Flashpoint #2 sells out

DC announced on their blog yesterday that issue #2 of Flashpoint has sold out. It sounds like the "All new #1s strategy" may be drawing some attention for them.

Hopefully, some of those sales were to new readers, and DC is able to keep them. More people reading comics is good for the industry as a whole.

11 Bat Family Books

Holy Crap... eleven. Also the announcement of a twelfth, but one of the others may be a limited series.

Batman, Detective, Batman and Robin, Batman: The Dark Night, Batwoman, Batgirl, Catwoman, Birds of Prey, Nightwing, The Red Hood and the Outlaws, Batwing. 11 titles. And I am looking forward to almost all of them. They've given us a little less detail on these ones, but I will share my thoughts. Links to creator pages where I could find their official pages.

Batman: Loving the look of this cover. Glad to see Croc back, and that looks like Riddler with a question mark shaved onto his head and Two-Face who is lying there. The short guy could be the Mad Hatter? Regardless, they are certainly not hesitating to bring the traditional Bat Rogues back into the New DCU. And unlike the situation with Flash, I am glad to see this. Batman's villains have always been a good match for him, so it is good to see them still around. Written by Scott Snyder, a Batman veteran, and art by Greg Capullo.

Detective: Wow... Detective #1. Batman wasn't even IN this book the first time around. He didn't show up until Detective #27. Not true this time, though. From the cover, it looks like this is where the Joker will show up, but according to supplied with the cover online, it looks like he is on the trail of a serial killer known as the Gotham Ripper. I hope that they don't take Joker down as an afterthought in getting ready for this one. I had enough of that back when they were trying to prove that Hush was a bad ass. "When criminals want to scare each other, they tell each other Joker stories." Tony Daniel is handling writing and art.

Batman and Robin: Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason are looking at the relationship between Bruce Wayne, the one and only Batman and his son Damian, who is serving as Robin. While I loved Batman: Son of the Demon, where Damian was conceived, born, and hidden from Bruce, I'm not a fan of the Damian character. He reminds me of a caricature of Jason Todd back when he was Robin. That said, it will be interesting to see how the harder, less forgiving Bruce deals with him. I am definitely looking forward to seeing if this brings out a more human side of Bruce.

Batman: The Dark Knight: David Finch is handling writing and sharing art duties with Jay Fabok on this story of Batman heading deep into the halls of Arkham Asylum. On this cover, Batman has his fins back - a little smaller and more subtle, but they are there. This is my selection for the book that might end up being a limited, to be replaced in early 2012. This book has a tough act to follow after the amazing Baman: Arkham Asylum video game. But the Asylum is so rich with story possibilities that I am sure there are other angles to be taken.

Batwoman: It's great to see Batwoman still around. Not to mention that it is nice to see a mainstream lesbian hero. The cover of her new book looks great, and the creative team is J.H. Williams III, Haden Blackman and Amy Reeder. She is one of the best things to come from all of the recent Crises, and it is great to see her still around as part of the New DCU. This book will not be hard to drag me into. Batwoman has been a very practical, kick-ass kind of hero, and hopefully she will continue that into this new series. I'm also interested in how much interaction there might be between Batwoman and Batgirl. Two red-headed bat-females swinging around Gotham? That might be too much even for this city to handle.

Batgirl: What? Barbara Gordon back in the tights? Nice. Written by Gail Simone? Amazing! This comic is going be right near the top of my read pile. Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes are sharing artistic duties on this book. Gail did such a great job with this character as Oracle in Birds of Prey, it will be great to see how she writes Babs as Batgirl. This one is definitely "don't miss." According to the DC website, "Batgirl’s going to have to face the city’s most horrifying new villains as well as dark secrets from her past," which should be interesting - really looking forward to some new villains by Gail Simone,and particularly to see how those characters are realized by Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes. This book holds the promise of being a well-written, beautiful title. Interesting that the image name for this cover (from the DC website) has "solicitation only" in the name... Not sure if this means anything.

Catwoman: Still a thief in the night - still obsessed with Batman. Judd Winick and Guillem March bring this take on DC's top thief, and frequent anti-hero. I'll be honest - this character has never held my interest in her own series, and I have tried a few times. I've enjoyed Winick's work, in the past - he was great on Exiles - and hope that he can break my streak with this one. I think that Winick's history of exploring gay issues in his books will lend itself well to the more diverse look that DC is going for with the New DCU. Guillem March's art style should lend itself very well to sensuous Catwoman, as it did in Gotham Sirens.

Birds of Prey: Well, I guess that isn't Black Canary on the cover of Justice League International. A new take on the birds, featuring Black Canary, Katana (I think), Poison Ivy, and... Grace? Realy not sure who that last character is, but it could be Grace Choi from the Outsiders. Could be someone new. Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz are doing this one. I hate to be negative before I even see the book, but I do not like the look of Katana here. A little too much like Marvel's Silver Samurai. Nor do I like the new Black Canary costume. I appreciate the attempt to keep the fishnets, but that outfit just isn't working for me. Still the writing could well carry it. It will be weird after all this time to read a BoP book without Gail Simone writing it, but change can be good. I'm definitely going to give Swiercynski and Saiz the chance to wow me here.

Nightwing: Dick Grayson back where he belongs - not as Batman, but as his own man - Nightwing. Not that he didn't make a great Batman. And I loved the way that Two-Face figured out he wasn't the original - because he actually has fun being a hero. Kyle Higgins writes and Eddy Barrows handles the art on this book. I kind of like the latest take on the Nightwing costume. There are fins on his gloves now. Maybe Batman lent him half the length of his fins? Do I seem fin obsessed? He looks bad ass on this cover, and I hope he stays that way, and retains the sense of fun that he has always had, whether it be as a wise-cracking Robin or as Nightwing.

The Red Hood and the Outlaws: Arsenal, less of a mess than when I last saw him and Starfire being led by former Robin Jason Todd as the Red Hood. This one looks like it might be a little dark for my preferences, but the art by Kenneth Rocafort looks great, and Scott Lobdell is a solid writer. I will definitely be checking this out. I likely won't be staying with it. But I can certainly see how others would really enjoy it. I've always liked Arsenal. With luck, he will retain some of his wise cracking womanizing ways we used to see from him, before he entered a crap spiral that cost him his daughter, his arm and sent him off in some weird directions.

Batwing: Justice over Africa. the first black Batman will be featured in this series by Judd Winick and Ben Oliver. This is a series that comes from Grant Morrison's current work on Batman, Inc. in which Batman is spreading out, franchising the mantle of the bat to make the whole world safer. This one will definitely be worth checking out, though I am not optimistic on how long it will be lasting. I haven't seen too many books based outside the US perform very well, but I admire DC for trying this again. I also think this will be a great platform for Winick to look at the impact of AIDS in Africa.

Some really interesting books here, but I cannot help but notice the lack of a certain member of the Bat Family - Tim Drake. Here's hoping they announce a Teen Titans or Young Justice-style book with him in it as the leader. It'll also be interesting to see what (if anything) has happened to Cassie Cain as Batgirl.

The twelfth book is the return of Grant Morrison's Batman, Inc. promised for early 2012. I find Morrison to be very hit or miss. I love his work on All Star Superman, and Animal Man. His Doom Patrol work was out there, in a great way. JLA: Earth 2 was a great read. But at the same time, had to force myself through Final Crisis, and didn't like his modern take on the Seven Soldiers and re-invention of the New Gods.

If my counting is right, there have now been 26 books announced for the September release - half way there. Next - The dark side of the DCU.

New DCU Titles So Far - Part 2

Part 2 of my take on the DC titles announced so far as part of the launch of the New DCU.

Justice League International: Looking forward to this title. Loving the fact that the August General in Iron from China is part of the team. Icelandic Icemaiden (or just “Ice”) and Green Flame or "Fire" from Brazil. Rocket Red from Russia, and Vixen from Africa. Add in Guy Gardner and Booster Gold, there is a lot of potential for some interesting character dynamics here. Not all of these characters are going to get along, but it should be fun to watch. Apparently series artist artist Aaron Lopresti has said that the woman in the bottom left is not Donna Troy. Interesting. Is Black Canary going to finally let her hair go natural? It is a kind of martial-artsy pose. The multi-talented Dan Jurgens is writing this one.

Mister Terrific: Glad to see him getting his own series. If he is half as cool as Michael Holt has always been in the JSA, I am going to enjoy this. Also, note that Mr Terrific showed up as part of the JLU on the animated series. I expect to see the same hold true here. This is also a step towards diversity in the right way, in my opinion. He is a great character who is black, rather than creating a black character and trying to make him catch on. Not to mention, like Cyborg, another black character who doesn't have "Black" in his name, and isn't a stereotype. The description of this book makes it seem like it almost has a pulp feel to it, which I hope is the case. Written by Eric Wallace and art by Roger Robinson. Anything written by someone who has worked on Eureka is worth checking out.

Captain Atom: JT Krul is writing one of my less-favorite heroes in Green Arrow, and one of my all-time favorites in Captain Atom. I love his last ongoing. I dug him when he crossed over into the Wildstorm Universe. I am fascinated by the potential of this character. It looks like JT Krul is too, as it looks like they are taking the "Dr. Manhattan" approach to the character (many of the characters in Watchmen were expies of Charlton characters). "Captain Atom has all the power in the world, but no hope of saving himself. Charged by nuclear energy, possessing vast molecular powers, he has the potential to be a god among men – a hero without limits. But the question is this: Will he lose himself in the process?" Freddie Williams will be doing the art chores on this book.

DC Universe Presents: An anthology book. I love anthology books. I love that rotating creators get a place to tell stories about their own personal favorite characters, and that those b-list, c-list or lower characters get a chance to shine. Unfortunately, these kinds of books are frequently not successful. Though there have been exceptions, like Marvel Comics Presents, although that one was bolstered by having 4 different stories in it, nearly one of which was always Wolverine. This one is starting off with a Deadman story told by Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang. I've never been a huge Deadman fan, but I respect his longevity and important role in the DC Universe. Regardless, I'm kind of geeking out on this title, and will definitely be following it for as long as it is around.

And now, to their own little corner of the DCU: Green Lantern and his extended mythology are getting 4 of the 52 books. Only Green Lantern #1 has a cover release, and so far, I have seen it referred to as a "teaser."



Green Lantern: They are not even committing at this point to this being Hal Jordan. But there will be a Green Lantern book. Geoff Johns will be writing with Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy handling the art. I believe it will be Hal, and I think that will come out shortly. One of the most consistent parts of this launch is that Green Lantern's continuity since Rebirth will be held to.

Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner and John Stewart as well as "an elite Green Lantern strike force" will be featured in this one. I would suspect there will be some crossover between the characters in this one and in the film. Written by Peter J. Tomasi with art by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna. I like Tomasi's writing, and he seems to like large casts, so I am looking forward to this one.

Green Lantern: The New Guardians: Tony Bedard will be writing, and Tyler Kirkham and Batt will be bringing the visuals of a team led by Kyle Rainer, Hal's replacement as Green Lantern when Hal was possessed by the fear monster Parallax. This team is made up of representatives of emotional spectrum from the last several years worth of Green Lantern tales. There is some interesting possibility for character interaction here, with representatives of avarice and rage on the same team as hope, compassion and love. I'm definitely looking forward to this one. Bedard is a writer who I have greatly enjoyed in the past. His work with Hourman and Bane in JSA Classified, and on Exiles for Marvel were great.

Red Lanterns: Atrocitus, and his corps of rage-fueled Red Lanterns are getting their own series. "This Lantern Corps takes no prisoners, they are judge, jury and executioners!" No offense to Peter Milligan, who is writing this, or to Ed Benes and Rob Hunter, who are sure to make this a great-looking book, but I tend to like my DC a little lighter, and this book may well not satisfy that. However, I have also read my fair share of Lobo, and Milligan will bring a British sensibility to this, so maybe this will end up appealing.

And that wraps it up. These are all the titles that have been announced so far.

New DCU Titles So Far - Part 1

Here are the titles that will be in place at the upcoming re-launch that DC has announced on their own site so far:

Justice League: I touched on the cover to this one last post. This article says the League will end up having 14 members when all is said and done. So far, we know about Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg and Aquaman. Given some of the titles listed below, it wouldn’t surprise me to see this rounded out with Firestorm, Green Arrow, Hawkman and Mister Terrific. That’s 11. That leaves 3 more to go. I’d expect we may see another female character or two… maybe Zatanna? I also would not be surprised at all to see the Blue Beetle in the form of Jaime Reyes show up. I guess we could also see Captain Atom, but if Firestorms powers are at all consistent with his past versions, it seems like having he and Captain Atom in the same book would be almost redundant. Although one could end up on the International team.

Wonder Woman: Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang will be doing Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman has seldom been handled well, but Brian Azzarello is an excellent writer, and Chiang an excellent artist. My personal WW preference was back in the George Perez days, with the Greek mythology being a significant and firmly present part of her backstory. That said, as per my earlier post, I wouldn't be surprised to find that element toned down to match what others "know" about her. Some of that is also considered a little confusing, and perhaps removed from what many non-comic readers think of as her "iconic" version. Not to mention, had her television show gotten picked up this year, she would have been a much more "modern woman" interpretation. I expect some of that to stick.

Aquaman: I have a confession to make. I have loved this character ever since I had Aquaman Underoos when I was a kid. I loved him especially, many years later, under the able pen of Peter David, when he seemed to be able to defeat opponents just by being cooler than them. Think about that - Aquaman, cooler than just about anyone. The blush wore off a bit when Erik Larsen took over. I love Savage Dragon, but he just didn't do as good of a job on Aquaman for my money. Geoff Johns, who has done a tremendous job on runs of Flash and Green Lantern is taking on Aquaman, with Ivan Reis doing art duties. Johns really loves these characters, and Reis' work is gorgeous. I'm really jazzed to see how this book turns out.

The Flash: Francis Manapul, artist on the Flash right now, will be writing his first comic series, as well as handling the art. No indication here if this will be Barry Allen or Wally West. I grew up with Barry, but Wally has been wearing the scarlet PJs for longer now. However, Barry was the character in the one-season TV show. I've always liked the Flash, but found him hard to read. His powers are so overwhelming that it stretches my suspension of disbelief to understand how anyone who isn't as fast can be a challenge. It'll be interesting to see how Manapul handles the Fastest Man Alive. It looks like his first foe will be an new villain rather than one of his established Rogues. Also, I kinda dig the chin guard on his costume.

Fury of Firestorm: I've always liked Firestorm. I thought the idea of a composite consciousness driving this hero was cool. I've always liked his powers, and am excited to read anything that Gail Simone is working on. Ethan Van Sciver, generally thought of as an artist is a true comics fan, as passionate as anyone about these characters, and he will be writing with Gail. (I played City of Heroes with her a few times - I'll permit myself to use her first name) They'll be working with Yildiray Cinar who will be handling the art, although Van Sciver did the cover for the first issue, which looks amazing. The cover leads me to think that what could be happening here is a little meta-. Firestorm has typically been made up of two personalities - this looks like they are combining two of the Firestorms (Ronnie Raymond/Professor Stein and Jason Rusch/several people) into the new Firestorm. Love the idea.

The Savage Hawkman: Tony Daniel who writes Batman and Phillip Tan who did art on Agent Orange, among others will be working together on The Savage Hawkman. I have always liked Hawkman a lot. And it looks like this will be Hawkman as his most raw - an archaeologist who isn't afraid to pick up an archaic weapon and hit people with it. A lot. I'm very much looking forward to see how they handle Carter Hall's particularly convoluted background, what with having lived so many lives over thousands of years, and having alien lives weaved in these days. I expect this character to read a lot like the rumored film treatment for the character: part Indiana Jones, part Da Vinci Code, and part Ghost. As the folks at mtv geek news put it, "like Indiana Jones, but a huge, muscly a-hole." By the way, although I love this character and would love to see such a film, this clip of comic characters who have had movies made gathering, and Hawkman being on the outside looking in, is very funny.

Green Arrow: I confess. The Emerald Archer has never been one of my favorites. JT Krul will be trying to change that with art by the very talented and skilled Dan Jurgens. It won't be a hard win for me - I have always wanted to like the character, but I just haven't read that many interpretations that got me there. His post-Infinite Crisis series almost got me there, but then they had him take out Deathstroke. I hate seeing a character watered down to make another one look tough. I hated when the JLA were watered down for Deathstroke in Identity Crisis, and I hated it the other way around there. Also, I can't help but notice that the costume Ollie is wearing on the cover looks to be a little inspired by his Smallville appearance. Also, like Oliver on Smallville, he will be an orphaned billionaire. Again, I think this is a good move. No need to confuse potential readers by removing elements they "know" about a character as long as you are launching the New DCU.

Next Time in Part 2, Justice League International, Mr. Terrific, Captain Atom, DC Universe Presents, and the 4 Lantern-based titles that have been announced.

Cover of Justice League #1

As I type this, DC has revealed that first of the new number 1’s to come out with the “launch of the New DCU” will be Justice League #1. It will be by their creative wonder team of Geoff Johns (Chief Creative Officer) and Jim Lee (Co-Publisher).

I’ve enjoyed work by both gentlemen in the past. However, I’m on the fence regarding the cover.

I like some of the touches Jim Lee has added – Cyborg looks great - updated and sleek. Hal Jordan’s hair looks like there may be some inspiration drawn from Ryan Reynolds. I like the change to the “S” emblem on Superman – it feels powerful and impressive. I also notice that unless there was a coloring error, Supes no longer has the "undies on the outside" look. Lee always draws a wonderful Batman - although this one seems to have traded in the fins on his gloves for something a little more gauntlet-like. I prefer being able to see Flash’s eyes, as he has always seemed like among the most human of heroes, the most “common man” of the bunch (though it remains to be seen if that continues) and being able to see his eyes plays into that. I’m not sure I like the move from gold to silver for Wonder Woman, but I imagine I will learn to live with that. The look of the costume seems to have some commonalities with what they were working on for the abortive attempt at a Wonder Woman television show this year.

My primary real complaint about this cover is how emotionless all of these heroes except Batman seem, and Batman is just doing his usual grim. This is the re-launch of the greatest, most iconic super team in history. Where is the determination? Where is the pleasure of belonging? Anything? Flash - rushing forward at super-speed, lightning arcing around him, looks like he might as well be reading an economics text book as opposed to… whatever it is they are doing here. The same goes for most of the rest. This is the introduction to the new DC Universe? Pretty, but lacking depth or substance? I may be reading too much in to this, (I do that) but this cover should be the thing that draws me in, and gives me my first peek into the personalities of these characters who I may or may not still know. It should not be the thing making me question if this new launch is heading in a good direction.

Coming out of Retirement

It's been 5 years since I last posted on this blog. So, it took something big to bring me out of "retirement."

DC is doing something big. Come September, they are restarting all of their books at number 1. Equally interesting is that they are now going to be doing day-and-date release of digital comics. You will be able to get the digital versions of these books on their website or on your mobile device of choice at the same time.
On the day of release, and for the next 4 weeks (i.e., until the books would be moved from the “new releases” shelf to the “recent issues” shelf at many comic shops), the price will be same online as for a print copy (“Holding the line at $2.99” –unless you live outside of the US, or for larger “special” editions) and then after that, it will drop by $1. Expect a future post on the implications of this sales model from multiple perspectives.

I like the idea, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the 52 comics that are going to be released will be.

One of the things that DC has going for it is that their characters are some of the most recognizable in the world. Superman and Batman may be the two most iconic heroes on earth. Marvel has Spider-man and the Hulk, but they don’t quite touch the level of DC’s big 2. Then there’s the next tier of DC heroes - Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern. Again, these characters are incredibly well known. But there is a problem that comes with this. These characters are well known in their most iconic forms (at least the big 2).

Superman is Clark Kent, is strong, has vision powers and can fly. Anyone can tell you that. Batman is Bruce Wayne. He is a bad ass. Again, anyone can tell you that. But lately, in comics, Batman hasn’t been Bruce Wayne. I love Dick Grayson. The Nightwing series, when it was done well, was my favorite comic at the time. But it makes it hard to get new readers if what they “know” about a character is not right. Wonder Woman has a little of that problem as well – from her 70’s TV show. Green Lantern might have a similar problem if the movie is as good as it looks.

This reboot (or, as Bob Wayne, Sr. VP of Sales for DC said in a letter to retailers, “…this is the launch of the New DCU. It is not a ‘reboot.’ I think you will soon discover why that is,”) is a powerful opportunity to tie these characters back to what has made them iconic, and yet update them for a modern audience.

There will be some loss. I dread to find out what is going to happen to my beloved Justice Society of America, with their origins so tied to WWII. One of the things about DC that has always been great is the rich history it has to draw on. Some of that could be lost with a “launch of the New DCU.”

But there are also so many positive possibilities. I have to admit, I like the idea of characters with a little more diversity having the opportunity to shine. From all reports, Cyborg, a black character who doesn’t have “Black” in his name, which is nice, will be one of the A-listers in the JLA.

The quote from Mr. Wayne above does make me wonder, though. “New DCU.” “Discover why that is.” I think the fact they are launching 52 issues – the same number as the number of universes in DC is also significant. I suspect that the “New DCU” may be a lot like Marvel’s Ultimate line. A jumping-on point that develops parallel to the “standard” DCU. Stories set on another of DC’s earths. And honestly, I am okay with that. I am fine with keeping the current world in amber, so to speak. I just hope that if that is the case, they are not too quick to jump back at initial outcry from fans. Even if this is only just a grand experiment with the characters I grew up on, I feel like it is an experiment worth completing.

Power Girl - another take

Okay, so recently in the days leading up to Infinite Crisis, it has been revealed that Power Girl is actually Kal-L, the Superman of Earth-2’s cousin. This was her original origin, but after Earth-2 was folded into the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, this origin became impossible – there had never been a Kal-L.

Power Girl’s origin then went through a few possibilities – was she related to this Earth’s Superman? Was she the granddaughter of ancient Atlantis’ sorcerer supreme Arion? Was it something else entirely? As her power levels fluctuated, and her origin did, writers stopped using her. Her continuity was so messed up that despite the puerile attractions of the character (rumor has it that when she was originally created, her breasts were drawn larger with each issue, until an editor stopped the creative team. She has remained one of the bustiest characters in comics, and in the world of comics, that is not a trivial statement to make) she started to be seen less and less.

She recently returned (appropriately, since she was a member during the crossovers with the JLA) in the pages of JSA, and it was then made clear that her current origin would one day be cleared up. At that time, I stopped working on a story I had in mind for her.

You see, one day I would like to be writing for comics, and Power Girl caught my interest, largely due to my fascination with the JSA and characters that carry on part of their legacy. I had some ideas for a re-writing of her origin which might tie up some threads, and move her solidly into the Post-Crisis world, keep her position as one of the most butt-kicking characters in DC, but differentiate her from the Superman family.

It was inspired by the addition of magic to her origin. I saw a possibility for helping this character take the next step. I would’ve have toned down her confrontational nature. It had evolved from forceful woman to stereotypical “ball breaker” and while I think she should be strongly involved in women’s issues, I also think she should be basically likeable.

Power Girl would be partly Kryptonian in origin and partly magical. Centuries ago, when Atlantis was under attack, several of the wizards of Atlantis got together to create a defense system. They mystically searched the annals of time for the greatest heroes of the Universe. They find Superman among them. Mystically, they draw out some of the essence of what makes Superman a hero – both physically and mentally. They store the essence, and are set about making the perfect body to hold it. Unfortunately, during that process, Atlantis comes under attack, and they channel the energies into the body of a fallen captain of the Atlantean guard. As they do so, they also make some changes. Certainly, a guardian of Atlantis cannot be vulnerable to magic. That has to be changed. As they channel the energies into the body, the sorcerers themselves come under attack. They are unable to fully animate the body, but do put the rudiments of what is needed to do so into it.

Over the following millennia, the energies in the guardswoman’s body gradually change themselves to evolve a personality, taken partly from Superman and partly from the guardswoman. A desire to do what is right. A strong belief that women are the equal of men, and a need to demonstrate that belief. She gains memories, albeit vague ones of both Krypton and Atlantis. One day, the vessel in which the enemies of Atlantis stored her body opens, and Power Girl emerges.

That was the origin, and would be told over the course of the first issue of a mini-series I had in mind for PG. It would open with Dr. Mid-Nite doing tests on her to determine if she was Kryptonian, or what. The tests would be inconclusive. A further consultation with Dr. Fate would have shown the magical energies, and eventually, Dr. Fate’s probes would have shown the truth: Power Girl was a mystically altered Kryptonian/Atlantean hybrid. It turns out her power fluctuations are because of this origin. When they altered the essence of the hero, the sorcerers unwittingly cause Power Girl to be powered by magic. When she believed herself to be Kryptonian, Power Girl went out of her way to avoid magic, thereby unknowingly weakening herself. Now, on a team with Doctor Fate and Alan Scott, she had magic around her all the time and it was allowing her to reach her true powers. It was to be the end of the evolution of the magic energies inside of her.

Her powers would change. She would still be super strong, among the strongest on the planet, able to fly and nearly invulnerable. But her secondary powers would change. No longer would she have heat vision, and telescopic vision, or super breath. She would be able to emit blasts of raw concussive force from her hands or eyes. She would have a special kind of vision that would tell her if someone was knowingly lying.

She would continue to fight crime, and not even use these new powers so often. Power Girl has always been a very straight-forward character. She would, in the first issue, face the threat of Major Force. Major Force is an established character who can hang with the big guns, and a good place for Karen (Power Girl’s adopted name) to take out some of her frustrations. He would get her by surprise, and of course make a few comments about PG’s physical characteristics, and call her “babe,” etc. After freeing herself from the enormous glob of matter that he has summoned, she beats him down, quickly and efficiently, while making sure he knows that as stupid as he is, she might have gone easy on him out of pity, but after hearing what he did to Green Lantern’s girlfriend, this guy deserves no pity. The beating would be conclusive – when it comes to raw power, Power Girl lives up to her name.

In the second issue of the series, Power Girl travels to Metropolis to tell Superman what she has learned of her origin. Once there, she manages to track down the Metropolis Marvel, who is facing down a new villain called Double Agent. He can split himself into two identical duplicates of himself, and also has the power to make those around him look and sound exactly like him. He doesn’t have the power to hang with Superman, but his crimes are difficult to stop due to the fact that he is hard to track down as he uses his power to mix in with a crowd. He can also teleport one of his “selves” to the other. Here, Power Girl would have the chance to demonstrate her new “truth sight.” Once she does so, she and Superman quickly put a stop to Double Agent’s crime spree. Superman and Power Girl talk about her origin, and part with a friendly hug, Superman explaining that he hopes she still feels like family, and for the first time, Power Girl admits, she might actually do so now.

Issue 3 and 4 were dedicated to the rise (and first defeat) of a character who I had hoped would go on to become a villain of some significance in the DC Universe, but I do not want to give too much more away on that score, just in case I ever do get the chance to write comics, and use that character.

I hope you enjoyed this little insight into a path I would’ve taken a character. I am not, by the way, trying to indicate this would have been a better path, just something a little different. As it is, I am glad that Power Girl got to keep her legacy.

By the way, check out the first ever Power Girl movie (it's a short done by a fan. And not in the same vein as most of the Power Girl pictures drawn by fans you'll find if you do a search on the web) here.

Last Minute Changes, or, Why I Think Nightwing Was Supposed To Die

I have been saying for a long time that Dick Grayson, the first Robin, and the current Nightwing was going to die in Infinite Crisis. The reasons were several:

1. His series seemed to stall just before Infinite Crisis, as though they didn't want to introduce any sweeping new story arcs.
2. Typically, someone of serious significance dies in these crossovers (Flash in Crisis on Infinite Earths, for instance)
3. Preview images for his comic revealed Nightwing holding a weapon that looked a lot like the ones that Jason Todd, the second Robin, who is now the Red Hood wields.
4. They seemed to be systematically destroying his relationships with, well, everyone.
   
5. There was so much emphasis on him in the early part of the series.

For those of you who don't know, he didn't die. But I still think that was the intention. In the comments on my previous entry, one of my friends notes that Batman seemed out of character with the gun pointing at Alex's head. Well, I think so too, and I think it is because he was supposed to be thinking about avenging the death of his adopted son, Dick Grayson. In the attached picture, Nightwing is not looking well. There is a picture on the same page of Robin's reaction (also pictured above). Robin cried when Superboy died in issue number six, but isn't in the habit of crying every time someone he likes gets knocked out by a villain. Both of these characters are having an emotional over-reaction to Nightwing merely being knocked out.

Also, and this is not intended as a slight on Bruce Jones, current Nightwing writer at all, but the current Jason Todd/Dick Grayson Two Nightwings story feels a little... slapped together. The Nightwing Judd Winick is writing over in Outsiders certainly doesn't feel like Dick Grayson. I think Nightwing was supposed to be Jason todd, Post-Infinite Crisis.

Another bit of evidence: A quiz from Wizard, wherein each question was supposed to have only one correct answer. I have included a portion below:

1)Which one of these heroines will give birth in '06?
A)Wonder Woman - No.
B) Power Girl - No.
C) Catwoman - Yes.
D) Oracle - No.

2)Which one of these heroes will be stripped of their powers?
A)Superman - Yes.
B)Wonder Woman - No.
C)Supergirl - No.
D) Hal Jordan/Green Lantern - No.

3)Who wll become Mayor of a crime-riddled city??
A)Wally West/Flash - No.
B)Dick Grayson/Nightwing - No.
C)Bruce Wayne/Batman - No.
D)Oliver Queen/Green Arrow - Yes.

4)Who will have Amnesia and become unable to tell friend from for??
A)Martian Manhunter - No.
B)Aquaman - Yes.
C)The Atom - No.
D)Elongated Man - No.

5)Who will take on the mantle as the most powerful hero in the DCU??
A)Booster Gold - No.
B)Animal Man - No.
C)Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern - Yes.
D)Earth-2 Superman - No.

6)Which hero will become a criminal in the eyes of the world?? (this one I do not know yet, but I am thinking it might well end up being Shazam, as revealed in the upcoming issues of 52 and of the maxiseries starting in August, the Trials of Shazam)
A)Hal Jordan/Green Lantern -
B)Superman -
C)The Flash -
D)Shazam -

7)Which one of these heroes is the only one who'll be around after 'Infinite Crisis'?
A)Wally West/Flash - No. Disappeared into the Speed Force.
B)Conner Kent/Superboy - No. Killed by Superboy-Prime in the pages of Infinite Crisis.
C)Guy Gardner/Green Lantern - Yes, and one of the leaders of the Green Lantern Corps.
D)Dick Grayson/Nightwing - Yes, and struggling for his identity with another Nightwing.

Wait a minute... do you see what I see? All the other questions DO have only only one "Yes" answer. But that last one... there's two? Now, I suppose it could have been Guy Gardner who was supposed to fall, but given the other evidence, I think that it is much more likely that we have a case of Dick Grayson being spared at the last minute. Now, I am glad of that, albeit unsure of the reasons why. I just wanted to throw it out there. The original Robin, who went on to become Nightwing may have been on the chopping block. If so, I want to thank whoever changed their mind. Dick Grayson is integral to the DC Universe. The one person that everyone both likes and respects, even though he is assoicated with Batman. (although, I do fervently hope that stops being a negative thing, soon. )

Thanks. Thanks for holding on to one of the good ones.

Infinite Crisis #7 – review and summary

This is it! It all ends here. No Jim Lee alternate cover here – just a beautiful classic Perez cover, with as many villains and heroes on it as possible, fighting on the fallen symbol of the Daily Planet. (As an aside, the downloadable desktop of the cover from www.dccomics.com has a couple of significant coloring errors – Sinestro’s energy shield is purple rather than yellow (a main point of the character is that his ring takes advantage of the Green Lantern's rings weakness against the color yellow), and Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick is punching out someone with the normal Flash colors, rather than Zoom, who wears the reverse. It also cuts off my favorite part of the scene – Hourman punching out Deathstroke right in the bottom right.)

I will also take the time here to mention that I didn’t review (by choice – I think that while they enrich your enjoyment of the series they are not necessary for it) any of the tie-ins, even those spawned from the lead-up series. The Villains United tie-in sets up this giant battle, and does it well. I haven’t been shy about singing the praises of Gail Simone on this blog. I will continue not to be shy about doing so. She does great characterization, and knows how to write super heroes as well as anyone writing today for my money.

On to the issue at hand.

The scene starts right where last issue let off. Only now, they are talking. It starts off with Clark saying that Superboy’s death “is our fault. That should have been us.” Wonder Woman says “I’m sorry, Clark.” (I’m not sure if Cassie or Nightwing are supposed to know Superman’s identity. At this moment, no one cares.) He answers, “Sorry isn’t going to help Superboy. We should have been here.” Batman speaks up, again, not to harp on this endlessly, but notice the lack of recriminations. Notice the tacit acceptance of his own error in here: “Never again. It never happens again. We learn from it. We learn from them.” Batman is admitting that the Titans “got it” better than he and the rest of the league. You never turn your back on your friends. The remaining characters from the tower show up, and Kal-L tells Power Girl that Lois (from Earth-2) is dead. Kal-L is now in narrator mode, and explains how misguided he was. As Superman pays his respects to the fallen Superboy, and then as Robin arrives, seeing what might be his best friend lying there, lifeless, and can only cry and collapse over him, distraught, Kal-L narrates: “I thought their Superboy was unworthy of the symbol I built. But I picked the wrong one to condone. And the wrong one to condemn.”

Hal then summarizes the whole of the aforementioned Villains United crossover in one panel. The villains have cracked open every metahuman containment facility on the planet, and are attacking Metropolis. “They say if Superman’s city falls, the others will follow.” In the Villains United tie-in, we find that Oracle has been organizing the heroes not directly involved in the tower battle to try to stop this, with only limited success. But they did manage to contain Arkham Asylum, and a couple of others.

There follows a two-page spread of the battle for Metropolis. The art is excellent as far as it goes, but it seems very… static. While the state of some characters such as Aquaman seems to show that the battle has already been joined, the image seems to be mostly about people posing. As much as I like the look of the art, there isn’t enough action in it to portray the chaos of the battle for Metropolis.

We then step into vignettes of the battle.

First, we see Bane breaking Judomaster’s back. I was disappointed with this. Judomaster is often thought of as being right up there with Lady Shiva and Richard Dragon as a potential for the best martial artist in DC, and Bane, who has been out of action for a while, without his venom harness (the drug he used in his early appearances to give him increased strength, resistance to pain and savagery) he really shouldn’t be able to hang with Judomaster, despite the lame name.

Next, Prometheus is blowing a hole in Peacemaker’s chest. (Peacemaker – his tagline was “he loved peace so much, he would fight for it.”) The greatest significance to this is that Judomaster and Peacemaker were two characters brought over when DC bought Charlton Comics, as was Blue Beetle. These two scenes so close together, and coupled with the death of Blue Beetle in the countdown, and the lack of Captain Atom in the mainstream DC Universe, (he has been over in the universe of the Authority, et al. in his Captain Atom: Armageddon series) caused many fans to wonder if DC was trying to purge their stables of Charlton characters. However, Nightshade has figured prominently in Infinite Crisis, and is a member of the Shadowpact going forward, and the Question is to be featured prominently in 52, the story of the year after the Infinite Crisis if the previews are to be believed, both of whom also came over from Charlton.

The next panel has Wild Dog, a little-remembered character from the late 80’s in his own short-lived series, and occasional feature in Action Comics Weekly, The Vigilante (not the motorcycle-riding cowboy from the Seven Soldiers of Victory, but the gun-wielding one) and someone whose identity I am not sure of (it has been identified as the current Crimson Avenger, but that doesn’t seem right to me – the speech pattern is wrong, and I think that is a headband and not a blindfold the character is wearing) raining bullets down on the Trigger Twins, a couple of Batman Family enemies, and the Madmen, old Blue Beetle enemies, among others.

Next, we see Killer Croc and Hourman going at it, and Shining Knight beating down the Riddler. (Both of whom, incidentally, were specifically shown in the Villains United tie-in not getting away… oops! Hard to forget because the artist of Villains United broke from the accepted appearance of Croc enough to make me wonder if I had missed a further mutation, and because of a great interaction between Huntress and Riddler when he was caught. Huntress from behind the Riddler, whose accepted identity is Edward Nigma (E.Nigma… yeah, I know): “Riddle me this, Nigma. What’s got a bad mustache and doesn’t breathe?” Riddler: “Me, if I move?” Huntress: “You, if you move.” Did I mention that I love Gail Simone’s writing? ‘Cause I do.)

Next, we see Black Adam in full-on bad ass mode. He tears the head off of Amazo. Yeah, he tears the head off of the android that has all the powers of one of the most powerful incarnations of the JLA. (Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern at least… do you really need any more?)

The Bloodpack (a bunch of characters who got their powers when DC created a series of annuals called “Bloodlines,” these characters got powers when aliens tried to feed on them. The only one who went on to significance in the DC Universe was Hitman) take on Solomon Grundy, only to be incinerated with him by a blast from “off-screen” while a voice says “I still can’t tell the heroes from the villains.” It’s Superboy-Prime. He survived the battle with Superboy, seemingly not significantly the worse for wear. He reveals that Alex Luthor’s new plan (he says it with quotes, obviously not thinking much of it) is to use the Society to take this earth and make it perfect rather than replace it.

As they talk, we see a foot that can only belong to one character – Doomsday. Meanwhile, while Alex and Superboy discuss the fact that this isn’t Earth-1 but a new earth, with changes (Wonder Woman is again a founding member of the Justice League, Batman’s parents killer has been caught, but he still fights for justice, and there are rumored appearances of Superman before his first public appearance, just for starters) from the established continuity, Superboy-Prime kills Major Disaster (shame – I liked his redemption arc) Baron Blitzkrieg (no real loss – most Nazi villains are not really that pertinent any more – certainly no need for Blitzkrieg and Captain Nazi running around in the modern day) and Charaxes (Killer Moth of old, evolved into a true insect form by the devil Neron in the Underworld Unleashed crossover).

Doomsday bears down on Arsenal and Green Arrow, tossing Aztec and someone in a suit aside. In comes the cavalry. Both Supermen swoop down and lay in to Doomsday. Doomsday lands a punch on Kal-El, but Kal-L blocks its attempt to hit him, snapping one of its bone protrusions. He then knees it in the face, and both Supermen hit it together to knock it out. In the eyes of watching heroes, you can see the tide of battle turning. Kal-El speaks up. “They murdered Superboy. And now they say they are going to take my city. Then they’re going to take the earth. I say… Like hell.” The last is in its own panel, and shows Superman leading a charge of himself, Kal-L, the Ray, Power Girl, Martian Manhunter, Stargirl, Raven, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Green Lantern John Stewart, Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman, Robin, Aquaman, Batman, and Nightwing. They are charging right over Doomsday’s prone body. The two Supermen drop Bizarro. The Batman family (Batman, Nightwing and Robin) take on Deathstroke. Hal drops Sinestro while John Stewart gets his back. The newer, heroic, female Dr. Light teams with The Ray and Black Canary to drop Dr. Light while the Martian Manhunter looks on. Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl take care of the Cheetah. The JSA take on Zoom, as Wildcat begins to remember Kal-L, but Power Girl’s affirmation of his feeling is interrupted by a blast from Alex Luthor. He wants to destroy her as he feels that she should have been in the first place.

Kal-L intervenes and confronts Alex, asking how he could do this, how he could use Lois’ death, Lois, who was like a mother to him, to manipulate Kal-L and Superboy-Prime, as well as Power Girl. Alex shows just how far gone he is with his reply: “Because I… am like my father was. The only hero in a world full of villains.” In his twisted frame of reference, all of the others, even the Supermen, are villains. Their conversation is interrupted by a blast from Superboy Prime, which destroys one of Alex’s machines. His “world view” which was calculating the Society’s war plans. Grabbing Wonder Girl, who is unconscious (undoubtedly at his hand) Prime says, “I told you, I don’t want this earth. I don’t want anything that impostor had.” At this point, he is jumped by a blur, who punches him repeatedly at super-speed. The blur says “You killed Conner. You killed my friend. Still got Flash phobia?” It’s Bart, formerly Impulse, formerly Kid Flash, now fully grown and in Barry’s Flash uniform. It’s apparent that Prime is still afraid of the Flash. Superboy-Prime’s fear feeds his anger. He decides he will fly through Oa (once again at the center of the universe with Alex’s tower and rift gone) at light speed and recreate the Big Bang, with only him to survive. Yep. The “hero” is going to destroy the entire Universe, so he can be the only hero.

Martian Manhunter broadcasts his plan to all who the heroes and those who can fly are off in pursuit. Prime stops to blast Zauriel, trying to kill an angel. He blasts Breach, Earth-8’s Captain Atom, who has been standing in on this earth while Atom was elsewhere, as explained earlier. Breach’s shell is ruptured, and he explodes, with Looker and Technocrat of the Outsiders (formerly, anyway) right near him. It is unclear if either of them survived the blast. In the void left by Breach’s explosion, the real Captain Atom returns. (Take that, Charlton nay sayers!) Kal-L uses these delays to get a hand on Prime’s ankle, and tries to reason with Prime. He’ll have none of it. He is beyond reason. He outdistances the other heroes heading to Oa.

Still on Earth, Batman, Nightwing and Robin are done taking out Deathstroke. Alex blasts Nightwing, furious because the destruction of his tower has “doomed this earth.” Nightwing falls, in a significant pool of blood. While Alex complains because his power is waning, Robin goes to help Nightwing. An enraged Batman says to Alex, “No one else dies. Not because of you!” As he says that, the General (General Wade Eiling, control freak from the U.S. Air force, responsible for the creation of Captain Atom and Major Force, since transferred from his own body into that of the Shaggy Man, a Silver Age JLA opponent who is indestructible, super strong, and was mostly mindless. Eiling shaves the body, so he is no longer Shaggy, but his “end justifies the means” mentality combined with the powers of the body he is in (and a healthy dose of instability) make him a JLA-class threat) lands in their midst, scattering Batman, Deathstroke and Alex.

Superboy is congratulating himself on outdistancing the other heroes, only to run into a solid wall of green. He flies through it, but we get the narration from Guy Gardner, “Three-hundred-mile-thick wall of pure damn willpower slowed him down. Thin Green Line will stop him cold.” Thin Green Line here refers to the Green Lantern Corps, all of whom are on Superboy-Prime. Prime counterattacks, killing Lanterns. On this page, an excellent device is used: as the lanterns die, their rings call out the death of their wielders, and the beginning of their search for new wielders. Prime gets his hands on Guy, and is going to kill him, face to face, only to have the other heroes arrive, and Hal frees Guy from Prime’s grip. The Supermen both grab Prime, while Martian Manhunter holds Power Girl back.

Back on earth, Alex is telling Batman that they are not so different. Mostly, their differences are only a matter of scale and of willingness to take shortcuts. Interspersed with this, we see an image of the battered Nightwing, lying in a pool of his own blood, and an image of Robin, crying again. Batman’s response to Alex? Actions speak louder than words, and he clocks him. Alex is down, and Batman picks up one of Deathstroke’s guns. “I know what Superman is going through.” (Remember, even though Jason Todd is now back, he did die at the hands of the Joker, before Superboy-Prime’s reality-altering beating on the walls of his “heaven.” “He doesn’t deserve that. Superboy didn’t deserve that. What do you deserve?” Alex is bleeding from the nose and mouth, and has a gun pointed right between his eyes at point blank range. Batman does something with the gun that makes a “chak” noise (I choose to believe he is turning the safety off, as nothing else really makes sense with an automatic) and we hear a voice. “Bruce.” It’s Wonder Woman. She walks towards Batman and Alex, the desire to kill evident in Batman’s face, and she draws her sword. Alex, who was watching as Superman stopped her from killing Mongul in the first issue of the series knows there is no Superman to stop her now, and Batman doesn’t seem inclined to even try. She brings the sword down, and breaks it on the ground. She tells Batman that it isn’t worth it. Alex is looking like it is a good thing that he is wearing those high-tech jimmies of his or there might be a wet spot. Batman says, “I know. Dammit.” And throws the gun over to lie with the broken sword. Alex regains his confidence and says that this doesn’t change anything or make Wonder Woman better. Then a building falls on him. Batman and Wonder Woman are not sure if he got away or not.

Back in space, Superboy is taunting the Supermen, saying that they cannot do anything about him. They can’t send him back into the speed force, as they aren’t fast enough, so where are they taking him. He throws punches, as the two Supermen silently carry him to their destination. They take him to where Krypton exploded, but this Kryptonite has no effect on Prime or on Kal-L. The kryptonite of each of their realities is different enough that they are each immune to the other’s kryptonite. Prime laughs. “Did you think these rocks would stop me? HAHAHAHA! Did you really?” Then he realizes the real plan, as the grimly determined Supermen push him through the red sun. Kal-El works like a solar battery. He stores power from a yellow sun to power his abilities. Superboy-Prime works like pre-crisis Superman, where he is immediately weaker in the presence of a red sun. That is why he built his harness, to channel him yellow sun radiation even when not in its presence.

The three supermen come out the other side and crash on Mogo, the Green Lantern that is also a planet. Prime begins to try to fry Kal-L to death with his heat vision. It is working, until his heat vision fizzles. In response to Prime’s question of “what’s happening,” Kal-L replies, “You’re losing.” And clocks him. Prime lands, face bloodied and realizes that the trip through the sun destroyed his harness. He retains enough power to beat Kal-L to a bloody pulp. Kal-El intervenes, and he and Superboy start going at it. Unfortunately for Kal-El, some of the fragments of Krypton have also landed here, and Superboy-Prime uses that against him. As he tries to choke the life out of Superman, he says “When you’re gone… I will be Superman!” Kal-El replies by tearing the S-shield off of Prime’s chest, and, while laying down a beating on the red-sun-weakened Prime, and resisting the pain of the Kryptonite himself, says that being Superman isn’t about where you are from, or what powers you have, “It’s about what you do… it’s about action.” Superboy-Prime is out. Superman then succumbs to the kryptonite himself. As he lies there, the other heroes arrive and destroy the kryptonite. All the Green Lanterns left create a prison for Prime.

Power Girl rushes to Kal-L. He tells her that he finally understands what Lois was trying to tell him. That Power Girl will never be without him and Lois. Even if she can’t see them. And Kal-L, the first Superman, dies, holding the girl he loved like a daughter’s hand, with the true love of his life’s name on his lips.

From here, we go into a kind of epilogue mode. We see heroes helping to recover from the events of the crisis; we see Power Girl and Wonder Girl at the graves of Kal-L, Lois and Conner. Bart gives the Flash costume to Jay Garrick, explaining that he had some residue of the speed force in him, but that he is no longer fast. Jay says that he is still fast, as with him, it was a metagene, and not just the Speed Force that powered him, but he now tops out around the speed of sound. But these days he is still, the Fastest Man Alive.

In Gotham City, Alex Luthor has indeed survived. He is already working on a new plan. Then, he hears laughter. He turns, and is sprayed in the face with acid, from a flower on a purple lapel. He looks up, to see a rather frightening-looking joy buzzer descending on him. This is shoved into the eye on the side that has been corroded of his face, by the acid-squiring flower. The Joker laughs as he tortures Alex Luthor. Alex tries to crawl away, begging for help, and his had touches a rather fine shoe. It’s Lex. “Oh, Alex. You made a lot of mistakes. You underestimated Superman. Superboy. Me. But the biggest one?” Alex begs for his life as he sees the Joker pulling out a rather large gun, and leveling it at his head, much like Batman had, “You didn’t let the Joker play.” Viewed from a distance, we hear a BLAM! And the Joker’s maniacal laughter. Lex smirks downward and asks “now who’s stupid?”

We then see the trinity, in their civilian identities. Diana is off to be human for a while. Clark is lacking his powers, after the red sun and kryptonite incident, but seems confident they will be back and Bruce is heading on a world tour to retrace the steps he took to become Batman, rebuilding him, but this time with a difference. Dick and Tim, Nightwing and Robin are going along. Like a family. The three part as friends, renewing their vow to stand together when the world needs them. And thus begins two things: the One Year Later series of comics, where all of DC’s regular titles jump right after this comic, and the 52 maxi-series. An issue a week describing what happens between the end of this comic and the beginning of One Year Later. 52’s tag line is “a world without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, but not a world without heroes.”

The next two page spread shows the heroes who will be populating that world, and there are some interesting things to be seen. A new Batwoman, someone wearing the Barry Allen flash suit, but no sight of Jay in his trademark helmet, the Atom, who hasn’t been seen since Identity Crisis, a much-changed Marvel Family, an new Uncle Sam, or at least a new look for him, a new Phantom Lady, an OMAC, a new Black Condor, a change of costume for the Ray and for Robin, as well as the Martian Manhunter. It should be an interesting year.

Meanwhile, on Oa, at the center of the universe, Superboy-Prime is in prison, surrounded by a miniature red-sun eater, and encased in an emerald prison, with fifty Green Lanterns watching him at all times. Prime has carved the Superman symbol into his own chest, and says “I’ve been in worse places than this. And I’ve gotten out.”

And thus ends Infinite Crisis.

Overall, I thought it was a good ride. I am disappointed with this as the final legacy of the first Superman. In this series, he was the villain for an issue (or so it seemed) and misled for several, then did nothing outstanding save for show Doomsday who’s boss. His death was… unimpressive. He took as ass whupping from Superboy-Prime, apparently just to give Kal-El time to recover, and to let Prime wear his power levels down on him a bit. It strikes me that if this is what they brought him back for, they should have left him in is Post-Crisis state, when he was willing to sacrifice everything to save the universe, and was rewarded with eternal happiness with Lois.

I would’ve liked much more to have seen Prime still powerful enough to slap Kal-El around, only to be dragged through the red sun again by a nearly-dead Kal-L. This action drains still more of Prime’s power, without his harness, and leaves Kal-L in a state to do his death scene which I thought was handled well. The weakened Prime is then beaten to unconsciousness by Kal-El, and the story continues as it did. I like the tone of willing sacrifice for the greater good that Kal-L’s first disappearance had, and would have like this one to have this more explicit in it. I also fervently hope not to ever see Prime again, the ending aside.

I really enjoyed the interaction between the Big Three in their civilian identities, and the idea of Bruce Wayne taking Dick Grayson and Tim Drake on a trip that is part vacation/part re-centering trip.

Next- my reasons for thinking that Dick Grayson wasn’t going to survive the Crisis originally, and my opinion on the series as a whole, and it’s effect on the DC Universe.

Infinite Crisis #6 – Review and Summary

Okay, the penultimate chapter. I bought the issue with the Jim Lee Cover. This surprises me, as I am a life-long Perez fan, but while Perez’ cover was very reminiscent of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the image of Superboy-Prime in his Anti-Monitor armor, and holding Wonder Girl’s lasso (I think you can tell by the energy coursing off of it), standing over a batarang, Wonder Woman’s Tiara, a GL Lantern (all looking like they had seen better days), and with Superboy’s T-shirt flowing in tatters in the background – well, Lee hit a home run with this one.

The comic starts with Batman’s (and Booster’s?) team in space in the Bug. The fearlessness, and confidence of Hal Jordan is the first thing we see. They are off to confront this world-beating satellite, and he is whistling “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” When Green Arrow asks him about it, he explains that he is just looking forward to the start of the season next week, because Guy Gardner has tickets on the dugout. There is no doubt in Hal’s mind that the heroes will emerge victorious.

We also see another couple of developments. John Stewarts GL ring seems to be afraid of the Blue Beetle. This is an interesting development, but the new Blue Beetle changes the subject, only to be condescended to by Booster. Batman’s response? “Booster. You have no idea how to talk to kids.” This from the man who until recently was known far and wide as “Batdick.” The efforts to make Batman more human seem to be going well. Even when Jaime starts to falter as the new Blue Beetle, complaining of the strain of looking for something invisible, Batman chooses supportive rather than intimidating: “I know it’s difficult, but if Booster’s right, you’re the only one who can help us.” This is not the same character who told Superman that his most inspiring act was dying, clearly. The events of the series so far have started to have an effect on Batman. Little things like this are easily lost in the scope of an event like Infinite Crisis, so I am glad that Geoff Johns has spent the extra time making sure that we see the change in Batman, rather than just having him be more human come “One Year Later.”

The Blue Beetle is able to cause Brother Eye to become visible, and it and Batman, its creator have a chat, which ends with the Bug coming under attack by the OMACs.

Scene change to the two Supermen. They bond over one of the most powerful things they have in common – a love for Lois Lane. Wonder Woman shows up and talks to them, passing along what she learned in the previous issue from Diana Prince – that everyone makes mistakes, and all they can do is learn from them. When Kal-L asks, “How can you still have faith in your earth?” Kal-El gives him an answer: “because they still have faith in us.” Kal-L immediately goes to work with Kal-El and Wonder Woman to fix what he has helped Alex Luthor wreak. The next two pages have some views of other earths, showing the residents of several worlds have been shunted back to those worlds, while still others are shown for what I believe is the first time. We see the Marvel Family on Earth-S, the “Tangent Comics” (a re-imagining of heroes with the same names as DC standbys by various creators) characters on Earth-97 (The year Tangent was first released – some books came out in ’98 as well), Earth-247 featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, Earth-898 where DC’s Western heroes play out, Earth-0, which seems to be Bizarro-world, and Earth-154 which seems to be the earth of the Super Sons from an old story arc in World’s Finest, I believe, and Earth-462 which seems to be in World War 2 with close analogues of members of the All-Star Squadron fighting Nazis, including Baron Blitzkrieg and Captain Nazi. Alex grabs these last two earths, and smashes them together to see what kind of world he gets. There is a bit of a joke here – Marvel has defined its prime earth as Earth-616. The sum of the two earths crammed together? 616. The result of putting those two worlds together is an Aztec Batman family (plus Wonder Woman) against an Aztec Superman family. Or maybe one, or both, are Toltec or Inca. I am not up to date on my Native American Headdresses enough to know for sure. Regardless, Lex isn’t happy with this world, and destroys it. Again, Psycho-Pirate points out that he feels something like millions of voices, crying out at… no wait… I mean he feels people “being reborn in pain, and given essence - then destroyed. Billions at a time.” Alex, as usual, feels nothing for these losses, seeing them only as part of a grand experiment.

All of the magic characters get together to try and help – it was key in the first Crisis to have them. Spectre wrestled the Anti-Monitor at the beginning of time back then. Now, they are going to summon the Spectre again. My personal favorite mage-type, Faust, the son of Felix Faust and one-time member of the Outsiders points out this is a bad idea, and is mocked for it. Zatanna speaks her magic, and the Spectre appears, still inside Crispin Allen, the GCPD detective who was killed by Jim Corrigan. Spectre bursts out of Allen, and looms over the gathering. The Phantom Stranger, he of the uncertain origin and unclear level of power goes to talk to the Spectre, calling him “old friend.” The Spectre ignores him, passes judgment on the murderous Star Sapphire, turns her into glass, shatters her with explosive authority, and leaves. Faust, adjusting his ever-present shades: “Told you.”

Back to the tower that Alex built. Wonder Girl, the love of Superboy’s life joins Superboy and Nightwing to help take down the tower. Alex is distracting and frustrated, sifting Earths. Psycho Pirate is busy perving on Power Girl, planning to “remind” Alex that he was promised her. Psycho Pirate is a fascinating character, at once amazingly powerful, as most everyone has emotions he can manipulate, but at the same time, crazy enough to be non-functional most of the time. As Superboy decks the Psycho-Pirate, the OMACs leap to defense of the tower.

Batman’s team begins their assault on Brother Eye. Blue Beetle comments that Hal is insane, to which Metamorpho says, “You don’t know the half of it, kid.” This is a recurring theme for many who feel that Hal being “fearless” is not an admirable attribute. It was touched on earlier in the story, and raised again here. Many writers and readers defended Kyle Rainer when he replaced a fallen Hal Jordan by pointing out that his heroism was more pure because he did feel fear, and had to overcome it. Be that as it may, Hal’s brash confidence is fun to read, and here he surfs the Bug through a mass of Brother Eye’s defenses, shielding the bug in front, as he goes.

The Bug breaches Brother Eye, and Batman sends his team off on their jobs. Green Arrow asks why Batman had called him, and Batman answers, “Just to see if you’d show.” Green Arrow tried to kill Batman in the last story arc of the recently-deceased JLA comic, spurred on by Envy of the Seven Deadly Sins. Batman and Green Arrow were the centers of the conflict as to whether or not the League should exist even after all that had happened. This may be as close as Batman gets to conceding that a League is necessary.

There is some interesting commentary between Mr. Terrific and Black Lightning about their names, and Mr. Terrific reveals the most compelling reason he is here – he is invisible to machines. While the others do what they have to, including Black Lightning fighting off Brother Eye’s attacks, Mr. Terrific heads to the machine’s core.

Back to the tower, and Earth-2 and Donna Troy’s spaceketeers. Wonder Girl and Superboy are trying to free the Martian Manhunter from the tower, while Alex reaches to combine his own earth and Earth-2, where both Supermen and Wonder Woman currently are. As we have already seen, such a combination results in a new world, not necessarily containing the same beings as on either of the source planets. Donna realizes why she put this team together – to prevent the death of Superman and Wonder Woman (and the other Superman). Alex is trying to fuse Kal-L with the Lex Luthor of Earth-3. Earth-3 is where the Crime Syndicate is from. An evil version of the Justice League, their chief opponent was Lex Luthor, the greatest (and only remaining) hero of that Earth. As the two of them merge, Kal-El merges with Ultraman, the evil version of himself, and Wonder Woman with Superwoman, her own doppelganger. As Alex focuses on this, we see Nightwing climbing the tower, ever closer to him. Firestorm, on the advice of Professor Stein, figures out how to hurt Alex’s giant hands, which are smashing the planets together, and blows off one of his fingers. This injury is real – Alex is missing a finger. The resultant feedback causes many of the heroes at the center of the universe to disappear.

Back at the tower, Alex has lost it. He intends to destroy Earth-2 in revenge for the loss of his finger. No longer concerned about creating the perfect earth, Alex has moved beyond “the end justifies the means” into “batshit crazy.” So, Nightwing kicks him in the face. As he looks up, the heroes who were in the tower have been freed. Power Girl leads the assault. Wonder Girl is unsure if they should free Black Adam, but Superboy insists. Alex falters under the assault, but he fights back. Psycho Pirate approaches Power Girl, intending to make her so angry that she will kill the Ray. He is interrupted by Black Adam. As he tries to manipulate Black Adam, Adam pokes his fingers through the eyeholes in the Medusa Mask that the Pirate wears. He then, saying “No more silly faces,” shoves the mask through Psycho-Pirate’s head, fingers first. The Ray and Power Girl are both taken aback, and Power Girl asks him if his actions were necessary. A blood-spattered Adam responds, “Absolutely.”

Nightwing, Superboy and Wonder Girl look to figure out how to shut down the tower. And they are interrupted. Superboy-Prime flies by, hitting Power Girl, Ray and Adam. Adam goes to lay a beat-down on Prime. The magic that gives Adam his power is causing him pain, ostensibly due to the death of the wizard. He continues to lay his beat down anyway. Superboy-Prime shrugs it off, and knocks Adam flying. He flies too far from the tower, and is transported to Earth-S. Superboy-Prime is freaked out because being away from the tower doesn’t send him back to Earth-Prime. Alex hypothesizes that he has changed in the core of his being. He gets in Alex’s face and informs him that the perfect earth will be the one Superboy is from… Earth Prime. Alex doesn’t look like he likes being told what to do, but his snappy “Your life means nothing to me… I am like un to a god,” reply is lost, as the Martian Manhunter shows Superboy-Prime what happens when you don’t jump him by surprise. He uses the incredible number of powers he has (here stretching, phasing and Super Strength) to kick your ass a bit.

Meanwhile, Nightwing tries to get Superboy to step up and use his tactile telekinesis (which has always struck me as an oxymoron – does he have to touch it, or is it “tele” meaning, at a distance? For this character, it means he can control whatever substance he touches, primarily to disassemble things) to take apart the tower, something much bigger than he has ever tried. Lady Quark, The Ray and Breach triple team Superboy-Prime, but it does no good. Nightshade hits him with darkness, and he flips out. He knocks just about everyone but the Manhunter, Power Girl, and the three Titans on the tower back to their worlds.

Back to Brother Eye, where Batman is doing the “you can’t stop me” walk through his innards. Brother Eye taunts him that his friends will fail. When Batman (again, showing heretofore unseen for years confidence in his allies, and actually using the word “friends” in a non-ironic way) says, “My friends can take care of themselves,” Brother Eye reveals he is talking not about the ones on the satellite, but instead the ones fighting Prime. When he specifically mentions Nightwing trying to face down Prime, Batman actually starts to sweat… or are those tears falling from under his cowl? But, being Batman, he continues on with what he needs to do. (By the way, throughout all of this, the damn satellite keeps using “eye” instead of “I.” In the first person, though, so it isn’t just referring to itself in the third person…)

On the tower, Nightwing gives Superboy a pep talk about taking down the tower. They are almost there when the buzzing OMACs get the better of Wonder Girl, and Conner is distracted. Prime attacks both Nightwing and Superboy. Alex goes back to trying to create the perfect world, and Nightwing takes out his Escrima sticks and prepares to face down Prime. Prime explains he wasn’t even trying when he fought and killed all of those titans. As he rushes Nightwing, Conner lands on his back, and says, “Neither was I. Round two!”

Back on Brother Eye, Brother Eye tells Batman that his assault on the main memory core is a waste of time. Batman’s plan comes out – he wasn’t there to destroy Brother Eye, Batman was a distraction while Mr. Terrific, who is invisible to machines, triggered Brother Eye’s thrusters to move him out of orbit, so Brother Eye would crash to the earth, in pieces. Not to harp too much on this, but here was a plan by Batman that allowed for someone other than him to do the heavy lifting… will wonders never cease?

Brother Eye grabs Batman with his defensive tendrils, determined to take Batman down with him. The OMACs fall apart, revealing people inside, who Green Lantern John Stewart sets about saving. Black Canary informs Hal Jordan that they are ready to go, but cannot find Batman. Even as this is going on, Blue Beetle says that the scarab says that they are done, and have to get away from the Green Lanterns, and he disappears. Hal goes in to save Batman. Batman, the one hero least willing to give Hal a second chance after he became Parallax. Batman, the man who cannot forgive Hal for being party to wiping his mind. In many ways, Hal epitomizes the reasons why Batman created Brother Eye. And when Brother Eye is trying to convince Batman to fix what he has done, it says, “You can never trust them after all they have done,” right as Hal reaches out his had to Batman. Batman says, “I’ll take my chances.” As they leave the satellite which is rapidly becoming a fireball on re-entry, Batman directs Hal to fly them to Alex’s tower.

Meanwhile, the battle at the tower reaches a fever point. Nightwing stands amidst the people who were formerly the OMACs protecting the tower, and Prime lays an unholy beat-down on both Wonder Girl and Superboy. Alex reaches out for Earth-Prime. It looks like he is going to listen to Superboy-Prime after all.

The beating on Cassie drives Conner over the edge. Conner says he is tired of Superboy-Prime’s hypocrisy – claiming that this world’s heroes don’t live up to some ridiculous standards, while beating people to death himself. Prime doesn’t even know what hypocrisy means, and sets out to prove Conner isn’t smarter than him by beating him up. The two crash in to the tower, locked in a death grip struggle. The tower is destroyed by the impact, and from all the possibilities, a new earth is created.

Judging from the shards shown around the earth being created, there are some changes to continuity forthcoming – we can see Kal-L in those shards, we can see that there was a Superboy in Smallville, that Wonder Woman participated in some of the Justice Leagues early adventures, and that even when he was relatively young, Joe Chill was arrested for the murder of Batman’s parents. None of these are true in what was “current” continuity up until now.

Cassie digs through the rubble of the tower, looking for Conner. She finds him, and he is in rough shape. Cassie tells him he did it. He saved the earth. He saved everyone. He replies weakly that he knows he did. “Isn’t it cool?”

On the last page of the comic we see Batman, Nightwing, Wonder Woman, Kal-El and Kal-L standing around Wonder Girl, holding the dead body of Superboy in her lap, collapsed over him. Most of them look to be in mourning, but anger is evident in the face and posture of Kal-El, and in the clenched fist of Nightwing. Clearly, in issue #7, there will be a reckoning.

This was a powerful issue. The fights with Prime were excellent, the art for the sections on Brother Eye was perfect, and Conner’s death both meant something and was poignant. I am sorry to see the character go, but at the same time, can never be too sad to see a hero die a well-written hero’s death. The characterization in this issue was excellent. This is what a cross-over issue should be, in my opinion.