Brightest Day #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15 and #16 - DC

I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to go about this, but . . I've got a whole lot of issues here, so . . I guess it's best just to get started. As we go through these 8 or 9 issues, a lot of the story revolves around Boston Brand and Dove. They're on a mission, by the White Lantern Ring . . the one on Boston's finger, that keeps talking to him . . they're on a mission to find 'the new Protector'. The problem is, they have no idea who or what they're looking for. The White Ring can be pretty vague when it's talking to it's 12 disciples here. Well . . maybe disciple isn't the best word. It's not like they're serving the White Ring . . or even understand it. It's more like . . they all know that the White Ring brought them back, and . . they're all just trying to figure out why. And, even though the White Ring is pretty vague . . it still speaks up and creates havoc for them all whenever they get off in a direction that the White Ring doesn't approve of. They've been given life, and power, and free-will . . as long as they continue along the path of the goals of the White Ring. It doesn't sound very benevolent to me, but . . I'm thinking at this point . . it's more like it's just misunderstood. Anyways, Boston and Dove are off on their mission, after separating rather quickly from Hawk. Apparently whatever his purpose . . it's divergent from the other two. Although . . I thought his mission was to protect Dove. Anyways, their search is pretty futile until Batman returns. Boston is convinced that he's the only person smart enough to be the 'new Protector'. But . . his assumption turns out to be erroneous. But he does learn another lesson. 'Quit Searching. Live Life. The Chosen One Will Come To You!' And during the course of this . . a spark ignites between Boston and Dove. There may be a bit of a romance brewing here. Or is it just a connection between their individual connections to this White Light? Also during the course of these issues, a whole lot of stuff happens to J'onn. It starts out we he and M'gann searching for this other Green Martian that attacked her. He's been told by the White Ring that he needs to 'Burn Down The Forest', so . . when he finds the psychic dead zone in what is now Ollie's forest in Star City . . he thinks that's what the ring is talking about. Of course it doesn't help that his powers run amok as soon as he enters the forest. It appears that his psychic and physical selves are at war with each other. Also, since his return, his proximity to plant life acts much the same way as Arthur's to sea life . . they suck the life out of everything within close proximity to them. Anyways, it's not long before Ollie gets involved and helps him get out of the forest. Once he gets a chance to clear his head he realizes that the ring is talking about the forest that he's brought back to life on Mars. So he heads there, where he finds D'kay D'razz trying to corrupt everything that he's tried to recreate. Apparently she was a very powerfully psychic Green Martian that was imprisoned for her erratic beliefs. In that prison, deep under the surface of Mars, she also survived the extinction of it's people. When Professor Erdel brought J'onn to Earth . . all those years ago, he apparently also pulled her along for the ride. However, she wasn't ready for the psychic assault of all the minds on Earth, so she retreated and hid in human form for all these years . . forgetting the memories of her Martian heritage. That is until J'onn died, and his telepathic burst awakened her. But she still thought that she was alone until she saw on TV that J'onn had returned. So now, I guess, she wants to be part of Mars' return. She tricks J'onn into thinking that in a burst of White Ring power, he brings everything, and everyone on Mars back to life. He also apparently lives out this fantasy for what he believes to be the next 25 years. That is until events in this fantasy convince him that he's dreaming and that he needs to awaken. What D'kann has neglected to tell him is that he's brought the plant life on Mars back to life by siphoning from the plant life of Earth. In order to bring one back, he'd have to destroy the other. Which obviously D'kann doesn't really care about. But obviously J'onn is going to have to decide between bringing Mars back, or . . giving up on the whole idea. On Hawkworld, Carter and Shiera find out that this world is ruled over by Queen Shrike. Who is actually Shiera's original mother . . from way back in Egypt . . Queen Khea. Apparently her, and Hath Set's mission is to activate the gate that he's created out of the bones of all of Carter's and Shiera's resurrected lives. They need Carter and Shiera to be in contact with it to activate it. They capture Shiera, and through that lure Carter into their trap. In the process, Shiera kills Hath Set . . which Queen Shrike would've done eventually, anyways. And now it appears that she's got her doorway and sights set on Earth. But actually . . she and her army head to Zamaron. Although, I'm not really sure why . . yet. Aquaman and Mera are on a mission of their own. Aquaman has recently found out that Mera is actually one of the Atlanteans that was banished to Xebel. She originally came here to kill Arthur . . because of her people's hatred towards him and the Atlanteans. But she fell in love with him instead. Now her sister, Siren has shown up and is trying to finish what Mera started. Anyways, there's another person from Xebel here also . . Jackson . . Black Manta's son, and the future Aqualad. The reason he's so important to everyone is because in his powers he holds the key to open the portal between Xebel and Earth . . which lies in the Bermuda triangle. Siren and her people want him so that he can open the gate and they can exact their revenge upon the Atlanteans, as well as the land-dwellers. I'm not sure how Black Manta plays into that whole plan . . other than the fact that he's Jackson's biological father, but . . apparently Siren wants to use him for some reason. Anyways, Aquaman and Mera want to stop all of this because . . well, who really wants an all out war between the denizens of the deep and the rest of Earth? Anyways, during the course of all this, Jackson finds out his true origins from Arthur. His mother was a surface dweller, and when Jackson was born . . she died. His powers came about because of experiments they did on him when he was an infant. And at first he lashes out at Arthur, until . . he realizes just how much alike the two of them are. Although their two circumstances are quite different . . their way of looking at the world . . and their place in it . . is quite similar. And then . . we have Firestorm. First of all . . this is a character that's near and dear to my heart. I've been following Ronnie and the Professor ever since their very first mini-series back in 1978. I've read every appearance of his since. I'm thrilled the Geoff Johns has taken an interest in him and is trying to once again adapt him to the current times, and state of affairs within the DC Universe. This is a great character, and I was really upset when the first series was cancelled. In fact, at the time, I even submitted a few story ideas of my own, to try to keep the character alive . . a way to explain some of the things that had happened at the end there. Anyways, I'm just happy that he's been given some new life, and a new purpose. Even if, right now, it appears that fate may be the end of the entire DC Universe. Anyways, what's happened is that now Ronnie and Jason inhabit the Firestorm matrix. Each providing their own unique wisdom and guidance. And either can be in the driver's seat. But, there's also someone else in there. Apparently, because of their respective guilt or regrets, neither of them have been able to let go of the negative, or dark side of their egos. Thus creating a third ego inside of the matrix, and . . he calls himself Deathstorm. He looks like the Black Lantern version of Firestorm. Probably because that's the way that both of the boys see him. And that's part of what they both feel most guilty about . . the things they did as a Black Lantern. Anyways, this entity has released itself from the matrix, and has assimilated the Professor and Jason's father, Alvin, into it's own being. We also find out that this version of Firestorm can transmute organics. Which is how he appears to bring the Black Lanterns back to life, when he transmutes the fallen heroes out of the dirt around him. But the Ronnie/Jason version of Firestorm isn't without a set of it's own improvements. First of all, they're much more powerful together than either of them were separately. But, in that power comes a price. They have to stay calm and focused because . . they appear to be the living embodiment of the 'Big Bang'. The Professor theorizes that the accident that originally created Firestorm . . bonding his and Ronnie's lives together, forever . . was actually him not only recreating the 'Big Bang', but . . also capturing it. Thus creating the Firestorm matrix. So . . if they should become agitated or upset . . the resultant release of energy could be a spark for the next 'Big Bang'. In the end, the boys decide to go to the JLA to try to seek some help. But, while being examined by Dr Mid-Nite and Ray Palmer, the boys become upset and it appears that they explode, literally, in a cacophony of rage. The issue ends with them appearing to be the only living thing within an overwhelming vastness of darkness. Obviously they didn't destroy the DC Universe, but . . what did happen? And what about the good Doctor and Ray? I think this is a fantastic series and I've loved every issue in it. I think Geoff Johns and Peter J Tomasi are doing a great job with the story. Obviously all these individual stories are connected, but . . we don't get to see the picture as to how . . yet. I also think it's a good idea to leave Max Lord out of this series, as he's the chief protagonist in the Generation Lost series. His story is being explored and expanded upon there. But, he is brought up every once in a while here. Really the only one of these resurrected 'heroes' that I'm a bit confused about is the Reverse Flash. But, I still have to catch up on the Flash book, so . . hopefully I'll know some more then. Anyways, this series has also brought together a fantastic pool of talent. The art chores on these books have been shared by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Adrian Syaf, Joe Prado and Scott Clark. Not to mention some beautiful covers by David Finch. Anyways . . I've really been thrilled with this book so far. I'm sorry that it took me so long to get this posted . . personal problems and issues, and all. I guess I was just a little overwhelmed by what I was trying to bite off here, plus . . this is post #5000. I wanted to make it a good one, and about a book that I really enjoyed. I think I put a little bit to much pressure on myself. Oh well. Such is life. Anyways . . it feels good to get that one out of the way and to move on to whatever the future may hold. I'll try to post as much as I can, but . . with my personal life it's been getting harder and harder. But I promise . . I'll do what I can.

the Mighty Crusaders #2, #3 and #4 - DC

Theoretically, this should be a great story. The teams have just been put together, and they're thrown into the middle of something that could end up having a huge affect on the DC Universe. The Durlans have brought their conflict to Earth. Generations ago there was a war . . a kind of civil-war, I guess, that was fought on between the Durlans. It's called 'the Six-Minute War'. Anyways, that war reduced their planet, and civilization, to a near-barbaric state. Since then, they've divided into 2 factions . . the Futurist Durlans, and the Purist Durlans. 'The Futurists and Purists are fighting to gain control of the nanotech core. It carries within it the baseline genome of our race. From before we were forever altered by our 'Six-Minute War'. Sheba and her Purist followers are a cult of lunatics. They envision a new golden age, built on ancestral worship. We call ourselves Futurists because we believe in progress. The purists seek to reset the genetic makeup of our people. They want to force us to devolve! If the core is activated here, it will read every genome on the planet and adjust accordingly. There is a genetic time bomb hidden on the planet Earth, and it is ticking away.' This 'nanotech core' apparently was hidden somewhere on Earth ages ago by their ancestors. Anyways, this really is the crux of the story. However, along the way, we're getting lots of references and cross-overs into the DC Universe. Which, I think, is the real purpose of this story . . to immerse these characters in with the existing throng on 'heroes'. I think it also serves to define them as a team. They aren't the typical 'save the Earth, and avoid collateral damage' type of heroes . . like the Justice League. These guys are basically a government run group of 'heroes'. Actually, calling them 'heroes' would probably be a bit of a stretch. They're more like government agents, who happen to have powers. And while they are out to save the world, they're still operating on the government's agenda. Which translates . . 'the results outweigh the means'. Or . . 'do whatever is necessary to complete the mission'. They've even got this group divided up into 2 teams. The Web, the Shield, Fly-Girl, War Eagle and Inferno are the 'road-team'. They're the face of the Crusaders . . who the public sees when they're fighting crime. While the Hangman, Black Hood and Jaguar are they're shadow-team. They're the team that does the dirty work . . the stuff the public doesn't want to see. And of course we still have the Comet and the Fox running around out there. Currently they're in Japan. And they're being folded into the story, gradually, from the outside. But they're working their way in . . whether they want to or not. Along the way, there's been a ton of references and glimpse of the DC Universe. As I said, I think this is to show how immersed these characters have actually become. They overlap with the DMA, King Farraday and Wayne-Tech . . to name a few. They even overlap with the Super Young Team, from Crisis Aftermath, when someone sees the Comet in Japan and thinks that he looks like Most Excellent Super-bat. There also have been other occurrences of this Durlan threat in the DC Universe. In the recent Great Ten storyline it's hinted that some of their powers come from Durlan technology, or genetics. And there was a Durlan threat seen in Superman/Batman #68 and #69. As I said in the very beginning . . this should be a great story. I mean . . Eric S Trautmann is writing it. And as we've seen from the recent Shield series, the guy writes a great story and seems to have the whole government / tactical mission part down to a 't'. His stories are very intricate and involved, but flow and make a kind of sense that someone without his obvious knowledge couldn't achieve. My problem, I think, comes on 2 fronts. First of all . . I don't really have an investment in these characters. I know that's what the individual series were about . . getting the reader to know the characters. But I don't think that they achieved that. So, to me, the best part of this book is the story, and not necessarily the characters involved in said story. Does that make sense? Anyways, I'm approaching it from an interest in what happens in the DC Universe, more than from an interest in what actually happens to these characters. Secondly, the artwork doesn't really thrill me. And it's not consistent. Julian Lopez and Carlos Rodriguez does issue #2. While #3 is done by Carlos and Sergio Arino. And finally in #4 Carlos takes on the work himself. But none of them really thrill me. Now the covers . . the covers are by Stanley Lau, and they look incredible. As you can see. Anyways, we still have 2 issues to go. So it could end up having a thrilling ending. I don't know. But if you're only marginally interested in this book . . I'd wait for the TPB. Read it all in one sitting . . and don't spend as much money.

Zatanna #4, #5 and #6 - DC

Stephane Roux is still doing the covers for these books. But apparently she's given it a rest at doing the interior art. Issue #4 and #5 are done by Chad Hardin and Wayne Faucher. But they still have pretty much the same feel as Stephane's stuff. Overall I like the feel of these books. I'm just not sold on Zatanna being a lead character. Yes she's a of the normal super-hero genre. She's got the whole magical/mystical thing going for her. But . . to me, she's just nowhere close to being in the company of somebody like Dr Fate, or Doctor Strange. I mean, sure she can pretty much do whatever she wants just by saying things backwards, but . . that just seems kind of limited to me. Can she do spells and incantations? Or has she just never really thought about it because of the way her powers work? I guess, to me, the fault of this character lies in that she's never really been fully explored. To my knowledge, no writer has really dug in to what exactly it is that Zee can and can't do. What are her limits? Sure she's a pretty face, and apparently someone who can think pretty fast on their feet. But it just seems like there could be so much more to her. Anyways, in these issues, Mammon is after Zee's soul. There's this guy who pretty much runs Vegas . . Sonny Raymond. Apparently he made a deal with Mammon, many years ago . . 1947, specifically . . where if he keeps feeding Mammon souls, his life, power, and wealth will be extended. So he's been giving him wives, business partners, co-workers, employees . . pretty much anybody he can get his hands on, and feeds them to Mammon. So, apparently, Mammon has seen Zee . . and seen what a pure soul she has, and tries to up his deal with Sonny. He offers him immortality, and release from his contract, for her soul. Of course Zee has other plans for her soul. And she's not going down without a fight. We also get the reintroduction of Zee's cousin in these issues, Zachary. We haven't really seen much of his character, since he made his brief stint in Teen Titans. Well . . I take that back. I think he's one of the characters in the 'Coven of Three' back-up story that's been running in Teen Titans. Anyways . . he's probably the least explored character of this family. And given the least attention. Which he's more than willing to point out to Zee. So, to make a long story short, of course Zee beats Mammon, and Sonny ends up losing his soul. But not in the way we expect. He'd rather be a soulless object than to be tortured for eternity in hell, so he convinces Zee to give him just that. She turns him in to a giant brick of gold. Mammon loses his soul. But Zee convinces him that this is even better, because . . being a demon-lord of Avarice, displaying this large hunk of metal in Vegas is only going to appeal to the masses sense of greed and lust. Which feeds right into the emotions that Mammon desires. So he gives up on Zee. For now. But I'm sure she hasn't seen the last of him. Anyways, I thought Paul Dini introduced a couple of neat ideas during this story. First we see the Royal Flush Gang re-imagined. Seeing that they're in Vegas, they take on the persona's of the Rat Pack, rather than their usual motif. Also, when Zee's voice is disabled, we see that she can use her powers by writing down her words, rather than saying them. If that's true then she should also be able to cast her spells by thinking them. Right? I think that's something that Paul could explore. Then, I think I like the introduction of Zachary to this series. Face it, solo books aren't really solo books anymore. Batman has his bat-family. Superman has his family and loved ones. Heck, even Wonder Woman has a huge supporting cast now. So let's give Zee one. All she really has is her father, Zatarra, and Zachary. But neither of them are around very much. I think Paul should explore those family ties a little more. And overall I think we should explore Zatanna's character much more. What makes her tick? What are her limits? How do her powers really work, and is the backwards thing just for show, or is that really the only way she can make her spells work? There's just so much more we can explore here, and so much more possibility. To me, this would be an exciting character to write. Nothings ever really been done with her. Her story is pretty much an open book. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how far Paul takes that. By the way, Jesus Saiz does the art for issue #6. And Brian Bolland does the variant covers.

Brightest Day #7 - DC

It seems to me like this entity of the White Light . . the voice that keeps popping into head of Boston Brand . . as well as the rest of the heroes and villains that it brought back from the dead . . it seems like it's got these 12 people as it's puppets. It certainly has Boston Brand jumping through hoops. Not that it gives him much of a choice. The White Light, or ring, does the popping and moving around. Boston is just along for the ride. Anyways, in this issue it has a message for pretty much everyone. As it shows J'onn the forests of Star City, it tells him . . 'Burn it. Burn it down. Burn all or it.' But it also heals M'Gann who happens to be in his arms at the time. It tells Firestorm . . 'Ronald Raymond of Earth, you need to study. Jason Rusch of Earth, you need to get your head out of the books. Learn from each other so you can stop him. Don't let him destroy me.' And by 'him', I guess he means the identity of the third person that stuck inside the Firestorm Matrix with them. We don't know who that is yet, but we do get a glimpse. He has a different kind of symbol on his chest, and he seems to be holding a Black Lantern. So I'm not sure if it's Nekron or somebody else. Anyways, the entity even contacts Carter and Shiera who are fighting for their lives on Hawkworld. It tells Carter, 'Don't let them leave this world. Stop the Queen.' And it tells Shiera, 'If your lover dies here there is no more resurrection. Save him from Hath-Set.' And then she finds out that Hath seems to be working for some woman . . the Queen. Aquaman gets a message . .'Find Him. Find him first. Before they do.' And we see that it's talking about Aqualad. But, a different one. A new one. And then it cleans up the ocean and brings the fish back to life around Arthur's feet. And then it hits the rest of them, one at a time. 'Digger Harkness of Earth. Throw the boomerang at her.' It's talking about Dove. 'Jennie-Lynn Hayden of Earth. Balance the darkness. Your brother will save your friends.' 'Amon Tomaz of Earth. Free the goddess of nature. Free your sister. Free Isis.' 'Maxwell Lord of Earth. Magog will plunge this world into war. Stop the war before it starts.' It looks like it's telling him to kill Magog. 'Eobard Thawne of Earth. You have allowed the Flash to escape the Speed Force. Mission accomplished. Life returned.' And finally it tells Hank, 'Catch the Boomerang.' Apparently talking about the boomerang it told Digger to throw at her. It's all rather cryptic. Anyways, it also explains to Boston a little more about it's mission. Much like any other power ring, when it's bearer dies, it has to search for a replacement. Well the entity feels that it's dying. 'If you want to truly live again, help me. Life is a gift, Boston Brand. The chosen one knows that better than anyone. A new protector of Earth must rise . . you will find them.' But not to much pressure there. So now . . that's where they stand. Apparently they each have their own mission. Whether they want it or not. But who are they to complain after the gift they've already been given. So far I'm thrilled with the story Geoff John and Peter J Tomasi are presenting here. This issue was all over the place, because we got a little glimpse of everyone. But I think I like the issues more where they focus on one or two of the key players. Also everybody is doing a fantastic job with their part of the art. We have pages contributed by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark and Joe Prado. They're doing a great job at keeping the look and feel of this book consistent. I thought about doing more than one issue here, but . . I think this one is important enough that I'll stick to the 'one at a time' for it. I assume everyone is buying this one. If you're not . . you really don't know what you're missing.

First Wave #3 - DC

Overall, I like the concept here . . and the story. But for some reason I'm just having a hard time figuring out what this is all about. I think it's cool that we have this world where Doc Savage, the Spirit and Batman all exist in tandem. And the Batman here is one in the very early stages of his career. He's trying stuff out as he goes, and he makes mistakes. But the part that I think I'm confused about it the other 2 First Wave books . . the Spirit and Doc Savage's solo books. The worlds that those characters inhabit don't seem the same as this one. I could be wrong, but to me it seems like the world portrayed in this book is different from the one portrayed in either one of their solo books. So I don't really know if this is a different reality, or just a different time. I know it doesn't really matter, but . . I thought these 3 titles were connected. But they don't feel like it. Anyways, the Blackhawks are also a part of this world. But they seem like a group that plays both sides of the fence. And most of the drama seems to circle around Clark Savage Sr, the Doc's father. We have hints that he's not whom he appears to be. He's supposed to be dead, afterall. And we see that he can change his shape. But we don't know yet just exactly what he is. At first guess I'd say a Durlan. But that's just because of the other DC stories I've read recently. We still have 3 issues left in this series so I'm sure it'll all be sorted out for us . . in time. This issue ends with Clark Sr taking the Batman. Although I'm not sure if he's his hostage, or if Clark Sr is saving him. That part we'll have to wait and see. Also the Spirit is on the lamb. And Doc, who spent most of this issue in jail, gets busted out . . big time, at the end. Either that or they were trying to kill him . . the Blackhawk's that is. Brian Azzarello has weaved a very intricate story here. Right now . . it's also a little confusing. But that's how he usually plays it. Things don't sort themselves out until the end. It's definitely interesting and exciting. Rags Morales is doing a terrific job with the art. Another artist whom I think is hugely underrated. And our beautiful covers are by JG Jones and Lee Bermejo. I really like this book . . the concept and the story . . not to mention the characters, but . . it's not all cohesive to me. Just yet. But I have faith in Brian's talent, so . .

Zatanna #3 - DC

While I enjoyed this book . . I was kind of disappointed by the whole premise. I like Zatanna as a character. My only problem is . . there's nothing, really, that she can't do, if she just says it backwards. And basically, she can work as fast as her mind and mouth will let her. And her only weakness is her voice. If it gives out, then she's powerless. But to me . . that does raise a question. What if she were to record her voice? What if she were to digitally record certain spells that she might need in dire situations? Stuff like '!eciov ym nruteR'. Or, '!em tcetorP'. By the way, that's harder to do than it looks. Anyways, I'm just wondering if her voice, or her spells would work that way. But then the question comes it, what if she did that and somebody else got ahold of it? Or worse . . put it on the internet for everybody to download? Now that, I think, would make for an interesting story-line. Anyways, Zatanna has been bothered by Brother Night lately. But once they come face to face, it's just a matter of throwing a few spells back and forth until Zatanna gets the upper-hand. But Brother Night doesn't make it any to easy, because . . he's got Zatanna's dad, Zatarra, under his spell. But luckily . . Zatanna still has Fuseli trapped in her hat. Zatarra is in kind of a ghostly dream-state, so Fuseli just has to get in there and gradually bring him out. Once that's done, Zatanna beats him quite easily and turns him back to normal, Eldon Peck. Once she does that, all she has to do is turn him over to the police to pay for his crimes. And, I guess, that's the part that I didn't really care for. There was a ton of build-up and anticipation, but then in the end . . all it took was a few spells. Eldon's powerless, back to normal and in jail. But she also forced him to renounce his powers and his masters, so . . they aren't going to be taking very kindly to the betrayal. I have a feeling he'll suffer a lot more from them than in any jail. The one question we have now though is . . what's the fate of Zatarra? He seems . . relieved. It appears that he's no longer a denizen of Hell. But what is his final destination? I'm sure we'll see more about that in the future. Don't get me wrong . . I enjoyed the book. I just didn't care for the resolution that Paul Dini wrote for the ending. Stephane Roux does the art, as well as the cover. With Brian Bolland doing the variant.

DC Universe: Legacies #3 - DC

I like the way that they're framing this story. Rather than just giving us a time-line, and listing the events that shaped the DC Universe . . they're showing us how this world has progressed through one of it's citizens eyes . . Paul Franklin. Paul was your typical kid. He grew up in a rough neighborhood, with the always present 'bad-influences', but . . he decided to choose a better path. He decided not to try to take the easy way out . . as had been chosen by many of his neighbors and friends. Even his best friend . . Jimmey Mahoney. Part of his decision was because of some advice some 'costumes' had given him when he was a kid. He took it to heart. So, now that he's an adult, he's decided that he was to be a cop. He knows that he'll never be one of the 'capes', so . . I think this is his own way of trying to do some good. And he decides to get married . . to Jimmey's sister, Peggy. Coincidentally, Paul also serves on the force with one John Jones. But this was before he became a detective and moved to Colorado. So while all of this is going on . . in the background, the DC Universe seems to be unfolding before Paul's eyes. First it's various groups of adventurers . . such as the Sea-Devils, the Challengers of the Unknown and the Blackhawks. Then, one day . . Superman shows up. And his arrival seems to prompt others to come forward . . Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern. And it isn't until the Green Lantern pops up that Paul notices that these aren't the same heroes that he grew up with. This is a whole new generation. And shortly after, he and the world witness the formation of the Justice League. Like I said, I like the way that Len Wein is putting this story together, because, while there's a lot of heroes that have come and gone over the years . . there's also a lot of 'regular joes' . . like Paul. I think it's interesting to see an outsiders view on these progression of events. We've always seen the stories from the heroes point-of-view, but it's nice to see things from someone witnessing the event, rather than being directly involved. Len also scripts a nice story in the back about a team-up between the Challengers and the Sea-Devils. The art for the prologue is by Scott Kolins. While the main story is pencilled by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez. A great artist who did a lot of work during the time period that's being presented here. Dave Gibbons does his inks. And then Dave also does the art for the back-up story. All in all I thought it was a good issue. But this was also a pretty exciting time for the DC Universe. Everything seemed to be blossoming at the same time.

Brightest Day #6 - DC

Where do I begin with this one? We're getting a clearer picture of the threat that Jonn faces, but . . we still don't know exactly who this Martian is. I thought she was one of the White Martians, but . . I don't think so. I think she's of Jonn's 'tribe', but . . different. For one . . there seems to be 2 consciousness' inside of her. They both seem to want the same thing . . carnage and destruction, but . . they argue about how to go about it. Jonn checks the Still Zone, where he's holding the White Martians, but none of them are missing. However when he goes to M'gann for support . . he finds that she's been attacked also. We don't know yet that she's dead, but . . she's gotta be seriously injured. During his travels, Jonn discovers that plant life seems to die at his touch. While he doesn't seem to have and adverse affects on animals or people. It's just something else for him to worry about. Anyways, while that's going on . . Boston, as well as Hawk and Dove, are trying to figure out what's going on with the White Ring that he's wearing. They tried to bring Hawk's brother, and Dove's sister back to life, but . . the ring doesn't seem to work that way. Or . . it doesn't want to. Also this ring talks to Boston more than the rings of the other spectrums do to it's bearer. However, most of it's messages are pretty cryptic. Right now it wants Boston to . . 'Eat a cheeseburger'. I have a feeling though that Dove is going to stick with him for a while and help him decipher these messages. Also, Jason and Ronnie have to get together, literally, to save a couple of guys at a construction site. The problem is . . Ronnie tied one on last night and is pretty hung over. They fumble through it, and Ronnie finally tells Jason that he apologizes for what happened to Gen . . that he actually remembers it. Which is amazing because no one else has any memories of what they did while transformed. He tries to explain, and apologize, but . . someone else doesn't. That little voice that they keep hearing is back. 'Yeah, he's sorry, Jace. But me? Not so much.' There's someone in the Firestorm Matrix with them. And Mera finally tells Arthur her story. It seems that the race of people she comes from were actually Atlantean . . at one time. But then they were cast off to a penal colony, after one of their civil wars, behind an impenetrable invisible shield. That was centuries ago. Mera is the King's daughter and was trained to kill the King of Atlantis should they ever be released. There was a fissure . . small enough for one person to get through, and Mera was sent to complete the task. She, however, found that Arthur wasn't whom she was told he was . . and fell in love with him. But now, apparently, they've gotten through as the people that have been attacking him are actually Xebel soldiers, and Siren . . her younger sister. Geoff Johns and Peter J Tomasi did a great job with this issue. I really like the way the story is unfolding for all of these characters . . along with the focus that's being paid to each of them. And of course the art was tremendous. Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Scott Clark, and Joe Prado should be very proud of the book that they've created it. I think it's been fantastic . . week after week.

the Mighty Crusaders #1 - DC

This book was . . ok. It was interesting. Basically, it tries to tie it's story in with the DC Universe through the Durlans. Over the last few months we've seen hints, some subtle . . some not, that there are Durlans among us. We've also gotten some information from the Legion about their long standing civil war, and . . the Six Minute War. We don't know what all of that means yet, but . . I'm sure that back-story will be unraveling as this mini-series commences. Anyways, because these heroes are so closely tied to the military, they have above average intelligence. I'm sorry . . I don't mean them personally, I mean the information that they're privy to. Anyways, it appears that the Durlans came to Earth in the Tunguska event . . in Siberia, and have been here ever since. Shortly before their world was obliterated a clan of scientists and scholars fled into space. They now call themselves the Purist Durlans, and the Futurist Durlans. And they're distinguished by these 2 different tattoos . . tribal tattoos, I guess. So the military intelligence is starting to get an idea who these aliens are, and during this issue it seems that they've already forced a couple of them out of hiding. However, we find out in the beginning of this issue that the Crusaders, or the military, probably aren't going to be able to pick sides. I don't think that there's any specific faction that they can hope will win out. One of the Durlans is talking in the beginning and he/she says, 'There will be 3 sides in our war. The 2 opposing factions, and every other living creature on this planet. My only concern is victory for the brave soldiers who follow me.' Like I said, we've gotten bits and pieces of this information over the last several months. But we get a whole lot more this issue. Now I guess we just have to sit back and watch to see how this all unfolds. By the way, the current Crusaders include the Web, Fly Girl, Inferno, War Eagle, the Comet and the Shield. Also by the end of the issue Hangman is also allied with this group. It's interesting, but . . it really all comes down to whether or not Eric S trautmann can get the reader to care about these characters. I don't know if that was accomplished very well in their respective solo books, so . . I'm interested to see if they can pull it off here. Anyways, Julian Lopez does a great job with the art. And we get 2 fantastic covers by Stanley Lau and Ian Churchill. Now we just have to wait and see what happens.

Brightest Day #5 - DC

As we're following the paths of these people that have been returned to life by the White Light, we starting to get more and more revelations into the circumstances surrounding their existences. The woman that's giving Arthur such a hard time, and looks surprisingly similar to Mera, turns out to be Siren. We don't know her and Mera's exact relationship, just yet, but . . we do know that she's leading a battalion from Mera's world. And . . Mera reveals that she was actually sent her to kill Arthur. But I don't think she means recently. I think that was her original purpose in coming to this world. Anyways, after going through the gate created by Hath-Set, Carter and Shiera find themselves on a alien, savage, bestial world. They appear to have landed in the middle of a war, and they're not sure who's side they should be fighting on. Also, shortly before Shiera is taken, by the Hawk-beast type characters, they find out that in their current condition they can never express their love. It appears that whatever has brought Carter back is also responsible for them never allowing them to become intimate. They try to kiss, but as they're doing so, it appears that the contact is draining the life-essence from both of them. Prolonged contact would surely kill them both. But we don't know if this is something done by Hath-Set, or a side-effect of the White Light . . or maybe when Carter was a Black Lantern. Anyways, Shiera is taken by the bird creatures, while Carter is left with the walking beasts . . lions, tigers and bears . . oh my! Anyways, it's while talking to them that Carter discovers that he's actually on a different version of Thanagar. And finally, in Georgetown, we see that Hank has talked Boston into trying to use the White Light to bring his brother Don back. But the White Light tells him . . 'Boston! Don Hall of Earth . . will not rise!' Which really pisses Hank off, but . . what can he do about it. Dawn offers a little insight. With her connection to the light, when all of this happened, she thinks that the White Light can't return souls that are already at peace. Which Don's apparently is. But Dawn feels that her sister Holly isn't. So Boston tries again with her. And again, the White Light talks to him . . 'Boston . . you shouldn't be doing this.' But whether it's successful or not . . we'll have to wait until next issue to find out. So far I think Geoff Johns and Peter J Tomasi are doing a fantastic job with this series. This series is also coming out bi-weekly, so the artistic chores are being shared. We have the work of Ivan Reis, Adrian Syaf, and Joe Prado. And I think they're all doing a fantastic job. So far, I think, this series is definitely living up to it's hype. I can't wait to see where it goes, and the changes in store for the DC Universe.

the Web #10 - DC

Well, unfortunately . . this is the last issue of the Web. As has happened with the Shield also. At least for now. Next month everyone joins forces in the ongoing Mighty Crusaders title. If that title is a success, and any of the characters really stand out . . I'm sure they'll have a chance at a solo-title once again. But, to me, the only one I really see that happening to anytime in the near future is probably the Shield. Anyways, in this issue, a Doctor Zardar tries to use the Web, and his multitude of clients, the Web-hosts, to try to solve 2 problems. There's a group called the Cell that's an offshoot of HIVE. The problem is, they refuse to do business with the Global Concern. You know, that big hidden group that seems to be behind everything. So Doctor Zardar has taken control of the Web-hosts and has them attacking the Cell's camp. Which, when he finds out, will draw the Web in as he'll try to fix it. So, long story short, the Cell is destroyed, but . . John, as the Web, saves his Web-hosts from harm. And in doing so, has foiled Doctor Zardar's plan. Even though John doesn't really know who's behind all of this. And we're introduced to a new character. It's one of John's Web-hosts who has altered her uniform and appearance. She's now calling herself Fly-Girl. In the end the military shows up and offers them both a spot on their new team, the Mighty Crusaders. Neat and clean and ready to move on to the next series. It's sad that his book is over now, because I thought that Matthew Sturges was making some good headway with the stories. But, you never know. It might be back. I also enjoyed Roger Robinson's art. We also wrap up the Hangman story this issue by John Rozum, with Tom Derenick and Bill Sienkiewicz. It'll be interesting to see how this guy does in a group. So I guess that's it. Until next month.

Zatanna #2 - DC

With the second issue of this series, we're starting to get a little more insight into Zatanna's character. Unfortunately, at the same time, were kind of finding out that she's this aloof type of super-hero. Actually, now that I say it, maybe that does sound a little judgemental. I think that she's aloof because she doesn't actually see herself as the super-hero type. Sure she's called in to help occasionally on things that the Justice League wants to handle from a different perspective. But for the most part, I think she's more of an information resource for the team. Someone to help them out and give them advice when their stuck in some type of magical situation. Anyways, there's a new player in the Bay Area underworld, Brother Night. And he's trying to take control of crime on both the mystical and mundane levels. To that end he approaches Det Colton with an offer. He's willing to turn over the more mundane criminals to him, loosening their hold on the streets of this city . . in return for a 'pass'. Basically, he's trying to get all opposition out of his way. To that end he's got the demon-imp, Fuseli, who considers himself the lord of nightmares, going after Zatanna. He obviously knows that he'll never be able to get at her by a direct approach, so . . he's employed the little imp to attack her from the sides . . in her dreams. Of course she beats him, and binds him inside her hat . . for save keeping. But now her and Colton have to get together to compare notes. And they better do it quickly because Brother Night also has the spirit of Zatarra working for him. And right now he's ordering him to kill his daughter. 'I'm almost sorry you have to destroy her, John. But that's the debt you owe me for saving your soul from oblivion!' I think this is going to be an interesting book. I think everyone kind of has their own perception of this character. So it'll be nice to have her personality and character nailed down to a specific set of parameters. And, I think we're all going to be surprised by what we end up with. Paul Dini is in charge of unfolding Zatanna's story. So far, I think he's keeping it very interesting. And Stephane Roux is doing a good job with the art. I was a little disappointed in the first issue. Just because I was comparing her work to some of the incredible covers that she's done. But I think the final pages of this book look the best. That's where she's inks her own stuff. Also, Stephane does the main cover of this book, with Brian Bolland doing the variant. Both look equally amazing.

the Shield #10 - DC

Well . . this appears to be the final issue of this title. I'm not sure why. I thought it was interesting. It's the closest thing DC has to a 'war' book. But . . I guess it probably just wasn't selling enough. Plus . . next month the New Crusaders title comes out, with the Shield as one of the characters on the team, so . . I guess he's not going away completely. To me, what I liked about this book . . not just this issue, but the entire series . . is the way that Eric Trautmann approached the stories. His detail and intricate explanations of the military maneuvers and aspects of the Shield's situations, seemed unparalleled. I believed that he knew what he was talking about. And I believed the escalation and outcome of the events portrayed. I guess it was just nice seeing a character that was so structured and 'together'. Yes he was a soldier, doing what he was told. But . . he was growing into his character as the Shield, and adjusting to the capabilities of the war-suit which became his new personality. Also, I thought that Marco Rudy has been doing a terrific job with the art. He's almost got a JH Williams III quality and style to his work on this series. It looks fantastic. Anyways, this issue wraps up the Gunslinger story-line. I thought it was interesting, and had more than a few cool twists. I just hope this character carries over well into the team book. I liked his appearances in Magog. But . . they're both soldiers. In the Crusaders he'll be teaming up with 'super-heroes'. I'm not sure that it'll be a good fit. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

DC Universe: Legacies #2 - DC

I like the way this story is set up. Basically we're seeing the rise of the 'Heroic Age' from one person's point of view . . Paul Lincoln. I'm not sure why his perspective is so important, but . . it's interesting that they're showing all of these heroes not so much from the stories and exploits that they go through every day . . but rather from a 'man on the street' perspective. He started out last issue as a boy hearing rumors about masked vigilantes. As he grew older the Justice Society exploded on the scene. And from them . . a whole plethora of masked heroes. This issue the only one's that he actually comes face to face with are the Newsboy Legion, and the Guardian. Other than that, he just reads a lot of newspapers, and listens to a lot of stories. Meanwhile his friend Jimmy, whom he started out with as a rascal last issue, has taken a different path. He's decided he wanted the life of easy money and fast riches. So he hooked up with Vandal Savage when they put together the Injustice Gang. Of course they were eventually defeated, which has left Jimmy running for his life. He tries to get some help from Paul, and his sister Peggy, but . . he's to far down the wrong path for them to be able to do anything to truly help him. Anyways, Paul graduates High School, Peggy's become his girlfriend, and the 'Cold-War' has started to heat up. This is about the time when the Justice Society has been called in front of Congress and have been asked to reveal their identities to show their patriotism. They refuse . . and then disappear from the lime-light. It's a cold day in Paul's heart when that happens. Like I said, I think it's interesting to see Paul's life as it runs congurently with the rise of the Golden Age. It's interesting to see just how much of an impact these people can have on a person without ever really having come into direct contact with them. I thought Len Wein did a good job with the story. And it was interesting to see Andy and Joe Kubert working together on the art on this one. They also do the cover, with JH Williams III doing the alternate one. Len and JH also do the back-up story about the Seven Soldiers of Victory. It was interesting. A bit corny. But . . it had to look and feel of a story from the 40's or 50's. It just wasn't all that complicated. Rather nostalgic . . really. Overall, I thought it was a good book. And an interesting series.

Brightest Day #4 - DC

So by now it's pretty obvious that this series will be following the lives, or adventures, of the people that were returned to us. The book is set up in various chapters to show us these stories. But we also have Deadman that seems to be operating separate from the rest, but still connected to all of it. Or . . at least, his white ring is. He doesn't know for sure what's going on, and . . since he's the only one with a white ring . . he doesn't really have any frame of reference, or anybody to ask. Anyways, this issue starts out with Carter and Shiera looking at all of the bones of their past lives, literally, gathered and collected into a portal put together by Hath-Set. The only thing missing seems to be Khufu and Chayara's bones . . the bones from their first lives. They were pulled here by the crystallized bone that Star Sapphire gave them . . and is now a part of the Claw of Horus. Anyways, they go through the portal and find themselves on a very alien world. Meanwhile, Boston's ring has brought him to the bedroom of Dawn Granger, Dove. Unfortunately, as soon as she activates, so to does Hank Hall, Hawk. He assumes that she's in trouble and attacks. Luckily, Dawn is a calming influence. When they finally talk, Boston tells them about everything that's happened that's led up to this point. Which gives Hank an idea. By the end of the issue he's led them to his brother's grave, Don . . and wants Boston to use his ring to bring him back to life. Ronnie Raymond has tried to go back to his college life, but . . the recent events are not going to let go of him that easily. He's haunted by . . Gehenna . . literally. At least she appears to be. Is that the voice that they heard in the Firestorm matrix? Anyways, she torments him a little bit and when she leaves . . she explodes and covers his room in salt. We see Jason sleeping in his own room, and it appears that the Firestorm matrix is being activated. And then we see some of the residual effects of the White Lantern. In Silver City New Mexico, where the White Lantern lays at the bottom of a crater, things have started to become weird. A lake has dried up overnight. And in the Bermuda Triangle, the plane that was brought down by the White Lantern last issue . . at least that's what it looked like what happened . . the rescue team has found the bodies, but they appear to be dehydrated . . in the middle of the ocean? We then see the Siren chick, from Mera's world, jump out of the water followed by some Atlantean soldiers. I'm not sure what this is all about, but . . there's still an awful lot of story to go. So far I think Geoff Johns and Peter J Tomasi are doing an excellent job with this series. I like how they're focusing attention on all of these various characters. We get 2 beautiful covers by David Finch and Ivan Reis. And the interior art looks just as fantastic. It's by Ivan, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark, and Oclair Albert. I hate to say it, but . . I think I like this series better than all that Blackest Night stuff. At least we don't have a bunch of zombies running around in this one. I did enjoy the Blackest Night. But that one was really just a big battle. Now we seem to have a direction that we're moving in. Some things are changing, but . . that's ok with me.

Doc Savage #3 - DC

I know that this is an in-between issue on this story-line . . an issue that falls roughly in the middle of the action. So while it wants to progress the story, it really can't give away to much information because it's still trying to leave the reader a bit in the dark. So unfortunately, some of the stuff that happens doesn't serve to create a clear picture . . at least, not yet. What we know so far is that someone, for some reason, is targeting everything, and everyone, associated with Doc Savage. At the end of last issue we see him jump out of a building, but in the beginning of this issue he lands on a dirigible. In fact most of this issue is spent with Clark flying on one dirigible in pursuit of Monk's captors, also in a dirigible. You'd think that they'd think of something much faster to use as a getaway vehicle. But . . it definitely wouldn't be as dramatic. Anyways, we still don't know why they captured Monk, but . . we do find out that it has something to do with him being a genius in chemistry. Anyways, we do see that this whole thing seems to be originating from the inside of the Savage Institute for Criminal Rehabilitation. But . . I think the zoo may have been taken over by the inmates. And there's something to do with some guy who's basically murdering everybody aboard a cruise-ship. He's somehow connected to all of this, but . . we don't know how or why . . yet. The issue ends with Clark crash-landing his dirigible into the river . . in front of what looks to be some huge flying vessel. Clark jumps on board as he's jumping off, and finds Shaw in the midst of some soldiers. He thinks he going to save him, only to find out that he's actually a coconspirator. The issue ends with him ordering the soldiers to shoot Clark . . in the head. Yes it's interesting, and action packed. And as usual we're left with a cliff-hanger ending. But I still just kind of felt indifferent about it. I wasn't overly excited, but . . I didn't hate it either. It's written by Paul Malmont, with art by Howard Porter. I don't know. I guess I'll just have to wait until the next issue to see if it gets any more intriguing. I really hope so.

Nemesis: the Impostors #4 - DC

I thought Nemesis was a decent character. Even back in the beginning, the early 80's, when he was created by Cary Burkett and Dan Spiegle. But in these last 2 mini-series, by Ivan Brandon and Cliff Richards . . they've really expanded upon his character and turned him into quite the enigma. This issue helps to bring together the first 3 of this series, but . . it still raises a bunch of question. It turns out that through this series, Nemesis has been after a criminal organization, the Council and it's apparent founder, and leader, Senator Andrew Bell. But there's also been other forces at work. Such as OMAC and the Electric City. We still don't know what they're connection to this whole thing was. And . . it appears that someone else has been posing as Tom . . taken over his life. Which, I would guess, is why they've been keeping such a close tab on him. This other guy doesn't want Tom messing up whatever it is that he's planning on doing. However, we have no idea who this guy is. For some reason, I got in my head that Tom mentioned something about a brother this issue. If so, that may be who he is, because he looks just like him. However, I'm leaning towards . . Everyman. You know, that guy who impersonated Ollie for so long. I'm thinking that he moved on to Tom's life. And if that's so . . I recall that in order to assume someone's identity he actually has to consume a piece of that person. So maybe, all these flashes and memories that he doesn't understand . . maybe he's actually seeing the other guys memories. That's would explain why he doesn't understand them, or that everything is so confusing. Anyways, at the end of this issue, when Tom has captured the Senator and it taking him in with all the evidence that he's gathered . . Tom is confronted by this 'other' him. And after beating Tom unconscious, the 'fake' Nemesis makes a video of himself killing the Senator. By the time Batman and the police arrive, the 'fake' one is long gone, and Tom is left holding the bag. I mean, how is he going to argue with a video of himself? But, later when Batman comes to visit him in the prison, he tells Batman that he's found a kind of peace here. And he thinks to himself, 'The day the Senator died, I stopped seeing the Electric City. I stopped seeing OMAC and Brother Eye. That minute, knowing what'd happened, knowing what the consequences would be . .believe it or not, it filled me with calm. My head is now clear.' He's amazed that Batman is still trying to help him, but . . whatever comes next he thinks he has to handle alone. 'Someone put me here. I'm right where they want me to be. They've been watching me the whole time. Maybe they're watching me now. Can you hear me? Because I'm not going anywhere. I'm not trying to escape. So come and get me.' Of course, those comments aren't going to convince Batman that he's any less crazy. And, while some questions are answered, it really just opens up and sets us up for the next series. Which I'm sure won't be to far down the line. I thought this was an interesting series. A bit confusing, but . . I think it's supposed to be that way. If you haven't read it, you should pick up this TPB and the Escape! mini-series . . which I'm sure is also in TPB, and read them. Together, preferably. It'll still be confusing, but . . less so. And really, I think, the point of all of this is the further development of his character. He's definitely unlike any other 'hero', or 'detective', out there. Plus I think this story will help to set him apart from say . . Peacemaker, or Vigilante. He's definitely in a class of his own.

Brightest Day #3 - DC

Geoff Johns and Peter J Tomasi are giving us bits and pieces of the stories of each of the people that have been returned to us. We don't know everything that's going on, yet, but . . I think we are starting to get a glimpse of the overall picture. At least as far as each character is concerned. Now, if everything that's happening to them individually is connected . . well, that's a different story. They're all kind of on their own paths right now, so . . if they are connected, or are going to cross . . I don't think we've been given any clues about that . . yet! Anyways, running down the list here . . the White Ring that Boston Brand is wearing seems to be putting him through his paces. He's been bouncing around, getting glimpses of everyone else that's been returned, and has seen how they've been affected by their resurrections. But he hasn't been able to interact. Just observe. Well this issue he's popped out in front of the Anti-Monitor. But this time he's tangible and visible. And the ring just keeps telling him to 'FIGHT'. He gets a good lick in with the ring, but then it seems to pull back it's power. Boston thinks it's because it's trying to teach him a lesson. 'I'm not used to trying to stay alive. Or is that the point? If it is, you made it. Okay? I'll be careful. Next time I leap into the air I'll use a safety net, okay?' Before the ring whisks him away, it just says . . 'OKAY'. Meanwhile, last issue, Professor Stein and the Atom finally got Ronnie and Jason separated, from the Firestorm Matrix. But the result was an explosion that turned everything in the lab into table salt. There's a clue in there, but . . I'm not sure what it is. And Jason's dad wants to take him home. He doesn't know everything that's going on, or understand, but . . he just wants to keep his son safe. Unfortunately, Jason wants to know what's going on . . especially with Gen. And . . he thinks that there's more he can learn from the Professor. We also get a glimpse from Ronnie's memory. He may not have been able to control what was going on when he was a Black Lantern, but . . he does seem to remember what happened. Also, Arthur and Mera are trying to figure out what's going on with his powers. When he puts out his psychic call to the fish . . he's still only getting dead ones in response. Carter and Shiera have gone to Peru, chasing Hath Set. They just miss him, but . . they do get a picture of what he's up to. Apparently he's collected the dead bones of every one of their incarnations. With them he's created some kind of doorway, to someplace. And the White Lantern does something again. This time it blinks, in it's crater in New Mexico, and in the Bermuda Triangle a flash of power shoots up from the ocean and takes down a passing airplane. That seems a little uncharacteristic, if it's supposed to be the Light of Life and all. Oh yeah, I almost forgot that Jonn is looking into these psychic flashes that he's been getting. This time he finds the pet of the family that's been killed. He looks into it's little dog-brain and gets a picture of the assailant. He knows who it is, but he's surprised. As if it should be dead. I'm guessing it's a White Martian. But it's probably a bit more specific than that. I'm sure it won't be long before we find out more. I think Geoff and Peter have done a great job of keeping this story interesting and exciting. Not to mention the mystery of it all. Of course it helps that they have such great people doing the art . . Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Adrian Syaf, Scott Clark and Joe Prado. And the fantastic covers of Ivan Reis and David Finch. I think everybody is doing a great job on this one. And with us learning a little more of the story every issue . . it keeps us wanting more.

the Web #9 - DC

This issue was ok. The problem I have is that it looks like the next issue will be the finale. Well . . either that, or the book is on hold until the Crusaders special feature is done. There's nothing listed for this book through September. Also, after reading the first issue of the Crusaders, we find out that the Global Concern is a group that is made up of the world's wealthiest and most influential. We hear about them in the Crusaders book, but . . this is the first time that we've ever even heard mention of them throughout this title. Anyways, it looked like the Stunner had killed the Web at the end of last issue. And by all accounts . . he should be dead. But Kit-Kat, his resident tech sent to him by Oracle, taps into his suit and basically jump-starts his body with the Stunner's own energy. It seems that she actually doesn't kill her victims so much as . . 'strip energy from the electrochemical H+ gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane of her victims cells.' Probably the same thing . . unless you got somebody to give you a jump-start fairly quickly. So the Web takes out Mr Scott's hired help, and starts interrogating him again. But one of his guys get some power gloves and starts beating up on the Web. Luckily he thinks fast and uses the gloves energy and Stunner's to have them knock each other out. Which leaves the Web and Mr Scott talking again. Mr Scott and John's father traveled in the same circle. He let's John know that his father tried to give him every advantage, including his seat on the Global Concern. But obviously that's not going to happen now. So Mr Scott blows himself and all the evidence up. Leaving John to wonder who it was that was actually blackmailing him. It's actually . . Patricia. So he pays her and tells her to never talk to him again. Now that everything is wrapped up, he has to figure out what the next step is. I thought Matthew Sturges presented us with an ok story here . . I just wasn't thrilled with it. It felt kind of predictable, and . . I didn't really care. To me, the best part of the whole book was at the end with the verbal exchange between John and Kit-Kat. That part seemed the most natural to me. The rest seemed rather forced. Anyways, Roger Robinson does the art. In the Hangman back-up story we learn a little more about how his powers work. It's by John Rozum and Tom Derenick. Overall . . the book just didn't do that much for me. Sorry!

the Mighty Crusaders Special #1 - DC

This was an ok book . . for what it was, but . . I just had a hard time getting in to it. I just found myself not really caring. The positives were . . it had a beautiful cover by Stanley Lau. And the interior art by Javier Pina was really good. But that still wasn't enough to hold my interests. Basically the story centers around the Auctioneer selling a civil-war era safe. Nobody knows what's in it, so . . all the bad-guys want it. There are rumors that it holds some type of government secrets. Anyways, the Web figures out that the sale is going on so he decides to swoop in and take it, rather than let any of the 'bad-guys' get their hands on it . . just in case. Well the government is after it also . . as well as a secret government organization called Epsilon. They send Inferno after the safe, although he's actually working for the government and General Latham. Next in is the Buzzard. But we don't know who he's working for. And when Inferno fails to retrieve the save, he's joined by another Epsilon member, the Comet. Finally the Hangman chases the Buzzard and takes the safe from him. Apparently since his persona originated in the same time period, he knows what's in the safe as well as how to operate it. But even with all the warning, the Hangman decides to open it and show the rest what they're dealing with. That doesn't seem like a very bright move to me. Somehow it's tearing a hole in the fabric of reality. There's giant metallic spiders . . a mystery man, who seems to be made of negative energy, or shadow, or something . . something about an hourglass . . and a doorway. Apparently the doorway is what this thing was created for in the first place. Hangman and Ed Diablo are the ones that originally captured it. Anyways, things are really getting out of control so Gen Latham sends in the Shield. He brings the group together as a unit, and they contain the threats. And then the Gen brings the group together under the auspices of the Crusaders. Also this story was framed around a meeting of the Global Concern. They're a group that also seems to want to get all of this 'stuff'. By the end they're left with retrieving the pieces and parts from the destroyed spider, and . . they seem to have captured the mysterious man. They're calling him the Eraser, for now. Since he was also locked in the box, they think that he knows all of it's secrets. But apparently his time in there has driven him mad. The story was written by Matthew Sturges, Brandon Jerwa, John Rozum and Eric S Trautmann. I assume because they've been the ones responsible for writing all of these character's individual stories. But it all just seemed like a big hodge-podge to me. However, to me the real problem was . . I find myself not really caring about these characters. Yes, in theory, they should all be intriguing and interesting, but . . we don't really know that much about them yet. As a reader, I'm not invested. As I've said, I found myself not really caring. So, while it was an ok story . . I just wish it had better characters.