Batman Under the Hood (#635-638) Review

Come one, come all to the Countdown before Countdown! We are post Identity Crisis, the powder keg paving the way for the event to end all events. I will stand here and say that this era of the DCU might be the most unified and exciting it has ever been (though a close second would have to be 2016-2017 Rebirth era). I would even dare call Countdown itself an event with how much impact it has line wide. With Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, and Judd Winick at the helm maneuvering all the power players into the places they need to be, there's not much that can go wrong!

[Batman - Under The Hood] ~ {Written by Judd Winick}

• Batman #635 - Under the Hood, Part I : "New Business" = In Media Res! As much as I find this device interesting in its application to the mystery of the Red Hood, the scene itself grows its own legs to set the tone of this story extremely well: an unbeatable ghost has emerged from the abyss to test the Batman - will Bruce and his soul make it out alive? Alfred's monologue frames the theme so beautifully, and it is fascinating to revisit this period in Batman's history; possibly one of the darkest eras right before the rebirth/revamp that occurs in Morrison's run. The fact that War Games immediately proceeds this is perfect as well, allowing for a seamless continuity into dealing with the major antagonists of this storyline. As for the back half of this issue, we get the best characterization of Black Mask by Winick, an equal parts sadistic and hilarious secondary antagonist whose presence brings a wonderful contrast to Batman at his breaking point. Who bought out stocks in Waynetech and Kord Industries?
• Batman #636 - Under the Hood, Part II : "First Strike" = I have to admire how Winick does such a good job of giving you just the right amount of catch-up and background of what has led up to this story in order to ease the reader into an engaging experience that doesn't require the massive amount of homework to enjoy. Doug Mahnke's art is on a whole other level. I love his pencils and expressions, and the depictions he gives of each character are so perfect. The last page reveal of Amazo brings a quality to the android assassin that we've never seen in his previous incarnations. An OP roided up alpha-bot who only speaks one language: annihilation. We get some hints scattered across the book, planting the seeds for the eventual reveal of who's under the Red Hood which fits extremely well on this reread. Throwing Nightwing in the mix is a brilliant play by Winick; the golden child vs the prodigal son!
• Batman #637 - Under the Hood, Part III : "Overnight Deliveries" = What a brawl! Although Amazo wasn't at full OP capacity, I enjoyed how Winick devised a realistic and engaging way of having Dick and Bats take him down. The narration by Nightwing was the cherry on top, an awesome evaluation of how Batman operates in high pressure scenarios while giving us some wonderful commentary on the use of Robin in the field as a distraction. Great sequence overall, but the wild card villains bumping heads is so much fun! Mister Freeze is the most interesting I've ever seen him, and his presence is enhanced tenfold by the banter between him and Black Mask. Winick feels so at home with some of these scenes, and I wish some of this stuff made it into the animated movie.
• Batman #638 - Under the Hood, Part IV : "Bidding War" = And here it is! Although I'm sure the reveal with Batman will maintain much more weight and consequence once we return to that flashforward, this Joker sequence was nothing short of excellent. Winick has crafted a sublime character aura around the reborn Jason Todd allowing each scene he's in to produce exciting and intriguing dynamics as he is reintegrated into the world of the Batman. The three-way showdown between Freeze, Hood, and the dynamic duo was way too fun, and Mahnke's art + panel economy births a perfect storm for the prime monthly comic. Kryptonite as the MacGuffin entails insidious designs that are to come, and I'm eager to see how this segues into Countdown.

Teen Titans #20-23 Review

Come one, come all to the Countdown before Countdown! We are post Identity Crisis, the powder keg paving the way for the event to end all events. I will stand here and say that this era of the DCU might be the most unified and exciting it has ever been (though a close second would have to be 2016-2017 Rebirth era). I would even dare call Countdown itself an event with how much impact it has line wide. With Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, and Judd Winick at the helm maneuvering all the power players into the places they need to be, there's not much that can go wrong!

[Teen Titans Vol 5 - Light's Out]

• Teen Titans #20 - "Hiding" = Awesome Identity Crisis epilogue. I loved the angle Johns tackled here, picking up the scraps of an interesting leftover sequence from the event's first issue: why was Bolt securing Luthor's Warsuit? Getting into Tim's head as he tries to suppress his emotions after his father's death is compelling as mess, and I loved that final moment where he lets his friends in and accepts their help. Excited for this Lex plot since I have some vague recollections of his story in Villains United + Infinite Crisis. Who is his partner? What does he have in store for Conner? The Green Arrow epilogue is crazy as well, Doctor Rape is unleashed!
• Teen Titans #21 - Light's Out, Part I : "The New Kid" = This was dope! Loved menacing Doctor Light and his sequence with Ollie at the beginning, but Mia and Cyborg were the standouts of this issue. I'm loving that we've gotten through the bulk of the teen angst of this run and now we can focus on the more interesting character development. I've never read anything with Mia Dearden in it, but Johns made me fall in love with her after just a couple pages. I'm assuming what she was going to tell Cyborg was that she has HIV (which I know of due to comic osmosis).  Did enjoy each super-team reaching out to the Titans, as well as the follow up to the reveal of the villain mind wipes from Identity Crisis.
• Teen Titans #22 - Light's Out, Part II : "War & Peace" = I was really enjoying this until the Hawk and Dove stuff came out of absolutely nowhere and through the whole pacing off. We started with some great Raven narration, but it feels like it was abandoned once we hit the midpoint. That Batman scene was very strange, but I think it's supposed to be Deathstroke impersonating him? Not sure who's posing as Cassandra Cain though, but it has to be someone in the Secret Society. Overall great first half, but I hope next issue can make up for the lost momentum.
• Teen Titans #23 - Light's Out, Part III : "Secrets & Lies" = Well dang! Loved the huge brawl, especially Cyborg's combos, but that final sequence between the titans was wonderful: I definitely could tell that it inspired Greg Weisman since it's totally adapted into the first season of Young Justice. As for the Deathstroke/Ravager reveal, I'm hoping I don't force myself to read Judd Winick's Outsiders run to prepare for the upcoming "Insiders" crossover since I didn't enjoy his writing in Graduation Day. Then again, I'm going to read "Under The Hood" anyways, so I guess I better get used to it regardless. But how did they take Bruce & Cassandra's place, where were the actual Batman and Batgirl? And how the heck did they get a batwing?

JSA #68-72 Review

Come one, come all to the Countdown before Countdown! We are post Identity Crisis, the powder keg paving the way for the event to end all events. I will stand here and say that this era of the DCU might be the most unified and exciting it has ever been (though a close second would have to be 2016-2017 Rebirth era). I would even dare call Countdown itself an event with how much impact it has line wide. With Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, and Judd Winick at the helm maneuvering all the power players into the places they need to be, there's not much that can go wrong!

[JSA Vol 11 - Two of A Kind]

• JSA #68 - JSA/JSA, Part I : "Making History" = Great opener; brutal action, time shenanigans, and just the right amount of exposition to have me hooked on the premise. The Red Morgue sequence did a great job of catching me off guard, and Kramer executed that perfectly. Love pitting Rip against Degaton, who seems pretty damn unbeatable now with some crazy infrastructure backing him up. I think it's hilarious how some of the JSA members at the McCarthy hearing don't even wear masks, and the senator sounded dumb as mess after that request. I wonder what Degaton's plan is to discredit the Society, as well as who is watching Courtney in those final panels. The plot of convincing the old JSA members reminds me a bit of the All-Stars mini, with spotlights on each character. Why is the Thunderbolt missing?
• JSA #69 - JSA/JSA, Part II : "Guardian Angels" = A star flew over the cuckoo's nest! Some fascinating set-up, but I can tell this is Johns going ham on his chance to write the classic JSA. Some fun tid-bits here and there, especially Terry Sloane receiving a telegram from some version of Roulette? But wasn't Roulette his grand-daughter or something? I loved the Johnny/Jakeem stuff, and the Sand + Pieter sequences as well, but Courtney getting straitjacketed and thrown in a padded cell right after having to watch her family die is rough to say the least. Who is Al Pratt associated with?
• JSA #70 - JSA/JSA, Part III : "High Societies" = Jesus Christ that last page caught me off guard! Major step up from the last issue, the crock-pot is churning and I'm ready for the boom! The Terry Sloane scenes were wild; the Roulette we see in the present day is actually his Grand-Niece? Jakeem and Johnny engage in fisticuffs with a group of jocks, Pieter and Charles enjoy a fireside chat, and Al finds more in common with his predecessor than he expected. Who is the redhead who saved Courtney? What is this "Secret Society's" proposition to Black Adam? What happened to the Thunderbolt? What is Degaton's true plan? And finally, RIP Walker Gabriel!
• JSA #71 - JSA/JSA, Part IV : "Past Mistakes" = Societies converge! The rush of serotonin I got from turning the page and seeing both JSAs in the Brownstone was immense. Huge reflections of Per Degaton as Johns' proto-Eobard Thawne as he gives Hourman his own "It was me Barry!" scene. Love that Rick has some way of attacking him via fortification from the Hourman Android. The Terry + Michael and Ted + Court scenes were wonderful, and we finally got October 30th plan: JSA vs Manchurian Candidate!
• JSA #72 - JSA/JSA, Part V : "Against The Clock!" = Enjoyable enough, but I have to admit that I was expecting a little bit more from Degaton's plan. I can't really complain since as I write this Johns is writing a JSA vs Per Degaton story, but I would probably be ticked if I read this back in 2005. Art by Kramer has been awesome the fight was great, and the reveal of Patricia Duggan being the future Starwoman was absolutely wonderful. What did Karen see when they went through the time storm? What was the knot in 1985? 

Wonder Woman #206-217 by Greg Rucka Review

Come one, come all to the Countdown before Countdown! We are post Identity Crisis, the powder keg paving the way for the event to end all events. I will stand here and say that this era of the DCU might be the most unified and exciting it has ever been (though a close second would have to be 2016-2017 Rebirth era). I would even dare call Countdown itself an event with how much impact it has line wide. With Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, and Judd Winick at the helm maneuvering all the power players into the places they need to be, there's not much that can go wrong!

 [Wonder Woman : Eyes of the Gorgon] ~ {Written by Greg Rucka}

• Wonder Woman #206 - Stoned, Part I : "The Cat Came Back" = Plotting and scheming! I am at the point where I've completely gotten used to Rucka's style of storytelling; he is the jack in the box, winding up until BAM! The plot just hits you in the face with the momentum created by competent build-up and character development. The Olympus plot is back which I am super happy about, while Diana and Leslie attempt to save Silver Swan, and Circe sets off the Gorgons to collude with Veronica! My favorite scenes were Diana talking to the panther, and Medusa teleporting away after being overwhelmed by 21st century America. Drew Johnson continues to deliver, and don't think I'm not noticing Athena's owl flying in to watch the Gorgons! What is Circe's family business? Why did Cheetah kill Bastalleros? What scheme will the Goddesses concoct?
• Wonder Woman #207 - Stoned, Part II : "Lover's Leap!" = This book is kind of hilarious: Wonder Woman darting around New York stopping Psycho possessed jumpers spliced with Cale and the Gorgons constantly bickering makes for an entertaining comic book. I guess I shouldn't be surprised Psycho dropped the truth-bomb on Diana since he's has his own agenda leading up to the Countdown, but it is nice to see good use of the enemy of my enemy trope. What I like most about that last page reveal is how much the set-up matters, the little things Rucka plants across the past couple issues: Senator Hale and Veronica's relationship, dinner with President Horne, even the kids finding the petrified robin. The more I read, the more I know for certain that Rucka is one of the greatest comic writers of this generation.
• Wonder Woman #208 - Stoned, Part III : "A Serpent In Olympus" = Steve Trevor is back! Interesting politics, high stakes, enemies on all sides! Man is this getting good. One of the things I was most impressed with had to have been Drew Johnson's fight choreography between Diana and Medousa; you can really tell when a brawl flows well from panel to panel, and I would love to know how much both Rucka and Johnson contributed to mapping it out. How quickly the villains working together falls apart is hilarious, and I love the fact that Athena has been in on the Gorgons' agenda the entire time. I would like to see more of this new President Horne and how he operates in relation to the DC Universe at this point in time (will he be a criticism of the Bush era? Then why not use Bush?). 
• Wonder Woman #209 - Stoned, Part IV : "Birds & Stones" = Jesus Christ! There's something about this book guys, something no other writer has been able to accomplish with this character to this day (except Rucka himself): they made Wonder Woman so cool! The brawl at the embassy was brutal, and the presence of Diana's supporting cast increasing the collateral made for some nail-biting stakes! Even though the climax was telegraphed during Athena's chess game at the cold open, that did nothing to sully the weight of a Martin's death. I don't want to use kids as macguffins, but this is a great way to push this conflict into another gear. The Amazon way of peace is paired with the blade dance, fluency in the language of violence. What is Athena planning, and why was she willing to use the child to propel her agenda?!
• Wonder Woman #210 - Stoned, Part V : "Trial By Combat" = Holy mess that was epic! Rucka and Johnson, by God, this is the dream team! Victory at what cost? I'm super excited to see this blind Diana status quo change, and how Rucka will resolve it before Countdown begins. Great fight, great art, and great stakes from the planned live broadcast of Medousa's stare had she won. The reveal of the blindfold was wonderful, and I knew those damn acid spitting vipers were going to come in handy somehow. very interesting how Rucka and Johnson decided to dedicate some panels to the bystanders witnessing the duel; I definitely enjoyed how that ended up being executed. What will the sisters do next? Will Poseidon continue his campaign against Athena? How will Diana deal with her blindness?

[Counting Coup]

• Wonder Woman #211 - "To The Victor, The Spoils" = Gah damn Athena is cold-hearted! This was a pretty great aftermath issue, even though it doesn't feel like a win for us or Diana. The art by Sean Phillips is excellent, he channels this wondrous Frank Miller/Klaus Janson-esque quality that holds everything together really nicely. Introducing Pegasus was awesome, though I would have liked to see the speared giant Chrysaor emerge alongside it. We got some great subplot check-ins with Cale and Circe joining forces, as Cheetah finally frees Hunter from his cell at Iron Heights. The Diana/Athena convo was wonderful as well, and I do think that Diana understands that 'for the greater good' logic, but as we've seen in Kelly's Golden Perfect, Diana simply can't stand by and watch an innocent have to suffer. Who is Circe's daughter? What did Ares do with the other two Gorgons?  Will Hunter dip on his ex to get with Cheetah?
• Wonder Woman #212 - Counting Coup, Part I : "What We Deserve" = Not a fan of the art, but it's completely eclipsed by the bonkers plot developments. Diana's test against the JLA was wonderful, and I love this angle of respect between her and Bruce, something we don't always see in recent runs. Normally, writers like to pit the two against each other and have Superman as the bridge, the mediator to appeal to both. I blame that interpretation mainly on Frank Miller, Tom Taylor, and Geoff Johns' N52 Justice League run. The Olympus sequence had to be my favorite, with Zeus whipping out an uno-reverse in the form of Briareos, the Hundred Hander! No idea how Circe's (and apparently Ares') daughter ended up in the hands of the Amazons, but interested to see if Cale can pull off this extradition plot, what with her government connections. That final scene at the funeral was heartbreaking, duty is the death of love and innocence, but there is no time to grieve when your patrons require you as their attack dog!
• Wonder Woman #213 - Counting Coup, Part II : "Against All Gods!" = It only took a couple pages before I realized how Diana was going to defeat Briareos; is that a result of the build-up from this past arc, or did the cover just sell the reveal? Regardless, not even funky 2000's art can bog down Rucka's plot (even though I loved how they depicted Zeus' facial expressions during the fight). One of the best scenes in this had to be when Athena offered anything Diana desired, with Diana implying that she knew very well what she wanted even though Athena could not grant it 'yet'. At first I thought it was her sight, but then I remembered this whole arc was about the child petrified by Medousa. Something about how Athena is acting comes off as strange to me, I've just been getting an eerie vibe from her ever since the machinations in Olympus began. I never expected to see a version of Athena so Machiavellian in her planning and execution, but at least we get an interesting set up for the upcoming God-War between the Goddesses and the Olympian Brothers.

[Wonder Woman : Land of the Dead] ~ {Written by Greg Rucka}

• Flash #219 - Truth or Dare, Part I : "Make You Better" = Awesome first chapter, the dynamic between Minerva and Zolomon carried the heck out of this. I was extremely impressed with Justiniano's art, his depictions of Zoom and his speed were fantastic. We get some more Rogue War hinting, as well as mentions of the Secret Society, but the Zoom/Cheetah stuff was just so good that it even overshadowed the Diana/Wally scenes. I'm not too crazy about Wally's perceived animosity towards the League, but it makes sense given the fallout of Identity Crisis paired with him being on edge as a result of Zoom being freed. The conversation about the no-kill stuff was annoying, normally Johns is on point with the morality of superheroes, but my personal bias against them killing gives me little tolerance for these kind of scenes. I get that Diana had to kill Medousa and Briareos for her patron, but I'm sure she wouldn't just execute random villains (that seems to be the N52 Johns seeping in, and I just remembered what happens at the end of Superman: Sacrifice!).
• Wonder Woman #214 - Truth or Dare, Part II : "Hero or Villain?" = Fun ending, great fights, but dang am I more interested in the Olympus subplot! Who must Diana save from Hades? Is this just a ploy by Ares to lure Diana into the Bronze Gates? What does the feather mean? Is it a reference to Zeus' eagle/swan form? What are the Empousai?
• Wonder Woman #215 - The Bronze Doors, Part I : "No Place For The Living" = Rags Morales takes this book by force! Diana, Cassie, and Ferdinand venture into the underworld to rescue Hermes; heck yes I'm on board! Every issue I get excited to see more and more of Rucka's adaptation of Greek mythology to the DC Universe, and every issue I have yet to find disappointment. It's the little things that impress me, like his versions of Kharon as well as the Gates to Hades, the Bronze Doors. I loved the sequence with Ares and the brothers, while the tid-bit about Steve Trevor's mother had me do some digging on fascinating Wonder Woman lore I would have never known otherwise. I think it's safe to say that Diana's request to Athena has to be the resurrection of Martin Garibaldi (not her eyes Cassie). The Jonah check-in might be the least interesting scene, but damn does Morales still make it look good. I'm still super skeptical of Athena's agenda, and I hate the toll it's taken on Diana; her line, "It never ends", hit hard as mess. We finally get a glimpse of the Empousai tormenting Ferd and Cass, but Diana obviously has the advantage since she can't see their illusions.
• Wonder Woman #216 - The Bronze Doors, Part II : "Deceiver" = Epic! Ares stole the mess out of this issue, and his and Cassie's scenes together were so much fun. I'm really glad that Rucka has incorporated this plot-line from John's Teen Titans since that was easily one of the most interesting aspects of that so far. Their banter was wonderful to read; I'm assuming that Cassie's dad will be revealed as Zeus since her lasso has his lightning? So much to love: the Medousa rematch, the Hades reveal, Rags Morales art, and even the touching scene of Garibaldi and his petrified son. Who is the redhead talking to Jonah? She was in last issue playing chess, but I'm getting some sinister vibes from her dialogue. What is active? Is it Brother Mark I? Has the OMAC Project been deployed? Is Jonah a Checkmate mole? IS THAT WHY THEY WERE PLAYING CHESS?!?
• Wonder Woman #217 - The Bronze Doors, Part III : "Greeks Bearing Gifts" = Pretty standard finale; happy endings all around. Fights were great, Rags continued to kill it on art, and the reveals were alright given their predictability. You can definitely tell that Rucka compressed the ending to this Olympus storyline to make way for the storm that is Countdown + Infinite Crisis, but I'm glad he was able to give us a fun arc to sum it all up. Zeus' turn back to the light was lame, and I wish we had more set up for why we really needed to bring back Hermes, but maybe it's just nit-picking. Glad that Martin and Diana's sight are both back, but I was expecting some leftover trauma to push Diana into her radical transition into IC.