Who'd Like A Cocktail? #243

Glass half full, man.

GREEN LANTERN #23.3 - Black Hand rematerialises / reincoporates back on Earth and, as he does, sets about raising the dead, all the while trying to remember what he was planning to do all that time ago when Hal Jordan interrupted him in the Coast City graveyard. When he remembers, he resurects Hal's father who literally gives him his right hand so Black Hand can kill Hal with it next time they meet.

This is a splendid done in one that not only brings Black Hand back but is excellently written.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7.3 - another origin / back story, this time for the New 52's Shadow Thief and it's not bad. The story is both origin and current, switching between the two while the Thief's thoughts fill in some blanks.

The art's good, too, although there's a definite disconnect between the cover (let's show some boobs! More skin!) and the interior (all black except for her face) portrayal of her costume.

SWAMP THING #23.1 - Charles Soule (who wrote the Green Lantern issue above) doesn't quite do as well here although that's not to say this is bad. This is Arcane revealing not so much his own back story but rather that of Abby Arcane's mother . . . who isn't who Abby thought she was. Plus it also plants the seeds for Arcane's return to the main series.

Like I said, not bad, but not brilliant.

TEEN TITANS #23.2 - it's another brief origin story, this time with DCU's favourite assassin / gun for hire as he tells the tale of how his son Grant was killed and he lost his eye.

It's not bad but I'm a little confused - it looks like Deathstroke's wife informed the US military of his whereabouts which led to the attack where Grant was killed, but did she have another son as well? If so, it doesn't appear to be mentioned, he just turns up as Mrs Wilson is selling Deathstroke out.

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And what made me smile:

That's why zombie training days are worth attending, people.