Smallville - Luthor - Season 10 - Episode 10 - CW

This episode introduces Clark to alternate universes. In this one, Clark is transported to the world where he's been raised by Lionel Luthor . . rather than the Kent's, and he's taken on the persona of Ultra-man. He's a very evil and power hungry man on this world. Anyways, Tess is bequeathed a Kryptonian relic . . the mirror-box, by her estranged father, Lionel. Clark finds it, while at Cadmus looking into the Lex clone that's on the loose. When he activates it the two Clarks switch places. On the other Earth he finds out about Tess being Luthor's daughter, and that this other Clark had held this world in a grip of fear. Fearing for his own world, he tries to find the way back. Of course he does, and all is put right. But I think the real purpose of this story was to work Lionel back into the mix of things. When Clark does finally find the other world's mirror-box, with Ollie's help, he comes back but . . Lionel is close by. Somehow Clark doesn't know it, but Lionel has also come back to his Earth with him . . on his heels, or coat-tails. And it looks like he's decided to lay low and get the feel for this Earth before he makes any big moves. This also resolves all the secrets that Tess has been hiding. Her and Clark talk about Alexander, and her being the bastard child of Lionel. So far it seems like Clark trusts her. But it's probably tenuous at best. And . . they haven't told everybody else yet. I'm sure there will be some dissenting opinion. I think this is shaping up to be a great season. I can't wait to see how it all shakes out.

Smallville - Patriot - Season 10 - Episode 9 - CW

This episode introduces us to one of my favorite characters from Battlestar Galactica . . Colonel Ty. However, on this show, he's General Slade Wilson. Yes . . the same Slade Wilson that becomes Deathstroke. But we don't get a hint of that until the final scene of the show. Anyways, General Wilson is in charge of enforcing the Vigilante Registration Act, VRA, now that it's been passed. And he's willing to do so passionately. AC, Aquaman, also shows up this episode with his new wife . . Mera. The General uses AC's acts as a soapbox for the VRA. But what Clark later finds out is that the 'oil rigs' that AC and Mera have been destroying around the globe, are actually covers for the deep-sea prisons that the General is building to hold the opponents of the VRA. Which coincidentally look surprisingly similar to the various facilities that Lex had built when he was trying to capture and study the meteor freaks. Anyways, Ollie decides to be the first person to sign up. Clark actually wants to do it, but Ollie tells him that he's to important to the cause. He agrees to do it, and if anything goes wrong . . which you just know it does, Clark and AC will have to come to his rescue. As it turns out . . this is exactly what the General is counting on. While he's got Ollie sequestered, he easily captures AC when he shows up to his rescue. Then, with Lois' help, Clark finds out that the only platform that's actually operational is in Alaska. When Clark shows up, the General captures him with Kryptonite bars, and then activates the auto-destruct sequence. 'I'd rather die taking you down than to let you continue to fighting against the freedoms of the American people.' Well . . that might not be exactly what he said, but . . you get the idea. Anyways, during the course of this, Clark looks at Slade with his X-ray vision and finds the Omega symbol branded on his skull. He thinks that's the mark of the beast that he let through the opening when he sent the Kandorians off . . the 'Darkness' that he's been worried about. He's already seen it in Granny Goodness and Gottfried. So he knows it's still out there. So . . the facility is destroyed. Of course Clark survives. And on the final scene of the show we see Slade coming out of an operation with a metal plate over his left eye. Anyways, while that was the main action . . the back story is Lois' induction into Clark and Ollie's club. She actually does quite a bit to help them this episode, and . . Clark realizes that he's a better person because of her. Their strength comes in their unity, cooperation and trust. They can accomplish much more together, and as part of 'the team', than either of them can if they tried to attack the problems solo. There's also a nice little moment in there between Lois and Mera. I thought it was a nice episode, and it really moved the story-lines along. Not only the one about the VRA and Clark and Ollie's team, but . . Lois and Clark's as well. We're only about half way through the season, so . . there's still plenty of time for just about anything to happen.

Smallville - Abandon - Season 10 - Episode 8 - CW

This episode focus' on two of Clark's supporting characters . . Lois . . and Tess. Lois, while moving in with Clark . . kind of reluctantly, kind of overtly . . comes across a box of her mother's things that she had forgotten about. When her mother died of cancer, she left some things for Lois in a box that ended up in the back of her closet for all these years. What she learns through this experience, and the video tapes that her mom leaves her, is that the guilt and confusion that a child feels as they're growing up . . especially when they have to deal with situations, such as losing a parent . . most of the time, those feelings are magnified by the child's lack of knowledge or insight into what's really going on. When parents don't sit down to thoroughly explain things to their children . . they formulate answers with the limited knowledge that they have. And whether they're right or wrong . . those answers become their beliefs. Anyways . . Lois is feeling the guilt over not having visited her mom during the final weeks when she was in the hospital. But as she soon learns from the tapes . . that was her mom's choice. This leads her to the revelation that before she can move on with her life . . and her life with Clark, she first had to resolve the issues she had over her mother's lose. From there . . she deduces that in order for Clark to move on he's also going to have to heal this rift between he and his father, Jor-El. So . . she heads down to the fortress. When Clark realizes what she's done, and comes to get her, he views a recording of his parents saying goodbye to him, shortly before he left Krypton. It was an image, and side of his parents that he hadn't seen before. The long and short of it is . . Lois and Clark are moving on with their relationship, and . . there may be a wedding in the near future. Also, during all of this, Tess comes across a few revelations of her own. She discovers that she'd grown up in an orphanage . . which she had completely forgot about. And she found a new menace for Clark in the visage of Granny Goodness. Along with Desaad and Gottfried, they plan on becoming Darkseid's new trinity. She also discovers that she was actually the daughter of Lionel Luthor. I'm not sure what those revelations will mean for her future, but . . I don't think she's revealed them all to Clark yet. Anyways . . I thought it was a great episode. Considering that it's the final season, it seems like a lot of new plot-threads are being introduced. I can't help but think about what that means for the future. On a side note . . I think the new season of the Human Target is a definite improvement over last years. I didn't think last year's was terrible. But . . this season seems a lot more exciting. They've introduced a couple of new female characters. And Baptiste has recently come back. Anyways, this series shows a lot of promise. If you're a follower of Smallville, you'll definitely like the Human Target. Give it a shot. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Smallville - Ambush - Season 10 - Episode 7 - CW

In this episode, the General and Lucy come to visit Lois and Clark. The premise of the story is that, basically . . he's coming to test Clark. Obviously, being a father, he knows when his daughter is getting serious about someone. So he wants to make sure that her beau is of the quality of standard that he believes that his daughter deserves. Apparently Lucy is in on the 'master-plan' also, although I'm not sure if her intervention was intentional or just adolescent. Anyways . . while all of this drama is unfolding at the Kent farm, there's also another story-line in the works. The US Government is getting prepared to pass the 'Meta-human Registration Act', and apparently the General is one of it's biggest proponents. So Rick Flag, and his Suicide Squad, feels that if they can get the General out of the way, they'll be able to kill the bill before it passes. In a way, they're really trying to protect people like Clark and Ollie. They're just using extreme measures to go about it. And their acts actually help to sway the Generals feelings towards one of a kind of 'honor' towards the Blur. You see, Rick tried to take out the General with some missiles, but they accidentally blew up Lois' apartment . . while she was in it. The General and Lucy had just left, after having a fight about Clark, and he left the homing device the Rick gave Lucy setting on her counter. Shortly after leaving he sees her apartment explode, and assumes that she's been killed. But seconds later the Blur delivers her right to his side. And that was the instance that changes the Generals feeling. Not that that's what Rick had intended. But . . it's to little to late, as the bill passes anyways. It was kind of touching though, at the end, when the General talks to Clark. It seems that these 'tests' that he's always put Lois' boyfriends through was as much to test her commitment as that of her suitors. When Lois stands up to her father, about her feeling for Clark and their future . . that's when he knew that she was finally with the man she needed to be with. So it ends up being kind of a father and son moment between Clark and the General. Clark also kind of hints that he wants to ask the General permission for something else. Is Clark going to ask Lois to marry him? Well . . we don't know that for sure. But that's what it seems like. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. So far I've been thrilled with this final season, but it kind of seems obvious that they're going to have to go in some kind of direction with these characters in the future. It's just that it's hard to tell, and I haven't heard anything, as to what those plans may be. In the meantime, there's about a dozen episodes left, so . . enjoy them while you can.

Smallville - Harvest - Season 10 - Episode 6 - CW

This episode is basically done in two parts. Lois and Clark are on a trip in the county . . covering the Cherry Festival, because Clark wants to keep Lois away from Cat's anti-hero demonstration. But instead he ends up landing her in the middle of a 'Children of the Corn' scenario. As they're driving down the road their tires get flattened. Clark fixes one, but has to rush off to the nearest filling station to fix the other. While he's gone, an unassuming little country girl takes Lois in her horse and buggy, promising to take her to the train station. However, she soon finds herself captive in this little community. It appears that some 20 years ago, the meteors rained down on this town, and killed the town leader's daughter. However, because their water has been infused with blue meteor rock, their crops have been plentiful, and no one gets sick. So naturally they assume that it was because of their daughter's sacrifice. So, they've been sacrificing someone every year, at their 'Harvest Festival', to appease the gods. This year . . it's Lois' turn. Clark eventually finds her, but the problem he's having is that . . since the townsfolk have been consuming this blue meteor water for so many years, it's abundant in their system. And anytime a few of them get near Clark . . he loses his powers. But they make the mistake of burying him outside of town, while they all head back for the sacrifice. This gives Clark enough power to get out of the predicament, and go back and save Lois. The other part of the story is about Tess and Lex. Lex has aged some more and is now a teenager. He's also starting to show more signs that he's becoming more and more like the real Lex. He becomes obsessed with Clark, and the 'S' emblem, because he's convinced that he's trying to kill him. He even escapes from the castle and goes to Clark's barn because he has memories of him and Clark there. Then, once he gets back home, he shaves his head so he even starts to look like Lex. I have a feeling that Tess is going to be putting this kid in lock-down real soon. To me though, the best part of the story is all the questions that Lois is asking Clark. It's not like reporter questions. It's more like questions anyone would ask their spouse if they had just found out that they're from another planet. Lois is hilarious. Eventually Clark gives her his journal from the barn so that she can get caught up on everything. I thought it was an ok episode. I didn't really buy the whole 'Stepford Wives' thing, but . . it was interesting. And I'm intrigued about what's going to happen with Lex. We're almost half way through the final season, so . . we don't have much to go. I have to enjoy them while I can.

Smallville - Isis - Season 10 - Episode 5 - CW

In this episode Lois is put at risk because . . when she was in Africa, and was looking through the stuff at Carter's dig, she somehow ended up with the Amulet of Isis in her purse. Now the rest of that expedition has been brought to Metropolis because Ollie is throwing a big gala at the museum. Anyways, one things leads to another and . . a beam of sunlight flows through the gem in the amulet and . . ta-da . . Lois is inhabited by the spirit of Isis. From there it's a bit predictable. Clark and Ollie have to save her. But in the process Clark realizes how much he loves her. Obviously they pull it off, and Lois is returned to Clark's loving arms. But there were lots of other little tidbits that served to move the other various story-threads along. First . . Cat Grant is back. And she's still on the hero-bashing crusade. In fact when she sees Lois/Isis perform some superhuman feats . . she's convinced that Lois is the Blur. During all of this, Clark and Ollie end up soliciting Tess' help in figuring out how to beat the amulet. Because of that, they end up asking her to join their team and take Chloe's place at the helm of the Watchtower. I'm not sure how that's going to work out though, because . . she's still keeping a secret from them. They don't know that she's in possession of Alexander . . Lex's 6 year old clone. We also find out that Alexander's IQ has increased dramatically. And . . he's growing at an accelerated rate. He's grow about 4 inches in as many weeks. But, because of the recent events, Tess has decided to take a more nurturing, and loving role with Alexander. Although I'm sure it's . . too little, too late. Also Ollie is changed by these events, and the support from Clark and Tess. He's gone public now with his identity, but . . he's still trying to sort out how to balance it all. He was starting to head off into the 'glam and showbiz' aspect of it all, but . . these recent events have convinced him to get back to basics . . being the 'hero' that he wants to be for the city and it's people. And finally . . with much hesitation, Clark confides his secret to Lois. Her response? 'What took you so long?' I thought it was a great ending. This season definitely seems more upbeat than the last. Like I've said before, that whole Zod thing was really a downer. I know it was a necessary storyline for these characters to go through. But personally, I thought it played out way to long. Anyways, I haven't heard any news as to a new series after the completion of this one, but . . there's just so many different ways they could go. I hope they have something in the works.

Adventure Comics #517, 518 and #519 - DC

I think Paul Levitz is trying to reintroduce a new generation, and perhaps some of the old, to the Legion again. Obviously, in order to tell current stories of the Legion, he's going to have to show things from the past as a sort of prologue. And I assume, since the Legion of 3 Worlds combined a lot of the most recent story-lines, and teams, that Paul has a bit of artistic license when it comes to showing us the past. The Legion's past. Our future. You know what I mean. Anyways, my point is, in issue #517 we're shown a story from the very early days of the Legion. Irma, Garth and Rokk have just barely gotten together, and they're still trying to figure out not only their own relationships, but the Legion's with other entities, such as the Science Police. Irma is still at the point where she feels like she has to prove herself . . constantly. We're also introduced to a new threat . . a techno-pirate named Zaryan, who's going around and stealing robot parts from many different manufacturing plants, and various planets. Although, after looking it up, Zaryan's first appearance was back in Jan. of 1963. In a battle with the Legion . . he was then called Zaryan the Conqueror . . he ended up killing Lightning Lad. Which kind of shows how Paul is tweaking things, just a bit. Anyways, this is one of their very first missions, and they're doing it in tandem with the Science Police. Specifically a Sgt. Esquivel. Whom, although she doesn't like the access that's been given to Brande, simply because of his money, is still a believer in the Legion and what it hopes to stand for. Through the course of the mission, and Irma's training, she and the Sgt becomes friends. So on one of the raids when one of Zaryan's men take out the Sgt, Irma is especially vulnerable. Which leads her to sleeping with Rokk. Luckily, for her, it follows a night of drinking, so she can make him forget and blame it on the booze. We also see in this part of the story how these first 3 Legionnaires come to the conclusion that they need to expand their ranks. The issue ends with their new friend Brainy planning a trip back to the past so that they can meet their idol . . Superboy. RJ Brands actually wants them to meet Superman, but . . Brainy has other plans. The next issue goes into the present of the Legion and we see Superboy in the future visiting his friends. This issue is kind of told from Clark's perspective, in that he doesn't always like what he finds in the future, especially when he starts to see glimpses of his own. There's lots of things that happen to him, as Superman, that he's in no way prepared to face yet. Which is part of the reason why Irma insists on mind-sweeping him before he returns to his own time. The information, and feelings, that he experiences while in the future can't be carried back into the past with him. He can't face the threats he destined to face with any prior knowledge. In order to now affect the future, he has to handle them in the way that he originally did . . good or bad. But while in the future . . it's a heavy burden for him to bear. There's also a mystery going on, in that the Legion Headquarters seems to be haunted. Phantom girl tries to give Superboy the tour, but she's kind of distracted by the other things going on. And Clark actually hears the supposed phantom's voice while in the Superman museum. The next issue takes place about a year after the Legion's formation, and . . the Legion has grown tremendously. But something that is constant is that they're still chasing after this Zaryan guy. Irma is especially hell-bent on capturing him because of what happened to her friend. But she's temporarily pulled off the mission so that she, Rokk and Garth can go back to meet Superboy. Brainy supposedly has a list of the things he wants the team to do with the young Clark Kent, but the real point of their mission is to intercept a Brainiac droid that is sent to Earth to scout out their technology. We also see the first glimpse of the Legion Espionage Squad this issue . . Chameleon Boy, Shrinking Violet and Invisible Kid. Anyways, the Legionnaires have fun in the past up until they realize why they're really there. And why Brainy brought them to Smallville in the first place, instead of Metropolis to meet Superman like RJ wanted. He knows that Superboy isn't prepared to face Brainiac, and if they could defeat the droid and make it disappear . . it would be consistent with what the future records show. Of the three, I especially liked this issue because it came the closest to giving me the feeling that I used to get when I read those old Legion stories . . the ones from Superboy and Adventure, back in the 60's and 70's. Overall, I think Paul is doing a great job and, I think, is trying to bring the Legion into the future, without rewriting to much of the past. But like I said, there are some subtle tweaks here and there. Kevin Sharpe and Marlo Alquiza provide the art for the first 2 issues, with Eduardo Pansica filling in on #519. I thought they all did a good job, and gave their books a really good feel. I'm also enjoying the Atom back-up story by Jeff Lemire and Mahmud Asrar. Someone is after Ray's technology. And it appears to be the Colony. We find out later, from Ray's uncle, that the Colony started out as a government think tank . . Project Colony. But when their governmental funding was pulled, they decided to carry on under their own direction. They felt that the work they were doing was to important to the future of the nation and the world. Anyways, for some reason they're after Ray's White Dwarf Star. They've been able to copy his technology, but . . without the star, it's unstable . . at best. And somehow Ray's uncle Dave is involved in all of this. Dave shows Ray his life's work . . the Ant-Farm. It's a microscopic world that he's created should the need arise for humankind to vacate the planet . . 'pandemics, nuclear or biological war, natural disasters, overpopulation, famine, even meteorites that may collide with Earth one day. We need a backup plan . . this . . this is a microscopic panic room for humankind.' But even though Dave created it, he's never been inside of it, because . . he doesn't have the technology. Only Ray does. So I think, for some reason, Dave's tricked him into coming here. Anyways, through the course of these stories, I thought Jeff Lemire did a fantastic job of reintroducing us to Ray's character, and that of the Atom's. He does a little bit to update him . . without changing him, and does a good job of explaining why he's always had such a hard time of fitting in with the Justice League. He's always wanted to help, but . . he approaches things . . problems, a different way than is usually their method. I thought it was good insight into the character and made us really think about who he is. This is another book that I'm glad is back on the shelf. I'm thrilled to read every issue of it.

Smallville - Homecoming - Season 10 - Episode 4 - CW

This was a great episode. As you can see from the picture . . Brainiac is back. But . . not in the way that you might've expected. This episode kind of reminded me of A Christmas Carol. Or rather . . A Smallville Christmas Carol. It seems that Brainiac has come back to help Clark get past this 'dark' part of his soul that everybody keeps talking about. The story is framed around Clark and Lois' return to Smallville. It seems it's time for a class reunion, and Lois thinks that the return to Smallville will help Clark get past whatever this funk is that he's been in lately. That's when Brainiac attacks. Or rather . . he shows up to help guide Clark along his destined path. What? Wait . . I thought Clark and Legion had destroyed Brainiac. Well . . except for that little black puddle that we saw oozing along after he was vanquished. It seems that what they really did was to cure Brainiac. Like Clark, he was created by Jor-El. And like Clark, Jor-El hoped that he would help to aid this alien race and prepare the world for Clark's ascension. But, somewhere along the way, he became corrupted. It seems whatever Clark and the Legion did to him, helped to cure him of that corruption. So now Brainiac is in the future and has joined up with the Legion. He even tells Clark that he's now known as Brainiac 5. Anyways, he's decided to help Clark, but in order to do so he has to get him to let go of his past. It seems that it's his 'second-guessing' and 'guilt' that's creating this dark cloud over Clark's head. And as Brainiac shows him, it all started when his father, Jonathan, died. Since then Clark has been questioning his 'path' and his 'destiny'. He then shows him that in the present he's become a pillar of strength to many people. Not just because of his abilities, but because of the way that he inspires them. Lois and Ollie are just two of the many to be affected by Clark. There's even one of the 'meteor-freaks' that Clark put away that shows up at the reunion. While viewing the world with Brainiac, Clark sees this guy approach Lois. He fears for her, and in his haste grabs ahold of Brainiac's Legion ring. That's when he's hurled into the future. In it he realizes that not only are he and Lois a couple . . there's hints of them being married, but we don't know that for sure . . but also Clark has confided his secret to Lois. And he now sees that she's become his staunchest supporter, and protector. Well . . protector of his secret. It seems that in the present, Clark's silence and distance that he's been putting between himself and those around him . . thinking that he's protecting them, is actually hurting them. Not physically, of course, but rather as far as potential. Without Clark's strength and friendship, neither Lois or Ollie are realizing their true potential. When they finally return to the present, Clark sees that this guy from his past is approaching Lois' because he wants to thank Clark. He wants to thank Clark for showing him that he didn't have to live the way he was. And for helping him get out of, and away from his destructive behavior. It seems that despite all of his powers, Clark's greatest strength lies in the way that he inspires and motivates others. He truly is a beacon that's only now beginning to shine on the world. He's a pebble, in a stream, who's ripples are only just beginning to reach out to others. He then goes on to inspire Ollie, a bit more. Ollie is holding a press conference on his latest revelation. Unfortunately he's feeling melancholy and distressed about Chloe . . as well as Clark, whom he hasn't heard from. But when Clark shows up . . Ollie instead express' his hopes for the future and what he wants his 'heroism' to inspire. He also tells the world . .'I'm not doing it alone.' Clark then goes to Lois to tell, and show her how he really feels about her. He hasn't revealed his secret . . yet. But . . I think it's only a matter of time. And in their embrace . . Clark begins to 'float' under his own power. It seems that this 'enlightenment' is fueling the emergence of the rest of Clark's powers. All in all I thought it was a very moving episode. I really liked the roles that Lois and Ollie played in this unfolding drama. And we even get a peak . . the slightest glimpse really, that Chloe is still out there. I can't wait to see what the rest of this season has in store for us.

Superman #702 and #703 - DC

While I enjoyed these 2 issues . . unfortunately, I

didn't think they were as good as #701. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love J Michael Straczynski's work. And I think Eddy Barrows gets better and better with every issue of work that he does. These 2 issues were just a little more . . oblique. I guess that's the best word to describe it. There were parts that I really enjoyed, and I think served to further enhance the story. But then other parts? Come on . . Superman stopping to play a game of pick-up ball? Yes he ended up helping one of the kids that was being bullied. But . . it just didn't' seem that believable to me. But then some would argue that it's a comic and believability isn't really the point. But that's part of what I like about JMS's work. He puts ideas out there that maybe aren't mind-bending, but . . a lot of times it's stuff that seems like the natural course of events. We, as readers, just never thought about it that way. Then when he presents it, we think . . 'Oh yeah! I could see that happening.' Anyways, in #702 Superman is in Detroit. The point of the issue, mainly, is that he comes across a 'hive' of aliens living as human. They're just trying to blend in. And, of course, when Superman arrives to see what's going on, he's attacked. But that doesn't last very long. I thought the interesting part of the whole confrontation was when Superman is talking to them, and trying to reason. They just want to live in peace, and they're totally self-sufficient. But then Superman argues . . 'The point is, what are you giving back to your community? Every culture that's come through this country has added something to it. You have scientific advances here that could be helping people. If you don't let anyone know, then what are you giving back? What good are you doing here?' Later Superman comes across an old man in need of medical attention. He's got something or other that he knows that Earth science can't treat. So he takes him back to the aliens. They end up treating him, and then with Superman's encouragement, they decide to 'give back'. They buy up some of the abandoned factories and set up some medical facilities plants. Working some of their own technology into the designs. Yes it's a little far-fetched, but . . it's interesting. And in the end, Superman talks some aliens that were just trying to survive into 'giving back'. In #703, Superman ends up in Cincinnati. This issue ends up being about a debate between Superman and Batman. Batman has been watching Superman's progress. And while he doesn't believe in his overall methods, he is trying to give him his space. Batman's argument though is . . first of all he doesn't think that Superman is actually dealing with what's really bothering him . . the loss of his adopted planet. Secondly, by walking amongst the 'common-folk', he's actually putting the people he's trying to reach in danger. Superman is a magnet, as is anyone in their profession. If he puts himself out in the open like this . . trouble will follow. And while Superman can deal with pretty much anything, can the people he's putting in such close proximity? Of course something happens, and ironically it's caused by his recently lost adoptive planet. More specifically some kind of crystal's that reached Earth from it. Anyways, in his zeal to 'fix the problem', a large part of the city is destroyed. Superman immediately afterwards sets to fixing it, but . . the damage has already been done. While the physical damage can be fixed, the doubts among the people have been sowed. They have seen that while he walks amongst them, in truth . . he's not really one of them. And of course they, and the media turn against him immediately. Basically proving Batman's point. This has got to be hard on Dick. While he's been proven right, at the same time he probably hates to see Superman have to learn the hard truth this way. I think he may have been on to something when he warned Superman that he may be going through a mental breakdown . . or could be, if he doesn't deal with what's really bothering him. It's a side of Superman I don't think we've ever seen before. Anyways, I thought they were good issues. I like #701 better, but . . I still thought they were good. And I think JMS and Eddy are doing a fantastic job. If you've even only been marginally interested in Superman before . . this is a story-arc that I think can touch a lot of people. If you give it a chance. Believe me, you won't be sorry.

Smallville - Supergirl - Season 10 - Episode 3 - CW

This episode seemed to revolve mostly around the theme of whether a 'hero' should show his face . . or hide in the shadows. It's an argument that has been bounced around in the comics since their inception. But on this particular series, the consensus to date has been to keep your identity a secret, and operate from the shadows. However, back when Clark opened the portal with the book or Rao to send the Kandorians away . . apparently a darkness came through that Jor-El, and now Kara, are worried will get a foothold on Clark. If so, 'In control of your powers, you could become the greatest threat, and weapon, the world has ever seen.' So Kara has come back to give it a different target to go after. Which is why she's gone public. Apparently this is a presence that feeds on the doubt, and darkness in a person's soul. The only people immune to it are those that are pure of heart. Anyways, it's taken possession of Gordon Godfrey's body and is using his media presence, and savvy . . as well as his publicist, to put his face out in front of the entire world and use his words to plant the seed of doubt. He's also about to expose Ollie's identity as the Green Arrow. Lois takes exception to this guys anti-hero rhetoric, so she makes it her mission to take him down. However, apparently he knows of Lois' connection to the Blur and is manipulating her into drawing him out. During all of this, Ollie is feeling especially guilty because of Chloe's sacrifice to save him. He's tired of his crusade and identity bringing harm and heartbreak to those around him. So, at the end of the episode, much to Lois' chagrin, he decides to go public and holds a press conference to release his secret. Anyways, Kara and Clark hold back the shadows . . somehow repelling them with her bracelets. The only way to get rid of them for sure is to send them back through the portal. But they haven't done that yet . . nor do they know how. So for now . . the shadows are just out there in possession of someone else. And although Lois knows Clark's secret, it seems like it gets harder and harder every episode for her to keep that from him. She's constantly stopping herself from slipping up. So . . while the story progress' as far as Lois and Clark is concerned . . and with the looming threat that Jor-El tried to warn him of, it seems like the crux of this story was the question of how Clark should proceed with his secret. Is his penchant for operating in the shadows helping his ultimate destiny . . or hindering it? Clark truly wants to be the best 'hero' he can be. He doesn't want to let anyone down. But it seems as if he's at a crossroads. Does he keep operating the way he is . . fighting the symptoms, without really addressing the problems? Or does he come out of the shadows and become an icon that the rest of the world can rally behind? Of course he doesn't know that's what he'll ultimately become, so . . to him, that's the greatest risk. Plus, he doesn't want to put those around him . . friends or family, at risk. This is the final season of Smallville, and I have a feeling there's going to be some big changes before this is all over with.

Smallville - Shield - Season 10 - Episode 2 - CW

As episodes go . . this one was kind of boring. Well . . that is to say, if you weren't a Smallville follower, and this was one of the first episodes you ever watched . . you'd have been kind of bored through this one. But that's only because this is kind of one of those 'in-between' episodes. A lot of information is introduced to us in this episode, but . . the payoff isn't going to be until further down the line. Lois is in Africa, where she's looking into an archaeological expedition. They've found some tombs which appear to be Isis'. And, Carter Hall just happens to be there. We later find out that Clark asked him to keep an eye on Lois. They have a pretty lengthy conversation about 'heroes' and the roles that their loved ones play in their lives. As an antithesis to this meaningful dialogue, Cat Grant is also introduced as a new reporter at the Planet. Tess has teamed her up with Clark. I think because she knows that Cat will get under his skin. Cat is really against all the 'vigilantes'. She feels that if they were real 'heroes', then they should come out of the shadows and let the world see them for who they are. This seems to be a recurring theme throughout this episode. We find out that Checkmate is still after Clark's group of 'heroes', and is using the Suicide Squad to tag and track them. We get to see Deadshot, Plastique, and . . I think, Rick Flag. It turns out that Rick Flag was actually the one that had captured and was interrogating Ollie. Which means that when Chloe traded herself for him . . she was actually trading herself to the Squad, and thereby . . Checkmate. Which is something that also has Ollie concerned because before leaving . . she completely erased any electronic trace of herself. Ollie's search at Watchtower basically tells him that Chloe Sullivan never existed. Later, when Ollie catches up with Rick Flag, Rick tells him that they did indeed have her, but rather than give any information up during her interrogation . . she swallowed a cyanide capsule. According to Rick Flag . . she's dead. But Ollie finds a bottle in her apartment that contained a cyanide antidote. So he's thinking that she faked her death. But he doesn't know why. And he doesn't know what she's up to. And, as it turns out, something that Cat Grant says to Clark has him thinking. After saving her from one of Deadshot's schemes . . although it was actually set up to 'tag' Clark . . she says that he's a real hero. And then she goes on to tell him that the kind of 'heroes' that the world really needs should be shining beacons of light. Not tucked away . . obscure, and faceless. So at the end of the episode we see that Clark has traded in his black trenchcoat . . the motif of the 'blur', for a bright colored red leather coat, and blue pants. I think he's trying to go for the 'red, white & blue' theme here, but . . I don't think he's quite ready for the Superman costume. There was some good actions and moments this episode, but . . like I said, I think this one's purpose was really to introduce us to some new characters and some new plot-lines. Overall, I liked it. But it wasn't really over exciting. But I still thought it was a good chapter in the life of Clark Kent.

Smallville - Season 10 - Episode 1 - Lazarus - CW

The title of this episode could have many different meanings. Last season ended with Clark falling backward off a building, seemingly dying, with a blue Kryptonite dagger sticking out of his chest. This episode starts out with Lois finding him. She kind of deduced that the 'Blur' was Clark, last season, when he laid that big sloppy kiss on her. And I think she saw the fireworks that were happening on top of the building. So she's concerned when she finds him. She pulls out the dagger, and when Clark starts to revive . . she goes and hides. Apparently now . . she doesn't want Clark to know that she knows. Anyways, the Lazarus theme could also be because Jor-El comes back this episode also . . at least his voice does, and he's back to give Clark advice. Although he's not very supportive right now. He also believes that Clark is going to be this world's greatest hero, but . . right now he feels that he has a darkness in his heart that could stop him from being so. He feels that if Clark doesn't do something about this, he could also be the Earth's greatest threat. And Jonathan comes back this episode also. His advice is much more supportive. He also sees the 'darkness' in Clark, but . . he believes in him and has faith that he'll overcome it. It was really nice to see Jonathan again after all this time. And another person is seemingly back from the dead . . Tess. She finds herself on a bed in Cadmus Labs. Her face is covered with some type of goo. When she pulls it off . . she's completely healed. But she also finds, what I think is the real reason for the Lazarus theme . . Cadmus Labs seems to have been working on a series of Lex clones. Apparently they were originally created as a means to heal Lex should something happen to him. I guess it's also how Tess was healed. But now there's only 2 versions of Lex left. One is Alexander, a 10 year old version of Lex. The other is a clone that is about 20 years his elder. It's this clone that burns down Cadmus and then captures Lois to test Clark. He puts Lois on that stake in the field where Clark once hung, and then sets the field afire. At the same time he explodes a bomb at the base of the Daily Planet statue, forcing Clark to choose who he's going to save. As he's racing off to do both, this Lex clone dies. Clark pushes himself and accomplishes both, but . . I think it's his dealing with Lex, and his feelings for that whole situation, that bring forth the darkness in his heart. Anyways, Chloe is also looking for Ollie because he was captured at the end of the last episode. We see that he's tucked away somewhere being beaten for information. I'm not sure who's behind it. But later on, after Chloe goes through an ordeal by putting on the Helmet of Fate, she negotiates his release. At least that's what I think. It's a dark image, and a trade is made. But I'm not sure if Chloe got Ollie released, or if she traded up herself in his stead. I'm sure we'll find out more next time. Oh yeah, and in the end . . Lois decides to accept the assignment in Africa. Probably because she knows how hard it'll be to keep her secret from Clark. This is billed as 'the Final Season of Smallville'. And I'm sure it will be. But . . we don't know yet if there may be something spinning off of it. I sure hope so. But so far . . I really think they started out this one with a bang. It was a great episode and I can't wait to see more.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #19 and #20 - DC

After defeating Brainiac, during the storyline in the Superman titles, Vril Dox, Brainiac 2, brought him to Colu. Vril is a clone of his 'father'. And as such, he has the usual resentment and inadequacy issues. Although I'm sure he'll be the last to admit it. Anyways, Vril saw this action as more than just incarcerating a 'bad-guy'. Vril saw this as a way to show his father that he was superior . . that he could best him. And I'm sure it's a relief to have him out of the way . . considering all the grand schemes and machinations that Vril is continually concocting. However, even though he considers himself an intellect, Vril couldn't resist gloating a little bit in front of him before leaving the planet. Not a good idea. Especially when it comes to Brainiac. So, at the same time all of this is going on, Vril's son Lyrl, Brainiac 3, has constructed the ultimate weapon of destruction . . an artificial intelligence star called Pulsar Stargrave. Well while Vril is gloating to his 'father', Lyrl is attacking Colu. Which accidentally sets Brainiac free. When Lyrl attacks Colu he wants 2 things. He wants the ruling council to surrender to him. And he wants access to the data-core . . all the compiled knowledge or the Coluans . . the Universe's smartest race. But while he's trying to argue with the council, Brainiac has taken control of the data-core himself. Which leaves Vril and Lyrl having to combine forces, and . . while Lyrl is attacking Brainiac directly with Pusar Stargrave, Vril goes off to get a secret weapon . . Lobo! After returning to Colu, Vril is at first concerned that he may have made a mistake. But after Brainiac hijacks the controls of Pulsar Stargrave, he realizes that Lobo is the only one capable of slowing him down. During all of this, Lobo has a Red Lantern ring around his neck, but . . he never uses it. I'm not sure why. Anyways, Vril and Lyrl attack Brainiac, knowing that they don't stand much of a chance, but . . Vril also knows that Brainiac would never give up the chance to acquire more knowledge. In thier defeat Brainiac will try to siphon all the knowledge out of their heads. But Vril has a secret weapon. Because of his issues with his 'father', Vril has a lot of emotions that have built up over the years, as well as baggage. But he knows that this is a weakness so he's set up mental blocks to lock all of this stuff away . . to hide it. Brainiac will see this as a challenge and will assimilate it before he has a chance to realize what it is. In the end, Vril wins. Not only because he weakens Brainiac, but also because he leaves him with the emotions and resentments that he's built up. 'Now you know what it feels like to be your 'son'.' But Brainiac does escape, with Pulsar Stargrave and the Data-core. And with the ruling council dead, Vril and Lyrl are going to have to figure out how to rebuild Colu. As well as dealing with Lobo . . now that the job that he's been hired to do is done. But first they're going to have to deal with the Green Lanterns that have come to arrest them. I think Tony Bedard does a fantastic job with this book. It's very structured and precise, as you would expect from Vril. There's also a couple of different themes floating around here. It's a Police story, as well as one of Outlaws. But there's also a kind of 'spy' and 'espionage' type of theme to it. And I've really enjoyed this Brainiac story-line. Also Claude St Aubin continues to improve every issue with his pencils. This book has a great look and feel to it. Our 2 covers here are by Kalman Andrasofszky and David Finch. David draws a pretty mean looking Lobo. I may have to rethink my belief that Simon Bisley is the definitive Lobo artist. Anyways, this is a great series. It's worth picking up . . if you're not.

Superman: the Last Family of Krypton #1 and #2 - DC

This is an Elseworlds story brought to us by Cary Bates and Renato Arlem. I'd include all 3 issues if I had them, so . . I'll just have to wait until the next one comes out to tell you how this all wraps up. The theme is pretty much the same here, it's just the variation that's different. As with most Elseworld titles. It starts out, obviously, with the destruction of Krypton. Except in this version, Jor-El and Lara decided that they can't bring themselves to leaving Kal-El alone in the universe. So, all three of them take the journey to Earth. Of course their ship is alien when it arrives. And is met with the usual skepticism. But in this instance, Jor-El can debark the ship and immediately start proving himself. Over the course of the next few years he continues to prove himself and acclimates into Terran society pretty easily. Especially when the powers that be realize what he can to for them. He even sets up a business, JorCorp. It's a way for him to implement his ideas, to merge Earthen and Kryptonian technology where possible, and to better overall help mankind and his new home. It's about this same time that Lara decides that Kal is leading to isolated of an existence. She wants him to experience human life, to walk in their shoes. Plus I think that she knows that neither she nor Jor-El can devote the time or experience to Kal's upbringing, not to the extent that a child needs. So she begins looking for families. Of course, she ends up with the Kents. Meanwhile. Lara has also decided to bring enlightenment to her new home in the form of their Kryptonian religion, Raoism. Personally, I think she's trying to balance her husband infusion of technology into their new society. She publishes a book, and opens a foundation. It's also around this time that Lex Luthor's scientific interests catch the eye of Jor-El, and he's brought into the JorCorp fold. The issue ends with Jor-El and Lara having a fight over Jor-El's obsession with Krypton's destruction. This leads to a little jaunt to the sun, and five months later Kal has a new sister and brother, Valora and Bru-El. In Chapter 2, we jump forward about 5 or 6 years. Because of their Terran birth, Valora and Bru-El only have about half the power of their parents or brother. This doesn't seem to bother Valora, but Bru-El is a brooder. His feelings aren't going to lead to anything good. Both of them are rather rambunctious and impetuous. But Valora has decided to pursue an academic life, reading 1000's of books every month. While Bru-El has become a bit of an action junkie. He's reveling in his powers, even if he is jealous of his brother's greater limits and control. This is also about the time that Jor-El first learns about Kryptonite. He learns, through Clark's experience, of the effects that it can have on Kryptonians. And tasks Lex with looking into it's properties and applications. We also find out that Lex has other allegiances. He's giving somebody else the information that he's gathering. We don't see who, but I'm guessing it's a government or military. The room has a flag with the house of El symbol, with a lightning strike through it. We also see the influence the El's have on the rest of the world as Lara saves Bruce's parents from being killed by Joe Chill. We begin to see an anti-Rao movement rising up amongst the people. And also glimpses of Xenophobia. We also go through the instance where Jonathan almost dies of a heart-attack. Luckily, on this world, Jor-El saves him. And they all live to see Clark graduating from High School. But in this instance, rather than travelling abroad, Clark decides that he's going to roam the stars. Lara and Martha even craft a uniform for him . . his Superman suit. But Lara has one bit of advice for him before he takes off, 'This planet has been good to you, Kal . . and once you're off in deep space you may be surprised how much you miss it. So slow down . . open your super-sense . . and take in all the Earth sights and sounds you can today.' In that moment he begins to see and hear things all over the globe that could use his assistance. He begins helping the 'common-man' and fixing whatever problems he can. From there . . he's hooked. He wants to live the life of a hero. But he knows that he can't do it 24/7, or count on his senses to alert him of every emergency. So he's decided to go to college, become a journalist, and then immerse himself in the information of the world . . he wants to go work for the Daily Planet. Anyways, years later, we see that the Lois and Clark relationship has blossomed. While the relationship between Clark and Jor-El has gathered distance. We later find out that there's a group called Doomsday that is intent on renouncing the Kryptonian, or alien influence that has permeated the planet over the previous years. In their deviance that capture and plan to kill Valora. Of course everyone races to find her, and track down these terrorists, but . . the point of it all is, Jor-El turns to Lex to help him find her, instead of his own son Kal-El. And this has Clark concerned. This is only a 3 issue series so next issue everything comes to a head. So far I like the story. But I knew I would. Cary is a great writer. And he's more than familiar with the Superman mythos. I'm also enjoying Renato Arlem art. It fits the story very nicely and really give the book, overall, a good feel. If you're not reading this, I'm sure it'll be out in TPB before Christmas. I can't see this one sitting around on the shelf for to long. I thought it was an interesting and exciting story. It also gave a neat twist to everything. And of course we can't forget those beautiful covers by Felipe Massafera. I enjoyed the book and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone that's a Superman fan. You've got everything you ever wanted in this one story.

Action Comics #891 - DC

Luthor is getting ready to go out in search of the energy of the Black Rings. He's become obsessed with it, really. But, apparently, this issue is a little respite before that actual adventure begins. The book starts out with Luthor back in Roman times . . he's playing the conquering hero. But it isn't long before we realize that all of this is an illusion created by Mr Mind. Apparently, someone has hired . . or, rather forced Mr Mind to first delay Lex. And then, through the use of his illusions, soften his mind enough to reprogram it to never, ever seek the help of others. But since he's been forced, Mr Mind isn't really into this, and I don't think he's putting his best efforts forward. He takes him through this roman adventure, and then a kind of Dr Frankenstein piece . . hence, the cover, and finally a Wild-West version of himself. However with each illusion Lex gains more and more control. Until finally he beats Mr Mind. The issue ends with him finally starting out on that trek, and deciding . . because of Mr Mind's theatrics, to take along someone for help . . his Lois Lane robot. I wonder what Lois, or Clark would do if they knew that Lex had this little piece of equipment in his possession? That's probably a story for another time. Lex has also decided to bring along a specialist . . Deathstroke. So next issue . . the adventure begins. I'm interested to see how Lex thinks he's going to be able to coalesce all these fragments of the Black Lantern's energy. I'm not sure what he hopes to accomplish. Anyways, this issue is brought to us by Paul Cornell. With Pete Woods and Cafu doing the art. Overall I thought it was a pretty solid book. I even liked the Mr Mind parts, which I usually don't. But I thought the best part about this book was the David Finch cover. It looked fantastic. If this is what we can expect between now and issue #900, I can't wait to see the rest.

Time Masters - Vanishing Point #1 - DC

Since I've been following Booster Gold since the beginning . . and Dan Jurgens started off on the writing and art of that book . . as well as this . . this one, to me, seemed like an obvious extension of the Booster Gold story-line. Basically, Rip and Booster have gone off in search of Batman. Rip knows that Superman and Hal Jordan will attempt the same thing, so . . he gets them involved so that they don't upset the time-stream in their fumbling efforts. But it's an uneasy alliance. Rip and Booster already know that some things can't be changed. No matter how much you don't like the events. And even with all their might and power, some things are just meant to be. Booster learned that the hard way when he tried to help out Barbara Gordon. But it's just not in Clark or Hal's nature to sit by idly, watching an obvious injustice, and not try to do something to help. Anyways, they're going back into the past to look for Bruce. Supernova is trying to get to Vanishing Point, but he's discovered that it's been destroyed. Everyone is assuming that Supernova is Daniel Carter, but . . I'm not so sure. Per Degaton and Despero don't know that Vanishing Point is gone yet, but they do know that they're having some trouble navigating the time-stream. Michael's sister Michelle is also involved in all of this. And on the final page, when Rip tries to send everybody back, he finds that he's be shunted to a different era. The book ends with him coming face to face with Claw, the unconquered. Like I said, to me, this seems like just another issue of Booster Gold. But . . there's the whole tie-in with Bruce's return in October. So that's the draw. But I think the purpose of this series is more to define the players and teams in this whole time-travel business. We even get some time with Rip when he was a kid. Time he's spending with his father . . Michael. I'm sure this story-line will play a part in Batman's return, but . . I think it's really just an excuse for this series to happen. As usual, a tremendous job by Dan Jurgens. I don't think Dan gets enough credit for everything that he's done for the DC Universe. And it's been quite a lot. I don't have time to list it all here . . look it up sometime. Suffice it to say, he's been an invaluable asset. This should be an exciting series as well.

Supergirl #54 - DC

On the inside of this issue, Supergirl is nowhere near as perky as she appears on this cover. In fact . . she's rather sullen, and down-trodden. She's still wallowing in the grief of what happened to New Krypton, and her mother. Although, I'm sure it's not quite as fatal as everyone believes. I mean, it was the bottle city of Kandor. I can't believe that they'd just blow it up for the sake of a story-line. I think something will happen and we'll find that the city is still around . . somewhere. But that's a story for another time. In this one Metropolis sees the arrival of Bizarro Supergirl. And she beats quite a path around the city before Lana can get Kara to get out of the house and do something to help. Also, Cat Grant overhears Lana's end of the conversation, as she's hiding in a bathroom stall. She doesn't know Kara's identity as Linda Lang, but . . she does know that somehow Supergirl and Lana are connected. In fact, she knows that Lana is a rather influential part of Supergirl's life. I'm sure she's wondering how that came about. Anyways, Jimmy and Gangbuster get captured by Bizarro Supergirl, before Kara can attempt a rescue. But we find out that Bizarro Super-girls 'see-through' vision, being the opposite of Kara's . . turns her into solid steel. The issue ends with us looking at a Supergirl statue. We also get a hint that there's somebody in Metropolis, posing as a policeman, that's capturing children. We just get the barest hint at that storyline, but . . I'm sure it'll progress soon. The creative team on this book is now Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. I think they can bring something different to this book. Now that we're done with the War of the Supermen, Kara . . er, Linda, needs to get her own life going again. I like this book. I hope that they can keep the momentum going.

Power Girl #14 - DC

Karen has a lot of things coming down on her right now. Probably the most important this is that her company is, or was . . stolen out from under her. Well . . technically Donna didn't steal the company. That's Donna, the woman that Karen hired as her CFO. What Donna did was borrow and leverage as much money as she could against Starrware Labs . . and against it's future revenue, based on the various ideas and plans that it had in the works . . which came to about $50 million. And then . . she took off with it all. Apparently she was so enthralled with this payday that she even left her kid with her 'idiot ex-husband'. This is bad enough as it is. But on top of all of that all of this crap keeps happening . . both in and around the city in which she lives, as well as issues with the JSA . . or, I guess you'd say with the JSA All-stars, since they've now split . . that keeps drawing her attention away from being able to deal with the issues she should be dealing with at Starrware Labs. The one good decision she makes is not getting entangled in Booster's mission to take down Max Lord. Booster comes to Karen because of their time together in the JLI, but . . Karen just has to much on her plate right now. Plus . . she doesn't really know whether to believe him or not. And then . . this robot, I guess is what you'd call it . . this robot shows up that seems to be intent on destroying all of New York City. Actually, he starts out small . . just destroying the things that are in his immediate path. But then, during his fight with Karen . . he seems to upgrade, and enlarge, and now he seems to be intent on making his path of destruction much much larger. As I said, all of this is happening as Nicco is pleading with her to get back to the office. 'Emergency?! We've got the bank gestapo gutting our offices, what could be . . Karen?! . . Karen . . .' Judd Winick and Sami Basri have taken over the creative chores of this book. I'm sure Judd will do a great job. And I'm sure there's more to this story with Donna than we're getting right now. It's just that Karen hasn't slowed down long enough to really dig in to it. But sooner or later she's going to have to stop and focus. It's hard to tell where all of this is going right now . . it's only the first chapter. But I do like the feel of the book right now. I just wish that something would happen right for her. She deserves it.

Superman / Batman #74 - DC

I definitely enjoyed Paul Levitz's story here. And I thought Jerry Ordway did a great job with this painted style of art. Not to mention the great cover by Adrian Syaf. However, my problem came with the way this story was wrapped up. I don't necessarily think that it was Paul or Jerry's fault. But next issue is the 75th issue in this series, as well as the 75 anniversary of DC Comics, so . . I think they were kind of forced to wrap it up to make way for that book. To me, the problem is . . there was just so much potential with this story-line. Luthor has created this Superman cult on Earth to feed into Superman's guilt. While at the same time, had found this planet that Superman had accidentally slighted during one of his space brawls. By the time Superman got back to check up on them, and fix his mistake . . Luthor had already starting feeding them technology and prophecies making Superman out to be the bad guy. He's brainwashed them into thinking that should Superman ever return that he would be the destruction of their world. Anyways, Superman intercepts one of Luthor's deliveries . . unfortunately he's already made more that a few . . so when he finds out about it he goes back to Lex to give him a warning. And, I guess . . that's it. Now, I'm sure we'll see the ramifications of all this further on down the line . . somewhere in the future, but for now . . it's been addressed, and shut down. Like I said, there was a lot of potential here, but to me it just seemed to fall kind of short in this particular story-line. But that's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book . . I did. I love this series. But . . sometimes . . we get what we get. Hopefully this won't be lost and never thought about again. I don't think it will, but . . you never know.

Legion of Super-heroes #3 - DC

Well, if nothing else . . Earth-Man is certainly shaking up the status-quo of the Legion. The Legion, or Brainiac 5, doesn't know yet that Earth-Man used his Green Lantern ring to short-circuit the tracking device on his Legion ring. However, Earth-Man may have just been to smart for his own good. He kept the Green Lantern ring because he knew of the power it posessed. However, he wasn't aware that each ring comes with an obligation . . a sector of space that they're required to patrol. And now he's fighting with Colossal Boy because he's trying to leave. Gim doesn't understand that he's not trying to leave because he wants to . . well he does, but . . he's being compelled to right now by the ring. There's someone in the sector that he's been assigned that needs his help. But the Legion is still wary, so they send a team to follow him. And it's a good thing he does because he gets in over his head and the Legion has to bail him out. Kirt is already a xenophobe so, he's not to thrilled about being compelled to go to another galaxy to help out an alien race that he certainly doesn't give to squats about. When the mission is complete he gets rid of the ring and tosses it onto the planet. 'Take me back to Earth, Legionnaires . . let the Guardians name a bug Lantern . . I've had it with playing Green Lantern.' But when the ring lands, we see that embryo kind of looking creature that we've seen before. The Legion also has to confront Saturn Queen . . who's stirring up trouble out in the rubble that was once Titan. She's also holding Brainiac 5, Tyroc and Wildfire captive. But when the other Legionnaires show up . . it's just to much for her. And Garth and Irma are still out looking for their boys. They were abducted in some form of mystical flash. When Irma gives Garth the mental image that thier son saw as he was being taken, he figures out it was Avalon. It used to be a medieval world full of 'creepy magic'. However, when they arrive, they find the planet is bustling, and they see a giant statue of Darkseid. We also see a gaggle of Durlans who seem to be plotting some form of revenge against the Legion because they feel that they let RJ Brande die. So, as you can see, Paul Levitz has the Legion going in all different directions. Which is good . . it's realistic, especially considering the sheer number of members that they have. It's really the only way to work all of these various characters into the plot-lines. And I'm sure it takes a considerable amount of effort on Paul's part. But he's doing a terrific job with it. I think everybody has a favorite Legion member, and it sucks when they don't show up in one of the issues. The way Paul fills up these books, it's a pretty good chance you'll see yours. I'm also impressed with Yildiray Cinar's pencils. But he does have Francis Portela helping him a bit this issue. I liked Yildiray's work on Noble Causes. I thought he was improving with every issue. Now I think he's doing a great job. The variant cover, once again is by Jim Lee. Overall I really enjoyed the book. I definitely think that Paul and Yildiray are on the right track.