Day of Vengeance #4 Detective Chimp handles most of the narration in the issue, which gives him a chance to relate his secret origin. And Jim Rook decides on the team's name: the Shadowpact. Now: would I buy a Shadowpact book? Maybe. I dig team books. I get almost all of DC team books. And I like most of the characters involved, particularly Blue Devil, Ragman and the Chimp. If the ongoing book would keep the same sardonic, self-aware vibe that Day of Vengeance has maintained, I would definitely try it out. Although, looking forward, I can't see it sticking around long. DC has done this before: use a major event miniseries to launch of team of nobodies into their own book that no one buys. Want to talk about Primal Force?
I am a little concerned that an amped-up Enchantress can be taken out just by a punch to the face, though.
More pressing is that freakin' She-Eclipso escaped. But I guess it's nice that our team managed to keep Spectre from killing everybody. Although I knew that Eclipso couldn't be so easily dispatched last issue (stabbed in the gut by BD's spear - er, TRIDENT!) I hate the character so much that I'll take anything. They could fly in G'Nort to kill Eclipso and I'd accept it as canon.
Lori Zechlin is now Black Alice, which is presumably her badass hero name. She's the new IP on this team of recycled nobodies. They haven't yet said what her powers are, but she's going to be the key figure set against Crazy Spectre. The scene were Nightshade and the Chimp recruit her by talking to her father was highly amusing
OMAC Project #4 See, this is why I don't think Max Lord is our Max Lord. Because he's dead already. He's been established as a psychotic shadow crimelord for exactly 4 issues now - despite years of continuity as a super-huckster - and now he's dead. The only good bit stemming from his involvement in this big summer event is that we get the Giffen JLA back in action... sans Beetle, obviously. In this issue, Booster and Guy find Fire, continuing the thread that this League wants to find out the truth without begging for scraps at the current League's heels.
Max's death has triggered a built-in command to Brother Eye and now the OMAC sleeper agents are waking up and going apeshit. Although snapping Rocket Red's neck elicits only the merest of shrugs from DCU fandom, I'm sure.
Rann-Thanagar War #4 There's nothing left to say. More boring, overwrought space opera.
Villains United #4 Maybe we can put the Catman/Deadshot homosexual gossip to rest now, eh? Both lads drool over an undressing Scandal - who finally seems to have developed an identity more interesting than chaperone. Although her new costume choice is very typical: blades, chrome, facemask, tribal tattoo, bare midriff.
Had some other revelations in this issue: the purpose of Lex Luthor's "secret society", even a nice reason why they chose the word "society." Prior to this, the Secret Society of Supervillains was just a stupid cartoon bad guy team name. I like it when somebody tries to add contemporary relevance to something from the past that was dopey.
And Dr. Psycho trying to clandestinely nudge Luthor into doing what he wants! Hilarious! I suspect he's critical to Luthor's big mindwipe plan, or they'd stick him down with the junior grade dorks like Captain Nazi or Knockout doing guard duty.
Firestorm. Luthor is using Firestorm as his power supply. That's great. Unfortunately for Firestorm, he's far too powerful for most writers, so he either gets written as a simp or he's locked up somewhere. Looks like we chose the latter on this one... but he's free now, and pissed. His costume continues to be embarrassing... and since Catman is wearing a special night-time version of his terrible outfit, that makes Firestorm the Worst Dressed Character of Villains United #4.
I enjoyed seeing the Royal Flush Gang reduced to a bunch of gang cliches. In the past, they always seemed more, I don't know, militaristic? This RFG is all street. Here's hoping Firestorm killed that obnoxious female Parasite they have working as their Ace these days.
The kicker was the finale... where Catman confesses his midlife crisis to Cheshire after they do it. Now, given that Cheshire's daughter Lian (to Arsenal of the Titans) was the blackmail reason keeping her in line, do you suppose her plan is to have another child simply so she can afford to ignore the blackmail and go ballistic on everyone? She's always been opportunistic... if a strong child to continue her legacy is all she wants, the product of her and Catman would fit the bill. Poor Lian!
And in non-Infinite Crisis news, I picked up House of M 1 through 5. The impetus was, sadly enough, that #5 comes packed with a free exclusive art Marvel Vs. card. I am a sucker. The good news is that the story is worth reading... although I'm not picking up all the damn House of M crossover miniseries. House of M is an alternate universe story that spins out of our universe when Scarlet Witch goes nuts. Somehow, her powers create a world where mutants are the overclass and Magneto is the President of the Earth. And it's nice, peacable and nothing really wrong with the world! Of course, Wolverine somehow is the one guy who wakes up realizing something isn't right, so he hooks up with the non-mutant resistence (led by Luke Cage, who has had more page time in the last two years than he had in the last twenty) and starts convincing other heroes that the shiny, happy world isn't as it should be. I'm glad I picked it up, but I'm worried that Marvel is going to take the opportunity to stick me with follow-up series after follow-up series, like when they convinced me I should get Warlock and the Infinity Watch.
