Supergirl #40 - DC

There's a few details that we finally learn the truth behind, this issue. Last issue Supergirl turned herself in . . sort of . . to Inspector Henderson. He has to uphold the law, but . . he also has to find, and take care of Reactron and Superwoman. So they have a working relationship. Although that's tenuous at best because Major Lane, having learned about their involvement, is ready to arrest Kara and bring Bill up on charges of treason. Kara has surmised that Superwoman is Thara Ak-var. But, if that's the case then that means that she was involved in the murder of her father. That's something she's finding hard to swallow. She races out when Major Lane tells them about a Superwoman sighting. However, when she arrives she finds out it was all a set-up so that Reactron could get the drop on her. They have a fight, but the main thing to come out of all of this is the revelation Kara makes about Superwoman's identity. She goes back to Inspector Henderson's office as Superwoman is attacking him, and confirms her suspicions that Superwoman is indeed . . Major Lane. We also learn this issue that Lana Lang is somehow connected to all of this . . in way that we hadn't even begun to suspect. We don't know all of the details yet, but . . it's definitely not good for her health. I'm starting to get in to this story that Sterling Gates has going on here. I wasn't sure at first, but . . it looks like the wait is going to end up paying off. And of course Jamal Igle does a fabulous job on pencils again . . as usual. I was worried about the direction and future of this book, but . . it appears that my worries were in vain. I just needed to be a little patient. And this whole story-line . . New Krypton, Superwoman, Major and General Lane's involvement, Luthor's involvement . . is really all just beginning. We've got a lot of story to go.

Justice League of America #32 - DC

Unfortunately it appears that Ed Benes is no longer on this book, but . . he does do the cover. Somehow I got this earlier black & white version. I actually like it better than the finished one, so I went ahead and left it here. Right now it appears that we have an interim team. With the 'big 3' going off to do other things . . some good, some bad, some alive, some not . . and Hal and Ollie starting their own splinter of the League, Dinah felt that she had no other choice but disband the Justice League of America. "The Hall of Justice is open for tours, and still fully funded by the Justice League Foundation. The Watchtower is shut down to traffic. Communications and database access are still available to anyone with active JLA credentials. Oracle's coordinating." However, there are still some members that are fully committed to the League. They include Dr Light, Firestorm, John Stewart, Zatanna and Vixen. Red Tornado said he would come back after taking care of some personal business. And the rest of the group is hoping that Dinah will see their need for leadership and come back as the chairperson. Which it looks like they'll be needing sooner than later. After the Shadow Cabinet restored Dr Light's powers she agreed to go to the Shadow-Thief to try and figure out how he was able to access the Dark Matter that he stole from their teleporters. So she and Firestorm have gone to Van Kull prison to confront him. The problem is . . he was really just a conduit. All of this time he's actually been in service of Starbreaker. At the end of the issue, Starbreaker and the Shadow Thief escape into the shadow realm . . with Dr Light hot on their heals. "We have to go after her! You don't understand John. We have to go after her now! She just jumped into the Shadow-Thief . . and she's afraid of the dark." Maybe it's just me, but I think that Sean McKeever is doing a better job with these stories now that he doesn't have to write about any of the 'big-guns'. Maybe it's less pressure, or maybe he just has more fun with these characters. Their images aren't as set in stone so they're easier to play around with . . a little. I really liked the interaction between the characters. I also enjoyed Rags Morales' pencils. But then again . . I always do. I think the guy is incredibly talented. Overall I liked the book. Sure it's not the 'heavy-hitting' League, but . . it's still the League.

Outsiders #17 - DC

This is another great issue of this fantastic title. I love the new direction that Peter J Tomasi and Lee Garbrett are taking us in. The whole book . . story and art, just feels fantastic. We learned last issue that one of these 'unknown evils' that Batman, and Alfred were talking about were these 'Insiders'. They appear to be a group of people that have been around for a long time, much in the same manner as Vandal Savage, and have appeared to have twisted world events to their liking as they've moved along through time. 'Shapers of the world', as it were. There appears to be meteorites deposited around the world that some how aid in their longevity. That's how the Outsiders became involved when last issue the 'Insiders' sent one of their agents after a piece and caused a mine to collapse in Germany. This issue they catch up to the culprit, who is encased in a giant robot-type construct, only to have him liquefied, literally, before they can question him. They do however figure out that the purpose of all of this was the acquisition of the rock. But, they also lose that. However, when they return to their orbital station, they have enough of the dust left to examine. Which is where they start putting the pieces together. But Metamorpho gets to close to the sample and somehow absorbs it. He has no idea how or if it'll affect him. And we find out at the end of the issue that one of the 'Insiders', Sofia, has gone after someone to help them with their problem . . Slade Wilson. I love the dark tone that Peter's taking with this book. This issue was mostly about Geo-Force, Black Lightning and the Owlman. They seemed to work well together. This title has some fantastic potential. If you're not picking this one up, now is a good time to start. You could start with issue #16. However, the Outsiders Special would probably be an even better place. You won't be disappointed.

Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum #1 - DC

Well, it appears that eventually Arkham Asylum is going to re-emerge out of it's devastation. It's just a matter of Dr Jerry Arkham rebuilding it with his Uncle's vision. Jerry is the nephew of Amadeus Arkham. He's long dead, but he was the original constructor and vision behind the Asylum. However, after residing a working here for so long, even his vision was changed. According to his journal . . "The house is an organism, hungry for madness." And, "Madness is born in the blood. It is my birthright." Obviously this place had a profound affect on him. He also left behind plans for his 'ultimate' Asylum. It looked like it was drawn in a fever-dream and had influences from many different sources. However, with the destruction of Arkham at the hands of the Joker, this 'new' Asylum has become Jerry's dream. We also find out, as he roams through the fallen walls and timbers, that deep underneath the Asylum was a place where Jerry held only his most special patients . . people that we've never even heard of. There's Alessio Morandi an Italian artist that had his face ripped off, as a young man, by his father. Also someone Jerry calls the Mirror Man. Five years ago he walked out of a forest in Haiti. No one knows his name or history. He spends all of his time in contemplation of his own reflection . . in the mirrors. Hence the name. And then there's the Hamburger Lady . . Myrna. She's been a resident here since before Jerry came along. Her face is said to be so disfigured as to drive the viewer mad. Basically, upon surveying the wreckage, Jerry finds only 2 things to have survived . . the blueprints of his Uncles, and . . his children . . his 3 favorite patients. He takes them out of the wreckage to begin anew, but asks Alessio to put on a happy face before they leave. On the final page we see that the face he's drawn looks eerily like the Joker's. I thought this was a great book. It'll be interesting to see where Arkham goes from here. David Hine, as usual, did a terrific job with the story. And I really loved Jeremy Haun's pencils. I can't wait to see where this goes from here.

Battle for the Cowl: Azrael - Death's Dark Knight #2 - DC

Last issue we found out that Michael, one of the experimental Batman replacements . . the one that went a little crazy and was involved in Batman's demise . . Michael is now the new Azrael. Although I don't think the Order of Purity is necessarily calling him that. They just gave him the Suit of Sorrows and the Sword of Sin to go out and help restore a little order to Gotham. The Police and citizens that see him are calling him Azrael because of his similar look to Jean-Paul's previous costume. But, he no sooner gets out into Gotham than he comes across Talia Al Ghul and her assassins. Also she has the Sword of Salvation, which when crossed with the Sword of Sin seems to provide some kind of psychic backlash. She fills Michael in on the story of the Suit and the Sword. Which ends up making him a little leery. He's already gone a little crazy. He doesn't want this suit to drive him even farther. He looks to his mother, whom is in a mental hospital, for answers. "What if I had a chance to maybe do a lot of good . . for a lot of people . . make up for so much . . what if I had that chance and all it would cost . . is my life . .? Suicide is a sin against God. Killing is a sin against God. So if God wants me do to good . . why is he asking be to do both . . ?" He knows he's not going to get any answers from her, but . . I think he just has to go through the process. Then, at the end of the issue, he ends up in the Bat-cave confronting Nightwing. Fabian Nicieza has put together a rather intriguing story here. I'm interested to see how it's all going to wrap up next issue. Is Michael truly going to end up being Azrael, or . . is he going to end up being a different character in the Bat-universe? Hmm! Also, although I'm not a big fan of Frazer Irving's pencils, I thought that his style is fitting this story perfectly. It's looking like August is going to be the relaunch of the Bat-universe . . and all it's various adaptations and changes. I can't wait to see what's going to happen. Same Bat-time . . . different Bat-channel!

Trinity #47 - DC

With this series nearing it's end, it seems like everything is starting to stack up against Morgaine Le Fey. Our Trinity has figured out her location . . with the help of Kanjar-Ro, "So they got my beacon, eh? There, Despero . . that will teach you to underestimate the mighty Kanjar-Ro." And with their focus being on the major threat, Krona, Le Fey seems to be under the gun by her former compatriots . . Enigma and the Crime Syndicate, Xor and the Dreambound, and I'm guessing it's only going to be a matter of time before Despero decides that he jumped in on the losing side of a battle. And that's not even mentioning all the rest of the Earth's heroes that have returned to normal . . the JSA, the JLA, the Titans, the Green Lanterns, etc., etc.. However, we also have a problem with the Worldsoul and Tarot. Because of their interference they've interrupted the process that Krona had started. He was trying to replace the Worldsoul with that of Enigma's daughter. Basically, he wants to converse with the Worldsoul to find out the secrets of the Universe. But I'm not sure I understand why he has to take the soul out to do that. Anyways, with the process interrupted in the middle, it looks like both of the souls may be stuck inside of Tarot. So . . she has 3 souls inside of her? A few more and she could have her own party. In the 2nd part of the story, the Trinity gets some help from an unexpected source, Luthor. Really, he wants them to use their newfound 'god-hood' to change the world. And of course he's got specific things in mind. But, since they pretty much dismissed him like a stray gnat, he contacts Alfred to try to get some information passed along. We don't know what that is yet, or it's intentions, but . . it seems to have an effect on the Trinity. Superman is ready to dismiss it simply because of the source, but Wonder Woman tells him to look beyond the messenger. And Batman? Batman seems to have a plan. But we don't know what it is yet. We only have a few issues to go, and it looks like we're winding down pretty fast. This was another great issue by Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley, Fabian Nicieza and Tom Derenick.

Moon Knight #29 - Marvel

I'm not really diggin' this whole new direction with Jake Lockley and all. Maybe I just need to give it some more time, but . . right now, for me . . I don't know, it's just not as interesting as the previous story-line. Plus, now that 'Jake' is in Mexico, he's got a partner in crime down there with the Punisher. However, Jake isn't aware yet that he's even there. And really his involvement in this whole story-line has been rather minuscule. I mean, he does take out some Russian crime-members this issue, but . . that's about the most he's done in the last 3 issues. Jake is involved with a Mexican crime-lord who lied to him to get him to return his daughter. Jake thought he was doing it out of a father's concern, but he's found out that what he really wanted was to offer her up as a sacrifice to the Russian crime-boss he was trying to get in bed with. Which is where the Punisher's connection comes in to all of this because he's after the Russian mob. Then we throw in a couple of Mexican mercenaries who want to be tag-team wrestlers . . and dress the part . . and we've got an odd type of story-line going here. Also, don't forget it's Mexico, so . . everybody is double crossing everybody. Like I said, I've seen better story-lines from Mike Benson in this book, so . . I'm a little disappointed. Jefte Palo's pencils are ok, but . . they're nothing fantastic. But, the cover by Gabriele Dell'otto is pretty sweet. That's the best part about the whole book. They even do the Moon Knight logo in the colors of the Mexican flag. Hopefully this story-line will wrap up soon and we'll move on to something better.

the Amazing Spider-man #591 - Marvel

I liked this book. Of course, I like it everytime the FF team-up with Spider-man. They have a fantastic relationship. Especially the way Johnny and Peter act together. It's hilarious. Personally, I think it's even better than Johnny and Ben's camaraderie. However, with this story-line, it's a bit tainted because of Johnny's intense frustration. Shortly after landing in the macro-verse, Reed discovers some statues that were erected in their honor. A couple of problems arise. First of all, the statues are hundreds of years old, even though their last visit here was only 2 years ago. Secondly, Spider-man's statue doesn't have a mask. Which means on their original visit they knew his identity. However now . . now they don't? It's enough to drive Johnny mad. Anyways, they get that whole thing resolved, but the thing that bothers me is how does Peter know why people don't know his identity? I thought Mephisto erased his memories also. Otherwise, he'd been driven crazy by what he gave up with Mary Jane and Aunt May. "It's kind of like a psychic blindspot. Even if there's a stack of evidence pointing to who I really am . . your mind won't let you connect the dots." And then, after Peter airs the usual objections about family and friends, Reed suggests, "What if we had psychic blindspots too? Let me take some readings. I'll duplicate your firewalls, then we could share your secret, too." So, I'm confused about that whole aspect of the story. I mean, how is Reed going to duplicate something that Mephisto did? It all just seems a little 'out of whack' for me. Essentially, that's really what this whole story-line was all about. Yes there was a trip to the macro-verse, but . . really, that whole problem was wrapped up pretty fast and rather tidily. The less said about that the better. But, during the 2 hours that they spent there they lost about 6 weeks of time back on Earth. So, all the story-lines have been moved forward about 6 weeks. Harry has begun, and is now 6 weeks into rehab . . thanks to Carlie. Jonah has tried to win his wife back, to no avail. We think it's for his bid to buy back the Bugle, but actually . . he's won the new election and is now Mayor of New York. Norah has begun a relationship with Robbie's son Randy. And Aunt May has begun a relationship with Jonah's father. Oh, and Mr Bennett is on the verge of losing the DB. All in all I thought it was an interesting issue. However, I don't think Dan Slott properly addressed this whole Brand New Day connection. I don't think Mephisto's involvement can be explained away that easily. It just doesn't feel write. We had a couple of different pencillers this issue. Barry Kitson, Jesse Delpergang and Dale Eaglesham all contributed on this issue. I thought Dale's work looked especially good. Upon his return, Peter is really blown away by what he finds out about Jonah. Wait until he finds out about Aunt May.

X-Men: Legacy #223 - Marvel

So this whole Legacy theme here with Charles . . he's looking to fill in some of his lost memories, but really he keeps finding past sins and has to try to figure out ways to atone for them . . the Legacy theme seems to have a Wolverine: Origins type of feel to it. Different variation on the same theme . . I guess. That's not necessarily a bad thing. If nothing else it gives newer X-fanatics a way to put the pieces together . . there's a map drawn out, basically, that shows how everything is connected, and everything is related. At least as far as the X-family goes. With this story-arc, Charles has gone off in search of Rogue. In this case he's trying to make good on a promise made a long time ago. However, you know what they say about the best laid plans. Damage showed up in the Outback before Charles and Remy arrived. She seems to be dead set on making Rogue find her own redemption. Although I'm a little confused as to why Rogue seems to be so important to her/it. I mean, at first I thought she was trying to kill her, but now . . now it seems as if Damage is trying to make her run a gauntlet of some sort . . forcing her to face the various sins of her past. But again, I'm not sure why that's so important to her. Her real goal is Charles. So . . was she just trying to keep Rogue busy until he got here? Or, did she think that she'd rob Charles of his victory by 'fixing' her before he had the chance? I don't know. The motivations there are a little blurry. Anyways, also before Charles could show up, a Shi'ar band of rogues came along and immediately saw the profit potential in abducting Damage. They just didn't realize what they were dealing with. They end up getting captured, but they did do a little damage. Somehow they set off a program that fried some of Damage's core sub-routines. Essentially, they burnt the ones that gave her an autonomous identity . . her soul, as it were. Which basically would've been a good thing but now the program is stuck and Charles has to fix it. However, in order to fix it . . he has to deal with his past sins as they pertain to this alien construct . . this new life form. So, while he originally came to confront Rogue, he's first going to have to confront Damage. He does fix her, and brings her back on-line . . only to then shut her down. This leaves the Shi'ar garbage hunters with their original goal . . to make some money with some salvaged Shi'ar tech. Which means that they have to get Charles an Remy out of their way. However, at the very end, it appears that Rogue has showed up to save them. But, I think she's come out of this whole debacle transformed. We hear her voice, but we don't get to see her face. That 'reveal' is going to be save for next issue. I'm enjoying this whole story that Mike Carey has constructed here. I'm glad that we're finally getting into this whole Damage thing. I'm also glad that Rogue is being paid a little more attention to. She's to important, and complicated, of a character to be left in the shadows most of the time. She hasn't really had much attention in the last year or so. Other than all the bad stuff that's happened to her. Also Scot Eaton is doing a tremendous job with his pencils. I've loved the feel of this book for the last 2 years. I'm looking forward to seeing how this whole thing is wrapped up. The Damage story-line in particular has been a long time coming.

Uncanny X-Men #508 - Marvel

There was an awful lot going on in this book. Right now it doesn't all make sense, we're getting the beginning of a couple of different story-lines, but . . I have a feeling there's some awful big events on the X-Men's horizon. First of all, Madelyne Pryor is back. And she's brought friends. Chimera, Spiral and Lady Deathstrike are all helping her. So far all she's doing is bringing people back from the dead. But we don't know how, or why. They go to a cemetery in Tokyo and steal the body of Kwannon. She's a former assassin for the Hand. There was a big 'to do' way back in the early issues of the X-Men . . Jim Lee's X-Men, not the original . . where Kwannon and Betsy Braddock had this whole big psychic event. Sprial was a big part of it then. As it turns out Madelyne, now calling herself the Red Queen, has also got Psylocke as a captive. By the end of the book, basically what she does is take Psylocke's essence, or life-force, out of her body and put it into Kwannon. But again . . we don't really know why. Yet. However, it does cause a major psychic event, or disruption, that severely hurts Emma, the Cuckoos, Xi'an and Manuel, who is currently a prisoner of the X-Men. Also this whole thing has inadvertantly drawn Domino back into the X-Men story-lines. We also have Hank putting his new scientific team together to try to figure out how to save Mutant-kind. They're really in the early stages, but . . there's a whole lot of ideas floating around. And Logan goes to see Jean-Paul to offer him a spot on the X-Men's roster. I was actually blown away, but . . he says yes pretty readily. I was really surprised. It's not like he needs it. Anyways, it appears that Matt Fraction is trying to weave a whole bunch of stuff into the current team and their various story-lines. Plus he's digging up some stuff from the past . . 1993, to be specific. He's delving into this whole storyline with Betsy and Kwannon that was never really resolved, or properly dealt with. This guy really seems to have a lot of pretty cool ideas floating around. It'll be interesting to see how he brings them all to fruition. Also this issue we finally get the return of Greg Land on pencils. I really like his stuff, but . . I think that everybody that's filled in for him have done a more than adequate job. We're at the very beginning of some neat stuff here. I can't wait to see where it all goes.

X-Factor #42 - Marvel

"What happens next issue: The time shift slingshots in reverse and Madrox, trapped in the 1930's, winds up accidentally becoming his own grandfather. Siryn and Monet declare their secret love for each other. And Guido wakes up to discover Lila in the shower. Feel free to tell that to everyone on the internet." I'm sorry. I know that's indulgent, but . . Peter put that on the bottom of the recap page and I just had to answer the challenge. I know. I'm disturbed. But I'm having fun. And so is this book. This was a fantastic issue. I really do enjoy Peter's writing and what he's doing with this team. Also I'm glad that we seem to have a semi-regular penciller on this book now . . Valentine De Landro, with the help of Marco Santucci. And they're doing a great job. We have a couple of different story-lines going now. Madrox is indeed in the future. He's come into the middle of the Summer's rebellion . . it's about 80 years in the future. Layla has dragged him there, for some as yet unknown reason, much to the chagrin of Ruby Summers. He's already making friends and meeting some new mutants there . . Daemon and Hacat'e. But the surprise is to find out that this team, if you could call it that . . and maybe the whole rebellion, is being led by Scott himself. He looks like hell . . he's balding, with a mechanical arm and leg, but . . somehow he's managed to survive 80 years into their future. Meanwhile, Rictor and Quido have gone off to investigate the shooting in New England. You know, where Jamie's dupe has taken up residence as a priest, with a wife and son. I'm not sure where this story-line is going, but . . it should be interesting. Longshot is off trying to protect Lenore who is convinced that someone is trying to kill her. Which they indeed attempt, under Longshot's protection, but . . it's really now from a source that they expected . . Lenore's own mother. And Val is still in all of their lives as she stops by to visit with Theresa and Monet. I really like this book. I love these characters, and I think Peter is doing a great job with them. I'm not sure how this title stacks up with the sales of the rest of the X-books, but . . in my opinion, it should . . it deserves to be, right up there. Peter's trying to make this book more exciting and unpredictable. If you aren't buying it . . you really should give it a shot. You won't be disappointed.

Rampaging Wolverine #1 - Marvel

I picked this one up for the heck of it. The cover by Nelson is what got my attention, but then when I looked on the inside . . it looked interesting. Apparently it's a one-shot . . that's what it says on the credit page. I didn't know if maybe they were trying to do something like the Batman: Black & White books. Basically, it's got 4 short stories, all about Logan . . obviously. The writer's include Joshua Hale Fialkov, Chris Yost, Robin Furth and Ted McKeever. The art is done by Paco Diaz Luque, Mateus Santoiouco, Nelson and Ted McKeever. They're all very different stories that show different aspects of Logan's personality. As far as relativity . . they could fit almost anywhere in Logan's life. There's nothing overly specific about any of them. Nothing that would disrupt or fit into specific continuity. They're just stories about Logan. 'A Day in the Life', as it were. It was an ok book. I don't know if it was worth the $3.99 price tag, but . . if you're a Wolverine fan, you probably had to buy it. Plus, there is all the hype because of the movie coming out soon. So they have to cash in any way they can. So I guess my recommendation is . . if you're an X-Men fanatic . . take a shot. If you're not . . take a pass.

the X Files #6 - WildStorm

Overall, I enjoyed this series. I watched this show during it's hey-day, so . . I feel like I'm intimately familiar with these characters. I think that all the creators, throughout these 7 issues, lived up to the feel and ideal of that original series. When reading the issues, I swear I could hear the theme-song, while looking at the title page. And while reading about Fox and Dana's adventures, I swear I could hear their voices. No I'm not crazy. Well . . maybe a little. The only problem I really had with this series is that, with all the new shows out there pushing the envelope of story-telling even farther . . this one just seemed a little dated. However, while reading this last issue, I realized that if I just quit looking at it that way, that I could actually enjoy the story. I think this series has some possibility. I'm not sure if WildStorm is going to explore it any farther, but . . I think there could be a market again out there for this. Or . . I could be wrong. Maybe it's all just wishful thinking on my part. Anyways, I like the way this story-line wrapped up, and I think Doug Moench and Brian Denham did a terrific job here. I haven't been buying any of the franchised stuff that WildStorm has been putting out . . except for this. But . . I loved the show, and I have a whole long-box of X Files comics. I know. I'm obsessed. But hey, knowing you have a problem is the first step. Right?

100 Bullets #100 - Vertigo

This book left me with a lot of mixed emotions. I love this book. I have since the beginning. Yes, there were times where it was a little hard to follow. Sometimes the story was a bit to complex for it's own good. But . . it was honest. It showed the true nature of the people involved in it. There were a lot of various story-lines, going in a lot of various directions, but . . when it came down to it, this was really a story about power. It was about the want and the need for power . . the pursuit of that power, and . . the reality that you will lose all trust in those around you because of that power. I was concerned when I learned that this would be the final issue. I wondered how it could end, when there's so much going on . . so many characters with a hand in the pot . . a story to tell. Well . . being the final issue was apropos. We start out this issue with everyone trying to decide where this organization would go next. Last issue everyone's place in it was set . . now they just had to put the machine back in motion again. However, their was one wild-card that I don't think anyone took into account . . Lono. No matter what they decided . . no matter their intentions . . Lono was always going to be out there on his own program, with his own agenda. This issue we find out that plan was to take down the whole house of cards. He doesn't do the whole thing himself, however . . his actions provide others with the courage to do things they wanted to do . . things they may have thought about but never conceived as a possibility. When all is said and done, this is the final issue because . . well, there's no one left. Actually Loop, Victor Ray and his dad make it out of this mess, and drive away. But there involvement in everything was minuscule at best. The last 2 standing were Graves and Dizzy. But we always knew Graves was going to fight his way to the end. He's just taken out Mr Medici, and Dizzy is hurt because of an explosion in the house. He's come to her side, but as she's hanging on, she's questioning his move against the last house, killing Medici. "Years ago, he ruined my life . . compromised my principles . . in exchange for . . giving me the opportunity to offer my principles to other people." To which Dizzy responds, " Then he didn't ruin your life." The house is burning down around them, and Dizzy barely has enough energy to pick up her gun, but the final scene of the book is Graves holding her in his arms, she's got her gun to his head, and he says . . "I know." It was a powerful book, that had an equally powerful ending. But, really . . it ended the only way it could. Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso should be commended for telling this incredible story. They've been with it since issue #1. Ten years of fantastic story-telling. We hate to see it go, but . . this was such a great issue . . it kind of eased that pain a little bit. I hate to say it, but . . this story ended the way the Sopranos should have. Thanks for all the great issues.

Superman / Batman #58 - DC

I liked this book. I like what Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are trying to accomplish here. But . . I'm not sure how the finish product is going to taste, as compared to the anticipation, and story-telling along the way. I'm not saying anything bad about Dan and Andy's work. It's just that I think the complexity of the story-line, through this issue, isn't going to lead to a satisfactory pay-off, with the ending. We have a couple of different variable her that I'm not sure that Batman took into effect when he attempted this mission. I mean, he had no choice. It's his friend. He has to do whatever he can. However, at this size . . first there's the space factor. This is all taking place on the counter top in the Prankster's lab. It's all happening within a space of inches. However, in this micro-sized world that they've found themselves in . . that's hundreds and thousands of miles, relatively speaking. Secondly, there's the time factor. Superman has only been shrunk for minutes, but . . to him it feels like he's been here for months. It's only a matter of time before he runs out of energy. And we find out that there's another civilization living here. A civilization that was at piece eking out it's existence. That is until the Prankster introduced his nanites to their world. With their metal forms, and their advanced technology, the current residents were no match for them, and were quickly subjugated. So, Superman and Batman have been stuck in the middle of these 2 warring races. We also have another problem, the nanites have figured out that if they power-up Superman . . they feed him a power source similar to that of the sun's, but he can't contain it for long . . when he converts it and lets it out, that power can feed them. When Batman finally makes it to his location, he comes across a Superman powered up and looking like a rampaging behemoth. This is where my concern comes in. This story is supposed to wrap up next issue. But . . how can they tie up all of this satisfactorily in one issue? I'm concerned that the ending is going to feel fake. But . . we haven't got there yet, so I have to give Dan and Andy the benefit of the doubt. I hope they can pull it off, but . . we'll see. Meanwhile, we get to enjoy another issue of Whilce Portacio's beautiful art. We'll see how it goes next issue.

Vigilante #5 - DC

First of all, I'm glad to see Tom Lyle back on a book. I'm not sure if he's done anything for Marvel lately, but . .I sure haven't seen him on any DC books. I liked this issue. Maybe it's because Marv Wolfman is doing the story. He's definitely got a little espionage thriller going on here. And he certainly knows how to handle the Titans. But to me, that's also really the only problem I have with this book. I enjoyed the first Vigilante series . . and the second . . and the mini. And I've enjoyed this series . . so far. But, with both of the Titans teams showing up this issue . . I'm not sure if I liked this one because of the Vigilante, or . . because both the Titans teams were here. We're getting bite sized pieces of the Vigilante's story, and clues to his real identity, every issue but . . they're only bite sized pieces. And with this cross-over story with the Titans and Jericho . . I think that takes precedence over the Vigilante mystery. I'm glad Marv is handling Joey the way he is. He's a smart guy, and I think he's using the knowledge of all the various people that are in his head. He's a whack-job, sure. But, he is going about his plan systematically. And, from what we find out this issue, it appears that plan is to destroy, if not kill, the Titans. The ironic part is, I don't really think it's for any reason other than to impress his dad, Deathstroke. Who really isn't even there. I think Vigilante came to a life decision this issue also. He's mostly been about himself, so far. He's trying to payback whatever this horrible mistake is that he's made in his past, but . . he's doing it his own way. He's not asking for anybodies help, and . . he's not out to save anybody. However, when he finds out what Joey's planning . . he can't help but to try and help the Titans. "I should forget this and go home. It's no skin off my teeth if that maniac succeeds or fails. I know what I should do. But I don't. I'm not after him because I'm some selfless good-guy out to save the world. I'm only hoping to save myself. But sometimes . . . it's hard to tell the difference between altruism and selfishness."

Battle for the Cowl: Oracle - the Cure #2 - DC

Basically, this issue is all about Oracle, and the Calculator. The Calculator is still trying to figure out who Oracle is, but right now he's busy trying to find a cure for his daughter Wendy. You remember, after that whole debacle at Titan's tower. Well, for some reason he's turned to the internet and has become obsessed with finding the anti-life equation. Apparently after Darkseid had broadcast it . . it stayed on the internet. But now . . now it's fragmented and in pieces all over the place. He doesn't even know for sure that it'll cure her. But, like I said . . he's obsessed. I don't think Barbara knows what exactly it is that he's looking for out there, but . . I think she figures if he's after something, she has to do whatever she can to make it as hard as she can for him to find it. Last issue, with a piece of the equation, he took out one of her helpers . . 'Cheese-Fiend'. This issue he's after another . . 'Chaos-Larry'. She contacts him and warns him to stay off-line. At the end of the Birds of Prey series, when the Calculator temporarily shut down the internet . . when it came back up, there were pieces missing. This issue, Barbara goes to Hong Kong to contact some of her support staff . . hackers. they have a VR program set up, they mapped the net before it went down, and now Barbara is trying to compare that map to the current net. "I want to do a 'similarity match' . . from the current state to the backup. We're taking the convergence points off-line . . removing them from the current internet. I want them downloaded to my drives." Meanwhile, 'Chaos-Larry' didn't listen to Oracle's advice and went into the game Alta Viva, which the Calculator is using for his virtual base of operations. The Calculator finds him and attacks him, but he also scares her hackers in Hong Kong. In his Killg%re persona, it looks like he's coming right over the internet for them also. Kevin Vanhook writes this series and Julian Lopez & Fernando Pasarin do the art. I think it's turning out to be a great little series . . it only has 1 issue left. But hopefully, Barbara . . and maybe the Birds, will end up someplace, in another title, after this. Hopefully! Please!

R.E.B.E.L.S. #3 - DC

Ok, without a Legion title right now, I have to rely on this book to give me that fix. It's not the same Legion . . per-se, but . . it's close . . kind of. Anyways, Vril Dox is trying to create a new Legion . . I think. But, he'll have to call them REBELS because his old squad, LEGION is still operating. Which is kind of the problem. Vril had created a living computer, Silica, to run LEGION, but apparently someone has taken her over and has turned the peace-keeping officers of LEGION into an army of oppression. So now he needs to assemble a group to free the 83 worlds that he formerly protected. The other problem is, Vril is trying to recruit some of his former LEGION members . . Strata this issue, but they don't know that he's no longer leading LEGION. All they know is that LEGION seems to be an army of boot-steppers now, and to them that isn't an action that would be completely disassociated with Vril's previous behaviors. He can be an ass. This issue he also transforms Wildstar into an energy being . . much like Wildfire from the Legion series. So now she's got abilities and powers like Wildstar, but also the tracking abilities that are innate to her species. "I'll need more recruits to free my client worlds. And I need you to track them down, Wildstar. We'll gather them and go to planet Maltus . . the nerve center of LEGION." Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Vril, the Omega Men are attacking Matlus. They've also decided to try to take down Silica. Which they do, but then they make a startling discovery. It seems the switch that was turned on this organization was done so by Starro. We don't know everything that's going on yet, but . . I'm guessing they've taken over this entire planet. "Maltus: A world so densely populated that contraceptives are now added to the water supply . . . Encyclopedia Galactica" That's hilarious. That's the other thing I like about this series, I get to see my favorite space-pirates . . the Omega Men. Tony Bedard is writing this. I loved his work when he did the Outsiders. He does a great job with team books. Andy Clarke is doing the pencils. So far this series seems to be off to a good start. The question is . . can they keep up the momentum. For that . . we'll have to wait and see.

Green Arrow and Black Canary #19 - DC

Since Andrew Kreisberg took over the writing chores on this book . . I think this is the best issue yet. The dynamics between Cupid, Ollie and Dinah are just fantastic. Basically, Cupid has been knocking off various crime figures around town to impress Green Arrow. The problem is, Green Arrow doesn't even know what she's doing. Well now she's got Merlyn. She knocks him out, drugs him, and then puts him in a position where Ollie can kill him himself. In fact he may have to because she's got him strung up like a marionette to make it look like he's going to shoot him. She tries to explain to him what's going on, but . . she's so out there, he can't make heads or tails of it all. So she sets off a bomb and knocks him out. When he wakes up, she's got him chained to the rails of the subway. He asks why she's trying to kill him if she loves him? " . . when the train comes . . you'll be mine forever. This is so romantic. They're going to write songs about us, babe. Hey . . . ? You want to make out a little before the 11:55 nonstop to Gotham gets here?" But Ollie has stalled her long enough that Dinah shows up shortly. Dinah can't get him out, so she shackles herself to him. Cupid is furious . . "No! Go Away! This is not a threesome!" To which Dinah replies, "It is now. The two of us, dying while fighting a common foe. Have you ever heard of anything so romantic? People will never stop talking about this. Green Arrow and Black Canary, dying in each other's arms. Funny thing is, they won't remember you. They'll only ever remember the train took us out." So Cupid lets them out, but then she uses one of Ollie's arrows to slash Merlyn's throat, so they can't follow her. Of course Ollie has to save him and get him to the hospital. So obviously, this is not the last we've seen of Cupid. After it's all over, Dinah punches Ollie. And of course, that night . . they have to talk before she'll let him get any rest. Overall I thought it was a pretty decent story. Like I said, I liked the dynamic between these 3 characters. I'm also enjoying Mike Norton's pencils on this series.

Action Comics #876 - DC

I wasn't sure what to expect this issue, but . . I gotta tell you . . I was blown away. The story is great. I'll get into that, but . . the artwork . . Eddy Barrows pencils just blew me away. This guy gets better and better with every issue he does. It's just a shame that he's not on the Teen Titans anymore. Sidney Leles helps him out this issue . . I'm not sure how they compliment each other so well, but . . the final product was just fantastic. Basically, Lor-Zod, Christopher, and Thara Ak-Var have been posing as Nightwing & Flamebird back on Earth. Well Zod has dispatched Ursa to take out Thara, and return Lor to New Krypton where he belongs. Ursa is taking great zealousness in her task. Basically she wants to take Ursa apart piece by piece. The ironic part though is . . throughout this issue, Ursa is narrating her thoughts on how she's going to beat Ursa. "The luscious thing about fear is that is steals control. Create enough of it and you can even steal reason. You just have to know what buttons to press . . what words to say. Fear and anger give her away." However, when Christopher sees how much Ursa is hurting her, he starts fighting back. This pisses Ursa off to no end. And now she's the one that's loosing control because of her anger. He buries Ursa under a mountain of ice, and then head back to Earth, with Thara . . and straight to Lois. She looks out the window . . " You're not Superman." Christopher is floating there holding the broken Thara in his arms and says, "Hello, Mom." I thought Greg Rucka did a great job with this story. The dementia and pure evil, from Ursa, just seemed to ooze off the page. Not to mention the frustration from Thara and Christopher. All in all it was a great issue, and I think a good chapter in this World Without Superman story-line. I can't wait for the next chapter.

Green Lantern Corps #35 - DC

These are 2 fantastic covers on this book. The one on the right is by Patrick Gleason, who also does the interiors. The one on the lower left is by Nei Ruffino. I'm not sure who he is, but . . this is an awesome cover. With each issue of Green Lantern, and Green Lantern Corps, we're getting closer and closer to Blackest Night. I think with Scar coaxing the Guardians to venture into the Vega system themselves, at the end of Green Lantern #39, all the various players of this cosmic opera may be in place now. This issue takes place mostly on OA. With the recent arrival of the Red Lantern, everything is being thrown into turmoil. The guard, Voz, is having a bit of trouble with him, and it's getting all the Sinestro Corps members, which are also locked up, all riled up. Because of this, somehow, all the Sinestro Corps rings that have been gathered up and put on lock-down . . they've somehow broken out. So now, at the sci-cells . . it's basically an all out war. All the GL Corps members that were on planet are there trying to stop a mass-outbreak. Meanwhile Arisia and Sodam Yat have gone back to his home planet of Daxam to see just what's going on with Mongul. The planet itself is in turmoil, between the recent conflict between Mongul and Arkillo, and the rest of the Sinestro Corps trying to round up all of the rest of the Daxamites . . but Mongul still has it heavily guarded. Arisia and Sodam have to sneak onto the planet. Meanwhile, Soranik has gone back to Korugar the try to settle the unrest there. They're upset because Sinestro was supposed to be executed, but . . he escaped when they had the encounter with the Red Lantern. Now everyone on the planet it is a panic. But Soranik isn't there very long when she come face to face with Sinestro. "Hello Soranik. I want to have a little heart-to-heart between a father and his daughter." I kind of suspected this, but . . I didn't really know for sure. You know, between all these aliens and planets and stuff . . my spell-check really hates this entry every month. Anyways, this is a fantastic book. I think Peter J Tomasi and Patrick are doing an incredible job here. The stories are great and the art is perfect. And like I said . . we're just getting closer and closer with every issue. The anticipation is palpable.

Trinity #46 - DC

The Trinity, I think, are starting to 'feel' some of their connections to their old lives. Lois gets through, a little, to Superman by throwing him a bag of cookies. "They were baked by Ma." And as Superman is monitoring some of the electronic signals around the globe, Batman wants him to tune in on a specific one for him . . I think he wants to check in on Alfred. And they've come to a realization . . "These people don't quit . . but it was not we who taught them that . . it was they who taught us." Meanwhile, everyone is trying to figure out where Le Fey and her minions have gone. They can track the energy signature to the moon, but . . they aren't there any longer. Krona has taken them all to one of the poles. Where better to align with the worldsoul than the planetary poles. But the process is taking longer than Le Fey or Despero are comfortable with. "You have offered me this planet's worldsoul, if I replace it with the techno-child's spirit. I must extract both without damaging them too greatly." But they aren't going to have to much time because . . of all people, Kanjar-ro has alerted them of their position. "If you can chase the witch and her freaks out of her stronghold . . you've earned the right to come to the rescue of the great Kanjar-ro . ." Also, the Dreambound have gone after Xor, Konvikt. They believe that they can help each other, plus . . they can help restore Xor's honor. And, in the anti-matter universe, the Crime Syndicate's planet is pulling itself apart, because of what's happening on Earth. As much as he despises them, Enigma asks for their help in fixing things. "You're going to help me . . or we all die." We're down to the final issues. We can see the finish line from here. However Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley, Fabian Nicieza and Scott McDaniel haven't let up a bit. We're coming in for a strong finish and it should be a heck of a story.

Wolverine - Weapon X #1 - Marvel

I picked this book up on a whim. I know. I said I wasn't going to get suckered into these series, especially now because of the price of the books. But . . what can I say? I'm a sucker for Wolverine. Plus, right now, I'm not really sure if this is a mini-series, or an on-going. After reading the first issue, it could be either. Jason Aaron writes it, and Ron Garney does the art. Overall, story and art wise, I thought it was a pretty impressive book. Basically, what we have here is . . Roxxon has somehow obtained all of Canada's plans for their Weapon X project. You know . . the one that created Wolverine, Sabretooth, Maverick and others. Well there's a subsidiary of them, Blackguard that is a private military contractor. They provide security for companies operating in trouble spots all over the globe. Apparently they've gotten it in their heads to create their own batch of super-soldiers. Maverick has obtained this information and is passing it along to Logan. From there, Logan goes to Washington state to find one of Blackguards research facilities. The inside looks and smells just like what he remembers from his days at Weapon X. They even have a vat set up like the one they used to bond the Adamantium to his skeleton. The problem is . . they've got about a dozen more that look just like it. "So what the hell am I looking at here? A whole lot of killin' that needs to be done." In the back-up pages we get some info on all the characters, scientists, and just people associated with the original Weapon X project. This book has a lot of potential. It'll be interesting to see what they do with it.

Exiles #1 - Marvel

It's finally back. Well . . . relatively speaking. This book really didn't miss a beat. It's only been 4 weeks between this issue and the last of the New Exiles series. But . . it's back. This time the book is written by Jeff Parker and drawn by Salva Espin. I'm not exactly sure why they had to make the change, but . . they did. And, with the new change comes a new line-up. For this issue it appears that are team is going to consist of Polaris, Blink, the Scarlet Witch, Forge, Beast and the Black Panther. At least that's the team we have for now. You know with this book, things could change in an instant, and . . they often do. Something I've noticed already is that Blink doesn't remember being on this team before. And, Morph is still here. Although I don't know that he really is. It may be that the Time-broker has assumed his image to better relate to these characters. I'm sure we'll find out more about that in the future. Also, each of these characters were plucked out of their realities fractions of seconds before they were supposed to die. As far as their world's are concerned, they didn't make it. Morph, Time-broker, has offered to show them how their world's continued after they 'died' . . at some point. Most of the issue is spent explaining to the new guys what they do . . how and why. If you've followed the series, you know all of this. But, I guess it's good for the new readers. Anyways, by the end they're already sent off on their first mission. They've come to a world where Wolverine is battling Magneto. All the Tallus has told them is that they're supposed to help Wolverine overthrow Magneto. To which point, they've been dropped off in Africa . . close to Genosha. As they approach the city, they see a parade going on. All of the X-Men appear on a high-tech float with Magneto . . they seem to be celebrating a win. Logan's body is attached to the front, like a mascot. And his head is on a pike. It's going to be hard to help him beat Magneto like this. So, I thought this was an interesting beginning to a new chapter in this series. This has been one of my favorites for quite a while and I'm glad that it's continuing. But I think we need a battle cry. Any suggestions?

Echo #10 & #11 - Abstract Studios

Somehow I missed issue #10. That's part of the problem with being behind on these books. I usually have a week or two sitting there ready to ready, 3 or 4 when I took my vacation, but sometimes I don't realize I missed something until the next issue comes out. I can't really explain how I missed this one. My guy doesn't sell that may copies, so . . I don't think he would've run out. Well, either way, I had to go and pick up #10 before I could read #11. What a pain. Anyways, now that we've gotten to know Julie and Dillon a little better, now . . now we can start getting to the heart of the matter . . the Beta suit. We still don't know for sure what it is, but . . HenRi would really like to get it back, and they've hired Ivy to accomplish just that for them. Ivy is a hard-ass, but . . she doesn't seem all bad. When she comes across the carnage at the hotel that Julie and Dillon were staying at, she's genuinely affected. She even goes to HenRi for an explanation as to just exactly what it is they're after. She says that she can't just keep going after it blindly, not really knowing what she's after, and putting all the innocents and civilian lives around them in jeopardy. Once she learns the truth, and the destructive capabilities of the suit, she goes to Julie's sisters, Amy, and gives Julie a call. She's not really threatening Julie, but she is letting her know that if she could find Amy . . so could others. They're out in the middle of the desert having this conversation when that guy . . the one with the same alloy around his hand, comes walking down the road. Issue #10 ends with Ivy hearing some kind of crackling as the phone goes dead. We begin issue #11 by seeing that Julie has blasted a crater in the road trying to get them away from this guy. I mean, we're talking a crater probably twice the size of the road, and twice as deep. Which has Dillon royally freaked. An innocent comes by, and as he's looking into the crater the guy reaches up and grabs his leg . . he seems to have drained the life essence out of him. Anyways, as Dillon is yelling at Julie he grabs her arms. I'm not sure if it's his threatening posture, or the tone of his voice, but the suit sees it as a threat and begins to do the same to him. We also find out that Julie, or maybe the suit, still has some type of connection to Annie. Maybe it's the way that it molecularly bonds to the body . . it absorbs some of their essence, but it seems as if Annie is talking to Dillon through her. When Dillon is knocked out, it appears that he's having a dream about Annie and she's trying to give him some answers. However, the other guy takes the passerby's car and has caught up to them. The issue ends looking like this time he's going to take Julie out. I'm not sure if he's just trying to stop her, or if somehow he's trying to absorb to suit into himself. We don't really know what his motivations are right now. He just appears to be a nut. Either way, things are heating up quite a bit right now. This book is really getting exciting. We still have a lot to sort out, but . . it really seems like we're starting to get into the thick of things now. I think Terry Moore is doing a fantastic job here. I'm really enjoying this book, and I can't wait for more.

Gen13 #29 - WildStorm

I like these characters. I really do. But the story-line that they have running through this book right now is a little . . strange. The kids are trying to make it across country to Tranquility. They figure that's the safest place for them. Well, Megan and Dr Cross are hot on their tales. The problem is, Megan is an adolescent, and Dr Cross . . is even younger. They've both been regrown out of clones, but they haven't reached maturity yet. They wanted to track the Gen13's so they had to set out in their current states. Anyways, the kids have come across a skate-park, SK8-GRA-LA. There they've come across mass hysteria, cannibalism, and someone who claims she's a Gen14, Holly Denton, Meltdown. Megans got most of them captured in some type of bubble, Sara is flying off who know's where, and Eddie is about to become part of the soup-of-the-day. Anyways, they get out of all of this, with Meltdown's help and then Megan and Dr Cross show back up in their rolling lab. Apparently Megan is offering to help them get away from all of this madness. Unfortunately there's 2 things I don't like about this book right now. The first is the story. I've appreciated Scott Beatty's talent in the past, however . . on this book I'm a little clueless as to what the direction is. The second thing I don't like is the art. I'm not criticizing Mike Huddleston's talent, but . . I just don't get it. He has a certain style that I think doesn't fit this book. Maybe it's just to be different, but to me . . it's not really working. However, as I said, I do love these characters, so I'm trying to stick around hoping that it'll get better. Nothing so far, but . . I'm gonna' keep hoping.

Superman: World of New Krypton #2 - DC

This one is going to be a long one . . in this instance, 15 issues. However . . I think that James Robinson will need every page of those 15 issues to sort out all of this stuff with Superman and New Krypton. As well as having a new planet here, were also learning a lot about the habits, customs and beliefs, of the old Krypton. This isn't just Earth, with all super-powered inhabitants. This was an actual alien race. They came from a world that existed for millions of years before ours ever even burped up life. This is where I think Clark is going to have a hard time adjusting. I know he doesn't agree with Zod, or the Guild set-up, but . . this is a system that they've had in place for a long time. I think Clark is trying to instill some of his notions from Earth on a society that has gone through some turmoil in recent months . . and years. They need their structure so that they can begin working towards a semblance of normalcy. I know his intentions are good, but . . now might not be the best time to stir things up. He can temper their judgement, as he does when he's assigned with stopping some rampaging Thought-Beasts, but . . I don't think it's fair of him to go in and just expect change. Clark has been talking to someone from the Labor Guild, and there's some stuff that's being stirred up. At the end of the issue there's a big gala hosted by the Artists Guild, and some of the Labor Guild ends up taking control of the building, and some people hostage. Commander Gor, the one who led the charge on the Earth police, is the first to take action. "He's rounded up 30 members of the Labor Guild and his unit has Archer rifles trained on them. If Alura and the others aren't freed in 60 thribs, he intends to kill the lot." Clark is exasperated, but Zod? "Go back to Gor, trooper . . tell him I commend his improvisational skills. And tell him when the time has elapsed . . . to fire at will!" I know Clark wants to effect some positive change here, but . . he's got a serious uphill battle to make any progress. Greg Rucka assists James with the stories, and Pete Woods does the art. All in all I think it's a pretty compelling story-line. I think may just have to come to the understanding that this is a different world than the one he's know for the past 40 or so years. He may have to accept, and even embrace their differences. Either way . . it'll be interesting.

Solomon Grundy #2 - DC

This issue . . actually this series, has me a bit confused. I'm not really sure what Scott Kolins is trying to accomplish here. We know that the original Solomon Grundy monster comes from a resident of Gotham in 1875, Cyrus Gold. Somehow, he's been cursed to live this life over and over again . . a week at a time. Each week he's born on Monday and dies on Sunday. His personality, intelligence and etc. may change, but . . he's essentially the same monster. Last issue he came across Etrigan. This issue he finds and fights Bizarro. Before they enjoy breakfast together. Yeah I know. It's strange. And next issue . . it appears that he's fallen into the lap of Poison Ivy. Anyways, Alan Scott, for some reason is trying to break this cycle. He's got it in his head that if he can get Cyrus to forgive his original killer, then . . maybe he can finally rest in peace. But most of this issue was spent finishing the fight with Etrigan, and then . . rampaging across Gotham with Bizarro. Also, we keep having flashbacks to when Cyrus was originally killed. I guess we're just learning his origins. It's an interesting series. I'll give it that. However, like I said, I'm not sure what we're trying to accomplish here. Although I'm not sure where Scott is going with the story, his artwork is perfect for this series. It really conveys the nature and feeling of this character. He's a monster after all. His whole world consists of chaos and madness. And we've got 5 more issues of it to try to figure everything out.

Batman Confidential #28 - DC

I really liked this story arc. And it wasn't just because Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez did the art. Although that was a definite plus. Speaking of which, if Jose does any future work, they should really try to get Kevin Nowlan to do his inks again. The team-up or those two's talent was brilliant. They work really complimented each other's. I'm just sayin'. Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir wrote the story. First of all I liked the way that they took this relatively unknown character . . I think he only appeared on the TV series a couple of times . . and updated him to fit into the 21st century mythos. His origins and motivations were very convincing. I also enjoyed the interaction and dialogue between Batman and the Riddler. I assume this was one of their first team-ups. But what I really liked about these 3 issues is how they seemed to have the look and feel of the 70's style comics. This story could easily have been run in Batman or Detective during that time period and it would've fit right in. It really gave me a nostalgic feeling for this character. Anyways, having said that, the story doesn't really end here. Carson was the one who was actually going to steal the museum's money. She was going to use Victor as the scape-goat. Victor however, saw it as a sign and assumed his new identity. Well, at the end of this issue, it appears that Carson has bought into it also. She goes to visit Victor in prison and tells him, "Tutenaten . . we will destroy the Bat who hounds us both. I am with you . . . you are King Tut reborn, I am your Queen . . Ankhesanamum . . brought back by Aten to join you. Please my love . . call me Ankh." I think we're going to see these couple pop up again . . someplace. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable story-arc.

the Warlord #1 - DC

It's finally here . . one of the first books I ever started collecting as a kid. Well, actually Superman and Batman were my first, but . . then I saw this amazing book on the rack that was nothing like the other 2. I just had to explore it and figure out what was going on. It's a shame that Mike Grell isn't drawing it as well as scripting, but . . at least we get this amazing cover. Plus, Joe Prado and Walden Wong do a pretty decent job on the interiors. Overall, I think this book has a pretty good feel to it. It's not the same as Mike's work, obviously, but . . that's ok. With this first issue, it seems like we're trying to bring the story up to date. There's this explorer, Alysha Grant, who has discovered some interesting stuff in a mountain cave in Tibet. She brings back a dinosaur fossil, but . . it still has skin attached. She gathers up a team, under the tutelage of Dr. Archer, an anthropologist at a museum, and they head back to try to discover more. However, this time they encounter some resistance from the Chinese army. They make it into the cave, and find a pyramid shaped portal that takes them . . I assume . . to Skartaris. We also catch up on Travis Morgan's story. It was 1969 when he was flying his SR-71 over Russia and was shot down. He parachuted out, and landed in Skartaris. Now, he and Tara, with Shakira and Jennifer by his side, are the monarch's of Shamballah. Currently they're getting an influx of wildlife and refugees from the Shadow Kingdom. This is also Machiste's land. My guess is, that's where this group of adventurers landed, and . . they seem to be making their presence known. Travis examines one of the boys and finds a bullet wound in his armor. I've always loved this series. It's interesting how this role has been thrust on Travis, since his arrival. He's constantly in turmoil as to whether to accept it, or try to live a quiet normal life. But nothing is ever quiet and normal in Skartaris. Eventually something happens that brings him right back into his role as protector. I'm sure Mike will also have to expand on the way time works here. Travis has been here for almost 40 years now, but he doesn't look a day older than when he landed. I remember the running joke through the first series was . . if he landed with just his pack and essentials, how come he never runs out of bullets? Anyways, I could go on and on, but . . I think I'll save some of my other feelings about this book for future posts. I wouldn't want to spill everything on the first issue now. Would I? Speaking of which, I included the cover of First Issue Special #8. That's the place where all of this began. I wonder, at the time, 1975, if Mike knew he was creating something so epic.