Here ‘tis. I had an issue of Ex Machina this week, and Red Sonja… I picked up the I (heart) Marvel with Squirrel Girl and Speedball, which was nice… oh, and Infinite Freakin’ Crisis #5!
Ruminations to come.
I also got GL Corps : Recharge, wrapping up the big battle with the Vegans and setting a slightly ominous note at the end.
Then there was Adventures of Superman, which gave us some insight into the battle of the Supermen - I think their proximity is interfering with each other’s mind - somewhat like Alex’s mind interfered with Lex. This is why they’re not seeming as rational as usual, and are a lot angrier.
Marvel Zombies #4, which involves the formulation of a clever plan against Galactus by the zombie heroes, and a shining beacon of hope in the form of one of the survivors on Asteroid M.
City of Heroes #10 and 11, which aren’t bad. X-Factor, which continues to intrigue. Ultimates 2 - Hawkeye rocks. And we get identities on all the assembled invaders.
The Batman Annual explains Jason Todd’s return. Outsiders, Detective, and JSA are all “One Year Later” titles, allowing us some previews of who survives the Crisis.
Well, then there’s the obvious suggestion of the Psycho Pirate being involved. After all, Alex doesn’t really want two Superman joining up to fight him.
I can’t wait to finally see issue 5 though.
Is Jason Todd an Earth 2 funkibeing? Or a Razzy Ghoul?
They’ve been avoiding using the Psycho Pirate as an excuse for anything - even where it would make sense. Though I hope they credit some of Maxwell Lord’s personality shift to the Pirate.
I noticed something interesting about Infinite Crisis #5 that I will discuss as soon as more folks check in as having read it.
Here’s how. As Superboy-Prime was breaking his way out of the extradimensional prison that he and Alex and Kal and Lois found themselves in, it caused ripples in space-time. These ripples are what DC is using to explain the continuity glitches since Crisis. Apparently, when the worlds fused, they didn’t fuse correctly - so the ripples actually are setting things “right”.
Jason Todd wasn’t supposed to die. Six months after he was buried, a ripple hit and adjusted him to his correct status.
More than that, I’ll hold back for the moment, except to say Ra’s does play a role in the Annual.
Infinite Crisis #5: Just excellent. Probably the strongest issue so far. Besides the excellent main plot, I loved the little touches Like Zauriel as chaplain to the superheroes. Or Mr. Terrific defendinding his atheism to a man wearing clothing made out of souls. Or the fact that Breach, Kyle Rayner, Jason Rausch, and Helena Bertinelli were supposed to be the heroes of Earth-8.
Batman Annual #25: How Jason survived, as well as an explanation for all of the retcons after the initial crisis batch. Pretty good, although I’m still kinda peeved that they ended his last story on a cliffhanger. Nice touch using Aparo’s original art.
Detective Comics #817: One Year Later. Familiar, yet fresh. Good tone. I like it. I don’t like Robin’s new outfit, at least not as drawn by Kirk and Clarke. It’s the sleeves. The costume needs to be broken up a bit.
Aquaman Sword of Atlantis #40: One Year Later. Very, very cool. I love that this new hero is apparently a victim of mistaken identity by a very, very confused man. And King Shark!
Y: The Last Man #43: Fun in Japan.
Green Lantern Corps Recharge #5: A satisfactory ending.
Adventures of Superman #649: Oops. I was meaning to start reading Superman OYL. Still, pretty good for a chapter of a story I didn’t read the first few parts of.
Jonah Hex #5: Didn’t like the art. And the story was pretty weak. But that last page… That made it all worthwhile.
So who’s the new Aquaman? And what’s the special bit on the last page of Hex?
One Year Later Spoilers (Based on Detective, Outsiders, and JSA)
Batman and Robin both survive. Presumably it’s the same people under the mask. Harvey Dent’s been busy as a murderous vigilante, it seems. The corruption in the GCPD was outed; Bullock and Gordon are back. The Outsiders are believed to be dead after the Crisis, and work undercover. Nightwing (Grayson), Thunder, Grace, Metamorpho (not Shift), Katana, and Boomerang, Jr. (Digger’s son Owen) comprise the team. The JSa has been inactive for the last year. GL, Flash, Wildcat, StarGirl, Mr. Terrific, Jakeem, Dr. Midnite and Power Girl are all present at the get-together. Flash still has his powers. GL says magic hasn’t been working since the Crisis, but the Thunderbolt points out that that isn’t exactly true.
Aquaman: [spoiler] I thought it was kind of clever.
The new Aquaman is Arthur Curry, the son of a biologist. Art was born prematurely, before his lungs were formed, so his father used his science to give him gills (and other ocean adaptations) so he’ll survive underwater. His lungs still aren’t very good. He’s spent his entire life living in a tank until a storm dumps him into the ocean.
He meets the Dweller in the Deep, a mystic with hair made of tentacles, and the King Shark. The Dweller, finding a blonde swimmer named Arthur Curry, assumes that he’s Aquaman (and gives him an appropriate outfit). When Art denies it, the Dweller then thinks that the things that he knows of Aquaman must be some kind of prophecy, and tells Art Aquaman’s history as his future. Art doesn’t buy it, and the King Shark remarks that Aquaman has been around for years, but has been missing recently.
The Dweller still thinks there’s something to what he knows, since it’s so clear like him almost lived it himself, as he etches his narration with a glowing watery hand… [/spoiler]
Hex: After much tribulation, the bad guy gets away.
Ten years later, he’s robbing a train, and opens up the car to find Hex, with a Gatling Gun!
Well, heck. Not getting as quick a response as usual in this week’s.
Infinite Crisis #5 ruminations - we get to see our Lex, in his Legion of Doom costume no less. Superman-2 learns that the return of Earth-2 isn’t the solution of his problem, and he and Superman-1 battle. (There’s also a nice homage to Action Comics #1’s cover) We get to see the other Earth-Two survivor besides Lois and Kal. Alex explains the people on the tower - and Breach is back, and we get an interesting revelation about Breach, Kyle Rayner, Helena Bertinelli, and Jason Rusch (the new Firestorm). We get the impression that Alex could’ve gotten rid of Superman-2, but he was an essential part of the plan - apparently, Superman-2 is the lynchpin of the multiverse.
Now we move into spoiler territory.
The multiverse is restored. More people disappear from Earth-1, like the Marvels. Amusingly, one of the Earths we see splitting form the others is cubical - like Htrae. (Bizarro World)
Nightwing and Superboy (ours) have a chat about a plan of action, as do Batman, Booster, and the new Blue Beetle, about a separate plan of attack. Everything’s in chaos, when the Flash appears from the Speed Force in Tokyo, talking to Dr. Light II (her powers are back? huh. ) and warning her to tell the others to prepare for…
The return of Superboy Prime, looking somewhat zombiefied, and decorated in very Anti-Monitor-looking armor. Must’ve picked it up at the Speed Force’s gift shop.
And as a special bonus semi-spoiler, there’s something interesting about the Flash that casual readers may not notice.
Unless there’s been an art mistake (or rather, THREE art mistakes), it’s not Wally. It’s Barry.
I haven’t read 'Tec yet, but I’m hoping…really, really hoping, that first spoiler is just a ruse, and we’ll find out it was really someone else.
Outsiders:
Now I’m worried about Shift. (Bugger, I caught he-must-be-dead-itis. >_< ) Maybe that WAS him in the ‘Potential JLA members’ pic that was circulating a while back…
JSA:
GL’s not thinking very hard about this…He knows Thunderbolt and Spectre are still around, and he thinks magic isn’t working? Silly Alan.
You liked that? I thought I was the only one who didn’t think it was A Huge Ruination Of Everything Ever!. (Because, you see Earth-8 didn’t exist pre-Crisis, so, despite the fact that CoIE began a tradition of inserting Earths into the multiverse retroactively, it is, in some form, dirty pool to do it now.) I thought it was a NEEDLESS addition, but it wasn’t bad.
I was also fond of the mass. I want to attend a mass lead by an Angel. Just once. Especially if it’s attended by a talking monkey, a demon, and a guy dressed in souls.
And, at the end…
The parade of Supermen…I’ve positively identified all but 2, and I think I know one of those. R-L: Red Son, Superman Red/Superman Blue (pre-Crisis), A medieval Superman that I know I’ve read a story I can’t currently name about, Earth-2 Superman (Possibly with Post-Crisis Superman standing directly behind him), Tangent Superman, (Probably) Evil-Psycho-Superman from Animal Man’s Crisis II, and…the guy I don’t recognise at all. Any help?
Earth-8 wasn’t a necessary addition, sure, but since it was just a throwaway line I dug it for what it was.
I really, really, liked the use of Zauriel here. I’ve always liked Zauriel, since he was explictly Christian, and didn’t really shy away from the theological implications of his being on earth. I absolutely adore the concept of a chaplain for the Superheroes, and Zauriel’s the perfect choice, of course. Just like any other stressful profession, superheroes have spiritual needs, and it makes sense that someone would step up to meet them, and that they’d take a moment out to pray.
The 'Tec spoiler was definitely step up as a possible red herring. We don’t actually see him do it.
Well, it’s a possibility although they’ve been inconsistent about such things in the past. Although The fact that he’s still glowing, and that he’s telling Dr. Light to spread the word instead of doing it himself argues that it *is *Barry, but it’s a short visitation.
So, I was right on all but one of my guesses (and not even the one I was unsure on. Heh)…and I’m still totally in the dark about who the last one is. But, at least I have a name to work with, now.
I wish I could see the full image, though…that sounds sweet-ass.
I thought it was cute, and it does explain Breach’s presence, anyway.
I picked up “Son of M” #3 this week, I think it came out a little while ago though.
Quicksilver being my favorite Marvel character I was really looking forward to this series.
Eh, issue one was interesting and issue two was okay… but since the Inhumans are inherrently boring to me… I was ready for him to leave Attilan after page two. I do like that he took Luna with him.
Back in Pieto’s short lived series his powers were revealed to be time based and not speed based. No other writer used it. And it still isn’t really.
[spoiler]
Hello? Alan? Your ring is magic (or, if you’re not using your ring this week, your source of power is magic). Made out of the Starheart. Not related to the science-GLC rings at all*. If your ring works (or your internalized power, whichever) then magic works. Oops.
*Except Pre-Crisis when the Starheart was a bunch of wild magic that the Guardians collected and tossed into Earth-Two to just get rid of it. But it was still magic even then.[/spoiler]
I was going to mention that, but when I made the post, I suddenly wasn’t sure if he still had the magical based powers with all the retcons around him. They’re very consistant about it being internalised right now, though. Down to Blackbriar Thorn almost killing him last year due to the weakness vs wood.
