Wonder Woman #12 – “Echoes of the Past” – Len Wein/George Perez/Bruce Patterson
This one starts with Hippolyte following Diana down into the subterranean caverns under Themiscyra, led by a vulture that seems to have the power to open passages for her. Hippolyte runs into some winged demons, but burns them up with some lamp oil she brought. In Oklahoma, Steve Trevor sits vigil at his dying father’s bedside, while Etta talks to Steve’s aunt and uncle about his childhood and his mother who died forty years ago … and whose name was Diana. Yep, it’s the same woman that Princess Diana (aka Wonder Woman) ran into deep beneath Themiscyra at the end of last issue. The new Diana tells
her namesake she’s Steve’s mother and that she was a pilot before (and during) World War II. Elsewhere, Pan is pissed off that his plans aren’t going the way he wanted and decides to stop Hippolyte before she finds her daughter. Pan takes the teeth of the Hydra (which Diana defeated last issue) and sows them in the dirt. When Hippolyte comes by, Pan uses his music to bring armed skeletons forth from the ground to attack her. Diana tells Wonder Woman more of her story, recounting the last time she saw Steve as a child. She went on a mission that took her close to Paradise Island, where her plane was hit by lightning and she crashed. Hippolyte destroys the skeletons, but finds 
herself with a choice of paths to follow. The wailing pillar confuses her until the vulture calms it and leads her down the correct path. Pan follows, still hoping to stop her. Diana finishes her story by telling Wonder Woman how she found the Amazons fighting to imprison Cottus in the underground caverns. Diana jumped in to help, using her pistol (which explains the spent cartridge Wonder Woman found), but ending up getting crushed to death by the monster. Wonder Woman is shocked to learn that Diana is actually dead, but Hades shows up to reaffirm it. Hades lets Wonder Woman know that her armour and costume were based on Diana’s American flag motifs, and that Diana’s courage in fighting Cottus earned her an Amazon funeral and a place in the afterlife. He then tells Diana it’s time for her to pass into the Elysian Fields and that her husband will be waiting for her there. Wonder
Woman now knows that her destiny is to protect both the Amazons and Man’s world from evil and that the two are inextricably linked, thanks to Diana Rockwell Trevor. But the Trial of the Gods isn’t over yet, so she heads back into the caverns and runs into Pan, who tells her she’s needed at the Green Lantern Citadel to help Earth’s heroes fight the Manhunters. She jumps through the portal, which is exactly what Pan wanted. Hippolyte’s vulture guide leads her to a ruined temple and flies away. She’s attacked by Harpies and knocked into a chasm, but manages to stop her fall by jamming her axe into a huge stone statue. When the statue groans in pain, she takes a closer look and realizes it’s Heracles.
Firestorm #67 – “Dialogues” – John Ostrander/J.J. Birch/Sam De La Rosa
This one starts with Firestorm hanging out with other superheroes at the Green Lantern Citadel, where they’re learning about the Manhunter threat. But this isn’t the same Firestorm they knew before and some of them notice the difference. Firestorm has no memory of existing before the nuclear blast (in last year’s annual), so he’s confused by the recognition of those around him. Inside his head, Ronnie Raymond tries to get through to Firestorm, to let him know that Firestorm did have a prior existence as an amalgam of Ronnie and Professor Stein. Ronnie is having trouble focusing, since he has no control over this Firestorm. He
thinks back to his dinner with Ed and Felicity, who suggested he try to communicate with the new Firestorm instead of fighting for control. The summons to the Citadel interrupted dinner, giving Ed and Felicity a look at the new Firestorm, who claimed not to know them … but Ed thought he sounded a bit like Professor Stein, who disappeared during the nuclear blast. Ronnie decides to contact his counterpart (Mikhail Arkadin) who has no more control over Firestorm than he does. They talk and Ronnie learns that the KGB are watching Mikhail very closely. They combine their mental forces to communicate with Firestorm, but can’t manage it yet. After the Guardians’ briefing, 
Firestorm feels a compulsion to go somewhere familiar (which weakens his control enough for Ronnie and Mikhail to notice) and ends up in Stein’ old office at Vander Meer University. Stein’s “friend” Professor Ferguson turns out to be a Manhunter and tells Firestorm he was created by the Manhunters and they can help him get his memories back. Ronnie and Mikhail try to let Firestorm know he’s being duped, but “Ferguson” hits Firestorm with some kind of mental blast that effectively shackles Ronnie and Mikhail, preventing them from getting through to Firestorm. He takes the fake Ferguson and heads for Louisiana, which we already saw a glimpse of in Suicide Squad.
Vigilante #49 – “Street Crime” – Paul Kupperberg/Steve Erwin/Ricardo Villagran
This one starts with Vigilante and Black Thorn scouring the city for clues to the Homeless Avenger (who wastes criminals who prey on homeless people). In spite of being a vigilante herself, Black Thorn isn’t really taking things too seriously (she’d rather be banging Adrian than tracking down a serial killer), but when they find a congregation of homeless people, she’s ready to start pounding them when they won’t talk about the Homeless Avenger. (We get a speech from one of the homeless guys about how they’re victims of society and how shitty their
lives are that sounds like the author’s voice coming through.) Vigilante won’t let her hurt the vagrants and they leave. Elsewhere, Homeless Avenger is wasting some punks who were trying to rob a homeless dude and the fight opens the gunshot wound he got last issue. At the hospital, Captain Hall wants to interrogate Gates, the guy who was shot by someone Hall is sure was Vigilante last issue. Hall knows Vigilante is supposed to be dead, but is sure he saw him fleeing the scene. The doctor won’t let him talk to Gates (who’s barely alive), so Hall sneaks in and pretends to be a priest to get the info. Gates 
confirms Vigilante shot him, but the stress is too much and he dies. Hall’s not too bothered by that, since he’s so fixated on catching Vigilante. In the safe-house, Bullock interrupts an argument between Adrian and Black Thorn, with Adrian still refusing to hurt innocent people to catch a killer (while Thorn figures they aren’t really innocent if they’re covering up for Homeless Avenger). Bullock convinces Adrian that he might have something with Thorn and shouldn’t let it slip away, but when Adrian tries to patch things up, he finds Thorn has left. She’s out beating information out of the homeless and Vigilante goes out to stop her, but is always a step behind. Thorn does find Homeless
Avenger just as he’s wasting another punk and starts tracking him. She tails him to Grand Central, where a lot of homeless congregate at night after the terminal is shut down. A lot of scumbags gather there to rob the vagrants, but they run into Homeless Avenger, who warns them to leave “his people” alone. Since they outnumber him about thirty-to-one, they aren’t too worried, but Black Thorn comes in to waste Homeless Avenger herself. Vigilante shows up to stop her and they start fighting. Vigilante wins and offers to help Homeless Avenger against the mob, but he declines and Vigilante leaves him to his fate.
Warlord #125 – “Queen’s Requiem” – Michael Fleisher/Jan Duursema/Tom Mandrake
This one starts with Scavenger, who’s no longer a gimmicky Aquaman villain since Khnathaiti gave him the power to drain souls from people, walking through the devastated streets of Shamballah (after the volcano last issue) leaving soulless bodies in his wake. Travis Morgan runs into him, but learns he’s dealing with something new when Scavenger’s touch chills him to the bone, allowing Scavenger to escape. Jennifer figures out that the volcanic eruption and the continuous eclipse are sorcerous in nature and pinpoints the origin inside the volcano. Tara decides to check it out, refusing to wait for Morgan to go
with her, but she does take a mystic talisman from Jennifer (and still wears the ring Morgan got from the wizard in issue 114). Khnathaiti and Scavenger are watching Tara magically and Scavenger feeds his mistress with the souls he harvested earlier. Scavenger decides he wants Tara as his plaything and Khnathaiti agrees, as long as she gets Tara’s soul. Elsewhere, Mariah finds herself outside the area of the eclipse and wanders into a cave that takes her to the outside world. She ends up in Russia and helps some soldiers defeat a pteranodon that came through the portal. Afterwards, she’s forced to surrender to the Russian soldiers. In Shamballah, Morgan is still feelings 
the effects of Scavenger’s touch and passes out in his chamber. He’s soon joined by Shakira in cat form. Tara explores the volcano and runs into one of the eldritch spirits who brought Khnathaiti back. Tara’s ring makes him flee, but Scavenger shows up and her weapons can’t harm him, so he ends up taking her soul. In the streets of Shamballah, we see the bodies of Scavenger’s previous victims rise like zombies and head towards the volcano. Morgan is attacked in his bed by a cloaked figure, who he tosses out the window. Too late, he realizes it was a zombified Tara and that he’s killed her.