Chris is on Infinite Earths: cherie wilkerson

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Wednesday, October 2, 2019

ACW #634 - Nightwing & Speedy

Action Comics Weekly #634 (Nightwing & Speedy)
"Rocks and Hard Places, Chapter Nine: The Circle Closes"
Writer - Cherie Wilkerson
Art - Tom Mandrake
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Barbara Kesel

Hey, it's the final Nightwing & Speedy chapter! You know what that means? I no longer have to keep track of which Nightwing & Speedy "trade dress" I'm using from week to week!

... uh, in case you didn't notice, I use alternating Nightwing & Speedy "trade-dresses" every week. Sometimes it's Speedy/Nightwing, other times it's Nightwing/Speedy. Aw hell, nobody but me cares...

Let's do this!

--

We pick up right where we left off... Speedy and Nightwing are about to be arrested for "stealing" a file from the C.B.I. Headquarters. Now, rather than attempting to explain their situation, our heroes comment how embarrassing this all is before... proceeding to beat the hell out of the rent-a-cops?! I mean, these poor dudes are only doing their job... c'mon! After the hub-bub dies down, and by that I mean, once the cops are kayoed... Dick and Roy are called into an adjacent room by a C.B.I. Agent, presumably one of the "good ones".

Inside the darkened room, she welcomes Speedy back to the C.B.I., but warns him not everyone is happy to see him back. Yeah, no kiddin', lady. She explains that her gig is keeping a watch over C.B.I.-C.E.O.s who have "gone astray". She then informs the boys that, get this, Sepulveda's on the take! Whaaaaaa? Yeah, yeah, I think most of us figured that out like eight weeks ago, but whattayagonnado?

She's just about ready to proceed with a "bust", however, is unsure who Sepulveda is reporting to "on the outside". Nightwing's like "duh, it's totally that Danvers jerk.", which... is actually all our Agent needs to hear! I mean, she doesn't ask for proof or anything! Thank God Dick didn't say any of our names!

Speedy wonders aloud how Hunter (our friend from the Train Turlet) figured it all out... and just like that, our stinky pal stumbles out of the shadows to explain! It's all tied up in the F.O.E.s (betcha forgot all about them... I know I did).

Well, at least now our Agent has a bit more to go on than the hearsay of a masked man, and so... she proceeds with the bust. We see Sepulveda being frog-marched out of his office... some dude freaking out in his office... and Lord Danvers being arrested at the airport. The wheels of justice sure move swiftly... when you're running out of pages to tell your story!

We jump ahead to learn the fates of our antagonists... Sepulveda gets thirty-years in prison... "Teflon" Lord Danvers manages to have all charges dropped... and, uhh, Mr. Monroe has his bail set at two-million dollars. Mr. Monroe? Who the hell is this guy? Have we met him? Is my memory really so bad that I can't remember meeting one of our prime antagonists?! The hell?

Back at Roy's apartment, he's steaming mad that Lord Danvers "got off", but is soon calmed down having received quite a pleasant missive from Moira and Button back in Belfast. Everything's going great for them. Also, Hunter just sold the rights to his story, wrote a book, and is making a bundle.

We wrap up with the revelation that Lord Danvers didn't actually get to go back to life as usual... he found himself caught up in some sex scandal... and hung himself. Welp... all's well that ends well...

--

If you listen real close, it's almost as though you can hear the *crunch* of truncation with this one. Everything gets wrapped up nice and tidy here... and with the quickness!

I know I've harped on how uneven the back-half of a lot of our features have been of late... ya know, moving into the all-too-brief "next evolution" of Action Comics Weekly (post-Crash), but... I mean, where there's smoke there's fire, right? Maybe I'm imagining it... maybe I'm projecting... I dunno. There's no way to "double-blind" this sort of thing, and there's no such thing as a "comics placebo"... so, preconceptions are just part of the gig! I feel like there was some wonkiness behind the scenes... and, unfortunately, I'm judging these stories as though that is 100% true.

So, whatta we got here? Nightwing and Speedy beating up some security guards/officers who were... ya know, just doing their jobs. Hell, even if our heroes get cleared on the file-stealing issue, shouldn't they have to face up to punching out innocent people? Am I just not supposed to think of that? I mean, this is a (relatively speaking) "grounded in reality" sort of story... shouldn't this sort of thing be addressed? Hell, even in a throwaway line where Roy complains about having to pay a fine or something?

From there, the heroes meet a "good" C.B.I. Agent, who is willing to take them at their word without question. That seems like rather slipshod "secret-agenting", doesn't it? It's hard for me not to blame this on the perceived "truncation" of this story. Ya see, this story had a relatively strong first half... meandering a bit, yes... but, it felt like Wilkerson was invested in "setting the table". Here though, the rapid-fire results we're getting? It's just so tonally different and oddly paced that it feels completely out of place.

Then, the arrests go down... possibly introducing us to a brand-new character? If he isn't new, and I'm just too dense to remember, he certainly wasn't featured prominently enough to fit here. Was he just the "fall guy" for Lord Danvers? I feel like that shouldn't even be a question... if he was, we/I should know immediately!

I dunno, you guys... came into this arc a bit lukewarm, but it won me over. Then, something happened. Not sure what exactly, but around the second-half... third-third, the worm definitely turned. Pacing was tossed out the window, and it was just a mad-rush to get to everything tied up so this can end in time for The Crash of '88!. It's too bad, really.

Well, Nightwing and Speedy's story it now behind us... but, have no fear, Speedy will be returning post-Crash with his own solo feature. Oddly enough, it won't be written by Cherie Wilkerson... who, for much of this story, seemed to want to write only about Roy anyway!

Tomorrow: The darkest day yet... the final Blackhawking!

Monday, September 23, 2019

ACW #633 - Nightwing & Speedy

Action Comics Weekly #633 (Nightwing & Speedy)
"Rocks and Hard Places, Chapter Eight: Behind Closed Doors"
Writer - Cherie Wilkerson
Art - Tom Mandrake
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Barbara Kesel

Another Day... another Penultimate Chapter! Lotsa "near-finality" headed our way!

--

We open with Dick and Roy returning to the States. They are immediately greeted by a fella from the C.B.I. and ferried into a waiting car. Inside. Roy is met by Mr. Sepulveda... in case you don't remember, and I wouldn't blame you in the slightest if you didn't... Sepulveda is the C.B.I. big-wig who canned Roy all those many weeks ago. Meanwhile, our friend from the Train Turlet (Hunter), has also arrived in the U.S. of A. He hops into a cab... only to find that Lord Danvers is waiting for him. After a bit of "prompting" (by a pair of over-sized goons), Hunter agrees to the ride-share.

In the first car, Sepulveda assures Roy he only fired him out of concern that he was about to blow a two-year undercover operation... so, nothin' shady goin' on ova hea'. Well, except for, ya know, all the shadiness. While they chat, a red sports car sidles up alongside the ride, and attempts to run them off the road.

Next thing we know, Dick and Roy are in their "work clothes"... so... hmm, does that mean they changed into costume in the car, while Sepulveda and his driver watched? That doesn't seem smart, now does it? It's really the only realistic way these scenes can flow together, right? Annnnnyway, Nightwing and Speedy are met by some very, very, very inexperienced (and nervous) "freedom fighters", who they handily wipe the floor with.

We learn that these geeks are members of The Sanas... or, at least, they claim to be. They're fighting for Ireland's freedom, and I must say, they're doing one heck of a job. A-hem. By now, Sepulveda and his driver have split the scene... probably attempting to get Bruce Wayne on the phone this very moment with an "offer he can't refuse". After having The Sanas arrested, our heroes decide to use their own damn two legs to carry them the rest of the way into D.C.

Meanwhile, in the other car, Hunter makes his move. This fella is somehow able to out-muscle Lord Danvers'... well, muscle, and commandeer the ride. Ya know, this little bit right here might be the toughest for me to suspend my disbelief and "buy into".

As luck would have it, Hunter is driving right by Nightwing and Speedy, and so he pulls over and offers to drive them the rest of the way. Upon arrival at C.B.I. Headquarters, Speedy meets with Sepulveda and manages to convince him to hand over a manila envelope. As the heroes go to leave, Sepulveda is informed that Lord Danvers is there to see him. Oh, and this "Lord Danvers"? He's got ties to the F.O.E.'s. I'm not sure if that's been made clear to this point, but... that's his story.

Nightwing and Speedy walk right past Lord Danvers on their way out... and find themselves getting stopped at security. The guards ask about the manila envelope... which Speedy assures them they didn't steal. Well, get this, Sepulveda set them up! Whaaaaaa? This chapter ends with our heroes being arrested!

--

Okay, two things.

First... and my memory may be just plain cloudy, but... have we ever met this Lord Danvers before today? I mean, he's pretty forgettable, but... I really feel like we (or I) should've known who this guy was? Especially if he's going to be one of the "big bads" of the arc! Again, maybe I'm just forgetting... I suppose I could just re-read the discussion pieces, but, ehh...

Second, and this is a biggie... Did Roy and Dick really change into their crime-fighting costumes in the back seat of Sepulveda's car? I mean, general discomfort with some old fella watching you change clothes aside, this is just an all-around bad idea! I don't think Sepulveda's the sharpest bulb in the shed, but even he might be able to put two and two together, and seeing Dick change into Nightwing, play "two degrees of separation" to deduce that maybe, perhaps, Batman is really Bruce Wayne. Just weird. You'd think some thought would go into that.

There was a fair amount of convenience strewn through this... even moreso than usual. Really reinforcing my (likely misguided) belief that things went a little editorially-sideways during these mid-late weeks of Action Comics Weekly. I mean, if we were to go back to the opening chapters of this arc... they were aimless, meandering, and even a little bit dull. We spent way too many weeks dealing with Moira and Button... and, now... it's like we're just blowing through the story at breakneck speed. Very uneven... however, since there was so much (editorial) change in the air, I'll give the creative team the benefit of the doubt, and assume they were just rolling with the punches.

The cliffhanger ending? Well, it was cliffhangery, I guess... though, why Speedy and Nightwing took Sepulveda (a dude who has screwed them over a number of times... including earlier the same day) at his word. Seeing them get arrested prompted a...

... instead of any actual, genuine surprise. I guess we might be able to blame that on the "behind the scenes" machinations that I've already projected into this as well! Here's hoping it all comes together in next weeks final chapter!

Tomorrow: Beam Me Up, Supey!

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

ACW #632 - Nightwing & Speedy

Action Comics Weekly #632 (Nightwing & Speedy)
"Rocks and Hard Places, Chapter Seven: A Time of Changes"
Writer - Cherie Wilkerson
Pencils - Vince Giarrano
Inks - Tom Mandrake
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Barbara Kesel

Welp, Speedy's time as the "headliner" of this feature sure was short-lived! We're back to Nightwing & Speedy (rather than Speedy & Nightwing, that is)... and I'm beginning to wonder how much longer this one's going to go!

--

We pick up right at the bomb-blast... and despite it looking as though our Moira was running away from the planted suitcase last time out, here it looks more as though she was running towards it! Roy runs over to her and calls for an ambulance... and by "calls for an ambulance", I mean he screams "we need an ambulance". At this point the entire Orange Day parade has gone a bit ca-ca, and Nightwing is already busting heads. Just then, an officer begins emptying his piece in Nightwing's direction... which tells him that maybe they're not on the same side.

Then, a Kesel Meats truck (featuring a rather well-endowed, or perhaps five-legged, bull on the side) bee-lines it directly at the cop. Turns out the driver is... well, hell, it's Speedy. Dude can change clothes and steal a truck in less time than it takes for me to complete a thought!

They drive until they reach a roadblock surrounded by armed men. They are the Sanas! We learn that the F.O.E.s are their foes (yeah, they really say that), but here's the thing... they invite the heroes behind the barricade for safety! Before they can get too comfortable, however, a helicopter swoops in... guns ablazing!

The Sanas are shot dead! Speedy manages to fire off an arrow-line into the rear rotor of the chopper, and sends it smashing into the side of a nearby building. We can see that this is one of those helicopters we used to joke about as kids... because the pilot appears to have escaped via ejector seat! A F.O.E. in the foreground takes aim on the distracted heroes, however, finds himself feeling the cold steel of the Man from the Train Turlet's pistol!

Jumping ahead to Moira's hospital bed, she's recovering just fine. Just a broken arm and a few bruises... which, certainly beats the alternative. We learn that a woman (who we may or may not have already met... Roy meets a lot of middle-aged women... I mean, who else is he going to hand Lian to?) is going to take Moira and Button in... and that Roy is going to be heading back to the States.

Outside, Dick n' Roy meet a woman named Sinnead who tries to set them straight on the Sanas. She suggests that they are a reactionary effort... not fighting to kill, but instead fighting to survive. She claims that she'll be laying down her weapons now, however, since children are getting hurt. Just then, an old dude runs up... with a frickin' grenade! I reckon he's lookin' to lob it at the hospital... but Sinnead meets him head-on. Unfortunately for her, it looks like the codger already pulled the pin!

We wrap up with some, if I'm being honest, boring "intrigue". Dude sells weapons and information... gets himself poisoned with something that mimics a heart attack (must have been extra Chloro-floro-whatever left over from the Black Canary feature!). Meanwhile Train Turlet has booked himself a trip to the States.

--

Say it with me... another strong chapter.

But, I gotta say, fatigue is beginning to set in. Now, I'm not overly familiar with Ms. Wilkerson's writing style, so for all I know, she has a very deliberate and slow-paced method. I have a sneaking suspicion there might be a hair of dreaded decompression at play though... not so much to "fill a trade", but more to get us to the upcoming Action Comics Weekly "crossover" and deck-clearing (coming up in ACW #635).

I appreciate how, while we're probably supposed to sympathize with The Sanas at this point, they're still not depicted as overly "good". They're still, basically urban terrorists... very means to an end, crack as many eggs as ya need, insert whatever metaphor about goal-oriented ruthlessness you can here.

That said, the F.O.E.'s are definitely the "big bads". I didn't mention it during the synopsis, but we learn at the end that Train Turlet used to be part of something... perhaps the police force (?), but he had to resign. Maybe we'll learn more about that next week... then again, maybe we won't! I dunno if it's enough to maintain interest... it really feels like we could've ended the story here. Moira and Button have a caretaker, Roy's heading home... an F.O.E. has been caught... seems like a done deal to me! Oh well, guess we'll find out next time.

We have a fill-in artist (well, penciller... Mandrake still provides ink) in Vince Giarrano... and, this probably isn't his best work. Perhaps more evidence that this story might've been puffed out a chapter or two... maybe there was a time crunch, maybe it was Mandrake's inks not jiving with his pencils... maybe I'm talking out my ass. Now, if you've seen some of Vincent's non-comics work, you'll know what a brilliant artist he is. It's truly wonderful stuff.

Overall... solid, but long in the tooth. Perhaps this would read better all in one "go"!

Tomorrow: The Horizontal Goosestep!

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

ACW #631 - Speedy & Nightwing

Action Comics Weekly #631 (Speedy & Nightwing)
"Rocks and Hard Places, Chapter Six: Old Friends, New Enemies"
Writer - Cherie Wilkerson
Pencils - Vince Giarrano
Inks - Tom Mandrake
Letters - Agustin Mas
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Barbara Kesel

Yes, that parenthetical after the issue number is correct (if, in fact, anyone even noticed)... this time out Speedy gets top billing over Nightwing (and really, at this point why shouldn't he?)! I'm not going to make a whole new blog "tag" for it, but figured I'd at least give him his moment in the title of the post itself!

--

We pick up right where we left off... well, sorta. Speedy is still pursuing the Sanas thug who nabbed Button... but, it kind of looks like he's on the other end of the train car this time out. The car is rapidly approaching that other car full of explosives, which really denotes an air of poor planning in the Sanas organization. As luck would have it, Speedy's pretty good with a bow and arrow, and so, he's able to hit a nearby switchbox which sends the train down a safer track. The shift also throws the thug to the ground, causing him to drop his gun. Button nabs the piece.

The thug regains his bearings, and... get this, goes to toss the brat off the car! I guess she wasn't all that important alive to the Sanas then? I'm tellin' ya, poor planners, these Sanas. Speedy manages to swoop in just in the nick of time and save the tot. Back home, Button and Moira come around to the idea that their new pal Roy is actually one of the "good guys".

Elsewhere, Hunter (the train turlet guy) is talking to a fella who is warning him about his current investigation. Basically, what it comes down to is "be very sure about any accusations you're about to make." Well, when you're going to accuse the police of being terrorists, I suppose that's not the worst advice!

We rejoin Roy and the kids right after they've picked up... heyyy, is that Dick Grayson?! Holy smokes, I forgot all about him!

As they drive, Roy realizes that there's been a car on their tail for an uncomfortably long time. He speeds up, Dick tells him to slow down... the car behind them begins to open fire, and so Dick tells him to speed back up. Cute enough exchange.

Dick grabs a bow and arrow, and fires a shot into the passenger's door of their pursuers... which allows them to get away.

We shift scenes to the police station, where an Officer named Clapton is outed as an enemy to the F.O.E.s. In order to, uh, "mitigate any risks" pertaining to the Friends of the Empire's Orange Day plans, he's sent on patrol... right in the middle of a Sanas funeral. Whoops. The Sanas climb all over his squad car, and pummel it with blunt objects.

We wrap up at the Orange Day Parade... where some little kid pulls the old "drop and run" with a briefcase. Moira immediately knows what's up, and bolts into the street (without Button, mind you). We close with a boom!

--

A good, if not just a little bit disjointed, chapter here. Feels more like a series of vignettes than an actual story. Just a lot of "bouncing around"... though, there's definitely a feeling of progression.

Dick finally shows back up... even if it's both out of costume, and for only a handful of panels, but that signifies that things are likely about to "heat up" (and come together) as we move forward. Whatever the case, the overall narrative we've got going here is pretty darn intriguing.

The Police being in the F.O.E.'s pocket is interesting... though, I feel like we haven't been properly introduced to this Clapton character. From how he's discussed, it almost feels like we should know him... but, we don't... do we?

I do wanna say that Moira running away, leaving her sister behind to presumably perish in the blast, felt a little bit out of character. She always struck me as a "not without my Button" type... maybe I'm just missing something.

Overall, another good installment... this would probably read even better all in one go!

Tomorrow: Trippin' Blackhawks?

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

ACW #630 - Nightwing & Speedy

Action Comics Weekly #630 (Nightwing & Speedy)
"Rocks and Hard Places, Chapter V: Attacks"
Writer - Cherie Wilkerson
Art - Tom Mandrake
Letters - Agustin Mas
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Barbara Kesel

Okay gang, I'm going to break one of my own rules today. I never really give hard-facts about "the numbers"... as in, how many people are still visiting and/or care that this site exists. I'll make random mentions that the numbers "aren't what they used to be" since starting Action Comics Weekly, which is true... but, the truth of the matter is, and to be completely frank... the numbers just plain suck.

This was never a widely-read blog, or a "destination" for the online comics community, but over the past several weeks especially... things have been, again, quite frankly, embarrassingly bad. Site visits, social media engagement, whatever the metric... it's bad. All-time bad.

I can usually stop myself from lighting the candles on my pity-party cake by reaffirming that this site is some sort of a "resource"... something that future comics enthusiasts/researchers might use down the line... and that if this entire endeavor helps a single person learn a single new fact, that it'll have all been worth it. Usually, that works.

Lately though, it hasn't. I'm a fairly busy guy. I work, go to school, have a family, and a number of other projects. When the simple notion that my little blog isn't doing so great starts to creep into those other aspects of life, I feel like it might be time to reevaluate exactly what it is we're doing here.

And therein lays the problem. Since this blog is daily... and has been for nearly four years, we don't get so much time to stop and reflect. I don't want to give up the ghost on this thing just yet... but, it's become a rather frustrating situation wherein I'm actively comparing my daily time investment with the fulfillment I get from writing... and, that's never been what I wanted for this project. I'm still enjoying the creative aspects of this... it's just everything else that's killing my buzz.

I guess we'll just play it by ear. For the handful of you who are still reading and sharing, just know that it means an awful lot to me.

Now, with that navel-gazing nonsense out of the way... let's check out our third or fourth Nightwing-less installment of Nightwing & Speedy!

--

Picking up where we left off last issue, Roy's new Belfast digs have just been firebombed. Fortunately, he's already in costume... complete with quiver of trick arrows. He fires a sort of collapsible umbrella-arrow through a nearby window so the kids can attempt to escape the flames. Button manages to get to the outside, where she rushes over to the Train Turlet guy. He consoles (and extinguishes) her, before handing her off to a pair of police officers. Here's the t'ing, though... these cops are the very same people who tossed the Molotov through Roy's window! Button overhears them openly discussing this fact, and so they decide, this kid's gotta disappear.

While Button is being gagged and tossed into a squad car, Train Turlet bee-lines it to Roy's house... only to find that the doors have been boarded shut. Inside, Speedy grabs Moira and Lian and makes a desperate leap from the attic.

Roy's none too pleased to see Train Turlet, and mentions that anytime there's trouble... dude seems to be there. He asks for Button, and is directed to the spot where a cop car had been parked a few moments prior. Whoops. If it ain't one kid Roy's losing, it's another. We soon learn that she'd been taken to a Friends of the Empire (F.O.E.) office... where they hope to use her as their "ace in the hole" if Speedy survives.

Inside the burned out husk of a house, Speedy is informed that he "lucked out", the fire didn't cause any structural damage. I wanna note here that Roy is decked out in his red and yellows during this entire exchange, and nobody's even raising an eyebrow. He does eventually change into his civvies, however, as Moira isn't comfortable around him in "uniform". He gets a call, assumedly from Train Turlet... where he is informed that the F.O.E.s have Button.

Roy is pointed to a nearby train yard, where sure-nuff, Button is being held. The F.O.E.s are looking to use her as bait... kill Speedy upon arrival, and blame the entire mishegos on the Sanas (forgot about them, didn'tcha? I know I did!). Well, here's the thing... the Sanas are there... and they storm the station! Speedy snares the F.O.E.s in a net-arrow and snags Button with a line.

Well, almost. One of the F.O.E.'s manages to cut the rope and reclaim the tot before hopping into a train. Roy then hops onto that same train... which we now see is rapidly approaching a car full of dangerous explosives!

--

Not a bad chapter... and, while I've enjoyed our time alone with Roy up to this point, I think it's about time we call in Nightwing. I commented that I'm looking forward to the upcoming Speedy solo feature... which, I was surprised to discover (as I was "getting ahead" on creating Action Comics Daily-covers) wasn't written by Cherie Wilkerson!

I know I've said it as a joke, a time or two, but damn... Speedy loses kids an awful lot, doesn't he? I mean, even just making the observation... it's like, every single time out, he either hands a kid to a stranger, or just flat-out loses one! That's some wild and weird stuff.

What are our other real takeaways here though? We know that the police are in cahoots with the Friends of the Empire... and that the Sanas and the F.O.E.s are at-odds. I get the feeling it's more a "race to the bottom" with the two organizations, and we're not supposed to be rooting for either one, and that works fine. It is a neat bit of complexity for your standard superhero story... and there ain't nothing wrong with that.

So yeah, another fine outing... downright strong when compared to the overall more "meh" features we've been getting during this stretch of Action Comics Weekly. I will say, however, that the art sometimes makes it look like Speedy is still on heroin... sunken eyes, sallow features... just not too pleasant to look at. Not outright bad, but, it's been better.

Tomorrow: Mr. Blackhawk Goes to Washington

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

ACW #629 - Nightwing & Speedy

Action Comics Weekly #629 (Nightwing & Speedy)
"Rocks and Hard Places, Chapter IV: New Friends, Old Enemies"
Writer - Cherie Wilkerson
Art - Tom Mandrake
Letters - Augustin Mas
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Barbara Kesel

Hey Gang, welcome to a very un-Super Bloggy installment of #SuperBlogTeamUp! I say that because, for the first time ever, my #SBTU offering will be coming in the form of an episode of the podcast and not as a blog post!

If you're interested in hearing what I have to say about both takes on DC Comics' Resurrection Man (as well as talk about tiny birds who may or may not be attempting to bring you to your "Final Destination", ill-fitting 2XL polo shirts, and Angel Love), you can click'a the audio below:

For all of the other lovely and talented Super-Bloggers, I'll be including a list'a links at the bottom of this very post... So, if you've got some free time, maybe bask in the glow of immortality and make a day of it!

But for our "business as usual", we're going to check in with ~~Nightwing and~~ Speedy, to see how Life in a Northern Town goes!

--

We open with Roy and Lian about to enter their new Belfast digs, when suddenly they are attacked by... well, a little kid who'd been squatting in the place with her little sister. The lights switch on, and little sister, Button (who doesn't look completely unlike Alfred E. Neuman) is wondering just what big sister, Moira has gotten herself into. When the kids see that this interloper is carrying a tiny tot, their demeanor immediately changes. Moira reaches out and takes Lian from Roy's arms... and Roy, who to this point has been handing Lian off to anyone who might wanna hold her is perfectly okay with this. Is it any wonder she goes missing so often?

Just then, there's a knock at the door. Moira (who, for just this single panel, is not holding Lian) pleads with him not to answer it. She admits that they're squatting, but they're doing so out of self-preservation. Peeking out the window, she refers to the man as a member of The Sanas. Not sure what that's supposed to be, but I'm guessing he's not part of the South African National Accreditation System. She, Button, and Lian rush out of sight before Roy answers the door.

The fella introduces himself as Sean McMullen, and appears to be a pretty affable dude. He welcomes Roy to the neighborhood, and invites him out to the pub some evening. Once he's gone, however, Moira fills Roy in on Sean's true colors. She claims that Sean killed her father... but doesn't care much to elaborate. We jump ahead to Roy at the pub, throwing darts (naturally) with McMullen and the lads. He then asks just what in the heck "The Sanas" are.

The lads don't much cotton to this stranger's line of questioning... and like it even less when he accuses them of killing Moira's father! Roy gets his butt-kicked... and is summarily tossed into a back alley. There, he runs into that dude from the Train Turlet again! We learn that his name is Hunter, and he warns Roy to be careful... and maybe not ask questions about the F.O.E. (Friends of the Empire). Not in a threatening "You bettah stop axin' questions, see?" sort of way... more, with an actual concern for Roy's mortality.

We shift scenes to a darkened office. There, a pair of folks are talking about The Sanas versus the F.O.E.s... something, something, drug smuggling. Something, something, weapons caches. Oh, and also there's that American who just moved to Northern Ireland who must be attended to. I feel like there's a bit of a lapse in equivalency there: Drugs? Okay. Weapons? Sure. That red-haired single dad who just moved in? Mayyyybe not such a big deal?

We rejoin Roy walking home while licking his wounds. Thankfully, he says what we're all thinking... F.O.E.s? The Sanas? All these shadowy agencies, he's going to need a scorecard pretty soon. Anyhoo, by the time he gets home, Button has gone through all of his personal belongings and found his Speedy costume. Clutch-secret identity-keeping there, bro. Realizing he's been outwitted by a three-year old, Roy decides to just change into costume right there.

Button freaks the hell out at the sight of our garishly-clad archer. She's afraid that all "heroes" are actually killers. Before Speedy can calm her down, he hears the drumming of... well, large drums. Looks/sounds like the Orange Day Parade is getting primed. Moira tells Button to head to bed... although, it looks like it's day time outside... although, Roy just spent the evening at the bar... ehh, who knows, we'll just play along. We'll just chalk it up to a "Midnight Sun" scenario.

It's here that Moira gives Speedy the full-deets on her folks. Ya see, Dad was a Protestant and Mom was a Catholic. The Sanas didn't dig this, and so, they covered Dad with gasoline and lit a match. Mom, then met and became romantically involved with that same Sean McMullen we met earlier... that is, until she overheard him talking about being complicit in Dad's death. She then hung herself.

Roy hugs Moira, and Button comes back downstairs complaining that she couldn't sleep. Though in fairness, it does still look like it's the middle of the day. We close out with a Molotov Cocktail being hurled through the window!

--

If you were to ask me to guess the direction this feature would go quality-wise once Marv Wolfman stepped away... I'd have probably made a toilet-flushing sound-effect. That, would have been quite wrong! If anything, I feel like the quality of this arc has improved quite a bit since his name disappeared from the credits!

Sure, we don't get Nightwing (and haven't in a few weeks at this point), and there are some minor flubs in panel-to-panel continuity... but, there's a pretty good story here! I had to do a little bit of research on Ms. Wilkerson (her name doesn't come up all that often), and came to find out that she was working on the Ruby-Spears Superman animated series that was coming out around this time. Interesting stuff!

Now, for the chapter... is this an I.R.A. riff? I suppose I really ought to put a little bit of actual "real world" research into this, so I don't have to keep asking that. I feel like it probably is... but, ya know what they say about assuming. Bound to be more interesting than our normal diet of "shadowy secret agencies" that abound in comics.

Roy here is... well, he's an idiot. Don't much care for how he acts... yet, at the same time, I can't say that he's being written out of character. He can be kind of a dunce. I mean, mouthing off to a bunch of brawny Irishmen in a bar? That ain't smart. Also, leaving his costume... and arsenal (!) somewhere a precocious toddler might find it? C'mon, dude...

Overall though, (outside of the first chapter) this has been a really strong arc! Looking forward to more... and, after these past couple of weeks, I'm even looking forward to our solo-Speedy feature that'll be coming up as we enter the home stretch of Action Comics Daily!

Tomorrow: The Final Fate of Marcia Whatsherface!

But first, be sure to check out...