What I Read This Week

DC Universe: Last Will And Testament #1 -- As this was initially solicited, I wasn't too interested in it: while how the various heroes of the DCU would spend their final hours before the end of the world sounded like a viable story source, I just was not feeling it.  So imagine my surprise when this turned out to be Brad Metzler's conclusion of the dangling "Geo-Force as a double agent" plot from Justice League of America!  Oh yeah, there's some "last day on Earth" stuff mixed in, but the main story here is Geo-Force and his protracted revenge on Deathstroke for his role in the death of his sister.  Metzler is on his game here, as he writes a pretty dead-on Geo-Force, and Adam Kubert's art is big-event caliber.  Given that most of this issue is an Outsiders-fest (the main plays besides Brion include Black Lightning, Grace, and Batman, plus there is a name-drop of Baron Bedlam for crying out loud!), could Metzler-on-Outsiders be the big news DiDio teased me with at HeroesCon?

Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #2 -- Johns and Kollins delve more into the rising tide of crap in Keystone City, as Libra sends his New Rogues to either convert or eliminate the titular Rogues, while Zoom has Interia under his heel, pushing the young maniac to his limits.  Johns clearly loves each and every one of these characters and writing them is like second nature, as we flow from one narrative to another with ease.  And what more can be said about Kollins' work, which defined this "version" of the Rogues as much as Johns' words?  Top flight tie-in all around.

Justice Society of America #18 -- As Gog spreads his message of peace and love across war-torn Africa, the differences in the team begin to become obvious, as those who support his swift dealing with warmongers come to ideological crossroads with those who do not.  But things take an even stranger turn as one of Society's members undergoes a startling transformation.  Meanwhile, on Earth-2, Power Girl seeks out the one man smart enough to help her get home.  Johns and Eaglesham deliver every single month on this title.  I don't know why I bother reviewing it, because it is consistantly awesome.

Nova #16 -- Nova falls in with his old comrade Kl'rt the Super-Skrull in this "Secret Invasion" tie-in which takes a look at the invasion of Earth from the other side.  DnA and Wellington Alves turn in a solid cosmic story built upon the relationship forged between Nova and Super-Skrull during the first Annihilation, as the issue focuses a lot on each of their roles given the Invasion as well as their individual places in each of their socities.  Like the GOTG tie-in, this is much more appealing than the actual event.

Caliber #5 -- We take a strange left turn here as we get equal parts gunfight and kung-fu throwdown.  Now that I have all five parts I will try to read this in one sitting, but while the series was disappointing at least this ending was logical enough.

Halloween 30th Anniversary Special -- An big-sized (and big-priced) special, this features 5 short stories in the Halloween universe, with the Shape, Dr. Loomis, Laurie Strode, and Tommy Jarvis all playing roles to various degrees.  The stories themselves run the gamut from the side story of the couple whom Laurie sends Tommy and Lindsay to in the first film to the sexually-charged horror comic Tommy reads as an adult.  My favorite tale herein features the Shape toying with Dr. Loomis while stalking a school teacher in the 80s.  A fun horror comic, although I am not sure where some of these stories fit into the continuity, as the supposedly are "officially" part of the series.  Like, Tommy has a wife and kid and is living out west... is this after the events of Halloween 6, or does the new continuity ignore that film?  Hopefully some of these questions will be addressed, at least to calm obsessive nerds like me.  Why this was released in August and not October I am not sure, but it's a good purchase if you are a fan.

The Pick Of The Pile was a tough one.  On most weeks, Last Will And Testament would have walked away with it, but JSoA was released.  JSoA also would have walked away with the win, but Rogues' Revenge was released!  So the nod goes to the FC tie-in.

So what did YOU read this week?