L2WIC (Last TWO Weeks In Comics) Make-Up Edition
Last week I was feeling horrible and didn’t get all my comics read due to the holiday, so I took a sick day on Monday. Today, I review some of last week’s comics and some of two week ago’s comics to make up for my sick day. So without further babbling about non comic related stuff, I present to you:
Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 4 to 12 day-old comics.
Amazing Spider-Man #613
Electro is back and while he may not be able to control his electricity powers, he does have control of the people of NY. Electro is not doing well because with age he lost control of his powers and his money was supposed to mature, but like many Americans, he lost all of his investments (yes he invested all the money he stole in the past) when the market crashed in 2007. Tired of all of the corporations getting bailouts, he sparks (pun intended) the non corporate folks of NY to rise up against the powers that lost their money but continue to get money from the government. L2WIC (Last TWO Weeks In Comics):
- Electro blackmails Dexter Bennett (the owner of the DB – formerly known as the Daily Bugle) for cash in return for ending the rioting and protesting of his company taking buyout money.
- Electro then uses the money to pay the Mad Thinker to cure/control his powers.
- Spidey, of course, crashes the party a couple minutes too late, and…
- To find that Electro’s powers are now supercharged giving him new electricity based powers making the villain more powerful and unpredictable.
Electro has always been a “cookie-cutter” type of villain in my eyes with no purpose other than being a punching bag for our web-slinging hero. To see Electro get a cause and a personality that ties into the current real world economic state that many Americans can relate too adds just enough reality to a fantasy comic to make it enjoyable.
Detective Comics#859
The Cult of Crime has been after Batwoman since the awesome weekly series 52. The cult believes that the “twice named daughter of Kain” needs to be sacrificed to fulfill their final prophecy. Batwoman, Kate Kain, since surviving the attempted sacrifice and with the help of her fathers she has been hunting down the members of the cult. During her last tussle with the Cult of Crime she learned that their new leader may be her twin sister who was believed to be murdered along with her mother twenty years ago. L2WIC:
Flashbacks show:
- Kate Kain as one of the top prospects in the military.
- After being seen with her girlfriend, Kate is forced to quit the military for breaking protocol.
- Since the death of her mother and sister (shown last issue) Kate only had one goal in life, and that was to serve in the military.
- With no purpose to her life, Kate takes advantage of the money her new step mother has and parties it up and hooks up with Renee Montoya.
The flashback segments of this origin story is phenomenal! I have always wondered why the Cult of Crime was still waiting for the prophecy after the failed attempt on Kate’s life, but with the reveal that Kate has a twin sister there is now new meaning to the “twice named daughter of Kain” reference in the Crime Bible.
Superman #694
Mon-El took over as the super-powered guardian of Metropolis when Superman left Earth for New Krypton. Since then the US Military has plotted against all Kryptonians and members of the Superman Family which includes Mon-El. When the military’s plot unfolded Mon-El was captured by General Lane leaving the people of Metropolis thinking that their newest hero was dead. After being poked, prodded, and probed by scientists, Mon-El, with the help of the Parasite, escaped the military’s off world prison. L2WIC:
- Upon escaping the military, Mon-El goes to the Kent farm to reflect and prepare for his role as Superman’s replacement.
- There he has a long deep discussion about how he wants to instill hope in the same way Superman did and not just beat up bad guys. Mon-El wants to bring honor back to the symbol of Superman.
- Ma Kent decides that Mon-El shouldn’t give up his own identity by being Superman, instead she helps him incorporate the “S” symbol into his costume.
- Donning a new, yet similar costume, Mon-El returns to the city he promised to protect where Bizzaro is attacking the Science Police.
- As soon as the Parasite joins in the figh,t Mon-El looses his powers, leaving him vulnerable to the combined attack of the two super-villains.
- And it looks like Mon-El isn’t the only Legion member from the future stuck in the current DCU, Matter Eater Lad aids during Bizzaro’s rampage in Metropolis.
A couple of issues ago the Guardian announced to the Science Police that Johnathan Kent would not be returning to the force now that Mon-El was dead because they were the same person. The Science Police is composed of the best police personnel throughout the US, you would think the knowledge that one Kent has super powers would lead them to figure out that Clark Kent also has super powers. Last week Mon-El returned to fight along side the same group that knows his secret identity… I can’t wait for the next issue to see how a powerless Mon-El fights off two villains and deals with the whole secret identity issue.
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 Lanerns energized, or recharged, their Power Battery. With the Power Battery fully charged the lord of the Black Lanterns Nekron rose from the darkness. The only hope for the universe is all of different lantern corps to work together using each color of the emotional spectrum to create the only thing that can destroy the Black Lanterns – pure white light. L2WIC:
Green Lantern #48
- The representatives, or leaders, from each of the different colored lantern corps gather and after much arguing, fighting, and name calling decide to work together to destroy the Black Lantern Battery and Corps.
- One interesting point is that Sayd agrees to be Agent Orange’s personal Guardian if he helps destroy the Black Lanterns.
Blackest Night #5
- The alliance formed in the above review charges their rings ready to combine their light to create the pure white light needed to destroy the Black Lantern Power Battery.
- The rest of the heroes are informed by the Titans that Dove emits pure white light and is able to destroy lanterns too.
- The heroes of Earth join forces to fight the dead while Nekron does the mandatory description of his grand plan that all card carrying villains are required to do when they seem to have the heroes on their heels.
- The new alliance of multi-colored Lanterns create a blast of white light in attempt to destroy the Black Lantern Power Battery, instead it does the opposite.
- Since the first issue the Black Hand, has been carrying around Bruce Wayne’s skull and in this issue the reason as to why is relieved – a reanimated corps of Batman rises to fight against his former friends after the bombardment of white light.
- Black Lantern Batman’s only purpose of rising from the dead was to evoke a large emotional response from the heroes of the DCU who were once dead: Superman, Green Arrow, Bart Allen, Wonder Woman, and Superboy to name a few.
- Nekron reveals 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.
- Then all but Hal Jordan and Barry Allen of the once dead but resurrected heroes of the DCU become Black Lanterns under the control of Nekron the issue ends…
Blackest Night: Flash #1
The Flash seems to be at the center of this whole Blackest Night story. Barry Allen the 2nd Flash (the first one to wear the universally recognized red suit) sacrificed himself to save the universe during in the original Crisis. The death of a major hero at that time was almost unheard of and it’s impact was felt for years in comics… Until death and resurrection became a revolving door in the DCU with Superman, Green Arrow, and Hal Jordan to name a few. A glimpse of the bigger picture behind the whole Blackest Night storyline is shown with one line from the end of this comic: “Your Death Was The First. Your Rebirth Is The Last!”
Knowing that Nekron was behind all of the resurrected super-heroes was just a way to control them when the Blackest Night was in full swing, that quote “Your Death Was The First. Your Rebirth Is The Last!” Add that quote with the commentary provided in this issue about the Reverse Flash to make this single “tie-in” comic better than any other of the last two weeks.
I wasn’t digging “Flash: Rebirth” and have stopped getting the single issues, but after this issue I don’t think I can wait for the trade. I am going to have to get the single issues. This comic is THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK only because it succeeded in making me interested in an important DCU character that I previously had no desire to read about.
Last 2 Weeks In Comics: Broken Hand Edition #1
Last Two Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 to 12-day-old comics.
With a broken hand I am reverting to back to the original form of LWIC where I post an image and a semi humorous comment since it’s a lot easier to scan a book than to type a paragraph or two with one hand.
Egon after quitting ghost busting is now part of the Russian mob. – Amazing Spider-Man #589
Spidey breaks up with the Human Torch over some secret identity stuff in The Amazing Spider-Man #560
In Batman Battle for the Cowl: Commisoner Gordon #1, the Commish proves that he hasn’t gone soft from Batman doing his job for all these years.
Yup without the “Man-Bat” serum… and that’s about all that happened in Batman Battle for the Cowl: Man-Bat #1
Batman Battle for the Cowl: Oracle #1 makes me thankful that I quit playing World of Warcraft three years ago.
Most every comic featuring the Flash that I have read had Wally West under the mask. Most of what I remember of Barry Allen’s days as the fastest man alive were from the Supefriends and those old corny Justice League stories, but Flash Rebirth #1 reintroduces me to him in a more relevant murder/mystery type story where he has seemed to have replaced the Black Flash, a.k.a. the grim reaper of the speedsters. Consider me in for the whole run (pun intended.)
I thought Mon-El’s look was a little dated and it’s nice to see it updated in Superman #686.
and
THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK
THE MUPPET SHOW #1
The Muppet Show returns and it’s like a dream come true. My favorte show as a kid, and my most watched DVD collection as an adult, returns as a comic in The Muppet Show #1.
Last Week In Comics: The Science of Super-Heroics
SpaceBooger’s weekly review of last weeks comics is back giving a fresh take on 5-day-old comics:
Superman and Batman running moonshine during prohibition?
No, they were just trespassing in a government warehouse of kryptonite weapons.
Batman #675 was a trip back to 1994 with exagerated anatomy and millions of little lines on every male face. Chris at the ISB said it best: “it starts to read like a very well-colored issue of X-Force.” I myself did not mind the art that much, but after hearing rumors that the Batman R.I.P. storyline would involve Bruce Wayne choosing love over playing Dark Knight, the revelation of Batman’s secret identity and seriousness of the relationship between him and Jezebel Jet seems quite forced.
On a side note: I like the interaction and teamwork shown by Morrison during the Nightwing and Robin scenes… It makes me wonder about who will become the next Batman since these two former Robins work together so well as a team reminiscent of the original Dynamic Duo.
Ahh a main and stable cast! Lets sing: “We are family! I’ve got all my sisters with me…”
Ok, I’ll stop and move on to the review now.
Birds of Prey #117 is starting to have that family feeling again that made it so enjoyable in the past. Since the inception of this book it has always been part of the “Bat-Family” of books, focusing on many of the females in the Gotham. Since Black Canary left to wed Green Arrow the family dynamic has not been that strong with a rotating cast of female characters. Now with the full inclusion of Misfit, who I have to admit has grown on me, the family dynamic made this issue one of the best of last week.
Oh, and how could I not mention the awesomely stereotypical nerd from Birds of Prey 117 who wears glasses so thick they magnify his eyeballs!
Jimmy your relationship is not the only thing heading to the dumpster!
Countdown to Final Crisis #1 is finally over. One year later and about $160 spent the build up is over… or is it. 52 was awesome and set a high standard for Countdown. I think DC planned for Countdown to be a let down so that the upcoming Final Crisis will look awesome compared to it. Yeah… I have nothing else to say about it…
Superman still refuses to remove his Metal Gear Solid Ninja costume.
Superman Batman #47 continues the Kryptonite Crusade to rid the planet of Superman’s only weakness. This issue is a little “Men in Black” and a little “The Untouchables” with an underground government facility built to house weapons to take down Superman facading as a small town diner. This arc started out strong, and I don’t know if its just me or the story, but it seems to be dragging on too long. I am afraid that this is one of those stories that will be better read in on sitting as a trade, which if that is the case then release it as a trade from the start…
Ok, back to issue 47…
In this issue we see that the government is afraid that one day Superman will go nuts and take over the world, so they created a task force to take him out just in case that ever happens. This story works and was awesome when I saw it the first time on the animate Justice League Unlimited. Anyway even if it seems to be dragging, I am still enjoying it and wonder exactly what the origin of the Kryptonite Doomsday is.
and…
THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK:
Justice League of America #20
Justice League of America #20 featured a solo Wally West story with a supporting cast of Wonder Woman and Black Lightning. I used to love the thought balloons in early comics when they shed insight on the character and not the storyline. Thought balloons were great to show what a character was really like, but many times were misused as a story telling devise. This issue of Justice League of America Dwayne McDuffie does a great job of using the narration boxes to build the character of the Flash. We get to see the reasons behind his actions, not to tell us what his actions are or will be. My favorite part of the whole issue was when Wally was reminiscing of the humorous story behind the science of putting out a fire. Its little touches like that along with the prescience of Superman and Batman thorough the dialog that makes Justice League of America #20 and it’s phenomenal character portrayals the BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK.
Last Week In Comics: Amazing Spider-Man 554 was better the first time as the “Death of Superman”
SpaceBooger’s weekly review of last weeks comics is back giving a fresh take on 5-day-old comics:
In Batman and the Outsiders #5 Geo Force says enough is enough… a crisis looses meaning the third or fifth time around. I miss the Barr and Arparo Batman and the Outsiders, no matter how much I like Chuck Dixon’s work this new series doesn’t have the same appeal.
Amazing Spider-Man #554 was better than the last two issues together. This issue had it all: Spidey still hated by the public, the dumb Parker luck, and a Meth smoking super villain. Not only is he hopped-up his origin revolves around Stem Cell research.
Where have I heard this before?
Yeah, I liked this idea the first time when Doomsday killed Superman and didn’t offend any pro-life organizations.
I am resisting the urge to make the obvious “fastest man alive” joke. Instead I will say that since the death of Bart Allen the Flash is quickly running out of time on my pull list. The Flash #238 may have been the last straw. Not only is Wally’s family hampering the story the main villain takes National Enquirer headlines and makes them come true…
There is something about juvenile humor that keeps cracking me up this week. In Robin #172 we see the return of my favorite mortal who believes he is a god: Maxie Zeus. The story moves slowly with a great scene between Tim and Zoanne’s father. The issues ending threw a hint at the upcoming Robin/Spoiler one shot… but the solicit for next weeks issue said “Bizarre Love Triangle” showing images of Robin, Violet, and Spoiler… since when did Tim inherit Dick’s womanizing Robin trait? Or is it just a bad solicit? I guess we will have to wait until next week.
Superman/Batman Annual #2 was the BEST COMIC LAST WEEK!
This issue takes place in the past, a past where Alfred just learns of Superman’s secret identity and Robin goes all “fanboy” when he first meets the Man of Steel. This issue was hands down the BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK, and even the best DC comic featuring the Big Two in a while. S/B Annual #2 was a stand alone issue where Superman becomes powerless and Bruce shows his human side. With Superman powerless Batman and Robin are watching the chaos erupt in Metropolis when Robin gives one of the best quotes in comic history: “Gotham needs Batman and Robin, but the WORLD needs Superman.”
Batman proceeds to train a powerless Clark Kent to fight crime again, but he does not just strengthen Clark’s body Batman focuses on Clark’s spirit. In the end the training of Clark’s spirit and Robin’s reminder of who Superman really is powers our hero up just in time to save the day.
Other Stuff I Read Last Week
Birds of Prey #116: Ready for the next story arc, but I may not buy it.
Catwoman #77: Can we get Selina back to reality? There were some good character building moments in this issue, but if I have to read about Catwoman in an virtual reality I should only have to buy it with virtual cash.Countdown 6: This was a good issue and it reminded me that there really are writers for this series. The narrative of Earth ?’s Buddy Baker was informative and entertaining. I could follow the story clearly and now know that Karate Kid released a virus that will wipe out every human on every of the 52 Earths. The best part was that the narrator was Buddy Baker – Jack Kirby’s original OMAC.
Justice League of America #19: Blah… I am really getting tired of all this Salvation Run stuff… It’s not that good of a story to be crossing over into Gotham Underground, Catwoman, and Justice League of America.
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