Are you ready for heart-pounding action? Do you want to have your eyes bulge out of your head in utter amazement? Naa, you’re not here for that. You’re here for the slow build. It’s a detailed marathon after all. But hey, some really neat visuals take place in this issue even though it’s a fairly short read. Let’s dive right in.
- Metropolis — The Masked Superman makes a bold appearance! I was super excited to ‘ole Supes in action. He seemed very out of character. I’m not sure who it is we’re dealing with beneath that mask. Superman is raging through an old laboratory looking for Ethan Boyer, the guy who escaped prison with the assistance of Rampage. As he’s ripping through equipment he makes some non-Superman statements: “Make me come find you and I’ll rip your head right off your shoulders…Hope your friends know what to do with your remains…Damn.” So, who is he? Is it Clark Kent? Is it Tim Drake (proposed by Mickman5 in last week’s comment section)? Regardless, Lois speaks to Masked Superman and she’s confused by him and so should we.
- The Wounded Duck (Tim’s Bar) — Our dose of Batman-related material is compressed into one section this issue. Terry approaches the gang who wanted to break into Terrifitech. Thank God they have decided to hang out at the bar Tim Drake owns, you know, the only bar in New York. And we’d be in terrible shape if Coil gave up after his initial two minutes he’d agreed to talk five or six issues ago. Apparently he’s content having the same discussion over and over again without any resolution. But up walks Terry who throws out his knowledge of Terrifitech and desire to break into it. You’ll remember last time he was just thinking about talking to the gang. Now, he does it. Of course Tim’s been listening and watching the gang and Terry. He and Terry swap a few words concerning a potential mutual acquaintance. Bruce is only implied. Terry denies it and leaves with his gang buddies. Next issue: they talk somewhere else. I should also mention Tim later gives his girlfriend a necklace because he was scared when she got involved with Boyer’s escape. Five dollars says that’s some sort of monitoring device.
- The Huron System — Hawkman’s arm is starting to heal. We don’t get any Frankenstein, just Hawkman and Lady Amethyst chatting it up. SpoilerHawkman’s Stormwatch communicator goes off. This means someone from Stormwatch is alive.
- Cadmus Island — I guess the editors/writers decided that what happened to Grifter might have been confusing to those not paying close attention or not reading every issue, so they give us quite a bit of reorienting inner monologue right before he is attacked. SpoilerGrifter is attacked by a invisibility-cloaked OMAC. This, for some reason, is interesting to Fifty Sue. Good for her. I don’t know why. She says, concerning Grifter’s lack of understanding, “Here’s your chance to impress me. It’ll be just like a Scooby-D00 cartoon.” I’m guessing, guys and gals, we gotta figure it out too.
- Vancouver, Canada — Ready for another storyline, eh? Two more not-all-that-popular characters make an appearance. Essentially one person needs someone’s help and we aren’t sure why. Spoiler tags, go! SpoilerA tall woman who is working at a soup kitchen is stalked by another shorter woman. The stalker turns out to be Emiko Queen, the half-sister to Green Arrow. Before Emiko can say anything, the other woman, Barda, grabs Emiko and pins her to a wall. Now, Big Barda is a New God from Apokolips. I wonder what these two will do. Maybe next issue Barda will let her down.
Recommended if…
- You’re up for the long haul.
- You’re curious about this Masked Superman.
- You want a weekly title in addition to Batman Eternal
Overall:
I loved the art in this issue. It was clean, had a good sense of direction, and offered faces with expression that didn’t look goofy. Good job Lopresti, Thibert and Hi Fi. As far as story goes, we’re headed forward slowly. Seeing Superman was nice. I personally wouldn’t liked to see more Tim/Terry interaction. We have more characters to not quite understand this issue. Ah, but it’s building tension like a weekly comic has to…right?
SCORE: 5/10
