Ray's 50th DCU/GrayHaven Megathread - Back to OOMPHriginal Numbering!!!

[Drkemerld73]

Cutchoo!

But. But why? This is the first time Batwoman has made it to issue #3 being solicited after the third try. It needs all the support it can get. Along with the occasional lingerie clad pillow fight scenes when she has sleepovers.

Honestly, I wouldn't know. I read Cobra in trades. Just finished Vol. 4 a couple weeks ago, actually.

And you're very welcome!

I've never been the biggest G.I. Joe fan, but I've heard that that's the title to be following. Does it just center around Cobra? What's the general hook of the series?

[Marcdachamp]

I've never been the biggest G.I. Joe fan, but I've heard that that's the title to be following. Does it just center around Cobra? What's the general hook of the series?

Basically, General Hawk has Chuckles go undercover to infiltrate a terrorist organization known as Cobra with the mission of finding out as much as possible about their operations. Once inside, Costa and Gage give us a MUCH darker reimagining of the entire Cobra mythos as Chuckles is forced to do terrible things to maintain his cover and, eventually, attempt to bring Cobra down.

One of the best trades, vol. 3, has a reimagining of Cobra-La, one of the most reviled aspects of G.I. Joe history. Somehow, Costa and Gage make it both awesome and really, really creepy.

[Drkemerld73]

Basically, General Hawk has Chuckles go undercover to infiltrate a terrorist organization known as Cobra with the mission of finding out as much as possible about their operations. Once inside, Costa and Gage give us a MUCH darker reimagining of the entire Cobra mythos as Chuckles is forced to do terrible things to maintain his cover and, eventually, attempt to bring Cobra down.

One of the best trades, vol. 3, has a reimagining of Cobra-La, one of the most reviled aspects of G.I. Joe history. Somehow, Costa and Gage make it both awesome and really, really creepy.

Oh that sounds nice and dark. I might have to give it a shot.

[Foolish Mortal]

So this weekend is the Tax-Free holiday here in Texas. I saved up some money for some clothes and shoes, but the video card in my computer just crapped out. So now It looks like I have to blow that money on getting a new one.

[Ray G.]

DC Universe Reviews:

Flashpoint: Abin Sur the Green Lantern #3 - ****

Adam Schlagman's done a very good job with his Flashpoint tie-ins so far, managing to capture the essence of his characters, although not turning in any truly spectacular stories like Brian Azzarello did. This conclusion to Abin Sur's story opens with him facing off against his mad protege Sinestro, who has just cut off his ring and intends to remake the universe in his image. As the Amazon-Atlantean war threatens to destroy everything, Abin uses his willpower to reattach his hand with energy and defeat Sinestro. But when he refuses to go along with the Guardians' plan to abandon Earth, they expel him and cut him off from the power battery. With a dwindling ring, Abin joins the hopeless fight on Earth, dying on his feet in battle - only to wake up in an Eden with his late sister by his side. As a champion of life, Abin has been chosen to be the White Lantern, and Arin wishes him well before he and his new ring rejoin the fight. The issue ends with Abin literally holding the Earth together. A very strong conclusion to a very interesting character's story. In terms of fleshing out long-dead characters, probably only second to Knight of Vengeance.

Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #3 - ***1/2

Like Emperor Aquaman, this series mainly served to flesh out the backstory of the Amazon-Atlantean war, but this issue also does advance the plot a good deal. Finally, after years of fighting, the cause of the war is revealed as Pentheselia and Orm are exposed as traitors in League with each other. These villains have been the best part of this plotline, with both of them making for truly evil rogues with a clever master plan. The issue is also full of spectacular visuals as Europe falls around them. But where this falters is that unlike Aquaman's story, I don't feel like Diana was ever truly explored to the same degree. She's a war criminal like Arthur, but her fall feels less drastic and less tragic. She was a pawn, and she comes across like it. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning have done a competent job with the story, but there just isn't enough there to really make it stand out like the rest of the minis. A bit too much exposition.

Flashpoint: The Outsider #3 - ***

This is a mini I've been struggling with for a while. It's easily the oddest choice for a title so far - a random new villain from the Flashpoint world who works his way through the most powerful villains in the world, building an empire. It's not a bad concept, but it's so random in the middle of the event. This issue ties up most of the loose ends of the series, as Outsider faces off against the man trying to have him killed - Martian Manhunter. In this world, Michael Desai sold J'onn to the gulag, where he was tortured for 25 years. J'onn is out for revenge, which it's safe to say he does not get. He's dispatched quickly and brutally, and Outsider moves on to discover that one of the sides in the Amazon/Atlantean war plotted to have him killed. So he signs on with Flash and Batman to try to stop the war. It's not a bad ending, but it all feels sort of like a strange side story that isn't going anywhere. I wonder if there are future plans for this guy.

Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #3 - *1/2

The half-star is for the fact that despite everything else in the comic, the few pages where Cyborg gets to take the starring role are pretty decent. I like Cyborg as the blue-collar Cyber-hero of Detroit. He's no-nonsense and honorable, and I hope this is what he's like in the reboot. As for everything else...oh dear. This issue - and mini - are pretty much a never-ending series of horrible things happening to bad people. Heat Wave crashes the floating prison into Detroit with the intention of murdering every person in the city. Plastic Man disagrees and brutally kills most of Heat Wave's henchmen before Heat Wave kills him with a simple flamethrower. Cyborg kicks Heat Wave's ass - in impressive fashion, as I said above - and Heat Wave goes to prison, where Plastic Man disgustingly crawls out of another guy's stomach and apparently kills him. This mini made me like Cyborg a bit more, but it's put me off both Heat Wave and Plastic Man. Well fucking done there.

Green Lantern Corps #63 - ***1/2

Scott Kolins and a team of artists take over for this issue to show the aftermath of the War of the Green Lanterns from the perspective of your average GL. Most of the stories are pretty good, although some are lacking in logic a bit. Joe Prado's segment, focusing on Alpha Lantern Boodika and her journey to accepting her new self and regaining her fight, is pretty strong. Michael Atiyen's segment focuses on some new Lanterns, considering leaving the Corps in the aftermath of Sinestro's re-commissioning, but the presence of a Modok-like pacifist Lantern doesn't add much. The weakest segment is drawn by Freddie Williams II (although the art is very good) and has the Lanterns going nuts and attacking Kyle Rayner for being human, and Tomar-Re for defending him, because "Humans screw everything up". This after Hal SAVED THE FUCKING UNIVERSE. Marvel logic. HDR's segment unites the Lanterns to take on a new threat, and implies that the Corps will survive. Not a bad issue, all in all, with a lot of content.

Batman #713 - ****1/2 (Book of the Week)

A very strong capstone to the last few crazy years of Batman. An unseen narrator is telling the story of Batman and Robin to an unseen audience, retelling the history as if it were a fairy tale. He starts with Bruce's origin (leaving out the names) but focuses on the influence of Robin in Batman's life, particularly the first Robin. Fabian Nicieza does a great job of summing up exactly what Dick Grayson meant to Batman when he first came onto the scene, and really, the whole issue is a great tribute to the Batman and Robin dynamic. You'll probably cue in when the narrator starts bashing Tim Drake, but the narrator is none other than Damian Wayne, telling the story of Batman and Robin to some underprivileged kids at a Wayne Foundation shelter. It's a nice way to show just how far Damian has come. There's also a nice subplot involving a criminal Dick has encountered since the beginning of his career. Overall, Nicieza packs some real emotion into this issue, and it works perfectly. There were a lot of good books this week, but I think this one worked best.

Superboy #11 - ****

Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo bring their short but amazing run on Superboy to a satisfying close this issue, and while it was a strong issue, I think it had a bit too much to tie up. This is probably due to the fact that we spent 18 pages last issue summing up the history of our villain. As such, the heroes run around a lot trying to defeat him and his henchmen, and it feels a bit rushed. However, all the heroes get some great moments, especially Simon Valentine and Psionic Lad. I was a bit disappointed that the subplot with Psionic Lad wasn't tied up, but we can assume that he's gone rogue and won't be attempting to kill Simon. What really shined about this series was the portrayal of life in Smallville, and how Conner Kent began to awkwardly fit into it. It's been great to see him get a normal life and friends - such as normal is, and the last few pages are incredibly well-done. It just kills me that this is the last we're going to see of this version of Superboy.

Supergirl #67 - ***1/2

Kelly Sue DeConnick brings the current run on Supergirl to a satisfying conclusion. This has been a fun storyarc, if nothing spectacular past the first issue. What I've really enjoyed, though, much like in Superboy, is seeing Kara get to interact with this offbeat group of semi-normal friends in a college atmosphere. Despite the danger they face, there's been a light touch to the whole thing, and Kara attempting to save the day while keeping her cover has added an extra interesting dynamic to the whole thing. The big problem is that while the concept of the arc has been fun, there's been something lacking in the execution. The villain, Professor Ivo, is right out of the DC utility villain vault. And while I approve of giving Supergirl a new love interest, Henry wasn't given enough development to really sell me on the rushed kiss at the end of the issue. Kelly Sue has a great handle on Kara, though, and I would have loved to see what she could do with a longer run.

Justice League of America #60 - **1/2

What an odd issue. It's actually stronger than most of the recent Eclipso issues, but it's still very strange. Essentially, it's all the Justice League members sitting around a table discussing why they're leaving the League. Dick Grayson is preparing to hand the cowl back over to Bruce and wants to get back to his old life. Supergirl wants to try being human for a while - that or exploring space. Donna Troy isn't sure she wants to be a hero anymore. Congorilla has a mission to accomplish for his late friend Freedom Beast. Starman is still recovering from an injury dealt by Eclipso. Jade has to help her father in his city on the moon. And Jesse Quick is pregnant. Months have passed, and the best part of the issue is some of the glimpses of adventures we see them have in that missing time. While the issue was somewhat interesting, I can't help but feel the whole run would have been a lot better if we saw the Saturn-Thanagar war, or the Battle for Gemworld, instead of spending six months on the Omega Man.

Titans #38 - ***1/2

This is a title that's really found its footing towards the end of its run. Eric Wallace has developed a good handle on most of his characters, with the exception of Osiris (who is probably irredeemable) and Cinder (who feels irrelevant to the run as a whole). This issue, a civil war erupts within the team as to the fate of the Methuselah project, and those opposing its use go up against those determined to save their dead loved ones. Roy manages to take on Deathstroke, free Jericho, and destroy the project before taking control of this squad of renegade Titans. It's obvious that the point of this issue is to get Roy in a better place for his role as an anti-hero in Red Hood and the Outlaws (although that will be a different Roy), and it works, if it's a bit rushed. There's also a touching tribute to the life of Ryan Choi, which is a bit odd since Ryan's alive again in two weeks and the guy giving his eulogy is nowhere to be seen. The best part was probably the ending, as Deathstroke assesses his losses and prepares for a major comeback.

Legion of Super-Heroes #16 - ***1/2

Paul Levitz brings his current run on Legion to a satisfying close with this final battle against Saturn Queen, and the mysterious Oan enemy joining her. From the cover, it's clear that this issue isn't going to end well for someone. The problem is, it's obvious who that someone is from page one. Earth-Man, shifted into the background recently, takes on the role as the big damn hero rallying the troops, absorbs enough energy to defeat the villains, and then expires. It's been a long, strange journey from his first appearance in Johns' Action years ago, but Levitz actually managed to redeem him. Mon-El resigns from the Corps, and Shadow Lass grieves the death of Earth Man alone, while the Legion are apparently named the successors to the Green Lantern Corps. Not a bad finish, and I'm glad Levitz gets to continue his story next month. Looking forward to a fresh start for this title.

Power Girl #27 - ***

Matt Sturges and Hendry Prasetya wrap up Power Girl's solo series with a done-in-one story involving three villains giving Power Girl an impossible task - three attacks, coordinated at the same time. Dozens of old people about to be murdered at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a little girl about to be drowned by Typhoon in a Vietnamese fishing village, and Cyclone with a gun to her head. Power Girl solves this by rescuing Cyclone, deputizing her, and saving the other two all within a minute. It's impressive, except for the fact that it reads as well longer than a minute, and I never thought Power Girl was anywhere near as fast as that. It's not a bad issue by any stretch, but there's some glaring flaws that don't let it reach the level of Sturges' last Power Girl issue, which was a lot of fun. Still, for someone looking to say goodbye to the character, you could do worse.

Zatanna #16 - ****

Adam Beechen and Victor Ibanez are the team to close out Zatanna's solo series, and I was very pleased to see Beechen actually put a lot of thought into this issue. He goes back to his years-old Robin run to find a final adversary for a very tired Zatanna who just wants a good night's sleep. That adversary is Uriah of Limbo Town, a mad little boy who was an opponent of Klarion and Robin back in the day. Now he wants to be Zatanna's apprentice, but when she turns him down, he decides to ransack her house and steal a powerful book of maps that opens the door to every dimension in the universe. From there it's a mad chase through the multiverse and beyond, as Zatanna tries to stop Uriah before he unravels time and space. It's a very fun look at Zatanna's world, from her mummy bodyguard to the land of the Gargantuans, and I recommend it to any fans of the series.

Bonus Reviews:

Superman/Batman #87 - ****1/2

It's a shame this title is ending, because it is relevant for the first time in almost 60 issues. Joshua Hale Fialkov has an amazing handle on Batman and a surprisingly good handle on Superman for such a noir-ish writer, and he'll be writing one of them regularly sooner rather than later. The opening segment, which has Clark Kent desperately trying to preserve his secret identity while under attack from the Joker, covers an element of Clark's life that we don't see too often. The confrontation with the corrupt editor of the Gotham Star is also very well done and rather timely, and Batman manages to sum up the differences between Superman and Batman perfectly. I was blown away by this storyarc, somewhat irregular art aside, and I really wish Fialkov had gotten his run on this title earlier. He should be launching a new #1 next month, but failing that, pick up I, Vampire! Show DC we want more from this guy!

Tiny Titans #43 - ***

This issue didn't have as many good gags as other issues - Really, it's all about the Titans kids getting new costumes that don't quite work. There are a few fun reboot jokes, and the segment with Jor-El and the Phantom Zone criminals was pretty funny, albeit random. The randomness was jacked up more than usual. I don't find the cows particularly funny, but I was glad to see more of tiny Cass Cain. And the world needs much more of Tiny Miss Martian.

DC Universe Online Legends #14 - **1/2

I know this is just a random out-of-continuity series, but still, if you're going to have a shocking ending to an issue - like, say, killing Lois Lane - you probably shouldn't post it on the front cover. The issue has Superman out of control, with the Justice League trying to stop him. They manage to restrain him in a two-level GL construct, but Hal has to leave on GL business conveniently, and Superman gets out. Lois tries to calm him down, but Clark's powers go haywire and he heat-visions her to death, apparently. Geez, this is a depressing world. When are we getting back to the future again?

DC Retroactive 1990s: Batman #1 - ****

Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle handle both stories here. The original story is pretty damn good - a spooky tale involving the Ventriloquist (recently sprung on bail), a thug with a pregnant wife trying to go straight, and a recently deceased mob victim revived as a zombie out for revenge. It's a very fast-paced story, and doesn't feel retro at all. Grant and Breyfogle are a great team, and I wish they had gotten to use their best creation, Anarky in this story as well. The backup feature, "Trash" is a dark story involving a turf war between two competing garbage services, and the young boy caught in the middle. While it starts strong, the ending is just so depressing and nihilistic it ends the issue on a downer note.

DC Retroactive 1990s: The Flash #1 - ***

Overall, I feel like the Flash Retroactive specials have probably been the weakest so far. Wally West fans will be pleased to see tales from his golden era here, as Brian Augustyn and Mike Bowden tell a lost story in the aftermath of Wally's "Death" at the hands of Cobalt Blue. Wally, traveling through the timestream, finds himself in a magical Arabian city helping a beautiful sand sorceress fight a giant sandstorm monster. It's a slight story, but fast-paced an enjoyable. The backup, by Mark Millar and Pop Mahn, was a pretty bad choice because it ends on a hell of a cliffhanger with no next issue coming. This issue introduces the concept of the Black Flash, and apparently kills off Wally's girlfriend Linda. There were a few good Flash family scenes sprinkled throughout, but otherwise it's a bit too dense and continuity-heavy to make a good choice.

DC Retroactive 1990s: Wonder Woman #1 - ****

A duo of very strong stories from the great William Messner-Loebs. The opening original story, by Lee Moder, is a fun way to see Diana as a more human character, as she mentors a group of out-of-shape, pampered city girls and teaches them how to be Amazons. There's some really funny scenes in here, such as the time Diana tries to bond with them over their interests and fails miserably, and while the "girl power" message is a bit heavy-handed, it's a fun, light story that the character could use more of. The backup, by Messner-Loebs and Paris Cullins, finds Diana embarking on a high-risk mission to rescue a Russian female Astronaut lost in space, and also does a good job of showing Diana's character. Hell, if Azz doesn't work out, I wouldn't mind seeing Messner-Loebs get another shot at Diana. He's still got it.

[Matthew Brown]

Seriously, ouch. It's been days and I still can't believe how dark those pages came out in print.

[OzMan]

I bought some of the 80's Retro stuff, it's been okay, I really am enjoying Frankenstein (although it still seems like a BPRD knockoff).
I am going to miss Red Robin very much. I know he's going to be in the Teen Titan's Relaunch, but I'll miss his solo book.

[Ray G.]

Holy shit, this has been a slow day.

[Ryudo]

Watching the 2011 Thundercats. Late to the game but I kinda like it.

[Ray G.]

11 minutes to go, and we are at $5,670 on Kickstarter. And finally, a Greenberg award taken!