Batgirl #9 - DC

To me . . this book just gets better and better with every issue. Stephanie is turning out to be a great character. And I really love the rapport between her and Babs. Even Wendy is starting to grow on me. Her character seems to develop just a little bit more with every issue. On the cover, the story is called FLOOD! I assumed it was going to be kind of like the Earthquake storyline that ran through the Bat-books a couple of years ago. But this one, I think, is actually going to be about the Calculator. He's back. And he's still after Oracle for what she stole from him . . Wendy. He starts out by attacking Elysium Tech. It's a firm in Gotham that's got a lot of procured technology from Apokolips. That's what the Calculator tried to use the first time to 'fix' Wendy, so that she wouldn't be paralyzed. So it appears that now he's trying to gather up some more. He attacks the place twice before Babs finally puts it together. On the final page we see the Calculator in his hideout, performing the usual verbal cursory of Oracle. But it's also interesting to note that he's got his other sibling there . . the dead body of Marvin. I think that this guy may have gone more than a little over the edge. I have to say, so far I've been quite impressed with Bryan Q Miller's stories. I think he's doing a great job here. And I really like the way he's handling these characters. My only question is . . Birds of Prey . . one of my favorite books is finally coming back. I see Black Canary, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, and even Hawk & Dove on the cover. But what about Batgirl . . and Wendy? They're not going to be a part of this group? And if not . . is Babs still going to be mentoring them? There's so many unanswered questions. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. By the way, I also enjoyed Lee Garbett's art. He's also improving with every issue. And of course, there's the beautiful cover by Stanley Lau. What more could I ask for?

Secret Six #20 - DC

At the end of the last issue, the guy who hired the Secret Six was holding Thomas Blake, and Jade's son hostage. Well . . he wasn't actually doing it . . he was attempting to feign ignorance. But the goons that he hired were. Their demands? 'One year of life for your son, for every one of your team-mates that you kill . . in the next 5 minutes.' At first it looks like Thomas is going to do it. But then he turns the tables on them. 'No deal. Go ahead and drop him. Drop him! I'm going to hang up this phone, but I want you to understand something. You'll run, you'll hide. And in the dark . . I'll find you.' And then he quits the group. He knows he has to go after these guys, and I think he'd prefer to do it alone. It's not that the others would hold him back. They might actually help him. But . . he has to do this alone. This is personal. First he goes to check on Jade, and then with her help he's off to Italy after the only one that she was able to identify, Claudio Rinetti. He's a mob enforcer, and he's as mean as they come. Thomas enjoys taking him apart piece by piece. It takes him three hours to get the information out of him that he wants. So that leaves him on the trail of the other two. Meanwhile, Scandal, Deadshot, Ragdoll and Black Alice are on their way to see what they can do to help their teammate. Leaving Bane and Jeanette alone in the House of Secrets. I wonder what kind of trouble they're going to get in to. This was chapter 2 of the Cats in the Cradle story-line. I've really enjoyed Gail Simone's stories on this series. I like the way that she operates this group dynamic . . this, dysfunctional group dynamic. There's also a great cast of characters here. J Calafiore appears to be the artist . . at least for this story-arc. Also, isn't that a beautiful cover by Daniel Zuvisi? This guy is incredibly talented.

Doc Savage #1 - DC

This book was . . ok. I wasn't overly thrilled with it. Although, I have to say, I'm coming in to it kind of cold. I know of Doc Savage's character, but . . I've never really followed him. I have the couple of mini-series that he's been in for DC, but that's about the extent of it. In fact when I started reading this issue, I found myself comparing it, and him, to Tom Strong. That's really the only thing I have to base this type of book on. Anyways, Paul Malmont writes it, and this issue he starts off by introducing us to a majority of Doc's supporting cast. Actually, they're all introduced to us through tragedy, as someone is striking out at Doc and anything and everything connected to him. He just doesn't know who it is as he, and everything, is being hit by lightning strikes. Not the kind of attack that he, or anyone else was expecting. Doc's coming home from a recent adventure in Africa and all of this starts happening as he's approaching the city. Howard Porter and Art Thibert do the art. There's also a Justice Inc back-up story. It too, I thought, was just ok. It's written by Jason Starr and drawn by Scott Hampton. It too was done as a crime-drama story. But it just seemed to lack that 'edge'. I don't know. It's only the first issue. So it's a little hard to judge off of this one view. I stuck with the Spirit for quite a while . . even though I thought it was boring. So, I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens here. For now though . . I'd suggest waiting for the TPB.

Green Arrow #32 - DC

First of all . . this is an amazing cover by Mauro Cascioli. He's got more coming up too, so . . prepare to be 'Wowed!'. Next . . I thought this was a great story by JT Krul. I didn't think that it had the emotional depth that I was expecting . . the scenes between Ollie and Dinah seemed a little dry. I expected them to be much more moving. But . . I did like the way that the ramifications of Ollie's actions were handled. Ollie gives himself up for the murder of Prometheus. And Police Chief Nudocerda is more than ready to drag Ollie's name through the mud. The problem is . . no matter how much pull, or clout that Nudocerda thinks he has . . Ollie is still an icon to this city. Both as Green Arrow and as philanthropist Oliver Queen. I expected Ollie to have to fulfill some kind of sentence, but the jury finds him not guilty. I think they sympathized with the reasons for his actions more that just the actions themselves. They let him off. But the judge isn't so kind. 'You may be a free man, Oliver Queen. But from this day forward you are hereby exiled from Star City. You step even a foot back inside . . either as Oliver Queen or Green Arrow . . you will be incarcerated for as long as I can put you there.' But Ollie isn't really a free man. Not in the truest sense. He's already got the burden of his guilt hanging on his shoulders. Plus he's been shunned by both Connor and Dinah. In fact Dinah gave him his ring back. And he's pulling himself away from Mia. 'I'm a great teacher when it comes to the bow and arrow. But I'm not much of a role model.' The issue ends with him walking out of Star City . . a devastated, corrupt Star City. He's got to be asking himself, 'Is this place really any better off for me having been here?' This is the final issue of this series, but Ollie will be back in his own book in another month or so. I have to say, despite the all the bad things that have happened, I like the turn that this character has taken. I think that the road he's been cast upon is much more true to the character of both Ollie and the Green Arrow. And it'll make things a lot more interesting in future issues. Federico Dallocchio does the art for this issue. It looked pretty good. I can't wait to see what happens to Ollie next.

Booster Gold #31 - DC

This one is a little bittersweet as it's the final issue by Dan Jurgens. Geoff Johns originally wrote this book, with Dan taking over later on the scripts. But he's been drawing it for the whole run. Plus this character was actually created by Dan, back in the 80's. Dan kind of uses this issue to wrap things up. At least from his point of view. It starts out with Booster stopping a gang that's been causing a rash of robberies in Metropolis lately. It's the normal beat down from the frustrated super-hero sort of thing. But the part that I liked was . . as Booster is chasing down the final member of the gang, he gets shot. Of course it doesn't hurt him, because of his protective field. But it does ricochet and kill a little girl's dog. Booster feels worse about that than anything else. It's just something to add to his long list of what he perceives as recent failures. So, after talking to Rip, Michael finally decides to talk to Michelle about what happened to them in Coast City. He doesn't want there to be one more thing hanging over his head. Michelle knows that it wasn't actually Michael's fault, but . . that doesn't stop it from hurting any less. She was originally going to leave, but in the end she decides to stick around because she realizes that Michael is the only family she's got. As a little gift, Rip takes Michael back to the beginning of the day, and they go to the park to save the dog. 'There are very small, isolated, generally inconsequential things we can alter.' Now . . next issue, JM DeMatteis and Keith Giffen take over on the scripts. With Chris Batista doing the art. And they're jumping in just in time for a major story-line . . the Return of Bruce Wayne. And another time-travel title is coming out soon . . Time Masters. Also Booster will be involved in this summers mini-series . . JLI: Generation Lost. So there's plenty of Booster coming out. We're just losing Dan. But hopefully he'll pick up another series someplace. I think the guys a great talent. Thanks for all the great stories!

the Flash #1 - DC

Overall . . I enjoyed this book. I'm glad that Barry is back. However . . to be perfectly honest . . I much prefer the Wally Flash over the Barry Flash. Wally's character always just seemed so much more full of life . . and character. Don't get me wrong. Barry's a good guy. One of the best, actually. But to me, as a reader, Wally's character just appeals to me more. But, having said that . . it really doesn't matter because this is a book about Barry. A lot of what happens in this issue comes directly out of the Flash Secret Files book that I read last week. Most of what we learned there you could pick up on in this issue, but I think it was nicer coming into this one with a feeling for what's going on in Barry's life, Central City and with the Rogues. Although nothing in all of that really prepared me for the ending of this issue. I enjoyed the personality that Geoff Johns has given Iris' character. She's been a major influence in Barry's life for quite a while, but she's always been treated like a supporting character. I'm glad that Geoff has given her a little more prominence. And I like the dynamic that being portrayed in the crime lab. Barry's the new kid on the block, even though, really, he isn't. So he has to meet them in the middle, rather than them coming to him. It'll be interesting to see how Barry handles that. But the mystery that is presenting itself this issue is what looks like the death of Mirror Master. Although after looking at the body, Barry is sure that it's not Sam Scudder or Evan McCulloch. At the end of the issue we find out that he's actually a Rogue from the 25th century . . the Mirror Monarch. How does he know this? Because the other Rogues, lead by Commander Cold, have come back from the future to arrest Barry for his murder. 'You haven't killed him yet. But, you will.' Oh, and I guess they're no longer the Rogues. They're the Renegades. I thought it was an ok first issue. Not overly exciting. But really this one was just to get our feet on the ground. Or, Barry's . . as it were. I think we got a good feel for some of the stuff going on here. I'm sure Geoff will expand upon things more in future issues. I'm not overly thrilled with Francis Manapul's art. It's ok. I think it just needs to grow on me. It's just a lot different style that any of the previous Flash books . . the recent ones. But I'm still glad that Barry's back. And we get a preview showing that his life is going to be changing even more. There's a new series coming out next year by Geoff, Andy Kubert and Paul Neary titled Flashpoint. I have a feeling that things aren't going to slow down for this guy for quite a while.

Brightest Day #0 - DC

This issue sets up the groundwork for the stories to come. I think there's going to be a whole lot of unexpected twists and turns coming in the future of the DC Universe. To recap . . there's been twelve people brought back from the dead by the White Light. We don't know how they were picked or why, but . . somehow, I have a feeling that they're all going to make an impact. We start out with Boston Brand. He's no longer Deadman because . . well, he's no longer dead. But when he shows some compassion for a fallen bird, he hears a voice. A voice that's asking for his help. And then he starts bouncing around, seeing all of the others that have come back. The Variant cover, I think, depicts his role the best. He's like the overseer . . the guardian at the gates. He's the key to everything, but . . we don't know where that key fits. Yet! Arthur has come back, but . . he appears to be afraid of the water. Well . . maybe not exactly, but . . he does seem to hold on to the memories of what he did as a Black Lantern. And I think he's afraid that once given his complete powers by the nurturing waters of the Earth that it'll be hard for him to remain in control. We don't really know what's going on with Eobard Thawne, but Digger seems to be ready to embrace life. And he seems much less intimidated by the Flash or his powers. Carter and Shiera can now remember every moment of every one of their past lives . . both good and bad. And while Shiera is trying to embrace life, Carter seems afraid of having to relive their curse. Also, someone has gone to the trouble of finding Khufu and Chay-Ara's original bones, buried in the ice. Maxwell Lord has begun another of his insidious plans. Although he claims that all he's ever wanted to do was protect the world, not endanger it. But it appears that his plan may have failed. That, or he's just not ready yet. J'onn is in the process of trying to bring Mars back to life. He's found an underground aquifer and he plans on nurturing it. But I have the feeling that the soil is not the only thing he's going to try to bring back. Jen is dealing with the doubts that Satu has over her and Kyle's relationship. She feels that with Jen back that her and Kyle may be over. But Jen assures her that she sees something different in Kyle's eyes now. Jason and Ronnie are trying to deal with being stuck in the same body. Well not all the time, but if they ever want to be Firestorm again they're going to have to come to some kind of understanding. Ronnie remembers what he did as a Black Lantern, but he doesn't feel that it was actually him. While Jason blames him for the whole thing. Professor Stein is just left on the outside trying to help them sort it all out. Amon Tomaz, Osiris, has returned to Kahndaq to give hope to his people. But it looks like he wants to bring his sister, Isis, and Black Adam back also. Hank Hall has jumped back in to crime fighting with guns blazing. He's got an obsessive fervor that even he hasn't shown before. 'Might makes right. It's the only thing these evil bastards understand.' And finally Boston visits Star City. He's in the middle of the devastation when the voice comes to him again. 'Boston Brand of Earth. Help Me! Help Them!' And the power erupts from his White Ring. By the way, he's the only one of these 12 that's wearing one. Anyways, the devastation in Star City is transformed. The once blighted area that Prometheus destroyed is now turned into a lush forest. A star-shaped forest that now fills the center of the town. 'Boston Brand of Earth. Help me Live!' Finally, as in the last issue of Blackest Night, we see the crater where the White Lantern has landed. But this time, not only are the locals interested, but . . Sinestro has shown up to claim it as his own. I thought this was a fantastic opening installment by Geoff Johns, Peter J Tomasi and Fernando Pasarin. The art looked fantastic, but . . he had a plethora of inkers to help him out. But with 50 pages of art, I'd hope that somebody would give the guy a hand. Not to mention the beautiful covers by David Finch and Ivan Reis. And finally in the back we get some glimpses of some of the things to come in the DC Universe. It really looks like it's going to be an exciting year. I can't wait to see more.

Nemesis #1 - Marvel / Icon

As with the World War Hulks book, this is another one that I picked up for 99 cents. I was definitely interested in this book when I saw it at the shop, but . . I just simply can't buy everything that catches my eye. If I did that . . I'd be broke . . and broke up! But for 99 cents? I just couldn't resist. I definitely wanted to see what Mark Millar and Steve McNiven were up to with this one. So I took the opportunity. With all the hype of Kick-Ass!, both the book and the movie . . this is definitely a highly anticipated title. Since it's the first issue, and we're coming into it cold . . this one is set up to introduce us to the chief characters. Obviously Nemesis is the star of the book, but . . I think that this Chief of Police in Washington DC, Chief Blake Morrow. Basically, this Nemesis character has been going around the globe using these elaborate schemes and theatrics to take out various members of law-enforcement. He makes a comment at one time about making up for a 'robbed childhood'. But I think Chief Morrow is his real target. I think that everything else has been warm-up and practice. I also think that he and the Chief know each other. Although, I'm not sure how yet. The Chief does make a comment about how he's on his way to play Baccarat with one of his distinguished friends, Mr Anderson. And Nemesis makes the comment, when he shows up on TV trying to draw the Chief out . . after he's captured the President . . 'The Black Sheep of the Anderson family has returned to burn these idiots who believe that you protect them.' So . . I'm thinking that he's the Chief's friend's son . . maybe? I'm sure we'll be digging more into their relationship in the coming issues. But overall . . I have to say, I really liked the first issue. I thought it did a good job of opening up the story for us, and setting up the play-ground for the games to come. My only real complaint is that it seems like all of Mark's stories now are written as if they're being set up for a screen-play. The beginning of this issue reminded me an awful lot of the final scenes in Fight Club. You know, where he's bringing down the financial district of Wall Street. But . . maybe that's just me. And . . who can blame the guy for trying to make the most of his work? This book definitely left us wanting more. So barring lucking into another cheap deal on E-Bay, it looks like I'll be picking issue #2 up at the shop. By the way . . don't compare this to Kick-Ass!. It's completely different.

World War Hulks #1 - Marvel

I said I was going to stay away from this book. That I wasn't going to get dragged in to even more titles. But then . . it appealed to me on another level, beside curiosity . . my cheapness. I had bought a couple of books from a guy on E-Bay, and got this one for 99 cents. How could I possibly pass that up? Even splitting the shipping between the books I bought, this one was only $1.99. I'm sorry I couldn't pass up a deal like that. As with the X-Nation mini series, this book is set up to fill us in on the developments of the other characters affected by the main story . . World War Hulks. This book bring us stories about A-Bomb and Marlo, Glenn Talbot and Bruce's wife Betty, Leonard Samson and the Red She-Hulk, and Deadpool (?). Although, Deadpool isn't actually involved until he goes on a raid of the hellicarrier with the Red Hulk and becomes a part of the Hulked Out Heroes. Consequently his story leads directly into that title. The book was ok. I don't think that there was really any information shared that we hadn't already heard . . or suspected. But in my mind, it definitely puts Glenn as the front-runner for the identity of the Red Hulk. I might be reading more into it than I care to admit, but . . it seems like all arrows are pointing in his direction right now. Anyways, it's filled with a slew of talent. The writers include Jeff Parker, Harrison Wilcox, Scott Reed and Paul Tobin. The artists include Zach Howard, Ben Oliver, Aluir Amancio, Ramon Rosanas, Ryan Stegman and Ig Guara. They're mostly new talents, but . . I think that's the point. It was an interesting book. But . . I was glad that I only paid 99 cents for it.

Cable and Deadpool #25 - Marvel

This issue takes us all the way back to the attack on Cooperstown Alaska when Hope was born. It turns out that since Cable and Deadpool were involved with each other at the time . . their own series Cable & Deadpool was still up and running at that time in Marvel history . . it turns out that Deadpool was a lot more involved in the events of the day than we were previously led to believe. Well . . we weren't really led to believe anything. His name was just never really brought up. Cable was one of the first to arrive at the scene, attempting to save Hope, but he was still seconds behind the Purifiers. So he was in for a battle. What we didn't know previously was that he had called in Deadpool for back-up. Deadpool aids him in his departure from Cooperstown, and then is on hand when Cable and Hope are attacked by a Predator X and then a Sentinel. Apparently they split up shortly before Cable decided that he needed to take Hope into the future to protect her. As with any Deadpool story, this one was kind of goofy and sarcastic, but . . it was funny . . and entertaining. I still think that Cable and Deadpool made a good team. It's to bad that we're so far past that now. Although I'm sure that we'll see them together at some time or another. Unfortunately though . . it won't be in this book. This issue is the finale for this series. Hence the double sized issue and the special guest-star. But don't worry. I'm sure that Cable will be playing a big part in this Second Coming story-line unfolding across the X-Universe even as we speak. I thought that Duane Swierczynski finished out this series with a bang. It's got a beautiful Simone Bianchi cover, and Paco Medina did a great job with the interiors. I'm sorry to see this series go, but . . I'm sure we'll be seeing other new X-titles popping up here in the months to come. It's just the circle of life.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #7 - Marvel

While this is obviously a Moon Knight book . . this issue's focus is mostly about the confrontation, and obvious misunderstanding between Moonie and Deadpool. I've always enjoyed Deadpool's character. I think he's funny, and interesting . . in small doses. But I have a feeling that they're going to overload everybody with him this month in the Marvel Universe. He's got a couple of different books coming out, a few 'team-ups', and he's popping up on the variant covers of almost every single book. Yeah . . I'm afraid it might be a little bit to much. Anyways, in this title Deadpool is after this old man who's got stage-4 cancer in a hospital. A little bit of a waste of his talents, I'd think, but . . we gotta go with what we get. But, to Deadpool's credit, this is a really nasty guy. And he is holding the child of the woman who hired him. The guy is a criminal, and he extorts people out of their homes for his developments. After the initial misunderstanding, Jake goes home and does some digging. When he finds out what this guy is really all about, he feels the same way as Deadpool. But, with his new 'morality', he wants to go about things in a different way . . rather than simply just killing him. The issue ends with Moon Knight confronting the goons that are holding the child. It was an ok book. I think Gregg Hurwitz did what he could with the story. To me it doesn't really seem all that complicated. But it has to be done in a way that involves Deadpool . . obviously. And it's been stretched into a 2-parter . . for some reason. More exposure for Deadpool. I guess. Anyways, Tan Eng Haut does the art, and . . I'm really impressed. This guy has come a long way since Doom Patrol. This was easily his best stuff to date. Although, not everyone will like it. He's definitely got his own unique style. The book was entertaining. Although not overly involved. But if you're in to Deadpool, you'll probably have to pick it up.

S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 - Marvel

I picked this book up for two reasons. One, because it's a SHIELD book. I've really been enjoying the Secret Warriors book, so . . if this is an extension, or definition of that . . I had to give it a shot. And secondly . . because Jonathan Hickman is writing it. I've really been impressed with this guys writing. So much so that I wanted to see what kind of original thoughts or ideas that this book might contain. To start out with, this book comes with two fantastic covers. The one on the right pictures our lead character, Leonid. It's brilliantly painted by Gerald Parel. The lower one is the alternative cover by Dustin Weaver. It could be argued that this is actually our main character as this cover depicts the return of Leonardo Da Vinci. Although a lot of this secret organization that's been around since 2620 BC, revolves around Leonardo, he's not the actual leader. I think he's just one of it's greatest innovators. The actual organization started with what looks like an invasion by the Brood. It's held back by an army of Egyptian warriors and their illustrious leader, Imhotep. His essence and character is what really defines and drives this group. This issue is set in 1953 when Leonid is brought in to the group. He's told the history of it, and shown some of it's greatest members . . Zhang Heng, Leonardo, Galileo. He's also shown some of it's greatest challenges . . the Brood, the Celestials, Galactus. But it's his mysterious father that really seems to open the doors for him. He's called the Night Machine. We don't know who he is, yet, but it's interesting that when he comes to liberate his son, he's met by agents Richards and Stark. This issue gives us the history of the real SHIELD. The one that's apparently been around since the dawn of man. It's very informative. But it leaves us with a whole lot more questions that answers. But that's ok. I think that'll be the fun of this book . . digging in to, and revealing all of that. I have a feeling that we're going to be getting a lot more startling revelations as this story proceeds. Like I said, we get a lot of information this issue, but . . I think it's only the tip of the iceberg. I really enjoyed this book. And Jonathan definitely left me wanting more. I also thought that Dustin Weaver did a fantastic job with the art.

Wolverine Weapon X #12 - Marvel

This one appears to be a little bit confusing, but . . I think that's the way it's supposed to be. For right now. Last issue we saw that the Deathloks had come back from the future. No one really know that they're here except for a waitress who's been having dreams, Miranda Bayer. She knows what they're up to. In the future . . 25 years in the future, where Roxxon controls pretty much everything, there's a war. A war between the resistance, led by a mysterious General, and the Deathloks. Nobody knows who the General actually is. Not even the resistance. So the Deathloks have come back into the past with a list. It's a list of all of the likely candidates for the General's identity. And they've been instructed to kill them all. However, there's a point in the past . . our present, where a Deathlok has Miranda in his sights and he's trying to determine if he has the authorization to kill her. Even though they're on a killing spree, they still have a strict rule about messing to much with the time stream. Anyways, while the Deathlok is trying to access command for authorization, there's a part of him, deep inside, that becomes really emotional. 'Kill the bitch. Gut her and cut her and drink her blood . . kill, kill, kill. Kill her! Kill her now!' But . . the voice is unheard. It to deep beneath the bio-mechanics strewn throughout it's body. But I'm thinking this Deathlok may be the weak point in the operation. It's to emotionally involved. So, in this issue, the story bounces back and forth between the present and the future . . 25 years in the futures. Kind of like a Terminator story. In fact, this story reminds me an awful lot of that franchise. But maybe that's just me. The story ends with Logan being killed in the future . . the last of the 'heroes'. And in the present . . it appears that the General is already in position and monitoring things . . from the shadows. I enjoyed Jason Aaron's story. Although it didn't seem completely original, it did have some interesting twists and turns. And I thought that Ron Garney did a great job with the art. My only concern is . . with the Origins book being cancelled with issue #50, I have to wonder just how much life this book has left in it? But for now . . I'll enjoy what I can get.

Ultimate X #2 - Marvel

We don't actually see Jimmy until the final page of this issue. But that's ok. This one fills us in on what's happened to a couple other of the mutants in the Ultimate Universe. On the cover we see Karen Grant. She's a girl who's trying to blend in and stay below the radar. The problem is, during the course of this, someone develops a crush on her . . one of her fellow Mall-workers. And, being ignorant of her desire for anonymity, he puts her picture on his face-book page. As it turns out . . this is actually Jean Grey. And the people that come looking for her are Mystique and Sabretooth. Although Mystique is posing as Rogue, and Sabretooth . . although having been 'cleaned up', looks more menacing than usual. Especially when he's standing in the middle of all the kids playing at the Mall. Kind of creepy actually. Anyways, they appear to be working for someone else, but we don't know who that is yet. Jean ends up holding her own against both of them. Which is actually pretty impressive. And she mind-wipes everybody on the scene to forget about her. It's after that, when she goes home to pack up her life and move on that Jimmy confronts her. 'I'm Jimmy Hudson. You knew my dad. He was Wolverine.' I really like the way that Jeph Loeb wrote this issue. It's a narrative being told from the guy's point of view who is crushing on her. Almost like a diary, or blog entry, kind of thing. Even to the point that after he dies he still wishes that she'll find the life and safety that she's looking for. Even with all the action going on, that part was kind of touching. And Art Adams' pencils? They were frickin' fantastic. Art is one of those guys that I really, really like his stuff. But I don't realize how much I miss it until some new stuff pops up. His stuff is so good that there's a lot of imitators out there. So you see influences of his stuff in a lot of places. But then when he pops back up, like he did with this book . . you realize just how good the guy really is. The beginning pages, with Jean at home cleaning up for work, were simply incredible. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this title, but . . this one may pull ahead as my favorite Ultimate Universe book. Sorry Spider-man.

Uncanny X-Men #523 - Marvel

I don't usually put the pictures of the Marvel variants in here. Mostly because . . well, there's just so many of them. However, with David Finch doing the variant cover here . . I just couldn't resist. It's beautiful . . isn't it? Anyways, since we haven't a clue as to what Hope's powers are going to be . . or even if or when they're going to manifest themselves, I'm starting to think that Hope's biggest influence on the X-Men is going to be her potential . . her 'hope' for change . . for a better world. We already see her influencing the teams indirectly. But right now . . that's not all a positive influence. First of all, I have to say that it can't be coincidental how much Hope looks like Jean. I have a feeling that it's going to set Scott and Emma both back when they finally see her. But what's happened so far is that her, and Cable's return have brought to light Scott's decision to sanction a 'wet' team of X-Men. Right now Scott's 'Alpha' team consists of some of the most powerful, and dangerous of the X-Men. That includes some of the members of X-Force . . and some who are not. However when they see Logan and Laura in action . . especially Kurt, they're definitely put back by what the X-Men have been turned in to. But right now Scott's using thier battle training to hold things together. 'If you've got an issue with my leadership, do not bring it up when you're in the field. Get the girl and get her here now. You can tear my head off once you're all home safe and sound.' Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence Bastion is also rallying his forces. He's already sent the Purifiers and the Sapien League after our duo in Westchester. Now, as they stop for a little respite along I-80, he's sent the Reverend and his Purifiers out to 'crush them'. But he's got other things in the works also. He's holding Hodge and his people as a back-up, should Stryker fail. And he's also got them building some towers of some sort for him. But the part that really gets me is the way that Scott is running the X-Men like a guerrilla outfit. Obviously all of the teams are aware of each other, but . . they aren't aware of what each other is doing. I think only Scott and Emma have the complete picture. When they discover that Stryker is going after Cable and Hope at the hotel they're resting at, Scott sends in the Alpha team as a ground assault. However, he also has the New Mutants cloaked in a blackbird over Hodge's facility where he manufactures anti-mutant personnel weaponry. That may be where they're constructing the towers also. Anyways, as the Alpha team is attacking Stryker, so to are the New Mutants going after Hodge. And who knows what else Scott has going on out there. I know we've had different 'war' scenario's before, but . . this one seems more like one than any other. And Scott has assumed the role of General. Unfortunately, the General usually gets all the praise . . or all the blame. I think Matt Fraction is doing a terrific job with this story. And I enjoyed Terry Dodson's art, although it did seem a little more rushed than usual. Anyways, it was a great issue and I can't wait to see what happens next in New Mutants #12. By the way . . I'm only buying variants of these issues if I can find them on E-bay. Cheap!!

Project Superpowers - Chapter 2 #8 - Dynamite Entertainment

Ok, well . . here's a scorecard of what's going on in this issue. Zeus wants the fire of Prometheus back because he feels that it was stolen from him. What he doesn't know is that the fire seems to be sentient, and want out from under the thumbs of it's oppressor. It split up between the Flame and Flamegirl. So, in Zeus' madness, he believes that all the rest of the 'heroes' are in on it, or at the very least protecting their teammates. Which puts them all at direct odds with Zeus . . or Captain Future. Although that facade has been worn pretty thin. Meanwhile, the Green Lama has gone to Swisslakia to enlist the aid of the Boy King and his group, the Inheritors. The President is also there being protected by the group. Through the course of his dialogue, the Green Lama gives the Boy King, and the rest of them, plenty to think about. First he shares the information that they've all been changed by their time in the urn. Not only has their powers changed, but . .'I've come to believe . . that you've all evolved. Turning you into truly mythic beings. I'm no longer sure if any of you can even be considered mortals anymore.' And, with his debating of politics with the President, I think that the Boy King is starting to question the free-world's leader motivation and loyalties. Especially when he learns about the Supremacy. The Green Lama's theories are backed up when Lady Satan is killed by Zeus, but then comes back to life even more powerful than ever. She now calls herself Hades, and when she strikes at Captain Future, seemingly splitting his body open . . it appears that Zeus' form is now unbound. It's a good thing that the Green Lama and the Inheritors have arrived on the scene just in time to witness this. And on the final pages we see another of the fallen heroes come back to life . . Kid Terror. And he swears . .'Dynamic Boy . . I'm going to rip you to pieces!!' I've said this before, but . . there's a lot going on in one of these issues. We also see Mr Mask and his crew building something in Skyman's hanger that is apparently supposed to trap Zeus. We get a glimpse of the Terror and the 'Devil going after the Claw. And the 'Devil is apparently going to have to face someone from the tribe where he got his powers. Or at least his suit and weapons. Oh yeah, and the Supremacy has figured out who the Silver Scarab really is . . one of their own, Amon Khadul. I'd really be interested to see how Alex Ross and Jim Krueger are keeping track of all of this, and the way they're planning for the future. I think to put that into a book and publish it would be interesting unto itself. This has got to be a massive undertaking. And there's just so many heroes for them to keep track of. Overall I'm enjoying it. I'm not sure that the stories are always cohesive. There appears to be fragments here and there. But . . I could see how that could happen with this big of a project. And I have to give Edgar Salazar props for drawing all of these characters. For the most part I think he's doing a great job. And I'm starting to see a couple of different influences in his work. But I have to ask . . look at the last page of the issue with Kid Terror and tell me if that doesn't look like it could've been drawn by George Perez. I noticed his influence a couple of times during the book, but it's especially prominent on the final page. Overall I think this is an entertaining series. However, it'll probably be easier . . and cheaper, to just wait for the TPB to catch up on the story. It'll probably be a more coherent read that way also.

the Boys #41 - Dynamite Entertainment

Annie is really close to telling Hughie her secret . . that she's a member of the Seven. But she's afraid that it'll change their relationship and that Hughie won't love her anymore. However, once he finds that out . . how does he tell her that he's a member of the Boys? And the even bigger problem is . . Butcher has already found out Annie's secret. Hughie has kept Annie away from his team-mates because . . well, I don't think he really approves of what they do. I think he believes that it is necessary. But I don't think he approves of their methods. So, I think he's trying to keep Annie away from that. But, back to Butcher . . because Hughie hasn't shared this information, and because he can't believe that Hughie hasn't put it together as to just who his girlfriend really is . . he now doesn't trust Hughie. He thinks he's playing with him, and his team. But he's not sure what he's up to. He thinks that he could be working for the Seven, or maybe even Vought-American. But Butcher is already paranoid, and this revelation has pretty much sent him over the edge. So he's got him on some menial duty. He's watching the 'short-bus' of super-teams . . Super-Duper. They have a new leader called Malchemical, so that's his excuse for giving him the assignment. During the course of all this, there's 2 things that are going to cause problems. First, Mother's Milk has found out what Butcher is up to, and after perusing some confidential files from Vought . . he thinks that Butcher is up to some shenanigans with Hughie. And he's not very happy about it. Secondly while watching Super-Duper, Black-Hole has an accident and starts choking to death. When it's obvious that none of his teammates know what to do, Hughie rushes in and saves his life by performing a tracheotomy. Unfortunately, Butcher witness' the whole thing. So now he's convinced that Hughie is up to no good. The question is . . what's he going to do now. I thought this was an entertaining issue. A little boring . . compared to some of the other things that the Boys have been through. But, it was necessary for the development of this story. I was starting to wonder how long Hughie was going to be able to date Annie without someone starting to put 2 and 2 together. As a member of the Seven she's pretty prominent, so . . it was only a matter of time. At the very least I think Hughie's going to lose his girlfriend. But . . who knows what Butcher and Garth Ennis have in store for him, so . . I have a feeling that he's not going to come through this unscathed. Like I said . . it was entertaining. And as usual Darick Robertson did a great job with the art.

the Authority #21 - WildStorm

We found out at the end of the last issue that Angie is back. Kind of. She's actually been merged with the Carrier. It seems the Carrier needed someone to merge with it, to help it connect with the people aboard it. And Angie was the most likely candidate. Unfortunately, that means that Angie, as a person . . her personality, and feelings . . are basically lost in the machine. She's now much more a part of the Carrier than she is Angie. Which has really hurt Jack, emotionally. Anyways, we also found out that the hooded guy protecting the boy was the High. And that the boy was a new century baby. Of course all of this happens as the Carrier reaches Daemon territory and they are under attack. But Angie, in her new role quickly dispels the attack, and increases their shielding. They're relatively safe. For now. Of course all the passengers aboard the ship don't really know that. They've been told that they're safe, but . . they don't believe it. However, Angie does use their influence to make their lives a little more comfortable . . and normal. So we'll see how that appeases them. However, Cole and his team have found a new threat. It appears that in the darkest regions of the Carrier . . there's an infestation . . of the Night Tribes. Fantastic! Just when things we're starting to look like they might be lightening up. A little bit. So far I like the story that Adam Freeman and Marc Bernardin have been putting together here. They've definitely kept things interesting. And as usual, Al Barrionuevo's art look fantastic. This is another guy whom I think doesn't get near the credit and recognition that he deserves. Al's a great artist. He's just been under the radar, so far. Really, my only complaint is that other than the Carrier, this doesn't really feel like an actual Authority book. There's only 3 of the Authority actually here. But I'm patient. I'll wait and see how this all plays out. I hope it's worth it.

JSA All-Stars #5 - DC

Last issue Johnny Sorrow drew out the King of Tears. He's this big demon-monster thingy from some nether region. So now the All-Stars, plus the Injustice Gang are trying to stop it from destroying the world. Anyways, as all of this is happening, Johnny gets ahold of Courtney and sends her to the subtle realm where she finds that Al has also been stranded. They're all upset that Courtney has disappeared, but . . this King of Tears has to take priority. So this issue, Courtney and Al are trying to figure out how to get out of this place. They get a tip pretty early on that they need to head towards the Courts of Despair. Yeah! That's a place I'd want to hang out. But I guess they don't have much of a choice because they have no idea where else to go. Anyways, they're spending so much time together, counting on each other, that the feelings they once had for each other are starting to swell again. Their part of the story ends when they make it to the Courts, but . . upon opening the door, Courtney is surprised by what she finds there. I have a feeling that Al isn't actually Al. I'm not sure if it's Johnny in disguise, but . . something is amiss here. While back in the real world. a new girl shows up. Later on we find out that her name is Anna Fortune, and Doctor Fate sent her. She seems to be some sort of sorceress as she uses a spell to capture the King of Tears . . another one to help save King Chimera from the injuries that he suffered, and at the end of the issue she uses another spell to transport them all to the subtle realm in search of Courtney. But I'm a little suspicious of her also. Her arrival was just to well timed. I don't think that Kara has let her guard down, but for now they're following her. For all we know, maybe the King of Tears was all just an illusion. I have a lot of questions and suspicions right now, but . . I guess I'll have to wait until next issue when this current story-arc is wrapped up. And apparently all of this takes place before Blackest Night because Damage is still alive. Anyways, I like the book. I think Matthew Sturges is doing a good job with the story. And I'm really impressed with Freddie Williams II's art. So far it's been pretty fast-paced, right since issue #1. They haven't really had time to stop and breath. So when things do slow down . . it'll be interesting to see if Matthew and Freddie can things just as entertaining. It shouldn't be to hard though. There's a pretty good cast of characters here.

Jonah Hex #54 - DC

I really like this book. I'm not a huge fan of Jordi Bernet's art, but . . I think the book has a really good look and feel to it. Jordi's style definitely gives it the right look for the era. And Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have done a great job of keeping the tone and feel of the stories consistent with the time they're writing about. And . . Jonah is a fantastic character. Now that we've got 50 or so issues behind us, we're starting to see some of the periphery characters carry over from issue to issue . . or from previous stories. Yes the 'west' was a vast area, but . . if you think about it, there really wasn't near the amount of people living out there then, as there is now. The odds of them running into each other more than once were much higher than they would be now. Anyways, the story this issue is about some guy who's trying to swindle this town and it's bank. He get's his brother hired as the sheriff, and then he sets up for the bank to be robbed. His plan for for his brother to catch the robbers. Since he hired them, he'd know where they'd be holed up. Then when he save the town and recovered the loot, they'd get a percentage from the bank . . free and clear. But, you know what they say about the best laid plans. Jonah shows up, looking for the bounty, and . . everything falls apart from there. Jonah hadn't even put it all together, but then the Sheriff-killer shows up. He knows Jonah from when Jonah saved his life as a kid. He's put the thing together, and he slips into town and takes out the Sheriff. You know, because of his name . . 'Sheriff-killer'. Anyways, things get all turned around and basically everything gets blamed on Jonah. I thought it was an interesting story. With a couple of twists. And I still can't believe that I enjoy reading a 'western' this much.

Batman Confidential #43 - DC

I think Sam Keith is a brilliant talent. But . . I have to be honest . . the ending for this story-arc left me a little . . bewildered. The nearest I can figure . . this story was more about the growing friendship between Batman and Callie than . . well, the story that was wrapped around this enigma. Batman and Callie have been chasing this ghost around Gotham. It turns out that this policeman is responsible for the whole thing. He claims to be 'directed' by some outside force, but . . I'm thinking the guy was just a loon. When Batman finds him and confronts him . . he commits suicide. So . . I guess everything is over. No more terror in the streets because of this 'ghost' attacker. At least . . that's what I think happened. Anyways, while this is going on, Callie got this inner dialogue going where she's trying to sort out the relationship between herself and Batman. She thinks they're more than just friends. So maybe Callie was the crazy one. Anyways, they've got this all wrapped up, and Callie's trying to decide whether or not to ask Batman out for breakfast. She turns around to walk away, when . . she trips over the sidewalk and cracks her head open on the curb. She's dead before the paramedics can arrive. It really was a rather anticlimactic ending. It just left me staring at the book, thinking . . 'Huh?' Although, having said that . . Sam's artwork was superb. The art alone was worth the price of admission. He's got some brilliant panels in her, and a couple full page spreads. Overall, I really liked the book. I don't want to be negative about the story, because I liked it. Right up until the end. I'm still a little confused about what happened.

Nemesis: the Impostors #2 - DC

Apparently those 6 issues that Tom Tresser ran around Electric City . . or wherever that was, really messed with his head. He's still having a hard time distinguishing what's real and what's not. He also seems to lose time every now and then. And . . he's incredibly paranoid. Last issue ended with him racing down the road with the Joker in the car with him. At the end, it looked like he was driving the car off a cliff. As it turns out, he drove it into a lake, or pond, or something. He drags the Joker out of the car, and the lake, only to find Batman standing there waiting for him. Unfortunately, he couldn't save the Joker. But fortunately . . it's not really him. Also, he doesn't know who Batman actually is, but . . he has worked with him before, so he knows that this isn't the same man. Dick tries to explain it to him . . as Tom is trying to take off his head, but he's not having much luck getting through to him. Once he does subdue him, and gets him into the Batmobile, he links up with Diana, Wonder Woman. She's feeling guilty about Tom's current condition, but . . nobody really know what's happened to him. Tom's tried to explain it, but there's not any proof that Electric City really exists. Plus . . apparently everything that happened there happened on a different time-line than the real world. 'There's no evidence to back up your story. We know where you've been every day for the last 2 years. You get in close enough to someone in the League, we have no choice but to make sure they're safe. And you were by her side, every single day. And then one day, you were . . One day you're suddenly like this. Anxious. Paranoid. You tell this impossible story about a place that can't possibly exist.' But that just makes Tom feel even more alone. So he bails on the Batmobile, after he sets of a localized EMP pulse, and gets away blending into the crowd. But apparently somebody is after his because on the final page we see someone scouring video angles of the city desperately trying to find him in the crowd. Ivan Brandon writes this series. He also wrote the last. So it has a lot of the same feel to it . . confusing, disoriented, fractured. He hasn't mentioned anything yet about the Global Peace Agency, but . . the guy at the end is wearing their uniform. As is Tom. Until he goes into disguise. I like this character, so . . I really hope that Ivan sorts all of this out by the end of this series so that Tom can go back to being a viable character again. Cliff Richards does the art, as he did in the last series also. This really just feels like a continuation of the Escape mini-series. Anyways . . it's interesting. So I'll stick around to see what happens. Also, that's a pretty cool cover by Daniel Luvisi.

the Warlord #13 - DC

Well . . this is the first issue in the adventures of the new Warlord . . Travis' son, Tinder. Well . . that's the name he took before he knew who he was. He was named . . Joshua. And he assumes the mantel just as everything is about to change in Skartaris. A meteor approaches Earth and everyone in the tracking station is ready for a serious impact at the north pole. But then . . nothing. Apparently it shot right through the hole into Skartaris. But there . . it has a devastating effect. Including a new monster that has appeared in the outer lands. So far we're unclear on it's origins. I'm not sure if it was a passenger on the meteor, or . . maybe it was buried and the impact released it. Either way it's now causing panic and mayhem in the outer lands, and apparently is being appeased by offering it human sacrifices. Warlord and company arrive just in time to stop another sacrifice, but . . that appears to be the least of their problems. The monster is loose. And it's pissed. But because of the devastating ray coming out of it's forehead, we don't really get a good look at it. For that . . I guess we'll have to wait until next issue. I enjoy Mike Grell's stories. I think he's a fantastic writer. That's why I also buy John Sable, and recently picked up the Pilgrim. But unfortunately he doesn't draw this issue. I only say that because I love his art as well. But if he can only do one or the other, I'd much prefer he stay on with the scripting of this series. His vision for this character is so inspired that I don't think that anyone else could fill his shoes. At least not on this book. Anyways, Chad Hardin does the art for this issue, and . . it's ok. Some parts were better than others, but . . overall I thought it had a good feel to it. This has long been one of my favorite series, and I'm just glad that it's been opened up to a whole new audience. Hopefully they'll respond in kind.

the Flash - Secret Files and Origins 2010 - DC

I think this issue is mostly for the benefit of people that may not be familiar with the Flash character. Although . . I don't know who that is. It's written by Geoff Johns, so it brilliantly depicts a young Barry Allen's life shortly before his mother was killed. It was actually moving. We also find out that apparently Barry's mood and desires affect the Speed Force which also has an affect on everyone connected to it. When Barry has a dream about his mother, he goes back to their original house. It isn't long before Jay shows up. 'I felt something. I felt you were in trouble. I was drawn to this spot. To you.' And when he goes outside, he finds the rest of them waiting there also . . Wally, Jesse, Bart, Iris and Max. I guess they all felt the same pull. I thought it was a great way of showing Barry that he really has to families . . his family with Iris, and his Flash-family. We also get a story about the Rogues. Apparently Sam Scudder had set up a contingency plan for the Flash, back when he was the Mirror Master. Captain Cold takes them to his old factory where they find a giant mirror covered up. When they pull off the tarp it says . . 'In case the Flash returns break glass'. And of course this is all leading up to the 1st issue of the Flash coming out next week. I also thought it was great that Scott Kolins illustrated both of these stories. He had a really nice run on the Flash book previously. But Francis Manapul, the new artist on the book, illustrates most of the biography pages in the back. Geoff gives us lots of information on the various characters, plus . . I think, some clues into the upcoming story-lines. If you're at all interested in the new book, you should probably pick this up.

Doom Patrol #9 - DC

So . . last issue, Oberon showed up at Oolong Island bearing gifts. Sort of. Basically he was moving all of the effects out of Dayton's mansion and bringing them all to the Chief. I would guess. Anyways, since he really wasn't aware of the unnatural forces that he was dealing with . . he made some mistakes. One of which was uprooting Danny the Street. So a trans-dimensional reclamation team has also shown up on the Island to reclaim the stuff, which includes Danny. However, Danny the Street has now become Danny the Brick because he was trying to avoid the reclamation team's clutches. As per usual, the Doom Patrol has become involved and escalated the dispute way past any sense of normalcy. But the way Keith Giffen resolves everything . . well, I just thought it was brilliant. Basically, whatever inter-dimensional agency that runs this reclamation team has decided that the costs of pursuing and retrieving the missing item are beginning to far outweigh any rewards that may have come from the items possession. In other words . . it was more cost effective for them to take what they had and leave, than to stick around and continuing their dispute. I thought that was fantastic. Can you imagine Lex Luthor fighting Superman, and in the middle he stops and says . . 'You know . . this is costing an awful lot of time and money for a negligible reward. It doesn't make sense anymore. See you later!' I think Keith is the perfect writer for this book. He's got the same type of imaginative spirit that works so well for Grant Morrison. Plus . . I love his humor. Matthew Clark is doing the art, and I think he's also brought a great feel to this book. Hopefully they'll stay on board and this book will have one of it's longest runs yet. There's been a lot of false starts lately. I'd like to see this one last.

Red Robin #11 - DC

I enjoyed this book. I like the Red Robin character. Of course I am biased because I think Tim's character is fantastic. But I'm not sure why he hasn't figured out what it is that Ra's is after. I mean, when he told him that he was going to make him suffer, and destroy everything that Bruce had built . . he pretty much told him what he was going to do. So right now, the League of Assassins in painting a target on everybody that's close to Tim or Bruce. And of course Tim feels responsible for protecting them all. But he can't. However . . his attention can be split in many different directions allowing Ra's to pursue the avenue to his real target . . Bruce Wayne's money. I don't think he's necessarily trying to steal the money, or take it as his own. But . . he wants to take down everything that Bruce had built, so . . even the most altruistic of men need thier money for the maintenance of their lives. And with everything involved in Bruce Wayne's life . . both with the Wayne Foundation and his extra-curricular activities, it takes a lot of money to keep things flowing smoothly. So without his financial resources, everything that he's built . . everything that he supports, will come to a grinding halt. Which is why I think he abducted Thomas Elliot. He's been posing as Bruce for this last year. And with no one available to stop him . . Alfred, Dick. Lucius . . he can perform the final act in his Bruce Wayne identity. . help Ra's destroy his life. But really, this is all just minutia to bide over the reader until we get involved in this search for Bruce Wayne story-line. I have a feeling that event is going to take up most of the Bat-books for the next several months. Chris Yost writes this book, with Marcus To doing the art. I enjoyed this issue. I liked the reaction by Damian when he realized who Pru was. That little rascal is hilarious . . in a sick, twisted, psychopathic way. But . . I think he's the edge that the Bat-books need.

Batman and Robin #11 - DC

This is another fantastic issue by Grant Morrison and Andy Clarke. While I miss Frank Quitely's art . . he is doing a cover every issue . . I think that Andy's crisp clean style is the perfect contrast to Grant's dark, moody stories. I have to say . . I really like the feel of the book right now. A few things are happening this issue . . including the hunt for Bruce Wayne, but . . I really think the important part of this story revolves around Damian. Remember last issue when he appeared to attack Dick for no reason. Even he was surprised by it. At the time he'd assumed that Talia had implanted some kind of suggestions, or programming, when she had him in for repairs. Remember, he got a new spine installed? Anyways, this issue we find out it's so much more devious than that. It appears that through his new spine, she's able to take over control of all of his motor functions and operate him like a video game. However, that's not even the real problem. The real problem is that she appears to be working with Slade Wilson, and after she gives her son a test ride . . there's so many things that could be read into that statement, but I'm going to take the high ground . . after she makes sure that the equipment is working properly and able to be controlled . . she gives those controls over to Slade. The issue ends with Damian, under Slade's control, getting ready to attack Dick as he finally makes it out of the cavern that he's found under Wayne manor, and is coming up in the Death Garden. Anyways, also this issue, Dick and Alfred are exploring this new underground cavern that they've found. In it Dick finds a stalagmite sculpted in the form of a man-bat type of creature. They think it's Barbatos. A devil-bat of the Miagani tribe that Thomas Wayne was involved with in 1765. Which is somehow connected to the people that are attacking Damian and Oberon Sexton in the family cemetery. Somehow this all seems to revolve around the Death Garden on those grounds. And Damian also notices something odd about Oberon. His accent is fake. So he starts to question who he really is. At one point he even asks . . 'Are you Bruce Wayne?' Anyways, somehow these guys are all connected to the killer that Oberon has been chasing. But his only clue is a domino. I'm really enjoying the story that Grant is weaving here. He's taken this rather simple hunt for Bruce Wayne and turned it into this many faceted story that I think is going to keep up guessing right up until the end. This was a very entertaining and exciting issue. I can't wait for more.

Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #2 - DC

First of all . . this is a fantastic cover by George Perez. I much prefer it over the $10 variant by Julian Lopez. I also enjoyed the interior art by Pete Woods and Travis Moore. I think Travis' influence to Pete's work was good. I like Pete's stuff, but . . it just seems kind of . . 'vanilla' some times. You know what I mean? Anyways, Brainy has finally made it back to the past, from the future, to help out his Espionage Squad. Also he needed to let them know just how dire the consequences in the future have become. Now, not only do they have to save all the bottled cities aboard Brainiac's ship, but . . they also have to stop him from killing Superman. Although, Brainy doesn't do much this issue other than help them get through Brainiac's force-field and on to his ship. Originally Tellus had hoped that if he came into contact with the people in the bottled city of Lanoth that he'd be able to link into their innate telepathic powers and force the Kryptonians to put aside thier ideas of caste separation, and guilds, and fight together as a race determined to save their planet. But . . Brainiac appears to have put some kind of barrier in place to prevent that, and . . the Kryptonians are just to full of rage and anger right now to be influenced in such a manner. But it may all be moot anyways. Superman has already taken the bottled city, and it's Lanothian residents, but . . Brainiac has hidden all the rest of them. And with a ship this size they may not have the time to find them all. Plus . . Brainiac has decided to add Kandor back into his collection and has already started the process. The issue ends with Brainiac taking the bottled city aboard his ship and adding it to his collection. However, it appears that Zod may have anticipated just such an event. As Brainiac takes hold of the bottled city, we see Zod looking up at his giant jailers, and all he say is . . 'He's lost!' This story will continue next week in Adventure Comics #10. I think Sterling Gates and James Robinson are doing a fantastic job here. And I really like the way that the rest of the Superman team are connecting these stories through the menagerie of the Superman books. Overall I thought it was a very enjoyable book. Plus Lex and Brainiac are the team supreme. They're the perfect adversaries for Superman. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Superman: Secret Origin #5 - DC

I have to say . . I really like the approach that Geoff Johns has taken to this series. I mean . . Superman's origin has been done so, oh so many times that this could've easily have fallen into another rehashing of that. But Geoff has taken more of the approach of integrating the events that are going on in Superman's life right now, and kind of showing us how that all started. I liked the way that Lex and Gen Lane have fallen into league over their mutual mistrust of an alien in thier midst. Under any other circumstances, I don't see these 2 getting along. But they've found a common enemy, and their allegiance is mutually beneficial to both of them. Lex gets to antagonize Superman by putting a huge thorn in his side. He also gets to prod and poke at Superman without anyone really knowing that he's the one behind it all. And the General gets another 'war' to fight . . a target to aim his frustration and rage at . . to prop up his fading and impotent military career. Not to mention all the cool tech and gadgets that Lex has made him privy to. I also think it's brilliant the way that Geoff has taken the natural course of events to bring us 2 of Superman's worst enemies . . Parasite and Metallo. The interaction between Clark and Lois was perfect. We get so see that bumbling doofus Clark trying to let Lois see that he's smart and strong willed, without giving her enough of a view to connect him to Superman. And to me, that's his biggest disguise. Not his glasses. His glasses are just a prop. A misdirection. His real talent is in separating the personality and 'drive' of his duo persona, so that as an outsider you'd never make the connection between the two. The way they act . . the way the talk . . the underlying motivation and character of these two people . . that is what really hides Superman's personality behind Clark's forgettable facade. I also liked the way that Geoff has worked in the life of the Daily Planet . . the literal breathe and blood of a dying business, that now hinges on their intimate involvement with the superhero in their midst. They were just another failing 'rag', until they started publishing Jimmy's exclusive pictures, and printing Lois' hard to get interviews. 'The Daily Planet's circulation is up over 700 percent. Because they have a monopoly on 'the Man of Steel'. Your daughter is causing problems for me General.' But, unwittingly, Superman has also provided him with a target. Obviously Superman cares about these people, so . . if you have an enemy that's appears invulnerable, you strike at the things that are important to him. You hurt him in ways that he can't always defend. And that's what the General does when he uses his military might to commandeer the Daily Planet building and shut down the newspaper. But that could also bite him in the posterior as he's shining a light on them . . opening them up to all sorts of media scrutiny. And you know how the public just loves a good story of injustice. Geoff and Gary Frank are doing a fantastic job here. But when you start digging into the story, you start to see how brilliant the work they're doing here really is. These 2 have teamed up on many projects over the last couple of years at DC, and they've blown me away every time. This could very well be the new Stan Lee and Jack Kirby team of the new millennium. That may be a bit overstated, but . . I think you know what I mean.

Smallville - Escape - Season 9 Episode 15 - CW

This episode we're introduced to the TV version of the Silver Banshee. When Lois and Clark decide to take a weekend getaway to a little B & B called the McDougall Inn, I kind of suspected what might be coming up. But . . I did get my wish in that this episode was just a single story Lois & Clark episode. Well . . kind of. There is some stuff in here about Zod, but . . it's pretty limited. Basically we find out that Tess knows that Zod has gained his powers. He ends up seducing her . . or is it the other way around? Anyways, they're both playing a dangerous game and neither trusts the other. With good reason. But . . back to the story. The happy couple decide to get away for the weekend and they end up in the same place that Chloe and Ollie have decided to use to expand their relationship. But don't worry. They aren't a couple. They're just pursuing a 'no strings attached' relationship. I think they both just need someone to take comfort in, and . . they've found a common way to fulfill that 'itch'. Anyways, long story short . . they stick pretty close to the Banshee's origins. She ends up coming out of a painting of one of their ancestors when Lois accidentally scratches it. It turns out the painting that was showing was actually covering up a painting of Siobhan. When the painting was scratched, she used her own painting as a portal to escape. After reading some Gaelic text, Chloe figures out that all they have to do is destroy the painting with fire. Problem solved. But not before Clark and Ollie get beat up a little bit by the fem-fatale . . and their girlfriends. I thought it was an entertaining episode with plenty of the 'soap-opera' charm that usually comes with this series. I can't wait to see the next. It's all about Checkmate . . and Amanda Waller.