DC Comics' Infinite Crisis

SPOILER Review: Day of Vengeance #3

2005-06-21T22:41:00.000-04:00

The third installment of the all-mystic-all-the-time INFIITE CRISIS tie in mini-series kicks things up a notch. While most of our rag tag band of second string heroes takes on Eclipso while Captain Marvel fights a losing battle against the Specter, the third stringers -- that’s Detective Chimp and Nightshade for those keeping score at home -- scour Dayton , Ohio for “the one mortal (potentially) more powerful than the Specter.” Oh yeah, that mortal appears to be an underage girl.

The battle against Eclipso and the Specter is narrated by Blue Devil. While buildings crumble and burn, he waxes not-quite-philosophical about his origins and the origins of his companions. But he never quite gets there, never really giving us an insight into who he, or any of his fellows, is. Ironically, he goes on for more than a few panels about Captain marvel, the once character in this whole story that even the casual reader is likely to recognize. I realize I keep kicking this deceased equine, but I can’t help it: tell us who your protagonists are, for the sake of all that is holy. All the while, it looks bad for the good guys -- Ragman manages to eradicate a number of the damned souls trapped in his cloak when he tries to pull Eclipso in, and Blue Devil himself gets flung across the city by one of her backhands. Captain marvel doesn’t look any better and everyone knows that as the Specter continues to draw out his magic, he is going to weaken until he’s gone. But Marvel doesn’t give up, swearing that it won’t end until either he or the Specter lies dead if the Specter doesn’t give up. It is a pretty intense version of Marvel’s character, but given the dire circumstances, it doesn’t feel out of place, but instead underscores how desperate the situation has become.

Meanwhile, Nightshade and Detective Chimp banter on the streets of Dayton while he talks to household pets and she keeps them from being noticed by the muggles and whines about being a third stringer. Yay.

Back where the action is, Blue Devil finds the Enchantress just standing around -- or, seemingly so. Devil has expected Marvel to fall already, but finds that Enchantress is funneling her power to the The World’s Mightiest Mortal. They craft a plan and the Enchantress requests the energies of all the living magicians, sorcerers and monsters in the world, good and evil alike, to help. Everyone from Green lanter Alan Scott to the incidental magicians living all around us give Marvel their power and he comes back powerful enough to put the fear of Shazam into the Specter. For his part, Blue Devil skewers -- apparently killing -- Eclipso. Even as Marvel begins to gain the upper hand on the Specter, Enchantress doesn’t look so hot channeling all that power. For those not in the know, Enchantress is a mean drunk when she’s had too much mana to drink.

In the end, we learn the name of the little girl who might just take down the Specter (if Marvel doesn’t do it before Enchantress goes all evil): Lori Zechlin. I’d appreciate it if anyone out there could tell me who the hell that is.

Overall, the issue was on par for the series, which isn’t necessarily saying a whole lot. I like the art, and the dialogue is good, but it just doesn’t have the weight to it that OMAC and the other mini-series have. It is my least favorite of the lead ins, but that is partially motivated by my unfamiliarity with the characters. It’s certainly worth picking up, but I give it a 6 out of 10.

SPOILER Review: RANN/THANAGAR WAR #2

2005-06-09T06:45:00.000-04:00

I am beginning to believe that DC needs to reintroduce the use of the editorial footnote caption because, quite frankly, I don’t know half of what is going on in this issue.

With Issue #2, RANN/THANAGAR WAR maintains its epic super-heroic space-opera scope, feeling as much like a big budget blockbuster as anything else we are likely to see this summer. The art by Reis and Campos is busy, detailed and just plain fun to look at -- not unlike a the visuals of a certain space opera now in theaters. And like that other work, R/T WAR #2 is ambitious in trying to tell so much of the story in a single episode and, ultimately, only does so at the expense of the audience. Not that Gibbons doesn’t write well -- while fast, the pace is even and he manages to include good dialogue in the midst of all the action. But in a strange reversal of the usual decompressed storytelling we see in comics these days, he crams just too much and too many characters in R/T WAR #2.

My concerns about R/T WAR #2 can be summed up with the single question I had upon opening the book: “Isn’t Starman a skinny geek who wears goggles?” Now, a quick google showed me that the STARMAN comic had introduced this Prince Gavyn, but the point remains the same -- Gibbons assumes I know a lot more than I do about this segment of the DCU. This is an unfortunate trend running through the INFINITE CRISIS mini-series, most particularly this book and DAY OF VENGEANCE, that requires remedy. But I have strummed that harp before and will leave it at that.

R/T WAR #2 opens on Throneworld, which is being defended from a Thanagarian invasion by a very different than usual Starman and a lynx-man named Tigorr who, apparently, is a member of the Omega Men. The whole galaxy is taking sides in the war between Rann and Thanagar and war threatens to consume every system, it seems.

Back on Thanagar, we get a great sci-fi pulp moment as the evil cult sacrifices a scantily clad damsel to a horrible monster in order to appease it. In this case, the monster seems made out of Nth Metal -- which, by the way, is quite yellow and clamoring for ‘pain and fear’ making one wonder how bad this is going to get for the Green Lanterns by series’ end -- and is named Onimar Synn.

Skip to the world of Ancar, where Green Lantern Kyle Rayner -- see, Kyle fans, he is still around d even after Hal Jordan returns -- steps in to defend the planet from both the invading Khunds and the L.E.G.I.O.N. forces hired to protect it. Green lantern uncovers the truth behind the Khund invasion: the Khunds were hired to recover Nth Metal lost across the galaxy since Thanagar’s days as an empire, specifically by the same Seven Devils cult. Green Lantern gives both the Khunds and the L.E.G.I.O.N. one day to get off world or “face the consequences.” It’s a nice turn for Kyle, who so often has been portrayed as a rookie and a lesser Lantern. One wonders what sector he is going to end up with, given he is one of Earth’s 4 Green Lanterns, and it looks like Hal and John Stewart are the ones that are going to stay. But that is neither here nor there.

Back on Polara, the Tamaranean queen bitch Komand’r -- sister of Starfire, also known as Blackfire -- meets with Thanagarian ambassadors -- who, by the way, are definitely looking like Seven Devil cultists -- with the intention of lulling them into a false sense of security so Tamaran can scoop up Rann once Thanagar was expended its strength in taking the planet. Her gift to the Thanagarians: Hawkwoman Shayera Thal. That is when Adam Strange, Hawman and Hawkgirl explode on the scene and manage to allow Shayera to escape so she can turn on the Rannian forces assaulting her captors. Obviously, she is dedicated. I expect we’ll be seeing Hawkwoman’s funeral by the end of this series.

Back on Ancar, Kyle Rayner investigates what the Khunds were after and discovers that the Thanagarian god Onimar Synn has tangled with Green Lantern Alan Scott in the past and was “apparently“ destroyed. Captain Comet -- working for the L.E.G.I.O.N. -- shows up to lend a hand and the two decide to go to Thanagar and determine for themselves than Onimar was destroyed.

On Thanagar, Onimar Synn walks free across the wasteland, attended by members of the Seven Devils cult. He devours the soul of some poor creature, raises dead Thanagarians as his zombie enforcers, and ultimately promises to feast upon the souls of the whole universe.

That is all a lot happening in 22 pages, which although in a way is refreshing, doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for bring the neophyte up to speed. Perhaps it is the advent of the Web and the easy access to information, but it seems that DC doesn’t think it is necessary to tell us who these characters are -- many of whom haven’t been seen in years. Given that it is beginning to look like INFINTE CRISIS is going to make casualties out of any number of B-listers, this is unfortunate: not knowing a character means not caring when that character is in peril or dies. The other complaint I have is one of continuity: when does this all take place for Hawkman, who in his own title just assaulted Hawkgirl and in JLA is fighting with the rest of the team over having mind-wiped Dr. Light and Batman? Being everywhere isn’t necessarily a good thing for a character, especially during these big crossover events.

Overall, I give R/T WAR #2 a 7. It is consistent with the first issue, and a lot happens that propels the story forward, but it suffers from being a little too dense and not providing the reader with all the necessary information to enjoy the issue.

SPOILER Review: VILLAINS UNITED #2

2005-06-06T21:38:00.000-04:00

The thing about villain based comics is that you are never quite sure who to root for. Usually, you end up getting behind whoever the writer tells you to, who also happens to be the lesser of two (or more) evils. If this tendency remains in effect for the duration of VILLAINS UNITED, chances are that ‘lesser evil’ is going to be Richard Blake, aka Catman. And even if its not the case, the fact is that writer Gail Simon has managed to turn at least one third rate Batman wannabe and, in a mere two issues, made him an interesting character. The strength of VILLAINS UNITED #2 very much lies in Simone’s writing. That isn’t to say that Eaglesham and von Grawbadger don’t do an excellent job on the art chores -- they do -- but when you are talking about a group of protagonists as low every meter in the DCU as these guys, it takes one hell of a writer to make the book fun. And VILLAINS UNITED #2 is nothing if not fun, in a twisted, guilt-inducing way at least.

VILAINS UNITED #2 opens in the House of Secrets -- a mystical DCU location that suggests at least loose ties to another INFINITE CRISIS tie-in mini-series, DAY OF VENGEANCE -- with Deadshot -- the DCU’s cold stone killer -- and Catman -- the aforementioned Batman wanna-be -- discussing the identity of their employer, “Mockingbird” over blades, bullets and breakfast. It is a nice touch that even as we, the reader, wonder about Mockingbird’s identity , the characters do too. Meanwhile, Cheshsire is skulking about (which in any other title would suggest something nefarious, but this is a villain title after all --everything is nefarious) and Scandal -- about which little is known -- is writing love letters to an unknown -- Mockingbird? -- and accepting the reason she was “formed” and her possible death in the “coming war”. While this is all very interesting, it distracts us from the true mystery of VILLAINS UNITED: how the hell did Catman go from loser to, well, not since he last appeared in GREEN ARROW? The good news is that we get the questioned asked -- by Deadshot, who himself went through something a transformation recently in his own mini-series. The bad news is that it doesn’t get answered.

And before you know it, the team is off on a mission for Mockingbird. They are going to Gotham to intercept a shipment of Thanagarian weapons ultimately intended for the Society -- and thus ultimately intended to be pointed and fired at the Six. It isn’t much but it is a nice nod to the RANN/THANAGAR WAR mini -- after all, the weapons could have been from anywhere. Little things like this remind us that this is all part of a larger plan. Of course, if we were Luthor and his Society, we’d know this already, since Calculator has managed to bug the plane and is monitoring the Six as they close in on Gotham. Luthor has a plan, indeed, and once the Six find that the shipment is nowhere to be found, they discover what it is: the capture and torture of the Six.

Now this is a surprise. I expected somewhere down the line that the Six would have to face the music, at least the first few notes, but not so early. But when they are duped and jumped by no less than 16 Society villains -- including Flash-rogue powerhouse Weather Wizard and “who the hell is that? Nazi Man?” -- the Six don’t stand much of a chance. Luthor doesn’t lave much to chance, after all. He may not have super powers -- Kryptonite mixed with Venom notwithstanding -- but that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous. This is something to keep in mind as things progress.

Anyway, Catman leaps in head first while the rest of the Six attempt to bail, but it doesn’t matter. They all go down, though not without a fight. Unfortunately for Blake, that isn’t the end. He wakes up in the care of the Crime Doctor, who promises that life is going to be both long and excruciating before asking for one piece of information it doesn’t seem that Catman knows: the identity of Mockingbird. It makes for a tense little cliffhanger, especially if you assume that the question is a real one: if Luthor doesn’t know who Mockingbird is, then it isn’t part of some contingency plan of his, which suggests that there is a player that we’ve discounted, or there is a traitor in the Society. I still vote for Talia -- she has the smarts, the means, and the motivation.

VILLAINS UNITED #2 is a great read and deepens an already fine mystery. It is fun without being light, and it portrays the villains of the DCU, both the protagonists and the antagonists, as competent and even a little likable, without necessarily compromising their villain status. I give this a 9 out of 10 and am eagerly awaiting issue #3.

News from WIZARD WORLD Philly: One Year Later

2005-06-04T06:28:00.000-04:00

Newsarama is reporting here that when INFINITE CRISIS is all said and done, all DCU title will jump ahead one eyar in the timeline -- that is, the March 2006 issues will take place 1 year after the end of INFINITE CRISIS.

In comparing the 'One Year Later' to the jump-starts following CRISIS and ZERO HOUR, Dan Didio said: “In those two events, every series started from a common point and moved forward and outward. With ‘One Year Later...’ each and every character has a starting point and moves of at a pace of its own. You will see a wide mix of new series, rebooted series, continuing series and unfortunately, cancelled series. All the changes will make sense for the character and for their own story.”

Other news from Didio at WW Philly indicates that THE FLASH may not make it through this CRISIS, that NIGHTWING "plays a very important role" in all this, and that it is quite possible we will be seeing characters and plot line from the various minies well after INFINITE CRISIS is over.

SPOILER Review: DAY OF VENGEANCE #2

2005-06-03T18:12:00.000-04:00

In the second issue of DC’s mystical INFINITE CRISIS lead-in mini-series, we are treated to much of the same: Willingham’s skilled pacing and slightly disjointed dialogue, Justiano’s detailed pencil only improved by Walden Wong’s inks, and a story as big as it gets propelled forward by protagonists almost as insignificant as they get. DAY OF VENGEANCE #2 is a good book -- a fine read and certainly well put together, but it isn’t particularly exceptional and, moreover, it has some flaws that I just can’t ignore.

First, the rundown:

The Specter, host-less, is in full mad vengeance mode, having murders feasted on by crows (while still alive), killing adulterers with their own sweaty sheets, and impaling a tax cheat with a giant pen. It wouldn’t be so bad that the Specter lost its mind, except that it seems to have maintained its libido, as the Jean Loring Eclipso has seduced the Specter into hunting down and destroying all magic and magicians as the source of evil in the world. The premise isn’t particularly sound, I know, but it works in the same way that every other big comics event works: if you suspend you disbelief and turn your brain down to 4 or so, you can accept it just for the fun of the ride. This isn’t really a condemnation, so much as a sigh of acceptance: more can be done to make these things believable and entertaining. But, alas, that is neither here nor there.

The small group of never-has-beens, led by Detective Chimp and including such mystical luminaries as the Enchantress, Ragman, Blue Devil, and some guy who I am *still* not sure who he is, spends a lot of tiem time talking in the back room of an one-dimensional bar, trying to figure out how to beat the Specter. In the meantime, the Specter unleashes divine (infernal?) vengeance on mystical powerhouses the Phantom Stranger and Dr. Fate. I really don’t know which category Madam Xanadu falls in, but I really don’t think it matters. One interesting development in all this is the revelation that Enchantress knows and awful lot about what has happened and is happening, and is able to get into Eclipso’s mind. One wonders if that is a spell, or if the Enchantress *is* Eclipso/Loring and we are going to see a big traitor reveal by issue #6. It wouldn’t be the first, and it would go a long way to explain things (outside the inherent deus ex machina that is magic in general in the DCU).

Eventually our heroes leave the bar for the woods, talk a whole lot more, and Enchantress gives ragman a gun to kill her with, “just in case”. Ragman, in return, gives her a kiss, which was most definitely misplaced. It is the one true spot of characterization in the whole book and it wasn’t just funny, but kind of sad: who hasn’t made a move based on a few misinterpreted signals? Ragman declines the gun, by the way, and offers a much more horrible fate: Enchantress can spend her period of penance as one of the patches in his rags, should she go bad. More fuel for my little conspiracy theory, I’d say.

They eventually track down their prey in the mystic forest going toe to toe with Captain Marvel, aka Billy Batson, aka the World’s Mightiest Mortal, aka the Guy Who Laid Out Superman With a Magic Punch. Cap doesn’t seem to be fairing too well, so being smart C-listers, the heroes decide to attack Eclipso instead, hoping to defeat her before the Specter is no longer distracted by Captain Marvel. This is, of course, where we finish up.

Overall, it is a good story. However, it still vexes me that Willingham can’t be bothered to explain who all of the admittedly little-known characters are. People -- like me -- are going to be picking this up just because it says INFINITE CRISIS on the cover, people who don’t know DC’s mystical characters, even people who don’t know DC at all. “Every issue is someone’s first,” they say. Most of the INFINITE CRISIS stuff is like this -- with the exception of THE OMAC PROJECT -- unfortunately, targeted at DC fans rather than comic readers of all stripes. The other real problem I have with the book is for the amount of dialogue, we don’t get a lot of information, just a lot of talking. Which is fine, and can be fun, but there is information that needs told, especially regarding the characters but also assuming *someone* is reading only this lead-in mini-series.

DAY OF VENGEANCE #2 gets a 7, on the low side.

SPOILER Review: THE OMAC PROJECT #2

2005-05-28T09:49:00.000-04:00

Greg Rucka and Jesus Saiz bring us the second installment of THE OMAC PROJECT, the INFINITE CRISIS lead-in mini-series following most closely the primary story in COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS. In this issue, Batman’s investigation into the death of Blue Beetle heats up, Maxwell Lord makes a vicious and daring move to take control of Checkmate, and the JLA begins to disintegrate under the weight of events in IDENTITY CRISIS< COUNTDOWN and other stories leading into INFINITE CRISIS. Dense (in a good way) and story driven, OMAC #2 delivers in every way and drives us ever closer to the coming CRISIS.

One thing to note here is that for the first time in one of the lead in mini-series, we are given all the information we need to enjoy this title. While not a big deal for obsessive DC fans, the lack of sufficient background information on characters and plots in the inaugural issues of DAY OF VENGEANCE, VILLAINS UNITED, and RANN-THANAGAR WAR made those books less than accessible to someone just returning to or discovering DC during this summer’s lead in to the fall’s main event. If THE OMAC PROJECT suffered from the same problem in its first issue, then the problem was solved thoroughly in #2. I commend Rucka and editor Joan Hilty for making sure new readers can come on board and hope that the #2 issues of the other three lead-in minis do the same . Having read DAY OF VENGEANCE #2, though, it doesn’t look like it is going to happen.

If the art in OMAC #1 seemed a little muddied by the colors and paper, the problem seems to have cleared itself up in this issue. Saiz’s work is clearer and just looks better, and we get a lot more expressive close ups for our characters. Given the emotional nature of the story and dangling plotlines it follows, this is a very good thing. Not much can be said for Rucka’s writing that I didn’t say in my review of #1; his characterization and dialogue are spot on and the story moves briskly forward.

Now, on to the spoilers.

After a brief review of the events in IDENTITY CRISIS that started all the trouble -- these are same pages that appeared in the preview -- we are witness to a meeting between Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman and Booster Gold on the JLA moon-base headquarters, the Watchtower. Batman admits to creating, and then losing control of, the Brother I satellite. When he informs the others that the search for Blue Beetle has gone from a missing person’s investigation to a murder investigation, there is a tense stand-off between Booster and Batman. Who knew Booster had the intestinal fortitude not only to get in the Bat’s face, but take a (high powered) poke at him, too? Superman intervenes to save Batman -- who, by the way, stands stoic throughout the entire exchange -- and presses Batman for information. Batman knows Checkmate stole Brother I, and that Checkmate isn’t the organization it purports to be.

All the while, Maxwell Lord, the Black King of Checkmate, is watching. Exactly how the Brother I works and how it can view any conversation anywhere is still unexplained, but it is a power that Lord uses to full advantage throughout the story. He knows someone inside Checkmate leaked information to the heroes and sets about discovering who. There is a little red herring moment where it looks like Sasha Bordeaux’s cover is blown -- she is, after all, Lord’s right hand Knight , but is working against him and was the one to send a message to her old flame Batman that Blue Beetle had been killed and Brother I was in Checkmate’s hands. Even as Lord sets up a “meeting” with the other Kings and Queens of Checkmate, he sends one of the OMAC units -- there seems to be quite a lot of them -- to take out yet another B-lister: Overthrow. A quick check on The Unofficial Guide to the DCU Universe says Overthrow is an old Blue Beetle villain. The reason for his elimination is a little unclear, but my guess: DC is killing off all the Charlton related heroes and villains in order to re-boot that little universe on its own after INFINITE CRISIS. Maybe I am full of bunk, but that’s the call I am making right now -- which means Booster isn’t likely to be standing by the end.

When we return to Lord, he has gathered the Kings and Queens of Checkmate together and promptly outs Jessica Midnight -- the Checkmate Knight who revealed herself as a traitor to Sasha last issue -- and then mind-controls her to kill the Kings and Queens. In a nice little twist, Lord keeps Jessica alive to use her as a scapegoat for the killings. “We’re going to need someone to blame for this bloodbath, after all” indeed. It is a little thing, but it is a nod by Rucka toward a realization that there is a larger world out there and no matter how much Lord may control the inner workings of Checkmate, there is some sort of accountability.

Afterwards, Lord orders -- threatens, really -- Sasha to clean up any evidence Blue Beetle’s may have left behind that would lead to Checkmate. Batman finds her there and instead of sharing a few punches, they share a kiss. Of course, Lord is watching and that’s when not one but three OMAC units break in. Given that one OMAC unit went toe-to-toe with Superman, exactly how Batman and Sasha are going to survive and escape should prove interesting -- or make issue #3 fall flat, if it is too contrived 9which is the danger of creating threats equal to every scale of power in the DCU).

I give THE OMAC PROJECT #2 a 9 out of 10, not only because it moves the story forward -- which is always a good thing in this day and age of decompression-to-fit-the-trade-market -- but because it makes sure the reader, new or returning, is able to jump right in. Remember, writers, ever issue is someone’s first issue.

CRISIS Sightings Week of 05-25-05

2005-05-27T06:43:00.000-04:00

It was a busy week for DC readers trying to keep up with the countdown to INFINITE CRISIS. Not only did issues of both THE OMAC PROJECT and DAY OF VENGEANCE come out (which we will get to in due time), but pretty much everything else on the shelf tied in in one form or another. Thankfully, we were spared any official tie-ins. Rather, the feeling that ‘a crisis is coming’ is permeating the whole universe and can be found throughout the DCU titles.

FLASH #222: The Rogue War is still on and Wally West is caught in the middle as the ‘reformed’ rogues battle the not-so-reformed rogues. Then, the Top shows up and throws everything into a tizzy, as it were. In case you missed the Flash IDENTITY CRISIS tie in, it was revealed then that the Top, who possesses mental powers on top of his whirling super-speed, followed in the footsteps of Barry Allen and the rest of the JLA -- and Barry has the Top rewired like other villains -- and started forcibly reforming rogues. So, all those rogues that have gone legit and teamed up with the Flash? Yup. No more. Soon, though, it became less about reformed rogues versus not, but generation versus generation as the old school rogues go head to head against the new school like Tar Pit and Girder. While nothing was revealed ina big way about INFINITE CRISIS, a couple things of note did happen. 1) The top gets himself killed by Captain Cold, and 2) Zoom -- the Reverse Flash -- has entered the fray. Remember, if the past is any indication, as goes the Flash, so goes the CRISIS.

OUTSIDERS #24: Following fast on the events of both the previous issue of the outsiders and Teen Titans #24, this issue is best described as a Villains United tie-in. Really, what that means is it shows us more of the very angry, very powerful villains at the top tier of the Society, and the titular heroes can only suffer for it. Why exactly the Titans and Outsiders are such targets in the coming CRISIS remains an open question, but you can’t argue with the results: Outsiders team member Indigo, a cyborg from the future, reveals herself as Brainiac8 and attacks the team and proves herself to be pretty much unstoppable. Indigo appeared way back in GRADUATION DAY, the Titans/Young justice mini-series that paved the way for both the Outsiders and new Teen Titans books, as well as ended the life and heroeing career of Donna Troy (more on that in a minute). Indigo ‘accidentally’ activated one of Superman’s android replacements -- from back when he decided to be everywhere at once -- which went on a rampage. It turns out, that wasn’t an accident at all. As Brainiac8, Indigo is a cyborg from the future on a mission to destroy Sarah Connor -- er, all the heroes. In any case, it is revealed that she is working with Luthor and her ‘grandfather’, another Brainiac. I am not sure whether this is the current DCU version of Brainiac, or another one from the future (‘grandfather’ would indicated Brainiac6). What is really important here is that the biggest of the big guns are interested in taking down even the second tier teams like Outsiders and Titans.

DC SPECIAL: THE RETURN OF DONNA TROY #1: Wow. This book, just so you know, reads like a missing issue of RANN/THANAGAR WAR written by Homer, and not the Simpson One. Donna Tray -- aka Wonder Girl, aka Troia -- was a member of Teen Titans (and later just plain old Titans) that died at the hands of a rogue Superman Android (see above). Her continuity has always been confusing, as she is the Wonder Woman equivalent of Power Girl. As we have seen in JSA and from press about the upcoming JSA CLASSIFIED, Power Girl is about to get retconned *into* continuity and it looks like the same may be hppening to Donna Troy here. The short of it is that Donna Troy was taken from the field of battle where she fell and transported to New Cronos, the world-ship where the titans of Greek mythology -- who, at least in Donna Troy’s most recent origin, raised her along with other ‘adopted children’ throughout the cosmos -- command a war over a planet called Minosyss. It seems that the Titans have garnered armies of Tamaraneans, Khunds, and others in order to prevent the Rann-Thanagar war from consuming all of the cosmos. However, Minosyss has a secret that the other Titans don’t want Donna Troy to discover, but eventually -- unable to accept the slaughter of those who serve her and the Titans any longer -- she defies the Titans and goes to the surface, where she watches one of her ‘sisters’ die and must battle a ‘brother’. The story isn’t bad, but it is a little dense and while Jiminez must be commended for trying to bring a casual/new reader up to speed in the first issue -- something lacking in other tie-in mini-series -- it slows down the pacing of the story. By the end, though, we have a solid handle on who Donna Troy is -- or, at least, who she thinks she is -- and an idea of how all this ties into the larger universal conflict. This will be an interesting mini-series to follow, as I imagine it will serve as something of a lynchpin for the countdown to the upcoming CRISIS.

JLA #114: The last issue for the ‘official’ INFINITE CRISIS tie-in story arc finishes up the battle with the Qwardians and the Crime Syndicate of Amerika from Earth-2. It has been a good story, though somewhat out of place feeling in the ‘new’ DCU, much like Busiek’s other epic, cosmic story recently: JLA/AVENGERS 9which this arc has been a sort of sequel to). While not expressly tied to INFINITE CRISIS, the end of this arc does offer a tantalizing clue as to how it might all pan out: at the very end of the story, we see Metron in care of an “cosmic egg”, going so far as to send false information to the JLA monitoring the egg to make them think it is stable. Instead, it looks like it is about to hatch. And what will it hatch? Who knows, but a new multiverse seems like a reasonable guess. This is especially true since the name of Krona -- the architect of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS as well as JLA/AVENGERS -- is invoked. If INFINITE CRISIS truly is an event of the scale of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS -- a fact of which we cannot yet be certain -- then this is a likely candidate for the seed of that event.

GREEN LANTERN #1: Actually, the new GL #1 doesn’t seem to tie into INFINITE CRISIS at all. I just wanted to point out that it looks a like a solid start to a new series, with Johns’ signature style of writing and great art by Pacheco and van Sciver. Pick it up, if it isn’t already sold out. For the various Gls and how they fit into the upcoming CRISIS, follow RANN/THANAGAR WAR and the “Crisis of Conscience” arc in JLA, since Johns has said his new GL will remain CRISIS-lite for its first arc or two.

That’s the rundown. Upcoming will be spoiler reviews of both THE OMAC PROJECT #2 and DAY OF VENGEANCE #2, as well as a look at what goodies have appeared in news, press releases, and Wizard Magazine.

SUPERMAN #217: An OMAC PROJECT Tie-In

2005-05-24T06:13:00.000-04:00

One of the complaints often levelled at the mega-crossover is the tendency to slap a logo or blurb on the cover of a regular title, call it a "tie-in" and thereby increase sales without any real advancement in the overall plot of the event itself. I had hopes -- given the four mini-series, related story arcs in ongoing titles, and specials like the RETURN OF DONNA TROY -- that INFINITE CRISIS wouldn't suffer from this problem, especially since much of what constituted a "tie in" was just a change in the tone of the DCU and some continuity between titles regarding the nature of some villains and organizations. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

SUPERMAN #217, "THE OMAC PROJECT Tie-In" logo and all, is a perfect example of the kind of crossover/tie-in I hope we don't see throughout the run up to INFINITE CRISIS. While it is a decent Superman comic -- I haven't really been following the title, but I gather that Supes has switched up the Antarctic Frtress of Solitude for one in the South American rain forest -- it is a dismal tie-in. We get a random attack by the OMAC unit -- whatever it is -- and an equally random end to the fight. The "tie in" serves only to show that someone is watching the Man of Steel and to suggest that the OMAC unit can go toe to toe with Supes, for a moment or two at least. There is no sign of Checkmate or Maxwell Lord, and most of the story revolves around Superman's attempt to fit in in the Amazon Basin.

Here's hoping that future "tie-in" issues of the various ongoing titles are less overt "Buy me!" issues.

First Look: THE OMAC PROJECT #2 Preview

2005-05-18T12:10:00.000-04:00

Buzzscope has a preview of THE OMAC PROJECT #2 up. unfortunately, these four pages offer very little aside from Saiz's moody, excellent artwork as it is mostly a recap of the events portrayed in IDENTITY CRISIS -- wherein Batman, walking in on the League as they 'adjust' Dr. Light's personality, gets a few moments stolen from his memory. Don't get me wrong -- it is nice to see this again, expecially since the INFINITE CRISIS lead-ins have been a little short on exposition in places, but it is more of a recap than a preview. I will say that Saiz captures Zatanna's reluctance and guilt over this choice beautifully, and Batman's narration is a punch in the gut. Otherwise, though, it is just a teaser and we'll have to wait till next week to find out more.

Next Up: OMAC PROJECT ties-in with the Man of Steel.

SPOILER Review: RANN-THANAGAR WAR #1

2005-05-11T22:31:00.000-04:00

RANN-THANAGAR WAR #1 is the first issue of the fourth and final INFINITE CRISIS lead in mini-series -- ignoring, of course, the vast number of story arcs in ongoing titles linked to the upcoming CRISIS. It is written by Dave Gibbons, penciled by Ivan Reis, and inked by Marc Campos. First and foremost: the answer to the most pressing question to be asked since the preview appeared:

No. Despite what the preview pages may have led you to believe, the Dark Phoenix of Marvel’s X-MEN is not, in fact, invading the DCU. In case you missed the preview, the first few pages of R-T WAR #1 show Hawkman and Hawkgirl going wing to wing with a fiery bird -- which turns out to be a run of the mill, old fashioned phoenix of, apparently, the usual mystical variety. It also seems to have nothing to do with the larger story of R-T WAR #1, but appearances can be deceiving. I’ll reserve judgment or comment on it for now, but I will say that mythical monsters do suggest a link to the DAY OF VENEGANCE side of this INFINITE CRISIS countdown.

In any case, Adam Strange -- Defender of the planet Rann and recent star of his own mini-series -- arrives to solicit help from the Hawks, given a rather dire scenario: events have conspired to relocated Rann from its own star-system to that of Thanagar, which orbit’s the star we call Polaris. Thanagar is the home world of the previous incarnations of Hawkman and Hawkwoman, who were alien policemen stranded on Earth, rather than the continuously reborn doomed lovers we know and love from the current HAWKMAN title. Don’t think too hard on it, since the Hawks have the most convoluted continuity in all of the DCU. Instead, run out and buy the RETURN OF HAWKMAN trades, which not only clears up much of that mess but is also a damn fine JSA story to boot. I myself am familiar with Adam Strange only through a few brief appearances in books like JLA in recent years, but my lack of expertise did not diminish my enjoyment of R-T WAR #1 at all -- Gibbons does a fine job of filling you in on the essentials and hinting at the larger story, so that you might make the effort to go out and get more information (which I did -- I just purchased all 8 issues of the ADAM STRANGE mini-series, and once they are digested, I will post a follow up review as it pertains to INFINITE CRISIS in general and R-T WAR in particular).

Adam Strange’s exposition follows for a few pages, basically coming down to this: The Rannians and the Thanagarians are now sharing a world, and the Thanagarians are being preyed upon by a militant cult within its own society called the Cult of the Seven Devils, which appears to be your standard ‘mwa-ha-ha’ style evil organization. Both Rann, whose technology is considered the best in the galaxy, and Thanagar, whose soldiers are unparalleled, have alliances all across the cosmos, which means a conflict between the two will create a massive Galaxy wide war. We are told explicitly that both the Tamaranians -- of which the Teen Titan Starfire is a member, and whose evil sister is queen of the survivors of their lost home world (planets do seem to be rather fragile in the DCU) -- and the Khunds -- one of those ubiquitous “warrior races” we see a lot of in pulp science fiction -- have battle fleets revved up and ready to go. By the time Adam Strange and the Hawks make it back to Rann via Zeta Beam -- a nifty teleportation system that has the unusual side effect of rather randomly returning its users from when they came -- war has already broken out in the streets and much of the planet has already fallen to the Thanagarians that support the Cult of the Seven Devils. Strange and his allies will have their work cut out for them.

We get relatively few cameos in R-T WAR #1, at least relative to the other INFINITE CRISIS mini-series (but it is early yet). Hawkwoman -- the Thanagarian cop, not the habitually reincarnating Hawkgirl -- tries to contact Hawkman, apparently in order to warn him about what is happening, when her ship is boarded by one who must be the head of the Cult of Seven Devils. Her fate is not revealed, but the order for her arrest is given -- of course, the evil cult leader only has two guards with him, which means we’ll likely be seeing Hawkwoman on the lam but free nonetheless in issue #2. We are also treated to the brand spanking new Green Lanterns Kilowog and Kyle Rayner -- well, not really new so much as recently re-commissioned with the finale of the GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH mini-series -- as Kyle is ordered not only to go ‘remove’ a Khund blockade in an outlying system, but also to steer clear of the Polaris system, which of course means that we should be seeing Green Lanterns in action on Rann/Thanagar any moment now.

We are left with a tried and true cliffhanger -- Adam Strange’s headquarters being breached, with bodies flying and children screaming -- at the end of the issue, thereby staying true to the pulp sci-fi nature of the entire issue. While it isn’t fair to classify R-T WAR #1 as a ‘throwback’ or even as ‘retro’ in its style and approach -- both the story and the art are too modern for that -- the book certainly embraces its roots in the old science fiction comics of yesteryear. While there is plenty of fighting and explosions in this issue, the action doesn’t drive the plot as much as the exposition does. Given that these worlds and characters may not be familiar to the more casual reader, of those that prefer to stay more earthbound in their DCU reading, it is understandable. Compared to the complete lack of exposition in VILLAINS UNITED #1, it is in fact commendable. Nonetheless, it keeps the pace a little on the slow side. However, this is hands down the most beautiful of the four mini-series. While each of the others had character, and this one does too, R-T WAR #1 is just plain pretty to look at on top of it. I am still not a huge fan of how the slick paper accepts the coloring, but it isn’t as blurred or sloppy looking as THE OMAC PROJECT #1 was.

I am compelled to give R-T WAR #1 an 8 out of 10, but am going to settle for a 7 because of the slow plotting. Slow plotting isn’t always bad, and action sequences that are expository in nature certainly make up for some of that, but when the book in question is supposed to be a break-neck, damn near incomprehensible pulp sci-fi yarn in the vein of Star Wars and Perry Rhodan, I think the reduction is valid. Here’s hoping that issue #2 confounds and delights.

SPOILER Review: VILLAINS UNITED #1

2005-05-06T10:11:00.000-04:00

Writer Gail Simone and artists Dale Eaglesham and Wade von Grawbadger bring us the inaugural issue of the third mini-series leading up to INFINITE CRISIS, VILLAINS UNITED. Loyal DC readers have seen this coming ever since IDENTITY CRISIS, and perhaps before. For ages now, Lex Luthor, former president and all around bad guy, has been manipulating circumstances and people to create a “society” of super villains. With VILLAINS UNITED #1, we get a glimpse into that society -- or, at least, its early membership.

For those that haven’t been keeping up, Lex Luthor, finally tired of putting on a public smile, has gone all bad. While his motivations have shifted over the years, from “bwa-ha-ha” evil to merely “misguided”, one thing has remained the same: his hatred of super-heroes and Superman in particular. Luthor is a humanists in the same way the Nazi’s were nationalists, and though he is forced to align himself with powerful met humans such as Black Adam and Deathstroke, we’ve seen previously that he would happily kill them all and leave humans in charge of the destiny of humanity -- namely himself. Luthor disappeared way back in Batman/Superman #6, threatening a coming “Crisis“ no less. His name was mentioned pretty blatantly in IDENTITY CRISIS, the prologue to the prologue of INFINITE CRISIS, and by the time COUNTDOWN came out he was essentially chairman of the board of the new Society of Supervillains. He is joined by Calculator (the villainous version of Oracle, Batman’s info dump), Black Adam (the ‘evil’ version of Captain Marvel, though his portrayal of late has been that of nobility and cruelty directed toward the greater good ), Death stroke (the world’s best mercenary and perennial enemy of current and former Teen Titans), Talia al Ghul (daughter of Ra’s al Ghul and former CEO of Lexcorp while Luthor was President), and finally Doctor Psycho (a psychic dominator of short stature and huge ego; he is the only cardboard villain on the ‘board’ and one wonders why he is there at all). These six villains, under Luthor’s direction, off the rank and file villains of the DCU something that they never had: organization and a clear goal.

Very early on in VILLAINS UNITED #1 something becomes clear. The story isn’t about the Society, or even the membership drive. It is about what happens when you say “No” to the Society, and how short you can expect your life to be upon doing so. And the villain bold enough, skilled enough, and powerful enough to stand up to the Society?
Catman.

(Go ahead, read it again, just to be sure. Yup. Catman.)

For those not in the know, Catman is Thomas Blake, a perennial loser who happens to both a poor man’s, cat-themed Batman as well as the DCU’s third rate answer to Marvel’s second rate Kraven the Hunter. Here, however, he has been remade as a confident, apparently skilled huntsman. And the change isn’t just from the reader’s perspective: the other villains of the DCU, including Doctor Psycho and Talia who are sent to recruit Blake, are surprised by his demeanor. Talia even goes so far as to compare his presence to that of Batman, albeit without actually saying that. When Blake turns the Society down, most of the board believes he should be killed as an example (most of all Psycho, who is insulted that someone like Catman, rather than Darkseid, turned him down). Luthor, for reasons not yet clear, decides to “be gracious” and leave Blake alone. Something tells me that Luthor is playing any number of sides here.

We are then introduced to the group of villains that will defy the Society throughout this series: Cheshire (an assassin and terrorist, as well as the mother of ex-Green Arrow sidekick Arsenal), Deadshot (best shot in the DCU, recently off his own mini-series that showed he might have a feeling or two left in his cold heart), the “new” Rag doll (a new version of an old Flash and Starman villain, I think), Scandal (who?), and Mike the Para demon (bwuh?). The Fiddler is also a part of the original lineup of this Secret Six, but a failure to be an effective member of the team earns him a bullet between the eyes by Deadshot. The villains are apparently on a mission to… do something nefarious (it isn’t quite clear what their goal is, other than to set up some sort of evil machinery) for a mysterious benefactor (malefactor?) named Mockingbird and wind up unsettling a “nest” of H.I.V.E agents (one of many Bond-esque evil organizations in the DCU -- power armor and jet packs must come in Cracker jack boxes in the DCU). It is the Fiddler’s inability to use his musical abilities against the H.I.V.E. agents that earns him an extra eye socket and thereby opens up a spot on the team for Catman. Catman agrees almost immediately. However, before leaving Africa, he gives an apparently trusted ally a note to be forwarded to Green Arrow.

Once Catman has agreed to leave Africa and sign up with the Secret Six, he is brought back to their HQ -- a big, dilapidated mansion, the location of which is never revealed. There, all six villains are greeted virtually by Mockingbird, told their losers and that even the other villains are going to be hunting them. When Cheshire gets uppity, mockingbird reveals that she(?) has chosen to use both the “whip” and the “carrot” to motivate this team: Mockingbird has something over each villain (in Cheshire’s case it is the life of her daughter) and at the same time offers them each a continent. What exactly it is they are supposed to do (other than “eradicate this Society”) and how that is going to give them dominion over the world is unknown.

Simone’s writing is good, with only a few places where the dialogue doesn’t necessarily match what we know about the characters (Black Adam doesn’t make threats -- he kills people when he wants them dead). The story is paced well, never lingering too long on one scene and providing enough information to pull you along. My only real complaint is that anyone new to the DCU is going to have trouble identifying who the players are. Sure, their names are spoken for the most part, but their backgrounds and even which hero’s rogues gallery they belong to is stated for none of them. I like the art: it isn’t hyper realistic, but it is fun and Eaglesham’s storytelling is smooth and carried you easily from panel to panel. The coloring is better in this book than in THE OMAC PROJECT -- it doesn’t get muddy on the slick paper.

I give VILLAINS UNITED #1 an 7 out of 10. It would have been a 9 had we gotten a little more identification of our key players. Hopefully, for the sake of those that don’t obsess over DC Comics and create blogs for big events, that is rectified in coming issues.

One final note: I am going to call it right now -- Mockingbird is in some way linked to Luthor and he is using the Secret Six to do his dirty work, probably so that he can eliminate all the ‘big guns’ he has on in Society board. Luthor is smart enough to know that some villains just wouldn’t take the deal, and also smart enough to turn that to his advantage. If it turns out Mockingbird is really Oracle, and the Secret Six were set up by Batman -- make mine Marvel.

SPOILER Review: DAY OF VENGEANCE #1

2005-05-04T21:52:00.000-04:00

A NOTE TO MY LOYAL READERS (both of you): The practical realities of having a tiny person living in my house has led me to realize that I just don't have time to do both a First Look non-spoiler review of books and a spoiler version in any timely fashion. So, I am dispensing with the former to get the latter to you as quick as I can. First up, I'll be playing catch up with last week's INFINITE CRISIS tie-in mini-series: DAY OF VENEGANCE.

Second in the cycle of mini-series meant to lead in to this fall’s INFINITE CRISIS, DAY OF VENGEANCE is the story that focuses on the magical and mystical characters of the DCU. I must admit off the bat that this is an area with which I am only moderately familiar: DC’s mystical characters are best taken as part of larger heroic communities, like Dr. Fate in the JSA and Zatanna in the JLA for example, in my opinion. So, if I get some names wrong or some facts confused, don’t stick an angry Spirit of Internet Vengeance (also known as “The Flamre”) on me.

DAY OF VENGEANCE #1 is written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Wong. The art is crisp and moody and while altogether different from the art in THE OMAC PROJECT, fits the story equally well. If VILLAINS UNITED and THE RANN/THANAGAR WAR are given the same treatment, I will have to guess that DC went through a great deal of trouble to get the right teams on these books. If not, we’ll call it a fluke. Willingham’s writing is better in the narrative captions than it is in the dialogue, but he does a decent job of bringing someone like me who doesn’t know most of these characters up to speed relatively painlessly. I think, though, that a book about the crumbling of the mystical center of the universe and a rampaging fist of god shouldn’t be as light and quirky as this book is. Not being particularly familiar with Willingham’s other work, I don’t know if this is a trademark of his style or something specific to DAY OF VENGEANCE. Don’t get me wrong -- it isn’t like we are in the hands of Giffen here. Nor am I suggesting that the book would benefit from the kind of overblown verbiage that has plagued most every mystical super-hero comic since Dr. Strange first invoked the Flaming Manacles of the Seventy Lords of the Pit.

DAY OF VENEGANCE #1 opens with Jean Loring -- ex-wife of the Atom and murderer of the beloved Sue Dibny -- getting possessed by Eclipso -- the Spirit of Vengeance before he went nuts and got replaced by the Spectre -- and breaking out of Arkham Asylum. We are then introduced (or reintroduced for those that even remember this character) to Ragman, yet another divine avenger. He has a pretty neat shtick, however -- his tattered clothes are made up of the souls of the wicked, from whom he draws strength to fight evil and punish the guilty, who are in turn made part of his clothing. Apparently, ragman is also regularly teleported to where he needs to be in order to exact retribution. In this case, he ends up in a bad place -- that is what I guess you would call an other dimensional battlefield where the Spectre is beating the life from one Blackbriar Thorn (a quick Google tells me he is an evil druid). There he meets up with the Enchantress, who takes him, of all places, to an one-dimensional bar in order to enlist his aid -- along with pretty much every third string mystical character in the DCU that you never heard of -- in fighting the Spectre.

Why a bunch of third stringers, you ask? Partly because the big guns like the Phantom Stranger have apparently been turned into mice, and partly because a talking chimp (a Detective Chimp to be exact) who has been on a bender for literally 50 years tells them to. Yeah, that’s what I said. There are more cameos by minor DCU mystical characters here than anyone can list off -- though I am sure some fan’s site has done just that -- and, as it is with the rest of the INFINITE CRISIS lead in mini-series, DAY OF VENGEANCE is set to focus on a few of them.

In the end, we see the mighty wizard Shazam, from who all of Captain Marvel’s immense power comes, asking his champion to go toe to toe with the Spectre to ‘slow him down’. I guess that means it is serious.

All in all, I give DAY OF VENGEANCE #1 a 6 out of 10. It is a little quirky for my tastes -- or, rather, I wasn’t expecting quirky, I was expecting big budget mystical kung fu fighting. Now that I know, I am sure that the series will grow on me, but only time will tell. If you like third stringers and/or the DCU’s mystical side, this is a must read for you. If not, and you are just trying to make it through this INFINITE CRISIS thing with your sanity and credit rating intact, you might want to give it a pass.

SPOILER Review: THE OMAC PROJECT #1

2005-05-02T17:52:00.000-04:00

Hopefully, you have managed to get your hands on THE OMAC PROJECT #1. It seems from various message boards that the book was under printed for the demand, even though DC did a 50% overprinting, and some people didn’t get copies at all. If you are one of those people, and are planning on waiting for the second printing, you might want to skip this one.
My First Look review gave an overview of the book and my general impressions. I won’t repeat myself here, so if you want to know what I think outside this issue’s revelations about INFINITE CRISIS, skim down a couple of entries and read that review. This one is going to be more of a laundry list of spoilers.
So let’s get to it.
1) Max lord is a bad, bad man. Having become Checkmate’s Black King, he has (according to Sasha Bordeaux, Checkmate Knight and former love interest of Batman) taken complete control of the organization and is a murderous bastard. The implication is pretty clear that he has killed more people than just Blue Beetle, and plans to take out more of them. The “Brother I” -- created by Batman and stolen, somehow, by Lord -- has the capability to keep tabs on metas around the world. Exactly how this works isn’t entirely clear, but it does seem to include agents on the ground (but whether these are normal humans, some sort of robots, or something in between is unclear). Of course, there’s also cameras in Wayne Manor, so whatever the extents of surveillance, they are quite serious.
2) Sasha Bordeaux isn’t happy about what max lord has done to Checkmate. It is obvious that she has traitorous thoughts, but she is making every effort -- including setting up another agent to look like a traitor and maker herself look like a good soldier -- to appear on the right side. So far, it looks like she is doing a good job, but how long can that really last -- especially since the “big reveal” of the issue is a note from Sasha to her old flame telling Batman that he is no longer in control of “Brother I’ and him making the leap that Blue Beetle has been killed.
3) Wonder Woman and Booster Gold are on the trail! Well, sort of. As the only one of the Trinity to give Beetle the time of day during COUNTDOWN, the Amazon Princess comes looking for Booster -- who happens to be getting punked by a disappointed fan boy at the time -- when Beetle fails to resurface after beginning his investigation. WW believes something horrible has happened to Beetle (I think having one’s grey matter spread across the floor of a super secret government agency stronghold at the hands of a formerly trusted ally counts) and she and Booster begin the search together.
4) Not really a spoiler so much as an idea -- we are shown a full view of the “Brother I” satellite in space at the end of the issue. Is it me, or does that thing bear more than a passing resemblance to the insane, intelligence sun from DC ONE MILLION from a few years ago? If so, expect it to morph into a Superman/JLA level threat by the end of the series.
As a first issue goes, I give it a thumbs up. Enough is revealed that you don’t feel like you wasted your money, but not so much that further issues seem redundant.

INFINITE CRISIS Sightings of the Week

2005-04-28T20:43:00.000-04:00

Aside from the much anticipated DAY OF VENGEANCE #1, which I'll get to soon enough, the most obvious and dare I say important tie in to INFINITE CRISIS was in BATMAN/SUPERMAN #19. Billed in the previews as merely a fill in, all Supergirl issue designed to act as a prologue for that heroine's ongoing series coming out this summer, B/S #19 turned out to be much more. The Calculator -- the "Oracle" of Lex luthor's new villain Society -- is seen nearly as much as Batman, Superman, or Supergirl, most often feeding information regarding his observations of Supergirl to an unknown on the other end of the line. Not surprisingly, that unknown turns out to be Lex Luthor (though, I must admit that for a second there I thought it was going to turn out to be Batman himself, finally infiltrating the Society -- ah, but it is too early). Although we only see Lex for one page in this issue, it is a biggie, and not just because it is a beautiful full page spread by Chruchill. Luthor is in his classic purple and green power-armor and he's got on his gauntlet what looks like a whole rainbow of kryptonite: red, greed, blue/white, and black! Time to hit the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe and see what those colors mean for poor Supes. One last interesting thing about this issue and how it fits in to INFINITE CRISIS: Batman didn't spend a single thought bubble bemoaning his fate at the hands of the JLA in IDENTITY CRISIS. It was actually a welcome characterization for the Dark Knight, who for the past few months has been portrayed as unravelling and a danger to himself and others.

Over in FLASH #221, we see the return of the Top -- who reappeared as a direct response to IDENTITY CRISIS -- and in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #639, Eclipso continues his rampage and [SPOILER!!!!)

gets his mits on the Man of Steel himself, with Captain Marvel poised to take on the Kryptonian powered Eclipso. This arc hasn't much seemed like a INFINITE CRISIS tie in other than the presence of characters also involved -- but since it is universe wide, I guess having Chunk in it would mean it is an INFINITE CRISIS tie-in. Nonetheless, it is worth a look for Superman, Captain Marvel, or Eclipso fans, and, of course, completists (who hardly need me to recommend them picking upa book).

Over in WIZARD MAGAZINE #164 we get the first few pages of JLA #115 -- the first issue in the Geoff Johns written arc dealing with Batman's response to having his memory wiped by the Justice League in IDENTITY CRISIS. We don't get a whole lot more than we already know -- Hawkman's a jerk and Green Arrow's a different kind of jerk -- other than the responses of both Green lantern Hal Jordan (an apologist for the League in this case) and Martian Manhunter, who has to have the coolest line in the preview: when he lets it be known that Batman is aware of what happened and the other League members ask him what he is going to do, he responds simple "Fix it." That alone is enough to make me impatient for this JLA arc. Seeing Batman and Martian Manhunter, two characters that couldn't be both more similar and more different, go head to head (who knows, but one can hope) is going to be great -- especially since way back in JLA #4, Batman took out a whole league of MM's pale cousins witha single matchbook and his giant brain.

Finally in the preview department we have a VILLAINS UNITED first look with actual dialogue. The information is limited, but we do get a whole list of villains that join, some more willingly than others, with Lex Luthor's "Society of Supervillains", as well as a good look at the core membership of that Society. It is too bad so many covers for this series have been released or leaked, because it might have been more fun trying to figure out who was going to sign up and who wasn't. As it is, go to any comic message board and you'll find posts of the various covers showing which villains are on the Society's hit list. If you don't know what I am talking about, and would rather be surprised, I won't ruin it for you. just stay away from those message boards and fan sites.

Next up: the long awaited Spoiler review of THE OMAC PROJECT #1 and the First Look review of DAY OF VENGEANCE #1.

VILLAINS UNITED #1 Sells Out

2005-04-23T07:35:00.000-04:00

According to NEWSARAMA, the INFINITE CRISIS tie-in mini-series VILLAINS UNITED's #1 issue has sold out at Diamond two weeks before its release on May 4. This is the book that follows closest on the heels od IDENTITY CRISIS and the threads it left dangling. With the announcement, DC also released the pencils for the second printing cover, which looks great.

VILLAINS UNITED is written by Gail Simone and promises to show us how Lex Luthor forges the various villains of the DCU into a "society" under his control -- all except for 6 villains who defy Luthor's control. Not all the identities of these Six are known, but it is definitely Deadshot, Catman and Cheshire among them.

THE OMAC PROJECT #1: Spoiler Free First Look Review

2005-04-20T21:32:00.000-04:00

It’s the beginning of the end and it looks like it is going to be a fun ride. With the publication of the THE OMAC PROJECT #1, DC Comics has truly begun its wild ride toward this year’s INFINITE CRISIS event. This is a “First Look” review, spoiler free and based upon one read of the comic. Consider more impressions than a full review, which will be coming once I have had a chance to fully digest the book after two or three more reads. For thos just tuning in, THE OMAC PROJECT follows hot on the heels of COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS. If you need more details, scroll on down and read that spoilerific review.
THE OMAC PROJECT is written by Greg Rucka, well known for his nourish pulp writing, especially of the spy thrillers and the Dark knight himself. Jesus Saiz does the gorgeous art, which while a little rough around the edges lends a moody feel to the story. If I have a complaint about the art in general, it’s the colors. They are not bad, per se, but the glossy paper doesn’t let them sink in the way it seems they should. From what I understand, slick paper is actually sheaper, but I think I would have paid an extra fifty cents or even a dollar for clean colors.
The story itself is mostly about Sasha Bordeaux, former bodyguard and love interest of Batman and current Knight to Max Lord’s Black King of Checkmate. It is clear that she is conflicted about her role in Checkmate, and the direction of Checkmate in general under the rule of Lord. She takes great pains in this issue to cover her tracks, and much of the narration in the book is her voice, giving us an insight into how and why she remains in Checkmate and under Lord even while she feels something is wrong with the whole scenario. Sasha has a distinctive voice and a strength in her character that is welcome. So many of Batman’s past loves have been, at best, cardboard Lois lane wannabes.
We also learn a lot about Checkmate and Max Lord’s capabilities, in regards to observation of meta-humans in particular, and we get a glimpse of what O.M.A.C. and “Brother I” is, though nothing is perfectly spelled out for us. It is clear that Rucka has a mystery in store for us and it promises to be a doozy.
The Dark Knight Detective himself makes an appearance or two, mostly trying to determine what’s gone wrong with his newest toy and how that fits in to the trouble brewing in the DCU. To say more would violate the ‘spoiler free’ clause of this review, but it is safe to say, I think, that it confirms that Batman is indeed a paranoid bastard (not that he doesn’t have reason to be -- see IDENTITY CRISIS).
Finally, we get to see Booster Gold -- although his costumed identity is nowhere to be seen -- and Wonder Woman -- the one of the Big Guns (no, that is not a euphemism) who took Blue Beetle seriously in COUNTDOWN -- join up to look into the strangely absent Blue Beetle. Of course we know what happened to Beetle (I’ll spare both of you out there who haven’t read COUNTDOWN) but they don’t. it is nice to see that someone cares.
Overall, on a first read, THE OMAC PROJECT lives up to the hype. It is a good start to what looks to be a good story about the conspiracy/politics corner of the DCU as the INFINITE CRISIS looms ever closer. And unlike a lot of books lately, with decompressed storytelling to fit the trade paperback market, none of the pages in THE OMAC PROJECT seem wasted of fluff.
All in all, I recommend the book to anyone who like Rucka, Batman, the DCU, or a good pulpy conspiracy yarn.

1985: A Bad Year for Power Girl?

2005-04-15T10:36:00.000-04:00

An possible hint regarding INFINITE CRISIS occurred in this week's JSA #72. On the team's return trip through time -- after defeating Degaton with the Golden Age JSA in 1951 -- Rip Hunter's time trvelling vehicle hit some significant 'turbulance' at 1985 -- the same year that the original CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS was published. Power Girl, whose origins have been quite convoluted since that seminal event series, was most affected by the turbulance. An indication that her origin-- and anyone else's who was findamentally altered by the original CRISIS -- might be re-retconned by INFINITE CRISIS?

Another implication that may or may not have been intentional is actually placing the original CRISIS in the year 1985 -- a year, given current continuity, in which none of the heroes were active. All signs in the current DCU point to 10 or 15 years of activity for the modern age of heroes. When INFINITE CRISIS is over, will that have changed?

Preview Review: DAY OF VENGEANCE

2005-04-14T13:51:00.000-04:00

Jean Loring – you know, the ex-wife of the Ray Palmer, aka the Atom, who managed to kill not only Sue Dibny but Jack Drake, Robin’s father, in the now classic IDENTITY CRISIS – is back and it isn’t pretty.

Unlike the preview for THE OMAC PROJECT, which in a few pages netted us a whole bunch of information, this preview for DAY OF VENGEANCE, the pre-Infinite Crisis mini-series involving the mystical power-houses of the DCU, is short on details. It does, however, give us one big shocker: Jean Loring is the new Eclipso.

Unfortunately, if you hadn’t read ID CRISIS and didn’t know what an “Eclipso” was, this preview might leave you a little confused to say the least. Jean is never named, just some woman in Arkham Asylum – revolving-door home of Batman’s rogues gallery -- babbling to a little black gem on the ground. And while even a casual reader would know something big and bad is happening by the time Jean is transformed into and Evil Hawt Chick by the gem, it might not be enough – without small details like who she is and what she’s become – to get the uninitiated to pick up the book when it comes out at the end of April.
Willingham paints Jean as believably cracked, without descending into Joker territory, and the art is evocative if nothing else. I give this preview as 5 out of 10, mostly due to the lack of information. If you’re familiar with ID CRISIS and the DCU in general, you’ll be excited by the preview. If not, then you might want to hit the Unofficial Guide link to the side there and read up on Jean Loring and Eclipso first.

Crisis Counselling

2005-04-14T12:54:00.000-04:00

For those visitors who might not know what in the hell it is I am rambling on about here, I have added a link to DC Comics' official "Crisis Counselling" page, which will help you keep up with all the fun.

EDIT: Link fixed.

Preview Review: THE OMAC PROJECT

2005-04-11T12:37:00.000-04:00

THE OMAC PROJECT, the first of DC’s follow up mini-series to COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS, begins just seconds before the end of that book. Sasha Bordeaux – Batman’s old flame and CHECKMATE Knight – hears the shot that ends, rather messily, the life of Ted Kord, aka Blue Beetle. And she’s not happy about it.

In the five interior preview pages (not counting the awesome cover and a spoiler-space page) for THE OMAC PROJECT, we are made privy to a whole slew of clues to how bad things are going to get. Although it is tough to trust all the information, given that much of it is Sasha’s narration and may not be reliable or even honest, we can give her the benefit of the doubt for the time being.

1.) Max rules the roost. Apparently, the CHECKMATE organization has built in checks and balances, including two kings and two queens. From Sasha’s perspective, though, only one king counts: Max Lord, the Black King.

2.) Sasha’s only loyal out of fear. Apparently, the Knights are under constant surveillance and any wrong move would – well, she doesn’t say but it doesn’t seem like a pleasant prospect, given the look on her face and the pool of brains and blood where Beetle once was.

3.) This one comes outside of Sasha’s narration and so is as real a truth as we are likely to see: Batman created OMAC and may have done the damage to the files that Lord originally blamed on Beetle. All the meta-human files were wiped out – JLA files, S.T.A.R. labs files, and D.E.O. files – and Lord believes Batman was responsible. Whether this is the case is unknown, since it is certainly possible that someone knows all of Batman’s secrets.

4.) What’s left “oddly” untouched is the “OMAC Elimination Protocols.” Whatever these protocols are, they are enough for Lord to order the apparently autonomous OMAC to begin surveillance on “all known meta-human associates of Ted Kord…”

This preview does its job admirably – just enough information is given to make us wonder what’s going on, and at the same time we are introduced to a sympathetic character within the ranks of what appears to otherwise be a villainous government conspiracy. The art is top notch and the characters expressive. Rucka’s prose shines as usual, though we don’t really have enough to judge pacing or plot on yet.

It is too early to give THE OMAC PROJECT a rating, but the preview is – as far as previews go – a full 10 out of 10.

The preview is available as a .pdf download at the DC Comics website.

SPOILER Review: Countdown to Infinite Crisis

2005-04-06T13:14:00.000-04:00

Ted Kord, aka Blue Beetle, gets a bullet between the eyes. For real. Worse yet, the trigger was pulled by an old – well, I wouldn’t call him a friend, but he certainly wasn’t waving a gun in Ted’s face anytime recently.

Now that it is there, out in the open, we can dispense with coy maneuvers and spoiler tags and get on with the heady business of reviewing the starter-pistol blast of what promises to be the biggest DC event in years, perhaps the biggest since the first Crisis 20 years ago. COUNTDOWN TO INFINTE CRISIS #1 is an 80 page giant, sold for a buck (though the second printing is going for $2) and designed specifically to hook you and drag you along for the next six months until INFINTE CRISIS finally unfolds. This review is concerned with not only the overall quality of the book, but how well it achieves that particular goal.

The book was written by DC’s current crop of elite writers – Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, and Judd Winnick. Interestingly, while the artists on the book (there’s a ton of them including Rags Morales, Jim Palmiotti and Phil Jiminez) are given credit for the segments of the story they worked on, the writers are not. We’re to believe, then, that the whole book was written as a collaborative effort between these three superstars. I, for one, totally buy it. There is not a point in the book where the pacing, dialogue or characterization changes in such a way that you can say, “Aha! That’s where Winnick started writing!” Amazingly enough, even the art styles remain largely consistent. Those familiar with the various artists’ styles will no doubt see it easily, but the casual fan will more likely be so engrossed by the story that they wouldn’t even notice. This is a feature, by the way, not a bug. It makes the book look and feel like it was produced by a single team and that, in my mind, gives the book more weight than if it was essentially an anthology title.

The story of COUNTDOWN follows Blue Beetle, best known (both by readers and the other heroes of the DC Universe) as half of the half-witted duo Blue and (Booster) Gold – does this make him a quarter wit? – as he slowly begins to uncover a nefarious plot to ‘protect’ normal humans from meta-humans. As he investigates, he finds that even Batman is wrapped up in what is going on, and the closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous things become. Not surprisingly, Beetle is joined by Booster Gold for a portion of the adventure. What is surprising is that Booster Gold ends up injured and in a hospital bed – hit by a lightning bolt meant for Beetle – and is too weak to help his old friend out. Life in the JLI was never like this (unless you count that time Doomsday nearly killed them both before taking out Superman himself). At every turn, Beetle is stymied not by the architects of this scheme, but also by other heroes. Beetle has been a joke so long, the book suggests, that even stand up guys like Batman, Superman, and Martian Manhunter can’t be bothered to hear him out or lend a hand. To be fair, the writers did a good job of interjecting other, more immediate crises for the Big Guns that make Beetle’s problem look small. Even those that want to help like Wonder Woman and Oracle have (or believe they have) bigger fish to fry. The only characterization that seems of is Martian Manhunter’s. While he has always been portrayed as having little to no patience for Beetle’s shenanigans, he has also been more recently portrayed as one of the most stalwart members of the JLA. Of course, we don’t know the whole story yet and the writers may well give us a solid justification for this apparent shift in character.

While the story of Blue Beetle getting deeper and deeper in – and simultaneously finding himself more and more marginalized by his fellow heroes – is an interesting one, the real meat of COUNTDOWN is the little teases for four upcoming mini-series that serve to bring us ever closer to INFINITE CRISIS itself. After Booster gets hit by the lightning bolt, Beetle goes looking for Captain Marvel. He finds instead the enigmatic wizard Shazam, one of the big guns of the DCU’s mystical powers, who only says that the Big Red Cheese is busy with a crisis of his own and then sends Beetle packing. After Beetle’s visit with Batman, we discover that the Dark Knight is well aware of what happened to him in the pages of Identity Crisis, and none to happy about it. The aforementioned exchange between Manhunter and Beetle ends abruptly with a message from space adventurer and protector of the planet Rann Adam Strange, revealing that Thanagar – hoemworld of the Hawkman and Hawkgirl characters – has attacked. And finally, we see Lex Luthor’s new “society” of super-villains, many of whom were key players in IDENTITY CRISIS, preparing for what looks like war. An enraged Doctor Light appears in this scene, demanding vengeance for suffering a mind-wipe at the hands of the JLA, and Luthor promises that they are “building it.”

Ultimately, Blue Beetle is successful in his search for answers as he discovers that the government agency known as Checkmate – now headed by Maxwell lord of Beetle’s JLI days – has files on seemingly every costumed hero in the DCU. Lord confronts Beetle and asks him, as a fellow human among superhumans, to join him. Beetle, stalwart like he has never been shown before, refuses. That’s when Max Lord puts of bullet through Beetle’s head. There is no ambiguity, no chance of some sort of trick on Beetle’s part. He is dead, dead, dead.

There is some hope yet for Blue Beetle fans, though. During Beetle’s meeting with Shazam, the blue scarab, which powered the original Blue Beetle, seemed to ‘power up’ and come to life before disappearing. Will this herald a new Blue Beetle with mystical powers as the original possessed? Or will Ted Kord be resurrected by its power? Time will tell.

As a self-contained story, COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS is a good read, well paced and beautifully drawn. It’s core plot, that of a marginalized hero working to prove he is not a joke – as much to himself as to his peers – is a classic feeling, tragic story. Some of the characterization of the other heroes seems off though, much as it did in some parts of IDENTITY CRISIS, which may detract from some readers’ enjoyment of the story. As a follow up to Identity Crisis and a lead in to INFINITE CRISIS, it does an admirable job of teasing and exploring the new, more dangerous DCU.

Overall Grade: 8 out of 10

Next up: A look at the previews for the OMAC PROJECT and DAY OF VENGEANCE min-series.