Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The July 13 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

All-New X-Men #11:  From a character perspective, Hopeless does a great job here with Evan.  He shows his anguish in a way that reminds us that he's a teenager:  he's not thinking through the ramifications of his actions as he seeks to save En Sabah Nur from his future.  When Hank is forced to return them home lest they do more damage, Evan is despondent, his chance at redemption lost.  That said, from a plot perspective, Hopeless leaves so much on the table here that I have to assume we'll revisit this story one day.  First, Hank trades a story of the future with the Mystic to get back the Mask of Horus, though we don't learn what story Hank tells him.  Does Hank give the Mystic information that helps him mold En Sabah Nur into Apocalypse?  Does he do it intentionally, given his belief he and Evan shouldn't change the past?  Second, Hank tells Evan that the Mask showed him something on their journey to the present, but Evan refuses to hear what it is.  It's presumably more important than the winning lottery numbers, so I'm assuming that we'll hear what it is one day.  Finally, Hopeless more or less leaves us hanging when it comes to En Sabah Nur himself.  His father pledges to basically brutalize him until he becomes a man.  However, Hopeless did such a good job of showing us En Sabah Nur's decency that it's hard to believe that his father could ever be so successful.  How does En Sabah Nur finally break?  We really need another arc (or mini-series) to close this circle.

Civil War II #3:  I don't have much to say except that I'm Team Tony all the way here.  As Tony himself says to Carol, we're basically at the point where she could justify murdering everyone with powers, because Ulysses could, at some point, predict them going off the deep end.  Bendis also makes Tony's position compatible with his position in the original "Civil War:"  he believes that they need to be protecting people, but that also means protecting each other.  Moreover, Bendis did a great job keeping the denouement of this issue a surprise.  I was really expecting Carol to force Ulysses' vision of a rampaging Hulk to come true.  When Hawkeye does what he did here, I was as confused as the characters, adding to the drama.  I legitimately can't wait to see where we go from here.

Detective Comics #936:  We get a surprising amount of answers here, given that I assumed we'd spend at least a year not knowing the identity of the organization hunting the team.  Tynion gets right to it, though:  it's called the Colony, Kate's dad is at least one of its leaders (if not the leader), and he's been training her explicitly for the purpose of joining him.  He claims that it's an altruistic organization fighting global threats that Batman has ignored due to his singular focus on Gotham.  They've got a target in Gotham, and they had to take down Batman since he'd likely try to stop them from eliminating it.  That shadiness -- in addition to the years of lying -- leads Kate (and the reader) to conclude that they're probably not as altruistic as Kate's dad is pretending they are.  Kate and the team escape, and we're really cruising for a bruising now.  For me, the great part is that Tynion shows that he's playing for keeps here.  The revelation that Kate's dad has betrayed her isn't something that a future author is just going to be able to ignore.  Plus, Tynion digs into Kate herself; this story is about addressing her own self-doubts.  He brilliantly uses Renée to reveal these doubts, as she notes that Kate seems all business to most people but the few people that know her well know that she needs direction.  But, without Batman to lead, she's going to have to trust herself and her teammates.  We're three issues into this relaunch, but it already feels like this team has been together for years.  Team Belfry all the way, man.

New Avengers #13:  You know, I'm really happy I hung in here.  With the focus shifting to Bobby and Sam, I feel like we're getting the old band together again.  They even have a secret "mutual friend" on the island!  I was a little surprised when I learned that Sam is married with a kid, but a little Internet research reveals that it happened during the time period where the Avengers jumped eight months into the future.  (If I'm not mistaken, we're now 16 months from that original point, since we're eight months after "Secret Wars."  Maybe?  Or is it the same eight months?  Whatever.)  Also, I'm starting to feel invested in the other characters, particularly Songbird.  She really compliments Bobby, and I have to wonder, after all this time, if he hasn't met his match (other than Sam, obviously).  When you add in there the Maker and a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as enemies, every issue is really a series of unpredictable events.  It was a slow, uneven start, but Ewing is finding his footing here.  Score one for an event keeping me engaged in a series (he says, shocked).

Nightwing:  Rebirth #1:  Seeley somehow manages to wrap up every loose end from "Grayson" in a coherent narrative that unfolds naturally.  The frame of the story has Dick on the hunt for a device that can disable the bomb that the Court of Owl put in Damian's brain at the end of "Robin War."  Although Tiger isn't able to help him, Midnighter is, providing him with such a device.  To warm up an unaware Damian, Dick brings him to the arcade to play his favorite video game ("Cheese Vikings").  Seeing the two of them together made me long for the days when they were a team, since their banter is so naturally good.  As always, Dick brings out the best in Damian as a character (moving him beyond his often one-dimensional portrayal):  when Dick tells him about the bombs, Damian demands more ice cream and video games, acting almost as a normal kid.  With the bomb eventually defused, Dick is now freed from the Court of Owls.  However, we learn that he's actually beholden to the Parliament of Owls, a more global group.  (I had no idea they were two different entities, and I can't tell if we're learning that for the first time here or if we've known about it for a while.) At any rate, Lincoln March is crowing over his success in securing Dick to the Parliament, but he's seemingly killed by a Talon, expositing that they really want more direct access to Nightwing.  They're going to get it, too, because Dick takes up the Nightwing persona again at the end of this issue specifically to take down the Parliament.  As thrilled as I am with Seeley tying up all these loose ends, it was really Dick's brotherly time with Damian that I enjoyed the most.  I hope that we see him frequently in the coming series.

Also Read:  Bloodshot Reborn #15; Dungeons & Dragons:  Shadows of the Vampire #3

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The June 15 DC Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman #1:  I'm probably supposed to have a lot to say about this issue, but I don't.  Some nutjob from a terrorist group that uses a cobra as a symbol gets his hands on an RPG and shoots a plane.  Alfred and Duke help Bruce propel himself onto the plane.  He just so happens to have a spare set of engines with him, so he's able to redirect it (as if he's riding a horse) from crashing into Kane Plaza to crashing into the Gulf of Blackgate.  He expects to die (again) in the crash, but he doesn't, thanks to the timely intervention of Gotham and Gotham Girl.  If you've been following the hoopla surrounding "Rebirth," you know that they're mysterious new heroes set to challenge Bruce's belief that Gotham is his city.  But, because of said hoopla, their appearance on the scene is pretty anti-climactic.  Sure, we know nothing about them now, but we'll learn all we need to know -- likely in nauseating detail -- over the course of the next few issues.  The only real mystery here is that a shadowy figure killed the terrorist that fired the RPG and then uttered the phrase, to no one in particular, "Observe the clock, Batman."  Creepy.

The Dark Knight Returns:  The Last Crusade #1:  Azzarello and Romita tell a pretty straight-forward story in this one-shot.  For most of it, it's about Bruce having to face the fact that he's at the limit of what his body can take.  It's not just the pain, but that opponents like Killer Croc are starting to get the drop on him.  He's forced to acknowledge that he's getting closer and closer to the moment where he'll fatally slip, allowing an opponent to kill him.  They have a great sequence here where Croc is really close to doing just that, prompting two reactions in Bruce.  First, he's surprised, because he figured that the end would come with him being outsmarted, not beaten.  (It's an interesting insight into his thinking, because it reminds us that he sees himself as a detective and not a brawler.)  But, he also shows real fear at the possibility of Croc eating him, something that we don't usually see in him.  After this sequence, Bruce may still be fighting the idea of retirement, but he also seems resigned to it.  His concern is that Jason Todd is too violent, though Alfred walks him through the ridiculousness of that position, poking holes in his argument by using his own behavior at Jason's age against him.  It's here where the story goes off the rails a bit.  Instead of a retirement story, we learn that this issue is really a reimagining of "A Death in the Family," as Jason goes to take on the recently escaped Joker to prove that he's ready (after overhearing Alfred and Bruce's conversation).  Of course, he isn't ready, and the issue ends with the Joker's goons beating on him and the Joker excited about the torture that he's going to inflict on him.  It's not that it's a bad reimagining of this scenario, but it is a rushed one.  The entire sequence feels tacked onto the end like the creators hadn't originally planned to go this route but the editors made them do it.  It's still worth a read, but you're not going to be able to help feeling like you're missing a few pages.

Ttans:  Rebirth #1:  I cannot explain how excited I am to be part of the Titans.  I'm not a long-time DC Comics reader, so I missed the Titans era in the '80s.  I imagine that it would be like someone who didn't read Marvel Comics getting excited about reading "Avengers" if they brought the original team together again.  You get a chance to be a part of something that mattered.  I loved Dan Abnett during his work with Andy Lanning, and he's just as good here as he was then.  He hits all the right emotional notes, and I choked up a bit as the Titans remembered Wally and Wally exulted in feeling their love for him.  As he himself says, he's lost a lot, and you can feel his commitment not to have it happen again.  The Titans feel the same way, horrified that they forgot Wally and angry at the idea that someone made them forget him.  Moreover, Abnett directs us to the "Titans Hunt" mini-series, since it seems to serve as a prequel to "Rebirth:"  apparently, someone named Mister Twister was responsible for the Titans not remembering each other (at least as far as they know).  At any rate, this title seems like it's going to be front-and-center as we figure out the mechanics of the "Rebirth," and I'm really excited to be on board.

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The June 1 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

All-New, All-Different Avengers #10:  I normally wouldn't comment on this issue, since it's pretty straight-forward (and fun).  But, I have to put out there my hope that the Avengers looking for a Nova, traveling through a dimensional door, and finding themselves face-to-face with Annihilus means that Richard Rider can't be far away.  A guy can hope, can't he?

Amazing Spider-Man #13:  I could enjoy what Slott was trying to do here.  After all, Tony Stark is an asshole.  It makes sense that Peter might have previously idolized Tony for achieving all that he has with his genius.  But, with Peter now having done something similar, you could understand how he'd have a different perspective on Tony.  That story would actually show some interesting character growth.  But, Slott ruins my willingness to meet him halfway because he also makes Peter an asshole.  In this issue, his misogyny is again front-and-center, as he screams at Tony for stealing "Parker's girl" during their obligatory superhero fight.  Really?  When your misogyny appalls Tony Stark, it's time to reassess your outlook.  Moreover, Slott is using way too many shortcuts to get us from Point A to Point B.  Harry tells Betty Brant that things are so bad between Mary Jane and Peter that the old gang can't have lunch together, even though we've never even remotely been presented with an explanation for why things are so bad.  (If it's because she's working for Tony Stark, then Peter really is a misogynistic asshole.)  I could continue, but I don't want to continue.  I'm officially reading this series from a sense of obligation to the character.  'Nuff said.

Batman:  Rebirth #1:  Not a lot happens in this issue, to be honest.  Lucius helps Bruce regain his fortune, miraculously removing the Wayne family funds from the government lien on...something.  Wayne Enterprises?  Honestly, I can't even remember how Batman went bankrupt.  It almost seems like a sequel to the movie trilogy rather than the comics.  I know that Geri Powers purchased the remains of Wayne Enterprises after the events of "Endgame," but I still have no idea why they had to be sold.  Is it just because Bruce died?  Why would that reduce the value of the company to the point where Powers could buy it for pennies?  Moreover, why would that result in a lien?  Wouldn't that be resolved with Powers buying the assets, presumably through some sort of bankruptcy proceeding?  But, King and Snyder acknowledge this lack of clarity, with Bruce himself noting to Lucius how often he goes bankrupt and how often Lucius has to save him.  By the way, this conversation happens as a shirtless and sweaty Bruce does gymnastics on top of Wayne Towers, so I won't complain all that much.  Suffice it to say, it more reminds us that this aspect of the post-"Endgame" story was never really all that clear in the first place.  But, now noted, we can move onto other matters.  The only other development is Bruce recruiting Duke to work with him, though not as Robin.  At this point, that difference seems mostly linguistic and sartorial:  Bruce invites Duke to live in the mansion with him while they search for a cure for his parents, and Duke helps him ruin Calendar Man's plan to unleash deadly spores on Gotham.  The costume might be black and yellow and he might not be called Robin, but, if it tweets like a Robin, it's probably a Robin.  But, I like Duke, so, again, I'm not complaining.  Just like "DC Universe Rebirth" #1, I feel like this issue is misnamed, since Batman isn't really reborn at all.  But, we'll see where we go.

Civil War II #1:  Bendis has always done a solid job in these events in moving us quickly through the story without sacrificing characterization, and he does so again here.  The issue starts with a grand coalition of heroes defeating a dimensionally displaced Celestial Destroyer that the Inhumans had predicted posing a threat to the world.  Tony throws a party at Avengers Tower to celebrate the win, though he questions how the Inhumans had the information about the Celestial that they did.  (Also, doesn't Tony not own Avengers Tower anymore?  I though that's why the Avengers are currently based in a hanger in New Jersey.  Anyway...)  Medusa reveals Ulysses to a core group of the heroes, and Tony brings in Jean Grey to help them understand how his powers work.  It turns out Ulysses' mind can't be read, and Tony pretty much draws the line here.  As Carol and Rhodey celebrate the possibility of ending threats before they happen, Tony recalls that Ulysses only sees potential futures:  after all, his vision of the Celestial destroying the world didn't come to pass, because the heroes stopped it.  The issue remains unresolved, but Bendis brings us to the breaking point several weeks later.  Carol has lead a mission to stop Thanos from destroying Earth based on one of Ulysses' visions.  However, Thanos killed Rhodey and left She-Hulk comatose.  Tony arrives in the hospital room where Rhodey's body is held, and he blames Carol for Rhodey's death.  Carol asserts that Rhodey would've done it again, since, in the end, they did actually stop Thanos.  Jennifer awakens momentarily to tell Carol to fight for the future, though this position seems to contradict her sentiments from "Civil War II" #0.  She then appears to die.  Bendis does a great job of really conveying the rage and heartbreak that Tony feels, and you can tell that it's going to fuel this conflict.  I'm not often Team Tony, but I am here.  No one has rebutted his point that Ulysses only sees possible futures, and no one has even considered the fact that they might be creating a worse future by preventing a bad one.  Tony has learned this lesson the hard way, but Carol hasn't.  I get the sense that she will by the end of this event.

Spider-Man 2099 #11:  The problem that I'm going to have for the duration of this arc is that David does too good of a job reimagining the previous run of "Spider-Man 2099:"  it makes me wish that we could just stay here in this world and call the time-travel adventure complete.  I realized that Father Jennifer was the Goblin from the start (given her response to Miguel saying "Holy...Goblin"), and it made me yearn for us just to have these characters return to our lives.  When Kasey as Payback appears to save Miguel with the help of Gabe as Firelight, it was like my favorite band had reformed for a reunion tour.  Tempest, Miguel's co-workers at Parker Industries, the Fist:  they don't hold a candle to these old-school characters.  This issue is the best of the series because you can feel David and Sliney's excitement in letting their imaginations go wild.  Any one of the members of the Sinister Six would be an amazing villain; six of them -- particularly the six of them working together -- is too cool for school.  David could get to issue #50 just writing about Miguel's conflict with each one of them, and I wouldn't get bored.  (I loved Miguel complaining that this world wasn't the way it should be, and Venom sarcastically quipping that they should free him so he can fix it, bringing back "his" world.  Peter David, sending up time-travel stories, even as he writes one.  He's just too good.)  In other words, it doesn't matter that this 2099 is different, that Nueva York is run by the Sinister Six and not Alchemax, etc.  It only matters that these characters are back.  I hope they stay that way.

DC Universe: Rebirth #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Let's get right to it, shall we?

First, I give Johns props for addressing the elephant in the room that has dogged the "New 52!" for its entire existence, i.e., DC's insistence that no one got any younger.  Anyone reading a "Batman" comic knew that it just couldn't be true:  Commissioner Gordon was suddenly in his 40s, Bruce seemed to be Dick's age, Dick seemed to be Jason's age, and down the line.  (Re-reading my review of "Batman" #1, it's actually the first thing that I noticed.)  Here, Johns acknowledges what we, the reader, always knew:  we were missing a good decade in the DCnU.

Wally West -- our narrator -- informs us that a mystery villain stole this decade the minute that the Flashpoint happened.  It's a major revelation, because it changes the origin story of the "New 52!"  Previously, we believed that the DCnU was different because Barry Allen couldn't return the genie fully to its bottle after the events of "Flashpoint:"  he corrected a lot of the changes that his actions in the past caused, but he couldn't correct everything.  Here, we're told that it wasn't that Barry couldn't fix everything:  it was that someone actively prevented him from doing so.  (Barry raises an eyebrow to this assertion, pointedly asking Wally if he's sure that it isn't all Barry's fault.  I giggled.  I'm still not necessarily convinced either, but I'm willing to go with it.)

This drama of this issue comes from a time-displaced Wally fighting against the pull of the Speed Force as he tries to convey this information to someone in the DCnU.  Initially, he's trying to find his lost love, Linda Park, his usual lightning rod whenever he's lost in the Speed Force.  But, he can't locate her, so he appears before Batman and then Johnny Thunder.  But, they don't remember the DCU, so they don't remember him.  At this stage, he begins to lose control over his appearances in the DCnU, and he randomly witnesses Aquaman proposing to Mera.  The good (if convenient) news is that this reminder of love allows him to find Linda.  However, she also doesn't remember him, and he becomes lost in the Speed Force without her as his anchor.  He summons his strength to appear before Barry one last time, to thank him and tell him that he loves him.  As the Speed Force is ready to claim him, Barry grabs his arm, remembering him and thus saving him.  It's an emotional moment.  I teared up a bit, because I really thought that Johns was going to sacrifice Wally to make his point here.  I don't know Wally from Adam, but I know that a lot of long-time readers of DC Comics have been clamoring for his return for years.  I thought Johns was only going to give them closure, with his death:  I'm thrilled to see that he's returned, because it's going to make "Titans" all the better.

The interesting part is that this issue pretty much ends there.  I had figured that we'd have the DCU reassembled at the end of this issue, but, instead, the only real development is that Wally returns.  Moreover, Johns makes it clear that it's not going to be easy to solve the mystery, because Wally's memories of the DCU immediately begin to fade as he enters the DCnU, just as Flash's did at the end of "Flashpoint."  Johns reveals only to the reader that it appears to be Dr. Manhattan, from "Watchmen," that stole the decade, though even here Johns is coy:  we don't even directly see Manhattan, so we certainly aren't given any insight into his motives.  (Earlier, he appears to kill Pandora, whose absence I think I noted in a recent review.  But, we have no idea what connection Pandora had to him or why he had to kill her.)  The only hint that anyone in the DCnU has that he's involved is that Bruce is drawn to discover the Comedian's bloodstained smiley-face pin hidden in the Batcave.  But, we're given no more additional information, like how it got there or how Bruce suddenly knew that it was there.

Moreover, Johns intersperses hints of future plots in the DCnU throughout the issue, seemingly making it clear that the DCnU isn't going to suddenly end.  Bruce is monitoring the fact that two Jokers appear simultaneously and wondering how it connects to Mobius' chair telling him that three Jokers existed.  Saturn Girl (I think) has come to the present, though we don't know why.  The Atom has discovered the Microverse while exploring a "disruption deep within the temporal nanostructure of the time line," though it's unclear if this disruption is connected to Dr. Manhattan.  A cloaked figure called Mr. Oz tells a time-displaced Superman that he and the fallen Superman aren't the people that they think they are.  The two new costumed characters that we know will challenge Bruce in Gotham in the pages of "Batman" appear in the shadows.  Moreover, newer versions of old heroes appear:  a young Blue Beetle, a gay Aqualad, Jessica Cruz as a Green Lantern, a new Kid Flash.  But, we have no idea how any of these plots tie into the larger story.  How long does the DCnU have?  Will the answers to some of these questions be revealed after the DCU is presumably restored?  Johns plays his cards close to the vest on all these questions.

In other words, to use the cliché, this issue raises more questions than it answers.  The DC Universe isn't reborn in this issue; it just seems to start the process of getting reborn.  (It makes the relaunches of the series even more gimmicky than usual.)  If I had to guess, we're probably looking at some huge cross-over event next summer.  I don't necessarily mind that, though, since it gives Johns the time to get it right.  But, we're on shaky ground right now.  Readers of Marvel Comics had a similar experience this past year, where we knew "Secret Wars" was going to change the status quo, so it was hard to invest in the stories that creators were telling as the event neared.  A year is a long time to wait to see the hints in this issue revealed, so hopefully Johns will dole out more hints to keep us engaged as he goes.