Teen Titans Go! to Camp! (Family Comic Friday)

It's Summer time and the Teen Titans are going to camp- on Apokolips! But the heroes of Jump City won't be going alone. The twisted teens of the H.I.V.E. Five and the ideal junior heroes of Titans East will also be spending their Summer vacation with the Teen Titans on Darkseid's home world.

The youngsters' activities will be planned by the director of Camp Apokolips, Granny Goodness. Their camp counselors are Kalibak and Mad Harriet! Their lunch consists of several dishes made of various bugs. Their swimming hole is a lava pit. And the rumor around the ol' campfire is that unlucky campers will be eaten by the Terrifying Beast of the Pit!

As usual, Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire and Cyborg are trying to make the best of a bad situation. As for Robin, he's got it in his head that the title of Camper of the Year is his to win. Only, there's no such award at Camp Apokolips. Instead, those campers who survive this 6 week ordeal will find themselves as the newest troopers in Darkseid's army!

This 2020 graphic novel was hilarious! It felt like it should have been a movie! In fact, if DC ever decides to bring TTG back to the silver screen, this is the plot that they should use for inspiration! Mixing the zany members of the Teen Titans, H.I.V.E. 5 and the straight-laced Titans East with the residents of Kirby's Fourth World was just so fun to someone like myself who is a huge fan of the New Gods! 

The great Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up) pens this awesome script. I didn't know that he was a child psychologist until I read the'About the Author' section in the back of this book. But that fact explains why it feels like Fisch can write from children while not dumbing things down for the enjoyment of adults. 

The main illustrator of this book is DC Super Hero Girl's Marcelo DiChiara. The artist does a fantastic job making every main panel look like it was ripped straight from my TV set- set to Cartoon Network, of course! 

Each chapter ends with one of the main characters writing a loved one back home. The artwork for those segments are by a host of great talent including Franco, Jamal Igle, and 3rd generation member of the Kubert art clan, Emma! Each artist adds their own deft touch to the story. You see their art style and a little bit of tribute to both Jack Kirby and Teen Titans legends Nick Cardy and George Perez.

I did not want this book to end. I had a great time reading it. It combined my love for Jack Kirby, comic book nostalgia and zany comedy. Kids who are fans of TTG will love this book because it captures the spirit of the animated series perfectly. Adults will love it because it reminds them of classic DC lore. But also because it's a wholesome read that stimulates that imagination of young readers everywhere!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

New Gods #7 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The 1995-97 run of New Gods was the fourth volume to bear the name of Jack Kirby's cosmic creation. Tom Peyer (The Wrong Earth) and Rachel Pollack (Doom Patrol) were assigned duties to bring the residents of New Genesis and Apokolips into the 21st century. However, this gritty approach to the Fourth World wasn't met with very much fanfare. As a result, John Byrne (Fantastic Four) took over scripting duties with issue #12. At the 16th issue, the title was renamed Jack Kirby's Fourth World. Numbering was reset to #1. 

The artwork to this New Gods run was penciled by Luke Ross. Having worked on Image's Gen13, Ross must have been a student of the Rob Liefeld school of art as these New Gods have barrel chests, tiny legs and lots of extra frown lines. When John Bryne took over the series, the characters returned to more familiar Kirby-isque looking physiques.

In this issue, the New God Lightray has gone berserk and raged war against a tribe of New Genesis aboriginal peoples. This resulting plague of mania has led Highfather, the leader of New Genesis, to create a sort of sanitarium for the followers of Lightray. Only it is revealed that Highfather actually plans to maroon himself within the confines of this new structure in order to prevent an unknown prophecy from coming to fruition. 

On Apokolips, the evil Darkseid and his son Orion are locked in mortal combat. It appears that the ruler of Apokolips has finally killed the heir foretold to be his killer, thus ensuring his mortality. Yet in a bizarre change of heart, Darkseid uses his Omega powers to restore Orion to life!

This issue was definitely a product of the times. The 1990s were full of edgy storylines, overly muscled characters and something I don't ever remember seeing in any of Kirby's Fourth World books: gore and dismemberment. Darkseid at his conniving best. But the rest of the New Gods seem neutered in an age of superheroes oozing with too much testosterone.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #37 (A Book You Didn't Know Existed) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Super Powers Mini-Comic Collection, Volume 2

This fan made edition from Trident Studios contains all of the mini comics issued with the 11 figures released by Kenner in the Super Powers Collection, Wave II. This book is very heavy on characters from Jack Kirby's Fourth World along with several superheroes who made their toy debut in 1984-85. On the side of the angels, Firestorm, Dr. Fate, Red Tornado and the Martian Manhunter were released for the first time ever along with Green Arrow (who debuted in the 70s thanks to Mego). The New God Darkseid lead an army of villains that included the demented Desaad, bumbling brute Kalibak, the energy-draining Mantis, the immortal Steppenwolf and army fodder Parademon. 

Series Two of the Super Powers Collection is a fan favorite mostly because of its connection to comic book legend, Jack Kirby. It's a thing of legend that one of the few times Jack Kirby was properly compensated for previously licensed work was for the re-designs he made on Mantis, Steppenwolf and Parademon. Kirby also reworked the design of Darkseid's estranged son, Orion, released in 1986's Series Three to much controversy. But that's a story for another day...

Of course to a 7-8 year old Madman, all of the villains of Super Powers were considered all-new characters. I knew who all the heroes were thanks to my dad's comic book collection. But I had yet to be properly introduced to Kirby's Fourth World. Thankfully, each action figure came with a mini comic to help explain a little bit of the motivation of Darkseid, which when you think about it is fairly simple- total world domination.

The Anti-Life equation, Highfather and New Genesis, and the whole truce in which Scott Free and Orion were switched at birth aren't covered at all in the minis. In fact, Darkseid is kinda a weenie in this series of 16-pagers as his Omega Beams don't incinerate anyone. They just send you to limbo. 

You won't see the Series One villains in any of these books either. The minions of Apokolips act alone. But I think if Darkseid had recruited at least Lex Luthor, Brainiac and the Joker into his plans, the lord of Apokolips could've at least conquered the entire Eastern seaboard.

One of my all-time favorite characters is Firestorm. So getting to revisit his adventures in mini-comic form was pretty cool. The inclusion of Red Tornado, GA and J'onn J'onzz to the line-up were no-brainers as they had all been members of the Justice League at some point. But Dr. Fate doesn't really make any sense being here. Fate has always been a member of the Justice Society and stuck on the parallel Earth designated #2. Did the JSA lend Fate in some sort of cross-dimensional trade in order for the Justice League to have a magical warrior to fight against Darkseid's forces? 

Series Two was the last series of the Super Powers Collection to be issued with mini comics. Was the omission a way to cut costs? The inclusion of Cyclotron and Golden Pharoah, two all-new for the toy line heroic characters were definitely produced to avoid licensing fees to creators. So it's possible. But with the inclusion of Orion and Mister Miracle in wave 3, a chance to better introduce the Fourth World characters to children through mini comics was sorely overlooked. I think had mini comics been released with the third wave, a fourth and fifth wave of characters, which were in the planning stages, would have become a reality.

Since Kenner is defunct and DC doesn't seem to have any plans to release the mini comics officially in some collected form, I'm glad I found this offering by Trident Comics. Over at Etsy, they've got a couple other editions of mini comics that were released with popular toy lines of the past. As long as there doesn't appear to be any direct conflict with copyright, I'll be adding one or two of those other books to my collection sometime soon.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Mister Miracle: The Great Escape

I write a weekly column on my blog called Family Comic Friday. I originally was going to review this for that post. But after I completed this book, I decided it wasn't appropriate for that.

In the very beginning of this book, there is a trigger warning about how details in this book involved talk of suicide and experiences of PTSD. Not to mention there's a whole academy of youngsters being trained to become soldiers by beating everyone else's brains in. But no. Neither of those reasons is why I decided not to review this for my weekly family review. It's because of the swears. They're all here. Even the BIG one of all-time- the F-Bomb!

Amazon rates this 2022 young adult graphic novel for those in grades 8-12. I'm completely fine with that. But my local library has this book put with the kids graphic novel section. I'm not one to ban books. But I do think it's my duty to let the library know that they've got this book placed in the wrong age group lest some irate parent start a protest demanding Mister Miracle: The Great Escape become the latest victim of a good ol' fashioned book burning. 

That last sentence is about as ironic a statement I can make as the planet on which this book takes place, Apokolips, would like nothing more than to eliminate any and all things considered seditious to the reign of the New God, Darkseid. So if a parent did in deed decide that this young adult graphic novel was destined for the furnace, they'd very much be enacting the despotic actions of the scum of Apokolips! Plus, with changes done to the characters, I am sure there will be some comic book fans out there wanting to cry foul! 

When I checked this book out, I actually knew very little about it's publication. Even though I check the previews of new comics and graphic novels weekly, I somehow overlooked this book. I am a huge fan of Jack Kirby and I'm doing everything in my power to collect any and everything Fourth World. So when I stumbled across this book at my LCS, I was very excited. 

The main change from this book and the original vision of Jack Kirby is the skin color of Scott Free and several other characters are reversed. At first, I thought that this might be yet another attempt by DC to be what detractors call 'woke.' But then I remembered from reading a Jack Kirby biography recently that Kirby wanted Mister Miracle originally to be black but the editors vetoed that idea. So in reality writer Varian Johnson (The Great Greene Heist) is fulfilling Kirby's original plan for the Fourth World.

See when Jack Kirby came over in 1971 to DC Comics, The King planned to make Apokolips this post-apocalyptic world that was an allegory on class warfare and face. Darkseid and his elete minions were supposed to all be white. While the dregs of Apokolips, the war dogs of Darkseid's army, were all to be people of color. The heavenly people of New Genesis, including Scott Free's real father, Highfather were going to be black (or of color) just like Scott and Big Barda. However, this vision of Kirby's Fourth World was just decades ahead of its time. I'm glad to see it coming to fruition finally, even if it did take 50 years to happen and only occurs in a Young Adult novel that probably isn't canon.

While I enjoyed the changes, I wasn't a big fan of some of the artwork. Artist Daniel Isles (Joyama) draws some characters as if they had a Muppet nose. Instead of a tip and pair of nostrils, some characters noses are completely outlined with a nose-like circle. This makes them look like Bert and Ernie with their foam ball proboscises.

I also didn't like how Scott Free was drawn in his downtime clothes, which looks like a hoodie and sweatpants. Though I wonder if these are some of Himon's Earth clothes and he's given them to Scott so that if he ever escapes to Earth, he'll fit it. If that's the case, I am okay with it. But what the heck is up with those tiny red balls that float around Scott all the time?

I loved Isles design of Big Barda. She's tall. She's rough. And she looks like I would imagine Kirby would have drawn her if the legend was allowed to use a woman of color as a model instead of Jewish chanteuse Lanie Kazan. And the twist with Granny Goodness- that was a brilliant character design that I didn't see coming. 

I did feel that the 3rd act of this book was rushed. It's a trap a lot of comic book and graphic novel writers get into. The first two acts really dive into the hierarchy of the orphanage run by Granny Goodness. The climatic last act is supposed to occur over the span of 8 days and yet maybe only 10-15% of the book's 208 pages is devoted to that time period. Wasn't bad. Just seemed rushed. 

If Varian Johnson and Daniel Isles decided to do a sequel, I would be so on board. I'm interested to see how the character of Shilo Norman would be approached- if introduced. As a compromise to bypassing his dynamic social relevant vision for Scott Free, Jack Kirby created the character of Shilo, a young black pre-teen who one day would become Mister Miracle's replacement. We've already seen Shilo don the suit of the World's Greatest Escape Artist. I'm just interested to see if the creators of this book would make Shilo white to really explore the race-switching nature of this book or if they might make Shilo be of another marginalized race like Asian or Middle Eastern. 

There's a lot left to be explored with this most authentic version of Jack Kirby's epic creations. And I'm willing to camp out to be first in line to acquire it should DC decide to green light a sequel.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

 

Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom

When I first heard about this 6-issue series, I was ecstatic. I really enjoyed the Tom King/Mitch Gerads 2018 Mister Miracle mini which left me with many questions. Namely, I wanted to know if Scott Free survived his reality-bending encounter with the Anti-Life Equation or did Mister Miracle really succeed in killing himself and everything that happened was just the last moments of thought for the New God? So when I found out that Shilo Norman was the star of this series, I didn't think I was going to get my answer!

While myself and countless comic book fans are getting tired of legacy heroes, Shilo Norman is one of those legacies that I can get behind. Shilo was the creation of Jack Kirby. First appearing in issue #15 of Mister Miracle, Shilo was the ward of the original Miracle stuntman, Thaddeus Brown. Before Scott Free came to Earth, Shilo Norman was being trained to become the next Mister Miracle. But not being older than a pre-teen, Shilo wasn't ready yet to take on the Mister Miracle mantle. 

Shilo Norman would eventually don the red and yellow costume when he became an adult. Sometimes he would share the Mister Miracle title with Scott Free. But after the continuity altering events of Final Crisis and Death of the New Gods, for the most part, Shilo Norman was the sole celebrity stuntman/superhero on the block.

In this story, set in the some years from now as part of DC's Future State story line, Shilo Norman has created a multi-media empire as an escape artist thanks in part to Thaddeus Brown's training and a mysterious computer device called mother box. Keeping his identity a secret, his agent is pressuring Shilo to unmask as public opinion about capes, his in particular, has started to wane. Someone has hacked all of Mister Miracle's social media accounts and begun a campaign of their own accusing Shilo of being a fraud. 

The accuser is N'Vir Free, the daughter of Scott Free and Big Barda. Only Shilo Norman has never heard of Scott and Barda! And why is a mystery man named Oberon offering to fill in the gaps about these seemingly unknown entities?

Written by Brendan M. Easton (Transformers: Deviations), this story captures the decades long African American struggle in Metropolis and places South. Easton's account of Thaddeus Brown, now cast as a black man seeking his fame and fortune during the Civil Rights era was powerful. So much to the point, I think he should have written The Other History of the DC Universe. (To be fair, I've not read that yet, so this opinion might be moot. We shall see.)

After completing this read in less than 24 hours, my verdict is just. This is a great read. I get some of my answers as to what happened with Scott Free. I was also okay with the new race casting of Thaddeus Brown. Why Easton does this was actually quite satisfying but I'm not a liberty to say more about that. Spoilers, sweetie.

The Source of Freedom is a book deep in Jack Kirby Fourth World lore and Multiversity history and quantum mechanics. A lot of the events that occur in this book are the results of Dark Nights: Metal and its subsequent sequels. Normally, I say it's okay not to read such and such before you read the book I'm currently reviewing. This time, I really don't think you should skip it. Metal really explains a lot of what's happening here.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #45

Hoping to study up on future escape techniques, Fred and the Mystery Inc. gang attend one of the extravaganzas of the reknown escape artist, Mister Miracle. Backstage, the detectives meet Scott Free, his apprentice Shilo Norman, hype-man Oberon and Scott's wife Big Barda. It's here that minions from Apokolips attack Mister Miracle and wind-up kidnapping Daphne, Velma and Barda. 

Despite knowing full-well that the attack is a trap and that Darkseid wants Scott Free back on Apokolips for good, Mister Miracle returns to his home world  to save his wife. Shaggy and Fred make the Boom Tube trip as well in hopes of rescuing their missing partners. However, it all appears too late as the girls appear to now be under the power of that dastardly task master, Granny Goodness!

There is a very large chunk of Fourth World characters appearing in this issue. However, other than a few images of Darkseid on posters and other media, don't expect the baddie to be in this issue. I thought having Shilo in the story was another one of those faithful nods to the original source material on the part of Sholly Fisch. But in terms of other New Genesis heroes like Orion and Lightray, it appears that Fisch may be saving them for a future issue! One can only hope.

Let's talk about something else that was curiously missing: Jack Kirby. Kirby was the creator of all things Fourth World, including Mister Miracle. While a large portion of those characters, settings and tech were used in this book, there was no legal mumbo-jumbo acknowledging Kirby's creation of said characters. 

I double-checked on this. In the DC's Nuclear Winter Special, there's a blurb on the inside cover stating that Kamandi was created by Jack Kirby. It's right under the list of credits given to Siegel and Schuster for creating Superman, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson crafting Batman, and so forth. Those such honors have been in other Scooby-Doo Team-Ups past. But somebody forgot to honor The King in this book!

After a one-month holiday absence, I was so eager for this series to come back. It did not disappoint. Dario Brizuela's art was as perfect as always. The plot and jokes were fresh. It didn't feel like a typical Scooby-Doo comic book. It felt like a missing 1970s script of Mister Miracle with directions by Kirby, script by Fisch and finished by Brizuela. 

A must for fans of DC's Fourth World!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Tales of the New Gods

An eclectic collection of stories featuring Jack Kirby's Fourth World. Some of the tales were originally explored by the King himself whereas others expound or even completely develop some the origins of the various background characters that inhabit New Genesis and Apokolips. Featuring the awesome writing and artistic talents of John Byrne, Mark Evanier, Frank Miller, Steve Rude, Art Adams, and dozens more, this is a volume you don't want to miss.

    The episodes in the volume were originally printed in Mister Miracle Special, Jack Kirby's Fourth World, and Orion. That in no way means that you shouldn't collect Fourth World or Orion because with the exception of the Mister Miracle Special, the other chapters reprinted here were backup features to those titles. If you was to omit them from your collection would mean that you would be missing out on two dynamic titles from the 90s as each story is only about 4-8 pages long (and the titles Tales of the New Gods were contained are about 4 times more in length.) So if you were to find Orion or Fourth World in a dollar box or cheaper, you would still be making a wise investment in completing your Fourth World collection.

    I knew about this when I bought this book at a used bookstore a while back. I was so desperate to read more adventures about the New Gods, that I gladly shelled out some hard earned cash knowing very well, I will probably sell this book once I collect the previously mention titles that contain these legends.

    If you are new to Kirby's Fourth World, I strongly encourage this book as a primer. Some of Kirby's work isn't easy to dig into, particularly New Gods. This work is the perfect way to learn of the backstory of such important characters like Darkseid, Highfather, and the Infinity Man; all of which Kirby plotted out their origins but never got around to diving into in his Fourth World titles in the 70s as the entire line was cancelled in less than 2 years due to poor sales.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Jack Kirby's Fourth World Featuring: Mister Miracle

This second volume of Mister Miracle's original series exploits signal a time of change for both the heroic escape artist and his creator Jack Kirby.

    It's 1972 and Kirby's Fourth World Experiment has been deemed a failure. New Gods and Forever People has been cancelled after only about a dozen issues each. Lack of readership and a bigger lack of faith on the part of the DC editors signalled a quick end to the exploits of Highfather, Orion, and Beautiful Dreamer.

     But because Mister Miracle was more of a super-hero title than a cosmic saga, it managed to survive for another 8 issues. In the last volume, Scott Free won his temporary freedom from the clutches of Granny Goodness and Darkseid. Now, Miracle, his assistant Oberon, his girlfriend, the fierce Big Barda and some of her lieutenants from Apokolips, the Furies, travel the country putting on a travelling sideshow. They are assisted with the help of the original Mister Miracle's son acting as their road manager. 

   Exploring haunted houses, fighting an assortment of ghouls, and uncovering various crime cartels, the series turns into a trippy adult version of Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Gang, minus the dog. However, Scott gains a sidekick in the form of a young boy named Shilo Norman. 

   Shilo witnessed a murder and until he can testify against the criminals, Miracle is named his guardian and bodyguard. (If you read the 80s Mister Miracle Series or Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers, you'd know that Shilo will one day inherit the mantle of the World's Greatest Escape Artist after Scott retires from superheroing.)

   Though this volume covers the end of Kirby's run at DC, this isn't the end of the Fourth World. This isn't even the end of the Mister Miracle series. Thankfully readers and management at DC saw Kirby's work as the masterpiece it was and revitalize this series (and New Gods) again around 1977-78. Sadly, the DC Implosion of titles due to company-wide poor sales and evener poorer distribution practices lead to both titles being cancelled once again (and permanently) before the begin of the Reagan 80s. 

    If you want to collect the last 7 issues of this series, you'll have to search. Issues 19-25 have to this point never been collected or reprinted. The same goes for New Gods 12-19.

    Another Kirby triumph. Though the Furies start dropping from the scene by story #4 and it's not explained why. But some other odds and ends left unresolved from the last volume and due to the suspensions of the other Fourth World titles are addressed.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle

   This black and white collection reprints the first 10 issues of the King's dynamic debut of Mister Miracle. Scott Free is a fugitive from orphanages of Apokolips. Seeking refuge, funds, and some excitement, the young man meets the aged magician Mister Miracle. With Miracle's experience and Scott's array of futuristic technology, the two look to revitalize the Mister Miracle traveling magic show.

   But when a master criminal assassinates the old man, Scott assumes the mantle of Mister Miracle to avenge his fallen friend. Along with his new sidekick Oberon, Mister Miracle then travels the country, escaping from an array of insane traps, and righting wrongs all while fighting off a rogues gallery of Apokoliptian soldiers tasked with bringing Scott back to his home planet for judgment at the hands of the dastardly Granny Goodness.

   Of the titles in Kirby's Fourth World series, Mister Miracle was the only one I remember reading as a kid. He was a member of the Justice League, so to me he was a real established superhero. Names like Darkseid, Orion, New Gods, and Forever People- theose were like those non-super star baseball cards you got while looking for a Jose Canseco or Nolan Ryan in a package of ball cards. I considered them commons. I would get dozens of Kirby titles in grab bags as a kid and I'd toss them into the corner of my comic book trunk and read the few Superman and Batmans peppered throughout. Man, how wrong I was to overlook this Jack Kirby gems.

   I've overlooked that mistake nowadays, collecting the Fourth World series reprinted in trades. Mister Miracle and Jack Kirby's Fourth World Starring Mister Miracle represent the final two pieces to the Fourth World puzzle that I was missing. The adventures of Mister Miracle, Oberon, and eventually the female fury from Apokolips, Big Barda were the most like a superhero comic and thus are the most sought after of the Fourth World titles. It took me forever to find these for less than cover price. (I've seen this book sold for as much as $100 on eBay and Amazon- no joke!) But once I did, I snatched them up before anyone else had a chance to beat me to it.

    A beloved treasury that is worth every penny- if you can find it. A little goofy, a little odd, but a whole lot of fun and adventure.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
 

Legends of the DC Universe #25

   

  Part two of the Darkseid story concludes with the ruler of Apokolips slowly going insane as his neural link to the zombified dog soldier is making him sympathetic to the rebellion's cause. But the demigod must continue if he is to get to the bottom of the cause of this insurrection and to learn the ultimate fate of D-VO, the tagger whose the source behind this plague of hope.

    The conclusion was much better than the first chapter. Mostly, because it fits better with the Kirby formula behind the Fourth World saga. Also, this part delves more into the infantryman's origin and his time in Granny Goodness'es Orphanages. That part of Apokolips has always fascinated me as it plays a major role in the origin story of Mister Miracle. The place is designed to break a child in order for it to be built up in the image (and service) of Darkseid. Yet, the abandoned son of New Genesis found the courage and resolve to fight this brainwashing and went on to become a crime-fighting escape artist and valued member of the Justice League.
 
    This story went on to prove that he wasn't alone.
 
    I've not mentioned much about the art. Pencilled by Steve Pugh, this is another artist that I am not very familiar with. But his style is very similar to that of Paul Pope (Batman: 100.) There' a German Impressionist quality to it what with his character's swooping eyebrows and embellished walls and crooked staircases. This is very much the leftover sets from the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Not the most structurally sound architecture, but for a world as twisted as Apokolips, it works.

   Worth Consuming.
   
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Legends of the DC Universe #24

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret- when I was younger and I'd buy a comic book grab bag, I would often get back issues of Kirby's Fourth World series. New Gods, Mister Miracle, The Forever People as well as Kamandi and the Demon. I didn't know what it was and I thought they were like baseball cards; you know commons. Man was I wrong. I would often give or throw them away.

 Now in my late 30s, I've grown to realize my mistake and to value their historical and culture significance. Also, I've been actively trying to recreate my creation through trades and back issue bonanzas I've even been enjoying some of the newer stuff like John Byrne's run in the mid-90s. So, when a Darkseid two-parter popped up in my rotation to read in Legends, I was excited to revisit that oft-overlooked realm of the DC Universe.

  In this issue, a member of Darkseid's 'Dog' army is dispatched to take out a tagger whose actions are causing dissention amongst the populace of Apokolips. When the battle moves to a temple devoted to Darkseid, an explosion occurs. The trooper is listed as a casualty and the rebel is thought dead as well.

  In order to get to the bottom of this rebellion the despot of Apokolips with the assistance of his minion Desaad has reanimated the soldier. Using the 'zombie's' testimony, Darkseid hopes to be able to quash the revolution because his previous method of mass disintegration of the surrounding populace has surprisingly not been working. Imagine that!
 
   When I first read this, I wasn't completely sold on it. But as I'm reviewing this issue, it's actually gaining more of my favor. It's still not the best Fourth World tale I've ever read, but it cliffhangs to a degree that I feel positive of it's potential.

    Worth Consuming.

    Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.