Category: DC Superhero

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Blue Beetle: Boundaries


By Matthew Sturges, Rafael Albuquerque & Andre Coelho (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2162-1

At the height of DC’s Infinite Crisis teenager Jaime Reyes found a strange blue bug-shaped jewel. That night it attached itself to his spine transforming him into a bizarre beetle-like warrior. He was promptly swept up in the chaos, aiding Batman and other heroes in a space battle. He was gone for a year…

Inexplicably returned home, Jaime revealed his secret to his family and tried to do some good in his hometown of El Paso but had to rapidly adjust to some big changes. His best bud Paco had joined a gang of super-powered freaks, the local crime mastermind was the foster-mom of his other best bud Brenda and a really scary military dude named Peacemaker started hanging around claiming the thing in Jaime’s back was malfunctioning alien tech, not life-affirming Egyptian magic…

This final volume (collecting issues #29-34 of the fun-filled monthly comic) opens this closing epic with ‘Boundaries part 1: Crossing the Line’ as rightwing hero Peacemaker starts to regret assisting vigilante citizens groups in policing the border against illegal immigrants whilst the Beetle encounters a rather peculiar feral metahuman. Soon he’s dragged into a crazy tussle between villains battling over the rights to a code-name…

Meanwhile, a band of Mexican illegals captured by Peacemaker suddenly become a far bigger problem by using a drug they were smuggling for a criminal mastermind on themselves. Now super-powered and on the run it’s only a matter of time before they hit El Paso and the Beetle gets involved…

‘Exposed Wires’ sees Jaime strike up an uneasy alliance with local crime lord La Dama (and Brenda’s parental guardian) as the anonymous smuggling mastermind moves to recover his power-drug and the fugitives begin to suffer some very dangerous side-effects. ‘Primum Non Nocere’ ( I don’t need to tell you that means “First Do No Harm”, do I?) sees superhero medic Doctor Mid-Nite step in to treat the migrant Metas as racial tensions soar and Hispanic Blue Beetle is suckered into becoming a deputy of the US Border Patrol against his own sentiments and best judgement…

The hidden mastermind is revealed in ‘Backstory’ as events kick into explosive high gear and Jaime’s family come to the rescue, fighting a valiant holding action until the Teen Titans and Peacemaker join the fray in ‘Polarity’ and everything is neatly wrapped up – including the truly captivating human sidebar plot-threads that have made this series so very special – in the perfectly wonderful conclusion ‘Monopoly’.

Sassy, savvy, thrilling, brilliantly inventive and unrelentingly fun, Blue Beetle ends a too-brief run on a classy high note that will satisfy and delight. There are precious few comic-books that combine action and adventure with cleverness and wit, but author Matthew Sturges and artists Rafael Albuquerque & Andre Coelho make this look easy and although long-gone as a monthly series the latest incarnation of the Blue Beetle still survives in trade paperback collections where you can – and should – experience the buzz yourself.

The most recent incarnation of the venerable Blue Beetle pluckily battles on as a back-up feature in Booster Gold and as a member of the perennial Teen Titans, so at least with these fine graphic novels around there’s still a chance for this wonderfully exuberant hero to find the audience he deserves: hopefully to rise like the immortal scarab it references…

Moreover with a TV series apparently completed and only awaiting scheduling, a new comicbook series can’t be too far away, so what better time can there be to finally tune in and catch up with all of these addictive super-teen triumphs?

© 2008, 2009 DC Comics. All rights reserved.

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Birds of Prey


By Chuck Dixon, Jordan Gorfinkel, Gary Frank & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-84023-574-8

Birds of Prey recounts the missions and lives of a rotating team of female crime-fighters led by Barbara Gordon, the computer genius known as Oracle. Daughter of the Police Commissioner of Gotham City, her own career as Batgirl was ended when the Joker blew out her spine in a terrifying kidnap attempt. Trapped in a wheelchair she hungered for justice and sought new ways to make a difference in a very bad world…

Reinventing herself as a covert information gatherer for the Batman’s clique of avengers and defenders, she gradually became an invaluable resource for the entire superhero community, but in the first of these collected tales Babs undertakes a new project that will allow her to become an even more effective crusader against injustice…

This volume contains the one-shots, specials and miniseries that successfully introduced a spellbinding blend of sassy bad-girl attitude and spectacular all-out action which finally convinced timid editorial powers-that-be of the commercial viability of a team composed of nothing but female superheroes.

Who could possibly have guessed that some readers would like effective, positive, clever women kicking evil butt, and that boys would follow the adventures of violent, sexy, usually underdressed chicks hitting bad-guys – and occasionally each other …?

The issues gathered here, Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey #1, Birds of Prey: Revolution, the pertinent section of Showcase ’96 #3 and Birds of Prey: Manhunt #1-4 form a breathtaking riot of dynamic, glossy crime-busting heavily highlighting the kind of wickedness costumes crusaders usually ignore, white collar and black-hearted…

The first tale ‘One Man’s Hell’, written by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Gary Frank & John Dell, is set at a time when veteran martial arts crime-crusher Black Canary was slowly going to hell after the death of her long-time lover Green Arrow (of course he got better a few years later – see Green Arrow: Quiver for details).

Broke, uncontrolled and hell-bent on self-destruction, the increasingly violent and adrenaline-addicted heroine was contacted by a mysterious unseen presence and dispatched to an third world country to investigate a series of “terrorist attacks” that always seemed to profit one unimpeachably benevolent philanthropist…

With nothing left to lose Canary undertook the tragically brutal mission and gained an impossibly valuable prize… purpose.

Peppered with an intriguing array of guest-stars and villains this socially-conscious high-octane thriller established the Canary as one of the most competent and engaging combatants of the DCU and a roving agent of conscience and retribution more than capable of tackling the villainous scum who were clever enough to stay below the regular superhero radar: a reputation enhanced in the sequel ‘Revolution’.

Dixon, Stefano Raffaele & Bob McLeod crafted a superbly compelling tale wherein she and her silent partner (at this time Oracle was no more than a rumour to everybody but Batman and the Canary, who got “intel” and advice from an anonymous voice that came by phone, text or the radio-jewellery of her new costume) tracked a human trafficking ring to the rogue state of Santa Prisca and stumbled into a dirty campaign by American interests to topple the standing dictator.

When the venerable Showcase title was revived in the 1990s it was as a monthly anthology that highlighted old unemployed characters and events already originated rather than new wholly new concepts, swiftly becoming a place to test the popularity of the company’s bit players with a huge range of heroes and team-ups passing through its eclectic pages. This made it a perfect place to trot out the new team for a broader audience who might have ignored the one-shots.

Showcase ’96 #3 cover-starred Black Canary and Lois Lane, featuring a frantic collusion between the reporter, the street fighter and the still “silent partner” Oracle in a tale scripted by series editor Jordan B. Gorfinkel, laid out by Jennifer Graves and finished by Stan Woch. ‘Birds of a Feather’ found Superman’s then Girlfriend and the Birds taking out a metahuman gangmaster who had enslaved migrant workers to work in Metropolis’ secret sweat shop. Punchy and potent it led to the four-issue miniseries which ends this volume whilst introducing a new wrinkle in the format… teaming Oracle and Canary with an ever-changing cast of DC’s Fighting Females.

‘Manhunt’ saw Dixon again script a breakneck, raucous thriller which began ‘Where Revenge Delights’ (illustrated by Matt Haley & Wade Von Grawbadger) as the Birds’ pursuit of a philandering embezzler and scam-artist lead them into heated conflict with The Huntress – a mob-busting vigilante who even Batman thinks plays too rough. She also wanted the revoltingly skeevy Archer Braun (whom she knows and loathes as Tynan Sinclair) but her motives seem a good deal more personal…

The two active agents cautiously agree to cooperate but the mix gets even headier when Selina Kyle invites herself to the lynching party in ‘Girl Crazy’ (with additional inking from John Lowe). Canary consents over the strident objections of the never-more helpless and frustrated Oracle. Braun, it seems, is into bigger crimes than anyone suspected and has made the terminal error of bilking the notorious Catwoman…

Fed up with Babs shouting in her ear Canary goes off-line, subsequently getting captured by Braun, ‘The Man That Got Away’ (inked by Cam Smith) and clearly a major threat. He might even be a covert metahuman…

Shanghaied to a criminal enclave in Kazakhstan for the stunning conclusion ‘Ladies Choice’ (art by Sal Buscema, Haley & Von Grawbadger) Canary is more-or-less rescued by the unlikely and unhappy pairing of Catwoman and Huntress, but none of them is ready or able to handle Braun’s last surprise – Lady Shiva Woosan, the world’s greatest martial arts assassin…

This rollercoaster ride of thrills, spills and beautifully edgy, sardonic attitude finally won the Birds their own regular series which quickly became one of DC’s best and most consistently engaging superhero adventure series. This opening salvo is both groundbreaking and fantastically fun, and will delight any comics Fights ‘n’ Tights follower as well as anyone woman who’s ever had a man in her life…
© 1996, 1997, 2002 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Flash: Terminal Velocity


By Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-56389-249-3

When Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash whose creation ushered in a new and seemingly unstoppable era of costumed crusaders, died during Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, he was succeeded by his sidekick Kid Flash. A young man who initially struggled to fill the boots of his predecessor, both in sheer physical capability and, more tellingly, in confidence, Wally West felt a fraud, but like a true hero he persevered and eventually overcame.

After years in the role, West had adapted and made a convincing argument for being an even greater hero as he triumphed over his mentor’s uncanny foes and a whole new Rogues’ Gallery of his own. In Terminal Velocity (reprinting issues #0 and #95-100 of the monthly Flash comicbook) scripter Mark Waid and an impressive band of illustrators went into creative overdrive following the company wide reboot and strategic reworking of the entire continuity dubbed Zero Hour.

The event was marked by an “issue zero” for every title then being published, wherein the new official origin for each character was established as well as setting up new storylines and it is with Wally West’s new beginning that this pulse-pounding superhero saga opens. ‘Flashing Back’ by Waid, Mike Wieringo & Jose Marzan Jr. found the Scarlet Speedster a helpless stream of Speed Force energy bouncing through his own history until he returned to his correct place in time, just in time for the six-part epic Terminal Velocity which began with ‘Mach One: The Dead Yet Live’ (pencilled by Salvador Larrocca).

There are many super-speedsters in the DCU and many of them congregate in the twinned metropolis of Keystone and Central Cities. Here Wally’s true love, journalist Linda Park, his Aunt Iris and fellow fast fighters Jay Garrick and Impulse anxiously awaited his return, but when he appeared they couldn’t help but notice a subtle, disturbing change in the once easy-going young man. This Wally was driven, determined and possessed strange new abilities and handicaps. Moreover he took to training the attention-deficit plagued kid Impulse with frantic determination…

Since the ophidian terrorist Kobra had taken to constantly harassing the cities he got plenty of practice and it’s wasn’t long before the problem was revealed. In ‘Mach Two: All the Wrong Moves’ Linda discovered Wally’s secret – his brush with the time stream had changed his body and if he ran too fast his body would revert to energy. It was only a matter of time before he slipped, turned to lightning and would be sucked into the Speed Force forever…

But that wasn’t all: something even more terrifying was troubling the Flash – something he refused to share with anybody…

As Wally’s condition deteriorated and Kobra’s predations increased, Impulse’s training went badly and Flash had to call in specialised help from Jay Garrick, fellow WWII hero Johnny Quick and Zen Master of Speed Max Mercury, oldest speedster on Earth. ‘Mach Three: The Other Side of Light’ revealed Mercury’s origins and hinted of the horrors facing Wally. Meanwhile Linda and Iris used old fashioned detective work to track down Kobra, and as Johnny’s daughter Jesse Quick joined the squad the snake lord’s ultimate plans manifested and it became increasingly clear that Impulse was far from ready to inherit Flash’s mantle should the necessity arise…

In ‘Mach Four: Hit and Run’ Jesse took over as the next Flash as Kobra seized control of the Twin Cities and the reason for Flash’s desperate actions was finally revealed, whilst in ‘Redline: Ultimate Rush’ (with additional pencils from Carlos Pacheco) Wally and Jesse found themselves hopelessly overmatched until Impulse came to their rescue. The saga concluded with an explosive sprint finish in ‘Overdrive: The Quick and the Dead’ (a marathon-length episode with art from Larrocca, Sergio Borjas, Pacheco, Oscar Jimenez & Marzan) wherein the Speed Team settled Kobra’s scaly hash whilst a coterie of superhero guest-stars pitched in to help save the world.

Best of all, Wally even sorted out the horror he glimpsed whilst falling through time and got to live happily after – for the present…

Gripping, immensely exciting and cathartically joyous, this beautifully realised and illustrated tale catapulted the Flash to the top of every fan’s must-read list and presaged a period of incredible creativity for this venerable character. Terminal Velocity embodies the very best of modern superhero storytelling (even if it is fifteen years old) and is a book any fan reader can – and should – enjoy…

© 1994, 1995 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved

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Green Arrow/Black Canary: The Wedding album


By Judd Winick, Cliff Chiang, Amanda Conner & André Coehlo (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-4012-1841-6

Green Arrow is Oliver Queen, a cross between Batman and Robin Hood and one of DC’s Golden All-Stars. He’s been a fixture of the company’s landscape – often for no discernable reason – more or less continually since his debut in More Fun Comics # 73 in 1941. During those heady days origins weren’t as important as image and storytelling so creators Mort Weisinger and George Papp never bothered, leaving later workmen France Herron, Jack Kirby and his wife Roz to fill in the blanks with ‘The Green Arrow’s First Case’ at the start of the Silver Age superhero revival (Adventure Comics #256, January 1959).

As a fixture of the DC Universe since the early 1940s GA was one of the few costumed heroes to survive the end of the Golden Age, consistently adventuring in the back of other heroes’ comic books, joining the Justice League during the Silver Age return of costumed crusaders and eventually evolving into a spokes-hero of the anti-establishment during the 1960’s period of “Relevant” comics, courtesy of Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams.

Under Mike Grell’s 1980/1990s stewardship he became a gritty and popular A-Lister; an urban hunter who dealt harshly with corporate thugs, government spooks and serial killers rather than costumed goof-balls.

And then he was killed and his son took over the role.

And then the original was brought back…

Black Canary was one of the first of the relatively few female furies in the DC universe, following Wonder Woman, Liberty Belle and Red Tornado (who actually masqueraded as a man) and predating Merry the Gimmick Girl. She was created by Bob Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, debuting in Flash Comics #86, August 1947. She disappeared with most of the other super-doers at the end of the Golden Age, only to be revived with the Justice Society of America in 1963.

Originally an Earth-2 crimefighter transplanted to our world, she has been ruthlessly retconned over and again, and (currently) Dinah Laurel Lance is the daughter of an earlier, war-time heroine. However you feel about the character two consistent facts have remained since her reintroduction and assimilation in Justice League of America #73-75 (see Showcase Presents Justice League of America volume 4): she has vied with Wonder Woman herself for the title of premiere heroine and she has been in a stormy romantic relationship with Green Arrow.

The affair which began during of the Summer of Love finally reached a dramatic culmination a few years ago when the couple at last named the day, and this fearsomely dramatic and cripplingly funny tome gathers those unforgettable moments in a celebratory chronicle that will warm the hearts and chill the souls of sentimental thrill seekers everywhere.

Reprinting Green Arrow and Black Canary Wedding Special and issues #1-5 of the monthly Green Arrow and Black Canary comicbook, the saga begins with a hilariously immature retelling of the path to wedlock from scripter Judd Winick and Amanda Conner: spats, tender moments, hen-nights, stag-parties and a tremendous battle as a huge guard of dishonour comprising most of the villains in the DCU attack the assembled heroes when they’re “off-guard”.

Naturally the bad-guys are defeated, the ceremony concludes and the newlyweds head off to enjoy their wedding night.

And then in circumstances I’m not going to spoil for you Green Arrow dies again…

Obviously it doesn’t end there. For the start of their new series and the story-arc ‘Dead Again’, by Winick and Cliff Chiang, Ollie Queen is only seen in flashbacks as the Black Widow Canary goes on a brutal crime-crushing rampage. ‘Here Comes the Bride’ finds her slowly going off the rails and only Ollie’s son Conner Hawke seems able to get through to her where friends like Green Lantern, Superman, Oracle and even Ollie’s old sidekicks Speedy and Red Arrow tell her to move on.

As usual it takes the ultra-rational Batman to divine what really happened on the wedding night…

In ‘The Naked and the Not-Quite-So-Dead’ Dinah and Mia Dearden – the new Speedy -infiltrate the island home of the miscreants who have abducted and imprisoned Green Arrow (notice how vague I’m being; all for your benefit?) where Ollie is already proving to be more trouble than he can possibly be worth. Conner is also on hand and whilst attempting to spring his wayward dad also falls captive to overwhelming forces…

‘Hit and Run, Run, Run!’ ramps up the tension as the heroes all escape but not before one of their number is gravely wounded by a new mystery assailant, and in ‘Dead Again: Please Play Where Daddy Can See You’ it’s Ollie’s turn to fall apart as his wounded young protégé fights for life.

The book concludes in the heart-warming ‘Child Support’ with another series of poignant flashbacks describing Green Arrow’s history and his extended family of sidekicks before Dinah leads Ollie back from the brink of utter despair…

Green Arrow and Black Canary are characters that epitomise the modern adventure hero’s best qualities, even if in many ways they are also the most traditional of “Old School” champions. This is a cracking example of Fights ‘n’ Tights done right and is well worth an investment of your money and time.

© 2007, 2008 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow


By Sean McKeever, Geoff Johns, George Pérez & others (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-84576-899-7

This slim volume of frantic Fights ‘n’ Tights teen angst follows on from an earlier saga when the constantly changing team of junior heroes arrived a decade into their own future and were aghast to find that their adult selves had conquered America in the name of peace and security. Forearmed with the knowledge of this dystopian tomorrow the kids came back to now (see Teen Titans: The Future is Now) and resolved to counter those events…

Superhero lives are fairly chaotic and in the interim a number of Crises occurred which seemed to guarantee that Tomorrow would never come true. This volume, collecting issues #50-54, opens with a memorial for Superboy and Kid Flash (both recently deceased) as Robin, Wonder Girl, Ravager, Kid Devil, Miss Martian and Supergirl share their grief and memories with previous members.

‘Passage’ (team written by Sean McKeever, Geoff Johns, Marv Wolfman & Todd Dezago and illustrated by Randy Green, Mike McKone, George Pérez, Todd Nauck, Andy Lanning, Sandra Hope, Marlo Alquiza & Larry Stucker) finds the survivors reminiscing in ‘Friday Night Lights’ and ‘Dear Barry…’ whilst including a neat, entertaining digression that provides the other side of a team-up with the new Blue Beetle against Biker-Berserker Lobo (the main part of that saga is collected in the superb Blue Beetle: Reach For the Stars).

Meanwhile a mysterious gang are systematically defeating the Justice League and replacing them…

The four-part epic ‘The Titans of Tomorrow… Today!’ begins with ‘Futures of the Past’ (McKeever, Alé Garza, Derek Fridolfs, Rob Hunter & Marlo Alquiza) as the future Titans – including versions of the dead Superboy and Kid Flash – arrive in contemporary times to ensure their own existence by forcing their younger selves to comply with their draconian counterparts continually re-editing memories.

Simple, no? Perhaps not, as wild card Blue Beetle has inexplicably re-entered the mix…

Selecting a key moment when the alien invader Starro nearly conquered Earth, the future Titans substitute themselves for the JLA and attempt to seduce, demoralise and even thrash their teen incarnations into becoming the fascist monsters they are, but youth is always rebellious and plans go very wrong indeed in ‘Beat Yourself Up’ (art by Jamal Igle, Alquiza, Jesse Delperdang & Hunter) as Robin finds a uniquely dramatic way to stymie his tomorrow tormentor and Blue Beetle leads a counterattack…

The temporally fluid situation shifts again as the future Luthor materializes with a battalion of tomorrow’s corrupted superheroes in ‘Combine and Conquer’ (illustrated by Eddy Barrows & Rob Hunter) to finish the battle and save his own timeline, but his Titan’s Army has overlooked the mind-controlling power of Starro who (which?) simply takes them all over.

The action spectacularly concludes in ‘Fight the Future’ (Barrows, Joe Prado, Greg Tocchini, Hunter, Julio Ferreira & Oclair Albert) as allegiances shift and the future dies forever in an explosive battle and simple resignation…

Fast, furious, this extremely twisty-turny, time-travel extravaganza is better than most of its ilk, and on the whole this is a genuinely fun-filled action romp; but once again I can only remark that for the less well-informed reader or DC newcomer, the bits without hitting and explosions might be very confusing. As always, the choice is yours. The future is not immutable…

© 2007, 2008 DC Comics. All rights reserved.

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The All-New Atom: Small Wonder


By Gail Simone, Rick Remender, Pat Oliffe, Mike Norton & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-4012-1996-3

The adventures of the all-new Tiny Titan came to an abrupt halt with this final collection of mind-bending, time-busting yarns, collecting issues #17, 18 and 20-25 whilst inexplicably omitting #19 (a rather tasty subterranean thriller fill-in from Keith Champagne & Jerry Ordway). Whether the switch from stellar and wistfully whimsical scripter Gail Simone to darker, more hard-edged Rick Remender indicated the series was failing or perhaps caused its eventually demise is a matter of speculation – but it was probably neither…

After the events of Identity Crisis and 52, size-changing Professor Ray Palmer vanished, leaving his world behind him. But life goes on, and his post at Ivy University was offered to a young prodigy from Hong Kong who just happened to be Palmer’s pen-friend and confidante: privy to his predecessor’s secrets ever since he was a child. This neophyte, Ryan Choi, soon inherited his Palmer’s super-hero identity as well – under some rather suspicious circumstances. He battled super-villains, monsters and seemingly random chronal catastrophes that were making Ivy Town a viper’s nest of bizarre occurrences.

Gail Simone opens the book with the two-parter ‘The Atom and the Amazon’ illustrated by Mike Norton, Andy Smith, Trevor Scott and Keith Champagne, a bravura combination of action, adventure and sublime surreal comedy wherein expanding villainess Giganta sexually harasses the young professor into a date whilst the mysterious forces and agencies infesting Ivy Town all jockey for position before the impending crisis to come.

Things come to a head when Federal Department of Metahuman Affairs agent Diana Prince steps in and asks Choi to wear a wire on his assignation…

When a creep with a detachable brain provokes a confrontation Wonder Woman steps in and events spiral out of control until Ryan uses a brilliant seldom-seen ploy to calm things down. Sadly the peace is temporary as the brain-thing incites the entire city to attack the heroes. Nevertheless Atom saves the day and is rewarded by the most outrageous offer he has ever heard…

Simone ended her run with ‘A Few Small Affairs’ as the sinister mastermind  behind so many of Choi’s problems traps the diminishing hero in the perfect prison: a paradisiacal hallucination whilst in reality demons, monsters and aliens rampage through the city…

To see how he stops that mess you’ll need to get this book, but that’s not the end of the fun as the epic ‘Inside Out’ by Remender, Pat Olliffe & John Stanisci pits the new Atom against truly horrendous odds and insurmountable problems. In ‘The Positive Aspects of Negative Thinking’ Choi discovers that his explorations of the micro-cosmos have infected him with a virus and unleashed a monstrous carnivore on the city, whilst ‘How to Disappear Completely’ leaves him shocked and reeling when the beast devours his best friend Panda.

Consumed with a need to make amends Choi is utterly unaware that arch-enemies Chronos and Dwarfstar are preparing to attack, and is horrified to learn that the micro-monster has since disintegrated dozens of citizens. Meanwhile his infection is causing him to uncontrollably shrink in violently painful spasms…

Donning a high-tech containment suit Choi battles on in ‘Strange New World’ becoming lost in the microverse but joyfully discovering that the townsfolk “consumed” by the monster were in fact reduced to sub-atomic proportions and trapped in an extremely hostile new universe. His elation is tempered however when he realises that time passes much faster there and if the horrors inhabiting the place don’t eat them first, they could all die of old age before he can rescue them…

‘Forecast Fascist Future’ guest-stars Booster Gold and focuses on Chronos and his partner in time-crime, a mysterious lady from Choi’s past. All the myriad threads of the series converge and Ray Palmer returns to save the day, revealing some shocking truths to – and about – his successor in ‘Time’, the gripping conclusion to a bold epic and conclusive proof that the Tiny Titans should have been given more time to continue their adventures…

Alas they didn’t and the series passed away, but at least lovers of fun, fantastic fantasy Fights ‘n’ Tights fiction have this tome and its three companion volumes to enjoy, and who knows, maybe the All-New action will resume one day?

© 2008 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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JLA: Ultramarine Corps


By Grant Morrison, Ed McGuinness, Val Semeiks & Dexter Vines (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-84576-383-1

Here’s a peculiar little item thrown up by the peculiarities of periodical comics publishing, but one increasingly important to fans following Grant Morrison’s creative pyrotechnics in the Batman titles. Collecting a portion of JLA Secret Files 2004 #1 and JLA Classified #1-3 the tome also rather inappropriately includes one of those always uncomfortable marriages of publishing convenience as the JLA endures another less than stellar cross-company crossover – this time from JLA/WildC.A.T.S #1.

In JLA: Justice For All Grant Morrison introduced a team of American military metahumans duped by malevolent General Wade Eiling into attacking the World’s Greatest Super-heroes. Wising up at last the Ultramarine Corps eventually declared their independence and resigned their commissions. Setting up a floating headquarters called Superbia, the quartet invited other heroes – such as the Global Guardians and some members of previous Justice Leagues – to join them as a pre-emptive strike-force that would not rule out extreme sanctions wherever necessary.

Here Ed McGuinness handles the art for the spectacular sequel as the new champions attack and are attacked by the lethally dangerous Gorilla Grodd. ‘Island of the Mighty’ finds the Knight and the Squire centre-stage as the new team’s arrogant assault goes hideously awry and all those heroes not eaten by the sinister simian are co-opted by a fantastic being called Neh-Buh-Boh and turned upon helpless humanity.

Meanwhile the JLA are fighting in a distant baby universe and only Batman remains to protect the Earth…

‘Master of Light’ pairs the Dark Knight and the Squire as Grodd’s eerie ally extends his control over the surviving heroes of Superbia, clearly working to his own agenda, whilst the super-ape easily quashes Batman’s last-ditch attack. Things look bleak in ‘Second to Go’ until the JLA returns to spectacularly save the day, before suggesting a unique penance for Superbia’s Finest…

Fast-paced, glossy and chock-full of big ideas this light romp is an enjoyable piece of eye-candy most notable for laying the groundwork and setting up the ambitious Seven Soldiers publishing event.

The remainder of this book is a less successful, but still a vitally visual fiesta for fantastic fight-fans as old JLA foe the Lord of Time begins to rewrite history, causing dimensional rifts and an uncomfortable alliance with the parallel earth heroes called the WildC.A.T.s.

The tale is stuffed with guest cameos as the heroes chase the increasingly more powerful villain through the ages, but as usual far too much time is spent with the teams fighting each other (presumably because all any comic fan could ever desire of a team-up is to discover which hero is strongest/fastest/most buff or buxom…) before they finally unite to tackle the bad-guy – who defeats himself when they cannot.

This yarn is a poor example of Morrison’s exceptional talent, but Val Semeiks, Kevin Conrad & Ray Kryssing do the best they can so at least it looks shiny and pretty. Even though a shaky fit these mismatched tales will still please the dedicated fans and the Ultramarine episodes offer a tantalising glimpse of greater things to come in better conceived books.

© 1997, 1999 DC Comics and Regis Entertainment, 2004, 2005 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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JLA volume 5: Justice for All


By Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Howard Porter & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-84023-110-6

By the time of the fifth collection featuring the breathtaking adventures of the World’s Greatest Superheroes, a pattern for gargantuan epics and mind-boggling conceptual endeavours had been well established and re-originators Grant Morrison and Howard Porter, whilst patiently laying the complex groundwork for a “Big Finish” saga were increasingly sharing creator credits with the cream of the comics-making premier division.

This book, collecting issues #24-33 of the monthly comic-book, also includes contributions from writers Mark Waid, Mark Millar & Devin Grayson and art by Mark Pajarillo, John Dell, Walden Wong & Marlo Alquiza, but begins with Morrison and Porter (with Dell on inks) in cracking form, introducing a brand-new super-team in ‘Executive Action’ as the American military, in the form of General Wade Eiling, announced its own metahuman unit “The Ultramarine Corps”.

The four-person squad was officially tasked with pre-emptively defending America from paranormal threats, but as the JLA (and long-term DC fans) were aware Eiling had a long history of covert, “black-bag” and just plain illegal operations and remained duly suspicious. When the Corps stole the artificial body of major League foe Shaggy Man everyone concerned knew it was bad news but even they were unprepared for ‘Scorched Earth’ wherein Eiling set his Ultramarines and the beleaguered US army against the heroes.

Meanwhile New God members of the JLA were preparing for the imminent cosmic threat they had enlisted to confront (and which would finally materialise in the next volume) whilst Batman, Huntress and Plastic Man infiltrated the General’s base to discover his real motives…

The spectacular revelatory conclusion came in ‘Our Army At War’ (with art by Pajarillo & Wong) as Eiling’s plans were disclosed and the truth about the Ultramarines was uncovered. The net result was the disillusioned super-soldiers setting up their own operation independent of any national influence and beginning to gather like-minded costumed champions for a First-Strike force. They would soon return…

Time-travelling future-robot Hourman replaced the Martian Manhunter for a while and Mark Millar, Pajarillo, Wong & Marlo Alquiza crafted ‘The Bigger They Come…’ a delightfully retrospective yarn which saw size-changing physicist Ray Palmer return to service as the Atom when power-stealing super-android Amazo was accidentally reactivated.

The main event of this volume is a JLA/JSA team-up ‘Crisis Times Five’ (by Morrison, Porter & Dell). The thunderbolt Genie of Johnny Thunder returned with a new master and reality was grievously assaulted by unnatural disasters and magical monsters. Somehow, Triumph, an old friend and foe of the League, was at the heart of it all but promptly found himself trapped in a true Devil’s Bargain…

In ‘World Turned Upside Down…’ with reason on the run the assembled champions of League and Society battled rampant magical chaos, retrofitting a little more secret history as the assorted sprites, Djinn and pixies of the Silver Age DC Universe were revealed to be something far more sinister, and ‘Worlds Beyond’ saw those Genies reduced to civil war; concluding with ‘Gods & Monsters’ as a vast army of united heroes saved reality in the nick of time and space…

‘Inside Job’ (Waid and Devin Grayson with art by Pajarillo & Wong) is deeply embedded in company continuity, set during the Batman: No Man’s Land publishing event and referencing one of the League’s first cases (for which see JLA: Year One) as genetic supremacists Locus returned to make quake-devastated Gotham City their private Petri-dish and releasing a mutagenic terror-virus that not even the JLA could combat…

The book ends with Waid, Pajarillo & Wong’s ‘Altered Egos’ as Batman led a plainclothes mission to discover who – or what – was masquerading as Bruce Wayne: an unexpectedly violent mission which resulted in the return of the League’s most dangerous opponents…

Although Justice For All is as compelling and engrossing as the preceding four volumes the inevitable slippage into company history and continuity means that some tales here might well confuse or even bewilder newer readers; but for all that the action, wit, imagination and sheer fun of these stories should still provide immense enjoyment for devotees of Costumed Dramas and Fight ‘n’ Tights fiction.- and after all, isn’t that inconvenience exactly what footnotes, search-engines and back-issue comics shops are for?

Compelling, challenging and never afraid of looking back fondly or laughing at itself, the new JLA was an all-out effort to be Thrilling, Smart and Fun. For a brief moment in the team’s long and chequered career these were the “World’s Greatest Superheroes” and increasingly ambitious epics, broken up by short, sharp single-issue sorties reminded everybody of the fact. This is the kind of joyous frolic that nobody should ever outgrow and these are graphic novels to be read and re-read forever…

© 1998, 1999 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Superman & Batman: Generations – An Imaginary Tale


By John Byrne, coloured by Trish Mulvihill (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-56389-605-7

Working on the biggest guns in any company’s publishing stable is like being King Canute. You get the major gig, make your irrevocable, industry-shaking refit of said star-vehicle and then as time passes, watch it get inevitably changed or as with DC in current times changed back to suit the restless drive of the fickle fans.

After Crisis on Infinite Earths the myriad alternate Earths that had housed different eras of DC heroes as well as providing handy accommodation for the company’s acquisitions such as Fawcett’s Marvel Family and retinue or the Charlton Action Heroes line had been amalgamated into one bulky, homogenous whole, and the company took the opportunity to retrofit their major stars into the bargain.

Batman got darker, Wonder Woman was culturally re-cast and Superman had all the charming Mort Weisinger/Murray Boltinoff/Julie Schwartz additions and contributions to the original Siegel & Shuster paraphernalia jettisoned by revamp architect John Byrne. Out went the friendship with the Caped Crusader, the entire career as Superboy and all the tenuous, wondrous baggage of fifty spectacular years.

And then he decided to bring it all back…

In the four-issue Prestige format miniseries Superman & Batman: Generations, An Imaginary Tale published under DC’s non-continuity “Elseworlds” imprint in1999, Byrne posited a world where the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader began just as they had in the dog-days of the 1930s, and by sampling all the eradicated material prior to Crisis, explored how the pair would have fared had they aged like us relatively real people.

Written with obvious affection and referencing the magnificent alternate-continuity flights of fancy dubbed “Imaginary Stories”, but with a more mature modern sensibility the saga progressed in decade-wide jumps that followed the family and friends of the World’s Finest Heroes in an epic struggle spanning the years 1939 to 1999, with a punchy postscript set in 2919 but revealing a secret origin in 1929.

Beginning with ‘The Vigilantes’ where two new mystery-men, Superman and Batman first meet to defeat the mad scientist Ultra-Humanite at the New York Word’s Fair, jumping to ‘Family Matters’ in 1949 where the Joker and Luthor kidnap Clark Kent’s wife Lois, the ‘Strange Days’ of 1959 where aging Dark Knight and Metropolis Marvel battle Bat-Mite, Mr. Mxyzptlk and a host of weird aliens and monsters whilst their children prepare to succeed them or tragically fall the turning point comes with the ‘Changing Times’ of 1969.

Now elder statesmen of the heroic community Batman and Superman watch their children deal with such complex issues as corrupt US President Nixon, the Vietnam War and massive social unrest, only to lose one of their own to the ageless madness of the Joker.

‘Twilight of the Gods’ in 1979 introduced the eco-despot Ra’s Al Ghul to the saga as triumph and tragedy continued to dog the heroes’ descendents and one of their oldest foes struck his most telling blow, whilst ‘Crime and Punishment’ a decade later found the revenge-crazed Superman a disgraced and hunted felon for taking the law into his own hands, with the epic proper ending in 1999 with ‘Beginnings and Endings’ as the fragmented survivors of the twin heroic dynasties reunited after years at odds.

The epilogue ‘1929’, using the magic of comic-books leapt into the 30th century to reveal the actual first meeting of Superman and Batman, a rather saccharine conclusion that was clearly meant to presage the inescapable sequel…

Complex and professional yet somehow inadequate and unfulfilling, the time-girdling circularity and touchy-feely happy-ending is strongly reminiscent of Robert Heinlein’s later Lazarus Long novels (but lacking the satirical bite), as Byrne focused far too hard on adding everything Silver-Aged-and-the-Kitchen-Sink to the mix, but for all that this is still a hugely readable piece of sweetened fluff, beautifully engaging and thoroughly engrossing, and might well act as a gateway tale for new readers and young fans to try the older material for themselves.

Great but not the greatest, Generations is a book every Fights ‘n’ Tights fan should try, but be warned it’s out of print and going for a vast range of prices from online and high-street retailers…

© 1985 DC Comics.  All Rights Reserved.

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Batman: The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul


By various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-84576-845-4

This fast and frantic collection presents another “final” clash between the Gotham Guardian’s extended gang-busting family and the immortal criminal mastermind: one which re-invents the eco-supremacist Ra’s Al Ghul.

This contemporary and more acceptable embodiment of the classically inscrutable “ancient foreign menace” was typified in a less forgiving age as the Yellow Peril or the threat of the Eastern races for the “civilised” West, embodied most memorably by Sax Rohmer’s Dr. Fu Manchu. This breed of alien archetype permeates the early days of popular fiction and is an overwhelmingly powerful symbol, although here the character’s Arabic origins, neutral at the time he was first created, seem to embody a different kind of ethnic bogeyman in today’s post 9/11 world.

The concept of a villain who has the best interests of the planet at heart is not a new one, but Ra’s Al Ghul, whose avowed intent is to cull teeming humanity back to ecologically viable levels and save the Earth from Mankind’s poisonous polluting madness, hit a chord in the 1970s – a period where such issues first came to the attention of the young. It was a rare kid who didn’t find a core of good sense in what “the Demon’s Head” planned.

The character is still best remembered for the O’Neil/Adams collaborations (see Batman: Tales of the Demon) but has come a long way since: arguably becoming more diluted and less impressive with each outing, but here an awesome assemblage of writers – Paul Dini, Grant Morrison, Peter Milligan, Fabian Nicieza, Keith Champagne and artists David López, Jason Pearson, Tony S. Daniel, Freddie E. Williams III, Don Kramer & Carlos Rodriguez, Ryan Benjamin, David Baldeón, Alvaro López, Jonatham Glapion, Wayne Faucher & Bit, Saleem Crawford and Steve Bird revive “the Demon’s Head” in breakneck, high-octane fashion just as DC’s much-publicised plans to kill off Bruce Wayne were about to commence.

Gathering the crossover story-arc that featured in Batman Annual #26, Robin Annual #7, Batman #670-671, Robin #168-169, Nightwing #138-139 and Detective Comics #838-839 the tale follows Talia and her son Damian as he learns the secret history of his dead grandfather Ra’s Al Ghul as Batman roves the world hunting down the last ancient alchemical Lazarus Pits which have always resurrected the long-lived villain over the centuries.

Genetically perfect, young Damian, whose sire was (technically) the Dark Knight is a reluctant student, and suspects that there might be an ulterior motive for his latest lessons. Playing hooky in a Cantonese graveyard the boy experiences things that shake even his cocky, obnoxious bravado…

Old time Wonder Woman mentor I-Ching (see Diana Prince: Wonder Woman volumes 1-4) guest-stars in the unfolding saga as does the deadly Sensei, master of Al Ghul’s League of Assassins; all strands in a broader web of intrigue revolving around the son of Batman, a factional war to determine the eventual successor to the Demon’s globe-girdling organisation and the desperate hunt to find the mystical city Nanda Parbat; an utterly pure refuge from all earthly evil.

However it seems the Demon is not quite dead: his consciousness is trapped in a disintegrating animated cadaver and if he is to survive the immortal mastermind needs to transfer his soul into the body of someone young and who, preferably, shares his genetic structure…

Revolted and on the run Damian turns to the Batman Family to save him from this horrendous fate whilst his mother Talia is been ousted from leadership of the cult by the mysterious White Ghost, fanatical acolyte of Al Ghul and one who holds the secrets of reviving the undying eco-terrorist…

Perhaps a little short on mood, this all-out blockbuster epic might appear a little disjointed to newer readers, but the action is non-stop and absolutely mesmerising as the assorted heroes try to halt the villain’s inevitable return, prevent a far worse monster from taking his place and save an innocent city and potentially malign child from falling into undying darkness.

Dedicated fanboys will thrill to the return of low-key old baddies such as Merlyn the Archer, Silken Spider, Tiger Moth and Dragonfly, the heroes strut their martial stuff against hordes of ninjas, assassins and warrior death-cults and the settings range from lost world to hidden kingdoms with the ever-present treat of soul-stealing body-snatchers ramping up the tension page by page. Daft and joyous this is real treat for the extreme combat fans and lays the threads for much of what would follow in the days after the latest “Death of Batman”.

© 2007, 2008 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.