Category: DC Comics

Written by Brian Michael Bendis & David F. Walker.

Art by Jamal Campbell & Wes Abbott.

Collection Cover Art by Jamal Campbell.

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics in 2023, this 144-page hardcover compiles 2022’s Naomi: Season Two # 1-6.  Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, and Jamal Campbell are the title character’s co-creators.  Chronologically, this storyline occurs after the events of 2022’s Justice League, Volume 1: Prisms, also written by Bendis.

It’s been three weeks since Black Adam and Superman made an unexpected visit to Naomi in Port Oswego.  As a rookie Justice Leaguer, teenager Naomi McDuffie is struggling to adapt to her new responsibilities.  In particular, maintaining control of her radiant super-powers is at the top of the to-do list.  One night, Naomi and her suspicious adoptive father, Greg, discover that their Thanagarian ally, Dee, has ominously vanished.  Quite possibly, Dee has left for Naomi’s home world to seek out Zumbado to avenge Naomi’s birth parents. 

Naomi’s subsequent investigation brings her into a crisis at S.T.A.R. Labs. where she encounters Cyborg.  Then, an agitated Hawkgirl becomes involved over a malevolent Thanagarian dial Naomi had found among Dee’s discarded possessions.  Once a gravely injured Dee returns, Naomi seeks out help from the Justice League.  Yet, when mysterious invaders from her home dimension invade Port Oswego, it’s up to a desperate Naomi to protect the town. 

Upon reconnecting with her birth mother’s friend, Akira, Naomi makes a pivotal decision, as to her short-term future.    

Notes: This title is also available digitally.  As of this writing, the trade paperback’s wide release is evidently still in the works.  The title character’s subsequent DC moniker is ‘Powerhouse.’

REVIEW:

As with Season One, artist Jamal Campbell’s excellent visuals are Season Two’s most valuable asset.  The teen-friendly plotting that co-writers Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker put forward is a good second round yet hardly remarkable. 

Their Season Two finish just comes off as too contrived that an inexperienced and impulsive Naomi would be allowed to return to her home world (without even finishing high school) as a solo freedom fighter.  As upbeat as this ultra-dangerous notion is made to sound, continuing to develop Naomi’s character depth in Port Oswego would have made better sense to set up a Season Three.    

At least, Cyborg and particularly Hawkgirl make solid guest appearances that contribute to Bendis and Walker’s plot twists.  The same, however, doesn’t apply to the Justice League/Justice League Dark’s hollow presence; their star power is squandered as Naomi’s glorified cheerleaders. 

For Naomi fans, Season Two still presents a solid Young Adult read (without resorting to cheap profanities).  Outside of this book’s intended audience, other potential readers might want to at least discover Campbell’s high-caliber artwork. 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

For Issues # 2-5, Campbell’s wonderful covers follow each story.  Evidently, the cover for Issue # 1 is the collection cover.  After the first issue, artist Carla Cohen’s full-page retailer variant cover is provided.  From Issue # 2, also included is a full-page Matt Sayles variant featuring actress Kaci Walfall from Naomi’s live-action TV series.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       6½ Stars

Written by Brian Michael Michael Bendis & David F. Walker.

Art by Jamal Campbell; Josh Reed; & Carlos M. Mangual.

Collection Cover Art by Jamal Campbell.

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics (via its Wonder Comics imprint) in 2019, this 160-page hardcover compiles that same year’s Naomi: Season One # 1-6.  The teenage title character is the co-creation of Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, and Jamal Campbell.

In the U.S. Pacific Northwest, the sleepy town of Port Oswego witnesses a brief skirmish between Superman and Mongul.  As the Man of Steel once did, seventeen-year-old Naomi McDuffie ponders unanswered questions of her own adoption shortly after birth.  It’s a normal issue (for a normal teen), as Naomi’s therapist assuages her.  Yet, amidst the local excitement of Superman’s presence, Naomi’s suspicions quickly mount. 

In particular, she is bewildered why reclusive town mechanic D. (or Dee) specifies the exact date of her adoption.  Her rattled adoptive parents, Greg and Jennifer McDuffie, though loving and supportive, are evasive of Naomi’s inquiries.  Upon confronting Dee late at night, Naomi pressures the mechanic into relenting as to his guarded past. 

Told of Dee’s origin as a refugee/fugitive from planet Thanagar, Naomi is abruptly retrieved by her irate parents.  Feeling he can longer keep it secret from Naomi, Greg explains his own arrival nearly twenty years before on Earth as a Rann-born soldier.  Opting to abandon his assigned surveillance of Dee, Greg subsequently married the human Jennifer. 

Marking sure Port Oswego stays safe, Greg and Dee also uneasily established a détente as interplanetary refugees.  Dually investigating an interstellar energy alert one night, Dee and Greg fended off an apparent attack from another dimension.  Left behind for some unknown reason was an infant girl that Greg and Jennifer immediately adopt.

Upon showing Naomi his long-hidden Rann spacecraft, Greg gives his daughter a mysterious cube that had been sent along with her.  It causes Naomi’s radiant super-powers emerge from within her.  More so, a narrative of her birth parents’ ordeal on another Earth is revealed.  Naomi also learns of her home Earth’s tyrannical overlord, Zumbado. 

Transported to her decimated home Earth, Naomi’s defiant showdown with Zumbado is the beginning of their feud.  Returning to her adoptive home, Naomi’s future is now stunningly bright.  

Courtesy of Bendis, Naomi returns to her decimated home world in 2022’s Justice League, Volume 1: Prisms (Issues # 59-63). 

Notes: This title is also available digitally and as a trade paperback.  Though Naomi: Season One’s cover image is taken  from Issue # 6, neither the Justice League nor Young Justice actually appear.  Only Superman makes a brief appearance.  However, the Justice League are guest stars in Naomi: Season Two (along with a brief cameo by Young Justice).  The title character’s subsequent DC moniker is ‘Powerhouse.’        

REVIEW:

If absorbed as a Young Adult graphic novel, Naomi: Season One is a solid treat for its intended teen audience. 

Buoyed by artist Jamal Campbell’s stellar visuals, co-writers Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker collaborate on an intriguing origin tale.  Still, revelations and red herrings regarding Dee, Greg, and Naomi’s extraterrestrial origins become somewhat muddled.  Bendis and Walker’s ambitious plotting, as a result, risks overcooking their new heroine’s ‘last survivor’ concept far too soon. 

Even so, Naomi McDuffie makes a fun protagonist to join DC’s Young Justice generation of heroes.  Naomi: Season One, in that sense, is certainly worth a read.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Campbell’s inspired full-page cover precedes each story.  Bendis pens an insightful two-page ‘Afterword’ to readers.  Campbell supplies the three-page ‘Drawing Fire’ (two pages in color; one in black-and-white) as a character design guide.       

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   7 Stars

Written by Ram V & Simon Spurrier.

Art by Rafael Albuquerque; Dani; Dave Stewart; & Ariana Maher.

Collection Cover Art by Evan Cagle.

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics in 2023, this 152-page hardcover compiles 2022’s Detective Comics # 1062-1065.  Approaching midnight at the Gotham City docks, Batman’s routine clash with a gang of thugs has him worried why his timing is now inexplicably off. Worse yet, he senses something ominous has descended upon Gotham City. Brief consultations with Nightwing and a reformed Harvey Dent don’t ease Bruce Wayne’s mind.

Beyond being slowed by a combination of age and accumulated injuries, Bruce Wayne is now haunted by his own terrifying inner demon: Bar-Ba-Tos.  Its ongoing distraction risks costing Bruce his life.

Already rivals of Ra’s Al-Ghul’s League of Shadows, the Orghams, as foreign royalty, intend to stake its ancient claim upon Gotham City. First up is re-acquiring the decrepit remains of Arkham Asylum, which somehow has astronomical property value. Expecting the League’s ambush, the Orghams reciprocate with a vicious battle at the docks pinning down the outmatched police and media. Among the Orghams’ operatives is a psychopathic werewolf that even Talia’s fearsome bodyguard becomes easy prey for. 

Having baited Batman twice, Talia’s enigmatic presence in Gotham doesn’t clarify if she comes as a friend or foe.  Per a flashback, Talia reveals to young Damian Wayne their country’s ancient myth of the ‘Grim Soldier.’  Its outcome now impacts a present-day Gotham City’s bleak emergency mostly orchestrated by the Orghams.

Falling behind is a bewildered Dark Knight.  No matter his weariness, Batman must quickly catch up on the rules of a deadly game commenced between the League of Shadows and the Orghams.  With a cured Harvey Dent falling to the Orghams, Two-Face has resurfaced to take command of Gotham’s criminal underworld.  Designed as a gothic opera, Gotham Nocturne: Overture ends with an unconscious Dark Knight sidelined.  He is in no position to thwart the Orghams’ nefarious scheme.       

Related is a three-part back-up story entitled “Coda,” with deliberately murky artwork.  Now retired, an elderly James Gordon is prodded into searching Gotham City for a drug-addicted prostitute’s missing son.  His investigation leads to a grisly discovery within the ruins of Arkham Asylum and a mysterious young man hiding there.  Gordon’s arc later links with the Dark Knight’s subsequent return to the docks in Overture’s climax.  More so, the ex-Commissioner’s face-off with the mysterious demons now plaguing Gotham City set up his next post-retirement phase.

Starring Harvey Dent, another three-part back-up tale begins entitled “A Tale of Three Halves.”  Having been forcibly relapsed into his Two-Face persona, Dent’s tormented mind struggles with silencing his innocent psychiatrist at the Orghams’ behest.

Notes: Some sources inaccurately claim that this book is 232 pages; it is not – a manual tally confirms 152 pages.  This title is also available digitally; its trade paperback’s release is scheduled for July 2024.

REVIEW:

Anchored by high-caliber visuals, writer Ram V’s opening salvo makes for a potentially intriguing read. Other than James Gordon, Two-Face, and cameos by Nightwing, Damian Wayne, and Renee Montoya, it’s quite noticeable that the Bat-Family and other supporting cast members aren’t included. 

More so, with Bruce Wayne sidetracked by mental problems, the humorless Volume 1 focuses less on Batman and more on his multitude of current adversaries.  To Ram V’s credit, he isn’t telegraphing future plot twists, but this storyline’s surplus of operatic self-indulgence can be grating on readers.  Hence, its pretentious tone doesn’t necessarily make one want to seek out Volume 2.

Batman – Detective Comics, Volume 1: Gotham Nocturne – Overture clearly isn’t meant to engage casual readers.  For die-hard adult Bat-fans, however, this first installment likely stirs the pot enough to keep them tuned in.  

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

In a full-page format preceding each story is a variant cover: # 1062 {1:25} (by Innhyuk Lee); # 1063 {1:25} (by Amano Yoshitaka, though it is credited within the story as ‘Martin Simmonds’); # 1064 {1:25} (by Martin Simmonds); and # 1065 {1:25} (by Simmonds). 

Afterwards, in a full-page variant cover gallery, these covers appear:

• # 1062 (1. Lee Bermejo 2. Julian Totino Tedesco; 3. J.H. Williams III; and 4. {1:50} Williams III);
• # 1063 (1. Jim Lee, Scott Williams, & Alex Sinclair; 2. Lee (pencil sketch); and 3. Drew Zucker;
• # 1064 (1. Jay Anacleto & Arif Prianto {Harley Quinn 30^th Anniversary}; 2. Williams III; and 3. Williams III {1:50 Foil};
• # 1065 (1. Lee, Williams, & Sinclair; and 2. Lee).

There is also a promotional two-page spread by Rafael Albuquerque, which is followed two pages of his character sketch designs.  Then, there is a single page from Ram V’s script for Issue # 1062’s pages 4-5.  Next is a single panel by Albuquerque and Dave Stewart, as it evolves through two additional stages into full color.  The final extra are four logo designs by artist Darran Robinson.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     6 Stars

Written by Mark Russell.  

Art by Michael Allred; Laura Allred; & Dave Sharpe.

Collection Cover Art by Michael Allred & Laura Allred.

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics in 2023, this 264-page hardcover compiles 2022-23’s Superman: Space Age # 1-3.  Per the onset of 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Superman of Earth 203495-B sadly realizes that his universe’s annihilation by the Anti-Monitor has commenced. 

In a flashback to the fateful November of 1963, farmer Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas, decides it’s time to reveal his existence after President Kennedy’s shocking assassination.  With the United States and Russia agitated to the brink of war, Clark’s naivete ironically almost causes World War III.  After fighter pilot Hal Jordan shoots Clark down as an ‘UFO,’ the future Man of Steel discovers his Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole.

In 1964, Clark joins The Daily Planet as a rookie reporter and gradually develops a friendship with his colleague, Lois Lane.  Meanwhile, industrial rivals Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor pursue a vital U.S. defense contract to build the country’s future war strategy.  Outmaneuvering Wayne, Luthor’s chilling arrogance soon precipitates the nuclear annihilation of Coast City.  Superman and Wayne’s Batman unknowingly aid each other in averting another close call with World War III.  Luthor is sent to prison for mass murder for the next two decades. 

In the subsequent years, a Justice League forms, though no one realizes that its most secretive member is their benefactor: Bruce Wayne.  While Lois becomes the guiding light exposing Watergate, Clark’s encounters at a Metropolis bar finds him in sporadic contact with Pariah.  Despite Clark’s skepticism, Pariah matter-of-factly prophesizes that the world is doomed in a matter of years, due to the Anti-Monitor. 

In the meantime, Clark and Lois finally acknowledge their mutual love and marry.  Both have previously acknowledged being influenced by their fathers’ own wartime experiences.  Lois and Clark soon have a young son: Jonathan, raising him at the Fortress with help from Jor-El’s hologram.

In Gotham City, Bruce Wayne’s ironic feud with his own corrupted company tips his beloved Gotham City’s breaking point.  Subsequent clashes with Maxwell Lord and the Joker may prove too much for even Batman.  Considering the Justice League’s tragic encounter with Brainiac, Superman realizes his Earth’s time is now rapidly running out.  It’s up to him to make a desperate bid to save humanity, even as a gloating Lex Luthor returns to the free world.  Meanwhile, an expanded Justice League makes a last stand in Washington, D.C., without either a Man of Steel or a Dark Knight.

Elsewhere, the Superman of Earth 832654-Z is again the lone survivor of his planet – it’s conveyed by a collection of Brainiacs that this depleted Earth might still stand a partial chance of survival.  With humanity forever lost, this other Superman grimly awaits any cosmic sign that his existence isn’t for nothing. 

Note: This title is also available digitally; its trade paperback edition is set for release in 2025.

REVIEW:

Visually, Michael Allred and Laura Allred’s low-key artwork is far more endearing than it is aesthetically impressive.  Still, their simplistic visuals provide an ideal accompaniment to the storyline’s heartbreaking content, making Superman: Space Age a DC must-read. 

Apart from ingeniously spinning off Crisis on Infinite Earths in a historical narrative reminiscent of Forrest Gump, writer Mark Russell devises a down-to-earth brand of storytelling.  Though his Batman and Justice League are glaring underachievers (in comparison to DC’s primary versions), Russell’s take on this alternate-reality Superman and Lois Lane’s maturing bond is a treat to explore.

Russell’s balance of poignancy and a bleak plot isn’t without fault, however.  For instance, the main characters’ aging over twenty-two years doesn’t make much sense from the get-go (i.e. how is Clark a ‘teen’ as he claims in 1963, but Bruce and Lois are evidently twenty-somethings? Or how could Lois then only be 28 at the time of Watergate?).  It’s one of several questions in plain sight that Russell doesn’t address. 

Case in point: Why isn’t Supergirl (or even a Krypto) in this reality? Why wouldn’t Martha Kent be with Clark’s family come the world’s end?  Why doesn’t Russell divulge the fate of seven abducted Gotham City children?  Lastly, why is this Justice League’s mindset so ridiculously passive for years awaiting a cosmic cataclysm?  Even with such plot holes, Russell’s tale still makes a gripping read. 

The Space Age Superman’s fate presents, in effect, a timeless philosophy lesson.  The conveyance of hope as merging one’s inner peace with selfless bravery – even in the face of imminent death – makes an apt analogy for the human spirit’s resiliency. Russell and the Allreds offer a thought-provoking exploration of a doomed world (echoing Krypton) where super-powers can’t surpass reality’s worst nightmares. If anything, this Space Age Superman’s solution for saving his beloved world leaves room for some thoughtful debate, as to what actually constitutes life after death.      

Another argument is that DC Comics’ crass reliance upon style (and even sleaze) over substance has been its own worst enemy for nearly forty years since the first company-wide Crisis.  Fittingly enough, this nostalgic tribute to its Silver Age/Bronze Age is a reminder that DC Comics can still generate excellent work.  A gem like Superman: Space Age delivers welcome proof.  

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

All three Michael Allred & Laura Allred covers are included in a full-page format.  In a full-page cover gallery, there are variants for Issue # 1 (1. Michael Allred; 2. Nick Derington; and 3. Steve Rude); Issue # 2 (1. Derington; and 2. Dave Johnson); and Issue # 3 (1. Derington – a Dean Cain homage; and 2. Joe Quinones – a Superman III homage). 

Also included are Michael Allred’s black-and-white cover and sketch work; and the Allreds’ full-page Action Comics # 1050 variant cover.  The last page is an advertisement for other DC works by Mark Russell.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                8 Stars

Note: Another thoughtful Superman title worth discovery is 2004’s Superman: Secret Identity (written by Kurt Busiek).  In an alternate reality reminiscent of DC’s original Earth-Prime, this Clark Kent/Superman ages in real time during his life’s journey.

Written by Chip Zdarsky.

Art by Mike Hawthorne; Miguel Mendoça; Belén Ortega; Jorge Jimenez; Mikel Janín; Jorge Corona; Adriano Di Benedetto; Tomeu Morey; Roman Stevens; Romulo Fajardo Jr.; Ivan Plasecenia; & Clayton Cowles.

Collection Cover Art by Jorge Jiménez.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2023 by DC Comics, this 240-page hardcover compiles 2023’s Batman # 131-136.  A seemingly fatal shot by the Failsafe robot using Toyman’s high-tech blaster had made Batman vanish before a horrified Tim Drake’s eyes. Immediately robbed of his utility belt, a battered and semi-conscious Dark Knight now finds himself stranded in an alternate-reality Gotham City. 

Initially haunted by a ghostly Commissioner Gordon, Bruce Wayne discovers that this bleak reality had no Batman, as its own Bruce Wayne met a grim fate.  Batman’s probe also confirms countless others from Gotham City and beyond have been abducted as test subjects for ghastly experiments conducted beneath Arkham Asylum.  Donning a makeshift uniform, Batman soon suspects the insidious research is linked to this Gotham’s reclusive billionaire philanthropist: Darwin Halliday.    

With help from his new young friend, Jewel, Batman senses that he must thwart this world’s Joker counterpart: the Crimson Mask.  More so, with such limited resources, Batman’s presence as an anomaly from another universe is a dire predicament he can’t resolve alone.  He must then take a chance that this world’s Alfred Pennyworth and mercenary Selina Kyle will become his allies rather than enemies. 

Shocking twists unfold, as a depleted Batman must later pursue the Crimson Mask out into DC’s multiverse.  In each different Bat-reality he encounters, the Dark Knight seeks a final showdown with his elusive adversary, who is chaotically bringing Joker variants to life.  

Upon finally returning home, Bruce Wayne acclimates to the changes that occurred in his absence, including Selina’s escape from prison.  Reuniting with Tim, Selina, and others in the Bat-Family, the Dark Knight resumes his relentless nocturnal mission.  The Failsafe crisis has seemingly ended for now.  Reeling from multiple surprise revelations, Bruce’s increasingly fractured psyche, however, is taking a bizarre turn for the worst.     

The four-part back-up arc is “The Toybox.”  After consulting Jon Kent’s Superman and Nightwing, Tim Drake’s Robin goes on a solo multiversal quest to find the missing Batman.  Utilizing Mr. Terrific’s technological wizardry, Tim pursues a supposedly dead Toyman into another reality.  Tim believes this villain may be the only answer to saving Batman.  After rescuing innocent civilians the Toyman abducted, Tim can’t resist chancing a reunion with his mother from a parallel world.  It’s conveyed that, off-screen, Tim’s multi-dimensional journey has him encountering as many different Batmen as his mentor has. 

With Alfred alive, the storyline concludes with an eight-page, back-up tale entitled “The Plans Below.” Seeking inspiration to better concentrate, Batman wearily descends from the Batcave into a private chamber.  Awaiting him is a reinvigorating workout versus his Failsafe robot and an opportunity to update the machine’s programming.   

Note: This title is also available digitally. Its paperback release is presumably in the works.

REVIEW:

Deeming writer Chip Zdarsky’s “The Bat-Man of Gotham” a glorified (and overstuffed) Elseworlds epic is a fair assessment.  The concept of Batman, Robin, Mr. Terrific, Toyman, and Crimson Mask all vaguely dabbling in multiversal energy residue, detectors, retracting coils, etc. comes off as outlandish nonsense.  Had Zdarsky instead been writing Mr. Spock, such scientific miracles might be plausible … for the 23^rd Century.  In this century, however, Zdarsky pushes far too many multiverse-driven contrivances trying to pass his Bat-Man of Gotham off as a compelling read.

If Zdarsky had simplified his premise (i.e. challenging Batman to escape from an Elseworlds alternate reality) and incorporated a less-bonkers take on science fiction (i.e. the supposedly true purpose for Batman’s existence), a more efficient storyline should have clicked. From a reader’s perspective, the plot’s credibility suffers a significant hit when only Tim Drake is openly worried about Batman’s apparent death. With others (i.e. Nightwing) presumptive that the Dark Knight will resurface on his own like he always does, it seems peculiar that the Justice League isn’t bothering to investigate Batman’s disappearance.

Hence, why shouldn’t readers conclude the same outcome and recognize that Zdarsky’s storyline is backing itself into a corner? Tim Drake’s valiant search inevitably impacts the climax, but it ironically also mutes the imminent suspense — i.e. how does one think Batman will escape? The Bat-Man arc’s resolution, therefore, is telegraphed by the events of “The Toybox.”

Zdarsky also pitches a seemingly shocking injury, which merely duplicates the same device used for Luke Skywalker and Aquaman.  Such dramatic impact would have been sufficient for an Elseworlds Batman, but Zdarsky’s gambit of disfiguring DC’s primary Batman is an unnecessary eyeroll.  Undoubtedly, DC will ensure that Batman’s ‘irreversible’ loss is reversed in a matter of time – sooner than later.    

As for the pop culture parade of familiar Batmen (i.e. Michael Keaton’s Batman ’89), the ‘wow’ factor is obvious.  The one iconic Batman oddly excluded is his Golden Age incarnation (from DC’s original Earth-Two).  Though this creative team’s Bat-homages dangle fun fan-bait, it doesn’t take long for one to realize how superficial the gimmick really is.  These guest spots don’t sidestep an exceedingly convoluted storyline beyond a series of wink-wink optics.      

The artwork, otherwise, treads a consistent B-range resembling most Elseworlds Bat-projects – that is, until Issue # 136.  That installment’s artwork is hampered by some glaring visual discrepancies.  For instance, in the previous four issues, Bruce Wayne/Batman is exceptionally well-toned.  Issue # 136 oddly depicts his physique as now nearly Hulk-sized (resembling his appearance in The Dark Knight Returns). 

Hence, Batman is shown towering over a far smaller Selina – as if she’s a foot shorter (which doesn’t make sense, given their established heights).  An ultra-petite Selina Kyle is also drawn as if she’s barely twenty years old, let alone dresses as such.  Either way, this issue makes for a wonky transition into the next arc reviving Zur-En-Arrh. 

Batman, Volume 2: The Bat-Man of Gotham packs several intriguing moments; its excesses, however, translate into a merely okay read given its hefty page count.  Over-reliance on DC’s multiverse and a horde of ridiculous plot elements, ultimately, does Batman no favors.  Frankly, the most practical option is finding this Bat-title at the library.                     

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Preceding each story is Jorge Jiménez’s full-page cover and then Stanley “Artgerm” Lau’s own full-page variant.  In the cover gallery, one can explore a ridiculous glut of full-page variants: 

• Issue # 131’s second printing: artist – Jiménez.

2^nd variant: artists – Joe Quesada & Richard Isanove.

3rd variant: artists: Jason Fabok & Brad Anderson.

4^th variant: artist David Nakayama.

• Issues # 132 – 134 2^nd variant: artists – Quesada, Kevin Nowlan, & Isanove.

Issue # 132 3^rd variant: artist Derrick Chew.

                   4^th variant: artist – Mike Hawthorne.

                   5^th variant: artist – Nathan Szerdy.

                   6^th variant: artist – Szerdy.

Issue # 133 3^rd variant: artist – Chew.

Issue # 134 3^rd variant: artist – Clayton Crain.

                   4^th variant: artists – Frank Cho & Sabine Rich.

                   5^th variant: artist – Tom King

• Issue # 135 (two-page spread): artists – Quesada, Nowlan, & Isanove.

                   3^rd variant: artist – Gabrielle Dell’Otto.

                   4^th variant: artist – Karl Ngu

                   5^th variant: artists – Jim Cheung & Jay David Ramos.

                   6^th variant: artist – Lee Bermejo.

                   7^th variant: artist – Neal Adams.

• Issue # 136: artists – Quesada, Nowlan, & Isanove.

                    3^rd variant: artist – Dell’Otto.

                    4^th variant: artist – Stjepan Šejić.

                    5^th variant: artist – Bermejo.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                          5½ Stars