Amazing Spider-Man #238 (March 1983)

Legacy can be a funny thing. When we think of legacy in superhero comics, we often think of superhero legacies. People like Kyle Rayner or Wally West or Miguel O'Hara, people who picked up the costumes and mantles of previous users and became heroes in their own right. But the thing is...the idea of legacy can also apply to villains.

Yup, supervillains can have legacies, too. It's not uncommon for more than one person to use a supervillain mantle. For example, the Eel. The first one, first appearing in Strange Tales #112, was Leopold Stryke. He would be killed in Ghost Rider #21. In Power Man and Iron Fist #92, a new Eel would appear: Edward Lavell. Those legacies tend to be much less well-known than superhero legacies. However, there is one villain that would take the idea of supervillain legacy and...twist it, but then create his own legacy: The Hobgoblin.

Here, we're going to look at the first appearance of the first Hobgoblin: Roderick Kingsley. Kingsley himself had appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #43 (June 1980), but this is the issue where he first suited up as the Hobgoblin.

And with all of that out of the way, let's take a look at the last comic review of January 2018, Amazing Spider-Man #238!

The cover is awesome. It depicts the Hobgoblin, his face shadowed, tearing Spidey's costume in half. I love that the face is shadowed, as it gives more of a frightening effect, and this cover gives the idea that this new Hobgoblin is not going to play around with the Webhead. He's going straight for the kill.

"Shadow of Evils Past"
Writer: Roger Stern
Artists: John Romita Jr., John Romita Sr.
Traffic Manager: Virginia Romita (Credited as "Traffic Manager")
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Andy Yanchus
Editor: Tom DeFalco
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Peter Parker watching his aunt May sign some forms.

May had turned her home into a boarding house for her fellow senior citizens, and is signing some papers to make it official. Peter recalls how he grew up in May's home, which leads him to recall the death of his uncle Ben, which lead him to use the power of Spider-Man as a superhero. Peter then thinks about the new man in her life, one Nathan Lubensky. He's the wheelchair-user in the panel.

Lubensky had helped May convert her home into the boarding house. I have to say, I like the character. He's pretty awesome. He was a great fit for May, his cool laid-back nature compliment her more worrysome self. After the legal business is taken care of, the three are out on the town. Peter decides to take them to get an egg cream. Egg creams contain neither eggs for cream. The name is a LIE. They head towards an alley, and Peter is very grateful for his Spider-Sense.

A cop ass if they're alright. Peter angrily responds that Aunt May and Nathan nearly got ran over. The cop explains that the people in the car just robbed a bank. Peter angrily storms off. Aunt May asks where he's going, but Nathan tells her to leave him be, as he's got some serious steam to let out. Boy, he has no idea.

Peter changes into Spider-Man, and swings off. He finds the cop car in pursuit of the bank robbers and hitches a ride. He takes his miniature camera and attaches it to the cop cars' siren. Better hope they don't find it, Petey. Spidey then leaps into the crooks' car, and kayoes them. He then grabs the wheel and swerves the car, causing it to slip on its side. One of the crooks manages to escape the car. He tries to flee on foot, and Spidey decides to pay a little homage to The Shadow.

The crook races into an area that's a maze of warehouses, but Spider-Man is easily able to keep in pursuit thanks to his powers. The crook runs into a dead end. In desperation, he tries to confuse Spidey with a smoke bomb. However, it doesn't work. Spider-Man is able to use his Spider-Sense to detect the crook...somehow. The criminal seems to vanish, but Spidey discovers a convenient manhole, and heads into the sewers.

Spidey then realizes that he has to get his camera, and the cops can find the remaining robber. He already got the other three anyway. The criminal, who was hiding, stumbles onto to a hidden door. Spidey then explains this to a cop, who reassures him that they'll get him. Spidey webs up his camera and swings away, leaving the cops confused. Back in the sewers, the one remaining robber walks down a hall, wondering where this came from. He goes to the end of the hall, and ends up finding something interesting.

Evidently, the crook has stumbled upon one of the Green Goblin's old workshops. But let's check on Aunt May and Nathan, shall we? They head home, and Aunt May gets a phone call from sunny Florida. Her old friend Anna Watson is residing there currently, and wants to congratulate her on the opening of her boarding house. And Mary Jane says hello.

Peter then goes to call her, but the line is busy. Ah, the 80s. When you couldn't just text someone. He then heads out to the Daily Bugle to sell his photos. Robbie Robertson is thrilled with the photos, and tells the big-nosed nerdy copy boy about the photos. The copy boy remarks that the chase ended at an Osborn warehouse, which makes Peter wonder if Osborn will haunt him for the rest of his life. Yes. Yes he will, Pete. On a positive note, Robertson gives Peter a rather generous check for the photos, saying he's earned it.

Meanwhile, a van pulls up at said warehouse, the criminal who managed to escape Spidey, whio is revealed to be called "Georgie", finds his way back to the old warehouse, and he's brought a mysterious friend.

Robertson gives Peter a lift home, and his radio is picking up the police band. It's reporting that there's a possible break-in at Osborn Manufacturing. Peter realizes that was the place he collared that group of criminals earlier. They arrive, and both Robbie and Peter hope the fire is accidental. Peter's fellow Daily Bugle photographer, Lance Bannon, has got the fire on film thanks to his own camera.

Robbie asks a firefighter if they determined the cause of the fire. He explains they believe it was arson. The person who called them said a red van sped away. The fire did end up being contained in the chamber it appeared to have originated from...a chamber that was not in any floor plans of the building they could find. Peter, getting a bad feeling, asks if he could take a look at it. The firefighter agrees, but warns there's not much to see. Peter looks into the chamber, and realizes to his horror what it was.

It was one of Norman Osborn's old Green Goblin lairs, where he kept his gear. Peter is terrified by this. Robertson gets a call, and it's from Aunt May. She and Peter converse a bit, and Peter agrees to go to dinner with her. Peter believes the criminal he was unable to catch earlier may have found the lair and looted it. If he did, there's a new Green Goblin in town. That would make number four. At the time, Norman Osborn was believed dead, Harry Osborn had no memory of his time as the second (not to mention he was also married), and Bart Hamilton was dead.

That evening, the mysterious figure and Georgie are driving down a road in the South Bronx. The man gets out, and tells Georgie to dispose of the van. Georgie agrees and drives off. The figure pulls out a device from his coat and presses a button.

So long, Georgie. We hardly knew ye. The next day, the man returns to a room. He had spent the previous night reading through Normal Osborn's journals. The man had learned much, admiring Norman's brilliance, but also condemning Osborn's madness. It's also clear he had been doing some...tinkering with Osborn's old gear. The man tests out some of the old gear. A Pumpkin Bomb that can explode nearly silently, but can still blow a hole in a three-inch-thick slab of steel. Gloves woven with micro-circuitry that would allow the user to fire power-bursts of several thousand volts.

And the glider. The mystery man loves the Jet-Glider. Swift, maneuverable, quiet. He is just having a blast flying around the room. He then goes over to a mold. He's been making a new mask, and he's very pleased with his work. He's also been working on the costumes, dying them new colors. Out with the green and purple of Osborn, in with the orange and blue. Adding a hood, too. He tries one on, and it's a perfect fit.

As he puts on his new costume, the man feels a rush. It's like he now feels...powerful. He understands right there why Norman Osborn loved being the Green Goblin so much. But the man understands something that Osborn did not. The man understands why Osborn was so warped. He lacked control and let the Goblin overtake him. But this man will not make that mistake. Osborn got drunk with the Goblin's power, but this man will not let that happen. The Green Goblin is no more. The Green Goblin is dead.

Long Live the Hobgoblin.

This issue was really good. Marvel had wanted Roger Stern to bring back the Green Goblin, but Stern wasn't too receptive to the idea. He didn't want to bring Norman or Bart back from the dead. He also had no desire to have Harry put back on the suit, nor have a new character take up the role. In a way, the Hobgoblin could be seen as a compromise. It would allow the Goblin legacy to continue, but taken in a new dimension. This was a sane Goblin, one who would not surrender to the madness that haunted the Green Goblins. There would be some interesting shenanigans regarding the identity of the man under the Hobgoblin mask over the years, which can be read about here.

I also kind of like the idea of May owning a boarding house. It's a shame that didn't stick. I think it would have been a great way to help keep the book fresh in a way. Having boarders regularly come and go would have given us some interesting characters and stories. I also like the portrayal of the figure who would ultimately don the Hobgoblin gear. Stern does great work showing this character desiring to not repeat the mistakes of those who wore the Goblin gear in the past. The art is not bad, either. Then again, it's the Romitas. The art style seems to favor Senior over Junior, though.

I love the Roger Stern era of Spider-Man, and I honestly think it deserves more love. Next time, we take a look at the Legion of Super-Heroes, as they deal with the beginning of a great darkness...

Ant-Man and the Wasp Trailer, My Thoughts

The Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe is rolling on and on! Black Panther is out, we got a teaser for the MCU's 20th film. Yup, Ant-Man and the Wasp mark the MCU's 20th movie. Amazing, ain't it? Anyway, let's take a look at the trailer!

The teaser begins with a view of the big city. And Ant-Man asking Wasp one question: If Cap had asked her to help him during the events of Civil War, would she have helped? She only says that now we'll never know, but she believes Scott Lang would never have gotten caught if she was there. You sure about that, Hope? Pride goeth before the fall.

You can get why Hope is a bit bitter towards Scott. Thanks to Scott's being on Team Cap during Civil War, both she and Hank Pym are on the run.

Ha ha ha, Pym Particles are awesome. He turned a building into a suitcase! That's so cool.

Hey, Lawrence Fishburne! I heard he's playing Bill Foster. I wonder if he'll suit up at some point.

OH, THAT BIT WITH THE SHRINKING VAN WAS SO COOL!

I can imagine giant Scott basically asking if anyone has any orange slices.

I like how the Ghost looks. I just wish the suit had more bright white on it. Like in the original comics.

Hope kicking some butt as the Wasp. Which makes sense. Hope Pym trained her whole life to be a superhero, and it may appear she has a natural talent for him, yet Scott is still rather new to it.

I'm guessing that Hank gave Hope wings and the blasters as a nod to the wasp's stingers and they can fly. But ants can have wings, too. Queen ants and male drone ants can be winged. Antony was a drone. But then again, maybe Hank felt Hope can handle blasters, whereas Scott may accidentally blow a hole in someone.

HOLY COW, GIANT HELLO KITTY FEZ DISPENSER COMING AT YA!

This film sounds like it'll be a lot of fun! I loved the first Ant-Man movie, and honestly, I think it's a rather underrated film. Give it a watch, it's great! I can't wait to see this! Between this, Black Panther, and the upcoming Infinity War, 2018 looks to be a great year to be a Marvel fan!

Pacific Rim Uprising Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2013, the film Pacific Rim hit theaters. It garnered positive reviews from critics, and did very well internationally, but sadly did not do well here in the US. Despite this, it has become a sort of cult classic here in the USA, and there's now a sequel. And here's a trailer for it!

The trailer begins with John Boyega in jail. Huh, Phasma got the last laugh after all. Evidently his character is the son of Idris Elba's character from the last movie, and the two are rather...estranged. It's understandable. Pentecost never even mentioned him in the last movie. I'd be bitter too if my dad passed me over for my adopted Japanese sister.

He seems like he lives the high life. How'd he get that Yeager skull? Is he a tech billionaire?

Ooh, I like that girl's Jaeger. That's pretty cool it can roll into a ball, like Sonic the Hedgehog. I also like that this Jaeger can be piloted by one person. Much more convenient than having two.

I'm guessing the UN eagerly refunded the Jaegers after the last movie.

You'd think the Japanese would get really fed up with giant monsters wrecking their stuff all the time. I mean, Godzilla's already bad enough.

Hmm, looks like someone is opening a portal to the kaiju's world and letting then enter our world. But for what purpose?

Like father, like son.

Ah, the classic story of the next generation of pilots having to endure their baptism by fire.

I've seen people complain about the Jaegers in this film being sleek and fast. But I look at it like this. This film is set ten years after the events of the last movie. The technology in the Jaegers could have undergone upgrading and modification over that time, allowing these Jaegers to be technologically superior to their "fathers".

This film seems like it'll be fun. I enjoyed the first Pacific Rim, and I think this one will be fun, too.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (April 1985)

As the 1980s rolled on, DC Comics was nearing a big birthday. 1985 was DC's 50th Anniversary, having debuted with the title New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1 (February 1935). This title, during its run, which lasted until 1947, introduced some stalwarts of the emerging DC Universe, like the Spectre, Doctor Fate, and Superboy. They need something big, something epic.

Enter Marv Wolfman and his dream story.

Growing up in the 1960s, he was a fan of the Justice League comic, especially their yearly team-ups with the Justice Society. These stories were given titles like "Crisis on Earth-One" and "Crisis on Earth-Two", etc. He wanted to see a story featuring all of DC's heroes, past, present and future, in one big epic story. He even came up with a villain for it: The Librarian. Yeah, not the most intimidating supervillain name. As Marv Wolfman himself said in introduction to the 1998 trade paperback: "What's he gonna do? Charge the heroes a nickel a day for overdue books?"

Still, the idea stuck with Wolfman, even staying with him when he became a comic book writer. Further inspired by The Prisoner, he wanted to make his epic Librarian story a limited series, but it was the 1970s, and the Big Two felt such a thing would be impossible to sell. At the time, first issues of comics sold poorly, and readers liked big numbers on their covers. But then the 1980s would roll around, and by then, Wolfman was using his Librarian concept in the New Teen Titans series, renamed "The Monitor". While writing Green Lantern, Wolfman got a fan letter who was confused about a continuity question. This inspired Wolfman to bring back his idea with "the Monitor" as a way to clean up DC's continuity to make it more inviting to new readers.

You see, at the time, DC had a full-blown multiverse. There was Earth-One, the primary setting and the focus of much of DC's books. Earth-Two, which was the home of the Justice Society and various other heroes, including elder versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Earth-Three, the home of the Crime Syndicate, basically an evil version of the Justice League. Earth-X, an Earth where the Axis Powers won WWII, and a resistance stood against them (Uncle Sam, Phantom Lady, Human Bomb, etc.)

See what I mean? Quite a few Earths out there. Even though they didn't all get books focused on them, those various Earths had appeared in quite a few stories, mainly thanks to the yearly "Crisis" team-ups between the JLA of Earth-One, and the JSA of Earth-Two. DC also had acquired characters from other companies, like Charlton (Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Question, Nightshade), and Fawcett Comics (The Marvel Family and Dr. Sivana). Those characters got their own earths as well. Earth-Four and Earth-S, respectively. Old-time readers had no problem tracking it, as it was old-hat to them at this point, but new readers...yeah.

CoIE was announced at a comic convention in New York City in 1981, but due to the sheer volume of continuity research, not to mention Wolfman and Perez were also working on New Teen Titans, it was held off until 1985. Yup. Keep in mind, the Internet as we know did not exist in the early 80s. Wolfman couldn't just consult a wiki or Google the character's histories. The timing was a nice bit of serendipity as DC would be celebrating their 50th Anniversary that year. What better gift for such an occasion than an epic story that involves DC's history in such a manner?

The event truly did live up to its promise. It changed everything. Even thirty years later, Crisis still reverberates and echoes throughout the DC Universe.

And with all of that out of the way, let's take a look at the first issue of Crisis on Infinite Earths #1!

This cover is AWESOME. Seriously, it's simple but very effective. You got a string of Earths in a starfield, one about to explode. You got a bunch of characters just being sent flying, various expressions on their faces. Pariah (The guy below the old Superman) is having a really bad migraine. You got Harbinger (the blonde in the red helmet and blue number), just watching this impassively. Behind her is...Zordon? Well, that makes sense. In the trade, the energy erupting from the one Earth in the cover is pink. Too much pink energy truly is dangerous.

"The Summoning!" 
Writer: Marv Wolfman, Robert Greenberger
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Dick Giordano
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Letterer: John Constanza
Editor: Marv Wolfman
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with basically a recap of the origins of the Multiverse. When the Big Bang hit, it created a variety of worlds, similar but different, only kept apart by differing vibrational rates.

We then next see a wall of white heading towards one of these many Earths, slowly consuming it. People in a city flee the wall of white, while a figure in a green cloak watches this. He laments that there is no escape for these people. They can run, they can pray, but there is no hope. Nothing can be done to save them. There are no heroes, there is no day for them to save. There is only oblivion.

The green-cloaked man tries to save a child, but to no avail. He wonders how much longer he has to suffer for his sins. He pleads to be consumed by the wall of white, but he only vanishes.

The wall of white next reaches Earth-3, the home of the Crime Syndicate of America. They were basically an evil version of the Justice League. The costumed criminals try to stop the destruction, but it's no good. You're probably thinking, "Wait, if they're villains, why do they care if the Earth gets destroyed?". Well, as Kingpin from the 90s Spider-Man cartoon said, "There's no profit in the destruction of the planet. It is very bad for business." Johnny Quick and Owlman lament that despite their abilities allowing them to be masters of their Earth, they can't even save themselves.

This world's only hero, Alexander Luthor, witnesses Superwoman get consumed by the wall of white, and mourns her death, and the end of his world. He heads to his home, and his wife Lois. They just had a baby boy, and Lois is heartbroken that he'll die before he ever got to have a life. But there is hope. As the Crime Syndicate vainly fight to save their world, Luthor puts his son in a pod. Ultraman flies into the wall, determined to go out fighting. As the wall consumes Earth-3, Alex's pod breaches the vibrational barrier between the Earths, ensuring their son may find safety somewhere else. The wall gets Alex and Lois as they share one last kiss.

You know, it always struck me as kind of funny that in this version of the Crime Syndicate's world, there's only one superhero, Luthor. You'd think an evil Wonder Woman would be opposed by a heroic Cheetah, or an evil GL facing off against a heroic Sinestro. Heck, an evil Flash fighting a heroic version of the Rogues would've been neat.

Anyway, Alex's pod reaches Earth-1, where it ends up in the remains of the Justice League's old satellite headquarters. A mysterious being in another satellite nearby observes the pod arriving. The unseen being then summons an equally mysterious blonde woman.

He tells her that she knows her assignment, and she knows who to get. She wonders why she doesn't just get the various Earths' versions of Superman and Wonder Woman for this, as they would bring a ton of raw power. The being explains he has analyzed various powered individuals and the ones he has chosen are best for the job. He orders while he retrieves the pod from Earth-3. She obeys, but reminds the "Monitor" that she is his equal, not his slave. In an incredible sequence, she heads out, seemingly splitting into various duplicates.

The woman, Harbinger, heads towards Gorilla City. There, King Solovar is overseeing some business. After sentencing a criminal to "conversion", he finds Harbinger in his private chambers, saying he is needed. Solovar tells her he is not going anywhere without an explanation. Some gorilla guards burst in and try to blast Harbinger, but she vanishes, taking Solovar with her.

In 30th Century Metropolis, Dawnstar of the Legion of Super-Heroes flies towards Suicide Slum in answer to a telepathic call. She's suspicious about it because it's not Saturn Girl calling her. Her ability to track things (Yeah, she's a Native American character, and her power is to track things. Go figure) to find the source of the call. She examines a warehouse door and...

Yup. Off Dawnstar goes. The scene then shifts to Earth-Two in 1942. A USO Bond Rally is being held, and a woman is fussing over a stove. A beautiful redhead tells her to find some matches, and she'll see what she can do. When the woman leaves, the redhead, one Danette "Firebrand" Reilly of the All-Star Squadron, secretly uses her pyrokinetic abilities to ignite the stove. Firebrand then hears someone calling her by her hero name, and notices everyone and everything is frozen in place.

And with that, Harbinger collects Firebrand. Next, the comic takes us to a city. A Detective Karp is talking on a megaphone to some hostage-takers. One of them, with a gun to a woman's chin, scoffs at this. He retorts that if they let the woman go, they'll get shot into paste by the cops. He demands some money and a fueled chopper. But these men would get a special visitor tonight.

Yup, it's Ted Kord, the Silver Age Blue Beetle! Hurray! He swings down from his flying Bug, and beats up the hostage-takers. He does it in a very Spider-Manesque style, throwing quips and fighting with an acrobatic style. It does make sense, as Ted's creator, Steve Ditko, also co-created Spider-Man. It's a shame that DC and Marvel don't do inter-company crossovers anymore, as Peter Parker and Ted Kord having an adventure together would be awesome. Heck, you could do a two-part team-up with Peter and Ted starting a case, and then the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle and the Miles Morales Spider-Man following up on it.

Anyway, Ted deals with the criminals and saves the hostage. Harbinger appears to him and tell him that like Solovar, Dawnstar, and Firebrand before him, the Blue Beetle is needed. Beetle, figuring that she won't take no for an answer, agrees to go with her. After all, there's nothing good on TV that night.

We next go back in time: 45,000 years in the past. Harbinger speeds across an icy desert in search of Arion, the immortal sorcerer who defends ancient Atlantis before it sunk under the waves. Unbeknownst to her, a dark being, a Shadow Demon, observes her. The Demon attacks, and before she can respond...

The demon seemingly overtakes the duplicate of Harbinger, her eyes solid black. The scene then shifts to the then-present 1980s of Earth-Two. Harbinger comes to an insane asylum, looking for her next chosen character, one Roger Hayden, aka the second Psycho-Pirate. Hayden is suffering from a bit of an imbalance due to his addiction to absorbing emotions thanks to the Medusa Mask. He tells Harbinger to go recruit Charles Halstead, his predecessor. Harbinger reminds him Halstead is dead. Harbinger makes his Medusa Mask reappear, and makes it fly onto his face in a really cool sequence.

Back in ancient Atlantis, Arion senses some strange energy, which is causing his own power to grow. He conjures an ice bridge and encounters Harbinger demands he come with her, but Arion thinks she's trying to attack him, and he tries to fight back. This Harbinger was possessed by the Shadow Demon from earlier, hence her more aggressive nature towards Arion. Arion plunges towards the icy mists below, but the possessed Harbinger saves him, thinking it's not his time to die...yet.

In present time Earth-One Gotham, Firestorm (The Ronnie Raymond/Martin Stein version) flies towards a prison. Using his powers, he goes through the wall, and finds his quarry: Louise Lincoln, aka Killer Frost. She's imprisoned in ice because she is a body heat vampire, and despite her cryokinetic powers, being in cold places can make her dormant.

Firestorm melts the ice to free her. Frost is confused for a moment. Firestorm tries to explain why he freed her, but decides "Don't care, wanna kill you". Harbinger and Psycho-Pirate arrive, and Pirate uses his power over emotions to make Lincoln fall in love with Firestorm.

Yeah, it's played for laughs, but I can see why some would see it as rather creepy. Harbinger's boss watches this on a monitor. He thinks about how he rescued Lyla (Harbinger's real name) as a child floating lost at sea. He recalls how he raised and nurtured her over the past twenty years. He sees her as the daughter he could never have...and she's going to kill him. Yeah, he knows about one of Harbinger's duplicates being possessed by the Shadow Demon. However, he is more worried about Harbinger, as the fate of the cosmos will be in her hands.

Harbinger brings Psycho-Pirate, Killer Frost, and Firestorm back up to her boss's big golden Death Star-like satellite, where the rest of the heroes and villains she has gathered are waiting...and wanting some answers.

My tablet hates trying to scan these double-age spreads. In addition to the earlier characters, she also gathered Psimon, Cyborg, Geo-Force, Obsidian, the Earth-Two Superman, the John Stewart Green Lantern, and the Neal Emerson Dr. Polaris. Cyborg and Psimon were part of Wolfman and Perez's New Teen Titans run at the time they were making this, so I bet they could not resist bringing some elements of that into this, heh heh. In a minor funny moment, Arion inquires about Dr. Polaris's powers, thinking he's a sorcerer, but Polaris basically tells him to not touch him or else. Interestingly, John Stewart thinks about the owner of the satellite, the mysterious "Monitor". He also recalls this "Monitor" was selling weapons to various supervillains and criminals [See my review of Vigilante #6 (May 1984)], and is wondering why he's brought this ragtag group of misfits here.

The group talk amongst themselves, observed by a shadowy being. Psimon offers a truce to Cyborg and Geo-Force. Cyborg tells him to shove it. Psimon exclaims that he senses danger, and the group is about to be attacked.

A group of Shadow Demons come at the Monitor's little assemblage. Let's call them the "Harbinger Group". Green Lantern tries blasting them with his Power Ring, but has no effect. Lyla reintegrates her duplicates, feeling very weakened from having separated for so long. As such, she is unable to help. She seemingly falls asleep, but the narration hints she will wake up changed. The group of heroes and villains try to fight off the Shadow Demons, but they're not having much of an effect. Obsidian notices that the Shadow Demons can't seem to harm him in his own shadow form, and he presses his advantage.

Despite this, the Harbinger Group still can't seem to make much of a dent in the Demons, only slowing them down at best. A flash of very bright light sends them fleeing. A figure assures the heroes that this attack was not unexpected, but also unplanned for. He also tells them this attack wasn't Harbinger's fault. You see, several of the group are convinced Harbinger set them up, like E-2 Superman and Psimon. The figure dims the lights so the Harbinger Group can see again, and they get a good look at Harbinger's benefactor.

The Monitor stands revealed for the first time, and he brought this group together because they are the only hope of saving their worlds from imminent destruction.

This issue is rather enjoyable. It is mainly a set-up issue, but it does the job well. The group of heroes and villains that Harbinger brings together are a rather fascinating bunch, with a variety of superpowers. The issue also does a good job establishing how dangerous these Shadow Demons are. The Earth-2 Superman, one of, if not the, most powerful heroes in DC's canon at the time can't hurt them. Except for Obsidian, none of the gathered heroes and villains could do much good against them...and even Obsidian could only do so much.

I do have one complaint about the story, though. If the Monitor knew Lyla would eventually kill him, why did he not try to stop her? He clearly cares about her, and the issue clearly hints that she may not do it willingly, so why not at the very least warn the heroes that this would happen? I get the villains would not likely care, but the heroes would.

As for the artwork, well...it's George Perez. What can I say? It's detailed, dynamic, expressive, it's just a joy to look at. His art always makes my eyes happy. Some of the layouts and sequences are amazing to look at, and I highly recommend you get this comic to experience them yourselves. Trust me. My tablet would try to murder me if I tried scanning some of that for you here. Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 is a great start to the mini-series, quickly giving the idea that this story is going to be of epic scope, showing stakes the likes of which the heroes of the then-DC Multiverse have never encountered before. Next time, we'll take a look at the debut of the Hobgoblin...

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay Trailer, My Thoughts

There's a new danger, and what the world needs to fight this menace...are supervillains. And not just any group of supervillains...they need a group that will go in aware that if something goes wrong, they will be disavowed. And they will be seen as expendable. After all, nobody will miss them. These villains will have Hell to Pay. Which is their new animated adventure. Here's the trailer!

Well, an R-Rating would be appropriate for this bunch.

Why did they have Amanda Waller skinny? There's a reason she's called "The Wall", and it's not a pun on her name.

So, this roster is not exactly the movie roster. Nice to see some other villains included, like Killer Frost (I hope they use either Crystal Frost or Louise Lincoln, not Caitlin Snow) and Copperhead. And I LOVE that they included Bronze Tiger from the Ostrander run. And you cannot have the Suicide Squad without Deadshot and Captain Boomerang. Although I do wish that they let Deadshot have his cool helmet thing.

So, they're going up against Vandal Savage. Interesting opponent for them. I wonder if Scandal will appear.

I stand corrected on the Deadshot not having his helmet thing. And there's a punk rock Silver Banshee. I'm guessing this one is one of Savage's cronies.

And I'm betting the short-haired woman with the X-23 claws is Scandal. and the redhead in green is her Apokoliptian love of her life, Knockout. The comics may have erased them, but nice to see they weren't forgotten.

Something about Deadshot's voice seems...of to me. I can't explain it.

Is that Tara Strong as Harley Quinn? Hey, nice to have her back!

The animation style kind of reminds me of Young Justice.

This looks...interesting. I wonder if this will be direct-to-video.

Kirby Battle Royale Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

The newest game in the long-running Kirby series is out! I'm talking about Kirby Battle Royale, which is an unusual departure for the series. Traditionally a series of platformers, this one is going to be a brawler. And here's the trailer for it!

The trailer begins with something falling on a napping Sword Kirby. Sword Kirby was having a very long day. Slashing through King Dedede's forces like a thresher through wheat is very tiring work. Evidently, the object was revealed to be some sort of invitation for cake. Naturally, the thought of delicious cake is enough to wake up everyone' favorite pink puffball, and he's ready to get himself some cake!

Turns out getting that cake is not going to be easy. King Dedede has a new gadget called a Kirby Printer, which he uses to...clone Kirby. How does that work, exactly? Did Dedede get a DNA sample of Kirby?

Anyway, it turns out that Dedede as the cake, and as part of the game's Story Mode, Kirby's got to fight his way through clones to get the cake. Yup.

The silliness of Story Mode not withstanding, the real attraction of the game is the various forms of facing your opponents Kirby can do in the game. All these game modes are a good idea for keeping people playing the game, and hopefully there's be a nice incentive to get people to try the various other forms of battle.

It's also pretty awesome that Kirby can use some of his Copy Abilities in the game. It's great to see Sword and Fighter, as well as Parasol and Hammer. One of my favorites is Beetle. Kirby just grabbing and tossing everyone around is awesome.

And of course it has multiplayer. Would be kind of silly if this game didn't have that feature.

This sounds...rather fun. I hope it does well. It seems like a good way to kill a few minutes with some friends.

Avengers #1 (February 1998)

The Avengers. Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In my opinion, one of the greatest superteams of all time. And it was the team that made me fall in love with comics.

In the 1990s, the Avengers were in a bit of a slump. During the events of Onslaught: Marvel Universe (October 1996), the Avengers, alongside Dr. Doom and the Fantastic Four, seemingly perished, sacrificing themselves to stop the evil psychic entity known as Onslaught. However, it turns out that Franklin Richards, the near-omnipotent son of the Fantastic Four's Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards and Sue "Invisible Woman" Storm, had transported them to a pocket dimension of his own creation. In this "Franklin-verse", these lost heroes lived new lives, oblivious to what happened to them.

In real life, at this time ,Marvel had "farmed out" some of their titles to other studios to produce. Captain America and Avengers went to Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios, and Iron Man and Fantastic Four went to Jim Lee's WildStorm Productions. I'm not exactly sure why they did this, maybe it had something to do with Marvel's financial problems at the time, I don't know.

During this time, there was an attempt to update the heroes' origins for the then-modern 90s. The reception was...mixed. Some liked, some hated it, some did not freakin' care. One of the more controversial changes was the creative team of Captain America. You see, Mark Waid and Ron Garney were the creative team before this whole thing, and under them, the book was acclaimed and was selling rather well. Eventually, the heroes would return to the "real" Marvel Universe, and with that, the Avengers would also be reborn. And with that, let's take a look at Avengers #1!

The cover is a wraparound, and it is an awesome one. Yeah, technically, it is just depicting Avengers just running, but it's awesome because well, it's a Perez piece, and it also is a way of showing the team's history. Keep in mind, at this time, the team was celebrating its 35th Anniversary. Many members have come and gone. And this cover helps show many of the heroes who were on the team at some point up till then.

"Once An Avenger..."
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Al Vey
Colorist: Tom Smith
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Comicraft/Kolja Fuchs
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story beings in Café Transia, a Slavic restaurant in Manhattan. There, a family is enjoying a meal. Well, no ordinary family. Pietro "Quicksilver" Maximoff, his fraternal twin sister Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff, his wife Crystal of the Inhumans, and his daughter Luna. Pietro is grumbling and complaining about some bureaucracy. Wanda is having a laugh, and Crystal tries to soothe him by reminding him that red tape is inevitable with characters returning from death. Luna spots something, and the little girl is scared out of her wits.

Flying Trolls of Thryhem on the rampage. That'll ruin a family dinner. Near Albuquerque, New Mexico, one Bonita "Firebird" Juarez is out collecting blankets and clothes for a church so they can help the needy. She gets attacked by strange creatures erupting from the ground. The scene then shifts to Wakanda. T'Challa, the Black Panther, is attending a wedding. I bet he does that on occasion, surprises his subjects by attending their weddings. Well, it does happen to be a good thing he showed up, because a dragon decides he wants to experience how Wakandans give beatdowns.

It turns out past members of the Avengers have been getting attacked by various monsters everywhere. Hawkeye, Swordsman II, Magdalene, and Darkhawk in New York City. Hercules in Cincinnati. Living Lightning at UCLA. Moondragon in Las Vegas. The Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman in Denver. Namor at the Hebrides. The Hebrides are a group of island off the west coast of Scotland. She-Hulk in San Francisco. Another Avenger, Rage, gets attacked in the Bronx, but gets some backup from his fellow New Warriors Firestar and Justice. However, as quickly as the monsters attack...they vanish.

The Avengers members are all left confused. I have to admit, I love this part as it not only establishes the scale of this threat, it also shows us a bit of each of these characters' personalities. From Namor's arrogance, to Firebird's devotion to her faith. Very nice.

We then go next to Avengers Mansion, under a dark and stormy sky. A reporter recaps that since the Avengers seemingly died fighting Onslaught, SHIELD had been using it as a base of operations in New York City. But with the Avengers being back, the Mansion has been returned to the Maria Stark Foundation, the long-time financial backers of the Avengers. The reporter also explains that several of the founding Avengers are at the mansion now, and this may lead to a rebirth of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And true to the reporter's words, several of the original Avengers (The Steve Rogers Captain America, Hank Pym Giant-Man, Janet Van Dyne Wasp, and the Tony Stark Iron Man) are having a meeting.

Yeah, in the comics, Cap was not technically an founding Avenger. The original five in the comics were the Bruce Banner Hulk, Tony Stark Iron Man, Hank Pym Ant-Man, Janet Van Dyne Wasp, and Thor Odinson. Cap was the sixth superhero to join, but in the comics, he is considered a founder because the Avengers found him and brought him on board not long after they started adventuring together...and Hulk bailed after a couple of issues.

I am so tickled that they have a very large mug for Hank Pym whenever he's doing the Giant-Man thing. They are discussing the attacks on past Avengers members. Iron Man believes that the attacks are from Asgardian creatures because they match the description of monsters that have been attacking. He wonders why the Avengers got disbanded during their time in the "Franklin-verse".

Cap theorizes it could be Loki. It's a theory that makes sense, as Loki was the cause of the Avengers getting together in the first place. They hear the storm growing more powerful outside, unnaturally powerful. The window bursts open in a blast of wind.

You should expect an organ crash at this moment. It's Thor, and he looks like hell. He also feels like hell, as he was on a great journey. Wasp asks Jarvis to get him some mutton and mead, as he looks half-starved. Thor brushes off the help, and states that the world is in danger. The other Avengers immediately offer to help. Thor is concerned, as the others are mortals. Cap basically tells him to let them worry about that. Iron Man gives his support, and the Avengers hold out their hands.

The next day, an arrow hits the gate of Avengers Mansion, and one Clint Barton, aka the Avenging Archer, Hawkeye, ziplines down with his bow. He sees a cab pull up, and is able to land in time to open the door for the occupant: the Scarlet Witch. He goes to put in his Avengers membership card, but Quicksilver beats him to the punch. Crystal is deal with some more legal niceties, and the idea of it utterly bored the speedster, so he went ahead to the Mansion, Crystal will join them later. They are merely the latest arrivals.

What I love about this spread, like the earlier attacks on the Avengers, are the little flashes of character, like Spider-Man on the ceiling away from the others reflecting his traditional distance from the other heroes, and Black Widow's posture and pose showing her struggle with being involved with the Avengers again. You see, she led a team of Avengers when the main ones vanished, and it didn't go so well. A little funny moment there is with D-Man. At the time, he had become a protector of a group of homeless people called the "Zero People". Unfortunately, it had led him to be neglectful of his personal hygiene, so he's not smelling like a rose garden.

Firestar and Justice of the New Warriors had reluctantly joined up with Rage at the Mansion, but Rage and Darkhawk convince them to stay because they could be helpful. The original Avengers that had gathered earlier remark that everyone who can make it has made it. Everyone else is either dead or somewhere in other time periods. Reed Richards and Susan Storm can't make it, as the Fantastic Four have their own concerns. Hulk calls up and basically says if they bother him, he'll...visit. To smash. As in "break people to pieces" smashing.

Captain America starts to address the other Avengers. Hawkeye grumbles that he and Wanda should be up there as well, considering they led Avengers teams in the past (Hawkeye led the West Coast team, Wanda led Force Works). Spider-Man speaks up, saying that he can't really help at the moment, but he's occupied by legal problems in his own books at the time. Swordsman mocks him and calls him a coward, but Cap shuts him up and lets Spidey go. After the Wall-Crawler leaves, Sandman threatens Swordsman that if he ever mocks Spidey again, he'll eat sand. Cap is able to get them to settle down, and Thor takes the podium.

Thor recounts his battle with Doctor Doom in Heroes Reborn: The Return #4 (December 1997). Doom had kidnapped Franklin Richards and tried to use his immense power to rule the Franklin-verse. Thor was unable to force the madman back into some kind of space ark, so he created a dimensional rift with Mjolnir to toss himself and Doom into. Thor does so, and is unsure what happened next.

Thor then woke up in Asgard, only to find it destroyed, and its people vanished. And that was not all. The gnomes, the demons, all was gone. Thor had spent days searching, but everyone seemed to have completely vanished. In his search, Thor had made another horrifying discovery: The Twilight Sword, a massive sword that was known as the most dangerous weapon in Asgard, is gone. Thor found a piece of the Rainbow Bridge nearby, and when he grabbed it, he got transported to Chicago.

Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, wants to know what the Twilight Sword actually is. Thor explains that the sword was a weapon forged by Surtur in the heart of the Burning Galaxy. He also reveals that in his travels, he discovered the Norn Stones, a group of magic rocks, have also gone missing. He senses that the stones are in five places on Earth. Justice of the New Warriors points out that with the attacks on Avengers members and now this, it could be a trap. Hilariously, the Avengers all give Justice a look that says "WE KNOW, SIT DOWN."

Heh heh, poor Justice. Anyway, a quintet of Quinjets fly off (Try saying that five times fast). The planes are observed by Moon Knight. Despite the Avengers' security devices, he was able to listen in on the meeting. He swings off, as he's not really the team player type anymore. Back at the Mansion, an injured Rick Jones, who is using Professor X's floating yellow wheelchair he had in the 90s, asks Jarvis how does he do it. How does he watch the Avengers leave for missions all the time, and have faith they always come back?

Jarvis's answer? He doesn't. But he does know this. As he feeds Aragorn, the Black Knight's horse, Jarvis explains that he has to keep things running for the Avengers so they can concentrate on fighting the big threats. To him, it's an honor. It's a nice moment. Shows Jarvis's devotion to the Avengers.

One of the Avengers Quinjets heads towards Tintagel Head in the United Kingdom. BIG hint of who the villain is here. One of the Norn Stones is there. The Quinjet, containing Hercules, Crystal, Quasar, D-Man, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Captain America gets hit by an unnaturally powerful whirwind that knocks the Quinjet around. Quasar and Crystal go out to try and deal with the winds. Cap gets a garbled transmission from Black Panther. The other Norn Stones have vanished...and they appeared at Tintagel.

Wanda has an idea to stop the whirlwind. She uses her hexcasting powers and is able to stop the winds. The Avengers spot the Twilight Sword and disembark the Quinjet. Hercules grumbles at D-Man because of his smell. Cap, after telling Herc to shut up, asks how things are going in Zerotown. D-Man assures Cap that they're alright there, and they have to save the water there for drinking, not washing. Otherwise that, they'll get through the winter. It is then that the possible villain stands revealed.

Yes, it's Mordred. Yes, the same Mordred from Arthurian myth, the son (or nephew, depending on the telling) of King Arthur himself. Mordred decides to mockingly act the cheerful host, then creates ground tentacles to grab and kidnap Wanda. He then sends some rock trolls to take out the other Avengers. While they fight the trolls, Quicksilver takes advantage of Mordred's distraction to give him a superspeed-charged Mighty Punch from behind.

Mordred screams that the mindless rock trolls will go on a rampage and urn on him if he doesn't banish them. Pietro lets him do so, then tears off his armor and demands he tell them where Wanda is. Ah Pietro, ever the insanely overprotective brother. Mordred says don't ask him, ask her.

Yup, Morgan Le Fay, Mordred's aunt. Like Mordred, she is also from Arthurian legend, a powerful sorceress often portrayed in a villainous role. The Marvel version of her was mainly an enemy of the Jessica Drew Spider-Woman, but has fought the Avengers in the past, notably Avengers #240-241 (February-March 1984). Around her neck are the missing Norn stones. Captain America, being the ever-optimistic Star Spangled Man With the Plan he is, says that Morgan may have the advantage, the Avengers will beat her in the end.

Morgan laughs at this, and shows the other groups of Avengers valiantly fighting off various monsters. Black Widow leads one team against a giant serpent in the South Pacific. In the Arctic, the Wasp leads a team of Avengers against some Frost Giants. In Equatorial Africa, Iron Man leads a team of Avengers against the Fomor, beings from Celtic mythology. And in Central America, a Thor-led team of Avengers battle...zombie conquistadors. I'm guessing Morgan ran out of monsters. Or just felt lazy there.

Morgan then says they are too late, anyway. Because her ancestry is close to the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, she is able to use the Norn stones. She wasn't able to use the Twilight Sword...until now. Thanks to Wanda's mutant powers and her connections to Chthonic magic, Morgan can use her to bridge the gap between Morgan's own Celtic magic and the power of the Asgardian artifact. Mordred explains the attacks on Avengers past were a ruse to draw Wanda to Morgan. Morgan grabs the Sword, Wanda screaming in pain. This causes Pietro to rush to her aid.

The story ends with Morgan slashing the sky with the Twilight Sword, cleaving reality itself. As everything fades to white, Captain America has one last thought: that Iron Man would hate this...

Next time, we are promised a Brave New Old World...

This comic...is AWESOME. I absolutely love it. It manages to recall the events of the Avengers' return in a way that felt organic to the story and was not confusing at all. Busiek manages to pack quite a bit into this comic, action, character stuff, continuity stuff, even a little bit of humor, and it all works so well. It's just fun to read. His dialogue can be a bit cheesy here, with the heroes all acting chummy in a way, but it's a good kind of cheesy. It doesn't hurt anything. And as for George Perez's art...Dear GOD, I CANNOT gush enough over his art! I don't think he can do bad art even if he WANTED to. The layouts, the detail, the little bits of character, all fantastic! He is the master of what he does. I can stare at his art for hours, it is that good. I love it that much.

I cannot praise this era of the Avengers enough. This era made me fall in love with the Avengers, and it made me fall in love with comics, too. If you find this era of Avengers in trade form, you would be INSANE not to pick it up. George Perez only stuck around for the first three years, but Kurt Busiek also got to work with some other fantastic artists, like Jerry Ordway and Alan Davis. Get this stuff, this is real fine comic booking right here. Next time...worlds lived, worlds died, and the DC Universe will never be the same again...

Nintendo Labo First Look, My Thoughts

If there is one thing Nintendo is known for, it's trying new things. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not. But this...this has to be one of the most unique new things I've seen Nintendo put out. Say hello to Nintendo Labo!

The trailer begins with...some cardboard being cut into certain lines. Than a hand pops some parts out and starts folding them. Hey, a cardboard piano!

Hey, you can put the Switch in it, and play it like an actual piano. That's really cool!

Well, this seems really neat. You can make fishing rods, motorcycle handlebars, and all sorts of neat stuff. This sounds like it'll be a lot of fun, especially for kids. My favorite one is the RC cars. I like the idea of using the Switch and its Joy-Cons to drive little cardboard cars around. I also think the camera is awesome, too.

If there is one thing I always give Nintendo credit for, it's their willingness to try new things and experiment. This is very cool. I have heard that Nintendo also made this to help teach engineering and physics. This is an awesome way to do it. Hands-on, fun, kids will love this.

It's also a bit of a clever nod to Nintendo's past. There were also once a toy company. And one of their creations then: Foldable cardboard toys.

Labo looks brilliant, and incredibly ingenious. It's just such a clever, simple idea. I think this is going to do really well. Nintendo, well done! You have done it again! This is so cool!

Ys VIII Switch Trailer, My Thoughts

Ys. To the West, this title may not be as well known as the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series of games, but in its native Japan, it's one of the most popular RPG series in history since it started in 1987 on the NEC PC-8801, which is a computer.

The Ys series is one of the flagship franchises of a company called Nihon Falcom. Never heard of them? Don't blame you. You should give them a look if you love RPGs, though. Nihon Falcom played a key role in the creation of RPG video games, and they are considered a pioneer in the genre. Nihon Falcom's games would be ported to various consoles like the NES (Dragon Slayer, Faxanadu), and the Sony consoles. However, Nihon Falcom preferred to develop games for the PC, which arguably hurt their ability to build a fanbase in the West for many years. Despite this, Nihon Falcom would continue to be a beloved and respected game company.

The latest game in the Ys series is Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. I looked up "Lacrimosa", and it is the Latin word for "weeping". It also has been used as a name, referring to the Virgin Mary. So, I'm assuming based on this title, it'll refer to some named "Dana", and her crying. Okay, then. Well, this game was originally released everywhere for the PlayStation 4 in 2017, after coming out for the PlayStation Vita in 2016. But now, it's being ported to the Nintendo Switch. And here's the trailer for it!

The trailer begins with a...design. Could have sworn I saw the Triforce in it, though. I have no idea what that is. And there's a couple of moons. The tides in that world must be insane.

Adol got shipwrecked again, didn't he? Yeah, it's a running gag of the Ys games that Adl gets shipwrecked. He is friggin' cursed when it comes to boats. I imagine in the Ys world, there are signs in marinas that have his face on them that say "DO NOT LET THIS MAN ON YOUR BOAT. HE WILL WRECK IT."

CGI dragon is neat. I wonder if that blue-haired girl is the eponymous Dana.

I think the dragon has a beak. Like a bird's beak.

Heh heh, mutant parrot.

I wonder if the animation we're seeing in this game are cutscenes.

Yeah, so Adol shipwrecks and ends up in this mysterious island called the Isle of Seiren, dreaming of a woman he's never met. This is going to be a Link's Awakening type of situation, isn't it?

HOLY JURASSIC PARK, I THINK THAT'S A DINOSAUR.

I think the four characters with Adol there will be his party for the game. And I like that each has a unique weapon. One has a GUN. It's not often you see guns in RPGs, in my experience. I can imagine each of these characters have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, which makes a player think and strategize on how to use them.

Well, I have to admit, this game looks pretty darn cool. I'll give it a try when it comes out. Besides, it's got dragons and dinosaurs, so it should be awesome.

All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #6 (June 2011)

Batman: The Brave and the Bold. From 2008 to 2011, this series depicted Batman (voiced by Diedrich Bader), teaming up with many various superheroes throughout the DC Universe. I loved this show. It told fun stories, gave spotlight to lesser-known characters, and presented a lighter-hearted, more fun version of Batman. Naturally, this series, like much of DC's animated content at the time, got itself a comic tie-in.

The comics lasted for a couple of years, getting rebranded as the All-New Batman: Brave and the Bold with issue #22. And with that out of the way, let's take a look at All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #6!

The cover is pretty cool-looking. You got Batman leaping at Clayface in horror. You got Clayface himself putting his fist right through the heart of the screaming Martian Manhunter, who is standing in fire, which is the thing hat can weaken him.

"Now You See Me..."
Writer: Sholly Fisch
Penciller: Rick Burchett
Inker: Dan Davis
Colorist: Gabe Eltaeb
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Assistant Editor: Chynna Clugston Flores
Editor: Jim Chadwick

Our story begins in Gotham City. Detective John Jones is pointing out a man, saying he committed a crime.

The bald man denies it. However, Jones knows that the man robbed the store, shot the clerk because he refused to hand over his watch, which was a gift from the clerk's daughter, and hid the loot in his home, under a loose floorboard in the bedroom. The man is shocked, asking how Jones knew this. Is he a witch? No, he's a detective.

John's partner, Diane Meade, is awed by his perfect arrest record, and asks how he does it. Jones explains he has...unique methods. She heads out towards a car, but notices that Jones is walking away. She asks where he's going, but he tells her to go ahead to the station. He'll meet her later. Jones walks into an alley.

John Jones is in actuality, a Martian police officer known as J'onn J'onzz, the noble, heroic, Chocco-loving Martian Manhunter. Elsewhere, Batman is fighting the villainous Calendar Man, a criminal who plots crimes around holidays. Calendar Man tries to blast the Caped Crusader with Fourth of July-themed fireworks.

I'm just including that panel because I love Calendar Man's costume. J'onn appears by going through the wall, much to the villain's shock. Batman takes advantage, and kayos the Calendar Man out of season with a Mighty Punch. Batman jokes that today is Boxing Day for him. Heh. Funny. Batman asks J'onn what's up, J'onn is hoping to learn something from Batman's deductive skills. The Dark Knight is confused by this, as J'onn is already a detective himself. J'onn explains that he fears he has grown a bit too dependent on his telepathy. That makes some sense. If you can read minds, why would you need deductive skills?

Batman asks if J'onn wants to shadow him as he solves cases, but J'onn has a better idea. One that could also give Batman a challenge. J'onn can use his shapeshifting powers to look like anyone. He'll disguise himself in certain places in Gotham, and Batman has to find him. Batman is intrigued by this, so he accepts the challenge.

The first site is Gotham Square. Batman notes that over a million people pass through the place every day, so J'onn is easily able to hide. He looks around and is able to spot the disguised Martian.

How did Batman know that lineman was J'onn? Look at his hands. He's not wearing gloves. The streetlight was on, so the wires J'onn was working on were live. However, his disguise did not include gloves or insulation. No experienced lineman would take that risk, because you know, electric shocks can kill. But J'onn is invulnerable, so he wouldn't have to worry about it. Observation and deduction.

The next day, Batman comes to Robinson Park, in his Matches Malone guise. He looks around and can't seem to find the Martian Manhunter. He observes some kids playing, a couple walking by, and even a squirrel. He then figures it out and lights a match.

J'onn was the bench. How did Batman know? J'onn's bench form had no graffiti on it. J'onn can change his shape, but he can't hide his weakness to fire. Later, Batman heads to the Gotham History Museum. Batman immediately finds the disguised J'onn. How? His disguise was writing with his right hand, but his hair is parted on the right side, and his belt buckle is facing right, which is common among left-handed people. Yes, Batman found a shapeshifter, but it's not J'onn.

It's Clayface, everybody! I love that this incarnation of him looks like the Batman: The Animated Series version. DCAU 4 Life! Clayface had wanted to rob the museum, but he's going to now have to give Batman the Hulk treatment. Clayface smash. J'onn changes back from his old lady disguise and take on Clayface. The Malleable Menace slashes at the Martian Manhunter with a chainsaw arm, but J'onn uses his intangibility power to show how unimpressed he is with Clayface's Ash Williams impression.

Clayface recalls seeing Firefly being able to hurt Martian Manhunter at a big brawl during Batman and Wonder Woman's wedding (Which occurred in All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #4). Forming his hand into an axe, Clayface smashes a propane tank in a food cart. The flames that result have the effect on J'onn that Kryptonite has on Kryptonians, weakening the mighty alien.

Batman tries to stop Clayface by tossing a capsule of liquid nitrogen at him. However, the freezing agent isn't able to work fast enough, and Clayface gets away by turning into a bird. The Caped Crusader uses his cape to put out the flames, allowing J'onn to quickly recover his strength. He then goes after the Shapeshifting Scoundrel.

J'onn pursues Clayface to an exhibit on African animals. He asks the guard if he saw a bird fly in here, and the guard says no. J'onn looks over the exhibit, thinking about where he could be...and who or what he could be posing as.

Batman comes in and asks if J'onn has found him. The Martian Manhunter believes that he just may have. He guesses that Clayface is the stuffed tiger in the exhibit. And he's right. Realizing he's been exposed, Clayface turns into a blue-scaled monster that looks like it came from the mind of Jack Kirby.

J'onn easily dispatches the villain by telepathically telling him to sleep. Clayface does so, collapsing on the spot, and taking a trip to Dreamland. Batman asks if J'onn found him with telepathy. Nope, J'onn used observation and deduction. Clayface impersonated a tiger in an exhibit of African animals. Tigers come from India. Well, they also can be found in Southeast Asia, but you get the point. No natural history museum worth its salt would put a tiger in an exhibit about African animals.

Batman does note that J'onn did use his telepathy against Clayface to stop him from smashing the museum. J'onn explains that, well, he's improving himself, not stupid. Bystanders were in danger, and Clayface was a dangerous criminal on the loose. Best thing to do there was take him down quickly, and his telepathy could let him do that.

The story ends with a suspect in custody. Diane Meade tells the suspect, Bruno, that she knows that he broke into a garage and stole a car. Bruno denies it, saying that he was at home, watching TV. J'onn, in his John Jones guise, knows otherwise. Meade asks if it's that "magic" of his. Nope. Observation and deduction. John points out oil stains on Bruno's shoes. Oil stains that are still wet. If the crime lab tests those stains, he'll bet they match the oil on the floor of the garage the car was stolen from. Meade is impressed, and says John is the world's greatest detective. John answers that he considers himself more of a manhunter, and there is only one World's Greatest Detective.

This issue was really good. It's a well-told tale that teamed up two of DC's greatest crime-solvers. J'onn's issue is an interesting one. Although I will admit, it got me confused at first. If you were a detective with telepathy, why would you not use it to solve crimes easier? Upon further thought, I began to realize something.

Memory is not the most reliable thing in the world, which is what I assume J'onn is looking at when he reads minds. Observation and deduction can be skills used to help obtain more reliable evidence, like the final scene with the oil stains show. J'onn could have easily read Bruno's mind, but it may also have not been admissible in court. The oil stains would have. Improving yourself indeed, J'onn. Not to mention, it would help him maintain his secret identity.

Despite that, it's a very fun issue. The art does a very good job imitating the style of the show in general, but it also feels a bit more cartoony, allowing it to stand out a bit.

If you loved the cartoon, hunt down the comics. They are really good. At least, the ones I got. Next time, we'll take a look at the beginning of one of my favorite eras of one of my favorite superteams. That's right, after the events of Heroes Reborn, we're going to look at the beginning of the Kurt Busiek/George Perez era of Earth's Mightiest Heroes...