Comics are Awesome III

[Sparky Prime]

Rebirth was supposed to last two years, and we've passed that point. Doomsday Clock is on issue 4 of 12, and it's gone bi-monthly, so it'll be the middle of next year before it wraps up. Will anyone still care at that point?

It's 12 issues?! Yeah, no that's way too long for this storyline especially with it having gone bi-monthly.

[andersonh1]

Seriously?

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/05/11 ... -revealed/

And Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo managed to persuade DC Comics not to call their series Dark Crisis, but Metal. And gave us the dark multiverse underneath the 52 universes, a host of Elseworlds attacked and Sandman got dragged in as the series referenced all the Crisis in a melting pot of gorgeousness and opened up the DC Multiverse to everything else, the goldfish bowl dropped in the ocean as the Source Wall was split asunder. And Brian Bendis brought Superman’s red trunks back.

And right now a lot of people are having fun with it all. The Source Wall has broken and all sorts of things are flooding in to the multiverse.

Which means… it’s reboot time. Again.

Bleeding Cool has been told by high-level industry sources about the next big DC Comics crossover event. And its name?

CRISIS.

Not a Crisis of anything. Not an Anything Crisis. Simply… CRISIS.

Well, if Marvel can do it with Secret Wars...

I do not have the stamina or patience for another continuity altering event. I hope it's not true.

[Sparky Prime]

I've felt they've been building up to another reboot ever since Convergence, between the little changes they've been making here and there with Rebirth and revelations Dr. Manhattan has been messing with the DC universe. Although I thought it'd all come to a head with Doomsday Clock, not yet another Crisis storyline. Either way, these reboots are becoming much too frequent, to the point I feel nothing sticks around long enough to matter. They need to just stick to something.

I've also seen rumors they're going to be erasing Batman's marriage to Catwoman and Superman's marriage to Lois... again. Batman and Catwoman I honestly didn't feel would be lasting long. But I think it would be a huge mistake to erase Superman and Lois. It was a mistake when they undid it with New 52, which I thought they realized when they finally restored it and introduced their son.

[Sparky Prime]

According to Jim Lee (via Twitter) the rumors of another reboot are ridiculous and is misinformation.

[Dominic]

I do not know who I trust less at DC. (I just doubt that they have a plan.)

[andersonh1]

I added Hawkman to my pull list, though it won't be out for a few weeks. I wonder how many, if any, DC books are still going to be bi-weekly soon. Looks like most of the books are going back to a monthly status. I've enjoyed having many of the series I read come out twice a month. I'll miss that.

Aquaman #36
This story is taking f o r e v e r to wrap up. It's a good story, it's just going on and on, and had the book still been twice weekly, it would have long since been done. I went back over the last week and re-read the entire Rebirth Aquaman series, and it's not just the switch from biweekly to monthly. The pace of the series has slowed down. So much was packed into each issue of the first few storylines, but once we hit issue 25 with Aquaman hiding out and being a vigilante on the lower levels of Atlantis, the book has slowed to a crawl. The book is still one of my favorites, but it's time for some resolution.

In any case, Aquaman and Murk are on their way to deal with Rath. Arthur wants to arrest and try him, but Murk advises him to kill him and be done with it. That turns out to be sound advice, as Rath has been transformed into a monster by the dark magic he's unleashed, and has slaughtered most of the Atlantean elders. He attacks Murk, wounds him badly and is about to kill him when Aquaman attacks him, only to be caught by the dark magic. Meanwhile Vulko, King Shark and Dolphin are with the Widowhood, trying desperately to find a magic weapon to counter Rath's power. It's all good stuff, it's all entertaining and gripping, but for goodness sake, let's finish off Rath and be done with this storyline. Bring in the whales to eat him or something, Aquaman! Get Topo to step on him!

It's worth noting that between New 52/DC You and Rebirth, we've had 89 consecutive issues of Aquaman, which is the most successful modern run for the character. The Golden Age version lasted the longest, running for about twenty years straight, though that was as part of an anthology and backup to Superboy in the years when most DC superheroes weren't being published.

[Sparky Prime]

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps and Batwomanare endingin August. Although as the article points out, with the announcement not long ago about Grant Morrison taking over as writer on Green Lantern, it's likely the Green Lantern title will be relaunched which will probably star a solo Hal Jordan.

Wonder what they'll be doing with Green Lanterns if that's the case.. Having Green Lantern and Green Lanterns on the shelf at the same time I feel might be too similar of a title...

[andersonh1]

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps and Batwomanare endingin August. Although as the article points out, with the announcement not long ago about Grant Morrison taking over as writer on Green Lantern, it's likely the Green Lantern title will be relaunched which will probably star a solo Hal Jordan.

Wonder what they'll be doing with Green Lanterns if that's the case.. Having Green Lantern and Green Lanterns on the shelf at the same time I feel might be too similar of a title...

Yeah, they need to do something to better distinguish the two books. I hate to see Hal and the Corps end. I'd like to see the numbering continue if nothing else, but beyond that, it's been a good book. It's been nice to have a "meat and potatoes" Green Lantern title where the Corps are just being Lanterns and dealing with various outer space DC villains. Hopefully whoever takes over will do his or her homework and not ignore everything Venditti has established.

[andersonh1]

The Flash #47
Flash War begins, and finally, finally, someone remembered that Wally and Linda had two children. Wally's "temporal seizures" are identified as the Renegades from the 25th century arrive to arrest Iris. This issue is filled with pre-Flashpoint continuity, as Wally remembers both "The Return of Barry Allen" storyline, specifically telling off Thawne that "he's no Barry Allen" and the 90s JLA, complete with hook handed 90s Aquaman and Kyle as GL. The Renegades appeared in the last Flash series immediately pre-Flashpoint, the Brightest Day linked series that featured Barry Allen right after he was back from the dead, and they reference meeting Barry, something he doesn't remember. One of the Renegades, Golden Guardian, is a member of the Sinestro Corps, interestingly. And finally at the very end, when everyone has traveled to the 25th century, Wally is diverted during the trip and ends up talking to Hunter Zolomon, who not only tells Wally they used to be friends, and shows him images of Bart Allen/Impulse, Max Mercury and Jesse Quick, all non-existent in the post-Flashpoint timeline, but he reveals the existence of Wally and Linda's children, Jai and Iris, and promises to help save them. As a Wally West Flash fan, this story is what I've been looking for ever since they brought Wally back. And that's a believable basis for Flash War, that Wally would do whatever he had to in order to rescue his children from non-existence. I look forward to seeing how all of this plays out.

Hal and the Corps #45
The plot grinds some gears here, and doesn't get much beyond where we left it last issue. Guy joining the Darkstars is a pretty major development, and either he's infiltrated as part of some bigger plan, or it was a spur of the moment improvisation. No sign of Kyle this issue, it's all Hal, John and Guy with no sign of Kyle.

Mera #4 of 6
As much as I like Mera, this book really does feel like an Aquaman subplot magnified into a mini-series. I'm enjoying it, but it's not exactly essential reading, and Mera only really starts to drive the plot last issue and this as she and Ocean Master go to Xebel and attempt to gain their help against King Rath. The main takeaway from this issue is how the leader of Xebel, including Mera's former fiance and Mera's grandmother are lying, backstabbing tyrants who can't accept a good peace deal when it's staring them in the face. They just want to keep right on hating Atlantis, even when future queen Mera is one of them. And Ocean Master may be wavering in his agreement to help Mera, as Nereus makes him reconsider the path he's taken in life.

[Sparky Prime]

No sign of Kyle this issue, it's all Hal, John and Guy with no sign of Kyle.

I'm starting to think Venditti doesn't like Kyle...