COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS REVIEW [PART FOUR]

 

[ACT IV - Insiders]

• Superman #218 - "Power" = I get it. They're trying to put Superman into a difficult space emotionally by turning the people against him. But jeez can you at least make a good story out of it? Black Rock is added to the long list of lame Superman villains, we get Lois talking about roleplay, and Superman OOC hurting people with his powers without realizing. At the end of the day, I only read this for that last panel with Max Lord, everything else is forgettable. It was the same with last issue, but hey there was an OMAC in it! That's all I care about. I have no regard for the clean-up of Azzarello's stupid story, since Infinite Crisis and Sacrifice are literally knocking at the door.
• Adventures of Superman #641 - "Innocence" = Yes! I believe that Pete isn't Ruin, but we did see Hamilton with a weird tech glove on his hand, the same hand that Superman injured in #637. That would explain why the guns he gave to Lupe's team ended up charging him in that same issue! And I'm sure he had a way of breaking out Pete too. As for the OMAC stuff, my understanding is that in OMAC Project #1, Max Lord set Brother Eye to autonomous mode which is why he has been sending OMACs all across the DCU to eliminate threats. That's why Supes was attacked this issue, as well as why the OMAC got rid of the green parasite (maybe also Rucka cleaning the board before "Sacrifice" starts). I'm actually really intrigued by the sniper mystery, and I love the fact that Lois gets help from Bruce (and we see him looking at Brother Mark I satellite blueprints?). I do wonder what Clark's attitude will be to Lupe after seeing her police brutality to Pete.
• The OMAC Project #2 - "There Is No 'I' In Team" = Don't get me wrong, I love Rucka on Supes and Wondy, but he is on a whole other level in this. Brother Eye is terrifying, especially in this day and age with surveillance states and all that Snowden/NSA stuff. The opening sequence with Bats explaining his process of unlocking the mindwipe was great, especially with Saiz recreating panel mimics of Rags Morales but with Batman villains! The page layouts are fantastic, and Brother Eye's code input green text is very cool. I especially loved the coup scene, a prime demonstration of the danger of Maxwell Lord. When Batman shows them the goggles, it broke my heart: this is Defcon One everybody, one of their own is dead, the Trinity have failed the superhero community.
• The OMAC Project #3 - "The M-E In Team" = The calm is over! Max Lord is such a fascinating villain, and I love his dynamic with Brother Eye. Even though he's a psychopath, Rucka conveys his insecurities and doubts extremely well. I enjoyed the banter between Diana and Guy, but I found it really interesting that the JLI members all have a sort of bond, a union outside of the OG seven and satellite teams. What is Max Lord's plan with Superman? Why didn't Max's powers work on Sasha? Who else did Max believe can resist his powers? What is the secret of the OMAC virus? Why does Superman call him "father"?
• Wonder Woman #218 - "The Calm" = There are poisons that will blind you, but there are poisons that will open your eyes! I'm not sure if it had been mentioned before that Lyta was daughter of both Circe AND Ares, but I guess it makes for a good segue into setting up the final arc in the midst of Countdown/Infinite Crisis. Nice check in with Cale, Cassie, and the Embassy crew. Is Jonah an OMAC? Is that how he was able to take down Ferdinand? Given the hints from the previous issues, we can assume he's been connected to Checkmate but this is pretty game changing. Will Athena's orders and refusals push Diana further to the brink?
• Teen Titans #24 - Insiders, Part I : "The End Begins" = I love Matthew Clark, but sometimes I have no freaking idea what the heck is happening in each panel. I really wish there was more communication on what is happening from writer to artist on this because that Superboy fight was schizo as mess. Then again, maybe that was the point and it's one more layer of immersion into the story; you are meant to feel like the Teen Titans, you are meant to be confused at the random attack from one of their most trusted allies. It's funny to see how two authors tackle the same group of characters since Johns and Winick have two completely different voices for the Outsiders. I'm assuming it was Luthor who turned Conner bad and possibly Indigo as well. That fight was brutal, everyone got maimed. Is Raven dead? Is Vic dead? Is Shift the mole on the Outsiders? Is Indigo/Brainiac-8 the mole?
• Outsiders #24 - Insiders, Part II : "I Am Your Destruction" = This just got a lot more interesting than I was ever expecting! This answered a question I had back in the previous arc, and Luthor's partner is revealed to be none other than Brainiac! What is Brainiac's plan? Why is Luthor involved? Indigo mention that it has something to do with Colu's survival, but why would Lex care? Nice little Graduation Day recap, but none of the Titans are too messed up besides Vic and Tim's arm. I don't really care about the banter between the Outsiders or Indigo's OP nature, but that last page reveal pretty much saved the issue for me.
• Teen Titans #25 - Insiders, Part III : "Sons & Daughters" = Jeez, seeing Connor regain control for a couple panels was heartbreaking. Burnt, bleeding, beaten, and yet Lex takes away his freedom with a mere phrase. I could care less about Indigo, but I definitely want to see good ol' Brainiac do some damage. I wonder if this Colu/Donna Troy stuff will come up either in the "Return" mini-series or after the Crisis?
• Outsiders #25 - Insiders, Part IV : "It Was Real" = Even though I did not read Judd Winick's Outsiders run, I will give him props for making me feel sorry for Shift and Indigo after only a couple pages of an intro sequence, and a well-executed death. The highlight of all of this is the Luthor/Connor stuff, especially Lex having some affection and desire to help Connor. I hate the aggressive and moody Nightwing (who is completely different than how he is in Winick's Batman), and I also hate getting scuffed on Brainiac. That dude was a total non-factor, the greatest bait of all, only used to legitimize the threat of Indigo/Brainiac-8. D'Anda was hit or miss on every page. Also, why the heck didn't Tim have a cast on his arm when it was literally snapped in three directions at the beginning of this story? Mid crossover overall.
• Teen Titans #26 - "Soul Searching" = So good! Superboy has easily been one of the highlights of this run, and when you have Geoff Johns on script and Tony Daniels on the canvas there isn't much that can go wrong. Very cool that we got a Raven and Connor spotlight since I don't believe they've interacted that much in this run. Both of their pathos are so engaging and easy to empathize with. This is a true Teen Titans thematic fulcrum, a focus on discovering identity that is so common among adolescents. Who is Brother Blood's mother?