After the CIA installs the wrong man as the President of Chad (Jonathan Adams), Division is tasked with assassinating an out of control asset who plans to sell a list of the names of every overseas operative working in the oil industry to the Russians. When both Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) and Birkhoff (Aaron Stanford) refuse to take part Nikita (Maggie Q) and a conflicted Owen (Devon Sawa), with Sean (Dillon Casey) as back-up, go in alone to assassinate the world leader and make it appear as if he died of a heart attack as Michael (Shane West) and Ryan (Noah Bean) try to keep the rest of Division from finding out about the mission.
As Batman, Alfred, Nightwing, and Red Robin lay Damian Wayne to rest Grant Morrison’s craptastic Leviathan storyline continues. Talia, her overgrown clone of a son, and the Leviathan troops are in control of Wayne Enterprises and issue demands for Batman to be banned from Gotham City and all of Batman Incorporated’s operations around the world to cease immediately.
Sure I could sit here and rip apart Grant Morrission’s “plot,” such as how Leviathan could ever make good on their threats, or the near-impossibility of removing all likenesses of Batman from a city in eight hours. Or I could simply point out the writer’s usual brand of mumbo-jumbo that the writer uses in place of actual plot.
Or I might mention how ridiculous the events covered in this storyline appear when (aside from Damian’s death) are completely being ignored in EVERY OTHER BATBOOK. You’d think Gotham under siege of a terrorist organization run by Batman’s former lover might be something that would effect other Batman-related comics.
After being betrayed by Jones (Aisha Tyler) and loosing the weapon he fought so hard to obtain, XIII (Stuart Townsend) goes into hiding in the show’s Season Two premiere. After being shot and left for dead on the bridge XIII lays low, hiding out in a peaceful Occupy-style rally, but when the members are brutally assaulted by the local police force XIII intercedes to save one of the protesters, Betty Barnowsky (Roxane Mesquida) who introduces her protector to the head of the protesters known as The Veil, a man named Vargas (Bruce Ramsay) in need of someone with XIII’s skill set to take down a company known as Synequanon who is testing an ecological damaging weapon in Alaska.
When his daughter (Andrea Bowen) is kidnapped and held for ransom Hollis Doyle (Gregg Henry) and his wife (Melinda McGraw) turn to Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) to get her back which is complicated by Hollis’ belief that the entire kidnapping was his daughter’s idea (even after a severed ear is delivered to the office). Olivia also has the unexpected pleasure of the unannounced arrival of the head of the CIA (Kurt Fuller) on her doorsteps inquiring as to who hired Olivia Pope & Associates to have Quinn (Katie Lowes) and Huck (Guillermo Díaz) tail him around Washington D.C. As if that’s not enough for the team to juggle, David (Joshua Malina) begins sleeping in the firm’s offices after his apartment was ransacked.
Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell is the April cover girl for Teen Vogue. In her interview with the magazine Mitchell discusses what an honor it is for her to play one of the few young lesbian characters on television, how her sense of style is drastically different from the character she plays on TV, working with the Somaly Mam Foundation, leaving Canada after high school to work as a model in Bangkok and Hong Kong, the support of her fans, and learning to embrace her uniqueness. You can find photos from the cover shoot as well as a short video inside.
Poker is the name of the game in this latest issue of A+X. We’re given two stories, each involving an Avenger and X-Man sitting down for a friendly game of cards.
The second story, although not nearly as entertaining, also features two heroes winding up at a poker game as the Yancy Street friends of Ben Grimm invite Gambit, over for the weekly poker game. There’s some okay back-and-forth between the characters and late twist, but it’s the less interesting of the two stories. Worth a look.
Although Snow White’s predicament isn’t really humorous, the sheer nature of it allows for some offbeat jokes (including Snow White doing potty humor?). By the issue’s end Bigby, being finally made aware of what has been transpiring in his absence, returns home to save Snow White and put things right.
Sadly, once again Snow White is cast as the victim of the piece at the complete mercy of the man who wishes to bend her to his will. Not only does the spell cause Snow to give herself a nasty gash on her cheek, but Brandish goes so far as to break his wife’s arm to teach the woman her place. Yeesh.
With G.I. JOE going public in IDW’s recent relaunch of the main title, there’s still plenty of quieter jobs for a covert force to do around the globe. Written by Chuck Dixon, G.I. JOE: Special Missions focuses on Scarlett and her team dropped into the middle of the action in southern Libya while around the globe an old enemy is making plans of her own.
Discovering the location of Cobra’s sunken $40 billion treasure (the one Snake Eyes scuttled while working with the Arashikage) Cobra’s former lieutenant has gone into the salvage business. To retrieve the gold she’ll need the help of some capable sailors (the ones she doesn’t cripple in a bar fight), and to stay one step ahead of Serpentor‘s Coil soldiers (who have been dispatched to kill the traitor) as well as Scarlett’s team who heads after the treasure as well after an unorthodox extraction by Wild Bill.
I’m glad to see Dixon getting another G.I. JOE title, although the covert team is sorely missing the most covert JOE of all – Snake Eyes. We’ll have to wait and see if the still presumed dead JOE turns up or if Dixon has any plans for the masked man’s protege Helix in the coming months. Worth a look.
Poker is the name of the game in this latest issue of A+X. We’re given two stories, each involving an Avenger and X-Man sitting down for a friendly game of cards.
