New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS)

Batman:  Arkham City #4:  Didn't we already know that Hugo Strange was the villain?  I want to say we did.  Or, at least, we saw enough of his face in the last issue to guess?  At any rate, this issue moves along pretty well.  Dini is literally putting all the pieces in place (Poison Ivy in the Cenral Gardens, for example) for the game, and I'm getting increasingly excited for it.  He also throws in some nice touches, like mentioning the awesome exploding foam from the last game.  By the by, Mark Hamill's voicing of the Joker is so iconic that I can't help but hear his voice reading the Joker's lines in this issue.  Similar to the "inFAMOUS" comic, I'm not sure I would recommend this series to anyone who's not going to play the video game.  But, if you are (or you played the first one), it's a fun read.

Batman:  Gates of Gotham #4:  Meh.  I can't say I'm overly intrigued at this point to find out the true identity of the Architect.  I mean, I guess in theory it might not be either one of the Gates brothers, but it seems pretty likely that it's somehow one of them.  I liked this series better when it was basically a vehicle for Dick Grayson to play older brother to Tim, Cassandra, and Damian.  I mean, you still see that in this issue, with Dick comforting Tim after his defeat, something I'm not quite sure you'd see Bruce doing in the same way.  But, unlike the first few issues of this series, the "mystery" has more or less taken over the focus, and I can't say it's all that interesting.  Although it's tangentially related to the Wayne family, it's not enough to deliver on the series' initial promise, that somehow the heirs of the Wayne family -- Dick, Tim, Cassandra, and Damian -- were going to right some historic wrong that involved the family.  I'll reserve judgment until we see how Higgins ends it, but I have the sense that I'm going to wind up disappointed or, at least, bored.

Batman Beyond #8:  Of all the titles I collect, this one is the one most affected by the reboot.  Beechen was doing an excellent job creating the world inhabited by Terry and his supporting cast.  Despite the fact that I'm happy to see news that the title will return in some form at some point, DC definitely disrupted what Beechen was doing here by suspending it for the time being.  This sort of title -- one built on seeing familiar characters in a new light -- needs time to blossom, to build the layers of the story.  DC shut down the title just as Beechen was finding his rhythm.  This issue is particularly an odd one to complete the series, given that Terry hardly appears in it and it centers around a villain I don't recognize.  Although we might see some winners from the reboot, the disappearance of this series is definitely one of the losers.

Dungeons & Dragons #9:  If I had one small complaint about this series over the past few issues, it was that the background of the characters wasn't entirely clear.  What was Juliana doing at Al'Bihel?  Why was Varic guarding her, particularly if he's an Earth-born elf and not eladrin?  Rogers resolves almost all these issues here.  First, I have to say, before I get into the issue, that Rogers does an amazing job pulling together all the stories he's told over the last few issues.  Fell's Five getting lost through the portal because of the extra World Key gave us the Al'Bihel flashback, which sets the stage for the quest that Juliana's father, Toveliss, sends Fell's Five to complete in this arc.  It's really masterful and just gives you a sense that Rogers is in total control over the overarching story he's telling here.  Looking at the story itself, it's clear that Juliana was at Al'Bihel to collect the Guide of Gates, which Toveliss wants to use to crush his enemies.  Rogers doesn't explain how Fell's Five just happened upon Toveliss -- given that previously we learned that they could've landed anywhere at any time -- but, as Toveliss says, "there are no coincidences in the Feywild."  Along those lines, we learn that the giant who was trying to build the portal in the first arc has likely returned on his own quest for the Guide of Gates.  Again, it was a pleasure to watch this intricately woven plot -- for the whole series -- continue to develop.  Technically, the banter was as good as ever.  (More Bree!)  The only drawback to this issue was the art, which was shared by three different artists, often willy-nilly.  It occasionally disrupted the reverie that this book normally inspires.  But, it doesn't mean I'm not waiting impatiently for the next issue! 

Flashpoint #4:  Honestly, although I enjoyed this issue, I have no idea how Geoff Johns is going to wrap up this story in just one issue.  At this point, it seems clear that the fact that he doesn't have time to wrap up the story is more or less the story.  As Flash says in this issue, it's probably impossible for him to be able to undo everything Thawyne has done, since it requires knowing the exact details of so many different variables.  After all, some things have to stay different given the upcoming reboot.  At this point, then, it's just a matter of what exactly Flash and his alternate-universe Justice League are going to be able to change and how exactly they're going to achieve that.  Even that, though, seems like a tall order in one issue, given that Thwayne just makes his first appearance on the last page of this issue.  Johns is a pretty amazing writer, so I have faith in him, particularly since all the issues so far have been pretty exciting.  So, we shall see.  In terms of the book itself, it appears that the Enchantress, and not Element Woman, was the traitor, though I can't say I really care all that much.  Also, the big emotional moment -- the death of one of the Captain Thunder kids -- was lost on me given that I'm still not really familiar enough with minor DC characters to know who they are.  I'm not sure why Johns has decided to focus on these fairly minor characters, since I feel like that time could've been better spent focusing on why exactly Aquaman and Wonder Woman hate each other.  At any rate, it's time to just get the reboot started.

Superboy #10:  This issue actually isn't terrible.  (Hurrah!)  We get the history of Tannarak, the immortal wizard who's been manipulating all the Hollow Man events over the last few issues (and, apparently, millenia).  Lemire does actually really tie up some loose ends via this tour of Tannarak's history, so at least I'm not as confused as I was.  However, I'm still not entirely sure why he picked Smallville as his next pied-à-terre, unless he predicted the arrival of Superboy.  I mean, if he didn't predict it, what were he and the Tooks doing for the last 125 years?  Were they just lucky that Conner appeared and gave them a decent vessel?  (Boy, that sounds dirty.)  I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this issue so much is that, for the first time, we actually got some decent art.  It made me realize how much I really, really dislike Pier Gallo's pencils.  At any rate, I'll be glad when we move into the reboot.

X-Factor #223:  After we spent some time last issue spinning our wheels, this issue essentially sends us onto the street burning rubber.  Cerberus is the latest supernatural canine entity on Rahne's trail, and Werewolf by Night leaves her to try to stop him.  X-Factor arrives to help, after Siryn (or, Banshee, I'm not sure what we're calling her now) used her powers to "convince" Pip to locate her.  Rahne, meanwhile, goes into labor and is "helped" into a cabin by a mysterious young man.  David does a good job of injecting some excitement back into this story.  He's managed keep track of a lot of different characters, adding new ones into the story without losing focus on the existing ones.  It's always been one of his strongest skills, and he displays it to great effect here.  Morever, we get Madrox and Siryn realizing that Layla probably resurrected Guido, given his uncharacteristically aggressive behavior.  I'm guessing the post-Rahne arc is goign to be the search for Guido's soul and, really, how cool will that be? 

New Comics!: The Bat-Edition

Batman #712:  If you've read this blog a while, you know that I usually wind up sorely disappointed with Tony Daniel's endings.  He generally spends the first few issues setting up an interesting story, but he drops the ball at the end, usually because he's trying to do too much.  In this issue, the Two-Face/Gilda reunion goes pretty much how I expected it would, with Two-Face (and Batman, for that matter) not entirely sure whether it is actually Gilda and, if it is, what to make of her.  However, Daniel leaves a huge question mark (heh) when it comes to the Riddler.  I'm somewhat perplexed by the importance of the documents Riddler found in the Falcone's library.  First, why would a bunch of files detailing who he was/is lead to his "restoration?"  Second, why would Falcone have them or, to put it another way, what did Falcone's files have that the Riddler couldn't find elsewhere (like, you know, Google)?  I'm assuming they're the files that Gilda implied she had at the end of the Sensei arc, but Daniel doesn't exactly make that clear.  But, even if they are, what would they have that the Riddler himself wouldn't know?  I'm also unclear as to why he had to kill (seemingly) Enigma?  Is it because the Riddler of old -- who he seems to be trying to re-become -- didn't have a sidekick/daughter?  As usual, Daniel leaves me annoyed and not intrigued by these questions.  Whenever Daniel sets up these twists they almost always feel like they're being done just for the twist's sake and not because the plot organically went there.  Moreover, Daniel -- as he has in other arcs -- takes up space he could've used to actually sell the twist by adding a random and totally unnecessary Catgirl sub-plot.  Although this arc is an improvement over other arcs, I'm still surprised DC is allowing Daniel to helm the title, given the significant number of authors who could be doing a much better job with it.

Batman:  The Dark Knight #3:  Reading these issues, I'm transported to 1990.  The style of plotting, writing, and artwork is almost identical to "Torment," the first arc of Todd MacFarlane's "Spider-Man."  Unfortunately for Finch, I don't really mean that as a compliment.  It's hard to find something positive to say about this arc.  Finch's characterization of Bruce is just...bizarre.  He's playing him like some rank amateur, showing more emotion over Dawn Golden than he has over anyone ever.  Moreover, the plot is just...yeah.  Penguin appears to have made a deal with a demon (who may or may not be Ragman), for reasons that have yet to be clarified but involve Golden.  Golden herself is implied to be more than just a Gotham socialite, and I'm assuming we'll find out more now that Batman found her.  Sub-plots include Etrigan (about whom I'm clearly supposed to care or know more) confronting the aforementioned demon (who's eating homeless people) and a little girl (who looks like Golden) stealing the Batmobile.  In other words, this whole story is a huge mess.  It's of course made worse by the fact that it's the third issue in SEVEN MONTHS.  The real chutzpah, though, is that we'll barely finish this introductory arc only to have the title reboot itself.  It seems kind of unbelievable to have two #1 issues of the same title in the same year, but I guess DC is just that shameless.  I sincerely doubt I'm going to be still getting this title in six months...

Batman:  Gates of Gotham #3:  OK, so, to be honest, I think something should probably happen soon.  I mean, not that blowing up a bunch of buildings isn't "something happening," but, at this point, I'm feeling a little ho-hum about this series.  Basically, the only real mystery is whether the guy in the suit is in fact Nicholas Gates or a descendant equally set on revenge.  I can't say I'm really dying to find out the answer.  But, the more notable aspect of this book is the portrayal of Dick Grayson as a mopey failure.  The first few issues of the Bat-books in which Dick took over the cowl did a good job of showing Dick go through an adjustment phase while, at the same time, giving him credit for the fact he's been a superhero since he was, like, twelve.  However, recently, the Bat-book writers seem to actually be taking a few steps back when it comes to portraying Dick as Batman.  Both Higgins here and Daniel in "Batman" (he gets clocked by Gilda) show Dick as mildly incompetent.  We only have a few more months of Dick as Batman, so this lament is soon to be overcome by events, but I'd like Dick to go out winning not whining.

Batman and Robin #25:  Oh, Jason fucking Todd, you are just sex on a stick.  I mean, first, you're naked, like, A LOT.  But, you're not naked in the usual pin-up way, the casual showering-as-if-no-one-was-watching way that we usually see in comics.  Oh, no.  Not you.  You're naked in the "Yeah, I may be gay, I may be straight, I may be bi, but any way and every way you'll have a good time with me" way.  Yum.  I had my doubts about Winick's Todd, only because Tomasi is so good that I wanted to see what he could do with Jason.  But, by sexing up Jason, as he has in this series, Winick has really let Jason shine.  He's not just a smart-ass anymore.  (Winick also portrays that part of Jason's personality better than anyone; see his taunting of Bruce in issue #23 and his needling of Dick and Damian in this issue.)  By making him into this edgy, sexualized bad-ass, Winick has moved him past just being the angry young man seeking revenge.  He still fills the anti-Dick role (or, more accurately, the "Dick without a moral compass" role), but in a more organic way.  This arc is the first time I've really felt Jason Todd is a character in and of himself and not just a MacGuffin created to move along a plot like he has been in the past.  Of course, God only knows what DC is going to do to screw up his character in the reboot but, at the very least, Jason Todd finally got to be a real boy at long last.  Lest I be accused of gushing, I will mention a negative here.  In fact, it's a pretty big negative:  Winick never actually tells us what the hell is happening.  Why, exactly, did the mysterious woman want Jason in the first place?  Winick never tells us.  That happens sometimes with Batman comics, but it didn't really feel like Winick was doing it on purpose, creating a sense of the futility of Batman's efforts to control the world around him.  Instead, it honestly felt like he was so busy focusing on the characterization he actually just forgot.  I can't say it ruined the issue for me -- since the characterization WAS so good -- but it's that sort of inattention to detail that makes Winick not quite raise to the level of Scott Snyder or Pete Tomasi.

Batman Beyond #7:  This issue moves the series forward nicely.  Terry faces a real challenge as he attempts to stop Blight and Bruce stops playing "creepy guy in a dark cave" by deciding (for the first time) to fully take the reins of Wayne Enterprises.  The problem, of course, is that the DC reboot is wiping out this series, so the fact that this series shows such promise makes it all the more difficult to accept.

Detective Comics #879:  C...r...e...e...p...y.  I've said several times that I felt like Scott Snyder is creating his own Joker in his characterization of James Gordon, Jr. and this issue confirms that, since, for most of it, I thought the guy strapped to the gurney was James, not the Joker.  It's that sort of implied parallel that makes what Snyder does here all the more gripping; the crime James is planning -- turning needy children into psychopathic killers -- is, quite frankly, totally something the Joker would do.  Jim's discover of the box of keys of James' victims advances the plot, with the Commissioner now aware of what we've known since last issue, that James is in fact a homicidal psycho.  By my reckoning, Snyder has two more issue to go before the reboot, so God only knows where this story is going.  He's been building it on a slow burn for so long that I assume it's just going to explode.  I can't freaking wait.  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Francavilla's art is an equal partner in these stories, and I applaud the editor who put him together with Snyder for the James Gordon, Jr. stories.  Doing so required knowing that Jock (who's amazing) wouldn't convey the same creepiness as someone like Francavilla would.  Given that I feel editors so often screw up stories, it's nice to applaud their ability to help make one every once in a while.  It bears repeating:  best book on the market.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman and Robin #24:  This issue is less porn-tastic than last issue (insert sad face), but it still manages to be enjoyable nonetheless.  After the fun of seeing some Bruce and Jason banter last issue (or, at least, Bruce silence and Jason banter), we get Dick and Damian resuming their usual two-man show, with Damian objecting (loudly) to the idea of working with Jason to rescue his former sidekick, Scarlet.  Winick's decision to bring back Scarlet is kind of odd, given that her previous departure had been so beautifully handled by Morrison.  It wasn't like they worked together that long, so it doesn't ring particularly true to me that the nameless villain who kidnapped her would:  a) know of her existence in the first place, b) be able to track her down, and c) be able to convince Jason he cared enough to find her.  My guess is that c) is what eventually leads to his redemption, when his heart grows three sizes that day.  Moreover, it's still weird to me that the plot of this issue is essentially random, something beyond Dick or Jason's control.  Jason is a fascinating anti-hero because he knows the Bats' tricks.  But, instead of seeing some brilliantly executed revenge plan implemented by Jason, we're just chasing down yet another bad guy who randomly kidnapped his former sidekick.  All that said, I still enjoyed the issue, mainly because of the aforementioned banter, and I'm interested to see whether Winick takes it to the next level with three of the four Robins on one side.  Maybe Tim will make a surprise appearance...

Batman Beyond #6:  "Industrial Revolution" continues in this issue, which is a pretty rollicking good time.  Beechen focuses mostly on the plot at hand here -- the return of Blight and what it means for Wayne-Powers Enterprises -- and only hints at some of the other sub-plots, such as Dana's creepy brother.  The only drawback of this issue has nothing to do with it:  "Batman Beyond" isn't on the list of titles being re-launched or rebooted or bootlaunched or whatever it is exactly DC is doing in September.  I really hope it's not the case, but it's hard to stay engaged in this series if it's going to disappear in two months.  Beechen's done some really great work over the last few issues and I'd hate to see it swept under the rug just so Jim Lee can feel all important.

Fear Itself:  Spider-Man #2:  OK, this issue is fine.  It's a serviceable "Fear Itself" sort of book, people are scared, blah blah blah.  It has some ridiculous moments, like when Spidey tells some guy he seemingly just met that he didn't kill the guy he thought he did because Spidey was there watching and the guy was fine.  (Follow that?)  Sure, OK, whatever.  The real missed opportunity here is an artistic one.  In the first few pages, we see a tour of Peter's worst fears, including Aunt May dead in a hallway.  (By the way, Slott did a much better version of this same plot in "Amazing Spider-Man" #655.)  Wouldn't it have been mind-blowingly awesome if they would've shown the scene from "One More Day" where she's dying on the bed?  Like, given us some hint that, on some level, Peter knows what happened?  I know they're trying to play down all that, post-"Brand New Day," but I feel like Slott might've been ballsy enough to give it us.  Ultimately, it's the problem with these sort of tie-in mini-series.  You get a distilled version of the character that pleases the masses but doesn't really do much for fans.  At any rate, it's a fine issue of an OK mini-series connected to a meh cross-over.

New Avengers #13:  The two most annoying questions of the last four issues of "New Avengers" have been:  will they kill off Mockingbird and how does the current-day plot connect with the 1950s-era plot?  We get the answer to both questions in this issue and it may just redeem the story.  The connection between Fury's mission to track down the Red Skull with the present-day story is that the Skull had developed a Super-Soldier Serum/Infinity Formula hybrid, which Fury and his team recovered in the 1950s-era story but Superia and H.A.M.M.E.R. stole in the present-day story.  Once the New Avengers recover the formula from Superia, Fury appears, tells us what it is, and applies it to Mockingbird at Hawkeye's urging.  We knew Mockingbird didn't die thanks to "Avengers" #13, but making her into a long-living, super-soldier bad-ass might just make me forgive Bendis for going all Women in Refrigerators on her.  Bendis really keeps us guessing until the end of this arc and, although I like where we wind up finding ourselves in the end, I think the split nature of the book over these five issues might have been a bit much.  When the connection was finally revealed, I have to admit thinking, "Really?  All that just to make Mockingbird a Super-Fury?"  The most intriguing question to emerge from this arc may actually be what Victoria Hand's true allegiance is.  Of course, someone like Hand actually probably doesn't have a "true" allegiance, so it's going to be interesting to see how Bendis teases out that sub-plot.  Otherwise, I think it's definitely time for us to move to the next plot.

Red Robin #24:  Well, I definitely didn't see that end coming!  (What a way to go, indeed!)  The Bat-boys really just have women throwing themselves at them, don't they?  Isn't Ra's al Ghul trying to get a hand on Tim's DNA?  I guess we'll see.  I only vaguely remember Promise from the Mikalek arc.  Nicieza pretty deftly weaves her into the plot, though, with the Assassination Tournament serving as cover for Promise to take out Mikalek, which winds up becoming the main plot (pretty clever, Fabian).  I'm going to have to re-read "Red Robin" #18-#19 to remember what Promise's deal was.  At any rate, I'm intrigued how Tim saves himself from this situation (if he indeed wants to do so)!

X-Men Legacy #250:  The primary story is pretty fun.  Legion has six personalities who managed to escape during "Age of X," and Professor X leads a team to find them so Legion can re-absorb them.  (I thoroughly enjoyed his frustration that Cyclops had added Frenzy and Magneto to the roster and Magneto having to remind him that they follow Cyke's orders now.)  I hadn't realized (because I don't think Carey made clear) that each of Legion's personalities had its own body during "Age of X," but it would make sense, given the number of people who were floating around Fortress X.  I'm assuming the creepy guy at the end is one of Legion's missing personalities, and it's intriguing that he himself appears also to have the ability to hold multiple personalities (who then appear to "see" events occurring elsewhere, though this part was a little, um, unclear).  The secondary story is possibly more exciting if only because it presages (hopefully) the return of Havok, Polaris, and Rachel.  I'm in the mood for a good old-fashioned space epic, which I'm hoping we get.  I'm a little concerned, though, that it's going to still be a while (despite Rogue's warning that time is of the essence) given that we're also staring down "Schism" this summer.  All in the all, it's a pretty good issue for "X-Men Legacy."  I'm still not a huge Carey fan, since I find everyone he writes to be so...joyless.  But, I'm intrigued by where we're going with the Legion story, so I consider it a win.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman Beyond #5:  OK, so, one of the challenges of reading this series is that, except what I gleaned from watching a few episodes of the TV show, I really know next to nothing about the universe of "Batman Beyond."  My guess is that I'm supposed to know who the villain on the last page of the issue was, why Dana's brother was in prison (and why his creepy comment about being glad to have returned was so ominous), and who exactly Paxton Powers is/was.  However, I don't know any of those things.  I'm tempted to do a bunch of Internet research, but I think I'll wind up just being confused, since it's still unclear what elements of previous "Batman Beyond" works -- from the TV show to the previous comics -- Beechen is using.  However, despite not entirely following all the ins-and-outs, I still thoroughly enjoyed this issue.  Beechen has a great ear for dialogue, and he gives us a really great version of a cranky Bruce Wayne.  I hope he gives us some background next issue without falling too far on the "super-villain explaining his grand plan while our hero is perched precariously over a ravine" side of such divides.  At any rate, I'm excited to see where this plot goes. 

Dark Sun #4:  Our rag-tag team of (sort-of) heroes gets one more step closer to the Tomb of Ianto in this issue.  Over all, it's a pretty solid issue, with Irvine doing a particularly great job of quietly building the suspense for the first few pages as the team makes it way through the too quiet tombs.  However, a lot of the details of the world are unclear to me, and we're far enough into the series that it's becoming distracting.  For example, Rubi tells us that she can sense Haskyr, since he's a fellow member of the Veiled Alliance; but, when we first met them in issue #2, they appeared to be unaware of the other's connection to the Alliance.  Can members only sense other members when they're revealed?  Moreover, the only real information we've gotten on the Veiled Alliance is in the recap page (paging pet peeve #2), which reveals they're an underground group of mages trying to restore Athas to its former glory.  Irvine probably doesn't have enough time to flesh out these details, which is a shame.  The biggest drawback to the issue itself is the art.  I normally like Bergting's pencils, but it feels a little rushed in this issue.  At times, it was hard to tell who was saying what to whom and the action sequences were somewhat confusing to follow.  The last page, however, is great, thanks to Ronda Pattison's colors; after four issues of a coloring us a bleak, desolate world, we suddenly get a light, green vista, and you realize how much restraint we've seen on the colors over the course of the series.  I'll be sad to see the series end next issue, just as we're seeing some hope sprouting in this really sad world. 

Dark Sun #5:  I'm sad to see this series end.  I feel like Irvine has left us with enough material for a bang-up ongoing series.  First, he leaves several mysteries unresolved here, almost all of them dealing with Rubi and the Veiled Alliance.  When she first appears in issue #2, she doesn't seem to understand the important of the amulet she gave to Grudvik and can't tell that Haskyr is a fellow member of the Alliance.  However, in this issue, it's clear that she's known much more than she's let the others think.  For example, she knows that Ianto's tomb holds something called Ianto's seed.  If she knew that, I kind of figure she knew the key she gave to Grudvik opened the tomb.  If so, why did she give it him in the first place?  Also, her sudden departure also raises all sorts of questions.  If she could form a portal to leave the tomb, why couldn't she just use that portal to get them into the tomb?  Who's this militia that will be chasing her?  Where is she going?  Second, Grudvik and Aki make a really compelling team, with Grudvik's quiet stoicism and Aki's quick wit.  I hope this title sold well enough for an ongoing series or at least another mini-series.  I'm going to keep it on my pull list just in case something appears one day! 

Fear Itself #2:  OK, this issue is better than the first one, so maybe this series won't be terrible.  Odin brings the Asgardian gods to what appears to be New Asgard, preparing for battle, and the Serpent assembles his warriors, sending them into the world to wreck havoc and spread fear.  Meanwhile, we see the heroes try to get a grip on events as they happen, so they don't really do much this issue, though I'm sure that will change shortly.  I was kind of hard on Odin in the last issue, mostly because I don't read Thor comics so I'm not entirely sure what his deal is.  But, he's a bit more clear here on the fact that the gods will be lucky to survive a war with the Serpent and don't have time to worry about Midgard.  As tempting as it is, I'm trying to keep a handle on my collector obsessivism, because I really have no desire to spend hundreds of dollars chasing down all the tie-in issues, particularly since Marvel did such a poor job of making them count in "Chaos War."  But, it would be useful if Marvel produced some sort of "core book" reading list.  At any rate, I can't say it's worth $3.99 an issue, but at least it's not terrible so far.  (How's that for a back-handed compliment?) 

Fear Itself:  The Home Front #2:  This issue is pretty forgettable, if not downright bad.  The Speedball story is OK, but, unless Gage really throws us for a loop, it seems pretty clear that Ms. Sharpe is going to come to an understanding about Speedball by the end of this story.  We'll probably all hug.  It's just starting to seem a little pat, and we're only two issues into the storyline.  Otherwise, it's fine.  Just like last issue, Gage adroitly presents the anxiety and fear that I imagine regular people would feel in a world of super-humans.  We don't get an insight into those feelings often, and Gage does a really great job with them.  The other stories are actually pretty terrible.  I still have no idea how Jimmy Woo and his "Agents of Atlas" are.  The story is basically a post-script to events we originally saw in the "Fear Itself" prelude, where the Red Skrull attempts to track down Skadi's hammer.  The dialogue is awful, the characters are wooden, and the plot seems irrelevant.  We then have a one-page "Purple Man" story (again, who?) that left me confused, which, really, given that it's a one-page story, is an accomplishment.  Finally, we have a totally random story about Liz Allan, Harry Osborn's ex-wife, that seems to screw up continuity, since Liz says they just visited Harry in New York, but I'm pretty sure Harry fled New York after the events of the "Origin of the Species" arc in "Amazing Spider-Man."  If next month's issue is as irrelevant and predictable as this month's, I'm pretty sure I'm canceling this series and saving myself $3.99 a month. 

X-Men Legacy #248 (Age of X Epilogue):  This issue actually clears up some questions left lingering from "Age of X," particularly who Revenant (aka Phoenix) was.  We learn here it was Rachel Summers, who got caught in the event while trying to connect with Professor X telepathically, inadvertently rendering her mind separate from her body.  I was excited to see Rachel here.  Havok and Marvel Girl are two of my favorite X-Men, reminding me of the awesome issues in the early and mid-200s from my youth.  They've been gone WAY too long and, hopefully, this issue sets in motion their return.  Carey cleverly uses "Age of X" to move along some long-stalled plots here, such as giving Legion more control over his powers (again) and addressing Gambit and Rogue's relationship problems (which I feel like have just been left to linger for a long, long time).  I'm hopeful that we actually get to see Legion start on the road of playing a role as something other than his usual "greatest mutant threat alive."  Also, I'm sure the psychological effects on the X-Men of "Age of X" are going to be totally forgotten soon, but it's interesting seeing Carey not completely ignore them immediately.  I still find Carey's writing somewhat...overwrought, making "X-Men Legacy" a book that I read more from obligation than enjoyment.  But, even if I don't exactly emotionally connect with his characters here the way I do with Gillen's in "Uncanny," Carey definitely does some interesting things here.  I actually find myself anticipating the next issue for the first time, possibly ever, in this title.

New Comics!: The Teens Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  The Children's Crusade #5:  OK, now we're getting somewhere.  After the somewhat odd (and ridiculously-named) "Avengers:  The Children's Crusade - Young Avengers" one-shot, we see Iron Lad fully intervening in the timestream, not only by saving Wanda and Billy from Wolverine (as he did last issue) but by bringing the Young Avengers and the Scarlet Witch into the past, or, more precisely, the moment Jack of Hearts blew up Ant-Man at the start of "Avengers Disassembled."  I'm torn on how I feel about the events in this issue.  Focusing just on the issue itself, it's exactly what I was hoping we would get.  The action moves quickly, it has funny lines, and we at least get to see some progress in the plot.  I actually gasped at the last page, the reveal that the Scarlet Witch was back, so clearly Heinberg is doing something right.  Focusing on the larger story the series is telling, though, I'm worried.  I liked Ant-Man so, to be honest, I'd be excited to have him return.  If it ends there, I'm good.  But, this issue reads like a thinly-veiled attempt at ret-conning not only "Avengers Disassembled" but also "House of M."  I mean, on some level, it makes sense that Iron Lad would want to make Stature happy and help her to see her dad again.  I can see how Patriot would be unable to stop him from doing that, despite accurately predicting what would happen in that event.  But, the fact that Iron Lad swears his technology works and, surprise, it doesn't just strikes me as overly convenient.  The fact that it's such a deus ex machina makes me feel that the editors are more concerned with undoing Wanda's actions than making us believe the story.  If they go all the way here and undo the mutant genocide, I have to wonder what the whole point of "Second Coming" and Hope Summers was.  I mean, it won't have been that big of a deal that Hope activated five new mutants if, a few months later, the Scarlet Witch is just going to re-activate all the depowered mutants anyway.  The "House of M" event has brought something unique to the X-Men, giving the team a certain focus that it lacked in previous years, when it was just Magneto v. all.  The introduction of Hope (who herself veers toward deus ex machina status) was at least allowing it to be undone slowly and elegantly.  Having Wanda just wave her hands and undo it would be cheap, and it would make some of the interesting stories still left to be told in a post-"Second Coming" world moot.  I complained before that not enough was happening in this book, but, now, I wish I was more careful in my wishing, because I'm worried where we're going here.  If it ends with the resurrection of Ant-Man, cool.  If it goes further, I'm concerned. 

Batman Beyond #4:   So far, "Batman Beyond" stories have existed on two levels:  the plot itself, focusing on the near-future present in which the comic book is set, and the back story, revealing - slowly - where this universe fits in Batman continuity.  This issue incorporates two significant elements of the current Bat-books -- "Batman, Incorporated" and the Unternet -- into the Batman Beyond Universe.  After having his identity revealed publicly, Dick Grayson announces that he was, indeed, Nightwing, the first employee of "Batman, Incorporated," and ceased being the costumed hero due to a catastrophic accident (he's wearing an eye-patch, which I'm guessing was part of it).  The back-up story involving Batman's best friend, Max, mentions the Unternet, which has appeared frequently in "Red Robin."  The "Batman, Incorporated" angle is clever; we see here more of the idea, elaborated in the other Bat-books, that "Batman" could've been multiple different people, a clever dodge that, to be honest, I didn't initially anticipate when Bruce revealed himself as Batman's financial backer.  As always, the Bruce/Dick relationship is the core of the Bat-books, so it'll be interesting as more is revealed showing us why the two aren't speaking.  The plot itself isn't super strong independent of the back story, but Beechen is building a world here, so I'm happy to give him the time to do it. 

Teen Titans #93:  Meh.  I continue not being super-impressed with this series.  This story's OK in a totally formulaic way.  Red Robin narrates about how they're all trying to be more than sidekicks, someone gets zapped into another dimension and the other Titans have to go find her (because it's never a boy), Kid Flash acts impulsively, Ravager is a jerk, etc., etc.  Even the love triangles are pretty boring.  I miss Damian, whose all-too-brief stay was the only thing that seemed to move the characters outside their very well-established portrayals.  We saw a positive side of Rose (and a negative side of Cassie and Connor) that we hadn't seen before.  I'll stay for the conclusion of this arc, but, if it doesn't get better, I think I'm done, sadly.

New Comics!: The Bat Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Ok, we've got a lot of comics this week, so I split them into three different editions! 

Batman #708 ("Judgment on Gotham:"  Part 1):  This issue throws a lot at the reader at once, resulting in a dizzying story that has a lot of potential.  When Dick suffers from some sort of spell after getting hit in the chest by a mugger, I assumed it was the result of the poisonous gas to which he was exposed in "Detective Comics" #872.  However, instead, it's the result of a "wound" inflicted by Azrael.  (I subscribe to eight Batman comics and I don't remember him getting wounded by Azrael.  I'm assuming it happened in "Azrael," which annoys me not only because we don't get an editor's note telling us when/where it happened but also because apparently reading eight Batman books isn't enough.)  I'm intrigued by Dick's "Prodigy" dream, since the Prodigy looks like it could be Jason Todd (assuming Hine keeps his reversion to red hair), who's been quiet for a while.  The rest of the issue sets up the cross-over issues in "Red Robin" and "Gotham City Sirens" (another book I'm going to have to get just to stay with the cross-over).  I've never been a fan of Azrael stories, so I can't say I'm particularly enthused.  But, the appearance of Ra's al Ghul at the end gives me hope that the storyline will pick up a little.  At the very least, Guillem March's art is really spectacular in this issue and I can't wait to see what he does next. 

Batman and Robin #20-#21:  These issues are great.  (I seem to have neglected to review the first one.  Oops.)  This arc is really a return to form for the book, a welcome relief after we all had to suffer through the previous arc.  Tomasi builds the story well, revealing some clues in the second issue but also raising new questions at the same time.  The best part, though, was the opening sequence, seeing the family all together.  Tomasi really "gets" everyone here:  Dick and Tim's engaging in affectionate brotherly banter, Damian pretending to want to be somewhere else but still being there, Alfred getting to fuss over all them, Bruce actually relaxing.  The best part of "Batman and Robin" had been the Dick/Damian relationship, and Cornell (and a lot of the writers of the other Bat-books) ignored that in the last arc.  So, I take off my hat to Tomasi for returning to what makes this book special and taking the time to develop the characters a bit before diving into the mystery.  Speaking of the mystery, I really didn't see coming the connection between the victims of the White Knight and the inmates of Arkham Asylum.  Tomasi shows real skill in making that revelation not only feel organic (and not a stunt, which it could have easily felt like) but also making it call into question who the White Knight is and what his motivations are.  I can't wait to see where this story goes.  The art is also great.  The scenes of mostly white near the end of the second issue really leapt off the pages and underscored both the creepiness of the White Knight and also the mystery behind his identity. 

Batman Beyond #1-#3:  I just got a chance to read these issues and they're a great start to the series.  Beechen gives a lot of hints of where future storylines could go while giving us an engaging and fun read.  Batman v. the Justice League?  It's a pretty cool way to start a series.  As a guy who can get obsessed with continuity, I found myself wondering how closely the series will tie to the animated series and the various comic series.  I haven't seen all the animated series or read any of the other comics, so I was wondering if I should be buying up back issues or making my way through the TV show.  So, I was glad to see Chris Conroy himself address the issue in the letters column, suggesting that the book is going to combine the best of both the TV and comic series.  As such, I'm going to try not to be OCD about it and just enjoy how the series develops.  I know there are a lot of Bat-books out there now, but, if you've got an extra $3, I'd say this one is actually one of the ones worth your money. 

Red Robin #21:  This issue, in theory, continues from "Teen Titans" #92, but I was left feeling like I had missed an issue somewhere between the two.  At the end of "Teen Titans" #92, Red Robin had re-joined the team and it appeared they were going to go after the Calculator for ultimate control over the Unternet.  However, in "Red Robin" #21, we only see Tim, and he's fighting a group of four super-villains called "the Madmen," who are the living embodiment of the Unternet.  Um, OK.  Once you get over the sudden shifting of gears, though, the issue is fine.  It's just weird that Nicieza totally abandoned the Teen Titans and the Calculator.  At any rate, I'm glad we've put the Unternet to rest, because it was definitely getting old.  We've spent a lot of time on it, and I'm not really sure it was worth it.  Part of the answer to that question will be the extent to which anything that's happened in the last few issues will have repercussions in future issues.  The next issue is yet another cross-over -- this time with "Batman" and "Gotham City Sirens" -- so it'll probably be a while before we have an answer.  I'm looking forward to us getting back to basics and focusing more on Tim, particularly as he handles his transition to being a superhero in his own right and not just someone's sidekick.