Justice League of America (vol.2) #45 (2010)

Justice League of America (vol.2) #45 (July, 2010)
"Prelude to Dark Things"
Writer - James Robinson
Penciller - Mark Bagley
Inkers - Rob Hunter & Norm Rapmund
Colorist - Ulises Arreola
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Rex Ogle
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $3.99

Hmm... I'm not usually one to notice such things, but... er, is Power Girl's boob-window a little low on this cover?  I mean, I thought it was a "cleavage" sorta thing, but here it looks like she's giving birth to a pair of very competitive twins.

Welcome back to #BrightestMay.

--

We pick up with the Justice Society and Sebastian Faust just as the comatose Green Lantern, Alan Scott begins to emit massive amounts of... well, green light.  Obsidian wants answers... but for the moment, Faust is rather tight-lipped.  Alan's body rises and just takes off!  Meanwhile in Germany, the recently emerged-from-a-meteor Jade is also awake... and boy is she ticked.

If you recall, when the green meteorite landed the Rocket Elite (ya know, the German Rocket Reds) arrived on the scene to see what's what.  Now that Etrigan has been shooed off, they'd really like some answers.  Jade ain't keen on spilling the beans, though in fairness, she might be just as confused as the rest of us.

The interrogation is interrupted by the arrival of... the Justice Society, and they're being led by the glowing, yet still comatose-ish, body of Jade's father... Alan Scott.

Inside the jet, the JSA chat up recent events... and try to appeal to Sebastian Faust so he might speak in something other than riddles.  They are unsuccessful.  Anyhoo, just then Power Girl arrives.  And by "arrives", I mean bursts through their jet full-force!

The Society falls... luckily, they have a pair of speedsters who are able to nyoink them out of the sky before they go splat, and gently set them down on the ground.  Just as this maddened Power Girl sets her sights on the Justice League, Supergirl arrives to wallop her with a left!  One'a those "Ooh" moments, if not for the cover showing us exactly what was going to happen.  In case you were wondering, Congorilla informed Supergirl as to where they'd be "just in case".

The Girls (Super and Power) duke it out for a number of pages while Dick tries to think up a way out of this.  He realizes he doesn't have any Green Kryptonite... but he does now have a... green lady, and figures that's "close enough" (in fairness, the Starheart is "magic based").  He has Jade join in the kerfuffle... and wouldn'tcha know it?  It gets the job done.

As the dust settles, we learn that the meteor that brought Jade to Earth was actually the Starheart.  Worth noting, Jade's brother Obsidian is now in a similar stasis as their father.  Before Jade can continue her story, the Rocket Elite reconnoiter and try another frontal assault.  Jade raises her hand and gives 'em a taste of "notsomuch".

With the Germans neutralized, Jade proceeds to give the League and Society the quick and dirty on her father's secret origin... which is really anything but secret, right?

Anyhoo, Mr. Terrific interrupts to inform the heroes that his T-Spheres are picking up reports that magic-based metas are currently exhibiting strange behaviors.  Oh yeah, also elemental-based ones too... ooh, ooh, and maybe chaos-based ones too, why not, right?  Let's just throw the weather in there while we're at it!  It's here that Sebastian Faust finally opens his maw.  His daddy has gone crazy.  I mean, how could ya tell?

At this point Alan Scott finally "wakes up".  There is an odd and cold "Starheart heavy" father-daughter reunion, which ends with the reveal that... Alan Scott (in a very Kingdom Come costume) will usher in the end of the world!  Holy Golden Age not-quite Parallax!

--

Well, this was kind of all over the place.  I'm not even sure where to start.

We've got all of the magic/elemental/chaos based metas on Earth acting bizarrely.  Last issue we saw Etrigan kind of lose his marbles, and here... a bunch of others (in single-panels that I didn't feel needed to be captured for posterity).  Among them were Shango, Zach Zatara, Jason Woodrue, Firehawk, Felix Faust... and Atlas?  Atlas from 1st Issue Special.  Okay.  Well, I'll hand it to Robinson, he's great about giving nods to 1st Issue Special, even if I don't quite get this one.

This might all be due to the bursting of the Starheart... okay, it's very likely that this all has to do with the bursting of the Starheart.  Fair enough... but, is it interesting?  Ehh, so far... I gotta say, nope.  Does it look pretty?  Sure.  Am I asking myself easy questions just to pad out this "review"?  You betcha.

Considering that this is just a prelude to the JLA/JSA crossover (which we'll be getting to shortly), I suppose it did a decent enough job of laying the foundation... no matter how nebulous it may seem at this point.  I suppose all we need to know is Alan Scott: Bad.  If that sounds like something that'll rock your socks, this crossover might just be for you!

Overall... hard to really look at this one "in a vacuum".  It comes across as kinda sloppy... and just grabbing bits and pieces from everywhere in attempt to make it all "work".  Not sure it's all that successful at this point... though I'd love to be proven wrong.  When I read this back in 2010, I was still getting my DC "sea legs" back, so I was able to dismiss a lot of stuff that didn't jive with me.  Reading it today though... I still feel kinda lost, and I'm not sure that it's my fault this time around.

--

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Flash (vol.3) #6 (2011)

Flash (vol.3) #6 (Early January, 2011)
"Case One: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues, Part Six"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Artist - Francis Manapul
Colorist - Brian Buccellato
Letterer - Sal Cipriano
Editors - Adam Schlagman & Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99

Hey, waitasec... Flash (vol.3) #5 came out with an October, 2010 cover date... wonder why there was a three-month wait for this issue.  Could it be that, in the meantime... hmm, plans changed?!

That's right folks... I think this might be the actual issue where Flashpoint became something more than "just" a Flash Event... and would ultimately wind up being the finger on the flusher.  We'll get into the reasons why I feel this way as we proceed through the discussion.

Worth noting that this piece is our 100th discussion of a Geoff Johns-written issue here at the humble blog.  The things you miss when you're not paying attention, right?  More on that later too.

Finally, last piece of housekeeping before we move on... I don't think I've drawn much attention to it here, but if you look to the right, there is a button for "Collected Editions".  That's where I'm collecting all of our (applicable) discussions into chronological order for easier reading.  The Dastardly Death of the Rogues will be added there in its entirety today.

It's still Brightest Day... even though you probably wouldn't know that if you read this issue.  I guess if DC doesn't care to mention it... why should I?

--

We open in the future... Barry Allen is stood before a Cobra Commander-looking judge in the Court of Temporal Justice.  He is, of course, on trial for the future-murder of the Mirror Monarch.  Barry ain't too keen on any of this and tries to convince them that their history books are mistaken... and also that he knows who the real killer is.

Speaking of which, we then jump back to the present where the Top is terrorizing (read: killing) Iris.  Ya see, if she continued to dig through that Hicks case, she would discover the real killer... and that's something he just can't allow to happen.

Back to the future, Barry wriggles out of his bindings at super-speed.  He then hops on one of the Renegades' "time platforms" and rushes back to the present... managing to be in the nick time to make the big save.  Or, maybe he wasn't really "in the nick" of it... I mean, this is time travel... he could, in theory jump back to whenever he wanted, right?  Kinda takes the urgency out of the situation if you think about it that way, don't it?

Anyhoo... the Top flees, and Barry gives chase.  While airborne, we finally get to the bottom of the whole mishegoss.  Ya see, that Hicks kid was sent to jail mistakenly... duh.  The real killer was an ancestor of the 25th century Top... and in the future, the sins of the ancestors'... yadda yadda yadda.  There's no way he'd be able to serve on the police force with that kind of family history.

They continue to fight, and get into a really cool power-based struggle.  The Top spins... and Barry manages to phase through the vortex... and the Top himself, then reverses the spin at the speed of light!

With the Top knelt before him, the rest of the Renegades appear on the scene.  They claim to have heard the entire confession... and are there to arrest the Top this time around.  Commander Cold refuses to apologize to Barry for the inconvenience... in fact, Cold is still kinda ticked at Barry... because, even with the ability to change the past... he refuses to!  Hmm... don't like where this is headed.  You think this might be headed somewhere?

We jump ahead to the police station where Mama Hicks is waiting for her son to be released from prison.  She is joined by Barry who delivers the good news that they'd caught the real killer.

In the office, there's a contentious chat between Barry and Singh... which sorta ends with a sorry-not-sorry from the Director.  The last six months worth of cases are being pulled and combed over to make sure every conviction is legit.  Feel bad for those wrongly imprisoned seven months ago!

Next stop, the coffee shop... where Barry and Iris are having a drink and muffin.  Barry's mind seems... elsewhere.  He's still kinda stuck on what Commander Cold said about changing the past.  Iris uses Barry's own words about the past "being the past", which unfortunately (for DC Comics fans) doesn't manage to change the subject.

Get all those words into the balloons!
Good thing this book has TWO editors!

We make a brief stop with the Rogues.  Mirror Master discusses some of the things he'd seen and heard when Scudder's mirror shattered.  We also learn here that Digger did not return with them.  He's probably off doing Brightest Day things... because, in case you had forgotten (like I have), this is a Brightest Day branded issue.

Then... we jump back to the Court of Temporal Justice where the Cobra Commander-looking fella is examining all of the wacky paradoxes in the 21st century... Batman working his way through time, Lex Luthor meeting Death, the Brightest Day dealie, Wonder Woman changing from briefs to boxers... it's a wild time, folks.  And unfortunately... it's about to get a whole lot wilder.

We wrap up with a helmeted Barry Allen riding a speed-forcey motorcycle on his way to find... and end the (uh-oh) Flashpoint.

--

Do you get the feeling something changed here?  One of my bigger pet peeves is when anyone starts a sentence with "Is it just me..." but, is it just me?!  Am I looking too hard for something that just might not be there?

I mean, tonally... this just reads a bit different, no?  For the past two issues we've had this build-up that Iris was going to "get it"... but here she's rescued before we even see the title of the issue!  That's not really that big a deal... I mean, we still needed to straighten out the issue with the Top... maybe this bit wasn't truncated.

I feel like the battle with the Top (and the confession) was a bit anticlimactic... but, again... I really might just be looking for something.  Ya see, full-disclosure... I've got a really bad association with most things "New-52!".  So, anytime I notice anything that might suggest that's where we're heading... I'm probably going to be a little more critical overall.

The chat with Commander Cold in regards to changing the past... I'm cool with that.  I mean, Flashpoint (in whatever it's original form was to be) was still very much on the horizon.  We've already seen glimpses of Barry's mom... in the original "preview" we saw hints of the Wonder Woman/Aquaman war... so, there this whole "change the past" deal was definitely already established.

It's what came after that I'm not convinced (and probably never will be) was originally "part of the plan".  Which is why I feel like that "other shoe dropped" right after the scene at the Central City Police Department.  I feel like this is where the direction sharply changed.

We get a cameo from the 25th Century where they're noticing all of the paradoxes in the 21st Century (man, good thing they didn't dial that sucker back to the Silver Age).  These paradoxes aren't limited to the Flash family... instead, they're taking a broader look at the DC Universe.  And really... the only "time anomaly" I see is Batman working his way through time, and even then... ehhh.

I feel like these "paradoxes" are kinda flimsy... but, they needed something to serve the story moving forward... and justify flushing that cosmic toilet.  But still... with Flashpoint on the horizon, who's to say that this was "added" after the fact?  This much could have been all "part of the plan", right?  Maybe?  I mean, I'm just freestyling here... I could very well be talking out my backside.  I wasn't in any of these meetings.

Then... there's the delay.  Three months passed between this issue and the one before.  This isn't an over-sized issue.  Hell, this doesn't appear to be an issue that an editor even looked at once.  There were around a half dozen misspelled words... and that one bit where the words weren't in the bubble (which I included during the synopsis).  It feels like, even though this book was ridiculously late... that it was still somehow rushed!

This feels like an afterthought... a "just get it on the shelf" situation so they can move along with the story they "need" to tell.  The issue that follows this is still a Brightest Day tie-in... but it's this condensed story of Captain Boomerang... and it reads like the fulfillment of the "Brightest Day Contract", and not much more.  We'll eventually get to that one though.

So there you have it... I just spent a good dozen or so poorly-written paragraphs saying nothing at all!  For the issue itself... it's still gorgeous... and we get some resolution.  Sometimes you can't ask for much more than that.  I'm pretty sure that I was totally psyched the first time I read this... but, that was several months before the Memorial Day, 2011 announcement.

This issue has a great cover too... or, it would if it didn't have the "2010 Spike TV Scream Awards" thing on it.  I get being proud of your creators... but, is anybody buying this (a Part 6 of 6) because it's written by a Spike TV Scream Award winner?  Oh well.

Speaking of that Scream Award winner... let's talk a bit about Geoff Johns.  As mentioned above, today's post is the 100th Johns book we're discussing here at the humble blog... and lemme tell ya, I didn't see that coming!  As data-hungry a dude as I am, I somehow didn't notice that we'd covered so many books by the man... I wonder what other milestones I've completely missed!

Now, I've really never been one to tout any writer as "my favorite".  I feel like I change my mind far too often to put something like that in (digital) print.  I guess sometimes it takes something sneaking up on you to fully realize how you really feel.  Going by the numbers... it would look like Geoff Johns is my favorite writer in comics.  Looking at the reviews... well, that might also tell you that he's my favorite.

I still won't commit to saying that... but, I mean the evidence kinda speaks for itself.  You ain't reading this, but thanks for the all the good reads, Geoff!

That's all we've got for today... the entirety of The Dastardly Death of the Rogues will be available on the Collected Editions page for more convenient perusal.  If anyone out there is (still) reading, lemme know if you feel like this is when that other shoe dropped... and DC decided to shift gears.  I know the evidence I supplied is flimsy at best... but, I can't shake the feeling.

--

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Flash (vol.3) #5 (2010)

Flash (vol.3) #5 (October, 2010)
"Case One: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues, Part Four"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Artist - Francis Manapul
Colorist - Brian Buccellato
Letterer - Sal Cipriano
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99

Part Four... again?  Okay, okay... we know that's supposed to be Part Five.  But let's look at the way this book has been titled over the past five issues.

The first two were both titled "The Dastardly Death of the Rogues"... without a "Part" number at all.  Issue Three was titled "Part Three"... but now, issues four and five are both labelled "Part Four".

You'd think with how they were increasing the number of editors on the book someone might've caught that.  Not only that, this book is written by the Chief Creative Officer of the company!  Shouldn't we try and be more careful?

Am I overreacting?  Probably.  It's a simple error... but still, in an age where editors seem to multiply like rabbits, things like this shouldn't make it into the final product.

Then again... I don't think anybody at the "Big 2" look at the single issues as the "final product" anymore.

Welcome back to Brightest May.

--

We open with Flash and the Top heading off to confront the Rogues and Renegades.  If you recall, the Top just spilled the beans about the Rogues breaking a giant mirror... freeing the Mirror Lords, who will pervert Barry's wife, Iris into the Mirror Mistress... and lead to Barry ultimately murdering the Mirror Monarch from the 25th Century.  Ya get all that?  Meanwhile, in the heart of Central City... the battle rages.

Barry arrives just as Mirror Master is about to "break glass" on that giant mirror.  This Mirror Master is, of course McCulloch... though the giant mirror was created by the former MM, Scudder.

Barry stops him from bustin' it up... but isn't able to stop him from fleeing into his own shiny (and reflective) wingtip headgear... thingie.

Then the Trickster pushes a button (perhaps The Button?! No, probably not.) on his "Happy Scrambler" to mess about with some high frequency versions of the police radio.  Killing two birds with one stone, Barry just yanks the wingtip thingie from his mask.

The battle continues... the Weather Wizard works his magic, and the Top hops between both groups in an attempt to keep the peace.  Then... Captain Boomerang is contacted by the White Lantern Entity.  Ohhhhh yeah, this is a Brightest Day crossover.  Anyhoo, he suddenly sees himself in a dense forest (perhaps the one in Star City), chasing Dove... who he hurls a boomerang at.

In the "real" world, Digger is actually throwing boomerangs... one of which breaks Scudder's giant mirror!  Barry and the Top watch it crack.  Top tells Barry their only chance here is for Flash to enter the mirror and take on the Mirror Lords head-on.

Inside the mirror, Barry sees... well, not Mirror Lords or anything.  Just a "wrong" take on his own history.  He sees his mother still alive... a scene straight out of the upcoming Flashpoint event.  Hmm... don't tell me that event was originally intended to be a smaller-scale dealie featuring Mirror Master and not, ya know... flushing the entirety of DC Comics' history down the toilet?  Nahhhh, couldn't be.

Anyhoo... Flash is both relieved and shocked not to see any Mirror Lords.  He now knows that the Top... set him up!  At that very moment, we check in with Iris... who has just been confronted by... heyyy, the Top.

Meanwhile, Barry is captured by the Renegades and taken to the future... where he, stop me if you've heard this one... will go on trial for murder.

--

I'm pretty sure I've said it before... it's been a very long time since I've read these pre-Flashpoint books... I tell ya what, I was super-surprised to see that little glimpse of Mama Allen within the twisted mirror.

Now we know that Flashpoint has been in the works since jumpstreet.  There was an ad for it in the very first issue of the volume, after all.  I think the scope was still very much in question... or at the very least, completely different from what it wound up resulting in.  Feels sort of like how Blackest Night went from "Green Lantern Event" to "DC Universe Event".  I gotta bet that Flashpoint was originally intended to be just a "Flash Event"... which DC Brass decided was a convenient-enough way to toss it all.

The Top's betrayal worked for me.  It isn't often we meet a completely altruistic baddie.  I appreciate how this appears to by tying in with the Hicks case that Barry and Iris are working on... but it does feel perhaps a hair too convenient.  Then again, if the Renegades are really from the future, and know how, and more importantly when, things go down... convenience is really just a byproduct.

Of interest... and something I'm not sure I considered yet, while Barry is chatting up the Top early on... the point is made that if Flash is arrested before murdering Mirror Monarch, that ought to make it so the Monarch survives, right?  If that's the case, Barry will have been imprisoned for something not only did he not do... but something he'll never do.  Very interesting wrinkle... and adds a whole 'nother layer to that thought-crime undercurrent.

Overall... still a great read... still gorgeous.  We're bolting toward our conclusion, which we'll cover here tomorrow.  It'll also be the one-hundredth Geoff Johns book we'll be discussing!  Don'tcha dare miss it... I guess.

--

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Flash (vol.3) #4 (2010)

Flash (vol.3) #4 (September, 2010)
"Case One: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues, Part Four!"
"Flash Facts: Mirrors"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Artist - Francis Manapul & Scott Kolins
Colorist - Brian Buccellato
Letterer - Sal Cipriano
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99

Last month we wrapped up a little project that I called the #Action100 Endeavor.  In it, we discussed 100 issues of Action Comics to coincide with the release of Action Comics #1000.

It's funny what happens to the rest of your stats when you become so focused on the one.  For example, I was doing a little bit of number-crunching and have realized that (after today's post) we're only two reviews away from having covered 100 Geoff Johns-written books!  When the hell did that happen?

Anyhoo, it's still #BrightestMay... and we're back with the Flash.

--

We open at an undisclosed location where the Rogues are watching the news of Digger's escape from Iron Heights.  Remember, Captain Cold kinda threw down the gauntlet a couple of issues back.  On the scene, Captain Boomerang has caused enough of a distraction for Flash to escape the bindings that the Renegades threw at him.  Also, Digger hurls a few explosive boomerangs at a police helicopter.

Barry books it up to the top of a nearby building and leaps onto the helicopter to save the officers on board.  It's really one hell of a scene.  Flash manages to save the officers just in the nick of time... and the helicopter crashes to the ground just a few feet in front of Captain Boomerang.  This is a really awesome scene... buuuuut, we're already to the "staples" of the issue.

Captain Boomerang then lobs a few "boom"erangs at the Renegades' Commander Cold.  Flash swoops in, nabs the 'rangs and throws them into the bay before they can explode... or just as they explode.

The Renegades turn their attention toward Digger... and it would appear that The Top is having second thoughts about their initial mission.  He just watched the Flash save them from the 'splody 'rangs... and figures he must not be such a bad dude after all.  Heatstroke reminds him that they cannot muck around in the past... they can't warn Barry about what's to come.  Top says "screw that", and heads off to spill the beans.  Oh by the way, the punishment for messing with the past is... death.

Top reaches Flash and proceeds to tell him everything that's about to go down.  Ya see, Flash will eventually kill Mirror Monarch... because the Rogues are about to do something terrible to Iris.

Speaking of Iris, she's currently doing some digging into that Hicks wrongful-incarceration case.  She bumps into Mr. Pitt from Seinfeld and winds up spilling the contents of the file.  As she scoops it all up, she sees something that causes her to pause.

Back at the pier, the Top continues his story.  The Mirror Master is going to create a gateway into the "nexus of mirror worlds"... which, when shattered will release the "Mirror Lords"... which will somehow cause Iris to become the "Mirror Mistress", the very worst of Flash's Rogues Gallery.

History tells the Top that Flash will soon be attacked by the Rogues, and in the melee he will murder the Mirror Monarch.  So... maybe this can all be averted if the Flash goes on the offensive... and doesn't wait for the attack.

Well, that all sounds great... doesn't it?  Maybe it would... if the Rogues weren't already just about to attack.

For our back-up, we learn a little bit about how Mirror Master uses mirrors to, uh... be a master of mirrors.  We also learn a little bit about the Mirror Lords.

--

Ya know, when I was reading for about a minute and a half and already found myself staring at the staples, I thought we were in for another case of the "Part 4 of 6" curse.  Glad to say that the second half was decently packed with story!

I mean, the helicopter rescue was a beautiful scene... and you probably wouldn't notice the amount of "real estate" it eats up when you read it in collected edition... but, really... it was half of this book.  I can't remember how I felt my first time through... but today, I guess I was a bit put off.

The second half of the issue, however, really brought it.  The Top puts his own life on the line to tip off Barry as to what's about to go down.  Only thing is... the Renegades had no record of Captain Boomerang showing up, which kinda throws their records out of whack.  So, Barry's getting sorta-helpful information... only it's incomplete, and perhaps a few minutes too late.

The art is still fantastic... by now that kinda goes without saying.  Manapul never disappoints.  Overall... if you're buying these in single issue format, I wouldn't recommend breaking the bank for this one.  I feel like it would definitely be more satisfying in collected edition format.

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