Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.

Batman and Robin #7

Dick Grayson has finally finished his “can I really be Batman” phase and is filling his mentor’s shoes quite nicely. Last Week In Comics (LWIC):

• Batman is in England trying to locate “the last working” Lazarus pit.
• With help from Squire, since Robin is currently out of commission, Batman tracks down the location of the pit and dispatches Knight there.
• By the time Batman and Squire arrive, Knight has already placed the remains believed to be Bruce Wayne into the pit.
• Also, the heroes find Batwoman who was again captured by the Cult of Crime. She deduces that the Cult has some connection to this Lazarus pit.
• Batwoman pleads with Dick not to place Bruce’s remains into the pit because she thinks that the placing of “Batman” into the Lazarus pit is “playing right into their (the criminal’s) hands.”

This may not seem like a lot of plot, but the art and action that fills the pages in this comic is quite beautiful. Cameron Stewart’s rendition of Batman’s acrobatic action is phenomenal and a welcome replacement for words. This by far has been my favorite issue of this series, partly because of the art and partly because we know that the body placed in the Lazarus pit isn’t Bruce’s since he is lost in the time stream… Finally a real story and a real mystery.

Detective Comics #861

The flagship of DC Comics is going back to it’s roots with a mystery that only a disciple of the World’s Greatest Detective can solve. LWIC:

• Three young ladies are kidnapped from Gotham University.
• Two of the ladies showed back up with severe injuries: one was missing her hands and the other was missing her lower jaw.
• The criminal responsible has been nicknamed the “Cutter.”
• Batman and Batwoman both track down clues and interrogate people to find more out about Gotham’s newest criminal.
• Batwoman, Kate Kain, visits her cousin who is a student at Gotham U… this could be foreshadowing.
• After following a couple leads, Batwoman finds the Cutter first.
• Batwoman saves the third victim before the Cutter could remove her eyes.
• During the rescue the villain escapes.

Ahh a good mystery. As much as I loved the origin arc in the last couple issues it seemed that the only mysteries and crime solving going on was in the Question’s second feature. Speaking of the second feature, it still remains one of my favorites. There is just enough humor, violence, and mystery to make it a perfect comic. I hope both stories continue to feature mysteries and deep crime solving worthy of the book’s title.

Justice League of America #41

I haven’t read JLA in a while, but with a new team of “B listers” joining it, I am having hopes of Giffen and Dematteis’ Justice League all over again. LWIC:

• The previous incarnation of the JLA was defeated by Prometheus. Not just defeated but they also let him walk away.
• After Prometheus’ attack many of the members of the JLA were injured and the rest quit th team, leaving Dr. Light as the lone member of the league
• Donna Troy is convinced by Wonder Woman to rebuild the JLA.
• Meanwhile, there is a flashback to an alien artifact found during the revolutionary war that has been hiding in a back room at the Smithsonian since the 1800s.
• Donna talks Dr. Light into staying with the JLA (and possibly leading it) along with it’s new members: Batman (Dick Grayson), Green Arrow, Cyborg, Starfire, and Mon-El.

Not reading “Cry for Justice” doesn’t help at the start of this story since it seems to stem from it’s aftermath, but the rebuilding and plot set up for the next issue is intriguing. It looks like JLA will be a monthly read for me again.

Superman #696

The set-up for a war between Earth and New Krypton continues in Superman 696. LWIC:

• Nightwing, Chris Kent, and Flamebird turned themselves in to the Guardian. They were wanted for the destruction of Metropolis’ sewers and because they are Kryptonian.
• The two Kryponians were framed. Mon-El and Lois Lane convince the Guardian that they were framed by General Lane.
• General Lane arrives to take the prisoners just as the Science Police Headquarters explodes.
• Nightwing and Flamebird flee after being convinced my Mon-El and Lois that it is for the best.
• General Lane places the blame of the explosion on the two Kryptonians. Mon-El knows better and helps them escape.

First of all the art in this issue was fantastic. Bernard Chang’s pencils (and inks) is action incarnate and more realistic than any red and blue 3D glasses can. As for the story… it still feels like filler and set-up that is taking too long. I am looking forward to this summer’s big event that is being set-up by this storyline, but I am tired of stories that drag on for months that could easily be told in one issue.

Weekly Blackest Night:

Back in the day when Abin Sur passed away and his Green Lantern ring and responsibilities were passed to Hal Jordan, he did so because of his findings about the prophecy of the “Blackest Night.” In the present, many different colors of Lantern Corps have formed, or have been found in the universe. Each color of Lantern Corps receives it’s power from emotion and each emotion is represented by a different color.

The prophecy of the “Blackest Night” predicts the removal of all life and emotion from the universe by a corps of lifeless lanterns – the Black Lanterns. To remove the emotion and life from the universe, the Black Lantern Corps’ members are all formerly deceased creatures/heroes throughout the universe that prey on those they were close to. By raising the emotions of their prey the Black Lanterns energized, or recharged, their Power Battery. With the Power Battery fully charged the lord of the Black Lanterns Nekron rose from the darkness.

Nekron revealed that he is the reason all of the heroes of the DCU were able to be resurrected in the past, he put himself between them and “everlasting death” so that he would have power over them whenever he decided to wage war against the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardian’s replicate one of each power ring and deputize new Lanterns to help the charge against Nekron: The Scarecrow (Yellow – fear), Wonder Woman (Violet – love), The Atom (Indigo – compassion), Barry Allen (Blue – hope), Mera (Red – rage), and Lex Luthor (Orange – greed). The only hope for the universe is a new alliance of multi-colored Lanterns working together to create the only thing that can destroy the Black Lanterns – pure white light.

Green Lantern #50

Nekron has risen and plans on overthrowing the Guardians as the most powerful beings in the universe. The seven leaders of each Lantern Corp and their newly appointed deputies have a run in with a powerful Black Lantern on their way to battle Nekron. LWIC:

• The Lanterns and their new deputies easily disposing of any Black Lantern that stands in their way, until the Spectre shows up wielding a Black Lantern ring.
• Indvidualy and as a team the Lantern’s and their deputies fail in destroying the Spectre.
• Because of who (or what) the Spectre was in life, he is even more powerful as a Black Lantern… too powerful for the combined light of the Lantern’s rings alone.
• Hal Jordan was the host of the parasite Parallax while he was the Spectre and remembered the fear the Spectre had of Parallax.
• With no other plan to defeat the Spectre as a Black Lantern, Hal releases Parallax from his prison inside the green power battery and lets the demonic parasite of fear take over his body again.

When I first saw the cover to this issue I thought to myself “Parallax again!” Since the concept of the Parallax as a parasitic demon of fear was created in 2006, he (or it) has played a major role in almost every “big” Green Lantern story since then. I thought it would be overkill, but the explanation and the fact that it tied directly into his (its) first appearance I was cool with it. I am glad that I didn’t let the return of Parallax influence my opinion of this story, because as much as it doesn’t relate to the overall Blackest Night storyline I am looking forward to a HUGE battle next month… and sometimes that is all I need from a comic book to enjoy it. So bring on the battle!

and

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK:
Amazing Spider-Man #619

Last week the Maggia crime family was almost ruined by it’s current leader’s incompetence. Just as Mr. Negative’s crime family was about to overthrow the Maggia, the families fallen leaders show up alive and kicking… kicking butt. It turns out that the Maggia’s former leaders were never dead, their deaths were staged by the special effects artists and super-villain Mysterio. LWIC:

• Silvermane and the other once deceased Maggia leaders are battling Mr. Negative’s crew to a stand still.
• When Spidey and the cops arrive, the Maggia flee.
• Before fleeing, one of the Maggia attack Spidey. Spidey defends himself with a KO punch that does more than knocks out the thug, instead it kills him.
• Distraught, Spidey leaves the scene only to be attacked by another gang from his past.
• Spidey finds himself fighting a once “thought to be deceased” foe to the brink of death.
• Spidey is confused by his inability to control his strength and then is more confused when it is revealed that he just took down his exgirlfriends dead father – Captain George Stacy.
• Spidey puts two and two together and realizes that all of these people are in fact dead. They have not been resurrected or in hiding after faking their death, instead it’s all an illusion cast by Mysterio.
• Spidey is right, Mysterio has been hired by the Maggia’s second in command Carmine Karnelli to create the illusion of the Dons return so that he can be in control instead of the idiot who is currently running the crime family.
• With only Carmine Karnelli knowing that the family is an illusion, Mysterio removes him from the equation permanently leaving Mysterio, via his illusion, in control of the Maggia crime family.

This is a well written comic with many subplots and questions that leaves the reader at the edge of their seat waiting for the next issue. I want to know how Mysterio is creating all of his “illusions?” Are they reanimated dead bodies like this issue hinted at, or are they something else? What is the purpose for Carlie’s dad’s resurrection, or is his story the only real one?

I’m not quite sure how well I summarized this issue, but no matter if it makes sense or not you need to pick up this issue and read it if you have not already. You won’t be disappointed.