Comics Reviews: Wonder Woman 6, Firestorm 61, Vigilante 43, Warlord 119

Wonder Woman 6 coverWonder Woman #6 – “Power Play” – Len Wein/George Perez/Bruce Patterson

Last issue, Ares influenced people in the United States and Russia to prepare for a nuclear war. An American general (Tolliver) actually took over a military base, planning to launch nukes at Russia to kick things off. Wonder Woman, Julia Kapatelis, Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, and Colonel Michaelis made it into the base using the talisman Diana got from Harmonia, but before they could stop Tolliver and his men, Ares showed up in person. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Wonder Woman 6, Firestorm 61, Vigilante 43, Warlord 119”

Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 36, New Teen Titans 33, Suicide Squad 3

Legion of Super-Heroes 36 coverLegion of Super-Heroes #36 – “Peace, Quiet, and Impending Doom” – Paul Levitz/Greg LaRocque/Mike DeCarlo

This one starts with Element Lad resigning as Legion leader, since he feels guilty about becoming Universo’s pawn. The regular election was coming up anyway, so his stepping down doesn’t really cause too much bother. Polar Boy enthusiastically announces he’s running for leader, while Dream Girl says she won’t run but does say she’s voting for Sensor Girl (making everyone wonder if Dreamy had a premonition of who’d win). Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 36, New Teen Titans 33, Suicide Squad 3”

Comics Reviews: Justice League 3, Infinity Inc. 40, Young All-Stars 2

Justice League 3 coverJustice League #3 – “Meltdown” – Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis/Kevin Maguire/Al Gordon

Last issue, three misguided heroes from another planet (or possibly dimension, I’m not sure which) came to Earth to destroy all the nuclear weapons, hoping to prevent a nuclear holocaust like the one that destroyed their world. The three (Wandjina, Silver Sorceress, and Blue Jay) tangled with the Justice League and ended up taking refuge in Bialya, whose strongman leader (Rumaan Harjavti) thinks he can use them to rid all his rivals of their nukes … starting with the Russians. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Justice League 3, Infinity Inc. 40, Young All-Stars 2”

Comics Reviews: Batman 409, Detective 576, Outsiders 21

Batman 409 coverBatman #409 – “Just Another Kid on Crime Alley” – Max Allan Collins/Ross Andru/Dick Giordano

This issue continues the revised story of how Batman first met Jason Todd, which means it’s set a few years ago. It opens with a recap of last issue, showing how Jason tried to steal the wheels off the Batmobile and how Batman promised not to call the cops if Jason attended Ma Gunn’s School for Wayward Boys. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 409, Detective 576, Outsiders 21”

Comics Reviews: Wonder Woman 5, Firestorm 60, Vigilante 42, Warlord 118

Wonder Woman 5 coverWonder Woman #5 – “The Ares Assault” – Len Wein/George Perez/Bruce Patterson

This one starts with the Amazons trying to figure out what’s going on in the outside world. They know Ares is causing trouble and his influence is even being felt in Themiscyra, but they can’t get any word from the gods about how Diana’s mission is going. The gods are all embarking on a huge ship that’s supposed to take them to oblivion, but the goddesses are delaying as much as possible to give Diana a chance to stop Ares. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Wonder Woman 5, Firestorm 60, Vigilante 42, Warlord 118”

Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 35, New Teen Titans 32, Suicide Squad 2

Legion of Super-Heroes 35 coverLegion of Super-Heroes #35 – “Forgotten Friends” – Paul Levitz/Greg LaRocque/Mike DeCarlo, Arne Starr

This one starts with Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, Brainiac 5, and Dream Girl back on Earth after escaping the prison planet they were on. They grab a Science Police officer so Saturn Girl can use her mental powers to read his mind and find out why Earth has suddenly isolated itself from the rest of the galaxy. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 35, New Teen Titans 32, Suicide Squad 2”

Comics Reviews: Justice League 2, Infinity Inc. 39, Young All-Stars 1

Justice League 2 coverJustice League #2 – “Make War No More” – Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis/Kevin Maguire/Al Gordon

This one starts with Batman interrogating Kimiyo (Dr. Light) Hoshi about where she got the JLA signal device she used to summon the team last issue. She tells him (over and over) that some guy gave it to her and she had no reason to assume the rest of the team was unaware of that. While they’re talking, Blue Beetle brings a TV show to their attention, one that isn’t too complimentary to the new team. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Justice League 2, Infinity Inc. 39, Young All-Stars 1”

Comics Reviews: Batman 408, Detective 575, Outsiders 20

Batman 408 coverBatman #408 – “Did Robin Die Tonight?” – Max Allan Collins/Chris Warner/Mike DeCarlo

Like the Year One storyline, this is another bit of revisionist history, giving us a new origin for Jason Todd and how he came to work with Batman. Years ago, the original Robin (Dick Grayson) was shot by the Joker. Batman captured Joker and Dick ended up being fine, but Batman realized how much danger he’d been putting Dick (who was just a kid when they first started working together) in by allowing him to be his crimefighting partner. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 408, Detective 575, Outsiders 20”

Comics Reviews: Wonder Woman 4, Firestorm 59, Vigilante 41, Warlord 117

Wonder Woman 4 coverWonder Woman #4 – “A Long Day’s Journey Into Fright” – Len Wein/George Perez/Bruce Patterson

Last issue, Diana met Julia Kapatelis, a history professor who took her home to help her assimilate to Man’s World and do some research. Phobos sent a Medusa statuette to the Kapatelis home which was opened by Julia’s daughter, Vanessa. The statuette came to life, manifesting as Decay, the daughter of Medusa, whose power lives up to her name. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Wonder Woman 4, Firestorm 59, Vigilante 41, Warlord 117”

Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 34, New Teen Titans 31, Suicide Squad 1

Legion of Super-Heroes 34 coverLegion of Super-Heroes #34 – “Forgotten Foe” – Paul Levitz/Greg LaRocque/Mike DeCarlo

Last issue, Saturn Girl, Dream Girl, Brainiac 5, and Chameleon Boy escaped from the prison planet where they’d been confined and brainwashed. The first planet they come to after escaping is Naltor, Dream Girl’s homeworld, where they’re welcomed by the High Seer (Beren). Turns out they spent weeks on the prison planet and things have changed on Earth in that time, with the Legion being disbanded and their headquarters shut down. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 34, New Teen Titans 31, Suicide Squad 1”