Trinity of Sin: Pandora #6 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Ray Fawkes
Art By: Francis Portela, Staz Johnson
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 18, 2013

Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh. The Blight Stuff!

Continuing right along from Constantine #9.  The new Justice League Dark, or at least the group I'm calling the new JLD, got their asses handed to them by Blight, everyone is down, and Blight is about to kill Constantine.  Let's find out.

Explain It!:

So Constantine's about to die, we got that happening.  But out of nowhere Pandora comes leaping out, and pulls Blight out of the giant smoke dragon he manifested around him.  You think we should call him a he?  I mean is Blight a he?  I know that his physical host Chris is a he, but do we call Blight a he because of that, or should we refer to Blight as an it?  I'll continue with he just because it's easier for my to mind wrap around.  But comment and tell me what you think it should be, and I'll change it, or keep it for future Blight related stories.  Moving on.  So Pandora creates a distraction for Blight, and the perverted Deadly Sins, I say perverted because their appearance has been twisted even more than their usual disturbing selves, and not because five out of the seven were caught jerking off at a movie theater during a Hannah Montana movie.  Using the distraction Nightmare Nurse heals Constantine of his wounds, as Blight turns back into a giant smoke dragon, and sprays the park, and the surrounding apartment buildings with dragon fire.  Yep that just happened.

Constantine wants to let the fair citizens of New York burn, while they deal with how to take down Blight, but the other members of the JLD are jumping into action before he can light his first cigarette.  Our heroes save the dragon victims, and Constantine comes up with a plan.  Nightmare Nurse does some ju-ju called the mark of Dun-kon-wen, and marks the team.  Phantom Stranger isn't happy about this, because it comes at a terrible cost.  (Insert ominous laughter)  

So the team takes another stab at taking down Blight, and this time Constantine gets his damn head knocked off, no I'm not playing here.  His head literally gets knocked the hell off.  Oh god.  Nightmare Nurse, and Phantom Stranger both get impaled, and Swamp Thing is burned up.  Oh god, oh god, oh god.  Pandora isn't going down without a fight though.  She's now the last defense against unadulterated evil, and she.... oh oh, she's dead.  In the end Pandora lies bleeding out, and is experiencing for the first time, how it is feels to die.  After her last breath, she sees Nightmare Nurse in the ether.  Nightmare Nurse tells Pandora that she is dead, and she will experience this death over and over in her dreams.  This is the price of the mark of Dun-kon-wen.  The issue ends with the bodies of the JLD piled up in Doctor Thirteen's house.  So come back here next week for Justice League Dark, so we can figure out what Constantine's plan actually was.  Because if it was just dying, I don't think I can fully support that plan.

Bits and Pieces:

Forever Evil: Blight still seems like a slow burn.  While I enjoyed this issue, and continually enjoy Ray Fawkes writing on Pandora, it seems like we're constantly waiting for the real story to start.  We're given some fine action, and a lot of WTF moments that keep you on the edge of your seat, but I have trouble seeing where this story is going.  Can the JLD actually kill evil?  Doesn't seem likely.  So if that's the case is this just a throw away story line for the Dark characters to keep busy during Forever Evil?  Don't get me wrong, for what I've been given, I've been enjoying.  Pandora is being made into a very fun strong character I hope to keep reading for a long time.  While it's not meant for first time readers, if you're a Dark fan this is for you.  Go check it out.

8/10

Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #3 Review

Written by: Brian Buccellato
Art by: Scott Hepburn and Andre Coelho
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 18, 2014

Rogues meet the Rogues

The Rogues find themselves in Gotham and  become intimate with some of Gotham's most famous villains. Things don't go so well, but the Rogues never leave a man behind...or do they?

Brian Buccellato gives us a fun issue.  It's just not very good.  We get to see the Rogues (minus Captain Cold) deal with some of Gotham's most colorful villains.  However, it seems forced and desperate.  This book is the weakest of the Forever Evil tie-ins mainly because it really is going nowhere the other books haven't.  Last issue was a recap of Forever Evil #3 and this issue is a weak Arkham War tie-in. After three issues, this series is showing that the Rogues while fun, can't carry their own book.  I wish I could say more about this issue, but not much goes on plot wise.

The artwork in this book is neither fun or good...it's awful.  Scott Hepburn and Andre Coehlo should be ashamed.  It's that bad.

Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion is the weakest of the Forever Evil tie-ins and this issue is no exception.  The Rogues combined with some of Batman's best villains is bound to be fun, but is it too much to ask for a good story to go with it?  Add in some of the worst art I've seen in a New 52 book and I can truly recommend everyone steering clear of this one.

4.0/10

Batman and Two-Face #26 Review

Written by: Peter J. Tomasi
Art by: Patrick Gleason
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 18, 2013

The Ties that Bind

Batman and Two-Face has been a decent, if not underwhelming arc so far.  The revamp of Harvey Dent's origin felt unnecessary, but the main culprit is new villain,  Erin McKillen.  Besides the hints at a past with Bruce Wayne, there has been nothing that dangerous or even interesting about her. Batman and Two Face #26 begins to rectify that a bit with some good character moments, but is it too little too late?

Awesome Cover

Peter J. Tomasi uses this issue to fully flesh out the background and motivations of Erin McKillen.  We find out more of her past with Bruce and more importantly, her reasons to hate Harvey Dent.  The interaction between her and Bruce is good and Alfred's obvious contempt is pretty funny.  Bruce and Erin have a common bond that keeps them close even after Erin has become a horrible criminal.

Tomasi also shows us the link between Erin and Harvey.  They have both made each other what they are today and want nothing more then to see the other dead.  Of course, Batman is there to make sure neither gets their wish, but not before a twist back stab that does prove blood is not thicker than water..

The art of Patrick Gleason is hit and miss.  I have been a fan of his since the series started, but I haven't been a huge fan of his work on this arc.  Characters seem to look different throughout the book and some of the action is hard to follow.  It's not horrible, just not up to Gleason's standards.

Bits and Pieces:

Batman and Two-Face #26 is a good issue.  Peter J. Tomasi gives the reader some much needed background on Erin McKillen that makes her a better character, if not a great villain.  The artwork by Patrick Gleason is inconsistent and not up to the series' standards, but it is not a deal breaker.  Overall, I am still a fan of the arc, but I'm still waiting to be blown away.  Maybe next issue.

7.5/10

Red Hood and The Outlaws #26 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: James Tynion IV
Art By: Julius Gopez, Sandu Florea, Walden Wong
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 18, 2013

Trope: Amnesia Be Thy Name.

Last time in this story line Red Hood and The Outlaws defeated the Untitled.  Their power being absorbed into a lazarus pit.  But that isn't the end.  We find out that Ra's Al Ghul had intended for this outcome, and now has absorbed all the Untitled's power from said lazarus pit.  Now it's on.  

Explain It!:

Well Ra's is back, and first thing on his to-do list is to take back control of the League of Assassins.  Now you might think this would be a bit of a challenge, but Ra's has all these badass new powers, so not that tough.  But speaking of powers, you don't really get a sense of what these powers are.  I'm seeing super strength, possibly a bit more on speed, but mostly he glows.  Yup glowing Ra's Al Ghul.  That's all I have to say about that.  Back to the story.

So the team is captured, and Jason is pseudo crucified.  Now Jason and Roy have their bromance moment, and Jason cries, about not trusting them, and about removing his memory, blah blah blah.  They tell him that only he has the power to prevent forest fires, and apparently his memory.  So luckily that little tidbit of information was revealed, because when Ra's comes back to murder everyone, from where ever he was, Jason screams out "I WANT TO REMEMBER!", and Red Hood is back baby.  So immediately after Red Hood escapes his chains, and kicks Lady Shiva's ass.  But can he take down Bronze Tiger?  Probably it's Red Hood's book.  During the fight Cheshire throws allegiance to the wind, and frees Starfire, and Arsenal, so we've got The Outlaws in the fight, and Starfire quickly takes down Bronze Tiger.

In the end we find out that this whole thing has been Jason's plan from the beginning, even losing his memory and forgetting the plan.  So hopefully we'll get a little more insight into this grand design next month, because you won't find it here.  Also we find out from Ducra, who's been watching the siege of 'Eth Alth' Eban, that Jason has recovered his memories too early.  Ducra finishes this issue saying that this means Jason will die, and that Jason knows this as well.  I swear if you give me back my Red Hood, just to take him away again, I'm going to hurt somebody.  Probably the other Weird Science reviewer Jim, and I know he doesn't want to be hurt, so don't make me do it!  Alright violence aside, see you next month when we conclude this story, and find out the fate of all the players.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue is really taking a step into the right direction, by moving us towards the end of this story.  I've been really tired of seeing The Outlaws, and the Amnesiatic Guy, now we get our anti-hero back, and I'm finally excited to see what's going to happen.  But that being said, a lot of the other bits of this story seemed to be lacking just to give us our payoff with Jason.  Not a perfect book, but I keep reading so that has to say something.  So for everyone that has felt this title lacking in the past few months, come take a look, and dive back into the world of Red Hood and The Outlaws.

6.8/10

Stormwatch #26 Review

Written by: Jim Starlin
Art by: Yvel Guichet
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 4, 2013

No Penicillin For You, Earth

The Stormwatch team head through space to see what the Kollective have done in the past and why they are now targeting Earth.  Meanwhile, Earth is already becoming assimilated by the Kollective and the team must make a decision on whether or not to attempt an alliance with Extrememax.  Also, Jenny Soul can't clear her head, Weird plays the harp and Lobo is pissed off.

Not much goes on in Stormwatch #26.  Jim Starlin attempts to show the reader the horrors of the Kollective by showing Worlds they have taken over.  I have to admit, my reaction was lukewarm at best.  Yes, they are anti-tech zealots, but they don't seem like the worst big bads in the Universe.  They don't kill little babies, they just convince you not to vaccinate them.  Sort of like Jenny Mccarthy.

The lack of a threatening villain is far from the biggest offender Stormwatch is guilty of, however.  No matter how much Starlin tries, the team itself is too large and uninteresting.  Good team books rely on the interaction of the members, but it's hard for the reader to care when they don't care about the team.  Seriously, Jenny Soul, Weird, Hellstrike, A.I. and a bunch of others I can't even remember two minutes after putting the book down?!  That's hardly a stellar roster.  Throw in the worst representation of Lobo I've ever seen and you do not have a winner, my friend.  I like Apollo and Midnighter, but their relationship is shoved down the reader's throats and they don't do much more than lay naked in bed.

In past issues I thought Yvel Guichet was a little hogtied with his art.  The team usually is hanging out in Skywatch and you can only do so much with spaceship corridors.  However, this issue involves a couple alien planets that Guichet draws as generic as possible.  Oh well, back to the corridors for you, Yvel.

Bits and Pieces:

Stormwatch #26 continues the trend of the series which means it is not good.  We get to see the underwhelming plan of the Kollective and the bare chests of Apollo and Midnighter...again.  Seriously, not much happens in this issue and I can't recommend it to anyone.

2.0/10

Superman/Wonder Woman #3 Review

Written by: Charles Soule
Art by: Tony S. Daniel
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 11, 2013

You'll Shoot  You're Eye Out Bash His Face In

Superman is still reeling from his power surge from Apollo's attack. while Wonder Woman looks for a Christmas gift for the man who has everything.  Meanwhile, Batman is trying out to be the host of Loveline, Zod is trying to get a grip on his powers and some cool members of the Justice League of America are on the business end of this awakening.

Charles Soule has made this title a must read by showing us the personal side of Superman and Wonder Woman and their burgeoning relationship.  He ups the ante in this issue by giving us a stellar supporting cast. Yes, we still get a great Wonder Woman moment while she's shopping for Superman's Christmas present, but the highlight is Batman giving Superman dating advice.  It's hilarious and touching at the same time.

Of course in a book like this, you need some action and Zod provides it in spades.  Seeing him realize his powers on Earth is great.  I give Soule credit here for pulling back and letting the art do the talking here.  We then see the extent of Zod's power when he is confronted by Steve Trevor and members of the Justice League of America.  Soule doesn't give us the whole league, just the coolest members (IMHO)!  To see what Zod can do to them is just scary.  However, the end of the book shows that their might be a more unique danger for the power couple than a disgruntled Kryptonian General.


Tony S. Daniel's art is so detailed and just awesome.  No tricks needed here.  Everything looks great and is so easy to follow that I was done the book so quick that I thought it was a twelve page issue.  I have to mention the ink work done by Batt mainly because it's so good, but also because his name is Batt.

Bits and Pieces:

Superman/Wonder Woman #3 is great.  This book has action, romance, humour and great art to boot.  Charles Soule and Tony S. Daniel have given us an early Christmas present and I'd like to thank them for that.

9.5/10

Justice League 3000 #1 Review

Written by: Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis
Art by: Howard Porter
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 11, 2013

What Happens to Us in the Future? Do We Become A-Holes or Something?

When Justice League 300 was announced I didn't know what to think.  How could our favorite band of heroes still be around 1000 years in the future and how could this possibly fit in the New 52?  Then after creative changes and delays. I couldn't help but worry about how the finished product would turn out.  Thankfully, the book is here and it's pretty good.  Pretty Strange, but pretty good.

Keith Giffen and J.M DeMatteis throw us right into the setting of the book and the reader gets an instant grip of what's going on.  Yes, there are still mysteries, but we are on solid ground.  We've seen this type of future setting, but it is colorful and varied and gives DC readers something that's been missing since Threshold was canceled (all 10 readers of that book, that is).

Much to their credit, the writers also present the League in a similar fashion and it's refreshing and exciting. We don't see how the team is formed and more importantly how the heroes are still around 1000 years in the future.  Nope, the first time we see them is in the middle of battle.  Two things are immediately apparent. These aren't the exact heroes we are used too and they really don't like each other.  The rest of the book is devoted to explaining the why and what of these two facts.  I really like the ideas behind the setup of the team, but the bickering and trash talk between members (especially Batman and Superman) got old real fast and it seems like it will be an ongoing theme.

Howard Porter does a good job matching story to art.  I like his view of a dystopian future and his action scenes are real good.  However, I'm not a huge fan of the look of the League members.  Some of the characters have an unfinished look, while other times they look downright bizarre.

In Justice League 3000 #1, Giffen and DeMatteis do a good job at throwing us into a future world where we get to discover what is going on as it happens.  I really like the setting, but the jury is still out on the Justice League itself.  The art is a bit inconsistent and the relationships between League members is already getting on my nerves.  Despite these complaints, I am still looking forward to next issue to see the mystery of this new/old Justice League unfold.

6.5/10

Nightwing #26 Review

Written by:Kyle Higgins
Art by: Will Conrad and Cliff Richards
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 11, 2013

Running to Stand Still

Nightwing has a few problems to deal with.  A new drug has hit Chicago and everyone wants a taste, he can't get any privacy while sharing an apartment and he has to juggle his after hours work with a real job as a bartender.

Kyle Higgins has a pretty tough job.  Anyone reading up on the Forever Evil events knows what's happening to Dick Grayson (slight spoiler: It ain't good) so the Nightwing book is a bit hog tied.  This new arc takes place a little before Forever Evil and as for now, it's business as usual.

A new anti psychotic drug is being stolen from Chicago hospitals and Nightwing takes to the rooftops to find out who is responsible.  What he finds is a newly rebranded villain who may need the drug more than anyone else in the city.   Meanwhile, Dick and his roomie do not see eye-to-eye when it comes to the heating bill and he has started a new job.  I would normally like what Higgins is doing here.  Dick's daily struggles really make him more relatable.  It's just bad timing.  Again, most readers know what is on the horizon for our hero so it's hard to really care if Dick is mad he can't keep his window open in the dead of winter.  I know it's not really Higgin's fault, but everything in this book feels underwhelming.  Add to this a villain reveal that actually made me groan out load.  I won't spoil it, but it is a villain recently featured in another bat book which I loathed and was not well received in general.

The art is split between Will Conrad and Cliff Richards and while both do an ok job individually, the change between them is jarring and is too busy overall.

Bits and Pieces:

Nightwing #26 is the start of a new arc, but with the events of Forever Evil looming in the near future, it feels like it's treading water.  Everything feels underwhelming and the villain reveal is more infuriating than interesting.  New readers can easily jump in, but they would be better served starting at the beginning of the series, not this issue.

5.0/10

Talon Canceled in March 2014

Is that taps I hear in the distance? Or maybe Queen, because another one has bitten the dust.  Yep, this time it's a little more personal.  First Animal Man and Batman: The Dark Knight and now Talon has been canceled after March's issue #17.  I have said over and over that Talon was one of my favorite New 52 books (in fact, when I wrote my top 5 list it was number one).  Unfortunately,  it has not been good for a while.  Though not a blockbuster, there are still a bunch of books that Talon outsells, so I believe this cancellation is in part to do with the waning quality and the lack of ideas on how to make the series last.

Original writer, James Tynion, is ending his run on the series in December with Marguerite Bennett writing a one-shot in January and Tim Seeley wrapping up the series' final two issues.  What really upsets me is that Jorge Lucas is taking over art duties in January which I was hoping would solve one of the problems the book has been battling, inconsistent art.  His art on the Court of the Owls Villains Month issue was the best the series has seen since Guillem March left the book.

On a personal note, all the books I review are being cancelled.  If I am indeed the jinx, the next books canceled will be Stormwatch, Birds of Prey and All-Star Western.  Well, I do expect the first two to be cancelled very soon, but All-Star better survive.

Batman: The Dark Knight Ending in March

He's a Freakin' Pterodactyl No More

Joining Animal Man, Batman: The Dark Knight is ending it's run in March 2014 with issue #29.  Also, like Animal Man whose cancellation was announced by writer Jeff Lemire, writer Gregg Hurwitz took to his personal blog to announce the sad news.

"Batman is forever, but sadly not all of his titles are. Batman: The Dark Knight will be ending with Issue 29. When I first signed on to do a single arc with David Finch, I never imagined I’d stay this long. Because of my work in novels and screenplays, I’m rarely sure what sorts of deadlines I’ll be juggling at any time, so I usually commit to a single six-issue story at a time and write way out ahead of schedule. DC has been great and gracious about accommodating this, and because of their flexibility, I wound up writing on the title for two (really damn fun) years."

The rest can be read on his site here

I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been a huge fan of the Dark Knight book, but I have liked it a bit more recently.  Me and Eric here at Weird Science have discussed the book on various occasions and always wish this was a "fun" book with wacky villains placed just a bit outside of the New 52 continuity.  Unfortunately, it's been a pretty boring, average book with overdrawn arcs.  One bit of good news is that DC can decrease their order for brown and black inks because this book used an overabundance of both.

Worlds' Finest #18 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Paul Levitz, Scott McDaniel
Art By: RB Silva, Joe Weems
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 11, 2013

*Insert Humorous, Or Relevant Tag Here*

Last issue Huntress was continuing the hunt for the Tattooed Woman arsonist, who wants to punish all the pretty people.  All that rage towards the beautiful, could be put to something constructive like getting money to afford plastic surgery.  Lousy uggos.  Anyway while that was going on Power Girl decided to go into space, to try and fix her powers by getting really close to the sun.  Unfortunately all this did was make her lose control of her powers, and come crashing down to earth, conveniently right by where Huntress was.  So hopefully Power Girl didn't blow up, and take New York with her.  Let's find out.

Explain It!:

So Kara's out of control.  So how do you calm down the powers of a super charged Kryptonian?  Why it's simply you merely dunk them in the East River.  It's really obvious when you think about it.  You think about it yet?  Well stop you'll only hurt yourself.  I know.  

So for the moment it appears that Power Girl's powers are under control, and hers to command again.  So it's time to take down that damned Tattooed Woman once and for all.  Power Girl flies off to go search eight million people, and Huntress uses the police database, and social media to find our villain.  Finally with the help of Google Street View, Helena tracks the baddie to a warehouse in Brooklyn, with similar markings as her tattoos, and hits pay dirt when the Tattooed Woman enters the building.  

Inside we find out that the Tattooed Woman or possibly her name is Tats which is awful, is apart of a cult that take their power from a strange stone god known as Xazdi.  But poor Huntress isn't ready to take on the stone god that suddenly comes to life, and shadows her right in the face.  Well Huntress is down for the count, luckily Power Girl is lazy, and decided to just follow Huntress instead of searching the city.  But uh oh, Power Girl's powers shit the bed again.  What's a Powerless Girl to do?  Well they pick up Huntress's crossbow, and fire a exploding arrow right in it's chest, that's what they do.  So the creature explodes, and possibly kills the Tattooed Woman, and her master, or they got away.  I have no idea, it all kind of gets swept under the rug.  In the end our two heroes have dinner, and exchange banter, in light of the people they possibly killed.  All in a days work.

Bits and Pieces:

There isn't much to this issue.  We've had a three issue arc about the new Tattooed Woman, and Power Girl's powers being all screwy, and nothing really happened.  It seems like the writers just through together a story arc to wait for the Batman.Superman crossover.  I really want to enjoy this title, but when we're given story after story that doesn't further the characters, or add anything new, well it's a hard sell.  The best thing about this issue is the cover, which is amazing, that's all you get.  Three issues and we really know nothing about a new villain, and it's over.  How can that be?

4.5/10 

Animal Man Series Coming to an End in March

Yes,  the sad news was announced that Animal Man will end in March with issue #29.  What is unusual though was that it wasn't announced by DC, but by series writer Jeff Lemire on twitter.

"After finishing the script for #29, I felt I had completed the story I wanted to tell with the Baker family and thought it was a perfect ending for the series.   The best way for me to explore new things with the character would be to move him to a team setting and shake up his status quo. DC agreed, and the Animal Man series will end with my final issue in March."

I guess that DC just couldn't see Animal Man continuing without Lemire and I guess I'm with them.  I was late getting into Animal Man, but I gave Animal Man Annual #1 a perfect 10 (my first perfect score) and have enjoyed it since.  While it's a shame the book is ending, Buddy is going to be a big part of Justice League Canada so I can't wait to read it.

Constantine #9 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Ray Fawkes
Art By: ACO, Beni Lobel
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 11, 2013

Blight Equals Might!

When last we saw that right bastard Constantine, he was being torn out of the House of Mystery with the rest of the make shift Justice League Dark members that John's assembled to take on the menace of Blight.  But what John doesn't know is that Blight has left the collective unconscious, and has taken physical form in the body of Phantom Stranger's pal Chris Esperanza, to take his revenge on Constantine.  Forever Evil: Blight continues here, so let's find out what's going down.

Explain It!:

So the new gang is all confused on what just happened to them.  They were all just hanging out talking about what DC Dark characters talk about when BLAMMO, they're all torn out of the happy home that is The House of Mystery, and find themselves in a park in NYC.  But their given the gift of clarity when the physical form of Blight comes flying in, with the rest of the deadly sins, who appear to be even more disgusting, and perverted than normal.

If that wasn't bad enough, Blight then turns himself into a giant black smoke dragon, and proceeds to wipe the floor with our mystical medley of magic makers.  Ah I love alliteration.  But the group eventually gets their act together and work as a team to bring Blight down.  Swamp Thing uses the Green to wrap plants around the dragon, forcing Blight to break through and come at Constantine using his physical form.  Constantine has a little something for that ass though, and magically zaps Blight down, and Nightmare Nurse conjures a binding spell to keep him down, while Pandora keeps the Deadly Sins at bay.  Just when it seems their going to work together Phantom Stranger doesn't want to see the host being Chris die, but Constantine wants to end this while he can.  Giving Blight enough to time to escape.

In the end, the bickering is their downfall.  Now that Blight is free, he quickly takes out the entire group, leaving Swamp Thing cut in half (which is the funniest moment of this book, just for Constantine's commentary.), and Constantine wondering where it all went wrong, and wanting to hear Zatanna tell him it's all going to be okay in the end.  But the last page we see is Blight about to pounce on top of Constantine, so I don't see anything being okay in the near future.  Check back here for Pandora #6, so we can find out what horrible things Blight has in store for Constantine.

Bits and Pieces:

Well it's about time this whole Blight thing finally took off.  We got a taste in the last issue of Phantom Stranger, but this just comes at you no hold barred.  With that being said, it feels like Blight is just something for the dark characters to do, while everyone else is dealing with the Crime Syndicate, and comes off more as an afterthought.  I know we're a few issues in, but as the series progresses, it just hammers the idea in that this event doesn't belong.  But take it for what it is, and enjoy your dose of badass magic induced mayhem.  

8/10

Katana #10 Review

Written by: Ann Nocenti
Art by: Alex Sanchez and Cliff Richards
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 11, 2013

Ending the Madness

Geoff Johns' final issues of Green Lantern and Aquaman.  John Layman leaving Detective Comics and Manipul and Bucculatto' run on the Flash coming to a close.  Can we add Ann Nocenti's final issue of Katana to this great list.  NO.  Not in your wildest dreams.  Those other books have that little something called quality while Katana has burnt toast trash talking and little girls making themselves into one big scar.  

If that doesn't make sense, don't worry, it'll all be over soon.  Because unfortunately, this is my final Katana review.  The dream has ended.

Ann Nocenti does what I assume is her best in wrapping things up in this final issue.  By that, I mean nothing gets wrapped up at all.  The two main threads in the book, Mona Shard and the Creeper, remain unresolved.  Katana even says it on the last page.  Alrighty then.

What we do get is a combination of bad dialogue, nonsensical art, missed jokes and ridiculous situations. Really, did we think the final issue would be so unlike the other nine?  There are also sudden reveals that were never set up and resolutions that come out of the blue.  In other words, this issue was terrible. Expected and terrible.

Bits and Pieces:

Katana #10 is a horrible end to a horrible book that never should have happened in the first place.  I must admit though, I will miss the unintentionally ridiculous dialogue and art that seemed to be drawn with no intention of matching the story.  It was a quirky horrible mess, but here at Weird Science, it was my quirky, horrible mess.  What am I talking about, thank God it's over!

3.0/10

Justice League of America #10 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Matt Kindt
Art By: Tom Derenick, Eddy Barrows, Tom Nguyen, Allen Martinez
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 11, 2013

The Minds of Stargirl.

As we saw last issue, Martian Manhunter, and Stargirl escaped the prison that holds most of the various Justice League members.  But upon their escape Stargirl awoke in a cemetery surrounded by members of the Secret Society.  But where is Martian Manhunter?  Well let's find out.

Explain It!:

I hope you all love Stargirl, because that's all you'll pretty much be getting.  After the the prison escape Stargirl is surrounded by members of the Secret Society.  Members including Deathstroke, Copperhead, Blockbuster, Giganta, and Shadow Thief.  Now all these bad mofos are kicking the ever loving crap out of Courtney, but she's not really dealing with it in a conventional sense.  Instead of fighting back Courtney keeps getting lost inside her memories, where we find out a bit more about our teen hero.

We see after Courtney found the cosmic staff, and flight belt in her stepfather's office, that she immediately went off doing her hero thing.  But her secret didn't last long, after videos of her started appearing on the internet.  Her stepfather Pat Dugan confronted her about what she was doing with the gear, but surprisingly he deals with this situation well.  At first he doesn't want her using the power, because his old partner The Star Spangled Kid, died in the line of duty.  But when Courtney intends to keep being a hero, he simply wants to train her to do it right.  Depending on how you look at it, not the worst stepdad ever.  Horribly irresponsible maybe, but pretty cool guy.  But throughout all these flashbacks down memory lane, Martian Manhunter keeps making cameo appearances.

Periodically throughout the flashbacks, Stargirl comes back to reality where she's usually getting kicked in the face, by monstrous villains.  We find out that Martian Manhunter is trapped within Stargirl's mind, and he's begging her to keep control, and focus on the ass kicking at hand, or they both will die.  Eventually after a massive beating Stargirl stops hiding in her memories, and we find out that Stargirl has Martian Manhunters powers.  So obviously after she gets her head clear she uses these powers to curb stomp the hell out of the villains, and seeing that she is smart, she flies away before having to take on Deathstroke, because no matter how many powers you have you never want to take on Deathstroke.

In the end Stargirl wants to go home to L.A. to check on her parents, now that the world has gone to hell.  But Martian Manhunter wants to find a quiet place so that he can try and escape her mind.  So during a argument with herself, Stargirl and Martian Manhunter are separated from each other, and Stargirl plans on continuing her journey to find out if her parents are alright.  While Martian Manhunter finds out that the prison that everyone is being held in, is actually Firestorm.  I don't know if this is right or not, because up until now we've been led to believe it was in the Firestorm matrix of Deathstorm.  But I guess we'll find out in the next installment of JLA Forever Evil.  See you then.

Bits and Pieces:

It seems that Justice League of America is struggling to find its place in the Forever Evil Event.  It's not that this title is bad, it's just not interesting.  We've been given two characters that have had little circulation in the DCU, to follow around, and try to make sense of what's going on around them.  But what's going on around them is taking it's sweet time in giving us a dose of the badass, that the other titles in this event have already done.  Don't get me wrong, I love the artwork, and I love getting a New 52 origin for Stargirl, but having the feeling of a big epic event, it falls a bit short.

7/10

Green Lantern Corps #26 Review

Written by: Van Jensen and Robert Venditti
Art by: Bernard Chang
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 11, 2013

One Punch

I admit it, I like John Stewart.  He's not my favorite Lantern (that would be Kyle), but he comes in a close second.  Granted, he's not a ball of flaming excitement, but I like his stoic, calculating nature.  He's a marine and an architect for Christ's sake.  He may not be the life of the party during the Lantern Christmas gatherings (or maybe they celebrate that awful "Life Day"), but I would chose him to lead the Corps any day of the week and twice on Sundays.  As a book, Green Lantern Corps has been the victim of an identity crisis.  With all the crossovers and the Corps story line leaking into the main Green Lantern title, I was becoming worried that the Corps book was becoming redundant.  Thankfully, this issue has renewed my faith in the title.

So, what do we get with this issue?  For starters, we see John and Hal hash out some of their recent issues, including the whole Guy is a Red Lantern problem.  I have been very vocal in my growing hate of Hal in the GL books and I loved it when John gave him what he had coming.  Next we get a side story involving some of the new recruits heading to Jruk's home world to resolve a political issue.  Of course, it makes total sense that on Jruk's home world, political issues are solved in a gladiatorial arena known as the Blood Bowl.  Last but not least, we get to see John, with help from Mogo, rebuild the GL headquarters.  While the other story lines were more exciting or relevant to the major story, this part was my favorite.  We get to see John Stewart, architect, at work.  Throughout these story lines there is the brewing mystery of the shapeshifting villains that are trying to destroy the Corps.

Van Jensen and Robert Venditti are giving me what I want from Green Lantern Corps.  I like the new recruits and the whole process of rebuilding the Corps itself.  After all the recent crossovers, I'm glad we get to slow down things a bit and see where each book is individually.  John Stewart is the rock of the Corps and I'm glad he is the focus of the book again.

Bernard Chang's art is as good as expected.  He gets to run wild with the varied Lanterns and the scenes on Jruk's homeworld were real good.  Plus, he gets to draw the Blood Bowl and doesn't disappoint.

Bits and Pieces:

Green Lantern Corps #26 is a good return to what I want from the book.  There are various new and interesting recruits off on adventures, John Stewart showing why he belongs as the leader and Hal getting punched in the face.  We also get a mystery brewing that could take down the Corps, possibly from within. This feels like the start of better things to come.

8.5/10