TF Views

Green Lanterns #15
A standalone issue focused on Jessica. We see her and Simon joining up with the Justice League to take on a giant sea monster, and saving people from various disasters on their own. All the while, Jessica has to work to overcome her own fears and anxiety. However, when she and Simon encounter "The Gambler" (a Golden Age Green Lantern villain, updated in a gaudy cowboy theme here), Jessica freezes when her anxiety gets the better of her. Simon easily takes care of the villain, but doesn't understand why Jessica froze because he thought she was getting better. Jessica explains her anxiety isn't something that gets better, being a super hero can be nothing, but sometimes just getting out of bed is a struggle for her. She takes some personal time, and Simon makes her breakfast to show her he wants to help. Before they can enjoy the meal however, Batman asks for their assistance in Gotham...

Nice to have an issue focused entirely on one of the title characters. I mean, they've both had plenty of moments over the last 14 issues, but not an entire issue focused entirely on either one them. It seems like the main focus has been developing other characters. As such, I would have liked to have seen this issue earlier in the run.

The Gambler, eh? Nice to see some Golden Age villains getting a reinvention. In Aquaman, current villain Blackjack shares a name and nautical theme with one of his Golden Age villains, though they're very different characters.

Aquaman #15
The Deluge ends with all sorts of awesomeness as Aquaman gives Black Manta a well deserved beatdown and exposes NEMO's activities as the third party that's been trying to cause all out war between Atlantis and the United States. The majority of plot threads set up all the way back in the Rebirth issue are resolved for now, and Aquaman asserts himself as king in front of President Obama and his chief of staff. "You will call me Sir, or Your Majesty" he says, before surrendering in order to end the war, after which he and Superman have a good talk, and the nations of the world are informed about the existence of NEMO as a terrorist organization. The crisis has been averted, and Manta is seemingly killed when he destroys his command ship. But of course a good villain never dies, and indeed, the last page shows Blackjack dragging herself onto the shore, injured but alive.

Superman #15
Superman and the multiversal Justice League decide to gather the many Supermen from around the multiverse into one place, in the hope of attracting the attention of the villain trying to capture or kill them all. Even Nazi Superman (or former Nazi since he's shown working with the Freedom Fighters) makes an appearance. In the end, the plan appears to be for one lone Superman to be the bait, while the rest (hopefully) will take the villain by surprise. There's a jumble of artists in this issue, and so many of the worlds and Supermen go by too fast to appreciate them, but it's still good to revisit some of Morrison's many concepts and characters from Multiversity.

Action Comics #972
Men of Steel concludes, with a powerless Superman managing to save Luthor's life, not by convincing the Godslayer that the future he's seen won't come to pass, but by convincing him that whatever happens, Superman will be there to stop it. That, combined with Godslayer's weariness with all the executions, changes his mind, and he wishes Superman well before sending him and Luthor back to Earth.

The story ends with Luthor and Superman having reassessed each other, and agreeing to start over. Luthor offers him New 52 Superman's cape, but Superman turns it down, and Luthor returns it to the Daily Planet. The final page shows glimpses of Superman's future, including the human Clark Kent, Cyborg Superman, Luthor as Darkseid with Superman having apparently defeated him, and a few other things as well. I keep waiting for Luthor to go back to being as bad as he used to be, but having him as an abrasive semi-hero remains an interesting change for the character, and it will continue.

Superman's experiences while he was powerless in Convergence get a mention, and come in handy whie he's without powers on the alien planet.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #13
A one shot issue, "Heroes" doesn't really do a lot with the main characters. It's set 60 years in the future on Xudar, where an elderly Xudarian tells her grandchildren about the time that Starro came to the planet and the Green Lantern Corps saved Xudar from him and from Larfleeze. Like Action Comics, there are hints of the future for the Corps, and in the end we find out that the grandfather is Xudar's third Green Lantern after Tomar-Re and Tomar-Tu. So it's the victim's point of view of the just-finished "Bottled Light" storyline being told here.

Batman '66 meets Wonder Woman '77 #1 of 6
The fourth Batman '66 crossover mini-series begins with the Eartha Kitt Catwoman robbing a house and stealing an ancient book for none other than Ras Al Gul. We just saw Julie Newmar's Catwoman last time, and no one remarks on the fact that there are two Catwomen, but we're left to assume that both exist. In any case, the theft of the book triggers an alarm in the Batcave, and Batman and Robin arrive to learn what has happened. Back in the Batcave, Bruce relates the story to Dick about having met Wonder Woman and Talia during WW2 when he was a child , when that same book went up for auction, and both Ras Al Gul and the Nazis were gunning for it.

The cover is another great Alex Ross painting with both the Adam West Batman and Lynda Carter Wonder Woman looking entirely authentic and just like their actors. This mini-series looks like safer territory for Batman than the 60s espionage of the Man from UNCLE or the Avengers. It's annoying that it's $3.99 instead of $2.99, but DC's mini-series seem to be at that higher price point.

andersonh1 wrote:Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #13
A one shot issue, "Heroes" doesn't really do a lot with the main characters. It's set 60 years in the future on Xudar, where an elderly Xudarian tells her grandchildren about the time that Starro came to the planet and the Green Lantern Corps saved Xudar from him and from Larfleeze. Like Action Comics, there are hints of the future for the Corps, and in the end we find out that the grandfather is Xudar's third Green Lantern after Tomar-Re and Tomar-Tu. So it's the victim's point of view of the just-finished "Bottled Light" storyline being told here.

Seems odd to have a standalone issue recapping the "Bottled Light" storyline right after it wrapped up. But it was interesting to see some hints of the future. Earth 3's Power Ring is going to become an army? Nice touch that the grandpa telling the story is also Xundar's current Green Lantern. It turns the victim's point of view we start out with a sense of empowerment as he also becomes the hero.

Justice League/Power Rangers #1
Angel Grove has been destroyed, and Zack blames himself. Superman tells him that it's not his fault... Flashback to the events leading up to the destruction of Angel Grove: Zordon summons the Rangers and sends them to find Alpha-5 whom has gone missing. Zack quickly finds him damaged and brings him back to the Command Center, but it's a trap! It's a fake Alpha which explodes, allowing Lord Zedd and his Putties to infiltrate the Command Center. Zack morphs and teleports Zedd out, but with the systems damaged, they end up in the DC universe. Zack is confronted by Batman, which he thinks is one of Zedd's monsters. Batman subdues him as the other Rangers arrive, and Batman calls in Flash for backup. The Rangers talk about returning to their world, but with Zedd still somewhere in this world, Zack says they can't leave yet. So Kimberly summons her Pterodactyl Dinozord and carries off the Batmobile with Batman inside...

-DC seems to really like doing these cross company team-up mini-series lately with Green Lantern currently running both Star Trek and a Planet of the Apes crossover right now as well. Having been a Power Rangers fans as I kid, I was curious to see what they'd do with this. And it doesn't pull any punches when the first thing we see is Angel Grove reduced to a crater. Certainly is dark for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I guess Boom Studios likes to put a darker spin on it with their series as well. Seems odd Zack assumes Batman is a monster. None of the bad guys in this era looked human as I recall, except for Rita. But on the other hand, Batman suspects Zack has a concussion, a result of his injuries after the fake Alpha exploded, so I think we can cut him some slack for not thinking clearly. The one continuity problem they had in this issue is the Zord Kimberly summons the Pterodactyl Dinozord, when she should have the Firebird Thunderzord at this point. Zedd destroyed the Dinozords when he arrived.

Sparky Prime wrote:

andersonh1 wrote:Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #13
A one shot issue, "Heroes" doesn't really do a lot with the main characters. It's set 60 years in the future on Xudar, where an elderly Xudarian tells her grandchildren about the time that Starro came to the planet and the Green Lantern Corps saved Xudar from him and from Larfleeze. Like Action Comics, there are hints of the future for the Corps, and in the end we find out that the grandfather is Xudar's third Green Lantern after Tomar-Re and Tomar-Tu. So it's the victim's point of view of the just-finished "Bottled Light" storyline being told here.

Seems odd to have a standalone issue recapping the "Bottled Light" storyline right after it wrapped up. But it was interesting to see some hints of the future. Earth 3's Power Ring is going to become an army? Nice touch that the grandpa telling the story is also Xundar's current Green Lantern. It turns the victim's point of view we start out with a sense of empowerment as he also becomes the hero.

As nice as it is, it's essentially a filler issue. It does nothing to advance the story of the main characters, it just takes a side trek into the future to show an outsider's view of some events in which the main characters were involved. It's not a bad issue, just one that isn't essential.

Superman #16
The multiverse story concludes, and while it's a solid follow up to Multiversity, it's nowhere near as big and imaginative as that story. It simply uses some of Morrison's characters and concepts to tell a story about a multiversal enemy, Prophecy, who is trying to collect and absorb the power of all the Supermen in order to increase his own power. He believes a threat is coming that must be met head on. In the end, Superman's plan was exactly what I thought it would be: he was the bait to reveal the location of Prophecy, so that the rest of the Supermen could come in and they would all gang up on Prophecy. And it works, only for Prophecy to run, and end up imprisoned by Mr. Oz, who tells him "wrong place, wrong time, wrong plan." Is Oz trying to gather up powerful creatures to fight Dr. Manhattan? Is that what's going on here? He's got Doomsday, and he's just imprisoned a being who can cross the multiverse and drain the powers of Supermen. That's awfully dangerous if he's not prepping for something really bad. In the end, it was good to revisit some of the characters from Multiversity, but it seems like more could have been done with them.

At least Captain Carrot has his powers back.

Aquaman #16
In the aftermath of The Deluge, Aquaman, Mera, and various other Atlanteans help to clean up Amnesty Bay, and Aquaman's popularity has skyrocketed overnight because he prevented a war. But he's being stalked by a villain, a man in a mask who controls people through telepathy, and he's trying to gain control of Aquaman, who keeps getting twinges from his own telepathy. A non aquatic villain for Aquaman sounds promising, and someone who uses his own telepathy against him sounds like an idea that I don't recall being used before, though it probably has been.

Nightwing #13
I haven't bought the last few issues of Nightwing because despite my interest in his return to Bludhaven, his home for most of the 90s-2000s Nightwing series, the story was a bit of a dud after a couple of excellent opening storylines. And the art is very plain, with little in the way of flair. It's just functional. The final issue of the storyline pretty much confirms that I haven't missed much, as a bunch of C-list villains have been involved in a murder plot in which they get framed by someone else entirely. None of it is all that compelling, but Nightwing is a strong enough character that he can survive some weak storytelling. I'll see how the next issue looks.

Green Lanterns #16
The Green Lanterns arrive in Gotham in time to help Batman subdue a frightened citizen trying to kill him. Simon is quick to conclude it must be the work of the Scarecrow, but Batman points out there is no fear toxins at any of the scenes of recent "crimes of fear", that it has to be the Sinestro Corps. The subject turns to Simon's gun which Simon refuses to give up before Jessica interrupts, finding a Laptop. Turns out someone is spreading a video targeting Batman, which is somehow transmitting Yellow Fear energy. The heroes go to the Batcave to analyze the video further, where Alfred is infected by it and attacks Simon, and gets a hold of his gun... Meanwhile, we find out Scarecrow really is behind these Fear attacks, having somehow figured out how to tap into the Yellow energy with out a ring.

--
Honestly, I found it out of character with how quick Batman was to dismiss the idea it could be Scarecrow behind the fear attacks, just because of the lack of any fear toxins at the scene. Sure, he was right about the method being used, being a use of the Emotional Spectrum... But that was purely guess work on his part, and isn't like Batman to make a conclusion with out any actual evidence to support it, not to mention seems to ignore the motives of the crimes. I do like the use of Scarecrow. He's become somewhat obsessed with the Yellow light of Fear ever since he had a taste of its power in Blackest Night. Not sure how he figured out how to access it on his own, but he's clearly not a real Sinestro Corps member, having a painted on symbol on his clothes.

Star Trek: Boldly Go #1-4
This series picks up after the end of Beyond. With the Enterprise destroyed, and the Enterprise A still under construction, the crew have been given other assignments. Kirk, Chekhov and Bones are on the Endeavor, Spock and Uhura are spending some time away from Starfleet on New Vulcan, Scotty is teaching at the academy, and Sulu is now the first officer on the Concord... Which comes under attack by a Borg sphere. The Endeavor rescues the survivors from the Concord and find out the Borg are on their way to Romulus, having detected a Borg signal from the Narada years earlier (which in the IDW prequel comic was upgraded using Borg technology as a means to explain why it didn't look anything like a Romulan ship). Kirk sends the Borgs initial transmission to Uhura to study, and she and Spock decide to join the Endeavor crew.

The Romulan fleet is wiped out by the Borg sphere as the Borg demand to know where the "outlier" is, which the Romulans have no clue what they're talking about. Yet later, they do, and tell them the humans destroyed it. Kirk decides to violate the neutral zone, and backs up the Romulans that they destroyed the Narada. The Borg attempt to assimilate Spock but somehow he overcomes it. While the Romulans attack the sphere again, the Endeavor is able to beam all of the assimilated Concord crew back and then beam a photon torpedo onto the Borg ship, destroying it. The Romulans are grateful for the help, but still demand the Endeavor surrender for violating Romulan space. Kirk is able to negotiate with them to let them go, but in return, the Romulans demand their half human/Romulan crew member, Valas, stay to pay for her parents treason. Kirk refuses to give up his crewmate but Valas agrees as it's the only way to avoid a conflict.

--

I like that this comic follows up on both the prequel comic IDW made, as well as showing us that the Enterprise crew wasn't just sitting around Yorktown waiting for the Enterprise A to be built. It's interesting to see the Borg arrive early due to the presence of the Narada in the past. Although the Borg's behavior seems a little off... When the Concord fights back, the Borg cut up the entire saucer section of the ship for assimilation. And it doesn't seem like the Borg to be vague, asking about an "outlier" and expect someone to know what they're talking about. Heck, the Borg wouldn't even ask, they'd just assimilate the information. And along that line, why do the Romulans of this timeline know anything about the Narada? The Romulan ships are modeled after the Warbirds in TNG, only with one wing instead of the connected two. I get they're trying to update the ships to match the movies aesthetic, and I like the looks of them, but it makes them look way more advanced than they should.

The comic also has a big missed opportunity. Sulu explains his husband and daughter were on the Concord, which implies they were assimilated. Yet there is no mention of them at the end of the comic. I guess they were saved when the Endeavor beams over the assimilated crew? But they never tell us, or show that they were able to remove the Borg implants, or anything. The captain of the Concord was Terrell, from Wrath of Khan. He's also assimilated and shown beamed over to the Endeavor. I'd assume a character like that they'd want to use for future storylines. It is an ongoing story, so maybe in the next issue they might give us a follow up?

Justice League/Power Rangers #2
So the Power Rangers face off against the League, calling their Zords when Green Lantern traps them in a bubble, while Kimberly ends up talking to Wonder Woman (and her magic lasso). Kim tells the rest of the team to stand down when she realizes they're all on the same side. The Rangers tell the League how they ended up here, and that they can't leave until they find Zed, who in the meantime has teamed up with Brainiac.
Honestly, I was not impressed with this issue. The Rangers tactics seem a little... out of character to me. I mean, calling their Zords just to break out of a force field and then proceeding to fight normal sized people with them? Seems like overkill, when they have a lot of other weapons they'd normally try first. And with Zed teaming up with Brainiac, I know exactly how the rest of the mini-series will play out already... Angel Grove will be put into a bottle with the Rangers/League teaming up to free it.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #14
Hal apologizes to John about going rouge, which John says Kilowog already explained everything to him and all is forgiven.
Let me stop there for a second. Fine, Kilowog may have told John the real reason Hal went rouge off-panel. But to just forgive him like nothing ever happened like that? And what about when the they saw Hal patching up the hole in the Source Wall when they found themselves in the dying previous universe back in "Lost Army", making it look like he was responsible for trapping them there as well? Which they still don't have an explanation for by the way. This feels like a huge missed opportunity, and looks like they're just going to sweep the last year or so worth of GL under the rug.
Anyway, the new alliance of Yellow and Green Lanterns are starting out by hunting down the remaining Sinestro Corps members, while Hal takes Kyle with him on a job only they can handle. Which basically just means Hal uses Kyle as a Hope detector after Ganthet and Sayd told him to find Hope on this planet. Which the issue tries to make out to be some big reveal at the end... Yet, it's well established Saint Walker is the only Blue Lantern left. Not to mention, Saint Walker is on the cover. So it really comes as no surprise.