New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Captain America #8:  OK, so, initially, I didn't remember that Machinesmith appeared as the villain in "Steve Rogers:  Super-Soldier."  It wasn't until a fair amount of Google research that I "discovered" that, despite having read (and enjoyed, if I remember correctly) that mini-series.  Clearly, it merits a re-read, since Machinesmith looks like he's going to play a prominent role in the next few issues.  (To be fair, Steve mentioned in a recent issue that Machinesmith was behind the loss of his powers in that mini-series, so I probably should've taken Brubaker's hint and re-read it between that issue and this one.)  At any rate, I thought Brubaker did a great job setting up the reveal, making it seem like Sharon was in cahoots with someone as she's locking down the Quincarrier, but, in the end, revealing just how talented of a spy she is by having her be the only one to realize Machinesmith was still acting behind the scenes.  The only off-note in this issue to me was the Bravo sub-plot, in that I'm not really sure why King Cobra and his new Serpent Society robbing a bank would serve as a distraction from Baron Zemo trying to spring Bravo from the Raft.  I mean, it wasn't like the Raft guards were involved in foiling the robbery or like Cap and Sharon do nothing but guard Raft prisoners all day.  Overall, between my Machinesmith confusion and the Bravo sub-plot, I spent most of this issue confused, an unusual occurrence for a Brubaker book.  But, I'm willing to reserve judgment about this arc for another few issues while Brubaker continues unfurling the story.

Dungeons & Dragons #14:  I almost have to stop reviewing this comic because it's so good that I just can't stop raving about it.  Adric noting that it's a good rescue when Khal and Danni kiss?  Varis shooting Khal a look when he learns Khal has referred to him as his "sidekick" in his letters to Danni?  Bree wondering why villains never flee "to our lair at the pub?"  Rogers continues to deliver great moments in this title.  But, this issue starts to get us somewhere on a number of plots as well.  The immediate plot -- rescuing Danni -- thickens when it's revealed that her "colleagues" are actually foulspawn, serving a beholder who's waiting for some sort of celestial event to happen, for reasons that aren't quite yet clear.  But, it also serves as Khal's origin arc, given that we're learning more about him and his motivations.  Rogers also has Tisha start quizzing Varis about why he was exiled (something unusual for elves to do), implying (I think) that we might get some answers on Varis' origin story soon.  This arc so far has been tighter than the first few arcs of this title.  Although they were enjoyable, they blended together in a way that often got confusing, particularly when it came to getting down everyone's origin story.  By the end of this arc, we'll have wrapped up Khal's origin story and hopefully set the stage to move onto some of the other characters', including Varis'.  I'm excited to see where it goes.  (Also, we have still left hanging the mystery of Philomena and Justin, who Rogers implied in issue #7 would return after possibly coming by some trouble.)

Dungeons & Dragons #15:  We get a pretty great conclusion to Khal's origin arc here.  I loved Adric breaking the summoning circle, forcing the beholder to flee the now-unbound demon it had summoned (the whole point of the celestial event for which it was waiting last issue).  But, I was particularly impressed by Rogers' use of Tisha here.  He had mentioned in issue #12 that tieflings created kruthiks, but, here, we see why that comment was relevant, with the kruthik queen recognizing Tisha as her "maker" and bestowing upon Tisha her egg.  In so doing, the queen essentially gave Tisha control of the kruthik horde, which would do anything to protect the unhatched egg, which Tisha uses to rescue the team.  As he did with Varis last issue, Rogers hints at the stories about Tisha we don't yet know, particularly those that explore the darker side of her tiefling heritage.  But, for the meantime, I like how he uses that heritage to help her be the hero.  I mean, even Bree Three-Hands promises not to complain about Tisha being evil anymore.  It sounds like we're going to delve more into Adric's back story in the next arc, and I think that's a story I can't wait to hear.  All in all, good stuff. 

Secret Avengers #22:  I can honestly say I have absolutely no effing idea what happened in this issue.  Remender does an OK job establishing the changed roster for this title.  His main challenge, though, is that the previous authors used a pretty rotating set of characters in their stories.  Besides Captain America (and Sharon Carter, who apparently cannot exist independently of him), we're only really missing Moon Knight and War Machine, both of whom were pretty incidental to most plots anyway.  In their place, we get Captain Britain and Hawkeye.  Captain Britain now seems to be a member of a Green Lantern-esque organization that protects the Multiverse (rather than just the Universe, as GL does), something that you would think would keep him sufficiently busy.  But, instead, he joins the Secret Avengers.  Hawkeye's addition was covered in the most recent .1 issue.  Fine.  It's not the most eloquent "Look, we changed the team!" issue I've ever read, but it works.  But, then, it all goes to hell.  The Secret Avengers conveniently get a distress call from Pakistan on their first day of school, and they deploy...to do something?  From what I can tell, a Pakistani woman displays the ability to swallow in order to protect her and her son from a suicide bomber (because all Pakistani men are suicide bombers blowing up villages...in Pakistan...).  This event "activates" some other...people...around the world, who exhibit their own powers and have catchy names like "the Urn" and "the Swine."  Everyone converges on this woman's location, and one of the...people...creates "diminutive" Avengers?  Maybe?  I'm not entirely sure.  I think she does.  At any rate, a battle ensues (shocker) and the...people...take the woman and, unknown to them, Ant-Man.  In the end, it's revealed that some dude is manipulating events, sitting at the head of a table that includes the likes of Dr. Doom, Jocasta, a Kree Sentry, Lady Deathstrike, Nick Fury, Vision, a cyborg Wasp, and some other guy.  I'm guessing it's not really them, but, um, maybe it is?  Basically, as I said, I have no effing idea what the hell happened and I've half a mind not to buy next issue to get some answers.  I will, but, seriously, I need to see SOME answers if Remender is going to keep me reading this title.

Venom #9:  Um, wow.  First, I was excited about this issue before I even opened it, because, on top of Rick Remender writing the issue, we were getting the great Stefano Caselli to draw it.  Awesome.  I haven't been a huge fan of Fowler's art, so I found it a welcome change.  But, then, I read the issue, and, wow, I'm even more impressed than I thought I would be.  I mean, innocent people die.  I mean, not just people:  a small child dies.  To be honest, I can't remember the last time I read a comic where a small child died.  It's rare enough to read a comic where an innocent person dies, but, to have a small child died?  Don't get me wrong:  I'm not celebrating the fact that innocent people die.  In fact, I'm celebrating the fact that an author actually shows how awful deaths connected to costumed shenanigans are, given the fact that we usually only see heroes and villains die, only to be resurrected six months later.  Remender really hits you with a one-two emotional punch here, using these two deaths to remind us that not everyone gets resurrected and to drive Flash totally over the edge.  I mean, Flash doesn't even just kill "The Hijacker:"  he tortures him.  He breaks off his finger, drives him to terror, makes him beg for his life, and then bites off his head.  (If you haven't guessed, this issue isn't for the squeamish.)  I'm intrigued by where Remender goes from here, particularly since the end banner of this issue promises that next issue will be a "new beginning."  First, Flash clearly is falling deeper and deeper into a sociopathic well, and Remender compounds this tragedy with the fact that Flash knowing he's falling doesn't mean he's able to stop himself.  You have to wonder what hitting the bottom of the well is going to look like.  Second, if I'm not mistaken, the military has some way of knowing when Flash turns into Venom (the bad one).  Are we going to see some sort of repercussions?  I mean, Remender seems to have engaged in some gymnastics to keep Flash's moments of losing control hidden from his superiors.  At some point, someone is going to put two and two together.  It's all very interesting.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Detective Comics #4:  I know I sound like a broken record, but, as usual, I end a Tony Daniel story more confused than I was when I started, and not in a good way.  First, I don't really see why Daniel started this issue with the scene of Batman interrogating an informant 72 minutes before the main events of the issue.  Given that I couldn't even remember where we left matters last issue, trying to place this scene within the story's continuum resulted in me starting off this issue confused and frustrated.  (What happened 75 minutes ago?  20 minutes ago?  5 minutes ago?)  The "main event," as the title says, is OK:  Dollmaker has Batman "perform" for buyers interested in buying his body to prove that it's really him.  But, I was pretty sure that Dollmaker was originally just trying to get revenge on Commissioner Gordon for killing his father.  So, why did he change his focus to  Batman?  I think we're supposed to believe Gordon was just the bait, but last issue made it pretty clear that Dollmaker wanted revenge on Gordon.  But, as they're escaping the hospital, Dollmaker orders his crew just to kill Gordon.  Isn't that kind of odd?  I mean, his motivation in theory was to get revenge on him, but he just orders a hasty murder that he himself doesn't "get" to commit?  It implies the motivation was selling Batman in the first place, but Daniel doesn't say that.  Are we supposed to assume that he kidnapped Gordon because Batman would be led to believe that he did so just for revenge and thus fall into the trap?  But, that assumes that Dollmaker knew Batman would ascertain his identity, which brings me to my main complaint from last issue, which is that Batman did so with no explanation of how.  As you can see, to my mind, it all just winds up muddled.  Moreover, Daniel also doesn't wrap up other dangling plot points.  We never really discover who Olivia is or how she got involved with Dollmarker in the first place and we end the issue with the Joker's "mask" still hanging in police HQ with no info whatsoever on what he's doing.  After feeling the same way about pretty much every one of Daniel's arcs on "Batman," I've come to conclusion that I need to cut my losses and cancel this title. Six Bat-family books should be enough to keep me entertained. 

Dungeons & Dragons #13:  This issue is, without a doubt, the most fun I've ever had reading a comic book.  I started trying to keep note of the witty banter, to prove just how funny it is.  But, part of what makes Rogers so brilliant is that the banter isn't just funny in and of itself, but it's hilarious if you've been reading this series for a while and understand the relationships between the characters.  Rogers also seems to be tightening up his storytelling.  In previous arcs, I was occasionally confused by some of the smaller points of the plot.  But, this arc has been remarkably tight, with every scene flowing from the previous one.  Along with "X-Factor" and possibly "Batman," this series is the best written comic I read every month, and you should be reading it.  (I'm now going to go read it again.)

X-Factor #228:  Peter David is just so freaking good.  This issue was amazing.  For the first time, it dawned on me that Madrox may actually wind up dead -- or something approaching dead that would keep him from being in the title for a few years so that Alex can conveniently return from space in time to take over the agency.  The revelation to the rest of the team that Layla resurrected Guido was just so well done.  I feel like David really excels at the pacing of these stories.  Some authors (or editors) would've turned this secret into the "Clone Saga" and we would've spent the next two years screaming to the book in our hands, "OMG, he doesn't have a soul!  Are you people stupid?"  Instead, David has built the tension over the last several issues, only to have it explode here as Layla considers resurrecting Jamie.  I like that David provided a specific reason for why the rest of the team had to learn the secret.  But, we can't exactly count out Jamie yet, since we end this issue again with the scene of him (or some version of him) staring at the dead bodies of some version of himself and Layla.  It's pretty clear David has something up his sleeve.  Moreover, as if all these twists and turns weren't enough, David allowed Hangman to have his moment, to be the hero, inspired to be so by his son.  I have absolutely no idea how David writes a cast this big and gives everyone his or her moment, given that so many authors with huge rosters (I'm not even going to pretend I'm not looking at you, Bendis) wind up ignoring half the team.  Instead, even the secondary villain gets a moment.  Awesome.  I even got past my annoyance over how chatty and hip Bloodbath was, because I eventually realized it's part of the way he tortures his victims.  All in all, this whole Hollywood arc has been awesome and I can't wait for its conclusion.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Dungeons & Dragons #12:  As we enter the second year of this title, Rogers really starts delving into the emotional lives of these characters.  All this issue is full of Rogers' great banter and wit, it's also a darker story of love.  We learn here of Adric's younger brother, Tymon, who always wanted to go to a dwarven hold, but unfortunately died before it could happen.  We don't learn how he died, but Adric follows Khal on his damn, fool idealistic crusade home in part to see it.  I admit I teared up a bit when he said, "Hey Tymon.  I'm in a hold.  It's beautiful.  Wish you were here."  If that weren't enough emotion for one issue, we also learn that Khal's love is dead.  Khal suspected as much when he realized that her mother and sisters were forging her letters, which we learn they were doing to hide their shame that she somehow woke up the kruthik, a reptile beast who we see throughout the issue terrorizing both the countryside and the hold.  I can't imagine Khal is going to take it well.  Rogers adds to the mystery of Tisha here as well.  Tieflings apparently created kruthiks, though, despite that, Tisha asserts that she cannot control them.  In the middle of a fight with them, though, we see a mysterious hand (that, to me, looks like Copernicus Jinx's) dispatch the creature.  Tisha lies to Bree that it fled because she blasted it, but it's clearly not the case.  I'm not sure if it's part of the deal she made in the Feywild, but I'm sure we'll learn the reason behind it eventually.  This issue is a great and, if you're not reading this title, it's a perfect place to start.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Dungeons & Dragons #11:  This issue is awesome, the culmination of all the storylines Rogers has kept going over the last 12 issues.  As expected, he does indeed pull a rabbit (actually, several) from a hat in this issue.  The "guy," as I referred to him last issue, who I initially confused to be the Seneschal's master, turns out being a golem assigned to protect the Guide of Gates.  Last issue, when the Seneschal told Fell's Five (or, Four, at that time) that he was going to consult with his master, he was lying.  He was really just going to check to make sure the Guide was still in the vault, being guarded by the golem.  That makes much more sense.  Moreover, I'm clearer now that Thrumbolg stole the Guide AFTER the debacle in the dungeon from issue #5.  I think I knew that, but Rogers makes it more explicitly clear here.  Rogers gives us a great ending as well:  Toveliss gets his comeuppance when it's revealed that N'Ehlia, who he was willing to leave phased forever, is the long-lost Lord of Al'Bihel.  Adric gives him the Guide (which he promptly destroys), denying Toveliss the win.  I love that Rogers left their "relationship" as fraught as it was in the beginning, if not even more so.  The whole theme of this series so far is that, no matter how often Fell's Five win, they're almost always in a worst place than they were when the story started.  This issue is a great testament to that, showing just how attentive and tight of a storyteller Rogers is.

However, Rogers does border on some unbelievable events here.  The first appears to be an error.  In this issue, we discover that Trasgar is blind and his shout of recognition from the end of last issue is because he recognized Varis' voice (and not Adric himself, as implied).  However, Varis never says a word in his presence, not in this issue, nor in the end of issue #10.  Second, I'm still not sure why Adric mentioned N'Ehlia's name in the first place when they were fighting the golem.  If I remember correctly, the two of them were in each other's presence for all of five minutes or so in issue #5 and an even shorter time in issue #9.  So, I don't understand why Adric immediately thought that N'Ehlia would've known the shutdown word, even if Adric knew N'Ehlia knew about the Guide.  Finally, the fact that Thrumbolg's men carry out the Guide because Bree stashed it in the golem, who Fell's Five just happened to know the Seneschal would demand be removed from the premises, crossed into the deus ex machina territory for me. 

For the most part, though, this issue does such an amazing job of wrapping up the loose ends and tying together various storylines, all while giving us great dialogue and fast action, that I'm more than willing to overlook these oversights.  I'm intrigued to see what the next arc will be.

X-Men Legacy #256:  OK, honestly?  I'm just not a fan of Mike Carey.  Similar to the last arc on this title, I should be LOVING this story, given that it involves some of my favorite characters and a cool premise.  But something about his writing just leaves me cold.  This issue seems to lack emotion, so I have trouble really feeling the key moments, like the tour of Friendless' memories of torment or the fear over Rogue (and, to a lesser extent) Frenzy's well-being when they enter Kythri's Highway.  I mean, otherwise, the story is pretty solid.  I'm not entirely sure that I previously understood that the station contained close to a billion people, but everything else pretty much fits with what we knew.  I don't really want to cancel this title, but, honestly, I think I'm close, given that we're now going to have FOUR core X-Men titles.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Captain America #2:  Brubaker and McNiven deliver a great issue here.  Although the story is a little "Inception"-esque at points, I thought Brubaker was ingenious in using the dream dimension as a vehicle for creating a villain who was Cap's contemporary during the war but who also hasn't aged.  Bravo could really turn into a great new Cap villain, given that he's got all the hallmarks of an arch-nemesis (personal grudge, romantic competition, competing abilities).  It also helps that McNiven's amazingly crisp artwork helped really sell the sense that the dream world was just as real as the real world.  I'm not sure if the huge Captain America that attacks our Captain America is Bravo, but I'm excited to see!  Brubaker seems to have quickly moved past the occasionally awkward character-introduction moments we saw in the first issue and is now going full throttle into this new chapter.  Despite how I feel about the unceremonious dumping of Bucky, I'm glad to see Brubaker get to stretch his creative muscles and focus on stories about Steve.  It's been a while, and I'm hoping it'll have been worth the wait.  So far, so good. 

Captain America and Bucky #621:  Well, I guess if I can't have an adult Bucky, the kid version isn't bad.  I thoroughly enjoyed the wise-cracking Bucky we got in this issue.  He manages to balance out Steve's "goody two-shoe"-ness, giving the partnership an edge and, in fact, even convincing Steve to act uncharacteristically brash.  (Flirting!  Actual flirting!)  As a result, it's a fun issue, even as the authors begin to address larger issues, like Bucky beginning to realize the consequences of killing.  It's an interesting place to start, given that we know Bucky will do all the killing in his burgeoning partnership with Cap, one of the darker aspects of their relationship that is rarely noted.  It'll be interesting to see where Brubaker goes with this story, particularly given the excellent work he did in focusing on Bucky's brutal past as a killer when he was writing about Bucky's transition to becoming Cap.  At any rate, the combo of humor and seriousness made for excellent reading and I'm becoming increasingly more excited about this series. 

Dungeons & Dragons #10:  OK, I admit to being confused about what, exactly, is happening here.  Last I remember, Fell's Five went to Al'Bihel and discovered that Thrumbolg -- the cyclops from issue #5 who was trying to invade our dimension by using world keys to open a dimensional gate -- stole the Guide of Gates.  Cool, I get that.  As such, Fell's Five go to Thrumbolg's stronghold to steal back the Guide.  Right, makes sense.  I even get that they cleverly pull a bait-and-switch ploy by trying to convince Thrombolg's Seneschal that they're merely the planned distraction and, in exchange for information on the main attack, they get to be sent home and to see the Guide.  Cool.  But, the problem is that the "guy" the Seneschal consults in deciding whether to accept the deal is NOT Thrombolg.  Thrombolg is a "crazy one-eyed giant," to use Adric's description.  The "guy" the Seneschal approaches not only has two eyes but is definitely more than a crazy giant.  So, does Thrombolg work for him?  Does anyone know of the "guy's" existence?  Confusing.  Rogers still has an issue left in this arc to reveal the truth (and to sort out the revelation that Trasgar from the original Feywild adventure survived).  He's pretty good at pulling these sorts of rabbits from his hat, so we shall see.

Superboy #11:  Um, yeah.  Although I enjoyed last issue, this issue is, I'm sad to say, a return to form.  It's all a series of deus ex machinas, from the Phantom Stranger revealing he gave Conner a figurine imbued with his powers, to Simon magically having a death-ray visor, to Phantom Stranger "helping" Psion Lad return the souls of Smallville's population to their bodies.  Moreover, the plot is even further muddied since Lemire is forced to abandon the "Simon as future bad guy" sub-plot as a result of the impending reboot.  Looking over these issues, I think my greatest problem with Lemire is that he just can't write dialogue that doesn't sound wooden to me.  The conversation between the four teens at the end feels totally forced; you don't get any sense that they have any affection for each other, despite the fact that we're supposed to believe that Lori, Psion, and Simon make Smallville home for Conner.  Finally, the less said about Gallo, the better.  In the end, this series is the one I'm most excited to see rebooted.

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! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman #711:  Daniel reveals here that the "teensy little job" that Gilda Dent asked the Riddler to perform was helping her fake Two-Face's death in front of Mario Falcone.  Allegedly, according to the Riddler, Gilda is trapped in a relationship with Falcone and needed Two-Face's help in removing herself from it.  Obviously we've got more happening here than anyone is revealing.  Gilda needed Mario to believe Harvey was dead, for unclear reasons, though it seems like it has something to do with allowing her to have a freer hand in arranging something related to the mysterious Jade Society.  I'm not entirely sure what game Riddler is playing at this point, but he appears to be back to his old tricks so it's anyone's guess.  Daniel sets up a good story here, but Daniel always sets up a good story only usually to disappoint me in the end.  So, I'm reserving judgment until we see where this arc goes.  In the meantime, it's a treat to see two of Batman's iconic villains working together.

Batman:  Gates of Gotham #2:  One of the best parts about the Bat-books (and, paradoxically, one of the reasons why I didn't become a regular reader until recently) is that they have a mythos and a history you have to spend some time getting to know.  Whereas the X-Men are pretty easy to get (to paraphrase Bill Murray, "humans and mutants, living together!"), the Bat-books require an understanding beyond just the basic origin story in order to fully enjoy them.  Snyder and Higgins really get that, on a basic level, and it's why "Gates of Gotham" is as enjoyable as it is.  They've woven together the Waynes, Cobblepots, and Elliots in a really intriguing way, tying their histories together in a way that makes their presents all the more complicated.  I mean, having to save Tommy Elliot or Wayne Tower?  Tough call.  They've also given us a main villain who could be either Gates brother (or both) returned from the dead or a descendant of one of the brothers seeking revenge for a reason we don't quite yet understand.  But, perhaps best of all, our protagonists in this story are four of Bruce Wayne's five children:  Dick, Tim, Cassandra, and Damian.  I'm also assuming Jason will appear at some point, just as I'm wondering under what circumstances will Bruce eventually appear.  Snyder and Higgins have built the suspense, and I'm excited to see how it's all going to go.

Dungeons & Dragons #8:  This issue may be the best yet.  It is just non-stop.  I really honestly marvel at how Rogers makes each of these characters unique.  It's hard to write good banter, but it's even harder to write good banter that isn't just banter for banter's sake, but actually reflects the personality of the speaker and allows you some insight into the character.  Rogers manages to accomplish this task and sustain it throughout this issue, and it's a marvel to behold.  Moreover, the action is gripping.  Fell's Five are stuck in the Feywild and fall victim to a traitorous (with good reason, but still traitorous) gnome.  But, in typical Fell's Five fashion, things go from bad to worse when Juliana's evil father makes an appearance.  I think it's probably time for Rogers to start connecting these dots, since I wound up being more, rather than less, confused about Juliana's origins than I was after the last arc.  (We could also use a little bit more on Varic.  He has implied a few times that he's Earth-born, but we saw him in the last arc already in the Feywild -- and attached to Juliana -- when Adric arrived.)  But, I trust Rogers to get us what we need, so I'm not rushing him.  In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the good, clean fun.

New Mutants #26:  OK, so, first, I have to say, I love the new approach to the New Mutants, giving them the responsibility of being the team cleaning up the X-Men's loose ends.  The X-Men definitely have some fascinating loose ends, so it should keep the book running for quite a while.  Second, Abnett and Lanning really chose to begin with a great loose end.  Sugar Man using Nate Grey to power his Omega Machine to find a way home?  Awesome.  It totally makes sense in the context of the characters, so it doesn't feel like they're forcing anything to create a loose end.  Plus, the pared-down team helps a lot.  The book was getting a little crowded, so removing Cannonball, Karma, and Magik (who've been the focus of the last 25 issues) really gives some of the other characters room to grow.  The only note of caution I'd give them is not to go to the "X-kids" well too often.  It worked a few years ago, but the New Mutants have really graduated from that role, so making them feel like they have something to prove really makes it feel like we're going backwards rather than forwards.  Focusing on Dani learning how to handle a leadership role is fine and interesting, but having the New Mutants feel like they have to prove they're competent is a little 1980s.  All in all, though, it's a great start to a new era. 

X-Men Legacy #251:  OK, to be honest, I can't say I'm overly intrigued by this arc.  I'm a little Legion-ed out lately, and Carey seems to have forgotten rule #1 of team-book writing, which is to include some comic relief.  Given that no one's used Iceman in, like, forever, I really feel like substituting Bobby for Frenzy would've made this book a little less maudlin.  The story itself is fine, but, as I've felt about this series since I started reading it, I can't say it's enjoyable.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Dungeons & Dragons #7:  This issue is a little confusing, mostly because I'm still not entirely sure what happens in the first scene.  Varis turns against his eladrin cohorts and defends Adric and company, but I'm not sure why.  Was he doing it to protect Juliana, who Adric was (technically) holding hostage?  Or, did he just decide he couldn't take the overbearing eladrin paladin Juliana was supposed to keep in check?  It's unclear to me and, truthfully, it's kind of an important detail, since it winds up being the event that results in Varis throwing in his lot with Adric.  The art doesn't help matters, since it's hard to tell the difference at times between the various eladrin and humans.  The rest of the issue is fine, though, with the usual combination of action and humor.  On a plus side, it's a little darker than previous issues, with Rogers giving us insight into the difficult choices Adric has to make as a leader, which often involve him sacrificing someone (in this issue, two people) to make his insane plans to save the rest of the party work.  The ending is a bit of a surprise, since we get a hint that we'll see Philomena and Justin again (I had assumed they were just temporary characters for this arc).  All in all, the confusion from the first scene meant it wasn't as good of an issue as I've come to expect from this series, but it did the job it meant to do, showing us how Fell's Four came to be.  Plus, a not-so-great issue from Rogers is still a better-than-usual issue for most writers, so I can't really complain.

Secret Avengers #13:  This issue has moments, but, mostly, I found it to be a little hard to believe that, in the middle of a huge battle raging outside the Capitol Building, Hank would indulge his friend, the secret-mutant Congressman.  It was particularly odd when, after clearly animating the Lincoln Memorial, George Washington, etc., the secret-mutant Congressman denied being a mutant.  I see what Spencer was trying to do here, but, for me, it didn't work.  The action sequences with Ant-Man and War Machine were a lot more interesting, and I would've preferred more attention spent on their efforts -- outgunned and outmachined -- to defend DC.  We'll see how it goes next issue, since I think we're stuck with "Fear Itself" for a while.

Venom #1-#3:  I enjoyed the appearance of Venom in "Amazing Spider-Man" and I was eagerly awaiting this new series.  I'm not disappointed, because this arc was interesting and fun, but I do feel like Remender is going to be careful not to let EVERY mission end with the possibility of the military pulling the plug on Flash.  We've learned that the military would only give Flash 48 hours in the suit before pulling the plug, but General Dodge actually allows him to stay in the suit longer when the mission in the Savage Land goes pear-shaped thanks to the unexpected appearance of Kraven.  As such, it's unclear how hard and fast these "rules" for Flash are exactly.  We end the issue with the "will the General kill Flash" cliffhanger, despite the answer obviously being no.  If every issue ends this way, this series is going to get old quick.  I'm also not entirely sure how Flash is going to explain destroying the clandestine mine but losing the Antarctic vibranium.  This book still has potential, but I'm worried Remender is going to too often take the easy narrative route and not give us something as interesting as the concept promises.  (Also, in great examples of pet peeve #2, the opening narration of issues #2 and #3 reveal plot points that either seem inaccurate -- that Jack O'Lantern was in Eastern Europe to test out weapons rather than get the arms innovator -- or that we don't actually know -- that Crime-Master was called Crime-Master and that he dispatched Jack O'Lantern to get Betty and Peter.)

New Comics - The Everything But Marvel Edition! HERE BE SPOILERS!

Batman and Robin #23:  Despite usually being focused on plots, I'm going to talk about the art for most of this review.  The most amazing part about the art isn't how spectacularly good Jason Todd looks (we'll get to that).  The most amazing part is that I had no idea Guillem March didn't draw the entire issue.  Andrei Bresson must be an anagram in a different language for Guillem March, because the transition here is so seamless it had to have been Guillem who drew the whole issue.  With that discussed, let's return to talking about Jason Todd.  Um, wow.  I'm glad we've returned him to red hair, because having to keep track of all those dark-haired brooding men was getting confusing.  The drawback, of course, is that it's a little hard at times to remember we're dealing with Jason, at least visually.  Here, Jason actually appears older than Dick, despite being significantly younger than him.  But, whatever.  I will happily gaze upon the new, improved Jason Todd for as often as DC will let me.  Concerning the plot, I'm disappointed that we're getting Judd Winick here and not Peter Tomasi, who did such a bang-up job in the "Dark Knight, White Knight" arc.  I don't hate Winick, but I'm not pleased that he's been given control over Jason, since I think someone like Tomasi (or, dare we dream, Snyder) could do really amazing things with him.  Here, we wind up getting a somewhat anti-climatic conclusion, with Jason just happening to be sprung from the armored transport taking him back to Arkham Asylum.  I had figured that Jason had arranged the entire transfer to set up his escape, something that, frankly, Jason would've totally been shrewd and calculating enough to set into motion.  (Bruce himself even implies it earlier in the issue.)  It's that sort of missed opportunity that makes me disappointed that Winick never seems to understand Jason, to allow him to become the dark genius anti-hero that he has the potential to become.  Hopefully, we'll see flashes of him in the coming issues.  At the very least, I hope March will continue giving us other flashes of him to keep me entertained.  That said, the interaction between Bruce and Jason is well done, with Jason egging on Bruce in his usual smart-ass way and Bruce seemingly incapable of finding a way to relate to him.  If Winick doesn't get the finesse of Jason's dark genius, he does get the subtleties of Bruce and Jason's relationship.  Jason's at his best when we see him barely able to control his anger and hurt, because we see him struggle with trying to be a good guy, even if it's in his own unique way; when he gives into the anger and hurt, he just appears to be another homicidal maniac.  Winick gets that, and I hope we see that Jason throughout this arc.

Batman Incorporated #6:  Yay, finally an issue I like!  Morrison ditches the nonsensical approach and given us an issue with an honest-to-goodness plot!  This issue actually reads more like a first issue of a series, with Bruce detailing his plans for Batman Incorporated to its participants.  Morrison, however, doesn't reveal those plans to us, the reader, successfully conveying a sense of intrigue (instead of a sense of confusion, as he has been doing).  We don't know what it was the Bruce told Tim just before assigning him to the Outsiders, or what he told the assembled heroes about his trip through time (and its connection with Leviathan).  We also don't know the identity of the mystery Batman, who I'm hoping against hope is Jason Todd.  It actually makes me, possibly for the first time, want to continue getting this series.  The concept behind Batman Incorporated has always been solid, but the execution so far has been terrible.  I'm glad to see Morrison might actually be listening to the criticism that the book defies comprehension and gave us something more concrete as a result.  The "Joe Average and the Average Joes" framing concept worked well to give the story direction.  Also, I just have to add here, Bruce Wayne is the sexiest I've possibly ever seen him in a comic.  Burnham draws him well (and actually has him smile) and Morrison writes him with more personality than we usually see Bruce have.  All in all, it was a solid issue.  Hurrah!

Dungeons & Dragons #6:  Seriously, I love this series.  When last we left Adric and company, they were falling through some sort of wormhole created when Adric accidentally introduced an extra World Key into...I don't know, it was something involving a portal.  At any rate, the result is that we get a flashback to the past and the origins of Fell's Four, who come together mostly how you expect they would:  some friendly misunderstandings, some quick thinking, and a little luck.  I'm intrigued by how Adric goes from holding a sword to Juliana's throat to becoming her lover and how Varis goes from aiming an arrow at Adric's head to becoming his colleague.  Rogers is even more on fire than usual here.  In the first arc of this series, he occasionally skimped on some explanations.  It never really detracted from the fun, but you had to put aside your questions and just keep reading.  Here, he's tightened up his storytelling a bit.  Everything is explained, though not in an overly exposition-y way.  The characters continue to be awesome:  funny, quirky, irreverent, smart.  Buy this book, people.  Buy this book.

Red Robin #23:  Nicieza goes back to basics in this issue, giving us an investigation-heavy plot and bringing back a few characters we haven't seen since the first few issues of the series, such as Lynx and Scarab.  Tim is tracking down an assassin who appears to be targeting CEOs, using Lucius Fox as bait in an attempt to catch said assassin.  I'm not entirely sure what happens to Lucius; he appears to be dead and Tim even says that Lucius, who is unaware he's being used as bait, will be fine with the plan "after he's dead."  But, clearly Lucius Fox isn't dead.  I guess we'll have to wait to see what actually happened to him.  The best part of this book, as usual, are the Tim/Dick interactions, but, overall, it's a pretty solid issue, particularly after the disappointing Teen Titans and "Judgment on Gotham" cross-over events.  I'm intrigued to see who's hired the Order of the Scarab (or whatever they're called) to kill the CEOs and what his/her goal is.  I'm just hoping it's not Ra's al Ghul, because, seriously, he can't be responsible for everything.

Superboy #6:  [Sigh.]  I want to like this book.  I do.  But, Lemire  makes it difficult.  He begins the issue with a Conner/Tim heart-to-heart, where Conner spends most of the time whining and Tim does nothing more than making a tired joke about Conner's bad Hawaii-era fade cut.  (If Lemire wants to write these heart-to-heart talks, he should check out Geoff Johns' similar scene in "Adventure Comics" #3 and pick up some pointers.)   Then, Conner is attacked by Doomsday and, to be honest, I'm a little unclear on what happens next.  The art makes it almost impossible to follow.  Conner crashes into the "USA-Canada Tunnel" (which appears to be in San Francisco), flooding it.  He manages to knock Doomsday into the ocean and then appears to take a ship and smash it into the tunnel's gaping hole (seriously).  Conner then, somehow, procures a large fist statue (no joke) and tries to attack Doomsday with it.  It doesn't work, and Doomsday takes him down and brings him to his ship.  Some of the confusion, of course, comes from not having the back story, since this issue is part #5 of "Reign of Doomsday."  But, most of it is Rudy's really sloppy pencils and Lemire's bad dialogue and even worse monologues.  It's getting really hard to justify the $2.99 I spend on this book each month, shirtless Conner be damned...

Superboy #7:  I really, really, really wanted this issue to be AMAZING, so I could justify not canceling this title as planned.  Unfortunately, it wasn't.  We get another weird plant-based villain here, who injects Conner into a nightmare state where he's partnered with Simon to slaughter most of the world's superheroes.  Psionic Lad eventually helps him escape, and we learn that Superman had battled a similar plant a few years earlier.  The main problem with this series so far is that Conner has been super-whiny, which we again see here as he's constantly yelling, "Just stop so we can figure this out!"  The other problem here is the art, which is just awful.  The dream sequence art is a little better, because it actually suits the indistinct lines and sketchy effect that  Rudy and Hor use here.  But, overall, it's just a mess, just like the last few issues.  Conner looks different in almost every panel.  Geoff Johns' and Frances Manapul's run on "Adventure Comics" was amazing, giving us an introspective yet still fun Superboy who battled super-villains.  Lemire's and his various artists' "Superboy" unfortunately is terrible, giving us a whiny and boring Conner, who fights a bunch of plant villains.  This title, I hate to say, is canceled.

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

Dungeons & Dragons #5:  First, the good.  Honestly, I don’t think even the best issue of “Amazing Spider-Man” I’ve read in a while has banter anywhere near this good.  The plots are pretty straight-forward, and it’s always fun to see how Fell’s Five gets themselves into a worse situation by the end of the issue than the bad situation in which they found themselves at the start.  Now, the not-so-good.  Rogers drops the ball a little in this issue; he introduces a bunch of new characters and concepts that wind up distracting him from wrapping up some loose ends.  For example, why exactly were the creatures from the Fey Wild and the Shadow Fell conspiring to invade our plane?  We never really got an answer, just the assertion that they were.  How did they get the elven slaves?  The slaves just sort of appear this issue; I found myself wondering if I had missed a secondary feature in previous issues that explained their provenance.  Also, why were the changelings from issue #2 and #3 involved?  Were they hired by the extra-planar invaders, or are they part of them?  It appears we're unlikely to get answers to these questions since, at the end of the issue, we see our heroes catapulted into the void and into the next arc.  Despite my issues with this, um, issue, I’m still looking forward to the next one, since it’s still one of the more fun books I read every month, occasional dropped plots and all.

Nonplayer #1:  So, first, the obvious:  "Nonplayer” is beautiful.  I’m more of a plot guy than an art guy, but, seriously, this book is probably the most stunning of any I’ve ever read.  The two-page splash page at the end – where we see the full integration of this world’s technology in daily life – is amazing.  On top of that, the plot isn’t half bad either.  Simpson hints that more is happening in the fantasy campaign setting that Dana (the main character) plays than she knows.  If "Starborn" reminds me of “The Last Starfighter,” this series remind me of the old “Dungeons and Dragons” cartoon, which is high praise indeed. 

Starborn #4:  This series treads on familiar ground (as I said above, I’m reminded of “The Last Starfighter” reading it), but it adds some new twists that keep it interesting.  I like that Roberson establishes two points of view here, with both the humans and the non-humans viewing the other as evil.  I’m intrigued if we’re going to discover that Benjamin’s father really was some terrible despot or, if not, why the non-humans think he was.  After four issues, we don’t know much, and I admire Roberson’s restraint, since I think it would be tempting to rush the reveal.  The art is suitably grand, though the movements are occasionally unclear.  All in all, it’s a really solid story that keeps me looking forward to the next issue each time. 

The Traveler #4-#5:  As I think I mentioned before during the Kang storyline in "Avengers," I'm not a huge fan of time-travel stories.  Although this story is better done than most, I always question the events the person in the future is trying to manipulate, since s/he almost always has an easier option.  For example, why didn't the Traveler just detain Ron, rather than going through the rigmarole of trying to manipulate the near-sighted driver, the bus driver, and the young bowler into making him late.  At first, I thought it was because he couldn't touch Ron or something, but that wound up not being the case, as we saw in issue #4.  But, overall, I'm willing to look past this sort of conundrum because, again, this story was better done than almost any other time-travel one I've read.  Unfortunately, the storyline takes a bit of dive in issue #5.  Ron's friend goes beyond just "I'm a physics geek with bad social skills" when he basically starts screaming at Ron for turning a positive -- his powers -- into a negative...you know, despite the fact that his fiancée and future father-in-law were just killed and he's lost in a time loop.  The emotions of these sequences seemed really off-key to me, and it threw off the whole book.  Hopefully it was just a one-off problem, and we'll return to the pretty strong writing we've seen in the other issues.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman:  Streets of Gotham #20:  For the love of Alfred, could something actually happen in this series?  Last issue, we got to hear all about how Judson Pierce's henchman had a run-in with the Joker as a kid.  The issue before that one, the "House of Hush" storyline was only a handful of pages long, with the bulk of the issue dedicated to the Ragman secondary feature.  In this issue, we get the weird back story on Dr. Death.  Seriously, it's been months since the "House of Hush" plot moved along at all.  Plus, for the second issue in a row, we don't get the Ragman feature.  The first few arcs of this series were really good, and helped moved along some smaller plot points (like Hush's time as Bruce Wayne) that the main books in the larger "Batman:  Reborn" storyline didn't have a chance to cover.  But, at this point, it seems like they're just stalling for time until the last issue, which I think is the next one.  Between the dangling plot points from this issue and the still-unresolved Ragman secondary feature, it'd have to be a damn good issue for me not to feel cheated at the end of a series that showed a lot of promise. 

Dark Sun #2:  I'm already finding myself wishing this series wasn't only going to be five issues long.  Alex Irvine's sparse dialogue occasionally makes it hard to follow the plot and the main characters aren't really all that well developed yet.  (For example, in the first issue, Aki is asking Grudvik about how far they are from Tyr and is taking advice from Grudvik on how to survive in the desert.  However, in this issue, he's the one who knows how to get to Tyr and is telling Grudvik how to survive in the desert.)  However, I'll forgive Irvine the inconsistencies here because this approach to the dialogue conveys an amazing sense of isolation that adds to both to the feel of the comic as well as the mystery of the characters.  Peter Bergting's pencils further this sense of desolation, as does even the rough paper on which the comic book is printed.  In just two issues, Irvine and Bergting have created a complicated world where danger lies around every corner and the motivations of the two major characters are intriguing (if still mostly hidden).  I find myself wishing I knew more about the Dark Sun campaign setting.  If you're reading (and enjoying) the "Dungeons and Dragons" title also published by IDW, I'd recommend picking up this series while it lasts. 

Dungeons & Dragons #4:  This issue continues letting the good times roll:  a talking skull with vocabulary problems, elaborate dwarven-crafted traps, multi-planar conspiracy revelations.  This issue has everything!  I'm really starting to love this group; as someone notes in the letters page, it reminds me of the first "Dragonlance" trilogy.  If you enjoy D&D and comics, you should absolutely be reading this series.  I can't wait to see how they wrap up this storyline next issue! 

X-Factor #216:  I'm concerned that Spidey's going the way of Wolverine.  After the announcement that he was going to be in the new "FF" series in addition to his appearances in "Avengers" and "New Avengers," I groaned inwardly.  I mean, isn't it bad enough the guy has to live down the musical?  But, this month, he's in both "X-Factor" and "X-Men" and we've clearly moved into "marketing is running the show" world.  (The last time that happened is the "Clone Saga" and, um, [shiver].)  Moreover, his appearance here is kind of weird.  He crashes the rooftop where Monet and Shatterstar are playing chess, because he happens to see JJJ, Jr.'s motorcade out front.  Um, OK, is he stalking Jonah now?  Also, Peter David, who's so good at so many characters, makes Spidey into a bumbling idiot, which, um, he's not.  Moreover, I don't buy the main story.  With all the resources he has at his disposal, I don't really believe JJJ, Jr. would go to X-Factor to track down his buddy's killer, particularly since he doesn't seem (from what we know) to know a mutant might be involved.  The back-up story, involving the woman who suddenly remembered who she was thanks to Monet from a few issues ago (and about whom I'd completely forgotten), is also a stretch.  This character is presented as if she were so memorable that I'd, um, remember her.  Maybe if this arc happened right after the arc in which she was introduced, I would.  Instead, I spent most of the comic having no idea why I should care about her.  If I cared more, I'd try to look up how many issues it's been since she appeared, but I don't.  Needless to say, I can't say I'm anxiously anticipating the next issue. 

X-Men #8:  Huh.  I don't know what to make of this issue.  Gischler comes close to making it an "After-School Special," with each X-Man narrating the story of a troubled teen.  He comes close, but he doesn't actually cross the line, and I have to applaud him for that.  As a kid who had his own share of problems with classmates who could sniff the dork on him, I felt for each of the kids here.  I liked how Gischler gets Spidey here, who, after all, spent years with Flash Thompson calling him "Puny Parker."  The "I don't know what to make of this issue" part comes more from the fact that I don't entirely get the Lizard connection.  Why exactly is the Lizard, who actually appears not to be Dr. Connors, preying on troubled teens?  Why not regular teens?  It seems to me it wouldn't be too hard to convince any teen to meet in a basement, be it with the offer of snacks for dorks or beer for jocks, if we're embracing stereotypes.  But, Gischler navigates the social minefield of high school well enough that I'm intrigued by what the next issue brings.  In terms of the art, it's pretty great.  You've got some moments, typical of Bachalo, where it's a little hard to follow the action.  But, the two-page spread of Emma enjoying the best hotel room that Warren Worthington III can afford is worth the confusion. 

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  The Children's Crusade #4:  Ok, I love the Young Avengers.  I do.  I'd love them even if they didn't have the most functional gay couple depicted, like, anywhere in fiction.  The first few issues of this arc were great, because the Young Avengers are at their best when they're doing what adults tell them not to do.  But, here's the thing.  This series feels more like a companion series to what should be a much larger series, one detailing the return of the Scarlet Witch.  I mean, at the end of the day, we don't know that Billy and Tommy are the Witch's "spiritual" children, so it's still a little weird every time they're presented as such, no questions asked.  Plus, the bi-monthly format is really starting to get to me.  Is it really going to be a year before it's resolved?  At this point, given that the story is spinning its wheels a bit, I feel we probably could've had a six-issue monthly series and felt satisfied.  Hopefully Heinberg's got some great stuff in store.

Batman #706:  The latest installment in the "Hear No Evil/See No Evil/Speak No Evil" story arc is great.  I've really enjoyed this arc, because it's fleshing out Dick's cast of characters.  Catwoman, Catgirl, Robin, Peacock, I Ching, Sensei:  some old, some new, all awesome.  I loved Dick noting Damian's sudden interest in girls and Damian denying it in a perfectly adolescent way.  Their dynamic is the best part of "Batman and Robin" and I'm really glad to see Daniel keep it going in "Batman."  (Plus, can you imagine how much trouble a horny Damian could find?  The mind boggles.)  I liked how Dick defied Bruce by asking for Catgirl's help.  It shows that he's still running the show in Gotham and he'll do what he needs to do, even if it's not exactly what Bruce told him to do.  Like most Batman stories, I'm still a little lost with the plot mid-way through the arc, though I'm sure all will be revealed in the end.  I'm still not sure who actually walked into the antiques shop in issue #704 (I thought it was Sensei, but, based on his comments in this issue, I think he had already killed the proprietor before the shadowy figure arrived) and I'm still not sure how Dick knew to go to Prof. Sinnot's home in #705.  The Riddler connection is intriguing, and I hope we get to see some great Riddler/Robin banter in the next issue.  In other words, it's vintage Batman.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #19:  The "House of Hush" story arc continues here.  It's kind of been on a slow burn, and it doesn't get faster here.  The bulk of the story is a recollection by one of Judson Pierce's henchmen of his teenage encounter with the Joker.  It's a pretty good story, but I have to say that I'm ready for something to happen in this arc.  Despite being billed last issue as the primary feature, the "House of Hush" story actually took a back seat, page-wise, to the Ragman second feature (which doesn't appear in this issue at all), so it's been a while since something, you know, happened.

Dungeons & Dragons #3:  This series is seriously well written.  The characters are really well defined, despite the series only being three (well, four, including #0) issues into the run.  Rogers does an excellent job, for example, making Bree Three-Hands into a really fun character while, at the same time, setting up the possibility that she's going to sell the entire team down the river at some point.  The running jokes about Adric's poorly-laid plans haven't gotten old, and I'm always surprised how, at the end of the issue, Fell's Five find themselves in a worse position than they were at the end of the previous issue.  It's occasionally a little hard to follow what's happening, given how fast the action moves, but I'll forgive that just because the action is so well depicted.

Legion of Super-Heroes #9:  Um, I think I'm kind of done with the Legion.  I subscribed to the stand-alone comic based on the Legion back-up features during Superboy's run in "Adventure Comics."  But, I just ended "Adventure Comics" because I have no interest in the Legion Academy and I can't say the Durlan assassination plot is really all that interesting.  This storyline clearly could've been handled in one or two issues, rather than four or five.  Watching everyone just stand around the United Planets hall waiting for poorly-executed assassination attempts isn't exactly worth $2.99 a month, to my mind (nor, apparently, to Timber Wolf's).