Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 21, New Teen Titans 19, All-Star Squadron 56, Infinity Inc. 25

Legion of Super-Heroes 21 coverLegion of Super-Heroes #21 – “Obsession” – Paul Levitz/Greg LaRocque/Larry Mahlstedt, Mike DeCarlo

This one starts with Brainiac 5 and Element Lad having a secret meeting in the transport tubes that pass right through the Earth. Brainy is worried about Sensor Girl and thinks her reluctance to reveal her true identity could be dangerous. Element Lad disagrees and has decided to trust Sensor Girl, since Saturn Girl vouched for her. Brainy still isn’t convinced, but can’t change Element Lad’s mind. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 21, New Teen Titans 19, All-Star Squadron 56, Infinity Inc. 25”

Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 20, New Teen Titans 18, All-Star Squadron 55, Infinity Inc. 24

Legion of Super-Heroes 20 coverLegion of Super-Heroes #20 – “To Control a World” – Paul Levitz/Greg LaRocque/Larry Mahlstedt

Last issue, five Legionnaires (Ultra Boy, Phantom Girl, Shrinking Violet, Chameleon Boy, and Element Lad) were taken across the galaxy by a Controller to help stop Tyrraz, a Death Star-type planet that’s about to start obliterating worlds. This Controller was trying to eliminate Tyrraz before by using a Sun-Eater, but these particular Legionnaires destroyed it, so the Controller figures they should help him destroy Tyrraz now. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 20, New Teen Titans 18, All-Star Squadron 55, Infinity Inc. 24”

Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 19, New Teen Titans 17, All-Star Squadron 54, Infinity Inc. 23

Legion of Super-Heroes 19 coverLegion of Super-Heroes #19 – “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” – Paul Levitz/Greg Larocque/Larry Mahlstedt

This one starts on Manna-5, a planet that’s recently experienced some damaging tidal waves. Ultra Boy, Phantom Girl, and Colossal Boy are there to help the victims and prevent any more tsunamis. Everything’s going fine until Phantom Girl and Ultra Boy suddenly vanish. Colossal Boy calls headquarters, where Timber Wolf and Blok are on monitor duty. They summon Element Lad, but before he can figure out what to do, he vanishes as well. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 19, New Teen Titans 17, All-Star Squadron 54, Infinity Inc. 23”

Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 18, New Teen Titans 16, All-Star Squadron 53, Infinity Inc. 22

Legion of Super-Heroes 18 coverLegion of Super-Heroes #18 – “Has Anyone Noticed a Crisis Going On?” – Paul Levitz/Greg Larocque/Larry Mahlstedt

This one starts at the Time Institute, with Rond Vidar losing it when he realizes the Crisis has been going on for weeks (or went on for weeks in the distant past, I’m not sure how that works for a series set a thousand years in the future) but nobody seems to have noticed, even though Supergirl and Kid Psycho were killed. Vidar goes to see Brainiac 5, but he’s freaked out too because he also can’t remember anything that happened in the Crisis, even though he participated in some of it. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 18, New Teen Titans 16, All-Star Squadron 53, Infinity Inc. 22”

Comics Reviews: JLA Annual 3, Infinity Inc. Annual 1

JLA Annual 3 coverJLA Annual #3 – “Force of Nature” – Dan Mishkin/Rick Hoberg/Mike Gustovich

This one starts in orbit, with Red Tornado on the remains of the JLA Satellite. Reddy is trying to activate what’s left of the JLA computers so he can analyze himself. While fighting the Monitor (this takes place during the Crisis), someone remarked that Red Tornado was “more than machine and more than man”, so he wants to figure out what that means. But he ends up overloading the computers and the bulk of the Satellite catches fire and plummets toward Earth. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA Annual 3, Infinity Inc. Annual 1”

Comics Reviews: Superman 414, Action 574, DC Comics Presents 88, All-Star Squadron 52, Infinity Inc. 21

Superman 414 coverSuperman #414 – “Revenge is Life—Death to Superman” – Elliot S! Maggin/Curt Swan/Al Williamson

This basically continues the story from DC Presents 87, where Superman was shanghaied to Earth-Prime and met the Superboy of that world. Since he’s missing from Earth-1, the Superman Revenge Squad (well, two alien members of the Squad) take the opportunity to invade the Fortress of Solitude, wreck the place, hack the computer, and take off. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 414, Action 574, DC Comics Presents 88, All-Star Squadron 52, Infinity Inc. 21”

Comics Reviews: Superman 413, Action 573, DC Comics Presents 87, All-Star Squadron 51, Infinity Inc. 20

Superman 413 coverSuperman #413 – “Superman—Your World is Mine” – Cary Bates/Curt Swan/Al Williamson

This one starts with a recap of the last couple issues to remind us how Lex Luthor used a mind-altering ray to make Superman hallucinate events that never happened. Not only did Superman believe (for a short while) that he’d killed Luthor and caused the destruction of Metropolis, but Clark Kent got fired from Galaxy Communications for writing a story about Superman that never actually happened. Superman is pretty freaked out, not knowing if he can trust his senses anymore. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 413, Action 573, DC Comics Presents 87, All-Star Squadron 51, Infinity Inc. 20”

Comics Reviews: Superman 412, Action 572, DC Comics Presents 86, All-Star Squadron 50, Infinity Inc 19

Superman 412 coverSuperman #412 – “Luthor—Today You Die” – Cary Bates/Curt Swan/Al Williamson

This one starts with Clark Kent at the unemployment office after losing his job a couple issues ago when he wrote a story about Superman stopping a falling satellite that turned out to be only in his mind. (Clark doesn’t know that Luthor projected the fake satellite adventure into Superman’s mind hoping either Clark or Lois would file the story and be discredited.) Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 412, Action 572, DC Comics Presents 86, All-Star Squadron 50, Infinity Inc 19”

Comics Reviews: Superman 411, Action 571, DC Comics Presents 85, All-Star Squadron 49, Infinity Inc. 18

Superman 411 coverSuperman #411 – “The Last Earth-Prime Story” – Elliot S! Maggin/Curt Swan/Murphy Anderson

This is a special story that was created for Julius Schwartz’s 70th birthday. Julie was the longtime editor of the Superman line and apparently the creators (along with some help from Dick Giordano, Paul Levitz, and Bob Rozakis) managed to put this issue together without Julie finding out about it until the last minute. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 411, Action 571, DC Comics Presents 85, All-Star Squadron 49, Infinity Inc. 18”

Comics Reviews: Superman 410, Action 570, DC Comics Presents 84, All-Star Squadron 48, Infinity Inc. 17

Superman 410 coverSuperman #410 – “Clark Kent—Fired!” – Cary Bates/Curt Swan/Al Williamson

This one starts with Superman taking care of a satellite that’s fallen from orbit. The satellite breaks in half and he buries one piece (containing a nuclear-fueled engine) deep underground, flying to Hawaii just in time to kick the other piece into a volcano, which gives the crowds in Honolulu a thrill. Back in Metropolis, Superman changes to Clark Kent and writes up the satellite story for the Daily Planet, pretending (as always) that he scored an exclusive interview with Superman. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 410, Action 570, DC Comics Presents 84, All-Star Squadron 48, Infinity Inc. 17”