Category: DC’s Hardcovers & Trade Paperbacks

Written by Geoff Johns.

Art by Doug Mahnke; Christian Alamy; Keith Champagne; Mark Irwin; Tom Nguyen; Shawn Moll; Randy Mayor; Gabe Eltaeb; Carrie Strachan; & Rod Reis.

‘Tales of the Red Lantern Corps: Dex-Starr’ Art by Shawn Davis; Jamie Grant; Nick J. Napolitano; & Steve Wands.

Collection Cover Art by Doug Mahnke & Randy Mayor.

SUMMARY:

First released by DC Comics in 2011, this 288-page hardcover compiles 2010-2011’s Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) # 53-62. 

In the wake of Blackest Night, Green Lantern’s sequel is the ten-part “New Guardians” from the Brightest Day storyline. Rudely interrupting Carol Ferris & Hal Jordan’s latest wary flirtation on Earth, Sinestro convinces them to a tentative truce investigating the mysterious ‘White Lantern.’  They soon discover that none of them can move it, though their combined effort unleashes an ominous plea.  It’s up to them (along with a reluctant Larfleeze and Atrocitus) to locate six Entities roaming Earth.  Each of these emotional spectrum-based entities are seeking to channel themselves in human form.

Meanwhile, an unknown third party seeks to intercede by manipulating an imprisoned Hector Hammond’s long-standing lust for Carol Ferris.  Also, in a tease towards “War of the Green Lanterns,” An off-planet Guy Gardner evidently picks his side in an upcoming conflict that will include Hal Jordan among his adversaries.  On Oa, the Guardians grow increasingly concerned about Hal’s rebellious nature; specifically, he is hiding his current mission from them.              

Mortal casualties mount, as Hal, Carol, Sinestro, Larfleeze, Sinestro, and Atrocitus seek out these elusive Entities in multiple locales on Earth and in deep space.  Having dispatched the Predator in Las Vegas, Carol finds her potential destiny now resides on planet Zamaron.  Facing off against Atrocitus, Lobo, and even a Parallax-possessed Flash, among others, an exhausted Hal pushes his willpower to the limits.  Yet, the cosmic foe awaiting him may prove unstoppable. 

Defying both the Green Lantern Corps and the Justice League, Hal’s choice of allies: Saint Walker, Larfleeze, Atrocitus, & Iroque (Indigo-1), conveys that he is evidently sparing his closest friends from certain death.  To rescue the Entities and their captive human channels, representatives of at least five different Lantern Corps must invade the bleak ‘Lost Sector.’     

Guest stars include Crispus Allen’s Spectre; Lobo; Barry Allen’s Flash; Renee Montoya’s Question; Lex Luthor; Dex-Starr; Batman; & Superman.  A six-page Tales of the Red Lanterns Corps back-up tale depicts feline Dex-Starr’s tragic origin becoming a Red Lantern.

Notes: This title is also available digitally and in a trade paperback format.  Guy Gardner makes a cameo appearance, but Kyle Rayner doesn’t appear in this volume.

REVIEW:

This seemingly endless arc evokes grim irony given its Brightest Day banner.  Its actual substance seems far more in tone with Blackest Night than anything one might construe as bright and cheery.  While writer Geoff Johns keeps his ongoing story twists percolating in a coherent manner, it’s an ambitious read meant for the franchise’s hardcore fans.  Casual readers, however, may find the plotting too convoluted to keep up with Johns for the long haul. 

Johns’ multiple sub-plots supply ample depth to Larfleeze (note: a little Larfleeze goes a long way), Sinestro, Atrocitus, and especially Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire.  Hal Jordan, at the plot’s center, is in vintage form, particularly in a showdown against a Parallax-infected Flash.  The same applies to Hal’s interactions with Carol Ferris.  Carol’s own insightful heroism is another promising element.  It makes sense why DC would finally elevate her to the Justice League in 2024. 

Amplifying Johns’ storyline with high-quality visuals is this reliable art team.  Led by Doug Mahnke’s solid penciling, this art squad surpasses the challenge of bringing Johns’ vivid imagination to life.  Assuredly, it’s no easy task.      

Still, given its surplus of disturbing inferences (i.e. a child abduction; multiple grisly deaths), the content of Green Lantern: Brightest Day should be restricted to older teens and up.  In spite of neglecting an appropriate parental advisory, DC Comics compensates with a fantastic page count.  Though Green Lantern: Brightest Day isn’t a must-have purchase, curious fans should at least consider seeking out this Geoff Johns epic at the library.  For Hal Jordan’s fans, it’s definitely worth the read.  

Still, for any purchase of this Brightest Day tie-in, it makes practical sense to also acquire Green Lantern’s Blackest Night.  That way, this full twenty-issue saga can be read together. 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Each full-page cover precedes its story.  These primary cover artists are:

• Issue # 53 (artists: Doug Mahnke & Randy Mayor) – Note: It’s the collection cover.
• Issue # 54 (artist: Shane Davis; Sandra Hope; & Barbara Ciardo) – image: Atrocitus in the New York City subway.
• Issue # 55 (artists: Mahnke; Christian Alamy; & Mayor) – image: Hal Jordan, Lobo, & Atrocitus.
• Issue # 56 (artists: Mahnke & Hi-Fi) – image: Hal Jordan & Sinestro.
• Issue # 57 (artists: Mahnke & Hi-Fi) – image: Carol Ferris’ Star Sapphire vs. Predator.
• Issue # 58 (artists: Mahnke, Alamy, & Mayor) – image: the lead characters kneel to Adara.
• Issue # 59 (artists: Mahnke, Alamy & Mayor) – image: Hal Jordan & the Flash in battle.
• Issue # 60 (artists: Gary Frank & Nathan Eyring) – image: Hal Jordan vs. a Parallax-possessed Flash.
• Issue # 61 (artists: Frank & Mayor) – image: Hal Jordan vs. Atrocitus & the ‘Red Lantern’ Butcher.
• Issue # 62 (artists: Ardian Syaf; Vicente Cifuentes; & Mayor) – image: The Justice League (including Hal Jordan), Atrocitus, Sinestro, & Larfleeze.

Full-page variant covers are collected as a gallery.  Specifically, they consist of:

• Issue # 53 (artist: Ryan Sook) – image: shared possession of the White Lantern.
• Issue # 54 (artist Alex Garner) – image: Hal Jordan, the Entities, and the White Lantern.
• Issue # 55 (artists: Mahnke & Mayor) – image: Lobo.
• Issue # 56 (artist: Art Germ) – image: Blue Walker.
• Issue # 57 (artists: Ryan Sook; Fernando Pasarin; Joel Gomez; Mayor; & Carrie Strachan) – image: White Lantern Deadman.
• Issue # 58 (artist: Gene Ha) – image: Hal Jordan.
• Issue # 59 (artist: Ha) – image: Hal Jordan, Black Hand, & Iroque (Indigo-1).
• Issue # 60 (artist: Frank Quitely) – image: Hal Jordan vs. Sinestro.
• Issue # 61 (artist: Garner) – image: Spectre & Hal Jordan team up vs. the Red Lantern ‘Butcher.’
• Issue # 62 (artists: Mahnke; Alamy; Mayor; & Alex Sinclair) – image: Hal Jordan.

A five-page preview teases Hal Jordan’s next arc: “War of the Green Lanterns,” as the Green Lantern Corps seemingly implode into civil war.  The last page presents multi-paragraph Johns and Mahnke biographies, which are then duplicated on the back inside cover.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      7½ Stars

Written by Geoff Johns.

Art by Doug Mahnke; Ed Benes; Marcos Marz; Christian Alamy; Tom Nguyen; Rodney Ramos; Mark Irwin; Luciana Del Negro; Rebecca Buchman; Keith Champagne; Randy Mayor; Gabe Eltaeb; Hi-Fi; Carrie Strachan; & Rob Leigh.

Collection Cover Art by Ivan Reis & Rodolfo Migliari.

SUMMARY:

First released in hardcover by DC Comics in 2011, this 256-page trade paperback compiles 2010-2011’s Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) # 43-52. 

The Green Lantern Corps/Sinestro Corps feud has seemingly ended, as the universe’s emotional spectrum has split into multiple color Corps factions across the universe:  Green (willpower – i.e. Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and the Green Lantern Corps), Violet (love – i.e. Carol Ferris and the Star Sapphires), Orange (avarice – i.e. Larfleeze); Red (rage – i.e. Atrocitus); Yellow (fear – i.e. Sinestro’s Corps); Blue (hope – i.e. Saint Walker); and the enigmatic Indigo (compassion – i.e. The Indigo Tribe). 

As ominously prophesied by Oa’s Guardians of the Universe, this emotional rivalry of seven colors opens the rise of the evil Black Lantern Corps to swarm and destroy life across the universe.  Though its leader isn’t yet revealed, the Black Lanterns is fronted by now-corrupted Guardians.  Subsequently comprised by an army of the vengeful dead, this faction’s first recruit is Hal Jordan’s old nemesis: Black Hand. 

Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern and Barry Allen’s Flash are bewildered to face the Black Lantern Black Hand, along with one of his new soldiers: the Black Lantern J’onn J’onzz – The Martian Manhunter.  Elsewhere, deep-space battles continue on planets Ysmault, Okaara, Zamaron, and, in the offing, a lone John Stewart on Xanshi.

On battle-ravaged planet Zamaron, Carol Ferris faces off against Sinestro before they must unite against common foes.  Hal Jordan and two Indigo Tribe reinforcements join them as reinforcements.   Forced to abandon Zamaron, Hal, Carol, Sinestro, and others shift to Sinestro’s home planet, Korugar. 

Once there, Mongul challenges Sinestro for command of his self-named Corps.  A Black Lantern from Hal and Sinestro’s shared past haunts them.  More so, Sinestro must fend off another Black Lantern, whose was once the love of his life.  On planet Ysmault, under Hal and Sinestro’s joint command, their team recruits Atrocitus, as they build towards uniting all seven Corps against the Black Lanterns.             

John Stewart’s past war experiences haunt him in his solo showdown against Black Lanterns on planet Xanshi. Elsewhere, Hal and Sinestro’s team further recruits Larfleeze and Saint Walker’s Blue Lantern Corps. 

Shifting back to Earth, Hal’s team expands to include Barry Allen’s Blue Lantern Flash; Yellow Lantern Scarecrow; Red Lantern Mera; Star Sapphire Wonder Woman; Orange Lantern Lex Luthor; Ray Palmer’s Indigo Atom; and the Guardian: Ganthet.  Confiding her love, Carol pleads with Hal not to make a brash decision in battle against the Black Lantern Spectre.  Even Sinestro implores Hal not to take such a risk given its worst possible outcome.     

To thwart a Black Lantern-corrupted Spectre, Hal desperately reunites with the Parallax entity in hopes of rescuing Crispus Allen’s Spectre.  Under Nekron’s command, more Black Lanterns are revealed, including Superman; Green Arrow; Firestorm; Aquaman; Hawkgirl; Hawkman; and the Martian Manhunter.  Hal’s temporary gambit works, as a means of thwarting Nekron’s Black Lanterns evidently becomes possible.      

Converging on Earth, the Black Lantern Corps and the force of planet Xanshi seek to destroy the planet.  Emerging from deep space, John Stewart’s recruited allies (among them: Kilowog and Star Sapphire Fatality) coordinate with Hal’s team for their last stand.  With Earth’s fate at stake, the planet’s defenders must look to the being now possessed by the enigmatic White Lantern. 

Readers are then told a definitive finish awaits them at the end of the primary Blackest Night title.             

Notes: This title is also available digitally.  Neither Kyle Rayner nor Guy Gardner appears in this volume.

REVIEW:

This complicated Blackest Night tie-in conveys varying shades of horrific sci-fi/horror to match the saga’s zombie premise.

Beginning with Issue # 43, Black Hand’s macabre origin (including his Black Lantern recruitment) is one of the most reprehensible tales that Geoff Johns and, by extension, DC Comics, has ever concocted.  Squandering high-quality artwork, this issue shouldn’t be accessible to the under-age 16 crowd.  DC Comics ought to be ashamed for not issuing a parental advisory for the issue’s icky content.  Further, it’s a shocking instance where DC evidently allowed Johns carte blanche on Blackest Night.

Moving past this glaring complaint, Johns subsequently constructs a vast Green Lantern saga meant for the franchise’s then-current fanbase.  Johns, in terms of creative expertise, juggles multiple sub-plots at regular intervals with plentiful depth.  To his credit, he makes such a formidable plotting challenge appear easy – with only occasional flaws. 

For instance, despite Hal, Carol, Sinestro, and various deputy Lanterns expending maximum firepower, Johns doesn’t depict anybody ever needing to recharge.  It’s a significant oversight in logic, but Johns’ ongoing plot twists more than make up the difference.  Even more so, the artistic talents supplying this book’s imaginative visuals appear at the top of their game.

While Green Lantern (Hal Jordan): Blackest Night isn’t a kid-friendly read, it makes an worthwhile argument to consider purchase.  If anything, purchasing it along with Hal Jordan’s subsequent Brightest Day tie-in, makes the most practical sense to grasp a Green Lantern epic spanning twenty issues.  Aside from the gross Issue # 43, this Blackest Night tie-in makes an intriguing read for adult Green Lantern fans.         

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Brief ongoing summaries of the Green Lantern cast’s involvement in the Blackest Night saga are provided between issues.  Each full-page cover precedes its story.  The primary cover artists are:

• Issue # 43 (artists: Doug Mahnke; Christian Alamy; & Alex Sinclair) – image: Black Hand.
• Issue # 44 (artists: Mahnke; Alamy; & Sinclair) – image: Hal Jordan & Barry Allen’s Flash vs. Black Lantern Martian Manhunter.
• Issue # 45 (artists: Mahnke; Alamy; & Hi-Fi) – image: Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire vs. Sinestro.
• Issue # 46 (artists: Mahnke; Alamy; & Hi-Fi) – image: Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire, Hal Jordan, & Sinestro.
• Issue # 47 (artists: Mahnke; Alamy; & Hi-Fi) – image: Hal Jordan & Sinestro vs. Black Lantern Abin Sur.
• Issue # 48 (artists: Mahnke; Alamy; & Hi-Fi) – image: Saint Walker & the Blue Lantern Corps vs. Yellow Lanterns.
• Issue # 49 (artists: Ed Benes & Hi-Fi) – image: John Stewart escaping a mound of skeletons.
• Issue # 50 (artists: Mahnke; Alamy; & Pete Pantazis) – image: Hal Jordan’s Parallax.
• Issue # 51 (artists: Mahnke; Alamy; & Hi-Fi) – image: Seven different Lanterns’ team-up vs. a Black Lantern.
• Issue # 52 (artists: Mahnke; Alamy; & Randy Mayor) – image: White Lantern Sinestro.

With each variant cover in a full-page, format, the gallery consists of:

• Issue # 43 (artists: Eddy Barrows & Nei Ruffino) – image: Hal Jordan vs. Black Hand.
• Issue # 44 (artists: Phillip Tan; Jonathan Glapion; & Ruffino) – image: the Guardians under attack. 
• Issue # 45 (artists: Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato) – image: Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire.
• Issue # 46 (artists: Andy Kubert & Sinclair) – image: Hal Jordan & Sinestro vs. Yellow Lantern Mongul.
• Issue # 47 (artists: Benes & Ruffino) – image: Iroque (Indigo-1).
• Issue # 48 (artists: Rags Morales & Ruffino) – image: Saint Walker.
• Issue # 49 (artists: Rodolfo Migliari) – image: sniper John Stewart vs. Black Lanterns.
• Issue # 50 (artists: Jim Lee; Scott Williams; & Sinclair) – image: Seven Lanterns recharge.
• Issue # 51 (artist: Greg Horn) – image: Yellow Lantern Scarecrow.
• Issue # 52 (artists: Shane Davis; Sandra Hope & Barbara Ciardo) – image: White Lantern Sinestro.

With art by Joe Prado, a gallery of Deputy Lantern profiles consist of:

• Red Lantern Mera (1/2 page).
• Orange Lantern Lex Luthor (1/2 page).
• Sinestro Corps Scarecrow (1/2 page).
• Barry Allen’s Blue Lantern Flash (1/2 page).
• Ray Palmer’s Indigo Lantern Flash (1/2 page).
• Wonder Woman’s Star Saphhire (1/2 page).

Shifting to full-page portraits, the profile gallery also includes

• Black Lantern Aquaman (artists: Ethan Van Sciver & Sinclair).
• Black Lantern Batman (artist: Prado).
• Black Lantern Firestorm (artists: Van Sciver & Sinclair).
• Black Lantern Hal Jordan (artist: Prado).
• Black Lantern Martian Manhunter (artists: Van Sciver & Sinclair).
• Black Lantern Superman (artist: Prado).

The last page presents multi-paragraph biographies for Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      8 Stars

Written by Darwyn Cooke.

Art by Darwyn Cooke & Matt Hollingsworth.

Cover Art by Darwyn Cooke & Matt Hollingsworth.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2002 by DC Comics, this 96-page trade paperback serves as a standalone prequel setting up Catwoman’s then-imminent series relaunch. 

Hiding out overseas after her presumed death, Selina Kyle’s luck finally goes bust once a promising Moroccan heist turns up a fake artifact.  Forced to covertly return to Gotham City, Selina seeks out a trusted local pawnbroker/underworld fence, “Swifty,” to see if he knows of any get-rich-quick schemes worth her time.  Through Chantel, a reluctant contact inside boyfriend Frank Falcone’s mob faction, Selina hears of his $24-million-dollar express train that will be crossing over the New York/Canadian border within the month.

Reluctantly approaching her former mentor/one-time lover, Stark, at his retirement getaway in South Florida, Selina convinces him to assemble the operation.  In spite of their mutual misgivings, Selina senses that the ruthless Stark won’t hesitate to kill her, if either she double-crosses him again or becomes a liability. 

In Las Vegas, they recruit a young tech genius, Jeff, to devise the experimental method in which they can board the moving train undetected by Falcone’s goons.  With Swifty’s help, Selina conjures up an ingenious means of escape off the train with the considerable mob loot.  Before the heist can commence, there’s the matter of Selina first shaking dogged Gotham private detective Slam Bradley off her trail. 

Unbeknownst to Selina’s makeshift gang, Falcone deduces that somebody intends to rob his money train.  Hence, he sends in a deadly mercenary duo to intercept them.  A hard-nosed Bradley, through tragedy, learns of the blood money set-up that Selina has inadvertently stumbled into.  Despite his misgivings, Bradley takes it upon himself to chase after Selina.  The question becomes: it’s not just about the money, but who might still escape this inevitable shootout alive?           

Note: This title’s formats also include digitally and hardcover.

REVIEW:

If one correlates Catwoman to The Usual Suspects, that’s the kind of crime noir one gets with Selina’s Big Score.  Darwyn Cooke, in that sense, concocts an action-noir melodrama grounded in a bleak shade of reality or, at least, Hollywood mobster fantasy.  For such a premise to succeed, its creative element depends upon Selina’s expendable supporting cast to give plot twists more heartbreaking impact. 

This assessment, in particular, applies to Selina’s seemingly ordinary enemies in her Big Score.  Though pitting Catwoman against the likes of the Riddler, Scarecrow, or the Joker is entertaining (i.e. her initial solo series), Falcone’s generic thugs and/or her crew’s potential double-crosses is close to the same entertainment value.  Hence, Cooke ensures that even an experienced Selina’s resolve and ingenuity are tested when there’s no Dark Knight to make the convenient save.  In this Big Score, it’s all up to a desperate Selina’s conscience to make or break her own ill-gotten fortune.   

Including glimpses of her shady past as a young ex-prostitute-turned-apprentice thief, Cooke’s Selina Kyle reasserts why her characterization can command a long-running solo series.  Still, Cooke’s plotting is hardly original for the ‘big heist’ genre; the violence-heavy clichés just fit this particular Catwoman caper. 

As for Cooke’s visuals, his artwork falls well short of his best DC works (i.e. Justice League: The New Frontier).  Case in point: even a skimming demonstrates that the unimpressive art throughout Selina’s Big Score looks at best passable.  Yet, when absorbing the gritty homage to Hollywood heist thrillers (i.e. Stark’s persona resembles actor James Coburn), such low-key visuals then make better sense.  More so to Cooke’s credit is that much of the story’s grisly mayhem occurs off-screen.  Like any skilled film director for this genre, he infers obvious outcomes vs. choosing to gratuitously spell them out.

That leaves two pertinent questions: 1.  How re-readable is Cooke’s storyline?  2.  Does Selina’s Big Score justify purchase, especially given its ultra-slim page count?  The first answer will surely vary on a reader’s tastes, but a single and thorough read should prove plenty.  The second answer is simple: Selina’s Big Score makes more sense as a library find. 

Had DC Comics inserted some worthy reprints to bolster the page count to a respectable number (i.e. 128 pages and up), a more persuasive argument would have been made for purchase.  That said, Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score merits a chance for re-discovery.  If anywhere, the library is really the best place to catch this heist.      

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Per his thank-you note written in 2002, Cooke introduces a full-page pin-up gallery with its own table-of-contents.  The guest artists consist of: Mike Mignola; Michael Allred; Shane Glines; Kevin Nowlan; Adam Hughes; Daniel Torres; Jaime Hernandez; and Jim Steranko. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     5 Stars

Written by John Ridley.

Art by Christian Duce; Ken Lashley; & Stephen Segovia; Rex Lokus; & Troy Peteri.

Collection Cover Art by Olivier Coipel & Alex Sinclair.

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics in 2024, this 144-page trade paperback compiles 2021-2022’s I Am Batman # 6-10.  In the Next Batman’s alternate future timeline, Tim “Jace” Fox’s billionaire family has recently relocated to New York City from Gotham. 

With his attorney mother (Tanya) busily establishing political connections to expedite new social programs for the needy, Jace’s younger sisters: Tam and Tiffany have their own struggles acclimating.  Jace’s Batman, meanwhile, has drawn the attention of the city’s Mayor Villanueva, not to mention the less-than-thrilled and evidently ultra-bigoted Police Commissioner Pete Becket. 

Prompted by Villanueva, Deputy Mayor Carmichael recruits ex-GCPD Detective Adriana Chubb to command the  police’s new Bat-friendly special cases task force.  Joined by her ex-partner, Whitaker, Chubb senses that Carmichael’s dubiously handpicked recruits are really the police department’s castoff trouble magnets.  Now a deputized lawman, Fox’s Batman builds an alliance with a skeptical Chubb to corral a dangerous band of gunrunning thugs. 

Far worse is the rise of an ultra-sadistic serial killer (later dubbed ‘Man Ray’), whose first grisly and surrealistic ‘art display’ is dismembered philanthropist Devlin Rubel.  Between Batman and Chubb’s team, their search for ‘Man Ray’ has mixed results.  Still, Jace’s closest friends: Russian computer hacker, Vol, and Jace’s would-be girlfriend, Hadiyah, have better luck connecting potential clues towards ‘Man Ray.’ 

Humiliated in combat by ‘Man Ray,’ Batman redoubles his efforts to hunt down his elusive adversary.  Jace’s father, Lucius Fox, offers to enhance his son’s Bat-weapons, but it isn’t revealed if Jace accepts. The discovery of another eviscerated high-profile victim indicates that the enemy has no fear of the police.  More so, others within the NYPD intend to seek fitting vigilante revenge against ‘Man Ray.’

After Batman and Chubb’s task force realize that Mayor Villanueva is the killer’s next target, a lethal showdown soon commences at City Hall. This storyline is entitled “Empire State of Mind, Parts 1-5,” with Issue # 10 serving as the current plot’s conclusion.

Note: This title is also available digitally, along with the 2023 hardcover edition.

REVIEW:

It’s a shame that relatively high-caliber visuals are squandered on this icky and genre-clichéd storyline.  More specifically, Volume 2’s art team can’t hide writer John Ridley’s underwhelming excuse for a Bat-thriller. 

While Ridley conveys sufficient depth in various scenes depicting Jace’s family and friends; the police; and the Mayor’s Office, his take on Jace Fox’s Batman is all too generic.  Obvious elements of Jace’s Batman/Black Panther-like amalgam aside, there’s little, if anything, compelling, about this alternate Batman’s war on New York crime. Ridley essentially does too little developing the ‘Next Batman’ further as a pivotal lead character. 

Having his friends and the cops conduct most of the actual sleuthing doesn’t help Jace’s characterization, either.  Case in point: Jace asks his potential girlfriend to research a supposedly tantalizing hint referenced as ‘The Hotlist.’  Yet, Ridley doesn’t explain how or where Jace got this particular clue from.  Instead, it’s Hadiyah who casually deciphers the more pivotal info related to the enigmatic ‘Man Ray.’ 

Describing Ridley’s sociopath as ‘artistically minded’ really means that ‘Man Ray’ conveys nothing more than horrific crime scenes and an intent to eviscerate corrupt individuals alive.  Hence, displaying dismembered body parts in surrealistic ‘portraits’ is this new Bat-villain’s sickening trademark.  If Ridley thought he would impress readers in a twisted Saw-like manner, his creative intuition falls far short.               

Furthermore, implying the villain is inspired by and named after real life artist Man Ray (not to mention, mimics elements of the notorious Black Dahlia homicide) is an exercise in bad taste.  Adding to the antagonist’s lack of depth, Ridley also doesn’t explain this villain’s inexplicably superhuman attributes (i.e. strength, invulnerability) in action scenes. 

Having Jace later vanquish ‘Man Ray’ in a street fight and then have the killer await imminent arrest is an utter contradiction of their prior encounter.  Hence, ‘Man Ray,’ makes zero sense, in terms of plausibility.  Jace’s multi-ethnic supporting cast, by comparison, is at least admirably textbook excellent for any ongoing Bat-series.      

Serving as a tone-deaf exclamation point, what spells out Volume 2’s mostly deplorable plotting is a grotesque effigy ending Issue # 6 accompanied by the self-congratulatory banner of ‘DC Comics Proudly Presents.’  The fact that there isn’t a DC Comics parental advisory anywhere in sight for Volume 2, unfortunately, speaks for itself. 

Though this art team’s visual style is appealing, I Am Batman, Volume 2: Welcome To New York, otherwise, concocts a disappointingly repellant misfire.         

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Each full-page cover precedes its story.  Primary cover artist teams are: Issue # 6 (Olivier Coipel & Alex Sinclair); Issue # 7 (Ken Lashley & Diego Rodriguez); Issue # 8 (Stephen Segovia & Rex Lokus); Issue # 9 (Segovia & Lokus); and Issue # 10 (Christian Duce & Lokus). 

An excellent eleven-page variants gallery (all in a full-page format) consists of these artists:

1. Issue # 6: (1. Francesco Mattina; 2. Khary Randolph & Emilio Lopez; and 3. Alexis Franklin);
2. Issue # 7: (1. Mattina; and 2. Dike Ruan);
3. Issue # 8: (1. Coipel & Sinclair; and 2. Mateus Manhanini);
4. Issue # 9: (1. Gerardo Zaffino & Rain Beredo; and 2. Manhanini); 
5. Issue # 10: (1. Taurin Clarke; and 2. Manhanini).

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     3½ Stars

Written by (See Below).

Art by (See Below).

Collection Cover Art by John Van Fleet.

SUMMARY:

Re-released by DC Comics in 2024, this 432-page trade paperback reprints four one-shots, plus, a pair of two-parters, that were all published between 1996 and 1998.  Specifically, they are: 

Notes: The 2024 version of this anthology is also available digitally.  This book was first released in 2016; however, its exact page count is unconfirmed.  DC’s website claims 424 pages while another source says 377 pages.  Even so, both the 2016 and 2024 editions supposedly share the exact same content.      

1. Elseworld’s Finest # 1   (Page 7).

Writer: John Francis Moore.  Artists: Kieron Dwyer; Hilary Barta; Gloria Vasquez; Heroic Age; & Bill Oakley.  Cover Artists: Dwyer & Barta.

Set in the spring of 1928, intrepid Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent and pre-teen orphan Jimmy Olsen accompany Clark’s childhood friend, Lana Lang, on an Indiana Jones-like quest to save her archaeologist father from Ra’s al Ghul and his League of Assassins.  For the invaluable prize at stake, roguish mercenary Bruce Wayne becomes their ally for a dangerous Egyptian rescue mission.  Awaiting these adventurers is the Captain Nemo-like pirate, Alexi Luthor, who also covets the secrets of the lost ancient city of Argos. 

One pertinent enigma is the true allegiance of the seductive Talia al Ghul.  Hints of Clark’s otherworldly origin and Bruce’s bat-related destiny are teased.  Cameos include: The Newsboy Legion; Selina Kyle; Alfred Pennyworth; Perry White; Hal Jordan; Carter Hall; Dan Turpin; and a sly Marvel Family homage.

• Elseworld’s Finest # 2   (Page 56).

Writer: John Francis Moore.  Artists: Kieron Dwyer; Hilary Barta; Gloria Vasquez; Heroic Age; & Bill Oakley.  Cover Artists: Dwyer & Barta.

In the remote mountains of the Brazilian jungle, all parties converge in their quest for the lost city of Argos.  Rivals Alexi Luthor and Ra’s al Ghul have different destinies in mind for the all-powerful Godstone, as its origin is revealed.  Also revealed are origins for Luthor, Clark Kent, and an enigmatic Egyptian-themed Batman.  Ultimately, the world’s fate rests in the hands of two men at last discovering their true natures.   

• The Justice Riders (one-shot)   (Page 105).

Writer: Chuck Dixon.  Artists: J.H. Williams III; Mick Gray; Lee Loughridge; Heroic Age; & Bill Oakley.  Cover Artist: John Van Fleet.

In the American Old West, Sheriff Diana Prince sets out on a vengeful quest for justice upon the annihilation for her secluded frontier town, Paradise.  She subsequently recruits a makeshift Justice League (i.e. Wally West’s Flash; Hawkman; Martian Manhunter; Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle; Booster Gold; and possibly Guy Gardner).  Against railroad baron Maxwell Lord’s strangely high-tech forces and immortal outlaw Felix Faust, the odds appear heavily stacked against justice.  The epilogue includes a sly cameo from Clark Kent.

Note: This reality’s Diana Prince has resurfaced in other DC projects (i.e. the 2007 DC Countdown: Arena mini-series).

• League of Justice # 1 – Stove One: Hero Quest   (Page 170).

Writer: Ed Hannigan.  Artists: Ed Hannigan; Dick Giordano. Tom McCraw; Cynthia Morris; & John Constanza.    Cover Artists: Hannigan, Giordano, & McCraw.

In Brattlesboro, Vermont, three youths and a drug-addicted thief are magically transported into a medieval fantasy world where a Justice League faces its darkest hour.  Among the bizarre counterparts the kids meet are: Batman; the Flash; the Atom; Green Arrow; Wonder Woman; Hawkman & Hawkgirl; John Stewart’s Green Lantern; Black Canary; Martian Manhunter; Aquaman; Lobo; and Superman. 

• League of Justice # 2 – Stove Two: Hero War   (Page 219).

Writer: Ed Hannigan.  Artists: Ed Hannigan; Dick Giordano. Tom McCraw; Cynthia Morris; & John Constanza.    Cover Artists: Hannigan, Giordano, & McCraw.

The battle continues, as League members fall.  The question becomes: in this reality’s time of need, who can replace them?

• Wonder Woman – Amazonia: A Tale of the Wonder Woman (one-shot)  (Page 269).

Writer: William Messner-Loebs.  Artists: Phil Winslade; Patricia Mulvihill; Digital Chameleon; & John Workman.    Cover Artist: Winslade.

In a dark alternate-reality Victorian England, Amazonian vaudeville performer Wonder Woman rises to face multiple threats – among, them, this world’s Jack The Ripper.

• Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone (one-shot)  (Page 318).

Writer: Adam Warren.  Artists: Adam Warren; Tom Simmons; Joe Rosas; Digital Chameleon; & Chris Eliopoulos.      Cover Artist: Warren.

Styled as Japanese manga, a futuristic quartet of original Teen Titans are evidently their world’s only hope.

• Elseworld’s Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl  (one-shot)  (Page 367).

Plotters:  Barbara Kesel, Matt Haley, & Tom Simmons.  Writer: Barbara Kessel.  Artists: Matt Haley; Tom Simmons; Moose Baumann; & Bill Oakley.    Cover Artists: Haley & Simmons.

In an alternate reality present-day, Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl is the Dark Knight defending Gotham City.  Even a passive Justice Society/League is reluctant to tread on Gotham’s turf without Batgirl’s permission.  Against a Bane-like Joker obsessed with her, Batgirl reluctantly teams with Kara (aka Supergirl/Power Girl) to rescue the abducted tech-billionaire, Lex Luthor.  Yet, Kara slowly realizes that her beloved Lex is hiding a horrific secret from her.     

Note: In 2007, for its third Elseworlds wave, DC Direct released Elseworld’s Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl as high-quality action figures.

REVIEW:

This anthology is far more a page count than a cohesive read.  For starters, no matter its slew of familiar pulp elements, the unpredictability of Elseworld’s Finest # 1-2 is still welcome.  Along with its generally appealing artwork, Volume One’s first two installments rate a semi-enthusiastic ‘7’ out of 10 stars. 

By comparison, The Justice Riders is also riddled with movie clichés (i.e. The Wild, Wild West; The Magnificent Seven; and even The Terminator).  Still, Chuck Dixon’s Old West caper is at least readable and easy to grasp.  Despite relatively good visuals and some entertaining twists, this unoriginal Justice League take on Westerns lands squarely as a ‘5½’ on a 10-star scale.  As stated in my separate Justice Riders review, reading Dixon’s story in this anthology frankly makes more sense than seeking it out by itself.   

Unfortunately, afterwards, it’s a sharp descent from ‘merely average.’  The two-part League of Justice would-be fantasy epic might prove appealing to some Dungeons & Dragons addicts.  For casual readers, though, this ghouls, goblins, and sorcery adventure drags on far too long. 

Regarding Wonder Woman’s Victorian-era showcase, Amazonia: A Tale of the Wonder Woman, its mostly bleak storytelling proves a bore.  Further, perhaps other readers might have better luck fathoming Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone.  For all this story’s vivid colors and hip originality, I found myself immediately tuned out.  How exactly this hyperactive tale pertains to the Justice League is beyond me.

Lastly, there is Elseworld’s Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl.  As with The Justice Riders, I’ve separately reviewed this Elseworlds adventure before.  My thumbs-down opinion hasn’t shifted.  Aside from the eye-rolling premise of Batgirl bullying an entire Justice Society/Justice League, this storyline’s climatic plot twist is beyond tasteless.  Still, consider this irony: Barbara Kesel’s ludicrous plotting is a more coherent read than time wasted on a fantasy Justice League, a Victorian Wonder Woman, and manga-style Titans unrelated to any League. 

For curiosity’s sake, let’s just say the disappointing Elseworlds: Justice League, Volume One is best found treading at the library.       

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

There’s a table of contents.  Each full-page cover precedes its issue.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                 3½ Stars

Written by Geoff Johns.

Art by Ethan Van Sciver; Patrick Gleason; Carlos Pacheco; Darwyn Cooke; Prentis Rollins; Christian Alamy; Jesus Merino; Mick Gray; Marlo Alquiza; Moose Baumann; Dave Stewart; Rob Leigh; Phil Balsman; Jared K. Fletcher; Pat Brosseau; & Travis Lanham.

Collection Cover Art by Ethan Van Sciver & Peter Stiegerwald.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2024 by DC Comics, this 400-page trade paperback compiles Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1-6; the feature story from Green Lantern: Secret Files and Origins 2005; Green Lantern Corps: Recharge # 1-5; and, in the wake of Green Lantern: Rebirth, Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern # 1-3 – all originally published between 2004 and 2006.

In deep, deep space, Kyle Rayner’s Green Lantern stumbles into a catastrophic discovery linked to planet Oa revealing the truth behind the Parallax entity.  On Earth, Green Arrow and his teenage protégé, Mia Dearden’s Speedy, are startled by Hal Jordan/The Spectre’s chilling punishment of Black Hand’s attempted theft of Oliver Queen’s power ring (kept hidden away for emergency use). 

Elsewhere, John Stewart and Guy Gardner find that they have been targeted by Hal’s sinister alter ego, Parallax.  Poignantly making amends with Carol Ferris, Hal’s ghost is caught between his opposing incarnations as The Spectre and Parallax.  Despite Hal’s pleas for the Spectre’s intervention, it appears that Parallax’s evil has resurfaced.  Even the combined Justice League/Justice Society is no match for Parallax’s intense yellow firepower.

Beaten and battered, Green Arrow and Kyle Rayner are stunned by a supposedly dead Sinestro’s return aboard the Justice League Watchtower.  Their only hope comes, as Hal Jordan’s defiant spirit at last reunites with his preserved mortal remains.  Facing off against Sinestro, Hal Jordan’s revitalized Green Lantern confirms how and why Parallax had successfully corrupted him. 

Hal and his Green Lantern colleagues: John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, and Kilowog subsequently force a climatic showdown to thwart Parallax’s vengeful scheme.  Along the way, Hal Jordan reestablishes that he is the universe’s premier Green Lantern. 

Entitled “Flight,” the primary feature of Green Lantern: Secret Files and Origins 2005 reveals three pivotal phases in Hal Jordan’s life.  Idolizing his test pilot father, young Hal gets an exhilarating first taste of his dream: flying.  Soon afterward, Hal (along with Carol Ferris) among the witnesses of a fiery tragedy that forever shapes Hal’s destiny.  Years later, Hal rips a page from his father’s playbook to concoct a nocturnal joyride.  It makes for a breathtaking first date with his new boss, Carol.  In the days (or weeks) after Rebirth, Hal now takes his new friend, Kyle Rayner, for an aerial adventure where their power rings are left behind.  

Following Rebirth, Hal Jordan and John Stewart are designated as Earth’s two Green Lanterns.  Kyle Rayner and a reluctant Guy Gardner are simultaneously assigned to Oa as instructors under Kilowog’s command.  Their indefinite mission: to train new Green Lanterns currently being recruited to eventually double the Corps’ original 3,600-member size.  Kyle & Guy lead a team to halt a dual incursion upon Green Lantern Mogo (a planet).  Meanwhile, a handful of Kilowog’s inexperienced recruits find themselves in deep trouble in different corners of the galaxy. 

The use of multiple black holes plays into the sinister Guild’s invasion scheme.  Hence, the short-handed Corps must make a desperate return to planet Oa for a last stand.  Hal Jordan and John Stewart appear in the bookend segments of this five-part Green Lantern Corps: Recharge storyline.   

Back on Earth, Hal’s shared investigation with John Stewart of a mysterious alien spacecraft stalls.  In the meantime, having rejoined the U.S. Air Force as a test pilot, Hal resumes his old life as Captain Hal “Highball” Jordan.  His new Coast City supporting cast is subsequently established: i.e. Col. Shane Sellers; Capt. Jillian “Cowgirl” Pearlman; General “Herc” Stone; and possibly Hal’s brother, Jim. 

Linked to his origin as Green Lantern, the Air Force’s experimental new aircraft sets up Hal’s intense showdown against two Manhunter robots reminiscent of alien-caliber Terminators.   

Note: This title is also available digitally.

REVIEW:

Twenty years later, Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1-6 and his follow-up tale from Green Lantern: Secret Files & Origins 2005 remain two of Geoff Johns’ career highlights.  Frankly, both of these entries exploring Hal Jordan are masterpieces. 

With welcome visuals from a top-caliber art team, Johns effectively reverses almost two decades (1986-2004) of Jordan’s misuse by DC Comics.  While there were still occasional glimpses of Jordan’s legendary status before his replacement by Kyle Rayner, DC inexplicably squandered the Silver Age’s most influential super-hero.  Hence, Johns deserves considerable credit for reigniting the Green Lantern franchise.  More importantly, he finally rights the misguided course far too many Green Lantern writers before him had gone depicting Hal Jordan. 

The first five Green Lantern Corps: Recharge issues, by comparison, aren’t must-haves.  Make no mistake, though: Johns and the art team concoct an entertaining edge to the short-handed Corps.  Like Hal Jordan, the Corps concept had grown increasingly stale post-Crisis.  Hence, fans of Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, and Kilowog should be pleased.  Rather than banishing them from Jordan’s primary title, giving them a shared spin-off makes good creative sense. 

Having John Stewart (and, to a lesser degree, Jordan) gravitate between the two titles (plus John & Hal soon sharing Justice League duties) makes for insightful forward-thinking.  The same applies to bringing back Carol Ferris as a potential recurring character.  Johns, suffice to say, proves very much on his game.      

As for the first few issues of the Green Lantern reboot, it’s a fresh take imagining Hal’s vigorous new life mirroring his past.  Incorporating nostalgia-friendly sub-plots (i.e. Carol’s re-launch of the Ferris airfield; Hal’s remaining family; bringing Hector Hammond back into the franchise) with a 21^st Century polish consistently works on all thrusters.  More so, it’s a necessary storytelling upgrade given Hal’s forgettable adventures dating back to the post-Crisis mid-80’s/early 90’s where he, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner awkwardly time-shared Green Lantern.

Either, as a gem of a library find, or as a superb enhancement to any Green Lantern fan’s bookcase, this book supplies 400 pages of emerald dynamite.  Green Lantern by Geoff Johns, Book One is highly recommended! 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Each full-page cover precedes its story.  Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1-6’s cover artists are Ethan Van Sciver and Peter Stiegerwald.  Cover artists for Green Lantern: Secret Files & Origins 2005 are Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino.  Green Lantern Corps: Recharge utilizes two slightly different cover artist teams.  Specifically, they are Patrick Gleason, Christian Alamy, Mouse Baumann; and then it is Gleason, Prentis Rollins; and Baumann.  For Green Lantern # 1-3, the cover artists consist of Pacheco, Merino, and Stiegerwald.  

The brief full-page variant cover gallery supplies Van Sciver & Baumann’s Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1 followed by their Rebirth collection cover.  Also included are the Alex Ross Green Lantern # 1 variant; and an unused (inks-only) Van Sciver cover for Rebirth # 3.  The last page depicts Van Sciver’s black-and-white ‘turnaround’ designs for DC Direct’s Hal Jordan/Green Lantern action figure.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     10 Stars

Written by Tom Taylor.

Art by Travis Moore; Bruno Redondo; Vasco Georgiev; Adriano Lucas; & Wes Abbott.

Collection Cover Art by Bruno Redondo & Adriano Lucas.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2024 by DC Comics, this 176-page hardcover compiles 2023’s Nightwing # 101-105. Fallout from the recent Dark Crisis continues, as Dick Grayson intends to build a new Titans Tower in Blüdhaven. The team’s previous Tower in New York City lies in ruins after Deathstroke’s deadly attack. The Titans are soon startled by the discovery of a mystery corpse left deep within the wreckage.  

Continuing the storyline from Issue # 98, Dick Grayson and his perennial fellow Titans (Starfire, Beast Boy, Donna Troy, Cyborg, Raven, & Wally West’s Flash) are also protecting a nine-year-old orphan, Olivia Raymond.  Recently, unexpected magical intervention (and help from Dick’s puppy, Bite-wing) allowed Olivia to humiliate Neron’s demonic minions.  As it’s revealed, Neron seeks to collect Olivia’s innocent soul to complete a contract made with her late father: Blockbuster. 

With the shape-shifting Grinning Man now deployed, at least one homicide soon sets up the Titans taking on Dick’s own treacherous impersonator.  Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl joins Starfire & Donna Troy in defending Olivia on Themyscira.  Raven leads the other Titans on a raid into Neron’s underworld tower in Hell. 

Discovering the startling identity of Olivia’s mother, Nightwing must improvise a legal loophole to hopefully thwart Neron’s efforts to steal Olivia away.  Worse yet, Neron’s demons are simultaneously attacking Themyscira to abduct the child. Neron soon baits Nightwing with an offer of Superman-like powers in exchange for Olivia’s soul.  Dick explores his temporary powers knowing that Neron still awaits him and won’t be taking a simple ‘no’ as a reply. 

With Olivia’s fate evidently settled (at least, for now), Dick & Barbara soon find themselves assisting Aliki of the mercenary Double Dare rescue her abducted twin sister.  Per a Blüdhaven pharmaceutical CEO’s ruthless shakedown of a vulnerable nation, Dick confronts an old nemesis from his childhood.  More so, he must rely on an undercover Barbara to hold off a horde of corporate goons to rescue Aliki’s sister, Margot.  

Note: This title is available in both hardcover and trade paperback formats.  Presumably, DC Comics will release a digital edition at some later date.

REVIEW:

For afficionados of the classic Teen Titans/Titans line-up, Time of The Titans will take them for an entertaining ride.  Make no mistake: Tom Taylor’s two storylines in Volume 5 are really far more average than must-have.  Still, in the absence of genuine suspense, his playful storytelling and the art team’s high-caliber visuals mesh exceptionally well together.

More so, Dick Grayson’s chemistry with Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl; his Titans teammates; and Superman, unsurprisingly, delivers on all thrusters.  The presence of Olivia Raymond and Bite-wing adds a further element of innocent fun making Time of The Titans a welcome pivot from Batman’s gritty Gotham City epics.

Accordingly, Nightwing, Volume 5: Time of The Titans concocts a recommended library find –  if not, a long-term bookshelf option.  

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Bruno Redondo’s full-page cover precedes each story – though Issue # 105 (this book’s cover image) is co-produced with Adriano Lucas.   Also, a full-page variant cover gallery consists of these seventeen full-page entries:  

• Issue # 101 (Titans): artists Travis Moore & Tamra Bonvillain;
• Issue # 101 (Nightwing): artist Jamal Campbell;
• Issue # 101 (Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, & Bite-wing’s Nightcycle repairs): artist Vasco Georgiev;
• Issue # 102 (Titans at the malt shop): artists Moore & Bonvillain;
• Issue # 102 (Nightwing): artist Campbell;
• Issue # 102 (Nightwing): artist Georgiev;
• Issue # 103 (Titans’ seated portrait): artists Moore & Bonvillain;
• Issue # 103 (Nightwing): artist Campbell;
• Issue # 103 (Nightwing’s friends & enemies): artist Georgiev;
• Issue # 103 (Nightwing & Superman): artists Nicola Scott & Annette Kwok;
• Issue # 104 (Titans & Bite-wing’s reflection): artists: Amancav Nahuflpan & Adriano Lucas;
• Issue # 104 (Titans Together): artist Campbell;
• Issue # 104 (Nightwing & a silhouetted Batgirl): artist: Georgiev;
• Issue # 105 (Nightwing’s side profile): artist Dan Mora;
• Issue # 105 (explosive high-rise rescue): artist Campbell;
• Issue # 105 (Nightwing unmasked): artist Georgiev; and
• Issue # 105 (DC Pride – Nightwing & Red Robin’s workout): artist Yoshi Yoshitani.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:              8 Stars

Written by Ed Brisson.

Art by John Timms; Michelle Bandini; Rex Lokus; & Clayton Cowles. 

Cover Art by John Timms. 

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics in 2023, this 213-page hardcover compiles Batman, Incorporated # 1-7 from 2022-2023.  In addition to Ghost-Maker, the team includes Chief Man-of-Bats, and his son, Raven Red; the Batman of Japan; the Bat-Man of China; the Knight (formerly the Squire – sidekick of the original Knight); Dark Ranger; El Gaucho; Nightrunner; Wingman; and Ghost-Maker’s reluctant protégé: the teenage Clownhunter.  They are subsequently joined in Eastern Europe by Gray Wolf – previously recruited by Lex Luthor.    

Note: This team’s machismo quotient is considerable, as its sole female member (The Knight) ruefully notes.

A brief flashback (as the prologue) has a masked Bruce Wayne and ninja-like Ghost-Maker teaming up to thwart a terrorist group in Madrid, Spain, to rescue hostages.  It’s emphasized that the duo has a conflicting viewpoint on the lethal use of force. 

In the present-day, Batman Incorporated now has an underwater secret headquarters.  Batman subsequently shocks his international alliance of Bat-associates by anointing the controversial Ghost-Maker as their new leader.  Ghost-Maker then splits the team into international and local divisions.  Essentially, the international squad is under his direct command while the others are assigned smaller-scale cases.

The international team probe multiple locales overseas to seek out Lex Luthor’s renegade Batmen that he has since abandoned.  More so, varying degrees of damage control becomes necessary.  Meanwhile, the Knight alerts Ghost-Maker to a murder in Dublin, Ireland.  It appears to be the latest grisly entry in a series of high-profile homicides of expert criminals linked to Ghost-Maker and Batman’s shadowy pasts. 

Per a mysterious adversary called ‘Phantom-One,’ Ghost-Maker’s own death will become the climax of a personal grudge.  Worse yet, the vengeful Phantom-One is hardly alone, as Batman Incorporated must face its own treacherous team of imitators.   

In Gotham City, the insidious Professor Pyg is abducting various Bat-villains thinking one of his rivals ripped him off or knows who did.  He intends to brutally kill them to get back his most prized possession.  What Pyg doesn’t realize is that two teenagers looking for a fast and easy heist have unknowingly crossed him.  It becomes a team game across Gotham City to win this game, as Clownhunter’s instincts play a pivotal role.  A grim last scene sets up the next storyline, as a longtime Batman Incorporated member is ambushed and evidently assassinated. 

Apart from the Dark Knight’s brief presence (in Issue # 1 only), subsequent Gotham City cameos include: Nightwing, Batwoman, Tim Drake’s Robin, Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl, the Signal, and Stephanie Brown’s Spoiler.

Notes: This title is also available digitally.  DC Comics will presumably release a paperback edition in the near future.

REVIEW:

Including its high-caliber artwork, this latest incarnation of Batman, Incorporated mostly delivers the necessary goods.  Still, what readers are getting is Ghost-Maker’s glorified answer to the Jason Todd/Red Hood saga.  Writer Ed Brisson’s dense storytelling, in that sense, is neither always cohesive nor particularly original. 

By conveniently linking Batman and Ghost-Maker’s backstories so closely together (as rival students to all these criminal underworld masterminds), the premise is far-fetched.  Brisson at least concocts enough twists to make riding this storyline to its finish line a worthwhile experience.   

With DC Comics retroactively inserting additional Bat-mentors (i.e. the recent Batman: The Knight series), most readers won’t be able to identify so many new characters.  This muddling of Bruce Wayne’s past is further exacerbated by his otherwise non-presence – as if Phantom-One’s homicide victims were solely created as fodder for this one storyline. 

Had the murder spree exclusively involved Ghost-Maker’s old associates, Brisson’s premise would make more sense.  More so, No More Teachers’ ante could have been logically upped as a personal threat to Ghost-Maker – without questioning the future Dark Knight’s own dubious choice of international crooks as mentors. 

One can also surmise that there is a glut of Bat-associates working in Gotham City, i.e. Batman’s growing army ought to be practically bumping into each other. Upon this volume’s plentiful cast being further expanded by Lex Luthor’s rejected Bat-commandos, only the more astute readers can keep track of them all (at least 16-17 Bat-characters) – no less, by name. 

In spite of various plot contrivances, Batman Incorporated, Volume 1: No More Teachers makes a great read for Bat-fans, ages 15 and up. Even if this book isn’t necessarily a must-have, its page count alone for a welcome library option.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Each of artist John Timms’ covers precedes its story in a full-page format.  However, reprints of the credited variant covers for each issue are not included.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                           7½ Stars

Written by Mark Waid.

Art by Dan Mora; Travis Moore; Tamra Bonvillain; Steve Wands; & Aditya Bidikar.

Collection Cover Art by Dan Mora.

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics in 2023, this 176-page hardcover compiles Batman/Superman – World’s Finest # 6-11 from 2022-2023.  As previously established, writer Mark Waid’s Silver Age-inspired storyline occurs in the unspecified yet not-so-distant past.  Hence, Dick Grayson’s Robin and Supergirl are still teenagers yet comfortably experienced as Batman and Superman’s protégés      

In a cliffhanger from Issue # 5, Supergirl inadvertently loses Robin during their time-traveling mission, with seemingly no way to locate him in the timestream.  In 1892 Corto Maltese, Robin has since joined a traveling circus where he is investigating multiple bloody murders being blamed on the show’s caged lion.  Having discovered Dick’s landmark clues, Batman & Superman arrive undercover at the circus to assist the Boy Wonder’s sleuthing and bring him home.

On a doomed parallel Earth, married scientists Gayle and Asher Sikela send their teenage son, David, in a rocket ship towards another dimension to ensure his safety.  Arriving on DC’s primary Earth, a bewildered David discovers he now has heat-generating powers he neither understands nor can control.  As uniting David with his still-living parents in this reality isn’t an option, Robin enlists the Silver Age Teen Titans to befriend and tutor David.  Donna Troy’s Wonder Girl soon confides in Robin that David’s unstable personality is concerning.  Nonetheless, the Titans dub David as ‘Boy Thunder’ – Superman’s reluctant new protégé. 

Having consoled David about his guilt-ridden ‘survivor’s remorse,’ Supergirl goes on a failed date with Robin.  With Batman backing up Superman as David’s mentor, both heroes witness David faltering under crime-fighting pressure and struggling to uphold their non-lethal code.  After a series of Key-related emergencies, David’s conscience prompts him to at last reveal to Superman the tragic reason for his ongoing anguish involving his parents.    

Meanwhile, the Key and the Joker abduct and subsequently torture David to extract vital secrets about Superman and Batman.  With the Teen Titans’ help, Batman & Superman attempt to rescue David.  Boy Thunder’s vengeful grudge against the Joker is now established. Given David’s ongoing psychological trauma, Superman & Batman agree de-powering the boy (at least, for now) makes the most practical sense – especially, if he were to suffer a psychotic break.  

A showdown with the elusive Key at the Fortress of Solitude, however, leaves David’s fate uncertain.  Still, the last page is a pivotal hint.  David Sikela’s storyline resumes in Batman/Superman – World’s Finest, Volume 4: Return to Kingdom Come.

Notes: This title is also available in trade paperback and digital formats.

REVIEW:

Though David Sikela’s destiny isn’t a shocker, writer Mark Waid concocts a terrific World’s Finest adventure.  Frankly, the best storytelling comes in the first half with Robin’s rescue and appearances from Supergirl and The Teen Titans.  Otherwise, Waid’s ‘Boy Thunder’ storyline wouldn’t be nearly as appealing, if not for the art team’s high-caliber artwork.  For instance, a bleeding David’s torture, for instance, conveys nasty inferences of child abuse. 

Apart from that icky sub-plot, Waid is very much on his creative game.  Volume 2: Strange Visitor isn’t necessarily a must-have, but it is a welcome option to consider at the library.        

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Dan Mora’s full-page cover precedes each story. In terms of intriguing padding, Volume 2: Strange Visitor delivers plenty in that regard. The flip side is that most of these covers are non-applicable to the actual plot. In a full-page format, its 24-page variant gallery consists of:

• Issue # 6 (Supergirl & Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl) – artists: Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson;
• Issue # 6 (Superman & Batman) – artists: Trevor Hairsine & Arif Prianto;
• Issue # 6 (Superman & Batman vs. Lex Luthor) – artists: Nick Bradshaw & Nathan Fairbairn;
• Issue # 6 (Wayne Manor pool time, including Krypto) – artists: Rafa Sandoval & Matt Herms;
• Issue # 7 (Silver Age Teen Titans) – artist: Dan Mora; 
• Issue # 7 (Batman & Superman) – artist: Joshua Middleton;
• Issue # 7 (Batman & Superman) – artist: Pete Woods;
• Issue # 7 (homage: Bat-Family & Super-Family protégés) – artists: Todd Nauck & Hi-Fi;
• Issue # 8 (Superman & Batman) – artist: Taurin Clarke;
• Issue # 8 (Superman, Batman, & their arch-enemies) – artists: Clayton Henry & Marcelo Maiolo;
• Issue # 8 (Joker & Punchline vs. Lex Luthor & Mercy Graves) – artists: Travis Mercer & Jordie Bellaire;
• Issue # 9 (Superman & Batman help cave-in victims) – artist: Paolo Rivera;
• Issue # 9 (underwater demon – possibly a demonic Aquaman) – artist: Steve Beach;
• Issue # 9 (Batman & Superman) – artist Afua Richardson;
• Issue # 9: (Superman & Batman – ‘90’s rewind) – artists: Mario “ Fox” Foccillo & Prasad Rao (Pressy);
• Issue # 10 (Superman: The Movie & Batman ’89 homage) – artists: Dan Schoening & Luis Delgado;
• Issue # 10  (eight mini-portraits) – artist: Brandon Peterson;
• Issue # 10 (Joker & Doomsday) – artist: A.L. Kaplan;
• Issue # 10 (Batcave holiday party with Paul McCartney) – artist: Dan Mora;
• Issue # 11 (Batman-Superman-Mr. Mxyzptlk playing card) – artist: Juni Ba;
• Issue # 11 (Huntress & Power Girl two-page spread) – artist: Jonboy Meyers;
• Issue # 11 (Wonder Woman, Batman, & Superman) – artists: Claire Roe & Jordie Bellaire; and
• Issue # 11 (‘Jack White III’) – artists: Rob James, Emery Swirbalus & photographer David James Swanson.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                           7 Stars