Action Comics #845 (2007)

Action Comics #845 (January, 2007)
"Last Son, Part Two"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Richard Donner
Artist - Adam Kubert
Colorist - Dave Stewart
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Associate Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99

It's been a little while since we discussed Part One of "Last Son"... guess I got sidetracked by other stuff.  Kinda poetic in a way though, considering how the story itself was plagued by infuriating delays the first time around too!  Hey-yooo...

Anyhoo, delays aside... I think this will be a fun one to revisit.  Let's do it!

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We open at the Fortress of Solitude where Superman is presenting the recently-arrived Kryptonian Boy to the crystal computer simulation of Mr. Oz.  He's looking for answers, unfortunately... the Jor-El simulation doesn't have any.  I mean, whattaya expect?  Anyhoo, Superman then asks the lad (in Kryptonese... translated Kryptonese!) if he'd like to learn how to fly.

We move ahead to Smallville... where Lois and Clark are chatting up the Kents about what they ought to do with the little feller.  Pa suggests that they... adopt him.  Lois doesn't appear too keen on the idea, though Clark seems to be on board immediately.  The lad floats into the Kent kitchen and asks Lois why she doesn't feel like she and Clark could be his parents... and he does so, in English!

Later and Elsewhere, Lex Luthor is attempting to tap a phone call between Superman and Sarge Steel.  He manages to break through, and learns where the pair are going to meet and decide the fate of their strange little visitor.  Lex then frees his "backwards friend"... that, ya know... the cover has already spoiled.

We shift ahead to the meeting site, which to Sarge Steel's surprise... is a full-blown press conference.  This makes complete sense, as it inhibits Sarge's ability to conduct himself in an underhanded manner.  Smart stuff here!  Unfortunately, just as Superman is about to announce his plan for the Super-boy... an uninvited guest appears to crash the party.

In a really brutal bit, Bizarro scans the crowd looking for the Super-boy.  He grabs one, believing it to be the right one... and snaps his arm to test him!  When the bone breaks, Bizarro realizes he's got the wrong one... and so, he just hurls him away!  I really like this... it ups the danger-factor on Bizarro in a big way.  This isn't the (almost) lovable goof Bizarro... this is a scary monster!

Following some mighty impressive panels depicting Bizarro's city-wide rampage, he hurls a school bus in Superman's direction.

The bus... gets some really good hang time... flying through a nearby building, and landing right on top of the Super-boy!

Lois approaches the crushed bus and finds the Super-boy standing inside... he is unharmed, but clearly shaken.  Nearby, Bizarro attempts to break his own car-toss record by hurling a truck at the Daily Planet globe...

Acting fast, the new Super-boy leaps into action... catching the Daily Planet globe before it crushes Lois Lane.  By this point, Superman has already neutralized Bizarro... using his super-breath to freeze him where he stands.

Shifting ahead, we rejoin Lois and Clark in the park (rhyme!).  Lois has come around to the idea of adopting the lad... and even gives him the name Christopher.  I think that's a mighty fine name... and thankfully, so does her husband.

We close out this chapter... with the arrival of Chris Kent's biological parents... General Zod and Ursa... the (no longer dead) Phantom Zone Criminals.

--

The thought that keeps flashing through my head is that this is "Decompression Done Right".

Sure, there's a bit of padding here (you could probably read it in less than five minutes)... but also, more than enough actually happens in the issue to make it feel worthwhile.  I mean, I could've done without the Fortress of Solitude/Jor-El crystal computer pages... and the four-pages spent on introducing General Zod were a bit much, but still... we actually got a fair amount of story-progression here.

I'm not going to mention... or, at least I'm going to try not to mention all of the delays this story faced a decade ago.  Anybody tracking these issues (or trades) down today won't have the proper frame of reference for that anyway.  When we discuss "Last Son", I'm going to try and focus the commentary on only what's inside the book.

So... what do we get?  Let's start with Bizarro.  A character I feel I really need to be "in the mood" for.  I really don't get the gag... and I gotta be looking for a certain type of story to really appreciate him.  Here, however... he's depicted as goal-oriented and scary!  He has his orders... and goes so far as to break a young boy's arm just to see if he's the Super-boy he's looking for!  That's a scary villain... and illustrates the potential (non-silly) Bizarro stories really have!

The adoption story... kinda just happens.  It's been... a long time since I read this last, so I don't remember how/if they explain it.  It's not that I have a real problem with it... it's not like it's permanent.  Even back in ye old 2007, I think we knew that.  Although... Kon-El was dead at this point... and we didn't actually have a Super-boy in the world.  Also... Superman himself was adopted... so there is a parallel there.  Ehh... maybe there is an argument to be made... and maybe some folks thought it might be permanent.

We get a look at just how, I dunno... small the DCU is perceived to be.  Lois and Clark worry that people will connect the dots between the Kryptonian castaway and their new adoptive Son.  I mean, aren't there millions of people in Metropolis alone?  Noting (and running with) commonalities like this is taking an awfully big leap.  Maybe it's just me.  I think these are "coincidences" that we readers should notice... but really shouldn't be brought to light inside the books.

My only complaint would be that the scene transitions feel a bit disjointed.  I'm not sure if this was a Donner thing... where he was picturing a movie transition, which might be accompanied by sweeping camera work and a soundtrack... because this feels unlike a "normal" Geoff Johns book in this regard.  It didn't completely pull me out... but I did notice the wonkiness.

Overall... this was a fine chapter... featuring some wonderful Adam Kubert art.  It's the cliche "feast for the eyes"... discounting Clark (and Bizarro's) emo haircut, this was really great stuff!  I think I'd certainly give this storyline a recommendation.  It's well worth a look.

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Batman (vol.3) #37 (2018)

Batman (vol.3) #37 (February, 2018)
"SuperFriends, Part 2"
Script - Tom King
Artist - Clay Mann
Special Thanks - Seth Mann
Colorist - Jordie Bellaire
Letterer - Clayton Cowles
Assistant Editor - Maggie Howell
Editor - Jamie S. Rich
Cover Price: $2.99

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!  What better way to spend the day... well, besides being with the one you love... than reading about the World's Finest Double Date?

This is the third Valentine's Day we're celebrating at the humble blog... if you're still in a lovey-dovey mood after reading this, feel free to check out the discussions for 2016 and 2017 by clicking a cover below!

Totally unrelated, but... this is the first time I'm discussing a post-post-Rebirth book here on the site.  I was surprised to see that DC has done away with "cover dates".  I mean, the dates are still there in the indicia... but, no longer on the cover.  I gotta wonder if this has anything to do with all of the insane delays over the past several months.  Marvel did the exact same thing around the turn of the century, and the prevailing internet "wisdom" was that they had done so to hide how late their books were coming out.

Anyhoo... that's neither here nor there, just something that stuck out to me because it messed with my "process".

Onward to the tunnel of love...

--

 We open at the Gotham City Fair... and, wouldn'tcha know it, it's Super Hero Night!  The Kents and (soon to be) Waynes arrive for an evening of fun... unfortunately, they did so in their civvies.  They're sent away until they comply with the "dress code".  Hey, wouldn't it be funny if... Bruce and Clark swapped superhero costumes?

Well, they're going to do it anyway.

Lois and Selina also trade clothes... which, doesn't completely work for the story... but we're not going to let that stop us.  Selina gets in the geek's face an meows until he lets her in.  Couldn't she have just done that three pages ago?

Anyhoo, now we're inside... and, Hey, wouldn't it be funny if... they all stand around acting all mundane eating corndogs?

Well, they're gonna do it anyway.  They're gonna share some unnatural dialogue too.

It's here that Superman speaks... and I get this odd sense of deja vu.  He's speaking in ellipses and "y'know"s... did I write this?

Onward to the Tunnel of Love, for real.  Lois and Clark share a nice moment where they enjoy each other's company... Bruce and Selina mount each other.

Hey, wouldn't it be funny if... a guy in a Superman costume was getting it on in the Tunnel of Love?

Next stop, the Batting Cages... which we'll be coming back to later.  It's here that Bruce and Clark kinda razz each other about who might be a better hitter.  Clark again engages in, ya know... Chris speak for this bit.

Now, wouldn't it be funny if... Lois was carrying a flask, and she and Selina decided to get drunk while the boys were off playing?

Well, I can hardly believe it, but that's exactly what we're getting.  Really now, Lois carries a flask?  Does she need help?  Doesn't her husband have, ya know... x-ray vision?  Hopefully it's not a lead-lined flask.  Hell, that might actually be funny.

Superman and Batman continue their uncomfortable... and unnatural chat while batting... and by this point, Lois and Selina are like barely conscious.  Maybe there was lead in that flask!

Moving ahead a bit... a dude dressed like The Question runs up and steals Lois' purse... which, is where she keeps her flask... so, this is a pretty big deal.  After Clark x-rays the crowd, Bruce beans "The Question" in the head with a baseball... and that's that.

From here we get a few nine-panel grid pages of... like disembodied dialogue.  The gang is eating ice cream cones and talking... and the whole thing comes across as "try hard cute", if that makes any sense.  It's all very pithy, and self-referential... and, at least for me... totally misses the mark.

And so, our night ends... but not before Bruce and Clark settle up on their little baseball bet from earlier.  They swap into their own clothes and head to a nearby baseball diamond to see if Batman can hit a Super-pitch.  Before the ball is thrown we get some... weird catch-phrase-y taunts... did we accidentally wander into a terrible Saturday Night Live sketch?

Is there such a thing as a non-terrible Saturday Night Live Sketch?

The issue ends with Batman managing to hit the ball.  Wakka wakka.

--

Well... I get what they were going for here and it's a cute idea, but I gotta say... I didn't much care for it.

Now I'll concede up front that I'm a little bit behind on my Bat-reading... but, I didn't recognize any of the characters here.  Their voices sounded alien... their interactions, artificial... and, really now... what the hell is up with Lois carrying a flask?  Is that a thing now?

Or... and I know I ran this bit into the ground, but... is the basis of this story, "Hey, wouldn't it be funny if...?" Because any time that's the driving factor of your story pitch, I feel like you need to stop talking right there.

It's a shame because this could have been a fun story if it wasn't trying so hard to be.  Sometimes it's fun to see the heroes in mundane situations... and having awkward interactions with one another... but, when that's all a story is?  Not really feeling it.  And again... what the hell is up with Lois carrying a flask?!  Talk about forcing a square peg into a round hole to facilitate some "funny" scenes.

I dunno... I don't think I need Lois and Selina to become "BFF's".  What's more, I don't think I need Selina knowing Superman's secret identity.  I mean, didn't we just put that genie back in the bottle?

I will say, the art here is really good.  I thought everyone at least looked great!  The superhero-themed background scenery was a lot of fun to check out... and seeing some interesting costumes in the crowd (there was an Alan Scott Green Lantern!) was a real treat!

Overall... wasn't a fan.  This didn't ring true to me, even if I just take it as a "one off".  That stinks because just by looking at the cover, I really wanted to read/like this.  That happens so seldom anymore that a cover can "tempt" me... that it's a shame when the insides don't quite measure up to my expectation.  Anyhoo, to go back to my own unfunny running gag... we'll ask Batman.  Should you go out of your way to check this out?

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 Ol' Beardy looks overjoyed to be wearing his Metal shirt!

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Batman and Robin (vol.2) #22 (2013)

Batman and Robin (vol.2) #22 (September, 2013)
"Despair"
Writer - Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller - Patrick Gleason
Inker - Mick Gray
Colorist - John Kalisz
Letterer - Carlos M. Mangual
Assistant Editor - Darren Shan
Editor - Rachel Gluckstern
Group Editor - Mike Marts
Cover Price: $2.99

Well, today's the day... the day we end our affair with (the mainstream) Carrie Kelley.  Just as mysteriously as she entered all of our lives... she was gone.

Maybe one day she'll darken our doorways again... I suppose only time will tell.

Now, let's get to it.

--

We open with Catwoman receiving a mission from Steve Trevor... this was during the time she was the "black ops" member of that odd government-run Justice League of America... funny to think, this was volume three of that title... and just a half-decade later we're already up to volume five.  Anyhoo, she's got some saving to do.  At the same time, Carrie Kelley is filming Bruce Wayne on her cellphone... which is something that feels innocuous, but also something I don't think Bruce would be all that keen on.

Bruce does, however, wonder just what this weird girl is doing in his house... and is greatly displeased to learn that she now works there taking care of Titus.  He even gives a Dave Seville-esque "Alfred!" (ya know, instead of "Alvin!").

Carrie's still a bit peeved that she hasn't gotten to talk to Damian since he left... and makes Bruce an offer he can't refuse.  She has a couple of thumbdrives he might be interested in having... one of which features Damian's interview when he started going to her for acting lesson (the other is Titus-related).  Bruce takes the drives and promises that she'll hear from Damian soon.

She then takes her leave... she has a weekend job as an usher she needs to get to.  We shift ahead to Bruce in the Batcave putting together a Damian audio file for Carrie.  He then delivers the Titus thumbdrive to Damian's gravesite.

Later on, back at the Batcave... Bruce notices that a Cat-Signal has been illuminated.  And so, with a "*tt*", he decides to see what Selina's up to.  I love this reaction... it's like when you get a call from someone you'd really rather not speak to... but, you know you've gotta answer anyway.  He finds her on a rooftop... and she comes clean about her affiliation with Trevor's JLA... and her mission to save a high-asset spy.

They soon arrive at the Chinese Embassy... and bore their way up from below.  Then... a fight scene!  Batman and Catwoman beat the hell out of everybody... in a couple of pages of beautiful silhouettes.  Really dynamic stuff here!  Finally, the pair arrive to find their quarry... a five-year old girl?!  Well, yeah... this is the daughter of a Chinese bio-weapons designer... so, likely a person of interest.

After some banter (and sighing) Batman and Catwoman kayo the baddies and rescue the tot.  Batman really ups the scariness factor here too... which is really cool.  He threatens one of the bad guys causing him to lower his gun.

Batman, Selina, and the little girl (Jia-Li... which I kept reading as "JLA") then leave the scene.

Selina returns home to find a gift in the form of a new cat-themed motorcycle helmet... of which, I think I'm missing the significance.

We then head across town, where we see Carrie Kelley arrive home with a bag full of groceries.  You ever notice how anytime anyone on TV comes home with a bag of groceries, there's always a loaf of french bread and celery sticking out the top?  I've been shopping for groceries for like a quarter-century at this point, and have never brought home a bag that looks like this.  Anyhoo... she gets home and listens to a voicemail from Damian... annnnd, that's all they wrote on Ms. Kelley.

The issue closes out similarly to how yesterday's did... somebody flips a coin.  Hmm...

--

Well... out with a bang, right?

I'm really left scratching my head as to why they even bothered introducing Carrie Kelley.  I gotta assume there were some behind the scenes shenanigans afoot... I suppose I could Google it, but that would very likely lead me to a comics "journalism" site... and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

It really feels like (and this is me talking out my backside) that she was introduced in order to become Oracle.  I hope I'm not "profiling" her based on her red hair or anything... but it seems a good fit.  She's smart... and has a background in acting.  She could potentially "become" anybody and hide in plain sight.  Hell, for all we know... that's exactly what she's been doing since the Summer of 2013!  Or, ya know... not.

The Batman/Catwoman team-up was pretty cool... and, as if I haven't said it enough already... the art here is sensational.  I mean, we've got a few pages of just Bat/Cat silhouettes... and it's great.  The art is great all the way through.  Bruce Wayne looks... tired.  It's really so well done.  My only note is that Carrie sometimes looks a bit... er, demented?  Scary smile... bent neck.  It doesn't really bother me, because I look at her as pretty animated and dramatic... but, might be off-putting to some.

Overall... I'm still loving this book... and this era of Batman that I feel like I never got to experience the first time around.  The Requiem issues were among those that I always wanted to "get around to", but they never quite found their way to the top of my "to read" pile(s).  I'm glad I finally decided to give 'em a go.  The Carrie Kelley "trilogy" is... maybe not "must reading", but I'd give it a pretty high recommendation nonetheless.

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Channel-52!:

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