COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS REVIEW [PART ELEVEN]

 

[ACT XI - Reactionary]

• Adventures of Superman #644 - "Blame & Remorse" = This was great! Unfortunate that Rucka didn't do the scripting duties, but the pair that filled in for him ended up doing a good job regardless. The revamp of Toyman reminded me a lot of Fun-Land from that one issue of Gaiman's Sandman with the serial killer convention. The focus on Zatanna's guilt from the various mind-wipes paired with her having to carry the weight after the end of COC is definitely needed and handled very well. I enjoyed how Superman tries to lighten the load by forgiving her even if she can't forgive herself.
• JSA #77 - "Mixed Signals" = Man, I am not a fan of Jim Fern's pencils. This was okay, a fine little bridge between Return of Donna Troy and the earth-bound recruitment of heroes for the war at the center of the universe. Air-Wave is a fun enough character and I'm glad he's used as a vessel to prop up a team-up between Hal and Alan (which has been much needed since GL Rebirth). Excited to see who ends up stowing away on this cosmic JL squad as we see more players getting moved around before the Crisis begins. As for that final page, where in the world are Fury and Fate?
• JSAC #2 - Power Trip, Part II : "Andromeda" = The confusion continues! I think it's hilarious and brilliant how Geoff is able to come up with a disposable backstory that is totally believable for Power Girl (then again, anything is better than the "Arion connection" at this point). The explanation for the cleavage hole could have been comical but Johns handled it really well, and you can definitely sympathize with PG after all the crap and mind-trash she's had to deal with. I originally thought the ring they find in the opening sequence to be a Legion flight ring, but if the Legion origin is just a hoax portrayed by the Psycho Pirate, then what could it be?
• JSAC #3 - Power Trip, Part III : "Backstory Barrage" = It's not enough that I mentioned the plausibility of PG's proposed origin last issue, but now we get mowed down with various escape-hatch backstories to answer the mystery of Power Girl. The Titans of Tomorrow one has to be my favorite because it brings more relevance to that seemingly abandoned and irrelevant plotline (besides the obvious Connor-Lex hinting). Psycho Pirate goes off in this, and we see he's just another pawn maneuvered in Fake-Lex's agenda for the Crisis.
• Adventures of Superman #645 - "Breaking Point" = Point of impact! Cornered by OMACs, Luthor's machinations, and the endless enigma that is Ruin, the Man of Tomorrow must go headfirst into the shadow as the sun sets forever! Luthor is working with someone within the Society while suffering from debilitating migraines. We get an answer to the sniper mystery plaguing this series from the first arc, but it's an anticlimactic reveal as Max Lord and Checkmate did it as part of their agenda against Superman. Lupe hunts Ruin with help from Hamilton, whiles Supes brawls with Lex and Ruin as he discovers Ruin's use of the Phantom Zone for teleportation. We cap everything off with a distress call from the Watchtower, and Superman discovering the aftermath of Crisis Without Conscience. Crisis, begins here, but first we must deal with the death of magic...

COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS REVIEW [PART FIVE]

 

[ACT V - The Purge]

• Day of Vengeance #2 - "Some Enchantress Evening" = We finally get the flashback revealing how Spectre was tricked by Eclipso, though Willingham comes up with some excuse for Spectre's susceptibility via amnesia mumbo jumbo since he's untethered to a host. We also see how Stranger got mouse'd as well as what happened to Hector and Lyta in the pages of Black Vengeance. I enjoyed the flashbacks and expo-dumps, but this issue was mostly banter and character devs to grow the reader's interest in the team which I get, but I want to see some magical chaos! The highlight was probably the Ragman/Enchantress sequence where she explains the monkey's paw to her powers, even if the awkward kiss killed the vibe.
• Day of Vengeance #3 - "A Hot Night In Budapest" = 
  Enjoyed the Blue Devil spotlight! No Justiniano on pencils, but Wagner still did a good job. Painful to see false hope for the magic users as Marvel gets the upper hand since we know it's not going to be that easy going into Infinite Crisis. Last issue they set up the Enchantress dilemma and I have a feeling that's what's going to bite them when they need it the most. Who is this Lori that Detective Chimp and Nightshade are trying to find?
• Day of Vengeance #4 - "Monkey Business" = 
  Underwhelming! Intro to Black Alice was fine enough, but unfortunate that the entire plan was neutered by Enchantress having DID issues. At least the art was good, but it's a shame that my interest has significantly decreased since the first issue.
• JSAC #1 - Power Trip, Part I : "Point of Origin" = Finally! The mystery we've been waiting for begins to unfold! We get a flashback showing us that Power Girl did in fact escape a dying Krypton only to end up on Earth with no memory of her point of origin. With no weakness to kryptonite and the Arion connection being debunked, what is the true genesis of the platinum blonde powerhouse? Who sent the vision of Garn Daanuth after Power Girl? Is it the same individual who spawns these three Legionnaires on the final page?
• JSA #76 - "In Search Of..." = Aftermath! One of the main things I have a problem with since the OMACs started popping up in tie-in issues is that they seem pretty unbeatable. If Superman, Batman, or the JSA heavy hitters can't take one single OMAC out how the heck is the entire superhero community supposed to beat an army of them? I enjoyed the angle they tackled with Mister Terrific's tech invisibility, great set up for how valuable he will be in stopping Brother Eye. Fun snippets with the JLI remnants recruiting Power Girl as well as some flirting between her and my boy Pieter Cross! Happy that Al comes full circle but now worried about the absolute problem that is Amanda Waller. What is the rumor Calculator mentions? Could it be about the mindwipe of Batman? How will Nabu help Rick?