Who'd Like A Cocktail? #232

Dr Thirteen proves smart men can be stupid too

For weeks, three or four comics if I'm lucky, then everything all at once.

ALL STAR WESTERN #21 - Jonah ends up in modern day Gotham having lost Booster Gold along the way. Confronted by some police he fights back and incapacitates them which leads to a showdown with Batwing who eventually beats him and ends up delivering him to Arkham Asylum.

We knew the trip to the present was going to happen, but it's still nice to see Jonah reacting to this weird new world he finds himself in. Another good, solid issue.

AQUAMAN #21 - Mera returns to Xebel and her now estranged husband to be while Aquaman goes hunting for Scavenger. Tula reluctantly leaves Atlantis with her friends to try and break her brother Orm out of jail, which leaves the place defenceless when Scavenger comes a-calling. Oh, and the icy first king of Atlantis has frozen and captured Mera and most of Xebel.

A good, action packed issue with lots going on.

FATALE #15 - back in the present day, Nick Lash is broken out of prison by a friend of Josephine's, leaving him on the run with two murders against his name. In the 90's, Josephine's found by the members of a one-hit wonder rock band struggling to find the money and motivation for their next album, unaware that Josphine's captor was looking for her.

Excellent stuff.

FURY MAX #13 - Fury's memories of wars gone by comes to the only end it could ever have had. Characters finish things off, one way or another, some succumbing to natural ends, others in a more violent fashion with some getting the comeuppance they deserve.

It's a harsh, cold end to the story but it seems right.

THE GREEN TEAM #2 - the raid on the expo by Riot is thwarted by the new power suits the teen trillionaires have at their disposal (not to mention a second hand Batmobile) and the rich guys get away, although they're split up. This allows for some secrets to come to light and a last page revelation that might just change things.

It's not bad; the characters are still being fleshed out and the internal dynamics revealed here should help that.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #21 - Billy Batson stands up to Black Adam before sharing his power with his friends who then all take on the bad guy. As Billy and Adam fight, his friends save people from the fallout of their battle and the seven deadly sins who have possessed the annoying rich guy who's been hanging round in earlier issues. Eventually, though, Billy calls Adam's bluff in a thoroughly worthy ending and things are set to right.

This has to be one of the most entertaining issues of Justice League so far; that it doesn't contain a single member is notable. It's also in stark contrast (and sorry to bang on about this) with the Man of Steel film: here, Mary, Freddie and the others do their best to help civilians and act like heroes while Billy sorts out Adam. It's a refreshing sight, to be honest. I know the Shazam! back-up had its detractors when it started, saying that this wasn't the Captain Marvel or Billy Batson they knew, but I think in this issue, Billy more than earns the name. Well worth a read.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #5 - Catwoman's death is revealed as being a fake as the Martian Manhunter had taken her place. As a bullet to the head doesn't phase your average Martian, he's back in the game and the League take down as many of the Society as they can before the mysterious leader uses the power of Chronos to move the house through time, forcing the League to bale.

Not a bad ending to the first mission. The identity of the Society's leader still hasn't been revealed though I'm going to guess he's an alternate (possibly from the Flashpoint world) version of Alfred Pennywise and/or the Outsider as he's watched his world die, he knows Batman's address and . . . well, he looks like him.

LARFLEEZE #1 - While waiting for his power ring to run out of energy at the edge of the universe, Larfleeze treats Stargrave (and thus the reader) to a potted origin story, some of which may be true, some of which may be lies, most all of which is entertaining. And just at the end of the issue, not only does he face a new foe but also finds out he doesn't need his power battery.

Giffen and DeMatteis together again? Of course I was going to buy this and it's as fun as you'd expect.

TEEN TITANS #21 - Raven and the Titans face off against her brothers, the sons of Trigon, splitting into teams and taking them on in pairs. At the same time, some shadowy people, who look quite young themselves, are watching the battle without helping. And they might need help as Trigon arrives, revealing he is controlling several of the strongest Titans.

It's not bad on the whole, though an issue long fight is never that interesting to me.

THRESHOLD #6 - Brainiac and his ship are temporarily taken over by Ilda, Star Hawkins' robotic ex-wife, allowing Caul to try and escape with the bottled city of Threshold. It sort of works and Caul returns to the planet as a hero rather than a hunted member of the game. Elsewhere, Stealth begrudgingly acknowledges Caul's actions and Blue Beetle has to strike a deal with a surly god.

Another series that I'll be sad to see go in a couple of issues as I'm quite enjoying this.

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And what made me smile:

Behold the origin of Larfleeze!