Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities June Comics Haul... spoilers and speculation follow

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I was enjoying the May thread so much that I forgot to start a June one... oh, well... better late than never...

This week I bought:

AQUAMAN 19
NIGHTWING 94
ULTIMATE XMEN 47
IDENTITY DISC 1
IDENTITY CRISIS 1

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AQUAMAN 19: Points for an unordinary motive for Geist. As a Legion fan, I always get either a little smug or nervous whenever these predictions for a dire future get tossed around in the 'current' DCU.

I liked Aquaman's anger... and his handle on it.

I'm ready for a glimpse of Atlantis. Come to think of it, wouldn't Atlanteans come to the aid of these newly minted water-dwellers?

NIGHTWING 94: OK... does anyone else feel that Dick is completely out of character in this issue... and in the end of the last? I know-- 'human failings make better characters'. Blah, blah, blah.

If this is all leading somewhere, I hope it gets there soon, so that we can move on to something a bit more enjoyable. You remember enjoyable, don't you?

The time-shifts weren't handled very well, I'm afraid. Tarantula's giving me some bad 'Vibes' here...if you catch my drift.

If DC really needs to kill another costumed woman, take this one and leave the more interesting ones breathing. I guess it's possible that someone's formed an attachment to/for Tarantula... I have a hard time seeing how, though.

ULTIMATE XMEN 47: This was *good*! Northstar's alive... yay! And he meets and discombobulates Colossus! Does Colossus turning to steel after that "Is he single" line indicate that Piotr felt attacked by JP's hospital bed flirtation? Or was it another kind of 'hardness' being symbolized?

Peterson's Angel is flat-out beautiful. So is his Iceman... at least when he's manifesting his power. I enjoy the 'junior' combo of Angel, Iceman, Kitty and Rogue.

Coincidental parallel with this month's UNCANNY X-MEN featuring a Storm/Nightcrawler confab? The uncanny one was much more heartfelt... deeper. But then, Uncanny X-characters have so much more to draw on than do the Ultimate ones.

"Weltschmerz"... well do I know the feeling. Maybe that old chestnut, 'the Greeks have a word for it' got the nationality wrong.

Some funny lines, here...

"Eat it, Harvey Birdman" says Iceman to Angel during a training exercise.

"Open your mouth again and my glasses come off", says Cyclops to Iceman during a briefing.

"Okay, that is officially the lamest threat I have ever heard..." Iceman replies.

LOL!

The last page 'reveal' wasn't so very surprising. This pair of villains are both ones that I find pretty boring in the 'uncanny' Marvel universe. Here's hoping the Ultimate creators find some hidden gold. Though they'll have to dig through a pretty crusty layer of ennui to get to it, in my case.

IDENTITY DISC 1: The art's kind of 'snarly'... but appropriate for a villain-centered piece, I guess. The central idea of the identity disc puzzles me. Will it be a macguffin that propels the miniseries' plot? Should I care about it or just the characters?

SANDMAN: I still wish he'd stayed a good guy, in a way. If not, I wish he'd play both ends against the middle... becoming a real 'shades of grey' kind of guy. But I guess that's not in the cards...

At least, he should get some 'Ultra Boy IQ' kind of credit... it'd take some cleverness to pull off the reformed baddie for as long as he did.

I'm guessing the cliffhanger predicament of Sandy won't stand...

VULTURE: I like this somewhat goofy, somewhat threatening villain. There's a certain pathos to him... His background gives him a decent 'humanizing' effect.

JUGGERNAUT: They should've picked someone else, since he's now an X-man. Unless that status plays into the plot in a meaningful way. They give his reformation a nod, but ignore it when they offer up the fantasy of 'victory over the heroes'. New Juggy wouldn't be tempted. He should at *least* get a thought balloon demonstrating that.

SABRETOOTH: Couldn't care less.

DEADBOLT: Don't know from Adam. But he gets some good lines... "Shuck my corn cob" and "I got it. A live-in boyfriend. Who's an Avenger. No, worse... a Defender." Hee-hee.

Why is his dialogue in yellow?

BULLSEYE: I like him.

This could end up being either really pretty good or instantly forgettable. The threatening babe's already getting on my nerves. Is her boss, Tristram Silver, an existing character I should know about?

IDENTITY CRISIS 1: Wow. DC's Nick and Nora are down to just Nick. Rampant speculation about half the superheroes in the DCU being laid to waste didn't lessen the impact of the death of one nonmasked, uncaped, nonmetapowered, brave woman who was, nonetheless in my eyes, a heroine.

Before that death, we're treated to Elongated Man and Firehawk having a lovely rooftop stakeout conversation... to Clark Kent at home with his parents (when were they made old and frumpy again? Booo...)... to Nightwing and Starfire at *his* parent's grave (shoulda been Oracle)... to the Green Arrows training with Wildcat... to a *wonderful* flashback encapsulating Sue and Ralph's courtship (who *wouldn't* fall in love with Sue?)... to the 'new and improved' Calculator in business...

Then the parallel attacks on Bolt and Sue have differing results.

The important one leads to that long, heartwrenching (a word used often, but here it fits exactly) series of heroes gradually getting 'the news'. I teared up with each iteration. Robin and his dad (though I thought Tim wasn't 'suiting up' presently?)... then Black Lightning and Katana... then the Atom and Jean Loring (who's suddenly likeable again!).

Good Lord... what a team investigating the crime scene: Mr. Miracle, Lead and Gold (!) of the Metal Men, the Ray, the Atom, Animal Man and Green Arrow.

And then the funeral. The pallbearers... the uncle who wanted to carry the heaviest end of the casket when superheroes were the other bearers... (<sob>, <choke>)

What details in that funeral spread... Nightwing and Arsenal huddled together... Black Canary and Zatanna comforting Elongated Man... Starfire sobbing, with Beast Boy and Cyborg helplessly gazing at her... the former Starman next to the current Star-girl next to Black Condor(!)... the Captains Marvel (where was Freddy?)... Aquaman standing next to a concerned Tempest... Jay Garrick HOLDING HIS FREAKING HELMET IN HIS HANDS OUT OF RESPECT! (WHIMPER!)

When the connections are made, the DCU sings.

"They (the JLA) even made Sue an honorary member. Even Lois isn't an honorary member." "Barry said it when he nominated Ralph for membership. Clark and Bruce may be the bricks, but Ralph and Sue- they were the mortar."

Wonder Woman, after delivering a eulogy that I wanted to 'hear' but was glad that I didn't on second thought, says simply... "Goodbye, sister." (Long sniff)

Lord... the page where Atom, Hawkman and Green Arrow encourage Ralph to pull it together... you could practically hear the sniffles and tear-wiping, uncomfortable shifting and throat-clearing.

What a powerful metaphor... Ralph, in his grief, can't hold his rubberized face together, but rubberband man that he is, he 'snaps' from despair to destruction, visualized by that angry, tautly focused image of Ralph Digby's anguished/angry face.

The issue closes with allusions to a secret held by Ralph, Hawkman, Atom, Zatanna, Green Arrow and Black Canary... a new 'SECRET SIX' comprised of the Justice League's heart and soul?

Now I'm hooked.

Todd

* * * SPOILERS * * *

Comments about Identity Crisis here, questions on the other thread:

I realize that they had to set up Ralph and Sue's backstory quickly for people who didn't know the characters, in order for Sue's death to have the maximum impact. But the whole thing came off as a bit ham-handed, IMO. I think what pushed it over the edge was the positive pregnancy test -- come on. That was so cliched, it just jarred the entire scene and jolted me right out of my suspension of disbelief about Sue's death. (And why wouldn't one of the world's greatest detectives be able to deduce that his wife is pregnant?)

Does every female DCU character who gets killed have to be horribly burnt and/or mutilated? First there was Apparition's grotesquely charred body, then Hippolyta's, and now this. That's not a huge number, but you know what I mean. (And there's probably one or two I'm forgetting.) No, I don't think DC is deliberately misogynistic (as many on the DCMBs' Wonder Woman forum do), but you gotta wonder sometimes.

And do women really have a much greater propensity to cry in emotional situations than men do? Ralph was just about the only man in the entire funeral scene to cry, and understandably so. The only other men that seemed to be visibly tearing up even a bit were, I think, Sue's relatives. In contrast, a sizable number of the female super-characters had tears pouring down their faces. I can't believe that male super-heroes are, as a rule, so stoic that they all bear this sort of loss with dry eyes. (Maybe Superman was instantaneously evaporating his tears with heat vision.)

I didn't realize Oliver knew that Batman's real name is "Bruce." I thought only a very small number of people knew that. Or has word spread? (And does Ma Kent know? If so, that would make her comment to Clark deliberately cruel, rather than unintentionally significant.)

The continuity thing is going to be confusing. It looks like this might happen before Tim gives up the Robin mantle, and even before "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League!" -- the lighthearted atmosphere of which might be hard to take, knowing Sue's fate. Speaking of which, I'm surprised Mary wasn't more grief-stricken, since she got to know Sue pretty well in "Formerly Known as the Justice League." And where was Junior?

Were the circumstances behind Bolt's shooting supposed to be confusing? Why didn't he teleport away -- can he only do so after "recharging"? Did those guns just appear in the hoods' hands? Was that one hood mind-controlled -- hence, his confusion after the shooting -- or did he just suddenly have regrets?

Would the Metal Men be offended if they knew someone thought of them as "Magnus's toys"?

I liked the reference to the Endless on the second-to-last page. (We also got Death in this issue, incidentally.) I wonder if we'll see Desire, Dream, and Delirium over the course of the mini?

I wonder if Sue will come back as the new Spectre. Or is that Supectre?

Adversity is one thing. Making a character flawed is one thing. What's happening in this book is degradation.

I dropped the book with #93, since I couldn't stand the direction it was going and thought that that was no way to resolve eight years of story-line.

I can only suggest that, if you feel the same way, you drop the book as well. It's the only way DC will get the message.

I Did not read everything I bought, but best so far was "The Walking Dead".

At least when they killed Harbinger in S/B they didn't cook her too...

I'm still trying to figure out how Ollie and Wonder Woman were teammates...

Yeah, and I'm pretty sure the guy on the other side of Black Condor is The Shade.

I also bought Aquaman 19 and Identity Crisis 1. The new creative team on Aquaman has been decent so far, so the book will stay on my reserve list for at least a few more months.

Identity Crisis 1 was pretty powerful stuff. The only thing I want to add at this time: after getting over the shock, it occurred to me to wonder, will the title end up being relevant to the story, or was it just a red herring to throw off fan speculation? I couldn't see any connection to anything in the first issue.

Other recent puchases:

BONE 55 : The Conclusion
Jeff Smith did a good job of wrapping things up, though.

Prince Valiant Volume 50 : another final issue; this one contains Hal Foster's last work as writer of the strip, and Fantagraphics has said they aren't going to continue. Good news for my wallet, but still .

Justice League Adventures 32 : this series is also reported to be ending soon ; can't say this was one of its better installments, though.

(and Diamond has cancelled orders for upcoming issues of Nodwick and P.S.238; even if they're resolicited right away, it still means a loooooong wait until the next issues )

Superman 205 : Am I supposed to be impressed? These are the "high-profile" creators whose work over in the Bat-books everyone was talking about last year, right? Did they start off this slow over there, too? (can't find a "yawn" graemlin, this one will have to do: :rolleyes: )

GirlGenius 11 : WooHoo! Finally something to cheer about! The Foglios are back! Still self-publishing, since their Strange Corporate Adventure came to naught (but at least it didn't do them any harm, aside from the time lost). New, larger pages! Same old price! HUZZAH!
Check out Studio Foglio today!

I don't know if it is (and if so, Ollie should've mentioned his presence when he listed him as a possible suspect), but it's interesting to note that on the list of suspects, nobody is sent out to find Shade - is it solely on Ollie's say so or cuz he attended the funeral? Also of note, though I don't know if it's relevant is that of the fire suspects, Ollie says that three are accounted for, but teams are sent after all but two. And of the teleporters, none of which are accounted for, nobody is sent to find Peek-a-boo (I don't know this character).

Either the Shade or Hamilton Drew, the other detective of Opal City now (which might suggest that the two became close friends).

I had comments in the other thread, but since this one isn't worried about Spoilers, I'll get right to it:

Oh no Not Sue . Out of all the people I didn't want it to be (Ronnie Raymond, Atom, etc.), I never thought it'd be Sue, and never realized how upset it'd make me. This had more of an affect on me than I'd thought it would.

Great story, great art, everything about it was great. But wow, I don't want it to be Sue. It was a good read though and I'm hooked. Everything you said Todd was exactly as I felt as I read the issue--I reread the whole thing a minute later. Sue's uncle carrying the casket with them, Zee and Dinah holding onto Ralph, etc. were gut-wrenching. Besides a little nit-picking of continuity, the crowd scenes were amazing.

And now I want Hawkman to kill someone.

Stu, don't forget Superman crying on the cover! I agree with you though.

Oh, and I have a feeling that Ralph might die before this is done too. In a strange way, I think I'd be more happy if he died and was reunited with Sue than if he had to live on without her...

DeadPOOL. DEADPOOL!

Basically, he's an insane mercenary. And the yellow's by convention.

Does Diana even know Sue, Post-Crisis? Except in passing.

It's been hinted that Ollie's known at least twice to my knowledge, but doesn't really give a damn.

It's after "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League!" - Kevin Maguire's been working on that since before Formerly finished and I seem to recall him mentioning that ID Crisis was going to cause "issues" with ICB/JL.

Could happen. Or they could go with some "Dark Ralph" nonsense.

I hate to say it, but the best thing about Ralph was Sue.

Then I'm all for a steady diet of ham-hands!

How do you know he didn't?

It *is* troubling, UTS... but in my mind there's just no comparison between IDENTITY CRISIS and something like CRAPUATION DAY (the most recent 'refrigeration' moment, I think?)

But at least Hippolyta, Sue, the dozens of Amazons, maybe Maxima, etc. died as recognizeably themselves... unlike Legionnaires like Jan Arrah and Dirk Morgna who ended their lives (in one case, apparently-- though I *still* cling to a thread of hope... and in a previous existence in the other case) as bastardized monstrosities whose only connection to the great heroes they once were was an emblem on a couple of tattered uniforms.

What's the clever 'sound byte' for shock-devalued heroes? 'Boys in Blenders?'

I like that last, actually... maybe he was evaporating *all* the men's tears!

It's not like this is exactly new, is it? I guess DCU heroes, at least the men (and Power Girl) are Howard Hawks fans...

I'm in no way up to speed on 'bat-lore'... If they're JLA, as far as I'm concerned, they should be trusted with this info. But that's the 70's/80's/precrisis fan in me coming through.

Mary *more* grief-stricken? She was sobbing into Captain Marvel's chest! Maybe she should've pulled out some hair...

Though I enjoyed FKATJL, it *does* seem like a story set in some near-parallel universe... continuity needn't apply. And, in fact, won't in the sequel, I believe.

Robin's continuity *is* perplexing. I'm pretty sure the *writer* was writing from what he was told months ago... once again, I think editorial could be at fault. Unless, of course, there's some explanation in the offing.

Reminds me of the crappily written murder of Marvel's DARKSTAR. A bit of an explanation *was* in order... maybe there'll be one next issue? Or whenever Bolt appears again?

Platinum wouldn't. That'd be her dream come true. Maybe Gold's, too.

Or Spuctre?

Ddot

I'm going to stick with it till #100, in the hope that there's something to this direction that I'm not yet seeing. I thought Devyn Grayson had a good take on Dick in a short story she wrote featuring Nightwing and Donna Troy years ago. I even liked her use of him in the TITANS series before the current one. Her tenure so far on NIGHTWING has disappointed, but because of my earlier feelings, I'm willing to give her a bit more leeway than you are.

But I understand your opinion, and share it to some degree.

TODD

You could be right, BRM... but wouldn't the heroes have confronted him if they'd been suspicious of him, as is mentioned elsewhere in the story?

Todd

Me, too, Cobie... Sue was 'mortar', just like Barry Allen said. I think the Dibney's blithe, harmonious marriage was not only unique in the DCU (and in comics), but was a force of 'good' or 'order' all on its own. A tiny, little crack in things has opened up...

That uncle thing still gets me... and the succession of heroes getting the 'news'... to me that's the heart of the story, and is what I'll remember, rather than the death or the way it was presented.

And the SECRET SIX and whatever it is they're hiding. I love each of those characters and I can't wait to see this develop (though I'm also cringing in anticipation, as well).

Y'know-- I think I want a *woman* to be the one to take whoever it is down. Maybe Zatanna or Black Canary (or Hawkwoman, back from Thanagar and rejoining the JLA-- I can wish, can't I?)

Todd

Eek! I hope not... but I see what you mean.

I was thinking about this... after IC is all over, and if Ralph survives, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he got married again pretty quickly. Lots of people who achieve that level of closeness find solitude unbearable. And, y'know, Sue would be the first one to understand...

Todd

Sorry about that... thanks for the info. Is he really considered a supervillain by the X-Men, etc.?

Stumped. I don't recall a WW/Elongated Man/Sue scene post-crisis. Doesn't mean there wasn't one. In JLI maybe?

Todd

Deadpool... well, he's ticked off Cable & Wolverine - but then, who hasn't? I don't think he's really on the X-Men, etc's radar.

(Though he ticked off the whole MU in an Unpublished story... )

Not in the Giffen run, since I've read everything up to & including Breakdowns, and Di manages to appear for presicely half an issue (JLE 1) in all that time. When Sue wasn't even there.

Similarly, they had a near-miss in FK/JL 6, but there's no evidence they actually exchanged words (Sue & Max were raving @ Batman while Diana got sneered at by Fire).

They may have met, but there's no reason to think they even really knew (as opposed to knowing of) each other AFAIK, let alone were friends.

If she manages to somehow turn this around, I will gladly go back and pick up the back issues. But I can't see anything other than a retcon doing that for me.

I liked that Dick/Donna story as well, and I thought her TITANS run had a few OK moments. Her GOTHAM KNIGHTS run was pretty good, too. But I neither liked NIGHTWING/HUNTRESS or that special where Dick gets married to solve a mystery.

Ollie's thoughts indicate he feels Shade doesn't count, though whether or not he means as a suspect or a teleporter is unclear.

Either way, I could see Jack Knight and maybe one or two others vouching for him.

Someone else mentioned that the guy next to BLack Condor is probably that Holmes like detective from "Starman". Since he's got the right facial features and is wearing brown instead of Black, I'll agree.

SPOILER SPACE

SPOILER SPACE beginning

This week I bought (and read in the following order):

THOR 81/583
HAWKMAN 29
OUTSIDERS 13
NEW X-MEN 21
X-MEN 158
JSA 62
JLA ANOTHER NAIL 2
ATOM ARCHIVES 2

Looked at the newest FANTASTIC FOUR, somehow missed BIRDS OF PREY

SPOILER SPACE

SPOILER SPACE concluding


THOR 81/583... Eerie, but also beautiful forest Thor and 'brothers' walk through before they reach the ruins of Asgard. There, they face Loki, who is rendered as on just this side of 'cackling, melodramatic fiend', here IMO. He did have a couple of interesting lines-- cackling fiends usually do. I particularly appreciated his memory of his role in the founding of the Avengers.

Most of the rest of the issue is an extended, sometimes confusing, but mostly well-illustrated fight scene.

Balder's funeral was sad... and contained a nice, authentic touch with the mention of mistletoe. In attendance... was that *the* Valkyrie?

RAGNAROK has me interested... but where is it leading? I don't have a clue.

HAWKMAN 29... Pretty kinky opening page there, eh? Domina and her Bette Davis eyes straight out of OF HUMAN BONDAGE get lots of focus here... she's growing on me. Detective Grubs comes across as a bit too predictably one-note.

The Angel Killer strikes again by kidnapping and presumably killing the sick half of an apparently gay couple.

FATE'S WARNING is thus far the story of an extended frame-up of Hawkman told against the background of adding a supporting cast to the series. So far, I'm liking it. Next month-- The Atom...cool. I like Sook's rendition of Hawkman.

OUTSIDERS 13... Dr. Sivana and the Fearsome Five... what a combo! I *like* this villain group, while recognizing their shortcomings. They do have potential as interesting antagonists.

Shift falls a couple of notches in my esteem with his constant string of shape-changing visual jokes. I don't much like him as DC's 'Morph'. And is that how his powers work? I misunderstood them. He's not as interesting to me, now.

Grace has a funny line about Dick and Roy, "Don't you just hate it when Mom and Dad fight?" Hee-hee.

Psimon and Jinx made an effective, creepy team. Gizmo, Mammoth and Shimmer promise to be a good match for Shift and Jade next issue (Shift isn't *really* dead, is he?).

Great to see Jade on the verge of making a real impact as an Outsider, assuming she survives Shimmer's reintroduction to life in the DCU.

Kudos to Raney's art and this issue's vibrant use of color.

NEW X-MEN 21... I'm not supposed to, but I kind of like Julian... he's like the pretty jerk that you just know has some goodness buried beneath the obnoxious acting out. Then again, he might wind up being the next Dr. Doom for all I know.

I don't much like Noriko and the way she treats Dust (though Noriko has a valid point obscured by her hostility). I did like Noriko's scene with Cyclops featuring a bit of common ground between the two machine/costume dependant mutants.

I really like David and the potential of his power hinted at during the basketball scene. If he can draw on the combined skills and knowledge of a *group*, he could be pretty impressive indeed.

Josh is obnoxious... and so very, very young. Icarus (J) has a dreamy, mopey kind of quality that's compelling. But does he *have* to have the exact same abilities as Warren Worthington? ARCHANGEL and ICARUS, the WING TEAM? Marvel hasn't had a sidekick relationship in awhile, hmmm?

OK... Corsairs, Hellions, New Mutants... fun names, I guess we're due- what- 13 more to accomodate 100 students? Sheesh!

I enjoyed a lot of the exchanges here. The costumes don't quite do it for me... the New Mutants' boots just look... odd. The Hellions got the better duds.

X-MEN 158... More Icarus... is he the 'new' Wolverine? Here, he begins to bond with Sammy (which 'cell' will *he* be in?). Fish-boy shows some nice sensitivity.

Good art... I like Larooca's Lorna here. He does a better job with her her hair than he has before. And Lorna's all about the hair... LOL! She needs her headdress back, though... the 'classic' one, not the floating bat thingie she most recently wore. Havok's uniform is growing on me.

I was disappointed that there was a shadow lurking behind that tree that Sammy and J were surprised by... I wanted that kid whispering to it to be communicating with the *tree*, not a mysterious stranger unseen by S and J. Oh, well.

OK... I'm ready for Bobby's mood to shift.

The Immortals... no individualization, no power ID... why should I care?

Gambit is blinded? Xorn-- I don't know *what* to think.

The cliffhanger is a nice idea lacking in presentation. Xorn's black hole of a brain sucking in the X-Men sounds good... but is rendered flatly. The pacing is poor in those final panels.

Still, an enjoyable issue. Though I can't figure out why Icarus is getting play *here*. Setting up Gambit's healing? Xorn's?

JSA 62...This title's on a roll. Spectre's origin recap was a bit of a surprise. And Hourman... he's the personification of 'dashing' for me. If I didn't already love this guy, I would've 'fallen' here.

Flash and GL... Jay's pain at beating Alan was palpable. There should be a support group for the mounting number of heroes mind-controlled into hurting those close to them. And for the those they hurt, too.

Hal/Spectre... spooky when he gobbled down Spirit King. Fitting. REBIRTH really has me curious, now.

I think there should be both a Spirit of Vengeance *and* a Spirit of Redemption.

The heart of the issue is Mr. Terrific's meeting with his wife during his near-death experience. Beautifully done... and even more bittersweet in the light of last week's IDENTITY CRISIS. "... and so will Mr. Sloane." Nice.

Hourman witnesses Terrific's resuscitation and then comtemplates contacting his wife, standing outside her home in the rain.

Loved the scene between Midnight and Terrific in civvies on the steps of a church just before they both(!) attend a service.

This little scene makes these two characters much fuller... more well-rounded. "All I see is that beautiful, mind-numbing smile." Love this duo.

My only quibble is the appearance of Batman. Remember when Superman was the hero who'd turn up as the conscience of the superhero 'community'? Bats is just too judgmental (with reason, here, I'll admit). And so arrogant. But that's his role in the current DCU, for better or worse. There was no problem with the presentation, clearly.

JLA ANOTHER NAIL 2... Love the cover- and the back's even better! The story, though, doesn't quite continue the impact of the opening issue. Too many 'treats' perhaps?

Ragman, the Creeper, a female Wildcat hitting on Hal, a sillily squabbling Hawk and Dove, an Africa-descended Halo, a horny Platinum and the rest of the Metal Men... and that's just the first few pages. By the way, who is 'ASTRAL MAGE' supposed to be?

Love the trio of Black Orchid, Power Girl and Star Sapphire. Too bad they're villainesses. What's their motivation? I need to dig out THE NAIL, I think.

I really and truly wish that Black Orchid would get revamped (or would that be 'devamped'?) in a nonElseworld DCU into the mystery-lady who wore this elegant, ethereal costume. She's a terrific gem of an untapped character.

Love Hawkwoman, too.

The Bat-family, New Gods, Poison Ivy... loved seeing Selina as Mrs. Wayne, Batwoman.

I enjoyed the Wonder Woman/Aquaman team... and found Slig curiously captivating. He has an interesting power... without the brain cells to effectively use it.

Flash and Atom... fun seeing them together... *didn't* expect the Crime Syndicate.

The Doom Patrol... Deadman... Shadow Thief... the Demon... OVERLOAD! This should've been a 12 issue maxiseries!

Loved the condluding 'revelation' of the site of the demonic battle... Whoa!

ATOM ARCHIVES 2... haven't really cracked yet... I'm not sure if I knew about the 'Timepool', but it looks interesting... why didn't the Atom ever visit the LSH?

Looked at the newest FANTASTIC FOUR,... a new FRIGHTFUL FOUR debuting alongside the FEARSOME FIVE... weird. Waid's new 'fourth' intrigued me... enough that I'll buy this if it's still in stock next week. I would've liked to see Nahrees from the recent INHUMAN series inducted by the Wizard. That would've been a nice parallel to Medusa's introduction to the MU.

Todd