Pandemic Comics #12 “April 28, 2020”

So let’s end “Pandemic Comics” where it began, with a shipment from Midtown Comics.

One of the big geek stories to come out of the pandemic was DC’s decision to break from the distribution model the medium has used for the past quarter century and essentially ship its own comics rather than use a middle man. It was hugely controversial, but it happened and I figured there was no way I wasn’t going to be a part of this, so of course I ordered some of the results from Midtown, one of the unofficial replacement distributors. I guess Midtown was so eager for participation in the experiment they decided to chip in a free comic with these orders. Cool beans! The insane thing is that fans seem to have forgotten one of the principle features of this medium is the necessary evil of the collectors market. There have been people arguing that comics never had to take a break because they could have just gone digital, and...that’s the kind of myopic self-interest you can see anywhere, really, but still funny to see argued. The comics DC shipped for the week of April 28, 2020 are likely going to be big money in the collectors market. That’s not necessarily why I got some, since I’ve never participated in the medium this way (the shop in town I frequent most irritates me because it seems to think, and perhaps even function, as a collectors market first and foremost), but it seemed like an interesting prospect on the belief that no one was viewing it that way. I only ended up getting two comics from the releases, padding out the order with a few other purchases, but in the short-term they were rewarding (reading) experiences, so on that score I already feel vindicated, since I probably would never have read them otherwise. Anyway, read on:

Batman #89
One of the selections, a third printing of Punchline’s cameo debut. This is the first time I’ve read James Tynion IV’s Batman. Anyone who’s familiar with my recent comic book tastes knows I’m a Tom King guy. I didn’t decide to skip out on further Batman because of Tynion, but because it was always going to be difficult, in my eyes, to replace King. A lot of fans were clamoring for this, wanting to end the difficult reading experience that was King’s run. If I had reservations for Tynion, it was that he appeared to be as opposite of King as DC could possibly get. I had read a little of his Detective Comics, so I knew what some fans were wild about (he had basically taken the Batman Eternal approach, the Batman family approach), but again, I didn’t see how that could possibly satisfy me after everything King had done. Plus, I always saw Tynion as a Scott Snyder minion, Scott Snyder Lite.

Well, I was wrong. I actually really enjoyed the issue. Tynion alters his approach. It’s no King, but it’s not Snyder either. At this stage I would say maybe somewhere in between? He tosses villains new and familiar at Batman. Where Snyder never really seemed to see Batman in the iconic sense, the mythical “can rise to any challenge” Batman, Tynion sees his Batman, as he approaches the challenge of the Designer, as a challenge. And again, where Snyder constantly saw Batman as not up to the challenge, Tynion looks like he’s approaching Designer as a Moriarty, a worthy opponent. King frustrated fans, I think, most in that he heavily favored misdirection, where every expectation either felt inevitable or followed a logic King either waited to explain for later or felt like a disappointment after massive buildup. In short, you were invested or you weren’t. And this Tynion approach is fresh all over. And I look forward to reading more.

Bloodshot Reborn #2
This was the freebie, something I’d read previously, but didn’t mind revisiting, from Jeff Lemire, Bloodshot having previously purged himself of the nanites that had given him his powers, but realizing it wasn’t as good an idea as it had seemed. This was, at least for me, the best time to be a Bloodshot fan, and why I will be interested in watching the Bloodshot movie regardless of how it did in theaters earlier this year (when theaters were actually open, earlier this year). Valiant may not know how to keep the ball rolling indefinitely (its modular approach worked well short-term, but it resulted in short-term memories all around; there’s no reason why Valiant shouldn’t be flooding the market with the evergreen material it’s already produced, but with no momentum there’s no memory and therefore no way to keep the memories going), but that’s no excuse. I’m a Bloodshot guy.

The Multiversity: Pax Americana
I was trying to order the whole collection (and ended up doing so elsewhere) but had to “settle” for Morrison’s critique of Watchmen, via the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund variant cover (thus contributing to it during the pandemic, which felt right). There’s a big deal among fans concerning the “rivalry” between Morrison and Moore, with Moore partisans convinced Morrison is a pathetic wannabe, even to this day, compared to Moore. This is the first time I’ve revisited Pax Americana since its original publication. Morrison & Quitely obviously have a lot of fun commenting on Watchmen’s legacy, but I remain convinced that Morrison’s perspective is correct, that Moore was ultimately myopic in his conclusions, but Moore’s conclusions affirm where his career ultimately headed, and Morrison’s where his have led. And this might be the least controversial conclusion to be found.

Robin: 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular 
Now I’ve read the Action Comics, the Detective Comics, the Flash, the Wonder Woman, and even the Marvel Comics anniversary specials, and finally this one. And Robin’s, I think, is the most rewarding. The special is completely in my wheelhouse, celebrating, most of all, the Robin era as I experienced it. Even though Marc Wolfman writes the first story, the art is from Tom Grummett, who embodies the iconic ‘90s moment when Robin finally starred in his own ongoing series. Chuck Dixon & Scott McDaniel reunite! The Grayson team reunited! Even Adam Beecher & Freddie Williams reunite! The whole thing is, well, spectacular. The only thing missing is new Patrick Gleason material (they were able to include a vintage Batman and Robin cover); Frank Miller and Carrie Kelley similarly only appear via a pinup, but I guess that’s okay. Gleason recently left DC after about a decade. It’s not surprising he didn’t return for this. Still remains the definitive Damian artist. The special was published after I’d made my previous Midtown purchases, but just before the lockdowns began, so I hadn’t had a chance to read it before. But there was no chance I wouldn’t include it in another order. Very glad I did so!

The Sandman Universe: The Dreaming #20
As it turns out, an entirely faithful account of the inner workings of the Dreaming from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Not the expansive storytelling model that was Neil Gaiman’s Sandman as a whole (but so little else is, much less Gaiman’s other material itself), but rewarding all the same, and apparently the final issue of this particular run. This was the other 4/28 release, original material, that I purchased. I was hesitant because the writer was Simon Spurrier, who in my only other experience with him to date (X-Club, from like ten years ago) came off as an insufferable hack. Here he came off much better! So I’m glad I gave myself the chance.

Pandemic Comics #9 “Ronin, and Team Sports!”

More comics from the Mile High mystery boxes! (Shocked myself when I realized there are only two more batches to go through after this one! Time flies!)

Outsiders #46
“Pay As You Go,” an arc I somewhat remember, at least certainly the title, apparently dealing with the fallout, at least as of this issue, of Black Lightning being a part of President Luthor’s cabinet, now locked up at Iron Heights and requiring extraction. This incarnation of the team included his daughter, so yeah, there are a few passionate advocates for getting that done, although some of them, being superheroes, think it’s a bad idea. Pretty sure this was the end of this particular incarnation. The Outsiders in general have a somewhat nebulous history, periodically reverting back to Batman’s Personal Team, as it was in the ‘80s. Otherwise no one’s really managed to nail down what exactly makes them relevant. Seldom actually composed of “outsiders,” though leaning into that would be...relevant?

Outsiders: Five of a Kind - Metamorpho and Aquaman
Didn’t notice when I was unpacking the boxes that this was written by G. Willow Wilson, who at this point in history was still known mostly for the graphic novel Cairo and Vertigo series Air, which only an obscure chap named Tony Laplume thought was brilliant. This one-shot leading to the next iteration of Outsiders allows Wilson, perhaps, to lean into her Muslim faith for the first time, although she needs a supporting character to do so, as neither Metamorpho nor this incarnation of Aquaman (who was quickly tossed to the scrap heap of history) can help out with that. I was reading these one-shots, and invested in that Aquaman, at the time, so there’s a chance this is a second read. But I experienced it as a first. This time more interested in Metamorpho, at any rate.

The Power Company #2
Kurt Busiek definitely wrote this more as a Marvel book than as a DC book, which might explain why it vanished so quickly (but as a rule, most modern new concepts go that way). Better appreciated, by me, for the Tom Grummett art. Grummett was a ‘90s Superman staple, but ended up being more closely associated with Superboy specifically, and in recent years has continued working with Superboy collaborator Karl Kesel, which I’m always happy to be reminded.

Robin #166
Sort of the awkward period where Tim Drake’s solo adventures had reached their zenith and no one wanted to admit it.

Ronin #1
Ah! One of the Frank Miller projects that used to be heavily touted! But eventually fell out of favor once Miller became best known for Daredevil, Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, 300, and fans hating him trying to do more with Dark Knight Returns! DC has long been very good at “evergreens,” keeping their celebrated and best work in print, probably something that sprang from ensuring Watchmen stayed in print. For the longest time Ronin was kept in print, too, and celebrated equally among Miller’s other achievements. I don’t know if it was the backlash alone to Miller’s later work that took it off the slate, or that it became harder to categorize, as it wasn’t part of the DC landscape nor connected to Vertigo nor a superhero tale in general, or DC just got caught up trying to redeem Miller’s reputation by fishing for a Dark Knight Returns sequel fans didn’t actively hate and legitimately forgot about Ronin, but forgot it was. And I never got around to reading it, nor getting any real idea of what it was.

Well, now I’ve read this first installment. As the title suggests, it’s heavily relevant to the Daredevil portions of Miller’s legacy, and the art style, since this began in 1983, looks more like his Daredevil than his later work (fans are always saying how his work degenerated over the years, but it was clearly always changing). And the story weaves between a past and a future, linked by a magic sword and two warriors locked in mortal combat (if this were a podcast I would be playing the theme song to a certain video game/movie right now). And it’s very interesting! And absolutely does not deserve to be forgotten. At some point I will read the rest of it. Miller’s a treasure through and through. The back cover includes praise from Klaus Jansen, Walt Simonson, and Will Eisner, all of whom champion Miller’s innovative instincts, an emerging master of the craft. That’s exactly how it began, folks. Eisner’s endorsement is probably the most significant, and out of everyone Miller probably came to see him in particular as his peer. And rightfully so. I later read a book of conversations between them. Priceless history and insight.

Seven Soldiers of Victory #1
The conclusion of Grant Morrison’s innovative modular team book, which in hindsight might even be considered a template of the MCU; both are composed of individual spotlights converging on limited team experiences. Morrison’s imagination can be overwhelming; it’s in full epic scale here, and I’m almost ashamed to admit I haven’t always been able to remember how great it is. I became a fan of Morrison only with JLA, and somehow found it easy to walk away from him as I did comics in general at the turn of the millennium. I knew all about the wild expectations for his New X-Men, which Marvel expected only to duplicate his JLA, but ended up being...more ambitious. The moment Morrison left Marvel gleefully deconstructed everything he’d accomplished. And I never felt overly compelled at the time to see what was happening. It wasn’t until Seven Soldiers happened that I became interested in Morrison again. A lot of fans were baffled by the whole thing. Morrison himself saw it as his take on Jack Kirby’s approach to the New Gods, multiple series presenting multiple viewpoints on the same general landscape. But Kirby’s New Gods famously got cut off before he could reach an ending, and creators (including Kirby himself at one point) have been chasing that ever since. In some respects Seven Soldiers was Morrison’s dry run at his own attempt, Final Crisis, safely obscured in the Mister Miracle material by the many other moving parts around it, but in hindsight it’s pretty obvious. But I don’t think Morrison has allowed himself to be this wild since, even with Multiversity, which is as much a shame as what happened to Kirby’s New Gods. But Morrison, at least, still has plenty of time and opportunity...

Shadowpact #2
Shadowpact #7
Funny how time can change things. I enjoyed reading this series at the time, but find now that it’s virtually impossible to get back into.

Pandemic Comics #7 “Justice Leagues”

More comics from the Mile High mystery boxes! Apparently today is National Superhero Day? And apparently Marvel began it? Well, the comics I’ll be talking about, ah, were all published by DC. But the pandemic is teaching us the real superheroes probably have very different costumes than we previously imagined, and masks look very different, too.

Harley Quinn #1
Here’s the “newest comic in the mystery boxes,” from Rebirth, featuring the creative team from the previous series (Marvel’s Constant Reboot Engine sees this happen more frequently) offers a quick recap of relevant information, including Harley’s huge collection of sidekicks. And yet in the spotlight: Deadpool Red Tool.  This was a shiny Mile High variant cover, by the way.

Hawkgirl #54 
As far as I know, this is the only time Hawkgirl had her own book. Of course, it began as Hawkman (where it was written by Geoff Johns) and this issue features the return of Hawkman (probably?). But the good news is it’s from legends Walt Simonson and Howard Chaykin, which is a combination and a series that stood out for me back in 2006, but for some reason never actually read. So, another mystery box that finally addresses one of my comic book sins...

icandy #1
I think it’s the title. Yeah, the title. It’s a terrible title. The comic itself turns out to be pretty good (I mean, it’s written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, the geek gods of that period), a concept that folds video games into a playable concept. I’m frankly shocked this hasn’t been done more, or more successfully. The last time I saw it was Heroes Reborn, which naturally was four seasons after the series was actually popular.

Ion #7 
A maxi-series starring Kyle Rayner post-Green Lantern: Rebirth (otherwise known as “Thanks, Torchbearer, you now get to join the Back-up Corps!), this is a fortuitous random issue, because it reunites Kyle with Radu, the coffee shop owner who was a signature element of Kyle’s early days as a Green Lantern. Ion was a concept they fobbed on Kyle as a consolation prize, before it was replaced by his becoming White Lantern, before he became, well, just another Green Lantern...At the time, I guess, I was still annoyed that “my Green Lantern” had been “kicked to the curb” (which happens to literally every Green Lantern not named Hal Jordan eventually), and so couldn’t properly appreciate Ion. Now it seems like correcting that amounts to another of my comic book sins...

Justice League America #61
The first appearance of Bloodwynd! And, ah, Dan Jurgens takes over the series! In hindsight, Weapons Master really doesn’t seem like that big a challenge. Prometheus was basically an upgraded version only a handful of years later, and even he quickly got turned into a chump. Lesson, villains? Don’t put all your eggs in a fancy gimmick giving you special weapons. Because the weapons can be, well, taken away...

Justice League Task Force #2
This particular Justice League series from the ‘90s will always be the most thankless. Literally its biggest claim to fame is an issue of “Knightfall: The Crusade,” with Crippled Bruce Wayne. This issue is kind of ironic in hindsight: Nightwing looks like a chump while desperately trying to prove he isn’t just a former Teen Titan and/or Batman’s sidekick. If Dan DiDio caught this issue, it might explain why he used to think Nightwing was superfluous...

JLA/WildC.A.T.s
This was a really nice surprise! From the Grant Morrison era, written by Morrison, and featuring Electric Superman (what a snapshot!), something I think I’ve read before, but I guess never really considered that significant. But it is a great little snapshot. But the name of Jim Lee’s big superhero team still sucks, at least as far as incorporating one of the most convoluted acronyms from a whole history of convoluted acronyms in comics...

JLA #79 
It’s always great to remember just how long and varied Doug Mahnke’s history at DC alone is (dude’s also the co-creator of The Mask!), and he’s as easy a talent to revisit for that reason alone as there’s ever been. His art, at least during his DC tenure, has been remarkably consistent, though endlessly adaptable...Hopefully will get a spotlight collection at some point.

Reading Comics 240 "Batman #85, Doomsday Clock #12, and more"

Because there were a few comics I had to read at the end of the year, I put in another order at Midtown, and this is what I got:

Batman Annual #2 (DC)

This isn’t the issue I was aiming for, but it was nice to revisit all the same, as it demonstrates Tom King’s lyrical grace, a quality that seemed to have eluded many of his readers, or at least his many critics.  But if something like this escapes them, I suppose it doesn’t matter whether or not they approve.  At the end is a coda for King’s whole conception of Batman, and Catwoman, and it is beautiful.

Batman #85 (DC)

Here’s King’s grand finale, which splits time between defeating Thomas Wayne/Flashpoint Batman, and tying everything up, how the whole thing flowed from Batman’s theory of a “good death” at the start of King’s run, how he finally reconciled the death of his parents and what that meant about the existence of Batman, and his continued existence, and how his relationship with Catwoman confirms all of it.  I think it’s brilliant, but then I think just about everything Tom King does is brilliant.  He has no contemporary equal.  He may in fact be the best superhero comics writer ever.  And he has set the bar very high indeed.

Batman: Last Knight on Earth #3 (DC)

A Batman finale of a different order, this is Scott Snyder and Greg Capulo’s farewell.  As I was reading it, it suddenly occurred to me that if there’s any logic Snyder has followed all these years, it’s probably Dan Jurgens’.  Dan is famously the guy who in the final analysis is responsible for the death of Superman.  He further contributed to DC ‘90s lore with Zero Hour, an event that’s frequently overlooked but is probably one of the greatest event comics ever written, a “Crisis in Time” that expanded on Hal Jordan’s fall from grace to truly epic proportions and offered a plausible reshaping of continuity that hit a very soft reset button.  But Jurgens more often writes his superheroes in broader strokes.  His ideas are seldom as grounded in grace as his best stories (sort of like Mark Waid), and so he’s kind of easy to dismiss as the comics great that he ultimately is, at his best.  Snyder, meanwhile, has so often leaned on the assistance of cowriters it’s probably easy to forget that he has relied so often on them, when his legacy has shrunk to the “one great thing to come out of the New 52.”  He needs someone to temper his crazier instincts.  He’s the kind of writer who looks at the examples other writers have set, and considered only that they look like the most outrageous thing that could’ve been done, and so what he needs to do is the most outrageous thing he can come up with, and the logic will explain itself.  And his ideas are sound, but the execution always beggars the imagination of the reader more than convincingly tells a story.  His big finale, as he seemed to decide after coming up with the Court of Owls in his original Batman comics, centers around Batman’s relationship with the Joker.  As far as the Joker is concerned, everything he has ever done was meant to make Batman the best he could be.  But I don’t think Batman would ever be comfortable with that assessment, even in a scenario where he’s confronted with a version of himself that’s the worst he could be (and even there, Snyder doesn’t adequately account for how Batman could end up wanting to take over the whole world; that’s a story that would contrast Batman with Lex Luthor, not himself, much less Joker) (and while we’re on the subject, Snyder really, really missed a trick with his current projects when he called his upgraded Luthor “Apex Lex,” when, since the rhyme is already there, the logic clearly dictates calling him “Apex Luthor).  As far as Snyder’s own logic goes, I suppose this is as appropriate a finale as he could’ve envisioned.  This isn’t what I thought the original cloning concept he introduced way back in Detective Comics #27 (the New 52 edition), but at least he did something with it.

Doomsday Clock #12 (DC)

The second grand finale I wanted to catch (the above Snyder was merely incidental, not something I had intended to go out of my way to catch), or at least read for myself, since I had allowed the internet to spoil it for me.  Naturally, the internet was most interested in Geoff Johns outlining the theoretical future of DC lore.  I don’t think anyone at DC seriously expects this material to be followed (considering one of the stories referenced is apparently another crossover with Marvel, a situation always fraught with complications, as the long development of JLA/Avengers proved).  The sentiment itself represents the central thesis that DC follows Superman, that wherever he goes, his new continuity is the foundation of DC’s new continuity, even going so far as to suggest that if comics are still being made in 3020, a thousand years from now, the age of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman’s origin will take place then, and continuity will resettle around him once again, even though the Legion took its inspiration from the exploits of Superboy a thousand years earlier.  I think the whole project is justified.  It gives Doctor Manhattan a far more satisfying arc than he got in Watchmen (although I think Zack Snyder corrected that in his movie, too), removing the cynicism of Alan Moore himself and allowing a man who can see everything (except his ultimate fate) to adequately comprehend it, given the opportunity to make a decision, or in this instance, rethink a decision.  Which may also have been the point.

Family Tree #2 (Image)

I wanted to have a look at this latest Jeff Lemire project.  The guy is the most prolific creator in comics!  The art is from Phil Hester, whom I always love to see pop up with new work.  A fine variation on familiar Lemire themes.

Flash Forward #4 (DC)

I had already read what happened in this one, too, but wanted a chance to experience it for myself: Wally West meets Lightspeed, Linda Park!  But, of course, a Linda Park from an alternate reality, and who doesn’t particularly care what a counterpart made of Wally.  But the comic is also toying with Wally reuniting with his kids, which is something I’ve become much more fond of in the years since Mark Waid first introduced them in his return to Wally’s adventures, which were sort of a soft launch of the Tomasi/Gleason Superman, which wasn’t as good as their Batman & Robin, but still well worth existing.  And I think most fans will agree, if Wally is back, his whole family ought to get to join him, too.  Hopefully this comic has a truly happy ending.

Incoming! (Marvel)

Basically a tour of the current Marvel landscape, another visit with the Masked Raider (I don’t know if this guy, that name, and his gunslinging costume, is destined for greatness, but he’s nice to hang these stories on), and the push for the upcoming Kree/Skrull invasion of Earth!  The movies are probably headed somewhere in that direction, too, so it’s nice for the comics to get there first, for a change (a lot of recent comics belatedly obsessed over Thanos, which seemed way too obvious at that point), picking up where a famous, but forgotten-except-by-diehards-because-Marvel-can’t-keep-its-defining-stories-in-print Avengers epic left off way back in the ‘70s (or ‘60s? but I think ‘70s).  And central to all this?  My 2005 inner Marvel nerd is excited that it’s characters from Young Avengers! 

Invisible Kingdom #8 (Dark Horse)

Lately I’ve been feeling kind of bad about not caring that G. Willow Wilson has enjoyed so much success in recent years, since Air was such a favorite of mine from when nobody else cared, so I checked out an issue of this project.  It’s okay. 

Joker: Killer Smile #2 (DC)

Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino once again reunite for a tale of a psychiatrist’s descent into madness when he believes he can figure out the Clown Prince.  A bit obvious, but a sort of welcome companion to Lemire’s brilliant Moon Knight.

Klaus: The Life & Times of Joe Christmas (Boom!)

I haven’t had much luck reading the annual Christmas follow-ups to Grant Morrison and Dan Mora’s original Klaus, so I was pleased to order (because as I’ve come to understand, I just won’t be able to find it in an actual comics shop) the latest.  This one’s sort of in the model of a calendar, which counts up from December 1 and ends on the 25^th.  And there is no dialogue, only a chronicle of the life and adventures of Joe Christmas, who sort of becomes Klaus’s sidekick.  I almost choked up when I realized the cat had died.  Great comic.  Might singlehandedly justify Morrison’s whole concept of making Santa Claus a superhero.  Years from now someone could write a whole series around Joe Christmas based on this one comic, or maybe they could base a movie on it.  (Hint hint.)

The Old Guard: Force Multiplied #1 (Image)

I read the original miniseries in trade paperback at the library, and was immediately smitten, so I was extremely glad to discover this follow-up.  Perhaps moreso than the story itself is value of the Greg Rucka essay at the end detailing his thoughts about the origins and emerging legacy of Old Guard, including an upcoming Netflix movie version.  I’m glad things are working out this way.

The Amazing Spider-Man #36 (Marvel)

I was suckered into buying this issue because the solicitation listed Pat Gleason as the artist.  He was not.  But I subsequently picked up a slightly earlier issue, and he was. 

Superman Smashes the Klan #2 (DC)

Gene Luen Yang writes perhaps his most important Superman and/or DC comic, at last, detailing a group of kids’ experiences with Superman as he, well, battles the Klan, centering around a Chinese perspective, not in the way Hollywood has been catering to the massive Chinese market in recent years, but because Yang has more immediate ties, the kind that stretch across American history.  We tend to forget, except for all that Chinese food that was actually invented in America, how long the Chinese have been here, and how complicated their lives have been here.  Thankfully Yang is here to help fill in the gaps.  Included is an essay detailing Superman history that’s both familiar and also relevant to Yang’s perspective and intentions.

Reading Comics 231 "Midtown Comics"

I had a bad habit of spending money I didn’t have, a decade ago, ordering comics from Midtown.  When I placed my most recent order, it was money I did have, so it was a fine thing to revisit the old habit.  Here’s what I got:

Doomsday Clock #11 (DC)

The penultimate issue, leading to the much-anticipated encounter between Superman and Doctor Manhattan, lays out what exactly Geoff Johns was doing all along, including finally explaining what Saturn Girl has been doing in the Rebirth era (somewhat ironically, for her).  This is probably some of the best stuff Johns has ever written.

The Green Lantern #11 (DC)

Back when I was at my blogging height, I collected a number of blogs I thought would be worth reading on a regular basis, but more often than not I was wrong.  One of them is a comics blog that has continued to review new comics every week, and…I just don’t give a wit about the guy’s opinions.  He seems positively allergic to any real ambition in comics.  So: he doesn’t like Grant Morrison’s Green Lantern.  I think you have to be an idiot not to like a Morrison comic, especially when he’s obviously applying himself and having a great old time.  And he’s clearly doing exactly that in this comic.  And in this issue alone, he does what no one since Geoff Johns has really been able to nail and that’s introduce another forgotten element of Green Lantern lore, and it doesn’t hurt that he deliberately draws on Don Quixote to do it (this has sort of been my Year of Don Quixote).  Anyway, while I don’t love everything Grant Morrison has ever done, this whole run is going to sit very proudly alongside my collection of his works.

Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #1 (DC)

Wow.  So, Brian Michael Bendis, folks.  The dude has been a tireless creative dynamo since coming to work for DC, not just with the creator-owned material he either brought with him or began, but the stuff he’s been imagining with familiar characters, and everything fans expected him to do, he just keeps coming up with curveballs.  This comic, for instance, actually centers on Rose & Thorn, a concept I came across in ‘90s Superman comics, but which Bendis makes his own, brilliantly.  Now I want to read a comic based on her, forget about the returning Legion!  But I’ll take the Legion, too, because I’m pretty convinced that if anyone can pull off a relevant new Legion, it’s Bendis.  I’ve never enjoyed him as much as I am now.  I haven’t always been a fan, per say, but I’ve enjoyed him in the past.  But he’s operating on an entirely new level now.  It’s, dare I say, amazing…

Section Zero #6 (Image)

Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett are basically reprising their old Superboy comics, which to my mind is a very good thing, with this one.  I bought the Stuart Immonen variant cover, naturally.

Spawn #300 (Image)

I’m pretty sure the creator-owned landmark Spawn is matching this issue and passing with the next one is Cerebus, which was much-celebrated in times past but much-criticized today.  Now, given that there’re 300 issues of Spawn to be accounted for and maybe the first few years that most fans are actually going to remember, someone had the bright idea to reboot back to the continuity, basically, of those early years for this occasion.  It’s only just occurred to me that Spawn as a concept seems to have copy-and-posted almost directly from Venom, as far as being a symbiotic costume thing.  Todd McFarlane explains how he came up with the character in the ‘70s, obviously before Venom or the black Spider-Man costume ever existed, but I wonder how much of what ended up being Spawn was envisioned back in the day and how much when McFarlane went off to help found Image on the back of all the money he and his fellow pirate artists were making at the time.  In fact, reading (or sort of reading) those Demon Etrigan comics from Forbidden Geek sort of put Spawn further in perspective: He’s sort of exactly Venom, but envisioned by DC. 

Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath #1 (IDW)

I’m a fan of the series itself, so I didn’t mind revisiting it in comics form, and this comic is a good way to do so, and even harkens back to the best of IDW’s Star Trek comics.

Superman: Up in the Sky #3 (DC)

This is the comic book store reprint series of the Walmart Superman Giant material from Tom King and Andy Kubert, which I thought I’d get at least one issue of, calculating (correctly, as it happily turned out), that this one would feature the “controversial” installment featuring the many deaths of Lois Lane.  And rereading this material was as equally pleasurable as the first time, as I hoped, so that was also good to see.

Reading Comics 227 "Ascender, Heroes in Crisis, The Green Lantern, Batman, DCeased"

Ascender #1 (Image)
The sequel series to Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's robot saga Descender, has already been compared to and/or described as Star Wars.  I'm very glad to see the story continue.  At some point I figure I will add the complete collected editions to my library.  Among all the comics I've read from Lemire, it's my favorite.

Batman #70 (DC)
Tom King seems destined to anger and/or fascinate readers (see below!).  His most recent arc in the series featured a series of nightmares.  I've been adding every collected edition to my library, and have yet to be disappointed in reads or rereads.  I haven't read the complete nightmare sequence; that'll follow in the collected edition (see above!).  This issue sort of wraps it up and begins a new arc.  Batman marches on Arkham!

DCeased #1 (DC)
Tom Taylor, who had some excellent material in the most recent Batman collected edition (Tyrant Wing), and has been toiling away in digital-first comics for probably too long, finally gets to seize the spotlight in a comic I think has been wrongly characterized as the DC equivalent of Marvel Zombies.  But then, I haven't read Marvel Zombies and this is only the first issue of DCeased.  But I like what I see.  Besides Taylor, the coup here is art from Trevor Hairsine (Divinity).

The Green Lantern #7 (DC)
I've kind of officially become a trade-waiter.  I haven't made an effort to read an issue of this Grant Morrison comic (!!!) since the first one.  Issues like this are a surefire way to ensure I will get the trade.  Morrison spends most of it in a literary disposition as he casually rewrites Green Lantern ring lore.  Great issue.

Heroes in Crisis #8 (DC)

Well, it's official.  Wally West did it.  It's a Tom King comic, so of course it's controversial.  A website I follow posted a bad review, which I'm inclined to take with a grain of salt, as it's admittedly a Flash site, and of course Wally West was the Flash, at least solidly in the '90s (most famously in the Mark Waid run, and how Geoff Johns first made his name writing Flash comics before solidly redefining it with Flashpoint). 

Anyway, the site argued that King, who's made his career in comics drawing on his war experiences, somehow goofed the issue, which is clearly a PTSD story in an event comic about PTSD.  Another site I follow gave the issue a poor review claiming it definitely betrays King having altered his original plans for Heroes in Crisis, which does have a documented history of change (first solicited as Sanctuary and as seven rather than nine issues).

Clearly I disagree with these negative reviews.  I'm a fan of King, but I'm not a reader who uncritically accepts things.  Every new project (whether a new comic, or a book, or a movie, or music, etc.) has to justify itself.  Being a fan of a creator or franchise is merely a way to guarantee my interest. 

King's thought process is clearly spelled out in the issue.  He even goes back over ground he covered previously.  This issue is mostly about explaining exactly how Wally did it.  The Flash site claims the issue is a poor representation of PTSD.  I respectfully disagree.  I think everyone who suffers from it (or from anything) believes their suffering is unique.  That's Wally's perspective throughout the issue.  Believing a predicament is unique is intrinsic to human nature; believing any condition is unique is intrinsic to the species.  We're often entirely bound up in our egos.  But in pain it's worst, as we become despondent, and the pain only encourages itself to continue. 

Wally reaches a breaking point.  Interestingly, King actually explains it by expanding on Flash lore, the idea of the Speed Force and what it takes to use it, which has always been Wally's hallmark.  His ability to command the Speed Force became Waid's ticket to a series of great stories.  And yet, in his new circumstances Wally has been cut off from everything he once took for granted, the family Waid ultimately left him with.  Even Barry, his famous "Trial of the Flash," endured considerable mental torment (with or without the intervention of Eobard Thawne).  He loses control for a moment, and accidently kills a handful of heroes.

In panic, he deliberately takes more lives.  At this point it becomes a Parallax situation.  Parallax was the fear entity that took over Hal Jordan following the loss of Coast City.  A momentary lapse of willpower compromised Hal for years.  This is really no different.  A Wally already suffering makes a terrible decision.  That's it.

There's one more issue.  And, folks, this is comics.  Wally West will run again.  He will be a hero again.  And regardless, we have those great Waid stories.  Hopefully, if nothing else, Heroes in Crisis will lead readers to read them for the first time.  They're among the all-times great.  I've listed "The Return of Barry Allen" as my all-time favorite in the past.  One story can't change that.  Why in the world would it?  Could it? 

This would be one thing if King were just mucking around.  But King doesn't muck around.  He tells compelling stories, that challenge, that go well beyond the scope other comic book writers typically conceive.  Heroes in Crisis is no different.  Fans heaped praise on King for The Vision.  DC clearly expected that for Mister Miracle.  He delivered, regardless of fan response, and he has delivered again with Heroes in Crisis.  This guy's one of the all-time greats.

Reading Comics 224 "King is King, and Morrison's Green Lantern, and Orlando's Wonder Woman"

Batman Secret Files #1 (DC)
Back in the day the Secret Files comics were more or less updates of the old Who's Who files, and they were more or less excuses to hype upcoming events in a particular series or family of books.  They also contained short stories and other throwaway materials like diagrams and timelines, all of it fun little celebratory stuff.  But in the final analysis, you could probably skip them.  Some readers complained when they saw this updated take, which includes...nothing but storytelling.  Why even call it Secret Files?  But if I may...repurposing a title is perfectly fine, especially in an era that really doesn't have any other space for the kind of stories that appear in it.  It's like a one-shot Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, or Batman: Confidential. 

The lead is written by Tom King.  It can be interpreted as a cheap way to get Batman thinking about the past, or as another way King ruminates on the cumulative toll being of Batman.  Then a bunch of new creators have a shot at exploring Gotham, and that's pretty awesome.  Ram V and Jorge Fornes set the tone nicely with a Brubakeresque tale of a cop who was caught in the crossfire of Scarecrow's latest caper, and can't shake the effects of his fear gas.  Cheryl Lynn Eaton and Elena Casagrande offer fairly similar material, although they have a lot more space for Batman, and leave a lot more ambiguity to the aftereffects of a girl on the street being forced to defend herself with a gun.  Jordie Bellaire and Jill Thompson help Batman spend time with himself, waiting to find out what Man-Bat's up to, and for someone like Batman that's almost as bad as confronting Man-Bat right away...Finally, Tom Taylor and Brad Walker revisit Dark Night: Metal's take on Detective Chimp as Batman acknowledges his skills and they try to help a former Riddler goon.  It's a great collection of stories and showcase for these creators.  Anyone who's begun to wonder whether King's the only creator outside of Detective Comics DC's willing to entertain in Batman comics should definitely check it out. 

Batman #59 (DC)
After we learned that the Batwedding didn't happen thanks to Bane's manipulations, it was only a matter of time before Batman once again clashed with one of his most famous foes.  This issue, solicited as part of Batman's unlikely team-up with the Penguin, is really all about Bane driving a wedge between Batman and Commissioner Gordon by pretending to be a vegetative inmate of Arkham, and even allowing the ruse to reach the point where Batman himself questions his conclusions.  In the long run this will prove a highly crucial issue.  Mikel Janin's art has apparently reached an evolution, meanwhile.  He's begun taking on a more stylized approach as opposed to his cleaner look previously.

Green Lanterns #57 (DC)
The final issue of the series, Dan Jurgens completes a short run with another look at Cyborg Superman and whether or not his threat will ever be concluded, this time in the context of what he famously did during "Reign of the Supermen" to Coast City, and what effect that had on Hal Jordan.  But the series ends with Jessica Cruz deciding to once and for all leave her comfort zone, and Earth! 

The Green Lantern #1 (DC)
It's here!  Grant Morrison is now writing the adventures of Hal Jordan!  And of course, once again, he's managed to approach his subject as no one else has before!  After more than a decade of storytelling dominated by the big ideas of Geoff Johns, Morrison grounds Hal back in a more personal context.  In interviews he's described it as putting the focus on the effect Hal's life as Green Lantern has on him, which is something previous decades used to do all the time, how he went through a whole series of civilian jobs because he couldn't hold anything of them and have a power ring's responsibilities at the same time.  And also the mundane oddities of being a space cop!  Liam Sharp (I hate the composition of the cover image, which was available in poster form at the new location of Comics & Stuff, which I declined to accept on that basis, even though it would've otherwise been a great thing to celebrate on a wall) is great in the interiors, bringing a bright new vividness to Green Lantern.  All I can say is, wow!  Never expected this to happen, but am very, very pleased that it has, and that Morrison is clearly bringing all his celebrated wild imagination to it!

Heroes in Crisis #2 (DC)
A lot of fans have obsessed over the fact that Wally West died in the first issue.  I just don't know how to make sense of that.  Wally just returned.  He's been gone for years!  But...he just returned!  You really think he can't, I don't know, do that again?  Really?  But we live in outrage culture these days.  You really would think we'd never seen anything at all before.

Anyway, the idea of Booster Gold and Harley Quinn on the run, suspected of the massacre at Sanctuary, it's great, and it's a totally new story, and Booster and Harley are great choices as leads.  Booster hasn't truly been relevant since 52 (anyone with even a fleeting grasp of my favorite comics knows how much I love 52, of which you can find an annotated commentary right here at Thought Bubble Comics).  It's also crazy to think, and also funny that DC's event comics have slowed down so much, that since she became a significant corner of the DCU during the New 52 era, Harley has never been in this position before.  This is acknowledging the changing landscape.  This is helping legitimize Harley.  I get that there's a certain style of Harley storytelling that's been the standard over the years, but allowing her to be seen in different ways, in more dramatic ways, in an important step in solidifying Harley's legacy.

Mister Miracle #12 (DC)
The end of King's epic mini-series (I also picked up a Director's Cut of the first issue, a rereading of which helped me understand this final issue) makes clear that the story was always about Scott Free coming to grips with life, basically, as a war veteran.  It joins Omega Men and Sheriff of Babylon as a trilogy of King's experiences from the Iraq War, and as such an essential artifact of the modern era, in and outside of comics.  Some readers, for any number of reasons, are just not going to be able to appreciate that.  Fine.  Good for them.  Some of them are going to continue to look toward The Vision as King's definitive work, and Mister Miracle as a poor attempt to duplicate it for DC.  A lot of them only discovered King through Vision.  Having first encountered him as a solo creative voice in Omega Men, Vision for me was actually jarring, a slowed down version of what I already knew, impactful but at a scale that seemed small in comparison.  Over the years I've come to appreciate Vision more, and have of course read a lot more King, and if anything, Mister Miracle helps put it in greater context.  This is what he's been doing in the pages of Batman for three years.  Just imagine if he'd done only twelve issues! 

Nightwing #53 (DC)
What I liked about this latest installment of the amnesia saga was the cop who attempts to fill the Nightwing void.  It's become a full-blown tradition for impostor Nightwings to pop up! 

Adventures of the Super Sons #1-3 (DC)
With the dawn of Bendis Superman, Pete Tomasi was forced to vacate his space, and take his Superboy along with him, and also Robin, who he'd been bringing along since the last time he was asked to move on.  This time he leaves with a huge parting gift!  One grand adventure with Jon and Damian, and I think that's exactly the spirit of how he decided to approach this next generation World's Finest from the start.  And just like that, his Superman has officially acquired its final context, just in case anyone was still wondering.

Wonder Woman #51-52 (DC)
I've spent a lot of time at the library over the past year reading comics.  Most of them have been collected editions, but this particular branch also has a somewhat extensive collection of solo issues for Superman and Wonder Woman, which apparently began at the very end of the New 52, so that's how I ended up reading the majority of Tomasi's Superman, and how I eventually first read these two comics.  The first was the one I definitely wanted to own.  Steve Orlando's run is going to be more of a sprint, sandwiched between James Robinson and G. Willow Wilson, but as far as I'm concerned?  It's going to loom large.

#51 is great issue.  It's a one-shot in which Diana makes a series of trips across many years to visit a villain she randomly came across in someone else's story.  It's a redemption arc, as the villain struggles to find peace with what happened, and Diana's insistence on the visits.  It's a perfect encapsulation of what makes Diana different.  You can't really picture Batman doing this, and for all the Superman stories that have been created over the years, I'm fairly certain he's never done it, either.  Anyway, it was instantly one of my favorite comics of the year, and the reread confirmed that.

#52 is the start of an arc, and it features a new female Aztek, a character who debuted in the '90s, written by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, who eventually joined Morrison's JLA.  Kind of instantly became obscure, especially for having been a Justice Leaguer in an era where it was once again composed almost exclusively of all-stars.  But Aztek was always a great concept, and Orlando instantly grasps it.  He also brings in Artemis, who was recently part of Red Hood and the Outlaws, but who also comes from the '90s, the lesser known Wonder Woman replacement from a time when all the big characters were being replaced.  It feels like a big Wonder Woman story in ways that rarely happen, and it's also kind of a comic book version of the allies she assembles in the blockbuster movie.  Orlando's Wonder Woman will definitely be a collection I will add to my collection.

The Wrong Earth #3 (Ahoy)
Ahoy Comics launched to some amount of buzz in part thanks to landing a Grant Morrison prose backup feature.  The company's whole thing seems to be another of those "we're bringing comics back to how you remember them!" deals.  But these aren't comics as I want to read this.  The Wrong Earth reads like a shallow parody.  Nuff said.

Uncanny X-Men #1 (Marvel)
I haven't particularly cared about the X-Men since the Hope saga ended.  Of course I've never been a dedicated reader.  Still haven't even read Morrison's complete New X-Men!  So to say I've been part of the legion (heh) of observers who've been wondering if the X-Men were ever going to be relevant again, it doesn't carry the same weight as fans who've spent more time with them. But I wanted to see what this latest effort was going to be like.  I like Bishop being right there on the cover.  Ever since I came across him in the '90s I've always thought this was a character with at least equal potential as Cable.  Both of them were time-traveling mutants from dystopic futures, but Cable always hogged the spotlight.  A number of creators working in converging narratives come together to explain the latest mutant crisis, another drug threatening to take their abilities away.  But this time as a vaccine, that will prevent new mutants from ever knowing they were ever even mutants.

Now, this has a ton of storytelling potential.  A lot of fans accused Marvel in recent years of trying to replace the X-Men with the Inhumans, whose major recent story was the roving Terrigan mists that randomly created new Inhumans.  But this is something very different.  This isn't people being scared that they're going to be victimized.  This is a new twist on the familiar narrative of denying mutants a future.  There's apparently going to be another Age of Apocalypse style event following the "X-Men Disassembled" arc, and Marvel fans, who complain about everything Marvel does these days (we're a long, lone way off from the old Marvel zombies days, which conveniently now exist in cinematic form), are complaining that Marvel is just piling event after event.  But I suspect there's method to this madness, and I'd like to keep tabs on it.

Quarter Bin 116 "JLA"

JLA #8 (DC)
from August 1997

This is the setup to the Key revamp Grant Morrison pulled early in his run, but I remember it best for Green Arrow Connor Hawke's memorable statement: "Dad.  Oh, dad.  You're going to be the death of me."  He's referencing having to use his then-late father Oliver Queen's infamous trick arrows.  I used a similar line for a story I later wrote. It's just perfectly executed, and still one of the most memorable endings to any single issue I've ever read.  It's also worth noting the excellent art of Oscar Jimenez, which he seems incapable of delivering on an ongoing basis.  How about signing him up for a limited series, folks?  Also, worth noting that Morrison's Key uses tactics that are very similar to The Matrix, an irony, as Morrison's The Invisibles has long been said to be an unacknowledged source of inspiration for the movie.  I don't know Invisibles well enough to offer a judgment about that, but clearly Morrison was on the right wavelength somewhere...

JLA #14 (DC)
from January 1998

Yeah, so I mistakenly thought this was the "Darkseid Is" issue (it's on the cover an' everything!), but it's the one after it.  It's also "Part 5 of 6" in the "Rock of Ages" arc, but for all intents and purposes, is probably to be considered, along with its immediate predecessor, the best stuff in the arc.  It's Morrison's first crack at Darkseid.  C'mon!  He responds with possibly his best JlA material.  Howard Porter provides art.  It's crazy to think Porter, when JLA launched, was instantly considered an elite artist, but has never received another elite assignment.  What the Apokolips is up with that???

JLA #88 (DC)
from December 2003

Truth be told, after Morrison left the title, I didn't really see much point in trying to see what his successors were up to, despite the fact that there's a lot more non-Morrison JLA issues than ones he actually wrote.  This one's from Joe Kelly, who at the time was threatening to become one of DC's most important writers.  Instead he and a bunch of his pals went and did their own projects, not in the Image way, but bigger, arguably.  Anyway, I chose this issue because the cover promised a strong Martian Manhunter spotlight ("vs the Martian Manhunter! and J'onn Jonzz! and John Jones!"), but as it turns out, Plastic Man is the one who receives the best spotlight.  Plastic Man was Morrison's most outlandish addition to the League, so it's really good to see that his presence in the team wasn't overlooked or forgotten years after the fact.  Kelly spins some poignant material that segues nicely with the Offspring character Mark Waid envisioned as Plastic Man's son.  Waid apparently considers Offspring the best thing about The Kingdom.  You'd really think there would've been more with these two.  There's always the future...Also quite fun to see Doug Mahnke's work, as always.  He seems to have developed, by this point, more or less the style he still uses today.

Reading Comics 213 "Understanding 52 - Part 5"

52, the 2006-2007 series written by Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, and Mark Waid, with art breakdowns by Keith Giffen and covers by J.G. Jones, was instantly a favorite of mine as I read its weekly installments, and I recently completed a reread of the whole thing.  The following is the conclusion to a commentary, covering the fourth collected volume, including #40-52:

• #40 - Steel suits up in his armor to confront Lex Luthor once and for all, plus rescue his captive niece, Natasha Irons.  He brings with him a new contingent of Teen Titans, to confront the remnants of Infinity Inc.  He loses his armor before he even reaches Luthor, but that doesn't stop him.  Luthor believes his powers make Steel easy pickings, but Steel's hammer is encoded with a kind of off switch for Luthor's powers.  Steel emerges triumphant in their war.  The chaos in Kahndaq leaves Osiris to conclude in a conversation with Sobek that he's the one responsible for the country's ills.  He resolves to do something about it.  The artist is Chris Batista.  Giffen and editor Michael Siglain offer commentaries.  Giffen is surprised that Steel's arc climaxes so early; Siglain explains that the title of the issue is from the famous John Henry folk ballad that gave Steel, John Henry Irons, his name, and that Morrison pulled off one of his obscure references in the script concerning a "Planet Lexor."  For me, it's a defining moment of 52, as Steel had always been a favorite character of mine, but one that had never really gotten his moment to shine.  His fifty-two issues of a solo series in the previous decade had seen him marginalized after "Reign of the Supermen" (where he was equally neutralized), and even in Morrison's JLA, once he'd joined, he served little purpose as the team's Vulcan.  It wasn't until Natasha armored up when they'd returned as supporting players in the pages of early 2000s Superman comics that he was allowed to develop into a conventional superhero rather than a token black character who stuck around for a while.  Cyborg in Johns' Justice League later had the spotlight Steel hadn't had in JLA.  Morrison brought him back in his New 52 Action Comics run, which is the last time Steel has been seen.  Pitting him against Lex Luthor in the pages of 52 is tacit acknowledgment of Steel's true potential.  It's also Luthor's last major run in his classic role as a straight-up villain putting on a positive public image, something he'd already struggled against in the pages of The Final Night a decade earlier, and would reclaim later in a pre-New 52 Action Comics starring role and finally as a surprise member of Johns' Justice League. 
• #41 - Adam Strange  and Starfire struggle against a remnant of Lady Styx's horde.  Renee Montoya struggles in the aftermath of Charlie's death.  Richard Dragon forces her to confront what she's become.  Ralph Dibney reaches the end of his journey with the Helmet of Fate.  Montoya has a conversation with Wonder Woman in Nanda Parbat.  She asks Montoya, "Which will have greater rule over you...your fear...or your curiosity?"  Strange and Starfire rally each other's spirits.  They land on Mogo.  Giuseppe Camuncoli provides art.  Rucka and Siglain provide commentaries.  Rucka admits that the writers were beginning to face the prospect of figuring out how to give enough space to each arc before the end of the series.  He credits Waid with helping figure out Wonder Woman's appearance, this following his "embassy" era and before his Rebirth era return to the character, so Rucka certainly knows enough about her.  Siglain is clearly a guy who can dig as well as Morrison into the DC canon, as he demonstrates in his thoughts.
• #42 - Renee Montoya: "You're going to have to look.  And you want to.  You know you do.  Shine the light into the dark corners.  Gaze into your self-made abyss.  See what stares back.  Don't be scared.  That's right, that's it...Just open your eyes...What do you see?  Good question."  Ralph Dibney's arc concludes as he reveals, like Booster and Skeets before him, his actions this whole time were an elaborate conceit.  Turns out Fate was really Felix Faust all along, attempting to trick Dibney into giving up a pure soul Faust needed for a bargain with the demon Neron.  The gun?  A wishing gun.  The stuff in the flash?  Gingold, what Dibney used to use to stretch as Elongated Man.  He gladly sacrifices himself to trap Faust with his Faustian deal, trapped with Neron for eternity...Fire, whom we've seen in glimpses throughout the series, is there to give Dibney a proper hero's farewell at his grave.  Darick Robertson provides the art.  Dan DiDio provides commentary, explaining how he asked Giffen to rework Dibney's death after the writers had finished their effort, a risky editorial move that sheds further light into the delicate creative process.
• #43 - Osiris and Sobek visit the Rock of Eternity and the Marvel Family, Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Junior and Mary Marvel.  Black Adam and Isis arrive.  They argue over Osiris's contention that his powers are a curse.  Osiris becomes increasingly belligerent, but eventually claims he's reconsidered his conclusions.  The aliens who originally gave Animal Man his powers complete his revival.  He comes with increased awareness of his abilities.  Lady Styx is reborn.  Sobek is revealed as a double agent.  Osiris gives up his powers, and his talking crocodile friend...eats him.  Dan Jurgens provides art.  Johns provides commentary, explaining how Black Adam's arc in 52 developed in its conception, and how Giffen, who never liked Osiris, helped make his death more impactful.  Of course he would.  It's ironic that Jurgens, who had become an archetypical superhero artist a decade earlier, and who gets to feature his Superman style with Captain Marvel and related characters this issue, also does the honors for what seems like the most unlikely Dan Jurgens sequence ever, the grim death of Osiris.
• #44 - Sobek is revealed to be Famine of the Four Horsemen of Apokolips, and he leads his brethren against Black Adam and Isis.  Isis is killed in the resulting battle.  Renee Montoya realizes she's dead, and it's just the impetus she needs to finally leave Nanda Parbat again.  (Richard Dragon: "You're going to find, like Sage [Charlie, the Question] did, that some questions can only be answered by wearing a mask.  Just as there are some that can only be asked when you remove one.")  Eddy Barrows provides art.  Rucka provides commentary.  He remarks that Johns has Isis actually confirm that Black Adam reverting to form is the proper response to what's just happened to him.
• #45 - Black Adam and the Marvel Family attend the funeral.  Renee Montoya is there.  They don't see eye-to-eye.  Bruno Mannheim betrays Bialya, home of the remnants of the Four Horsemen.  Black Adam begins his rampage there.  Green Lantern Alan Scott begins marshalling a response; Amanda Waller attempts to convince Atom Smasher to do the same.  The rampage continues.  The Great Ten realize they will have to confront Black Adam, who defeats Death.  On Oolong Island, Sivana celebrates Black Adam's imminent arrival.  Chris Batista provides the art, with an assist from Jamal Igle.  Giffen provides commentary.  He remarks, "Life is made so much easier for those of us pushing pencils when writers think visually."
• #46 - T.O. Morrow, Will Magnus, Egg-Fu and the others at Oolong Island brace for Black Adam's arrival.  Veronica Cale (I've kind of glossed over her appearances) has her most significant appearance of the series in an impotent reflection of her role in all this.  Morrow incapacitates Black Adam.  Sivana salivates on the prospect of finally getting his hands on a Marvel.  Morrow wins a bidding war for the head of Red Tornado.  Clark Kent helps Steel and Natasha Irons prevent Lex Luthor get away with murder one more time, exposing Everyman as a stand-in and bringing Luthor himself into custody.  Green Lantern Alan Scott and the Justice Society remnant investigate Black Adam's carnage in Bialya.  Atom Smasher offers to help them find him.  Pat Oliffe provides the art.  Giffen provides commentary.  He says Rucka had to make an unpopular argument to save Cale's life, as she'd been slated to die.  Another reference to Jones's genius on covers.
• #47 - Wonder Woman converses with Tim Drake, Robin, in Nanda Parbat.  Bruno Mannheim and the others in Intergang's Crime Bible cult realize they can trap Batwoman in her guise as Kate Kane.  Will Magnus wrestles with his conscience on Oolong Island.  Animal Man and his benefactors discuss how easy it'll be to get home, where he believes his wife Ellen Baker is seeing someone.  Steel and his niece Natasha Irons unveil a hopeful new project.  Nightwing greets the returning Renee Montoya, who's just found out Kate's indeed been caught.  Wonder Woman has an epiphany: "Diana of Amazonia, beloved of the gods.  Of purest purpose.  You who sought to teach.  When did you ever know guilt before this [murder of Maxwell Lord]?  Or doubt or regret?  Or what it is to fail?  When did you, in all your perfection, ever share the pains mortals feel each day of their lives?  Until now.  Welcome to the world, Wonder Woman.  Here is wisdom."  Bruce Wayne emerges from his ordeal reconciled to his role as Batman.  Giuseppe Camuncoli provides the art.  Rucka provides commentary.  He attempts to argue that the conclusions he thinks Morrison wrote concerning Wonder Woman.  He thinks she didn't get enough time to explain her arc, that her problem amounts to not being "human enough."  I totally disagree.  It's a true breakthrough for the character.  Morrison later wrote Wonder Woman: Earth One, a seminal reexamining of her origins.  Clearly creative differences.
• #48 - Renee Montoya and Nightwing launch their assault on Bruno Mannheim, Intergang, and the Crime Bible cult.  (Nightwing: "Would you really die for this?"  Montoya: "Good question.  Wouldn't you?")  It's her official debut as the new Question.  They save Batwoman, who kills Mannheim with his own ceremonial dagger, which he'd previously stabbed her with.  Sivana and Egg-Fu ransom the life of Black Adam, with Green Lantern Alan Scott preparing a response.  Darick Robertson provides the art.  Rucka and Siglain provide commentary.  Both gush over Jones's cover.  Rucka admits he tends to think in human scale for his stories, which he thinks he mitigates this issue with "turning Gotham into a mini-Apokolips." 
• #49 - Green Lantern Alan Scott leads the response against Egg-Fu's mad scientists.  The Great Ten claim sovereignty to stymy him.  Will Magnus employs the Metal Men against Egg-Fu.  Scott realizes the Great Ten are covering for the fact that Egg-Fu is an associate of theirs.  T.O. Morrow confronts Magnus, then vacates Oolong Island.  Sivana continues torturing Black Adam.  The Great Ten strike a deal with Scott.  Magnus obliterates Egg-Fu.  Atom Smasher sets Black Adam free, believing Bialya to be a giant mistake.  That's the giant mistake...Eddy Barrows provides the art.  Giffen and Siglain provide the art.  Giffen explains Barrows' mix-up with the Great Wall of China appearing in both the Oolong Island sequences and Alan Scott's confrontation with the Great Ten.  Siglain doubles down on that.  For what it's worth, I think both make a mistake themselves in believing that.  The only problem is assuming Scott and the Great Ten are on Oolong Island.  Presumably, it's in the South China Sea.  Problem solved.
• #50 - Black Adam barrels through Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family.  Green Lantern Alan Scott and the reconstituted Justice Society  debate Black Adam's actions.  The Great Ten prepares a defense against him.  The Society is refused entry into China to aide in the battle.  General August-in-Iron concedes that the Great Ten can't defeat Black Adam on its own.  Scott, Captain Marvel, Atom Smasher, Steel, and Natasha Irons are among the heroes who answer the call.  Booster Gold steals Steel's weapon.  Infinity Inc. runs away from the fight.  Captain Marvel devices a way to steal Black Adam's powers by changing his magic word.  A depowered Black Adam wanders trying to figure out the new word.  T.O. Morrow tinkers with the head of Red Tornado, but Booster and Rip Hunter arrive to claim it.  The head continues to babble "52."  Justiniano provides the art.  Waid provides commentary, giving full credit to Johns for the issue, with a few of his own ideas thrown into the mix.  I give a lot of credit, personally, to Justiniano, who has since served time in prison for possession of child pornography.  A shame, as he's a truly sensational artist.
• #51 - Animal Man finally returns home.  Donna Troy and Wonder Girl are observed by Wonder Woman in her new role as a secret agent in her civilian life.  Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent talk.  The Teen Titans form a new lineup.  Adam Strange gets a new pair of eyes (yeah, never mentioned that, sorry).  Lobo realizes he can free himself from his religious obligation once the head dolphin finally reveals the whole thing was a trick to neutralize the one weapon that can kill him: the Emerald Eye of Ekron.  Starfire arrives just in time to save Animal Man's family from a remnant of the Lady Styx horde.  The head of Red Tornado ("52"), T.O. Morrow, Booster Gold, and Rip Hunter prepare to confront Skeets, who's really been Mister Mind this whole time...Joe Bennett provides his last solo artwork of the series.  Waid provides commentary, plugging Starfire and Animal Man's continued adventures in Countdown to Adventure.  He also confesses the writers spent a lot of time trying to decide whether or not the mature Mister Mind wears the same goggles as his caterpillar incarnation...
• #52 - The multiverse in its present 52 worlds incarnation debuts.  The head of Red Tornado, Rip Hunter, and Booster Gold pursue Mister Mind across all the worlds created at the end of Infinite Crisis.  Supernova returns, revealed to be Daniel Carter in this incarnation, rescued by Rip from oblivion.  Booster reunites briefly with his old pal, the late Blue Beetle Ted Kord.  Sivana, the initial cause for Mister Mind's rampage, also becomes the solution.  Booster becomes the greatest hero history never knew.  There's a montage with Green Lantern Alan Scott, Steel, Natasha Irons, Wonder Woman, and Black Adam.  Ralph Dibney is reunited with his wife Sue as ghost detectives.  Renee Montoya settles into her career as the Question.  Batwoman, Kate Kane, has recovered from her ordeal.  "Are you ready?"  Art is supplied by Justiniano, Barrows, Batista, Oliffe, Robertson, and Mike McKone.  Waid and Siglain provide some concluding thoughts.

The end!

Reading Comics 212 "Understanding 52 - Part 4"

52, the 2006-2007 series written by Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, and Mark Waid, with art breakdowns by Keith Giffen and covers by J.G. Jones, was instantly one of my all-time favorite when I read its original weekly installments, and I recently did a complete reread.  Here are my continuing thoughts, based on #27-39 from the third collection.

• #27 - Ralph Dibney and the Helmet of Fate make their most harrowing stop on their journey together, visiting Jean Loring, the ex-wife of Ray Palmer and murderer of Dibney's wife Sue in the pages of Identity Crisis, with the assistance of the Spectre.  Skeets confronts Waverider and attacks him, claiming his metallic shell is derived from Waverider's later corpse.  And after all, why wait?  Renee Montoya continues her training with Richard Dragon in Nanda Parbat.  Charlie, the Question, begins to cough.  Montoya realizes he has cancer.  She also realizes that Kate Kane, Batwoman, is in mortal danger thanks to the Crime Bible and its adherents within Intergang.  Identity Crisis is listed as eighty-four weeks in the past, thanks to Dibney dragging Jean Loring back to the moment she murders Sue.  He's prevented from exacting wicked revenge by his own conscience, and thereby learning for himself the toll magic takes on its users.  He decides he has to go to Nanda Parbat.  The artist is Shawn Moll.  Waid provides the commentary.  He says Johns wrote the Waverider scene.  This opening issue in the volume is bookended with the one that closes it, beginning and ending Charlie's final arc (he later returns in the New 52 as part of the Trinity of Sin, but as with the rest of New 52, those events are entirely unrelated to 52).  As such, it's one of the most essential moments of the whole series, and if you somehow only read one of these four original collections (a later series pared it down to three, and so the culling becomes harder), this would be the one to read.
• #28 - Renee Montoya and Charlie, the Question, are back in Gotham, where they reunite with Batwoman.  (Montoya: "I hate it when he coughs.")  They warn her about the prophecy in the Crime Bible.  In Australia, Red Tornado has been repackaged as someone's personal bodyguard.  He continues spouting "52."  He's dismantled and his head is tossed away for scrap.  Animal Man, Adam Strange, Starfire, and Lobo flee from Ekron, from whom the Emerald Eye of Ekron comes from.  Batwoman strikes at the Intergang thugs, including Bruno Mannheim, who following the Crime Bible.  The space heroes discover Ekron is actually a Green Lantern.  They realize the bigger problem is whatever Ekron was guarding against before his eye was taken from him.  Art is from Drew Johnson.  Rucka provides commentary.  He says he labored on this script throughout what was supposed to be a vacation, then praises Jones's cover, and admits he hates the naming scheme of "Crime Bible" and "Religion of Crime."  I never had a problem with "Crime Bible."  Batwoman's first solo adventure was in a spin-off mini-series called Crime Bible: The Five Lessons of Blood, which I did have a problem with, if only because the title was needlessly long and not particularly compelling and...why didn't it feature "Question" or "Batwoman"?
• #29 - Green Lantern Alan Scott and the remaining old guard decide to officially end the Justice Society.  Infinity Inc. is having a far happier Thanksgiving, as it introduces a new Jade, unrelated to Scott's deceased daughter.  Scott's volatile son Obsidian predictably reacts poorly to this development, confronting the disrespectful Everyman project team that includes Natasha Irons.  Scott cools the situation down.  At Oolong Island, Sivana and the mad scientists are carving up a mutant turkey (I seem to remember saying this last volume; I'll have to go back and check on that).  Will Magnus begins an acquaintance that ushers a downward spiral.  Egg-Fu is paranoid about being left out of the dinner because people are, er, calling him that behind his back, and not his preferred moniker, Chang Zhu.  He says T.O. Morrow vouched for Magnus, who doesn't seem to have contributed to any of the experimenting going on. The suggestion is made to take away his medication.  Magnus is dragged away kicking and screaming.  Steel's Everyman steel skin comes off.  Art is from Chris Batista.  Commentary is from Michael Siglain, who successfully took over editing duties from Stephen Wacker at around this point.  Both deserve a significant amount of credit for 52 working out.  He mentions how Giffen slipped in Spider-Man during the parade.  It's also worth wondering how much of Will Magnus's arc is Morrison writing about his ability to slip into the "madness" that so often typifies his best work, or is he merely remarking on where his weirdest stuff comes from?  Does he sometimes feel comfortably muzzled? 
• #30 - Nightwing reflects on Batman's state of mind.  He's talking to Tim Drake, Robin, as all three of them participate in Bruce Wayne's year of soul searching.  Renee Montoya reflects on the cost to Charlie, the Question, of returning to Gotham, leaving the sanctuary of Nanda Parbat, where he was last feeling well, before the cancer started eating him alive.  Kate Kane, Batwoman, offers to let Charlie stay at her house indefinitely.  His main concern is whether or not Kate is still pursuing their Intergang enemies.  "You should always...ask the question."  Nightwing decides he's leaving the world tour.  Bruce confronts the Ten-Eyed Man, who symbolically cuts the darkness out of him.  "It's over.  Batman is gone."  Nightwing meets Batwoman.  The art is from Joe Bennett, first time this volume but certainly not his first go-around in the pages of 52.  Rucka provides commentary.  He says Batman's experience here is long overdue.  He also says Charlie and Montoya share one of their most important moments of the series this issue.  Waid chimes in for a little background on the Ten-Eyed Man.  Material from this issue ought to be considered part of Morrison's complete Batman sequence.  He was really only getting started on a long Dark Knight run at this point, too.
• #31 - Captain Comet, plus a few Green Lanterns, try to hold the line against Lady Styx.  Comet is captured by her minions and desiccated.  Natasha Irons starts to have an idea that there's a rotten apple within Infinity Inc.  We learn well before she does just how rotten the Everyman of the Everyman project really is.  Ralph Dibney, who appears to have begun drinking booze out of a flask, and the Helmet of Fate visit Wonder Girl.  They all agree that the guy running the Cult of Connor was a con artist.  Dibney also admits that his wife was brought back from the dead for a moment during the aborted ceremony that ended the con artist's run.  Wonder Girl admits she believes Supernova is Superboy.  Dibney confronts Supernova.  He knows who he really is, and it isn't Superboy.  We see Captain Comet's corpse, and Lady Styx properly for the first time.  The artist is Chris Batista.  Commentary is from Giffen, who admits he's officially lost count of which writer is responsible for what by this point.
• #32 - Ralph Dibney and the Helmet of Fate come across the Great Ten on their way to Nanda Parbat.  Osiris and Sobek audition for the Teen Titans.  Captain Marvel Junior tells him he has to prove he's worthy, after the way Black Adam was behaving at the start of 52.  Animal Man, Adam Strange, Starfire, and Lobo decide they're going to tackle Lady Styx.  Dibney finds himself deposited in Nanda Parbat.  Accomplished Perfect Physician of the Great Ten explains his background.  (Honestly, I think the Great Ten mini-series worked so well for me because each issue did this, and it's also the reason so few readers queued up for it.  Together they tame the Yeti, an associate member of the Great Ten.  In hindsight, the ending of this issue is a cryptic way to explain Dibney's whole arc in the series.  Pat Oliffe provides the art.  Waid provides commentary.  He admits Morrison wrote the Dibney sequences this issue.
• #33 - Ralph Dibney and the Helmet of Fate visit the Flash Museum to pick up a special souvenir, a gun that will be explained later.  (Perhaps a continuity problem, here, unless it was deposited at some point during the 52 year.)  Batwoman and Nightwing meet.  He gives her an official batarang, thereby welcoming her into the family.  Lex Luthor (first time we see him this volume) gives Infinity Inc. presents.  He sacrifices another Everyman project participant in the hope of finding a way to benefit personally from the project.  Renee Montoya finds Charlie, the Question, increasingly delirious from the effects of cancer.  Kate Kane, Batwoman, consoles her.  We see Ellen Baker (Animal Man's wife), Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and the head of Red Tornado in a montage of holiday celebrants.  We actually see Hawkwoman having gotten better.  I stand corrected from previous comments.  We glimpse the space heroes closing in on their destination.  Black Adam, Isis, Osiris, and Sobek give the world a glimpse of them at their most vulnerable, transformed back into their mortal selves for a moment.  Amanda Waller and Atom Smasher's Suicide Squad stands poised to attack.  Joe Prado and Tom Derenick provide the art.  Rucka provides commentary.  He admits to lifting much of Charlie's delirious comments from Denny O'Neil's old Question series.  Waid chimes in to explain a Moonlighting reference. 
• #34 - The Suicide Squad prepares to strike at Black Adam, Isis, Osiris, and Sobek.  Atom Smasher attempts to get Black Adam to turn himself in .  In the heat of the moment, Osiris murders the Executioner.  (Somewhat poetic, that.)  Steel attempts to explain to his niece, Natasha Irons, the error of her ways once more.  This time he appeals to her with facts and asks her to figure it out for herself.  Clark Kent is interrogated by Lex Luthor about the identity of Supernova.  He's able to honestly say it's not Superman.  Renee Montoya witnesses Charlie, the Question as it deteriorates further.  Luthor has his own New Year's countdown, the results of which we'll see next issue.  Charlie sings "Danny Boy."  "...the pipes, the pipes are calling...from glen to glen and down the mountainside...summer's gone and all the leaves are turnin'...now you must go away and I must - must - and I bide."  Joe Bennett provides art. Rucka provides commentary.  He says Johns wrote the Suicide Squad sequence (I imagine he wrote much of the Black Adam material), and admits "Danny Boy" was another thing he lifted from O'Neil's Question.  Needless to say, but of the whole Montoya/Charlie sequence from the volume, this one is the most heartbreaking.  Rucka says some readers thought Charlie dies at the end of the issue, what with the body on Jones's cover and all.  No, not until the end of the volume...Waid chimes in to praise Wacker and Giffen for juxtaposing his and Rucka's competing material at the end of the issue.  I personally think the Rucka material should've closed the issue, made it more impactful.  As it is, it gives too much weight to Waid's material, and not enough to Rucka's.  But I'm okay with not crying about this particular cancer tragedy, really...
• #35 - Lex Luthor shut off a wide swath of Everyman project beneficiaries on New Year's, sending them plunging to their deaths.  It's his challenge to Supernova.  The mysterious hero saves who he can.  Natasha Irons and the rest of Infinity Inc. experience the carnage. She realizes her uncle Steel was right about Luthor's duplicity.  Various heroes converge to help out.  Animal Man, Adam Strange, and Starfire discover that Lobo has been leading them straight to Lady Styx all along.  Phil Jimenez and Dan Jurgens provide the art.  Waid and Siglain provide commentary. Waid expresses regret for The Kingdom.  I don't think he needs to.  Jurgens in an issue where we're still trying to decide whether or not Supernova is Superman is pretty genius.
• #36 - Animal Man, Adam Strange, Starfire, and Lobo take on and defeat Lady Styx, at the apparent cost of Animal Man's life. Renee Montoya continues to observe Charlie, the Question's decline.  She realizes all over again that taking him from Nanda Parbat was a deadly mistake.  She resolves to take him back.  Kate Kane, Batwoman, thinks it's an equally terrible mistake.  Sobek comforts Osiris, distraught over what he did two issues ago.  Supernova and Rip Hunter attempt to hide from Skeets.  Good luck with that.  Jamal Igle provides the art.  Giffen provides commentary.  He admits to simplifying Morrison's stage direction during the Lady Styx sequence.  Funny that a big bad dies so easily.  He compares Siglain to J.D. (Zach Braff) from Scrubs.  I love that Igle got to work on 52.  At the time, he was knocking Firestorm out of the part, and is just one of the reasons I wish that series had gotten better buzz. 
• #37 - Booster Gold explains to Skeets the Supernova charade he pulled off with the help of Rip Hunter.  Booster and Rip begin the process of defeating the wayward drone.  Green Arrow and Black Canary discuss Ralph Dibney (it's kind of a callback to the beginning of Identity Crisis).  Adam Strange and Starfire hold a memorial service for Animal Man.  Lobo says his goodbyes.  Adam and Starfire leave Animal Man's body behind.  Animal Man wakes up!  Pat Oliffe provides the art.  Waid provides commentary.  He likens Booster's Supernova arc to Frank Grimes from The Simpsons, providing some alternate dialogue from #15 to prove it.  Hilarious.  Obviously, this is the biggest development of 52 to this point, the first time it reaches a climax. 
• #38 - Renee Montoya and Charlie, the Question, struggle to find their way back to Nanda Parbat.  Will Magnus and T.O. Morrow converse again, Magnus now fully giving in to his impulses.  Egg-Fu announces the dawn of the Four Horsemen of Apokolips.  Montoya is totally lost.  Natasha Irons lets her uncle Steel know that she's finally seen the light.  Montoya has a final lucid conversation with Charlie.  He dies just outside of Nanda Parbat.  Joe Bennett provides the art.  Rucka provides heartbreaking commentary.  I guess this is why they didn't let Rucka have the conclusion to that other issue to himself.  Once it really sinks in that this is the moment Charlie dies..."The 'uuuuuuuuu' sound that Charlie is making for several pages comes from personal experience.  It is a distinct sound, and those who have heard it will never forget it.  It's the sound of a body preparing to stop, a vocalization made by the dying, and it is a truly awful, endless noise, so horrible and painful that when it does, finally and literally terminate, one is almost grateful for the silence."
• #39 - One of Lex Luthor's Everyman project scientists has been faking test results that show Luthor as incompatible with the process.  He attempts to complete this by killing himself and destroying his notes.  Ralph Dibney and the Helmet of Fate visit Aquaman, who is temporarily lost to himself.  (The Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis series with his son is worth reading.)  At Oolong Island, Sivana continues his experiments with suspendium, so-called artificial time.  T.O. Morrow suspects Will Magnus has been working on his Metal Men again.  Magnus insists he couldn't because he's been watched the whole time.  But of course he has been.  Black Adam, Isis, and Sobek realize the earth in Kahndaq is dying.  Natasha Irons discovers the truth about the shapeshifting Everyman at last.  Luthor gains powers and unleashes them on Natasha...The art is from Andy Smith.  Siglain provides commentary.  He suggests Osiris was supposed to die this issue rather than several issues later.  He also says the de facto S-shield Luthor sports on the final page (echoing one Steel has when he first gains his Everyman steel shell earlier in the series) is something Giffen and Smith had included but then the idea was second-guessed and it was taken out and put back again later when it was third-guessed...The fun of peeking behind the curtain...

One volume to go!