Rebirth Wednesday-Week 7

The Drowning Part Three: Capitol Crimes (Written by Dan Abnett and Art by Phillippe Briones and Gabe Eltaeb)

Listen, I've got to be honest here: moreso than any week previously, just looking at the titles I'm covering in this article makes me really look forward to next week. Still, I committed to doing every week, so let's get this started with some Aquaman.

One day after the vicious attack on the new Atlantean Embassy by Black Manta, Aquaman finds US forces on his territory, and is informed that his embassy has been revoked. He and Mera go to Washington and ask to see the President so they can hammer this out, leader to leader, but all he can get on such short notice is the Chief of Staff.

Sadly for our kingly hero, the man is not very accommodating, and a heavy argument ensues while Black Manta tries to get more out of his captors, N.E.M.O. While all that's going on the Deluge, an Atlantean terrorist organization based on xenophobia towards surface-dwellers, attack a United States ship and make it clear of their undersea origins. This causes Aquaman to be arrested by the US government, which he accepts to avoid causing more trouble.

I really enjoyed this issue. It's mostly based in international politics, which might turn some people off, but Aquaman's demeanor throughout is just so interesting. He has a near endless patience and will do anything to try and smooth this all out, but his political naivety and the lack of international foundation to stand on bites him, hard.

As much as the Chief of Staff is a jerk in this issue, he raises (a few) legitimate points. Atlantis has attacked the US in the past, and foreign leaders can't just show up at each other's places of residence and expect an immediate audience. However, he fails completely to be accommodating in the slightest, despite the fact that Aquaman is an American citizen, a superhero who has saved America and the world on multiple occasions, and that you can't blame Aquaman for an American criminal attacking his embassy.

Not only all of that, but how exactly was Aquaman supposed to react to this? The only diplomatic channel so far created in this relationship was the embassy...which no longer exists. It's clear that, at least on some level, the Chief of Staff's actions are based more in xenophobia and fear than anything else. All in all, this issue continues the hot streak this series as going for it.

Aquaman #3: A

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey: Rebirth (Written by Julie and Shawna Benson with Art by Claire Roe and Allan Passalaqua)

Man...uh...do I have to talk about this comic? Because, uh, I really don't want to. I do? Frick. Okay, so, this is complicated, but as with every Rebirth issue I'll talk about what I bring to the table. Now, I won't go into my history with Barbara Gordan, I'll save that for Batgirl Rebirth #1. Black Canary is a character I kinda like, but have never read too much of, and Huntress is a character who, in my experience, ranges from tolerable to intolerable, based on the writer. Birds of Prey, as a team, I have read a decent amount of, and I like them fine. (I specifically read Gail Simone's run because Gail Simone.)

This story is set after Batgirl's solo run, and she's back to wearing a bat symbol and fighting Gotham crime. Bat news, though: someone is using her old Oracle handle to help criminals, so she rejoins Black Canary to find the baddie. Meanwhile, Huntress is fresh off her run as a secret spy person and is now a murderous vigilante again, and their paths cross.

I'm going to start off with what I liked, because there is stuff to like here. The way Batgirl's physical crippling is used as metaphor for psychological trauma is interesting, and puts her recovery into a better light. The story idea is a good one, and there are several really good scenes.

On the whole though, this didn't work for me. Some of these reasons might sound a little nit-picky, but I'm doing my best to describe the reasons for my unease, and this is what I'm pulling out. First, why if this new continuity's original Birds of Prey was just Oracle and Canary, why were they called Birds of Prey? Like...usually there's at least one other member, sometimes someone who extends that bird theme. Is it a team with two people?

Second, this issue keeps trying to portray Barbara as quite a bit younger than Black Canary, enough to matter anyway, but how does that timeline work? Barbara had to have been Batgirl, gotten paralyzed, not done stuff, become Oracle, formed Birds of Prey, disbanded it, then gotten the surgery and had two full solo series. Is she somehow still in her mid-to-early 20's? How? This partially ties into stuff I'll talk about with Batgirl Rebirth.

Third, I don't like a lot of the banter. Fourth and last, I really don't care for Huntress here. She's just a generic anti-hero, and unlike the other two protagonists isn't given much of a portrait as a character. What makes her special, or likable? I don't hate this comic, but it's definitely one of the lowest points for Rebirth so far, at least for me.

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Rebirth #1: C-

I am Gotham: Part Three (Written by Tom King, Art by David Finch, Danny Miki, and Jordie Bellaire)

Batman, or rather, Matches Malone, tracks down the backstory of the new Gotham heroes: as children their family was mugged in an alley, only to be saved by Batman. Before he left he offered the young boy words of wisdom that made him obsessed with becoming just as heroic and noble as the man who saved him. Where exactly they got their powers, and how they work, is left unknown for now.

In addition, Batman has settled into a good rhythm with the duo: Batman plays detective and coordinates them for maximum efficiency, and in the meantime they can watch the city for disasters and do the best they can to help. Too bad they run into Hugo Strange, who has the Psycho-Pirate on his side.

First off, I've got to commend the writer for bringing in little-known villain Psycho-Pirate. Dude is really powerful and really sad: a man with the power to alter the emotions of others, and that power is addictive for him. Whatever is coming can't be good for the two heroes of Gotham.

I also have to commend them for the thematic weight here: people like Bruce and the two Gotham heroes have made the city a part of who they are, and through that strive to show that Gotham isn't just a terrible place, that it's capable of good. On the other end, Professor Hugo Strange thinks that people identifying with this cesspool of a city only causes them to become worse people, and the only way for the city to ever heal is for everyone to realize that they are not Gotham.

It's a fairly light story, but the thematic elements, nice bits from Batman, and a really good cliffhanger elevate this issue more than the previous fair. Not only that, but the banter between Gotham and Gotham Girl near the end made them more endearing than any previous issue, honestly.

Batman #3: B+

The Ninth Circle (Written by Benjamin Percy and Drawn by Juan Ferreyra)

The Ninth Circle is a bank, one that funds criminal enterprises and stores their money for them. The Green Arrow reveals his survival in an attempt to learn more, and it's unclear if he'll live to make any use of what he found. Black Canary is on a ship towards their base, but that's exactly what Oliver's sister wants: Oliver will always hunt for the people he loves.

I've never had my heart pump as quickly as when I'm reading an issue of this Green Arrow run. The action is phenomenal, the set pieces are eye candy, and the ideas here are clever. Who else would the ultimate champion of equality fight than a group of evil bankers?

It disheartens me that I don't have much to say on any individual issue of this series, because it really just comes down to the fact that I love the story, I love the characters, and I love the artwork. It's the most enjoyable book I read.

Green Arrow #3: A

Rage Planet: Part 3 (Written by Sam Humphries, Art by Robson Rocha, Tom Derenick, Neil Edwards, Jack Herbert, Jay Leisten, Tom Palmer, Keith Champagne, and Hi-Fi)

The Red Lanterns are on Earth, and Simon and Jessica can't agree on how best to handle it. He can't stand how she overthinks things or her second guessing him. She can't stand his patronizing behavior. When the Red Lantern Bleez is momentarily cured, they get information that might save the world, only for Jessica to be infected with rage.

Once again I'm of two minds with this series. It's packed with content in a good way, and feels fuller than most other issues I read these days. Seeing Bleez healed of her rage and then having it forced on her once again is a great scene, and leaves the idea of her redeeming herself permanently as an option, as well as showing the negative sides of the Red Lanterns.

Sadly, it feels as though the writer has things backwards. Simon, a character who clearly has lots of room to grow as a person but is experienced at being a lantern, is able to get through personal attacks easily and is thrown more physical challenges. Jessica, a character who is more personable but with less experience, is getting little in the way of training but all of the trauma.

There are story reasons as for why Simon can fight the rage but Jessica can't, but at least for me it's the opposite of an interesting read. The guy who's been a supreme smeghole is getting through challenges easily when the likable character who is trying to prove herself is getting the shaft. That could work if used to show how much room she has to grow, and to foreshadow an eventual rise to greatness for her, but that isn't the feeling you get when reading it. Instead, it feels like the author thinks Simon is the bomb and wants Jessica to "toughen up and stop talking". There's still stuff to like here, but it's not what I'd call a fun read.

Green Lanterns #3: C+

The Extinction Machines: Part One (Written by Bryan Hitch and Art by Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea, and Tomeu Morey)

Earthquakes hitting everywhere, people with glowing red eyes and taking super powers, alien ships with bugs, and the Justice League is doing what they can.

What's that? You were expecting more? Too bad. This comic is that. It's enormous scenes of rescue and disaster, and nothing else. I honestly don't know what I can say here. If you like Roland Emmerich movies in comic form, it'll probably be your thing. As someone who likes comics, especially team books, to have character interaction and strong stories, I really didn't care for this issue.

I mean, there is some character interaction. A few lines between the Lanterns, some banter between Batman and Cyborg. Other than that? It's just action. As much as Batgirl and the Birds of Prey wasn't something I could sink me teeth into, this is, by and large, easily the weakest book so far in DC Rebirth. If you like it yourself, I'm glad. I don't want you to feel like I hate the series, I really don't. I just don't care for it. It's mind-numbing, in every sense of the word.

Justice League #1: D+

Son of Superman: Part Three (Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, Art by Jorge Jimenez and Alejandro Sanchez)

Lois and Clark take their son to Kent's Fortress of Solitude, because of the wide array of Kryptonian artifacts within that might be able to tell them what's wrong with Jon. Inside, however, they find The Eradicator, an old enemy of Clark's. During the fight The Eradicator moves to save Lois and Jon, which makes Clark give him some semblance of trust.

The Eradicator was one of many androids built by Zod on Krypton to find criminals and put them in the Phantom Zone. He's been searching for the last living Kryptonian, and has protocols to save the species. The reason Jon's powers have been shaky is due to his nature as half-human, which The Eradicator wants to purge out of him to ensure he can propagate the species. Krypto the Superdog is sucked into the Phantom Zone protecting Jon, and this sacrifice gives Jon the will to fight alongside his father.

While most of this issue is either action or The Eradicator's backstory, it still contains lots of interesting character moment, such as Superman's narration as he considers the begrudging trust he's extended to an old foe.

For the most part, this issue exists mostly to catch up folks who never read Reign of the Supermen on who The Eradicator is, but even if you know the tale it's an enjoyable issue, and I have to say that I absolutely love the image the issue ends on. Jon still needs to grow on me more as a character, but that last page is pure awesome.

Superman #3: B

The Hellblazer: Rebirth (Written by Simon Oliver with Art by Moritat and Andre Szymanowicz)

So, what's my history with Hellblazer and John Constantine? Uh...I saw him in an episode of Arrow? And...yeah. I know more about Jason Blood and Etrigan than Constantine, so this book is definitely going to be a learning exercise for me.

Petty magician extraordinaire John Constantine was banished on pain of death from London by a demon years ago, and has lived in New York since. But now that a "short-fingered racist" is circling the White House, he's heading back home with a plan to outwit the demon and keep his soul, while being a cheeky bugger the entire time.

As a huge fan of The Dresden Files, this almost felt like reading about a British Dresden without being able to see his thoughts, just his actions. Except, and this is a big difference, John Constantine has more in common with, say, Lupin III than America's homegrown wizard. He's not only a jerk most of the time, but very morally ambiguous, and it's unclear where the line he won't cross to survive exactly is.

The issue is pretty funny, though as someone who knows nothing of Constantine I feel like the issue could have explained his connection to Swamp Thing and who exactly Mercury is. Still, it wasn't a bad introduction at all and I look forward to more dickish wizard shenanigans. Next week on Rebirth Wednesday, we get a Rebirth issue for a surprisingly good series and the return of my favorite team.

The Hellblazer Rebirth #1: B+

#dc #comic #aquaman #batgirl #birdsofprey #batman #greenarrow #greenlanterns #justiceleague #superman #hellblazer #wednesday