PGHHEAD’S 2023 COMICS ODYSSEY, PART 5
This marks the third consecutive year that I will attempt to document my comics reading by writing at least a mini-review. The goal is 1200 books read and reviewed in 2023, although I missed the mark in 2022 by 88 books. Still, I like that number as it’s easy enough to track - - - 100 books per month on average. Wish me luck!
# GOAL FOR January 31, 2023. . . 100 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 110 comics documented
The story is equally great. This debut starts off with a suspenseful incident and doesn’t let up from there. There’s a crime epidemic across Gotham and a slew of Batman’s enemies are involved, nastier than ever, not realizing they are just pawns in the end game of revenge planned by the mysterious Hush. Reading this again brought back some great memories of that fabled storyline. FIVE STARS.
Why? I’d have to say the reason is personal - - it just didn’t work for me. Rather than defend my position with reasons and explanations, as this has become one of DC’s most popular recent titles, I only want to say that sometimes books that enjoy a vibrant fanbase do not always resonate with everyone. I can’t think of a single work that has ever earned 100% acclaim.
These issues deal with the opening chapters in a story introducing a new character, the villain Nezha the Devil, an immortal Genghis-Kahn-like conqueror who was defeated and imprisoned centuries ago. So far, this reads more like a Justice League story than a Batman/Superman team-up.
I’ve never read a bad story by Mark Waid, but that doesn’t mean I was enthralled with them all. Also, the dynamic art of Dan Mora is worth some attention here. Not as good as his work on ONCE AND FUTURE, but still awesome. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
In his 1998 adaptation, writer Steve Jones updates the experiment. Two subjects are placed in adjacent sensory deprivation tanks and given a dose of CRS-17 a psychoactive drug as they try to read others’ thoughts. The young intern is excused from the university for his dangerous experiments, and takes his telepathic device to a mental hospital, where he connects with the same dying man from Lovecraft’s story and experiences the same dreams. I like the way this was done, although this is a cerebral kind of story, not much action or even resolution beyond what I shared here.
Plus, I’ll always have a soft spot for this tale since it is also the title of one of my favorite songs by The Smithereens. FOUR STARS.
Issue #17 is the final (Part 5) of “Who Is Marty McFly?” In 1986, brand new character (for the comics) Marcus Irving stole Doc Brown’s flux capacitor so that he could take credit for inventing time travel. By 1997 he’s paranoid and kidnaps Doc and Marty and imprisons them in his corporate headquarters, guarded by a dozen Doc and Marty robots to keep them from escaping. Before the story ends, Marcus is made to acknowledge the wrongness behind his endeavors, makes amends and frees Doc and Marty, and becomes a trusted friend/confidant of them.
Issues #22, #24 and #25 are Part 1, 3 and 4 of “Time Served” - - a complicated story with some clever twists that occurs in three different timelines. Marcello Ferreira and Athila Fabbio continue on the art chores and maintain the high quality, although their depiction of Marty makes it a little harder to identify him.
Biff coerces Marty (posing as the son of his 1955 identity, Calvin Klein) to join Uncle Joey and burgle Doc’s mother’s house. Doc foils the robbery, and Joey takes the fall so that Marty and Marcus can escape. Back in 1986 Marty pieces together a missing map that Doc made which indicates where the money was buried. This is where all the twists occur and make for a very amusing and head-spinning conclusion. FOUR STARS.
ISSUE #20 script by Tim Seeley, art by Roge Antonio & Geraldo Borges: The Bat-family is trapped inside Ms. Duff’s St. Hadrian’s School For Girls (a.k.a. secret headquarters for Spiral) being pursued by the young students now under the influence of Mother’s mind control broadcast turning them into robotic murderers muttering “Mother”. The sonic assault also affects the Bat-family, turning them against each other in the same way. Tim Drake figures out that Mother’s signal can be blocked with Scarecrow’s Fear Gas, which makes the Bat-family experience troubling hallucinations and sets Harper against Cassandra, who she believes killed her mother.
Tim/Red Robin shuts down the schools’ generators which weakens the signal enough to stop the assaults. But Mother’s children Orphan and Poppy escape with Cassandra and Harper as their captives.
ISSUE #21 is a stand-alone flashback story written by Tynion with art by Tony S. Daniel and Sandu Florea. Back when Bruce Wayne was supporting Mother’s school and efforts with an eye towards grooming an eventual replacement for Dick Grayson in the form of Harper Row, he became suspicious and traveled to Europe to investigate Mother’s background.
ISSUE #22 is scripted by Genevieve Valentine with art by Fernando Blanco. The Bat-family can’t track the cloaked plane transporting Harper and Cassandra to Mother’s other secret base in the Arctic Circle, where she prepares to unleash the next sonic wave of murder from a satellite.
Discouraged, the Bat-family gets an inspiring pep talk from Damien/Robin who showed up at the very end of Issue #20.
Issue #23 is scripted by Genevieve Valentine again with art by Christian Duce. Catwoman, Midnighter (who remains out of costume all issue, in spite of the cover) and Spoiler join the Bat-family in trying to disrupt Mother’s second and bigger wave of radio signals worldwide prompting children to kill their parents and join the new order of the woman who brainwashes student soldiers. There’s a lot of dialogue this issue about how to best counter-attack and who and where, etc as a lead in to more action later (one can hope). Scarecrow is recruited (forced) to use his prison cell as a new lab to come up with a counter to the signal. Midnighter uses his computers to learn where the cell towers (signal boosters) are in major targeted cities and members are dispatched there. Dick Grayson heads for the Arctic Circle to attempt a rescue.
Issue #24 is scripted by Steve Orlando with art by Alvaro Martinez and Raul Fernandez. Dick Grayson arrives at Mother’s Arctic fortress shortly before Azrael shows up. But he’s not there to assist in stopping the global murder spree. He came to kill Mother.
Meanwhile Midnighter (now in costume) works central command as various members (and some new ones) are dispatched via his teleport doors to various signal towers: “Batman” and “Robin” (Gotham); Damian (London); Red Hood (Toronto); Red Robin (Moscow); Batwoman (Dubai); Batgirl (Paris); Matron (Bologna); Black Canary (Mexico City); Katana (Kuala Lumpur); Talon (Shanghai); Catwoman (*Sydney); Spyral (Tokyo).
Mother works to recruit Harper to her side, and provides her the means to kill the captive and bound Cassandra.
Issue #25 is also scripted by Steve Orlando with art by Javi Pina and Goran Suzuka. James Tynion IV returns to script final Issue #26 with art from Scot Eaton, Carlos Pagulayan, Igor Vitorino and Geraldo Borges. Having read these books at one sitting, I have a more favorable impression of this work compared to when I read the weekly issues as they were published. The second half of the series does get better, with a more cohesive storyline in spite of the slew of creators that were involved in this.
Mother is thwarted by the efforts of the Bat-family (there was really never any doubt) both globally (taking out the signal towers) and during her final stand at the Arctic site when all the members of the Bat-family arrive for the final battle. There’s a debate over bringing Mother to justice versus executing her on the spot, and a member of her team has a change of heart and makes the decision for them.
The ending/wrap-up is satisfactory, with Batman showing both regrets for his past decision-making that unintentionally supported Mother as well as both pride and acknowledgement of a fine group effort from the various Robins, etc.
I’m stepping up my overall rating a little bit. I don’t recommend paying full dollar to obtain this as it’s really not essential to the Batman canon. But, if you find single issues or trade paperbacks in the bargain bins I believe that’s a good buy. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
I picked up as many titles as my comics budget could handle. ROUTE 666 was one title I sampled for three issues and then decided I could eliminate when funds became tight. I jumped back in at Issue #22 to see what I had missed, not realizing this was to be the final issue (with story threads unresolved, unfortunately).
The first three issues revolved around lead character Cassie Starkweather, now a college student and a skilled gymnast, who since childhood has the ability to see and converse with dead people. She repressed her abilities, until a tragic accident kills her best friend, who then comes back into Cassie’s life as a ghost. Her ghost friend, Helene, warns her of the shadow figures that are after her spirit, as well as monsters that exist (werewolves nabbed the gymnastics coach) and threaten Cassie.
What was not revealed until later issues was that ROUTE 666 occurs on a fictional planet which mimics the lifestyles and technology of 1950’s USA. By Issue #22, Cassie is still on the run.She’s near the polar ice cap with her new allies, a county sheriff who was caught up in events and two defected Rodinian (think Russia) agents. They stumble across a ghost ship stuck in an ice flow, a transport for slaves. Naturally, when the ghosts onboard realize that Cassie can see them, they swarm over her and plead with her to aid them.
The storyline is pretty complicated, and I tried to summarize it as best I could. I regret that I did not stay with this title. Sometimes comic book selections are a real dice roll. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
A chance to view more of Doug Manhke’s great art in bigger panels with gorgeous splashes of color! I immediately picked this up without checking out what the story was about. Oh, Jeff Lemire wrote this: double bonus!
This is not the Swamp Thing you may know and love, although some familiar characters show up near the end of this first issue. This is gory and gruesome, with a Lovecraftian spin on the swamp monster. But don’t despair. As is his wont, Lemire creates some likable characters for us to empathize with and root for.
This future Earth is doomed, whether the result of a global war or just the ravages of climate change is unspecified. But what remains of humanity clings to a mountaintop island surrounded by endless floodwater, and besieged by an outlaw bunch living on a former oil drilling platform and making frequent visits to collect protection money.
The Parliaments of the Green, the Red and the Rot are all in agreement: it’s time to finish the job, end humanity, and start over. They are responsible for a new and very brutal Swamp Thing. The world needs Alec Holland back, and an aging cynical mage is persuaded to help. FOUR STARS.
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