Terrificon Wrap-Up #2: Scott Kolins Commission And More Sigs

We are about 3 weeks past Terrificon, my primary comic convention and the best con I go to. As usual, this year had a great list of creators and celebrities. I was busy all three days, a sign that I had a lot to see and do.  You can read my first recap here.

Scott Kolins was one of the earlier guests announced and when I saw his name, I knew he would be at the top of my list of potential commissions. I really love Kolin's art style. It is very dynamic and energetic, packed with motion lines and energy crackle. It feels rough which adds to the that frenzy. His books really bring you into the action.  I loved his stuff on The Flash, a natural character for him to do given his style. But I also loved him on JL 3001, a sort of pastiche of DC's history written by the dream team of Giffen and DeMatteis. 

I reached out to Kolins on social media before the show asking if he sketches at the show, approximate prices, and availability. I told him he would be the first table I'd head to in order to get on the list and I meant it.

Check out the commission! I said Kolin's brings energy and this is one of the most action-oriented commissions I have. Supergirl smiling and diving out of the page, flying right at you. Love her smiling expression. Impressively, Kolins really filled the page of the sketch book. This is a great piece to add to the collection.

Terrificon 2025 Prep

Summer is convention season and my convention is of course, Terrificon.

I have been going to the con since 2017 and have always been impressed with the event. 

It is run at a great site, Mohegan Sun Casino. Free parking. Restaurants from fast food to fine dining.

It is run by a great show runner, Mitch Hallock. Hallock is clearly a fan of comics, a 'one of us' kind of kindred spirit, and is present at the show.

And it always has the best comic guest list. From legends to new talent, it is always a long list of guests.

The bottom line is if there is one show I am going to go to in 'con season' it's this one. And this year is no different. You can click here ( https://www.terrificon.com/ ) to get the run down of the show, including the great comic guest list and pretty impressive celebrity guest list too. 

For me, we are four weeks away and so that means it is prep time. Who am I going to try and commissions from? Who am I running to in hopes of getting some books signed? And what books am I going to try and get signed for friends who can't attend?

Let's start with the guest I am most excited to meet and hopefully get a sketch from.

I have always wanted to meet Kerry Gammill having been a fan since he drew the cover for Power Girl #1. I love his style. Gammill drew the covers for that Power Girl mini-series, the covers of the Supergirl mini-series in the 90s, and other Super-related stuff. For me, based on that, he has a solid Matrix Supergirl connection. He hasn't been at any convention I have been to so I was thrilled when I saw him on the list!

I really hope that I can get a commission from him and get books signed. 

Review: Blue Beetle #13

One of the books which I feel was underappreciated and ultimately cancelled was Justice League 3001. A wonderful stew of action, humor, with multiple universe interpretations mashed into one wild world, and crazy new versions of classic comic characters, JL3001 was great. J.M. DeMatteis, Keith Giffen, Howard Porter, and Scott Kolins brought us an entertaining and electric romp of a book.

Moreover, it gave us a very interesting Supergirl, a Silver Age-y Kara who was thrust into a universal war and a leadership role in this League.

When the plug was pulled, the 3001 Flash and Batman were pushed back into the present day and were made part of the supporting cast of Blue Beetle.

I admit I didn't buy Beetle regularly, but last month we saw the League in a flashback panel. The Flash and Batman recognized they needed to get back to their time and help their team in the fight against Lady Styx.

Last week, Blue Beetle #13 came out which truly featured the JL3001 team, even promoting it on the cover dress.

This is the last issue for this Beetle creative team of J.M. DeMatteis, Keith Giffen, and Scott Kolins. Maybe realizing this might be their last chance to visit the 3001 universe, this book reads more like JL3001 and less like a Blue Beetle book. That made me happy. There isn't much closure here. The future of the 3001 universe is still up in the air.

DeMatteis and Giffen do make a solid connection between this book and the primary villain of the 3001 universe. And Kolins brings his usual gritty, rough energy to the fight.

But mostly, it was great to see this League one more time. I have missed reading their adventures monthly.

Best Of 2016 - Top Ten Supergirl Moments In Comics; #5-#1

I have a preamble for the Top Ten Supergirl Comic moments of 2016 yesterday when I covered #10 through #6. As I said then, this was a great year for Supergirl in comics. It took me a while to sift through everything to come up with this list. And I had a hard time picking the number one moment for the year. As always, I love dialogue so please let me know if you think I missed something, put something in a wrong ranking, or was just plain nuts.

Without further ado, here they are, the top five comic moments for Supergirl in the year 2016.

Best Moment of 2016 #5: All the Supergirls (Adventures of Supergirl Chapter 7)

There were plenty of moments in Adventures of Supergirl that could have made this list. Sterling Gates has such a respect and love of the character that you just know you are going to get a great, high quality read.

Gates respect for the character's history was evident in AoS chapter 7. The main villain was classic Supergirl nemesis Psi, And in the story, Psi batters Supergirl's psyche with dream visions. I absolutely loved how Gates acknowledged all the different incarnations of Kara in this psychic attack. Earlier we saw the New 52 Kryptonian armor, got Nightflame name-dropped, and heard of Supergirl sporting flame wings. Here, lusciously drawn by Emanuela Lupacchino, we see Supergirl fighting the Timm-verse version, the Red Lantern Kara, and even the 'pink Halloween costume' Supergirl.

Having a writer like Gates recognize the importance of the character's diverse and long comic history was just fantastic. When I read this, I thought for sure this would be in the top 3 moments of 2016.

Best Of 2016 - Honorable Mention Supergirl Moments In Comics

Welcome to the first in three Best of 2016 posts focusing on the best comic moments for Supergirl over the last year. I found it hard to stick to just the top 10 moments because there was a lot to love in the comics this year.

I will admit this year opened up a little odd for Supergirl in comics. With her popularity peaking in the non-comic world, 2016 opened up with no comic titled Supergirl on the shelves. The majority of the year, we had to read Supergirl in comics that were on the periphery of DC Continuity. She led the team in JL3001. She fought Nazis in DC Bombshells. She existed in a universe based on the television show in Adventures of Supergirl.

It wasn't until the summer and The Final Days of Superman that we saw Supergirl in the main DCU. But then #Rebirth happened and we got a new Supergirl title. So please read on to see my 'almost the best' comic moments for Supergirl in 2016!

Review: Justice League 3001 #12

It is the end of a brief era.

The New 52 chapter of the DC Universe is coming to a close. There is a #Rebirth. There is a scrubbing away of the angst, hate, and dismal nature of the characters. There is a return to a more classic feel, leaning on legacy.

But such a change cannot happen with casualties. And Justice League 3001 has always been a fringe book. With sales dropping and a continuity shift happening, I'm not surprised that the book is ending. But I come to praise this book, not bury it.

Justice League 3001 #12 came out last week and was the final issue of this title. But I have to tell you, it didn't read like a final issue. And that pained me. Because I needed some closure for these characters who I have followed for 2 titles now. Writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis have had so many plot lines bubbling through this title while they played with all of DC continuities.  I wouldn't have minded the book closing in an open-ended way with a chance for more. But this book ends mid-battle ...

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. This title has broken all the rules. Why not how to end?

The art is split between Collen Doran who brings a smooth sensibility to her pages. Tim Green II also provides pages here. He recently did the Convergence:Matrix mini-series. His art is very stylized, every character gangly and stretched like taffy. And yet, it works.

But the bottom line is this title is ending. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. And this book has burned so very brightly.

Review: Justice League 3001 #10

Justice League 3001 #10 came out last week and, as we are nearing the end of this book, the plots are sort of rushing to the end. Amazingly, the creative team continues to add elements to this book despite knowing that the finale is only a couple of months away.

Writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis have been playing in the DC toybox, picking and choosing who they want to write regardless of continuity. The result has been a weird, wild book which has been incredibly entertaining. So imperfect clones of classic JLA, a Silver Age Supergirl, a Bwa-Ha-Ha JLI contingent are all fighting universal threats and an evil Legion of Super-Heroes. In this issue, despite a full cast of characters, they add a couple more. Now G'Nort and Larfleeze are in the mix! I would love to know how the two decided who was going to come into the book.

The art for the last few issues has been split between Scott Kolins and Colleen Doran. Both bring an appropriate sensibility to their stories. Kolins has a grimy, raw feel to his pages which works well with the League scouring planets which have been leveled. Meanwhile, Doran brings a more polished look to her story involving Lois Lane and Ariel Masters trying to defeat Lady Styx from behind the scenes.

Review: Justice League 3001 #9

Justice League 3001 #9 was released this week and this book continues to be wonderfully creative and entertaining. It is somewhat depressing that I am looking ahead already at #12, the last issue.

Because JL 3001 is sort of an omelet of a book and I love omelets. The best omelet have a number of wonderful ingredients which together brings a fantastic and flavorful taste. But an omelet needs eggs to hold all those ingredients together. And you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs.

This title has brought together some of the best ingredients ... ummm, elements ... from DC continuity. We have Bwa-Ha-Ha era Leaguers. We have a Silver Age Supergirl. We have had Etrigan, Camelot 3000, and now a twisted Legion of Super-Heroes. We have seen some broken eggs ... umm, some reimagined big name characters , warped to fit them into this dingy future. The big 6 have been brought back as flawed copies, allowing the creators to look at these characters fondly, comedically, and critically. And I guess in this analogy, the eggs that hold all these disparate elements together are the creative team of Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis, Howard Porter, Scott Kolins, and Colleen Doran.

This issue pushes the latest (I guess last) arc forward. It feels a little like a classic League story with the team splitting up to fight on multiple fronts. But we also have some strong character moments as well. We have seen the members of this team evolve over time.

The art on the issue is split between Scott Kolins and Colleen Doran. Kolins section is wonderfully gritty, showing how the universe is a grimy crumbling place now. His villains are monstrous. Whether it is Eclipso's hand-feet or the faceless Saturn Girl, these guys are frightening. Doran's section has a great conversation between enemies turned friends. Doran still is able to infuse action and emotion into what is effectively just pages of people talking.

This is a long introduction so I apologize. But I only have a few more of these intros to write.

Review: Justice League 3001 #8

Justice League 3001 #8 came out this week with an issue titled 'A New Beginning'. Anyone who has read this blog for a while will know that I am a sucker for 'bold new directions' and will most likely pick up a book where that is splashed on the cover.

This issue is a new beginning for this book. The team is different. Suddenly we have an all female team, united against a new threat. I almost feel, for better or for worse, that we will be putting a bunch of the mysteries of the early issues behind us, maybe never to address again. I am going to miss Beetle, Booster, and Turtle Jimmy Olsen. Will we see the vengeful Lois Lane/Ariel plot finished? Will we see her Injustice League with Bane and the others?

But this is book where I am introduced to Lady Styx, a new villain who is mysterious and intriguing. And Giffen and DeMatteis are sliding some Legion of Super-Heroes into the book! As one of their fandom, I have been  clamoring for any sight of them.

For me, most importantly, I get to see Supergirl leading an incognito League against a universal threat is great. And since her introduction in the book, Giffen and DeMatteis have thrust her into a role of leader, even if she is still a youngish Kara. Seeing her come to terms with this, seeing her 'replacing' Superman (a theme which has been part of her character since 1959) is wonderful.

Scott Kolins is on art and brings a sort of grungy dystopian sensibility to the book. He also redesigned some of the costumes the heroes are now wearing. I love Supergirl's new look which has a feel of the 70s Adventure Comics look, but includes red shoulders like the Crisis-era Kara. And the cape, a giant S-shield, is pretty cool.

On to the story.

Last issue the Scullions swarmed throughout the universe, taking over the universe in the name of Lady Styx. Only some of the heroes escaped. And now the League is basically on the run.

Six months have passed since that last issue and we see how the members of the League are all living incognito on Takron Galtos, biding their time until they can strike. Diana is a welder on a construction crew (shades of the Bombshell 'Rosie the Riveter'?). The Flash is still suffering from PTSD. Ice and Fire are living together, using passwords to ensure safety.

And Kara is living alone, wondering how it all happened. Styx had been infiltrating planets all along and simply took over. That second panel, a small Kara, small, alone, framed in a box in a box. You just get the sense of how imprisoned she feels, how claustrophobic this life must be.

Each member does have a transversal which allows them to head to their 'headquarters', a demolished Paradise island, the temples and columns in ruins and overgrown.

In this sequence, Giffen and DeMatteis give us a quick rundown of how all the members feel. It is like a rapid fire character check to set the stage for how they all feel 6 months into this secrecy. It is clear this team is still a bit in disarray and hardly a Justice League united.

Diana is impatient and wants to rush in and fight. Fire agrees. Ice wants to do what's smart. And Guy, whose personality is slowly being erased by his host body's DNA/personality, thinks planning is important. Is that Guy or Shirylalla that is the voice of reason?

But there is Kara at the end, arms folded, taking charge and saying that they need to wait. Even in this sequence, it is clear Supergirl is the leader here. She is the last to talk. Her panel is bigger, implying she is bigger. So much information given in the page layout.

 There is one other member, Batman, who is the most impetuous of the group. She is off  trying to destroy the indestructible Scullions. Supergirl needs to teleport in and get Batman out before things go south. I like the mecha-look here.

But what I like is that, of all characters, it is the Batman character who is the most hot-headed, the most like to rush in blindly, the one who doesn't want to plan. It is the concept of Batman flipped on its head, a nice addition to a book like this.

 Remember Batman is actually Tina, a school age girl and descendant of Bruce Wayne. She's brilliant and hot-headed. I guess it makes her more of a Damian character which is reinforced in my mind when we see her dressed in Robin garb.

Diana and Teri have to tell Tina to slow down. That rushing into battle is foolish. Diana has to begrudgingly  agree that Kara is right.

I do feel bad for Teri who is still suffering from PTSD, decompensating whenever she sees Scullions or is reminded of Clark's death.

We do see that the headquarters isn't completely safe. Someone is skulking in the shadows, watching the team. Who could that be? Guesses at the end.

 The team is splintered even further. Fire and Ice feel like a separate faction within the team. They feel like outsiders and Ice wonders if they should just leave. These two were part of the 'Bwa-ha-ha' League as was Guy.

So it made sense to me that Guy approaches the two and says he needs them and will be part of their subgroup. It is only the memory of Ice which seems to be stemming the personality re-write, reminding him that he is Guy. I think that is a nice touch. This isn't the headstrong Guy. He is scared of disappearing.

One quibble here. Fire talks about Guy striking Tora a few days earlier. Now we did see Guy slap Tora last issue but isn't that 6 months ago? Unless Guy is a serial slapper, it shouldn't be so recent.

I have commented how it was implied that Supergirl is the leader here. We are told she is the leader later in the issue. And I love the characterization here.

First off, I like the fact she keeps the pictures of the dead Leaguers on the wall, a reminder of what she has lost.

She also is worried that she isn't ready for this leadership role. She can see that the team is looking to her for guidance and she worries she won't be up for the challenge. This feels like a classic Kara who is striving to be the best she can be, is ready to step in for Superman, but is still growing and maybe a little unsure of herself.

But she won't back down from this responsibility. Fists clenched, she is determined, showing that fierceness of character I love in her.

Love this new Supergirl costume. The red shoulders harken back to her Crisis-era costume. But the reversed yellow/red of the s-shield with the high collar and knee-high boots is groovy. As is this cape.

Kudos to Scott Kolins for the design.

We finally get to meet the lead villain, Lady Styx.

In flashbacks, we see her simply announce that she is taking over the galaxy. Her army has been in place for some time. Her ascension to power is simply 'the period at the end of a sentence'. Love that line.

Styx is on Naltor (Dream Girl's home planet) and has a drone version of Saturn Girl go and fetch Terrance, Teri's brain damaged brother who was a key character in JL3000. There are odd acolytes in front of her. One could be Wildfire or Timber Wolf. Are Giffen and DeMatteis slipping the actual Legion into this book? Why not? So many continuities have been woven into this book. I miss the Legion. I really don't want them to be evil.

So that makes me wonder if the shadowy figure could be a 'good' Legionnaire. Shadow Lass? Cham? In the end, I think my guess is that it is Ariel/Lois. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

As for Styx, she is a wild character. There is some Kirby Thor elements here. My first thoughts were she reminded me of Karnilla or Hela. But then I wondered if there was some Gemworld in here. And given the Legion element and this being Naltor, could she be an evil White Witch??

Styx needs Terrance to help find and defeat the League because the presence of Supergirl and Tina/Batman wasn't anticipated. I still think this is some nexus of intersecting realities given the multiple continuities seen. Maybe a pre-Crisis Silver Age Supergirl wasn't anticipated in this future?

Whew! This is what a bold new direction is supposed to be, keeping the foundation of a book but shaking it up. We have a new universal threat, infused with Legion of Super-heroes elements (hurrah!). We have an unsteady team, hiding away, and being led by a young Supergirl. And we have versions of classic characters tossed into the mix of a dystopia. It all works.

So if you are looking for a jumping on point, a place to swim in the deep end of DC mythology, this is the issue for you.

Overall grade: A

Review: Action Comics #46

Action Comics #46 came out this week, another part in the endless 'The Truth' mega-arc, and labeled 'Corruption'. It is simply more deconstruction of the Superman legend, warping him into something about as far away from the idea of Superman as possible. Indeed, it is the corruption of Superman as we move farther away from the inspirational hero and closer to a monster.

It is a shame that this is the Action Comics I am reading. Because Greg Pak had been writing a wonderful book with Aaron Kuder in the past. Even the first few issues of Action under 'The Truth' had a depowered Superman acting as a populist, street-level hero. But we have moved light years away from that.

Because in this issue we have a blue-eyed, snarling, hissing, wrathful Superman. He actually hisses and growls. The whole Superman office seems to have lost their minds, lost their way.

Scott Kolins is on art this issue. His stuff has never really worked for me. Interestingly enough, in this issue, his work seems to be less detailed and smoother than usual. And for some reason, that works less. Because it looks less Kolins-like than what I am expecting.

You might recall that last issue Superman broke into Wrath's secret lair and discovered that she was experimenting on people with her shadow magic/tar. And Superman isn't going to take it. Infected by Wrath himself, Superman actually gives into this anger and uses its power to free everyone.

But listening to this Superman is insane. He remembers that Pa told him that wrath is a sin. But he rejects that now. Maybe he needs to use his wrath against those doing evil.

So this isn't Superman, acting as role model, defeating evil and soaring above it. This is Superman wading in, thinking that the ends justify the means.

Using his ire, Superman frees everybody and pummels the factory workers, leaving the police to mop things up.

Clark does notice that Lee Lambert and the other humans who have been experimented on don't feel the wrath he is feeling. He might have used the anger. But she is different. Maybe there is some way Lana and John Henry Irons can use that fact to cure people.

So Lee is able to suppress her anger. But Superman has accepted it and embraced it. Embraced wrath.

And there is also something a bit obvious about Superman calling the tarry wrath a black mass. It is a mass, like a substance. But there is also the connotation of a religious service, a sort of belief system of the power of anger.

It just saddens me that Superman has really sunk to this point. This is just another story where creators try to deconstruct Superman, making him more like us instead of showing us that we need to be more like him.

He wallows in his new shadow powers, hissing like a snake, and traveling in the shadows.

He doesn't feel he has lost his way.

He thinks he is finding himself.

Superman feels like this angry, addled, depowered punk is who he should be.

This is wrong.

Wrath knows he is coming though. She has retreated to what seems to be her true headquarters. She prepares her troops for Superman's arrival. And she heads to a sort of temple, the floor a roiling mass of inky anger.

See, it's like a black mass!

I don't know about you but I see a swastika in that symbol on the wall.

Superman arrives and is somehow able to tap into the shadowy substance to learn the plan.

Wrath is making Black Mass Bombs, ready to infect the world with her rage.

But this seems so pedestrian. Anger bombs? She seemed to be doing quite fine just letting her wrath spread like an infection. After all, it seemed like a lot of Metropolis had already succumbed.

Wrath bombs loaded on stealth fighters?

But then Wrath becomes a bit more philosophical. She has captured Lee. Wrath shows that the new Wrath 'formula' is purer. Some people will be corrupted and descend into demons. But others will be able to control it. Wrath wants to infect the world to destroy the evil people who will embrace the disease, burning out, and leaving only those who are bright enough to withstand it.

Wrath tries to convince Superman that he should be on board with this plan. After all, the world will be a better place. Thank goodness Superman doesn't join in. That would mean the death of billions of people.

But now the Wrath isn't a mystical force or an emotional weapon. It's a formula that can be placed in bombs. It sort of diminishes the whole threat.

And to prevent Superman from stopping her plan, Wrath releases her secret weapon, a Wrath infected Frankenstein's monster. There is a giant brawl with Superman using Frankenstein as a cannonball to destroy one of the planes.

But this is going to be an even fight given Superman's current power levels. Growling and gnashing his teeth, Superman jumps in.

Look at that last panel. That is the current Superman in the DCU.

Meanwhile, Wrath seems to try to seduce Lee into joining the faith. Wrath shows Lee that Superman isn't a great man. He isn't a symbol. He isn't a pure. Wrath has uncovered an anger that already existed.

This was interesting to me because I have sore of identified with Lee in this arc. She is the one who sees the good in Superman and has defended him. So to see her waver was a bit intriguing.

Because I thought that Wrath was embodying DC Comics, trying to convince me that this is who Superman should be. And I am Lee trying to deny it.

But the book ends on this splash page.

Get it!

Superman has become a monster! It's a monster fight! This is a dark, drab, mutated Superman.

"Battle not monsters lest ye become a monster."

Anyways, I am completely bored with The Truth. I am bored with this depowered, angry, vengeful, uninspirational Superman. I don't know if I can say it any more bluntly.

Let's put it this way. In the 70s, Superman lost his powers for 3 issues. He built the Supermobile and fought crimes and villains, never losing his way. In 2015, Superman loses his powers and it has lasted too long. And Superman has lost his way.

That's wrong.

Overall grade: C-

Sales Review: October 2015

I follow monthly sales on ICv2 and I continue to be amazed at what I am seeing unfold before me. Because I think I can safely say that the days of the Big Two is over. Because Marvel has won.

The sales numbers for October are up at ICv2 and DC got squashed. Marvel almost doubled DC in sales and dollar revenue. Doubled.

Now part of this could be because Marvel is in the midst of rebooting. Plenty of the big sellers for Marvel are new titles with rare variants. There is a lot of Marvel's edge that could be a one month deal. But what strikes me is the acceptance there has been for this Marvel reboot. The Secret Wars book which has led to the reboot is still going on. And yet here we have post-reboot books out.

I can only imagine what would happen if DC's multiverse changing event was delayed and new books were already running. The sky would be falling. I think maybe Marvel fans just go with the flow. It also can't hurt that Marvel is part of the Disney/ABC/ESPN monolith, getting nods and recommendations from everywhere in that media giant.

But even this reboot of the entire Marvel universe has just been more accepted than DC's similar attempts. On to the sales.

We are now 4 months into The Truth. This story was supposed to reenergize the Superman books.

Sales haven't budged too much.

And while the story has garnered lots of discussion. It hasn't all been good. I know I have had my issues with the arc.

Superman #45 sold 42K in October.

Squirrel Girl sold more.

Now I love Squirrel Girl. This isn't a knock against her book at all.

But how can DC at all feel happy if one of their greatest characters and oldest books is only the 48th best selling book.

Of all the Superman books, I have always trumpeted the Pak/Kuder Action Comics book.

It also has been rolled into The Truth. So I don't know if people would head there on a whim. And it is a shame. Their issues when not bogged down by crossovers (like Doomed and now The Truth) have been wonderful.

Last month saw the release of the Superman Lois and Clark book. That book was much more of a Classic Superman, bringing the pre-Flashpoint Superman into the current world.

Lois and Clark opened pretty strong with 35K in sales, just 1500 units behind Action.

It will be interesting to see if sales hold strong on this book. It is scheduled for a 12 issue run. What if sales hold on par with the other Super-books? Will there be an ongoing? A rethinking of the Superman mythos?

Lastly, I have to look at books where Supergirl stars.

DC Bombshells continues to sell well, hitting 32K in sales.

But the more classic Kara is only in Justice League 3001.

Justice League 3001 #5 slipped to 15K in sales. I really am loving this book. I just hope DC has faith and doesn't pull the plug!

I don't know what to think about DC Comics as a whole though. I have been thinking they needed to clean out the C-suite for a while now. There seems to be no vision or a poor vision.

Review: Action Comics #45

Action Comics #45 came out this week, yet another chapter in the depowered, angry Superman trying to uncover the forces behind his current predicament. The cover continues the trend of this arc, placing one word writ large to highlight the theme. Here it is 'Injustice' and frankly I think it is the best word to grace the covers in this story so far.

Because what is happening to Superman is an injustice.

The book is co-plotted by Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder, the usual writer/plotter/artist team of this book. And throughout 'The Truth', these two have been a sort of light at the end of a tunnel, showing a still heroic, still good Superman trying to inspire. I have held up Action Comics as the jewel of the super-books.

Unfortunately, the overall arc compels Superman to continue to sink deeper and deeper in to darkness, to succumb to anger, and to lash out. Yes, in this book, Superman does good. And yes, I know that Superman is being influenced by Wrath.

But I am rapidly losing interest in this story. If you are going to deconstruct a character orradically change an established character, you better give me a fantastic story. When you give me an average story, or a confusing story, or an ill-conceived story, it just isn't going to fly.

(Allow me a moment to show you that I can deal with change and I am not always a grumpy old man. Alan Moore makes Swamp Thing a plant elemental, not a mutated man. He makes him a plant elemental. Radically different. Excellent. I was on board. Make Supergirl bitter, angry, and a high school killer and write it poorly. I'm out.Make her a Red Lantern and write it well and as a redemption, I'm in.)

Scott Kolins is on art here and does a nice job of mixing splash pages with pages with many inset panels. I am just not a big Kolins fan.

The book starts out well enough. We see a news report of Superman saving families and refugees from a hurricane. We hear that Superman is depowered, exposed, and only accepted by 23% of the country but he is still Superman.

Hooray. Thank you Greg Pak for shining the light and showing it to us on the first page. And it is a well constructed page by Kolins, the light shining down and Superman raging against the storm.

But that optimism is squelched pretty early. Clark is in a diner in Alabama and we get to see more of the response of the average Joe. The waitress tries to defend Superman. The cook derides Superman. They almost come to blows. And we see that Perry has gone on a tirade against his colleague diminishing the good he has done.

Clark thinks it is all the cloying influence of Wrath. Everyone seems quick to anger, even him. He douses the diner fight by using heat vision to activate the sprinkler system. I didn't realize he still had heat vision.

Clark talks about how hard it has been for him to control his own anger. He knows he has to find and defeat Wrath.

He has set up a mobile headquarters to review all the recent events of his life.

I actually like this sort of characterization of Superman. He is actually doing some detective work here. We know Clark is a smart guy. I am glad this wasn't him getting the information from Batman or another hero. All too often these days we hear Clark say 'I'm not a detective like Batman. I can pick things up and put them down.' Clark is an investigative reporter. He should be able to do this.

But then Hiro shows up. The Toyman has somehow tracked Supes to Alabama and comes in to try to help him.

Of course, Superman's reaction these days is anger. He yells at Hiro for hunting him down. He doesn't want Hiro around because he doesn't want anyone else hurt. So he roughly tosses Hiro out and blows up this backwoods CSI lab.

Yes ... I KNOW WRATH IS EFFECTING HIM!

But I want my Superman to be better than this, stronger than this. Why not explain to Hiro why he is sending him away. Why do this 'scorched Earth' strategy of destroying all this work?

And did this deserve a splash?

Meanwhile, back near Clark's apartment, we see that Lee Lambert is no longer the local hero, local leader.

She is shunned because of her 'Wrath infection'.

Because hey, it's the DC Universe. We can't have someone be accepted as a hero and recognized for their good works. We need to be cynical and grim.

Yes ... I KNOW WRATH IS PROBABLY EFFECTING THEM!

But can't we have an uplifting moment?

We do see what Clark has uncovered. In the guise of Archie Clayton, all slouched and fitted with a Waynetech facial distorter, he works for a laundering company. I like this description, how simple body language can fool people ... like glasses and poor posture.

Clark knows that Wrath in her Metropolis Mayor identity has been heading to Lyfegene, a biological technology company in Alabama. And his tours getting laundry have uncovered a secret lab that he needs to break in to.

While I don't mind Clark doing some investigating, Pak and Kuder make a bit of a jump. They tell us that Clark hacked an electric eye on the company grounds that when broken by a Lyfegene vehicle turns off all the power in the facility. How the heck did that happen? Give me one panel where he plans this. It felt all too easy. This is the villains' headquarters. How could it get shut down so easily.

Regardless, it works. Superman breaks into the lab and sees the Supremacists guarding the place. Evil scientists are working on people clearly effected by Wrath.

It is a creepy panel, people in stocks with inky tendrils, being poked and prodded. This did deserve a splash.

Clark goes ballistic, wading in and trying to free everyone while bashing the bad guys.

But then he runs into Lee, whose arm has turned all Tetsuo, large and horrific.

And that seems to accelerate whatever is happening in Clark. He goes all Wrath-Doomsday. Yet another story where Superman becomes something monstrous. Yet another splash page in this issue.

This issue was up and down. There are nice moments like the opening splash. I like seeing Clark use his investigative skills to track down and infiltrate Wrath's base. And I don't mind hearing the internal struggle he is having to keep his ire in check.

But I don't like when he gives in to the anger, chastising Hiro, blowing up his lab, and becoming this beast. While I can buy Clark doing the detective work, I don't know if this current Superman can hack an electric eye and disable a whole power system.

Frankly I think this is just going on too long. 5 months, 3 titles. And none of it has been particularly well done. And now Action, the one place where I thought I could find a more uplifting take on this new reality has instead gone dark.

AND YES ... I KNOW WRATH IS EFFECTING HIM!

But this isn't Superman to me.

Look, maybe this will turn around. Maybe when it is all done the world will embrace Superman again. That somehow his goodness will trump the cynicism of the world. But I haven't seen anything that makes me think it is going in that direction.

Overall grade: C

Bullet Review: Justice League 3001 #4

Justice League 3001 has been something of a revelation for me. I was not expecting to like this book figuring it was going to be the same old dark, dingy dystopia that I has plagued DC the last decade. Instead, I have found it to be a sort of love letter to DC Universes past. Sure, the main characters are caricatures of the 'real' heroes, flawed genetic copies of the original. But we also are getting a brilliant and spurned Lois. Members of the 'Bwa-ha-ha' League even though that universe is gone. We have a pure Silver/Bronze Age Supergirl showing up like a ray of light. And we have the usual sort of irreverence that I see in the best of Giffen/DeMatteis collaborations. In many ways, it reminds me of the recent Giffen Doom Patrol book. In that book, Giffen simply acknowledged all the versions of the Patrol as 'real'. We saw Rita, Crazy Jane, a Negative Man who remembered all his incarnations. Brilliant.

Justice League 3001 #4 came out last week and pumped the brakes on the title a bit. This is a flashback story of this League's Flash, a story which we are told took place between the end of JL3000 and the beginning of JL3001. While a mere 4 issues in might be an odd place to put a 'rest' issue, the story builds on the universe that is being built here. Giffen and DeMatteis are fleshing out the threats in this universe while giving us a closer look at Teri as she grows in her role as the super-speedster of the team.

Art is by Scott Kolins rather than usual title artist Howard Porter. I'm not the biggest fan of Kolins' work and with Porter moving to Superman I wonder if Kolins is on board as the title's artist now. I was hoping to see more of Porter's Supergirl.

The issue starts with the Flash heading off on a solo mission, answering a distress signal on a remote ice planet ironically called Nirvana. This was set up by Batman, feeling that the Flash needed to get some real life experience. There is no distress signal, just the Flash having to use her powers to survive.

When Ariel reminds Batman that plenty of Robins died in similar situation, Bruce denies it.

Of course, Ariel is really the evil Lois Lane. And I love how she knows more about Batman than even Batman knows. She remembers all the Robins who were endangered. Nice.

Meanwhile, the Flash is running all over the world and ends up running across the Mirror Master.

Once more we start to see just how deep Lois' machinations go. She has been approaching all super-villains to join her Injustice League. If she is amassing an army, she is a bigger threat than ever. She is doing more than sending the League on near-suicide missions. Of course, the League doesn't know that Lois Lane is alive, let alone she is in Ariel. 

This Mirror Master didn't want to join and so went to this place to lay low.

He also says he is the actual Mirror Master, the one who fought Barry Allen. Boy, a lot of people have survived 1000 years! But he gives a great riff on the famous Lloyd Bensten speech. "I knew Barry Allen.He was my arch-enemy. And lady, you are no Barry Allen." Fantastic.

An avalanche ends up burying the two in the building and the Mirror Master as to remind the Flash that she can dig them out at super-speed.

I thought this panel was also fascinating. In JL3000, Teri was the smartest person in the room. She was a brilliant scientist. As the Flash, she has acted more like a hyperactive teen. Even she recognizes that since the DNA merge, she isn't as smart. Is that because Barry was not as smart? Was that because her mind is racing?

Another interesting point to ponder about this bag.

Once freed from the snow, the two have to battle weird piranha/polar bear life forms. And  the Mirror Master eventually acknowledges that he is happy the Flash came by. He was starting to feel isolated, being alone on this ice ball. He has been too worried that 'the others' would find him. Again, we are reminded that this villain army, this Injustice League is out there.

But it around this time that Teri realizes that there was no distress signal, there was no mission. This was Batman testing her. And it is only dumb luck that she stumbled across the Mirror Master. And she is not happy. She almost throws a tantrum. 

Throughout this issue, we have been seeing the subtle changes we have seen in Teri. The sort rapid fire speech pattern, the desire to go on this mission, the realization she isn't as smart as she was, her throwing a tantrum when she learns of Batman's deception. Now she admits she was attracted to the Mirror Master.

It all sounds so adolescent. And I think it is brilliant.

Anyways, this was a Flash-centric story and we learn much more about Teri here. This also helps fill in some information for any readers who jumped on board for 3001 and didn't read 3000.

But I keep hoping for more Supergirl.

Overall grade: B