Week 17
James - The opening pages this week lay the foundations for later storyline’s insofar that the obvious dark side is revealed to Lex’s superteam. Already he’s got a junkie speedster who injects drugs in order to slow down. A nice inversion, but basically points the way to Natasha having a very bad time in the near future.
Mark - A recent Newsarama piece said we’re about halfway through Steel’s story and of course it’s about paying the price for power. You’d think Lex could afford to get decent costumes designed.
Charles - Yeah, they are pretty generic looking. I think in the Silver Age that the use of Purple in a costume was used to illustrate that the person was a badguy?
Mark - Well Elongated Man wore purple.
James - And onto the main storyline for this week, the heroes stranded in space. They’ve managed to get off the planet they were stuck on. The hilarity of a blind pilot really comes home here as Buddy basically has multiple heart-attacks trying to “help” Adam through some debris. The Empire Strikes Back stuff is amusing, and I’m starting to wonder how long before Starfire’s personal hygiene becomes apparent. I mean, the guys have some stubble, but is Kory going to be sporting some hairy legs and armpits in the near future? DC Comics, boldly going where comics have never been before.
Mark - Again we have been informed that Kory’s race do not grow hair in those places. But note that no one’s hair on the top of their head is getting longer.
Charles - Yes, like most modern comics, the assumption is that we will read all the interviews at newsarama, comicon and so on and therefore they don’t have to explain it in the comics…. lazy. I have to wonder where Buddy got that Soder Cola from that he is drinking?
James - Very nice to see the conversation about family between Starfire and Animal Man, moreso as Buddy refers to has past adventures with seeing his “creator”, who is ironically overseeing his destiny once again.
Charles - Yeah that was kind of nice and worked as a character moment even if you had never followed Morrison’s Animal man, it’s a shame more comics don’t reference the character’s history in such a subtle way.
James - The crappy Devilance turns up again, luckily Lobo blows his innards all over our heroes spaceship. Lobo is back and he appears to be back to the meaner earlier incarnation, as opposed to the very silly mass-murderer. Early indications from these few pages seem to show a character that actually works better in the DCU than some previous incarnations. He’s still over the top (gratitious female clothing removal) but doesn’t appear to be messing about – and has allegedly found religion….
Mark - Shame on you, James. Devilance is a Kirby creation so how could he be crappy? Lobo might work in the story. Might.
Charles - Lobo represents the 1990s to me and therefore wrongness, hopefully something interesting will come out of his appearance. Oh and in a quick note to the writers, don’t have Kory explicltly reference the factor that it’s a vacuum outside and then have her hold a conversation in said vacuum.
James - Red Tornado comes back online, and he’s in Australia. I have no idea what the significance of this is, or how he will repair himself, but I’m sure it will involve him “finding” himself, possibly spiritually – y’know for a android. One thing’s for sure, he isn’t going walkabout – he’s got no legs.
Mark - He’ll probably end up forgotten like Hawkgirl etc. Though he may link into the Will Magnus story as Magnus was involved in his latest reboot over in the new JLA
Charles - I’m confused, I thought that Red Tornado was an Air elemental? Couldn’t he just leave his robotic form? He’s done that in the past right? As for Hawkgirl, that’s a good question, where are those people? What’s happening to them?
Mark - I think he’s less of an elemental now. The Tornado Tyrant and Champion stuff from Red Tornado’s history confuses me.
James - The Origin of Lobo is fairly straightforward, would have liked to see John Dell on Colours, or even Bisley illustrating, apart from that, not much to write home about.
Charles - Fairly ho-hum stuff but then I don’t like the character, so I’m biased.
Week 18
Mark - We start out this issue (and indeed spend most of the issue) with the Croatoans. Ooo look another retconned secret society. To be fair these seem to be quite fun. I missed the first page list of members on first reading though. Tim Trench turns into water having worn the Dr Fate helmet. Odd, but maybe he was channeling the Dolphin Dr Fate that almost appeared in Kingdom Come.
James - Great to see the House of Mystery in mainstream DCU with it’s full mailbox. Also “Croatoans 1 - Easter Island 0″ is rather amusing. I have no idea who these people are, so Tim Trench wetting himself didn’t really bother me. My lack of obscure DC knowledge apart, it’s actually rather good to see characters like this getting their five minutes of fame, I’m sure there will be a few more before the year is out. Ambush Bug, for example.
Charles - I’d quite like to see a more cerebral team operating in the DCU, would make a change from all the spandex crowd punching people in the head. They could get someone like Carey to write it.
Mark - Then we have medals and lesbians in Khandaq. Does 52 have more lesbians in it than any other mainstream title? I think so. Drunk lesbians too.
James - 52 is actually the amount of women that Montoya is going to sleep with over the course of the series. The scene is not exactly the end of Star Wars: A New Hope is it. I wonder if there are lesbian Wookies? I wonder if I need to stop asking questions like that outside of my head? Hmm. Anyway, Montoya’s grief obviously leads her to sleeping with the local hotties (I’ve always wanted to say that, now I feel cheapened…) as opposed to actually moping about like the rest of us probably would.
Charles - Odd how we never see any homosexual heros leaping into bed, I mean it’s not DC has some sort of pandering double standard. Oh no, not at all.
Mark - At last we have someone being proactive about a plot - actually going after Intergang. The Question and Ol’ arm ripper Black Adam should make a fun team.
James - Proactive after a week of lazing around collecting medals and consumating marriages, you mean? I think you’re right about a Question/Black Adam partnership, we may have the new Odd Couple series right here. I think even Daredevil could see where the whole “children being used by Intergang/Isis” connection is heading. Hopefully it will involve a return to arm-pulling-off duties for Mr Teth Adam.
Charles - Yeah, it will be nice to see a bit more arm-ripping action. If anyone has been reading Checkmate, we already sort of know that something big and awful will occur in Kandhaq before this series will end. I’m starting to suspect that all of the threads will interweave into such a way that will see the country wiped off the face of the earth.
Mark - A massive Intergang battle perhaps, but we have seen Intergang post One Year Later so not all that successful in taking them out.
I’m restraining myself from commenting on Booster’s funeral. Not a single leaguer shows up? I do like the Beefeater appearance, but Booster has been incredibly shabbily treated by this series. At least the ancestor stuff looks interesting.
James - I think the lowly Booster funeral is appropriate with the way the character has been handled so far in this series, it’s meant to make you feel disappointed and saddened in his almost unmourned passing. Whilst the writers take away with one hand, they extend the other by offering an ancestor of Booster. Interesting developments are bound to be forthcoming.
Charles - I can see where you are coming from James, but I like Mark find it unlikely that nobody shows up. I wonder where this ancestor story will go? Maybe he travels in time and turns into his own grandfather or something!
Mark - The heralding of the Tenth age of magic was actually quite interesting. Very nice splash page - though is that the Watcher from the new Aquaman? If it is then interesting given who he is.
James - The Watcher reference passed me right by due to not seeing any of the new Aquaman series, and who is the guy with face tentacles in the bottom-left?
Charles - He’s called the Dweller in the deep and he’s the original Aquaman. That’s not a guess or even a spoiler, Kurt Buisek has said so in interviews, he was quite surprised that people did not get it. Kurt, I think people did not get it because it’s just not a very interesting story, sorry.
Mark - I like the new Aquaman, so I’m happy to see references to it.
And Ralph’s off to take part in the trials to become the next Fate? It does sort of make sense. Returning dead spouses has been something the Fates have done in the past.
Charles - I doubt that Ralph will actually end up as Fate and some amazing twist is waiting for us just around the corner. Hopefully that journey will be worth following on a weekly basis.
James - Just noticed Detective Chimp’s t-shirt on the cover. Nice little touch by JG Jones there.
Week 19
Charles - So it appears that being a washed-up sports hero runs in the Carter family. So what is it that Skeets is upto? I’m starting to think that the offhand reference T.O.Morrow made to “Robot War one” is more than it appears? Maybe Skeets is trying to change the time-line to make sure the robots win this time? This is why they should wrap up the teen drama that they have going with Steel and his niece. Nobody cares about that, but we want more interesting mysteries like this please! Oh and more head-ripping from Black Adam of course.
Mark-Arm ripping please, Charles. If they had wanted a return of Booster back to his roots, by this option then I would not have minded. What I objected to was the character assassination of the last few months. Skeets as an unreliable source was done and dusted, but as a schemer is much more interesting. It would have been nice to have had more clues to this effect in the past.
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Charles - The space story is starting to lead somewhere and it appear that Annihilus is rampaging.. oh sorry wrong company, it appears that the someone or something is destroying space sectors and it’s the same person who’s after our heroes. If this is sector 3500, where are the local Green Lanterns and what are they doing about it? I’ve never liked cosmic and this story is really doing very little for me, after 20 weeks I’m ready to start hearing some answers not more questions. By the way, I’m no expert on the character but isn’t that Adam’s classic costume? The costume he has not actually been wearing?
Mark-Yep that’s the wrong costume. Maybe he’s had a spare stored away. You would also think that the DC space community would be used to mass destruction. It seems every few years someone comes along and devestates it.
The Pope Lobo stuff is just odd. Not annoying me and Lobo always has the potential to be amusing. The Sector 3500 stuff will probably link to the Sector 3501 and the 52 references in Green Lantern this month. I just hope that at the end of this we do get answers in this series rather than it all be set up for something else.
Charles - Moving onto Supernova, I’m still entirely in the dark, I have no idea who it is. However I will be very surprised if it’s Kon-el. I’m also guessing from this segment of the story that Wondergirl has left the cult of Connor and has returned to heroic do-derring?
Mark-The Wonder Girl section does not seem to follow on well from where we left her. Supernova is very effective as a hero, which does suggest someone who has been at this for a while. We’re supposed to think it’s Kon-El obviously so it won;t be.
Charles - The Bolland drawn Animal Man origin is as lush as you would expect. What IS Bolland upto those days? Why does he not do more comics? Did he win the lottery or something?
Week 20
Charles - The issue starts with Supernova having a look around the batcave and it appears he’s after Luthor’s powerglove. What does that glove do? I’m STILL in the dark who this character could be but the fact that he knows that the Batcave is below Wayne Manor would suggest that he’s an experienced hero. Have we seen Supernova in the One Year Later comics or is he dead?
Mark- That’s the infinity gauntlet, oh wait sorry wrong universe. That glove had all different types of Kryptonite in it. As far as we know we’ve not seen Supernova OYL yet, but given he could be anyone we don’t know.
Charles - Next we catch up with Steel and his not very interesting storyline. I don’t care, I just don’t care,. I honestly think they should wrap this storyline up in 3 weeks and then spend more time on the story-lines that actually have people talking. I doubt that will happen as I’m convinced that all of the strands will come together at the end of the series. However getting back to the story as presented, it seems that Luthor has found a way to turn off Superpowers, since it’s not using that amazing ability in his OYL appearances I doubt that it’s an important revelation.
Mark- Let me add to Charles’ apathy about Steel. I used to like this character in JLA, but god this is dull. I think Luthor can only turn off powers he’s given.
Charles - We finally get a look at the (one of?) enemy chasing the space-team. Is that actually the emperor or his spaceship? If it’s his spaceship, then the eye is part of that and not him? As a story, it’s straightforward and functionary stuff but nothing to get worked up about. Hopefully we will get to see a bit more of the DC universe as they try and outrun their foe?
Mark- I’m surprised we got so much on the space team, but with the space travel times we’re not going to be seeing them for a while. The big giant head suggests there’s a big giant body out there. So who has Alan Scott’s eye?
Charles - This week’s origin is that of Adam Strange as told by Waid and Nowlan. While the origin itself is routine material, it’s very pretty looking - what is Nolan working on at the moment? Anything out there for me to pick up?
Mark- Can’t think of anything I know. Nowlan is someone I’d buy work by even if he just inks.
Week 21
Charles - A nice tip of the hat to the past as Luthor buys the Infinity Inc. trademark. I’m surprised that he doesn’t just call them the Justice League of Luthor and get it over and done with. We get a nice reminder here, if anyone needed one, that Lex is not a nice person. The death of trajectory is a bit empty as she’s really just a plot device rather than a character in her own right. I’m also don’t understand what Nuklon’s point is about sacrifice? Wasn’t it just a matter of queuing up to be tested?
Mark- Well the origins of Infinity Corp was that it was a company, but I’m sure it will attract some undue attention. Mr Bones, the head of DEO, is an ex member and he has quite a bit of loyalty to those days.
Regarding the death I feel that the writers think they’ve got us to invest more than we have. When have we been afforded any sort of chance to invest in these characters? It’s part of the Steel story which doesn’t help.
We have a new Blockbuster after the last one died in Nightwing. The last two were brothers so it’ll be interesting to see where this one comes from. As for Nuklon maybe the spots on the team went to some donors to Lex. Seems fairly ill thought through though.
Charles - I’m not familiar with either Powerboy or Little Barda, are they pre-existing or new characters? What about Hotspot, is he intended to be Kid Firestorm?
Mark- Powerboy is connected to Supergirl OYL I think. I have no idea what is on with Little Barda. Hotspot is a redesign of an old Teen Titan called Joto from the Jurgens’ run. He’s been redesigned like Hotspot from the Titans cartoon.
Charles - Do you think the writers are watching eastenders? At the funeral, we get more shouty don’t-let-the-man-speak interaction between Steel and his niece. Please Lex turn off her powers when she’s flying.
Mark- Prediction - Steel confronts Luthor and during the fight Luthor threatens to switch off her powers. If Steel can turn his powers off as we’ve seen then why turn up in steel form at the funeral?
Charles - Ralph make an interesting use of gingold this week, I sense this storyline is going to end badly, hopefully without a dead Ralph
Mark- Are any of the stories going to end well? So why are they going into Hell if this isn’t Ralph’s quest to be fit for the helmet?
No origin this week instead we get Red Tornado the australian version. Well at least the robots in 52 are interesting.