Red Robin #1 (2009)

Red Robin #1 (August, 2009)
"The Grail, Part One of Four"
Writer - Christopher Yost
Artist - Ramon Bachs
Colorist - Guy Major
Letterer - Sal Cipriano
Assistant Editor - Janelle Siegel
Editor - Mike Marts
Cover Price: $2.99

Today we're going to discuss the first issue of a series that eluded me when it first hit due to my more or less hitting the skids financially.  2008 was not a kind year for this humble blog-guy... 2009 was even worse.

That's all behind me now, and I'm glad that when I was able to come back around there were still things called "back issue bins" for me to throw on a breathing apparatus and dive into.  Let's get to it.

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We open in Madrid where the daughter of an outspoken politician has been taken hostage by a couple of balaclava'd baddies... not sure if that's the correct term for their headgear, but I'm a sucker for alliteration.  They kill her security detail and hold her captive for their own political statement... along with some tasty ransom money.  Well, all of a sudden there arose such a clatter... and it's here that we are introduced to the hero of our story, Red Robin.  He's handling things a bit differently then before... with seemingly much less regard for the figurative "line" that all good guys struggle with staying on the right side of.  He's so shaken by current events (more on that in a bit) that he's not even sure that "line" exists anymore.

Red Robin proceeds to beat the hell outta the bad guys, until he comes across what he describes as a "cyborg".  He names it "Manos de Fuego" due to the fact that he has some fiery damn hands.  The fact that a cyborg guardian is placed here tips Tim off that the girl is likely still alive.  Manos throws a flaming punch... which Tim, get this... catches... that's gonna leave a mark.  He headbutts the 'borg, grabs the girl and skadoos out the window.

Our young Master Drake Wayne returns to his hotel room where he considers the profound stupidity of catching a flaming fist.  He then sits in reflection in regard to his current lot in life.  Ya see he's been on something of a European whirlwind tour, four cities in seven days.  He's on the trail of something... a hunch (more on that in a bit).

Next up we get a flashback... and boy is it a goodie.  Tim is in the Batcave talking to Batman... who at this point in time is Dick Grayson, onna count of Bruce Wayne being dead and all.  Tim appears to feel as though Dick is keeping him at arm's length... it's a fairly uncomfortable situation, however, for a dysfunctional bat-family mark like me, quite enjoyable.

The discomfort grows several fold with the arrival of Damian Wayne... in full Robin costume!  Tim takes this as a slap in the face.  Why would Dick choose Damian over him?  Damian suggests that Tim can still be "part of the team" and offers that there might be a Batgirl costume hanging in a closet somewhere.  Whatta jerk!  With the relatively "softer, kinder" Damian we now enjoy, it's a bit of a trip to remember how awful'a kid he used to be.

Tim does not react kindly to Damian's suggestion... and so, socks him in the face!  That's pretty hardcore considering that Damian, for all his assassin training, is like eight-years old at this point!  Dick separates the two, and Tim leaves the cave... however, trashes a room in the Manor in a rage.

We shift back to the present, and watch as a limousine is blown up in Prague.  The blower-upper remained holed up elsewhere for awhile... however, before truly being able to enjoy the fruits of his labor he is killed by a creepy chittering critter.

We return to Tim as he motors through the streets of Paris... we know it's Paris because the Eiffel Tower is in the background.  He takes out a carfull of criminals on the street... and does so pretty brutally.  He puts a rod through the engine causing it to explode.  He sees this as nothing more than a distraction from following up on his hunch.

We briefly return to the flashback.  Tim is sitting in the room at Wayne Manor he'd just thrashed, and his right hand is bleeding.  After a few static (identical) panels, he finally speaks... "He's Alive."  His hunch is that Bruce Wayne is still alive, and it would appear the direction of this series is going to be focused on Tim's search for the truth.

Back in Paris we watch as Tim collects his thoughts.  He has a map pinned to the wall with all of his leads.  Turns out we're not the only ones watching, as a trio of jerks has him in their sights as well.  I must note that Tim is not wearing his Red Robin costume at this point, so these folks are seeing him in all his mask-less glory...

... and they are reporting in to the person they are spying for, Ra's al Ghul.

--

Pretty strong opening chapter here... a real nice look on the post-Batman R.I.P. Bat-family.

Now I probably should start by getting my bias out of the way.  Anyone who has read my thoughts on the Bat-books over this past year knows I've got a soft spot for any issues that spotlight the dysfunctional nature of the Bat-family.  This issue features a brief, but excellent scene depicting that... and it is interesting because the three members we see are all reacting in very different ways.

Tim is having a problem letting things go.  He is still stuck with a focus on Bruce Wayne... and this is even before he concocted the theory that Bruce is still alive.  Point is, he's looking to the past.  Damian is being a little jerk, almost overcompensating in his jerkiness to (perhaps) assuage feelings of sadness for losing his father.  They weren't terribly tight at this point, but blood is blood.  He's looking to the future, and his new role as the Boy Wonder.  Dick is in the middle... he's too busy focusing on the present to concern himself too much with the past or future.  It's clear he's chosen Damian as Tim's successor to keep an eye on him... to keep him from, ya know, killing a bunch of people.  Dick seems to see his role in all this as a peacekeeper... a Bat-cop.

I really appreciated Tim's new outlook on brutality... questioning whether or not there is still a line to avoid crossing in this new Batman-is-dead-world.  We see him take out criminals with a new level of ferociousness... really not worrying himself with their mortality.  Early on, he escapes an apartment as it's blowing up... with about a half-dozen terrorists still inside.  I would venture to say there were at least a couple of fatalities there.  Later on, he see him flip and explode a car... I don't think there's gonna be many walking away from that.  Even if they survive... they're not going to be "whole" anymore.

Does this make sense?  I'm not sure.  I know I kinda dig it... and I recall some of the rumors swirling online at this point.  Folks were seriously viewing this as signalling a heel-turn from Tim... like, he was going to eventually take that one step too far, and become an irredeemable villain.  After reading an issue like this, I gotta say, it would not have surprised me had DC decided to go down that path.  Best yet, it's one of those "shades of gray" things... I would guess that many would see Tim's turn to the dark side as almost justified considering the grinder that the post-R.I.P. books put him through.

Yost's storytelling is great... I've been a fan of his, along with his writing partner of many years Craig Kyle, during their time on the X-Books... I always thought they had a great voice for the younger characters, which makes him writing for Tim a natural fit.  The art here... it's a bit rough... like, not bad... but it's a "rough style".  I'm more accustomed to  a cleaner style when it comes to Robin stories... however, and this is a big reach... this was purposefully done to illustrate that this is a "rougher" Robin.  I'm almost positive I'm reading too much into this, but it's fun to consider.

Definitely one I'd suggest you check out.  It is available digitally, and like many of DC's #1's, it's only a buck.  It's also been collected in trade paperback, however, it appears to be out-of-print, and thus inflated to a somewhat ridiculous price online.  I wouldn't be surprised to see many local comic shops still carrying this trade at-or-below cover price.  Happy hunting should you decide to check it out!

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Batman #421 (1988)

Batman #421 (July, 1988)
"Elmore's Lady"
Writer - Jim Starlin
Penciller - Dick Giordano
Inker - Joe Rubenstein
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $0.75

Boy, there's a cover that just jumps out atcha, eh?  Not really sure if I dig it or not, however, it does fall in the midst of what is rapidly becoming one of my favorite runs on Batman.  This picks up on a story we've already discussed back in December, Batman #414... which is a surprise.  I kinda thought, despite the open ending, that it was a one-and-done.

Let's hop in... remember to check the link above if you're interested in finding out what brought us to the events of this issue.

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We open up with Batman meeting with Commissioner Gordon.  They are discussing the recent string of murders by an assailant they are referring to as the "Dumpster Slasher".  He's the one who killed Bruce's social worker friend Kate Babcock, remember?  It would seem that this killer has something of a pattern... kills for two weeks, takes one week off, then repeats the cycle.  By Bat-math, there should be eleven victims by this point, however, the Gotham Police only has ten.  Gordon suggests that the Slasher may have skipped town... though Batman hopes that's not the case.

We shift scenes to our titular character, Elmore.  He's a burnt out transient, who doesn't appear to perceive reality all that well these days.  We watch as he rummages through a dumpster... "grocery shopping" he calls it... I bet you think he's gonna come across a body here, huh?  Well, no... what he does find however, is trouble.  A couple'a punks approach from behind... and they've got some bad intentions.

And so, they proceed to beat the hell out of this poor defenseless old man.  Lucky for Elmore, Batman just happens to be on a dumpster tour himself.  He takes the punks out without much effort, and checks in on Elmore... who he knows by name.  Elmore's excited to see Batman, because he's got some big news... he's done gone and gotten hitched!  Yes, our man Elmore is a married man.  Asamattafact, he met his wife right here at the dumpster!  Wha--?  Batman checks the bin, and finds what he thinks might just be dried blood.  He asks Elmore if he might meet his blushing bride, and he happily agrees.

The pair head toward Elmore's former bachelor pad located in a tunnel off an abandoned railroad spur.  Our tour guide informs us that his wife's name is Suzy... and when we meet her... well, she's tied to a chair.  No, she's not being held captive... she's long dead... though the art doesn't make that entirely clear.

Is she dead... or just annoyed?

Batman keeps his composure and asks Elmore some questions which may hasten his search for the killer(s).  Elmore volunteers that he saw men driving a red van with a picture of a dragon and a hand on the side of it... who dropped the body into the dumpster.  Batman recognizes the symbol as that of the Iron Dragons.  He excuses himself to make a call... and that morning the body is picked up, while poor Elwood protests.

Later, Batman decides to pay a visit to the Iron Dragons... who are none too keen on giving him any information.  So... he beats them up pretty good.  All but one, who agrees to let Batman search the van.  Inside there appears to be blood... which will have to be tested by the police labs.  The gang canary informs Batman that on the night in question their entire gang was locked up for starting a fight... the van had been in impound, so they've got an alibi.  Before Batman leaves, and this is great... the stoolie asks to be punched in the face so that his gang-associates won't realize that he cooperated.  Great scene!

Batman returns home to check the GCPD records, and learns that a Victor Giambattista was in charge of the police impound yard on the night in question... and so, he pays the yard a visit.  It would seem that he "just missed" ol' Vic... however Giambattista overhears that Batman's looking for him.  He rushes to a phone to call the person he "let borrow" the van while it was in impound... feels like we're chasing wild geese here, don't it?

Batman decides his next stop will be Vic's apartment... however, along the way he gets caught up stopping an idiot purse snatcher.  By the time he can get to Giambattista's apartment... well, it's been set ablaze... and inside, Vic's been stabbed in the back.  That'll learn 'im, right?  Anyhoo... before he passes on, he babbles a bit in Italian and points to the ground where writ in blood is the word "CUGINO".

Batman returns to the cave to Rosetta-stone his way to the killer.  Cugino is Italian for cousin... and so, Batman knows his next stop.  Vic's cousin Vito Procaccini's apartment.  While snooping around... Vito creeps up on him with a blade.  This does not work out so well for our cugino.

 

With Vito down, Batman starts with the questions... he doesn't get far however, as a giant man called Branneck enters the room.  He huffs and puffs and with all of his strength... threatens to call the cops if Batman doesn't split.  Batman knows when he's beat... so he leaves.  He doesn't have anything concrete on the "cuz" just yet.

We wrap up with Branneck deciding that it's time to make their kills "an even dozen"... while Batman broods atop a nearby building wondering how he's going to fix all of this.

--

Boy do I dig Starlin's take on Batman!

First... I gotta say, how cool is it that they picked back up on the Dumpster Slasher here?  I really thought that was a one-and-done... more of a commentary on just how dangerous Gotham City is rather than an actual storyline.  Really glad to see it brought back up here.

The storytelling here was a lot of fun too... I know I compared it to a wild goose chase during the spoilery-synopsis... but it was a chase I really enjoyed.  I liked "accompanying" Batman as he followed all of the threads and clues.  When it was implied that a crooked cop was behind this, though, I think I audibly groaned.  I mean, that's certainly not a novel idea... it's pretty much expected in this post Year One world.  I was more than pleased to find out that the cop, while being "on the take", didn't actually slash anybody.

I appreciated the ending.  Ya know, sometimes Batman's not going to win... right away.  He knew he was illegally searching Vito's apartment... which would probably make anything he did turn up inadmissible in court anyway.  He has a better idea what went down though... and with this education, he can take a step back and plan his next move.  Very well done.

The art here was serviceable... however, I do have one pretty big gripe.  The scene where Batman "meets" "Suzy".  There's no reason why we needed to see her from the front... especially since it wasn't entirely clear whether she was alive or dead.  I figure, you show her from behind... have Batman have a shocked or saddened expression... bada bing, bada boom... we know we've just found victim eleven.  Seeing her face... which looked to be somewhat alert (and annoyed!), it seemed as though she was just being held against her will by Elmore.  They could've given her a word balloon, and I wouldn't have batted an eye.

Overall... another very good issue from this run on Batman that has somehow (for the most part) eluded me.  Definitely recommended.  It is available digitally... though, to my knowledge, has yet to be collected.  We might just need to start a petition to get Jim Starlin's complete run collected in a spiffy hardcover.  Who wouldn't want that?

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Appear... invisible?  I thought the whole point of invisibility is that you don't appear?

Justice League/Power Rangers #1 (2017)

Justice League/Power Rangers #1 (March, 2017)
Writer - Tom Taylor
Artist/Colorist - Stephen Byrne
Letterer - Deron Bennett
Cover Price: $3.99

Sometimes the place that ships me my comics throws a little something extra in my box... whether it's by mistake or by gift, I dunno.  I gotta say, I was pretty surprised to see this bugger on the top of my stack.  Definitely not something I would have ordered.

I figure as long as I've got it... I may as well give it a look-see.  Before we proceed, just wanna make it clear... I have zero nostalgic attachment to the Power Rangers, Mighty Morphin or otherwise.  So, for me this isn't any sort of "dream match"... this is certainly not Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... that being said, my take on this may not be as enthusiastic as someone who grew up with the Rangers.

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Our establishing shot is of the city of Angel Grove... which is apparently the home of the Power Rangers... and over 376,000 other citizens.  Well, at least is was... ya see, at present, Angel Grove is nothing more than a smoldering crater in the landscape!

Six teenagers are standing amid the wreckage... with the one named Zack on his knees claiming that this is all his fault.  Superman lowers into the scene to assure the young fella that he is innocent in all of this, and they know who is really behind it all.

We next jump back in time 36 hours.  We're at the Power Rangers Command Center where Zack has just arrived to join his teammates.  He mentions that he's been having arguments with his parents of late about his Morphin-related disappearances.  They are interrupted by Zordon who informs them that "Alpha Five" is missing... and before I read this, I has no idea what that meant.

The team splits up to hunt down this Alpha Five, and Zack (who appears to be our focus-character today) happens to find it... him.  Alpha is a small humanoid robot with one of them Batteries Not Included robots for a head.  All it can say is "Aye yi yi"... which makes me glad I'm only reading this.  Zack reports his find and returns to command...

... where Alpha begins to melt... and then explodes!  Well, that sorts that!

As the smoke clears there is a man-shaped mass of hamburger meat standing tall.  This is Lord Zedd, and I'm assuming he's our big bad.  I always thought the Power Rangers fought a witch with Krusty the Clown hair?  Anyhoo, he's surrounded by some of Shredder's Foot Soldiers... and so Zack decides "It's Morphin Time" and changes into the Black Ranger.  I'm a bit surprised, I thought "Morphin" would have an apostrophe after it... as though they were saying "morphing"... because, ya know... they're morphing into their sentai suits... ehh, who knows...

A fight breaks out that ends with Zack grabbing Zedd by the arm and teleporting away.  At this point the other Rangers return... and see the Foot Soldiers Putties, so they pop into their work clothes to kick some butt.

We rejoin the Black Ranger as he battles some Putties on the streets of wherever he teleported to... which we will now learn is Gotham City.  The Batmobile pulls up, and Batman advises the lad to drop his axe.  Zack thinks that might be a bad idea... and worse yet, thinks Batman might be an agent of Lord Zedd... and so, he attacks him.  This doesn't work out so well for poor Zack.

That is, until the rest of the Rangers arrive.  I know I'm kinda bagging on this issue a bit, but this is a spectacular image!

The Rangers team up and start whoopin' on Batman... who has to call in some help.  Mere moments later, after a bit of sass... the Flash arrives to disarm the entire Rangers team.

 

Batman falls back and fires a bat-missile type thing at the Power Rangers.  The Pink Ranger decides that discretion may be the best part of valor... however, Zack refuses to leave... he knows Lord Zedd is on the loose somewhere in this dimension... and so, she summons her Pterodactyl Dinozord... which is her vehicle.

The vehicle grabs the Batmobile in its "mouth" and flies off... leaving Flash to report into the Watchtower, where he breaks the news to Cyborg.

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Ehh.

This wasn't a bad book... but, I really don't have interest in seeing it through.  The art is really nice, especially when the Power Rangers are in costume.  The action scenes are really very well done.  When they are out of costume, however, it has sort of that light-manga feel that Marvel was attempting to evoke around the turn of the century.  The type of thing that would pop up in a filler story in an issue of X-Men Unlimited or something.  Not bad by any stretch... just makes the story look a bit dated... at least to me.

This is definitely Power Rangers (guest-starring the Justice League)... at least for this opening chapter.  Again, that's not a bad thing... it just doesn't speak to me.  I'm sure folks a bit younger than me will receive this a lot better than I did.  The Power Rangers hit when I was in high school.  My younger brother liked it, however, I remember thinking the show looked really lame from just the commercials.  I gotta figure if I were just a hair younger I'd have eaten this up with a spoon... I was always a mark for those shows that could double for action-figure ads.  

In reading this, I feel as though I can begin to care for the characters... but again, not enough to continue along.  Taylor did a good job of providing a brief introduction for the Rangers without heaping a load of exposition on the reader.  Zack is the best fleshed out here... but if I had to guess, I'd figure each issue of this miniseries will "spotlight" a different Ranger... with this one being "Zack's chapter".

Overall... I'm really not sure how to rate this.  I would have to assume you enter into a comic like this knowing whether you're going to like it or not.  Perhaps it's unfair of me to discuss a book when I am so unfamiliar with half of the cast... but, I'm afraid that train's already left the station.  Even though this wasn't for me, I couldn't advise anyone against checking it out.  If you dig the Power Rangers, there's a good probability that you will also dig this.  If you are open to the possibility of digging the Rangers... you also may like this.  If you're a stubborn idiot like me who doesn't think the Power Rangers deserve to share panel space with Batman and Superman, ya might just wanna give it a pass.

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Justice League America #28 (1989)

Justice League America #28 (July, 1989)
"A Date with Density!"
Plot - Keith Giffen
Script - J.M. DeMatteis
Pencils - Ty Templeton & Mike McKone
Inks - Joe Rubenstein
Letters - Albert DeGuzman
Colors - Gene D'Angelo
Assistant Editor - Kevin Dooley
Editor - Andrew Helfer
Cover Price: $0.75

I never would'a guessed it.  To think that as I sit here before my laptop and the world... that Guy Gardner might just be one of my favorite superheroes.  When did that happen?

I think that deserves a night out on the town Gardner-style.  Let's paint the town red with Guy and Ice as they take in a... ahem... show.

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We open on Fire, who is still in bed due to the Gene Bomb/Virus spoo from the Invasion event tweaking her powers something fierce.  Tired of laying around, she suits up and exchanges some odd conversation with Oberon, she tells him she wants to find Guy Gardner... to thank him for helping her earlier.  She then kinda makes it seem like she's coming on to our man Obe' a little bit.  I really enjoy his double-take here. 

We shift scenes to Guy Gardner who is... get this... demolishing a building with a ring-construct jackhammer.  He's just... caving in an entire building in the middle of a city street!  Who does that?  I mean, sure it's a building for baddies... but still, who does that?

With his job done, Guy heads back to the JLI Embassy to do some "heavy reading" in the form of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.  He arrives home, gives Oberon some guff about being short... then plops down in front of the television set with a Bud to see how the media describes his demo-job.  Just another day in the life of our man, Guy.

Ice enters the room, and since Guy's in such a good mood, he offers to take her out that night.  After some hemming and hawing, with threats of Guy showing her the "real" him... she actually agrees.  I mean, how bad could it be... right?

This news is not welcome to Bea... who goes all "mom" on Ice.  She basically forbids Tora from seeing him... but it's no use.  Ice is convinced that "nice Guy" from earlier in this volume was something of a cry for help.  Ya see, early on in the series, in issue we haven't yet discussed here... Guy gets konked on the head, and becomes an absolute sweetheart... like, it's terrifying.  It's not until a time where Lobo shows up for a fight and Guy gets konked again that he returns to his normal self.

Fire and Oberon watch as Guy and Tora leave the Embassy.  Bea is pretty hot (haw!) at the situation.  Oberon says he digs her passion... and she, I dunno... kinda comes on to him again... and we get another Oberon double-take.  On the street Guy insists they walk to their destination... because, ya know, the subway is like a toilet... and he doesn't want Ice to get, ahem, "thigh cheese".  

We shift scenes to a darkened office.  A man named Irwin is talking to his "boss".  The Boss is a retired super villain... with a fear of superheroes (especially Green Lanterns), that is, if his therapist is to be believed.  Herophobic is what they call it... which is good enough for me.  We pan out to find that the office is on the second floor of... what appears to be (because it is) a Triple-X Theater... just as a pair of Leaguers stroll on up.

Guy heads to the ticket booth and buys two... Ice doesn't quite know what to make of the situation.  I mean, it's pretty obvious... but, at the same time... could Guy be this, I dunno... "Guy-ish"?  Yeah... he totally can... and yeah, he totally did just bring Tora to a skin flick.

Love the balloon placement here!

Next we follow the ticket booth attendant as he runs upstairs to tell the Boss that he just sold a ticket to a dreaded Green Lantern.  He figures the ticket guy's gotta be mistaken... as if Green Lantern would take his date to a skin flick?  Clearly, you don't know our Guy.

Outside there's a loud crash... it would appear that Tora has realized what we already knew.  She and Guy get into an impassioned shouting match, which is interrupted by...

Black Hand?!  Yup, our herophobic "Boss" is Black Hand... who makes a rousing speech, and threatens them with a strange rounded gun... of sorts.  This does not go well for ol' Willie.

Ice thinks Guy was a bit hasty in thrashing that poor deluded man.  He's clearly ill, and was threatening them with "a toy" after all.  Black Hand gets back up and again, aims his odd gun at the pair.  Now, this is great... both Guy and Ice have had enough of Hand's crap... and so, Ice tells him to just "shoot his silly old gun and get this over with".  Amazing.

... and so, he does!  It doesn't go well for ol' Willie.

Guy and Tora walk away and continue their bickering.  Not having his disrespect, Hand runs back into the nudie-theater and procures a real gun before giving chase.  The city streets are packed with folks who all think Black Hand's costume just ain't working... but he hasn't the time to stop and argue the finer points of black latex.  He catches up to the couple... takes aim... and fires!  This too, doesn't go well...

Now you've done it... you messed up Guy Gardner's picture perfect bowl haircut.  Guy pops into his Lantern duds, and just beats the holy hell out of poor Black Hand.  He's beating him so bad he doesn't even realize that Hand's been trying to surrender the whole time.

We rejoin the happy couple later that night at the Embassy.  Fire lays into Guy for being a jackass, but it runs right off his back.  He figures he's got this one in the bag.  Tora's just gotta love him after a night like this!  I mean, why else would she be in a bath scrubbing any stink of Guy off of her, right?

We close out our issue with Fire getting a very special guest... Big Barda.  She is there to help her with her new powers... but, will this job be to "big" a job for Barda?  Well, that's a discussion for another day.

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Man... such a fun issue... from such a fun time.  I don't expect to see stories like this anymore.

Anytime we get to "accompany" a hero on a date, it's always a lot of fun... the fact that we just went to a skin flick with Guy Gardner and the virtuous Ice (Maiden) makes it all the more.  I remember the first time I read this lo those many years ago, and I just couldn't believe Giffen and DeMatteis actually "went there".  I mean, we know Guy's a sleazy fella... but to think that he thought it would be perfectly fine to take Ice out (on their first date) to a porno theater, is just amazingly funny.  You couldn't make this work with any character buy Guy.  Despite its grossness... it's almost, I dunno... charming in a way, how little self-awareness is shown.

Little self-awareness, by the way, that lasts the entire issue.  I feel like we get a pretty good look into Guy's character here... at least insofar as what he is willing to project.  It gives the impression that he is engaging in some rather hardcore impression management.  It's almost as though he's living "up to" the kinda "Guy" (har har) people think he is.  It's like, the dude's gotta have at least somewhat of a clue, right?

As with most superhero date-nights... we've got ourselves a villain trying to spoil the fun.  This time, of all baddies, we've got... Black Hand!  Like, the dude behind the hyoooge DC event of 2009-2010, Blackest Night... and he's a complete bumbling joke.  I mean, I get that the post-2000 Willie Hand was more or less a completely different animal than his Silver-Age cliche-happy counterpart, but it's still kind of jarring seeing him here.  I can only compare it to seeing tape of a main-event professional wrestler from back when they were a "job guy".  The scene where Ice and Guy practically beg him to shoot them was amazing.  So much fun.

In the background we've got some fallout from Invasion.  Fire/Green Flame's powers have been amped up quite a bit... I like that this was included, really helps the serial nature of the series... and helps with some organic sounding-board conversations to occur.  I'd totally forgotten how, I dunno, flirtatious she was... even to Oberon!  Nothing against him... but, those aren't thoughts that need to be thought.

Overall... I think most DC Comics fans will have a ball with this issue.  It's not yet available as a single-issue via DC Digital... but it has been collected in Justice League International, Volume 4... which is available both in print and digital... and of course, there always be dem single issues you can dig for... well worth the hunt.

Like every time we discuss a JLI issue here at the humble blog, I definitely wanna suggest you check out the Justice League International: Bwah-ha-ha Podcast.  It'll probably be a little while before Shagg and Co. get to this issue, but that don't mean ya can't give'em a listen and read along anyway.  It gets the Chris is on Infinite Earths seal of approval... which holds a monetary value of 1/255 of a cent USD.*

           *Chris' opinion actually holds no cash value

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