Outsiders 1 - 7

Batman and the Outsiders (Volume 2) #1
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Julian Lopez

You can say that I was excited about this book. Mike W. Barr’s Batman and the Outsiders run from the eighties is one of my favorites and while this new incarnation doesn’t have Halo, it still has Batman, Katana, and Metamorpho from that run. Admittedly though, I have never been a big fan of Metamorpho. I found the this debut issue to be a lot of fun - a straight forward superhero action story, especially when it comes to the Outsiders, who seem to work best when they are breaking into places they are not supposed to be. From future solicits, it looks like the line up may change. But I like what it is so far. The art, by the way, is amazing. Lopez even makes the hideous new Katana costume beautiful.

Batman and the Outsiders (Volume 2) #2
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Julian Lopez

Hell ya! While I am sad to see Martian Manhunter leave the team as he is not even in the Justice League these days - I almost screamed with joy when Batgirl made her entrance by throwing Thunder through the window (Although I wonder why this was necessary). Dixon wrote a few issues of Batgirl’s own series and unlike everyone else that has handled Cassandra since Infinite Crisis - I trust that he will get the character right. Catwoman’s leaving of the team didn’t surprise as she doesn’t seem to fit, but it seemed out-of-character for her to leave because she was basically scared of all the metahuman action. I really don’t see
Selina admitting she is afraid, even if she is. Another fun issue.

Batman and the Outsiders (Volume 2) #3
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Julian Lopez

Another fantastic issue, Dixon has the Justice League guest-star (well some of them) and get in a semi-fight with Batman over whether the rescued OMAC should be under League or Outsiders jurisdiction. I think the transfer of Geo-Force to the Outsiders makes perfect sense since he is one of the founders of the team, and he only seemed to be in the Justice League cause Meltzer liked him (although he failed to explain at all how Geo-Force came to be a member, just like a lot of things in his run). Batgirl’s moment with Grace and Thunder was hilarious, and I am interested in the addition of REMAC to the team as I was a big fan of the robot, Indigo, during Winick’s run and I think the Outsiders kinda need an A.I. team mate. I have no idea who the people are at the end of this issue though.

Batman and the Outsiders (Volume 2) #4
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Julian Lopez

Aw! It’s Ralph and Sue Dibny! The two mystery characters from last issue were Ralph and Sue Dibny, apparently now taking different forms as Ghost Detectives. Awesome….I didn’t see that coming at all, especially in this book. I like how all Batgirl and Green Arrow just have to have a nice little fight to iron out their differences. Although I don’t quite get why Green Arrow is a member, doesn’t really seems like he fits. This book is still going strong.

Batman and the Outsiders (Volume 2) #5
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Julian Lopez

This was another good issue of this series. Not much to say about it. Loved how Batgirl tells the girl she just beat up that she smells like strawberries though haha.

Batman and the Outsiders (Volume 2) #6
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Julian Lopez

Oh my, Saphire Stagg is in this issue. How do I loathe her so. In fact, I hate her so much I think she is the reason I don’t really like Metamorpho, how could he love her! Besides that, the mission to steal the Chinese rocket shows how the Outsiders really are willing to break the rules for the greater good. I particularly liked that Batgirl is going to come to their rescue - and Green Arrow tells the Chinese guy that they would be luckier if it was Superman. Because as I will say as many times as I can on this blog, Cassandra Cain is a bad ass!

Batman and the Outsiders (Volume 2) #7
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Julian Lopez

Well, it looks like Batman may finally give Thunder the chance she deserves. This series is really good and I am sad to hear Dixon is leaving this series after Issue 10 and DC altogether. I may not agree with his politics, but Dixon knows how to write some damn good comics.

Green Arrow/Black Canary 1 - 4

Green Arrow And Black Canary #1
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Cliff Chiang

Wow! That was awesome! What an improvement from Winick’s previous Green Arrow series. Adding Black Canary to the mix may just be what Winick needed to jump start his Green Arrow run. Oh and not to mention the awesome artwork of Chiang. I loved it! I am not surprised that Ollie is still alive and that it was Everyman that Dinah killed in the Wedding Special but it doesn’t matter the dialogue and action in this issue was top notch. I loved how Black Canary kicked major ass and how Batman was the only one who believed her (Batman is always right people, and he is always more right than Hal Jordan)

Green Arrow And Black Canary #2
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Cliff Chiang

Winick proves that he will continue to make this run better than his last on Green Arrow with this issue. It lived up to the first issue with great dialogue and action and the art was still fantastic. It makes sense that Athena would chose Dinah to train the new amazons too. She is one of the strongest females (not literally but mentally and emotionally) in the DC Universe.Green Arrow And Black Canary #3
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Cliff Chiang

Holy shit! They better not kill Connor Hawke. Winick has been killing too many characters lately (the Titans East special pissed me off) and Connor better not be one of them. Besides that shocking ending, this was another great issue. I loved how Everyman screwed up the plans just because he could not perform sexually with Black Canary (Hilarious) and I loved the ending when Ollie is telling them all how much he loves them. The Arrow Family is definitely one of the best superhero families in the DC Universe. As Long as Connor survives…..

Green Arrow And Black Canary #4
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Cliff Chiang

Well, you know, I really could have hated this issue but it was done really well. The idea of Connor being in a coma is a good idea. It keeps Winick from writing two Green Arrows at once but at the same time keeping Connor alive for future writers to use if they so wish. I also found the ending to be really sweet where Ollie admits he’s known all along that Connor was his son and him telling Connor that “Daddy is here” made me very sad. It was great to see the League come to support Ollie, especially Batman who knows what it feels like to lose a “son”.

Hippolyta And Athena: Mega Bitches

Wonder Woman (Volume 3) #11
Written by J. Torres
Art by Paco Diaz

Ya so it looks like everyone who used to be Diana’s friend from her mythical life has become a bitch. Whether it is her mother or Athena herself. Its strange, I have a feeling Circe and maybe someone else is behind all this. Circe is certainly not dead by any means. I mean she can’t be. There is no way. Amazons Attack is turning out to be a pretty cool event, I just hope that it is explained in the end why Hippolyta and Athena are a couple of bitches now. Mind-control? Posession? Doppelgangers? It can’t really be them, it just can’t be. I have to hand it to the artist, Diaz created some great art for this issue, espcaially with so many characters, landscapes, and such; he probably had fun doing it.

The Best With Just One Issue

Booster Gold (Volume 2) #1
Written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz
Art and Cover by Dan Jurgens

Who would’ve thought that a series starring Booster Gold would be my favorite series that DC is putting out. I know that is a bold statement to make after just one issue, but I think it is a justified statement. This was good….and I mean real good. Anyone who is fan of the DCU, who is a continuity buff, who loves the interconnectedness of this fictional universe, will love this series. It felt like 52 again reading this, it even had 52’s time stamps. There were a lot of moments that made me smile in this issue. The background flashbacks to points in DCU history, Booster’s rejection of Justice League membership, the last page spread, Rip Hunter’s new blackboard giving away future DCU secrets in code, all of it was very exciting and promising. I can’t wait for the next issue.

Justice League 11 and 12

Justice League of America #11
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Gene Ha

Um…ya. Well, this wasn’t really a Justice League Story. It was more of a story featuring two Justice League members but um..ya. Weird. But anyways, it was okay. You do get a very caustophobic experience reading this, you almost feel like you are right there with Red Arrow and Vixen, but that is more because of Gene Ha’s amazing art and not Meltzer’s writing. We learn that Vixen has lost her powers and is now using other metahuman’s powers for her own. But ya, not a Justice League story.

Justice League of America #12
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Ed Benes

Thank God! This is Meltzer’s final Justice League issue. After the wonderful Identity Crisis, I expected this run to be amazing. But it has been consistently slow, bland, and full of annoying narraration boxes where you are not sure who is speaking. Not to mention that no one in the League calls eachother by their code names. Now, this issue had all of those problems but there was some light in the darkness. I liked the whole day-in-the-life monitor duty thing and the art was good. I was also happy to see Martian Manhunter and Aquaman making their cameo roles but damn am I glad to see Meltzer leaving. Dwayne McDuffie will be much better than this (Let’s hope). Oh and is Geo-Force a League member or not! And was Black Canary a founder or not!

Will She Say Yes Or No?

Green Arrow (Volume 3) #75
Written by Judd Winick
Art and Cover by Scott McDaniel

This is it, the final issue of Green Arrow Volume 3. It began with Kevin Smith and then Brad Meltzer, but the majority of this volume has been written by Judd Winick. In the end, I would have to say Winick’s run was lackluster. Unfortunately, when the book launches as Green Arrow/Black Canary, Winick will still be writing. Hopefully he can up his game a bit then. I am excited for the Black Canary/Green Arrow wedding and after so many years of on-and-off again I am hoping that the wedding will go smoothly. These two really belong together. This issue was actually quite boring until the very end and the Justice League’s appearence was a bit pointless. Please DC, don’t put McDaniel on the new series. I can not stand his art.

Fun Break

Justice Society of America #6
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Dale Eaglesham

This is is the fourth part of the JLA/JSA crossover that began here and continued here and here. This wasn’t as good as the first part of the crossover in this book but it was still pretty good. I enjoy seeing all the characters and particularly love the touch of the character’s name logos appearing when they first appear. Yes, it would probably be confusing for new readers but who gives a shit, this is for the fans! The art was fantastic as expected by Dale Eaglesham (the most underrated artist at DC). The ending was a little bit confusing. So was there a real robot-thing or not? And what exactly are the legion up to? I suppose that those questions will be answered and more in the next part. I am looking forward to seeing this book settle back into its normal routine though, but this was a fun break these last two issues.

Outsiders 45 - 47

Outsiders (Volume 3) #45
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Carlo Barberi

Now, to start off, I did really like this issue. I liked how Roy Harper’s house is so heavily guarded to protect his daughter, I liked how Black Lightning is so noble that he turns himself in for an accidental murder of a pretty bad guy, heck I even liked the budding romance between Grace and Thunder. But is Winick obsessed with Jason Todd and Deathstroke. He uses them in like all of his books and sometimes it seems they are appearing for no reason. Weird.

Outsiders (Volume 3) #46
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Carlo Barberi and Art Thibert

This was another good issue and I look forward to seeing as how this story ends. Unfortunately, it does not take place in this series but in the Outsiders Annual so I will not be reviewing it here. This part of the story was pretty awesome. Grace’s speech was just the best. I love how she calls the rest of the Outsiders self-righteous bastards. This series is a lot better than most people give it credit for.

Outsiders (Volume 3) #47
Written by Judd Winick and Greg Rucka
Art and Cover by Matthew Clark and Art Thibert

This is the second part of the Checkmate/Outsiders crossover that began here. It is one year later again and we are back to the time where Katana’s costume is uglier and Thunder’s is cooler. Oh and I am excited as hell about this storyline now. I did not realize that the Outsiders were recruited by Checkmate to help take out Oolong Island. It is great to hear about the island after 52 and it looks like it is still a haven for mad scientists. There were a lot of great moments in this. Especially the exchanges between Sasha and Nightwing. Nightwing finally figures out just who Sasha is and it is fun to see how they both relate to eachother because of their “batman” past. Can’t wait for the next part of this crossover.

Justice League 6 - 8

Justice League of America #6
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Ed Benes and Sandra Hope

This is the conclusion to the overly-long first arc of Justice League of America. At first, I found this issue kinda dull. But I must admit it is much better on a second read. I caught things that I did not catch before and I understand what exactly happened a lot better. I am still annoyed that Meltzer insists on everyone calling everyone by their real name but I can deal with it. I am just glad this arc is finally over and we can get to the establishment of the new League. Oh and the part where Solomon Grundy rips off Red Tornado’s arm was just nasty. Great art though!

Justice League of America #7
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Ed Benes and Sandra Hope

Yes! This is what I have waited all along for! This is by far the best issue of the series to date. We finally get the formation of the new Justice League. The new members are Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Batman, Black Canary, Vixen, Red Tornado, Black Lightning, Red Arrow, and Hawkgirl with Geo-Force to be join soon. I loved everything about this picture. The continuity porn, the cool picture, and the great cover. I am even diggin the new headquarters which is located in Washington DC with a portal door to a satellite in space. Awesome! At first I hated the idea of Arsenal changing his code name to Red Arrow, but I think I will get used to it. If only we had Martian Manhunter ):

Justice League of America #8
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Shane Davis

This is part one of a crossover with the Justice Society that looks to be a lot of fun with a lot of continuity porn. Apparently, there are some memory-erased members of the old Legion of Super-Heroes (the one no longer in continuity from the seventies and eighties) somewhere on earth and the Justice League and the Justice Society that have to work together to find them. This is an awesome concept. My favorite moment in this issue has to be when Batman is a little peeved that Superman listed Karate Kid as a better fighter than him and he certainly shows that Superman is wrong about that. Great moment. And this issue had great art. Davis is worthy of this arc. I am glad that they will be doing these JSA/JLA crossovers annually because well, it is just sooo geekishly (Is that a word?) cool to see these two teams together.

Bring Back The Martian Manhunter

Justice League of America #5
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Ed Benes and Sandra Hope

Wow, after five issues they finally left the cave and this story is moving forward. It was about freaking time! Now, I hope to god that Meltzer doesn’t plan on killing Kathy Sutton. First because they would be too predictable and second we already did the whole Sue thing, we don’t need another dead wife. You almost feel bad for Amazo in that one panel when he is crying, but then when he says he is going to hurt Kathy that sympathy goes away. The line-up of what will be the league (they still haven’t officially formed) still seems really strange to me especially without Martian Manhuner. J’onn is the heart and soul of the league and I really miss him being a member. Hopefully Meltzer will realize this during his run and bring him back. But for some reason I don’t see that happening. This was an okay issue, I still hate the confusing text boxes in this series but oh well.