Mixed Plate Comics- Week of 5.11.2011

Between Free Comic Book Day and a solid lineup of regular reads, I just couldn't find myself outside of the sequential, highly addictive realm of word bubbles & panel arrangements.  These were the books that brought the boom and pow in my face for the week:  Batgirl  #21 / REBELS #28 / Birds of Prey  #12 / Titans #35 / Batman Inc. #6 / Secret Avengers #11 / The Flash #12 / FF #3 / Flashpoint #1 and a fat stack of fab FCBD reads.

5     R.E.B.E.L.S. #28  Tony Bedard & Claude St. Aubin

Bedard's book on a band of Intergalactic mercenaries comes to an end at just over a 2+ year stint.  Not bad saying that many books will be ending with Flashpoint-- that includes the likes of even, The Flash-- more on that in a bit.  The REBELS go out in a big-bang facing Starro head-on in what seems to be the beginning of a world where eating sashimi will be banned (yeah... I am not so funny right now). 

Starro just about dominates Starfire and her sis Blackfire as Adam Strange struggles against a droned out Vril Dox.  Off-planet, Lobo & Smite enjoy a brewski  after a deadlocked bar-brawl and are joined by some of the crew-- readying to join up in the massive battle against Smite's old master.  

Brainiac 3 and Tribulus save the day by jolting everyone and their mother with a crapload of mental lightning-- leaving the Starro polyps mere burnt ash, with Starro now powerless and the anti-heroes again save the Galaxy.  Everyone is happy except for a p*ssy-whipped Captain Comet (longing for some Starfire) and Vril announces that L.E.G.I.O.N. will take care of this whole Green Lantern War mess.  My guess is we will see REBELS make an appearance at least in Bedard's other title Green Lantern Corps...thanks to Bedard, St. Aubin, the Hories and the rest of the creative team for a solid, entertaining read in one of the more obscure, yet entertaining DC books out there.


4   Flashpoint  #1  Geoff Johns & Andy Kubert

The concept of a depowered Barry Allen in this new world of Flashpoint is ill.  Johns gets to focus, reintroduce and show readers who the man behind the mask is-- similar to how he busted Hal Jordan's mighty rise to the top of the DCU.  I like that we get to see him reunited with his long-dead mother but you know how it goes, you don't get your cake and get to eat it too Barry!

In this new world, Iris and Barry have not even met before and again-- the speedforce is well, not a part of his life either.  At least, as we know it.

Cyborg looks to bring together a whole, new band of heroes that minus Batman, Citizen Cold and the Marvels are either spinoffs of characters we know of or for the most part are unrecognizable-- to take on the threat of the Atlantian and Amazon attacks across the nation.

Casino Batman turns them all down, leaving the heroes splintered-- as Barry in bewilderment looks to get answers on why the hell his world is so vastly changed--yeah, so he goes to the Batcave.  Once there he learns that even Batman is not who we think he is.  Kubert's art is crisp, clean and mean in this very, very different DCU.  A whole lot of questions and interesting angles they can go into, which they will have plenty of pages to flesh into with the 23 books covering Flashpoint in June alone!!  Like whoa yo.


3   Flash  #12  Geoff Johns & Kolins / Manapul
Yes, the Flash is just about done in this run son.  Second to the last ish and I guess we see why this all makes sense.  Zoom delivers on his promise of taking more than just his mother from him-- he takes his whole damn
life as the Scarlet Speedster!!  Well, before all that we get to see Flash and Kid Flash make nice and put Hot Pursuit in his wannabe, Ghost Rider-ass place by showing em how wrong he was that Bart is the reason for the numerous time-connected deaths.

Zoom offs the Barry Allen, po-po doppelganger and we now get how the now uber-charged Reverse-Flash is able to change events through history leaving us with the massive event book that is Flashpoint.

Loved how Kolins and Manapul both get into the mix on the last few books of the Flash being that they have been so integral to Johns crafting of bringing The Flash more forward and center in the Multiverse.  Zoom finally gets his due shine by changing everything we know and living out his penis-envy of Barry by becoming the hero he hates, the Flash.  At least I think that is what will happen...


2  FF #3   Jonathan Hickman & Steve Epting
Mr Fantastic is about to get his.  Served daily by his own daughter and now, partner-in-white, Dr. Doom.  Together with Doom, Valeria and the rest of the first fam-- Reed invites many of his genius, longtime archenemies on a symposium of how to finally defeat..himself.  Well, at least the alternate versions of Reed Richards that look to destroy this timeline for the "greater good".  Cool, crafty and very Hickman-ish. 

Epting's art is getting better and better (feeling closer to the fab grime-lines of Deodato) with each book, perfectly setting the dark, eery mood just after the death of one of Marvel's staple heroes.

Always a sucker for a Watcher appearance that usually signals a doomed-type setting for our heroes.

Especially after reading the last FF-infused Spidey issues that are more light in tone-- I so, so love Hickman's depiction of Reed and the rest of the Future Foundation that looks to put Mr. Fantastic in less of the lead-role, behind his more powerful and less egocentric offspring.  So many layers in this book to appreciate as it goes with any Pronea read.


1  Batman Incorporated #6    Grant Morisson & Chris Burnham

So you thought that Morrison couldn't tinker himself out of the conundrum of the whole world making the logical connection that Bruce Wayne is in fact Batman huh?!  Like how it all went down that further escalates Batman's war of the Bat-fam on whoever this new big, bad boss is.

Red-Robin and the Outsiders?  Kinda like it.  So will all of this momentum of creating this whole Bat-empire be washed away with Flashpoint?!  I sure hope not.  And who else thinks that DC is genius for inking on Chris Burnham as an exclusive creator wasn't a mighty fine idea?  We do!!  I like how his style is along the same graphic, meticulous deliciousness of Frazier Irving & Frank Quitely. 

Batman Inc. is again and again on the top of our weekly reads along with Green Lantern, Emerald Warriors, SHIELD, Secret Six and Uncanny X-Force.  What a great time to live in this world of funnybooks.  Huzzah!!


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big O