Axiom's Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy

By Sam Christopher

Going to jump around a little here. I wrote these in this order, and the final ish in this set came out this Wednesday but it seemed to fit here.

First, Loki finally begins to show his true colors in earnest in Thor #607. While I don’t about Knut, I seriously doubt Heimdall’s dead. And I’m frankly not happy at all with Asgard being dragged into this Dark Reign crap through the Siege storyline in the first place (have I mentioned that before?). But I did enjoy the Hogun and Fandral bantering about the disappearance of Volstagg, and the jail scene with the Voluminous One on the webcam from Broxton is hysterically funny. I also loved them having Kelda go to Bill’s home to inform his father of the death; there’s a short story there I’d love to read sometime. Have to admit I did like the comic itself overall, until the end. I will say, too, having had this thought while I watched Loki be the God of Evil he is here: If all this DR stuff turns out to be some huge master plan by Loki himself and that’s why Norman Osborne has gotten away with some of the things he has of late then maybe it will have somehow been worthwhile. Only other problem I’m seeing is that Loki has to have gone too far here. When all this ends and The Heroic Age they’re already advertising begins how’s he going to keep from being put down. He’s committed yet another wanton murder, this time stabbing a blind old man in the back, and attempted to murder (because I really do not believe that Heimdall’s actually gone) the single, to my mind at least, most important defender of the gods beyond Thor himself. I just see no way he walks away from all this carnage he has instigated.

Next, Ivan Brandon’s and Nic Klein’s great story ends its first “season” in Viking #5. The brothers, Egil and Finn, having kidnapped King Bram the Quiet and the Princess Annikki, are holed up in a cave, trying to figure out what to do. Annikki tends to the wounded brother, having some knowledge of medicine and being compassionate enough to help. Her father would not be so inclined. Without giving too much away, I see great tragedy in the tradition of all Norse legend shaping up here, provided this tale runs long enough and this creative team keeps on it. Together, these two men have a voice and a vision that gives this type of story a verve that really runs. Again, my only gripe is with the size of the book itself—Golden Age was cool, in the Golden Age. I get the mindset of it, though, the statement that book size makes. Just can’t say enough about this book, really.

And we end with the worst of the bunch. The Mighty Avengers #34 brings the “Loki as Scarlet Witch” story to a head as newly-appointed Scientist Supreme Hank Pym captures the Trickster God at the Asgardian “Island of Silence” (which is kind of an odd place for Loki to vacation when you think of it; kind of like Frank Morris summering at Alcatraz) only to have Pietro take over the controls. Quicksilver—who didn’t know about Loki’s deception and thought this Wanda was his actual sis until this very ish—attempts to force a confession from Loki by torture. It’s all very Gitmo, but also very wrong-headed and stupid. Loki sends out a psychic call for help to his brother Thor, who has endured Loki’s insults and insidious plans for centuries. Thor has been the object of all manner of personal hatred and murder plans at the hands of his adoptive brother Loki for millennia, actually; he has seen, and thwarted at great personal peril, Loki’s plans to murder their father Odin so that Loki could seize control of Asgard. So Thor, knowing all of this and more, shows up to find his friends the Avengers holding the God of Lies and Mischief in a place the gods of Asgard themselves had once imprisoned Loki… and immediately takes Loki’s side. Granted, since his return to the Marvel Universe, Thor has seen that things have changed. He has been at odds with his former BHFF (Best Human Friend Forever) Tony Stark and has been shown to not be at all happy with the way most of his fellow “heroes” have comported themselves generally. But for him to show and leap to Loki’s defense—especially when Loki at one point admits to being the cause of all this through his own deceit—is just ridiculous. But the worst part of this particular story to me is Thor’s moronic assertion that by capturing the antagonist Loki Pym is somehow assuming “the right to judge the gods– <Thor’s> people”. What did Thor expect in this situation? I could see his not being thrilled with Quicksilver maybe (and you’ll notice I haven’t asked anything about Pietro’s sudden power boost here— “outracing lightning bolts since puberty”?) but to be angry with anyone for merely defending themselves from an attacker is beneath the dignity of a god who prides himself on instilling self-reliance in his followers. But even if Thor thought a god was necessary in this case Hercules was there.

But that’s not really the overriding problem I had here, as there’s an idea expressed here that actually transcends this tale and branches into a lot of the Thor stories I’ve seen, especially lately. When Thor was first re-imagined for inclusion in the Marvel Universe back in the ‘60s, he was much more superhero than Norse god. Yes, they gave us his extended family and the city of Asgard but even with that—as with the later introduction of Hercules and the Greek Gods—he was still much more human than god in portrayal. They explained this by offering connections to Earth as much as Asgard in him, and even thouogh they would sometimes hint at more godly pursuits, they still kept him grounded to mortals and bonded as much to the Avengers as to the Asgardians. That, I guess, is what’s always made it so easy to overlook the fact that, as a millennia-old god, most of the things that we mortals find so very important just can’t mean very much to Thor in the grand scheme of things. But now they’ve chosen to play up his godhood, remove him from many of the human concerns he had in the past even while reasserting his connections to the very human Dr. Donald Blake. And, to me, while it may seem that the earlier more human Thor would be more likely to side with the Avengers here than the current portrayal, I would submit that the more experienced, more godly Thor could never believe his brother wasn’t ultimately responsible for whatever perfidy he was accused of. In essence, I’m saying that the more godly Thor is the guy who broke Loki’s arm in Walt Simonson’s last ish. They could have saved this whole story by having an epilogue of Thor explaining to Loki that he wouldn’t allow the Avengers to judge a god but that he—Thor—had no problem judging and punishing Loki himself… and then breaking Loki’s legs. I miss Walt Simonson’s Thor, and I’m really hoping he returns in Marvel’s promised “Heroic Age”.

By John J. Joex

6 Issue Mini-Series from Wildstorm

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars (after 2 issues)

For the uninitiated, the CW’s television series Supernatural follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester who are “hunters” caught up in a war against demonic forces who seek to control the human world.  The series, which delivers an enjoyable tale with an occult twist, is now in its fifth season and the network just recently announced its renewal for a sixth season.  Fans of the show, as well as those looking to jump onboard, will take great delight in Supernatural Beginning’s End, a six issue mini-series that acts as a prequel to the show and covers the events that lead up to Sam’s decision to exit from the “family business” and attend college at Stanford (prior to where the series kicks off at the beginning of Season 1).

The comic book series starts off with Dean and a reluctant Sam accompanying their father to New York City where they hope to locate a master of black magic (whom their dad previously thought was dead) because they believe he might have some information on the identity of the demon that killed boys’ mother.  They break into the man’s house and are attacked by a strange creature which eventually results in them hooking up with the “army” of hunters who protect New York from otherworldly threats.  This group agrees to help Sam and Dean and their father, but Sam feels like this is a lost cause and after an argument with his father he decides to go his own way.  This leads to him stumbling across a group of outcasts who live beneath the city and who are suffering from a plague of occult origins.

The first two issues have moved along with a brisk pace and embrace the feel of the television show while also expanding on it and taking the story in directions that the show’s limited budget would not allow.  What it also does is suggest some new possibilities for the franchise.  The New York army gives us a new twist on the hunters from what we have previously seen on the show, and I’d love to see this fleshed out more.  And the underworld people add yet another dimension to this possible new direction.  To tell the truth, I would be more interested in seeing a spin-off series in this vein next season instead of a sixth season of Supernatural seeing as series creator Eric Krikpe had wanted to wrap up the story at the end of the current season anyway (which means that next season could lead to the same drop in quality that we saw in other shows like the X-Files that the networks dragged out too long).  I realize, however, that the television spin-off is unlikely but they could continue the story of the New York hunters in another comic book, which I’m sure would pique the interest of many Supernatural fans.

The comic book comes to us from television series writers Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin with artwork by Diego Olmos.  The visuals for the book are quite good though I have to admit that the artist has not captured the likeness of the actors who play Sam and Dean very well (unlike, say, the Jericho comic book which delivers perfectly illustrated facsimiles of the actors).  Perhaps that’s intentional, and perhaps the actors did not allow their images to be reproduced, and really it’s not too much of a distraction.  In any case, the series has delivered across its first two issues and looks to give us a decent extension of the series across its six issue run that delves further into Sam and Dean’s back-story.

Catch up with Supernatural Seasons 1 through 4 on DVD:

By Sam Christopher

The Dead Walk through comics this week, from the smaller press to larger, and onto the largest of stages.

First, we’ll talk about IDW’s new zombie tale. We Will Bury You #1 hit the stands this week and was surprisingly good. The creation of writing team Brea Grant and Zane Austin Grant (unsure of relation, if any) this is ostensibly the story of two women and a husband. The husband, Henry, is almost stereotypically “moral”, a misogynist who hides behind arcane religiosity rather than deal with his own anger at life and takes all his frustrations out on his wife, Mirah. Not that Mirah is innocent—she is cheating on him, after all. Then there’s Mirah’s friend, Fanya, also not a bastion of moral fortitude, although in all fairness the only real sin we see her commit was in self-defense—mostly. Into this sweltering cesspool of shabby characters and uncertainty we drop a zombie uprising, shown mostly here in the form of folks talking about “rioting” in various parts of the city, and that’s why we love sf! Funny thing is I almost didn’t pick this up. I hated the cover, and wasn’t very impressed with Kyle Strahm’s interior art at first on flipping through but somehow decided to pick it up anyway. And I’m very glad I did. The art here is well-suited to this story. I enjoyed every page and look forward to next month’s installment.

On the larger stage, we have Walking Dead #70 which apparently has the theme of peace always coming at a price. I’ve been suspicious of this new “community” since their scouts were discovered a couple months back, but I could also see that maybe it would turn out that someone from our group would end up being the serpent here. But Rick and company seem to have found a great place with a solid group of folks. On the other hand, things are virtually never that simple in the World of the Dead. One piece of really great news here—that has nothing at all to do with this month’s ish—is that AMC has ordered a pilot for a Walking Dead tv series (where were these people a decade or so ago when the Night of the Living Dead teleseries was being bandied about?), and Frank Darabont, who made the amazing film The Shawshank Redemption among others, is attached as screenwriter/director. Now if we can only get a The Unknown or The Unwritten made (I’ve pretty much given up on Ender’s Game).

Finally, we have DC Comics, the true home of the Walking Dead across the comics page. First up here will be Batman and Robin #9 which finds the new Batman bringing the new Batwoman back to life (c’mon, like you needed a diagram for that one after last ish) while the resurrected Bat-clone battles it out with Damian and Alfred in Gotham. In the end, Dick reaches the only conclusion one could possibly draw from all this: If a Lazarus Pit was used to bring a clone of Bruce Wayne/Batman back to life than obviously Tim Drake must have been correct that Wayne has been alive this whole time. Huh?!? What kinda logic is that? Yes, yes, we all know Wayne’s coming back; hell, we all knew that when his “death” was announced in the first place. But Dick arriving at that conclusion for the reason stated is ridiculous. Not the creative team of Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart’s finest hour but still not bad.

Now we’ll get to the real workout here, before the cool down of a couple periphery books. Blackest Night #7 is full of revelations and oddities. The single biggest thing in the book, without doubt, is the explanation of why the Black Lanterns are so interested in Earth. This will also explain why so much “universal” type stuff centers on what is usually shown in comics (and thought by most of us) to be just another average, run-of-the-mill planet. I can see how this fact would explain all this, but I have a hard time with a piece of this revelation. As part of this news we are told the Guardians never wanted an Earthling as part of the Corps, and Abin Sur had either deduced or otherwise found out this fact before his death here. So… why didn’t they just not allow Hal Jordan to become a GL? ‘Course we may be told at some point that was the plan but a decision was made to allow it, maybe as part of an experiment by the Guardians to see what would happen, but I thought it strange. I also have an ongoing problem with Lex Luthor—or anyone else for that matter—being made an Orange Lantern. I thought the whole point was that Larfleeze’s avarice prevented his allowing another to take up his light, even when doing so would benefit him. Oh well, we’re certainly well set up for next month’s final confrontation.

I have to say I’m more than a little annoyed at the awfully convenient ending to Blackest Night: JSA #3. I didn’t mind at all the Black Lanterns finally showing a little of their vaunted intellects by faking out the team for a little while, and I didn’t mind at all it being difficult for the still-living members of the club to have emotional trouble in taking down the shades of their ancestors/mentors—it cannot be an easy thing to have to fight people you loved and respected and have already bid a tearful goodbye to—but to have them go through all this in order to build a machine that will destroy the Black Lanterns only to be told in the end that it was only good for one use felt like too much of a cheat. If this had been done earlier in the Blackest Night storyline it may have been all right. Not now, though. I have to say that I do love the BL Superman and will miss him when all this is done.

And even this week’s chap in the regular JSA run, Justice Society of America #36, features the death of a beloved, incredibly powerful hero as the catalyst for this new story arc (and while I doubt he’ll be a zombie, I can pretty much promise he will walk again) from Bill Willingham and Jesus Merino, entitled “Fatherland”. This story, told in the form of a deposition by Mister Terrific 20 years from now, what he calls “the final memoir of the condemned”, is all about the Nazi “heroes”—Captain Nazi, Baroness Blitzkrieg, Shadows of War, etc.—staging a well-planned, nearly flawlessly executed attack on the JSA in their new cave hq. And from what’s shown of the future here apparently winning and forming a new reich. Even if it is true they defeated the JSA (before whatever trick they end up using to reconstitute the correct timeline; where is Booster Gold when we need him?), I fail to see any way these Nazi losers could ever defeat all the super-heroes in America. They needed a perfect plan to beat one team of mostly 70-plus year old men and their protégés, but what about the JLA? I’m not all that sure this band of circus clowns could take out Mon-El or Hal Jordan alone without months of solid planning and the element of surprise. I do like the story thus far, don’t get me wrong, just see no way it could get to the point they show.

By Sam Christopher

These are some comics that came out a couple weeks ago. I read them but somehow didn’t get them onto here.

First, the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Special begins with “Falling Back”, a tale of Batman and Jim Gordon clarifying their relationship in the wake of the No Man’s Land storyline. I never read that series but this is an excellent story originally presented in Legends of the Dark Knight #125, a Greg Rucka story with Rick Burchett art. Next is “Double Jeopardy”, a Sholly Fisch-Douglas Wheatley story in which Commissioner Gordon asks Two-Face to help in capturing the man who damaged Harvey Dent’s face. Two-Face helps out his “old friend” from the force for reasons of his own, making for the second great story in this volume. This short is from Batman Chronicles #8. But the best of this ish for me is the last tale, from Detective Comics #826. “Slayride” is a tale of the Joker and Robin from Paul Dini and Don Kramer. The Clown Prince of Crime kidnaps The Boy Wonder and drives him around town near Christmas. Two best parts of the story: Joker calling the police on his cellphone to report the hit and run he’s committing, then Joker’s method of complaining about the service he receives at a fast-food joint.

In Blackest Night: The Question #37 Renee Montoya fights Shiva—the undercard—while Professor Rodor waits for Vic Sage to return from the dead and answer the “question” the professor has for the former hero. I didn’t think much of this story, really, not so much because of the Denny O’Neil and Greg Rucka’s script, which was fine, or Denys Cowan’s artwork, which was also all right. My main problem here is that I was never much of a Vic Sage fan to start with. I guess I always liked him better as the inspiration for Rorschach.

And, lastly, Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3 shows us Diana’s frost true adventure as a Star Sapphire. First, Carol Ferris marvels at our Amazon Princess’ will and fortitude in shaking off the influence of the mastermind behind the Black Lanterns, Nekron, throwing over Death for the power of Love. WW then battles Max Lord for a second or two before running into the Red Lantern Mera. Golden Lasso, bullet-proof bracelets, now a love-inducing ring—Princess Diana is all about the accoutrements. Another well-written Greg Rucka story with excellent Nicola Scott art. One thing I am wondering about: I’m sure at the end of all this WW will give back the Star Sapphire ring and Barry Allen will give up the Blue Lantern. My question is why. It would seem to me they would be that much more powerful and that much more effective as a force for good if they kept the rings—especially the purple ring of Love Diana has. Just a thought.

By Sam Christopher

Incredible Hercules #141 holds the ultimate chapter in the “Assault on New Olympus” storyline and it looks like the ultimate chapter for the series as a whole. Athena has sewn the thunder apparently and, so, reaps the thunderbolt– or at least inherits it. The true reason behind the appearance of Thanatos is finally revealed and it comes as a relief to Amadeus, although further developments will turn that relief to grief. Don’t worry, though, as no matter what they show us: one, these are gods we’re talking about, the King of the Gods in particular; he rules over everything, including the Underworld where Hades just pays rent. Two, Herc and co. have been down this road before. Hopefully, this isn’t the true end of this series, as Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente have done a magnificent job with these characters. This writing team’s wit and solid, if sometimes sideways, storytelling have made this series a true counterpoint to DC’s more celebrated Wonder Woman, even surpassing that seminal series during most of their run here. We can only hope, if Marvel does away with this title for the moment, that the adventures of Amadeus and crew can be continued somewhere. Add in that excellent Rodney Buchemi art and we have a classic set. Also, I haven’t said anything about the Jeff Parker-Gabriel Hardman Agents of Atlas backup story before, mainly because I haven’t really thought that much of it until this final installment, which is fantastic. I really enjoyed the battle between Venus and Aphrodite, and I think most guys will enjoy the “last shot” in that war. I haven’t read much of the A of A, although they have intrigued me as a team. Maybe I should look into them.

And then Orson Scott Card: Ender’s Shadow: Command School #5 finishes the story of Mankind’s third war with the Formics, told from Bean’s perspective. I have to say I liked this ending better than the one from OSC: Ender’s Game: Command School which came out a week or two ago. Whereas that ending seemed forced and rushed to me this one I thought was better paced, perhaps because it was from a side view of a character which isn’t the central point of this whole story. Mike Carey’s conception of Bean is perfect (as it should be with author and original series creator OSC overseeing the whole project), as is Sebastian Fiumara’s artistic depictions. More to the point, their depiction and inflection of the gruff yet humane Colonel Graff is precisely as it should be. I don’t know if there are any plans to extend this—or Ender’s—series of minis to encompass the other novels but I sincerely hope so.

By Sam Christopher

Back in the ‘70s, after the cancellation of the award-winning Green Lantern comic, GL became a backup feature in the ongoing Flash comic. This week these casts aren’t part of the same comic but they did come out together, and shared a storyline.

This week’s first Blackest Night entry is Blackest Night: The Flash #3, where we learn the final fate of Owen Harkness, the new Captain Boomerang. On the other hand, the cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 trumpeted “The Final Fate of the Flash” and look where we are so maybe Owen will be back—and I mean besides as a Black Lantern. Blue Lantern Barry Allen and former sidekick Wally West go after Black Lanterns Bart Allen and Eobard Thawne while the Rogues attempt to survive the onslaught of their deceased colleagues. Thawne’s case is a little strange as he has been shown to have somehow been resurrected some time in the future and Barry just captured him alive, and this apparently causes the black ring some trouble, too. Bart… well, I guess family does matter in some things. Oh, and the aforementioned Owen Harkness? This current Captain Boomerang has been helping the former CB, much to the Rogues’ chagrin. Anyone unfortunate enough to come along… So Captain Cold lives up to his nickname and that’s that. A stellar final ish by the celebrated Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins.

Next, there’s Green Lantern #51, where the newly resurgent Parallax squares off with the Black Lantern Spectre in a battle to free the Spirit of Vengeance from the influence of Nekron—even though that’s not the intention at all of the living embodiment of fear. He’s really angry with the Spectre for aiding in kicking Parallax out of Hal’s body the last time. We also see Larfleeze and Lex Luthor fight over the Orange Light of Avarice while Atrocitus bides his time during the Main Event, just waiting for an opening. And, I guess, the same could be said of Sinestro, although he doesn’t get what he wants from the true “Guardian” of his Light of Fear. Geoff Johns (there’s that man again!) and Doug Mahnke tell the tale.

And, finally, in Green Lantern Corps #45, we learn there’s virtually nothing Mongo can’t do. If he’d only been around for the filming of 28 Days Later maybe the “radical alternate ending” told only in storyboards from the DVD could have been made to work. Red Lantern Guy Gardner has moved on from slaughtering Black Lanternsto attempting the same with his former fellow GLs. The coolest part of this is that he still has the green ring as well as the red and his two sides are warring with each other for dominance. Everyone else—including Kilowog—figures they should just cut their losses and kill Gardner before he can escape and cause more mayhem but we all know how stubborn Kyle can be. Most especially when he feels responsible for a situation. Another fine chapter by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason.

By Sam Christopher

Comics last week were full of zombies. First, Blackest Night continued in Adventure Comics #7, as Black Lantern Superboy battled Wonder Girl, Krypto, and Conner’s own trapped psyche to a standstill in an effort to “win” Cassie’s heart. Ah, nothing like a heart-warming Valentine’s Day story. Tony Bedard weaves an interesting tale as the mind of Superboy strives against the demonic influence of Nekron’s black ring for his lady’s life. BL SB is as evil as any of the zombies we’ve seen but he’s met his match in his host. Superman’s clone has spent lots of time under someone else’s control and has built up some unexpected defenses, as well as having some unexpected allies. When Conner forces an ultrasonic whistle past the ring’s influence you know what’s coming, and Travis Moore’s art is especially good on Krypto when the Dog of Steel appears. To Bedard’s credit, I didn’t see the end coming—although I should have.

Then there’s the resurrection of Batman in Batman and Robin #8. I know, I know, the return of Bruce Wayne has been the worst kept secret in comics since… well, maybe the return of Captain America? (And now they’re even showing us the covers that will adorn the comics used for the “event”.) I also know this isn’t really… I mean, it can’t really be… can it? You’ll have to read and find out. I do promise there’s both a resurrection and the promise of one to come. I have to say, though, that this ish didn’t grab me. It was all right but nothing special.

We also have Queen Sonja #4, which continues the excellent “origin” story of this incarnation of the She-Devil with a Sword. Sonja seems more and more like Kull with each issue, I guess simply a function of her change in status due to this storyline. I wonder how long they’ll keep it up? I can’t say I don’t like it, and there’s certainly plenty of room for stories set predominately in one kingdom as opposed to having her wander all through the Hyborian Age, but I can’t help but think she’s not long for the crown. Either way, Dynamite has shown me they can keep her interesting and fresh no matter what they do with her.

Finally, we have Zenescope Entertainment Presents Sci-Fi & Fantasy Illustrated, a mouthful of a title that delivers the Joe Brusha-Claudio Sepulveda creation “The Perfect Mate”. The basic story here is nothing new: A man purchases an android girl who is built to his every specification from a company which specializes in aiding such socially inept men. The man can’t help but fall in love with her, but… I’m sure you know the rest but I have to say that the ending here is both exactly what you expect while being different from what you’re thinking at the same time. I guess the best thing I can say about this book is that it does everything and takes you everywhere you think it will while at the same time surprising you a little in the end. Well, that and the women are drawn stunningly, a Zenescope staple.

By Sam Christopher

Lex Luthor shows his good and bad sides—okay, almost all bad—in Adventure Comics #6. Here we meet Lena Thorul (who I don’t think we’ve seen since Crisis on Infinite Earths ripped out the old continuity in 1986) and find that she’s an invalid for some reason—her daughter here says that no one can explain it. Lex says he can cure her… y’know, I’ve mentioned a certain Lex backup story from the John Byrne era, the one about the small town waitress? This is worse, both in the magnitude of Lex’s evil and the overall lameness of the ending. The characterization of Superboy is very good, and Lori’s reactions are spot-on based on what we’ve seen of her, but… while Lex has always been portrayed as unremittingly evil this is more cartoonish, one-dimensional supervillain than I would expect. The master industrialist/techno-genius—Lex always has been more DC’s version of Tony Stark since Crisis than anything else—I just can’t see doing all this. Worse, I can’t see anyone of this Lex’s background having more knowledge of medicine than all the doctors Bruce Wayne’s money can hire so I fully expect Lena to make a total recovery shortly. And then we have the strange case of Lex’s absolute hatred of Superman for his “alien influence” while Lex allies himself with Brainiac. Finally, there is the other oddity from this story which I will mention below, in conjunction with another ish. Geoff Johns has done better, and Francis Manapul’s art is its usual goodness.

Next, in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #13 Bats breaks a leg, literally, saving a crook from a falling tree. Robin, who we’ve seen before is not on the best of terms with his mentor, offers to come back to Gotham for a bit but Batman tells him that Bludhaven needs the Boy Wonder more. But, in a humorous twist to the story, former teamup alums Captain Marvel, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Plastic Man all decide that Gotham City needs a Batman, a decision they each reach independent of each other. So with the real Batman incapacitated, the city gets first four Batmen, then hundreds seemingly. A very enjoyable tale in this whimsical Bat-verse.

And over in the other B&B, Brave and the Bold #31 brings us a strange teamup: the Atom and the Joker. Seems the Clown Prince of Crime has developed a medical condition that causes his brain to race, never stopping until he will lapse into a coma and eventually die. The doctors at Arkham think they have a cure but it needs to be delivered directly into a certain part of the brain, so, since Racquel Welch has evidently retired from her “tiny submarine of medicine” days, enter the Atom. Ray Palmer spends a page or two being convinced that saving the Joker is somehow the right thing to do but eventually—and you knew this was going to happen—he goes in. He’s warned that going in at such a tiny size he might suffer a little bleedover from the Joker’s twisted mind and, of course, he does. That allows us to see some of the Joker’s formative years, as well as leaving us with what could be a running character flaw for the Atom as time goes by. One interesting tidbit: the Joker tortured small animals as a child, just as this week’s Adventure Comics #6 tells us that Lex Luthor did. I found this to be a very strange similarity between these two characters, especially given the differences between them. Anyway, another excellent story by J. Michael Straczynski, this time teamed with artists Chad Hardin and Justiniano.

By Sam Christopher

Okay, okay, so it’s not the “real” Fantastic Four. It is a very good foursome for the Blackest Night storyline, however, and we’ll start off with Green Lantern Corps #44, which brings us the latest chapter in Oa’s defense against the onslaught of the Black Lanterns. At the end of last ish, the sentient planet Mogo, the GL of its sector (and, while I’m thinking of it, what happened to our Mogo/Ego battle from Marvel vs. DC?), arrived at Oa, much to the surprise of everyone. This month, amid Guy Gardner’s Red and Green Ring Rampage, Kyle tries to calm Guy while Mogo reveals its intentions. And those intentions are… wild. Not sure how scientifically feasible what Mogo does is—I’m not even sure how its appearance at Oa doesn’t disrupt all manner of things for both planets—and I’m not sure it doesn’t just bode more ill for Mogo later (I’d _really_ hate to see the Black Lantern Mogo at some point). A very cool, very fun chap by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, no matter how it finally turns out.

Next, Blackest Night: Flash #2 finds the Rogues confronting their collective and individual pasts while Barry Allen, as a newly-minted Blue Lantern (see Blackest Night #6), faces his grandson Bart and Eobard Thawne with the help of Saint Walker and Wally. Master scribe Geoff Johns has everything about this adventure clicking and purring, from the way the Rogues face their former mates and family to the way Barry warms to the Blue Ring before wondering about the implications of its mantra “All Will Be Well”. And the Scott Kolins art is fine, although a definite step down from the crisp lines of Ethan Van Sciver, on the Flash character anyway.

Then we have Blackest Night: Phantom Stranger #42, in which the Stranger and Blue Devil battle the Black Lantern Spectre before heading to Nanda Parbat to save the body and soul of Boston Brand, aka Deadman. Along the way we’re shown snippets of a couple of the four origins given for the Phantom Stranger in Secret Origins #10 (1987). Not sure why, really, but I am vaguely disturbed that the Stranger appears to be stronger than the Spectre; something about that just doesn’t sit right with me. And Blue Devil shows once again why I never cared that much for him as a character. Deadman’s role here is interesting. When the Stranger and Devil arrive at Nanda Parbat Deadman is shown going from Black Lantern to Black Lantern trying to find some kind of information, both to stop the BL plague in general and to stop them from breaching NP in particular. Oh, and did I mention that the body of Boston Brand is one of the Risen trying to destroy Deadman’s beloved city? The Stranger helps him and his BL self out—or threatens to smother them if they don’t play nice. Tomasi and Ardian Syaf turn in a good effort.

Finally, the Blackest Night: Starman #81 one-shot gives us the rise of David Knight from the dead. Now, I’m not up on my Starman lore but writer James Robinson does make it clear that he’s Ted’s (the original Starman) son and Jack Knight’s brother, Jack being the Starman of the series which ran in the ‘90s and who has passed the Cosmic Rod which gave the Starmen their powers to Courtney Whitmore of the JSA. In this book, David’s body admits to Shade that it’s not the real David Knight, that it’s a used body. The entity then does what Black Lanterns do, but the immortal Shade is less than impressed. This ish boasts, besides the great Robinson story, perfect Fernando Dagnino layouts finished by Bill Sienkiewicz (of whom you may have heard). To me, this is the most interesting Blackest Night story of the week, because the juxtaposition of this story with the Power of Shazam Blackest Night one-shot-from last week which featured the rise of Osiris who obviously kept his personality intact despite the attempted control the Black Ring exerted has my mind fairly buzzing with possibilities. I just hope that Osisris’ handling doesn’t turn out to be just a blind alley misfire.

By Sam Christopher

The Blackest Night one-shot, The Power of Shazam #48, contained a very interesting twist on the whole Black Lantern thing. In this story, Isis’ little brother, Osiris, and Sobek, Osiris’ talking alligator best friend—the one that ate Osiris—are resurrected and run into each other. We’ve seen previously that no matter who the person was before the resurrection, after the raising they are evil and only after the hearts of any feeling thing about them. Not so with Osiris. The ring tries to get him to toe the line but somehow—perhaps because somehow the Shazam magic interferes with the BL ring—Osiris resists, becoming again the hero he’d always wanted to be. Eric Wallace’s story here is very good, very interesting; I’m sure he was given editorial direction from the beginning of the assignment but whoever came up with this idea I hope it plays into the overall storyline in some very important way because it is an intensely—for me anyway—fascinating turn of events and really made me think on the nature and scope of the Black Lantern power. Don Kramer’s pencils, though, were a disappointment here. I’m always hesitant to say that someone just isn’t good because I always feel that the art—as with the script—has to fit the story it illustrates. I just didn’t think this artwork fit this story very well. Still, all in all, a very good ish.

And this week’s entry in ST comes in the form of Star Trek: Captain’s Log: Sulu, a one-shot giving us an adventure of… well, I think that’s pretty apparent, don’t you? In this story, the fairly newly-minted Captain Hikaru Sulu leads his Federation starship Excelsior on a diplomatic mission to the Tholian Assembly. The Tholians have always been known in Treklore as being the most punctual of beings, and, therefore, a very intolerant race with respect to any amount or degree of tardiness. Well, the Excelsior is dispatched to find a diplomatic solution for a Federation colony the Tholians say is encroaching their borders and, wouldn’t you just know it, they have to answer a ship’s distress call that puts them 30-some minutes late to the initial meeting. You may have already guessed the Tholian response. This is a pretty good story by Scott and David Tipton with all right Frederica Manfredi artwork. The characterizations are well done and the plot is suitable for the subject; the art is not great but it isn’t bad for ST comics. I’ve always surmised that they have to pay so much for the license to do Trek, and they know they have a loyal fan base many of whom will buy anything Trek, that companies don’t typically put any A-level “name” talent on ST books. Unless, like John Byrne, that a name talent just wants to do it.