Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The May 25 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

In a programming note, I'm going to handle "DC Universe:  Rebirth" #1 in a separate post tomorrow.

Amazing Spider-Man #1.5:  Lately, I've been trying to be less...cranky on this blog.  I feel comfortable discussing aspects of issues that I don't like, but I regret some posts in the past where I made my dislike extend to the author, particularly with Matt Fraction on "Fear Itself" and Jason Latour on "Winter Soldier" and "Wolverine and the X-Men."  After all, I learned my lesson:  I came to love both of them during their respective runs on "Hawkeye" (at least in the early issues) and "Spider-Gwen."  (I stand by my dislike of Chuck Austen, though.)  As a result, I'll try not to get personal here.  I think I understand what Molina is trying to do with this mini-series, but he's really, really not getting there in terms of the execution.  Each issue I find increasingly incomprehensible.  With this issue, you have the same terribly forced jokes and unexpected emotional fluctuations that we've had all series.  But, now, we add even more truly absurd moments, like when one of the Santerians asks a de-aged and naked Anselmo if he's Jennifer Lopez.  His colleague asserts that he's obsessed with Jennifer Lopez, but I don't even see how it's supposed to be funny.  Does he think that Jennifer Lopez is a man?  Is that why he would confuse a man (particularly a naked one) with her?  I could continue, but I think the ridiculousness of this moment explains my point.  This story has been a mess from the start, and I'm surprised that the editorial staff didn't take a firmer hand at some point.

Captain America:  Steve Rogers #1:  Let's start with the good. Spencer does a phenomenal job showing the Red Skull's gift when it comes to rhetoric.  Over the course of a speech that he delivers to a packed room, he brilliantly pivots from the right to the left of the political spectrum, finding scapegoats wherever he can to illustrate his point.  He plays upon the fear that certain people feel in seeing migrants and refugees "invading" their homeland and decries the failure of politicians to stop it.  (Clearly, only he can stop it.)  He shifts left to observe that the bankers are taking advantage of this paralysis as they feast on the "carcass" of America.  It's important to understand this genius to understand why people buy the vision of hope, in Steve's words, that the Skull is selling.  If you do, you understand why they're willing to join HYDRA and sacrifice their lives for the cause.  Moreover, Spencer doesn't let the Skull's leadership of HYDRA go unchallenged, as Baron Zemo pledges to take back control.  Spencer has a great read on Zemo, particularly how his delusions of grandeur fly in the face of reality.  At least the Skull often comes close to achieving his goals.  Spencer reminds us that Zemo rarely does:  only three D-Listers heed his call to form a new Masters of Evil.  But, it would certainly be fun to watch Zemo try to dethrone the Skull as the head of HYDRA, just as it would be fascinating to see what the Skull could do in that role (assuming Zemo never actually succeeds).  Spencer could spend at least 25 issues just playing with these two plots.

Unfortunately, let's now get to the bad.  Spencer isn't going to focus on those two plots.  This issue is really about the fact that HYDRA recruited Steve's mother when he was a kid and that he's been a sleeper agent all this time.  To be fair, Spencer doesn't actually say that.  We're left to draw our own conclusions about the developments that we see here.  For example, Elisa Sinclair, the woman that courts Sarah Rogers in the past, simply gives her a flyer; we don't actually see Sarah join HYDRA.  (One of the many ridiculous aspects of this plot is that any sane person would see the creepy ass HYDRA logo and question Sinclair's assertion that they're a "community organization.")  Moreover, Steve simply says "Hail HYDRA" at the end of the issue.  I mean, he does say it after pushing Jack Flag from Zemo's plane, because Flag saw Selvig alive there.  It's pretty safe to say that he's probably not just on some sort of secret Avengers mission.  As such, we're left to assume that Steve is a HYDRA agent, presumably implementing the vision of Zemo's father (since he's pretty clearly not working with Zemo, Jr. here).  We also don't know why Flag seeing Selvig was a problem in the first place.  Finally, Spencer and his collaborators set up their back door by hinting that something is amiss in the past.  Saíz and Caramanga use coloring and lettering to imply that Elisa is somehow apart from her surroundings, and her seemingly prescient comments about Steve throughout the issue could imply some form of time travel.

The problem is that it all seems unnecessarily complicated.  I get that Spencer is trying to make a splash, but this one is a bridge too far, to be honest.  You could never connect all the off-panel dots that you would need to connect to sell anyone on the idea that Rogers has been a HYDRA sleeper agent for decades.  Moreover, these sort of storylines just don't work, as Dan Slott learned on "Superior Spider-Man."  You can keep them going for a while, but, at the end of the day, no one believes the central component, that Otto was going to be Spidey forever or, in this case, that Steve is going to be a HYDRA agent forever.  It's a lot of effort to get us to engage in a story that everyone just believes will eventually be ret-conned.  As such, it's hard to really embrace what Spencer is doing here, because experience tells me that it won't last long.

Captain Marvel #5:  When DeConnick initially took Carol off-planet, I was concerned, because it meant leaving behind her amazing supporting cast.  But, as Fazekas and Butters conclude their first arc, I have to say that it's now hard to see Carol anywhere else but the stars.  After all, the authors have given Carol a new amazing supporting cast, fleshing out the relationships just as well as DeConnick did in her run with her cast.  I could see future issues of this series focusing more on the Alpha Flight members than Carol herself.  That said, I did have to read the Marvel Wikia entry on the Eridani to figure out why "Garcia" sabotaged the negotiations.  (It eventually makes sense:  she's part of the slave class, and a renewed contract to haul waste from the space station means more hardship for the slaves.)  I feel like it's mostly a writing-for-the-trade problem, since it would probably have been easier to follow this sub-plot if you had read all the issues at once.  But, it's really a minor complaint.  This first arc has me pretty excited about where we're going.

Grayson #20:  For the fact that Lanzing and Kelly had to jump on this horse mid-stream, I think that they did a solid job wrapping up the loose ends as well as they could.  In particular, they make it clear that King was playing a long game from the start.  Dick offers his body to Dedalus in exchange for Helena, and, as expected, Dedalus uses Somnus to wipe clean all files and memories involving Dick.  To the world at large, he never existed.  (Dedalus does it so no one can track him in said body.)  But, Dick's years of training under Batman allow him to fight Dedalus in his own mind.  He destroys him, and he's able to awaken a new man, with the events of "Forever Evil" behind him.  Moreover, Helena reveals that she put an exception list into Somnus when she was trapped in Dedalus' mind, allowing people like Barbara and Bruce to still remember him.  Although it's certainly a ret-con of "Forever Evil," it doesn't feel cheap.  King -- and then Lanzing and Kelly -- mapped out every step to get us to this point; it feels like the logical conclusion to this series.  That said, some mysteries remain on the table.  We never learned (as far as I can tell) why Dr. Netz was using Agent 8 to kill Spyral agents.  Tiger assassinates Agent 8 here, so it seems unlikely that we'll learn the truth (or what she told him back in issue #11).  He also reveals that he's left Checkmate for Spyral, though Lanzing and Kelly don't tell us why.  But, to be fair, those are pretty minor loose ends, given how complicated this story has been.  After all, Dick ends his spy days in this issue, presumably returning to his role as a superhero; the loose ends related to the spy game are no longer his (or our) concern.

Justice League #50:  At some point, the "Darkseid War" started feeling more like a history lesson than an exciting event.  I acknowledge that it was perhaps the most ambitious attempt within the "New 52!" to update the DC Universe, tackling the histories of the Anti-Monitor, Darkseid, and the New Gods all at once.  Although Johns did his best to throw some emotions in there -- mainly through Diana's narration -- I found that I enjoyed these issues more when I stopping thinking about them as an emotion-provoking story and more as a non-fiction narrative.  That said, it was still confusing.  At some point between issue #42 and #46, I started to conflate Metron with Mobius.  (As you can imagine, I've been pretty confused for the last five issues.)  Wikipedia informs me that Metron succeeded Mobius -- the Anti-Monitor -- as the possessor of the chair, though it's unclear to me when we learned that.  (I'm also not sure why Mobius gave up the chair in the first place.  Presumably when he became the Anti-Monitor after the chair led him to discover the Anti-Life Equation?)  This confusion contributes to the sense that Johns has been writing-for-the-trade, since I'm pretty sure everything would make more sense if I read all these issues in one sitting.  It's also exactly this broad scope that makes the task of concluding the story so challenging.  Johns mostly sticks the landing, though it feels a little like Apollo 13 crashing into the ocean:  everyone's just happy to be on the ground.

First, let's start with the positive:  the death of Superwoman is amazing, a testament to Fabok's skill.  We learn that the father of her child is Alexander Luthor from Earth 3 and that he inherited his father's ability to steal other people's powers.  After killing Superwoman, Grail uses the baby to re-absorb the powers that some of the League members received when Darkseid died, starting with Clark and Lex.  Eventually, her plan is revealed:  she uses an Amazon ritual that resurrects an enemy in a chosen host to bring back Darkseid in the form of Superwoman's son.  As part of the ritual, Darkseid (and his now re-accumulated powers) is completely under her control.  Moreover, she also controls the Anti-Life Equation after using the baby (Darkseid's host) to re-absorb the powers from Steve Trevor.  However, I'm still not clear what her plan was once she accomplished that goal.  She orders a now fully grown Darkseid to destroy the League.  Was that it?  Couldn't she do that herself?  Last issue, Grail talked about how the Anti-Life Equation could be used for something more than destruction.  What did she have in mind?  All her motives remain really unclear to me.  Eventually, her mother convinces her to destroy Darkseid, and she does.  (For some reason, she has to do it by firing her blast through her mother.  This part made no sense to me.)

In the end, we're left with a radically changed status quo for a lot of characters.  First, let's start with the Crime Syndicate.  Grail used the baby's powers to free the Black Racer from Flash, and he demands a death before he'll leave.  We're left to believe that it's Jessica who dies, after she asserts control over Volthoom long enough to save Flash.  But, it's actually Volthoom that died:  Jessica is resurrected as a Green Lantern now that she has conquered her fear.  Owlman and Grid seem to be the only Syndicate members to survive, after Owlman sits on the vacated chair (once Grail had the baby re-absorb the God of Wisdom powers from Bruce) and Grid uploads himself into it.  But, the final page of this issue has a mysterious blast incinerating Owlman.  Theoretically, I guess Grid could still be alive, the last possible member of the Syndicate, though it's just as possible that they're all now dead.

But, Jessica isn't the only League member with a changed reality.  Johns sets up a number of plot hooks for the remaining members, though I'm unsure whether we'll see them carry into "Rebirth."  We learn that Grail used Steve as her God of Anti-Life because of an Amazonian prophecy about the first man to step foot on Themyscira being some sort of "chosen one."  However, we learn from Bruce -- and a dying Myrina confirms to Diana -- that Steve wasn't the first man to step foot on Themyscira:  it was Diana's twin brother, Jason.  (Todd?)  Moreover, Bruce tells Hal that the chair didn't give him the Joker's name:  it informed him that there were three Jokers.  (Dun-dun-DUN!)  Finally, Victor's father confirms that Superman is dying from the power that he gained on Apokolips while Lex returns to Apokolips to liberate it.  Again, I'm not sure how these revelations are going to play into "Rebirth."  The issue essentially ends with Grail holding the baby after she faked their deaths.  She's reverted him from his Darkseid form to the baby form and pledges to raise him to the light, though his glowing eyes cast doubt about that happening.

In the end, I couldn't help but wonder:  is that it?  The League prevented the Anti-Monitor from destroying the Earth?  It's hard to remember what the threat was.  How did Darkseid get involved again?  As I said early, what did Grail want?  Again, I suspect that it would all make more sense if you read it in trade form, because, right now, I'm heading to the Wikipedia page to see if it makes more sense that my memory does.

Star Wars #19:  Whoa.  This issue is intense.  As expected, the "villain" that took over the prison is Eneb Ray, from "Star Wars" Annual #1.  Aaron adds a twist, though, because Ray is revealed to have a deformed face; he implies that it's somehow related to the Emperor's touch and that he's dying as a result of it.  I don't recall anything like that happening during Annual #1, but Aaron also implies that we don't know the full story when it comes to Ray.  Similarly, Aaron hints that Aphra and Sana were more than just partners in crime (literally), as Sana is all too eager to follow Ray's demands and kill Aphra in exchange for Luke and Solo's lives.  But, Leia is the star of the show.  We see her tactical side as she has Artoo implement a previously developed plan, releasing an emp blast that takes out the bombs that Ray planted on Han and Luke as well as his gun.  But, she's not just a tactician on the battlefield:  she eventually allows Aphra to escape.  It may seem odd that she would, but Leia seems to know that Aphra has nowhere to go, with Vader on her heels.  I'd guess that Leia is betting on Aphra, too, realizing that the Rebellion is her only option, but she knows that Aphra will only get there if it's on her own terms.  Although Ray insists that Leia isn't sufficiently ruthless to defeat the Empire (a position to which Aaron shows some sympathy, given Ray's experience), Aaron reminds us that she really is.  (She does win in the end, after all.)  Leia is in full control, even if dark days may still be ahead.

Also Read:  Batgirl #52; Extraordinary X-Men #10; Mighty Thor #7; Ms. Marvel #7; Red Wolf #6; Tokyo Ghost #7

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

Amazing Spider-Man #11:  I've read a lot of time-travel stories.  Most of them I don't like, because they're either too confusing or they fail to think through the impact of characters' actions in the past on the present.  This one?  This story takes the cake.  Vernon reveals himself to be the grandson of the original Scorpio and uses the Zodiac Key and the Orrery to open up a doorway that allows him to see a year into the future.  (Slott doesn't explain who created the doorway.  He just tells us that the other Scorpios didn't use it is because it required a specific alignment of the planets to open.  We do learn that the Zodiacs are ordinary civilians turned into Scorpio's henchman via masks, though I was pretty sure that Slott had hinted in previous issues that they were LMDs "related" to Scorpio.)  Spidey doesn't know what he should do, so he simply shoves Scorpio through the door, allegedly a year into the future.  [Sigh.]  Can he maybe just fight the Shocker next issue?

Avengers Standoff:  Assault on Pleasant Hill - Omega #1:  As I mentioned in a previous review, I haven't really had much to say about this event, since it's been extremely well done.  The ending is no less satisfying.  The World Council finally seems ready to hold Maria Hill accountable for her remarkable string of disasters, Wendell Vaughn (one my favorite characters from the '80s) has returned to train a new Quasar, and several classic Avengers villains -- namely Baron Zemo and the Red Skull -- have returned to prominence.  Most importantly, the series has brought together the two major Avengers teams, with Steve Rogers realizing the importance of looking past their differences and working together.  (Just in time for "Civil War II!")  The only remaining question hanging over the series is that I'm not entirely sure if Spencer ever explained why we had two Maria Hills, though I'm just going to chalk up that oddness to Kobik.  But, given that most of these events end with me having no clue what I just read, one loose end is pretty much an A+ on the curve.

Batman #51:  This issue is like something you'd read in "Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told, Part IV" a one-off tale focusing on the legend of Batman.  It explores the role that Batman plays in Gotham, picking up the theme from "Superheavy" of Batman inspiring people to be their own heroes (as opposed to scaring villains into going straight, as he's normally portrayed).  The most notable part of it, though, is Bruce exhibiting something akin to a sense of humor.  The narrator of the issue refers to Gotham as having gotten lighter since Batman came on the scene, and this remark seems to Snyder's way of driving home the idea that Bruce himself may be lighter after his "death."  It seems that it's not just the physical scars that have gone.  The issue also wraps up Snyder and Capullo's run.  I've been pretty open about the fact that I found Snyder's time portraying Dick Grayson as Batman to be a much more compelling run.  I never bought into his view of Batman as functionally incompetent, as we often saw him be during events like "Night of the Owls" and "Death of the Family."  But, in the wake of "Batman and Robin Eternal," I feel happy at least with the way that Snyder is leaving him.  He's whole for the first time in a long time, both in terms of his emotional and physical well-being as well as his relationships.  Onwards and upwards!

Grayson #19:  Again, this issue isn't exactly full of heart, but Lanzing and Kelly give us the answers that we wanted, for the most part.  Dr. Dedalus has taken over Helena, revealing that his plan was always to be resurrected (and not to pass on his title to one of his daughters, as they thought).  That said, Luka shoots her sister to earn the right to join him as Leviathan.  However, she eventually has enough and attempts to assassinate him, to take her place at the center of the web.  Of course, he expected that and (a little too easily) throws her from a train.  Meanwhile, Maxwell Lord reveals that he created Mr. Minos (a "radical Wikileaks wannabe" to whom he anonymously gave resources) in order to get the identities of the Justice League members.  A dying Dr. Netz's last act is to destroy the archive, bringing this series full circle.  (Hilariously, Lord describes Minos creating the Justice League gestalt as Minos going mad with power, dismissing a plot from early in the series that still doesn't make much sense to me.)  Meanwhile, Tiger is revealed to have been a Checkmate agent focused on stopping Dedalus from the start, and he and Dick fight to get to Helena:  Tiger to kill her, Dick to save her.  We'll see which one wins next issue!

Justice League #49:  Is Darkseid Superwoman's baby daddy?  Is that the threat to Mobius?  At this stage, we still don't know why Mobius wants to return to his chair and, presumably, become the Anti-Monitor again.  But, to make matters worse, Johns adds another layer of confusion here, as we learn that Grail believes that the Anti-Life Equation can do something other than destroy.  (I believe Myrina hinted at that in the "Justice League:  Darkseid War - Special" #1.)  Honestly, it's getting hard to see how Johns is going to wrap up this "event" in three issues.

Star Wars #18:  Seriously, I don't know how many times I can say it, but this series continues to be the best one on the market, hands down.  I don't know how Aaron does it, but, after 18 issues, he still manages to get the characters' voices exactly right.  Even new characters, like, Dr. Aphra and Sana, "sound" like I think they should sound.  Moreover, everyone reacts to situations the way that you'd expect them to react:  Leia remains determinedly in charge even as chaos erupts around her, Han is confident in his bravado, etc.  Aaron also constantly shows us that it's only the tip of the iceberg.  In this issue alone, we've got Leia trying to discover the identity of the guy that took over Sunspot Prison as well as the mysterious beef that Aphra and Sana have.  Aaron makes it clear that it's a big galaxy with a lot of great stories.

Also Read:  Batgirl #51; Dark Knight III:  The Master Race #4; Ms. Marvel #6; Spidey #5

Not-Very-Deep Thoughts: The February 24 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

All-New, All-Different Avengers #6:  As usual, Kang's appearance in an "Avengers" series leaves me with a headache.  Was it "Secret Wars" that made Kang get stuck in our time?  If so, why is he the only one stuck in the present?  Why can he move people and items through the time stream, but he can't move himself?  Do I care about the answers?  (That said, it was fun to be surprised that it was him, since I was sure that Mr. Gryphon was Loki.)  Turning to the gang, I love the friendship of Jane and Sam:  they're really the emotional heart of the series.  It's putting together probably the most selfless members of the group.

Batman and Robin Eternal #21:  Snyder and Tynion continue to emphasize the difference between Bruce and Mother, showing us that it all boils down to their response to the same trauma:  the murder of their parents.  Whereas Bruce responded by going crazy, Mother responded by going even crazier.  (That said, her entire village was slaughtered and the guys that did it stabbed her a few times to make sure that she was actually dead.  It's not exactly unreasonable for her to have lost her marbles in that situation.)

Justice League #48:  Wait, Mobius is the Anti-Monitor?  Weren't they two separate people?  We learn in this issue (I think) that Mobius killed Darkseid to be separated from the Anti-Life Equation (and, presumably, his chair, though I'm not entirely sure if they're connected).  If he went to all this effort to be separated from the Equation, why does he want to be connected with it again?  Beyond some clarity in his motivations, we also could really use a diagram showing us how the Anti-Life Equation, the Anti-Monitor, the chair, and Mobius are connected.

Spider-Man 2099 #7:  Jesus Christ, I'm tired of the forced Inhumans stories.  First, I didn't realize that the guy last issue was Lash.  I mean, not that I really know who Lash is, since I've been intentionally skipping the various Inhumans series.  But, I do vaguely recognize him from the Point One series (I think).  Even though I recognized him, I still don't understand what his deal is.  The good news is that I know that I don't care.

Also Read:  All-New X-Men #5; Amazing Spider-Man #1.3; Bloodshot Reborn #11; Dark Knight III:  The Master Race #3; Grayson #17; New Avengers #7; Pathfinder:  Hollow Mountain #4

Justice League #47 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Things aren't particularly looking good for the League at this point.

On the "win" side of the ledger, Diana manages to lasso Superman, reminding him that he's Clark Kent (meaning a good guy) and helping him to regain control of his faculties.  Bruce and Hal arrive, after Bruce sensed Superman's rampage.  Bruce warns him that his control is only temporary; moreover, his new powers are breaking down his body on a cellular level.  (You know it's bad when I've still got this part on the "win" side.)

On the "loss" side, Barda creates a distraction to allow Cyborg, Power Ring, and Scot to break into Belle Rive.  But, Cyborg ignores Jessica when she tells him that she thinks that it's a bad idea to break out Superwoman, since her ring seems to want them to do it.  Volthoom (the spirit in the ring) announces that it's time to put "our" plan into action, so he takes control of Jessica.  Cyborg tries to hack into the ring, as he previously did, to stop him, but Volthoom uses it as a chance to download Grid into Cyborg's body.  Grid takes out an unsuspecting Barda and Scot, but Owlman arrives to warn his former teammates that they have to work with the Justice League to defeat the Anti-Monitor.

This story has been going on so long that I honestly forget how many issues it's been.  We still know very little about the Anti-Monitor, with Ultraman in this issue merely telling Scot that his goal is to kill everyone.  (You could see where we could use some more specificity.)  But, Johns successfully conveys the sense that we're starting to get somewhere.  Beyond the obvious progress in the main plot -- with the League and the Syndicate on the verge of joining forces -- he also advances some of the other stories out there, with Grail announcing to her mother that she's found a "secret" in the Anti-Life Equation and Mobius returning to get back his chair.  Finally, it all seems to be coming to a head, and I find myself actually something close to excited.  It's a good sign, after how long it's been getting here.

*** (three of five stars)

Justice League #46 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I can't say that this issue is all that exciting, but Johns does do a solid job of showing us the aftermath of Darkseid's (alleged) death.

Unexpectedly, we don't get the battle royale between the remaining members of the Justice League and the Apokoliptans.  Why, you ask?  It's because Big Barda arrives on the scene to save Mr. Miracle, making short work of Kanto and then Kalibak.  We learn that she and Scot are on their honeymoon, and Scot worries that her presence will draw the attention of the Furies.  (Barda is apparently wanted for betraying the "Black Oath" and marrying Scot.)  Barda doesn't really care and passionately kisses Scot.  This moment provokes the best moment of the issue, as Diana and Steve both avert their eyes at this display of love.  Barda makes a peace offering to Lashina, one of the Furies, telling her that she won't come after Granny Goodness if she doesn't come after them.  Lashina refuses the offering, though, again, Barda isn't really all that upset by it.

Since Batman and the Green Lantern have fallen off the grid in their search for dirt on the Anti-Monitor, Diana suggests that the League should go talk to the remaining members of the Crime Syndicate, given their previous experience with the Anti-Monitor.  (I actually forgot that the Anti-Monitor is still out there and that the League knows little about him.)  Steve says that Superwoman and Ultraman are such highly classified prisoners that even the League can't reach them, so Scot takes the team to break into Belle Rive.  Diana remains behind to find the missing members of the League, and Steve stays with her.  He tells her that she seems worried, and she admits that she is.  Johns continues to use them as his emotional anchor, as Steve begins to confess his love to Diana, fearing that they won't survive the coming days (and inspired by watching Barda and Scot as lovers and partners on the battlefield).  Perhaps proving his point, Superman arrives and grabs Steve, forcing Diana to defend him.

The biggest question mark over this issue has to do with Mobius and Grail.  We have a brief scene where Mobius interacts with someone in Shazam's fortress.  This person -- an imagine in a mirror -- observes that Mobius intends to trade the safety of the universe for his soul.  She's ready to explain what happens if he returns to his chair, but Mobius breaks the mirror before she can.  Meanwhile, Grail and her mother discover the Anti-Life Equation, and Grail implies that Mobius has "separated" from it.  Grail reclaims it, becoming the Goddess of Anti-Life.  To be honest, I'm still not really clear what happens in either scene.  These two sequences -- with Mobius and then Grail -- seem linked, but I can't yet see what the link is (beyond the Anti-Life Equation, but even then I'm guessing).  The only thing that we know that Mobius has "separated from" is his chair, so it seems to imply that the Equation is linked to the chair?  Maybe?  I guess we'll see.

Overall, though, it's a solid issue.  Again, I can't say that  I'm really all that excited about this story, particularly since we've had so many Darkseid stories lately (particularly if you include "Earth 2").  But, Johns is clearly building to something, so we'll see where we go.

*** (three of five stars)

Justice League #45 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

If I was confused last issue, I'm even more confused after this one.

That said, it's not necessarily a bad thing.  Johns again seems to want us to be as confused as the characters are as they deal with the aftermath of Darkseid's (alleged) death.  If I'm guessing correctly, Johns is hinting that Darkseid's power(s) are dispersing, as several Leaguers becoming New Gods:  Batman becomes the God of Knowledge, Flash the God of Death, Shazam the God of Gods, and Superman the God of Strength.  Most interestingly, Lex becomes the God of Apokolips.  Superman left Lex to die on the surface of Apokolips earlier in the issue, and a tribe of escaped human slaves stumbled upon him.  They seemed to believe that he was a prophesied Superman (based on their description of the prophesy) that would change the world, and Lex let them believe that.  Unfortunately for him at the time, it meant that they strapped him into a machine to receive the Omega Energy returning to Apokolips from Darkseid's corpse.  Lex survives the infusion, raising the possibility that the prophesy really was about him.

My main question from these revelations is why Darkseid had all this power (if it was indeed his power).  Had he previously killed the New Gods with these powers, meaning that their portfolios were now divided as they used to be?  If not, what about Darkseid's death caused these new New Gods to be created?

But, the new New Gods isn't the only side effect of Darkseid's death.  The parademons are now leaderless, and they're racing to the brightest light in the Universe:  Oa.  (Needless to say, Green Lantern is en route.)  Moreover, Anti-Monitor is -- for reasons that are unclear to me -- reverting to Mobius, and this transformation is something that Grail wants to happen for her to get what she wants.  Of all the parts of this issue, it's this one that left me the most confused, mainly because I'm still confused about the nature of the Anti-Monitor.  Batman says that he became who he is because he touched the Anti-Life Equation, but what does that mean?  Plus, what can Mobius do for Grail that the Anti-Monitor couldn't?  Didn't he achieve her goal of killing Darkseid?

Again, I'm happy to be as confused as the characters are, but my patience isn't infinite.  Although we got some background on the Black Racer here (Johns informs us that it was an aspect of Death that Darkseid captured and that needs a human host), I'm really going to need a lot of exposition about DC's mythology next issue to stay engaged.  (Hopefully it doesn't involve too many speech bubbles.)  In the meantime, Fabok definitely earns this issue a third star.

*** (three of five stars)

Justice League #44 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

O...K...let's try to figure out this one, shall we?

In the first story, Batman and GL travel the multiverse to get more information about the Anti-Monitor.  They go to the Crime Syndicate's Earth-3, and Bruce somehow picks up the Anti-Monitor's trail from his rampage across the planet.  They follow it to Qward, and Bruce realizes that the Anti-Monitor got his "powers" when he discovered and unleashed the source of the creation of the "anti-matter universe."  It appears to be the Anti-Life Equation, though I'm not totally sure of that, to be honest.  Meanwhile, in the secondary story, Diana and the rest of the League are trying to contain the damage from the Anti-Monitor's fight with Darkseid.  Power Ring manages to separate the two of them, and a frustrated Darkseid calls upon someone named the Black Racer to kill the Anti-Monitor.  However, the Anti-Monitor later merges him with the Flash.  This Black Flash drives straight through Darkseid as the Anti-Monitor fires a cone of energy at him, (allegedly) killing Darkseid.  Finally, on Apokolips, the anti-Superman appears ready to kick Lex's ass.

Although Johns does a good job of making this issue flow nicely (and Fabok is as on fire as he's ever been), I'll admit to being a little loss.  We're deep into the mythology of the DC Universe here, with the Anti-Life Equation, the Black Racer, Qward, etc.  If you're a loyal reader of DC Comics and a veteran of all the various Crises, it probably makes a lot more sense to you than it does to me.  But, I guess we'll see.  One of the reasons that I'm excited about this event is that it actually seems to be doing exactly what I need, introducing these "high mythology" concepts to new readers.  I can handle a little confusion for dramatic purposes, but Johns should probably spend next issue laying out the basics of these concepts as if they are new.  For the time being, I'm happy to be as lost as the main characters are.

*** (three of five stars)

Justice League #43 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Wow.  Johns and Fabok are off the charts here.  I gasped three times in this issue; it's a lot of gasping for just 22 pages.  They both build to these moments slowly but surely; when they come, it's like launching a slingshot that you've primed as much as you can.

We begin with Steppenwolf summoning Kalibak to go to Earth to take on Grail.  Johns makes it clear how unpredictable that battle with be, portraying Kalibak as basically one step above feral.  We then immediately move to Batman on the Chair, and Johns again shows us why we should be worried.  Bruce is even more arrogant than he normally is, since he's pretty much positive at this point that he has all the answers.  Cyborg, Diana, and Hal all take different tacks to try to get him off the chair, fearing for his mental stability, but he insists that he can handle it.  Meanwhile, Luthor and Superman are trapped on Apokolips and encounter the slaves that Darkseid has set on them.

It's here where we get Gasp #1:  after the slaves attack, Luthor and we are shocked to see Superman bleeding.  Fabok sells this moment beautifully:  we not only see the shock on Luthor's face, but we observe something close to fear in Superman's eyes when he realizes that he's weak in front of Luthor.  Meanwhile, Scot Free appears before the Justice League and apprises them of the situation:  they've got to convince the Anti-Monitor to leave Earth as soon as possible, before Darkseid arrives.  Batman decides to head into space to get more information on the Anti-Monitor in case he refuses to leave; Hal essentially forces him to take him with him.  The rest of the team (Cyborg, Diana, Flash, Power Ring, Shazam, and Steve) go with Scot to find Grail.  (She herself has been casting a spell to summon Darkseid.)  Meanwhile, Clark and Luthor are trying to flee the hordes, and Clark is forced to accept Luthor's hand to fly; they realize that his problem is that Apokolips has no sun.  (This epiphany results in the amazing exchange where Clark laments that he's becoming human, and Luthor responds:  "You'll be powerless.  You'll never be human."  Awesome.)

On Earth, everything goes from bad to worse.  Darkseid and Kalibak arrive, and we get Gasp #2 in the next scene.  It's possibly the best splash page that I've ever seen, with the Anti-Monitor, Grail, and their troops charging at Darkseid, Kalibak, and their troops.  Fabok gives us this image from a perspective behind Diana and Scot, as Diana relates the story of Odysseus trying to decide between Charybdis and Scylla.  I've rarely seen art and words combine to convey a message (how powerless Diana feels as a leader to chose between two bad options) as they do here.  It's an amazing sign of teamwork between Johns and Fabok.  In the end, Diana leads the Justice League into an uncertain battle as Luthor is forced to hurl Clark into a firepit in the hope that the solar energy will recharge him.  It does, but we get Gasp #3:  Clark emerges as a corrupted form of himself and threatens to kill Luthor (something that he says he should've done years earlier).

Throughout the issue, Diana narrates about her distrust of the gods.  With the issue ending with Anti-Monitor and Darkseid coming to blows just as a dark Superman emerges from (literally) the pits of Hell, you can see her point.

***** (five of five stars)

Justice League #42 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Once again, I think that it's best to recap this issue in checklist format, since we've got a lot happening at once:

- Lex and Superman are on Apokolips.  Darkseid declares that he doesn't just want Clark dead -- he wants his soul.  He decides to send the slaves of Apokolips after him, though Steppenwolf (correctly) observes that "no slave could kill the Kryptonian."  Desaad apparently thinks that it'll teach Superman that his belief that hope exists everywhere is mistaken, because it clearly doesn't exist for you if you're a slave on Apokolips.  But, I think we all know that Clark will find a way.

- On Earth, Metron arrives just in time to teleport the Justice League from the clutches of the Anti-Monitor and Grail.  He takes them to Shazam's HQ, and Diana lassoes him to get the information that she needs to stop the Anti-Monitor.  He resists giving details, but tells her to displace him from the chair.  She does, and Bats jumps on it before it can disappear.  He asks for the identity of his parents' murderer, and it confirms that it was Joe Chill.  He also asks for Joker's true name, though he disbelieves its answer.  Diana asks if he's OK, and he replies that he's fine, because he's now a god.  Um, OK.

- In an exposition-heavy sequence, Myrina explains to Mr. Miracle that she had Darkseid's daughter since she knew that she needed a weapon for the day when Darkseid decided to enslave everyone on Earth.  Scott is shocked that Myrina has provoked a war with Darkseid, believing her to be optimistic that it's possible to kill him.  For this belief, Myrina attacks him and he flees.

This issue isn't the strongest, and I'm hoping that it's a transitional one, with Johns getting us the information that we needed as quickly (if inelegantly) as possible.

** (two of five stars)

Justice League #41 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Some disjoint thoughts on a really solid issue:

- Johns really builds the mystery of Myrina Black amazingly well.  First, we've got Kanto and Lashina, agents of Darkseid, killing a woman of that name, seemingly at random.  Then, we've got Mr. Miracle discovering...something...about someone of that name in Darkseid's files on Apokolips.  At this point, it becomes clear that Darkseid considers her dangerous enough to want her dead.  I have to say, you've got to pretty bad ass if you make Darkseid nervous.  When she appears on the last page,  I didn't immediately recognize her as the woman that gave birth to Grail in "Divergence FCBD Special Edition" #1.  I actually had to Google that.  But, color me intrigued.  After all, while she tries to recruit Scott Free, Grail makes her way through the Justice League to get to Power Ring so that she can summon the Anti-Monitor.  They're definitely not kidding about killing Darkseid.

- How the $&*% did Lena Luthor get a Mother Box?  Talk about unexpected developments.  Is she really Lex's sister, or is she a Darkseid sleeper agent?  If she's both, how -- and when -- did that happen?

- Despite the excitement of the battles in this issue -- and they are exciting -- Johns really shines in managing to work in some characterization:

• Lex is creepy as ever, telling Clark that his new set of armor is fueled by kryptonite not because it would help him defeat Clark, but because it's so powerful.  (I continue to love him as an evil version of Iron Man.)

• We also get some more insight into Shazam.  Billy has largely faded into the background since his back-up story came to an end.  (In fact, I don't really remember how it ended.  Did he join the team because they helped him defeat Black Adam?  Maybe?)  However, here, Johns reminds us how young he is.  Diana herself specifically mentions how young he acts (contrasting him to Cyborg), and, proving her point, we see Billy rattled as he faces his first dead body (of Myrina Black).  But, Johns also reminds us how powerful he is.  As Grail makes her way through the team, he's the first one to land a hit, and it's a helluva hit to boot.

• Finally, Johns begins the process of fleshing out the adult version of Scott Free as a character, after we saw his origin in the "Divergence" issue.  I'll admit that I have some problems telling the difference between him and his "Earth 2" analogue, but Johns makes it clear that it's OK.  He focuses more on Scott's origin story, informing us that Scott has never returned to New Genesis after his father surrendered him to Apokolips.  (Scott even works in a snarky comment about how abandoning him didn't serve its purpose, since his father went to war with Apokolips anyway.)

*** (three of five stars)

Justice League #40 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

As I've probably mentioned a few times here, I don't really think of myself as a reader DC comics; I think of myself more as a reader of Batman comics.  Plus, I only really started consistently reading Batman four years or so ago.  As such, I'm really not familiar with all the various "crises" that DC has used from time to time to clean up its multiverse.

The good news, though, is that Johns is familiar with these crises, and he does an excellent job of using this issue to introduce them to us.  He uses Metron (the DC equivalent of a Watcher, as I understand it) to review their history and let us know that the repeated collapses and births of reality that they've caused threaten existence itself.  We learn that, in the past, he's been willing to break his non-interference vow to save reality.  For example, he engineered a pact between Darkseid and the Highfather to end war between them, since it threatened reality at that time.  (Actually, I wasn't 100 percent clear on this part.  I think that he's saying that a war between Apokolips and New Genesis would've destroyed reality, but it's also possible that it could've just somehow interfered with his ability to perform his duties.  I may need to do some Wikipedia research on this front.)

Now, Metron wants to engineer another pact to save reality.  He worries that the Anti-Monitor (apparently the cause of the original crisis) is once again going to try to destroy the Justice League's universe, as he did the Crime Syndicate's Earth.  (I'm not entirely clear on why he hasn't destroyed the Crime Syndicate's universe as well as its planet.  Also, we learn that his destruction of their Earth apparently opened the hole in the multiverse that Brainiac is exploiting in "Convergence," but Johns doesn't explain exactly how that happened.)

Surprisingly, we learn that Anti-Monitor was Metron's predecessor, but, somehow, became a destroyer as opposed to an observer.  Metron makes his offer to the Anti-Monitor:  he'll put aside observing to find a cure for the Anti-Monitor (so that he's no longer a destroyer) if he agrees not to destroy the Justice League's universe.  He tells the Anti-Monitor that he has foreseen that his path will bring him in conflict with Darkseid.  However, the Anti-Monitor has a surprise up his sleeve:  Darkseid's daughter (whoever she is) blasts Metron from his chair, and the Anti-Monitor reveals that he actually wants a war with Darkseid, implying that it'll save him.

For long-time readers of DC, this issue was probably super dull, but I have to admit that it really helped me.  I understand the basics of the crises better than I did, and I'm really ready to fully engage with the upcoming "Darkseid War."  I haven't been this excited about "Justice League" in a long time.

**** (four of five stars)

Justice League #39 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I'm going to say that the ending to this arc is anti-climatic, but maybe I'm just super-jaded.  After all, it's totally valid that the heroes discover that Patient Zero is vulnerable to cold when Captain Cold freezes him, just as it's completely believable that Superman's physiology doesn't allow viruses to bond to his cells.  Put together, the heroes are able to freeze the infected victims, giving Lex enough time to synthesize an antidote.

Plus, it's not like everything just returned to normal.  Three percent of the infected retained their metahuman powers; it's like the inverse of M-Day.  It means the world is now up a lot of potential new heroes and villains, implying that this arc could really have an impact on the future of the DCnU.  Plus, Patient Zero himself becomes Amazo, essentially a fully sentient virus.  It's clearly not the last we'll see of him.

Also, it's not like Johns wraps up everything in a nice little bow.  We're left wondering about how Luthor is going to react to Captain Cold stealing the spotlight and what information he gleaned from Superman's DNA.  Also, it seems possible that Steve Trevor was the one that sent Neutron to kill Luthor (kicking off this arc in the first place), though Neutron himself doesn't seem to know that?  Curiouser and curiouser.

But, it all still felt kind of rote to me.  It's hard to explain, but it just wound up feeling predictable.  It feels like Johns has something up his sleeve, and this arc was just meant to get us one step closer to its reveal.  I guess that we'll see.

** (two of five stars)

Justice League #38 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Johns has been steadily building this story over the last few issues, but he really steps on the gas here.

As a result of getting infected last issue, Batman awesomely displays the powers of a bat.  As a result, the Trinity realize that the powers that humans are developing upon exposure to the virus aren't random; at the very least, the victim's subconscious is molding them somehow.  Lex admits to Superman that he created the virus to rob him of his powers, but that it failed.  However, it's pretty clear that Lex isn't telling the whole truth, since the virus not only turns the infected into zombies connected to some sort of hive mind, but said hive mind seems to consider itself a sentient being.  (Is it Lex's Ultron?)

Johns does a great job using the events themselves -- and not awkward exposition -- to provide us with the information that we get this issue.  It's probably the first time since "Forever Evil" that I've really enjoyed this title this much, since I can't wait to see a bat-powered Batman whale on Superman.  Also, I'm glad to see Jason Fabok here.  I still think his run with Layman on "Detective Comics" was just as good as -- if not better than-- Snyder and Jock's run, and I'm glad to see him excelling on the big stage.  (That two-page splash of Batman knocking out Patient Zero made this issue.)

Even if you haven't been reading this title, this event is the perfect place to start.

**** (four of five stars)

Justice League #37 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue is pretty straightforward.  Lex exposits to a curious Lena that his Amazo virus temporarily disables the abilities of metahumans and that he invented it as a way to contain the threat that he saw metahumans as posing to humans.  But, he admits that the virus has changed in two ways that he didn't predict:  it seems not to have been as temporary as he thought (laying low most of the Justice League) and it is causing humans to develop metahuman powers until "their cells burn out and they die."  Whoops.  Meanwhile, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman try to wrangle Patient Zero into the Lexcorp HQ so that Lex can try to work up a cure.

The only not straightforward part is, of course, the intriguing part.  Lena listens to Lex's selfless story of wanting to save humans from metahumans and then reminds him that she knows when he's lying.  She asks why he really created the cure, and he doesn't tell her.  But, Lena isn't the only one hip to Lex's ways.  Lex tells Captain Cold that he's worried that the virus is going to wipe out the Justice League, because it wasn't designed to do so, and Cold questions what he intended to do with it.  Lex responds to him just as angrily as he did to Lena, leading us to want the answer to that questions all the more.  I truly can't guess the answer, and I'm excited about that.  We'll see where we go from here.

*** (three of five stars)

Justice League #35 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue is OK, but I still don't quite understand how we've gotten here.

I get that Bruce is taking the adage to "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" to the extreme by forging a partnership between Lexcorp and Wayne Enterprises, but I'm not entirely sure what the partnership is supposed to be.  Based on their speeches at the announcement ceremony, it sounds like it's mostly focused on charitable works, but such an agreement wouldn't require Lex to show Bruce his labs.

Regardless of the nature of the partnership, are we really supposed to believe that Bruce believes that Lex would show him everything?  Johns seems to be going that way, but it just doesn't pass the laugh test.  Would Lex have shown Bruce the Amazo virus or is that supposed to be the sign that he wasn't being totally forthcoming?  Also, Bruce not only expects Luthor to reveal to him criminal activity, but he expects him to do so so quickly that the Justice League is assembled outside the building waiting.  Isn't that a bit optimistic?  (I'm not going to touch the fact that Neutron just happens to attack Luthor while the Justice League is assembled close enough to save him.)

I guess we'll see where we go from here.

** (two of five stars)

Justice League #34 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Johns hasn't really sold me on the idea that Lex joining the Justice League is even remotely interesting.  It seems extremely unlikely that we won't, at some point, learn that he's putting into effect some nefarious plan.  I mean, if Captain Cold has a scheme in play (against Luthor himself, it seems), then Lex Luthor certainly does.  Seriously, even Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are plotting to trap Luthor.  (Unfortunately, we're still subjected to the three of them teaching him the virtues of being a hero.)  Since the conclusion of this arc seems so foregone, it just makes you wonder why you're bothering with the details.

** (two of five stars)

Justice League #33 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Although I enjoyed "Forever Evil" as much as could be expected for such an event, I have to say that its aftermath isn't all that thrilling.  First, the threat of the Anti-Monitor seems too remote to take seriously at the moment.  Moreover, assuming that it does eventually manifest itself, it's also competing with the threat of the Earth 2 invasion of Earth that we're apparently going to see as part of "Earth 2:  World's End" and "The New 52:  Futures End."  It's just getting hard to keep all the multiversal threats seriously.  As such, we're just left with Lex Luthor's attempts to join the Justice League to entertain us, and I can't say that I find them all that interesting.  We all know at some point the League will find a way to outmaneuver Luthor, and I'm guessing that he'll wind up suffering from some sort of amnesia that robs him of his knowledge of Batman's identity.  With the conclusion so likely (and apparent), it's hard to be all that invested.

** (two of five stars)

Justice League #32 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue is like one of those episodes of a '70s or '80s TV show that they try to use to drum up interest for a spin-off.  You're expecting to see the Fonz on "Happy Days," but, instead you're forced to sit through "Joanie Loves Chachi."  The Doom Patrol play Joanie and Chachi here, and it's a chore to get through all the exposition and posturing.  In terms of the Justice League, the only thing that we learn in this issue is that the Power Ring ring is trying to light a fire so that the creature that destroyed Earth-3 can come and get Superwoman's child.  We're not told why the ring wants that, so we're just left to sit with that information while we grit our teeth through the heavy-handed Doom Patrol appearance.  (You'll notice that I didn't mention anything about Lex Luthor or his quest for the Justice League's secrets, making this issue yet another example of pet peeve #2).

** (two of five stars)

Justice League #31 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I have to say, Johns really pulls off the conversation between Bruce and Lex.  It's as tense as you'd expect it to be.

Moreover, we get the unusual experience of watching Bruce be outmaneuvered, with Lex realizing that the draft and stale air pouring into Bruce's study likely comes from the Batcave.  Johns reminds you that we're dealing with Lex Luthor here, so it's not as far-fetched as it would be if it was a random Joe chatting with Bruce in his study.  It's like Tim Drake said in "A Lonely Place of Dying:"  once you go into it knowing that Bruce is Batman, the clues are a lot more obvious.  In fact, the scene makes you realize that Bruce has become overly confident, a theme of the DCnU, where Batman has frequently failed due to his arrogance. After all, the "Court of Owls" was all about Bruce being so wrong about being so sure that he knew about everything happening in Gotham.  Inviting Lex Luthor into the study that hides the access to the Batcave falls into this category.

Meanwhile, Johns is playing his cards close to his chest when it comes to why Luthor really wants to join the Justice League.  It makes sense that Lex would want to prevent the world from being destroyed, since it's not like he wants to rule over a graveyard.  But, again, Johns reminds us that we're dealing with Lex Luthor here; it's pretty clear that he has something else up his sleeve.  After all, his offer to Captain Cold to join Lexcorp is more complicated than rewarding him for helping to save the world, with Lex's staff wanting his blood for something called Project:  Wannabe.  Trickery!

Finally, I'm really enjoying Doug Mahnke's work.  He's particularly impressive when it comes to drawing faces, and it's a perfect match for this issue, where the intensity of Bruce and Lex's conversation coming in no small part through the small touches that Manhke puts on their facial expressions.  A raise eye here, a firm lip there:  it definitely conveys the gravity of the discussion.

*** (three of five stars)

Forever Evil #7 and Justice League #30 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

To be honest, I'm surprised to say that I'm actually OK with these two issues.  I had my doubts that Johns could somehow wrap up "Forever Evil's" various loose ends and deliver a conclusion that didn't feel rushed, but he managed to do just that.

Johns seemed to have written himself into a corner at the end of "Forever Evil" #6, since Lex and his team were unlikely to have time to defeat both the Crime Syndicate and Alexander Luthor (let alone the menace behind the red streak in the sky) in just one issue.  However, Johns wisely doesn't try to eliminate all the threats on the table before bringing the series to a close.  Instead, he leaves the core members of the Crime Syndicate alive -- if defeated -- in the end:  Superwoman and Ultraman are captured, and Owlman is forced to go to ground.  Instead of wrapping up the Syndicate's story, Johns leaves its three most powerful members in the game, an ambiguous ending that feels much more like the way this story would likely end in the real world.  It departs from the usual nature of these events, where either the entire universe is rebooted (like "Flashpoint") or everything is returned to normal (like "Age of Ultron").  Johns strikes a more reasonable balance, with the "heroes" victorious but only in a limited sense.  Even if Ultraman stays cowering in a corner, we're likely to see Owlman and Superwoman causing trouble at some point in the future.

As opposed to defeating the Crime Syndicate, Johns focuses his attention on taking out Alexander, with Lex rightfully acknowledging him as the greater threat.  I loved that Johns didn't use a deus ex machina to enable Lex to defeat Alexander.  Instead, Lex uses his ingenuity, recognizing that the similarity in their voices allowed him to de-activate Alexander's Mazahs! powers.  It sets up Lex's assertions in "Justice League" #30 that "regular" humans bring something to the table in an age of aliens and metahumans.

After the dust settles, Lex is rightfully celebrated the victor (as we see in more detail in "Justice League" #30), and we see a gentler side of him as he allows Ted Kord to maintain control over Kord Industries and calls his sister after not speaking to her in years.  But, Johns makes it clear that he's as ruthless (if not necessarily villainous, depending on your point of view) as ever.  Johns raises the question if Lex really meant to resurrect Nightwing after suffocating him in "Forever Evil" #6, and Lex not only murders Alexander in issue #7, but Atomica (more or less in cold blood) as well.  He also admits to the League in "Justice League" #30 that he wants to be seen a hero mostly for his ego.  However, just when you think that you can dismiss the aforementioned moments of warmth as cheap stunts with nefarious aims, Lex also confesses that he's motivated to join the League in part because he recognizes that the red streak in the sky represents a greater threat to humanity than Superman.  Do I really believe Lex has changed?  No.  I think keeping Ted in charge of Kord Industries and calling his sister probably do have nefarious aims.  But, Johns definitely gives you pause in judging him.  Is he "evil?"  Isn't it a good thing that Alexander and Atomica are dead?  Shouldn't "regular" humans feel some control over their destinies?  After all, didn't the Justice League fail to save the planet from the Crime Syndicate?  Given Lex's ingenuity, shouldn't the Justice League be working with him if Darkseid (as they think) is coming?  Johns makes you question the filter through which you see Lex in these two issues, a testament to the care that he took in building the story.

Speaking of the League, Johns doesn't undersell the impact that the events of this series had on the team.  Its members are bruised and battered.  Clark is practically ready to quit Earth forever in "Justice League" #30 over the hero's welcome that Lex receives.  In particular, Bruce is pretty much on the ropes.  He uncharacteristically hugs Dick after Lex resurrects him (leading Bizarro hilariously to hug Lex in the same way), he distractedly allows Lex to steal his kryptonite ring, and he's forced to reveal (more or less) his "strong emotional tie" to Wonder Woman in order to free the Justice League.  In other words, he has a hell of a day.  It's not going to be made better when he discovers that Lex has deduced his identity.

To digress for a moment, I actually have to applaud Johns for putting this part about Bruce's identity front and center.  After Dick's unmasking, it's impossible that someone wouldn't put two and two together.  After all, as we see in "Forever Evil" #7, Bruce was still there for Dick after his parents died in this continuity.  Even if Dick didn't live with Bruce as his ward, we know that he at least participated in enough public events with him (such as the soirée in "Batman" #1) that they're connected in the public's mind.  The fact that only Luthor has put two and two together is the surprising part.  I'm still not sure where DC is going with this story, but I'm glad at least that we're not sweeping it under the rug (for now).

I will say that the only place where Johns glides over answers a little too quickly relates to the Syndicate.  Deathstorm accuses Superwoman of manipulating the men to bring Alexander with them to Earth; I get why she did it (since he's the father of her unborn child, and they plan on giving a conquered Earth to him), but I'm still not sure why the men went with it.  The scene with Superwoman lassoing Deathstorm implies that they were all in love with her and did whatever she wanted, but it seems a little too trite of an answer for my tastes.  Moreover, we learn that Alexander can absorb people's powers due to his connection to Mazahs!, but we don't really learn how he got those powers in the first place.  They're not huge issues, but it would be nice to address them at some point.

But, all in all, I surprisingly only have these complaints.  I'm intrigued to see how the events of "Forever Evil" reverberate throughout the DCnU, particularly since we seem to be building to the story told in the DCU where Lex became President.  Johns clearly isn't rushing it, so I'm just going to try to enjoy that journey.  Meanwhile, I'm excited that the Anti-Monitor is coming.  As I said before I started reading "Forever Evil," this series really seized on the promise of the New 52!, allowing me to become familiar with a classic story (Earth-3 and the Crime Syndicate) that I missed when it was originally told.  I never followed all the various Crisis stories in the 1980s and 1990s, so I have high hopes that Johns will be able to do for those stories what he's done for Earth-3.  But, for the time being, I'm just happy to get to the end of an event and feel content.

**** (four of five stars)