Ratings and Rantings featuring Morning Glories #14

Hey Todd Squad, it's time once again for your favorite weekly comic content comments, Ratings and Rantings! We've got a pretty big post ahead of us with a whopping 10 books?! So needless to say these reviews will be much more abbreviated than my usual reviews. So let's jump into the swing of things and get to it, as we start things off with Catwoman #3, and keep in mind that for the rest of this month, books still may be dropped if I don't feel confident in them after the third issue, so hopefully nothing else is added to the chopping block.

Catwoman #3

After seeing a quick flashback of her friendship with Lola, we open to see Catwoman tied to a chair being yelled at by a pissed off mobster by the name of Bone. He tells her she made a mistake by stealing from him and leaves as he tells his guys to work her over then dump the bodies. Catwoman quickly escapes and makes the goons tell her where Bone is, and she makes her way over to meet him. Catwoman then takes Bone to a secluded place, pulls out a bat and beats him to pebbles before preparing to kick him off of a room, until Batman shows up and stops her, or so it seems. As Bats and Catwoman kiss, she knocks Bone off the roof with her whip, causing Bats to save him while Selina escapes. The issue ends soon after, as Selina is burning evidence of her friendship and links to Lola in her apartment and crying over Lola's body as the GCPD shows up. Okay, I really liked this issue, we got to see a darker side of Catwoman, and let's not forget Catwoman did kill Black Mask in the former DCU so she does have a dark side, so I really enjoyed that, I also enjoyed that she can't make things easy for her and Bats so she did what she had to do to escape. A lot of people have been mixed on this comic but I love it, and I love what one of my favorite writers, Judd Winick, is doing with Catwoman. Also, the art by Guillem March has been great, and as a guy who doesn't mention artwork unless it's bad, that shows you how much I enjoy March's work. I'll give this issue an 8.5/10 rating.

Batman: Listen to me... Don't do it. Killing him... that's not who you are.

Catwoman: You don't know who I am. Anymore than I know who you are.

Nightwing #3

We kick things off at the funeral of Mr. Haly, the former owner of Haly's circus before handing it over to Dick Grayson on his deathbed. Needless to say this decision doesn't sit well with some people, especially Haly's son, who makes a spectacle at the funeral. After the funeral, Dick talks with Raya and learns their former friend, Zane, that worked for the circus is now living in Chicago and handling contracts for killers. Nightwing then heads to Chicago and questions Zane but suddenly Nightwing falls to his knees seeing a bunch of visions where he's failed. He manages to escape but runs into a vision of his parents falling and dives to save them but doesn't make it in time. During these hallucinations, Zane pistol whips Nightwing around before Nightwing figures out a way to cause feedback to the transmitters Zane is using to subdue Nightwing and turn it back on Zane. He asks him who hired Saiko but he says he doesn't know, if he did he'd kill them himself. Nightwing advises Zane to take up a new profession before leaving Chicago and heading to Pennsylvania to tell Raya that Mr. Haly gave him the circus and he's staying with it until they figure out who killed Haly and why they did it. The issue comes to a close as we see Haly's son talking about killing Dick with none other than Saiko! This was an alright issue, the stuff with Zane seemed like filler, and it wasn't bad by any means, but I couldn't get fully invested. I'll give this issue a 6.5/10 rating but it's safe for now.

Mr. Haly: Hey, you know I'm always looking out for you, kiddo...

Batman #3

Things start off with a flashback to Alan Wayne saying that people are after him and their nests are all around the city, which I'd assume means The Owl people they mentioned in issue #2. Back in the present we see Batman interrogating a criminal before being attacked by The Whisper gang and taking them down in a really cool way that I wouldn't be able to explain if I tried. Well I could, but I choose not to so maybe you'll go enjoy the coolness for yourself. Anyway, after discussing The Talon and the Owls with Alfred, Bruce discovers that his great, great, Grandfather had senility and was obsessed with owls. Bruce then goes to talk to Lincoln about the Owls and the myths before hearing something that sends him looking for answers. Batman then investigates the Wayne Tower and finds that on the thirteenth floor The Talon had a nest of his own, which was a genius idea by Snyder. The issue ends as Batman goes to numerous Wayne buildings, each housing a nest for The Owls, when suddenly he mistakenly trips a wire that causes the entire floor to explode as The Talon looks on. Man, Snyder knows how to tell a story, everything flowed well, the stuff about the Owls and the nests was perfect, there was nothing I didn't enjoy about this issue, I have to give this a solid 10/10 rating.

Batman: About the owl nests.

Alfred: What about them? Sir?

Batman: They're in our homes.

Justice League #3

We start things off with a stunningly drawn Wonder Woman (props to Jim Lee) walking around looking for a Harpy that was reportedly attacking while various news outlets talk about how this Wonder Woman causes so much collateral damage and how she believes in Zeus and Gods and whatnot. While looking, Wonder Woman has Ice Cream with a little girl that seems to look up to the Amazon. Suddenly, a portal opens and out comes a bunch of Parademons, which excites Diana because she gets to fight. We also see the Parademons pop up in Detroit (where Vic Stone is) and take Doctor Ivo and in Metropolis, where Superman, Batman, Flash and Green Lantern take them on. As they fight the Parademons, Superman notices they aren't killing anyone but they are taking people, when Wonder Woman shows up to join the fight. We also see Vic's dad using the equipment from Star Labs to save his son, thus turning him into Cyborg. Suddenly a giant beam hits the sea and causes something to emerge, and while this happens a Parademon lands in front of Wonder Woman as Aquaman steps out of the water and asks who's in charge, before voting for himself as this issue ends. Man, that was a great way to introduce Aquaman, and I'm really enjoying this comic. I like the new origin for Cyborg, I like how Wonder Woman was ready for a fight but still carefree like she used to be, and I love how she's drawn by Jim Lee, I'll give this issue a 9/10 rating.

Wonder Woman: Hm. Ice cream is wonderful. You should be very proud of this achievement!

Ice Cream Man: Um... Thanks.

Supergirl #3

We start things off with Kal-El telling Kara about Krypton and all the things she's missed, but Kara doesn't believe him and flies off. Superman knows she can still hear him so he tells her that she's not ready for this world and her powers make her a danger to everyone around her, but he can't go after her since someone is in trouble and needs his help. Kara goes back to find her pod but finds a hologram of a man who says he has it and basically lures Kara to him by having her follow an orb that leads her to a space station. While in the station, the man, Mr. Tycho, puts Supergirl through a bunch of tests while studying the Kryptonian Native. Kara eventually topples the tests and finds her way to the pod she arrived in when she suddenly drops to the ground, having come in contact with Kryptonite, which apparently fueled her pod. The issue ends as Tycho stands over a fallen Supergirl and vows to take care of her, and states he only has her best interests in mind while flashing an evil grin. This was a fine issue, nothing amazing but still a perfectly acceptable comic as my good buddy X would say, I'll give this issue of Supergirl a 7/10 rating.

Supergirl: But there's something in his voice. Like he can only ever tell the truth. (Very different Superman from the one in Justice League then...)

Red Hood and The Outlaws #3

Things kick off with The Outlaws going after The All Caste, but first they have to give up their most cherished memories to the Protector known as S'aru, someone that's apparently four millenia old but looks like Aang The Avatar. Upon giving up their cherished memories, they enter a room that would make M.C. Escher dizzy. As they follow on the trail of the clan known as The Unwritten, we see the Protector looking at our crews memories, including Kori killing a slaver that was nice to her, Roy taking a beating from Killer Croc and trying to use Crock to kill him but getting a pep talk from him (boy was that odd...) and lastly, Jason's memory which involves him being too sick to go out on patrol, and surprisingly Bruce stays home with him and watches TV with a sick Jason. I liked that, it shows that deep down Jason does still care about Bruce and Bruce clearly cared about Jason. Meanwhile, The Outlaws run into a gigantic green monster that eats Starfire while Jason and Roy fight a futile battle, that is until Starfire fries her way out of the beasts stomach and escapes with Jason and Roy, as Jason grabs the clue that will lead him to the Unwritten, a snow globe that says Colorado. Upon leaving the chamber, S'aru returns the memories to Roy and Starfire, but Jason walks off and tells him to keep it as the issue ends. This issue was weird, some of it I thought was odd like Croc giving a pep talk, but the new background with Ollie and Roy I liked, the weird morals of Starfire adds more to her, and the stuff with Jason's memory involving Bruce and him not wanting it back made perfect sense for his character. I'll give this issue an 8/10 rating as well.

Arsenal: He's so gonna shoot that kid. You watch. (I swear I was thinking the same thing...)

Venom #9

We start things off with Venom desperately looking for Betty, all the while thinking about how his father's death hadn't set in yet and how he didn't want to be the one to have to tell his mother and sister. While searching Venom runs into a nut job in an impenetrable tank that's been robbing banks and running over people with no regard for anyone's safety. Venom tries to stop the tank but he can't, nor does he have time to save a woman and her son who are run over by the tank in front of his eyes. He snaps and the suit takes over and follows the tank to it's hideout and when the criminal steps out Venom attacks and bites the villains head off and spots it out before walking away. Later, Betty arrives home and Flash asks if she turned like he did, or so he claims, into a spider, but Betty says she locked herself into a utility closet and was safe until it was over. She then asks if Flash has told he mom but he says he can't do it. As he sits with Betty he mentions he never got to read his Dad's letter, but she says he had her take down a copy and the one Flash got was a cleaned up version, so she reads him the original draft of his father's not as Flash lies his head in Betty's lap and this issue comes to a close. Alright, I'll say it, Venom is the best series since Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl run, each issue is great in it's own way and I love seeing Flash's scales of good and evil weighed in front of us. Rick Remender has done a remarkable job with Flash and making him my favorite Venom, a title which Eddie Brock held for quite a while. I'll give this issue a 9.5/10 rating.

Venom: BBEGG UUSSS..... (I love Venom, especially when his dialogue is like that.)

Deadpool #46

After surviving an airplane being crashed near him, Deadpool goes to get some Chimichangas and runs into Evil Deadpool. This of course leads to Deadpool running over Evil Deadpool with a garbage truck which doesn't work because Evil Deadpool somehow is in the passenger seat afterwards. What then ensues is so much hilarity that explaining it would besmirch all the work Dan Way has put into it, so I'll simply recommend you read it. Anyway, The hilarity comes to an end soon after, as does the issue, when Evil Deadpool leaves and Deadpool is confronted by Captain America! God I love funny comics, and that's what this was. This comic made me laugh all the way through and seeing Cap deal with two Deadpool's will be even more fun, I'll give this issue an 8/10 rating.

Deadpool: Dude! This was my all-time favorite place to go for chimichangas!

Evil Deadpool: Heh. Mine, too.

Deadpool: Then why'd you blow it up?!

Evil Deadpool: I dunno... just seemed like the evil thing to do. I guess.

Amazing Spider-Man #674

We start things off seeing someone fall from the sky wearing wings and we later see that the police force thinks it's related to people trying to jump and be like Spidey after Spider Island, except Carlie doesn't believe that. From there we see Spider-Man found by the Anti-Spider patrol unit, and he's found over a dead body, so they shoot first and ask questions later as Spidey escapes. We also see Kingpin has bought the blueprints to the Spider-Jammers from a mole in Horizon Labs, to which he can use to repel or contain Spider-Man. From there we see a bunch of people with wings flying around and robbing houses, obviously working for The Vulture....or Icarus. And after running into a wall on both fronts, Peter and Carlie decide to call a truce after their recent break up and work together on the case of the robberies and dying teens in wings. The issue ends soon after as we see The Teens in wings delivering the stuff they stole to the Vulture. Well... this issue of Spidey was a bit odd for me, it was good but I expected more and the Vulture reveal is obvious when you see the cover. But I guess this was a transitioning issue so I'll give it that, and this this issue a 7/10 rating.

The Vulture: I'm not getting any younger. (Ha! I get it...)

Morning Glories #14

We start things off with a weird flashback where a woman is watching someone she loves be tortured by having a ton of heavy rocks placed on a board that lays on him, saying all they need is her to speak for him to be released. We then cut over to seeing Ms. Hodge run into a room where she's met by Gribbs and Ms. Daramount. They discuss the Woodrun, all the while the sisters, Daramount and Hodge, take shots at one another. From there we cut over to Zoe going to her lock and the lock has been broken open, she opens the locker to see a "In Loving Memory" picture of the same girl she killed, and looks around wondering who knows that Zoe's the one that did it. We then see her walk off and bump into Hunter like in the last issue, but now it's from her point of view instead of his. After being told off by Hunter, Zoe goes to the restroom and sits in a stall, as two girls come in and talk about her, unknowing that Zoe's there. After hearing them insult her, and claim she "blew" or "stabbed" her way through the application process to get into the school. A crying Zoe wipes her face and storms out, alerting the girls of her presence before going to Ms. Hodge's office, but finding no one in there. After quickly cutting back to the flashback where the woman says she'll tell them whatever they want to know if they don't kill her...husband I'm guessing, we cut back to the present and we see Zoe walk up to Hunter during the Woodrun. She ignores the fact it was him who told her off and says they should be friends because she can help him out, and mentions being told off earlier by some asshole. Hm... I wonder what she's planning... Anyway, she quickly tells us as she hints that being a "highly wanted woman" there are advantages, like being able to flirt with a jock to have them beat up someone that pisses her off, so she advises Hunter that they should be friends, and friends often help out friends by cleaning up after them and doing their homework. Before Hunter can get away from his new best frenemy, he, Zoe and Jun are teamed up for the Woodrun. Hunter wants to escape during the Woodrun but Jun and Zoe don't plan on it, and Zoe wants to win, and says they'll her her because "That's what fucking friends are for." While we see the gang participating, we see the woman from earlier explaining what we see to her captors, and when she says everything went dark, it suddenly becomes night for the gang, but Zoe brushes it off as an eclipse, and doesn't want to go back, nor does she when it rains. We then see Miss Daramount freaking out, wondering where her sister is, obvious aware that Hodge has something to do with this. Daramount is then confronted by Gribbs who says she needs to go tell the Headmaster that she has lost all the children at the school! Wow... that was... a hell of an ending. Now I'm wondering where the kids are and how they'll return, as well as where Casey and Hodge are. I'll give this book a 9/10, only because I had so many questions about the flashbacks and got no answers, but Zoe was BAD ASS, her and Ike may be my favorites.

Zoe: Who wants to shake a hand with that much semen residue on it, right? (Lmao, BURN!)

And that's it for me everyone. You can't really do a condensed review for Morning Glories, hence the length but I doubt anyone minds. But I'm outta here, feel free to comment and I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as possible, and be sure to vote on the weekly poll that finally makes it's return! So until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood Blogger-Man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Next Week on Ratings and Rantings

Teen Titans #3, Invincible #85, and Kick-Ass 2 #5

Ratings and Rantings Featuring Red Hood and The Outlaws #2

Hey Todd Squad, it's that time once again for your favorite weekly comic content comments, Ratings and Rantings! This is a busy week for me, because while I only have a few books books, I also have the greatness that is Batman: Arkham City sitting in my PS3. So let's see which of these seven comics delivered and which failed to keep up the momentum of their prior number one issues. But before we get into the DC deuces, let's hop into issue number thirteen of Morning Glories!

Morning Glories #13

We start things off with a flashback as we see Casey's dad teaching her how to box. Her mother seems to worry that he's turning her into a tomboy, as he's teaching her boxing, hiking, hunting and whatnot, but he maintains that he just wants her to be able to take care of herself, since they won't be around forever. From there we see the scene we saw a few issues ago, where Casey tells Hunter she thinks they'd fare better if they weren't in a relationship, except this time we follow Hunter out and see him bump into Zoe while turning a corner, and she accuses him of trying to cop a feel. She continues to demean Hunter until he snaps and tells her she's not hot and anyone who thinks she is hot is an idiot, He says the only people that pretend to care about her are guys that want to use her, and proceeds to call her a stuck-up skank and a bitch. Well damn... that seemed odd for Hunter but after being jumped, missing his date with Casey and being turned down by her, I can see where the rage came from. Hunter heads to his dorm to see Ike is moving back in, and begrudgingly unpacking his things, which seems to give a bit of enjoyment to Hunter and Jun. Back in her dorm, Casey gets a letter delivered to her by a student from Ms. Hodge, we don't see what it says but Casey drags Jade along with her, yelling for Hunter. Before she can talk to Hunter, Casey runs into Ike and before she can manage to beat the hell out of him, Casey, Ike and Jade are partnered up for a Woodrun. What is a Woodrun you ask? Apparently it's...something that never gets explained. Jun, Zoe and Hunter also happen to be in a group together but rather than go find them, Casey takes this as a chance for her and her team to escape. Casey eventually leads them to an escape that was in the letter she got from Ms. Hodge, and the three are then confronted by Ms. Hodge. Hodge is upset that Hunter isn't there and Ike is, saying she gave Casey specific instructions, but Casey says he'd already left. Hodge plans on getting them out of there, but she tells Jade she can't come since that was never in the plans. Casey says she isn't leading Jade, but Jade gives Casey her blessing and says she knows Casey will return for her. Ms. Hodge gives Jade and Ike orders to stay up on a ledge their on while Casey and Hodge sit in chairs, and they can't leave until they disappear from the chairs they're in. While Hodge and Casey sit there,something happens and we see a bunch of different eras of time, before we see Ms. Hodge and Casey appear outside of a fence and approached by army men with guns yelling for them to get on the ground. The issue closes as Casey realizes one of the men is actually her father. Man, what a reveal that was. I really liked this issue, from the beginning to ending, and the Back to the Future and Star Wars references they threw in that Hunter missed out on. Everything just gelled, and sure there are more questions than answers as always, but I'm in for the long haul and issues like this really help. I'd give this issue a 10/10 rating.

Casey: My knuckles haven't healed up, but my knee's just fine.

Ike: Well, that's a pity. I'd like to see those knees reddened up somehow... (Lmao... I love Ike.)

Nightwing #2

Things get started quickly as Nightwing defends himself against the attacker that's after Dick Grayson. When the attacker endangers some civilians, Nightwing has to allow him to get away to save them. After arriving home, Raya (Dick's old friend from the circus) begs him to drive her to Atlantic city on her two days off so she can see Bryan. On the way there, via jet, she reveals this was a ploy and Mr. Haly wants to see Dick tonight because he's dying. Haly meets with Dick and hints that he knows Dick is Nightwing through his mannerisms, and he says that's not what Dick was supposed to be, as he hands him the deed to Haly's Circus, saying he owes it to Dick. After getting the deed and doing the deed with Raya on the jet on the way back, Dick gets a phonecall from the killer, going by the name of Saiko. He reveals that he knows Dick is Nightwing after torturing old man Haly. Dick has the jet turn around and goes back to save Haly, and has a big fight with Saiko before making the building cave him. Nightwing escapes with Mr. Haly who soon dies from blood loss due to being tortured by Saiko, but not before he tells Dick that the reason people are after Dick is about the circus...and the answers are in the heart of the circus, as this issue ends. Well this was interesting, I'm wondering what comes from Dick getting the Circus, but Haly knowing Dick was Nightwing pretty much all this time, then ratting him out via torture even though he's ALREADY DYING just annoyed me. I'd give this issue a 7.5/10 rating.

Mr. Haly: I watched you grow up and learn how to fly, kiddo. The others may not know what you do now, but I always have. (I wonder how long he considered blackmail...)

Batman #2

We start off with Batman taking down some criminals before using his virtual reality technology to meet Gordon after an autopsy is done at the morgue. They discuss how the murdered man in the last issue has no identity and paid all of his bills with cash. I enjoyed the autopsy because they used a lot of Bruce's detective knowledge, so I can't give that scene the description it deserves, other than the fact it showed why Batman is the world's greatest detective. After that, he meets with Nightwing, to question why the dead man has Dick's skin under his fingernails. He explains that a week ago the John Doe approached him at a Wayne function and grabbed Dick's arm and said "they're real, and they're sending them for you all" before security dragged him away. The next day, Bruce meets with Lincoln March at Wayne Tower, when suddenly a masked man enters the room and throws a knife into the stomach of March. Bruce attacks the masked man but for some reason he can't stop him, and suddenly Bruce is kicked out of the window of his office and falls towards the ground below, but luckily lands on a gargoyle instead of falling to his death. The issue ends as we see the mysterious man is far from done with his rampage. This was a pretty good issue, it caused a lot of questions although I was a bit peeved that Bruce doesn't trust Dick, even after all of his Batman Inc. stuff. That aside, this was another good issue by Snyder, I'll give it a 9/10.

Masked Man: Bruce Wayne. The court of owls has sentenced you to die.

Justice League #2

We start things off with Superman and Green Lantern fighting as Batman tries to calm them down, but when Hal feels he's in trouble he calls for back-up in the form of The Flash. Flash shows up after some begging from Hal, and dodges Supes for a while before he gets thumped by Superman and knocked off of his feet. Batman interjects himself and explains about the alien they saw and asks Superman if he knows anything about it, which he doesn't. The military then shows up and Flash, Batman, Superman and Green Lantern all leave together for some reason. We then cut over to see Victor Stone's dad, Silas, and a team of people investigating the box that one of the alien's left behind. Vic shows up to meet with his dad and after arguing about how his Dad never has and never will come to one of his games, Vic's dad is called away, so Vic follows. Meanwhile, the four heroes discuss what to do, in a pretty funny scene including Hal being dumb enough to call Barry by his name after he reveals he's a cop, Flash asking Batman what he can do, and Bats saying Supes apparently has no identity to protect since he doesn't wear as mask. Suddenly, the box Bats has been carrying around starts to beep before a ton of parademons come out of it and attack while yelling "For Darkseid!" Meanwhile, the box that the scientists has shoots a beam that pretty much incinerates everyone and blasts Victor away as his father is laying on the ground, barely missing the beam and yells for Victor. We start to see Victor mutate into metal as the issue closes. I really enjoyed this issue, It was surprisingly good and I liked seeing the four heroes interact, it felt oddly new yet similar, plus the next issue has Wonder Woman. I'll give this issue a solid 10/10, there was nothing about it I didn't enjoy.

The Flash: Batman's real?

Green Lantern: Yeah, and he's a total tool.

Catwoman #2

We start things off with Batman and Catwoman having sex, cause if that doesn't get you interested I don't know what will. They talk for a bit and he asks if she's okay with the fact her apartment got blown up and someone may be after her, but she doesn't seem to be worried. From there, Catwoman steals a valuable painting and offers it to the people she stole it from as well as the opposing mob that wants it, including Renald, the guy who's eye she clawed out the night before. They meet at some big fancy Wayne function, as Bruce also noticed Selina, even though she has a blonde wig and a dress that shows more than it covers. Bruce walks up to her, playing the drunken playboy act he's perfected, as Selina flirts with him, unknowing he's Batman. Meanwhile, she has both groups leave payments in different places, as she turns down Bruce's charm. Bruce apparently had Alfred intercept her texts and see's that she has drops planned at the party, and goes to investigate when suddenly Catwoman drops onto his shoulders and plants a kiss on him, before throwing a firecracker into a room with the mobsters fighting over the painting, which of course leads to a shootout, which Selina hopes will also kill Renald. Catwoman then grabs both money-drops before escaping, as Bruce runs off to change into Batman. As Catwoman arrives home to celebrate with Lola, she finds her tied up with a bullet in her head! Suddenly, Selina is attacked and beat bloody by the guys that blew up her apartment, when she's approached by their leader, a man known as Bone who has white, bone-like skin. (Picture a white version of The Thing.) Say what you want but I loved this issue, I'm annoyed Lola got killed off so quickly but it showed things get real fast, and there's been a lot of death around Catwoman this issue. And of course, things are going to get interesting when Batman comes after her as well, I'll give this issue a 9/10.

Catwoman: C'mon, there's a whole lotta dirty money we need to roll around naked in!

Supergirl #2

To start things off we see a flashback to three days ago (as far as Kara's concerned) and she's babysitting her little cousin Kal-El, but now she's looking at an adult version of him, asking who she is. She wonders what's going on and why this man is wearing their family crest, and he explains that he's Kal-El, and they are apparently cousins. She calls him a liar and punches him, and surprisingly we actually see something that's on the cover of a comic... crazy right?! She continues to beat the hell out of Superman, but while she does, she mistakenly triggers her powers and is able to see through him, from veins, to muscles to bones. Superman tries to explain to her about her powers but she attacks again, which causes him to go on the defensive. The entire fight is littered with Kara finding out she has random powers, including flight, which is an interesting way of approaching the subject, which i enjoyed. Every time Kara gets herself in trouble (like falling out of the sky) Superman is there to save her, and gets walloped in the face for his troubles. Eventually, Kara realizes that this fight could hurt innocents, so she calms down and allows Superman to explain about Earth, the Yellow sun and how it gives them the power of Worldkillers, whatever those may be. When she asks why Superman doesn't just return to Krypton, he has the unfortunate honor of telling her that Krypton is gone. The issue ends soon after as a crystal of knowledge from Kara's pod falls into the hands of a mystery man. This was a good issue as well, I enjoyed the fight and felt how confused Kara would be on this new world, I also felt Kal's frustration of her not listening and punching him across the planet like forty times. I'll give this issue an 8.5/10 rating.

Superman: Because Krypton... is gone. (I love that he paused for dramatic effect....I really do.)

Red Hood and the Outlaws #2

We start off with a flashback to a year ago, seeing Jason a year ago, still in his training to become The Red Hood. He was introduced to the ancient trainer, Ducra by Talia Al Ghul, and after disrespecting the old woman, he wasquickly shown not to judge a book by it's cover. She manages to knock Jason out after he upset her after only six seconds, and she states that she can train him to be the most skilled assassin in the world (Please gimme Jason vs. Deathstroke, or even a team-up.) She then tells Talia she will train Jason, because she doesn't want the world at his mercy. We then jump forward to three hours ago and see Roy and Jason on a plane, with Roy trying to apologize for sleeping with Jason's girl, which Jason claims he doesn't care about since she isn't his girl. On the plane, a flight attendant asks what is Jason's reason for attending China, and he replies "A death in the family." which I loved. Jason also manages to get the number of said flight attendant before he and Roy arrive in China and are greeted by a limo, which has Starfire, looking like an orange skinned, six-foot tall Beyonce sitting in the back. Roy mentions how great a team they are already, but Jason says there is no team, even though Kori and Roy are clearly growing on him. While going to his safe pad to grab his mask and weapons, Jason is ambushed by a rather large woman named Suzie Su and her guards, but Jason defends himself by killing them all, and Suzie Su says wait until her daddy finds out, and Jason replies he'll kill him too. From there we see Jason return to avenge Ducra, where we left off in the last issue, except now Starfire and Roy are with him, I could complain but Lobdell worked around the inconsistencies so at least he did that. As Jasonm Roy and Starfire defeat the reanimated corpses of people that helped train Jason's body and mind, the issue comes to a close as Jason goes to avenge them, and tells his "team" to get ready to kick some ass. Alright, I know I sound like a broken record, but I enjoyed this. Why Lobdell decided to make it so Star and Roy were with Jason when they weren't in the last issue, I don't know, but whatever, he worked around it and I enjoyed it all, from the plane ride to them rolling in style to Jason's past with Ducra. I hope we get to see more into Roy and Kori's pasts too, but I'll give this issue a 9/10 rating.

Talia Al Ghul: Before he was murdered, Jason has the potential to be a great man. I believe with the proper guidance, he could still be the case. I believe he deserves a second chance.

and as a bonus Line of the issue...

Roy: Look at you, Todd! You put the move in smove. (Yes, s-m-o-v-e.)

Jason: I'm gonna put the you in traction if you don't shut up.

And that's it for me everyone, now I gotta go play Arkham City. Be sure to vote on this week's newest poll and until next time,I'm your friendly neighborhood blogger-man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Teen Titans #2, Amazing Spider-Man #672, Deadpool #45, Incredible Hulk #1, Venom #8, Wolverine and The X-Men #1

Ratings and Rantings featuring Nightwing #1

Hey Todd Squad, HUGE week of comics thanks to Jason Aaron, Judd Winick, Scott Snyder, and many more awesome writers and artists. I'm hoping to enjoy this week's haul so instead of fooling arond with an intro paragraph, let's just get it started!

Nightwing #1

We start things off with Dick Grayson as Nightwing, in his new Black and Red suit to show a change in his persona I guess. This Nightwing is not only our fun loving acrobat but now possesses the knowledge of walking a mile in Batman's shoes. He says he was Bats for just under a year for anyone wondering how long he was actually in the cowl. He also mentions how life has changed for him in Gotham, and how just as he's adapted to his new life, things change, considering Haly's Circus is back in town, yet Dick still hasn't gone to visit his circus family. We also see this new, more aggressive Nightwing take down a criminal using tricks he's learned from his time ad the Dark Knight, showing that while he's once again Nightwing, he still has the prowess of Bats and that this is far from being a demotion. We then see someone arrive in Gotham, and when it looks that he's going to be robbed, he makes work of his would be attackers, but kills them before walking off nonchalantly, so there's our introduction to a new baddie in town. From there we get a quick insight for the newer readers into what makes Dick different from Bruce, as he cites how he's living in a new loft that's closer to the bad part of the city as opposed to the richer parts that house Wayne Manor and the Penthouse, as Dick states "Why live in the best part of the when you're trying to save the worst part." which is an excellent point. After working up enough nerve, Dick finally visits Haly's circus and gets a welcome reception from his former family, especially Raya, a Red headed female acrobat, which has Grayson's name written all over her. On the way home, Dick is attacked by a man brandishing claws like Wolverine, well technically more like Daken since he has no middle claw. He attacks Dick for some reason, but the cops show up and he gets too caught up in killing them, which allows Dick to make the costume change to Nightwing. Once Nightwing takes on the costumed attacker, he replies that Dick is far from innocent and Nightwing is "Protecting the fiercest killer in Gotham, and that Grayson just isn't aware of it yet." Interesting. The attacker one-ups Nightwing and manages to get the upper hand, seemingly sealing the fate of Nightwing as this issue ends. Now first things first, I was recall reading we'd know why Nightwing took make his name and costume in the first issue, and we didn't find that out at all. But this issue was fine, it was a little slow but it's an opener so I don't expect too much. The new villain looks interesting although we never got a name, but this issue was solid, nothing special but far from bad, I'd give it a 8/10 but I'm faithful it will get better from here.

Nightwing: Being Batman taught me a lot about myself.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1

We start things off with The Red Hood (Awww yeah!!!!) saving Roy "Arsenal" Harper from a prison in Quarac, after coming in one of the best disguises someone in the Bat-Family has ever used. Damn, this comic started off with action, plus the art work is pretty damn awesome, it's gritty but doesn't look too dark. There's a ton of jokes and back and forth that comes off well between Jason and Roy that I can't give the justice it deserves, but I enjoyed their banter. While escaping, Hood and Arsenal run into three tanks that are ready to blow the former teen sidekicks sky-high, the two are saved thanks to an attack by Starfire. Not only is she with Jason and Arsenal, apparently she's WITH Jason, which is just awesome in my book. Jason never gets any women besides Ms. Al Ghul so of course I marked out for that, even if she is Dick's old flame, no pun intended. We then cut to a few weeks later as out Outlaws are chilling on a beach in St. Martinique. Roy asks Jason how Kori feels about dating him considering his run-in's with Dick, which proves those also happened, as did the Teen Titans considering Jason alludes to them. He says that Tamaranians apparently have short attention spans about all things Earth and she probably barely remembers the gang they used to hang with. He also says they see humans as basically sights and smells, which I don't know how I feel about that considering I don't think that's how Kori was pre-reboot but whatever, could be worse. As Jason and Roy are chilling on the beach, a chick in all black with white hair by the name of Essence asks for a word with Jason. She mentions that a bunch of people have turned up dead, missing their organs, but the organs were apparently missing before they died and there were no incisions made, which leads Jason to believe that a group called The Untitled are behind it. Over with Kori and Roy, Roy mentions that Jason is talking to himself, which seems to show that only Jason can see Essence. Kori on the other hand doesn't care, as Roy asks her if she remembers Dick, Garth, Vic (Cyborg was on the Titans? ...Okay.) but to his and my surprise, she asks Roy if he wants to have sex. Roy is taken aback and asks if she's Jason's girl, to which she replies she is free and does what she wants when she wants. Good answer considering she was a slave, so that fit her character, plus Star's always been a free spirit and a bit promiscuous. And considering Roy is Roy, and also was in a prison week ago, he says yes. Meanwhile, after some prodding from Essence, Jason agrees to help her take down The Untitled. We then cut halfway around the world to Chicago as we see a young black man on the internet looking at a picture of Starfire that was uploaded from a kid on the beach, he recognizes her and says "A Tamaranean. On Earth. At Last." Hm.. so now someone's looking for Starfire, more intrigue! :P Back in St. Martinique, Jason walks in to see Starfire and Roy in bed sleeping, and nonchalantly grabs his mask and walks back out. We then see Jason twelve hours later in his Red Hood attire, now in the Himalayas, apologizing to the corpse of a woman named Ducra, who is what I imagine is one of the people who trained him during his journey to become better than Bruce. During his goodbye, Jason is surrounded by the people who apparently murdered Ducra, as he pulls out his guns and says "Finally, someone to shoot." as this issue comes to a close. Now say what you want, but I LOVED this issue. Jason was smarmy old Jason which is great, he had black hair which is even better, he came out looking awesome, as did Arsenal and Starfire. Arsenal is a bit more timid then I'd like but I think this will be a growing experience for him. I kind of like Starfire in this, her personality makes her a wild card as well. So I enjoyed this, and I can't wait for the next issue. If I have any complaints, it would be that we could've learned more about Ducra, and maybe a bit about why Jason made this team in the first place, but because I loved it, and because I'm willing to admit I'm biased, and because I'm just happy Jason has his own comic and Roy has two arms, I'll give this a solid 10/10.

Red Hood: The only reason I'm here is 'cause if anything happens to you, that would make me the worse former sidekick ever. (Brutal... and that's why Jason rules.)

Catwoman #1

We start things out with Selina Kyle throwing on her costume, grabbing her cats and jumping out of the window as a bunch of men with guns bust through her door. Excellent timing. As Selina escapes, she mentions that she doesn't know who the guys are but they won't find whatever they're looking for in her apartment, and that she'll circle back and get her things in a few days, but to her surprise the skull wearing brutes blow up her apartment. Realizing she needs a new place and some cash, Selina goes to see Lola, who apparently was a showgirl. (Shout out to Barry Manilow!) Turns out Lola is Selina's best-friend, as well as great at intel, which helps Selina know who to rob, what to get, and how to get it. She gives Selina info on a place where she can crash while the millionaires that stay there are out of town, and also gives her information on a job so she can do what she does best, steal from the rich and keep for herself.  She gets a gig tending the bar where guys from the Russian mob meet, and since she's proficient at Russian, she listens in for anything she can use to her advantage when she overhears something about a painting that is worthless but one of the mobsters believes it's a lucky talisman, which leads Selina to believe if she steals it, they'd pay big money to get it back. Selina is about to leave with her new information when she overhears a man talking, a man named Renald, a man who apparently shot a woman in front of her as a kid. An upset Selina follows him into the bathroom, and uses her seduction to lower his guard before beating the hell out of him, leaving him a bloody mess before leaving the club. We then see Selina in her penthouse that she's staying in now, when she notices Batman in the shadows. He asks if she's alright after the firebombing, but before he can finish she's kissing him. He tells her they aren't doing this, he's come because she's endangered herself and others, but that just leads to her tackling him and the two having sex, but before the issue ends we learn that Catwoman doesn't know who Batman is under the mask. Holy retcon! Catwoman doesn't know Batman is Bruce... and they are still getting it on apparently... well I don;t like that. But I did like this issue, a lot. It showed how awesome and capable Catwoman is, she went under cover and used her skills, I didn't even know she spoke Russian, plus there was like three scenes with her in a bra, which I'll never complain about. But honestly, this was a good issue and Judd has done a nice job in writing Selina for the first time, I'd give this a 8.5/10.

Lola: Your place got torched again?

Selina: One, it was my new place. Two, blown up, not torched. And three, yes.

Batman #1

We kick things off with Batman being attacked by a cavalcade of villains, including Two-Face, Killer Croc, Professor Pyg, Scarecrow, Clayface and more. We even see the recently turned villain, James Gordon Jr. there reading a book while the rest of Bats' rogue gallery tries to take out The Dark Knight. When Batman in thrown through a window into a cell that belongs to The Joker, things take a shocking turn as Batman and The Joker team up to defeat Bats' enemies. Before we can get an explanation, we see Batman talking to Jim Gordon about how he went to Arkham to go after a corrupt guard, and how the guard sprang open the inmates doors which led to Batman being attacked. Gordon questions Batman on if he actually teamed with The Joker, to which Batman tells him that would be ridiculous, to which Gordon agrees. Hm... Afterwards, we see Batman in his cave, unmasked when The Joker shows up. We soon see that The Joker was actually Dick Grayson, wearing the E.M.P. mask that was used in the final arcs of Detective Comics before the reboot, a mask that contorts light to give you someone else's appearance. Turns out that Dick was in Arkham as The Joker for a few days to make sure that the guard Batman believed had gone corrupt actually was. Dick and Bruce then get dressed and head upstairs to meet Tim and Damian for some fancy soiree they are all attending. It turns out it's a big banquet where Bruce gives a great speech (kudos to Scott Snyder) and basically says how he's looking towards the future of Gotham and how he hopes to improve the city with new buildings and a new public transit system, which gains applause from the crowd. During a meet-and-greet Bruce takes the time to use his new device (a mobile bat-computer in his ear, and no, not literally.) to read Jim Gordon's lips as he repeats that someone in Gotham was stabbed. A few minutes and a costume change later, Batman is heading towards the scene of the crime. At the scene the crime, Batman learns from Harvey Bullock that the victim was loaded with antique throwing knives, with each vital organ missed purposely so he would suffer before he died. Gruesome. Being Batman, he soon uncovers a clue that was left, a clue that says "Bruce Wayne will die tomorrow." The issue ends soon after, when Batman runs an analysis on the corpse and the skin cells between the victim's fingernails are none other than those of Dick Grayson! Man, that was a great cliffhanger, maybe this and Nightwing link-up? Snyder and Higgins have worked together so I could see it, but only time will tell. But this was a good issue, and Scott Snyder is a damn genius. He used the facial recognition that Bruce has in what's basically a mobile bat-computer in his ear, to use that as giving us a name and a bit of information on various characters, which was a genius way to introduce these characters to new readers, as well as something that can easily be written off as Bruce trying new tech. That alone was a pretty clever idea that made me appreciate this comic even more. I'll give this issue a 10/10. It was a perfect intro issue, it built on a lot, it showed off Batman's planning and tech and gave us a bit of doubt for one of Bruce's closest allies. There's nothing about this comic that I didn't enjoy.

Tim: Tell me he's not using facial rec for the party.

Damian: The party? He's using it to remember who you are, Drake.

Dick: And... Zing. (Somewhere, X-Man75 just marked out for that.)

Deadpool #43

We start things off with Deadpool hiding out in England because he's afraid Dr. Whitby is going to go to the police about him escaping, since he turned down their life together in the form of a super kick. But it doesn't take long for the Doc to find Deadpool, which leads to her disrobing and showing her wearing a Deadpool outfit with fishnet stockings. Deadpool (and myself) yells "MY EYES!" after seeing this. She then opens fire on Deadpool, thinking he'd like that, but Deadpool manages to take her gun and knock her out before fleeing. Deadpool, after sleeping in garbage, decides to don his red and black attire and head to the street, jackin some fools yo, Deadpool style! Hey... he said it, not me. During his escape, Deadpool manages to get surrounded by the cops and the guards that are watching The Queen of England, and they capture DP...for about three seconds before he escapes once again. Deadpool manages to hitch a ride with The Queen, wait really? Yep, he hitches a ride with the Queen of England and uses her as a bit of a hostage to escape. While talking to the Queen, he explains his situation with Doctor Whitby, which leads DP to the realization that as long as she's killing people and emulating Deadpool, that Whitby is his responsibility. Deadpool decides to go finish this once and for all, by confronting Dr. Whitby as this issue comes to a close. This issue was solid, and a lot of Deadpool comedy. It wasn't the best issue, but Deadpool meeting the Queen and using that classic Deadpool style of surviving and planning was enjoyable. I'd give this issue a 6.5/10.

Deadpool: Give it up smooth, Dingus! You just got jacked! Deadpool style! (See... I told you.)

Ultimate X-Men #1

It annoys me way more than it should, but I hate the fact that Iceman is wearing that hat on the cover. Anyway, we get things started with Karen Grant, formerly known as Jean Gray, going to a school to recruit a young mutant who's powers have recently started to manifest. It turns out the young mutant was upstairs taking a nap, and in a world where Mutants are being shot on sight if they don't turn themselves in to containment camps, her parents felt it would be better to just murder the poor girl in her sleep. Man, that scene blew me away right at the beginning. Leave it to Nick Spencer to draw you in within a few pages. Meanwhile, a news story breaks that basically says the mutant gene is a virus that was created in America and somehow spread around, infecting people. It's also disclosed that the man formerly known as Wolverine was the first genetically engineered Mutant, thanks to the Weapon X program. Jimmy Howlett, the son of Wolverine decides to go investigate the place that made his father into a mutant killing machine. We also get a glimpse into one of the containment cells, which is basically a mutant concentration camp, and we see that Storm is actually being held in one, as well as Colossus. We even see Rogue pursued and captured by one of the teams in charge of the containment camps. We then see Kitty Pryde, Bobby Drake, and Johnny Storm discussing the news, which only upsets Kitty. When they mention the rioting going on in New York, Kitty says they aren't playing superhero, as they made a promise not to once Peter died. But as Kitty walks away, the guys tell her that Rogue was identified as an attacker on the news. Knowing that someone has to save Rogue, Kitty suits up and Bobby chills out and Johnny flames on (you know that was genius), as the issue comes to a close. Well this was interesting, the idea that the mutant gene is a virus kind of makes sense, it explains how two humans can have a mutant child as well. I like where this is going, and with Spencer writing it, he hasn't steered me wrong yet, so I'll keep checking this out. I'd give this issue about a 7.5/10.

Johnny: Mutants got their powers through a science experiment! I got my powers through a science experiment! It's the same thing!

X-Men: Schism #4

I've been waiting for this for about a month, so let's do it. We start things off with Cyclops telling Idie back at Utopia that she saved lives, and if the deaths of those men she killed are anyone's fault, it's his. At least Cyclops owned up to it. For some reason, Cyclops is at Utopia while Wolverine tries to fight the gigantic Sentinel from the last issue. What the hell Scott?! As the Sentinel knocks Wolverine into the sea, Dr. Nemesis tells Cyclops that the Super Sentinel is heading towards Utopia. Cyclops immediately tries to rally the X-Men when he learns that the teleporters are down, some X-Men are busy or incapacitated, and the closest ones en route are thirty-seven minutes away. Cyclops runs outside, while realizing that the X-Men were set up by someone, and he blasts the hell out of the Super Sentinel, which is apparently closer than I thought. His blast doesn't take down the SS, but he's offered help by Hope, Idie and the rest of the students. Scott accepts their help but Wolverine doesn't and tells Scott to get rid of the kids. Logan says they're children and are going to get killed, Scott says they're X-Men and can handle it. They argue back and forth, as Wolverine says the kids should evacuate and live to see another day, but Cyclops says they should fight now because if they run today they'll be running forever. Wolverine says he's done everything Cyclops has asked, lied, killed, and kept secrets so they wouldn't have to, but Cyclops retorts that if Wolverine is so concerned about their fighting skills then he should have taught and led them instead of blowing off every class he assigns them. Cyclops tells the kids anyone who wants to leave can, anyone who wants to stay can as well, as a pissed off Wolverine walks away. While inside, Wolverine grabs something we can't see, while Quentin Quire tries to instigate him. As Scott tries to rally his team, Wolverine walks out and tells everyone to leave, as he's armed 2,000 pounds if explosives and he plans on blowing the island up with the SS gets close enough. The kids leave, as Scott tries to tell Logan this won't help, all he's doing is taken down one Sentinel when there are thousands of others, and now the mutants won't even have their safe haven, but Wolverine stays adamant and says he's pushing the button and tells Scott to walk away. Cyclops then says that Jean never loved Logan and was always afraid of him, to which Wolverine replies she'd be more afraid of Cyclops now. And enraged Cyclops blasts Wolverine, who immediately fights back and takes it to Scott. The two X-Men fight each other as the Sentinel draws near, ready to destroy them both. Man, now THIS was a great issue. I loved the debate between Scott and Logan, as I love when a conversation is so fluid it draws me in like a TV show or a movie, and that's what this issue did. I'll give this issue a solid 10/10 rating.

Cyclops: She never loved you, you know. You always frightened her.

Wolverine: And if she was here right now... who do you think she'd be more frightened of?

Man, what a great week, THREE perfect scores?! I love it man. I love how Lobdell is doing Red Hood and the Outlaws and I'm optimistic for that, as well as Ultimate X-Men, Batman, Catwoman, and Nightwing. As for Schism, the arguments were so compelling I feel like it would be tough to pick a side, but in my opinion, I'd probably have sided with Scott. They may be kids but they know what they signed up for, and eventually they're going to have to get into a battle with a Sentinel and I think they had a chance of stopping them, so let me know what you guys think in the comments. But that's it for me everyone, thanks for reading and feel free to reply with any questions, comments or criticisms, as well as vote on this week's poll. So until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood blogger-Man, Jason Todd, signing off.

Last week's poll asked "Halfway through the month, how do you like the DCnU comics?"

Last place with 0% - "I hate them!" Well that's good for DC.
Third place with 22.2% - "I expected them to be better."
Second place with 33.3% - "I love them!"
Winner with 44.4% - "Better than I expected..." I definitely feel that way after this week!

Next Week on Ratings and Rantings

Teen Titans #1, Superman #1, Amazing Spider-Man #670, Ultimate Spider-Man #1, Kick-Ass 2 #4, and Venom #7

Jason Todd will lead them (Red Hood and The Outlaws)

Huge news from the DC reboot this week. A lot of people are either happy , upset, or conflicted. Some things I don't like, like the fact that Dick is being reverted to Nightwing, but I do love the new colors on his uniform. A lot of people are upset that Babs will be walking apparently, and I definitely see their point but I won't get into that. As a person who has been a fan or Babs for a long time, I love both her Batgirl and Oracle runs. But the news that has made me the happiest so far, besides the JLI series, besides the fact that Dick has an awesome outfit, and besides the fact Kyle won't be lost in the shuffle, is the fact that Jason Todd, has finally returned to the side of the good guys, and he isn't alone, as he's LEADING a team, with one of my other favorites, Roy (Arsenal/The TWO-Armed Archer) as well as Starfire. This team, will be called, the Red-Headed Rejects. But seriously, Jason, Arsenal, and Starfire on one team (known as The Red Hood and The Outlaws) is awesome already, now if we can get some other awesome characters added (Wally West anyone?) then I may just forgive DC for giving everyone stupid collars on their costumes. Anyway, here's one plus myself, and other Jason Todd fans are definitely gonna be looking forward to.

Batman’s former sidekick had put his past as The Red Hood behind him, when the reclusive Jason Todd finds himself unwillingly elected as the leader of an all-new team of outlaw vigilantes.

As The Red Hood once again, Jason Todd will lead this new team of antiheroes, including Green Arrow’s rejected sidekick Arsenal and Starfire, a former prisoner of intergalactic war.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS will be written by Scott Lobdell and illustrated by rising superstar artist Kenneth Rocafort.
(Source)