Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The November 30 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman Annual #1:  This issue is mostly fine, with stories of varying levels of quality about Christmas.  (The origin story of Ace is probably the best of the bunch.)  But, the last story is bizarre.  Someone named Haunter escapes from Arkham, but it's never totally clear how her powers work.  We just learn she uses your D.N.A. to kill you.  Scarecrow has created a diversion for Batman to help her escape, but we're never really told what their plan is.  Bruce eventually paralyzes them temporarily with a nerve gas.  However, he not only threatens to leave them to freeze to death, but also to break their jaws while they're paralyzed.  I have no idea how this one slipped through the cracks, but it felt like someone took grimdark Batman a little too far.

Extraordinary X-Men #16:  It wasn't until after I finished this issue that I found myself scratching my head.  During it, I was totally sucked into the excitement Lemire created as the two separate storylines we've been following over the last few issues merge.  Nightcrawler decides to free Apocalypse in exchange for de-Horseman-ing Colossus as Magik tries to free Sapna from the World Eater's control.  In the end, Nightcrawler hurls a freed Apocalypse into the void the World Eater created and Magik is forced to kill Sapna to sever her link with the World Eater.  Lemire and Ibañez do an amazing job of capturing the chaos happening in X-Haven as we approach those conclusions; it's definitely a page-turner.  But, upon reflection, I find myself wondering what actually happened.  The World Eater brags about destroying dozens of worlds and  leaving a lot of dead wizards in his wake.  But, Illyana easily severs his link with Sapna without any explanation why the Soul Sword is able to do what all those wizards weren't able to do.  Also, what exactly did Nightcrawler do to Apocalypse?  Did he kill him?  Don't the X-Men not kill?  Did he hurl him into space and time?  Isn't that a bit...reckless?  I mean, it was pretty reckless of Storm to bring Apocalypse to the present, so I'm not saying it's all Nightcrawler's fault.  But, it's clearly a loose end that the X-Men are going to have to resolve at a future point.  Overall, though, I'm still mostly happy with the way this series is going, even though Lemire seemed to wave his hands in front of the chalkboard a bit here.

IvX #0:  I can't remember being less excited about an event than this one.  After the disastrous "Death of X," I'm reading this series under duress.  Soule does what he can, but it's impossible to shake the feeling he's working under orders, forced to sell a conflict that stems simply from an editorial mandate.  In terms of the actual story (and not my continued whining), Hank discovers the Terrigen Mists affect each mutant differently.  That's problematic because it means he's not looking for a cure, but an individual cure for every mutant.  As if that challenge wasn't difficult enough, he then discovers the Mists are becoming absorbed into the environment.  To complicate matters, Hank overhears a conversation Medusa has with the other Inhuman leaders, implying she accepts the inevitability of war with the mutants.  Hank asks Ororo to convene all the mutant leaders on Muir Island, seemingly a prelude to war.  Meanwhile, Emma has developed her own plan of attack over the course of these past eight months.  If you can get past the editorial fiat making this fight necessary, Soule does a solid job of setting up the conflict.  My only gripe is the truly bizarre behavior of the Beast at the start.  Iso expresses her surprise at how chipper he is as they begin to research the Mists' impact on mutants, and he explain that he's just excited to engage in S-C-I-E-N-C-E.  I mean, sure, you had all that death and horror, but S-C-I-E-N-C-E!  I have to invoke pet peeve #3 here, since having a character concede to his bizarre behavior doesn't excuse the author from having him behave this way in the first place.

Justice League of America #9-#10:  Hitch seems to rush the end of this story, which seems weird, given the ample amount of time he had to conclude it.  In the end, we never really get an answer about the true nature of the Infinity Corporation:  who they are, what they want, how they have powers.  Moreover, the Justice League itself doesn't really win; the Stones turn to Justin (from the Infinity Corporation) over Rao, allowing the younger Rao to kill the older one.  Again, it would've been nice to understand why Justin wound up having more influence over the Stones than Rao, particularly given my suspicion that they're the same set of stones.  But, compared to the stories he's currently telling in "Justice League," Hitch still delivers a solid performance here.  I felt the awe we're supposed to feel when Rao pulls ancient Krypton into Earth's orbit, and young Rao inspiring Green Lantern to act, even though he's only one man standing against hundreds of thousands of Kryptonian warriors, feels particularly relevant these days.  It's just a shame that this arc -- probably the most creative "Justice League" story since the DCnU started -- got short-changed in the end.

Star Wars Annual #2:  This issue would've felt meaningful when it was published before Carrie Fisher died, but it takes on all new meaning now.  Leia inspires a young woman, Pash, to join the Rebellion after she impulsively saves Leia's life.  But, the real highlight is Leia's meditation on Alderaan.  Pash tells Leia she doesn't like her because of Alderaan, because she allowed all those people to sacrifice themselves in her name.  Leia says it's always why people don't like her and then talks about how it's worse than Pash thinks:  she not only knows those people died for her and her dream, but she also knows she'd do it all over again if she had the chance.  That's some powerful stuff right there.  Pash comes to view Leia as the embodiment of hope, and I can't say, with the loss of Carrie Fisher and some of that hope, she's wrong.

Also Read:  Ms. Marvel #13; New Avengers #18

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The January 27 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

All-New, All-Different Avengers #4:  Asrar and Craig have a great shot here where they use shadows to hint that Vision has turned.  (He is, after all, Victor Shade.)  It reminded me of the cover of "Dragons of Spring Dawning," where Elmore used shadow to turn black the bottom of Raistlin's red robes.  Great stuff.

Grayson #16:  We've still got a lot of questions on the table here.  First, I'm still not sure why Agent 1 is helping Dick take down Spyral.  Is he simply using Dick to further Dr. Netz's agenda?  After all, Agent 8 revealed to him her role in assassinating the Spyral agents (under Netz's orders) in issue #11.  That would make some sense.  But, the problem is that we still don't actually know what Netz's agenda is.  It seems like it's taking down Spyral, but King and Seeley haven't confirmed that yet.  This issue also picks up a plot point from issue #11, as Dick colludes with Maxwell Lord of Checkmate, the organization that Netz and Agent 8 used as the fall guy for the assassinations.  Dick alludes to having previously met Lord here, but I honestly don't know when that happened.  My best guess is the "Forever Evil" event, based on Dick's comment that Lord referred to his stripped secret-identity when they previously met, but it's unclear.  I've learned to be patient with this series, because that patience is generally rewarded, but I'm anxious to learn what we're really seeing here.

Justice League of America #7:  Why exactly did Rao have to return to the past?  Based on his comments, it seems like it's because the Justice League defeats him in the present, so he had to return to the past to harvest the still-pure Kryptonian DNA to regain his strength.  (I still don't get the pure part, though.  It would make more sense to me that he needed to go to the past to access a large number of Kryptonian worshipers, something that doesn't exist in the present.  After all, he does have access to Clark's power in the present.  It isn't pure, based on Rao's definition, but it's still pretty effective.  But, the problem is that he just has Clark's.)  But, I'm not totally sure about that theory.  After all, doesn't Rao still have all those other worshipers spread around the universe?  Is the pure Kryptonian DNA that essential to his power?  Putting aside the logistics, Hitch raises some interesting theological issues here.  If Rao did as Superman asked and revealed the truth -- that his "worshipers" were sacrificing a few days of their life in exchange for their newfound happiness, peace, and prosperity -- I actually think that a lot of people would take that deal.  Superman doesn't seem to think so, but Hitch implies that it's his blindness as a meta-human that makes him think that.  After all, happiness, peace, and prosperity are, at least theoretically, a lot easier for him to get.  Sure, it's a little "Matrix"-y, but I enjoyed Hitch working on a deeper level here than we've seen so far.  This arc is proving to be a much more interesting -- and innovative -- Justice League story than the umpteenth fight with Darkseid that we're seeing in the other series.
 
Also Read:  Batman and Robin Eternal #17; Bloodshot Reborn #10; Extraordinary X-Men #6

Justice League of America #6 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue is Hickmanesque, in that it feels like Hitch removed 20 percent of the dialogue to make it feel more mysterious.

Hitch splits his focus on four different stories, and the result is that we don't really get much progress in any of them.  Aquaman attempts to stop Rao's disciples from completing some sort of alignment of signals with Themyscira, but the Atlanteans prevent him from doing so, having fallen under Rao's spell.  He eventually breaks free, afraid that the Raoans are going to try to destroy Atlantis; instead, they transport him to Olympus.  Once there, he tries to bring Diana up to speed, but the Raoans detonate themselves before he can, destroying Olympus (and leaving the fates of Aquaman and Wonder Woman unclear).  Meanwhile, Rao beats Superman to a pulp in the Arctic, and the Flash awakens at Infinity headquarters in 1961.  Vincent again babbles about the Stones, but we learn more about them from Rao in the past:  he tells Hal that the 24 Stones give him his ability to absorb the life energies of his disciples.  Past Rao and Hal arrive at the Citadel of Argo for peace negotiations with Rao's entourage, but just the two of them enter the Citadel:  Hal is shocked to discover the Infinity headquarters within the Citadel.

(You'll notice that this issue is an example of pet peeve #1, because Batman appears nowhere in it, despite the cover implying the opposite, that he's the only member of the League left standing.)

Again, I really have no clue where we are.  As I mentioned, Hitch makes it clear that the disciples are trying to align some sort of signals, but we don't know why they're doing so.  We also know nothing about the Stones (Rao simply tells Hal that they were a "gift") or what Vincent and his allies are trying to do.  This story is a bit long in the tooth for us to be as unclear as we are.

** (two of five stars)

Justice League of America #5 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

DC interrupts the Rao story for Kindt to give us a stand-alone issue featuring the Martian Manhunter.  It's pretty clear that it's setting up a later story, probably the one that follows the Rao one, as well as J'onn's own series.

A psychic vampire called the UnNamed killed off members of a Japanese cult that believed that Martians walked amongst us as evil politicians, bankers, etc.  His goal was simply to attract J'onn, though Kindt doesn't give him any real reason to do so.  The UnNamed claims that it was merely (and conveniently) to taunt J'onn.  He reads J'onn's mind and implies that he's not the last Martian, but instead a creature "built" for destruction.  J'onn eventually destroys him, though we're clearly going to have to wait for a few issues to discover what the UnNamed meant about J'onn's origins.

Although this issue wasn't terrible, I'm not a huge fan of back-door pilots, particularly ones that interrupt the story of an ongoing arc.  But, if you're a fan of the Manhunter, I'd imagine that you're relieved that DC appears ready to finally decide what they're going to do with him.

*** (three of five stars)

Justice League of America #4 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Hitch has shown an impressive amount of restraint in not rushing this story.  Batman could've just solved the "problem" last issue, and he'd be wrapping up the arc here.  But, instead, Hitch gets to realize the potential that comes with waiting, as we see Batman frustrated over his failure to find the flaw in Rao's plan.  It's remarkably fun to watch, since Bruce is seething at this point.

Moreover, when the answer comes, it isn't overly complicated mumbo-jumbo.  Hitch really lays out the science in a clear manner.  First, Bruce has a doctor conduct a series of tests on a "blessed" villain, and they learn that Rao's prophets are rewriting humanity's genetic code to make us happy once we're blessed.  Separately, Clark gives Victor and his father some of his blood to examine, and they discover that Kryptonians have unnatural markers in their genetic code.  What's the point of these markers?  It's Hal that learns the answer, in the past: Rao uses the prophets' lifeforce to prolong his own life.  Presumably, he needed people so dedicated to him that they won't mind sacrificing a part of themselves to support him.  With the pieces falling in place, Hitch delivers the best final panel of an issue that I've seen for a while, with Rao appearing in the Fortress of Solitude and ominously telling Clark that it would've been easier if he had just believed.  Indeed.

Again, it's a solid story.  My only real question is how Victor's father, Silas, knew that the protein markers that Rao inserted into the Kryptonian genetic code in the past weren't natural.  After all, it happened a long time ago, and it's not like Silas had access to pre-marked Kryptonian genetic code for comparison.  But, I can live with that short cut.  After all, eventually, they'd realize that the new markers in humanity's code matched the ones in the Kryptonian code, calling suspicion on them anyway.

I had wondered why DC decided to launch another series about the Justice League.  But, to be honest, I'm digging it.  With the main title again focused on yet another war with Darkseid, it's nice just to read a straight-forward Justice League story.  This series is becoming the "Detective Comics" to the "Justice League's" "Batman," and it's a welcome development, in my book.

*** (three of five stars)

Justice League of America #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Hitch isn't exactly covering new ground with this first arc, but it doesn't mean that he isn't telling an interesting story.

In a way, it's a familiar Superman story.  After all, Rao is really just an extreme version of Superman.  He stokes all the same fears in the establishment that Superman did when he first appeared on the scene.  In fact, the story that Hitch is telling here isn't dissimilar from the one that Straczynski is telling in his Earth One volumes.  After Rao topples the corrupt dictators of Africa, other countries at the United Nations worry what he'll do when he decides that their human-rights records are unacceptable.  Rao appears and basically validates their fears by saying that more force may be necessary.

Meanwhile, Batman is...skeptical.  In a way, he postulates the problem through the prism of Newton's Third Law of Motion:  every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  If Rao is terraforming the desert in Africa and healing the sick around the world, then some cost must be paid.  Superman essentially believes that Rao is above such a law, but Batman remains unconvinced.  He invites Superman to follow with him one of Rao's first acolytes, an allegedly "reformed" convict, to see who's right.  Elsewhere, we learn that the Speed Force interacting with the wormhole sent Green Lantern into Krypton's past; some soldiers escort him to meet Rao at the end of the issue.  Also, Diana is trapped in Olympus by some mystical force that appeared after the Greek gods fled.

Again, it's a familiar story, but still an intriguing one.  Hitch has managed to play his cards close to his chest.  Rao becomes slightly more aggressive, if you will, in this issue, but we still can't point to him doing anything evil, per se.  Unless DC comics is going to close up shop and declare its universe happy with Rao, I'm guessing that Batman is going to find something.  But, Hitch keeps us guessing about what that something will be.  All in all, it's good stuff.

*** (three of five stars)

Justice League of America #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Hitch is playing his cards close to the vest here.  This issue is all about Superman introducing Rao to Earth, and Rao doing his best to convince us that he's really a god by healing pretty much everyone everywhere.  Although Batman is characteristically skeptical, Rao really does nothing to arouse our suspicions.  If you go into it assuming that he's really not a god, then the only possible hint that he isn't is the fact that his priests are the ones that technically handle the healing.  (In other words, maybe he's just an alien with advance healing devices that he has the "priests" use in the field.)  But, again, I'm stretching here.  So far, Hitch is playing it totally straight.  The only sign of trouble comes at the end of the issue, when Diana awakens to find herself in a destroyed Olympus.  But, if Rao destroyed Olympus, it probably means that he's a god, doesn't it?

** (two of five stars)

Justice League of America #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

First issues are tricky.  Some first issues are amazing and make you realize why you love comics, like "Hawkeye" #1.  However, they're not necessarily indicative of the quality of future issues, as the long road to "Hawkeye" #22 has shown.  Other series have solid first issues that wind up kicking off amazing runs, like Remender's Dimension Z story in "Captain America."  I'm hoping the latter is true for Hitch.
I'm not saying that this issue is bad by any stretch of the imagination.  It's a solid story that flows nicely.  It's got some clunky parts that I'll note, but, overall, it's fine.  But, Hitch clearly has ideas, and it's that part that makes me excited.  It reminds me of James Robinson in the early issues of "Earth 2."  If Hitch can iron out some of the dialogue issues, I think that he could really go great places with this title.

The story at hand revolves around a mysterious entity called the Infinity Corporation.  We're first introduced to it when they invite Clark to their HQ.  But, it's not that simple:  they embedded a Superman insignia in the invite that only Superman can read with his X-Ray vision, making it clear that they know his identity.  Upon his arrival, they reveal that they are in possession of the "Forever Stones" that let them somehow connect to the future.  They show him a room full of dead versions of him, and they then pull out another version of him from the time stream that tells not to trust "him" before he dies.  The Corporation's whiz kid, Vincent, tells Clark that his death will be an extinction event that destroys the universe, and he asks Clark to hide to prevent that from happening.  Superman says that he can't, because he's needed; Vincent calls him selfish for weighing the lives of the few over the lives of the many.  Vincent then makes him away of the Justice League battling an escaped Parasite.  We later learn that the Infinity Corporation was the one responsible for releasing him and inviting the other members of the League to the spot where he gained consciousness.  During the battle, Diana suddenly becomes overwhelmed with voices screaming in her head after Parasite swallowed her, and Barry and Hal are sucked into a wormhole after Hal loses consciousness and the ring teleports him to safety.  After they defeat Parasite, Batman, Cyborg, and Superman Boom Tube to New York, only to discover that the Infinity Corporation's HQ has disappeared as if it was never there.  Before they can investigate, a Kryptonian god called Rao appears in the sky announcing to Earth that he's going to save us.

Let's get to the brass tacks:

- First, I don't understand why Clark would take the bait and appear as Superman and not Clark, thereby proving his identity?  He could've pretty easily arrived as Clark Kent and pretended not to understand why they thought that he was Superman.  Given that Lois has already revealed his identity in his own series, it's pretty much a moot point, but it was weird to me that he was so casual about confirming his identity.

- The Forever Stones?  Mysterious people from sometime and somewhere that can inhabit other people's bodies and control their minds?  Oy.  If you're read this blog for a while, you know that I generally loathe time-travel stories.  Some people manage to do them well, but other authors fail to think through the consequences of the paradoxes that they create.  So far, Hitch seems to be in the latter category.  Vincent tells Superman that he just needs to hide so that he doesn't die, since it's his death that causes the end of the universe.  But, Vincent doesn't seem to have any proof that Superman isn't killed in hiding.  Now, we learn that the Infinity Corporation is hiding part of the story from Clark, so it's possible that he does know exactly what happens.  But, if he does, then wouldn't it be better to tell Clark, "Don't go to Starbucks on Thursday."  Did they really think that they were going to convince him to hide indefinitely in the Fortress of Solitude?

- As I mentioned, the dialogue is awkward at times.  At some points it's fine, like Diana telling Hal that subtlety isn't his forte or Flash telling Batman that they don't do their research because they have him to do it for them.  At other times, though, it's wholly expository, particularly when it comes to Batman and Cyborg.  Again, I think Hitch has plenty of time to work out the kinks, but, at least in this issue, it occasionally weighed down the story.

In other words, overall, it's a solid issue with some really interesting ideas.  I'm not entirely sure that we needed another "Justice League" title, but at least the one that we seem to have gotten is a decent addition.

*** (three of five stars)