I don't think there's any better time to get back on the horse with my Starman collection than with the entry for Will Payton.
But first, a disclaimer of sorts. Two things have kept me from updating this Starman collection retrospective of mine. First, I dropped my external hard drive a while back, and it contained ALL of my digital pictures, including my comic cover pics and original artwork pics. I'm almost done retaking all of the cover pics, but I haven't done the artwork yet. Second, I've started selling off my "NEVER SELL OFF" comic collection, which consists solely of Joe Hill comics and Starman appearances. Because of that, I may have sold some of the comics I had when I began this little endeavor. I definitely haven't bought anything new. So we'll see how this ends up looking. I'll post pics of covers I have, and I'll still include my "Have List," but my "Want List" is now out of date, and I'll be totally scrapping it until I'm in a place to start rebuilding my collection. Right now I'm thinking it'll be five years or so? Who knows.
So, my first exposure to the Will Payton Starman was through the Superman storyline, "Krisis of
the Krimson Kryptonite." First off, I get why they misspelled Krisis and Krimson, but there is NO WAY that spelling would fly today. Other than that, though, it's a good, quick story that ran through all three Superman titles of the time and quickly crossed over into Payton's 1988 Starman series. the gist of the storyline was that Lex Luthor used a piece of red kryptonite (supplied by Mr. Mxyzptlx) to make himself as strong as Superman, but the twist was instead of making Lex super human, it took away all of Superman's powers. Since Superman gets his powers from our sun charging his cells (or some scientific gobbledygook like that), Starman was brought in first to give Supes a super-charged dose of solar radiation (which should have killed him, right?) and then impersonating him (Will could alter his appearance somehow...I never actually read his entire series) until he could figure out a different solution when that failed. Honestly, Starman didn't really make an impression on me. The only time I actually bought an issue of his comic, it was a crossover from a bigger storyline (War of the Gods...it was War of the Gods).
Will ended up dying during Eclipso: The Darkness Within. Let's assume he died doing something heroic, saving the world and whatnot from Eclipso, because I can't remember what happened for the life of me. Yes, I could Google it, but I think we'd all rather be surprised, right? Will was probably only slightly less forgettable than Mikaal, who only appeared in one issue. Maybe the most important thing that happened in Will's series was the introduction of David Knight (last name sounds familiar, right?) and the rebranding of the Golden Age's Starman's nemesis The Mist into Nimbus. Yeah, that didn't stick.
If there were any die-hard Will Payton (testify in the comments if you're reading this!), I wonder what they thought about Will's return from the dead in Robinson's Starman series. Were they happy that he was back but upset because it was retconned that Will actually died in his first issue and was actually just Prince Gavyn with Will's essence? I'd probably be pissed.
In the New 52 post-Rebirth DC universe, there was no Starman...until this month's (Sept. 2018) issue of Justice League. Payton shows up, with Jack Knight's cosmic rod! Are we finally seeing the rebirth of the Starman dynasty? One can only hope.
Have List Action Comics Vol. 1 (1938 series) #622, 644-645, 659, 675, Annual 3
Adventures of Superman #472, 482, Annual 4
Armageddon 2001 #1-2, 1 (2nd Print), 1 (3rd Print)
Blasters Special #1
Doom Patrol Vol. 2 (1987 series) #17
Eclipso: The Darkness Within #2
Firestorm the Nuclear Man #80-81
Green Lantern Vol. 3 (1990 series) Annual 1
Invasion #2-3
JLA in Crisis Secret Files #1
Justice League America #42, Annual 6
Justice League International Vol. 1 (1987 series) #24
Justice League Quarterly #5 New Titans Annual 7
Quasar #14
Starman Vol. 1 (1988 series) #1-45
Starman Vol. 2 (1994 series) #3, 36, 48, 58-60, 67, 71-73, 76
Starman Secret Files #1
Superman Vol. 2 (1987 series) #27, 50, 65-66, Annual 4
Superman: The Man of Steel #10, Annual 1
War of the Gods #1-4
Who's Who Update '88 #3
Wonder Woman Vol. 2 (1987 series) #61
Want List
Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes
Justice League Vol. 4 (2018 series) #7
Who's Who in the DC Universe #2
Aaaaaand once again I forgot to post the pic album. Here you go.
Action Comics #2 –
This is my Superman. I don’t care if it takes place “five years ago,” this is a
Superman I can like. Cocky, smart, not God-like in power. He can be taken down
and bound, at least for a bit. He can’t fly yet, but he can leap tall buildings
in a single bound. I think I’m really going to enjoy watching him grow in this
series. We’ve also got Steel and Metallo and a Lex Luthor who doesn’t quite know everything yet. This is also
the Grant Morrison that I like. His writing is smart, but it’s not weird like
all his other stuff lately. This is just a good book.
Fear Itself: Uncanny
X-Force #3 – Wade’s little rant to Jonathan Standish was the basic plot of
a joke: “A religious man is on top of a roof during a great flood. A man comes
by in a boat and says ‘Get in, get in!’ The religious man replies, ‘No I have
faith in God, he will grant me a miracle.’ Later the water is up to his waist
and another boat comes by and the guy tells him to get in again. He responds
that he has faith in god and god will give him a miracle. With the water at
about chest high, another boat comes to rescue him, but he turns down the offer
again because God will grant him a miracle. With the water at chin high, a
helicopter throws down a ladder and they tell him to get in, mumbling with the
water in his mouth, he again turns down the request for help for the faith of
God. He arrives at the gates of heaven with broken faith and says to Peter, ‘I
thought God would grand me a miracle and I have been let down.’ St. Peter
chuckles and responds, ‘I don't know what you're complaining about, we sent you
three boats and a helicopter.’” I’m viewing Standish as a stand-in for a
certain conservative religious zealot whose name I don’t even like saying. It’s not that he’s got a Voldemorty, ominous
name, it’s just that it makes me nauseous. This book ended up being tangential
to Fear Itself, not necessary at all to the main mini, but it was a good story
with some beautiful (if not a little dark) art.
Swamp Thing #2 –
Scott Snyder has really become a writer to watch. Between this, Batman and
American Vampire (I’ve got Severed but haven’t read it yet), the guy has some
great stories under his belt. But while I enjoyed the explanation of Alec
Holland’s place in this new DCU, it’s not what I liked most about this issue.
Wrightson Diner. Bissette Motors. Totleben’s Motel. Three artists who are
almost synonymous with Swamp Thing, immortalized and honored in this issue for
their past contributions. I like it artists do things like that. Makes me
smile.
X-Men: Schism #5 –
Well, this is the start of a new era for the X-Men. We’re finally getting the
Wolverine vs. Cyclops battle we never really wanted, with each character
heading up a new team of X-Men on opposite sides of the country. I tend to like
shake-ups like this in the beginning, as with Spider-Man’s “Brand New Day”
event. I hope, as with BND, I end up enjoying these new mutant stories once the
shine has worn off. I enjoyed this mini for the most part. I liked watching the
divide between Logan and Scott grow, especially after Idie’s actions. My
biggest problem had to do with the action. Those bratty, super-smart kids are
just random, interchangeable villains…and I hate them. It’s not that they’re
not good villains, I just don’t like bratty, super-smart kids as uber baddies.
It just doesn’t click for me. The briefcase Sentinel was never really portrayed
as a scary threat. It was talk up a lot, but almost all of the action against
it was off panel. I thought the most effective use of action in this mini was
Quentin Quire’s scheme in the first issue.
Probably for the rest of the month I’m going to whore myself
out with an impassioned plea: click on the ads. PLEASE click on the ads. I
don’t care if you exit it out of it immediately or actually look around. This
isn’t some professional blog where I believe in the products I’m shilling.
These are automatic ads placed by Google. But my experiment this weekend proved
to me that I actually AM making a spot of cash whenever the ads are clicked. So
I’m going to put this little disclaimer on the bottom of all my posts for the
next month or so, and I hope you’ll take an extra 10 seconds after reading my
blog to click on an ad. Thanks so much!
Spider Island: Avengers #1 – Love it! I can’t say I’m
thrilled about an event while there are two other events (Fear Itself and
Schism) going on in the Marvel Universe, but I’m enjoying the creativity of
what’s happening. New Yorkers getting spider powers? Sure! Why not? I’m loving
the light-heartedness of Chris Yost’s story, and I REALLY like that Mike McKone
keeps on getting Spidey work (even though this one doesn’t actually have
Spider-Man in it). And Frog-Man. I don’t remember reading anything about him
during the Initiative period, but I thoroughly enjoyed the one-off Spectacular
Spider-Man story (#185) by J.M. DeMatteis. At the time, I didn’t appreciate
DeMatteis’s stories or Sal Buscema’s art. Looking back, these Spider-Man
stories were some of the best I’ve ever read. I liked Amazing Spider-Man more
at the time, but these have held up so much better. And smack dab in the middle
of these great stories is a story about Spidey having dinner with not one but
TWO Fabulous Frog-Men. And now FFM the younger is calling himself an Avenger,
and he’s having a damn good time. Between that, Hawkeye’s frustration with his
new powers, the Ultimate Spider-Men, and Squirrel Girl’s new foe, there was
absolutely NOTHING to dislike about this book. Kudos to absolutely everybody
involved, and I want them to do more comics together.
Thunderbolts #163 – Wooooooow, Mr. Jeff Parker. Let’s start
at the beginning. The cover? What the hell. How are Namor and Cap members of
the Thunderbolts? How will this play out? I’m sufficiently intrigued. Where did
the missing ‘Bolts end up? I assumed, since they were in Austria, maybe they’ll
be found by Baron Zemo. There ARE Nazis, so that’s not completely ludicrous.
But time travel? Sure, that’ll work. Even bad guys LOVE kicking Nazi ass, so
I’m in the storyline for the whole ride. Great new direction, and I can’t wait
to see where it goes from here.
Thoughts on the first full wave of DC’s New 52 titles:
Action Comics #1 – I’ve always wanted to like Superman, but
I can only take him for a bit, usually less than a year, before I just get
bored with him. I liked this issue, so I’m hoping Grant Morrison will be able
to give me the Superman stories that I’m craving…even though I don’t know what
those are.
Animal Man #1 – I really liked Grant Morrison’s run on
Animal Man, but really, who didn’t? I tried to keep up with the hero after
that, but it got too weird for me. The past few years he’s just been kind of
thrown around. Nobody really knew what to do with him. Hell, he spent a good
chunk of time in space. So I hope we’re going to get a firm direction going for
this hero with potential. I like the little “interview” that kicks off the
issue. It seems to suggest that the broad strokes of the past are pretty much
intact. I like that. First off, I like the new costume. I never was a fan of
orange and blue. I like where the book is going, but wasn’t this something that
happened in the original series, or something similar? Maybe during Delano’s
run? Can’t remember. I am interested in seeing where it’s going to go, though.
Batgirl #1 – I picked this up because I absolutely loved
Secret Six, and I hoped Gail Simone would be able to bring me into the Batman
Universe. Didn’t happen. There wasn’t a single thing I enjoyed about this
issue, except for the bit of continuity that was kept regardless of the
universe-wide reboot. That’s it. Maybe Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman
can get me interested in this corner of the DCU, because this title sure
didn’t.
Stormwatch #1 – This might be the book I’m most looking
forward to. I absolutely LOVED Warren Ellis’ (shock there, right?) run on
Stormwatch and The Authority. I think his run on these books are perhaps the
best bit of superhero storytelling I’ve ever read. I then enjoyed Mark Millar’s
Authority, but that’s about where my enjoyment of the title ended. I like the
team, I like the premise, I just didn’t enjoy the stories. Now they’re fully
enmeshed in the new DC universe. So let’s see what happens when we’ve got two
Supermen and two Batmen (not counting the rest of Batman Inc. [is that even
part of the New 52?]) running around the same universe. The first issue looks
good enough. Old characters, new characters, a good explanation with still
enough mystery to keep me coming back.
Swamp Thing #1 – I liked Scott Snyder on American Vampire,
and I like what he’s doing here. I think it’s going to bring the good
creepiness of Alan Moore’s “Swamp Thing,” the best of “Hellblazer,” and Jamie
Delano’s “Animal Man.” As with all of these titles, though, I really hope I can
separate old Swamp Thing from new Swamp Thing.
Some of you might have noticed that, in this blog that began with a heavy emphasis on comic books, there haven't been any comic book related posts lately. My reasoning for that is that reviewing everything hampered my enjoyment of this, my favorite hobby. It turned fun into work. But I want to keep comics alive in this blog, so every now and then, when a great issue or a topic comes to mind, I'll write about.
Like right now.
Superman. My enjoyment of his stories goes in cycles. I first picked up his books regularly when Mxyzptlx (I typed that without looking it up, and I think it’s correct. I think that makes me an incredibly nerdy nerd, and I’m okay with that) took his powers and he and Lois got engaged. That maybe lasted the better part of a year. Then I stopped. Then Doomsday showed up and they both died (for a time), so I showed up, too. Then the pretenders showed up, and I hung on for a bit, but then I left. That was the cycle. I’d pick up the books for maybe the better part of a year, then I’d leave after it became same-old same-old.
So recently, I picked the books back up after Zod and the Kandorians created a New Krypton opposite Earth’s rotation around the Sun. The plans for the Super-titles seemed grand and wonderful. It seems like I was let down with every issue, though. Everything was incredibly anti-climactic, and that includes the destruction of New Krypton, the revelations of the members of the Legion Espionage Squad, anything having to do with Mon-El and General Lane…everything. I stuck it out for the end of the “100 Minute War,” though, but I still planned on dropping all Super-books when Supes came back and we were back to status quo.
One thing I did think was a good idea during this whole mess was the reassigning of the Super-books leads. While Superman was off on New Krypton, his other books were reassigned to other Super-characters. Flamebird and Nightwing head up Action Comics, and Mon-El gets Superman, while the main guy gets shuttled off to Superman: World of New Krypton. I had assumed that that would change when Superman returned, that he would be heading up both of the books again (what with Nightwing and Mon-El both stuck in the Phantom Zone), but right now he’s just in his self-titled book while Lex Luthor is starring in Action Comics, at least through issue #900 (according to writer Paul Cornell).
It’s this tiny detail that has kept me reading Action Comics. If written well, Lex Luthor is a crazy-awesome villain. I consider him more of an anti-Batman, and maybe that’s what makes him the perfect villain for Superman. He’s human. He has no powers but his mind. As with Batman, it’s Luthor’s brains and gadgets and cunning that make him so formidable. Now, Superman is no dummy, but in a battle of wits, Luthor will always beat him. Human vs. alien, brains vs. brawn. So that’s why I’m still reading Action Comics.
Now, if I’ve reached the end of this current Super-cycle that I’m on, why am I still reading Superman? Well, the first answer is simple. JMS. J. Michael Straczynski (spelled THAT without looking it up, too). The creator of Babylon 5 and the writer who continued to evolve Spider-Man and Peter Parker as wonderful characters (prior to Brand New Day, if you’re not familiar), he gets a pass on all new comics he’s attached to (although I still haven’t picked up Rising Stars, and for some reason I didn’t read his Fantastic Four issue. I need to rectify that). Hell, the guy got me to pick up Thor, and I figured that would be impossible. I realize that the guy has had some…completion issues. He rebooted the Squadron Supreme (excellent stuff), but it ultimately had to be finished by someone else, and he’s only completed about 2/3 of The Twelve. So you’ve got to worry about that. But the stories he’s been telling in The Brave and the Bold have been understated and exceptional.
So I picked up Superman #700 to see where he’d start off, and…Superman is going for a walk. A LONG walk. A walk across the U.S. of A. Wow. Epic (where’s a sarcasm font when you need one?). I mean, I guess I get it. Superman is akin to a god. With his powers and his feats, he’s untouchable, unrelatable. In that retrospect, he’s the opposite of Peter Parker. So JMS is taking him for a walk, having him meet Joe Everyman, trying to get him to be a bit relatable. Maybe? Is that really necessary? In a genre run amok with gods and super-soldiers and mutants and the unkillable, do we really need to be able to relate to this particular hero?
Eh. I guess it doesn’t matter, because after reading this week’s Superman #701, I’m hooked. I don’t care if Superman is more or less super than man. I care about good stories with art that won’t make me vomit. This issue, at least, hits that mark (wonderful praise, no?). There’s so much that goes on here, so many little things that you would think would be beneath Superman’s pay grade, that it’s hard not to think of this as a standard-sized comic. And look! He has lunch! In a diner! It was the little touches that made this wonderful. The conversation with the jumper. The man with the heart condition. The explanation of what it means to be a hero while walking down the street. And Eddy Barrows’ art? Good. Not great, just good. And that’s all I need.
So thank you Messrs. Straczynski and Barrows for this wonderful little issue, and I hope what I saw here will continue through your run.
Wow. I take two weeks off and I come back to a week that’s probably got as many comics to read as the past two weeks combined. Well, let’s get to it.
Avengers
Well, if nothing else, the storyline “Two Americas” wrapped up more or less nicely and neatly. Granted, no body means no death, so I’m sure we can expect crazy Captain America to show up in the future, but Falcon and Bucky/Cap saved the day and ended up pretty much unscathed. I’m a bit torn as to what to hope for with the future of this comic. I like Bucky/Cap, and I feel he’s earned the mantle. This is a legacy character who I got into on the ground floor with…well, not when he FIRST started being Bucky, but when he was brought back as the Winter Soldier. I’m okay if Steve/Cap only shows up in the Avengers. But, if we have to suffer back-up stories, I’d rather see two caps in the book than Nomad. That was just kind of brutal to endure. The tone was so different from the main story that it was just jarring and hard to get into.
I have absolutely no problem with books that are more talk and less action. I’m totally okay with that, but up to a point. The talk needs to still move the book. That’s where books like The Walking Dead fail, and where Invincible Iron Man thrives. This issue was Tony talking…a lot…but it didn’t keep the status quo. The talk moved the book and the plot along wonderfully. Tony Stark is back. Iron Man is back (“Who wants to ride in a stupid helicopter anyways?”). I can’t even begin to fathom where this book is going, and I’m so excited for the new journey it promises. For the last 25 months, this book has been one of the best books on the shelves, and I don’t see that ending any time soon.
Fall of the Hulks
Well, Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk ended pretty well, and it’s got the failure of the Intelligencia all set up. There was actually precious little of the Red Hulk in the issue, but what he did was pretty important. I’d like to see him go up against Professor Hulk (I think that’s the correct name for the merged personalities of Banner and the other Hulks). Both are strong, but where Prof. is smart, Red Hulk is crafty. It’s been made painfully clear these past few months that crafty tends to beat smart.
Hulked-Out Heroes was both a misleading title and a big waste of time. First of all, there’s one Hulked-Out hero, not multiples. It’s all about Hulkpool and his quest through time to kill Deadpool. And it’s not even “our” time, just an alternate timeline. So he has this wacky adventure and returns to help out Red Hulk, and nothing at all was accomplished. Waste. Of. Time.
Second Coming
Peter David is one of my favorite comic book writers, and I know that he likes to throw out a some pretty cool “Holy shit!” moments, but I’m not buying the end of X-Factor. I’m calling dupes. They’re all dupes in that vehicle, just made up to look like Longshot and Rictor and whoever else was in the vehicle. Other than that, this was another great issue. I liked how Bastion was controlling Trask, and the beginning of the book DID throw me for a bit of a loop.
With the little skirmishes between the X-Men and Bastion’s various minions going pretty well, you knew things would get absolutely horrible once the other shoe dropped. And if you don’t count Karma’s injury and Ariel’s (who?) death, X-Force is definitely where the shoe drops. Cerebra has already been knocked out of commission, and now Bastion cuts off communication between the mutants. Then he locates and goes after Hope. Rogue does a pretty awesome job of being bad ass, but she gets her but handed to her. We get another death (really…who was Ariel?) this issue, and it’s pretty major. I won’t spoil it, but Craig Kyle and Chris Yost do a great job of giving the death meaning and weight. It wasn’t pointless, like most of the deaths in Blackest Night. This will be felt for quite some time. I’d also like to give some kudos to artist Mike Choi and colorist Sonia Oback. While the art in this series has always been top notch, I’ve often complained that the coloring was way too dark and made the book a bit difficult to understand. No such complaint with this issue. Choi kept up the quality art that we came to expect from Clayton Crain, and Oback’s colors made everything pop out, even the darker pages with Wolverine’s group. This might be my favorite X-related book being published at the moment, or at least tied with X-Factor.
Siege
So between Mighty Avengers and New Avengers, we learn that in the final issue of Siege, Loki will fight the Void and aid the Avengers by granting them a power upgrade via the Norn Stones. Dammit! Stop the spoilers! Also, all the tech stuff that Pym was spewing just went over my head, therefore I didn’t much care for it. I think I kind of liked him better when he was a whiny bitch.
Unless I completely misunderstood what happened, and I don’t think I did, Bendis just ruined the final issue of Siege for everyone in New Avengers. So Loki takes the Norn Stones away from Parker, gives their powers to the Avengers, and they kick the crap out of the Sentry. I guess that’s how Siege ends. Thanks Bendis. I hope you have something else in that issue that redeems this massive spoiler. And lately this shouldn’t even be titled New Avengers. This has been more about the Hood for quite a while now. Looks as though that’s about over, though. I’m just kinda pissed about the Siege thing, though.
Well, the events in Siege: Secret Warriors were not what I was expecting. Phobos is a god. I figured he’d go after the Sentry when he found out his dad had been killed, not beat a bunch of Secret Service agents up and leave a note for the president. And the stuff between Nick Fury and Captain America just seemed forced and out of place. Especially when Fury stopped fighting to have a drink. I think this has been by far the weakest one-shot to come out of this event.
The action was light in Thor, but the set-up for the next issue (or the final issue of Siege, maybe) is set up and dripping with eventual mayhem. Kelda and the rest of the Asgardians get their second wind, and Loki admits to pretty much everything. He’s exiled, but think no one would have blamed Balder if he had just jammed a sword through his throat. I really like that the focus hasn’t been just on Thor, but on Asgard in general. I don’t find Thor all that interesting, but what we’ve seen lately has just been fascinating.
Well, this was an excellent end to an excellent chapter of the Thunderbolts. I was surprised that the end also had it set up for the new status quo, with Luke Cage in charge. I’m expecting some more good stories from this title. But looking back at this issue, again, it was excellent. Quicksilver handing Mr. X his ass. Ant-Man growing up…huh…I just got that. Paladin tasking himself with protecting the Spear of Odin. I can’t wait to see who Cage keeps around on the new team, who is brought in, and how everything is handled. This book has been consistently awesome since Stark gave the reins of the team to Osborn.
Spider-Man
First off, I’d like to say how disappointed I was that Captain Universe turned out NOT to be Professor X. I think that was a deliberate mislead, and I fell for it. I seem to recall reading that Juggernaut was going to be in Luke Cage’s Thunderbolts. The ending of his story in this issue of Amazing Spider-Man would do well to feed directly into that, so I hope its referenced. This was a good little storyline to provide a bit of a breather before we get to the return of the Lizard next month. And the back-up this issue was a short and curiosity-piquing story that looks to lead right into what I’m assuming is the final piece of The Gauntlet before The Grim Hunt starts.
Ultimate
I liked most of Ultimate Avengers 2. I liked the Punisher cutting a swath through organized crime. I liked his methods. I even liked his capture. But then it just got weird. Now, I’m not a big fan of the Punisher. I’ve enjoyed his book from time to time, but that’s when it is smartly written, pretty much all of his current series before it went sideways and he was remade into Franken-Castle. But I think some of the character’s appeal comes from the fact that he’s not dependent on bells and whistles. Well, super bells and whistles. He’s a man with guns. He’s not a man with a…wait a minute, I’ve just invalidated myself. I liked his current series when he was using the…reclaimed…villain tech. But I just don’t like Shield outfitting him like a super-Punisher. It’s weird. And let’s not get into the pre-Banner Hulk. I’ll reserve judgment on that until we get a little more info on him next issue.
X-Related
All the deep Southern slang in Deadpool made it somewhat of a difficult read, but it was a well-done one-off issue. Are all of the other half-assed Deadpool titles put out to really make us appreciate this one more? This one wasn’t as full of the funny as it has been in the past, but it’s just so much more well-written than the others, and it uses his personalities better. I could live very happily without the other titles as long as this one was going strong.
There was a lot of talking framed by a bit of a fight and ruses and double crossing in Wolverine: Origins. This series has been nothing but double-crosses and sleights of hand for quite some time. It seems like this story is going to be one where, in the penultimate issue, all will be revealed. But it’ll be confusing until then, and the final issue will be a fight. It’s a good story technique, but it’s been happening a lot lately. It’s getting kind of old. Can’t we just get a straight story some time?
Random Marvel Books
I’m fascinated with Fantastic Four because it looks like something grand and wonderful is happening or about to happen, but I’ve got no clue what it is, and frankly, I’m totally confused. There’s no flow from one issue to the next, and that makes things a bit confusing when you know everything is supposed to be linked in some way. I’m prepared to be blown away, though, when this plan comes together.
I’ll say this about Marvel Zombies 5, at least they’re doing something different. I like that they’re visiting other Marvel realities, but I’m done with these zombies. I really hope that Stack and Howard are able to deliver this cure to Morbius and we can finally get past this zombie business.
Um, did Secret Warriors all of the sudden turn into a romance book? Nick and Contessa, Daisy and James, Yo-Yo and…other guy. The only interesting bit about this issue was the Viper stuff. Is Hickman borrowing an idea from Jim Krueger and Alex Ross? I’d have to dig my Earth X issues out, but I’m pretty sure Madame Hyrda showed up just like this. Now lets see if she’ll end up controlling people by putting octopi, a la Starro, on them.
Brightest Day
I like how a bunch of the Green Lantern Corps are standing up to the Guardians, but really, how often does that happen and how often does it change things? And the law they repealed is new, so that doesn’t count. It just seems like impotent posturing on the part of the Lanterns. But the epilogue to Blackest Night was still told well. Mogo and the Perennial Tree was a nice touch, as was Kilowog’s leave-of absence as drill instructor. It’ll be nice to see him on the front lines and maybe get another story or two devoted to him. And Guy and Kyle have some rebuilding to do. Here’s hoping for some more excellent stories about the Corps in the future.
Justice League/Society
So, Chesire’s a bit of a whore, right? Kid with Roy, kid with Catman. I like Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal story better than Green Arrow’s, but that might just be because I can sympathize with Roy as a father. With his past, though, I’m surprised that no one is worried about him and the pain meds. Relapse would be the first thing I’d think about in a situation like this.
I’m pretty confused with the events in this month’s Justice Society of America. I mean, I understand all that happened, I’m just having a hard time seeing the bigger picture, I guess. Were the deaths actually part of the big plan? Am I wrong in thinking that the end was pretty abrupt? And I hate being blatantly mislead by covers. I’m okay with being teased, but the cover was a big fat lie. In no way was that “T-Day.” I’m guessing, though, since Dr. Fate is still trapped outside of the power dampeners, that he’s going to be the one to save the day. He’ll allow everyone (or a select few) to travel back in time and stop the Darkness Engine. I betcha.
Last Stand of New Krypton
Okay, be sure to read Superman before Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton. I didn’t do that, but really, I wasn’t all that lost. I know I sound like a broken record, but really, I’m ready to move on from this over-long plot. And really, when this is over, it’s still not over. We’ve still got Lane to deal with. Gah.
Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton was nothing if not disappointing. Did it accomplish anything? Well, it got rid of Mon-El. It got Luthor pardoned. Superman is Superman again. Lane and his forces are still angling for a war against the Kryptonians, which Zod is all to happy to facilitate. Brainiac is…somewhere with Brainiac 5. All this time spent for this storyline which was supposed to be so big…ALL THIS…and we’ve really got nothing. I can only hope that what comes next for Superman is better than what we’ve been given. I don’t see how it can be much worse.
War of the Supermen
Rather than creating another Superman section for Action Comics, I’ll put it here since it leads into War of the Supermen slightly. The writing for this book has been better than what’s been going on with Last Stand of New Krypton, but I’m liking the actual story less. I know how weird that is. I DO like how each book has focused on a different aspect of the Superman universe as Kal has been on New Krypton. I’d like to see that continue even after he returns to Earth.
As much as I didn’t like the ending (and most of the storyline in general) of Last Days of New Krypton, the Free Comic Book Day edition of War of the Supermen has me hoping for good things from this storyline. First of all, Zod isn’t wasting any time. While stalling Superman and admitting that he hasn’t changed at all, Zod has already unleashed his troops to invade Earth. So no beating about the bush; it’s on. The back-up that gave possible new readers a quick (very quick) recap on the past few year of Superman stories (minus the recent Last Stand of New Krypton) was well done and it set up the coming war nicely. Oh, please don’t let me down War of the Superman. I really want to like Superman, but the stories never hold me for long. Will this change that?
IDW Comics
I’ve got nothing against a relaunch of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. I enjoyed the comic immensely when I was a kid. But I got over my nostalgia for those Joes with the Devil’s Due series. Now I’m really loving the current take on the Joes. I see the market for this type of comic and don’t disparage against it, but right now it’s just not my thing.
As much as I’m enjoying G.I. Joe and G.I. Joe: Origins, those two titles are blown away by G.I. Joe: Cobra II. And apparently I’m not the only person who thinks that, because the title is now going from a mini to a monthly. If the quality keeps up, that’s awesome news. The only thing that’s going to confuse me is how to reconcile this with my collection’s spreadsheet, because the title will be dropping the II from its name. Oh well; insignificant. There’s so much intrigue and mystery surrounding Cobra, which is the opposite of what we’re getting from the main Joe book. I like being kept in the dark when I’m teased with tiny tidbits and the hope of something great is around the corner. So yea that this book is going monthly.
Ah, we’re treated with another wonderful issue of Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows. I loved how the book used nothing but splash pages for the first half of the book when Tyler was fighting the giant shadow monster. That was pretty damn cool. And I’m loving how it’s going to be these kids vs. this massive evil. That’s definitely something Hill is taking away from his father; shades of It. Kinsey and Tyler are also finally settling into their new school and community, and that’s awesome. Angst and melancholy is only fun to read for a bit; everybody needs some happiness and stability.
Image Comics
Walking Dead has been an odd little duck for quite a while now. I get that the book isn’t about the zombies, but about this group of people trying survive in this new world. So there’s not a lot of action, and there is a lot of talking. And this issue, along with a lot of recent issues, keeps reiterating the same things over and over again until you get to the final, shocking panel. It always makes me want to get into the next issue, but I’m always disappointed…until that final, shocking panel. I do like the twist, though. After all the worry and skepticism and pessimism about this new place they’ve been welcomed into, our group may actually turn out to be the bad guys.
So, my first exposure to the Will Payton Starman was through the Superman storyline, "Krisis of 
In the New 52 post-Rebirth DC universe, there was no Starman...until this month's (Sept. 2018) issue of Justice League. Payton shows up, with Jack Knight's cosmic rod! Are we finally seeing the rebirth of the Starman dynasty? One can only hope.
Action Comics Vol. 1 (1938 series) #622, 644-645, 659, 675, Annual 3
New Titans Annual 7
