Don't Dread this Bought/Thought for Sept. 15 - SPOILERS

[Phaedrus45]

Brightest Day #10

This issue begins with an explanation of how Firestorm's powers have changed since Jason and Ronald have been incorporated into the same body; and, that Firestorm is now "the most dangerous being in the universe." It ends with the same character; but, this time a Black Ring Firestorm arrives on the scene.

Also, FINALLY, Aquaman gets interesting, as he goes on the hunt for Manta's son. Sure, the "baby who will grow up with superpowers given to an adoptive family to raise" has been done too many times before (and, I always love how these kids can just show up in these people's lives without any type of social security number or questions asked); but, it does lead to one of the more exciting action sequences this book has had yet. (The sacrifice the adoptive father was willing to make was very emotionally charged.)

Excellent issue! Too bad the next one might not even continue with these characters.

Amazing Spider-Man #643

I love Mark Waid; but, this story is really doing nothing for me...except counting down the days until Slott takes over writing duties full time. Lily's (aka, Menace) finally birthed her and Norman's child last issue, just as a whole host of past Spidey baddies tries to steal "the package." Led by Doc Ock, it's like the Sinister Six is back together, and Spidey spends this whole issue swinging around New York trying to find a safe place for Baby Osborn. Worst thing about this issue is Azaceta's art. It's the worst I've seen in this comic all year, and it jsut brings the story down even more.

Marvel Super Hero Squad #9

There are some really good comics being put out by Marvel that are geared towards a younger audience and can equally be enjoyed by the older crowd, too. (See Tobin's work and Thor: The Mighty Avenger.) This is not one of them, and I really consider it the worst comic Marvel is currently putting out on a regular basis.

The first story sees the gals of the Super Hero Squad a bit peeved that the men get all the attention; so, they start up the Squadettes and challenge the boys to a game of finding the fractals. Doom and his baddies try to get in on the action, too. (This fractal thing is the main plot for most every Squad adventure; and, it gets very boring after a couple issues.) The second story has Thing vs. Hulk in a food eating contest. And, the issue wraps up with a quick story featuring Doom's team learning that it's not nice to be mean.

Oh, please Marvel, just end this title once and for all. Gorilla-Man was ten times better than any of these issues. Best thing about this issue was that I got it read right off the bat, before it sat in the back of my "must read" comic box all month long.

One For One: The Umbrella Academy #1

I already owned two issues of this comic (the FCBD and regular issue #1); and, the only reason I bought this one was because it would give me the full set of One For One Dark Horse comics that were being offered these past couple months. If you haven't read it, it's easily worth the cheap price. (Free was better, though.) I didn't need to re-read it, though. I did like this first volume better than the second; but, still hope a third will come out one of these days.

Heroic Age: Superheroes One-Shot

This is another interesting take on the Handbook genre of Marvel comics. I'll let the description of the book talk for itself:

"In the aftermath of Siege, Steve Rogers assesses the state of Earth's heroes in this 64-page extravaganza of character files. From old friends like Thor to newcomers like Reptil, Steve asks the questions: what makes them heroes? Find out how he really feels, and see how your favorite hero ranks!"

Each page has three quick bios, letting readers know the most up-to-date information; and, it ends with a quick little comment from Steve. It's nice for a type of "bathroom reader," but you're not going to want to sit down and read every bio in one sitting. Most things we already know, as you only get one or two paragraphs on info at best.

DV8: Gods And Monsters #6 (of 8)

The wars between the compete tribes finally begin, and the results are devistating. Even having never read any DV8 issues before this mini, I'm totally invested in the characters and want to learn more about them. Brian Wood is doing an excellent job telling this story; and, it makes me long for him to get finished with DMZ and Northlanders and write some more comics like this.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I have to wait until Saturdays to get my comics for now on.... except for today!!! Why? Because my wife took a day off for the heck of it and I talked her into driving the 20 minutes one way to pick them up for me. I'm at work now and will be reading them here in about 30 minutes when I get home

Talk to you soon

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Brightest Day is such a mixed bag for me. This issue saw the action ramp up a bit and featured material solely from the Firestorm and Aquaman arcs--two of the ones I'm most interested in--yet I still came away feeling utterly unsatisfied because of how chopped up and disjointed everything is. As soon as one or the other story gets interesting, it's either interrupted by the other story or the issue friggin' ends. On top of that, the content of each story is hit-or-miss too, but I'll take those one at a time.

The Firestorm story is pretty straightforward: The Firestorm matrix apparently chooses people now, and it's chosen the hell out of Ronnie and Jason. Their transmutation ability is now dependent on both of them knowing the chemical formulas for what they're changing items into, which bodes pretty ill for Jason, who actually knows his s*** as opposed to Ronnie. I'm glad they switch back and forth regarding who's in control of the body. I'm not one to cry "racism" in comics at the drop of a hat or anything, but it was kind of offensive when it seemed like Jason would just be riding around in Ronnie's head while Ronnie got to control Firestorm all the time--especially since Jason is totally a better Firestorm than Ronnie. Anyway, Professor Stein hypothesizes that Firestorm, rather than just wielding atomic powers, is actually a remnant of the previous universe before the Big Bang and, if Jason and Ronnie don't learn to work together, might inadvertently cause another Big Bang. No pressure or anything. And then the Black Lantern Firestorm shows up with no ring, which raises a few questions. Hopefully they're answered pretty soon, but knowing this series, it'll be another 5 issues before we even visit the Firestorm story again.

The Aquaman story is the one I'm most interested in, but it's not so much because of the actual story as it is the potential impact of the story. I love Aquaman and I appreciate that Johns is doing his best to bring him back to the forefront, but I recognize that that also opens Aquaman's mythos up to Johns' infamous retcons. To whit: Hal Jordan's a major force in the DC universe again... but all of his sins were shoved off onto a space bug and everyone just accepted Hal like nothing had ever happened. Barry Allen's a major force in the DC universe again... but he was forced to have a grim, angsty side thanks to Johns' retconning in his parents' unsolved murder to generate some quick, cheap pathos.

So Aquaman's back, but he lost the water hand--by far the most interesting addition to the character in ages--and it turns out his wife was an assassin and her people encountered Black Manta long before Aquaman did. Black Manta now has a heretofore-unknown son whose story echoes Smallville so painfully obviously it makes my eyes want to roll out of my head. I mean, we even got the secret artifact from his native culture that shows off his future superhero symbol in a wink to the audience that's about as subtle as getting run over by a bulldozer.

But in spite of all that, the story is still pretty enjoyable. Like Phaedrus said, the moment of would-be sacrifice with Jackson's foster father was very well done and emotional. I also liked that Arthur basically told Mera to beat it; the happy couple routine with them was grating on my nerves because they've never been that way since Arthur, Jr. died. (On a total side note, it'd be awesome if the help Mera went to find against her people turned out to be Lorena, a.k.a. Aquagirl--but I doubt it, since everyone but the Teen Titans writer seems to have forgotten she exists.) Jackson's powers are pretty impressive. I'm almost certain Siren, Mera's sister, is his mother now. Should be interesting to see where his story goes, although I really wish we could've just gotten a separate mini-series for it so the pace wouldn't drag so much.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I don't think that Siren is Jackson's mother since she kept going "Your son" to Black Manta.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Well, he was technically doing bad things by fighting against Mantra and Siren (in their opinon), and my wife says the kids are My Kids when they're doing something wrong


Just sayin'

 

[Phaedrus45]

Image Firsts: Wanted #1

I got this miniseries quite a few years back on ebay pretty cheap. I think it was only about five bucks, plus the shipping fees. (Buying comics on ebay sure has gotten a whole lot more expensive, especially with the higher shipping costs. Plus, more people ask ridiculous prices for their books than ever before.) I never read it, though...and, after checking out this first issue, don't think I've missed that much. I did like the movie well enough; and, it sounded like that might have been from not reading the comic. But, now Millar's over-the-top writing and characters just turned me off big time. I really disliked this book.

Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #3

This has been a good story; but, nothing that's going to wow regular readers too much. Everything that happened was rather predictable. (Like, who didn't think a weaker Steve Rogers still wouldn't kick some major butt with all the training he's had.) This just feels like a story that would have fit into Cap's regular series just as easily, and nothing groundbreaking is going to happen in this title.

Halo: Fall Of Reach #1

This comic is suppose to be a tie-in with the new video game; and, with this first issue, it's probably the best of the Halo comics that have come out. (Three minis and a hardcover trade.) We get to see how Master Chief was originally selected as a young child. (At least, I think that's Master Chief. I'm not a big follower of the games, although I own them all. It's more for my son.) My biggest complaint is that I've read this kind of story before with Ender's Game...and, it was done better with bigger character development.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Okay... review time.

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors 2 - I hate to say it but this wasn't much better than the first issue and still not worth the $4 price tag. And again, as DC tends to do with their Green Lantern books, the cover ruins the ending. It's really kinda annoying. Anyhow, it was decent enough for a $3 comic, but not $4. The plot doesn't push forward much, and what it does push forward is still just kinda setting the stage. Guy departs for his mission to the unknown sectors and he's joined by Kilowog and Arisia. They go to Odym so that Guy can be purged of the final essense of the Red ring he had received but he is then attacked by Bleez of the Red Lanterns. The ending's interesting and should hopefully result in a good next issue, but we'll see. I think the most interesting scene in the comic, though, was Arisia's dream about Sodom Yat and how she is now searching for him. We know from one of the other books that he's survived and I find I'm interested in that.

So with two mediocre books to start out the overpriced series, there is at least promise of interesting things to come.

Incredible Hulks 613 - Dark Son part 2 of 6. The book starts out with a bit of an origin story of Hiro-Kala in case people's missed it (and I figure most probably have) and the planet K'ai is now trying to show him the wrongs of his way. This fails, however, as Hiro Kala steals the energies of K'ai, kills all of his followers save Axeman Bone, and enslaves them as an army of undead. They are then enroute to Earth and plan to obliterate it.

Part two of the story picks up where we left off with the Hulk family as Hulk and Red She-Hulk duke it out. As this is going on young Skaar feels the coming of Hiro-Kala through his old power, the brother he never knew he had. The big brains of the world also find out there is a new planet suddenly approaching and they're on alert as well. Steve Rogers shows up and offers Hulk a chance to lead a team he's wanting to put together to intercept the planet, but Hulk turns it down, as does Rick. Hulk does this as per young Skaar's warning and when he tells him about his sudden knowledge of a brother, Hulk kinda freaks out that there's another son... but not just another son... another monster.

This was a pretty good builder for the storyline and I'm hoping it really starts picking up next week. I'm not sure what I think of young Skaar yet, as I prefer him as he's been before now, but I'm sure I can get used to it. I do like the Hulks family dynamic and I'm curious to see what comes of that. All in all, adaquate enough to feel the price justified a little. Better than Emerald Warriors anyhow.

Shadowland: Ghost Rider - I was genuinely surprised at the important impact this oneshot has on the rest of Shadowland. I saw that it picked up where Shadowland 3 left off with Ghost Rider going after Fisk, but as a result it goes on to where Ghost Rider goes after and kills Snakeroot. Only one is maybe left alive and being trailed beyind Ghost Rider with his chain, but man, this was really a good issue, and seemingly important if you've been reading the Daredevil tie-ins. And not only that, I'm not the biggest of Crain fans, but he was a PERFECT fit for Ghost Rider. I know he's done art for him in a mini before but I never read it and now I kinda want to. Really good issue. It makes me want to go back and read Ghost Rider's stuff from that mini through now.

Shadowland: Power-Man - A decent issue with a little more of the kid's origin thrown in there. Power-Man takes on both Luke and Danny and actually does fairly well. To me, I like the idea of Iron Fist training this kid that is presented here before he runs off, and I'm excited we'll get the chance to see that in the next mini staring the two of them. The drag for me though was that this issue was full of nobody villains that I just don't give a lick about. The character has promise but I wasn't thrilled about the issue. If not for the Iron Fist role I'd likely give up on it.

Thunderbolts 148 - I was planning on giving this and the next issue a skim before buying, as i really was planning last issue to be the final one I pick up, but since my wife went to the shop and I couldn't skim it, I put it on the bottom of the importance list and she bought it for me anyhow, so I got the chance to read it. And really, I think as this title moves on I'm growing to like it more. The characters are growing on me and this issue's artist is MUCH better than Walker. The obligated Shadowland tie-in is annoying but the story is at least good. And once again, the handlers are taken down and the villains are free to do as they please to the threat at hand. It wasn't a GREAT issue, but it was decent enough. I'll pick up the next issue to finish out the storyline and take it issue by issue after that.

Brightest Day 10 - Well look at that, the Aquaman storyline went and finally got a little interesting. It has nothing to do with Aquaman, Mera, or Black Manta though... for me, it's all about the kid. But hey, anything to make this book better is good. He'll be a Teen Titan by next year

The other story is Firestorm, which is one of the stories I"m actually a little interseted in. This one is good as we learn they're basically a walking Big Bang... and I'm even more intrigued in the ending when Black Lantern Firestorm shows up, I guess now called Deathstorm based on the solicitation? (how very 90's).

All in all this is one of the better issues of the series and it's keeping me for now. Of all the titles I collect this one just keeps me dangling month after month (bi-week after bi-week). I keep thinking I'll drop it but then it has a good issue that has me curious for just a little longer. The Hawkman stories are still the bane of the book, but now with this Aquaman plot the rest of them I'm at least semi-interested in. I keep talking about dropping this book but most likely I'll finish it, and I have a feeling that in the end it'll pay off. Just a feeling.

New Mutants 17 - This issue wasn't as good for me as it was last issue. The whole Illyana/Limbo/Darkchylde thing has never done anything for me so I don't really care about that aspect. I do like the villains so that keeps me in, and some of the New Mutants are cool, but most are just kinda bleh. I've liked all of them save Karma sometime in the past but not so much now. I'll definately finish out this arc but it may be on the chopping block after that.

Favorite scene though... "Am I holding a Leprechaun?" "No." "Hallucinogenic?" "I'm afraid so." That really was a funny scene, and even funnier later when the Leprechaun egging the guy on in beatng the crap out of the other guy.

X-Factor 209 - This issue picks up a bit. X-Factor in Vegas is kinda fun and it looks like Thor might be showing up soon. The surprise cameo by Jane Foster was a nice surprise, though it bugged the tar out of me. I seriously couldn't remember who Jane Foster was until her call to Donald Blake. There were some good moments, like how everyone accused Jamie of impregnating Rahne with one of his dupes, and Longshot in Vegas was pretty fun as well.

This title is wierd for me. I always consider it on the chopping block, and yet, when I actually read the issues I find I enjoy it. I don't know why I don't consider it as highly as I should but for some reason I just don't. Maybe because it's the most removed and easily dropped from the core X-books. However, I know that I'm enjoying this book more than New Mutants so I think I'm ready to swing that mislabeling and consider dropping that one instead of this one.


Well, that's the bottom of the stack... best and worsts!

Best and Worst of the Week

Best: Shadowland Ghost Rider - This really wasn't much of a contest. It was a fairly mediocre week and this book outshined the rest by far. The art was wonderful, the contest good, and it was important to the main storyline. And Ghost Rider himself was fantastic. I think this solidifies my buying of back issues of Ghost Rider. I'm working on the 90's series, but now I think I may consider just moving on and getting more recent stuff as well. I've been debating it, but I think this solidifies it. Now I just need some money.

Worst: Green Lantern Emerald Warriors 2 - Now THIS had a lot of competition. Seriously, it was nearly a 4-way tie for me with Brightest Day, Power-Man, and New Mutants... but what this has and the others don't... is an extra $1. When they're all the same quality, but this one cost me more... it's definately worst of the week. Like I said before, I see promise to start picking up, but that sure didn't help this issue any. It was mediocre at best. I don't see myself dropping this book anytime soon but if it doesn't start picking up it may become an option.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I can't help feeling I'd enjoy Emerald Warriors a lot more if we could just cut out all of this Rainbow Lantern s***. I'm so far beyond caring about any of those extra corps at this point. I don't even know who Batwing-Head is. I got to the end of the issue and I was like, "Oh noes, Guy is getting attacked by... some chick with... wings... placed really stupidly on her head..."

Also, Kilowog's drifting a little too far into emo territory. A bit of angst from his conflict with training and respecting the new Lanterns vs. knowing that a majority of them will probably die was great. Him moping around and losing a lot of the bluster and power that made him so impressive is not. As for Arisia... just... why? Why does she even have to exist?

Anyway, hopefully we'll lose some of the Rainbow Lanterns as they head into the unknown sectors and the actual overarching plot of the series gets underway. I know Batwing-Head is sticking around for a while, but hopefully she and Arisia won't be too much of a distraction. Or, y'know, they'll kill each other and the book will drastically improve.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Bleez is awesome, and so was her origin story.

 

[Themanofbat]

Wow...

Read Enigma Force #1.... Being old enough to actually having bought Micronauts #1 back in the 70's, and then buying the next 58 issues, as well as the 20 issues of their 2nd series, I would love to see this team back in the Marvel fold as they should be.... and given the success of the Marvel Cosmic line as of late, I think this would be a great opportunity.

Seeing Rann, Marionette & Bug back together after all these years was awesome... of course, I'll miss some of the other unmentionable characters, but Carl is a good mixture of the Biotron & Microtron, and Jentorra looks to be a good "love triangle piece". I very much look forward to the next two issues, which I hope leads to an on-going.

Scott Reed, whose name I never heard of prior to yesterday, did a great job with a story pace and with simple plot points, which was nicely set up by Miguel Munera's pencils....

Any fan of the old Micronauts series will like this book.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Red: Frank
Red: Victoria
Red: Joe
Red: Marvin

Damn my comic shop! I had not ordered these; but, as I'm sorting through all my comics for the week (I put them in order of price for the cashier. Makes it much easier on them; and, I can be sure that I'm not being overcharged or anything like that) the owner comes up with these four glossy-covered comics, asking if I'd like a copy of each. I thought for about 10 seconds and said, "What the hell. The previews look pretty good for that film."

At $3.99 a pop, my wallet wasn't too happy. Thankfully, each issue was pretty entertaining, and going into the movie, I had somewhat of an understanding of who each character is. The best of the bunch is Joe and Victoria. Each ending has a bit of a twist, as we get to look back to an adventure each character had in their younger years (the 80's to 90's)...and, even though the other two one-shots featuring Marvin and Frank might not be as good as the other two, readers still won't be disappointed. (It's just that high price that will turn off readers more.)

 

[JewishHobbit]

I can't help feeling I'd enjoy Emerald Warriors a lot more if we could just cut out all of this Rainbow Lantern s***. I'm so far beyond caring about any of those extra corps at this point. I don't even know who Batwing-Head is. I got to the end of the issue and I was like, "Oh noes, Guy is getting attacked by... some chick with... wings... placed really stupidly on her head..."

Also, Kilowog's drifting a little too far into emo territory. A bit of angst from his conflict with training and respecting the new Lanterns vs. knowing that a majority of them will probably die was great. Him moping around and losing a lot of the bluster and power that made him so impressive is not. As for Arisia... just... why? Why does she even have to exist?

Anyway, hopefully we'll lose some of the Rainbow Lanterns as they head into the unknown sectors and the actual overarching plot of the series gets underway. I know Batwing-Head is sticking around for a while, but hopefully she and Arisia won't be too much of a distraction. Or, y'know, they'll kill each other and the book will drastically improve.

I actually really like the multiple Corps and think that Atrocitus and Bleez are some of the few things making me like this book more. I don't foresee any of the Corps vanishing anytime in the next few years.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

More's the pity. Only "corps" I care to see stick around is the Orange Lantern Corps, since it is effectively just Larfleeze and Larfleeze is hilarious. I just wish Johns would let him off the leash a bit so I could get some Larfleeze fun without Hal attached to him at the hip all the time.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Stuff as

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'd buy it. Well, it depends on who wrote it. Takes a bit of work to be genuinely funny in comics.

Speaking of which, X-Factor was pretty solid this week. It was way funnier than usual to me, with snappy banter and witty rejoinders flying to and fro on almost every page. Granted, it didn't advance the plot much, but the sheer fun of letting Longshot loose on Vegas alone was worth it. The fill-in artist was really good, too. I cringed when I saw a new name in the artist slot, but it turned out to be impressive.

 

[JewishHobbit]

It was all the dupe/baby daddy accusations that won it for me. Longshot in Vegas was fun though. I figured you'd be more excited about the Donald Blake teese. That's actually the first thing I thought of when I read that panel.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Eh, mentioning Blake's name doesn't get it done for me. And what the hell was Jane wearing? ****ting it up on the town a bit there, doc? Geez. However, seeing a dead viking clobber Shatterstar was pretty satisfying. Shatterstar in general was pretty entertaining in this issue.

 

[Dread]

About an average number of books for me this week, and by and large I enjoyed them all to various degrees. It is perhaps symbolic that out of five Marvel comics, only one is still $2.99 (and only one is an ongoing series). As always, full rants and spoilers ahoy. I do like being the inspiration for a topic title without having launched it.

As always, reviews are up at Examiner first, because they pay me.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 9/15/10:

BATMAN BEYOND #4: DC must be satisfied with sales from this mini, as an ongoing has been announced. The creative team for it hasn't been mentioned, but I am curious if it will be the same as this mini; Adam Beechen writing, Ryan Benjamin on art, John Stanisci on inks, and David Baron on colors. While it hasn't lit the sales charts on fire, this is a mini series that has out-performed some of DC's other ongoing launches, such as BATGIRL or ZATANNA. It makes perfect sense to see that as an encouraging sign for an ongoing. Imagine if DC'd tried to mine the BEYOND fans years ago, when the cartoon was more recent?

At any rate, this issue's biggest flaw is it has the climax as the cover, so by the time it happens in the comic, the reader's reaction tends to be more "it's about time" than "gasp". This issue gets a bit crazy. We have Old Man Wayne piloting his own "Bat-Robot" from the cave, only of course his connection fizzles and the robot gets swiftly defeated by the New Hush. The new Catwoman appears to have an army of clones that somehow justifies her name more than being a thief. And the revelation of who the New Hush is at the end of the story seems to run counter to the middle, where Terry meets an old Grayson, unless it reveals Camdus' hand in this even more bluntly than the story already has. On the plus side, Max makes an appearance, and I did miss the character. Hardcore fans see her as a network demand, as in the last season of BEYOND, Kid's WB demanded Terry hang out with her more and Wayne less, but I saw it as Terry becoming his own hero and making his own contacts rather than endlessly relying on Wayne for everything besides punching, especially since he still relied on Wayne for the major forensic evidence stuff anyway. Still, this issue offers a lot of action and ends with the mystery moving into the "Yeahbuwhat?" direction.

Perhaps my biggest quibble about the series is while Beechen has done a good job handling Terry's character, and has watched enough of the cartoon to get the world of 2040 right (even using some of the slang terms), all of these seem as trappings to base a Future Hush Rehash story in. Some critics accused the show of being too mysterious about the fates of some of the older characters; this arc has almost made the Beyond world simply a setting to to an alternate reality sequel to a Loeb/Lee story. I liked the meeting with Old Grayson, although the only way it works with the show's continuity is if it occurred not long before Joker's whole tormenting with Drake, and if so, man, Wayne really did have some willpower to resist killing Joker. It is possible that because this was a mini, Beechen wanted to play to the audience by having it be more of a Hush rehash than something more originally tuned to Beyond's universe, and that can be forgiven if the ongoing series has the guts to do something more unique. What made the show unique is that, yes, it did bring back old villains like Mr. Freeze, Bane (to a degree), Ra's Al Ghul and ultimately Joker, but it also was more original elsewhere - it didn't just have future versions of old villains like Marvel's 2099 did. Hopefully that won't be lost just to sell another modestly successful Bat-book.

Overall, though, still enjoying it. I do like that DC is willing to sell mini series at $3 an issue these days. That's suddenly become very quaint.

ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE #3: This one’s really off the wall, isn’t it? It has been two months since the last issue, which means another installment of this team-up mini series between Marvel’s two best selling – or at least one best selling and one midcard selling hero, in terms of 2010’s sales – heroes. For a reminder of how bad sales have gotten for Wolverine as a solo character in 2010, he sells better alongside the Avengers, the X-Men, and Spider-Man than he does by himself. Was this due to him gaining two kids, X-23 and Daken, each less interesting than the last? Is this due to the high price and lousy promotion of WOLVERINE: WEAPON X while Wolverine’s better selling ongoing series shifted onto Daken’s weak shoulders? Was “X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” simply so bad that it scared off all but his most devoted fans? Or, after about two decades of rising popularity, the roller coaster of popularity is aiming for a dip? At any rate, neither writer Jason Aaron nor artist Adam Kubert have taken the easy way out with this team-up series. Rather than right a generic caper or adventure story, they’ve decided to take it into off the wall, pseudo Grant Morrison style mania. It’s been a fun trip, almost literally.

Both titular heroes have been stuck bouncing across one far out alternate timeline after the other thanks to being exposed to some strange crystals (the Maguffin device of the series). It seems that it’s not just the crystals, but a duo of cruel cross-dimensional characters who are manipulating the heroes’ ventures for their own amusement. But to be honest, that isn’t the draw for the series. The first draw is the fact that Aaron has captured the essence of both heroes’ personalities despite them being in perhaps some of the zaniest adventures of their careers. The second is that this story has allowed Adam Kubert to draw a lot of far out stuff. And the third draw is seeing just how insane this cross-dimensional trip can get for the two and how many awkward or bizarre situations they can get into. In this issue, both are stuck in an alternate future in which Wolverine’s insistence on leading tribes of proto-humans during the dinosaur era (inaccurate, but Marvel’s not always been National Geographic) back in issues one and two and led to him being worshipped as a god in the far future, where Dr. Doom has become Doom The Living Planet and Wolverine decides to shoot him with a “Phoenix Force Gun” to save the world. Spider-Man has been driving himself batty trying to figure a way out of the mess, which involves a Cosmic Cube and at least one unwarranted resurrection. Despite having teamed up many times and serving on the Avengers together a while, Aaron has returned to the angle that neither Spidey or Wolvie can stand each other, which makes the two a lot more interesting than when they’re drinking beers on a couch together in NEW AVENGERS. They're NOT supposed to be Superman/Batman; they're NOT supposed to be good friends at heart who at least agree on a fundamental moral rule (such as "no killing"). They're at best two heroes who tolerate each other to stop a bad guy they both happen to be after, and beyond that they are more liable to come to blows than anything. In fact, that happens in this book in a situation that is written from such an interesting angle that it is easy to see both character's perspective as justified - a trick many writers during CIVIL WAR were incapable of handling.

The $4 price and the bi-monthly schedule may convince some to wait for the trade, but this has proven to be the most entertaining romp with these two characters teaming up since the 1980’s. For those who wanted a more grounded, traditional adventure, this may not be your thing. But if you just check your brain at the door a bit and go along for the ride, it is quite wild and wooly. It has also given Kubert the chance to draw some of the most imaginative stuff he has in years. Planet Doom required a full 3 page fold out sequence.

On GHOST RIDER, Aaron proved he had one dose of Handbook Lore and about two doses of imagination with whatever he is handed by an editor, and this series certainly showcases that. Unlike, say, AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE, which is a deathly serious caper in which the fates of several franchises twist in the wind until it is done, this is a perfect series to enjoy when it comes out and then not stress over until the next chapter comes and adds more crazy entertainment to the mix. It may be as bizarrely random as a wrestling match in the Negative Zone from the far future, but also as entertaining, if you're into that sort of thing.

SHADOWLAND: POWER MAN #3: My taste must really differ from some of my fellow SHH members, because this was my BOOK OF THE WEEK over at Examiner. Fred Van Lente continues to be one of the most consistently great writers of this past year. The fact that he's not on any book that sells above the Top 90, at least for a while, is a damn shame. It is a good thing that a six issue sequel series to this mini has already been announced and prepared - sales for SL:PM #1 were not pretty - under 22k. While some reprints will help it, there were not far from where IMMORTAL IRON FIST's sales were when it was canceled (although to be fair, a 27 issue run these days for a volume of any franchise that isn't a major established one is looking like a Herculean labor these days). If this were launched as, say, an ongoing POWER MAN & IRON FIST series, it may not last the ten issues that Van Lente has been guaranteed to have on this material as a set of two mini's. Given that SHADOWLAND has been a modest success as an event itself, and has modestly boosted DAREDEVIL's sales, side mini's from it may not fare as well. At the very least, a mini is assured a certain number of issues, so sales aren't as vital.

This series exists to introduce a new Power Man, Victor Alvarez, as well as to chronicle the reactions of the original "Heroes For Hire", Luke Cage and Iron Fist, about him. As Luke Cage is no longer trolling in Harlem chasing crooks or acting as a bodyguard for a paycheck anymore, it makes some sense that a newer character would fill that gap, especially using that new fangled Internet thing. Every issue reveals more about Alvarez, but not so much that it feels like an infodump, while just enough that each issue is progress. He's the son of Shades, one of Luke Cage's old enemies who until this series, wasn't even given a civilian last name. However, Shades was an important enemy to Cage's origin, as he was part of the same 'hood that Cage was in, and went to prison with him. Apparently, the explosion that destroyed Victor's last apartment and empowered him killed Shades. His quest as Power Man is a way to make things right as well as atone for both his and his father's sins, while doing some good in the neighborhood. It brings up a lot of interesting social elements, such as Cage being seen in less than favorable ways by some who are still in "the ghetto" after becoming an Avenger and marrying a white woman, as well as Victor's angle that because he works for a fee, it's easier for those in "the 'hood" to trust him rather than someone working for "charity", that he's "one of them". These aren't exactly easy topics to handle, and this comic brings it up well.

Despite all that, you'd think this was a grim urban tale, and in the usual Van Lente manner, that's far from the truth. In fact most of the issue is hilarious. There is a clear homage to "THE WARRIORS" with a gathering of old Cage foes. And while Shades may be a big deal now, Van Lente has no delusions about the rest of the bottom feeders like Comanche, Cheshire, Mr. Fish, Chemistro, and Spear (Spear has one of the best intro lines for a one note villain ever). The irony is while it is easy to laugh at these reject 1970's villains, one could argue that plenty of rappers dress in some modernly tacky close with oddball nicknames - just not to as exaggerated a degree. The action's fast paced and entertaining, while some of the quieter moments with Victor and his family are effective in their own way. On the other hand, Nightshade proves to be the main villain in the arc, who insists on adding "Deadly" to her codename at this point. As usual for a Van Lente jam, the story can turn on a dime from dramatic to comical and it all flows together properly. He makes it look so easy, but seeing so many other writers botch it shows how difficult it truly can be.

Victor is developing nicely. He's "opinionated" enough that one can see his inexperience and the fact that he'll need guidance (which he eventually will get from Rand), yet he isn't as insufferable as Amadeus Cho started out. His design has those traces of Cage's original Power Man suit (yellow, and some chains), but with the goggles that are an homage to his father, Shades. And at least Victor is aware to a degree of his faults, such as losing his temper and running his mouth when he shouldn't. I've seen far worse kid sidekicks debut. Those who want to see some new blood characters around Marvel (or legacies) have to at least be willing to try some out. He seems able to absorb chi and gain knowledge from chi if it is absorbed from someone who fights with it, like Iron Fist. He doesn't gain the experience, though, which is why one "iron fist" blow drained Victor severely.

The art is by Mahmud Asrar, and he excels at drawing action sequences with young characters or far-out designs like Mr. Fish. The inks and colors are sharp, too. This isn't for everyone, which is a shame, because I'm having a ball with it and I'm thrilled that Van Lente will have another 8 issues to go with this run. Now if only TASKMASTER could get that level of commitment!

SPIDER-MAN AND THE FANTASTIC FOUR #3: We're 75% of the way through this four issue sequel series to last year's SPIDER-MAN AND THE X-MEN, by the same creative team of Christos Gage and Mario Alberti. The premise is that it follows Spider-Man's team-ups with the titular team through three previous eras of continuity before the fourth takes place in modern times, with a subplot that links them all. The last time, it was Mr. Sinister with the X-Men, and this time it seems to be a time-traveling Dr. Doom. Most of the novelty is in revisiting past eras as well as fashion styles. The Fantastic Four, I don't think, work as well in this regard as the X-Men. Their roster is more stable and their costume changes more subtle. Probably the only wild card is Susan's hairstyle, which she changed about as often as Wasp changed costumes. Plus, there have been more Spider-Man team-ups with the Four than with the X-Men, as well as some stories that raise the bar very high for this series, such as the Parker/'Ringo mini of the same name, or Dan Slott's "I'm With Stupid" between Spidey & the Torch.

That all said, this was probably the issue that I've liked the most out of the three, probably because it finally made me notice another interesting angle to this mini. Not only is every issue based in a different era of continuity, but it features Spider-Man interacting with one of the core Four more than the others. Issue #1 was set in the 1970's, and Spidey was mostly chatting with Johnny. Issue #2 was set in the 1980's Bryne era (with She-Hulk on the team replacing Ben), and Spidey was mostly interacting and having a heart to heart with Reed. This issue is set at the dawn of the 1990's, when the "new" FF were teased as replacing the real Four, for it to all turn out to be some oddball Skrull plot that would involve the Mole Man. Again, while the Four all do change their costumes, the changes are so modest that it isn't anything one usually takes attention with, unlike the X-Men. Sue's hairstyles are more dramatic, as are the modest roster shifts. In this issue, Sharon Ventura/She-Thing is part of the team (making them an unofficial Fantastic Five). This issue has Spider-Man almost exclusively interacting with Sue of the core Four, and this made me notice the angle more because it seems out of every one of the Four, Spidey has chatted with her the least.

The plot involves the time-faring Doom slipping back into the past for yet another element to his Maguiffin, and along the way he zaps the rogue Skrull agent who sparked the original 90's crisis out of her Penance Stare stupor. She proceeds to use her power to influence males to make all of the male members of both squads go on a rampage for her. This leaves Sue, She-Thing, Ghost Rider (who is immune by being a demon) and Spider-Man (whose spider-sense warned him to look away at the right second) having to deal with a berserk Gray Hulk, Thing, Wolverine, Torch, and Reed. Spider-Man comes up with an interesting method to "shock" most of them out of their possession, and the rest sorts itself out. There are intentionally fun lines, such as Spidey "vowing" never to be on a team with Logan again.

Alberti's artwork, as usual, is excellent and often worth half the cover price alone. This issue, though, won over for me more than the last two by having a genuine conversation between Spidey and Sue that felt quite human and natural, yet hasn't been done to death like every other relationship with the other Four members and Spidey has tended to. If anything, it completed the sentiment that out of all the superhero teams to join, the Fantastic Four would have been the most organic and natural for Spider-Man. Until he does in their ongoing title, though, I won't believe it. I'd imagine that issue four will have Spidey interacting with the Thing the most, saving the Four's most popular character for last. The plot of the series is rarely the strength, the strengths are in the nostalgia and the character interrelationships. Solid series so far, and this has been the highlight issue. Hopefully the finale can match it.

 

[Dread]

Part II of II:

STEVE ROGERS: SUPER SOLDIER #3: Solid issue this week, and more evidence that Brubaker can handle a solo hero well, it's teams that he hasn't quite licked. Naturally, this is a mini that features an adventure starring "the man formerly known as Captain America", at least outside of SECRET AVENGERS (which I am convinced is a STEVE ROGERS TEAM UP book) and the regular CAPTAIN AMERICA title, where Barnes is the star. It has been interesting seeing the two sell side by side on the same chart. It's hanging in there, which is amazing that Captain America can now support a spin off that doesn't star it's original lead. A lot of work has been done to this franchise.

The story is basically another espionage action caper that involves some ties to Rogers' past, or at least hints at some. The Machinesmith has used such things to bait Rogers out of his comfy office position and into the field, so he can be captured and the rogue robot villain can attempt to be the first to perfectly duplicate Erskine's process. This has left Steve Rogers drained of his serum and back to being a 98 lb weakling. Of course, Rogers has a lot more training, experience, and heart than he did back then. The outcome is a bit predictable, but at four issues, the pace is pretty smooth and the execution is still quite good (even if no writer has relied on so many issues of "hero fights nameless goons" as much as Brubaker does). He certainly does understand what's in Rogers' heart, and it was a nice cliffhanger last issue. The finale is next month, and four issues is about right for this one.

Dale Eaglesham's art is pretty good. He's better at drawing the beef-heads more than the "bean pole" characters, but he was a little better at it than in issue one. The artwork is quite good, and he seems a natural for Rogers. Unlike CAPTAIN AMERICA, where an arc can run for, oh, about four years, I do expect a resolution with the next issue, including a big showdown. The last usage of Machinesmith that I recall was in the last NEW WARRIORS mini, and this is far better. I think Barnes is a more interesting Captain America, at least after about 70 years of Rogers, but that doesn't mean that Rogers can't be cool in stories, too. I am glad that a world where both can exist has been made. Now all Brubaker has to do is not let Rogers hog his teammates at all costs in SECRET AVENGERS, and that title'd be better for it.

THUNDERBOLTS #148: Thus begins the start of the SHADOWLAND tie in, coming right off of the AVENGERS ACADEMY tie in. The last one didn't budge sales an inch in August, at least positively. There's little telling that a SHADOWLAND tie in will boost it, as it has DAREDEVIL (for obvious reasons). The problem may be that the event spun out of DAREDEVIL and so thus that series is critical, while this tie in could be seen as a lark. Which is a shame - Jeff Parker writes a solid team book here, and some extra sales never hurt. Until he landed on HULK, this was his best selling ongoing title. Given that Luke Cage is a member of the cast, though, it makes perfect sense that there is a SL tie in. Declan Shalvey does the art here instead of Kev Walker, so he's either filling in or replacing him, with Frank Martin on colors and cover art.

This issue takes place between SHADOWLAND #2 and #3, as the handy editorial notes indicate. With Cage away from the Raft, that means the T-Bolts have to eat with the general population, which creates quite a bit of a stir among the regular convicts. Cain Marko seems at least to be emerging as, amazingly, a voice of reason between the paranoid Ghost and the sadistically violent Crossbones/Brock Rumlow. It also seems as if the Terrigenesis mission didn't leave Rumlow as unchanged as he'd hoped. Over in the women's wing, Gunna, or "Troll", at least shows that she understands just enough English to be creepy. Cage stumbles upon an old contact from the 'hood who informs him of a mission police officer (the man's son) who Cage has resolved to get back. Apparently there's a sect of Hand Ninja living underground that are neither alive or dead, but basically zombies. It's investigating that which got the man's son lost, and Cage tasks the Thunderbolts to go find the officer, and to basically wipe out the rest. Cage notes how his time running the Thunderbolts could be corrupting him, and Moonstone notes how he's having them act in ways similar to Osborn. To be fair, laying waste to a squad of undead, zombie ninja with demonic related abilities isn't quite the same as Osborn having them mutilate SHRA violators or steal weapons for him, but she's a slow learner for a shrink.

Being ninjas, the T-Bolts get out numbered and swarmed. Poor Juggernaut is still hardly unstoppable - six ninja merge, Sentai style, and knock his ass over with a kick. But when both Fixer and Songbird are taken out, it seems next issue, the T-Bolts will be allowed to play. Crossbones is already having a ball, after all.

I'd gotten used to Kev Walker's art, but Shalvey does a good enough job that I didn't miss him, which is solid. I am liking how Parker is writing Juggernaut as a character, it's just a shame he's been saddled with the depowering thing from ASM and may not have editorial authority to undo it. The characterization is the important part, and at least in that regard this is the first heel-face-turn from Marko that I'm actually behind. The banter between the rest of the characters is good as well, often better than the actual missions themselves (which tend to be against monsters or random oddness). Interested to see how the next issue goes, and if Juggernaut's personal journey as a man will eventually overlap with a return to power.

 

[Themanofbat]

Where are all the Micronauts' fans?

 

[Phaedrus45]

Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force #1

I'm a HUGE Micronauts fan. It was one of three titles back in the early 80's that I had a subscription to. (All three titles tanked, sadly enough: Micronauts, Rom, and Dazzler.) While I enjoyed this issue, it still cannot compare to those early adventures. They get things headed in the right direction by having Bug return to the fold; but, until Marvel wants to pony up some dough for the other characters (namely, Baron Karza), I just will remember the "good old days" when Marvel would spend some money on licensed product, like Conan, Rom, Indiana Jones, Godzilla, and Star Wars.

I did like how the previous miniseries with Son Of Hulk is continuing on; and, this issue is much better than that previous mini. Still, this Death's Head is too hooky and doesn't fit with the group. It was pretty funny seeing them ****ting up Jarella's niece, Jentorra..and, that's gonna lead to an interesting love triangle. I'm on board; but, not as excited as TMOB.

The Losers One-Shot

While this group has NOTHING to do with the updated group that we saw earlier this year in the GOD AWFUL movie, The Losers...it still isn't worth the $3.99 price for just an average tale from a WWII untold adventure. (Seriously, that movie was so bad, I never finished watching it on DVD. I just ended up returning it, not at all bothered not knowing how it ended.)

 

[hippie_hunter]

I liked the meeting with Old Grayson, although the only way it works with the show's continuity is if it occurred not long before Joker's whole tormenting with Drake, and if so, man, Wayne really did have some willpower to resist killing Joker.

That scene was specifically written to go against the continuity of the show. It doesn't work at all since Dick stated that Bruce had no more partners when he went up against the Joker and Dick got shot up, yet he had partners even after Joker's torture of Tim with Batgirl.

It doesn't work since the Joker was still alive after he stopped working with others. The Nightwing costume is the one from the DCU, not DCAU. Also from here on out the series is being written as a possible definitive future of the DCU if DC wants to make it so, not a continuation of the show.

 

[Dread]

That scene was specifically written to go against the continuity of the show. It doesn't work at all since Dick stated that Bruce had no more partners when he went up against the Joker and Dick got shot up, yet he had partners even after Joker's torture of Tim with Batgirl.

It doesn't work since the Joker was still alive after he stopped working with others. The Nightwing costume is the one from the DCU, not DCAU. Also from here on out the series is being written as a possible definitive future of the DCU if DC wants to make it so, not a continuation of the show.

Maybe Dick wasn't kept abreast of Wayne's sidekick status. He never approved of Wayne having Batgirl join their "family" in the first place, or at least how Batman went about it. He didn't like when they started dating, either. Least in the cartoon's canon.

Costume designs are variable, at most times. It isn't a big deal if the costumes don't match up.

Still, it would be difficult to shove that scene into Beyond's TV canon. According to the DTV, Batman's "last" mission, at least while in his prime, was trying to rescue Drake from Joker & Harley, alongside Batgirl. It ended with both Harley and Joker seemingly dying, and Batman having been stabbed in the knee by the Joker (the reasoning why, as an old man, he needed a cane and walked with a limp). In order for that bit in this issue to work, Joker would have needed to have kidnapped Alfred BEFORE that final confrontation. It's...possible. Joker learned of Batman's identity after torturing Drake for days. He could have kidnapped Alfred and gunned down Grayson shortly before Wayne & Batgirl finally tracked down where Drake was being held. Of course none of that was mentioned in "RETURN OF THE JOKER", but that's what retcons do.

"ROTJ" is part of Beechen's story - in the last issue when Terry visits Drake, it's mentioned and Drake promises he's had no relapses. Again, I think what they're claiming is that Batman rescued Alfred and watched Joker gun down Grayson briefly before he and Batgirl finally had their showdown - perhaps barely a day before. Grayson was in the hospital a while, maybe he didn't know every detail of how things got down, and didn't know Batgirl was with Wayne. At any rate, again, Wayne must've had REAL willpower to resist killing Joker after all that.

I know that DC wants to have BEYOND be a "possible alternate future" for DC, much as Marvel had 2099, or Bishop's future, or Cable's Future, or "Days Of Future Past", etc. That's fine. But there's no way to merge BEYOND as THE future of DC because BEYOND was built out of Bruce Timm's universe, which had differences to the DCU.

Unless DC (and Beechen) are just picking and choosing what to include, what to drop and what to retcon so the whole thing simply becomes a mess unless Beyond fans just don't think about it and get wide eyed at the references. Which...would fit DC to a T.

I'm not sure which they are doing yet. But I'll consider myself warned. And I am very much aware of his antics with Batgirl.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Maybe Dick wasn't kept abreast of Wayne's sidekick status. He never approved of Wayne having Batgirl join their "family" in the first place, or at least how Batman went about it. He didn't like when they started dating, either. Least in the cartoon's canon.

Costume designs are variable, at most times. It isn't a big deal if the costumes don't match up.

Still, it would be difficult to shove that scene into Beyond's TV canon. According to the DTV, Batman's "last" mission, at least while in his prime, was trying to rescue Drake from Joker & Harley, alongside Batgirl. It ended with both Harley and Joker seemingly dying, and Batman having been stabbed in the knee by the Joker (the reasoning why, as an old man, he needed a cane and walked with a limp). In order for that bit in this issue to work, Joker would have needed to have kidnapped Alfred BEFORE that final confrontation. It's...possible. Joker learned of Batman's identity after torturing Drake for days. He could have kidnapped Alfred and gunned down Grayson shortly before Wayne & Batgirl finally tracked down where Drake was being held. Of course none of that was mentioned in "RETURN OF THE JOKER", but that's what retcons do.

"ROTJ" is part of Beechen's story - in the last issue when Terry visits Drake, it's mentioned and Drake promises he's had no relapses. Again, I think what they're claiming is that Batman rescued Alfred and watched Joker gun down Grayson briefly before he and Batgirl finally had their showdown - perhaps barely a day before. Grayson was in the hospital a while, maybe he didn't know every detail of how things got down, and didn't know Batgirl was with Wayne. At any rate, again, Wayne must've had REAL willpower to resist killing Joker after all that.

I know that DC wants to have BEYOND be a "possible alternate future" for DC, much as Marvel had 2099, or Bishop's future, or Cable's Future, or "Days Of Future Past", etc. That's fine. But there's no way to merge BEYOND as THE future of DC because BEYOND was built out of Bruce Timm's universe, which had differences to the DCU.

Unless DC (and Beechen) are just picking and choosing what to include, what to drop and what to retcon so the whole thing simply becomes a mess unless Beyond fans just don't think about it and get wide eyed at the references. Which...would fit DC to a T.

I'm not sure which they are doing yet. But I'll consider myself warned. And I am very much aware of his antics with Batgirl.

Beechen said in an interview right after issue #4 came out that the Batman Beyond mini from here on out is not a part of the show and is written as if it's a part of the DC Universe. He has said that he is writing it in case DC wants to make it the definitive future of the DC Universe the way the Legion of Superheroes are in 1,000 years. However, he has said that DC hasn't made a decision yet, but the fact is that this is a different Terry McGuiness than the one we've seen in Grant Morrison's future and the one in the DCAU.

They are taking parts of the show such as Return of the Joker and mixing them with the comics universe.

It's why the Batgirl costume on display in issue #1 was vaguely Cassandra Cain's, not Barbara's. It's why Dick was wearing his DCU Nightwing costume, not the DCAU one. It's why Hush is the villain and are using characters that don't have DCAU counterparts such as Silver St. Cloud, Signalman, and Calandar Man.

 

[Dread]

Beechen said in an interview right after issue #4 came out that the Batman Beyond mini from here on out is not a part of the show and is written as if it's a part of the DC Universe. He has said that he is writing it in case DC wants to make it the definitive future of the DC Universe the way the Legion of Superheroes are in 1,000 years. However, he has said that DC hasn't made a decision yet, but the fact is that this is a different Terry McGuiness than the one we've seen in Grant Morrison's future and the one in the DCAU.

They are taking parts of the show such as Return of the Joker and mixing them with the comics universe.

It's why the Batgirl costume on display in issue #1 was vaguely Cassandra Cain's, not Barbara's. It's why Dick was wearing his DCU Nightwing costume, not the DCAU one. It's why Hush is the villain and are using characters that don't have DCAU counterparts such as Silver St. Cloud, Signalman, and Calandar Man.

Ah. So, the logic is to cater to the, at best, 300,000 readers DC has who buy comics on a monthly basis (and it's likely way lower than that, as 300,000 readers was given at the SDCC for the entire direct market audience), and risk confusing the, modest figure, million or more people who may be trying the book due to the cartoon and who don't know Guy Gardner from a garden hose or which Flash it is or why Hourman isn't a robot anymore or so on. Brilliant.

(For the record, I do know who Guy is, and which Flash it is, and Corp just explained the Hourman thing to me. But I've got FAR more DC knowledge than the casual reader or even most hardcore Marvel fans.)

I can see why DC is #2. And why they'll remain that way. And the oddity of it is that they do sell comics to non-hardcore DC people, with Vertigo and Wildstorm.

The BATMAN BEYOND comic is fine for now. But the moment it starts burying me in confusing DC cluster**** and I need to do a Google search to comprehend an issue, the urge to dump may rise. Maybe it's not fair that I was exposed to Marvel more as a kid and thus I'm unfairly hard on confusing continuity cluster****s from DC, even when Marvel can often do exactly the same thing. But them's the breaks.

"From now on". What, were issues #1-2 set with the cartoon and then issues #3-4 Beechen decided to just change that noise? Of course, to be fair, it's started out different, as Wayne doesn't have a cane, I haven't seen Ace, and they're stressing the Camdus thing with Waller more. At any rate, though, I am curious if confusing the TV fans to appease the DC comic fans will work. Was there an outcry to make Beyond THE default future reality, TEN YEARS AFTER THE SHOW ENDED!? Or did WB notice how absurdly well the DVD sales did and kindly/loudly suggested it? And isn't the best way to maximize that audience is to confuse the bejeesus out of them?

This is why I rarely give a DC book a chance. They always do something to pooch it if you give them enough rope. I was on Dini's DETECTIVE, until he had to crossover with Ra's Al Ghul resurrection rubbish I had no interest in, and I never looked back. This mini so far is good, but I'm suddenly more hesitant about making the ongoing a "must buy" than I was an hour ago.