Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #11: We have a lot going on here, and I can’t say I’m totally clear on all the connections and details. As far as I can tell, someone named Black Marvel put the new Hornet in touch with Prodigy, and Prodigy in turn told Ricochet to keep an eye on Thorne, without telling Ricochet about his (Prodigy's) connection to Hornet. If he had, Ricochet likely wouldn't have sided with Ben at the start of this story, which he only did because Hornet was trying to hijack Cassandra's humanitarian convoy and Ricochet came to the fairly logical conclusion Ben was the lesser of two evils. But, it's unclear why Prodigy wouldn't reveal that connection. Ricochet is upset not only because he doesn’t know this new Hornet but also because Black Marvel is allegedly dead. (That happens a lot, though, Ricochet. I mean, if you're going to be in this business...) Meanwhile, Death confirms Ben’s deterioration is due to his brutal attack on Thorne, but his face is the least of his worries when Cassandra makes it clear she knows he’s the Scarlet Spider. Elsewhere, Thorne makes Hornet and Ricochet swear revenge, and Prodigy arrives on the scene just in time to arrange that: they kidnap Cassandra Nova and have Slate tell Ben he has 24 hours to surrender to the police for his beating of Thorne or they’ll kill Cassandra. A lot of the narrative until this point focused on Ricochet trying to be a stand-up guy and the Slingers being heroes, so it seems a little outside character for them to threaten Cassandra’s life in order teach Ben a lesson about morality. Also, Prodigy is a little too conveniently all-knowing here. In addition to his involvement in this mystery surrounding Black Marvel and his connection to Thorne, he also knows Slate was part of something called the Diogenes Initiative. I always trust David to give us the answers we want, but it may be time to start doing that.
Detective Comics #970: Tynion does a great job here of showing Tim barreling towards his future in a way consistent with the character he is now. Instead of learning a lesson from the arrogance that led his future self to believe only he alone could solve Gotham’s problems, Tim is repeating this mistake by believing only the team alone can do so. He wants Batgirl to bring the Birds of Prey into the team’s "system." Then, they would hack the GCPD’s response system so the officers address less dangerous threats while the team’s strike forces respond to the more dangerous ones. It’s exactly the kind of brilliant idea Tim would totally develop, but Tynion shows how Tim’s belief in his Utopia is dangerous. Jacob warns Kate people are aware of Tim's attempt to supplant the government, and the military is preparing a strike force to take out the team. Meanwhile, the Victims Syndicate makes its first strike, capturing Clayface to show the world Batman is working with a dangerous super-villain. (It’s one of those moments where we’re supposed to believe no one’s put that together so far, and I could just suspend my disbelief enough to buy that.) Meanwhile, Lonnie has developed a series of cyber-assassins who imitate the team’s movements, which spells trouble for everyone. All in all, it’s a great second installment of the “Fall of the Batmen,” showing how serious of a threat not only the Syndicate working with Lonnie is, but Tim on his own is as well.
Falcon #3: I wasn’t really digging Blackheart as the villain here, but Barnes has me convinced. First, he represents exactly the sort of wish fulfillment that could actually tempt Sam, given how world-weary he is right now. Blackheart offers a world where African-Americans aren’t second-class citizens, the same dream Blackheart offered Dre. Moreover, he really develops the relationship between Sam and Shaun. Sam approaches the struggle from an old-school perspective, telling Shaun being a hero isn’t about choosing your battles but fighting the ones you have to fight. But, Shaun punches several holes through those arguments, pointing out taking on gangs isn’t the same as taking on demons, as much as Sam insists it is. Barnes gives Shaun a really clear voice, particularly through using modern references (I loved him changing his shield’s name from Beyoncé to Rihanna because he realizes Beyoncé is probably going to stay with Jay-Z). It makes him more than a superfluous sidekick, as Joaquin was. I really look forward to seeing where we go from here.
Star Wars #40: The best part of this issue is something we haven’t previously seen, namely Leia doubting the wisdom of Luke’s commitment to the Force. Chulco and Ubin lead a Partisan assault on the mining citadel to distract the guards while Benthic and Luke break into the citadel to bring down the shield, allowing Han and Leia to torpedo it into oblivion. Assembling at base, Chulco convinces Luke to accompany him on his pilgrimage to the void because he’s lost his connection to the Force. Leia is furious at Luke for going, dismissing his desire to become a Jedi as a luxury they can’t afford. Gillen makes sure to remind us Leia comes to this position honestly; we see the last conversation she has with her father, as he orders her to smuggle out the Death Star plans. It also recalls the conversation Leia had in "Star Wars Annual" #2 where she admits she’d sacrifice Alderaan again to keep the dream of the Rebellion alive. Gillen is reminding us of the burden of leadership she feels. However, he’s also showing her as green; she thinks she sees the larger picture, but she doesn’t really. That said, she’s not wrong they’ll miss Luke in the short term as Queen Trios reveals to General Kanchar the citadel was just a test run: she’s now deploying the Leviathan, a “Continent-class crawler,” to break the crust.
Titans #18: I wanted to love this series, but, at this point, I acknowledge I’m done. This issue wraps up the Troia story in a remarkably simple way, with Donna just punching her into a portal and thereby snapping her connection to her avatars. It’s supposed to be a big moment, where she refuses to accept she’ll become Troia. But, everything implies she’ll totally become Troia, driven insane by her immortality. Nothing Donna does here changes that. Moreover, Roy admits he loves Donna to Troia, something Donna conveniently overhears. Roy’s profession of love is a bad call on many levels, mostly because it fuels Troia's rage by reminding her how she loses everyone she loves. Why remind her of love when it’s exactly love that hurt her so badly? Moreover, Donna is open to Roy’s love, something Abnett hasn’t even remotely hinted in the past. Everyone else is reduced to just shouting talking points. In other words, it’s a mess, and I’m over it.
The Wild Storm: Michael Cray #3: We get a number of interesting developments here. First, Michael is sent after Barry Allen, making it somewhat clear his series is going to be dedicated to taking out this world's DC heroes. Here, Barry is a schizophrenic genius inventor; he’s developed an armor and pharma supplements that give him the Flash's powers. He’s convinced (or his paranoia has convinced him) artificial intelligence is going to eliminate humanity, so he’s killing the geniuses working on it. Michael is dispatched to kill him, and we’re supposed to believe he instead supports his vision. (He's likely only saying he does to move Barry where he wants him.) Moreover, Cray is able to deploy his power after the scientist studying it reveals it’s related to emotions; he imagines having sex with her and it deploys. (We later learn she’s somehow able to see his thoughts.) Finally, it seems the female member of the team who took out Green Arrow last issue might have a long list of metahuman kills. It's not entirely clear how these stories tie into the larger story Ellis is telling in "The Wild Storm," but we'll see.
X-Men: Blue #17: We get a non-canonical take on 2099 here, showing us a world where the original X-Men took over Alchemax and put the focus on the “X.” We’re not really privy to how exactly they did so, but the kids are horrified to learn they’ve subjected humankind to the same sort of bleak existence mutants suffered in the “Days of Future Past” storyline. The X-Men 2099 are trying to right that wrong, stealing and distributing medication for the humans the new Legacy Virus has afflicted. Cerebra eventually fixes their time-travel device and convinces Hank to travel to the past in the hope their actions there can ensure this future doesn’t happen. The other X-Men resist, but Hank makes the decision to go, and they suddenly find themselves confronted with a past version of the Generation X team. I wasn’t really a fan of the “Cross-Time Caper” when we first got it in “Excalibur,” and I can’t say I am here. Although Bunn makes a good attempt to shock us with each new setting, we’re barely introduced to those settings, making it hard really to connect to those emotions. Also, I still don’t really understand why the time paradigm has been unlocked. Previously, the past was the past, but now it isn’t? I’m not sure the answer is going to be all that interesting.
Also Read: Bloodshot Salvation #4; Pathfinder: Worldscape - King of the Goblins #1, Pathfinder: Worldscape - Lord of the Jungle #1, Pathfinder: Worldscape - Red Sonja #1, and Pathfinder: Worldscape - Warlord of Mars #1; Youngblood #7
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