in the DCU, and he's been doing this a long time. Some might say too long. But they'll learn: Never turn your back on Deathstroke the Terminator. He won't quit, no matter how high the stakes. Kyle Higgins (BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM) and Joe Bennett (TEEN TITANS) team up to bring you the finest in mayhem and gore and show you why Deathstroke is the deadliest man in the DC Universe.

Well, we see the cover, so we know he's deadly. Really, I'm a fan of Deathstroke... he's an interesting character and I even enjoyed his role on the Teen Titans cartoon as Slade. So I'm pretty optimistic with this title.

SUICIDE SQUAD #1
Written by ADAM GLASS
Art by MARCO RUDY
Cover by RYAN BENJAMIN
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
They're a team of death-row super villains recruited by the government to take on missions so dangerous – they're sheer suicide! Harley Quinn! Deadshot! King Shark! Defeated and imprisoned, they're being interrogated about their mission – and about who's pulling the strings behind this illegal operation. Who will be the first to crack under the pressure?

I should be excited for this title, but I'm just not. NO ONE looks like they should. King Shark is not a Hammerhead. Deadshot is not a cyborg. AND HARLEY QUINN IS NOT WHATEVER THE HELL THAT IS. Red and blue hair doesn't make sense. The corset is way too small. Nothing on this cover works. And Harley doesn't belong on death row or this team, either. Clearly she belongs in Fear Itself... I mean, look at that hammer. I hear everyone's getting hammers. Anyway... how can I sum up what I hope happens to the creative team on this?

O.M.A.C. #1
Written by DAN DIDIO and KEITH GIFFEN
Art and cover by KEITH GIFFEN and SCOTT KOBLISH
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The all-seeing Brother Eye satellite has unleashed a new beast upon the DC Universe in this smashing new series! Kevin Kho has become an unwilling participant in a war between Checkmate and Brother Eye as he is transformed into the One Machine Army Corp known only as O.M.A.C.!

Its written by Dan Didio... what can I say besides: Its gonna suck. No one has cared about OMAC for decades. We brought the idea back in a new way and used them back for Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis for important plot developments. Probably the first of all of the series' to be cancelled.

BLACKHAWKS #1
Written by MIKE COSTA
Art and cover by KEN LASHLEY
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Welcome to a world waging a new kind of war that's faster and more brutal than ever before. It's fought by those who would make the innocent their targets, using computers, smart weapons and laser-guided missiles. The new enemy is hard to find – and closer to home than we think. Between us and them stand the Blackhawks, an elite force of military specialists equipped with the latest in cutting-edge hardware and vehicles. Their mission: Kill the bad guys before they kill us.

Where the hell is the blonde, aka, Lady Blackhawk? Shit... maybe war enthusiasts will dig it, but it's not for me.

MEN OF WAR #1
Written by IVAN BRANDON
Art by TOM DERENICK
Cover by VIKTOR KALVACHEV
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+
On the ground and on the front lines, a young, headstrong soldier known as Joe Rock assumes command of Easy Company – a team of ex-military men turned contractors. Will they survive the battle-scarred landscape carved by the DCU's Super-Villains? Find out in this explosive new series from Ivan Brandon (Viking, DOC SAVAGE) and Tom Derenick (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA)!

Updated Sgt. Rock I can dig... not really for me, but what I said about the Blackhawk series goes double here.

ALL-STAR WESTERN #1
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art and cover by MORITAT
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+
Even when Gotham City was just a one-horse town, crime was rampant – and things only get worse when bounty hunter Jonah Hex comes to town. Can Amadeus Arkham, a pioneer in criminal psychology, enlist Hex's special brand of justice to help the Gotham Police Department track down a vicious serial killer? Find out in this new series from HEX writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, with lush artwork by Moritat (THE SPIRIT)!

I'll be honest... I love Western comics. Guess that's my dad's cowboy nature shining through. Most of all western comic characters, I like Jonah Hex. So making him the focus of the series is a smart plan. Gray and Palmiotti have been at this thing for a while, so I have the utmost faith in their skills.


YOUNG JUSTICE
I'm honestly not sure what the Legion of Super-Heroes is doing in this section, considering those guys seem to be, like, thirty at this point. Otherwise, Scott Lobdell's rebuilding the Titans franchise seemingly from the ground up, and is certainly taking authorial control of Superboy between this title and the ongoing. It's a fairly diverse group, too, with Static and Blue Beetle in its ranks, as well as whatever new characters Lobdell comes up with. Seriously, though, what's young about the Legion of Super-Heroes? Half of them are married with children! Unless they get de-aged...

TEEN TITANS #1
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Tim Drake, Batman's former sidekick, is back in action when an international organization seeks to capture, kill or co-opt super-powered teenagers. As Red Robin, he's going to have to team up with the mysterious and belligerent powerhouse thief known as Wonder Girl and the hyperactive speedster calling himself Kid Flash to stand any chance at all against a living, breathing weapon with roots in another world! They – along with a few other tortured teen heroes – will be the Teen Titans in this new series from writer Scott Lobdell (WILDC.A.T.S, Uncanny X-Men) and artist Brett Booth (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA)!

This is easily the ugliest comic I have ever seen. Its like this person looked at Liefeld's work in the 90's, grew up believing the man to be a god, and said "I want to be the affordable Rob Liefeld." And here we are. Kid Flash is decent enough and as bad as it is, Superboy isn't as bad here as he is in his own series. Wonder Girl has some weird look going on... thief/dominatrix/etc. She looks more like a villain really... and I'm almost positive thats Donna Troy's star outfit she's wearing. We also have two new characters that I can only assume are Tar Girl and Porcupine-Spider-Nightmare Girl... Seriously... what the hell is going on with her. But the greatest travesty is this:

AGAIN WITH THE DAMN BIRD WINGS! Robin is a title/name... not a lifestyle. I will not prepare to be blown away (by his giant stupid friggin wings). I will prepare for this comic to blow.

STATIC SHOCK #1
Written by SCOTT McDANIEL and JOHN ROZUM
Art and cover by SCOTT McDANIEL and
JONATHAN GLAPION
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The brilliant, slightly awkward high school student Virgil Hawkins transforms into the cocky electromagnetic hero Static! A mysterious tragedy forces the Hawkins family to relocate from Dakota to New York City! Virgil embarks upon new adventures in a new high school and a new internship at S.T.A.R. Labs! As Static, he dons a new uniform and establishes a new secret headquarters! But is he ready to take on the new villains who lurk in New York City's underworld?

I am a fan of Static and was really hoping to see this kid have his own series with DC... and finally it happened. Just wish Dwayne McDuffie could have lived to see it too.

HAWK AND DOVE #1
Written by STERLING GATES
Art and cover by ROB LIEFELD
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Hank Hall is not happy. He's not happy to have Dawn Granger as a new partner in his war on crime. He's not happy that she's dating the ghostly Super Hero, Deadman. He's not happy to learn that someone is trying to plunge the United States into a new civil war! Now it's up to Hawk and Dove to root out the forces behind this conflict and stop them before they turn the U.S. into a wasteland! And who is the monster lurking in the shadows, watching Hawk and Dove from afar? Find out in this new series from Sterling Gates (FLASHPOINT: KID FLASH LOST) and artist Rob Liefeld (X-Force, Youngblood)!

Oh Rob... I hound you, but I'll be honest. I think this book looks great. The plot sounds beyond dumb, but I'm glad the art is really solid from what I've seen. Dove is dating Deadman? Beyond being dumb alliteration, this seems liek a tragedy waiting to happen. Soooo stupid.

BLUE BEETLE #1
Written by TONY BEDARD
Art by IG GUARA and RUY JOSE
Cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and SAL REGLA
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
It's not easy being Jaime Reyes. He has to deal with high school, family and all the drama that comes with being a teenager. Also, he's linked to a powerful scarab created by an alien race known as the Reach who seek to subjugate planets – or annihilate them. It's up to one teen hero to turn this instrument of destruction into a force for good.

There have been rumors circulating that in the new DCU there were no Beetles before Jaime... so that means no Dan Garret. And more importantly, no Ted. This is a HUGE problem if this turns out true. The book is not at fault though, and I actually like Jaime and given his appearances on the Brave and the Bold cartoon, he's pretty popular. I think the character has a lot to offer.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by FRANCIS PORTELA
Cover by KARL KERSCHL
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The Legion of Super-Heroes has been decimated by the worst disaster in its history. Now, the students of the Legion Academy must rise to the challenge of helping the team rebuild – but a threat of almost unstoppable power is rising at the edge of Dominator space, and if the new recruits fail, the Legion Espionage Squad may be the first casualties in a war that could split worlds in half!

I don't know much about the Legion, but I'm not a huge fan of what I have encountered. Will read the first issue for the blog but odds are, I'll drop it right after.

LEGION LOST #1
Written by FABIAN NICIEZA
Art and cover by PETE WOODS
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Seven heroes from the 31st century have traveled back to the present day. Their mission: Save their future from annihilation. But when the future tech they brought with them fails, they find themselves trapped in a nightmarish world that, for them, is the ultimate struggle to survive!

See previous comment.

I however will be in for no surprises, unless I end up enjoying it.

THE DARK
As "The Edge" is seemingly carrying the torch of WildStorm, so is "The Dark" continuing the torch of the original conception of Vertigo, the dark, mature(ish)-readers supernatural tales that made up the bulk of its titles upon its conception. While Constantine will continue in Vertigo's Hellblazer, that book's writer will also deal with the separate DCU incarnation in Justice League Dark. WildStorm's Voodoo is in this line, too, along with many of the other usual suspects like Animal Man and Swamp Thing.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by MIKEL JANIN
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The witch known as The Enchantress has gone mad, unleashing forces that not even the combined powers of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg can stop. And if those heroes can't handle the job, who will stand against this mystical madness? Shade the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Zatanna and John Constantine may be our only hope – but how can we put our trust in beings whose very presence makes ordinary people break out in a cold sweat?

Ok, given my hatred for Secret 7, I'm sick of Enchantress and Shade. The others I'm ok with I guess. I just don't really care too much for magic based books. But I like that no one's costume or look was changed really... except:
Zatanna. She wears fishnets on her legs and a tuxedo. She now wears fishnets on her arms (WTF?) and a corset, with leather pants. IS ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION HERE?! This is stupid beyond all imagination.

SWAMP THING #1
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
One of the world's most iconic characters has returned to the heart of the DC Universe, and every step he takes will shake the foundations of the Earth! Alec Holland has his life back...but the Green has plans for it. A monstrous evil is rising in the desert, and it'll take a monster of another kind to defend life as we know it!

Never cared for Swamp Thing and DC isn't helping me any with that. This series might be good though... I like Snyder's work so far in other titles.

ANIMAL MAN #1
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by TRAVEL FOREMAN and DAN GREEN
Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
Buddy Baker has gone from "super" man to family man – but is he strong enough to hold his family together when Maxine, his young daughter, starts to manifest her own dangerous powers? Find out in this dramatic new series from writer Jeff Lemire (SWEET TOOTH) and artist Travel Foreman (The Immortal Iron Fist).

You know what we don't have yet? Besides a hundred characters we should... we don't have a family man with family issues that have some super added. I think this fills that hole and I have, so far, be very pleased with Lemire's work.

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #1
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI
Cover by J.G. JONES
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
It's Frankenstein as you've never seen him before, in a dark new series from acclaimed writer Jeff Lemire (SWEET TOOTH) and artist Alberto Ponticelli (UNKNOWN SOLDIER)! Frankenstein is part of a network of strange beings who work for an even stranger government organization: The Super Human Advanced Defense Executive! But can he protect the world from threats even more horrifying than himself? And since he's vilified for who and what he is, will he even want to take on this mission?

This apparently leads straight out of the Flashpoint mini with Frank. He's an intersting character and I think this will be a sleeper hit like Secret Six, but I don't want to get my hopes up that Lemire will have two great series at once.

I, VAMPIRE #1
Written by JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV
Art by ANDREA SORRENTINO
Cover by JENNY FRISON
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
For hundreds of years, vampire Andrew Stanton kept mankind safe from the horrors of the supernatural world, thanks to a truce he made with his ex-lover Mary, the Queen of the Damned. But now that truce has reached a bloody end and Andrew must do everything in his power to stop Mary and her dark forces from going on a killing spree – and she plans to start with the heroes of the DCU!

I'm so sick of the monster thing. I know that's weird after I just gave Frankenstein a glowing review, but its true. Maybe Twilight has put me off the vampire thing, but I believe that this will tie OMAC for fastest cancellation. Its a boring story that unless some real life is added, will die quick. Plus I thinks its a rip on the success of I, Zombie. Maybe I shouldn't be so crass... but when I get gems like this attached how can I help it?:

WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?! Limits? Vampire? Where do you think we are?

RESURRECTION MAN #1
Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING
Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
It's the return of Mitch Shelly – and he's still dead. Resurrection Man can't stay dead for long, though – and with each rebirth comes new and unexpected powers. But his many returns have not gone unnoticed, and forces are gathering to learn what's so special about him – and to see which of them will finally stop Resurrection Man dead.

Hey, character no one has cared about for years. Oh, just stopping in to remind people you're still alive? Good deal, aptly nicknamed guy. Watch this get integrated into another book soon... probably JL:Dark

DEMON KNIGHTS #1
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT
Cover by TONY S. DANIEL
On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Set in the Dark Ages of the DC Universe, a barbarian horde is massing to crush civilization. It's fallen to Madame Xanadu and Jason Blood, the man with a monster inside him, to stand in their way – though the demon Etrigan has no interest in protecting anyone or anything other than himself! It'll take more than their own power to stop an army fueled by bloodlust and dark sorcery, and some very surprising heroes – and villains – will have no choice but to join the fray!

Dark Ages with demons and surprise guest stars in a comic by the guy who hit the Luthor fueled issues of Action Comics out of the park? Sign me up. I may hate it, but I may fall in love with a new series... who knows?

VOODOO #1
Written by RON MARZ
Art and cover by SAMI BASRI
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
Who is Voodoo? Is she hero, villain – or both? Learn the truth about Priscilla Kitaen as she leaves a trail of violence across America. Discover the new DCU through her eyes, because the things she sees are not always what they seem...

Is Dark just the area where all the half-cocked ideas go to die? We are told to see the new universe through her eyes, but its not what it seems... DC, I think we just found your backdoor to save yourselves. Your mission is to make this book avoid cancellation so that you can undo this horrible crap. This book looks awful though... Female lead, magic powers, ethnicly questionable, antihero/anitvillain, and its nontraditional. All these factors are usually a death sentence for a book... and that's seperate.