Adventure Comics #517, 518 and #519 - DC

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

Adventure Comics #516 - DC

Well now that the Legion has wrapped up the adventure that RJ Brande has sent them on . . fixing the time-line, and saving Superman during the War of the Supermen storyline, they've come back to the future and are ready to view the rest of Brande's last will & testament. It was a good story. It showed a lot of the elements of the rich history that has made the Legion so great. And for new-comers, it showed how serendipity brought everyone together . . Rokk, Irma and Garth, on the flight that Brande was taking back to Earth to try to recover it's greatest hero . . Superman. Shortly after they end of saving his life. And that was the match that started the bonfire that spread across the future universe . . the Legion of Super-heroes. It's kind of funny because we didn't discover Brande's connection to the Legion, and specifically to Chameleon Boy until, I think, the 80's. But to people just starting to follow the Legion now? They get all of that information right up front. Which is cool because the past is the past. It's been written . . it's known, now . . now it's time to move on and create new stories. I think this issue was kind of set up to pull it all together . . to fill in the reader of what came before. And now, with the next issue, we can move on to bigger and better things. I love the Legion. And even though I felt like this issue was basically a recap. I still enjoyed it. I'm thrilled that Paul Levitz will be chronicling their adventures. And I think Kevin Sharpe is doing a great job on the pencils. I can't wait to see more. I also enjoyed the Atom back-up story. It's good to see Ray Palmer back. Even if he does seem to be the target of the Calculator. And it appears his father is in dire straights. This one comes straight out of the Atom one-shot, with the same creative team of Jeff Lemire and Mahmud Asrar. This also looks to be an interesting story. I can't wait to see where it goes.

Brightest Day: the Atom Special #1 - DC

The back-up story in Adventure Comics . . in upcoming issues, is going to be about the Atom. Specifically, Ray Palmer. From the looks of things in Titans, it appears that Ryan Choi is dead. So, this issue serves to bring all the people who don't know much about the Atom up to speed on his history and origin. Kind of. It also serves to introduce us to his father, brother, and uncle . . all of whom we've never really heard of before. His brother Danny definitely seemed like he was his father's son. But Ray never followed thier interest in sports or physical activities. He's been a book-worm right from the beginning. Ray actually seemed more like his dad's younger brother, David. He was more intellectual, like Raymond. But he was also a mystery because he didn't visit ofter, and Ray's dad rarely talked about him. Anyways, all of these memories pop up because someone has broken into Ray's lab and trashed the place. They've taken his journals, and apparently some of his earliest prototypes of his shrinking belt. The belt, mostly, could be a big problem in the wrong hands. But Ray's also worried about some of the theoretical ideas he had written in the journals. Which all leads into the stories, I'm sure, that'll be coming up in the Adventure Comics series. We've always known a bit about Ray, and Jean, but this is probably the most we've learned about his past in years. I'm interested to see where this story is going to go. Jeff Lemire and Mahmud Asrar handle the create chores both in this book and in the upcoming Adventure stories. I thought it was interesting that there were a couple of panels in this book where Mahmud's style seemed familiar to that of Kevin Nowlan's. Not all the way through, but . . occasionally. Anyways, it was a good book for someone not familiar with the character. And it's also a good prologue for the upcoming stories. The cover was by Gary Frank and Brad Anderson.

the Atom and Hawkman #46 - DC

This was a fantastic book, but . . then again what else would you expect from Geoff Johns and Ryan Sook. This issue was mostly about Ray Palmer dealing with the power and responsibility that he was recently given by the Indigo tribe. He's fighting the Jean Loring Black Lantern, as well as the Hawkman and Hawkgirl Black Lantern. We also learn a little bit about how the Indigo's powers work. 'The ring is able to teleport you to those that need aid. As well as heal them. And when you are within the vicinity of another Lantern you are capable of reconfiguring our light into theirs. Listen for them. Feel them.' Now, on top of all the other fighting, Indigo wants to contact the tribe. With all the Black Lanterns headed toward Earth she wants to tell them whats going on, and get them to contact the homeworlds of the rest of the Corps and bring those armies to Earth. However for such a long message, both in distance and time, it's going to require most of her concentration. While she's out . . she wants Ray to protect her and keep her alive. So he uses what he's been taught and taps into the powers of the other Lanterns. But that's when Jean attacks. She pulls Ray and herself both in to Indigo's ring. Which severely disorients her. However, once he beats her, by tapping into Hal's ring, Indigo is once again able to continue and finish her message. 'Atom. You just saved the universe.' But now he wants something in return. 'Help me figure out how to bring Hawkman and Hawkgirl back to life.' Oh. Is that all? Is that even possible? Well . . we won't know anything else until Blackest Night #7. And that won't be out until Feb 24th. I think this is the last of the Blackest Night final issue books. Oh wait, I'm sorry. I misspoke. We still have the Question out next week. I thought this set of books was a great addendum to the Blackest Night series. Plus . . it was a really original idea. I think this has been my favorite so far. But I always was kind of fond of Ray's character.

Green Lantern #49 - DC

This issue was all about John Stewart. Which was actually a nice change of pace. Right now he's on Xanshi. The whole world, along with it's populace seems to have been resurrected by the Black Lanterns. Even Katma Tui was there . . his former lover. The story also revolves around John's time with, and experience from another Corps . . the Marine Corps. It shows how he uses a lot of the influence from his time there to affect the way he deals with things now as a Green Lantern. At first he's ready to just arm up and try to take out all of these Black Lanterns one by one. He'll put a bullet through each and every one of their heads if he has to. But . . he very soon realizes that they seem to be trying to elicit a response form him . . an emotion. They don't seem to be wanting to fight him so much as manipulate him. They want to manipulate him into a state of mind, and emotion which they can use. That's when he decides to pull himself out of the fight and get some real fire-power to back him up . . the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. He doesn't know yet what's been going on around the rest of the universe. But he soon finds out when he approaches OA only to find that it also has already fallen to the Black Lanterns. He's not going to be able to get any help there. He's alone . . he's got a planet full of Black Lanterns on his tail . . and he thinks he's warning Earth of an impending invasion. Another great story by Geoff Johns. I really liked the way that he approached John's character and showed that he's a man of action. 'I'm the last one to laugh with Hal in the face of danger. I don't seek the attention Guy does. And I don't know how to put my heart out there like Kyle. I used to be called the 'angry' Lantern. Now they call me stoic. They're both basically right. Sometimes, Hal thinks I take things too seriously. Damn right I do. Who am I? I'm a soldier with a chip on his shoulder. That's bad news for the bad guys.' Also the scenes, the memories, of his life on Earth as a Marine were very touching. They showed how the events of the past made him into the man he is today. And I especially like the calmness with which he approached this madness that was occurring around him. On top of that . . Ed Benes filled in on the art this issue. It looked phenomenal. I really miss him on JLA. I hope he ends up on another regular title soon. He's a fantastic talent. The covers are by him and Fodolfo Migliari. Both look great. In the back-up story we finally learn about what the Atom is experiencing after he went jumping into the Black Lantern's ring with Jean and Mera. Apparently Jean is trying to show Ray the Black Lantern's twisted view of the origin and order of the universe. She's also in the process of filling him in on Nekron. But the real twist is that Deadman has come along for the ride. I'm guessing that somehow he's going to be throwing a wrench into all of this. This should be an interesting story . . also by Geoff and Jerry Ordway. Overall . . another great issue of Green Lantern. I'll be surprised if this book doesn't win some Eisner awards next year. Yes . . it's that good!

the All New Atom #25 - DC

Well . . it had to happen sooner or later, but . . this is the final issue. I actually find that kind of sad, because . . I really grew to like this book. Sure, at first, I was upset that they had replaced Ray Palmer, but in the end . . I really grew to like Ryan Choi. I think that feeling though, really, was just out of nostalgia. Plus, truth be told . . I never thought that Ray was really all that interesting of a character. The only time I really liked him was for that brief stint where he somehow became younger and joined the Titans for a little while. Plus he's been gone now for, what? . . 3 years? We really didn't know for sure that he's ever be back. Anyways, this issue, from what I understand, these new creatures that Ryan's found in his bloodstream are somehow connected to his use of the belt. They're also the reason that he can now shrink and regrow without the belt. Ray also helps him to expedite the resolution of this story. He gives him tracers, to take down to the people that are trapped, and then he's got a sort of 'boom-tube' set up to bring them back. In the process, though, Ryan loses his friend Panda. We also find out the Lady Chronus is actually Jia . . which I suspected. And that Dwarfstar is her son. I really didn't see that one coming. But . . he's not her only son . . he's her 'firstborn'. In the end, Ray basically tries to talk Ryan out of ever being the Atom again, but . . he's not do be dissuaded. Knowing now that Lady Chronus is Jia . . what's happened to Panda . . and what he's gone through, I think now he sees this as personal. The issue ends with him in the Atom costume saying, "I'm the Atom and I've got work to do!" I have no doubt that we'll see him around the DC Universe. Maybe even in the JLA. I think Ray's going to be working more with Booster's time squad, or maybe he, Donna and Kyle really will become the gatekeepers of the multiverse. Only time will tell . . and . . . some of these fantastic stories we have going on this summer. Either way . . I don't feel this is the end of either of their stories.

the All New Atom #24 - DC

I have some good news . . and some bad news. Actually, change that . . I have some bad news . . and some worse news. The bad new is that it appears that everything . . all the way from issue #1 . . and even before that . . has all been a set-up, or a game, that's been played by Chronos and Lady-Chronos. We're not exactly sure how yet, but Lady-Chronos is somehow linked to Ryan. She could be a old love, a family member, even a future sibling . . that part's not clear yet, but somehow she is directly linked to him. From what I gather this issue, she started out by working for Chronos. He kept her on a very short leash. However, somewhere along the line she gained the advantage and she is the true power now. Although, the Chronos that has been causing Ryan problems, and bouncing around through time, doesn't know this yet . . because, it hasn't happened yet. Yet somehow, this Lady-Chronos from the future is using Chronos' actions to further manipulate Ryan. The letters that Ryan and Ray Palmer shared . . were created by them. It's been a manipulation right from the beginning. But . . we don't know why yet. I assume that picture will become clearer next issue. Which segue's right into the worse news . . next issue is the last issue. As contradictory as this will sound . . after hearing about all the complicated manipulations of Chonos and his wife (?) . . Rick Remender and Pat Olliffe have actually accomplished a lot in the last couple of issues to clear up the complexity of this series. Really! So, to me, it's sad that it's all coming to a conclusion. There's going to be a lot going on next issue. Oh yeah . . I've been remiss . . there actually is some good news. On the final page of this issue . . . Ray Palmer returns. "Excuse me for intruding here, son . . . but it looks like you could use some help!" Unfortunately, the best issue may be the final issue.

the All New Atom #23 - DC

I like this new direction that Rick Remender is taking with this story, but . . on the weirdness scale? . . it's off the charts. This whole thing started when Ryan found some weird organism in his blood stream, and then decided to enlarge it. Not a very bright decision there. Anyways, it starts pulling in his friends, Panda, and other people around the city as it seems to go on a rampage. Then Ryan's belt starts going screwy. He starts shrinking without control. Now he appears to be in his own blood stream, or at least a cell of it, and he's being chased by what looks like gigantic prehistoric eels. So, the only thing he can do is try to fight them off and work his way to the surface. There he finds what looks to be land masses floating about 100 miles above the ocean . . or . . blood-cell. . All he can do is try to climb up to get away from his attackers. They give chase, but apparently they have an aversion to sunlight. When he gets to the top, first he finds the corpse of . . himself? . . and a female Chronos. Then he's almost attacked by . . . Panda. Panda? Yes, this is where all the people have gone that the organism sucked into itself. But time passes faster here. Panda says he's been here for years. So Ryan doesnt have his Atom-belt, but he does have his bang-stick, and a gun. Oh, and the suit he's wearing is charged with dwarf-star radiation. But that's all the tools he has to work with. And before they can figure out how to get out of this place, they have to fight the eels everytime the suns go down. Also in this group of people is councilman Matt Wilson. He's a real pain in the butt, and definitely has the Atom on his short list. The issue ends with him having appeared to blast off Ryan's head with his own gun. Like I said, the weirdness scale is high on this one. I have no idea where they're going to go from here, or how they're going to possibly get out of this predicament. Ladronn contributes another fantastic cover, and Pat Olliffe is the current artist in residence. I thought he was pretty decent on the Four Horsemen mini, but I think he's doing an even better job here. I'm not sure what the next issue blurb means, but it says . . "Return of the Atom!"

the All New Atom #22 - DC

I like the way were going with this new direction here. It's a little out there, but . . not way out there. Well . . that's assuming that you can accept the fact that a man has millions of miniature alien . . . things, in his bloodstream, and, now that he's figured that out . . they're out to kill him. If you can accept that . . . then it's just your normal everyday book. Rick Remender has recently come on board as the scripter. I have to say, I like what he's done so far. He seems to be responsible for the current story-line, so I have to give him an "At-a-boy!" We also have a new artist with Pat Ollife. He's hot off the Four Horsemen mini-series, where he did a fantastic job. His stuff looks just as good in this series. Ryan has 2 problems going on here. First, there seems to be a problem with his size controls. He's shrinking uncontrollably. Not a lot, but a little bit every day. Also he has that alien organism that he pulled out of his blood-stream running around rampant. He tried to shrink it down, to get rid of it, but it appears that every time it swallows somebody . . it gets bigger. Which leads me to believe that they aren't actually dead . . . they're just trapped inside the large alien blood capsule. Oh no wait . . my bad! Actually he's got 3 problems. On top of everything else . . it appears that Dwarfstar has returned to give Ryan a hard time. "The true test of a hero . .", and all that.

the All New Atom #21 - DC

It appears that we have a new creative team on the book now. Rick Remender is the author and Pat Olliffe is the artist. I'm not familiar with Rick, but I loved Pat's work in the Four Horsemen mini-series. My only complaint about that particular series is that his worked seemed a little bit rushed. But from looking at this book, in my opinion, it looks much better. Ryan has decided to really try to get to the heart of the matter, on this whole "weird happenings in Ivy Town" thing. Last issue Chronos claimed that he was responsible for everything, but Chronos is a liar. There's as much magic as science in what's been happening in this town, and Chronos has no control over magic. Ryan's plan? "Ray Palmer's experiments inadvertently caused this situation. Experiments like my Atom Belt. If the Belt's matter altering has caused dimensional rifts externally, it would leave a roadmap of similar disruptions inside of the user . . only way to know is to shrink into a sample of my blood. If I find Tachyon residue then I'll know . . . the power of the Atom is the source of Ivy Town's sickness." The thing I really like about this particular story is that the whole thing seems very well thought out. The process by which Ryan is going to do this, and the precautions he's taken to protect himself, seem very plausible. It seems like Rick has decided to really try to break down the Atom's powers and find out what really makes them tick. "Back to basics" as it were. I think that's fantastic. And he does indeed find something . . a microbe that he's never seen or heard of before. He tries to tackle it, but it proves to powerful for him alone. So, he decides to include Panda, and instead of shrinking down, he's going to expand the blood-cell. But this proves equally as dangerous as, at the end of the issue, Panda is sucked right in to the giant-sized microbe. " . . I've made a terrible mistake." That's the understatement of the year. I think this book is taking an interesting turn, and I like the path that we seem to be traveling.

the All New Atom #20 - DC

This issue, Gail Simone finally . . after all these years . . tries to explain just why there's so much crazy stuff that goes on in Ivy Town. Apparently it all goes back to Chronos. After all his defeat and humiliation at the hands of Ray Palmer, he decided to fill the town with people from all across time, with the sole purpose of . . . "They're here to be Ray's conscious. They're here to die." The Dean is also one of his henchmen. This issue starts out with the Dean holding a letter-opener over the body of the, literally, pinned down Ryan. He has the Black Mercy flower on him and he's in that dream state where his every wish comes true. But Chronos makes the mistake of going in to antagonize him. But all it really does is further Ryan's resolve. And gives him a revelation. "Ray Palmer didn't beat you with his super-powers. He beat you because he was a genius. Which you sir, are definitely not. In fact, I'd say you're a bit of a chump for a time lord and all. This hybrid flower? The actual flower is meant to give you what you most desire, what you can't bear to give up. All you dreams. And it's good. It's really good. Except . . . all of my dreams are out there. Friends. Students. Being a hero. Being a teacher. And it turns out, that's really all I need." And with that, and the help of the ancient sewer dwelling cancer god that lives under Ivy Town, Ryan defeats Chronos and the Dean. Although, I think the Dean is still around. And Ryan goes back to being the teacher that he loves to be. This series, in my eyes, has really come a long way. I really like the way Gail Simone is handling it. And Mike Norton has really come a long way as a penciller. So I guess he's going to for-go his League membership, so he can focus on the town that needs him so much.

the All New Atom #19 - DC

Ryan comes across a few more oddities about Ivy Town this issue. One, he doesn't even realize. There's an expedition team that been lost under the town. There were same caves that one of the Professor's decided to take a field trip through, and shortly after there was a cave-in. So after 3 days of no contact, the Atom got involved. Also because his buddy Panda was part of the group. Anyways, on the way down through the tunnels, he's hit in the back of the head and knocked out. When he awakes he's in a kind of Puritan town that, obviously, way underground. He and Panda are both in the stockades. Now, what Ryan doesn't realize is that the ones who knocked him out, and the one's holding him captive, I think, are 2 separate entities. But, Ryan didn't see the first bunch, so he doesn't know that. Now, I could be wrong, but, I think, that's the case. Anyways, long story short, it obviously has something to do with Ivy Town's weirdness. But there also seems to be a large amount of radioactivity present down there too. So now, it's a mystery for Ryan. After he saves the group he went down there to get, he goes back for a soil and air sample. Plus he has to reward the little girl that helped him. Also, the leader of the town, whom he had to beat to free the captives, disappeared in a cloud of smoke. So I don't really think that threats gone yet. Plus Ryan still has to deal with the Dept. of Metahuman Affairs having the town under marshall law. Oh yeah, and Wonder Woman offered him membership in to the JLA last issue. Lots of stuff going on in the mighty mite's mind. Keith Champagne writes it, and Jerry Ordway does the pencils. I haven't seen Jerry's pencils lately, but it was a nice change of pace this issue. Overall, I thought, it was a good book.

Countdown presents - the Search for Ray Palmer - Superwoman / Batwoman #1 - DC

Ok, this is another series that has me frustrated. I really don't see a point in all of these books, unless it was just to introduce us to some of the worlds in the new multi-verse. Other than that, they seem completely insignificant. Over the course of these 6 or 7 issues, we've accomplished nothing. In this issue, and the last, we at least got some acknowledgement that Ray was actually there. But in most of the books . . . we didn't even get that. In most of the books, the Challengers just popped in to the world, looked around and then left. And since they're looking for a guy that can be the size of an atom, it really didn't seem like they put all that much effort in to that, even. I understand that Bob is probably honing in on the Atom's chronal energy or something. But . . could the guy be any more vague. These heroes didn't ask to come on this trip. He's the one that recruited them. And then they're just supposed to be his little soldiers and not ask questions? Especially with Jason Todd in the mix? Like I said, I'm not exactly sure what the point of all this was, but, apparantly I completely missed it. Now we have to wait for Countdown #18, which is supposed to give us some answers. But this is like those mini-series that I'm always complaining about. Except, this one, we could've left the whole series out, and I don't think you'd have a hard time following the story. It just seems, to me, like a tremendous waste of effort, time and money.

Countdown presents - the Search for Ray Palmer - Red Son #1 - DC

To be honest with you, when the Elseworlds version of this book came out, I didn't really get in to it. It was an interesting enough story . . just not my cup of tea. This chapter of it though I found a bit more interesting. We go back in to the Stalin-Superman version of Russia. And once again we find the man we love to hate, the supreme ruler. But on their search, our Challengers also find Ray Palmer. Well . . at least a version of him. It's actually this world's Ray Palmer. But, he does say that he met him a few days ago. He told him he was trying to save the Universe and he was putting a force together to do so. It kind of sounds like what Monarch is doing, but, you know, on the right side of the fence. We also see this world's version of Batman. He's got a plan already formulated to take down the Comrade of Steel, and he's glad to have the help of these outsiders. But the kink in their plan is Wonder Woman. This world's version is fiercly loyal to Superman, and also, I believe, just as in love with him. Well, plus, Superman has all those Brainiacs running around helping him too. Eventually they make it back to their journey, but the almost lose their frontal lobe in the process. All dissidents in this country are labotomized. It was an interesting story. At least we got a glimmer of hope this issue that these guys are on some kind of track to find Ray. This is the best glimpse we've gotten so far. The story is by Alan Burnett with pencils by Travel Foreman. The next chapter promises to at last give us Ray's location. I won't hold my breath.

the All New Atom #18 - DC

It's funny to see Ryan talking to Wonder Woman. For as smart as this guy is, and all the things he can do with Ray's belt, he's like a teenage boy who's in the presence of his first beauty queen, when he's talking to Diana. He's got that nervous chatter going. You know the one. Where you just keep talking all the time, saying whatever's on your mind. And you find yourself asking the question, "Did I just say that out loud?" Anyways, last issue, Diana came to town, with agent Tresser, under the guise of assessing Ivy Town for it's threat danger. This town has been a "weird magnet" for a long time. But it seems like activity has really been spiking of late. To that point, while they're working together, some kind of alien with mind powers has the whole town convinced that everything that's happening is Ryan's fault, and the only way to stop it is to kill him. Of course, eventually, they find the threat and neutralize it. But Ryan's biggest worry is what Wonder Woman thinks of him, and how he came through the situation. He thinks that she's been watching him and grading him on whether or not he's capable of being the protector of this town . . . it he can handle all this weirdness. That proves true, to an extant, but what she's really grading him on is membership to the League. On the final page she offers him a permanent spot on the roster of the Justice League. And she asks, "Do I still have your attention?" What really makes this book so fantastic, is the writing of Gail Simone. The witty report that she scripts between these two is fantastic. Super-heroics aside, most of the conversation is like that of a science nerd trying to talk to a super hot stripper. Not to diminish Wonder Woman, but . . . seriously . . . WOW! There's alot going on in this town, but the crux of the story is the banter back and forth between these two. It's superb . . it's perfect . . it's hilarious. And then, maybe it's Andy Smith's inks, but Mike Norton really seems to be improving dramatically as a story-teller. His pages and panel flow . . his backgrounds and action sequences . . . his perspective and angles . . they're all nearly perfect. He has improved dramatically in the short time that he's been on this series. And of course we have the fabulous Ladronn covers. All in all, this is turning out to be a very adept series. I like it!

Countdown presents - the Search for Ray Palmer - Gotham by Gaslight #1 - DC

Ok, this search for Ray Palmer storyline is interesting. But I have to ask myself, is all of this really necessary? I mean other than taking a tour of the multiverse, what have they really accomplished? And by the way, what ever happened to the Jokester that was tagging along with them for a while? Did he get lost on the Havoc world, or did he not make it through the Red Rain world? And . . . even if they find Ray Palmer . . . what are they going to do then? Supposedly he's the key to this next great crisis that's coming . . . I'm sorry, the Final Crisis . . . but it sounds like all he's doing, as he's jumping from world to world, is looking for the clues as to what that crisis may be. Ok, so maybe he has some knowledge. Actually, he doesn't even have that yet. He's just trying to gather the knowledge. But once he does get it, is he going to know what to do with it? Is he going to know how to stop the crisis, or even how to fight it? And to me, it seems like Bob here is flying by the seat of his pants. Shouldn't he be contributing to their little outing a bit more? On world 19 here, Jason, I think, is actually considering staying behind. He really feels at home in this Gotham and with this Bruce Wayne. At one point he even thinks that this time is even better than the first time. But, as with the previous chapters in this series, not much is accomplished here. All we do really find out is that there's a new Blue Beetle here, and it appears that Batman is training him. I'm guessing it's Dan, the guy with the monocle at the museum. But I'm just guessing. But somehow he is tied in to the multiverse also. He mentions to Batman at the end that they may want to speed up his training, because he might find out what it's like to travel from world to world soon enough. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent story by Brian Augustyn. And Greg Tocchini did a tremendous job on the art chores. It just seems kind of frivolous to me though, as it seems that nothing was really accomplished. As I've stated before, it bothers me when I read a series, and there's chapters in the middle that can be completely dispensed with, without really affecting the outcome, or even the flow of the story. That's the feeling I got after reading this book. I'm sorry, I just don't see why it was necessary.

Countdown Presents : the Search for Ray Palmer - Red Rain #1 - DC

I gotta say, I wasn't really looking forward to reading this issue. Only, because I wasn't a huge fan of the original Red Rain storyline. It was ok. I'm just not a big vampire type of guy. Plus I know, when all is said and done, that this issue isn't really going to bring us any closer to finding Ray. But sometimes the trip is just as important as the destination. I do like that Kelley Jones actually did the artwork for this issue, and cover. But, as I said, after reading it, this was just a quick stop on our Challengers trip. Actually, you could take the Challengers frames out of the book, and this would be a self contained Red Rain story-line. Basically, Dick Grayson is searching for Batman. Batman's been turned in to a vampire, but is still using, his now literal, appearance to scare and hold Gotham at peace. He still considers it his town. But Dick can't get past the fact that he took his parents away from him. Barbara Gordon has survived a recent attack from the Bat, so Dick asks her out to try to get some information from her. Sensing what he's really after, she turns in to a vampire and tries to take him out. Instead, Dick ends up shoving a stake through her heart. But, from the little information he did get from her, he is able to figure out that the Batman is somewhere under Gotham. He goes to confront him. He finds him sleeping. As he's ready to plunge a stake through his heart, our Challengers show up and try to dissuade him from becoming that which he hunts. But the Batman uses the distraction to turn him in to just that. The Challengers take off for the next world, Gotham by Gaslight, and the final page is a Kelley Jones spread of the new vampiric Dynamic Duo. "Together. Forever." It was a decent issue. It just didn't really accomplish anything. Other than showing us another of the 52 universes. Number 43 to be exact.

the All New Atom #17 - DC

This book is really kind of funny. Not Ha-Ha! funny. More like ironic funny. We start out with Ryan feeling pretty good about himself because he feels like he's really getting through to his students. It seems like they're really paying attention. Come to find out, though, they're really only paying attention because they want to know all the details about his adventures as the Atom. Then you have his relationship with Prof. Doris Zuel. She the woman that was taken over by the god that lives in the sewers of the city. She's also like the woman in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. But when she gets large, she gets psychotic. However, for some reason, Ryan is attracted to her. I think he also likes the attention though. So they decide to go on a date. It happens though right when Diana and Nemesis have rolled in to town to assess the danger Ivytown posses on the rest of the nation. There's also a new weirdo in town. He's got a symbiotic twin growing out of his chest who appears to have mental powers. And he seems to be intent on turning all of Ryan's friends against him. So when Diana shows up on Ryan's date, and turns in to Wonder Woman, Dr. Zuel is convinced that Ryan has turned on her. Which sends her in to a rage. Ryan wants to help Wonder Woman, but he also feels sorry for Doris. So he has to come between them to get Wonder Woman to stand down. But it's to late because Nemesis has decided, ". . . . invoke territorial martial law. Circle this town with everything we've got and take it off the grid. Total quarantine . . . . for sake of the world we shut Ivy down for good." I have to say, I think Mike Norton's pencils are getting better and better every issue. Of course Trevor Scott's inks could be helping too. But hey, if that's the case, just keep the team together. Because they're putting out some really nice looking stuff. And I'm still enjoying the Ladronn covers.

the All New Atom #16 - DC

I gotta say, I really like these covers that Landronn's been turning in for this series. And I'm really not a big fan. But I'm liking these. We get a bunch more weirdness from Ivy Town this issue. It's written by Roger Stern, with the usual artwork of Mike Norton. Again, I have to say, I think Mike's stuff is really improving. Ryan gets a little hint this issue that Dean Mayland may not be the man he's pretending to be. The Head goes nuts when he and Panda start talking about him. Right now the Dean is trying to confuse Ryan, and give him false leads. He's working with someone, but we don't really know who yet. The town is sent in to the psychedelic era this issue by Xotar. He's from the 120th century, and he's come to Ivy Town for a little revenge. He was once beaten by the Justice League. So he was hoping to transform Ivy Town, and from there, the world. But of course Ryan throws a wrench in to his plans. His quantum fields in his belt disrupt Xotar's effects so he's the only one that's not changing. But that's ok. He's the only one that doesn't need to. So anyways he beats him, and then on of the Linear Men show up to pick him up. Next issue Wonder Woman comes to town, because the DMA is starting to focus some attention on it, because of all the metahuman activity. Overall a pretty decent book. But . . a little weird.

Countdown Presents : the Search for Ray Palmer - Crime Society #1 - DC

In the last issue of Countdown, we saw our little Challengers trip to Earth 3. The world of the Crime Society. A quick note, I like the way they're putting the little logo's on the cover that tell us exactly which Earth we're dealing with. In the long run, it's really going to help us with our scorecards. Anyways, we saw what happened. They didn't find Ray Palmer, so they took off. With the Jokester in tow. But on this world, he would actually be a good guy, since the Crime Society are the bad guys. So this book really is just an origin issue for said Jokester. We also find out why Duela kept saying she was the daughter of the Joker. Because she was. This one. I'm also kind of thinking that maybe Jason Todd . . is actually Owlman's sidekick from this world, Talon. Again, I may be wrong, but the Monitor, Bob, has made more than one reference that Jason Todd isn't from our Earth. So where is he from? Anyways, the Jokester is along for the ride now also, with Donna, Kyle, Jason and Bob. And back on Earth 3, Duela's mom, Evelyn Dent, is morning because she lost her husband, the Riddler, her daughter, and now her first true love, the Jokester, as she watches him pass from this world. So there may be some payback coming from one of her 3 personalities. I don't think we've seen the last of Eve. This issue features a great story by Sean McKeever, and fantastic artwork by Jamal Igle. I'm not sure how many more of these specials there will be, but I think it's kinda neat that we get a glimpse in to all of these different worlds. The next one, is the world of Red Rain. You know. The story with Batman and the Vampires and all that.