Justice League 19 – 22

Justice League (Volume 3) #19
Written by Bryan Hitch
Art by Fernando Pasarin

Molly the Keeper (whatever a Keeper is, they seem like monitors?) but she warns she only wanted to destroy the League because someone way worse is coming to destroy them. I am assuming this has something to do with Dr. Manhattan and Rebirth but maybe it is a different threat? I also have no clue who Alexis, Vincent, or Jane are.

Justice League (Volume 3) #20
Written by Bryan Hitch
Art by Hitch

This was spectacularly depressing issue of Justice League where the Flash keeps reliving the death of Jessica Cruz like Groundhogs day and eventually figures out the guy who caused it’s family was accidentally killed by the machine he created when it mixed with the Speed Force and he blames the Justice League. This is the second time this book has had a villain who blames the League for deaths of loved ones but I am willing to see where this goes before I judge the story because it was enjoyable.

Superman Goes Dark

Action Comics #981
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Jack Herbert

This Jack Herbert seems like the perfect Superman artist. He draws the hero in such a beautiful way. I thought that Jurgens was showing us that the trio of the Eradicator, Cyborg Superman, and Zod are a force to be reckoned with in this issue but the final issue shows that something else has happened to Superman! And it is something I wonder will last for a while or will be fixed in one issue? I hope it gets explored well because I don’t remember this ever happening to Superman before this. This was a good issue of Action Comics.

Superwoman vs. Skyhook

Superwoman #11
Written by K. Perkins
Art by Jose Luis

Despite the cover, Superwoman never fights Steel in this comic. Lana tracks down Skyhook after investigating the case of Steel’s nephew, Zeke Iron’s kidnapping. I sure hope that Zeke is still alive. That would be very sad if he is not. He is just a little boy. I am not sure I agree with Lana choosing to not involve Steel or Natasha in the investigation. It seems somewhat like a betrayal and Lana needs to be a better hero as Superwoman than she has been in my opinion. That being said, she was much more likable and less filled with self-doubt than in previous issues. This was decent. The art was certainly good.

Suicide Squad 14 – 18

Suicide Squad (Volume 5) #14
Written by Rob Williams
Art by John Romita Jr. and Eddy Barrows

Big shocker…Amanda Waller is not really dead. Actually, no one in this series ever stays dead so why call it Suicide Squad? I can’t say I enjoyed this issue all that much. It was just the Suicide Squad for some reason going after that Rustam guy and I don’t buy at all that they would stick together after being released from jail. This makes me miss how good Gail Simone’s Secret Six was. Remember when Deadshot had actual characterization?

Suicide Squad (Volume 5) #15
Written by Rob Williams
Art by John Romita Jr. and Eddy Barrows

Okay I have to give it to Rob Williams he did write some funny Harley Quinn dialogue in this issue. At one point she yells a command, “Suicide Squad attack! Make defamatory comments! Use Sarcasm.” That gave me a chuckle. This was a much better written issue. Amanda Waller’s evil is always fun to read in a weird way. That being said, Romita and Barrows have very different art styles and it is jarring to see them both in one issue.

New Super-Man 1 – 11

New Super-Man #1
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Art by Viktor Bogdanovic

Going into this new series I did not know what to expect. I thought maybe DC was doing this to sell a series in China but I don’t think they would let a comic book be sold there that has “conspiracy theories” the Chinese government. I did end up finding this first issue to be a lot of fun. Yang is building almost a paralell world to Superman’s world in China with his own Lex Luthor and Lois Lane. But why Shanghai, why not make up a fictional Chinese city? The character of Kenan Kong…the new Super-Man is very interesting in that he is not a reluctant hero. He seems excited about gaining powers which is so different from how these things are usually done in comics.

New Super-Man #2
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Art by Viktor Bogdanovic

Young Kenan Kong is now the Super-Man of China and meets the Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman of China. This Dr. Omen is putting together a Justice League for China. I quite enjoyed Dr. Omen’s no nonsense characterization and Kenan Kong is also a lot of fun. He is so excitied to be the new Super-Man he announces his secret identity on live tv.

Action Comics 977 – 980

Action Comics #977
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Ian Churchill

I expected that Superman would now remember his New 52 life and his Pre-New 52 life after events of the last issue where the New 52 Superman and our Superman were combined but that isn’t exactly what happens here as Superman explores his history through the Kryptonian recording we only got a story similar to the Pre-New 52 history with a combination of the Geoff Johns and John Byrne origin stories. Also, Perry White knows about Jon Kent and Lois and Clark got married again in this universe and everyone remembers it. Interesting.

Action Comics #978
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Carlo Barberi

More of Superman’s history is told in this issue as see Death of Superman, Superman’s marriage and proposal, and pretty much his entire history up to 2011 and the New 52 is back! I can’t be happier about that. If you were a fan of the New 52 Superman – and I do not know why you would be – you would not be happy as that history is completely written over where now Superman disappeared for the new 52 era as he focused on raising his son out of the public eye and only returned to the Daily Planet and a public life as Superman recently. The New 52 era is at least not remembered by Superman or completely erased. This all ties into DC Rebirth as Mr. Oz threatens Superman again in the fortress of solitude. I loved this issue.

Superwoman 9 and 10

Superwoman #9
Written by K. Perkins
Art by Stephen Segovia

Phil Jimenez is mysteriously gone from this book but Perkins steps in nicely in this issue that focuses on Lana being upset that she has lost her Superwoman powers but also naive. I can’t say I really like her character. She sure is whiney. But I have liked this series so far. I am just completely confused as to where it can go from here. Will she regain her powers or create some kind of super-suit? I don’t know. Can we just make this book be about Linda Danvers? That would be the best idea.

Superwoman #10
Written by K. Perkins
Art by Stephen Segovia

Ok so Lana has retained her Superwoman powers because the Insect Queen suit has some of it in there stored? I don’t know it was confusing and frankly not the way I would have done this but it was a decent issue. She is just too annoyingly unconfident sometimes.