Terra #2 & #3 - DC

I'm glad I read these 2 issue together because I think it helped to give me a good appreciation for this character. The first issue just kind of introduced her, and skimmed over the rest. But with these issues we find out some more of the details. First of all, it turns out that the second Terra was actually a clone. But since the genetic sample of the first Terra was corrupted . . . the second one also had similar problems. Supposedly that's why things ended up the way they did. This Terra, Atlee, actually comes from an underground civilization called Strata. They're very advanced, apparently alien, and have been around since before humans became the predominant species on the planet. They've been keeping an eye on things. It appears that they know of some event that's going to happen so they've sent Terra . . a genetic duplicate of the second one, because they're from the same world . . . although I don't think in her true form she looks human . . . they've sent her to the surface world to try to help steer the events and minimize the damage to the ecosystem. "Whatever effects the surface affects us. In the past the elder believed we couldn't afford detection by the surface world. We don't want to interfere, but we can't allow the planet to suffer." Also, they want her to make contact with the Teen Titans. They want her to join the group. But I'm not sure why. Again, it goes back to them knowing something about a future event that we don't. I think it has something to do with this Richard guy though. In the first issue he found a pool of something underground and accidentally fell in it. Now he's some kind of mineral man . . he can change the composition of his body into any mineral her desires. But his girlfriend gets greedy and wants to do it to. Of course that doesn't turn out right for either of them. She becomes frozen and during a battle with one of the underground bug colonies, he form is hit and shatters. All he has left now is her diamond head. He only has a little farther to go to find Strata, so when he does he's hopping mad about what's happened to his girlfriend. Oh yeah, and Geo-Force is in Strata also. Terra tried to go to Markovia to talk to him, but he was in the middle of fighting Deadcoil. Anyways, he gets hurt and Terra has to take him down to Strata so Aurla can heal him. All in all I thought it was a pretty interesting story that Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray concocted here. I really like this underground world that they've created for this series. It's got a lot of potential, and I really think we've only just scratched the surface. Also, Amanda Conner's art . . is perfect. When I read the first issue, I wasn't sure. Her style isn't one that I usually am drawn to, but . . in this series . . I think it's perfect for the look and the feel of the book. She's the perfect architect for this underground world. I really hope this Terra does join the Teen Titans, because I think she'd be a great addition to the group.

Superman / Supergirl - Maelstrom #2 & #3 - DC

I understand what this book is trying to accomplish, but . . . I'm just having a hard time buying into the whole thing. Superman has decided that he needs to spend some more time with Kara. Since she's come to Earth he's tried to give her the best training he can find, but he hasn't been hands on. He hasn't really given her any personal attention. Except . . he always seems to be around whenever she screws up. So, like I said, he's decided to give her a little more personal attention, and at the same time teach her to rely on resources other than her powers. Yes she's a powerful person, but . . you also need some common sense . . some street smarts. So he's decided to take her to some backwater planet that has a red sun, and, basically, they're going to rough it. Although Kara's quick to point out, "Your idea of roughing it is completely different than mine." During this little excursion they've come across a lot of various alien creatures. And some of them are trying to eat the 2 aliens that have come to their world. But despite their bickering, Kal and Kara have weathered through it together. Although Clark seems to be drawing the short end of the stick on this trip. He's shoved off a cliff by one creature, knocked into the river by another, almost drowns and ends up breaking his arm, and then . . at the end of the 2nd book, when Kal and Kara are trying to return to their ship so they can go home . . they find that it's surrounded by these almost humanoid aliens. Kara tries to get their attention by throwing rocks at them. They retaliate by hitting Kal with a poison dart. Meanwhile, while all of this is going on, Maelstrom, whom Kal and Kara fought last issue in Metropolis, is a slave on Apokolips. She has delusions of grandeur and wants to take her place alongside Darksied. Her first attempt was to go to Earth and return to him with Superman's head. Although she was soundly beat down by Supergirl . . a recap of issue #1. So she's returned to Apokolips and is trying to garner her masters attentions through her feats in the arena. When he becomes bored with her meandering, he banishes her to the slave pits. She attempts to break out and is thrown in a pit of neuro-leeches for her effort. However, Darksied is intrigued by her attempts and does make her an offer, "Bring me the Kryptonian's body and I'll consider making you my personal slave. But fail, and you will be banished from Apokolips forever. I'll make arrangements with Granny Goodness to provide an escort to deal with Supergirl." By escort, he means the Female Furies, who . . should Granny give them the ok . . are ready to kill her at a moments notice. And Darkseid admits to Desaad, "Maelstrom will fail in her quest and that will cause her more pain and suffering than any torture device you could imagine." But my question is, why does he care? She's beneath his notice so why does he care what happens to her? Why didn't he just leave her in the leech pit? And for that matter, with all the options that Superman has at his disposal, why would he decide to take Kara on a camping trip? Especially to a place where he has no powers and couldn't keep an eye on the other people that he loves. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray write this book. To me they take a few leaps in logic that aren't really justifiable. The only thing I can really see coming out of this story is a little more insight by Kara. As far as Maelstrom goes . . who cares? Apokolips exists no more anyways. If she did survive the death of the New Gods, she somewhere on Earth in human form. So what's the point? I did enjoy Phil Noto's art, although I have to say it didn't really look consistent. Some panels look great . . and some are a little choppy. But overall, I like his work. I only bought this series because I like both of these characters. However, I don't feel that this series really shows their strengths. And by that I don't mean their powers, I mean their strength of character. To me this just kind of seems like a watered down version of our heroes.

Rann-Thanagar Holy War #7 - DC

There's a problem here that I don't think that Adam Strange is grasping yet. Our group of heroes . . Synarr refers to them as the aberrant six . . is trying to put a kink in Synarr's plans to become omnipotent. He already refers to himself as Synarr the Demiurge . . basically, the architect of God. But I guess he has to obtain more power before he can consider himself God's equal . . which apparently is his plan. So right now our group is trying to cut off his power source. There's a couple of problems though. First off is a barrier that Synarr has constructed to shield his presence during this process . . from god . . and to keep anyone out that might thwart his plans. He's a little late for that because the aberrant six are inside of the barrier. However, Sardath, or any of the Rannian fleet cannot permeate the barrier to assist in the battle. Adam does see, in the distance, that Lady Styx is approaching with her full fleet. So he has a plan to attack from the inside, with the assist of Lady Styx attacking from the outside. The Zeta beam will not crack the shell, but Captain Comet's teleportation powers can. Anyways, the part I don't think that Adam is comprehending is that by doing this . . creating this conflict and loss of life . . he's playing right into Synarr's plan. In order for him to obtain god-hood, I think he has to survive Armageddon . . . which Adam and his group is graciously supplying him. I love the way that Jim Starlin constructs these cosmic odysseys. This is definitely his forte. The only thing that I would improve upon this series, is that it would be nice if Jim also did the pencils. But, I think that Ron Lim is a more than adequate fill-in. His pencils do a good job of capturing the grandiose space-opera that is unfolding here. I hope these characters stick together and move on to another story after this one. I think they make a great . . and diverse . . team. Only 1 more issue to go . . it should be a doozy.

Tangent: Superman's Reign #9 - DC

First of all, thankfully they switched artists again. Wes Craig had done a couple of issue, and I thought they looked terrible. Maybe that's a little to harsh. The guys got talent. I've seen him do some other stuff that looked pretty decent. However, on this book . . I don't know if it was the pencils or the inks, but the whole thing just didn't work for me. Anyways, this issue Carlos Magno does the pencils. I still don't think the style is perfect for this series, but . . I do think it's an improvement. Anyways, Dan Jurgens is still writing it, and overall . . I'm enjoying the story. My only question is . . . what's going to happen to the Tangent Universe when this is all over with? I think there's a great cast of characters here. It would be a shame to wait another 10 years before we see them again. Yes it's been 10 years since that last mini series . . or, I guess those series of 1-shots. I'd like to see some more adventures in these characters lives. I especially like the Flash, Batman and Manhunter characters. Of course those are the characters that we've seen the most of, so I'm sure I'd like the rest too . . given the chance. Obviously the Tangent Superman is going to be beat . . the question is, how? Like I said, I like this book, and I enjoy reading about these characters. So . . let's see what's next.

the Brave and the Bold #19 - DC

This was an interesting book. I thought the team of Hal Jordan and the Phantom Stranger was an interesting choice. Really, it's a brilliant story written by David Hine. I hope he sticks around the DC Universe for a while as I really enjoy his scripts. And this issue looks even better as Doug Braithwaite does the art. Basically, the Stranger has brought Hal to a hospital in Arcadia West Virginia. Since it's an out of the way place, they've been conducting experiments on pregnant women without anyone knowing. Basically, they're trying to develop a drug, Genesin. It's for women undergoing fertility treatments, and it's supposed to prevent miscarriage. The tested it on rabbits, but the drug seeped placenta barrier between mother and fetus. However, that information was discarded and they proceeded with human tests anyways. So far they have 8 surviving children, but they all have varying degrees of birth-defects. But the one that's caught the Strangers attention is Cora. Basically all of the children have a disease that causes the atrophy of muscle tissue. However, on all of these children it affects their brains. About 4 months ago Cora began to write. She wrote anywhere and everywhere she could, including the walls and her own body. The doctor sees it all as ramblings, but when Hal examines the texts with his ring, he finds that they're written in alien languages. Then when the doctor takes them into the other room, they find that she's got the Green Lantern mantra written on the wall. The most disturbing of the texts is one talking about some cataclysm that has yet to occur on a planet called Kahlo. Hal and the Stranger proceed to the planet to find out what's going on, but it's a very complicated situation. Back on Earth, Cora's health takes a turn for the worse and she has to be put on life-support. As the doctor is watching her, something comes across her monitor . . "Don't let me die. Keep me alive. If I die . . everyone dies." The thing I like about David's stories is the complexity of the events. This story is definitely no exception to that. I can see this one taking at least 3 to 4 issues to wrap up, because there's an awful lot going on here. I just hope DC realizes how lucky they are to get David to do some work for them. He's definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Batman and the Outsiders #13 - DC

It appears, with the recent disbandment of the Outsiders, that Batgirl is the only one hanging on to the dream. She's not very happy with the current crime environment in Gotham, and I think she wants to do something about it. She's drawing from all areas too. "An association of allies . . each possessing a skill set mirroring an aspect of Batman, to be called upon when the need arises." The list of possible candidates is . . eclectic, to say the least. So far she's looking at Black Canary, Catwoman, Green Arrow, Tim (obviously), the Riddler, the Question, Huntress, Spoiler, Wildcat, Vigilante, Man-bat . . the list goes on and on. Alfred, however is concerned that "Master Dick does not appear on your list." And he warns her, "If you're going to be a part of all of this . . be a part of this family . . they you and Master Dick will need to talk things out." In a couple of months we're going to have a brand new team here. I guess this issue is about laying the groundwork for that. Well . . this issue and next. Next issue's blurb reads, "Batgirl vs. Nightwing". That one should be a dozy. This issue's art was by Fernando Dagnino. It was ok. Not fantastic, but . . it was pretty good. However, I don't think that he'll be the regular penciller. My guess is that he's filling in for an issue or 2, and then when the new team arrives we'll get a new regular artist. Actually, I just went and looked. It looks like it's going to be Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott on the art chores. Also it appears that the new team is going to roll out in the Outsiders special, but then be back here for issue #15. And Peter J Tomasi will be the new writer. Wow! That's a lot of changes for one book. Especially for one not changing it's title, or missing a beat in the issue numbers. It'll be interesting to see what they have cooked up for us. I really like this book, and I hope it doesn't go away.

Robin #180 - DC

I love this book, but . . to me . . this one really leaves me asking myself a lot of questions. But really, it's nothing bad about the book. I think Fabian Nicieza is doing a fantastic job with this story. If he wasn't, I wouldn't be doing all of this retrospect after reading it. I think he's doing a great job with all of these characters, especially Tim and Stephanie. Plus, I really think that Freddie Williams II is coming into his own on this series. He's always been a great talent, but, I think, on this series he's really giving his own feel to it. We find out this issue that Red Robins role was actually being played by the General, Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong. Somehow he's been matured, physically, but he wasn't trained any better, so . . that's his downfall. And this issue ends with Tim entering a warehouse filled with explosives. Inside, he comes to the realization that Anarchy has been behind all of this chaos in Gotham . . "Of course . . it's been so long . . so much going on . . no excuses . . I didn't even think about him . . with Batman gone, what better opportunity to drown Gotham City in a tidal wave of . . Anarchy." At the same time, he also realizes that the building is filled with C-4, and he triggered it when he entered. We have to wait until next issue to see if he survives this one. Anyways, the part that really has me thinking is this whole thing between Tim and Stephanie. I mean, yes she's doing what the Batman asked of her, before he left. But you just know that eventually the money trail behind Scarab and Jaeger is going to lead back to her, or maybe to some Wayne accounts that she had access to. With Anarchy being thrown into the mix, that might assuage Tim's suspicions about her, but . . even if the evidence does point to him, I can't see Tim giving up on a hunch that easily. And again, the part that really has me thinking is how Tim's going to react when he finds out what Stephanie's done. I know, she's done it for him. To " . . make him stronger." But, is he going to accept that as an excuse? Is he even going to listen to her? Or will he just see her as another person who's betrayed him? Personally, I think that Stephanie still has feelings for Tim. And that's part of the reason that she was so easily convinced to do this . . the logic fell within the parameters of her emotions. So when Tim comes down on her afterwards . . . she's going to be devastated. To me, all of those questions are a testament to Fabian's incredible story-telling skills. I thought this was a fantastic issue.

Batgirl #5 - DC

Personally, I love this book. Of course I love this character, so . . I'm probably a little biased. However, I really do think that Adam Beechen is doing a great job with this story. I think he's got Dick and Bruce playing just the right role, as far as their daughter's keeper. The part I'm having a bit of a problem with though is that Cassandra's whole mission here is to kill Cain. Really, that's what she's been after ever since she joined the Bat-family, but now she's just decided to do something about it. But I get that. I mean, he has done some horrible things to her and subjected her to a lot of trauma and psycho-babble. No, her hatred for him I get. The thing that I think is delusional is that she thinks that once she competes her mission that everything in the cave will go back to normal and she can be part of a big happy family again without this dark cloud hanging over her. And although I can see where her optimism lies . . to be truthful, I think it's completely unfounded. There's absolutely, no way, that Bruce, Dick and Tim will accept Cassandra back into the fold if she completes what she's vowed to do. She's convinced herself that it'll bring them all closer together, when, in fact, it will really just serve to drive them all apart. I'm not sure why she can't see that. But . . the series isn't over yet. At the end of this book, Cassandra comes face to face as she confronts Cain on a building across the street from the Clocktower Systems. She found out that his mission is to kill Oracle. So she's come to Platinum Flats to protect her mentor, and to finally put a stop to this cat and mouse game between her and her father. The question is, is she going to be able to do all of that . . without killing him? I know she wants to, but she's gotta know that it goes against everything that her new family stands for. And don't forget Marque. Cassandra has found out that she's actually her biological sister . . as well as a sister in arms . . but she can't let her get in her way. So she's cuts her achilles tendon and leaves her lying in the alley just before she goes up to confront Cain. But you just know she's not out of it. Somehow, she'll be involved in whatever happens next issue. Again, my hat goes off to J Calafiore for some terrific art. I know he's not everybody's cup of tea, but I think he draws some great action sequences. I also think that his style fits in perfectly with these Bat-books. Anyways, I can't wait to see how this all wraps up next issue. Cassandra is really one of my favorite characters.

Trinity #25 - DC

Again, a very hectic issue. Things are starting to reach a fevered pitch in this series. Alfred is trying to bring a group together to help get the world back on track. The problem is, first getting them all together, and secondly convincing them that his ideas and notions aren't that of a raving lunatic ex-spy. Basically he's bringing in 2 people from each person's background. For Batman, he has himself and Dick Grayson. For Superman, it's Lois Lane and Kal-el's cousin Kara. And for Wonder Woman it's Agent Tresser and Donna Troy. In the back-up story he gets everyone together except for Donna. She's the final piece. Meanwhile in the main story, Le Fey and Enigma have agreed to stop fighting for a while and find their third member. You would assume that they're going to go after the real Despero, since they were fooled last time. However, I'm thinking that we may be leaning more towards Konvict. I'm not really sure why he was introduced in the beginning of this series, unless he destined to play a bigger role later on. But that's just my guess. Also this issue the Society and the League decide to work together. Now that Carter Hall is of a more reasonable temper, they've decided to get together and try to figure out what's going on with the world. During this assemblage, we also see the return of Barry Allen. However, he can't walk. So I'm not sure what role he's going to play. And finally, Tarot, has come to Opal City, like she was called here. She's met there by another mystic, Charity, who also seemed to be summoned. "Well, when all the tarot cards from my morning reading suddenly levitated and swiveled around so that they were pointing at the bus station . . . that was kind of a clue." But the help that Tarot needs isn't anything that Charity expected. It appears that Tarot has now become the nexus of all realities . . . they seem to be shifting around here constantly. She needs help before she goes crazy. This was another great issue, and halfway through the series, we really seem to be moving along. Props and accolades again to Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley and Fabian Nicieza for all of their hard work. Also, Mike Norton does the pencils for the back-up story. Hang on . . the rides getting faster . . and bumpier.

Wolverine #69 - Marvel

What a fantastic issue. Mark Millar and Steve McNiven have definitely got a classic on their hands here. The writing is brilliant, and the art . . the art is beyond compare. The whole book is simply amazing. At the end of last issue, it looked like Hawkeye was about to get his brains smashed in by the usurper of the throne . . the person who took out the Kingpin . . his daughter, Ashley. Ashley is the grand-daughter of the original Spider-man, Peter Parker. So she's got a little bit of power of her own. And after taking out the Kingpin, she was ready to take out her dad . . to show and establish her power. But Logan, still driving the Spider-mobile, has come to Clint's rescue. But in the pursuit of their capture, all of Ashley's men, along with Logan and Clint, fall into the trap of the Moloids. They create an earthquake and suck everybody underground with them. Of course Logan and Clint escape and they make their way across Wyoming and South Dakota to Iowa. As they sit upon the outskirts of Doom's Lair, they decide to take a little time for a breather, and a beer. They start talking and Logan decides that he's going to tell Clint why he's decided to become a pacifist . . why he hasn't popped his claws since that day. Unfortunately we're going to have to wait until next issue to find out. I thought this was a fantastic issue. I'm not usually one to get excited about future stories. To me they're more like 'What if's?' or an alternate time-line thing. But with this one . . I don't really care. The quality of the story easily precludes any prior notion I might've had as to the direction of this arc. I think Logan's and Clint's characters are perfect. And the premise under which Logan has decided to help is believable. Well, as believable as a comic-book can be. There's some fascinating ground-work and foundation started here, and I can't wait to find out more about it in upcoming issues.

New Exiles #14 & #15 - Marvel

I'm going to try something new here. I really am trying to stay caught up on all of these titles, and be current. Right now, I'm about 3 weeks behind. But, I really do have a lot going on when I'm not sitting in front of this computer. That's not an excuse . . this is my choice to pursue this . . it's my hobby . . my passion. Anyways, in an attempt to get a little closer to the current weeks books, I'm going to try combining multiple issues together when I have the same titles waiting in my stack. I think, sometimes it'll work, and sometimes . . maybe not so well. But we'll see. If it'll get me more current, that'll be better all around. Plus this should only be a temporary measure until I am caught up. I'll start with this one and we'll see how it goes. This story-arc is done by Chris Claremont and Tim Seeley. The back-up story, also written by Chris, is drawn by Vincenc Villagrasa. Both stories were pretty good. Sage is noticeably absent from the lead story, but the back-up describes why, and the trials that she's facing of her own back at the palace. The first thing I notice, reading 2 issues in a row like this, is the time the waste in beginning of each story catching the reader back up from the last issue. I understand their reason, and concern, but reading multiple issues . . it's seems redundant. But I don't think it'll ever change. In the lead story, the team . . Morph, Rogue, Psylocke, Mystiq, Gambit and even Cat . . have gone to this world to protect a runaway Queen. It turns out that Nerimani is actually a Shi'ar Queen. She's been gone for so long that she was hoping that they would've given up pursuing her, or forgotten about her. But, the Shi'ar are nothing if not relentless. And as long as an heir to the throne exists out there, and could disrupt their political climate, you can bet that they're not going to let an unknown quantity like that exist out of their control. But this world has protectors of it's own . . the Sons of Iron and the Daughters of the Dragon. They're trying to protect Nerimani themselves, but they're not really a match for the Shi'ar Death Commandos. During the ensuing battle they find themselves in combat with an elite Shi'ar force also. It consists of Krait, Hypernova, Colony, Devo, Black Cloak and Warshot. They are Warren Worthington, Moira Kinross, Samantha Summers, Scott Summers, Charles Xavier and Alex Summers. Definitely an evil version of the X-Men. And, by the end of the second issue, we find that the Shi'ar are also in league with Madame Hydra . . you know, Susan Storm . . which apparently is how they're able to travel across dimension. Madame Hydra is especially pissed at Cat. "Little Cat, you killed my beloved Wolverine. I didn't think such a thing was possible. I especially didn't think a child such as you could inspire such an expression of fear on his face. So part of me is very impressed. But I have to think . . . the creature capable of such a thing will one day likely come for me." In the back-up stories, Sage is fighting with her evil counter-persona, Amanda Fox. Basically they're wrestling for control. The problem they have is that they're both part of the same person. So they're perfectly matched. There appears to be no solution. But then the other entities which fill Sage's mind . . thanks to Roma . . decide to make their presence known. By the end of the story we learn that they're acting under the leadership of Merlyn, Roma's father. He's guiding them and is trying to crush Sage, body and soul. Through her he wants to gain control of the Crystal Palace and then . . the Omniverse. So it looks like either Sage and Diana are going to have to cooperate, or they'll both fall to Merlyn's villainy. On the lead stories I actually enjoyed Tim's art. It's not perfect yet, but . . it shows a whole lot of potential. And there are moments of brilliance. Vincenc's art on the back-up story was almost as impressive. They're definitely of different styles, but Vincenc also shows a lot of potential. I think he has a little more work than Tim, but . . you can definitely see the promise. I do still however miss Tom Grummett's work. I assume he'll be back after this story-arc. Anyways, this is still one of my favorite books. And, it was nice reading 2 issues in a row. Of course they were part of the same story-line also. That helped.

the Amazing Spider-man #577 - Marvel

I have to say, I kind of had mixed feelings about this book. It is a Spidey tale, so . . . but, to me, it kind of seemed more like a Punisher story that Spidey just happened to show up in. Seriously, this story could've been in a Punisher title, and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference. Oh, I'm sorry . . except for pages 7 & 8 where it showed Peter trying to learn how to drive a cab. He's thinking about starting yet another profession. Anyways, Zeb Wells writes it, and . . . it's ok. Overall the story was decent. It just wasn't a Spider-man story. At least I didn't think so. Even Paulo Rivera's art had a grittier type of feel to it . . like a Punisher story. I guess that's why they put the little 6 page J Jonah Jameson story in the middle of the book . . to keep things grounded in the Spider-man universe. Actually, it was kind of nice to see Jonah again. We haven't seen him in a while. He seems to be getting healthier . . and more relaxed. Basically, this PI comes to him saying that the way he's pieced things together, he thinks that Jonah is the Spider-tracer killer. But, by the end of the 6 pages, as Jonah is kicking him out of his apartment on his ass . . . the PI realizes who the culprit actually is. But we don't find out yet. That part was done by Joe Kelly and Barry Kitson. Anyways, overall I'd have to say that I enjoyed the book. It was a nice little diversion for Spidey and us readers. But . . . I've said this before . . it's the supporting cast that makes this book so strong. We need to see them and have that interaction every issue. Spidey isn't a solo character. Well, he is . . but, he isn't. He needs Aunt May and MJ and Harry and all of his villains. They make him who he is.

X-Men: Magneto - Testament #3 - Marvel

What a depressing book. But, I believe everyone should know the horrors that happened during World War II. If we ignore the facts, or try to gloss over them, we may be doomed to repeat history . . some day. I don't think the world could survive it, again. Anyways, I assume that most of the events in this book were pretty close to historical fact. I'm sure there was a lot of research done. While reading this I'm reminded of the Diary of Ann Frank. All the trials and tribulations that she and her family went through . . I'm kind of seeing the same thing here through Max's eyes. However, I think that next issue is where were going to start to veer off from history. At the end of this issue it looks like Max is killed. He's laying in a mass grave with the rest of his family. But apparently he wasn't critically injured because he pulls himself out and makes his way back to Warsaw. However there, because he is weak, he is quickly herded onto the trains and on the final page finds himself rolling in to Auschwitz. If memory serves me correctly, this is where his powers manifest and where he finds Magda. So I think starting next issue, Max's journey will become the forefront of the story . . as opposed to all of this world history. Man that was a dark time in the world. Although I believe there are other times that are just as dark . . we just haven't heard about them all yet. Anyways, I think that Greg Pak and Carmine Di Giandomenico are doing a fantastic job with this book. It really gets you thinking about things and the things that were done to bring us to where we are now.

Black Terror #1 - Dynamite Entertainment

Apparently, were going to have a couple of series come out of the Project Superpowers masthead. Black Terror being the first. Then the Death Defying 'Devil and Masquerade. I'm not sure if these are going to be mini-series or on-going . . it doesn't really say yet. Although I'm sure the reception of these titles will go a long way in determining their status. I'm kind of getting the feeling here of Continuity Comics, back in the 80's. That company started out with the Revengers and Armor & Silver Streak. Then they starting branching off in all kinds of different ways with their various characters. And, like Alex Ross' vision here . . that line of books was lead by Neal Adams vision. I think Dynamite's franchise will probably have more commercial success. But, I can't help but draw the comparison. Especially considering the sheer amount of characters that have been developed in the opening 7 issue installment. I liked this book. We seem to be stuck in this grim Orwellian world here. Or is it more like Bladerunner? I'm not sure. In the Superpowers book I just assumed that the Black Terror's symbol was that of a pirate, but we find out here that it was actually the symbol for poison. He was a pharmacist in his original life. And his powers came from a formula that he created. But now, in this grim future that he's been brought to, I think his mantra is going to change. I think he's going to assume the mantle of pirate. Which in essence he is . . as far as the government is concerned. Actually they consider him and the rest of the crusaders terrorists. But terrorists / pirates . . it's all the same thing. Right? Anyways, it looks as if this group of heroes have their work cut out for them if their goal is to get the world back on track. I think that the Lama and the rest consider the Dynamic Family their biggest threat. They think they're stooges of the government. But, what they have yet to find out is that the real threat here comes from the Supremacy. From what I can glean, that's a group of powerful men that really run the world. The governments of the world are really their pawns. And although the Dynamic Family are stooges, they're not of whom they think. I think there's a lot more to be learned throughout this project . . or franchise. I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg, so far. We have some huge potential here. And with Alex Ross and Jim Krueger leading the way, I believe it'll be realized. By the way, there's 8 different covers to this book. I just stuck with the one in the middle there.

Gen13 #24 - WildStorm

I was actually disappointed by this title. Yes is was the usual mindless drivel that's made up this book since the beginning, but . . this one just wasn't all that funny. At least when Grunge and Burnout are acting like idiots . . they're usually funny at the same time. You know, like Martin & Lewis. But this time, although they were trying to be funny, it was just mostly . . . mundane. I think what's throwing the whole thing off for me is Mike Huddleston's art. I mean . . it's not terrible. But, it's also not really doing this book any kind of justice. We're in the Teenage Wasteland storyline and this chapter is called Mallrats. You can take that title literally. This whole chapter is spent with them foraging around a Mall. But then they're surprised when other people show up. I mean seriously. It's a mall. When the end of the world hits, the survivors will thrive on Grocery Stores, Restaurants, Convenient Marts, and Malls. Of course more people are going to show up, and of course they're going to be some of the dregs of society. Did they really expect anything different? Anyways, that's not really important. They're trying to survive and without any attainable food source, they settle for refreshing their clothes. After a week or so of this, you'd think they'd start looking for a YMCA or Urban Fitness or something. Something with showers and a way to get rid of their funk. I have to say I was kind of disappointed in Scott Beatty's story. I really expected better of him. But it is Gen13, and they are the clowns of the WildStorm Universe. Right?

100 Bullets #97 - Vertigo

Honestly, this book reads like one of the chapters of the Godfather. We have the Trust, the Minutemen and the Houses all scrambling for control of whatever it is they have left. Everybody wants a piece of the pie, but nobody wants to give anything up. Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso truly have a masterpiece on their hands here. The part that I liked the most about the story was that while all of this turmoil and backstabbing is going on, the Houses and the Trust are quietly making a move against one another. There's 2 shooters out there. One is sitting in a hotel room, quietly passing the time, enjoying some brandy or wine or something. He's patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. The other, as we go through the story, is making his way to the top of an office building . . I assume. As we go through the rest of the story, we quietly see him obtaining his position, within some abandoned offices, as he is also patiently waiting for the moment to strike. As I said, I think that one is gunning for the trust, while the other is aiming at the 2 remaining houses. Actually there's 2 more, Vasco and Medici, but they were prepared when none of the rest of them were. So they can stand alone. The other 2 have absorbed the rest, so they now control 8. Also, surprisingly, Lono make it off of Javier's estate. But it wasn't for the lack of them trying. He's seriously messed up by the time he makes it over the wall. And on the final page . . we see the shooter's target. Well . . not exactly. We see the hole through the glass . . and the spraying of blood. We don't know who actually got hit . . yet. I love this book. I can't believe we only have 3 issues to go. But I assume that's going to be the end of the story. It's all coming to it's inevitable conclusion.

Legion of Super-heroes in the 31st Century #20 - DC

This was a sad book to read, because as I was going through it, I knew that it was the final issue. But, hopefully, it's just the final issue of this series. However, I'm not quite sure where we'll get our fix, because the regular Legion title is also coming to an end. I'm thinking that after this Legion of 3 Worlds mini-series, we'll probably have a reconstructed, redefined series to start over with. There's been a Legion book, of some form or another, for quite some time now, so . . I don't think this team will be collecting dust on the shelf anytime soon. Unfortunately though, this series . . aimed at children . . won't be there to bring in the new readers. I think you can only catch the cartoons on Cartoon Network, or Boomerang or something. Anyways, I enjoyed the book, and at the end we get the feeling that the Legion worlds' are already starting to cross-over. At least I think that's what the point of the last page was. Well, that and to say happy 50th birthday. So that means that the Legion was here before the X-Men. Sorry! I had to get that little jab in. Anyways, I enjoyed the entire run of this series and I'm really sad to see it go. "Another one bites the dust!"

Booster Gold #14 -DC

I still think this book has a lot of character and potential. It's not quite the same without Geoff Johns and Dan Jurgens, but . . . I'm sure Rick Remender and Pat Ollife will still do it justice. Right off the bat, I'd have to say that Pat did a tremendous job with the art on this book. Of course it doesn't hurt to have Jerry Ordway as your inker, but still . . the book had a good look and feel to it. I thought this particular story, with Chronos and Lady Chronos was a bit . . confusing. But it still stays within the parameters of the type of story this book is trying to bring to us. Like I've said before, there's just so many questions and 'what if?' type of things that you just can't help but asking your self during these time travel stories. From start to finish, Booster and Lady Chronos pretty much tie everything up, but . . to me, it just felt like everything was kind of glossed over. I know it's a little tougher to get into the details with one of these stories because every little thing can open a whole new can of worms. But, it just didn't feel as detailed as one of Geoff's stories. And I know . . I'm sorry! It's not really fair to compare to Geoff. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, he was here through the beginning of this book, so . . it's natural. I really hope that Rick gets his own feel for things here. I like Booster's character, and I absolutely love the potential that this book has. I just hope that it's realized. Like I said, this story just felt like a lot of stuff was glossed over. And maybe that was necessary to wrap up the story within this issue. I was just a little disappointed. But next issue starts a new story-arc, so . . I guess we'll see what happens then.

Simon Dark #14 - DC

The more I read this book . . the more I like it. It's not exactly the horror story that I expected from Steve Niles, but . . that's ok. There's is some blood and carnage displayed throughout this book, but . . it's not just schlock for shlock's sake. It's an integral part of the story. Anyways, we moved on from the grand conspiracy story that ran through the first 12 issues. This issue Simon seems to be after some more down to Earth criminals. This issue it appears that he's after a possible child molestor. I say possible because he hasn't really done anything yet. But, we find out this issue, Simon seems to have visions about certain people. Visions that seems to include possible future behavior. Which he also seems to be able to share . . as he does with Rachel. There also is another 'loose-cannon' running around the city. This one seems to be separating people from their body parts . . limb by limb, and their heads. We only get a glimpse of him though. It's not a big part of the story yet. And we get some more information about Simon's past. It's a very small piece though. Barely negligible . . seriously. I think as far as putting all of that together, it's going to be a very long time in coming. As usual, Scott Hampton's artwork for this series is phenomenal. Scott first came to my attention way back in some of the Pacific Comics. That was the first time I really saw his work. But even then, I knew he was going to be special. I think his work on this series is some of the best I've ever seen from him. This is a book I bought on a lark, but . . I'm enjoying it more and more as the series progress.

Manhunter #36 - DC

I like this series, it's just really got me bothered that it's going to be cancelled again. If that was the case, why did they even bother bringing it back? Why didn't they just do a Manhunter maxi-series . . 8 or 10 issues . . and use it to alliterate this final story-arc? I don't know . . it just kind of has me peeved. I'm enjoying Marc Andreyko's story here. It's very intricate and involved . . it's almost like a big spider web. Things in his stories always seem to be going in a lot of different directions. There's a main story-line, but there's always lots of little sub-plots going on here and there. However, everything is all connected. We may not see it right away, but . . we will eventually. This issue Kate, with some help from the Birds, kind of wrap up the whole Vesetech scandal. The problem is, Kate was originally brought in to this because of all the women being abducted . . especially south of the border, but I don't think Vesetech's 'outing' has done anything to stop any of that. Also, even though the Goliath has been stopped in it's tracks, it's far from dead and Kate's work is really only just beginning. But what's coming at here now can't be fought in her union-suit. These battles are going to be fought in the courtroom or along political lines. Vesetech had a lot of ties, and it seems that all of that is going to begin coming to bear on her head. But, like I said, that's the main story. There's also the problem with Cam and Dylan. He's hiding out from the Joker, and she's carrying his baby. The only person that knows is Mark, and I think he's got his own romantic feelings about her . . baby or not. Plus there's the whole thing about Vesetech's ties to . . well, everything. This could have some serious long-term consequences. Some people may be praising Kate, but others . . such as Bones or Waller . . will be cursing her name for a while to come. As I said, the abductions haven't stopped. And there's the story of this family at the end of this issue . . I don't seem to remember them . . Ted, a doctor, and his kids and wife. They're in their Brentwood house having what appears to be a normal day . . considering there's protesters outside of his house calling him a baby-killer . . when all of the sudden he's shot in the head through the window. Oh, and don't forget about all of Kate's personal issues that she has to deal with . . Iron Munro being Ramsey's grandfather . . Thor, the robot dog he gave him . . or the appearance of 'powers' that Ramsey's displayed but Kate doesn't know about yet. Like I said, a very intricate and complex story. But overall, I like it. I'm still not thrilled about Michael Gaydos' art. It's ok, but . . I don't know . . I just don't like it for this book. Anyways, enjoy the last couple of issue while you can.

Green Arrow and Black Canary #14 - DC

Well, sad to say, this is Judd Winick's final issue as the scribe. It's been around 5 years that's he's been associated with this title, so . . it'll be sad to see him go. Next issue, Andrew Kreisberg takes over for him. I'm thinking that we'll probably get a new artist too, but . . I'm just guessing. As always, I love Cliff Chiang's work . . even if it is only on the covers. I think that Mike Norton is doing ok. Personally, I just think he needs a better inker. His stuff can look pretty decent, but, in this issue, it all seems kind of simple . . and boring. Don't get me wrong, I like the guys work. He definitely has talent. This issue everything just seemed kind of 'scaled-down'. But it could just be me. Anyways, we dig into some more of Connor's mystery here. Since his return, both physically and mentally, he can regenerate and he seems to have a very high threshold for pain. Doctor Midnite and Batman are guessing that under Dr. Sivana's care he may have done some experimental surgery on Connor with some of Plastic Man's tissue. But really, they're just guessing. Also, he seems to remember all of his physical attributes, but no personal ones. He doesn't remember that he's a buddhist, or a vegetarian, but he can remember how to fight. But what's really bothering Ollie is that he doesn't remember how to shoot. But he's trying to be as supportive as possible. You have to give the big 'ol teddy-bear some credit. "Part of me was glad that you couldn't land an arrow anymore. I thought about it for a little while . . . and I started entertaining the idea of you living a normal life . . a life of not putting yourself in danger every day. I could get used to that. Maybe everything you were will come rushing back, or maybe it won't. Maybe you're becoming someone new. Connor, things change. We change. Fate has an ugly way of dragging us through doors. You can give up, or you can rise to meet this challenge. But, you know whatever it is, whatever road you feel you have to travel down . . . I'm always going to be there for you." It'll be interesting to see if Andrew can handle this interaction and dialogue between these characters as deftly as Judd did. I guess we'll find out next issue.

the Titans #7 - DC

First of all I want to say that I think the addition of Julian Lopez to the artwork in this series was a brilliant move. With his pencils, and Bit as his inker, these pages are absolutely beautiful. I'm sorry to see him leave from the pages of the Outsiders, but . . as much as I love that team, if I had to choose, this team would definitely be my preference. And of course Judd Winick does a fantastic job with his stories. I was questioning what the implications of Joey's predicament were, considering the outcome of the DC Universe: Decisions series. In it we find out that Joey was the antagonist. He ended up being the person behind all of the assassination attempts. Although we never really did find out why. So when he shows up on the Titans doorstep asking for help . . I had to ask myself how did he go from that to this. But we find out this issue . . after a whole lot of posturing and fighting . . that while the Titans feel that they're trying to help their friend, I don't think it was actually Joey asking for help, but . . Match. Well, I should say, I think Joey was legitimate in his request, but not for the reasons the Titans thought. I think he was absolutely having a problem exiting Match's body. But, I don't think Match was holding him in there to try to control him. I think Match realized the deception of Joey's character and was trying to keep him in there, in an odd sense, to protect his friends and colleagues. But now they have a bigger problem. Upon Joey's exit, Raven got a flash as to what was going on inside. However, before she could warn the others, Joey has jumped into one of the surrounding Titans. They just don't know which one yet. That should be an interesting conversation for next issue. I love this team, and I love that we've gotten back to the core characters. I'm wondering how Wally is balancing his time between this group, his family and the League. But, Roy's doing the same thing. And Dick's also got a lot on his plate. Especially considering the possible implication of the Batman RIP storyline. He may be even busier than normal. But, with that being said, I still love to see all of these characters together. With the addition of Julian's art, this is quickly turning in to one of my favorite books.

Green Lantern Corps #30 - DC

I love the work that Peter J Tomasi is putting into this title. It was already a good book when this title was brought back. But, I think, since Peter's arrival as the new scribe, the quality and intensity of these stories has multiplied. I was talking about Geoff Johns in my last blog. Geoff's strong-point, I think, is his characterization. I don't feel Peter is as strong in this department, however . . . the complexity and nuances of his stories are incredible. I talked about Geoff's stories being multi-faceted, but I think Peter takes that approach to the extreme. But it's very smooth. As were going through this story were bouncing between the Sinestro, Kryb, stealing the babies of the Lanterns that he's killed, and the story-line about the Guardians going to Zamaron to ask them to stop spreading love. However, when reading it . . . really, it's seamless. And it both parts of the story there's little nuances to each character that are going to impact the story . . or create a new story-line as an off-shoot. Eventually, this story winds up with the Guardians returning to OA, and with their recent excursion they've decided to add another edict to the Book of OA. Their new law states . . "Physical relationships and love between Green Lanterns is to be forbidden within the Corps." This is going to have a far reaching affect on a lot of it's members. The way I kind of see this story going is that all of the facets of this new spectrum of power are going to be diminished until they can either work together, or . . integrate in to one. I mean, think about it . . to say that a member of the Green Lantern Corps doesn't feel love . . the purple spectrum . . or fear . . the yellow spectrum . . or rage . . the red spectrum . . would be insane considering that all of it's members are sentient beings. It's an innate part of the being . . their existence. To extinguish any of their base emotions would be the equivalent of cutting off one of their limbs . . or a piece of their soul. Anyways, this all shows the complexity of Peter's writing . . that all of these thoughts or paradigms are expressed through his scripts. I think it's fantastic. By the way, if I haven't mentioned it yet, I also think that Patrick Gleason is perfect on this series. He has brought a fantastic look and feel to this book. For the nature of this series, and the nature of it's characters . . he is absolutely the perfect fit. I really enjoy this title.

Action Comics #871 - DC

First of all . . all praises for the glory of Geoff Johns. What a fantastic writer. I've said this over and over again . . especially about his writing on the Justice Society . . but, what I really enjoy about his work is his character interactions and development. I know this is going to sound corny, but . . he doesn't use 'comic book' language. You know what I mean? When your reading his dialogue between characters it sounds realistic and honest. Not like it's a person posing, and saying the exact right thing for any given situation. You know what I mean? In the 'real' world, we don't always say the right. Hell, sometimes we can't even think of anything to say. Or, if I'm mad enough I can't say anything at all because I'm ready to just spout off a string of profanities. I hope I don't have turrets. Anyways, yes this story-line is about all of the Kandorians spreading across the globe as they set out to explore, but . . I kind of think this is going to turn into a Lex Luthor story also. General Lane has brought Lex in to try to use his expertise to tap into the knowledge hidden within Brainiac. And yes the General is dead . . supposedly. It hasn't yet been explained why he's not. However, he seems to be the 'go to' man for this government project that's been tasked with taking out Superman. It appears that he and Lex are of like minds, but . . I have a feeling that somewhere along the line Lex will over-step his bounds and we'll see that the 2 aren't as similar as they appear. But, as we saw at the end of last issue, the General has thrown Doomsday into the mix. He doesn't stand much of a chance though when he's got 20 Kryptonians ready to beat him down. And, as suspected, there's still some Zod loyalists within the Kandorian ranks. They're very pompous and elitist. When they go to the fortress to try to access the Phantom Zone projector they find Nightwing and Flamebird there to stop them. It's not Dick. This is where the Nightwing character actually came from . . Kandor. There's some old stories that were in World's Finest, I believe, where Clark and Bruce went to Kandor and these were the crime-fighting characters they assumed while there. Most of you probably know that, but . . just in case. That's the other thing I like about Geoff's stories . . they're very multi-faceted. Anyways, I thought this was a great chapter in the story. We go to Supergirl #35 next along the trip. By the way Pete Woods did the art for this issue, and . . it looked pretty good. Stephane Roux did the variant cover.

Nightwing #150 - DC

This issue comes with two fantastic covers. The one shown on the left here is by Philip Tan. Then there's an incentive cover by Ethan Van Sciver. They both look fantastic. The interior art is by Don Kramer, and it looks equally as incredible. I really grew to like his stuff when he was doing Detective. I think he fits the Bat-titles perfectly. Anyways, this issue wraps up the story with Two-face. Personally, I thought it was a great story. Basically Two-face war hired by this gangster to take out this ADA, Carol, because she was going to be the one to take him out in trial. However, Harvey used to be involved with her. So, the Harvey part of the personality comes out and asks Nightwing to protect her. He doesn't tell Nightwing where the threat is coming from, just that it's a pretty high profile case and there might be people gunning for her. And there is. Two-face. It turns out Harvey was hiring . . sort of . . Nightwing to protect Carol from, well . . himself. Or I should say one side of his personality. But, as it turns out, Two-face wasn't playing fair . . when does he ever . . and he overwhelms Dick to the point where he gets his shot in. Well now Harvey is mad at Two-face, for taking out this once upon a time love interest, but . . he's channeling his anger at Nightwing. Lucky him. But, Nightwing's pursuing Two-face equally as aggressive because he doesn't like to fail. He was supposed to protect this woman, and he feels that he's let her down. Anyways, there's this lame plan of Harvey's to scar half the city . . he's got a parade full of dirigibles filled with acid. He wants to scar the city the way his face is scarred. Not much of a plan really, and kind of anti-climatic after the last couple of issues with all the drama with Carol and Two-face. But, nobody can define your ambitions but yourself. I guess. And of course in the end, Dick takes him down. But goofy acid plan aside, I thought it was a pretty good story arc. I think Peter J Tomasi did a more than adequate job. And like I said, I think Don Kramer is perfect. It'll be interesting to see what happens to Nightwing in the next couple of months with this Batman RIP thing. Will he . . or won't he? Only time will tell.

Justice Society of America: Kingdom Come Special - Superman #1 - DC

This was one of the best cross-overs I've seen so far. Alex Ross wrote it and illustrated it, so . . . you just knew it was going to be excellent. This is a chapter of the Kingdom Come story that's been running through the Justice Society book. I have to say, I really enjoy this version of Superman. He's older, and wiser, and . . I'd like to say less impetuous, but . . when it comes to certain things . . he's just as hot-headed as our version. That's what happens when he sees an attack on the Daily Planet. Right away it takes him back to the attack that happened on his world. The Joker has set off a gas bomb at his Daily Planet. Pretty much everyone died, except Lois, his wife. She fought back, but in the end the Joker caved in her skull with a paper weight. That's what happened when he sees an attack occurring at our Planet. He goes rushing in, but this time it's an attack by that government group that's been trying to kill Superman. He goes rushing in, and one of the soldiers starts screaming at him . . "Man, you've got some pair, coming right in here. Wow, you really made this easy on us. Didn't you see the Kryptonite gas cloud from a million miles away?" To which Superman responds, "Kryptonite?". And as he crushes his guns, he tells them "Wrong Superman!" But it wasn't just the action that made this book good. In the beginning Superman is sitting at the Mansion and he's talking to Cyclone. The dialogue between the 2 was perfect. Then, later on, he goes looking for a man . . a man that he talked to on his world just before he got whisked away . . Reverend Norman McCay. Of course this is a different version so he doesn't remember talking to him previously. But he does give him a little bit to think about, "I apologize for questioning your story, but are you sure your world is gone? . . . It shouldn't have to haunt you that the words in the Bible correspond with your experience. There is much more in there to inspire and point us away from despair. I realize that you may think the book of Revelation defined how your world ended, but . . you are also choosing to believe that. Consider that your opportunity to come here is a blessing . . . where you are given another chance to right wrongs . . . not to be fatalistic. You, I imagine, have a greater burden to bear than most, and I fear speaking so simplistically to you . . but you seem like a man who needs to forgive himself. God be with you Superman." And then he has a conversation with Lois Lane. That one was probably the most heart felt. In it he tells her what happened to his wife. Her final words to him were, "Don't lose . . Clark." Lois asks him what he thinks she meant, and how long it's been since he's been Clark. "Clark Kent died the day she died . . and he will never return." To me, those conversations were the crux of the book. It really shows how he defines himself as a man . . a mentor, a student, and a grieving spouse. Like I said, I thought this was a fantastic issue. And, we have 2 more specials . . Magog #1, and the Kingdom #1 . . before we move on to our next chapter in Justice Society. Geoff Johns and Alex Ross are really doing a phenomenal job with this storyline. I think it's great to see some reference to the Kingdom Come storyline . . that was such an incredible book. This almost feels like a sequel.

Detective Comics #850 - DC

Another fantastic issue in this incredible Hush storyline. We learn a lot more about Thomas Elliott this issue. Including, I think, why he calls himself Hush. About 10 years ago, when Thomas had finally had enough of his mothers ridicule, he finally confronted her. Partly because of his emotions and partly because she was taking steps to cut him off from his entire family fortune. He tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't listen. So as he pushed the life out of her body, with a pillow over her head, he just kept repeating . . 'Hush! Hush! Hush!'. Anyways, Bruce does indeed save Selina. Did you expect anything less? And after a few months of recovery, she makes it her sole mission to relieve him of all the undue stress of the family fortune. She doesn't know if he's alive or dead, but she's not taking the chance. She leaves him with nothing but lint in his pockets. We also see Zatana this issue, as she gives Selina a little mystical help with the healing process. And, in case you also weren't sure, Batman does indeed defeat the re-bandaged man. The one that's still wearing Bruce's face. Of course he had some help from Nightwing and Robin . . Alfred also . . but, he does go down. Unfortunately, they don't find any remains, so . . you know he's still out there somewhere. I thought this was a great story-arc. I think Paul Dini did a fantastic job with the scripts. I also came to love Dustin Nguyen's interpretation of this character. I know. I was a little critical of his work when he first came on this series. But, I gotta' say, as time went along, the look that he gave this book really stated to appeal to me. I thought his stuff in this issue was fantastic. Now I just have to read the next issue of Batman to see how this RIP storyline is going to wrap up. The Bat-books have some great story-lines going on right now. It's a good time to jump on board.

Batman Cacophony #1 - DC

This is a Batman book, but, really . . it's all about the Joker. Cacophony means . . a harsh, disagreeable, discordant sound. And I think what the title means is that's the sound of the world with the Joker in it. Kevin Smith has done a fantastic job with another story. The premise for this one is that Deadshot came to Arkham to kill the Joker. He almost succeeds to. Until someone else, with a pair of guns, shows up. I'm not sure who it is. It's a guy who wears a black mask with a circle on it. He doesn't speak much either . . except for sound-effects . . literally. Anyways, he gets the drop on Deadshot and shoots him in the head. "Heavens to murgatroyd . . Deadshot's been shot dead. Ha. HA HA HA!!" And then the guy gets him out of Arkham. Which actually works out ok for the Joker because he already has a mission. Before being shot, Deadshot informed him that Maxi Zeus had found a cache of his Joker-gas, and had cut it with Ecstasy. They were calling it 'Chuckles', because they got high and it gave them the giggles. "Side effects are pretty nasty, as you might imagine: lockjaw, paranoia, psychosis. But when've dangerous side effects ever stopped folks from doing drugs?" This really pisses him off, so he's made it his mission now to tear Maxi Zeus down. Which he begins doing immediately. We also see Zsasz this issue, but . . I'm not really sure what he has to do with all of this. Unless . . the Cacophony they're talking about is the dull roar of all of this murder and mayhem and crime and drama that is a constant murmur in the Batman's and Gotham's world. It's kind of like living near a set of train tracks. At first it keeps you awake at night, but after a while, you don't really even notice that it's there. And when you do, it almost becomes a lulling sound. Walter Flanagan does the art. At first . . when I first opened it up and starting looking through it . . I wasn't really sure how I felt about it. It looked ok, but . . it was different. However, after reading the book . . I thought that the feel that the art gave the story was a perfect mesh. This is only a 3 issue mini, so it's not going to expound to much. However, I think we'll get a better feel for what the direction and theme of the book is next issue. But overall, I thought it was a great first issue.

Batman Confidential #23 - DC

First of all . . Stephane Roux contributes an incredible cover here. I love it. I thought the joke was a little lame. But . . that really has nothing to do with Stephane's work. This is the second part of our Joker story by Andrew Kreisberg and Scott McDaniel. Basically, this story kind of retells . . or maybe it's just a different perspective . . of when Joker first came upon the scene in Gotham. Back when everybody thought of him as a clown. A murderous psycho clown . . but still, a clown. We also see that even then . . when he was really just delving into this nutso killer routine . . he still felt that he could do whatever he wanted with little or no impunity. To him it's just all a game. He wants to see what he can do . . right in front of everybody . . and there's nothing they can do because they wouldn't even suspect that someone would be capable of the things the Joker does on a whim. We also see the Batman's frustration, because up until now . . the time when the Joker first came on the scene . . he hadn't really had to deal with this level or 'nut'. But this is when his world started entering a whole new realm. When places like Arkham Asylum became necessary. Anyways, I love a good Joker story. And this issue was really more about him than the Batman. I thought it was a pretty decent book. A bit predictable, but . . not to bad.

Trinity #24 - DC

Well things are really starting to heat up now. First of all, Le Fey and Enigma are inside some kind of energy bubble that's engulfed Paris. Actually, it's made of the Creation energy which they now seem to control. Well . . it started out with Paris, but now it seems that it's engulfed most of Europe. Basically, La Fey has decided that she'd rather the world be a lifeless husk than to ever kneel down to anyone ever again. Yes, she's got a few issues. Enigma wants to use his power to fix his world, the world of the Crime Syndicate. However, since their spell was not finished entirely . . Kanjor Ro was actually posing as Despero . . they don't have all of their power yet. But, we find out in the back-up story, that Kanjor Ro is trying to make contact with Despero . . since he knows what all the plans are . . to try to cut a deal with him to share in the power that the other 2 were trying to make him a part of. Meanwhile, the League and the Society are fighting over who's responsible for all of this mess and each is claiming that the other is trying to destroy the Earth. That is until Gangbuster finally delivers the scroll to Carter Hall. You know, the one that Alfred gave Tarot. Khufu, one of Carter's previous lives, saw a vision of what was going to happen to the world in the future, and sent the scroll forward in time to warn himself and try to fix things before they became unrepairable. And somehow Carter knows that the Flash is the key to the whole thing. And Alfred has gone to Lois, I think, to tell the whole world what's going on. But I could be wrong. And, on top of all of that, John Stewart has finally had a moment of clarity and realized that the thing that's been growing inside of him is a Qwardian Void Hound. Somehow Qwardian and Oan technology has become merged together in his body. Things are really getting exciting now, and there's an awful lot of stuff going on. I have a feeling that it's just going to keep amping up from here. Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley, Fabian Nicieza and Tom Derenick are all doing a fantastic job here. This books getting more exciting with every passing issue.