DC's Batman Smells, Robin Laid an Egg #1

This year's annual holiday special from DC Comics is rather unusual. For one thing, they embraced the classic parodying of Jingle Bells with a cover and title that confirms that the Dark Knight indeed has odor issues.

Other than the cover, and a couple of cameos by millionaire Bruce Wayne, Batman doesn't star in any of the octet of Christmas stories in this book. But even odder is the complete absence of Harley Quinn. Is she no longer the darling of DC? And if you're looking for Poison Ivy who appears on the cover, you're out of luck. And the egg laying Damien Wayne only appears in a couple of panels at the beginning of one story.

The rundown of the holiday heroics are as follows:

• John Stewart teams with a substitute Santa when the Toyman steals the famed bag of toys from St. Nick's sleigh.
• John Constantine must save a woman targeted by death at midnight. However, it's magic that will save her but a kiss under the mistletoe by the Hellblazer.
• An old flame reappears in Vixen's life. With a reunion date set for Christmas, she has 12 days to find her old flame the perfect gift.
• Deadman comes across a Pennsylvanian mining town in need of a Christmas miracle after the local mine experiences a cave-in.
• The Secret Six introduces Bane to the concept of Secret Santa.
• The Joker gets a chance to see what Gotham City would be like if he was never born, with the Jason Todd Robin playing the role of the angel Clarence.
• Doctor Mid-Nite tries to help a down on their luck family during the holidays. But it might be his day job as a noted physician that saves the day.
• After an encounter with a different Toyman, Superman finds his entire body glowing like Rudolph on steroids. Watch as the Man of Steel runs through his gambit of foes to discover the source behind his illuminating predicament.

I liked that some of the lesser rans such as Doctor Mid-Nite and the Secret Six got a chance to shine. John Stewart's tale was adorable and I got a great kick out of the Joker's Christmas Carol. DC really wants Vixen to jump up to A-list status. This is like her 3rd appearance in a Christmas special in I think 4 years.

Major kudos to the Superman story which took inspiration from one of my personal favs, Superman: The Animated Series.

Every story was well written. But the art varied and most of it was not good. This was probably the least preachy holiday special issued by DC in decades. This was also the most Christmasy of the Christmas specials done in this modern format by the publisher EVER! Neither Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa or Ramadan is celebrated in any of these tales. Only Christmas! It really makes me wonder if DC is trying to stay under the radar of the incoming administration or is this the calm before the storm? Will next year's holiday special aim to skewer our returning President or is DC going to try and re-patch severed relationships with it's older readers, since they're the ones with the most expendable income?

These holiday specials are usually touchstones for the direction that the House That Superman Built is heading in the coming year. But I'm kinda flummoxed considering how uncontroversial this 80-page giant was. Not complaining. Just not sure what to expect next from DC...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

DC's Terrors Through Time #1

Finally, after several years of complaints, DC releases a holiday time special that contains relevant content but doesn't make the reader want to kill themselves because of being shamed about the sins of the world. 

For instance, in the prequel story starring the Gotham City Sirens, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Catwoman face a Hawaiian earth spirit who is unhappy with how their pristine island has become tarnished by man. I did not realize how much damage cats have done to the island chains' ecosystem, including the surrounding oceans! But in this story, the Sirens 3 are given a chance to redeem the wrongs and there's a little bit of hope; something that has been lacking from DC Comics' for the past several years.

I think DC is starting to understand that the readers with money to spend want to be entertained, not preached at. If I want a sermon, I know where to go on a Sunday morning. There's nothing wrong with covering political or even social topics. Just don't be snarky with your comments and inside jokes. Not every white male in America supports Trump and his ideals...

There are 7 other stories in this book which looks at horror through the ages as opposed to time travel frights. Based on the cover with the Super Sons looking over blueprints for a time machine, that's what I thought this book was going to be about. Alas, I was wrong.

Instead, the opening story, starring the Phantom Stranger sets the tone for this 80-page giant. The Stranger's story reflects on his eternal mission to save humanity from the forces of darkness. This usually involves demons and monsters. But I would have expected a story that took place over eons would have The Stranger wearing different togs. Instead, he wears that 1960s mod turtle neck, fedora and cloak of his throughout all time. I didn't know his costume was so timeless.

The story starring The Demon, Etrigan, was perhaps one of the best stories ever published by DC. The ending was absolutely freakin' perfect! If they still do awards for story of the year in comics, this one gets my vote and full support!

Other stories of note was the Halloween set story of the Super Sons as they go to trick-or-treating to all the secret lairs of the Justice League's line-up. Then go 50 years into the future to see how Swamp Thing protects the Green after a nuclear catastrophe. 

There's also a really good Green Lantern Corps story set about 425 years in the future. I felt that it was a story that contained characters that DC isn't done with yet. If that's the case and a Green Lantern Corps series set in the 25th century is to be a thing? Well if so, expect me to be adding it to my subscription wish list at my local LCS. It's that good!

And let's not forget that I was a fan of the Gotham City Sirens tropical tale. 

The two stories I was not a big fan of involved the Justice Society of America and Deadman. The JSA story, set during WWII, involved stopping some Nazis from obtaining a magical museum piece that could turn the war in Hitler's favorite. Overall, the art was good and the plot was okay. I just felt like writer Charles Skaggs (Grayson) was trying to fit 25 gallons of pickles into a 5 gallon bucket. The pacing was just too fast and the one-liners fell flat.

As for the Deadman tale, I blame the artist, Kelley Jones (Batman & Dracula: Red Rain). I love Jones' work. But I hate how he draws Deadman. This team-up with Damian Wayne had promise. But writer Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash) ruins it with Deadman waxing philosophical at times and Batman, when he appears, just doesn't seem himself. I thought Batman liked and respected Boston Brand. But here, the Dark Knight seems to treat Deadman with the disdain you'd expect from Batman to have towards Plastic Man. 

A very good offering of stories from DC. Not very scary. And like I said, there wasn't any time travel. But this also book contained what I think is the best story of the whole year of 2022! And this was probably the best holiday giant from the House The Superman Built in the last 5 years. I'm feeling a lot of hope for the December offering thanks to this issue.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Deadman Tells the Spooky Tales (Family Comic Friday)

Created in 1967 by the legendary Neal Adams, Deadman was a circus performer who was assassinated while performing under the big top. Thanks to a Hindu deity called Rama Kushna, the spirit of Deadman was allowed to linger on Earth in order to discover the identity of his killer. By possessing the body of others, including many a member of the Justice League, Deadman was able to gather the clues to find the identity of the mysterious killer known only as 'The Hook.' But after his murderer was apprehended, for one reason or another, Deadman delayed crossing over to the afterlife to continue bringing evil to justice!

I've read my fair share of Deadman stories over the years. My father had a copy of his first appearance, in the pages of Strange Adventures #205. The visual appeal of a white ghostly face decked in a scarlet red circus performer unitard was enough to draw me in. Sure, with death and ghosts and vengeance, this probably wasn't the stuff for a lad of under the age of 10 to enjoy. But those Deadman stories of my dad's collection were some of my most favorite reads.

So when I learned that Deadman was going to host a graphic novel anthology of creepy tales for young readers, I immediately contacted my favorite LCS to reserve my copy! While over the past 55 years Deadman has teamed up with major characters from the DC Universe, solved some puzzling crimes and even come face-to-face with the creator of the universe himself, the supernatural character has never hosted his own horror title to my knowledge- until now!

Franco, the fan favorite co-creator of such all-ages properties as Tiny Titans and Itty Bitty Hellboy, pens 13 unlucky tales of terror. But as this book was aimed for readers aged 8-12 years old, was this collection of spooky tales all that scary?

The shortcut taken through 'The Cemetery' and the mall-themed story titled 'Mannequins' would qualify in my book as scary. The autumn leaves adventure called 'Fall' was eerie too; if only because two victims of the story's antagonist seem completely forgotten by our heroes. 

I loved 'On the Inside'. That psychological thriller was a tiny bit scary. What sold it for me was how it was directly tied into a character from the Batman family of villains. The movie themed 'Inattentive Blindness' and the sleepover at 'The House of Madame Pyka' also had some ties to the DCU and were entertaining scares. However, I would say that they gave me anything but the frights. "The Fisherman' was another story that was highly entertaining yet didn't scare me. However, it had an ending that left me demanding a sequel or a stand alone series!

Franco, especially when he is teamed with his main writing partner Art Baltazar, is known for his humorous stories. And the majority of the remaining stories are more for yuks that screams. However, the humor element is okay with me. Those classic DC horror titles from my youth such as House of Mystery and The Witching Hour were as renown for their bizarre comedy bits just as much as their horrifying stories of ghosts and ghouls.

I've got to confess however, that with both feline themed stories 'The Litterbox' and 'The Neighborhood Cats', I read ahead. Not because I was scared. It was because I didn't want to be shocked with any stories that involved dying or injured kitties. I am happy to say that no gatos were injured in the making of this graphic novel for kiddies!

The most terrifying aspect of this book was the running commentary of the Deadman throughout this anthology. He poses some eerie questions. However, it's the artwork by visual artist Sara Richard that puts the icing on the cake in terms of creepiness. Her images of skeletons and graveyards are chilling. But when she provides anatomy lessons of viscera and sinew as Deadman transports himself throughout the book, I get a tad spooked. 

A dozen other artists provide visuals for this book. Derek Charm (Star Wars Adventures) is another fan favorite of mine who contributes to this work. As is fellow North Carolinian, Thomas Boatwright, of whom the Zeke Deadwood: Zombie Lawmaker creator is one of which that I own actual original artwork of! However, I must say that I am a little perturbed that Franco's most famous creative partner, Art Baltazar, is nowhere to be found in this book! I hope the two didn't part ways as collaborators! I love those two when they get together and make comic book memories!

Deadman Tells the Spooky Tales (Another Great Pun Title!) was an entertaining read. I was scrambling to find something appropriate for younger readers to review this week in time for Halloween. I'm so glad my comics shop was able to get a copy yesterday! The horror element as well as Deadman's backstory that involves Eastern religion, including reincarnation might be a little to controversial for some. But if you were a parent, guardian or grandparent who grew up reading the adventures of Deadman, especially the vintages ones, the young readers in your life are going to thrill at this trip through DC's darkest corners.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents The Phantom Stranger, Vol. 2

Volume 1 was a classic collection of spooky stories that had plots that skirted the edge of the supernatural. But more often than not, the villain was revealed to be a Scooby-Doo level bad guy in a mask. Occasionally, we'd get an honest-to-goodness ghost with an occasional UFO alien or monster peppered in. But even then, the true monsters turned out to be ourselves with prejudices and biases. It was an honest representation of horror comics restricted by the Comics Code. 

Volume 2 is comprised of stories published in the early 70s. At this point in comic book history, the restrictions on stories involving demons, vampires and other ghoulies was lifted and it appears that a now unencumbered DC Comics went wild in the pages of Phantom Stranger.

The Phantom Stranger runs afoul of an international cabal of covens. As these worshipers of evil seek to create a literal hell on Earth, they also seek to destroy the Stranger as he's the only thing that is standing in these devils' way!

Occult denier, Dr. Terry Thirteen, is the foil in many of these stories. I love this character. But he's so very much like Scully from The X-Files, as no matter how much sorcery and witchcraft does his witness, Dr. Thirteen always has an answer for why the episodes that just occurred were mere tricks of smoke and mirror. The last story which reprints an epic horror crossover with the House of Secrets and House of Mystery is proof of such blindness! 

This volume also compiles the complete (but short) 'Spawn of Frankenstein' storyline by Len Wein. Based on the Mary Shelley creation, this monster is what will eventually become an Agent of SHADE, and later one of Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers. It was neat seeing his origins, or maybe it's more of a revitalization. Plus, really cool and creative how both the Phantom Stranger and Dr. Thirteen are added to the mix. 

Lastly, if you are fan of Deadman, then this is an essential read. Several of the final handful of Phantom Stranger issues have the ghost of Boston Brand teaming with the Stranger. Albeit, it's a reluctant pairing as Deadman really doesn't trust this guy. It's a crossover to the level of supernatural excellence of Doctor Fate and The Spectre but with a 70s flavor to it.

I liked this volume. But I am more of a purist. When it comes to horror, I am game to just about anything. But if I had to pick the type of horror that I am least a fan of- it's stuff dealing with demons. Ghosts. Witches. Magic. I can deal with. But once you start opening a portal to Hades and adding demonic possession, I'm just not a fan of that. Unfortunately, while Phantom Stranger, Volume 2 still bears the original formula of the series. But we started edging just a bit too much into Linda Blair territory for my liking.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Batman Odyssey

Neal Adams returns to some of his most beloved characters in the DC Universe. But man, is this book a stinker. Throughout two miniseries, Batman asks the question 'Is a Batman who kills still Batman?' And as he tries to find the answer, he becomes embroiled in a caper of unimaginable silliness.

Bruce Wayne constantly flying off the handle. Ra's al Ghul in need of the Dark Knight Detective from his League of Assassins and is kinda a wimp. A hollow land in the middle of the earth made up of evolved Dino-hybrids. A caveman Caped Crusader! A solid state and visible Deadman. A Boy Wonder, almost eaten by trolls. And Batman gets giddy as a school boy when he breaks a bucking pterodactyl!

It all really doesn't make much sense. 

Here's the deal- if Adams hadn't tied everything up in a very nice, shiny package, Batman Odyssey may very well be the worst comic book I have ever read. 

On several occasions, I was ready to give up on this book. I took a couple of medium sized breaks from it as well. (To take a breather any longer would mean possibly forgetting just what exactly was going on.) I adore Neal Adams' work. I don't know what the hell this was!

Age is not the friend of an artist. The joints swell. The eyesite fades. And that stamina to do an all-nighter is gone. And the quality of Neal's work has definitely seen the affects of time. 

It's like when I watched Disney's The Black Hole after years of enjoying and marveling at it as a child. Returning to it as an adult was not pretty. The sci-fi movie I loved so as a wee child was in reality garbage. Sometimes, it's best to allow the good things of your past stay there. For me, that means not reading anything of Neal Adams' that was published after 1999.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Young Monsters In Love #1

Leave it to DC Comics to not just provide it's devoted fan base with a Valentines Day special! A sappy love fest of unrequited romance between two unlikely paramours just will not do for DC! Nope! Instead, DC Comics has issued a holiday special devoted to cupids and chocolates starring some of it's most popular supernatural characters.

Why use monsters in a Valentines Special? Part of the quirky fun of many B-movie horror films is when the beastly main character falls in love with a beautiful damsel in distress. King Kong falling for Faye Raye. The Creature From the Black Lagoon lusting after Julia Adams. And who can forget Tor Johnson's deformed Lobo saving Loretta King from a deranged Bela Lugosi in Bride of the Monster? Creatures of the night and romance are B-movie box office gold!

While Young Monsters In Love #1 may take it's inspiration from the schlock horror films of the 50s and 60s, this special is full of A-list talent. It features over a half dozen stories written by some of the best comic book talent in the industry, topped off by Batman: The Animated Series' Paul Dini. Jeff Lemire, Steve Orlando, Phil Hester and many more craft stories of love, loss, and monsters. 

Some highlights include:

• 'Heart Shaped Box'- A House of Secrets quality story in which Swamp Thing enacts revenge against a team of mercenaries that interrupt Swampy's V-Day plans with a lady botanist.
• 'Be My Valentine'- Deadman helps a bullied child get some revenge against those who made it the worst Valentines exchange party of all-time.
• 'Dear Velcoro'- One of the Creature Commandos receives a Dear John letter in-between missions in Nazi Germany.
• Monsieur Mallah goes shopping for his Valentine, The Brain, by robbing a Lexcorp research facility in 'Visibility.'
• 'Pieces of Me'-Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. pens a letter to his Bride, highlighting the complicated history between the two lovers.
• And in 'Nocturnal Animal', Kirk Langstrom struggles to battle his own personal demon, the Man-Bat, in the light of his crumbling relationship with his wife Francine.

DC has a habit of turning one or two of their featured holiday stories into miniseries or regular titles. If the pattern continues, I hope that the powers that be will offer more Paul Dini penned Deadman adventures. I know that there's currently a Deadman miniseries written and penciled by Neal Adams. It's good, but Dini's take gave the character of Boston Brand a warmth and life not seen in over 30 years. 

Overall, Young Monsters In Love was an unexpected delight. I didn't learn about this special until just a couple of weeks ago. Every story was masterfully written. The artwork was varied but brilliantly crafted by talents such as Guillem March and Kelley Jones, whose 1950s sci-fi movie inspired poster cover was so very retro and awesome!

The only thing that I wasn't a fan of was the price. With a cover price of $9.99, that's still pretty lofty, even if this was an 80-page giant. But I am a sucker for holiday specials of any type and what was inside the cover was flawless fun! 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #1

    Boston Brand, the Fearless Deadman, is summoned to a creepy Victorian Mansion by a woman seemingly in distress. Only this lady is a ghost and once Deadman enters the domicile, he finds himself trapped, not only unable to leave the building but now unable to past through walls. Obviously, Deadman is trapped. But he’s found a way to travel the house, as the girlfriend of the mansion’s new owner, Berenice, can see him. However, she can’t she the dark menace that is threatening her and her lover. Now the two must team together if they have any hope of discovering the secrets of the Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love.

    The Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love was a short lived horror anthology series that had a bent towards Gothic love stories. Starting in 1971, the romance angle was scrapped after only 4 issues and rebranded Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion. But an already over-saturated market of horror comics was too much for this struggling title and it was cancelled after 15 issues.

    Deadman is a B-list character of the DC Universe that’s become a bit of a cult favorite. Great art by Neal Adams and Jim Aparo and some pretty epic team-ups with Batman has made the character a 70s legend. Having read and collected quite a few Deadman comics as well as the Showcase Presents treasury of Dark Mansion/ Sinister House titles, I was intrigued when this book was announced a few weeks ago.

    Let’s talk about the artwork first. There’s an almost painted quality to the pages crafted by Lan Medina (District X). The faded tones make the scenes a little more spooky and I felt like I was watching the opening act of an old scary movie from the 70s on a projector or fuzzy TV set. I really enjoyed it.

    Now, the story. There’s a great mystery here- 3 actually. 1) Why is Deadman trapped? 2)Why can Berenice see Deadman? 3) What’s the sinister secret to the mansion? There’s some other minor plot points but they are such surprises, I don’t want to spoil them. And for these reasons along, I am interested in coming back to this series at some point. But as with many mysteries, not everything is clear- YET!

    But the series runs for $5.99 per issue. The plus side is that this book, which is 48-pages, is presented in prestige format and is ad free. But, still, for a bargain hunter like myself $6 is still pricey. So, I may wait for this to be collected to finish out the story. But if money was not an issue, I’d been getting every issue new on the day it would drop.

A Gothic love story set in the modern day with some spooks, chills, and things to go bump in the night.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3

    Hiding from an army of Amazons tasked with finding the Helmet of Nabu, Boston Brand must bear the weight as Dick Grayson's new guardian while the lad's father slowly dies.

     An amazing finish to a great Flashpoint tie-in. Too bad the New 52! wiped out Flashpoint because whole this chapter ends, this would have been one hell of a series.
    
    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #2

 There's dozens of thrills and surprises in this issue. Nobody is safe and that's why I really don't want to get to in depth in this review, least I give away a major spoiler.

     Yes, I know that this issue is almost 6 or 7 years old, but with Flash season 3 being about Flashpoint, I know that there are others such as me reading this series in order to gear up for the TV version. So, really, there will no spoilers here!
   
    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
   
   By the way- I just adore the circus poster like cover by Cliff Chiang! Just magnificent!

Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1

Haly's Circus. In the DC Universe, it's a travelling show that has had more than it's fair share of tragedy. It's where the Flying Graysons met their tragic end. It's were a sniper made Boston Brand a Deadman. Flowing through the tarps of beleaguered carnival's big top is deception and corruption so deep, many of its employees have faced mortality, including the owner, Mr. Haly.

   But this is the Flashpoint Universe and one of it's few bright spots is the success of Haly's Circus. The Graysons are one big happy family. Boston Brand is a Deadman in name only. Even sideshow act, Kent Nelson, under the stage name of Doctor Fate is doing pretty well, except for the hour or so it takes for his mind to recover from wearing the mystical Helmet of Nabu.

   Unfortunately, the circus has run into a little problem. Haly's Circus was performing in Central Europe when Aquaman decided to unleash his fury on the human race and flooded much of Eastern Europe. The performers find themselves stranded overseas and must venture from town to town in hopes of making ends meet and eventually earn themselves a way back to the US.

  If the voyage home wasn't treacherous enough, during their last stop, Kent Nelson accidentally tapped into the timeline and has learned that there is another reality trying to burst through the Flashpoint. It's the time stream of the DCU and it's trying to correct whatever made history change into this fractured universe. However, Kent's contact with the real timeline has made an even more deadlier force aware to the circus's presence as Wonder Woman's Furies are on the hunt for the Helmet of Nabu!

  The Flashpoint tie-ins just keep getting better and better. There's not much action per se in this issue. But I think that this issue was essential in showing the effects of the Atlantis- Themyscira War on Europe. Having it seen through the eyes of the performers of Haly's Circus helps to make the struggle familiar and more grounded to the reader. A great job by writer J.T Krul!

  Equally impressive is the artwork. The realistic looking poster by Cliff Chaing (Secret Six) was really cool looking. But the cover wasn't the only visually stunning material. Mikel Janin’s (Justice League Dark) almost painted approach captured both the magic of the big top while exposing the cramped and dirty conditions of life on the road.

  All around excellent stuff. I can't wait for issue #2.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

 

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #13

 Shaggy being brave?

  Scooby on a quest for rengeance... I mean, vengeance?
  
  Daphne able to do wicked somersaults?

   Something is up with the Mystery Machine gang and that can only mean one thing: the ghosts of the DC Universe have arrived. 

    When the Phantom Stranger comes to the gang's house on Halloween, the detectives are whisked away to a ghost town in the deserts of Nevada. Their mission: to find where all of the ghosts of the DCU have been disappearing to and who is behind their apparent ghost- nappings.

    Featuring a veritable Who's Who of DC Universe spooks, this issue was tons of holiday fun. Along with Phantom Stranger and Deadman, this issue features Kid Eternity, JEB Stuart (from the Haunted Tank), the Spectre and many more.

   The only problem I had with this issue was when it was released. The story takes place on All Hallow's Eve. So in theory, this book should have released prior to October 31st. Yet, Scooby-Doo Team-Up #13 was released just yesterday- November 4th. What is this, the Treehouse of Horror? Halloween specials should come out before Halloween- I consider that slight unforgivable.

    Despite the poor timing of when this issue hit shelves, I still consider it Worth Consuming and I rate it a 10 out of 10 stars. There's nothing wrong with the art or quality storytelling by Sholly Fisch and it's not the production team's fault this book didn't mean the Halloween 2015 deadline. 

Adventure Comics #465

Not all comics are created with the same love and attention that it deserves. This 1979 Adventure Comic is a gigantic flop! Yes, I have said how 80 and 100-page giants were like finding gold. But sometimes, you end up with pyrite.

In this issue we get 4-stories. There’s a Deadman story about racial violence in an big city neighborhood. That’s a great story. Deadman is a favorite of mine and the tale was d
one to perfection. So far, so good.

Then Aquaman fends off  a Neo-Nazi plot when he discovers a secret base in North Pole. Aquaman acts like he’s on these fascists’ side but really he’s bidding his time until he can uncover their sinister plot. Again, a very good story starring a childhood favorite of mine.

Then we have the Flash who after he prevents a super-sonic jet from destroying Central City, finds that he’s become attuned to the thoughts of an invading race of something. The mystery is who or what is behind this invasion. I thought the answer was clever. However, the science behind how the Flash creates a wall of sound to keep the jet from crashing into downtown is ludicrous. Yes, you can create a wall of sound but it wouldn’t act like a rubber ball and bounce the plane harmlessly back into the air. It would rattle the ship apart and cause mass causalities!

Then for our final tale, the classic Justice Society of America team-up to stop a rare poison stored in a capsule that’s about to dissolve, from  destroying all of mankind. Okay- with Ebola and nerve gases and stuff, yes I can believe that a toxic of some sort could cause lots and lots of death. However, is there a hospital in not just America but the entire world that would store such a dangerous poison in a) a capsule that would melt after too much exposure to the elements and b) locked in the filing cabinet of the hospital’s records department?!

If this was Mythbusters, a giant BUSTED sign would pop up right now as there is no way in the world this could happen! OY! The whole scenario reminds me of a riddle in which a doctor holding a jar announced he had in his hands an acid that could melt any material and his wife called ‘Bulls-it’ because if that was true, the vessel would be dissolving as he spoke.

They say don’t judge a book by its cover. Yet, with this awesome cover filled with dozens of awesome DC Superheroes, the adage doesn’t ring true. This issue is mostly filler and not very well plotted.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.