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Okay, as awful as last week was in Fill-In-Writerland (I pronounce it "writerlund"), this week more than makes up for it in some super-tight and rewarding continuitism.
Let's just ignore Flash's final issue, which closes out a Fill In run with the final issue of the series and a pretty saccharine ending (especially considering the monumentally moving moments in IC#4). So, moving on.
IC#4 opens with a pretty grotesque bang, as Bludhaven is obliterated by a sentient glob of radiation. When I first read these few pages I figured, "Hey, good riddance." I mean, seriously. Worst city name in the history of comics, no? Well, if you want to maintain that illusion, avoid Nightwing #116, because damn, it does a pretty super job of showing just how awful and devestating an act this was, especially to Nightwing. It's struck precisely the right balance between simply working off of IC#4 and requiring readers to pick it up. They both work pretty well independent of each of them, but together they paint a pretty detailed picture. Aquaman's been in a similar boat.
Next up, my personal favorite crossie of the week: Green Lantern #7. It's a follow up to IC#1 actually, catching up with Mongul. It's also a sequel to, get this, "What Do You Get For The Man Who Has Everything", the classic Moore/Gibbons jernt. Greens Arrow and Lantern get those weird ass flowers attatched to their chests. Sadness ensues.
Firestorm #21 is also nicely woven into the fabric of IC#4 and if you've been following the series, it's got a nice bit of development for our Jason Rausch. If you haven't, pick it up anyway just for thrill of having three books drop on the same day that read together so damned effectively.
Birds Of Prey #90 wraps up its really long mob storyline with the rematch you've no one been waiting for: Black Canary v. Deathstroke. Which is the only reason I mention it. It's got the VU Kru in it. Anyway, it's good, but potentially uninteresting if you're not already interested in snarky girls who refuse to wear actual pants or skirts.
Now, a few more words on the awesomeness that is Infinite Crisis #4. It's pretty clear at the climax of the Superboy battle, when Barry freakin' Allen climbs out of the Speed Force to take care of SBP, that this whole magilla is really just a Love Letter to the potential and the promise of the DCU. It's a universe built around so many opportunities for spectacular returns, gigantic payoffs, and all that mess; and Johns is taking this 7 issue opportunity to pretty much slide through every single one of them. I doubt that there'll be anything left at the end of this series that any fan will have wished could have happened. I mean, just this week we've seen Barry Allen and the freakin' Mongul Dream Flowers make their return.
And for us readers of Gotham Central, this issue marks the promise of some sweet and desperately needed payback. Which also highlights how impressed I am with this entire enterprise. Gotham Central is in no way a top tier book for DC as far as sales go. But by tying the fate of the Spectre into one of its flat-out best storylines, not only have they raised the story's prominence, they've also turned an instant spotlight onto a criminally underlooked book. And the best part? If people really want to know every single thing that led up to the Spectre's new host? They'll pretty much have to read every single issue of Gotham Central.
See kids? Sometimes good comics do win. |
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