Justice League #0- "We're Gonna Be Rich."

**WARNING, SPOILERS MAY BE AHEAD**

The wisdom of Solomon. The strength of Hercules. The stamina of Atlas. The power of Zeus. The courage of Achilles. The speed of Mercury. Together with these powers, Billy Batson is…not a very nice kid. The back ups in Justice League these past few months have shown a Billy that isn’t the nicest of kids and not one who deserves the powers to become Captain M…I mean Shaz…I don’t know.

The months of build up have been well spent because everything comes to a wonderful climax. What is a breath of fresh air from Geoff Johns is the attention brought to the fact that underneath all the magic, Billy is still an adolescent. So when he gains his powers, the first thing he does isn’t to make a pledge to fight crime(though a scene features him doing good), but a pledge to make money off of his powers. It’s reminiscent of other heroes in other universes, but the story plays well. Something Johns does well is showing Billy’s potential as hero in a two juxtaposed pages. On one are the reasons Billy shouldn’t be worthy of Shazam’s blessing, and on the other, the reasons he IS worthy.

So in all, this has made for the beginning of a great journey, and though Billy is returning to being a back up feature, he will be joining the Justice League in just a few short issues.

Last Line…8.5/10

-Whoa! Baby Got Back-

Justice League has been the testing ground for the upcoming event known as Trinity War with characters from the Trilogy of Sin have popped up to lay some very interesting seeds. Unfortunately, the back up lacks that power. Pandora is show fiddling with the box that carries her name. The only sliver of interest back up generates is with the introduction of a man with a questionable origin.

Last Line…6/10

Teen Titans #11-“Again?”

**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS**

The Sidekick Squad finds itself finally home and attempting to get back into the swing of things, but is their first adventure worth the price of admission.

For a very long while, Wonder Gi…um, I mean Cassie has hinted at the fact that the use of her power, which seems to come from an invisible suit of armor, came at great price. In this issue, she must pay for her powers. The latter half of the book is spent with a battle against and unseen Cassie in her armored form which leads to a final page revealing that form. While it might have had a great impact, the effort put into the story was wasted by the cover reveal.

More than half of the story is spent fighting, and the rest is spent with the usual teen angst you would expect from a book like this. The relationship between Cassie and Superboy goes nowhere, and the villain of the first half is shown as nothing more than one panel of Bunker trying to obtain what every teenage boy is trying to obtain. In the end, nothing is gained, and the progress made with the characters in issues previous is taken away.

Last Line…5.5/10

-Gonna Need You to Back It Up A Little Bit-

A little story is set up with Kid Flash encountering a group of super dinosaur/human hybrids that seem to come from the mysterious island the Teen Titans spent time on after the Culling event. While the story itself seems to be mildly entertaining, it is greatly misplaced. On the last page of the story proper, Kid Flash is seen in a very dire situation, and then a couple pages later, is seen in perfect health at a time before the story presented this issue.

Another problem with this back up is that the entire story isn’t wrapped up within the pages of Teen Titans itself. To get the entire story, you have to buy an entirely different book.

Last Line…4/10 for content…0/10 for timing

Captain America #15 –“They’re Back On US Soil”

**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD**

And so begins not only the end of the current run for the Man Out of Time, but also the eight year run Ed Brubaker has had writing for the Red, White, and Blue clad soldier. Let’s start this off with a slow clap.

This particular issue starts off what is presumable the last arc in the series. It’s a story that has been told and heard many times before; a television personality asking questions that have very obvious answers brings a very trusted public figure into question. While I was initially afraid it would fall into a very cliché place, it did well at giving the beginning of that story and laying out what would put the television host in the right.

Captain America faces a new set of foes, but they fade than a 90s one-hit wonder. Their powers are a bit hokey and come down to materializing man-made weapons, which then work as such.

As the final arc unfolds, it will be an adventure to see if the politics of the world, or the villains of his past and future will take down the great hero.

Last Line…7.5

Green Lantern #11-“We Have Guests”

**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD**

The ragtag adventures of Jedi Master and Padawan learner continue this month with the first part in a new arc centered around the Black Hand.

Last month’s issue of Green Lantern saw a cliffhanger that would bring terror to minds of long time Lantern fans and those that follow big DC events. With one word, my own bones were chilled.  Black Hand is back as his old Black Lantern self in this issue.

When I read the word, “rise” in the last panel of last issue, I was weary of what came next. I worried that Blackest Night would simply repeat itself once again in this rebooted universe. What did come, was satisfactory, and creepy, and took away my worries about a rehash of a great DC event that is responsible for getting me into comics. His plans for the future aren’t something you’d expect from someone who was able to bring an entire world of superheroes to its knees, but it is something you would expect from someone having to live life after that.

While the Black Hand was a source of great entertainment, the supposed “A” story involving Hal and Sinestro fell a little short. It became a way to relay a prophecy running through all the Lantern books another time and give us a short glimpse of what is to come in October with the Third Army. It makes it harder and harder to figure out where these two fit in John’s plans for every Green Lantern when they’ve been on the quite front of things.

While this is an issue that gets sidetracked with its main characters, the story of a restored Black Hand makes it worth the buy and read.

Last Line…8/10

The Last Line at Lightspeed

What is the Last Line at Lightspeed? Well, it's a way to review as much as possible without having to go as in depth as the longer reviews. Why am I doing this? Well, as a college student and also a working college student, it would take entirely too much time to review every single book I read and buy. What titles go in the lightspeed round? Each week, I will choose three titles to review at length, and the rest will fall into The Last Line at Lightspeed. But how do I choose those titles? It'll depend on how much of an impact the book makes, whether for a good reason, or a bad one.

**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD(BUT PROBABLY NOT SINCE THIS IS A LIGHTSPEED REVIEW)**

CATWOMAN #11: Reveals the mastermind behind the driving force of the arc. This issue presented a a great looking villain and one with creepy practices. The nature of it all will keep me going. However the strength of the book was severely sapped with the inclusion of a romance, whether emotional or purely sexual. While Catwoman is someone who has always kept sex in her box of tricks, the points felt forces. Pair that with a partnership with an officer that seems too by the book, and this makes for an okay issue.

Last Line...6/10


Star Trek: TNG/Doctor Who Assimilation(Squared) #3: A nerdgasm for all fans of either show in this crossover of the century(that's probably an exaggeration). While the concept of a Cyberman/Borg crossover seems interesting enough, it doesn't seem to be holding up across an eight issue spread. The biggest draw to the plot isn't from the enemy at hand, but the mystery of how these two groups came to meet each other across universes. Only time will tell if this is one wibbly wobbly timey wimey situation that will go down in the history of great stories for either franchise. On another note, a short segment involving the original Enterprise crew and the Fourth Doctor brought a break from the airbrushed look of the books and made for a more toned down classic feel.

Last Line...6.5/10

Saga #5: What a whirlwind of a tale this book has been. Saga has burst into the scene, and like it's characters, it has no trouble shooting you with its awesomeness. The two main characters continue to try to escape a planet at war for the sake of their child and along the way, fight to keep everyone safe. Elsewhere, the Will tries to get the slave girl he saved off planet which leads to a choice to team up with an old friend. But his old friend seems to be in precarious position that leaves you closing the book and going "what just happened?" There's not much else to say because while it seems not a whole lot happens in each individual plot thread, everything works together and makes for a great read.

Last Line...9/10

Captain America #14: A book about the man who wears his patriotism on his chest seems like a great idea, and while it has been, this issue seemed to lack what the others brought to the table. While the action is great and comes with plenty of shield throwing and the story does its job, the pacing of the book is not at its best. The breaks in the fight between Cap and Scourge do not come at the best moments and break the action in a bad way.

Last Line...7/10

Wonder Woman #11: Here's an arc that has everything right about it. While this issue has little happening for the Princess of Themyscira(except a prenatal checkup), the workings of the gods against her and her team are the most compelling. All the scheming of the gods leads to a last page that may put the greatest Amazonian in a position above even Hera herself.

Last Line...8/10

Silk Spectre #2-"I'll Take Good Care Of..."

**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD**

The Sixties are in full swing and Jupiter Jr. is experiencing the era of free love.

The "Before Watchmen" series has had more than seconds when it comes to the controversy buffet. Controversy aside, most of these books have proved they are worth a substantial amount more than the paper and ink used to make them. Silk Spectre is the #2 book proving that.

After last month's issue dealing with the relationship between Silk Spectre Jr. and Sr., this month deals with Laurie forging her own path in 1960s America. The problem with most finding-yourself journeys involving teens is that they are plagued with cliche dialogue, some broken hearts, and the eventual indie song backed montage where the protagonist gets their life together and everything works out. It's a problem the movie industry can't seem to get over. Luckily, all that changes when the protagonist is also an ass-kicking superhero. While this story has some of those elements(two lovers running away together, starting a new life in stark contrast to your previous one), the story brings about a conflict that is old as time, but presented fantastically.

Laurie's main conflict is wanting to be her own person, while her mother wants an heir to the Yellow Spandex Throne. While she did in fact run away, her sense of justice managed to stow away in her luggage. Her face gives it all away with every punch and kick. She wants her own life, but she knows the superhero business is where she belongs and thrives.

While the action and and life of Silk Spectre Jr. are standard Lifetime tropes, the story that seems poised to carry out the plot to the final issue are anything but. Being the era that it is, you can expect certain things: the Beatles; drugs; sex; and partying. Luckily, you do indeed get a plot that involves halucinagenics that utilize popular bands to drive consumerism in the teens that feel full of love and freedom. I'm interested in seeing where that story will lead and if it will be good. Things could easily fall far in a haze of rainbow smoke like that seen within the book itself.

Silk Spectre #2 is a straight forward story with an interesting that will leave you singing a tune or two waiting for the next issue.

Last Line...8/10

Justice League #11-"You're Too Late."

**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD**

This month's issue of the Justice League starts off with a bang as David Graves the gods the world worships.

The previous books in this arc show a disease stricken writer, who once praised the Justice League, who has it out for the lovable Super Friends. His powers and origin were a mystery, but this issue brings those two points to light. His Kool-Aid flavor of villainy involves assistance of the Asura, powerful deities born from the souls of people stuck in between Paradise and Inferno. With them, Graves is able to bring forth visions, or the actual spirts(it is left unclear), of those lost. In the scene that begins the book, the League members are presented with the spirits of those that shaped who they are.

While the book is called the Justice League, this particular is very Wonder Woman-centric. With Steve Trevor in the clutches of Graves, it falls solely to Wonder Woman to save him, at least that is what she believes. In a case that leads to her Amazonian fists striking Lantern chin, the team attempts to convince her she requires assistance. The scene is effective in showing the way Wonder Woman cares for Steve, since previous issues have focused on how she broke his heart in the past.

Their investigation leads them to the ominous, yet a little generic sounding, Valley of Souls. Once they enter, most of the League is greeted by the loved ones who them, them. Cyborg is presented with his former self, and Wonder Woman is greeted by...Steve Trevor? Is the League too late? What more waits in the shadows of the Valley of Souls?

In an issue building on a mystery, the story of the relationship between League members, and more specifically, Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor, comes to an end  that leaves you wanting a time machine to jump forward a month.

Last Line...8/10

-Whoa, Back Up A Minute!-

One very entertaining point of the last few issues is the Shazam! back up. Billy Batson is a character you love to hate and vice versa. The back ups are meant to be an origin of Shazam!, and they do a very good job of showing the genesis of an iconic character.

In this month's piece, Black Adam starts his search for the Wizard and Billy Batson gets revenge on the bullies of his foster family. The Black Adam portion sets up a nice point at which the plot threads of the back up will hopefully converge with the creation of Shazam!(you can't help but put an exclamation point after that) The Billy Batson portion of this issue works great in showing Billy's character. While he seems to want to leave and keep to himself, he shows loyalty by taking revenge on the bullies plaguing his foster family.

Last Line...8.5/10

AVX: Round 8-"Is There A Plan?"

**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD**

Though the Avengers vs. X-Men crossover event of the summer is meant to be an epic worthy of the names contained in the title, the tentpole of the spectacle seems to be falling in on itself. While Round Six and Seven introduced the Phoenix Force, showed their true power, and built the foundation of a story that seemed to be picking up, Round Eight has seemed to backtrack to a simple punch and smash formula usually reserved for the AVX: VS books.

The main plot of this particular follows Namor as he tries to take down the Avengers himself with all the glory of his slice of the Phoenix Force pie. Holding up in the nation of Wakanda, the Avengers attempt to flee, with Hope Summers, to K'un-Lun, the city where Kung Fu was born. With possibly billions of dollars in damage and a lot of paperwork to follow up on, a very full roster of Avengers assemble in Wakanda to fight the Prince of Atlantis. They give it their all, as any Avenger would, but in the end, it takes the strength of every one of them to take him down. What comes as odd is the defeat of Scarlet Witch. Just an issue ago, she was called the only threat of the Phoenix Force, yet she was worn down in a single page.

While the story as a whole is lacking in this particular issue, something comes up that may have implications in subsequent issues. When Namor was defeated, his portion of the Phoenix Force was equally distributed to the remaining members. Could this lead to conflict with in the Phoenix Five, well, Phoenix Four?

Last Line...5/10

Meanwhile In the Apartment of a College Aged Comic Book Lover

Hello to the few people that are actually reading this at the moment. I've been reading comics for a time now and at the end of every issue of all things I read, I usually have a thing or two to say with no real way of getting it out. I know what you're thinking right now, "what sets this guy's blog apart from the rest?" At this point, not a whole lot. I don't have what most professional review sites have, but I do promise that every Comic Book Wednesday, there will be reviews up. Obviously I can't review everything that the comic book world has to offer because there aren't enough hours in the day, and I'd probably have to crash on friend's couches. I'll be playing around with the format for the first few weeks so bear with it and things will get great, well, as about as great as the hubris of a college student will let him accomplish.

Last Line...