Supergirl #8

We're gonna start the night off in a pretty bad way... And that's all on me, not the comic book I'm reading. Here's the story. Usually when I do a review, I'll either do it once I finish reading a comic(while it's fresh on my mind), or I'll take a day, and then type up the review with the comic on hand for reference. This time though? I read this comic two nights ago and don't have the issue readily available... So I'm gonna totally wing it. Needless to say, expect me to miss LOTS of info here!

Supergirl #8:

Summary: The cops surround a tired Supergirl in Times Square after her battle with the Worldkillers last issue. A recent Irish immigrant named Siobhan Something(sorry, blanking on the last name...) rushes to SG's aid and scolds the cops for threatening SG after she had saved the city. Oh yeah, and Siobhan can also speak Kryptonian... More on that in a few. Eventually SG gets tired of the cops pointing their weapons at her, so she grabs Siobhan and flies to a nearby rooftop. While there, Siobhan explains that she has some sort of powers that allows her to know and speak any language. The cops track the two females down by this point, so SG and Siobhan escape to Siobhan's apartment. Siobhan has SG change her clothes, since her super-hero outfit was a wee bit conspicuous, and the two head out to a club, since Siobhan had a gig. While Siobhan is singing, Siobhan's father, some evil magic type named the Black Banshee attacks. SG tries to step in, but since Black Banshee is magic fueled, he easily knocks SG aside. This issue ends with Siobhan turning into the Silver Banshee to confront her evil father.

Thoughts: Well, here's hoping that issue was relatively close to what happened here! Anyway, there was a lot of good here. I thought this was a good, solid issue, which is par for the course when it comes to this series. There was NO doubt that Siobhan was Silver Banshee, since the cover of this issue(as well as Siobhan's over-the-top accent) spoiled that, but I DID like the fact that, for now at least, Siobhan appears to be a good guy. I'm definitely interested to see where things go with regards to that.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Why grandma, what a big mouth you have!

Supergirl #7

Well, seeing as that the last comic I reviewed came away with a ZERO, there's no way this comic can be any worse!

Supergirl #7:

Summary: The four Worldkillers attack Supergirl in Manhattan, which the Worldkillers had managed to close off from the rest of the world with a Kryptonian forcefield. The Worldkillers basically have their way with Supergirl, until Reign(the leader of the Worldkillers) let's it slip that only a Worldkiller can defeat another Worldkiller. Realizing that Reign meant that literally, SG manages to get one Worldkiller to stab another, severely injuring it. With that, Reign calls the battle to an end and has the other three Worldkillers teleported to their ship to take care of the injured Worldkiller. Reign tells SG that the Worldkillers, much like Frosty the Snowman, would be back again someday. Before teleporting away, Reign tells Supergirl that there is a mystery fifth Worldkiller out there somewhere... With that, Reign and the Worldkillers are gone and SG has saved New York.

Thoughts: Meh. This issue was alright and all, but that's about it. I kind of expected more here... I mean out of the DC books I read, this one is regularly one of my monthly favorites. Basically Reign told Supergirl HOW to defeat her team, and then when ONE of the Worldkillers were injured, she quit the battle. Why not simply send the injured Worldkiller and one other Worldkiller away, a tactic that would have left a tired SG still outnumbered 2 to 1. Or hell, why not send the other three Worldkillers away, since Reign had already proven that she could defeat Supergirl on her own? That way, there wouldn't be another Worldkiller around Reign, thus guaranteeing her victory... On top of all of those little logic gaps, where the hell were the other heroes? I know Reign said last issue that she had sealed NYC off while the JL was away(or something to that effect), but you're telling me there wasn't a single other hero somewhere in Manhattan who could have teamed with SG? After a slew of really good issues, this one was definitely a bit of a misfire, but that's okay, as long as Michael Green and Mike Johnson right the ship(which I'm confident they will) next issue.

Score: 6 out of 10.

And I'm X.

Supergirl #6

Last review of the night? Let's go with Supergirl... Why not?

Supergirl #6:

Summary: Still pinned to the wall in the remains of Argo City, with the city slowly drifting into the sun it was orbiting, Supergirl pretty much gives up and seems ready to accept her fate. Meanwhile, Reign teleports herself to Earth and tells a police officer to tell the greatest warriors of the Earth to meet her in the middle of Manhattan where she would defeat them. Back with SG, she has a vision of her parents who tell her not to give up, and to try to cut out a new life for herself even though Krypton was no more. Upon “hearing” that, SG manages to unpin herself from the wall and flies away from Argo City. SG returns to Earth and attacks Reign, who is a bit disappointed by SG's actions, since she was hoping SG would join with her to conquer the Earth. With that, Reign manages to erect a massive forcefield over Manhattan and has several other Worldkillers teleport to her side, much to SG's dismay.

Thoughts: Much like Thunderbolts #170, this was an issue that was saved by a strong cliffhanger. Nothing really happened in this one except for SG hallucinating(presumably) and Reign attacking the Earth. I figured this was all building towards a Reign/SG showdown, but the addition of the other three Worldkillers really added a great twist here. I can't wait to see how SG manages to defeat FOUR Worldkillers considering the fact that she was battered by ONE of them an issue ago!

Score: 7 out of 10.

As far as hallucinations go, SG's parents were really helpful!

A Quick Look At... Supergirl #5

Next up, the final DC review of the week, Supergirl. This series has been SHOCKINGLY good, far better than I'd have EVER expected it to be... Hopefully I didn't just jinx things here...

Supergirl #5:

What Happened: Using her Sunstone as a guide, Supergirl flies through the galaxy, coming across a wormhole. SG goes through and ends up at the floating Kryptonian city of Argo. After a quick look around, SG discovers the city completely abandoned, but does manage to find a working control matrix, which she uses to fire up her Sunstone. The Sunstone has a message from SG's father who confirms that Krypton had indeed blown up, and that he was trying to figure out a way to launch Argo off of Krypton before it exploded. While he is talking, he is suddenly blasted from behind and the message abruptly stops, much to SG's horror. SG freaks out and goes on a rampage until she bumps into somebody called Reign. Reign claims to be a Kryptonian weapon called a Worldkiller, and asks SG to help her discover the truth behind Krypton's destruction. SG is still throwing a temper tantrum, so Reign gets pissed off and beats SG unconscious, leaving her behind while Argo slowly drifted closer and closer to the sun it had been circling.

Thoughts: As usual, this was another strong issue of this series. Not only was the story/art/dialogue strong, we were also introduced to ANOTHER interesting villain here. That's something the writing team of Michael Green and Mike Johnson have done a great job with in this book... Setting up future enemies for SG to face off against. So many other rebooted DC titles just seem so listless, while it's obvious that Green and Johnson know what they want to do here, and are putting several longterm plans into motion. Besides Batman, this is probably the most complete DC comic, post-reboot, that I read.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Dammit, Krypton's done blowed up again!

Supergirl #4

Ah yes, Supergirl... This is a comic book that's been written well, has good art and everything, but doesn't have a lead character that's really overly appealing to me... This version of Supergirl just hasn't grabbed me yet, and three issues in, that's not a good sign. The writing team here has done a great job highlighting SG's plight, but hasn't made her exceptionally likable(or unlikable for that matter)... Oh well, let's get to this issue and see if that changes.

Supergirl #4:

What Happened: A guard on Tycho's space station takes pity on Supergirl and releases her from the Kryptonite room she had been locked in. With cameras everywhere, Tycho realizes what had happened and before the guard could reach the escape pods, Tycho and his security detail appear in front of SG and the guard. Tycho has the guard killed, which infuriates SG since he was the only person to show her kindness since coming to Earth. Tycho orders his guards to recapture SG, but being away from the Kryptonite, and being so near the sun helps her power back up and trounce Tycho's goons. Tycho retreats to his control room and when SG arrives, he shows her a Sunstone that had been found in the pod she arrived on Earth with. Tycho offers SG the Sunstone in exchange for a single drop of her blood, but SG can't understand a word he is saying and blasts a hole through the floor, hitting the central core of the space station. With Tycho distracted, SG rushes over and grabs the Sunstone before exiting the station, confident the people inside would manage to escape via the escape pods. However, Tycho stays behind in a desperate attempt to repair the damage and ends up blowing up with the station. Outside, SG realizes that the Sunstone had been damaged in the struggle, and wonders what to do next. This issue ends with Tycho, now just a head and torso, but alive due to his people and his wacky science experiments, spotting some of SG's blood on the shirt of one of his men and realizing that he got what he wanted after all.

The Good: Again, the story and art was strong. We got a tiny little bit of character development with SG, as she saw that not all humans were evil and out to harm her. Tycho stole the show again, and I have to admit that I'm happy to see that he's still alive. Now just clone him a Kryptonian body and we're set.

The Bad: SG still doesn't understand any language except Kryptonian, and has no idea what to do with herself from here. While the sense of confusion has been perfectly executed these past 4 issues, we still haven't gotten much character development for SG. Is she virtuous like Superman or is she borderline psychotic like Superboy? We still don't know.

The Verdict: It's funny, I can pretty much pencil in a score of an 8 or higher before I even open an issue of this series, and yet I'm still considering dropping the title... After reading this issue, I can say I will definitely be sticking around for issue #5, but past that? Who knows. That's probably the biggest negative for DC concerning their reboot... It's SO damn easy to drop a series. Pre-reboot, I'd be more willing to stick it out with a series since the characters were more developed due to DC's long history. But post-reboot, since DC threw away it's history and started from scratch(pretty much), I just don't have that same bond with any of the characters...

Score: 8 out of 10.HA! He said, “HA!”

Supergirl #3

And we're back to DC with a comic that I'm counting on to get me out of the mediocre comic book rut I've fallen in. This series has been the biggest surprise out of all of the new DC books I've been reading, as it's been REALLY good! Like better than I would have ever expected! Of course I probably just jinxed myself and this issue will now wind up mediocre(or worse!)

Supergirl #3:

What Happened: Superman tries to explain to Supergirl that Krypton was gone, but naturally, SG doesn't want to hear it. Supes wants SG to remain by his side since she was new to Earth, but all SG wants to do is find the pod she arrived in and book. Eventually Supes hears some sort of emergency and has to leave so SG takes that opportunity to ditch Supes and head back to the site of her pod. Upon arriving, she finds it gone but discovers a probe with a hologram of a rich guy named Simon Tycho. Simon has the probe lead SG to his space station headquarters where he has her attacked by various experiments to see how she holds up. Eventually SG escapes the station and uses her X-Ray vision to locate her pod, breaking back in and flying to it. Unfortunately for SG, her pod is covered in Kryptonite, and she falls to the ground, where Simon meets her to tell her he'd take good care of her.

The Good: Simon has the potential to be a Lex Luthor-esque enemy for SG. I'm still enjoying the way SG is acting. Her actions fit her circumstances perfectly. I had no problems with the story, art or dialogue here.

The Bad: Supes came across as rather dickish here, what with his whole, “I have to protect people because they're so stupid/weak” speech. The cover of this comic was rather misleading since SG discovered nothing new about Krypton. Simon luring SG to his space station seemed rather dangerous considering her power set.

The Verdict: Yay, finally a comic book that was better than average! Once again, I enjoyed this comic, making it the only one of the new DC titles I'm reading to score over an 8 all three issues thus far. Trust me when I say that I'm always looking for reasons to drop these new DC books, and this series has been SO strong that I haven't even considered dropping it. So for the time being, I'll be sticking with this series... At least for now...

Score: 8 out of 10.Good question...

Supergirl #2

First up today, a look at Supergirl #2. This is one of the MANY DC comics that I am ready, willing and able to drop the moment I read an issue I don't like... So yeah, there's a lot riding on this issue for me.

Supergirl #2:

What Happened: Superman introduces himself to Supergirl as Kal-El, which sets SG off since she could remember holding baby Kal-El in her arms three short days ago(in her mind at least). The two fight across China until they veer too close to innocents and Supes declares he wouldn't battle her because the risk of harming people was too great. This convinces SG that Supes wasn't a bad guy and he tells her that they were on the planet Earth, and that Krypton had been destroyed. Elsewhere, a mysterious man gets a Kryptonian crystal.

The Good: Supes and SG's fight was a lot of fun, and was very well drawn. I'm still enjoying the way SG is being written, seeing as that she sees her situation as more of a dream than reality. The shadowy figure at the end(Lex Luthor?) gives us an antagonist going forward. I liked that SG didn't immediately take Supes at his word and instead figured he was in cahoots with the people who attacked her last issue. SG recognizing Supes Kryptonian accent as stilted and mechanical was a really nice touch by the writers(Michael Green and Mike Johnson).

The Bad: The fight ending the way it did was rather abrupt... Um, that's all I can think of...

The Verdict: Dammit, this issue was so good there's no way I can rationalize dropping this series from my pull list... Oh well... I guess I'll have to suffer through what I'm hoping will be many more excellently written issues of Supergirl. Seriously though, Green and Johnson have done a wonderful job presenting SG's situation as one that anybody can feel sympathetic towards. Imagine suddenly waking up in a foreign land being assaulted from all sides while not being able to understand what was happening to you. That's the feel SG is giving off these first two issues. So far Supergirl is averaging the highest average score out of all the DC books post-reboot... By A LOT.

Score: 9 out of 10.Now there's a reason not to wear a cape if I ever saw one!

Supergirl #1

Wow, I can't believe it but I've ALMOST gotten through every single one of my comics from last week... We begin the trek towards the end of the new comic pile with my first look at Supergirl in the new DCU.

Supergirl #1:

What Happened: Supergirl crashes down to Earth and winds up coming to a stop in Siberia. Some shadowy government-type figure send mechanized troops to SG's location as she's coming to, trying to figure out what was happening. At first SG figures she was dreaming until the mechanized troops attack her. SG lashes out in confusion and manages to break one of the mechs, grabbing the pilot and demanding to know what was going on in her native Kryptonian. Before SG cam do any damage to the man, Superman races over, separates SG from the men and tells her in Kryptonian to stop.

The Good: Pretty much everything! The story was exceptionally strong and immediately gave the reader a reason to care about Supergirl. The story, dialogue and artwork combined perfectly to bring us SG's plight. The cliffhanger left me eagerly awaiting the next issue.

The Bad: I hate SG's costume... Where the hell are her pants?! Speaking of costumes, this was the first comic I've read with the modern version of Superman's costume in it and HIS costume was fugly as well... What the hell is with Jim Lee and collars?

The Verdict: When all I can gripe about in a comic is the costumes, that should give you a pretty good understanding of how I felt about it. Michael Green and Mike Johnson did a wonderful job of telling the old, “stranger in a strange land” story here. These rebooted DC comics have been really hit or miss for me, but I'm happy to say that this series is one of the biggest hits for me yet.

Score: 9 out of 10.See, now THIS is the way to reboot a character!

Supergirl #64 & Weird Worlds #5

Two more DC comics, two more mediocre scores... Jeez, the last few comics I've read have been downright depressingly average/bad...

Supergirl #64:

Summary: With Robin, Fake Beetle and Miss Martian under his thrall, Dubbilex tells Miss Martian to tear all of the information about Krypton out of Supergirl's head while he went off to deal with his father(actually a computer). Dubbilex destroys his “father” because it said he was acting irrationally(that'll learn it!), at which point Supergirl flies into the room and attacks. Dubbilex isn't too worried, since he figures he can just reach into Supergirl's mind and stop her from attacking him, but he is surprised to learn that he couldn't halt SG's attack. Miss Martian walks in the room and explains that when Dubbilex took over her mind, he left her a backdoor into HIS mind, which she used to regain her own senses as Dubbilex went around mind controlling others. A quick punch in the face later, and Dubbilex is finished. Cadmus takes possession of Dubbilex and put him back in the tube he came out of, and that's pretty much a wrap.

Thoughts: Hmm, my DC reviews are getting shorter and shorter as I lose more and more patience with the company... How unfortunate. Was there anything incredibly wrong with this comic? No, not really. SG had a threat to face and wound up beating it with a little help from her friends. Unfortunataly, I just don't find myself caring about this charater or this series anymore... Since Marvel screwed up DC's plans of making Nick Spencer the new ongoing writer of Supergirl, DC is changing writers AGAIN with the next issue, and to be 100% honest, I have NO idea if I'll be picking that issue up. As of right now, I'll probably be dropping this title, but who knows, maybe between now and Wednesday(when I go to the comic shop) I'll have changed my mind. But right now? I honestly don't expect to be posting another Supergirl review on this blog anytime soon.

Score: 5 out of 10."Don't worry, Lois, if your husband dies, I'll be there to protect Metropolis." "Thanks... I guess..."


Weird Worlds #5(of 6):

Summary: As always, three stories in this one. First up is Lobo, who is still hunting down his bounty money(from the people he killed a few issues back...). Anyway, Lobo and his former bounty, S'Glayne, manage to get to the treasure room of the planet and discover S'Glayne's father there. S'Glayne's father shoots his son, ending that story. The Garbage Man story involves Garbage Man talking to a bum preacher on a train, while attracting the attention of the Batman(Bruce Wayne). The Tanga story involves Tanga talking incessantly and annoying the hell out of me.

Thoughts: How's that for a quick review? As usual, the Garbage Man story was my favorite, the Lobo story was simply okay, and the Tanga story was nearly unbearable. If you've read any of my other reviews for this mini-series, it's basically the same thing. Next issue is the last for this mini, and to be perfectly honest with you, I'm glad, because while this isn't a horrible mini, I could definitely be using the $4 I'm spending here elsewhere...

Score: 6 out of 10.Lobo's life is weird...

A Few Thoughts on... Some random comics!

Okay, here's the deal guys and gals... I still have a few comics from last week to get through, and I just picked up about 15 comics or so(plus a trade) from the comic book shop yesterday, meaning that once again, I am falling behind in my comic reading. Add the impending end of the school year, and yeah, I'm pretty busy. So in order to try to blitz through a few of last week's books, I'm going to try something new here... I'll be doing this post like a 10 Thoughts post, just with WAY less than 10 Thoughts per comic. Let's give it a shot and see how it goes!

Generation Hope #6.

Synopsis: The Gen Hope kids head to Germany after a new mutant pops up on Cerebro(or is it still Cerebra?). Upon getting there, everybody in the hospital is either unconscious or acting crazy, and we discover that the new mutant registered was still in its mother's womb.

-So now instead of Rogue serving as Hope's liaison, Lord Summers the First has decreed that Shadowcat would be the new liaison between himself and Hope... God, that's like trading an old shoe for sack of dead rats...

-This comic is SO much worse than any other teen-oriented series I'm currently reading from the big two right now(Teen Titans, Avengers Academy, Children's Crusade) it's not even funny...

-I can't believe that we're FIVE issues into this series now and the kids STILL don't have codenames! They finally have costumes, but if you want people to be able to talk about these kids and know who they are, you NEED codenames!It's Hope! And random mutants #1-5...

-Sticking with that train of thought, I'm not sure if I've ever read something from Kieron Gillen that I've truly enjoyed...

-So basically I'll probably give this series until the Summer, and if it doesn't pick up substantially, I'll be dropping it.

Score: 5 out of 10.

X-Factor #218.

Synopsis: Guido's been shot, and the three female assassins who shot him have targeted Mayor Jameson next. Luckily for Jameson, he's being protected by the rest of X-Factor and the Black Cat. The assassins flee, but are being tracked by Black Cat, while X-Factor gets Guido to the hospital where he is pronounced dead, and then recovers(?!).

-I love me some Black Cat, so it was great seeing her in this issue. Yeah, I know she's not a mutie, but it sure would be awesome if she joined the team full-time.Black Cat showing up is a BIG plus!

-I can't say I know what's going on with those three metal female assassins, or why they targeted Jameson, but I trust Peter David's writing, so I'm sure this will all work out for the best... Probably...

-I have NO idea what was up with Guido dying, and then suddenly being healed... No idea whatsoever!

-This was definitely not one of my favorite issues of this series(nor is it one of my favorite storylines), but Peter David's writing(and the inclusion of Black Cat) at least make this one readable.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Supergirl #63.

Synopsis: Supergirl has been trapped at Harvard University by some crazed nerd. While SG is trying to figure a way out, Fake Beetle, Robin and Miss Martian are being mentally probed by the nerd. Eventually SG gets free and confronts the nerd, who reveals himself to be... Dubbilex?!

-The fact that Dubbilex could break through th mental defenses of both the Fake Beetle and Miss Martian, but NOT Damian made my day...

-...Until he DID break through Damian's mental defenses...Come on, Damian is stronger mentally than that!

-The stuff with SG figuring out how to break free from Dubbilex's robots did nothing for me.

-To be honest, pretty much everything about this storyline isn't doing anything for me!

-And speaking of Dubbilex, who thought THAT was a good, exciting reveal?! I mean I read the entire Superboy series from the 90's, so I know the character pretty well, but most other people? Maybe they should have foreshadowed that reveal a bit better...Um yeah, I doubt many people cared about this reveal...

-Much like Gen Hope, I can see myself dropping this title pretty soon...

Score: 4 out of 10.

Justice League of America #56.

Synopsis: Eclipso has taken over several shadow-based characters and has attacked Alan Scott's Emerald City, managing to put Alan's daughter, Jade, under his thrall. Some members of the JLA(and Saint Walker) try to take the battle to Eclipso, but his forces overwhelm them and they are captured by Eclipso's ally, Obsidian.

-Hey look, Obsidian is a bad guy again! Wow, what a SHOCK!!! In case you can't tell, I'm being VERY sarcastic...

-Man, I really hated a lot of the characters that were in this issue on the JLA... Saint Walker(one of Chairman Johns' idiotic creations)and Congorilla(a damned talking monkey) in particular.And there's the damned talking monkey...

-So this issue gives us a battle between Zauriel(or “Zaurel” as the comic spells the name... Idiots...) and Eclipso. Now Zauriel is an angel. A real angel, complete with holy powers. And yet he winds up defeated by Eclipso with relative ease. On the other hand, Saint Walker is more than able to hold his own against Eclipso... Thus proving that it's way past time for somebody to get James Robinson away from this series, because he obviously has NO idea what he's doing anymore...Eclipso takes Zauriel?! Really?!?

-You know, speaking of Robinson, I LOVED his Starman work, but other then that, I really can't say any of his other work has wowed me. He just can't seem to write mainstream characters at all...

Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.

Action Comics #899.

Synopsis: Lex Luthor assembles the rest of those black globes in space and learns that Brainiac had manipulated him into assembling the globes for him... But wait! Lex reveals that he knew what Brainiac was doing and defeats Brainiac in single combat. He then uses the globes to summon a god-like creature from the Phantom Zone, defeats it and bonds with it, turning into Lex Luthor: God.

-Why does everything have to be so complicated?! I mean, was I just really tired when I read this last night or something? We have Brainiac telling Lex he manipulated him, to which Lex reveals that he was aware of Brainiac's influence. Then they fight. Then Lex somehow defeats somebody who Supes himself had difficulty beating. Then Mr. Mind shows up and begins to try to explain what the deal with the black globes were. Then some god shows up. Then Lex fights the god. Then Lex BECOMES the god... Sheesh...

-I have no clue why Mr. Mind was here. Much like talking monkeys, I also hate talking bugs...Great, a talking bug...

-I'll admit, Lex snapping Brainiac's neck? Super cool... Although it probably shouldn't have been possible...Should it have happened? No. Was it cool? Hell yeah!

-Lex Luthor: God, actually has some real potential. You KNOW Supes is gonna be in for it now!

Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

Quick Hits: 3/31/11

Four more reviews tonight, two from last week, two from this week. Let's get to it!

Supergirl #62:

Summary: Supergirl has managed to discover that a) the fake villains that had been hounding her and the other DC heroes were being powered by Kryptonian sunstones, and b) whoever was behind the fake villains was holed up at Harvard University. SG decides to go the stealth route to deal with this problem and asks the Fake Beetle, Robin and Miss Martin to help her. Miss Martian sneaks onto the Harvard campus and is immediately taken out by the guy behind the fake villains, who I don't think has been named yet... He's some sort of a telepath though. After losing Martian's signal, SG, Robin and Fake Beetle realize the time for subterfuge was over and crash into the mystery villain's base, being met by an angry mind-controlled Miss Martian and several androids. The androids attack Robin and Fake Beetle, while SG manages to put down Martian. After she defeats Martian though, she is attacked and dropped by the mystery villain's telepathy. By this point Robin has managed to figure out how to teleport the androids and their master away and does so, saving SG, but losing the villains in the process. However, SG somehow gets caught up in the teleportation beam and is sent unconscious to parts unknown.

Thoughts: Meh. That was basically the only thing that went through my head upon finishing this comic. I literally thought, “Meh.” I think this story has potential, but with this being the third part, we should probably know more about the main villain besides the fact that he's a telepath, and may or may not be from Project Cadmus. I mean hell, a name would be nice! What more is there to say?

Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.Good night, Miss Martian. Thanks for showing up.


Silver Surfer #2(of 4):

Summary: The Silver Surfer is no longer silver(or a surfer anymore I guess), but is regular Norrin Radd, since the High Evolutionary had managed to steal his Power Cosmic. Suzi Endo(I know her from Iron Man 2.0!), who was working with the army of whatever Spanish country captured Radd after his depowering, decides to break Radd free, since he couldn't deal with being trapped in a confined space. The two manage to sneak out of the army base and drive away in search of the High Evolutionary. They finally find him, but by this point the Evolutionary has managed to use the Power Cosmic to bring Galactus's world ship to the Earth, where he was using it to create strange new forms of plant life.

Thoughts: Well, this was definitely not what I was expecting when I decided to buy this mini-series... I was expecting to see Silver Surfer in all his cosmic, space-spanning glory. Instead I'm reading about Norrin Radd talking about how awesome water tastes... I mean all of the pieces are here, I like the Surfer a lot, and the High Evolutionary is a fantastic, under appreciated character, so this mini-series SHOULD be getting scores of at least 7 or higher. Instead it's getting scores like this:

Score: 5 out of 10.If you ever wanted to read about the Silver Surfer drinking water, then THIS is the comic book for you!!!


Captain America and the Secret Avengers #1:

Summary: Black Widow receives a letter from a girl named Tatiana, who she saved a while back, threatening some art center in NYC. Steve Rogers sends Widow and Sharon Carter to investigate, and the two wind up getting locked in a room with a mess of criminals, pirates and terrorists from all over the world. It seems the party was dedicated to these lowlifes by a woman named Lady Alicia who ran a school training girls to be remorseless killers. It turns out Tatiana used to attend this school and was caught by Alicia's cronies and forced to lure Widow to the party so she could be killed in front of the other criminals. Before Lady Alicia has Tatiana kill Widow, she has all of the criminals raise their glasses to a toast to the death of the Black Widow. After the criminals gulp down their champagne, Lady Alicia reveals she poisoned them all, and wanted them to wire money into her bank account for an antidote. From there she tells Tatiana to kill Widow, but instead Tatiana shoots and kills Lady Alicia(with an assist from Sharon). With Lady Alicia out of the way, Sharon and Widow hand out the antidote to the scumbags, and take Tatiana back to her adopted family, which ends this one.

Thoughts: This story never got off the ground for me. I just couldn't get into the storyline here. I can't see how Widow and Sharon, being backed by Steve Rogers, could get themselves trapped in a room full of international crooks, surrounded by girl assassins... I thought Widow and Sharon were better than that. I don't get what Lady Alicia poisoning the party guests added to things, because, quite frankly, I could have cared less if those scumbags lived or died. And then in the end, Sharon and Widow drive Tatiana back to the home of her adopted family, let her out of the car, and then open the trunk of the car to reveal a puppy... I mean what the hell is that?!? Who puts a puppy in the trunk of a car?! Yeah, so far out of all the Cap one-shots I've read, this one has been the worst.

Score: 4 out of 10.Those are some strong kicks...


Cyclops #1:

Summary: This issue is a flashback to back when Cyclops was still bearable, and not the dictatorial prick he's become today. Scott enters the coffee chop near X-Mansion and is bummed out that all of the original X-Men(including his ladylove, Jean Grey) see him as stiff and like an older brother. While he's telling the waitress this, Batroc and Circus of Crime go driving through the shop for some reason. Scott pursues them, and ends up getting smacked in the face by Batroc's walkie-talkie. While on the ground, Scott blasts one of Batroc's tires, which leads to Batroc and his band of losers jumping Scott and leaving him laying. Batroc drives his stricken car a few blocks to a repair shop(in full costume mind you), which gives Scott the chance to catch up to the goons. Scott steals a bike and follows Batroc and his band of losers as they smash through a pet store, see a show and then head to a diner to have dinner, all while in full costume! After eavesdropping, Scott learns that the crooks were planning on stealing some equipment, and he follows them to a Hydra base, arriving just after they've escaped. Scott asks one of the Hydra agents what Batroc and company were after, and the Hydra agent helpfully tells Scott that Batroc stole some antiquated technology that Hydra was planning on scrapping anyway. The Hydra agent gives Scott a device to track the tech before passing out. Scott follows the signal to a quaint little home, and walks into the garage where he finds an old bomb shelter. Upon arriving at the bottom, Scott spies Batroc and his henchmen handing all of the old junk over to Baron Zemo(the one from WWII). This time around, Scott makes quick work of Batroc and his cronies, but is unable to defeat Zemo. Scott threatens to destroy Zemo's junk, which frightens Zemo long enough for Scott to blast him, thus ending his threat and this issue.

Thoughts: This was a decent, funny little story. It was written like an old school Silver Age Marvel book, and the artwork matched the style of storytelling. There was literally nothing wrong with this story, I got a few chuckles out of it, but that was it. Will I remember it in a few hours time? No, probably not, but it was a fun way to spend a few minutes.

Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.Well this makes it official. Batroc is awesome!

Quick Hits: 2/24/11

You know, I can feel a major rant coming on soon... I mean I just posted 9 Marvel reviews in a row, and to be perfectly honest with all of you, I enjoyed nearly every single one of them. I even gave two of those 9 books perfect scores. Now today I head back to DC, and unfortunately all three of the comics I read wound up getting very lackluster scores from me. It's so damn sad how much DC has fallen in my eyes. I mean last year at this time I was really down on Marvel, while the DC books are what I looked forward to reading every month. Now DC has been decimated by that damned Chairman Johns, one of their best books is being canceled, and I have very little interest in anything happening in the DCU with the exception of the Bat-books. So I'm now going to ask all of you DC fans a favor. Which books are your favorites? Hopefully you'll give me some DC book that I'm not already reading to show me that all of DC hasn't gone to hell yet. Or better yet, give me a few comics from third party publishers for me to sink my teeth into. With me dropping more and more DC titles weekly, I'd appreciate a few suggestions. Thanks, and here are the reviews.

Supergirl #61:

Summary: First off, right off the bat this comic confused me as it had James Peaty down as the writer even though I was positive Nick Spencer had taken over the writing duties here just last issue... Weird. Ah, after a quick check I see that Spencer only co-scripted Supergirl #60... Yeah, there is NO way anybody can convince me DC isn't run by a bunch of monkeys in front of typewriters... This issue begins with Supergirl defeating Parasite, Silver Banshee, Kryptonite Man and Metallo, who promptly teleport away after being defeated. It seems that there is a new phone app that has people taking pictures with their phones of heroes they see, which leads to the man who created the app sending villains to the location of those heroes. Lois Lane gives SG her phone so she could keep an eye on this app, and soon after getting the phone SG sees that Robin was being attacked by Clayface and Mr. Freeze in Gotham. She flies over to help, and the two heroes make short work of the villains, much to the rage of the man behind the phone app. The mystery man decides to send Gorilla Grodd and Eclipso to Texas to attack Fake Beetle, which causes SG to prepare to fly out to help him. However, before she can go, Clayface and Mr. Freeze give off sparks and transform into strange robots that were only imitating Clayface and Freeze, leaving SG to wonder just what the hell was going on here.

Thoughts: Meh. So far, two issues in, this storyline just isn't doing anything for me. The mystery villain behind everything is just a bit TOO mysterious for my tastes, he's already exhibited several super-powers, including telepathy and the ability to create and interface with computers and robots. Plus he really hasn't given much of a reason for his actions other then the simplistic, “I hate super-heroes” stuff. The Damian appearance seemed totally random, although I'm not going to complain about anytime Damian shows up in a comic seeing as that I'm a fan of his now. However, Fake Beetle showing up next issue already brings the score for that comic down at least one full point, and it hasn't even been released yet! I think this story has some potential, but the villain of the piece really needs to be established a lot more.

Score: 6 out of 10.The evil alien trick works every single time!


Wonder Woman #607:

Summary: We kick things off with Wonder Woman grinding some skeletons into dust, because she's angry or something. From there WW and two Amazons head into the sewers to see if they could find a boy who was kidnapped by a minotaur. While that's going on, Cheetah, Giganta and Artemis attack WW's Amazon apartment hideout and kill every Amazon there, with the exception of the talking cat... Dammit! I SO wanted to see that cat get killed. Anyway, WW and the Amazons come across the kid and the minotaur, and learn that the Morrigan had told the minotaur to kill the kid to anger WW so she would become more like the Morrigan. The minotaur explains that it couldn't go through with killing a child, and then commits suicide. And that's pretty much all I have to say.

Thoughts: This comic makes my brain actually hurt. Why can't we just wrap this storyline up and get classic Wonder Woman back? I don't know about anybody else, but I'm tired of the whole Wonder Woman: The Teenage Amazon story. This issue didn't do anything for me, and I found my mind wandering throughout most of it. I'm really ready to move on now...

Score: 4 1/2 out of 10."Amazons Assemble!" Really? Please let this comic stop torturing me...


Superman/Batman #81:

Summary: We get things started with the Shadowpact heading to Metropolis and discovering a horde of demons attacking a single man in armor. The Shadowpact members jump in to assist the man, but it's for naught, and the man ends up being skewered by the demons. With the man in armor dead, the demons head back into the portal they had arrived from. Blue Devil walks over to the dead man and is shocked to see that the man in the armor was Superman. From there we head elsewhere and find a strangely garbed Batman complaining to some woman about armored Superman making a big mistake by heading through the portal. Back in Metropolis, the Phantom Stranger brings the real Superman to see dead, armored Superman. While Supes is trying to figure out what it all meant, the strangely garbed Batman and his gal pal emerge from a portal and kidnap Supes. Having lost Superman, the Shadowpact send... seriously?! *sigh* Detective Chimp to Gotham City to find the real Batman. We end this one with Superman waking up and being told by the strangely garbed Batman that he was from Superman's future and that the future was a demon infested hellhole.

Thoughts: Eh. I didn't really care about this comic one way or the other. I mean it wasn't horrible, but it also didn't thrill me. It just sort of was. I'm willing to give the story some leeway, especially considering this was only the first part, but here's hoping things pick up come next issue.

Score: 6 out of 10.Ah DC... Where would you be without your talking monkeys?

Quick Hits: 1/24/11

It's time for my newest infrequently done feature here at the blog, Quick Hits! I'm entering the second week of the Spring semester, and the schoolwork is slowly starting to creep up on me, so I figured this would be the perfect time for a post that wouldn't take me all that much time to complete. Okay, enough intro, let's get this show on the road.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #18:

Summary: Batman manages to defeat the Bedbug, but proves unable to capture the odd villain. Meanwhile, Hush and his mafia associates find the lair of Dr. Death and are confronted by the doctor himself.

Thoughts: Believe it or not, THAT was the entire story! The Hush story took up only TEN(!!!)pages, while the brunt of this comic served as a Ragman story, which needless to say, I didn't bother reading. I don't know what the deal is with Paul Dini, but so far there have been 3 parts to this Hush story, and they all could have fit in pretty much ONE comic book! That's really frustrating.

Score: 3 out of 10.


Supergirl #60:

Summary: This is the first post Sterling Gates issue of Supergirl, as James Peaty and Nick Spencer take up the writing reins. Some Harvard student named Alex sets up a new app that allows its users to upload pictures of super-heroes and their locations. It seems Alex is doing this to try to help villains find the locations of said heroes, which leads to Supergirl being attacked by Silver Banshee, Metallo, Kryptonite Man and Parasite(or so they seem to be). Plus Lois Lane learns from a snitch at Project Cadmus that they were experimenting with Kryptonian DNA. That leads to the snitch's child being murdered.

Thoughts: Well, this was definitely a step down from Gates' usually sterling work... Sorry, I couldn't resist! But seriously, there was TOO much going on here, with three separate stories playing out, sometimes all on the same page. As well as new characters being introduced on top of that. Definitely not the best issue of Supergirl I've ever read.

Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.


Superman/Batman #80:

Summary: Epoch manages to trap Batman(Bruce Wayne), Superman and Robin(Dick Grayson)in an impenetrable Omega Barrier. Which is basically like a black hole(or something). It turns out that the Omega Barrier wasn't so impenetrable after all, and Supes manages to break free, using some Reed Richards worthy science mumbo-jumbo to explain how he did it. From there, Supes breaks Epoch's hourglass, and Epoch travels forward in time, being defeated by several future versions of Bats and Supes until he returns to the 853rd century, where he is locked back up in prison by that era's Supes and Bats.

Thoughts: WAAAAAY too much wacky science talk here for my tastes. I don't think you should need a basic understanding of Quantum Physics to understand a comic book but maybe that's just me. So while this comic started off well enough, it was just overly complex, which really hurt my enjoyment of it.

Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.


Titans #31:

Summary: Deathstroke has captured Slipknot and has left him bound and waiting for whatever punishment Ink decides to dish out. Ink leaves to confront the man who killed his son, but discovers Deathstroke had freed Slipknot since he figured Ink wouldn't kill a bound man. The two fight, and after some taunting, Ink decapitates Slipknot while the rest of the Titans watch from the security room. Meanwhile, Osiris kills a mess of bank robbers and is confronted by Capt. Marvel.

Thoughts: This was probably my favorite issue of this series since the Deathstroke reboot. My biggest gripe here was some of the dialogue, which seemed to come straight out of a bad Summer blockbuster movie. When Osiris told one of the bank robbers he “doesn't sweat the small stuff” I cringed. But bad dialogue or not, the story wasn't bad, so that's definitely an improvement.

Score: 7 out of 10.


Superman #707:

Summary: Superman is STILL walking across the country, talking to Lois Lane on his cell phone. He comes across a fire at a chemical plant and puts it out. He discovers that Lois is there, and she reveals that the plant had been disregarding EPA standards for years and were polluting the groundwater. The people who work at the plant tell Supes they need the work, and that if he shut them down, they'd be out of work. Supes sides with the workers and tells Lois that she had better not publish anything negative about the plant before leaving. Oh, and then Supes meets a bunch of lame-o's calling themselves the Superman Squad(even though two of them are female, negating the “man” part of the Squad...)

Thoughts: I've got to admit, this story was boring... It was painfully boring at times. I don't really get what Superman's bad attitude towards Lois was all about, but it seems he may have been mind controlled by some evil woman into acting rashly. As for the Superman Squad? There's nothing positive I can say about them at first glance, so let's just move on.

Score: 6 out of 10.


Secret Avengers #8:

Summary: In an effort to capture Shang-Chi, Max Fury and John Steele of the Shadow Council decide to set up a false attack on Hong Kong to draw out th Secret Avengers. The Secret Avengers take the bait and while they are battling what they believe to be Shang-Chi's evil, semi-resurrected father and his ninjas, Fury and Steele break onto Steve Rogers helicarrier and kidnap Sharon Carter. Cap realizes that the battle was a ruse, and returns to the ship where he gets a message from Steele stating that Steve either hands over Shang, or he'd kill Sharon.

Thoughts: Normally I LOVE Ed Brubaker's work, but I STILL haven't gotten into his Secret Avengers run... Having a storyline revolve around Shang-Chi doesn't help, as I could care LESS about Shang. He's about as boring a character I've ever read about in the Marvel U. The last two parts of this story can't arrive soon enough...

Score: 5 out of 10.

Supergirl #59

Overall: This issue begins with the Toyman's son, the Dollmaker(yes seriously, the Dollmaker...)asking Cat Grant(who he captured last issue)to be his mother... Yeah. While that scene is playing out, Supergirl is searching Metropolis for some trace of the kidnapped Cat, but comes up empty. After giving the obligatory origin story, Dollmaker takes the gag out of Cat's mouth to see if she was willing to be his mother. Cat responds that even if he was the last child in Metropolis, she wouldn't be his mother, so Dollmaker decides to kill every child in Metropolis to test that theory. However, before he is able to put the gag back in her mouth, Cat calls to Supergirl, who arrives and puts a(mercifully)quick end to Dollmaker. From there, SG rescues Cat and the children the Dollmaker had taken hostage, before heading to Smallville for Christmas. This issue ends with SG picking up an issue of the Daily Planet and discovering that Cat had FINALLY written a nice article about SG.

Oh god... Like the Toyman wasn't bad enough... Now we get the Dollmaker? Ugh. All I'm going to say is hopefully this is the LAST time Dollmaker EVER appears in a DC comic and leave it at that.

Score: 5 out of 10.Good god... Did this issue really happen?!

Supergirl #58

Overall: This issue kicks off with Cat Grant and Supergirl going to visit that waste of comic book life, the Toyman. Yes, the TERRIBLE Toyman. Anywho, children have been disappearing off the streets of Metropolis, and every time a kid vanished, a doll has been sent to Cat. Cat believes the Toyman has been sending her the strange little dolls to mess with her, and as such wants to confront him. Toyman denies sending the toys to Cat, and even after being roughed up by SG still claims innocence. Upon inspecting the toys however, Toyman notices that they seem based on some of his early work. Before he can inspect them any further, one of the toys springs to life at the sound of the Toyman's voice and stabs him with a pair of scissors Chucky-style... God did that movie scare the hell out of me as a kid... The toy then goes to attack Cat, but is stopped and melted by Supergirl. Later on, Cat and SG argue about some of the less than flattering stuff Cat had been writing about SG, which leads to SG abandoning Cat. With SG gone, Cat visits her son's grave, before heading home, where she is assaulted by Anton Schott, the Dollmaker. This issue concludes with Lois Lane going to STAR Labs to visit her insane sister, Superwoman.

I hate Toyman, but I do loves me some Supergirl. So yeah, this issue left me a bit conflicted... I was glad that Toyman was stabbed(if only the stabbing had been fatal...), but the Dollmaker? I'm not sure that's a whole lot better than the Toyman... BUT, Sterling Gates has done... well, a sterling job on this series, so I'm willing to give this story a chance, Toyman and all.

Score: 8 out of 10.It's nice to see Cat as something more than the bitch she's been written as lately.

Supergirl #57

Overall: With the Godship still ravaging Bizarro World, Supergirl comes up with a plan that involves turning the blue sunlight of Bizarro World on herself and Bizarro, thereby helping Bizarro create new clones of himself. Bizarro, Bizarrogirl and Supergirl lead an army of Krypt-Zarros against the Godship and it's minions, but the aliens prove too much for the Krypt-Zarros and Bizarro's side begins to slowly lose the battle. Sensing imminent defeat, Bizarrogirl turns tail and runs away. Supergirl decides it's time to come up with a new plan and tells Bizarro to use the “solid-vision” Bizarrogirl demonstrated on Earth against the Godship with the hopes of encasing it in metal. Unfortunately, Bizarro has NO idea what this “solid-vision” is, so Supergirl leaves the battle to try to find Bizarrogirl. SG finds BG and explains that even though her Bizarro clone may be frightened, she has to try to help her people. BG decides to go with Supergirl, and with Supergirl charging Bizarrogirl up, Bizarrogirl manages to totally encase the Godship in metal, ending its threat. With the Godship defeated, Supergirl and Bizarro begin rebuilding Bizarro World, while Bizarrogirl vanishes. Before leaving, Supergirl manages to hunt down Bizarrogirl(AGAIN!), and learns that her Bizarro clone was feeling guilty about her actions on Earth. Supergirl has a heart to heart with Bizarrogirl and when she is done trying to lift Bizarrogirl's spirits, she gets on the rocket and begins the trip back to Earth.

Hmm... I was really enjoying this storyline... Until this issue. I don't know why, but it just didn't connect with me like the past couple of issues did. Maybe it was the way the Godship was defeated, or maybe it was Bizarrogirl's self-loathing and cowardice, but somewhere along the line this story went from great to just another comic. I mean, it was still a perfectly acceptable comic, but that was all it was. Oh well, hopefully things rebound for me come the next issue.

Score: 7 out of 10.I don't know whether to laugh about the fact Bizarro Arsenal is carrying a dead cat as a weapon, or to cry...

Supergirl #56

Supergirl #56: Writer: Sterling Gates. Pencils: Jamal Igle.

Review: We get started with Supergirl bringing Bizarrogirl back to Bizarro World. After seeing that half of Bizarro World had been destroyed, SG and her Bizarro counterpart land on the planet to find out what had happened. Bizarro Lex Luthor arrives on the scene and tells SG that he had accidentally summoned the godship to Bizarro World in an effort to destroy Bizarro. However, the godship instead began sending hundreds of bug-like creatures to the surface of Bizarro World, where the creatures began to feed on the populace. As Lex finishes his explanation, he is eaten by one of the creatures. SG and Bizarrogirl prepare to attack the creature, but it is defeated by the timely arrival of Bizarro. Bizarro takes the girls back to the Fortress of Togetherness to strategize, and SG decides to check out the godship against Bizarro's advice. SG flies into space and discovers that the godship is actually an enormous bug creature and that the smaller creatures were feeding off of Bizarro World and returning to the giant creature to provide it with sustenance. The godship knocks SG away and she lands back at the Fortress of Togetherness where this issue concludes with SG deciding that this looked like a job for Superman.

What I Thought: God do I love Bizarro World! I can't get enough of the place! The dialogue, the characters, all of it! Me am truly hate Bizarro World! So with that said it should come as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed this issue. Simple arithmetic tells us that Supergirl + Bizarrogirl + Bizarro + A giant bug alien = a really good comic. What else can I really say?

Score: 9 1/2 out of 10.If I could choose any fictional planet to live on, I'd definitely pick Bizarro World.

Supergirl #53

Supergirl #53: Writer: Sterling Gates. Pencils: Jamal Igle.

Review: This issue gets underway with Supergirl(still hurting over the loss of New Krypton)telling Lana Lang that she wanted to give up her Kryptonian name and go by Linda Lang full time. Lana tells SG that would be fine, and SG goes on to state that she was done with being Supergirl, since she wasn't able to save her mother or her planet. Lana decides to take SG to a restaurant for lunch, and while they are there, a huge meteorite smashes through the STAR Labs installment that was holding Superwoman captive. Luckily for Dr. Light and Gangbuster(who were working at the lab)Superwoman isn't broken free, although her bonds seem slightly damaged(a story for another day I'd say). Light and Gangbuster decide to chase after the meteorite to see what it's deal was, and the flaming meteorite flies right past the restaurant Lana and SG were lunching at. Lana implores SG to go and help, but SG refuses, stating once again that she was finished with the super-hero business. This issue ends with Light and Gangbuster tracking down the meteorite(which turns out to be an alien ship), just in time to see Bizarro Supergirl emerge!

What I Thought: This was a very satisfying issue of Supergirl. It touched on all that SG lost during the War of the Supermen storyline, and her refusal to want to help anybody anymore did make perfect sense. After losing all that she had lost(her mother, her best friend, her people)it's no real surprise that she'd be in the mother of all funks. I thought Lana was kind of harsh after the restaurant was wrecked and she was yelling at SG to go and be a hero... I mean really, why should she? If SG chooses not to suit up anymore, shouldn't that be her choice? I'm sure the sight of Bizarro Supergirl next issue will be enough to push Supergirl back into action, and down the road it seems that Superwoman will be once again menacing the Girl of Steel. Not only was this issue good, but the future issues are also setting up to look good as well!

Score: 9 out of 10.Bizarro Supergirl am happy!

Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #3(of 3)

Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #3(of 3) Writers: James Robinson and Sterling Gates. Artist: Pete Woods.
Last Issue: 8 1/2 out of 10.

Review: (This is continued from Superman #699)Picking up from Superman #699, Brainiac's ship is rapidly falling towards New Krypton thanks to Lex Luthor's treachery. Mon-El, who was working with the Old Legion, wants to help Supes halt the ships decent, but the Old Legionnaires try to convince him to stay with them to get the bottled cities aboard the ship to safety. Mon still refuses to help the old Legionnaires until Superman rushes over and tells Mon that his place is with the Old Legion and the bottled cities, and that he'll save Kandor from the onrushing Brainiac ship. With that, Mon and the Old Legionaries grab a few bottled cities and leave. Supes flies outside and gets in front of the runaway ship in an effort to halt it's downward spiral, but alone he proves unable to. Supergirl and Superboy, who were in New Krypton and were watching the ship head towards them, fly up and try to give Supes a hand, but once again, they are unable to halt the ship's fall. The ship ultimately crash lands smack-dab in the middle of Kandor, killing several Kryptonians. With the ship down, the bottled city inside of it(the one Lex Luthor activated in Supes #699)is still growing, and if allowed to continue it would eradicate Kandor. Brainiac 5 manages to reverse the growth of the city, but upon looking around the rubble, Brainiac 5 and Supergirl discover Superman impaled on several pieces of metal, looking quite dead. Brainiac 5 orders SG to locate Superboy and bring him over as soon as possible. Overlooking the death and destruction in Kandor is Lex Luthor, who is proudly admiring his handiwork. Brainiac comes up from behind Luthor and demands to know why he betrayed him and destroyed his ship. Lex spits in Brainiac's face and tells him that he'd never willingly side with an alien, be it a Kryptonian or a Coluan. With that, Brainiac snaps Lex's neck, killing him(!!!). While taunting Lex's dead body, several angry Kryptonians begin to approach Brainiac, intent on avenging themselves on him for all of the death he had brought to their world. Gen. Zod steps between the Kryptonians and Brainiac and tells them to stand down, since dealing with Brainiac was his duty. Brainiac tells Zod that the fight would be far from fair since Zod had his superpowers while Brainiac didn't, so Zod shoots himself with a red sun radiation gun, which de-powers him and he charges Brainiac. Back with Supes, Brainiac 5 has managed to give Supes a blood transfusion from Superboy(well, I guess it's pretty useful having a readily available clone present!), and after blasting Supes with some yellow sunlight, Supes is healed and back on his feet again. Zod and Brainiac continue their street fight, and eventually Zod manages to beat Brainiac to his knees in front of the cheering Kryptonians. Zod then pulls a gun and aims it at the fallen Brainiac's head(sideways, which makes him even more awesome in my book!)and fires off a shot... That is intercepted by the timely arrival of Superman. Supes begins to tell Zod that he can't simply murder Brainiac, blah, blah, blah, and Zod ignores Supes, ordering him arrested by the Kryptonian military. Before the military can step in, Brainiac 5 arrives and teleports over and grabs Brainiac, teleporting away with his ancestor. From there we get a few epilogues... Lex Luthor is discovered alive and well on Earth, where it is revealed that the Lex Luthor who was killed on New Krypton by Brainiac was simply a robot crated by Toyman. Gen. Lane thanks Lex for his help, and gives him a full presidential pardon for his crimes, as well as promising him something more down the road. Brainiac 5 is flying through space with Brainiac heading towards... somewhere I guess, while Mon and the Old Legion are doing the same with the bottled cities they had annexed from Brainiac's ship. And finally, Gen. Zod basically names himself as the new leader of New Krypton, since most of the ruling council had died in Brainiac's attack, to the gathered citizens of New Krypton. This issue ends with Zod declaring war on Earth, who he was accusing of collaborating with Brainiac, all while the people of New Krypton cheered his every word.

What I Thought: Wow, that was a pretty long review... Anyway, this was a lousy end to a storyline, but an awesome set-up issue for the upcoming Superman crossover, so take that for what it's worth... Yeah Brainiac was defeated, but that was really the only thing that ended here, and even that didn't really end, since Brainiac 5 had left with Brainiac heading for parts unknown. This comic was more like a prologue for the War of the Supermen story then the end of the Last Stand story. With all of that said, I did like this comic for the most part. The constant, “He's dead, no wait, he's not.” parts of this comic did tend to bug me, as Lex Luthor(by Brainiac), Superman(by Brainiac's ship)and Brainiac(by Zod)were all killed or practically killed in this comic, and every character managed to cheat death in one way or another. Of course if Lex would have died here I'd be frothing at the mouth, but still, killing and then un-killing THREE major characters in one comic is a bit much... So the next step is Supes against Zod, who has his sights set on Earth. I know I'm definitely looking forward to big things in the upcoming months from the Superman family of books.

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.Since I couldn't decide which scene from this comic was my favorite, I went ahead and posted them all!

Supergirl #52

School's out for me!!! I am officially done with that place until July 6th, which is when I head back to take a few summer courses so I can graduate a little bit sooner. To be perfectly honest, this has been one of my best academic years since I've returned to college. I already know I have A's in two classes(including Accounting!!!), and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to pull down A's in my other classes(provided something strange didn't happen during my finals in those classes). So all in all, I'm in a good mood. After I post the three reviews I have ready to go tonight, I plan on sleeping a good 12 hours, and then either go to the store to do some shopping, or just lounge around my apartment for the day. That second option is really pretty appealing actually... Anyway, enough of my celebratory gloating, let's get to the first review. Just so you know, all three of these reviews tonight are Last Stand of New Krypton x-overs.

Supergirl #52: Writer: Sterling Gates. Artist: Ivan Rodriguez.
Last Issue: 8 1/2 out of 10.

Review: This issue begins with the General Zod and his newly freed Brainiac Revenge Squad leaving the bottled city of Kandor in order to find and kill Brainiac for all of the hardship he's given Zod and his men over the years. While Zod is tearing through Brainiac's robots, Supergirl and Brainiac 5 are wandering around Brainiac's ship hoping to find the shrunken cities Brainiac had captured. They wander around, bicker and fight robots for the better part of this comic until they discover the core of Brainiac's ship, which Supergirl proceeds to destroy, severely hampering the elder Brainiac's war efforts. With the core destroyed and Brainiac's force field down, Superman is able to get back aboard the ship, which undoubtedly spells trouble for Brainiac. While all of this is going on, Kryptonian Commander Gor is torturing Reactron in the shrunken city of Kandor in an attempt to get some answers out of Reactron as to Gen. Lane's plots against New Krypton. Reactron refuses to talk, and he winds up getting saved by Lex Luthor(!), who blows a hole in Gor's chest, killing him. Reactron is happy to see Luthor, figuring he was there to rescue him, but Luthor explains that nothing could be further from the truth, with that evil little Lex Luthor smirk of his. A little bit later, Lex leaves Kandor and enlarges himself back in Brainiac's room of shrunken cities. This issue ends with Lex grabbing one of the bottled cities and deciding that he has some sort of nefarious plan that he could use the shrunken city for.

What I Thought: There really wasn't all that much of interest going on here... Most of this comic consisted of Brainiac 5 and Supergirl bickering with one another until they FINALLY made it to the core of Brainiac's ship. The Lex Luthor stuff was good(as usual), but for me, the rest of this comic was definitely lacking.

Score: 7 out of 10.See, if I lived in the DCU, I definitely would have voted Lex Luthor for president!