Comics

Supergirl #16

/ / Comics

Supergirl #16I’ll be honest, I haven’t looked at the current Supergirl title since the first days of the New 52 and I haven’t been keeping up with Superman, either. That means I felt a little lost at the beginning of this “He’l on Earth” tie-in, but what I really picked up the issue for, Supergirl going one-on-one with the Flash, the comic delivered.

From what I could understand there’s an alien named He’l who wants to travel back in time to save Krypton. A somewhat smitten Kara is in favor, while Superman is not. While the Man of Steel and (apparently) the Justice League are busy with He’l this issue focuses on the Flash fighting, and trying to talk some sense into, Superman’s stubborn cousin.

There’s plenty of action along with a couple humorous surprises for the Scarlet Speedster as his discovers that Superman not only has a zoo in the Fortress of Solitude but also a dog. The story does a good job explaining how the Flash can keep up with Kara by choosing to focus on how the hero thinks and moves faster than everyone, even Kryptonians.

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The Lone Ranger #12

/ / Comics

The Lone Ranger #12The Lone Ranger #12 is a fitting, if uneventful, conclusion to the “Native Ground” arc from Ande Parks and Esteve Polls. The Lone Ranger returns to the Ute tribe with their healer, a Mormon woman who spent many years with the tribe as a slave and eventually a medicine woman, after being betrayed the the Native American warriors.

By the end of the issue the Masked Man will have his faithful companion back at his side and a far better understanding of the loss which still haunts him. Although the arc doesn’t give us any more of Tonto‘s backstory, such as continuing his tale to the fateful day at Bryant’s Gap where he came upon a single surviving Ranger in the midst of a slaughter, the arc does conclude with the Ranger growing to know the person who has become his truest friend a little better.

The arc lasted a little too long for my tastes, so I’m glad to hear the comic is following “Native Ground” with a series of one-shot issues featuring the adventures of Lone Ranger and Tonto. For fans.

[Dynamite, $3.99]

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Young Justice #24

/ / Comics

Young Justice #24Things aren’t going well for the Young Justice team in either the past or the present. In the flashbacks the team attempts to stop Deadshot‘s assassination attempt. And in the present things aren’t looking much better as the scattered members of the team deal with an alien invasion and it’s effect on the populace of Metropolis.

Superman,Superboy, Captain Atom, Captain Marvel, and Wonder Woman continue to try and fight off Braniac‘s crystallized minion in space as the Atom, the Martian Manhunter, and the Flash‘s attempt to sneak aboard the ship slowly shrinking Metropolis fails in spectacular fashion, nearly costing the three heroes their lives.

Although Nightwing and his team of Zatanna, Blue Bettle, and Wonder Girl are far more successful in their attempt to infiltrate the ship, they are unprepared for what awaits them. While trapped in the city, Black Lightning tries to keep the peace and clamp down on the rioting and looting as Batgirl tries to hold off the Supeboy clone Match all on her own.

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Red Hood and the Outlaws #16

/ / Comics

Red Hood and the Outlaws #16With both teams missing their leader Arsenal and Starfire help the Teen Titans take on a Jokerized mob. Writer Scott Lobdell continues the current trend of having Arsenal, not the Red Hood, be the voice of the book (of course he kinda has to do that this month as the Red Hood doesn’t appear in his own book). The issue is actually one of the better Death of the Family tie-ins. Of course that’s not saying much.

Arsenal comes up with a plan to find the antidote for the Joker Venom (in such a way that made absolutely no sense to me, no matter how many times I re-read the panels). While he and Bunker keep the mob at bay the rest of the team retrieve the supplies (something Kid Flash probably could have done quicker on his own, but oh well).

Aside from the main story, and its logic problems, Lobdell throws in tons of extras including a glimpse of the person responsible for getting Roy off of heroin (it ain’t Ollie), and the foreshadowing of not one but two DCU baddies coming their way once the Death of the Family crossover concludes.

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Batman and Robin #16

/ / Comics

Batman and Robin #16In the latest Death of the Family crossover a captured Damian is pitted against a Joker-Venom-enhanced Batman in a battle to the death as the Joker gleeful watches to see how far the deadly new Boy Wonder will go to save his own skin.

Of course it’s not really Batman under that cowl. Something that is all too obvious to the reader isn’t even considered for a moment by the New 52‘s smartest 10 year-old. The Joker doesn’t get the outcome he wants, but he is able to torment Damian in yet another pointless crossover issue that feels more like a Saw-inspired Batman parody than an actual Bat-book.

There’s plenty of gruesome action here. And the comic has one highlight where the far too dim Damian makes a concious effort not to kill the man he believes is his father. Sadly it’s too little, too late. Pass.

[DC, $2.99]

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