Twelve-Month-Old Comics!: The February 8 Edition - Part 1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #19:  The only problem with this issue is that it makes me pine for Kelly and Dodson to take over this title.  

Unlike Wells, Kelly manages to mix comedy with action and drama in an organic way throughout the issue.  Deciding to take their relationship to the next level, Felicia and Peter unexpected find Mary Jane and Paul at the same upstate spa.  (Hilariously, Felicia and Paul have a sotte voce conversation about using a Snapshot groupon.)  

Kelly milks the tension for all its worth, from Peter clutching shut his robe (and Felicia, to Paul's discomfort, reminding Peter that both she and Mary Jane has seen him naked) to Peter finally opening his robe to reveal "Here, Kitty, Kitty" boxer shorts.  Ha!  The comedic awkwardness also advances the plot as Felicia tells Peter that he needs to be honest with her (and himself) about his feelings for Mary Jane.  It's always fun when Felicia is the responsible adult.

Moreover, this tension isn't just the issue's point, as it so often is in Wells' stories.  Instead, it's the backdrop of Peter and Felicia discovering that White Rabbit has stolen gear that mimics the Sinister Six's powers.  She's dating a genius, Mychal, who installed safeties on the gear so they can rent it to rich tech bros to play "The Greatest Game," super-villain style.  Honestly?  I'm surprised this scenario hasn't played out yet in the real world.  Kelly's gift for comedy remains on full display throughout the action as Peter gets into a genius pissing contest as the bros trying to figure out how his Web-Shooters work, resulting in Felicia telling him to stop Spideysplaining to "entitled felons."

But it isn't all giggles and laughs as Mychal winds up dead and the bro seem to want to kill Spider and Felicia as they take off the safeties.

[Sigh.]  If only we got such a multifaceted story every moth...I guess I'll have to enjoy it while I can.

Batman #132:  Zdarsky throws us right into the mystery here as the issue begins with Bruce shadowing Jewel as she tries to save people from getting sent to Arkham.  

As they patrol the streets, Bruce learns that Judge Dent sent Jewel's father to Arkham due to his grief over her mother's death from cancer.  Jewel recognizes Bruce is having a hallucination (he's staring at Jimbo from last issue) and tells him that they aren't from "multiversal travel" (as Bruce thought) but from "Crane Brain," a drug the authorities pump into the air to find more victims for Arkham.  She gives Bruce pills that block the drug's effect and tells Bruce that Halliday Industries produces the pills at Athena Tower.  Bruce realizes that Halliday might have taken over the role that Wayne Enterprises played in his Gotham so heads there.

In an interlude, Red Mask visits Dent, who's stewing about the possibility that Bruce is out there.  In a show of power, Red Mask de-Venomizes Dent, shrinking him into a skeletal version of himself.  Red Mask demands Dent find Bruce, treating to take away his "gift" more permanently.

Bruce begins to show uncharacteristic signs of emotional trauma as he talks to Jewel.  He makes her eggs, and she's amazed at how good they are.  He comments on how his sons were always hungry, and an old friend taught him how to make them.  Later, Jewel works with Bruce to develop a persona so he can attend Halliday's upcoming fundraiser where, of course, Bruce encounters Selina.  She exposits for us that this world's Bruce Wayne gave up his billions to become a social worker before his presumed death.  She points out Halliday in the crowd...and it's the Joker.  Man, I did *not* see that coming.  Before Bruce (or we) can process that, Punchline arrives, and she and Selina attack.  Killer Croc joins the fun, and Bruce realizes he's in trouble.  He takes out Croc and marvels how the wealthy Athena Tower residents don't even flinch at the violence.

Then he sees Alfred.  At the issue's start, we saw that this world's Alfred is in a relationship with Leslie Thompkins, and it's clear that he used the money Bruce left him to buy their safety in the Tower.  Bruce shakes off the idea that it's *his* Alfred or *his* Selina, but he's distracted enough for a cop to shoot him, propelling him out the building.  Bruce falls through a warehouse skylight and, lying on the floor, confesses to himself that he misses his "sons" and "his" Selina.  It's a heartbreaking moment, but he tells himself that any Gotham is his Gotham.  Stumbling through the streets, Bruce tries to help someone fight off one of Judge Dent's cops but gets his ass handed to him.  In one of Zdarksy's most brilliant moments, as Bruce lays bleeding in the alley, he sees a bat and decides, "I shall become a bat."  Damn, this series is on fire.

The back-up story is just as good.  We learn that Toyman went on a rampage before he died, and the gun he used - the one Failsafe used on Batman - either turned people into toy versions of themselves or dissipated them.  Tim examines one of the toys and realizes that it's producing multiversal energy.  Correctly realizing that Toyman didn't kill himself but instead sent himself and the disappeared and toy people to another reality, Tim calls Mister Terrific.  

Mister Terrific provides Tim with a new invention, an outfit that creates a tether and discs so the user can travel multiversally.  Tim is surprised when he arrives in a suburban area but quickly tracks down the victims...only for Toyman and his army of toy-ified victims to find him.

In other words, it's great stuff.  If I have one complaint it's that Zdarsky feels like he's rushing a bit.  He probably could've found a way to delay the confrontation at Athena Tower to next issue.  I'm just greedy, though.  I don't want any of it to end.

Blade Runner 2039 #3:  As usual, Johnson does a great job of slowly unspooling the mystery at this series' core.  We don't know everything yet, but we know enough that Ash should be worried.

Ash visits Wojciech in a retirement home; it seems lovely so it's nice to see someone in this series might have a happy ending (hopefully).  Wojciech confirms that she heard rumors about a Replicant Blade Runner but doesn't have any more information about it.  She encourages Ash to leave it be, which we (including Wojciech) know she won't do.

Ash stops by a noodle place before heading to the sticks, and Cleo finds her there because Ash took her there once.  Ash is enraged that Cleo is there, but Cleo tells her that Isobel is missing.  Cleo takes Ash to her penthouse, explaining that they're not rich on Arcadia but money goes further on Earth.  She explains that she's a schoolteacher and married with a son.  She wants to know more about Ash, but Ash is worried about her safety so tells her to stay in the apartment.

At a bar later, Ash is worried about all these "coincidences:"  a Replicant Blade Runner, Cleo on Earth, Isobel in the wind.  Underscoring Ash's senes, Hythe arrives and tells Ash that she met the Replicant Blade Runner.  She hands Ash the data Wallace wants, figuring they'll be safer with her, and Ash saves her right before she's assassinated.  Ash and Hythe then take out two Wallace employees who originally picked up Luv at the issue's start.  

The issue ends with Luv arriving at Cleo's apartment, though I don't know how she realized "Mrs. Calhoun" was Cleo.  She had been reviewing traffic files (as part of her punishment), so maybe a traffic camera identified her?  We'll see.

Captain America:  Symbol of Truth #10:  Silva is spectacular here, as he walks us through Cap and Nomad trying to take out Falcon in a battle in the sky.  Thankfully, Onyebuchi more or less manages not to get in the way.  

That said, it was incredibly disingenuous to lead us to believe Joaquín killed his grandmother only to reveal that he only fed on the horses.  Moreover, White Wolf goes all pet peeve #3 here as he tells his general that he just wanted to take Joaquín off the board but got lucky when the "chemical" turned him into a vampire.  Does he explain what the chemical is or why he used a chemical instead of just killing Joaquín?  No, no, he doesn't.  

But given how awful the previous issues have been I'm glad I didn't hate this one.  That's where I am with this series.

Know Your Station #3:  I'm still not entirely convinced Marin or St. Brigid isn't behind the murders, but Elise and Marin do establish some baseline criteria for the killer that makes sense.

First thing first, they're called to Vesper Norton's suite where they find his body.  Like the Raulssons, the killer has...arranged it.  Whereas the killer strung up the Raulssons artistically, the killer has drained Norton's blood into hundreds of tiny vials and replaced the blood with Blue.  It's...a lot.  

But it also makes Elise and Marin realize that the killer has pretty advanced medical skills.  They feel like it all points to a staff member, but, as staff members, they don't feel like one of their colleagues did it.  Presumably their motive would be vengeance against an asshole billionaire, but, as Elise says, all the staff know the score so it seems weird one of them would go rogue.  But, given the "celebratory" nature of the killings, it also doesn't feel like a Board member offing other Board members for power.  In other words, they have no idea.

The issue has other strange revelations, like the fact St. Brigid deactivates *all* suite cameras when Elise is on Blue, not just hers.  Also, Elise confesses to Marin that she was a dishwasher with no background in security.  For some reason, though, Raulsson liked her energy when she onboarded and gave her the security job.

The issue ends with all the residents getting a message saying that they're next.  Gailey doesn't have Elise tell Marin that St. Brigid keeps telling her that she was the only person to access the rooms of the previous victims, which is ostensibly the reason why she isn't calling the police.  Marin doesn't trust the police to solve the problem anyway, so he isn't asking.  But at this point it's hard to believe that Elise is going to retain control over this situation much longer.

Four-Month-Old Comics: The January 4 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Astronaut Down #5:  We get a pretty anticlimactic ending to the series here, as Douglas does the right thing and sends the transmission to his Earth.  Before he does, he knocks up Maddie, explaining that he caught glimpses of other realities during this travels and in most of them he saw their daughter.  In the transmission, he includes a message about learning how to bridge our divides and forgive each other, which felt more saccharine than we've seen Douglas be.  To that point, we aren't really given a solid reason for Douglas' change of heart, other than maybe feeling like it was OK to die so long as he procreated?  It's unclear.  All in all, it was an interesting series, though more notable for its concept than its execution.

Batman #131:  Zdarsky shows no sign of slowing down here.  In fact, this arc seems poised to exceed his first one in excellence if this issue is any indication.

Bruce awakens in the alley that we saw at the end of last issue.  A couple of punks have stolen his equipment and, notably, don't recognize him; one of them comments that Bruce looks like a "Venomed-up freak."  Bruce realizes that he's in Crime Alley, but something about it feels different.  His proof comes in the form of a skeletal Jim Gordon with the personality of the Joker.  He calls himself "Jimbo" and tells Bruce that they fight crime together!  "Biff!  Bam!  Pow!"

Bruce realizes that he's on a different Earth, one where his brownstone lays abandoned and someone else owns Wayne Tower.  Zdarksy underscores the seriousness of the situation when Bruce says this "Gotham feels...more foreboding.  Darker."  If that doesn't scare you, I don't know what will.  

As Bruce quips, it's still Gotham, though, and he follows a scream to an apartment where a Judge Dredd-like "Judge Dent" is terrorizing the residents, asking if they're sane or insane.  Bruce recognizes that it's Harvey and that Harvey and his goons are on Venom.  When Firely (ever the idiot, as Bruce mentions) sets the building on fire in an attempt to get Bruce, Bruce helps a woman escape but Dent nabs him before he can follow her to safety.  Zdarskey does a great job of showing how Bruce is struggling here.  He still hasn't recovered from Failsafe, and a Venomized Dent beats him to a pulp.  He survives only when a street kid saves him via two knives she throws into Dent's face.  

At the girl's dilapidated apartment, she tells Bruce that her name is Julia but everyone calls her Jewel.  Zdarsky shifts pace here as we segue from action to characterization.  Bruce asks where Jewel's parents are and she doesn't respond, leaving the room to get more alcohol for Bruce's wounds.  Bruce realizes that she has the same look of an orphan that he and his raven-haired boys do.  Bruce realizes that he and Batman are dead in this reality, which is why Failsafe sent him here:  his version of compassion was giving Bruce another Gotham to save.

Meanwhile, Selina is running her own operation but responds to a call from the Red Mask, who sends a carrier raven with a photo of Bruce and tells her to bring Bruce to him alive.  I'm not sure who Red Mask is, but, given the torture victims behind him and his Klan-like costume, I don't think he's a nice guy.

In the back-up story, we learn that Tim recognized the gun that Failsafe used on Bruce.    Jon Kent apparently took it from Toyman after Toyman killed himself (I thought Grifter killed him?) and stored it - and all other supervillain weapons he found - in the Fortress of Solitude while his father was in space.  We know that Toyman is alive given the introduction so clearly we're going on a Toyman hunt.

Later, Tim helps Dick take down one of Joker's goons calling himself Cutup.  Dick and Tim discuss how all the low-level goons are making a play based on the rumor that Batman is dead.  (As Tim says, the Banes and the Riddlers know not to believe it.)  Dick suggests Tim let Batman save himself while they save Gotham, which Tim isn't buying.  You'd think Dick would remember how Tim found Bruce the last time he died?  Then again Dick is the pretty one so...  

At any rate, Jon calls Tim from the Fortress and suggests that Toyman may have left some clues when it comes to the gun.  Dun-dun-DUN!

Again, this issue is great, and I'm so fucking happy we're finally getting the type of stories that Batman deserves.

Captain America:  Sentinel of Liberty #8:  This issue is dense.

Steve goes into a gas station and calls Aaron Fischer, the Captain America of the Railways, telling him to activate the Captains Network.  It took some Googling to discover that Aaron is one of the heroes introduced in "United States of Captain America." Aaron manages to collect everyone but Black Widow, who Roger says has gone dark, and Hawkeye, who is apparently still in New York.  

Honestly, this entire sequence doesn't make much sense.  Does Aaron have some sort of magical railcar?  Peggy complains about having to ride outside the car, which Nick says made sense since A.I.M. is likely looking for them.  But doesn't it make more sense to ride inside the car where they can't see them?  Also, I don't get why Aaron had to assemble everyone.  Couldn't Steve just have called them all and told them to meet him in Kansas?  To that end, we've not told where the rest of them were during these five days.

At any rate, Steve mentally calls Emma with the code she gave him:  hilariously, it's "Mommy."  Although Peggy refuses to submit to Emma, the rest of the group does and realizes that the Outer Circle used a M.O.D.O.C. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Control) to disappear them for the five days they needed to take over Lower Manhattan.  M.O.D.O.C. also apparently saw into their secrets, which could get interesting down the line.  

Again, though, this sequence has issues.  First, we're not told A.I.M. was somehow able to take down Cap, Peggy Carter, Sharon Carter, Nick Fury, and Redacted.  Sharon discovers a subdermal scar next to her ear, which implies they were attacked and A.I.M. inserted an implant M.O.D.O.C. to use.  But how did A.I.M. manage to take down this group, particularly since Black Widow and Hawkeye were also with them at the time.  Also, why not just kill them?  Also, did A.I.M. really need to take over Lower Manhattan just to get the neganite?  It seems like a lot of effort.

In other words, the authors tried to tell a larger story than this issue could contain.  Honestly, the best part of the issue is when Steve's art-class friends try to find him and run into Amari.  They've all got great chemistry together, and I'd love to see them fight A.I.M. from the inside now that they're captured.

Star Wars #30:  This issue is reminiscent of Gillen's initial run on "Star Wars (2015)," as I can hear the characters speaking in the actors' voices for the first time in a long while.  Amilyn, Lando, and Luke particularly jump off the page.  

The team finds itself in a serious pickle:  they learn that the Kezarat convoy has turned into the Kezarat colony because no one has found a way to escape No-Space in two centuries.  Uh-oh.

At this stage, my only complaint is that the story's flow remains clunky.  I think it's due to the extensive script, which I appreciate narratively but seems better suited to a movie or TV show.  I found myself almost tired of flipping pages at the issue's end, which isn't a good place to find oneself.

Hopefully now that Soule has set up the story it'll move more quickly.

X-Men Red #10:  Oof.  Like other issues this week, this issue has way too many stories happening at once, making it difficult to follow.  Moreover, Ewing leans a little too heavily into the Arakkii way of speaking in riddles, slowing down the pace even further.  If you strip out the verbiage, this issue's overarching theme is that the Arakkii are finally starting to learn how to cooperate.  

Khora uses her powers to amplify Cable's so that he can use his telekinesis to absorb the techo-organic virus Orbis Stellaris has sitting in the lab.  He creates a pretty fucking cool set of armor with it and becomes the Progenitors' focus.  As such, they take their attention off Manifold who works with Lactuca to teleport the Progenitors "all the way outside," which he hypothesizes is where they originated in the first place.

Meanwhile, Lodus Logos, Sobunar, and Wrongslide help Storm defeat Vulcan, encasing him in a mysterium suit until they can figure out his future.

Brand realizes that Roberto paid off Mentallo to relay Xandra's telepathic manipulation of Brand so Brand wouldn't realize Xandra was hiding Storm at the Autumn Palace. (I'm still not sure about this part.  Per my question last issue, I think now that Xandra also manipulated Vulcan to go there so that Storm could finish him, but Ewing doesn't make that clear.)

Roberto, Xandra, and company arrive to confront Brand, but she uses Cable's bodyslide technology to escape.  That said, she arrives at her safehouse to discover the Fisher King waiting for her.  I'm still not sure what the Fisher King's powers are, so I'm not sure what kind of threat he is to Brand.  But he uses her true name (Abigail Thanriaguiaxus, or "Born-as-Axus-Ended") and knew her safehouse's location, so it probably isn't good for her that he calls her an enemy of Arakko.

Underlining my point about how we have too much going on here, the issue ends with the revelation that Orbis Stellaris is somehow Nathan Essex, something Cable also knows after he asked Weaponless Zen (whose power is to draw the truth) to draw his identity.

I'm hoping Ewing uses the end of this arc to focus a little more next issue, because I can't keep all these plots straight much longer.

Five-Month-Old Comics: The December 7 Non-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman #130:  I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  Zdarsky is playing for keeps here.

The issue opens with a spectacular seven-page spread focused on Bruce finding a way to survive falling from the Moon to Earth.  He swipes a booster and oxygen canister from one of the Justice League ships that Failsafe destroyed last issue, initiates nine-g bursts of propulsion every three to four seconds for an hour, spends eight hours and 31 minutes in free fall, and uses his trunks as a face shield after his oxygen mask burns in reentry.  It's something else.

Of course, Bruce doesn't just randomly land on Earth:  he lands at the Fortress of Solitude.  (He used the compressed air in his grappling hook to direct the booster's position because of course he did.)  Failsafe almost immediately arrives after him, and an awakened Superman goes to fight it as Bruce and Tim plan.  Bruce realizes their only option is to use the hole he created in Failsafe's armor last issue to inject him with virus-enabled nanobots.  Since Failsafe's programming would reject an attack, Bruce has the bots introduce a new program:  compassion.

Failsafe is rattled, but his definition of compassion entails him disintegrating Bruce.  Of course, the story ends with Bruce somehow lying unconscious in a Gotham City alley, so we'll see what he did to survive next issue.  Meanwhile, Failsafe announces his mission complete and departs for parts unknown.

As action packed as this issue is, Zdarsky doesn't skimp on the emotions.  Bruce reflects on how Tim always relished teamwork more than Dick or Jason, which is how he's able to get close enough to Failsafe to inject the nanobots.  Shortly before Failsafe shoots him, Bruce looks mournfully at Tim and tells him that it'lll be OK.  It's a reach, though, given the last scene in the North Pole is Tim crying next to the hole where Bruce was with Superman lying unconscious behind him.

In the "Zur en Arrh:  Year One" back-up story, Bruce summons his mother to remind him that her son and his father's son isn't a murderer.  As Zur en Arrh stands in the corner watching them, she pulls back his cowl to reveal he has no eyes:  just a face with a smile, an embodiment of "hollow anger."  Emboldened, Bruce takes over the body in time to save the Joker from falling to his death after Zur en Arrh threw him out the window.  The story ends with Bruce realizing that he is the most dangerous man alive and installing the same "failsafes and barriers" that he has in real life into Zur en Arrh.

I can't wait to see where we go from here.

Blade Runner 2039 #1:  Every time you think this series of mini-series is at its bleakest, Johnson proves you wrong.

Unlike the two previous mini-series, Ash isn't the focus at the start of this one.  Instead, we're introduced to Luv, the first Replicant Blade Runner (and obviously a precursor to "Blade Runner 2049's" handsome, handsome K).  The issue begins with Luv taking out a Replicant named Tabitha but not realizing that Tabitha's unnamed friend is also a Replicant.  Back at HQ, we witness the same hostility towards Luv that K experienced, though she seems more frustrated by it than K was.

Elsewhere, Tabitha's friend is trying to buy two eyes from a creepy flesh dealer.  He tells her that she can't afford them until she makes it clear they're for "payment" and the flesh dealer correctly guesses that she's trying to see "the Ferryman."  Knowing the Ferryman will make sure he gets paid, the flesh dealer gives the eyes to Tabitha's friend, telling her that no one returns from the Ferryman, "least, not how they were before they left."  At Hermosa Beach, Tabitha's friend finds the Ferryman who tells her that the eyes aren't for him (he's blind, with a rag around his eyes) but for the "monster at the end of the Labyrinth."

In an alleyway, a cop shakes down a man who's fallen on hard times, as we can tell by the photo that he clutches of him dressed in a suit with his family.  The officer informs him that "you people aren't supposed to go past the shoreline encampment anymore," and the man complains that he used to live there.  The officer is ready to beat him when Luv intervenes.  She forces the officer to beg her to spare him in progressively pathetic ways because she knows that he was patrolling outside his beat (for reasons that aren't made clear).  Before she can get him to grovel further, Niander Wallace, Jr. directly gives her a new job:  track down the Replicant based on Alexander Selwyn's late wife, who's gone missing.  Dun-dun-DUN!

Twenty miles off the California coast, the Ferryman arrives at Catalina Island, and Tabitha's friend panics, noting that it's poisoned.  She departs the boat to find Ash, wearing dark glasses, asking for the eyes.

These series are so effing good.  Johnson somehow makes real the further decline in the quality of life for Angelenos, as it seems like the middle class doesn't even exist anymore.  His ability to use small moments - a few panels, really - to get across this message is amazing.  I'm excited to find myself in Ash's world again.

Know Your Station #1:  I enjoyed this issue, but I wouldn't keep reading it if I didn't know it was only five issues long.

The premise is great:  someone has flayed Alberto Fairmilk, the chief financial officer of First Resort, an Avulsion Corporation space station for the ultrarich escaping Earth's climate chaos.  As the station's security liaison, Elise greets Detective Sergeant Leona Pritchard from Avulsion's "Soilside Carceral Operations."  A few hours later, Elise finds Pritchard murdered.  Troublingly, St. Brigid, the station's AI, informs Elise that she was the only person who accessed the airlock where she found Pritchard's body.  Since Elise is a frequent user of the Blue, it's possible she killed Pritchard without knowing it, though it seems unlikely.

Sounds great, right?  It is.  But something about the presentation was so stiff that I found it hard to connect with the characters.  Hopefully it'lll improve now that Kangas has set the stage.

Undiscovered Country #22:  As usual with this series' arcs, we're speeding up now as we approach the conclusion.

Charlotte figures out Aurora is sending Valentina and she to wars and correctly predicts that they'll respawn in 1812 once the Civil War soldiers kill them.  But they're both fading at this point:  Charlotte is struggling to remember the other wars, and Valentina notes their wounds are no longer healing.  But they figure out what Aurora wants them to know:  every place they've been, America defeats a foreign invader.  They throw themselves into the burning White House and reappear in the Monitorium, a space where the historians monitor Zone History.  They meet a head connected to a robot body who identifies himself as Henri Lavant.  He's lonely, so he proposes keeping them for a while since, after all, he controls time.

Meanwhile, Chang and Janet learn that Ace, Charlotte, and Daniel died during whatever they did to conquer America.  They're running an authoritarian regime with a personality cult dedicated to them.  But Ace exists in this reality and was separated from them when they respawned.  He heads to a library to get more information, but, when he searches for "America," the librarian tells him that she'll call the police if he isn't more careful about his searches.  He uses the computer to look up an elderly Valentina, who tells him that Chang and Janet got started on their road to victory by killing him, Charlotte, and Daniel.

Yup, it's pretty grim.

Five-Month-Old Comics: The November 2 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Astronaut Down #4:  This issue is best enjoyed if you accept the metaphysical explanations at face value.

Newly arrived in another reality (again), Douglas hears from this reality's scientists that they just sent out their own astronauts when Douglas appeared.  Due to what the scientists call "shift theory," Douglas shifted to this reality almost immediately after its Douglas departed his body, since "neighboring realities have only slight variations and would be in the same crises and attempting the same mission."  This part I accept (more or less).

However, I raised an eyebrow at the next part, where the scientists explain that, by imbedding their reality's cure equation in every astronaut's consciousness pack, they ensure the neighboring realities would do the same.  First, I'm now sure about the causal directionality there.  It implies that events aren't happening independently in each reality.  In other words, the cancer might have occurred in Set B of realities only because it occurred sui generis in Set A of neighboring realities.  Second, if they had the cure, why did they need Douglas?  Did their cure not work in their reality?  At any rate, as I said, it's easier to accept it at face value:  Douglas arrives in this reality with the cure, which we know he found in his previous reality.  

The rest of the issue focuses on Douglas' guilt over saving this reality but not his own one.  Complicating matters, this reality's Maddie proposes they get together.  Douglas doesn't initially respond, but he later activates a message from Dr. Engle in which she confirms that they knew his mission may only save another reality.  She encourages him to live his life wherever he is, and he and Maddie get together.

Of course, just as Maddie tells Douglas she wants a baby, this new reality's scientists inform Douglas that they think they can send back his consciousness to his reality if they can retrieve some equipment from a warehouse in an area where the cancer's control is fading.  Of course, Douglas would die in said mission.  Poor Douglas.

Batman #129:  The irony of this issue is that the fight between Batman and Failsafe is almost boring.  

Just before Failsafe arrives in Atlantis and captures Aquaman, Bruce escapes to the Moon-based Watchtower.  He's surprised Failsafe makes it there as quickly as he does but manages to do some damage to him thanks to a gun that involves "three quadrillion watts and New Genesis steel."  

Batman then pulls a "Superman 2:"  figuring Failsafe destroyed all the Justice League's teleporters except one - which would inevitably lead him to a similar "Home Alone"-esque gauntlet the Justice League encountered in Gotham - Batman reversed the, I don't know, polarities.  As such, he sends Failsafe to the Hall of Justice, where he was planning on running Batman through said gauntlet.  But for some reason doing so caused the Watchtower to explode, leaving Batman floating in space with few options.  

Again, it's action-packed, but we're watching Bruce match wits essentially against himself, which makes it feel clinical.  We really need to amp up the emotional stakes with the Bat-family's lives on the line to make this arc as legendary as I think it's going to be.

Blade Runner:  Black Lotus #4:  This issue is a disappointing end to a disappointing series.  

First, Collins throws us an unnecessary curveball when it turns out one of the "hostages," Preston, was the one who initially betrayed the co-op.  He collided with Barnes to set up the assassination attempt on Miguel and the kidnapping of the hostages.  Why, you ask?  Because he loved Nyoko!  Men are such dummies.

After Elle defeats Preston, Kozlov sets up Miguel when he demands that he meet him alone at Junktown for "negotiations."  Despite Junkett warning Miguel that Kozlov was in town stirring up the townspeople against the co-op, Miguel insists on going - alone - because...I don't know, peace.  If he's really such an idiot, I'm surprised he survived his time as a Blade Runner.  

Elle rushes ahead of Miguel to fight Kozlov, forcing him to confess Barnes' scheme to the townspeople.  But she's such a fucking idiot that she goes full Replicant on a guy who barely has a face at this point, raising the townspeople's suspicions.  She decides that she has to leave to keep the co-op safe, which in and of itself doesn't make sense.  Making matters worse, she decides not to say good-bye, even with a wailing Kaja begging her not to leave.  She literally just gets on her spinner bike and tells the co-op folks to have a good life.

Elle deserved better than this series.

Star Wars #29:  I wanted to like this issue.  After all, it does what I've been asking Soule to do, to refocus on the main characters after his recent attempts at telling stories involving marginal characters haven't worked so well.  

Here, Amilyn Holdo bringing Chewbacca, Lando, Leia, and Luke on a wild goose chase to find the legendary lost Kezarat convoy and its hundred tankers full of tibanna coaxium.  We even get some surprisingly great banter between Amilyn and Lando.

But something about the issue's flow is clunky.  Maybe it's because Amilyn keeps going to ridiculous lengths to keep the plan from Leia, all under the guise that they're just on a vacation.  Maybe it's because Soule is forced to jam Amilyn's eventual explanation into too few panels after spending so much time setting up the denouement.  Whatever it is, meh.

X-Men Red #8:  Ewing exhibits a masterful control over the pace and tone of this story as he weaves together several seemingly unconnected events into drama.

Cable recruits a team to find a sample of his techno-organic virus that a race called the Progenitors stole from him.  (I would've appreciated an editor's note here to give me a little more information about when that happened.)  He explains that it involves eventually taking out Abigail Brand, though going about it the long way.

Using their combined resources, the team finds the virus on a planet in the gap between galaxies and stumbles upon the entities who buried Vulcan's dark side in "X-Men (2019)" #10.  Intrigued by the entitites' creepiness when the team finds them in some form of stasis, Cable (somehow) activates their memories.  The team (conveniently) sees their memories regarding tinkering with Vulcan.  Before Cable can warn anyone, Orbis Stellaris attacks, as he's apparently the progenitor of the Progenitors.

Meanwhile, the Kree-Skrull Alliance has called a diplomatic meeting in the Diplomatic Zone of Lake Hellas on Arakko to inform the Galactic Council that "new information" has come to light showing the Shi'ar were behind a massacre at a place called Shapeless Ridge.  (The Kree actually committed said killings during a lull in the Kree-Skrull War.)  Xandra arrives and confirms the information, as it was one of the Ten Shames the Kin Crimson was trying to hide.  Before Xandra and Paibok can agree to compensation, an unhinged Vulcan arrives at Lake Hellas to declare himself King of the Shi'ar.  The issue ends showing a gleeful Abigail Brand exulting in her plan coming to fruition.

In the back matter, we learn about said plan. Brand worked with Orbis Stellaris because he could retrieve Vulcan from the Fault and make him docile until Brand needed him not to be.  In exchange, Orbis Stellaris got "credits up front and favors down the line."  Brand also leaked the information about Shapeless Ridge to the Alliance.  By unleashing Vulcan at that moment, she ensured (to her mind) a Shi'ar civil war between Vulcan and Xandra while they're also fighting off the Alliance.

Honestly, I'm shocked by how much Brand's plan makes sense.  In order to strengthen the Sol system, she's unleashing war among (and within) our rivals.  Moreover, she's positioning Sol as the peacemaker.  The only problem with her plan that I can see is her hope that the X-Men will force the Arakkii to return to Amenth and S.W.O.R.D. will take over Arakko as a "diplomatic world."  But given how successful she's been so far, I don't put it past her to make that happen.

Also, as a Nova fan, let me just say that I love how the Arakkii acknowledge him as one of them given his heroics in the face of Uranos.  It's the respect he so deserves and rarely gets.

Also Read:  Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #28

Six-Month-Old Comics: The October 5 Non-Event, Non-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!) (Updated with "Blade Runner: Black Lotus" #3)

Batman #128:  This issue is spectacular.  If you didn't believe Zdarksy and Jiménez were going to deliver an epic story after the first three issues, this issue will make a believer of you.

Zdarksy leans fully into the Tower of Babel as Bruce helplessly watches Failsafe use Superman's moves against him (as he would do).  Failsafe lures Superman into a position where he can stab him with a kryptonite shard.  Bruce and Clark are only saved because Black Canary, Green Arrow, Hawkwoman, and Martian Manhunter arrive.  

Realizing he's outnumbered, Failsafe leads them to a Gotham block that Bruce owns.  Showing how deeply the Failsafe program ran, Failsafe deploys a series of countermeasures designed specifically to take out Black Canary, Hawkwoman, and Martian Manhunter.  When Nightwing wonders how Failsafe plans to take out him and Green Arrow, Failsafe responds simply that he'll do it personally, since he can clearly just beat them to death.  Fun!

I can't explain how brilliant this entire sequence is.  Zdarksy shows how Zur-en-Arrh has anticipated the Justice League's every move since Bruce would've anticipated every move.  In so doing, Zdarsky also displays an extensive and intuitive grasp of Bruce's character.  Plus, Jiménez is on fucking fire throughout these scenes.  He not only delivers amazing action sequences but also somehow captures the terror on the heroes' faces as Failsafe surprises them at each turn.

To that point, Zdarksy also uses small moments to convey the situation's seriousness.  For example, Green Arrow dryly remarks, "That's...bad," when he and Tim discover Bruce slumped over Clark.  (Bruce lost consciousness after bandaging Clark's wound.)  I mean, I think we'd all respond with a certain level of terror at seeing Batman and Superman seemingly dead.

At this point, Green Arrow metaphorically throws the keys of the League's ship to Tim and tells him to escape with Bruce and Clark.  A barely conscious Bruce sends Tim to the Fortress of Solitude to heal Superman, since he's the world's hero.  Before he dives off the plane (so that Failsafe doesn't follow him to the Fortress), Bruce tells Tim how proud he is of him.  Again, it's a small moment, but it's also a sure sign that Bruce thinks that he's going to die.

But Bruce (and Zdarsky) isn't done.  Aquaman saves him, and Bruce awakens two weeks later mostly healed.  Aquaman then informs him that Failsafe has taken over Gotham to goad him into returning.  It's a full Brother Eye situation as some Bat-Family members (like Oracle) are captured and other ones (like Cassandra Cain and The Signal) are on the run from the robot minions that Failsafe has patrolling Gotham.  Zdarsky ends the issue with Bruce contemplating his cowl and asking himself what the plan is, in a way doesn't inspire much confidence.

The "Zur-en-Arrh:  Year One" back-up story is just as compelling as we watch Bruce undergoing his "treatments" to create Zur-en-Arrh.  Bruce wants privacy, but Commissioner Gordon gets him on the red phone when Joker starts poisoning people again.  Bruce meets Gordon who comments that Joker is behaving like he used to be.  Bruce observes that he's behaving like he was before Dick became Robin and lightened up everyone.  (I love this comment, a sly almost ret-con of Joker's more cartoonish iterations.)  But Bruce realizes the victims of Joker's poison aren't smiling and wonders if Joker isn't broken like he is, a truly terrifying prospect.

In case I didn't make it clear, this issue is a candidate for Issue of the Year.  I love everything Zdarksy and his creative team are doing here.

Blade Runner:  Black Lotus #3:  This issue  is rough.  The script is basically a never-ending sequence of the characters uttering clichés.  For example, Dixon, Junkett, and Miguel all utter some version of, "I knew there was something different about [Elle] when I first laid eyes on her."  The plot is better, but at times the visuals don't match what the characters are describing.  For example, when Junkett reveals her stash of explosives for Elle to bring to Barnes' facility, Miguel calls her a genius, even though he's just looking at a large metal box.  I'm hoping next issue is stronger than this one.

Minor Threats #2:  Although this issue isn't as great as the first one, it's still a good time.  

Brain Tease puts together the pieces to the puzzle of Stickman's motives and deduces that he's heading to the Trophy Room Nightclub to brag about killing Kid Dusk.  (Brain Tease realized that Stickman would've been able to see the Trophy Room's spotlights from his prison cell.)  Brain Tease is right, though not in the way he thinks.  

In a truly grotesque and shocking scene, Stickman's henchmen roll out Kid Dusk's corpse on a motorized wheelchair.  The Insomniac appears and cries over Kid Dusk's body, leading Playtime to realize that Stickman was chumming the waters to get revenge on the elite criminals who never approved of him.  Playtime follows Stickman's henchmen onto the roof, but she's wounded when one of their bullets ricochets off a pursuing Insomniac's armor.

Again, although it lacks of some of the first issue's charms, it compensates by showing the very real stakes at play here.  The Insomniac's rampage through the Trophy Room makes you realize the Continuum may be too late to stop him from going too far.  It also makes you wonder if Playtime is going to realize how far over her head she is here.

Undiscovered Country #21:  Now we're getting somewhere.

The Resistance duo bring Ace, Chang, and Janet to a bunker under the completely obliterated Forbidden City, where they're surprised to learn that Pavel is leading the Resistance.  Pavel explains that he survived and took over Destiny and then walks the trio through this sub-zone's status quo.  

We learn that America opened its doors 13 days after the team entered it and the team emerged with a cure for Sky.  Despite the world seemingly on its way to reconciliation, Chang and Janet saw something in America that convinces the AEA and PAPZ to destroy America.  Instead, America makes short work of the Alliance in a three-week war, establishing Pax Americana.

Beyond the obvious question of what Chang and Janet saw, I'm also curious how exactly Chang and Janet didn't know that America would win.  After all, Pavel describes America unleashing all the horrors that we've already seen on the world.  How did Chang and Janet not think it was going to do that?

Snyder and Soule don't dwell on that question, as it's clear we're not supposed to be thinking too hard about these hypothetical outcomes.  When President Graves somehow invades the bunker under the Forbidden City, his men mow down everyone.  Just like Charlotte and Valentina, Chang and Janet awaken to a new reality, one where they and Pavel rule the world.

Meanwhile, Charlotte and Valentina aren't doing so well.  They make their way to Sam in Pearl Harbor while discussing how they still feel their wounds from their previous deaths and feel weaker.  Sam confirms that they only have so many lives left, and an irate Valentina pins him to the ship where he's a captain so that he can die with them.  Instead of moving to the future, they discover themselves in the middle of the Civil War.

This arc has definitely lit a fire under this series in a positive way, but I'll also admit that some of these mysteries are getting old.  In a way, nothing here really helps us understand more about Aurora and the series' core mysteries, as we're spending our time just sussing out Zone History's mysteries.  I'm sure they'll be connected, but it's probably about time to get there.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The September 7 Non-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

007 #2:  First things first, the Mark Aspinall cover is a thing of beauty.  I would love to see him take a turn as the artist on this series, even if I enjoy Finnegan's work.

Moving onto the story, Kennedy Johnson shows the same attention to detail as he did on "The Last God."  We learn that Gwen's note informed James that she had been working for M as a mole inside Myrmidon.  At Gwen's funeral, James signals to M that he knows the truth, prompting M to approach him later with the whole story.

M tells James that Gwen realized a deep-pocketed new player was building a nationless intelligence agency.  Concerned about their motives, she and M arranged for her fall at MI6 so she could embed in Myrmidon.  M tells James that Myrmidon has now moved beyond assassinations and data breaches and is planning some sort of full-scale military operation.  When M offers James Gwen's spot inside Myrmidon, he refuses, saying that he can't forgive M for disgracing her.

James arrives home only to encounter some sort of super-soldier.  James manages to kill him but discovers the rest of the Myrmidon crew in his apartment.  They were there to kill him but, when they overheard James telling the super-solider that "Gwen Gann sends her regards," they're now worried about what James knows.  I think James is going to have an uncomfortable few days.

Again, Kennedy Johnson does great stuff here, subverting a series of spy-story tropes.  First, James is behind the cueball for most of this issue, which is fun.  Second, James doesn't swing when M pitches him the Myrmidon job.  Finally, even if he did take the job, it's clear that Myrmidon is too on the ball to fall for his cover.  You really don't know what to expect, which breathes some life back into these sorts of stories.

Batman #127:  This issue is everything I wanted in a "Batman" story, which validates my decision to give Zdarsky a shot.

It turns out Zur-en-Arrh created Failsafe.  Surprise!  This arc is essentially a sequel to the classic "Justice League" Tower of Babel story.  As we see in the first few pages, Bruce believed that he didn't need a plan for if he went rogue because the League - particularly Superman - was his plan.  But Zur-en-Arrh believed that "they" did need a plan, so he created a Failsafe.  (As Tim says, leave it to Bruce to "create a contingency backup who created a contingency plan.")  Of course, Zu-en-Arrh erased the memory since he knew that Batman would call on him if he went rogue.  Of course he did.

Zdarksy makes it clear that Failsafe activated because it believed Batman took a life when he seemingly killed the Penguin.  I love this development.  As I've mentioned before, my favorite runs on Batman and Spider-Man are when the hero faces multiple crises of various intensity all at once.  Here, Bruce had enough on his hands with his alleged murder of the Penguin; he didn't need Failsafe added to the fire.

Bruce is appalled from inside Zur-en-Arrh's consciousness when he refers to Tim as his "soldier."  Tim is Bruce's son, full stop, so he takes back control of their shared body to save Tim.  With Failsafe looming over him, Bruce contemplates dying in a good place - on the stairs of Wayne Manor, surrounded by memories of his parents and his boys.  But, of course, it turns out Bruce wasn't wrong about his plan:  Superman arrives to stop Batman, just not the one Bruce thought he'd have to stop.

The back-up story isn't any less spectacular.  Selina follows the money trail right to the Penguin's new identity.  Apparently the Penguin installed a friend who did time with him as the bookkeeper at the bird sanctuary that his will endowed.  The friend then bought supplies from "less-than-reputable" companies, and a "modest florist" in Metropolis owned said companies via a shell company.  If you hadn't guessed, the Penguin is the "modest florist."  

Oswald makes a compelling case for why he disappeared, opining that Gotham was so dangerous they all became night people because sleep was risky.  He wanted a new life:  if he stayed in Gotham he knew that he wouldn't be able to take it when that "rich, brooding model" (i.e., Bruce) kept winning.  That said, he didn't want his kids to kill each other over the will; he just wanted to inspire some friendly-ish competition.  Selina buys it and chats with Oswald for an hour or so before leaving.

After Selina leaves, Oswald wishes Addison and Aiden luck in killing the Bat and the Cat.  He legitimately seems like he's done for a while, enjoying the quiet life in Metropolis while his kids continue the fight.  Selina herself contemplates that quiet as she decides to spend an extra night there.  

Both stories show Zdarsky's command of the characters and their motivations, a good sign this early into his run.  I think we're going great places.

Blade Runner:  Black Lotus #2:  Damn, this issue is d-a-r-k.

Barnes' troops invade the co-op to round up women so they can replace the Replicants the Wallace Corporation took back last issue.  It's a brutally realistic premise, and Collins handles it directly.  A now-wounded Miguel  wonders why Barnes would attack his only food source, a valid question that underscores Barnes feeling like he lacks any good options.  Lest you feel sympathy for Barnes, he later tells a kidnapped Nyoko to sedate the women and take care of any "accidents" or he'll use Kaja as a slave as well.  Yeah, it isn't an uplifting read.

Collins unfortunately deploys a number of overly convenient developments to move along the story.  

For example, Nyoko decides to run to her tent to get her med-kit to help Miguel as Barnes' troops are ransacking the village.  She assures Miguel that she'll be fine, which makes zero sense.  A drone just shot her husband, and she can clearly hear her neighbors' screams.  Why would she assume she could just waltz to her office and get her equipment?  Of course, she can't:  Kaja runs after Nyoko, and Barnes' men kidnap both of them.  To make matters worse, Miguel later assures everyone that he's fine, calling into question why Nyoko felt the need to take the risk in the first place.

The most eye-rolling development though is the revelation that Miguel was previously a Blade Runner.  I mean, really?  It's starting to feel like every man in this reality was once a Blade Runner who saw the light.  In the "also bad" category, he then hands Eve the samurai sword that is one of Nyoko's family heirlooms. Honestly, I woud've enjoyed watching Elle try to find a way to storm Barnes' compound without her weapon of choice.

At any rate, it is what it is.  I'm ready just to watch Elle go to work.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The August 3 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman #126:  As expected, Zdarsky isn't fucking kidding.

The issue begins with a recovering Robin telling Batman to mind his own business when Bruce expresses concern that Tim is already on patrol.  Bruce returns to the Cave, and Zdarsky picks up the thread from last issue as Bruce muses how the kids don't understand that they ultimately can't keep their costumed identities and find "love and happiness."  (Yes, it's weird to see Bruce say the words "love and happiness.")  Before Bruce goes any farther down that road, Failsafe attacks!

Zdarsky makes it clear that Failsafe is Bruce's un-fucking-stoppable Doomsday.  Within six punches thrown, Bruce realizes that he's dead if he stays in the Cave.  He manages to grapple himself to the Batmobile and order it to speed to safety.  But the bomb Bruce throws at Failsafe as he leaves the Cave does no good as, still on fire, it finds Bruce in the city.  Bruce admits to Oracle that the situation is bad, and Jiménez does a great job of showing actual fear in Bruce's eyes as Failsafe grabs his cape and hurls him to the ground before he can escape up a fire escape.  

Bruce contemplates the end, which only doesn't happen because Batgirl (Cassandra), Signal, and Spoiler arrive.  Failsafe almost immediately takes out Stephanie, and Signal distracts Failsafe while Robin gets Bruce into the Batmobile so he can meet Leslie at the Cave.  A concussed Bruce murmurs to himself that Failsafe sounds familiar, and Tim floors it to flee the pursuing Failsafe.  Nightwing arrives in time to buy Tim time to escape.  Failsafe dismisses the team as "little soldiers" and takes out Batgirl and Spoiler.  He then rips off Duke's helmet and scans it, gaining access to the team's systems.

Leslie is startled to find Failsafe in the new Cave, but Bruce had Tim take him to the old one.  Cryptically recalling that he "went too far" in his early days before the "children" softened him, Bruce activates Zur-en-Arrh!

In the back-up story, two previously unidentified Penguin heirs - Addison and Aiden - have murdered their ten siblings.  Well, they tried to murder all ten:  Selina manages to prevent a disguised Aiden from murdering Ethan, from "Batgirl."  But he's left in a vegetative state.

Selina puts together this sequence of events the next day when Addison and Aiden arrive at the Executor's office for the will reading.  They have notarized copies of documents vouching for their DNA, and Selina recognizes Aiden is wearing the same cufflinks as Ethan's attacker.  Since the will excludes Ethan due to his vegetative state, the Executor announces that Addison and Aiden inherit the Iceberg Lounge and Penguin's other real-estate holdings.  Addison loses her mind, though, when the Executor announces that Penguin's money goes to the Flights of Fancy Bird Sanctuary in Metropolis.  Aiden then hustles her out the door.

Before Addison and Aiden arrived, Selina asked the Executor for the names of the mothers of Penguin's children so she could split her $500,000 fee among them .  After Addison and Aiden depart, she cryptically asks the Executor for one more address.

All in all, I couldn't be happier with Zdarksy's run so far.  As I hoped, the main story brings the sort of propulsive energy and astute characterization that he brought to Spider-Man, and the Catwoman mystery is a great accompaniment.

Immortal X-Men #5:  Oof.  

The best part of this issue is Bandini and Curiel's art, whose brightness and clarity brilliantly matches Exodus' story as a knight in the employ of a series of messiahs (Apocalypse, Magneto, and now Hope).

Unfortunately, the art does more to walk us through Exodus' thousand-year journey than anything Gillen does.

Exodus realizes that he's lost in his memories because the Uni-Mind is attacking and it's using this ploy on all the Council members to distract them from the attack.  I'll admit that it's a solid plan on the Uni-Mind's part.  I'll also admit that Gillen does a great job of scripting Exodus' fever-driven way of speaking and thinking.  Combined, however, the disjoint narrative and crazed script make the issue difficult to follow.  

I also don't know enough about Exodus' past to know whether Gillen is ret-conning his history, filling in gaps in said history, or rehashing events that we've seen elsewhere.  But it certainly feels odd for Gillen to spend so much time on Exodus' history when this issue also gives us the Hex attacking Krakoa for the first time.

Again, I keep reading this series because it's essential to understanding the X-Men's current status quo not because it's interesting in and of itself.

Moon Knight #14:  McKay and Cappuccio do a great job balancing Marc's characterization-driven conversation with Jake and Steve with the ass-kicking punishment he gets from Grand Mal and Nemean.  

For example, Jake and Steve point out Marc is getting his ass handed to him because he's trying too hard to keep them on the bench.  In fact, they note Marc is usually the one who gets them into trouble.  Marc says that he's trying to hide his disorder from Reece because he doesn't want to scare her away.  Jake and Steve point out Reece is actually managing her chronic disease unlike Marc, who is actively ignoring it.  All excellent points, fellas.

In the end Hunter's Moon and Tigra find Marc's broken body, and Marc agrees to let in Jake and Steve.  Of note, I was happy to see McKay mentioning previous series' events during the conversation, a rare creator who doesn't pretend he invented a legacy character from scratch.  Good times (for us, not Marc), they're a-comin'!

Spider-Man 2099:  Exodus #5:  This issue is similar to the previous ones:  a long series of expository conversations to update us the status quo of another B-list 2099 hero.  This time, it's the X-Men's turn.

The mutants are homeless after the Cabal used its Sentinels to seize the mutant homeland in the Savage Land for reasons I don't think Orlando specifies other than the Cabal is e-v-i-l.  The action (such as it is) starts when Northstar discovers a mutant at the heart of the Celestial Garden, which Cerebra decides means it's the new mutant homeland.  (Ballsy.)

Upon arriving, the X-Men discover an adamantium mountain that Rogue turns to gas using Voght's powers. Inside is a Doom-manufactured canister holding X-Man's eye.  Before Orlando can explain, the Cabal's Sentinels attack.  Spidey and Nostromo arrive to help just as Osborn arrives with more goons.

This issue is perhaps the most wooden of an already mediocre series, as the X-Men are little more than plot-advancing mouthpieces.  I'm glad we're finally wrapping up this series so someone other than Orlando can hopefully take the 2099 ball and run with it.  It isn't a lot, but it's what I've got.

Spider-Punk #4:  When the villain spares the hero in the penultimate chapter, it's usually the author's naked ploy to amp up the drama.  It is here, too.  Unusually, though, Ziglar gives Green Goblin a solid reason for "sparing" Hobie, Kamala, Karl, and Riri:  he's going to execute them publicly!  During his various super-villain monologues, Norman - whose head survived Hobie decapitating him due to the Venom symbiote - explains to Hobie that his death at Hobie's hands made him a martyr to all the fascists and racists who supported him.  I actually thought at various moments that one or more of the Spider-Band might die, so I'm really not sure how next issue is going to go, y'all!

X-Men Red #5:  Unlike "Immortal X-Men" #5, Ewing shines in this tie-in issue, showing us how Uranos decimated Arakko, as we saw in "A.X.E.:  Judgment Day" #1.

It isn't just Uranos himself attacking the Arakkii, but his "armories," a series of destructive tools that range from a bio-metallic slime infecting the Morrowlands to a self-replicating machine army invading Argyre Planitia.  Ewing provides a timer in each panel, underscoring how devastating Uranos' attack is when Brand, Cable, and Magneto are all dead before Uranos uses up 20 minutes of the hour Druig allowed him.  

The scene where Uranos rips out Magneto's heart is particularly brutal and shocking, which makes the last page's revelation that Magneto somehow survives without his heart all the more confusing.  Other than that, it's a pretty spectacular issue that underscores the threat the mutants face in the Eternals.

Three-Month-Old Comics: The July 6 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #5:  This issue is surprisingly uneventful, given the events of this series' first four issues.  

Peter gets revenge on Tombstone by sending Digger to break up one of Tombstone's shipments.  Digger is jobless after he failed to arrive when the Rose was frantically calling for help last issue; we learn in this issue that he went for ice cream.  Peter convinced Digger that taking on Tombstone might get him back into the Rose's good graces.  To ensure Tombstone knows that Spidey is fucking with him, Peter is at Tombstone's mansion when Tombstone hears about Digger's rampage.  Peter indirectly threatens to confirm the other dons' suspicion (as seen earlier in the issue) that Tombstone is working with Spidey by going to stop Digger.

In that way, all's well that ends well:  Spidey gets even with Tombstone by ruining his shipment (which involved "a lotta capital," according to Tombstone), Tombstone has to take it on the chin so that he doesn't inadvertently confirm an alliance that doesn't exist (though he still benefits from the Rose's incarceration), and Digger gets to show everyone that he's still reliable(-ish).

Between scenes, Felicia visits Peter to express concern about the crazy stories that she's hearing on the street.  She wants to make sure that things "aren't...bad again."  She tells Peter that she knows that he's been playing hurt since the "accident with Ben," which I think means what happened six months earlier and not what happened at the end of the last series.  Peter admits that he doesn't know what to do, and Felicia tells him that he does:  he needs to stop playing hurt, because he's at his best when he's having fun.  We end the issue with him visiting Aunt May, which seems like a good start.

Beyond the big mystery (or maybe connected to it), Digger is the other mystery.  He mentions twice in this issue that he has "thirteen people" in him, which makes me wonder if Ben's accident didn't involve him becoming some sort of gestalt.  I really wouldn't mind getting to the bottom of this one soon.  I get Wells wants to keep up the suspense, but I can only handle it for so long.  I hope Wells gets that we all have PTSD from Kindred.

Also, I have to say that JR JR's pencils just keep getting worse.  I get that he wanted to portray Peter as hurt in his conversation with Felicia, but his cheekbone looks completely disconnected from the rest of his face.  We're well past the point where it's believable he's even alive if that's true.

Astronaut Down #2:  This issue gets directly to the point.  

Douglas discovers that this reality tackled the quantum cancer early, as it developed more effective approaches to communicate across beliefs and differences (thereby overcoming the "Don't Look Up" crowd's opposition).  As a result, they not only cured the mutation but developed a process through which they could transmit a consciousness and allow it to return.  (I'm still not sure why they're exploring this possibility, unless they're trying to prevent the cancer from happening in the first place.)  Douglas is paralyzed by the prospect of getting to return to his body and not having to die in this reality. 

Mission Control, however, is panicked that Douglas hasn't transmitted the "equation" (i.e., the cure) so they send Vernon to see what Douglas' situation is.  Vernon is enraged when he realizes that Douglas is having a picnic with his wife and attacks.  He dies but not before rattling Douglas.  Meanwhile, the situation goes from bad to worse in Douglas' reality when the cancer overtakes Florida City, where Mission Control is located.

Batman #125:  If you've read this blog for a while, you know that I stopped reading "Batman" when I just couldn't handle Tom King anymore.  Given my love of Chip Zdarsky, I decided to take a leap of faith here, and I'm glad that I did.

All but the last two pages of this issue takes place in "Another Time" when:  1) Tim is Robin; 2) Bruce has lost all his money; 3) Clayface is a villain, and 4) Barbara is Oracle.  A little Googling reveals that Bruce lost his fortune during "Joker War" (I vaguely remember that), and Barbara and Tim moved to their new/old status quos as part of DC's (ridiculous sounding) "Infinite Frontier" relaunch.  I still don't have an answer for Clayface, though it could be that he wasn't the one from "Detective Comics."  (There are a lot of Clayfaces after all.)

At any rate, Bruce awakens after a dream involving the three Jokers perched a top a mountain of dead Batfamily members.  Jimenez gives us gays some great fan service as he's only in a pair of briefs and, might I say, is pitching a tent.  He calls Selina, and they seem to be on good terms, though she has to go when "Valmont" appears with coffee.  Meanwhile, Bruce looks into the recent murders of wealthy people.  

The mystery is quickly resolved when the Penguin reveals publicly that he's killing everyone in Gotham who inherited more than five million dollars.  Bruce isn't moved by the Penguin's claim that he's doing it for people like him who had to struggle to get where they are, since it isn't true:  Cobblepot also inherited it.  It's here when Tim appears as Robin and mentions that Bruce is worrying everyone since he's spending so much time as Batman since he lost all his money.

Bruce agrees with Tim, though it isn't why Tim thinks:  it's because Bruce Wayne is a useful tool.  For example, Bruce gets him invited to the Flugelheim Gala, where all Gotham's rich people will be in one place.  (Tim expresses surprise that they didn't cancel it, and Bruce hilariously quips that, "No.  It's the hardest part of this job -- this city wants to die.")  As expected, Cobblepot tries to use gas to kill everyone, and Bruce swings into action after retrieving his utility belt from where Tim stashed it in a bathroom and pulling on his mask.

Bruce quickly takes out Cobblepot, which surprises him given how easy it was to do so.  He then realizes that Clayface is acting as Cobblepot.  Clayface tells Bruce that the building is rigged to explode if the gas didn't work, and Tim tries to get the doors open so everyone can leave.  While he's doing so, a goon gets in a lucky shot through Tim's throat.  The explosives he planted on the door before he's shot blasts open the door, and Bruce rushes him to the hospital since the goon hit an artery.  Tim exhorts him to take off his clothes so that they don't know that Robin is Tim Drake, and Bruce grimly remembers doing so with Jason Todd's body.

Later, Bruce arrives in Cobblepot's hospital room, where we learn that he's dying.  (Clayface gave up his location.)  Bruce expresses surprise that Oswald went this far, and Oswald tells him that he's dying of mercury poisoning and wants to kill the elites who refused to accept him.  Bruce argues that he killed good men like Colin Fitzroy, but Oswald laughs, saying Fitzoy was a boar who'd insult and pawn his staff at the Iceberg Lounge.  Knowing Batman under the mask is one of them, Oswald tells Bruce that he only ever sees his friends while they're wearing their masks; Oswald and everyone else see them as they really are.  It's a compelling argument, and Bruce seems to take it on board.

At any rate, Oswald announces that Batman was last on his list.  He reveals that he's called the police and, as he pushes the call button to summon a nurse, takes a cyanide pill.  Bruce tries to save him, but he can't.  Instead, a nurse enters as he's perched over Oswald's body, making it seem like he killed Oswald, which the cops therefore also witness.  Well played, Oswald.  Later, a distracted Bruce admits (to himself only, natch) that he's lost, facing a mystery "just out of reach."  Most intriguingly, "Now," a Batman-looking robot activates in the Batcave, announcing "Failsafe online."

In the back-up story, a robot dubbed the Executor (who works for the Underbroker) hires Catwoman (for $500,000!) to track down Oswald's ten (!) children to inform them of the contents of his will, which the Executor will read in seven days' time.  (We learn the latter piece of information when Finbar Sullivan and the Yakuza try to take over the Iceberg Lounge.)

All in all, it's a good start.  I feel like I have the continuity answers that I need from Googling, and I hope that Zdarsky doesn't lean too much on that right now.  This issue was emotional and fun, and it's been so long since we've had a Batman story like that that I don't want the dream to end.

Captain America:  Sentinel of Liberty #2:  This issue is WAY too talky, but I'm hoping that we go somewhere now that we've got the exposition on the table. 

It turns out the shadowy organization has five leaders (just like the five points on the star on Steve's shield):  the Machine, the Money, the Power, Love, and the Revolution (who's the figure we saw at the end of last issue talking about getting Steve on the board).  Radio Company has been following their broadcasts, and it seems like they don't know that Steve has cracked their code (unlike what I thought last issue).  Why are they broadcasting codes openly over the radio?  God only knows.

The latest message sends Steve to the Forge, a new German power station just brought online that'll power half of Europe.  He's surprised when he runs into silver armored soldiers with Hydra symbology, Hand techniques, and AIM technology.  He's even more surprised when he discovered one of the soldiers is actually a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who informs Steve that he and the rest of the soldiers are all acting on orders.

Relatedly, a very handsome looking Bucky arrives at a card game in Madripoor to interrogate the dealer who's apparently one of the five soldiers fighting for a mysterious cause (as we saw at the end of last issue).  It turns out the dealer is Peggy Carter, so it's going to get interesting soon I hope.

That said, again, this issue gets mostly lost in the worst kind of Steve monologue, as we have to slog through a fairly maudlin rumination over how he isn't in the loop.  Hopefully we'll spend the next issue or two punching Nazis.

Dark Beach #4:  Hoo boy.

Ruíz-Unger lifts the lid off the mystery here.  In a flashback, Schultz informs the Sun Freaks that the Center for Science and Tech assigned him to Project Daydream.  He learned that it plans on returning Earth to its original orbit, though he can't access information beyond that, since it's classified.  He doesn't know if the Center has already built the machine but did learn that Stanley didn't originate it:  Marie Clara proposed it 16 years earlier.  (I think that explains the time discrepancy.  The Center didn't move Earth to the outer solar system 16 years ago; they started planning to return it then.)  Then, we get to the connection with Gordo:  Clara, who I'm guessing is Gordo's mother, was found dead of an apparent suicide.

The Freaks have Roman develop a way for Schultz to get around the Center's security protocols, but, once they all leave, Roman immediately calls a "doctor" and asks about Project Daydream.  Shortly thereafter, we see someone calling Julyus to hire him.  Julyus murders Ket as she and Eve are having sex, and Raz finds Schultz dead at his desk.  If I'm not mistaken, we don't see Roman's fate, so I'm not actually sure that he's dead like we thought.

In the postlude, fourteen years ago, Stanley's creature warns Clara that it came to Earth because Earth has to return to the Sun before the "Realignment" and the "Correction."  Clara exposits that she created Project Daydream to protect Earth from the Sun's "violent outbursts," allowing them to return to the Sun.  Stanley, though, is adamant that they're not returning.  Clara is just as adamant that they are, but Stanley says that her Dyson sphere will allow humanity to travel between planets, though they seem to need the creature's intelligence to do that.  But I'm confused here since haven't we already traveled between planets if we're in the outer solar system?  At any rate, Clara says that it isn't the future that she wanted for her son (making it clear that her son is Gordo), and Stanley threatens her.

I'd still like a clearer timeline of events at some point, but I feel like that we have enough clarity now that we can really focus on the story itself in these last two issues.  Hopefully Gordo gets some revenge.