Detective Comics #962: I mostly like what Tynion did here, though I'll admit I'm still left a bit confused. Luke successfully introduces the Batman A.I. into Azrael, allowing him to join the good fight against Ascalon. The big development is Nomoz sacrificing his life to tell Jean-Paul Ascalon is his brother, though this part seemed odd to me. After all, didn't we just learn Jean-Paul was grown in a lab? OK, maybe Ascalon was grown from the same genetic material as Jean-Paul, but Tynion seems to be supposing an emotional connection there I'm not sure Jean-Paul would feel. After all, Jean-Paul didn't even know if he had biological parents, as far as I can recall. Is Tynion saying Jean-Paul Valley, Sr. is the biological father of Azrael and Ascalon? Is Azrael going to go hunt for his biological mother? This part remains unclear. That said, the resolution of the story mostly works. Ascalon has uploaded the personalities of all Gotham, giving him some sort of power I don't quite understand. But, Zatanna uses the Gnosis Sphere to give him all the answers to all life's questions. She knows human life is about the questions, not the answers; as a result, Ascalon comes to understand humanity and, inexplicably, summons his human form. (This part seemingly supports the idea Jean-Paul and Ascalon are biologically, and not just genetically, brothers, but I still don't understand the mechanics of it, if you will.) Jean-Paul is left paralyzed after Ascalon broke him over his knee, a parallel to the "Knightfall" story I guess now never happened. But, the big development is a thankful Ascalon informing Bruce Tim is still alive (the reason Bruce was chasing the Gnosis Sphere in the first place). Moreover, Ra's al Ghul is seemingly impressed by Jean-Paul Valley, Sr.'s manipulation of the events from behind the scenes and invites him to meet their mutual "benefactor." Again, this issue could've been stronger. You got the sense Tynion was rushing through the details to advance the larger plot on an expedited timeframe. But, the plot still at least makes sense and I do feel like that larger plot is progressing nicely.
Youngblood #4: Other than the physics-defying moment when Bowers has Shaft fire his sword from his bow without the use of a string, this issue is pretty solid. The Byrne brothers are revealed to be fulfilling their father’s mission by using Help! to identify methumans to traffic to interested buyers. But, Help! seems to be simply a means to an end, raising funds for whatever their eventual plans are. Dolante and Petra break into ByrneTec to get more information about Man-Up’s disappearance and stumble upon the truth just in time for the Byrne brothers to send the Chapel brothers (I think) after them. Shaft almost gets eliminated as he goes after Cybernet himself, but he’s saved by the rest of the team, with Margot revealing Dolante and Petra went rogue. (The woman who actually saves him is the white-haired woman with a “Y” on her t-shirt, and I’m not sure if she’s Supreme, who we see Dolante and Petra meeting a few days earlier.) My several-weeks break in reading comics was most obvious here, as I couldn't remember how the team discovered Help! would know about Man-Up's disappearance or how they identified Cybernet as an enemy. But, I'm back in the saddle, and I'm looking forward to learning more.
Also Read: Titans #14
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