Not-Very-New Comics: The October 10 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #7:  This issue is great when it focuses on Fred and Peter trying to fight their way through the mob at the Bar with No Name.  It gets even better when we're privy to their conversation in the adjoining alley.  (The fact they're sitting on garbage cans as they talk is an excellent metaphor for their lives.)  Fred's confession that he bought LMDs of the Superior Foes from the Tinkerer for companionship is weirdly heart-warming (and -breaking).  It also fuels Peter's decision to give Fred the same second chance Aunt May and Mary Jane gave him.  But, the story goes off the rails later in the issue when an unidentified new villain forces the Kingpin to swear fealty to him.  We're told they have a long history together and the Kingpin apparently tried, and failed, to get him to resurrect Vanessa years ago.  But, Spencer overplays his hand (just like Fred!) by making this guy seem all-powerful.  He's like the Green Goblin crossed with Dr. Octopus and Mephisto.  It's just...odd, and Spencer needs to reveal some cards here before it gets boring as well, as stories involving omnipotent and omniscient characters often do.  (If it is Mephisto, I wonder if Spencer is building toward undoing "One More Day"...)

Avengers #9:  Aaron certainly makes it clear Namor is playing for keeps here as Namor murders Stingray after he declines to embrace the oceans "or die."  The issue's stakes started much lower:  Tiger Shark tries to rob a cruise ship, and it just so happened Stingray, his brother-in-law, was a passenger on it.  Stingray encourages Tiger Shark to get help, telling him his sister misses him.  Then, Namor appears, and it all goes downhill from there.  This entire sequence is gripping, though I'll admit I felt like I missed a few issues.  We learn Namor's rage was initially stoked when the crew on a Roxxon ship murdered some Atlanteans, which I vaguely remember, possibly from the new "Thor."  The Avengers begged him to release the crew after he threatened to execute them and Namor relented to Captain America who, as usual, was able to appeal to his better angels.  But, the Avengers offer little more than words when they discover the devastation the Final Host wrought on Atlantis.  When a group of starving Atlantean children "drown" on the surface after believing the Avengers would feed them, Namor snaps.  He creates his Defenders of the Deep and swears vengeance.  Despite the disorientation over how angry Namor suddenly is, I can't say I disliked the issue.  After all, Aaron has Stingray joke about "Atlantis Attacks" as a way to make clear it's a different ballgame this time.  If that event was inspired by Namor's arrogance, this war comes from a fight for Atlantis' very survival.  Namor isn't wrong here, and I'm intrigued to see how the Avengers handle that.

Captain America #4:  I'm very happy to give Coates a long glide path on this series, though I'm already pretty happy with the direction he's going.  Here, Cap storms an abandoned military base in Algeria after learning Thunderbolt Ross sold out Sharon Carter to the Power Elite.  As Alexander Lukin's widow prepares to experiment on Sharon, Steve makes his way through the Elite's guards.  Along the way, Cap ponders how far the world has fallen when you can't even rely on a fellow patriot like Ross.  It sounds like a punchline, but Coates doesn't make it so.  Instead, he gives us a meditation on loss as Steve admits he's still struggling to accept a world that now doesn't trust him.  Moreover, Lukin brilliantly summaries the American heartland as a proletariat eager to greet the Russians as liberators.  Coates is as insightful as he's ever been, though I'd say he should probably give it a rest next issue with the long sequences of Cap's thought bubbles.  It totally worked here, but at some point we're just going to need a good ol' fashioned slugfest.

Iceman #2:  This issue is just...weird.  It's unfortunate, because it starts from the interesting premise of Grace addressing why Emma didn't out Bobby when she occupied his body.  I thought the answer was going to be her unusual sensitivity came from having a beloved gay brother.  Instead, we learn she had a mentally unhinged gay brother with telepathic abilities who murdered his abusive father.  It's...a lot.  Emma initially enlists Bobby's help not only because he's gay but he's apparently immune to telepathy in his ice form.  This part is news to me, particularly given his years of communicating with Jean.  I guess he can allow someone to read his mind?  He clearly developed this ability after young Jean outted young Bobby.  Emma thinks it's her father who has powers, but really it was just her brother pretending to be her father.  I think?  To make matters worse, the way Grace is going, I half expected Bobby to have sex with the brother in the room where he kept his father's body.  He thankfully doesn't do that, but he does just allow Emma to "handle" her brother despite the fact he murdered his own father.  Would Bobby really be OK with that?  I guess in Grace's world he is so long as his Grindr profile is there to distract him?

Spider-geddon #1:  This issue is short and to the point:  the Spider-People quickly make their way to Otto's hideout to warn him that his cloning technology is opening the door to the Inheritors' return.  Otto doesn't believe them, insisting that the clones only have his DNA and that he's never wrong.  (You know where it's going after that.)  However, a heroic alternate-reality version of Otto shows him the Inheritors have put his readings on a loop.  Otto realizes his error as Morlun, Verna, and Jennix arrive, killing Spider-Man Noir and Spider-UK in short order.  Morlun leaves to get his revenge on Peter in "Peter Parker:  The Spectacular Spider-Man" as a depleted Spider-People roster finds itself face-to-face with Verna and Jennix.  It's clobbering' time!

The Weatherman #5:  LeHeup does an amazing job in this issue juggling several different competing narratives.  

The Pearl is auctioning off Nathan's death because he wants to use the money to track down other members of the Sword of God, as he -- like everyone else -- lost people he loved in Earth's destruction.  We learn Jenner has a telepath on his team who ferrets out M.S.A. infiltrators.  Cross' unwilling partner Garren successfully finds Orin Wetzel, the assistant to Dr. Nyseth, the woman who mindwiped Nathan.  LeHeup leads us to believe the Marshal is working for the Pearl and is going to kill Garren as he secures Wetzel; instead, the Marshal kills the Pearl just as the auction concludes.  Meanwhile, the Marshal's partner, White Light, tries to stop Cross from rescuing Nathan but only manages to force her to crash-land her ship.

At this stage, the only thing I don't totally understand is what Nathan could possibly know, in his evil incarnation, that Jenner would need.  Obviously, it's something, but I don't get how it could be that essential to Jenner's plan to destroy, presumably, Mars.  I guess we'll see.

(I edited the texts of my "The Weatherman" reviews in November 2024 as I occasionally called Cross "Amy" instead of Amanda and the Marshal as "Cowboy" or just "Marshal.")

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #12:  At the end of the day, I'm not really sure what we get here.  Constantine allows Diana a glimpse through the portal he opens.  Maybe she sees her gods, maybe she doesn't.  At any rate, the portal explodes, either because Constantine prevents her from ending the world or he loses control of the portal.  Cray gives into the Daemon inside him after Diana mortally wounds him, and he takes down Diana fairly quickly.  He brings Constantine to Trelane and resigns before saying good-bye to his father.  Hill certainly ends on a terrifying note, as I think we see his father's house in flames and Cray stares into the mirror at his Daemon chanting his own name.  To be honest, it's a more exciting issue than we've had in a while and a strong way to end a dragging series.  But, I still find myself confused about how it ties into the larger narrative before us in "The Wild Storm."  The only connection I can figure is that Cray is the only Daemon we've seen other than the one who approached Angie, and I'm not quite sure even he can take on Halo, IO, and Skywatch on his own.  Hill seemed oddly uncurious about the role this series played in the larger Wildstorm universe, and it dragged down this series throughout its run.  I'm eager to see Michael appear under Ellis' watch in the main title, because I think he can polish the edges of what Hill accomplished here in terms of developing Michael into a complicated hero.

X-Men:  Black - Mojo #1:  Who knew an issue about Mojo could be so charming?  Auckerman really brings out an unexpected side of Mojo as Blob Herman helps him ask out a girl he likes.  Seriously, it sounds crazy, but I was totally charmed by the whole enterprise.  I highly recommend.

Also Read:  Detective Comics #990; Infinity Wars #4; Ms. Marvel #35; Oblivion Song #8

Not-Very-New Comics: The September 12 Everyone-but-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

The New World #3:  I don't have a ton to say about this series at this point, other than it's a trippy combination of art and words that seems to be telling a larger story than the art and words imply.  I don't know how it is, but it is.  On the face of it, it's about Stella trying to flee her oppressive grandfather and his use of her to advance the police state he rules, but she won't flee without her cat.  Her priorities are in the right place, I say.

Oblivion Song #7:  I am not a fan of stories where the author drags out "the secret" as long as s/he possibly can, so I'm thrilled Kirkman gets right to the heart of the matter here.  Nathan confirms what we already mostly know or suspect.  He and a team of researchers and scientist at a think tank activated a device that caused the Transference.  All but one of the team is killed in the first few moments.  While Katherine (the other surviving member) works on a way to reactivate the device, Nathan gathers batteries.  Katherine sacrifices herself to turn on the device, but it only has enough juice -- as originally should've been the case -- to send back Nathan.  He explains why it became his life's work to correct his wrong.  Although disgusted, Director Ward keeps Nathan in prison partly to save him and partly because he wants to provide the device to the Defense Department to use as a weapon.  Meanwhile, Heather tells Nathan he's right when he says to her that he should've told her sooner, because she understands now just how much of a hero she is.  She gives him two darts:  one to send him to Oblivion and one for him to return.  Kirkman does a great job of building the suspense throughout the issue as we watch a still-stranded Ed try to grapple with his new reality.  I can't imagine Ed's wife is going to be thrilled to see Nathan return without Ed.  At this stage, the only mystery on the books is why the energy field on the other side of the dimensional door amplified the device the way it did, but I have confidence Kirkman will get there sooner rather than later.

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #11:  Honestly, I've kind of lost the thread here.  I keep confusing Dion with Diana Prince, and I'm not really sure why Constantine and Diana "need" Cray at this point.  If Constantine just needs access Diana's energy grid to summon whatever demon he wants to summon, can't he get that access without Cray?  Hill seems to be writing for the trade at this point.  Ellis has done an amazing job somehow keeping us in touch with the overarching story with each new issue of "The Wild Storm."  Hill seems to have given up trying to do so, and it's a shame.  I don't really get why we deviated so much from the series' original premise of Cray hunting down this Earth's versions of DC's heroes with his untrusty band of sidekicks.  Instead Hill has killed off his supporting cast and we're mired in a story that Hill seems unlikely to conclude nicely in his one remaining issue.  I guess we'll see.

New-ish Comics: The May 9 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman:  White Knight #8:  Murphy really nails the landing here, making this limited series one of the best "Batman" stories I've read since Snyder's "Black Mirror" run on "Detective Comics."  Batman and the GTO successfully take down Neo-Joker, liberating Clayface (and, as a result, the mind-controlled villains) and getting Mr. Freeze to the cannon in time to reverse its effects.  In the aftermath, Jack carries out his end of the bargain, releasing a video explaining how he controlled the villains and destroyed his own library to turn the city against Batman.  Bruce then confronts Harley, telling her Jack fingered her as the person who manufactured the pills that controlled the Joker as well as maneuvered Batman into administering them.  In fact, Murphy hints Harley had a much larger role in the events of this mini-series than we thought.  Right before he's imprisoned in a new cell (a reward for his cooperation), Jack comments how he "found" the Joker in his old cell.  When Bruce asks Harley what Jack meant by that, Harley (not convincingly) says she doesn't know.  (Did Harley create the Joker?)  Moreover, Bruce doesn't answer her question about why Jack never told her that he knew she was the one responsible for creating the pills.  Given these questions, I could see Murphy returning to this setting soon, like how "Batman:  The Long Halloween" followed "Batman:  Year One."  After all, Jack isn't the only character who evolves here:  Bruce also fulfills his promises.  He turns over the keys to all the Batmobiles to Jim, admitting not only that he was wrong not to allow the GCPD to use them in the first place but also that he enjoys hurting criminals.  He then reveals his identity to Gordon, with the intent to reveal it to the world, saying it's the only thing that'll make them -- but particularly Jim -- trust him again.  Finally, Bruce reads Alfred's note with Barbara and Dick, and Alfred expresses his joy that Bruce has finally embraced them as his family (as Alfred knew he'd have them with him to read the note).  Stories like this one can really reinvigorate a character, and I highly recommend this mini-series to any Batman fan out there.

Darth Vader #16:  This issue is devastating.  As the Inquisitors take out Barr's disciples one by one, Soule and Camuncoli show us the reasons why they were driven to join Barr in the first place.  Soule and Camuncoli do so without editorial restraint, making clear their disdain for Barr's deception in promising them they could defeat the Empire.  Camuncoli and the colorists are masterful in showing the hope the disciples feel as Barr offers them a future, making their deaths all the more poignant as they're eliminated.  Barr has his back against the wall as the issue concludes, left with only one disciple.  But, realizing the troopers accompanying the Inquisitors are clones, he orders them to execute Order 66, turning them against the Inquisitors as well.  It's a brilliant tactic, as Barr increases the odds that he'll take down as many Inquisitors before his death that he can.  But, it still doesn't answer what Barr thought he was doing on Mon Calamari.  He tells one of his disciples his plan now is simply to flee to another planet to sew more rebellion.  Knowing the high cost the Mon Calamari will pay for this rebellion, it's hard to see him as a hero.  Instead, he feels like an angry old man willing to resort to any means necessary to have a measure of revenge, even if it ultimately accomplishes nothing.  In a way, it reminds us why Leia is such a different (and inspirational) character, as she's driven by hope, not hate.

The New Mutants:  Dead Souls #3:  We get right into it here:  the New Mutants are fighting the Mindless Ones in the Morlock tunnels when Prodigy calls for help from on board a crashing airplane.  Illyana manages to teleport them onto the plane, and Prodigy reveals the pilot is trying to kill him because of what they're doing (i.e., whatever Xi'an's plan is).  Guido asks what he means by that, showing that Prodigy is more in-the-know on said plans than the other team members (except, obviously, for Illyana).  The team begins bickering among themselves, likely due to the pilot's telepathic influence (as he's also turning the passengers against them).  In a way, though, their disputes actually make sense; Rosenberg reminds us that Guido murdered Rahne's son, so it raises the question why they're on the same team anyway.  (Illyana apparently helped Guido get back his soul at some point?  I re-read some of my "X-Factor" reviews to refresh my memory of that entire crazy storyline, and it really doesn't make any sense that Rahne is working with Guido without some explanation).  Illyana eventually uses her Darkchilde powers to get into the cockpit (as the pilot was telepathically blocking her mutant powers) and, not surprisingly, we learn Tran is possessing the pilot.  Illyana informs him he's dead, but he exposits he's really just trapped in Xi'an's body.  He also implies Xi'an and the New Mutants aren't necessarily the good guys here.  (Per the above point, Tran is the one who points out how weird it is they're all working together.)  Illyana is surprised to learn from Tran that Xi'an sent someone else after him, and she tells Tran that Xi'an hired her to imprison him in Limbo while Xi'an figured out what she wanted to do with him.  However, Tran claims he's going to save the world from Xi'an.  Tran doesn't seem to be the most reliable narrator here, but it all just got more interesting.

Peter Parker:  The Spectacular Spider-Man #304:  This issue is fascinating for a number of reasons.  First, "our" Peter discovers that Doom's warning about the Time Variance Authority didn't meant they couldn't alter the past; it just meant he couldn't return to his present.  In the new present, "past" Peter is the head of Parker Industries, but he's in a constant state of war with his wife, Gwen, given her support for the Resistance.  The Resistance, you ask?  Right.  Norman eventually leaves prison and builds a second career,  turning the Goblin Serum into a vitamin supplement after he convinced influencers "green is beautiful."  (Brilliant.)  He uses his funds to get Harry elected President and install Dr. Octopus as police commissioner.  (We don't see Harry here, so it's unclear at this point why he'd take Norman's bait, other than possibly the Goblin mania affecting him.)  Gwen sends "our" Peter to meet with the Resistance, i.e., Cap, Dr. Strange, and Riri, but it's grim.  Their only hope is freeing Dr. Doom from prison (after Norman had Harry invade Latveria years earlier).  But, the most fascinating part is JJJ, Jr. confessing to Teresa that this future scares him because it shows he was wrong all these years:  the world is worse without Spider-Man.  When you throw in a Venomized Ben Grimm as the prison's head guard, it's just a great time from start to finish.  I really dislike time-travel stories, but Zdarsky isn't just putting an innovative spin on the trope, but also successfully using it to tease out everyone's personalities.  Beyond JJJ, Jr.'s realization, you've also got the steady heroism of Gwen Stacy and the broken wreck of both Peter Parkers.  "Past" Peter is so afraid of losing someone that he can't live his own life, and "our" Peter realizes his inability to trust anyone puts him in the situations that cost him dearly.  Um, yeah, Peter.  Good job realizing it now.

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #7:  Well, I certainly didn't see that coming.  After getting a vision of the future from the gods he worships, Constantine sends for Michael Cray.  Surprised to be invited to meet the man he's supposed to kill, Cray arrives in Constantine's town house with the intent to kill him.  But, Constantine comments on Cray's increased loss of control, something Constantine's agent, Dion, also mentioned when she delivered the invitation.  It results in Michael delaying in killing Constantine long enough for Wonder Woman (Dion is her avatar, I think?) to lasso him.  The entity in Michael's brain was hot for him to kill Constantine, so I wonder if Constantine's going to reveal something about Michael's powers that's inconvenient for the entity.  On a side note, Constantine is also creating free energy for, I believe, Wonder Woman, though I'm not sure why.  Curiouser and curiouser.

Also Read:  Detective Comics #980; Oblivion Song #3; X-Men:  Blue #27; Youngblood #11

Not-So-New Comics: The March 14 DC Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Detective Comics #976:  Man, Tynion is really playing a long game here.  First, I love Bruce admitting Batgirl was right.  He so rarely admits fault, but it's important he do so here, as he uses this fault as justification for shutting down the Knights program.  Tynion goes beyond that, though.  Bruce tells Tim he has Batgirl monitoring the city so he can talk to Tim, and it doesn't take an empath to draw the same conclusion as Tim, that Barbara has raised in Bruce's esteem over Tim.  Tim responds as you'd expect an increasingly traumatized teenager would, fleeing the Batcave in a rage.  Meanwhile, Kate is getting her revenge by taking over the Colony, creating exactly the sort of peace-keeping force Tim wanted the Knights to be.  With Ulysses offering to show Tim his future self's history, it's not hard to see how dangerous these unstable boys feeling the sting of rejection could become.  Tynion is possibly showing us the start of Tim following in the footsteps of Jason and becoming an enemy, and it's gripping to watch.

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #6:  One of the challenges of this series is that Cray is essentially unstoppable.  As Dr. Shahi suggested, he begins to converse with his parasite here, allowing him even further control over his ability to detonate matter.  (As we see with him detonating Curry's manor from the shore, he doesn't even have to touch it anymore.)  But, it also means no one really poses that much of a threat; his fight with Aquaman is over in minutes if not seconds.  He also continues to fail Trelane, as he refuses to turn over Curry's research to her.  Trelane herself acknowledges she probably has to kill him now, as it's the second time he failed to provide her data (after the Flash destroyed his research before Cray could recover it).  He seems to know he's on his own at this point, and he weeps over the creature he's becoming.  We learn he's going to seek out Jonathan Constantine, who tortures a seer to death to learn more about Cray.  It's just hard to know what the outcome is here.  If IO and Skywatch have set Cray loose, where does he go from here?

Not-So-New Comics: The January 10 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers #675:  And away we go!  First, I have to thank the writing team for starting off this event with the Living Lightning (now just Lightning) as he’s one of the few gay characters in the Marvel Universe.  The authors not only put him front and center here, but they also show him as a red-blooded gay man as he awkwardly (but successfully) asks out Detective Dan.  It’s still a big deal to me, particularly after Marvel seems to be responding to the people who want their comics maler, straighter, and most importantly whiter by de-diversifying its line-up.

But, Lightning isn’t just there as a set piece.  The action gets going almost immediately after he busts some thieves and ponders how he should be doing more with his life as a former (West Coast) Avenger.  Detective Dan tries to console him, saying he's still doing good work, but they're both startled when the Sun seems to go nova.  We quickly learn someone has stolen the Earth, causing all hell to break loose:  the loss of the ring of satellites around the Earth has crippled global communications, and the change in the Earth's geospatial position has unleashed a series of natural disasters.  The various Avengers teams leap into action, and the art team does a great job of showing the magnitude of their effort.  (Hercules catching the rolling globe the Atlas statue was holding was a particularly nice touch, and Carol’s dumb-founded expression as she stares at the space where Earth and the Moon used to be is hilarious.)

The authors kick it up a notch as several of the more prominent heroes are put, in Rogue’s words, on "pause."  Someone sends out an emergency distress symbol that manages to get through the communications black-out, and we’re only left with:  Synapse, Voodoo, the Human Torch, Thor, Falcon, Lightning, Toni Ho, Roberto, Cannonball, Red Hulk, Wonder Man, Beast, Scarlet Witch, Hercules, Rogue, and Quicksilver.  The (young) Wasp arrives to inform everyone Jarvis might die from injuries he sustained in trying to save a child, but she leaves in tears when Rogue suggests they don’t have time to help him.  (Rogue correctly asserts Jarvis would understand.)  Beast leaves with the Wasp, and the loss of his intellect seems like it's going to prove Rogue’s point that it’s a bad idea to divert important resources from the task at hand.  Then, a mysterious white-haired woman is revealed to have sent out the call.  The mystery isn't just her identity; it's that everyone seems to know her.  In fact, her likeness appears on the statue of the founding Avengers.

All in all, I’m really excited.  This issue felt like a classic Avengers story (particularly when Quicksilver got catty with Rogue).  The authors accomplish their main goal here, making us believe they’re telling so huge of a story they have to do it weekly.  “Batman Eternal” failed to convey that sense of urgency, which is why it eventually became a chore to read.  But, 16 issues is different than 52 issues, so hopefully it’ll be an easier task to stay on message.  At any rate, I'm in it to win it.

Darth Vader #10:  After issue #5 saw Anakin firmly rejecting redemption and embracing his apprenticeship to Darth Sidious, I was surprised here when he destroyed the memory crystal.  Jocasta essentially goads him into it, saying she understood Palpatine wanted to make more Darth Vaders from the children on that list.  She asks what he wants, and it's a good question.  Did he destroy the crystal because he was just happy someone cared what he wanted?  Did he do it because he didn't want the competition?  Gillen doesn't tell us, keeping (for now) Vader's motivations unclear.  I'm hoping we continue to see more moments like this one, where Vader's role as a committed villain comes under question.

Old Man Hawkeye #1:  I didn’t read “Old Man Logan,” but reading this issue makes me feel like I should’ve.  Logan makes an appearance here, with Clint asking him if he wants to join in getting revenge on the super-villains who wiped out the superheros 45 years earlier.  Why did he wait 45 years?  It’s because Claire Temple told him he only has a few weeks or months before glaucoma robs him of his eyesight.  Time is ticking, in other words.  But, Sacks doesn’t jump right into that story.  We begin with Clint working a job for a guy named Mr. Hammer (I’m assuming some connection to Justin Hammer), transporting cargo through Tannenbaum Gorge in South Dakota.  When a group of crazed Madroxes attack the truck asking for MGH, Hawkeye wonders whether Hammer has gotten him involved in something illegal.  (I wonder what the definition of “illegal” is in this world.)  Clint takes out all the Madroxes but one, and it's him missing his shot at that one that brings him to Temple.  Next time we see Clint, he’s at Logan’s homestead in California, where Logan rebuffs his attempt to recruit him.  Then, he’s in Hammer Falls, Nevada, visiting his daughter, Ashley Barton, who isn’t too keen to see him.  Meanwhile, the Venom symbiote attacks and consumes the one Madrox Clint didn’t murder in the hijacking attempt, and Bullseye realizes Hawkeye is active again when he finds the other Madroxes' bodies.  Reading the Wiki entry on “Old Man Logan,” I’m intrigued to see where Sacks goes here.  We know how the story ends, so we know Clint doesn’t get his revenge.  But, sometimes it’s about the journey.

Phoenix Resurrection — The Return of Jean Grey #3:  The gang finds Jean’s coffin is empty and realizes they need to find her.  Hank offers to rebuild Cerebro, but reminds everyone they don’t have any psychics.  So, Kitty tracks down Emma, who approves of the $*#!^ she’s become.  Kitty tells her Jean has returned, and Emma suggests she’s at a plateau in New Mexico that she knew meant a lot to Scott.  Kitty brings the whole gang to the plateau, and Magik uncovers a dome that had been trying to hide itself.  A door opens, and the X-Men prepare to enter the dome.  Meanwhile, Waitress Jean flees a version of her costumed self who appears to her.  Rosenberg seems to break what I thought was a rule here, as “Mr. Patch” and Dr. Reyes both appear, despite them not being dead.  Whatever.  It’s time to wrap up this story.  It’s starting to feel a little Keystone Cops, with everyone chasing something we all know they’re going to find.

Titans #19:  This issue is a great example of why I’m canceling this series.  Abnett relies on the old shtick of the Justice League condemning the Titans’ actions, which worked when they were young adults but doesn’t work now.  Batman says Donna and Wally need to be fully assessed.  But, he doesn’t mention Wally is hurt because his son stabbed him in the heart.  It also takes Roy to mention Donna is under suspicion because Diana lied about the fact she was made of clay.  Dick makes a half-hearted attempt to make these points to Batman, but then reverts to a disappointing-son role that he’s never, ever held.  It’s character assassination all around, and I won’t stand for it.  Bruce's insistence they failed at their mission also just doesn't make sense.  As Wally mentions, they nabbed Mr. Twister, Psimon, and the Key and defeated Troia.  What did they do wrong?  Not cause enough property damage, like the Justice League does?  Remember when Bruce gave a college scholarship to the girl who hacked Amazon and destroyed a town (in "Justice League "#11)?  I could continue, but I won't.  I’m done with this one, unfortunately.

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #4:  It’s clear the point of this series is for Michael to kill the Wild Storm versions of DC heroes:  he took down Green Arrow in the first two issues, we’ve seen reference to Bruce Wayne, he eliminates the Flash here, and Trelane sends him after “the Aquaman” next.  All these missions seek to steal the technology the “hero” (or “victim”) is using, but it’s unclear why Skywatch wants this technology and how it's going to use it.  It’s also unclear why this series needs to exist.  Ellis has made it clear he's telling an integrated story, so presumably the technology we see in this series will play some sort of role in the ongoing struggle between Halo, IO, and Skywatch in the main title.  It’s just unclear what it is yet.  Also, the terrible art on this series makes me realize how important John Davis-Hunt is to the magic of the main title.  So far, this series just seems like a random series of hits whose conclusions are foregone.

X-Men:  Blue #19:  OK, I totally, totally didn’t see that coming.  The denouement here actually makes a time-travel story make sense!  It turns out the reason why the X-Men saw themselves when they initially returned in time was that it was actually the future Brotherhood, lead by Charles Xavier II, pretending to be them.  It’s why in all the possible futures we've seen they were trying to enslave either human- or mutantkind.  As such, it also now makes sense why the timestream is collapsing due to their absence; the team actually has been missing form the timestream.  It turns out the Brotherhood created a Cerebro that puts Professor X under their control, amping up their abilities considerably.  Honestly, I didn’t see how Bunn could possibly resolve this storyline, but he actually stuck this landing.  This story might’ve just risen to “classic” level in my book.  I really enjoyed the Brotherhood’s initial appearance under Bendis, and I love the idea that they took the fight to the past since they failed in the present and the future.  

Youngblood #8:  Bowers is really getting going here.  The team tracks down a missing hero, Superstitious, to a freighter in the East China Sea.  They find her unconscious in a room filled with religious artifacts, but, before they can spring her, a fanatic tells them she’s the key to being invited to the next world after the coming Apocalypse.  (Of course she is.)  Then Interpol arrives and tries to arrest the team for ruining their months-long operation (to what aim, I don't know).  But, Man-Up destroys the freighter by embiggening in a burst of enthusiasm.  Later, Dolante complains to Vogue that Horatio (a.k.a., Man-Up) needs to leave the team because he’s reckless, but she’s not so sure.  Meanwhile, someone named Task is revealed to be underwriting this new iteration of Youngblood.  He asks Doc Rocket (his ex-girlfriend) to dinner, and it inspires Dolante to take up Vogue’s offer to meet her at a club.  (It's New Year's Eve.)  He’s just a little surprised to find Horatio there, too, kissing her.  Dun-dun-DUN!  Perhaps the most interesting part of this issue is Supreme is the one to save Superstitious in the wake of the freighter explosion, and Superstitious marvels at how little she knows about her powers and comments how important she is to this world.  Superstitious then sends her to another galaxy.  Dun-DUN-DUN!  I don’t really get the good-guy vibe from Superstitious, so I’m intrigued how she got on Vogue’s list of missing heroes in the first place.  I guess we'll see.

Also Read:  Bloodshot Salvation #5, Detective Comics #972, Ms. Marvel #26, Venom #160, X-Men:  Gold Annual #2

Not-So-New Comics: The December 13 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #792:  This issue is pretty solid, to be honest.  Flash - now Anti-Venom - manages to siphon off the symbiote from Eddie and place it in a container Dr. Steve built.  Flash and Spidey flee, and Flash convinces Spidey (at least for the moment) to let the symbiote live, given the bond he shares with it and his faith in his training it to be a better “person” (for lack of a better word).  (It’s super-creepy to see it acting like a puppy.)  Flash expresses concern about the rogue symbiote out there, and it took me a minute to remember he was on the phone whit his protégée when Lee Price and his gang of symbiotes attacked her.  Pete uses part of the symbiote to conjure up a device to track other symbiotes, and Flash and Spidey follow the pings.  Meanwhile, Felicia is furious at her squad after they fail to rustle up something worthy of tribute to the Five Families.  (Can I just say how happy I was to see Killer Shrike in the mix?  MORE KILLER SHRIKE!)  But, Price and the symbiotes arrive, and, one-by-one, he infects Felicia and her crew.  (I really need a primer on how Price’s symbiote works.  It seems like he’s able to create new symbiotes really, really easily, without any inputs.  Is he eating 8,000 calories a day like cross-country skiers?)  Of course, Flash and Spidey arrive just in time for all of them to turn their attention on them.  Uh-oh!  As I said, it’s a really solid issue that captures some of the fun of the ‘90s era cross-overs as well as the excellent “New Ways to Die” story from a few years ago.

Ben Reilly:  Scarlet Spider #11:  We have a lot going on here, and I can’t say I’m totally clear on all the connections and details.  As far as I can tell, someone named Black Marvel put the new Hornet in touch with Prodigy, and Prodigy in turn told Ricochet to keep an eye on Thorne, without telling Ricochet about his (Prodigy's) connection to Hornet.  If he had, Ricochet likely wouldn't have sided with Ben at the start of this story, which he only did because Hornet was trying to hijack Cassandra's humanitarian convoy and Ricochet came to the fairly logical conclusion Ben was the lesser of two evils.  But, it's unclear why Prodigy wouldn't reveal that connection.  Ricochet is upset not only because he doesn’t know this new Hornet but also because Black Marvel is allegedly dead.  (That happens a lot, though, Ricochet.  I mean, if you're going to be in this business...)  Meanwhile, Death confirms Ben’s deterioration is due to his brutal attack on Thorne, but his face is the least of his worries when Cassandra makes it clear she knows he’s the Scarlet Spider.  Elsewhere, Thorne makes Hornet and Ricochet swear revenge, and Prodigy arrives on the scene just in time to arrange that:  they kidnap Cassandra Nova and have Slate tell Ben he has 24 hours to surrender to the police for his beating of Thorne or they’ll kill Cassandra.  A lot of the narrative until this point focused on Ricochet trying to be a stand-up guy and the Slingers being heroes, so it seems a little outside character for them to threaten Cassandra’s life in order teach Ben a lesson about morality.  Also, Prodigy is a little too conveniently all-knowing here.  In addition to his involvement in this mystery surrounding Black Marvel and his connection to Thorne, he also knows Slate was part of something called the Diogenes Initiative.  I always trust David to give us the answers we want, but it may be time to start doing that.

Detective Comics #970:  Tynion does a great job here of showing Tim barreling towards his future in a way consistent with the character he is now.  Instead of learning a lesson from the arrogance that led his future self to believe only he alone could solve Gotham’s problems, Tim is repeating this mistake by believing only the team alone can do so.  He wants Batgirl to bring the Birds of Prey into the team’s "system."  Then, they would hack the GCPD’s response system so the officers address less dangerous threats while the team’s strike forces respond to the more dangerous ones.  It’s exactly the kind of brilliant idea Tim would totally develop, but Tynion shows how Tim’s belief in his Utopia is dangerous.  Jacob warns Kate people are aware of Tim's attempt to supplant the government, and the military is preparing a strike force to take out the team.  Meanwhile, the Victims Syndicate makes its first strike, capturing Clayface to show the world Batman is working with a dangerous super-villain.  (It’s one of those moments where we’re supposed to believe no one’s put that together so far, and I could just suspend my disbelief enough to buy that.)  Meanwhile, Lonnie has developed a series of cyber-assassins who imitate the team’s movements, which spells trouble for everyone.  All in all, it’s a great second installment of the “Fall of the Batmen,” showing how serious of a threat not only the Syndicate working with Lonnie is, but Tim on his own is as well.

Falcon #3:  I wasn’t really digging Blackheart as the villain here, but Barnes has me convinced.  First, he represents exactly the sort of wish fulfillment that could actually tempt Sam, given how world-weary he is right now.  Blackheart offers a world where African-Americans aren’t second-class citizens, the same dream Blackheart offered Dre.  Moreover, he really develops the relationship between Sam and Shaun.  Sam approaches the struggle from an old-school perspective, telling Shaun being a hero isn’t about choosing your battles but fighting the ones you have to fight.  But, Shaun punches several holes through those arguments, pointing out taking on gangs isn’t the same as taking on demons, as much as Sam insists it is.  Barnes gives Shaun a really clear voice, particularly through using modern references (I loved him changing his shield’s name from Beyoncé to Rihanna because he realizes Beyoncé is probably going to stay with Jay-Z).  It makes him more than a superfluous sidekick, as Joaquin was.  I really look forward to seeing where we go from here.

Star Wars #40:  The best part of this issue is something we haven’t previously seen, namely Leia doubting the wisdom of Luke’s commitment to the Force.  Chulco and Ubin lead a Partisan assault on the mining citadel to distract the guards while Benthic and Luke break into the citadel to bring down the shield, allowing Han and Leia to torpedo it into oblivion.  Assembling at base, Chulco convinces Luke to accompany him on his pilgrimage to the void because he’s lost his connection to the Force.  Leia is furious at Luke for going, dismissing his desire to become a Jedi as a luxury they can’t afford.  Gillen makes sure to remind us Leia comes to this position honestly; we see the last conversation she has with her father, as he orders her to smuggle out the Death Star plans.  It also recalls the conversation Leia had in "Star Wars Annual" #2 where she admits she’d sacrifice Alderaan again to keep the dream of the Rebellion alive.  Gillen is reminding us of the burden of leadership she feels.  However, he’s also showing her as green; she thinks she sees the larger picture, but she doesn’t really.  That said, she’s not wrong they’ll miss Luke in the short term as Queen Trios reveals to General Kanchar the citadel was just a test run:  she’s now deploying the Leviathan, a “Continent-class crawler,” to break the crust.

Titans #18:  I wanted to love this series, but, at this point, I acknowledge I’m done.  This issue wraps up the Troia story in a remarkably simple way, with Donna just punching her into a portal and thereby snapping her connection to her avatars.  It’s supposed to be a big moment, where she refuses to accept she’ll become Troia.  But, everything implies she’ll totally become Troia, driven insane by her immortality.  Nothing Donna does here changes that.  Moreover, Roy admits he loves Donna to Troia, something Donna conveniently overhears.  Roy’s profession of love is a bad call on many levels, mostly because it fuels Troia's rage by reminding her how she loses everyone she loves.  Why remind her of love when it’s exactly love that hurt her so badly?  Moreover, Donna is open to Roy’s love, something Abnett hasn’t even remotely hinted in the past.  Everyone else is reduced to just shouting talking points.  In other words, it’s a mess, and I’m over it.

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #3:  We get a number of interesting developments here.  First, Michael is sent after Barry Allen, making it somewhat clear his series is going to be dedicated to taking out this world's DC heroes.  Here, Barry is a schizophrenic genius inventor; he’s developed an armor and pharma supplements that give him the Flash's powers.  He’s convinced (or his paranoia has convinced him) artificial intelligence is going to eliminate humanity, so he’s killing the geniuses working on it.  Michael is dispatched to kill him, and we’re supposed to believe he instead supports his vision.  (He's likely only saying he does to move Barry where he wants him.)  Moreover, Cray is able to deploy his power after the scientist studying it reveals it’s related to emotions; he imagines having sex with her and it deploys.  (We later learn she’s somehow able to see his thoughts.)  Finally, it seems the female member of the team who took out Green Arrow last issue might have a long list of metahuman kills.  It's not entirely clear how these stories tie into the larger story Ellis is telling in "The Wild Storm," but we'll see.

X-Men:  Blue #17:  We get a non-canonical take on 2099 here, showing us a world where the original X-Men took over Alchemax and put the focus on the “X.”  We’re not really privy to how exactly they did so, but the kids are horrified to learn they’ve subjected humankind to the same sort of bleak existence mutants suffered in the “Days of Future Past” storyline.  The X-Men 2099 are trying to right that wrong, stealing and distributing medication for the humans the new Legacy Virus has afflicted.  Cerebra eventually fixes their time-travel device and convinces Hank to travel to the past in the hope their actions there can ensure this future doesn’t happen.  The other X-Men resist, but Hank makes the decision to go, and they suddenly find themselves confronted with a past version of the Generation X team.  I wasn’t really a fan of the “Cross-Time Caper” when we first got it in “Excalibur,” and I can’t say I am here.  Although Bunn makes a good attempt to shock us with each new setting, we’re barely introduced to those settings, making it hard really to connect to those emotions.  Also, I still don’t really understand why the time paradigm has been unlocked.  Previously, the past was the past, but now it isn’t?  I’m not sure the answer is going to be all that interesting.

Also Read:  Bloodshot Salvation #4; Pathfinder:  Worldscape - King of the Goblins #1, Pathfinder:  Worldscape - Lord of the Jungle #1, Pathfinder:  Worldscape - Red Sonja #1, and Pathfinder:  Worldscape - Warlord of Mars #1; Youngblood #7

Not-So-New Comics: The November 8 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman:  Lost #1:  Long-time "Batman" readers will probably do a better job of picking out the meaningful nods to his history that pepper this issue.  But, Snyder manages to make his point clear even without that.  Bruce is stuck floating through his own past, and Barbatos foils his every effort to escape by telling him he's nothing special:  Barbatos has been the driving force behind his entire existence, setting up every moment in history that brought about his creation so he could serve as the doorway.  Barbatos makes Bruce doubt everything, even convincing him Barbatos has really been the detective, not Bruce. This attack at his will leaves him unable to break free of his history, doomed to constantly repeat it and face the fact Barbatos has allegedly been directing it from the start.  Snyder has been painting such a dark picture over these last few months that you almost begin to believe Barbatos, and it's this belief that makes you realize how full of despair Bruce must be for believing it as well.

Detective Comics #968:  Tynion wraps up this story well by essentially not providing us a definitive conclusion.  The tension in the issue comes from Future Tim using the suit Ulysses is holding at the Colony helicarrier to re-activate the drones, sending them after Batwoman.  He takes down the guys in the Cave in pretty quick succession and then takes Tim with him to the Belfry to finish off Batwoman himself.  But, he's misunderestimated his control through Brother Eye.  Apparently, in his world, Batwing didn't take over the Belfry, so Tim was able to run his routines through Batwing's servers, buying them a window of time.  Plus, some of the equipment in the Batcave was running off older servers, allowing the guys to fly Batplanes to take out the drones.  (Jason is needless to say thrilled, and the moment Bruce has to end his squabbling with Damian with a simple, "Boys, focus," is hilarious.)  Brother Eye knows it's defeated, so he prepares to return Future Tim to his time.  He never reveals what Batwoman does, and Tynion doesn't really give us a reason for it.  Presumably, if he really wanted to "save" Tim by removing the threat Batwoman poses, he'd tell him.  Of course, it's possible he did off-panel, and we'll learn that later.  If not, I'm not quite sure I'd buy it.  Even Nightwing at one point asks if they could all just talk, and I don't get why Future Tim doesn't go that route.  (Per pet peeve #3, I'm not giving Tynion credit for having one of his characters point out a illogical part of the script.)  At any rate, he leaves begging Tim to enjoy the time he has before everything goes wrong, and the last panel shows how upset Tim is by this entire arc.  I'm certainly excited to see where we go from him.  We still haven't really explored Tim's return, since he was so busy fighting Future Tim, so I'm hoping Tynion takes some time to do that over the next few issues.

Falcon #2:  Barnes seems to be playing Blackheart for a fool, and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about that.  We learn Blackheart has decided to take over Earth as a way to earn a seat at the table where the most powerful beings in the Universe gather once a year to tell their best stories.  Apparently when he asked his father Mephisto for a seat he banished him to the seventh circle of Hell for a millennium.  Maybe take the hint, Blackheart?  But, he doesn't, and he's decided Dray is going to rule Earth once he conquers it, earning him said spot at the table.  But, Dray seems an...odd choice for a ruler, as he makes it pretty clear he's only there to get paid.  You may also be asking what anything here has to do with Falcon, and you'd be asking the right question.  The disappointing part is Barnes' script is so solid when he focuses on Sam, particularly in his interactions with Dr. Voodoo and Shaun.  The conversation flows so naturally you feel like you're actually watching the conversations.  But, these nice moments are overshadowed by Blackheart's chaos, and it leaves me still wondering how I feel about it all.

Moon Knight #188:  Whoa.  I mean, holy fucking shit.  I can't remember a series that started without the main character actually making an appearance, but that sense of anticipation just helps add to the tension of the issue.  But, it's not the only source of tension.  The story focuses on a psychiatrist, Dr. Emmett, who previously treated Marc Spector but who I don't recognize from the Lemire/Smallwood run (the only one I've read).  She's treating "the Nameless One," a patient who served in the Army but burned several soldiers to death after they tortured him (stripped him naked, forced him to drink urine, etc.).  He claims to have experience a religious awakening in doing so, and Emmett recognizes the parallels between his story and Marc's.  She decides to introduce him to Egyptian mythology as a way to help him process his trauma.  She tells him the story of Amon Ra, with the sun often representing the "sovereignty of masculinity," and Khonshu, with the moon representing femininity and the power of insubordination.  At this point, it becomes clear Bemis is creating an archenemy for Marc, and the issue becomes chilling.  Emmett visits the military hospital where the Nameless One was originally treated, and a patient there accosts her.  Before the orderlies drag him from her, he tells her he was in the same platoon as the Nameless One when the incident happened and that he managed to burn those soldiers with his hands still tied.  Emmett is called to Ravencroft for an emergency, and we learn the Nameless One attacked one of the nurses, ripping off her nose because she didn't believe he was a god.  When he asks Emmett his name, she offers Khonshu, and it's a reflection of her hope he's accepted the redemption she was offering.  Instead, in her words, he accepted Amon Ra's power as the abuser, and he sets her and the institution on fire, pleading to destroy Khonshu.

Star Wars: #38:  Something Gillen does surprisingly well here — even for someone with his considerable talents — is get the mood of the series right.  As a new author getting his shot at working with such iconic characters, I’m sure it was tempting to go balls-to-the-wall here, to tell a story reminiscent of Aaron’s opening arc.  But, he’s more subdued, because the characters are more subdued.  They’ve had all sorts of experiences in the last few months:  they destroyed the Imperial weapons factory on Cymoon 1, they’ve escaped Grakkus on Nar Shaddaa and Darth Vader on Vrogas Vas, they’ve been stalked on Sunspot Prison, they steal a Star Destroyer to rescue Tureen VII, they saved Luke (again) from the Screaming Citadel.  In this issue, they’re still trying to find a base, and you can tell they’re tired.  Leah may be indomitable, but everyone else has an edge.

Titans #17:  I haven't been a huge fan of this series for a while, but Abnett delivers one of his better issues here.  We learn future Diana Troy, calling herself Troia, has traveled to the past to kill the Titans, saving herself 80 years of heartache.  WTF, you ask?  Diana is apparently immortal; as Karen dies of natural causes in 2091, Diana loses the last of the Titans and wonders why she bothered caring in the first place.  Abnett makes it pretty clear Troia is insane here; it's a much different conversation than the one Future Tim has with his counterpart in "Detective Comics."  She goes on a murder spree after Karen's death, killing everyone from Darkseid to Wonder Woman (for telling the lie in the first place).  My only real problem with this issue is the question why it took Diana so long to get here.  Abnett has been advancing this story through Psimon's grim warnings for months, and it seems to me like Abnett had a number of more straightforward ways to go here.

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #2:  OK, the art is terrible, but the story is solid.  First, Michael has Trelane hire him a team of three support staff to help him with his missions; he auditions them in a steampunk VR game.  We've got Hector Morales the trap-builder, Leon Carver the strategist, and Victoria the assassin.   He then poses as a Afghanistan vet to get transported to Queen's island, where Queen immediately IDs him.  They're in hand-to-hand combat before you know it, and Michael disintegrates Queen's arm.  Queen advances on him. but Victoria has apparently followed him and takes out Queen.  It's a surprising moment; I thought this story was going to last longer.  But, when Trelane reveals Michael's next target is dirty cop Barry Allen, it appears Hill and Ellis have a bigger story planned.  Is Michael going to kill his world's versions of the Justice League?  We'll have to wait and see.  Meanwhile, throughout the issue, Michael is examined by Dr. Shahi, who reveals he's not dying of brain cancer.  Instead, he has some sort of secondary brain (a "second layer" of "normal synaptic processes") coming online, but she refuses to tell him more.  She wants to cure him; he wants to be able to use the power to take out the bad guys.  We'll see how that goes.

Also Read:  Captain Marvel #24; Generation X #8; Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #32; Uncanny Avengers #29; X-Men:  Gold #15

Not-So-New Comics: The October 11 DC Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Dark Nights:  Metal #3:  Snyder tries to do too much here, but I understand why he does so.  He clearly has big plans -- even bigger than the ones we've already seen -- and he needs to move us quickly to where we are at the end the issue.  As a result, this issue is a little rushed, but I think ultimately it'll be worth it to see where Snyder takes us.

It starts really, really well:  we get an adorable scene where Damian and Jon are playing guitars in a field in Smallville as Bruce, Clark, Diana, and Lois watch.  It's the most warmth I've ever scene displayed in a DC Comic, to be honest.  Bruce tries to thank the group for all their support after he was forced to confront his darkest fears during the recently concluded war, and they all make fun of him for how bad he is at expressing emotions.  But, then it turns out it's just another nightmare:  Barbatos evolves from Bruce's form to attack Superman, and we learn Clark has been fighting these nightmares for lifetimes.  But, Diana saves him by putting her Lasso of Truth around him to get him to see the "real" world.  He awakens to a scene that combines "The Matrix" with Scientology:  Clark and Diana are attached to the outside of a skyscraper along with thousands of other people.  (Capullo goes for broke with these scenes, as the people are basically Day of the Dead skeletons.)  Clark leaves Diana to take on Barbatos, but gets his ass handed to him.  Flash saves him just in time, taking him to the Oblivion Bar, a safe space in a pocket dimension where all the other heroes are located.

Everyone is significantly worse for the wear as we learn they've all failed in their attempts to displace the Dark Batmen from their cities.  (Dick is particularly shaken, and I may need to read "Gotham Resistance" now.)  The towers are really generators, and Superman realizes Barbatos wants to pull our world into the Dark Dimension.  At this point, Green Arrow reveals the Nth metal can hurt them.  Dr. Fate and Mr. Terrific are able to locate three stashes of Nth metal through its connection to the other reactive metals in Steel's hammer, Fate's mask, Plastic Man's egg, and Deathstroke's armor.  Diana starts splitting up everyone in teams to go mine the metal, but Superman dissents when Mr. Terrific reveals the last signal is coming from the Dark Dimension.  Clark says Bruce used a code word in his last dream that he and Superman developed to signify trouble, and Dick confirms he can also feel Bruce trying to reach him.  Superman realizes Bruce is sending the signal from the Dark Dimension, but Dick says they shouldn't go after him.  Dick argues they should fight Barbatos as Bruce would've wanted them to do.  However, Dick is also shaken by how dark Bruce's soul is, something they've all seen through these perverted forms of him.  Damian is outraged, attacking Dick.  One of the most crushing scenes is Damian clinging to Superman after he informs the group he'll save Bruce.  Dick and Damian's sense of hopelessness conveys just how overpowering Barbatos' ability to kill hope is.

At any rate, the teams are forced to flee the bar as Batman Who Laughs and his Robins find them.  (Kendra made it clear she was against saving Superman exactly for this reason.)  As the other teams arrive at their destinations and start hunting for the Nth metal, Flash and Steel accompany Superman to the Fortress of Solitude.  Superman reveals the coordinates for the Dark Dimension were close to the ones for the Phantom Zone, and he thinks the Phantom Zone might be, as Flash says, a "permeable membrane" between our dimensions.  Steel attaches himself to the Antenna and Flash supercharges it, creating an energy link to the Dark Dimension.  (Just go with it.)  Superman travels there, only to realize he was wrong.  Bruce was sending songs in the dreams, not words:  the two chords of the song the kids were playing were D then C:  "don't come."  Superman is the battery, and with his arrival in the Dark Dimension the circuit is complete.  Shit is going down, y'all.

Detective Comics #966:  This series has dragged lately, but it isn't now!  This issue is one of the most gripping I've ever read, particularly when you consider it's also a time-travel story.  Tim and Future Tim talk while occasionally fending off Doomsday, though Future Tim doesn't reveal anything too specific about how he got this way.  In fact, our only real hint before the issue wraps is a flashforward to his timeline, where Anarky comments to Spoiler about an event involving Clayface setting everything in motion.  Instead, Future Tim lays out his road to Batman and strikes a theme in doing so, saying certain patterns are set.  For example, Dick's reality is as a circus kid, so he eventually leaves Gotham and starts a family.  Jason's reality is as a tragic story, so he winds up losing an eye and a leg and living as a homeless drunk.  Damian's reality is a violent arrogance, so it's heavily implied Future Tim has to kill him after his "Batman" #666 iteration practically burns Gotham to the ground. Tim refuses to accept he's going to become Future Tim, but Future Tim agrees to use his technology to travel to Tim's present.  As he departs, Future Tim encourages Tim to make peace with Conner, but Tim doesn't know who Conner is.  Future Tim is shocked, and he reviews the present timeline thanks to his Batcomputer (who he creepily calls "Brother").  He realizes this timeline has been tweaked (heavily implying he's from the DCU timeline), and he cuts Tim's arm.  When he realizes he, too, has a scar, he realizes he can save Tim from his future by killing the person responsible for it:  Batwoman.  Although this issue is super-talky, you get the sense Tynion has laid the groundwork he needed to lay and we're about to see some honest-to-God fireworks as Future Tim goes after Batwoman.

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #1:  Right off the bat, I’ll say the quality of this issue is notably different from “The Wild Storm.”  Not that the issue is bad, but everything about it — the writing, the art, etc. — feels like a copy of the original.  Michael gets his first assignment from Trelane:  he’s to infiltrate Oliver Queen’s “Sanctuary” and steal his technology.  Wait, The Wild Storm has its own Green Arrow, you ask?  Apparently.  He seems to be a variant of the television version, as all the details don’t exactly match:  for example, both his parents (not just his father) died in the shipwreck that left him stranded.  What’s the Sanctuary, you ask?  Well, I’m glad you did.  It’s a version of the island where he was stranded, where he plays “The Most Dangerous Game” to keep his skill sharp.  It’s not the only sign he’s insane.  His font is notably different:  rather than the regular font everyone else uses in The Wild Storm, he speaks in all-caps, italics, and quotations.  Trelane stresses she wants him for the technology, but notes Michael is a better person than she is, so he’ll probably want to stop Queen from killing veterans.  Along the way, we get a hint of Cray’s supernatural powers; whereas he destroyed Marlowe’s spur in “The Wild Storm’ #1, here he blows up a mouse living in his new house.  He's as sad as we are.

Youngblood #6:  Bowers advances the plot significantly here, though we don't really have any more answers than we did at the start of the issue.  The kids battle the Byrne gestalt while Badrock and Shaft (well, mostly Badrock, since Shaft is missing his arm) take on Diehard.  The kids realize they're in trouble when the gestalt eats one of the Chapel twins (though I'm not really sure if they're twins now, because the one getting eaten refers to the other one as "Chapel").  Badrock winds up throwing Diehard into the room where the gestalt is, and he's appalled when he sees the seemingly dead kids.  Badrock sacrifices himself to the gestalt, claiming he knows how to beat it after it connects to him and he's able to see its thinking.  The gestalt explodes, and Badrock emerges as a normal teenage boy.  Nine days later, we discover Man-Up is slave labor for some paramilitary leader in Morocco, and the team - comprising of Dolante, Supreme, Vogue, and the speedster whose name I can't remember -- arrives to rescue him.  I'm really enjoying this series, and I'm intrigued to see what happens with Badrock.  Is he now a cyborg like the Byrnes?  But, I also feel like I'm struggling to get a grip on everyone, because Bowers is more or less writing for the trade here.  I complained in a previous review that the extensive use of flashbacks in the first five issues made it difficult to follow the team coming together, and it's a problem I still can't remember one of the team members' names after six issues.  But, I was also excited by the advertisement announcing "Bloodstrike" coming in January 2018, so it's a limited complaint.