December 2007

Five by Five.  Another piece of Buffy Season 8 is put in place with the conclusion of the Faith arc in “No Future for You” Part 4.  A slayer will die, Giles will kill, and Faith with get an offer she can’t refuse.  Oh, and there’s a cameo by everyone’s favorite former mayor of Sunnyville.  If that’s not enough to make you pick-up this issue I honestly don’t know what to say.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #9
Custom Rating

“No Future for You” part 4 brings the end of Faith‘s story arc, but thankfully not the end of our beloved “bad” slayer.  The final chapter starts with a memory of Faith and Mayor Wilkins.  Equally parts sweet and creepy it reminds us again just how fucked up this girl has gotten over her short life (and what a terrific villain the Mayor really was).  From there we jump right into a slayer vs. slayer battle and some magic thrown in too (see Giles isn’t just watching anymore as he lets a little of the old Ripper loose).

We also see Buffy and Giles haven’t completely made up after the Spike incident from Season Seven and glimpse a new partnership between Giles and Faith which might be something worth pursuing in future issues.  And we finally get a peek at the name and face of this season’s big bad – Twilight (okay, so it’s the masked face, but that’s something right!).  From the short ending scene with his minion we are given more hints about his plans and the lengths he will go to obtain his goal, the “coming purge,” and the focus of all his plans – the death of Buffy Summers.

In many ways Faith is a more compelling character than Buffy and I’m glad she got her own story arc here, but is some ways I wish they would spin her off in her own book which could deal more in-depth with emotionally screwed-up sex pistol who can take care of the world, but isn’t quite sure how to take care of herself.  And I must admit I loved the flashback and always enjoy some of Mayor Wilkins.

We get what we need from this issue.  Although there are no surprises there’s plenty of hurt to go around including Buffy’s bruised ego at Giles’ dismissal, Faith once again forced into a role she seems uniquely suited for, and, finally, the appearance of our villain.  It’s not all it could be, but it moves the season along and with Whedon returning for the next issue it looks like a promising new year, maybe not for Buffy herself (knowing Whedon’s joy in putting his beloved creation through pain), but definitely for her fans.

“Thy Kingdom Come” continues as the Kingdom Come Superman takes his first steps trying to fit into a new world.  Plus some new and returning heroes, more with the Cosmic treadmill, a kick ass battle or two, and a tender moment between two lost super-humans without worlds of their own.  It’s Justice Society of America issue #11 folks, and this is the review!

Justice Society of America #11
Custom Rating

“The Second Coming,” part two of “Thy Kingdom Come” finds the Justice Society and the Kingdom Come Superman coming to grips with each other.  I really enjoyed the early uncomfortable scenes as different members of the JSA react to Superman in their own ways.  I like Johns too-short take on Batman in these scenes and wonder if he might get to take a stab at one of the Bat-books in the future.  We learn that Earth-22 has been destroyed and there is no home for this Superman to return to.  It’s a fun ride as the “new” Superman takes his tentative steps to be part of the new world and the JSA.

We also get a new Judomaster (which was okay but nothing special).  When you fill the pages with more and more heroes as this version of Justice Society is doing many of these marginal heroes just don’t make the cut.  I’m a little concerned the cast is getting too big (it will grow even larger next issue), what I liked about the previous JSA was Johns making the group just big enough to emphasize their characters but not going overboard.  We’ll have to see how this plays out.

Also in this issue: Wally and Jay play with the Cosmic treadmill (which didn’t really live up to the promise from the teaser in the last issue), plus a very touching between Superman and Power Girl – both lost heroes from other worlds now gone, and the re-appearance of Mr. America.  All these moments are laying ground for stories to come, and I like the idea of teaming up the two lost souls together in Supes and Power Girl, and any mention of Barry Allen makes me happy (but is anyone else wondering, with all the Countdown tie-ins why hasn’t a Barry Allen shown up from any alternate reality??).  Oh, well.

There’s a huge fight between Judomaster and the Ketsueki Sensei, but as with all of Geoff Johns tales the real fun comes in the characters interacting with each other and dealing with new and unusual circumstances.  Sadly there’s now flashbacks in this issue showcasing the art of Alex Ross, but we do get a pretty darn good cover and a story credit for him; guess that will have to do ‘til next issue.

So far the “Thy Kingdom Come” has started out subtly.  I’m not sure exactly where Johns plans on taking our new Superman, how long he will stick around, or what his role in the larger DCU will end up being, but I’m psyched to see his introduction and very pleased to see how well and naturally he fits into the Justice Society.  I hope they keep him around a very long time.