Comics

The Shadow #21

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The Shadow #21The Shadow‘s search for Bai Hu leads the vigilante to the Himalayas in search of a former acquaintance, a Chinese military officer who, like The Shadow, once served as a warlord dealing out death and destruction. Remembering all too well what the vigilante was capable of when he knew him as Ying Ko, Jin Fulin eagerly answers the questions posed.

Although he does not find the man he seeks, The Shadow’s journey is far from a failure as he dispenses justice on both his old friend and a washer woman whose particular method of revenge (soaking the soldiers uniforms in a special chemical that will burst into flames after too much exposure to sunlight) is both chilling and brutal.

Once again the storyline touches on a piece of The Shadow’s past without revealing too much of the man he once was, other than the fact that he lived many lives in several different countries before learning the secret to cloud men’s minds and deciding to make New York City his home. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #2

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #2As Lex Luthor releases the Monitor from his Russian prison, unaware how powerful and dangerous the creature actually is, in Gotham City Lois and Chloe seek out Batman and Nightwing for their help investigating the murder of a man dressed up like the Man of Steel.

While teasing us about a Crisis and parallel Earths (one of which I hope resembles the pre-New 52 DCU), Smallville Season Eleven: Alien showcases the capabilities of the Monitor who proves more than a match for the entire legion of Rocket Reds and even for Superman who the Monitor wounds (much to Clark’s complete surprise).

The Gotham storyline offers writer Bryan Miller and artist Edgar Salazar a chance to show off the Smallville version of the Batcave to Chloe and Lois and tease us with the possibility of a certain Mr. Dick Grayson being introduced into the series in the near future. Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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Fairest #22

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Fairest #22Believing her fairy godmother to be the most likely suspect behind the rat men’s attacks on Snow White and herself, Cinderella heads to Ultima Thule where the witch has spent the last several years caged in the dungeon (or so everyone thinks). Finding the godmother’s wand but not the woman herself, Cinderella and Dickory head to Amsterdam to usher the absent-minded old woman suffering from Alzheimer’s out of a smoky pot den right before being attacked by another group of rat men.

The mystery thickens as the fairy godmother, not Cinderella, proves to be the target. And the woman pulling the trigger is someone whom she once knew quite well. Fairest #22 offers a couple of pieces to the puzzle, but none that give away anything about the reason behind the attempted assassinations and why a defenseless old woman was on the hit list.

Once again Marc Andreyko and artist Shawn McManus offer a fun adventure for Cindy and her mousey pal but we’ll have to wait at least one more issue to discover the identity of the man who has hired Cinderella’s step-sister as an assassin and what his end game entails. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $2.99]

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Morning Glories #36

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Morning Glories #36The latest issue of Morning Glories turns its attention to Ian, a student of Abraham’s Camp and a member of Irina‘s failed takeover attempt of Morning Glories Academy. Along with showing us Ian’s current activities, Morning Glories #36 gives us a look back at the man who made him and Dainelle Clarkson’s discovery of him years before during Casey‘s time traveling adventures.

Released from holding, Ian returns to his friends who happen to be the would-be newspaper publishers Hunter has been recently spending time with. Although outwardly charming, Ian (like Irina) appears to have a quick temper and dark motives Hunter might not be prepared for (especially after discovering who has just arrived at the Academy).

Rather than being coy, Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma come right out and showcase Ian’s unusual nature although we don’t get an explanation as to why there are so many versions of him running around (clones, copies, astral projections, duplicates?). Whatever the case, it’s obvious he’s someone worth keeping an eye on. Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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Fatale #19

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Fatale #19The amnesiac story arc comes to a close for Josephine whose slowly returning memory cautions her to flee town as soon as possible. However, something stronger forces her to return to the band’s home seeking out Lance and the record of the song (inspired by her presence) which left out in the open could do all kinds of irreparable harm (as could the music video footage now in the hands of her enemy).

Fatale #19 not only offers us the final confrontation between Josephine and the cop whose serial killer activities put all the recent events into motion but it also gives us a glimpse into the fate of Lance, who like all men who come into contact with Josephine, is left a broken and obsessed shell of the man he once was.

And before coming to a close we get a big reveal in the Nelson and Nicholas Lash’s storyline as Lash discovers the identity of his murderous savior whose very personal agenda doesn’t necessarily involve the best outcome for his captive. Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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