Comic Book Case

Doctor Strange 

So I've been off the Strange Train for a bit, having dropped the book due to budgets but I've always kept my ear to the pulse of it. We are still in the aftermath of the Death of Magic story and now we have Mister Misery, who is the culmination of all the magic Strange has used without paying the price. He's essentially been on a crusade to make Strange miserable and has kidnapped and possessed Wong and has been torturing him for information on how best to hurt Strange. He finds out that the best way to hurt him is by going after the patients he cured when he was still a surgeon, he magically grows back the tumors Strange removed and only with the help of Thor is he able to save all the patients by both removing the tumors and eating them. When Strange attempts to exorcise Misery from Wong, it doesn't really go as planned and even when Misery is removed from Wong, it forces them on a chase throughout the house. Only by forcing it into Strange is Misery able to put out of the equation, only to unknowingly be thrown up later on by the end of the story among other vomit.

This story, especially the end felt very much like what the Dresden Files is when it comes to magic. Magic is gritty, painful, and takes more from you than you thought it ever could if you aren't careful. Compare this to other magic users like Scarlet Witch, you see that magic varies between users, styles, and origins. Mister Misery is an example of what happens if you take a shortcut with magic for whatever reason whether where with Scarlet Witch, magic seems to something that is only as dangerous as you make it.

Black Bolt #1 (This is what I wanted, don't ruin it please)

Blackagar finds himself in a cell, his arms bound and his mouth locked in a device and he keeps hearing "Name your Crimes!" and "Repent Your Crimes!". He remembers that his brother Maximus the Mad used an image inducer and switched places with Blackagar before he was sent to prison. He soon breaks out but finds there are no guards anywhere, even as he fights one of the inmates where he finds that his powers aren't working as his antenna isn't working but is able to fight him off with little difficulty. As he enters the warden's cell he find himself with no voice, even after his mouth guard is broken off, he can talk. He engages the warden but before he can even gain any ground he is killed by the warden and finds himself back in his original cell.

This issue was just awesome. If you have read an Inhumans book, like say the Paul Jenkins 1998 version then this seems like the one from you, at least in how it is written. Blackagar/Black Bolt always reminded me of Leonidas from 300 fused with Namor and a dash of Aquaman and it did feel like this book was being narrated by Dillos. The book has intersting art but the real questions to this book are what is this prison he's in, what did he mean when he said he put himself there, and how is he alive? I am really looking forward to reading this one.

Detective Comics #955 (Girl on the Battlefield)

Batwoman finds herself chained to a dais with Luke Fox and Azrael with a giant thermonuclear device in front of them. Luke is at first optimistic, thinking Batman will find a way but is distraught ot find Batman being dropped off by Shiva who plans to activate the device just in time for the morning news. Meanwhile Orphan has made her way to Shiva and them, having fought her way there through hordes of League of Shadow members. She breaks out the others and Clayface and they begin to engage Shiva and her team.

This issue was pretty exciting as we wondered how they were going to get out of it or if Orphan was going to make it. The issue is more her recovery than anything else as she is first saved and read to by the ballerina she scared at the hall while at the same time she reads her a story that is read throughout the issue about shadows. Her back and forth with Shiva reminds me a bit of the scene with Zuko and Ozai in the "Day of Black Sun" episode of Avatar the Last Airbender though not as grand. In the background we have Ulysses creating chemical weapons that could wipe out the League of Shadows before they get their weapon off and it falls to Jake to decide whether or not to use him. There was also this weird implication that Ulysses was trying to see if Robin's costume fit him and the whole scene makes him look more like a villain, the sort of mad scientist who has found himself no longer bound by the same rules and restrictions as others.

Action Comics #978 (A whole new Super Continuity)

Superman continues to listen to Kelex regale his history as he also hears a faint voice in the Fortress while the mysterious figure who had been gathering people last issue has begun to seek out the Eradicator and having everyone meet up on the Moon. As Superman watches his history unfold or rather his new history. The one that stands out the most is the birth of Jon. Instead of him being born during Convergence he was born in the Fortress of Solitude with Bruce securing the perimeter and Diana helping Lois in delivery along with Superman taking a few years off to be a father and crime fighting at night. and he sees other memories like Perry holding baby Jon, Lois as the writer Author X, and the battle with Mxyzptlk. Things looks normal until the voice in the Fortress finally reveals itself to be Mr. Oz and tells Clark that he is messing with things beyond his control whether he is alone or with friends. Meanwhile, at the Moon, the mysterious being reveals himself to be Hank Henshaw, Cyborg Superman.

This issue was honestly just fun. We get to see the new history of Superman since he fused with his other half and it makes sense that this is the default memories of everyone who is connected to him. I'm kind of wondering if this is a prelude to the issue of Trinity where Superman talks about a dream he's been having and I kind of feel that this highlights a problem with that book in that it doesn't feel 100% like it is aware of what our protagonists are up to. Cyborg Superman being the mysterious figure I think was a bit of a downer as I was hoping it was Brainiac but that is too big a character for this. I have to wonder exactly what role Mr. Oz is playing, is he helping the mysterious figure or his opposing him?

Green Lanterns #22 (Boot Camp!)

As Jessica and Simon go further into space, Jessica accidentally stops her ring as Simon is sent to Oa. She is found by Kyle Rayner who went ahead to meet her and Simon and on the way he gives her a tour of a Solar Flare and an alien world and Jessica finds it all fascinating. When they reach Oa they find Simon having a drink with Killowog and telling the story of his fight with Atrocitus. Meanwhile, Volthoom, still in Rami's body finds himself on another part of the planet and at first is frightened at the sight of Ganthet until he finds out that they don't know he isn't actually Rami and that they need "Rami" to figure out why the rings aren't finding new wearers so playing along, Volthoom gets access to Rami's files. Later we see that the reason Simon and Jessica were brought here was to get actual training so Jon teams up Simon with Kyle Rayner and Jessica with Guy Gardner.

I love this book and I love Jessica and Simon in this issue even more. Jessica has one of the most realistic responses to someone in her predicament as she is both amazed and frightened by what she sees and also trying hard not to stare at Jon Stewarts abs. The training partners do make sense in some ways. Simon has shown to have a lot of special abilities like Emerald Sight, healing, and even purging the Red Element, Kyle is used to having special abilities/powers not unique to other lanterns and Guy is a great person to help Jessica just go wild with her ring. The Volthoom is Rami story is...... all right I guess, it isn't bad and I like that Ganthet is there but I also don't know what is really going on here, what does Volthoom want?

Superman #22 (Wow)

Lois goes looking for Clark and Jon, as the two haven't gotten home yet which combined with Batman going missing raises more questions. After investigating a fire at the tree where the family buried Goldie, she visits Cobb and Kathy who don't have anything specific to say other then they called the fire department. While looking she sees Candice who shouldn't be up and about and follows her to the town hall and she follows her down to the lower levels where she finds a room that has been monitoring her and the boys before she is discovered by Candice. Lois is able to get away and get home, hoping to call the League but finds not only Candice there but the mayor as well as others who destroy the device. Lois is able to escape courtesy of the gauntlet she got from the Moon and the Batmobile but the Batmobile is quickly dismantled by Mr. Cobb and Lois is later knocked out. At the house Superman went into, he finds himself deep underground and he finds a room where Batman, Robin, Jon, Frankenstein, and others in stasis jars.

So the mystery seems to be coming to a head here. I'm a bit upset about Kathy but it seems that everyone here has been in or part of whatever Cobb has been doing. We don't know exactly what he or whoever is in the wings is doing or what they want to achieve. The entire town seems to be fake or is that everyone in the town was replaced and because Clark totally trusted everyone, he never bothered to check. What is there intention for Jon? Has everything here been part of Mr. Oz or possibly........ DOCTOR MANHATTAN!?

Wonder Woman #21 (Is Ares the first Keebler Elf?)

Diana and Steve engage Team Poison as they begin unleashing fire, firing at Steve so Diana has to protect him all the while, Cale and Cyber follow Cheetah to Themyscira. Diana and Steve are able to break away from them and head for Cale and company. When Diana and Steve arrive, Diana's snake bite curse starts to bleed again as a giant tree begins to appear and the same thing happens to the Amazons with their tree and they prepare for battle. The tree opens up when her blood touches one of the roots and Izzy heads for it as Cale, and Diana, fall in. Inside the tree, Cale and Diana find Izzy with her face back and singing and they also find Ares, chained up as he welcomes them to his prison.

So if we look at the last time we saw Ares in issue #14, it looks like this is what happened after he and Diana had their little throw down. He was looking for his daughters then so I have to wonder not only where he is but who is daughters are, again I wonder if he means the Amazons or specific ones. At the same time, this issue felt a bit underwhelming but it served to set up more questions for the TRUTH part coming next. It is nice to see Izzy with her face back and even more that she seems to have no problems and I'd like to hop she and her mother get out alive. My question is, when did Izzy's soul leave the crystal and does it have anything to do with Ares being in his prison because I thought that was why Deimos and Phobos wanted to get to Themyscira, to find their dad. Also, what happened on Themyscira when that tree opened? The issue was fun and more of a mystery than anything else.