Let’s take a breather for a minute
With all of the insanity that has been happening these last couple of weeks, it’s probably a good time for everyone to take a bit of a breather, come to grips with what has happened, and catch up with some loose storylines. Heck, there may even be a revelation or two thrown in for good measure.
The last time we saw Batman in 52, he was kickin’ it in the desert while guys with big swords cut out his demons. Since then, Bruce and Tim traveled to India where Vashnu told Bruce of a spiritual purification ceremony in Nanda Parbat. And that’s where we catch up with the dynamic duo… sort of. Bruce has holed up in a cave with a huge rock covering the entrance (sound familiar?), giving Tim time to catch up with the Amazon Princess.
All roads appear to lead to Nanda Parbat, and seeing as a great deal of 52 takes place in the small land, I am wondering if we are going to see it pop up a lot more when the series wraps in a few weeks. While I like the concept of a mystical place where travelers must trek in order to seek answers, but if this is such a hard place to get to, why is it everyone popping in and out?
Meanwhile, half a world away in Gotham, Whisper A’Daire and Bruno Manheim have been frantically trying to discover the identity of Batwoman. Apparently they believe if they kill Batwoman, Gotham will be theirs to do as they please. But it isn’t until they really think about the prophecy of the twice named daughter of Cain that a major revelation appears.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Hmmm, so by that train of thought, anyone with half a brain should be able to discover the identity of Batman. That and he’s always leaving bits of his DNA scattered all over the place.
This week also has us checking in at Oolong Island. While we don’t see Black Adam getting tortured, his screams echo throughout the facility. This is slowly driving Will Magnus mad, and he contemplates turning on the Plutonium Man. Fortunately miniature versions of Tin and Mercury are there to convince him otherwise.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
The last time we saw Mercury, I commented how he reminded me of the little devil that sits on your shoulder. Now with Tin making an appearance the Angel/Devil analogy is complete. I wonder though why they are both telling Will to turn off the robot? Could it be these mini-Metal Men are nothing but a figment of Magnus’ imagination? Probably not that obvious, but since he’s been off his meds for some time, it wouldn’t come as a surprise.
It’s too bad with all the torture going on, we aren’t able to see what Sivana is doing to Black Adam, but my guess is we don’t need to see the process, only the results. That and we’ve spent too much time with Adam lately, which means we’ve neglected some of the other heroes, like Buddy Baker for example.
In deep space, the aliens that gave Buddy his upgrade have been watching him closely. Animal Man has learned to use the Sun Eater powers to jump into Space B – a kind of hyperspace that allows one to be anywhere and everywhere at once. This means Buddy should be able to jump home in an instant. But upon entering Space B, the aliens appear once again telling Buddy he not only can jump to any point in THIS universe, but also to any time. They make a point of showing Buddy Earth one month from now.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
And with that, the aliens leave once more, telling him “There is more to tell. And so we return you to your story Buddy Baker.” Holy Crap! Does this mean we’ll see the fourth wall break down again before this is all over? Does Buddy now have the ability to not only jump back in time to save Blue Beetle, Max Lord, Sue Dibny, and the rest of Justice League who have been killed over the years, thus wiping out the events for these last two years? (Hint: If you’ve read the latest issue of Birds of Prey, you’ll see the return and mention of at least two fallen JLE-ers.) With this revelation, Animal Man could be the most important figure in the entire universe, and if it is ever reveled what he and his other two companions saw at the edge of the universe it could be a huge plot-point.
I know many of you really like the John Irons/Natasha/Everyman Project storyline, but it is one that I didn’t care for very much. Natasha and John have made good with one another, and when Garfield (aka Beast Boy) offers Natasha a spot on the Teen Titans, she politely refuses because she and her uncle are starting a little team of their own.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Pfft. Lame. Sorry DC, but I can do without another superhero team. And yes, I am well aware of the rumor that the team that will come out of the Steelworks will be Infinity, Inc., but I just really don’t care. We already have enough teams to read about, and I think most of the stories about team dynamics and overcoming differences and obstacles could easily be carried out in those titles (JLA, JSA, Teen Titans, Outsiders, Freedom Fighters, and so on).
Apparently it doesn’t take a lot of effort to open the Gotham phonebook for people with the last name of Cain (or Caine, or Kane), which of those are people of means, and who has a daughter fitting the right description. When Renee Montoya enters Kate’s apartment she finds the place ransacked.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Cool, a Nightwing/Next Question team-up! It’s just too bad Dick (or could it be Jason) hasn’t figured out Batwoman plays for the other team. Since Kate is the key to Intergang’s hold on Gotham, I have a feeling this storyline is going to see a wrap up real soon. If you have paid close attention to the upcoming 52 covers, not only will we get to see a possible team up, but also the return of Anarchy.
The week wraps up with Wonder Woman being granted an audience with Rama Kushna. The god tells Diana that now that she is finally able to sympathize with humanity, she is able to find the wisdom she seeks. Is this a subtle way of telling her she now knows what it means to be a hero for the good of mankind? Almost on cue, Bruce rolls back the stone covering the cave, emerging after a week of isolation looking like a new man.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
If this series of events would have played out in Week 48, I wouldn’t have been able to resist comparing a certain event happening that week in our world and the whole re-birth theme. But DC wouldn’t do that, would they?
The Good
- A lot of stories coming together
- Buddy Baker jumping into Space B
- The mad detective skills of Intergang
The Bad
- Steelworks
This wasn’t such a bad week. Like I said before, with the tragedy and action we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks, this is actually a good time to take a breather and do some follow up. Unfortunately, while we did get a lot of information, it came across as forced, almost like the writers had to cram all the info in order to wrap things up in the next five weeks. I liked the issue, but it just didn’t have the “holy crap” moments we’ve seen before. This earns 52 – Week 47 3 out of 5 Stars.
Parting Shot