52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen #6

  The cover says that the Four Horsemen have been defeated by the combined might of Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and the rest of the superhero community.

   (Note: they were defeated once before and we thought that was the end of that! Plus it's a comic book- nothing stays dead or defeated in those for very long.)

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen #5

 

  As an infection rattles his body, Superman must fight off Famine. Batman and blast from the past, Snapper Carr battle each while fending off Plague. Wonder Woman unleashes her inner fury as she tackles War over the Pacific. That leaves Death, whose taken his army of the undead from Bialya and transferred it to Oolong Island. Who will defend the island of villains? Enter: the original Doom Patrol! (Wait a minute, aren't they dead too???)

   This is an action-filled issue. But I really am confused about the appearance and role of the original Doom Patrol. The team for the longest time been the Uncle Ben of the DC Universe. It other words, they're dead and the stay dead (Okay- to be fair, Robotman survived and Miles Caulder wasn't even there when the Doom Patrol died in the final issue of the original series with the same name (issue #121, 1968.) So, when did they come back? Or because the Horseman Death can raise the dead, have members of the Doom Patrol been revived as well?

  Worth Consuming but man do I have questions.

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen #4

Wonder Woman fights off Pestilence from destroying Oolong Island. But the real villain might be fortified within the villainous barricades.

   Meanwhile, War and Famine arrive in Bialya with a score to settle with the Man of Steel. Infected by the bite of one of the Horsemen, Superman will need all the help he can get.

   An unexpected blast from the past becomes a major player in this issue. I really love their incursion into the storyline. It was sorely needed. While many may wish it was anybody but this character, especially the Man of Tomorrow, I applaud Keith Giffen adding him to the story. Giffen has such an affinity for the Silver Age and using ******** in this issue was the perfect homage to the early days of the Justice League of America and the right twist needed for this story to get better and better.

  It took several issues, but the 4th time was the charm for perfection.

   Worth Consuming.

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen #3

   

As Batman and Superman fend off Death's army of the undead in Bialya, Wonder Woman and members of the Justice League act as envoys to the newly recognized nation of Villains Island (not the actual name- but it should be! It's actually called Oolong Island.) In a race against time the Amazonian Princess must buy the island's mad scientists time to fortify themselves and activate a potential weapon against a plague horse of the next Horseman, Pestilence.

    The action ramps up to 11 in this issue. So far, it's the best issue. The art is still stunning but finally, the storyline matches the artwork in terms of quality.

   Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen #2

   The fictitious nation of Bialya plays heavy in 52. It's already seen massive devastation after the events of Black Adam's World War III. So with a country full of sick, injured, starving, angry, and dying people, it becomes the natural breeding ground for the Four Horsemen.

  First up: Death, the pale rider, raises the dead of Bialya as his personal army. Like any zombie horde, their bite is infectious. On a humanitarian mission for the Wayne Foundation, Bruce Wayne finds himself without a utility belt in front of a raging horde. Will Clark Kent, on assignment for the Daily Planet be able to save the billionaire without giving away his secret identity?

   This second chapter was a little more fun than the opening servo. I liked the undead rising element and the Four Horsemen as a group seem to be an interesting quartet. But there's still some disconnect between Keith Giffen and me the reader. I think it's because he relies too much on the source material which wasn't very memorable.

   Am I biased? I'm probably guilty as charged. But I will admit that some of this issue was much better. The art, especially. It's got a sleek modern feel to it and the color palette while muted is very clean. Okay, with as story full of zombies and dying refugees, it is a little too clean.

  Still, a better overall improvement.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

52 Aftermath- The Four Horsemen #1

  During 52, a cadre of super-villains started an island commune with the expressed purpose of ridding the earth of their enemies one and for all. If that meant they became the de facto rulers of earth- so be it. One of their experiments was to create living embodiments of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (or was is Apokolips?) and they did a lot of damage with those.

    Now, the Four Horsemen are free from their new masters and are running rampant throughout the earth. Seeing this as a major setback from their island paradise being recognized as a sovereign state by the UN, the villains must do the one thing they dread most: ask for help from the Justice League.
   
    I read 52 several years ago and I've actually forgotten much of what happened involving this island commune for super villains sub-plot. I seem to remember the Metal Men and Egg Fu having something to do with this. But honestly, that wasn't my favorite story subplot and I glossed over it. Had I not waited so long to read this tie-in miniseries, I might have enjoyed this first issue more. Instead, I had to run back to my collection, pull out some issues of 52 and get a little more reacquainted with that plot.
 
   Even with the tutorial, this didn't help me to enjoy this issue very much. Not looking too good for the rest of this series.

   Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.