In an earlier issue the Mole Man himself, the groups first enemy, reaches out to Reed to ask for his help. The resulting adventure doesnt center on uneasy alliances or potential double-crosses, as is usually the case when good guys and bad guys team up, but on a problem bigger than all of them, one that theyre compelled to solve because simply its in line with their motivations. Its a simple approach I wish more comic writers would employ.

And finally, is it good storytelling? Does the Pope shit in the woods? The answer is yes--the Pope is constantly shitting in the woods. And this is greatstorytelling. Ive mentioned that its all told in panoramic shots and no balloons (except for a couple of completely justified splash pages), but the panel compositions are so full and dynamic that youll forget youre looking at the same layouts within two pages. And speaking of the Pope, Paul ditto contributes with a one-page strip at the end of every issue, and hes probably the best storyteller working in the medium right now.

This is the type of story you'll wanna read again as soon as you finish the comic, and thankfully it's produced with enough attention to detail to withstand the extra attention. Mr. Ciaramella's script is elegant well-paced: the comic really does read like it was written by one person. At no point would you suspect it was an adaptation of one of Mr. Hill's short stories if I hadn't just told you. I know this because I didn't suspect that either until I used Google just now to check the spelling of Ciaramella. Good thing I did, otherwise I would've looked really foolish for not mentioning such an important fact in my review. Guess it's time to shut up now, huh.

Should you buy it? If you kept reading after the plot synopsis--hell yeah.

The end of the comic leads directly into the first issue of Justice League: Generation Lost, which...wasnt that good. At least not compared to this one. I hope that doesnt mean the writers will be abandoning the time traveling aspect of the book in favor of a long crossover event, because theres plenty of potential for good comedy there. In this issue they took a short scene from a 30 year old Legion comic and asked: what about the people who were in Daxam when Darkseid destroyed it who werent Daxamites? Like, those who came on vacation? If they can build a good premise from that, imagine what they could do next. Crashing a Thomas Wayne dinner party? Escaping from the cruise ship that left Oliver Queen stranded on an island? The possibilities are endless.

At one point Luthors lackey of the moment briefly checks in on John Henry Irons, a.k.a. Steel, but Lex dismisses him saying, Hes just a genius in a powered suit. It occurs to me that Steel is the anti-Luthor: Theyre both bald scientists in robotic suits who had their life turned upside down by Superman. Where Luthor felt envious and provoked, Irons felt humbled and inspired. I wouldnt mind that guy having a larger role in the overall scheme of this storyline, which apparently concludes next year in Action Comics #900. Hey, who knows, maybe if this works out well, by issue #1000 no one will remember that Superman guy who used to star in this comic.

Overall its a great comic, certainly worth the $4.99 per year.

Thats my one complaint here. Maybe if I re-read the entire run Ill notice things that will make me change my mind, but right now I feel like the finale would have been more satisfying if the obsession that leads to Hundreds downfall had played a larger role in the overall story. The inter-dimensional invasion is a recent development (for Hundred if not the reader), so having the character lose himself over it feels a little like cheating, from a narrative standpoint. Still, I think this flaw is minor, and it shouldnt detract too much from what turned out to be a bold and technically brilliant last chapter.

By the way, also out this month is a special reprinting the first issue of the first Locke & Key mini-series, which includes a bonus fumetti style story that explains everything that has gone on in the series through photos of Joe Hill looking creepy. Plus, new art by Gabriel Rodrguez, and all for a measly dollar.

As a sidenote: Id gladly read 60 page annual with just Bane and Scandal sitting on the porch, bickering lovingly. I hope the events of this issue dont mean well be seeing less of that.

Final word: A promising title full of great moments and a couple of intriguing twists. Even if you were utterly confused by Young Liars, give this a shot.

Oh, about the back-up story: Denny O'Neil and Bill Sienkiewicz make a great team, but I gotta say his art doesn't work as well in black and white as I thought it should. Personally, I found the figures and the narration itself a little confusing, and adding some color generally helps with that. Other than that, it's a clever short story with a cool ending.

The book also includes 30 new, never-before-seen strips, though I imagine someone had to see them if theyre in this book. They couldnt just pop into existence at the moment you open it, could they?

I gotta say this comic wasnt exactly what I expected, but that isnt necessarily a bad thing. Its permanence on my pull list will depend on how the story of the protagonist evolves, since thats the main draw here, and not its impact on continuity as I had assumed.

Despite all its flaws, this is still a very interesting and very enjoyable book. Thats a great combination. Also, since it was spoiled by the Next on Doom Patrol box last issue I think I can safely say it here: Ambush Bug shows up in the last page, carrying his bags, his child, and his Sales Bump pin. The next one should be a doozy.

By the way, dont be alarmed by the great number of inkers in this issue. Patrick Gleasons style is distinctive enough to come through strongly despite the many hands, and even if that wasnt the case, the pages appointed to each inker are chosen very smartly, making the transitions almost unnoticeable.

By the way, I was supposed to review Justice League: Generation Lost #2 this week, but upon reading the issue I find that I have nothing to add to what Danny Djeljosevic said about the first issue a couple of weeks ago. So if youre curious about what I would have said, simply read Dannys review again and pretend its not as well written.

So, is it worth it to buy this entire issue for that one strip? Yes. But you can also find it in Google, you know.

Dont get me wrong, this isnt a bad comic. Marcus To is still the artist and hes still doing a great job at drawing Tim fighting sexy enemies. But the thing is, while Yost treated Red Robin like an epic adventure with a clear direction, under Nicieza it feels more like the ongoing adventures of Tim Drake, which simply doesnt cut it for me. I follow stories, not characters. Unless its Bat-Mite. Ill buy anything with Bat-Mite on the cover.

So, based on this anniversary issue, the present is decadent, the future isnt too promising, and the past looks shinier every day. Ill still keep an eye on this series, though, in case it improves once it gets to the part that JMS is really interested in.

Ive always been a big fan of Mr. Jurgens (in fact, his '90s Superman work is what got me into comics), but I think even those early, awkward issues of Booster Gold were more sophisticated than this. With this mini-series, the man appears to be slowly de-evolving into a He-Man writer. Which is a damn shame, because an ongoing Time Masters series wouldve been be pretty cool.

Maybe its the because of the restrictions of doing 10 page stories within a line-wide storyline, or maybe its because all the writers are guests in this series and probably are simply more invested in their own books, but I feel like none of them are really into it. Come on, youre being paid to write superheroes! Try to have some fun with it and maybe your audience will too.

He does have a talent for coming up with those scenes, though. The next DC event should be one big 154-page spread published over seven issues. At least then we would be spared having to read Johnss dialogue.