What I'm trying to say is that this is a book that has a lot to say, and knows exactly how it wants to phrase it all. As the first arc ("Daughter of the Revolution") continues, we're almost certainly going to see more nuanced politics and characterization, but this is what you need to know: there's a lot of evil in America, and some of it wears a suit and rides in a black helicopter around the edges of your peripheral vision. But the idealized version of America we grew up with isn't dead, just dormant, and this team is primed to ask the big questions: what's the value of a country, when you get right down to it? Back in Phoenix, Wendig told me that "patriotism is a moving target." If any comic can shoot out that bullseye right now, I think it's The Shield.

"War Zone" wraps up next month, followed by the series conclusion in December. And that is a crying shame, because of all the weird adventure team-up stories DC has ever put out, Justice League United might be the one I'm least conflicted about giving to a comics newbie. I can only hope that JLU's cancellation was merely to make way for an even cooler execution of this concept–because if not, DC just threw away something unique, something they may never be able to recapture.

Nah! Just kidding. The issue ends with a classic "I have the shot" cliffhanger, so we're certain open with some explosive action this month. It's delightful to see Orlando developing Midnighter's supporting cast so quickly, and bringing them into the melee proper is always great drama. Best of all, even if cast members die, we're never going to lose the only gay character in the book! Because there's oodles of them! So fire when ready, Gridley. Midnighter shows no signs of slowing down.

While writer Cullen Bunn manages to get me up to speed in a hurry, I have to say I don't feel excited to be there. I appreciated Mera giving Arthur the business for a while, but after it turned out to be a trick, I lost my enthusiasm. Still, the art in this book is tight, capturing the oceanic setting beautifully in its motion and muted colors. It might not be the most exciting of the Justice League group, but I'm happy that Aquaman is still in talented hands–even if I do have some reservations about the plot.

The Flash #44 isn't perfect; the latent science pedant in me cringed every time the colloquial word "centrifugal" was used in place of "centripetal," and I'm still not sure why Thawne's crew has remained loyal for all these years without asking exactly why the Flash needs to be so thoroughly destroyed. But now that Wally's on his way to claiming his birthright as Kid Flash and good representation seems to be an ever-growing part of this series, I'm in a position where I can enthusiastically recommend The Flash to my cape-loving friends who want an action-oriented book that's as good as it is weird.

There's so much more to say about Prez #4, from Fred Wayne's destruction of literature to the "social media wars" (a brilliant, dark gag that satisfactorily explains why Twitter is still around), but if you cut out everything else, this is a book about the utterly meaningless horror of warfare. And for all the severed arms and grim plotlines in the main DCU, this quirky little piece of satirical genius far more successfully captures the real cost of harming your fellow man.

With that said, just as the last arc was a Poison Ivy/Swamp Thing story first and foremost, this one looks like a Vandal Savage story, which is not something you get to see very often. Since Demon Knights ended, Savage has practically been a ghost, which is a shame; an immortal, hyper-intelligent caveman is the sort of character cape comics were made to support. Seeing his exploits in WWII is cool enough, but to see the consequences of those actions play out 70-odd years later when Savage least expects it? Now that's something to see. Once again, the excellent JLU team produces an equally excellent team adventure.

This issue's plot feels like the stakes are much lower than they have been in the past, partially because the villain's motivations are fairly limited to sadism and ca$h money. It's a foregone conclusion that Midnighter will cave in his head, and he doesn't have very many interesting things to say, so the story this month ends up mostly being an excuse for Grayson to join Midnighter's mission. While that's a perfectly good reason for any comic book to exist, I can't help but feel that not as much happened in Midnighter #4 as in the issues preceding it, or at least that it wasn't as memorable. But every series needs a little time to slow down before it picks up speed once again. Next month: DC's best buddy cop story this side of Blue & Gold continues to unfold!

I do have some lingering reservations, namely the frequency of time-sensitive references on Russell's part; he assured me on Twitter last month that there was a very good reason he used Facebook by name rather than a Future Brand X equivalent, which will become apparent in September's Prez #4. While I'm more than willing to stick around and find out what that reason could be, I'm dubious about how well Paris Hilton jabs and hacktivists in Guy Fawkes masks will stand the test of time. But given how stinging Russell's satire is across the board, and how the art team manages to blend cartoonish absurdity with intense, realistic emotion, this is one book that cannot afford be cancelled.

Still, the "oh cool" moments this month manage to outweigh the "wait what" head-scratchers. The Folded Man only shows up in the last couple pages, but his power will clearly pose a huge threat for Flash right out of the gate. (In fact, this issue's wordless cliffhanger and accompanying dig at Aquaman ranks among this team's finest dramatic moments.) And the Human Block gets a proper display of her power in her first regular-series appearance, walking out like a badass into oncoming traffic and straight demolishing an oncoming truck. The action has finally kicked back into high gear, it seems, and Flash's life is legitimately in danger again! That's always a lot of fun.

Overall, I'm just disappointed in how the Moirai were wasted in this issue. They're an incredibly powerful and interesting aspect of Greek mythology, and to kill them all off-panel to advance a half-baked version of Donna Troy is what I'd call a huge misstep. Here's hoping Meredith Finch can coax some chemistry out of Donna and Aegeus when they inevitably meet up, because this plot is going downhill in a hurry.

In fact, this issue's tone is all over the map, but not in a messy way–Venditti, Jensen, and Booth have a tight grip on the reins, even as they pick up speed with every scene. The Flash #42 ramps up the menace of the new Reverse Flash in anticipation of next week's Flash Annual, which will introduce the villain's "acolytes"–never a good word to hear in context with supervillainy. The encroaching darkness in this arc is greatly entertaining in a way most "mature" DC storylines usually aren't. Fans of GeoffJohns' Zoom stories are particularly going to want to check this book out, but even if you just like superpowered psychopaths in general–and in this fandom, who doesn't?–give The Flash a try.