Review: Red Lanterns #40

What do you do when you are a good person, trying to do good, but grow weary of fighting a battle that is truly never-ending? What do you do when fatigue sets in? When you lose sight of all the good you have done, instead focusing on everything else that still needs to be helped? What do you do?

Red Lanterns #40 strives to answer those questions.

It shows us a Guy Gardner who has just about reached his limit. He is a good man. He is trying to purge the world of Atrocitus' plague of rage. But no matter how much he does, there is always more madness, more rage, more death and horror. And despite realizing that he will never be able to win this war, he plods on. He is broken man, despondent, exhausted, trying to do good but about to lose hope.

Landry Walker writes this brilliant issue looking at a super-hero burned out from the fight. This is the last issue of Red Lanterns and so why not make it a character driven issue, focusing on Guy, and giving us an open-ended finale. I worry if this gem will somehow be lost on the racks, the forgotten 'last issue' of a corner of the universe about the be rebooted.

There were parts of this issue that truly resonated with me. There are times where the grind is about to finally pulverize me and then suddenly I am reminded  to keep my eyes on the prize.

And as usual, Jim Calafiore's thick lined is perfect for this book.

In the last three issues, we have seen Guy trying to root out all the pockets of rage left by Atrocitus. We have seen him wade in the abattoir of a destroyed town. We have seen him battle a rage vampire. Around every corner is some depravity, some reminder of how cruel and terrible humanity can be.

Even Guy realizes that wearing a Corps ring changes a person. Makes them someone different.

Being a Red, seeing all the things he has seen, exposing himself to this mad rage has changed him. Look at this panel with Guy sporting this mane of hair, those sullen eyes, that crazed grimace. He has seen too much and fought too long. He has been changed.

And who wouldn't be when day in day out you are exposed to scenes like this, a blood bath in an ice cream shoppe, a crazed elderly woman floating over carnage.

Who wouldn't grow tired of this fight if you knew the next round was going to be just as horrific?

He turns to his sister for some solace.

He is trying his best to rid the world of anger. He has been absorbing this rage. He is trying to save people. But all he sees is the next fight.

His whole body language, his unkempt appearance screams he is losing hope. He knows he has to keep fighting ... but how do you pick yourself up when life is pulling you down?

His sister decides that he needs a little tough love. That seems like the Gardner way.

But this is a bit of a 'pull yourself together' speech. He can't rid the world of anger because sometimes rage is a healthy response.

And calling Guy a pretentious jerk is cutting. When did Guy decide he had the right to speak for the world? Guy might always be a jerk. But pretentious? Never. He's down to Earth.

It doesn't work.

Instead all this rage that Guy has absorbed seems to overwhelm him. He is ready to release it all back to the Earth ... all of it and more. And with the world on the verge of being engulfed in madness, Guy sends his sister and the baby from last issue into a orbiting life pod.

The thing that got me here was the image of Guy on the pretaped message.

When was the last time we saw a clean shaven, crew-cutted Guy? That is a different Guy, one that hasn't seen what the current Guy has seen, hasn't done what the current Guy has done.

From space, Guy's sister still tries to help him.

He is attacking this problem wrong. You need to not dwell on the darkness, not be overtaken by it, not give in to it. Instead, help the world and see the bright side.

It all comes down to this one statement. 'Don't give up on yourself.'

And maybe ... just maybe ... this speech jars something in Guy. There is always hope. Before he lets the rage consume him, he needs to have hope in humanity. Of course he has hope. Otherwise, why would he keep fighting?

In a truly cathartic page, Guy vomits all the rage away, ridding himself of all of it.

That second panel is just sublime, just enough of a tint of blue in to give us that hint of hope.

With the rage gone, we see the Red Ring on the ground.

And then we see Guy again. Suddenly he is ... well ... he's Guy again.

And then we see the classic Guy smirk with hope to find a ring and use it for good. No more weariness. No more pain. No more rage. No more self-loathing. No more despair.

The name of this story is 'Hope'. Classic.

Overall grade: A

Review: Red Lanterns #39

Red Lanterns #39 came out last week, the second of Landry Walker's brief run on the book, a run that will end next month with its cancellation of the book. It is a shame that this title is coming to a close because I would love to see just what Walker would have done had he been given more time on the book.

Last issue was a downbeat story with Guy inheriting a world he feels he deserves, a chaotic realm of pain and destruction. And this issue starts out similarly. About halfway through I was wondering just where this book was going. Would it be three issues of a depressing commentary on the human condition?

Then Walker turns the pages a bit, showing that love can still conquer all. And there is hope at the end of the book. This is why I would have loved to see where Walker would take the book.

But we know that this book is ending. In fact, this last page would have been a perfect open-ended finale to the book. It will be hard to top this.

As I have said in all my reviews of Red Lanterns, Jim Calafiore's art is perfectly suited for this book. Thick-lined, occasionally muddy, sometimes ugly ... just perfect.

Of course we open up with this odd, almost comedic splash page. Guy getting punched out by a baby.

Now it is a demonic baby. So it is sort of scary. But this is still a baby.

And it echoes the 'one punch' famous scene with Batman.

We flash back a bit.

Guy is walking across America, being drawn to areas of rage and death, the fallout of some Atrocitus attack.

I have to say, for some reason the first thing I thought about was Grounded. That was J. Michael Straczynski bad story where Superman walked across the country.

Guy enters the tiny town of El Sobrante. And there in the city center, is a cute baby sitting on top of a dead person. When Guy starts to analyze the baby, a giant rage demon comes up behind him and basically beats the snot out of Guy.

There are some interesting things to notice in the fight. One, the demon seems to be protecting the baby, or trying to separate Guy from the baby. Second, in the middle of the battle, his red energy seems to simply dissipate.

Luckily, Guy survives the battle. He wakes up in the home of an elderly couple who took in his unconscious body and cared for him. I love how they are afraid of the baby, asking Guy not to talk about the little tyke. It reminded me a little of the Twilight Zone episode 'It's a Good Life', where Billy Mumy plays an omnipotent kid.

Again, even here, Guy doesn't seem to have rage ... and as a result he has no red energy.

After a little legwork, Guy heads to the baby's home. He is Danton Dexter Dibble III. His parents died when the town was attacked by Atrocitus, crushed by the rubble.

And somehow, Danton has the ability to absorb everyone's rage. And that rage feeds this being who has possessed him in some way.

This is exactly what a rage demon should look like! It's ugly and spiky and smiling. Excellent.

Now I assumed that this thing was some manifestation of Danton's rage, that this thing was in him.

But Guy makes a point, at length, to say that this thing is a parasite. Danton absorbs the rage and this thing feeds off it. And when Guy decides to battle this thing, it possesses Danton.

This leads to 4 great pages of brawl with trucks being tossed, building being leveled, and Guy being punched.

There is only one way to end this. Guy queues up a loop of home movies, of Danton being loved by his mother. And that pain from missing her, that love of her, cuts through Danton's rage. Calm for a moment, Guy is able to suck the demon out of Danton and then eliminate it.

With the battle over, no one in the town wants to take over care for Danton. He has inadvertently brought so much pain to the place. And so Guy has no choice to become Danton's caregiver. Time to 'get in some trouble'.

Isn't there just a twinge of hope here? Guy as a dad, walking into the horizon? This is a great counterpoint to last issue. And this would be a great ending to the title!

We have one more issue with Walker at the helm. I am very interested to see what he has for us.

Overall grade: B+/B

Bullet Review: Red Lanterns #38

It was a decidedly non-Super week last week from DC Comics. And in some ways, it allowed me to look elsewhere for a bit. Sometimes it is good to break things up a bit and stretch my reviewing legs a bit more. And why not use it to look at books done by creators I like.

And so this is officially Landry Walker week here at Comic Box Commentary. I already looked at Danger Club #6. Today I'll look at Red Lanterns #38.

I read Red Lanterns during the Red Daughter arc and was impressed with the tone of the book. In that arc, the Reds seemed to be troubled souls who were trying to defend the universe from threats so no other person would feel like them, filled with rage at injustice. It was different than what I thought it would be ... a grindhouse comic of torture. While the Reds were definitely anti-heroes in the issues I read, there was this undercurrent of empathy. They wanted to spare people their fate. And as a result they were sympathetic. I felt sort of hopeful for this group, like maybe they could move on themselves.

When Supergirl left the team and the New God arc started, I left the book. But I wanted to see what Walker would do with the character, even if it is only for a couple of issues before the title is canceled.

There is definitely something of a tone shift here. This is about as bleak a comic that I have read in a long time. There is no hope here. Guy, who always seemed angry at himself, loathes himself. Even if this is a downbeat issue, it is of high quality. I felt moved by this issue, wallowing in the darkness Walker delivers.

Jim Calafiore is on art here and his inky muddy style works very well here.

We out far, looking at a hopeful image of a sun rising over the Earth. And we read how Simon Baz looked at Guy as a hero, saving many more than he has hurt. But the optimism of this opening sentiment is quickly dismissed. Guy thinks it is folly.

And then we head down deeper, honing in our focus to a city in flames. Guy is no hero. He lives in a word where cities burn and people die.

It is a nice progression of images and themes.

Sometime after Red Daughter, Atrocitus has infected a whole city with Red Rage but didn't give them any rings. As a result, the place became an abattoir, a place where enraged insane people are destroying everyone and everything. Relief corps are overwhelmed. And Guy feels so powerless, he initially sits in the destruction drinking.

But then that feeling of responsibility takes over. He uses his ring to read the minds of one of the anger-zombies and is overwhelmed with images of destruction and death.

I love the 'spoiler alert' that the world is screwed up.

But one image seems to be at the epicenter. Guy goes into the city to discover a place where the rage victims were being triaged. But without any clear ability to help these people, they were left to their own devices and turned on each other.

This is a vivid image. The bodies are piled on top of each other. Again, bleak. You can imagine that Guy might think that this is the base of humanity ... rage and violence and a compulsion to kill each other.

Drowning in self-hatred, realizing how he has failed, Guy decides he needs to help these people. An explosion of rage will burn them out, leaving charred carcasses.

So maybe to help them, maybe to punish himself, maybe a little bit of both ... Guy allows himself to be pummeled by the rage-infected crowd.

And this internal monologue is just profound. Somewhere along the way, Guy lost himself. He betrayed himself. And he can't get revenge against himself.

He feels he deserves this.

Heavy stuff.

And with that fervor, the zombies burn themselves out, leaving a city of remains.

This city of death is the Guy's world.

I love this framework sequence. We are back to the images from page one. But instead of pulling all the way back out to the sun on the horizon, instead of getting to the optimism, Walker stops us. We stop at the depressing image of a city in flames. Because there is no hope here ... there is no new day.

I read comics for entertainment. And I read a variety of books. They don't all need to be sunny. I like a sad story as much as a happy one ... if high quality.

This was a depressing issue. It shows how grim and blighted a world filled with super-powered amoral people would be. And it shows how living a life like Guy's could burn the goodness out of anyone.

It is a powerful and dark issue. Well written and well drawn.

Overall grade: A- (if you are in the mood)

Review: Red Lanterns #32

Red Lanterns #32 came out this week, the last issue (presumably) that Supergirl will be a member of the group. Writer Charles Soule and artist Jim Calafiore spin another great chapter in this book which continues to impress me.

How impressed?

I am probably going to continue reading even without Supergirl. I never thought I would say that.

My preconceived notion of this book was that the team was a bunch of snarling, vomiting thugs. That this was a poster child of the new 52, a gore-fest for people who like that sort of stuff. Instead, Soule has made this team a bunch of tortured souls, dealing with their power and trying to move forward rather than gleefully embracing their rage and regurgitating on the masses. These are surprisingly complex characters, especially Bleez. I assumed she was simply eye candy/cheesecake - especially given the Ed Benes panels posted everywhere. Instead she is someone trying to steel herself against the pain inside her.

Moreover, Soule really has shown us the best Kara since the reboot. She is passionate and impetuous, as someone of her age should be. But she is also caring and loyal. And her heart seems to be in the right place. Perhaps best of all, she has been accepted and loved by the Lanterns, people who recognize her for how great she is. Especially Guy.

I said it before, Calafiore is a great choice for this title, grimy and thick-lined, perfect for the rage and shadows and imperfections of this team. Just great stuff.

Last issue Bleez limped home, just surviving an attack by Atrocitus on her and Rankorr. Guy makes the decision to bring the attack to the ex-leader of the Lanterns and save Rankorr. There is this wonderful loyalty and familial feeling to this team as Guy unifies them. I especially love how he tells Supergirl not to rush in.

That is tactical (something Guy brings to the team as well) but also big brotherly. I loved this mentor relationship and hope it becomes something permanent in the DCU.

In that destroyed hut, Rankorr is chained and insane, back to the snarling frenzy of when he first donned the ring.

In the old switcheroo, Atrocitus has headed to Ysmault. He has his own acolytes, meaning there are 2 warring factions.

One thing I like about Atrocitus in this book is how much he is an evangelist of rage. His words sound like an old-school homily, bringing people into the faith. There is an evil charisma about him.

Meanwhile the Reds try to deal with the out of control Rankorr. And I find it interesting that Kara needs a primer on Red Lantern history.

Her words are powerful here. You can almost sense her fear, that somehow this could happen again to her. Remember how anguished she looked when first under the influence of the ring. I am sure she doesn't want to go back to that.

This is a great panel to show Calafiore's take. The thick lines. The shadows. The rough terrain. It all works.

Bleez releases Rankorr. She doesn't think one of them should be bound like a beast. But overcome by this rage, Rankorr can do nothing but attack. And the first victim is Kara, crushed between two red energy hammers.

Again, it might sound paternalistic, but I love how Guy leaps to Kara's defense.

Now there is a great scene coming up between Kara and Guy. And that scene is nearly perfection. But this exchange might be my favorite in the book.

As I said above, Bleez has become such a wonderfully nuanced character, in pain, trying to be better, trying to spare people the rage she feels. In the panel before this, she talks about how much self-loathing she has, how she acts strong hoping she will believe it herself. It is powerful, to see her open up.

And then she asks Rankorr to find himself.

For one second, she seems to reach him, as he pauses ... only to have the rage take over again.

Fantastic.

With little other choice, Bleez grabs hold of Rankorr, immobilizing him, allowing Zox to blast them both from the Lantern ship in orbit. The blast nearly kills them both, incapacitating them.

The crew scoop up the injured and head back to Ysmault to find it in ruins. The blood lake is tainted, the power battery destroyed. And then Guy decides to talk to Kara alone.

He tells her that it is time for her to find her way. This Red Lantern life ... this Red Lantern feud ... is nothing she should be part of. It is time for her to grow up. Yes, she has been accepted. Yes, she has felt rage. But it is time to grow up a bit and move on.

Remember, this is the first place, the first people, that Kara has really latched on to. Look at her body language. She doesn't want to go ... but she also doesn't seem to truly want to stay. This isn't a long term life for her.

And then Guy says something wonderful. He tells Kara that she is better than all of the Reds. She can make something of her life. She is strong.

How crazy is it, in this topsy-turvy New 52, that Guy Gardner is a better mentor, better judge of character, better father figure to Supergirl than Superman has been.

Wonderful.

And with that, the two hug. She tells him to not call her kid, but it isn't a yell. I think she liked that nickname. It was a sign of affection and inclusion.

Look at the pain Calafiore puts on their faces. Guy looks completely forlorn.

This is an unhealthy place for Kara. She needs to move on. Short term this has been great. Long term it would be a disaster. She heads to Mogo ...

Why hasn't there been this sort of moment with Kal in the 2 plus years of the New 52.

Just wonderful.

And so ends Supergirl's time as a Red Lantern. Well, almost, we know that after this tearful farewell, Tony Bedard has her head to Earth. I suppose we will see her throw of the ring on her own, without Mogo's help and that will be a powerful moment for her. But that 'about face' to Earth does diminish this moment a bit.

But there is business to attend to. Atrocitus must be found. And war must happen. We go from sad 'older brother' Guy in the last panel to this determined and enraged Guy here.

There will be a reckoning ... and I am intrigued enough to want to stick around.

So ... in the end ... I think I have to call this Red Daughter story a success. And that amazes me. I still don't think it needed to happen. The same sentiments that Supergirl showed here could have happened in the first issues of her book. The nurturing mentoring that Guy did here could have been done by Kal. Unfortunately, the first 2 years of Supergirl's own book brought her down the road of isolation and angst and anger (specifically at Superman) that this sort of drastic catharsis and redemption was the only option left. And this story did that. It brought out some of the optimism and heroism in Kara, showed her she can adapt and love.

The characterization of the Reds is also strong in this book, particularly the pain that Bleez is weighed by as well as Guy trying to bring some order to the Red chaos. And it is that characterization that will keep me coming back to this book.

Overall grade: A

Review: Red Lanterns #30

I can admit when I made a mistake. I was pretty sure that the Red Daughter arc and Kara as a Red Lantern storyline was going to be awful. And I internally cursed about Charles Soule thinking up the idea to begin with. But ... so far so good.

I will say my usual caveats. I am unhappy that Kara was dragged so low that only a Red Lantern arc could purge her and rehabilitate. And, as always, it is the end of this arc, the redemption of Kara into a likable positive hero, that is the key for me. I reserve the right to denounce this if the intended goal of making Supergirl less bitter and more heroic doesn't come to pass.

All that said, Red Lanterns #30 came out this week and it had some great Kara moments. While I think Superman/Wonder Woman suffers in its characterization, Soule seems to have a great grasp not only of the Lantern squad but Supergirl as well. Last month we saw her question some of the methods of the Reds. This time she asks if she should remain an Red. But there is also depth of the other Reds. Whether it is Bleez' distress or Skallox' lack of conviction or Zox' strength of conviction, these are individuals, not a bunch of snarling lunatics.

The artwork remains perfect for the tone of the book too. Alessandro Vitti and Jim Calafiore both contribute to this issue. Their inky thick lines work wonderfully with the story.

We start in sector 775 on the planet Primeen where we are introduced to a young girl named Sheko who hasbecome the youngest judge on the planet. Flash forward decades and you can see that time has eroded her once lofty sense of her position. There isn't justice on this world. Justice can be bought or manipulated in the court. When she decides to finally stand up for her principles by finding the world's prince guilty of heinous violent crimes, she is gunned down by her own bodyguard.

I could see where this was going. It is clear that she will be a new Red Lantern, born of rage out of this affront to justice. But I thought it was great to hear this back story as it shows that rage can spring from many seeds. Sheko is a 'good' person. She has ethics and morals. And yet she can succumb to rage and become a Red Lantern. It is fascinating and again elevates this corps above the presumed rabid beasts they were sometimes portrayed as.

And this sort of deep look into the psyche of the Reds continues with Bleez.

Sure she is filled with rage. But there is also sadness here. And maybe a hint of self-loathing. Bleez is upset that Rankorr is presumably dead from their battle with Atrocitus, Dex-Star, and the new Red Lantern they were teamed with. She also questions the justice of the universe if she and Zox remain alive while Rankorr is dead.

I have to admit I loved this bit of pathos here. I didn't expect it. And this attitude mirrors Kara's nicely. Inside Supergirl is rage. But also grief over losing her planet. And maybe some of the self-hatred that comes with survivor's guilt. Bleez suddenly becomes a sounding board for Supergirl.

Bleez also is elevated to a sympathetic character. I though she existed only for cheesecake, as a 'bad girl'. Now she has much more depth. And there is even more in this issue.

Bleez thinks the Reds should go after Atrocitus and try to save/avenge Rankorr. Guy thinks the Reds need to hunt down the extra 7 red rings floating around the universe. It is a battle of will and leadership. And the Reds don't believe in leaders. They are true libertarians.

But when Bleez tries to head back on her own, Guy pulls out his trump card. He calls Kara in to block Bleez' path. I like how Guy is trying to keep the Reds on track. No anarchy. Maybe more like controlled chaos.

And I like this shot of Kara, strong and smiling. And somehow the color scheme of this outfit works better than the red panty-shield on the classic New 52 costume.

As for Sheko, she is filled with rage over the mockery of justice that exists on Primeen. She is a red and she is angry. And with no blood ocean to calm her, she is in pure judgment mode. No one passes muster.

She carves a bloody path of death and destruction across the planet.

Again, I like how Sheko went from good soul worn down by hypocrisy to crazed Red Lantern. And frankly, this is what I thought all the Reds were like. This is a far cry from the more nuanced rage we see in the Ysmault crew.

Back on Ysmault, while Guy and the others scan for the 7 other rings, Bleex and Kara have a heart to heart.

It is the best scene in the book.

Bleez talks of suffering as a Red. While you may thrive with the rage, you also are in pain, wondering what life have been like if you refused the ring.

She seems more sad than mad here. She wonders why Kara would have accepted the ring. And Calafiore shines here. There is clear anguish on Bleez' face.

It is blunt and powerful. If Bleez ... a 'successful' Red ... is in such pain, who would accept the offer to join the Corps.

Again, my fear was Kara would be a vomiting mindless feral beast. Here we see there is more to the Reds than just crazed anger.

Their talk continues.

I really love this line from Bleez. For her, the Reds exist to make sure no one else feels so much rage that they would accept a ring. They exist to make sure there are no more Red Lanterns. That is noble ... to want a universe free of that righteous fury. Wonderful stuff.

And even better is Kara just outright asking for Bleez to be her friend. There is an odd warmth and understanding here ... again unexpected. And greatly appreciated. These two are kindred spirits.

Still, if Kara can ask Bleez for friendship, someone she barely knows ... why couldn't she ever ask the same of Kal?

That friendship and mentorship pays immediate dividends.

When Zox' scanners pick up the Judge, Guy mobilizes his entire Corps to intercept. The planet's military fires on them. This isn't a surprise. They wear the same symbol as Sheko who is incinerating everything in her path.

Their attack enrages Supergirl. But before she can lash out at them, Bleez tells Kara to calm down. This isn't a 'vomit first, ask questions later' group. There is a time to fight. And there is a time not to fight. It is a great moment as Bleez teaches Kara to control her rage, to think before she acts. That is amazing ... unanticipated.

And the art is excellent. You feel Kara's rage in that first panel.

Unfortunately, it isn't just the Judge that Guy and his forces will face. Atrocitus and Dex-Starr are also there.

Now that is a nice cliffhanger.

I have to say, I was very impressed with this issue. There is very good characterization here. Writer Charles Soule makes everyone feel three-dimensional, in particular Bleez, Kara, and Sheko. These Reds are more than monsters. They are individuals; and they have way more going on than just rage.

And I have to say, the Supergirl stuff was inspired. More than even in her own book you got that sense of redemption and growth here. Really wonderful stuff.

And, as I have said before, the art here really suits the tone of the book. There is an inky griminess to this book which suits the Reds perfectly. And if Alessandro Vitti isn't available, Jim Calafiore is a great stand-in.

Overall grade: A

Final Psi Sighting: Secret Six #17 & #18

Just when you thought it was safe to forget about Psi, the misunderstood empath from The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, I show one more Psi-sighting. I have really gotten a big kick out of this look back at the character, spurred by the reintroduction of her to the New 52 by Sterling Gates in Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S..

So we have seen her fight Supergirl as a dupe for Mr. Pendergast, trying to stem the tide of Decay. Then we saw her turn on Pendergast. We have seen her die on a mission for the Suicide Squad. And we have seen her resurrected as a Black Lantern.

So what did she do as a revenant? The sad answer is 'not much'.  Secret Six #17 and #18 were Blackest Night crossover issues, co-written by John Ostrander and Gail Simone. And art is done by Jim Calafiore, whose style perfectly fits the grimy mayhem of these issues.

The plot itself is an insane mix of action. Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad is trying to rein in and maybe even absorb the Secret Six, a similar group of super-villains. This brawl takes place on 2 fronts - one Belle Reve prison, the other in front of the Six's headquarters the House of Secrets. But added into the mix is a group of dead ex-Suicide Squaders, raised as Black Lanterns and led by the Fiddler. Brief alliances, back-stabs and treachery, retreats and attacks - it is all there in 2 crazy issues.

But I was so hoping that the Black Lanterns would have more lines. The Fiddler and Yasemine get the most. Psi unfortunately remains silent (Psi-lent?). And there would be so much fun there ... taking about decay, etc.

 Instead we see her (far right) tearing through Belle Reve guards and prisoners.

 And then taking the fight to the Secret Six outside the prison walls.

 Somehow this group - Bane, Black Alice, and my gal pal Nightshade - are able to hold them off until some back-up arrives. But these are Black Lanterns. Any physical damage done can simply be regenerated. This will eventually be a losing fight.

It is clear that both the Six and the Squad, now temporarily united against this common foe, have to retreat. They use Nightshade's shadow-path power to head to the House of Secrets.

Unfortunately, it is Black Alice (who has drained Nightshade of her powers) who opens up that path. And, like the novice she is, she leaves it open. Suddenly, the Black Lanterns, including Psi (over on the right) are there and ready to brawl.

Luckily, Amanda Waller has an ace in the hole. She has a partially powered old Manhunter robot. And she uses it as a Green energy grenade.

Now it has been a while since I read Blackest Night. Is this a valid weapon for Black Lanterns?

At least in this book, it is.

The Black Lantern rings connections are severed and the zombies blow away like ash.

And that my friends ... I promise you ... is the last we saw of that Psi.

I wish we could have had some lines from her in this form!

Outside of the Psi sighting, these issues are a wild romp. And if you see them in the 50cent box, you should buy them just for the action and some excellent moments. I wanted to share a couple.

First off, look at Nightshade just hammering away at Bane. He can't lay a glove on her. I love how she is shown to be strong and battle-savvy.

But this was my favorite moment.

Yasemine looks at Deadshot to see his emotional energies. I love how Deadshot has buried his emotions so deep inside his psyche that we only see cracks of will and rage. Just a nice little characterization moment.

So this certainly isn't important from a Supergirl point of view. Heck, it isn't even important from a Psi viewpoint. But it is her last moments. So, for completeness sake, I figured I would finish off the Psi-sightings.

Hope you enjoyed this look back at this purely Supergirl rogue.