The battle with the Injustice League continues, with the conflict building throughout this issue, as Superman and Black Lightning frantically try to find where Luthor is holding the League. But that’s all just plot, and you know what? It’s not the interesting part.

The interesting part is the characterization. McDuffie is spot-on with every single character beat, and it’s just so ... refreshing. This storyline ought to be used as a characterization ‘bible’ for DC biggest villains. Luthor is calculating and menacing, completely in control, and every inch a leader. No histrionics, no wasted words. This is a guy who could scare a Superman. But it doesn’t stop there. Joker is crazy without being a gibbering idiot -- yes, he’s clearly nuts, but this is a guy who can put together and execute a plot that would stymie Batman. He’s much more Hannibal Lecter than Groucho Marx.

The other nice bit is the level of respect accorded between the villains. Grodd is getting carried away with prisoners, and Luthor politely requests restraint. Grodd acquieses, and Luthor thanks him. No voices are raised, but the entire scene is positively chilling. These are VILLAINS. They don’t yell and bluster. They are BAD people (or gorillas, or aliens, or cheetahs, as the case may be). They don’t like each other, but they will work together if they have to. I can’t over-emphasize the extent to which McDuffie has breathed new life into this title. It’s consistently at the top of my reading pile every week it comes out, and that’s a status it hasn’t held since Morrison left the book.

I’m very disappointed that the Showcase reprints of the original Suicide Squad have been delayed, because I really feel the need to go back and read this series, based on recommendations from friends who did. I was an intermittent reader, picking up crossovers or character appearances that I liked, and while it was always a good read, I didn’t feel the need to buy every issue.

That will be a little easier with this miniseries. The Squad is reborn with writer John Ostrander at the helm again, and so far it’s a heckuva ride. Ostrander plays fast and loose with time and POV here, leaving us unsure of exactly what we’re seeing: Rick Flag’s memories, hallucinations, current events, or all of the above. We cut abruptly from location to location, visiting some of our old favorite characters and popping into Skartaris, to boot. While the disorientation is a calculated effect on Ostrander’s part -- to make us feel like we’re Flag -- I hope it resolves relatively soon.

But all this pales beside the return of Amanda Waller. Her deservedly high-profile role in television’s Justice League Unlimited has given her new appeal (at least to me, anyway), and I want to see more of her. Next issue promises a new Squad, and I can’t wait.

X-Factor generally combines private investigation with super-heroics, giving us a new slant on the Marvel Universe. That said, the current Isolationist storyline drifts away from that focus, and is consequently one of the weaker arcs of the series. The Isolationist, Josef Huber, is another uber-mutant, able to duplicate the abilities of any mutant, and that detracts from his overall appeal, at least for me. I long for the days of simpler mutants, who just fly or zap or heft heavy things. Huber is another character in the mold of Stryfe or Sinister, and we’ve got too many of those floating around in the X-World.

It also distracts us from the fairly clever concept driving the storyline: Huber is trying to declare mutants an endangered species, and thereby gain federal protected status for all mutants. So why are Madrox and Co. resisting this? Well, I’m not entirely sure. Somehow this is a plot to destroy all mutants. And that’s where I run into problems. Peter David excels at intricate plotting, but this one has gotten so complex, with so many interwoven layers, that I’m reminded of X-Files, and not in the good way. It’s more in the “are you sure you know what you’re doing” way.

Since this issue concludes the Isolationist arc, we’ll hopefully get back to a more “status quo” storyline. X-Factor works best when the team focuses on smaller issues, much like real private investigators. In other words, we need more “Rockford Files” and less “X-Files.”

I’ve heard a little bit about this “event” as parts have unfolded elsewhere. Someone is killing New Gods, and apparently has already killed Lightray in another title somewhere. I’ve got several problems with this storyline and setup, but, c’mon. It’s Jim Starlin writing Jack Kirby’s Fourth World characters. There’s no way I’m missing this.

So what are my problems? Okay, first, it’s the New Gods, who are by definition, immortal. In fact, Darkseid has killed and resurrected New Gods repeatedly. So that blunts the impact somewhat. Second, there’s the whole “cult of death” that’s raging throughout DC Comics at the moment. Every event has to have lots of deaths to “keep it real” or somesuch. That blunts the impact a LOT, ‘cause there are basically herds of characters getting slaughtered these days. Third, it’s Jack Kirby’s characters, which makes killing them vaguely sacreligious. Fourth, nobody stays dead. As long as Hal Jordan and Kara Zor-el are flying around and Oliver Queen is shooting arrows, there’s not much point in trying to get us worked up over character deaths any more. It’s simply a matter of how long it takes them to get resurrected.

Why am I going on about this? Well, because all that stuff really comes into play at the end of this issue, when we are faced with the “shocking cliffhanger.” It wasn’t shocking, it was telegraphed, and barely elicited a “huh” from me. What I’m saying here is that dead just ain’t what it used to be, and DC has only itself to blame for cheapening the concept and deadening any impact.

Okay, rant aside, there’s a lot to like about this issue. Mr. Miracle and Barda haven’t been depicted this well in years (possibly since Kirby). They’re a married couple that are comfortable together, and it shows. Jimmy Olsen and the Newsboy Legion get a brief appearance, which is always cool in a Fourth World saga. And Starlin’s artwork is positively stunning. Despite my irritation over the death thing, I’ll be watching this play out in subsequent issues.

The Metal Men are characters that have a lot of charm but make very little sense. It’s difficult to rationalize shapeshifting robots who behave like humans (and yes, I’m aware of the incongruity of rationalizing comic book characters). They’re just hard to explain, and it’s very awkward to have Will Magnus keep sending sentient beings to their “deaths” over and over (read the Metal Men Showcase to see what I mean). A short-lived reboot a few years ago recast the Metal Men in the mold of the Vision: synthetic beings that had the personalities of dead humans imprinted on them. Apparently that didn’t take (possibly due to that problem of Magnus letting them be repeatedly slaughtered), so we’re back to square one.

Duncan Rouleau, working from ideas tossed out by Grant Morrison, is re-telling the origin of the Metal Men from Will Magnus’ point of view. The storyline switches from the past to the present, where a robot consortium (including some VERY clever choices as members) function as an underground, and Magnus’ former mentor, T.O. Morrow, is busy hatching another plot.

That sounds like a lot going on, but nonetheless the story reads oddly slowly. I suspect it’s because we’re three issues in and we haven’t actually seen the Metal Men yet. In fact, we’ve seen far more villains than heroes so far. Also, Will’s romantic misadventures as an up-and-coming robotics genius are, sadly, not that captivating. Breaking it up into an 8-issue miniseries doesn’t help the pacing. Bottom line: this would read better as a graphic novel. I’m not sure what the point of releasing it in monthly installments is, because we’re all pretty much trained to wait for the trade on miniseries.

This might easily be my favorite X-Men title right now. I’ve always had a strong affection for the original team. They honestly come across more as misfits who make good, rather like the original Doom Patrol. Let’s face it, they don’t have big-time powers (powerhouses like Storm and Rogue could mop the floor with them). But they make up for it with teamwork and skill, and I’ve always liked that. Plus, it increases the dramatic potential -- there’s a reason Superman is hard to write well. You’ve got to continuously up the ante.

Jeff Parker does a good job of giving us new adventures from the original team that feel contemporary. This issue revolves around a vacation road trip taken by Bobby and Hank to Key West. Obviously, hijinks ensue as the Keys are struck by a hurricane, forcing our two errant X-Men into action. The other thing I like about Parker is that he allows the individual mutants to operate at their fullest potential. Hank is depicted as super-strong, something often forgotten by other writers (no, he’s not the Hulk, but he’s not a pushover either). Bobby’s ice powers have often been used as comic relief or in simply ridiculous manners (snowballs and ice slicks), but here he’s shown to be capable and clever.

Finally, it doesn’t hurt (at least in my opinion) that these are done-in-one stories, something that is unforgiveably scarce in modern comics. Just as it takes more skill to write a good short story than a good novel, I think it takes more skill to tell a decent story in 22 pages rather than padding it out over six issues. I hope X-Men: First Class sticks around for a good long time.

This issue focuses on the intriguing saga of Flycatcher as he moves forward to reclaim the lands of Fable from the Adversary. There’s a lot about this issue that I really like. For starters, it becomes extremely apparent that there is a master plan going on here, and that the Fables are taking purposeful, if oblique, action that’s been very carefully thought out. Fly reveals that he’s not the stupid figurehead that he originally appeared to be. Shere Khan and Bluebeard get their comeuppance. And the gauntlet is thrown down for the Adversary to pick up.

Why did I like it so much? Well, it just makes SENSE that immortal figures from tales and stories, who’ve had at least a couple of hundred years to plan, would have something up their sleeves. For the first time, we get to see the Fables being proactive rather than reactive, and it’s quite a relief. Watching the Adversary always have the upper hand gets old, and tiresome.

Blue’s guerilla strike gave the same sense of purpose and planning, but didn’t really involve many characters. This new ... well, let’s call it an initiative, shows the same purpose and planning but with a much grander scale, helping us finally see that hey, it’s probably not a good idea to screw with wicked witches, trolls, monsters, and mythical heroes. They WILL get even.

I’ve had my doubts about this title and some of its re-concepting of Marvel characters, but I have to say that this time Carey has hooked me. The previous arc, introducing Ultimate Silver Surfer, was dull and lifeless, without a scrap of the cosmic grandeur that the character demands. (He’s serving Psycho-Man? What? We’re replacing Galactus with a C-list character?) Please. Was Terminus not available? He’s D-list, but at least he’s BIG.

With this issue, though, we see a reimagining of another FF villain who’s a personal favorite, the Red Ghost. And so far, I like the direction Carey’s taking on rebooting this fairly ridiculous character. (Yes, I like him, and yes, he’s still ridiculous.) Probably the worst part is the heavy-handed setup -- Carey needs to separate Sue from the team, so we get a manufactured ‘spat’ with Reed to get her to leave in a huff. Of course, Reed is being mind-controlled, and despite the fact that he’s acting wildly out of character, everybody assumes this is the “real Reed.” Meh.

Why not just have Sue accept an invite to a science symposium in Russia? Why the overly complicated argument? Well, so we could have Ben, Johnny and Read engage in some of that trademarked FF bickering with ancillary property damage, of course.

So, to recap, less FF squabbling, more Red Ghost, and I’ll be happy.

While I am second to none in my admiration for Robert Kirkman’s Invincible, his Ultimate X-Men leaves me completely cold. I don’t see any significant progression here. The storyline seems to tread water, and the characters don’t seem to be moving anywhere. This is clearly writing for the trade, and it bugs the heck out of me.

One of the problems is that I think Kirkman has wandered too far from the core conceit of any X-Men title: A school that trains mutants in the use of their powers while acting to defuse mutant-human tensions. Contrast this title to the much better X-Men: First Class, and you’ll see what I mean. Right now the team is floundering -- half is serving with Bishop as a strike force, while the other half is trying to run the school, which is frankly bizarre. Yes, back in the Silver Age I was able to swallow Cyclops taking over for Prof. X, despite the fact that he was a teenager, but I’m having a LOT more trouble swallowing it here. Sorry, but a boarding school needs an adult running it.

My final complaint is with the villains of the piece, the Sentinels. This storyline introduced the Trask family into the Ultimate universe, but it would seem Trask isn’t quite the inventor he was in the normal Marvel U. These Sentinels fold like cheap card tables, and it’s tough to consider them any type of threat. I’m sorry to say it, but this title feels rushed and simplistic, like Kirkman is phoning it in, and I expect better of him.

Now that’s a cliffhanger ending. For the newcomers, Ex Machina is the story of Mitchell Hundred, who was ‘infected’ with an alien implant that lets him ‘talk’ to machines. This Wildstorm title doesn’t take place in any of the larger DC Universes, and there aren’t any (or many, I should say) other superhumans in his world. After a brief stint as a hero called The Great Machine, Mitch goes public, runs for mayor of New York, and wins.

This particular arc involves a summons to an audience at the Vatican. It would seem that the Pope would like a few words with Mitch, who agrees to a meeting. The issue also includes a flashback to one of Mitch’s cases as The Great Machine. At this point, the interrelation between the case and Mitch’s current situation aren’t clear, but I’m sure it will ultimately have some bearing. The hook here is how the Vatican sees Mitch, and the answer is somewhat unusual, to say the least.

As usual, Vaughn does a good job of interweaving politics with Mitch’s unusual gifts. Note that I don’t say “with superheroics.” Mitch’s days as a superhero are behind him. Vaughn focuses on how the world would react to the presence of a single superhuman, and how someone who genuinely wants to make the world a better place would behave, moving from simple crimefighter to the political stage.

Okay, I won’t beat around the bush. This issue reveals the fate of Selina’ daughter Helena, the fate that Rich Johnston alluded to in his ‘Lying in the Gutters’ column. I won’t get into details, but it certainly does beg the question: Why? Why have Selina have a baby in the first place? If you’re not going to follow through on the whole single-mom quasi-criminal (anti-hero?) why even begin the journey? Who’s driving this bus?

I’m having serious problems with these abrupt changes in direction, apparently through editorial fiat, that DC is undergoing these days. The whole One Year Later business was obviously designed to provide a “soft” reboot for various titles, and Catwoman seems to have gotten the short end of the stick. Her big change (motherhood) is rapidly being undone. She’s gone from crook to reluctant hero to mommy and now we’re getting a reversion to ‘crook’? But there are other problems -- she knows Batman’s secret identity. So how can this ‘crook’ business play out?

If there’s a plan here, I’m not seeing it, and that’s unfortunate. Rapid shifts in characterization usually mean poor writing or lack of competent editorial direction. Pfeiffer’s a decent writer, so I’m voting for poor editorial decisions, and we all pretty much know how that ends up. Good luck, Selina. I think you’re going to need it.

Well, the title of this issue is “Futures of the Past,” so what does that tell you? Yep, we’re in for another retread of “Days of Future Past.” Except this time, the entire team of future Titans (having become the Justice League) return to make sure a particular future never comes to pass.

Ho-hum. McKeever’s a pretty good writer, but he’s got an uphill climb here, because this concept has been done. To. Death. And while the title shows that McKeever knows that, the fact that he’s conscious of it doesn’t sufficiently excuse covering this well-trod ground, at least not to me.

Okay, kvetching aside, there are a number of good character bits as the future JLA interacts with today’s Titans – “I turned out like that?” The future JLA are ruthless and amoral, giving plenty of room for comparisons to the Titans. McKeever’s good at conveying the distances between teens and adults. The issue ends on cliffhanger, in which Robin seems to find a way to change the future while remaining true to his character. However, I’m hoping this is A. not the first issue of a six-issue arc (why do those who insist on aping “Days of Future Past” always conveniently forget it was two issues long?) and B. McKeever moves in a better direction after this storyline concludes.

Modok’s 11 hits its penultimate issue, and the action just keeps coming. Van Lente has crafted a fast-paced, amusing romp through the C-level of the Marvel Universe, bringing together lots of largely unused characters for a big caper directed by the Big Brain himself, Modok. Focusing on the C-list gives Van Lente a lot of room to establish characterization where there was none, and he’s good at that.

Humor is one of Van Lente’s hallmarks as well, and you’ll find a lot of that as these characters crack jokes and swap insults. He’s careful to maintain the underlying seriousness, though, so we don’t get to the point of parody. One flaw here is that the sprawling cast and the fast-paced plot don’t give us enough time to enjoy certain characters. Who would think I’d want to see more of Armadillo? Well, I do. And I wouldn’t mind getting less of Puma.

Probably the other flaw would be the incredibly convoluted plot, but that’s understandable. With 11 crooks plus Modok, various criminal organizations, SHIELD, and more, you’d have to assume there will be double- and triple-crosses, deceptions, disguises, and lots of other twists. The downside is that you’ll really need to read the whole storyline at one sitting to get the full impact, which is diluted by spacing it into monthly doses.

Writer Tony Bedard tackles the unenviable task of picking up this title after Gail Simone’s impressive run, and gets off to a solid start. Sadly, we’ve also had to say goodbye to Black Canary along with Simone, which really makes Bedard’s job a lot harder. The Birds are down to Oracle and Huntress, which is oddly reminiscent of the short-lived TV show, but fortunately, handled much more skillfully than the show ever was.

This issue recaps the Birds’ history using the framing device of Huntress conducting a high-speed chase while talking to Oracle. We learn a bit about some failed Birds, including Catwoman, Phantom Lady, and Black Orchid, which actually leave me wanting to know more about their brief stints with the team. Huntress is compared and contrasted with each, leading to somewhat surprising conclusions.

While the case itself is strictly background, it does provide an interesting contrast to normal comic book storytelling – no supervillains this time around. It’s actually refreshing to see superheroes handle some more ‘normal’ crime, instead of always having a metahuman involved somehow. But the real story is the interaction between Barbara and Helena, and frankly, that’s how it should be. At heart, Birds of Prey was always a “buddy” comic, and Bedard does a good job of reestablishing that dynamic.

Geoff Johns has emerged as the go-to guy for DC Comics to revitalize old characters and concepts, and for good reason. He’s skilled at updating and streamlining the vast legacy of characters that DC has amassed over the decades, scraping off decades of accumulated continuity that clings to them like barnacles. His talents don’t simply extend to old characters – he’s proved himself adept at putting new spins on old characters when necessary and developing new characters based on older ones when the older ones are no longer available. His greatest asset, however, is also widely considered to be his greatest weakness – he’s often criticized for his obsession with legacies and the past.

Johns first demonstrated his fascination with the past on his first comic title, STARS and S.T.R.I.P.E., launched in 1999. This short-lived title updated the character of the Star-Spangled Kid, with a new character assuming the mantle of the first Kid, Sylvester Pemberton. Courtney Whitmore was the stepdaughter of the original Kid’s sidekick, Stripesy (Pat Dugan). The character was also based on Johns’ sister Courtney, who died in 1996.

Johns later was allowed to expand his focus to the entire Justice Society, a WW II-era superteam that had a convoluted history stemming from a number of revivals and eliminations over the years. His abilities at undoing years of tangled continuity and problems helped make JSA a best-selling title for DC and established the remaining original members as “elder statesmen” of the DC Universe. At the same time, he began a five-year run on The Flash, which was characterized by the revitalization of Flash’s Rogues Gallery, and a new emphasis on setting as Johns developed Keystone City into a richer backdrop for the series.

One of Johns’ most notable achievement to date has been the restoration of the character of Hal Jordan, another fan-favorite character that had undergone a number of re-imaginings with limited success. This effort showcased Johns’ meticulous attention to detail and his ability to plausibly develop concepts to both restore Jordan to his former position and redeem his character. Probably his greatest commercial success was Infinite Crisis, a miniseries that set out to undo the events from Crisis on Infinite Earths and restored the “Multiverse,” a number of parallel universes that originally incorporated incompatible comic concepts. 

Obviously Johns’ skill set is extremely valuable to DC Comics, with its more than 60 years of history, and his work is particularly gratifying to long-term comic fans, who yearn to see many of these characters restored after the depradations of decades of marginal writers. However, some critics see Johns as a talented writer who “wastes” his abilities on cleaning up characters and continuity best left behind. Regardless, no one can argue that Johns has made a tremendous impact on comics in a very short amount of time.

Recommended:
Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., DC Comics
JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice, DC Comics
Green Lantern: Rebirth, DC Comics
Infinite Crisis, DC Comics

Mike Mignola began his career in 1980, and quickly became an established artist despite his unusual style. Where other comic artists strove for polished idealized renderings, Mignola’s artwork incorporates an expressionistic rough texture, with blocky figures and shadowy backgrounds, without fine details. After doing work for both Marvel and DC Comics, including the DC miniseries Cosmic Odyssey with writer Jim Starlin, Mignola moved into independent comics, joining the fledgling Legend imprint at Dark Horse, where he launched his greatest creation to date, Hellboy.

While John Byrne wrote the first Hellboy miniseries, Seed of Destruction, Mignola took over the scripting himself with the follow-up miniseries, The Right Hand of Doom. Hellboy provided a perfect setting for Mignola’s dark and gloomy artwork and allowed Mignola to tap into his knowledge of and love for horror stories. Hellboy is a darkly humorous foil to various demons and characters from Eastern folklore, and Mignola has slowly crafted an intricate universe that incorporates Hellboy and his organization, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development, or B.P.R.D., along with other characters like the amphibious Ape Sapien and the pulp hero, Lobster Johnson.

In a sharp departure from normal comic book production, Mignola chose to tell Hellboy’s story as a series of miniseries, rather than attempting to maintain a monthly or bimonthly production schedule. This allows him to take the time to craft each story carefully, and fans are content to wait. Blending mythology, folklore, mysticism, occasional Nazis, and a large dose of Lovecraftian horror, Mignola’s Hellboy has proven to be both popular and enduring, spawning a live-action movie directed by Guillermo del Toro and two direct-to-video animated features. Another title set in the Hellboy universe, BPRD, is written by Mignola and John Arcudi, with art by Guy Davis.

Recommended:
Cosmic Odyssey, DC Comics
The Right Hand of Doom, Dark Horse
The Chained Coffin and other Stories, Dark Horse
Amazing Screw-On Head, Dark Horse

McDuffie’s first issue on the regular JLA title is an incredible breath of fresh air following the miserably dull Meltzer run. Truthfully, I should have taken the title off my pull list while Meltzer was on board, but I knew I’d want to be here for McDuffie, so I trudged through Meltzer’s endless year of padded storylines, mischaracterizations, and generally poor plotting with bizarre twists that erupt from … well, nowhere.

I’d wager McDuffie feels the same way about that year that I do, judging from the Wedding Special (in which he has the Unholy Trinity of Luthor, Joker, and Cheetah select a new Injustice League in a matter of pages, unlike Meltzer’s appallingly extended selection process) and this issue. Action abounds, as the League throws down with the new Injustice League on several fronts, showing decisiveness and a good bit of tactical thinking. The imprint of TV’s Justice League Unlimited is all over this title now, from the specific members of the Injustice League to the discussion between John Stewart and Black Lightning about the merits of shaving one’s head, and extending to the hints of chemistry between John Stewart and Hawkgirl. Let me be clear: that’s a GOOD thing.

McDuffie arguably revitalized the TV show when he joined the production team, and he’s doing the same thing to the comic. Characterization abounds, and heroes interact smoothly and professionally, with appropriate levels of camaraderie. Benitez’s art is a perfect fit for the book – he elegantly captures the menace of the Injustice League. I’m hoping this team stays on the book for a LONG time – as one of DC’s flagship titles, the Justice League deserves much better than it got from Meltzer.

We’re three issues in to the latest BPRD story and, well, I hate to say it, but this is starting to feel pretty padded. Mignola and Arcudi have given us some interesting plot threads to work with: Johann’s new body, Liz’s doubt and desperation, and Daimio’s “origin” are all provocative and intriguing, and we find out just about ... nothing in this issue. That’s not to say nothing happens – there’s quite a bit going on at BPRD headquarters with the Wendigo escaping and the ensuing search, but the major plotlines hardly progress at all.

Davis’ art, as usual, does a good job of evoking Mignola’s artwork without aping him completely. His style isn’t realistic, though, and doesn’t lend itself to the cinematic trick of going in for a tight shot and then pulling back. Ideally, you want to shock the viewer when he or she recognizes the object. With Davis, however, I find myself staring at the close-ups and wondering what he’s trying to depict.

I know the fashion these days is to write for the trade, but usually Mignola has a much better feel for the story’s pacing. Each issue makes you feel like you haven’t wasted your money. This time, though, I found myself thinking, “I should have just bought the trade.”

I’ll go ahead and admit now that I love Detective Chimp. Yes, the character is goofy, but I can’t get enough, and I’m really thrilled about his portrayal in the wake of 52. A big part of that portrayal has been his presence in Shadowpact, a title focused on the long-neglected mystic side of the DC Universe. The Shadowpact is a magical team who address mystical threats.

This issue finds the cast in the extra-dimensional bar that serves as their headquarters, from which they act to address a plague of zombies in Gotham City. New character Warlock’s Daughter helps quell the zombies, but betrays her inexperience, causing Nightmaster to assign the Enchantress to mentor the up-and-coming sorceress. The apprenticeship causes problems for both teacher and student.

I’m not familiar with Sturges’ other comic work, but here he manages to hit on all the major plotlines while providing a fair dose of both action and character interaction. Braithwaite’s artwork is one of the best features of the book, with a soft, watercolor feel that captures the otherwordly aspect of Shadowpact. My one complaint would be that many of the characters faces look unnecessarily harsh – the Phantom Stranger is almost unrecognizable. But as long as Detective Chimp is on board, so am I.

The first Freedom Fighters mini-series was one of the more interesting titles to come out of Infinite Crisis, at least to me. The deplorable deaths of the FF in the pages of Infinite Crisis annoyed me, since they stand as more carnage designed to convey a false sense of “importance” for events. Plus, I’ve liked the FF since they showed up in the Justice League during a previous ‘crisis’ many years ago.

The deaths of several of the original Fighters simply cleared the decks for their replacements, further rendering the deaths pointless, but props to Gray and Palmiotti for giving us a new FF that’s largely the same as the old one. The plot of the first miniseries was fairly convoluted, so I won’t attempt to summarize it. This issue opens with the Fighters locked in battle with extraterrestrial insects, a battle with unusual consequences for the new Red Bee. Returning to Earth in the wake of the Amazon War, the FF decides to become a branch of the Super Human Advanced Defense Executive (SHADE), causing a schism in the team, and setting up conflicting superhero ideologies that will presumably resolve as the series progresses.

Arlem’s artwork is detailed but dark and shadowy, which is really at odds with this cast. Uncle Sam and the others are not exactly unobtrusive, and a brighter, cleaner look would suit them better. Part of this is doubtless due to colorist Rob Schwager, and I hope he lightens up the palette in future issues.

Booster Gold is one of the better new titles hitting the racks these days. It’s a lighthearted romp through DC history, as Booster takes on a Quantum Leap role: There are glitches throughout time, and Booster’s got to fix ‘em. To make matters worse, there’s another team running around causing trouble, making the job more difficult.

Aided and abetted by his faithful Skeets (who serves in a role similar to Al in Quantum Leap), Booster uses Rip Hunter’s time machine to