May contain spoilers.
It’s been a long road for Superior Spider-Man #30. There’s a bend in the road ahead. Peter has been adopting the memories of Otto Octavius while hiding out in the Mindscape and losing his own identity. He’s going to have a slim chance to regain his own self.
And basically it boils down to identity in this issue. Otto is not slipping, but he’s recognizing that his supposedly vast intelligence and genius are not enough to face the plans of the Green Goblin. Doc Ock will have to make the ultimate sacrifice… and that’s the actual big reveal of the comic. It should be very obvious but at the same time it’s rather subtle in the way that it’s handled. It’s not a battle in the Mindscape. It’s an acknowledgement and a forfeit.
The Spider-Man from 2099 will have his hands full. Superior abandons him early on. He’s a wanted man by the Avengers and SHIELD too. Spidey is going to have to deal with a lot of crap once all this is over.
Recommended with reservations. The final scene is somewhat anti-climatic but we’ve had enough action already, it’s time for some tough decisions.
If there’s one thing I particularly don’t like about Archaia’s Hacktivist is that it’s only four issues long. Hacktivist #3 gets us deep into the mindset of the Tunisian freedom fighters and will make you re-evaluate the idea of terrorism. Ed finally meets Sirine, who takes him to Professor Walid Beya. He is the heart and the soul of the Tunisian rebels and that means he’s as much – or even more – of a target than Ed.
Back home, Ed’s branded a terrorist. Nate agrees to shut down YourLife and devote his resources to the CIA. It’s an incendiary comic, and I must confess I had already ditched the idea of Nate being part of the big picture. Turns out as centric as Edwin Hiccox’s character is to this comic book, Nate Graft might still have a part to play.
Recommended. Next up, the finale number. I’m calling out Nate. I see him having remorse and helping Ed. We’ll see.
It’s funny that Injustice is doing for DC a lot more than their Forever Evil arc. The focus of this week’s issue, Injustice: Year Two #6 is split between the Green Lanterns and the taking of Gotham City. The art in this books varies between web comic start-up and recognizable main-stream but whatever the shortcomings the storyline makes up for it. Gotham City
There’s a half-shocker as Commissioner James Gordon reveals to Barbara the most obvious of outcomes: he’s known everything all along. But Oracle has just one more surprise for her Dad. Seeing Barbara on the wheelchair makes me think of this book as Pre-52. I’ve always been torn about Barbara’s wheelchair-bound Oracle tech-jockey identity and her renewed Batgirl persona. I always feel that as bad as the luck of the Comic Gods was with her, any other hero (read: a male hero) would have almost instantly rebound and walked again (Batman’s back BROKE – he seems fine).
But as Oracle, Barbara Gordon surpassed all expectations as leader, intel, internet presence and a force to be reckoned with. It was inspirational and took away any campiness that was left in there from the 60’s. Still, I don’t want to wish her on that chair. I do think there’s a story that needs to be told about Barbara walking again and retaking the Batgirl mantle one day. But that’s a story for a different comic book.
Recommended with reservations. By the way, I’m glad they included Batwoman in the reveal (spoilers!). Hopefully she’s not just a background character and a very active participant. We’ll see how this turns out.
Finally, we end up with Dark Horse’s latest Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #2. Things are starting to escalate. The bad guy, Jubal, is inside Serenity. It’s just a matter of time until he takes over the ship or worse. Jubal manages to corner almost everyone. Almost.
River has been having nightmares and they’re about her other friends – the other people that were genetically altered. She wants to rescue them, but is it really a time for a mission of mercy when there’s a price in your head? Malcolm is making Zoe the priority and he needs help. His idea of help in this case is to call upon an old enemy.
Highly recomended if you are a fan of Serenity and Firefly. Otherwise, I don’t see the comic book having much appeal. However, if you watch the series you’ll want to see the movie. Watch the movie and you’ll want to read what happens after that. That’s how I got here.
That will do for now.
(Sources: Comixology, Dark Horse Digital)
Never Think Impossible 