Batman and Red Hood #20

Hey guys and gals, JT here with my second review of the week, something I've been waiting for since I'd heard about the changes to the Batman and Robin title. So, without further adieu, Batman and Red Hood!

Batman and Red Hood #20

Summary: This issue starts off with Batman investigating some criminals when Alfred tells him he has a guest. Bruce heads upstairs to see Carrie Kelly, and after talking about Damian missing and Bruce saying he's studying abroad for a few years, Carrie returns most of Bruce's money, saying she doesn't take what she doesn't earn. She notices Titus and shows she has a bit of knowledge about dogs, but Bruce doesn't wanna hear this and tells Alfred to show her the door. Alfred offers Carrie a job taking care of Titus for a few days a week, as well as covering her food and gas, and she accepts. Jason eventually runs into Bruce, as he was there for one final check-up by Alfred to make sure he was fine after the recent Joker events, and Bruce invites him to go stop some criminals with him. Batman and Red Hood make short work of the cartel of snipers, considering a few targeted Damian when Talia put a bounty on his head, with Hood only shooting for the knees, elbows and hands, per Bruce's request. They eventually take them all down, with Bruce paralyzing the nerve endings in one guy's hands so he'll never be able to use them again... well damn.

Jason asks Bruce why he asked for his help, he had fun but Bruce didn't need him there. Bruce reveals he did want to stop those guys but he had other motives, as the two drive, Bruce reveals that they are at the place where Jason died. Jason is obviously pissed about this, saying this is not somewhere he wants to be, as that was the worst day of his life, but Bruce says if he can help him erase the worst day of his life and bring Damian back. Jason attacks Bruce, saying he wants to move forward and not worry about his past and how Joker and Bruce have tainted his life, and the two beat the crap out of one another. Bruce says he needs to bring Damian back, he earned the right to grow up and he wants to give it to him, but Jason says Bruce has nothing else to give. Jason says he was ready to forgive Bruce and stand beside him and he threw it all away. He tells Bruce to take off his mask so he can kick his ass and Bruce does, and knocks Jason down. He tells Jason that he trained him better than that and to get up and hit him. Jason does just that and delivers a few stiff punches to Bruce's face, but Bruce says he's still standing while he stumbles. Jason grabs his helmet and says he's taking the car, then tells Bruce goodbye as he leaves him standing there. The issue comes to a close with Two Face holding a gun in a dark room, flipping a coin which lands on heads, then saying "No."

Thoughts: I loved this issue. Not just because Jason was in it, but of course that helped. I loved the way this was set up. Bruce was so upset, he was willing to let Jason shoot these guys, in a none lethal manner but that shows how angry he was. Also, Bruce fried the nerves in a man's hands because he was willing to kill a kid, which worked for two reasons, one, It shows how pissed off he was, which made a lot of sense, and it was something he could've only done WITH Jason. Dick would've done something or said something about that, as would Tim, but Jason didn't even bat an eye. Also, Jason was finally the bigger man here, and not only was he the bigger man, Bruce was in the wrong here. And seeing them fight over the place where Jason died, no masks, no tricks, just a fight between father and son. And Bruce clearly wanted to lose here, as much as I am a fan of Jason's, it was fairly obvious Bruce did this to punish himself on his second destination through the five stages of grief. I'm excited to see what happens with Two-Face now that they've shown he'll be popping up soon, as well as seeing how Bruce interacts with Babs after not only Damian's death but the Death of the Family stuff. I'm even a bit interested in seeing what they do with Carrie Kelly, plus hearing Bruce yell at Alfred when he finds out about her new job.

Score: 10/10

Batman and Robin #18

Hey crew, JT here with my second review of the week, as we continue on with the Requiem of Damian Wayne. This issue is rare because it's completely silent, there's hardly any text, save for a letter near the end. So let's see how this worked out.

Batman and Robin #18

Summary: We start things out with Bruce sitting in Damian's room, looking at his notebook that's full of sketches, including a robin, Titus, Bruce, Alfred and Bruce's parents graves. Alfred is seen crying at the family painting of Bruce, Dick, Tim, Damian and Alfred from the first issue of Batman (I think it was that.) and coincidentally, Damian's picture is unfinished. Bruce walks over and closes the curtains over the painting then carries it away. From there, Bruce slides down the pole to the Batcave, suits up and goes to fight crime, the whole time seeing memories of Damian, and how happy he was to team with his father. The memories of Damian make him even more upset and he takes it out on villain after villain, leaving them all on the roof by the Bat-Signal, leaving Gordon and Bullock in awe. Bruce eventually returns home, battered and bruised and showers before heading to the lockers where they keep their gear. He mistakenly bumps Damian's locker, causing it to open and finds a note his son left him. The note says he's sorry for disobeying him and going to fight Leviathan but Bruce needs him by his side.  He also delivers an amazing line I'll post below as the line of the issue. Bruce sheds a tear as he reads Damian's letter then just snaps, he starts breaking everything and screaming before cradling Damian's costume as this issue comes to a close.

Thoughts: Amazing. Simply amazing. Tomasi scripted a hell of an issue in pure silence basically, which seems like a very hard thing to do. But he and Gleason, major props to Gleason, manage to show so much emotion through these pages. You can see the hurt on Alfred's face, the regret on Bruce, as well as not just his anger but his depression and the somber tone of the issue. You can even see the sad and bit of scared look on Titus' face while watching Bruce breakdown at the end of an issue. There's so many issues of comics that I love because of the dialogue, hell Batman #18 was one of them, but this took the opposite approach and gave me the same result, a comic I thoroughly enjoyed. This issue was perfect as far as I'm concerned.

Score: 10/10

Damian's letter: Because it will be hard for me to say these words face to face, I want you to know that Mother may have given me life, but you taught me how to live.

Injustice: Gods Among Us #2

Hey Todd Squad members masquerading as X-Maniacs, JT here with my first review of the week. Before I jump into that though, since this is the only DC book I review this week, I just wanted to say this about the Batman Inc. 8 thing that's sweeping the internet. If you haven't read it, skip down to the review because I'm going to spoil the HELL out of it! Alright... gone yet? Okay cool, so, Damian's dead or whatever, and this is something I couldn't wait for, that is before he started getting likable thanks to Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl run and Tomasi's Batman and Robin and grew on me. So I'll say this... Bruce... three out of five of your Robin's have died. You are a horrible guardian. You should probably just stop taking in Robin's.... Jason, Stephanie, Damian, each time you didn't get there in time... so... work with adults now... okay? Also, he'll be back... his mom put Jason in a Lazarus pit and she didn't even KNOW him... Now we return back to are regularly scheduled programming.

Injustice: Gods Among Us #2

(Edit: This is a pretty big review, so I spaced it in three parts for you guys... I'm nice like that.)

Summary: In the last issue of Injustice, Superman had just killed Lois, their unborn child, and the City of Metropolis, all thanks to The Joker's insidious ways. We start off with Bats asking Joker why he did it this to Superman, and Joker gives a line of the issue worthy answer, two pages into the issue. Wonder Woman goes to talk to Superman and he asks her to watch over Lois and makes a beeline for The Joker, as he's been taken to Gotham by Batman. Green Lantern tries to stop him but he bursts through his bubble, and then uses his super speed to take Hal's ring, causing him to drop from the sky. Superman catches Hal and places him on the ground, then takes his communicator and destroys it so he can't warn Batman. Superman heads to the Gotham Police Station where Bats is interrogating Joker, and Joker says he basically did this to corrupt Superman, but Batman says Superman is the best of them and nothing could corrupt him. He's soon proven wrong as Superman breaks through the wall and sticks his hand THROUGH the Joker, as Joker's torso engulfs his elbow, leaving Batman shocked. 

Next, we see Harley Quinn in a cop car, as she breaks free after killing the two officers transporting her to Arkham Asylum. Turns out she heard over the police radio that Joker was dead and just snapped. Harley stops at one of Joker's safehouses and changes out of her prison gear to her Harley clothes and is confronted by Green Arrow, but Harley surprisingly gets the drop on him. As she's about to smash Ollie's head in with a mallet, it squeaks because she made a mistake and grabbed a toy mallet. She pulls out a real gun and Ollie jams the barrel with an arrow, which makes Harley giddy like a child and she asks him to do it again. Oh Harley, you lovable fool. Ollie obliges and does it again, this time with a net arrow, and constrains Harley. Harley asks if he's taking her to Superman, and he says no, he won't stand by while a superhuman squashes her like a bug, but he's also trying to stop a friend from making a big mistake. Ollie gives her a arrow with knock-out gas to...knock her out, as Harley proclaims he sucks and passes out. She wakes up in Green Arrow's underground lead-lined Arrow Cave, and makes fun of how stupid that name is. She asks why he doesn't call it something that makes sense, like The Quiver, to which Green Arrow says that actually is better. HA! As Ollie's leaving, Harley describes her love for The Joker, and it sounds a lot like the women that have loved Ollie, because they forgive him, then he does something terrible, and they forgive him again. Before Ollie leaves, Harley asks him to give her a maniacal laugh to cheer her up, but she says no, so she puts on a fake mustache which causes Ollie to laugh. (It makes more sense if you read the comic, I promise.) 

From there, we see Superman in the Fortress of Solitude, still covered in The Joker's blood and with a bit of a beard, so it's been a few days, as he hears a bunch of news reports but focuses on one about a War in Bialya. Superman proclaims "No more." and flies to Bialya, saving a small boy and then apologizing for not being there sooner. He then flies to Bialya's Capital building, grabs their president and flies him down to the war-torn area of the people he's supposed to protect. Suerman then strips him of his shirt and tells him he's no longer in charge. Wonder Woman arrives and tells Superman that he's being filmed, and he says he has something to say, but she tells him she will call a press conference at the United Nations, and she should wash the blood and shrapnel off of himself and shave, and then he'll say what she's been waiting for him to say since they first met. At the Press Conference, Superman says he's sorry, and he failed them. He reveals himself as Clark Kent and he says for too long he's reported on crimes and reacted to them. He says he will not allow monsters to roam free and hurt people, and he's calling an immediate world-wide ceasefire. He doesn't care if you're a Terrorist, King or President, you don't have the right to take innocent lives, and that everyone will stop all hostilities immediately, or he will. The issue ends as we see Superman say "It's over."

Thoughts: Goddamn this comic was amazing. I don't know where you've been hiding, Tom Taylor, but I will gladly read any comic you write. First things first, the first act or whatever you wanna call it was amazing, seeing how easily Superman was able to stop Hal from slowing him down, hearing Joker's reasoning for messing with Superman, and the debate Joker and Bats had about whether Superman could be tainted, then seeing Superman just impale The Joker with so much rage in his eyes, I loved it. I also really enjoyed seeing Harley snap, as well as seeing what may be a new crush in the form of Green Arrow. That was an odd duo to see together but it worked, the goofy humor, the way Harley was written here was fantastic, and Ollie realizing that in a weird way he's no better than The Joker when it comes to women was interesting and it kinda fit for Ollie, since he's a known womanizer. Lastly, seeing Superman finally do something myself and X have been lobbying for every since the amazing Superman/Batman "Super/Bat" arc from issues 53 to 56, Superman has finally decided to stop world-wide crime, which is something Batman did when he got Superman's powers. It makes sense now, as with no Lois, no job, no friends really outside of the Caped Community, that he'd do this. I was already really excited for the Injustice game but this series is doing an amazing job of making me even more excited for it. So if you couldn't tell, I loved pretty much everything about this issue. Now that said, we know Joker is in the game. My thoughts are either somehow he didn't die...which would be shocking, or he's in the game's story mode for flashback purposes only or stuff that happened before Clark kills him, but I guess we'll see.

Score: 10/10

Batman: This has always been about us. Why did you do this to him?
Joker: Every time you and I play, I lose. I was getting a bit bored of always losing. I thought I'd try this on easy mode for a bit. And it was easy.

Injustice: Gods Among Us #1

Hey Todd Squad, JT here with my final review of the week, and it looks to be an interesting one. For those not in the know, DC Comics has a fantastic looking fighting game this April called Injustice: Gods Among Us, and this comic works as the prequel for that series, since the game will have a vastly different DCU than the one we currently know, so let's see what kind of world we'll be dealing with.

Injustice: Gods Among Us #1

Summary: This issue starts things off with Clark waking up at night excited because he's heard two heartbeats coming from Lois, so she's obviously pregnant. An excited Superman wants to keep Lois home and safe but Lois being the stubborn woman she is says she'll be fine and Superman agrees, knowing how tough Lois is. Superman wastes no time finding Batman, who is in Metropolis to investigate something for STAR Labs, and tells him the good news, and even asks Bruce to be the future Son of Steel's godfather. From there we jump over to the docks to see a story Lois is investigating with Jimmy Olsen, when suddenly Jimmy is shot through the lens of his camera and killed by none other than The Joker. Joker and Harley kidnap Lois, and when Superman eventually finds Jimmy dead the next morning and a Joker playing card, he finds Batman and says he can't find Lois. Batman, who was investigating stolen Kryptonite from STAR Labs, who had been using it to see if they could cure diseases with it, calls in the Justice League to help find Lois, and we see Flash, Cyborg, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow and the like checking in. Flash covers quick ground and lead encased places and comes across the body of the Scarecrow, who looks to have been killed with Joker Toxin. At the docks, Wonder Woman uses her lasso on one of Joker's Henchmen to find out he and Harley hijacked a Submarine, which Superman quickly finds and places on the beach. He rips open the submarine and finds Joker and Harley dressed in scrubs, seemingly operating on Lois. Superman drops to his knees because there's Kryptonite venting through the air ducts and Superman is surprised to see Doomsday there as well (?!) Superman, thinking of protecting Lois and the baby (which catches Harley off guard) attacks Doomsday and flies him into the sky as Joker and Harley try to escape but their caught by Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Flash and Batman. Batman goes to investigate the Submarine but stops when he notices Scarecrow's Fear Toxin is in the submarine. Bats asks Joker where Lois is, and he says he operated on her, and she's the trigger to the Submarine's warhead (which is missing), and that when her heart stops, so will every heart in Metropolis. Batman winders why her heart would stop and puts together that Joker mixed his the Scarecrow toxin with Kryptonite so that it could enter Superman's lungs. He calls Superman, telling him to stop and whatever he was seeing wasn't real, and Supes is able to stop himself just as he realizes he's flown Lois into space and stopped her breathing, because he'd mistakenly thought she was Doomsday. Joker smiles, asking Batman if he knew Lois was pregnant, as Batman spins around and clocks Joker, and suddenly the Warhead, which was hidden in Metropolis explodes, taking the city with it, as Batman, wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Joker and Harley look on at the explosion.

Thoughts: Now thats how you do a prequel. Holy hell this issue had a lot to it. I saw Lois dying coming a mile away after the pregnancy thing was announced, but I didn't expect her to die at Superman's hands. That was an excellent twist, because for all intents and purposes, he's going to kill Joker now. He has to, and of course Bats won't let him, so there's the dissension. Plus, not only did Superman lose Lois and the baby, but he also lost his buddy Jimmy Olsen AND Metropolis. Superman is directly responsible for the Death of Metropolis and his wife and kid, thanks to The Joker... That story kinda made his story in Death of the Family look small by comparison. I really enjoyed this issue though, It was great, everything worked, the characters felt genuine, and Joker beat Superman... and it MADE SENSE... now we get to see Superman's descent into madness, which should be fun.

Score: 10/10

The Flash: Sorry. I know carrying you is a bit... awkward but it really is the quickest way.
Batman: Just go fast enough that no one can see us.

All New X-Men #3

Hey Todd Squad, JT here with my second review of the week, it's the rapidly releasing All New X-Men! As we saw LAST WEEK (see what I mean about rapidly?) The Original Five set off to intercept Cyclops for a chat as the issue came to a close, now let's see how the O5 fared.

All New X-Men #3

Summary: This issue kicks things off with a flashback to ten days ago, when Cyclops, Magik and Magneto find their new home, the old Weapon X place where Wolverine was created, which Cyclops dubs the "New Xavier School." From there we jump forward eight days, to see Cyclops and Magneto intercept a convoy that's transferring a prisoner, when they open fire, for some reason Magneto's powers start to mess up and he can't hold back the bullets or the truck that's headed for them, and Cyclops ends up shooting the chopper down by mistake when his visor gets knocked off. He scrambles to put it on and asks Magneto what's wrong with his powers as they free the prisoner, none other than Emma Frost. Emma asks why Scott saved her, after leaving her in the hands of the humans after stealing her Phoenix Force, but he says it wasn't him and the Phoenix made him crazy. She then questions him, saying was it him when he betrayed her, or when he killed Charles Xavier, but Cyclops stands his ground and says it wasn't him, as Emma turns away, obviously still upset. Cyclops asks where she's going and she says away from him, so he tells her to read his mind and see how sorry he is, but she can't. She says the Phoenix Force messed with their mutations, since she can't read minds, Cyclops can't control his Optic Blasts as well, and Magneto can't control his magnetism either. Magneto notes he didn't have the Phoenix Powers but Emma says Scott still let Magneto have it when he went nuts, then says "Oh wait, it was the Phoenix" very condescendingly. Emma says she's leaving, when the Police show up, and Emma says maybe they do belong in prison, but Magneto says they'll figure out a way to fix this, as Cyclops calls for Magik to transport them out of there. Back in the present time we see another new mutant pop up, at an Pro-Mutant Rally, but from there we see Cyclops trying to control his powers, but he can't. Magneto shows up and says that he still can't control his, but at least Scott did that to himself, whereas Magneto didn't have the choice of even getting the Phoenix power. Scott says it wasn;t him, but Magneto says he's done enough evil things to know that nothing made Scott do that stuff, he chose to because he wanted to, including killing Xavier, and he says Scott will help him get his powers back, or else, when the two are interrupted by Magik. Xyxlops explains that Magneto is upset with him as Mags leaves, and we discover that the Phoenix Force actually made Magik more powerful, as she can pull stuff from limbo now. The conversation is cut short when Emma explains about the new Mutant, so Cyclops and Magneto go to meet the new mutant and recruit him for the "Revolution", when Cyclops is asked when it became a revolution, and what the hell does he think he's doing... by none other than Cyclops, as the issue ends.
 
Thoughts: First things first I gotta mention the art, it was pretty damn great. Stuart Immoment did a great job and he drew a stunningly beautiful Emma Frost, as well as capturing the subtle emotions of Cyclops, Emma and everyone else throughout this issue. I loved the reveal that there are some problems with powers, except for Magik, which is sure to get a little spite her way from the rest of the team. I really enjoyed the scene with Emma and Cyclops, as well as the one with Cyclops and Magneto. Add that with the fact we know for a fact Cyclops and Cyclops meet, and he's there with MAGNETO.... and Jean's there..in the next issue, I couldn't be more excited. I enjoyed everything about this issue though, especially Scott playing the victim, and not being believed by Emma (she's even greater now that she's anti-Scott) or Magneto, since they've both been the bad guy. So, that said, there's nothing to stop me from giving this issue a perfect score.

Score: 10/10 

Emma Frost: So it wasn't you who betrayed me and left me for dead? It wasn't you that murdered Charles Xavier in front of ALL OF US?!

Amazing Spider-Man #698

Hey guys and gals,JT here with a HUGE review on tap, that Dan Slott said would set up things for ASM #700 and beyond, and he was not overreacting. No more delaying, let's get straight to it.

Amazing Spider-Man #698

Summary: We kick things off on the Raft with the SWAT team raining down on Doctor Octopus' cell because he's finally speaking and showing activity after being basically comatose for the last few weeks. As they move in, Doctor Octopus mumbles "Peter Parker" as we see a gold Ockbot crawling along the top of a building. From there we see Spidey, happily web-slinging around New York until he's called to stop a crime, which he does by knocking a robber loopy. Turns out the robber is just a guy in a costume trying to avoid a harsher jail sentence since super-criminals have more leniency than an armed robber, but that didn't stop Spidey from knocking the guy out like he was punching the Incredible Hulk. Spidey flees the scene and heads home, commenting on how he's got a nice apartment, boyish good looks and more, when he notices a scar on his face he got during the Hobgoblin fight, which he vaguely remembered getting, then notes he "probably heals faster than most". From there Spidey listens to his voicemails, reminding him to stop at MJ's club (which causes him to remember them meeting for the first time and he says they should get back together), a message from Jay Jameson reminding Peter to come see Aunt May at the hospital (to which Peter refers to May as "That dear sweet woman." and lastly a message from Max Modell confirming Pete's evaluation at work. Peter heads to meet with Max and basically tells him that all of his experiments thus far have been child's play, and Peter has even better tricks up his sleeve. Peter then heads to his lab and mixes up a new batch of web fluid, remarking how incredible it is he came up with such a formula while only a Sophomore in high school. Afterward, Peter stops at MJ's club and tells her they should be together, he's tired of taking the little steps they have taken in the past. MJ is caught off-guard by Peter's presumptuousness and remembers she said she's go see Aunt May at the hospital and Peter says he's going too, and as MJ goes to get her coat, Peter winks at some nearby women. Peter and MJ visit Aunt May to see her first steps since the accident, and Peter tries to talk to MJ about getting back together but he's signaled on his Avengers ID card and has to go to the Raft, Jay tries to tell him he needs to be with his family but MJ vouches for Peter's job being busy and needing him for a big project so he leaves, but Aunt May comments to Jay that Peter seemed flirty with MJ and she may finally get some grandchildren. Spider-Man heads to the raft and meets with the Avengers when he's told Doctor Octopus has been asking for him, as Peter Parker. Spidey goes to meet with him one on one and Doctor Octopus whispers "Peter Parker". Spidey unmasks and says "Yes, I'm Peter Parker." to which a crying Doctor Octopus says he's Peter Parker. Spidey says not anymore, and reveals that at some point, he switched bodies with Peter Parker, and now Doctor Octopus, with all of Peter's memories and his body, plans to live Peter's life while Peter dies in his old, withered body, and Ock won't even reveal to Peter how he did this incredible trick. Peter (in Ock's body) flat-line's as the Medics come in and try to save him, meanwhile the NEW Spider-Man leaves, remarking he's got better things to do with the rest of his life.
 
Thoughts: Holy....shit. Who saw THAT coming? This issue blew my mind, so thanks Dan Slott for doing something amazing that literally shocked me. I was speechless for a few minutes after reading this comic, and seeing Peter in Ock's body, helpless and crying that he was Peter Parker was one of the saddest things I've read in a comic. Now there's a ton of ways this can go, obviously the morality that if Peter had let Doctor Octopus die, he could've avoided all of this. There's also the question of how long has this been in play? Did this start when he put on Ock's helmet at the end of Ends of Earth? How did Ock do this and how long has he planned it? Was there nothing Julia Carpenter could do to help Peter? The body change had to happen between this issue and #697 because Doctor Octopus seems to not remember how he got that scar for a second, when Peter got it fighting Kingsly and Urich. I'm interested to see if Ock stays Spidey, I mean we know Superior Spider-Man has a different Spidey but WILL it still be Octopus? And what happens now that Peter Parker is supposedly dead, although the medics could save him. Regardless of all of that, this issue was perfect. The reveal made a ton of sense and warranted a re-read as SOON as I finished it, which explained so many things. This was a perfect comic, and definitely one of the best single issues I've read, not just based on the shock value of the ending but the way it was crafted to show you that while this was Peter, it also wasn't. I look forward to seeing what Slott does from here.

Score: 10/10 

Spider-Man: I've got better things to do with the rest of my life.

Batman #13

Hey everyone, JT here with the return of the freaking Joker. So screw all this intro crap, Joker's been gone for a year, he's back, let's get to it!

 Batman #13

Summary: We pick things up in Gotham with Commissioner Jim Gordon and Detective Harvey Bullock discussing the weird things that have been happening in Gotham, like three days straight of rain, and a lion cub being born with two heads at the Gotham Zoo. He says they're omens and when something happens people are gonna say they should've expected it from the omens. As they talk, we see a "Forget Me Not" catering van arriving in Gotham and right outside of the GCPD. Inside the building, Gordon is talking to his officers when the power goes out. The generator's kick in as Gordan see's The Joker in the doorway. The lights go out again as Joker taunts Gordon with jokes while murdering officers one by one, snapping their necks in the darkness. Joker eventually says that Gordon is looking well, as is Barbara. Gordon yells at him not to say her name, but Joker says Gordon is always hiding things, like the pack of smokes he hides under his mattress, and Joker says he's seen it, since he sometimes lies under Gordon's bed at night, and sometimes he wants to reach up and... Joker laughs as a startled Gordon shoots. The lights come back on and Batman is standing next to Jim, who is literally circled with the corpses of dead Police Officers. Batman asks Gordon what Joker did, and he says Joker told a joke, as he checks the evidence room and see's that Joker has stolen his face back. Next we see Bruce in the bat cave, studying The Joker, looking for clues about where he may be. While Bruce and Alfred discuss Joker, Damian basically calls Joker a pushover, to which Bruce tells him that couldn't be farther from the truth, and not to underestimate the Clown Prince of Crime. Eventually Nightwing, Red Robin and Batgirl all contact Bruce to confirm that The Joker is back when a news-feed seemingly shows The Joker making an announcement live on television. He says that he's been away but now he's back, but you can see the Joker is actually behind a man whose face is painted like The Joker's. He makes the statement that Mayor Hady will die at midnight, and after using his body double to make this announcement, Joker shoots him point blank in the head. Turns out Joker's body double was the son of the first man he killed in Gotham (to Batman's knowledge) and Joker killed his dad the same way Joker said he'd kill the Mayor, as Joker seems to be repeating his first kill for some reason. The original first kill was poisoned with Joker Toxin, so Batman and Gordon run numerous blood tests while protecting him with other officers as Batman works in the shadows. Eventually, Batman realized Joker wasn't going to kill Mayor Hady, he'd actually poisoned all of the police officers with Joker Toxin, causing them to die, but instead of having the trademark smiles, they had frowns. Batman takes a sample of the Toxin and sends it to Alfred, who notes it's the same except now Joker's added Asprin, Chlorine and Ethanol, which Batman puts together as A.C.E., the ACE Chemical plant where Joker and Batman first started their historic rivalry. Joker is waiting for Bats when he shows up, wearing his Red Hood attire and telling Bats that this is why he left, because he needed the Real Batman. Bats says that this Red Hood isn't Joker, and asks where he is. Batman runs at the Red Hood and is suddenly hit by a huge mallet which knocks him into an empty chemical vat. The doors seal on the vat and it starts to fill up with the chemicals that Joker fell into. The Red Hood removes their helmet to reveal that it's actually Harley Quinn! Joker's voice was coming from a recording in the helmet, and Batman yells that he knows Harley is up there. Harley says Joker's not the same, he's no longer her Mr. J and his plan is too much, even for him. Batman yells at her to tell him where Joker is, as we cut over to Wayne Manor to see Alfred opening the door. As Alfred opens the door, he see's the two-headed lion cub and Joker is suddenly behind Alfred, raising a hammer and saying "Now, Mr. Pennyworth, stop me if you've heard this one!" and maniacally laughing as this issue ends.


Thoughts: Holy...shit. Okay... I doubted Snyder a bit after the Court of Owls ending. I doubted his Harper row issue. But this... this was amazing. His Joker was fantastically written, he was close enough to Joker that he seemed like the same character but so sadistic that he seemed new and even more ruthless. The stuff about being under Gordon's bed, and knowing something only Gordon would know about what's under his bed was creepy as shit because that means it HAD to be true. While Gordon slept... The Joker sat under his bed with a creepy smile on his face, and that's got to be scary as hell. This is a Joker who knows who Batman is, and instead of just going after Bats and leaving Bruce be as he always does, he's going after everyone, including ALFRED. This storyline had a ton of potential and if Snyder can keep this up, this is definitely going to be an arc we all talk about for many year, much like Year One, Hush, Knightfall and etc. There's also a creepy back-up story where we see Joker returning to Harley, threatening to remove her face and describing it in gruesome detail, as well and how he got her on board for his plan that was great too. It looks like we're in for a treat with The Joker's return, and I'm not sure if anyone is really safe...

Score: 10/10 

The Joker: But just because he's the Mayor, don't think he may-or-may-not die. He's dead as a baby bird smashed with a crowbar! (This was an excellent hint at what would happen in hindsight...)

Avengers Academy #38

Hey everyone, JT here and today's review is none other than the penultimate issue of Avengers Academy, and it features a Flag Football game between the Avengers Academy students and faculty vs. the Jean Grey school's students and faculty.

Avengers Academy #38

Summary: This issue has a lot to touch on, so I'll go with the broad strokes instead of a page by page rundown. The Flag football game is more of a framing device to get everyone in one place, as it falls to the back for this issue, but when touched on, it's awesome. The rules allowed the students and faculty that participated to use their powers, as long as they aren't using them in hostility, and if they do, they get ejected from the game. This leads to many ejections, some at the very start of the game (I'm looking at you Iceman and Hawkeye!) and more as the issue goes on. From there, we see Gambit talking a bit with X-23, about how killing a person as an assassin is different from what she did to Briggs, and how there may be some psychological problems to it, but Laura brushes him off. We also see Gambit giving advice on women to Reptil, who is still pining after Finesse, although she seemingly shows no interest in him. We also see Mettle and Rockslide share a moment where Rockside basically tells Mettle how lucky he is to have a girlfriend that loves him and he's anatomically correct, unlike Rockslide, and to appreciate how great he has it, to which Mettle agrees. Along with that, we get a great moment about Striker learning to accept who he is thanks to Anole, regardless of his new facial scars. Wolverine uses this time to tackle the hell out of Hank Pym, in a flag football game, as revenge for Pym kicking him out of the Quinjet during AVX. This of course leads to Tigra sticking up for her man and having a scrap with Wolverine off panel, before they're both tased by Jocasta to break them up. There's also the fight between Quicksilver and the Shi'ar warrior, Warbird, after she mentions how Quicksilver's marriage is a joke on her planet, as is he. Quicksilver tells Warbird that he's the reason his marriage didn't work out, he knows that and he's not going to live a lie and act like he's not hurt from it, which surprisingly leads to Warbird locking lips with the mutant marathon man. Another awesome scene was seeing Finesse admit to X-23 that she's the one that killed Briggs, and that she used Laura's claws to do it. X-23 is justifiably upset that her "best friend" used her as a weapon, and replies that she's killed everyone that's done that to her. Finesse says she hopes X-23 will realize why she did what she did, that she made a choice, and now X-23 has choices to make as well. The issue comes to a close as we see Pym, Jocasta, Kitty Pryde and Iceman discussing how hard it is to be a teen hero, and that maybe it's time the kids got something of a reward for their hard work.


Thoughts: First things first, I loved the cover being an homage to Uncanny X-Men #100, that's pretty awesome. So, I loved everything about this issue, like I said earlier. the football game was more of a way to get everyone in one place, but the one on one conversations, like the advice Gambit gave Humberto, the tense scene with Laura and Finesse, the bro-like conversation between Mettle and Rockslide and the hilarious thing with Wolverine, Pym and Tigra alone made this a fun issue. This was the kind of light-hearted, yet very story driven issue we needed before the last issue, and it really captured the amazing job Christos Gage has done in this series with these characters. This issue was perfect as far as I'm concerned, I enjoyed it immensely and in my eyes, that makes it a perfect issue.

Score: 10/10 

Gambit: 'Ey, brother. You mind some advice?
Reptil: Grow my hair long and talk like Pepe Le Pew. Got it.
Gambit: Not what I was gonna say, but it works pretty good for me.

JT's Take: Amazing Spider-Man #692

Hey Todd Squad, JT here and man oh man, I am falling apart at the seams! Haha, I didn't even have time to get a NCD post up yesterday, so I guess instead of letting you guys know what I picked up, I'll surprise you guys with a review until I run out of this week's comics. I decided to review ASM first due to it's 50th Anniversary and it's huge price tag! This book was six bucks, so it had better have some great stuff in it. So let's see shall we?

Amazing Spider-Man #692

Summary: This mega-sized issue of our favorite arachnid has three Spider-Man based stories. In the first story we see a kid named Andy Maguire, who goes to school and is content with being a nobody, he's not a jock, a geek, a stoner, he's just there. He coasts by with average grades, has a mom and dad that are too busy for him and he's basically just an average kid. When his school visits Horizon labs and to see a new experiment by Peter Parker, who plans on debuting Parker Particles, something goes awry and the kid pushes a girl out of the way of a blast, and when he's hit, it gives Andy super powers. Unlike Peter Parker's origin, everyone see's and knows Andy has powers. Peter feels horrible that he could've killed someone, and Andy's parents quickly try to sue Horizon labs. Modell reaches out to the superhero/genius community and has tests run by Hank "Beast" McCoy, Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards, Hank "Giant Man" Pym, and Tony "Iron Man" Stark. We find out that Andy can fly, shoot energy beams, has super strength, super speed and force fields, but he can only use one power at a time. Reed then pulls Peter aside and tells him that Andy's powers will continue to grow, and how Hulk, The Phoenix and The Sentry are Omega level threats, Andy is currently an Alpha-Level threat. Modell assigns Peter to work with Andy to help make him a costume and gear like he does for Spidey, as they decide to hire Andy as their spokesman, Alpha. Andy quickly agrees, and his parents due as well when they realize how much money they can make off of him. Alpha wastes no time using his powers to show off to his fellow students, which rubs Peter the wrong way. Pete decides to take Alpha under his wing as Spidey and enter him into the Sidekick program, and teach him what to do and what not to do. When Spidey gets a call from the Fantastic Four to help out against Giganto, Spider-Man tells Alpha to stay put as, he's not ready yet. Alpha of course doesn't listen and ends up knocking out Giganto and getting all the glory, plus he steals Ben's catchphrase. A cocky Alpha then basks for the news cameras as Mr. Fantastic and Spidey talk about what a monster Spider-Man has mistakenly created. This story comes to a close as we see none other than The Jackal (!) watching Alpha, as he plans on doing what he does best, this time to the young hero Alpha.


Thoughts: I decided I'd just review the main story for this review, but don't get me wrong, the other two stories, especially the third one about Peter trying to make it to a meeting, were great, fun reads. As for this issue, I wasn't really looking forward to this storyline, but I'm really enjoying it. Alpha is kind of a less homicidal version of Damian Wayne, and he's a fun character. When he proclaimed that Spidey was his sidekick I couldn't help but laugh. I'm wondering where the character goes from here and what Spidey can do to get through to him. Plus, seeing The Jackal reappear was definitely unexpected, I can't wait to see how this story plays out.

Score: 10/10 

Alpha: Put me in their "Sidekick Program" and everything. Even gave me Spider-Man as a sidekick! Cool, right?

JT's Take: Amazing Spider-Man #691

Hey guys and gals, today's review is the last issue of the current storyline chronicling The Lizard. Let's see how Spidey deals with a Human Lizard and a ton of Lizard humans... or whatever.

Amazing Spider-Man #691

Summary: This issue starts off with Spidey getting ready for a fight, but he doesn't need to since the giant lizards are docile, considering Lizards and humans get alone fine. Hm... that was a twist. After hearing gunshots, Peter finds Carlie, who used them as warning shots for the Lizards thatt were near her but they're also docile. Peter see's Connors, who immediately injects himself with the Lizard formula, because he refuses to rot in a prison. Now the Lizard is pissed at Spidey because he wanted to stay human and enjoy things and couldn't, so a new and improved, stronger and faster Lizard starts to attack, but Spidey gets him away before he transforms fully, or he'd have control over the other Lizards. While Spidey and The Lizard fight in the streets, the Horizon Labs crew works on an antidote for the transformed colleagues, using Morbius' cure as a base. They come up with a cure and get it to Spidey, as The Lizard stops attacking people because he see's every kid as Billy Connors, every adult as Martha Connors, and he see's Spidey as Curt Connors. Spider-Man takes advantage of the Lizard's confusion and stabs him through the skull with the cure in a hypodermic harpoon needle. Spidey immediately regrets his decision, thinking he killed the Lizard, but the Lizard weakly tells Spidey that he failed and he isn't human. Spidey webs up the Lizard long enough for him to be transported to a super-villain prison. Back at Horizon, the employees have been cured and Max mentions to Hector that someone has stolen something from his lab, and he wants a private investigation. We then jump over to see Tiberius Stone presenting a completed Spider-Jammer to the Kingpin, and telling him he can have dozens in the coming weeks. Kingpin is pleased, but The Hobgoblin isn't and plans on doing something about it soon. Back with Spidey, he eventually goes to see The Lizard in jail, and he passes Morbius, who asks if Sajani is okay, he says he needs to know, but Spider-Man ignores him. He goes to see The Lizard and sees that he's fine, and with a clear conscious, Spider-Man leaves. As he leaves, the Lizard whispers that it works. Curt Connors is back, but his mind is stuck in the Lizards body, but he says to himself that he'll never tell, because this is his penance for what he's done to Martha and Billy, and he deserves it. The issue comes to a close as we see Madame Web noticing something in the Web of Life has changed and there's a new face involved, we then see a man known as The Devil-Spider, as he's told his brother never became The Hobgoblin, his brother, Daniel Kingsly is dead. The Devil-Spider unmasks to reveal that he's actually Ben Kingsly, and he's ready to get revenge on this new Hobgoblin!


Thoughts: Another excellent issue by Dan Slott. I love seeing the Lizard get humanity, and after having the Lizard stuck in Curt's body, having Curt stuck in The Lizard's was a genius move. Does this mean Spidey may have an unexpected ally some day? I'd think so. All in all, I really enjoyed this issue, especially the twist with Kingsly, I didn't see that coming at all. Once again, another issue I had no problems at all with, perfect issue in my opinion. 

Score: 10/10 

The Lizard: My name is Curt Connors. And this is my prison. My penance. My hell. And I deserve it.

JT's Take: Avengers Academy #35

Hey everyone, with the recent news that one of my favorite ongoing series, Avengers Academy, will be canceled at issue #39, I decided today I would review the most recent issue of Avengers Academy today. Hopefully, the AA crew will get a team book in the Marvel NOW era, but for now I'll enjoy the team for as long as I can.

Avengers Academy #35

Summary: We start things off with Finesse, X-23, Reptil, White Tiger and Lightspeed trying to figure out a way to get their powers back. Using their collective skills, they manage to take down Zero after a brutal fight, and plot their attack on Brigg's estate. From there we jump over to a now cured Mettle and Hazmat, who are eager to spend time with one another, but are still worried about their friends. The two finally get to embrace and kiss with nothing between them. Meanwhile, Striker cozies up to Enchantress, just long enough for her to help him get the cure to get his powers back and Striker of course zaps her and gets ready to take down Briggs and get cures for his friends, when Briggs reveals he's been watching Striker, then uses Striker's salt content in his body to basically fry Striker with his own powers. Veil picks up the vial with the cure Striker took, which still has some of the serum left and runs to find help. Meanwhile the five powerless heroes head after Reptil and White Tiger's amulets, but are met by Coat of Arms, who says their amulets feel unappreciated, so she plans on taking them, but she'll have to kill White Tiger and Reptil first. Back with Veil, she runs to Mettle and Hazmat, and tells them how Briggs is about to kill Striker, and she needs help. Hazmat is hesitant because she likes being normal and the cure is forever, so Brigg's aerosol spray won't take her powers away again, but Mettle says how all he needs is that one kiss from Hazmat to last him the rest of his life, and they need to help their friends. Mettle drinks the cure and before Veil can drink it, Hazmat decides to, because she's the strongest and because Veil would dissipate into nothing. Hazmat's powers instantly returns but Mettle's do not for some reason. The issue ends with an extremely pissed off Hazmat ready to make Briggs pay.


Thoughts: It's crazy to think a year ago I didn't read this series and now it's one of my favorites. This issue was no exception, the stuff with Striker and Enchantress was great, the battle with the five heroes and Zero was great because we got to see Finesse take the leadership role. I really enjoyed the stuff with White Tiger and Reptil both wondering if their doing the right thing with their powers, and the scene with Hazmat and Mettle was of Peter/Mary Jane proportions. I loved this issue, and I can find nothing bad to say about it, just sucks that we only have four more issues left.

Score: 10/10 

Veil: Jenny, I know Jeremy. The look in his eyes... he's going to kill them all. Finesse, 'Berto... whoever stands up to him...

JT's Take: Avengers Academy #33

Hey X-Maniacs, JT back once again, and I figured I'd follow suit with the AVX review from yesterday and review Avengers Academy, since it features one of the Formerly Phoenix Five, the lovely Emma Frost. So let's see how our favorite students deal with one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

Avengers Academy #33

Summary: We start things off with a flashback to two weeks ago. We see Juston talking to his dad about visiting, when his dad tells Juston to come home, he's not like the other kids with powers and his family is worried, and he should just give up the Sentinel. Juston says that the Sentinel is his friend and he won't have it melted down or used to attack mutants, and ends the call with his dad. He tells the Sentinel he'll never abandon it, just as it will never abandon Juston, since that's it's Prime directive. Back in the present, the Avengers Academy students all continue to attack Emma Frost to fight her off, all the while stating reasons that she should allow Juston to keep his Sentinel. Juston tries to repair the Sentinel from Emma's attacks and climbs inside the driver's seat to help with repairs. Finesse goes off to call Quicksilver and asks him to help, but he says he's busy with the current AVX stuff, plus he's never cared for the Sentinel anyway, and Juston should just let Emma destroy it. Finesse says that Quicksilver is an emotionless machine like the Sentinel, as is she, and she intends to help. The Sentinel lunges at Emma trying to attack her, and she blasts it, but is shocked to find out that Juston was inside the Sentinel. Pym removes Juston and says he's only stunned at the Sentinel protected him, and the Sentinel continues to try to go after Emma to protect Juston, even though it can barely stand. The Sentinel keeps trying to advance until Emma completely destroys it, and Juston cries that he can  rebuild him if the CPU survived, but Emma states that she has it in her hands, and melts it . She states they can rebuild it with a new CPU but she couldn't allow that one to live, since it was made solely to kill mutants. Emma says she was merciful, and asks X-23 to join her back on Utopia, but X-23 says if she see's Emma again, one of them will kill the other one, simple as that. Emma leaves and as she does, Quicksilver arrives, holding the Sentinel's CPU. He says he was able to swoop in and replace it with a similar looking CPU from a training bot at the Academy so quickly that Emma couldn't see him, and she couldn't sense his mind due to their defenses. Ten minutes later, Quicksilver has rebuilt the Sentinel for Juston before heading off to join the Avengers against the Phoenix Five. The next say, Hank Pym and Tigra tell the students the only reason they were targeted is because they are Avengers Academy, and as this war is getting more dangerous by the minute, so they think the students should go home to their families. He then regrettably announces that as of this moment, there is no more Avengers Academy. Reptil asks if they can come back when the Avengers/X-Men war is over, but Pym says the honestly thinks this world will be a different place when the war ends, as this issue comes to a close.


Thoughts: Well hot damn, this was a hell of a comic! I'm not gonna lie, I was heartbroken when Emma destroyed the Sentinel's CPU, and I was ecstatic when Quicksilver showed up with it. Everything here was perfect, the characterization of Juston and the Sentinel at the beginning, the fact that all of Emma's points were valid, and everything about Pym, Quicksilver, X-23, and Finesse. Plus, the ending caught me totally off guard with Pym and Tigra's announcement. I loved every single bit of this comic, and I can't wait for the Final Exam storyline.

Score: 10/10

Hank Pym: As of this moment... There is no more Avengers Academy.

JT's Take: The Amazing Spider-Man #688

Hey Todd Squad, JT here again and I decided to continue our Spider-Man theme from yesterday, and jump right into things with the next arc of Amazing Spider-Man! After the Ends of the Earth storyline, I'd expect some fallout from that, plus the Lizard takes center stage for the first time since "Shed" if I'm not mistaken. So let's get to it!

The Amazing Spider-Man #688

Summary: Things start off in a big way, as we immediately jump into a sewer fight with Spidey and The Lizard. The Lizard claims he and Spidey had an agreement, which Spidey recalls, the last time he fought the Lizard, he was so spent that he couldn't pursue him, as The Lizard and his drones of followers escaped to the sewers, Ninja Turtle style! Spidey eventually pursued but could never find The Lizard and his followers, and it turns out The Lizard eventually ate every one of his followers, something that enrages Spider-Man even more.  We then jump to eight hours earlier, and see Max Modell and his employee's celebrating for helping Spidey save the world, when Peter is given an invite to Mary Jane's new club. Peter, clearly shocked that MJ now owns a club, heads over and has a talk with MJ. She tells him this party is for him, and he tells her he failed by letting Silver Sable die. He also tells her about his vow, and she says it's the stupidest thing he's ever said, he can't save everyone, he may be super but he's still human. The conversation is cut short when Carlie Cooper calls and says she has something Spidey needs to see, so Peter heads off to meet with her. Upon arriving at the cemetery, Peter see's that Billy Connor's grave has been dug up, and from what a groundskeeper witness said, the description matches Michael Morbius. An enraged Spider-Man heads to Horizon Labs and demands Modell to take him to see Morbius, and he does so. They enter and see Morbius cutting open Billy Connors and Spider-Man attacks Morbius. Morbius explains that he needs Connors DNA to perfect a cure for the Lizard, for good. Modell says that Michael's actions will not stand, and he's no longer welcome at Horizon Labs, but his serum can still be used for good to save Curt Connors. Spidey agrees and he, Morbius and Modell and two other people for some reason head into the sewers. Back in current time, Spidey and Morbius have injected The Lizard with the serum, and Modell and his scientists blast Connors with sonic blasts to start the cure, which actually works and turns him back into Curt Connors. The issue comes to a close as everyone tries to help Connors, but we see that Curt's mind is gone, and while Human, he still has the psyche of The Lizard, but seems to be playing along for now.


Thoughts: Hot Damn! This was a great comic! The twist at the end with The Lizard totally caught me off guard, and I'm a sucker for Michael Morbius, probably because he reminds me of my good buddy Vampire X! This storyline kicked things off with a bang, and I'm wondering what will happen with Curt "The Lizard" Connors does decide to strike and how Spidey will take it. I also really enjoyed the chat with Peter and MJ, it helped him realize he can't do everything and he will make mistakes, and I like the role MJ has taken as supportive best friend over love interest. All in all there's nothing about the comic I didn't enjoy. Also, the art was phenomenal. Props definitely go to Giuseppe Camuncoli for his work on this issue, the way he drew the look on Spidey's face, with one eye showing, when he found out The Lizard ate his drones was chilling. Perfect issue all around. Here's hoping the rest of this storyline is at least half as good as this issue was.

Score:  10/10

Spider-Man : Too many dead because I didn't make you a priority, Lizard! That ends here!

JT's Take: Batman Annual #1

Hey X-Maniacs, it's I, your friendly neighborhood Blogger-Man, the guy here that's not a Vampire, and your favorite bench rider, JT! Since our buddy Vampire X is feeling a bit burned out I'm gonna pick up the slack here. Of course, the week he wants me to pick up the slack is the week only I bought three books, but we'll make it work! I had a joke about Vampire X not sucking blood, but just sucking, but I figure why not just get to the review? So let's get started!

Batman Annual #1

Summary:  So in this issue we kick off with Mr. Freeze in Arkham Asylum, recounting the story of his mother falling through Ice during Winter about thirty years ago, she was frozen which kept her alive until help arrived.When he's stalled long enough, Freeze kills the psychiatrist and uses the man's crayon (something Freeze couldn't use as a weapon) and uses the crayon to jam the electric currents that keeps Freeze's room hot. Once the room becomes cold, Freeze uses it to his advantage pretty damn awesomely to break out. I say this a lot but words can;t do it justice, Snyder really writes Freeze like a bad ass in this scene. Freeze then meets with Penguin and is looking for guns, as he's ready to retrieve his wife, Nora Fries, and leave Gotham once and for all, due to his recent Bat and Owl problems. We then see a flashback to six years ago, as Bruce Wayne and Victor Fries meet for the first time, via Lucius Fox. Basically, the project Fries was in charge of, Bruce didn't feel comfortable doing and decided to end it, this didn't go over well with Fries though since he thought the project could save Nora.

Freeze finally returns in the present day with a serum he believes will cure Nora, as it's the serum the Court of Owls used to awaken the Talons, but he finds his wife is no longer there, and he's also met by Robin and Nightwing. Freeze eventually gets the upper-hand on the former Dynamic Duo and is about to freeze and shatter Damian's arms until Bruce Wayne interrupts over an intercom and tells Freeze he's in the penthouse and to come up. As Freeze goes to meet Bruce we see another flashback where Bruce finds out about Fries' experiment with Nora and tells him he's shut the program down and called the authorities because he can't allow Fries to play mad scientist. An irate Freeze hurls a chair which blows up a cryo-container that explodes over Fries. He wakes up in an emergency room hearing Doctor's talk about how his body temperature is 27 degrees Fahrenheit and he shouldn't be alive, and his blood cells are capturing the cold air. Upset at Wayne and clearly his current condition, Freeze kills the doctors and yells that he's coming for Wayne. Back in the present Freeze arrives upstairs looking for Wayne but finds Nora's cryogenic pod, as well as Batman busting through the skylight and beating the hell out of Freeze for his actions tonight. Freeze subdues Batman long enough to get to Nora, but Batman says he's not letting him leave with her because they both know she's not his wife!!!! Bats drops the bomb that Nora Fields (?!) was born in 1943 and frozen when she had an incurable heart condition. Fries wrote his doctoral thesis on her over a decade ago but never knew her and she's old enough to be his grandmother. Bats eventually uses the cure Freeze planned on using on Nora on Freeze, which causes him to overheat and become unable to move, so Batman calls Nightwing to return Freeze to Arkham. As the issue closes we see a young Victor Fries taking his confused, forgetful mother back to the ice she once fell in, and pushing her in as a sympathetic yet insane, peaceful ending to her life.


Thoughts: I really enjoyed the bit of Freeze's past we saw, and it explains a lot about who he is and why. I also liked how well Snyder portrayed him here, he had that same swagger as Freeze pre-reboot but seemed so much more dangerous without his suit and gun, which is a vibe Freeze never really gave off before this issue. What else? I HAVE to give a full point to any book I can see someone kick Damian SQUARE in the face... man that was priceless. Oh, the explanation for how Fries became Mr. Freeze was excellent, as well as why he has to wear the goggles. Before the reveal this comic was a damn good comic, after the reveal it became an EXCELLENT comic book. This is probably one of, if not THE best single issue I've read all year.

Score:  Perfect Score, 10/10!

Batman: You love the cold, Victor. Even if you did bring her back, you'd end up destroying her. Because you love an idea, Victor. An Obsession. And that I do understand.

Man, that review was much longer than I expected, but damn that was a great comic. Anyway, as always, thoughts and comments are welcome, I look forward to seeing what you all thought of this issue, I'll be back tomorrow with a review for the Amazing Spider-Man Annual, until then, this is Jason Todd, signing off.

JT's Take: Scarlet Spider #2

Hey everyone, JT here with my take on issue numero dos of Scarlet Spider. I enjoyed the first issue a lot and since X would rather pick up Grifter and Superboy over Scarlet Spider, I figured I'd throw up a review for it, so let's see what I thought of it.

Scarlet Spider #2

Summary: We pick things up seeing Kaine leaving Houston via cab when suddenly the Medical Center where he'd dropped off the girl he rescued explodes. After arguing with himself he heads back and see's she's being attacked by a giant mountain of a man who can shoot fire. This man, named Salamander (although it's never mentioned in the actual comic), is eager to fight a hero, especially Spider-Man, but Kaine assures him he is neither. Kaine proves that while fighting the villain, and while he saves a cop from being killed by the villain, he also uses the officer's gun to open fire on this blazing behemoth. When our fiery foe tries to incinerate Kaine alive, he webs himself up to protect himself from the flames before attacking the flame fueled fighter (I rule at alliteration) and incapacitating him. He thinks about killing him but says a little voice inside stops him from doing it, and that voice is soon replaced to by cheers from the citizens of Houston. After checking on the girl he saved, Kaine is pretty much told by an officer, as well as the Doctor that Houston could use a hero like Kaine. They also say they'll have to send the girl back since she's an immigrant, but a Vigilante could continue to defend her, but Kaine turns down the offer and heads for Mexico. We finally see him at the boarder but he changes his mind, as we see he's got the girl living with him now as he tries to make a new home in Houston.


Thoughts: I really enjoyed this issue and my review doesn't do the issue justice. You really got a feel for Kaine not being a hero, but still doing the right thing. Doing things like raking the eyes of someone or grabbing a police officer's gun and shooting his foe shows that our titular character is not a full-fledged hero, but rather an Anti-Hero. I also like that he has the city behind him, the police, and possibly even the Mayor, that's an interesting position for Kaine, especially since you know it has to backfire on him soon enough. I'm loving this comic and surprisingly I'm loving what Chris Yost is doing with Kaine, I really hope he keeps it up and we inevitably get a Scarlet Spider/Venom crossover. But that's for later, as for this issue, there's nothing I didn't enjoy about it. Simple as that, I had no qualms with this issue and that's reflected in my score below.

Score: 10 out of 10.
Kaine: I'm not Spider-Man. I'm not a hero. But maybe I don't have to be a monster.