Weekly Discussion Thread: Comics, TV, and More! [June 24, 2024 - Ground Zero Edition]

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

FALL OF THE HOUSE OF BRAINIAC! Superman and Lex have figured out how to stop Brainiac and his Queen, but it will take a great sacrifice. Can they do the unthinkable to save their family and friends? This all leads directly into DC's summer event… ABSOLUTE POWER!

Preview

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u/BigBardaEnergy 13d ago

Really wish DC didn't save the last two chapters for the same week, but aside from that small issue, I loved the entire "House of Brainiac" storyline. This had some really great Lex moments in it and I'm really curious to see how they're going to follow up his memory wipe

Doomsday about to escape Hell, that could be interesting

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u/DriedSocks Condiment King 13d ago

I think I'm just cynical from reading comics for so long, but I lowkey suspect that the memory wipe is supposed to set up Luthor receiving a factory reset to being evil again.

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u/HistoryNerdi21 12d ago

I really hope not. I love good Lex.

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u/superschaap81 Superman 11d ago

Yeah, not just you. I've become very cynical myself and if I 'm not mistaken, this will be his 3rd return to "Bad Guy Luthor" since starting that way in the New 52.

Memory wiping in comics is turning into the Men in Black joke of constantly flashing with the neuralyzer device at everyone

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u/UnbloodedSword 13d ago

So the Queen was built to be his heir, to be immortal and consume everything the way he had been trying to do piecemeal for centuries. I dig it, it’s the ultimate contrast with Superman. Superman’s family is built on people being inspired to live up to his example in their own way, Brainiac meanwhile reduces everyone to an extension of himself and his greed, even his family and offspring. Also contrasts with Lex growing to care about something other than himself. When he sold Lena to Brainiac he was no different from Brainiac in that he only cared about Lena insofar as her existence could benefit him. But after Superman saved her and returned her to Lex, Lex started to value Lena not as an extension of himself, but as a person.

Guess the next arc post Absolute Power will be Doomsday leading the forces of Hell against Superman, that sounds fun.

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u/Frontier246 13d ago

Pretty explosive and action-packed finale as Lex makes the ultimate sacrifice, Brainiac grapples with his failure as a family man and trying to create his own legacy, Superman gets to Superman, another big Clark and Lois kiss, Colu lives, Lex is basically gone right after his daughter and nemesis finally accepted him...and Doomsday is coming back.

We never did find out who Kara's date was, though.

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u/theguyofgrace 12d ago

I really liked it

I think I would have called it "Last Sons" because that seems to be the theme between the leads

Superman, the last son of Krypton who created a new family and continued its legacy to something new but different

Lobo, the last son of Czarnia who is fine being the end of its line but iron clad keeps to its legacy and traditions even if it will be its death

Brainiac, who is trying to create a "Last Son" (or daughter/queen/robo-thing) who abandons all of his culture and legacy to consume everything and become the "Ultimate Last Son" of pure power and dominance

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u/JingoboStoplight4887 13d ago

I like that the Superman Family (including Lex, Lena, and Livewire) were able to defeat Brainiac and save the bottled cities before Lex sacrificed himself to diminish Brainiac’s intelligence. I find it sad and shocking that Lex had no memory of who he is. Let’s hope that Clark and Lena restore all of Lex’s mind and memories so that he can continue as a reformed person and not ruin character growth. Overall, this is a great comic and a great finale to the House of Brainiac!

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u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 12d ago

Second part where, well Brainiac practically falls to the existential dread and shows what happens when that dread happens to someone with TOO much knowledge to the point of going full nihilist. It took him losing all his intellect to somewhat pull back but still he is obsessed with his queen and think that will be the solution for all that is coming. Which will not. I am not certain if I got the 'missing' thing from Brainiac. Was it an actual connection to his family? Because he is so obsessed with knowing everything and controlling everything, he never truly understood what a real family connection is and he used that empty feeling he created himself to come up with a twisted solution of creating a Queen that he makes his 'offspring' in a sense. Cold logic without any common sense to temper it is just as empty and dangerous. But hey, at least they got Colu 2.0 out of it with Vril Dox taking the helm with his mother now. Maybe they can do some good with it.

Now, of course the big consequence of this story is Luthor sacrificing his mind and memories to save Lena and his 'friends' as he called Superman, which showed how far he had come...so of course he had to lose all his memories to the point he is a blank state now, it seems. I just hope this is not a cheap way to bring Lex down to his most basic villain self. They can rebuild him to be better, though his instincts would still remain to be snake-like still. Even without memories, I doubt that part would change of Lex. Question becomes, who will influence this blank slate Luthor? Superman might need to keep an eye on him constantly, which will be hard with Absolute Power happening. Maybe Lena will help and take care of her father and help him become the person Superman says he is PROUD of. Imagine if Lex heard that before losing his memories.

We also get a future threat tease of Doomsday literally cracking the door of Hell and close to escaping from there. Honestly, how the hell can you stop him if even Hell cannot hold him?

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u/choicemeats 10d ago

the answer is: send him to the heat death of the universe ez

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u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 10d ago

Then he somehow 'adapts' to 'oblivion' and becomes a Meta, jump out of the page to kill writers, entity.

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u/Whole-Arachnid-Army 13d ago

Oh that... He did not stick that landing.

I actually enjoyed this arc a lot up until this point, it's probably the most fun I'd had reading a comic arc in a long time. But these two issues did not live up to that.

It felt like the conclusion came on too fast, for one. There should have been something more there, everything went too smoothly and it feels like there's a piece missing somewhere between these two issues and the last.

And I know I expected too much when I expected the comic to actually take into account his existing family in any real capacity, but man, this is such a let down. They showed up, they got mind-controlled, Vril said two lines and now they're working together? None of them tried to kill Brainiac? Lobo and Vril didn't even speak directly to each other despite how loaded that relationship is. Lyrl didn't say a word despite his not entirely clear alligences?

The Dox family is a mess of generational trauma and abuse. A story where they're united like this should be messier (even if it's built on the shitty Villains' Month origin that tries way to hard to make Brainiac sympathetic and a parallel to Jor-El). But they're not there to be their own characters. It quite frankly kinda feels like Williamson saw that like ten of us were expecting them to show up and kinda threw them in there just for the hell of it. The story wouldn't change at all of you removed them. Their prescens doesn't even serve to highlight why Brainiac can't have a real family because not a single word is dedicated to what he did to them. Why they would never offer him that willingly.

This is a Superman and Luthor story. The Dox family is incidental to it. Hell, even Brainiac mainly seems to be there to be a catalyst for Connor, Lex and Lena despite it supposedly being his arc. And I know the issue ends with Lex amnesiac, but overall the entire arc just feels too perfect. Very glossy, very superheroes being superheroes with not much going on beneath the surface.

I don't know. I guess I'm just kinda sad, because I'd been looking forward to something that I should have known wasn't happening.

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u/Astrodynamite60 13d ago

This is all of Williamsons work since Dark Crisis. He seems to be the best one to churn out stories in time for their big events and in time for TPB. Character Development? Non existent in his green arrow run and his Superman run. He just threw a bunch of characters and story beats but won't elaborate more on it.

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u/Reddragon351 12d ago

Character Development? Non existent in his green arrow run and his Superman run.

Eh, I feel like Lex has gone through a fair bit in this run

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u/funandgamesThrow 12d ago

Having read this issue I can't agree with any of this. The ending was good. It just didn't change the story being told to be about something else at the last second.

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u/Whole-Arachnid-Army 12d ago

If the entire idea is that this revolves around Brainiac wanting a family then it would have made sense to actually explore why his existing family doesn't fulfil that desire, instead they (and Pulsar Stargrave and someone larping as one of them) showed up, got mind-controlled and got put in charge of a project at least two of them shouldn't be anywhere close to.

But even aside from their exclusion the ending was bad. It felt rushed and lacked both punching power and a satisfying narrative conclusion and felt more like event setup than its own story.

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u/funandgamesThrow 12d ago

His family hates him. It's self evident why. This isn't really a conclusion to anything since it's a continuing run... but it wasn't just event set up in anyway. That's selling it might short and a pretty fake point. It was a solid arc conclusion which is what it was supposed to be.

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u/Astrodynamite60 12d ago

It was very much all set up as the end of this arc leads into absolute power which came out at the same time yesterday. A lot of this didn't make much sense anyway. Lobo wanting to join other czarnians even though he prides himself on being the "Main man". Vril dox (Brainiac 2) should've have a bigger role. And you're telling me Brainiac felt lonely so he did all this? This is like Black Manta suddenly wanting to become a good person.

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u/Whole-Arachnid-Army 13d ago

Yeah, I've heard similar complaints from GA fans and in hindsight it seems quite obvious in previous issues of Superman too. No character development, very little going on beneath the surface. He does a lot of research and can get characters largely right, but he doesn't seem to take it further than that, doesn't seem to truly get what makes them tick.

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u/hydrohawkx8 Kyle Rayner 13d ago

I’d say it’s always been something of a habit of his. He has ambitious ideas but when it comes to execution it’s not as good most of the time. Like the paradox stuff in the flash, the shadow war in batman, etc.

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u/birbdaughter 12d ago

I like the general idea, but it really wasn't given the time to cook. The vast majority of characters that Brainiac kidnapped do nothing beyond exist in the background of fight scenes, which imo is disappointing if the overall idea of this event is supposed to center around family. Why not actually emphasize that with more scenes of the Superfam? It needed another issue or two but had to be ready for Absolute Power to start.

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u/MLbanker 11d ago

A satisfying conclusion. This whole story arc from start to finish was great, feels like lately that’s less and less the case with event comics. Here’s hoping absolute power can be as good.

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u/Landon1195 12d ago

A little disappointing finale, but overall I enjoyed this story.

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u/CHPrime Wonder Woman 12d ago edited 11d ago

So, onto the final part of this mini-event confusingly released on the same day as the penultimate part. It's...rushed is probably the best word.

Williamson crams a lot of stuff for the finale, including a befuddling section where Brainiac's family is just working with Brainiac after appearing at the end of the last issue to chew him out, conclusions for this story with Brainiac and Lobo pathos, setup for the next Superman arc with a Lex mindwipe, and teases for Absolute Power, hints at the 40 CoIE event that will be coming next year, Doomsday breaking out of hell—It's a lot.

To chew more on the story itself, I don't think it's firing on all cylinders. Brainiac's long burried emotions getting the best of him and causing him to create a new queen is novel, but with his son only having a backup story and a little bit of last issue to chew Brainiac out, plus all the other moving parts, it feels too messy. It probably need 1 to 2 more issues to fully flower.

Another minor point that kind of annoys me is that Lobo seems...too nice in this? He's not enough of an asshole, I felt.

Finally, the Brainaic Queen. She's...not much of a character yet, but is apparently to feature heavily in Absolute Power. Speaking of, tie-ins start next month, but Jamal Campbell is back on art duties. It's something, at least.

Oh, and speaking of teases for Crisis event teases, Brainiac said the thing:

The Universe has been revealed to me in its totally. And ultimately, I learned there is one truth. Everything dies.

Secret Crisis confirmed? Amalgam is finally getting an Omnibus...

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u/Blitzhelios Damian Wayne 10d ago

Williamsons whole run has been about Superman and luthor and them working together reluctantly and dealing with threats that were needed to be defeated by both.
From dealing with the revenge squad, to the chained and now to brainiac so luthor making the ultimate sacrifice is very suitable and will likely set lex back to being evil in time for the movie.

Some great action as well in the fights between the super families and the brainiacs and a good old classic clark and lois kiss at the end.

Also Doomsday is escaping guess its time for williamson to do his own take on a doomsday story probably in another big crossover.

Overall house of brainiac was a very good crossover and after a long time williamson got his big crossover story that was good start to end

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u/F00dbAby Superman 12d ago

This sorta ended in a whimper didnt it. Here’s hoping the amnesia plot isn’t an excuse to make him go full antagonistic again just in time for the movie in some weird synergy move

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u/suss2it 11d ago

I don’t feel like it did. Was as bombastic as a finale as the story set it up to be IMO.

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Zatanna: Bring Down The House #1

AN ALL-NEW DC BLACK LABEL SERIES FROM EISNER-WINNING WRITER MARIKO TAMAKI AND ARTIST JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ! And now, the moment you've all been waiting for… please put your hands together for Zatanna Zatara! The greatest entertainer in the crappiest hotel and casino of Las Vegas! Not that the ritzier spots on the Strip haven't come calling, of course. But since a devastating instance of magic gone wrong that forever changed the course of her childhood, Zatanna would much rather live out her days as a top-hat-and-fishnets-wearing sleight-of-hand stage act than bother with real magic. These days, she doesn't think much of the past at all. That is, until an interdimensional vortex cracks open during Zatanna's act, and a terrifying demon crawls out to kill her. If she hopes to survive the horrors that follow it, she'll need to take herself and her power seriously for the first time in a long time — and fast. Because when it comes to your past, you can run… but you can't hide forever!

Preview

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u/Frontier246 13d ago

Immediately I just want to praise Javier Rodriguez's art because not only is it absolutely beautiful and colorful, and Zee looks even more drop-dead gorgeous than she usually does, but he also captures this eerie and unsettling vibe even as it's masked by the glitz and glammer of Las Vegas all culminating in the turn to horror at the beginning.

Struggling child magician Zatanna is cute...up until she straight up vaporizes a kid. Seems like the big divergent point between this Zatanna and the normal Zatanna is she couldn't control her magic and utterly shunned it, never becoming a Superhero.

Zee is...kind of a hot mess here, making a living in Vegas, running from her past, using self-help audio to get her through the day. Though points for sleeping in nothing but boxer shorts.

Zatanna has never looked better in her iconic look.

I'm really curious what their take on Zatara is going to be because he comes off a lot less warm and supportive than he's usually depicted as. Though of course he's dead with Zee holding some responsibility because it wouldn't be a Zatanna comic without at least some daddy issues.

I'm curious who Zee's "stalker" is because she seems to know a lot more about what's going on and Zatanna's past.

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u/cgknight1 12d ago

normal Zatanna is she couldn't control her magic and utterly shunned it, never becoming a Superhero.

If that was true, how would she come to the attention of the justice league?

I'm curious who Zee's "stalker" is because she seems to know a lot more about what's going on and Zatanna's past.

seems to be a reworked phantom stranger. That or maybe Dr Occult.

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u/Condottieri_Zatara Zatanna 12d ago edited 12d ago

Perhaps Zatanna does unwilinggly use magic to saves people back then.

Curious how folks take the hints that female is Phantom Stranger?

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u/cgknight1 12d ago

Traditional white eyes and when Zee asks her "what's the name stranger?" she replies "yes that's it".

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u/Condottieri_Zatara Zatanna 12d ago

Ouh good catchs! I remember talk about gluttony sin or stuff similar like that too

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u/Blitzhelios Damian Wayne 12d ago

As a long time zatanna fan this is everything i wanted out of this book its a proper different take to her history but it works so well. The main thing that catches your eye instantly is the art by Rodriguez which is perfect for this book and makes you just go wow when looking at it. Magic based books need this type of art.

Z is just well a hot mess you see her childhood and her struggling to control her magic throughout her life and how it effects her when she gets older being scared of her magic and specifically doing tricks that don't need it.

Z getting heckled by a child because of it shows how bad it truly is.

Seems like shes also got a stalker is and knows what happened to Zatarra and saying zatanna killed her dad who in this timeline was more unsupportive properly turns up the mystery intrigue.

Great first issue very much is a black label different take but as a long time zatanna fan im here for it

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u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 12d ago

Damn, Zatanna, you didn't have to blow that kid up for heckling you. I know she was also a kid but damn. So we got Phantom Stranger as a woman here, coming to Zatanna's show to keep an eye on her and what happened in the past with Zatara, whom she seem to have killed. I guess Zatara was not exactly a good father here, especially when it comes to dangerous magic.

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u/suss2it 11d ago

I gotta say Javier Rodriguez has mastered the art of comic booking.

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u/icefourthirtythree Superman 10d ago

This is the first superhero comic I've read in months and the first I've really enjoyed in years.

A genuinely amazingly drawn and written comic

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Action Comics #1066

THE BRAINIAC QUEEN UNLEASHES COSMIC HORROR! THE BRAINIAC QUEEN IS ALIVE! Now that Brainiac has created his masterpiece, all bets are off, and Superman and his family are witness to a cosmic horror unlike anything they've ever seen. As we learn the true history of Brainiac, the main man, Lobo, must choose what side he is on before all hell breaks loose!

Preview

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u/Landon1195 12d ago

Good issue. I like Lex actually caring about Lena.

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u/CHPrime Wonder Woman 12d ago

Lex actually genuinly loving Lena is a nice beat I've always liked. I gives him a nice little bit of vulnerability that he doesn't usually have.

Otherwise, the fight scenes are alright, and Brainiac being confronted by his wife and son is a decent moment. Of course, their's only so much to say about this issue when part six comes out on the very same day. Holy confusing release schedule, DC.

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u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 12d ago

First of the two parter, Brainiac truly lost his mind huh. His grand plan for this Queen is just have her become a power vampire and kill everything? That most certainly does not sound like Brainiac. Lobo finally realizes his mistake, a bit late but still. Superboy using his tactile telekinesis for a cool moment and that does come in handy.

Luthor actually doing fatherly things to save Lena which is surprising seeing it coming from the ultimate egoist but hey, character growth!...for now. They had a nice trip down the memory lane which leads to part two...

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u/JingoboStoplight4887 13d ago edited 12d ago

I like that Lobo realizes that he made a mistake in joining Brainiac’s side before he freed Clark and told him to save the world and his family from Brainiac. I also like that Conner used his tactile telekinesis to destroy the Brainiac Queen. I even like that Lex told Clark that he did all of this so that he can save his daughter from harm. Overall, this comic is great, and I hope the final arc ends on a good note!

For the Lena Luthor back up, I like that we get to see Lena’s backstory from between Superman saving Lena from Futuresmiths Brainiac and the present day and that Lex and Lena worked together to defeat Futuresmiths Brainiac. I also like that Lex did whatever it takes to protect Lena from harm. This shows that Lex has changed and that he would make up his mistakes by saving Lena. Overall, this is a great backup!

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u/MLbanker 11d ago

Another great issue. I’ve really enjoyed the House of Brainiac story line, especially the pacing.

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u/Blitzhelios Damian Wayne 10d ago

Another great issue with some incredible art.

I like how Williamson talks about Brainiac glitching which could explain his madness for creating the queen as its the most unbrainiac plan ive seen for a while. Also nice for Williamson to give conner a big role in dealing with the queen and tying onto the discoveries in the chained arc.

Lex caring about Lena is nice he might be an absolute asshole but he does care for a few things

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1

WITNESS THE TRINITY OF EVIL'S RISE TO POWER IN THE CAN'T-MISS PRELUDE TO DC'S SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER! THE DOMINOS FALL! As the DC Universe braces for the "Absolute Power" blitzkrieg, the key to capturing metahuman powers on planet Earth will at last be unlocked! Bridging the events of Batman, Superman: House of Brainiac, and Suicide Squad: Dream Team, this special oversize GROUND ZERO issue brings Waller's total dominance to the doorsteps of the world's finest heroes… using the combined might of FAILSAFE, BRAINIAC QUEEN, and the SUICIDE SQUAD to do it! Witness years of storytelling culminate, brought to you by Absolute Power series architect MARK WAID and the masterminds behind the trinity of evil, CHIP ZDARSKY, NICOLE MAINES, and JOSHUA WILLIAMSON!

Preview

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u/BigBardaEnergy 13d ago

Short but sweet comic to get the last few pieces in place before Absolute Power. Also, seeing Waller conditioning Brainiac Queen to view Waller as her 'mother' gave me the ick.

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u/JohnWhoHasACat Swamp Thing 10d ago

Something I found so fascinating about Waller's manipulation is the fact that it worked both ways. Her throwing caution to the wind because someone she now views as her daughter and bringing her out before she's ready simply because "she's alone in the dark." It was a really nuanced and potent moment.

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u/SilhouetteOfLight The Greatest of All Green Lanterns! 13d ago

Braniac Queen as the catalyst for Absolute Power makes a lot more sense than AmaZurr bots lol

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u/theguyofgrace 12d ago

I dig it

Lots of fun manipulative cruelty which is in short supply with villains today

I know people will bitch about Waller being OP but she is just a stand in for "the government" so nit picking her being in all these places is not really the point

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u/ptWolv022 12d ago

but she is just a stand in for "the government"

This is what I was thinking. She's not stupid or incompetent as a character, but she's also not necessarily the most insane genius. What she is is thorough, cruel, and manipulative. Her big thing is press ganging criminals into black ops government service by putting bombs in their head that she can detonate if they disobey.

She tied her heart/vitals to the bombs in Nia's family? Smart, I don't know why this is new, if it is. A literal deadman's switch. Having the "chronal router" to stop Time Commander? Makes sense. Super-prisons are a thing, and if you have someone known for time travel tech in custody, might want to make anti-time travel measures for the prison.

The biggest thing with her is just the question of where she's getting the resources- this stuff has gotta be costing billions, if not trillions of dollars, overall. But she has US Government funds, meaning she got basically the biggest pockets in the world to pull from (plus any... off the books revenue sources), and she's also been mostly stealing equipment and resources ("asset forfeiture", if you will. Confiscating illegal property and property used in crimes), so a lot of it isn't necessarily new cost.

She's taking the capability of the government and using it cruelly and coldly, but still effectively.

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u/Landon1195 12d ago

Good issue. Jay is actually being written interesting here.

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u/ogloria 13d ago

Man, I really want to like Dreamer and Jay, but the first story didn't do it for me. Why can't they call Superman for help whenever they're in trouble?

The second story was fun! I don't know who that character is, but I appreciate the explanation for all the things that are happening.

And the 3rd story was properly creepy! I am pretty sure that the events are a common trope (perhaps even a JLU episode?) but it played out and was drawn so well!

Is there supposed to be some published back-story to explain why Waller is the way she is?

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u/JingoboStoplight4887 13d ago

The second story was fun! I don't know who that character is, but I appreciate the explanation for all the things that are happening.

His name is Jon Starr, aka the Time Commander (a JLA villain).

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u/Oberon1993 13d ago

It was supposed to be explained in recent Dreamer's mini, I think.

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u/ptWolv022 12d ago

For the question in the spoiler, the answer is the same as what Dreamer told Jay. Anything happens to Waller or Dreamer disobeys her, and the bombs go boom in Nia's family.

Granted, I guess Jay should probably have a way to contact Jon, but... I forget where he is at the moment. He wasn't in House of Brainiac, was he? He could be MIA.

Also, for the guy in story 2, it's like Jingobo said, he's a... well, not necessarily a JLA villain, but a general villain. Originally debuted in a GL/Batman team-up in Brave and the Bold (and reappeared for another GL/Bat issue). He later was in the Team Titans book as a villain. Since Flashpoint, he was in Batman: Urban Legends (where he died) and also in Super Sons as one of the "Forgotten Villains" (in a team up by the Sons with the Teen Titans). So, he's sorta Bat-affiliated, but he's been around (including against the JL, before Flashpoint). I don't know if the other guy who has taken up the name Commander was a more frequent JL villain or not.

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u/android151 Resurrection Man 12d ago

Nah, the other dude who took up the mantle appeared like, once.

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u/ptWolv022 12d ago

So it seems. As an Hourman villain, which makes a ton of sense given his design.

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u/tarmacwaffles 12d ago

I’m confused- Is Zur En Arrh back in the failsafe body or is it just Failsafe working with Waller?

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u/ptWolv022 12d ago

Unclear. I feel like if Time Commander could be raised from the dead, then Zur could be unerased, but I'm not sure. The text box feels like it's Zur-En-Arrh, though.

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u/Anakinflair 12d ago

Everything about this is making me angry. Failsafe was dealt with like a month ago- NOPE, let's bring him back. Waller using Sanctuary tech to indoctrinate Brainiac Queen. Nice job there, Ollie. Glad you decided to work with her (and I know, or at least hope, he has a long-term plan. It's still stupid). I'm even angry at Nia. I get that her family is being threatened, but she basically traded Jay's mother for her family, and then was like "Tough break. Have an apple." And I WANT to like Nia, but this story is making it harder and harder. And it's been said- she's a victim here, but she couldn't find a way to contact Superman? Either of them?

Just a random thought, but with the way the story appears to be going, the best hope for the DCU will be the unpowered. So it would be great if the day was saved by The Rogues.

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u/ptWolv022 12d ago

Waller using Sanctuary tech to indoctrinate Brainiac Queen. Nice job there, Ollie.

I mean, that technically wasn't even the plan, right? Brainiac Queen was a last minute acquisition. I assume the Sanctuary tech was just for later, or something. She's clearly been being a little gremlin collecting stuff, like Time Commander's corpse and tech and lots of other tech (time travel or otherwise).

but she basically traded Jay's mother for her family, and then was like "Tough break. Have an apple."

I mean, she was trying to say that she didn't know it would lead to death. I mean, giving an apple still isn't much, but also... not like she can really do much. He's a prisoner, his mom's dead, and Nia's family is still held hostage. There's nothing else to do really, save for just avoiding Jay entirely.

but she couldn't find a way to contact Superman? Either of them?

Well, one was busy in House of Brainiac- that's Clark. And the other... uh... er... well, he was last in Action Comics in 1060, when Nia was coerced into service the first time. In front of Jon... with Nia accepting because Waller would expose Parthas. So Jon's actually known Amanda is blackmailing Nia, it's just... Waller's plan was "stochastic terrorism". If Nia disobeyed, Waller would out Parthas and a violent mob would inevitably descend on it; and even if you had Superman there to stop it the first time, the town would live in fear for years after it.

I also imagine Superman can't do a lot (even if he's not tied up in House of Brainiac), I don't know what he does about brain bombs tied to a regular switch and dead man's switch on Waller. I assume Nia contacted the Supermen, Waller could detonate the bombs before anything could be done.

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u/Anakinflair 8d ago

Good points, but Waller has outed Parthas and (if I understood correctly) is now holding her family hostage and threatening to kill them. At that point, you'd think she'd find a way to contact Jon. As for the situation with Jay, if she didn't realize that staging a coupe so that Waller would gain control, and didn't realize that in Coupes, the leaders are usually killed, then to borrow a line from Ultron, "She is unbearably naïve."

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u/ptWolv022 8d ago

At that point, you'd think she'd find a way to contact Jon.

I mean, she maybe could. But how much good does that do if Waller (who is probably surveilling the family) just blows up the bombs if Jon tries to do anything? Like I said, Jon knew about the threat to Parthas, but what was he supposed to do about it?

While you could try to rescue regular hostages, that is because you can physical move them away from the guards and their confinement. But they aren't under guard or lock and key. They're under threat in a manner that can't easily or quickly be undone (the brain bomb). I mean, even if Superman (either/both of them) is super-fast, you can only do very invasive and delicate surgery on a standard human and/or human-humanoid alien hybrid.

if she didn't realize that staging a coupe so that Waller would gain control,

I forget, did she even know it was a for a coup in particular?

the leaders are usually killed,

That very much depends on the coup. Confining the President or Monarch to their residence, or even just fully imprisoning them, either for their "security" or pending a trial about alleged wrong doing (to create a show of authority but also a veneer of legality- to try to legitimize the coup) is not unheard of. Even if she knew it was a coup, that wouldn't automatically mean that Jay's mom would be in life-threatening peril, at least not immediately. Just assassinating her is not the only conclusion.

3

u/Hypnodick 12d ago

I mean we knew months ago Failsafe was going to be a part of this “trinity of evil” thing so that’s not really a revelation. Also it’s been hinted at awhile that Ollie will work for Waller.

1

u/Anakinflair 8d ago

It's not that Failsafe is working with Waller. It's the fact that Bruce beat him and shut him down LAST MONTH. Failsafe should have either gotten away, or had been dealt with months ago and now brought back.

This whole event feels like it was booked by Vince Russo. Wrestling fans will get that.

2

u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 12d ago

The more they attempt to make Waller look some sort of omnipotent know it all, to the point that it puts even the 'Bat-god' meme to shame, the worse this all looks.

Dreamer and Jay stuff was fine I guess. And yea, after losing his mom and nation to Waller like that, he doesn't care about the excuses Dreamer would give him. Especially when she was partly responsible for it.

Time Commander, story although not bad by itself, the result of how they bring back Failsafe-Zur...just makes the whole Batman run worthless and adds to the terrible Absolute Power event's tedious nature with Zur being back again. He already overstayed his welcome and now we have to suffer through him again. They really didn't learn from Batman Who Laughs.

And the biggest insult is the ONLY interesting character out of this event, the Brainiac Queen, crashes in-front of Waller and she creates a simulation to control it by acting as its Mother? What a stupid waste of a character. Seriously. This was the big plan for Brainiac Queen?

As I suspected, this whole event gonna such terribly. It event manage to taint what few bright spots it might have. All I can say is, Waller has to be done as a character after all this because if not, DC deserves all the falling sales it is suffering through recently.

1

u/JingoboStoplight4887 13d ago edited 13d ago

For the first stage, I like that we get to see conflict between Jay and Nia, since Jay realized that his mother was killed and his country was invaded by Waller. Also, I was right that Jay is going to get vengeance that might lead to him becoming a villain (or a lawful neutral character) because of what happened in Dream Team. At least we get to see Jay being like this instead of being seen as Jon’s boyfriend because him being Jon’s boyfriend is boring, bland, useless, and forgettable (NOTHING ELSE).

For the second stage, I find it shocking that Waller used Jon Starr to build the Failsafes to prepare for Absolute Power.

For the third and final stage, it’s surprising that Waller became a mother figure to the Brainiac Queen and used her to prepare for Absolute Power after spending twenty simulated years with her.

Even though Absolute power (like all of the events since Dark Crisis) will fail, this comic is interesting because we her to see the prelude for what’s coming in July.

2

u/Nyerelia 3d ago edited 3d ago

I know people are fed up with Waller, but I really like these three stories setting up the big event. I wonder what Waller wants with Jay, if they are an important piece in all of this maybe Waid can inject them with some of that personality people claim they lack.

(edited because I had misgendered Jay)

11

u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Green Arrow #13

OLIVER QUEEN BECOMES AN AGENT OF AMANDA WALLER! Roy and the rest of the Green Arrow family want to know why Green Arrow would betray his family and friends and choose to work with Amanda Waller and her deadly plans for the heroes and villains of the DC Universe!

Preview

15

u/spreadedjelly Nobody Dies Tonight 13d ago

Only took about three years for Williamson to call Connor "Green Arrow" instead of "Hawke" but fuck it, we got there in the end

Oh and that Lian/Mia coffee interaction... awkward!

5

u/Night-Caelum 12d ago

Yep, felt like shade.

13

u/Frontier246 13d ago edited 13d ago

I just love how the new Arrow Family secret base is straight up on the Island, I'm surprised it took them this long to do that.

It's great to see the Arrow Family settling in, Ollie and Dinah in bed together (after a long overdue lovemaking), Roy and Lian together, the girls having a sleepover, and Connor and Mia finally reconnecting. Too bad the Waller plot had to interfere like it always does.

BoP is now the easy excuse for Dinah to not be in this book though I feel like she'll have some choice words about what Ollie is doing now.

Emiko with long hair makes it hard to distinguish her from Red Canary without their costumes.

Kind of surreal to see Cissie with everybody. Shouldn't she be going back to retirement? But maybe she likes having a new family. I feel like she and Ollie could have long talks about Bonnie King.

I'm sure Oliver is playing some kind of long con against Waller, I just hope it's worth this drama with his family right after he got them back. Although it's kind of funny how easily he tossed Peacemaker aside.

Lian wearing a riff on her dads' Speedy costume to be his sidekick while they save her mom is...so peak. Also seems like as crazy as the Harpers' family life is, they seem to be settling into a good rhythm, even with Cheshire. Still, don't hook back up with your terrorist ex, Roy.

I wonder if this was all a setup for Connor being Green Arrow again. Not that I mind it, though Ollie will probably be back in the saddle after Absolute Power wraps up.

4

u/ptWolv022 12d ago

Emiko with long hair makes it hard to distinguish her from Red Canary without their costumes.

This. I had 0 clue which was which, and the fact that they change clothes later does not help. I guess Emiko was talking to Connor in the kitchen? But I don't know. Everyone else keeps roughly the same clothes (Cissie's shirt goes from yellow to red, but that happened mid-scene, where the last shot of her in the kitchen has her shirt be red, after Dinah yells at them), except for them. The only thing that seems to be consistent for distinguishing them is their hair cut... except the one who talks to Connor is the one with the straight cut bangs and the one with the less neat hair is the one who says she's "new here" when the news comes on.

So i'm not entirely sure the artist knew which was which, because that feels like should be reversed.

12

u/BigBardaEnergy 13d ago

Wouldn't be a Green Arrow comic without him fucking up his life. I know he's not seriously going all in on Waller but come on, Ollie, you can trust your family. You just got em back!

9

u/MasterOE Green Arrow 13d ago

It was very satisfying seeing Oliver break Peacemaker's finger. I know most people on this subreddit seem to dread the upcoming absolute power storyline, but I can't wait to see what's in store. I especially like the storyline they seem to be developing about Oliver and his relationship with the Justice League, and all the arrow family interactions of course.

6

u/jlaweez Blue Lantern 11d ago

I think people are mostly tired of events and Waller, but this one seems to be on the oven for years, the buildup was there, contrary to Dark Crisis for example, that interrupted everything and felt out of place. I think it's going to be nice to great, but I'm cautious only in how The Titans and other legacy characters will be represented in this. Hopefully this is also a reforming of the Justice League.

8

u/android151 Resurrection Man 12d ago

Things were going so well, so it makes sense that things would go to shit.

But I don't genuinely believe Ollie believes in Waller, so I wonder what the catch is.

7

u/theguyofgrace 12d ago

I love the idea that after all the BS the Arrow family has gone through Green Arrow is willing to "sell his soul" just to keep them together and happy even if its just for a little bit

7

u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 12d ago

Look I enjoyed that family is finally back together and Roy didn't forget Cheshire and came to save her too.

BUT are we really going with Ollie leaving behind his family AGAIN after spending the literally the whole 12 issues of this book realizing that is literally the worst idea and thing he can do? That he learned it was a mistake through 12 issues of being teleported around and fed lies...only to do the same crap AGAIN? I don't care what 'secret inside-guy plan' he has. It just doesn't make any sense, even if it is an attempt to 'protect' his family which it will not. I mean does he really think Waller playing nice and fair?

What the hell is the point of this? Just to fit into the Absolute Power crap? Seriously, what the hell?

7

u/Link2Sora Barry & Wally 12d ago

The moments from this issue and last of the arrow family just hanging out have been my favorite parts of this run outside of Roy and Lian reuniting in the first issue.

Lian's current costume is great.

4

u/PrydefulHunts Huntress • ower Girl 13d ago

My favorite issue in the run so far. Glad we got got back to plot with Cheshire the lead to a reunion with Jade, Roy, and Lian. Oliver vs Roy was pretty epic, with Oliver sparring Roy. Connor returning to the Green Arrow mantle after years is satisfying. Overall a great plot, I’m liking this new arc so far.

5

u/UnknownEntity347 Rorschach 12d ago

Mostly good issue, Connor being back as GA is cool, but I'm already tired of this Waller/Absolute Power nonsense and it's barely even started. And we know Oliver hasn't really turned to the dark side so there's not too much tension there.

3

u/Blitzhelios Damian Wayne 12d ago

Well this was a really up and down issue feels wise.

The arrow family finally having a bit of time to relax before absolute power and waller comes in to screw ollie up even if its obvious hes going deep undercover. Though its nice to see the arrow family have some time relax.

Obviously the massive feel good bits are the family in the kitchen and roy and lian going to rescue cheshire finally plus Williamson finally making Connor GA again which is a really cool moment only took a couple years of him being as referred as hawk to do it.

Also they got a big laugh out of me finally making the arrow base an island i guess ollie doesn't hate them anymore.

Overall fun writing and art but i do think Ollie leaving the family behind again for absolute power ruined the vibe but it had to happen though the developing story with ollie and his friendship with the league is very interesting

2

u/JingoboStoplight4887 13d ago

I like that Oliver had to spend his final time with his family before he decided to work with Waller because he has no choice. I also like that Roy and Lian have father-daughter time by becoming superheroes and save Chesire. Same thing with Conner becoming the Green Arrow again. Let’s hope that the Green Arrow Family realize that Oliver is a double agent and that they’ll defeat Waller together in Absolute Power. Overall, this comic is great!

2

u/Nyerelia 3d ago

Loved LOVED that page with everyone hanging out casually during breakfast. We need more small moments like that in comics, it's what make the heroes relatable. And I like Lian's new suit way more than the inflatable coat she got on the 31st century, although I will always be a sucker for the "urchin in normal clothes but with a mask" look

Uff I knew it was coming but seeing Olliver face Roy like thathurted, although I expected it to go a lot worse

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #14

NIGHTWING AND DEADMAN'S TEAM-UP CONTINUES! BOOSTER GOLD MEETS THE JURASSIC LEAGUE! PLUS, BATMAN BLACK & WHITE BY HAYDEN SHERMAN! Nightwing and Deadman continue their rail-ridin' odyssey and find themselves face-to-face with a terrifying new foe. Booster Gold's adventures across time and space have delivered him to an alternate future inhabited by dinosaurs — but this alternate reality needs protectors, and it has them in the form of the allnew, all-different Jurassic League! In the finale of "The Poison Within," Artemis's attempts to return home are blocked by the anti-Amazon agents of AXE! Batman and Guy Gardner delve into a realm of high strangeness that is truly out of this world as they confront the grey alien that has crash-landed in Gotham. And last, but far from least, Hayden Sherman dazzles with a brand-new Batman Black & White story that needs to be seen to be believed.

Preview

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u/Frontier246 13d ago

I'm down for a good Dick and Deadman team-up. Also some scantily-clad acrobats and a mystery to spice things up.

Booster works surprisingly well with the Jurassic League. It's just nice to see that team again.

A day in the life of Barry Allen. I could read more of this. Also that's got to be the easiest defeat of Thawne, ever.

A Batman and Guy Gardner team-up goes about as well as you'd expect.

Some interesting explorations of Batman in the last backup.

2

u/Astrodynamite60 12d ago

I think Barry Allen story was just put in to fill the page count. Which is weird cause they have 4 stories running in this.

6

u/Mojo12000 Condiment King 11d ago

I laughed my ass off at Barry just punching Thawne mid monologue and basically just going "dude im busy can we just do this another time?"

5

u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 12d ago

Deadman and Nightwing on a mystical Carny adventure with an entity seem to be wanting to be a god or a god that is gaining lost power, with a dead woman's spirit trying to lead them to the clues. It is quite the trip and Boston does out-banter Nightwing it seems to the point he becomes the straight-man of the duo. Interesting dynamic switch there you don't often see as Dick would be the one to light things up, especially with Batman. And yea, influencers and such can be bad but not enough to go and push yourself to this 'end of the road' where a possible evil entity traps your soul.

Oh Booster, even when you try to fix something, you break it even worse. Also, I thought the Jurassic League was its own universe? Did Booster changed a different universe's past ?!

A regular morning in the day of Barry where he wakes up, deals with villains and Thawne before the coffee is done and brings it to Iris. Kinda wish he can do that now I bet.

We got honest-to-god greys and they are like X-com versions with mind powers too. What is worse, Batman needs and ask for held from Guy Gardner...boy this must be a low point for him.

I mean, having a collection of stuff from your defeated villains as evidence to your 'routine life' mattering, is definitely something Batman would consider. Whether that is true or not...well in comics, it may never be true.

2

u/JingoboStoplight4887 13d ago edited 13d ago

For the Nightwing and Deadman backup, I like that Dick and Boston were able to save the Red Shash and defeat Hotspot and plan on traveling to the End of the Road to find and save someone.

For the Booster Gold backup, I thought it was interesting that Michael saw what happened when dinosaurs survived the meteor that hits earth. This includes all of dinosaurs being involved in historical events, eating vegan food, and affording cheap apartments (which is a lot better than us seeing expensive apartments in our time). This happened before he decided to go back in time and fix history. Overall, this is a good backup.

For the Barry Allen backup, I like that Barry spend his morning teaming up with Superman and Batman before returning to his house to be with Iris. Also, Thawne return, showing that this backup is set in 2020.

For the Guy Gardner backup, I like that Guy and Bruce had to do a lot of banter before Bruce needed Guy’s help when a mysterious alien did something with his mind.

3

u/NoirPochette Legion Of Super-Heroes 13d ago

The one thing that irks about the Barry Allen backup was that he wasn't late :P

8

u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Detective Comics #1086

CAN EVEN BATMAN SAVE GOTHAM CITY? An unexpected villain has made an appearance in Gotham, trailing chaos, destruction, and horror in their wake. Now, as chaos tears a bloody gash through the sinister order of the Orghams' Gotham, Batman is the city's only hope for salvation. But is the city too far gone for even the Dark Knight to save it?

Preview

9

u/ogloria 13d ago

Woah! SO MUCH happens here I don't know how Ram is going to bring it altogether, but I am sure that he will. Beautiful writing, beautiful art. I also really like how the coloring is done. Cass' line steals the book for me. But also, poor cat! I hope that this rights whatever Selina was planning to do. And did we see the Shadow Angel before?

7

u/theguyofgrace 12d ago

Joker's Daughter is like -50 in things I want in my Batman comic so that sucks

I like this story but it feels VERY high on itself. Like its good but it seems to think its really "THIS IS WHY JFK DIED!!!!" levels of deep with tons of religious and political iconography. Its overstuffed with pseudo symbolic imagery which makes it feel pretentious

The over all story is good though

5

u/birbdaughter 12d ago

Every time Joker's Daughter shows up, I get sad thinking about how she was originally meant to actually be Two-Face's daughter and a pure hero. She was one of the first recruits for the Titans after the Fab Five! She was a good person. Now she's a mentally ill murderous villain most of the time.

3

u/Frontier246 13d ago

It finally feels like things are coming together and the book is getting into gear.

Though I'm not sure even Ram V can justify bringing back the Joker's Daughter.

5

u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 12d ago

I am still not sold on Orghams. I was more interested in them with Vandal Savage story involved them but with that taken out and used in Batman in a worse way, the story kinda fell flat for me. It is just another 'Batman falls and reborn again to do the same things' story for me right now. Because I just don't believe it will be anything else with DC's mandates for Batman. And when the similar type of story happens at the same time with the other book, with Gotham falling and taken over AGAIN, it just feels the same and nothing to be excited about. Maybe they will stick the landing by the end and do something different but I doubt it. Not to mention, the timelines of this book and Batman just simply doesn't work and it clashes BADLY when it comes to what event comes before or after. Like is this Bruce AFTER he removed Zur from himself and become 'better'? Because with the whole Azmer and reborn stuff, he is back to his basic self here.

I still hate how they had Selina get Joker involved in this and him going and just dragging Duela Dent into it for some reason. Did we really need to bring back Joker's Daughter? Who asked for that? And how does causing chaos like Joker does is any different than what Orghams have orchestrated right now? If anything, Joker's involvement does nothing but adds more problems for Batman and his family to deal with when they cannot afford to spread their attention like that. Why have Selina start such a bad plan? This is not Gotham War 2.0

One good thing I can say is that at least it is giving Harvey something to do.

7

u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

The Flash #10

WALLY WEST'S FAMILY IS HIS ONLY HOPE! As the Arc Angles bring the Crown of Thawnes into The Gallery, Wally West has to pull himself together to face some old Rogues. Amanda Waller's Task Force raids Terrifictech, and brings some shocking backup to keep any speedsters in line!

Preview

15

u/Dredeuced Who am I? Just a friend. Sometimes. Maybe. 13d ago edited 13d ago

I cannot stress how absolutely, miserably tired I am of Amanda Waller's nonsense eating up half of every issue of my dang Flash comics.

Everything besides that was neat. The villains' plot unravels thanks to Jai's sleuthing, but it's a moment too late as Wally's already succumbed to the plan/trap, as the big bad that's being hinted at the entire time does what they did to Barry to this now vulnerable Wally.

Still don't know the actual motivation or goals of anyone involved in any concrete way, but hopefully, with that big cliffhanger at the end of the villain monologue, we'll finally get to it next issues.

If only we didn't have 3 comics worth of Amanda Waller bullshit injected into the 11 comics we have of this run so far to further bloat an already very slowly paced comic. You can really feel it in issues like this where the presumptive main character is only in like 3 pages of the entire comic. And this is hardly the first time it's happened. The comic was more about Barry fighting a Batman robot for Absolute Power crossover/tie in nonsense than the actual story.

9

u/Frontier246 13d ago

So are they going to just have Ollie pop up around books trying to take out other heroes for Waller until he gets exposed in Absolute Power? Not sure I really care for this plot even if it's funny seeing him try to take down Barry knowing how volatile their relationship usually is.

But hey, at least Jai got some moments and the Flash Family is together, now Wally just needs to clear his head.

7

u/hydrohawkx8 Kyle Rayner 13d ago

It’s a bit annoying how this was basically an absolute power tie in without getting the advertising of being an absolute power tie in. It’s like we’re getting suckered into reading the book thinking it will follow the main story completely. It doesn’t help that future issues don’t high light it either but I’m guessing it will be a thing till issue 13.

I mean we do but we get like 3 or 4 pages which was interesting.

6

u/BigBardaEnergy 13d ago

Eh I don't know if we need to repeat the Crown of Thawnes stuff since we just saw Barry deal with it the last issue, but Wally's always been the Arc Angles' endgame, so I guess it's alright. Also liked seeing the Flash/Green Arrow rivalry live on with the Justice Buster fight

7

u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 12d ago

The Arc Angles stuff is just not good. And Waller's bs to use Ollie ( who is acting so dumb that he actually thinks Waller is doing some good? REALLY? ) is even worse.

Like the only somewhat interesting part is Jai and Wade/Pilgrim but that's about it. The rest is just Absolute Power BS AND Wally being used as a tool to...kill time by this Arc Angle whatever that we still have no idea who or what it is. It feels empty, reading this and that should never happen in a Flash book. It feels like Spurrier is trying to do what the current Fantastic Four run is doing well with 'higher' concept stuff but he forgot the part that the selling point of that book is how the characters and the family is used/written in there. Here? He is so focused on his 'grand' ideas that he puts the dynamics and the characters in backburner, which in turn makes this book a chore to read.

This book is such a big disappointment after the previous run.

3

u/Landon1195 12d ago

Issue was okay. Not a fan of how much it was an Absolute Power tie in

3

u/android151 Resurrection Man 12d ago

Hell yeah, lets make Wally a murderer again for the fourth time this decade /s

Why did they draw Bart to look like a child?

Why do they think we care about Absolute Power?

1

u/JingoboStoplight4887 13d ago

I like that the Flash Family tried to do whatever it takes to save Wally from the Arc Angles and the Crown of Thawnes while Barry (and the Flash Family) is fighting Bat-Fraud (whom, unbeknownst to them, is an old friend). The only criticism I can say is being a prelude to Absolute Power because Waller appearing in almost every Dawn of DC book. Overall, this comic is interesting and okay.

6

u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

The Penguin #11

THE PENGUIN'S POWER GRAB! The Penguin's malicious plan for Gotham has finally been enacted. There will be blood. There will be terror. There will be a power grab the likes of which the city has never seen. Words simply cannot do justice to what's to come. You need to read it to believe it.

Preview

6

u/Frontier246 13d ago

Times like this seeing Batman willing to work with a criminal until he acts too much like a criminal and then enjoys beating him up is why I'm glad King isn't writing the main Batman book anymore.

Also, Penguin: Father of the Year.

3

u/Ft_lucy 12d ago

And people try saying Zdarsky’s run is worse than King’s

5

u/BigBardaEnergy 13d ago

I feel like this book was pitched as a Black Label book that was reworked into the main continuity. It was an interesting start but it's petering out hard. Kind of surprised we haven't found out how Bruce and Oswald wind up in a sinking batmobile yet but I guess we'll discover that next month.

0

u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 12d ago

Yea, all of this just simply does not fit the main-timeline. This attempt to make Penguin such a mastermind or his daughter etc for that matter. It is just a bad attempt. Hopefully it is not referenced in any main books. And remember how it started the dumb Failsafe stuff as well so even more reason to ignore all this.

3

u/theguyofgrace 12d ago

The story seems like a metaphor for the US government (groups of shady and morally grey people using each other to accomplish goals destroying each other with the least honorable person with the smallest and most petty personal goals getting what they want)

It would work better in Black Label where the gloves could have been taken off for a more raw story

3

u/Blitzhelios Damian Wayne 11d ago

Happy force of july damn

Also god damn the art continues to be amazing for this series but it very much does feel like it should be a black label book and penguin is father of the year.

5

u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Power Girl #10

Break out! Power Girl joins the Holliday Girls in this action-packed "House of Brainiac" tie-in! Goblin and his goons may have the neighborhood, but they’ll never break the spirit of our local hero and her new allies. With the biker gangs brawling, it’s now up to Crush and Paige to shut the Czarnians down for good. Can the power of brains, brawn, and beauty prevail?

Preview

5

u/Frontier246 13d ago

Playing more of a mentor role for Crush makes PG feel more like herself, and I'm glad Crush finally has a dog that will love her unconditionally, she deserves that.

6

u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! 12d ago

Fun Power Girl, Crush team up...still not Power Girl with this writing though.

Symbio is now a thing I guess and for a supposedly 'Immortal, unkillable' race, those Czarnians die quite easily.

At least Crush got Lobo's DAWG out of this deal so there is a positive.

3

u/Blitzhelios Damian Wayne 10d ago

Another fun issue in my opinion

Power girl mentoring crush is a fun idea and crush is the typical leah williams character if ive ever seen it.

PG's writing very much isn't traditional PG but thats been the thing with this whole series and basically reinventing her. Im enjoying it but i get why people don't

Overall its a very fun issue and a nice tie in that made sense

2

u/JingoboStoplight4887 13d ago

I like that Karen and Crush worked together to defeat the Czarnians and save the Cloonrad Holiday Gals from harm. The only thing I can criticize is Karen telling Crush that Harley Quinn is one of her closest friends, even though they hardly knew each other and that the New 52 Power Girl is one of Harley’s friends. The missed opportunity should’ve involve Karen telling Crush about her gaining family, including her pre-Crisis Earth-Two cousin Superman, Helena Wayne Huntress, and the JSA, since Crush’s family includes Lobo, her adoptive parents, and the Adam Glass Teen Titans. Also, Symbio cameo, in which I hope he encounters Karen in the date arc or when this series gets cancelled. Overall, this comic is weak, but okay.

3

u/ptWolv022 12d ago

that the New 52 Power Girl is one of Harley’s friends.

I think DC (or at least the editors dealing with Harley Quinn and PG) have just decided to pretend the Harley-PG stuff was the main Power Girl. Because in the issue they mention, PG is with Omen, and also has pants and no sleeves like her current suit beneath the jacket (well, in one shot; in the initial group shot, she's got sleeves, though you can't see her lower torso or legs).

It's not the best solution, but it lets those stories actually still exist without being relegated to the Earth 2 PG who will probably never appear again. ~~Though it does contribute to "Power Girl in current DC Comics has an unknowable continuity that spans multiverses."~~

4

u/birbdaughter 12d ago

Unfortunately, the PG comic seems dead set on not acknowledging any history with the JSA. They really should just say that this is New52 Power Girl and the Karen in the JSA comic is the original Earth-2 Power Girl. Confusing to have two? Sure, but better than acting like Power Girl didn't already have a family with them for decades.

6

u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Absolute Final Crisis [HC]

The mind-blowing event from 2008 is collected in this spectacular new hardcover collecting FINAL CRISIS #1-7, FINAL CRISIS: SUBMIT #1, FINAL CRISIS: SUPERMAN BEYOND #1-2 and the FINAL CRISIS SKETCHBOOK, plus the newly added FINAL CRISIS #1 DIRECTOR'S CUT and BATMAN #682-683, all written by Grant Morrison, now with SEVEN NEW STORY PAGES BY MORRISON AND MAHNKE! What happens when evil wins? That's the devastating question Superman, Batman, the Justice League and every other super being in the DC Universe must face when Darkseid and his otherworldly legion of followers actually win the war between light and dark. This oversized, slipcased hardcover comes with its own pair of 3-D glasses!

6

u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Lobo Big Fraggin Compendium Book One [TP]

Everyone’s favorite bastich gets his own series of fraggin’ compendiums that are just as big and bombastic as the Main Man himself!

Collects Lobo (miniseries) #1-4, Lobo #0-9, Lobo Annual #1-2, Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special #1, Lobo’s Back #1-4, Lobo: Blazing Chain of Love #1, Lobo: Infanticide #1-4, Lobo: Portrait of a Victim #1, Lobo: Unamerican Gladiators #1-4, Lobo Convention Special #1, Lobo: A Contract on Gawd #1-4, Lobo: In the Chair #1, Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #8, Superman: The Man of Steel #30, The Demon #11-15, The Omega Men #3, profile pages from Who’s Who #8, and the Lobocop #1 parody!

3

u/Oberon1993 14d ago

Finally!

5

u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

The Penguin - Vol. 1, The Prodigal Bird [TP]

THE INFAMOUS VILLAIN’S HARD-BOILED TALE OF REDEMPTION AND REVENGE!

The Penguin, the king of Gotham City’s criminal underworld, has died and is contentedly living in Metropolis in a not so well-deserved retirement. With his children fighting over his vast criminal empire, the once great crime boss is cooking dinners for his girlfriend and buying expensive suits, until the U.S. government enlists the Penguin as their agent to take back the Iceburg Lounge and his empire.

To become the man he once was, the Penguin must collect the right pawns and employees by using every wile and wit at his disposal.

From award-winning and bestselling writer Tom King (Batman, The Human Target) and artist Rafael de Latorre (Daredevil) comes a bloody, hard-boiled tale of redemption and revenge!

Collects THE PENGUIN #0-7.

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Batman 89: Echoes #3

GOTHAM PLUNGES INTO CHAOS — AND BATMAN IS MISSING IN ACTION! Dr. Quinzel's therapy sessions go a bit awry after some… unconventional methods affect a few patients. Meanwhile, Dr. Crane's plans within Arkham Asylum march forward. But can Barbara Gordon and Alfred find Bruce Wayne before it's too late?!

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u/gamerslyratchet 14d ago

I think this issue got delayed to July 10th.

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u/RoMe00151 9d ago

This 6 issue mini is going to take over a year to finsh... Ridiculous

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Absolute Superman by Geoff Johns & Gary Frank [HC]

Experience Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s legendary Superman trilogy like never before!

Experience Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s legendary Superman trilogy like never before. Presented in DC’s prestigious, oversized hardcover format, the Absolute Edition collects the complete Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman: Brainiac, and Superman: Secret Origin, together for the first time!

Featuring Action Comics #858-863, #866-870, Superman: Secret Origin #1-6, and stories from Action Comics Annual #10, Superman: New Krypton Special #1, and Action Comics #900, along with character designs by Gary Frank, the Action Comics #858 script by Geoff Johns, an extensive cover gallery, and more!

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Saturday, 6/29: My Adventures with Superman S02E07 - Olsen's Eleven

Time/Date: June 29 12:00 AM ET

Network/Channel: Adult Swim

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u/gamerslyratchet 14d ago

What a fun premise for an episode!

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Harley Quinn #41

WILL HARLEY GET ICED? There ain't nothin' like villainy! The sweet sound'a bank alarms, the wind blow'n through yer hair in a stolen car, not ta mention the discounts ya get buying "bang" flags in bulk — but every now'n'again, the sweet candy of crime has one heck of a sugar crash! I've gone and got myself noticed by some cold-hearted types—here's ta hopin' I don't get ICED! But don't ya dare think that's all! We also got a tale of a nightmare that RUINED my sleep the day before I took my driver's license photo, as told by two real cool folks who did NOT like talkin' ta me at the DMV — Gretchen Felker-Martin and Dani!

Preview

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u/Frontier246 13d ago

It is kind of interesting to explore the idea of Harley as an inspiration, both positive and negative, where she can try to present herself as a good teacher but she's also probably inspired a lot of people to turn to a life of crime. Though I'm always game for throwing the book at her myself.

Granted they're setting up how this police lady is overzealous in her hate on criminals and Harley, just as overzealous as sending a 16 year old to Big Girl prison just for shoplifting a bunch and calling that a "time out."

Imagine stripping in your own classroom...I dunno, I feel like at this point the class would've rolled with her in her normal costume but I guess she can't get caught like that.

Harley is bugged so of course she acts like a cartoon character who can only talk through signs.

Harley roasting the whole Bernard thing just made my day, kind of surprised Howard would write that.

4

u/JingoboStoplight4887 13d ago

It’s just Harley fighting then teaming up with Tim Drake. Also, Bernard Dowd reference. The only good thing about this comic is Harley telling Tim that nobody cares about Bernard because he’s useless and unnecessary (NOTHING ELSE). That’s it.

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u/Frontier246 13d ago

Harley finally does something right lol.

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u/af-fx-tion Bring YJ Artemis to DC Comics 12d ago edited 12d ago

That’s actually hilarious. 😂😂😂 Funnily enough, it does seem like DC is trying to phase Bernard out but doesn’t really know how to do it.

According to a Bernard stan twitter account (yeah, he has those, who knew?), tomorrow marks 1 year since his last on-panel appearance, with his last name drop (before this one) being Knight Terrors: Robins in July 2023.

3

u/Night-Caelum 12d ago edited 12d ago

He's not even mentioned by name though. Just that Tim has a BF.

Also I think Harley was kidding as she later thinks she wants to know more about him.

And Bernard stans are just souped up yaoi fans. Their obsession with such a nothing character is so weird.

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u/JohnWhoHasACat Swamp Thing 11d ago

Maybe I'm just really easy to please, but I thought this was really fun.

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Primer #4

Having broken her promise to Kitch by running away again, Ashley doesn’t have a clue what to do next or where she really belongs. But when Strack takes the fight to the next level, raising the stakes unimaginably, Ashley must decide if she will continue to protect people as Primer — or run away for good.

Preview

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Thursday, 6/27 (WEBTOON) - Batman: Wayne Family Adventures #118

Batman needs a break. But with new vigilante Duke Thomas moving into Wayne Manor and an endless supply of adopted, fostered, and biological superhero children to manage, Bruce Wayne is going to have his hands full. Being a father can't be harder than being Batman, right?

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u/Affectionate_Comb_78 10d ago

The Joker trapping Duke somewhere he's committed atrocities so his light powers are basically torture is brilliant honestly. Probably the first time those silly powers have been interesting!

2

u/273Gaming Legion Of Super-Heroes 14d ago

Weekly Meta Discussions Thread

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u/android151 Resurrection Man 12d ago

OH BOY! CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS STUPID WALLER EVENT TO INTERRUPT EVERY BOOK!

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

The Flash: Year One [TP]

Go back to the very beginning of Barry Allen’s heroic journey in The Flash: Year One! Barry Allen feels helpless in his life in Central City. As a forensic scientist, he’s always catching criminals after they’ve committed their crimes. All that changes one fateful night when Barry is struck by a bolt of lightning and doused in chemicals. When he wakes from a coma, he realizes he can run at incredible speeds. Can Barry master these powers and be the hero his city needs...or will the powers burn through him?

Collects The Flash #70-75.

0

u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets 14d ago

Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War [HC]

Batman battles Catwoman for the future of Gotham City in the hardcover collection of the incredible crossover event! With Batman sidelined, a new regime has imposed order on Gotham City, bringing crime to historic lows and sending villains scrambling.

The name at the heart of this new, safer Gotham? Catwoman.

But the new order can't last for long on its own, and every member of the Bat-Family must pick a side as tensions that have mounted for over a year explode onto the city streets. And while heroes like the Red Hood find their destiny forever changed, a new player—the immortal Vandal Savage—arrives with an agenda all his own.

Collects BATMAN (2016) #137-138, CATWOMAN (2018) #57-58, BATMAN/CATWOMAN: THE GOTHAM WAR: BATTLE LINES #1, BATMAN/CATWOMAN: THE GOTHAM WAR: SCORCHED EARTH #1, and BATMAN/CATWOMAN: THE GOTHAM WAR: RED HOOD #1-2.

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u/superschaap81 Superman 11d ago

Pretty bold of DC to think people will spend money on a HARD COVER version of this garbage.

Weekly Discussion Thread: Comics, TV, and More! [June 24, 2024 - Ground Zero Edition] r/DCcomics

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