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Hello everybody! I’ve got a nice batch of comics reviewed for your pleasure.

Minor spoilers ahead!

Brightest Day #19
Writer(s): Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi
Artist(s): Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Oclair Albert, and Rob Hunter
Cover Artist: David Finch
Publisher: DC

With the end, or hopefully something like it, near, things are really beginning to heat up. The issue begins with Deadman struggling with the actions of the Life Entity. The entity reveals that each of the twelve reborn individuals had a purpose to serve and that certain individuals held more importance than others. The rest of the issue focuses on Aquaman and Aqualad. The two race to prevent a war between creatures of the water and land. Unfortunately, the two are attacked almost immediately upon their arrival. Before long, Black Manta forces his way into the battle and makes sure Aquaman knows of his presence.
The series has been quite strong recently, however with so little time left, I fear that certain stories may end up being rushed. Deadman’s portion of the series has been great since the beginning and continues to be interesting. His struggle with both his own purpose and the Life Entity’s desires has been a great read. Aquaman, on the other hand, has been noticeably absent and has had very little progress in his story. With the surprise ending at the end of this issue, it will be quite interesting to see what becomes of him in the near future. 4/5

Gotham City Sirens #19
Writer: Peter Calloway
Artist: Andres Guinaldo
Cover Artist: Guillem March
Publisher: DC

The troubles of this series aside, this recent arc has been good. After being coerced into using her magic to manipulate Selina’s memories, Zatanna smartens up and turns against Talia. Never one to be unprepared, Talia launches an attack at Selina, forcing Zatanna to choose between saving Selina or capturing Talia. Though she chooses the former, her relationship with Selina remains tarnished. The second half of the issue focuses on the next arc, which will focus on a reunion between Harley and her former love, Joker.
While not the best this series has seen, this issue and the overall story itself has been an interesting one. Talia’s role in the arc, being as she is, fits perfectly into the character I know her to be. Zatanna’s role in this seems out of place, because one would have wished to see her character learn from her mistakes rather than repeat them regularly. My favorite of this issue, as a big supporter of the Bruce and Selina pairing, is when Selina reveals that Zatanna gave her the option to ease and erase her memories, but decided against it. Bring on the Joker! 3/5

Superboy #4
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Pier Gallo
Cover Artist: Eddy Barros
Variant Cover Artist: Stanley Lau
Publisher: DC

Four issues in and we’re beginning to get a better look at the direction this series is heading in. When we last saw Superboy, beings from the future had just arrived and were looking to cause problems for the lad. Abruptly, the evil doers left the present time, leaving Superboy wondering what was going on. Enter Psionic Lad, who explains the story of his journey to Smallville and his purpose.
This was a pretty good issue. When this story line started, my initial concern was that there seemed to be no connection to the first story (the broken silo, Poison Ivy, etc.). However, Lemire was was able to weave a connection between the two in an interesting fashion. While my suspicions are that Simon will become the evil villain from Psionic Lad’s future, he’s still a nice and intelligent addition to the gang Superboy is forming in Smallville. I’m not at all sure I completely understand these writers’ fascination with Superboy’s genetic ties to Supergirl and Lori, while maintaining a level of romantic interest, but it is weird and creepy. With regards to the art, I don’t like it. I think the style and consistency is weak, and I think the colors do little to improve on it. 3.5/5

Time Masters Vanishing Point #6
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist(s): Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund
Cover Artist(s): Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund
Publisher: DC

Ages ago this series started off as a companion mini-series to Return of Bruce Wayne. Here we are, months after Bruce Wayne has returned, and the end appears to have no real connection to the initial motivation. The issue starts off with a brief appearance by the Reverse Flash, followed by an appearance by the Black Beetle and the Linear Men. After a bit of a struggle, Black Beetle is stopped from acquiring Waverider’s costume, which is picked up by one of the Linear Men, Liri Lee (who is, in fact, a woman). Back at home, Rip Hunter and friends are greeted with a blackboard filled with ramblings of a mad man leading into DC’s next big event, Flashpoint.
I should start off by expressing my distaste for the misleading subtitle in this mini-series, but six issues in and I feel that that complain no longer holds very much merit. Instead, I thought that this issue was great. It tied up the necessary loose ends, brought in some new characters, and gave way for multiple future story lines. The art in this issue was really good stuff, which it has been for the entire series. All in all, I thought the mini-series was pretty good as a whole. While it probably should have been designated as a Rip Hunter or Booster Gold story, I think it served its purpose well (a purpose that had nothing to do with finding Batman).  3.5/5

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Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net