Review of Justice League: Their Greatest Triumphs

 

Description:

Prepare for the highly anticipated film Justice League with this story written by comics greats Geoff Johns (DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH), Mark Waid (JLA: YEAR ONE), Brad Meltzer (IDENTITY CRISIS), Kurt Busiek (ASTRO CITY) and Mark Millar (Kickass), with art from the legendary Jim Lee (SUICIDE SQUAD), Ivan Reis (AQUAMAN), Doug Mahnke (GREEN LANTERN) and more. This collection of the biggest victories from the World's Greatest Super-Heroes, JUSTICE LEAGUE: THEIR GREATEST TRIUMPHS, offers a chance to get to know Superman, Batman, the Flash, Wonder Woman, Cyborg and Aquaman in these seven tales from the pages of JUSTICE LEAGUE and JLA.

From alien invasions and hostile visitors from other dimensions to this planet’s own endless supply of super-villains, when enemies of Earth appear, the Justice League answers the call. Though the lineup of League members may vary, the mission is the same. They are humanity’s ultimate protectors, the world’s greatest superheroes. And they will triumph.

Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1, #16, #29; JLA #33, #107; JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #0; JUSTICE LEAGUE: REBIRTH #1
Authors: Various
Artists: Various
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Oct. 10 2017
Parental Rating: PG

Review:

What does it mean to be the Greatest? Sports fans love to debate who is the GOAT, the Greatest Of All Time. Politics-watchers weigh in on who was the greatest President? Part of the fun of the debate is how to weigh various characteristics of greatness across sometimes vastly different historical eras and contexts: prioritizing passing touchdowns unfairly penalizes players in a less pass-focused era, for a sports example.

This TPB purports to collect the "Greatest" triumphs of the Justice League, which begs the question of what definition of "greatest" they mean. The Justice League, after all, has been around since 1960 and has had an ever-changing roster. How surprising, therefore, that these stories all come between 1999 and 2016 - a definite 'recency bias' in the selection process.

The collection's title also begs the question of what they mean by "triumph" - Webster's dictionary calls a triumph a victory, conquest or notable success. So we should expect the seven stories in this collection to show the Justice League vanquishing their enemies, decisively repelling ominous threats, perhaps against incredible odds.

Yet many of these stories see the opponent still free, a battle may have been won but the larger war is still undecided.

One more criticism of the title: "Justice League: Their Greatest Triumphs" sounds like these stories will be team-centered, the victories a direct result of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, their camaraderie and collaboration serving as key elements in the triumphs. Yet many of the stories focus on just one or two members of the team: Cyborg in one, Flash in another, the trio of Batman, Superman and Green Lantern in another.

In short, the title vastly oversells the contents of the collection. More likely these were chosen as a tie-in to the Justice League movie (2017) and the central characters on the big screen.

Title-criticism aside, there is much to enjoy within the collection. Familiar characters, interesting stories, vibrant and dynamic art.

It begins with a 2011 story from that year's rebooted Justice League #1, showing the first meeting of Batman, Green Lantern and Superman. "Batman? You're real?" says Green Lantern. "And you're too damn bright. Turn down the light before they see us," Batman snarls back. An arrogant Hal Jordan, a severe Bruce Wayne and a suspicious and powerful Superman are not immediately inclined to trust each other. Geoff Johns tells a tight story, early steps building toward the eventual formation of the Justice League. It's not a league yet, these characters do not get along and are hardly working as a team. Jim Lee's accompanying graphics fill every page with noise and excitement, even when a quieter sub-plot is front and center.

The "Altered Egos" story from 1999 is the most pure fun story of the collection, as the large league of that era splits into smaller groups to battle the world's biggest current threat: Bruce Wayne? Amidst the humor and action, Plastic Man posing as Barda's gown is just too funny!

A close second for the most-fun story is the 2004 tale called "Maintenance Day" - rather than involving the whole team, it focuses on Flash and Martian Manhunter, and their victory is hardly worthy of being considered a great triumph, but the slice of life in the rhythms of the league made a great narrative structure for the unfolding relationship drama.

But the pinnacle of story-telling in this collection is in the 2006 debut issue of another reboot, the Justice League of America #1, "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow." The script by Brad Meltzer meanders between past, present and future, teasing out aspects of the league's history and the evolution of their dynamics and relationships, with so many nuggets from DC's history. Nearly two dozen artists contribute to the story, and the overall effect is, as each era change arises, the look of the characters, their period uniforms, the art stylings and more also change. A perfect visual complement to the exquisitely woven narrative.

None of the rest especially stand out, not in terms of teamwork, nor on the scale of triumphs, nor even as stories that are especially fun. But the two or three gems from recent Justice League history do make this worth adding to your collection.

Score: 3 capes on a pure enjoyment level, 2 capes based on extreme failure to live up to its overhyped cover billing

ISBN-10: 1401273513
ISBN-13: 978-1401273514
Language: English
Pages: 168 pages

Spiders and Lizards and Werewolves oh my! Review of Spider-Island: Warzones!

 

Description:

The Spider-Queen has turned Manhattan into an island of Spider-Madness and Peter Parker has lost, thanks to Spider-Scribe Christos Gage (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN) & rising star artist Paco Diaz (WOLVERINE, SCARLET SPIDERS). With Spider-Man defeated and captive, does Flash Thompson, A.K.A. VENOM stand a chance? All this, plus visit the MC2 patch of BATTLEWORLD!

Collects: SPIDER-ISLAND (2015) #1-5
Authors: Christos Gage (main), Tom DeFalco (second)
Artists: Paco Diaz (main), Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema (second)
Published By: Marvel 
Published When: Nov. 24 2015
Parental Rating: Teen

Review:

The 2015 Marvel mega-crossover event Secret Wars was a well-received reboot of the original Secret Wars series from 30 years earlier. Wiki pages, the Marvel site and other fan pages can fill in the big picture of the overall plot and its place in the Marvel universe.

What you need to know for this review is that the reconstructed Battle World has alternate-reality war zones in which many of the tie-in stories unfold. Like this one, Spider-Island. New York City has been overrun by the Spider Queen, who defeated Peter Parker and infected the citizens with a virus that has transformed them into humanoid/arachnid mutations.

Leading the small band of resistance fighters is Flash Thompson as Venom. In this five-part story he leads his small team on several dangerous missions to capture key technologies and slowly free a growing number of heroes.

Christos Gage tells a somewhat uneven story, with taut and well-paced sequences mixed in with periods of lethargy and over-deferential self-reflection. Ultimately all agree that Venom has earned the right to lead the final battle vs the Spider Queen.

With the population, and especially the heroes infected by the spider-virus, and having no cure, they discover that further genetic mutation, away from arachnoid forms, frees people from the controlling hive-mind of the Spider Queen. Do spiders have a hive-mind? The living creatures in nature appear to be very solitary. But never mind.

This mutation-upon-mutation plot element gives Paco Diaz the chance to draw recognizable costumes and emblems on a horror-movie collection of creatures: a werewolf in Captain America's outfit, a vampire Captain Marvel sipping donated blood from drinking-boxes, several sexy-lizard girlfriends, and more. He pulls it off reasonably well, walking a fine line by avoiding the potential for silliness, and keeping it "realistic" - whatever that means in this plot scenario.

In the end, the Spider Queen is overcome through Venom's courage and self-sacrifice, and a well-timed stampede of hungry dinosaurs - another uneven mix in elements from Gage.

The B-story in this limited series focuses on Mayday Parker in another corner of Battleworld. Sensing that the average reader will not be aware of the similarities and differences between the world of Mayday Parker (Uncle Ben alive, May's dad Peter Parker dead, for example), author Tom DeFalco reminds the reader of the difference in almost every issue. And her name change, from Spider-Girl to Spider-Woman, which becomes a running gag throughout the series.

While the story is about her and from her perspective, Mayday turns out to be but one pawn in a larger game that ultimately is not about her, nor is the victory ultimately hers. I'd explain more, but there are so many heroes peripherally involved, almost all of whom are well down the list of recognizable characters, that you are better off to read this one for yourself.

Overall the two stories told in this collection were fairly standard crossover fare, with forced conditions, minor exposition, uneven story-telling, and enjoyable if unremarkable art. Give it 2.5 capes out of 5.

ISBN-10: 9780785198857
ISBN-13: 9780785198857
Language: English
Pages: 120 pages

Review: Wolverine: Sabretooth Reborn

Description:

Wolverine's arch enemy - the savage Sabretooth - is back from the dead! But how did he survive his beheading all those years ago? As the immortal manipulator Romulus returns from the ebon folds of the Darkforce Dimension, a mysterious red-headed woman comes to Wolverine's rescue - and when her identity and connection to Romulus are revealed, secrets will be revealed that rewrite Wolverine's history once again! And can Wolverine survive an army of Sabretooths? Eisner Award-winning writer Jeph Loeb (Hulk, Avengers: X-Sanction) joins superstar artist Simone Bianchi in a tale of revenge, terror and blood!

Collects: Wolverine 310-313
Authors: Jeph Loeb
Artists: Simone Bianchi
Published By: Marvel
Published When: Dec 3 2013
Parental Rating: Teen

Review:

A classic arch-nemesis returns, mind-blowing twists on a well-known origin story are introduced, the action is endless and extremely violent and bloody, the art pays exquisite attention to detail. This is a breath-taking trade paperback, collecting a stunning 4-issue story-line from Wolverine issues 310 to 313.

Critically acclaimed author Jeph Loeb wrote some of my favorite graphic novels (Superman for all Seasons, Ultimate X: Origins) and he has another hit with this story. In true Loeb-ian style, there are more narrative boxes than dialog bubbles, giving us a constant running monologue from the mind of Wolverine, as he processes the confusion, horror, anger, lust and shock over the course of these events.

Shocking enough to distract Logan while in the midst of rescuing Cloak from atop the Empire State building, leading to a looong fall and a desperate last-minute teleportation, all in the first 4 pages.

Lusty enough to put at least four passionate kisses and a dozen other panels of extreme-closeups on parted lips inches away, as Logan falls hard for the mysterious, sexy and vaguely familiar redhead Remus.

Confusion from shocking revelations about Logan’s own memories and history around his origin. Did Romulus actually play a role in the Weapon X creation of the Wolverine? What does it all mean?

And of course so much violence. Neither Loeb nor artist-extraordinaire Simone Bianchi shy away from the realities of battling with swords and retractable claws. Stabbings, severing of limbs, puncturing and slicing are on nearly every page. The gore of blood splatter, broken or exposed bones, muscles and tendons in a state of mid-healing, occupy nearly every inch of this book. Yet in the hands of Bianchi it still feels somewhat restrained.

The book is beautifully rendered, every character and panel and spread a dark work of art. Bianchi’s attention to detail is jaw-dropping; the glints of light on claw and blade, the spread of shadows, all feel just right. Even down to the stitching details along the seams of Wolverine’s mask.

This is an amazing story, told with some of the most detailed and beautiful art you’ll find in a superhero graphic novel. Not for young eyes, though, due to the constant intense and graphic violence. I give it 4 capes.

ISBN-10: 0785163263
ISBN-13: 978-0785163268
Language: English
Pages: 112 pages

Review: Convergence Flashpoint book 2

Description:

A CONVERGENCE tie-in graphic novel!
Once, there were infinite Earths. Then there came a Crisis…a Zero Hour…a Flashpoint. Worlds lived. Worlds died. But some worlds must now fight for their future—in the Convergence!
The evil alien intelligence known as Brainiac has stolen 50 doomed cities from throughout time and space and sealed them behind impenetrable domes. Now, after a year, the domes will come down—and the heroes and villains of 50 dead worlds must battle to be the last one standing!
In this volume:
THE ATOM: It’s atomic fusion as Ray Palmer joins forces with Ryan Choi against the man who killed him—Deathstroke the Terminator!
SPEED FORCE: Wally West leads the Flash family in a race to protect their city against the onslaught of Flashpoint’s warmongering Wonder Woman!
THE TITANS: With their team in tatters, Starfire, Donna Troy and Arsenal are the last line of defense against the world-conquering Extremists!
BATMAN AND ROBIN: It’s up to a dysfunctional Bat-family—the Dark Knight Detective, his son Damian, and his prodigal protégé Jason Todd—to stop an Extremist invasion of Gotham City!
HARLEY QUINN: When the going gets tough, the tough get crazy—which is why Harley Quinn is teaming with Poison Ivy and Catwoman against Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew!
The legends of the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe make a last stand against threats from worlds both brutal and bizarre in CONVERGENCE: FLASHPOINT BOOK TWO!

Collects: Convergence The Atom #1-2, Convergence Speed Force #1-2, Convergence The Titans #1-2, Convergence Batman and Robin #1-2, Convergence Harley Quinn #1-2
Authors: Various
Artists: Various
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Oct. 27 2015
Parental Rating: Teen

Review:

This is the final TPB collection in this series, the end of the Convergence cross-over story-line and our Convergence-related reviews. As usual, we will review each in turn. Overall it merits 2.5 capes, the stories are pleasant enough but cannot hold up in the larger crossover collection.

The Atom

A good comic or graphic novel will tell as much or more of the story through the art and the visual narrative as through the words and the written narrative. The pictures, layout, colors, sequencing, framing and more all communicate to the reader, in the best such stories.

There are places where this tale reaches for such lofty heights. I am not familiar with the broader body of work by Steve Yeowell (pencils), but I like what I see in this story. There were several pages where I paused to admire the visuals, as he worked wonders with a very strange concept – the changing hands of the Atom. The dome eliminated the superpowers of most heroes, but somehow the Atom had the ability to make one hand extremely large. It’s an idea that could turn utterly ridiculous visually, and Yeowell works hard to rein in the potential for silliness in the imagery and communicate just the idea.

This is perhaps most effective and most subtle at the conclusion, where the Ryan Choi Atom works some mass-redistribution wonders. Subtle enough art that I had to pause on the relevant panels – writer Tom Peyer leaves entirely in the artists’ hands the job of showing us the results.

Peyer’s tale is pretty dark in other places, with stabbings and severed limbs, and Yeowell does not shy away from graphic representations of those scenes, a shocking contrast to the garish blue and red colors of Atom’s outfit.

A story at times touching, confusing, challenging and with several points of artistic interest.

Speed Force

In other Convergence stories, author Tony Bedard has given us some dark tales. In Convergence Aquaman it was a battle to the bloody death; while in Convergence Green Lantern / Parallax the former Hal Jordan wiped out an entire city.

This story had the potential to go to some dark and violent places, too, with Flash (Wally West) facing a battle-hardened warrior Wonder Woman and her legion of amazons from the Flashpoint universe. In fact, she taunts him in preparation for the slaughter, a nice little trash-talk sequence.

But this story needs to stay children-friendly, and Bedard pulls it back from a darker precipice. For Wally West is not just a superhero, he is also a father, and this has been bring-your-kids-to-work year. His children were with him, bound by the Speed Force, visiting Gotham when the dome trapped them, away from home and powerless for the year.

Then there’s the turtle. Fastback, the speed-force-powered turtle joins Flash in the battle. How dark can you go when telling a tale with children and heroic amphibians as side-kicks? (My daughter tells me turtles are technically reptiles not amphibians; my push-back is that they also do not have super-powers or talk in a southern accent. But of course, she’s correct.)

This is a light story, in both art and plot. An amusing enough read, although what it is doing in the Convergence crossover is a puzzle.

Titans

Summarizing a story or a character’s history in a succinct way is a frequent challenge, especially in a crossover event like Convergence which may bring in readers unfamiliar with the nuances of the character. Fabian Nicieza attempts exactly such a summary for Speedy, the former sidekick of Green Arrow and now a Titan. He uses the first three pages of the story to do so, which gives artists Ron Wagner and Jose Marzan Jr a lot of room to work with. The result is a beautiful summary of the key moments of the life of the hero now known as Arsenal. An especially nice touch was the graininess of some of the panels, a nod to the look of comics in earlier eras.

The background is not just an FYI – it is crucial to the narrative. For Nicieza’s story hinges on the potential return to Arsenal of his dead daughter. Will he make a devil’s bargain to get her back? Will he shoot Donna Troy and Starfire in cold blood? With the rest of the Titans outgunned by a group of Extremists, will he rise to the challenge?

Outside those first three pages, Wagner and Marzan Jr give us a stream of dynamic panels, filled with dramatic action, clever views, and loads of emotion. Since Arsenal / Speedy is not high on my personal list, I had low expectations for this story, but was pleasantly surprised and impressed by its depth and power.

Batman and Robin

In my youth I met the art of Denys Cowan on DC’s The Question series, in the late 1980s. The Question, famously, has a faceless mask, covering all features with a blank white-flesh covering. With that for context, his art in this series is jarring. The faces are a never-ending stream of sharp angles, prominent cheekbones, and full lips. The Penguin in particular has a needle-sharp nose, in profile, and painfully protruding cheekbones.

There are also constant pencil-lines for shading. Sure, it’s a classic drawing technique, but feels overused to the point of distraction in this short 2-part tale. Whether that is on Cowan or his penciller Klaus Janzen, it took away from the overall enjoyment.

In terms of story, Ron Marz weaves together fraternal tensions between the Damian-Robin character and his predecessor Jason Todd as Red Hood. The mutual resentment leads to blows, but can they put aside their differences and their animosity to work for the good of their city? With a little manipulation by the Batman, they find that they can.

The Extremists, the champions of their rival city in these Convergence games, are little more than a villain-of-the-month, fodder for our heroes to defeat and save the day. The result is an average story, sort-of fitting the overall Convergence arc. If only its art was pleasant to look at.

Harley Quinn

Like the Speed Force story earlier in this collection, we get anthropomorphic super-animals in this tale. Harley Quinn must face Captain Carrot in a battle to save their cities. But unlike the Flash-meets-Fastback one, this tale has a layer of ambiguity, as Harley’s meds have long since run out. Could this all be a psychotic hallucination? A crazy dream?

Steve Pugh’s story takes Harley on quite a journey, from villain to hero to villain and back again, all in the span of a two-issue comic. She’s busted mid-heist; she meets and falls in love during her rehab; she is turned loose and appears to slaughter her opponents; but not everything is as it appears and her goodness-streak re-emerges.

This is a fun, trippy romp, through the mind of Harley and the cartoon world of Captain Carrot and his crew. Artists Phil Winslade and John Dell keep it loose and fun, putting some real grit into Carrot, and emotion into the supporting characters like Poison Ivy or Harley’s love interest.

ISBN-10: 1401258360
ISBN-13: 978-1401258368
Language: English
Pages: 272 pages

Review: Convergence Zero Hour book 2

 

Description:

A CONVERGENCE tie-in graphic novel, starring the heroes of the 1990s!

Once, there were infinite Earths. Then there came a Crisis…a Zero Hour…a Flashpoint. Worlds lived. Worlds died. But some worlds must now fight for their future—in the Convergence!

The evil alien intelligence known as Brainiac has stolen 50 doomed cities from throughout time and space and sealed them behind impenetrable domes. Now, after a year, the domes will come down—and the heroes and villains of 50 dead worlds must battle to be the last one standing!

In this volume:

SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL: John Henry Irons suits up as Steel to defend Metropolis against the tempestuous teens of Gen13!

BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT: The Dark Knight and his even darker replacement, Azrael, must join forces against the team of black-ops assassins known as Wetworks!

AQUAMAN: The one-time—and one-handed—King of Atlantis must go hand-to-hand and toe-to-toe against the WildStorm Universe’s deadliest warrior: Deathblow!

SUPERGIRL: MATRIX: To survive a madcap trip through the Multiverse, the shape-shifting Girl of Tomorrow must forge an uneasy alliance with Ambush Bug and L.E.G.I.O.N.’s Lady Quark!

GREEN LANTERN/PARALLAX: To repel an invasion from Earth-6, Kyle Rayner must turn to disgraced Green Lantern Hal Jordan—but will he save their city, or destroy it?

The unforgettable ZERO HOUR–era versions of your favorite DC heroes square off against the WildStorm Universe—and even wilder places—in CONVERGENCE: ZERO HOUR VOL. 2!

Collects: Convergence Aquaman #1-2, Convergence Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1-2, Convergence Green Lantern / Parallax #1-2, Convergence Supergirl: Matrix #1-2, Convergence Superman: the Man of Steel #1-2
Authors: Various
Artists: Various
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Oct. 13 2015
Parental Rating: Teen

Review:

Several dark and violent stories are collected here, and put in contrast with a humorous Ambush Bug appearance. As usual, I will briefly examine each separately. Overall I give this collection 3 capes out of 5.

Batman: Shadow of the Bat

The art team changes between parts one and two of this story, which is appropriate given the overall narrative structure.

Part one has Batman seeking to work his way, as Bruce Wayne, into the inner circle of a Metropolis crime boss. I could complain about why, with so many Gotham stories in the Convergence canon, we need to once again see the recurring plot motif of a visiting hero becoming the Champion of another city. Ridiculous, no need for that at all. But setting that aside, his work to foil their plans is entirely contained in the first half.

The art in this opening part is too dark. Philip Tan’s pencils set out the flow, then excessively heavy inking by Jason Paz and Rob Hunter take away from much of the enjoyment of the layouts. It befits the mood and subject, but is excessive to the point of at times unintelligible.

The art team for part two changes to Rick Leonardi and Dan Green, as the story switches to Batman and Azrael looking to conquer, or survive, the assassins of Wetworks. As assassins, they have no concerns with the challenge to kill an opposing Champion, and Azrael is willing to give as much as he takes. It is only Batman who seeks to subdue rather than kill, and thereby strike a truce of cooperation.

Artistically this second part is much lighter and brighter, even as it happens in the depths of an aircraft carrier. I’m not sure that the writing gives proper due to the imbalance in abilities between these two sides, and is rather facile in Batman’s ability to trap and persuade his opponents.

Aquaman

The gruesomeness of Cliff Richards’ art raises this collection’s rating to Teen. Stabbings, slashing with fish hooks, blood spurts, there is a lot of violence and gore throughout this two-part tale.

And it is reflected in the narrative. Tony Bedard’s script gives us an ever-weakening Aquaman, losing strength and bulk by the page. The turning point in the battle comes (spoiler alert) when Aquaman draws strength from the blood spilling from Deathblow’s open wound. It's a narrative that calls for shocking art.

Beyond the violence, though, Richards is able to visually show the progressively weakened state of Aquaman. He diminishes to a gaunt shell of his usually muscular self, as his access to water becomes limited.

Green Lantern / Parallax

Another dark-themed Convergence story from Tony Bedard, not quite as directly violent as the Aquaman one earlier in the collection but with plenty of off-camera death and destruction.

This tale focuses on the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern, and his efforts to rehabilitate Hal Jordan after the massacres he committed as Parallax. In a clever twist, the dome’s superpower dampening effect has suppressed the madness of Parallax and allowed Hal Jordan to reemerge. But the guilt over his actions drives him to surrender himself to imprisonment.

As soon as the dome disappears, however, Parallax comes roaring back and embraces the role of Champion. He takes the battle first to Princess Fern and her army, then directly to her city Electropolis. He uses his 3600-to-1 advantage in Ring-power to sent Kyle Rayner back to Metropolis, then destroys the enemy’s defenseless city rather than their champion. The power and madness of Parallax is truly frightening.

The art team of Ron Wagner and Bill Reinhold shows nice restraint in illustrating anything generated by the power rings. Historically their renditions have tended toward the cartoonish, but in this story the elements are either more realistically drawn, or are represented just as blasts of green power and energy.

The story ends with Hal Jordan / Parallax disappearing from the narrative, no one knows why. It would have been a great chance for a cross-marketing message pointing the reader back to the main Convergence storyline, where Parallax plays a key role in the climax of that story.

Supergirl: Matrix

From the very first page, this story telegraphs that it will be a light, humorous entry in the Convergence canon. Supergirl vs Lady Quark and Lord Volt in a tale entitled “Who the Hell is Lord Volt?!” With no less than four asterisked editor’s notes at the bottom. And the final tip-off: in the masthead, “Keith Giffen – Writer”.

I first met Giffen through his artwork on Legion of Superheroes in the early 1990s. His written tales were often loaded with humor, with an occasional dark streak. As creator of Ambush Bug, Giffen is a natural choice for this tale – if one concedes that Ambush Bug belongs in Convergence at all.

Any tale with Ambush Bug is going to be off-the-wall, and this one is no exception. Having him meet the Matrix-form Supergirl, itself an odd outlier in her long and storied history, just adds to the bizarre and the possibilities for gags. Two outlier characters from the larger DC Universe colliding in a shared state of oddness.

Lex Luthor wants teleportation technology, in order to escape Telos. Ambush Bug can teleport. So Luthor sends Supergirl Matrix after him. Except Lady Quark and Lord Volt won’t leave her alone because Telos has ordered them to fight her as Champions. Hilarity ensues.

Timothy Green II’s art and Joseph Silver’s pencils move the story along, and they successfully shift gears and styles as needed, especially whenever Ambush Bug pops into a new city, domain or era. Two recurring art choices left me scratching my head, but given that this is an Ambush Bug story, they are easily forgiven and forgotten.

First, the hair! Everyone’s hair is in need of a brushing. Either their heads are caught in a perpetual wind storm, or they have an abundance of gel and hair spray under the dome to hold those styles. And second, nearly every panel with a flying super-powered woman shows them with one leg bent to the point of kicking themselves in the backside. Seriously. Again and again and again, airborne women are drawn in this identical one-leg-folded-double posture.

Overall this is an amusing contrast and respite from the more intense Batman, Aquaman and Green Lantern tales in this collection.

Superman: the Man of Steel

The Parasite saves the day. It’s not a sentence I ever thought I’d write in reviewing graphic novels, but Louise Simonson has written a tale where the John Henry Irons hero named Steel , and his niece Natasha and nephew Jemahl clearly benefit from the non-altruistic intervention of the Parasite.

Their first confrontation with the hero team of Gen-13 does not go well, and Steel is badly wounded, burnt and potentially paralyzed. The Parasite does not care about that, he just sees a delicious buffet of powers to steal!

Some comic-book magic happens to save Steel, and even enhance his powers, and the city is saved. Possibly with the side-effect that Steel’s armor is now permanently bonded to his body? That’s for post-Convergence tales to explore.

June Brigman and Roy Richardson’s art is a mixed-bag. I enjoyed the flowing metallic hairdo on each of the kids’ armor suits. They also used a layout with big, bold action in one panel overlapping and turning into background for other panels on the same page. It was striking the first few times, but they reused that technique so often that it felt repetitive before the end of the second part. And they love to show the Gen-13 leader, Caitlin Fairchild, from behind, showing her bare legs and barely covered butt. At least a half-dozen times in this two-parter, we get such a view, most strongly on the cover of issue #2 and as she faces Steel near the very end of the story. Is it her role as team leader, showing us the “following” view? Or that she has the sexiest outfit?

ISBN-10: 1401258409
ISBN-13: 978-1401258405
Language: English
Pages: 272 pages