Tag Archives: Justice League Dark

Justice League Dark Meets Barry…and Swamp Thing? (Review of Justice League Dark #19)

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JL Dark 19 coverThis issue of Justice League Dark begins a three-issue arc that will include The Flash as they fight a power that has taken over the House of Mystery! Flash fans may be a bit disappointed in this first issue of the arc, as there isn’t much of an appearance from the Scarlet Speedster…but hopefully this is just the start of a much greater role for The Flash in this story arc.  Barry isn’t the only guest star present, though…and that’s where the fun begins!

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD – PLEASE READ THE ISSUE BEFORE MOVING FORWARD!

This story begins with Constantine at the race track, actually attempting to lose without much success (and yes, I know that sounds odd).  But, it is the prelude to an attack, one that severs his connection to the House of Mystery just long enough for it to be taken over! Constantine gathers the JL Dark (although at least Deadman hates that name for the group) and calls in help from Swamp Thing to locate the missing House.  Swamp Thing does help them find the House of Mystery…but that triggers nightmare visions sent by the House for each member of the league!  Madame Xanadu does manage to get a cryptic message out to Frankenstein before they are separated, saying “when the lightning comes, make it your friend.”

That lightning does come…in the form of The Flash!  His brief appearance is a lead in to the next issue of Justice League Dark, as they fight the villain who is revealed in the final panel of the story.  If you want to know just who they are up against, you’ll need to buy the issue.

Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes scripted this issue, with Mikel Janin and Vicente Cifuentes on art with colors by Jeromy Cox.  Their work on the JL Dark characters is amazing and their Flash is credible, though we will have to wait for next issue to see just what they do with Barry in a longer appearance.  If you are a JL Dark fan this should be a good issue for you.  Flash fans may be a little disappointed as the cover gives the indication of a longer appearance than what actually happens in this issue.  However, we may see a lot more Flash-oriented action as this arc progresses, and it will be interesting to see what happens to the House of Mystery before this arc is through.

This Week: Flash #19 & Justice League Dark plus Hell to Pay & Circle of Fire

Flash #19 Cover

New Flash comics this week include:

Flash #19: Trapped in Iron Heights without his powers (as a result of Dial H #11), Barry Allen has to fend off the attack of the Outlanders. All he has are his wits…and the Rogues’ confiscated weapons. Brian Buccellato and Marcio Takara, cover by Francdis Manapul. Preview at Uproxx.

Justice League Dark #19

Justice League Dark #19: The House of Mystery is under seige—can special guest star The Flash help Justice League Dark battle this unexpected threat? Jeff Lemire & Ray Fawkes, Mikel Janin. Preview at BuzzFeed.

Teen Titans #19: Which new member of the Teen Titans reveals his true colors? Scott Lobdell, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira. Preview at CBR.

Meanwhile in digital back issues:

Flash #128-129: “Hell to Pay” parts 2-3. The dead Rogues have returned to earth — or rather, their reanimated bodies have, and without their souls to keep them in check, they’re laying waste to Keystone City! Only Wally West can stop them, but he’ll have to make a literal deal with the devil to do so.

Impulse #67

Impulse #67: After the events of “Mercury Falling,” heroes gather to celebrate the life of Max Mercury. Todd Dezago, Ethan Van Sciver & Andrew Hennessy.

Impulse #68: Impulse “rescues” Adam Strange from a Zeta beam and ends up on the alien world of Rann. Part one of a two-part “Green Lantern: Circle of Fire” epilogue. Todd Dezago, Battle & Buzz. (I meant to review this story for The Indigo Tribe’s Circle of Fire event, but didn’t have enough time after I reviewed the Green Lantern/Adam Strange issue.)

I’d like to add that Impulse #67 was the best fake-out I’ve ever seen in the era of online solicitations and spoilers everywhere. DC didn’t write a fake solicitation or block out parts of the cover art. All they did was post the artwork showing Max Mercury (I’m such a digital packrat that I still have it) and state that heroes gathered together to honor him. Then the next two issues put Bart off-planet on Rann for the Green Lantern/Adam Strange guest spot, so there was literally no way to know whether Max would survive “Mercury Falling” until the conclusion hit the shelves.

Flashing Around the DC Universe in April (Solicitations & Covers)

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Justice League Dark #19

DC’s April solicitations are trickling out today, and in addition to The Flash #19 and the usual team books, the scarlet speedster is guest starring in at least two three other comics: Justice League Dark, Dial H (hinted at in the March solicitations) and DC Universe Presents. Plus, Impulse’s guest spots in Smallville Season 11 continue for a fourth issue as Bart and Clark face off against the Black Flash.

Flash #19

From the Justice League group:

THE FLASH #19
Written by BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art by MARCIO TAKARA
Fold-out cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 MAD Variant cover by The Usual Gang of Idiots
On sale APRIL 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

  • What is the latest and greatest threat to The Flash and all those closest to him?

That’s not a proper riddle, now is it, my precious?

Update: I forgot to mention that this is the second of two issues that Francis Manapul is taking off. Assuming plans don’t change, he’ll be back for Flash #20 and the start of the Reverse Flash storyline.

Update: I missed the fact that this is the book attached to the sword cover we posted on Friday:

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #19
Written by TONY BEDARD
Art by JESUS SAIZ
Fold-out cover by JESUS MERINO
On sale APRIL 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T • FINAL ISSUE

  • In this final issue, what time displaced-hero has arrived on our world—and is the destruction he brings the herald to a great disaster?

DC Universe Presents #19

From the Dark group:

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #19
Written by JEFF LEMIRE and RAY FAWKES
Art and fold-out cover by MIKEL JANIN
On sale APRIL 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

  • The House of Mystery is under siege—can special guest star The Flash help Justice League Dark battle this unexpected threat?

DIAL H #11
Written by CHINA MIEVILLE
Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI and DAN GREEN
Fold-out cover by BRIAN BOLLAND
On sale APRIL 3 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

  • What? The? Flash?

So that’s what WTF means. And all this time I thought it stood for something else.

Smallville Season 11 #12

From the Beyond the New 52 group:

SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #12
Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER
Art by JORGE JIMENEZ
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS
On sale APRIL 3 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

  • All-new digital adventures in print for the first time!
  • The shocking conclusion to “Haunted.”
  • Superman and Impulse face off against the Black Flash in Las Vegas!
  • Meanwhile, events move into crisis mode on Earth 2…

+1 for the Black Flash, -1 for Electric Superman.

New 52 Quick Hits: Flash, Resurrection Man, Justice League Dark

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September is over, and DC’s New 52 comics have all debuted. Halfway through the month I reviewed four of the New 52 launches. Now that the month is over, it’s time to look at the rest of the books I picked up.

Flash #1

Judging by this issue, The Flash may finally be getting back on track. The book was focused, moved quickly, and managed to lay out the ground rules for new and returning readers alike without getting overly bogged down in exposition. Most importantly, Manapul & Buccellato understand that a book about a guy who runs fast should be fun, not serious and full of angst.

See my full review for more.

Resurrection Man #1

I thought this book was technically very good, but for some reason it didn’t really grab me. It did a great job of setting up the main character, establishing his powers, and setting up a hero-on-the-run dynamic, without ever getting too expository. Critically, rather than letting people wonder how badly Mitch Shelley can be injured before he can’t resurrect, in this first issue he’s…well, let’s just say killed very thoroughly, and he still comes back to life. I think it’s also the only New 52 debut issue I read that’s actually a complete, done-in-one story.

Still, I got to the end feeling vaguely unsatisfied for some reason. I’ll certainly check out issue #2, but I’m on the fence.

Justice League Dark #1

I wanted to like this more than I did. Partly I’m more interested in the characters as a dark fantasy team than as a group of broken people. (I’m not a fan of Madame Xanadu as drug addict, for instance.) Partly I was hoping that, despite the title, it would stay as far away as possible from the main Justice League. Partly I didn’t think Milligan balanced exposition and story very well. A lot of characters wound up saying things for the sake of the reader rather than for the sake of what they might have been saying. I think I’m on board for the first arc, but I’m not sure if I’ll stick around past it.

Overall: How Did the New 52 Do?

  • On board: Flash, Demon Knights, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
  • On the fence: Resurrection Man and Justice League Dark.
  • Didn’t make the cut: Stormwatch, Justice League.

So… which New 52 comics did you pick up? Which ones did you love? Which ones did you hate?

DC Comics: Pulling (or is that Polling?) the New 52

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So, the DC reboot* is upon us, and it’s time to make some decisions:

  • What new series should I buy?
  • Should I stick with print, or go digital?

I’ll tackle the second question later. For now, here are the books I was looking at when the New 52 was first announced, and what I’m looking at now.

Buying

Flash

As with Action, it was the creative team that got me excited about the fifth relaunch in as many years. (Seriously, DC, pick a direction and stick with it.) And as with Action, every interview, every announcement since then has chipped away a little more at my interest. But then Francis Manpul posts a new piece of artwork, and I feel like can’t possibly pass it up. TENTATIVE YES.

And yes, that’s a sad verdict for someone who’s spent the last 15 years running a Flash fan site, but it is what it is.

Justice League Dark

Love the concept, hate the title. I had high hopes for this when it was announced, but the execution of Flashpoint: Secret Seven, by the same writer and featuring many of the same characters, has me worried. TENTATIVE YES.

Demon Knights

The complete opposite of Action Comics. When I first read about it, I thought, “Hmm, that sounds sort of interesting, but I just don’t know.” But everything I’ve heard about it makes me more interested. DEFINITE YES.

Regarding Demon Knights and Justice League Dark, it seems that the Matt Wagner/Amy Reeder Vertigo series has made me a fan of Madame Xanadu. Who would have expected that?

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

I really liked the Seven Soldiers version of the Frankenstein monster, and the idea of him as a sci-fi secret agent sounds like a lot of fun. Plus the Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown miniseries was enjoyable (despite a dip in the middle issue), so I’m on board for this one. DEFINITE YES.

Resurrection Man

I keep meaning to read the articles about this, but somehow keep forgetting to come back to them when I have time. So I still don’t know a whole lot about it, but the concept is interesting enough to make it a TENTATIVE YES.

The Shade

Announced as part of the second wave of new titles, the 12-issue miniseries launches in October. I like the character, especially the modern interpretation, and I really enjoyed the 4-issue miniseries James Robinson did back in the 1990s, so I’m on board for this one as well. DEFINITE YES.

Considered, but Skipping

Action Comics

Grant Morrison brings Superman back to his roots. Sounded great at the time, but the more I’ve heard about the actual direction, the less interested I’ve gotten. PASS.

Teen Titans

I’ve been burned too many times, and I think what I really liked about the series was the Wolfman/Perez dynamic, which I’ve come to realize is never going to exist again. I actually think it’s a good thing that they’re taking the book in a new direction, even though it’s clearly not for me. PASS.

Hawk & Dove

As fond as my memories are of the series 20 years ago…I just can’t. PASS.

Deathstroke

I liked his solo series back in the day, but between my changing taste and the emphasis on ultra-violence, I don’t have any interest in the new version. PASS.

(OK, except for the issue where he destroys the 405 freeway. I live in LA and commute on that damn thing. It’s a revenge fantasy.)

In Summary…

So that’s my DC Comics pull list for September. 5 comics out of 52 (plus The Shade) may not sound like much, but considering I was only reading one DC proper title before Flashpoint, it’s actually a pretty big increase.

Edited to add: For context, this brings the DC Universe back up to 50% of my active pull list. The rest is 1 Vertigo (The Unwritten), 3 BOOM! (Elric, Farscape & Darkwing Duck, at least until Farscape & Darkwing Duck end in a couple of months), 1 Dynamite (Wheel of Time) and 1 Aspen (Lady Mechanika). Mostly sci-fi/fantasy, with the closest to a traditional superhero being Darkwing Duck.

How about you? What are you planning to pick up?

*Of course it’s a reboot. They’re resetting the system, with some things altered and others preserved. They installed a service pack, and now they’re rebooting. People use the term reboot to mean starting over completely from the beginning, but if we’re going to use the computer metaphor properly, that would be a wipe-and-reinstall.