Short Lived Comic Series #35 - Pyschoblast (First Comics)

Now here's a comic series that I do not remember coming out back when it was first published.  At the time, I was buying titles from First Comics (such as Whisper and Evangeline), so I likely saw house ads for this series; but it apparently did not strike my fancy at the time, so I never gave it any thought and let it disappear from my mind altogether.  The series debuted in July 1987 (the first issue featuring a November 1987 cover date) and lasted only nine issues, ending in March 1988 (its last issue sporting a July 1988 cover date).  The series was written by Steven Grant, who was also the creator and writer of First Comics' Whisper series, as well as countless other series for Marvel, Malibu, Dark Horse, Image, DC, Chaos, BOOM!, and any number of independent comic companies.  

 

Psychoblast (quite the unusual name!) is not only the name of the title character, but it is also a term (in fiction, at least) to describe a massive, concentrated mental energy attack.  Back in the late 1800s, the word was actually used in certain scientific realms in reference to a "germ" or "cell" relating to the development of the mind or psyche, but it is now obsolete.  Grant manages to take that term and utilize it for Brian Burke, a young man we first meet as a drifter, working in a church as a janitor.  Taryn St. Jude has been sent to find Burke, unaware that the person who sent her on that mission has a secret agenda.  By the end of the first issue, Brian and Taryn find themselves running from some military men, and when all hope seems lost, Brian suddenly unleashes a psychic ability that not only changes his appearance (giving him that blue and silver costume and the lightning bolt over his left eye) but also allows him to, literally, crush his opponents with one hand - albeit a very LARGE hand!

 

The first story arc encompasses the first three issues, as readers learn a bit about Brian's powers - how they pretty much come into play only when Brian himself is unconscious, meaning that "Psychoblast" is an entirely different being that shares Brian's mind!  Readers also find out that the military men chasing Brian are working for a mysterious woman who has mental powers of her own - but they take their toll, aging her quickly, and she requires fresh human psyche to pause that aging process and give her vitality - and she wants Brian because she believes his psychic powers are the answer to her staying young forever.  Grant gives us one heck of a battle of the minds, as well as the startling revelation that this villainous vixen is not Brian's mother (as we are originally led to believe through visions experienced by Taryn), but actually Brian's sister, Arrabella, who supposedly died six years prior (but, let's face it - no one in comic books ever says dead, do they?).

 

The remaining six issues of the series delve more into Brian's origin as "Psychoblast" and his integration into the New Order - with a team of powered individuals known as Transmuter, Phaseshift, Interface, and Anomaly.  From the get-go, however, the reader can see this is no ordinary super team.  These characters are at odds with one another, and one in particular (Anomaly) believes himself superior to the rest, especially Psychoblast, and the tensions between them ultimately results in some pretty powerful psychic battles. Along the way, we meet a research scientist named Caren Price, who inadvertently leads the evil D.S.X. Machina to Psychoblast's location - and a series climax that reveals their connection and the true extent of Psychoblast's mental abilities!

 

This is, by far, anything but a "super hero" series. Psychoblast is a reluctant hero, as Brian does not know how his powers work, how to trigger them, and more than anything, how to keep this alternate personality from coming out and destroying everything and everyone around him.  D.S.X. Machina is a villain without restraint, who kills civilian and hero alike, leaving very few of the main cast alive by the end of the ninth issue (although, oddly enough, Caren survives the killing blast D.S.X. sends her way, hinting at a potential future story that readers never got to see, as i is clear Caren has some powers of her own and some secrets that never get revealed).  The battles are less about good vs. evil and more about survival and coming to terms with the circumstances of the life one is given.  Grant, as he did with the Whisper series, provides readers with a character-driven saga, and although we only get nine issues and just the tip of the iceberg regarding Brian's origins and Psychoblast's powers, it is easy to get drawn into this world and want to see where the characters are headed.

 

The art in the series is provided by Robb Phipps (pencils) and Al Vey (inks), with some assistance from Karl Story and Jim Bauer in a couple of the later issues.  Phipps and Vey also drew all of the covers.  Since there are only nine issues and no change in artists during that time, the art remains consistent for the entire run, which was a nice change of pace for me.  In today's comics, with so many rotating artists and writers, sometimes within the same storyline (one of the biggest mishaps of this kind was DC Comics' Thriller series, which lost the original artist and writer, and it changed the entire tone and course of the series, leading to its early demise), it is jarring to me when the art style changes mid-stream.  This kind of artistic consistency helps develop the characters, settings, and stories in the reader's mind without having to pause and adjust to another creator's interpretation of those same characters and settings.  Phipps and Vey had some usual imagery to work with, considering the amount of psychic displays that took place throughout the nine issues, but they did an amazing job bringing them to life with a sense of realism for a very fictional idea.

 

Sadly, the series did not even survive its first year, likely due to low sales (which plagued a lot of independent titles in the late '80s and early '90s), which is a shame.  I think the series had a lot of potential, and there were plenty of sub-plots developing that never got to see fruition.  I wonder what comic fans would think of the character today, if Grant were to revive Psychoblast and continue the series today (nearly 40 years later...)?

 

RATING:   9 giant glowing hands in the sky out of 10 for giving the comic world a unique character and creative concept that, unfortunately, never had the chance to reach its full potential.

Wonder Woman - the Earth Two Adventures (DC Comics, 1977-78)

Okay, I know I don't normally do reviews of any ongoing comic book series, as it would take quite a bit of time and space to review hundreds of issues of the same series.  However, back in the late 1970s, DC Comics made the decision to take the Wonder Woman comic book in yet another new direction (let's face it - the character of Wonder Woman has had more face lifts than every actress in Hollywood combined!).  At the end of 1975, ABC aired a television movie, The New Original Wonder Woman, featuring Lynda Carter in the title role.  The movie was set in World War II and featured Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, and General Blankenship.  It did well enough that in April 1976, two more specials were aired.  They did so well, ABC ordered more episodes, which aired during the 1976-77 television season.  So, DC Comics changed the direction of their comic book to mirror that of the television show, and returned Wonder Woman to World War II.  How did they do that, you may ask?  Well, easy - they shifted the focus from the Earth-1 Wonder Woman (present day) to the Earth-2 Wonder Woman (set during the second World War)!  And if you don't under the Earth-1 / Earth-2 references, well, I'm not going to explain them here - go look it up on the internet (true comic fans will understand easily what I am taking about...)

The saga began with Wonder Woman 228, in which the present day Wonder Woman of Earth-1 is suddenly faced with a Nazi plane being piloted by the mysterious Red Panzer.  When the Panzer uses a strange ray to return his ship home, he inadvertently brings Wonder Woman with him - to Earth-2 in the past!  There, we get the obligatory hero vs. hero fight due to a misunderstanding, until they stop long enough for the Earth-1 Wonder Woman to explain who she is and how she got there.  Together, they defeat the villain, and while Earth-1 Wonder Woman returns home, the comic stays on Earth-2 with the "golden age" Wonder Woman who battled Nazis in the second World War.  Written by Martin Pasko and beautifully drawn by Jose Delbo and Vince Colletta, the issue provides readers with a smooth transition to this alternate Earth and time, giving readers a brief, but easily understood description, of the differences between the two Earths (Earth-1 featuring the modern Justice League, Earth-2 featuring the golden age Justice Society).  Being a huge Justice Society and Earth-2 fan for as long as I have been reading comics, this jumping on point was pure excitement for me!

 

While the next issue concludes the Red Panzer story, issue 230 features a one-part tale starring the Cheetah as the villain of the story - and not just any Cheetah, but the original, Golden Age Priscilla Rich Cheetah, wearing her signature yellow and brown-spotted costume.  Only, this time, Cheetah is sporting some new claws that could do serious damage to Wonder Woman!  The story by Pasko, with art still by Delbo and Colletta, hearkens back to those Golden Age tales of woman vs. woman, where Wonder Woman must use her wits to defeat the villainous Cheetah (who has learned her secret identity in this issue).  It's a solid story with beautiful art.  I must say, the Delbo/Colletta collaboration truly was the perfect teaming for Wonder Woman, and while some other amazing artists have come and gone over the years, I still think Delbo/Colletta's issues are some of the best to appear in the pages on this comic.

The next two issues guest-star members of the Justice Society (after all, the book is now set on Earth-2 during World War II, which is the time when the JSA truly shined).  Sadly, Delbo had stepped away from the art chores and the new ongoing artist was to be Bob Brown, who penciled issue 231 with Colletta still inking. Brown's art was not that far off from Delbo's, but Wonder Woman just did not have the same appearance (partially, I think, due to the way Brown drew her hair).  The story centers around an Egyptian goddess, who turns out to be an alien from beyond the stars and who has her heart set on turning Steve Trevor into the man she once loved.  In order to do so, she has to eliminate anyone who can stop her, which includes the members of the JSA, as well as Wonder Woman.  It was great seeing the JSA in these issues, even if they only played in short scenes (after all, this is WW's comic, and so she as to be the focus of the story).  Sadly, though, Bob Brown took ill after the first issue, so artist Mike Masser stepped in to pencil thee second part of the story in issue 232.  There is a distinct difference in the art style, but I think my joy in seeing the JSA helped me overlook that difference.  Sadly, though, this was the last story written by Martin Pasko, as he moved on to other titles.

With issue 233, Gerry Conway took over the writing chores, starting off with a two-parter involving a villain who could control sea-life.  Kinda makes me wonder why Wonder Woman didn't simply call on Aquaman to help her out (although, in the 1970s, I'm not sure if DC was even acknowledging an Earth-2 Aquaman).  What is interesting about this tale is the fact Conway introduces two children - a brother and sister - who Wonder Woman rescues (their father is the villain who redeems and sacrifices himself at the end to save Wonder Woman).  They show up briefly in the next story (beginning with issue 235), but there is no real follow up with them after that.  I wonder if Conway had some plans for them that fell by the wayside, or that were derailed by editorial dictates, or if they were simply throw away characters that carried on farther than most.  I suppose we will never know at this point.  In any event, this two-part story also had a new artist in Don Heck, as it was revealed that Bob Brown had passed away due to his illness, and thus, the book would need a new artist.

Fortunately, Jose Delbo was available, and he returned to the art chores beginning with Conway's second two-part story beginning in issue 235. Not only does this two-parter see the introduction of a new villain named Armageddon, but it also guest stars Dr. Charles McNider (otherwise known as the JSA member, Doctor Mid-Nite!).  The doctor helps out Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor in both his medical persona and his superhero persona, which was rather nice to see, since we rarely saw the JSAers during that time outside of their costumes and heroics.  Conway continued his run with a third two-parter, this time bringing back a blast from the past - the REAL Diana Prince!  (Huh?  You mean you didn't know Wonder Woman was not the REAL Diana Prince?  Go back and read her original stories!)  Yes, Conway played off of the Golden Age origin of Wonder Woman by bringing back Diana Prince, who thinks Wonder Woman's alter ego is a spy who has stolen her identity.  Thus, when they meet, Wonder Woman has to reveal her origin (a nice way to integrate the Earth-2 Wonder Woman's origin into the run) and explain why Diana Prince has no recollection of giving Wonder Woman her identity to use.  The villain in the story, Kung the Assassin, was pretty much a throw-away villain who, as with the villains in the previous stories, redeems himself by the end.

Beginning in issue 239, Conway looks back at more of Wonder Woman's roots by bringing back the Roman gods, particularly Mars, the god of war!  Delbo and Colletta continue their run as artists, as Conway has Wonder Woman face off against Mars' lackey, the Duke of Deception - who makes Wonder Woman see things that are not there, leading the U.S. military to believe Wonder Woman has turned traitor to America!  Only the Flash (Jay Garrick, not Barry Allen - remember, this is Earth-2 still) is on the scene and once he figures out what is happening, he has to help his fellow JSA member before she does real damage to her reputation and the country!  I have to wonder if Geoff Johns didn't take a queue from Conway's story here when he wrote the Power Girl mini-series in the early 2000s (which featured Power Girl being taunted by the Psycho-Pirate into remembering her Earth-2 past by creating false visions around her, causing her to react against people no one else could see).  That would sort of make sense, since Conway helped revive All-Star Comics back in the mid-'70s, and he co-created Power Girl, and to mimic this story written by Conway would be a nice homage.  In any event, it was great seeing the Golden Age Flash in the story, and quite frankly, the cover to issue 240 by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez is probably one of my all-time favorite Wonder Woman covers.

By issue 241, with a cover date of march 1978, the television show had already entered its second season, in which Wonder Woman was updated and brought into the present.  Thus, there was debate raging in the letters columns of Wonder Woman as to whether the character in the comic should remain the Earth-2 Wonder Woman during World War II, or whether they should return to stories of the Earth-1 iteration in the present.  The story in issue 241 would be Gerry Conway's last story, and it features guest artists Joe Staton and Dick Giordano.  I've always loved Joe Staton's art (his run in All-Star Comics during the late '70s, as well as his work on the Huntress back-up stories in Wonder Woman during the '80s are some of the best), so I enjoyed seeing his take on Wonder Woman.  The story is a bit different from the previous tales, as it is narrated by the Spectre and finds Wonder Woman fighting not only a super-powered thief named the Bouncer, but unknowingly evading a killer named Sumo - formerly known as the Super Samurai, who she battled in the Superman vs. Wonder Woman giant tabloid-size comic from around that time.  Again, like so many of Conway's stories during his run, Sumo redeems himself, sacrificing himself to save the life of an innocent.

DC made the decision at that point to return Wonder Woman to the present, and so the tales of the Earth-2 Wonder Woman would come to an end.  Issues 242 and 243 saw Jack C. Harris step in as the new writer on the series, with Delbo on pencils still and new inkers Joe Giella (issue 242) and Frank Chiaramonte (issue 243).  His first issue was a special tribute to the end of World War II, which immediately took off in a completely different direction by having alien spaceships show up, kidnapping and transforming humans - starting with Steve Trevor! - into carbon copies of what they deem to be the "perfect" human.  Wonder Woman, of course, has to convince the aliens that humans are better with the unique, individual natures, and by the end of the issue, she is able to return everyone to their original forms.  The last page provides a send-off for General Blankenship, Steve Trevor, and Etta Candy, as they reveal what they will be doing now that the war is over ... and it also gives a sneak peak at the villain of the final issue of this Earth-2 run:  the Angle Man!  Thus, issue 243 sees the Angle Man, an adversary of the Earth-1 Wonder Woman, accidentally transporting himself into Earth-2's past, and it's up to the Wonder Women of both Earths to stop him!  The Earth-1 Wonder Woman, of course, must make everyone forget her presence (as the World War II versions of these characters had no knowledge of the multiverse), and she takes the Angle Man back to her own Earth, where the final page shows Wonder Woman in the Justice League satellite, reading a newspaper from Earth-2 that she inadvertently brought with her, revealing that her Earth-2 counterpart managed her life pretty well after the war and wondering if she can do the same on her own Earth...

I thoroughly enjoyed this 16-issue run of Wonder Woman, as it allowed me to revisit the original Earth-2 that I sorely miss.  The fact that DC followed the television version in some aspects (such as using General Blankenship instead of General Darnell, and the fact that Etta was not a short, chubby sorority girl) did not bother me, as the military personnel could easily change, and Steve and Diana could have been reassigned to work under a different general during the war.  Yes, Etta's appearance is a little more difficult to explain away, but hey!  I was just happy to see Earth-2 in print!  Of course, talking about Etta, there is one subplot involving her becoming engaged to a slippery character named Pierre Machand - a man Wonder Woman did not trust at all - that was dropped when Harris took over as writing.  Not really sure where Conway was going to go with that, but with the time jump between issues 241 and 242, that story simply disappeared without even a quick sentence or two to explain why Etta never married him!

 

Even after the Silver Age stories revealed the existence of the Golden Age characters still living on Earth-2 (as well as the Crime Syndicate on Earth-3, and the Freedom Fighters on Earth-X, and the Shazam family on Earth-S, and so on), other than the short-lived revival of All-Star Comics, we did not really see any ongoing series that featured Earth-2 characters on a regular basis.  And once Crisis hit, and the multiverse was destroyed (albeit temporarily, since it was reopened with Infinite Crisis and the countless crossovers DC has had over the last 40 years), we have yet to see any ongoing series focusing on the characters of Earth-2 (other than the short-lived Earth-2 series that came out with the "New 52" books, which quickly disappeared and has never really been mentioned since).  So, these World War II stories by Pasko, Conway, and Harris thrilled me to no end, and left me nostalgic for the "glory days" of comics from the 1970s and early '80s, which to me were some of the best comic book stories every written.

RATING:  10 super-secret vials of life-saving liquid out of 10 for taking me back to a time when comic stories were truly fun to read and satisfying a long-waited need for stories from Earth-2!

Boots - Book Three of the League of Secret Heroes series

And so we come to the third, and final, book in the "League of Secret Heroes" trilogy.  I really don't understand this hesitancy of publishers these days to have a continuing series.  It seems pretty much every new series that comes out lasts only three books, with very few new series going beyond that.  If, like back in the day, all three books came out at once, as a "breeder" set as they have come to be known, in order to test the waters, that would be one thing.  But where only one book comes out a year, and after three books, the story is done and no more, it is a little disappointing.  Here, you grow to like the characters, you enjoy the stories, and you want to see what's going to happen next - but instead, it's "oh, here's these great three stories, and now that you know the characters and like them, we're done and moving on to the next series...."  But, it is what it is, so I guess I should just enjoy what I do have and be thankful we get some great stories for the short time they are here.

Boots is the conclusion to the League of Secret Heroes story, the follow-up to Cape and Mask (and, thus, completing the costume).  Kate Hannigan wraps up the series nicely with a story that once again mixes fiction with the real world and real characters.  This time around, Mae, Josie, and Akiko - otherwise known as the Violet Vortex, the Emerald Shield, and the Orange Inferno: the Infinity Trinity! - team up with some of history's most famous female war pilots to go overseas and rescue Zenobia and the multitude of other heroes who have been kidnapped and held captive by the evil Metallic Falcon.  But when the Falcon manages to remove the Infinity Trinity's powers, Mae, Josie, and Akiko are left with the all important question - what can three young girls without any super powers do to help save the world?

Hannigan's story provides readers with a lesson in what it means to be courageous, what it means to overcome one's fears, and what it means to rise above adversity and all odds to fulfill your dreams and accomplish your goals.  While the fictional tale of super heroes and villains and big "in the sky" battles may not be real, the historical realities of women in the war effort and the discrimination against not only women, but in particular women of color, during World War II are actual facts carefully woven into the story.  Willa Brown, Janet Harmon, the WASPs and Jane Baessler were all real life heroes who, in their own way, brought about change in the real world and the way women in the military were viewed back in the first half of the 20th century, and Hannigan flawlessly weaves these women into the story as they aid the Infinity Trinity in their mission to save the heroes of the world.

Once again, the book is interspersed with pages of comic art pages that provide visual storytelling, as drawn by artist Patrick Spaziante.  The pages are beautifully drawn, and quite frankly, I'd love nothing more than to see Hannigan and Spaziante continue telling stories of these three young heroes in comic book format (perhaps a series of graphic novels that let's readers enjoy tales of Violet Vortex, Emerald Shield, and Orange Inferno AFTER defeating the villainy of Metallic Falcon?).  

This three-book series has been a pretty fun read, and it's a shame that there won't be any more books in this series - but I guess, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.  I would recommend this series to those who enjoy children's series books, super heroes, and/or comic books.

RATING:  8 scratchy pieces of material out of 10 for a fun mix of super heroes, historical fiction, and big battles that make reading this book "super" enjoyable!

Diana and the Underworld Odyssey - The Second of the Wonder Woman Adventures

I have been a fan of the Wonder Woman character ever since I sat in front of the television on Saturday mornings with a bowl of cereal watching Super Friends, and later, watching Lynda Carter spin around on the TV and change into that red, blue, and gold spandex costume with the golden lasso.  I have been faithfully reading the comics since around that same time, so it's obvious that I've been following the adventures of Wonder Woman for over four decades.  In that time, I've seen a lot of change and a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of different interpretations of the characters - some good, some bad; some memorable, some I'd like to forget.  Of all the different versions of Wonder Woman that have appeared through the years, there are few that have captured the true essence of the character and beautifully incorporated the Greek mythology into her story.  George Perez is definitely one of the first who springs to mind, as his run on the Wonder Woman comic is probably one of the absolute best ever (second only to the original stories by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter.  But I am going to have to add author Aisha Saeed onto that list of creators who truly know the character of Diana, as this second book in the "Wonder Woman Adventures" proves.

The first novel in this series featured Diana's first trip away from Themyscira and gave her an adventure that helped establish not only her strength and determination, but gave glimpses into her true power and her destiny.  This second novel, Diana and the Underworld Odyssey, further develops Diana's budding powers and drops more hints not only as to her future as Wonder Woman, but also her connection to the gods themselves.  The story opens mere days after the conclusion of the first book, as the Chara festival reaches its conclusions, and Diana must say goodbye for another year to her friend, Sakina.  Diana feels a sense of unease, and she stays on her guard after the events of the last book - but her mother assures her that everything will be fine.  Until, of course, it's not...

First, Sakina disappears before she can get to her ship to leave the island.  Then, Diana is attacked by a mysterious cloaked figure who seems almost intangible - a figure that is intent on kidnapping her.  Then, as if that weren't bad enough, the island comes under attack by a strange ship that should not have been able to locate the island with all of its cloaking spells and other protections - and Diana is the only one that can defeat the ship.  During all of this, however, her mother, Antiope, and the other Amazons want to lock Diana away for safety, something Diana cannot understand.  After all, hadn't she proven her capability of handling herself after she rescued a young boy and escaped the clutches of a demon from another island?

 

So, when the goddess Artemis arrives on the island and agrees to take Diana to the safety of a secret location of the gods, her mother agrees, despite Diana's wishes to stay and help defend the island.  But maybe they are right?  Maybe the island will be safe if Diana is not there, since the demon had told her "he" was after Diana - whoever "he" may be.  The next thing you know, Diana is standing before the gods, telling her story of battling the demon who kidnapped the young boy and tried to kidnap her and Sakina.  Diana learns that a malevolent force is kidnapping a number of children, all of whom have special abilities.  Then, Hades arrives.  And he completely discounts Diana's story and calls her a liar.  Before you know it, the gods are arguing, and Diana is sent outside with another young girl who is at the island.  And, yes, wouldn't you know it, they get attacked, and the girl is kidnapped and taken away before Diana can save her.  Diana knows what she must do, and thus begins her journey across the ocean and to the River Styx so that she can make her way into the underworld, the realm of Hades, where the Sakina and the other girl are currently being held.  And Diana has until midnight to rescue the girls, and that's only a few hours away!

 

Saeed writes a fantastic adventure into the underworld, putting Diana through one challenge after another - battling the sea serpent Hydra; fending off a dangerously deceptive Siren; getting past the vicious three-headed Cerberus; convincing the judges who guard the way into the underworld to allow her in; figuring out how to unlock the cage holding her friends without a key (which she lost before ever making it to the River Styx);   defeating the monsters who keep watch over the captured children; finding the strength to open Doom's Doorway that will lead her and the others back to Themyscira; and ultimately facing off against Hades, the very god of the underworld.  And while this young version of Diana certainly has her doubts and fears, Saeed manages to beautifully portray Princess Diana's true nature as she overcomes those doubts and fears to stand up and face head-on every challenge put in her way, proving without a shadow of a doubt just what a Wonder Woman this young girl really is!

Oh, and let's not forget Diana's new friend, Liara, who helps her on her journey through the underworld.  She is present at the hatching of a young dragon, who immediately has a connection with Diana (being the first thing she sees when she hatches), and so she sticks by Diana's side through thick and thin during the entire adventure.  In some ways, it kind of reminded me of the connection Kitty Pryde had with Lockheed back in the day in the X-Men and New Mutants comics.  I almost wish Liara would stick around, as I'd love to see a fully grown Liara come to the aid of the adult Diana (as Wonder Woman) - what a force of nature these two would make!

The final adventure of this trilogy is coming sometime this year, and it's a shame there are only three books to this series.  I've enjoyed the stories so much, and would love to read more adventures of this young Diana!

RATING:  10 antique Rumzis out of 10 for providing Wonder Woman fans with a look at her past adventures while staying true to her character.

Hollywood Heroine - Book Five of the Heroine Complex

The superhero duo of the century return in their fifth adventure, as author Sarah Kuhn brings fans the latest tale of the mighty Aveda Jupiter and Evie Tanaka - along with their rag-tag team of spouses, sisters, friends, and assistants!  I never imagined when I picked up and read the first book, Heroine Complex, that this would become an ongoing series, let alone that I would get so caught up in these characters that I would anxiously wait for each book to come out (and before you ask, yes, I've already checked, and there is a sixth book on the schedule!).  And one of the things that I have been enjoying about the series is that the books rotate the main character - first it was Evie, then Aveda, then Bea - then it returned to Evie, and with this book, Aveda, and the next book will once again spotlight Bea.  This provides Kuhn with the opportunity to not only spotlight different characters in the "family," but it also gives her the opportunity to present each book with a different style and feel.  And this latest entry in the series is no different.

Hollywood Heroine finds Aveda and Evie heading to Hollywood to watch the development and filming of the new television series based on their adventures as the superheros of San Francisco!  And when they meet the actresses who will be portraying them, they are surprised to discover just how much alike the women are to themselves.  The director, though, is a whole 'nother story!  The man has his own strange visions for the show, including the idea of having a vampire written into the story (which, as readers who have been following the series, have never been in any of the dynamic duo's adventures).  Aveda and Evie are put off by the man's attitude and his revision to their adventures - and when the man portraying the vampire takes his method acting a bit too far and actually bites the actress portraying Aveda Jupiter ... well, there's no hesitation that the real Aveda Jupiter is going to jump in and save the day!  Only - no one asked her to, and no one wanted her to, and her actions result in Aveda and Evie being thrown off the set and barred from watching future filming!  Something is definitely not right here, but is it supernatural in nature or just the way of Hollywood film makers?

Aveda is determined to get to the bottom of it, but also finds herself dealing with a plethora of other problems as well.  Scott (her scrumptious husband) has come out to Los Angeles with them to look into starting a surf club for teens there locally.  It is  dream come true for him, and Aveda wants nothing more than for her husband to follow his dreams. But does that dream also have to include the Magnificent Mercedes f/k/a Mercedes McClain?  Mercedes was a friend of Aveda's when she first began doing the hero thing - but it turned into a competition, and Mercedes had no problem taking credit for Aveda's heroics, stealing the limelight while trying to remind Aveda on a daily basis the only reason she got as far as she did was because of her race!  Now, years later, Mercedes has made a name for herself as Los Angeles' local hero, and she seems to have set her sights on Scott.  And if that weren't enough, Pippa, the Jupiter/Tanaka team's latest assistant, seems to be having issues with her best friend Shelby ghosting her (which is probably easy to do, since Shelby is an actual ghost!), and Aveda feels she has to help her by involving her in this latest adventure.  And there's also the odd issue of her mother sending her pictures of oranges, then containers, and then the weird phone calls to check in (which her mother never does).  With so much going on, so many problems to solve, Aveda Jupiter is pushing herself to the very edge...

Which is exactly what someone is wanting to happen!

Yes, if Aveda Jupiter and Evie Tanaka are involved, you know the adventure is going to involve supernatural hi-jinks of some kind. Is it still that demon Shasta, bound and determined to get Evie's baby?  Or is it real vampires that have invaded Hollywood?  Or is it something else entirely?  Whatever it is, Aveda is on the case - but she's concerned that Evie does not seem overly interested in investigating; rather, she's more interested in taking in the sights and checking out the local food fare!  After all, this trip to Hollywood was supposed to be a vacation.  Is Evie slowly pulling away from the team, now that she is having a baby?  Will she and Nate move away and give up the hero job altogether?  Bea already moved to Hawaii, and Lucy and Rose had moved out of the headquarters, so was her team/family slowly falling apart, leaving Aveda all alone?  Was this what her future held?   Kuhn puts poor Aveda through the ringer as not only must she deal with the very real threat of the vampires in the city, but she must also figure out how not to push her husband away, deal with Evie's pregnancy and desire to step away from the heroing, her sister's absence, her weapons and tactical expert no longer on site and readily available, and her new assistant's self-esteem issues.  Oh, and what happens when Aveda realizes that she is .... nah, I can't say that, it would give away a huge part of the story!

This one has it all!  Secret underground tunnels, searches for the elusive tome, vampire bats, steamy dreams, huge supernatural battles, internal conflict, relationship problems, and a new, energetic assistant who is such a bundle of energy, for me, she personally stole a lot of the limelight away from Aveda - I absolutely LOVE Pippa and hope that Kuhn will eventually give her a book of her own (hint! hint!).  But on top of this, it also has something that feels very much like a soap box and less like a true story element - yes, I'm aware discrimination still occurs, particularly in Hollywood and more particularly when it comes to women of color.  And while that element certainly plays a part of this story, there are times where it feels less like the story and more like the author simply ranting about it, which became distracting after a while.  There were times where it flowed naturally into the story, and there were times where it simply read like a rant aimed at the readers.

But, aside from that, Kuhn does provide an amazingly fun story to read, and I still find myself thoroughly engaged with each of the characters.  Looking forward to the trip to Hawaii in the next book so we can see Bea shine!

RATING:  8 cheeseburger potstickers out of 10 for some fabulous Hollywood supernatural mayhem and the guts to even mention a weremervampire!!!

Flash: Crossover Crisis - the YA Novel Book 3 - The Legends of Forever

Okay, I am not ashamed to admit - I did not see this ending coming.  I mean, I guess technically, considering the name of this trilogy, I should have seen it - but, quite frankly, I did not at all expect author Barry Lyga to go in that direction.  But, it makes sense in a number of ways.  It brings both Flash trilogies full circle. It ties up a lot of loose ends (while certainly leaving the door opened for more stories - more on that later). And it answers a number of questions regarding things that have been happening since Lyga's first Flash book several years back.  Between all the surprise guest appearances, the so-on-par characterization, and the climactic conclusion to this story, I can say without a doubt that this was by far my favorite tale that Lyga has told yet!

The Flash: Crossover Crisis - The Legends of Forever concludes the big Time Trapper crossover story that Lyga has been building up.  Owlman and the rest of the Crime Syndicate escaped their Earth to come to Earth 1.  Team Flash and Team Arrow put a stop to them.  But then the Anti-Matter Man threatened Earth 38.  So Team Flash and Team Arrow crossed over to Supergirl's Earth to help her put an end to that threat.  All the while, Madame Xanadu has been providing cryptic clues as to something else.  And, of course, there's the lunacy of Ambush Bug, driving everyone in Star City crazy as he takes control of the Bug-Eyed Bandit's mechanical bees, causing them to multiply at a rapid rate for some unknown purpose.  Oh, and let's not forget that Curtis and Cisco were rescued from the past, only for Cisco to be plucked out of time by the Time Trapper.  And what happened to those on the Waverider when it exploded?  Well, with all of that in mind (you can keep it all straight, can't you?), Lyga treats fans to the thrilling conclusion of the Crossover Crisis!

So, Supergirl is now depowered after sacrificing all she had to stop the Anti-Matter Man.  Cisco is missing.  Ambush Bug is building up for something big, and Joe West, John Diggle, Wild Dog, and Black Canary can't get their hands on him.  White Canary and Heatwave wake up in the 30th Century, where they meet the Legion of Super-Heroes.  And Flash, Green Arrow, and Superman must figure out a way to get to the End of Time in order to put a stop to whatever Time Trapper has planned.  Unfortunately, there is a wall that seems to be stopping anything trying to get through.  This book is full of non-stop action, as the heroes of several worlds (including the James Jesse and literal thousands of other speedsters from the now destroyed Earth 27) must work together to save not just their multiverse, but the fate of two multiverses!  That's right, folks, Lyga doesn't make it easy on these guys and gals.  It seems the Time Trapper is not looking simply to put an end to this multiverse, but he has his eyes set on the TV multiverse (you remember that one right?  the Transuniversal Version of this multiverse, as Cisco called it - thus, the "TV" universe, were Barry Allen went back in time to save his mother and created the Flashpoint, which changed the timeline in that multiverse).  And Cisco plays an important part in Time Trapper's plan, since Cisco has the ability to reach out and contact that multiverse.  Oh, and what about that speedster in yellow that is forever running to keep Time Trapper's machine going?  Well, let's just say, it's not who you think it is!

The opening prologue by the Phantom Stranger (thanks, Lyga, for bringing him in!) says it all: "Worlds will live. Worlds will die. And the DC Universe - this one, at least - will never be the same again."  And he's most definitely right.  What happens in this book changes everything - big time!  After all, it is a huge crisis, and we all know in DC Comics what happens any time there is a huge crisis - there is a huge sacrifice.  But not before we have an unbelievably crazy battle at the end of time!  Flash, Green Arrow, Superman, White Canary, Atom, and Heat Wave face off against the unstoppable Time Trapper - who brings in the Legion of Super-Villains! The League of Assassins! The Khunds!  The Fatal Five!  Oh, and a regular ol' guy by the name of Lex Luthor!  It's six heroes against a literal legion of villainy, and the face of the multiverse and all history are in their hands.  But remember - you've got the super-smarts of Barry Allen, Ray Palmer, and Cisco Ramon, and they manager to come up with a plan to save everything and get back home (well, most of them anyway....)

And did I mention that super-sized Cosmic Treadmill, big enough for a plethora of speedsters?  Or the ring of Volthoom that Heat Wave puts on his finger and uses?  Or the fun-filled return of Toy Boy (read it to find out just who that is!)?  Or the sudden glimpses of a decaying Flash that keep appearing to various people throughout time?  Like I said, this story definitely has it all, and from the very first page, it is NON-STOP!  You better be prepared and have the time to read for a while, because once you start it, you won't want top put it down until you've reached the end and found out exactly how and why one of the characters ends up living in the 30th Century and which hero joins the Legends of ... Forever?!?!

 

And I cannot possibly finish this post without mentioning how dead-on perfect Lyga is on the characterization for these heroes and their supporting cast.  The perfect example is when Felicity meets the Earth-38 Superman for the first time...

 

"Oliver," Felicty said into the solemn moment, "I love you dearly, but if you don't come back, am I allowed to marry him?" (p. 52).

 

It is so keeping in line with her character, making me think of her reaction during the "Invasion" crossover story on the CW shows when all of the characters get together for the first time, and Felicity gets all giddy and says, "Best team-up ever!"

Oh, yeah, there is no possible way that Lyga could ever top this story.  Unless, of course, he gives us a trilogy of books set on the Waverider, perhaps????

RATING:  10 phase-centric photonic array guns out of 10 for proving that even serious, sometimes sad, super-hero stories can still be fun and exciting without being all dark and gritty!

Mask - Book Two of the League of Secret Heroes series

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first book in The League of Secret Heroes series, I went into this second book with considerable enthusiasm.  After all, as a fan of comics, as well as children's series books, it only stands to reason that a children's series about young super heroes would be right up my alley.  In the first book, our three protagonists - Akiko, Mae, and Josie - find a way to put their deductive and coding skills to work to aid their country during World War II, and along the way, they discover that not only do they make an amazing team, but they also have the chance to become super-powered heroes - the Violet Vortex, the Orange Inferno, and the Emerald Shield.  Together, they formed the Infinity Trinity!  Now, in this second book, the three have another chance to decode some extremely important messages and stop a super criminal from terrorizing San Francisco!

Mask brings the three young heroes to California, where author Kate Hannigan introduces readers not only to Akiko's hometown of San Francisco, but also provides a bit of a history lesson regarding what happened to American citizens of Japanese descent during the time of World War II (after Pearl Harbor).  One of the good things about this book (and this series in general) is that Hannigan mixes some real life history with the fictional tale.  In this instance, readers learn a bit of what it was like for Japanese-Americans who were removed from their homes, forced into concentration camps, and in some cases, separated from their families - all simply because they were of Japanese descent.  As Akiko shares with her friends the story of what it was like to lose their home, their belongings, and everything they knew, the reader can't help but feel the frustration, anger, and incredulousness in the idea that something like that could ever happen in our country!  (Of course, looking at events transpiring in our country right now, maybe it's not so difficult to believe any more....)

At any rate, the jaunt to San Francisco turns out to be more than an excursion to see if they can locate Akiko's mom, who seems to have gone missing, as the three young heroes discover a message that they must decode - one that will lead them to Mrs. B., who had indicated that she would be in contact with them.  As they work to decipher the code, they suddenly find themselves in the middle of more than they bargained for - not only does Akiko spot her mother there in San Francisco (when she should still be in the concentration camp), but the three also come face to face with a group of clowns who seem to want nothing more than the create havoc and destruction by dropping exploding balloons on the waterfront!  Without hesitation, the Infinity Trinity jump into action!

Akiko, Mae, and Josie all learn some important lessons throughout this story - about each other, about never jumping to conclusions, about teamwork, and about their own self-confidence and abilities.  This time, they face the threat of Side-Splitter, a clown with a deadly mission in San Francisco.  They also face the question of whether Akiko's mother is a traitor, helping the Nazis by passing along secret messages, as well as having to decode some very important messages for Mrs. B., which could lead to the truth about whatever happened to Zenobia and all of the other missing heroes, as well as why some of the other heroes seemed to be literally fading out of existence!  

Again, it is rather cool that Hannigan integrates real facts into the story.  The Japanese did use balloon bombs during the war; Executive Order 9066 did force thousands of Japanese from their homes along the West Coast; Genevieve Grotjan and Elizebeth Friedman (both of whom appear in the story) were real-life cryptologists and code crackers who served this country during the war; and the Doll Lady was an actual person who sent spying letters through a contact in South America (although she did not run a store out of San Francisco - her store was in New York).  This type of fictionalization of facts is something the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books did for many years (although, perhaps, not quite to this extent), and it's great to see that authors still want to educate children in some fashion through the stories they tell!

And, of course, I cannot let this post pass without mentioning the comic book pages throughout the story.  In fact, the book opens with a 12-page sequence that shows the arrival of the three girls in San Francisco.  The art by Patrick Spaziante is fantastic, and each panel, each page of art, conveys so much story, it's almost like having an entire chapter encapsulated in just a few pages of art!  I love the mixture of comic and prose, and since most series these days do not have internal illustrations like the books I read growing up, this is a great way to make up for that!

The last book in this trilogy, Boots, is coming out in August, so it will be interesting to see how Hannigan brings this series to a conclusion.

RATING:  8 speeding out of control trolley cars out of 10 for good, clean fun and family-friendly reading with super-hero antics and code-cracking galore!

Diana and the Island of No Return - The First of the Wonder Woman Adventures

Not too long ago, DC Comics published a young reader graphic novel featuring a child Diana (who would grow up to be Wonder Woman), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. More recently, the Wonder Woman comic published monthly by DC Comics has added back-up stories featuring a young Diana that have been in the same vein as the graphic novel, and they have been fun to read. Now, Random House has published the start of a series of novels, the Wonder Woman Adventures, which feature a twelve-year old Princess Diana who is desperate to begin training, so she can be a strong, fierce Amazon like all of her sisters.  And author Aisha Saeed gives readers a fantastic first adventure that sets Diana's course to become the greatest Amazon of them all!

Diana and the Island of No Return finds young Diana awaiting the arrival of her friend, Princess Sakina, for the Chara festival, which is one of the rare times visitors are ever allowed on Themyscira.  Soon, Sakina, along with hundreds of others, arrive for the festivities.  What none of them realize is that one of the boats carries a stowaway - and the young boy who dares to come to this island paradise will set in motion a chain of events that will take Diana, Sakina, and the boy Augustus away from Themyscira to the island where the chariots of the gods are created - an island that is now being controlled by a demon - the very demon who sent Augustus to Themyscira to bring back the young princess Diana!

Saeed tells a wonderful little tale of friendship, trust, honor, strength, and determination.  Diana so desperately wants to be an Amazon warrior, but her mother, the Queen, refuses to allow her to train. But when all of the Amazons are put under a spell, Diana and her friend, Sakina, must leave Themyscira with Augustus to his home island, where they must find a way to defeat a demon whose goal is to capture Diana and take him to whomever "he" is that hired him.  And to even get to the demon, Diana and her friends must face countless dangers on an island now filled with traps, face off against the islanders - Augustus' own people! - without hurting the mind-controlled people, and overcome a villain that can take over one's mind simply by speaking to them!  Sounds easy, right?  Well, for a grown-up Diana who has her full powers and the knowledge and skills of decades of training, sure.  But for a youthful young princess who has yet to train and who does not even know the full extent of who she is or what she can do - let's just say, it's going to be an uphill battle - literally!

While I do take some exception with a lot of the current slang and American phrases used by Diana, Sakina, and Augustus (where would these three even learn of these phrases), overall the story is thoroughly enjoyable and definitely keeps the reader's attention from beginning to end.  And Saeed certainly captures the essence of who Wonder Woman is - even if she isn't quite a woman yet.  This is the type of story that DC needs to take heed of - a character-driven tale that features an big baddie that must be defeated, seemingly overwhelming odds, a lot of innocents in danger, a huge climactic battle, a few tricks and surprises along the way, and a lesson learned by everyone by the end of the story.  This is what comic books used to be.  The stories do not need to be uber-dark and violent to be exceptionally written and fun to read.

Plus, it's obvious that Saeed is planting seeds for future stories - such as, who is the "he" that hired the demon to capture Diana?  Who wants her so badly?  What is trying to escape Doom's Doorway under the island?  And will Diana discover the truth about her newly discovered abilities that allowed her to climb the side of a mountain and break metal bands as if they were nothing?  I guess we will have to wait for book two, and other future books, to discover the answers to these questions.

I can't end this post without talking about the beautiful cover to this book. The fantastic cover art is provided by Alessia Trunfio.  I'm unfamiliar with the name, but her rendition of a young Diana standing at the edge of the island, the tumultuous waves of the ocean crashing down before her as lightning strikes in the background - the scene is so alive, you can almost feel the wind, hear the waves and the crackle of electricity.  I would definitely love to see Trunfio do more Wonder Woman art - it's a shame she was not permitted to do any internal illustrations for the book.  That is probably the only thing that could make this book more perfect than what it already is!

RATING:  9 gamma gazelles out of 10 for a superbly written Wonder Woman story of young Diana's pre-Wonder Woman days!

Haunted Heroine - Book Four of the Heroine Complex

When Sarah Kuhn began this series, it was the story of Evie Tanaka and how she came to terms with becoming a superhero.  When the second book came out (which was a surprise, since I didn't realize this was going to be a series when I bought the first one!), Kuhn shared the story of Aveda Jupiter, Evie's best friend and crime-fighting partner.  Then, when the third book came out (which, needless to say, had me over-the-moon excited), Kuhn gave us the chance to get to know Evie's kid sister, Bea Tanaka, as she faced some of her own demons.  Now, as we settle in to Kuhn's fourth book in this wonderful series, Team Tanaka/Jupiter faces a whole bunch of new unknowns from both the present and the past!

Haunted Heroine brings Evie back to a college life she thought she left behind years ago.  But when she gets invited to visit the college she dropped out of so many years ago, Aveda sees this as the break Evie needs from everything going on in her life - in particular, her pregnancy!  With the tension growing between Evie and Nate (her husband and father to her child), Evie agrees, even though she is curious as to why she got invited back to a college from which she did not graduate.  Before she gets the chance to find out, though, a ghost attacks a student, and Evie steps in to save the day!  The provost of the college then reveals to Evie and Aveda that this is not the first supernatural attack on campus, and knowing of their recent triumphs against the demons popping up all over San Francisco, she asks the two of them to go undercover to protect the students and perhaps find the source of the supernatural attacks.  An opportunity to live out the college days they never had, plus solve a supernatural mystery?  How could they pass this up?!

I have to give Kuhn credit - each of her books is fresh and unique.  Even though the characters and some of the underlying plotlines are ongoing, each book manages to have not only its own individual story, but also its own "feel," for lack of a better word.  From self-discovery in the first book, to realization in the second book, to recovery in the third book, now we get some plain, good old-fashioned supernatural mystery fun.  Who are the ghosts haunted the halls of Morgan College?  Why are the haunting the school?  And what has caused them to go from merely roaming the halls to actually interacting with the students, sometimes in the most aggressive of ways?  Are they truly ghosts, or could they be demons that have somehow found a new portal across the bay from San Francisco?  Aveda can't wait to find out, but Evie is more concerned about how she is going to deal with the fact she must face the professor that she had a teacher/student affair with all those years ago - a man who made her feel less than what she was while taking advantage of her the whole time.

Kuhn introduces a whole new world of characters at Morgan College - Julie, Pippa, Shelby, Tess, Jocelyn, Victoria, Miriam, Lenora, Richard, Gloria, not to mention Madeline, Clementine, and the perky little bartender at the college party!  Each and every one of them breathe so much life into the story, it's not hard at all to get caught up in the drama that is their lives.  The problem is, each of them is harboring secrets - things they don't want others to know.  And as Evie and Aveda (or Eliza and Angelica, Teachers' Assistants, as they are known to the students at the college) dig deeper into what is going on at the school, they find that all of those secrets lead to some very deadly plans and a few unexpected surprises for both our superhero pair and the reader!

Now, I'm going to say up front there was one aspect of the book that annoyed me a little bit - not going to go into detail, but let's just say that it felt a bit like pandering to some current events in the real world today (and at times, it caused a bit of confusion to me as the reader).  However, that small tidbit certainly did not take away any of my enjoyment of the story.  Kuhn has a superb way of making her characters real - their dialogue, their actions, their responses and feelings - they all weave together to make believable characters that you can easily identify with in a very unbelievable world that you only wish you could live in!

And the only reason I'm still so excited after having finished this fourth Heroine novel is because I've already seen on Amazon that a fifth book is on its way!  Already counting the days...

RATING:  8 cups of supernaturally spiked punch out of 10 for giving us a superhero soap opera with a fun supernatural mystery to spice things up!

Vampirella: The Dark Powers - a Dynamite Entertainment mini-series

Some years ago, when Harris Publications came out with the Vengeance of Vampirella comic book series, I picked it up simply because it was a female-led comic.  I stuck with it for a few issues, but eventually gave it up, as I lost interest.  However, the character of Vampirella has stuck around, albeit via different publishers.  Currently, Dynamite Entertainment has the rights and has been publishing many varied series about Vampirella.  One of the most recent series presented a team-up between Vampirella and some of the public domain characters that Dynamite has been using in their Project Super Powers series.  As a fan of the Project Super Powers characters and series, I decided to pick it up and see how it faired...

Vampirella: The Dark Powers is a twist on the "fish out of water" tales, placing Vampirella into the world(s) of superheroes and multiversal crises.  The idea behind the book is that there is a multiverse of Earths out there, and so the heroes of all these Earths have united to defend their planets against the various threats that seem to pop up on a daily basis.  Whenever an Earth is discovered to have a super hero presence, the Project (as they are called - get it? Project Super Powers?) reaches out to that Earth and inducts one or more of its heroes into the Project to help defend the multiverse.  Thus, as Vampirella exhibits which might be considered superpowers, she gets inducted into the group (whether she wants to or not - and quite frankly, she's none too keen on being there...)

I readily admit, I find the concept to be mildly intriguing - Vampirella is a vampire (sort-of) that has no issues releasing her bloodlust to kill those who would threaten her or others; and here she is, teaming up with a bunch of do-gooders who abhor killing for any reason, and who are doing their best to tame Vampirella and teach her how to fight the "good fight" without killing.  Her probation does not seem to be going so well - she helps the team battle a dangerous villain; she goes to Plural World 5192 with The Flame and Flame Girl in order to prove herself worthy of being a member of the Project; and she ends up on her own world (conveniently called Plural World 0666) with Black Terror in tow to keep watch over her.  But what happens when the Terror gets a transmission from his own world, where his sidekick is crying out for help? It leaves Black Terror and the rest of the Project wondering - is Vampirella really on their side, or is she a daemonic terror that has unleashed unspeakable horrors on their worlds to destroy them all, starting with Black Terror's own Earth?

The story is a great mix of super-heroics and horror, and it definitely raises some very good points about comic book heroes in general.  While on the Flame's Earth, Vampirella discovers that the Flame has had sidekicks before Flame Girl - sidekicks who have been killed by the villains of that world.  When the Flame reminds Vampirella that they never use lethal force, Vampirella asks the question:

"You spare his life, and he returns to kill all over again ... If you'd killed him the first time, how many lives would have been saved? ... How many more victories will it take before you realize that you actually keep losing? How many more sidekicks before he finally wins and destroys you? Him, or any of the others you round and round with? ... You've enabled mass killers by playing their game."

And Vampirella has a point.  In these fictitious worlds of super heroes and super villains, how many innocent lives have been destroyed and lost, all because the "heroes" are unwilling to take the life of these villains - villains who have absolutely no qualms about taking lives, and they often do. Obviously, I'm not saying that super heroes should all act like Marvel's The Punisher and go out shooting and killing every villain in site.  However, if a super-villain is using deadly force, killing innocent people again and again, and a hero has a chance to put an end to that once and for all - which is more heroic?  Not killing the villain, putting him in a jail, only to have him break out and kill again - OR - killing the villain, and ending his murdering cycle, thus saving who knows how many lives?  Definitely food for thought.

While the writing is fairly strong, the art comes across somewhat jumbled and inconsistent, which is a shame.  Paul Davidson provides the art on the first two issues, but by the time we get to the third issue, the art is suddenly shared between Davidson, Jordi Perez, and Lee Ferguson.  Then, the fourth issue suddenly has art by Jonathan Lau, Alessandro Miracolo, Vincenzo Federici, and Jordi Perez! By the last issue, the art is provided solely by Federici.  I have no idea why the shuffle in artists - whether it was because of problems with meeting deadlines, or if there were other behind-the-scenes issues, but the constant change in artists caused a complete lack of consistency in the book, and sadly (for me), that detracted from the over all enjoyment of the series.  I mean, when you have an ongoing series that is lasting for 50 or more issues, you rather expect the artists to change at some point.  But, for a five-issue mini-series that couldn't even keep to a monthly schedule, you would think they could keep one artist on the book so that the art and the look of the characters remain consistent.

Overall, it was a pretty good read - and, oh, you should probably be aware - the last issue ends with a rather surprise guest appearance that leaves off with a big cliffhanger - - and leads directly into the fifth and final issue of the Red Sonja: The Super Powers mini-series, being concurrently published by Dynamite Entertainment (fortunately, I have been picking up that title as well, so I'll be able to read the conclusion to this series there!).

RATING:  7 multiversal-crossing super hero teams out of 10 for giving fans a story that questions both the hero-side and supernatural-side of comic fandom and makes readers actually stop and think for a  moment!

Flash: Crossover Crisis - the YA Novel Book 2 - Supergirl's Sacrifice

Barry Lyga returns with the second part of this latest Flash trilogy, and let me just say - these books are absolutely fantastic!  Just because they are marketed for young adults, it doesn't mean adults should not read them.  This story proves just what a fantastic writer Lyga really is, and the wealth of Easter eggs scattered throughout the book will many any fanboy (or girl) go crazy!  These books have the exact feel that the first couple of seasons of the television show had, and it definitely makes me long for those "innocent" days again!

 

Now, in this second part of the Crossover Crisis, Supergirl’s Sacrifice, the threat of the Anti-Matter Man expands from just Flash’s Earth over to Earth-38 (where Supergirl resides).  It should be noted this story takes place prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths – in fact, there are several references in this book to the newspaper article that Team Flash has seen dated 2024 – there is even a reference to the article’s authorship changing from Iris West-Allen to Vicki Vale (which happened in the TV show when it was predicted that Savatar would kill Iris). So, even though Lyga has firmly established that the stories taking place in the books are from a different timeline than that of the TV show (which, by the way, is referenced once again in this book as the “Transuniversal Version” universe), there are still aspects of this universe that mirror that of the TV universe.

With the expanded threat of the Anti-Matter Man (who comes across very similar to the Anti-Monitor in this story, having already destroyed the Crime Syndicate’s universe, and now bringing familiar red skies and black lightning to Earth-38 as he begins to destroy that universe), the cast in the story expands, and there seems to be a LOT more going on for our heroes to fight:

-          Ambush Bug is still going crazy in Star City, so Joe West, Black Canary, and Wild Dog are there to try and put a stop to his zany pranks

-          Iris West-Allen, Caitlin Snow, and Felicity Smoak are in Central City trying to find a way to locate and rescue Vibe and Mr. Terrific, who disappeared after Oliver’s perfect shot that stopped the Anti-Matter Man from destroying their universe in the last book

-          Cisco Ramon and Curtis Holt find themselves somewhere in the past, with no apparent way to determine when and where they are, let alone find their way back to the present

-          Oliver Queen and Barry Allen have jumped over to Earth-38 to help Supergirl, Superman, Brainiac 5, J’onn J’onzz, Alex Danvers, Jimmy Olsen, and Lena Luthor find a way to stop Anti-Matter Man’s destructive wave

-          Madame Xanadu is revcovering after having one of her dopplegangers killed in the last book

-       And last, but not least, Bruce Wayne a/k/a Owlman is making big plans to take over this new Earth on which he has found himself!

Whew!  As I said, that is a LOT going on in this book – and that doesn’t even address the prologue (featuring Ava Sharpe and my personal favorite Legend, Gary Green) and epilogue (featuring Heat Wave and a very surprising guest star – more on that later…).  Yet, despite all of the stories, characters, and crazy action of Ambush Bug, the story is very easy to follow, and reads so much like a well-written episode of the CW television shows that I wish Lyga would actually be the writer of those shows!  We might actually get better stories than what we have been getting on Supergirl and Flash for the past two seasons…

And speaking of Ambush Bug – Keith Giffen would be exceptionally proud of Lyga for the way he handles the character.  Ambush Bug is fun, zany, and totally breaks the fourth wall, talking about the way Giffen writes him, talking about how his name is trademarked by Warner Brothers, and talking about Berlanti giving him his own show!  I laughed out loud as I read Joe, Dinah, and Rene react to the craziness that A.B. spews out, as they have no understanding that they are just characters in a book that is based on characters in a television show – but A.B. knows!

Oh, and Barry’s reaction when Brainiac 5 lets him use his Legion flight ring to join Supergirl and J’onn J’onzz in their fight against the Anti-Matter Man – well, it is absolutely priceless!  It is dead-on for the character, and a scene that I could so clearly see in my mind’s eye when I read it, that I would absolutely LOVE to see it brought to life on the screen for real.

Like Empire Strikes Back, this book is the linking story between the opening of the last book and the conclusion of the next book – so there is no real beginning or ending, but lots of build up to what is to come.  Like the big revelation of who, at the end of time, has been pulling the strings? And how will Team Arrow, Team Flash, and Team Supergirl get to the far-flung future to stop him?  And will they get some help from the future (a BIG hint right there as to that special guest star who shows up to help Heat Wave) to save all of time and space?

Lyga needs to be made the permanent reader of all books based on the CW television shows – and I sure as heck hope that the next book (which will FINALLY see the Legends of Tomorrow get involved) is not the last!

RATING:  10 cell phones from the Wild West out of 10 for keeping the fun in the Flash and writing a far-better story than the CW has been capable of for some time!

JSA - Ragnarok

There was definitely no better way to start out 2021 than to read the one and only JSA prose novel! I have been waiting for this book for more years than I can count (well, not really, but it HAS been quite a number of years!).  The JSA (or, more accurately, the Justice Society of America) has long been my favorite superhero team, consisting of my favorite heroes from the pre-Crisis Earth-2 (and if you don't know what that means, go look it up!).  After the Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, DC Comics wiped out all of the alternate earths and merged the JSA into the main earth; however, this meant that these World War II heroes would be fighting side-by-side with their formerly Earth-1 counterparts, and the world would be filled with two Flashes, two Green Lanterns, two Hawkmen, two Hawkgirls, two Atoms, two Wonder Women, etc.  And DC couldn't have that.  So, they elected to send the old-timers into a limbo, forever fighting the undefeatable Surtur in a never-ending cycle of battles to protect all of reality - and so seemed to end the careers of the Justice Society...

Until DC brought them back in the '90s. After a short-lived 10-issue series, writer Geoff Johns breathed new life into the team, creating a legacy of heroes and an absolutely amazing comic book series populated with old and new heroes alike.  And it is this super team that author Paul Kupperberg drew upon for the very first JSA prose novel, Ragnarok.  It was set to be published in early 2006, and I even had it on my Amazon watch list, ready to buy it.  Then the publisher claimed bankruptcy, and the completed JSA novel never saw print.  I kept hoping DC would take it to another publisher, but that didn't happen.  And year after year after year went by, until finally I came to the realization that I would never get to read Kupperberg's tale.

But all that changed when I saw an announcement on Facebook that Kupperberg was going to self-publish the book!  After all this time, I finally was able to get the book and read the prose adventures of the JSA!  And Kupperberg definitely did not disappoint.  Ragnarok is not a re-telling of the JSA's last adventure after Crisis; rather, it was a story that explored the after-effects of that tale.  The story is set in the post-Crisis universe, where Power Girl is uncertain of her origins; where Superman and Batman were never part of the original JSA; where Hippolyta (Wonder Woman's mother) was the Wonder Woman who was a member of the JSA; where Hawkman's son, Hector Hall, is Doctor Fate; where Sand has now taken over the role of Sandman; where Jakeem Thunder now has control of the Thunderbolt, who is merged with the original Johnny Thunder; where Michael Holt has taken over the role of Mr. Terrific; and where the original Flash, Green Lantern, and Wildcat are training the next generation of heroes, such as Stargirl and Hawkgirl.  The story also features the JSA's long-time nemeses, the Injustice Society - the Wizard, the Icicle, the Sportsmaster, the Fiddler, the Tigress, the Shade, Brain Wave, and even Solomon Grundy.  It is a good, old-fashioned story of good vs. evil - the ISA wants to take over the world, and the JSA must stop them.

Kupperberg treats readers to a glimpse into the JSA's past, after the end of World War II, as the world was beginning to settle down following the death of Hitler and defeat of Germany.  The Spear of Destiny takes center stage, both in the past and in the present, and when the Wizard gets all three pieces of the Spear, in conjunction with other mystical objects, it offers him an opportunity for unlimited power - but at what cost?  Is he willing to betray his own villainous teammates to put an end to the JSA once and for all?  And with the JSA on ice (literally!), how will they prevent Surtur from taking them back into his world to return to that eternal battle from which they thought they had escaped?

There's plenty of heroic action, plenty of characterization of our beloved characters, and plenty of dastardly betrayals.  The only thing that was a bit disappointing for me with this story is that Green Lantern mentioned his daughter, Jade, on several occasions - but not once did he mention the fact that he also has a son (Todd Rice, otherwise known as the hero, Obsidian).  There is even a mention of the Infinity, Inc. team, of which Obsidian was a founding member.  So, why the glaring omission?  I can't say, but once can only hope that it was merely an accidental oversight and not an intentional omission.

The story was well-worth the wait, and considering how long it has been now since DC introduced its "New 52" universe and the current "Rebirth" universe, leaving far behind not only the original JSA of Earth 2, but also this version of the JSA from New Earth, it was refreshing and fun to read some more adventures of the team I've loved for nearly all my life. Now, if only DC Comics would bring back the original JSA and tell some more stories of them (perhaps the upcoming JSA cartoon movie will inspire some creators to pitch a new JSA comic to DC.....)

RATING:  9 showings of Casablanca out of 10 for feeding a fan-boy's hunger for more tales of the original super-team!