Front Lines - Convergence Week 8

Front Lines: By Mike Maillaro, Mike Weaver, Grey Scherl, and Gina Maillaro

Convergence #8

Summary: The heroes freed Brianiac, whose heart grew three sizes that day.  He decides to restore all of their shattered worlds using all the temporal energy released by Parallax killing Deimos.  BUT, apparently Crisis on Infinite Earths won’t let him do that.  So a brave group of heroes volunteer to go back and reshape the events of Crisis.  Pre-Crisis Flash and Supergirl (who died during Crisis), Parallax, and Superman and Lois (with newborn baby) from right before Flashpoint. They do something off panel...and Crisis has been undone.  The Multiverse is back, though it might have developed differently than it had last time it existed.  Brianiac restores all the cities to where they belong...but leaves the Earth-2 heroes stranded on a dead and lifeless Telos world.  Telos ends up fixing the world up, and that is where we are left.

Convergence: Action Comics #2 by Justin Gray and Claude St.-Aubin

Summary: Power Girl kisses her boyfriend goodbye and heads off to Moscow.  As she approaches, she is hit by a missile from Red Son’s Wonder Woman’s invisible jet.  Power Girl damages the jet and causes it to crash.  She is surprised to see Wonder Woman, and Wonder Woman is able to take advantage of her distraction to attack her.

Meanwhile, Luthor is monitoring Telos world from his lab.  He refuses the leave the fate of their world in the hands of Stalin and his Ruskie heroes.  Luthor has his robots arrest Stalin and declares himself the ruler of Moscow.  He seems to plan to destroy Metropolis...guarantee it’s with a giant missile...that is what everyone seems to want to use in Convergence…

Superman arrives to help Power Girl, though he seems to not want to fight.  He tells the women that they have to stop being used.  It takes some convincing, but they agree.  The heroes arrive to stop Luthor.  Luthor tries to have his robots attack, but they are easily defeated.  Superman and Power Girl return to Metropolis to gather allies to fight Telos.

Mike Maillaro: This wasn’t quite as good as the first issue, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit.  More than just about any other “extra universe,” the Red Son characters got a lot of good attention in Convergence.  I haven’t read Red Son, but these books definitely made me want to see much more of them.   4/5

Convergence: Blue Beetle #2 by Scott Lobdell and Yishan Li

Summary: Blue Beetle, Question, and Captain Atom find themselves facing off against the Legion of Super-Heroes...dozens of them.  Cosmic Boy asks who’s their leader.  Blue Beetle ends up electing himself.  He tries to get Legion to surrender.  They refuse.  So he launches his ship to help the other heroes of Hub City escape. Colossal Boy tries to grab the ship, but the teleport a few miles away.  Beetle tells Question and Captain Atom that he needs them to keep the Legion off their back for six minutes.  Question manages to take out Brainiac 5 with a logic question.  Captain Atom holds his own for the most part.  Blue Beetle calls Saturn Girl, Sensor, and Kid Quantum to help him with a secret plan.  An earthquake suddenly destroys Hub City.  Blue Beetle and his team say they are surrendering.  It is revealed that it was an illusion to make Telos think there was a fight and winners.  The teams join together to go after Telos.

Mike Maillaro:  Blue Beetle’s plan was kind of awesome, but I am not sure it would fool Telos all that long.  This issue was full of great character moments.  Beetle declaring himself team leader and the reactions of his teammates was awesome.  I also liked how Lobdell wrote Legion.  This era of LOSH was when I really started to become a Legion fan, and I felt a lot of nostalgia here.  It really makes me want a GOOD Legion book...maybe by Lobdell.  He did a great job with them here.  4.5/5

Convergence: Booster Gold #2 by Dan Jurgens & Alvaro Martinez

Summary: Future Booster’s travels from dome to dome have brought him to a city where Blue Beetle is still alive.  Booster warns Beetle not to trust Max Lord, and reveals to Beetle that all this time jumping is killing jim.

Meanwhile, New 52 Booster, Rip Hunter, and Goldstar are facing off against the Legion.  Even though the dome is still down, Booster’s presence has restored the Legion’s powers.  The Legion assumes these new arrivals are responsible for the dome and attack.  Rip manages to teleport them away.

Beetle tries to save Booster, but he doesn’t have the tech or expertise to do so.  The two old friends talk about their futures and the past they shared.  Rip and company arrive.  Rip wants to take Booster to Vanishing Point.  Once there, they expose him to a Chronal Field and Booster Gold becomes Waverider.  Waverider returns Beetle and New 52 Booster Gold back to their times, and then heads off to face Brainiac.

Grey: My biggest problem is that Boosterider didn’t retain his awesome costume when he popped up in Convergence #8.

Mike Maillaro: : I remember Waverider from comics like Zero Hour when I started reading comics.  I assume this is supposed to suggest that Waverider was always Booster Gold?  

Grey: Nah, Matthew Rider is still the classic Armageddon 2001 through 52 Waverider. Booster is Waverider 2.0!

Mike:  LOL!  So much for the current DC universe being less complicated…  Either way, it’s a good fit for the character, and yeah, I totally agree that it was lame they didn’t keep the costume for Convergence 8.  I actually read that before this issue, so was a little confused when they called Waverider Booster. 

The best part of this issue for me was the stuff with Ted and Booster.  We have gotten a little of that in Justice League 3000, but one of the things I have had a lot of trouble reconciling is DC killing off Blue Beetle.  Ted Kord is just too great a character to lose.

Grey: Russ is why I read Booster first, he hit me up on Tuesday and is like “YOU HAVE TO READ BOOSTER FIRST!”, which, I mean, that was going to happen anyway. It’s Booster.

I really hope this leads to New 52 Booster going and meeting New 52 Ted and being like “So apparently all across the multiverse we’re best friends. Should probably see if that carries over to here.”

Mike: If it doesn’t work out, he has a multiverse of Beetles to hang out with instead, so the odds are definitely in his favor!

Grey: My kingdom for an ongoing with New 52 Booster and Skeets teaming up with Goldstar Classic and whichever Beetle they want to use.

Mike: It definitely seems like DC wants to open the possibilities for more books like that, so I am definitely hoping to see it.   Definitely a 5/5 for me for this one.

Grey: 5/5 for me as well, and not even because of my Booster bias. Everything about the book is great. Booster and Ted, everyone against the Legion, Brand New Waverider. So much to love.

Mike: And as a bonus it actually tied up threads from Future’s End...something that Convergence did a terrible job of otherwise…

Grey: In all fairness, Convergence did explain how Brainiac turned into a giant horror movie monster. Not much else, but it did do that!

Convergence: Crime Syndicate #2 by Brian Buccellato & Phil Winslade

Summary: Wonder Woman 1 Million reflects on what happened under the dome.  The heroes lost their powers and were murdered by Luthorians.  After she defeats the Crime Syndicate, she will have justice.   Meanwhile, Superman 1 Million wants to find out who’s responsible for all this.  Aquaman 1 Million engages Power Ring to give Supes the chance to do so.  Superman is looking to the skies.  Batman 1 Million suggests he look below ground.  Owlman faces off with Wonder Woman 1 Million...but she reminds him of Superwoman (who was believed to be killed under the dome), so he hesitates long enough for Wonder Woman to defeat him. Superwoman arrives...apparently she came back to life when the dome vanished.  She defeats Wonder Woman, and the issue ends abruptly.

Mike Maillaro: Uhm...yeah...this issue needed more pages.  It basically just stopped at a real unsatisfying point.  There was a lot of great action and characterization here, but the abrupt end just about ruined the entire experience for me.  3.5/5

Convergence: Detective Comics #2 by Len Wein, Denys Cowan, and Bill Sienkiewicz

Summary: Robin is trying to work with Superman Red Son to come up with a solution to their situation, but Huntress attacks Superman.  When her attack fails, she self-destructs her ship trying to take Superman with her.  But he not only survives, he rescues her as well.  Robin rushes off, but Superman easily catches him.  Even after saving her life, Huntress insists on trying to fight him.  Suddenly, Red Son Batman arrives and helps Robin and Huntress escape.

Batman, Robin, and Huntress share backstories.  Batman wants to take down Superman, even if it means the end of his world.  He gives them a secret weapon and slips off into the shadows.  Superman catches up with them, but they use their secret weapon, Kryptonite.  But Robin can’t bring himself to kill Superman.  The people of Russia arrive and demand Superman kill Robin and Huntress, but he refuses as well.  They decide that this fight is a draw.  Telos warns of consequences. They are all sent back to their home cities.  Robin finally decides that it’s time for him to become Batman, realizing the value of that name and symbol.

Mike Maillaro: I loved how the characters were done here.  There was a lot of depth and conflicting emotions.  The fight scenes made sense, and there really was no better way to resolve this story (though the Russian mob calling for blood was a bit much).  I really enjoyed this one a lot. 4.5/5

Convergence: Infinity Inc. #2 by Jerry Ordway, Ben Caldwell, and June Brigman

Summary: Jonah Hex and the Dogs of War face off against Infinity Inc.  The fight is chaotic.  In the end, Hex asks if they are willing to kill for their cause.  Nuke says he’s willing to kill or lay down his life for his friends.  Brainwave Jr finally recovers from his coma.  He uses his telepathy to give Infinity Inc the advantage.  They end up declaring a stalemate, and decide to team up.  Fate arrives to tell  Infinity Inc that the JSA are looking for them.  The JSA have decided to formally pass the torch on to Infinity Inc.  The new combined team will be called JSA-Infinity.

Mike Maillaro:  It really felt like the Gods of War and Hex were an afterthought here.  Ordway had an Infinity Inc story he wanted to tell, and Convergence was a platform to let him do it.  At times, it was a little hard to tell who was fighting on each side.  It had been a long time since I’ve read Infinity Inc and I didn’t recognize all the characters.  But the ending was great, and I hope that we get to see some follow up to this soon.  3/5

Convergence: Justice Society of America #2 by Dan Abnett and Tom Derenick

Summary: The Weaponers of Qward have launched their champion at Metropolis. It is a war machine called The Weapon.  The revitalized JSA arrive to fight the machine and protect civilians.  The Weapon seems more interested in dismantling the city than fighting the JSA.  The Qwardians’ plan seems to be that if the city is destroyed, Telos has no choice but to declare them the winners.  The JSA seems thrilled to be active again, when with the great danger.  It is a long tough fight, but the JSA win.  Later, the JSA are feeling their age.  They decide to pass the torch to Infinity Inc.

Mike Maillaro: Good way to say goodbye to the JSA. I know a lot of people miss Wally West or other characters, but for me, the biggest problem with New 52 has been the loss of the elder statesmen of the DC Universe.  I’m really hoping that we get a JSA-Infinity series at some point showing us these character’s continuing adventures.  Abnett did a terrific job with this issue.  4.5/5

Convergence: Plastic Man and The Freedom Fighters #2 by Simon Oliver and John McCrea

Summary: After escaping a Nazi jail on Earth X, the Freedom Fighters find the city being overrun by Future’s End OMACs.  They manage to defeat some of the OMACS.  Nazi fighter Silver Ghost arrives and calls for them to work together.  Silver Ghost says they need to find and destroy the consciousness controlling these machines.  Plastic Man and Silver Ghost use one of the OMACs to track down the signal while the others stay back to protect their city.  Plastic Man and Silver Ghost find the core consciousness.  Silver Ghost seems to want to control the consciousness, not destroy it.  Plastic Man sets off explosives, blowing up the consciousness and Silver Ghost.  The other OMAC’s start to shut down.

Mike Maillaro: Well, at least they acknowledged Future’s End happened someplace during Convergence.  The conversation between Plastic Man and Silver Ghost was a real tricky piece of writing.  You very rarely get to see any depth in Nazis in any kind of fiction.  Sure, this guy was evil, but he still had reasons for acting the way he did.  Some readers may be offended, but I like seeing humanity in all characters, no matter how bad they are.  The OMACs were a real odd fit here, but I still enjoyed this one quite a bit.  4/5

Convergence: Shazam! #2 by Jeff Parker and Evan “Doc” Shaner

Summary: Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel Junior arrive to help Bulletman and Bulletgirl defend Fawcett City from attacking zeppelins.  Captain Marvel trails them back to what seems to be Victorian-Era England.  He is attacked by Batman (Gotham by Gaslight version) using some steampunk-like aircraft.  Batman electrocutes Captain Marvel, almost forcing him to change back to Billy Batson, but he manages to hold on.  Suddenly, Batman’s flying machine is being pulled apart by some kind of magnetic force. Captain Marvel and Batman team up and track the magnetic field to Exhibition Hall.  Mr Atom has rebuilt the Monster Society using Gotham villains.  Mary, Junior, and the Bullets join the fight and the heroes win.  It’s revealed Mr Mind is behind all this.  Mr Mind self-destructs severely damaging Gotham in the process.

Mike Maillaro: This ended up being the last Convergence book I read (and reviewed).  It had a great old school Captain Marvel feel.  I loved seeing Captain Marvel’s villains team up with Gotham by Gaslight’s villains.  We didn’t get enough of that during Convergence.  Jeff Parker writes a great Captain Marvel comic!  4.5/5

Convergence: World’s Finest #2 by Paul Levitz, Jim Fern, and Ron Wagner

Summary: Shining Knight faces off against the Qwardian with a reported along for the ride.  The other surviving Soldiers of Victory try to help, but Telos stops them, turning loose more Qwardians for them to fight.

Shining Knight tries to get the Qwardian to agree to a truce, but he refuses.  The Qwardian ends up killing Shining Knight’s horse!  The reporter clobbers the Qwardian from behind with a mace allowing Shining Knight to defeat the Qwardian, but Shining Knight won’t kill him.  Telos has seen enough.  He considers Shining Knight to be weak for refusing to kill a defeated for.  Metropolis is pretty badly damaged from the battle, and the other Soldiers seem to have fallen.

Mike Maillaro: Telos’ direct intervention throughout this issue seems to be real out of synch with the other Convergence tie-ins.  And Levitz seemed determined to leave no one left standing in the end.  Poor Shining Knight was the only survivor.  But all in all, this was mostly a real cool issue, and I liked the reporter as a storyteller.  3.5/5