I found the writing a bit hard to follow for the first two pages or so, but that's not to say that I did not enjoy the story. An origin story, that is! The origin of Kite-Man! (Or the Ballad, if you prefer). The story follows a man as he is tormented on all sides by the Riddler, the Joker, and Batman, who all use him as a pawn and ultimately send him on an emotional path to becoming Kite-Man. Once you get past the first few pages, you'll start to understand more of what's going on, and the last few pages will redeem the comic with a triumphant answer to an emotional finish.

Jeff Lemire won my heart with this series. As this first story arc came to a close with this issue, Lemire's artwork is only matched by his ability to write an amazing story. Each character's story comes to a head as they struggle to deal with the emotions surrounding their father being on a coma from having a stroke. With their dead little brother haunting the decisions they make while trying to solve the problems in their lives, this story arc only leaves you wanting more with this emotional climax. I look forward to October when the second story arc begins!

Not a bad comic, just unnecessary, I guess. Superman and his family go on a road trip to several memorials in this salute to our troops and those who have served the country. If you're trying to save money, you can probably just skip this one, although I did like the patriotic variant cover.