Comics are Awesome III

[Sparky Prime]

Star Trek/Green Lantern #6
Final Issue-
The Enterprise crew members and Lanterns fight Nekron and his Black Lantern Vulcan army. Kirk orders the Enterprise to fire on Nekron (reminiscent of firing on "God" in Star Trek V), but Nekron just reforms his body moments later. Kirk remembers they've talked about only a White Lantern being able to defeat Nekron before and asks the Lanterns how to make one. Borrowing Bones' Indigo ring, Kirk order Spock to wear it, which triggers Uhura's and Chekhov's as well as the Romulan, Klingon and Gorn rings to leave their bearers, choosing Spock instead. All that's left is a Green Lantern ring, which Guy (mistakenly) says one of them would have to die to give up... Instead the Green Lanterns combine their energies with Spock's, which summons the Life Entity. The Entity wastes no time destroying Nekron, the Black Lanterns and destroys the planet Vulcan once again. In the epilogue, having no universe to return home to, the Lanterns decide to stay in the Star Trek universe. Starfleet also decides to make Scotty's replicated rings standard issue. Sinestro, Atrocitus and Larfleeze all remain at large, while Chang, the Romulan and the Gorn all perished in the vacuum of space once their rings left them.

Interesting way to end this series. I didn't expect that they'd have the Lanterns stay in the Star Trek universe. I felt it was a pretty satisfying ending, although a few parts I thought were rushed. I wish Chang, the Romulan and the Gorn had all played more of a part in this, seeing how much time was spent on introducing them, only for them to be killed off so lamely. Seems like a couple mistakes in this issue as well. Guy says a Green Lantern has to die to give up their ring, since when? Besides that, we know a Green Lantern can make a duplicate of their ring to deputize anyone whenever they want. And how about the Lanterns power? They have no batteries in this universe (except for Larfleeze), so what happens when their rings eventually run out of juice? I also realized with this issue, Indigo-1 apparently didn't make it to the Star Trek universe. Seems odd she was the only leader of a Lantern Corps to be excluded from this event. And what happened to the Entity after it saved the universe from Nekron? Not sure if they intended to leave open so many loose ends, but either way it leaves open the possibility for a sequel.

Sinestro #17
Sinestro and Black Adam take on the Pale Bishop, although the Oan seems to have some new abilities Black Adam didn't encounter the last time they'd fought thousands of years ago. Meanwhile at War World (which is in orbit of the Earth) Wonder Woman arrives... Sinestro summons a ring to help Black Adam resist the Pale Bishop. The Bishop decides to retreat, saying everything that cannot be purged of emotion will be destroyed in time. The two head to War World to go after the Bishop, but encounter Wonder Woman attacking the Sinestro Corps. Sinestro explains it's a misunderstanding, that with the Green Lanterns gone, the Sinestro Corps now protects the universe. Sinestro offers to have Wonder Woman join them, but soon they realize, the Paling has come to them at Earth.

Interesting to see Sinestro just seems to keep adding more and more powerful allies to his Corps. I was hoping for a bit more out of this issue though. Like finding out how and why a Guardian of the Universe would end up the Paling Bishop, but they seem to be holding off on giving us the origins. Maybe in the next issue, seeing the entire Paling fleet seems to be at Earth.

Green Lantern #47
Wow, the police sure did show up fast when Hal accidentally set off his brothers house alarm. Really good to see an issue with Hal getting down to Earth again and getting in touch with his personal life again. I feel that's something the Green Lantern title has been missing. But the real surprise is seeing Parallax from Convergence show up. I'd hoped he'd have learned to take a new approach, based on what he'd said in Convergence, but given his dialog about this universe being beyond the twilight and he's the dawn... It doesn't sound like it.

[Dominic]

The Entity wastes no time destroying Nekron, the Black Lanterns and destroys the planet Vulcan once again. In the epilogue, having no universe to return home to, the Lanterns decide to stay in the Star Trek universe. Starfleet also decides to make Scotty's replicated rings standard issue. Sinestro, Atrocitus and Larfleeze all remain at large, while Chang, the Romulan and the Gorn all perished in the vacuum of space once their rings left them.

I am guessing that this is meant to be an alternate universe of epic differences.

[Sparky Prime]

I am guessing that this is meant to be an alternate universe of epic differences.

Well yeah, like most crossovers like this, it's set outside the continuity of everything else, making it it's own self contained thing. But still... Generally everybody goes home to where ever they came from at the end of such a crossover.

[andersonh1]

https://twitter.com/thedanjurgens/statu ... 5498428416

Lois and Clark is 8 issues. That's disappointing, since the house ad promised 12, and of course I'd love an ongoing.

Enjoy it while it lasts... words to live by when it comes to comics, because generally it doesn't last long any more.

[Sparky Prime]

Speaking of the Lois and Clark title... According to the March solicitations, Pre-New 52 Superman will be appearing in Superman #50 as well.

[andersonh1]

Speaking of the Lois and Clark title... According to the March solicitations, Pre-New 52 Superman will be appearing in Superman #50 as well.

I figured that they would have to meet at some point. I hope they don't go with the "meet, fight, them team up" worn-out template for the encounter. I hope it's actually something interesting and inspiring, as Superman should be. I'm definitely curious how they'll approach it.

[Dominic]

Waiting for the compilation on that. I want to know what DC is doing before I bother.

[andersonh1]

Two final issues this week.

Star Trek/Green Lantern #6
After a few issues running in place, this one wraps things up fairly quickly. Its' a bargain basement adaption of Blackest Night, so it's not all that original. As with the rest of the series, the fun comes from watching the two franchises collide. Spock being the one to use all the rings and unleash the life entity is a great choice, and the sequence where his Black Lantern mother taunts him is one of the better parts of the issue. In the end, as Sparky mentioned, everyone stays in the Trek Universe, with Hal Jordan blending his GL oath with Trek's "to boldly go.." monologue that Kirk recites over the opening credits of Star Trek. It's been a fun series overall, and I guess my only real criticism is that I'd like to have seen more character moments like the one with Spock this issue, exploring just what the implications of the GL mythology would be in the Trek universe. It's been a popcorn action flick miniseries: shallow but a lot of fun.

Batman '66 #30
Mike Allred, who has been drawing covers for this series, draws the entire final issue and captures the likenesses of the actors better than anyone else. Every villain is present and accounted for, and then some. They're holding a convention and training new flunkies, but they've blackballed the Riddler from attending, and he's none too happy about that. We get a fun recreation of the "slide down the batpoles, start the batmobile" sequence from every episode. "Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed. Roger, ready to move out." Lee Allred is the writer for this issue rather than mainstay Jeff Parker, and Allred is clearly going for a "greatest hits" issue to wrap things up. Batman and Robin meet with Gordon and O'Hara. They climb the bat rope and pass someone who talks to them from an open window. In this case, it's Perry White, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen from the Adventures of Superman tv series. Lois thinks it's too bad that Clark had to stay in Metropolis to cover another story.

It goes on. Batman and Robin end up fighting thugs in front of a green screen, and the page replicates the fight from the opening credits of the tv show, down to the poses, the look of the villains, and the handshake. The odds are 300 to 1, but Batman and Robin prevail with the help of a Batmobile remote control, and the timely arrival of Batgirl. Holy end credits. Same bat-time, same bat-channel. It's a great issue to wrap up the series.

Now I just get to wait for Batman '66 and the Man from UNCLE.

[Dominic]

Just did the numbers for this past year, and I am down by over 230 comics. Not quite as many as I wanted to be rid of, but a good enough number. (My through-puts for the year are off the chain though.) My minimum goal for next year is -250.

My pull-file is starting off with 18 titles, a number which is going to drop.

[andersonh1]

I may look for something to add to my monthly reading. I think I'm down to Green Lantern, Lois and Clark (mini series), Green Lantern Corps (mini series) and Batman '66/Man from Uncle (mini-series).

Or I may just stick with the wallet-friendly low number of comics, and see if anything better comes along when the train-wreck that is DC Comics makes another course correction, as it surely will in the not too distant future.