"Part Of Some Larger Purpose"

Justice League: Generation Lost finished up last week with a relatively satisfying end, at least from the point of view of a new Justice League International book being confirmed. Sure it would have been nice to have Max Lord brought to justice but the new team's going to need a bad guy to fight and he's the perfect candidate.

But one thing's still niggling at me and long time readers will probably be able to guess what it is while they stifle a groan: Ice's ret-conned origin. In #12 of Gen Lost, Winick revealed that Ice's whole background was a lie she had created to replace the supressed memory of her accidentally killing her father which I talked about at length here. And here.

In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Winick stated:

"As much as folks think we're doing it for shock value, nothing we did in the story was for shock value. In my opinion, everything that's done builds upon other things. The Creature Commandos don't show up just because I think they're cool, they show up because they are part of some larger purpose."

See that? Everything that was done in the series was done to "builds upon other things" which of course includes Ice's ret-conned origin. This leads me to ask what was the purpose for the ret-con? What built upon it or what did it build upon?

I probably have too much time on my hands, but I'd like to try and find out.

You Are The Writer!

I don't spend a great deal of time over at the DC Comics message boards - I'll drop by if I'm shamelessly advertising one of the Annotations sites I've done but mostly when I do visit, I'm happy to just read the posts. I'm a lurker more than a contributor there if I'm honest.

Whenever I do call over there, though, there's one thing that always baffles me: the fan-fic threads. Pop along to just about any board and you'll see a thread where someone has started a story about that hero or team whether it's Booster Gold:

the Doom Patrol:

or even Zatanna:

The Problem With Prophecy

One of the cool things about comics is that, for the most part, they never end. Oh sure, individual series will fall by the wayside due to poor sales despite them being damn good (Blue Beetle, I'm looking at you) but by and large the stories of characters will continue in one form or another. Even death is no barrier to a popular character - how many have died and returned over the last few years?

Of course, in the DC Universe at least, that's no longer possible in a post-Blackest Night world. Once you're dead, you're dead.

Unless you're the Tasmanian Devil.

But the longevity of some characters can also have a drawback, particularly in the world of comics where creative teams tend not to spend too long on the same books. When leaving a book, some writers may leave plot threads hanging but it's down to the incoming writers (or sometimes editors) whether or not they choose to pick up on those hints. Due to this uncertainty, it's perhaps unwise to make pronouncements about what will happen to a character in the future, as I mentioned before when Rip Hunter, that old Time Master, proclaimed Magog had a good future ahead of him.

Time Master My @$$

Rip Hunter's mastery of time is well known - he's the go-to guy for all things relating to time travel. He's been now, then and everywhen so he knows what he's talking about, right?

From The Brave And The Bold #23 from the early part of 2009:

You read that? Rip Hunter says Magog's going to "do a lot of good over the next couple of years."  Booster Gold doesn't believe him, though, and plans to be the one to stop Magog when he goes sour.

Jump forward to 2010 and just a few weeks ago in Justice League: Generation Lost #13 we have this:

That big purpley-pink blob is Magog blowing his own head off under the control of Max Lord.

So, Rip - following the events of Blackest Night, we now know dead means dead so Magog's not coming back. Still want to lay bets on how much good he's going to do over the next couple of years?

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #106

Come on - who wouldn't?

• BOOSTER GOLD #38 - Giffen and DeMatteis seem determind to run through the roster of their Justice League run as time travelling Booster Gold bumps into General Glory when he ends up in World War II. Yet another good, fun issue.
• CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD: THE LAST BATTLE #5 - Blimey, I'd almost forgotten about this series! This is a cracking issue as several things come to a head and Jay makes a big sacrifice for his friend.
• GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #4 - Guy Gardner's Lanterns head into the Unknown Sectors (question for you - if they become known, does that mean there would then be more than 3,600 sectors?) and Sodam Yat rebels against the Corps.
• JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #13 - So Magog, the guy that was big enough to helm his own title just a little over a year ago, has now been summarily disposed off, tossed aside and killed by Max Lord with Captain Atom being framed for the murder. That's another black mark against Judd Winick in my book because, yes, I kinda liked Magog. Sue me.
• KNIGHT AND SQUIRE #2 - oh, I'm liking this! Let's ditch Winick from Power Girl and get Paul Cornell to write it! Yes, part of the attraction is seeming deliberate (and a little cliched) elements of British life injected into American comics but there's so much fun in this title it escapes from being a parody into genuine good humour. Would it work as an ongoing? Probably not, but a six issue mini-series seems perfect.

And there were a couple of things that made me smile this week, both from Knight And Squire #2:

That scene was simply there for that punch line but it worked a treat! And, in the same scene in the newsagents, it tickled me to check out the titles of the "top shelf" magazines:

Tucked in besides copies of Indeed, Blimey, Oops, Honestly and Strewth . . . the Joy of Sheds!

Paul Cornell, I salute you!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #93

Negative Man speaks the truth in Doom Patrol #13

Life gets in the way sometimes, hence nothing much happening here over the last few days, but hey, look: comics!

• BLACK TERROR #11 - I think Phil Hester's settled in to the writer's role now; Black Terror's dialogue is fun to read and, for most of this issue, he's simply not interested in navel gazing. Fighting a duplicate of himself that's meant to shake him to his core? He doesn't care, he's just having fun beating the crap out of it! On the whole, this is pretty good stuff, though there was one thing that made me laugh but that's at the bottom of this list . . .
• THE BOYS #45 - that lovely, innocent looking cover belies at least one cat getting out of the bag in this issue: Starlight coming out as a supe to Wee Hughie. It's a sad tale that leaves the poor lad in a hell of a state, particularly when Butcher makes an apparently honest attempt to reach out to him.
• BRIGHTEST DAY #7 - so the White Lantern finally explains to everyone it brought back why it did so. And, of course, the answers are about as enigmatic as you'd expect. Anyone thinking we were going to get straightforward reasons must be disappointed! Still, nice to see Miss Martian looking better than she did at the end of last issue.
• CROSSED: FAMILY VALUES #3 - as brutal as this issue is, it wasn't the subject matter that left me feeling a little uneasy, rather it was the art. For some reason, this issue's artwork seemed more cartoon-like than any previous, more amateurish almost. Some of it felt just a little too gratuitous, really, a feeling that Jacen Burrows's work on the original series never induced. I hate to sound so negative (I do try to be fairly upbeat about comics on this blog) but the art just let this issue down.
• DOOM PATROL #13 - whereas this issue that focused on Elasti-Girl was, quite possibly, the best of the run so far. An origin tale of sorts, Rita reveals her big secret to the rest of the Patrol and looks to be settling her divorce in a permanent way. This is a really nicely done issue which lets us get inside Rita's head and heart and shows that Giffen can do more than laugh out loud funny.
• JSA ALL-STARS #9 - as Cyclone calls King Chimera on whether or not he's going to make a move, the rest of the All-Stars meet up with their old friend Brainwave who's obviously on exposition duty this month. And just in time, too, as the kids he's been looking after turn out to be Paradorian gods! Damn, I love this book!
• Co-feature LIBERTY BELLE & HOURMAN - you know, I could see Icicle, maybe even Tigress, reforming after this storyline. They work well together with the two JSA-ers and it'd be something of a shame to have them return to villains of the month once this story wraps up.
• MAGOG #12 - so that wraps up this series, then, although there's the forthcoming special that'll tie-up the actual storyline. An enjoyable series on the whole, mostly down to Giffen's writing again, but not, I think, one that actually had any lasting impact. Sure, Magog gets a name-check in Brightest Day this week as someone that Max Lord has to stop, but I think it likely he'll either fade away or become a JSA anti-hero/pseudo-villain as Black Adam did.
• SECRET SIX #24 - how often to you get to enjoy an issue without knowing what the hell's going on!? The Six are in some alternate dimension/universe/dream state and it looks like Junior's behind it all. The banter between Jeanette and Deadshot was wonderful and the Punch and Judy dolls looking like Joker and Harley Quinn was just genius! Can't wait to see where this goes.
• THE STAND: HARDCASES #3 - oh Harold Lauder, you sad, pathetic man.

And what made me laugh out loud:

The. Worst. Costume. Ever!

People moaned about Wonder Woman's new look that was unveiled a couple of weeks ago, but seriously, this has to be the most ill-conceived design for a costume I've ever seen. Two bandoliers criss-crossing her chest?! It's like something a 13 year-old boy would come up with - bullets and boobs!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #82

Booster Gold - considerate of even the worst beings in the DCU

Cocktail was slightly delayed this week due to attending a family get together over the weekend. But hey, you don't care about that, do you? You just want the comics:

• Black Terror #10 - this issue seems a little sprawling, not entirely helped by the art which manages to seem a little cramped. Black Terror goes up against the spirit of Pandora's Urn and ends up trying to kick his own ass as he fights against a doppleganger. For all its little faults, this series keeps throwing out the action scenes.
• Booster Gold #32 - the cover says it all: "Giffen & DeMatteis reunite" It's got the same whip fast dialogue, the jokes repeated throughout the issue, and more than a dash of drama. And I love it!
• Justice League: Generation Lost #1 - so this is it, spinning out of Blackest Night / Brightest Day we have Max Lord back as a villain and only Captain Atom, Fire, Ice and Booster Gold know who he is. I'm a little wary of Judd Winick's involvement but hey, I'm going to stick with this because it's Giffen and the JLI in all but name. Snell over at Slay, Monstrobot... already picked up on the big gap in Max Lord's plan - namely that even though he's made everyone forget about him there's tons of archive footage laying around waiting for someone to watch it. As I commented on Snell's post, though, I'm guessing they're playing with the idea that if Superman watches the press conference he gave on page 3 of this issue it'll somehow fail to register with him, that Lord's grande mind-wipe will prevent others even reading or seeing him in print or on video or whatever. All in all, not a bad start.
• Magog #9 - in a Giffen heavy week, this is probably the lightest in terms of content. Magog battles the Shield and Tommy Tomorrow turns up while sub-plots move along in the background. Not a bad issue, but nothing major either.
• Punisher Max #7 - Jason Aaron continues his excellent run on this series, touching briefly on the origin of Bullseye, ably assisted by the art of Steve Dillon.

And what made me smile:

Poor old Dan Jurgens!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #75

Gee, would you look at that - 75th edition of Who'd Like A Cocktail?

• Doom Patrol #8 - a quick one page summary of Blackest Night and Giffen's right back to his own storyline. It should be nutty enough to please fans of the old Morrison run but, for my money, nowhere near as needlessly pretentious. This is good, solid (if weird) superheroics.
• Justice League: Rise And Fall Special - poor old Green Arrow's gone and done a bad thing and all his friends are angry with him and "have to stop him -- before he kills again!" Strange as it's not the first time he's done it but there you go. I like the character so will tag along for the ride and see what happens.
• Magog #7 - with the whole Mother of Magog sub plot bubbling away, it looks like next issue we get a visit from Tommy Tomorrow and the Planeteers!
• Punishermax #5 - the Kingpin storyline concludes, nicely leading in to the next round where Bullseye looks to be getting a pseudo-Colin Farrell makeover. This is shaping up to be a cool series, and not just for the Steve Dillon artwork.
• Secret Six #19 - Black Alice and Ragdoll getting sweet? Awww, how nice! That last page, though? Can't wait for the next issue!

And what made me smile:

Never has a next issue box looked so good! (Giffen + Doom Patrol) x Ambush Bug = Awesome!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #72

I'm actually away this weekend but thanks to Blogger's scheduling function, I can still get my Cocktail post in!

• Battlefields: Happy Valley #3 - a sombre ending which came as no real surprise but was handled delicately and with care by Ennis who once more showed he's more than swearing and violence.
• Blackest Night: The Flash #3 - as much as the White Lantern (?) symbol over Reverse Flash's chest was intriguing, the most interesting part of this issue, like those before it, were the Rogues. It comes to something when the bad guys hold more fascination than the main character.
• Green Lantern #51 - more blood on Parallax's hands than the Anti-Monitor? Spectre, dude, the Anti-Monitor wiped out thousands of universes! Universes! And that bit with Hector Hammond? Can anyone say "groundwork for up-coming storyline?!"
• Green Lantern Corps #45 - the whole "battle your personal demons" thing was a little cheesey but it's good to have Gardner back at last.
• Justice League of America #42 - okay, a little all-over-the-place but not bad on the whole, though the couple of two page spreads weren't incredibly clear and I ended up reading down the page instead of across, but I'm liking the new villains.
• Magog #6 - tying in with Justice Society of America Annual #2 from a couple of weeks ago, this is Magog's side of things concerning the big JSA vs Magog fight along with the aftermath.
• Marvels: Eye of The Camera #6 - my god, this has actually arrived?! I'm not going to bother reading it until I re-read the earlier issues again, it's been so long.
• Power Girl #9 - did no-one tell Satanna that leopard-print went out with the 70's? Another damn fine issue where sub-plots from previous issues crop up again, making the story feel genuine. And hey, Terra's back to save Power Girl!
• The Stand: Soul Survivors #4 - damn, those were some big weasels!

And what made me smile wince:

Owwwwwwww!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #71

Horrendously busy in work over the last week, so much so I didn't even get a chance to post a Friday Night Fight. Still got my comics, though:

• Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3 - missed this last week but have to be honest and say I have no idea why Mera's rage is so great, what the big secret was or what Wonder Woman hinted at. No idea at all.
• Booster Gold #29 - the destruction of Coast City's about to happen all over again and Booster's right in the middle of it.
• Second Feature: Blue Beetle - ah, all good things come to an end, I guess. I shall miss Blue Beetle both as a series and a back-up in this comic. It was a good, fun series which is what I like but at least Matt Sturges was able to finish off his storyline.
• The Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill #3 - oooooh, traitors everywhere, it seems.
• Green Arrow/Black Canary #29 - warning! The cover of this issue does not in any way reflect the contents! As usual, clumsy dialogue, horrible art and . . . I'm sorry, but . . . Hilt?! Bwah-ha-ha! Oh my dear lord that has to be the crappiest, most contrived villain name in the world! A guy with a knife handle sticking out the back of his head, whose name is Hilton, is being set up to become a bad guy called Hilt?!
• JSA All-Stars #3 - Power Girl and Magog throw down just before the events of last week's Justice Society Annual and sub-plots galore are introduced.
• Second Feature: Liberty Belle & Hourman - light and fun, this isn't exactly taxing but it's pretty good.
• Punishermax #4 - Jason Aaron turns in a good Garth Ennis pastiche with the advent of the Mennonite taking on the Punisher, ably helped along by gorgeous Steve Dillon art.
• Secret Six #18 - the identity of Mockingbird is revealed in a sort of "Why didn't I see that coming?" kind of way and the Six and the Squad team up against the Black Lanterns.

And what made me smile:

I remember a similar scene in Young Justice with Superboy and Impulse complaining about their books getting cancelled but this made me chuckle. Farewell, Blue Beetle . . .

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #70

• The Boys #39 - the crap gets ready to hit the fan as Butcher discovers just who Wee Hughie's been dating.
• Doom Patrol #7 - woah, wait a second - when did Oberon get that head of hair?!
• Metal Men co-feature - ah, farewell Metal Men, it was good fun while it lasted.
• Justice Society of America Annual #2 - this ties in nicely with events in Magog and the JSA All-Stars, so much so that if you haven't read Magog you might be a little lost. There were a lot of questions when Magog received his ongoing series, many revolving around why such a minor character who was also a pain in the arse should have a series. Turns out, written by Keith Giffen, it's not so bad and this issue goes some way to rounding out - or at least highlighting - who he is. He's a jerk who, as Power Girl says, is "going about this the wrong way . . . but he's doing the right thing."
• The Question #37 - another done in one Blackest Night tie-in. It was okay but I find Sienkiewicz's art just plain ugly.
• Red Tornado #6 - and the mini-series comes to an end rather quietly. That's not a criticism; if anything, the reaction of Red Inferno was somewhat fitting. I wish DC writers/artists would get a handle on how old Traya is and how she speaks - wasn't she in her early teens in Young Justice? Here she looks to be about 5 or 6.

And what made me smile:

Maybe the joke's a little obvious but Maguire's artwork sells it.

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #67

• Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2 - missed this last week so picked up now; gorgeous artwork from Nicola Scott and Eduardo Pansica and despite knowing what was going to happen to Wonder Woman (having read Blackest Night #6) the story still held me . . . right up till the end. Even though Aphrodite's intervention was kinda fitting within the confines of the story, it was still "all just a dream." Disappointing.
• Booster Gold #28 - I can't help wondering, given the recent news about Giffen and DeMatteis taking over this title, whether Dan Jurgens is building up to a big finale - wouldn't be the first time he's had a hand in destroying Coast City!
• Blue Beetle - oh, Jaime, what have you done now? Looks like this, too, is building to a finale and it'll be a shame to see Beetle go.
  
• Catwoman #83 - have to admit I was looking forward to these resurrected titles but they seem to be fairly formulaic now - villain rises as Black Lantern, attacks hero, is destroyed after fight. Still, halfway through so I'll grab the rest.
• Green Arrow/Black Canary #28 - I'm just sticking with this title because of the characters now; I don't like Sienkiewicz's art, I don't like Kreisberg's writing though I do approve of his attempt to beef up Green Arrow's rogues gallery. But that's about it.
• Green Arrow - what do you know? A second feature that doesn't actually feature any of the main characters.
• Magog #5 - Giffen continues building up to the inevitable conflict between Magog and the Justice Society.
• Neonomicon prologue - all new Alan Moore! Just when you thought this week's comics were a little light on substance! Can't wait for the series to begin proper later this year.
• The Power Of Shazam #48 - again, a little formulaic as the Catwoman issue above but, to be fair, there's the slight spin of Osiris actually fighting against the black power ring from the start.
• Punishermax #3 - what is it about Steve Dillon drawing horrible old ladies?
• Secret Six #17 - the Six pretty much get shafted by Amanda Waller, the Suicide Squad and the Black Lanterns. Another tightly plotted issue by Simone and Ostrander.

And what made me smile:

Ah, Ragdoll . . .

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #63

I'm off enjoying a family Christmas get together but managed to get this done before I left,

• Booster Gold #27 - Booster lays Ted to rest and we finally get to catch up with Goldstar . . . and she is so in the wrong place at the wrong time!
• DC Universe Holiday Special '09 #1 - as I've said before, the thing about anthologies is you can never tell what you're going to get. On the whole, though, these short stories were pretty good - particularly liked the Red Tornado one, myself.
• Doom Patrol #5 - the Doom Patrol take on the Black Lanterns with everyone ending up going through a Boom Tube.
• Metal Men second feature - "Giffen, Dematteis and Maguire? I didn't know those guys were still alive!"
• Green Arrow/Black Canary #27 - so Dark Arrow's Everyman, yeah? Okay . . .
• second feature - an origin story of Cupid which is actually interesting! Why did it take Kreisberg so long to come up with this?!
• Magog #4 - that's Magog's mother?!
• Punisher Max #2 - man, that Kingpin is one seriously messed up fella.
• Secret Six #16 - yay! Black Alice - that mental teenager with the really short temper - is back and has joined our favourite band of villains.

And what made me smile this week:

Black Alice shows why she is just perfect for this team!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #60

As I was away last week, this week's Cocktail is yet another bumper sized double issue!

• The Boys #36 - the violent yet poignantly tinged origin of Mother's Milk comes to a close.
• The Boys: Herogasm #6 - Ennis's ability to lay sub-plots down that probably won't be referenced or see fruition for years to come is often overlooked by those concentrating on the profanity/violence or humour of his stories. The repercussions of this series will be worth looking out for.
• Doom Patrol #4 - the Blackest Night comes to the rest of the DCU and there's got to be nothing weirder than fighting your own resurrected corpse as Robotman finds out!
• Metal Men second feature - oh, I swear, it's like Justice League all over again with these guys! And hey, I'm not complaining!
• Magog #3 - more Giffen this week and while the main character isn't engaging me fully yet, I'm happy to tag along for Keith's writing.
• Project Superpowers: Chapter Two #4 - hmmm, that's a different take on Zeus.
• Project Superpowers: Meet The Bad Guys #3 - kinda strange introducing a bad guy for Samson considering what happened in Chapter Two #4 . . .
• Red Tornado #3 - ah, the old bad guy fooling newbie ploy. Like that isn't going to back fire on Red Volcano.
• Secret Six #15 - how cool is it to have John Ostrander writing Deadshot again? And how gratifying is it to have it be a damn good story?

And what made me smile:

Magog tuning out the usual supervillain blabbering!

And here's what I picked up this week:

• Black Terror #5 - honestly? I thought this series ended last issue. I'd forgotten all about it. Saying that, when it does turn up, it's still pretty good.
• Booster Gold #26 - nice to see Jurgens hasn't forgotten a couple of things left over from earlier issues (like the whereabouts of Goldstar for example) but at the same time this was something of a sentimental issue; you couldn't help feeling sorry for Booster and his inability to find the right words at Blue Beetle's eulogy.
• Chronicles of Wormwood: The Last Battle #2 - man, this series just gets better and better!
• Green Arrow / Black Canary #26 - still don't like Sienkiewicz's art. Sorry.
• Black Canary second feature - hmmm, you know, for once Kreisberg has me interested again in the story he's thrown together here.
• Green Lantern Corps #42 - that last page: damn it. I really liked that guy. Yeah, yeah, Hal's the one and only and all the rest of that but I've been with this guy from the start. Crap.
• JSA vs Kobra #6 - I've really enjoyed this story and it's a shame to see it end.
• Punishermax #1 - I pay next to no attention to Marvel continuity but isn't Kingpin the long time Daredevil/Spider-Man foe? Does this take place before then or what> Methinks I need to hunt round on the interwebs for the answer . . .

And what made me smile this week:

Steve Dillon, back on the Punisher!

Who'd Like A Cocktail #57

Another shed-load of comics this week, including mucho Garth Ennis!

• The Boys #35 - we get the origin of Mother's Milk, a story which is just a bit . . . well . . . eeewwwww, really.
• Chronicles of Wormwood: The Last Battle #1 - another round of debauchery and devilry begins in fine form.
• Crossed #7 - this series keeps delivering shock after shock - Patrick's words to his mother? Jeez, that caught me by surprise.
• Doom Patrol #3 - man, Steve Dayton's messed in the head!
• Metal Men co-feature - veedle deedle veedle deedle veedle deedle veedle deedle! Heh!
• Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! #6 - the Human Flame stops running and takes on the JLA. C'mon, who did you think was going to win?! I've really enjoyed this series and can't wait for Sturges and Williams II to start on JSA All-Stars.
• Justice League: Cry For Justice #4 - five, Ollie? You had to wait until five villains had been tortured before speaking up? And even after that you still hung round with them? You're not the Green Arrow I know and like, Ollie. Despite that, this series (finally!) seems to be gathering some steam.
• Magog #2 - Magog's a "sucker for freckles" - who'd'a thought it?
• Project Superpowers: Meet The Bad Guys #2 - deathly white face? Check. Sideburns? Check. Thick black eye make-up? Check. Rides a bike? Check. Bad-ass attitude? Check. Look everyone: Lobo's in Project Superpowers as the Revolutionary!
• Red Tornado #2 - another good, solid issue though that cover is waaaaaaaay misleading!
• Strange Adventures #8 - everything changes but remains the same? That's the big finale? Not as satisfying as I'd hoped but still an enjoyable series overall.

And what made me smile this week:

Who said inter-company cross overs were dead!? That's the Human Flame doing his best jolly green giant impression in Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! #6

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #38

Been a bit quiet round here lately as I've just been manic in work. Still, least there's always comics to look forward to on the weekend!

• Black Terror #4 - a good solid end to what's been a good, solid story; shame the last issue was a little delayed but the wrap-up was worth it.
• The Boys: Herogasm #1 - "Krow eht tfahs . . eldarc eht sllab . . . " One for the Preacher fans!
• The Brave And The Bold #23 - what are the chances Magog will be turning up in Booster Gold's title sometime soon?
• Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #1 - "Suspension of disbelief: ON." Best line in the comic and it was on the first page; the rest was so-so from there on in.
• Green Arrow And Black Canary #20 - oh, so it's all Dinah's fault is it? Riiiiiiiiiiight, of course it is.
• Secret Six #9 - why isn't Gail Simone writing everything in the DCU?
• Trinity #51 - the big three are back to normal at last.
• Vigilante #6 - that Vigilante: he's all "I'm gonna kill Jericho," then when he has the chance . . . actually, I think he might have done something worse than kill him.

And what made me smile:

Bane from Secret Six #9 who tried, bless him, he really did!